2026 NFL Mock Draft: Connor Allen's 3.0 (Final)
This was certainly an interesting year. Only once or twice in the last 10 years can I remember a draft where every big-name national insider believes a pick at #2 and the betting markets have hardly nudged. I only mocked one trade, but a bunch of them are likely to happen, starting with pick 3 or 6.
2026 NFL Mock Draft 3.0
1. Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Lock it in. Mendoza is the clear QB1, and nothing has changed since Mock 1.0.
2. Jets: Arvell Reese, DL, Ohio State
Despite all the Bailey smoke from the national guys, a lot of books hardly flinched on Reese. I also can't get over Reese taking a 30 visit and discussing his fit in Aaron Glenn's defense with him, while David Bailey never even visited and hardly talked to the Jets staff.
3. Cardinals: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
Bailey checks every single Ossenfort box; it's just a matter of whether ownership will allow him to make the pick. 9.65 RAS, 22 years old, premium position, Power 5, and with the Cardinals at 100% premium positions in Rounds 1 and 2, this is one of the easiest connections on the board.
4. Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
It's rich at 4, but with both Bailey and Reese off the board, Love gives Cam Ward an explosive dual-threat weapon that Tennessee desperately needs. The Titans' pass-catching group, as it stands, is among the worst in the league, and Love immediately upgrades the entire skill position room.
5. Giants: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
The Giants have reportedly done a ton of homework on Tyson and need another wideout after losing Wan'dale Robinson and Malik Nabers, potentially on the mend early in the year. The Giants have two top-10 picks after the Dexter Lawrence trade and are much more likely to land a defender at 10 than Tyson.
6. Browns: Spencer Fano, OL, Utah
Cleveland badly needs a long-term answer at left tackle, and Fano is a 21-year-old with a 9.80 RAS whose arm length concerns were put to rest at his Pro Day. If you watched Utah last year, you know he's the real deal.
7. Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Styles broke the Combine with a 9.99 RAS, and multiple league sources have said teams aren't shy about taking an off-ball linebacker this high if it's him. Washington still needs a versatile defensive playmaker in the middle of the field, and Styles is a former safety with a 40-inch vertical and 11-foot broad.
8. Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Tate gives them a true boundary X at 6-foot-3 with real ball skills and big-play ability. Downs was tempting here, but I believe they need to help Shough take another step forward.
9. Chiefs: Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
Kansas City needs to protect Mahomes as he works back from the ACL, and Mauigoa is an anchor who allowed a 1.6% pressure rate and zero sacks in 2025. This is as much about keeping Mahomes upright as anything else.
10. Giants: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
The Giants use their second top-10 pick on a cornerback after going offense at 5, and Delane is the best corner in this class. With two picks this high, the luxury of going best player available on defense makes a lot of sense.
11. Dolphins: Rueben Bain, DL, Miami
Miami needs help everywhere, and Bain is a local product who solves a real front-seven need. He's built like a power end at 6-foot-3, 275, and still led Power 4 edge rushers with 75 QB hurries while posting a 24% win rate.
12. Cowboys: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The Cowboys reportedly love Downs, and after adding Quinnen Williams last year, plugging in a versatile safety who can play near the box, handle slot work, and erase tight ends continues to rebuild this defense in a hurry.
13. Rams: Monroe Freeling, OL, Georgia
With Puka having a tumultuous offseason and Adams nearing the end, you'd think receiver, but Freeling's 9.99 RAS and long-term tackle tools might be too good to pass up here. The Rams can still address receiver later, and Freeling gives them a foundational piece up front.
14. Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State
Losing Tyler Linderbaum leaves a glaring hole, and he is supposedly a strong character player. The Ravens drafting the best player at a non-premium position makes a ton of sense.
15. Buccaneers: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Tampa needs help at every level, and Sadiq is a legitimate mismatch piece at 245 pounds with a 41.5-inch vertical who also blocks well enough to stay on the field early. With Mike Evans gone and Cade Otton a non-impact player, Sadiq could bring another layer to this offense.
16. Jets: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
The Jets have a clear WR need behind Garrett Wilson, and with Geno as the bridge and multiple 2027 first-rounders in hand, this isn't the year to force a quarterback. Lemon had the best yards per zone route figure in the class at 3.5 and gives them a dynamic slot-plus option.
