McShay's Top 11 NFL Draft Picks

Todd McShay walked through the eleven players he believes should go in the top twelve of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the list explains why the early rounds are going to move fast and messy.

The eleven: Fernando Mendoza. Arvell Reese. Jeremiah Love. Sunny Styles. Caleb Downs. David Bailey. Ruben Bain. Carnell Tate. Francis Mauigoa. Mansoor Delane. Jaren McCoy.

McShay thinks Tate goes earlier than consensus because the wide receiver room on night one is going to be thinner than people expect. He also pointed to McCoy blazing a time that reset his evaluation back to where it sat in 2024, when he looked like an elite prospect before the season muddied things.

The structural point matters more than any one name. McShay expects a minimum of fourteen offensive tackles and edge rushers to come off the board in the first round, and there's a real drop-off at both positions after round one. That run is going to push receivers back and force a trade-up from a team that decides it cannot wait through round two to address a premium position.

Rich asked the natural follow-up. If a team is trading up and it's not for a quarterback, who are they coming for? McShay's answer was immediate: offensive tackle. Absolutely.

The names outside the top twelve still matter. Mylan Lemon and Jordan Tyson at receiver. Colton Hood at corner. A tight end worth drafting in Kenyon Sadiq. Safeties like Dillon Thienem Emanuel McNeil-Warren. Good players at other spots, but the run on tackles and edges is going to define how the first night unfolds.

McShay's list of eleven for twelve spots means one team in the top twelve is reaching or taking a position at value, and the board stacking is going to create a run that gets chaotic quickly. The trade-up call, when it comes, is for a tackle.