The 2026 NFL Draft is nearly here! Months of scouting evaluations, testing numbers, pro days, team visits, trades and more all approach down to Thursday through Saturday in Pittsburgh, when 257 players will hear their names called as draft picks.
Here’s our final mock draft of this cycle, and we hope the most accurate yet. We’ll find out soon enough.
1. Las Vegas Raiders — Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Set it and forget it. Mendoza has reportedly already been working to acclimate himself to the Raiders’ offense, and he is a great fit with Klint Kubiak’s preferred attack. Mendoza’s size and mental makeup will help him acclimate quickly to the next level, but the Raiders have done a nice job of insulating Mendoza with a veteran center in Tyler Linderbaum and adding quarterback Kirk Cousins to hold the fort down for when Mendoza is ready.
2. New York Jets — David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
There’s been a lot of smoke recently linking the Jets and Bailey, so let’s follow suit and start the draft here. This might be a bit rich for Bailey considering the Jets have their pick of the litter, but one thing he has over the Ohio State trio is conventional positional value helping his cause. Bailey’s appeal is all about his upside as a pass rusher, which is sky high. He has the athleticism, tenacity and a growing set of techniques to leverage to be a factor early in his career. He has a lot of room to grow as a run defender, but he’s shown upside there as well, albeit inconsistently.
9. Arizona Cardinals (via Kansas City Chiefs) — Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
The Cardinals address their offensive line with the first player in that position group off the board while adding pick.
