The 2026 NFL Draft is now in the spotlight. From the NFL Scouting Combine to Pro Days across the country, teams and scouts have turned their primary focus to the more than 300 prospects, including 63 underclassmen, eligible to have their dreams come true come late April.
With some of those top prospects rising and falling on draft big boards, the closer draft day nears, the question is which players will be taken sooner than expected and which players will fall out of the first round. One of those players gaining attention is former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson who is projected as the second quarterback behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza in this draft.
The big question is how high will Simpson be selected?
Can he win over a team to take him in the top 10 or trade up to select him?
Stay tuned because this 2026 NFL Mock Draft answers that exact question along with a couple surprises in the top 10 and some players you may notice sliding out of the first round.
2026 NFL Mock Draft: Big trade ups become the story of Day 1
No. 1: Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 is clear. The question remaining is will the Las Vegas Raiders surround Fernando Mendoza with the pieces he needs to succeed in Year 1. The rest of the draft will determine that as well as what the team has already done in free agency like beefing up the offensive line with the signing of Tyler Linderbaum who stabilizes the middle of the offensive line.
No. 2: New York Jets – David Bailey, ED, Texas Tech
The Jets taking David Bailey at No. 2 is a decision that will pay off instantly but could be looked back upon as the team passing on a better player in Arvell Reese. As much versatility as Reese would bring to the defense, Bailey is explosive off the edge and finds ways to be a disruptor no matter where he lines up along the defensive line.
No. 3: Arizona Cardinals – Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
The Cardinals see Arvell Reese fall to them at No. 3 and jump at the opportunity. Although quarterback and the offensive line are their top concerns, they fill their need at linebacker with the selection of Reese, whose versatility, athleticism and speed allows him to be a force off the edge and a big-time defensive playmaker everywhere else on the field.
No. 4: Tennessee Titans – Rueben Bain Jr., ED, Miami (FL)
Another top defender goes off the board. With the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, the Tennessee Titans add Rueben Bain Jr. to the mix. A tenacious pass rusher with a high motor, the former Miami star doesn’t have the prototypical height and length of an edge rusher, but his technique, hand fighting ability along with his combination of speed and power makes him the game wrecker the Titans are looking for on the defensive side of the field.
No. 5: Kansas City Chiefs, via New York Giants – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
The Chiefs make a big move here to land perhaps the top receiver in the daft in Ohio State’s Carnell Tate. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound receiver is a intermediate to deep ball route machine who will give Patrick Mahomes the best big play receiver he has had in quite a while. Signing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and Travis Kelce still in the mix, the Chiefs’ offense will see a metamorphosis in 2026 with the addition of a talent like Tate.