2026 NFL Draft results: Cowboys, Chiefs among teams that changed the most

Change is the theme of just about every NFL offseason. After a team is crowned Super Bowl champion, 31 other squads set out on a mission to overtake them, while the champions, of course, attempt to reload and prevent that from happening.

Nowhere are there more opportunities for teams to effect change than in the NFL Draft. This year’s draft features 257 picks, giving teams 257 opportunities to add roster-changing players.

We wanted to use this space to highlight which teams changed the most during the 2026 NFL Draft. We’re going with a top seven this year, and here’s the group:

Cleveland Browns

• Key Picks: OT Spencer Fano, WR KC Concepcion, WR Denzel Boston, S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, OT Austin Barber

The Browns came into the draft with more needs than arguably any team, and they attacked multiple needs with clear force early and often. The offense picks specifically give the Browns a different feel than they had coming into the draft. In Fano and Barber, Cleveland landed two linemen with versatility, and Fano, in particular, can probably play anywhere on the line. The Browns also completely remade their wide receiver corps with the next two picks after Fano, landing an explosive burner in Concepcion and a big-bodied X receiver in Boston. Cleveland was also reportedly interested in McNeil-Warren, a high-level playmaker, much earlier than it got him late in Round 2. 

Dallas Cowboys

• Key Picks: S Caleb Downs, EDGE Malachi Lawrence, LB Jaishawn Barham, OT Drew Shelton, CB Devin Moore, EDGE LT Overton

We knew the deal for the Cowboys coming into this weekend: They have an elite offense and a defense that was an epic disaster last season and desperately needed upgrades all over the place. They lucked out with Caleb Downs falling out of the top 10, then traded up one spot to make sure they landed the versatile defensive back. They added pass rush help in Lawrence, a linebacker/edge hybrid in Barham, a super-sized corner in Moore and another defensive end to add to the mix in Overton. All of these players give new defensive coordinator Christian Parker a lot of toys to play with on that side of the ball, and along with free-agent signings like Jalen Thompson should lead to a much-improved unit.

Kansas City Chiefs

• Key Picks: CB Mansoor Delane, DT Peter Woods, EDGE R Mason Thomas, CB Jadon Canady

The Chiefs lost a pair of cornerbacks to the Rams when they traded Trent McDuffie and then saw Jaylen Watson sign there shortly after. They gave Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt a pair of replacements in Delane and Canady. Delane was considered arguably the top corner in the class (and clearly was drafted that way with the Jermod McCoy falling to Day 3 due to injury concerns) and Canady has a lot of inside-out versatility. The Chiefs also upgraded along the defensive line, giving Chris Jones a partner on the inside and George Karlaftis a bookend (with a VERY different body type and skill set) on the edge. 

Las Vegas Raiders

• Key Picks: QB Fernando Mendoza, CB Treydan Stukes, DE Keyron Crawford, C Trey Zuhn III, CB Jermod McCoy, RB Mike Washington Jr.

Any time you use the No. 1 overall pick on your new franchise quarterback, you are among the most-changed teams in the draft. Las Vegas also maneuvered around the board to land two high-level cornerback prospects to remake a room that desperately needed an injection of talent, nabbing the versatile Stukes in Round 2 and the draft’s biggest faller in McCoy at the top of Round 4. Zuhn is seemingly going to move from tackle to the interior, but he can probably play multiple spots along the line. And Klint Kubiak has been adamant that he wants Ashton Jeanty to have a partner in the backfield, which is obviously where Washington Jr. comes in. 

Miami Dolphins

• Key Picks: OT Kaden Proctor, CB Chris Johnson, LB Jacob Rodriguez, WR Caleb Douglas, TE Will Kacmarek, WR Chris Bell, EDGE Trey Moore, LB/S Kyle Louis

Miami entered the draft with essentially a blank slate of a roster after purging a lot of talent this offseason, but used SIX top-100 picks and another two more later in the fourth round. Proctor is going to start somewhere on the line. Johnson steps in as a starting corner in new head coach Jeff Hafley’s defense. Rodriguez pairs with Jordyn Brooks at linebacker. Douglas and Bell (when he gets healthy) will have huge potential for opportunity given the paucity of passing-game options on hand, and Kacmarek could as well. Louis brings positional versatility on the second level of the defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers

• Key Picks: OT Max Iheanachor, WR Germie Bernard, QB Drew Allar, CB Daylen Everette, OT Gennings Dunker, WR Kaden Wetjen

The Steelers came into the weekend with several well-defined needs and seemingly attacked all of them through the first few rounds of the draft. With the injury to Broderick Jones, they badly needed help at tackle. They got it with Iheanachor, while Dunker can play tackle as he did in college or kick inside to guard. They needed a No. 3 wide receiver to complement DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. They took a pair of options in Bernard in the second round and Wetjen in the fourth. They needed another option at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers’ status still up in the air, and Allar can come in and compete with 2025 draft pick Will Howard. Everette gives them depth at cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Key Picks: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., LB Josiah Trotter, WR Ted Hurst, DB Keionte Scott

Tampa needed to dramatically reshape its defense, and it did so with its early-round draft picks. The Bucs let the board fall to them in the first round and drafted an absolute ass-kicker up front in Bain, who had some of the best tape of any player in the class but slipped down the board due to concerns about his short arms. Trotter is also a physical, downhill player who should fit right into Todd Bowles’ defense. Scott is an elite run defender and blitzer at the nickel position, a perfect fit for Bowles as well. Hurst, meanwhile, adds to a room that already features Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Tez Johnson, and he brings something a little bit different to the table as a big-bodied wideout who also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds.