The ink is barely dry on the 2026 NFL Draft, but we’re already shifting our attention to next year — which is expected to be a bumper crop full of skill-position talent, including quarterback. A year ago at this time, no one forecasted the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, so we won’t try to predict the selection order for next spring’s draft. For the purposes of this mock, we’re just taking the inverse order of DraftKings’ current Super Bowl odds. Moore could have entered the 2026 draft and beaten out Ty Simpson to be the second quarterback selected, but I love that he returned to hone his game. He lacks ideal size (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) but is a gifted natural passer with an effortless delivery and excellent accuracy to all levels of the field. With all due respect to the “skill-position” talent expected to be available in the 2027 draft, Stewart is one of the blue-chip prospects that has scouts the most excited. He enters his junior campaign with “just” 11 career sacks to his credit, but his size, twitch and flexibility help him project as a 10-plus sack monster in the NFL with All-Pro upside. If the Jets want a quarterback bad enough, they have the draft picks to move up, including this and two other first-round picks. Leavitt was overshadowed, at times, at Arizona State by former teammate Jordyn Tyson, but he is an exciting NFL prospect in his own right. He possesses the combination of arm talent and athleticism to follow the same path Jayden Daniels took — leaving the desert to win the Heisman Trophy and become a top-five NFL draft selection. Leavitt missed the second half of last season with a Lisfranc injury, but if he can stay healthy, he is going to put up eye-popping numbers in Lane Kiffin’s offense. With all due respect to his former Ohio State teammate Carnell Tate — the fourth overall pick this week — Smith would’ve been the first receiver selected had he been eligible for the 2026 draft. One of the few players I’ve ever seen physically capable of competing at the NFL level as a true freshman, Smith has a frame and game that reminds me of a young Julio Jones. Simmons lacks the height and bulk some teams might prefer off the edge, but similar to No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, his quickness and agility makes him a nightmare for would-be blockers. A returning All-American who led the SEC with 12 sacks as a true sophomore, Simmons has the look of a top-10 selection next spring. One of the biggest reasons I expect Arch Manning to take the next step this season at Texas is the stellar blocking he’ll receive from Goosby, another precocious talent with Pro Bowl upside. Goosby stepped in for 2025 first-round pick Kelvin Banks a year ago and Texas had little drop-off on the blindside. His blend of size and easy movement will be highly valued by NFL teams, earning him a first-round selection, as well. With all due respect to the backs in this article and even those selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, Hardy was the most impressive runner in the country over the past two seasons. He collected an eye-popping 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground over that time, while starring at both Louisiana Monroe and Missouri. Hardy led the Sun Belt in rushing as a true freshman in 2024 and then the mighty SEC this past season with a career-high 1,649 yards (on 6.4 yards per carry). He isn’t the biggest back, but he has excellent vision and acceleration to leave defenders in the dust. A Thorpe Award finalist and All-American as a true sophomore, Moore has the size, easy movement skills and instincts NFL teams are looking for at cornerback. Had he been eligible for the 2026 draft, he would have heard his name called in the first round. Washington may not have the statistics (33 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2026) one normally associates with a first-round selection, but had he entered the 2026 draft, he would’ve joined Caleb Banks and Peter Woods as a top-32 pick. Football is a big-man’s game and Washington has rare quickness for such a massive man. Robinson signed with Georgia as the top cornerback prospect in the country, and it isn’t difficult to see why. He possesses lightning-quick feet and loose hips to shadow receivers all over the field, intercepting four passes as a true sophomore last season. Sayin will be a fascinating NFL evaluation because many of the receivers he has thrown to at Ohio State are likely even more talented than the ones he’ll have in the NFL, and it can be difficult to gauge him on his own merits. He showed impressive poise and accuracy in his first season as the Buckeyes starter, however, with scouts excited about his future. Smith was wise to return for one more season at Indiana, recognizing that the 2026 draft was already loaded at offensive tackle with seven players (more than any other position) earning first-round selections. Smith had a chance to sneak into that group this year, but by returning, he should boost his stock, perhaps warranting possible top-20 consideration. Sellers could have entered the 2026 draft and likely earned a Day 2 selection based on his upside, but he wisely returned to iron out his game. His 33:15 TD-INT ratio over his career illustrates his current inconsistency, but he’s a dynamic athlete with excellent size and a cannon for an arm, and he has the intangibles teams want at quarterback. Green is still only 21 years old yet enters the upcoming season with about three years of starting experience on the offensive line. He starred at left tackle last year after previously starting at left guard for Missouri and beginning his college career at Oklahoma, where he started five games as a true freshman. He is one of the youngest and most gifted blockers in college football, showing impressive initial quickness and agility for someone listed at 6-foot-5, 324 pounds. With his blond hair, physical play and motor always running, expect there to be plenty of comparisons to Michigan great Aidan Hutchinson. Daley starred this past season for Kyle Whittingham at Utah before following the legendary head coach to Ann Arbor. He lacks ideal twitch, but he’s powerful and relentless, recording 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 2025. There are fewer sure things in life than death, taxes and Kirk Ferentz churning out NFL-caliber offensive linemen. Lauck has got next, as they say. The prototypical 6-foot-5, 310-pounder started all 13 games at left tackle last year for an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top blocking unit. He already possesses an NFL-caliber frame and game, showing good initial quickness and strong hands to snatch and sustain. Similar to QB Sam Leavitt leaving Arizona State for the greener pastures (and Lane Kiffin’s high-octane offense) at LSU, I’m excited to see Haynes as the focal point of Kyle Whittingham’s offense at Michigan. He began his college career at Alabama and has averaged a staggering 6.5 yards per carry over his first three seasons. He ran for 857 yards a year ago before succumbing to a right foot injury which required surgery. If he can remain healthy, he might double those numbers next year and run himself into the first round. A classic press corner with excellent size (listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds), arm length and balance to jam receivers at the line and harass them throughout the route, Hill is entering his third year as a starter for the Wolverines and looks the part of a future NFL starter. With only two career interceptions, however, he currently lacks the gaudy turnover numbers teams want in a first-round player. The younger, bigger brother of NFL and longtime FBS standout quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, this power-packed edge rusher has the frame and game NFL teams are looking for. With 18.5 combined sacks over his first three years of action, Matayo Uiagalelei is already a proven producer and plays with the instincts and technique expected of a coach’s son. Echoles exploded onto the scene for Ole Miss a year ago, generating 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in a breakout sophomore campaign. If he can match that production in 2026, he could join former teammate Walter Nolen as a first-round selection. Like Nolen, Echoles is a classic 3-technique defensive tackle whose quickness and power make him a tough assignment for would-be blockers. Given all the electric playmakers in today’s NFL, reliable open-field tackling is at a premium. Sabb sports a rocked-up, pro-ready frame, and he’s quick to trigger downhill, blasting ball-carriers with explosive hits. It isn’t often that NFL teams are willing to invest a first-round pick on a running back who weighs less than 200 pounds, but if Lacy duplicates the production he enjoyed last year, it might happen. Lacy quieted critics who suggested that he couldn’t handle a heavy workload, leading the SEC with 306 touches and 24 rushing touchdowns. He’s cat-quick with breakaway speed, soft hands out of the backfield and underrated power. Texas went to the portal to find Arch Manning a No. 1 receiver and I expect Coleman to become a household name this season as a result. He starred at Auburn the past two seasons, leading the Tigers with 708 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Don’t be surprised if those numbers are doubled this year at Texas, with Coleman showing an ideal blend of size, acceleration, body control and hand-eye coordination. Similar in some ways to 2026 first-round pick Blake Miller (Detroit Lions), Baer is a proven ironman, entering his fourth year as a starting offensive tackle for Pitt. His last name is appropriate, as the 6-foot-7, 325-pound Baer mauls opponents at the line of scrimmage. Overshadowed by all the returning defensive talent in Eugene, Tuioti doesn’t get his fair share of the hype in the media, but scouts are excited about his polished game and physical nature. Violent at the point of attack with a dense, powerful frame, Tuioti sets the edge with the best of them and is a proven sack artist as well, recording 17 QB takedowns in three years of college play. An Auburn transfer who was forged by iron practicing against 2026 draft picks Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford each day in practice, Chaplin is a massive left tackle with impressive initial quickness. Siereveld was the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle a year ago and has enough agility and length to remain outside at the next level. I think he might be even better if moved inside, however. He’s broad and powerful and plays with a brand of aggression that will make him a favorite of NFL offensive line coaches. The NFL is willing to pay a premium for pass rushers, and Umanmielen has the initial burst and ankle flexion to slip past heavy-footed blockers. He began his college career at Nebraska but exploded onto the NFL radar a year ago at Ole Miss, recording nine sacks. He’s undersized and is currently too reliant on his agility to elude would-be blockers rather than forcibly shedding blocks, but his one-trick is valuable. After taking the SEC by storm in 2024 with 10 total touchdowns as a true freshman, Coleman-Williams suffered through a season-long sophomore slump last year, recording just four touchdown receptions. I’m confident that he can recapture his playmaking ways this season as Coleman-Williams possesses electric stop-start quickness to get open. He must improve the concentration drops that plagued him last year, however. A size/speed phenom whose route tree currently only has a few branches, the 6-foot-5, 242-pound Harbor is one of the most intriguing but undeniably raw prospects in this article. Per PFF data, he had nearly as many drops (four) as touchdown receptions (six) last year. Five of those touchdowns traveled at least 47 yards, however. Seeking to replace first-round edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, the Hurricanes lured Wilson from Missouri, where he registered a career-high nine sacks a year ago. Originally at Georgia, Wilson is both well-traveled and legitimately talented, boasting terrific burst and bend off the edge.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
