Author: alaskaadmin

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to make bold predictions. Who takes Rookie of the Year honors? Who’ll be the biggest steal? Who winds up as the biggest star years down the line? Here are my way-too-early superlatives for the 2026 class: Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals With quarterback uncertainty and the lack of a true No. 1 wide receiver, the Cardinals could run their offense through Love in Year 1, enabling him to put up monster numbers. The former Notre Dame star is positioned to be Arizona’s best offensive player not named Trey McBride. 2026 stats projection: 225 carries for 1,265 yards and 8 TDs; 46 receptions for 398 yards and 3 TDs Defensive Rookie of the Year: DE Rueben Bain Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers Bain may have slipped a bit in the first round, but as Tampa Bay’s pick at No. 15, he landed in a great situation with a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles. The attention standout nose tackle Vita Vea draws from the interior offensive line could open up advantageous matchups on the edge for Bain. 2026 stats projection: 8.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble Steal of the draft: TE Eli Stowers, Philadelphia Eagles The athletic Stowers broke the vertical jump record for tight ends at the combine. Last season at Vanderbilt, he won the John Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end — in just his third year playing the position. His growth could be exponential in Philly, where he’s positioned to be Dallas Goedert’s successor. 2026 stats projection: 36 receptions for 387 yards and 3 TDs QB1 in five years: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders At least for now, Mendoza’s only challenger for this spot appears to be Ty Simpson, who the Rams picked as Matthew Stafford’s eventual successor. Not only does the No. 1 overall pick have the edge in physical traits and clutch performances, but his well-documented mindset makes it hard to believe that he won’t be at least an average starter. Plus, Mendoza has the greatest quarterback of all time in his corner in Tom Brady, a Raiders minority owner. 2026 stats projection: 62.5% completion rate for 3,744 yards and 18 TDs with 10 INTs Best long-term player: S Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys The only knock on Downs is that he plays a position that isn’t highly valued in the modern NFL. Widely regarded as a generational talent, Downs has the instincts, intellect, versatility and play demeanor to become one of the league’s top safeties for many years to come. 2026 stats projection: 2 INTs, 11 pass breakups, 94 tackles, 3.0 sacks (Pro Bowl) Biggest rookie breakout: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Miami Dolphins The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year joins a Dolphins team that has two established off-ball linebackers in Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson. But Rodriguez’s playmaking ability makes him a candidate to be one of the best players on new head coach Jeff Hafley’s defense by season’s end. Rodriguez recorded 10 forced fumbles, 21.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 10 pass breakups over his last two seasons at Texas Tech. 2026 stats projection: 77 tackles, 2 INT, 3 PBUs, FF Most pro ready: G Vega Ioane, Baltimore Ravens The 14th overall pick, Ioane could be one of the Ravens’ best offensive linemen from Day 1. He made 32 starts for Penn State at left guard. 2026 stats projection: 17 starts at LG Highest upside: CB Jermod McCoy, Las Vegas Raiders McCoy is a mid-first round talent who fell into the fourth round after missing the 2025 season with a torn ACL. If he’s healthy, the former Tennessee star has the potential to be a playmaking CB1 in the NFL. 2026 stats projection: INT, 4 PBUs, 29 tackles (10 games) Top playmaker: WR Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans Now out of the shadow of Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Tate is positioned to fully show what he’s capable of as a WR1 at the NFL level. His contested catching ability, ball-tracking skills and route-running efficiency will make him a friendly and a high-volume target for Titans quarterback Cam Ward. 2026 stats projection: 61 receptions for 896 yards and 7 TDs Best fit: OL Keylan Rutledge, Houston Texans The Texans have desperately needed to stabilize their offensive line for QB C.J. Stroud, and Rutledge — who made 43 starts at right guard in his college career — slots in at one of Houston’s guard spots. Rutledge posted the top athletic score for guards at the NFL Combine, according to Next Gen Stats, which will serve him in both pass protection and the run game. 2026 stats projection: 15 starts at LG​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The NFL Draft is about building for the future, but sometimes the future is now. Some teams really can change their short-term outlook with a few smart picks at the right positions, especially in the early rounds. So which teams succeeded and which ones failed in putting the final pieces together for their 2026 puzzle? And how did that affect the overall outlook of the league? Here are my post-draft Power Rankings, which set the stage for the 2026 season as the offseason comes to a close. Super Bowl odds: +40000 Some believe RB Jeremiyah Love will be the best player out of this draft, but how much is he really going to help a team with so many issues — particularly along the offensive line? The Cardinals are still the favorite to get the first pick of the 2027 draft. Super Bowl odds: +30000 Their two first-round picks were good (OT Kadyn Proctor at 12, CB Chris Johnson at 27) and will help, but they need to get QB Malik Willis some playmakers. Texas Tech WR Caleb Douglas was way too much of a reach in the third to fill the departed Jaylen Waddle’s shoes. Super Bowl odds: +15000 Let the offensive rebuild begin with a much-needed tackle (Spencer Fano at No. 9) and two talented receivers (KC Concepcion at No. 24 and Denzel Boston in Round 2). So, whoever their QB is will have help. Oh, and competition, since Cleveland took yet another QB — Arkansas’ Taylen Green in Round 6. That’s three in two drafts! Super Bowl odds: +15000 They had a terrific draft, especially on the first two days, and may have gotten a steal on Day 4 with Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy. And obviously they got their franchise QB in Fernando Mendoza. Their future is brighter, but there’s still a long way to go. Super Bowl odds: +20000 They had a great draft, too, adding three starters in the first round (edge David Bailey, TE Kenyon Sadiq, WR Omar Cooper) and their nickleback in Round 2 (D’Angelo Ponds). QB Geno Smith has plenty of weapons now, but he’s still a liability that’s going to hold this team down. Super Bowl odds: +9000 They desperately needed a WR to help Chris Olave, and they found one at No. 8 in Arizona State’s explosive WR Jordyn Tyson. That could be huge for QB Tyler Shough and Kellen Moore’s offense. The Saints’ defense still needs work, but second-round DT Christen Miller will help against the run. Super Bowl odds: +12000 They pulled the first surprise of the draft, taking WR Carnell Tate at No. 4, and now QB Cam Ward has several dangerous weapons. Robert Saleh added another edge rusher in the first (Keldric Faulk) and a linebacker in the second (Anthony Hill). This team is a lot more talented than it was. Super Bowl odds: +6000 No first-round pick, but they got two defensive starters in LB C.J. Allen and safety A.J. Haulcy on Day 2. Both should be solid players, but might not have a huge impact. The Colts could’ve really used a receiver to replace Michael Pittman, whom they traded away. Super Bowl odds: +5000 This draft would’ve looked better if the Eagles hadn’t stolen Makai Lemon from them in the first round. Guard Max Iheanachor, the consolation prize, might be a bit of a project, and second-round WR Germie Bernard was a bit of a reach. Taking QB Drew Allar in the third round was a headline pick, but he’s no help to the Steelers this year. Super Bowl odds: +6500 Dan Quinn fell in love with Ohio State LB Sonny Styles, and that’s great. But what this team needed most was offensive playmakers. They got Clemson WR Antonio Williams in the third, but they needed more, plus more help on the offensive line. Super Bowl odds: +5000 The fall of edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. to No. 15 could be great for Todd Bowles, and second-round LB Josaiah Trotter and fourth-round CB Keionte Scott will help a defense that needs it, too. And Georgia State WR Ted Hurst (6-3, 207) could eventually be a steal for a team that somehow has to replace Mike Evans. Super Bowl odds: +2500 They have been laser-focused on the defense all offseason long, as they should be. Getting safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 was a steal, since some thought he was the best player in the draft. And adding two edge rushers (UCF’s Malachi Lawrence in Round 1, Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham in Round 2) helps rebuild their post-Micah Parsons pass rush. Super Bowl odds: +12000 Drafting CB Aveion Terrell into the same defensive backfield as his brother A.J. was a nice story with the Falcons’ first pick (second round). But that forced them to wait around to address their glaring need at WR. And they took a risk with the speedy Zachariah Branch, who’s only 5-foot-8, 176 pounds. Super Bowl odds: +9000 They prioritized the trenches and got Georgia OT Monroe Freeling in the first, which is good. Their real prize, though, could be Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell in the third round. He’s a 6-4, 198-pounder with 4.3 speed. QB Bryce Young needed a big-play, down-field threat to take some pressure off Tetairoa McMillan. Super Bowl odds: +7000 Armed with two top-10 picks, they came away with arguably the draft’s best LB (Arvell Reese) and