2026 NFL Mock Draft: The Saints Pick Garrett Nussmeier First Overall

We now have a few weeks of football under our belts, and boy, have things changed. Stocks have risen, fallen, and everything in between. With all that in mind, let's dive into a 2026 NFL Mock Draft ...

First Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft

1. New Orleans Saints: LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier | 6005/204 | rSR

Natural fit that would come with much fanfare, as it would send Nussmeier to a Saints offense coordinated by his father, New Orleans OC Doug Nussmeier. Garrett Nussmeier was the NFL’s highest-graded quarterback heading into the season. While he’s played strongly while several other hyped 2026 QB prospects have struggled, Nussmeier’s health is something to keep an eye on this fall. He missed practices in August with a mysterious knee issue that HC Brian Kelly indicated was more long-term chronic than short-term serious, and Nussmeier is newly dealing with a torso injury that Kelly says won’t keep him out of games.

2. Cleveland Browns: Penn State QB Drew Allar | 6046/237 | SR

Allar grew up in Medina, Ohio, and is a lifelong Browns fan who has talked about wanting to play for Cleveland. We’ll get a sense for whether Allar is in play for the top-three when Penn State gets into Big 10 play. We don’t have new information to convey at this time because the Nittany Lions opened the season with Villanova, FIU, and Nevada. A referendum is coming with Oregon, Iowa, Ohio State, and Indiana all on the schedule between now and Nov. 8. Allar has superstar potential, but it’s time for him to prove it on the field against top competition.

3. New York Giants: Clemson DT Peter Woods | 6020/315 | JR

Like the Abdul Carter pick, this selection would be more about the player than the team’s top roster need. There isn’t an offensive tackle or cornerback that we would feel comfortable taking at this point in the draft. So instead, the Giants take easily the draft’s most disruptive interior defensive lineman in Peter Woods. Woods is on a very short list of prospects who could make the argument that they are the best player in the 2026 draft. Woods next to fellow former Clemson Tiger DT Dexter Lawrence, flanked by Brian Burns/Kayvon Thibodeaux/Carter? Now that would be fun!

4. Tennessee Titans: Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk | 6060/270 | JR

Faulk might have his position group’s best combination of size, length, and athleticism in the 2026 class. He’s also an elite run defender. Faulk was one of two returning FBS edge defenders with 32 or moren run stops in 2024 (33) while missing four tackles or fewer. Taking a jump as a pass-rusher in 2025 could get Faulk into the top five. He had a sack and three pressures against Baylor in the opener—we’re hoping to see more of that in SEC play.

5. Carolina Panthers: Ohio State S Caleb Downs | 6000/205 | JR

This is, of course, early for a safety to come off the board. But if you’ve seen him play, you know that Caleb Downs is no ordinary safety. Downs is a sideline-to-sideline human vacuum in run defense. He neuters the offense’s ability to generate explosive runs because of how reliably he cleans up leaks. In coverage, Downs consistently gets his hands on balls because of how quickly he anticipates and triggers. He’s also good on the blitz and a dangerous punt returner.

6. Miami Dolphins: Miami (FL) OT Francis Mauigoa | 6060/329 | JR

The Dolphins have needs everywhere. Fixing the offensive line needs to be at or near the top of the offseason priority list. Presumably, the Dolphins would be interested in keeping Mauigoa, a mutant of an athlete, in Dade County. There are going to be those who argue Mauigoa projects better as offensive guard. But I think Mauigoa’s evaluation will be similar to Armand Membou’s. I expect Mauigoa—the Miami Hurricanes’ right tackle—to stick at RT in the pros, ala Membou, the No. 7 overall pick of the Jets in April.

7. New York Jets: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson | 6020/200 | rJR

Justin Fields signed a two-year contract in the offseason that should have him on the roster in 2026, barring abject disaster. If Fields shows enough this fall to fend off the Jets taking a quarterback in Round 1 in the spring, then New York is going to be looking to find Fields some help. Tyson is the class’ best receiver. A versatile weapon, Tyson is boundary/slot interchangeable and a proven winner at all three levels of the field. He would give Garrett Wilson some much-needed relief from coverage attention.

