2026 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper updates Big Board Top-25 rankings ahead of College Football Playoff

We’re less than a week away from the start of the opening round of the College Football Playoff, with four first-round games kicking off on Friday and Saturday. And, with the regular season come and gone now, we’re also right around four months out from the 2026 NFL Draft, which’ll be held in Pittsburgh.

With that, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has recently posted his latest edition of a Big Board with a Top-25 ahead of the NFL Draft. It includes some of the best eligible players in all of college football, with 14 of them set to take the field in the CFP and 11 of those coming from three programs with a fifth of the list being from Ohio State along with three apiece at Oregon and Miami.

Here is that newest Top-25 Big Board as released by Kiper at ESPN:

1. Oregon QB Dante Moore

Moore has impressed as a passer in his first season starting for the Ducks, with him posting 72.5% completion for 227.8 passing yards per game with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. And, with that ability in the pocket, despite possibly being in a weaker class of quarterbacks if he were to leave Eugene, Kiper kept him at No. 1 on his Big Board.

“His accuracy has been solid all season, and he shows good touch on his deep ball. Moore can throw from different arm angles with precision and delivers strikes while rolling either left or right out of the pocket. He can scramble a bit too,” Kiper wrote. “Moore is still developing and will be only 20 years old at draft time. But the toolbox is loaded, and he plays with true command of the Ducks’ offense.”

2. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

Since his last edition earlier in December, Mendoza has gone on to win the Heisman Trophy, with the Hoosiers’ QB, posting 71.5% completion for 229.2 passing yards per game with a nation-leading total at 33 touchdowns and six interceptions, having a career season in Bloomington. He may be only second here, but Kiper sees a pro-ready prospect at IU.

“His game has taken off. The key? He has cut down on sacks, with only 18 so far this season after taking 41 in 2024. Mendoza is getting the ball out quicker. And while he doesn’t have a huge arm, he can make all the necessary NFL-level throws. His ball placement is fantastic,” wrote Kiper. “I wouldn’t consider him a dual threat, but Mendoza also has enough mobility to pick up first downs as a scrambler.”

3. Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love

Rated as the top running back here, Love also had a career-best season at 1,652 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns with 1,372 of those yards and 18 of the scores coming in the run game for the Fighting Irish. That production and capability in the backfield could be used immediately in an offense in the NFL, with him being near the top of the Big Board for Kiper.

“The 20-year-old has vision and burst between the tackles and to the outside, and he can break tackles with ease (60 forced missed tackles on the season). Once he gets into space, he can take it to the house with his breakaway speed too. But Love isn’t only an outstanding runner. He also is a high-impact pass catcher,” Kiper wrote. “An NFL team will be able to flank him out wide and create a whole other dimension of the offense.”

4. Ohio State LB Arvell Reese

On a loaded defense, let alone team, in Columbus, Reese is still the first of the Buckeyes on this version of the Big Board, with him at 62 tackles, 10.0 of those being for loss with 6.5 sacks, and two deflections for Ohio State. That had him described as “a complete football player” who plays “like a veteran” in the top-five evaluation of him here by Kiper.

“Reese jumps off the Ohio State tape,” wrote Kiper. “I see natural instincts at the linebacker position that allow him to make plays most guys just can’t make, and he has the burst to get home when turned loose as a pass rusher. Reese has been a big riser in this class.”

5. Miami OT Francis Mauigoa

Since the last edition of the Big Board, Mauigoa has trended up from just inside the top-ten to rounding out the top-five for Kiper. That’s with the style of play and amount of aggression he has shown in pass protection as a tackle, with some potential versatility elsewhere on the offensive line, for the Hurricanes.

“Here’s a true mauler. Mauigoa is fun to watch for the way he just destroys pass rushers at the point of attack,” Kiper wrote. “He has more than 2,400 snaps at right tackle and has the pass protection skill to stick there, but he could absolutely slide inside and become a Pro Bowl-caliber guard at the next level. Mauigoa has allowed one sack and blown only nine run blocks since the start of last season.”

6. Texas Tech LB David Bailey

Similarly, but on the opposite side of pass pro, Bailey has gone from just outside the top-ten to just outside the top-five for Kiper. That’s as, with 154 total tackles in his collegiate career, he’s at 40.0 tackles for loss and 28.0 sacks, including career-bests this season with 17.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks as part of the defense for the Red Raiders.

“Bailey gets after the quarterback,” wrote Kiper. “He had 14.5 sacks over three seasons for the Cardinal, and he has notably become more of a finisher this season. His 19.9% pressure rate is the best in the nation, and he is up to 13.5 sacks in 13 games with the Red Raiders, unlocking another level of his game.”

7. Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson

An edition after getting into the top-five, Tyson is back down two spots again to seventh on the Big Board for Kiper. He, nonetheless, is rated here as the top receiver in the draft, with him proven to be a tough matchup having had 136 receptions for 1,812 yards, averaging 75.5 per game and 13.3 per catch, and 18 touchdowns the past two years in Tempe.

“(Tyson) has lit up defenses for two seasons with the Sun Devils,” Kiper wrote. “Tyson’s superpower is being open even when it looks like he’s completely blanketed. It makes him essentially uncoverable in the red zone. He wins on 50-50 balls and outmuscles defensive backs.”

8. Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq

With his attributes, and the production it has led to, Sadiq continues to trend up as one of the fastest risers on the Big Board for Kiper. That, with 40 catches for 490 yards, posting 44.5 per game and 12.5 a reception, and eight touchdowns, then has him as the top-rated tight end still for the NFL Draft.

“Sadiq is loaded with physical traits. He has the explosion to hurdle defenders in the open field. He has the vision and speed to cause conflict after the catch, with almost half his 2025 yardage coming after the ball is in his hands. And he’s nearly impossible to match against because of his quickness and size,” wrote Kiper. “Sadiq has been consistent this season, and he should be the first tight end off the board.”

9. Ohio State WR Carnell Tate

As the latest product out of what Kiper deemed as “Wide Receiver U”, Tate is the next name projected highly, despite being down a few spots amidst an injury towards the end of the regular season, out of that corps in Columbus. That’s with 48 receptions for 838 yards, averaging 83.8 per game at 17.5 per catch, and nine touchdowns as the number two target for the Buckeyes.

“While most of the college football world focuses on Jeremiah Smith (who isn’t eligible for the 2026 draft), Tate is putting up some serious numbers and showing why he is a top prospect for this class,” Kiper wrote. “Tate has produced big plays on a regular basis, averaging 17.5 yards per catch this season. He is a precise route runner, has great hands and displays outstanding body control. And he’ll also happily block for ball carriers, which NFL coaches love to see.”

10. USC WR Makai Lemon

Recently named as the winner of the Biletnikoff Award, Lemon, down a few spots from the last update, rounds out the top-ten here for Kiper. That’s with his own productive season at receiver with 79 catches for 1,156 yards, posting 96.3 per game and 14.6 per reception, and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans.

“This kid is a warrior who plays with passion. I’d want Lemon on my roster,” wrote Kiper. “He snatches the ball away from his body in an attacking manner then runs with a fierce approach after the catch. He is one of my favorite players in the class.”

11. Ohio State DB Caleb Downs
12. Ohio State LB Sonny Styles
13. Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy
14. Utah OT Spencer Fano
15. Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald
16. Auburn DE Keldric Faulk
17. Penn State OL Olaivavega Ioane
18. Clemson DT Peter Woods
19. Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr.
20. Oregon DT A’Mauri Washington
21. Miami DE Akheem Mesidor
22. Georgia WR Zachariah Branch
23. LSU CB Mansoor Delane
24. Washington WR Denzel Boston
25. Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones