The 2026 NFL Draft is just about here, and it is without a doubt the premier event of the offseason. The best teams in the NFL build through the draft, and you can find instant-impact players in each of the seven rounds.Â
This class is headlined by several notable players who could evolve into NFL stars sooner rather than later. There’s a quarterback who went from a Cal transfer to college football legend, as he led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated season which culminated with a College Football Playoff National Championship. There’s also a productive running back who is a dual-threat offensive weapon as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Then, there are a handful of pass rushers who could transform an NFL defense.
CBS Spots NFL Draft expert Mike Renner has been hard at work breaking down this class, and he’s put together an impressive website which breaks down all of the top prospects, and their “DNA.” That includes coming up with NFL comps.Â
Below, we will list Renner’s NFL comps for the top 10 prospects in this class. Let’s start with the player expected to hear his name called first on Thursday night.Â
Renner’s final NFL Draft big board: Ranking 250 prospects in a wild 2026 class
Mike Renner
1. QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Comp: QB Matt Ryan
“All the reasons you worry about a quarterback translating to the NFL don’t really apply to Mendoza. How will he perform under pressure? Mendoza has been as good as we’ve seen in that regard since Joe Burrow. How will he handle complex defenses? Mendoza’s ability to diagnose defenses and understand the finer points of the scheme is as good as it gets. Can we trust him as a leader? Mendoza took over a new locker room and went on a Cinderella run to a national title at Indiana. The only debate now is how high his ceiling can push in the NFL.”
2. DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
Comp: DE Melvin Ingram
“Bain was an every-down problem for Miami last fall. His ability to not cede an inch in the running game while consistently collapsing pockets as a pass rusher brought the Hurricanes all the way to the national title game. His traits aren’t prototypical for the position, but it’s hard to dominate college football the way he did and not translate to the league.”
3. EDGE/LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State
Comp: DE Will Anderson Jr.
“The amoebic front sevens in the NFL have made talents like Reese all the more valuable in recent years. His ability to wear any hat on any down gives defensive coordinators incredible flexibility when calling plays. At only 20 years old, Reese is just scratching the surface of what he’ll become.”
4. OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
Comp: OT Darnell Wright
“Proctor started at left tackle as a true freshman for Nick Saban — an exclusive club in and of itself. His game has only improved by leaps and bounds since, with his final few games of 2025 being the best tape of his career. At only 20 years old, with freakish traits for a man his size, if that improvement continues, he has All-Pro potential.”
5. OT Spencer Fano, Utah
Comp: OT Bernhard Raimann
“One word came to mind after watching Fano’s 2025 tape: clean. There’s not much on tape that really worries you. He can mirror speed, latch quickly in the run game and generate explosive movement. The only question is how his frame will translate to the NFL at tackle, but at worst, you’re getting a high-end interior lineman.”
6. CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
Comp: CB Stephon Gilmore
“If you are going to take a corner in the first round who didn’t play at all the season prior, his tape better look like McCoy’s sophomore tape in 2024. He was the best corner in college football that season, with lockdown tape against the best in the SEC. Between his high-end athleticism and exceptional ball skills, McCoy has everything you could want to be a top-flight man corner in the NFL — except junior tape.”
7. RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Comp: RG Jahmyr Gibbs
“It doesn’t particularly matter what part of the running back position you want to hone in on; chances are Love is elite at it. He can make you miss in space, run away from defensive backs or run through linebackers. Out of the backfield, he looks like a wide receiver running routes. There’s nothing he can’t do to create instant offense.”
8. S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Comp: S Earl Thomas
“Downs has arguably been the best safety in college football since the day he stepped onto Alabama’s campus in 2023. He was the first true safety to start Week 1 of his freshman year for Alabama in the Nick Saban era. His ability to process and diagnose on the back end is special. He also has easy movement skills similar to his brother, Colts wide receiver Josh Downs, to finish plays. He’s one of the safest picks in the draft.”
9. LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Comp: LB Tremaine Edmunds
“Every defensive coordinator dreams of having an athlete like Styles in the middle of their defense. He has the frame of a defensive end, movement skills of a cornerback and tackles better than anyone else in the draft class. There isn’t an aspect of defense where you feel like you have to hide him. The scary thing is, as someone who only switched to linebacker in 2024, Styles’s instincts should only get better.”
10. CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson
Comp: CB Trent McDuffie
“Younger brother of Falcons cornerback and former first-round pick A.J. Terrell, Avieon is a distinctly different type of corner. He’s much more of a matchup zone/nickel-type corner whose value comes as a tackler and his ability to diagnose quickly. He forced eight fumbles over the past two seasons and is an outstanding run defender for his size.”
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