8. Chicago Bears: Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love | 6000/210 | JR

Last April, the Bears saw Ashton Jeanty go four picks ahead of them in the first round. In Round 2, TreVeyon Henderson was taken one pick before Chicago. Fate dictated that the RB-needy team go another direction back then. But if the board fell this way in April 2026, fate would be offering Chicago back some poetic justice with Love on the board. Love is the Jeanty of this class, giving HC Ben Johnson’s rushing offense some teeth while easing the burden on QB Caleb Williams. Love posted an absurd 187.3 elusive rating (only Jeanty was higher) and 4.47 yards after contact (94th percentile) in 2024.

9. Dallas Cowboys: Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor | 6070/366 | JR

Tyler Booker and Kadyn Proctor formed a comically dominant left-side duo for Alabama in 2024. This selection would reunite them in Dallas as the Cowboys’ right-side duo for the foreseeable future. That’s the direction Dallas could spend the next decade pounding the ball on the ground behind—we’ve got more ideas on that front coming later in this mock…!

10. Las Vegas Raiders: Clemson CB Avieon Terrell | 5110/180 | JR

Terrell feels like a Raider. He’s undersized, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he plays—he flies downhill with a hit-stick in run defense, he knifes to the target on the blitz, and he’s a sticky man-cover corner who is difficult to shake.

11. New England Patriots: Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker | 6030/265 | JR

Parker is not expected to test as an elite athlete, which might keep him out of the top five in April. But if he continues producing like he has for the past year-plus, he isn’t likely to fall further than this area. Parker had 11 sacks, 20 TFL, and six forced fumbles in 2024.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy | 5011/193 | JR

McCoy has yet to make his 2025 debut after tearing his ACL in January. The Volunteers say he will return this season. If he does and proves his health, McCoy is going to be in the first-round mix. The CB2 on my 2026 board over the summer, McCoy had 13 passes defended and four interceptions in 2024 en route to All-American honors.

13. Minnesota Vikings: Penn State CB A.J. Harris | 6010/184 | JR

Ideally, the Vikings would get another boundary CB to start across from Isaiah Rodgers in order to move Byron Murphy back to nickel, and Josh Metellus back to his move-piece role. The selection of Harris would allow for that. Harris took over for Joey Porter Jr. in the starting lineup and hasn’t missed a beat, allowing only 27 receptions over 19 games across two seasons. He has been targeted only once through three games in 2025.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers: Oklahoma QB John Mateer | 6010/219 | rJR

Pittsburgh will be in the quarterback market with Aaron Rodgers expected to retire after the season. Mateer is the hottest riser in the 2026 class to this point. He’s an elite athlete (4.4s forty) with the arm talent and guts to test even the tiniest of windows. Mateer is going to need to prove it against the heart of the SEC schedule, but if he does, Round 1 is well within play.

15. Cincinnati Bengals: Florida DT Caleb Banks | 6061/334 | rSR

Banks boasts ridiculous length (85 ⅛ wingspan) and a huge frame. The high school basketball standout is more nimble and quick than he has any business being at 330-plus pounds. Like Kenneth Grant from the last class, Banks’ play style belies his frame. Instead of parking and occupying, Banks is a chaotic hunter, looking to create chaos and make plays in the backfield. Last year, he had seven more hurries and eight more pressures than Peter Woods while playing only 26 more snaps.

16. Cleveland Browns (from JAX): Washington WR Denzel Boston | 6030/209 | rJR

Cleveland got its quarterback of the future with its first pick above—now, the Browns circle back with much-needed pass-catching help. Boston is a big, strapping boundary receiver with good ball skills and reported 4.4s speed. PFF clocked him at 22 mph on the GPS in 2024. Boston has outstanding hands, with only three drops over 97 targets in 2024. He had a stellar 95.7% catch rate on catchable passes, and Boston converted 12-of-22 contested situations in 2024.

17. Houston Texans: Auburn OT Xavier Chaplin | 6070/338 | rJR

Chaplin transferred to Auburn this past offseason after starting for Virginia Tech the last two years. He is an outstanding run blocker, a north/south bully who violently uncoils into contact, torquing defenders into feeble straight-spined postures. Chaplin’s pass-pro has improved, but still needs work. Chaplin is blessed with length and strength in spades. But there remains an unfinished feel to his game.

18. Washington Commanders: South Carolina WR Nyck Harbor | 6050//245 | JR

Harbor is raw as can be. He’s also one of the legitimately freakiest athletes the sport has ever seen, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound sprinter who was a second-team All-American on South Carolina’s track team. Harbor, who has been clocked at 23.6 mph on the GPS, is the deep-ball specialist who could help accelerate Jayden Daniels’ bombs-away game to the next level. This would also be a homecoming – Harbor is from Washington, D.C. and attended Archbishop Carroll High.

19. Los Angeles Rams (from ATL) | Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza | 6050/225 | SR

The Rams appeared poised to move on from Matthew Stafford over the offseason before a last-minute change. Advanced planning for the future began with the acquisition of a second 2026 first-round pick—Atlanta’s—via a Day 1 trade last April. Mendoza could appeal to HC Sean McVay. Mendoza posted a 9/0 TD/INT rate on 70.5% completions against a soft non-con schedule. This Saturday brings his first big test with a marquee showdown versus Illinois.

20. Denver Broncos: Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr. | 6030/235 | JR

The Broncos are scraping by at linebacker this season, and could really use a legitimate upgrade at the position in the offseason. Hill Jr. is not yet a finished product, but he’s a high-octane athlete who is always around the ball. He’s also an extremely gifted blitzer, a skill that would come in handy in Vance Joseph’s attacking, blitz-heavy scheme. Denver finished No. 1 in sack rate last year.

21. Arizona Cardinals: Utah OT Spencer Fano | 6060/302 | JR

I have some trepidations about Fano’s play strength, but this is an A+ athlete at the position who has seemingly improved weekly in pass-pro since the beginning of last season. In fact, Fano hasn’t given up a sack since the 2024 opener against FCS Southern Utah. In Fano’s last eight games—the last five of 2024 and the first three of 2025—he’s allowed zero sacks, and only two hurries. Cardinals RT Jonah Williams is a free agent after this season. Fano, Utah’s RT, would be a strong long-term bookend option across from LT Paris Johnson Jr.

22. Detroit Lions: Miami (FL) EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. | 6030/275 | JR

Detroit needs to find a long-term defensive end solution to start across from Aidan Hutchinson. Marcus Davenport is injured again—he’s started only six games since the start of the 2023 season, and has, now, by my count, suffered 14 separate career injuries that were notable enough to affect his game status over eight seasons. Bain Jr. would be an ideal replacement. Through three weeks, Bain has been one of the country’s best overall players. In only 72 pass-rush reps, he’s posted 12 pressures and nine hurries—and also intercepted a pass and batted down another! Bain is also tied for No. 4 among FBS EDGE defenders in run stops and tied for No. 1 with two forced fumbles.

23. Indianapolis Colts: Georgia CB Daylen Everette | 6005/193 | SR

The sportsbooks now favor the 2-0 Colts to win the AFC South, the reason why Indianapolis has moved so far back in our order. Let’s play out the thought experiment. The Colts qualifying for the playoffs would mean that QB Daniel Jones capped off a resurgent season. Jones will still only be 28 this coming spring. Running it back on a reasonable two- or three-year deal with early-escape hatches would seem to make sense for both sides in that scenario. So we’re going to pivot to the roster’s biggest short-term need with a cornerback. Everette, Georgia’s CB1, is a high-floor, medium-ceiling prospect with the polish, experience, and press-man/zone interchangeable versatility to start immediately in the NFL.

24. Kansas City Chiefs: Oregon EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei | 6040/270 | JR

Uiagalelei has been dominant through three games and promisingly looks to have taken another development step as a pass rusher. He has 10 pressures in 53 pass-rush snaps (18.9%). During last year’s breakout campaign where he finished with 10.5 sacks, Uiagalelei had 31 pressures in 308 pass-rush snaps (10.1%). If he keeps that pace up during the heart of the Big 10 schedule, he could go considerably higher than we project him here.

