2026 NFL Redraft After Week 8: Arvell Reese Takes Over No. 1

There's a new name at the top of the live 2026 NFL redraft. After eight weeks, Arvell Reese has moved past David Bailey and into the No. 1 slot, which means the Raiders would take the Giants' linebacker if the whole draft started over today.

The board now leans heavily on what these rookies have actually done. Performance carries a weight of 0.8 in the score, so draft position still counts, but only as a tiebreaker-sized nudge. That's how a fifth-round safety sits 12th and the first overall pick sits 28th.

The new top 10

Six of the top 10 were not top-10 picks, and four of them weren't even first-rounders. Counting Bailey, linebackers hold six of the 10 spots.

Reese edges Bailey for the top spot

The margin is thin: Reese scores 91.8, Bailey 90.1. What separates them is availability. Reese has played 99.3% of New York's defensive snaps across seven games, with 55 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception and 4 pass breakups. His performance number of 97 is the best on the board.

Bailey is still the most disruptive rookie in the class. His 5.5 sacks, 7 TFL and 3 forced fumbles lead the top 10, but he's on the field for 71.4% of the Jets' snaps, and that gap in playing time is what let Reese slip past. The Jets would happily take him second at their own pick.

Sonny Styles holds at No. 3 with 52 tackles, a sack, an interception, 4 pass breakups and a forced fumble on 92.9% of Washington's snaps. Two Ohio State linebackers in the top three, and both outplaying their draft slots by four spots.

The safeties are coming

Keep an eye on Dillon Thieneman. Chicago took him 25th. He hasn't missed a snap, 100% across seven games, and he's stacked 46 tackles, 1.5 sacks, an interception and 5 pass breakups. He climbs two spots to No. 4, a 21-spot gain on his draft slot, and Tennessee would grab him there.

Caleb Downs moves up one to No. 6 for Kansas City. Dallas' 11th pick has 52 tackles, a sack and 2 forced fumbles in eight games on 93.4% of the snaps.

Then there's Michael Taaffe, who slipped one spot to No. 12 but remains one of the stories of the year. Miami drafted him 158th. He has 38 tackles, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble on 94.2% of the snaps, good for a performance score of 92.8. Redrafted, he goes 146 spots higher than he did in April, and the Dolphins would get to take him again at their own slot.

Day 2 linebackers keep crashing the party

Jacob Rodriguez stays at No. 5. The 43rd pick has 68 tackles, 3 TFL, an interception and a forced fumble while playing 99.8% of Miami's snaps. His performance score of 95.1 is second only to Reese's.

Anthony Hill ticks up to No. 8. Tennessee's 60th pick leads the entire top 30 with 82 tackles in eight games on 99.5% of the snaps, a 52-spot climb on his draft slot.

Josiah Trotter also moves up one, to No. 9. Tampa Bay's 46th pick has 67 tackles, a sack, an interception, 3 pass breakups and a defensive touchdown.

Cisse cracks the top 10

The biggest riser inside the top 10 is Brandon Cisse, up four spots to No. 10. Green Bay's 52nd pick has 8 pass breakups, 1.5 sacks, 2 TFL and an interception across eight games on 90.7% of the snaps. That makes him the top corner on the board, ahead of Mansoor Delane, who slides three spots to No. 11 after playing 60.8% of the snaps in five games.

Who slipped

Carnell Tate took the biggest hit in the top 10, down three spots to No. 7. He's still the top receiver on the board with 34 catches for 413 yards and a touchdown, but he's played 69.1% of Tennessee's snaps. Denzel Boston (No. 13) is right behind him with 409 yards and 3 touchdowns on 26 catches.

Outside the top 30, Kadyn Proctor tied for the roughest week on the board, falling 21 spots to No. 39. Miami's 12th pick has 358 offensive snaps, 84.6% of the total, in six games. Olaivavega Ioane dropped 14 spots to No. 46.

And the No. 1 pick? Fernando Mendoza has appeared in one game, going 6 of 8 for 48 yards on 1.8% of the snaps. He sits at No. 28, held up almost entirely by his draft prior. One week of starter snaps would change that in a hurry.

Deep-cut risers to watch

Harold Perkins was the 215th pick and now sits at No. 47 after jumping seven more spots. He has 38 tackles and 1.5 sacks for Atlanta. Hezekiah Masses, taken 175th by the Raiders, has 3 interceptions and 7 pass breakups and sits at No. 22, the biggest gain on his draft slot in the top 30.

Watch the live 2026 NFL redraft →