2026 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper shakes up Big Board Top 25 player rankings after College Football Playoff semifinals

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. shook up his Big Board top 25 player rankings after the College Football Playoff semifinals. We are now just three-plus months away from the NFL Draft.

Indiana and Miami will square off for the national title and there are some players in that game featured in the top 25. That includes the top ranked player!

Without further ado, let’s dive into Kiper’s latest rankings via his Big Board. We start at the top!

1. Fernando Mendoza, QB – Indiana

Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy this season and has Indiana playing for a national title. He tops Kiper’s Big Board at this stage.

Based on the Raiders having the No. 1 overall pick, Mendoza makes sense as the top pick and top player. Hard to argue with the Heisman winner!

2. Dante Moore, QB – Oregon

Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore — (Photo by: Max Unkrich/ScoopDuckOn3)

Moore is next up on the Big Board considering the weight of a quarterback. He resurrected his career at Oregon after a tough freshman year at UCLA.

This year, he threw for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 71.8% completion percentage. They were all career highs.

3. Jeremiyah Love, RB – Notre Dame

Love had an argument for the Heisman this year, but overall, he is a stout player. Running backs aren’t a premium as much these days, but guys like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley proved they can be the biggest difference maker.

Love had the best year of his career and compiled 40 total touchdowns the last two seasons. He finished 2025 with 1,372 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6.9 yards on the ground, to go along with 27 catches for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He’s far and away the top RB on the Big Board.

4. Arvell Reese, LB – Ohio State

Reese is the top linebacker on Kiper’s Big Board going into the draft right now. That’s been pretty much the consensus all season long.

Reese finished the season with 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two pass deflections. He also finished the season as an All-American.

5. Francis Mauigoa, OT – Miami

Miami OT Francis Mauigoa — (Jeff Romance | Imagn Images)

Mauigoa is the top tackle on Kiper’s Big Board and we’ll get to see him one more time this season as Miami plays Indiana for the title. This year, Mauigoa had a season for the ages.

He was awarded the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was a consensus All-American. Mauigoa was also named First-Team All-ACC.

6. David Bailey, OLB – Texas Tech

Bailey had one heck of a season in 2025. After transferring in from Stanford, he truly broke out in Lubbock.

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An All-American, Bailey is one of the best players on Kiper’s Big Board. He finished the year with 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks!

7. Caleb Downs, S – Ohio State

Downs is considered by many to be the best overall defender. Not according to Kiper’s Big Board, but Downs is still in the top 10.

It just goes to show you how loaded Ohio State’s defense was all season long. Downs is a ball hawk, a great tackler and a great leader in the back end. He won’t last long.

8. Sonny Styles, LB – Ohio State

Sonny Styles-Ohio State-Ohio State football-Buckeyes — Ohio State LB Sonny Styles (Birm/Lettermen Row)

Speaking of Ohio State’s defense, Styles is up next on Kiper’s Big Board. He and Reese were a scary linebacker tandem this season and it’s a shame they won’t play together next year, we think.

Styles had 82 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception this season. He has 244 career tackles, nine sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss in four seasons for the Buckeyes.

9. Carnell Tate, WR – Ohio State

The Ohio State run on Kiper’s Big Board continues here as Tate is up next. He’s the top rated receiver going into the 2026 NFL Draft.

He set some career highs this year, reeling in 51 catches for 875 yards, nine touchdowns and 17.2 yards per catch. Tate has 121 career catches for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns.

10. Kenyon Sadiq, TE – Oregon

Sadiq kept getting better throughout his college career and he’ll be an enticing prospect in this draft. He rounds out Kiper’s top 10 on his Big Board.

Sadiq had 51 catches for 560 yards, eight touchdowns and 11 yards per catch this season. He has 80 career catches for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns.