It’s safe to say the 2026 NFL Draft lived up to the expectations that it would be a wild ride. This class didn’t have a lot of sure things and projections were all over the place for prospects. There was drama from pick No. 2 through No. 32, and a healthy amount of fallers, shocking picks and trades. 

Now it’s time to grade it all. 

Each year, I have largely the same criteria for grading the draft, and the first round in particular: 

• Trading down (usually) > trading up

What do NFL GMs, NBA three-point shooters and MLB hitters all share in common? A success rate of 40 percent is considered out of this world. There’s a lot of natural variance baked into the draft, so the best way to have more hits is to have more picks. The best way to get more picks is typically by trading back. 

So why do teams trade up? Certain positions, like quarterback, have a lot more impact on on-field success and are worth paying that extra premium. There are real value cliffs and tiers in the pool of players, and sometimes it’s worth it to package lesser picks together for a better one. Sometimes teams just have a need that they feel like they absolutely have to address. 

• Beware going against consensus

Even though each pick individually has a pretty high margin of error, collectively, the NFL is actually pretty good at determining who the best players are. Players in the first round outperform players taken in the second, and so on and so forth. The consensus boards from media analysts do even better when tested long-term. 

So if a team reaches and takes a player way ahead of consensus, they’re essentially saying they’re smarter than everyone else. As with anyone who makes that claim, it should be viewed with skepticism. 

• Premium picks should be used on premium positions

Not all positions are viewed equally by NFL teams. Quarterback stands above the rest. After that are players who impact the quarterback the most, whether chasing him down (edge rushers and pass-rushing defensive tackles) or protecting him (tackles). Receiver has joined this group in the last decade since a good one makes a quarterback look better. Cornerbacks used to be a premium but since true lockdown cover guys are rare and the rules favor the offense so much, they get pushed down while guards get pushed up. Tight ends, linebackers, safeties and centers round things out, with running backs another tier lower and ahead of only specialists. 

Supply and demand play a primary role in positional value. We see this dynamic every year in free agency. Every team has to choose how to allocate the same dollars under the salary cap, and they regularly prioritize certain positions over others. In the draft, it makes sense to prioritize positions that are harder to find in free agency. 

• Needs matter but zoom out

Every rookie contract runs for at least four years, so teams benefit from taking a longer view of the roster as opposed to just what the big needs are this year. A team might have two solid receivers already, but if one is the best player on the board, odds are they’ll regret passing on him just because they have a much bigger need at the second safety spot. Age and injuries have a way of thinning positions teams think are strengths.  

• Go with your gut

These are good guidelines to follow, but at the end of the day, the draft is about getting good players and getting better. The Lions were flamed in 2023 for taking RB Jahmyr Gibbs and LB Jack Campbell at No. 13 and No. 18. Both were drafted way ahead of consensus, both played non-premium positions and the Lions had much bigger needs at edge rusher and cornerback, two spots they’re still working on solving today actually. 

But if they had addressed needs instead and come away with a pairing like DE Lukas Van Ness at No. 12 and CB Deonte Banks at No. 18, both much higher on the consensus ranks, that would have been a disaster compared to how reality played out. Gibbs and Campbell are two of Detroit’s foundational pieces on either side of the ball, while Van Ness and Banks have struggled to stand out.

Even if a pick doesn’t check all the boxes, there’s still a path to success. 

1 — Las Vegas Raiders: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

Grade: A

I’ll cop to having written this several hours before the draft began. Frankly there’s an argument that counts as procrastination given Mendoza has been locked in here since January. While there’s a viable debate on how Mendoza would stack up against top-10 QB prospects in other years, in this scenario for the Raiders, it’s a yes/no binary. They need a franchise quarterback. Do they think Mendoza can be a franchise quarterback? Yes? Then he’s the pick. 

Still, the Raiders seem like they’re not taking this process for granted. Signing veteran QB Kirk Cousins is an excellent move to try to break the streak of No. 1 quarterbacks floundering as rookies. There will be an adjustment from Mendoza’s RPO-heavy Indiana offense to the under-center, Shanahan-style offense new Raiders HC Klint Kubiak is installing. While Mendoza’s strengths can be leveraged by that offense, he’ll benefit from watching a player he’s been compared to in Cousins run it. Cousins has also proven he’s a great presence to have in the quarterback room for a young passer. 

2 — New York Jets: Texas Tech DE David Bailey

Grade: B

It’s truly remarkable how the Jets were able to keep this under wraps. There was a stark divide in people who were projecting Bailey versus those who were projecting Ohio State LB Arvell Reese to be the pick all the way up until draft day, which is unusual for the No. 2 pick. It broke down almost uniformly between national insiders (Bailey) and local beat reporters (Reese) with a few defections on either side. The arguments for both were compelling, but in the end the Jets went with the more projectable pass rusher, with the need for results for HC Aaron Glenn in 2026.

Time will tell whether Bailey has the upside to justify passing on Reese. He’s the consensus best pass rusher in the draft right now but more of a speed rusher with questions about how well he can play the run. Reese is a project with less than 100 snaps of edge rusher in his final collegiate season, but reminded a lot of people in the league of Micah Parsons. There’s always extra risk taking on a hybrid player like that, but I think the upside with Reese would have justified it. 

3 — Arizona Cardinals: Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love

Grade: B-

With no takers on a trade down, Arizona stayed put and took the player most teams graded as the best in the class at No. 3. The only catch is that he plays running back, the least valuable position. How do you balance that? Kevin Cole, a former Pro Football Focus employee with a heavy analytical approach, tried to answer that by weighting projected ceilings for prospects against second contract value. He had Love 29th on the board. 

That’s probably a little extreme, as I’d argue Love brings value that’s not captured just by looking at second contracts for running backs, but it’s impossible to get away from the positional value aspect of this pick. The slotted contract for the No. 3 pick blows away the guaranteed market for the position and puts Love No. 7 in average annual salary before he plays a snap. Conversely, Reese would have been in the early 30s in salary for pass rushers. The surplus contract value is a big reason draft picks are so precious for teams. 

Reese would have been a better pick for a Cardinals team that has been starved for an elite pass rusher for a while. That said, I am bullish on Love’s fit here. Some running backs are just different and Love’s speed, balance and high-end receiving skills give him a chance to be a field-tilting force for Arizona’s offense. This gets said every time a back is drafted high, but Love’s receiving skills are truly impressive. He had reps split out wide at Notre Dame that showed more nuance and polish than some actual real deal receivers in this class. Arizona’s offensive line is in better shape than Las Vegas’ last year, and HC Mike LaFleur “should” be an upgrade schematically over whatever was happening with the Raiders, so this isn’t a one-to-one comparison to last year when the Raiders took RB Ashton Jeanty. With Love joining the other skill position talent on offense, this becomes an underrated spot for whoever is dropped in at quarterback. 

4 — Tennessee Titans: Ohio State WR Carnell Tate

Grade: A-

The first true shocker of the draft, Tate was kind of in the background for Tennessee this past spring, but most of the buzz centered around the possibility of Love being available or HC Robert Saleh going with a playmaker for his defense. With one of the draft’s top pass rushers on the board in Reese, the Titans went with the receiver instead to help build around last year’s No. 1 pick, QB Cam Ward, who just endured a nightmare of a rookie season. It’s pretty hard to fault Tennessee for prioritizing offense, and I think Tate is exactly what they need on offense. He’s long, smooth and wins at all three levels of the field with sure hands. He was a No. 2 at Ohio State and there were questions about how high his ceiling was from some NFL evaluators, but he has all the tools to be very productive for the Titans. 

5 — New York Giants: Ohio State LB Arvell Reese

Grade: A-

For the better part of the last 20 years, the Ravens would sit in their draft slot and take whichever player the rest of the league overthought and allowed to slip. New Giants HC John Harbaugh has brought that approach to New York. The Giants already have Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. But the value of a player who in three years could be looked at as the best player from this class, period, was too much to pass on at No. 5 overall. 

If there’s a position to have too many players, pass rusher is the place to do it, as teams can rotate players in and keep everyone fresh. The Giants beat Tom Brady to win two Super Bowls this millennium doing just that. New York can also get mileage out of Reese by playing him at off-ball linebacker, ensuring he can be on the field at the same time as two of their other three edge rushers. Thibodeaux is in a contract year and has been openly on the trade block, too, so the backlog is just short-term. The Giants didn’t address their biggest needs with this pick but they got the best player. 

6 — TRADE: Kansas City Chiefs (via CLE): LSU CB Mansoor Delane

Grade: B-

The Chiefs made a short move up the board, swapping their third-round selection at No. 74 and their fifth-rounder at No. 148 to go from No. 9 to No. 6. It works out about even on the traditional Jimmy Johnson chart, with the new, more analytical charts giving the Browns the heavy win here. The target was Delane, the clear top corner in this draft who checks just about every box you could want. Clean is the operative word for Delane. He’s terrific in both man and zone, and resoundingly answered any questions about his top-end athleticism during the pre-draft process, running in the high 4.3 seconds. Cornerback was an obvious need for the Chiefs after they traded away Trent McDuffie to the Rams for a big package, including a first-round pick. 

I have some questions about the Chiefs’ process here, though. They traded McDuffie rather than pay him over $30 million a year because they were confident in DC Steve Spagnuolo‘s track record of developing defensive backs from Day 3. It was a shrewd move and helped them add the No. 29 pick, a 2027 third and a fifth and sixth this year. Well now they’ve turned around and invested an even higher pick in a corner along with the equivalent of two of the picks they got from the McDuffie deal. To me, that kind of undercuts things, but it’s tough to be too harsh on Kansas City for adding the draft’s best player at a position they had a huge need. 

7 — Washington Commanders: Ohio State LB Sonny Styles

Grade: A-

It was no secret that Washington coveted Styles throughout the process, with buzz that he reminded Commanders HC Dan Quinn and GM Adam Peters of 49ers LB Fred Warner. The question was just whether he’d make it to them, with the Titans and Giants also said to be equally high. Well, here he is. Styles is one of my favorite players in this entire class. He’s an absolute freak of nature athlete, running a 4.46-second 40 at 6-5 and 244 pounds while also hitting 43.5 inches in the vertical, 11-foot-2 in the broad jump and 7.09 seconds in the three-cone. With a Relative Athletic Score of 9.99, he’s literally one of the most athletic linebackers ever. But scouts also rave about his smarts, saying he’s got a future as a CEO after he’s done playing. In short, he’s the total package. 

8 — New Orleans Saints: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson

Grade: B+

An up-and-down college career and pre-draft process for Tyson, marred by injuries, ultimately ended with him still going in the top 10 picks and landing with the Saints. New Orleans adds a weapon for QB Tyler Shough and a viable running mate for No. 1 WR Chris Olave. Tyson is a bigger wideout at 6-2 and over 200 pounds, but moves like a much smaller player. If he stays healthy, he’s viewed as the most talented wideout in this class. That has proved to be a challenge, though, which injects a little bit of uncertainty into this pick for the Saints, especially with Olave’s concussion issues that could always crop back up too. However, the upside and value is fantastic. 

9 — TRADE: Cleveland Browns (via KC): Utah OT Spencer Fano

Grade: A

The only lock of this draft besides Mendoza at No. 1 was Browns GM Andrew Berry trading down if he got a chance. Kansas City gave that to him and as noted earlier, he got extraordinary value with a third and fifth-round pick to drop just three spots. Cleveland took the same player they were probably going to take at No. 6 in Fano, adding another much-needed reinforcement to their total offensive line renovation. Fano doesn’t have prototypical length but he’s got great movement skills and is a viable solution at left tackle for the Browns. There’s still a long way to go but the Browns put down another plank in their rebuilding process here. 

