A Fox Sports all-eligibility mock draft published Monday asks one of the best hypothetical questions of the offseason: if every College Football player from the 2025 season could enter the 2026 NFL Draft, who goes where? The exercise, posted March 23, 2026, puts underclassmen like Jeremiah Smith and Arch Manning alongside traditional draft-eligible prospects — and the results reveal just how deep this hypothetical class runs.
The premise is straightforward. Every player who suited up in college football this past season becomes draft-eligible, regardless of remaining eligibility. That single rule change reshapes the entire first round.
Why College Football”s Best Underclassmen Dominate This Board
Jeremiah Smith and Arch Manning are the two names that immediately reorganize the top of this hypothetical board. Smith, still a year away from standard NFL eligibility, slots in as one of the premier wide receivers available — a prospect whose yards-after-catch ability and route-running precision at Ohio State already project as elite at the next level. Manning, the Texas quarterback, draws immediate interest from quarterback-needy franchises across the league.
Breaking down the advanced metrics on Smith”s 2025 season, the numbers reveal a pattern that separates him from most college receivers: consistent separation at all three levels of the route tree, plus the hands to win contested catches in traffic. The film shows a player who doesn”t just beat press coverage — he embarrasses it. Fox Sports projects Smith going in the top picks of this draft, with the assessment that he will “immediately be one of the best receivers in the NFL the moment he enters the league.”
Manning”s fit is equally compelling. Fox Sports notes that quarterback-hungry franchises — specifically calling out the Miami Dolphins by name — would not pass on a signal-caller of his caliber if the rules allowed it. The Dolphins” draft strategy analysis in recent cycles has centered on finding a franchise quarterback, and Manning”s combination of football bloodline and arm talent makes him the obvious answer in this scenario.
Where Do the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Other Teams Land?
Miami”s selection of Manning in this mock draft is treated as a foregone conclusion. The Dolphins are assigned the pick, and Fox Sports is direct: a team with that kind of roster need would not bypass the top quarterback on the board. Kansas City, meanwhile, uses its selection on Arvell Reese — described as a prospect with “elite potential” — after already securing another top talent earlier in the mock.
The Chiefs” draft position gives them a specific target at offensive tackle, with Fox Sports identifying that player as the top offensive lineman available in the standard 2026 class. Kansas City ends up with two players carrying elite upside from a single draft, which is exactly the kind of draft capital leverage that has fueled their dynasty. Reese”s addition gives the Chiefs a second high-ceiling prospect to develop alongside their existing core.
Salary cap implications for teams drafting underclassmen in a scenario like this are worth thinking through, even hypothetically. Rookie contracts under the current CBA are slotted by draft position, so a player like Smith going in the top five would command a four-year deal worth north of $40 million guaranteed — numbers that would reshape any team”s cap structure heading into the 2027 offseason.
Arvell Reese and the Depth Chart Shakeup in Kansas City
Arvell Reese is the name in this mock draft that fantasy-obsessed readers should flag immediately. Kansas City”s front office brass lands him as a second elite prospect in the same draft class, pairing him with an earlier selection that Fox Sports also grades as a high-upside talent. Two first-round caliber players in one draft cycle is the kind of depth chart addition that changes a franchise”s trajectory for half a decade.
The numbers suggest Reese”s fit in Kansas City”s scheme is not accidental. Andy Reid”s offense has historically absorbed elite athletes at multiple positions — tight end, receiver, running back — and converted raw collegiate production into NFL-caliber target share within one or two seasons. Based on available data from his college career, Reese profiles as a player who can contribute in multiple personnel groupings from Day 1.
One counterargument worth raising: stacking two developmental prospects in the same draft class carries real risk. Rookie snap counts tend to compress when two high picks compete for the same roles, and neither player gets the full rep count needed to accelerate development. Kansas City”s coaching staff has managed that dynamic before, but it is a genuine tension that any honest draft strategy analysis has to acknowledge.
Key Developments From the Fox Sports All-CFB Mock Draft
Jeremiah Smith is projected as a top pick despite having one year of college eligibility remaining, with Fox Sports predicting he will be a top selection in the 2027 NFL Draft under normal eligibility rules.
The Miami Dolphins are specifically named as the franchise that would select Arch Manning if every college football player were draft-eligible in 2026.
Kansas City receives Arvell Reese at a pick where Fox Sports identifies the top offensive tackle in the standard 2026 class as the expected selection, meaning Reese”s value is treated as equivalent or superior.
The mock draft covers the entire college football player pool from the 2025 season, not just seniors or graduate transfers — making it the broadest hypothetical class possible.
Fox Sports frames Manning as the clear answer for quarterback-needy teams, with the Dolphins used as the illustrative example of a franchise that would pull the trigger immediately.
What Does This Exercise Tell Us About the Real 2026 NFL Draft?
The all-CFB mock draft format does more than generate clicks — it calibrates how NFL front offices should think about the actual 2026 class. When the hypothetical board places underclassmen like Smith and Manning ahead of draft-eligible prospects, it tells you something real: the standard 2026 class lacks a true consensus No. 1 overall talent at quarterback or receiver. That gap at the top is exactly the kind of information that shapes trade-up conversations and sets the floor for rookie contract negotiations.
Fox Sports” projection that Manning will be a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft adds another layer to this analysis. Teams picking in the top ten in 2027 are already doing their quarterback scouting, and Manning”s name is going to be at the center of those draft strategy conversations for the next 12 months. The 2026 offseason is, in a real sense, the beginning of the Manning pre-draft cycle.
For the 2026 class that actually exists, the offensive tackle market stands out. Fox Sports treats the top blocker in this year”s real draft as a consensus value pick — the kind of prospect a team like Kansas City takes without hesitation when available. Offensive line depth chart decisions made this spring will echo through rosters for the next four to five seasons, and the teams that nail those picks in late April will have a structural advantage in the trenches well into the next decade.
Marcus Cole is a former college quarterback who has spent over 12 years covering the NFL as a sportswriter. After playing four seasons at the collegiate level, he transitioned to journalism and quickly earned a reputation for breaking down complex play designs in plain English. His work has been featured in regional sports publications across the South, and he has covered six Super Bowls from the press box. Marcus specializes in offensive scheme analysis, quarterback evaluations, and draft coverage.
