Alabama WR Germie Bernard, Louisville WR Chris Bell and the rest of 'my guys' in the 2026 NFL Draft

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The 2026 NFL Draft is eight days away. It is the culmination of a year's worth of work for teams watching the prospects, but also dissecting medical evaluations, vetting character witnesses and testing physical acumen. It is natural to develop preferences throughout the process and it is for those players who many scouts will stand on a table and defend in pre-draft meetings.

Like those scouts, there are several prospects who I hold in a higher regard than the consensus. Every talent evaluator has its share of misses, but it is the hits that keep the process exciting.

Here are 'my guys' in the 2026 NFL Draft:

The 2026 NFL Draft will take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly availablelook at the eligible prospects.

Quarterback

A first-round projection for Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik was always too rich, but he has now reached the point of being undervalued. He is a leader and a player who plays the game efficiently. Acknowledging his ceiling is not as high as other Day 3 targets, Klubnik is quality depth in any quarterback room.

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar may be a sneaky draft selection -- similar to Florida's Graham Mertz last year -- as well. Again, Aguilar may not be as explosive, but is capable of fulfilling a role as a spot starter.

Running back

Arkansas' Mike Washington Jr. has been a personal favorite dating to January before he dominated the NFL Scouting Combine, but water found its level in the consensus rankings over time. Washington is a bigger back who does a relatively good job breaking down his feet to leverage defenders and bursting to daylight.

Wide receiver

There are a number of receivers who stand out among this receiver class. Alabama's Germie Bernard is willing to do the dirty work in the run game, in addition to his responsibilities through the air, which will allow him to hang around the league for a long time; much in the same way that Robert Woods had previously.

Aside from the receivers most commonly projected to go in the first round, Louisville's Chris Bell is one who has potential to grow into a No. 1-caliber receiver in the NFL. His route-running has improved and he is dynamic after the catch, but a torn ACL during his senior season muddied his long-term outlook. If a team misses out on the top-graded players at the position and can afford to be patient, Bell is a lottery ticket.

Oklahoma's Deion Burks and Kentucky's Kendrick Law are two others who excel with the ball in their hands. Both have great speed and are able to turn a single or a double into a home run if given the ball with a little room to work. Law's usage to this point in his career has been more manufactured at or near the line of scrimmage, but he displayed enough to suggest there is more potential to tap into at the next level.

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John Breech

Offensive line

'My guys' are heavily concentrated on the offensive line. Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu has been a personal favorite throughout the process. His play strength needs to get better, but the movement skills are really good. Boston College's Jude Bowry and Florida's Austin Barber won me over at different points in the process. Bowry popped in 2024 whereas Barber showed a lot of growth during his 2025 campaign. Both would be considerations on Day 2, but are outside of the top 100 consensus.

Moving to the interior, Boise State offensive tackle Kage Casey is an intriguing convert to guard; following in the path of another ex-Bronco Ezra Cleveland. Notre Dame offensive guard Billy Schrauth is a high-floor prospect. Irish linemen have fared well in the NFL and there is an old saying that you never go broke taking a profit. Texas A&M's Chase Bisontis is a candidate to go in the first round. He is the best pass-blocking offensive guard in the class. Boston College offensive guard Logan Taylor is the fourth and final at his position. Taylor is the second representative from the Eagles' offensive line. The program has done well producing pros at the position in recent years.

Centers Connor Lew (Auburn), Sam Hecht (Kansas State) and James Brockermeyer (Miami) are the last of the offensive line. Lew had been regarded as the top center in the class prior to suffering a significant injury. He is a poor man's Tyler Linderbaum in my opinion and may present good value for a team willing to wait for him to return to full health. I discovered Hecht in November and he was an immediate threat for Lew's title as best center in the class. Brockermeyer is a value pick on Day 3 for a team who may miss out on a run at the position late Day 2/early Day 3.

Defensive line

South Carolina defensive tackle Nick Barrett is a Day 3 selection on the consensus big board, but has a skillset worthy of Day 2 consideration. He will never be a high-volume pass rush producer, but there is a down-to-down reliability that he brings to the position. Ten years down the road, it would not surprise me if he were still playing.

Tennessee has not one, but two defensive linemen on the list: Bryson Eason and Tyre West. The latter reminds a bit of Karl Brooks in terms of usage and projecting his role to the next level. Brooks, who was more explosive, spent a lot of time playing on the edge in even fronts at Bowling Green despite being 6-foot-3, 290 pounds. West has similar size and played on the edge, but projects inside at the next level.

Missouri's Chris McClellan, Iowa's Aaron Graves and Kentucky's David Gusta are three others of note.

Edge rusher

Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas and Boston College's Quintayvious Hutchins are both undersized, but chock full of energy and twitch. Thomas has the requisite play strength to be more routinely effective, which is why he is projected to be taken early. Hutchins is more of a designated pass rusher because he lacks the requisite play strength to be on the field for early downs.

Linebacker

There are a handful of linebackers with good instincts littered throughout the draft. Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. has been a playmaker having registered 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions over the last three seasons. Although consistently mocked in the second round, it should not come as a surprise if Hill gets into Thursday night and is the second linebacker off the board ahead of Georgia's CJ Allen.

Indiana's Aiden Fisher, Oregon's Bryce Boettcher and Michigan's Jimmy Rolder are all between Nos. 142-164 overall on the consensus big board. All three have a natural feel for the game and should have the opportunity to compete for starting roles down the road. Boettcher also played centerfield for the Ducks' baseball team and has the high neckroll aesthetic of your favorite vintage linebacker. Miami's (Ohio) Jackson Kuwatch is a likely late Day 3 selection. He plays the game really fast and is going to be an asset on special teams.

Cornerback

I have been and will continue to be bullish on Tennessee's Jermod McCoy. I learned a lesson on LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. to not overthink elite talents. Stingley produced as a freshman at LSU and was one of those prospects NFL teams were just waiting to come of age. The effort was not always there in his second to last collegiate season and then he sat out a year during COVID. As a result, he was projected in the teens often before being Houston's selection at No. 3 overall. McCoy is maybe a half tier below Patrick Surtain II and Stingley, but the ball production, size and versatility playing both man and zone coverage is all there.

Florida's Devin Moore, Iowa's TJ Hall and California's Hezekiah Masses are all projected outside the top 100 overall, but have starting skillsets in the right situation.

Safety

Teams chasing their version of Seattle safety Nick Emmanwori are likely going to be disappointed. Those types of athletes do not grow on trees. However, Nebraska's Deshon Singleton is an intriguing possibility. He has the size (6-foot-3, 210) to play down in the box as well as the length to muddy pass lanes.