2026 NFL Mock Draft: Trade in the Top Five

The Raiders are desperate for a quarterback, so they did whatever it took to obtain one. This included sitting their best player after he expressed a desire to beat his opponent.

Geno Smith was terrible last year, which may have surprised ESPN’s atrocious hires, one of whom said that Smith was a top-10 NFL quarterback when he was traded to Las Vegas. Smith was one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL, so the Raiders will be drafting a new franchise signal-caller.

Fernando Mendoza has great size, arm strength, and accuracy. He was seen as raw entering the 2025 season, but he had a tremendous year. He will be the No. 1 pick in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft unless he gets abducted by aliens.

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Arvell Reese was the favorite to go to the Jets for a while, but I saw it as 51-49 since the combine. Reese had the better combine performance, but David Bailey also performed on a high level. It sounds like Bailey is the preferred option for New York, as Bailey is more of a pass rusher than the hybrid Reese is. Defensive help is obviously needed everywhere on a stop unit ranked 29th in EPA. Bailey is now the pick here in this mock draft, but Reese is still a possibility.

David Bailey is a fast edge rusher with great potential. I can’t imagine slotting Bailey later than No. 4 in this mock draft. He could end up going No. 2 or 3.

TRADE!

I hate predicting trades in my mock draft. I’ll only ever do it if I’m very confident that there will be a deal, and I believe that to be the case in this instance. The Cardinals are desperate to trade down, while the Cowboys really want to move up for a star edge rusher to replace Micah Parsons.

The best player available will be either David Bailey or Arvell Reese. In this mock draft, it’s Reese, with Bailey off the board at No. 2 overall.

Reese is a special player because of his incredible instincts and athleticism. He can rush the passer on the edge or play linebacker.

Pick change; previously Arvell Reese, LB (ARZ)

The Titans have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They need to find the best defensive player possible. Of course, there’s a huge difference between “need” and “want,” so we’ll see if the two align. If not, the Titans could end up drafting a player to bolster their rushing attack.

Jeremiyah Love is a powerful, downhill runner with plus receiving ability.

The more I think about it, the more this selection has to be about helping Jaxson Dart, whether it’s in the form of a receiver, offensive lineman, or even a running back. With Jeremiyah Love off the board in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft, the Giants can use this pick on one of the other two areas.

Jermaine Eluemunor was re-signed, but the Giants can still use this pick on someone like Spencer Fano. The Utah product can start at guard and then eventually move to right tackle once Eluemunor’s time with the Giants is done.

Spencer Fano was fantastic at Utah, but has short arms. He may move to guard or stay at left tackle.

Ty Simpson is not worthy of the sixth pick, so he will not be the choice in this mock draft. Ownership seems to like Shedeur Sanders, so they may want to give him one more year to prove himself. If so, the Browns could look to add the best player available, and that could be a prospect who would further enhance the pass rush. Then again, the Browns have done lots of work on receivers and left tackles. Jerry Jeudy has been a huge disappointment, so Cleveland needs a new No. 1 target for either Sanders or Deshaun Watson. Meanwhile, left tackle has been a big problem since Jedrick Wills regressed.

Carnell Tate didn’t do much as a freshman, but the tall receiver had a breakout sophomore campaign.

Pick change; previously Francis Mauigoa, OT

Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a fun story because he liked to be called Bill for some reason, but the Redskins need to make sure that Jayden Daniels can lean on a potent rushing attack so that he’s not taking too many hits. Jeremiyah Love makes sense for that reason, but he’s not available in this mock draft.

The Redskins had severe issues defending the middle of the field last year. Bobby Wagner is a million years old, so Washington needs a new linebacker.

Sonny Styles is a versatile linebacker who plays well in coverage. This is the highest he’s ever been in this 2026 NFL Mock Draft, but he had an amazing combine in which he broke records, and he’s now in the conversation to be the fifth-overall pick.

Pick change; previously Carnell Tate, WR

The Saints have nothing at receiver outside of Chris Olave, and they can’t exactly count on Olave remaining healthy. Drafting a receiver at No. 8 is a very real possibility. If Carnell Tate is unavailable, however, and the Saints are uncomfortable with Jordyn Tyson’s health, however, perhaps New Orleans will find an upgrade for their defense, which is exactly what’s happening in this mock draft.

Caleb Downs projects as one of the top play-making safeties in the NFL in several years. Downs reportedly had a concern with his knee, but Charlie Campbell said that team sources didn’t share a concern with it.

The Chiefs need to address a lot. One thing is their poor receiver group. Rashee Rice may be suspended or imprisoned based on his latest off-the-field transgressions. Kansas City will have nothing at receiver if Rice is gone, save for Xavier Worthy, who regressed last year. The offensive line can also be addressed. Jawaan Taylor is gone, and so the Chiefs need a new right tackle and also some interior help. And then there’s the pass rush; Kansas City really struggled to get to the quarterback last year. This mock draft will have the Chiefs find help with the latter.

Rueben Bain was very productive as a freshman and has a ton of upside. There are suddenly off-the-field issues with Bain, but Andy Reid isn’t one to shy away from talented players who have done bad things outside of football.

The Bengals have severe issues throughout their defense, so taking the best player on that side of the ball makes sense. The Bengals have a talented cornerback, but they need another one to help deal with all of the talented quarterbacks in the AFC.

Mansoor Delane is very instinctive with nice size.

Pick change; previously Sonny Styles, LB

The Dolphins have looked like the worst team in the NFL at times last year, and part of that is Tua Tagovailoa’s incompetence. Malik Willis was signed, so the Dolphins can now look elsewhere. Their receiver group is now barren with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both gone. Theo Wease Jr. is now their top wideout, which simply can’t be allowed. Receiver will be addressed here in this mock draft.

Makai Lemon wins on contested catches even though he’s a bit shy of six feet. He interviewed very poorly at the combine, but he still has first-round talent.

As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals are desperate to trade down. Their needs don’t align with where they draft in the top three, and they’re desperate to add to their offensive line so they can protect the quarterback they draft at No. 20.

Francis Mauigoa has immense upside as a potential left tackle in the NFL. His brother was just drafted in the fifth round.

Pick change; previously Mansoor Delane, CB

The Rams have been in the mix to trade for A.J. Brown. It doesn’t sound like they’ll be able to do so, which means receiver is in play for the Rams at No. 13 overall.

Jordyn Tyson is a speedy, explosive receiver with quality size. Injuries are an issue, however.

The Raiders appeared to acquire this pick for Maxx Crosby, but the trade was rescinded. They can now address their receiver group, which is rather lackluster outside of Zay Flowers. “Receiver group” can also include tight end, which saw Isaiah Likely depart. Mark Andrews remains, but he’s declined in recent years.

Kenyon Sadiq has upside as an athletic tight end.

The Buccaneers really need to improve their pass rush if they don’t want to be shredded by Michael Penix Jr. and Tyler Shough. Plenty of other defensive positions would make sense for the Buccaneers, including linebacker in the wake of Lavonte David’s retirement. That will be addressed in this mock draft.

C.J. Allen is a smart, tough, and instinctive linebacker.

This new pick for the Jets could be anything. It could even be Sauce Gardner. Or, perhaps a cornerback who might be nearly as good as Gardner was for the Jets. New York needs help at cornerback, but that’s true of all the other positions.

Jermod McCoy is an instinctive cornerback who tackles well, but is coming off a torn ACL. He’s healthy and good to go, by all accounts.