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

Unless Tyler Shough impresses over the final two months of the season, New Orleans will be looking for a true franchise quarterback.

Simpson has been phenomenal in 2025, leading the Crimson Tide to some big wins against tough opponents. In 2025, Simpson has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,184 yards with 20 touchdowns and an interception. 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. If Simpson stays consistent, he could be a high first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft.

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The Titans could use more blocking protection for Cam Ward.

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 Jets grab a franchise quarterback to build around. Mendoza could be a good fit for Tanner Engstrand and Aaron Glenn.

Mendoza has completed 72 percent of his passes for 2,124 yards with 25 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has two 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 Dolphins gave a regrettable contract to Tua Tagovailoa. With a new general manager taking over, they could draft a new quarterback and let him develop behind Tagovailoa until they can trade Tagovailoa or make his release more palatable.

Moore has been a dynamic point-producer for the Ducks in 2025, making plays with his arm and legs. In 2025, Moore has completed 72 percent of his passes for 1,772 yards with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. Moore (6-3, 203) is a dangerous quarterback who is tough to defend. He has shown impressive arm talent and feel as a passer. Moore throws some beautiful deep balls and shows impressive composure and poise for a young player.

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The Giants grab a No. 1 corner for their defense.

Delane has 33 tackles with an interception and seven 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 Browns make their next attempt at landing a franchise quarterback.

Sellers has completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,356 yards with six touchdowns passing, three interceptions, two rushing, and good yardage on the ground. He has been inconsistent, with some flashes of amazing passes and then missing some completions that he must complete for the NFL. In terms of his development as a football player, he probably should go back to college in 2026, but most players don’t think that way.

Sellers (6-3, 242) has a big-time skill set and could be a special quarterback. In 2024, Sellers completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,534 yards with 18 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and seven rushing touchdowns. Sellers is a true dual-threat quarterback with dangerous running ability and has impressive arm talent. With a cannon for an arm, Sellers can push the ball to all levels of the field with ease. His mobility, athleticism, escapability, and creativity to ad lib his team into a big play are very desirable by pro teams.

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Las Vegas grabs a potential franchise quarterback. Geno Smith could be the starter in 2026 while they develop Sellers as the quarterback of the future.

The 6-foot-8, 309-pounder World dominated at Nevada, and if he plays as well at Oregon, he could skyrocket for the 2025 NFL Draft. As a pass blocker, World has a natural build with good size, strength, and length to play on the edge. He does a nice job of sinking his weight to stop bull rushes, and he shows an impressive ability to kill speed to power attempts. World does an excellent job of sustaining his blocks with the upper body strength to tie up defenders. In the ground game, World uses his strong upper body to knock defenders back and push them around. He has real power at the point of attack and blocks with a mean streak. With overwhelming mass, he can knock defenders flat on their backs and will bury them with a violent pancake block.

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The Bengals need some difference makers for the back end of their defense.

In 2025, Downs has 39 tackles with two interceptions. 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) has the potential to be a safety that is a true first-rounder.

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Washington needs to get Jayden Daniels more help. Here’s a back to supercharge the ground game and provide better down-and-distance situations for Daniels.

In 2025, Love has averaged 6.3 yards per carry for 894 yards with 11 touchdowns. He has 23 catches for 227 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.

The Ravens need more young pass rush talent. Here’s a rush end to go next to Justin Madubuike and across from Mike Green.

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 2024, he recorded 31 tackles with seven sacks and five forced fumbles with Stanford. Thus far in 2025, he has 11.5 sacks and 26 tackles with the Red Raiders. Bailey has natural quarterback hunting ability and could be a riser through the 2026 draft process.

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The Rams take their understudy for Matthew Stafford.

Mateer has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,949 yards with eight touchdowns, seven interceptions, and five rushing touchdowns.. Mateer is expected to miss a month with a thumb injury that required surgery. For the NFL, Mateer looks like a starter who could be a devastating passer. Mateer (6-1, 224) is an accurate passer with excellent ball placement overall. He has a few throws get away from him, but Mateer has impressive precision as a passer. Mateer is very mobile in the pocket and can hurt defenses on the ground. As a passer, Mateer is similar to Baker Mayfield, but Mateer is a better athlete and more dangerous with his feet. It would not surprise this analyst if Mateer ends up rising high for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Mateer played well for Washington State in 2024 and impressed in his first year as a starter. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,139 yards with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Mateer has some mobility and is a gritty competitor. Some team sources have compared Mateer to former Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mateer (6-1, 224) could be a high riser during the 2025 season.

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Jonah Williams has issues staying healthy, and he has been abused at times this season. The Cardinals could use a long-term right tackle to pair with Paris Johnson.

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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The Texans could add more young talent to their offensive line.

Lomu forms a formidable tackle tandem for the Utes with Spencer Fano. Lomu might not have quite as good a skill set as Fano, but Lomu is an athletic blocker who could have starting potential for the NFL. The 6-foot-6, 304-pound Lomu is agile, nimble, quick, and has natural size. Lomu needs to improve on his technique, but he has upside to work with.

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Dallas grabs more defensive line talent with a base end that is excellent against the run and can contribute in the pass rush.

Faulk had 25 tackles with two sacks and three passes batted thus far in 2025. Faulk was a beast for Auburn in 2024, with a big-time presence behind the line of scrimmage. He had seven sacks, 45 tackles, and one forced fumble. He has shown speed and power as a pass rusher while being a big-bodied lineman to defend the run. The 6-foot-6, 288-pounder has upside to develop as he gains experience.

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The Vikings could use more cornerback talent.

Terrell has 36 tackles with three forced fumbles, a sack, and a pass batted. Terrell (5-11, 180) is a fast and fluid cover corner who is extremely adept at running the route to prevent separation. He has excellent ball skills, instincts, and plays bigger and stronger than his size. The size and future durability are the biggest concerns for the NFL. Terrell worked his way onto the field as a freshman and had five starts. He recorded 19 tackles with four passes broken up and an interception. In 2024, Terrell started every game and totaled 58 tackles with two interceptions, 12 passes broken up, three forced fumbles, and 4.5 tackles for a loss. Terrell is the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell.

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The Panthers grab a base end to go next to Derrick Brown.

Bain has 30 tackles, two 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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