With the 2026 NFL scouting combine in the books, this year’s NFL Draft class is becoming clearer.
While the quarterbacks and wide receivers got the most attention at the combine, it was a group of defensive prospects that stood out this past week in Indianapolis. Specifically, Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese and linebacker Sonny Styles put together a fantastic series of workouts to move into the top three of our latest mock draft. But there were plenty of other defenders who stood out. This mock draft is littered with them in a deep overall class of defensive linemen and defensive backs.
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In this mock draft, Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice makes the odd-numbered picks, and Charles McDonald makes the even.
1. Las Vegas Raiders — Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
Don’t overthink it. Barring some unforeseen path the Raiders take this offseason, Mendoza looks like the signal-caller of the future in Las Vegas. Mendoza checks a lot of boxes at QB, especially his overall size as Mendoza not only stands 6-foot-5 but weighed in at a strong 236 pounds in Indianapolis. And his sense of timing, ability to throw on the move, and willingness to push the ball are a great match for Klint Kubiak’s offense that constantly asks quarterbacks to work inside and outside of the pocket and into tight spots over the middle of the field. The Raiders’ skill position talent already has strong, young playmakers (maybe one more outside receiver would be nice!) who can help ease Mendoza’s transition to the next level.
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2. New York Jets — Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State
Some players who split time between two positions are “tweeners” who don’t really excel at either spot. A very small number of players who play two spots put up elite performances at both. Reese fits into the latter. He’s a true front-seven weapon who should excel wherever his future team puts him. He can cover, play the run and rush the passer, making him a rare and versatile linebacker prospect at the top of the draft. The Jets’ defense was so bad that someone who can plug multiple spots depending on the situation is exactly what they need.
3. Arizona Cardinals — Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Styles’ strong season had him already moving up draft boards, and an even stronger showing in Indianapolis only added rocket fuel to his rise. Styles’ range and smarts as an off-ball linebacker allow him to impact the run and pass, but he also has the length and strength to hold up as an edge rusher for snaps as well. The redbirds could look at offensive line here, too, but Styles’ ability to be a steadying force and impact player, with versatility thrown in, makes sense for any type of defense and franchise. But the Cardinals need stuff to build around. Plus there’s a nice bonus of it being an interesting fit for coordinator Nick Rallis’ knuckleball defense.
Tennessee started rebuilding its defense in Robert Saleh’s image by swapping T’Vondre Sweat for the Jets’ Jermaine Johnson. Now Saleh can continue to build what his best Jets defenses had: premier defensive line depth. Adding Bain, who would be a perfect fit in Saleh’s defense, would give the Titans a heavy-handed player on the edge who has high-end athleticism to negate any arm-length issues his frame should bring up. Jeffery Simmons and Bain would be … a pain.
5. New York Giants — Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
While there are other offensive tackles who are (spoilers for the next pick!) shooting up draft boards, the Giants go for Mauigoa. He could be the short-term and long-term answer for the Giants at right tackle or right guard. Mauigoa is a clean prospect with good hand usage and a strong build who can help the Giants’ offensive line from dipping after an underrated strong performance in 2025 (especially when Andrew Thomas was on the field). Perhaps he doesn’t have overwhelming athleticism. Still, he’s a player who allows the Giants to always have their best five offensive linemen on the field.
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6. Cleveland Browns — Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
This is a big-time jump for Freeling, but he has all the traits NFL teams drool over for offensive tackle prospects in terms of size and athleticism. The Browns, who are facing the potential losses of the vast majority of their offensive line to free agency, will need to completely rebuild that unit — which is a bit overdue, but not to this severity. Freeling gives Cleveland a dart throw to have strong left tackle play if he continues his trend of rapid improvement over the past year.
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Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey helped his draft stock with a strong performance at the combine. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
(Lauren Leigh Bacho via Getty Images)
7. Washington Commanders — David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
As tempting as it will be to add an offensive player of some kind here, with tasty options at offensive line, wide receiver, tight end and running back, the Commanders instead add firepower to a defense that has to get faster, younger and just straight up better. Bailey is an explosive pass rusher who is constantly attacking offensive tackles. He will never be a strong run defender, but he has long arms (measured at 33 ¾ inches at the combine) and has improved in that area. Bailey is the exact type of talent injection this defense needs.
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8. New Orleans Saints — Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
Tyler Shough will be getting a chance to show he can be the long-term quarterback this year, so shoring up the wide receiver room should be a priority. New Orleans is a bit thin in terms of premier skill talent after a few years of erosion, but Shough’s emergence gives them the ability to burn this pick on Tate, who should immediately step in as a legitimate starting option alongside former Buckeye Chris Olave.
9. Kansas City Chiefs — Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
WHHHEEEEE! The Chiefs have a few needs they could address here, but I think an offensive skill player of some sort is the way to go. And why not go with Love, one of the best overall players in this draft and a walking, talking explosive play who could boost a run game that has been hyper-efficient the past few seasons, but has had the same explosiveness as a wet firecracker. Love behind a Chiefs offensive line that could end up being one of the league’s better units and in an Andy Reid screen game has me salivating.
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10. Cincinnati Bengals — Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
Cincinnati needs defense. Downs is arguably the best player in the draft. Whoever is the top defensive player available here, the Bengals should take him without thinking much about it. Downs’ position is the only reason he’s available here as safeties tend to slide down the board relative to their consensus rankings.
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11. Miami Dolphins — Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Zone cornerback, meet zone coverage-calling head coach. Delane gets how to play the cornerback position. He’s smart and has a great feel for playing high-low concepts, with the quickness and burst to make plays on the football. He doesn’t have ideal length or top-end athleticism, but he gives the Dolphins and new head coach Jeff Hafley a young CB with pedigree to build around.
12. Dallas Cowboys — Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Dallas needs to keep plugging away at the holes in its secondary and can get a high-upside prospect in McCoy here to get a corner who can take advantage of Dallas’ defensive line talent. McCoy has excellent ball skills and can be a more steady player than the boom-bust talents that occupied this secondary in the past.
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13. Los Angeles Rams (via Falcons) — Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
After dipping their toes in the Oregon tight end waters last draft with Terrance Ferguson in the second round and supercharging their multi-tight end looks, the Rams take the plunge with Sadiq. Yes, the Rams could add to their defensive backfield here, among other positions, but Sadiq would further weaponize a Rams offense that asks its skill players to do a bit of everything around the formation. Sadiq would give Sean McVay another field stretcher and yards-after-catch option while still deploying heavy bodies, with some grit as a blocker as a nice bonus. Sadiq would not only help the Rams for 2026, but he also shores up the position long-term for the Rams as they have several pending tight end free agents in 2027.
14. Baltimore Ravens — Vega Ioane, G, Penn State
Baltimore needs to add more high-end offensive line talent and Ioane may wind up being the only first-round caliber player on the interior this year. He perfectly fits the power running that Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have thrived with and is athletic enough to have versatility for new coordinator Declan Doyle as he begins to install his offense in Baltimore.
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15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Keldric Faulk, DL/Edge, Auburn
Faulk has an ideal build for a classic defensive end and fits the type of defensive ends that Todd Bowles has deployed in the past (Logan Hall, William Gholston). Faulk is young and still developing as a pass rusher, but he can be a needle-moving run defender right out of the gate as he polishes the rest of his game. Faulk’s versatility to move across the defensive line helps him fit in any type of scheme, but is a clean fit in Bowles’ defense. A strong option to help out for 2026, but a swing at something more for the Bucs while picking in the middle of the first.
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16. New York Jets (via Colts) — Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Another player for the broken Jets’ defense. Like his older brother A.J., a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Falcons, Avieon didn’t have the most explosive day at the combine (his 34-inch vertical ranked among the bottom third of CBs and his 10-feet, 3-inch broad jump was also in the lower tier in this group) but he still has the profile of a starting outside cornerback in the NFL, which is still an incredibly valuable thing to find. That works here for the Jets.
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17. Detroit Lions — Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
While Giovanni Manu is still interesting to me, Lomu gives the Lions their Taylor Decker succession plan (and insurance for the 2026 season). Lomu has to continue to get stronger, but he has light feet, clean hand usage and the overall athleticism to stay on the left side and be a plus-blindside protector. Lomu has just turned 21, so a redshirt year under offensive line coach/run game coordinator Hank Fraley while continuing to add to his frame could make this a perfect player-team fit for a franchise that seems like it’s about to start transitioning to phase 2 of the Dan Campbell tenure.
The Browns jump up here in the draft to grab the falling Fano, giving them two offensive tackles in the first round of this draft. Freeling and Fano could grow into a formidable OT duo for the Browns and when a team has so few offensive linemen under contract with a restrictive salary cap situation, the draft is the best way to go.
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19. Carolina Panthers — CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
The Panthers could look to help out their trenches on both sides of the ball here, but they sorely need impact defensive players. Allen can be that solidifying force in the front seven who could help this defense finally step out of the doldrums. Allen’s intelligence, quickness, and overall two-way ability would help the Panthers shore up against the run and pass, while also having some blitzing juice to fit into coordinator Ejiro Evero’s defensive funkiness.
Another dip on defense, this time the Cowboys add to their defensive end rotation with the speedy Howell. He’s similar to some of the players they already have on the roster, but this is a decent enough range and he would benefit from a strong room of defensive tackles.
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21. Pittsburgh Steelers — Makai Lemon, WR, USC
I go back and forth with what kind of second wide receiver I would want to see in Pittsburgh in Mike McCarthy’s offense and across from DK Metcalf. While I’m personally higher on Denzel Boston than Lemon, I think Lemon’s quickness and route-running ability from the slot is actually a good fit for what I think McCarthy is going to want in his offense that has typically featured a steady heaping of quick-hitting passing plays. Lemon would also give Pittsburgh more yards-after-catch ability and a different flavor than Metcalf and the Steelers’ jumbo-size tight end room.
22. Los Angeles Chargers — Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
The Chargers go pure value here and take Woods, who was slotted as a top pick prior to the season. Woods has all the upside in the world to be an impact player on the interior and still flashed strong skills in a down year for the entire Clemson program. Woods would be a great young talent for the Chargers to add with the emerging Tuli Tuipulotu on the edge.
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23. Philadelphia Eagles — Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
When picking for the Eagles under general manager Howie Roseman, defaulting to a pick in the trenches isn’t the worst bet. And something I agree with! Especially with long-time right-side stalwart Lane Johnson contemplating retirement seemingly on a weekly basis and other question marks potentially emerging along the rest of the Eagles’ line. I’m high on Iheanachor, who is a great athlete in a large frame, and I think he has more polish to his game than the “project” label he gets despite being a latecomer to football. And this might end up as his floor when April comes.
After flipping down with the Browns, the Vikings take a big swing at defensive tackle with Banks. He isn’t a finished product, but he’s a lot more polished than most designated projects and was incredibly disruptive in the three games he played this season. His movement skills and footwork are incredibly rare at 6-foot-6, 330, but he struggles to finish plays off the penetration he creates. Brian Flores would be a great coach to land with in regards to fixing that and the Vikings would have the chance for the elite interior talent this defense has been missing.
25. Chicago Bears — Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
Left tackle is very live here for Chicago, but the Bears must look to add beef to their defensive interior. And what better person to add beef than someone with the last name McDonald. McDonald has good bulk and is a strong run defender who actually racks up tackles rather than just plodding in the middle with his quick feet and ability to consistently shed his block. He is just an average pass rusher, but can help shore up a run defense that was prone to leaks in 2025.
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26. Buffalo Bills — Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
The Bills clearly have a big need at wide receiver and can take another swing on a wide receiver early in the draft. Boston had 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons and profiles as someone who has a chance to be a big-bodied wide receiver who has a bit more skills than players the Bills currently have.
