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. "At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he has aligned both on the perimeter and in the slot, showcasing sticky coverage skills, good instincts and even some blitzing ability. He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 by picking off three passes and allowing just 13 catches all season."
Duke head coach Manny Diaz kept a huge piece this offseason by returning the Texas native, as Rivers was viewed as a possible day-two pick had he elected for the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, he decided to return to Durham and is viewed as one of the top secondary players in the nation heading into the 2025 college football season.
ESPN ranked Rivers as the seventh-best returning defensive back in all of college football, and the Blue Devil has already earned several preseason accolades before his senior year has even begun. ESPN selected the corner as a Second Team Preseason All-American, and Rivers was also selected to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, an award given annually to the best defensive player in college football.
Rivers will be one of the leaders for this Blue Devil defense that is looking to repeat its success from 2024, as Duke had one of the top units not only in the ACC, but in the entire nation. Last season, Diaz's squad finished second in the nation in tackles for loss (116), fourth in the nation in sacks (43), and 26th nationally in third-down conversion percentage (33.8).
This isn't the only 2026 mock that has Rivers slotted high, as CBS Sports has the elite corner near the top ten overall selections in one of their mock drafts.