Lance Zierlein’s Latest 2026 Mock Draft | And Ed DeLauter’s Winners Are…

by Edward DeLauter · Featured
Lance Zierlein's Latest 2026 Mock Draft Winners

It is mock draft season! Unlike the real NFL draft, these landing spots for the incoming rookie class don’t matter. However, analyzing how these potential landing spots affect the value of the incoming rookies is a valuable exercise. You can understand the fluidity of their value and how the value of rookie picks can drastically change after the NFL draft. For this article, we will discuss Lance Zierlein’s latest first-round mock draft of 2026. Zierlein, of course, is the draft analyst of note from NFL.com. Let’s assess each incoming dynasty-relevant rookie in the order they are mocked and identify the winners by their landing spots.

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Lance Zierlein’s First Round Mock Draft | Who are the Winners?

1.01 Fernando Mendoza | QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Fernando Mendoza has been mocked to Vagas in almost every reputable mock draft since the offseason started. Even with Kirk Cousins coming to the Raiders from Atlanta, he remains the chalk selection. Mendoza is the safest pick in rookie drafts outside of Jeremiyah Love. He remains in conversation for the 1.02 selection in superflex formats. As Mendonza falls to his anticipated landing spot, his dynasty value sees no change with this selection.

1.04 Jeremiyah Love | RB, Tennessee Titans

Jeremiyah Love is the consensus rookie draft 1.01, and no landing spot should change the consensus. In this mock, he lands on the Titans. While this scenario could lead to Love splitting time with veteran Tony Pollard to start his NFL career, it would only be a matter of time until Love had the backfield to himself. With the Titans passing on a receiver to take Love in the first round, Tennessee will have little choice but to have Love heavily involved in the offense in his rookie season.

1.05 Carnell Tate | WR, New York Giants

Carnell Tate landing on the Giants gives New York an electric 1-2 punch at receiver with Malik Nabers and Tate. However, this pairing is less than ideal from a fantasy perspective. Jaxson Dart needs to take a massive second-year leap, and the Giants would need to increase their passing volume to form the 33 attempts they averaged last season for both Nabers and Tate to be fantasy viable. Tate remains a top-2 dynasty rookie receiver if this mock comes to fruition, but year-one expectations would be tempered.

1.08 Makai Lemon | WR, New Orleans Saints

Like Tate, Makai Lemon remains a top 2 receiver in this draft class with this mock draft. Also, like Tate, expectations for fantasy production would be tempered in year one, with Lemon competing with Chris Olave for targets.  However, the pairing of Olave and Lemon presents as a best-of-both-worlds outcome for the two receivers. Their skill sets pair well together, with Olave used as an intermediate and deep boundary target, and Lemon soaking of slot reps.  I’d have Lemon as the top wideout in the class with this landing spot. I’d also vault Tyler Shough above Dak Prescott in dynasty value if the Saints pull this off on draft night.

1.13 Jordyn Tyson | WR, Los Angeles Rams

Jordyn Tyson lands in a crowded receiver room in this mock draft, and I think you’d have to drop him down a tier from Tate and Lemon because of it. He’ll never be the WR1 on the Rams unless Puka Nacua makes this biting thing more habitual and turns into a full-blown vampire. Also, future Hall of Famer Davante Adams likely blocks Tyson’s shot at providing any fantasy impact in his rookie season. This is not the worst landing spot in this mock draft, but it’s pretty close.

1.15 Kenyon Sadiq | TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kenyon Sadiq finds a home where he can slide into a receiving tight end role on a team in need of filling the targets vacated by Mike Evans. Sadiq would likely split reps with the incumbent Cade Otton, with the hope that his role would grow as the season wore on, much like Colston Loveland last season. With Chris Godwin entering his age-30 season, Sadiq could be behind only Emeka Egbuka in targets sooner rather than later.

1.21 Omar Cooper Jr. | WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Off-season hype for Omar Cooper Jr. is off the charts. However, that hype explodes like a helium balloon meeting a pin with this landing spot. Cooper would compete with DK Metcalf and the recently acquired Michael Pittman for targets. He is also on an offense in quarterback purgatory. Even if Aaron Rodgers returns to the Steelers this season, Cooper has little hope of consistent fantasy production in his rookie year with this landing spot. Of the receivers drafted in round one in this mock, I would rank him last due to this terrible landing spot.

1.27 KC Concepcion | WR, San Francisco 49ers

KC Concepcion hits the landing spot lottery in this mock draft. The 49ers lay out a red carpet the size of the Golden Gate Bridge for Conception to be their WR1 of the future. While Concepcion will have to fight off Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall for year one targets, he is in a prime spot for long-term dynasty success with this landing. If this happened on draft night, there would be no more debate about whether he belongs in the same tier as the top receivers in this class. Concepcion easily is in the Tate and Lemon tier with this selection.

1.29 Denzel Boston | WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Denzel Boston gets to play catch with Patrick Mahomes after this mock draft. The Chiefs, with this addition of Boston, have a crowded receiver room as Boston joins Rashee Rice and former first-round pick Xavier Worthy. Rice, who has shown himself to be a legal ticking time bomb, is on the final year of his contract this season. If Boston flashes in this hypothetical landing spot, the Chiefs could move on from Rice very easily. We’ve seen dynasty leaguers make the mistake of hyping up players drafted by the Chiefs before. Despite this great landing spot for Boston, I would not be vaulting him up the draft board, but I’d be very excited to draft him at the back end of a rookie draft.

1.32 Jadarian Price | RB, Seattle Seahawks

Jadarian Price to the Seahawks has become almost as chalk of a pick as Mendoza to the Raiders. Price fills an instant need for the Super Bowl champs after Kenneth Walker‘s departure in free agency. With Zach Charbonnet recovering from a postseason ACL tear, Price would be set up for both instant and long-term production as the Seahawks’ running back. In addition to this draft capital and landing spot, he would be the no doubt RB2 of the 2026 rookie class and a top 18 dynasty running back.

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