NFL Draft grades are all the rage right now. Or reason for rage. The consensus board is bad! The consensus board is good!

Who cares!

I am going to grade every draft class anyway. I did a ton of work on the 2026 NFL Draft class, have formulated opinions, and plan to use those to evaluate how each team did this past weekend. And yes, the consensus board will be used as a tool (I’ll be using Arif Hasan’s at Wide Left).

Table of Contents:

• AFC North

• AFC South

• AFC East

• AFC West

• NFC North

• NFC South

• NFC East

• NFC West

• Team Grade Tiers

This past weekend, 257 players were drafted, so there is a ton to get through. Who came out as winners? Who came out as massive losers? I’ve got my thoughts…

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Two days down, one day of the 2026 NFL Draft left to go!

With four rounds left to go, there is still a ton of talent left on the board. This is headlined by Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, a first round talent who has fallen for concerns about his knee and the degenerative nature of it. However, there are still four players from my top-50 still on the board, and 26 players from my top-100 still on the board.

As I did yesterday, I will update the big board live as picks roll in and delete them from this Best Player Available big board tracker. Here are the best players still on the board as the 2026 NFL Draft draws to a close:

DISCLAIMER: My big board is film and athletic upside scaling only and does not account for injury/character reports.

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Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books!

After a wild night, featuring a flurry of trades in the back end of the first round, 32 players have found new cities to call home and new organizations to suit up for.

Here are the best available players from my top-135 as we enter Day 2 of the NFL Draft. I will round out the third day of the draft with the rest of my 205-player big board. With plenty of players still left to be drafted in six more rounds of action, it’s time to update the board of best available players.

So, that’s what I’ve done here.

As players are drafted, I will edit the big board and delete them so you can follow this as a true best player available board throughout the night.

DISCLAIMER: My big board is film and athletic upside scaling only and does not account for injury/character reports.

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The 2026 NFL Draft is here!

A whole year’s worth of content, analysis, chatter, and more has led us to this moment. Tonight, 32 players will become first round picks, and teams will usher in a new class of young talent into their organization.

Instant analysis and NFL Draft grades are not for everyone. I get it. And if it’s not your thing, then keep on scrolling. However, each pick on Thursday night will get a live grade and instant reaction here. So, bookmark the piece, refresh after every pick, and see what my thoughts on each pick are.

I have attached a top-100 best available players as well based off my big board, to follow along on who the top players on the board are when your team is on the clock.

So, let’s have some fun, draftniks!

DISCLAIMER: My big board is film and athletic upside scaling only and does not account for injury/character reports.

We can go ahead and knock this one out, right? We’ve known the draft starts at pick No. 2 for quite some time now.

I am treating this grade as a pass/fail. How can you grade a quarterback-needy team taking the only quality quarterback first overall?

Big Board Rank: 4

Grade: Pass

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Welcome to NFL Draft Eve, my friends! We have made it.

From Inside the Film Rooms to quarterback charting profiles, to best fit articles, and more, we have covered this draft cycle as intently as possible. Now, pens go down, and the draft comes on.

There is one more matter of business to take care of first: one final mock draft.

So, being as predictive as one can be about the NFL Draft, I guess, here is one final mock draft to celebrate the ringing in of another main event. I am not doing trades. Those get too murky to try to predict value, slot, and more.

However, what I have done is identify which teams I believe to be trade-up candidates or trade-down candidates. This is based on intel that I’ve heard. More intel is sprinkled in throughout the mock draft as well.

For one last time, let’s roll.

Reminder that I am running a “You’re on the clock!” draft week special! This week, until the end of the 2026 NFL Draft, I am offering 20% off of annual subscriptions to the site. Don’t miss out!

1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

This horse has been beaten to death. The draft starts at pick No. 2.

2. New York Jets: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

Arvell Reese vs. David Bailey is the big conversation here. And probably will be up until the Jets turn in the card. However, defending the run is non-negotiable in this mock draft, whereas it has been negotiable for Bailey throughout his college career.

So here, the Jets opt for perhaps the most violent player in the class; they can either play off-ball at linebacker or off the edge in the Ohio State standout.

3. Arizona Cardinals: EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech

trade-down candidate

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has been a stickler for drafting premium positions only early in the draft. So, while there is some smoke around Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick, the Cardinals take David Bailey instead.

Upgrading their pass rush, Bailey brings explosiveness off the edge and a nuanced play of attack as a pass rusher. The flexibility is what it is, and he has to stiffen up against the run, but the Cardinals get a dynamic pass rusher nonetheless.

