I’ve delayed doing a mock draft this year, in protest of how unsatisfying the class is. I have a hard time putting names in the first round who otherwise wouldn’t be close to being there.

This mock is very much based on how I’m viewing things, more so than how I expect they’ll end up. There are too many draft media folk these days in constant contact with people in the league, who all put the same players in pretty much the same spots — and for good reason. They’re hearing the same things. They’ll probably end up being right.

I don’t want to just basically reflect their information in a mock. I want to give some takes on how I view this class and what I think teams should consider doing.

Before we get into the mock, I wanted to post the video below. It’s Adam Schefter, suggesting we might see more trade activity than usual this off-season because of the way teams are viewing free agency and the draft. Regulars to the blog will know I’ve been suggesting this since October. Now someone tuned into the league is saying the same thing:

Don’t be surprised if come April, some of these first round picks have been moved around.

Here’s the mock — with a blurb for each pick below the image:

#1 Las Vegas — Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
Personally I would shop this pick. They aren’t likely to do that though. You’ve hired a coach who works in a system that has consistently won with quarterbacks capable of executing the scheme at a high level. Mendoza is not a first round talent in my view but the Shanahan offense reached Super Bowls with Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold. Mendoza’s super power is doing what the scheme demands at a high level.

#2 NY Jets — Arvell Reese (LB, Ohio State)
The Jets need to add good players at this point and forget about needs. Build a roster. Reese has the potential to develop into an outstanding hybrid player who can attack the edge as a pass rusher and roam around making plays at linebacker.

#3 Arizona — Spencer Fano (T/G, Utah)
If the Cardinals are serious about rebuilding they should focus on becoming excellent in the trenches. They have some pieces but they need to keep building. Fano is an outstanding, physical tackle who plays like an old school AFC North lineman.

#4 Tennessee — Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)
No pass rusher is worth a top-five pick in my view. Don’t reach, just take the best player because this defense needs a lot of work. Downs isn’t an electric athlete who will be an eraser at the next level but he’s intelligent, instinctive and packs a punch. He could be the best player in the draft in terms of pure talent.

#5 NY Giants — Francis Mauigoa (T/G, Miami)
Fano and Mauigoa are both Raven-type linemen so it’s easy to imagine John Harbaugh liking both. This would be an immediate upgrade at right tackle.

#6 Cleveland — Caleb Lomu (T, Utah)
The Browns are facing a rebuild on their O-line. Lomu is a brilliant pass-protector who is expected to test exceptionally well. His kind of upside can’t be ignored. Most of the picks in round one are going to be perceived as “reaches” — so why not take a shot on a left tackle with a ton of potential?

#7 Washington — Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
For me he’s a similar type of player to Derrick Brown, who went sixth overall in 2020. An outstanding run defender in college, McDonald also has excellent quickness and agility for his size. There’s untapped pass-rush potential here. In a draft without much sparkle, getting a player who could be really good for a long time shouldn’t be sniffed at.

#8 New Orleans — Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
Love has a chance to be the next cab off the rank in terms of play-making dynamos at his position. He can have the same impact as Gibbs, Achane, Cook and others as an electric runner.

#9 Kansas City — Caleb Banks (DT, Florida)
The Chiefs love to take shots on high-upside physical talents. With Chris Jones’ influence waning, why not take a shot on Banks? He has as much potential and upside to be ‘great’ as anyone in this draft. There simply aren’t many humans like him on the planet.

#10 Cincinnati — Peter Woods (DT, Clemson)
He had a really disappointing 2025 season but the expectation is he will run a 4.8 at +300lbs. Also, his 2024 tape was really good. There’s a player here and someone is going to roll the dice early.

#11 Miami — Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)
In terms of physical potential, McCoy has it. There’s a bit too much face-guarding at times and missing the 2025 season is an injury flag. Yet this is the type of corner who goes early.

#12 Dallas — Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)
The more I watched of Hood the more I liked. He will be a penalty risk with the amount of contact he makes but that’s mainly due to the fact he lives in the receiver’s hip-pocket so much that it’s hard not to get a little too close for comfort.

#13 LA Rams v/ATL) — Avieon Terrell (CB, Clemson)
I wouldn’t assume he’s just a slot corner. He is a very willing run defender and has shown natural skills for his position. His brother has been a good player in Atlanta and there’s a chance he could fill a big hole for the Rams.

#14 Baltimore — Vega Ioane (G, Penn State)
Just a classic Baltimore lineman. I think he can have a very long, productive career and lock down the left guard spot.

#15 Tampa Bay — Keldric Faulk (DE, Auburn)
There aren’t many players with his size, length and mobility. The lack of production is a concern but you have to take a chance on a defensive end who looks like this.

#16 NY Jets (v/IND) — Makai Lemon (WR, USC)
The best receiver in the draft for me, with great ball-tracking qualities and there’s some JSN to his game. Not a burner but a savvy receiver who knows how to get open and can make plays on an intermediate and deep level.

#17 Detroit — Kadyn Proctor (T/G, Alabama)
Another player where the more you watch the more you appreciate what he does. He’d be a great fit in Detroit’s scheme, whether he replaces Taylor Decker at left tackle or kicks inside (which would be his best fit).

#18 Minnesota — Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
If this is the end for Harrison Smith, I’d take a chance on Thieneman being a capable long-term replacement. He has outstanding range, can line-up in multiple spots, he can hit and he’ll bring great character and energy to Minnesota’s defense.

#19 Carolina — Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State)
Tate’s a really good player but his skill-set is predicated on precise routes, body control, ball-tracking and consistency. He ended the season hurt and ineffective and I’m not sure he’s going to be an amazing tester. But eventually someone has to take him and they’ll feel good about it.

