Ranking Every NFL Team's Draft Class
- Zak Drapeau
- 2 hours ago
- 13 min read
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 4/27/2026
1. New York Jets
The Jets and the Giants had the best classes of all to me but I think the Jets just topped their cross-town rivals. With 4 picks in the Top-50, the Jets hit home runs with all of them including filling the 3 biggest needs of the team.
David Bailey will be a force on the Edge for years to come. D'Angelo Ponds is a feisty leader on the outside or at slot corner. Then you get two dynamic playmakers on offense in Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper to throw to.
Getting Darrel Jackson in the 4th could be a future D-lineman for you and even Cade Klubnik has some potential as your QB behind Geno.
2. New York Giants
Having two Top-10 picks and getting two elite prospects with them is a great way to land one of the best draft classes. Arvell Reese is a Linebacker/Edge hybrid who will be used in both while they still have Brian Burns and Abdul Carter. Francis Mauigoa is a premier lineman in this class the Giants have already said will start at Guard but can move out to RT whenever they move on from Eluemenor.
With Day 2 picks of Colton Hood and Malachi Fields and Tackle J.C. Davis also being added, the Giants hit on some great prospects while covering their biggest needs as well.
3. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles did it again and traded up for a premier, falling talent like Makai Lemon who should be an instant weapon for them. The Eagles would also grab a Dllas Goedert-successor in Eli Stowers in the 2nd round but the big move came in the 3rd.
They would trade 2, 3rd round picks for Vikings' pass rusher Jonathan Greenard in a fantastic move to reinvent their pass rush.
The rest of their picks would come in rounds 6 and 7 and while they wouldn't get anyone of too much note, they got some athletic potential late in the draft while adding 3 players that have instant impact.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After somehow landing Rueben Bain at #15 who should be right there in this year's DROY race, the Buccs continued to get value after value in this class. Ted Hurst is a rangy receiver that could easily replace Chris Godwin as a Top-3 receiver in this offense by next year but their Day 3 picks were the real steals.
CB Keionte Scott has the skills to be their Day 1 starter at the Nickel, DeMonte Capehart is a rugged Nose Tackle that could be a perfect backup for Vita Vea and Guard Billy Schrauth may need time to recover from injuries but could easily start over Ben Bredeson at some point in 2026.
5. Washington Commanders
The Commanders draft class was headlined by Sonny Styles falling to #7 as their new leader in Dan Quinn's defense while also grbabing WR Antonio Williams who has a great shot at being their WR2 this season.
They would also grab two Day 3 steals in Edge Joshua Josephs and RB Kaytron Allen who should both see playing time this year and perhaps a lot of it. Washington only had 6 picks but took 3 steals with them, grabbed another good pick in Williams and took two projects in the 7th round.
6. Carolina Panthers
So far, this list has shown those teams that made multiple steals and high value picks. The Panthers on the other hand make it all the way to #6 for starting their draft 6/6 with very good to great picks.
Monroe Freeling is a necessary Tackle to give their front office flexibility with the Ickey Ekwonu and Taylor Moton situations. Lee Hunter is the DT they've needed to pair with Derrick brown for years. Chris Brazzell has a LOT of deep threat potential this offense has been lacking. Sam Hecht is a bonafide starter at Center in the next 2 to 3 years and WIll Lee and Zakee Wheatley are ready now to at the very least be CB 4 and SAF 3 respectively. Great job Carolina.
7. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders first 6 picks may have been good enough to be Top-3 in this ranking but as they need to reshape their roster, they took several more Day 3 picks that lowered the value just a bit.
Mendoza is their QB of the future and was the right pick even if I don't agree with him being a slam dunk pick. Treydan Stukes and Keyron Crawford should make an impact for their defense right away with Stukes probably being their Day 1 Free Safety.
Then we get to Jermod McCoy and Mike Washington in Round 4. I'm very high on Washington and belive he is a necessary change-of-pace and receving compliment to Ashton Jeanty but Jermod McCoy is the steal of the draft. His physicals must have come back bad for him to fall to Round 4 but on the surface, he is probably the best cornerback in this entire draft they took at pick 101.
8. Buffalo Bills
The Bills really flew under the radar in this one but are right with Carolina for making a lot of solid picks. On defense, TJ Parker and Zane Durant should add pass rushing upside immediately while Igbinosun, Kilgore and Pride Jr are all super talented DBs that Buffalo will likely stash for a year or two before they make starters out of them down the road in a typical Buffalo-way.
On offense, Tackle Jude Bowry and WR Skyler Bell are names you'll hear soon enough as starters for this team. Bowry may be the eventaul Dion Dawkins successor and Skyler Bell has enough talent to be their WR3 behind DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir.
9. Dallas Cowboys
Truth be told, the Caleb Downs pick does a lot of heavy lifting for the Cowboys. Probably my favorite pick of the entire draft, I believe Caleb Downs is the reason the Cowboys have at least a good to great defense for the next 4 or more years.
Besides Downs, the Cowboys got 3 pretty solid edge rushers in Lawrence, Barham and Overton to give their pass rush much needed depth and star-potential while grabbing Cornerback Devin moore in the 5th in another lowkey steal at a position of need.
10. Seattle Seahawks
Like the Eagles last year, the Seahawks won the Super Bowl and had one of the best draft classes as they get ready for next season. Jadarian Price is likely their RB1 for his entire rookei contract at a cheaper price than Kenny Walker and they added two very solid DBs to their back end after losing some to Free Agency.
Bud Clark and Julian Neal are large prospects that Seattle has always coveted and should see playing time right away. They also added Guard Beau Stephens in the 4th who should be their first lineman off the bench in emergency and a dependable run blocker the Seahawks could find a home for soon enough.
11. Chicago Bears
The Bears made some really solid picks this year and if this list was just based on value they'd be higher. Thieneman is a perfect fit for their defense and at #25 is a great selection as was Logan Jones at 57 who should be the Bears starting Center right away.
Even picks like Malik Muhammad and Keyshaun Elliot on Day 3 are really good but my only small problem with the Bears is that they didn't address their pass rush at all which to me was their biggest need.
12. Cleveland Browns
The Browns draft was one of the last of the great tier for the 2026 class. Adding A LOT of offensive help with Fano (even if they should've gone with Mauigoa at 9) and Brailsford on the line and Concepcion and Boston as receivers will be very good for Shedeur Sanders and grabbing Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was a steal at 58.
I'm just not a fan of the back end of their draft. While Day 3 picks are mostly project players and flyers, I just don't see anyone of value being added in their back end which keeps their draft very good but not on the elite tier of some of the teams above them.
13. Tennessee Titans
The Titans had an excellent first-three picks with Tate, Faulk and Hill that I believe will be cornerstones in Tennessee for years. Carnell Tate is instantly Cam Ward's new #1 option on the outside and Faulk and Hill will be captaining the pass rush and middle of the field respectively in Robert Saleh's defense.
Then like the Browns, they took a bunch of flyers with their final 5 picks. Only time will tell if these players will do much with their careers but if only there first 3 picks pan out, it's still a great haul.
14. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals had a clear motive in this draft, to get high-upsiide project players and I'm here for it. Cashius Howell is a great pass rusher but a capable coverage linebacker as well that will complete a trio of very young and good Linebackers in Cincy. Connor Lew and Brian Parker are 2 of the best pure Centers in the draft and one of them should emerge as their starter.
Tac Davis is one of the more interesting picks especially for a CB-needy team like the Bengals. He's big and rangy with agility concerns but for the Bengals could becomoe a servicable corner for 2 years until they finally prioritize the position hopefully in the future.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers
The first draft in the post-Tomlin era prioritized offense which I think the Steelers' sorely needed. Adding Iheanachor means they can move either him or Fautanu to Guard and really round out their line especially with Gennings Dunker as one of the better steals of the draft as a prominent backup. Then grabbing Germie Bernard and Drew Allar might set you up with your QB-WR connection of the future.
The rest of their picks were just fine and even some of their early selections were considered reaches but I do give them a few extra points for making a clear focus on offense in their future.
16. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are right in the middle of my list and would get somewhere of a B- to C+ for the grade as they made some pretty okay picks but drafted for need which helps. Jonah Coleman and Justin Joly could easily be some of their most targeted weapons on offense in their rotations t RB and TE respectively.
Having a draft class without a Top-65 pick will always limit your classes potential but the Broncos did fine with what they had.
17. Baltimore Ravens
A lot of other lists have the Ravens class much higher but my grading brings them down quite a bit for their receiever selections in the middle of their draft. Saratt and Lane have some attributes and could become successful but I just don't see their fit in the already deep-WR room in Baltimore.
Besides that, Ioane is a perfect fit in Baltimore and Rayshaun Benny may be the best Day 3 pick in the entire draft and has a solid shot of getting play time as a 7th rounder. Other picks like Chandler Rivers and Zion Young should see some playing time but will also have to emerge in very deep position groups to do so.
18. New Orleans Saints
Here's the thing, I have Jordyn Tyson as WR1 of this class but you just paired an injury prone WR with another injury prone WR and that is just very risky. Christen Miller was a pick I really liked at #42 and should be a starter for a hole in New Orleans as well.
Then the Saints just rattled off one mid pick after another.
I don't see anyone in this class that can be a difference maker besides Tyson if he stays healthy. I also see 8 picks who could easily be lost in the shuffle in New Orleans in this very skill position-heavy class.
19. New England Patriots
The Patriots needed Tackle, Edge Rusher and Tight End and drafted all of them in that order. While these players are good, (not great) I think they passed up on some real value to strictly stick with need.
That's not necessarily a bad strategy but it will make these prospects' success paramount especially Lomu who NEEDS to become their long term starting Tackle for this draft class to become another in the Post-Belichick era to be a bust for New England.
20. Miami Dolphins
We all knew the Dolphins 2026 class was going to be all over the place in Jeff Hafley's first season as coach and their roster being the worst in the league and BOY did they not dissapoint.
This class has a lot of potential with Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson in the first round but unfortunately, their premier players also have relatively high bust potential too. I do believe Kadyn Proctor won't need to start right away which I think is essential for him to have long term success,.
The rest of their draft had several picks I liked and several I didn't, headlined by Chris Bell in the 3rd, Michael taafe in the 5th and Max Llewellyn in the 7th who could all see playing time in a few years especially among this terrible roster.
21. Detroit Lions
The Lions #17 pick of Blake Miller was the Tackle the Lions have needed but might have been a bit of a reach. They would go on to draft Derrick Moore in the 2nd which is a pick I really like opposite of Aiden Hutchinson for their future, but then they sort of fizzled out.
Keith Abney had some value for a 5th round pick but other than that there's nothing after the 2nd round that makes me excited for this class.
22. Indianapolis Colts
Another team without a 1st round pick, the Colts took two pretty good defensive players in CJ Allen and AJ Haulcy at #53 and #78 respectively but then made some head-scratching picks after.
Boettcher, Gumbs and Curry are all outside linebackers that have a long way to go to make the roster and are probably all fighting for the same roster spot. McGowan and Burks are some fun picks at the end of the draft to add to the offensive weapons but are long shots as well.
23. Green Bay Packers
The Packers only made one pick that I would consider above average which was Dani Dennis-Sutton at #120. They didn't have a first round pick so they were never going to blow the lid off with this class but I was pretty disappointed with their other Day 3 picks and I also thought their were better D-linemen still on the board when they took McClellan at #77.
Brandon Cisse is an okay pick as their first selection and could be in their Top-3 corners but in truth is a project as anything but a press-to-flat corner in the league.
24. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams' grade for this draft is going to highly depend on how you view Ty Simpson at #13 and personally, I don't like it. Simpson could be the next Jordan Love and be a good starter after sitting for 2 years but that's still up in the air to me and I'm not sold on him. I MUCH rather would've gone for a weapon to help the Rams get back to the Super Bowl this year with guys like Sadiq and Lemon still on the board.
They went on to grab some positions of need but in my opinion, those players have a LONG way to go to be pro-ready with Max Klare being the closest and a likely TE4 to start 2026.
25. Los Angeles Chargers
I'm not high on Akheem Mesidor's long term potential as a prospect which lowers the Chargers' grade for me. I'm also not high on the Chargers Day 3 picks AT ALL with Genesis Smith being the only pick that I think will be on their roster in 3 years time.
Jake Slaughter has some potential as a long term backup for the Chargers O-line, a group that seems like it could always use some depth but are backups what you really want in a draft class?
26. Kansas City Chiefs
Mansoor Delane was a very good pick even though I don't think they needed to trade up for him but go get your guy I guess. Then getting Peter Woods was a great pick and the likely future of their defensive line.
After that, I flat out don't like the rest of the Chiefs' class. R Mason Thomas is a bit overrated and just doesn't fit their defense while guys like Nussmeier and Cyrus Allen will likely never see playing time. Meanwhile, Emmett Johnson and Canady may see some plays as they get thrown into the shuffle at RB and SAF respectively but only until the Chiefs improve the positions next off season.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars
Like the Packers' entry earlier, the Jaguars really only made one pick I liked and that's Pregnon at #88. They would also take some reaches in rounds 2 and 3 in Boerkircher and Regis and should'vve either traded down or just picked better players.
They would make 6 picks on Day 3 and I have just one word to sum up all of them...
WHO???
28. Houston Texans
Keylan Rutledge is a strong, run blocking Guard and the Texans have needed a reliable Guard for years now but this pick screams "Cole Strange at 29 to the Patriots in 2022".
Their #36 pick of Kayden McDonald and #141 pick of Kamari Ramsey was solid enough to keep them from the Bottom-4 of this list but just barely. With misses in Day 3 and the biggest reach of Day 1 and without hindsight, the Texans get the first C- grade of this draft.
29. San Francisco 49ers
Romello Height is a fun pick that could become pretty good after a year or two of putting on weight and adding some pass rush moves but the rest of the picks were reaches purely on the merit that their were better players available.
I think Stribling, Black and Halton all have some potential in the future but guys like Bernard and Boston were there at #33 and Kaelon Black as the 3rd RB off the board over Coleman and Washington was borderline egregious.
30. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons opted for a feel good story in reuniting brothers on their team rather than actually draft well. The Avieon Terrell pick was pretty good enough in the 2nd but then they just drafted regular guys with their regular pick. A late selection of high upside Harold Perkins could prove to be worth something at a later date but for now this class doesn't have much after their first selection.
31. Minnesota Vikings
So I'm actually a lot higher on Caleb Banks than almost anyone else and think he could be a force as Minnesota's Nose Tackle but they could've traded back into the 2nd round to get him. They then didn't draft a single DB until round 5 when that was their CLEAR need from this draft. Charles Demmings may be a diamond in the rough for the 5th round but I still don't get what they were going for in this draft.
32. Arizona Cardinals
The wooden spoon of this list goes to the Cardinals and even though I think Jeremiyah Love will be spectacular, but he's a big reason for it. The Cardinals needed offensive and defensive line as they start to rebuild this roster and instead took a luxury pick that will become the most guaranteed money ever given to a RB.
Chase Bisontis is a solid Guard that will get playing time for Arizona but Carson Beck will need some time to be pro ready and the will probably just opt to draft a QB in the QB-heavy 2027 class. All in all, when we look back in a few years to this draft class I think it's likely they've moved on from all of these players in 5 years time.
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