2026 NFL mock draft: Bills trade up for Carnell Tate in post-combine projections

In a world of uncertainty, this feels like the closest thing to a sure bet. It makes too much sense not to happen.

The Jets are in no position to be rolling the dice on a high-end prospect like Arvell Reese, mostly because they’re in we absolutely have to win right now mode — and those words are in all caps and bold when talking about second-year coach Aaron Glenn. Reese has a chance to be really special. David Bailey has a chance to be really special … next season.

You want to get nuts? Let’s get nuts. I explained the trade above — and even devoted 1,800 words to why it makes sense for the Bills to proactively pursue a big-time receiver.

We are now living in a world where Styles is the first Ohio State defender off the board (and the second Buckeye, behind Tate). Some of it has to do with his combine performance, but that athleticism was all over his 2025 tape, when he made huge strides another year removed from safety and fully settled in at linebacker. In the right scheme, he’ll be used to rush off the edge too.

In a quirky draft where one, maybe two QBs go in Round 1, and the board is littered with really good football players, we could see an off-ball linebacker and a safety go in the top five. History says that’s crazy talk, but both Styles and Downs will immediately make their football teams better.

With WR1 off the board, the Browns go chalk and take the best offensive lineman in the class to protect Shedeur Sanders … or Dillon Gabriel … or Deshaun Watson … or a QB4 to be named later. The point remains: the offensive line is a huge need and Cleveland addresses it here.

Could Reese fall to No. 7? It seems like a long shot, but if the Bills trade up for a WR, things can get interesting quickly. This is a best-case scenario for the Commanders, who have to upgrade their pass rush.

This has been a popular pick in recent weeks, and after Love’s combine workouts, all the more reason to lean into it here. An explosive RB is every QB’s best friend, and that’s especially true for second-year passer Tyler Shough.

Fano is a technician on the right side, and the Chiefs have to upgrade the position. Now they’ll have two young bookend tackles as they look to reassert themselves in the AFC West.

Depending on the day, Reese and Bain could both be off the board inside the top five, or somehow still be available between picks 6-10. This has very little to do with the players and almost everything to do with how teams ultimately stack their boards. Whatever the explanation, the Bengals would be ecstatic to see Bain staring them in the face at No. 10.

Delane might not be the most athletic cornerback in this class, but he has the best tape, and it’s not particularly close. He was good at Virginia Tech in 2024 and consistently great at LSU last season.

McCoy tore his ACL in January 2025, didn’t play at all last season, and chose not to work out at the combine despite being medically cleared. That will naturally raise questions, but if teams are convinced he’s good to go, he’ll be among the first DBs off the board based solely on his 2024 tape. Dallas needs a physical, playmaking CB, and McCoy is exactly that.

The Rams need to bolster their secondary, and Hood is a physical, ultra-competitive press-man specialist with elite perimeter run-support skills.

The Ravens struggled to stop the run last season, and even with Nnamdi Madubuike at full health, there is room for a game-wrecker like Banks along the defensive line.

Sadiq’s 2025 tape might not have been as consistent as what he showed in 2024, but it was still really, really good. He also confirmed his high-end athleticism at the combine. Beyond his God-given traits, he’s one of the best blocking TEs in the class and a difference-maker on special teams. Hard to imagine Baker Mayfield wouldn’t love throwing to Sadiq and Egbuka on Sundays next fall.

This would be an outstanding start to the draft for the Jets, who land edge rusher David Bailey at No. 2 and then find Lemon staring them in the face here. Lemon reminds me (and a lot of folks, it turns out) of Amon-Ra St. Brown, which is music to Garrett Wilson’s ears.

I think Parker is a much better player than the media have portrayed during the pre-draft process. Some of that has to do with Parker — and the entire Clemson team — not living up to lofty expectations in 2025. Still, he finished with a flourish and reminded everyone at the Senior Bowl that he can take over games when he’s locked in.

Like Parker, Woods didn’t look the same in ’25 that he did in ’24. That said, he was still frequently dominant, and I could see him going off the board 5-10 picks earlier. The Vikings have serious needs along the defensive line, so they’ll happily take Woods here.

This isn’t the Panthers’ biggest need, but it’s also unclear when LT Ikem Ekwonu will be fully recovered from a late-season knee injury, and he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. Proctor, meanwhile, is a built-in-a-lab specimen who can take over games when he’s focused.

The Cowboys land a CB at No. 12 and a young edge rusher at No. 20. Faulk measured 6-foot-5, 276 pounds with 34⅜-inch arms at the combine. At 21, he’s still growing into his body, but he’s flashed all the tools to be an elite pass rusher at the next level.

I gave some thought to taking Olaivavega Ioane here, but the guard class is deeper than the WR class when talking about starter-capable talent. Boston is a long-striding, contested-catch machine who has also flashed punt-return ability, and he would be a natural No. 2 on a Steelers team that desperately needs receiving options.

Ioane is one of the cleanest prospects in the class, and the Chargers have to get better along the interior offensive line.

I talked to Lomu at the combine and he said that while he primarily played left tackle in college, he’s working at right tackle during the pre-draft process. Thirty-five-year-old Lane Johnson is returning for a 14th season, but who knows what the future holds beyond that. Lomu, who is one of the most athletic OTs in this class, would be next in line once Johnson retires.

Tyson has fantastic tape. The issue — and this was a frequent topic of conversation at the combine — is his ability to stay on the field. He has legit WR1 skills, but he’s missed time with a range of injuries, both serious and minor. If the Browns are convinced those issues are behind him, he would be a steal here and a welcome addition to a WR room desperately lacking depth and playmaking ability.

I don’t care that Mesidor will be 25 before he plays his first NFL snap. If he’s anything like he was in 2025 for Miami, the Bears will get five fantastic seasons out of him and can decide ahead of the 2030 season whether he’s worth a second contract. For now, Montez Sweat is ecstatic.

The Cardinals are vying to be the latest version of the Pats, Commanders or Texans — a team that goes from truly terrible to the playoffs in one calendar year. Arizona will have to get the QB right this offseason, but they’ll have enough picks to restock the roster and compete immediately. Landing Blake Miller here, to go along with all that fresh draft capital, almost feels like stealing. Miller can man the right side while former first-rounder Paris Johnson Jr. stays at left tackle.

We’ll see what happens with Jauan Jennings in San Francisco, but Brandon Aiyuk may have played his last snap. As it stands, the WR room includes Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing under contract … and that’s it. There’s a need at guard too, but Cooper Jr. feels like a Kyle Shanahan-type receiver.

The Texans would love to land an interior offensive lineman here, but with Ioane long gone, they instead bolster the defensive line with the best run-stuffing defensive tackle in the class.

Some Rams fans may not love the idea of taking Simpson, but I can’t say it loudly enough: fit matters. And if Matthew Stafford plays another year — or two — Simpson has the game to flourish in Sean McVay’s offense.

The Broncos have few needs on defense, but they do need to restock the linebacker room. Allen may not be as fluid as Styles, but he’s a between-the-tackles enforcer who would fit right into a Vance Joseph unit.

The choice here is to settle for OT6, WR6, ED6 or S2. I love the idea of McNeil-Warren in the same secondary as Christian Gonzalez — two big, fast, physical, ball-hawking defensive backs.

The Dark Side gets a new member in Terrell, who plays much bigger than his 5-10, 186-pound frame. That also means he’ll fit right into a defense that was among the NFL’s best last season and could lose key members of its secondary in free agency.