The new league year began with the start of free agency last week. Now that teams have begun to fill holes with ready-made and veteran talent, where does that leave some of the best prospects ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt recently released his 2.0 mock draft, which includes a significant overhaul after the NFL scouting combine as well as the initial events during free agency. Notably, his original mock draft was released right after the Super Bowl.
Since then, several players including Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey and Georgia OT Monroe Freeling have catapulted their way up Klatt’s big board. With that in mind, below you can Klatt’s latest projections beginning at No. 1 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The consensus No. 1 prospect continues to be Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. The Raiders haven’t made any big moves at quarterback other than trading away Geno Smith.
This leaves the Heisman Trophy and national championship-winning quarterback as the favorite to land in Las Vegas. On the field, Mendoza passed for 3,535 yards, 41 passing TD (48 overall) and six interceptions. He finished the season with a 72.0% completion percentage.
Arvell Reese (Birm/Lettermen Row)
Arvell Reese remains as the No. 2 overall prospect in Klatt’s mock draft, and for good reason. Since 2024, Reese has combined for 112 tackles for the Buckeyes.
Most recently, he finished 2025 with 69 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He earned All-American status as a result, but also played a major role in Ohio State’s national championship team the year prior.
David Bailey moved up eight spots from Klatt’s origninal mock draft following his performance at the NFL Combine last month. Bailey ran a 4.5 40-yard-dash to go with a 10-foot-9 broad jump, 1.62-second 10-yard split and recorded a 35-inch vertical.
On the field, he spent one season at Texas Tech after three at Stanford. He logged 14.5 sacks during his lone season with the Red Raiders, which matched his career total with the Cardinal. Bailey also played pivotal role in helping lead Texas Tech to the Big 12 championship and subsequent College Football Playoff appearance.
If Klatt’s projection pans out, Jeremiyah Love will be the first running back to be drafted in the top five since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Ashton Jeanty went sixth overall last season to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Klatt places Love so high after a 2025 season where he was given 199 carries for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.9 yards per carry. He also added 27 catches for 280 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air.
5. New York Giants: Ohio State WR Carnell Tate
The Giants lost 1,000-yard receiver Wan’Dale Robinson to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, so they’d be making up that loss with a deep-ball threat in Carnell Tate here. He averaged 17.2 yards per catch, which ranked 33rd in the country among receivers.
Tate finished this past season for Ohio State having caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine receiving touchdowns. In a draft where as many as five wideouts could hear their name called on day one, Tate appears to be leading that pack.
Monroe Freeling wasn’t even featured in Klatt’s original first-round mock draft, and now he’s projecting the Georgia tackle to be selected as high as No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns. Many believe the Browns will be going offensive tackle here, and they have their pick of the litter in a lineman-rich draft.
In 2025, Freeling played 739 snaps at left tackle. During that stretch, he allowed one sack and was penalized twice. He ranked ninth among left tackles having allowed just five pressures.
7. Washington Commanders: Ohio State LB Sonny Styles
Like Bailey, Sonny Styles shot up Klatt’s 2.0 mock draft after a stellar performance at the combine — and arguably more impressive. The former Ohio State star, who was a safety at one point in his career, ran like it with a 4.46 40-yard-dash time. He also recorded an freakish 43.5-inch vertical jump, as well as an 11-foot-2 broad jump.
During his final season with the Buckeyes, he posted 83 stops (43 solo) with three pass breakups, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception. Styles recorded 100 tackles during Ohio State’s championship season in 2024 as well.
(Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
Jordyn Tyson was a late first-round pick when Klatt released his original mock draft. Now, he’s No. 2 in his WR rankings among a deep group of receivers and potentially poised for a top-10 selection.
This past season, Tyson caught 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns for the Sun Devils. On his career, Tyson caught 158 passes for 2,282 yards and 22 touchdowns. He began his career playing for Deion Sanders at Colorado.
Mansoor Delane started his career at Virginia Tech where he logged 146 tackles with six interceptions and 16 passes broken up across three seasons. In 2025, he transferred to LSU where he finished 45 tackles with two interceptions and a career-high 11 passes defended.
He earned All-American honors for his efforts. Klatt has always been high on him, projecting him to be drafted seventh on his initial mock draft.
Rueben Bain Jr. can impact a game by himself, and that was evident in his 20.5 career sacks — 9.5 of which came during the 2025 season. He’s always a threat to attack the quarterback, ranking first among EDGE rushers this season with 54 hurries and second with 67 pressures.
On his career, he posted 121 total tackles. His explosiveness and ability to relentlessly pursue the quarterback has a strong chance of translating to the professional ranks.
11. Miami Dolphins: Miami OT Francis Mauigoa
12. Dallas Cowboys: Ohio State S Caleb Downs
13. Los Angeles Rams: Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq
14. Baltimore Ravens: Utah OT Spencer Fano
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk
16. New York Jets: Alabama QB Ty Simpson
17. Detroit Lions: Clemson OT Blake Miller
18. Minnesota Vikings: Clemson DT Peter Woods
19. Carolina Panthers: Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor
20. Dallas Cowboys: Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Penn State OG Vega Ioane
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor
24. Cleveland Browns: Indiana WR Omar Cooper
25. Chicago Bears: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
26. Buffalo Bills: Oregon S Dillon Thieneman
27. San Francisco 49ers: Utah OT Caleb Lomu
28. Houston Texans: Arizona State Max Iheanachor
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
30. Denver Broncos: Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion
31. New England Patriots: Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell
32. Seattle Seahawks: Clemson EDGE TJ Parker