I wrote an extensive NFL Team Needs column, then released my Pre-Combine Top-40 NFL Draft Rankings. That means I'm ready to mock draft. Of course, this is the silliest thing I do all year, as everything gets re-set minutes into NFL Free Agency. We'll have more videos and tweets about free agency signings as anyone. In fact, here are my top-10 free agents by position: offense and defense. And the video version.... Dang, I've done a lot for an "off season", including this 96 NFL Moves In 1 Hour video.

The results: 1 QB, 1 RB, 5 WR, 1 TE, 7 OT, 1 OG, 0 C, 3 DT, 5 EDGE, 2 LB, 3 CB, 3 S.

1. Raiders - QB1 Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

   • This is nearly a lock. He's my 1st overall prospect and would've been ahead of Cam Ward or Jaxson Dart from the previous year. Raiders fans should be pumped.

2. Jets - LB1 Arvell Reese, Ohio State

   • The Jets will be switching to a 3-4 defense most likely, and they do have two edge rushers already, including the stand-up OLB type. That doesn't mean they can't go DE David Bailey, but they might like the versatility of Reese more. To me, Reese is so good at off-ball linebacker (my 2nd overall player) that I'd just take him and major him there, while doing what the rest of the modern NFL does with their off-ball linebackers: walk them up. It's all about double mug looks in the a gap or putting a 5th member on the defensive line anyways. That's what Reese excels at when he's not hunting down RBs in the ground game at off-ball. I'm projecting Reese here as an off-ball linebacker. I do think he could be a full-time edge rusher, but I just don't see the point with how linebackers are playing in 2026 already. Reese is 2nd in consensus rankings.

3. Cardinals - OT1 Spencer Fano, Utah

   • The Cardinals don't have a right tackle heading into free agency. Between Fano and Francis Mauigoa, Fano is the better bet at staying outside long term. Mauigoa might be able to survive outside, but he will be viewed as a guard by many, including myself. Fano is light on his feet and pound-for-pound strong. If he can properly add some weight, he'll flirt with Pro Bowls at right tackle. That's a win for offensive-minded head coach Matt LaFleur, regardless of who will be quarterbacking for this team. Fano is my 3rd overall player and 5th in consensus rankings.

4. Titans - EDGE1 David Bailey, Texas Tech

   • The Titans are lucky to have DT Jeffery Simmons, but their edge rushing group was pitiful. Bailey fits the Robert Saleh mold as a pure outside edge rusher, who will line up off tackle in their 4-man front. Bailey is explosive and very productive, albeit that's on passing downs only for the most part. He might be a 12.0-sack player who doesn't get to play full-time snaps. Bailey is 3rd in consensus rankings.

5. Giants - LB1 Sonny Styles, Ohio State

   • I'm expecting the Giants to re-sign their RG and RT before free agency, so they have more work to do at WR and in the secondary. The best players available at those spots are sound SS Caleb Downs, twitchy LB Sonny Styles, and downfield WR Carnell Tate, who would be excellent paired with Malik Nabers. Downs is tempting, but they have Jevon Holland and 2024 2nd-rounder Tyler Nubin already under contract. So I'll go with Styles, as the Giants have free agents and cut candidates at LB already. He's my 6th-overall prospect, adjusting for positional value. He's 10th in consensus rankings.

6. Browns - OT2 Francis Mauigoa, Miami

   • The Browns essentially don't have a healthy lineman on the roster. They also don't have much money to find starters, and it's nearly impossible to find quality tackles via free agency. That's what the draft is for. Mauigoa is a guard to me long term, but the Browns could start him at right tackle to see if his agility is quick enough for the pros. Worst case, Mauigoa should be an awesome guard by the time the Browns are sniffing for the division. With offensive-minded HC Todd Monken in town, I'd be surprised if this wasn't a WR like Carnell Tate or an offensive lineman. Mauigoa is 4th in consensus rankings and my personal 10th overall player.

7. Rams (via WAS) - S1 Caleb Downs

   • The Rams under GM Les Snead are always sniffing around, and this team values smarts, especially in the secondary. Downs' instincts and ability to tackle from the top-shelf are outstanding. He'd be a perfect fit, especially if Kamren Curl is too expensive for them to re-sign. It'd only take 13th and 61st overall to make the move up, and remember, the Rams have extra picks this year. At the same time, the Commanders don't have 2nd- or 4th-rounders and have a lot more holes to fill after a disastrous 2025 campaign. Downs is 6th in consensus rankings.

8. Saints - WR1 Makai Lemon, USC

   • Tyler Shough looks like a hit worth building around throughout his rookie contract, and Chris Olave can't be the only one worth targeting in the offense. Lemon would pair beautifully with Olave, who is good everyone but is typically at his best on intermediate and downfield runaway routes. Lemon is best underneath and intermediate while working in tight spaces. Kellen Moore has had a lot of production from talented slot receivers at every stop, going from CeeDee Lamb to Keenan Allen to DeVonta Smith and even Olave/Shaheed this past year. Lemon, who is 13th in consensus rankings, would be the next to catch about 100 passes.

9. Chiefs - WR2 Carnell Tate, Ohio State

   • This one is obvious. Tate is everything the other receivers Mahomes has played with have lacked. He's actually big, and he's actually a downfield threat who can play every snap. Tate is not a Mickey Mouse type, nor is he constantly in the court room. He would move Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice into the roles they belong in. Tate is 7th in consensus rankings.

10. Bengals - EDGE2 Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

    • No Trey Hendrickson (or Joseph Ossai) and a pretty lost rookie year from 1st-rounder Shemar Stewart leaves the Bengals wishing for edge talent once again. Bain is the opposite of Stewart. Not built from a lab, but extremely productive with a great football feel. Bain is surprisingly good on outside moves for a powerful player, often maintaining his outside rush path with quality bend and an extremely powerful core. He can also help against the run and eat a lot of snaps. Music to their ears. Bain is 9th in consensus rankings.

11. Dolphins - OG1 Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

    • He's one of the easiest evals in the draft. Ioane is very powerful in the run game but can also climb to the second level with quality athleticism for a densely-built left guard. He's also very technical in protection and simply hard to move around. His pressure rate numbers are essentially non-existent. Ioane would be the missing link to a revamped Dolphins OL featuring a young LT, a total stud C, a 2nd-round pick guard from last draft, and a 2nd-contract RT. That's a good foundation to have for whoever the next Dolphins franchise QB will be. I'd expect that QB to show up in 2027, not 2026. Ioane is 15th in consensus rankings.

12. Cowboys - CB1 Mansoor Delane, LSU

    • The secondary was in fits last year due to injuries, and Delane brings a calmness from Day 1 as a tested man-coverage senior from the SEC. While not as fast as the top-end players at the position, Delane usually finds himself in the hip pocket of receivers and has good feel in zone coverage as well. He broke up more passes than was exposed downfield for his mediocre straight-line speed. The Cowboys would let DaRon Bland, boom-bust 3rd-rounder Shavon Revel, and Delane battle it out in camp for their outside spots. Delane is 12th in consensus rankings.

13. Commanders (via LAR) - RB1 Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

    • This is in a trade down to get a 2nd-round pick that they currently don't have. Love is an extremely explosive back with a well-rounded skillset, who would be fully unlocked by playing next to Jayden Daniels. They've also invested into the OL more than the Raiders had last season when taking Ashton Jeanty, so Love could hit the ground running (pun intended). Love is 8th in consensus rankings.

14. Ravens - EDGE3 Ahkeem Mesidor, Miami

    • It's not fun to draft the 25-year-old rookie, but Mesidor is what a full-time starting edge rusher looks like. He's physical and flashes some wow counter moves from multiple alignments. His production nearly matched Rueben Bain's, and there's a reason why it took so long to break out. Mesidor entered the United States as a 195-pound project. Look at him now. The Ravens need some bulk at edge with 2nd-rounder Mike Green fitting the more undersized, bursty profile opposite him. Baltimore was 27th in pass rush win rate last year. Mesidor is 17th in consensus rankings.

15. Buccaneers - EDGE4 Keldric Faulk, Auburn

    • He's only 20 years old and doesn't have the pass-rushing production quite yet. That said, Faulk looks the part and wasn't in a scheme that let him just fly off the edge. He was in a 3-down front and inside the tackle for a lot of his snaps. The reason being? He's massive and can battle there. The Bucs deploy a similar scheme where he could play that DE spot next to Vita Vea and Calijah Cancey and whoever the stand-up edge will be. This very well could be Todd Bowles last year, so I could see him going down swinging with someone on his side of the ball. Faulk is 16th in consensus rankings.

16. Jets - DT1 Caleb Banks, Florida

    • That'd be an off-ball weapon in Arvell Reese and a massive 3-technique in Banks for hot-seat HC Aaron Glenn to work with. Banks carries some risk coming off a broken foot, but his 2024 tape against LSU was one of a blue chip talent. He's very mobile for a 330-pounder and would take on the role Quinnen Williams left behind at the deadline. Banks showed out well at the Senior Bowl per reports. That keeps him alive as a sneaky top-20 pick. Banks is 26th in consensus rankings right now.

17. Lions - EDGE5 T.J. Parker, Clemson

    • The 21-year-old needs some time to develop, but Parker has the speed-to-power baseline already. That's most of the battle here, and it's likely exactly what Dan Campbell likes to see. The Lions are in need of depth with multiple of their contributors hitting free agency. Parker would do well to learn the plethora of moves Aidan Hutchinson deploys. Parker is 34th in consensus rankings, but this team has "reached" before with success.

18. Vikings - CB2 Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

    • After resetting the defensive coordinator market, Brian Flores has earned the right to a 1st-round draft pick again. This time in the secondary, where they don't have long-term answers or high-end talent. McCoy is a potential blue-chip talent who is ranked lower than his upside due to a 2025 torn ACL. McCoy should be healthy enough to participate in the NFL Draft circuit and then the NFL offseason workouts. His aggressive press-man coverage reps exposed him to some explosives, but for the most part, McCoy, who is 14th in consensus rankings, hauls ass around the field and was given extremely difficult matchups against the top competition.

19. Panthers - OT3 Monroe Freeling, Georgia

    • It's too bad that Icky Ekwonu suffered a torn patella tendon late in the year, heading into his pivotal 5th-year option season. But now the Panthers have to stare at the history of that position in a suddenly pivotal season for Bryce Young, who is gearing up for a potential expensive extension himself. Freeling is fairly inexperienced, but he's a high-upside left tackle who could be a perfectly-built protector if he can fill out his long, 6-foot-7 frame. He can also move well. I'd be surprised if he wasn't a top-24 pick now. I had him ranked 12th overall, where consensus has him 20th.

20. Cowboys - S2 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

    • That'd be LSU CB1 Mansoor Delane, then a lengthy strong safety from a non-Power 4 team. McNeil-Warren was a bit of a freelancer, but he was productive and had nice range and length to make plays from a variety of alignments. I'd trust him more near the box, where he played most of his snaps. He can punch the ball out and force incompletions, something the Cowboys secondary couldn't do last year when they were constantly torched. He'd be replacing free agent Donovan Wilson. McNeil-Warren is 31st in consensus rankings and likely rising.

21. Steelers - WR3 Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

    • This organization hasn't been shy about taking on some risk in exchange for upside at receiver. Tyson embodies that after transferring from Colorado to blowing up as a Sun Devil. He's an over-selling route runner who can run the entire tree with nice movement skills and leaping ability. Tyson can move across the formation in ways that DK Metcalf can't, so it'd be a nice pairing long term. Tyson, who is 11th in consensus rankings, may slide a little more than people expect for his injury history and lack of physicality.

22. Chargers - DT2 Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

    • The nose tackle has the belly you love, while offering way more nimble moments than you'd expect. Hunter is a joy to watch and just feels like a Harbaugh guy. Hunter will be a run-game asset, then bring a little unexpected juice up the a-gap against dropbacks. The Chargers don't have that body on the roster right now. Hunter is rising from being 40th overall in consensus rankings.

23. Eagles - OT4 Max Iheanchor, Arizona State

    • There's some Jordan Mailata to the Iheanchor story, where neither played high school ball in the United States but proved to be too big and athletic to not eventually make it to the league. Iheanchor does so at right tackle, where HOFer Lane Johnson will be hanging them up after this 2026 season. He'd be the heir, while also competing for the opening at right guard in 2025. The Eagles are usually one step ahead of the game in the trenches. Iheanchor is rising from 36th overall in consensus. He's up to 22nd overall for me.

24. Browns - OT5 Caleb Lomu, Utah

    • That'd be a right tackle early and a left tackle here. Lomu is nearly opposite from Francis Mauigoa in every way on tape. He is a gifted mover with length, but he has questionable play strength right now. Can he add 5-10 pounds while keeping his feet? That's the question. He plays the game similar to Will Campbell right now. That's a pro and con. The Browns and offensive-minded HC Todd Monken have the time to develop him, given they aren't finding their QB of the future this year. Lomu is 23rd in consensus.

25. Bears - OT6 Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

    • Ben Johnson has his new trick-play weapon. Only partially kidding. Proctor is a boom-bust left tackle, who has highlights and a 5-star pedigree. He also had pretty rough stretches in 2025, sometimes stemming from being too big to handle counter moves. Proctor even was ran through on bull rushes for technique reasons. It's hard to square because it's obvious that he is a very good athlete with impressive strength. He likely just needs to drop the weight and get locked in. Johnson maybe has the energy that Proctor needs to live up to his high-end potential. The Bears could use him immediately with Braxton Jones hitting free agency, 2nd-rounder Ozzy Trapilo hitting the rehab room, and Theo Benedet struggling while coming out of nowhere. Proctor is 25th in consensus rankings.

26. Bills - WR4 Denzel Boston, Washington

    • If Boston makes it here, it's hard to see the Bills not taking him given the state of their receiver room, even before Keon Coleman likely asks for a trade. Boston offers the size and reliability the rest of the Josh Allen weaponry lacks. He can work downfield some, but Boston's game revolves around the dirty-work intermediate part of the field. He can also block, which is critical for this balanced offense. I'm not sure Boston has super star in his range of outcomes, but that's hard to find late in Round 1. He could easily be in the Michael Pittman range, however. Boston is 20th in consensus rankings.

27. 49ers - DT3 Peter Woods, Clemson

    • The Niners haven't invested in the interior DL nearly as much as they had 3-8 years ago. They're due. Woods falls into the bucket of an explosive, pound-for-pound strong 3-technique. His best reps include him knifing through gaps for disruption or occasionally throwing a lineman to the ground with violence. The reason he's not viewed as a top-10 pick anymore is the other reps where he stalls out because he lacks length. Woods, who is 22nd in consensus rankings, won't be for everyone, but the Niners historically have valued some pop here.

28. Texans - OT7 Blake Miller, Clemson

    • The Texans drafted a left tackle last year and need to try on the right side again after essentially giving up on Blake Fischer. Miller set the Clemson record for career snaps while racking up 54 starts. He's ready to go. Miller isn't overly flashy, but he has a mean streak in the run game and can slide his feet in protection like an average starter. Until the Texans solve the OL, they are unfortunately fake contenders. Miller is 37th in consensus rankings.

29. Rams - WR5 KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

    • The Rams special teams was a disaster. Concepcion will at least fix the return game for them with blazing speed. More importantly, he brings the juice from the boundary or slot that this offense was looking for when hunting in the TuTu Atwell waters. Concepcion is lightyears better in terms of fighting through contact, even if both are undersized speed-based players. Concepcion would be lethal on those Matthew Stafford bombs in 2026, then be a fun counter to Puka Nacua long-term once Davante Adams moves on. The numbers don't back it up because of bad QB play, but Concepcion had Round 1 film to me. I had him up at 14th overall, far higher than consensus at 33rd overall.

30. Broncos - TE1 Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

    • This is about as far as Sadiq could slide, but I wanted to force this pairing for a couple of reasons. First, it's another Duck on the Broncos. More importantly, Sadiq is what Sean Payton was hoping for with Evan Engram. The Freak's List recipient can fly on runaway routes with great explosiveness, then battles as a pound-for-pound run blocker. Engram really doesn't. Bo Nix could use one more flash of talent in a skill group that doesn't have a high-end top option. Sadiq is falling down from 18th overall in consensus.

31. Patriots - S3 Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

    • The early declare is a sneaky athlete (read: white), who played in two extremely different roles at Purdue and Oregon. He was a deep post safety with sideline INTs early on, then played a more hybrid strong safety role for Dan Lanning as a Duck. He's not so physically imposing like the All Pros at the position, but Thieneman is always on the ball due to his understanding and feel for the game. He's tough and highly productive. The Patriots have a pending free agent free safety. I can see Thieneman climbing form 31st overall in consensus rankings.

32. Seahawks - CB3 Colton Hood, Tennessee

    • The defending Super Bowl champions have multiple pending free agents. I'd expect them to retain Josh Jobe, while letting the benched Riq Woolen hit free agency. Either way, Hood would provide them with depth and a potential starter on the perimeter. He was a gifted mover on tape and has an aggressive playing style. He is a plus tackler, too, something this Seattle defense prided themselves on. Hood is 28th in consensus rankings. I have him up at 19th overall.

Also considered: EDGE Cashius Howell (23rd in consensus), CB Avieon Terrell (24th in consensus), LB CJ Allen (28th in consensus), QB Ty Simpson (30th in consensus), DT Kayden McDonald (33rd in consensus), CB Brandon Cisse (35th in consensus), EDGE Zion Young (38th in consensus), OG Chase Bisontis (46th in consensus).