The 'On The Clock' crew of Matt Williamson, Mike Prisuta and Max Starks take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh. Today, they give us their top-10 offensive players.
The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Matt's Top 10
- Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
- Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State
- Francis Mauigoa, OT/OG, Miami
- Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- Spencer Fano, OT/OG, Utah
- Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
- KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
- Makai Lemon, WR, USC
- Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Matt's Take: Positional value isn't considered on these rankings. Obviously, quarterbacks carry more value than running backs. But Love is the best offensive player in this draft and is an even better than last year's best back in the draft, Ashton Jeanty. If you go through the last 20 years or so, I feel as though Mendoza would be the first quarterback off the board in about half those draft years. He doesn't blow you away with his physical traits, but Mendoza is a warrior on the field. He is a great guy for the Raiders to build their team around. The only real knock on Ioane as a prospect Is that he is a merely very good athlete for the guard position rather than an elite one. As a guard-only prospect, Mauigoa has a case for being every bit the prospect as Ioane, but we haven't seen it-so that is a projection. He will surely begin his career at right tackle however. Tate is clearly this year's top receiver prospect although he doesn't blow you away with his speed or movement traits. Fano does blow you away with his movement traits and he could project to any of the five offensive line spots at the next level. Freeling is a pure left tackle with highly desirable traits and just keeps getting better. Drops plague Concepcion, but he torched top cornerbacks weeks after week this past season for the Aggies and has rare explosion. Lemon isn't the biggest or the fastest, but he thrives out of the slot and doing the dirty work for the wide receiver position. Many compare him to Amon-Ra St. Brown, but that seems a bit rich. Sadiq has a lot of work to do to really learn the nuances of sitting down against zone coverage and he isn't particularly big for the position. But Sadiq can really fly and is extremely dangerous in space. Max Iheanachor from Arizona State was the most difficult player to leave off this list, but so much of his allure is projecting what he could become over time. There are plenty of wide receivers and offensive linemen that have a case for making this list, but a second quarterback, running back, or tight end really wasn't particularly close to the top ten.
Mike's Top 10
- Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- Spencer Fano, OT, Utah,
- Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State
- Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
- Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
- Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
- Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami, Fla.
- Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
- Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana
Mike's Take: This is a list based much more on player comparisons than it is importance of the position they play or the order in which they'll be selected, so it's pretty subjective. It's also reflective of the depth at positions at which the stack continues to fluctuate (even thought it's been a long time since anyone has taken a snap). Love tops the list because he's the best at what he does in the draft. He also plays a position at which a transition to the NFL ought to be relatively seamless. No risk, great reward. Tate will be more of a big-play producer than he will be a volume receiver, and he'll be coveted as such, perhaps above all other pass-catchers. Bills General Manager Brandon Beane reacted to the 4.53 40-yard dash Tate ran at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with obvious sarcasm: "He's pretty slow, I wouldn't take him early." That's a snow job that won't even work in Buffalo. Fano is accomplished (he started at left tackle as a true freshman at Utah) and decorated (he won the Outland Trophy in 2025) but not yet a finished product (especially as it relates to pass protection). He also lacks ideal size, but it's the tantalizing upside that elevates him to OT1 for these purposes. "There's just a suddenness and an urgency to his movement that you didn't see from anyone else," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah observed at the Combine. Sold. Ioane might be my favorite player available in the draft. I couldn't pull the trigger on ranking him No. 1, but he's close. He looks the part, he checks all the boxes and he already plays an NFL-style game. "My hands are always winning me the battle," Ioane told the NFL Network in Indy. Sadiq's roster designation is tight end but his game mostly resembles a versatile, big-play wide receiver who also blocks. And his physical testing/athleticism is off the charts, hence the "Sadiq the Freak" nickname. Mendoza is QB1 and therefore the presumptive first-overall selection. His best attribute might be his toughness, which should be unquestioned, especially in big games when it's needed most. Tyson is a bit of a dice roll due to an injury history that includes ACL, MCL, PCL, collarbone and hamstring issues. But the more significant entry on his resume might be his position coach at ASU was Hines Ward. And Ward is a big fan of Tyson, which might be all the information anyone needs. Mauigoa is the most NFL-ready offensive tackle at present and may well prove to be the best of the bunch over the long haul due to his size and physicality. "He moves you in the run game and you can't go through him in the pass game," Jeremiah observed. Any questions? Freeling excels at combo blocks and getting to the second and even the third level. His game is more athleticism than power and he'll be able to use that to his advantage while adding strength. Cooper looks a little bit better every time you look at him (at least he does to me). He wasn't necessarily at the front of the wide receiver line when the pre-draft process started but the 4.42 40 he ran in Indy no doubt accelerated his move up the ladder among his peers. Productive, versatile, polished, competitive. What else would you want?
Max's Top 10
- Jeremiyah Love- Notre Dame
- Olaivavenga Ioane- PSU
- Carnell Tate- OSU
- Fernando Mendoza- Indiana
- Makai Lemon- USC
- Francis Mauigoa- Miami
- Kenyon Sadiq- Oregon
- Jordyn Tyson- ASU
- Spencer Fano- Utah
- Kadyn Proctor- Alabama
Max's Take: It took some time and careful consideration to figure out where I wanted to slot this group of players, irregardless of position, and purely based on the skills that they are bringing to the National Football League. This was a tough list to come up with, but I think this is a great representation and cross-section of the offensive side of the ball. Jeremiyah Love is the best offensive player in this draft - point, period, blank! But for the linemen, purely off of skills, Ioane is the best offensive lineman and followed by him is Mauigoa, then position flexible is Fano (5 position capable) and Kadyn Proctor (4 position flex). There is always a need for big human beings who can move quickly and do it violently. The next clear-cut guy in this top 10 is Sadiq - he's in a tier by himself at the tight end position. There's a lot of good tight ends, but I think Sadiq has a shot at being the great one in this group with his skill set and his ability to not only block, but to catch, separate and be a difference maker in the receiving game. I slotted the reciever group just purely off of skills, but I think all of them are different makers in different builds. Whether you want the shifty speed of Lemon, or you want the catch radius of Tyson or the overall technical route running skills of Tate, all three of them possess rare traits and skills that are desirable! All three of them provide instant impacts at different places based on a team's needs, but their skills are definitely the tops of this year's draft group. As for the QB position, I think everybody in the football world knows that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to take Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, so in a tongue-and-cheek kind of way, that's why I put him last! Some other names to consider just outside of the top 10 category are: KC Concepcion, Eli Stowers, Caleb Lomu, Max Iheanacor, Omar Cooper, Jr, Jadarian Price, and Monroe Freeling. All are really good players, but fall outside of the top 10 on the offensive side of the ball.
