We're eight days away from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft and ESPN's draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has unveiled his final mock draft.
The No. 1 overall pick is an easy one. The Las Vegas Raiders will be taking Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
The New York Jets, who pick second, are widely expected to pick one of either Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey and Ohio State pass rusher Arvell Reese. Whichever one of those two the Jets don't pick likely goes to the Arizona Cardinals at three. The Tennessee Titans would likely take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love fourth.
After that, the mock draft becomes a lot of guesswork based on which reports you believe.
Here is Kiper's top 10:
- Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
- New York Jets: LB/EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech
- Arizona Cardinals: LB/EDGE Arvell Reese, Ohio State
- Tennessee Titans: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
- New York Giants: SAF Caleb Downs, Ohio State
- Dallas Cowboys: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
- Washington Commanders: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
- New Orleans Saints: EDGE Reuben Bain Jr., Miami
- Kansas City Chiefs: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
- Cincinnati Bengals: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
It's also worth noting that Kiper has the Arizona Cardinals trading back into the first round, 30th overall, to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
A damaged reputation
NFL and college football fans have soured a bit on Kiper over the last year ever since he insisted that then-Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders had a top-five grade and went on multiple rants admonishing teams for not drafting him. That distaste has been reflected in many of the comments:
"Mel Kiper dropping his final mock is like that one friend who swears his fantasy team will win every year… then watches it all collapse by week 6. Raiders grabbing Mendoza at 1? Bold move in a QB class thinner than a budget airline seat. Jets taking Bailey at 2 feels right, but calling this 'final' is comedy gold; ask Mel how his last few 'finals' aged. Draft night chaos incoming!" one user remarked.
"Mel Kiper hasn’t been right since the leather helmet era, why are we still acting like his fan fiction is news?" wrote another.
"Lost some respect for Mel over his obsession with Sanders last year. Still enjoy him but it may be time for a new voice for the draft with better, deeper, unbiased opinions on these players," a third wrote.
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"Not one offensive lineman going in the top 10? That seems hard to believe."
"Do people still take Mel seriously? Genuinely curious."
But other than Simpson, who isn't even expected to be taken in the front half of the first round next week, there really isn't that ultra-polarizing prospect that we've seen in previous drafts.
As much as people expect Kiper to lose his mind on draft night again, that's probably not happening this time.
