NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Building off the Combine

Less than a month after Super Bowl LX, the NFL offseason has hit full gear. Last week's NFL Combine set the stage for what's to come over the next few months, between free agency rumors and learning more about the prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft.

That also means its time for our first NFL Mock Draft of the year. Coming out of the Combine workouts, and based on the free agency and veteran market rumors that are out there, what's the board looking like?

Going through this exercise reinforces the idea that this is a defense-heavy draft, especially at the top. We have 17 of the 32 first-round picks on the defensive side of the ball, including three of the first five and nine of the first 15. It's also a trench-heavy draft, with 17 players being either offensive linemen, defensive linemen, or edge rushers (plus two linebackers and a running back). There's just one trade manufactured for this mock, the others reflect real-world deals.

Pending free agency, what might the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft look like? Let's get into it...

Nothing that's happened so far this offseason suggests the Raiders are going to do anything else. Tom Brady hopes to get his franchise quarterback picking 198 spots earlier than he himself was selected.

The Jets' defense needs everything, so how about a guy that can do a little bit of everything. Reese can play on and off the ball, and make plays against the run, rushing the passer, and in coverage. His elite Combine performance gets him the call as the second pick.

The Cardinals need a quarterback, but there isn't a realistic option for them on the board. They'll likely need to address that in the veteran market, so they use this pick to create a better situation for whoever that is. Paris Johnson Jr. at tackle on one side and Mauigoa on the other is a great combination.

Last year, the Titans got the cornerstone player of their offense in Cam Ward. Now they'll try to do the same on defense by picking Bailey to anchor their pass rush.

At the end of his tenure with the Ravens, John Harbaugh saw just how much elite safety play can impact a defense with Kyle Hamilton. With his first draft pick in New York he adds a player he hopes can make a similar impact in Downs. There's a case to be made that Downs is the best overall player in this draft, throwing out positional value.

The Browns need offensive talent, wherever they can get it. Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Jeremiyah Love are in the discussion for the best offensive player on the board at this point. Given running back is the one spot they may be O.K. after investing a second- and fourth-round pick in backs last year, they stay in-state and take Tate.

Not counting Reese who is a multi-positional player, the debate between Bain and Bailey for the top edge rushser in this class is a good one. At the Combine Bain measured in his 30 7/8-inch arms, the third-shorest measured at the Combine since at least 1999, and would be the shortest for a first-round pick in the last 20 years. How much will it cost him? His tape is still outstanding, so we're not projecting him to fall too far.

The Saints got some promising play out of Tyler Shough last year, so they keep building around him. Their wide receiver talent is thin after trading Rasheed Shahid at the trade deadline last year, so they pick Tyson to play opposite Chris Olave.

It's time for the Chiefs to build their offense back up around Patrick Mahomes. There was some consideration of going with Kenyon Sadiq here given Travis Kelce's age. But after struggling to get consistent running back play the last few years, Kansas City takes a big swing by picking Love.

Cincinnati's defense was historically bad last year. They'll need to rebuild from the ground up. Styles is a good first piece, as an elite athlete in the middle of the defense. Maybe the best tester overall at the Combine this year, it will be interesting to see just how far those results shoot him up the draft board.

Miami has needs at premium positions on both sides of the football. New head coach Jeff Hafley is going to start on his side of the football though, and add Delane to boost the defense. This is another team that would likely be in the market for a quarterback - if there was one on the board.

While some of the other EDGE rushers had questions with things like measurments at the Combine, Faulk had a strong showing in Indy. For a Cowboys team looking to start the process of replacing Micah Parsons, he's a fit.

The Rams haven't drafted a cornerback since 2023, and haven't drafted one in the first round since 2019. That's started to catch up to them, and three of their cornerbacks are pending free agents this offseason. They land McCoy looking to put a shutdown corner behind their excellent pass rush.

NOTE: The Rams got this pick in a draft-day trade with the Atlanta Falcons last year

As the Ravens begin the Jesse Minter era, they need to put more playmakers around Lamar Jackson. That definitely could be a wide receiver, but with two of their three tight ends pending free agents and Mark Andrews entering his age-31 season, a tight end would make sense too. Sadiq is an explosive athlete who can make plays at all three levels, a good fit for Jackon's play style.

Parker was projected to be a top-half-of-the-first-round player at the start of the season, but his production fell off as Clemson struggled as a whole. A good Combine was a reminder of the player he can be though, and the edge rusher-needy Buccaneers make him their pick.

The Jets are another one of these teams making things better for the quarterback-to-come rather than reaching on a QB. Last year, the team got virtually no production from the wide receiver position after Garrett Wilson got hurt, and need to give the defense somebody else to worry about and take the pressure off of him. Lemon can certainly do that, as a high-volume, three-level threat from the slot.

NOTE: The Jets got this pick in the Sauce Gardner trade deadline deal with the Indianapolis Colts

There's a lot to like about Freeling's makeup, but he is raw with just 16 career starts. That's not a problem for a Lions team that is getting Taylor Decker back this year, but will likely need a replacement soon after the 32-year-old considered retiring.

Minnesota is thin at safety to begin with, and needs to start thinking about life after pending free agent Harrison Smith. They grab Thieneman, who was one of the standouts of the Combine and can be a rangy playmaker on the back end.

Concepcion is an explosive playmaker out of the slot, bringing both speed and quickness. He's a great complement to Tetairoa McMillan as the Panthers keep building out their offense. Concepcion returns to North Carolina, where he played in high school and his first two years of college at NC State.

The Cowboys are back on the clock, and still looking to improve their defense. After adding an edge rusher earlier, it's time to bolster the secondary. Terrell can play both inside and outside, which gives Dallas a versatile piece to build around.

It's back-to-back Clemson picks with Woods, who is a versatile interior defender. The Steelers were reportedly meeting with defensive tackles at the Combine, which makes sense especially with Cameron Heyward's future uncertain.

Ioane is an unquestionable first-round tackle talent. Even this represents a bit of a fall for him. But the Chargers are in serious need of interior offensive line help, so it's a natural fit.

Eagles get:

-26th overall pick
-126th overall pick (4th round)
-220th overall pick (7th round)

Bills get:

-23rd overall pick

This trade is a slight overpay for the Bills, but that's usually the case for teams moving up. They need to get aggressive to get help for Josh Allen though. Boston's size and contested catch ability are a fit with Allen's play style and complement the Bills' one established receiver in Khalil Shakir.

Fano was a standout right tackle at Utah, and a projected top 10 pick in this draft. However he measured in with 32 1/8-inch arms at the Combine, meaning he'll likely have to kick inside to guard at the next level. That makes his stock pretty tough to project, but for a Browns team that needs guard and tackle help they'll find a place for him either way.

NOTE: The Browns got this pick in a draft-day trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year

The Bears' interior defense got shredded last year, and is in need of an upgrade. Banks is raw but has significant upside as a plus athlete at 6-foot-6, 327 pounds.

Howell was another one of the EDGE rushers to measure in with short arms. He came in shorter than Bain, at 30 1/4-inches. However, he did have a standout performance in the on-field testing. The Eagles have a strong track record of maximizing talented players who fall, so they'll try to repeat that here.

Uncertainty around Trent Williams' future could leave the Niners needing a new left tackle. Lomu, a Combine standout, would be a fit.

Proctor is an unbelievable athlete at 6-foot-7, 352 pounds - to the point that Alabama was even throwing him screen passes last year. There's some questions about whether he'll be a right tackle (his college position) or right guard at the next level but Houston needs both. They can play him in both spots and see where he fits best.

Rob Haverstein's retirement leaves the Rams without a starting right tackle. Enter Miller, who started 54 games on the right side in college. Plus, addressing this premium need now helps the Rams get ahead of things when they may be in the market for a starting quarterback next year.

Denver's defense is a strength, but they have a lot of moving pieces in the middle this offseason including pending free agent linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. Still they turn those losses into an upgrade with Allen, a high IQ linebacker who did a little bit of everything for Georgia.

Throughout the week at the Combine, public comments from Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf as well as reports after the fact painted the picture (or in some reporting cases stated outright) that the Patriots view adding an edge rusher as their primary need. In a deep edge class they'll have multiple options at 31. This board didn't fall ideally for them, but they still have a few players to choose from.

In this case we have them going with Young, who MassLive called "a name to watch" and noted "is already a favorite among several inside Gillette Stadium." At 6-foot-6, 262 pounds he's a presence at the line of scrimmage with power and energy. He's strong off his first step, a trait that Wolf highlighted when talking this week.

Young had a breakout season at Missouri last year, with 6.5 sacks and 57 pressures which ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally. He also had 16.5 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles. He was named first-team All-SEC after the season.

Cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe are both pending free agents, and paying either one will be tough with a significant extension looming for Devon Witherspoon. Instead the Seahawks restock the position via the draft by taking Hood.