2026 NFL Draft: Final Consensus Mock Draft!

[Brad Menendez]

It’s nearly upon us, friends, the Draft is less than a week away, and all the speculation will be moot as we see who each team targets next Thursday! Throughout this process, you’ve seen us drop 7-round mock drafts, predicting what we would do in these teams’ positions, and no matter what you think of this draft class, there is plenty of talent that will hear their names called over this 3-day period. What I look to do with these “consensus” mock drafts is I look at our friends over at NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, as they compile all the picks made in their simulators by industry pros (our team included), and give you who the community predicts will be the picks in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

NOTE: This consensus is from Thursday night, April 16th, one week from the NFL Draft

2026 NFL Consensus Mock Draft – Round 1​

1. 
   Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana 99% Certainty
   
   It’s a foregone conclusion at this point; the worst-kept secret is Mendoza being the pick for the Raiders. It makes sense, they need their franchise QB, and by all accounts, Mendoza’s in this class, the rest have the question marks that may not get any of them drafted before day two.
   
2. 
   New York Jets – Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State 51%
   
   After Mendoza, all bets are off. No one’s at this point above 70% certainty in the top 10. Which, if you’ve been following the draftniks, shouldn’t be a surprise. Reese would definitely be a player you can build your defense around, but will the Jets draft a linebacker in the top 5 picks? Good question.
   • Arizona Cardinals – David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech 27% Certainty
     Arizona needs EDGE help, now Bain is my top pass russher in the class but some have concerns, they’re wrong, but they still have those concerns. Bailey doesn’t look like a top 10-15 prospect for me, so I think this is a different pick, but you can tell no one really has a good feeling at this point.
   • Tennessee Titans – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame 63% Certainty
     I really don’t love drafting running backs top 10, but if I am, it better be an elite piece. Love is just that, so I wouldn’t blame them for doing this. Though if they do this, they’d better make sure their offense puts up a ton of points. Their defense needs some help, and that early-round capital should be spent on it.
   • New York Giants – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State 34% Certainty
     To see both Ohio State linebackers go this early would be wild, but both are really strong prospects, and I think they are foundational pieces for any franchise.
   • Cleveland Browns – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State 41% Certainty
   • Washington Commanders – Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State 21% Certainty
   • New Orleans Saints – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU 26%
   • Kansas City Chiefs – Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami (FL) 20% Certainty
     At pick 6-10 feel like players that are top-15, but Downs would be the one I could see slide to late teens, early 20s, just because some will look for a high ceiling. I think with Downs, he’s been a solid starter his whole career, but we know who he is.
   • Cincinnati Bengals – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee 9% Certainty
   • Miami Dolphins – Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL) 19% Certainty
   • Dallas Cowboys – Dillon Thieneman, SAF, Oregon 19% Certainty
   • Los Angeles Rams – Makai Lemon, WR, USC 43% Certainty
   • Baltimore Ravens – Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State 51% Certainty
   • Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon 26% Certainty
     Picks 10-15 make sense, MINUS Thieneman, he’s not a top 15 pick, I could see late first, but to Dallas feels like a reach. I expect them to target edge earlier, maybe wideout, depending on who’s there.
   • New York Jets – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State 27% Certainty
   • Detroit Lions – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama 31% Certainty
   • Minnesota Vikings – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, SAF, Toledo 10% Certainty
   • Carolina Panthers – Kevin Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M 9% Certainty
   • Dallas Cowboys – Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn 20% Certainty
   • Pittsburgh Steelers – Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama 11% Certainty
     Picks 16-20 make a lot of sense, but I’d be really surprised if Minnesota targets safety this early, day two maybe, but I’d think linebacker or edge makes more sense here.
   • Los Angeles Chargers – Chase Bisontis, IOL, Texas A&M 10% Certainty
   • Philadelphia Eagles – Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State 16% Certainty
   • Cleveland Browns – Omar Cooper Jr, WR, Indiana 15% Certainty
   • Chicago Bears – Kayden McDonald, DL, Ohio State 13% Certainty
   • Buffalo Bills – Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M 12% Certainty
   • San Francisco 49ers – Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah 25% Certainty
   • Houston Texans – Peter Woods, DT, Clemson 14% Certainty
   • Kansas City Chiefs – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee 22% Certainty
   • Miami Dolphins – Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State 12% Certainty
   • New England Patriots – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson 19% Certainty
   • Seattle Seahawks – Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame 16% Certainty
     The rest of this draft fits pick with value, but obviously, Cleveland isn’t drafting two wide receivers in round 1. What you will see is that they probably target 1 wide receiver drafted in round 1. And 1 corner, edge, or linebacker with the other 1st.

Thanks for Stopping By!​

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