DRAFT NEWS

Usually there is drama with the first pick of the draft but not so much this year since there is only one franchise QB in this draft, the Heisman Trophy winner. Mendoza will be given time to develop behind veteran Kirk Cousins and will not be rushed into the lineup in Vegas. Mendoza is an athletic and highly intelligent leader who has the arm strength and intangibles to be developed into a long-term NFL starter.

The Panthers select the uber-talented but inexperienced OLT out of Georgia. Freeling has only a dozen or so career starts but his reach and athleticism seem ideally suited to OLT in Carolina. He will compete with free agent signee Rasheed Walker for the starting OLT job.

The first surprise selection of the first-round, Tate profiles as the number one WR in Nashville as a rookie. Tate is much faster in real life than he ran at the Combine (4.53 40) and gives Cam Ward a dangerous WR with size and body control to excel as the top WR as a rookie.

Miller is a solid, logical choice to replace the departed Taylor Decker on the Lions' OL. Miller will likely step in at ORT with Penei Sewell moving to OLT this fall. Miller has more than 50 career starts and has played more than 3,000 snaps at OLT and ORT. Miller is a plug and play starter in the Motor City.

Ioane may be the best OL in this draft with both a high ceiling / potential and a high floor where he is very unikely to be a bust. Ioane is athletic and strong and buries people in the ground game. The Ravens addressed a major need with an elite talent.

Downs, the best prospect in this draft falls out of the top ten so the Cowboys swap two 5th round picks with Miami to move up one spot. Downs has no holes in his game and has Hall of Fame potential if he stays healthy. Excellent pick by the Cowboys.

SNS takes a deep dive look into how every NFL team reloaded during the 2026 NFL Draft - every draft pick is evaluated and each UDFA class is assessed. Every NFL team is graded on how they addressed team needs and an early assessment is made about what to expect in the coming season. And for those who play fantasy football, consider this your first primer on the 2026 NFL rookie fantasy class as each rookie class is assessed and future stars are identified!

On the surface, Kaliakmanis seems like an odd fit as a potential backup to Jayden Daniels but Kaliakmanis has the profile of a long-term NFL back-up QB with the size (6025 / 212 lbs), arm strength, and experience desired. Kaliakmanis has had a long and rocky career in the Big Ten at Minnesota and Rutgers and will be given an opportunity to earn a job as the third QB in DC this fall.

And to be honest, Green needs significant development. Green needs to develop better upper and lower body coordination and step into his throws. Mostly throws fastballs and needs to improve his touch. Sporadic accuracy tied to poor mechanics – when mechanics are in order, he looks like an NFL QB. Excellent athlete with speed, elusiveness, and power in the open field – must be accounted for or he can hurt you with his running. Very good running instincts.

Durant is an undersized (6010 / 290 lbs) but exceedingly quick and twitchy IDL who is stronger against the run than his body would seem to indicate. But Durant excels as an interior pass rusher and will team with Ed Oliver in giving the Bills one of the more potentially dangerous set of interior pass rushers in the NFL. Great pick to wrap up the fifth-round.

McCoy's free fall finally ends with the first pick of the fourth round. McCoy's long-term health is a concern due to structural damage in his knee that may require additional surgery. But as a pure cover corner, few, if any, are better than the Vol who will compete for a starting job as a rookie.

Prospect Position School NFL Team Alan Herron OT Maryland New Orleans Michael Trigg TE Baylor Dallas Jeff Caldwell WR Cincinnati Kansas City Haynes King QB Georgia Tech Carolina Nolan Rucci OT Penn State Mason Reiger EDGE Wisconsin Miami Zxavian Harris IDL Ole Miss Isaiah World OT Oregon LA Chargers Vincent Anthony EDGE Duke Kansas City Deontae Lawson LB Alabama Philadelphia J'Mari Taylor RB Virginia Nadame Tucker EDGE Western Michigan LA Chargers Aamil Wagner OT No

Unhappy with their WR corps and despite needing a CB and an EDGE, the Niners draft the ascending talent in Stribling who was nearly unstoppable in October and November of last season. Stribling should line up as a starter early in his career.

McCoy missed all of last season in Knoxville with a torn ACL but was able to work out at Tennessee's Pro Day and ran and jumped like a first-round pick. But his medical examination at the NFL Scouting Combine revealed structural damage in that same knee that may shorten his NFL career. McCoy, SNS' number 15 prospect overall, then proceeded to tumble out of the first-round on Thursday evening. Based on pure ability, no CB, other than Mansoor Delane, grades out nearly as highly

Usually there is drama with the first pick of the draft but not so much this year since there is only one franchise QB in this draft, the Heisman Trophy winner. Mendoza will be given time to develop behind veteran Kirk Cousins and will not be rushed into the lineup in Vegas. Mendoza is an athletic and highly intelligent leader who has the arm strength and intangibles to be developed into a long-term NFL starter.

The 2026 NFL Draft starts tonight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and runs through Saturday evening. The NFL Draft is the final stop of the NFL off-season and it serves as the final piece of talent acquisition for NFL teams before the new season truly begins. Next stop are mini-camps, OTAs (Organized Team Activities), UDFA try-outs, and finally, 2026 training camps open in July. 257 prospects will have their dreams come true this weekend but the journey is not over for these pros

That means for the 1,400 or so prospects that were not selected, their hope is to be offered a free agent contract or a formal try-out offer to have an opportunity to attend rookie mini-camp this summer. But as long-time fans know, adding quality UDFAs with starter’s traits allow an NFL team to build depth that is needed to navigate an NFL season. Let’s take a look at some prospects who are unlikely to get drafted but have the skills needed to contribute in the NFL.

The 2026 NFL Draft will be one of the fastest and most talented group of athletes to enter the NFL in decades, if not ever. Specifically, the WRs, TEs, OLT, OG, OC, EDGEs, IDL, LBs, CBs, and Safeties are loaded with plug and play starters that should be ready to contribute from day one in the NFL. The two positions loaded with the most top end talent are EDGE and OT who combined should account for 12-18 of the first 32 picks next month.

When you scout hundreds of prospects every season, you begin to identify some prospects as favorites, even though that was never a goal when the process started. Some prospects just combine the effort with the production or athletic upside that they magnetically draw your attention and your eyes just always seem to find him on the field.

NFL teams needing a starting safety are in luck with the quality prospects at the top of the draft board. Caleb Downs / Ohio State is arguably the best prospect, regardless of position, is the rare "high ceiling-high floor" prospect who is very unlikely to be a bust and projects as a perennial Pro Bowler, possibly as early as his rookie year. Dillon Thieneman / Oregon and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren / Toledo project as first-round picks who are plug and play starters in the NFL ne