INDIANAPOLIS — If you were starting a team from scratch, you would almost certainly try to find a quarterback first and foremost. But after that, where do you go next?
We posed that question to 42 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft in our NFL Combine Survey. When I asked them which non-quarterback would they build a team around, 41 of them replied and 25 different names were dished out, showing the depth of star talent in the NFL.
While several names were mentioned, there was one player who clearly stood above the rest: Myles Garrett. The Cleveland Browns‘ star edge rusher received 10 votes in our questionnaire, which was seven more than any other player.
Of course, Garrett is coming off a historic season, recording 23 sacks to break the single-season record. As a result, Garrett won his second Defensive Player of the Year award, doing so in unanimous fashion.
A year ago, the runaway winner was Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, coming off a 2,000-yard season, but this time Barkley drew just a single vote. Instead, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs received the most votes at the position, with his three votes also finishing second to Garrett. Gibbs rushed for 1,223 yards on five yards per carry this past season, adding 616 receiving yards as he scored 18 total touchdowns.
Gibbs’ three votes were one more than two other dual-threat running backs in the San Francisco 49ers‘ Christian McCaffrey and the Atlanta Falcons‘ Bijan Robinson. Robinson and McCaffrey were first and second, respectively, in scrimmage yards in 2025, with the latter also winning Comeback Player of the Year.
Two other edge rushers also got two votes in the Las Vegas Raiders‘ Maxx Crosby and the Green Bay Packers‘ Micah Parsons. Crosby recorded 10 sacks in 2025, marking the third time in four seasons he’s hit that mark. As for Parsons, he had 12.5 sacks in 14 games before tearing his ACL this past season.
Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson was the only other player to receive multiple votes. The 2022 Offensive Player of the Year winner had a relatively quieter season in 2025, but he still finished with 1,048 receiving yards despite having subpar quarterback play.
As for the one player who didn’t answer the question, he simply said he wasn’t sure who he’d pick.
Here are the full results.
RESULTS:
Myles Garrett, edge rusher, Browns: 10
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions: 3
Maxx Crosby, edge rusher, Raiders: 2
Justin Jefferson, WR, Vikings: 2
Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers: 2
Micah Parsons, edge rusher, Packers: 2
Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons: 2
(Players that received one vote: Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles; Derrick Brown, DT, Panthers; Calen Bullock, S, Texans; Jalen Carter, DL, Eagles; Nick Emmonwori, DB, Seahawks; Jaycee Horn, CB, Panthers; Creed Humphrey, C, Chiefs; Aidan Hutchinson, edge rusher, Lions; Lane Johnson, OT, Eagles; Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs; George Kittle, TE, 49ers; Cooper Kupp, WR, Seahawks; Penei Sewell, T, Lions; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks; Bobby Wagner, LB, Commander; Kenneth Walker, RB, Seahawks; Jameson Williams, WR, Lions; Quinnen Williams, DL, Cowboys)
