University of Kwazulu-Natal

2026 Nfl Mock Draft 1st Round Mock Draft Finally Gives The Raiders A

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
2026 nfl mock draft 1st round mock draft finally gives the raiders a

The 2025 NFL regular season is now wrapped, and the league's 14-team postseason field is set. It also means that the 18 teams that failed to make the postseason now know exactly where their first-round selections for the 2026 NFL Draft will fall. The Las Vegas Raiders earned the No. 1 overall selection, and it is widely believed they will take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. Many presume that it will be Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but could Dante Moore ultimately emerge as the Raiders' quarterback of choice?

Elsewhere, pass rushers like Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey are getting a lot of love as potential top-10 selections. Fittingly, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is also getting that same sort of attention. How could the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft look? Below are the latest expert projections with the top 18 picks set ahead of the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Las Vegas Raiders are sitting pretty in the 2026 NFL Draft order.

Before they even took the field, they were locked into the No. 1 overall pick with the New York Giants, the only team that could pass them via tiebreakers, winning on Sunday. And with that being the case and even more shake-ups in the draft order, we have to see how everything sits following the last week of the regular season, and how an NFL Mock... More than just the Raiders moved around or locked in favorable spots in Week 18, which makes this even more fun to dissect. That's even more so true with the College Football Playoff raising the stock of several prospects, including the top two quarterbacks in the 2026 draft class. But let's start by looking at the updated draft order before we dive into a mock draft with a projection for the Top 10 picks.

So much is changing in the draft order after Week 18. Like we said, Vegas is locked into the No. 1 pick because of the Giants' win — but that also means that New York moves down to the No. 5 selection with the victory, which pushes the Cardinals even higher in the draft order. Meanwhile, the Saints finally stopped their winning ways of late to lock themselves into a Top 10 pick, the same of which is true for the Bengals. While our quick NFL Mock Draft will only focus on the Top 10 picks momentarily, though, it's worth noting that the Dallas Cowboys might be the biggest winners, losing in Week 18.

They slot in at No. 12 for now, which means they should have a crack at an elite talent. And Green Bay's pick to them has been getting even better down the stretch as well, which sets Jerry Jones up for even more chaos of his own creation. With the Raiders locked into the first-overall pick, they have their choice of quarterback. While I slightly prefer Fernando Mendoza, my gut tells me that Las Vegas will prefer the upside of Dante Moore, at least as far as the current regime is concerned (though that could change... Moore has all the tools, but less experience and more development ahead.

For me, though, the Raiders aren't all that close to competing, so betting on the upside fits their timeline a little more seriously. It's sad to think that the 2025 NFL season is nearing its end, but for many fan bases around the league, the end of this season will mark the beginning of renewed hope. For more than half the league, this season didn't go the way everyone expected. Or maybe in the case of some teams, it went exactly as expected, and that's part of the problem. Thankfully, there's a new batch of prospects coming up to the league, but at the most premium positions (QB, OT, CB, WR, EDGE), beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. With big names like Arch Manning returning to school for another season, who is going 1st overall?

Will quarterback-needy teams be able to bank on this year's draft class? We're making picks for the entire first round in this all-new 2026 NFL mock draft. The Raiders play against the New York Giants in what could end up being a battle for the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. And right now, the Raiders need it more. They even put Brock Bowers on IR to give themselves a better chance. Okay, we can’t say that as fact, that’s more tongue in cheek, but if the boot fits…

The Raiders need a QB to build around, and Fernando Mendoza looks like he’s got what it takes to come run the point effectively. It is with great sadness to report the NFL is in the final quarter of its regular season. A month from today, it will be over. For fans of several teams, the season has been over for quite some time and the days until the offseason were being counted. In today's thought exercise, CBSSports.com takes a look at the new draft order and examines which teams may be in the market for a quarterback. No trades are projected because it makes little sense until the draft order is finalized.

Neither the Giants nor the Titans need a quarterback, but they are the gatekeepers to a team potentially moving up to take one of those players. As a result of this being, potentially, my last mock draft before the regular season finale, let's explore the remaining games that will weigh heavily in determining the top-10 overall. Here are the games involving two teams with four wins or less entering Week 15: As a reminder, there are four teams without a first round pick: the Jaguars, Falcons, Colts and Packers. A pick will be made for each of those teams after the first-round mock draft. To set the stage, here are the current odds to be the No.

1 overall pick: All right. If this report is true, and if the Diamondbacks truly do stop holding themselves open for offers for Ketel Marte, then we could see one major impediment to the positional free agent glut removed... Per Ken Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks' talks on trading their star second baseman are over: Ketel Marte will remain with the Diamondbacks, source tells @TheAthletic. He will not be traded.— Ken Rosenthal... From the start of the offseason, one of the free agent predictions most folks have comfortably made is that Cody Bellinger will be returning to the New York Yankees eventually.

He clearly thrived with that team and in that ballpark. He provides a whole lot that they need. And each side seemed to be quite happy with the fit. (Yankees: the Cubs say you're welcome for trading you Bellinger for... Whew. Busy week, relatively speaking, for the Cubs.

I was hoping this is how things would look in the first full week back from the holidays, but you never know with offseasons in the current era. I guess a lot of the activity was driven by a single Cubs trade, but the Cubs did also claim a pitcher on waivers, and signed another to a minor league deal. A relative... Today is the deadline for arbitration-eligible players to file their request for a 2026 salary (and for teams to file their number in return). In the distant past, when those numbers didn't meet, teams and players might have continued negotiating until their hearing later in the month. But for a good long while now, today has basically been the final day of talks (you may have heard "file and trial"...

Episode 44 of the Bleacher Nation Cubs Podcast is officially live! In this week's episode, Brett asks me about how I broke yesterday's big trade. I tried to say as much as I could without spoiling any sources. I probably said too much. After that, we discuss Edward Cabrera, the pitcher, as well as the impact his presence has on the Cubs both this season and beyond. After the break,...

The order for the first 18 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft is set. So it’s a perfect time for our latest mock draft As a new year begins, 14 NFL teams remain alive in the chase for Super Bowl LX. For the other 18 teams, the offseason has already begun. Coaches and general managers are losing their jobs, interviews are being lined up for their successors, and fans are scouring the internet for every little bit of hope. Hope that when this time of the year rolls around next season, their teams will be the ones still alive in the chase for Super Bowl LXI.

Of course, the 2026 NFL Draft is a big driver of that hope. So let’s take a look at how the draft could unfold, now that the order for the first 18 picks has been set. For this exercise there are no trades, and at the end of the draft we look at what teams without a first-round pick might do when they are on the clock. Copyright 2008-2026 Drafttek.com. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy

Neither Drafttek.com or www.drafttek.com are affiliated in any manner with the National Football League. Nor any National Football League Team, or any NFLPA player. 2026 NFL Mock Draft, expert 1st round projected picks, top prospect predictions for the upcoming NFL draft including Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, more. As your fantasy leagues enter the playoffs, leaving many on the outside looking in, it is natural for some to turn their eyes towards the incoming rookies for hope. Whether you’re hoping to get in on the next great dynasty sleeper, eyeing a quarterback for your favorite team, or you just love watching Mel Kiper Jr.’s hairline recede, NFL Draft season has something... With that in mind, it is never too early to get a start on the upcoming rookie class, and mock drafts are the best way to do that.

While the perspective entering this season was that the 2026 NFL Draft would be low on talent, the demise of this class was somewhat exaggerated. In fact, this class is better than last year at several key positions. Before we begin, it is worth noting that the draft order for this mock is based on the current record & strength of schedule entering Week 15. Also, please note that many underclassmen may return to school this year, but the only major returns we are projecting right now are Arch Manning to Texas and LaNorris Sellers to… wherever pays him... 1. *TRADE: Arizona Cardinals - Dante Moore, QB, Oregon

People Also Search

The 2025 NFL Regular Season Is Now Wrapped, And The

The 2025 NFL regular season is now wrapped, and the league's 14-team postseason field is set. It also means that the 18 teams that failed to make the postseason now know exactly where their first-round selections for the 2026 NFL Draft will fall. The Las Vegas Raiders earned the No. 1 overall selection, and it is widely believed they will take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. Many presume that i...

Elsewhere, Pass Rushers Like Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr. And

Elsewhere, pass rushers like Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr. and David Bailey are getting a lot of love as potential top-10 selections. Fittingly, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is also getting that same sort of attention. How could the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft look? Below are the latest expert projections with the top 18 picks set ahead of the wild-card round of the playoffs. The L...

Before They Even Took The Field, They Were Locked Into

Before they even took the field, they were locked into the No. 1 overall pick with the New York Giants, the only team that could pass them via tiebreakers, winning on Sunday. And with that being the case and even more shake-ups in the draft order, we have to see how everything sits following the last week of the regular season, and how an NFL Mock... More than just the Raiders moved around or lock...

So Much Is Changing In The Draft Order After Week

So much is changing in the draft order after Week 18. Like we said, Vegas is locked into the No. 1 pick because of the Giants' win — but that also means that New York moves down to the No. 5 selection with the victory, which pushes the Cardinals even higher in the draft order. Meanwhile, the Saints finally stopped their winning ways of late to lock themselves into a Top 10 pick, the same of which ...

They Slot In At No. 12 For Now, Which Means

They slot in at No. 12 for now, which means they should have a crack at an elite talent. And Green Bay's pick to them has been getting even better down the stretch as well, which sets Jerry Jones up for even more chaos of his own creation. With the Raiders locked into the first-overall pick, they have their choice of quarterback. While I slightly prefer Fernando Mendoza, my gut tells me that Las V...