2026 NFL mock draft: LaNorris Sellers first quarterback picked after Arch Manning; Patrick Mahomes gets a WR
The 2025 NFL Draft draft class is settling into rookie minicamps across the country, and before we hit the one lull on the NFL calendar, it's time to give you some information on the 2026 draft class to store in the depths of your mind until at least the beginning of the college football season.
After what was a spectacular setting in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Steel City of Pittsburgh will host the 2026 draft in what should be another scenic venue.
Without further ado, let's get to these way-too-early picks.
The 2026 NFL Draft order was determined using the reverse Super Bowl odds from FanDuel Sportsbook from before the 2025 NFL Draft kicked off. For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis on "With the First Pick" -- our NFL Draft podcast with analyst Ryan Wilson and former Titans general manager Ran Carthon. You can find "With the First Pick" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc.
All it'll take is one spectacular season for Manning for this dream pairing to come to fruition. Manning hasn't even thrown 100 passes at the collegiate level yet, however the short audition we saw from him in 2024 was quite impressive, particularly his athleticism, which is very un-Manning like.
The Saints need quarterback in the worst way and Manning has been uber-patient at Texas.
Sellers feels like he could be Cam Newton 2.0, and being that physically gifted is extraordinarily rare. Listed at 6-3 and 240 pounds, he's a dual-threat specimen with a huge arm who enrolled at South Carolina early and is primed for a monster year after a mini-breakout on a 10-win Gamecocks club in 2024. In a division with two All-Pro-caliber quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, the Browns rightfully swing for the fences.
Mauigoa was sensational as a sophomore protecting Cam Ward in 2024, allowing just one sack on nearly 600 pass-blocking snaps. The former No. 2 offensive tackle recruit in the country has the size, length, and movement skills to be this high of a selection.
Banks was a blast in 2024, playing with serious power despite his taller frame and sleek movement ability typically not seen in a defensive tackle. The Jets could use a running mate for Quinnen Williams inside.
More first-round investment in the offensive line for the Titans, as they add the gigantic Proctor to an offensive line that already features the gargantuan JC Latham, another Alabama product, at left tackle.
Allar has kinks to work out of his game -- better decision-making and slightly better accuracy. The traits are through the roof at 6-foot-5 and close to 240 pounds. Geno Smith is a fine short-term option for the Raiders. Allar represents significant upside for the future, and I could envision Tom Brady gravitating toward a pocket-passer type.
Fano's athleticism jumps off the film -- he just needs to add weight and get stronger at the point of attack against pure power. If those elements of his game improve in 2025, he'd be an ideal selection to help Bryce Young in 2026.
Eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark as a sophomore on an upstart Arizona State team in 2024 put Tyson on the draft map, and he did so with a fun blend of suddenness, speed, and a tremendously large catch radius. He found the football anywhere in his vicinity. The Browns get a future No. 1 receiver for their new quarterback with the pick they got in return from Jacksonville in the Travis Hunter trade.
It's time for the Colts to add some youthful talent to its edge-rushing group, and Parker looks like a future top-10 pick. At 6-3 and 260-plus pounds, the Clemson specimen had 11 sacks and 20 tackles for loss in 2024.
Mike Vrabel gets a young running mate for Harold Landry in New England, Bain has looked the part of a potential top-10 pick in each of the past two years as a versatile rusher on the Hurricanes defense with a combined 11 sacks and 19 tackles for loss.
Another Clemson trench player, Woods had three sacks and nine tackles for loss as a true sophomore in 2024. At 6-3 and 315 pounds with plus length, Woods has the get-off, size, and power to anchor next to Byron Murphy in Seattle.
The Rams secured a second first-round pick as part of their trade with the Falcons, who moved back into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select James Pearce Jr. at No. 26 overall. And that pick is ultimately used on what everyone expects near the end of the Matthew Stafford era -- a quarterback. Like Stafford, Klubnik was a monster recruit who possesses elite-level arm talent for Sean McVay to mold in Los Angeles.
The Dolphins' new emphasis on building through the lines continues with this selection. Slaughter probably could've been a Day 2 pick had he entered the 2024 class following three-consecutive super-clean seasons at the pivot for the Gators.
Downs is probably the best pure defensive player in college football. Big and athletic with keen instincts, he has lived up to his immense billing as a recruit in his first two seasons, at Alabama and Ohio State, respectively, and could become a quarterback of the Cowboys defense.
I'd love to see Faulk learn the nuances of winning on the edge as a length, almost oversized rusher from Josh Sweat. Faulk is just scratching the surface as to how outstanding of a football player he can be. As a sophomore, he had seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss for the Tigers. High-energy player.
Leavitt looked the part of the modern-day mobility-based quarterback in his breakout 2024 with the Sun Devils. A former four-star recruit and the No. 18 quarterback in the 2023 quarterback class, Leavitt has first-round skills, and the Steelers need a long-term answer at the quarterback position in the worst way.
The next in line from Penn State along the defensive front, Dennis-Sutton could ultimately be picked higher than this due to his extraordinary measurables and tremendous athletic gifts around the corner. Finally, a youthful running mate for Montez Sweat.
Stewart was garnering Day 2 buzz before his surprise announcement to return to Oregon. This would be a smart selection in what would be the third season of the Bo Nix era and given Courtland Sutton turning 30 in October.
Tampa Bay selected Benjamin Morrison at cornerback in Round 2 of the 2025 draft. Given the makeup of their cornerback room, that pick shouldn't preclude them from taking another defensive back in Round 1, and like Morrison, Terrell is a super-talented perimeter defender.
McCoy was one of the finest cornerbacks in the SEC a season ago with four interceptions and nine pass breakups. While not a heralded recruit, McCoy has developed rapidly within Tennessee's program, and the Chargers must get better at the position in what appears to be a much more competitive AFC West.
Dunker has slowly but surely improved in his Iowa career, and at 6-6 and 315-plus pounds, he has the size to be a franchise left tackle, which is precisely what the Texans will need to have in place as they get set to pay C.J. Stround huge money.
Perkins, with Brian Flores in Minnesota, would be an exquisite pairing, given how much the Vikings defensive coordinator likes to move around his blitzers and ask his defensive front seven players to wear a variety of hats within his scheme.
The 49ers have to get their left tackle of the future on the roster given the age of Trent Williams, and while Lomu isn't a finished product yet, which could drive some teams away, Kyle Shanahan would love to have a blocker with his level of upside at a key position.
After the disappointing Lukas Van Ness selection, the Packers go back to the well at edge rusher with another sizable rusher. Overton probably could've been a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick had he entered the 2025 draft. He's long with heavy hands and is ready to build on what was a emergent 2024 campaign in which he registered a 15.2% pressure rate.
All the talk of an interior defensive linemen or an edge rusher to serve as, at the very least, a contingency plan for Trey Hendrickson, overlooked the Bengals' clear need on the interior of their offensive line protecting Joe Burrow. Reed-Adams, right now, looks like the best guard prospect in the class.
What a potential transition for Washington going from Bobby Wagner to the linebacker many believe is the best at his position entering the 2025 college football season. Hill made 113 tackles and 17 tackles for loss for the Longhorns.
Tiernan will be an older prospect in the 2026 class, yet his slow rise to prominence inside in the Big Ten coupled with the Rams' need for a long-term answer at right tackle makes this a smart pick after selecting their quarterback of the future early in this round.
World exudes upside in a classic left tackle frame. Taylor Decker is well into his 30s and has battled injuries. Clearly, the Lions place a high priority on the offensive line, so this would be a prudent pick for the Super Bowl contenders.
While not quite to the level of a Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, or Emeka Egbuka, Tate went over 50 catches and 700 yards in the shadow of eventual first-round pick Jeremiah Smith last season while winning the national title with the Buckeyes. He'd be a vertical, separation-based, savvy route runner for Patrick Mahomes.
Thieneman is the exact type of ballhawking safety the Bills could use on the backend. Given Sean McDermott's history of getting the most out of that position, this could be a shrewd pick near the end of Round 1.
What Singleton lacks in size, he counters with suddenness and speed, and that combination has helped him have back-to-back 700-yard seasons with the Yellow Jackets. He could be one of the faster testers at next year's combine, which certainly helps the stock of any draft prospect.
Uiagalelei was a monster on the edge of the Ducks defensive line in 2024 with 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, along with 38 tackles and two forced fumbles. He did all that as a 19-year-old defender. The Eagles have to refortify their defensive front.
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