2026 NFL Draft: PFF latest mock draft features wild Dallas Cowboys trade, Ty Simpson rising the board

NFL Mock draft season is upon us, and with time running out to correctly project who will land where, Pro Football Focus is out with another edition. This one features a major trade in the top of the draft, with the Dallas Cowboys packaging picks to move up to No. 3 overall.

That result could leave other teams in the lurch; PFF has Dallas selecting running back Jeremiyah Love, an oft-reported target for Kansas City. So what other fallout does the trade create?

Let’s take a dive into PFF’s latest mock draft to see. We begin below.

The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and national championship winning quarterback seems to be a slam dunk favorite as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. He’s the kind of player who can change a program’s fortunes — just ask Indiana.

In his lone year at Indiana, Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns, against just six interceptions. He also ran for 276 yards and seven scores. The perfect candidate to lead off PFF’s mock draft.

Photo by Neil Gershman/Zooba Images

The Jets need help in several places, but shoring up the defensive front after the loss of Quinnen Williams is a priority. How about adding one of college’s top pass-rushers to the mix?

Bain racked up 15.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks en route to the national title game in 2025. During his three-year career at Miami he logged 33.5 tackles for a loss and 20.5 sacks. That’s getting it done at a high level.

The first running back off the board goes to a team that has been searching for answers at the position for the last year or two. Dallas could certainly afford to use a draft pick to grab the top available back in this mock draft, and PFF has them trading up to get it.

Love is coming off a season in which he tallied 199 carries for 1,372 yards. He was great in the big games and against cupcakes, scoring 18 times — in every game but the season opener against Miami.

Tennessee looks to shore up its defense with an early pick out of Ohio State — which provides plenty of options in the top end of the draft. In this mock draft it’s Sonny Styles going ahead of teammate Arvell Reese.

PFF points to an 87.4 run-defense grade, a 91.6 tackling grade and an 86.9 coverage grade as reasons for the selection. Styles tallied 82 tackles, 6.5 tackles for a loss, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble and three passes defended during his final year with the Buckeyes.

Francis Mauigoa (photo by Neil Gershman)

The offensive line could be a hard-hit position in the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft, even though PFF isn’t predicting a huge run in this mock draft. Still, the New York Giants are tapping into the deep pool. Here, Francis Mauigoa comes off the board.

Mauigoa was the star of a very good Miami offensive line, one that helped the Hurricanes reach the national title game. At 6 foot 6, 335 pounds, Mauigoa is the ideal mold for an offensive tackle.

The Cleveland Browns desperately need to upgrade their arsenal of weapons for whoever mans the quarterback position. Ohio State has been the place to go for wide receiver talent over the last decade, and Carnell Tate is next in line in this mock draft.

Tate finished his 2025 campaign with 51 catches for 875 yards. He also found the end zone nine times, showing he can be a big-play threat.

The third defensive player comes off the board to Washington, and Reese was the best that Ohio State — and possibly college football — had to offer at his position. He was absolutely everywhere in 2025.

This season, Reese logged 69 tackles, 10.0 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. He also had two passes defended, showing some ability to be disruptive in the passing lanes.

LSU transfer CB Mansoor Delane has been elite for the Tigers on defense (Photo: USA Today) (Photo: USA Today)

The mock draft continues with another defensive pick, this time the first in the secondary. And it’s a homecoming of sorts for Delane, who played the last of his college ball at LSU.

Delane, in his final season, racked up 45 tackles. He also picked off two passes and broke up 11 passes, showing to be extremely disruptive in the passing game.

Many have the Kansas City Chiefs targeting a running back in the first round, but if Jeremiyah Love is off the board as early as PFF projects, the Chiefs could turn elsewhere. Few better places to turn than David Bailey from a stout Texas Tech defense.

Bailey was a first-team AP All-American this season. He also earned a slew of other awards after finishing with 47 tackles, 18.0 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and three passes defended.

The trend remains defense to close out the top 10 in PFF’s mock draft. Cincinnati snatches arguably the best defensive back in the class with Caleb Downs out of Ohio State.

Downs emerged on the scene as a star freshman at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State. With the Buckeyes, he won a national title. This season, Downs tallied 68 tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, two interceptions and two passes defended.

Rest of the PFF Mock Draft:

Miami Dolphins: OT Spencer Fano, Utah

*TRADE* Arizona Cardinals: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

Los Angeles Rams: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

Baltimore Ravens: WR Makai Lemon, USC

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

New York Jets: OG Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

Detroit Lions: EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami

Minnesota Vikings: S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

Carolina Panthers: OT Blake Miller, Clemson

Arizona Cardinals: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

Pittsburgh Steelers: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo