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At the very top, the 2026 NFL Draft class is shaped by defensive talent, particularly a good group of edge defenders and a nice crop of wide receivers and cornerbacks that occupy a significant share of the top 50.
Overall, this class blends blue-chip defensive playmakers, a deep perimeter talent pool and a more meaningful cluster of quarterbacks worthy of early consideration than last cycle.
For the full ranking of draft prospects — including three-year player grades and position rankings — click here. And if you want to go hands-on with the class, check out the PFF Big Board Builder to create your own rankings or fire up the PFF Mock Draft Simulator to run full mock drafts in seconds.
Editor’s note: The analysis included here comes from Trevor Sikkema’s preseason scouting series, while the rankings themselves have been fully updated. This analysis is provided to give readers context on how these players were viewed entering the season.
1. Jermod McCoy, Tennessee Volunteers
Big board rank: 7
McCoy has the body type and athleticism to play press-man coverage at the NFL level. His ball production as a sophomore was very impressive in terms of interceptions and forced incompletions. He is comfortable hand-fighting receivers at any point of their route and pairs that with good long speed and excellent first-step explosiveness. At the same time, he is coming off a torn ACL and must get back to pre-injury form. He could also use more patience with inside releases. But it's all there for him to be a CB1 in the pros.
2. Mansoor Delane, LSU Tigers
Big board rank: 15
Delane is a long, fast cornerback who brings an adequate balance of top speed and agility to play press-man coverage at the NFL level. He is comfortable getting his hands on receivers in true press, and generally has the speed to keep up with them vertically. His hips are oily and can flip very quickly to stay in phase out of press. He is on the slender side, and that shows up when tackling and making contact at the catch point. If he can get a little stronger while maintaining his fluid movement skills, he can be a contributing outside cornerback in a man- or man-match-heavy system.
3. Brandon Cisse, South Carolina Gamecocks
Big board rank: 18
Analysis Coming soon!
4. A.J. Harris, Penn State Nittany Lions
Big board rank: 29
Harris is a five-star cornerback who is already living up to that high-recruit billing. He has adequate size at 6-foot-1 and just over 190 pounds, though his arm length might be a bit shorter than his height suggests. His movement skills for his height are very impressive. His feet are fast in his backpedals and allow him to mirror releases in press, even without getting his hands on receivers. His ability to flip his hips and accelerate is also refined. His missed tackle percentage is okay, but he displays some really good solo reps vs. the run. He's a scheme-versatile player with a ton of confidence, except for the one game that was freezing cold against SMU in 2024.
5. Avieon Terrell, Clemson Tigers
Big board rank: 31
Terrell already has a brother who plays in the NFL, and you can tell he's been able to watch his brother play at a high level to follow in his footsteps. Even as just a true sophomore in 2024, he showed a high football IQ and some great cornerback instincts. That manifested in good ball production with interceptions and forced incompletions. He also recorded very good PFF run-defense and pass-rush grades over the last two years despite a small frame. His weight profile is below the 10th percentile for the pros, and his arm length could be a limiting factor for press. But as an off-zone coverage defender, he is smart, sound, calculated and impactful in all areas of playing the position.
6. Colton Hood, Tennessee Volunteers
Big board rank: 34
Analysis Coming soon!
7. Chris Johnson, San Diego State Aztecs
Big board rank: 45
Analysis Coming soon!
8. Chandler Rivers, Duke Blue Devils
Big board rank: 62
Rivers is an easy watch. His style is so in control; he deploys very little wasted movement and good anticipation for where the ball is going and how receivers are about to run their routes. He understands leverage and how to use it to his advantage. His missed-tackle percentage against the run was high as an underclassman, but improved in 2024. Overall, he's a savvy and smart corner who can play left, right and slot, but might give up a few plays each week due to well-below-average length and somewhat limited twitch.
9. Keith Abney II, Arizona State Sun Devils
Big board rank: 64
Abney is a competitive, communicative outside cornerback with experience in both man and zone coverage. His best and most confident work seems to come from zone work (press or off), where he can be in bail technique and watch the quarterback's eyes with a good feel for where his receiver(s) are. He is also a willing run defender with good tackling grades and stats. He can play man coverage, but his long speed and recovery speed appear to be average at best; if he doesn't get physical with vertical receivers, he can get beaten there. His mentality will be his most alluring
10. Daylen Everette, Georgia Bulldogs
Big board rank: 71
Everette is a long and lean outside-press-man-coverage cornerback. He is technically sound and in control out of his backpedal, which allows him to flip and run squarely with no shade or leverage with receivers releasing inside or out. His long speed appears adequate but not great. He does have quick stop-and-start footwork to limit separation and close on comeback and curl routes, and possesses the long arms to disrupt the catch point consistently. He must play with more fire when not in press, and for run support and tackling in general. He also needs to play the sideline better in bail when playing Cover 3. But he does have starter qualities.
11. D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana Hoosiers
Big board rank: 85
Ponds won't win the eye test for an NFL corner (5-foot-9, 170 lbs.), but when you turn on the tape, he sure plays like a guy you'd want on your NFL team. He started at outside cornerback first at James Madison, now at Indiana, and he could play there in the NFL, but his most impactful spot may be in the slot. He has an accomplished track background, which shows up via his top-tier quickness and long speed. He has consistent ball production in the form of interceptions and forced incompletions, and boasts a surprisingly low missed tackle percentage despite his build. The tape is good; the big question is, how much of it translates when the competition gets even bigger, faster and stronger?
12. Keionte Scott, Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Big board rank: 90
Analysis Coming soon!
13. Julian Neal, Arkansas Razorbacks
Big board rank: 99
Analysis Coming soon!
14. Xavier Scott, Illinois Fighting Illini
Big board rank: 102
Scott is a versatile defensive back who has significant playing time as an outside and slot cornerback, but his most impactful position has been as a nickel defender. He single-handedly took over the Kansas game in 2024, which is very hard for a defensive back to do. He is a very reliable tackler and brings a passion to both run defense and pass rushing. He plays with good instincts and some twitchy change-of-direction movements to make the most of them. It looks like he's moving as fast as he possibly can every rep, yet he stays balanced and in control. The only real knock on him is his top speed. His running strides seem short, and it is hard for him to recover if he yields initial separation. That only gets harder to do in the NFL.
15. Malik Muhammad, Texas Longhorns
Big board rank: 140
Muhammed is a feisty outside cornerback with long arms and a track background to present a high ceiling. He didn't record an interception as a starter in 2024, but his forced incompletion percentage was high. His PFF run-defense grade was low, but he does show the mentality to be a better run defender if he can put on more weight. He has the frame and ability to play press, but he lacks the anticipation to be reliable there consistently. Right now, he's best used in off-zone coverage with few athletic question marks in his game.
16. Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina Tar Heels
Big board rank: 144
Dixon has the build and the game to be a potential starting NFL cornerback. He started his career at the JUCO level before transferring to Washington in 2023 and is now at UNC with Bill Belichick. With the Huskies in 2024, he played shadow coverage against his opponent's best receiver, both in the slot or on the outside. He has the length and strength to line up in press, and also great downhill trigger speed when playing off. He is a competitive player who wants to be in on every play. He must continue to study receivers' releases as well as route tricks to be more patient, which goes for getting grabby on smaller, quicker receivers, too. If that can improve, he could be a starter in the pros.
17. Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina Gamecocks
Big board rank: 147
Kilgore is a versatile defensive back in snap position (free safety, slot and box safety), size and athleticism. He does his best work from the slot playing as an APEX defender with some freelance freedom built into his role on most downs. He is fast to trigger downhill with some impactful tackles in the backfield, but does have a tendency to ankle-tackle too often. His forced incompletion percentage is low, but not when accounting for his alignment role. He can already be viewed as a potential NFL secondary chess piece. The question is just how much better he can get with improved anticipation.
18. Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State Buckeyes
Big board rank: 163
Igbinosun is a talented player with an NFL-level combination of height, length, weight and long speed. He has played a lot of reps in press coverage, which is the style he best projects to in a man-heavy system. However, his game lacked anticipation in 2024. He was top 10 in the FBS in penalties called against him in 2024, stemming from not anticipating receivers' releases and route breaks well enough, as well as grabbing them to limit separation. He is also susceptible to double moves, especially out-and-ups. He has the tools to be a top-100 pick, but he has to clean up his game first.
19. Will Lee III, Texas A&M Aggies
Big board rank: 166
Lee began his college career at the JUCO level, but has since started for two FBS programs in Kansas State and Texas A&M. He has ideal height and length at 6-foot-3, though he is lean at that height at just around 190 pounds. He likes to get his hands on receivers, either out of press or in off-zone at the break point. His feet are controlled, but look a bit slow, as do his hips when flipping to run out of press. He also has some other speed concerns when recovering without grabbing. Because of this, he is most effective in off-coverage alignments, where he can manage cushion and watch the quarterback's eyes to ball hawk.
20. Tacario Davis, Washington Huskies
Big board rank: 175
Davis is a former wide receiver and defensive back in his high school days, now focused on the defensive side of the ball at around 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. His long arms are a big strength when it comes to disrupting receivers' releases and routes, as well as the catch point. His high-waisted build makes it tougher for him to flip the hips and change direction, and his top speed might just be adequate at best. But, you can't teach his length, and he seems to have the competitiveness to be up to the challenge that is covering NFL receivers.
21. DJ McKinney, Colorado Buffaloes
Big board rank: 193
McKinney has an alluring frame at 6-foot-2 with long arms to boot. This allows him to match up in press man coverage and get hands on defenders to disrupt their releases, routes and interfere with the catch point. He has a good baseline for press work, but must continue to improve his balance when punching in press to avoid getting off-balance and in trail. If he does get into trail, he can get grabby to try to make up for the separation.
22. Smith Snowden, Utah Utes
Big board rank: 199
Snowden is a smaller-sized, highly competitive nickel defender from Utah who might not wow you on the roster list, but his tape is that of a player you'd love to have on your defense. He is a naturally explosive athlete (track background) who can mirror vertical receivers from the slot. He is also comfortable and even relishes getting his hands on receivers in the contract window and fighting throughout the route. He can be a bit over-aggressive, and because of that, he yielded more open targets than you'd like in 2024 but that can be natural as a slot defender. He is a competitive run defender, but he had a higher missed tackle rate than desired. Overall, his mentality to make plays is gravitating, and should play in the league.
23. Hezekiah Masses, California Golden Bears
Big board rank: 201
Analysis Coming soon!
24. Cam Calhoun, Alabama Crimson Tide
Big board rank: 208
Calhoun has good height and length to play press-man coverage in the NFL. He is comfortable in press and off, and when close to the line of scrimmage, has a quick and strong punch to disrupt receivers getting into their routes. He needs refinement in the deep coverage aspect of playing man coverage, mainly getting his head around and locating the ball in trail. He also must anticipate better and be on his toes for when to trigger downhill against quick routes.
25. Jermaine Mathews Jr., Ohio State Buckeyes
Big board rank: 214
Mathews Jr. is a talented cover corner who did his best work in his underclassman years from off-zone coverage alignments. His measurables are slightly below average, but he doesn't play like he lacks the length. He has twitchy movement skills, which allow him to flip his hips and explode quickly, as well as give him high potential as a run defender to slip blocks and a pass rusher to do the same. He must get stronger, specifically in run defense, and must continue to improve his anticipation with a full-time starting role in 2025.
26. Domani Jackson, Alabama Crimson Tide
Big board rank: 219
Jackson is a former state champion 100-meter dash sprinter who comes from not only a powerhouse high school program, but also two powerhouse college programs as well first at USC, now at Alabama. He has competed against the best during his football career and has been up to the challenge. The reason is his combination of size and speed. At 6-foot-1 and over 200 pounds, he can still keep up with any receiver vertically, and he can disrupt the catch point with long arms. He has experience in press, but his footwork needs to be cleaned up to mirror and match up the sideline, especially since he is high-waisted, and changing direction isn't always fluid. When in off coverage, he can trigger downhill quickly, but his tackling looked hesitant at times, which yielded more missed tackles than expected. He is physically gifted, but must be more fundamentally sound to take advantage of that.
27. DJ Harvey, USC Trojans
Big board rank: 231
Harvey is a smaller, but well-built, confident cornerback who does his best work in off-zone coverage, where he can watch quarterbacks' eyes and manipulate spacing. His instincts often help him make up for being more of an average athlete for the position and is a catalyst for his ball production. He is simply a bit smaller and not a special type of athlete to make up for it on every play, but he feels like he's consistently in the right place — an art and skill itself.
28. Jeadyn Lukus, Clemson Tigers
Big board rank: 249
Lukas wins as a man-coverage cornerback who has a good combination of length and long speed. He can play both press and off coverage assignments, where he keeps his eyes on the receiver and can typically carry them well vertically. He has a high forced incompletion percentage over the last few years because of those long arms, but he has only had two interceptions in his career. He lost snaps and starts in 2024 due to a lack of reliability in run defense and when tackling. He must be stronger on a play-by-play basis to get to use that length advantage in coverage.
29. Josh Moten, Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Big board rank: 251
Moten is a long and competitive cornerback whose coverage abilities will have plenty of teams intrigued. He's a zone coverage ball hawk who has recorded a forced incompletion rate above 16.0% in each of the last two seasons, with five interceptions in 2024. He must be more consistent in his run fits, especially knowing he'll take his lumps in run defense already on some reps due to lower weight.
30. Christian Gray, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Big board rank: 258
Gray is a slender but long athlete who plays the outside cornerback spot in Notre Dame‘s defense. His long strides can cover a ton of ground when he needs to turn and run vertically or match crossing routes from his zone, though his high-waisted build makes it tougher to stop and start. He also has a long wingspan to impact catch points. His game in its current form (entering 2025) lacks strength. He must put on weight to better play press-man coverage, as well as defend the run and get off blocks. He also falls for route deception too often when in off-zone coverage. He is an intriguing athlete, but one who needs more strength and refinement.
31. Raion Strader, Auburn Tigers
Big board rank: 263
Strader is a savvy, off-zone coverage outside cornerback. He has good height and even better length at 6 feet. His weight profile is lower, which does show up in tackling strength, but he has become a more reliable run defender. He wields good instincts with spacing and anticipation as an off-zone coverage defender in quarters, Cover 3 and Tampa 2. This, plus his length, has allowed him to record 29 forced incompletions in just two years as an underclassman. His explosiveness, twitch and top speed appear to be average at best for the NFL, which doesn't allow him to play much press man in the pros. But even if that is the case, you can't teach how he mentally wins at the position.
32. Tyreek Chappell, Texas A&M Aggies
Big board rank: 268
Chappell will likely enter the 2026 NFL Draft with four years of starting experience in the SEC. He gained starter reps as a true freshman in 2021, beginning as an outside cornerback. He played there until 2024, when he was moved to the nickel before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Prior to that, he showed all-around, natural, fluid athletic ability to play both press and off coverage. He appears very comfortable in his backpedal and can turn in either direction quickly. He is on the smaller side for an outside cornerback, so he might be more of a nickel defender in the NFL. But he must improve his run defense and tackling reliability to play closer to the line of scrimmage regularly.
33. Jerry Wilson, Florida State Seminoles
Big board rank: 284
Wilson is a confident, off-zone coverage cornerback who doesn't quite have the look of an NFL cornerback (low percentile height, length, weight), but he's one who doesn't let that get in the way of him making plays. He's recorded consistent ball production in each of the last two seasons and greatly improved his missed-tackle percentage in 2024. He boasts good top speed, but his shorter stride length affects how long it takes him to reach it. He will also yield the strength advantage at the catch point in most situations. His build likely means you won't want him in press very often.
34. Daniel Harris, Marshall Thundering Herd
Big board rank: 293
Harris has ideal length to be a mismatch advantage for the defense and bigger outside receivers. He can get his long arms up in press and at the catch point with efficiency. His footwork is a bit narrow and unbalanced in his shuffles and backpedals, and he can yield separation consistently against sharper route runners. He also must get stronger against the run to not get pushed around.
35. Jyaire Hill, Michigan Wolverines
Big board rank: 303
Hill is a long and lean cornerback whose game has potential, but needs more time to grow. He has ideal length with a good frame to hold more necessary weight for the NFL level right now; he doesn't have enough strength at the catch point in either press or run defense. He has a high-waisted build, which makes it tougher for him to turn and run out of his backpedal. Because of this, his best work comes from an off-coverage zone assignment, where he can keep things in front of him. Anticipation is lacking all around, and improvement there could make for a nice pro prospect.
36. Antonio Kite, Mississippi Rebels
Big board rank: 313
Kite has the movement skills of a cornerback who should get a shot in the NFL, but his lack of size and length will make that an uphill climb. To this point, he does not have the starts or the reps to be anything more than a late Day 3 flier. He has to earn a full-time role in 2025 to improve that consideration.
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