swirling about A.J. Brown\u2019s situation<\/a> leads one to believe he\u2019s not long for Philadelphia. Whenever he leaves, the Eagles will need a high-level replacement to play alongside DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Cooper fits everything Philly desires \u2014 and needs \u2014 at receiver.<\/p>\nCooper (6 feet, 196 pounds) is compact and one of the draft\u2019s top route runners. He also might be this class\u2019 best pure slot receiver (he played 83.3 percent of his snaps last season in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus).<\/p>\n
Cooper isn\u2019t as physical as Brown, but he\u2019s a tough dude, which will endear him to Eagles fans. I\u2019m sure plenty of them will remember Cooper\u2019s incredible game-winning catch against Penn State. \u2014 Dochterman<\/p>\n
Tight endKansas City Chiefs: Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon<\/p>\n
No one is trying to force Travis Kelce into retirement (and his future life as a concert roadie), but let\u2019s consider two things: one, he can\u2019t play forever; two, even the short-term potential of a Patrick Mahomes-led offense featuring Kelce, Sadiq, Walker and Xavier Worthy is something I\u2019d buy a ticket to see.<\/p>\n
Sadiq\u2019s long-term potential as Kelce\u2019s successor and Mahomes\u2019 new best friend is obvious. He is an extremely special athlete and the prototype for a modern tight end prospect \u2014 he can play inline and hold his own against tackles and edges; he\u2019s an excellent space blocker who can deliver a blow on the move; he\u2019s big enough to body small defensive backs and fast enough to run around many of them. The number of NFL linebackers who\u2019ll be able to run with a fully operational Sadiq will be counted on one, maybe two, hands. \u2014 Baumgardner<\/p>\n
Offensive tackleDetroit Lions: Monroe Freeling, Georgia<\/p>\n
The Lions need a future tackle, but they\u2019re in a pretty unique spot. After letting Taylor Decker walk in free agency, they signed swing tackle Larry Borom (11 starts at right tackle for Miami last season). Detroit hasn\u2019t committed to starting Borom in 2026, but it hasn\u2019t ruled that out, either. Detroit also has the luxury of playing superstar OT Penei Sewell on the right or left side of the line.<\/p>\n
Freeling has the tackle class\u2019 best blend of size and athleticism \u2014 purely as an athlete, the 6-foot-7, 315-pounder moves like Eagles legend Lane Johnson. As a football player, however, Freeling still has plenty of work ahead of him. He\u2019s young and struggled with technical consistency in 2025, his lone year as a full-time starter.<\/p>\n
The Lions have a huge need, and Freeling\u2019s long-term potential is outstanding. Detroit also would have the ability to ease Freeling into an already talented offensive outfit. \u2014 Baumgardner<\/p>\n
Interior offensive lineLos Angeles Rams: Logan Jones, Iowa<\/p>\n
Jones (6-3, 299) has the measurables that will give some teams pause, especially those who prefer mass and power at the point of attack. Plus, as a pure center, Jones has limited position flexibility. But what he does well, he does at a high level.<\/p>\n
As a four-year starter at Iowa, Jones followed his predecessor, Tyler Linderbaum, in moving from defensive line and built a similarly sterling career as a first-team All-American. Jones, however, is faster than Linderbaum \u2014 his 4.90-second 40-yard dash was the seventh fastest ever recorded by a center at the combine, just behind Jason Kelce. Jones also holds Iowa\u2019s squat record (705 pounds), and his 470-pound hang clean ranks second only to Tristan Wirfs\u2019 500-pound explosion.<\/p>\n
That quickness and explosiveness come out on video in Iowa\u2019s zone scheme, which is identical to the Rams\u2019 style of play. Jones is cerebral and technically sound enough to start on day one for a Sean McVay-Kyle Shanahan style of play, without needing to put on more weight. \u2014 Dochterman<\/p>\n
EdgeDetroit Lions: Cashius Howell, Texas A&M<\/p>\n
The Lions\u2019 injuries up front and lack of a pass rush, save for Aidan Hutchinson (and new Tampa Bay edge Al-Quadin Muhammad), were key reasons why they missed on the postseason. Along with health, Detroit needs a consistent edge opposite of Hutchinson. Howell could provide that, and more.<\/p>\n
While Hutchinson is in the mold of J.J. Watt and Howie Long, Howell (6-2 1\/2, 253) is sleek but has incredible quickness. He tied Arvell Reese for the second-fastest 10-yard split (1.58 seconds) at the combine among front-seven defenders, and that burst showed frequently last season as he helped lead the Aggies to the College Football Playoff. Howell was the SEC\u2019s defensive player of the year, with 11 sacks and six pass breakups.<\/p>\n
As a different style of pass rusher capable of lining up on either side, Howell could give Detroit options \u2014 and opponents headaches. Now, whether Howell slides to the second round (if the Lions select Freeling in Round 1, as we suggest here) remains another question. \u2014 Dochterman<\/p>\n
Defensive lineChicago Bears: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State<\/p>\n
McDonald reminds me quite a bit of his former Buckeyes teammate (and current Detroit Lion) Tyleik Williams. He\u2019s a versatile 6-foot-3, 330-pound run stuffer, with an ability to chase and find the ball outside his square. McDonald has better long-term pass-rush potential than Williams and could be a legitimate three-down three-tech, because of his ability to slide over to nose when the moment requires.<\/p>\n
The biggest drawback with McDonald right now is his youth. He only had one season as a starter in college and hasn\u2019t quite put it all together just yet, pass-rush-wise. Bottom line, though, is that McDonald is a disruptive presence capable of pushing the pocket. He would offer immediate help to a so-so defensive interior.<\/p>\n
A long-term duo of McDonald and Gervon Dexter Sr. in the Windy City sounds like a successful one. \u2014 Baumgardner<\/p>\n
LinebackerBuffalo Bills: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech<\/p>\n
The Bills seemingly need help at off-ball linebacker every year \u2014 they\u2019ve been trotting out Matt Milano to make every tackle. As they make a switch to a 3-4, the Bills must prioritize that position, and Rodriguez is among the \u201csafest\u201d picks in the draft.<\/p>\n
He was a tackling machine for the Red Raiders, who won the Big 12 championship and earned a College Football Playoff spot, finishing with 128 tackles (11 for loss) and forcing seven fumbles to go with four interceptions. You can nitpick his measureables and combine times, but you\u2019ll immediately get a solid starter and a team captain. Buffalo needs that now as it transitions into a new era on defense. \u2014 Dochterman<\/p>\n
CornerbackDallas Cowboys: Mansoor Delane, LSU<\/p>\n
The best man-to-man coverage defender in the 2026 NFL Draft, Delane was a true diamond in LSU\u2019s rough last season. A controlled, explosive athlete who is hard to stack and harder to fool, Delane broke up seven passes and forced 11 more incompletions last season to emerge as the SEC\u2019s most productive on-ball corner. He committed zero penalties; he gave up zero touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Jermod McCoy is bigger, and Avieon Terrell\u2019s a smoother athlete, but Delane is the most consistent corner in this class. He already plays with an NFL starter\u2019s mindset and will be ready to roll on day one.<\/p>\n
Does he make it to No. 12? We\u2019ll see. For Dallas, though, this could be the case of best player available meeting an immediate need. \u2014 Baumgardner<\/p>\n
SafetyMinnesota Vikings: Dillon Thieneman, Oregon<\/p>\n
The Vikings are staring at replacing future Ring of Honor member Harrison Smith at safety, and Thieneman can immediately fill that role. Smith was a little bigger, but Thieneman is as athletic as anyone at that position, save for Ohio State\u2019s Caleb Downs. At the combine, he cruised to a 4.35 40 time and posted a 41-inch vertical. He also was one of the few defensive backs to hit the bench \u2014 he put up 225 pounds 18 times.<\/p>\n
But Thieneman is more than a workout warrior. He was a freshman All-American at Purdue in 2023, with six interceptions and 106 tackles. After a coaching change following the 2024 season, Thieneman moved to Oregon, and he finished last year second on the team in tackles (96) and added two interceptions. He can fill multiple roles in the secondary, which is just what the Vikings desire under Brian Flores. \u2014 Dochterman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Putting together NFL mock drafts is fairly linear. Teams have needs and slots to fill with players available…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[7,226,1917,255,2321,2097,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-849039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-jets","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-jets","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-jets","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkjets","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849039","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=849039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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