What’s fascinating to me about college football is the cyclical nature of the sport. We’ve seen the sport transition into a new era, especially with the Big Ten winning three national championships. Now, the Big Ten’s dominance seems set to carry into the NFL Draft. When I put together my top 50 players for the 2026 NFL Draft, I came to the conclusion that it’s likely that the SEC’s run of being the conference with the most first-round picks will end this year. I only have three SEC players in my top 20 on my big board this year. And I’m not the only one who feels that way, as NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and The Ringer’s Todd McShay each have a similar layout in their top 50 prospect lists. The balance of power has certainly shifted in college football, and it seems likely that the Big Ten will have the most first-round picks in the 2026 draft. But let’s dive into my top 50 prospects in this year’s class. 50. D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana I really loved this guy over the last couple of years. The only reason why he isn’t a surefire first-round pick is because of his size. He measured at 5-foot-8 at the combine. If he were six feet, there’s no doubt he’d be a top-15 pick with the way he played. But his vertical was 43.5 inches at the combine, which is exceptional. The entire schematics of Indiana’s defense, which was one of the best in the nation, revolved around Ponds. 49. Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina Cisse is a twitchy athlete. I like him a lot as he found success at South Carolina (one interception, five passes defensed) this past season after transferring in from North Carolina State. 48. Keionte Scott, CB, Miami (Fla.) Scott was a slot corner who played safety at times for that great Miami defense. I think that versatility can always be valuable. Every Miami fan will remember his pick-six against Ohio State when he jumped the route on a screen pass. That was his legendary moment for the Hurricanes in their run to a title appearance. He’s an older guy, though, as he’ll turn 25 when the 2026 season starts. 47. Malachi Lawrence, edge rusher, UCF After a run of cornerbacks to start the list, we go with an edge rusher here. Lawrence is an athletic player with good size (6-4, 253 pounds) and ran a 4.5 in the 40 with a 40-inch vertical. That type of explosiveness is always going to be valuable along the edge 46. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State Johnson’s got good size and I love his length (6 feet, 190 pounds). He’s a really good player, winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year this past season with four interceptions and a forced fumble. 45. Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona I’m higher on Stukes than others. He was another productive defensive back in 2025, logging four interceptions. But that Arizona defense was one of the best in the country this past season, and he was the leader for that stout pass defense. The coaching staff raved about Stukes leadership and playmaking abilities when I spoke with them prior to calling the Holiday Bowl. 44. Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama Bernard had a really solid career before becoming the Crimson Tide’s No. 1 wide receiver in 2025. He moved around quite a bit, going from Michigan State to Washington to Alabama. He’s got great hands, with only four drops in his career. As this process goes along, I’m hearing Bernard’s name more as a riser in this draft among NFL folks. So, they must like what they see from him on film as I do. 43. Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame I only have two running backs on my top 50, and Price was the backup to the other running back who’ll eventually appear on this list. Price averaged six yards per carry during his career at South Bend and had 280 carries over three seasons, so he’s not worn out. He’s 5-11 and 200 pounds with big-play ability as he rushed for five touchdowns of at least 40 yards. 42. Zion Young, edge rusher, Missouri Young’s a powerful edge rusher with great length (6-6 height). He had 16.5 tackles for loss this past season, which was second in the SEC. He also had 6.5 sacks, so Young can certainly get after it on the outside. 41. R Mason Thomas, edge rusher, Oklahoma Remember, this Oklahoma defense was outstanding. That was a defensive-led team, and Thomas was one of the leaders of that unit. He was quite the productive player for head coach Brent Venables over the last couple of seasons, logging 15.5 sacks since the start of 2024. He might be a bit undersized at 6-2, 240 pounds, but the production is there. [2026 NFL Mock Draft: Jets Get QB? Cowboys Snag Draft’s No. 1 Defensive Player] 40. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech Rodriguez is a football-playing Jeese. He was the Butkus Award winner this past season, thanks to his ability to find his way to the ball and his knack for creating turnovers. He had seven forced fumbles and four interceptions this past season. He can also be the leader of your defense. I just really love what Rodriguez can do. 39. Anthony Hill, LB, Texas Hill gets a slight bump over Rodriguez as I believe he’s the twitchier athlete between the two. He started three years at Texas and was an All-American in the last two seasons. I think he can have a really solid NFL career. 38. Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State I initially thought McDonald would be a bit higher on this list, but he’s seemed to have slipped a bit during the draft process. He was a real key to what Ohio State was able to do this past season, serving as a true nose tackle for the Buckeyes. He’s twitchy, powerful and big. Even at nose tackle, McDonald can create production. Sign me up for a 330-pound run stuffer. 37. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State Iheanachor has been a real riser during this process, which began with his strong showing at the Senior Bowl. He didn’t start playing football until junior college as he moved to the United States from Nigeria at 13. I think there’s a lot of potential with a high ceiling for Iheanachor. 36. Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech Another defensive player from Texas Tech appears on the list, and you’ll see another Red Raider later on. But you want to build your defense from front to back, and drafting Hunter would help that. Hunter was outstanding in 2025, being named an All-American. Similar to Kayden McDonald, Hunter has explosiveness and athleticism with an ability to get into the backfield to disrupt the opposing offense. 35. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson Terrell is the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell. So, he’s got a great bloodline. Some of these Clemson players you’ll see on this list might have been ranked higher had the Tigers played to their expectations in 2025. 34. T.J. Parker, edge rusher, Clemson On that note, Parker is one of those players whose 2025 season didn’t live up to expectations. He had 11 sacks as a true sophomore in 2024 before posting five sacks this past season. But Parker’s still 6-4 and 265 pounds. If he can tap into what he did in 2024, Parker should be a heck of a player. 33. Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee Tennessee had a pair of really good corners, and you’ll see Jermod McCoy later on this list. Hood was named second-team All-SEC this past season. 32. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama Simpson is kind of all over the place on these big boards. I’m a Simpson fan. I know his size is going to turn some people away, but if you watch him play, the film suggests he plays a lot bigger than his actual frame. The reason is that he makes really strong and accurate intermediate and deep-level throws, particularly outside the numbers. When you can do that, do I really care about your size? He’s a battler. This guy’s a warrior in there. Some of those games he played — Georgia and Oklahoma on the road — he was exceptional. He was a real bright spot for Alabama. 31. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M Dynamic guy with lots of speed and short-area quickness. I think he can be a guy that you look up in a couple of years and you’re like, “OK, this guy’s a smart, point guard-style quarterback’s best friend.” We’ve seen more value pop up with these guys who have short-area quickness and can operate in the middle of the field. He can play on the outside and inside. 30. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia Allen’s a really good linebacker. I don’t know if you can go wrong with drafting Georgia defenders. It runs an NFL-style scheme. You know those guys are going to come in and be smart. We’ve seen all these guys from Georgia that have come into the league over the last two, three or four years have success. I think Allen will be another one of those players. [2026 NFL Mock Draft: Where Would Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith Be Picked in All-CFB Draft?] 29. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson Entering last year, I thought Woods could be a top-10 pick. But like all of these Clemson players, they fell short of expectations as a team and they fall down the draft board a bit as a result. 28. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah Lomu’s a really good player, and he’s going to be one of two Utah offensive linemen ranked in the top 30. This is a guy that I think can be a really strong contributor and I wouldn’t be shocked if he could be versatile and play on the inside and outside. [2026 NFL Draft: Joel Klatt’s Top 10 Offensive Prospects] 27. Caleb Banks, DT, Florida They just don’t build guys like this. Banks’ frame and size are just going to be enticing. He’s 6-6, 327 pounds. He’s got a 37-inch arm length and an 85-inch wingspan, which is over eight feet long. The challenge for him will be matching that athletic profile and production. To be fair, Banks lost a ton of time due to a foot injury. So, he doesn’t have a ton of film. But the traits are going to be too hard to pass up here. 26. Keldric Faulk, edge rusher, Auburn During this process, I was like, “Shouldn’t this guy be higher?” You can make an argument that he should be higher. He’s only 20 and a fascinating player. I think he should probably be higher when you consider his build and athleticism. I can see his impact in the NFL being greater than what his impact was at Auburn. They’ve had a ton of transition at Auburn over the last few years. He’s a real good player. 25. Cashius Howell, edge rusher, Texas A&M Part of the reason why I couldn’t rank Faulk higher was that I couldn’t place him higher than Howell. Howell doesn’t have an off-the-charts body type or many of those traits, but teams just couldn’t block this guy at A&M. He was terrific in production, and I’m always going to go to the tape over traits. Traits can get you drafted, but you’ve also got to go to the production. What are you on film? When you’re playing the game, are you disruptive? Do you impact positively on the defense? Howell did that at A&M. 24. Denzel Boston, WR, Washington We’re going to get some wide receivers here. Boston’s a dynamic receiver. He’s a big body receiver, standing at 6-4, and the traditionalists will tell you that you will need that big body in the NFL, particularly when you get to the cold weather months and the playoffs. Having someone who can win those contested catch situations is valuable. The windows in the playoffs and as you get deeper into the playoffs are so small, and you’ve got to have a strong, big-bodied wide receiver who can win in those moments. Boston’s one of those guys. Boston hasn’t run a straight-line 40, so you can question his speed. But you can’t question his quickness. He was excellent when you look at his shuttle, which was the third-fastest time among all wide receivers at the combine. That’s something. 23. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State I thought this guy was outstanding on the outside. He’s a great wide receiver. He’s a highlight reel when he’s on the field. On contested catch situations, he’s excellent there. The knock is going to be his injury history. I’m hearing some of those murmurs about whether he’ll be on the field. He didn’t run at the combine because he’s still working his way back from a hamstring injury. He blew out his knee when he was at Colorado. But Tyson, when healthy, is an elite-level prospect. 22. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama Proctor’s a really good player and a monstrous human being. He’s 6-7, measured in at 352 pounds and athletic. Just like Caleb Banks, they just don’t make them like this. When you can draft traits and you see it on the field, that’s a good thing. 21. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon This is a guy who’s climbing up boards. I didn’t think he had a great season at Oregon. His tape is actually better from his first two years in college football, when he was at Purdue. He’s best when he’s in free safety mode and can play center field. But he’s so smart and athletic that Oregon tried to play him like Ohio State played safety Caleb Downs, which was at or near the line of scrimmage as a roamer. 20. Akheem Mesidor, edge rusher, Miami (Fla.) Turn on the tape. This guy was a game wrecker playing alongside Rueben Bain Jr. He’s got a big frame at 6-3 and 260 pounds. He was super productive for the Hurricanes and goes inside and outside. He will be 25 on draft day. 19. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo McNeil-Warren is a very active player. His tape is littered with plays on the ball. If you want a guy that’s going to be impactful and around the football at the safety position, McNeil-Warren is your guy. He hits, picks and does all of that. We’ve seen small school guys succeed. His former teammate, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, has been a great player with the Eagles. 18. Blake Miller, OT, Clemson Miller’s a solid prospect and has played a ton of football. He’s a super-experienced guy at right tackle with over 50 starts for Dabo Swinney at Clemson and he’s 6-7, 320 pounds. Sign me up for that. 17. Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia Freeling’s a guy who has been rising up draft boards. We probably should’ve seen this coming because of his experience and position value. He’s a really talented guy. He only had one year as a starter at Georgia, but he is the top left tackle in the draft, which could benefit him greatly with the Browns picking sixth. In my mock draft, I had Cleveland taking Freeling at No. 6. 16. Vega Ioane, G, Penn State Ioane’s super athletic and a powerful guy. He’s a really powerful guy on the interior. Someone’s going to get a steal with him, particularly because I don’t know if you’re going to value these interior offensive linemen like you should. But someone who needs an interior offensive lineman is going to get the best interior offensive linemen in this draft. He’s really good. He’s the only interior guy in the top 50. Penn State put him in motion. It got creative with him in how it used him. He can be a left or right guard for 10 or 12 years in the NFL. 15. Spencer Fano, OL, Utah I think Fano provides some versatility. Some believe he can go down and play guard. I’m one of those. I think he can play guard and offensive tackle. This is a really good player. One of the things that’s going to be a knock on him is that he struggled against Texas Tech and its elite defensive line in Salt Lake last year. But position versatility should help him. 14. Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana I’m just going to be higher on this guy than most. One of my favorite players in the draft, I thought Cooper was the best receiver in the Big Ten and maybe in the country with the ball in his hands after the catch. Maybe Georgia’s Zachariah Branch would have something to say about that, and rightfully so. But Cooper was outstanding. He has great body control, can work the middle of the field, has great hands and is a smart player. Cooper is a guy that I think can be a real value add on the interior of the passing game for someone in the NFL. When you see guys like Jaxon Smith-Njigba do what he was able to do, that’s exactly what Cooper can do with the right quarterback and system. 13. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee Could McCoy be the top cornerback in the draft? Yes. Could he fall down the draft and maybe outside of the first round? However unlikely that is, that could happen because of the injury concerns. He had that ACL injury, so we just haven’t seen him in quite a bit. If he hadn’t torn his ACL, though, his 2024 tape was outstanding. He didn’t squash those injury concerns at the combine as he didn’t run. He’s going to work out at his pro day, so we’ll see how that goes. 12. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon Someone is going to love this guy. It would not shock me if, in a few years, we’re talking about Sadiq being one of the best tight ends in the NFL. One of the things that I love about Sadiq is his athleticism. He provides a weapon for a quarterback, particularly in the red zone. That’s what he did for Dante Moore at Oregon last year. But as Dan Lanning accurately put it to me, go watch a blocking cut-up of this guy. This guy works hard, regardless of down and distance and situation. He’s a devastating blocker. So, that versatility means you can be versatile with what your offense and schematics are, in particular from a personnel grouping standpoint. He’s 6’3 and 240 pounds. He ran a 4.39 in the 40. That’s ridiculous. 11. Rueben Bain Jr., edge rusher, Miami (Fla.) Tape don’t lie! Bain is a game wrecker. This guy’s awesome. He dominated everyone he lined up against this year. What I love most about Bain was that it didn’t matter what the down and distance or game situation was, he played 100% all the time. Against the run or pass, his motor does not stop. I love Bain. I know there are some concerns about his length, particularly his arm length. If he falls, someone is going to get an absolute steal. 10. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU Delane is my top corner in the draft. He’s an All-American out of LSU. He’s also a do-it-all corner. What I love about him is that he’s not afraid to be physical — both in the pass game and he’ll come up and be a great tackler. I think every great corner needs to be willing to step in there and get physical along the edge. He absolutely has that. He’s also very smooth in coverage. Delane is almost certainly going to get selected in the top 10. I would be surprised if Bain or Delane slip past the Chiefs, who have the ninth pick. 9. Makai Lemon, WR, USC I keep talking about value, and I don’t think you have to be the prototypical, big-bodied wide receiver in order to create a lot of value at receiver. You get a guy who understands football like Lemon does and you can create a threat on offense. He’s got the best spatial awareness in the draft at the wide receiver position. He just understands coverage, space, getting himself, is reliable with the football and is really tough. This guy will go into traffic and he’ll catch the football over the middle of the field. He can create big plays after the catch. I really love Lemon. 8. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Fla.) Mauigoa is my top offensive tackle available in the draft. He’s a beast on the right side. There’s some questioning over his pass-blocking ability, whether he can move laterally and maybe play left tackle. People think he’s probably more of a right tackle, which is what he played at Miami. What you don’t have any questions about is his ability to own the line of scrimmage. That was evident in that run in the playoff and into the national championship game. Miami won the line of scrimmage on the defensive side, with Mesidor and Bain, and it won it on the offensive side with Mauigoa. 7. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State Outstanding downfield threat. You talk about contested catch situations; this guy is terrific. He got overshadowed because of the absolute beast on the other side of the field in Jeremiah Smith. But Tate is outstanding and he’s a technician, which is what you would expect from Ohio State. He’s a smooth route runner, 6-2 and 195 pounds. He’s got good speed and quickness. Because he comes out of that tree, you know he will produce. Every single one of these Ohio State receivers goes into the league and they’re ready-made to produce right away. Tate is one of them. 6. David Bailey, edge rusher, Texas Tech Value, value, value! Bailey’s another game wrecker off the edge. He led the Power 4 in sacks and tackles for loss in his one year at Texas Tech. He spent three years at Stanford before having an outstanding season in Lubbock. He led the Red Raiders to a Big 12 championship and to the playoff. They matched their expectations, which were sky-high. All of that investment the program made on defense paid off. I think he’s got a real chance to be the top pure edge rusher in the draft. 5. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State Styles has rocketed up draft boards. He was already high. Many people had this guy inside the top 15 before the combine. Now, I’ve got him inside of my top five. He’s the perfect linebacker for today’s game because of his versatility. His first year starting at Ohio State, he was a safety. Then, he moved down to linebacker and became the Buckeyes’ captain. Nobody had more respect in that locker room than Styles. He’s a smart player. He can cover out of the backfield. He’s a terrific tackler. He also runs like crazy. His combine was one of the great combines in history. He’s 6-5, 245 pounds and ran a 4.46 40 with a 33.5-inch vertical jump. That’s insane. 4. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State Downs likely isn’t going to get selected in the top five, even though he should based on his impact on the field. I don’t think there’s a better pure defender in the draft. Downs is outstanding. Would the NFL decision-makers love to see him be a little bigger? Yeah, probably. But look at the tape and watch him impact the game in every single area: coverage, blitzing, at the line of scrimmage and deep down the field. He does it all. One of the things that I loved about Downs was our conversations. He was as smart as anybody that I’ve covered in college football. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia would back that up. Someone is going to get a steal and this is a guy who I absolutely think will be an All-Pro at some point in his career. 3. Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State Reese has an enormous ceiling. He’s just scratching the surface. He had one year as a starter, and it was an outstanding year. He was basically playing two positions a lot of the time because he was an off-ball linebacker, as the lineup would tell you, but then Ohio State used him off the edge as a pass rusher and a blitzer on the interior. He’s got great bend and athleticism. If Styles wasn’t putting together one of the great combines we’ve ever seen, Reese would’ve been the one that was coming up huge. 2. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame I just can’t get this guy out of my head. Love is so good. When we think about these offenses that are excelling in the NFL, a lot of them have a running back that can do a lot of things. Here’s the thing that I love about Love: He can run between the tackles to hit a home run, he can beat you on the outside to hit a home run, he can catch it to hit a home run and he can get physical yards. He does it all. He can be on the field for all three downs. This is the type of guy that can make your offense better. I don’t think he gets outside of the top six in this draft. I think the Titans would be a great selection for him. 1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana This has to do with his play and the value of his position. Mendoza’s 6-5 and 225 pounds, so he checks that box. Did he play great in crunch time? Yes. It’s not enough for a quarterback to be good on base downs. You better be locked up and play great when your best is needed. That’s exactly what Fernando Mendoza did in every single big moment last season, and almost all of them were away from him. At home, he was just killing folks. He throws with leverage down the field. That’s my No. 1 trait for a quarterback. When you’re throwing the ball in the intermediate parts of the field or outside the numbers, does your guy have a better chance than the defender at the football? That’s absolutely the case for Fernando Mendoza. Great leverage player. Terrific intangibles. Solid leader. Face of the franchise.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
