Field YatesDec 10, 2025, 06:15 AM ETCloseField Yates is a fantasy football expert and NFL draft analyst for ESPN. You can find him on Fantasy Football Now on Sunday mornings and regularly on NFL Live throughout the week, as well as the Fantasy Focus and First Draft podcasts. A graduate of Wesleyan University (CT) and native of Weston, Mass., Yates has previous experience interning with the New England Patriots on both their coaching and scouting staffs.Follow on X
play0:38Clemson’s Avieon Terrell forces a fumble on Bauer SharpAvieon Terrell hits Bauer Sharp as he’s falling and Ricardo Jones picks it up for Clemson.
play0:39Washington’s Denzel Boston scores big TD on fourth downDenzel Boston’s 13-yard touchdown makes it a one-score game against Oregon.
Who does Field Yates like for the top pick in the NFL draft? (1:02)Field Yates examines the top-pick candidacy of Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore. (1:02)
Clemson’s Avieon Terrell forces a fumble on Bauer SharpAvieon Terrell hits Bauer Sharp as he’s falling and Ricardo Jones picks it up for Clemson.
Washington’s Denzel Boston scores big TD on fourth downDenzel Boston’s 13-yard touchdown makes it a one-score game against Oregon.
play0:19Dante Moore scores Oregon’s first TDDante Moore rushes for a 1-yard Ducks touchdown.
1. New York Jets (via projected trade with 2-11 NYG)
7. New York Giants (via projected trade with 3-10 NYJ)
18. New York Giants (via projected trade with 3-10 NYJ)
We have reached the tipping point of the 2025 NFL season, where some fan bases have playoff aspirations while others are hoping for a high draft pick. So it’s the perfect time to look ahead to the 2026 NFL draft, especially since the college football regular season concluded this past weekend. Let’s project Round 1 picks.
I did my first mock draft for this cycle in August, but a lot has changed since then. We had a handful of trades mix up the first round, as four teams now have multiple Day 1 picks: the Rams (from the Falcons), the Browns (from the Jaguars), the Cowboys (from the Packers) and the Jets (from the Colts). And some teams with rookie quarterbacks — like the Browns, Giants and Saints — might be satisfied enough to not select another quarterback in 2026. Team needs are already shifting.
As we say before every mock draft, it’s important to remember things will change a good deal before the draft gets rolling on April 23. We still have bowl games and predraft events for the prospects, and free agency will shake up NFL teams’ rosters. We don’t even know the real draft order yet; the order below is based on the inverse of the standings through Week 14. But for now, here is where things stand and how I’d project Round 1. (Note: Underclassmen are identified with an asterisk.)
The Giants drafted their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart and a building-block pass rusher in Abdul Carter this year, making this a scenario where they would likely field offers to move down if they do end up with the No. 1 pick. The Jets, meanwhile, can make an aggressive move up for a QB; Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and now Brady Cook haven’t stabilized their quarterback situation. The Jets are equipped with more premium draft picks than any other team after their deadline dealings.
In this mock draft trade, the Jets would send both of their first-round picks (Nos. 7 and 18) and a Day 2 pick to the Giants for the top selection.
Dante Moore scores Oregon’s first TDDante Moore rushes for a 1-yard Ducks touchdown.
The Titans and Giants are the only teams with a better than 5% chance at the No. 1 pick that are not in the QB market (per ESPN’s Football Power Index). But Tennessee is missing the young edge rusher talent that New York likely got in 2025 with Abdul Carter. It can find that here — Reese has a case to be the best overall prospect in this entire draft class.
After just 0.5 sacks as mostly a linebacker last season, he posted 6.5 sacks as a primary edge rusher this year. Reese has exceptional burst and power, plus the frame to be a standout NFL edge rusher. As an every-down player, he would form a perfect pairing next to defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Tate is the next first-round lock from the Ohio State receiver room, and he would be awesome in the Cleveland pass game. He has very good size, runs terrific routes and can make contested catches. He would bring a vertical ability, as he averaged 17.5 yards per catch this season. Also of note: Tate has zero drops on 58 targets this season. No Browns wide receiver has reached 40 catches or 500 receiving yards this season. Time for an upgrade.
New Orleans has seen promising play from rookie quarterback Tyler Shough and could opt against drafting a top signal-caller, even in the top five. Taking an offensive tackle in the first round for the third straight season might seem odd, but the Saints could move 2024 draftee Taliese Fuaga from right tackle to right guard in this scenario.
Mauigoa has been a three-year starter for Miami, playing all but 13 of his snaps at right tackle over the past three seasons. He has excellent mauling power and size at 6-6, 315 pounds, and he holds up extremely well in pass protection. Mauigoa allowed a pressure on just 0.5% of dropbacks this season, the best of any FBS offensive tackle. The Saints, meanwhile, are 31st in pass block win rate (54.5%).
He’s an amazingly explosive, agile and balanced runner who effortlessly makes defenders miss (60 forced missed tackles this season on just 199 carries). The Heisman Trophy finalist is also a legitimate threat in the passing game, with 10.4 yards per catch and three receiving touchdowns this season.
Clemson’s Avieon Terrell forces a fumble on Bauer Sharp
Avieon Terrell hits Bauer Sharp as he’s falling and Ricardo Jones picks it up for Clemson.
Washington’s Denzel Boston scores big TD on fourth down
Denzel Boston’s 13-yard touchdown makes it a one-score game against Oregon.
Simpson has nifty in-pocket movement, the ability to be an accurate passer and a strong arm when he can set his platform. Given their extra first-round pick, the Rams can afford to take a chance on their quarterback of the future.
Update: On Wednesday night, it was reported that Bell suffered a torn ACL and is set to have surgery this week, likely keeping him out of the first round.
Mendoza has had a remarkable season at Indiana, showing off excellent accuracy and a powerful right arm to pair with much improved pocket awareness and sack avoidance after two seasons at Cal. He leads the FBS with 33 passing touchdowns this season and just handled an extremely tough test against Ohio State, leading Indiana to its first Big Ten Championship since 1967. The Jets are currently 27th in QBR (40.5), needing a long-term answer for coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey to cement themselves within the organization.
The Commanders have relied on an extremely veteran group of edge rushers this season, lacking a true difference-maker at the position. Von Miller leads Washington with six sacks at 36 years old. But there’s no better pure rusher in this class than Bailey, who had the second-most sacks (13.5) and pressures (62) in the FBS during his only season at Texas Tech. That makes for a good fit. Bailey’s first step puts offensive tackles on their heels in a hurry, and he has eight forced fumbles over the past two seasons.
After trading down from No. 1 in this mock draft, the Giants can hammer away at their needs — and one of them is more playmakers for Dart. The Giants struggled to piece things together on offense without Malik Nabers (torn ACL) for much of this season, and top fill-in receiver Wan’Dale Robinson will be a free agent in March. Tyson brings a package of size, versatility and explosiveness that would pair great next to Nabers. When the ball is in Tyson’s hands, he is tenacious and flexes excellent acceleration. His production dipped this season (711 receiving yards, down from 1,101 in 2024), but he missed three games with a hamstring injury and was without starting quarterback Sam Leavitt for all of November.
The Cardinals are closer to getting on track than their record indicates, and right tackle is where they could start the process. Jonah Williams has been the team’s preferred right tackle over the past two seasons, but he has played in only 15 games over that span, is currently on injured reserve after shoulder surgery and will be a free agent this offseason. Meanwhile, Fano has surrendered just one sack in two years at Utah. His lighter frame has made some scouts think he could thrive at guard, but Arizona could start him out at right tackle and move him inside if needed. Whether it’s Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett or someone else under center for the Cardinals, they’re going to get better protection.
The Rams are in rare territory as a strong Super Bowl contender with a potential top-10 pick in April — thanks to the Falcons. While they have the option to make another move with the pick, they could use it here on one of the best safety prospects in recent memory. Downs is a versatile, tone-setting defender who has the chance to be the first safety picked in the top 10 since Jamal Adams went No. 6 to the Jets in 2017. Downs has played in an NFL scheme at Ohio State for much of his college career; he can handle coverage deep in the middle of the field and be a menacing force in the box. Los Angeles has a ton of young talent up front on its defense, but it might lose players on the back end this offseason. Safety Kam Curl is a free agent in March.
Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai (who leads the teams in sacks) are scheduled to be free agents in Cincinnati. The Bengals tried to prepare for this future by taking Shemar Stewart in the first round this year, but he has been a nonfactor. Cincinnati really needs to look at the defense again. The Bengals are allowing 6.3 yards per play, worst in the NFL. While some scouts think Bain’s lack of length could make him a late first-round pick, all of them agree he’s one of the best prospects at his position. I like him in Cincinnati. His relentless, powerful and explosive traits helped him to ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors this season. Expect much more debate around Bain and his ceiling in the coming months, but no offense had a real answer for him at the collegiate level.