The Super Bowl LX matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will feature key players selected by both teams in recent drafts. Whether its Drake Maye, Christian Gonzalez, Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Devon Witherspoon, each player was selected in hopes of transcending the franchise.
While every team has these hopes, top draft picks don’t always work out. It takes the right amount of scouting, understand how each player fits a team’s need whether that is on-the-field or character off-the-field that makes a top selection a successful selection.
Following Super Bowl LX, all 32 teams will set forth on a journey to find the right player who can help either turn a franchise or is the piece certain franchises need to put them over the top. Last year’s champion, the Philadelphia Eagles, mastered that process with key selections in the first two rounds (Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean) who helped them hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
In this 2026 NFL Mock Draft, we celebrate Super Bowl LX and Super Bowl’s past by selecting a player for each of the 32 NFL teams who could be that player to either help the franchise turn around or be that player who can help a team prosper either into the playoffs or secure themselves as a Super Bowl contender in 2026 and beyond.
2026 NFL Mock Draft Top 5: Each team selects their franchise cornerstone
No. 1: Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
In looking at the quarterbacks headlining Super Bowl LX, a big question for the Las Vegas Raiders with the top pick of the 2026 NFL Draft will be whether they view Fernando Mendoza as the type of quarterback who could lead a team to a Super Bowl as early as Year 2 in the NFL like a Drake Maye or is he the type of quarterback who may take a few seasons to grow like a Sam Darnold. The answer largely depends on what the team has in place for Mendoza to develop. With Tom Brady as a partial owner and Klint Kubiak taking over as head coach, Mendoza will have a great support system and could be in position to exceed sooner rather than later. Given how he played during Indiana’s National Championship run, he has the fabric of a clutch quarterback. He will just need players around him who buy in and will be inspired playing with him.
- Second round pick (No. 36): CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
No. 2: New York Jets– Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
Unless the Jets can overwhelm the Las Vegas Raiders with a trade offer that will lead them to swapping picks here, the Jets are better suited to take the best available player at No. 2, which will be Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese. With two first round picks, the Jets should be in great position to take a shot at QB later in the round or with their second-round pick. As a team with many needs, including getting pressure on the quarterback, taking Reese here will be an important piece to building a team that can be more competitive in 2026 and a team to watch as they add talent at key positions in this draft. Reese is the type of player who can be a cornerstone piece defensively for years to come.
- Second round pick (No. 33): Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
- Second round pick (No. 44): Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
No. 3: Arizona Cardinals– Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
The Cardinals have a new head coach in Mike LaFleur which could determine what the team does with Kyler Murray. The best option will be to go into 2026 with Murray if they don’t find a suitable trade that will give them more draft capital. With the No. 3 overall pick, the Cardinals will go best player available and select Ohio State’s Caleb Downs as an eventual Budda Baker replacement. In Downs they get a playmaker defensively who could help them be competitive in the NFC West in 2026. As a high-level performer at Ohio State, Downs is a player who could be monumental in elevating the Cardinals into a playoff threat in the next couple of seasons, depending on which direction they go at the quarterback position.
- Second round pick (No. 34): R Mason Thomas, ED, Oklahoma
No. 4: Tennessee Titans – Rueben Bain Jr, ED, Miami
The Titans are another team with a new head coach and heightened optimism for the 2026 NFL season. Under Robert Saleh, the Titans continue to build on defense by adding a cornerstone piece in edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. They will use the rest of the draft to build around Cam Ward, but getting a player like Bain gives the Titans their edge rusher and a player who will excel playing on a line that features All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. It also sets their future at the position and should make them more competitive defensively in 2026.
- Second round pick (No. 35): KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
No. 5: New York Giants – Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Under John Harbaugh, there will be some rejuvenation for the New York Giants in 2026. With a top 5 pick and key young talent returning from injury like Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, the Giants will focus on surround Jaxon Dart with more playmakers. With the No. 5 pick, they select Ohio State’s Carnell Tate who will be a top option until Nabers is fully 100 percent. When that does occur, Nabers and Tate has the potential to be one of the top duos in the NFL and a pair of playmakers who will help Dart transition nicely in Year 2. Could the Giants mimics what the New England Patriots did in 2025? Some key free agent signings along with another solid draft could put them in that conversation at least as far as contending for the playoffs.
- Second round pick (No. 37): Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee