2026 NFL Draft: New NFL.com mock draft features Cowboys, Chiefs trades rocking the Top 10 and beyond

The 2026 NFL Draft is almost here, kicking off a week from Thursday in Pittsburgh, Pa. In the days leading up to April 23, analysts all across the sport are unleashing updated mock drafts based on the latest intel they’re receiving from around the NFL.

The latest is NFL.com editor at large Gennaro Filice, who delivered his Mock Draft 2.0 that includes two massive potential Top 10 trades that could throw the entire first round in a blender. First, Filice proposed the Dallas Cowboys flip their two first-round picks to jump into the Top 5 and secure a highly-coveted defensive talent that could replace the pass rush production lost by the trade of Micah Parsons.

That same move would allow a quarterback-needy team currently in the Top 5 to move back and still draft the second-best QB in the class without reaching in Round 1: Alabama‘s Ty Simpson. Filice also projected the Kansas City Chiefs could also move up in the Top 10 to land one of the draft’s top pass rushers.

With all that in mind, let’s check out NFL.com’s updated 2026 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 courtesy of Filice below:

1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

Las Vegas has technically been on the clock since the moment Mendoza powered his way into the end zone in Miami to clinch Indiana’s first-ever national championship in football in late January. In fact, this selection has been set in stone so long the projected No. 1 overall pick isn’t even attending the 2026 NFL Draft in person, preferring to stay close to family and friends in South Florida instead.

NFL.com: “Frankly, it feels like this selection has already been made, with everyone envisioning the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in silver and black for months now.”

2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State

With Mendoza bound for Vegas at No. 1, this year’s draft really starts at No. 2. Second-year Jets coach Aaron Glenn is expected to target one of the top two pass rushers and this projection delivers him the more versatile of the two. The 6-foot-4 and 243-pound Reese did it all for the Buckeyes’ FBS-leading defense last season with 69 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 2025.

NFL.com: “Reese is a developmental player as an edge rusher, and the Jets are in a developmental state as a franchise, so it’s sensible to believe New York could pass on the more polished QB hunters in favor of the raw hybrid with wildly enticing upside.”

3. Dallas Cowboys (projected trade with ARI): David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

The first big shocker of this first-round projection comes courtesy of the Cowboys, who flip their two first-round picks (No. 12 and 20) to the Cardinals for the No. 3 overall pick to select college football’s sack leader in 2025. The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Bailey led all of FBS with 14.5 sacks and immediately helps Dallas fill the pass-rushing hole created by the trade of Micah Parsons before last season.

NFL.com: “The Cowboys acquired the extra 1 (No. 20) in the Micah Parsons trade, so it’s narratively attractive to use it to acquire a fresh edge terror.”

4. Tennessee Titans: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

After getting leapfrogged for Bailey, the new-look Titans instead target another elite defender for new head coach Robert Saleh, and its a player drawing heavy comparisons to a former pupil — 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. The 6-foot-5, 244-pound Styles is a converted safety who wowed NFL personnel with eye-popping athleticism at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

NFL.com: “I’m not saying Sonny Styles is Fred Warner 2.0, but that’s the comp everyone wants to make. So it’s natural to assume Saleh has at least considered what his new D as Titans head coach would look like with the athletic freak manning the middle.”

5. New York Giants: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Following a mini-run on defensive stars, new Giants head coach John Harbaugh lands the draft’s top offensive playmaker in Love, the reigning Doak Walker Award winner. The 6-foot, 212-pound Love is an explosive homerun waiting to happen after rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025, and gives the Giants one of the NFL’s top young backfields with Cam Skattebo and Jaxson Dart.

NFL.com: “Love is universally viewed as one of this draft’s elite prospects. Is he compelling enough to entice a Giants team that doesn’t appear to have a dire need at running back? It’s not that hard to imagine.”

6. Kansas City Chiefs (projected trade with CLE): Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami

Another team with multiple first-round picks makes a shrewd move as the Chiefs deal a third-round pick (No. 74 overall) and No. 9 overall to move up three spots to guarantee themselves one of the draft’s elite pass rushers. The 6-foot-2 and 263-pound Bain doesn’t have the prototypical NFL size, but does possess uncanny power at the position and is capable of playing inside and out after tallying 9.5 sacks in 2025.

NFL.com: “[Bain Jr.] feels like the kind of guy who could provide disruption from multiple alignments — a possibility that must entice [KC defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo.”

7. Washington Commanders: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

With all three of the top pass rushers off the board, the Commanders turn their attention to the secondary and land one of the most polished players in this year’s draft class in Downs. The 6-foot safety is versatile enough to contributed at all three levels and will be the cherry on top of Washington’s defensive overhaul this offseason.

NFL.com: “In this world, the Commanders happily pounce on the cerebral safety at No. 7, continuing a much-needed makeover of Dan Quinn’s defense.”

8. New Orleans Saints: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU

After the Chiefs passed on drafting a cornerback in favor of a pass rusher, the Saints luck into a talented lockdown corner in LSU’s Delane. The 6-foot, 187-pound Delane, who finished second in the SEC with 11 passes broken up in 2025, is widely considered the most NFL-ready of this year’s cornerbacks.

NFL.com: “Despite LSU’s rich tradition of NFL production at cornerback, the local pro team has only drafted one Tigers CB in its six-decade history. … The body-language analysts among us liked the [Saints GM Mickey Loomis’] interaction with Delane at LSU’s pro day.”

9. Cleveland Browns (projected trade with KC): Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Like it did a year ago, the Browns trade back a few spots and still land the player they were likely targeting earlier. It’s no secret Cleveland is overhauling its offense this offseason, and now it locks up the the 6-foot-2 Tate, a big-play threat who ranked third in the Big Ten with 17.16 yards per catch in 2025.

NFL.com: “What a dream scenario for the Browns. Tate stays in the Buckeye State, giving Cleveland a much-needed boost to a receiver room that didn’t produce a single 100-yard game last season.”

10. Cincinnati Bengals: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

With all three elite pass rushers off the board as well as both Downs and Delane in the secondary, the Bengals don’t hesitate with McCoy. While an ACL tear forced him to miss the 2025 season, McCoy appears fully recovered after running an incredible 4.38-second 40 at Tennessee’s Pro Day last month.

NFL.com: “McCoy’s evaluation is muddied by the fact that he didn’t play a snap in 2025 while recovering from a torn ACL, but the 2024 tape’s impressive.”

Updated NFL.com Mock Draft 2.0, pick Nos. 11-32

11. Miami Dolphins: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
12. Arizona Cardinals (projected trade with DAL): Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
13. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL): KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
14. Baltimore Ravens: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State
16. New York Jets (via IND): Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
18. Minnesota Vikings: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
19. Carolina Panthers: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
20. Arizona Cardinals (projected trade with DAL via GB): Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
24. Cleveland Browns (via JAX): Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
25. Chicago Bears: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
26. Buffalo Bills: Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
27. San Francisco 49ers: Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
28. Houston Texans: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
29. Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR): Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
30. Miami Dolphins (via DEN): T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
31. New England Patriots: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
32. Seattle Seahawks: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson