Ranking each team's 2026 NFL Draft class: Chiefs, Browns, Jets crush it; Steelers, Rams, 49ers raise questions
Keep reading to see how your team did -- everything from our favorite picks to best values to most surprising selections
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Ranking each team's 2026 NFL Draft class: Chiefs, Browns, Jets crush it; Steelers, Rams, 49ers raise questions Keep reading to see how your team did -- everything from our favorite picks to best values to most surprising selections By Ryan Wilson Apr 28, 2026 at 11:37 am ET • 38 min read Getty Images And that is a wrap on the 2026 NFL Draft. Like most drafts, it's really hard not to like what almost all of the teams did. Because as long as those teams filled their biggest remaining needs and didn't grossly overreach to do so, it's difficult -- and silly -- to announce one group as obvious losers without having yet seen any of them play a meaningful NFL snap.Knowing that, I used three categories to break down the team-by-team drafts: "Drafts I loved," "Drafts I liked" and "Drafts that left me wanting more." Within those categories I also assigned team grades (but no grade was lower than a "C-" because, again, unless you're repeatedly selecting long snappers in Rounds 1-7, it's hard to flunk the draft). Basically: I would advise you not to get hung up on the labels or grades, but to focus on which picks stood out, which provided the best value and which were most surprising.I've included my final Big Board rankings alongside my draft grades not just to show my work, but to add context for how I evaluated these players entering the draft. Taken together, that perspective informs my assessment of each class now that the draft is complete. (One note: you might notice a player ranked, say, 300th on my final big board but carrying a sixth- or seventh-round grade. With only 257 picks, that can seem, well, weird. The reason is simple: I write up close to 500 players, so more prospects receive draftable grades than there are available draft slots.) Prisco's NFL Power Rankings, post-draft edition: Cowboys set to make Super Bowl push Pete Prisco Drafts I loved 1. Cleveland Browns: A+RDPICKPLAYERFinal gradeFinal BB rank19Spencer Fano, OT, Utah1st10124KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M1st25239Denzel Boston, WR, Washington1st20258Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo1st-2nd32386Austin Barber, OT, Florida3rd865146Parker Brailsford, OC, Alabama6th2975149Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama3rd-4th1055170Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati4th-5th1606182Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas4th-5th1427248Carsen Ryan, TE, BYUUDFA-Favorite pick: I've been talking up Denzel Boston since the fall, and while landing Emmanuel McNeill-Warren at No. 58 feels like stealing, Boston could have the bigger impact in 2026 (alongside first-rounder KC Concepcion).Best value: I thought Justin Jefferson had a chance to go 50-75 picks higher than he did. I described him in my notes as "An explosive, sideline-to-sideline LB who plays with a relentless motor, moves well in space, and plays much bigger than his size in run support."Most surprising pick: Parker Brailsford was getting some top-50 love ahead of the 2025 draft, after he transferred from Washington to Alabama. He battled injuries last year, and this isn't even a truly "surprising" pick because I thought he would end up going on Day 3. But the Browns had such a good haul, that even a player going a round higher than I expected qualifies as "surprising" here. He's a good player who needs to get healthy and add some weight. 2. Kansas City Chiefs: A+RDPICKPLAYERFinal gradeFinal BB rank16Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU1st9129Peter Woods, DL, Clemson1st6240R Mason Thomas, ED, Oklahoma1st-2nd344109Jadon Canady, CB, Oregon5th-6th2265161Emmett Johnson, RB,…
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