2026 NFL Mock Draft – 2 Rounds

The NFL draft is less than a month away! Teams are already meeting with players and getting ready to make a big decision. Which team will shock us? Which teams will draft a bust? Not all players are busts, of course. With that in mind, which team drafts the next Hall of Famer? Make sure to check back next month for my seven-round mock with a write-up for each player. For now, here’s a 2026 NFL mock draft for two rounds.

Pre Super Bowl 2026 NFL Mock Draft

Round 1

Round 1 doesn’t start with many surprises. The Raiders get a franchise quarterback while the next four picks focus on defense. The Commanders get themselves a new running back, and the Dolphins replace lost production in the receiver room with two wide receivers! A tight end goes in the Top-15 of picks, but more defensive players go than offensive.

Round 1:

#	Team	Pick	Pos	College
1	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	Rueben Bain Jr.	ED	Miami
		The Jets have quite a bit of needs. They fill one of those by drafting the best edge rusher and hoping to win games with a strong defense. Rueben Bain finished with 12 sacks last year and an incredible 68 hurries.
3	Cardinals	Arvell Reese	LB	Ohio State
		The Cardinals 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.
4	Titans	David Bailey	ED	Texas Tech
		The Titans 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.
5	Giants	Sonny Styles	LB	Ohio State
		The Giants are in need of linebacker help. 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.
6	Browns	Francis Mauigoa	OT	Miami
		The Browns are another team that need to shift the direction their team is going. Maybe their quarterbacks could perform better if they were protected better.They take the best offensive tackle in the draft in Francis Mauigoa who had a really solid year protecting Carson Beck last year.
7	Commanders	Jeremiyah Love	RB	Notre Dame
		The Commanders need some offensive help. They get that 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.
8	Saints	Carnell Tate	WR	Ohio State
		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 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.
9	Chiefs	Mansoor Delane	CB	LSU
		The Chiefs need secondary help after trading away their best corner. They take 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 .
10	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	Makai Lemon	Wr	USC
		The Dolphins traded away Jaylen Waddle. They draft a new receiver in Makai Lemon The 5-11 speedy receiver has plenty of experience at all positions but is primarily a slot receiver. Lemon finished last year with 1156 yards and 11 touchdowns. He'll add speed to this offense and create nice mismatch opportunities against safeties, linebackers and slot-backs.
12	Cowboys	CJ Allen	LB	Georgia
		The Cowboys defense was one of the worst in the NFL last year. They look to start turning that around by taking 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.
13	Rams via ATL	Spencer Fano	OT	Utah
		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	Olaivavega Ioane	G	Penn State
		The Ravens are a physical team that knowsfootball 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.
15	Buccaneers	Kenyon Sadiq	TE	Oregon
		The Bucs no longer have Mike Evans and Baker looked like he regressed a little last year. However, the Bucs look to stop the regression by adding another weapon with tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq crushed the combine and is a speedy tight end who will be a mis-match nightmare.
16	Jetsvia IND	Jermod McCoy	CB	Tennessee
		The Jets 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.
17	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	Dillon Thieneman	S	Oregon
		The Vikings didn't have much cap space heading into the free agency. 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.
19	Panthers	Jordyn Tyson	WR	Arizona State
		The Panthers won their division last year. They'll need to continue to improve to win it again and they do that by getting an excellent target for Bryce Young 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.
20	Cowboysvia DAL	Avieon Terrell	CB	Clemson
		The Cwoboys continue to improve their defense with this pick. 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 Cowboys.
21	Steelers	Blake Miller	OT	Clemson
		We don't know who will start at QB for the Steelers yet. However, 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.
22	Chargers	Emmanuel McNeil-Warren	S	Toledo
		The Chargers 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.
23	Eagles	Akheem Mesidor	ED	Miami
		The Eagles lost some defensive snaps in the free agency. They fill some of them by taking Akheem Mesidor, an 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 Eagles defensive line.
24	Brownsvia Jags	Kadyn Proctor	OT	Alabama
		The Browns continue to focus on their offensive line, given that they have few offensive lineman on contract. They take Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor. He only allowed 2 sacks in 611 pass block snaps last year.
25	Bears	Kayden McDonald	DI	Ohio State
		The Bears 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. However, defensive line should be a focus. 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.
26	Bills	Caleb Banks	DI	Florida
		The Bills 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 Bills defense immediately.
27	49ers	Keldric Faulk	ED	Auburn
		The 49ers 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.
28	Texans	Emanuel Pregnon	G	Oregon
		The Texans can use some offensive line help, especially at the guard position. They take Emmanuel Pregnon out of Oregon. He was rated 85.8 for a run block grade and 88.1 for a pass block grade by PFF in 2025. He's only allowed 1 sack in the last three years. The 6-5 guard should be an upgrade for them.
29	Chiefsvia RAMS	Cashius Howell	ED	Texas A&M
		The Chiefs improve their defense line 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.
30	Dolphinsvia DEN	Omar Cooper Jr.	WR	Indiana
		The Dolphins aren't playing around with upgrading their receiving corps by taking a second receiver in the 1st round. Cooper had a great year for Indiana last year, catching 13 touchdown passes. He plays primarily out of the slot. The Dolphins continue to add speed.
31	Patriots	Peter Woods	DI	Cemson
		The Patriots need to keep improving their team to try and make another Super Bowl run. They add Peter Woods out of Clemson. The 6-3 run defender has performed at a high level the last three years for Clemson and should step in and contribute for the Patriots right away.
32	Seahawks	T.J. Parker	ED	Clemson
		The Sehakws lost some important defenders, especially on the defensive line. They add some help back 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.

Round 2

A slew of wide receivers go off the board early in the second round. Three other quarterbacks are also grabbed by teams looking for a player to groom. While defensive players dominated the first round of my 2026 NFL Mock Draft, offensive players dominate the second round.

Round 2:

#	Team	Pick	Pos	College
33	Jets	Colin Hood	CB	Tennessee
34	Cardinals	Max Iheanachor	OT	Arizona State
35	Titans	Jacob Rodriguez	LB	Texas Tech
36	Raiders	Denzel Boston	WR	Washington
37	Giants	KC Concepcion	WR	Texas A&M
38	Texansvia WAS	Christen Miller	DI	Georgia
39	Browns	Chris Bell	WR	Louisville
40	Chiefs	Chris Brazzell II	WR	Tennessee
41	Bengals	Lee Hunter	DI	Texas Tech
42	Saints	Jake Golday	LB	Cincinnati
43	Dolphins	Brandon Cisse	CB	South Carolina
44	Jets	Ty Simpson	QB	Alabama
45	Ravens	Germie Bernard	WR	Alabama
46	Buccaneers	Chase Bisontis	G	Texas A&M
47	Colts	A.J. Haulcy	S	LSU
48	Falcons	D'Angelo Ponds	CB	Indiana
49	Vikings	Sam Hecht	C	Kansas State
50	Lions	Chris Johnson	CB	San Diego State
51	Panthers	Connor Lew	C	Auburn
52	Packers	Keith Abney II	OT	Arizona State
53	Steelers	Garrett Nussmeier	QB	LSU
54	Eagles	Caleb Lomu	OT	Utah
55	Chargers	Skyler Bell	WR	UConn
56	Jaguars	R Mason Thomas	ED	Oklahoma
57	Bears	Zion Young	ED	Missouri
58	49ers	Kaylen Rutledge	G	Georgia Tech/b>
59	Texans	Jake Slaughter	C	Florida/b>
60	Bears via BUF	Gennings Dunker	OT	Iowa
61	Rams	Cade Klubnik	QB	Clemson
62	Broncos	Eli Stowers	TE	Vanderbilt
63	Patriots	Josiah Trotter	LB	Missouri
64	Seahawks	Keionte Scott	CB	Miami