The Top 5 Things to Know About the 2026 NFL Draft Class ...Middle East

The 2026 NFL Draft may not have the most balanced group of prospects, but the storylines are fascinating. We’re taking a look at the five things to know about the class.

The NFL Draft is often sold as a sign of hope for many teams, but the 2026 class feels more like a riddle.

Apart from Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, there aren’t many prospects who look like sure things. Even Mendoza and Love have their flaws, but their metrics stand out in an uneven class.

This isn’t just a lopsided group of prospects, it’s a year of extremes. It’s a draft in which historically deep edge rusher and receiver classes collide with thin interior defensive and offensive line groups.

2026 NFL Draft

Ahead of this year’s draft, we’re taking a look at the five things to know about the class and where teams might be looking to make waves in 2026 and beyond.

Quarterbacks After Mendoza

Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy recipient, is the presumed No. 1 overall pick, and rightly so. He finished with the highest adjusted completion rate (74.6%), which removes intentional throw aways or clock spikes, and catchable thrown ball rate (82.8%) of the 34 draft-declared FBS quarterbacks with at least 150 passing attempts. He also ranked in the top 13 of metrics such as pickable pass rate, open target rate and release time.

And while he might be the only quarterback drafted in the first round, others will be selected throughout the other two days of the draft.

Here’s what you need to know about the rest of the top five, per NFL Mock Draft Database (No. 6 on the list is from the FCS, North Dakota State’s Cole Payton):

Ty Simpson, Alabama

The one-year Alabama starter finished with the fourth-lowest pickable pass rate among the crop of FBS draft-eligible QBs at just 2.57%. While his 65.3% adjusted completion rate ranked 21st, Simpson wasn’t creating too many turnover-worthy plays when he did attempt a pass.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

If a team wants a quarterback who’ll stay in the pocket, Nussmeier is their man. Among FBS draft-eligible QBs last season, he had the third-fewest scrambles and his 0.83 yards per scramble ranked third as well. He also had the second-fewest designed carries and the fourth-lowest yards per carry at 2.1.

Drew Allar, Penn State

Alternatively, Allar loves to run with the ball. He was a tick below Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia for the most average yards per scramble in 2025 with 8.9, although he wasn’t necessarily a dual threat while finishing third-to-last in designed carries. He tied for the fewest sacks per drop back during his injury-shortened season with six, for a 3.6% rate that tied for fourth-lowest.

Whether an NFL team is seeking Simpson’s ball security, Beck’s lightning fast trigger or the vastly different pocket mentalities of Nussmeier and Allar, the value in this tier lies entirely in a front office’s tolerance of risk.

Carson Beck, Miami (FL)

The one-year transfer from Georgia finished second behind Mendoza in the class when it came to key metrics such as adjusted completion rate and catchable thrown ball rate, but the most compelling part of his game relative to the other prospects is his 2.39-second release time, which ranked fourth among the group of 34 quarterbacks. It would also rank first among NFL starting quarterbacks who attempted at least 150 passes in 2025.

Edge Rusher is the Deepest Position

There may not be a consensus on who’s the best edge rusher in the draft class, but it’s certainly a position group that runs deep – possibly more than the class that preceded it.

There were 16 edge rushers drafted in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. Comparing this year’s class relative to the average pressure, adjusted sack and run disruption rates from last year’s group of 16, there are a bevy of players who surpassed multiple metrics.

Here’s the breakdown:

The 2025 class had its share of elite edge rushers, but the 2026 group may offer a higher floor across the entire position than this past season. NFL teams picking in the late first or early second round could still find elite players without sacrificing a lot of draft capital.

Interior Defensive Line Depth is Weak

While the quarterback drought is well-documented, the lack of depth in the 2026 draft class extends to the backfield and the interior defensive line. But while the running back pool is shallow, it’s anchored by Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) and some intriguing players who could go throughout the second and third rounds on Day 2.

The interior defensive line, by contrast, is a desert for both talent and depth.

Florida’s Caleb Banks is the only prospect who truly moves the needle, even after a foot injury sidelined him for most of the 2025 season. When healthy, Banks is elite: His combined 2024-25 metrics (21.17% pressure rate and 23.18% run disruption rate) rank No. 1 in this draft class and would have put him in the top tier of the 2025 group.

Beyond Banks, the drop-off is staggering. The class averages for pressure and run disruption have dipped 0.7% and 1.1%, respectively, compared to last year’s draft picks. Even more concerning? Excluding Banks, only five players in this class match the pressure rates of last year’s top-10 draftees, and none match their run disruption.

Banks may be a lock for the early rounds, but finding a second interior starter before Day 3 will be a tall order.

Best Stat to Know: Kenyon Sadiq’s Run Blocking

Much has been discussed about Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, whose 4.39-second speed in the 40-yard dash and explosive testing at the NFL Combine have made him a draft darling. While his athleticism is off the charts, his impressive 2025 production (51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns) only tells half the story.

The most statistically significant element of Sadiq’s game is actually his efficiency as a run blocker – a rare trait for a player with his vertical threat profile.

Sadiq’s 3.1% run disruption rate allowed last season ranked third among 30 draft-eligible FBS tight ends with at least 190 run-blocking plays. More impressively, that mark is the best among the 14 tight ends drafted since 2021 who also posted at least a 50/500/4 stat line in their final college season.

To put this into perspective, Sadiq is currently outperforming the collegiate blocking efficiency of recent first-round tight ends Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland and Brock Bowers. While Sadiq’s 6-foot-3, 241-pound frame is smaller than the traditional “Y” tight end, the numbers suggest Sadiq is a unique outlier who can stretch the field and block when necessary.

For an offense that covets versatility without sacrificing physicality, Sadiq could truly be the ultimate chess piece.

The Love Wild Card Can Alter the Draft

Jeremiyah Love presents another opportunity for teams to answer the age-old question of how early is too early to draft a running back.

His production and advanced metrics are sensational and build a solid argument for being taken inside the top five of the first round. He finished the 2025 season at Notre Dame with 1,372 rushing yards, 280 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns on 226 touches, and his overall yards per carry, catch rating and missed tackles forced rank at or above the other running backs drafted in the first half of the first round since 2018.

The issue with Love isn’t his skill set but where he gets drafted. It will have a tremendous ripple effect across the entire first round.

He could go as high as No. 3 to the Arizona Cardinals or inside the top 10 with the Tennessee Titans (No. 4), New York Giants (No. 5) or Washington Commanders (No. 7). Other teams picking in the mid- to-late-first round, like the Dallas Cowboys (No. 12 and 20), Baltimore Ravens (14), Minnesota Vikings (18) or Pittsburgh Steelers (21), could snag him for an immediate backfield upgrade. If he drops, that is.

Where Love lands will affect how other teams who are interested in him adjust their draft strategy. There isn’t another clear first-round talent at the position, so a lot of teams will likely pivot to other draft needs once Love is gone.

Final NFL Draft Thought

The 2026 NFL Draft may not have the most balanced group of prospects to ever enter the league, so it presents a fascinating tactical challenge for the league’s most disciplined front offices.

In a year defined by lopsided depth and statistical outliers, the teams that successfully navigate this uneven board will be those that value elite traits over positional tradition.

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