What most around the league view as a weaker 2026 NFL draft begins Thursday at 5 p.m. in Pittsburgh. The Las Vegas Raiders have the first pick, thanks to going 3-14 last year in Pete Carroll’s and Geno Smith’s only seasons in Vegas.
The New York Giants will be busy early in this draft. They have two picks in the top 10, following their trade last weekend of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Seahawks? The Super Bowl champions have the 32nd and final choice in round one. Seattle has four picks total over the seven rounds. That’s the fewest in the league this year. It’s second-fewest in franchise history. The Seahawks had three picks in the 2021 “COVID draft” they pretty much punted amid all the oddities of the pandemic.
This is The News Tribune’s annual NFL mock draft for the first round Thursday evening:
That one seemingly sure thing: This draft’s most accurate, innate, poised prospect for the national college champions at the sport’s most important position. Las Vegas gets its reward for being so bad last season. A quarterback goes first overall again, for the fourth straight draft and eighth time in nine years.
Coach Aaron Glenn wants to advance New York with a multiple defense, with players in multiple spots, like Mike Macdonald has with the NFL’s best unit in Seattle. Off the ball, on the ball, in pass coverage, stopping the run, rushing the QB--Reese did it all at an elite level for the Buckeyes. The Jets cancelled their pre-draft visit with Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey. Is that the ultimate smokescreen? Nah.
A surprise: A running back in the top three. In a weak year for the position in the draft.
New coach John Harbaugh wants to bring his run-first style of offense from Baltimore to keep prized 2025 rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart from getting battered more. Harbaugh trades two third-day choices to get the best running back in this weak class of them, by far, and jumps Tennessee wanting Love.
Arizona moves down two spots and gains a fourth-round (105th overall) plus a fifth-round (145th) pick to move down a couple spots — and still get their guy.
New Titans head coach (and former Seahawks assistant) Robert Saleh needs waves of pass rushers for how he wants to play. In four years as the Jets head coach, his team selected a pass rusher in the first round twice. Saleh will gladly take what many scouts see as the best pass rusher in this draft.
Arizona needs a young, long-term quarterback after releasing Kyler Murray last month. But they need a stud tackle to block edge rushers off Gardner Minshew or whoever is the Cardinals QB more. Arizona didn’t address right tackle in free agency, hinting they’ll take this draft’s best one with the team’s first pick here.
Cleveland is shopping its sixth pick almost as much as Seattle general manager John Schneider is shopping the Seahawks’ 32nd-overall selection. Tampa Bay jumps nine spots from 15 to get Bain, one of the elite edge rushers in this draft class.
The Browns get the Bucs’ first-round spot at 14, Tampa Bay’s second-round pick at 46th overall, plus its seventh-round choice (229)
Coach Dan Quinn REALLY needs to rebuild his defense that allowed 6 yards per snap during Washington’s fall in 2025. The Commanders let Bobby Wagner’s contract end. Though they haven’t closed the door to re-signing the still-free agent, the future Hall of Famer and Seahawks legend turns 36 in June. Styles is a plug-and-play replacement in the middle of the defense and as Washington’s new defensive play caller.
High time in New Orleans to get quarterback Tyler Shough a game-breaking receiver. The Saints are happy the best one on their board is still available here.
Coach Andy Reid gets recovering-from-injury Patrick Mahomes another target, whom most rate with Tate as the top wide receivers in this class.
Kansas City takes wide receivers in the top rounds of drafts as not just a trend but a habit.
New York uses the pick it got trading Lawrence to Cincinnati to get what many believe is the best defensive player in this draft. Downs, who first starred at Alabama, is athletic. He’s smart. He’s a John Harbaugh player. This will be the fourth safety a John Harbaugh team has drafted in the first round in 19 years.
New coach. New GM. New era in Miami. The Dolphins have seven picks in the first three rounds. They get a coveted, athletic brick wall who can play tackle, guard and has even worked out at center for NFL scouts.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the former Seahawks offensive coordinator, needs to remake his porous Dallas defense in a big way. Many see the dynamic Faulk as a “boom-or-bust” prospect and something of a risk to draft here. The Cowboys see the athlete, at one of the sport’s most important positions, to help replace some of what they lost trading Micah Parsons last year.