Mel Kiper Publishes Final Top-150 Big Board Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft Thursday

Mel Kiper’s 2026 NFL draft coverage is built around a premise that he says is different from typical rankings: he is publishing “my final top-150 Big Board on Tuesday before the first round begins Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN the app),” while also listing “my favorite prospects at every position.”

In the ESPN piece, Kiper frames the list as players he likes “more than consensus after studying their film,” and he emphasizes that “these aren't the best prospects at their positions.”

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He adds that “It's possible none of them will go in Round 1,” and that “a few of them will most likely still be on the board on Day 3,” while insisting that he “love[s] watching their tape.”

ESPN’s version of the list is explicitly “15 tough, hard-nosed prospects who play football the right way,” and it says “Coaches rave about their love of the game, high football IQ and work ethic.”

The ESPN article then begins position-by-position, starting with quarterback Cole Payton, North Dakota State, and describing how Payton waited “behind Cam Miller for three years before finally becoming the Bison's starter in 2025.”

ESPN also ties the list to a specific draft timeline, noting the first round begins Thursday and that Kiper will have his final Big Board “on Tuesday.”

Kiper’s quarterback pick in ESPN is Cole Payton, North Dakota State, and the article anchors its evaluation in a specific development arc: Payton “waited for his turn, sitting behind Cam Miller for three years before finally becoming the Bison's starter in 2025.”

ESPN says Payton “impressed over 13 games,” and it provides a statistical line: “completing 72% of his throws for 2,719 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.”

Bleacher Report

The same ESPN passage ties those numbers to a role projection, arguing that “his rushing ability should get him on the field in sub-packages as a rookie,” and it adds that “Payton ran for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns last season.”

ESPN also compares the potential NFL usage to a known player, saying Kiper “could see an NFL offensive coordinator putting his 4.56 speed and 6-foot-3, 232-pound frame to good use in a Taysom Hill-esque role.”

The ESPN list then shifts to running back Emmett Johnson, Nebraska, describing him as “a one-cut-and-go back who carried the load for the Cornhuskers last season.”

ESPN’s Johnson section includes a production snapshot—“251 carries for 1,451 yards (fourth in the FBS) and 12 touchdowns”—and it adds a special-teams and contact profile with “93 forced missed tackles” and “85 catches over the past two seasons (656 yards, five TDs).”

ESPN’s evaluation concludes with draft positioning language, saying “I have him as my RB3, and he should be a third- or fourth-round pick.”

ESPN’s favorite-prospects list expands beyond quarterbacks and running backs into wide receivers and tight ends, and it does so with concrete measurables and production totals.

For wide receiver Zachariah Branch, Georgia, ESPN says he is “consistently the fastest guy on the field,” and it cites a combine time: “he ran a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash at the combine.”

ESPN then pairs that speed with last-season receiving output, writing that Branch “had 81 catches for 811 yards and six TDs last season, and 636 of his yards came after the catch.”

ESPN’s Branch evaluation also emphasizes how teams can use him, saying “Just get the ball in his hands in space, and he's off to the races,” and it projects a draft range: “I see some Zay Flowers in him. Round 2 for me.”

ESPN also highlights a second receiver, Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee, and it gives his size and speed—“6-foot-4 and 198 pounds” and “He runs a 4.37-second 40”—along with production: “Brazzell caught 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine TDs last season, averaging 16.4 yards per reception.”

The ESPN list’s tight end entry is Eli Raridon, Notre Dame, and while the ESPN excerpt cuts off mid-sentence, it still establishes the family context by saying “I've scouted three generations of Raridons,” and it identifies Scott Raridon Sr. as “an offensive lineman for Nebraska in the early 1980s and was drafted by the Eagles in 1984.”

The On3 version of the same broader Kiper list also includes Eli Raridon and provides a different set of numbers, stating he “stands at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds” and “only finished with 282 yards in nine games,” while also saying he “does have the ability to line up as an H-back.”

While ESPN’s list is position-by-position, Sports Illustrated and its quoted material focus on a single name—Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder—and connect Kiper’s evaluation to a specific team need.

Sports Illustrated says “The Dallas Cowboys should not wait to take a linebacker until Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft,” and it frames the draft as unpredictable while warning that “the Cowboys cannot afford to reach for someone at any specific spot.”

ESPN

The article then identifies the player it wants Dallas to target, stating that “one player they should have their eyes on is Michigan's Jimmy Rolder, who ESPN's Mel Kiper dubbed his favorite linebacker prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft.”

Sports Illustrated quotes Kiper’s assessment directly: “He has versatility and the speed to close on the QB as a blitzer. But I have him graded as an off-ball linebacker, where the 6-foot-3, 238-pounder jumps off the screen,” and it adds another Kiper quote that “Rolder has the football IQ, diagnose skills and burst to drop in coverage, and he wraps up as a tackler.”

The same Sports Illustrated piece places Rolder in a draft-slot context, saying Kiper notes that Rolder “will be a steal in the early parts of Day 3,” where the Cowboys are “currently slated to pick (Round 4, Pick 112).”

It then explains why the Cowboys need a linebacker, describing that “The Cowboys attempted to address the linebacker position last year with two trades, one for Kenneth Murray and another for Logan Wilson,” and it says “Both trades failed miserably and neither player was brought back.”

Sports Illustrated also ties the need to specific defensive performance numbers, writing that Dallas had “just 35 sacks last season” and finished “bottom-10 against the run,” while also stating that the Cowboys sported “the league's worst pass defense in 2025.”

Across the other outlets, Kiper’s “favorite prospects” list is presented as a set of sleepers and mid-round targets, with additional players and different statistical emphasis.

“You'll see a lot of rankings for the 2026 NFL draft this week, and I'll have my final top-150 Big Board on Tuesday before the first round begins Thursday (8 p”

ESPN

Bleacher Report says Kiper “followed up his final 2026 NFL mock draft by listing his favorite prospects at each position,” and it quotes the same core idea that these prospects are “players he likes 'more than consensus after studying their film.'”

ESPN

Bleacher Report also names the three players it says are “projected as first-round picks” in its “latest Bleacher Report mock draft” in Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell, Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon and SE Louisiana defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor.

It reiterates Payton’s role projection by writing that “North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton made Kiper's list after recording 2,719 passing yards and 777 rushing yards during his first starting season in 2025,” and it again uses the “Taysom Hill” comparison, saying Kiper wrote that teams could use him “a similar role to the New Orleans Saints' Taysom Hill.”

Bleacher Report also adds a player that ESPN’s excerpt doesn’t reach, saying Kiper gave “a nod to Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor,” and it quotes the rationale that he “should be a first-rounder based on his potential.”

It then provides a full draft-weekend schedule, stating “Round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft is set to begin Thursday in Pittsburgh, followed Friday by Rounds 2-3 and Saturday by Rounds 4-7.”

On3, meanwhile, presents a more granular set of player-by-player numbers, including Payton’s “16 touchdowns and four interceptions,” Johnson’s “1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns,” and Brazzell’s “6-foot-4 and 198 pounds,” while also giving a different statistical line for Eli Raridon—“only finished with 282 yards in nine games.”