The 2026 NFL Draft landscape just got a whole lot clearer. With the College Football Playoff National Championship wrapped up, scouts and analysts are finalizing their big boards ahead of April's draft. The spotlight shone brightest on a few standout names who put their NFL futures on full display.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza isn't waiting around. Fernando Mendoza is now the clear-cut favorite to go first overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, as Dante Moore has announced his return to Oregon. The Heisman winner's credentials speak volumes: The Heisman winner leads all of FBS with 33 pass touchdowns this season, which is also the Indiana single-season record. The Las Vegas Raiders have the top pick in April's draft, and it would be a massive surprise if they took a prospect other than Mendoza. The Indiana signal-caller is the top-ranked quarterback on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, and the Raiders are in dire need of a long-term answer behind center.
Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. is one of this year's top edge rusher prospects. The pass-rusher turned heads during the championship game and beyond. Bain might have the best film of any edge player in this draft, dominating teams like Notre Dame, Florida, Texas A&M, and Ohio State. In that first round CFP game, he had a whopping three sacks against an Aggies offensive line that had given up just 12 in 12 games. According to PFF, he's the only edge player in FBS to have over 500 pass-rushing snaps with a pass-rush grade over 90.
Monday night's national championship game between Indiana and Miami is loaded with top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Beyond Mendoza and Bain, the Canes have a dominant pass-rushing pair in Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, while the Hoosiers have a talented WR tandem in Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt. With Carson Beck and several other future NFL starters still in college, this draft class continues to prove it's loaded with day-one talent. The 2026 NFL draft is just over three months away.