It’s only the second week of the NFL preseason, but we’re already getting a great idea of what every NFL team’s biggest needs could end up being for the 2026 NFL Draft. And some teams are more desperate than others.
The upcoming 2026 NFL Draft class has yet to take shape, obviously, but it’s looking like it could end up being a really deep class of players at the quarterback position, offensive tackle, and possibly also at off-ball linebacker.
With the college football season on deck and a number of teams already counting down the days until the 2026 Draft, we’re going to take another early look at a full first-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Teams jockeying for franchise QBs early
1. New Orleans Saints: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
The situation is obviously everything when it comes to the Manning family, and this is a situation the family would likely welcome. Everyone knows that Archie Manning has already declared we won’t see his grandson, Arch, in the 2026 NFL Draft class, but if the Saints get the #1 overall pick?
Well, that might change the narrative a bit. There’s no way the Manning family would deny Arch the opportunity to take over the franchise his grandfather was once a first-round pick of. In fact, Archie was the last 1st-round QB selected by the Saints. This would be a full-circle moment, and the Manning family will have plenty of time to assess the way the league values Arch after the college season, as well as wait to see which team is picking 1st overall.
They won’t likely risk him going to a franchise like the Cleveland Browns, sorry to say.
2. Cleveland Browns: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
The Cleveland Browns are going to utilize the 2025 season as an audition of sorts for the quarterback position. For the time being, Deshaun Watson is still on the roster and not going anywhere, but that ship has undoubtedly sailed. There’s no way ownership in Cleveland is going to sign off on him ever playing for their organization again.
The Browns used multiple draft picks on Dillon Gabriel (3rd round) and Shedeur Sanders (5th round) in what has been one of the most contested draft strategies this offseason. There’s a lot to navigate here for both GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, but ultimately, this team can’t afford to pass on a truly talented quarterback prospect unless they get a phenomenal performance this year from either Gabriel or Sanders.
And nobody’s holding their breath.
3. Tennessee Titans: Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi has to feel like he made the right decision going after Cam Ward with the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, even though that wasn’t the right choice by the consensus. The Titans need a franchise quarterback in a desperate way, and getting a strong rookie year out of Ward would do wonders for the future of this franchise, but they could still be pretty bad this season. And people might question the idea of passing on Travis Hunter, especially since he's playing elsewhere in the division.
There is a roster revamp needed here in the worst way, and the Titans simply have to figure out a way to upgrade every aspect of their operation. Caleb Downs is largely considered to be the best overall player in this class, even as a safety, and the Titans can’t really afford to discriminate positionally here. They need to add good players to this roster, and Mike Borgonzi understands things won’t likely change overnight or with just one pick. This player would be an important piece to their overall puzzle.
4. New York Giants: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
If the New York Giants have this bad of a record in 2025, it’s going to be interesting to see what they decide to do organizationally. If they finish with the 4th-worst record in the league, it likely means the investment in Russell Wilson was a waste of time and Jaxson Dart didn’t show enough to be the future franchise quarterback.
While there is hope that a 1st-rounder like Dart can be the long-term answer, the Giants would need a substantial sample from him if they have this bad of a record. And frankly, I don’t see that happening given their defensive front. But you never know.
This team will see how outstanding it is to have such talent on their defensive front this coming season and do everything in their power to keep winning in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Even if this fan base is slightly scarred from Alabama offensive tackle prospects, Proctor could be a great one.
5. New York Jets: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
The New York Jets are taking a fun risk with Justin Fields this year, a fine short-term play after they decided to move on from Aaron Rodgers in the 2025 offseason. The idea of Rodgers being anything but a short, quick fix was far-fetched, and obviously the dreams of him riding off in the sunset as a Jet were nothing but a mirage.
If the Jets have one of the five worst records in the NFL, however, there is no doubt that GM Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn will be on the hunt for their next franchise quarterback. There’s almost no way this team has a bad record with Justin Fields simultaneously proving he can be “the guy” going forward.
We’ve had a number of prospects cycling through the top 10 at quarterback but LaNorris Sellers might be the most intriguing as we approach the 2025 college season.
6. Carolina Panthers: TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
If there’s one team that’s devoid of talent on the defensive side of the ball right now in the NFL, it’s the Carolina Panthers. Nobody should be shocked, looking at Carolina’s defensive depth chart, that this was the worst defense in the league last year in points allowed.
The Panthers almost took on some sort of ugly curse after trading Brian Burns to the New York Giants, and they need foundational pieces on that side of the ball in the worst way. They’re going to try and manifest that with Jaycee Horn getting a big deal and Trevon Moehrig joining him this offseason, but this team’s lack of talent off the edge is staggering.
They also have some young players to invest in there, but a stud prospect like TJ Parker would be huge for them.
7. Indianapolis Colts: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Just like a lot of other teams on this list, if the Indianapolis Colts are finishing with a record this bad, then the quarterback position will likely be a major reason for it. The Colts are entering the 2025 season with a rather uninspiring but simultaneously fascinating duel between former 4th overall pick Anthony Richardson and former Giants 1st-round pick Daniel Jones at the game’s most important position.
Neither guy feels like he will be the long-term solution for the franchise right now, so we could see the Colts completely reset after the year. If they end up doing that, they won’t have to look much further than Bloomington, where the Indiana Hoosiers have one of Draft Twitter’s favorite prospects this offseason: Fernando Mendoza.
Mendoza is a Cal transfer who has all of the physical tools and fundamentals to be a strong starter in the NFL if he can progress this season.
8. Las Vegas Raiders: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
As much as you would want to pencil in a quarterback for the Raiders here, I’m not so sure that’s the direction they’ll go. How eager is the aging Pete Carroll going to be to break in a young quarterback?
I’m not sure we’re going to see that in the Pete Carroll era. This is going to be Geno Smith’s show for the next couple of seasons and we’ll have to wait and see how it goes. What the Raiders can do to help Geno is simply get him more help defensively. The Raiders’ defense on paper is clearly one of the worst in the NFL going into this season, but Maxx Crosby almost accounts for two guys on his own.
They need help on that side of the ball and getting one of the Clemson defenders at the top of this class would be fantastic.
9. Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Where do the Cleveland Browns go after taking a quarterback early on? Well, you’ve got to get him some help on the offensive line.
For a few years, the Browns actually had one of the best all-around lines in the entire NFL. They did such a good job of adding guys in the draft and signing the right free agents, but that window has closed. They are in a rebuilding state up front and Spencer Fano could really help them.
Although it’s hard to know right now, it looks like Fano could be the higher drafted of the two Utah guys (the other being Caleb Lomu) and he could wind up starting immediately at the left tackle position for Cleveland immediately.
10. Miami Dolphins: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
If there’s one team in the NFL this year who wishes they could take the top cornerback from the college ranks and add him to the roster right now, it would have to be the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins have traded away Jalen Ramsey, they lost Kader Kohou to injury, and even role players like Artie Burns are on IR already this offseason. The cornerback position isn’t just a work in progress for the Dolphins, but a major area of concern for that roster overall and something they’ll have to address both in free agency and the draft next year.
Jermod McCoy is the projected CB1 in this year’s class who is progressing well from a knee injury suffered back in January.
11. New England Patriots: Francisc Mauioga, OT, Miami
Most of the time when we’re putting together Patriots picks for 2026 NFL mock draft predictions, I’m immediately going to the pass rush defensively. But as I was stewing on this one for a little bit, it really felt like the Pats could double up and add another stud to their offensive line.
And there will be plenty of opportunities to make that happen in this class.
The EDGE crop in this class is not nearly as strong at the top end as the tackle class appears to be, and even after taking Will Campbell in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft, we know Mike Vrabel loves to add big hogs to his line. That’s how he built a contender in Tennessee with a pretty modest roster otherwise.
Win in the trenches.
12. Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons): Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
The Los Angeles Rams are another team that should be in the mix for a possible quarterback in the first round, but more on that later.
The biggest need for this Rams roster right now, one that could haunt them into the 2025 season, is the need for help at the cornerback position. The Rams were in the mix for veteran Jalen Ramsey before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the guys they have are going to have to do for now as the Rams look to contend for the NFC West title once again.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, however, the cornerback position needs to be prioritized. We’ll see how this class sorts itself out but right now, there’s not much of a consensus at corner. Avieon Terrell, brother of Falcons corner AJ Terrell, is considered one of the best.
13. Seattle Seahawks: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
We all saw how Mike Macdonald got the job with the Seattle Seahawks in the first place. He knows how to call a defense, and he knows how to best utilize personnel on that side of the ball to maximize their physical and athletic makeup.
Just imagine what Macdonald’s scheme could do for a player like Anthony Hill Jr., one of the most dynamic defensive players in all of college football. It would be a thing of beauty.
