Copied!
We’re still waiting to see who wins the Seahawks-Patriots showdown in Super Bowl LX, but with the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl both going on this week, the football world is simultaneously barreling into another phase of the NFL calendar: DRAFT SEASON. The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine will be here before you know it, so it’s high time to start digging into another fresh crop of prospects. With that in mind …
Who could be ticketed for Round 1 when the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in Pittsburgh on April 23? Here’s my initial forecast.
NOTES:
Pick Nos. 31 and 32 will be determined by the outcome of Super Bowl LX.
Tune in for continuing live coverage of Panini Senior Bowl practice Jan. 28 and 29 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network and NFL+.
NFL Network and NFL+ will have live coverage of the Senior Bowl game beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 31.
The Raiders begin another new era with the Heisman Trophy winner/national champion installed at quarterback. As a classic dropback passer with a winning pedigree, Mendoza is the perfect fit for Tom Brady and the rest of the brass in Vegas.
The do-it-all linebacker (69 tackles, 10 for loss, 6.5 sacks and two passes defensed in 2025) adds more blue-chip talent to a defense that significantly underachieved in Aaron Glenn’s debut season as Jets head coach.
