2026 Top Five Positional Rankings: Pre Combine Edition

As we near the 2026 NFL Combine, we are going to be reminded, yet again, who is the best among the best at their respective positions. Over 300+ men will be invites but only a handful are truly a cut above the rest. Time to see for the 2026 NFL Draft Season which players fit the mold.


These written statements by the author do not reflect nor are shared opinions of members of TheSteelersFans Message Board, Staff Members and/or Site Administrator.



Quarterbacks:


1.) Carson Beck

2.) Drew Allar

3.) Ty Simpson

4.) Fernando Mendoza

5.) Taylen Green



Best Arm Talent: Drew Allar

Best Accuracy: Fernando Mendoza

Best Pocket Poise: Carson Beck

Best Pocket Presence: Carson Beck

Best Pre Snap Recognition: Ty Simpson

Best Decision Maker: Fernando Mendoza

Best Coverage Reader: Carson Beck

Best Release: Carson Beck

Best Improv. Skills: Ty Simpson

Best Runner: Taylen Green

Biggest Boom/Bust: Drew Allar/Taylen Green (Getting his confidence back will be key for Allar. Can Green develop quickly enough?!)

Most Pro Ready: Carson Beck

AQL's Favorite: Drew Allar


Running Backs:


1.) Jeremiah Love

2.) Jadarian Price

3.) Emmett Johnson

4.) Le'Veon Moss

5.) Kaytron Allen


Best Speed: Jeremiah Love

Best Power: Jeremiah Love

Best Vision: Jeremiah Love

Best BCA (Ball Carrying Ability): Jeremiah Love

Most Versatile: Jeremiah Love

Biggest Boom/Bust: Kaytron Allen (While Power Back capable, he has never received a full Power Back workload consistently)

Most Pro Ready: Jeremiah Love


AQL's Favorite: Jeremiah Love


Wide Receivers:



1.) Carnell Tate

2.) K.C. Concepcion

3.) Jordyn Tyson

4.) Denzel Boston

5.) Germaine Bernard



Best Speed: K.C. Concepcion

Best Hands: Carnell Tate

Best Route Running: Carnell Tate

Best Separator: Carnell Tate/Jordyn Tyson/K.C. Concepcion (All three have an advanced capability to pull away from Cornerbacks)

Best Coverage Recognition: Carnell Tate

Best Blocking: Denzel Boston

Best CIT (Catch In Traffic): Carnell Tate/Denzel Boston (Carnell is a multi level threat to do so while Denzel's catch radius and body control allow him to win more often than not.)

Best YAC: K.C. Concepcion

Best Deep Threat: K.C. Concepcion

Biggest Boom/Bust: Jordyn Tyson/Denzel Boston (The former needs to ace his medicals while the latter is very scheme specific)

Most Versatile: Carnell Tate/K.C. Concepcion (Both can operate in just about any Offensive System)

Most Pro Ready: Carnell Tate


AQL's Favorite: K.C. Concepcion


Tight Ends:


1.) Kenyon Sadiq

2.) Max Klare

3.) Eli Raridon

4.) Oscar Delp

5.) Joe Royer




Best Speed: Oscar Delp

Best Hands: Kenyon Sadiq

Best Route Running: Kenyon Sadiq

Best Seperator: Kenyon Sadiq

Best Coverage Recognition: Kenyon Sadiq

Best Blocking: Kenyon Sadiq

Best CIT (Catch In Traffic): Eli Raridon

Best YAC: Kenyon Sadiq/Oscar Delp

Best Deep Threat: Oscar Delp

Biggest Boom/Bust: Oscar Delp (Can he put it all together)

Most Versatile: Kenyon Sadiq/Max Klare (both can function in any Offense)

Most Pro Ready: Kenyon Sadiq


AQL's Favorite: Max Klare


Offensive Tackles:


1.) Kadyn Proctor

2.) Markel Bell

3.) Max Iheanachor

4.) Caleb Tiernan

5.) Monroe Freeling




Best Pass Blocker: Kadyn Proctor/Markel Bell

Best Pass Protection Technique: Markel Bell/Caleb Tiernan (Bell has size and is nigh immovable while Tiernan has technique, discipline and fundamentals few can match)

Best Recovery Ability: Monroe Freeling

Best Run Blocker: Kadyn Proctor

Best Run Block Technique: Kadyn Proctor

Best Zone Blocker: Max Iheanachor

Best Man Gap Blocker: Kadyn Proctor

Most Versatile: Kadyn Proctor

Biggest Boom/Bust: Monroe Freeling (a lot needs to happen for him to be a hit)

Most Pro Ready: Kadyn Proctor


AQL's Favorite: Kadyn Proctor


Interior Offensive Lineman:


1.) Francis Mauigoa

2.) Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane

3.) Anez Cooper

4.) Chase Bisontis

5.) Beau Stephens



Best Pass Blocker: Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane

Best Pass Blocking Technique: Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane

Best Recovery Ability: Francis Mauigoa/Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane/Anez Cooper (three way tie as each have their own capabilities to do so better than the rest of the class; Francis as he is the most complete overall, Vega due to his advanced understanding and nuance and Anez's ridiculous anchor).

Best Run Blocker: Francis Mauigoa/Anez Cooper (both are maulers. Francis is the more complete of the two but Anez's sheer power, brute strength and immovable anchor push him here in the class)

Best Run Blocking Technique: Francis Mauigoa

Best Zone Blocker: Francis Mauigoa/Beau Stephens

Best Man Gap Blocker: Francis Mauigoa (Anez can also technically go here but Francis possesses superior pass blocking chops)

Biggest Boom/Bust: Beau Stephens (functional strength is only adequate and will spell doom for him if matched up against stronger opponents)

Most Versatile: Chase Bisontis

Most Pro Ready: Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane


AQL's Favorite: Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane


Interior Defensive Lineman:


1.) Peter Woods

2.) Keldric Faulk

3.) Caleb Banks

4.) Kayden McDonald

5.) Christian Miller




Best Pass Rusher: Peter Woods

Best Power Rusher: Caleb Banks

Best Speed Rusher: Peter Woods

Most Versatile Rusher: Peter Woods

Best Run Stopper: Kayden McDonald

Best Anchor: Peter Woods/Kayden McDonald (both are elite here)

Best Leverage: Peter Woods/Kayden McDonald (again, both are elite here)

Best 3 Tech: Peter Woods

Best 5 Tech: Keldric Faulk

Best 0/1 Tech: Peter Woods/Kayden McDonald

Most Versatile: Peter Woods/Keldric Faulk (Caleb does have wiggle that Keldric doesn't have but doesn't have Keldric's experience in aligning in different spots consistently)

Biggest Boom/Bust: Caleb Banks (Age)

Most Pro Ready: Peter Woods


AQL Favorite: Peter Woods


EDGE:


1.) Reuben Bain

2.) Arvell Reese

3.) R Mason Thomas

4.) T.J. Parker

5.) Mason Reiger



Best Speed Rusher: R Mason Thomas

Best Power Rusher: Reuben Bain

Most Versatile Rusher: Reuben Bain/T.J. Parker (Bain's unnatural power/tech. allow him to rush any way he wants and T.J.'s overall attack plan will score him more wins than not)

Best Run Stopping: Reuben Bain

Best Coverage: Arvell Reese

Best HID (Hand in Dirt): Reuben Bain

Best 3-4 OLB: R Mason Thomas/Mason Reiger

Biggest Boom/Bust: T.J. Parker (can he return to his dominant form?)

Most Versatile: Reuben Bain/Arvell Reese/Mason Reiger

Most Pro Ready: Reuben Bain


AQL's Favorite: T.J. Parker


Off-Ball Linebackers:


1.) Sonny Styles

2.) Lander Barton

3.) Anthony Hill Jr.

4.) Jake Golday

5.) Jacob Rodriguez



Best Pass Coverage: Sonny Styles

Best Man Coverage: Sonny Styles

Best Zone Coverage: Sonny Styles/Lander Barton (Barton is as close to Sonny from a pure Zone Coverage aspect, as a whole, than any other Off Ball in the class)

Best Run Support: Sonny Styles/Jacob Rodriguez (Sans his tendency to lay someone out, pound for pound, Rodriguez is a run stuffing machine)

Best Block Shedding: Sonny Styles/Jacob Rodriguez (Both of them are the best in the class; period. Taurean York does have better leverage but Sonny and Jacob offer much more overall)

Best Pass Rusher: Sonny Styles/Anthony Hill (Styles has the latent potential along with many other abilities he possesses while Hill possess the talent and skill)

Best Processor: Sonny Styles/Jacob Rodriguez (again, these two are in a league of their own)

Best Instincts: Sonny Styles/Lander Barton/Jacob Rodriguez (all three have a knack for making big time plays in big time moments)

Best Leadership: Sonny Styles/Jacob Rodriguez (Both are force multipliers and can elevate a defense; Sonny's more so given he will be the straw that stirs the drink)

Biggest Boom/Bust Potential: Jake Golday (Will he continue to progress?! Only One Year of Starting)

Most Versatile: Sonny Styles/Anthony Hill (both can be deployed in multiple Linebacking spots.)

Most Pro Ready: Sonny Styles

AQLs Favorite: Sonny Styles


Cornerbacks:


1.) Mansoor Delane

2.) Jermod McCoy

3.) Avieon Terrell

4.) D'Angelo Ponds

5.) Davison Igbinosun



Best Man Coverage: Mansoor Delane/Davidson Igbinosun (Mansoor is the complete package but Davidson is simply too athletic and dynamic to be faulted here)

Best Zone Coverage: Jermod McCoy/Mansoor Delane/D'Angelo Ponds (All three are head and neck above everyone else

Best Run Support: Avieon Terrell

Best Blitzer: Avieon Terrell

Best Speed: Avieon Terrell

Best COD (Change of Direction): Mansoor Delane/Avieon Terrell (Mansoor doesn't have Avieon's speed but he can match him here)

Best Instincts: Jermod McCoy

Best Technician: Mansoor Delane

Best Tackler: Mansoor Delane/Davison Igbinosun (Mansoor has the technique down and Davidson's sheer power and strength make him a nightmare to go against)

Best Slot: D'Angelo Ponds

Biggest Boom/Bust Potential: Jermod McCoy (how will he look after missing a full season?)

Most Versatile: Mansoor Delane/Jermod McCoy/Avieon Terrell

Most Pro Ready: Mansoor Delane


AQL's Favorite: Davidson Igbinosun



Safeties:


1.) Caleb Downs

2.) A.J. Haulcy

3.) Genesis Smith

4.) Bud Clark

5.) Xavier Nwankpa




Best Man Coverage: Caleb Downs/Genesis Smith

Best Zone Coverage: Caleb Downs/AJ Haulcy

Best Speed: Caleb Downs/Xaiver Nwankpa (Caleb's overall speed is a cut above but Xaiver's overall athletic speed is the same thing among all safeties in the class)

Best Power: Caleb Downs

Best Tackler: Caleb Downs/AJ Haulcy

Best COD: Caleb Downs

Best Instincts: Caleb Downs (arguably the best in the entire class. Only Sonny Styles can match his)

Best Slot: Caleb Downs/Genesis Smith/Bud Clark (All three are weapons here)

Best Single High: Bud Clark/Genesis Smith (Bud's experience and natural traits are too difficult to ignore while Genesis has the athleticism required to stay there)

Best Pure Safety (FS or SS): Caleb Downs

Best Strong Safety: AJ Haulcy

Biggest Boom/Bust Potential: Xaiver Nwankpa (how quickly can he fix his consistency issues?)

Most Versatile: Caleb Downs

Most Pro Ready: Caleb Downs

AQL's Favorite: Caleb Downs



2026 NFL Draft Rankings By Position (Pre Combine):

1.) Cornerback: Simply the best overall. The Top 150 Overall of Players is littered with great talent here and the back half of the draft does feature some gems like Thaddeus Dixon from North Carolina. Very stacked and very deep clas

2.) Safeties: The best the position has ever looked since 2018. Not quite the level of talent available after the Top 150 like Corners but the Top 100 has both Corners and Safeties as 1a and 1b.

3.) Off Ball Linebackers: Very much the same for the Off Ball Linebacker's minus one thing. This is the best Off Ball LB class I have ever scouted. Only reason that it gets the third spot is that the drop off for this position happens at the Top 100. Top 75 though is still where you can find starter level players.


4.) Interior Defensive Lineman: In comparison to previous years, this IDL class is a bit more top heavy than I would like. Thankfully, having the likes of Peter Woods, Keldric Faulk, Caleb Banks and Kayden McDonald (all four being arguably the best group of four among all positions in the class) raise this classes rankings a good bit. All four are instant impact starters.

5.) EDGE: One of the weakest EDGE Classes I have scouted in a long while. Gonna have to go back to 2015 really. Reuben Bain and Arvell Reese are truly great talents but they alone cannot raise the grade up high enough. Top heavy and lacking both talent and depth after the Top 75. If anything, this may be the most scheme specific I have seen the position.. probably ever. A lot of players who are 3-4 only here.

6.) Running Backs: Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Pierce add a lot of value to this class. Johnson, Moss and Allen round out a very strong top heavy class. That said, the best of the best of this group is easily among the best the position has had since 2018. Only wish it had more depth here.


7.) Offensive Tackles: Much like the Running Back class but worse. Talent begins to fall off, and hard, after the Top 60. Rest of the class is scheme specific though players like Isaiah World have a good shot to outplay their draft slot. Kadyn Proctor and Markus Bell are both great but neither can raise this classes ceiling enough.


8.) Wide Receiver: The crazy run that this position had from 2020 to 2025 is now officially over. Carnell Tate, K.C. Concepcion and Jordyn Tyson will all be impact players but the rest of the class leaves me with too many questions; namely in the forms of proficiency in the route tree to versatility in various Offenses. Way too top heavy in terms of both talent and depth. After the Top 75, this group falls hard.


9.) Tight Ends: The Kenyon Sadiq Sweepstakes. That is, more or less it. I still like Max Klare and Oscar Delp more than most but that alone means little. This isn't the draft to nab a Tight End.


10.) Interior Offensive Lineman: Top Five of this position is arguably the safest in the entire class. There in lies the issue; everything else is a roll of the dice regarding this position afterwards sans a select few like Kaylen Rutledge. Buyer beware here.


11.) Quarterbacks: One of the worst I have ever scouted. None of them are 1st Round Worthy. Not one. Stay the hell away from this class.



Don't worry everyone!! This is only one of two parts to this!! The other part of this will cover the reasonings behind the rankings!! They will be listed in the comments section down below!

 

Quarterbacks:

Carson Beck's Coverage Manipulation, Ball Distribution, Quick Release, Pocket Poise, Pocket Prescence and High NFL Level to read multiple pass coverages are what separate him from the rest of the class. If one was talking about Carson Beck during the first four games of the 2025 Season, I would have agreed. However, the remainder of the season?! Carson Beck was him for the Hurricanes. While that defense definitely aided a great deal along the way, Carson Beck was performing the other half of the heavy lifting. Without Beck?! Miami is no where even close to being a Title Contending Team as it showed. He is going to be best used for a West Coast Offense but from his lightning release, advanced field reading abilities and above average arm, Beck's arguably the best system based player, regardless of position, in the entire class. He does need the West Coast to work well but he has a good shot to have success. Allar is the biggest wildcard of any player in the entire class. How his trajectory was going prior to his injury at Northwestern showed me he is worthy of not just a player worth taking the chance on but a QB worth developing. From his Top 1% Overall NFL Arm Talent to his Pocket Poise and even his abilities to look off of his first read, there is plenty to work with. Coincidentally though, his biggest attribute could be his ability to work in rhythm; best evidenced by his game against Nevada. This all said, if evaluating him were that easy. His injury knocking him out of the season gave me a lot more guesswork than I would have liked. That said, both the tools and traits, along with his age at being only 22, are definitely worth a roll of the dice provided he can overcome his injury. Rounding out the list of QBs, Ty Simpson possesses the best processing of any QB not just in this class but also some of the best processing overall since Jared Goff. Yep, you read that correctly. Better than Drake Maye, better than Cam Ward, better than Trevor Lawrence. Hell, even on the same level of Joe Burrow himself (yep, you read that correctly). Sadly... that is where all of the good news just about ends with Simpson. His complete 180 has me wondering if he can handle the rigors of the NFL. Rather, he definitely needs a Red Shirt year and, while he does possess some good accuracy and some of the best off platform abilities of any QB in the class, his overall abilities inside the Pocket (namely his lack of ability to sense pressure), underwhelming anticipation of delivering the football, propensity to hold onto the ball way too long and high injury risk make him a bit too rich for my blood in terms of rolling the dice. The gamble could pay off but I fear that, even if it does, there simply isn't enough for Simpson to be called upon to lead an NFL Team. Fernando Mendoza is kind of the same though his delivery of anticipation throws, overall accuracy, overall pocket abilities and overall arm talent exceed Simpson's. The problem with Mendoza?! He is way too pocket reliant. His processing does seem exceptional on tape but the devil is in the little details. Remember that Curt Cignetti orchestrates a very rhythmic yet systematically rigid Offensive Scheme. This means that players have to execute the assignments as they are drawn up; namely the QB. In short?! Fernando Mendoza truly never did operate the passing game using a full route tree. This not only simplified the Offense for him but also for the entire team. Credit to Indiana for winning the National Championship but again, I rate these players based on outcomes and not predicting based on position. As such, among the five?! I fear that Ferando could disappoint more than any other. Finally, for Taylen Green, as far as tools and traits?! He has... everything... minus one thing; Age. He is 23 now but will be 24 by the time his Rookie Season concludes. Why is that such a big deal for Taylen Green and not Drew Allar?! Unlike Allar, who does need work on his footwork and lower body mechanics, Taylen Green is that times 10. His overall QB fundamentals are in need of an upgrade but not to the extent that some make it out to be. If he works out?! You have one helluva QB. Otherwise, him switching positions would be another outing for him as Logan Thomas did so.

Running Backs:

Jeremiah Love is the best Running Back in this class. Now, what if I told you that I had a higher grade on Love than I did SaQuan Barkley?! Difficult to believe right?! Right?! Well, to keep it all simple, Jeremiah Love is just one of those few prospects that come out every so often that doesn't possess a major glaring weakness. Looking to be hyper critical, I decided to dive in again to see what I missed. Again, nothing too major outside of potentially a bit too much overconfidence. Too much wasted movement in his hurdle attempts. Beyond that?! Nothing really. Time to answer the biggest question; why is Jeremiah Love my highest rated Running Back ever?! He is the most complete Running Back I have ever scouted. I would like to break this down even more but his highlight tape matches 1 to 1 what is seen on the All 22. Nothing more need to be said here. While Love does get all the Love, Jadarian Price isn't too shabby a Running Back in his own Right; a First Round Talent just like Love. While not the athlete, injury free nor blocking savant his teammate is, when he is healthy, Price adds another weapon to the Offense. Same goes for Emmett Johnson though one is talking about the best pass catching Running Back in the Class not named Jeremiah Love. That said, Johnson is as close to Love as anyone in the class and it also helps he has some of the best lateral agility among all Running Backs too. Le'Veon Moss isn't nearly as Receiving adept as Johnson nor Price but he is one of the most explosive runners in the class. Combine his vision and legit track speed, Le'Veon is a home run threat provided he cleans up his ball security and becomes more patient for his running lanes to develop. Nicholas Singleton gets all the headlines at Penn State but Kaytron Allen will have the better career. A very patient yet violent North/South Runner, Kaytron has the ability to not only bulldoze his way in short yardage situations but also possesses rare lateral quickness that most runners his style generally don't have.


Wide Receivers:


Most people would assume that, thanks to Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate has such an easy path to success. I personally find that to be both disparaging to Smith and disrespectful to Tate. Smith is a number one Receiver with or without Tate regardless; end of story. He is far beyond needing anyone's help. As for Carnell Tate?! In 2025, Carnell Tate was the number one; not Smith. Carnell's major focus point in 2025 wasn't anything hyper analytical nor superfluous relative to how he played the WR position. Aside from his athleticism limitations, Tate's biggest issue was consistency. In 2025, he found it and found it in spades. Tate's rise to the number one spot is no accident; hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard enough. Thing is.... Carnell has both in spades sans his athletic limitations. In fact, as far as his abilities to read zone coverage, natural hands, abilities to Catch In Traffic and even abilities in the clutch, he is the best Ohio State WR among all WRs that have come out; Marvin Harrison Jr. included. Harrison Jr. does have him beat in both overall route running and overall athleticism but that is, more or less it. Both have exceptional hands and are dead even in that regard. In short?! It is very possible that WR Factories like Ohio State are capable of having multiple WR 1s. K.C. Concepcion... man. A separator if there ever was one in the class. Even among other's like Elijah Sarratt, Chris Brazzell II, pre injury Chris Bell, Antonio Williams and even Zachariah Branch, Concepcion just has that special instant accel/decel and agility that one simply cannot teach. It also helps that his overall nuance of the route tree is also among the best in the class; able to run every route there is in the book. YAC ability though is where K.C. shines brightest in the class; he is the best. From his days as a return man, it clearly shows on tape but doubly so in the short to intermediate parts of the field. K.C. is a YAC Monster and can cause headaches for zone happy defenses. That said, he is only 190lbs.. so asking him to repeatedly go over the middle isn't the best course of action. His abilities in traffic are also very good but his lack of size isn't. Even so, K.C. is a WR who will be able to fit in just about any Offense... just don't expect him to be a blocking machine despite his rock solid effort. Jordyn Tyson and Denzel Boston are polar opposites though for very differing reasons. Jordyn's issues don't stem from quick twitch, separation nor alignment versatility like Denzel Boston. Jordyn's biggest issue is his health; Knee injury in 2022, a collarbone injury in 2024 and a hamstring injury in 2025. Jordyn's not much of a YAC Monster either; at least not at present anyways. Beyond these two woes, Tyson's ability to get open is easily top 3 in the class. He doesn't possess K.C.'s tremendous explosive prowess nor Carnell's Soft ID capabilities but he does have a very good combination of both.

Now for Denzel Boston. Every year it seems to be that one WR that, on paper, appears to have all the traits a team would drool over. Boston fits that mold; tall, long, great catch radius, combat catch capability, can catch in traffic, very good at IDing Coverage and most of all, his capabilities to rise to the challenge in critical situations. Sounds good!!... on paper. In practice, the devil is in the little details. For one, him being able to separate consistently will be a major challenge for him. He doesn't possess nearly enough twitch to do so while his lack of an explosive gear will prevent him from getting away from Cornerbacks who have the requisite athleticism. Speaking of Corners, bigger corners have consistently beaten him at the snap and his press release technique has been shown to be only serviceable at best. He can be moved around a bit but that only delays the inevitable. The speed concerns with him I have little to no issue with but his lack of overall flexibility and agility make it hard to get excited about Denzel Boston... unless you are in the Red Zone or in need of a securing a critical down; a Possession Style Wide Receiver if there ever was one. Finally for Germaine Bernard, he isn't the flashiest player, not the quickest nor most explosive. That said, he is arguably the smartest Wide Receiver in the class. He relies heavily on the basics, fundamentals and principles of IDing Coverage, Route Running, beating press and pass catching over his limited athletic tools. Most interestingly, he gets open quite often more than one would expect. Now, against a superior athletic CB, he doesn't have much of a chance. While those types of Corners are numerous throughout the NFL, Germaine does have one ace up his sleeve; he isn't positionally dependent. Due to his deep and thorough understanding of both route concepts and zone coverages, Germaine can be slotted anywhere in areas that can not only maximize his chances but also place opposing defenses at a severe disadvantage. While that doesn't sound too appealing, finding such a number 2 Wide Receiver isn't as easy as it sounds.


Tight Ends:

Just like Brock Bowers circa 2024, this is essentially the "Kenyon Sadiq Sweepstakes". If a team is in dire need of having a TE that can add another dimension to the Offense, Kenyon Sadiq is that TE. Not too good of a blocker would be his first problem. Kenyon showing more aggression after the catch and during his routes would also be good. Beyond these two problems though, nothing much else. For his receiving abilities, he is one of the highest graded Tight Ends I have ever scouted. Tight Ends generally don't have much twitch nor wiggle during their routes or going in and out of breaks of them. Kenyon is the rare exception to both rules. His ability to separate against both Coverage LBs and Safeties is also a major plus as he doesn't need to be schemed to get open; he simply just gets open. Add in his WR 1 abilities to ID Weaknesses in Coverage and one can see why Kenyon is not just a tremendous weapon but also a dimensional multiplier for Offenses that heavily deploy Tight Ends. Now, Max Klare isn't quite as athletic nor as gifted as Kenyon Sadiq is. His blocking is also behind Kenyon's; Kenyon just lacks consistency here while Max Klare lacks the basics and fundamentals overall. If there is a major reason though as to why Max does make it to the number two spot, it is his receiving abilities are second only to Kenyon's. Max just doesn't have the athletic tools sans the height and weight advantage but he does possess many of the same traits. Given how he and Kenyon are one in the same minus Klare's inferior blocking abilities, there isn't much to dive in here. Eli Raridon is the classic tall Tight End but does have a bit more seam busting abilities than the traditional Tight Ends his size. Often times, 6'6 to 6'7 Tight Ends don't have much, if any, abilities to sink their hips during their routes nor do they possess the ankle flexion to plant and drive off of those routes for the acceleration needed to separate. Eli does and, per his size, is one of the best overall in the class. The major issues though fall from him having back to back ACL injuries; both in the same knee. This also makes it a very fair question as to how he would hold up against blocking opposing EDGE's in the running game; none of this is even accounting for his serious development in need to block in the running game as a whole. Despite this, there are only so many Tight Ends like Eli to come out in the draft and, while he won't be add another dimension to an Offense, in the right Offense, he can be a reliable weapon; provided those medicals turn out well for him.



Oscar Delp has potential that is unmatched among all Tight Ends; Keyon Sadiq included. The question though is a classic one; "will he ever be able to reach it"?! Some of the positives are there; his tools and traits being among his best. His speed, even by Tight End standards, is pretty damn rare. Such athletic traits allow him to immediately become a weapon in the intermediate passing game and even the short areas of the field for his YAC ability isn't in question either. His best trait though to bet on is his ascending capabilities of IDing coverages in Zone. As for his blocking?! The technique and fundamentals are lacking but thanks to those ridiculous athletic tools he possesses, this isn't nearly as big of a problem. He still needs work on it and it will take a while though. Overall, Oscar Delp is the classic "roll of the dice" prospect that will either work out or not work out. That said, among the biggest boom/bust players in the class, should he work out, you are talking about a player that does possess star potential. To finish up for the Tight Ends, Joe Royer is a bit like Oscar but with more concerns. Joe's concentration is his biggest; his fumble against Miami (Ohio) being a major pain point. IDing coverage in his case also seems suspect; he can identify certain shell and robber coverages but not the more advanced forms of pattern matching that NFL Defenses like to deploy often. Biggest issue though is his inability to properly maintain his consistency during his route running; telegraphing where he is going to cut which is a dead giveaway for NFL DBs. Joe Royer is the "best of the rest" among the Tight End Class and should be a solid number two Tight End for Offenses featuring two TE sets.

Offensive Tackle:

Every couple of years the NFL Draft graces us with a Prospect that is as close to being considered generational but not quite. Kadyn Proctor is the latest example. There is plenty, and I mean plenty, to like about Kadyn's game. A wall in pass protection with the lateral foot quickness and foot speed to match, a stellar anchor which allows him to stonewall even some of the strongest EDGEs to IDLs, tremendous hand placement that allow him to keep his advantage, etc. Kadyn's biggest trait though is doing all of this at 6'7, 355lbs. Men like him simply don't come around too often. So... what is preventing me from giving him a grade similar to the likes of Joe Alt, Penei Sewell and Andrew Thomas?! Kadyn can work for Zone Blocking schemes but no where near the level the aforementioned could when they came out. Remember that I grade based on player outcomes. As such, Kadyn would be a tremendous fit for a gap blocking scheme while he could be very good but not great as a zone blocker. Long story short?! A Perennial All Pro in one scheme while being a Perennial Pro Bowler in the other. Either way, you are getting a very rare and very dependable blindside protector. Markel Bell is a player that literally blots out the sun. 6'8, 358lbs and possessing a very long wingspan with arm length, Markel was built for the sole purpose of pass protection. His kick slide and foot quickness do seem lethargic at first but one needs to remember the context of the player. Much like Kadyn but to a lesser extent, Markel moves unbelievably well for his size to the point it could be the classic case of being a dancing bear. His pass protection fundamentals are also among the best the class; surpassed only by the likes of Caleb Tiernan, Austin Barber and Kadyn Proctor. His hands don't fire off quite as fast as the aforementioned but Markel is the most powerful striker of any Offensive Tackle. Opposing EDGEs usually lose long before they can initiate their attack plan when going up against him. His most appreciate trait though and, arguably his best is his recovery skills. When losing initial ground, his feet and hips are able to reposition themselves very quickly and efficiently; easily the best I have ever scouted from an Offensive Tackle his size. However, I do need to bring some of the expectations back down to earth. His height makes him a complete nightmare as a pass blocker but it also makes him is own worst enemy. His leverage in the run will always be his biggest enemy. Due to the leverage issue, his hand placement here, unlike in pass protection, cannot be counted on consistently as his consistency here is very inconsistent. Despite such worries, Markel Bell is very much a monster in the making and is very much worthy of developing. Among all players in the 2026 NFL Draft Class, I would push all my chips to the table in stating that Markel Bell will easily outplay his draft slot to become one of the best players from his class. Max Iheanachor and Caleb Tiernan are polar opposites in who they are. Classic case of tremendous raw athletic power vs honed and disciplined skills. To start, Max didn't even touch American Gridiron Football until he turned 18. In comparison, Caleb has been playing football since pee wee. We already see a massive experience gap. However, experience alone doesn't win battles in the trenches. It takes more than a good mind to do so; traits and tools in a position that is traits and tools heavy being two other major factors. This is where Max wins over Caleb though his pure athletic gits aren't the only thing getting worth excited about; his traits the same. Max is capable of being used in any scheme despite his lack of development in the running game. As stated before, Max is still pretty new to the whole concept of playing American Gridiron Football. Effort and aggression are not the issue but the basics and fundamentals are. For Max, namely, in the running game where he definitely can use a tune up. Unlike Caleb though, the foundation is there for a 10+ year starter provided he is coached to that level. Even if his abilities in the running game are still to be coached up, his overall athletic superiority over Tiernan, namely Max's superior lateral agility and recovery, will allow him to have a higher ceiling than Caleb. Now, this isn't to say Caleb isn't a marginal athlete either. He is quite good; some of the best speed EDGEs finding it quite difficult to defeat him. If not for his own lateral speed and recovery abilities, his counter moves during his engagements with his opposition are arguably the best in the entire class. Even if his initial plan of attack against opposing EDGEs don't work, he has a wide array of counter moves along with the accuracy and violence in his superb hand placement to keep pass rushing threats at bay. Caleb's biggest strength though stems from his reliance of discipline, Football IQ and fundamentals over what he has athletically; a coaches dream. This all said, Caleb's biggest weakness shows up in the Running Game. It isn't that his basics and fundamentals are lacking but the consistency of them isn't nearly the same as Max's. On its own, this shouldn't be an issue... until you get to the athletic part of it. Max's play strength and functional strength exceeds Caleb's. While play strength can be improved some, functional strength is a classic case of either having it or not having it at all. Other Offensive Tackles who have had such issues still had great career's; the recently retired Rob Havenstein being one of them. That said, for Caleb to have such a career, him increasing his consistency overall will be critical; doubly so in his aggression in terms of moving opposing defenders in the running game as opposed to merely just blocking on the position. Finally, Monroe Freeling. Man oh man.... every time I turn on his tape, I say to myself "I swear I have seen this type of playstyle before". Turns out, I have. He is a taller, slightly bigger Broderick Jones.. with one major exception. I am seriously not kidding on that either. Considering I have done Broderick Jones in the past, I will reiterate my final thoughts on him leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft;

"If Broderick Jones gets the right coaching, you are talking about a Perennial Pro Bowl to even a potential multi All Pro Blindside ass kicker. If he does not, he is only going to be a serviceable Tackle and nothing more. There is no middle man with him. The athletic tools and traits are easily there but the severe lack of polish, namely in the running game, is something to consider. That said, Broderick is a classic example of what a team pays coaches for."

If there is one massive advantage though that Monroe does have in comparison to Broderick, it is his overall recovery abilities in both pass and run exceed Broderick's coming out. Monroe has inferior functional strength to Broderick but not by much. Even so, having the ability to reposition both feet, knees and hips at the correct position after being initially knocked back is a necessary requirement for any Offensive Lineman but doubly so in Tackle if they want to start. For Monroe specifically, he is best suited for a Zone Blocking Offense as his unreal athleticism will allow him to maximize his performance in said system. He is very scheme limited but can be a major home run. Problem is, quite a bit needs to happen for that to be so.

Interior Offensive Line

This year's group of IOL does feature a former college Offensive Tackle who will have to transition to Offensive Guard in Francis Mauigoa. Unlike other former Tackle to Guard converts though, Mauigoa has a real shot to be special. Perhaps not HOF worthy but pretty close to it. As an Offensive Tackle, his lateral foot speed is very good but not great; his lack of flexibility in his ankles also being suspect as well. As an Interior Offensive Lineman?! He has plenty. Biggest reason though to have him as a Guard rather than a Tackle is his ridiculous anchor. While it is no doubt important for an Offensive Tackle to have a rock solid ability to maintain his footing while he is engaging his opponent, as an IOL?! Absolute mandate. Francis has one of the best anchors for an IOL to come out since Creed Humphrey. His is that damn good. Add in his overall TNP (Take No Prisoners) aggression when it comes to run blocking, namely his ability to displace opposing IDLs with extreme prejudice and just by turning on the tape, Mauigoa has serious All Pro Potential. Whether or not he can become an Perennial All Pro is more so relative on him getting more consistent with his pad level. Vega Ioane might not be the athlete that Francis is but Vega Ioane is the best pure Guard of his class. Not the strongest though one of them nor the fastest though he can keep up with the best. What separates Vega from the rest, even Francis included, is his proficiency and efficiency of IDing various blitz packages across various formations. No blitz package nor concept is too advanced for Vega to figure out. No system is too complex nor advanced for him to work with. His strikes with his hands along with his independent usage of his hands in pass protection are definitely Top 10 NFL Worthy already. The issue is that this same consistency in Pass Protection doesn't always translate in the running game despite possessing the ability to displace people at will like Francis. Vega isn't lacking in aggression, technique nor being sound in assignment. It is just that he has too many times in which he is dominant and other times he isn't. Anez, Chase and Beau round out our Top Five list for each are kind of the weaknesses of each other. For example, Anez is the strongest of the three while Beau is the weakest, Chase is the most versatile while Anez is the least versatile (mainly a gap blocking IOL) and Beau is the most athletic of the three but Anez isn't (though this is a 6'6 345lbs man who's athleticism isn't common for a man his size). As such, there isn't too much to analyze and discus with the three; Anez Cooper is a running first teams dream with the potential to get better in pass protection, Beau Stephens is a hand in glove fit with Zone based blocking teams while Chase is the most balanced of the three. Furthermore, their fits are also reflected in their capabilities; Anez simply isn't getting moved while being able to knock back opponents repeatedly with the most powerful strikes among all lineman, Beau's supreme athleticism makes him a weapon as a puller in both stretch runs and screen plays while Chase can be deployed just about anywhere on the IOL without having to worry too much about a drop off in ability overall.

 

Interior Defensive Line:

Peter Woods and Keldric Faulk, at point in time, were both slotted to go within the Top 5 of their class heading into the 2025 NCAA Football Season. As where we stand now?! Of the two?! Peter stands the better chance. Peter Woods is truly a special NT/IDL hybrid who can truly do it all along the Front Seven sans ILB. He even has spent some time as an EDGE in the past two seasons. Beyond the quasi generational versatility and athleticism to do so, he also possesses some of the best block deconstruction and anchor abilities I have scouted since Quinnen Williams. Despite Peter's lack of arm length, he simply isn't moved very often and, if he is moved, it is on his own terms. His run stopping abilities are also great. Perhaps not elite but good enough. Pass rushing from him is one thing on its own; excellent. Using him as a chess piece along the front?! There aren't many IDL's who have that level of ability. Keldric on the other hand, has more tools than even Peter Woods but less than half of the traits needed to be a successful IDL in the NFL. Mind you though, the University of Auburn runs some of the more weird defensive assignments for their Front Seven players than most other College Programs. Sometimes they will fully two gap on running plays (all down lineman along with EDGEs) to allow the ILBs to make the play while other times it is mainly the EDGEs who make the plays but the IDLs have to penetrate as fast as possible to do so; EDGEs needing to maintain their gaps. Sounds normal in theory but in practice, this essentially makes Auburn's EDGEs hyperathletic IDLs. Great for stopping the run but only okay for everything else. The same applies to Keldric Faulk but cranked to 11. As far as potential goes, sky is truly the limit with Keldric; him being an EDGE trapped in an IDLs body making it limitless if anything else. If only the polish matched these unnatural gifts. He is still sound in the running game but not nearly as sound as someone should be given his tools. Pass rushing also remains a work in progress though the traits are their for him. Overall, Keldric is the classic "bet on traits" prospect but unlike others, the floor isn't nearly as low as others make him out to be. Caleb Banks is a pretty easy eval to make; very Chris Jones reminiscent. That said, shouldn't that propel him to the top of the list?! Well... no. For all the good that Chris Jones displayed at Mississippi State, and there was a lot of it, one major aspect did follow him into his NFL Career; effort. Sometimes, Chris Jones goes full steam and appears unstoppable while other times... he just is going through the motions. Now, that alone doesn't get Caleb down to the third spot. Another major issue that plagued Chris Jones early in his career was his slow ability to disengage from blockers in the running game along with his slow feet during his get off. Caleb has very much the same issues. Here in lies the biggest flaw though with Caleb; age. He will be 25 by the time his first NFL Season is over. That isn't a lot of development time and much less a lot of career for a position that is very punishing and cruel. That said, he is still very much a Top Five IDL for all the bad that he does carry, his good far outweighs it. 6'6, 325 men that have both the agility, flexibility and explosiveness that he does usually are taken much, much higher as they are just so comically difficult to find. Outside of Peter Woods, there isn't a more freakshow true IDL like Caleb. To round out the top five for the IDL, Kayden and Christian are the run stuffers of the group. Of the two, if a team is in dire need of stopping the run, look no further than Kayden. He is, by far the best one not just among the Top Five this season but also among the best I have ever scouted since Dexter Lawrence. Only Lawrence has a higher grade than him. Kayden is a throwback; playing the IDL or NT position it was meant to be played as a space eating immovable object. He is the literal definition of an immoveable object. Now, if only his pass rushing skills were there; doubly so his arm length. It is a very good thing his explosiveness is superb for his 6'3, 330lbs frame. That said, he has to be the one to make first strike. If he doesn't, he will still not cede ground but will not possess the same immovable impact. As for Christian, he doesn't have Kayden's anchor but he does have a better ceiling as a pass rusher. The problem is that his run defense ceiling isn't enough to push him past Kayden. He isn't consistent enough with his leverage and his gap discipline, while very good, pales in comparison to Kayden's. Having that pass rushing upside though can tilt this into his favor but even that is inconsistent. Even so, Christian Miller is still very much worth investing in as, while it will take a while, he does have the potential to become the more well rounded of the two.


