Each year, the NFL partners with New Era to develop draft caps for all 32 teams—and each year, like clockwork, said hats are met with an abundance of scrutiny. Between quirky pins, awkward word marks, and designs that have served as eye sores rather than eye openers, it’s been a rough go of it on the draft hat front, and fans haven’t been shy about sharing their thoughts.
This year, however, the league shouldn’t have to worry about any pushback—because they’ve absolutely nailed the 2026 design.
As shared by Ari Meirov on X (formerly Twitter), the NFL unveiled its draft cap collection on Monday that players will wear upon being selected, and fans are able to purchase. They’ve decided to keep it simple, with the team’s primary color on the base of the hat and their secondary color on the brim, with an appropriately shaped logo on the front and an NFL draft pin attached to the top.
Check them out:
In years past, New Era has made a conscious effort to pay homage to each team's home cities on its hats, but the added flair often felt more like a distraction than a delight. Instead of scrapping this in 2026, however, they instead refined it—keeping each team's caps individuality while simply tucking those details onto the inside.
Needless to say, it worked. Here are a few examples:
Perfection.
Now, fans can purchase these limited-edition caps without getting side-eyed in public, and players can wear them beyond their draft-night celebrations—while still carrying the uniqueness of their team's cities inside.
As the Navy first said in 1960: Keep it simple, stupid.
The 2026 NFL draft begins on Thursday, April 23 and runs through Saturday, April 25.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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