27. San Francisco 49ers — Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
The 49ers’ run game lost some venom last season despite a Herculean effort from Christian McCaffrey. Perhaps this is the season that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch add some pedigree to their offensive line. The 49ers paid Colton McKivitz and he’s under contract for a couple of more seasons, but Miller projects to be a tier or two better than McKivitz at right tackle. Miller’s agility makes him a good fit for a Shanahan offense. He played only the right side in college, but he has the athleticism and length to give the left side a shot in case the 49ers need a Trent Williams insurance/succession plan, too.
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28. Houston Texans — Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
Offensive line help arrives for the Texans, who take one of the biggest players in the draft who has a wide range of potential outcomes. Proctor is talented, but his play was a bit inconsistent this season and he’s a bit of an outlier in weight, at 370 pounds in-season for the Crimson Tide. Still, he’s an immense talent and is worth the swing at this point.
29. Los Angeles Rams — Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
NOW is when the Rams add to their defensive backfield, this time with Cisse, who my friend Derrik Klassen from The Athletic described as “a safety playing the cornerback position.” I think Cisse needs to improve in his game recognition, but he has the feistiness and explosiveness to help out somewhere, whether it’s on the outside or with a move into the slot (the Rams loved their dime personnel packages under d-coordinator Chris Shula). His scrappiness and tackling ability will give him fans.
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30. Denver Broncos — Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Another pass rusher for the Broncos because that’s what we do with teams at the bottom of a mock draft. Mesidor showed he can put heat on the quarterback on the edge and the interior of Miami’s defensive line, registering 12.5 sacks in the Hurricanes’ run to the national championship game. Pro Football Focus gave him a 92.5 pass rush grade, which is third among edge rushers. His PFF run defense score was 88.3, which ranked in the 91st percentile.
31. New England Patriots — KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
The Patriots could go offensive line, but they need to add explosiveness to their pass catcher corps. Hello, KC Concepcion! While DeMario Douglas has been able to contribute big plays from the slot, Concepcion could provide the type of yards after catch and downfield ability that would give Drake Maye an explosive option to work with (along with the improved Kayshon Boutte and explosive, but raw, Kyle Williams).
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32. Seattle Seahawks — Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Seattle may have a bit of a shakeup in its cornerback room this offseason, so adding another cost-controlled, long-term deal in the room might make sense. Hood had a great workout in Indianapolis — Next Gen Stats ranked his athletic score fourth among cornerbacks at the combine — and was a productive player on the ball for the Vols’ pass defense.
Fears over illness, noise and water contamination are fueling two Springfield women’s push to block mega‑data centers in Ohio.
When Nicole Bethel and Melissa Rexroth started seeing data centers pop up, they began to grow concerned. They separately linked up with the Conserve Ohio movement — the participants of which are gathering signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban data centers that consume more than 25 megawatts of energy monthly — then met each other and joined forces.
Now, the two are gathering local signatures and working to educate area residents on the potential impacts of mega-data centers, while pushing for increased governmental transparency in any related agreements.
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“I’m not against data centers, I’m not against AI, but there’s ways that they can make them kind to the environment,” Bethel said, “If they have a billion dollars to invest in a building, then they should be able to make it more earth friendly, more environmentally friendly.”
A data center is the physical facility that stores digital data and contains computing machines and related equipment, including the computing infrastructure that information systems require such as servers, data storage drives and network equipment. Today’s massive data center expansion is largely fueled by the global rise in Artificial Intelligence, with stand-alone campuses or mega-data centers expanding.
Ohio has the sixth-most data centers in the U.S., with 194 as of January, according to the Data Center Map.
Larger facilities consume massive amounts of energy, leading to concerns related to increased energy costs for residents and businesses in the region. They also often use large amounts of water for cooling.
No entirely new data center facilities are set to be built in Springfield, though the former LexisNexis data center, owned by the 5C Group, is transitioning into a commercial-scale data center that will also rent out space to multiple companies at 601 Benjamin Drive in the Prime Ohio development at the southeastern edge of the city. The Constant Company LLC’s Vultr product will rent out building space and Crusoe Energy Systems is also planning a data center in Springfield.
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The data center is 75 megawatts. According to the city, the site will be developed in phases and will only move into each new phase after infrastructure and utility capacity are confirmed and the facility will not “come online until all supporting systems are fully in place and approved.”
It will use a closed-loop system, which means water will be reused for cooling. Usage will be monitored, regulated and capped, according to the city.
“(With) a closed-loop system, you still have to bleed the system. It’s supposed to be cleaned out. So, sure it’s a minimal amount that they’re going to be with sludge, junk they’ve got to clean out, but it gets disposed of into the sink into the sewer, into our sewer system, so back into the water supply,” Rexroth said, “They cannot be filtered out. Like that is unequipped like they can’t not be filtered out. So, when they can’t be filtered out and you’re going to keep putting more in there, it accumulates. This is where it comes to; we may not have to deal with it in our lifetime, but our children or our grandchildren are.”
City commissioners previously approved a 15-year 100% Enterprise Zone property tax abatement from 2028-2042 in the area of that data center. Enterprise zones are specific plots of land where businesses can receive tax exemptions on eligible new investment, according to the Ohio Department of Development.
Data centers, like the 5C data center, can bring jobs and economic investment to communities. The 5C center will bring hundreds of construction and indirect jobs during development, with 120 planned full-time, permanent jobs.
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The group estimates an up to $1.3 billion total investment and to generate more than $14 million in annual payroll, with employees averaging a $127,000 salary. The center will be completed in late 2027 if financing and construction move forward.
Rexroth and Bethel are seeing support from a wide variety of people.
“It is like every race, every gender, every religion, every age,” Bethel said. “Some of the older people, they don’t understand it but then we explain it to them and they’re like, ‘No, we don’t want that.’ ”
They meet with the Conserve Ohio group on a weekly basis and now have “a couple hundred” signatures, Rexroth said. Very few people they’ve met have expressed that they are completely for mega-data centers.
“Obviously we can’t stop innovation; we cannot stop that, but let’s do it responsibly,” Rexroth said.
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Younger people in particular are the most concerned about the water use and potential pollution, Rexroth said.
Springfield’s median income is $47,143, according to the U.S. Census, and many cannot afford higher utility bills along with property tax and other increases, Rexroth said.
“People are literally going without heat in their homes — elderly people — because they can’t afford this stuff,” Rexroth said.
Thus far, Bethel and Rexroth said they have not had much interest from any local or state representatives.
The two have spoken at multiple Springfield City Commission meetings during the public comment period, sharing their concerns.
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Rexroth being a former nurse and Bethel being a current nurse, the two are concerned about health impacts from data center emissions.
This includes from noise pollution, which is a major concern related to data centers. Braxton Boren, associate professor of audio technology at American University and expert on noise related to data centers, said most municipal noise codes are not set up to deal with data centers.
Data centers frequently emit a low frequency hum, often from cooling fans, and sometimes a higher frequency tone comes from backup diesel generators, Boren said.
Data centers cooled by water are much quieter, which is used less often due to the higher cost, Boren said. Cooling by fans emits a white noise that can travel around corners and barriers, resulting in a low frequency hum that can sometimes be heard a mile away.
Boren recommends that noise from data center be measured in C-weighted decibels to pick up the low frequencies, rather than A-weighted decibels, which place more weight on higher frequencies. Most noise limits don’t take C-weighted decibels into account and sound studies would likely find noisy data centers in compliance, Boren said.
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Long-term low frequency noise can have negative cardiovascular effects and lead to increased cortisol, sleep deprivation and general annoyance, Boren said. Low frequency sounds have effects on wildlife, too, Boren said, pointing to a case in which male birds shifted the frequency range of their mating calls to be heard by females.
