The 2026 NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET, which means that there's precious little time for NFL teams to have it all put together. Top 30 visits are done. Evaluations are done. Now, team evaluators and coaches are putting the final bows on their processes with the information they have, and making their final arguments in the buildings for the prospects they prefer.
It's crunch time for Athlon draft expert Luke Easterling and NFL analyst Doug Farrar, as well. The guys have done all their tape work, reached out to those in the know regarding as many prospects as possible, and compiled their own rankings. Now, the pressure is on, as Luke and Doug are tasked to project the entire first round with alternating picks in this first-round mock draft.
Luke has the odd-numbered picks, starting with the first overall selection, and Doug has the evens. How did this particular exercise turn out? Read on for the results!
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
5. New York Giants: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images
Luke: Concerns about durability and his injury history could leave Tyson on the board longer than expected, but if he gets to the Steelers here, they could bank on his lofty potential as a three-level target with smooth route-running skills and big-play ability after the catch.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Los Angeles Chargers): Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images
Luke: I’m a big fan of Jacob Rodriguez and Malachi Lawrence here, but if I stay true to my board, Johnson is the highest-ranked player available (No. 16 overall). Jamel Dean is gone, and outside of rookie Jacob Parrish in the slot, they have more questions than answers at corner. Johnson could quickly leapfrog Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison to the top of the depth chart.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
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Luke: This is one of my favorite fits in the entire draft. The Eagles need to find a long-term successor for Lane Johnson at right tackle, and Iheanachor has sky-high potential. He didn’t play football until college, but all the building blocks are there for him to develop into a dominant player, and learning behind a future Hall of Famer wouldn’t hurt.
24. Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars): KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
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Doug: When Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Isaiah Bond are your top three receivers, your passing game isn't going to set any records. That's the issue new head coach and offensive shot-caller Todd Monken has, and the issue could be solved quite easily with the addition of KC Concepcion. The Texas A&M alum is seen by some as a gadget receiver, but that viewpoint ignores what a complete receiver he really is. and he would bring the Browns an explosive play potential they simply don't have right now.
25. Chicago Bears: Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF
Luke: One of the most underrated players in the entire draft, Lawrence has a ton of juice as a pass rusher off the edge, and that’s exactly what the Bears need across from Montez Sweat. He’s not a complete player just yet in terms of his run defense, but Lawrence knows how to get to the quarterback.
26. Buffalo Bills: Kayden McDonald, DI, Ohio State
The Columbus Dispatch
Doug: Bills fans would probably be happy if their team took a defensive player at any of about five different positions in the first round, but I'm going with an unsexy one — the run-stopping interior defensive lineman who frees everybody else up to do their thing. The 6-foot-2. 325-pound McDonald is the best pure run defender in this class, and he has untapped pass-rush potential. Buffalo's defense has been light up front for years, and it's time for that to change.
27. San Francisco 49ers: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Luke: Another ideal fit for a team looking for a replacement for a future Hall of Famer at offensive tackle, Proctor’s rare physical traits and limitless upside would be the perfect succession plan behind Trent Williams on the left side.
28. Houston Texans: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
Doug: The Texans have a Super Bowl-ready defense, and an offense they're still trying to put together. One thing that would really help C.J. Stroud is to have another reliable receiver to pair with Nico Collins, and to take over if Collins' recent injury history flares up again. Omar Cooper Jr. proved with several clutch catches in 2025 (hello, Penn State) that he is a set-it-and-forget-it guy in any NFL passing game.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (from Los Angeles Rams): Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
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Luke: I’m tempted to take a right tackle here (Clemson’s Blake Miller), but with Boston still on the board, I can’t resist the opportunity to hand Patrick Mahomes a big, physical target with impressive athleticism and after-the-catch ability for his size. He’s a dominant red-zone threat who wins above the rim.
30. Miami Dolphins (from Denver Broncos): Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Doug: The Dolphins need just about everything as they stumble through their cap-correction (let's not call it a tank) season, and cornerback is certainly near the top of the list, unless you have irrational amounts of belief in Darrell Baker Jr. and the delightfully named Storm Duck. Hood would be a major upgrade, and he proved that after he transferred from Colorado and became Tennessee's unexpected CB1 following Jermod McCoy's injury. The Dolphins need this kind of aggressive tone-setter.
31. New England Patriots: Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M
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Luke: Mike Vrabel’s defense needs an explosive edge rusher who can get to the quarterback often, and that’s exactly what Howell did for the Aggies. Forget the short arms; this dude can win consistently in any way he wants, with speed, power, and a deep bag of initial moves and counters.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Keylan Rutledge, OG, Georgia Tech
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Doug: The reigning champs need help at running back and edge-rusher based on their free-agency losses, and they took North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round last year, so what's the thought process here? Well, while Zabel locked things down on the left side in 2025, right guard is still a rather large issue, and this is a team that wants to run it back. Rutledge, who showed first-round talent in 2025 as a move guard, would solidify Seattle's line, and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who comes from the 49ers, knows what right guard Dominick Puni has done for Kyle Shanahan's offense.
