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2026 Nfl Mock Draft Roundup Expert Predictions For Round 1

Bonisiwe Shabane
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2026 nfl mock draft roundup expert predictions for round 1

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 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. Fernando Mendoza and top-seeded Indiana will take on Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Michael Reaves / Getty Images The race for the NFL’s worst record has a firm leader heading into the final lap. At 2-14 with one game left (versus the Chiefs), the Raiders are the current favorites to land the No.

1 pick for the 2026 NFL Draft. Four three-win teams remain right behind Las Vegas: the Giants (versus Dallas in Week 18), Jets (at Buffalo), Titans (at Jacksonville) and Cardinals (at Rams). While we wait for the final non-playoff teams to settle into place, here’s a look at how the first 18 picks of this year’s draft — everything up until the postseason cutline — could... Once again, the Raiders need an awful lot, but they’ve kicked the QB can down the road long enough. By the time you reach Week 17 of the NFL season, just as many teams are eyeing the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency as they are thinking about the playoffs. Heck, even some playoff teams, already have one eye on the NFL Draft, knowing a Super Bowl run isn’t in the cards.

But with the New York Giants currently holding the No. 1 overall pick, draft drama is already brewing as multiple teams position themselves to trade up for a quarterback. The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns are the obvious options, as they should look to jump ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders. But what about sleeper teams like the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams? They might have even more incentive to trade up for their choice of Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore Jr. One of them does exactly that in our latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, which projects the entire first round.

It's become undeniable that the Tua Tagovailoa era is over in Miami. But with it looking like Mike McDaniel could be the one who sticks around, the Dolphins need surety at quarterback and Quinn Ewers hasn't shown those signs yet. It's time to make an aggressive trade, and Fernando Mendoza would be perfect in this offense. His decisiveness, plus arm and mobility would reinvigorate the Miami attack and, though it'll cost likely multiple first-rounders, it'd be worth it to reset this franchise's trajectory. The race for QB1 between Mendoza and Dante Moore has gotten closer throughout the year, but the Raiders should happily take whichever quarterback falls to them at No. 2.

Vegas misplayed their timeline with the Geno Smith deal, but getting out of it and moving on to Moore makes perfect sense. He's got all the tools, but just might need a bit more experience and polish. However, he would allow the Raiders, who are flush with cap space, to build around Moore and some other attractive pieces to make the elevation they'd hoped to this past season. There's a chance that the Browns make a draft move for a quarterback in 2026, but it's not a guarantee. They could also either stick with Shedeur Sanders or make a move for a veteran. That seems more likely right now, which brings wide receiver to the forefront given how lackluster that corps is right now.

Jordyn Tyson remains my WR1 by a hair over Carnell Tate. The ASU product has the size and movement skills to be a No. 1 at the next level, and the Browns direly need that no matter who is under center. 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. 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 The 2025 NFL season is not yet over, but many teams are already turning their attention 2026 after being eliminated from postseason contention. A total of nine teams have been eliminated from the playoff race entering NFL Week 9. Many of those squads will be battling for the No. 1 overall pick, which the New York Giants currently possess but could change hands at will over the final four weeks of the NFL season. The draft order figures to play a big role in determining how early quarterbacks will come off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Players like Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore and Ty Simpson could all end up being high first-round picks, but their draft status may depend on which teams end up selecting early – or if there... Here's how the first round of the 2026 NFL draft is looking ahead of the final month of the 2025 season plays out. Here's what all 32 first-round picks in the NFL draft could look like, according to draft experts from CBS Sports, Pro Football Focus, ESPN and USA TODAY Sports as the 2025 NFL season enters...

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