The 12 best value picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including Omar Cooper Jr. and Taylen Green originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There is talent available at every turn in the NFL Draft. Identifying it is the hard part, and actually getting into position to draft it is sometimes even harder.
The draft is all about maximizing value. From undervalued players who slipped out of the top half of the first round to undervalued players who didn't even hear their name called until Day 3, plenty of players will make or break the jobs of general managers or coaches with how they perform in the NFL.
This time of year is the easy part. All 32 teams believe they found the steals of the draft, whether in the early rounds or the later rounds. Who could those steals actually be?
Here are the 14 best value picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, from Sonny Styles to Garrett Nussmeier.
It might be strange to see a high first-round pick be labeled a value pick, but the Commanders did well to see Styles fall into their lap. GM Adam Peters was part of the front office that drafted Fred Warner in San Francisco, and Dan Quinn coached Bobby Wagner in both Seattle and Washington. With his ridiculous blend of size, speed and physical tools, Styles can have the kind of rare impact that those two have had and be the quarterback of the Commanders' defense for a decade.
All that kept Styles from the very top of the draft was likely positional value, as off-ball linebackers aren't valued like most other positions. The Commanders still need plenty of defensive help, but shoring up the middle of the defense with Styles was a best-case scenario for a unit that needed a leader like this.
Like off-ball linebackers, safeties are often devalued in the draft because of positional value. After the Vikings and other teams in the late teens and early 20s passed on Dillon Thieneman, the Bears are set to reap the benefits.
Thieneman isn’t boxed in at safety, as he flashed versatility in multiple roles at Purdue and Oregon and should be able to line up all over the defense in Chicago. He has the athleticism, running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash this spring, but he also has the production: Thieneman had eight interceptions and 10 tackles for loss over three collegiate seasons, averaging more than 100 tackles per season.
Safety might not be the most critical position, but the Bears will be able to move Thieneman and Coby Bryant all around this season, with Thieneman in line to be a long-term fixture.
Omar Cooper Jr. would have been a fine pick for the Jets at No. 16. At No. 30, he's a strong addition to a receiving corps that badly needs a safety blanket next to Garrett Wilson.
Cooper is on the shorter end for receivers at 6-0, but he makes up for it with a strong frame and impressive physicality. Potentially a slot receiver at the next level, Cooper showed an ability to rack up yards after the catch at Indiana and should have even more room to grow as a player after continually improving with the Hoosiers.
MORE:How Fernando Mendoza, Omar Cooper Jr. made history in draft
Jacob Rodriguez isn't expected to be the Heisman contender he was at Texas Tech, but for a mid-second round pick, he's a fairly safe bet to a regular contributor from day one in Miami.
The intangibles are off the charts for Rodriguez, and he was the single most productive off-ball linebacker in college football in 2025. Size concerns and middling athleticism gave teams some pause, but this is a player who can at least carve out a long NFL career as a solid starter with his effort level and skillset. For the No. 43 pick, that's a major win for a brand new Dolphins regime that needs some high-character guys in the locker room.
Why did a player as talented as CJ Allen fall all the way to the back half of the second round? This spring saw an enormously deep free-agent linebacker, and this draft is also had an unusual amount of talent at the position. Many teams with needs already filled them in March, and others filled them earlier in this draft. The Colts will gladly reap the rewards.
Allen isn't necessarily a playmaker like Rodriguez, but he can be a valuable run defender from day one who can help fill the shoes of Zaire Franklin. Allen was also counted upon as the anchor of Georgia's defense and learned valuable leadership in that role in the middle of Kirby Smart's defense. The Colts will have to see how Allen develops as a pass defender, but at No. 53, he's a plug-and-play linebacker for their defense.
It was a surprise to see Emmanuel McNeil-Warren fall all the way to the latter portion of the second round, but the Browns certainly aren’t complaining. Considered a potential selection for the Vikings as high as No. 18, McNeil-Warren has impressive size for a safety at 6-4 and showed an ability to force turnovers at a high rate at Toledo.
Level of competition could have been a concern for some teams, but Quinyon Mitchell showed no issues transitioning from Toledo’s secondary to the NFL two years ago, and the Browns have said McNeil-Warren’s loyalty to the Rockets was something that stood out to them. While his tackling may need to be cleaned up a bit, McNeil-Warren gives Cleveland’s secondary a hard-hitting presence late in the second round.
The Jaguars' draft was beyond baffling at times, but Emmanuel Pregnon might be the gem that overshadows some of the more bizarre picks made on Day 2. Considered a second-round prospect entering the draft, Pregnon was a four-year starter at three different schools at the collegiate level and performed well everywhere he played, allowing only three pressures in 2025.