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Ranking the Five Most Unique Suit Jackets From the 2026 NFL Draft Red Carpet

The draft prospects did not disappoint on the red carpet this year.
Madison Williams|
NFL draft prospects love to show up to the red carpet in unique fits.
NFL draft prospects love to show up to the red carpet in unique fits. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Tennessee VolunteersMiami (FL) HurricanesOhio State BuckeyesNotre Dame Fighting Irish

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The NFL draft is almost underway as college stars will soon find out where their professional careers will begin. On arguably the biggest night of their lives thus far, the draft prospects of course want to show out with their outfits—and, this year’s players didn’t disappoint.

The annual NFL draft red carpet is fun to watch as a football fan to see what kind of style the players sport off the field. The players sometimes find unique ways to celebrate their career or their families with special designs on their fits, oftentimes with special lining in their suit jackets.

Ahead of tonight’s draft, I’ll be ranking the five best and most unique suit jacket linings I saw.

5. Colton Hood, Tennessee cornerback

While most football players include photos from their own careers in the lining of their suit jackets, Hood decided to change it up a bit for his jacket. The lining was donned with photos of the cornerback’s friends and family—how sweet.

Hood and his parents matched in a royal blue color on the carpet.

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4. Francis Mauigoa, Miami offensive tackle

The offensive tackle wanted to pay homage to his Samoan heritage with his draft fit. The back of his suit jacket was a work of art—literally. The suit appeared to be a hand-painted landscape of the Samoan Islands. Absolutely stunning.

3. Arvell Reese, Ohio State edge rusher

One of Thursday night’s top projected picks partnered with an iconic brand, Reese’s, when creating his draft suit. The two sides of the jacket include images of candy’s logo and products, while the back lining shows off photos from Reese’s career. Coincidentally, Reese’s happen to be his favorite candy.

“I think the suit matches me. I think it matches me perfectly,” Reese told Men’s Journal. “I collaborated with Reese’s, but the suit is still me at the end of the day. I’m excited to showcase it.”

2. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame running back

Love is one of the biggest names in the 2026 draft, and his fit didn’t disappoint. The running back partnered with Sharpie recently to establish his own comic book character called the “Jeremonstar.” One side of his suit jacket lining included an illustration of his character. Love spoke on the red carpet about how special this jacket is to him.

“The highlight of this whole suit is this interior lining here of the Jeremonstar x Sharpie,” Love said. “Sharpie helped bring to life my comic Jeremonstar, which means a lot to me because I love comics. Outside of football, that’s pretty much all I do is read or watch anime, read manga and read comics as well.”

On the other side of his jacket, the lining included a multitude of photos of Love playing at Notre Dame.

1. Caleb Downs, Ohio State safety

The best-dressed award of the night goes to Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. He walked the red carpet with his parents, and the three of them opened up their suit jackets to showcase incredible details. Their suit lining included dozens of pictures of Downs throughout his career and photos of him with his family. This was such a touching moment to see the draft prospect be celebrated with his parents by his side.

Downs’s suit was a deep purple color, which looked great. His mom wore a plaid suit with purple designs and a purple tie. His dad wore a black suit with a purple striped shirt. They were coordinated in more ways than one.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University.

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