NFL Mock Draft Madness | Top 10 Picks Predicted!
Tommy Jaggi & Marcus Mosher break down their bold predictions for the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft! From the Raiders kicking things off all the way down to Cincinnati. Who rises? Who falls? Tune in to see the future of the NFL!
Video Transcript
Tommy Jagga of Fancied here with NFL expert Marcus Moser, as we talk NFL football.
This is Stacking the Box sponsored by Fancied.
Make sure you go check out Fancied.com for all the great work over there, free agency fallout coverage and NFL draft content on the way, Marcus.
And that's what we're going to do today.
We're going to do our very 1st 2026 mock draft.
We're gonna do only the 10, 1st 10 picks of the draft.
Marcus will kind of go back and forth.
Should be a fun exercise.
Yeah, this is always one of my favorite times of the year, once you really start getting into the mocks because, you know, we've got just, just over a month left, you're starting to hear whispers about what these teams might do.
Uh, and it's, it's gonna change a bunch from now until late April, but I, I'm excited to get into it.
All right, this was not pre-rehearsed .
Marcus is gonna take the odds.
I'm gonna take the evens.
We're gonna talk about our selections, why we think these players are going there.
Spend a few minutes on each pick.
So here we go, Marcus, with the first pick in the 2026 NFL draft, you have the most obvious selection of all.
I wish we had the like the little NFL draft chime here.
It would be fun, but, uh, I'm having the Raiders take Fernando Mendoza.
I mean, it's very straightforward.
They need a quarterback.
I actually think Mendoza is a really, really good prospect, and I know there's some people thinking, maybe he's more in the Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan mold of quarterback.
Those kind of quarterbacks you could win a bunch of games with, and I honestly wonder if those kind of quarterbacks are becoming back in vogue a little bit.
We just saw Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl.
Uh, this is a phenomenal fit with Clint Kubiak, the new head coach of the Raiders.
And I'm really excited about what that offense might look like here as soon as 2026.
I mean, yeah, this is one we've known for a long time now, and it makes total sense.
You're getting new coaching staff, lots of draft capital.
You need that young guy to come in there.
Mendoza is that guy.
He is the one quarterback in this class that I think that he should go with the number one overall pick.
A huge gap after that.
I don't think the Raiders would want to chance it in any way.
They need that guy, he is that guy.
I think that's why Clint Kubia.
Signed on so that he can have his long-term quarterback.
So, uh, Fernando Mendoza goes #1 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
With the 2nd pick in the draft, the New York Jets are on the clock, Marcus, and I thought of two different prospects here.
Uh, you probably know which ones already, Arvel Reese and David Bailey.
I think it's gonna come down between these two guys here.
Which edge rusher do they like better?
I'm going with Reese here.
Reese is 2 years younger, the Jets are not ready to win right now.
I think he's a more fluid player overall, can can be a pretty versatile player for you.
I'm not the biggest fan of David Bailey's game, but that's not why I'm knocking him and not putting him to the Jets right here.
I think it's gonna be close between these two.
But I'm going with Arvel Reese, Ohio State edge rusher Marcus, what say you?
I mean, I think Reese is the best player in this draft, and it makes total sense, and then this Aaron Glenn defense it's gonna be multiple.
You need guys that can move all around, and I think Reese's best work is gonna come as a pass rusher in the next level, but he's already an NFL ready run defender, he can play off ball linebacker, you can drop him into coverage.
I, I, I know that there are people comparing him to Micah Parsons, and that's not quite fair when you're comparing him to an all-pro caliber player.
But in terms of like a prospect, I honestly think he's better than Micah coming out because he's got more pass rush experience, and I trust him way more against the run.
I, this is to me, this is a no-brainer pick.
I love it for the Jets.
You need some foundational pieces on defense, and I think Reese can be one of them.
Yeah, I mean this guy just moves so well.
You saw it at the combine, just how fluid he is, but you, I mean , when we're talking about a 20 year old football player, as established as he is already for a program like Ohio State, like this feels like a can't miss pick if there is one to me.
Yes, everybody's trying to find the next Micah, probably not gonna be that guy, but should be a really good rusher for a long time in the NFL.
