2026 Nfl Mock Draft First Round Picks Projections

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 15, 2025, 4:51 AM

2026 nfl mock draft first round picks projections

Technically, rookie Tyler Shough is the Saints' starter for the rest of the season. When New Orleans goes on the clock in the 2026 NFL Draft, Shough will almost certainly become the latest high-round pick whose team uses an even higher-round pick 12 months later in the hopes... The Panthers did it in 2011 when they took Cam Newton No. 1 overall, and the Cardinals did it eight years later when they selected Kyler Murray with the top pick. And as we sit here, nine weeks into the 2026 season, the Saints are staring that first-overall selection in the face. There will no doubt be discussions in the building about trading down and what such a draft haul might do to reset this roster, but if the organization feels that Fernando Mendoza or Ty...

Former Titans GM Ran Carthon and I talked about this last week on "With the First Pick," our NFL Draft podcast: In my Mock Draft 2.0, I have just three QBs going in the first round -- and one via trade; after trading down from No. 2 to No. 5 last April, the Browns move up from No. 6 to No. 2 in this excerise for a quarterback.

And much like the conversation surrounding Shough, it's fair to assume that neither Dylan Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders (or any other QB currently on Cleveland's roster) will be penciled in as the 2026 starter... The 2025 NFL Draft is now in our rearview mirror. Therefore, it’s time to move on to the 2026 NFL Draft. While it might be too early to break down prospect film, it’s never a bad time for a way-too-early mock draft. Therefore, let’s not waste any time and dive into it. This mock draft is for the first round only and will include six hypothetical trades.

The draft order is set based on the reverse Super Bowl odds. If the Saints land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, it likely means Tyler Shough had an awful rookie season. Therefore, expect them to select a quarterback with the top pick. Indianapolis Colts receive pick 2. Cleveland Browns receive picks 7, 2027 & 2028 first-rounders.

Unfortunately, Anthony Richardson seems like a bust, while Daniel Jones isn’t the long-term answer. The Colts pay a heavy price to move ahead of several quarterback-needy teams to secure the Penn State star. The rising importance of the 2026 NFL Draft for several teams came into focus after last week's trade deadline. With the New York Jets having dealt cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts, there are now four NFL teams that have multiple first-round picks in April. And with the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants having already fired their head coaches, several fan bases are probably ready to close the book on this season and enter offseason mode. But with the first-round order still shifting significantly week to week, there's still ample time for team's draft fortunes to rise or fall.

With that said, here's USA TODAY Sports' latest first-round projection and 2026 NFL mock draft: There's a strong possibility for Tennessee to possess the No. 1 pick in consecutive years after the Saints' and Browns' victories left the Titans as the only one-win team remaining. And that creates a bit of a mystery atop the order. An organization that's yet again rebooting would clearly stand to benefit from trading back and stockpiling more early selections to support Cam Ward. Yet this quarterback class doesn't seem particularly conducive to drumming up a bidding war for this choice.

If Tennessee does end up in the slot and stands pat, it could supercharge its defense with Reese. Though he operates as a linebacker for the Buckeyes, the 6-foot-4, 243-pounder has Micah Parsons-like movement abilities that could be best put to use in a full-time edge rushing role. The Titans could pair him with Jeffery Simmons to create one of the league's most formidable inside-outside tandems and then use the rest of the draft – and free agency – to focus on... A franchise with a decades-long habit of being trigger-shy when it comes to selecting quarterbacks might be hard-pressed to go this route, especially if Tyler Shough continues to exhibit the promise he displayed in... But unless the second-round rookie firmly establishes himself as New Orleans' answer at the position in the back half of the season, Mendoza might be massively alluring. The Heisman Trophy front-runner now also figures to be the favorite to be the first quarterback taken, with his game-winning drive against Penn State highlighting resiliency and a knack for operating out of structure...