17. Lions: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
This pairing keeps picking up steam. Detroit needs a long-term answer at left tackle after moving on from Taylor Decker, and a 20-year-old massive Bama product is the classic Brad Holmes swing. All of Holmes' top-2 round picks have come from Power 5 schools, and he has a documented love of SEC tackles.
18. Vikings: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
Minnesota needs help on the interior, and Woods is one of the cleanest defensive tackle prospects in the class with elite quickness and block-shedding ability. His stock has fluctuated throughout the process, but the talent is undeniable, and Brian Flores can get the most out of him.
19. Panthers: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Thieneman has been mocked in this range at a crazy high clip, and for good reason — 100-plus tackles in each of his first two years and 96 more at Oregon. GM Dan Morgan said he wants players who can impact the team immediately, and Thieneman does that from Day 1.
20. Cowboys: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
Dallas already grabbed Downs at 12 and now doubles down on the secondary. Johnson posted a 9.84 RAS and plays a position the Cowboys desperately need after all the turnover — pairing him with Downs gives them a completely revamped back end.
21. Steelers: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
Pittsburgh still needs more receiving help behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., and Boston gives them size on the boundary and something stylistically different. He also took a top 30 visit with the team, and the Steelers have met with 100% of their first-round picks.
22. Chargers: Chase Bisontis, OL, Texas A&M
The Chargers' season was derailed by OL injuries last year, and Bisontis is a tone-setter in the run game with smooth footwork in pass protection. He started 35 games at Texas A&M and should be an immediate starter inside.
23. Eagles: Max Iheanachor, OL, Arizona State
Iheanachor went from the soccer pitch to a potential first-round pick in four years and ran a 4.91-second 40 at the Combine — just a hundredth of a second off the fastest time for any offensive lineman. Howie Roseman has never been afraid to think ahead on the offensive line, and the developmental upside here is enormous.
24. Browns: Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana
If Cleveland starts with Fano and comes back with Cooper, that's a really strong first round addressing their two biggest needs. Cooper gives them a true outside complement to a receiving group that needs a lot of help.
25. Bears: Akheem Mesidor, DL, Miami
Chicago pivots to the defensive line, and Mesidor can flat-out play despite being older than some of the other R1 DL options. Ryan Poles doesn't mind drafting older players, and Mesidor might out-produce literally every pass-rusher in the draft early in his career.
26. Bills: Malachi Lawrence, DL, Central Florida
Buffalo needs help on the defensive front, and Lawrence's 4.52 forty, 130-inch broad jump, and 27.5 career TFLs give him serious athletic upside. This is the top end of his range, but teams are very interested after the Combine.
27. 49ers: Caleb Lomu, OL, Utah
San Francisco needs young offensive line reinforcements, and Lomu is the kind of developmental tackle bet teams make late in Round 1. If he can add 15-20 pounds without losing anything, there's real left tackle upside here.
28. Texans: Blake Miller, OL, Clemson
Nick Caserio has gone 100% Power 5 in Rounds 1 and 2 — the only GM in the league with that mark — and Miller is a Clemson product with 3,778 offensive snaps over 54 career games. That kind of experience and floor usually appeals to teams drafting late in the first round.
29. Chiefs: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Kansas City already grabbed Mauigoa at 9 and now addresses the secondary, which lost a ton this offseason. Hood posted an 83.3 PFF coverage grade that ranked second in the SEC and is the kind of complete corner who can start right away.
30. Dolphins: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
Miami's current receiver room is Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Terrace Marshall. Malik Willis may not complete 15 passes a game without serious help. Concepcion gives them a real after-the-catch threat and some much-needed juice on offense.
31. Patriots: Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn
New England still needs edge help, and Faulk is big, young, and toolsy with immediate run-defense value while the pass-rush polish develops. Not flashy, but a solid pick for a team still in the early stages of a rebuild.
32. Cardinals: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
There's been a lot of buzz that Simpson is liked more by teams than his consensus mock position suggests, and the Cardinals' grabbing him at the end of Round 1 to develop behind Brissett is a sneaky-smart move. Getting a potential franchise QB on a fifth-year option at 32 is significant value if he hits.
