NFL Mock Draft 2026 with player comparisons: Projecting the best NFL comps for first-round picks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
NFL comparisons come with any pre-draft evaluation of prospects. The 2026 class is no exception, regardless of position.
Likening players entering the league to players already in the league gives a better understanding of what kind of talent a team will get — great, good, bad or somewhere in between.
From floor to ceiling, here's looking at Sporting News' first-round projections based on NFL veterans past and present:
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (6-5, 236 pounds)
Mendoza is right up there with the best pocket passing prospects in the past 20 drafts, including first-rounders Matt Ryan, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff, and later-round sleepers Brock Purdy and Kirk Cousins, the latter now serving as Mendoza's ideal veteran backup and initial competition.
David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (6-4, 251 pounds)
The Jets should have taken notice that Will Anderson Jr. just got a massive extension and that's the kind of dominant all-around potential Bailey has. He can also be as effective in coverage as Rams recent first-rounder Jared Verse and has some of that Brian Burns-like athleticism, too.
Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State (6-4, 241 pounds)
The Cardinals and the rest of the league has been well aware of how Micah Parsons came in as a star linebacker from Penn State and turned into a devastating, versatile pass rusher for the Cowboys and now the Packers. Reese can channel that same vibe from the Big Ten.
The Titans need to get a true No. 1 wide receiver for Cam Ward and after some late evaluation of Tate, they might seem him as the needed choice for their second-year QB instead of a luxury running back pick. Tate is a combination of Mike Evans and George Pickens with his size, strength, field-stretching ability and red zone pop.
The Giants have grown enamored with Love of late as John Harbaugh has vision of him becoming the new Derrick Henry and helping Jaxson Dart become the sequel to the Lamar Jackson dual threat the new coach had in Baltimore. Love has some Henry hammer ability, but he's more like recent Falcons first-rounder Bijan Robinson and speedy former Chiefs workhorse Jamaal Charles.
The Browns might trade down from this pick should Tate be off the board as offense takes a little precedence over defense. But if they stay and take Downs to fill their safety cleanup need, they can take the hybrid of rival Ravens Kyle Hamilton and Ed Reed.
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (6-5, 244 pounds)
The Commanders are ready to take the best defensive player available and have liked what Styles can do in the middle of Dan Quinn's defense as their version of either recent Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly or future Hall of Famer and replace their own future Hall of Famer, Bobby Wagner.
Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (6-2, 263 pounds)
The Saints also can be fortunate to let the draft "come to them" and land Bain to be their pass-rushing and run-stopping successor to Cameron Jordan. The strength and power comparisons to Jordan (6-4, 287) are uncanny.
The Chiefs can go to work reloading at corner after moving Trent McDuffie and Delane compares well to him as the strongest cover corner in this class with some shutdown potential. Kansas City will feel Delane won't disappoint like other recent first-rounders Pat Surtain II, Sauce Gardner and Quinyon Mitchell.
MORE: NFL power rankings 2026 after free agency
The Giants, in the wake of trading former Clemson star Dexter Lawrence for this pick, can take a shot on Woods being a Chris Jones or Jeffery Simmons-level inside disruptor with massive pass-rush upside.