Marcus, you are on the clock with the Arizona Cardinals in the 3rd pick in the draft.
Yeah, and this is where the draft gets really interesting.
Do the Cardinals take a, you know, an edge rusher like David Bailey, they put a lot of uh picks and money into their pass rush room, or do they go with an offensive lineman?
And I know there's no offensive linemen here that are Joe Alt caliber players, but I like Francis Moinoah quite a bit from Miami.
He has been a starting right tackle for the last 3 years at Miami.
The Cardinals could really use a right tackle.
They've got Paris Johnson Jr. at left tackle.
And I think the goal here, Tommy, is for the Cardinals to draft a quarterback in round one of 2027, and what's a good way to set them up for success?
Give them two bookend tackles, so that your quarterback isn't in harm's way right away.
It might feel like a little bit of a reach, but I love Francis Moyanoa's tape.
Worst case scenario, if you don't believe in the arm length, you move him into guard, but I think he can play tackle.
I'm taking Moy Noah here at number 3.
Yeah, and Maino is a good player.
I don't know if anybody would classify him in that elite category, but you said bookend tackles, you need to make sure your offense is successful for, for Mike LaFleur, and I think that this is a great way to do that.
You build your team through the trenches, especially if you're a team that might not be ready to win right away, and I don't think the Cardinals are.
I think Mainoa makes a lot of sense, uh, to them with the 3rd overall pick, although they.
could go a bunch of different directions.
It it really quickly, he allowed just 5 QB hits over the last two years.
Like, I think we're getting a little bit hung up on the frame and the arm length, but I mean, he's 6'6, 315.
It's not like, it's not like he's a small offensive tackle.
I, I just think he is an NFL ready offensive lineman with a bunch of snaps under his belt.
And again, you're the Cardinals, you're not looking to necessarily win right away.
But building up your offensive line and at least having some kind of identity , I think that's the right way to go about this rebuild.
100%, and I agree.
I think that that's a smart move on their part, Marcus.
The next move might not be so smart.
I've got the Tennessee Titans on the clock, and we could talk all day long about the philosophy of team building, and what that should entail, and should a team like the Tennessee Titans be interested in a player like Jeremiah Love right now?
I, I think Love is one of the best players in the entire class.
Maybe he's the top player in the class.
But it's a running back for a team, it's not ready to win right now.
I'm torn because I can see love, I can see David Bailey here.
They also desperately need uh to improve their edge room.
But from what I've been hearing, Marcus, and we've talked, and it just sounds like Robert Salah and the Tennessee Titans want to bring back the old school Titans football with like Derrick Henry .
They want that go to.
Running back.
I'm gonna go with Jeremiah Love with the 4th overall pick in the draft.
We just saw an example of that last year.
Things did not go well for Ashton Genty being an early draft pick.
He's early in his career, time to turn things around, but from a team-building standpoint, I don't love it, but from a predictive, uh, mock , I'm gonna mock Jeremiah Love to the Titans.
And it just seems like every big draft analysis or analyst that you hear, whether it's Mel Kiper, Daniel Jeremiah, or Dane Brugler, they're all convinced this guy goes top 5, whether that's the Titans at 4 or the Giants at 5.
And I mean, I, I do get it to a degree.
For a lot of people, he is the best player in this class, and right now on the consensus board, he is the number 1 overall ranked player, but if you're a team that's drafting at 4 and you've got big needs at wide receiver, uh, pass rusher, cornerback, Can you afford to draft a running back at 4?
I think you and I have our thoughts on that, but we're trying to be predictive here.
If Love doesn't go at 4 to the Titans, he's going to the Giants at 5.
So I'm, I'm perfectly fine putting him here in this mock.
All right, Marcus, and you are up next with the Giants' pick at 5, now that Love is off the board.
Yeah, and this is where it gets really tricky, because in terms of positional value, the best two players available are Sonny Styles, an off-ball linebacker, and Caleb Downs, a safety.
I don't, David Bailey is an awesome player, but there's no way that the Giants can take David Bailey after.
Trading for Brian Burns a couple of years ago, drafting Kavon Thibodeaux in the 1st round, uh, drafting Abdul Carter at 3 overall last year, it's just too many resources into the defensive line.
And that's where I'm gonna have them take Sonny Stiles, uh, the linebacker from Ohio State.
Again, it's, to me, this is high.
I don't, I would not draft Stiles at 5, but it's also a need, uh, Treme and Emmons, they signed on a 3-year deal, but they can really get out out of that contract after 1 year.
I think the idea is that you put Styles and Edmondson together, you've got these 2 6'5 linebackers that can run all over the field, and with their defensive line, maybe that's how you get back to being competitive in the NFC East.
So I'm going Sonny Styles here at number 5.
Yeah, and I agree with the philosophy that you just outlined there.
So many investments already in the pass rush group, the defensive line.
Styles would make a big difference, I think, probably relatively quickly, and you've got an older head coach in John Harbaugh, who's gonna want to turn things around fast.
I think that Styles and or Downs would be a great way to do so.
And so Stiles there, uh, you, you talk about a guy that Checks the boxes in terms of the size, athleticism.
You don't see that profile every day like that.
Maybe not the most productive linebacker in college, but there's numerous reasons for that.
In general though, yes, I agree with your philosophy.
Not a big fan, just like running backs, not a big fan of taking off-ball linebackers with a top five capital.
We saw it a handful of years back now with Devin White, didn't exactly turn out great for Tampa Bay.
Maybe the Giants will have more success with it, because Styles is a pretty rare prospect.
He's a very good prospect, yeah, there's no doubt, and honestly, maybe, maybe what John Harbaugh sees in Stiles is somebody that can be like their version of Kyle Hamilton, right?
And I know he's bigger, but, you know, these are 6'4 guys that can run all day, that you can move all all around the formation.
It's not a great situation for the Giants to be in at #5, but Styles is a very good player.
All right, Marcus, I've got the Cleveland Browns selection here at number 6, and some top names still on the board.
I love Ruben Bain, and I'm so interested to see where he's gonna go.
I'm not mocking him here, by the way, but Ruben Bains there, David Bailey is there, Caleb Downs, uh, Mansor Delane.
I think though, the Browns, they have two glaring needs on that roster, and that is offensive line help and wide receiver.
And offensive line, I say offensive line in general, tackle more specifically, but they did lose at least one guard and might lose another in free agency.
You could do this combination cause they have two first round picks, Marcus.
You can go tackle wide receiver or wide receiver tackle.
I'm gonna go tackle wide receiver, and I'm gonna go with Monroe Freling, the, the Georgia offensive tackle with extreme traits.
You're talking about a height, weight, speed, arm length, athleticism guy.
This is your pick.
Now, he has only a little over 1 year of experience, but I think the tape that he put together is really good.
The arrows pointing way up.
And the biggest thing, Marcus.
He's the only true left tackle prospect out of all the top guys in this class.
And that was gonna be exactly my point is that, yeah, there's, he's the only one that you feel great about playing on the left side.
Now, the knock-on feeling is how NFL ready is he, because, you know, there's a chance that he might need a half a year or a year to kind of sit and develop.
The good news for Cleveland is they do have some depth.
They have Daywan Jones who I think you would like to be a swing tackle, but I think if you needed him to start the first two months of the season at left tackle, he could probably do that.
And I think you're right, like if you wait to grab a tackle at 24, I don't think you're gonna love the names that are available.
You might not love the names of receivers, but there's just more options available.
This feels to me a little bit high for Freling.
But I also get the thought process, like you're not going to pick a defensive player, and the left tackles, they're not gonna wait around either.
Generally, offensive linemen go high in drafts, so it makes sense to me.
Yeah, and I'm gonna have him lower obviously than 6 on my consensus board, but I do get the logic behind what Cleveland might be thinking with this pick, if indeed they go that route.
There's only, only so many of these planet theory guys in the NFL.
He has all the traits and tools that you could want at the position.
It takes some time, absolutely.
You could go through some, some growing pains with him, but I think that they are a team very much in this type of position where you can take a swing at a high upside true left tackle prospect.
All right, Marcus, you are on the clock, uh, with the Washington Commanders with the 7th overall pick in the draft.