EDGE:


This years class of EDGE's is very, very specific; all speed, speed and.. more speed. In fact, of the five listed here, three of them are all speed based. Speed is nice but that alone isn't going to win you many one on ones in the NFL. Need to be able to do multiple things. Reuben Bain is one of those EDGEs... with a twist. Let's get this out of the way; he isn't winning too often with speed. Yes, his get off is NFL Ready but not to the Top 1% like Myles Garrett, Nik Bonitto, Aidan Hutchinson, etc. That said, he really doesn't need to given his balance of speed, power and bend. Even at 6'3 and weighing 275lbs, Bain's bend is pretty damn good. Not special a la T.J. Watt but pretty rock solid overall. Where he wins most though is is absurd functional and play strength while engaging in both the run and the pass. For that matter, that combination of natural strength, speed, power and bend with a rock solid tool box makes him an easy choice for EDGE 1. That said, his overall gap discipline does need work as it is inconsistent. There is also the major issue of him only giving full effort roughly half of the time. Other EDGEs have overcome this in the past but most of those players were either tremendously gifted in Myles Garrett or possessed some truly special speed to power abilities like Jared Verse. Reuben is neither but those aforementioned attributes will allow him to win more matches than others believe... even if it does leave one wanting for more. Just like in the IDL group, we have another prospect who is going to see a positional change. This time, it is Arvell Reese, an Off Ball LB that will transition to EDGE full time. Now, unlike IDL and EDGE, ILB is mainly a traits based position though tools are good to have. Aspects such as pre snap recognition of formations, processing speed during plays, tackling form, tackling technique and coverage discipline (namely zone coverage where getting depth as an Off Ball LB is a pre requisite) are only but a handful of requirements that Off Ball LBs have. Now, like Keldric before him, the tools to play the ILB position are not to be faulted. The traits though?! Yikes!!... minus one key area; pass rusher. While ILB will not be his calling card in the NFL, EDGE is where he can max out those abilities to the fullest. His pass rush repertoire is not his calling card but his natural ability to convert speed to power despite the very limited reps already gives him a very strong foundation to stand on. This is also accounting for the fact that, unlike Off Ball LB, EDGE is very much a heavy, and I mean heavy tools based position. Some of the most unreal athletes not just in the NFL but all of sports are found here. Arvell isn't Myles Garrett but he isn't Bradley Chubb either. Arvell will be making his money as a speed demon off the edge but the one area that he does have that other speed demons generally don't as EDGE Rushers is his consistency in maintaining gap discipline in the running game. Most speed EDGE Rushers don't have good functional strength but Arvell does. Having both of these tools already give Arvell a leg up in comparison to most. He does lose out to Bain due to Bain simply being the more nuanced player but I will not be surprised if Reese ends up being Bain's better. It will take work though. Remember how I said that this upcoming class is very much speed based?! That is basically R Mason Thomas. I will say this; Mason Thomas may even be quicker off the line than the likes of James Pearce Jr and Nik Bonitto ever were. I am talking about truly special explosive get off; T.J. Watt type of get off. The good doesn't stop there either; Mason Thomas has some of the best leverage in the entire class. 6'2 isn't ideal as an EDGE but his natural speed, agility, explosiveness and contact balance make this a benefit as opposed to a detriment. Add in his unnaturally explosive strikes for a man his size and Offensive Tackles are going to be in for a rude awakening if they believe that Mason is just a finesse rusher. There is some power potential here though not consistently. As per usual, all this speed does come at a price; Mason isn't going to win much as a run defender. He can hold his assignment but he will not be able to maintain it for long; nor should one expect him to.

As for T.J. Parker, say hello to one of the most dynamic rushers in the entire class. Yes, he wasn't as dominant this season as he was in 2024 but the entire Clemson Team basically was all but tapped out by the time the season reached the halfway point due to a myriad of issues. Now, does this explain his dip in production all on its own?! Nope. To understand T.J., we need to start with the bad before we get to the good. For one, T.J. isn't going to wow anyone athletically. Not bad but definitely not one would expect given his vast array of moves. For two and even more incredible is that, despite how dense T.J. is built, he doesn't pack much power in terms of his rushes. The power is there in the running game but is near nonexistent in the passing game. Finally, his tackling consistency... yikes. Too many whiffs. Now onto the good... and man does it get good. If a team needs a rusher who has a multi array of ways to win, T.J. Parker is your guy. Outside of Reuben Bain, Zion Young, Tyreak Sapp (a player who will be an IDL anyhow) and Peter Woods, good luck finding another pass rusher who has T.J.s toolkit. The counters do need tuning up but his initial attack plan is definitely not just starter worthy but also can be worked to star level. T.J. is also very skilled at the art of the strip sack; a very special skill that not even the likes of Arvell Reese, David Bailey, Cashius Howell or even R Mason Thomas have proficiency in. Teams in need of a big time player will definitely find one in Parker. The biggest question remains; which T.J. Parker though are you getting?! Are you getting the 2025 T.J. Parker that looked more like a depth player or are you getting the 2024 T.J. Parker that played like a Top 10 Player in all of his class?! Finally, I will admit I was very late to the Mason Reiger party as I didn't have much time given my own personal issues to deal with along with not seeing too much of Wisconsin Football (Whoops!) Well, I am glad I did spot him at the East West Shrine Game. Much like a lot of Badger EDGEs, Reiger is very twitchy, quick and fast. Not a whole lot of power but also not a whole lot miscues when setting the EDGE either. That does limit him gaining more power but it does allow him to be versatile not only in alignment but also where a DC can rush him from. Gems like Mason Reiger are exactly what I mean when I say I am grading players based on outcomes. Yes, Mason Reiger needs to be in a 3-4 Defense to work and, compared to the likes of David Bailey, Cashius Howell, Derrick Moore and others, he is severely outgunned athletically; doubly so in Bailey's case. However, the one thing that Reiger does have that the other aforementioned don't?! I can trust in Reiger setting the EDGE consistently in the running game. I cannot say in good faith I can for the others.


Off Ball Linebackers:

