2026 NFL draft: Mel Kiper's favorite prospects by position - ESPN

You'll see a lot of rankings for the 2026 NFL draft this week, and I'll have my final top-150 Big Board on Tuesday before the first round begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN the app). But some of my favorite players in the class aren't necessarily the best ones.

Every April, I put together a list of my favorite prospects at every position — players whom I like more than consensus after studying their film. To be clear, these aren't the best prospects at their positions. It's possible none of them will go in Round 1, and a few of them will most likely still be on the board on Day 3.

But I love watching their tape. They are the underrated ballers of the class — 15 tough, hard-nosed prospects who play football the right way. Coaches rave about their love of the game, high football IQ and work ethic. They are exactly the type of players you want on your team.

Jump to a position:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G | C
Edge | DT | LB | CB | S

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Payton waited for his turn, sitting behind Cam Miller for three years before finally becoming the Bison's starter in 2025. Payton impressed over 13 games, completing 72% of his throws for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Payton has the arm to make some tough throws. And despite a long delivery, his accuracy is on point. He has the traits to be a developmental guy in the NFL.

But his rushing ability should get him on the field in sub-packages as a rookie. Payton ran for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. North Dakota State used him as a ball carrier in prior years, too, and he averaged 6.7 yards per carry and accumulated 31 rushing touchdowns over his career. I could see an NFL offensive coordinator putting