Mel Kiper Jr. drops final 2026 NFL mock draft. Here's what we learned

Jacob Camenker, USA TODAYWed, April 15, 2026 at 2:03 PM UTC

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Mel Kiper Jr. has been crafting mock drafts for more than four decades, and the ESPN analyst is giving one last prediction for how he thinks the 2026 NFL Draft could play out.

Kiper released his final 2026 NFL mock draft April 15. It included within it some notable departures from the 65-year-old's typical traditionalist strategy with his mocks.

Kiper's final mock draft included a couple of trades, which he has become increasingly willing to project in recent seasons after previously being adamantly against them. His manifesto also extended to two rounds, covering the first 64 picks of the draft instead of the typical 32.

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Most notably, however, is that Kiper projects two running backs will be chosen in the first round. The veteran draft analyst has often decried teams for selecting players at the position early, so his willingness to include two, first-round backs is at least notable.

Here are some takeaways from Kiper's final mock draft, as the 2026 NFL Draft draws nearer and a nearer.

1 / 0Ranking top 25 prospects for 2026 NFL Draft -

Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio StateOn a defense already dotted with stars, Reese rose from an occasional contributor to a bona fide star in his first full season as a starter. The 6-4, 241-pound linebacker exhibited uncommon fluidity for a player of his size, finding equal comfort dropping back in coverage as bullying his way into the backfield. His pass-rush plan is still rather rudimentary at the moment, but he has the toolkit of a double-digit sack artist. In a league where defenses are constantly taxed against the pass and run, Reese displays a unique aptitude for detonating whatever play an offense might throw at him.

Takeaways from Mel Kiper Jr.'s final 2026 NFL mock draft

Click here to read Kiper's full mock draft.

Cowboys emerging as trade-up candidate

The Cowboys are among the five NFL teams that currently have two first-round selections in 2026. Kiper believes Dallas could use that buying power to move up the board and grab and elite defender to upgrade a defense the ESPN analyst wrote, "wasn't stopping anyone last season."

Kiper's projected trade entails the Cowboys sending the 12th and 20th overall picks to the Cleveland Browns for the sixth and 39th selections. Dallas then selected linebacker Sonny Styles to provide an athletic, sideline-to-sideline presence in the middle of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker's stop unit.

Kiper isn't the only NFL draft analyst that has the Cowboys trading up. Todd McShay included such a maneuver in his latest mock draft as well.

It's a sensible projection, as Dallas isn't guaranteed to land the blue-chip defender it needs at 12. Jumping into the top 10 would remove the Cowboys from the potential awkward spot they could find themselves in should they stick and pick and see the top defenders fly off the board.

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Kadyn Proctor buzz growing; are Browns a fit?

Kiper referred to Proctor – a 6-7, 352-pound offensive tackle from Alabama – as a player who had been "buzzy" for the last month. That led the ESPN analyst to project Proctor as the second offensive tackle off the board, one selection after Francis Mauigoa and two before Spencer Fano.

Would that be somewhat of a surprise? Maybe – given that Mauigoa, Fano and Monroe Freeling have most frequently been mocked as the top tackles off the board – but as Kiper noted, "the traits are all there" for Proctor.

Proctor landed with the Browns in Kiper's mock, with the 12th overall pick they acquired in the projected trade with the Cowboys. It's hard to argue against that fit, as Cleveland needs a potential left tackle to complete its offensive line rebuild. Proctor has the size and movement skills needed to be a force at that position.

Ty Simpson gets the Jaxson Dart treatment

Kiper didn't just project the Browns and Cowboys to make a trade. He also had the Arizona Cardinals swing a trade with the Miami Dolphins at the end of the first round, which allowed the Cardinals to land Ty Simpson with the 30th overall pick.

Kiper opined getting Simpson at the end of the first round would be a "good value" despite the Alabama product being just a one-year college starter. He lauded Simpson's accuracy, mobility and ability to dissect opposing defenses in his analysis.

Simpson getting the Jaxson Dart treatment would hardly be a surprise. If the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers pass on him with the 16th and 21st picks respectively, it will open the door for another quarterback-needy team to trade into the end of the first round and land the 23-year-old signal-caller and the all-important fifth-year option that comes with being a first-round pick.

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Could second RB sneak into Round 1?

Jeremiyah Love will be a first-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Could his teammate Jadarian Price join him?

Kiper has the Seattle Seahawks using the final pick in the first round to select Price. His logic? The Seahawks have a major need at running back after losing Kenneth Walker III in free agency and seeing Zach Charbonnet tear his ACL in the playoffs. Seattle also has just four total draft picks, so it has to focus on addressing the needs created by the team's free agent losses.

Price has earned rave reviews from his teammate, Love, and profiles as a multi-faceted game-changer both as a running back and a return man. Given that and Seattle's need for running back help, it wouldn't be too shocking to see them grab a player like Price here.

Still, the Seahawks are probably more likely to trade down from the 32nd selection to acquire more picks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mel Kiper Jr. mock draft takeaways: Could Cowboys trade up?

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