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Azlan Williams with his text from the Miami Dolphins!

Top 5 2026 Mock Draft Picks 

  1. Las Vegas Raiders — Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
  2. New York Jets — Arvell Reese (EDGE, Ohio State)
  3. Arizona Cardinals — David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech)
  4. Chicago Bears — Spencer Fano (OT, Utah)
  5. New York Giants — Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)

Top 5 2026 NFL Draft PIcks

  1. Fernando Mendoza (QB) – drafted #1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders
  2. David Bailey (EDGE) – #2 to the New York Jets
  3. Jeremiyah Love (RB) – #3 to the Arizona Cardinals
  4. Carnell Tate (WR) – #4 to the Tennessee Titans
  5. Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE) – #5 to the New York Giants

After going through the picks, I can’t say that I’m surprised with the ones that were placed. Comparing our results to what really transpired, we see that we got 3 out of 5 correct, which isn’t terrible. However, considering that the first pick is ultimately a lock every year, that means we really got 2 out of 4 correct. Starting off strong, we knew Fernando Mendoza would go first overall because, over four years of college, he had production at every level, which most quarterbacks cannot claim. After leading his team to a national championship and a 14-0 record, there’s only one place left for a quarterback such as this one, and that’s 1st overall. Next thing we knew, the Jets had to go defense due to the fact that they had one of the absolute worst defenses in the entire National Football League with no interceptions and a measly 14 sacks throughout the whole season. To put this into perspective, edge rusher Myles Garrett individually recorded more sacks than the entire starting defense combined. So to combat this, we knew the Jets needed to address this with a new sack chaser, and what better option on the board than David Bailey out of Texas Tech, who’s shown the ability to get after the quarterback? With the third pick, I was genuinely surprised during my mock draft analysis, not because Jeremiah Love isn’t a great running back, but because I assumed the Cardinals would prioritize addressing their defensive issues. That’s a great example of how you never really know what’s going on in a general manager’s office on draft day. However, after analyzing this pick, I firmly believe that they must be considering another prospect who they believe will strengthen the defense, but only time will reveal the truth. Carnell Tate was also a prospect that I believed would initially fall out of the top 10 but signed shortly after. It’s nice to see Cam Ward, a young QB, getting a weapon such as this one. His versatility will greatly benefit a growing offense. Lastly, with the fifth pick, we see Arvell Reese taken off the board. This selection is something we knew coming in wouldn’t take very long. This selection is a great pick for the Giants. They picked up Abdul Carter, another young edge rusher, in last year’s draft, so having another player who’s similar should help production. To truly figure out what teams will do during this week is easier said than done. But what I believe to be true every year is to find the teams’ needs. Through my process I went through every single team that had a pick in the first round and looked at what their strengths and weaknesses were. I then applied them to my mock draft. So when completing your own, apply these facts for the best results. I hope you enjoyed this breakdown of the first few picks in the draft, and for the next post we’ll be breaking down the rest of the top 10! 

Troy Football weight room, where two first-round draft picks began their NFL journeys, along with banners!