2026 NFL draft rankings: Field Yates' top 25 prospects - ESPN

The 2025 college football season will conclude Monday with the College Football Playoff national championship. So how about looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft and stacking the best players in the class?

A lot can change between now and the start of the draft on April 23. For one, players from Indiana and Miami have until January 23 to declare for the draft. There are still predraft events, the combine and pro days over the next three months. We'll also learn more about lingering injury situations for a handful of top prospects.

With that disclaimer out of the way, here is my initial ranking for the top 25 prospects in the 2026 class. Quarterback Dante Moore's announcement that he's returning to Oregon shook some things up, as I had him at No. 2 before his decision. Beyond my top 25, I also have my rankings by position listed at the bottom. (Underclassmen are marked with an asterisk.)

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

See more on the NFL draft:
Consensus rankings

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 225

The Heisman Trophy winner brings a comprehensive skill set led by exceptional accuracy to all levels of the field, a powerful arm and a rock-solid stature. Mendoza has completed 73% of his passes this season (third highest in FBS), including five separate games with a completion percentage north of 85%. He has 41 touchdown passes to six interceptions.

Mendoza has the functional mobility to navigate the pocket, and he showed improvements with his decision-making in one season at Indiana after two years at Cal. He took 22 sacks in 2025 compared to 41 in 2024, though he did benefit from the Hoosiers having a better offensive line. Mendoza's final college season included clutch moments