2026 NFL All-Rookie Team: Mendoza, Downs Headline — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Fernando Mendoza earned the QB nod as the No. 1 overall pick for the Raiders, though he opens the season on the bench behind veteran Kirk Cousins in Klint Kubiak's offense with Brock Bowers as his primary short-term target.
- Jeremiyah Love (Cardinals, No. 3 overall) landed the running back spot despite a high ankle sprain that softened preseason confidence; the article notes Seattle's Jadarian Price had also missed time, leaving Love as the clearest pass-catching back option.
- Caleb Downs headlines the secondary at cornerback for Dallas, where the writer says the Ohio State product's instincts and versatility against receivers like CeeDee Lamb plus run support address a Cowboys secondary that has 'sorely lacked' accountability.
- Carnell Tate (Titans, No. 4 overall) and KC Concepion join Browns' Denzel Boston in the wide receiver room, with the article noting all three were top-20 prospects on the writer's pre-draft board and Tate went just four spots after the Cleveland duo.
- Spencer Fano (Browns) is the only first-round offensive lineman from the 2026 draft opening as a starting left tackle, a transition from right tackle at Utah that the writer grades as 'good, not great' through preseason.
- David Bailey (Jets, No. 2 overall) and Rueben Bain Jr. (Buccaneers) headline the edge rushers, with Bain holding a clearer path to snaps than Dallas' Malachi Lawrence or Los Angeles' Akheem Mesidor, who sit behind multiple veterans.
- Mansoor Delane (Chiefs) and Brandon Cisse (Packers) round out the corners after Kansas City traded up to No. 6 overall to replace Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, while Cisse — who only recently turned 21 — already locked down a Green Bay starting job.
Why it matters: All four top picks of the 2026 NFL Draft (Mendoza, Bailey, Love, Tate) landed on CBSSports.com's All-Rookie squad, signaling a top-heavy class. Cleveland took three of the 22 spots — Boston, Concepcion and Fano — even as the writer explicitly flagged the Browns' quarterback situation as 'a limiting factor' for projecting statistical production.
Ask SkimNews
