Post-Free Agency Frenzy Mock Draft: How did the open market shake up NFL Draft needs?
The first day of NFL free agency has come and gone as teams threw around money across the league. What impact do these signings have on the NFL Draft? Let's find out!
We are one day into free agency, and we’ve already seen the 2026 NFL Draft landscape shift dramatically because of the money being thrown around here and from the fallout from the NFL Combine.
The Los Angeles Rams, a cornerback-needy team, have now invested heavy assets into their cornerback room. The New York Jets spend big on two edge rushers, potentially putting them in a position to take the best player available with pick No. 2 instead of an edge rusher like David Bailey or Rueben Bain. The New Orleans Saints still do not have a wide receiver for Tyler Shough to throw the football to outside of Chris Olave.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have each also added a second first round pick to their arsenal, as well, after both cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end Maxx Crosby were moved for serious assets.
We have so much new information leading up to the draft, thanks to the moves made around the league in free agency. What better time for a new mock draft than this?
Let’s get crazy.
1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Do we even need to talk about anything here? The Raiders built up their roster around the quarterback, and they’re taking Fernando Mendoza here in this mock draft.
2. New York Jets: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State
The New York Jets spent big on edge rushers after landing offensive tackles in back-to-back seasons. They’re pretty set on premium positions, and there are no other players at premium positions that make sense for them here at pick No. 2.
While they signed Demario Davis to a two-year deal, could you think of a better mentor for a linebacker like Ohio State’s Arvell Reese than him?
3. Arizona Cardinals: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Could the Ohio State linebackers really fly off the board in the top-3? In a class that is on the weaker side, valuing premium positions over just flat-out good football players is not going to happen.
Sonny Styles is the top player on my big board. The Cardinals have spent at just about every position in free agency except linebacker as well. Here, they land the big, physically imposing alien in Sonny Styles.
4. Tennessee Titans: EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
The Tennessee Titans were once again active in free agency, signing away all of Brian Daboll’s favorite players from his time with the New York Giants. Wide receiver is still a need for the Titans, but the value isn’t here at fifth overall.
Instead, they add an edge rusher to the roster in David Bailey from Texas Tech. While Bailey is not my favorite player in the class, we’re getting a bit predictive here; it sure seems like the NFL loves him.
5. New York Giants: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
The scene of Giants’ owner John Mara looking seemingly devastated at losing Saquon Barkley from Hard Knocks lives on in my head here. Are Mara and the Giants going to pass up the opportunity at another top running back to take the pressure off of Jaxson Dart?
In a wacky draft, three of the first five selections here are non-premium positions as Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love lands with the Titans. What a top-five we have here with two linebackers and a running back.
6. Cleveland Browns: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia
The odds will continue to climb that Georgia’s Monroe Freeling is the first offensive tackle off the board. Teams that want to target the prototypical long and athletic left tackles in the class will favor Freeling over the likes of Spencer Fano and Francis Mauigoa.
And after trading for right tackle Tytus Howard, the Browns now get their bookend. Freeling is young, peaked over the back-half of the season, and has his best football still ahead of him. This is what a rebuilding team needs to build around upfront.
7. Washington Commanders: EDGE Rueben Bain, Miami
The arm length is going to continue to be a topic of conversation for Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain. However, Bain can win condensed inside and on the edge, knows how to play within his frame, and the pass rush moves he opts to hit are moves that do not require long levers.
As Washington comes on the clock here, head coach Dan Quinn needs to add juice off the edge of his defense. Bain is a Quinn-style player as well. This is a strong team/scheme fit for Bain.
8. New Orleans Saints: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
The Saints have taken corrective action to upgrade the fringes of their roster, even pouring more heavy resources into their offensive line with the addition of David Edwards in free agency. They are looking to make their mark and build around quarterback Tyler Shough.
However, Shough needs someone to throw the football to. Outside of Chris Olave, who could be another concussion away from retirement, the wide receiver room in New Orleans is barren. They dip back into the Ohio State receiver pool here and add the dominant ball-winner Carnell Tate to play opposite of Olave.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami
Cutting Jawaan Taylor, the Kansas City Chiefs are in the market for a right tackle. Could they potentially start Jaylon Moore? Sure. But with a deal of $15 million over just the next season, there is no long-term future there, and the Chiefs had no problem making him their wealthy swing tackle a year ago.
