2026 NFL mock draft: Commanders trade down after Jeremiyah Love flies off board in top five

The beauty of mock draft season is that anything is possible with the right combination of imagination and logic. Intra-division trades. Calling the names of running backs and linebackers within the first five picks. Four players from the same college become top-10 picks. Those are the first three-round quirks I'm projecting in my first and only mock draft for 2026.

Some ideas are more far-fetched than others. For instance, would anyone really be surprised if Jeremyiah Love is already accounted for an hour into the draft? Those who watched him hurdle defenders and break loose for 90+ yard runs at Notre Dame understand why teams at the front of the line are so high on him.

Even when we try to account for the uncertain, though, it seems like there is a move that catches us off guard. And in a year where the lack of elite quarterback talent makes teams potentially more willing to trade down, perhaps next week's first round will give us some fireworks in the form of draft day transactions.

With that, let's dive into the mock draft.