The 2026 NFL Draft features 12 standout value picks, including Omar Cooper Jr. and Taylen Green. Teams are looking for hidden gems to maximize their draft value.
Key points
2026 NFL Draft features 12 best value picks
Omar Cooper Jr. and Taylen Green highlighted
Teams seek to maximize draft value
Undervalued players can impact team success
Omar Cooper Jr.Taylen GreenSonny StylesGarrett Nussmeier
There is talent available at every turn in the NFL Draft. Identifying it is the hard part, and actually getting into position to draft it is sometimes even harder.
The draft is all about maximizing value. From undervalued players who slipped out of the top half of the first round to undervalued players who didn't even hear their name called until Day 3, plenty of players will make or break the jobs of general managers or coaches with how they perform in the NFL.
This time of year is the easy part. All 32 teams believe they found the steals of the draft, whether in the early rounds or the later rounds. Who could those steals actually be?
It might be strange to see a high first-round pick be labeled a value pick, but the Commanders did well to see Styles fall into their lap. GM Adam Peters was part of the front office that drafted Fred Warner in San Francisco, and Dan Quinn coached Bobby Wagner in both and . With his ridiculous blend of size, speed and physical tools, Styles can have the kind of rare impact that those two have had and be the quarterback of the Commanders' defense for a decade.
Q&A
Who are the top value picks in the 2026 NFL Draft?
The top value picks include Omar Cooper Jr., Taylen Green, Sonny Styles, and Garrett Nussmeier among others.
What makes a player a value pick in the NFL Draft?
A player is considered a value pick if they are talented but are selected later than expected, often due to various factors like team needs or draft depth.
How do NFL teams identify value picks during the draft?
NFL teams identify value picks by analyzing player performance, potential, and team needs, often looking for players who may have been overlooked.
What is the significance of value picks in the NFL Draft?
Value picks can significantly impact a team's success, as they provide talented players at lower draft positions, maximizing the team's overall draft value.
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All that kept Styles from the very top of the draft was likely positional value, as off-ball linebackers aren't valued like most other positions. The Commanders still need plenty of defensive help, but shoring up the middle of the defense with Styles was a best-case scenario for a unit that needed a leader like this.
Like off-ball linebackers, safeties are often devalued in the draft because of positional value. After the Vikings and other teams in the late teens and early 20s passed on Dillon Thieneman, the Bears are set to reap the benefits.
Thieneman isn’t boxed in at safety, as he flashed versatility in multiple roles at Purdue and Oregon and should be able to line up all over the defense in Chicago. He has the athleticism, running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash this spring, but he also has the production: Thieneman had eight interceptions and 10 tackles for loss over three collegiate seasons, averaging more than 100 tackles per season.
Safety might not be the most critical position, but the Bears will be able to move Thieneman and Coby Bryant all around this season, with Thieneman in line to be a long-term fixture.
Omar Cooper Jr. would have been a fine pick for the Jets at No. 16. At No. 30, he's a strong addition to a receiving corps that badly needs a safety blanket next to Garrett Wilson.
Cooper is on the shorter end for receivers at 6-0, but he makes up for it with a strong frame and impressive physicality. Potentially a slot receiver at the next level, Cooper showed an ability to rack up yards after the catch at Indiana and should have even more room to grow as a player after continually improving with the Hoosiers.
Jacob Rodriguez isn't expected to be the Heisman contender he was at Texas Tech, but for a mid-second round pick, he's a fairly safe bet to a regular contributor from day one in Miami.
The intangibles are off the charts for Rodriguez, and he was the single most productive off-ball linebacker in college football in 2025. Size concerns and middling athleticism gave teams some pause, but this is a player who can at least carve out a long NFL career as a solid starter with his effort level and skillset. For the No. 43 pick, that's a major win for a brand new Dolphins regime that needs some high-character guys in the locker room.
Why did a player as talented as CJ Allen fall all the way to the back half of the second round? This spring saw an enormously deep free-agent linebacker, and this draft is also had an unusual amount of talent at the position. Many teams with needs already filled them in March, and others filled them earlier in this draft. The Colts will gladly reap the rewards.
Allen isn't necessarily a playmaker like Rodriguez, but he can be a valuable run defender from day one who can help fill the shoes of Zaire Franklin. Allen was also counted upon as the anchor of Georgia's defense and learned valuable leadership in that role in the middle of Kirby Smart's defense. The Colts will have to see how Allen develops as a pass defender, but at No. 53, he's a plug-and-play linebacker for their defense.
It was a surprise to see Emmanuel McNeil-Warren fall all the way to the latter portion of the second round, but the Browns certainly aren’t complaining. Considered a potential selection for the Vikings as high as No. 18, McNeil-Warren has impressive size for a safety at 6-4 and showed an ability to force turnovers at a high rate at Toledo.
Level of competition could have been a concern for some teams, but Quinyon Mitchell showed no issues transitioning from Toledo’s secondary to the NFL two years ago, and the Browns have said McNeil-Warren’s loyalty to the Rockets was something that stood out to them. While his tackling may need to be cleaned up a bit, McNeil-Warren gives Cleveland’s secondary a hard-hitting presence late in the second round.
Jaguars: Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon
Round 3, Pick 88
The Jaguars' draft was beyond baffling at times, but Emmanuel Pregnon might be the gem that overshadows some of the more bizarre picks made on Day 2. Considered a second-round prospect entering the draft, Pregnon was a four-year starter at three different schools at the collegiate level and performed well everywhere he played, allowing only three pressures in 2025.
Pregnon doesn't offer versatility, which may have hurt him, but the Jaguars will be more than happy to plug him right in at a guard spot. With his experience, Pregnon should be able to play right away if needed.
Chris Bell had the chance to be a first-round pick before tearing his ACL at Louisville and was still thought to be a likely second-round prospect. The Dolphins did well to take a flier on him at No. 94, and he should be able to contribute in 2026 if the organization is willing to put him out there.
Bell isn’t known to have any other concerns beyond his ACL recovery, which by all accounts is going as expected after more than four months. While not an explosive receiver, Bell has solid speed once he gets going and can use his strength to toy with defenders. He averaged more than 17 yards per catch in 2024 and had 917 yards and six touchdowns over 11 games in 2025 before the ACL tear.
The value here is self-explanatory: McCoy is a first-round talent when fully healthy. If his knee turns out to be less of a concern than some teams thought, he can be a high-impact player on day one for a Raiders team that badly needs the help in the secondary. If the knee is a problem, McCoy certainly won't be the first fourth-rounder to quickly fade out of the NFL.
It isn't worth guessing what kind of state McCoy's knee is in — reports say a bone plug to address a degenerative cartilage issue may need to be replaced, which would cost him a full season — but his ACL is said to be fully repaired, and he ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at his pro day this spring. If the Raiders can get a few years out of McCoy, they can call it a win here in the fourth round.
In a draft dominated by defense for the Cowboys, one of their best picks may have come in the fourth round when they selected Florida CB Devin Moore at No. 114 overall.
A tall corner at 6-3, Moore's college career was ravaged by injuries before he stayed on the field and broke through in 2025 with an impressive season in the Gators' secondary. Moore produced every time he was healthy enough to play and showed ball skills with five interceptions against SEC quarterbacks, also rarely missing tackles.
If those injuries catch up to Moore, the Cowboys can live with it. The risk is worth the reward in the fourth round with a player of Moore's talent, and Dallas' hope will be that he can channel some of what Tariq Woolen found as a tall corner in Seattle.
The brother of Trey Lance, Bryce Lance made his name as a wide receiver at North Dakota State, breaking out with three strong years after a quiet start to his career.
The obvious question is the level of competition. The Bison were at the FCS level, so Lance is going to be making a massive jump to the NFL. The physical traits, however, indicate Lance can match up with them. Lance ran a blazing 4.34 40-yard dash and posted one of the best Relative Athletic Scores at the NFL Combine with excellent testing. His size and athleticism not only matched his peers at the combine, it exceeded them.
After averaging 21.2 yards per catch at North Dakota State, Lance won't need to be a star in New Orleans; the tools are there to be a regular contributor, which is a plus at No. 136 overall.
In the sixth round, you might as well take a chance on someone with the size and strength of Arkansas QB Taylen Green. That's what the Browns did on Saturday, adding Green to a lackluster quarterback room that could use an experimental player.
Green never quite put it all together at Arkansas, dealing with some turnover troubles in a nightmarish 2025 season for the Razorbacks, but he offers a rare combination of size, strength and athleticism that made him a bully as a runner. The Browns plan to use Green as a quarterback and could have a little something if they develop his arm, but a backup plan as a wide receiver wouldn't be a bad idea.
