ClutchPoints
The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and the dog days of the offseason are just getting started, so what better time to start looking ahead to the 2026 NFL Mock Draft!
While the current NFL and college football seasons will take this 2026 NFL Mock Draft and flip it on its head multiple times between now and next April, it is a worthwhile exercise to start thinking about what player may come into the league and make a major difference in two seasons, and which teams will reap the benefits of that.
Here, we took the tankathon.com 2026 draft order and matched up every team with a prospect who should fill a need and be able to make the team better in a few years.
Just one note before we jump in: Remember that two teams—the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons— don’t currently have first-round picks after trading them to the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams, respectively, during this year’s selection process.
This is a pick that NFL pundits have predicted since the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning was a few years into his high school career. Only a junior and entering his first year as a starter, Arch Manning may stay in Austin for another season and not come out until the 2027 NFL Draft. However, if he does declare, it’s hard not to see him as the No. 1 pick.
The Saints will be terrible in 2025, and their reward may be the ability to draft the grandson of the second-best QB in franchise history. If Archie Manning’s grandson does stay in school, the son of the team’s offensive coordinator, Doug Nussmeier, who also happens to be the LSU QB could be the selection.
Right now, Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers is the fourth or fifth quarterback prospects on most 2026 NFL Draft big boards. However, a big third season under center could skyrocket the 6-foo-3, 240-pound passer up the ladder.
While Nussmeier, Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik, and others are all good quarterbacks with lots of NFL potential, Sellers is the only one with a Josh Allen-like physical profile that could make him one of the most dangerous young signal-callers in the league.
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, there was a lot of talk about college offensive tackles, arm length, and whether or not the top OT prospects will actually be better off at guard. In 2026, there will be no such debate.
At 6-foot-7, 360 pounds, Kadyn Proctor is a mountain of a man who levels people in the run game. He’s a solid pass blocker, too, but his size alone makes it tough for pass rushers to get around him and will make him a perfect bookend for Cam Ward.
A mini run...
