{"id":689697,"date":"2026-01-19T22:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T22:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/689697\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T22:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T22:16:20","slug":"2026-nfl-draft-mel-kiper-shakes-up-big-board-top-25-player-rankings-after-college-football-playoff-championship-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/689697\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper shakes up Big Board Top 25 player rankings after College Football Playoff Championship Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper Jr. shook up<\/a> his Big Board Top 25 player rankings after the College Football Playoff Championship Game<\/a>. The season has come to an end, and now the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> is taking center stage. <\/p>\n

One big development off the field that happened prior to this update was Oregon quarterback Dante Moore<\/a> opting to return to the Ducks in 2026. Now, Kiper has removed him from his big board, after putting up No. 2 in his previous iteration. <\/p>\n

The Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock, and Kiper\u2019s insight is as valuable as ever. Check out his latest Top 25 Big Board below, beginning with Fernando Mendoza<\/a>. <\/p>\n

A phenomenal season for the Heisman winner. Mendoza threw for 3,349 yards and 41 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He\u2019ll be the first quarterback taken in April. <\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cMendoza transferred to Indiana after playing two seasons at Cal, and his game has taken off. The key? He has cut down on sacks, with 22 so far this season after taking 41 in 2024. Mendoza is getting the ball out quicker. And while he doesn\u2019t have a huge arm, he can make all the necessary NFL-level throws.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NotreMichael Caterina | Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Love was one of the best offensive players in the entire country during his time with Notre Dame, known for his blend of explosive and powerful runs. He\u2019d play in 41 games over three seasons, rushing for 2,882 yards and 36 touchdowns during that time. He also caught 63 passes for 594 yards and another six touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cLove reminds me a lot of Reggie Bush. The 20-year-old has vision and burst between the tackles and to the outside, and he can break tackles with ease (60 forced missed tackles on the season). Once he gets into space, he can take it to the house with his breakaway speed too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reese spent three seasons at Ohio State, playing in a total of 36 games. During that time, he had 112 career sacks, 13.5 tackles for a loss, and 7.0 sacks. He would also defend two passes.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cThis is a complete football player. Reese jumps off the Ohio State tape, playing the game like a veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mauigoa is brimming with potential. He\u2019s been a huge part of Miami\u2019s offense, led by transfer quarterback Carson Beck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cHere\u2019s a true mauler. Mauigoa is fun to watch for the way he just destroys pass rushers at the point of attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Texas(Mark J. Rebilas | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Bailey spent the first three seasons of his college career at\u00a0Stanford. Then, ahead of his fourth and final college season, he transferred to Texas Tech, becoming an All-American with 19.5 tackles for a loss and 14.5 sacks. For his career, Bailey had 163 total tackles, 42.0 tackles for a loss, and 29.0 sacks.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cA transfer from Stanford, Bailey gets after the quarterback. He had 14.5 sacks over three seasons for the Cardinal, and he matched that total in 2025 alone after notably becoming more of a finisher this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downs spent the first season of his career at Alabama. After that, he would transfer to Ohio State for the next two years. In that 44-game college career, he had 257 total tackles, including 16.0 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cDowns is basically an extension of the defensive coordinator. His football knowledge shows in his play; it\u2019s obvious when you watched him in the Ohio State defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Styles has been a major piece of Ohio State\u2019s stout defense over his time in Columbus. This past season he amassed 77 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine run stops, three pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and a sack.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cYou can tell Styles is a former safety; he has outstanding speed, and his burst allows him to spy the QB. Watch for him to dominate at the combine and in predraft testing. Styles is also a dependable tackler and closes in a flash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ohio(Joseph Maiorana | Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Tate has consistently performed well over three seasons at Ohio State. He has 121 career receptions for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career. That includes nine receiving touchdowns in 2025.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cTate produced big plays on a regular basis, averaging 17.2 yards per catch this season. He is a precise route runner, has great hands and displays outstanding body control. And he\u2019ll also happily block for ball carriers, which NFL coaches love to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sadiq could be the next great NFL tight end. He\u2019s a physical specimen, amassing 51 catches for 560 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 2025.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cSadiq is loaded with physical traits. He has the explosion to hurdle defenders in the open field. He has the vision and speed to cause conflict after the catch, with almost half his 2025 yardage coming after the ball is in his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Tyson stays healthy, he\u2019ll be a star at the next level. Evidence is easy to come by, as he amassed 61 catches for 711 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns last season.<\/p>\n

Kiper: \u201cThe Colorado transfer lit up defenses for two seasons with the Sun Devils. Tyson\u2019s superpower is being open even when it looks like he\u2019s completely blanketed. It makes him essentially uncoverable in the red zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

11. WR Makai Lemon<\/a>, USC<\/a>
12. OT Spencer Fano<\/a>, Utah<\/a>
13. DE Rueben Bain Jr.<\/a>, Miami<\/a>
14. CB Jermod McCoy<\/a>, Tennessee<\/a>
15. DE Keldric Faulk<\/a>, Auburn<\/a>
16. DE Akheem Mesidor<\/a>, Miami<\/a>
17. DT Kayden McDonald<\/a>, Ohio State<\/a>
18. G Vega Ioane<\/a>, Penn State<\/a>
19. OT Kadyn Proctor<\/a>, Alabama<\/a>
20. OT Caleb Lomu<\/a>, Utah<\/a>
21. DT Peter Woods<\/a>, Clemson<\/a>
22. CB Mansoor Delane<\/a>, LSU<\/a>
23. WR Zachariah Branch<\/a>, Georgia<\/a>
24. WR Denzel Boston<\/a>, Washington<\/a>
25. CB Avieon Terrell<\/a>, Clemson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper Jr. shook up his Big Board Top 25 player rankings after the College Football Playoff…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":689698,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[75116,40550,40956,9383,5782,5783,5784,84481,9387,20644,26735,7,5795,9391,5798,20645,5799,84482,5800,26737,11876,32679,6,15,5806,5808,34445,5809,34447,38827],"class_list":["post-689697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl-draft","tag-amauri-washington-23-chandler","tag-akheem-mesidor-20-clearwater-academy-international","tag-arvell-reese-23-glenville","tag-avieon-terrell-23-westlake","tag-caleb-downs-23-mill-creek","tag-caleb-lomu-23-highland","tag-carnell-tate-23-img-academy","tag-dante-moore-23-martin-luther-king-jr","tag-david-bailey-22-mater-dei","tag-denzel-boston-22-emerald-ridge","tag-fernando-mendoza-22-columbus","tag-football","tag-francis-mauigoa-23-img-academy","tag-jeremiyah-love-23-christian-brothers-college","tag-jermod-mccoy-23-whitehouse","tag-jordyn-tyson-22-independence","tag-kadyn-proctor-23-southeast-polk","tag-kayden-mcdonald-23-north-gwinnett","tag-keldric-faulk-23-highland-home","tag-kenyon-sadiq-23-skyline-senior","tag-makai-lemon-23-los-alamitos","tag-mansoor-delane-22-archbishop-spalding","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-peter-woods-23-thompson","tag-rueben-bain-23-miami-central","tag-sonny-styles-22-pickerington-central","tag-spencer-fano-23-timpview","tag-vega-ioane-22-graham-kapowsin","tag-zachariah-branch-23-bishop-gorman"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=689697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/689698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=689697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=689697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=689697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}