2026 Draft Grades

The cleanest board in the league: first in value captured, first in starting lineup, first in ceiling, first in bench. Stafford at 168 against an ESPN price of 86 was the draft's second-biggest value gap, and on the ESPN board the roster doesn't contain a single meaningful reach. When one team leads all four weighted categories, the letter writes itself.

A perfect construction score and no panicked picks. Henry at his exact market number and Burrow at 7.07 anchored a draft that paid a small premium at tight end and never once panicked. Docked to A- for the thin backfield behind Henry and the Allgeier reach. Otherwise this was textbook.

Best backfield drafted, a real WR1, and a perfect construction score. The B+ instead of higher comes from a receiver room that thins out immediately after Nico Collins and a Rachaad White pick 37 ahead of price. Maye at 6.09 was strong quarterback timing. This roster is one trade from an A, and its manager said as much in the chat.

Second-best value capture on the board the model graded against, banked with late-round discipline: McMillan 23 past his ESPN price, the Patriots defense 14 past, Meyers at his number. The ceiling on the grade is what the value bought. The starting lineup scored ninth, with quarterback addressed at pick 118 and tight end acquired at a discount for a reason. Excellent shopping, modest pantry.

A top-heavy grade: Bijan and Pickens carried the ceiling score, and rounds 10 through 16 (Addison, Shakir, Nailor) rescued the value column on the board the model graded against. Between those bookends sat the shakiest RB middle in the draft, with Price 26 early and Kamara 38 early. Perfect construction, wobbly contents.

A market-clean draft with one big positional imbalance. Daniels came 36 past price and Warren at his market number; Brown and Egbuka ran a few picks hot. Seven receivers against three startable running backs cost construction points, and the ceiling rests on rookie receivers hitting. Balanced scores, no standout column, a straight B.

Elite starters at receiver and quarterback set against the weakest drafted starting backfield in the league. Goff at 188 (52 past price) and Hunter at 173 (53 past) were the two best pieces of late-round shopping. The B- is the average of an A top and a D backfield; no grading system splits that difference cleanly.

Remove one pick and this is a B+. Lloyd at 67 against an ESPN price of 166 was the draft's largest reach and sank the value column by itself. Hurts, Jeudy, and Ridley were quality timing. Graded exactly as drafted: eleven sound rounds and one that will be cited in this space all season.

The first five rounds graded among the best in the league; the last eleven among the worst. Rodriguez (52 early) and Coleman (41 early) drained the value score, and a second quarterback in round 9 spent a pick the roster didn't owe. Cook insurance via Ray Davis was smart. C+ is the exact midpoint of two different drafts.

Last in value captured. Washington (57 early) and Keaton Mitchell (38 early) came at real premiums, while quarterback waited until pick 155. Lawrence at that price was excellent in isolation, but value on your own QB1 in round 13 is a symptom, not a plan. The young receiver core keeps this at C+.

The construction score, lowest in the league, tells the story: a round-nine kicker, a round-ten defense, and seven running backs without a locked starting job among them. St. Brown, Jefferson, and McBride was as good an opening three as anyone's. Eleventh in value, last in bench. The C averages a superstar draft with an org-chart problem.

Frozen in time, as promised: last in starting lineup, last in ceiling. Hampton ten early and Likely 40 early were premiums paid at exactly the wrong spots, while Kelce at 180 — the biggest value gap in the draft — pulled the value column back to mid-pack. The bench score is real consolation. The C- grades the lineup he has to start, not the one the chat believes in.