Scott McDaniel column: Well, it makes sense to me: A 2026 NFL Mock Draft - dailyjournal.net

Local Sports X Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the first pick in the NFL Draft. The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft will take place April 23. It is a key moment for teams looking to build their rosters, while fans react in real time to each selection. The event features hours of analysis, highlights and unexpected picks. While the draft is unpredictable, in the months leading up to it, countless mock drafts attempt to project how it all could unfold. Like those, here is one projection that is bound to be way off. 1. Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana. Lock it in! The Raiders are hoping the national champion brings his winning ways to Vegas. 2. New York Jets – David Bailey, OLB, Texas Tech The Jets need help everywhere. The draft’s elite pass rusher should help shift momentum. 3. Arizona Cardinals – Arvell Reese, OLB, Ohio State See Jets. But Reese is a super athlete who might have a higher ceiling than Bailey. 4. Tennessee Titans – Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Gross — I’d hate for the Colts to go against Love twice a year. But pairing this draft’s top RB with last draft’s top QB would be an exciting way to build in Tennessee. 5. New York Giants – Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State There’s something in the water at Ohio State, and they are churning out linebackers. Styles could lead the Giants defense for a long time. 6. Cleveland Browns – Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Florida) Cleveland needs people to throw the ball to so defenses can’t load up against the running game. Or, you load the offensive line with the draft’s top mauler and keep pounding the rock. 7. Washington Commanders – Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State People still talk about the late Sean Taylor’s impact on the field in Washington. Downs isn’t as intimidating, but he can do it all and command the defense. 8. New Orleans Saints – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State Give young QB Tyler Shough a top WR in the draft to pair with Chris Olave and watch him sling it. Though LSU’s Mansoor Delane would fill a real need at CB and stay in-state. 9. Kansas City Chiefs – Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami (Florida) Bain Jr. is a productive player with a high motor, but I think he’s overrated. Still, the Chiefs could use help on third down. 10. New York Giants – Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State WR Malik Nabers is a star, but he’s coming back from a season-ending knee injury. Tyson is also oft-injured, but has the potential to be another gamechanger for a young offense. 11. Miami Dolphins – Spencer Fano, OL, Utah The Dolphins are in rebuild mode, and their only remaining weapon is RB De’Von Achane. Combine him with a new mobile QB in Malik Willis, and drafting offensive linemen to open holes makes sense. And/or just tank for Arch Manning in next year’s draft. 12. Dallas Cowboys – Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU The Cowboys gave up 30.1 points per game last year and a league-high 60 touchdowns. They need a lockdown corner. 13. Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons) – Makai Lemon, WR, USC The slippery snake gave an odd interview at the NFL Combine, and some reports say he weirded teams out. But the talent is there, and Rams coach Sean McVay can handle anyone. 14. Baltimore Ravens – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon Best available player here? The Oregon TE’s workout numbers were unreal. Give QB Lamar Jackson another weapon and see if the two-time MVP can reach that elusive Super Bowl. 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami (Florida) The Bucs have some massive bodies on the defensive line, but could use the quickness of Mesidor, the second defensive end this round from the U. 16. New York Jets (from Colts) – Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee McCoy was viewed as someone with top-10 talent before he missed last year with a torn ACL. There are rumors of a degenerative knee issue, but his pro day was great and the Jets have the draft capital to take the gamble in replacing Sauce Gardner. 17. Detroit Lions – Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama Veteran OL Taylor Decker is gone, and the 6-foot-7, 366-pound Proctor could play tackle or slide inside to help star RB Jahmyr Gibbs find daylight. 18. Minnesota Vikings – Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon Notre Dame alum Harrison Smith has been the star safety in Minnesota since being drafted in the first round in 2012, and he is mulling over his 2026 plans. Thieneman (a transfer from Purdue to Oregon) has unique tools like Smith and would be a natural replacement. 19. Carolina Panthers – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo From football powerhouse… Toledo? This guy is the epitome of a ballhawk who covers a lot of ground and forces turnovers. 20. Dallas Cowboys (from Packers) – Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn With a stud CB drafted, now the Cowboys can focus on a Micah Parsons-less defensive line. 21. Pittsburgh Steelers – Olaivavega Ioane, G, Penn State The first big, bad guard to go, Ioane could help kickstart the running game and protect whoever is behind center, senior citizen or not. 22. Los Angeles Chargers – Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia Freeling is physical and athletic enough to play guard or tackle, which would be helpful considering both tackles suffered season-ending injuries last season. 23. Philadelphia Eagles – Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State Picking a young tackle would be smart here to eventually replace soon-to-be 36-year-old star Lane Johnson, but the quality of prospects starts to drop. The Nigerian-born Iheanachor didn’t play football before 2022, but he’s massive and gifted, and could wait and learn from one of the best. 24. Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars) – Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana Talk about a buzzkill. To go from the high of becoming an unlikely national champion to being drafted by Cleveland. Yuck. They could certainly use a WR… and figure out who’s throwing him the ball. 25. Chicago Bears – Zion Young, DE, Missouri Defensive end Montez Sweat is solid, and Center Grove’s own Austin Booker can make a splash, but the defense tied for the seventh-fewest sacks in the league a year ago. Young could help with that. 26. Buffalo Bills – Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State Surrounded by so much talent at Ohio State, McDonald still managed to stand out on his own, occupying multiple blockers and disrupting runs more often than not. Plus, he can provide a sneaky pass rush at 320-plus pounds. 27. San Francisco 49ers – Blake Miller, OT, Clemson See Eagles pick. Legendary tackle Trent Williams is about to turn 38 and there isn’t much behind him on the depth chart. Miller is a tough, smart player who could be the future. 28. Houston Texans – Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M Protecting QB C.J. Stroud is essential, but getting a guy who can also open up running lanes for newly acquired RB David Montgomery is nice, too. 29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Rams) – Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee The Chiefs traded away their top CB. Hood proved himself a star when given the chance, having played at Colorado, Auburn, and then Tennessee. Imagine him with consistent coaching. 30. Miami Dolphins (from Broncos) – KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M They could go best available here, but the Dolphins emptied their WR room in their rebuild. Concepcion would see the field quickly and often. 31. New England Patriots – Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M This just feels like a Patriots pick. A Vrabel pick. Howell is a good edge rusher for a team that led the league on interior pressure rate, but struggled to produce a consistent edge rush. 32. Seattle Seahawks – Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame The champs lost their Super Bowl LX MVP when RB Kenneth Walker III went to Kansas City. Price has elite vision and cuts. At Notre Dame, he rotated in behind teammate Jeremiyah Love, giving the Irish an elite RB group. He’d hit the ground running in Seattle. Scott McDaniel is a department chair and assistant professor of journalism at Franklin College. He lives in Bargersville with his wife and three kids. Send comments to [email protected] . Featured Local Savings