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The NFL Draft
by: Ryder Bryant
date: May 4, 2026
The 2026 NFL Draft was held in Pittsburgh, PA, from April 23–25, 2026. Here is my assessment of teams that came out ahead and teams that did not do so well.
Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders had an amazing draft. My grade is an A. With the number one overall pick, they got a generational talent in Fernando Mendoza. Fernando Mendoza came from Indiana. Won a Heisman, First Team All Big Ten, Big Ten Offensive Player of the year, and won the Hoosiers their first ever championship. Indiana went 16-0 and dominated in the playoffs. He's a great long-term solution for the Raiders at the quarterback position.
In the second round, the Raiders picked up the Defensive Back from Arizona, Treydan Stukes. Stukes started as a walk-on at Arizona. He became a top draft pick and had been a target of the Raiders since his senior year at Arizona. He had elite ball skills and a high football IQ. Their third-round pick was an edge rusher out of Auburn named Keyron Crawford. The speed rusher is known for his explosiveness. His potential could be really good. On to the Raiders' 4th round draft pick. They got Jermod McCoy, a cornerback out of Tennessee. Many draft analysts are saying this pick was a steal for Vegas. The corner is very high talent. The only reason this could be a reach is because of McCoy's injury concerns.
New York Jets
New York Jets
The Jets also had an excellent draft class. They had 3 first-round picks. With the number two overall pick, the Jets took edge rusher David Bailey out of Texas Tech. Bailey is known for his explosiveness and had the nation's best pressure rate. They took the tight end, Kenyon Sadiq, out of Oregon with the sixteenth overall pick. He ran a great 40-yard dash. He ran a 4.39 at 240 pounds. He did great at a high level for Oregon. He should fit in well with the Jets. The Jets then took Omar Cooper Jr from Indiana. The wide receiver was excellently valued for the Jets after the Jets traded back into the first round. That's about it for New York's good draft picks. But overall, a very good draft for the Jets. My grade is an A+.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars did not have a very good draft. The Jags reached on many of their picks. Jacksonville's general manager was heavily criticized. Mel Kiper Jr. says he might have thrown the entire draft board out the window. To start, the Jags didn't even have their first-round pick this year because they traded up in last year's draft to take Travis Hunter. Then, in the second round, the Jags took Nate Boerkircher out of Texas A&M. Many mock drafters considered this a major reach. Some say the tight end was a fourth or a fifth-rounder at best.
The Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams
The Rams had a terrible draft. The Rams, before the draft, mentioned wanting to draft for the current season instead of the future. Then why did the Rams pick a quarterback with the thirteenth overall pick in the draft? The Los Angeles Rams picked Ty Simpson with their first-round pick. This would have been considered a reach for any team. But since the Rams have last year's MVP, Matthew Stafford, this makes this pick even worse. The Rams' reasoning for this was Simpson's potential. Overall, they spend their best pick on a guy who isn't going to start for 5 years.
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Titans were another team that just straight up wasted their first-round pick. The Titans had the fourth overall pick and selected Carnell Tate. Tate, the wide receiver out of Ohio State, is a great player. Don't get me wrong. But there were so many better options for a team that deeply needed edge rushers. Players who were still on the board at the time included Arvell Reese and Ahkeem Mesidor. While the Titans did need wide receiver help, Makai Lemon would probably have been a better selection at that pick.
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