2026 NFL Draft Big Board: StickToTheModel Top 100

By | Published: April 23, 2026 | 9 min read

Category: Player Analysis

2026 NFL Draft: StickToTheModel Top 100 Big Board

Our board. One rank per player — StickToTheModel's final take on the 2026 class.

How the class looks from here:
  • Tier 1 (picks 1–6): Mendoza, Love, Bailey, Downs, Bain, Delane. Six players at the top of the board with no real debate about whether they belong there.
  • WR story: Tyson is our WR1. Tate our WR2. Lemon our WR3. The receivers go early and cluster through the first round.
  • Defensive line: Banks is our IDL1. McDonald IDL2. Expect three to five interior defenders off the board by pick 50.
  • Sleepers on the board: Anthony Hill Jr (LB) at #18. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S) at #19. D'angelo Ponds (CB) at #25. Markel Bell (OT) at #41. Elijah Sarratt (WR) at #36. Carson Beck (QB) at #51. Quiet college production we like more than the room does.

Below: the board, top to bottom.

Round 1 (picks 1–32)

1. Fernando Mendoza — QB, Indiana — 6'5"

QB1 by tape, QB1 by age curve. Top-3 lock.

2. Jeremiyah Love — RB, Notre Dame — 6'0"

Broke out at 18.8. 100th-percentile career profile. Top-5 overall talent.

3. David Bailey — EDGE, Texas Tech — 6'3"

27 career sacks, highest peak-season score at the position.

4. Caleb Downs — S, Ohio State — 6'0"

Day-one All-Pro range. Safety of the class.

5. Rueben Bain Jr — EDGE, Miami (FL) — 6'3"

Dwight Freeney comp. Top-5 pick with immediate 10-sack upside.

6. Mansoor Delane — CB, LSU — 6'0"

8 career INTs, 27 PDs, elite tape. CB1 lock.

7. Jordyn Tyson — WR, Arizona State — 6'2"

Our WR1 outright. 91st-percentile career profile in the all-time pool.

8. Carnell Tate — WR, Ohio State — 6'3"

Our WR2. Fit-dependent, first-round grade.

9. Makai Lemon — WR, USC — 5'11"

Slot WR1. The ceiling is capped; the floor is a pro.

10. Monroe Freeling — OT, Georgia — 6'7"

Our OT1. Plug-and-play LT.

11. Kadyn Proctor — OT, Alabama — 6'7", 366

98th-percentile career profile. Mass you can't teach.

12. Keldric Faulk — EDGE, Auburn — 6'6"

Broke out at 18.5 in the SEC. Rare age-adjusted profile.

13. Francis Mauigoa — OT, Miami (FL) — 6'6"

Round-1 pick. Not the round-1 pick to trade up for.

14. Spencer Fano — OT, Utah — 6'6"

Peak-season king of the OT class. Size the only flag.

15. Olaivavega Ioane — IOL, Penn State — 6'4", 330

Our IOL1. Day-one starter.

16. Avieon Terrell — CB, Clemson — 5'11"

23 career PDs. Round-1 slot CB if he clears the height check.

17. Kevin Concepcion — WR, Texas A&M — 5'11"

Stefon Diggs profile. Broke out at 18.

18. Anthony Hill Jr — LB, Texas — 6'3"

Our LB1. 100th-percentile in our 2026 pool.

19. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren — S, Toledo — 6'2"

Elite tape, 95th-percentile career profile. Late round-1 swing.

20. Dillon Thieneman — S, Oregon — 6'0"

302 career tackles, 8 INTs. Box safety / hybrid LB role.

21. Denzel Boston — WR, Washington — 6'4"

Classic X-WR build. Low-variance round-1 pick.

22. Sonny Styles — LB, Ohio State — 6'4"

The tape is the whole case. Top-25 pick.

23. Colton Hood — CB, Tennessee — 6'0"

Clean profile at every filter.

24. Zion Young — EDGE, Missouri — 6'5"

4 years of SEC production. Late-1 / early-2.

25. D'angelo Ponds — CB, Indiana — 5'9"

Slot-only projection; day-one starting role.

26. Caleb Banks — IDL, Florida — 6'6", 330

97th-percentile career profile. Our IDL1.

27. TJ Parker — EDGE, Clemson — 6'3"

21.5 sacks in 37 games. Translation bet.

28. Kayden McDonald — IDL, Ohio State — 6'3"

91st-percentile career profile. Round-1 lock.

29. Caleb Tiernan — OT, Northwestern — 6'7"

95th-percentile career profile. Starter profile in a round-2 body.

30. Gabe Jacas — EDGE, Illinois — 6'3"

26 career sacks, 51 pressures. Round-2 floor.

31. Eli Stowers — TE, Vanderbilt — 6'4"

Our TE1. 98th-percentile career profile. Round-2 value.

32. Kyle Louis — EDGE, Pittsburgh — 6'1", 220

One season, freakish production. Scheme-specific pick.

Picks 33–64 (Day 2)

33. Jermod McCoy — CB, Tennessee — 6'0"

2-year sample. Young draft age; peak tape still in front of him.

34. Chris Brazzell II — WR, Tennessee — 6'5"

86th-percentile career profile. Big, young, productive.

35. Akheem Mesidor — EDGE, Miami (FL) — 6'3"

34.5 career sacks. 24-year-old breakout the flag.

36. Elijah Sarratt — WR, Indiana — 6'2"

88th-percentile career profile. The production file doesn't match the tape's rank.

37. Cashius Howell — EDGE, Texas A&M — 6'2"

28 career sacks. Bone-smashing hammer.

38. Jacob Rodriguez — LB, Texas Tech — 6'1"

Elite tape, 6 career INTs. Round-2 value.

39. Keith Abney II — CB, Arizona State — 6'0"

5 INTs, 21 PDs in 25 games. Ball production that translates.

40. Emmanuel Pregnon — IOL, Oregon — 6'5"

Peak score 0.98. Draft age 24.5 the flag.

41. Markel Bell — OT, Miami (FL) — 6'9", 340

100th-percentile career profile. Biggest sleeper at the position.

42. CJ Allen — LB, Georgia — 6'1"

SEC-tested with clean tape. Round-2 pick.

43. Davison Igbinosun — CB, Ohio State — 6'2"

4-year Ohio State production. Aggressive round-2 for press-man.

44. Dani Dennis-Sutton — EDGE, Penn State — 6'5"

83rd-percentile career profile. Our EDGE10 on peak production.

45. Arvell Reese — EDGE, Ohio State — 6'4"

Tape and traits pick. Production file lags the board.

46. AJ Haulcy — S, LSU — 6'0", 222

10 career INTs, 338 tackles. Starter by year two.

47. Chris Bell — WR, Louisville — 6'2", 220

Power-slot profile. Day-two fit.

48. Deontae Lawson — LB, Alabama — 6'2"

Four-year SEC arc. Starting MIKE upside.

49. Chris McClellan — IDL, Missouri — 6'4"

99th-percentile career profile. Aggressive day-2 pick.

50. Omar Cooper Jr — WR, Indiana — 6'0"

Senior-year breakout. Floor bet, not the ceiling bet.

51. Carson Beck — QB, Miami (FL) — 6'4"

Our QB2. 97th-percentile career profile, 11,592 career yards.

52. Max Klare — TE, Ohio State — 6'5"

Clean route tree. Round-3 pick.

53. R Mason Thomas — EDGE, Oklahoma — 6'2"

Even read. Round-3 pick.

54. Nadame Tucker — EDGE, Western Michigan — 6'3"

Small-school riser. Analytics like him.

55. Chris Johnson — CB, San Diego State — 6'0"

Elite tape, among the best in our CB top 10.

56. Antonio Williams — WR, Clemson — 5'11"

Peak is real. Progression curve isn't.

57. Justin Joly — TE, NC State — 6'3"

Youngest clean breakout in our TE top 10. 92nd-percentile career profile.

58. Gracen Halton — IDL, Oklahoma — 6'2"

Progression score 1.0. 3-tech fit.

59. Blake Miller — OT, Clemson — 6'6"

4-year ACC tackle reps. Floor pick.

60. LT Overton — IDL, Alabama

SEC reps, pedigree. Production hasn't caught up.

61. Germie Bernard — WR, Alabama — 6'1"

Clean day-two fit.

62. Jake Slaughter — IOL, Florida — 6'5"

3-year center. Plug-and-play at the right slot.

63. Lee Hunter — IDL, Texas Tech — 6'4", 325

0-tech / 1-tech anchor role.

64. Genesis Smith — S, Arizona State — 6'2"

Progression score 0.99. Range safety with box flex.

Picks 65–100 (Day 3 / late day 2)

65. Kaleb Elarms-Orr — EDGE, TCU

Small-school riser. Production profile.

66. Dametrious Crownover — OT, Texas A&M — 6'7"

Size-first prospect at draft age 24.6.

67. Caleb Lomu — OT, Utah — 6'6"

Traits over production. Short sample.

68. Keylan Rutledge — IOL, Georgia Tech — 6'4"

Middle-of-the-pack across every category.

69. Darrell Jackson Jr — IDL, Florida State — 6'5", 337

Run-defense anchor. Starter by year two.

70. Malachi Fields — WR, Notre Dame — 6'4"

Senior Bowl riser. Real college tape.

71. Chandler Rivers — CB, Duke — 5'10"

99th-percentile career profile. Slot-only projection.

72. Jonah Coleman — RB, Washington — 5'9"

Our RB2. 98th-percentile career profile.

73. Ted Hurst — WR, Georgia State — 6'3"

Small-school discount keeps him here.

74. Beau Stephens — IOL, Iowa — 6'5"

Iowa O-line peak. 99th-percentile career profile.

75. Zachariah Branch — WR, Georgia — 5'10"

Upside Tyreek Hill, floor Curtis Samuel. Fit-dependent.

76. Malachi Lawrence — EDGE, UCF — 6'4"

Mid-round bet on the tape.

77. Zakee Wheatley — S, Penn State — 6'2"

Draft age 24.1 the flag. Peak-season tape the answer.

78. Keionte Scott — CB, Miami (FL) — 6'0"

6 career sacks at CB. Nickel blitz specialist.

79. Mike Washington Jr — RB, Arkansas — 6'2"

4.33 speed, big-play ability. 7-game sample the discount.

80. Trey Zuhn III — IOL, Texas A&M

Experienced SEC guard. Depth-starter profile.

81. Ty Simpson — QB, Alabama — 6'2"

Only 24 career college games. Traits plus polish, limited sample.

82. Jake Golday — LB, Cincinnati — 6'4"

Size and production. Small sample.

83. Zxavian Harris — IDL, Ole Miss — 6'7"

100th-percentile career profile. Our IDL8 on the blend.

84. Jalon Kilgore — S, South Carolina — 6'1"

18.2 breakout age. Young ball-hawk.

85. Bryce Lance — WR, North Dakota State

Small-school discount. Developmental WR3.

86. Gennings Dunker — IOL, Iowa

Experienced Iowa line reps. Day-three depth.

87. Kaleb Proctor — IDL, SE Louisiana

Strong tape on FCS reps. Developmental pick.

88. Ja'Kobi Lane — WR, USC — 6'4"

Frame is the sell. Peak production isn't there yet.

89. Peter Woods — IDL, Clemson — 6'3"

Tape-heavy Clemson DT. Production file lags the board grade.

90. Kenyon Sadiq — TE, Oregon — 6'3"

Traits over production. First-round tape, mid-round production.

91. Max Iheanachor — OT, Arizona State — 6'6"

Mid-round OT with size. Short sample.

92. Derrick Moore — EDGE, Michigan — 6'3"

Day-three pass-rusher.

93. Julian Neal — CB, Arkansas — 6'2"

Under-the-radar day-3 pick.

94. Will Lee III — CB, Texas A&M — 6'1"

SEC reps, clean grade.

95. Daylen Everette — CB, Georgia — 6'1"

Clean day-three projection.

96. Kage Casey — IOL, Boise State

Small-school snap volume, strong tape.

97. Billy Schrauth — IOL, Notre Dame — 6'4"

Two-year sample, strong peak.

98. Tim Keenan III — IDL, Alabama — 6'2"

Run-stuffing nose profile.

99. Michael Taaffe — S, Texas — 6'0"

Strong tape, 91st-percentile peak. Late-round riser.

100. Skyler Bell — WR, Connecticut — 6'0"

Clean day-three WR projection.

Methodology

Every rank here is the StickToTheModel rank — our final number on the 2026 class. Position-specific weights apply across the board.

Monotonicity: within each position, our overall rank respects our position rank — our PosX always ranks above our PosX+1 overall. Position deep-dives — writeups, ranks 11-20, career profiles for each of the top 10 live at: