The NFL has announced that 16 players will be attending the NFL draft live in person when the event kicks off in Pittsburgh later this month. Let’s break down who is going to be there, who isn’t and what it could mean on draft day. All players are ranked by their current ranking on the consensus draft board.
Players Attending the 2026 NFL Draft
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#2: Arvell Reese, EDGE/LB, Ohio State
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#3: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
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#4: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
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#5: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
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#6: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
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#7: Ruben Bain, EDGE, Miami
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#8: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
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#9: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
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#10: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
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#13: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
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#15: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
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#2o: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
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#21: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
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#29: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
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#31: Kayden McDonald, iDL, Ohio State
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#35: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
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For the most part, top-10 selections will be in attendance for the draft. Outside of quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the projected first overall pick, the top-ranked players in the class who either didn’t get an invitation or turned the invitation down are offensive linemen.
Interestingly, the three lowest-ranked players who will be there in Pittsburgh are Ty Simpson (quarterbacks are always a funky projection, as we saw last year with Shedeur Sanders), Kayden McDonald and Colton Hood. If you’re a Green Bay Packers fan who was hoping for a slim chance that McDonald could be available when the Packers first go on the clock with pick #52, this isn’t a good sign for those odds.
Notable Players Not Attending the 2026 NFL Draft
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#1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
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#11: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
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#12: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
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#14: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
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#16: Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State
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#17: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
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#18: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
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#19: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
As we mentioned earlier, it’s Mendoza and a bunch of offensive linemen who aren’t going to the event. Notably, though, none of the Clemson players (CB Aveion Terrell, DT Peter Woods, EDGE T.J. Parker and OT Blake Miller) are going to Pittsburgh. All of these players are ranked between 23rd and 28th on the consensus board. Maybe there’s a tiny, tiny chance that one of them is still on the board for the 52nd pick. It’s also worth mentioning that Jermod McCoy of Tennessee has some health questions, as he missed all of the 2025 season with a torn ACL.
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