2026 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper names favorite 15 players in the draft, sleepers who will outperform draft slot
ESPN’s Mel Kiper named his favorite 15 players in the 2026 NFL Draft. Not only that, there are some sleepers on this list that could be difference makers in the middle rounds.
Kiper goes position by position, so start taking notes folks. Your favorite team might grab one of these guys outside of the first round!
Below is a sum up of Kiper’s evaluation of these players and why they could find success despite not being top tier at their position. Let’s dive in!
Quarterback
Cole Payton, North Dakota State
Payton broke out at QB this past season after sitting behind Cam Miller for three years. Kiper likes him a lot. Payton threw for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s very accurate and Kiper called him “Tayson Hill-esque.”
Running back
Johnson finished last season with 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also fourth in the country with 93 forced missed tackles. Kiper likes him for his versatility though, being able to reel in passes (85 over the last two seasons).
Wide receiver
Branch has been electric since his time at USC as a return man and really developed as a receiver in recent seasons. As Kiper puts it, he’s the fastest guy on the field. He finished last year with 81 catches for 811 yards and six touchdowns, 636 yards coming after the catch.
Brazzell is likely to come after Branch in the draft, per Kiper. But he still likes these guys in Round 2 or 3 and Brazzell is big, standing at 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds. He’s a guy coaches definitely want.
Tight End
Kiper is a fan of the Raridon family football tree. But for this current generation, the former Notre Dame tight end stands at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, but only finished with 282 yards in nine games. He does have the ability to line up as an H-back as well.
Offensive tackle
Kiper likes Iheanachor a lot in this draft. In fact, he could argue the former Sun Devil should be selected in the first round. He didn’t even start playing football until 2022 coming from Nigeria. Iheanachor had a 4.91 40-time and started 31 games for ASU; his arrow is pointing up.
Guard
Pregnon was well traveled in college, going from Wyoming to USC to Oregon. But started on both sides of the offensive line and he allowed just seven sacks over the course of 3,087 career snaps. Kiper safely puts him in the second round this year.
Center
Another favorite lineman of Kiper here. Slaughter is very battle tested coming from the SEC, only allowing six pressures and three sacks over the course of 33 starts (over 2,000 snaps). Expect him to go in Round 4.
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EDGE rusher
As Kiper put it, Jacas had to do more as an EDGE rusher than just rush the quarterback play after play. He even had to drop into coverage. That makes him valuable per the NFL Draft expert. He still had 11 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2025.
Defensive tackle
Kiper doesn’t like Proctor’s size for an interior defensive lineman. STill, he’s quick and ended up with nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2025. Kiper was even impressed that Proctor stayed in FCS ball despite his talent and ability to hit the portal and move up.
Linebacker
Kiper likes Rolder as a Day 3 target in the NFL Draft. After being a backup for three years, he turned into a reliable defender this past season. He totaled 69 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, 10 run stops and an interception.
Cornerback
Terrell, along with the rest of the corners on this list, don’t have ideal size. Doesn’t matter for Kiper, who cites Terrell’s ability to flip his hips and stick to the fastest receivers as his best trait.
Ponds, meanwhile, loves contact and will put his body on the line to make the tackle. He, like Rivers below, is very versatile on defense and special teams.
Kiper can see Rivers coming off the board in the third or fourth round. At just 5-foot-10, he’ll have to stand out. He did in college with seven interceptions and 23 pass deflections over three years too.
Safety
This is Kiper’s favorite safety on his draft board. Louis could very well play linebacker, but ESPN’s resident expert sees him more on the backend of the defense. Over the last two years, he had 183 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 30 run stops, 10 sacks, six interceptions and two forced fumbles.