The 2026 NFL Draft retrospective highlights key hits and misses from the first three rounds, focusing on scouting successes and failures. Notable players like RB Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame are discussed.
Key points
2026 NFL Draft retrospective examines hits and misses
Focus on scouting successes and failures
RB Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame highlighted
Lessons learned for future scouting processes
Recruiting services evaluated for prediction accuracy
Notre DameJeremiyah Love
The NFL Draft allows the opportunity to retrospectively examine what we thought of future top draft picks as high school prospects. In doing so, we can learn from successes and mistakes to improve our scouting and ranking process in the future.
Jeremiyah Love was a steady riser at running back in the 2023 cycle, ultimately finishing as the No. 4 back and inside the top 100. Love was an elite athlete both on the track and in the combine setting. He first caught our eye coming out of his junior season and moved into the On300 in February 2022. Love was an explosive, big-play back who we wanted to see get more carries as a senior. We saw that improvement as a senior, with the Notre Dame pledge rushing for 1,292 yards and 22 touchdowns at 9.2 yards per carry, in addition to 13 catches for 370 yards and five touchdowns. Love put a huge exclamation point on his high school career heading into the final rankings with a 318-yard, five touchdown performance in the state championship game. A prospect who was younger for the class (late May birthday) Love showed consistent improvement and is in hindsight the clear top running back to come from the 2023 cycle, though there were signs of an upward trajectory as a prospect.
Miss: WR Carnell Tate ā Ohio State
Q&A
What were the notable hits in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Notable hits include RB Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame, who stood out in the first three rounds.
What lessons can be learned from the 2026 NFL Draft rankings?
The retrospective emphasizes the importance of evaluating high school prospects to improve future scouting and ranking processes.
Which players were considered misses in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The article identifies several prominent misses among the first three rounds, although specific names are not provided in the excerpt.
How did recruiting services perform in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The performance of recruiting services is evaluated in the 2026 NFL Draft Report Card, which assesses how well they predicted player success.
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Carnell TateĀ was one of the more skilled wide receiver prospects in the 2023 cycle with advanced route-running ability and ball skills. Tate was a standout wide receiver atĀ IMG Academy and had a very good senior season. His raw production wasnāt eye-popping: 37 catches for 750 yards and eight touchdowns. But when accounting for IMGās short nine-game season and traditionally run-heavy offense, itās by far the best season a wide receiver has had at the talent powerhouse in at least a decade. Itās something that we should have better accounted for at the time. The biggest question with Tate was the top-end gear, as he never ran faster than 4.72 seconds in the 40-yard dash. With that said, he tested well in about every other drill. The high skill level and per game production against top competition should have had him ranked higher. The 2023 wide receiver cycle was stacked with big, gifted athletes who were raw technically. Tateās high floor and steady production are a reminder that wide receiver is a true skill position.
Hit: EDGE Arvell Reese ā Ohio State
Drafted:Ā No. 5 by the New York Giants On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 142 in 2023 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 204 (247Sports) Industry Comparison
Arvell ReeseĀ was a relative late riser in the 2023 cycle bursting on the national scene after his junior season, which was his first year of varsity football. Reese almost immediately moved into the On300, where he stayed for the rest of the cycle. We knew he was a top physical talent. Reese measured over 6-foot-3, 225 pounds with plus length and consistently ran in the high 4.5ās to mid-4.6ās at college camps. He transferred to ClevelandĀ GlenvilleĀ for his senior season where he continued to look like one of the more high upside linebackers in the cycle while adding much needed consistency to his game. One of the younger players in the cycle with a late August birthday, Reese continued to grow while on campus at Ohio State and ultimately had a huge breakout season in 2025.
Drafted:Ā No. 7 by the Washington Commanders On3 Ranking:Ā 5-star, No. 4 in 2022 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 5-star, No. 11 (Rivalsā previous scouting team) Industry Comparison
Sonny StylesĀ was initially tabbed as a five-star prospect early on in the 2023 cycle, ranking in the top three of On3ās first 2023 On300 alongside Arch Manning. He reclassified to the 2022 cycle prior to his final high school season and is the first former reclassification to be taken in the first-round, bucking what is a growing trend. Styles was a jumbo safety at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, who we felt would grow into either a linebacker or EDGE long-term. He was an elite athlete with some of the best combine results in the cycle, something we saw him carry over to the NFL Combine. He was a great two-way player on Friday nights and just oozed elite upside, which is ultimately why we opted to keep him in the top five despite the increased competition with the reclassification. Styles needed four years at Ohio State to develop into an elite linebacker, but it was a matter of when, not if, that would happen.
Drafted:Ā No. 15 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 129 in 2023 Rivals Industry Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 57 Industry Comparison
Rueben Bainās evaluation out of high school mirrored much of what we saw from him as a NFL Draft prospect. He was a dominant player at atĀ Miami Central, racking up an astounding 70 tackles for loss and 48.5 sacks in his final two years. As he did in college, Bain rose to the occasion against the best competition, dominatingĀ IMG AcademyĀ as a senior, notching three sacks as an interior rusher while leading Miami Central to a big upset win. We didnāt know what to make of Bainās physical upside, given he was 6-foot-1.5, 250 pounds with arm length that was in the 1st percentile, and average testing numbers (at very best). Ultimately, he beat the odds despite being a huge physical outlier with his skill level, effort, and production compensating for the limitations.
Hit: OT Monroe Freeling ā Georgia
Drafted:Ā No. 19 by the Carolina Panthers On3 Ranking:Ā 5-star, No. 7 in 2023 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 33 (247Sports) Industry Comparison
We were the highest on Monroe FreelingĀ for the entirety of the 2023 cycle and he ended up being a five-star outlier for On3. He started out as a high upside, developmental tackle prospect with a great frame and top notch athleticism. Freeling made really impressive strides as a senior, adding good weight and functional strength and made a big jump on film. We saw Freeling alongside other first-rounders like Spencer Fano, Kadyn Proctor, and Caleb Lomu at All-American Bowl practices after the senior season, and he looked like the most physically talented of the group. Unlike Fano and Proctor, Freeling didnāt see the field early as a true freshman, but closed the gap considerably down the stretch of his final year in Athens. Had he returned to school as a senior, we think heād push to be the top offensive tackle in what looks like a loaded 2027 NFLF Draft.
Hit: OT Caleb Lomu ā Utah
Drafted:Ā No. 28 by the New England Patriots On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 79 in 2023 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 121 (Rivalsā previous scouting team) Industry Comparison
Caleb LomuĀ was anĀ outlierĀ for On3 for the majority of the 2023 cycle. We loved his functional movement skills on film and in the camp setting. Lomu definitely needed go get stronger, but looked to have the frame to tack on good mass. He impressed alongside future teammate Spencer Fano at All-American Bowl practices, providing a look of things to come in their time at Utah.
Peter WoodsĀ was one of the first prospects to emerge in the 2023 cycle, initially ranking inside the top ten in On3ās early rankings. A dominant defensive lineman at Alabaster (Ala.)Ā Thompson, the top high school program in the state of Alabama, Woods played alongside several other blue-chip and Power 4 prospects. While he didnāt have the eye-popping stature or frame of some other top defensive linemen, he consistently produced and put together several strong all-star showings. I recall watching himĀ dominate practice at the Alabama-Mississippi All-StarĀ game. In the end, we had Woods ranked too low, as his polish and movement skills led to an instant impact at Clemson. This miss isnāt quite as bad as it looked heading into the season, though. Woods was considered by some to be the top player in the draft, but saw his stock slip a bit with a lackluster final season at Clemson.
Miss: EDGE Keldric Faulk ā Auburn
Drafted:Ā No. 31 by the Tennessee Titans On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 115 in 2023 Rivals Industry Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 64 Industry Comparison
Keldric FaulkĀ was a foil of Peter Woods, and serves as a good example that both high ceiling and high floor prospects can go in the first round. Faulk was one of the more physically-imposing prospects in the 2023 cycle. I first saw him at a college camp heading into his junior season. He was around 6-foot-5, 225 pounds at the time and looked to be a plus athlete, but clearly had a lot of room to continue developing. I saw Faulk again at Alabama-Mississippi All-Star practices over a year later and he looked to have grown an inch and added at least 40 pounds to his frame. He was one of the younger players in the cycle, turning 18 in September of his true freshman season at Auburn, meaning he couldāve really been a 2024 prospect. We always viewed him as a high upside, developmental prospect who was still figuring things out as a player. Ultimately his physical upside led to the first round selection, but thereās no doubt we shouldāve had Faulk higher off of the ceiling alone.
Kayden McDonald is my worst individual miss of the 2026 NFL Draft. Like Rueben Bain, McDonald was a hyper-productive high school player with questions around the athletic and physical upside. McDonald was around 6-foot-2, 320 pound with average (at best) athleticism and below average length. That didnāt seem to matter on Friday nights, as he was one of the more productive defensive linemen in the cycle. McDonald lived in the backfield at Suwannee (Ga.) North Gwinnett, credited with 98 tackles for loss and 32 sacks over his final two seasons. He also carried the football for 400+ yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. The output at that competition level should have been undeniable, especially for a prospect who projected as a nose tackle long-term.
Hit: CB Colton Hood ā Tennessee (signed with Auburn)
Drafted:Ā No. 37 by the New York Giants On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 189 in 2023 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 3-star (247Sports) Industry Comparison
This is what we said about Colton Hood when he was tabbed as an On3 outlier in the 2023 cycle: āColton HoodĀ was a senior riser for us. Heās a guy who did a little bit of everything at the high school level. He played receiver, a little quarterback ā he actually throws the ball really well ā he played defensive back. Heās at good size at 6-foot-1. He pairs that size with ball skills. He has very instinctive skills on offense and defense and makes a ton of plays on both sides of the ball. Heās also a really good return man. The three-phrase ability and the coordination and the on-field athleticism was really encouragingā¦ In terms of the play speed and the ball production, we thought was really encouraging. I think he projects well at corner.ā We saw those skills show up in his lone year at Tennessee, after years at Auburn and Colorado, respectively.
Drafted:Ā No. 40 by the Kansas City Chiefs On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 141 in 2022 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 208 (247Sports) Industry Comparison
R Mason Thomas was among the biggest late risers in the 2022 cycle, vaulting into the On300 in November of his senior season. Then committed to Iowa State, Thomas saw a flurry of attention following circulation of his senior film. We saw a twitched up, pass rush specialist and one of the top speed rushers in the cycle. Thomas was certainly on the smaller side at around 6-foot-1, but we felt the pure pass rush juice merited continual rise within the On300. He was also one of the younger top pass rushers in the cycle, turning 18 in late August of his freshman season in Norman.
Hit: EDGE Zion Young ā Missouri (signed with Michigan State)
Drafted:Ā No. 45 by the Baltimore Ravens On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 285 in 2022 Next Highest Ranking:Ā 3-star (247Sports, ESPN, Rivalsā previous scouting team) Industry Comparison
Numerically speaking, Zion Young was the biggest win for On3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Young was a low-to-mid three-star across the rest of the industry, accounting for hundreds or thousands of spots difference. Young added a fourth star for On3 early on in his senior season at Atlanta Westlake, catching our eye with his projectable size, athleticism, and play strength. We thought he had the look of a future NFL Draft the more we watched the film, with the effort level standing out.
Hit: CB Brandon Cisse ā South Carolina (signed with NC State)
Brandon Cisse was a well-rounded cornerback prospect coming out of high school. He was a productive two-way player at Sumter (S.C.) Lakewood as a wide receiver and defensive back. The production took a jump as a senior, with Cisse catching 42 passes for 764 yards and eight touchdowns. The athleticism checked out as well. He put put up great testing marks at college camps and ran an 11.12 in the 100 meters and 22.09 in the 200 meters. The high school athleticism foretold the very strong numbers he put up in the pre-draft process (4.41 second 40-yard dash, 10ā11ā broad jump, and 41-inch vertical). Cisse also added size as a senior and in college. Like many in this story, he was young for the cycle, turning 18 years-old in July before his true freshman season.
CJ Allen checked a bunch of boxes as a linebacker prospect. At 6-foot, 225 pounds, he ran in the 11.1 and 4.6 range. Like many top linebacker draft picks, he was a great two-way player, rushing for 1,628 yards and 25 touchdowns while showing sideline-to-sideline speed on defense. Allen may not have had the frame or true upside of a linebacker like Arvell Reese, who was ranked in the similar range, but should have clearly been a top 5-10 prospect at the position.
Hit: LB Anthony Hill ā Texas
Drafted:Ā No. 60 by the Tennessee Titans On3 Ranking:Ā 4-star, No. 59 in 2023 Next Lowest Ranking: 5-star, No. 7 (Rivals) Industry Comparison
Anthony Hill is the lone hit who On3 did not have the highest ranking for. He was a near Five-Star Plus+ prospect in 2023 with On3 being the lone holdout. It was a little controversial at the time to not have Hill as a five-star, but ultimately his ranking for On3 was within a spot of where he ended up being drafted. Hill was a fantastic athlete at the high school level and was at his best as a blitzer, pass rusher, and pursuit defender. We saw room for improvement with the linebacker instincts when working in space. The strengths allowed for an immediate impact at Texas, while the areas for improvement, along with the lack of positional value led to him being drafted in towards the end of the second round.