“Not everyone will notice it (the sound) but because it spreads so far it’s over a large geographic area so then even if it’s a small negative effect, the aggregate effect can actually be quite large just because of the huge range we’re talking about,” Boren said.
Duo gather signatures, work to educate on potential impacts of such structures.
KRCR News Channel 7 and KCVU Fox 20 offers local and national news, sports, and weather forecasts to viewers in the Northstate including Redding, Shasta Lake, Shingletown, Anderson, Red Bluff, Corning, Chico, and Oroville. Coverage is also provided on the North Coast through KBVU Fox 28 and KAEF ABC 23.
Dave Golowenski | Special to The Columbus Dispatch
Tick Bite Prevention Guide
Essential steps to prevent tick bites and protect your family and pets while outdoors.
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Tick season has arrived in Ohio.
That means outdoors enthusiasts should take precautions.
That might be truer now more than ever.
Although many discuss global warming as the cause, researchers are suggesting that’s not the main driver.
Although they’re silent and among nature’s stealthiest stalkers, ticks now seem to be creating considerable public buzz.
Certain ticks can operate year-round. Nonetheless, interest heightens during spring when intersections increase between reactivated ticks, people and people’s pets.
What happens post-encounter depends on how long a person takes to find and disengage from a tick that has found them. Infection can occur after two-hour attachments. In short, hunters, anglers, hikers, noodlers, birders and anyone else wandering woods and fields, especially during May and June, demand speedy self-inspection and precautionary repellent use.
Lyme disease, a malady that can leave sufferers with chronic malfunctions, draws much attention because of its inexorable and fairly rapid spread from New England into seemingly virgin territory, including Ohio.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS: More about Ohio hunting and fishing
Specific tick species carry different maladies, though some deal out more than one.
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Blacklegged ticks, aka deer ticks, are the primary spreaders of Lyme disease. The bite from a lone star tick, another relative newcomer to Ohio, can trigger several illnesses, the most trumpeted being a potential killer known as alpha-gal syndrome that makes the bitten allergic to red meat and dairy.
A few years ago, former Columbus Dispatch nature columnist Jim Fry lay on a hospital bed while paralysis crept up his legs to his arms and neck. Spreading immobility made him unable to lift his head.
“I was terrified,” said Fry, then 79.
Fortunately, a healthcare attendant noticed an engorged tick on Fry’s upper left arm. Removal of the tick veered Fry away from a proximate path to eternity, though full recovery took time.
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The would-be assassin turned out to be a dog tick, historically common in Ohio. Also known as a wood tick, the relative of spiders and scorpions can carry in its saliva a neurotoxin that triggers what is known as tick paralysis in susceptible people, dogs and cats. Tick paralysis – rare enough not to ratchet up public awareness, let alone mania – can kill.
Climate change has been popularly depicted as the reason deer ticks and lone star ticks have spread from the South into New England and the Midwest. Climate probably has an influence, but it’s not the primary cause, concluded the Entomological Society of America with findings shared in the publication Entomology Today.
Researchers found it highly probable that tick species currently viewed as newcomers were here spreading their diabolical wares before a wave of settlers mowed down trees for agriculture and virtually wiped out the deer through hunting and habitat destruction.
Deer are not themselves vulnerable to Lyme disease, but they are spreaders of ticks.
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It was especially extreme in Ohio around 1900. By that time, the landscape had been transformed from 95% forested to about 5%. Deer went absent. When much marginal farmland reverted to native trees during the next 100-plus years, it stimulated the growth of a teeming deer population.
More deer have allowed more tag-along ticks to reoccupy lost territory, the study hypothesized.
Parting shots
Pro bass fisherman Charlie Hartley, who led the 2008 Bassmaster Classic for a day and who earned a paycheck in 78 of 296 Bassmaster tournaments in which he competed, has been named to the Ohio Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. Hartley resides in Grove City. … Turkey season ends May 24 at sunset in central Ohio and May 31 at sunset in five northeastern counties. Through May 17, the turkey take exceeded the three-year average at a comparable date by about 550.
