Perfect matches: Five rookies built to succeed with best 2026 NFL Draft scheme fits

Getty Images

The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books. We now know where all 257 players will begin their professional football careers, which means we can focus on forecasting, rather than just what they did during their collegiate careers.

Some have talent that will naturally shine no matter where they play. Some might need to be in certain situations, or they might not be at their best. And some of them have the perfect marriage of talent and situation, allowing their skill sets to flourish at the highest level.

Which situations appear to be perfect marriages? Five rookies stand out.

Fernando Mendoza, Raiders

The match between Mendoza and new coach Klint Kubiak is one made in heaven. All of the things Mendoza does best are featured aspects of the offense Kubiak likes to run.

Mendoza is dominant throwing over the middle of the field, which should help him complete all crossers and in-breaking routes that stem from Kubiak's offense. He went 153 of 184 for 2,142 yards, 24 touchdowns and three picks when throwing over the middle of the field last season, per PFF. The Seahawks threw over the middle a bit less often than a typical Shanahan-esque offense, but we know from history how important those routes are to the scheme's success.

Mendoza excelled in the intermediate game, completing 55 of 86 passes for 816 yards, 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions on throws between 10 and 19 yards down the field, per Pro Football Focus. The Shanahan-style offense that Kubiak runs is heavy on those types of throws.

Mendoza was dynamite on play-action throws as a Hoosier, completing 94 of 131 passes for 1,039 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one pick. The Seahawks used play-action at the NFL's seventh-highest rate last season, and the scheme Kubiak runs has always been heavily dependent on run fakes to create favorable matchups in the passing game.

It might take some getting used to playing under center more often (Mendoza took just two dropbacks from under center in 2025 while the Seahawks were second in the NFL in under-center usage, per Tru Media), but once he gets up to speed on that front, the No. 1 pick should be a fantastic fit under his new head coach.

Arvell Reese, Giants

The versatile Ohio State star went to a team that allows him to play multiple roles, not just as an edge rusher, as might have been the case if he had been drafted elsewhere.

Reese played 327 snaps at outside linebacker and 286 snaps at inside linebacker last season, per Pro Football Focus, though that figure over-exaggerates how often he actually lined up on the edge of the defense because he was still off the ball for plenty of those outside-backer snaps.

The Giants have star edges in Brian Burns and 2025 No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter (and they still have Kayvon Thibodeaux for now), so Reese doesn't need to be an every-down edge guy. Reese can play inside linebacker alongside free-agent signee Tremaine Edmunds, while also walking up along the line of scrimmage, both on the edge and in the A and B gaps on occasion, under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson.

When the Giants' defense gets in pure pass-rush situations, they can line up all three guys along the defensive front together and really force the opposition into a pickle. That's an especially dangerous look that the Giants will want to get to quite often, especially because their interior defensive line room is one of the weaker ones in the NFL at the moment. Using each of Burns, Carter and Reese to rush the passer from different angles will help overcome that specific weakness.

Caleb Downs, Cowboys

Downs is basically the platonic ideal of what new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker desires in a defensive back. His versatility allows him to play numerous roles, depending on whether the Cowboys line up in their base 3-4 scheme or in their nickel package.

Downs played 241 snaps in the box, 240 as a free safety and 146 as a slot cornerback last year at Ohio State, according to Pro Football Focus. He saw a similar split the year before, with 393 snaps deep, 339 in the box and 160 in the slot. Even as a freshman playing under Nick Saban (an extreme rarity) he showed even more versatility, lining up deep for 287 snaps, in the box for 285 and in the slot for 268.

In Parker's Vic Fangio-style defense, Downs is likely to line up at safety alongside Jalen Thompson in the base set. Because both players have box safety and free safety experience, it'll allow Parker to use them interchangeably and keep opposing offenses guessing.

Downs is then likely to shift to the slot alongside Daron Bland and Shavon Revel (or Cobie Durant) on the outside when Dallas moves into its nickel alignment. Parker will use him there the same way they used Cooper DeJean in Philadelphia, allowing him to get close to the ball and blow up plays in both the pass and run games.

Rueben Bain Jr., Buccaneers

Bain slipped in the draft due to the concerns over his shot arms (they measured at 30 7/8 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine), but he landed in a scheme that will allow him to do what he does best, and do it all the time.

Todd Bowles moves players all over the defensive front consistently, and the fact that defenses won't always know where Bain is coming from, or to which gap he is rushing, will allow him to mitigate some of the concerns that come with his arm length. Bowles is going to allow Bain to rush from the inside as well as from the edge, and he did some of his best work at Miami when rushing up the field against guards and even centers on the occasions where the Canes kicked him inside.

But the main reason Bain represents a perfect fit is that Bowles will ensure he is always moving forward and attacking with full force, using his rare power to overwhelm offensive linemen. Going to a scheme that was more passive or read-and-react wouldn't have made as good a use of Bain's skill set. Luckily for him and for the Bucs, that's not the case here.

KC Concepcion, Browns

Concepcion was one of the most explosive playmakers in this draft class, and sending him over to Todd Monken's offense in Cleveland is a great fit. If you've seen what Zay Flowers did in Baltimore, where he made back-to-back Pro Bowls with 160 catches for 2,270 yards and nine touchdowns over the last two seasons while operating as Lamar Jackson's No. 1 target, that should give you an idea of how the Browns can use Concepcion once they get their quarterback situation squared away.

He's fast and can beat defenses deep down the field (even if Texas A&M didn't take the best advantage of that this past season because the Aggies' quarterback was inaccurate with his deep throws), but he's not just a burner who has to beat you deep, or he doesn't have anything else in his bag.

Concepcion is really good with the ball in his hands, having averaged 7.2 yards after catch per reception during his one season at Texas A&M. He also did that despite having a 12.3-yard average depth of target, which is on the high side for a player of his ilk  (Flowers' aDOT was 10.3 yards last year, for example) and makes his after-catch production even more impressive because shorter passes tend to be the ones that create more opportunity for after-catch production.