25. Los Angeles Rams: Oregon OT Isaiah World | 6052/321 | rSR

Earlier in this exercise, the Rams took their quarterback of the future. Now, the Rams bolster their protection unit with the selection of World—who will spend this fall scrapping in practice in Eugene with the aforementioned Matayo Uiagalelei. Rams RT Rob Havenstein’s contract expires after this season, and he’ll be 34 in 2026. World transferred to Oregon in the offseason after a dominant year at Nevada. He’s already taken over 2,500 career collegiate snaps at tackle (1,909 of them at LT).

26. San Francisco 49ers: Iowa State DT Domonique Orange | 6016/328 | SR

Orange is a better version of the 49ers’ 2025 fourth-round pick, CJ West, and would push West to a rotational role that he would be well-suited for. “Big Citrus” is a force against the run who has shown legitimate progress as a pocket-pushing pass-rusher. To hear his name called in Round 1 this April, Orange needs to show more of that during Big 12 play. He is a two-time Feldman Freak Lister who is expected to test well in Indianapolis (including a confirmed 34-inch vertical at 325-plus pounds).

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Missouri EDGE Zion Young | 6051/255 | SR

Young has a tantalizing blend of size, length (33-inch arms and 80 ½ wingspan), and athleticism (projected 4.7 forty). You can dream on his ceiling, but also hang your hat on his high floor. That comes from Young’s bruising, assignment-minded brand of run defense. The NFL’s scouting services handed Young “Day 2” grades over the summer. I think he can crack the first round with a big season followed by a strong showing at the NFL Combine.

28. Los Angeles Chargers: Florida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr. | 6052/341 | rSR

In April, if things had fallen differently, I wonder if the Chargers would have taken an iDL in Round 1. The last of the four consensus 2025 R1 DTs (Derrick Harmon) went the pick before Los Angeles’, and the Chargers took RB Omarion Hampton one selection later at 1.22. Either way, an interior war daddy likely tops the Chargers’ 2026 offseason wish list. Meet Darrell Jackson Jr., a planet-sized 6-foot-5, 341-pounder with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and huge power.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Ohio State WR Carnell Tate | 6030/191 | JR

Tate has stepped into a bigger role with Emeka Egbuka off to the NFL and excelled with a 12-219-3 receiving line through three games, including 5-of-6 in contested situations. With DeAndre Hopkins nearing the end, the Ravens could use another receiver. Tate fits the bill as a reliable possession receiver with red zone utility.

30. Dallas Cowboys (from GB): Penn State RB Nicholas Singleton | 6003/218 | SR

The Cowboys reunited the Tyler Booker/Kadyn Proctor wall with their initial first-round pick earlier in this exercise. Now it is time to fully complete the transformation of the running game. If reports of Singleton’s athleticism from Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List are to be believed, then Singleton is going to test as one of the freakiest athletes we’ve ever seen at the running back position this spring at the NFL Combine.

31. Philadelphia Eagles: Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq | 6030/245 | JR

The Eagles are typically in a position to take best-player-available, and that’s the case here with Sadiq. I think you’re going to witness Sadiq’s national coming-out party during Big 10 play. He’s a mutant athlete who legitimately moves like a receiver in space. And you won’t believe the absolute dog he is as a blocker after you’ve seen the skill he has as a pass catcher—Sadiq has all the natural gifts of a finesse player, but he brings his lunchpail to work.

32. Buffalo Bills: LSU CB Mansoor Delane | 5111/191 | SR

If Oklahoma QB John Mateer is the draft’s biggest offensive riser through mid-September, then LSU CB Mansoor Delane might be the biggest riser on the other side of the ball. Delane is coming off another lights-out showing against Florida. Over 18 targets through three games, Delane has more forced incompletions (6) than receptions allowed (4). He’s surrendering a microscopic 13.0 YPG in coverage.

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