4. Tennessee Titans: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

I have on pretty decent authority that the Titans are leaning toward either Arvell Reese, David Bailey, or Jeremiyah Love. Well, the former two are already off the board, leaving the Titans with the ladder.

Taking pressure off of Cam Ward’s shoulder by giving him a playmaker he can hand the football to 15+ times a game, the Titans land the Notre Dame running back here.

5. New York Giants: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

Last week, three bigger names in the industry all mocked Caleb Downs to the Giants over Sonny Styles. Then just yesterday, a local Giants beat reporter also mocked Downs to the Giants over Styles. That seems to be the direction.

They cannot really go wrong with either defensive standout. And while Styles is the top player on my board, I get it with Downs. Here, I follow suit and have the Giants also selecting Downs with the fifth overall pick in the draft.

6. Cleveland Browns: OT Spencer Fano, Utah

trade-down candidate

The word on the street is that the Browns desperately want out of this draft slot. However, finding a suitor to give up extra assets to come up seems to be an issue. So, we mark them as a trade candidate, but move forward with them selecting Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano.

While Fano played right tackle his last two seasons at Utah, he does have experience playing left tackle, where the Browns have a hole. They have also stated that veteran Tytus Howard could play left tackle if needed.

Here, they take OT1 in the class and move on.

7. Washington Commanders: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

This one is easy. With Sonny Styles still on the board, Dan Quinn gets his alien linebacker in the middle of his defense. They do not make 6-foot-5 and 245-pound human beings who move the way that Styles does. He’s been my top player since December, and I’ve had no reason to move off that.

With Frankie Luvu at WILL, and with Leo Chenal at SAM, Styles now rounds out that Commanders’ linebacker room.

8. New Orleans Saints: EDGE Rueben Bain, Miami

With Cameron Jordan in the back part of his career, the Saints need to think about life without him. How about another stout and condensed pass rusher in the same mold?

Here, the Saints land Rueben Bain with the eighth overall pick. Powerful and explosive, Bain will make a Day 1 impact in New Orleans and usher in a new era that Jordan will soon leave behind.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

trade-up candidate

The Chiefs need a wide receiver outside of the mold of the rest of the guys in the room. And by that, I mean they need a dominant ball winner down down the field who is consistent and trustworthy. That man is Ohio State’s Carnell Tate.

Kansas City is a sneaky trade-up candidate, though. They have extra draft capital and security at the quarterback position. If they were a team that made a move up, it would not surprise me.

10. New York Giants (via CIN): OG Vega Ioane, Penn State

After trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Giants now come back on the clock. They re-signed right tackle Jermaine Elumanur to a three-year deal this offseason, but the interior of their offensive line still needs work.

This brings us to the best pure guard in the class, Penn State’s Vega Ioane. Stout, explosive, and powerful, Ioane is an instant upgrade to the Giants offensive line and gives now second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart an enforcer upfront.

11. Miami Dolphins: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

trade-down candidate

Listed as a trade-down candidate, the Dolphins have sold off a ton of assets already, so continuing to stack them for the future makes sense. However, sticking and picking here, the Dolphins select LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Transferring over from Virginia Tech to LSU, Delane put together a stellar season in Baton Rouge. He is the betting favorite to land as the first cornerback off the board. That comes to fruition here.

He takes his talents to South Beach here.

12. Dallas Cowboys: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

trade-down candidate

The Cowboys are targeting a defensive standout. The three names I’ve heard are Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, or Mansoor Delane. Those three names are all off the board here, though. This means they need a fallback. That fallback? An offensive playmaker instead.

Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson is back on the rise. He had an impressive private workout, and it seems the reports of his draft day slip were greatly exaggerated. Tyson lands with the Cowboys here to give Dak Prescott a new toy.

13. Los Angeles Rams (via ATL): TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

trade-up candidate

The Los Angeles Rams are still looking to fill the void left by Cooper Kupp. Puka Nacua is up for a big-time contract soon as well, but cannot stay out of the news. Davante Adams is aging and has just one year left on his deal. A wide receiver is very much in play for the Rams.

However, even after drafting Terrence Ferguson a year ago, another pass catcher is added to the mix here. And it’s another Oregon tight end. Welcome to Los Angeles, Kenyon Sadiq.

For what it’s worth, I’ve heard they may be trying to come up to leap some wide receiver-needy teams for Tyson.

14. Baltimore Ravens: WR Makai Lemon, USC

Another first round receiver to the Baltimore Ravens? Another first round receiver to the Baltimore Ravens here. With Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson off the board, the third of the Big Three comes off the board here with Makai Lemon landing as a new weapon for two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

Coming off a Biletnikoff Award-winning season, there is no more productive receiver than Lemon in this 2026 NFL Draft class. I have concerns about the size and athleticism profile, but if the Ravens find an immediate role for Lemon in the slot, he’ll feast.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: EDGE Ahkeem Mesidor, Miami

trade-down candidate

This is too high for Akheem Mesidor, and I concede that. However, Tampa is a firm trade-back candidate. And Mesidor is one of the names I’ve heard they're interested in.

The other two? Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and pass rusher Malachi Lawrence. I can’t really stomach this pick as a 25-year-old pass rusher who almost exclusively wins with inside counters. But hey, more power to the Bucs.

16. New York Jets (via IND): S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

Wide receivers flying off the board here.

I have been told by a scout that the Jets are more likely to go back-to-back defense in the first round. This is the natural Dillon Thieneman slot then.

17. Detroit Lions: OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami

trade-up candidate

Finding a landing spot for Francis Mauigoa proved tougher than initially thought. Once he falls out of the top-10 in a mock draft, the slots become thin for him to land in. However, viewing the Lions as a trade-up candidate, they could get aggressive to maximize their window.

They’ve stated they’d like to kick Penei Sewell to left tackle as well, opening up a pathway for them to add Mauigoa to their offensive line in the draft. They do that here.

18. Minnesota Vikings: DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn

trade-up candidate

The Vikings are one of the hardest teams to figure out. They could go in a variety of directions, including wide receiver or safety. Here, however, they take the young and massive Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk.

While he is underdeveloped as a pass rusher, Faulk is a stout run defender for Brian Flores to develop. There has been some buzz that Jonathan Greenard will be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend as well. So, filling that need right away.

19. Carolina Panthers: WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

New bit just dropped: use every first round pick on a wide receiver. That’s been the Panthers’ plan of attack, but for good reason. Here, they add the twitchy and explosive KC Concepcion to their room to pair with Tetairoa McMillan; there are no excuses for Bryce Young now.

The clap-catching technique of Concepcion has to change to improve the drops, but there may not be a more dynamic wide receiver in the draft class. The Panthers get a playmaker here.

20. Dallas Cowboys (via GB): CB D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana

trade-down candidate

After missing on Delane early on, the Cowboys still have a need at cornerback. And one piece of new information that I’ve heard this week is that it’s not Colton Hood, Chris Johnson, or Jermod McCoy who the Cowboys have as CB2 on their board.

It’s D’Angelo Ponds.

While he is undersized, Ponds is scrappy, a hitter, and technically refined. If he were two inches taller, he’d be a top-10 pick and the first cornerback off the board. Despite the size, he is the second cornerback off the board here.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

trade-up candidate

We could see the Steelers get aggressive this year for either a wide receiver of an offensive tackle. In this scenario, one drops to them as well. From a helmet scouting perspective, taking Monroe Freeling might traumatize Steelers fans based on the last offensive tackle drafted from there.

However, the Broderick Jones era is looking bleak. He has not played well, and now has a recurring neck injury that could continue to sideline him. Welcome, Monroe Freeling.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson

trade-down candidate

Khalil Mack is back for one last rodeo with the Chargers, but the depth behind their starters is lacking, and life beyond Mack must be planned for. While T.J. Parker is a pure power rusher who lacks nuance beyond that, he has a high floor as a run defender.

Besides, that power profile is a great initial move to build off of. He just needs to develop a change-up off of it. He has a chance to learn from Mack in Los Angeles in this mock draft.

23. Philadelphia Eagles: OT Blake Miller, Clemson

trade-up candidate

It feels like it’s every year we talk about the Eagles needing to plan for life after Lane Johnson. I get the feeling this is the year they finally do it. I have heard there is a chance the Eagles could get aggressive up the board to land an offensive tackle. I have also heard they may have some love for the Clemson big man, Blake Miller.

That is the direction they take here. Miller is a freak athlete, a fantastic mover on the field, and has played a ton of high-level football. This is the making of a first round pick. Miller lands with the Eagles and has the opportunity to ease into his NFL career.

24. Cleveland Browns (via JAX): WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

trade-down candidate

The Browns are a team that could look to trade down at both opportunities in the first round to get as many bites at the apple over the next two seasons. However, after landing Fano with their first pick in this mock draft, they now get their wide receiver.

Their wide receiver selection of Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. does come after a healthy run on pass catchers that saw all of Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, and KC Concepcion fly off the board between their two picks. However, Cooper brings YAC-ability, immense body control, and strong hands at the catchpoint.

While he was a slot-only at the college level, he has the skillset and play-strength against press to play Z as well.

25. Chicago Bears: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

trade-up candidate

There is some buzz that the Chicago Bears could be in the market to move up for an offensive tackle. Something to monitor. However, here, one is on the board for them to pluck. Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor fills in a weak link upfront for the Bears at left tackle.

The tape is up-and-down. The highs are quite high for Proctor, though, if the Bears can get the most out of him from a snap-to-snap and game-to-game basis. He now protects Caleb Williams.

26. Buffalo Bills: WR Denzel Boston, Washington

trade-up candidate

The Buffalo Bills are in a tough spot. They likely want a wide receiver, so we could see a trade-up from them to secure a new target for Josh Allen. However, the board has not fallen in their favor here. There is one left on the board with first round buzz, however.

Do not compare Denzel Boston to Keon Coleman. He is a smoother mover and a more natural glider on the vertical plane. There are limitations to his game, but the Bills need a wide receiver in a big way. They take another swing here.

27. San Francisco 49ers: EDGE Malachi Lawrence, UCF

While the San Francisco 49ers utilized a ton of the top assets along their defensive line a year ago, they use their first round pick on another pass rusher in this mock draft, too.

A different mold than Mykel Williams, the Niners take a standup pass rusher after Bryce Huff provided negligible impact. Malachi Lawrence is good at one thing: attacking the quarterback. He is explosive, flexible, and has a wide array of ways to beat blockers.

He’ll now have the opportunity to do just that on the West Coast.

28. Houston Texans: DT Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

The Houston Texans are not out of the woods along their offensive line, but they did enough to punt on selecting one early in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, they turn to their defensive trenches and add the best run defender in the class in Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald.

In a room headlined by Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai, young talent is much-needed upfront for the Texans. McDonald adds just that.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (via LAR): OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State

trade-up candidate

The Chiefs were able to upgrade their wide receiver room early, and ideally, they’d be able to draft an edge rusher here. However, the quality of the edge class has already been swept up. So, they address another need on their roster after parting ways with Jawaan Taylor.

While Jaylon Moore is getting $15 million from the Chiefs, he was getting the same last year to be a swing tackle. Besides, with just one year left on his contract, the Chiefs select the powerful but raw Max Iheanachor here, and do not have to feel the pressure to start him right away.

30. Miami Dolphins (via DEN): DT Christen Miller, Georgia

trade-down candidate

Perhaps a surprise here. The Dolphins, after selecting multiple defensive tackles a year ago, take another one here. This time, it’s Georgia’s Christen Miller.

The depth behind Kenneth Grant, who was vastly underwhelming in Year One, and Zach Sieler is limited. Adding Miller gives the Dolphins a strong run defender, and a player with a legitimate explosive speed-to-power profile as a pocket pusher as well.

31. New England Patriots: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

trade-up candidate

The vibe is that Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is going to go in the first round. Finding a slot for him is a bit of a tougher conversation. However, with the boards being decimated at offensive tackle and edge rusher for the Patriots here, this becomes the spot for Rodriguez.

With Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss as the only two notable linebackers on the roster, Rodriguez infuses starter talent into the Super Bowl loser as they look to run it back. I’d go with CJ Allen over Rodriguez, but the current trend is that Rodriguez will go higher.

32. Seattle Seahawks: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

trade-down candidate

There have been some rumblings that I’ve heard that the Seahawks would like to move out of this pick and out of the first round altogether. However, obviously, trades are not on the table, so the Seahawks are sticking and picking.

Here, we stop the slide of Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy. The knee is an issue, and he may fall out of the first round altogether. However, he is a premier player in this class and is worth the risk at the back end of the first round.

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The 2026 NFL Draft is nearing, so it’s finally time to have the conversation about the quarterback class. So, after charting thousands of passing attempts this season, it’s time to bust out the final Weighted On-Target Percentage ball placement and accuracy primer.

This class would be a more enticing class on paper in terms of accuracy had Oregon’s Dante Moore declared, who flaunted quite a high number. However, after he returned to school, only two quarterbacks in this 2026 class boasted an above-average Weighted On-Target Percentage.

If you’ve read through my draft guide, then you know how I rank these quarterbacks. However, here we are talking about their accuracy profiles (although I do rank and tier them at the end). Again, the process of charting quarterbacks and tallying up a final number can be found here.

So, how does this quarterback class look on paper? Let’s take a look at their final Weighted On-Target Percentages and how that looks against other draft classes historically.

Weighted On-Target Percentage Averages

I have been charting quarterbacks since the 2019 season. However, I clipped out my earlier data as I do not trust that my eyes knew what they were looking at back then. So, the data I have is over the last five years, going back to the 2021 season.

Here are the averages that I am working off of in terms of ball placement and accuracy to the four levels of the field that I account for:

Short Game (0-9 yards): 85.50%

Intermediate (10-24 yards) MOF: 68.61%

Intermediate (10-24 yards) Outside the Numbers: 61.80%

Deep Ball (25+ yards): 52.88%

Total WOT%: 63.63%

Total WOT% among first round picks: 66.42%

So, how do the nine quarterbacks that I pulled full profiles for stack up to these averages? Let’s take a look.

Should this be a surprise to anyone?

Mendoza has been pinpoint for the past two seasons. Even going back to the Cal tape in 2024, the tape that had me ranking him QB1 coming out of summer scouting Mendoza’s ball placement and accuracy has been off the charts. And that resulted in an astronomically high Weighted On-Target Percentage of 75.05% this season.

This is the highest number I’ve ever charted, edging out Jayden Daniels at 74.26% in 2024.

The biggest difference between Mendoza’s summer scouting Weighted On-Target Percentage from his 2024 tape to this number has been the leap in his deep ball accuracy. Mendoza was on-target on just 50% of these throws a year ago, but that number leapt to 70% this year at Indiana. Nearly every throw deep down the field was a drop in the bucket.

He was QB1 for me in April of 2025, and he ends the cycle as QB1 and the consensus top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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The Daft on Draft 2026 NFL Draft guide is finally here! After two years off navigating life with small children, I am finally back on the horse with a comprehensive look at all things NFL Draft!

This year, I hit a new personal best 205 scouting reports. Also included are positional rankings, and my top-100 listed out cleanly at the back.

For your patronage as a subscriber to Daft on Draft, this comes with the subscription! If you are a free subscriber, you’re in luck! I am running a “You’re on the clock!” Week-long sale from now until the end of the NFL Draft on Sunday afternoon, offering annual subscriptions for 20% off. What better time to get your subscription than now to get this year’s NFL Draft guide!?

So, here you go! Enjoy this labor of love.

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I’m glad to be writing a new draft guide this year after two years off as my kids were extremely little and time-consuming. Now that they’re a bit more autonomous and self-sufficient, it has been great getting back on the saddle.

So, in anticipation of my new draft guide, I have decided to release the draft guides that I wrote for the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts. Back then, my work was less recognized and probably a bit harder to find unless you were in Browns circles.

It’s another self-auditing moment to look back and see where I stood on certain guys compared to the consensus.

Here you go!

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It’s okay to talk about our NFL Draft evaluation misses. They happen. They will happen. And they’ll happen a lot.

We’re talking about an industry where NFL teams have a hit rate of below 40 percent. Hitting on NFL Draft evaluations should be treated like a shooting percentage in basketball. The closer to the basket? You'd better make those shots. However, the further you get down the draft board, the harder the shot is to make. We should be looking at Day 2 picks like three-point percentages, and Day 3 picks like contested three-point shots.

However, just because sorting out a big board and hitting on evaluations is a tricky endeavor does not mean there are not lessons to learn from misses. Sure, some are completely out of the player's control, like injuries. In most cases, however, we can pull a lesson learned.

Here, I identify five of my biggest misses over the last five years and the lessons that I have learned from those misses. Enjoy!

Honorable Mention: QB Shedeur Sanders

It’s too early to call this one a miss. Players deserve more than one year to prove they can be a contributor at the NFL level. However, anytime your QB1 goes in the fifth round, then struggles the way that Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders did as a rookie, it’s hard to look past that.

Given the lack of urgency from the Browns to find a quarterback this offseason, it looks like Sanders may get a second season to prove himself. However, the arm talent is middling at the NFL level, the decision-making and ability to take care of the football were well below standard, and the accuracy I saw at the college level was not there in 2025 for the Browns.

Lesson Learned: Working in structure doesn’t make you a good pocket passer

I am an evaluator who tends to lean toward quarterbacks who want to stand in structure and make plays rather than run around along the boundary out of structure before a receiver pops open. However, what I neglected or failed to weigh heavily enough with Sanders was the pocket drifting, unwillingness to step up into pressure, or really feel out and anticipate where his hot is.

Just because a quarterback comes from a system with more pure dropbacks in structure does not make them a confident pocket passer. Sanders’ time as a starter may not be dead yet, but he’s got a lot of work to do.

WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati (2023)

I loved Tyler Scott coming out of Cincinnati in the 2023 NFL Draft. I had him ranked 33rd on my big board. Fast forward just three league years later, and Scott was cut from the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the fourth round. Now, Scott has been bouncing around practice squads with the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, and the Los Angeles Rams.

Lesson Learned: The ability to play through contact is a non-negotiable

Scott was the final straw for me in a long list of wide receivers that I loved because of their quick-twitch, route-running ability, and instant acceleration to top speed, but cannot play through contact and still win. Other receivers on this list that I loved as prospects who have gone on to underwhelm at the NFL level include Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore.

Football is a contact sport. First and foremost, a player has to be able to hit and be hit. Now, the ability to seperate is still non-negotiable. However, the thought that players who are soft through contact can still win because defenders have a hard time getting hands on them anyway is one of the past for me as an evaluator.

OT Evan Neal (2022)

Coming out of Alabama in the 2022 NFL Draft, Evan Neal was the No. 2 player on my board. I did not think there was any way a player of his size and freakish athletic ability could fail at the NFL level. I ignored how much time he spent on the ground at the NFL level and instead marveled at the foot speed, explosiveness, and sheer power in his massive frame.

Despite being drafted fifth overall in that year’s draft class, Neal has yet to find his footing. The New York Giants have not given up on him yet, re-signing him to a small one-year deal, but Neal is far from a penned-in starter despite his draft slot.

Lesson Learned: Balance issues and how a player’s weight sits on their base are hard to fix

Balance issues are hard for me to look past now. There are some things that individuals may seem to think I may let the pendulum swing too far on as an overcorrection. However, even since Neal, I have yet to really find a player who has balance at the college level and find a way to fix it in the NFL.

Another example of this would be JC Latham, selected top-10 by the Tennessee Titans. Even under the guidance of one of the more accomplished offensive line coaches, Bill Callahan, Latham has struggled to find his footing (literally) through two seasons with the Titans.

How a player’s weight sits from their shoulders down to their feet is a tough thing to rep out of a player or correct.

CB Andrew Booth (2022)

Coming out of Clemson in the 2022 NFL Draft, I was a massive believer in the raw tools of Andrew Booth. It was not even just raw tools either! Booth was light-footed, refined in press man coverage, and possessed other-worldly ball skills.

To this day, I am still shocked that Booth did not work out at the NFL level. But he is an example of knowing only what we have access to at the time. And for the majority of draftniks and analysts, that is the film only.

Lesson Learned: We do not get access to the full scope of a player profile

It later came out that Booth was not the most dialed in to the game of football. Work ethic concerns and a desire to be great were questioned by scouts pre-draft. Booth was working through an injury at the time and did not test at the combine or his pro day. Perhaps there was more to that story, too.

This is a sticky part about NFL scouting. Now, I do have more access to information from scouts around the league than I did four years ago. And now, teams have a better understanding of how players respond to getting a large sum of money all at once, with NIL now in effect, the way it wasn’t back then.

However, there is a large number of player profiles that are happening behind the scenes that analysts and reporters are not always privy to.

WR Skyy Moore (2022)

I loved Skyy Moore coming out of Western Michigan. LOVED him. He sat 38th on my big board that year, landing with the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Moore has found a way to stick around at the NFL level, but only as a return specialist and signing with the Green Bay Packers in free agency.

His days as a wide receiver threat are over after amassing less than 500 total receiving yards during his tenure with the Chiefs. So, what went wrong with this evaluation?

Lesson Learned: Level of Competition matters

You really have to look at the level of competition that some of these wide receivers are playing at, and try to hunt out the NFL talent they were going against.

For Moore at Western Michigan, he had two Power Five games in his final season of eligibility. Against Michigan, he had just two catches for 22 yards. He did, however, cook Pitt for 10 catches, 123 yards, and a touchdown in an upset win. However, the only NFL player in that Pitt secondary is M.J. Devonshire, who is a practice squad player for the Buffalo Bills.

Moore did what you want a MAC player to do: Dominate the MAC. He had five conference games of over 100 yards, and even dropped 200 on Northern Illinois. However, I should have been more keen to the level of talent Moore was cooking up.

QBs Justin Fields and Trey Lance

Looking back at the 2021 quarterback class, which saw five quarterbacks go in the first round, it has turned out to be a disappointing crop. I was low on Zach Wilson in that class, but I had top-five grades on both Justin Fields and Trey Lance at the same time.

It was early in my evaluation career, just my second year scouting prospects, but those are definite misses. I saw two big quarterbacks with high-end athleticism and thought this was the new wave.

This was at the rise of the Shanahan system, wide-zone offenses were at an all-time high, and quarterbacks were playing in friendly systems. So, I thought the ability to ease them on the field and develop them to provide a clean transition to the NFL level as well.

Oops.

Lesson Learned: There is more to QB play than freak athleticism and lethal accuracy

Despite being an incredibly accurate thrower at Ohio State and despite being a rare athlete, Fields clearly is not a starting-caliber quarterback at the NFL level. He has now had his shot with three different franchises, as he now backs up Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The eyes from Fields are just too slow. He does not understand what he is seeing pre-snap, and he does not adjust fast enough on the fly to pick up what NFL defensive coordinators have thrown at him through five seasons.

Lance was the same kind of athlete and thrower coming out of North Dakota State, and even a clean pocket thrower with crisp, hammered-out throwing mechanics. While health played into Lance’s development, he has had some of the same issues as Fields, too.

I’ll definitely miss again, but this aspect of knowing where a quarterback is hot pre-snap, seeing information well, and confirming the information quickly is why I was so high on the now runaway first overall pick, Fernando Mendoza, this past Spring.

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We are running out of time for Inside the Film Rooms as we near the 2026 NFL Draft! However, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler dropped The Beast this week, and one of the bigger surprises was to see Memphis offensive tackle Travis Burke fall in his top-100.

So, naturally, we have to check out the tape and see for ourselves.

Does the tape warrant a top-100 posi…

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Trekking closer to the 2026 NFL Draft, we hit another scouting report today. This time, we’re here to discuss Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller.

If you love a stout defensive tackle, then Miller will be your type of tackle.

Coming off a season with 23 tackles, four tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks, the box score does not tell the full story with Miller. With 15 stop tackles from his post along the defensive line, Miller’s body of work comes from his ability to eat up blockers and keep linebacker C.J. Allen and company clean.

So, getting out of the box score and into the tape, what does the Georgia big man bring to the table? Here is his scouting report with just two weeks to go until the draft.

Measurables, Testing Numbers, and Injury History of Christen Miller

Measurables

Height: 6036

Weight: 321 pounds

Arm Length: 3300

Hand Size: 1000

Testing Numbers

40-yard Dash: DNP

10-yard Split: DNP

Vertical Jump: DNP

Broad Jump: DNP

3-Cone: DNP

Short Shuttle: DNP

Bench Press: DNP

Injury History

Miller suffered a torn labrum and dislocated shoulder in November of 2024 in a game against UMass. Miller, however, did not miss any time with the injury, suiting up for the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoffs. He had surgery on the shoulder in 2025.

He also broke his leg as a freshman in high school while dunking a basketball. This required surgery. The only game he missed time for came in October of 2025, when Miller exited with a knee injury.

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Another week closer to the 2026 NFL Draft, another finalized positional rankings piece has dropped! This week, we’ll take a look at the big men bookending the offensive line: the offensive tackles.

A bit of an unorthodox year, the top two offensive tackles on the consensus board are right tackles with some sort of outlying metric. Utah’s Spencer Fano has size and arm length concerns, while Miami’s Francis Mauigoa has range questions that lead some to believe he will be an NFL guard.

It has led to some interesting conversations leading up to the draft, and could lead to an interesting draft night. We could see NFL teams prioritizing young, long, athletic, prototypical left tackles over these two by the time the end of the month rolls around.

Just as a disclaimer: the round grades that you see for these players are not where I project them to be. They are round grades that are meant to hold up over time so that I can compare these players to offensive tackles of previous and future classes. If they seem harsh, that’s because I am lower on this offensive tackle class compared to classes of years past.

Here are my top-10 tackles in this year’s draft class written up, and the 18 that I have watched tiered out.

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Getting deeper into this 2026 NFL Draft crop of quarterbacks, I’m starting to get charts done for the Day 3 options. You may have seen the ones on Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, Arkansas’ Taylen Green, or North Dakota State’s Cole Payton, and now we’re getting to Miami’s Carson Beck.

Beck led the Miami Hurricanes all the way to the National Championship game th…

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Ohio State boasts not one, but two of the top linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft class in the form of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese. After strong 2025 seasons in Columbus, both have positioned themselves to come off the board extremely early in three weeks from today.

Two of the best players in this year’s class, how would they stack up against players at the same position in deeper draft classes of years past? I’ve already done this for the quarterback class, so let’s extend this fun exercise to the linebacker position as well.

Let’s go back all the way to the 2022 NFL Draft to give a five-year sample size of first round linebackers to stack the Ohio State duo against.

No hindsight analysis here, I’ve attached my scouting reports of every linebacker taken in the first round over the last five drafts. So, where do Reese and Styles fall among them in my eyes?

Let’s talk about it.

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We are now just about three weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft, making this the perfect time to drop my annual list of players that I’d pound the table for in a war room. Welcome to the 2026 edition of my All-Daft on Draft team.

This is not to say that the players listed are the best or my top players at their positions. However, these are players that I have enjoyed more than consensus, players I was particularly early on, and players I think are going to outperform their draft slot based on where they sit on the consensus board.

One player per position, here are the guys that I’ve had the most fun evaluating, guys I have ranked a good chunk over consensus, and players I’d love to have on my football team if I were an NFL general manager.

Let’s get to it.

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The opinions on Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor are all over the map. Some film analysts see him as one of the very best players in the 2026 NFL Draft class. Others see him as a volatile pass protector with a roller coaster ride of film throughout the season.

Only a true junior as well, the behemoth of a pass protector enters the class as one of the youngest players as well. He stood out on the field at the NFL Combine and at his pro day during the drills, bringing more favor to his side.

It would not be a shock to see Proctor become the first tackle drafted, and it would not be a shock to see him fall out of the first round completely. The difference of opinions between NFL buildings is likely as wide as it is among analysts.

So, let’s dive into his scouting report here and see exactly where I stand on Proctor as the NFL Draft nears.

Measurables, Testing Numbers, and Injury History of Kadyn Proctor

Measurables

Height: 6056

Weight: 352 pounds

Arm Length: 3338

Hand Size: 968

Testing Numbers

40-yard Dash: 5.21 seconds

10-yard Split: 1.84 seconds

Vertical Jump: 32.5 inches

Broad Jump: 9-foot-1

3-Cone: n/a

Short Shuttle: n/a

Bench Press: n/a

Injury History

Proctor suffered a shoulder injury in 2024, which forced him to miss the start of his sophomore season. He also sat out the bowl game in 2024 to get a jumpstart on his recovery. Proctor wore a brace on his shoulder the entire 2025 season as well, but did not miss any games.

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We are closing in on the 2026 NFL Draft, and boards are being filled out. As I begin to fill out the middle parts of my board, these Inside the Film Rooms will feature more middle-round players. Today’s will focus on Oregon nickel cornerback Jadon Canady.

I’ve followed Canady and been a fan of his game since he was a freshman at Tulane. From Tulane, he w…

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Another week, another positional rankings drop with time dwindling between now and the start of the 2026 NFL Draft. For this week’s positional rankings, we take a look at the center position and name the top-10 in the class.

If your team needs a center, they may be able to find a solid depth piece with starter upside later in the mid-rounds of the draft. However, at the top, there are only a couple of names that stand out as Day 1 starters or as players a team should feel comfortable sticking out there early in their career.

However, given the center market, the mid-rounds may just be exactly where teams are looking for their pivot player. Offensive line is always a need, and in my bold prediction article, I stated as one of the bold predictions that there would be a massive run on centers on early Day 3.

So, who could those centers be? Here are my top-10 centers in the 2026 NFL Draft class:

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The case of Cade Klubnik has been a fascinating one to watch unfold this season. Coming into the season with potential 2026 NFL Draft QB1 hype, Klubnik and the Clemson football team fell flat early, knocking themselves out of any sort of contention from the jump.

However, Klubnik could have redshirted after a rough first four games and decided to run it back in 2026 at Clemson or somewhere else. Instead, he opted to stick it out and reconstruct what was left of his draft stock. He finished the season with just over 2,900 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Tigers’ offense.

The tape over the back half of the season was better. Was it good enough to elevate him back into any sort of meaningful conversation? No. However, did he do enough to prove to NFL teams that he is a capable backup-caliber quarterback who could spot-start games if he has to at the NFL level?

That’s the big question.

Measurables, Testing Numbers, and Injury History of Cade Klubnik

Measurables

Height: 6017

Weight: 207 pounds

Arm Length: 3118

Hand Size: 928

Testing Numbers

40-yard Dash: 4.65 seconds

10-yard Split: 1.58 seconds

Vertical Jump: 33.5 inches

Broad Jump: n/a

3-Cone: n/a

Short Shuttle: n/a

Bench Press: n/a

Injury History

Klubnik missed one game in 2025 with a high ankle sprain and a quad contusion. This is the only time Klubnik has missed any time throughout his college career at Clemson, as he had a 34-game starting streak leading up to that mid-October injury.

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We are now just under five weeks from the 2026 NFL Draft, so why not fire out a few more bold predictions as we get closer to the main event?

Scouting Reports, film rooms, mock drafts, quarterback charts, and more are all over the site. However, I don’t write these more creative hot take-y pieces very often. I wrote a bold prediction piece about a month ago after the fallout from the NFL Combine, and this feels like a good opportunity to write another one.

Here, I discuss interior offensive linemen, what to make of the NFL Draft crop at the quarterback position, some defensive back talk, and perhaps some Draft Day trade madness. It’s time to have some imagination and think outside the box.

So, here are five bold predictions based on things I’ve heard around the league, consensus trends, and more!

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