2026 NFL Mock Draft – Round 1 (1-16) – Charlie Campbell

The Raiders grab their quarterback of the future.

In 2025, Mendoza has completed 73 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards with 41 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has five rushing touchdowns as well. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder has a quality arm, reads the field well, makes good decisions, and has dangerous pocket passing ability. Mendoza played well for Cal in 2024. He completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Mendoza has good size, and it will be interesting to see how he develops at Indiana.

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The Jets take their starter of the future.

Simpson has been phenomenal in 2025, leading the Crimson Tide to some big wins against tough opponents. In 2025, Simpson had completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,500 yards with 28 touchdowns, five interceptions, and two rushing touchdowns. Simpson has shown some serious arm talent, making some beautiful throws downfield with superb ball placement to beat tight coverage. In tight games, Simpson made some great passes to lead his team to wins over Georgia and Missouri. Simpson is accurate, smart, has a strong arm, and throws with timing and anticipation. Simpson has shown superb ball security this season as well, with excellent decision-making.

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With the quarterbacks off the board, Arizona adds a piece for the middle of their defense.

In 2025, Reese had 69 tackles with 6.5 sacks, two passes broken up, zero forced fumbles, and zero interceptions. Team sources feel that Reese is a special player as they like his instincts in combination with being big and athletic. Reese is a sideline-to-sideline run defender who is tough at the point of attack. He is also capable of dropping into coverage, moves well in zone, and is a dangerous pass rusher. At 6-foot-4. 238 pounds, Reese is a large linebacker with a versatile skill set. In 2024, Reese had 43 tackles with .5 sacks as a rotational backup.

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Tennessee could use more young edge rush talent.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Bailey is a fast edge rusher with serious speed off the ball and the ability to bend around the corner. In 2025, he had 14.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three passes batted, and 52 tackles. In 2024, he recorded 31 tackles with seven sacks and five forced fumbles with Stanford. Bailey has natural quarterback hunting ability and could be a riser in the pre-draft workouts.

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The Giants take the best player available and add a safety to fortify the deep middle of their defense. Downs has the potential to be a difference maker for New York on the back end.

In 2025, Downs had 68 tackles with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, three passes broken up, and one sack. In 2024, Downs had 76 tackles with six passes broken up and two interceptions. Downs was phenomenal for Alabama in 2023, recording 107 tackles, two interceptions, three passes broken up, and a forced fumble. After the season, he transferred to Ohio State. Downs (6-0, 205) could be a plug-and-play starter and could be a Pro Bowl safety early in his pro career.

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The Browns need two offensive tackles to help improve the protection for their young quarterback.

Overall, Proctor played well in 2023 as a freshman. Except for struggling against Michigan in the college football playoff, Proctor was generally reliable in protecting Jalen Milroe. Proctor (6-7, 360) is a massive left tackle with a very good skill set of size and strength. Proctor is quick and athletic for his size, but some might feel he could be a right tackle candidate for the NFL. The tapes against Missouri and South Carolina suggest that. NFL team sources say they have concerns about Proctor’s weight. They feel he will lose weight for the combine and pre-draft process, but they are worried he won’t keep the weight off and could get too heavy. That could cut down on his effectiveness as a pro player.

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Washington needs to give Jayden Daniels more receiving talent. Here’s a wideout to pair with Deebo Samuel.

Tyson had 61 catches for 711 yards and eight touchdowns while missing some time with injuries. On top of being a good wideout, Tyson has blocked well. Tyson was a dangerous weapon for the Sun Devils in 2024 as he hauled in 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. Tyson is quick with easy acceleration. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has adequate size and showed big-play ability in 2022, averaging 21.4 yards per reception (22-470-4). Team sources have durability concerns with Tyson as he missed time with injuries in each season in college.

The Saints need more weapons for Tyler Shough. Here’s a back that could remind Kellen Moore of what Saquon Barkley did in his offense. New Orleans got little production out of their rushing offense, and Love could be dynamic behind their talented young offensive line.

In 2025, Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry for 1,372 yards with 18 touchdowns. He had 27 catches for 280 yards with three touchdowns receiving, and Love has blocked well in pass protection In 2024, Love had a breakout season for the Fighting Irish, producing a lot of clutch plays to help the Irish reach the National Championship. As a sophomore, Love averaged 6.9 yards per carry for 1,125 yards with 17 touchdowns. He also caught 28 passes for 237 yards. Love has a strong build and is a physical downhill runner. Love is a talented runner with speed and instincts. He reminds me of Nick Chubb at Georgia.

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The Chiefs need more playmakers and weapons for Pat Mahomes. Here’s a replacement for Travis Kelce.

Thus far in 2025, Sadiq has 46 catches for 531 yards and eight touchdowns. Sadiq flashed in 2024 with 24 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Sadiq is a dangerous receiver with upside. Team sources are raving about Sadiq as a talent and mismatch weapon. Even though he is not a big tight end, Sadiq blocks hard and really battles defenders. He is fast, athletic, an excellent route-runner, has good hands, and can pick up yards after the catch. He looks like a real weapon for the NFL.

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The Bengals could use a true No. 1 cornerback for their defense.

McCoy did not play in 2025, coming off a torn ACL, but his 2024 tape was so good that he could still be a first-round pick. The 6-foot, 190-pound McCoy had an excellent sophomore season with 44 tackles, four interceptions, and seven passes broken up. He played well in 2023 with 31 tackles, two interceptions, and seven breakups. McCoy is an instinctive corner with good ball skills and a willing tackler. He could be a steal if he returns to his 2024 form.

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The Dolphins grab some more tackle talent.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Fano has a lot of talent and has played well at tackle for the Utes. He has been a versatile tackle with 11 starts at left tackle and 13 at right tackle heading into the 2025 season. For the most part, Fano played on the left side in 2023 and on the right side in 2024. Fano is fast, athletic, and plays with a mean streak. He is a force as a run blocker and shows a lot of athleticism to take away speed rushers. A lot of teams could fall in love with his tape.

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The Cowboys grab an edge rusher to replace Micah Parsons.

Bain has 46 tackles, 8.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. Bain had an excellent freshman season for Miami, totaling 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 44 tackles. At the point of attack, Bain (6-3, 275) is strong and violent. He is tough to set the edge in the ground game, and Bain battles hard on every snap with relentless effort. In the pass rush, he shows some quickness and power, but some team sources feel that Bain is a tweener tackle/end. Bain was injured to start 2024 and didn’t debut until early October. He totaled 23 tackles with 3.5 sacks.

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The Rams go with the best player available and add a No.1 cornerback.

Delane had 45 tackles with two interceptions and 11 passes broken up in 2025. Delane is an instinctive defender with a quality skill set for the next level. In 2024, he had four interceptions with seven passes defended, two forced fumbles, and 54 tackles with Virginia Tech. In 2023, he had one interception, one pass batted, and 54 tackles. He had eight breakups with an interception in 2022 as a freshman. The 6-foot-1, 188-pounder has good size to him with upside to continue to get better as he gains experience.

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The Ravens need more defensive line talent next to Nnamdi Madubuike, and Madubuike is coming off a serious injury. Here is an edge rusher who brings size and upside.

Young had 42 tackles with 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two passes batted, and was among the nation’s leaders in pressures. In 2024, Young had 41 tackles with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Young has good size, length, and upside to develop. While Young has good size, he is also quick to close and shows good instincts as a rusher. Young could be a riser throughout the 2026 draft process.

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The Bucs need some young talent and difference makers in the middle of their defense.

In 2025, Styles had 83 tackles, five passes defended, one interception, .5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Styles (6-4, 243) has a lot of talent and started to play up to his potential during the 2024 season. He finished with 100 tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble, and five passes broken up. In 2023, he recorded 53 tackles, two sacks, and one pass batted, plus he has been very good in pass coverage. Styles started out as a safety, but was eventually moved to linebacker. Given his size, he fits best as a linebacker in the NFL. Syles is fast, athletic, and versatile. He could be a valuable zone coverage linebacker who is also a sideline-to-sideline run defender.

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The Jets need a receiver across from Garrett Wilson and more weapons for their young quarterback. Here’s a big receiver to go with Wilson’s speed.

With teammates like Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Jeremiah Smith, Tate went under the radar, but he is a talented receiver in his own right and showed that in 2025. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has good size, runs well enough, and has flashed big-play ability while never being the No. 1 featured receiver. In 2025, Tate had 51 receptions for 875 yards with nine touchdowns. In 2024, Tate had 50 receptions for 698 yards and four touchdowns. Tate flashed as a freshman in 2023, catching 18 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown. Tate has athletic upside and untapped potential.

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