2026 NFL mock draft: Miller's pick predictions in Rounds 1-2 - ESPN

I just returned from last week's Senior Bowl, where I was able to get an up-close-and-personal look at more than 100 prospects who are vying to be picked in the 2026 NFL draft, which starts April 23 in Pittsburgh. After getting to see these players in person and getting face time with NFL scouts and personnel people, I wanted to put together a new mock draft. And this one is two rounds, giving me a chance to really dive in and assess players I saw in Mobile, Alabama.

This list of projections is far from locked, though. Prospects from the Senior Bowl (and the Shrine Bowl before it) will join hundreds of others at the combine later this month. That will shuffle draft boards, and NFL free agency next month (begins 4 p.m. ET on March 11) will alter the needs of each team. Pro days and interviews come after that as we count down to Round 1. But this is where things stand at the moment. The draft order of the top 30 picks are set, and I based the order for Nos. 31-32 here on the ESPN Football Power Index's (FPI) prediction for Super Bowl LX.

Let's get to it. Here are my first- and second-round projections for April's draft, including landing spots for two quarterbacks and the Senior Bowl's top risers.

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Round 1 | Round 2

Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

This is a very easy decision for the Raiders — draft the quarterback. The Geno Smith trade did not work out, and the 2026 class features only one passer with a first-round grade. My No. 4 overall player, Mendoza gives the Raiders a franchise-caliber quarterback with excellent poise, decision-making, accuracy and toughness both in and out of the pocket, which he showed in winning the Heisman Trophy and leading Indiana to the national championship.

He can start from day one,