The 2026 NFL Draft might be a long way off, but so are a lot of NFL teams from being legitimately competitive. It’s never too early to start taking a look at what prospects could be the most coveted for the upcoming NFL Draft class, and NFL teams will be ecstatic to know that there are a plethora of quarterbacks that could become available in less than a year.
Unlike the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ve already seen a number of 1st-round picks already change hands. The Jaguars and Falcons are already out of the first round of next year’s draft, and their respective selections are adding even more intrigue to that quarterback market.
This 2026 NFL Mock Draft will cover the entire 1st round and will take a look at NFL teams’ top needs, a bit of a stock report on which prospects are getting the most first-round buzz right now, and perhaps a look at some fits between teams and players that could turn franchises around in 2026 and beyond.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Saints, Browns, Colts take QBs early
1. New Orleans Saints: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
Last year, it was the Denver Broncos who were pretty much unanimously projected to be the worst team in the NFL, and the entire NFL media world was wrong. The more I think about it, the more I’m starting to feel like the Saints are in a similar boat this coming season. The talent on the Saints roster right now is good enough to probably win at least five or six games, which would put them out of the running for the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft.
Still, if they finish anywhere near the top five picks overall, the Saints have to be considered one of the top candidates to go after a quarterback prospect. And if they do find themselves in this #1 overall slot, it seems like the pendulum has swung in favor of Clemson’s Cade Klubnik lately to be that top pick.
The Saints will hope for the best with Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough this coming season, but those guys are more likely to drag this team down rather than put them in contention for the NFC South.
2. Cleveland Browns: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
The Cleveland Browns have a lot of faith in the duo of Andrew Berry (GM) and Kevin Stefanski to lead this team out of the doldrums of the NFL, but how quickly is that going to happen after the Deshaun Watson disaster?
Ownership in Cleveland has rightfully taken a lot of the blame for the Watson fiasco, which is going to cripple this franchise on the salary cap for years to come. But the Browns are in the process of moving on, and the next big step is going to be solidifying the quarterback position for the long haul.
They have one of the most uninspiring quarterback battles currently taking place in the NFL with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. And they have a lot more needs than just the QB position. This is a pivotal year for the Browns to discover core players on their roster going forward.
3. Tennessee Titans: TJ Parker, DE/EDGE, Clemson
The Tennessee Titans are very much in an evaluation year for the first year of the reign of general manager Mike Borgonzi. Borgonzi came to the Titans this offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs, where he obviously just enjoyed one of the most prosperous stretches he ever will as an NFL executive.
How will Borgonzi respond to some serious adversity?
One thing you absolutely have to have in today’s NFL is the right quarterback under center, and the right coaching staff around him. As much as this year will be about evaluating the roster, it will also be a lot about evaluating the coaching staff and making sure the Titans have the right people in place to take this team back into the playoffs and in contention for the AFC South.
If Brian Callahan can get the best out of Cam Ward, the Titans will be in a good spot for the future, even if they don’t win a ton of games this season.
4. New York Giants: Francis Mauioga, OT, Miami
One team that’s very difficult to figure out right now is the New York Giants. The Giants seem to have a good enough defensive front to finish way better than the fourth-worst record in the NFL this coming season.
On the other hand, there are a ton of questions about the quarterback position. Is Russell Wilson going to produce? If Wilson struggles, how quickly are we going to see Jaxson Dart come into the fold? Are the Giants committed enough to Dart to pass on other quarterbacks this high in next year’s draft if they end up here?
My guess is, if the Giants are this bad this coming season, they’re probably going to move on from their current regime, and that would make Dart susceptible. Nobody is going to take over the Giants under some sort of mandate that Dart is the future of the team. So the Giants desperately need to show progress this coming year or they are liable to blow things up.
If they don’t go quarterback, taking the top offensive tackle on their board seems like a great way to continue loading up in the trenches.
5. New York Jets: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
You can’t fault the New York Jets for diving head-first into the Aaron Rodgers experiment. Rodgers was coming off of some of the best years of his career, and he could have very easily been the missing piece for a Jets franchise that has the longest playoff drought in the entire NFL right now.
