NFL Draft 2026: Each team’s most questionable pick or draft-day reach

The days following the conclusion of the NFL Draft are the best. They help us envision how a prospect fits with his new team and offer hope for a brighter future. The order in which these former college stars come off the board is then cross-referenced with my personal rankings to determine value and fit.

To determine each team’s most questionable pick, value, as well as other factors, such as injuries, team fit and philosophical beliefs were taken into account. These are not meant to suggest I have a crystal ball or that my opinion carries any more or less weight than the teams making the selections. Rather, it is a mere talking point. 

Without further ado, each team’s most questionable selection:

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals: WR Colbie Young, Georgia (Round 4, No. 140 overall)

Cincinnati did a good job finding value throughout the draft. Young is a prospect with great size and potential, but No. 140 overall was early. The one-time Miami transfer landed in a favorable position learning from Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and catching passes from Joe Burrow. 

Cleveland Browns: LB Justin Jefferson, Alabama (Round 5, No. 149 overall)

Cleveland’s first two days were fantastic, but the team strayed a bit from personal rankings on Day 3. There were no egregious reaches, but Jefferson is more of a vision than a finished product. He is undersized and more likely to be a key part of special teams operations early in his career. 

Baltimore Ravens: WR Ja’Kobi Lane, USC (Round 3, No. 80 overall)

The Lane selection was a bit too early. He admittedly was a player with whom I struggled to box throughout the process. Initially, he jumped off the page as a tall, highlight reel-making pass catcher, but concerns about his ability to consistently create separation emerged the more I watched. However, Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt was good value on Day 3, so if those had been flipped, it would have made more sense, but it all comes out in the wash. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Drew Allar, Penn State (Round 3, No. 76 overall)

Pittsburgh did a good job throughout the week, especially on Day 3, finding tough, accountable players. The next step for Allar as a quarterback was long-awaited, but never came. He offers the ideal size and the requisite arm strength, but was too robotic. The accuracy was spotty, and he heads to the NFL coming off an injury at Penn State.

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts: EDGE George Gumbs Jr., Florida (Round 5, No. 156 overall)

The Colts accomplished a lot without a first-round pick. They found good players at positions of need, such as safety, guard and linebacker. There is a functional role and clear vision for each of the players added on Day 3, even Gumbs, but it was earlier than expected. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: TE Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M (Round 2, No. 56 overall)

The tight end run on Day 2 felt like an overcorrection by the league after seeing the impact of Jackson Hawes and others on the run game. Boerkircher has a high floor as a run blocker and his tape is indicative of higher capabilities in the pass game. However, using a near top-50 overall pick on that profile is risky. 

Houston Texans: IOL Febechi Nwaiwu, Oklahoma (Round 4, No. 106 overall)

Houston emphasized getting trench aid from players who are not afraid to punch opponents in the mouth. It began with Georgia Tech offensive guard Keylan Rutledge and Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, but continued throughout the draft. Nwaiwu has a technically sound base, but the explosiveness and lateral foot quickness are a concern. 

Additionally, I thought I was high on Klein at No. 91 overall, but the Texans put me to shame. 

Tennessee Titans: OL Fernando Carmona, Arkansas (Round 5, No. 142 overall)

Tennessee’s draft class is another that I personally enjoyed, but Carmona was more of a seventh-round consideration. The Titans needed some offensive line help, and Carmona has a bit of positional flexibility, having played tackle in his career. 

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: CB Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State (Round 2, No. 62 overall)

Buffalo went defensive heavy for the second consecutive year. I liked a lot of what they did, but Igbinosun was more of a fourth-round type. He is a bigger body who gets a bit loose in coverage. 

Miami Dolphins: WR Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech (Round 3, No. 75 overall)

Miami’s receiver depth chart was barren prior to the draft, so they had to get some bodies in the room. Douglas was not high on my board, so Chris Brazzell, Ted Hurst or even Bryce Lance would have been more worthwhile swings. It is worth noting that the Giants jumped directly in front of the Dolphins and took Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields.

The Chris Bell selection has a high approval rating as a prospect with high upside. 

New York Jets: OG Anez Cooper, Miami (Round 6, No. 188 overall)

Cooper’s selection was probably the biggest departure from the personal board. There may not be a lot of versatility with this pick, which is an important consideration at this stage of the festivities. He played nearly 3,000 snaps at right guard over the course of his collegiate career and 18 total between left guard and tackle. 

The Kenyon Sadiq selection is interesting because the team took Mason Taylor early in the second round last year. Will Frank Reich be able to maximize that duo? 

New England Patriots: CB Karon Prunty, Wake Forest (Round 5, No. 171 overall)

Prunty was the biggest surprise among New England’s draft class. He is a bigger cornerback who began his career at Kansas, continued it at North Carolina A&T and finished with the Demon Deacons. He won’t be in a position to play early, barring injury. 

AFC West

Denver Broncos: DL Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M (Round 3, No. 66 overall)

Despite not having a first-round pick, Denver filled n some of the gaps on its roster nicely with Washington running back Jonah Coleman, Boise State lineman Kage Casey, and NC State tight end Justin Joly. Onyedim also filled a void created by the departure of John Franklin-Myers. However, it was a bit early relative to how I graded the player. 

Los Angeles Chargers: EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Round 1, No. 22 overall)

Los Ángeles did a better job of finding value on Day 3 than on either Day 2 or Day 1. They took a few personal favorites on Saturday. The Chargers addressed some needs on Thursday and Friday, but we did not see players the same way, which again, is not to suggest that either party was right or wrong. Mesidor is a 25-year-old rookie who did not break out until his sixth and final season. Philosophically, it’s not a profile I can get on board with in the first round. 

Kansas City Chiefs: CB Jadon Canady, Oregon (Round 4, No. 109 overall)

Kansas City was in need of secondary help after trading Trent McDuffie and watching Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook depart in free agency. LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane was the crown jewel at No. 6 overall, but Canady gives them some depth. There was a wide range of opinions based on how he would be used, but I was lower on the prospect than the consensus. 

There were only a few options for the Chiefs’ pick, because I generally like what they accomplished. 

Las Vegas Raiders: S Dalton Johnson, Arizona (Round 5, No. 150 overall)

The secondary has been a problem in Las Vegas for years. It is easy to envision a starting cornerback group with Jermod McCoy, Hezekiah Masses and Treydan Stukes. The hope is that Johnson can be an answer at safety, but the value was not where they took him. 

NFC North

Chicago Bears: TE Sam Roush, Stanford (Round 3, No. 69 overall)

Chicago taking part in the early run on tight ends was not on the B-I-N-G-O card with Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, but Roush is a good player. At best, I thought he would be a late Day 2 selection. Similar to Nate Boerkircher, there may be more pass game potential into which Ben Johnson can tap. 

LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas was probably the obvious candidate, but at one point, he was a top-100 overall prospect in my rankings. He was eventually moved down because he is a bit more scheme- and role-specific, but the thought of Johnson getting to work with him is exciting. 

Detroit Lions: DL Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech (Round 6, No. 205 overall)

There is a lot to like about Detroit’s draft class, particularly as it relates to this team. They are a physical bunch, beginning with Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller and finishing with Tennessee defensive tackle Tyre West. Gill-Howard was my least favorite of their selections, but even that was good value. 

Green Bay Packers: IOL Jager Burton, Kentucky (Round 5, No. 153 overall)

There were only two players with negative value from this draft class: South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse and Burton. Burton was the bigger discrepancy and gets the nod. Green Bay has historically done well evaluating offensive linemen, and Burton does have versatility, having played three positions along the line. 

Minnesota Vikings: DL Caleb Banks, Florida (Round 1, No. 18 overall)

Banks was not a big reach in terms of talent, but the injuries are a concern, especially for a player of his size. Minnesota has not gotten a lot of pop from its draft classes in recent years, so it may have been beneficial for them to be more risk-averse. 

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: TE Bauer Sharp, LSU (Round 6, No. 185 overall)

Tampa Bay’s draft was in line with where prospects were expected to come off the board. Sharp was a little lower in the rankings relative to where he was taken, but tight end was a position I thought the team would address in an effort to play more two and three-tight-end sets. 

Atlanta Falcons: LB Kendal Daniels, Oklahoma (Round 4, No. 134 overall)

It will be interesting to see how Atlanta uses Daniels. At 6-foot-5, he has a unique frame for the linebacker position and was used a lot in space by the Sooners. There is no obvious positional fit for Daniels. 

Carolina Panthers: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia (Round 1, No. 19 overall)

Carolina was smart to address the left tackle position. Ikem Ekwonu will be coming off a serious injury, and a personal prevailing thought has always been a preference for him to play guard. The team did sign Rasheed Walker in free agency, but it is now Freeling’s job to lose. Why is it questionable? Although Freeling was playing his best football at the end of the season and is still relatively young, there is a lot of technical refinement that needs to occur, and progress is not always linear. 

I was not a big fan of the Panthers’ other two top-100 selections, but the last four picks represented good value. 

New Orleans Saints: IOL Jeremiah Wright, Auburn (Round 4, No. 132 overall)

Wright going that early felt like a stretch relative to where he was positioned on my board, but the team needed to reinvest in the offensive line depth. Wide receiver Barion Brown has track-caliber speed, but route running has always limited his effectiveness. 

NFC East

Washington Commanders: QB Athan Kaliakmanis, Rutgers (Round 7, No. 223 overall)

Kaliakmanis was the pick, by default, because general manager Adam Peters did an excellent job over these three days. The Rutgers quarterback played his best football in his final collegiate season, so perhaps there are even better days ahead. 

Dallas Cowboys: WR Anthony Smith, East Carolina (Round 7, No. 218 overall) 

NFL teams will tell onlookers what they think of themselves through their actions. Dallas is a team that has positioned itself to be more aggressive in pursuit of 2026 contention. By all accounts, they tried to be aggressive; first failing to secure a deal for Maxx Crosby and then attempting to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft. The board fell into place well, however, and the franchise was able to address critical defensive needs. 

Little concern could be raised with the team’s choices, but Smith may be the person least favorite of the group, despite some late buzz in the process. 

Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby, New Mexico (Round 7, No. 252 overall)

There is a lot of intrigue in how Philadelphia plans to organize its offense in 2026 and beyond, but the team found value at every turn. James-Newby was maybe the biggest reach relative to the personal rankings, but the Eagles have also fared well with sawed-off pass rushers like Jalyx Hunt. 

New York Giants: DL Bobby Jamison-Travis, Auburn (Round 6, No. 186 overall)

Although I was not the biggest fan of Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields — perhaps a byproduct of being burnt by taller receivers in the past — Jamison-Travis was bad value relative to where he had been in personal rankings. New York desperately needed defensive line help before and after moving Dexter Lawrence, so it needed to be addressed; Penn State’s Zane Durant and Baylor’s Jackie Marshall came off the board in the five selections prior. 

NFC West

San Francisco 49ers: RB Kaelon Black, Indiana (Round 3, No. 90 overall)

Some in the league bristled at the idea of following a consensus board. It is not meant to be a team’s North Star, but it is a data point to get a general idea of where players may come off the board. 

Black’s position on that board is less important than the league’s perspective, which was obviously not high enough to invite him to the NFL Scouting Combine. Black is a good player. The reality is that he was going to be drafted, but top-100 overall was a reach relative to personal rankings.

Arizona Cardinals: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame (Round 1, No. 3 overall)

Love’s inclusion is a philosophical belief rather than a statement on the player. The Cardinals had bigger needs than running back, particularly along the offensive line and quarterback. If they are not competitive from the jump, then it is wasting career touches at a position with a shorter career span. 

There are a few recent examples of teams not yet being in a position to capitalize on a great running back: The first would be the Giants moving on from Saquon Barkley rather than signing him to a long-term deal. Secondly, the Raiders dropping Ashton Jeanty into a poor offensive supporting cast and producing less than any top-10 running back pick in recent history. If they took Arvell Reese, his contract would rank 36th out of 244 edge rushers, according to OverTheCap. It is a matter of opportunity cost. Love’s contract is seventh among players at his position. 

Los Angeles Rams: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama (Round 1, No. 13 overall)

Doubting Sean McVay’s interest in a quarterback is likely a fruitless venture. Simpson should not have to play this year and maybe not for a few years, but he is already an older prospect. The issue I had with the player is that he has one season of starting experience and he was injured for a portion of that year. Is durability going to be an issue throughout his career? 

The counterpoint, which I understand, is that Los Angeles may not have an opportunity to add a high quarterback draft pick next year or any other, given its track record of contention.

Seattle Seahawks: CB Michael Dansby, Arizona (Round 7, No. 255 overall)

Seattle did not have a personal favorite draft, but there were no remarkable outliers either. Dansby was a prospect who I knew the least about in their class, but the reality is that even he helps fill a need created by defections in free agency.