Mock Draft Roundup: Where Louisville's Top 2026 NFL Prospects are Projected to Land

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2026 NFL Draft is nearly here. Highlighted by wide receivers Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy plus defensive tackle Rene Konga, 22 Cardinals are hoping to hear their name called on draft night.

With the three-day draft less than a week away, as it's scheduled to begin on Thursday, Apr. 23 at 8:00 p.m. EST, mock draft season is reaching its crescendo. Many of Louisville's top NFL prospects have found themselves on a wide variety of these big boards and mock drafts alike.

With outlets beginning to publish some of their final mocks of the draft season, where are they being projected to go? Take a look below:

ESPN

When you think of NFL mock drafts (and the NFL Draft in general), the first person that usually comes to mind for most people is Mel Kiper Jr. However, in his most recent two-round mock draft, he did not select any Louisville players. That being said, in an exercise last month where he, Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates played GM and drafted the top 100 picks, Kiper selected Bell in the third round with the No. 73 overall pick held by the New Orleans Saints.

As far as other ESPN pundits go, Yates picked Bell with the Los Angeles Rams' second round pick at No. 61 overall in his two-round mock. Miller's mock draft consisted of all seven round, and he had Bell going No. 66 overall to the Tennessee Titans in the third round, and Lacy towards the tail end of the seventh round at No. 254 overall to the Indianapolis Colts.

CBS Sports

As expected, the folks over at CBS Sports have been churning out a lot of mock drafts in the lead up to the real things. In his three-round draft, Mike Renner has Bell going in the second round to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 53 overall pick. As for Justin Wilson's all-encompassing seven-round mock, he has Bell falling to the early goings of the third round, coming off the board at No. 67 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Athletic

Between his annual 'The Beast' draft guide and his full seven-round mock draft, Dane Brugler always provides a wealth of knowledge when draft season rolls around. He very high on Bell, projecting the Miami Dolphins to select him with the No. 43 overall pick in the second round. He's also the first analyst on this list to have Konga come off the board, with the Dallas Cowboys picking him early in the seventh round with the 218th pick.

NFL Network

Who better to read a mock draft from than by someone who works for the actual NFL? Chad Reuter recently published his own seven-round mock, and he's the first analyst to have all three of Louisville's top prospects get drafted. He's also the second pundit to project Bell getting selected with the Raiders' third round pick at No. 67 overall. Reuter is fairly high on Konga, slotting him in the fifth round to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 163 overall. Additionally, he's the first to not have Lacy as a seventh round pick, putting him at No. 213 in the sixth round to the Detroit Lions.

Sporting News

In Vinnie Iyer's seven-round mock for the Sporting News, he only has one Louisville coming off the board - but it's the Cardinals' closest to having a first round pick. He has Bell barely missing day one of the draft, but still going to the Raiders with their No. 36 overall pick.

Pro Football Network

Over at Pro Football Network, they are very high on both Bell and Konga in their seven-round mock. Here, Bell is heading to the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round at No. 44 overall, and they're the highest on Konga, with him going in the fourth round at 120th overall to the Green Bay Packers.

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