The experiment has ended, and with zero positive results. There is a crater on the offensive side of the ball where Rodgers and all of his cronies used to be, and the Jets are in a transition year where they are putting some pressure on Justin Fields to perform.
Fields was a 1st-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bears and is in a situation now with the Jets where he almost certainly has the best combination of weapons and offensive line that he’s had in his entire NFL career. Can he put it all together under a new staff? If not, the Jets will be looking to move on quickly.
6. Carolina Panthers: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
If you’re a Carolina Panthers fan, you are undoubtedly approaching the 2025 season with equal parts excitement and anxiety. The Panthers have every reason to be excited about the offense after the progress we saw last year from Bryce Young, the addition of Tetairoa McMillan in the draft, and just generally a lot of promising talent on that side of the ball.
On the other hand, you have the defense in Carolina. The Panthers had to pivot in NFL free agency after missing out on their top target – Milton Williams – and then they didn’t really get anyone overly thrilling in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Panthers decided to trade Brian Burns last year and that move has left a gaping hole in the defense that no one has been able to fill.
And I’m not sure it’s happening this year, either.
Carolina’s defense is up there with the likes of the Raiders as the least talented in the NFL on paper. They need young guys to step up, and they could really use a jack-of-all-trades like Anthony Hill Jr. right now.
7. Las Vegas Raiders: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
Where do we begin with the Raiders?
This Raiders team is going to be better in 2025. I don’t think they’re going to be able to be this bad unless Geno Smith is throwing a bunch of pick-sixes. Pete Carroll should help raise the floor of this team significantly. Smith is the best QB the Raiders have had over the last handful of years. Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers give the Raiders an enviable duo of young players for the offense.
But that defense in Las Vegas is horrendous. The Raiders have Maxx Crosby, who is going to have to account for the production of two or three guys because the Raiders just don’t have the talent on paper to hold up over a long NFL season. The injury issues with big-money free agent Christian Wilkins are concerning for the long-term, and a player like Peter Woods can give the Raiders a much-needed jolt on the defensive front.
8. Indianapolis Colts: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
We could go a few different ways here for some possible fan service to the Indianapolis Colts at the quarterback position.
Fernando Mendoza is likely to become a fan favorite in the area with his transfer to Bloomington in 2025 to play for the Hoosiers. And it’s possible that the Colts go after Mendoza even higher than this, because their quarterback situation could sink this ship pretty early on.
But what if the Colts have the chance to take the nephew of the best player in their franchise’s history? That would be wild.
Right now, opinions are super split on Arch Manning’s NFL projection. A lot of NFL Draft experts don’t think he’s as good of a prospect and is riding the momentum of his last name. To me, this is a kid who was beloved by talent evaluators since he was in middle school. I think he’s going to take the next step in his game this year and become a consensus top-10 player.
9. Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars): Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
The Browns made the blockbuster trade in the 2025 NFL Draft with the Jacksonville Jaguars knowing that they were going to have to strip some things down to the studs and start collecting as much talent as they possibly could on this roster going forward.
We saw them go after a relatively “boring” player with their top pick this year in Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham, and after getting a quarterback earlier in this mock draft projection, they get an offensive lineman to help keep him upright.
Kadyn Proctor has been a highly regarded prospect dating back to his high school days, and he’ll be under a lot of pressure this season to solidify himself as a legit top-10 player in the upcoming NFL Draft class. The Browns need to revamp their offensive line badly.
10. Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons): Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Nobody knows their motivations for certain, but the Los Angeles Rams traded out of the first round this past draft with the Atlanta Falcons, picking up a 2026 1st-rounder, and you can only assume it has something to do with their long-term QB situation.
It feels, at this point, like there are constantly some types of offseason rumors regarding Matthew Stafford, whether we’re talking about him being traded or retiring. Even if the Rams are planning on keeping Stafford around for 2026, and even if Stafford plans on continuing to play, the Rams are in a great spot to bring in the heir apparent and move on to that guy whenever they see the wheels coming off for Stafford.
11. Miami Dolphins: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The Miami Dolphins just made a wild trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending cornerback Jalen Ramsey as well as tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick and a draft pick.
Funny how things have come full-circle with Fitzpatrick, isn’t it?
The Dolphins have a lot more needs than people maybe realize at this point. They have one of the most top-heavy rosters in the NFL right now, and their secondary has been almost completely depleted.
They simply need to take the best player on the board here and Caleb Downs is being considered an almost unanimous top-5 player in this class. The only issue is, you rarely see safeties picked that high anymore. He’d be a great value for the Dolphins in this pick slot.
12. New England Patriots: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
Under new head coach Mike Vrabel, the Patriots have done a great job of revamping the roster rather quickly on paper. Vrabel himself already adds a ton of value to this team as a former NFL Coach of the Year, but then you win the bidding war for stud free agent defensive tackle Milton Williams before drafting Will Campbell 4th overall.
The Patriots are hoping for a big year-two breakthrough from quarterback Drake Maye, and Maye has given this franchise reason to hope for a bright future. The last time the Patriots had a young quarterback with Josh McDaniels in the offensive coordinator chair, things worked out pretty well.
Maye is the most talented quarterback the Patriots have had since Tom Brady, and in many ways, he’s got more tools at his disposal. It’s going to be a new era of Patriots football but Maye can give the Patriots a fighting chance at competing with the Bills in the AFC East.
13. Seattle Seahawks: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
It’s not really being talked about all that much, but the Seattle Seahawks might have had one of the riskiest offseasons of any team in the entire NFL. They moved on from Geno Smith and DK Metcalf in exchange for Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, and are taking a huge leap of faith that Darnold can build off of what we saw from him last year in Minnesota, but with completely new surroundings and not nearly as good of weapons.
Is Darnold really going to be the tide to raise all boats in Seattle? Can he do it with a worse offensive line in front of him?
The Seahawks are not done revamping their offensive line after using a 1st-round pick on Grey Zabel, and getting someone like Spencer Fano could be a great next step for this team, which was shuffling a bunch of guys in the lineup last year.
14. Arizona Cardinals: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
The NFC West appears to be in a very similar boat with this 2026 NFL Mock Draft because we’ve got two teams in a row going after offensive linemen.
The Arizona Cardinals could go a wide variety of directions with their first-round pick next year, including edge rusher, cornerback, and maybe even adding another receiver (since they’re all sitting on the board here). Ultimately, we’re going with the “boring” pick of someone like Caleb Lomu, making it not only back-to-back offensive linemen in the NFC West, but back-to-back Utah offensive linemen in the NFC West.
Lomu is very athletic, he’s long, and he’s got tons of potential as he’s only been a starter for one season heading into 2025. His youth could be to his advantage as well, especially if the Cardinals wanted to kick him inside at the next level.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
A lot of times, when it comes to mock drafts, the thought process is, “Let’s see if we can fill the remaining holes this team has on the roster.” While that’s justified in many instances, one of the best ways you can perhaps determine the direction a team is going to go in a draft class that’s nearly a year away is to take a look at where they are adding older veterans on short-term deals and filling holes this year.
While the obvious area of need long-term for the Steelers is at quarterback, this is a team that will likely put itself back in the veteran QB market next year again. The Steelers have added both Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay at cornerback this offseason, indicating the team’s desperate need for long-term solutions in the secondary as well.
It just so happens that Jermod McCoy might be the best corner in this class, but a torn ACL in January has put his status in question for this year. If he comes back and plays well, he’ll probably go quite a bit higher than this.
16. Dallas Cowboys: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
I think the Dallas Cowboys are going to be a lot better than the middle of the pack this coming season, but that will depend on which guys stay healthy and which guys don’t. We saw this team win 12 games from 2021-23 and the only difference last year was that Dak Prescott missed a lot of time.
If Prescott is healthy, how can you not like this Cowboys team as a possible dark horse to make it to the NFC Championship? Maybe that’s a flaming hot take. We’ll see.
Either way, the biggest question mark (other than some young guys on the offensive line) for the Dallas offense is the running back position. They signed Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams this offseason, along with drafting Jaydon Blue, to try and upgrade that area of the team. I wouldn’t be shocked if Blue is the most impressive guy of the bunch.
It’s likely we’ll see Dallas have to revamp running back again in the 2025 offseason, and Love looks like the best player in the crop.
17. Chicago Bears: Jake Slaughter, OL, Florida
Just like we discussed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, sometimes the clearest area of need for future draft classes for a particular team is the area in which they are currently looking at the most impactful short-term fixes. The Bears have guys on the interior offensive line who can not only stabilize a weak offensive line, but perhaps raise the floor definitively this coming season.
But how many of them are going to be long-term fixes?
The idea of taking a pure center like Jake Slaughter might not be the ultimate direction for the Bears, but if you feel like one of Slaughter or Drew Dalman can play the guard position at a high level, that might be the direction this team takes. Jonah Jackson was a nice risk-reward option for the Bears this offseason, but there’s a reason he’s on his third team in a short amount of time.
The Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman pickups were huge for the Bears, but they might only be the first steps in making this interior offensive line a truly feared unit for years to come.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
There are two question marks right now for the Minnesota Vikings in 2025 that could ultimately have this team taking a bigger step back than anyone is willing to acknowledge right now.
The first one is the play of JJ McCarthy, who is obviously very talented but also obviously coming off of a major injury and playing in the NFL for the first time. McCarthy’s impressive throws in the preseason last year carry a ton of weight for Vikings fans, and the team is justifiably very confident in Kevin O’Connell’s ability to get the most out of the former Michigan captain.
The other area of this Vikings team that is a major question mark is the cornerback position, and maybe just the defensive backfield as a whole. The Vikings need guys to step up in the secondary if they are going to compete in the NFC North again this season, and that should be a major area of focus in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here, they land AJ Terrell’s little brother and a ballhawk for the cornerback position.
19. Houston Texans: Tim Keenan III, DL, Alabama
One of the teams under the most pressure this coming season is the Houston Texans. The Texans look like they’re going to be able to coast to a division title in the AFC South, so how do they perform when the games really matter late in the season?
One area of this roster that needs to be looked at after the 2025 season is the interior defensive line, where the Texans don’t currently have a single draft pick poised to contribute. That’s a problem.
You can only go after the bandage solutions for so long before it comes back to bite you. The Texans have outstanding edge rushers in Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., but they need some young, inexpensive talent on the interior defensive line, and Tim Keenan III can be that. He’s one of the best run defenders in college football, and DeMeco Ryans won’t likely turn down going after a Crimson Tide defender.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
We’ll see what the 2025 season brings for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have one of the best and most loaded offenses in the entire NFL heading into this season. And honestly, their defense has the talent to almost match them.
This is a Bucs team that isn’t far removed from being a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and a lot of those core pieces remain.
Todd Bowles needs his big-name defenders to stay healthy, but one area that might be in need of a makeover, regardless of how this season goes, is the EDGE position. The Bucs are hoping for Haason Reddick to return to the form we saw from him a couple of years ago with the Philadelphia Eagles, but that feels like somewhat of a long shot.
Even if he does perform well, it feels like it will be a short-term solution at best. Getting a value like Keldric Faulk at 20 overall in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft is exactly what the Bucs need to keep adding talent to the defense after loading up on offense.
21. Denver Broncos: LT Overton, DE/EDGE, Alabama
The Denver Broncos have two major strengths as a team going into the 2025 season: Their offensive line and their defensive line. Those two units are also areas the team could make some investments toward the future in the 2026 offseason.
The Broncos have not drafted an offensive tackle since 2017 when they used a 1st-round pick on Garett Bolles. I would expect that to change in 2026, but I would have said the same thing for the last three years. The other area of this team where the Broncos don’t have a ton of home-grown guys is on the defensive line.
Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, and Malcolm Roach are all core pieces for this defensive line, but they are also all entering contract years. The Broncos used a 3rd-round pick on LSU defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they could go after even more talent for their defensive front next year.
LT Overton has the body type to play a versatile role on all three downs at the next level, starting as a base defensive end in any alignment.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
After moving on from Joey Bosa in the 2025 offseason, the Chargers left some question marks in the pass rush department for GM Joe Hortiz over the next couple of years.
Hortiz brought back veterans Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree to keep the floor high for the Chargers on the defensive front, but even with Bosa’s inconsistent availability, he expanded the ceiling for the Chargers defense in the pass rush department, and him leaving removes that from the equation.
The Chargers have gotten some nice production out of former second-round pick Tuli Tuipulotu, but they need additional juice off the edge, and they need a rookie contract to keep it cost-effective. I would be shocked if the Chargers don’t go with a player for their defensive front in next year’s draft after losing both Bosa and Poona Ford in the 2025 offseason.
23. Green Bay Packers: AJ Harris, CB, Penn State
The Green Bay Packers made some pretty loud noise this summer by moving on completely from former first-round pick and big-money cornerback Jaire Alexander. Alexander is typically one of the better corners in the game when healthy, but the Packers didn’t feel like he was worth the headache anymore and they weren’t even able to trade him.
The Packers cut Jaire Alexander, and the Baltimore Ravens scooped him up quickly, but the move off of Alexander is indicative of bigger issues the Packers have at this position. The team has moved on from all of Alexander, former first-round pick Eric Stokes, and Rasul Douglas in the past couple of years. They’re going to be taking a big risk going into the 2025 season with their current cornerback group, where the biggest name is free agent pickup Nate Hobbs.
The Packers need to use premium capital on the cornerback position in 2026, and GM Brian Gutekunst loves to attack his biggest needs with multiple high picks.
24. San Francisco 49ers: Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
The 49ers understandably put a major emphasis on the defensive side of the ball with their 2025 NFL Draft class. They got Robert Saleh back in the defensive coordinator chair, so giving him as much talent to mold as possible while they still have him is essential.
But the 49ers had more housecleaning to take care of this offseason than most people realize. There were big-name departures, but this is more of a roster in transition with elite top-end talent than it is one of the most well-rounded rosters in the league. The 49ers are banking on young guys stepping up quickly on defense and they’ve got to address the offensive line in 2026.
Isaiah World is an intriguing transfer from Nevada who will play at Oregon this year, and he’s got a shot to establish himself as possibly the best offensive tackle in the class.
25. Cincinnati Bengals: Christen Miller, DL, Georgia
It’s pretty funny to be focused on what the Cincinnati Bengals could do in the 2026 NFL Draft when they still have a major conflict to resolve with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The saga between the Bengals and first-round defensive lineman Shemar Stewart has reached the point where you almost wonder if too many bridges have been burned.
Either way, the Bengals going any direction besides defense with next year’s first-round pick would be a shocker, because that’s the area of this team they need the most cost-effective players over the next window of time.
Christen Miller has a chance to be a big-time breakout player this year for Georgia’s defense, and whoever ends up breaking out for that team, we already know the NFL is going to be keeping close tabs on.
26. Washington Commanders: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
There will be an obvious cry for a pass rusher here depending on what the Commanders actually end up doing there next Spring, but could they really pass on taking the first wide receiver off the board when they’re picking this deep into round one?
The Commanders added Deebo Samuel this offseason, but that feels more like a short-term fix than anything else. There’s trouble in paradise with Terry McLaurin, who is also approaching the age of 30 rather quickly. The Commanders might want to start thinking about getting a little bit younger at receiver, and a player like Jordyn Tyson has been impressive since transferring to Arizona State.
He’s got big-play ability and WR1 qualities, but I think the NFL is still looking for other playmakers at the college level to step up and really seize that title in the upcoming draft class, because the class of 2027 looks like it could have a couple of top-three picks (Jeremiah Smith, Ryan Williams).
27. Los Angeles Rams: Austin Barber, OT, Florida
The Los Angeles Rams developed Alaric Jackson into a staple piece of their offensive line, and just after they put their faith behind him with a nice contract, they got the unfortunate news that Jackson was dealing with blood clots.
