Monday Morning Draft – Week 1, 2026

Race for the No. 1 Pick of the 2027 NFL Draft:

Miami Dolphins:

Miami lost at Las Vegas, and they are a prime candidate to land the No. 1 overall pick. The Dolphins started their rebuild last offseason by moving on from veterans Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Bradley Chubb, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Miami has some young talent, and the new front office had an outstanding 2026 draft class. The young players need time to develop, and the Dolphins look likely to be picking in the top 10 next April.

Cleveland Browns:

Cleveland got rolled by Jacksonville, and it looks like another long season for the dog pound. The Browns should get Shedeur Sanders on the field sooner rather than later to see if he can be the long-term starter. If Sanders is not the long-term starter, the Browns will be picking high and could be in the running for the No.1 overall pick.

Arizona Cardinals:

Arizona pulled off a shocking Week 1 upset of the Chargers, and it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals are better than expected. Arizona does play in the toughest division in football, and the Cardinals are in a rebuild, so it would not be a surprise if they come back down to earth. At some point, Arizona should start Carson Beck so they can see if he has the potential to be their long-term starter. If Beck doesn’t play well, the Cardinals could target a franchise quarterback if they land the No. 1 pick.

Tennessee Titans:

The Titans looked bad in the season-opening loss to the Jets. Cam Ward threw for only 140 yards passing, and they had only 68 rushing yards versus New York. The Titans could be among the worst teams in the league again, and if they land the No. 1 pick it will be interesting to see if they decide to draft a quarterback and move on from Ward or trade down and build around the former No.1 overall pick.

Las Vegas Raiders:

A year ago, the Raiders got a Week 1 win over the eventual AFC Champion Patriots, so it does not make sense to read a lot into Las Vegas getting a win over the rebuilding Dolphins. The Raiders play in a tough division and have some weaknesses in their position groups. That was apparent against Miami with the putrid production from the Las Vegas receivers. Tom Brady has the final say over the team, and Brady and general manager John Spytek have done a terrible job of helping Fernando Mendoza with a shaky offensive line and perhaps the worst receiving corps in the NFL. Las Vegas is a candidate to land the No. 1 pick for the second straight season.

Top General Manager Candidates:

• Notre Dame general manager Mike Martin
• Miami Dolphins assistant general manager Kyle Smith
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers senior personnel executive Byron Kiefer
• Detroit Lions senior personnel executive John Dorsey
• Detroit Lions director of college scouting Brian Hudspeth
• Wisconsin general manager Morocco Brown
• New England Patriots senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith
• Baltimore Ravens director of college scouting Joey Cleary

Top Head Coach Candidates:

• Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
• Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden
• Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores

Head Coach Hot-Seat Tracker:

• New York Jets: Aaron Glenn
• Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles
• Cincinnati Bengals: Zac Taylor
• Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken

Let's Play Matchmaker:

Pittsburgh Steelers: Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri

The Steelers needed a pick-six from T.J. Watt to beat a Falcons team with Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Pittsburgh offense struggled, averaging only 2.8 yards per carry with no receiver reaching 60 yards through the air. After this season, the Steelers will have to find a replacement for Aaron Rodgers, but they also need an upgrade at running back.

In 2025, Hardy (5-9, 212) was a hard-nosed runner for the Tigers and had some amazing games, including his performances against Louisiana and Mississippi State. Hardy averaged 6.4 yards per carry for 1,649 yards with 16 touchdowns. He is a physical runner with quickness and shiftiness. With Louisiana-Monroe in 2024, Hardy ran for 1,351 yards, averaging 5.7 per carry with 13 touchdowns. Hardy could be a nice pick for the Steelers in the second round.

Las Vegas Raiders: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

The Raiders won at home against the Dolphins, with Ashton Jeanty having a big day with 147 combined yards and two receiving touchdowns. Jeanty covered for terrible production from the Las Vegas wide receivers. Tre Tucker (2-27), Jalen Nailor (3-27), and Jack Bech (3-23) could be a weakness for the Raiders all season.

Smith has dominated against Ball State and Texas, totaling 16 receptions for 315 yards and three touchdowns. In 2025, Smith caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. Smith (6-3, 215) took college football by storm as a freshman, and he dominated for the Buckeyes. In his debut season, Smith caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. He showed size, speed, athleticism, and natural feel in a tremendous freshman year, helping Ohio State win a National Championship. As I wrote in the preseason scouting report on Smith, Smith reminds me of Julio Jones. Smith has shocking deep speed in a powerful frame with excellent size, outstanding route-running, twitch and explosion to get separation, and huge, strong hands. Smith is a freak athlete and is among the best NFL Draft prospects over the past 20 years. They badly need a true No.1 receiver for Fernando Mendoza, and Smith would be a dream-come-true pick for Las Vegas.

New York Jets: Darian Mensah, QB, Miami

The Jets defense shut down Tennessee, holding Cam Ward to only 140 yards passing and only 68 rushing yards from the Titans. New York scored 23 with a nice game out of Breece Hall. Geno Smith is just a veteran stopgap, and the Jets need a long-term starter.

In 2026, Mensah has completed 91 percent of his passes for 653 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Mensah (6-3, 205) played well in his season with Duke. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 3,973 yards with 34 touchdowns, six interceptions, and one rushing touchdown. After the season, he transferred to Miami to replace Carson Beck. He has a quality skill set with some arm talent and mobility. In 2024, Mensah had a good season as Tulane's starting quarterback, which led to him getting big-money offers in the transfer portal. Mensah has good accuracy and feel as a passer. He does not have elite athleticism or size, but Mensah is a dangerous passer and a point producer. He could make sense for one of the Jets first-round picks.

Cincinnati Bengals: Bo Mascoe, CB, Texas

The Bengals defense gave up a lot of yardage, but they forced three fumbles from Baker Mayfield and another fumble from Bucky Irving to provide the point swings for a win over Tampa Bay. Cincinnati could use more talent at cornerback to improve their coverage on the back end.

Mascoe is a gritty cornerback who showed impressive coverage skills against the Ohio State talented receivers in Week 2. He has three tackles in 2026 thus far. With Rutgers previously, Mascoe had 48 tackles with an interception and four passes broken up in 2025, after notching 49 tackles with an interception and four breakups in 2024. Mascoe (5-11, 199) is built well and could turn into an early-round prospect this season with Texas.

Chicago Bears: John Henry Daley, DE, Michigan

The Bears won a shootout in Carolina, and that could be a familiar narrative this season. Chicago put up 59 points, but they allowed the Panthers to score 37, and Bryce Young threw for 361 yards with three touchdowns. Chicago needs to get more edge rush talent across from Montez Sweat.

Daley has 11 tackles with a sack and pass batted thus far in 2026. He was excellent against Oklahoma. The 6-foot-4, 247-pound Daley was a beast for Utah in 2025. He dominated tackles with power, quickness, and an insane motor. In 2025, Daley had 48 tackles with 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Sources say that Daley has a bad body and his run defense needs to improve, but there is no doubt that he has pass rush ability. Daley could be a dangerous pass rusher across from Sweat.

San Francisco 49ers: Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU

The 49ers shut down Myles Garrett in the season opener in impressive fashion. While they got the better of Garrett in Week 1, they are still going to have to deal with Garrett for years to come. Adding some youth to the offensive line would make sense given the age of future Hall of Famer Trent Williams. A player like Seaton would be a great fit for Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Seaton played well against Clemson in the season opener. The 6-foot-5, 307-pounder has a good skill set with size, quickness, strength, and athleticism. He was impressive as the starting left tackle at Colorado for two seasons. He has good feet to cut off the edge from speed rushers and the strength to stonewall bull rushes. Seaton could be a good value for the 49ers in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.

Seattle Seahawks: K.J. Duff, WR, Rutgers

Seahawks superstar receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba came through with some huge plays to help backup quarterback Drew Lock pull off a comeback win against the Patriots during the season opener. Seattle has some quality receivers to go with Smith-Njigba, but it could make sense to add a big receiver opposite him and a true replacement for D.J. Metcalf.

In 2027, Duff has been dominant in two games with 17 catches for 333 yards with five touchdowns. Duff has mismatch size and is never covered, with his natural ability to make catches over defenders. He also has impressive quickness for his size to be effective as a possession receiver in the short to intermediate part of the field. The advance scouts had him listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds with a projected 40 time around 4.5 seconds. His speed and size translated to being a chunk-producing receiver in 2025 with an average of 18.1 yards per catch. Duff totaled 60 receptions for 1,084 yards with seven touchdowns. Rutgers fought hard to keep Duff from leaving, and sources say they think Rutgers paid upwards of $3 million to get Duff back in 2026. Duff has been incredible to open 2027. If the Seahawks could land Duff in the first round, that could be a steal for Seattle.

Team Draft Report:

In this section, we take a deeper look at specific teams and where they stand regarding the 2025 NFL Draft.

Los Angeles Rams:

It was an embarrassing and humbling season opener for the Rams after an epic offseason that saw them land star defenders like Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett. Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled, and Los Angeles never got into an offensive rhythm versus the gritty 49ers defense. The Rams have mortgaged future draft picks for this season, and they have some key veterans hitting free agency, and it looks like it will be impossible to re-sign all of them after dishing out massive contracts to Garrett and McDuffie. Fortunately for Los Angeles, they have been outstanding at drafting good players after the first round, and they will have to do that again to remain in Super Bowl contention with Stafford and Garrett aging.

To help Stafford, the offensive line and wide receiver have to be a consideration in the second round. Davante Adams is aging, and there are some reliability concerns with Puka Nacua, who also is nearing a new contract. Some receiver options in the second round to consider include Arizona State’s Reed Harris, Texas A&M’s Mario Craver, Florida’s Eric Singleton, and Clemson’s T.J. Moore.

The Rams could also have a hard time re-signing veteran interior blocker Steve Avila, so adding blocking help could be a necessity. Some good interior blockers for the second round could include Minnesota’s Greg Johnson, Iowa’s Kade Piper, and Ohio State’s Luke Montgomery.

Defensively, the Rams are in a very tough spot to re-sign both Kobie Turner and Byron Young. So adding a tackle to replace Turner and an edge to replace Young must be a consideration. Some edge rush talent to consider include Michigan’s John Henry Daley, Notre Dame’s Boubacar Traore, Oregon’s Teitum Tuioti, and Oregon’s Matayo Uiagelelei. Interior defensive line talent to consider includes Oregon’s A’Mauri Washington, Oklahoma’s David Stone, and Miami’s Ahmad Moten Sr. The Rams could land a good defensive lineman in the second round.

With the age of Stafford, Garrett, and the contract status of some of the young players, Los Angeles needs to draft players who can contribute quickly. They have been outstanding at drafting on day two and three, and they will need to keep that going to help their stars lead them to a Super Bowl in 2027.