This will be an NFL draft heavy on edge-rushers if ESPN’s Field Yates provided an accurate forecast of how things will unfold in April.
Yates opened his newest mock draft with the Las Vegas Raiders taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. That echoes the general consensus with the Raiders needing a QB and having hired Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as their head coach.
The rest of his top 10 is where Yates may diverge from his peers a bit.
Field Yates 2026 NFL Mock Draft
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State
3. Arizona Cardinals: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
4. Tennessee Titans: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
5. New York Giants: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
6. Cleveland Browns: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
7. Washington Commanders: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
8. New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
10. Cincinnati Bengals: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. is the No. 2 overall player on Bleacher Report’s 2026 big board, and he went second overall to the New York Jets in B/R’s most recent mock draft.
Bain finished with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss on the season, and he made quite the impression in the College Football Playoff. The junior terrorized the offensive lines for Ohio State and Indiana.
Few would bat an eye if Buckeyes standout Arvell Reese were the choice for New York instead. The junior linebacker had a breakout 2025 season, racking up 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks.
B/R NFL scout Matt Holder wrote that Reese “shows good instincts against the run to consistently be in the right spot” and “has experience playing on the edge as a stand-up outside linebacker and has shown the ability to set the edge against offensive tackles or pullers.”
One advantage for the Jets is that they have a lot of holes to fill in their roster. They can go in a few different directions in the first round that make sense. Upgrading a defense that had the second-fewest sacks is an obvious strategy.
In general, the 2026 class isn’t a good one for teams searching for a quarterback. There’s a wide gap between Mendoza and the next best one available. Simpson was the only other QB in Yates’ mock, and he went 21st to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s a much different story in terms of players who can get after the quarterback. Seven edge-rushers were highlighted by Yates.
Expect this to be a defense-centric draft.
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