The 2026 NFL Draft grades are out, with the Giants receiving high marks while the 49ers received an F. The Cardinals earned a D+ grade for their draft choices, including a historic contract for running back Jeremiyah Love.
Key points
Giants received high marks in 2026 NFL Draft grades
49ers received an F grade
Cardinals earned a D+ grade
Jeremiyah Love signed a historic $53 million contract
Cardinals committed heavily to Love as a running back
Arizona CardinalsSan Francisco 49ersJeremiyah LoveSaquon Barkley
With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, it's time to give out some grades. For all of our AFC grades, check out Eric Frotonâs excellent article.
The Cardinals were widely thought to be the clear trade-down spot at the top of the board. With Jacoby Brissett under center for 2026, this is a team that was clearly playing for 2027. If another GM was willing to give them a haul of draft picks, it made sense to take the surplus value and send the No. 3 pick. That never happened and the Cardinals guaranteed Jeremiyah Love more money than any other running back in NFL history. His $53 million contract is fully guaranteed and features $17 million more in guarantees than Saquon Barkley's deal. Love is a great running back, but the Cardinals are committed to him as if heâs already the leagueâs best runner.
Chase Bisontis was a strong choice in the second round. It was also the last time Arizona chose a player within 18 spots of their projected draft pick, according to Arif Hasanâs Big Board. The board is simply an aggregate of over 100 industry boards. It predicts draft capital well, meaning it gives both an idea of how to value a playerâs outlook and when they should be available in the draft.
There was, however, some late steam for Carson Beck that likely wasnât picked up by the big board. Beck has an NFL frame but not an elite arm. His decision-making can also be frustrating. Beck is an expensive flyer for a team likely planning on drafting a first-round quarterback in 12 months, but itâs hard to ever knock a team for shooting their shot at the most important position in sports.
Q&A
What grade did the Arizona Cardinals receive in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The Arizona Cardinals received a D+ grade in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Why did the San Francisco 49ers get an F in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The article does not provide specific details on why the 49ers received an F grade.
Who was the highest-paid running back from the 2026 NFL Draft?
Jeremiyah Love was the highest-paid running back, signing a fully guaranteed contract worth $53 million.
What notable players were drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2026?
The Cardinals drafted Jeremiah Love, Chase Bisontis, and Carson Beck among others.
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The Falcons didnât have a first-round pick after moving back into the first round last year to land James Pearce Jr. Avieon Terrell was a player with first-round potential, but his size (5â10/186) and dreadful 4.64 40 clearly scared some teams off. Atlanta took him at a value, and historically, NFL teams overreact to NFL Combine performances, so I think the Falcons played the game well here. With his brother A.J. occupying an outside corner role in Atlanta, Terrell will get to play slot early in his career.
Zacharia Branch has a place in the NFL, but Iâm not sure what he brings to the table is worth a Day Two pick. Branch earned 35.8 percent of his career yards on screens. That rate is the highest for a wide receiver drafted since 2018, putting him just above Malachi Corley and Anthony Schwartz. Itâs not a profile with a high success rate, and a team without a first-round pick used one of their two day two picks to secure it.
Oklahoma linebacker Kendal Daniels is a really fun bet for the Falcons. He was the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year as a safety at Oklahoma State. Later in his career, he transferred to Oklahoma, switched positions, and put up strong numbers there as well. He totaled nine TFLs and 27 stops in 2025. Daniels is still learning how to play linebacker, but Iâm a sucker for an off-ball linebacker with a coverage background.
The Panthers more or less went all in on Bryce Young via the draft, using two of their first three picks on offensive players. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the playoffs, meaning his availability for a chunk of the 2026 season is up in the air. Freeling could backfill his role out of the gates. He only made 17 starts in college, but Freeling has a massive, 6â7/315, frame with room to grow and started at left tackle in the SEC. Itâs a great upside bet.
In the third round, Carolina added Tennesseeâs speedster wideout Chris Brazzell. He profiles as a Z in the NFL and his speed could immediately earn him a spot in the Panthersâ three-receiver set. The Panthers are closing in on decision time with Bryce Young. He needs to find another gear in 2026 or the team may want to go in another direction. After improving his line and receiver room, there will be no more excuses for Young.
Dillon Thieneman was widely expected to go to the Vikings a few picks before Chicago took the podium. They passed, and it almost feels a bit personal for Ben Johnson to take the guy everyone thought would be wearing purple and gold. Thieneman is a Swiss Army Knife safety who can affect both the run and pass from several positions.
The Logan Jones pick, on the other hand, felt like a panic decision from Chicagoâs front office. Drew Dahlman, their starting center, abruptly retired this offseason. They then went out and took Jones a whole 21 picks before his forecasted draft slot. Jones was an elite pass-protector at Iowa, specifically as a senior, so I admittedly still like the player here.
Chicago got weird on offense again with Zavion Thomas. He was outside the top 250 players on the big board, meaning the Bears could likely have landed him multiple rounds later. Thomas topped out at 503 yards in college and neither of his teams seemed all that interested in getting him the ball. He profiles as a return specialist in the NFL.
This was the year of positional value not mattering. It was a weak class at premium positions with elite prospects at non-premium spots. That was the widespread mantra of draftniks in this class and many used it as a reason to push certain players up their boards. With all of that drumbeat heading into the draft, it baffles me that Caleb Downs was available at 11th overall. Downs is an instinctive pass defender who can also step in to stop the run. He does a lot of everything at an elite level. Downs was a steal for Dallas.
With their second-first round pick, Dallas took a bigger swing (read: more risk) on Malachi Lawrence. Heâs a speed demon with good production, but his size (6â4/253) could make him a liability against the run, which was not his strong suit in college.
As expected, the Cowboys didn't let their foot off the gas when it came to drafting defensive talents. Jaishawn Barham has a unique profile. He split his time between off-ball and EDGE duties in college. He posted his best numbers at Michigan in 2025, tallying 10 TFLs and four sacks. Iâm not entirely sure what his role will look like in the NFL, but Iâm intrigued.
Miller was a stalwart right tackle for the Tigers, making 54 career starts over four seasons. His addition means that Penei Sewell will indeed move to left tackle, and I think thatâs a far better setup than taking an inferior left tackle prospect and forcing them to start in Week 1.
The Lions kept it simple in the second round. A Michigan EDGE had a bunch of sacks â 10 to be specific â last year? They have found succes with the model before. Now they have a pair of Michigan defenders to get after the passer in Aidan Hutchinson and Derrick Moore.
Kendrick Law was a surprising pick in the fifth round. He never earned playing time at Alabama and peaked at 540 yards in his lone season at Kentucky. He looks more like a special teamer based on his production profile, and the Lions gave up a late-round selection to move up and grab him.
The Packers didnât take the podium until pick No. 52, where they selected Brandon Cisse. The former Gamecock allowed just 18 receptions in 2025 and is physical enough to face most wideouts in one-on-one coverage. Heâs also a competitive run defender. This isn't the flashiest pick, but it makes sense for a team with a relatively weak cornerback room.
Dani Dennis-Sutton was a five-star recruit who played extremely well in each of the past two years, logging 8.5 sacks twice. He never made the leap from good to great at Penn State, and maybe that never happens. Even if it doesnât, he has a future as a physical EDGE2 in Green Bay. Of course, as a former Nittany Lion, his 99th-percentile athleticism is a given.
For other teams, this draft haul would be worth a far better grade. The Rams arenât other teams. They spent one of their first two picks in a trade for Trent McDuffie, who then needed a new contract. Davante Adams and Matthew Stafford are both under contract for just one more season. This team is as win-now as they come. Iâm not sure they got a single year-one contributor. They certainly didnât in Ty Simpson, despite making him one of the biggest reaches in the first round.
Simpson doesnât profile as a Sean McVay quarterback either. McVay went from a Super Bowl runner-up to a world champion by exchanging his system-savant in Jared Goff for a true gunslinger in Stafford. Simpson does not have an elite physical profile for McVay to build his offense around. With all that being said, I again cannot flunk a team for addressing the most important position in football, though I came close.
Max Klare was a top-three tight end prospect for me. He had elite production at Purdue before serving as more of boring Y tight end at Ohio State. His counting stats dipped, but the experience likely made him a better player in the long run. Do the Rams really need another tight end with Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, Tyler Higbee, and Davis Allen all back for 2026? Higbee and Parkinson will be free agents next offseason, but this isnât a team that should be too concerned with 2027.
