Sam’s NFL Draft 2026 Team Grades
My Top 3 Draft Winners:
1st Place: Ravens — A+
2nd Place: Jets — A+
3rd Place: Raiders — A+
AFC East
- Buffalo Bills: B-
I like the Round 5 pick of Jalon Kilgore at Safety, but the Bills didn’t do much for Josh Allen’s offensive attack in regard to Wide Receiver. A slot receiver is great, but that offense has yet to be built with a superstar at wideout. Give Allen weapons or he will go ringless. Solid defensive picks across the rounds for Buffalo.
- Miami Dolphins: A
Miami is all of a sudden collecting linebackers like infinity stones. Kyle Louis and Jacob Rodriguez are great additions to this defensive unit. Overall a very solid draft. They may not have procured a Jayeln Waddle replacement, but they did grab 3 receivers. The odds of one panning out to be good are high.
- New England Patriots: C+
No wide receiver picks for Drake Maye? Odd. My favorite grab by the Patriots would have to be the Notre Dame TE, Eli Raridon. He’s an absolute unit. Jam Miller out of Alabama is interesting. He is a monster when healthy, but it seems like the injury bug has already bitten him a time or two already on the college stage of his career. If healthy, Miller will be a Round 7 steal.
- New York Jets: A+
This team surprised me with several great grabs during the draft. While I am not very high on Cade Klubnik, I understand the need for depth in their situation. Overall, they acquired some heavy hitters that should help move the needle. Unfortunately for them, their starting QB is Geno Smith.
AFC North
- Baltimore Ravens: A+
The Ravens kicked off Rounds 1–3 of the draft with Olaivavega Ioane, Zion Young and Ja’Kobi Lane. Talk about some heat! My favorite pick they had in the draft has to be the TE out of Alabama, Josh Cuevas. Great draft from the now-Harbaughless Baltimore team.
- Cincinnati Bengals: B-
Solid starter grabs with Tacario Davis and Conner Lew. Not flashy. Not trashy. Just a lot of functional talent that could make impacts intermittently.
- Cleveland Browns: A-
Despite another QB being added to the locker room, the Browns drafted very well this year. Back-to-back wide receivers that will potentially make day one impacts. Take away the Taylen Green pick and this draft might be pure cinema. My favorite grab would be Denzel Boston from Washington. He has size and will win the contested catch on day one.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: A-
I really like this team’s draft (and I absolutely hate that I do). Again, another team almost crafts perfection, but why in the world would you draft Drew Allar? I love the pick of Eli Heidenreich in the 7th. I’m glad a team is taking a chance on him.
AFC South
- Houston Texans: C+
Houston drafted a solid mix of offensive and defensive help. I really like the late pick of Kamari Ramsey from USC. Other than Rutledge and McDonald, Houston didn’t bring much notable talent onto the team.
- Indianapolis Colts: B-
Allen, Farmer and Curry make for some great talent additions. Not the Best Picture winner, but still a solid showing from the Indianapolis admin team. As a Titans fan, I hate that we’ll be crossing paths with CJ Allen twice a year.
- Jacksonville Jaguars: D
A 3–4th Round TE in the 2nd Round was an interesting choice. Other than Emmanuel Pregnon, most of these guys the Jaguars drafted were nowhere near my draft lists. I understand that teams have to play the hands they are dealt, but after the season Jacksonville had, they need to be worried. Releasing your RB1 and then having a weak draft like this is not a good sign.
- Tennessee Titans: B+
Every ounce of my being wants to give the Titans an A+++ on this draft. I am going to remain as objective as possible and stick to my notes. Carnell Tate going to the Titans was a huge weapon upgrade for Cam Ward. I hadn’t watched film on Nicholas Singleton until now, but I am a big fan. Coogan was a steal late in the draft. I do feel like the Titans missed out on some higher level offensive linemen and maybe some secondary early on, but the picks they made still look to be strong candidates. Borgonzi cooked here.
AFC West
- Denver Broncos: B
For the Broncos to have late draft picks, they managed to walk away with some solid talent. Kage Casey dropping to Round #4 was an absolute gift.
- Kansas City Chiefs: C+
Delane and Johnson were two solid grabs in this draft. After a season filled with injuries on the offensive line across the league, the Chiefs decided to not grab any depth to help protect Mahomes. I hope the Chiefs make a ton of signings in UDFA to help protect the reason they win games. Nussmeier could prove to be great in a few years. I want to see him succeed after falling that far in this draft.
- Las Vegas Raiders: A+
Tom Brady is 100% behind this draft with the Raiders organization. Mendoza will surely succeed in the league once he has some time to learn and develop behind Kirk Cousins. Mike Washington Jr. getting picked in Round 4 was my favorite grab by them in this draft. The Raiders made several great picks to help out their team and are my #3 Overall best draft this year.
- Los Angeles Chargers: B+
If there was one theme that came out of this draft for the Chargers it’s most definitely “Protect Herbert”. The Chargers allotted 50% of their draft picks to offensive line help and brought in some dawgs in the process. Logan Taylor was a great grab in Round 6 of this draft.
NFC East
- Dallas Cowboys: B
Caleb Downs is the star of the Cowboys’ draft. He’ll be a day one starter and make an immediate impact. I know the Cowboys had a dreadful defense last season, but drafting 3 EDGE rushers seemed like a bit much to me. Getting those players cheap helps balance that out though I guess. LT Overton in Round 4 was a steal.
