- Hope that Ohio State stars fall: Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles sliding would help the likes of the Commanders, Cowboys and Buccaneers.
- The Eagles could target a safety: Toledo‘s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren may be an ideal fit for Philadelphia in the first round.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes
With the 2026 NFL Draft under two months away, teams still have ample time to render their projections — including the perfect way for the board to shake out. Below is an ideal first selection for all 16 NFC teams, whether in the first or second round.
Arizona Cardinals
Goal: Find offensive line talent
Ideal first picks: T Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL) and G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
The Cardinals will likely need to upgrade at the quarterback position, but with the top choice likely off the board, fixing the offensive line is paramount. New head coach Mike LaFleur comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree that prioritizes excellent play up front to have an efficient offense.
With left tackle Paris Johnson playing well in his third season, earning a 76.6 overall PFF grade in 2025, drafting Mauigoa — who has played every snap on the right side of the line — at the right tackle spot would give Arizona two solid pieces to build the offensive line around for the next decade.
Ioane is the top guard in the 2026 draft and is likely going in the first round, but if he were to slide to the top of the second round, the Cardinals should sprint to the podium with the card selection. He registered an excellent 87.0 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2025 and did not allow a sack across his final 31 college games.
Atlanta Falcons
Goal: Add a WR2 and plug holes on defense
Ideal first pick: WR Chris Bell, Louisville or CB D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana
The Falcons used their first-round pick in a trade up in the 2025 draft, so they’ll be spectators on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Finding a running mate opposite of Drake London should be a priority for the Falcons this offseason, and Bell provides a reliable weapon to help free up more opportunities for the former first-round pick.
After spending two first-round picks on pass-rushers a year ago, the Falcons still have holes on defense to fill. Ponds, PFF’s No. 1 corner in our Wins Above Average metric, would be a great pairing with AJ Terrell.
Carolina Panthers
Goal: Find a dominant pass-rusher
Ideal first pick: EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
The Panthers have one of the best interior defensive players in the NFL in Derrick Brown but lack a true pass-rushing threat on the defensive line. Howell provides that in spades.
Howell has produced three straight seasons with at least a 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade and finished 2025 with 12 sacks on an elite 90.3 PFF pass-rush grade. The Panthers were a bit Jekyll and hyde on defense a year ago, and finding a superior-level pass-rusher could go a long way to help stabilize their weekly performances.
Chicago Bears
Goal: Plug holes on defense
Ideal first picks: DI Kayden McDonald, Ohio State and EDGE Derrick Moore, Michigan
Taking a page from my colleague Dalton Wasserman’s most recent mock draft, the first two picks he mocked are perfect for the Bears. If the Chicago defense wasn’t generating turnovers, it struggled to stop opposing offenses.
McDonald and his NCAA-leading 91.2 PFF run-defense grade provides a consistent run-stopping interior defender to help keep the defense on schedule. Meanwhile, Moore can finish at the quarterback on third downs, as showcased by his 11 sacks and elite 92.4 PFF pass-rushing grade.
Dallas Cowboys
Goal: Plug holes on defense
Ideal first pick: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
The Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2025 with a fully healthy Dak Prescott, but were let down by a porous defense that allowed the most expected points added per play.
A projected top-10 pick and the Cowboys selecting 12th overall, Downs would be a dream scenario for Dallas. Highly instinctual and an explosive athlete, Downs would immediately upgrade the safety room and the whole defense. He earned an 85.0-plus PFF coverage grade in each of his three college seasons.
Stout against the run and excellent in coverage, Downs makes every player around him better.
Detroit Lions
Goal: Find a shutdown cornerback
Ideal first pick: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
It’s not for a lack of trying, but the Lions’ cornerbacks continue to underperform. Terrion Arnold hasn’t lived up to his draft status with PFF grades of 50.8 and 52.6 in his first two seasons, and free-agent signee D.J. Reed suffered injuries in 2025 en route to his lowest-graded season in the NFL.
As we’ve learned from Super Bowl-winning teams, you can never have enough cornerbacks. With the Lions playing a heavy man coverage scheme, Delane is the perfect addition with his 89.1 man coverage grade in 2025.
Green Bay Packers
Goal: Find a shutdown cornerback
Ideal first pick: CB Colton Hood, Tennessee
After spending 2026’s first-round draft pick in a package for Micah Parsons, the Packers will have to wait until Day 2 to pick in the draft.
Following Jaire Alexander’s release last offseason, the Packers are missing a true difference-maker at the cornerback position. Hood has the capabilities to be that caliber of player, as he finished 2025 with an 80.3 PFF coverage grade after transferring to Tennessee from Colorado.
Los Angeles Rams
Goal: Add depth in the secondary
Ideal first picks: CB Brandon Cisse, South Carolina and S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
The rich get richer, as arguably the most talented roster in the NFL has two first-round picks thanks to a trade in 2025’s NFL Draft.
Where the Rams last year struggled was stopping high-powered offenses. With one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, adding to the secondary is necessary.
Cisse is a better zone cornerback than pure press man, and that fits the Rams’ needs. Breaking up 10 passes over the past two years, has the requisite size and athleticism to grow in Los Angeles’ secondary.
Thieneman has been one of the best safeties in college football the past three years, finishing his final season with an elite 91.0 overall PFF grade. A potential replacement for Kamren Curl, Thieneman had a forced incompletion rate of 17.2% in 2025.
Minnesota Vikings
Goal: Improve secondary
Ideal first pick: CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson
No team is more exotic in the NFL, and as a result the Vikings generate pressure at the highest rate in the league. Offenses know this and attempt to get the ball out quickly against Minnesota, which puts the pressure back onto the secondary.
Terrell, the younger brother of Atlanta Falcon AJ Terrell, should be able to immediately contribute. He graded at an 82.3 overall mark or better in each of the past two seasons.
New Orleans Saints
Goal: Find out if Tyler Shough is the future quarterback
Ideal first pick: WR Makai Lemon, USC
Shough was the surprise rookie of 2025, as he flashed high-end play and showed he was capable of becoming a franchise quarterback. The Saints need to quickly find out if he is legit, or if they need to upgrade in 2027 in what looks like a stacked class. The goal should be either continue building the offensive line or give him more weapons to work with.
Lemon led the FBS with a 91.4 PFF receiving grade while placing among the top 10 qualifiers in yards per route run and missed tackles forced in 2025. He’d pair well with Chris Olave and would give the Saints a potential future superstar in the mold of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
New York Giants
Goal: Protect Jaxson Dart
Ideal first pick: T Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL)
The Giants have struggled to build the offensive line in recent years. Outside of left tackle Andrew Thomas, the group has been a rotating turnstile of players.
Arguably the best tackle in the class, Mauigoa would immediately slot in at right tackle and provide the protection the Giants need. His 87.0 PFF pass-block grade was one of the best in the FBS in 2025, while his 85.8 true pass set pass-block grade indicates he’s able to hold up one-on-one as well.
Philadelphia Eagles
Goal: Upgrade at safety
Ideal first picks: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo
The Eagles drafted Andrew Mukuba in the second round a year ago but are looking at losing Reed Blankenship to free agency this offseason.
The Eagles could dip back into the Toledo talent pool and find another future star in McNeil-Warren. McNeil-Warren posted an elite 91.9 overall PFF grade in 2025 and paired that with an even better 92.0 PFF coverage grade. His 33.3% forced incompletion rate is off the charts and highlights the playmaking abilities he showcased in college.
San Francisco 49ers
Goal: Plug holes on defense
Ideal first pick: EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson
The 49ers were decimated by injuries in 2025, yet were able to hold the unit together until the divisional round of the playoffs. Edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner should be back, but adding depth and talent is a must this offseason.
Parker had better tape in 2024 than he showed in 2025, but he’s still a disruptive and productive edge defender. Over his college career, he tallied 127 pressures and 24 sacks while recording a PFF grade above 76.9 in all three seasons. Stout against the run as well, Parker provides the needed presence opposite Bosa for the 49ers.
Seattle Seahawks
Goal: Improve interior offensive line
Ideal first pick: G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon
Seattle is going to have a tough time holding onto all of the talent it has acquired over the past three seasons, especially on defense. But with Mike McDonald’s ability to scheme and game-plan for opposing offenses, protecting Sam Darnold should be the priority this offseason.
Pregnon had a stellar final season at Oregon, posting an 86.7 overall PFF grade while allowing just five total pressures. He permitted only one sack over the last three years and pairs that with an elite 93.0 zone run-blocking grade. Pregnon will likely need to move to right guard with Grey Zabel in place at left guard, but he does have some experience there — playing 55 snaps at the position in 2025.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Goal: Find future linebacker leader
Ideal first pick: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
The Buccaneers have quite a few holes to fill on the roster. With Lavonte David nearing retirement, finding his replacement should be priority No. 1 for Tampa Bay.
Styles falling to 15 is unlikely, but this isn’t a prediction article — it’s a best-case scenario exercise, and picking the former Buckeye is a dream situation. Last year, Styles missed just two tackles and posted an 88.6 overall PFF grade as the leader in the middle of the field for arguably the best defense in the nation. Excellent in coverage and stopping the run, Styles is the full package at the linebacker position.
Washington Commanders
Goal: Plug holes on defense
Ideal first pick: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State
The dream scenario for a Commanders defense with multiple holes to fill, Reese falling to seventh overall is unlikely to happen. With Bobby Wagner returning for another season, Reese’s versatility is similar to Micah Parsons’ coming out of college.
Reese has the size and athleticism to play off the ball, but also boasts the explosiveness and pass-rush repertoire to defeat offensive tackles. Where he plays in the NFL is unknown right now, but get him on the roster and figure that out.
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