2026 NFL Draft Top-100 Big Board: EDGEs are rising fast while quarterback disappearing act paints a dire picture

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The 2026 NFL Draft will be here before we know it.

The All-Star circuit has passed us by and the annual NFL Combine is just a few weeks away. After that? It’s Pro Days and 30-visits. It’s a great time to assess the landscape of this year’s draft and acknowledge the risers and fallers of the first block of the process has been completed.

How are we liking this year’s draft class? Here’s an update top-100 big board of my personal assessment of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Kyle Crabbs’ Post-Senior Bowl 2026 NFL Draft Top-100 Big Board

1. Ohio State SAF Caleb Downs

I’d like to invoke my inner Nick Saban if you’re hoping to see me move Downs further down the board at some point. “I’m not going to, so quit askin’!” I’m well aware of the measures of positional value that teams weigh in the draft and how a safety can be minimized in the game plan by teams well equipped to do so. But this combination on skills, instincts, physicality, size, and versatility simply is unmatched, in my opinion, in this class.

2. Miami FL EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.

Bain Jr. sliding because of his arm length is, predictively, a valid concern. I just see too many ways his play style still translates to believe it will cost him dearly as a pro. Bain Jr. offers tremendous power & leverage and has the right temperament as a pass rusher to change games one way or another

3. Ohio State LB Arvell Reese

Reese’s best friend right now should be Atlanta Falcons defender Jalon Walker. Walker crawled so that Reese can now run as an off-ball hybrid with pass rush abilities. Reese is bigger, he’s better off the ball than Walker, and he’s just as dynamic on the line of scrimmage.

4. Ohio State LB Sonny Styles

You hesitate to call anyone in the draft a “safe” player, but Styles sure feels like one to me. It’s hard not to like the blend of coverage ability, the run game instincts, the size & length, and the sure-fire tackling. If you want to be a team that puts the stress of today’s spacing on defense on second-level defenders, this is your guy — because you don’t compromise the box work to get the coverage appeal.

5. Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love

Four of the top five players on this board are a positional value enthusiast’s worst nightmare. A safety, two off-ball running backs and now a running back. It’s going to make for a fascinating approach for NFL teams. What I can tell you about Love is this: he will have the chance to be a very, very good NFL starter. Even if he does the “Ashton Jeanty” and lands in a poorly constructed offense, I would suspect Love has enough home run hitting ability to still make an impact.

6. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

QB1 arrives. Mendoza has some questions about how he’ll take to his next offense but he’s a hard guy to doubt long-term because he’s so attuned to the mental side of the game. Mendoza is cerebral with prototypical size and great accuracy. We saw the “big moment” answering of the bell in the National Championship Game against Miami with his legs, too. He has a chance to become a quality starter at quarterback for (presumably) the Raiders.

7. Penn State IOL Olaivavega Ioane

My top-rated offensive lineman in this year’s class is a guard. There, I said it. It’s nice to get the confession off my chest. I do have a tackle in my top-10 as well, but the man they can “Vega” is an impact player. He’s got athletic ability and power, super-strong hands, and he’s well developed as a pass protector. Ioane was credited with just 4 total pressures allowed in 2025.

8. LSU CB Mansoor Delane

Delane has a career completion percentage allowed of 47% and posted his single-season career-best mark this season — his only year with LSU. Delane is all about instincts and technique — and he’s a high-end prospect in both. He boasts a career passer rating allowed under 70.0, has just 7 career penalties, a missed tackle rate of 10% (which is good for a defensive back!), and achieved all of this across nearly 2,500 snaps. He’s ready.

9. Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson

There’s some injury flags here that ultimately have me a little gun-shy about Tyson but the talent is undeniable. And it’s the plethora of ways in which Tyson wins that ultimately has me ready to slot him at WR1. He was an inside/outside threat in 2024. He was a vertical field-stretcher at Colorado. He runs good routes with good side and elite body control. He cut down on the drops in 2025. I’m going to tell myself not to “overthink” this one.

10. Miami OL Francis Mauigoa

Is he a tackle? A guard. To quote Mike Tomlin: “We do not care!” He’s an ass kicker, that’s what he is. Mauigoa should, in my opinion, be given every opportunity to play outside first. I like his set work. I love his anchor. And I adore his upper body power to manipulate defenders. It’s curtains when he sets his hands. Anyone looking to add some “nasty” up front should get in line for Francis.

Prospects 11-20

Jermod McCoy deserves acknowledgement as a top-10 player in this class who simply didn’t play this past year. If the medicals check out in Indy, look out. The trio of Terrell, Lemon, and Bailey all project as really, really good football players for me — although there’s a size component with all three that could be a limiting factor to them reaching their full ceilings. Bailey leads the charge in a healthy group of pass rushers in this block, with Clemson’s T.J. Parker building steam after a strong Senior Bowl.

Prospects 21-30

I like this group of talent but will readily amid this feels like the range of the draft when you may end up with more risk than you’d like for a top-100 pick. Fano is superb in space but he’s a bit light in the trunk. Abney is as fun of a time as you’ll have watching a cornerback but there’s some skepticism over the size. Zion Young is a powerful end and has good tape — but he had more pressures this season (57) than he did in his first three seasons combined (55). The talent here is plentiful but it may be a bit more volatile than other years.

Prospects 31-40

Senior Bowl standouts pop up in bunches on the fringe of the top-32. Lee Hunter had a good week in Mobile. Caleb Banks’ week was better — and he needed it to be. I loved what I saw from Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer as well; he’s a long, heavy puncher with a great anchor. Gennings Dunker performed well, too. But no Senior Bowl player had a better week to me than Jacas, who played with the kind of infectious energy that’s hard to miss.

Prospects 41-50

I’m finding myself more Josiah Trotter-pilled by the day. This cat can play! A little rough around the edges? Sure. But so is Woods & Igbinosun at this stage of the draft. This safety class is not rough around the edges, however. It flippin’ rocks. Downs at No. 1, McNeil-Warren in the top-32 and a trio of safeties here who have different styles but could all be quality starters. Haulcy has the best blend in my opinion. Ball skills, size, and striking power are a great mix.

Prospects 51-60

Iheanachor is all the rage right now. He’s red hot thanks to his late start in football, his elite athleticism, and a good week in Mobile. I’d suspect he gets drafted well north of this ranking. But I do acknowledge that with how raw he is, there are things that could go wrong. In the “risk assessment” portion of what we do, he’s one I’m really pulling for going to the right place. The rest of this block is pretty underrated in my opinion. Dennis-Sutton, Moore, Miller, Cooper Jr., and Trigg all feel like they’re a little more under the radar than they should be.

Prospects 61-70

It’s hard not to get excited about what we saw from Ted Hurst and Malachi Fields last week in Mobile. Big-bodied receivers with strong catch point play and vertical ability are a fit for any offense. I find myself a little lower on Caleb Lomu than most — with my concern rooted in his rawness. I put him in the same bucket as Iheanachor, but I don’t think he’s as physically gifted as the Arizona State tackle. I do see the pathway to an impactful starter, though.

Prospects 71-80

This is a good block for undersized, scrappy players. Chandler Rivers is an undersized nickel. D’Angelo Ponds is probably too lean to play in the slot but, man — it’s hard to write that dude off despite being potentially sub-175 pounds. Sam Hecht is sub-300 pounds but as a center, I’d suspect he’ll be fine. They’re all good football players.

Prospects 81-90

The late Day 2 window is where the intrigue really picks up for me in a tight end class that I like a lot. Sadiq was the only one in the top-50. Trigg joined him in the top-60. Max Klare snuck in just ahead of this block at 79th overall as TE3. Joly is an impressive flex/slot player. Stowers is a bit more of an H-back, whereas Endries is a really reliable receiver with a contested catch rate pushing 60% for his career and a 4% drop rate.

Prospects 91-100

Tip of the cap to Kyle Louis and Bud Clark for their Senior Bowl performances, too. Both are undersized defenders but both also were undeniable in their range and presence around the football. Zachariah Branch is an intriguing speed receiver with a strong argument for the top-100, whereas you’ve got a toolsy offensive lineman in Jude Bowry who I believe is a developmental starter. Sprinkle in hyper-specific skill sets like physical press corner Julian Neal and power end Tyreak Sapp? You’ve got some nice upside here to wrap the top-100.

Related: Trinidad Chambliss’s latest legal battle puts 2026 NFL Draft stock in perplexing situation

Related: 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Drafting Senior Bowl standouts, Caleb Banks, Lee Hunter, and TJ Parker rise, and some underrated prospects

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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL Draft section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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