Well, here it is, my annual mock draft of the 2026 Draft class; 1st round edition. Only have time nowadays to do 1st rounds + it would be complicated to do all 7 rounds and to make guesses and assumptions on what position a single team would pick the 7 rounds, let alone 32. This Mock Draft is based solely on what I think every team needs the most to begin the draft, whether it comes down to lack of depth or lack of rating, this is just my opinion.
Without further a due, here is the 2026 Mock Draft:
1.1 Cleveland- RDE David Brooks: Brooks tore it up at Carson-Newman, breaking school records in sacks, strip fumbles and tackle for losses. If he is selected by Cleveland, Brooks will be an immediate starter and will be worth keeping an eye on in the upcoming 2026 season, as he already has DROY status written all over his name. If his college success translates into his MFN career smoothly, we could be seeing a Michael Martin in the making.
1.2 Tampa Bay- WR Eugene Kerby: An all star player coming from a small college of Holy Cross, Kerby is gonna be an offensive weapon to any style of offense. Breaking multiple school records in his junior and senior year, he is looking forward to the team that picks him up, and contributing right away. He had a very impressive 40 time, being the fastest receiver in the combine and 2nd fastest overall. Watch for Kerby in the 2026 season as being a huge factor in Tampa's offense.
1.3 Denver- RDE James Rodriguez: Rodriguez was Louisiana State's biggest star coming out of college this year, as he left his senior year with a bang, putting up 20+ sacks and beating a 27 year old record in most sacks in an NCAA career. The speedy defensive end will be huge in the pass rush, there is no doubt about it. Will he be the missing defensive key to turn the Denver Broncos around?
1.4 Minnesota- SS Winston Stevenson: Ranked NCAA's best safety in the nation 3 years in a row, Stevenson will strike quickly in MFN as a deep safety threat. Despite his size, 5'10, the star from Alabama is a big hitting, ball hawking beast of a man and his potential for his rookie performance is already high. If Stevenson signs with Minny, He will have a chance at turning the vikings into a powerful defensive unit.
1.5 Houston- CB Richard Rodrigez: Rated the best corner in the draft, the Georgia Tech stud is coming off a big senior year with 7 picks and 1 returned to the house. His speed definitelt showed in the combine as he was not only the fastest corner, but the fastest player in the 40 yard dash. Rodrigez's skill set has yet to show as he commented that he has been saving his maximum potential for the big leagues. Now he is eligible for them, so will Rodrigez's college performance translate right into the pros?
1.6 Cleveland- RT Herman Davison: The best Tackle coming out of college, Davison showed great blocking skills as he gave a ton of running room to his Running back while giving up no sacks on the season. The big boy from (I don't even know if this is a actual college or not) Clrmnt-Mdd-Scrpps hardy gets his blocks shedded as Cleveland chooses him with their 2nd pick of the 1st round.
1.7 Oakland- QB Robert Ligon: Ligon was the Heisman trophy winner from Florida A&M after winning the national title, and Oakland is the first team to pick up a QB. With many choices at Quarterback this year, Ligon has to be the best choice as Arm strength was superior all season as he would send it down field plenty of times. Like any Quarterback in the draft, Ligon has a lot of room to improve in order to become a successor in MFN, but his skill set resembles that of Gene Day one expert stated.
1.8 New York- WLB James Cordona: Cordona was voted NCAA's Linebacker of the nation as he turned some scouting heads at Pittsburgh. Cordona's excellent field of play makes him a ne of a kind player at his position. He shows great intelligence at reading offensive formations and plays and has the necessary strength to bring down the ball carrier when he touches him. With New York picking up Cordona, and the linebacker's corp getting stronger, we could end up seeing a decline in points allowed by New york's defense.
1.9 Detroit- CB Victor Erickson: the Nebraska Corner fought for the right to be the NCAA's best corner in the nation as he only lost by 2 votes to Rodrigez. Erickson showed great play making ability in crucial moments for Nebraska as he helped charge his team into the semi-Final Round, only to lose against Florida A&M. While Detroit did trade away the 1st overall pick, Erickson does shows a lot of upside, as he was always in position to make the play, and only gave up 30+% of passes thrown against him. Watch for Erickson as a possible DROY candidate as well.
1.10 Minnesota- QB Donald Meyer: With a late trade of Minnesota moving up in the 1st to have 2 1st round picks in the top 10 picks, Minny could very well go with Quarterback Donald Meyer. Meyer just missed the 4,000 yard mark in a season at Penn. State coming off of a successful senior campaign. Meyer shows great skills in Field of Vision and Pass Accuracy which, combined together, those skills make up a great Quarterback. Watch for Meyer this season in what is sure to be a intriguing year for the rookie Quarterback class.
1.11 Atlanta- TE Thomas Burns: Burns comes off a fast paced year as a tight end, being named #1 Tight End in the nation after a 1,000 yard receiving season. The Elon college TE has all the makings of an all star Tight end, with great catching and running skills, and great blocking technique. Burns could be the missing key to Atlanta's offense as Burns may have the right setup for Atlanta and company.
1.12 Kansas City- QB Gregorio Henry: Coming off of a drop off year in the AFC Division, Kansas City looks to turn things around in the draft with the selection of Henry: The Western Illinois Quarterback lead a solid year for his team, and enters the draft confident that whatever team selects him that he will have some form of success. Henry shows great adaptability to his surroundings as he is known to be the 'quarterback that finishes it'. Henry is a must in the 1st round according to his performance in his college years.
1.13 Indianapolis- LT Victor Tuttle: Tuttle has been Florida States starting LT since his freshman year and it was a solid choice to keep him as a starter considering he is ranked #1 LT in the draft class. Tuttle only gave up 5 sacks in his entire college career, 3 of them coming his first 2 years. Tuttle has improved considerably in pass blocking over the years, and looks to improve more with Indy.
1.14 San Francisco- FB Glenn Devoe: Devoe is more of an multipurpose Fullback than anything as he can make crucial blocks, complete the catch, and bully through defensive lineman as a running back. He has gone 2 years a tight end and 2 years a running back/ Fullback in Colorado as he served his team well the past 4 years. Francisco could use him in many unique ways and Devoe could very well become a multi-positional threat for the 49ers.
1.15 Dallas- QB Jerome Durham: It is no secret that Dallas is still in search of their franchise Quarterback, and Durham could very well be it. He showed great physicality in the combine, throwing some perfect bullets of a pass and is considered to have a sniper of an arm. Coming off his Senior year at Minnesota, Durham threw for 3,000+ yards and 20+ touchdowns in what is more of a run-heavy team, so Dallas could have there eyes set on Durham as their answer.
1.16 Philadelphia- MLB Lee McMahon: Considered one of the best linebackers in the draft, and falling short of being the best linebacker in the nation, McMahon shows he's the one to start for at Middle Linebacker. The Tennessee Tech. product showed outstanding coverage skills in both man and zone, so expect McMahon to make an impact in pass coverage on defense. An upgrade to Philadelphia's linebacker's and a solid draft could turn Philly into a playoff contender once again.
1.17 New Orleans- WLB Glenn Gist: Gist could go to New Orleans from New Mexico State after a strong end to his senior year. Gist was 2nd most among tackles this season and was a pass rushing monster, being one of few linebackers with 10+ sacks this past season. Gist shows great reaction off of the snap and can bring the heat when it comes to designed blitzes. Depending on his development after training camp, Gist could be the Weakside linebacker for the Saints for years to come.
1.18 Green Bay- WR Robert Zullo: Zullo was one of the more consistent receivers in the NCAA last year, making sure that possession was kept through the whole process of the catch no matter the impact taken from a hit. The North Carolina State set all-time school records in receptions and yards in a single season and will be more receiving threat than a speedy threat in MFN, not that that's a bad thing in this league. Zullo's consistency can bring Green Bay back into the playoff picture if Zullo plays his cards right.
1.19 Baltimore- CB Aubrey Sands: Sands came off a breakout year in Washington state, gathering the most tackles in school history this past season. His great coverage skills can provide Baltimore with more coverage reliability in the secondary while improving other areas later on in the draft. Sands does have his work cut out for him in his rookie year as such areas of improvement are his strength and knockdown ability.
1.20 San Francisco- WR Benjamin Seder: With the 49er's second pick in the 1st, they go with Seder and his fantastic RAC ability. Seder was the leading receiver in Tuskegee,gathering up 2 seasons in which he had 1,000+ yards and 10+ touchdowns. Seder has outstanding discipline which will help on long passes where it will be a fight in the air. Seder would be proud to sign with San Francisco as he would like to help out a team get out of a rut and into the win category.
1.21 Green Bay- QB Clifton Johnson: Clifton "Cliff Hanger" Johnson may be picked up by Green Bay with their 2nd pick as Johnson was nicknamed Cliff Hanger in his senior year for the last minute game where he pulled through in the clutch to score and win games that were down to the wire. He broke a few records over his career in the NCAA at Grambling, such as passing touchdowns with 31 last season. Johnson could be the Quarterback of the future for Green bay if he lives up to the hype.
1.22 San Diego- WR Antonio Blankenship: The younger brother of the highly successful William Blankenship, Antonio looks to continue the legacy of the Blankenship family with the possibility of San Diego's receiving corps. Antonio broke the receiving yard record over 4 season's at Dickinson, and Blankenship has a lot to show MFN as well. His possession first mentality has led him to be a success in the NCAA, but can he be like his brother and bring his success to MFN?
1.23 Seattle- WR Efren Young: Young came off a nice senior year at Auburn, being one of few receivers in Auburn history to lead in receiving yards on the team all 4 seasons. Young isn't afraid to jump for the ball with a high risk/high reward mentality, and Seattle likes that about him. Young can become a threat in Seattle's receiving corp's after losing some of their key receivers the past couple of years.
1.24 New England- MLB Leroy Vasallo: Vasallo really came through his final year at Fort Valley State, being 2nd on the team in interceptions ans pass knockdowns and thats exactly what every team looks for in Middle Linebackers. Vasallo has great zone coverage skills where his man coverage still needs improvement, but once he reaches his maximum potential, he could be a very explosive defensive linebacker against both the run and pass, and if any team knows how to develop star players, its New England.
1.25 St. Louis- CB Michael Anderson: Anderson plays at cornerback, but played more like a safety in his final year at Maryland as his punishment on the receiver was good enough to raise some scouts eyebrows. Anderson made sure you felt his presence at every game as he laid down big hits to knock the ball out. His drop the shoulder technique really helps him through his tackling, but if he truly wants to be a successful corner in St. Louis, He'll have to improve on his coverage skills.
1.26 Washington- TE Andrew Solomon: The Oklahoma product was a receiving threat against defenses everywhere as Solomon's size and strength overpowered opposing defenders. His quickness off the line of scrimmage boosted his draft stock during the combine, being one of the quickest Tight Ends in the combine. Solomon could make an immediate impact in Washington if his style matches up with presence down in Washington.
1.27 Miami- RB Brian Powers: Powers is one of the toughest players in the draft class as he set school records down in Southern Methodist for yards after contact and total yardage in a season. He is not the best running back we have ever seen in a draft class, but he has a lot of future potential and if he is picked up by a up and rising team like Miami, he could be the young product that brings Miami to a championship.
1.28 Jacksonville- RB Andre Dudley: Another Powerback is off the board with Jacksonville possibly going with Dudley, who again is another strong running back as he proved the 4 years he was down at Southwestern Kansas. Dudley has shown an impressive handle on the ball, not fumbling it once last year and what was even more impressive was his rushing yards as he fell 2 yards shy of being the #1 ranked RB in the nation with over 1,500 rushing yards. Dudley looks to make an impact in MFN during his career whether that's starting right away, or taking the torch after a veteran.
1.29 Arizona- CB Rory Heberling: Arizona came close to making it to the big game last year, and a little secondary help could boost them to the championship this year (or punter depth will guarantee it). Heberling was the leading corner at San Diego State the past 3 years, making critical plays on crucial 3rd downs and last minute plays. He tied the school record for interceptions with 8, and showed a valiant effort to making the tackle every play. Heberling could be this missing key to Arizona's chances at getting the gold.
1.30 Tennessee- MLB/SLB Christopher Courter: Courter comes out of Virginia tech a solid Linebacker, willing to play any linebacker role asked to. Very intelligent and speedy, he can turn plays that seem like big gains and break the play up in a snap. He was a stud in Man coverage over his college career and he showed great feats of strength as well in the combine. If Tennessee selects him, He may be switched up to Strong Side Linebacker as he would be fitting in an area where they need an upgrade at.
1.31 Carolina- RB Daniel Wright: Wright comes in from Michigan with an astounding 1,300 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns his last season, making him worthy of a possible 1st round pick. Wright knows how to find open lanes when they are just about closed, and that influenced a lot of scouts to learn more about this running back. If Wright is developed right, he may be a starting RB straight out of the gate, and what better way to do it than with Carolina.
1.32 New Jersey- CB Andrew Orlando: With the final pick of round 1, the champs take a long shot at CB Andrew Orlando from Morris Brown. Orlando led his team the past 2 years in interceptions and tackles and shows great physicality at making plays. Orlando plays every snap with honor and passion for the game and has great leadership and sportsman skills and that's what every team seeks out for, especially New Jersey.
Teams that did not have a 1st round pick:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers
Chicago Bears
Last edited at 2/09/2016 2:27 am