best offensive lineman (Francis Mauigoa). Then they landed one of the best corners in Round 2 (Colton Hood) and a top-10 WR in Round 3 (Malachi Fields). John Harbaugh’s first draft was fantastic. Super Bowl odds: +5500 Trading away edge rusher Jonathan Greenard hurts their defense, especially their pass rush. But at least they stacked the middle with Florida DT Caleb Banks (6-6, 327) and Iowa State DT Domonique Orange (6-2, 322) in Rounds 1 and 3. Super Bowl odds: +1600 The Packers said they needed a corner and a nose tackle, and they got both with their picks in Rounds 2 and 3. But CB Brandon Cisse and DT Chris McClellan might be more about depth than immediate impact. They also still need a wideout to replace the two they lost. Super Bowl odds: +1700 Dan Campbell is all about the trenches, and he got help on both sides with OT Blake Miller (Round 1) and edge rusher Derrick Moore (Round 2). Moore taking some pressure off Aidan Hutchinson could really help the Lions’ defense. Super Bowl odds: +1600 They got an underrated edge rusher (Akheem Mesidor) in Round 1, but what they really needed was O-line help. Florida C Jake Slaughter (Round 2) and Memphis T Travis Burke (Round 4) may have to play a lot right away. Super Bowl odds: +2200 They used their first-round pick in a high-upside trade for DT Dexter Lawrence, then drafted underrated Texas A&M edge Cashius Howell in Round 2. Add in big (6-4) corner Tacario Davis in the third and the Bengals may finally have a defense that can keep up with their offense. Super Bowl odds: +1800 They desperately needed OL help and took big guards in the first and fourth rounds, including Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge No. 26 overall. They also traded up for one of the draft’s best defensive tackles, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, in Round 2. The Texans are stronger in the trenches now. Super Bowl odds: +2500 They didn’t have a first-round pick and reached for a blocking tight end who caught just 36 passes in five years in college (Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher). They’ve got a lot of holes, and their offseason overall hasn’t been good. Super Bowl odds: +1600 They had already acquired a big-play receiver in Mike Evans, but they added a deep threat who could pull coverage away in the draft when they took the big, speedy De’Zhaun Stribling with the first pick of Round 2. They should have the most explosive offense they’ve had in years. Super Bowl odds: +2500 They did what they had to do in the draft, finding a starting safety (Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman) and offensive line help (Iowa C Logan Jones). Everything else just adds to the depth of a team ready to rise. Super Bowl odds: +1500 They used the draft to reload on defense, taking the best corner (LSU’s Mansoor Delane) and one of the best DTs (Clemson’s Peter Woods) in Round 1. They made sure that when Patrick Mahomes returns, he’ll have a top-10 defense behind him again. Super Bowl odds: +1000 They traded out of the first round and focused on defense. Clemson’s T.J. Parker makes them deep off the edge, and Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun strengthens them at CB. Fourth-round OT Jude Bowry could be an instant starter on their line, and he might have to be. Super Bowl odds: +1600 Their most important job was improving the O-line, which they did with Utah tackle Caleb Lomu (6-6, 313) in Round 1. Second-rounder Gabe Jacas will help them off the edge, too, after losing K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency. Super Bowl odds: +1000 They hit all their weak spots, finding a road-grading guard (Olaivavega Ioane), an edge rusher to pair with Trey Hendrickson (Zion Young) and a couple of big receivers for Lamar Jackson (Elijah Sarratt, Ja’Kobi Lane). They’re a team that has it all. Super Bowl odds: +1600 Their wizard GM did it again, coming out of the first two days of the draft with two dangerous weapons (WR Makai Lemon, TE Eli Stowers to replace likely trade piece A.J. Brown) and a huge O-lineman (6-9, 346-pound Markel Bell), and he traded for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. They are so back. Super Bowl odds: +1000 Replacing the Super Bowl MVP (Kenneth Walker) with Notre Dame’s backup RB (Jadarian Price) in the first round is interesting. They also restocked their secondary on Day 2. The reigning champs are a team without many holes, though. Super Bowl odds: +1800 Hard to argue the draft helped them when they had just one pick in the first two days. They didn’t need a lot, though. The offseason addition of WR Jaylen Waddle made them clearly the class of the AFC. Super Bowl odds: +800 They’re still the most talented team in the NFL, but they could’ve locked that in by picking an actual impact player at No. 13. Instead, they took QB Ty Simpson, who won’t help them until 2027 or 2028. This is still the team to beat, though.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports