NFL mock draft 2026: Updated projection with 3 needs for every team before Combine

A lot of what we knew about the 2026 NFL Draft is going to be shaken up. The Scouting Combine has that effect on things. This is the first chance we take the on-field production from the previous college season, and match it up with not just individual workouts, but more importantly, the team interviews behind closed doors that convince organizations on their guys.

If you think the Combine doesn’t matter, then look at last year. Entering Indianapolis, we had James Pearce Jr. locked as a Top 10 pick, and he ended up falling to No. 26 because his interview caused a lot of teams to pull him off their boards (they were right). Jaxson Dart was seen a fridge 2nd or 3rd round pick, but the combine began the process that pushed him up to No. 25. While we’re largely past the “workout warrior” fanaticism that led to so many busted picks in the 2000s and early 2010s, there’s still a lot a prospect can do that either helps, or hurts them at Indy.

Here’s my final mock draft ahead of the workouts and meetings, as well as some notes on who I think could really rise or fall after the weekend.

Pick

Team

Player

Position

School

Team needs

Las Vegas Raiders

Fernando Mendoza

Indiana

QR/WR/IOL

New York Jets

Arvell Reese

Ohio State

QB/LB/WR

Arizona Cardinals

Francis Mauigoa

Miami

OT/EDGE/LB

Tennessee Titans

Rueben Bain

EDGE

Miami

EDGE/WR/LB

New York Giants

Spencer Fano

Utah

OT/WR/CB

Cleveland Browns

Carnell Tate

Ohio State

OT/WR/IOL

Washington Commanders

David Bailey

EDGE

Texas Tech

EDGE/S/LB

New Orleans Saints

Jordyn Tyson

Arizona State

WR/RB/EDGE

Kansas City Chiefs

Jeremiyah Love

Notre Dame

RB/WR/EDGE

Cincinnati Bengals

Caleb Downs

Ohio State

EDGE/S/CB

Miami Dolphins

Mansoor Delane

LSU

CB/WR/EDGE

Dallas Cowboys

Keldric Faulk

EDGE

Auburn

EDGE/LB/CB

Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons)

Jermod McCoy

Tennessee

CB/S/OT

Baltimore Ravens

Makai Lemon

USC

IOL/WR/EDGE

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cashius Howell

EDGE

Texas A&M

EDGE/LB/TE

New York Jets (from Colts)

Avieon Terrell

Clemson

CB/S/DL

Detroit Lions

Akheem Mesidor

EDGE

Miami

EDGE/OT/CB

Minnesoa Vikings

Colton Hood

Tennessee

CB/S/DL

Carolina Panthers

Peter Woods

Clemson

DL/TE/EDGE

Dallas Cowboys (from Packers)

Sonny Styles

Ohio State

EDGE/LB/CB

Pittsburgh Steelers

Denzel Boston

Washington

QB/WR/CB

Los Angeles Chargers

Olaivavega Ioane

IOL

Penn State

IOL/DL/EDGE

Philadelphia Eagles

Caleb Lomu

Utah

OT/TE/EDGE

Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars)

Monroe Freeling

Georgia

OT/WR/IOL

Chicago Bears

Caleb Banks

Florida

DL/EDGE/S

Buffalo Bills

Kevin Concepcion

Texas A&M

WR/EDGE/LB

San Francisco 49ers

T.J. Parker

EDGE

Clemson

WR/OT/EDGE

Houston Texans

Kayden McDonald

Ohio State

OT/DL/IOL

Los Angeles Rams

Emmanuael McNeil-Warren

Toledo

CB/S/OT

Denver Broncos

C.J. Allen

Georgia

LB/TE/DL

New England Patriots

Blake Miller

Clemson

OT/EDGE/WR

Seattle Seahawks

Brandon Cisse

South Carolina

CB/EDGE/IOL

What I think will change after the combine

No. 1: A quarterback is going to make a big jump

It’s widely accepted that the only QB worth a damn in this class is Fernando Mendoza, but I’m not sold on this at all — at least when it comes to who will be taken in the first round. It was really tempting to mock a QB to the Steelers, but I’m not even sure Pittsburgh knows that they’re doing at the position at this point.

Ty Simpson is really going to impress teams in Indianapolis. I think he’s going to interview really well, and I’ll tell you the idea I can’t shake: Simpson to the Rams at No. 13. That was the pick they got from the Falcons last year, and it’s a rare case where they could find their QB of the future with a selection they never should have gotten, setting them up for another decade.

There’s a lot of similarities between Simpson and Matthew Stafford when he was coming out of college. I could really see Sean McVay and Co. loving the idea of grabbing him early, stashing him for a year or two under Stafford, and having a seamless transition when the reigning MVP is ready to retire.

Outside of that, keep an eye on Cole Payton out of North Dakota State. Here’s a guy who was trending as a late-round pick, but there have been some murmurs about him. There’s a serious chance he could sneak into the 2nd or 3rd round conversation — perhaps even higher.

No. 2: Caleb Downs has everything to win or lose in Indy

There’s no doubt that safety is the most bizarrely devalued defensive position in the NFL right now. Bad teams keep ignoring getting an upgrade at safety, which has allowed good teams to snatch them up and turn them into difference makers. Look no further than Kyle Hamilton with the Ravens, or Nick Emmanwori and the Seahawks.

Caleb Downs might be the single best all-around safety I have seen enter the pros. The biggest knock on him is that he’s a little undisciplined as a pass rusher, but thats such a small knock for the considerable upside he offers in every other area of the game.

Right now I have him going to the Bengals at No. 10, which is the perfect pick for them. That said, a smart team could grab him sooner — or Cincinnati will get cold feet based on his drills and pass him down to a better team. There’s a lot to be gained or lost through how Downs interviews and performs in Indy, and that could determine if he’s a Top 10 pick, or headed to a playoff team.

No. 3: Does Jeremiyah Love climb even more?

Right now I have him going No. 9 to the Chiefs, as a lot of mocks tend to do — but we’ve seen this pattern lately of running backs climbing higher than most mocks have them going. Ashton Jeanty is a great example of this, as he was mocked outside of the Top 10 ahead of the combine, then climbed all the way to the No. 6 pick.

There are several RB-need teams higher up in the Top 10, and the drop off at the position following Love is massive. It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s some talk about him rising after Indianapolis.

NFL mock draft 2026: Updated projection with 3 needs for every team before Combine

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