2026 NFL Draft bold predictions for Rounds 2 and 3: Fernando Mendoza gets a new target, Carson Beck is QB3

49ers draft edge rusher at No. 33

San Francisco has a pair of edges coming off season-ending injuries in Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, and could still use some pass rush juice coming off the edge of the formation. With players like R Mason Thomas, Zion Young, Cashius Howell, T.J. Parker and Gabe Jacas still available, the bet here is that San Francisco adds to that unit to help new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris pressure the quarterback.

Denzel Boston joins Fernando Mendoza

The Raiders have a top target for their new quarterback in tight end Brock Bowers, but they're still very thin at wide receiver. At the moment, the depth chart is led by Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech, Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton. They desperately need to add someone to threaten defenses on the outside. Enter Boston, a big-bodied X receiver who can thrive in Klint Kubiak's offense and especially on the type of throws that Mendoza favors.

Colton Hood goes before Jermod McCoy

The Tennessee cornerbacks should both come off the board in Round 2, but with McCoy's knee issues apparently being concerning enough to push him out of Round 1, we're betting that Hood actually goes ahead of his former Volunteer teammate. Hood has great size and physicality and was a potential first-round-worthy prospect in his own right, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him go a few picks ahead of McCoy, whose fall seems reminiscent of what happened with Will Johnson last year.

Defense-heavy Round 2

In Josh Edwards' Day 2 mock draft, he has TWENTY-FOUR defensive players going in the second round of the draft. The top ELEVEN players on Edwards' best available list for Day 2 all play defense: McCoy, Aveion Terrell, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, D'Angelo Ponds, Lee Hunter, Kayden McDonald, Howell, Jacas, Treydan Stukes, Thomas and Jake Golday. There's also a crop of linebackers still available in Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen, Anthony Hill Jr., Josiah Trotter and Kyle Louis. If you're looking for fantasy football-relevant players, it might be slim pickings in the early portion of Day 2.

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Carson Beck goes as QB3

It's probably a three-man battle to be the third quarterback drafted, with Beck battling Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar. There has been smoke all week, though, that Beck could go higher than anybody expected. The Cardinals, Jets and Steelers are all candidates to take a quarterback in Rounds 2 or 3, and all of those teams were heavily connected to Beck during the draft process. It would be somewhat surprising if he went at No. 34 to Arizona, but No. 44 to New York, No. 53 to Pittsburgh or No. 65 to Arizona seem like realistic-ish possibilities.

A dearth of offensive tackles

An incredible seven offensive tackles flew off the board in Round 1: Spencer Fano to the Browns, Francis Mauigoa to the Giants, Kadyn Proctor to the Dolphins, Blake Miller to the Lions, Monroe Feeling to the Panthers, Max Iheanachor to the Steelers and Caleb Lomu to the Patriots. Part of the reason for that is that teams felt this tackle class was heavy at the top but light in the middle rounds. Edwards only has one tackle going in the second round of his Day 2 mock, for example, in Caleb Tiernan, and only three more in Round 3 in Markel Bell, Travis Burke and Austin Barber. Having more tackles drafted in Round 1 than Rounds 2 and 3 combined would be pretty wild, but it's totally on the table.