Actually, Washington's in a great spot here, right?
Their two biggest needs are wide receiver and edge.
They could also use some secondary help.
So you've got David Bailey on the board.
You've got Ruben Bain on the board.
You've got Caleb Downs available and all the receivers.
So this, this plays out extremely well for Washington.
What's tough about the commanders is they do not have a 2nd round pick, you're waiting until round 3.
And if you don't grab a receiver here, you're probably not gonna love the options, and they were, they were in on Romeo Dobbs, they missed out on that one, they were hoping out Pierce would become available, that didn't happen.
I'm gonna have them waiting again on receiver.
I'm gonna have them taking David Bailey, the pass rusher from Texas Tech.
I think he fits Dan Quinn's defense really well.
He's a guy that's got a really good first step.
He can get off the field, he was productive over the last two years.
Now you have some concerns about him and, you know, you know, in space a little bit and his ability to bend, but a guy that can get off the field and be disruptive, I think makes a ton of sense.
He had a guy, Dante Fowler in Dallas, he also had him in Atlanta, and Fowler was very productive.
This is like the young version of Dante Fowler, and obviously you're hoping that Bailey becomes a better player than Fowler, but this is some the type of player that Dan Quinn has had before.
I'm taking David Bailey here at number 7.
Yeah, Marcus, and I can absolutely see a world where the commanders take that first receiver off the board right there.
I mean, they certainly could use the help.
But it also feels like in the same way, this is kind of David Bailey's floor right here.
If he falls to Dan Quinn, falls to the commanders, uh, they need that.
That true #1 edge rusher, he would absolutely give them that.
Uh, I've got the Saints, Marcus, with the 8th overall pick in the draft, and I am really torn between two guys here.
Now, I think the consensus would want me to say, Ruben Bain may right here.
Like the, the Saints certainly have a need.
But they have a young offensive minded coach.
They have a really bad receiving corps outside of Chris Olave, who's got a bigger concussion history than Tua Tagabaloa.
Like they could use a big upgrade there, and what better way to help out your quarterback and 2nd year quarterback in Tyler Chuck, than to give him another option in the passing game.
I want to say Bain, but I also think it makes a ton of sense.
To mock Carnell Tate right here to the New Orleans Saints.
So I'm gonna put Tate in there, Marcus, I'm interested to hear your rebuttal on this.
I mean, that's the pick that I think the Saints should make.
Um, and honestly, I think when you think about Chris Olave and Carnell Tate together, I actually think they fit pretty well.
Olave is a, you know, a little bit smaller receiver, the 6' 190 pound guy that can make, you know, big plays down the field.
He's also a very good route runner.
Well, Tate is a 6'2 guy that wins a bunch of contested balls, but also can play on the outside.
He does a good job of creating separation with his routes.
I, I just feel like Tate's floor is so high.
These Ohio State receivers are so well coached.
He didn't drop a single ball, uh, this year, uh, you know, in Columbus.
I love Carnell Tate.
If the Saints can get him at 8, I think now you have a really fun and exciting offense, Tommy, with Tyler Chuck, Carnell Tate, Chris Olave, uh, you, you grab Travis A Chan, I make sure he pronounce this right now, Travis name right, Travis A Chan.
That's a, that's a fun young offense.
It really is.
I mean, I think that you would certainly get a boost, uh, in the, in the passing game and give your young quarterback something to, uh, to target there.
And I think that the question mark is because, if the Saints are willing to go the receiver route with the selection, you can make a case for the two other guys in this draft, Jordan Tyson, Malachi Lemon.
It depends on how they want to complement and what uh Kellen Moore is looking for at the end of the day, but I do agree with you.
I think that Tate is.
The highest floor uh receiver in this class.
Maybe not the highest ceiling.
I think that maybe Tyson and Lemon have a little bit more wide receiver one traits to their game, but I think highest floor for sure.
I just think he's a really good player, and that's what the Saints need now.
It's just guys that can come in and be productive.
The, the, the wide receiver two spot last year after they traded Rasheed Shaheed was really a problem for them.
You have Tate Alave, you're feeling really good about the future in New Orleans.
