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First-round grades| Rounds 2-3 grades| Team grades| NFL draft takeaways| Best and worst | Way-too-early mock draft| Best picks of the draft
Just like team grades, trying to determine who is most and least improved after the NFL draft is an exercise in projection more than actual progress.
For every player who we think is going to turn a team around, there’s another who sinks them deeper into despair with lost potential and underperformance. Still, it’s worth looking at the league’s landscape, with offseason talent acquisition effectively behind us and only a few weeks before teams start filing in for OTAs and, eventually, mandatory minicamp before June ends.
So before we get players on the field in shells, let’s look at five teams that should consider themselves improved coming out of last weekend’s draft.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers desperately needed to add some edge rush help and did so by landing Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 15. Tampa Bay ranked 17th with 37 sacks last year, but checked in at just 25th in pressure rate at 19.8%. Bain should help that cause, having notched 9.5 sacks with the Hurricanes last year.
On Day 2, general manager Jason Licht selected off-ball linebacker Josiah Trotter, who, along with free-agent acquisition Alex Anzalone, will help rebuild a second level that is without Lavonte David for the first time since 2011. Offensively, Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst is a big-bodied target at 6' 4", who should help quarterback Baker Mayfield get past the departure of Mike Evans.
Last season, Tampa Bay was one of the most disappointing teams in football, going 8–9 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2019. If the Buccaneers are going to reclaim the NFC South, it starts with staying healthier and this draft class producing a few key contributors.
Draft class
- Round 1: No. 15: Rueben Bain Jr., edge, Miami
- Round 2: No. 46: Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri
- Round 3: No. 84: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
- Round 4: No. 116: Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
- Round 5: No. 155: DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson
- Round 5: No. 160: Billy Schrauth, G, Notre Dame
- Round 6: No. 185: Bauer Sharp, TE, LSU
4. Tennessee Titans
After being incredibly active in free agency by signing impact players such as defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, corners Cor’Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor, and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, general manager Mike Borgonzi turned to the draft.
With the No. 4 pick, Borgonzi gave second-year quarterback Cam Ward a legitimate perimeter target in Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate. Last season, Tennessee’s leading wide receiver was Elic Ayomanor, who went for 515 yards. No team’s leading wideout had fewer yards than the Jets.
With Tennessee’s second first-round pick, it added 21-year-old Keldric Faulk to the defensive line, who should be a pet project for defensive-minded coach Robert Saleh to develop. Faulk is 276 pounds and is one of the best run defenders in this rookie class.
The Titans also landed Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who has the skill set to captain the second level. Hill was a force with the Longhorns, totaling 69 tackles and four sacks in 2025 while earning second-team All-American honors.
All told, the three-win Titans should be far more competitive this season, both because of free agency and the rookie crop.
Draft class
- Round 1, No. 4: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- Round 1, No. 31: Keldric Faulk, DE, Auburn
- Round 2, No. 60: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
- Round 5, No. 142: Fernando Carmona, OG, Arkansas
- Round 5, No. 165: Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State
- Round 6, No. 184: Jackie Marshall, DT, Baylor
- Round 6, No. 194: Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
- Round 7, No. 225: Jaren Kanak, TE, Oklahoma
3. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs didn’t expect to be here. Kansas City was trying to reach a fourth consecutive Super Bowl last year but ended up 6–11 while Patrick Mahomes was left to wriggle on the turf in Week 15 with a torn ACL and LCL.
Before the draft, Kansas City added Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III alongside Emari Demercado, but also traded away All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie and lost fellow cornerback Jaylen Watson in free agency, both going to the Rams.
As a result, general manager Brett Veach traded up three spots from No. 9 to 6 before selecting LSU corner Mansoor Delane. In the fourth round, the Chiefs took Jadon Canady out of Oregon, a slot corner who will compete with veteran Kader Kohou for playing time.
But the defensive line is where Kansas City made the most strides. After amassing only 35 sacks (tied for 22nd) last season, the Chiefs invested along the front with first-round interior presence Peter Woods. Eleven picks later, Veach once again landed a pass rusher in R Mason Thomas, who had 15.5 sacks over his final two years at Oklahoma.
For Kansas City, the defense should be far more athletic, with additional juice up front. The offense will actually be the bigger question in some regards with Mahomes recovering and a receiving corps relying heavily on Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton.
Draft class
- Round 1, No. 6: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
- Round 1, No. 29: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
- Round 2, No. 40: R Mason Thomas, edge, Oklahoma
- Round 4, No. 109: Jadon Canady, CB, Oregon
- Round 5, No. 161: Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
- Round 5, No. 176: Cyrus Allen, WR, Cincinnati
- Round 7, No. 249: Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
2. New York Giants
The Giants have completely started anew over the past 12 months, inserting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart into the starting lineup before hiring veteran coach John Harbaugh to lead on the field and in personnel decisions.
In the draft, Harbaugh had to be thrilled. With a pair of top-10 picks (the latter coming from the Bengals in the Dexter Lawrence II trade), the Giants got a field general in linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese before landing guard/tackle Francis Mauigoa. Reese was one of the best players in the draft despite being 20 years old, having amassed 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks while earning All-American honors last year.
On Day 2, New York once again found value and talent in corner Colton Hood and receiver Malachi Fields. Hood is a physical corner of Tennessee who should help replace the loss of Cor’Dale Flott in free agency. Meanwhile, Fields provides a quality route-runner, who at 218 pounds, can box out defenders.
Every year, there’s always a worst-to-first team in a division. The Giants have a strong case to be that team in 2026, and this draft is a big reason why.
Draft class
- Round 1: No. 5: Arvell Reese, edge, Ohio State
- Round 1: No. 10: Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
- Round 2: No. 37: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
- Round 3: No. 74: Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
- Round 6: No. 186: Bobby Jamison-Travis, DT, Auburn
- Round 6: No. 192: J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois
- Round 6: No. 193: Jack Kelly, LB, BYU
1. New York Jets
When you have three first-round picks, you’d better have a great draft, and the Jets did.
New York is building for 2027 when it likely gets a franchise quarterback (for the first time since Joe Namath?) and added a trio of building blocks on Thursday night with edge rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq and receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
Sadiq and Cooper join an offense suddenly teeming with talent, including Pro Bowl wideout Garrett Wilson and star running back Breece Hall. Once New York finds a long-term fixture under center instead of a placeholder, there’s reason to believe this could be a dynamic unit.
Defensively, Bailey and second-round corner D’Angelo Ponds give coach Aaron Glenn a few pieces to build around. After trading defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, corner Sauce Gardner and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II over the past eight months, the two newcomers will become pillars of a unit Glenn hopes will anchor a relaunch of the franchise. Ultimately, Bailey will be the defining choice of the draft, going No. 2 after notching a nation-best 14.5 sacks last year.
Draft class
- Round 1, No. 2: David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech
- Round 1, No. 16: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
- Round 1, No. 30: Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
- Round 2, No. 50: D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
- Round 4, No. 103: Darrell Jackson Jr., DT, Florida State
- Round 4, No. 110: Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson
- Round 6, No. 188: Anez Cooper, OG, Miami (FL)
- Round 7, No. 228: VJ Payne, S, Kansas State
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MATT VERDERAME
Matt Verderame is a national NFL staff writer for Sports Illustrated, writing features, columns and more. Before joining Sports Illustrated in March 2023, Verderame wrote for FanSided and SB Nation. He’s a proud husband to Stephanie and father of two girls, Maisy and Genevieve. In his spare time, Verderame is an avid collector of vintage baseball cards.
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