Pre Free Agency 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Free agency starts next week. While the combine is over and teams are starting to meet individually with players, we have some clarity on who is moving up the boards. We also know some who are moving down. Despite the fact that team needs are going to change soon, plenty of teams will still hvae big holes to fill. Let’s take a look at who I have each team selecting in my two-round pre-free agency 2026 NFL Mock Draft.

Pre Super Bowl 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1

Unlike my last mock draft, we have more clarification on which players are entering the draft and which are returning to play another year of collegiate football. With a thin quarterback class in the 2026 NFL mock draft, the Raiders don’t have much of a choice. They should and will draft Fernando Mendoza, unless they get a major pick package and player trade offer. While the first round was fairly balanced, I had 19 defensive players going off the board compared to just 13 offensive players. See where I have offensive studs like Jeremiyah Love landing, as well as defensive playmakers like Rueben Bain Jr. There weren’t a ton of surprise picks. However, some landing spots might surprise you!

#		Team	Pick	Pos	College
1	Raiders	Raiders	Fernando Mendoza	QB	Indiana
			What a year for Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders continue the good things in his life by drafting him first in the 2026 NFL Draft. They'll hopefully find a coach that can properly use this 6-5 quarterback who just threw for 33 touchdowns and only 6 INTs. He'll help improve this franchise immediately. Don't forget, Tom Brady is partial owner of this team. Some mentorship from Brady could go a long way.
2	Jets	Jets	Arvell Reese	LB	Ohio State
			The Jets have a lot of needs, including at quarterback. However, none of the candidates are worth taking second in the draft. Therefore, they focus on somebody who can become a quarterback for the defense in linebacker Arvell Reese. A defensive driven team gets one of the top defenders in the draft.
3	Cardinals	Cardinals	Francis Mauigoa	OT	Miami
			The Cardinals are another team that need to shift the direction their team is going. Kyler Murray is gone and they have a major need at quarterback. However, whoever is taking snaps at quarterback, they'll need protection. The Cardinals take the best offensive tackle in the draft in Francis Mauigoa who had a really solid year protecting Carson Beck last year.
4	Titans	Titans	Rueben Bain Jr.	ED	Miami
			The Titans have quite a bit of needs. I expect they'll make a big splash in the free agency, especially with the amount of money they have. In the draft, they take the best edge rusher in Rueben Bain. He finished with 12 sacks last year and an incredible 68 hurries.
5	Giants	Giants	Mansoor Delane	CB	LSU
			The Giants give a little surprise here by taking cornerback Mansoor Delane out of LSU. Delane is a lockdown corner who held opposing quarterbacks to a 27.5 passer rating when they threw his way. He only allowed 147 yards all year, no touchodwns and finished with two interceptions. He took a huge step forward from the previous year and will only continue to get better .
6	Browns	Browns	Carnell Tate	WR	Ohio State
			Personally, I don't think Shedeur or Gabriel are the answer at quarteback for the Browns. However, I don't get paid for those decisions. I think the Browns will roll with Sanders for 2026. One area they can help him succeed is by getting him more weapons. Therefore they draft Carnell Tate out of Ohio State. In 2025 he pulled in 875 yards, 17.2 yards per reception, and nine touchdowns. He's a 6-3 and has the speed needed to excell in the NFL.
7	Commanders	Commanders	Sonny Styles	LB	Ohio State
			The Commanders need a lot of help on defense. They get some here by taking Sonny Styles. He's an excellent run defender and the best coverage linebacker in the draft. He'll immediately make this team better on defense and become a captain in no time.
8	Saints	Saints	Jeremiyah Love	RB	Notre Dame
			The Saints have a lot of needs, but it would appear as if Kellen Moore has his quarterback in Tyler Shough. They help Shough out here by drafting the best running back in the draft in Jeremiyah Love. A solid and consistent run game should help out the offense as a whole. Love finished the season with 1372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. It wasn't a fluke, the year before he had 1124 yards and 17 touchdowns. He's a playmaker who will make an immediate impact.
9	Chiefs	Chiefs	David Bailey	ED	Texas Tech
			The Chiefs can't help but pass up the best player available in David Bailey. The edge rusher out of Texas Tech had an incredible year last year with 15 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 34 quarterback hurries, and 2 batted passes. He had a pass rush win rate of 21.6% and will make the rest of the quarterbacks in the AFC West very uncomfotable.
10	Bengals	Bengals	Caleb Downs	S	Ohio State
			Caleb Downs should have been selected before this pick but teams value the safety position differently. The Bengals know they need safety help and they get it by taking Downs, who is the number one ranked defensive player on many draft analysts boards. He's a safety who is good at both pass coverage and run defense and will make an immediate impact as a starter.
11	Dolphins	Dolphins	Olaivavega Ioane	G	Penn State
			The Dolphins are another team that have a lot of needs. However, they know football is won in the trenches and they boost their trenches in a big way with 6-4, 328-pound Olaivavega Ioane out of Penn State. He had a true pass set block grade of 90.9 in 2025, allowing 0 sacks and 0 QB hits on 311 pass block snaps. Better yet, he's played every position on the line.
12	Cowboys	Cowboys	Dillon Thieneman	S	Oregon
			The Cowboys don't have a lot of cap space this year. Therefore they'll need to build in the draft. They get an automatic starter by drafting Safety Dillon Thieneman out of Oregon. He's one of the best cover safeties in the draft and had a 17.2% forced incompletion rate.
13	Rams	Rams	Spencer Fano	OT	Utah
	Via ATL		The Rams are gearing up for what is most likely Matt Stafford's last year. One of the biggest things is to make sure he's protected. They weren't terrible at tackle last year, however, Spencer Fano will slot in as their right tackle and be an upgrade. He has allowed just one sack in the last 806 pass block snaps.
14	Ravens	Ravens	Akheem Mesidor	ED	Miami
			Some may find this too early for Akheem Mesidor. Those people would be wrong. The Ravens take the edge rusher out of Miami who had just as much impact as Bain did. Last year he had 13 sacks, and 50 quarterback hurries. His pass rush win rate was 20.8%. He'll fit right in with the Ravens' defensive culture.
15	Bucs	Buccaneers	Jermod McCoy	CB	Tennessee
			The Bucs take a risk on a guy that didn't play last year. However, he was one of the best corners of 2024 and they'll look for him to return to that play. Cornerback Jermod McCoy out of Tennessee should be able to step in and start right away for them and upgrade their pass defense.
