AP Mock Draft 1.0: Edge rushers go 2-3-4 after Raiders take QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall

Fernando Mendoza won a Heisman Trophy, led Indiana to its first national championship and will be the No. 1 overall pick when the Las Vegas Raiders are on the clock next month.

The rest of the NFL draft isn’t that clear-cut. It’s not even a certainty another quarterback will be selected in the first round after Mendoza, though Ty Simpson made a strong case at the scouting combine.

Here’s the first edition of the AP’s 2026 mock draft in order of picks without any projected trades:

Mendoza is a precise pocket passer with prototypical size, poise and maturity. The Raiders have some playmakers — Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty — but must build around Mendoza and protect him. Mendoza should benefit from having part-owner Tom Brady around for advice. The Raiders haven't won a playoff game since losing the Super Bowl following the 2002 season and have only reached the postseason twice in that span. They need Mendoza to be a franchise QB.

Reese is a freak athlete — he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash — who played off-ball linebacker and standup edge. He has the talent to be an elite edge rusher and the Jets need a can’t-miss prospect.

Bailey is mocked as high as No. 2 on many draft boards. He’s another immensely athletic edge with elite upside. If the Cardinals don’t trade down to add more draft capital, he’s an ideal fit.

Bain is a versatile rusher who can line up on the edge or inside against guards, creating mismatches. He’ll be a huge asset for new coach Robert Saleh.

Protecting Jaxson Dart is a priority for the Giants. Mauigoa is a three-year starter at right tackle who would instantly upgrade New York’s offensive line.

Proctor started at left tackle as a true freshman and allowed just two sacks in his three seasons. The Browns need to overhaul their offensive line and Proctor is a great start. He has great size — 6-foot-7, 352 pounds — and plenty of athleticism. Proctor even had five runs for 16 yards.

Styles’ impressive combine performance helped him soar into the top five on many draft boards. The Commanders have needs on offense but can’t pass up a gifted defensive player like Styles.

Tate has been compared to Chris Olave and would end up playing with him. He’s a consistent route runner with excellent hands and enough speed to be a top playmaker.

The Chiefs need to help Patrick Mahomes with better blocking and more receivers. Love immediately takes pressure off Mahomes and the passing game, giving the offense a playmaker who can go the distance every touch.

Delane is the best cover corner in the draft. He’ll provide a significant boost for a defense that has struggled.

McCoy is a consistent player with outstanding ball skills. The Dolphins could look at a receiver to replace Tyreek Hill but new coach Jeff Hafley is a former defensive coordinator and McCoy is a player who can anchor the secondary.

Scouts rave about Faulk’s leadership and he has obvious talent. An ideal fit for the Cowboys, who are trying to replace Micah Parsons’ production.

Downs is an elite, versatile playmaker who only slips this far because of knee concerns that cropped up at the combine. Adding Downs after acquiring All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie solidifies the Rams’ secondary.

Ioane fills a big need for the Ravens and fits their run-blocking scheme nicely.

Allen is one of the most versatile linebackers in the draft and can take over as the defensive play-caller if Lavonte David retires.

The Jets bolster the other side of the trenches with their second pick in the first half of the first round. Freeling has elite athleticism and just needs more experience.

Fano could be long gone by the time the Lions pick due to his natural talent. He slips because short arms have become a big topic since the Super Bowl.

Thieneman had an impressive combine, running a 4.36 40-yard dash that was faster than some of the NFL’s best receivers. A three-year starter, he’ll step right into Brian Flores’ defense.

Mesidor is an older prospect at age 25 but his talent is clear on video. He’ll generate pressure from the outside and is solid against the run.

An athletic cornerback who immediately gives Dallas and new defensive coordinator Christian Parker an impact starter.

Simpson could finally be Pittsburgh’s long-term answer at quarterback with a chance to develop under coach Mike McCarthy.

He’s the best tight end in the draft. Could quickly become Justin Herbert’s favorite target.

The Eagles often take offensive or defensive linemen in the first round and have a need. Lomu is an eventual successor to Lane Johnson at right tackle.

Banks will need more seasoning after playing in just three games last year due to injury but his raw talent is off the charts.

McDonald is another Buckeyes player going in the first round. He’s a natural run defender who’ll clog the middle of the line.

Boston is strong, fast and has elite ball skills. He gives Josh Allen a target he needs.

The 49ers also need an offensive tackle but they’re going to have to rebuild their receiver corps. Fields is a tough, physical wideout who is a red zone threat.

The Texans need to protect C.J. Stroud better. Iheanachor is an athletic former basketball player with ideal size who will need time to develop but projects as a potential starter right away.

Miller started 54 games in college and can step right in and play for the Chiefs, who need to bolster protection for Mahomes.

Lemon is an elite playmaker who’ll give Bo Nix another option and bolster the Broncos’ offense.

Young is a disruptive force who brings energy and leadership. Should fit well with coach Mike Vrabel.

The Super Bowl champions improve the league’s best defense by adding another defensive back from South Carolina after hitting the jackpot with Nick Emmanwori last year.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (34) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (32) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Texas Tech defensive lineman David Bailey (31) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese (20) gets ready to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (11) watches a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait shut down after retaliatory Iranian strikes on the country, becoming the second American diplomatic mission to fully halt work as the war in Iran escalates. Kuwait is also where six American soldiers were killed by an Iranian drone Sunday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he should have a role in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader, raising questions about whether Washington and Israel seek regime change or policy concessions as the conflict has appears increasingly open-ended.

Tehran has warned of the destruction of the Middle East’s military and economic infrastructure, and the war has rattled financial markets, with the Dow dropping 1,000 points as oil prices climb more.

The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries.

Here is the latest:

Israel on Thursday warned its citizens traveling abroad that the ongoing hostilities could make them targets of attacks or otherwise endanger them. The country’s Government Press Office said in a statement that “several attempts to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis have been thwarted and disrupted.”

It urged Israelis to conceal Jewish identifiers, avoid traveling through the United Arab Emirates, refrain from sharing personal information on social media and remain vigilant or avoid visiting Jewish sites.

The warning cited recent violence in Canada and Texas, where authorities are investigating whether motive of a gunman who opened fire at a bar in Austin was Iran-related.

Iran has in the past staged “ asymmetric attacks ” targeting Jews and Israelis, including in Europe and South America, and such responses were feared before the war broke out.

Israel’s top general on Thursday said the country’s military had degraded most of Iran’s air defenses and specifically hit sites used to launch missiles toward Israel.

Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the army’s chief of the General Staff, said Israel’s air force had destroyed 80% of Iran’s air defenses and 60% of its missile launchers but noted “the threat has not yet been removed. Every missile is lethal and poses a danger.”

“We are now moving to the next phase of the operation. In this phase, we will further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities. We have additional surprises ahead that I do not intend to disclose,” Zamir said.

The closure will affect tens of thousands of Muslims who would normally come to pray at the mosque compound on Fridays during Ramadan.

All holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City — including Christianity’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Judaism’s Western Wall — would remain closed “to maintain public safety and protect people,” Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim of Israel’s Civil Administration said in a statement on Facebook.

Although the closures will affect worshippers of all faiths, changes to the “status quo” governing Palestinian access to the mosque and surrounding compound have been politically sensitive. The site is the third-holiest in Islam and the holiest in Judaism because it was the location of biblical temples.

Israel had implemented restrictions before war broke out with Iran, including capping the number of worshippers given permits to travel from the Israeli-occupied West Bank to Jerusalem.

It’s the second diplomatic mission to fully suspend operations since the start of the war with Iran.

“While there have been no reported injuries to U.S. personnel, the safety of Americans abroad remains the highest priority of the U.S. Department of State,” it said in a statement about the status of the embassy in Kuwait City.

Shortly before the announcement, the department said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called the Kuwaiti foreign minister to express condolences for the deaths of at least two Kuwaiti troops in Iranian retaliatory strikes.

Although numerous U.S. embassies and consulates in the Middle East have closed to the public since the war began, only the consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, had suspended operations.

As oil prices rise further because of the war with Iran, the Dow dropped 1,052 points, or 2.2%, the S&P 500 sank 1.4% coming off a frenetic start to the week, and the Nasdaq composite fell 1.3%.

Airlines and stocks of smaller U.S. companies tumbled to some of the sharpest losses. Oil prices rallied following the latest escalations in the war. Treasury yields also jumped with worries that higher inflation could keep the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates.

Still, the U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly following conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. That has many professional investors suggesting patience and riding through the market’s swings.

Authorities in the island Gulf kingdom have made several arrests since the war began, including people accused of documenting attacks or pro-Iran demonstrations in the Shiite-majority, Sunni-ruled country.

Bahrain’s interior ministry said the four men had posted videos online that misled the public, spread fear, and harmed security and public order. “This constitutes treason and a clear violation of the nation’s values and principles,” the statement read.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that any U.S. ground forces would be met with a robust and unsparing defense.

Iranians are “ready to disgrace those corrupt American officials by killing and capturing thousands,” he said in a post on X.

American officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have not said they intend to launch a ground invasion but have not ruled one out either.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy said Thursday that he has received a U.S. request for support to defend against Iranian drones in the Middle East.

Zelenskyy said he gave an order for equipment to be provided along with Ukrainian experts, but did not offer further details. He added in a social media post that, “Ukraine helps partners who help our security and the protection of our people’s lives.”

Missiles were shot toward Kuwait on Thursday evening, activating air defense systems, the army general chief of staff said in a statement.

The oil-rich country — home to the U.S.’s Ali al-Salem Air Base — has been among the countries hit by Iranian strikes, which have killed six American soldiers and two civilians.

Authorities in Sri Lanka were informed that one of the ship’s engines suffered a failure, the country’s president said Thursday.

The decision to take the crew ashore and the IRIS Bushehr to a Sri Lankan port comes a day after a U.S. submarine sank another Iranian warship off the island’s coast, said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He said his government held discussions with Iranian officials and the captain of the ship.

Sri Lankan officials say 87 bodies were recovered and 32 people rescued from the roughly 180 people believed to have been aboard to IRIS Dena sunk Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron is urging the Lebanese militant group to stop attacking Israel and warned Israel against a ground operation in Lebanon.

“Hezbollah must immediately cease its fire toward Israel. Israel must refrain from any ground intervention,” Macron wrote on X.

He said he spoke with Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese leaders in what is apparently the first diplomatic initiative to try to end the conflict in the tiny country.

The World Health Organization says the pause is due to insecurity, airspace closures and restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz. It’s looking into possible land-based alternatives.

Its eastern Mediterranean chief, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, said the disruption is preventing access to $18 million worth of humanitarian health supplies, while $8 million in shipments cannot reach the hub.

More than 50 emergency supply requests from 25 countries are affected, while $6 million in medicines for Gaza and $1.6 million in polio laboratory supplies are also held up, she said.

WHO has not received any formal requests from Iranian authorities for specific supplies because Iran’s system is “withstanding the current situation,” she said.

The hub last year fulfilled over 500 emergency orders for 75 countries worldwide.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday it is too soon for diplomacy, as calls grow to end the widening war with Iran.

Danny Danon told reporters Israel must first eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, regional proxies and naval threats.

“I think diplomacy will come into action — not yet, not yet,” Danon said. “We have to finish the job.”

He said Israel must continue “to hammer, to dismantle” Iran’s capabilities before turning to diplomacy, adding that he expects the war to last days or weeks, not months.

Danon also said the 2015 Iran nuclear deal failed and that new “effective mechanisms” are needed to prevent Iran from becoming a threat again.

Spain’s prime minister has drawn the U.S. president’s ire for refusing to let America use Spanish bases to support strikes on Iran.

On Tuesday, Trump threatened to cut off all trade with Spain. On Wednesday, Spain’s foreign minister rejected a White House claim that Spain will cooperate.

Sánchez has condemned Iran’s repression but calls the war unjustified and says Spain will not act out of fear.

The fight deepens a broader rivalry. The 54-year-old Sánchez has criticized Israel’s war in Gaza and resisted higher NATO spending while backing legal migration.

▶ Read more about one of Europe’s most prominent left-leaning leaders

The alert did not specify the cause of Friday's anticipated demonstrations, but comes days after Pakistani demonstrators supportive of the Iranian government attempted to storm a U.S. consulate, leading to violent clashes in Karachi and elsewhere that left 22 people dead.

The embassy’s warning Thursday restricts the movement of its personnel nationwide.

Trump in an interview with the news outlet Axios said he wants to be involved in selecting Iran’s next leader and called Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son an “unacceptable” potential pick.

“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me,” Trump said of Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of the supreme leader killed on the first day of the war. Trump added, “We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.”

The president also derided him as “a lightweight.’

“I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy in Venezuela,” said Trump, referring to the acting president in the South American country, Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after Trump had the U.S. military capture Nicolás Maduro to face U.S. drug conspiracy charges.

Bahrain said the fire Thursday night was extinguished without injuries and the refinery was still working.

But it marked yet another Iranian strike targeting the region’s oil industry, the lifeblood of the Gulf Arab states.

Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain earlier Thursday, with residents urged to seek shelter, and mobile phones had alerted people in Dubai of possible missile fire from Iran. Authorities in the tiny Gulf nation said a facility in the oil refining and factory town of Maameer had suffered minor damage, with no casualties.

Bahrain’s defense ministry said its forces intercepted 75 Iranian ballistic missiles, destroying 65 while 10 fell inside its territory. It also reported intercepting 124 drones, downing 88 while 36 landed within the country.

And nearly all made their own way out, without government assistance, the State Department said.

The department said the first charter flight it arranged for private citizens who want to leave departed Wednesday, with several more expected Thursday. Officials did not say where they would depart, but the department asked Americans in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to fill out an online form for information.

Officials said they have responded to requests for information from more than 10,000 Americans in the region, but did not say how many want to leave. Americans seeking help were urged to contact an emergency task force at +1-202-501-4444.

A steady stream of Iranians were crossing the border into Turkey on Thursday after the frontier was closed for much of the day before. Most already had links to Turkey.

Elyar Akbari, a 22-year-old from Tabriz, Iran, is a student in Turkey’s western city of Izmir. He cut short a visit home, leaving his family behind.

“I don’t believe that Iranians will leave their country,” he said. “Only students or people who already work in Turkey will come for now.”

Kadir Ozel, 40, a Turkish citizen living in Tabriz, crossed to drop off his children, who will stay with their grandmother and uncle in Ankara.

“They were very scared. But I have to go back for work,” he said.

A woman who did not want to use her name out of security concerns, crossed to wait out the war with her son in Izmir. But her neighbors have no money, “so they stay home, and they are scared,” she said.

— By Serra Yedikardes

That's more than half of the roughly 44,000 flights scheduled to fly in and out of the Middle East between Saturday and Thursday, according to the latest numbers from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported about 2,050 flight cancellations worldwide as of around 11 a.m. ET Thursday, following more than 2,600 cancellations on Wednesday. Dubai International Airport, a major hub, continued to see the largest number of disruptions.

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has increased since Iran war erupted, a leading Israeli rights group said Thursday.

Yesh Din said it documented 50 instances of settler violence in 37 Palestinian communities throughout the West Bank from Saturday to Tuesday, including shootings, assaults and property damage. “Under the cover of the war, settler violence is escalating with the aim of forcing Palestinians out and taking over their land,” its statement said.

That includes Israeli settlers who shot and killed two Palestinian brothers in the West Bank village of Qaryout, injuring others. An ambulance couldn’t reach them because Israel has closed gates and checkpoints, citing security.

Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich warned Thursday Beirut's southern suburbs where Hezbollah has a strong presence will look like Khan Younis, a city in Gaza that Israel has decimated.

The Israeli military's evacuation notice Thursday called for all residents of the area to “save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” apparently signaling plans for heavy bombardment.

“You wanted to bring hell on us, we are bringing hell on you,” Smotrich, a hawkish conservative force in Netanyahu’s government who had opposed several ceasefires in Gaza, said as he toured towns on Israel’s border with Lebanon. “Dahiyeh will look like Khan Younis, and our citizens of the north will live in peace and quiet.”

Some disagreements are emerging from the confidential discussions over who will be Iran’s next supreme leader.

Rumors have long swirled around the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei succeeding his father, since he's close with the all-powerful Revolutionary Guards.

A member of parliament and firebrand cleric, Hamid Rasaee, wrote Thursday that the killed supreme leader’s son was “an outstanding seminarian” as well as a trusted adviser to his father and an “overseer of many of the country’s affairs.” He also called Khamenei an ayatollah, a rank he may not possess.

A reformist-aligned cleric, Rahmatollah Bigdeli, condemned what he called Rasaee’s “ignorance and bias.”

“The constitution does not specify a time limit for the validity of the interim leadership council, and questioning the validity of this council is tantamount to questioning the legitimacy of the decision-making bodies of the regime,” he replied on X.

A former minister also aligned with Iran’s reformists, Abbas Akhoundi, warned against “a diversionary and toxic debate” over the succession.

“The stench of the power struggle in wartime is nauseating,” Akhoundi wrote on X.

At least 102 people in Lebanon have been killed since the onset of the latest conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a statement. At least 638 others were wounded, the ministry said Thursday.

The latest conflict between the two sides was sparked by Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel early Sunday. Israel has been striking large swaths of the country in response.

As some airspace reopened, Emirates Airlines said Thursday that it was restoring a limited schedule of flights in and out of Dubai. The carrier said it would continue to monitor developments and urged customers not to go to the airport unless their flights were confirmed.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport continued a phased reopening. Tel Aviv-based El Al said that it started “proactively assigning” customers who are currently abroad to recovery flights back to Israel, but noted that its outbound flights were still not operating as of Thursday.

As the war entered its sixth day Thursday, an Iranian state-owned newspaper called Iran reported bombings at a police station and even a gym in Tehran, as residents shuttled to grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations to buy supplies and fill their tanks.

Tehran’s governor, Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian, urged citizens to avoid stockpiling necessities to keep markets calm. Authorities said they were equipping dozens of subway stations to serve as bomb shelters, as they did during the 12-day war last June.

Ongoing, widespread bombing forced authorities Thursday to cancel a planned tour for journalists of a damaged area of the capital.

Funerals for dead Iranian security officers were held around the country, including in Kerman, Isfahan and Tabriz. Hard-liners also gathered in town squares and intersections to mourn and express support for the theocracy while religious songs blared from their cars.

A billboard showing a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, looms over an empty square in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A truck carries an Israeli tank on a road in northern Israel, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

A man passes by a destroyed car and shop on a commercial street that was hit by Israeli airstrikes in Nabatiyeh town, south Lebanon, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Mourners reach out to coffins during a funeral for people killed during the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Qom, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (Seyyed Mehdi Alavi/ISNA via AP)

A billboard shows a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes, and the words in Farsi: "His God is alive," in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Plumes of smoke rise as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Healthcare workers unload from a vehicle the bodies of Iranian sailors who died when their IRIS Dena warship sank outside Sri Lanka's territorial waters, in Galle, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Tracer rounds light the sky as people fire live rounds into the air during a televised speech by Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)