ESPN insider Field Yates released his latest 2026 NFL mock draft, and Duke football rising senior cornerback Chandler Rivers is slotted as a first-round pick. Yates predicts Rivers to go 26th overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.
In this mock, Rivers is the third cornerback taken off the board and the second out of the ACC. The only corners slotted ahead of the Duke senior are Clemson's Avieon Terrell (15th overall to the Miami Dolphins) and Tennessee's Jermod McCoy (17th overall to the Chicago Bears).
"One of my favorite players to study in the early part of the 2026 draft process is Rivers, a versatile corner with excellent ball skills," Yates said in his analysis of Rivers.