In the aftermath of the scouting combine and free agency, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. dropped his latest 2026 NFL mock draft with some notable changes at the top.
The No. 1 pick for Kiper remains the same as his Feb. 24 mock, with Fernando Mendoza going to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kiper’s next five picks are all different, including David Bailey going No. 2 to the New York Jets and Jeremiyah Love sliding into the top four to the Tennessee Titans.
Here are Kiper’s projected top 10 picks in his new mock:
- Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
- New York Jets: David Bailey, LB, Texas Tech
- Arizona Cardinals: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
- Tennessee Titans: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
- Cleveland Browns: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
- Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
- New Orleans Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- Kansas City Chiefs: Reuben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
- Cincinnati Bengals: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Among the standout defensive players at the scouting combine, Bailey was arguably the best of bunch. His athletic testing ranked among the top 70 defensive end prospects over the past 39 years.
Kiper has Bailey going to the New York Jets, who need as much high-ceiling talent as they can get right now. They could be a team that defines this draft with four picks in the first two rounds as general manager Darren Mougey looks to build up the roster.
Also of note is Kiper has the Jets using their second pick in the first round (No. 16) on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. He did emphasize they “don’t have to draft a quarterback” at this spot, but they could take a swing while letting him develop behind Geno Smith as a rookie before taking over in 2027.
B/R’s NFL scouting department put Simpson at No. 26 on its updated big board rankings post-combine, so it would be a reach for the Jets. But not an egregious one at this point, especially since they also have picks 33 and 44 in the second round.
The most significant jump in the top 10 for Kiper was Love going from No. 9 to the Kansas City Chiefs in his previous mock all the way up the Titans at four.
Even though the value of a running back that high could certainly be debated, especially given where Tennessee’s roster is at right now, Kiper cited the franchise’s commitment to “boosting the offense around second-year quarterback Cam Ward, and Love would take the run game to another level while also serving as a dynamic pass catcher.”
It doesn’t hurt that Love shares a lot of physical and testing similarities to Jahmyr Gibbs when he was a prospect in 2023.
The Titans spent big money in free agency on Wan’Dale Robinson (four years, $78 million) to boost their receiver room and John Franklin-Myers (three years, $63 million) to upgrade the pass-rush.
New head coach Robert Saleh’s first goal is to instill an identity with the Titans that has been lacking for years. A backfield duo with Love at running back and Cam Ward at quarterback would be tantalizing.
Despite those early dreams in the offseason of putting Love in the same offense as Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs clearly wanted to use their first-round picks in another way after signing Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker to a three-year, $43.05 million deal.
The alternative based on Kiper’s mock looks like a good one, with Miami standout Reuben Bain Jr. landing in Kansas City. One of the big issues for the Chiefs in 2025 was the lack of a dominant pass-rusher.
The Chiefs finished tied for 22nd in the NFL with 35 sacks last season. Chris Jones will turn 32 on July 2. George Karlaftis has been an effective player in the defense, but he hasn’t shown the ability to be a No. 1-type of pass-rush player.
Even with some of the concerns about Bain’s size and arm length, he consistently dominated during his three years at Miami. He solidified his standing as a special talent with an incredible run for the Hurricanes throughout the College Football Playoff.
After trading Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, the Chiefs obtained a second first-round pick at No. 29 overall. Kiper had them using their extra selection on a potential replacement at cornerback by taking South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse.
This offseason is looking like a rebuilding one for Kansas City, at least as much as a team can rebuild with Mahomes and Travis Kelce on the roster. An infusion of young talent, particularly on defense, with players like Bane and Cisse would take pressure off Mahomes as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
With five weeks still remaining before the draft begins, things figure to continue changing as teams continue to gather more information on prospects.
Pro days will really start to ramp up this week, with Georgia being the most notable program holding its workout day on Wednesday.