10 — New York Giants (via CIN): Miami OT Francis Mauigoa

Grade: B+

I’m surprised the Giants passed on Downs given how much smoke there was connecting him to New York throughout the process. He seemed like exactly the kind of player Harbaugh would prize. But Harbaugh is also big on building through the trenches, and the positional value of a guard (which is where Mauigoa will play to begin with, in all likelihood) outweighs that of a safety. If Giants LT Andrew Thomas can stay healthy, New York could push for a top-10 offensive line, and that will help them be the kind of team they want to be on offense. The Giants re-signed RT Jermaine Eluemunor this offseason, but Mauigoa can take over for him after his deal is up or possibly sooner if an injury changes things. That gives this pick maybe a little more future upside than Penn State G Olaivavega Ioane, who was widely viewed as the top guard. Ultimately, Downs is probably going to be the better player, but the positional value equalizes this a lot for Mauigoa. 

11 — TRADE: Dallas Cowboys (via MIA): Ohio State S Caleb Downs

Grade: A

The Cowboys desperately needed help on defense but it was far from a guarantee that the board would comply. That’s why there was so much trade-up buzz around Dallas in the lead-up to the draft. In the end, that came true, but only a short hop for one pick. The Cowboys gave up the No. 177 and No. 180 picks, both compensatory selections at the end of the fifth round, to basically box out other trade offers the Dolphins may have had on the table. It’s a slight premium to lose two selections, but Downs is an outstanding player. He’s not imposing athletically like some of the modern safeties we’ve seen take over the league but he’s a genius on the football field. He is the ultra-rare rookie who will likely be able to be a coach on the field from the jump of his career. Downs is going to be a vital piece for new DC Christian Parker, who is building the defense backward to forward. 

12 — TRADE: Miami Dolphins (via DAL): Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor

Grade: B+

Getting two free fifth-round picks and still taking the player they probably would have ended up with at No. 11 is good work by the new Dolphins front office. It seemed like tackle was zeroed in as the top target for Miami here, as they went with Proctor with Fano and Mauigoa off the board instead of some other players who ranked higher per consensus, like hometown Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr., Ioane or a receiver. Need isn’t a huge factor because the Dolphins need literally just about every single position; the depth chart is that thin. However, the NFL was a lot higher on Proctor than the public because of his rare traits, so it’s tough to knock this too much for being a reach. 

13 — Los Angeles Rams (via ATL): Alabama QB Ty Simpson

Grade: B

The Titans may have pulled the first surprise of Round 1, but the Rams had the biggest shock of all in their back pocket. Todd McShay caught some flak for flip-flopping and taking the bait on some pre-draft smokescreens, but he deserves credit for being early and right on the idea that the Rams could just go ahead and take Simpson here at No. 13 when everyone around the league thought this was going to be another weapon for a Super Bowl-contending roster. 

As to the actual merits of the pick? It’s complicated. The Rams are a quality organization that has drafted as well as any other the last several years. They have a terrific offensive infrastructure helmed by HC Sean McVay, who is exceptional at continuing to innovate and stay ahead of his peers. Any quarterback draft pick has to come with his stamp of approval. Simpson was a controversial prospect with a wide variety of opinions about whether he was worth a first-round pick, but the Rams have said he is and they deserve some benefit of the doubt. 

For my two cents, I liked Simpson more than I expected when I watched him. Specifically, I thought his physical tools were better than he was getting credit for. He’s not particularly big at 6-2 and under 210 pounds but he’s above the NFL threshold. He has enough mobility to escape the pocket and hurt defenses with his legs if they don’t account for him, and his arm strength doesn’t prevent him from attacking just about all the windows he’ll be asked to hit in the NFL. I had a similar experience watching Broncos QB Bo Nix as a prospect where it felt like his physical tools were also being undersold. I don’t think Simpson is quite at that level, but he’s somewhere on a spectrum that includes Nix, Brock Purdy and Mitchell Trubisky. 

Like Trubisky, Simpson was also just a one-year starter, which introduces a lot of volatility into his projection compared to Nix and Purdy who each had at least three full seasons starting. However, the Rams have the luxury of being able to bring him along slowly behind QB Matthew Stafford, who could play anywhere from one to three or even more seasons. Simpson’s strengths mesh perfectly with McVay’s offense. In terms of a landing spot to maximize whatever Simpson is going to be as a professional, you could not have drawn it up any better.