CJ Daniels peaked at 1,000 yards at Liberty, but looked overmatched at LSU and Miami, where he went for 480 and 557 yards respectively. Heâs a craft route-runner, which Iâm sure McVay loves, who profiles as a rotational WR3 in the pros.
The Vikings took an almost shocking swing on Caleb Banks, who had largely fallen out of the first-round conversation heading into the draft. Banks missed most of his final season with a foot injury and heâs still recovering from a related surgery to this day. In 2024, Banks totaled 4.5 sacks on 29 pressures. Banks is a dangerous pass-rusher and his 6â6/330 frame is more than enough to stuff run lanes, though thatâs an aspect of his game that needs work.
Minnesota doubled down on its defensive line with Domonique âBig Citrusâ Orange. That goes on the Mount Rushmore of nicknames. Big Citrus is a gap-filling tackle who should complement Banksâ skill set well, especially early in their careers.
With Aaron Jones being forced to take a pay cut and the Jordan Mason trade flopping last year, running back was quietly a big need for the Vikings. They addressed the position with Wake Forestâs Demond Claiborne. At 5â10/188, Claiborne wonât shoulder the entire workload at any point in his career, but his 4.37 40 speed could make him a great change-of-pace back.
The Saints had DeVuaghn Vele penciled in as their WR2 before the draft and left Pittsburgh with a wide receiver who has true No. 1 upside. His injury history is a legitimate concern, but I think it was smart not to weigh a few isolated events too heavily when considering how much this roster needed another pass-catcher.
Mickey Loomis eventually doubled and tripled down on pass-catching weapons with Oscar Delp and Bryce Lance. Delp is a great blocker with some potential for YAC production. He could be a strong complement to Juwan Johnson. Lance is a pure burner in the mold of fellow North Dakota State alum Christian Watson. He wonât have much room to break out in this offense, but Lance figures to be a classic âbetter in real life than fantasyâ wideout.
New Orleans even scooped up Barion Brown from LSU. Brown also boasts elite speed, though his most likely role in 2026 will be as a return specialist. All of these moves point toward the Saints unleashing Tyler Shough. He got the ball rolling as a rookie and was particularly effective as a deep thrower. Shough was second in the NFL in accurate throw rate on throws 20+ yards downfield in 2025 and he went deep at the 11th-highest rate. This time is now built to take advantage of that strength.
The Giants went with a bread-and-butter best player available approach on night one and it could pay dividends right away. Arvell Reese was a strong candidate to go second overall and made it to them at five. Francis Mauigoa was the betting favorite to be the top lineman drafted and they got him at No. 10.
A slight yellow flag Iâll wave here is the usage for both players. John Harbaugh said after the first round that Reese will play off-ball linebacker and Mauigoa will start at right guard.
Both players could play high-value positions. Instead, Harbaugh is moving them to spots traditionally buried on the positional value rankings. This, however, is almost certainly temporary for Mauigoa. Reese is more up for debate, though I still believe he will get plenty of opportunities to rush the passer early in his career.
Harbaugh then scooped up Colton Hood, who was a fringe-first-rounder, at the top of the second round. Hood is a physical corner with enough speed to recover when he gets too aggressive. This was arguably the best three-pick start to any draft class this year.
This time Eagles GM Howie Roseman moved up to scoop a falling Makai Lemon. He has made acquiring a marquee faller an annual affair, and this one just so happened to cover up the massive hole thatâs about to be left by A.J. Brownâs departure.
Roseman also got my TE2 of the class, Eli Stowers, who should take over the starting role in 2027, when Dallas Goedert hits free agency.
Cole Payton is quietly one of the most interesting picks of the class. All eyes are on Jalen Hurts this year, with many calling it a make-or-break season for him. Just like they did with Carson Wentz, the Eagles arenât going into that type of season without an ace up their sleeves. Payton is a rugged dual-threat passer who bombed the ball downfield with stunning accuracy and frequency in 2025. At 6â3/232, he also has the build of a potential tush pusher.
San Francisco 49ers
Draft Grade: F
Pick 33: De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss
Pick 70: Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech
Pick 90: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
Pick 107: Gracen Halton, DL, Oklahoma
Pick 127: Carver Willis, OT, Washington
Pick 139: Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington
Pick 154: Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana
Pick 179: Enrique Cruz Jr., OT, Kansas
How many times are we going to have to teach the 49ers this lesson? They are one of the teams most likely to reach on players every year, hemorrhaging value to get their guys. Does it work? Of course not.
This list of their biggest reaches versus the consensus boards features a number of hits you can count on one hand, with a few 2025 picks still up in the air. They took De'Zhaun Stribling over 50 picks ahead of his big board ranking. Stribling averaged a paltry 1.7 career yards per route run and topped out at just under 900 yards.
Kaelon Black also fits the bill for a 49ers reach, going over 100 spots ahead of his big board rank. Black was a committee back in college who sat outside the top 100 runners in yards after contact per attempt in 2025.
Dugger, Cruz Jr., and Willis were all over 100 picks early according to the big board as well. This would be acceptable if the 49ers had a track record of consistently beating the draft. They donât.
Seattle Seahawks
Draft Grade: C-
Pick 32: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame
Pick 64: Bud Clark, S, TCU
Pick 99: Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas
Pick 148: Beau Stephens, IOL, Iowa
Pick 199: Emmanuel Henderson Jr., WR, Kansas
Pick 236: Andre Fuller, CB, Toledo
Pick 242: Deven Eastern, DT, Minnesota
Pick 255: Michael Dansby, CB, Arizona
I get it. The Seahawks did need to add a running back and this class doesnât have a third home run hitter after Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Price even has some stylistic similarities to Ken Walker, though the latter was extremely productive in college while Price was not. If they wanted a Walker replacement, it was now or never at pick No. 32. Given Priceâs limited profile and the low positional value of running back, I think the answer should have been never, even though Price is at least a strong scheme fit at a position of need.
Seattle then doubled down on their secondary with Bud Clark and Julian Neal. Clark is a ball-hawking deep safety. He totaled 15 interceptions in four years as a starter, two of which were house calls. Neal is a big outside corner at 6â2/203 who also brings plenty of ball productio to the table. He notched four interceptions and 16 PBUs over the past two years. Neither player is guaranteed to start right away, but I respect a team that values production.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Draft Grade:
Pick 15: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
Pick 46: Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri
Pick 84: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
Pick 116: Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Pick 155: DeMonte Kapehart, DL, Clemson
Pick 160: Billy Schrauth, G, Notre Dame
Pick 185: Bauer Sharp, TE, LSU
The Bucs ended Rueben Bainâs fall at pick No. 15. Bainâs short arms and good but not great production likely caused his slide, but heâs a beast on film and his advanced numbers are far more generous than his sack totals.
Tampa Bay lost Hall of Fame linebacker Lavonte David to retirement this offseason. Josiah Trotter wonât be the only linebacker doing what they can to fill his shoes. The Bucs also brought in Alex Anzalone. But Trotter will be part of the solution right away. Trotter is effective on every down and has the production to back up his impressive tape.
You can never have too many receivers, but did the Bucs really need to spend a third-round pick on their WR4? With Mike Evans gone, they have Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan all penciled in for starting roles. Even Tez Johnson proved to be a successful role-player in 2026. With that being said, I like Hurst as a high-end field-stretcher. Maybe he supplants McMillan, or the team moves on from Godwin sooner than expected.
Washington Commanders
Draft Grade: B-
Pick 7: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Pick 71: Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson
Pick 147: Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
Pick 187: Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State
Pick 209: Matt Gulbin, C, Michigan State
Pick 223: Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Rutgers
Sonny Styles is a sideline-to-sideline defender who blows up run plays and has record-setting athleticism, allowing him to keep up with any tight end or running back in coverage. Like Caleb Downs, he became a slam dunk pick when you didnât have to spend a top-five pick to land him.
The Commanders have Terry McLaurin at receiver and almost nothing else. They needed a wideout with a long-term WR1 ceiling. Having spent their only pick between one and 71 on Styles, they had to wait until the first few tiers of receiver were off the board to address that position. Antonio Williams is a slot-only possession receiver who produced plenty on carries, returns, and even a few pass attempts, but his YAC numbers were rather muted for a player with his skill set. Given Washingtonâs clear need at receiver and the depth this class had, itâs a miss to only take one wideout, even with their limited number of picks.
Kaytron Allen is going to take over this backfield by the end of his rookie season. Heâs not the sexiest runner, but he follows his blocks and doesn't go down on first contact. Allen is the type of back coaches and fans love more than fantasy players. With so little at the position on this roster, that archetype makes a ton of sense for Washington.
