The 2026 NFL Draft is under a month away, and projected number one pick, Fernando Mendoza, has declined his invitation to attend the draft in person in Pittsburgh and opted to be in his hometown of Miami to hear his name called.
Mendoza was the only notable name to decline an invite to attend the draft. With that, there will be 16 prospects in attendance, all of whom could be first-round picks as well, according to Mel Kiper Jr., Jordan Reid, Matt Miller, and Field Yates. These are the 16 players who will be in Pittsburgh on draft night:
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami
Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Caleb Downs, DB, Ohio State
Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
David Bailey, LB, Texas Tech
Mansoor Delane, DB, LSU
Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn
Colton Hood, DB, Tennessee
Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
Kadyn Proctor, T, Alabama
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Ohio State will be the most represented team on draft night, with five players in attendance: Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Kayden McDonald, Sonny Styles, and Carnell Tate. Both Alabama (Ty Simpson, Kaydn Proctor) and Miami (Rueben Bain Jr., Francis Mauigoa) will each have two players in attendance.
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The only player on the list that could potentially fall out of the first round and not hear their name called on the first night would be Ty Simpson. He is currently projected as the first pick of the second round according to the mock draft. Both Simpson and Mendoza were the only two quarterbacks to receive invites to attend the draft in person.
The first round of the NFL Draft is set to commence on April 23rd at 8:00 p.m. EST at Point State Park and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
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