16	Jets	Jets	Ty Simpson	QB	Alabama
	Via IND		The Jets did the smart thing with their first pick and took the best player available. This time they take the position that seems to hold the most importance in the NFL, a quarterback. Jets select Ty Simpson out of Alabama. Simpson had 3,561 passing yards, 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Simpson improved every year, has an excellent deep ball, and is used to playing on the big stage.
17	Lions	Lions	Monroe Freeling	OT	Georgia
			This is a Dan Campbell-type pick. The Lions take Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling. Taylor Decker is gone, and Freeling will be able to step in and start producing and protecting right in his place. He's played both tackle positions but excels at left tackle. Last year, PFF gave him an 86.1 pass block grade.
18	Vikings	Vikings	Avieon Terrell	CB	Clemson
			The Vikings need a lot of help. They upgrade their secondary by taking cornerback Avieon Terrell out of Clemson. Terrell is both in coverage and at stopping the run. He will likely be able to step in and be a day one starter for the Vikes.
19	Panthers	Panthers	Kayden McDonald	DI	Ohio State
			The Panthers took a big step forward in 2025, making the playoffs and winning their division. In the 2026 NFL draft, I think they'll be able to be flexible with their picks. Kayden McDonald out of Ohio State should provide them a nice upgrade. He has good upside and was graded with a 91.2 run defense grade by PFF in 2025.
20	Cowboys	Cowboys	CJ Allen	LB	Georgia
	via GB		I may have had the Cowboys taking a linebacker with their first pick in the 2026 NFL mock draft. However, I couldn't pass up on giving them an edge rusher to fill in the Micah Parsons shoes. Instead, with their second pick in the first round, which they got from the Parsons trade, they now take a linebacker. CJ Allen out of Georgia is a blue chip player who is excellent against the run. His coverage grade needs work but they draft him to improve their rush defense anyways.
21	Steelers	Steelers	Makai Lemon	Wr	USC
			The Steelers get a steal in wide receiver Makai Lemon out of USC. The 5-11 speedy receiver has plenty of experience at all positions but is primarily a slot receiver. The Steelers finished with Adam Thielen as their slot receiver last year, a player I don't think returns to the NFL, let alone ot the Steelers. Lemon finished last year with 1156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He'll add speed to this offense, no matter who is throwing the ball, and create nice mismatch opportunities against safeties and linebackers and slot-backs.
22	Chargers	Chargers	Caleb Banks	DI	Florida
			The Chargers need to improve their defensive line and they do so by drafting defensive lineman out of Florida in Caleb Banks. He was injured in 2025 and only played three games. However, he was a starter the prior two years. In 2024, he had 4 sacks and 21 QB hurries from the interior of the line. Those are good numbers playing over the B Gap and he'll help the Chargers defense immediately.
23	Eagles	Eagles	Keldric Faulk	ED	Auburn
			The Eagles need some help on the edge and draft Keldric Faulk out of Auburn. His pass rushing took a step back last year, but with the right support he could get back to his 9 sacks and 31 QB hurries he had in 2024. He's also a really good run defender for an edge player, which will come in handy in that division.
24	Browns	Brownsvia Jags	Blake Miller	OT	Clemson
	via Jags		Maybe the Browns could have had a better result from their quarterbacks had they had better protection. They upgrade their offensive line by taking Blake Miller. He has played primarily at right tackle and only allowed 3 sacks in over 1000 pass blocking snaps over the past two years. He has some experience at left tackle, but the right side is where he excels. The Browns have no current offensive lineman starters, so they can use all the help.
25	Bears	Bears	Cashius Howell	ED	Texas A&M
			The Bears need help on defense. Last year in 2025, they nailed the offensive side of the ball. They start 2026 by taking Cashius Howell. He's an underrated edge rusher who had a 19.9% pass rush win rate Last year on 299 pass rush snaps he had 12 sacks 2 QB hits, and 27 hurries. He's a great option to play opposite Montez Sweat.
26	Bills	Bills	T.J. Parker	ED	Clemson
			The Bills need defensive line help. They get it early by drafting Edge rusher T.J. Parker out of Clemson. He had 12 sacks in 2024 and then only 6 in 2025. However, he's a consistent player who should only get better and should thrive in this system.
27	49ers	49ers	Emmanuel McNeil-Warren	S	Toledo
			The 49ers need help at safety and draft Emmanuel McNeil-Warren out of Toledo. He had more interceptions than touchdowns allowed and a 33.3% forced incompletion rate. He can also step up and stop the run. He received a PFF overall grade of 91.9, an extremely high mark for a safety.
28	Texans	Texans	Christen Miller	DI	Georgia
			If there's one thing that is evident by this 2026 NFL Mock draft, it's that the defensive players hold more value than the offensive ones. The Texans keep that true by taking Christen Miller out of Georgia. He's an excellent run defender and comes from a program that turns out NFL caliber talent.
29	Chiefs	Chiefs	Gennings Dunker	OT	Iowa
	via Rams		The Chiefs continue to grab key players, this time on the offensive side of the ball. They draft right tackle Gennings Dunker out of Iowa. Dunker is a great run blocker but pass blocks well too. He only allowed 2 sacks and 1 QB hit in 316 pass blocking snaps in 2025. He has 3 years experience starting under one of the best head coaches for an offensive lineman in the NCAA in Kirk Ferentz.
30	Broncos	Broncos	Kenyon Sadiq	TE	Oregon
			The Broncos were just one game away from playing in the Super Bowl. Perhaps if not for an injury to Bo Nix, they could have made it. Still, they are a talented young team who will continue to add talent. Now they add to Nix's weapons with tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq crushed the combine and is a speedy tight end who will be a mis-match nightmare.
31	Patriots	Patriots	Jordyn Tyson	WR	Arizona State
			The Patriots shocked a lot of people by going 14-3 this year and making a Super Bowl appearance. They'll need to continue to improve to get back to the Super Bowl and they do that by getting an excellent target for Drake Maye to throw to in wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, a 6-2 wide receiver out of Arizona State. He is a man coverage beater and has 18 touchdowns in the last two years.
32	Seahawks	Seahawks	Colton Hood	CB	Tennessee
			The Super Bowl champs keep their foot on the gas and draft Colton Hood, a cornerback out of Tennessee. He'll line up opposite of Witherspoon and make it harder for teams to pass on this team. Seattle knows their time with Darnold may be limited, so they're all in for another year and this is a great addition to improve a defense that was already very solid.

Round 2

#		Team	Pick	Pos	College
33	Jets	Jets	Omar Cooper Jr.	WR	Indiana
34	Cardinals	Cardinals	Diego Pavia	QB	Vanderbilt
35	Titans	Titans	Denzel Boston	WR	Washington
36	Raiders	Raiders	Peter Woods	DI	Cemson
37	Giants	Giants	Kadyn Proctor	OT	Alabama
38	Texans	Texans	emanuel Pregnon	G	Oregon
	via WAS
39	Browns	Browns	Chase Bisontis	G	Texas A&M
40	Chiefs	Chiefs	Lee Hunter	DI	Texas Tech
41	Bengals	Bengals	Caleb Lomu	OT	Utah
42	Saints	Saints	KC Concepcion	WR	Texas A&M
43	Dolphins	Dolphins	Joey Aguilar	QB	Tennessee
44	Jets	Jets	Brandon Cisse	CB	South Carolina
	Via DAL
45	Ravens	Ravens	Chris Bell	WR	Louisville
46	Bucs	Buccaneers	Zion Young	ED	Missouri
47	Colts	Colts	Joey Rodriguez	LB	Texas Tech
48	Falcons	Falcons	D'Angelo Ponds	CB	Indiana
49	Vikings	Vikings	Sam Hecht	C	Kansas State
50	Lions	Lions	Chris Johnson	CB	San Diego State
51	Panthers	Panthers	Germie Bernard	WR	Alabama
52	Packers	Packers	Max Iheanachor	OT	Arizona State
53	Steelers	Steelers	Garrett Nussmeier	QB	LSU
54	Eagles	Eagles	Keith Abney II	CB	Arizona State
55	Chargers	Chargers	A.J. Haulcy	S	LSU
56	Jaguars	Jaguars	Keionte Scott	CB	Miami
57	Bears	Bears	Josiah Trotter	LB	Missouri
58	49ers	49ers	Skyler Bell	WR	Connecticut/b>
59	Texans	Texans	Domonique Orange	DT	Iowa State/b>
60	Bears	Bears	Gracen Holton	DI	Oklahoma
61	Rams	Rams	Cade Klubnik	QB	Clemson
62	Broncos	Broncos	Jake Golday	LB	Cincinatti
63	Patriots	Patriots	R Mason Thomas	ED	Oklahoma
64	Seahawks	Seahawks	Jonah Coleman	RB	Washington