Like the Tight Ends, I consider this position the "Sonny Styles Sweepstakes" as Sonny Styles is the grand prize of all Off Ball Linebackers. However, unlike other "grand prizes" I have scouted in the past, Sonny Styles is the closest one I have ever scouted to the likes of Quenton Nelson. Now, for those that watched him, people knew that Nelson was going to be a Perennial Pro Bowler at worst to a Slam Dunk HOF Player. Heading back into the present day, Sonny Styles reminds me fondly of Quenton Nelson as a true, wire to wire generational prodigy. I will not be going over too much as there are other prospects available but to make a long story short?! Sonny Styles and Quenton Nelson are 1a and 1b as far as best prospects I have ever scouted. Whatever weaknesses he currently has are either miniscule at worst to negligible at best. Nothing more needs to be said about him; hence why I won't. Just pop the tape and see how special this guy is. Sonny is the grand prize but that doesn't forbid this class being solely him. There are other great players in this class who may not have Sonny's 1 of 1 skillset but are comparable in other ways. For example, Lander Barton has great identical pass coverage chops, pre snap reads and processing like Sonny does. Biggest issue for him in comparison to Sonny is that he isn't the same when it comes to run defending. Shedding and deconstructing blocks quickly and efficiently will be critical for him. He has the attitude to do so but it is a matter of applying it into practice. Anthony Hill Jr and Jake Golday on the other hand have pure all out aggression and rage; more so in Anthony Hill Jr's case. Doesn't matter if he is in pass coverage, pass rushing or in run defense, like Sonny, he is coming with some seriously bad intentions. Of the two, Anthony Hill is the bigger hitter. That said, for all the big hitting Hill does like to do, he needs to tone his aggression down when in pursuit. Pass coverage skills are still excellent but he needs to smooth out his man coverage techniques against both Tight Ends and Running Backs. He has the athleticism to do it (he will be among the best overall testers at the Combine), it is jus a matter of the finite details. For Jake Golday, he brings his own assets; great athleticism, a toolkit for pass rushing that can aid as a very good weapon and maximum effort that every Coach demands. Much like Hill Jr, his issue is in the Running Game. Unlike Hill Jr though, Golday lacks play strength when it comes to the run. The functional strength is there thankfully for him but he does get moved out of his position too often. While he is still very athletic, the finer aspects of zone coverage are still very much new to him; Golday often not remembering to get enough depth in his zone to being fooled by even the most basic of route combinations that his specific zone is specifically designed to defeat. One has to remember though that he is very new to the position; only one full season of starting. Despite this, there is simply way too much promise with Jake to turn him into a rock solid NFL Off Ball Linebacker. Finally, Jacob Rodriguez is the exact opposite of every one on here; literally. Undersized, short and a slightly above average athlete at the position. Remember though earlier I stated that while EDGE is mainly a tools based position, Off Ball Linebackers have to rely more on their traits. Having great athleticism helps but it will only go so far; Jacob's inclusion being a major highlight of this. He does need to work on not trying to obtain highlight big hit after big hit every time he tackles but that is where many of the major critiques that have already been listed end. For the good, he is up there with Sonny Styles as far as pre snap recognition, processing and instincts. CJ Allen, Jacob's main competition, may have the superior athletic abilities but he cannot touch Jacob's mental acuity. As for Jacob's second major trait?! Say hello to one of the best overall downhill thumpers in the draft. He may be small but he is very strong; able to both stack and shed Guards sans some of the best. His understanding in Zone Coverage is also excellent and, despite his speed, has more than enough agility and just enough acceleration to be counted on. His biggest asset though is his playmaking abilities; evidenced by his multiple turnovers over the past two seasons at Texas Tech. Jacob might need a specific team to work but when he does find that team and is utilized properly, you are looking at one of the best overall values, in any position, among the 2026 Class. Do not let his less than ideal height and athletic testing fool you.

Cornerbacks:

Say hello to the best overall group in the entire 2026 NFL Draft. You heard correctly. For the first time in seemingly forever, Cornerbacks have returned to the top spot. Given how the NFL is a supply and demand league, Wide Receivers are constantly being churned out of college programs at an absurd rate. The most crazy of these time periods was from 2021-2024. For four straight years, Wide Receivers dominated the Top 100 in comparison to their Cornerback counterparts. Yes, there were some seriously special gems during this time, headlined by Patrick Surtain II but such talents and such cases were rare. 2025 onward though saw a bit of a renaissance; a true one of one freakshow in Travis Hunter leading the way. He wouldn't be the only Corner from 2025 that would make inroads either; Jahdae Barron, Trey Amos, Maxwell Hairston, Benjamin Morrison and most notably Will Johnson Jr... to name a few. All of the aforementioned played either a big part or big role on their respective teams. Expect that to continue in 2026; spearheaded by the most versatile cornerback to come out since PS2 himself in Mansoor Delane. Now, Mansoor doesn't have PS2s athleticism or otherwise he would be up there with the likes of Sonny, Peter and Caleb. That said, that doesn't dismiss him from being a bad prospect... at all. While I would like for him to have a bit more explosiveness and recovery speed, everything else isn't just worthy of a number one Cornerback but a blue chip Corner that can start day one and be a fixture in the Pro Bowl. No scheme is too complex, no route he hasn't seen, no Offensive Formation he doesn't know and no technique he cannot use. From a pure technics standpoint, he is easily one of the cleanest players I have ever scouted; matching the likes of Derek Stingley, Christian Gonzales and even PS2 himself. Instincts are also excellent here as well; rivaling that of even PS2 and surpassing even the likes of both Stingley Jr and Sauce Gardner as well. He also is willing to put his hand in the pile as a run defender as well. Much like Sonny, I could on but the point here is clear; Mansoor Delane is easily one of the safest overall players, regardless of position, in the entire class. His major downside is that I only wish there was more athletic horsepower with him. Jermod McCoy still has a shot to overtake Mansoor in my opinion. If anything, Jermod was my wire to wire number one overall Corner in the entire class. In addition, I had him as the highest graded overall to come out since PS2. Noticed how with Mansoor I said most versatile and with McCoy I said highest graded overall. Context matters here. Problem is, he got injured via his ACL. Due to that, I only have his 2024 film to look back on. Even so, it is still some of the best film I have had on a Corner since PS2. If there is one major critique that I did find with his 2024 Film, he needs to tone it down a bit with the press release. The technique is fine but the aggression needs to be more controlled. If he can do that along with do well at the Combine, you have a true winner here. Avieon Terrell, D'Angelo Ponds and Davison Igbinosun round out the rest of the list. Their evaluations were interesting given how each of them do possess similar characteristics but each of them have different roles. To start out, Avieon Terrell is the most versatile of the three; able to play both inside and out. He is also arguably the best playmaking Cornerback of the three as far as turnovers are concerned. Eight total Forced Fumbles and three total interceptions; 11 total takeaways. Now while he is the most versatile Corner of the three, he is also among the most aggressive; far too much for his own good. Namely, this affects his Zone Coverage overall as he can be too impatient which affects his consistency. While D'Angelo and Davison are just as aggressive as he is, neither are as versatile as Terrell; making their jobs a bit more easier. Even so, having a Corner that can play a multi array of coverages in a multi array of schemes is not to be faulted and Terrell's tremendous speed (some of the fastest overall in the entire class) will allow him to keep up with whomever he is matched up against. As for D'Angelo and Davison to round out our list, both are exact opposites of one another; Ponds being the draft's best pure Slot Corner while Igbinosun having the potential to be the best man corner in the draft. Again, context matters; Ponds is already there from both a Zone and Coverage standpoint whereas Davidson is purely man. Both are great in run support though again, it depends more so where Ponds is located on the field. Size isn't going to be an issue with Davidson for few opposing Wideouts will have the strength to match him. Blitzing though belongs to Ponds easily.

Safeties:

