Hours before the real draft began, Brianna Dix, Gabriel Kahaian and Scott Smith put one last mock draft on the page, drawing wooden stir sticks to decide the order and refusing to allow trades. The final round of predictions ended with Smith projecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 15.
The three had spent the season since February taking turns on a weekly mock draft, but this edition was the last one before the first round began. Dix made the first pick, Kahaian the second, and the board started with the Las Vegas Raiders taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, followed by the New York Jets choosing Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 2 and the Arizona Cardinals landing Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey at No. 3.
From there, the mock stayed close to the top of the board. Tennessee was projected to take Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 4, pairing him with Tony Pollard in the backfield, and the New York Giants were set to choose Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 5. Mendoza had guided Indiana to a national championship in 2025, while Love arrived with the Doak Walker Award and an eye-catching profile built on 40 total touchdowns over the previous two seasons.
Arizona’s projection made sense for a roster that still needed help on the offensive line beyond quarterback, even after finishing last season with 30 sacks, 12 of them from Josh Sweat. Bailey was described as the best pure pass-rusher available, which made him an easy fit for a defense looking for more pressure off the edge. Love brought his own case to the top five, too, after logging 49 plays of 10-plus yards in 2025 and becoming one of only four backs over the last two decades to weigh at least 212 pounds and run a 4.36 40-yard dash or faster.
The collaboration was presented as a predictive mock draft, not a wish list, and the writers said leaving out trades kept the process moving and cut down on complications. That made the final edition feel less like a placeholder and more like a closing guess at how the first round could unfold — with the Buccaneers’ slot at 15 waiting to be tested for real when the draft clock finally starts.