Those in the football world will wait at least two seasons before determining whether a drafted player is truly NFL-caliber. So grading draft classes in the days following the league’s annual player acquisition event often misses the mark. We have not yet seen the players put on the pads for their respective teams or gained insight into how the teams plan to utilize their new players.
But one big reason the draft is so popular is because it gives fans hope, and first impressions matter on that front. With that in mind, here are the teams I think helped themselves the most and the teams that helped themselves the least.
WINNERS
New York Jets
After a disappointing debut season, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is intent on changing the culture by bringing a collection of “winners” into the locker room. With their first four picks, the Jets took College Football Playoff participants from last season: Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey (Round 1), Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq (Round 1), Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. (Round 1) and Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds (Round 2). These players will raise the standards and expectations around the building as well as fill pressing needs for playmakers at marquee positions.
David Bailey of Texas Tech embraces NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected second overall by the New York Jets. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
Florida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr. and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik are Day 3 gambles with significant ROI potential. If either prospect outplays his draft status, the Jets could rise up the charts as a competitive squad. With an impressive rookie class teaming with a new and improved veteran corps, the Jets are on their way toward climbing out of the AFC’s cellar.
New York Giants
There is no disputing new head coach John Harbaugh’s impact on the Giants’ draft philosophy, with the team prioritizing “ballers” in their early-round selections. The drafting of linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa with the team’s first two picks reflects the Giants’ commitment to dominating the trenches with physicality and toughness. While Reese’s role is a bit ambiguous due to the Giants’ deep and talented edge rusher rotation, the Ohio State standout could wreak havoc on opponents in a hybrid role that showcases his talents as an off-ball linebacker with pass-rushing skills.
Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese fits the Giants’ culture of physicality and toughness under new head coach John Harbaugh. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Mauigoa is slated to start his career as a guard before eventually taking over as an edge blocker on a physically imposing frontline. Tennessee CB Carlton Hood and Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields are potential starters with big-play potential in their respective roles. If the Giants also get key contributions from any of their Day 3 selections — Auburn DT Bobby Jamison-Travis, Illinois OT J.C. Davis and BYU LB Jack Kelly — the Harbaugh era will be off to an impressive start.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It is apparent that the Buccaneers look to reclaim their crown as NFC South champs, with the acquisitions aimed at upgrading their toughness and physicality on defense. Miami Edge Rueben Bain, Missouri LB Josiah Trotter and Miami DB Keionte Scott bring energy and edginess whenever they step inside the lines. They not only fill immediate needs at their respective positions, but they will also rekindle the hard-nosed approach that helped the Buccaneers claim four straight division titles before last season.
While the team’s offensive selections (Georgia State WR Ted Hurst, Notre Dame OG Billy Schrauth and LSU TE Bauer Sharp) are projected as backups, Hurst could slide into departed veteran Mike Evans’ role as a vertical threat with the potential to hold down the “X” position as an eventual starter. Overall, the Buccaneers opted for an identity draft to help them get back to their rugged, winning ways.
LOSERS
Los Angeles Rams
Time will tell if Les Snead was the smartest guy in the room when he handpicked Ty Simpson to be the Rams’ franchise quarterback of the future in a surprise selection at No. 13 overall. While the Super Bowl-winning general manager deserves credit for his conviction, the Rams’ 2026 class hinges on the success of an undersized, inexperienced quarterback with durability concerns. Despite his polished mechanics and spectacular flashes, Simpson must defy the odds to emerge as an elite quarterback in a league that chews up and spits out novices at the position.
The Rams shocked the NFL world by picking Alabama QB Ty Simpson No. 13 overall. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
With the Rams bypassing a game-changing pass-catcher, pass protector, or pass rusher to select a QB3 for this season, the skeptics will not change their opinions despite the impact of the rest of the class. Although Ohio State TE Max Klare, Missouri OT Keagen Trost and Miami WR CJ Daniels are poised to make their mark as unheralded contributors, Simpson’s performance and production are all that matter in this evaluation.
San Francisco 49ers
The outrage of the 49ers’ faithful reached a fever pitch when the draft concluded on Saturday night. The puzzling Day 2 selections of Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling, Texas Tech EDGE Romello Height and Indiana RB Kaelon Black have drawn the ire of couch scouts who wanted brand names at those selections. Although Kyle Shanahan’s track record for coaxing production out of hidden gems should afford more grace from critics, the outrage continues the ongoing debate over the team’s ability to draft and develop effectively over the past decade.
Given the heat on the 49ers following their daring decisions in the first two days of the draft, the team needs some of their developmental prospects — Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton, Washington OT Carver Willis, Washington CB Ephesians Prysock, Louisiana LB Jaden Dugger and Kansas OT Enrique Cruz Jr. — to pan out to extinguish the fires raging among 49ers fans.
Tennessee Titans
The 2026 draft pivoted when the Titans shocked the world with the Carnell Tate pick at No. 4 overall. Although most observers viewed the Ohio State star as the No. 1 wideout in the class, the decision to take a collegiate WR2 over a freakishly athletic pass rusher (Arvell Reese) and off-ball linebacker (Sonny Styles) has put Robert Saleh’s debut class under the microscope. Perhaps Tate will silence the critics by playing at a superstar level, but he will need to adapt to a new role and more responsibility as the WR1 for a team that lacks an elite supporting cast around him.
The Titans’ selection of Ohio State WR Carnell Tate at No. 4 overall was the first big surprise of the 2026 NFL Draft. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
The Titans traded back into the first round to acquire a big-bodied edge rusher, Keldric Faulk, with modest sack production. While there was plenty of love in the scouting community for the Auburn star as a run defender, the Titans are counting on the 21-year-old to transform into an Arik Armstead-type defender with inside-outside versatility. Considering how collegiate sack production typically translates into NFL performance, the Titans will need their second first-rounder to remake his game to match his draft expectations.
With second-round pick Anthony Hill slated to be a Day 1 starter at middle linebacker, the Titans are counting on three developmental playmakers to fill voids on a squad looking to climb out of the AFC South cellar.
*Jacksonville Jaguars
Some of you may question why the Jaguars are not included among the bottom three on this list, even though they selected the most controversial player on the board, Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher, with their first selection (No. 56 overall). It is hard to attach significant expectations to a bottom of the second round pick when the value is that of a key contributor. While the Texas A&M standout was not on many media boards, the Jaguars’ selection pre-empted a Day 2 run on tight ends that might have left the team on the outside looking in when it came to their desired blocking tight ends.
With the Jaguars following that selection with a highly-touted guard, Emmanuel Pregnon from Oregon, who earned borderline first-round grades, it is hard for me to trash a draft class that would have been celebrated if the order of selections had been reversed.
