At the very top, the 2026 NFL Draft class is shaped by defensive talent, particularly a good group of edge defenders and a nice crop of wide receivers and cornerbacks that occupy a significant share of the top 50.
Overall, this class blends blue-chip defensive playmakers, a deep perimeter talent pool and a more meaningful cluster of quarterbacks worthy of early consideration than last cycle.
For the full ranking of draft prospects — including three-year player grades and position rankings — click here. And if you want to go hands-on with the class, check out the PFF Big Board Builder to create your own rankings or fire up the PFF Mock Draft Simulator to run full mock drafts in seconds.
Editor’s note: The analysis included here comes from Trevor Sikkema’s preseason scouting series, while the rankings themselves have been fully updated. This analysis is provided to give readers context on how these players were viewed entering the season.
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1. Spencer Fano, Utah Utes
Big board rank: 16
Fano is a bit light on the side for an NFL offensive lineman, but you won't find many other drawbacks in his scouting report. He plays with great pad level and flexibility, providing excellent leg drive and impactful run-blocking in any blocking scheme. His arm length appears adequate to play tackle with vice-grip hand strength and a patient pass-blocking style. He's a scheme-versatile, starting-caliber offensive lineman with All-Pro potential.
2. Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Big board rank: 22
Mauigoa is a strong and sturdy offensive tackle prospect with a lot to like. He doesn't shy away from taking the fight to pass-rushers and dictating contact to throw them off their timing. He keeps his weight on his inside foot when kick sliding to neutralize inside moves. He plays with a good motor through the whistle. He appears to have adequate arm length to stick at tackle. With his thick lower body, he can be a people mover in the run game. His weight can be a bit too heavily on his toes, and an imbalance moving forward seems to be the root of many of his negatively graded plays. Mauigoa possesses the size and skills to be a starting offensive tackle in a man- or gap-blocking scheme.
3. Gennings Dunker, Iowa Hawkeyes
Big board rank: 25
Dunker has been Iowa's consistent starting tackle for the last three seasons, but his NFL home will likely be at guard. His arm length appears well below average, and his kick slide in pass protection doesn't cover enough ground. Outside of his physical limitations, there's a lot to love. He has a hulking frame that can handle even more weight. He has the contact power to displace and drive defenders off the ball. He is well-balanced, with a strong core, thanks to his track and wrestling backgrounds. Moving inside will allow him to lean on his strengths while mitigating weaknesses, specifically in a zone-blocking scheme.
4. Kadyn Proctor, Alabama Crimson Tide
Big board rank: 32
Proctor is a super-sized offensive lineman, even by NFL standards, with a skill set perfect for a man- or gap-blocking scheme. He tips the scale in total weight yet has good weight distribution in his upper and lower halves. He is lighter on his feet than expected, but changing direction to handle cross-face moves is a challenge. He has imposing strength and is very difficult to get through. His arm length appears shorter for the tackle position, which naturally raises the question of a move inside to guard.
5. Caleb Lomu, Utah Utes
Big board rank: 43
Lomu is green in experience but shows a very promising future in college and the NFL. He has the requisite size, though he is on the lighter side with average arm length. He is a flexible player, enabling him to get low in his stance with good power and low pad level. He has a strong leg drive and a finisher's mentality in the run game. His kick slides cover good ground, and he showcases excellent balance and anticipation of where pressure is coming from. Lomu's punch timing and aim need to be more consistent, but that is a trait he can learn. He shows the potential to be a starting offensive tackle with impact success as a zone blocker.
6. Austin Siereveld, Ohio State Buckeyes
Big board rank: 46
Analysis Coming soon!
7. Niki Prongos, Stanford Cardinal
Big board rank: 75
Analysis coming soon!
8. Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern Wildcats
Big board rank: 80
Tiernan brings alluring size to the offensive tackle position. At over 6-foot-7, he has an imposing build with plus length to smother pass-rushers. He is also patient and confident in pass protection with good posture and balance. He will naturally lose the leverage battle most of the time, and because of this, he can sometimes get overpowered, and his displacement push can lack impact. His value in pass protection is enough to garner top-100 talk.
9. Carter Smith, Indiana Hoosiers
Big board rank: 81
Smith has put on more than 30 pounds since his recruiting days, when he was a standout offensive tackle and even a high school volleyball player. He's been a consistent starter at left tackle for Indiana, but his measurables don't project well to the NFL at tackle. He also struggles the most with anchoring against longer defenders. Regarding his strengths, his foot and hand speed are excellent, and he displays impressive overall athleticism for the trenches. These strengths and weaknesses lend themselves to a potential position switch to center, which would be favorable for that projection.
10. Blake Miller, Clemson Tigers
Big board rank: 89
Miller is a bright, experienced offensive tackle prospect with an ideal baseline of flexibility and quickness. He is very quick off the ball with great posture and balance in pass protection. His hands are up, active, and even patient, highlighting a very high level of football intelligence. He appears and plays light for the position, lacking the sand in his pants to anchor and strength in the lower half to displace defenders when run blocking. If he can gain weight and strength while maintaining his plus movement ability, he can start at the next level.
11. Brian Parker II, Duke Blue Devils
Big board rank: 112
Parker has versatile starting experience at left and right tackle. As an offensive tackle, his measureables are lacking. He also seems to really struggle with his vertical kick slides to cut off speed rushers, which will only get tougher in the NFL. His best path to playing time could be to gain more weight and move inside to guard.
12. J.C. Davis, Illinois Fighting Illini
Big board rank: 115
Analysis Coming soon!
13. Cayden Green, Missouri Tigers
Big board rank: 118
Green is a well-built guard prospect with a strong upper body, capable of displacing defenders in a downhill blocking scheme. His lack of quickness and overall athleticism could cause him to struggle in zone-blocking schemes, and he needs to anticipate cross-face pass-rushers better, but he does have NFL potential as an interior player in a power run scheme.
14. Monroe Freeling, Georgia Bulldogs
Big board rank: 122
Freeling has the body type of a future NFL offensive tackle the question is what degree of playing time he'll get in the league. He's still a young, ascending player, and even in limited time, he has shown a solid baseline in run blocking, with good posture and technique to take defenders for a ride, especially in a downhill man- or gap-blocking scheme. He has good length and plus moments in pass protection, but ultimately, he lacks anticipation and timing for consistent success there. More pass-protection refinement is needed for a potential starting role.
15. Austin Barber, Florida Gators
Big board rank: 128
Barber is a well-built offensive tackle prospect who is a smooth mover in all facets. He fits best in a zone-blocking scheme. His low, wide pre-snap stance shows off his natural flexibility, and his technique gives him consistent pad-level advantages. He shows effective technique as a run blocker with hand placement and leg drive, but he could stand to get stronger in that and other areas. On a similar note, he must be able to maintain his blocks longer.
16. Jude Bowry, Boston College Eagles
Big board rank: 135
Bowry is a good enough athlete to project to a zone-blocking scheme in the NFL. Whether it's reach blocks on outside zone or pulling, he can generally get to where he needs to go. He shows good anchoring technique to get his hips through, hop his feet and neutralize speed-to-power bull rushes while at a lower weight. He lacks the standard arm length to play tackle at the NFL level, which could invite talk of him kicking inside. His kick slides in pass protection are quick and balanced, but the lack of length and weight does show up.
17. Trevor Goosby, Texas Longhorns
Big board rank: 148
Goosby is very inexperienced, and because of this, his game lacks refinement and anticipation. The good news is he's built like an NFL offensive tackle. He must gain more weight and power, especially in the lower half. The rest of his game can improve with snaps as a full-time starter.
18. Isaiah World, Oregon Ducks
Big board rank: 154
World has the height and length combination that NFL teams would like to see on an offensive tackle scouting report. He has a lot of starting experience from his time at Nevada and will get one more year to prove his talent against better competition at Oregon. While he has the frame, his game needs refinement. He moves well and has quick hands, but he seems a bit out of control at times. His feet aren't always underneath him for balance and power, and he was called for 29 penalties from 2022-2023. He has the traits but needs more consistency.
19. Drew Shelton, Penn State Nittany Lions
Big board rank: 156
Analysis Coming soon!
20. Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M Aggies
Big board rank: 179
Zuhn has a ton of experience on his resume, and most of his snaps have come at left tackle. He could get the chance to remain at tackle in the NFL, but he could also be a candidate to move inside to guard. He plays with a wide base pre-snap, which remains the same at contact, creating good balance and power. His posture is also very good, so he is rarely off-balance. He has a strong grip and always plays through the whistle. Zuhn's arm length could be an issue if asked to stick at tackle, but he has the background to do so in a pinch. If he displays more strength and pop in the run game, he could garner an even higher draft projection.
21. Earnest Greene III, Georgia Bulldogs
Big board rank: 186
Greene has been a starting offensive tackle for Georgia, and though he can play tackle in the NFL, he could be a plus starter at guard. He has a nasty play style (in a good way); he wants to move guys against their will. He is fundamentally sound in pass protection, as he plays with good balance. He can get pushed back farther than you want versus power, but that could be mitigated if moved inside because rushers won't have a runway to generate power and momentum. Greene is a versatile offensive lineman who could be a nice swing option in the NFL.
22. Xavier Chaplin, Auburn Tigers
Big board rank: 189
Chaplin is a mauling offensive lineman with great size. His build makes you feel like he can play tackle, but his style, strengths and weaknesses feel more like a guard. He packs a powerful punch on contact and can drive defenders downhill. However, in pass protection, his feet are heavy, and his movements lack twitch, even when accounting for his weight. His pass protection struggles might cause him to get moved inside to guard.
23. Kage Casey, Boise State Broncos
Big board rank: 206
Casey brings a strong mentality, technique, and success rate as a run blocker in a man- or gap-blocking scheme. He has a good, consistent leg drive to displace defenders, thanks to a good pad level and consistent inside-hand placement. He lacks top-level strength for the next level and sometimes fails to maintain blocks because of it. He is much less comfortable and confident in pass protection. His hunched-over posture creates an imbalanced weight distribution, and his kick slides don't cover enough ground, which occasionally triggers a bit of panic. He must improve in that area to be dependable.
24. Max Iheanachor, Arizona State Sun Devils
Big board rank: 210
Iheanachor came from the JUCO route and has worked his way into a starting tackle role for Arizona State. The 2025 campaign will be his second season as a full-time starter at right tackle. He has an adequate NFL frame to play tackle in the NFL. He possesses quick feet and is a good athlete, which bodes well for success as an outside zone blocker. In pass protection, his feet are quick to mirror cross-body moves, but he must translate that into protecting his outside shoulder better. He also seems to struggle with power, specifically due to a lack of natural leverage and an imbalance where his weight can be too much on his toes. Playing lower and more balanced will also help him become a more well-balanced run blocker.
25. Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Big board rank: 217
Wagner has an ideal physical baseline at 6-foot-6 with a massive wingspan and a basketball background. He can dictate contact with his long arms and has a good first step forward when run-blocking on zone-blocking concepts. He's gained more than 30 pounds since his days as a recruit, and he still doesn't look quite comfortable around 300 pounds. His feet are heavy in pass protection at that weight, yet it still feels like he needs to put on more muscle for strength and balance.
26. Fa'alili Fa'amoe, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Big board rank: 228
Analysis Coming soon!
27. Elijah Pritchett, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Big board rank: 262
Pritchett is an alluring prospect because you just can't teach his type of athletic frame and build at 310 pounds. However, right now, he remains an in theory type of offensive tackle. He reacts far more than he anticipates, which exposes some imbalance issues and shows him playing on the ground too often. He is coordinated and a good blocker as a puller. He seems to do his best work in man or gap run-blocking schemes. His pass protection numbers were very low as an underclassman, and he must improve his pressure percentage at Nebraska to consider leaping to the NFL in 2026.
28. Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M Aggies
Big board rank: 279
Crownover is a former tight end who put on some weight after a redshirt season and made the move to offensive tackle. His overall size and length are adequate for the NFL level, and his long arms are what he builds his pass-protection success around. He does seem to have flexibility limitations, as getting into a three-point stance can look like a chore. He tends to let speed rushers get under his arms around the edge. He'll need to find a good weight where he moves and bends a bit better to make the most of his NFL size.
29. Nolan Rucci, Penn State Nittany Lions
Big board rank: 287
Rucci has an NFL frame for an offensive tackle but appears to lack the overall athleticism to match. His feet look heavy and slow, which makes it challenging for him to pivot and mirror rushers who move from inside to outside and vice versa. His pre-snap base is wide and low, which gives him a slight advantage off the snap, as he is tough to get around. His lack of explosiveness likely limits him to downhill man or gap run-blocking offenses.
30. Riley Mahlman, Wisconsin Badgers
Big board rank: 292
Mahlman is a massive tackle prospect who checks the height, weight and length boxes for the NFL. He's tough to get around and through, and his body type and skill set work best for a downhill man- or gap-blocking scheme. His first step is long, but overall, he seems to lack the athleticism needed for consistent zone-blocking success. His lack of suddenness also could spell trouble versus NFL speed rushers.
31. Tree Babalade, South Carolina Gamecocks
Big board rank: 312
Babalade earned some early starting experience as a true freshman, but his playing time was more limited (and he even redshirted) in 2024. He has a big build, but he looks like a guard more than an NFL tackle. He is light and nimble on his feet, which is impressive given his listed weight of 330 pounds. He doesn't seem to have much of a punch on contact, which is a reason why rushers have been able to get off his blocks quickly. He also needs to have his hands up and at the ready more consistently. As of now, he will likely convert to guard in the NFL.