Jason McIntyre
Co-Host of THE HERD and FOX Sports Betting Analyst
An NFL mock draft one year in advance? It’s a fool’s errand.
This time last year, everyone had Quinn Ewers as a first-round pick and Carson Beck, too. Ewers went in the seventh round; Beck transferred to Miami for another year of college, something he certainly needs.
The order below is based on 2025 NFL win totals.
Let’s get into it.
1. Cleveland Browns: Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Before you get too excited about Arch Manning, just remember, he was the backup the last two years in Austin behind Ewers, who was drafted in the seventh round. Manning will be heavily scrutinized this season, but this time last year, nobody had Cam Ward as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
2. New York Giants: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Another big (6-foot-5), strapping kid with a howitzer of an arm. If the Giants are drafting here, the coach and GM get fired, and it’s safe to say the new regime will want its own QB. Allar only had two games over 250 passing yards last season.
3. New York Jets: LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
If you’re going to champion a QB a year out and his name isn’t Manning, make it Sellers. He looks a lot like Jalen Hurts when he’s rolling out of the pocket and taking on defenders. I don’t think the Jets will be this bad, not with that defense.
4. Tennessee Titans: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Mountain of a tackle at 6-foot-7, 360 pounds, who could use a nice year at Alabama to cement his top-10 status. Proctor was a freshman All-American in 2023, then transferred to Iowa for … four months … before coming back to Tuscaloosa.
5. Carolina Panthers: Nico Iamaleava, QB, UCLA
We do this every year. We put QBs high up on the list a year in advance. As the season goes on, we poke holes and they drop. At 6-foot-6, Iamaleava is mobile and has all the tools, but also has just one game in his career throwing for over 300 yards. If the Panthers are drafting this high, that means Bryce Young didn’t make the most of Year 3.
6. New Orleans Saints: TJ Parker, Edge, Clemson
Parker is the best projected edge rusher in the country who is draft eligible heading into this Fall, following last year’s 12-sack season.
7. Las Vegas Raiders: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Missed the playoff thriller against Texas with a collarbone injury, but was magnificent last season (75 catches, 1,098 receiving yards, 10 TDs). Would slide in nicely as the No. 2 wideout in Vegas.
8. Indianapolis Colts: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
Poised for a breakout season after totaling 13 sacks in his first two years. Bain Jr. was the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman.
9. Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars): Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
This is the pick from the Travis Hunter trade, which could be top 10 or in the 20s if the Jaguars offense is great. The 6-foot-3 Tate will get many more looks as OSU’s No. 2 WR, since Jeremiah Smith will attract so much attention.
10. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons): Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
There’s a weird buzz about him as a potential top-10 pick, but I haven’t seen it yet. Then again, I didn’t see it with Joe Burrow after his year one at LSU, either. Point is, the Rams could be in the market for a QB with Stafford turning 38 next February.
11. New England Patriots: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Depending on what happens with all the QBs, the talented Downs could wind up being the highest-drafted safety since Sean Taylor, who went fifth in 2004, and Eric Berry was selected fifth in 2010. Downs might be the best defensive player in college football in 2025.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
The Cowboys having nine draft picks last week and not selecting one WR was bizarre. It is clearly a need. Boston caught nine TDs last year. If, at 6-foot-4, he can run a 4.4 40, he’ll be a first-rounder.
13. Seattle Seahawks: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
Seattle’s OL wasn’t great last year, and both tackles, fantastic as rookies, will be playing for their jobs this season.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
Yes, that is probably too many QBs in the first round, but assuming Aaron Rodgers plays for Pittsburgh and lasts a full season, the Steelers will have a big need at QB next offseason.
15. Minnesota Vikings: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Not sure the analytically-inclined Vikings would grab a running back here, but a young QB’s best friends are the tight end and the running game. I’m extremely bullish on the Vikings this season — like NFC Championship-caliber — so I think they’ll be picking in the 20s, which makes more sense for Love.
