Fran Duffy’s post-combine Big Board preview: The Top 15 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft

Editor’s note: To read the full version of this article, including write-ups on all 100 of Fran Duffy’s top-ranked NFL Draft prospects, click here to become a Diehard with full access to the entire Diehard Draft Guide.

While Mock Drafts may draw more eyeballs and vitriol from fan bases, they are still not quite as divisive as a Big Board. The exercise of stacking players on a vertical board is a tricky one, and I’m going to give you guys a little teaser before you take a look at the current version of mine. The first thing you should know…

***This Is Not Your Typical Big Board***

Why? 

There are three reasons: Objective, Positional Value, and the use of a Horizontal Board.

Let’s start with the first item, my objective. This board is NOT about what order I predict the players to hear their names called on draft weekend. It is not meant to be a list of who I think are the Top 50 picks in the draft. That’s what my Mock Draft is for. Rather, this is a projection of how I expect each player to be valued four years from now. It’s about what I believe their transition will be to the NFL. 

Next is the topic of positional value, which I think is an extremely important part of the evaluation process. Even fans and analysts who say they don’t believe in positional value can admit that it matters in some way, otherwise they would have elite kickers and punters with high grades on a more regular basis. Everyone can agree they would not take a kicker in the Top 30 picks of a draft, so if you can say that, then you can agree that positional value is real. 

That said, I don’t think it’s as easy as ‘every top quarterback, edge rusher, tackle and wide receiver should get bumped ahead of everyone else.’ If you were doing an expansion draft of the NFL right now, would you rather have Zack Baun or Jahan Dotson? Tre McBride or Jonah Williams? Tyler Smith or Sam Williams? The quality of the player matters in these discussions. How does the NFL establish the quality of the player? Through their wallets. Which leads me to how I stack these prospects, a process that I covered in-depth last month in the ALL NFL Draft Newsletter (subscribe for free here). 

Before I get to the current version of my boards, I wanted to reiterate one very important part of this for me, personally. More than anything else, what I value most in this entire process is the report; the individual projection for a player. I don’t get caught up in the ranking, as long as I get individual reports right.

For example, I want to look back at one of my biggest misses in the draft. In 2020, I had Jalen Reagor graded higher than CeeDee Lamb. I loved both players. They were both in the same bucket for me. I clearly missed the mark on Reagor’s projection, but whenever I go back and re-read my write-up on Lamb, I nailed it. He is exactly the player I felt he could be coming out of Oklahoma. I wasn’t ‘too low’ on him, but I was too high on Reagor. That’s an important distinction, and it’s worked both ways over the course of my career. 

HORIZONTAL BOARD – OFFENSE

HORIZONTAL BOARD – DEFENSE

VERTICAL BOARD – TOP 100

— TIER 1 | $48 Million AAV —

n/a

— TIER 2 | $28 Million AAV — 

1 – QB Fernando Mendoza | Indiana

• His toughness and intangibles are impossible to ignore; I see him ascending to being a Top 15-18 quarterback in the NFL.

— TIER 3 | $22 Million AAV — 

2 – EDGE Keldric Faulk | Auburn

• The combination of physical tools, character and youth equate to upside I’ll always bet on; not a finished product but I feel it’s a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ he hits his ceiling.

3 – EDGE Arvell Reese | Ohio State

• His pass-rush upside sets his physical ceiling while his physicality and versatility set his floor; I think his landing spot will have a large impact on his final outcome.

4 – EDGE David Bailey | Texas Tech

• His improved pass-rush plan this season makes him nearly unblockable 1-on-1 but run defense is still a concern for me and could limit his three-down potential.

— TIER 4 | $17 Million AAV — 

5 – LB Sonny Styles | Ohio State

• The physical tools and mental makeup give him about as high a grade as allowed at that position, but he’s as clean as it gets as far as projection is concerned.

6 – S Caleb Downs | Ohio State

• He’s tough, instinctive and athletic with traits to be one of the league’s best thanks to his versatile skillset.

7 – RB Jeremiyah Love | Notre Dame

• Outstanding mental makeup to go along with explosive potential as both a runner and receiver; I wanted to see him stay healthy this year as a feature back and he did that.

8 – EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. | Miami

• Hard not to love his tempo-setting physicality; has the well-rounded game that should allow him to be a disruptor against the run and pass.

9 – WR Carnell Tate | Ohio State

• A big-bodied technician with ability to win at all three levels but he’s humble enough to do the dirty work as well.

10 – T/G Spencer Fano | Utah

• He’s athletic, tough and positionally versatile, though he won’t be a fit for every scheme with his size limitations.

11 -T/G Kadyn Proctor | Alabama

• The upside is sky high and even his floor should equate to a volatile, yet serviceable, starter unless he completely bottoms out.

12 – T/G Francis Mauigoa | Miami

• Just rock solid across the board; feel the best about him plugging in at tackle and sticking there for a decade.

13 – TE Kenyon Sadiq | Oregon

• A dynamic pass catcher who gets after second-level defenders as a blocker; not a finished product but can be a difference maker.

14 – CB Avieon Terrell | Clemson

• Undersized but ultra-competitive corner with a man-to-man skillset and the ability to match up inside and out.

15 – DL Peter Woods | Clemson

• Highly athletic three-technique tackle who was near the top of my board coming into the season but saw his play fall off after losing weight in 2025.

For a look at the rest of the Top 100 and full-access to the entire Draft Guide, become a DieHard!!