NFL mock draft 2026: First-round update after initial wave of free agency signings

It is amazing just how quickly the NFL Draft landscape can change.

Certainly, the NFL Scouting Combine reshaped the board. Players like Sonny Styles and Dillon Thieneman improved their draft stock with some incredible performances. But some big trades — Maxx Crosby heading to the Baltimore Ravens and Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams — have changed the landscape as well.

Then came the first day of free agency.

The opening of the league’s legal tampering window forced every NFL analyst to rip up their most recent mock draft and return to the drawing board, and we here at SB Nation are no different. Depth charts have changed, and needs are now very different for several teams from what we thought just 48 hours ago.

That means it is time yet again to look at how the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft could unfold. Here are the picks, with some big picture thoughts following the mock draft.

Jeremiyah Love continues his rise

In nearly every single mock draft until this one, I slotted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love to the Kansas City Chiefs with the ninth pick in the first round. The reasoning was simple: Kansas City needed to bolster their running game (even if Patrick Mahomes is back for Week 1), and Love was the best player at that position, and one of the best players in the entire class.

But as the Combine unfolded, one of the rumors that made its way from Indianapolis to the rest of the NFL world was that the Chiefs were kicking the tires on veteran running backs in free agency, partly because of this need but also due to a belief that when they were finally on the clock at No. 9, Love would be off the board.

Then came Monday, as the Chiefs agreed to terms with running back and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.

So who might draft Love ahead of the Chiefs at No. 9?

How about the Washington Commanders?

Dan Quinn and company addressed one of their pressing needs on Monday when they agreed to terms on a deal for pass rusher Odafe Oweh, and instead, they can add some help for Jayden Daniels by drafting Love at No. 7.

Sonny Styles continues his rise as well

In my last mock draft, I had the New York Giants adding some help for Jaxson Dart, with Makai Lemon from USC.

One of the first messages I received after that was published was a note from my dear friend Ed Valentine from Big Blue View about that selection.

Let’s just say his message has changed my line of thinking regarding what the Giants might do in that spot.

Yes, New York lost Wan’Dale Robinson on the first day of free agency. But with their pick at 37, they can find a replacement option at wide receiver. A player the caliber of Styles’ will not be on the board at that spot in the second round. Even with the Giants adding Tremaine Edmunds in the first day of free agency, Styles’ athleticism can be used in a WILL linebacker role, letting him fly around the field and to the football. Suddenly, the Giants’ defensive front has a bit more teeth.

Rams load up for one more run

In previous mock drafts, I had the Los Angeles Rams looking at the future, and their defense. Cornerback was a popular pick for the Rams at No. 13, while adding Ty Simpson with their second first-round pick as a potential quarterback of the future seemed like a forward-thinking move for Les Snead.

But with the Rams swinging a trade for Trent McDuffie — and then agreeing to terms on a contract with cornerback Jaylen Watson — suddenly the picture in the secondary looks a lot different.

And it certainly looks like Los Angeles is loading up for another run in 2026.

So instead of finding Stafford’s future replacement, let’s give him some help with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who turned in a stunning Combine performance of his own and would give Sean McVay a fascinating matchup player for his offense.

Raiders continue the rebuild

Thanks to the trade with the Baltimore Ravens, the Las Vegas Raiders now have a pair of selections inside the top 15 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Nothing has changed at No. 1. There is every reason in the world to believe the Raiders are drafting Fernando Mendoza with the first selection. But now with another pick in the first round, Las Vegas can go a few different directions. Adding a pass rusher to replace Maxx Crosby is an option, but the Raiders added Kwity Paye and Quay Walker on the first day of free agency to bolster their pass rush. Paye will give Las Vegas an option on the edge, while Walker has shown an ability to get after the quarterback from the second level.

And the Raiders can still address pass rush early in the second round, as the edge position is a pretty deep group in this draft.

While the Raiders added Jalen Nailor on the first day of free agency, he is primarily a slot receiver. Giving Mendoza an outside threat seems like a wise investment for John Spytek, so in this mock, we have the Raiders adding Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with that second first-round selection.