And as of right now, there’s no timetable for his return to football.
That’s a huge blow for both the Rams and Jackson, who was one of the best stories on that team. But the business of football must go on, and the Rams need to find a solution at the offensive tackle position.
They’ve set themselves up really well in next year’s draft to potentially get their pick of tackles and/or quarterbacks with multiple first-round picks. Austin Barber hasn’t yet appeared on one of our first-round 2026 NFL Mock Drafts but he’s one of two Florida Gators in this projection and could be the left tackle of the future for Sean McVay.
28. Buffalo Bills: Matayo Uiagalelei, EDGE, Oregon
The Buffalo Bills took a “kill it with fire” approach to fixing their quality talent and depth issues on the defensive front this offseason, but did they make the right moves?
The Bills brought in two defensive linemen – Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht – who are facing six-game suspensions for the start of the 2025 season. They brought in Joey Bosa, who is notoriously unavailable despite his immense talent.
The Bills took some risks, and even in a best-case scenario type of situation, they are going to need to get younger off the edge. One player I’m interested in this season is Oregon’s Matayo Uiagalelei, an ascending rusher who had 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last year. He could be a nice value this late for the Bills in next year’s draft as they’ll undoubtedly be in the market for impact pass rushers once again.
29. Detroit Lions: David Bailey, DL/EDGE, Texas Tech
I really don’t think the Detroit Lions did enough to upgrade their defensive front this offseason, given the severity of Aidan Hutchinson’s injury last season.
The injury to Hutchinson, as well as the other number of injuries for this Detroit defense last season, crippled this team’s chances to win a Super Bowl. And it might have been their best chance in the current window this team finds itself in.
Needless to say, the Lions need an upgrade on the defensive front, even after snagging Ohio State run stuffer Tyleik Williams in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Getting a versatile piece like David Bailey to float around the defensive front would be huge for this team. Bailey had seven sacks and a whopping five forced fumbles last season.
30. Baltimore Ravens: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
The Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams that, when you look up and down their roster, you don’t see many major or pressing needs. Of course, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” roster in the NFL, but the Ravens are about as close as it gets.
They can afford luxury types of picks, and you look at what they tried to do to upgrade their roster this offseason, and you can kind of get a clue about what they might be looking at early on in next year’s draft. The Ravens added the grizzled veteran DeAndre Hopkins at wide receiver, perhaps indicating they feel like they need to raise the floor of their receiver group.
They already have Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman as 1st-round receivers on the roster, but if the value is right, they might not be opposed to adding another. Carnell Tate could be the latest from the vaunted Ohio State Buckeyes program to get 1st-round love.
31. Kansas City Chiefs: Jalon Kilgore, DB, South Carolina
The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a couple of losses this offseason that not a lot of people seem to be overly worried about, at least in the national media. Everyone just assumes the Chiefs are as inevitable as they always are, but the losses of guys like Joe Thuney on the offensive line and Justin Reid in the defensive backfield loom large for this team.
Steve Spagnuolo and his staff have done a pretty phenomenal job of developing defensive backs no matter what way they get onto the roster, but the Chiefs need more talent on the back end.
Jalon Kilgore is coming off of a great year at South Carolina with five interceptions, and he’s got the type of versatility that you can project anywhere in an NFL defense. He’s been labeled the “Jahdae Barron” of the 2026 NFL Draft class with his ability to play in the slot, outside, or safety.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
At this point, you just can’t help but assume that Eagles GM Howie Roseman is going to find a way to take the best big man available in the first round. Unless the Eagles are dealing with a really pressing need, that seems to be the hill Roseman is willing to die on, and how can you blame him?
The Eagles have consistently had one of the best offensive lines in football and they were able to win – dominate – the Super Bowl thanks to their ability to get to the quarterback without sending a single blitz the entire game.
The Super Bowl was a masterclass from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who deserves as much talent as Roseman can give him on the defensive front. Caleb Banks is another big body who can make plays in the backfield, and although he’s not a Bulldog or Crimson Tide defensive lineman, he plays in the SEC, which should be good enough for Roseman.