What will be interesting to see is how the Rams navigate the transition, because the No. 13 pick is a huge investment even if this class wasn’t highly regarded. Simpson is now the quarterback of the future and the heir to Stafford. The question isn’t if he’ll take over, it’s when. And as we’ve seen with other teams that have tried to navigate quarterback transitions, sometimes it doesn’t all work cleanly. Ultimately the only thing that’s going to matter for judging this pick is whether Simpson is indeed the future franchise starter. 

14 — Baltimore Ravens: Penn State G Olaivavega Ioane

Grade: A

Classic Ravens. New coach, same front office, same draft strategy. Sit tight and let the board tell you what to do. Ioane was one of the few blue-chip players in this class whose stock was held down just because he’s a pure guard, not a tackle or other premium spot. But guards make bank these days and it’s a huge need for the Ravens, who needed to resolidify the offensive line. I would say Ioane projects as a 10-year starter, but I probably said something similar about C Tyler Linderbaum and he’s going to be snapping to Mendoza for the Raiders this season. Hopefully Baltimore learns from that experience and things pan out differently for Ioane if he ends up as good as most people think.  

15 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr.

Grade: A

Whether it was concerns about his short arms or other off-field issues, Bain became the most prominent slider of the draft, falling out of the top 10 selections and nearly into the second half of the round. The Bucs front office was thanking their lucky stars, because previously they had been in a little bit of no-man’s land as far as this slot and addressing their need at pass rusher. Turns out, a consensus top-three players at the position fell right into their laps. Time will tell how much Bain’s physical limitations are actually truly limiting, but the No. 15 pick in the draft is well worth the investment to find out. 

16 — New York Jets (via IND): Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq

Grade: C+

This is my first grade lower than a B- so far, which may be an indication I’m a cushy grader. Regardless, this was a puzzling pick by the Jets. Sadiq was the consensus top tight end in the class after dominant athletic testing at the Combine, running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash which is absolutely ludicrous for a tight end. The Jets do need more weapons on offense. However, they already drafted Mason Taylor in the second round last year, which is a significant investment, and have talked him up as a breakout player. He’s much more suited to play in line than Sadiq, who is a great blocker for his size at 6-3 and 240 but has limitations that just will be a fact of life in the NFL.

That pushes Sadiq to the No. 2 tight end, and it’s just going to be tough to get him on the field as much as you would prefer for the No. 16 pick. Even with the leaguewide embrace of “12 personnel” (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers in the formation), the league leader in 2025 was the Cleveland Browns at 41 percent. Only eight teams ran less than half their snaps in 11 personnel. Sadiq has some value as a matchup-dictating player, but for a team with so many needs, this feels like a big luxury pick. One potentially redeeming factor is that the depth at receiver did allow the Jets to swing back later and still address the position. If they wanted to make sure they came out of this draft with a move tight end, they did play the board decently, even if it meant giving up a premium for Sadiq. 

17 — Detroit Lions: Clemson OT Blake Miller

Grade: B

This is where the board started to drop off for teams and the focus shifted to just finding good, quality fits for their respective organization. I didn’t get much right in my final mock draft of 2026, but I did nail Miller to the Lions. Not only did he fill a big need for Detroit at offensive tackle, specifically on the right side, but he was a textbook Lions draft pick. Consensus didn’t have him quite this high but he was a rock-solid player known for his leadership, tenacity and grit — all attributes the Lions prize in the players they acquire. Miller’s not going to be the best tackle drafted out of this class (probably, who knows for sure?) but he will (probably) be a starter for the Lions for a long, long time. 

18 — Minnesota Vikings: Florida DT Caleb Banks

Grade: C+

Former Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired because the results in the draft during his tenure were not good enough, full stop. However, he took a lot of input from the coaching staff. This first pick in the post-KAM era is clearly influenced by DC Brian Flores, who faces a major need at defensive tackle on his depth chart right now. This class is not viewed as particularly strong at that position and the board could run dry before Minnesota’s next selection, prompting a reach of about 20 spots on the consensus board. Banks has first-round athletic ability at 6-6 and over 320 pounds, but he was viewed as an extremely volatile proposition because he barely played last season due to recurring foot injuries. He’s one of the biggest risk-reward picks in the draft, and the Vikings used the No. 18 pick to add him. It could work out splendidly but ominously it does not feel all that different from the previous era of Vikings drafts. 

19 — Carolina Panthers: Georgia OT Monroe Freeling

Grade: A-

The Panthers set themselves up beautifully in free agency to take the best available player here, not needing to reach for a specific player or position group. They could have gone with a safety or a receiver, who would have probably played bigger roles in Year 1, but they chose a left tackle with rare traits. The 6-7 and 315-pound Freeling looks like a monster getting off the bus, tore up the athletic testing at the Combine and got better every game he played at a big-time SEC program. The rub with him is he was just a one-year starter and his inexperience shows. He also needs to keep physically developing and getting stronger. But serendipitously for the Panthers, they don’t have to put him on the field and endure his growing pains with veteran LT Rasheed Walker signing a bargain deal in free agency to hold things down while OT Ikem Ekwonu recovers from a gnarly patellar tendon injury. 

20 — TRADE: Philadelphia Eagles (GB via DAL): USC WR Makai Lemon

Grade: A-

In an ultra-rare divisional trade, the Eagles sent two fourth-rounders (No. 114 and No. 137) to the Cowboys to come up a few spots for Lemon. It was well-timed, it turns out, as the Steelers literally had Lemon on the phone to tell him they were planning to take him. Philadelphia took advantage of a short slide from Lemon, who was expected to be a top-15 pick and was probably some of the collateral damage from the Rams’ decision to take a quarterback. He’s also not a workout warrior and is probably best-suited for the slot in the pros, as he’s not big or overwhelmingly fast. Lemon is a dog, though, in the best of ways. His hands are the best in the class and possibly the best for a receiver in the last few years. He’s tough as nails and plays with an edge. Some of the best and most productive NFL receivers are also slot-only guys, especially in the Shanahan-style offense new Eagles OC Sean Mannion is implementing. This gives the Eagles their replacement for WR A.J. Brown, as that shoe will drop at some point closer to June 1. It was worth overpaying a little bit in the trade to get it done. 

21 — Pittsburgh Steelers: Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor

Grade: B

Without any Lemon to even make lemonade after getting sniped by the Eagles, the Steelers pivoted to a different need, plucking from a deep group of tackles. Iheanachor needs time to develop, as he’s still pretty new to the game of football, but in terms of high-end traits for a tackle, he’s got those to spare. This is the third tackle in the past four drafts for Pittsburgh, but the outlook for 2023 first-rounder Broderick Jones is uncertain after his neck injury, and he hadn’t exactly cemented himself as a starter before that. This is a reach of about a dozen slots per the consensus board but Iheanachor was widely expected to be a first-round pick after a strong pre-draft process in which he kept rising, so I don’t think this is too far off his true value. 

22 — Los Angeles Chargers: Miami OLB Akheem Mesidor

Grade: C+

This grade is more about my evaluation of the player, because edge rusher was a big need for the Chargers and arguably overdue to be addressed. Mesidor’s tape this past season was impressive. He had more sacks than his teammate, Bain, and at times looked like he might be the better NFL player since his measurements were a little more prototypical. But he was 24 years old this past season and already turned 25 this month. I know we’re in a new college football world where the players are all skewing older thanks to relaxed eligibility rules, but 24 starts to be an extreme case relative to the competition. Mesidor was literally a grown man playing down an age group or two all last season, which was his best year. That has to be treated a little like a prospect competing at a lower level of competition. Doesn’t mean he can’t be successful, but that’s not a risk I’d want to take in the first round. 

23 — TRADE: Dallas Cowboys (via PHI): UCF DE Malachi Lawrence

Grade: B+

Getting two fourths (No. 114 and No. 137) after surrendering two fifths (No. 177 and No. 180) to go get Downs is a nifty bit of draft board maneuvering by Dallas. They topped it off by addressing a big need at edge rusher. On paper, this is a big reach with Lawrence coming in at No. 48 on the consensus board. However, it should be noted that this is a flat class, with not a lot of difference for most teams between their No. 20 and their No. 40 prospects, so I don’t think that gap is truthfully as big as it looks. Sportsbooks had Lawrence with strong odds to be a first-round pick as well, so the league was clearly high on his talent. He brings some much-needed explosiveness to Dallas’ pass rush and another threat in the rotation. 

24 — Cleveland Browns (via JAX): Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion

Grade: B+

Most mocks had the Browns coming out of the first round with a tackle and a receiver, so mission accomplished here with the second pick of the round. Concepcion gives the offense a stick of dynamite to work with, as he’s an explosive playmaker. New Browns HC Todd Monken will probably use Concepcion just like he used WR Zay Flowers with the Ravens, as both are shifty, fast and electric. Flowers probably has more lateral juice, Concepcion is sturdier and more physical downhill. Both need to iron out issues with drops. 

25 — Chicago Bears: Oregon S Dillon Thieneman

Grade: A

At one point, it looked like Thieneman was a lock for the top 20 picks and could be steamed all the way up to No. 12 if the board fell a certain way for the Cowboys. Instead, he became the latest safety to slide further than expected during the draft, which worked to the Bears’ benefit. Chicago has been turning over essentially the entire safety room this offseason. They made one big move to get S Coby Bryant in free agency, now they land a running mate for him. Thieneman is a top-shelf athlete and can do everything a modern defense will ask its safeties to do, whether that’s patrol deep zones, come down into the box or lock up in man coverage. 

26 — TRADE: Houston Texans (via BUF): Georgia Tech G Keylan Rutledge

Grade: D

The Texans traded up for this pick in this deal:

• Gave: No. 28, No. 69 (3rd), No. 167 (5th)
• Got: No. 26, No. 91 (3rd)

The 22-spot drop in the third round works out to an early fourth on the Jimmy Johnson chart, so one way to look at this is the Texans gave up fourth and fifth-round value to move up two spots and make sure they got their guy. In this case, it was a guard who, despite some late buzz, was viewed as a late second-round prospect. Maybe the Texans had intel they felt strongly about that they were going to get poached, but in that case, I would have just taken another player on their board. I’m not sure that there’s that much of a difference between Rutledge and a host of other options to justify surrendering this value.

Rutledge is a solid player and has the edge the Texans want to cultivate from their offensive line. To start as a rookie, he’ll have to beat out Wyatt Teller, who signed a two-year deal, unless the Texans are planning to work him at center, which is something that came up for Rutledge during the pre-draft process. 

27 — TRADE: Miami Dolphins (via SF): San Diego State CB Chris Johnson

Grade: B+

The Dolphins swapped the No. 90 pick in the third round with the 49ers for the No. 138 pick in the fourth round to come up three spots. The difference between No. 90 and No. 138 is an early fourth or mid-fifth depending on the chart you use, which is not an insignificant value. It’s easy to question the point of moving up just a couple of spots but it can box out teams further down in the order who are looking to move up. Miami kept the same number of picks which is a win. 

Johnson became the No. 2 corner in this class after the news about Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy‘s knee injury concerns. He’s also an incredibly clean prospect like Delane and saw his stock rise a lot over the spring. He didn’t excel at the same level of competition but he also tested far better than expected, allaying concerns that he was a zone-only corner. He’s a textbook fit with Dolphins DC Jeff Hafley, who wants ballhawks in the secondary. 

28 — TRADE: New England Patriots (HOU via BUF): Utah OT Caleb Lomu

Grade: B+

Another in-division trade, which is maybe a hint about how bad teams wanted to move down this year. The Patriots gave up a fourth-round pick at No. 125 overall, likely to get ahead of the Chiefs who had been consistently linked to the tackles in this class. For a premium position, that jump is worth it. Lomu played left tackle for the Utes, keeping the more heralded Fano over on the right side which is notable. This will spark some debate about Patriots LT Will Campbell but the team seems to be confident in keeping him there for the time being. The book on Lomu is that while he’s super athletic, he needs a year of seasoning to bulk up and get ready for what NFL pass rushers will throw at him. With Campbell and RT Morgan Moses set as bookends, the Patriots have that luxury. Any kind of position switch might be a year or more in the future. 

29 — Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR): Clemson DT Peter Woods

Grade: C

Count me whelmed by the start to the Chiefs’ draft so far, which is not great considering they needed a big offseason. Woods was viewed as a potential top 10 pick a year ago but has slid precipitously in the last year. His production this past year at Clemson was awful, his tape wasn’t as good as in 2024, and he didn’t measure or test particularly well this spring either. His stock was held up by some high-end flashes on tape and one good year, as he doesn’t check many other boxes. Still, the Chiefs need more pass rush presence next to DT Chris Jones and likely found Woods appealing for that. 

This may be a critique with the advantage of hindsight, but there’s a case the Chiefs would have been better off keeping their third-round pick and trading a Day 3 pick or two for a slight move up to get either Johnson or Lomu, two other players they had been heavily linked to throughout the process. They wouldn’t have Delane in all likelihood (though it’s not impossible he would have slid) but it feels like the value would have been sharper. 

30 — TRADE: New York Jets (DEN via MIA & SF): Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.

Grade: A-

The 49ers traded down again, picking up an end-of-the-fifth selection at No. 179 overall to go from No. 30 to No. 33. Given the yearly demand for the No. 33 pick, odds are strong they can trade again. 

The Jets, meanwhile, come up and get a player who was frequently mocked to them at No. 16 overall. Cooper fills a major need and he’s one of my favorite players in the draft. He’s got a great combination of physicality and speed after the catch and had some crazy broken tackles. He’s also got great hands and concentration down the field. That one catch (you know what I’m talking about) against Penn State stands out, but he had plenty other tough grabs throughout the whole season. On top of that, he drew rave reviews for his interviews this spring. For as much as I disliked the Sadiq pick for the Jets, I love this selection. 

31 — TRADE: Tennessee Titans (NE via BUF): Auburn DL Keldric Faulk

Grade: B

The Bills did a double-deal to drop out of the first as well, and this trade also had a bunch of moving parts:

• Bills gave: No. 31, No. 69 (3rd), No. 165 (5th)
• Bills got: No. 35, No. 66 (3rd), No. 101 (4th)

Getting another borderline top 100 pick is a big win for Buffalo, and a little bit of a pill to swallow for a rebuilding Titans team that has talked about how much it wants to add extra top 100 picks. This probably shows that they either had a pretty big grade on Faulk, or Saleh talked his way into getting a player for his defense (probably a bit of both). Faulk is a classic traits over production prospect. The sacks and tackles for loss don’t jump off the page, but the athletic testing at 6-6 and well over 270 pounds does. He’s also still just 20 years old — he can’t buy a beer to celebrate being drafted until after the Titans play in Week 1. There’s an argument that Auburn miscast Faulk and that in an attacking defense like Saleh’s, his athletic gifts will be on display a lot more. 

32 — Seattle Seahawks: Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price

Grade: C+

Seahawks GM John Schneider has a pair of Super Bowl rings and all I have is a pixel trophy for the most accurate mock draft in 2020. So know that I’m at least a little self-aware as I throw these stones. But I can’t quite understand the reasoning behind not being willing to pay RB Kenneth Walker more than $10 million or so, letting him walk instead of using the franchise tag, then turning around and using a first-round pick on a running back who probably would have been a third-round pick in last year’s class. 

The investment may be cheaper than what the division-rival Cardinals just sunk into Price’s teammate the last few years, but there are levels to this and Love is levels above Price, even if Price has quality attributes that will help his new team. The Seahawks had a huge need at running back, but it’s a need they created by being so passive and devaluing the position with their other moves. Seattle had other needs at cornerback and edge rusher that it passed on addressing to take Price. And when it comes to cash versus draft picks, it makes way more sense to spend the cash than the picks if you can because cash as an NFL asset is cheap compared to picks.