The Utah Utes have a chance to make history in the 2026 NFL Draft, with offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu both trending toward becoming first-round picks. As the consensus No. 1 tackle of the class and a projected top-10 pick, Fano is the coveted prospect with more options on the table in the coming months.
Fano was a projected top-10 pick before the 2025 season and backed up the expectations with a stellar junior season in Salt Lake City. The Provo, Utah, native allowed just five pressures and zero sacks all season, proving to be the best pass-blocking tackle in the country. He ended the year as the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, Outland Trophy award winner and a unanimous All-American.
With an ideal frame, elite athleticism and strength, Fano checks all the boxes scouts seek in an ideal tackle prospect. He might not be the first tackle taken off the board, with Miami's Francis Mauigoa in lockstep with him ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, but Fano will likely be gone before the Cincinnati Bengals make their pick at No. 10.
The pre-draft process is almost irrelevant for Fano, who would likely have been a first-round pick if he were eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft. Fernando Mendoza will go No. 1, but Fano might be the best overall prospect of the class.
4. Detroit Lions
The Lions do not pick until No. 17, which is well out of Fano's range. However, general manager Brad Holmes has shown a willingness to be aggressive on draft night. Detroit has traded up for Brian Branch, Jameson Williams and Isaac TeSlaa in recent years.
The Lions currently have bigger needs to address in the draft, but they are one move away from being one of the most tackle-needy teams in the league. Star right tackle Taylor Decker is rumored to be contemplating retirement, which would leave Detroit with a massive hole to fill up front.
Even if he does not retire, the Lions, who currently have the fifth-worst cap situation in the league, could choose to release the 32-year-old Decker, which would save nearly $18 million in cap space. The potential absence of Decker could be enough to convince Holmes to aggressively pursue Fano, particularly given his successful history of trading up in the draft.
3. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals could go in multiple directions at No. 3, especially with the Kyler Murray era seemingly on its final legs. But regardless of who lines up under center for Mike LaFleur in 2026, the team desperately needs to upgrade its tackles in the offseason, which it can do in the NFL Draft.
The Cardinals have left tackle Paris Johnson returning, but starting right tackle Jonah Williams is a free agent. Even if they retain both, neither was satisfactory in 2025, allowing a combined 56 pressures and nine sacks. Kelvin Beachum, who started 11 games due to injuries to Johnson and Williams, allowed a team-high 48 pressures and five sacks.
Offensive tackle will be among the Cardinals' top priorities in free agency, where they have $39 million in cap space to use, per Over the Cap. The team has the flexibility to make a big-time signing, but they have numerous roster holes to
Depending on what happens with Murray, the Cardinals could be eyeing a quarterback at No. 3. But they could certainly do worse than ending Day One of the 2026 NFL Draft with a new franchise tackle in Spencer Fano on their roster.
2. New York Giants
For the first time in what feels like a century, the New York Giants had two solid tackles in 2025. While Andrew Thomas continues to be one of the best left tackles in the league, Jermaine Eluemunor proved to be one of the team's most underrated players on the other side, giving it a potential tandem for years to come.
The only problem with that is Eluemunor's impending free agency status. At 31, the Giants are unlikely to give him a long-term deal, but his improvement with the Big Blue could convince other teams to offer him a pay raise. If that is the case, New York could be looking for a new starting right tackle in the 2026 NFL Draft.
While Marcus Mbow showed flashes in his rookie season, Spencer Fano might be too enticing for Joe Schoen to turn down at No. 5. As much as fans have been pushing for Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson, the Giants need a sturdy offensive line for Jaxson Dart, and a Thomas-Fano tandem would give them that on paper.
The Giants thought they had the right answer when they took Evan Neal with the No. 7 pick in 2022, two years after selecting Thomas. Fano could be everything they had hoped Neal would be and the ideal player to add to their young offensive foundation.
1. Cleveland Browns
No team is in a worse offensive line predicament in the 2026 offseason than the Cleveland Browns, who could potentially lose all five starters in the next two months. Whether the new regime's plan is to build around Shedeur Sanders or find yet another quarterback, nothing will work without addressing the offensive line.
Without much cap space to fully resolve the issue in free agency, the Browns will almost certainly target an offensive tackle with the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Spencer Fano is one of the only names that make sense in that range, as long as he is still on the board by then.
The Browns have multiple offensive roster holes to fill ahead of Todd Monken's first year at the helm, but Fano has to be atop their NFL Draft board. The team cannot afford to deploy Sanders, who was already one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in 2025, behind a subpar offensive line. Cleveland has to be targeting either Fano or Francis Mauigoa at No. 6.
Depending on how desperate it feels, Cleveland could also trade up a few spots to guarantee it leaves Pittsburgh with Fano on its roster.
