2026 NFL Draft Top 150 Big Board: Fernando Mendoza leads weak QB class, but edge rushers and WRs should dominate early rounds

Fernando Mendoza stands alone at QB, but Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, and other WRs should make 2026 an exciting NFL Draft

Travis May — College Football Managing Editor
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2026 NFL Draft season is here. The Shrine Bowl is already wrapped. The Senior Bowl is rolling all week (as of this writing). It’s time to dive deep into the Top 150 prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft with our stacked team of analysts.

Our A to Z Sports NFL Draft team has done an excellent job predicting future drafts in recent years. Our collective 2025 rankings predicted nearly 90% of the variance in the Top 100 picks of last spring’s NFL Draft. That’s going tough to beat, but our team has dug deep to create this collaborative Top 150 big board yet again, to see if we can predict the future once more.

We’ve added some new faces to our NFL Draft team this year, so here are all the contributors (and the teams they primarily cover) who helped with these rankings and will be pumping out excellent draft content year-round:

Adam Holt – Philadelphia Eagles
AJ Schulte – Oklahoma Sooners
Destin Adams – Indianapolis Colts
Joe DeLeone – New York Giants
Kyle Crabbs – Miami Dolphins
Rob Gregson – Pittsburgh Steelers
Ryan Roberts – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Tyler Forness – Minnesota Vikings
Travis May – College Football & NFL Draft Managing Editor

For those unfamiliar with our prospect grading system that we use every draft season, it’s a scale from 1 to 10 (that you’ll see in parentheses next to each prospect). 9+ is first round lock. 8.00-8.99 is possible first round player. 7.00-7.99 is day two. 6.00-6.99 is possible day two or early day three. 5.00-5.99 is mid day three. 4.00-4.99 is late day three. Everything below 4 is undrafted free agent territory. Enjoy the big board, and let us know what you believe we have right or wrong @AtoZSportsNFL on X.

First Round 2026 NFL Draft Prospects

  1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (9.75)
  2. Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL) (9.48)
  3. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL) (9.47)
  4. Spencer Fano, OT, Utah (9.47)
  5. Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State (9.42)
  6. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (9.41)
  7. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (9.3)
  8. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee (9.24)
  9. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (9.18)
  10. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (9.13)
  11. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (9.11)
  12. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (9.02)
  13. Peter Woods, DL, Clemson (9.01)

The quarterback class is essentially just Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana) alone at the top. National champion. Heisman Trophy winner. Elite advanced metrics profile. Mendoza has it all and stands alone as the surefire first overall pick in the NFL Draft by a good margin.

The trio of elite edge rushers at the top could continue to shuffle throughout the NFL Draft process, but there shouldn’t be anyone else that joins them in this first tier of first round locks. Rueben Bain (EDGE, Miami) will get knocked for his arm length, but our A to Z Sports crew is still in love with him. David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech) has the best production profile and is likely the best pure pass rusher. Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE, Ohio State) could play off-ball or edge as a hybrid freak athlete.

Francis Mauigoa (OT, Miami) and Spencer Fano (OT, Utah) are two of the best offensive tackle athletes in the last few classes, so it’s no wonder that more than 97% of mock drafts have included them in the first round dating back to October of last fall.

Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State) and Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State) both look like prime candidates to be the WR1 in the class, but our team wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of the wide receivers in the next tier compete with them for the top spot. This class is deep with Top 40 talents.

Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State) has been an All-American talent since he was a true freshman. Jermod McCoy was the clear CB1 in the country before going down with injury in 2024. Mansoor Delane’s absurd run of shutdown production last fall made him the CB1 in all of college football for 2025. Those three could go in any order among the first 15 picks or so in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Possible First Round 2026 NFL Draft Prospects

  1. Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn (8.99)
  2. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (8.95)
  3. Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah (8.90)
  4. Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State (8.77)
  5. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (8.72)
  6. Makai Lemon, WR, USC (8.72)
  7. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss (8.71)
  8. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (8.71)
  9. Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson (8.70)
  10. Kayden McDonald, DL, Ohio State (8.52)
  11. Caleb Banks, DL, Florida (8.44)
  12. Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M (8.44)
  13. R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma (8.36)
  14. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon (8.36)
  15. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia (8.35)
  16. Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington (8.33)
  17. Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia (8.30)
  18. Connor Lew, IOL, Auburn (8.26)
  19. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (8.26)
  20. Denzel Boston, WR, Washington (8.14)
  21. Chris Bell, WR, Louisville (8.14)
  22. Colton Hood, CB, Tennesseee (8.12)
  23. Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama (8.07)
  24. T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson (8.06)
  25. Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa (8.00)

This “possible first round pick” tier is full of physical upside and impressive production, especially at wide receiver.

Keldric Faulk (EDGE, Auburn) and Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State) are two of the most gifted athletic specimens in the entire class, so there’s a chance one of them rises into the top ten on potential alone. Faulk wasn’t extremely productive last season, but NFL scouts are still blown away. Sonny Styles missed just one tackle all season long as an extremely productive linebacker for Ohio State.

Trinidad Chambliss (QB, Ole Miss) and Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama) have some question marks with their profiles and are completely different players, but our A to Z Sports staff couldn’t help but give them late first round grades. Chambliss is an unimaginably gifted improviser and dual-threat athlete of a quarterback, but only has one season of play outside of Division-II ball. Ty Simpson waited his turn at Alabama, looked like a field general for the first half of last season, but then struggled as he fought through injuries. Again, only one season of play from him as well. Had either played against top competition longer, both could have become easy first round selections, but they’re not quite there.

Our crew is extremely high on Caleb Banks (DT, Florida), Jonah Coleman (RB, Washington), and Connor Lew (C, Auburn) compared to industry consensus big boards. Banks and Lew have missed a ton of time with injury, but when healthy project to be the most dominant at their positions. Banks more than doubled the expected positional pass rush pressure rate when healthy. Lew is an offensive foundation-builder at center who understands leverage extremely well. Coleman should be the easy RB2 in the class behind Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame. He’s built like a bowling ball at 5-9, 228 pounds, but with nearly 4,000 career yards from scrimmage in college, Coleman moves with explosion, surprising agility, and averages over four yards after contact for his career.

Likely Day Two 2026 NFL Draft Prospects

  1. Chase Bisontis, IOL, Texas A&M (7.98)
  2. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo (7.95)
  3. Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami (FL) (7.9)
  4. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State (7.89)
  5. Kamari Ramsey, S, USC (7.89)
  6. Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State (7.88)
  7. Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas (7.79)
  8. Max Klare, TE, Ohio State (7.77)
  9. Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame (7.76)
  10. Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech (7.75)
  11. Christen Miller, DL, Georgia (7.75)
  12. Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati (7.74)
  13. Drew Shelton, OT, Penn State (7.72)
  14. Keith Abney, CB, Arizona State (7.7)d
  15. Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina (7.68)
  16. LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama (7.64)
  17. Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech (7.64)
  18. Isaiah World, OT, Oregon (7.6)
  19. Blake Miller, OT, Clemson (7.6)
  20. Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana (7.53)
  21. Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern (7.48)
  22. Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri (7.46)
  23. Domonique Orange, DL, Iowa State (7.44)
  24. Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC (7.43)
  25. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt (7.42)
  26. Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State (7.35)
  27. Emmanuel Pregnon, IOL, Oregon (7.34)
  28. Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri (7.33)
  29. Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU (7.32)
  30. Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee (7.32)
  31. Jake Slaughter, IOL, Florida (7.3)
  32. Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama (7.29)
  33. Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska (7.24)
  34. Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State (7.24)
  35. Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor (7.22)
  36. A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU (7.17)
  37. Malik Muhammad, CB, Texas (7.13)
  38. Keiontae Scott, CB, Miami (FL) (7.13)
  39. Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M (7.1)
  40. Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee (7.08)
  41. Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State (7.07)
  42. Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois (7.06)
  43. Harold Perkins, LB, LSU (7.05)
  44. D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana (7.04)
  45. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech (7.04)
  46. Dontay Corleone, DL, Cincinnati (7.01)

This tier of prospects is where the A to Z Sports staff began to diverge significantly from consensus and disagree with each other up and down the board.

However, the few prospects where our scouts all have begun to agree are Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo), Akheem Mesidor (EDGE, Miami), Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State), and Dani Dennis-Sutton (EDGE, Penn State). All four of them could continue to rise up consensus draft boards with strong showings this spring at the Senior Bowl (for a couple of them) and the NFL Combine. McNeil-Warren’s competition questions don’t seem to matter to the league scouts we talk to at all. Mesidor’s age doesn’t seem to be holding back his grades from scouts either, as a potential late first round pick now. Chris Johnson could rise like Quinyon Mitchell did a couple years ago following the Senior Bowl. Dani Dennis-Sutton is going to showcase his elite athleticism over the next few weeks too.

There was plenty of disagreement when it came to the cornerbacks in this tier, but the early to mid round cornerbacks are looking better than most expected. There might be questions with Keionte Scott (Miami) and Will Lee (Texas A&M) when it comes to winning without too much contact. There might be questions on Malik Muhammad (Texas) and D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana) with their ability to win physically against tougher NFL wide receivers. However, any of those four could continue to rise up and compete alongside Keith Abney (Arizona State), Brandon Cisse (South Carolina), and any of the other late first projected corners in this class. After this tier, there are major questions at the position, but this is a group of likely solid starting NFL cornerbacks.

