2026 NFL mock draft after Week 1 of college football season: LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is QB1, Cowboys get EDGE

First things first: we’re through Week 1 of the college football season and you might notice the absence of Arch Manning’s name from this mock draft. Obviously, he’s fallen out of the first round after what transpired in Columbus last weekend, when Manning and the Texas offense was overwhelmed by an Ohio State defense that is chock full of future NFL stars.

None of this is true, of course.

Well, the part about the Buckeyes defense taking it to the Longhorns offense is wholly and completely correct — and promoted me to tweet this Saturday after the game:

The part about Arch playing his way out of the first round couldn’t be sillier. Almost as silly as the over-the-top preseason expectations put on that young man. It’s why, even before last weekend, I was happy to give him a break and not include him in upcoming mock drafts, at least for now. In part because I don’t expect him to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft unless, say, Texas wins the national title and/or Arch wins the Heisman Trophy. In part because the top of the draft is a lot more interesting if we assume Arch will stay in Austin for another year.

With that in mind, let me point you to something I wrote about Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik.

They faced off in the preseason opener, and who will likely both be first-round picks. Unlike Arch, however, neither is 6-foot-4. In fact, they’re both under 6-foot-2 but NFL teams appear to be coming around to the idea that being able to competently run an offense — no matter your size — is more important than checking the boxes when it comes to measurables.

OK, let’s get to it. 

The 2026 NFL Draft order was determined using the reverse Super Bowl odds from FanDuel Sportsbook as of this writing.

2026 NFL Draft preseason big board: Arch Manning included in ranking of top 50 prospects, but he’s not No. 1

Mike Renner