They equip the same mindset here and do not let Moore stop them from adding a long-term piece upfront, landing Miami’s standout right tackle Francis Mauigoa. While the Miami right tackle has questions about whether or not he is a tackle or a guard, Kansas City is a great situation for him to find out and, at worst, fail inside to guard.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
While the Bengals added former Cincinnati Bearcat Bryon Cook in free agency, that should not stop their pursuit of Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. A room of Geno Stone and Jordan Battle is not going to stop Cincinnati from adding a wicked smart and well-rounded player like Downs.
We saw what Al Golden did with a brilliant split safety like Xavier Watts when he was the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. He gets the chance at another quarterback of the defense here with Downs as well.
11. Miami Dolphins: TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
A tight end who runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash is going to get drafted early. Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq is not only an athletic freak, but he is not afraid to dig out second-level defenders as a run blocker, and his production was stellar this season up to the point of his mid-season injury in the Rutgers game.
With Bobby Slowik, a McVay disciple, now running the offense in Miami, he’s going to value the skillset of Sadiq the same way that the Rams drooled over Brock Bowers two years ago, where they desperately tried to trade up for him.
12. Dallas Cowboys: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
One of the worst-kept secrets coming out of the NFL Combine was the Dallas Cowboys’ affinity for LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. Seemingly seen as the top cornerback in the class with Jermod McCoy still hanging idle since he tore his ACL last January, the Cowboys need cornerback help.
This is an easy fit from scheme to need, and more. The Cowboys take Delane here in this mock draft.
13. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL): OT Spencer Fano, Utah
To be honest, I don’t really know what to do with Utah right tackle Spencer Fano. Still seen as one of the top tackles in the class, there is no question that he is undersized, and his ability to anchor in against power is tested constantly.
However, the athletic traits are off the charts with the Utah right tackle, and the Los Angeles Rams need a right tackle after the retirement of Rob Havenstein. Some around the NFL see Fano as a potential center convert as well, so the worst-case scenario for the Rams here is to kick him inside after Coleman Shelton’s contract expires after the season if the transition to the NFL level at right tackle does not go swimmingly.
14. Las Vegas Raiders (via BAL): WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
The Raiders are back on the clock here after trading Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens. After signing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency and investing in the trenches, the Raiders now need to get Fernando Mendoza a target to throw to.
Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson is the best receiver in the class, but teams may have concerns about his consistent soft tissue injuries. Good news for Tyson here, however, the Raiders are a dome team that plays half of their away games out west.
Jumpstarting their offense, get ready for Mendoza to Tyson in Vegas.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
The Buccaneers added Alex Anzalone in free agency, effectively removing the need to draft the likes of C.J. Allen here. Cornerback remains a need as well, but the Buccaneers have invested a ton of resources in the room, and may just see how it plays out with Zion McCollum and Benjamin Morrison.
This leaves pass rusher as the glaring need for Tampa. While Cashius Howell is an outlier, with extremely short arms, he gets off the ball in a hurry, has a nuanced plan of attack as a pass rusher, and is not afraid to punch even if he is undersized.
He lands with the Bucs here.
16. New York Jets (via IND): CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
The slide of Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy stops here.
After trading away Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts at the deadline a year ago, the Jets now need to re-invest in their secondary. And make no mistake: while McCoy has not played, tested, or done drills since tearing his ACL in January, he is still a top-tier talent.
He was the No. 3 player on my board entering the season, and I have no new data to change his grade. McCoy has the goods. As long as the ACL comes back clean, some team is going to get a massive bargain. Here, it’s the Jets cashing in.
17. Detroit Lions: OG Vega Ioane, Penn State
Dan Campbell, meet Penn State guard Vega Ioane.
While the Lions signed Cade Mays as their new starting center, and they traded for Juice Scruggs in the David Montgomery deal, that will not stop them from adding the best interior offensive lineman in the draft. Besides, Scruggs has proved to be nothing more than a reserve player to this point in his career.
Ioane fits the Lions’ culture and fills a need for Campbell and the Detroit offense.
18. Minnesota Vikings: CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson
Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves versatile defensive backs who can move around and who can handle a ton on their plate. Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell is used to that from his time in both the slot and outside in college.
Terrell is also a ball hawk; he forced a massive eight fumbles over the past two seasons at Clemson. A player who is not afraid to get in the mud and scrap, Terrell has “Flores player” written all over him.
19. Carolina Panthers: S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
The Carolina Panthers came away from the first day of free agency as massive winners. They landed Jaelan Phillips on a massive four-year, $120 million contract, then ended the day with former first round linebacker Devn Lloyd on a pretty team-friendly deal.
This has opened the door for them to be a bit more creative in the draft. As a result, they add to the third level of their defense and pluck the Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. Scheme versatile, Thieneman played true free safety at Purdue at a high level, then played split safety with the Ducks this season, showing no fear dropping into the box.
Panthers’ defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero has been loaded up with talent.
20. Dallas Cowboys (via GB): EDGE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
Keldric Faulk is perhaps the biggest enigma of the entire 2026 NFL Draft class. He is a firm run defender and just 20 years old. However, he’s pretty stiff with an ordinary first step and not a ton of refinement as a pass rusher.
However, Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones trashed Micah Parsons’ ability to stop the run as a reason for trading him last offseason, and even after trading for Rashan Gary, Dallas still needs edge rushers. Faulk can at least stop the run from day-one as he works to figure the rest out.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: LB C.J. Allen, Georgia
Patrick Queen has not been traded yet. However, I was told at the NFL Combine that he wanted out, and the Steelers are more than happy to oblige. This is going to leave a hole in the middle of the Pittsburgh defense.
Georgia’s C.J. Allen is a heady linebacker, a firm tackler, and an explosive athlete once he triggers off his backfoot downhill. The third linebacker off the board here, Allen lands with the Steelers.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: EDGE R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
Odafe Oweh signed a massive $100 million deal with the Washington Commanders, and while Khalil Mack re-signed for one more season, there is still no long-term outlook at the position for the Los Angeles Chargers.
While R Mason Thomas is undersized, he is lethally explosive, flexible off the edge to attack the outside shoulder of offensive tackles at will, and has one of the more impressive career-long resumes of offensive tackles he has beaten for sacks.
He lands in Los Angeles with the Chargers here.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: DT Peter Woods, Clemson
Insert the newest rendition of the Philadelphia Eagles, adding a former top consensus player from a proven program who slips down the board.
After letting Milton Williams walk a year ago, and now with the Jalen Carter trade rumors floating all around the atmosphere, Peter Woods to the Eagles makes a ton of sense. Seen as the top player before the season, Woods’ tape fell off in 2025; as a result, he has fallen down big boards.
Will this once again benefit the Eagles?
24. Cleveland Browns (via JAX): WR Makai Lemon, USC
Could the Biletnikoff winner really fall this far? We’ll see. However, I have more concerns with Lemon’s body of work against press-man coverage than I do against the other two consensus top receivers (and even more than I do with a guy like Omar Cooper Jr.!).
However, the production, strong hands through contact, creativity after the catch, and ability to eat up green grass against zone coverage is undeniable. After landing Freeling with the sixth overall pick, the Browns now upgrade their wide receiver room with Lemon.
25. Chicago Bears: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
The Bears need to get some help along the interior of their defensive line. And with Andrew Billings, who has been a strong piece of their defensive interior, still sitting on the market in free agency, Chicago could be looking for his replacement in the NFL Draft.
In a defensive tackle room with a ton of gap shooters like Gervon Dexter, adding an absolute anchor like Kayden McDonald puts the cherry on top for the Bears. Their run defense instantly gets three times better here as they take McDonald in this mock draft.
26. Buffalo Bills: DT Caleb Banks, Florida
Speaking of defensive tackles and the need to add beef to their interior, the Buffalo Bills are in a similar boat as the Bears. Here, they land Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks to give themselves another long and explosive pass rusher to pair with Ed Oliver along their interior.
Banks, who was hurt for the majority of the 2025 season, came back to play a couple of games at the end of the year, went to the Senior Bowl and had a good week, then put together a strong NFL Combine just to remind people of the first round prospect that he is.
27. San Francisco 49ers: WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
While the 49ers signed veteran Mike Evans to an extremely team-friendly deal, there is still work to do in the wide receiver room. While they have Ricky Pearsall on the roster, Jauan Jennings is a free agent, and the rest of the room is an island of misfit toys.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has thrived with players who he can get open in space and allow for them to work after the catch. Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. is one of the best receivers after the catch, but also possesses the play-strength to win vertically from both the slot and from Z. He’s an easy fit with San Francisco here.
28. Houston Texans: OT Caleb Lomu, Utah
Addicted to trading offensive linemen, the Texans shipped off Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns and Juice Scruggs to the Detroit Lions this offseason. They did seemingly hit on Aireontae Ersery last year, which helps, but the money that Trent Brown got to re-sign is swing tackle money.
This leaves the window open for the Texans to add another tackle still.
Enter Utah’s athletic Caleb Lomu.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR): WR Denzel Boston, Washington
The Kansas City Chiefs have spent far too long building a wide receiver room out of the same types of players. Every single one of their receivers is a guy who wins within five yards of the line of scrimmage, or is a player who will look to take the top off the defense deep down the field.
However, Patrick Mahomes has lacked a real, dominant ball-winning X receiver for quite some time. Denzel Boston is that missing piece to the Kansas City wide receiver room.
30. Denver Broncos: WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Courtland Sutton has been the beacon of consistency for the Broncos since he was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. And lucky for the Broncos, he is still producing and under contract well into the future.
So, to add to the wide receiver room, a player who can chunk out yards after the catch and can force defenses to defend every blade of grass laterally would be the cherry on top. Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion is the Joker that Sean Payton has been looking for.
31. New England Patriots: OT Blake Miller, Clemson
Morgan Moses did an admirable job at right tackle for the AFC-winning Patriots. However, they need to get younger at the position. Assuming the Patriots give Will Campbell more time at left tackle, they get him a bookend here in Clemson’s Blake Miller.
A prototypically built right tackle, the Patriots do not have to worry about any size or athleticism outlying data, unlike some of the other right tackles in this class. The Patriots land the big and athletic Miller here.
32. Seattle Seahawks: CB Colton Hood, Tennessee
While the Seahawks were able to retain Josh Jobe in free agency, Riq Woolen is still hanging in the balance. Assuming the Seahawks cannot keep both of the cornerbacks, they may have to add a cheap one on a rookie contract.
Enter Tennessee’s physical press-man cornerback Colton Hood. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash, hit over 40 inches in the vertical jump, and 10-foot-5 in the broad jump. Hood checks the boxes.
Selections for teams without a first rounder in the 2026 NFL Draft
45. Baltimore Ravens: EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson
There is a chance that Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker lands in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. However, that’s not the caliber of player that I saw on tape. Still landing in the top-50 here, this is much more his range, joining Maxx Crosby as the Ravens field new-look pass rushers in 2026.
47. Indianapolis Colts: LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri
The middle of the Indianapolis defense is a barren wasteland. If they want to capitalize on what might be the last season of joint play from Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner upfront, then they must add an enforcer behind them. Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter, son of Jeremiah Trotter, is just that.
48. Atlanta Falcons: EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami
The projection on Miami EDGE Akheem Mesidor comes back down to earth here. After the James Pearce fallout, the Falcons are back in the market for a pass rusher. Cameron Thomas is not going to stop this team from drafting one in the top-50 either.
52. Green Bay Packers: DT Domonique Orange, Iowa State
Kenny Clark was shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys a year ago, and the Packers have a hole to fill in the middle of their defensive interior. Big Citrus is just the man for the job.
56. Jacksonville Jaguars: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
The Jaguars just lost Devin Lloyd to the Panthers in NFL free agency, so landing a new linebacker here is a win. Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez may be small, but he tested as a much better athlete than the tape showed. There is legitimate NFL love for the Red Raiders linebacker.