The Seahawks have talent at all three levels of the defense, but Macdonald’s defense has always included bigger investments at the linebacker position. The Seahawks would be getting a guy here who can play all three downs and affect the game in coverage as well as rushing the QB.
14. Arizona Cardinals: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
We’ll see how things progress this year, but on paper, it does look like the Cardinals could use a little bit more help at the wide receiver position. They are expecting a big second year breakthrough from former top pick Marvin Harrison Jr., but you can only do so much with one guy on the outside drawing so much attention.
We’ll likely continue to see Trey McBride continue to be a big-time target for this team after leading the team in targets last season, but Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to need more players out there to take attention off of him, and Jordyn Tyson wouldn’t have to move too far to make an impact as an NFL player.
Getting a playmaker like this would be a lot of fun for Kyler Murray and Arizona. Get as many cost-controlled playmakers as you can these days.
15. Dallas Cowboys: Jalon Kilgore, DB, South Carolina
There weren’t any offensive linemen with the name “Tyler” that I could realistically select here, but you can bet that if one of those guys happens to emerge, the Cowboys will be all over it.
All kidding aside, I think we get caught up oftentimes picking the flashiest player for the Cowboys in these types of projections, but Jerry Jones and his staff have been pretty consistent about investing in the trenches early on these days. We’ll see if Dallas goes that direction again, but if they go anywhere else besides maybe the offensive or defensive line, I’d love to see it be the defensive backfield.
There are a whopping 11 defensive backs on the Dallas roster slated to hit free agency after the 2025 season, so getting a player like Jalen Kilgore who can play multiple positions would help a lot.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
It’s going to be a fascinating year for the Pittsburgh Steelers with Aaron Rodgers under center as the team’s starting quarterback. The Rodgers era for the New York Jets was an abject failure, and we saw this Steelers team more than double down on older veterans this offseason.
We know Pittsburgh is all in for this season, but what about for the years upcoming? The Steelers need a plan for the future and they can’t be gunshy about taking a quarterback in the 1st round after the Kenny Pickett debacle.
Garrett Nussmeier has a chance to be picked in the top 10 of this year’s draft if he plays well, but if the Steelers have a shot at him, they probably aren’t going to complain about it. He could be one of a wide variety of options to be this team’s QB of the future.
17. Chicago Bears: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
If there’s one area of the 2025 Chicago Bears roster that’s making me pause in joining the hype train, it’s their pass rush. The Bears obviously have other areas of the team (Caleb Williams) that will determine the direction of the season, but the pass rush was simply not good enough for them last year.
They made some upgrades this offseason on paper, but Montez Sweat did not have the type of encore performance for this team last year that they had been hoping for, and they don’t have the type of presence off the edge to really go deep in the postseason.
The pass rush has to be addressed early in next year’s draft and Miami’s Rueben Bain is one of the most interesting guys heading into this season. He only had 3.5 sacks last year but is expected to have a huge bounce back in 2025.
18. Minnesota Vikings: AJ Harris, CB, Penn State
There are a number of teams around the NFL whose Achilles heel this season could end up being their cornerback position. For the Minnesota Vikings, it’s really the only negative mark you’d give on an otherwise A-plus roster overall.
Although breaking in a young quarterback is going to bring with it some ups and downs, the real issue for the Vikings might be getting off the field against the pass, because their starting cornerbacks are currently projected to be Jeff Okudah and Isaiah Rodgers on the outside. It’s not looking great for Minnesota, but they have some young guys who could emerge for them.
You never know. Either way, they’re going to need help at corner in next year’s draft and will be in the mix for whoever ends up being the top corner to hit free agency as well.
19. Houston Texans: LT Overton, DL, Alabama
Everyone knows DeMeco Ryans loves him some Alabama Crimson Tide defensive players. After revamping the offensive line throughout the course of the 2025 offseason, we can probably expect the Texans to turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball in the 2026 offseason.
That is, depending on how the revamping of the offensive line goes…
The Texans would ideally probably love to go after defensive linemen early and often in next year’s draft class considering they have a bunch of short-term free agents out there right now. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are staples off the edge, so a bigger body like LT Overton could be a great pickup for them.
Overton is more of a defensive end type than an edge type, but his projection will obviously determine his fit in this type of situation. You can never have too many guys who can get after the QB.
20. Denver Broncos: Taurean York, LB, Texas A&M
With the highest roster turnover rate of any team in the NFL this season, the Denver Broncos have proven quite a bit in terms of GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton identifying and developing talent. The Broncos made the playoffs last season and look like one of the better all-around teams this coming year.
Even after adding Dre Greenlaw in NFL free agency, the team has a need at the linebacker position. Alex Singleton is a free agent after this season, and former 3rd-round pick Drew Sanders has not been able to stay healthy and contribute to the team.
It’s probably time for the Broncos to add another stud at the linebacker position considering they haven’t hit on one in the NFL Draft for some time, and Taurean York is gaining some steam as a possible LB1 in this upcoming class. He’s had 19 tackles for loss over the last two seasons and had over 80 total tackles last season.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
Another team that doesn’t have many roster flaws overall is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who likely just need everything to click at the “right” time this coming year to be true contenders there in the NFC. The one area of this Bucs roster that you might have circled as a concern area is the EDGE position where the team added veteran Haason Reddick in the 2025 offseason.
We’ll see how that investment pays off, but adding someone early on in the 2026 NFL Draft wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Bucs either way. Someone like Keldric Faulk, who had seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss in a breakout year last year for the Auburn defense could be a huge addition to a defensive front that already has a decent amount of young talent.
The Bucs could also end up going after another young linebacker in a class that is slowly adding intriguing guys to the mix each week.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
It’s really been a terrible offseason for the Los Angeles Chargers.
They threw in the towel on Joey Bosa and cut him from the team. They lost starting left tackle Rashawn Slater to a devastating knee injury. They haven’t had Mekhi Becton on the practice field lately. Najee Harris suffered a scary face/eye injury in a 4th-of-July fireworks incident.
Now, Jim Harbaugh is dealing with more serious allegations from his time at Michigan. It’s just not been a good offseason, at all. That pass rush is going to be tested this year as well, even though you really couldn’t count on much from a player like Bosa with his lack of availability. General manager Joe Hortiz needs to get his defense a pass rush weapon and Dani Dennis-Sutton might be the best on the board here.
23. Green Bay Packers: Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas
We’ve seen Green Bay Packers general manager adopt a draft strategy in which we typically see him go after not one but two guys to address what he perceives to be a pressing need. And sometimes, he’ll even go after three guys at a specific position.
As much as we’ve gotten used to that from Gutekunst in recent years, it’s been rather shocking to see him largely ignore the cornerback position, which has been decimated of the guys at the top of the depth chart in the past couple of years.
The Packers find themselves as one of a wide variety of NFL teams at this point in desperate need of help at the cornerback position, and someone like Malik Muhammad could be a nice value here. We need to see this cornerback class sort itself out, but Muhammad has gotten a decent amount of preseason hype.
24. Washington Commanders: Matayo Uiagalelei, EDGE, Oregon
You’d love to project an offensive skill player here for the Washington Commanders, but you can’t deny this team’s deficiency off the edge. The one area of this Commanders roster that could hold them back in the 2025 season is their pass rush, and we’ve already seen some signs that they are fearing the same with the recent addition of veteran pass rusher Von Miller.
Dan Quinn has managed to get the most out of unheralded guys in the past, including getting 10.5 sacks last year out of Dante Fowler Jr., but he’s going to have to do it again this year if this team is truly going to contend again.
Matayo Uiagalelei is going to be a fun player to watch this season after racking up 10.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in a breakout season for the Ducks. He could be a fast riser if his pass rush productivity continues early this season.
25. Cincinnati Bengals: Dillon Thieneman, SAF, Oregon
The Cincinnati Bengals can’t really afford to be picky here. They simply need to take the best defensive player on their board. The Bengals gave up 30 passing touchdowns last season, which was good for 29th in the NFL. They obviously have a chance to change the narrative here in 2025, but there are obvious question marks on the back end.
There are a couple of key players set to hit free agency this offseason for the Bengals with Cam Taylor-Britt and Geno Stone entering contract years. We could see an emphasis on the secondary in the upcoming NFL Draft and Dillon Thieneman would be returning to Big Ten country after transferring from Purdue to Oregon this offseason.
Thieneman had over 200 tackles in his first two years at Purdue and six interceptions as a freshman. He’s a playmaker on the back end and a physical presence.
26. San Francisco 49ers: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
We saw a tremendous emphasis on the defensive side of the footbal in the 2025 offseason for the San Francisco 49ers, but it was desperately needed. The 49ers not only revamped the player personnel on their defense after losing the likes of Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Charvarius Ward (among others), but they also brought in Robert Saleh after he was fired by the Jets to be their defensive coordinator.
And that’s a sequel that could really help this team a ton.
After the tremendous focus on the defensive side of the ball in the 2025 offseason, we should see a shift back to the offense in 2026 for the 49ers, especially looking at some new pieces on that offensive line. It might be time to start planning for life after Trent Williams, and it looks like this might be the draft class to do exactly that.
27. Los Angeles Rams: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
If you want to follow the trend and pencil the Los Angeles Rams in for a young quarterback early in next year’s draft, a player like Drew Allar could be the ideal option.
Allar looks like the type of prospect who is going to need the right situation at the next level similar to JJ McCarthy landing with the Vikings (although, what QB prospect doesn’t need the right situation?), and this would be exactly that.
Sean McVay and the Rams obviously have a great operation and it’s one that you feel like a 1st-round pick at the position could come in and have success rather immediately for them. A prospect like Allar brings a risk-reward element due to his style of play, but the physical and competitive makeup are there for him to be a stud at the next level.
28. Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
The Kansas City Chiefs have not been great offensively over the past two seasons, even though they’ve been so great as a team. The Chiefs are great situationally and Patrick Mahomes is someone who can make whatever play is necessary with whoever he has on the field with him.
But the Chiefs really need to start hitting on some skill position picks in the NFL Draft, and this could be another shot at doing exactly that with arguably the best back in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Jeremiyah Love is typically projected to land somewhere in the top 20 overall picks, so this would also represent some great value.
The last 1st-round back in Kansas City (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) didn’t work out well at all, but they have to go back to the well after giving their primary touches to Kareem Hunt last season.
29. Detroit Lions: Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
I can’t help but wonder if the Lions, knowing what they know now, would go back to the beginning of the 2025 offseason and do more to upgrade their pass rush overall.
With the salary cap in place, there’s really only so much you can do to upgrade your roster, but the Lions had a chance to win a Super Bowl last season and their depth defensively ultimately ended up costing them that chance. General manager Brad Holmes simply didn’t do enough, on paper, to upgrade that pass rush this offseason, and we could be looking at the Lions making in-season additions or even a big trade at the deadline to upgrade off the edge.
For the time being, we’re going to continue projecting this team to go after pass rushers early in the 2026 NFL Draft, and this week’s flavor of the week is Cashius Howell, who had four sacks and nine tackles for loss last year on a loaded Texas A&M defensive front.
30. Buffalo Bills: Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama
The Buffalo Bills have had a really interesting offseason in 2025. Brandon Beane has rebuilt his defensive front pretty substantially, bringing in at least six significant new contributors to the front line via free agency and the NFL Draft.
Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht, TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson, and Deone Walker bring size, versatility, and playmaking ability to a defensive front that is trying to do what the Philadelphia Eagles just did in the Super Bowl last year against the Chiefs.
The next step after completely revamping that defensive front is to find more playmakers for the second level, and Deontae Lawson is one of a number of off-ball linebackers receiving 1st-round consideration right now who could feast behind that talented of a defensive line.
31. Baltimore Ravens: Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC
The Baltimore Ravens really don’t have a ton of roster needs overall. There’s no such thing as a perfect roster in the NFL (which I say all the time), but the Ravens are probably as close as you can get. We have seen them get aggressive in looking for depth at the wide receiver position this offseaosn by bringing in veteran DeAndre Hopkins, which could be a sign of where they’re heading for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Ravens do have a couple of former first-round investments already at receiver in Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, but this is a position that is obviously extremely difficult to keep guys long-term when you have a quarterback like Lamar Jackson on a mega contract. Ja’Kobi Lane has big-play ability and would be a fun fit here late in the first round for Baltimore.
32. Philadelphia Eagles: Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
The Philadelphia Eagles are run a very specific way by general manager Howie Roseman. He builds through the trenches first and foremost, and everything else follows. He’s not afraid to take shots on linemen in the early rounds, even if his roster is already deep at those positions, because he knows exactly how to win long-term.
The Eagles might not have an immediate or pressing need at tackle, but they could find a home for Isaiah World, a transfer from Nevada who is expecting to see his draft stock rise considerably this coming year.
They once moved Mekhi Becton to the guard position next to Lane Johnson, so they could very well do the same here in this instance while also capitalizing on value.