For the first time in years, Safety is finally getting some serious attention. Unlike other entries, I will discuss the likes of Nwankpa, Clark, Smith and Haulcy before touching on Caleb Downs. To begin with Nwankpa, much like Monroe Freeling, Oscar Delp and Drew Allar, you are betting on Coaching to get the maximum out of Xaiver here. From a tools and traits perspective, he is truly what a coach would draw up on the chalkboard. The issue?! Consistency. Inconsistent in man coverage, inconsistent in taking angles in run support, inconsistent at his pre snap reads when analyzing Offensive Formations, there is a lot to work on with him. Being only 22 and turning 23, there is still plenty of time for him to put it all together. Add in his natural latent gifts and talent already, namely his leadership, processing speed and Football IQ and he is worth a roll of the dice. Bud Clark is the opposite; still a quality athlete but no where near the tier that Xaiver is. That said, like Off Ball LBs, traits of the position matter more than the tools. For Bud, Caleb Downs included, say hello to the best pure Free Safety in the class. While Downs has both processing speed, pre snap recognition, football IQ and overall coverage technique that Clark cannot match, Clark is an interception threat on the back who isn't lacking in the aforementioned either. Clark's current issues stick out though in run support. The effort is there but the lack of frame and size isn't. Add in his limited play strength to quickly shed blocks and Clark isn't going to offer too much in the running game. Even so, Clark is still a great option to have even if his overall role is limited. For Genesis Smith, he is Bud Clark minus the elite ball hawking but with a major tools boost to his kit. Run support is also his weakness but he has much more strength and length to work with to allow him to be a more valuable asset here. If anything, Genesis is best used as a Single High Deep Centerfielder given his very good speed but great long strides during coverage. Recovery speed, lateral movement and instincts are also great here; Smith being around the ball quite often. The biggest difference though between Clark and Smith is that Smith is more valuable in a different variety of roles. Slot is a very tempting option given how flexible and athletic he is given his height at 6'2. However, none of that is going to matter for Smith if he doesn't iron out those run and tackling deficiencies; namely how violent he can be. Haulcy doesn't have this problem nor issue... at all. Truth be told, Haulcy is one of the smartest and technically sound players, of any position, in the entire draft. From his abilities in the running game to his overall coverage but advanced capabilities in many forms of Zone Coverage, A.J. Haulcy isn't just smart but also instinctive as well. From his 10 Career INTs to his 19 PBUs and even his 4 total FFs, Haulcy is a turnover machine who has overcome his lack of tools; his biggest weakness. A lot like Mansoor Delane, AJ Haulcy simply lacks horsepower athletically but in comparison to Delane, Haulcy really suffers here. Only okay overall for his position. That doesn't sound like a problem but one has to consider the overall context of the position. Yes, Safety is more based on traits than it is tools. That said, to be among the best, having even good athleticism is a pre requisite. Haulcy simply doesn't have enough overall to combat this and that will make him a challenging evaluation. For me, having him in the STAR Role would be ideal but that position has one major caveat that Haulcy needs to overcome; his lack of agility required. Losing weight though could unlock more and, if that means added agility, AJ can outplay his draft slot easily. This leaves the one named Caleb Downs. As stated before, I deliberately had him as the last person to go over. Why?! There really isn't anything to say regarding him outside of being a bit slow in terms of his foot speed. Processing speed?! I don't think I have ever graded a Safety as highly as I have Downs; the best ever. The second the football is snapped, Downs is literally the definition of "Johnny on the spot". Where ever the football is, Downs is right there. Football IQ and Instincts are also very much incredible; no Defensive Playbook being difficult for him. His best ability though just may be how versatile he is; a Special Teams Returner in addition to being able to play all Defensive Back Positions. As I said, just wish he was a bit faster overall as a Deep Centerfielder but he is very explosive while being the most agile Safeties I have ever scouted. Not even the likes of Kyle Hamilton, Malakai Starks, Brian Branch and even debatably Malik Hooker circa 2017 have the lightning quickness nor transition speed that Downs has. Only Minkah Fitzpatrick earned the higher score. Overall, as I have opened my statement with him and now will conclude; there isn't much to say regarding Downs. What you see in those highlight reels is what will happen on a snap to snap basis; a Day One Impact Player who may even be an All Pro in year one.

 

Once again, thank you all so much for reading!! If you have any questions or comments, don't forget to leave them down below as it always helps me out!!


Until next time, this is AskQuestionsLater saying so long, stay safe and I will see you next time!!

 

Extremely in depth analysis.... I do have some minor disagreements though.....

At the QB position, while I believe Mendoza and Beck are the top 2, I don't feel that Garrett Nussmeier is getting near enough love here .
I truly thing he has a higher ceiling than Allar

At RB, no one will argue that Love is the cream of the crop by a country mile, but I do have Kaytron Allen's teammate Nicholas Singleton slightly higher on the list than Allen

After Tate and Lemon, the WR's in this class are so close that it's tough to place them

At TE, Sadiq is easily the top of the line, but Justin Joly has the best overall hands of the entire bunch

Spencer Fano is widely considered to be the 1st OT off the board come draft time

At OG, Mauigoa is looked at more on the outside than on the interior.... Furthermore, I see the closest OG in this class to Loane is Emmanuel Pregnon

Arielle Reese's ranking at edge is purely based on projection as he's an inside guy by trade, with the athletic ability to move outside a la Micah Parsons..

 

- For QB, while Nussmeier does possess superior traits for the position, he is way too inconsistent for my liking. Moreover, the biggest thing that scares me most about Nuss is his propensity to lock into his first read far too often and far too long. Drew doesn't have this issue and while both can be constituted as Boom/Bust QBs, Drew's age along with his superior tools are worth a roll of the dice given how he looked prior to his injury at Northwestern.


- Regarding Kaytron vs. Nicholas Singleton, my exclusion of Nicholas has little to do with his overall abilities as a runner but Kaytron's superior agility and versatility. Remember, part of being a very good running back is if that player has very good lateral speed, lateral quickness and lateral explosiveness. Nicholas is a freight train but one that is more attuned to being merely one cut. He doesn't have nearly the ability to decelerate in the same vein that Kaytron does. Kaytron does have fewer snaps which is an experience question for certain but I believe he has enough snaps to overcome this.


- Agreed on the class. I did rank Lemon very highly but not so much anymore. Unlike K.C., Lemon doesn't have nearly the level of release capabilities that can allow him to separate at the LOS and rapidly. Him separating at any point of the route during the play isn't to be faulted. Have to get there though first. Problem is, so many of today's NFL CBs are either adept to advanced at press at the LOS; one of the biggest teaching points in every NFL Offseason Program no matter who the DB Coach is.


- Will concede for certain on Joly. Mind you I am ranking only the five listed. Justin Joly though is a superb option as a receiving Tight End but the likes of Klare, Raridon and Delp are the superior options for me. None of them have Joly's hands but all three are as dangerous, if not more than in both Klare and Delps cases, as receiving options.


- Fano greatly disappointed me this year. Biggest issue that I found of him was his inability to handle speed to power but it isn't just from a lack of both functional and core strength. His ability to recover and reset his pass sets is very worrying to me and his severe lack of reliabilty in the running game makes me wonder as to why he didn't return. Of the two, I like Lomu better but Lomu's bad footwork, lack of aggression in his own pass sets and overall hand placement don't make him better by a greater degree; marginal at best. Both have the awful tendency to bend their hips when engaging defenders; an all you can eat buffet for stronger EDGEs and IDLs to either toss you aside or counter you easily.


- Mauigoa doesn't look like a staring OT to me personally. Most people say he isn't long enough but the length doesn't worry me as much as it used to when I first started. I care a lot more about how long an Offensive Lineman's strides are during pass sets given how OTs rely on lateral mobility and space to gain the advantage against their EDGE opponents. Mauigoa's lateral speed isn't the problem but his lateral agility and explosiveness are. This isn't accounting for his lack of counters as an OT. As an IOL?! Good luck for there are few IDLs who possess both the power and hand fighting speed to outmatch him. Against NFL Caliber EDGEs?! Yikes.


- My reasoning for placing Arvell Reese is the same as to why I initially had Micah Parsons as one way back in 2021. It isn't that Arvell is incapable of playing ILB but his processing speed and pre snap recognition are insufficient for someone who has shown repeatedly how tremendous he is as a rusher despite showcasing raw technical aspects of it. Pass rushing is where Reese will become a far superior player than he could ever hope to be as an Off Ball LB. Micah was very much the same. Now, I doubt that Arvell will have Micah's impact year one but I do see All Pro's in Arvell's future for he can do the one thing Micah still cannot; set the edge in the running game. That by itself doesn't sound all that important but one has to understand the context of the assignment. EDGEs that set a good edge in the NFL usually have very good to great functional strength, core strength and/or play strength. Arvell has all three in spades. Now, imagine what he could learn by using even just the most simple of speed to power moves?! With his athleticism?! Man... I wouldn't want to be that OT.

 

IMO, the top 5 safeties are...

1. Caleb Downs

2. Dillon Thieneman

3. Michael Taaffe

4. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren

5. Jalon Kilgore

I am not disrespecting your choices