play0:28Justice Haynes breaks off for 75-yd rushing TDJustice Haynes takes it 75 yards to the house to put Michigan back in front vs. Nebraska.
play0:30Kelley Jones picks off Mississippi State BulldogsPicked! Kelley Jones hauls in the interception
play0:29Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor rumbles his way to a 1st downKadyn Proctor takes the direct snap and hurdles his way to an Alabama first down.
But wait, the Titans are projected for the No. 1 pick right now and already have a QB. What might they do?
Alabama’s 4th-down gamble pays off with late TD (0:11)Ty Simpson throws his third touchdown to Isaiah Horton on fourth down to give the Crimson Tide a lead. (0:11)
Justice Haynes breaks off for 75-yd rushing TDJustice Haynes takes it 75 yards to the house to put Michigan back in front vs. Nebraska.
Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor rumbles his way to a 1st downKadyn Proctor takes the direct snap and hurdles his way to an Alabama first down.
Who would you rank as the No. 1 prospect in the class right now?
Let’s talk through this quarterback group: How many passers have a Round 1 grade?
Which middle-round sleeper quarterback will excite scouts the most in the leadup to the draft?
Are the Jets more likely to target a QB in the draft in 2026 or 2027?
The Browns also have two first-rounders in 2026. Could they go quarterback?
And should we link the Raiders to the first-round quarterbacks?
True or false: Jeremiyah Love will go earlier than Ashton Jeanty did.
Can teams find starting RBs on Day 2 in this class?
There’s a clear TE1, right? What is Kenyon Sadiq’s best trait?
How many offensive linemen will get drafted in Round 1?
Who’s your favorite under-the-radar offensive player in this class?
The Giants need to help Jaxson Dart. What position do you expect them to target in Round 1?
What is the strongest position in the class on defense?
Which top-tier edge rushers will be the most interesting evaluations over the next few months?
For teams looking for interior D-line dominance, which player’s tape is a must-watch?
Why is the race for CB1 a little more complicated than normal?
Caleb Downs is awesome, but could we really see a safety go in the top five?
Which teams are most likely to zero in on defense in Round 1?
Could the Cowboys go defense with both of their first-round picks?
Name one player who could shoot up the board as a combine riser.
Which prospect is the toughest to evaluate based on what you’re hearing?
Call dibs on a prospect in this class: Who’s your guy?
Remarkably, we’re less than five months from Day 1 of the draft, which starts April 23 in Pittsburgh. But plenty can change between now and then. The draft order won’t be fully set until mid-February, and the No. 1 pick is up for grabs. The final stretch of the 2025 season, along with all-star events, the combine, pro day workouts and a ton of predraft interviews, will ultimately determine how draft boards will be constructed. But things are starting to take shape.
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Yates: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana. This answer requires nuance, as Reese is the surest thing among the prospects that I have studied so far and a plausible candidate to go No. 1. However, it’s impossible to ignore positional value, and with that in mind, Mendoza jumps to the top of the heap. He has a starting quarterback grade for me, with elements of his game that remind me of Sam Darnold, and a solid starting quarterback in the NFL is arguably the most valuable position in sports.
Simpson and Moore are both first-year starters who could return to school, so there’s uncertainty on whether they’ll be in the 2026 class. Mendoza has one year of eligibility remaining, but all signs point to him declaring. Scouts had said Mendoza could quickly catapult his way up draft boards if he made the adjustment to Curt Cignetti’s Indiana offense after transferring from Cal. He certainly has, to the tune of 2,758 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes and five interceptions.
Justice Haynes takes it 75 yards to the house to put Michigan back in front vs. Nebraska.
Yates: Mendoza. Except for the Titans and Giants, almost every team within striking distance of the first pick needs a quarterback to build around. Of those three QBs in the first-round mix, Mendoza is the one that I feel most confident in declaring for the draft. The QB1 conversation is not open and closed in my book, as much of it will be determined by the team’s offensive system and preferred QB play style.
That said, Love’s ability to break off big runs, patience and vision behind the line of scrimmage, and overall speed at 6-foot and 214 pounds make him special. A team might go against positional value — and against higher-priority needs — and still take him in the back half of the top 10.
Reid: This isn’t an overly impressive running back class, but there are a few names to know. Love is the obvious top option, and his Notre Dame backfield mate, Jadarian Price, is my RB2. Jonah Coleman (Washington) and Justice Haynes (Michigan) also have starter-level traits and could be drafted inside the top 75 picks. Haynes recently underwent foot surgery, which could have major implications on where he’s selected.
Another name to keep an eye on throughout the predraft process is Emmett Johnson (Nebraska). His 1,451 rushing yards this season currently lead the FBS.
Kelley Jones picks off Mississippi State BulldogsPicked! Kelley Jones hauls in the interception
But even beyond the first round, there are some reliable, sure-handed pass catchers in the class. Ja’Kobi Lane (USC), KC Concepcion (Texas A&M), Malachi Fields (Notre Dame), Chris Brazzell II (Tennessee) and Bryce Lance (North Dakota State) all have the goods to make an NFL impact. And don’t discount the kick-return ability of some of these guys — that matters a lot now.
Reid: Right now, I would say four. This offensive tackle class doesn’t have the surefire top-10 picks that Will Campbell and Armand Membou were in 2025. The battle to be the first offensive tackle off the board is probably between the Utah duo of Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, but Francis Mauigoa (Miami) is another name to remember. Although he has strictly played right tackle for the Hurricanes, many scouts that I have talked to view him as a guard at the next level.
Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) will be a highly debated prospect, as some evaluators view him as a Round 1 player, whereas others have him graded as a Day 2 prospect because of inconsistency. Guard Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) and tackle Trevor Goosby (Texas) are also on the rise and could eventually get first-round consideration.
Kiper: Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State. He keeps producing and just clipped 1,000 yards on the season with his fourth 100-plus-yard game two weeks ago against St. Thomas-Minnesota. The 6-foot-3, 209-pounder is the younger brother of quarterback Trey Lance, and he’s looking like a Day 2 pick. He’s averaging 20.0 yards per catch, sells his routes well and uses his great body control to make tough catches in tight coverage along the sideline.
Jordan Raanan, Giants reporter: Wide receiver or offensive line. The Giants still need another offensive threat who strikes fear into opposing defenses. They have some solid players after wide receiver Malik Nabers but no real explosive playmakers. Plus, a decision must be made on fellow receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who is a free agent after the season.
New York’s offensive line is playing well right now — it’s ranked in the top half of the league in pass block win rate — but there are questions for the future. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is having a strong season and is in line for a payday as an impending free agent. Will he stay in New York? Left guard Greg Van Roten is also a free agent and 35 years old. One could argue that the Giants could greatly benefit from taking a Pro Bowl guard or tackle at the top of the draft.
Reid: A debate for defensive line could be made here, but I’m going with linebacker. I’m extremely high on this class. It not only has strong names at the top but also depth throughout. Arvell Reese (Ohio State) is my No. 1 prospect, but I have him ranked at edge rusher. So, Sonny Styles — Reese’s Ohio State teammate — is my top-ranked player at the position, followed closely by CJ Allen (Georgia). Both project as mid-to-late first-round picks.
Jake Golday (Cincinnati), Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas) and Josiah Trotter (Missouri) are strong candidates to be selected on Day 2 and project as starters early in their careers.
Miller: Yes. Reese is a great example of a player who will make the transition from a college stack linebacker to a full-time pass rusher role, a la Micah Parsons or Abdul Carter. At 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, Reese has impressed this season with his dominant first step off the edge, which he couples with power in his hands to allow him to run through blockers. Reese has the best pass-rush traits of any edge rusher in the class despite never playing the position on a full-time basis.
Miller: Bain is seen as a top-five player and one of the most pro-ready players in the class. “He’s Trey Hendrickson,” said an AFC East scout who has seen Bain in person. And a scout from the NFC North said, “He’s the safest bet on defense because he brings a power element to his game and has more than enough quickness. He’s a Day 1 RDE and 10-year starter.”
Bain’s tape doesn’t show the sheer speed of Reese or previous highly drafted defensive ends, but what he lacks in chase skills he makes up for in power and leverage at 6-foot-3 and 275 pounds. In that way he’s very similar to Jared Verse.
Kiper: I’ll cheat and say two names because they have similar reasoning. Clemson’s T.J. Parker and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk have all the traits in the world and have shown they can get to the QB. Parker had 11 sacks in 2024 and shows speed-to-power. Faulk had seven sacks in 2024 and wins with inside and outside moves. But neither has produced much in 2025.