16. Arizona Cardinals: Drew Shelton, OT, Penn State
The Cardinals spent six of their seven picks on defense, and they’re a sneaky wild-card team if Kyler Murray can stay healthy and consistent. Paris Johnson has been great at LT. RT is a bit more of a question mark.
Caleb Downs, Arch Manning highlight Klatt’s way-too-early top prospects in 2026 NFL Draft
17. Chicago Bears: Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
After an offensive-heavy draft in 2025, they go back to their defensive roots with a pass rusher. Faulk went from one sack as a true freshman to seven last year, and next year will be the first Auburn player selected in the first round since 2020.
18. Miami Dolphins: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
It’s an annual issue — Miami needs offensive line protection. Miller has started at RT since he got to Clemson. If his measurements check out, the transition to left tackle should be smooth.
19. Cincinnati Bengals: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Jim Thorpe Award finalist didn’t give up a TD last season, and could sniff the top 10 — assuming he returns to form after ACL surgery earlier this calendar year.
20. Tampa Bay Bucs: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
The Bucs run a 3-4, and with Vita Vea clogging the middle. Does Woods fit? Well, he provides depth, but he’s also probably going to grade out higher than the edge rushers available here. Woods was a top-10 prospect out of high school and enters his junior season as perhaps the best DT in college football.
21. Green Bay Packers: Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
Didn’t love the Packers’ 2025 draft, despite adding two tackles last week. It’s still a position of weakness, and World, who dominated for three years at Nevada and has transferred to Oregon for the upcoming season, could be the guy.
22. Denver Broncos: Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
Electrifying talent, but where does a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder fit into an NFL offense? If you have a smart offensive coach, he works everywhere. Sean Payton will find a place for him.
23. Houston Texans: Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon
Interesting career, going from unranked recruit, to Wyoming, to second-team All-Big Ten at USC. Now he’ll play a sixth season in college at Oregon. The Texans offensive line is expected to be below average.
24. Washington Commanders: Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
Bobby Wagner was excellent in 2024 for Washington, but can we expect the nearly 35-year-old to do that again? Hill goes into next season as the premier inside linebacker in college football.
25. Los Angeles Rams: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State
With two first-round picks, the Rams are in a position to do something big in the 2026 draft. You can always draft a Penn State edge rusher — they all seem to deliver. Dennis-Sutton registered 8.5 sacks last season.
26. Los Angeles Chargers: Caleb Banks, DL, Florida
The Chargers did get an edge rusher in the draft to start the post-Bosa era, but the interior still needs work. Banks has All-American potential, and at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, if he has a big senior year, he’ll cement himself as a first-rounder.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Spencer Fano, LT, Utah
I’m stunned the 49ers didn’t try to find Trent Williams’ replacement in the 2025 draft. They lost their backup to the Chiefs! They need to start to plan for a future without the Hall of Fame tackle.
28. Detroit Lions: Tyreak Sapp, DE, Florida
The Lions keep taking swings at a bookend for Aidan Hutchinson, and Sapp might be the next guy to have a shot. After a slow start, he popped in 2024 with seven sacks.
29. Baltimore Ravens: LT Overton, DL, Alabama
Former five-star recruit spent two years at Texas A&M, then transferred to Alabama. Ravens have gone defense with picks in the first round for three of the last four years.
30. Kansas City Chiefs: Jack Endries, TE, Texas
Mildly surprised the Chiefs didn’t look for a tight end to replace Travis Kelce, especially considering how his production fell off and he disappeared in the final three playoff games. Endries was a walk-on at Cal and started to stack good numbers. He will play for the Longhorns this fall, where he is expected to have a big year.
31. Philadelphia Eagles: Christen Miller, DT, Georgia
The Eagles have been the best drafting team in the league the last three years, shopping almost exclusively in the SEC early. Miller had a productive 2024 season, and if he builds on that, he’s a first-round pick in 2026.
32. Buffalo Bills: Austin Romaine, LB, Kansas State
One of the top linebackers in the country registered 43 run-defense stops last season and has a strong case for preseason All-American status.
Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst who also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead. Follow him on Twitter @JasonRMcIntyre.
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