- New York Giants: A-
What the Giants draft lacks in overall flash, they make up for with efficiency. Colton Hood in Round 2 paired with the Round 6 grab of Jack Kelly added some ammunition to the Giants defense. It’ll be interesting to see how Harbaugh impacts this team’s development for the remainder in the offseason.
- Philadelphia Eagles: B+
The Eagles made some solid pickups in this draft. Another high level receiver, a top tight end prospect and even some depth for the secondary with Cole Wisniewski. Scratching my head over the North Dakota State pick at Quarterback.
- Washington Commanders: B-
The Commanders had a limited number of early round picks that they used efficiently. Since there was such a large group of EDGE players in this draft I’m not familiar with everything Joseph brings to the table. He could wind up being a steal in Round 5. The state of the Commander running back room makes the Penn State pick valid as well as the late QB selection. I do think the Commanders missed out on Nussmeier and Daniels’ chemistry they could’ve developed in the locker room. Yes, they would be competing, but there’s already a relationship there and Nussmeier would’ve been a chance I would take late in this draft.
NFC North
- Chicago Bears: B- (fringe C)
This draft wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t a complete waste. The Bears made some confusing grabs, but I love the addition of Logan Jones at Center. My main question for the Bears would be, “why are you drafting a TE and Wide Receiver in Round 3 of this draft?” You just extended Kmet and have Loveland. Why are you reaching for another TE here? Yes, you lost D.J. Moore, but a WR in the 3rd? Also, with the 25th overall pick in round 1, why are you not grabbing a better Safety? Nothing against Theineman, but McNeill-Warren from Toledo was on the board. I can’t give this draft a B, but consider the grade the highest level C you can get. The Bears did grab some solid depth in rounds 4–5. Elliot out of Arizona State will be a certified baller. If anyone can make something out of this draft, it’s Ben Johnson.
- Detroit Lions: C
Miller and Moore were the key components selected by the Lions in this draft. I don’t hate the addition of Kendrick Law, but I’m surprised the Lions didn’t target a young RB to fill Montgomery’s slot on the depth chart. This was a middle-of-the-road draft that didn’t seem to include much risk.
- Green Bay Packers: A-
Green Bay seemed to start off slow in this draft but turned Rounds 4–6 into a goldmine. They definitely had the best 2nd half of the draft in the entire league. I cannot believe that Dani Dennis-Sutton wasn’t drafted until Round 4. Burton and Jackson rounded off this draft to keep the Packers’ picks efficient and exciting at the same time.
- Minnesota Vikings: C-
The Vikings had an extremely vanilla draft. The picks I liked the most were Golday out of Cincinnati and Thomas in the 3rd round. This draft wasn’t a failure, but not much excitement there in Minnesota.
NFC South
- Atlanta Falcons: B-
Harold Perkins Jr. was a great pick in the 6th round of this draft. I really like the addition of Branch for the Falcon’s slot position. The Falcons’ only had 6 total selections in this draft and used 67% of those picks to grab defensive help. I don’t see any highly questionable picks from Atlanta. Curious to see if they add offensive players in UDFA.
- Carolina Panthers: B
Call me biased, but I love the pick of Monroe Freeling at #19. He’s a day one starter with a ton of developmental upside. While I don’t know exactly why, Chris Brazzell fell to the 3rd round and the Panthers pounced at the opportunity.
- New Orleans Saints: A
The Saints had a very solid draft. Their first 4 picks out of the gate of Tyson, Miller, Delp and Wright were all great additions. I can’t speak on Bryce Lance, but I loved their later picks of Styles Jr. and Hall from Iowa. The Saints might have been the most efficient for the entirety of the draft. Solid showing on draft day.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
Bain and Ted Hurst were my top grabs by Tampa in this draft. The rest of the players I’m familiar with should prove to be solid depth pieces. Not a ton of flash in the draft, but solid grabs overall.
NFC West
- Arizona Cardinals: B-
The Cardinals drafted the best overall skill player in this draft in Jeremiyah Love along with some offensive line help. Carson Beck will be on the roster behind Brissett, but don’t expect him to start anytime soon. Beck is a solid choice for this QB class and could help Arizona in the long term. Love’s overall ability bumps this draft from a C to B- overall.
- Los Angeles Rams: D
Taking Ty Simpson in this draft — fine. Taking Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick — NO. The Rams made some moves in this draft that didn’t seem to be supported by their Head Coach. Having limited draft picks, the Rams looked like they threw a handful of darts at their prospect board. The TE from OSU was a solid grab, but drafting a QB in round 1 is a slap in the face to your MVP from last season. Sure, Stafford’s remaining seasons are limited, but this was just the wrong move.
- San Francisco 49ers: C-
Even with 8 picks in this draft, it still seemed as though the 49ers were asleep at the wheel. I do like Height at EDGE and Prysock late in the draft, but overall a lackluster draft in the books for San Francisco.
- Seattle Seahawks: B-
The defending Super Bowl champs brought in Jadarian Price after letting their Super Bowl MVP go in a trade to KC. They grabbed some talent at Safety in Bud Clark and Guard with Beau Stephens. Overall a solid draft class as a whole.
My Top 3 Draft Losers:
- 1st Place: Jacksonville Jaguars > D
- 2nd Place: Los Angeles Rams > D
- 3rd Place: San Francisco 49ers > C-
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