The 6-5, 225-pounder is the kind of precise thrower who could allow Kellen Moore to launch a new era for the organization in earnest. The NFL season is past its halfway point, as the NFL trade deadline has passed for the 2025 season. The college football season is nearing the playoffs, while the NFL playoff picture is also coming into focus. Which means, it's starting to become clear which teams need to think about what they want to do in the 2026 draft. With a remixed order and the top prospects in flux, here's Sporting News' third set of first-round projections for what will go down next April 23 in Pittsburgh: MORE: Where Fernando Mendoza, other QBs rank in 2026 NFL Draft reset

(No. 1-18 order courtesy of Tankathon; No. 19-32 from Week 9 playoff picture) After the best and wildest NFL trade deadline anyone will ever see, the 2026 NFL Draft is getting shaken up significantly. Even with the ink still drying on our latest 2026 NFL mock draft projections, we've got to crank out a new first round, at the very least, with so many more picks being exchanged. The New York Jets now own multiple first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, as well as a second-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys.

They'll have three first-round picks in 2027. So far, we've already had four first-round picks change hands and we haven't even reached the 2026 offseason yet. Buckle up. Even though the Jets only added one first-round pick in this year's draft, the trades we saw at the deadline have also impacted teams' future needs and how they might attack the draft next... Let's refresh our 1st-round predictions. The move off of Spencer Rattler to Tyler Shough will give the New Orleans Saints a clear picture, but if they finish with the worst record in the NFL this season, they're going to...

More than anything, the Titans just need pieces around Cam Ward. This team sold off its most valuable parts at the NFL trade deadline and they need to take the best player on their board here. The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rear-view mirror, meaning it is time to turn the page to our 2026 NFL Mock Draft. Here is an early look at who could be the top prospects for next April’s draft. Continue reading as we break down this 2026 NFL Mock Draft. Learn all about these prospects in this full first-round breakdown as the trenches dominate Round 1.

It is a wide-open race for QB1 next year, and Sellers has the best traits of all the top quarterbacks. His film is more day two right now, but the flashes are super exciting. Notably, Anthony Richardson is the easy comp for Sellers. However, he will have more starting experience and production under his belt. Justin Fields isn’t the long-term answer for the Jets, so this would be an obvious quarterback pick if New York is in this position. A player with the chance to be the top defender in the draft, Faulk is physically gifted.

He doesn’t have enough attention yet. However, he should play on an underrated Auburn team next season. New Orleans was a potential landing spot for a defensive end in the 2025 draft, and should be a spot they look at with no true difference-maker along their defensive front. Only a few years ago, the Browns had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, and Jack Conklin are past their primes, and the Browns failed to address the offensive line in the 2025 draft. Lomu is the better of the Utah tackles and was very impressive in his first year as a starter last fall.

Overall, this move would allow Dawand Jones to play his more natural position, right tackle, and let the Browns move off of Conklin. My wife, stepdaughter and I alternate who gets to decorate the Christmas tree every year. Two years ago it was a celebration of Taylor Swift and her many illustrious eras. Last year, my wife created a shrine to the seminal 1990s movie “Clueless.” This holiday season we’re going with a 7½-foot animated Chewbacca in a Santa hat. Nothing roars Christmas cheer like Chewy holding a giant candy cane.

If only ugly Christmas sweaters came in Wookiee sizes. I imagine this year’s “airing of grievances” during Festivus will be Star Wars-themed as well. For the football obsessed, the expression "It’s the most wonderful time of the year," is not so much a reflection about the holidays as it is about mock drafts. They're like Thanksgiving meals — we seemingly can’t get enough of them. So, shortly after releasing a traditional first-round mock draft, we thought it would be worthwhile to identify each team's most glaring holes as well as strong prospect fits to fill them. With two clubs emerging as legitimate contenders for the No.

1 pick, the AFC East felt like the perfect starting point to kick off the series. Here are early projections for the entire division's selections on Days 1 and 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. First round, No. 3 overall pick: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana The Jets’ decision to trade cornerback Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams to load up on draft picks suggests that the club is willing to undergo a complete roster rebuild. Perhaps that will allow New York to package picks to trade for a veteran quarterback, with intriguing candidates such as Kyler Murray and divisional rival Tua Tagovailoa thought to be potentially available this offseason.

Should Jets general manager Darren Mougey take the more conventional approach, Mendoza’s inspirational play at Indiana could make him the first quarterback off the board this year. His dual-threat ability would make him an intriguing fit in the offense that head coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand have used with incumbent starter Justin Fields this season.

2026 Nfl Mock Draft First Round Picks Projections

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