Mock Drafts Galore: Intriguing Predictions From 12 Different NFL Mock Drafts

We're less than 24 hours from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, kicking off live from Pittsburgh Thursday night, and there are any number of expert mock drafts you can reference to get an idea how it's all going to go down.

Here at Athlon Sports, we've got you covered. In addition to the most recent mock drafts from our own experts, Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar, here's a rundown of mocks from some of the top draft gurus around the web. There's certainly a handful of common picks (does anyone not have the Las Vegas Raiders taking Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick?), but every mock has its share of curveballs.

2026 NFL DRAFT POSITION RANKINGS

QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | Interior OL | Edge | Interior DL | LB | CB | S

Here's a rundown of prominent mock drafts, with an interesting tidbit from each…

Athlon Sports: Luke Easterling's mock draft

One of the biggest storylines of Round 1 will be whether or not Alabama QB Ty Simpson gets drafted in the first round. If the Pittsburgh Steelers don't take him at No. 21, there's a chance he'll be stuck in the green room until Friday. But Easterling projects a trade that has Simpson getting taken near the end of Round 1: He's gpt the Arizona Cardinals moving up from No. 34 in the second round to the New England Patriots' No. 31 spot and taking Simpson.

Athlon Sports: Luke Easterling and Doug Farrar's mock draft

Easterling and Farrar put this one together just as the New York Giants made their blockbuster trade with the Cincinnati Bengals, sending DT Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati in exchange for the No. 10 pick. So how did they see the Giants going with two top 10 picks? Luke made the No. 5 pick and took Ohio State LB Sonny Styles, while Doug took LSU CB Monsoor Delane at No. 10.

Athlon's 32-expert mock draft

Easterling conducted a mock in which he enlisted 32 different experts to make the picks, so this one looks different than most. And perhaps the biggest surprise: While Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has been one of the most talked-about prospects and a guy most mocks have in the top five, he doesn't get picked here until seventh, to the Washington Commanders.

ESPN: Mel Kiper's mock draft

Several of these mocks have the Dallas Cowboys being active with their two first-round picks. Here's the first example: Kiper has Dallas sending its two first-round picks, Nos. 12 and 20, the the Cleveland Browns for the No. 6 pick, which the Cowbloys use to draft Styles. It might be a bigger surprise that Styles is still on the board at this spot. Meanwhile, Kiper has the Browns using those two picks on Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor at No. 12 and Washington WR Denzel Boston at No. 20.

ESPN: Peter Schrager's mock draft

The Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs each have two first-round draft picks, and Schrager is predicting an interesting swap here. He's got Dallas trading up from 12 to Kansas City's No. 9 pick to get Delane, with the Chiefs taking Miami edge Rueben Bain Jr. at 12. The Chiefs would get Dallas' No. 20 pick and take Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. The Cowboys would move down to Kansas City's No. 29 spot for UCF edge Malachi Lawrence.

NFL.com: Lance Zierlein's mock draft

Zierlein has Love going third overall to the Cardinals… and he's got another Notre Dame running back going at the end of the night. Jadarian Price is thought to be more of a second-round prospect, but the Seattle Seahawks have a glaring need with the free-agent loss of Kenneth Walker III. Zierlein and Kiper both have Seattle taking Price at No. 32.

NFL.com: Bucky Brooks' mock draft

While the majority of mocks have the Giants taking defensive players with both of their top 10 picks, Brooks has John Harbaugh and the Giants going offense with both picks. He's got them taking Love at No. 5 and then coming back with Arizona State WR Jordyn Proctor at No. 10. You're welcome, Jaxson Dart.

The Athletic: Dane Brugler's mock draft

Brugler has seven edge rushers and seven offensive linemen going in Round 1. Auburn edge Keldric Faulk is in most first-round mocks, but Brugler might have him the highest - going to the Dolphins at No. 11.

CBS Sports: Pete Prisco's mock draft

Prisco's mock might have the most names that don't appear in any of these other first-round mocks. For example, plenty of mocks have the Chiefs taking a cornerback at No. 29, but Arizona CB Treydan Stukes? We haven't seen him in the first round of any other mock.

NBC Sports: Chris Simms' mock draft

Simms has a ton of trade projections here, starting with an odd divisional swap between the Giants and Commanders. While several mocks have the Giants taking Styles at No. 5 and the Commanders taking Ohio State WR Carnell Tate at No. 7, Simms has Washington moving up to the fifth spot to get Tate, with the Giants still getting Styles at No. 7.

Yahoo Sports: Nate Tice and Charles McDonald's mock draft

This mock has a bold trade projection: They've got the Chiefs trading their No. 9 pick and a second-rounder (No. 40) to the Cardinals to draft Ohio State edge/LB Arvell Reese at No. 3. It makes sense for the Chiefs… but would the Cards want more than just a second-round pick to move down from third to ninth? And would the Chiefs give up their second first-rounder (No. 29) to make this happen?

Sports Illustrated: Connor Orr's mock draft

Orr has six first-round trades projected, including a bold move by the Los Angeles Rams to take the Titans' No. 4 spot and draft Jeremiyah Love. Sure, add the No. 1 offensive prospect to the NFL's No. 1 offense? Yikes.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 4:55 AM.