Each April, I build a complete seven-round NFL mock draft that attempts to find homes for former college prospects based on their value, as well as the roster needs and schemes of all 32 pro teams.
We're bringing back the mock draft concept to re-imagine the NFL landscape for a fifth straight year, with teams building balanced rosters -- including veteran and young talent on both sides of the ball -- designed to WIN NOW. In past editions of this exercise, I often projected players to new teams to mix things up. But this year, I kept more NFL stars with their current squads, as organizations may very well value familiarity when assembling a fresh depth chart.
This sort of mass redistribution of talent would obviously never happen in real life. But with training camps still a few weeks away, let's have a little fun.
This mock draft is simply one version of countless possible projections given players' expected on-field performance in 2026 (assuming they are all on one-year contracts) and each team's current coaching staff and front office.
Before we get started, a few important notes:
- Teams are listed based on the first-round order from the 2026 NFL Draft, restoring traded or forfeited picks to the original holders.
- The subsequent rounds are "snaked" to distribute talent evenly among the 32 franchises -- that is, the order of Round 1 is reversed in Round 2, which is reversed in Round 3, and so on. The order does account for tiebreakers from round to round, though, so it's not a straight snake throughout.
- No trades or compensatory selections were included.
- Unsigned free agents such as receivers Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill are not included.
The Raiders tab Allen as the No. 1 overall pick, hoping the 2024 NFL MVP's skill set can lead them to their first title in over 40 years.
Mahomes missed the end of last season with a knee injury, but he's aiming to be ready at the start of the coming campaign. And he’ll be quite motivated to prove last year’s disappointment was an aberration.
If Mike LaFleur needs a quarterback for one season, he'll take the reigning MVP with whom he is intimately familiar, having spent the past three years as Rams offensive coordinator.
The Titans hope Burrow returns from a turf toe-abbreviated season to recapture the magic he showed two years ago, when he led the league with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.
Jackson had a bit of a down year in 2025, but new Giants head coach John Harbaugh saw firsthand in Baltimore how the two-time MVP can lift a franchise.
The Browns select an ascending talent in Maye, who nearly won MVP as a second-year pro in 2025.
Herbert threw more interceptions in 2025 (13) than he did in the previous two seasons combined (10), but the Commanders know he had to overcome a series of injuries to his supporting cast and himself.
Saints head coach Kellen Moore could be a fan of Love, especially after the quarterback boosted his completion percentage (66.3 percent) and reduced the interceptions (six) last fall.
Andy Reid takes a known quantity in Goff to lead an efficient-yet-explosive offensive attack.
Cincinnati looks for Lawrence to finally reach his full potential as a former No. 1 overall pick one year after taking a big step in that direction by leading Jacksonville to a 13-4 record.
The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year took a step backward in 2025, but Miami should take a shot on his passing and running skills.
The Cowboys stick with their decade-long starter in Prescott, who bounced back from injury to throw for 4,552 yards and 30 scores last season.
New Falcons skipper Kevin Stefanski brings the future Hall of Famer along with him from Cleveland, setting his defensive foundation for next season.
Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, worked with Williams in Chicago last year and may have seen enough growth to give the thumbs-up on this pick to Ravens administrators.
Mayfield has become the heart and soul of the Buccaneers franchise. I can't picture him anywhere else.
Anderson has become one of the top defenders in the league, a true building block to construct a roster around.
The Lions traded away veteran back David Montgomery this offseason to get the ball in Gibbs' hands more often. They wouldn't pass on the elite offensive threat at this point in the first round.
In a fun development, Minnesota's newly hired general manager, Nolan Teasley, brings back the Vikings' 2024 starter after he and Darnold won a Super Bowl together last season in Seattle.
Smith-Njigba led Seattle's offense and topped the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in just his third year in the league.
Green Bay can't pass up Robinson, who just led the league in total yards from scrimmage (2,298) at age 23.
Hutchinson came back from a serious injury to register 14.5 sacks last season. The Steelers hope he'll be even better with a fully-healthy year under his belt.
Jim Harbaugh gets his bell-cow back, likely giving Taylor 300 carries for the fourth time in his career.
While Barkley's production dropped to "just" 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground last season, this is still the player who carried the Eagles to a Lombardi Trophy in 2024.
The Jaguars take the up-and-coming Nix to learn from offensive guru Liam Coen.
I'm guessing defensive coordinator Dennis Allen would stand on the table for the tall, powerful and relentless Crosby, an ideal player to lead Allen’s four-man front.
The Bills have groomed Cook to be one of the top all-around backs in the NFL, so I doubt they'd let him slip by.
The first-round run on backs stops with McCaffrey, who went over 2,000 yards of offense again last season and looks ready for another excellent campaign despite turning 30 years old this summer.
Houston stands behind the former No. 2 overall pick despite his four-interception nightmare in January’s Divisional Round loss at New England.
Nacua’s had a concerning offseason, but his contributions to the Rams' offensive success (leading the league with 129 receptions and 80 first-down catches) cannot be disputed.
In real life, the Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle to get a difference maker at receiver. So, in this exercise, grabbing Chase after a 125-catch, first-team All-Pro season makes all kinds of sense.
Purdy's been on a downward trend over the past two years, but Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels presumably would have interest in rebuilding the quarterback's game.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald helped Hamilton reach his potential while serving as the defensive coordinator in Baltimore. I'm guessing a reunion would make both sides happy.