#20 Dallas (v/GB) — Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
If he tests as well as people expect then absolutely I understand why he’s going to go very early and possibly earlier than this. But the Fred Warner comparison everyone is making is way too rich for my taste.

#21 Pittsburgh — Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)
A very natural receiver with some injury things that need checking out. The Steelers require feisty, competitive players at this position who can be consistent and deliver in big moments.

#22 LA Chargers — David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech)
I’m at a loss to understand all the sudden top-five buzz. Bailey is a slippery pass-rusher who had a good 2025 season but he lacks ideal length, height and it’s hardly like he’s a bend-and-straighten specialist. I think he’s a bit overrated.

#23 Philadelphia — Max Iheanachor (T, Arizona State)
Lane Johnson might be coming to the end of the road and even if he isn’t, investing in a right tackle who is this good in pass-pro would be a smart move.

#24 Cleveland (v/JAX) — KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
The Browns need playmakers and Concepcion has something about him. He can do a lot of things for a creative offensive-minded Head Coach.

#25 Chicago — Rueben Bain (DE, Miami)
I appreciate that at some point someone will go for Bain and it could be a lot earlier than this. Here’s my justification for him lasting though. How many players are thriving in the NFL with his body type and such short arms? I feel like a handful of players like this have been overrated over the years and ended up going way later than expected. He played very well for Miami at times in 2025 but you’ve got to project to the next level.

#26 Buffalo — Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
I think speed is going to be a problem for Delane. As a player he is talented and you can see he plays with a lot of instinct. But if he runs poorly at the combine or pro-day, I think it has to cap his range a little bit.

#27 San Francisco — Chris Brazell II (WR, Tennessee)
Kyle Shanahan has highlighted speed on offense as a glaring weakness and I think Brazell will be his kind of receiver. A player who can run good routes and just has that bit of extra pace to stretch a defense. He was a playmaker during his best spells in 2025.

#28 Houston — CJ Allen (LB, Georgia)
Just a very solid, dependable linebacker who isn’t going to make a ton of wow plays but he’s going to lock down the middle of the defense and bring toughness and presence to your team.

#29 LA Rams — Omar Cooper Jr (WR, Indiana)
Cooper is going to be at his best as a complementary piece at the next level. Giving him Matthew Stafford at quarterback and Puka Nacua drawing attention elsewhere, he could be highly productive.

#30 Denver — Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
I have a few questions about Sadiq. Why did he need Terrance Ferguson to get out of the way to become TE1 if he’s a high first round pick? He had some drops on tape, his routes need major work and he has tweener size. However, there’s also talk of a legendary combine performance being a distinct possibility. This offense would be a good fit for him.

#31 New England — Akheem Mesidor (DE, Miami)
Whenever I’ve watched Mesidor I’ve always thought the Patriots would be a good fit. There’s no doubt he could go earlier, as with Bain, especially in this draft class. He also lacks ideal length and he’s an older player (25). Again, I’m also not sure the production translates. But I did like the way he got after it on tape.

#32 Seattle — Joshua Josephs (EDGE, Tennessee)
The Seahawks built a strong foundation in the trenches and it’d be worth continuing to add here, especially with Boye Mafe seemingly set to depart. Josephs has a bunch of transferable skills to the NFL — length, evidence of speed to power, he works to disengage, he is disciplined vs the run, he’s a very physical player, he performed well against good SEC opponents and his motor constantly runs hot. He also fits the personality of this team.

Further thoughts on Seattle’s pick

I went with Josephs for a number of reasons. The Seahawks typically value length in their pass rushers. He has it in a way many alternatives within this class don’t. He’s also very physical, plays with intensity and his personality fits this team. I think in time he could develop into a long-term successor to DeMarcus Lawrence.

Joseph’s pass-rush win percentage was 21.2% in 2025. Here’s how that compares to some of the bigger names in this class:

Rueben Bain Jr — 23.5
Romello Height — 21.8
David Bailey — 21.6
Joshua Josephs — 21.2
Akheem Mesidor — 20.8
R Mason Thomas — 20.3

He also had a 77.0 grade for run defending, which is perfectly acceptable at his position.

Further to what I said in the initial blurb above, he is a highly dynamic pass rusher with a bunch of transferable skills to the NFL. He looks the part with great arm length and a long, lean frame. He works to disengage and is capable of initiating contact but he’s slippery to break off a block. He seems to prefer to sprint into contact and then disengage rather than win with pure bend/straighten. His arm/over can be effective to win 1v1 and he does show quickness off the snap.

His run discipline is evident and he keeps his eyes on the ball-carrier when engaged. He has a spin move counter that succeeds enough to be a weapon. He could do with adding more weight and becoming more of a power player and he can lose leverage battles at times. However, his acceleration to the quarterback on the chase is impressive and there’s evidence of throwing down tackles with disdain (love to see that). There is a lot to work with here.

Adding an EDGE is important too. They’re likely to let Boye Mafe move on and Uchenna Nwosu has a $20.7m cap-hit in 2026. The chances are he will need to take a pay-cut or he will move on too.

I’m fairly certain the Seahawks will check-in with the Raiders for Maxx Crosby but that will be a very competitive market. He is the kind of ‘force multiplier’ Mike Macdonald talks about. His contract is very acquirable and he won’t need new money committing to him. It’d also be the best way possible for this team to show how serious it is about winning again next year. Imagining Crosby on the current defense will be a scary thought for opponents.

If they can’t make that trade, and unless other appealing options emerge, the draft is really the only realistic alternative.

We’re in full-on off-season mode now and this week is just the start. Stick with Seahawks Draft Blog throughout as we count down to the big events coming up — the combine, free agency and the draft.