NFL mock draft 2026: 2 QBs in first-round projection as Jeremiyah Love rises

We’re less than a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft. The NFL Scouting Combine has our back, as does most free agency, and teams host top-30 visits and private workouts.

Which means this is an ideal time for our latest mock draft.

Before we dive into the picks and some general thoughts after the mock draft, a word on methodology. This is more of a mock draft of “what I think will happen” than anything else, based on looking at certain trends for teams and players, as well as some conversations that have developed over the past few weeks. Of course, we’re in the ultimate “lying season” when it comes to the mock draft, where every conversation comes with a side order of “is this really believable or are there other motivations at play here?”

Still, based on the current situation, this is just one of the ways the 2026 NFL Draft could play out in the first round.

Jeremiyah Love cracks top five

There are two components at play with the Tennessee Titans selecting Jeremiyah Love at No. 4 in this mock draft.

First, if you visit NFL Mock Draft Database right nowYou’ll learn a ton, especially when it comes to Love. He’s enjoyed a fascinating rise in mock drafts over the past four months, cracking the top ten just over the holidays, before jumping from the Kansas City Chiefs to the No. 9 spot, which was a common landing spot for him in the mock drafts we’ve run here at SB Nation— to land now with the Titans in the number 4 spot.

Second is what Tennessee has done over the course of free agency. In previous mock drafts, pass rushers were a common position when it came to the Titans at No. 4, and Rueben Bain Jr. was a frequent player mentioned there. But look at what the Titans have done so far this offseason, adding a host of players to their defensive front, including Jermaine Jjohnson II, John Franklin-Myers and Solomon Thomas.

Could they still draft a pass rusher, like Bain? Perhaps, but given those additions, the door seems open to addressing the crime.

And something tells me, like everyone else, that Brian Daboll would love to have a back like Love.

Kadyn Proctor rises to No. 6

There are several analysts in this space who are much more connected than I am, and my dear friend Jeff Risdon is among them.

That’s why I was encouraged when he had to write about this. Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor:

While discussing the offensive tackle class with both subjects (independently), I was surprised by how much their teams valued Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor.

I’m not a big fan of Proctor; He is my no. 71 player overall. His balance issues and strong tendency to overextend and simultaneously drop his head are very real problems for me. Even so, I still anticipated Proctor to be a likely first-round pick. His athleticism for his size, as well as his strong performance at Alabama, are legit. However, I didn’t expect him to be a viable candidate to be the first offensive lineman off the board.

Maybe I need to rethink that. Both teams view Proctor as someone they hope will be selected among the top “15 picks,” to name one. The area scout revealed that his team strongly believes Proctor will be a top 10 pick. After noticing my shocked reaction, he reminded me that NFL coaches, even more than scouts and front offices, covet size. And the 6-foot-7, 352-pound Proctor certainly has that…

I keep coming back to the Browns adding an offensive lineman at No. 6 and then adding a wide receiver later in the first round. As Daniel Jeremiah noted in a recent mock draft, Cleveland needs to leave the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft having addressed those two positions.

Given how close Risdon is to the Browns… it wasn’t difficult to connect those two dots.

Ty Simpson has been a hot topic in recent weeksthanks in large part to ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky.

In previous mock drafts, I had the Los Angeles Rams address a Matthew Stafford successor plan by adding Simpson with the second of their two first-round picks. But thanks to their trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, it appears the Rams are more in “win now” mode, at least when it comes to any pick inside the top 15.

That doesn’t close the door on the Rams taking a quarterback on day two — maybe LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, for example — but it probably ends that potential pairing for Simpson.

It remains an open question whether Simpson will come off the board in the first round. In a recent article on ESPN three analysts – Jordan Reid, Matt Miller and Field Yates – offered varying percentages on Simpson’s chances of being selected in the first round. Yates was the highest at 90%, followed by Reid at 75% (both mentioned the Arizona Cardinals returning to the first round), while Miller was the lowest at 25%.

Looking for a first-round landing spot without a trade, Pittsburgh appears to be the most likely team.

While they wait for Aaron Rodgers.

Rams take advantage of surprising slide

The picture has changed in recent weeks regarding Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.

Again, looking at your profile on NFL Mock Draft Database, you see a WR who was a top five pick in December and January, now sitting on the cusp of the top ten.

Tate could still come off the board in the top ten, and the Browns at No. 6 are certainly an option if Cleveland looks at WR first instead of OT, but some other landing spots could be more of a question mark. In this mock, it’s the Los Angeles Rams who benefit, as Tate falls to them at No. 13.

And if you find out that the Rams have been making calls on AJ Brown, you’d see that WR is absolutely on their radar right now.