Hello friends, it's your buddy Lou Pickney with you here.
The DKDB update.
March 26th, 2026.
We're less than a month away from the start of the NFL draft.
Three-day event taking place this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Be sure to check the DKDB on a regular basis.
I personally curated expert curated 2026 NFL mock draft database.
I put the best of the best in the DKDB.
No AI, no staff efforts.
Real people that are very good at projecting what's going to happen in the NFL draft.
No nonsense, just links directly.
These great mock drafts, go through and read them.
A lot of valuable insight to be found in there.
Let me go through my latest mock draft.
Had a tentative version up late on Wednesday.
And here on Thursday, I got this new one ready to go.
I'm going to talk about it here.
Of course, you can find it on mockdraftnfl.com.
But it's also in the DKDB.
You can just find the DKDB, bookmark it.
I'll update it anytime I've got a new update here on mockdraftnfl.com.
Over the past 5 years, I'm tied for the third highest score from the Huddle Report.
Goes through and ranks accuracy for people in this prognostication business I found myself in.
Be sure, of course, mockdraftnfl.com, this YouTube channel.
Please subscribe, like, all that stuff.
Comment, tell me your favorite NFL team.
Tell me what you think of my mock.
Let's get things started here.
Of course, at number one, Fernando Mendoza, quarterback, Indiana.
Practically every mock draft at this point that's at all serious is going to have that.
If it's not Mendoza at one, it would be one of the biggest surprises in the modern history of the NFL draft.
That does cover considerable ground.
All indications are it's Mendoza at one to Vegas.
They can't officially say that, though, until the draft when they actually make the pick.
That's the rule.
Been like that about 15 years now.
At two, Arvelle Reese, linebacker/edge, Ohio State.
Truly dynamic player.
Physical skills allow Reese to play off-ball linebacker and edge rusher and play at an elite level with both.
It's really his edge rushing that's going to get him that look at number two overall, but the versatility for a Jets defense that was historically bad last year.
Zero interceptions in 17 games.
If you were trying to do that intentionally, you know somebody that would screw up and pick one up out of the air without thinking about it, out of instinct.
Like a receiver on fourth down, it's fourth and long.
As good as a punt, the guy's celebrating that made the interception at the 5-yard line.
It's like, you goof, if you would have just let the ball hit the ground, we could have had the ball back at the 35 instead of the five.
But that requires a a level of intricate thinking that in the moment, your muscle memory and years of training is to intercept that ball.
Does make it difficult to to do that.
Anyway, whether you're picking it off intentionally, unintentionally, ball getting stuck in your helmet, you got a good defense finally, whatever.
You got to get the parts and pieces in place.
Includes pressure up front.
Reese would certainly bring that for the Jets at two.
At three, Francis Mauigoa, offensive tackle, Miami, Arizona Cardinals.
The Cards need a right side offensive tackle.
Mauigoa, one of the very best.
The question is, is Mauigoa worthy of a top three pick?
Or is he the best player available, all that?
I think Arizona would be a candidate to trade back if anybody's looking to trade up.
But in a draft with really Mendoza as the only top quarterback prospect.
Ty Simpson will probably end up as a first-round pick with somebody trading back late in the first round to get him.
Maybe Arizona will do that.
That's actually probably the most likely of the scenarios for Simpson at this point.
But I don't see them taking Simpson at three.
Here I've got them taking Francis Mauigoa.
If they don't go with Mauigoa, they could go with Spencer Fano, but I just Now you're going with a right tackle with below-average arm length at number three overall pick.
I don't know about that.
Mauigoa is legit.
He would fill a major need for the Cards at three.
At four, hometown Tennessee Titans get David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech.
Had a tremendous 2025 season after transferring in from Stanford.
A lot of pressure on that Texas Tech team last season.
They played very well.
Bailey's elite.
The Titans have a lot of large defensive linemen, which is a definite positive.
You don't want to be undersized on your D-line.
They've got the personnel where if you had Bailey and at first only rotated him in mostly on passing downs, it could still be worth it.
Rueben Bain Jr.
from Miami could be a consideration as well here.
And after all the talk of Jeremiah Love and as much as I would enjoy seeing Jeremiah Love as a Tennessee Titan here, my hometown Titans, the indications are pretty strong at this point that it won't be Love.
Who knows?
Things can change.
Perhaps not until April 23rd.
That's where it's looking at this point.
At five, New York Giants Sonny Styles, linebacker, Ohio State.
I'll note that Adam Schefter, after last week saying that things with Jeremiah Love, that window for him would open at five, kind of doubled down on that as far as saying not only the Titans not taking Love at four, but now only not thinking the Giants taking him at five.
Now I realize this is misdirection season, smoke screens, etc., but Schefter knows things.
Everybody was talking up Shedeur Sanders as number two overall last year.
He noted that Cleveland had interest and was looking into Abdul Carter.
And well, ultimately, that didn't work out the way he was thinking there was Carter to the Browns.
He was right that it wasn't Sanders at number two, although ironically, Sanders, of course, ended up with Cleveland.
Anyway, at five, Sonny Styles, a safety when he started in Columbus that transitioned to linebacker.
You can play him in multiple spots.
I mean, it's one of several options, of course, for the Giants, but after that performance at the combine, he impressed a lot of people.
He's not your typical off-ball linebacker.
A unique skill set.
Ohio State somehow ended up with several defensive players with unique skill sets.
They recruited really well.
And of course, getting transfers helps as well.
Most notably, Caleb Downs from Alabama.
With that championship season of 2024 and then this past season as well.
At six, Cleveland Browns Carnell Tate, wide receiver, Ohio State.
Tate is generally seen as the most reliable receiver in this class.
He'll catch practically anything you throw his way.
He's got this uncanny ability to get open in 3 seconds or less, which in the modern NFL is a massive benefit to have.
I had thought that he might get faded a bit because he doesn't have ultra-high-end track star speed.
And sometimes at the NFL combine, that gets more attention than maybe it should.
Although, on the other side of the coin, remember that the NFL values few things quite like ultra-high-end speed.
However, Tate is a reliable target.
He's somebody that can get open and catch everything.
And in the modern NFL, there's something to be said for that.
And so, I've got him going to Cleveland at six, knowing that Cleveland, which has some major needs in its offensive line, back on the board at number 24.
At seven, here's Jeremiah Love to the Washington Commanders.
And the thing for the Commanders, look, if they really want Sonny Styles, if he's there, maybe that's the move.
But in this scenario, Styles is gone.
Love would be a big boost for that Washington offense.
His underrated trait, his ability to receive the ball out of the backfield, very effective as a receiver.
Notre Dame didn't utilize him as much in that role because he was the primary running back.
Just tearing through there, dominant on a week-in, week-out basis.
But it's his receiving ability that I think is his underrated strength and why he's looked at so highly as a prospect.
You look at Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit.
Even though he's seen potentially as a liability as a pass blocker, he's so effective as a receiver that it works.
Love offers a different skill set.
Gibbs is worth unique like that.
Love is really good.
And if the Commanders are trying to get things back on target for offense this upcoming season, be a nice piece of the puzzle there for the Commanders at number seven.
Number eight, Jordan Addison to the New Orleans Saints.
Lots of talk that the Saints would think about They The Saints could go with Nolan Smith Jr.
Edge rusher I've got going to Kansas City at nine.
We'll get to that in a moment.
I don't think the Saints are locked in for taking a receiver here necessarily.
But they should feel fairly confident that if they they can't get Jordan Addison, they should be able to get Jordan Addison.
But Kayshon Boutte might also be a consideration.
I'd like to get the feeling between the two that a number of teams would take Addison.
Potential upside when he's healthy.
That guy is just a difference maker.
At nine, Kansas City is noted Nolan Smith Jr.
Edge, Miami.
The knock on him, and you'll hear a lot about this between now and the draft, is that Nolan Smith Jr.
has shorter than 31-in arms.
That's the arm length measurement they use.
And historically in the NFL, there are not many success stories for edge rushers with arms that are shorter than 31 in.
However, Nolan Smith Jr.
plays with a ferocity off the edge that few can match.
That engine, that motor, he's going to get full effort on every play.
Kansas City has not had a top 10 pick in several years, and it's very difficult to get ultra high-end edge talents, those edge rusher prospects.
Here's KC with a chance.
So, I think Kenyon Sadiq, tight Cornerback a consideration as well.
Big need for KC.
They need to have their pick potentially the entire class.
But we'll see what Kansas City does with the second first-round pick they've got in this draft in my mock when we get to it here in just a little bit.
At 10, Cincinnati gets Caleb Downs, safety, Ohio State.
His ability to read and react really something special.
Well, there are number of needs and possibilities for the Bengals, particularly on defense, whether it's edge rusher, some think corner.
But I think if Downs is here, be a nice pick up.
Special talent.
The safety is not a primary need position, a priority position certainly for teams.
But the fact that the reigning Super Bowl champions traded up high in the second round to get safety Nick Cross out of South Carolina, and then won the Super Bowl.
NFL copycat league.
I think it makes it a bit easier to pitch safety even with a premium pick like a top 10 selection.
If it happens, Downs would be the first pure safety drafted in the top 10 in 9 years.
It's been a while.
11, Spencer Fano, offensive tackle, Utah, to the Miami Dolphins.
But Miami, with the Jaylen Waddle trade, acquired Denver's pick at number 30.
So, we'll hear more from the Dolphins in a bit.
Fano is well regarded as an offensive line prospect.
He's not your blind side blocker, left offensive tackle type.
But he'd be a major addition for that Dolphins O-line.
He's well regarded.
It's just one question, his physical limitations, whatever they may be arm length-wise.
Or you can think, "Okay, even with that, he's good enough, particularly flexibility standpoint.
You got some options for Miami there at 11.
At 12, Man Sor Delain.
So, the Cowboys, they don't get Caleb Downs, who they're said to really want.
Um but in this case, all right.
The silver lining is the Cowboys get their pick at the entire class at corner.
Delain not on all boards, but on more often than not, the evaluator boards are going to have Delain as the top corner from what I've seen.
At 13, Los Angeles Rams pick they acquired last year from the Atlanta Falcons.
Kayshon Boutte, wide receiver, Southern Cal.
Not sure he made the best impression on everybody at the combine.
But just look at his production his time Southern Cal, especially this past season.
Very reliable.
Much I talked about Jordan Addison, great hands.
I think Boutte had maybe just one drop total last season.
Definitely has that playmaker, big play ability.
Be a nice addition for the LA Rams at 13.
Stay in Southern California that way.
Know the Rams being there in town if they're going to know good, bad, or indifferent how they feel about Boutte him being in town.
At 14, the Ravens.
Pick that was to be part of the Maxx Crosby trade that just was ill-fated.
Crosby failed his physical.
The Las Vegas Raiders thought they were getting two first-round picks out of it.
Nope.
So, we'll see what happens with Crosby and Vegas.
But here the Ravens who had a significant loss to their interior offensive line in free agency, ironically to Vegas.
Here they keep the pick that was going to be part of the trade that didn't happen, and they get Olaivavega Ioane, offensive guard, Penn State.
One of the best offensive linemen at any position in this draft, one of the way that many evaluators see as the safest, one of the safest.
I mean, just look at his tape at Penn State.
Reliable, durable, strong.
What you want from an interior offensive lineman.
And again, that's not typically a premium position the way it's seen in the NFL, but look, the Ravens need somebody for that spot.
If the big three receivers, the top three receivers are off the board, I think it makes even more sense if Fehoko is there.
There are whispers he could be a top 10 pick.
At least I think there are teams up there in that top 10 that have him.
Maybe it's it's not the A plan or the B plan, but if players at a certain position are gone that a team wants, Olaivavega Ioane might end being maybe that goes higher than expected.
We'll see.
15, Keldric Faulk, edge rusher, Auburn, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs have needed linebacker.
It's unlikely Trenton Simpson will last at this spot.
This might be too high for C.J. Allen out of Georgia.
Another excellent off-ball linebacker.
But the Bucs have needs elsewhere.
That includes edge.
They should have regardless of who falls, they should have some decent options here.
Going edge rusher at 15, Kancey's got good size.
You can have him in there on likely running plays, and he's not going to be a liability against the run.
Pretty steady performer.
So, Kancey at 15 to the Bucs.
My latest mock draft at mockdraftnfl.com.
16, Andrew Booth Jr., corner, Clemson.
The New York Jets.
As noted earlier, the Jets with zero interceptions in 17 games last season.
If that happened in a video game, you'd think that game was glitched out.
There's no way.
Come on.
Zero.
With that, zero in 17 games.
They got to remedy that.
Uh Andrew Booth Jr., the question is, does he have the frame that can handle the rigors of a 17-game NFL schedule?
If so, then he could end up being a very good player at the pro level.
Had a solid career Clemson.
Here it's Andrew Booth Jr.
to the Jets at 16.
17, Broderick Jones, offensive tackle, Georgia.
Jones isn't somebody you can bring in and plug in right away and trust as your left blind side offensive tackle.
You'll seldom have that anyway, but he's more of the work in progress type.
But his potential is tremendous.
He had an outstanding showing at the NFL combine.
I think the Browns would love to get him at Cleveland Browns would love to get him at 24.
There had been talk of the Browns going with Jones at six, and who knows, maybe they will, but more recent indications tend to say, "Look, Jones is maybe in this range." Or if perhaps Detroit goes with a different offensive lineman here, maybe Jones falls.
But if we're talking potential, he's got tremendous potential.
Here I've got Broderick Jones, offensive tackle, Georgia, to the Detroit Lions.
18, Minnesota Vikings, Brian Branch, safety, Oregon.
Ran that 4.35 second 40-yd dash at the combine.
You watched any of his games last year with Oregon, you know he's really good at making plays, getting to the ball quickly.
Very good read react.
It's tough to talk about anybody else's read react speed and draft Caleb Downs, but he is really good at it, too.
And I think he solidified his status as a likely first rounder with that 4.35 40.
And granted, Nick Hampton Warry last year looked the same as far as oh, 4.39 for Hampton Warry, but he didn't go uh first round, but I think the team that traded up to get him in the top part of that second round, Seattle, won the Super Bowl.
So, it makes for an easier pitch in the meeting rooms.
Plus, with Minnesota needing to find a replacement for Harrison Smith, it makes all the sense in the world.
T'Vondre Sweat at 18 to the Vikings.
19, Keon Zipperer still on the board, going to the Carolina Panthers.
I really like the team player match up here.
You have Bryce Young, a really strong option at tight end who's going to be a match up problem for defenses.
The guy ran a 4.39 40 at the combine weighing north of 240 lb, which is just ridiculous.
>> [laughter] >> Super athletic.
Uh and Zipperer to the Panthers if he's there.
I think that's a great pickup for Carolina.
At 20, it's so Carolina Dallas back on the board.
They get Mansour to line up at number 12, so they get the top corner on most boards at 12.
You come back at 20.
You fill a big needed edge rusher TJ Parker out of Clemson.
Going to last season, the early mock drafts including mine had Parker as the top 10 talent.
And he didn't have those kind of stats in 2025 that he did in 2024, 2023.
But a lot of guys on Clemson's defense for whatever reason last year I had that.
But then Parker went to the Senior Bowl, looked really good in those Senior Bowl practices.
Continues to look good in this whole pre-draft gauntlet that players go through.
I think that's a strong possibility there for the Cowboys at 20.
21, Pittsburgh Steelers Adonai Mitchell Jr.
I think his route running being such a strong trait.
And who knows if Aaron Rodgers is actually coming back to play for the Steelers this season.
Rodgers himself might not know it at this point.
But it wouldn't hurt for Rodgers to have a rookie in there with big play ability, but also somebody he can trust to be in the right position, his routes are on target.
I think he'd fill a need for Pittsburgh, be a good fit.
22, Caleb Lomu, offensive lineman, Utah.
The Chargers would likely want to use Lomu on an interior offensive line spot.
He's got the flexibility, you can play him at guard or tackle.
He's young.
He was only a redshirt sophomore, but he's well regarded.
Uh and I think for the Chargers, few different options, but Lomu would be a nice pickup there at 22.
23, Blake Miller, offensive tackle, Clemson, to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Miller's been a riser during this whole mention the gauntlet.
That's really what it is in many ways.
Players being tested ways they don't even tell them necessarily they're being tested, but seeing how they react to adverse situations and confrontations and all sorts of different things.
Anyway, Miller, a solid performer at Clemson.
He would be a nice pickup there for the Eagles at 23.
24, bit of a run on offensive lineman, Caeden Proctor, a tackle at 6'7 and north of 350 lb with the athleticism to play guard in the NFL and potentially do it effectively.
Just a unique physical talent that Proctor has with that size and athleticism.
If he can get dialed in and everything going well, Proctor has the potential to be dominant in the NFL level.
You can play him at tackle and he should be really good at that spot as well.
He's got some flexibility and here he goes to Cleveland at 24.
25, Chicago Bears, Maema McDonald, defensive tackle, Ohio State.
McDonald part of that championship team for Ohio State in 2024.
A lot of the D-line from that team uh left after the season whether graduating or leaving early for the NFL, uh but McDonald was able to fill a very important role last year for the Buckeyes.
8 1/2 tackles for loss despite playing from an interior defensive line position where it's tough to get those sorts of things.
That's the kind of trait the NFL loves, especially the modern NFL.
If you can pressure quarterbacks from an interior defensive line position, you've got something special.
It means you have to blitz less.
Usually going to work out well for you if you can truly get that pressure from the spot.
At 26, Akheem Mesidor, edge, Miami.
Mesidor will turn 25 early next month, which is old for an NFL draft prospect, especially a lineman, especially a lineman in round one.
Mesidor is legit.
You look at his performance last year for the Miami Hurricanes.
That one-two combo with Rueben Bain Jr.
on the other side.
>> [laughter] >> And that played a big role in Miami making it to the national championship game.
Buffalo is most definitely in win now mode.
Not just make the playoffs, not just good job, good effort, but they're on a hard push.
Mesidor, you would think compared to other edge prospects, would be a player that you could bring in and expect right away to start performing.
He'll be right at his physical peak.
24 now turning 25 early next month.
So, you're using a first round pick on a player who will turn 30 within 5 years.
They're all things to consider.
Look, Buffalo is not worried about 5 years from now.
They're about trying to get to the Super Bowl.
Josh Allen and company.
At 27, San Francisco 49ers got them taking Keon Coleman, wide receiver, Texas A&M.
Big time playmaker.
Managed to quiet some critics at the NFL combine.
Went through the drills and showed to be very sure-handed.
Drops were an issue at times for him this past season.
But I think he managed to show that he is capable of catching the ball and holding on to it.
And when he gets a little bit of space, he can turn that into a big play.
His name has been linked to the 49ers enough that okay, for now at least we'll we'll stick with that.
Number 28, Houston Texans, Peter Woods, defensive tackle, Clemson.
The question with Woods is, does he have the size to be effective against the run as an interior defensive lineman?
As a pass rusher, Woods has a remarkable quickness to him.
Great first step.
He would be a beneficial addition to that Houston Texans defensive line at 28.
At 29, Kansas City Chiefs get Jermod McCoy, corner from Tennessee.
McCoy's pro day is slated for March 31st at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Until recently, it seemed like McCoy had been hanging in there despite not having really proven himself yet as far as the big workout people have been waiting on.
Then I've started to feel the fade this week in particular.
So, we'll see what happens if McCoy goes out there and wows people, impresses people, shows that his knee is back to full strength, which he claims it is.
Um McCoy did not play at all this past season, suffered a torn ACL in one of his knees in January of last year.
So, it could be that McCoy will bounce right back up as far as the way a lot of the indicators go, but right now it's leaning more and more toward that late part of the first round.
The Chiefs need to get at least one high-end corner out of this draft.
It doesn't have to be in the first round, but if McCoy's there at 29, uh that sure would be a nice option for Kansas City.
At 30, Miami Dolphins, Denzel Boston still on the board.
Miami needs help at receiver.
They needed it before they traded Jaylen Waddle.
Boston's got tremendous size.
Solid target.
And here he goes to Miami at 30.
31, Zion Young, edge rusher, BYU.
The Zion Youngs had a lot of talk from Pro Football Charlie Campbell, Walter Cherepinsky.
They've been talking up Zion Young for a while.
Other evaluators starting to come around as well.
Here it looks like Zion Young going to the Patriots at 31 and finally at 32, Seattle Seahawks, Kool-Aid Hood, corner from Tennessee.
And you'll notice there's no Ty Simpson in here, even though I do think there's a strong probability of a team trading up late in this first round to get him.
So, have a little more uh clarity as far as how that might go.
Trying to project trades gets really messy.
Uh so, I try to avoid that as much as possible.
Here, not worrying about that.
And who knows?
I mean, cuz Simpson could be an early day two pick.
Maybe these teams late in the first are like, "Nah, we're not going to trade with you, Arizona.
Sorry." Seattle's like, "Nah, we're good.
We're taking Kool-Aid Hood." Transfer from Colorado, stepped up for Tennessee.
They needed help with the top corner when McCoy hurt this past season, and Hood played quite well for the Vols.
So, that's a look at my latest 2026 NFL mock draft.
Be sure to visit the DKDB.
I put the best of the best in here.
A human-curated, expert-curated 2026 NFL mock draft database.
You can bookmark this page, visit it frequently, daily, several times a day.
Over just the past few days, there've been a bunch of new mocks that have come out.
