5. Arizona Cardinals - Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The Arizona Cardinals are going to be making a major move here that we’ll see later in the first round. Arizona’s 2025 season has totally cratered after a strong 2-0 start, and the QB position is now totally up in the air.
If nothing else, Caleb Downs at pick five might give the Cardinals the best non-quarterback prospect in the entire class, and he could instantly become an impact player, but until the Cardinals find a notable upgrade over Kyler Murray, someone they feel poised to move on from, they’ll continue to circle the drain.
6. Cleveland Browns - Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Carnell Tate is the pick for the Cleveland Browns with the sixth overall selection. The Browns miss out on Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore and will instead opt to beef up the WR room. Jerry Jeudy has been the go-to guy for the Browns at the position, but I can’t imagine he’s even on the team in 2026 with how bad he’s been this year.
The team’s rookie class in 2025 was quite strong, and GM Andrew Berry does deserve a lot of credit for that class. Hopeful the 2026 class is more of the same.
7. Washington Commanders - Rueben Bain Jr, EDGE, Miami (FL)
Rueben Bain Jr’s size seems to be a notable thing with the prospect, but NFL teams should probably look past that and simply draft him because he’s a great player, and great players are how teams win for a long time and how coaches keep their jobs.
Bain has shown out in the College Football Playoff thus far and did himself some favors. Washington pulls the trigger inside the top-10 on Bain.
8. New Orleans Saints - Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
The New Orleans Saints take Arvell Reese at pick eight in this mock draft. Rookie QB Tyler Shough has been quite good for the Saints this year and has made things a lot easier for them going forward. New Orleans is a breakout team to watch out for in 2026.