Yeah, I think that that's the the correct order of business there from the Saints.
Marcus, your last selection, uh, we've got 2 left here, 9th overall.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who by the way, traded Trent McDuffie, uh, lost pieces of the secondary.
They do have 21st round picks now in this draft, some capital to work with.
What do you have them doing with their 9th overall selection?
I think the Chiefs could be the real wild card in this draft because, I mean, Ruben Bains available.
I think they could obviously use some more pass rush help.
You look at someone like Caleb Downs who could play every spot on their defense, that would make some sense as well.
Monsour Delane seems like the perfect guy to come in and replace Trent McDuffie.
They can also use a receiver like Makai Lemon with Rasheed Rice on the last year of his deal.
And I wouldn't even be surprised, Tommy, if someone like Spencer Fo, who is maybe a guard in the NFL, maybe he's a tackle, maybe the Chiefs just don't worry about it.
Maybe they think he's, think he's their next Joe Thuy, the guy that they play at tackle when they need to, they play at guard, and that's what I'm gonna have them do.
I'm gonna have them taking Spencer Fono, who I just think is a really good player.
And I think the idea, idea is, as you get into this next phase of Patrick Mahomes's career, you wanna make sure that he's protected.
You lost Jawan Taylor, uh, this year, you know, he was a cap casualty.
Uh, Josh Simmons is dealing with, uh , uh, yet another injury.
Uh, you really don't know about Jalen Moore, who you signed last year from the Forty-Niners.
Whether Fano ends up at guard or tackle, that remains to be seen , but you're adding another supreme athlete that can play in multiple schemes.
I love the idea of Fno to the Chiefs here at 9.
Yeah, Marcus, I really like that idea as well.
You need to get your offense back on track.
Start aiming for the future.
Mahomes has plenty left in the tank.
Everybody wants to mockmanor Delane right here, and I get it because you just lost a carbon copy of that player.
Uh, you can get younger and cheaper at the position, but I like the thought process of going with.
Spencer Fonno, they're a really good football player.
Well, and really quickly, like Kingsley Sua Maia was their left guard last year.
If they draft Fano and they put him at left guard and Sua Mattia goes back to the bench, I think you've instantly improved that spot or maybe you move, uh, Su Matia back out to right tackle, which is where he played in college, but just something to consider.
All right, Marcus, with the final pick in this mock, number 10 to the Cincinnati Bengals, I've got 3 quality selections right here on the board, Ruben Bain, Caleb Downs, Mansor Delane.
I think all of these guys would work.
The Bengals need defensive help as bad as any team in the league.
I really want to go with Bain.
I really want to go with Bain because they just lost Trey Hendrickson.
They need to build the foundation of that defensive line.
They did, however, take an edge rusher in the first round last year.
We'll see how that works out.
I just, the connection with the Bengals and Caleb Downs feels so strong to me, that I'm going to just have them take the best overall player on the board, and one of maybe the top 3 players in the draft this year.
So I'm gonna go with Caleb Downs.
Uh, they need an instant splash playmaker on that defense.
Yeah, now you pair them with Brian Cook, who they signed from the Chiefs, and you've got Jordan Battle.
You've got 3 guys in the secondary in the safety room that you can mix and match and with so many teams using 3 safeties.
I think that makes a ton of sense.
So, just to recap our draft, Fernando Mendoza 1 to the Raiders, Arvel Reese to the Jets at 2, Francis Moin Noah to the Cardinals at 3, Jeremiah Love to the Titans at 4, Sonny Styles to the Giants at 5, Monroe Freling to the Browns at 6, David Bailey falls to the Commanders at 7.
You've got Carnell Tate going to the Saints at 8.
Spencer Fno, the versatile offensive lineman, goes to the Chiefs, Caleb Downs goes to the Bengals at 10, and Tommy, that means Ruben Bain is still available, Monsour Delane is still available, uh Makai Lemon, Kenyon Siddiq, it would be a really fun picks at 1112, 13.
Uh, maybe it's the next time we do this mock draft.
A lot of talent remaining.
Should be fun.
We'll continue on and maybe do another one of these soon.
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