Who will be picked after Fernando Mendoza in the 2026 NFL Draft?
By Andy Davies
It is officially NFL Draft season.
Later this month, Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL Draft, with between 500,000 and 700,000 expected to be in attendance in the Steel City.
The Las Vegas Raiders have the first overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Provided a twist of fast, they will be making their selection in this spot for the first time since Jamarcus Russell was taken in 2007.
It is widely expected that quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who guided the Indiana Hoosiers to a 16-0 record and their first ever National Championship, will be the player taken by the Raiders.
A lot of the talk pre-draft has been about Mendoza, but else should we look out for early in the first round?
Here are five candidates to be taken after Mendoza and drafted second overall.
David Bailey (Edge - Texas Tech)
The second overall is currently possessed by the New York jets after their 3-14 campaign in 2025.
Provided they do not trade down, they will be the team taking next after the Raiders. Edge rusher is their biggest area of need.
Texas Tech’s David Bailey is seen as the best edge rusher in the 2026 class comes in with a great college spell.
In four seasons, by which three were with Stanford, he has a total of 42 tackles for loss, 29 sacks and 10 forced fumbles.
Bailey led the Big 12 in tackles for loss in 2025 with 19.5. No player in any conference had more sacks than his 14.5 that season.
With two first rounders in 2026 and three in 2027, the Jets have the ability to trade down from the second overall pick and gain even more draft capital.
However, they may feel that they want to utilise the second overall pick and Bailey could be that guy.
Arvell Reese (Edge/Linebacker - Ohio State)
Being able to play as an edge rusher and linebacker, Reese offers the Jets flexibility in a roster that has been deprived of star talent in recent years.
With 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 10 tackles for loss in 2025, his stats and college reps are not as impressive as Bailey’s.
His draft report lists his sideline speed and production against premier competition as some of his strengths, with coverage seen as an area of concern.
However, seen as a scheme fit, Reese would be comfortable coming into the 3-4 defense of the Jets. This could give the Jets a reason to draft him second overall.
Francis Mauigoa (Offensive Tackle - Miami)
Whilst edge rusher may be the Jets’ biggest position of need, they may feel the prospect of drafting Francis Mauigoa is too good to turn down.
A consensus All-American in 2025 and second-team All-ACC in 2024, Mauigoa is widely seen as the best offensive line prospect in this month’s NFL Draft.
Run blocking, balance and movement are seen as his biggest strengths in his scouting report, whereas hand placement is an area of concern.
Between Justin Fields (27), Brady Cook (19) and Tyrod Taylor (14), Jets quarterbacks were sacked 60 times in 2025, a number is five more than Geno Smith, who was sacked the most times.
Coincidentally, Smith is now the starting quarterback for the Jets in 2025 and he will want to avoid a repeat of what happened last season.
Rueben Bain Jr (Edge - Miami)
Another Miami Hurricanes player to make the list, Reuben Bain Jr goes into the draft as the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year. This is in addition to winning the conference’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2023.
After 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2023, he finished 2025 with 15.5 tackles and 9.5 sacks and goes in with a lot of upsides.
He was part of a Miami defense that allowed 14.8 points per game, a total that only four teams bettered. Joining a team that was 31st in points allowed in 2025, his addition would be a welcome one and could be a factor in taking him second overall.
Jeremiyah Love (Running Back - Notre Dame)
Seen as the best non-quarterback in the 2026 class, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is getting a lot of love right now by draft experts.
With the Jets franchise tagging running back Breece Hall, the Jets could be tempted to take Love with the second overall pick. However, they have bigger needs.
There is a good chance that they trade down and this is where other teams step in and try to get to the second overall slot and take their future RB1.
They would be getting a great talent, who recorded back-to-back 1,000 rushing yards seasons in 2024 and 2025, with 2,497 in total across those years.
Earning comparisons with Bijan Robinson, Love has been praised for being a patient runner and excelling when it comes to ball security. His pass protection and frame have been seen as some of his areas to improve.
Teams such as the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns could move up within the top 10 to take Love second overall, and a team such as the Seattle Seahawks would love to replace Kenneth Walker III with Love to complement Zach Charbonnet.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX AND LX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS