5 NFL teams who got better in the 2026 Draft, and 5 who didn’t do enough Welcome to my way too early 2027 mock draft.
Just kidding, that sounds terrible and we should federally prosecute those who do that.
Over the course of the 2026 NFL Draft, there was a lot to love in terms of what specific teams did over the course of the three-day event. The other side of that coin being that there were also teams who kept making the wrong choice at such a consistent degree to where it became almost impressive. Here’s a look and the good and the bad of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Took every bit of willpower in my body not to slam my computer against my desk like Jake Gyllenhaal in Prisoners while writing this. It’s insufferable listening to everyone go “HoWiE dOeS iT aGaIn” after just… drafting good players who fell in his lap. But his season, Roseman and the Eagles did the equivalent of a Money in the Bank cash in, jumping in front of the Steelers to steal Makai Lemon from their grasp as general Manager Omar Khan was on the phone with the former USC star. They then selected Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, who will serve as an instant upgrade over Grant Calcaterra and an eventual replacement for Dallas Goedert and got Miami offensive tackle Markel Bell at the beginning of the third round after a trade with the Jets. To go three-for-three in the first three rounds of the draft is a job well done.
I said it on Thursday, and I’ll say it again – the Saints are winning the NFC South. They added the most explosive receiver in the class in Jordyn Tyson, and double-dipped by adding Bryce Lance in the fourth round. They also added some young talent on defense, taking Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller in the second round and Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles in the fifth. These pieces, combined with Travis Etienne in free agency and the emergence of Tyler Shough, the Saints will be eating beignets, tossing beads, and doing other New Orleans tropes in the playoffs. And yes, I had to Google how to spell beignet by typing “binyay” and assuming it would give me the correct spelling, which worked.
Their defense was the Washington AARP cards in 2025. Bobby Wagner, Marshon Lattimore, Von Miler – that would have been a legitimately great core in 2019. They selected perhaps the most athletic linebacker in this class in Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick, and also got some offensive help for Jayden Daniels with wide receiver Antonio Williams in round three and running back Kaytron Allen in round six. The Commanders didn’t have a ton of picks to work with, but they made the most of their selections and got multiple instant difference-makers.
The Dolphins snagged two of my favorite players in the draft, and they play the same position. Getting Jacob Rodriguez in round two and Kyle Louis in round 3 gives them two players in the middle of their defense they can build around as they lay the foundation for the future. Landing Kadyn Proctor at tackle in the first round, as well as Chris Bell at receiver in round three gives the Dolphins a good young corps to move into this new era.
This is the second straight year I’ve loved the Browns’ draft. They get Spencer Fano to be their new staple at left tackle, and then double dipped at receiver with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to strengthen arguably the weakest unit on their roster. Getting Toldeo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at the tail end of the second round was tremendous value, and I like the addition of the uber-athletic quarterback Taylen Green out of Arkansas. If this can finally start translating into wins for the Browns, we’ll look back on these last two drafts very fondly.
If you are reading this, check your phone – there is a greater than zero chance that James Gladstone like what he saw in your lateral movement skills at the catering table at the packed corporate event. You kept everything together, you went from chicken to lettuce wraps in a flash, and they really think you can be a nice asset in their pass protection.
Yeah, God only knows what the Jaguars saw in a few of these guys. They drafted the No. 678 player on the consensus big board in the sixth round in Stanford wide receiver C.J. Williams. Then in the seventh, they took player No. 679 in Middle Tennessee State linebacker Parker Hughes. Additionally, with their first pick (No. 56 overall), they took tight end Nate Boerkricher, who had 38 receptions in five collegiate seasons. They did land Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnant in the third round, which was a good value selection, but the vast majority of their picks were reach after reach.
Find someone who loves you as much as Brandon Beane loves trading down in the draft and subsequently passing up on good players. The chair of the 26th pick was too big, so Buffalo traded it to the Texans. The 28th pick chair was too small, so they traded it to the Patriots. God only knows what was wrong with the 31st pick, but they moved out of that one, as well. Finally, after finding the perfect recliner to sit in, the Bills stayed put at pick No. 35. However, if there is one thing Brandon Beane loves, it’s an underwhelming edge rusher, so they took T.J. Parker instead of Kayden McDonald, who would have filled a major need at defensive tackle. Later on, Buffalo moved up four spots in the second round to draft Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun, a player they likely could have gotten in the fourth round. Beane is bad at drafting, that’s not exactly news, but even their good picks, like Skyler Bell, are hard to get excited for after Joe Brady talked about how good he is in the screen game. That high-pitched ringing sound you just heard was all of Bills Mafia screaming in unison.
“Give me more money” Jacoby Brissett, “Trailer Park Jake Plummer” Gardner Minshew, and “I can’t throw that far” Carson Beck – what a quarterback room. Taking Beck to kickoff the third round is a massive reach for a limited quarterback who lacks a big arm and athleticism to make plays outside the pocket. Jeremiyah Love is a tremendous player, but giving him north of $50 million guaranteed before he ever takes a snap is bizarre. Plus, taking a running back in the top five as a bad team with several holes is a big no no, especially after they just signed Tyler Allgeier and still have James Conner. Any good they did do is largely negated due to two bad decisions in the first three rounds.
Credit to Grant Cohn for flat out asking John Lynch why the 49ers constantly reach on players because it’s amazing how the 49ers overcome their terrible drafts year in and year out. They took Ole Miss wideout Deshaun Stribbling with the 33rd overall pick when he was considered a late Day Two, early Day Three guy. And, as is tradition, they took a running back in the third round when he was a late fourth round projected player. It’s just incredible that the 49ers constantly win despite their inability to draft well.
Yeah, the Ty Simpson pick will either make the Rams look like geniuses or he’ll be shipped to the Bengals along with four first-round picks when they trade for Joe Burrow in 2027. Which, if that happens and it was all a big-brain decision to draft Simpson solely for that purpose, props to Les Snead. But reaching for tight end Max Klare in the second round was unnecessary and marked the second straight year they over-drafted a tight end in round two. 25 year-old tackle Keagan Trost in round three also felt like a bit of a reach, especially when he probably needs to be kicked inside to guard.
#NFL #teams #Draft #didnt
Welcome to my way too early 2027 mock draft.
Just kidding, that sounds terrible and we should federally prosecute those who do that.
Over the course of the 2026 NFL Draft, there was a lot to love in terms of what specific teams did over the course of the three-day event. The other side of that coin being that there were also teams who kept making the wrong choice at such a consistent degree to where it became almost impressive. Here’s a look and the good and the bad of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Took every bit of willpower in my body not to slam my computer against my desk like Jake Gyllenhaal in Prisoners while writing this. It’s insufferable listening to everyone go “HoWiE dOeS iT aGaIn” after just… drafting good players who fell in his lap. But his season, Roseman and the Eagles did the equivalent of a Money in the Bank cash in, jumping in front of the Steelers to steal Makai Lemon from their grasp as general Manager Omar Khan was on the phone with the former USC star. They then selected Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, who will serve as an instant upgrade over Grant Calcaterra and an eventual replacement for Dallas Goedert and got Miami offensive tackle Markel Bell at the beginning of the third round after a trade with the Jets. To go three-for-three in the first three rounds of the draft is a job well done.
I said it on Thursday, and I’ll say it again – the Saints are winning the NFC South. They added the most explosive receiver in the class in Jordyn Tyson, and double-dipped by adding Bryce Lance in the fourth round. They also added some young talent on defense, taking Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller in the second round and Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles in the fifth. These pieces, combined with Travis Etienne in free agency and the emergence of Tyler Shough, the Saints will be eating beignets, tossing beads, and doing other New Orleans tropes in the playoffs. And yes, I had to Google how to spell beignet by typing “binyay” and assuming it would give me the correct spelling, which worked.
Their defense was the Washington AARP cards in 2025. Bobby Wagner, Marshon Lattimore, Von Miler – that would have been a legitimately great core in 2019. They selected perhaps the most athletic linebacker in this class in Sonny Styles with the No. 7 overall pick, and also got some offensive help for Jayden Daniels with wide receiver Antonio Williams in round three and running back Kaytron Allen in round six. The Commanders didn’t have a ton of picks to work with, but they made the most of their selections and got multiple instant difference-makers.
The Dolphins snagged two of my favorite players in the draft, and they play the same position. Getting Jacob Rodriguez in round two and Kyle Louis in round 3 gives them two players in the middle of their defense they can build around as they lay the foundation for the future. Landing Kadyn Proctor at tackle in the first round, as well as Chris Bell at receiver in round three gives the Dolphins a good young corps to move into this new era.
This is the second straight year I’ve loved the Browns’ draft. They get Spencer Fano to be their new staple at left tackle, and then double dipped at receiver with KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston to strengthen arguably the weakest unit on their roster. Getting Toldeo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at the tail end of the second round was tremendous value, and I like the addition of the uber-athletic quarterback Taylen Green out of Arkansas. If this can finally start translating into wins for the Browns, we’ll look back on these last two drafts very fondly.
If you are reading this, check your phone – there is a greater than zero chance that James Gladstone like what he saw in your lateral movement skills at the catering table at the packed corporate event. You kept everything together, you went from chicken to lettuce wraps in a flash, and they really think you can be a nice asset in their pass protection.
Yeah, God only knows what the Jaguars saw in a few of these guys. They drafted the No. 678 player on the consensus big board in the sixth round in Stanford wide receiver C.J. Williams. Then in the seventh, they took player No. 679 in Middle Tennessee State linebacker Parker Hughes. Additionally, with their first pick (No. 56 overall), they took tight end Nate Boerkricher, who had 38 receptions in five collegiate seasons. They did land Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnant in the third round, which was a good value selection, but the vast majority of their picks were reach after reach.
Find someone who loves you as much as Brandon Beane loves trading down in the draft and subsequently passing up on good players. The chair of the 26th pick was too big, so Buffalo traded it to the Texans. The 28th pick chair was too small, so they traded it to the Patriots. God only knows what was wrong with the 31st pick, but they moved out of that one, as well. Finally, after finding the perfect recliner to sit in, the Bills stayed put at pick No. 35. However, if there is one thing Brandon Beane loves, it’s an underwhelming edge rusher, so they took T.J. Parker instead of Kayden McDonald, who would have filled a major need at defensive tackle. Later on, Buffalo moved up four spots in the second round to draft Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun, a player they likely could have gotten in the fourth round. Beane is bad at drafting, that’s not exactly news, but even their good picks, like Skyler Bell, are hard to get excited for after Joe Brady talked about how good he is in the screen game. That high-pitched ringing sound you just heard was all of Bills Mafia screaming in unison.
“Give me more money” Jacoby Brissett, “Trailer Park Jake Plummer” Gardner Minshew, and “I can’t throw that far” Carson Beck – what a quarterback room. Taking Beck to kickoff the third round is a massive reach for a limited quarterback who lacks a big arm and athleticism to make plays outside the pocket. Jeremiyah Love is a tremendous player, but giving him north of $50 million guaranteed before he ever takes a snap is bizarre. Plus, taking a running back in the top five as a bad team with several holes is a big no no, especially after they just signed Tyler Allgeier and still have James Conner. Any good they did do is largely negated due to two bad decisions in the first three rounds.
Credit to Grant Cohn for flat out asking John Lynch why the 49ers constantly reach on players because it’s amazing how the 49ers overcome their terrible drafts year in and year out. They took Ole Miss wideout Deshaun Stribbling with the 33rd overall pick when he was considered a late Day Two, early Day Three guy. And, as is tradition, they took a running back in the third round when he was a late fourth round projected player. It’s just incredible that the 49ers constantly win despite their inability to draft well.
Yeah, the Ty Simpson pick will either make the Rams look like geniuses or he’ll be shipped to the Bengals along with four first-round picks when they trade for Joe Burrow in 2027. Which, if that happens and it was all a big-brain decision to draft Simpson solely for that purpose, props to Les Snead. But reaching for tight end Max Klare in the second round was unnecessary and marked the second straight year they over-drafted a tight end in round two. 25 year-old tackle Keagan Trost in round three also felt like a bit of a reach, especially when he probably needs to be kicked inside to guard.
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