Final Predictive Mock
Promoted to WalterFootball.com:
Final Predictive Mock
(Apr 8, 2026)
One round draft. No trades.
Round 1
Picks 1-16
Picks 17-32
The consensus No. 1 overall pick. Besides, what could be more Alpha Bro than selecting a Natty and Heisman-winning quaterback to be the face of your franchise? Tom Brady approves.
Perception matters and the phase most associated with Reese during draft season has been “violent hands.” Coming off a season where Myles Garrett bulldozed his way to the NFL Sack record, it's safe to assume teams will value a power rusher such as Reese over a speed rusher like Bailey. Think Parsons or LaVar Arrington. Reese gets the nod here for the J-E-T-S.
3.
With the Cardinals set on taking their franchise quarterback in ’27, grabbing an elite right tackle to pair with Paris Johnson Jr. makes sense. Those book end tackles will be charged with protecting whoever ‘Zona selects next year.
Some have Bailey going at No. 2 because of his quickness off the edge. He fills the spot opposite Jermaine Johnson in Robert Salah’s 3-4 scheme. With Polland and Spears around, taking Love here would be a luxury Tennessee can’t afford.
After drafting Edge Abdul Carter last year, the G-Men need to solidify their linebacking corps. They do so here with Styles - a high-energy ‘backer who has been rocketing up boards due to his impressive Combine performance. Linebacker (Styles) gets the edge over Safety (Downs) here given the relative value of those positions.
Andrew Berry grabs a receiver for the Brownies at No. 6. Tate has great hands with only one drop last season. Plus, playing for the hometown favorite Ohio State Buckeyes doesn’t hurt his case to be selected either. Already on thin ice in Cleveland after the Watson fiasco, Berry lays up here instead of swinging for the fences with the injury-prone yet uber-talented Tyson.
7.
This is the pick everyone (outside of the NFC East) wanted to see happen. Love would take some of the pressure off Jayden Daniels and create a two-headed rushing attack that would be difficult for opposing defenses to contain.
Psychology lesson: What happens when you take a risk and succeed? You try again. Saints coach Kellen Moore lucked out with Tyler Shough, Chris Olave … even Kamara staying healthy last season. They go back to the well here and select this draft’s top receiver despite his lengthy history of nagging injuries.
Short arms be damned, Chiefs fans would be estatic with this pick. Felix Anudize-Ozuma has been a bust and sack monster Bain Jr. takes his spot on the KC defensive line opposite George Karlaftis. The parallels to Jalen Carter and the Eagles back in '23 are eerily similar - even down to, should he end up going here, being selected with the exact same pick at No. 9 overall.
Team changes but this pick remains the same. Proof that NFL teams are also producing plenty of mock drafts, the G-Men trade Dexter Lawrence to Cincy with the expectation their other target - fellow Ohio Stater Caleb Downs - will be available. From his experience with the Ravens, Harbaugh is quite used to this kind of scenario.
Everyone knows the ‘Fins need secondary needs help. Full stop. Delane represents the first step to fixing a unit that somehow featured Storm Duck as their No. 1 cornerback and then followed that up by trading Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Ask AI: Jerry Jones was at the OSU-Miami semifinal that served as Mesidor's national coming-out party. With a Top 10 offense and Bottom 5 defense, Dallas badly needs reinforcements. Therefore, they disregard concerns about Mesidor’s age (25) and select him as their newest star edge rusher.
Hear me out: Les Snead is nothing if not an independent thinker. Maybe he would pass on Simpson for star WR Jordyn Tyson…but he’s gone. Instead, Snead takes the chance to be legendary and transition Stafford’s final year into another Franchise QB. Don't forget about Stafford's back problems either. Last year he was a question mark even going into Week 1.
Very chalky pick to replace the shaky guard play of Andrew Vorhees. Don’t think Eric DeCosta isn’t snickering at the thought of taking Vega away from Vegas.
15.
With Lavonte David’s retirement, the Bucs find another long-term solution at linebacker. General Manager Jason Licht has never sheid away from using first-rounders to get help in the trenches and that’s essentially what this pick represents with Allen’s elite level run stopping ability.
Has there ever been a more ‘Jets’ selection? The Big Apple welcomes the showstopper Lemon - who makes both positive and negative headlines. He plays opposite Garrett Wilson in an offense still looking for their quarterback.
Picks 1-16
Picks 17-32