Keith SanchezApr 20, 2026

In their final 2026 NFL mock draft, Sanchez projects the full first round plus several second-round picks, starting with Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 overall to the Raiders.

Published in writing · The Draft NetworkRead the original

12 of 37picks landed12 hits · 16 close calls · 9 misses · all settled

88.15The orderagainst a shuffled mock’s 50

+38.15Skillthe mock as a whole

63.4Per pickaverage, out of 100

1Went undraftedeach a miss

What Keith Sanchez said

With the No. 3 pick, the Cardinals go with Ohio State's Arvell Reese.

Keith Sanchez, the lead quote

Where it was published: The Draft Network
The piece: 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Final Predictions
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

SaidApr 19
GradedOct 1

Box score, round by round

HitCloseMissWaiting

Group	Hits	Close	Misses
Round 1	12	16	4
Round 2	0	0	5
All	12	16	9

How the mock scored

37 checkable claims — 37 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.

It names 67 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

All 37 have settled, averaging 63.4 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Mock against the draft

Across: where the mock put each player. Down: where the player went, with undrafted players (UDFA) on the bottom row. The shaded band is where a pick earns credit, within 32 picks. Squares landed, half-squares were close and slashes missed. Faint rules mark the rounds.

The mock as a whole

88.15this mock’s order50a shuffled mock38.15better than naive1difficulty+38.15skill

The skill comes from how well the whole mock ordered the draft, so it is not any one pick’s score minus 50.

Every pick’s score

0a pick’s naive guess: 50100

Think a pick here is graded wrong? Tell us which.

Draft board

HitCloseMissWaiting

Round 1 · picks 1–3212 hits · 16 close calls · 4 missesShow ▸

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Went	Score
1	LV	Fernando Mendoza	QB	1	100
2	NYJ	David Bailey	EDGE	2	100
3	ARI	Arvell Reese	LB/EDGE	5	92
4	TEN	Sonny Styles	LB	7	88
5	NYG	Caleb Downs	SAF	11	77
6	CLE	Monroe Freeling	OT	19	57
7	WAS	Jeremiyah Love	RB	3	84
8	NO	Rueben Bain	EDGE	15	74
9	KC	Jordyn Tyson	WR	8	96
10	—	Francis Mauigoa	OT	10	100
11	MIA	Mansoor Delane	CB	6	81
12	DAL	Carnell Tate	WR	4	71
13	—	Makai Lemon	WR	20	74
14	BAL	Kenyon Sadiq	TE	16	92
15	TB	Akheem Mesidor	EDGE	22	74
16	—	Jermod McCoy	CB	101	3
17	DET	Cashius Howell	EDGE	41	35
18	MIN	Dillon Thieneman	SAF	25	74
19	CAR	Spencer Fano	OT	9	65
20	—	Zion Young	EDGE	45	34
21	PIT	Ty Simpson	QB	13	71
22	LAC	Olaivavega Ioane	IOL	14	71
23	PHI	Denzel Boston	WR	39	50
24	—	Omar Cooper	WR	30	77
25	CHI	Kadyn Proctor	OT	12	57
26	BUF	Kayden McDonald	IDL	36	65
27	SF	K.C. Concepcion	WR	24	88
28	HOU	Peter Woods	IDL	29	96
29	—	Avieon Terrell	CB	48	44
30	—	Chris Brazzell	WR	83	10
31	NE	Max Iheanachor	OT	21	65
32	SEA	Jadarian Price	RB	32	100

Round 2 · picks 33–645 missesShow ▸

Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Went	Score
47	IND	Malachi Fields	WR	74	31
48	ATL	Malachi Lawrence	EDGE	23	34
52	GB	Deion Burks	WR	254	0
56	JAX	Chris Bell	WR	94	19
62	DEN	Deontae Lawson	LB	UDFA	0

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The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

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Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection.
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In a running series of coach/GM hiring and firing grades, Walt projects Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick of the Raiders in the 2026 draft and has LSU's Garrett Nussmeier going No. 2 overall in their 2026 mock draft.