We're less than one month away from the draft, so I'm really starting to dig into my 2026 NFL mock drafts and explore all the possibilities for each selection and what those various options might mean for subsequent picks.

With that in mind, here are the biggest questions I have for each of the top 10 picks in the 2026 NFL draft.

For all of our draft coverage, check out our NFL Draft Guide.

Round 1 Pick-by-Pick 2026 NFL Draft Questions

No. 1: Raiders

No questions here. This pick will be QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana), who's the No. 1 player on my big board.

In my opinion, he's multiple tiers above the other QBs in the class.

No. 2: Jets

I think the Jets are locked into EDGE here.

The question: Will they take Arvell Reese (Ohio State) or David Bailey (Texas Tech)?

Both guys last year were first-team All-Americans. Both were winners at the combine.

Reese is just 20 years old and still raw as an LB/EDGE hybrid.

Bailey was productive all through his four-year college career, and last season he had a nation-best 14.5 sacks along with 19.5 tackles for loss.

Potential vs. production. That's the question.

No. 3: Cardinals

The question for the Cardinals: Do they take EDGE or OT? Or framed differently: Do they take the best player available or do they reach for a need?

Out of Reese and Bailey, whoever the Jets don't take at No. 2 will be available for the Cardinals at No. 3, and that guy will likely be the best player left on the board at a premium position.

But the Cardinals have EDGEs Josh Sweat, Zaven Collins, BJ Ojulari and Baron Browning. Those guys aren't world beaters, but the Cardinals don't actually need another EDGE.

What they do need, though, is an OT, specifically RT. And that's why OT Francis Mauigoa (Miami) is regularly mocked here.

Mauigoa turns 21 years old in June. He was the No. 1 OT in the 2023 recruitment class, he started all three years at RT in college and this past season he was a consensus first-team All-American.

I get it.

But he might not have the arm length (33.25 inches) or the technique to stick at OT in the NFL.

And No. 3 is probably too early to take RT—especially one who might end up transitioning to G.

Mauigoa is currently No. 12 on my big board, and it's not as if that's an unreasonable ranking. For comparison: He's No. 10 on Daniel Jeremiah's most recent big board.

For the 2025 draft, I was No. 1 in big board accuracy and No. 3 in mock accuracy. Since 2020, I'm the No. 1 mocker in the known universe.

For my mocks, I've stuck with EDGE at No. 3 … but I might pivot to OT.

I don't believe the Cardinals should go OT here, but I also think this is close to a coin flip.

No. 4: Titans

For the Titans at No. 4, I have a few questions.

The first: Will Reese or Bailey fall to No. 4? And if that happens, will that guy just automatically be the pick? With new defensive HC Robert Saleh, the pick would be tempting. 

That would give the Titans a front four comprised of:

• EDGE Jermaine Johnson: With Saleh on 2022-23 Jets
• DT John Franklin-Myers: With Saleh on 2021-23 Jets
• DT Jefferey Simmons: First-team All-Pro
• EDGE Reese or Bailey: Big upside
   

But even if Reese or Bailey is available, will that guy definitely be the pick?

Because RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) and LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State) would also be realistic options.

Regarding Love: He's just 20 years old. He won the 2025 Doak Walker Award as the top RB in college football, and over the past two seasons, he put up 3,014 yards and 40 TDs from scrimmage in 28 games.

With a three-down skill set, workhorse frame (6-0, 212 pounds), and home run speed (4.36, 40-yard dash), Love could be one of the NFL's top backs as a rookie.

I currently have him as my No. 8 RB for fantasy.

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Wherever Love lands, he could draw Round 1 investment in fantasy drafts for season-long, best ball and Guillotine Leagues™. 

And then there's Styles. He's an off-ball LB, but he has the size to play EDGE (6-foot-5, 244 pounds), the skill to play DB (No. 1 S in the 2022 recruitment class) and the athleticism to play RB, WR or TE (4.46, 40-yard dash, 43.5-inch vertical jump, 11-2 broad jump).

It wouldn't be hard to imagine Saleh wanting Styles as a versatile matchup weapon for his defense.

No. 5: Giants

For the Giants, this is my main question: Will they prefer Love or Styles?

I can see new HC John Harbaugh wanting Love as a weapon for the offense and someone who can theoretically help take pressure off second-year QB Jaxson Dart.

At the same time, Styles could dominate in a defense with EDGEs Brian Burns and Abdul Carter.

Right now, I feel as if there's over a 50% chance that one of Love or Styles is the guy at No. 5.

No. 6: Browns

The Browns are one of five teams with multiple picks in Round 1, so they could go in a number of directions.

But they have two big apparent needs: LT and WR—so the question is which position they address at No. 6.

Before free agency, I thought OL was the clear choice at No. 6. At that time, the Browns had needs at literally every position along the OL, so I could imagine them selecting Mauigoa at that spot to play RT.

That would've been a reasonable selection.

But since then, the Browns traded for RT Tytus Howard, re-signed RG Teven Jenkins and signed C Elgton Jenkins and LG Zion Johnson in free agency.

So now all they need on the OL is LT … and there's no true candidate at that position for No. 6.

Mauigoa plays RT, but in the NFL, he might need to play G. The same is also true for OT Spencer Fano (Utah). And G Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) might be the best OL in the class, but he's purely an iOL prospect.

But after those guys, there are three LT prospects likely to go near the middle of Round 1.

• OT Monroe Freeling (Georgia)
• OT Kadyn Proctor (Alabama)
• OT Caleb Lomu (Utah)
   

A lot of mocks now have Freeling going to the Browns at No. 6.

It could happen. It's the Browns. When it comes to that organization, all manner of stupid is in play.

But that would also be a massive reach. Freeling is No. 16 on my big board. He's No. 20 on Jeremiah's.

So the smart move would be for the Browns to go WR at No. 6, where they can take either Carnell Tate (Ohio State) or Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), both of whom are in my top 10.

And then at No. 24, they can take whoever remains at LT.

Freeling will likely be gone by then, but Proctor and Lomu are fine LT candidates.

I prefer the combination of Tate/Tyson and Proctor/Lomu to that of Freeling and whatever WR the Browns might get at No. 24. Let's say Denzel Boston (Washington), KC Concepcion (Texas A&M), and Omar Cooper (Indiana).

But who knows which combination the Browns will prefer?

Also, I guess there would be this question for the Browns: Do they think that QB Ty Simpson (Alabama) deserves to go in Round 1?

If so, they might consider him at No. 6.

But I doubt they'll take him that high—and I'm skeptical Simpson will go in Round 1.

No. 7: Commanders

The Commanders need help all over.

If Reese or Bailey were to fall somehow to No. 7, I think he would almost certainly be the pick.

But assuming neither of those guys is available, the question is whether the Commanders would want the next EDGE available—let's say that's Rueben Bain (Miami)—or would they want a strong player at a non-premium position: Love, Styles, or S Caleb Downs (Ohio State)?

Before free agency, I would've easily gone with EDGE.

But the Commanders aggressively addressed the position in free agency by signing Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson and Charles Omenihu to go with Dorance Armstrong.

A few teams like to be five deep at EDGE, but most teams use a regular four-man rotation, so EDGE feels set.

That means if the Commanders take Bain, they'll likely be doing so because they strongly feel he's the best player available. And he might be.

Bain started all three years in college, and last season he won the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top DE and earned consensus first-team All-American recognition.

But he has serious lack of height (6-foot-2) and arm length (30.88-inch arms), so he might work best in the NFL as an interior pass rusher … but the Commanders already have DTs Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw, Jer'Zhan Newton and Tim Settle.

So I lean toward one of the studs at a non-premium position … but not Downs, because S tends to be devalued in the draft, and the team signed SS Nick Cross and slot CB Amik Robertson in free agency, and those are the spots Downs would be likeliest to play.

All of that said … I think both Love and Styles have a good chance to be gone by No. 7—so it ultimately might be Bain in the end, even though the team no longer has an immediate need at EDGE.

No. 8: Saints

Will the Saints go EDGE or WR?

They don't truly need EDGE. They have Chase Young and Carl Granderson at the position, but they lack strong depth after letting franchise stalwart Cameron Jordan walk in free agency.

Assuming Reese and Bailey are both gone by No. 8, Bain would be a viable candidate for the Saints—but I lean toward WR, where the Saints have … checks notes … Devaughn Vele and Mason Tipton playing alongside Chris Olave.

Clearly, the Saints need to get more pass-catching weapons for promising second-year QB Tyler Shough.

So then the question becomes: Which WR?

I think it's between Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Makai Lemon (USC), given that I expect Tate to go ahead of No. 8. (Tate is the No. 1 WR in our 2026 Rookie Super Model.)

Of the two, I prefer Tyson. He was the No. 1 WR at Colorado as an 18-year-old true freshman. As a redshirt sophomore at Arizona State, he looked like one of the best WRs in the country (75-1,101-10 receiving, 12 games).

And then last year he dominated (57-628-8 receiving, 2-4-1 rushing) for the first seven games before hamstring injuries sabotaged the rest of his campaign.

His medical history is significant: His freshman season ended with an ACL tear, which sidelined him for most of the following year. His redshirt sophomore campaign culminated in a broken collarbone, and then the second half of his final season was wiped out by soft-tissue issues.

But on the field, Tyson looks like the No. 1 WR in the class, and he's my No. 1 WR on the big board.

Yet some teams might prefer Lemon, who was a unanimous first-team All-American last year and the 2025 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's best pass catcher (79-1,156-11 receiving, 9-4-2 rushing, 12 games).

I think he's more of a slot-only player, whereas Tyson (I believe) can line up at all three WR spots.

But Lemon wouldn't surprise me at No. 8, since I think the NFL is higher on him than I am.

No. 9: Chiefs

Like the Browns, the Chiefs have two picks in Round 1.

Honestly, so many questions for this team.

• Will they trade down at No. 9?
• Will they try to get another playmaker for QB Patrick Mahomes?
• If so, would that be a WR or maybe TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon)?
• If Love were to fall to No. 9, would they draft him?
• Do the Chiefs think veteran Jaylon Moore is an adequate replacement for departed RT Jawaan Taylor?
• After losing CBs Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson and FS Bryan Cook this offseason, would the Chiefs consider CB Mansoor Delane (LSU) or S Caleb Downs (Ohio) at No. 9?
• Given what the Chiefs have on the roster right now, is EDGE actually the most pressing position at No. 9?
   

I won't even attempt to answer all these questions here.

Over the past few months, I've mocked the Chiefs at No. 9 with a lot of different players.

Right now, I think OT and EDGE are the likeliest positions for No. 9, specifically Mauigoa and Bain.

No. 10: Bengals

This feels like a pick in the back seven.

If Styles somehow falls this far, I believe the Bengals would almost automatically take him.

But assuming he's gone, then I think the question is this: Delane vs. Downs?

Delane was a unanimous first-team All-Pro last year.

That said, Downs entered college as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 S in the 2023 class, and he exited it as a two-time unanimous first-team All-American and the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award and Ronnie Lott Trophy. 

The Bengals could certainly use perimeter CB, and they signed FS Bryan Cook in free agency, but I think Downs would be the pick. The Bengals could use him at either SS or slot CB.

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