The season isn’t over yet, but it’s clear from our play on the field that we need to focus on building our offensive line and receiving corps in the 2026 offseason. We currently hold the rights to the 6th overall pick, and have nine more after it – and although we’ll probably end up drafting later than that after stringing together a few wins, I wanted to see who we could get in the draft if the season ended today.
Round 1, Pick 6: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Spencer Fano is the best offensive tackle in college football right now. He was Utah’s starting left tackle as a true freshman (and one of only two first-year starting LTs in Division I football), and switched to right tackle in the past two years – and in nearly three seasons, he has only given up three sacks (two as a freshman and one as a sophomore). Not only can he play either tackle position for us, but he’s an extremely reliable pass protector and an incredible blocker in the run game. There’s also a decent chance that he gets kicked inside to play guard, but regardless of where he plays, he will make an immediate impact. I know that a lot of fans want two wide receivers in the first round, but offensive linemen play the most important positions in football. If we want to have a successful offense, we have to build up our line – and with the 6th overall pick, we secure a perennial Pro Bowler.
Round 1, Pick 22: Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
Ideally, one of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, or Jordyn Tyson will be available here. Since they were already off the board in the simulation I ran, though, Louisville’s Chris Bell was the best available option at wide receiver. At 6’2” and 220 pounds, he’s built like a linebacker – so he’d immediately slot in as our biggest receiver (Cedric Tillman is slightly taller but also weighs slightly less) and become an explosive playmaker from day one. He has accounted for about 40 percent of Louisville’s receptions and receiving yards this season, and more than half of QB Miller Moss’ touchdowns. Although he isn’t the most refined route runner, he is incredibly talented after the catch and provides matchup nightmares for opposing cornerbacks. With some development, he could easily become a bigger version of Deebo Samuel.
Round 2, Pick 40: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
Although linebacker might not seem like an immediate need for this team, we have to recognize that there’s a chance Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah never plays football again. Carson Schwesinger looks like an incredible pick (he has the DROY all but locked up) and Devin Bush is having a Pro-Bowl-level season, but the latter is on a contract year and will be asking for a LOT more than the $3.25 million he’s making this season. We will likely do everything in our power to re-sign Bush, but the question mark over JOK’s head will continue to loom – and I’m not sure that Andrew Berry will be able to resist taking another top linebacker talent in the second round. With this pick, we further anchor our defense for years to come and prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario.
Round 3, Pick 71: Connor Lew, IOL, Auburn
Before suffering a season-ending torn ACL against Missouri in October, Lew was considered arguably the best center in the 2026 NFL Draft. He took over the starting center job midway through his true freshman season and allowed a perfect zero sacks for the rest of the year – and then as a sophomore, he allowed just one in 442 pass-blocking snaps. While we do have Ethan Pocic at center right now, his contract is expiring at the end of the year and he’ll be 31 before next season kicks off. Whether or not we renew Pocic’s contract, it would greatly benefit us to have Lew as well, either to take over at center or to kick out at one of the guard positions. In this case, his ACL tear benefits us – because there is no way he would still be on the board this late if he were healthy.
Round 4, Pick 106: AJ Haulcy, S, LSU
The idea that Haulcy will be available here is incredibly wishful thinking. He’s one of the best defensive playmakers in the nation with incredible man coverage ability, and I’d be shocked if he’s still on the board after Round 3. In my simulation, however, he was on the board here – so I didn’t hesitate to take him. With both Rayshawn Jenkins’ and Ronnie Hickman’s contracts expiring, and the former nearing retirement age, we will almost certainly need to find ourselves a safety this offseason – and AJ Haulcy is one that should, at the very least, be on Andrew Berry’s radar.
Round 5, Pick 144: Ian Strong, WR, Rutgers
Unfortunately, the league won’t let another Shedeur Sanders fall to pick 144. It might, however, let Ian Strong fall this far – in which case we should pounce on the opportunity to draft him. At 6’3”, 211 pounds, he’s a very talented wide receiver with an almost-unbeatable contested catch ability. He’s also extremely physical as a runner and is very efficient not only after the catch, but after contact as well. While inconsistent, his willingness to block also shows up on his film – a quality becoming increasingly rare (and increasingly valuable) in modern wide receivers.
Round 5, Pick 148: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
Once we get into these later rounds, teams start drafting for potential rather than pure talent. Iheanachor perfectly embodies the concept of potential: he’s only been playing football for five years and has improved leaps and bounds every year. His footwork is extremely impressive, as a former soccer and basketball star, and is great as a run blocker, but he definitely needs more development in pass protection before he’s ready to anchor an NFL line. Because he’s a junior with plenty of room left to grow, there’s a good chance he returns to the Sun Devils for his senior season – but if he declares for the draft, he’s a good project to undertake.
Round 5, Pick 149: DJ McKinney, CB, Colorado
McKinney is a good-but-not-great defensive back who wouldn’t start above Denzel Ward, Tyson Campbell, or Martin Emerson on day one – but he’s definitely worth a 5th round pick. He has a very strong mental understanding of the cornerback position, and it’s his execution that falls inconsistent sometimes – but his processing speed is something very few corners have. He’s extremely quick and a very strong tackler, but at 180 pounds, he needs to put on a lot of weight if he wants to survive the NFL. With refinement and muscle development, though, he definitely has the tools (both mental and physical) to become a very good starting cornerback in the near future.
Round 6, Pick 207: Jaeden Roberts, IOL, Alabama
Jaeden Roberts is another name that probably won’t be on the board when it rolls around to pick 207, but if he’s there, we should definitely draft him. He’s a force to be reckoned with at the line of scrimmage, and his pure power shows up all over the game tape. While playing through injury for the entire 2024 season, he made both the Lombardi and Outland Trophy watch lists – and he still hasn’t reached his true potential. If he’s able to improve his quickness to avoid getting beaten laterally, he could quickly become one of the better guards in this draft class.
Round 7, Pick 242: Tanner Koziol, TE/FB, Houston
If David Njoku doesn’t come back, we will need another tight end. I know that we have Harold Fannin, but it’s always useful to have big pass catchers to create mismatches – especially in the red zone – and Koziol provides one of the biggest mismatches there is. He’s a very high-IQ receiver who knows how to find open space in coverage, and at 6’7” and 240 pounds, he’s already taller than every linebacker in the league – the only real downside to his game is his lack of burst. If he’s there at 242 and we don’t re-sign Njoku, Tanner Koziol could become the rare 7th-round day-one contributor.
Final Draft Board:
- Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
- Chris Bell, WR, Louisville
- Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
- Connor Lew, IOL, Auburn
- AJ Haulcy, S, LSU
- Ian Strong, WR, Rutgers
- Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
- DJ McKinney, CB, Colorado
- Jaeden Roberts, IOL, Alabama
- Tanner Koziol, TE/FB, Houston
This obviously isn’t the most accurate mock draft, and a lot of the players on this board will be gone before they fall to us. Andrew Berry will also probably put together some trades and sign some players in the weeks leading up to the draft, so our needs might change – but it is still unlikely that we make it out of April with a ten-man draft class. That being said, this would be an incredible haul of rookies if we were able to pull it off.
We’re only one good offseason away from being one of the better teams in the National Football League – and with a good draft, we could be sitting atop the AFC North by this time next year.
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