\n\tComing off of back-to-back top-15 finishes in The Huddle Report\u2019s media mock draft<\/a> contest, will I be able to keep the good results going in 2026? Here\u2019s my best guesses as to how the entire first round of the 2026 NFL draft will play out on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.\n<\/p>\n \t1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana<\/p>\n \n\tThis pick has been carved in stone since Oregon quarterback Dante Moore opted to stay in school for another year. After leading Indiana to last season\u2019s national championship, Mendoza is the clear-cut top quarterback in this year\u2019s draft, and the Raiders need a franchise QB. He\u2019ll join Joe Burrow and Cam Newton as the only quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy and the national championship and be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft in the same season.\n<\/p>\n \t2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, LB\/ED, Ohio State \n\tThe Jets are believed to be deciding between Reese and Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick as they look to add a much-needed impact player to their pass-rush. Ultimately, I think they side with the Buckeye, as they\u2019ve shown considerable interest in Reese throughout the draft process and his playmaking ability as both an edge rusher and off-ball linebacker gives him the highest upside as a player for the Jets to build their multiple-front defense around.\n<\/p>\n \n\tArizona is also in the market for a premier pass-rusher, so the Cardinals will likely draft whoever the Jets don\u2019t take between Reese and Bailey, though they\u2019re also considering Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.\n<\/p>\n \t4. Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame<\/p>\n \n\tSonny Styles is also a candidate to be the No. 4 overall pick, as the Titans have a major need to upgrade at linebacker, but it\u2019s widely expected they\u2019ll draft Love if the Cardinals don\u2019t. Their offensive performance has dropped off drastically since Derrick Henry left the team in free agency two years ago, so they have good reason to target a potential superstar running back with their top pick.\n<\/p>\n \t5. New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State<\/p>\n \n\tAny one of three Buckeyes could be the pick here, as Sonny Styles and Carnell Tate would also address needs for the Giants, but I don\u2019t see them passing upon Downs. New Giants coach John Harbaugh is on record<\/a> calling Downs \u201ca potential future Hall of Fame safety,\u201d and his defenses with the Baltimore Ravens were often built around elite, do-everything safeties like Downs, from Ed Reed at the start of his tenure to Kyle Hamilton over the past four years.\n<\/p>\n \t6. Dallas Cowboys (from Cleveland Browns): Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State<\/p>\n \tPROJECTED TRADE: Cowboys trade No. 12, 20 and 112 overall picks to Browns for No. 6 and No. 39 overall picks<\/p>\n \n\tWhile many Ohio football fans would surely like to see the Browns stay put and draft Carnell Tate with the sixth pick, they\u2019ve made it no secret that they\u2019d like to trade down. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are rumored to be exploring a trade up for a top defensive playmaker. Styles has been seen as an ideal target for Dallas all along as a linebacker who can address a major need for a three-down playmaker in the middle of their defense, which allowed a league-high 30.1 points per game in 2025.\n<\/p>\n \t7. Washington Commanders: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU \n\tThis range of three picks feels like the sweet spot for Tate, as all three of these teams have reason to target the draft\u2019s top receiver. The Commanders are considering the possibility of pairing him with fellow former Ohio State receiver Terry McLaurin, but improving their defense is their greatest need, so I have them taking the draft\u2019s top cornerback in Delane, the older brother of former Ohio State safety Faheem Delane (who transferred to LSU this offseason). The Chiefs would be an ideal destination for Tate, as he\u2019d potentially be the No. 1 receiver in an offense led by superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But the Saints have a massive need for another top receiver to pair with Chris Olave, so I have them going back to their familiar strategy of drafting Buckeyes and taking Tate as the first receiver off the board.\n<\/p>\n \t \n\t\tCarnell Tate is projected to be the first wide receiver selected in the 2026 NFL draft.\n\t<\/p>\n \t10. New York Giants (from Cincinnati Bengals): Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State<\/p>\n \n\tIf the Giants use their first top-10 pick on Downs, they\u2019ll likely look to pair him with an offensive playmaker with the pick they acquired from the Bengals in exchange for Dexter Lawrence. Tyson is rumored to be the Giants\u2019 top target on offense as they look for another top wideout to pair with Malik Nabers as the latter works his way back from a torn ACL.\n<\/p>\n \t11. Miami Dolphins: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami<\/p>\n \n\tIn the midst of a full-scale rebuild under new head coach and former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, the Dolphins can take a best-player-available draft strategy with seven picks in the first three rounds. In this scenario, drafting Mauigoa is a layup; he\u2019s the draft\u2019s top offensive lineman, has already played in Hard Rock Stadium for three years and can be a building block in the trenches for Miami at either tackle or guard.\n<\/p>\n \t12. Cleveland Browns (from Dallas Cowboys): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah<\/p>\n \n\tIf the Browns trade down instead of taking Tate, it\u2019ll likely be because they\u2019re looking to add value before drafting an offensive tackle. Fano, the 2025 Outland Trophy winner, is arguably the best true offensive tackle in the draft and would likely replace former Ohio State big man Dawand Jones as the Browns\u2019 starting left tackle.\n<\/p>\n \t13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons): Makai Lemon, WR, USC<\/p>\n \n\tIn win-now mode with a 38-year-old reigning MVP at quarterback in Matthew Stafford, and few pressing needs to address, the Rams could give Stafford another weapon from their own backyard by drafting Lemon, who controversially beat out Jeremiah Smith<\/a> for the Biletnikoff Award last season and would pair with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to give the Rams one of the league\u2019s top receiving trios.\n<\/p>\n \t14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State<\/p>\n \n\tThe Ravens have famously emphasized drafting the best player available over drafting for need for many years, but in this case, the Ravens\u2019 biggest need and player value align perfectly with Ioane. The Ravens have multiple holes to fill on their interior offensive line, and Ioane is arguably the best player available in this scenario after earning first-team All-American honors at Penn State last season.\n<\/p>\n \t15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon<\/p>\n
3. Arizona Cardinals: David Bailey, ED, Texas Tech<\/p>\n
8. New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Rueben Bain Jr., ED, Miami<\/p>\n![\"Carnell](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/54954072619_77bae54a58_o.jpg\" "\\"Carnell")
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