{"id":608335,"date":"2026-04-15T11:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/608335\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T11:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T11:17:08","slug":"nfl-draft-guide-fernando-mendoza-is-likely-no-1-pick-after-that-things-get-interesting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/608335\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft Guide: Fernando Mendoza is likely No. 1 pick, after that things get interesting"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s NFL draft<\/a> begins with the first round on April 23 in Pittsburgh with 257 picks spread over a three-day process.<\/p>\n

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza<\/a> is expected to go to the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick. In a departure from most drafts, the Indiana star might be the only quarterback selected in the first round, though Alabama\u2019s Ty Simpson<\/a> is also garnering interest.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s class seems short on sure-fire superstars, though it does appear to be deep at edge rusher, receiver and offensive tackle. Here\u2019s a look at what else to know about the draft.<\/p>\n

When is the NFL draft?<\/p>\n

The first round will be on Thursday, April 23, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. <\/p>\n

The second and third rounds are on Friday, April 24, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

The fourth through seventh rounds are on Saturday, April 25, beginning at noon ET.<\/p>\n

How do I watch the NFL draft?<\/p>\n

All three days will be televised on NFL Network, ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes.<\/p>\n

Who will be the top picks in the NFL draft?<\/p>\n

Mendoza appears to be a virtual lock for the No. 1 spot. After that, things get interesting.<\/p>\n

Ohio State has a number of prospects projected to go in the top 10, including edge rusher Arvell Reese, linebacker Sonny Styles and receiver Carnell Tate. NCAA runner-up Miami also has a pair of coveted players, including offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.<\/p>\n

For more information on the top picks, here is the mock draft<\/a> by AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi.<\/p>\n

What are the top stories heading into the NFL draft?<\/p>\n

QBs taken No. 1 overall in the NFL draft this century have rarely experienced Super Bowl success<\/a><\/p>\n

Patriots exec says \u2018Business as usual\u2019 for Mike Vrabel ahead of the NFL draft<\/a><\/p>\n

NFL draft prospect Bain involved in 2024 crash that resulted in passenger\u2019s death, report says<\/a><\/p>\n

Fewer players from outside the Power Four are being selected in the NFL draft<\/a><\/p>\n

What is the NFL draft order?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the AP\u2019s coverage<\/a> of the 2025 draft. These are the teams that currently possess the top 10 picks of the upcoming draft. <\/p>\n

1. Las Vegas Raiders<\/p>\n

2. New York Jets<\/p>\n

3. Arizona Cardinals<\/p>\n

4. Tennessee Titans<\/p>\n

5. New York Giants<\/p>\n

6. Cleveland Browns<\/p>\n

7. Washington Commanders<\/p>\n

8. New Orleans Saints<\/p>\n

9. Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n

10. Cincinnati Bengals<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s NFL draft begins with the first round on April 23 in Pittsburgh with 257 picks spread…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608336,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[1214,64,63,103353,596,133442,1250,42502,593,10028,6672,12446,12274,295846,133467,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-608335","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-alabama-crimson-tide","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-fernando-mendoza","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-francis-mauigoa","14":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","15":"tag-mike-vrabel","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-draft","18":"tag-nfl-football","19":"tag-pa-state-wire","20":"tag-pennsylvania","21":"tag-rob-maaddi","22":"tag-sonny-styles","23":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608335\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}