#1. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders had a very good draft. They executed on all positions where they needed players starting with quarterback (QB) Fernando Mendoza. He is set to be a great starting QB in the National Football League (NFL). They also picked cornerbacks (CB) Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy who both showed out last year. Stukes was at Arizona and McCoy was at Tennessee. They proved that they can compete at the highest level. McCoy was supposed to be drafted in the first two rounds, but a knee problem kept lingering with him and teams weren’t willing to take the chance but the Raiders ended up drafting him. Lastly, running back (RB) Mike Washington Jr. will be fit in great with Ashton Jeanty, who was the Raiders first round pick last year. They may be a dynamic duo in the future.
#2. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs struck gold in this year’s draft. They took advantage of the talent they needed and traded up from pick number nine to pick number six to select star CB Mansoor Delane. He was without a doubt the best CB in college football last year. He can play one-on-ones to perfection and also make the correct reads at the right times. Also, they selected two defensive disruptors in Peter Woods who is a defensive tackle (DT) and R. Mason Thomas who plays on the edge of the defensive line. With multiple starters leaving on defense, these three players are bound to help the Chiefs in significant ways in the future. Brett Veach who is the Chiefs General Manager had this to say about Delane.
“There were a lot of needs we had entering the draft, but it’s very difficult when you lose cornerback number one and cornerback number two. We certainly had our eyes on Mansoor. We’re really excited to add him,” Veach said.
#3. Cleveland Browns
The amount of talent that Cleveland acquired in the draft didn’t even seem real. First off, they were able to draft someone at almost every position that are athletic specimens. They selected QB Taylen Green in the sixth round who had unreal combine statistics and linebacker (LB) Justin Jefferson who was a captain and leader at the University of Alabama. For as real NFL skills go, the three that stand out to you are wide receivers (WR) Denzel Boston out of Washington and KC Concepcion who attended Texas A&M. They both have different skillsets. Boston is a tall, pass-catching threat who will win jump balls and is a QB’s dream receiver. Concepcion is more of a fast, downfield receiving WR who can also return punts and kickoffs at the highest level. Lastly, is offensive lineman (OL) Spencer Fano. He is a tackle who can change an offense. At Utah, he was the consistency behind their rugged offense and will hold down the line in Cleveland very well, however they choose to utulize him.
#4. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens had a sneaky good draft. They had 11 picks which is a lot for an NFL team to have, and with those picks they made good decisions. The first four players that they picked all have amazing upside and a history of winning. WR Elijah Sarratt played at Indiana last season and they won the National Championship, so Sarratt knows how to win when it matters. In the third round they selected another WR in Ja’Kobi Lane. He got severely overshadowed by Makai Lemon at the University of Southern California because Lemon was just so good. Lane proved he can be a solid second receiver on a winning team though. In the first two rounds, they made the best possible picks for their team. Selecting a guard out of Penn State is always a safe option, and they did that with picking Olaivavega Ioane. He has stats that will blow any football person away. He only allowed two sacks in 1,106 pass blocking attempts which is absurd. Lastly, they selected Missouri alum, Zion Young. He is an edge who gets to the QB like no other. Young has the potential to be the next great pass rusher in the NFL but it all depends on how he develops in Baltimore under new Defensive Line coach, Lou Esposito.
The 2026-2027 NFL season is going to be one like no other. With the amount of talent that is in the league every Sunday is going to be electric. With more attention to football than ever, knowing who to watch for can be vital in getting the best experience once the season comes around in September. The four teams will certainly use their draft picks to their advantage and they might use them to get deep into the playoffs. The Raiders are hoping to develop Mendoza and have a better season than last year, the Chiefs want to go back to the playoffs after a lackluster 2025 season, the Browns are looking for a winning season, and the Ravens desire to fix their defense because that is what held them back this last season.
