The Miami Hurricanes football program has a big week ahead as the 2026 NFL Draft is approaching quickly. In Todd McShay’s latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, three Hurricanes hear their names called in the first round, but a lot later than we have seen from other mock drafts.
McShay is one of the more respected NFL draft analysts in the industry and is well-connected in the league. He has a great eye for talent and will pair that up with what he is hearing and what teams need going into the draft.
He has been
a big advocate for the Hurricanes players and how great they were this past season. With that being said, he has the top two prospects from Miami sliding in the first round.
Francis Mauigoa — OT
Francis Mauigoa remains one of the most physically gifted offensive linemen in the draft class, and his presence in the first round comes as no surprise.
In McShay’s 3.0 mock draft, he had the Arizona Cardinals selecting him with the third overall pick to be their starting right tackle.
In his latest mock draft, the Cardinals trade out of that spot, and the Saints move up.
Mauigoa slides down a couple of spots as he gets mocked to be drafted by the New York Giants with the fifth overall pick.
Franchise tackles don’t last long on draft night, and Mauigoa’s upside should keep him within the first five picks, for sure within the top ten.
Scouts have had their projections on how Mauigoa may fit better as a guard rather than a tackle. Despite that, the talent and upside, regardless of the fact, can’t be ignored by teams as he is one of the more dominant offensive linemen in the draft.
There were some recent reports about some concerns with his back. We’ll see if that affects how teams view Maugioa and if his stock drops by next week.
Rueben Bain Jr. — EDGE
The most surprising one of them all comes with the biggest drop in the first round.
Rueben Bain Jr. was a beast for Miami, and in McShay’s 3.0 mock draft, he had him reuniting with Cam Ward in Tennessee.
In his latest mock draft, he had Bain going to the Ravens with the 14th overall pick.
That is a ten-pick difference.
Bain continues to be viewed as one of the premier defensive players in the class. His explosiveness, power, and relentless motor make him a disruptive force off the edge.
The ongoing discourse of the short arm length continues to be a topic of conversation regarding him, but the tape shows how dominant he was regardless of the fact.
With that being said, for teams in need of an immediate-impact pass rusher, Bain remains one of the safest picks available.
In this case, Jesse Minter would get a steal with the 14th overall pick in Baltimore as a first-year head coach.
Akheem Mesidor — EDGE
McShay is a lot higher on Akheem Mesidor than other analysts in the industry, but there is always one common denominator between all of them.
He’s a bonified first-round pick.
Capable of lining up across multiple positions, Mesidor brings value to teams running hybrid fronts. His ability to generate pressure from the interior or edge makes him a valuable chess piece.
He will be more of an EDGE than anything in the league and will be a ferocious one at that.
Mesidor was once a late first-round projection, but he’s gaining traction and still working to separate himself from a crowded group of defensive line prospects.
McShay remains put with Mesidor in his latest mock draft and has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafting him with the 15th overall pick.
Read the rest of the mock draft by McShay, as he has great content in there!
