2026 r/NFL Mock Draft Recap
Today we completed the 2026 Edition of the r/nfl mock draft, with Rounds 1-2 kicking off at 12:00 Eastern on Saturday, and Rounds 3-7 being finished off today with Mr. Irrelevant Cade Klubnik being selected by the Miami Dolphins at around 5:00pm
This year we had 97 participants, the most we have had in any of the four editions of this community exercise we have run, and the activity showed up in the war rooms.
The first round of this year's edition was as follows:
| Pick # | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LV | Fernando Mendoza |
| 2 | NYJ | Arvell Reese |
| 3 | PHI | Carnell Tate |
| 4 | CLE | Rueben Bain Jr. |
| 5 | NYG | Sonny Styles |
| 6 | DET | David Bailey |
| 7 | WAS | Jeremiyah Love |
| 8 | DAL | Caleb Downs |
| 9 | KC | Mansoor Delane |
| 10 | NYJ | Makai Lemon |
| 11 | MIA | Francis Mauigoa |
| 12 | NO | Jermod McCoy |
| 13 | TEN | Kenyon Sadiq |
| 14 | BAL | Olaivavega Ioane |
| 15 | TB | Keldric Faulk |
| 16 | CIN | Kayden McDonald |
| 17 | LAR | Spencer Fano |
| 18 | MIN | Dillon Thieneman |
| 19 | CAR | KC Concepcion |
| 20 | DET | Monroe Freeling |
| 21 | PIT | Jordyn Tyson |
| 22 | LAC | T.J. Parker |
| 23 | ARI | Blake Miller |
| 24 | ARI | Christen Miller |
| 25 | CHI | Emmanuel McNeil-Warren |
| 26 | KC | Max Iheanachor |
| 27 | SF | Omar Cooper Jr. |
| 28 | HOU | Kadyn Proctor |
| 29 | NYJ | Ty Simpson |
| 30 | CLE | Caleb Lomu |
| 31 | NE | Cashius Howell |
| 32 | SEA | Colton Hood |
The full results, including trades & selections, can be found here.
Who Had The Best Day 1?
Post-draft polling among the representatives showed that, by a plurality, the Kansas City Chiefs had the best Day One draft! The Chiefs stuck at 9, picking Cornerback Mansoor Delane to replace Trent McDuffie, before trading up from 29 to take Offensive Tackle Max Iheanachor at Pick #26. They kept this pattern up, staying on their first pick in the 2nd round to select Malachi Lawrence at Pick #40 before trading up from the 3rd to retool their receiver room with Elijah Sarratt at Pick #64.
Honorable Mentions: Texans, Jets, Lions who all tied for 2nd.
Who Had The Worst Day 1?
There is a pretty even split here, but the award for the Worst Day 1 Draft goes to... The Cincinnati Bengals! The Bengals main issue was reaching for players, with "Reach of the Draft" Kayden McDonald being their first selection, and following it up with Anthony Hill Jr (PFF rank #86) at pick #41.
Honorable Mentions: Arizona Cardinals, highlighted by their trade for AJ Brown, and Denver Broncos, who after trading out of the 2nd did not make a single pick in the first two rounds.
Who Had The Best Day 2?
By a slim margin, the Denver Broncos were the team with the Best Day 2 draft in this years edition of the sim. Their Day 2 was highlighted by the selection of UConn WR and Consensus All American Skyler Bell (PFF Rank #60) at Pick #116. Combined with Sam Roush, and Kaytron Allen at #108 and #111 respectively, the Broncos added both depth and starting caliber talent to their offense for Sean Payton and Bo Nix.
Honorable Mentions: By getting Day 2's steal in Justin Joly, the Commanders secured themselves the 2nd best Day 2.
Who Had The Worst Day 2?
The worst Day 2 belongs to the team with the least picks on Day 2, the New York Giants! With only one selection on the day, the Giants took interior defensive lineman Nick Barrett at Pick #186. So, while a solid choice, there was not the volume you need to improve a team.
Honorable Mentions: Green Bay Packers, whose first two picks were Nick Singleton (Pick #122) and Drew Allar (Pick #162), both positions of strength for the Cheeseheads
Biggest Steal?
By a plurality, the biggest steal of the 2026 r/nfl Mock Draft was Jordyn Tyson, selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pick #21 in the first round. While injury problems were enough to put other teams off PFFs #3 WR Prospect, his talent makes him well worth the pick.
Honorable Mentions: Day 1 Akheem Mesidor (Dolphins, Pick #39) and Day 2 Justin Joly (Commanders, Pick #157)
Biggest Reach?
Also by a plurality, the biggest reach of the 2026 r/nfl Mock Draft was Kayden McDonald, selected by the Cincinnati Bengals at Pick #16. While addressing a position of need (Dexter Lawrence trade was not represented in the Mock) for the Bengals, selecting PFFs #28 ranked prospect 12 picks early was enough for it to be voted the biggest reach.
(Dis)honorable Mentions: Day 1 K.C. Concepcion (Panthers, Pick #19) and Day 2 Carver Willis (Dolphins, Pick #94)
Most Active War-Room?
A QB room of Geno Smith and Brady Cook couldn't dampen their spirits as the New York Jets were the most active war room, with a pretty even split between veteran Reps and new members! Through a set of trades they were able to address their needs early, picking Arvell Reese, Makai Lemon, and fixing that aforementioned QB room with Ty Simpson at #2, #10, and #29 respectively. The Jets, along with all the other teams, helped make this a great experience for everyone involved.
As always if you are interested in joining, feel free to indicate that in a reply to this post or by sending me a DM and myself or another one of the commissioners will give you an invite to the Discord! We plan on having multiple events during the season, so if you missed out on this years Mock Draft don't worry, more things are coming.
(Also thank you to the r/nfl mods for letting us recruit and post here)