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2026 Nfl Mock Draft Roundup Mel Kiper Jr Goes Defense For The

Bonisiwe Shabane
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2026 nfl mock draft roundup mel kiper jr goes defense for the

It’s been a while since we’ve done a mock draft roundup, but the season’s over and playoffs start tomorrow, so let’s dive into it again. The Washington Commanders’ season has thankfully ended, and they finished with a 5-12 record, and the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft. Head coach Dan Quinn has already made several changes to the coaching staff, with OC Kliff Kingsbury moving on, and DC Joe Whitt Jr and OL coach Bobby Johnson fired. This roundup has 43 mock drafts and 21 of them feature EDGE rushers. Miami’s Rueben Bain is still the most popular selection for the Commanders with 11 mocks giving him to Washington.

Texas’s David Bailey is also a popular choice, with 9 mocks sending him to D.C. Auburn’s Kevin Faulk rounds out the group with his name called once for Washington this week. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr and Field Yates did a mock together, and Kiper selected Texas Tech’s David Bailey for the Washington Commanders at No. 7. He has Bailey as the No. 6 overall player in the draft, and said he would be a great fit for Washington with QBs like Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Jaxson Dart in the division.

Lack of pressure due to injuries and lack of top talent severely limited Washington’s defense last season, and Adam Peters stated the team needed to add more pass rushers in his post-season presser on... Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is gaining in popularity for a Top-10 pick, and he continues to get heavily linked to the Commanders. He’s picked for Washington 11 times in this week’s roundup, and the fit is hard to ignore. People will argue the positional value isn’t there for a safety this high, but Washington’s defense continues to have a need at the position. Downs is a smart player who would elevate a defense that needs a new direction. We’ve got two more players on defense at two different positions that Washington will be looking to upgrade this offseason.

Ohio State LB Arvell Reese is expected to be a Top-5 pick, but continues to “fall” in some mock drafts that want to send him to Washington. That happens six times this week, and will continue to be a popular option with people looking to add youth to the Commanders LB group. It’s been a while since we’ve done a mock draft roundup, but the season’s over and playoffs start tomorrow, so let’s dive into it again. The Washington Commanders’ season has thankfully ended, and they finished with a 5-12 record, and the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft. Head coach Dan Quinn has already made several changes to the coaching staff, with OC Kliff Kingsbury moving on, and DC Joe Whitt Jr and OL coach Bobby Johnson fired.

This roundup has 43 mock drafts and 21 of them feature EDGE rushers. Miami’s Rueben Bain is still the most popular selection for the Commanders with 11 mocks giving him to Washington. Texas’s David Bailey is also a popular choice, with 9 mocks sending him to D.C. Auburn’s Kevin Faulk rounds out the group with his name called once for Washington this week. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr and Field Yates did a mock together, and Kiper selected Texas Tech’s David Bailey for the Washington Commanders at No. 7.

He has Bailey as the No. 6 overall player in the draft, and said he would be a great fit for Washington with QBs like Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Jaxson Dart in the division. Lack of pressure due to injuries and lack of top talent severely limited Washington’s defense last season, and Adam Peters stated the team needed to add more pass rushers in his post-season presser on... Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is gaining in popularity for a Top-10 pick, and he continues to get heavily linked to the Commanders. He’s picked for Washington 11 times in this week’s roundup, and the fit is hard to ignore. People will argue the positional value isn’t there for a safety this high, but Washington’s defense continues to have a need at the position.

Downs is a smart player who would elevate a defense that needs a new direction. We’ve got two more players on defense at two different positions that Washington will be looking to upgrade this offseason. Ohio State LB Arvell Reese is expected to be a Top-5 pick, but continues to “fall” in some mock drafts that want to send him to Washington. That happens six times this week, and will continue to be a popular option with people looking to add youth to the Commanders LB group. We're through the2025 college football regular season, with bowl games and the College Football Playoff on deck. That means we finally have some clarity on the top players in the 2026 NFL draft class.

I've spent the past few months watching tape on the best playerseligible to get drafted, and I have an updated top-25 Big Board ranking through mid-December. Of course, the class will still change a ton between now and April 23 when Round 1 begins in Pittsburgh. But for now, this is how I see the top of the class, starting with a talented QB prospect. I will keep this list updated throughout the postseason and into predraft events. I have scouting reports for the top 25 overall, and I have stacked the best of the best at every position at the bottom. A key note to please remember: This is not a mock draft or a prediction of where players will be drafted.

These are my personal rankings focusing on talent -- the best players based on what I'm seeing and my own evaluations. Let's get started. (Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.) Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 206 | Prev. rank:1 2025 stats over 12 games: 72.5% completion rate, 2,733 passing yards, 24 TD passes, 6 INTs,1 rushing TD

ESPN has every angle covered for the 2026 NFL draft, including mock drafts and much more from analysts Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates. The first round will take place on April 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rounds 2-3 follow on April 24, and finally Rounds 4-7 are on April 25. You can watch on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN app. To help you get ready for all the action, here is every mock draft we have produced for the 2026 cycle. The first 18 picks of the draft order are set, so Jordan has a new projection of Round 1, starting with a QB for the Raiders.

Field helps kick off the unofficial "draft season" with a fresh set of first-round projections -- including a trade up to No. 1. The NFL has passed the halfway point of the season, now entering Week 10. With that, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates have come together to conduct their first live, joint mock going into the 2026 NFL Draft. Kiper and Yates went through that process on ‘First Draft’ on Wednesday, with the mock hosted by Mike Greenberg.

With a projected order, the two draft experts alternated picks with Yates making the odd-numbered selections while Kiper made the even ones. Here were the results of that draft completed by Kiper and Yates: The Saints selected a quarterback just a year ago in the second round in Tyler Shough, and also still have another quarterback they’ve drafted in Spencer Rattler. However, Yates had New Orleans going with another one with the No. 1 pick in 2026, choosing Mendoza, who is having a career-best season at IU with 72.3% completion for 236 passing yards per game, 25 touchdowns, and only four picks, at first overall. “I have some conviction on this pick being a quarterback.

My top-graded quarterback, so far, at this juncture of the college football season, remains Fernando Mendoza, quarterback from the University of Indiana,” Yates said. “We have talked at length about the skill set that he brings to the table – superior accuracy, excellent arm strength, has some mobility as well…A quarterback race that I think was three players,... Fernando Mendoza emerges

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