Possible Day Two and Early Day Three 2026 NFL Draft Prospects

  1. Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn State (6.97)
  2. Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama (6.94)
  3. Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest (6.92)
  4. Justin Joly, TE, NC State (6.89)
  5. Parker Brailsford, IOL, Alabama (6.85)
  6. Darrell Jackson Jr., DL, Florida State (6.80)
  7. Tyreak Sapp, EDGE, Florida (6.80)
  8. Anthony Lucas, EDGE, USC (6.80)
  9. Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson (6.78)
  10. Jaishawn Barham, LB, Michigan (6.75)
  11. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana (6.75)
  12. Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OT, Wake Forest (6.71)
  13. Drew Allar, QB, Penn State (6.70)
  14. Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan (6.68)
  15. Eric Singleton Jr., WR, Auburn (6.65)
  16. Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF (6.64)
  17. Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona (6.62)
  18. Logan Jones, IOL, Iowa (6.62)
  19. Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma (6.62)
  20. Taurean York, LB, Texas A&M (6.60)
  21. Austin Barber, OT, Florida (6.60)
  22. Sawyer Robertson, QB, Baylor (6.60)
  23. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia (6.59)
  24. Michael Taaffe, S, Texas (6.58)
  25. Mikail Kamara, EDGE, Indiana (6.56)
  26. Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson (6.55)
  27. Devin Moore, CB, Florida (6.53)
  28. Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt (6.53)
  29. Carson Beck, QB, Miami (FL) (6.50)
  30. Brian Parker, OT, Duke (6.49)
  31. Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas (6.48)
  32. Tim Keenan III, DL, Alabama (6.48)
  33. Skyler Gill-Howard, DL, Texas Tech (6.48)
  34. Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State (6.46)
  35. Skyler Bell, WR, UConn (6.46)
  36. Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State (6.44)
  37. Domani Jackson, CB, Alabama (6.43)
  38. Le’Veon Moss, RB, Texas A&M (6.41)
  39. Tacario Davis, CB, Washington (6.39)
  40. Jaeden Roberts, IOL, Alabama (6.37)
  41. De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss (6.36)
  42. Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia (6.35)
  43. Kage Casey, OT, Boise State (6.34)
  44. Caden Curry, EDGE, Ohio State (6.33)
  45. Max Llewellyn, EDGE, Iowa (6.33)
  46. Zane Durant, DL, Penn State (6.32)
  47. Jack Endries, TE, Texas (6.29)
  48. Diego Pounds, OT, Ole Miss (6.27)
  49. Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College (6.27)
  50. Genesis Smith, S, Arizona (6.27)
  51. Gracen Halton, DL, Oklahoma (6.24)
  52. Keylan Rutledge, IOL, Georgia Tech (6.22)
  53. Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh (6.20)
  54. Trey Moore, EDGE, Texas (6.18)
  55. Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana (6.15)
  56. Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame (6.12)
  57. Aaron Anderson, WR, LSU (6.12)
  58. Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State (6.11)
  59. Lander Barton, LB, Utah (6.1.0)
  60. Ahmari Harvey, CB, Georgia Tech (6.08)
  61. Rayshaun Benny, DL, Michigan (6.00)
  62. Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State (6.00)
  63. Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas (5.94)
  64. J’Mari Taylor, RB, Virginia (5.93)
  65. DJ Campbell, IOL, Texas (5.92)
  66. Lance Mason, TE, Wisconsin (5.90)

Every single class turns into a mess of disagreement on prospect rankings once you get outside of the top 100 players or so. In fact, when creating predictive draft capital modeling, the variance more than doubles from the end of round three to the end of round four. So yes, if you disagree with rankings in this tier, that’s normal — so does every NFL team.

“Our guys” in this group seem to be a lot of high upside players with major question marks. For instance, Zakee Wheatley (S, Penn State) was one of the lone bright spots on his team as a rangy, fun, athletic defender for the Nittany Lions. Deion Burks (WR, Oklahoma) showcased phenomenal freaky grabs at wide receiver throughout the season for the Sooners despite the inaccuracies and inconsistency at quarterback. Trey Moore (EDGE, Texas) has split time between off-ball linebacker and edge defender for the Longhorns, but can do anything he wants given his physical gifts. And lastly, Taylen Green (QB, Arkansas) measured in a 6-6, 230 pounds, at the Senior Bowl. He is an extremely high upside athlete at quarterback who could rise given the lack of elite options at quarterback.

Final word on A to Z Sports 2026 NFL Draft Top 150 Big Board

To be completely fair, the 2026 NFL Draft class isn’t the deepest groups. A ton of great prospects chose to return to college football to cash in on the NIL and revenue sharing era (fair compensation better than late round draft pick pay now). The quarterback group has major questions outside of Mendoza, Simpson, and Chambliss. The offensive tackle group gets extremely traits-heavy and raw projection-laden earlier than usual. The defensive tackle group only has two or three safe high-end projections. The running back group is essentially Jeremiyah Love and then a bunch of productive or traits-driven dart throws. However, this class does offer some exciting intrigue because of all the physical tools and upside that teams likely swing for outside of the top 40 players. That’s going to make this class ridiculously difficult to predict in terms of the exact draft order. Beauty will likely lie in the eye of the beholder from NFL team to NFL team.

We’ll be back with more NFL Draft coverage here at A to Z Sports soon!  If you enjoyed this big board or would like to let us know what you thought just reach out to me personally (@FF_TravisM) or go to A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X to find all the latest football news!

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