And that is a wrap on the 2026 NFL Draft. Like most drafts, it's really hard not to like what almost all of the teams did. Because as long as those teams filled their biggest remaining needs and didn't grossly overreach to do so, it's difficult -- and silly -- to announce one group as obvious losers without having yet seen any of them play a meaningful NFL snap.
Knowing that, I used three categories to break down the team-by-team drafts: "Drafts I loved," "Drafts I liked" and "Drafts that left me wanting more." Within those categories I also assigned team grades (but no grade was lower than a "C-" because, again, unless you're repeatedly selecting long snappers in Rounds 1-7, it's hard to flunk the draft).
Basically: I would advise you not to get hung up on the labels or grades, but to focus on which picks stood out, which provided the best value and which were most surprising.
I've included my final Big Board rankings alongside my draft grades not just to show my work, but to add context for how I evaluated these players entering the draft. Taken together, that perspective informs my assessment of each class now that the draft is complete.
(One note: you might notice a player ranked, say, 300th on my final big board but carrying a sixth- or seventh-round grade. With only 257 picks, that can seem, well, weird. The reason is simple: I write up close to 500 players, so more prospects receive draftable grades than there are available draft slots.)
Favorite pick: I've been talking up Denzel Boston since the fall, and while landing Emmanuel McNeill-Warren at No. 58 feels like stealing, Boston could have the bigger impact in 2026 (alongside first-rounder KC Concepcion).
Best value: I thought Justin Jefferson had a chance to go 50-75 picks higher than he did. I described him in my notes as "An explosive, sideline-to-sideline LB who plays with a relentless motor, moves well in space, and plays much bigger than his size in run support."
Most surprising pick: Parker Brailsford was getting some top-50 love ahead of the 2025 draft, after he transferred from Washington to Alabama. He battled injuries last year, and this isn't even a truly "surprising" pick because I thought he would end up going on Day 3. But the Browns had such a good haul, that even a player going a round higher than I expected qualifies as "surprising" here. He's a good player who needs to get healthy and add some weight.
Favorite pick: Mansoor Delane is the easy pick here, but so too is R Mason Thomas, who I thought had a chance to sneak into Round 1. He's Nik Bonitto, also a former second-rounder out of Oklahoma, who is now one of the best pass rushers in the league. Thomas adds some juice off the edge for a team that desperately needs it.
Best value: I figured Emmett Johnson would be long gone by the time the Chiefs got him in Round 5, but this was the draft where tight ends got pushed up and running backs got pushed down. Don't be fooled by his 4.56 40 time at the combine (he improved that to 4.49 at his pro day, for what it's worth), he's a high-volume, versatile playmaker with elite short-area quickness and contact balance who excels as both a one-cut runner and a high-level receiving threat. If you were to build a perfect Andy Reid RB, that would be the scouting report.
Most surprising pick: Garrett Nussmeier is this year's Quinn Ewers. But I've been screaming for years that "fit matters," and while it probably stings to go from "possible first-rounder" to "eight spots from being Mr. Irrelevant," there are few better landing spots than Kansas City.
Favorite pick: Treydan Stukes had first-round buzz heading into the draft and every team I spoke with talked up what a great human being he is. He's almost as good a football player, which is amazing given that he's a former walk-on at Arizona.
Best value: Jermod McCoy, all day long. You wish the best for him and his recovery from a knee injury he suffered in January 2025. Put another way: if I told Raiders fans 2 weeks ago that they would land Stukes and McCoy they'd be beside themselves. And here we are.
Most surprising pick: On the surface, the Raiders did everything right -- there were no reaches, no players that don't fit what they're trying to do. The biggest surprise is how many good players they got from start to finish.
Favorite pick: D'Angelo Ponds does not know he's 5-foot-8 and apparently, neither do the receivers he faces off against. I think he can play outside in the NFL but will also excel in the slot and in run support. The fun comp is Aaron Glenn … but faster.
Best value: I thought VJ Payne might find his way into the end of Day 2 but the Jets get him in Round 7. He's a high-IQ, versatile DB with elite size and plays with his hair on fire coming downhill in run support.
Most surprising pick: Cade Klubnik was my QB6 and I had a fifth-round grade on him. I'm not surprised he was picked a round higher, I'm a little surprised the Jets took him … but I like it. He'll have a chance to battle for the No. 2 job alongside Brady Cook (who was forced to start games as a rookie last season) and Bailey Zappe. He does a lot of things well, he just needs to do them more consistently, which is exactly what he told us at the combine.
Favorite pick: TJ Parker was a first-rounder throughout the process for me. I know he (and just about every other Clemson player not named Avieon Terrell or Blake Miller) had a down 2025 but his 2024 tape was impressive.
Best value: I thought Jalon Kilgore's tape got better as the season progressed in '25. He's a big, physical slot defender who overcame a Week 1 hamstring injury to find his form as a downhill tackling machine and versatile coverage weapon.
Most surprising pick: Skyler Bell and in a great way. One of the biggest surprises of the pre-draft process was learning that Bell was just a shade under 6-feet because he plays so much bigger than that. Throw in that he ran a 4.40 40 at the combine and had one of the best three-cone times of any WR drafted, he'll have a chance to quickly become one of Josh Allen's favorite targets.