The college football season is still young and the NFL season is younger still. Just a couple of weeks, give or take, means that our 2026 NFL mock draft projections and predictions are still in their infancy as well. I can love South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers as a talent, but there are still times for that pendulum to swing. And we're also seeing that with the emergence of players like Oklahoma QB John Mateer and even lower down with someone like Georgia receiver Zachariah Branch.
Nothing is set in stone until we get to April when it comes to the 2026 NFL Draft. However, we do have an obligation to react to the things we've seen both from college prospects and NFL teams that could potentially select them in the draft. When someone like Mateer is setting the world on fire, you have to notice. When someone like Branch is making good on all the promise he once had at a new home, it has to be taken into account. And so it goes.
So, with that, let's dive into our latest NFL mock draft projections for the first round, with some new names now joining the fray, some surprises throughout the 32 picks, and much more.
Note: The draft order is courtesy of Tankathon with current record and Strength of Schedule.
2026 NFL mock draft: Full first-round predictions at Week 2
2026 NFL Draft Order | Draft Pick |
|---|---|
1. New Orleans Saints | QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU |
2. New England Patriots | EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn |
3. New York Jets | DL Peter Woods, Clemson |
4. Miami Dolphins | QB LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina |
5. Carolina Panthers | S Caleb Downs, Ohio State |
6. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL) | QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana |
7. Baltimore Ravens | CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee |
8. New York Giants | OT Spencer Fano, Utah |
9. Dallas Cowboys | EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (FL) |
10. Cleveland Browns | OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL) |
11. Tennessee Titans | OT Caleb Lomu, Utah |
12. Detroit Lions | EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson |
13. Chicago Bears | RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame |
14. Kansas City Chiefs | CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson |
15. Seattle Seahawks | EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon |
16. Houston Texans | LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State |
17. Washington Commanders | EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech |
18. Pittsburgh Steelers | QB John Mateer, Oklahoma |
19. San Francisco 49ers | OT Xavier Chaplin, Auburn |
20. Las Vegas Raiders | WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State |
21. Minnesota Vikings | LB C.J. Allen, Georgia |
22. Los Angeles Rams | OT Isaiah World, Oregon |
23. Cleveland Browns (via JAX) | QB Drew Allar, Penn State |
24. Los Angeles Chargers | WR Makai Lemon, USC |
25. Buffalo Bills | EDGE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma |
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas |
27. Cincinnati Bengals | CB Mansoor Delane, LSU |
28. Philadelphia Eagles | EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State |
29. Indianapolis Colts | DT Caleb Banks, Florida |
30. Arizona Cardinals | WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia |
31. Denver Broncos | TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon |
32. Dallas Cowboys (via GB) | WR Denzel Boston, Washington |
Look, I'm well aware of the fact that the NFL Draft order after Week 1 and one Thursday Night Football game looks quite silly. The good news is that things will change and sort themselves out. But don't think for a second that I believe that the Baltimore Ravens are going to have a Top 5 pick, that I'm automatically picking the Green Bay Packers to win the Super Bowl, that I think the Kansas City Chiefs are missing the playoffs, and so on.
For right now, we're looking at prospects who are rising and falling early in the draft process and the college season, and which teams would be fits for those players, in addition to the ranges that these players could end up coming off the board during.
Zachariah Branch keeps rising, sneaks into first round with Cardinals pick
It's not an understatement to say that Zachariah Branch was a disappointment at USC before transferring to Georgia. The electric speedster with elite quickness flashed his top-end playmaking for the Trojans, especially as a return man, but it never seemed to fully find its footing. Two games in with the Dawgs, however, Branch has started to rise back up my board, so much so that he sneaks into the first round with the 30th pick by the Arizona Cardinals.
Branch has six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown through two games, in addition to flashing as a returner still. Of course, Georgia has played lower-level competition to this point, and Branch will have a real opportunity to establish himself in Week 3 against Tennessee and a good Vols defense. He has the physical tools to dominate any matchup and be an elusive force, though, and if he keeps proving himself, the talent is too enticing to pass up.
That's especially true for a team like the Cardinals. With all due respect to Michael Wilson Jr., Arizona needs another weapon at receiver with Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Trey McBride, and Branch would add a ton of versatility to that pass-catching corps.
John Mateer falls in the Steelers' laps
Some fears of fans in Pittsburgh were that Aaron Rodgers would make the Steelers simply too good to be in range to find a long-term solution at quarterback. Luckily, Oklahoma's John Mateer is making this QB class in the 2026 draft even deeper — and he's looked good enough early on to make you think that he could push ahead of someone like Fernando Mendoza eventually.
But for now, we have Mateer going to the Steel City and being the quarterback of the future. Mateer doesn't have prototypical size, but there's a bit of Baker Mayfield to his game with the added bonus of plus athleticism. It isn't a cookie cutter approach or throwing motion, but it's effective and not one that should hinder him at the next level. The arm strength and athleticism also look like they should hold up in the NFL.
Entering Week 3, Mateer is the Heisman favorite and should only continue to rise if he plays the same way he did against Michigan. The one thing he could do, much akin to Mayfield, would be to cut back on some of his risk-taking that has led to turnovers, but that's also what makes him special — so, maybe finding the happy medium would be the better route to go down.
Dolphins tab LaNorris Sellers to replace Tua Tagovailoa
In the simplest terms, we've appeared to reach the end of the Tua Tagovailoa era in Miami, as long as the Dolphins are smart enough to realize it. There have always been flashes from Tua, but injuries and inconsistency have marred him to the point where the infrastructure is now crumbling around him in South Beach.
The worst thing the Dolphins could do would be to stubbornly not move on when it's time, but picking in range to select LaNorris Sellers would remedy that in a hurry. The South Carolina quarterback is simply a physical freak, and someone who's continually made strides. His rushing ability and physical tools are undeniable, but he's shown constant progression as a passer in his career with the Gamecocks as well, even early on in the 2025 season as well.
Sellers might have a lower floor than someone like Garrett Nussmeier, but he also might have a higher ceiling. The Dolphins are about to enter a rebuild in a major way if they do indeed move on from Tua, and Sellers' versatility would afford them the opportunity to be flexible in how they accomplish that.
Oregon's talent lends help to Seahawks, Rams, and Broncos
It feels like people haven't quite onto the fact that the Oregon Ducks just reloaded in a massive way this season. While I'm still waiting to see with Dante Moore Jr. at quarterback, they have talent on both sides of the ball that looks primed to be taken in the first round.
The Seahawks take the first Ducks player off the board with edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei. Yes, that's D.J.'s brother, but he's a far more effective college talent at this point in his career, and his quickly establishing himself as one of the top pass-rushers in this class. In the same division, though, the Rams — after using Atlanta's pick to take Matthew Stafford's successor, Fernando Mendoza — take Uiagalelei's teammate, Isaiah World, to potentially block his Oregon peer for years to come.
Finally, the Broncos continue to add to the offense around Bo Nix, which is quickly looking far more important for Denver after a tepid start to the season. That comes in the form of Kenyon Sadiq, who looks like an all-world tight end prospect. Given the immediate success we've seen from the likes of Brock Bowers and Tyler Warren, Sadiq looks the part of someone next in line to follow the same path.