ESPN released its early first-round mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, and Duke football star rising senior cornerback Chandler Rivers was shockingly left out of the mix. Rivers is entering his fourth season in Durham, widely regarded as one of the top secondary players in college football, but isn't seen on first-round draft boards according to ESPN.
In a CBS Sports 2026 NFL mock draft made in June, Rivers was slotted as the 11th overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams.
ESPN had four cornerbacks taken in this first-round mock, but none of them were Rivers. Matt Miller has Tennessee's Jermod McCoy heading to the Miami Dolphins with the 15th overall pick, Clemson's Avieon Terrell to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 24th overall pick, Penn State's AJ Harris to the Washington Commanders with the 25th overall pick, and Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds to the Baltimore Ravens with the 28th overall pick.
The Duke football program didn't have any selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, although several former Blue Devils inked contracts as undrafted free agents. Rivers headlines the draft for Duke in 2026, even though he isn't seen as a perennial first-round guy just yet.
Earlier in the year, ESPN ranked Rivers as the 7th-best defensive back in college football heading into the 2025 campaign, and there's a real chance that he could be the best secondary piece in the nation as a senior.
In 2024, Rivers totaled 54 tackles, eight pass deflections, a sack, two forced fumbles, and three interceptions. The Beaumont, Texas native finished the season tied for the team lead in both pass deflections and forced fumbles while also finishing second on the squad in interceptions. He also gave up just 13 completions all season and allowed the third-lowest completion percentage in all of college football.
Rivers will be the catalyst of a Duke defense poised to be one of the best units in college football once again in 2025. Last season, Manny Diaz's club finished second in the nation in tackles for loss with 116 and fourth in sacks with 43. Bringing back Rivers along with a few other key pieces from last season's defense, the Blue Devils have the potential to boast the best defense in the ACC.