Draft board reshuffle: Love leads
Running back Jeremiyah Love is leading multiple big boards as an unconventional top prospect in 2026 mock drafts, pushing teams to rethink value at the top of the board mock draft/big board. Meanwhile, Fernando Mendoza fell short of the No. 1 offensive prospect spot in updated rankings — a notable slide that could affect his draft stock and team plans Mendoza ranking drop.
Love posted a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine nfl.com and measured in the 6'0", 212-pound range with a reported 9.13-inch hand and 32-inch arm length at the combine testing. 247sports.com Notre Dame’s 2025 ledger shows Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries, and PFF assigned him a 93.1 overall grade for the season, highlighting his production spike. pff.com Multiple high-profile mocks now project Love as a top-10 — CBS’s updated mock slotted him to the Giants at No. 5 overall, ESPN’s recent mini-mock listed him as a surprise early pick, and Bleacher Report placed him as high as No. 3 in its latest draft simulation. cbssports.com Analyst evaluations emphasize his elite burst and receiving chops while flagging pass-protection and between-the-tackles power as measurable concerns; PFF’s scouting profile specifically grades his pass protection lower and praises his receiving upside. pff.com On the Mendoza side, SI’s update noted that Fox Sports analyst Rob Rang omitted Mendoza from the top offensive prospect slot on his big board, a rare downgrade after Mendoza’s Heisman campaign. si.com Even so, Mendoza remains the consensus premier quarterback in many rankings — ESPN’s QB board starts with Mendoza at No. 1 and Rob Rang’s full Fox Sports big board still lists Mendoza as a top prospect in the overall top 100 — and Mendoza finished 2025 with roughly 2,980 passing yards and 33 TDs en route to a perfect regular season and the Heisman. espn.com
