2026 NFL Draft Round 1 grades: Ty Simpson at 13 is wild, while 2 teams in top 10 get A+ marks

Yahoo Sports NFL draft analyst Charles McDonald is grading every pick of Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft as the selections are made.

Here’s how he rated teams in the 2025 draft if you’re scoring at home.

Grade: B+

The Raiders got their franchise quarterback here following the rocket-ship-level ascension of Mendoza. They’re in store for yet another rebuild and now have a chance to start that process with a new quarterback. This was the only sensible pick at the top of the draft, and Mendoza is good enough to be the first pick. Now they can focus on trying to get back into the AFC West race with new head coach Klint Kubiak and their new quarterback.

More NFL Draft coverage: Best available players for Day 2 | Draft guide

2. New York Jets: David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech

Grade: C-

The Jets got their pass rusher in this class, but he’s not a complete player like Arvell Reese in terms of physicality and run defense. The Jets adding T’Vondre Sweat via trade makes this a bit more palatable, but Bailey might be a one-trick pony early on. Whether he can develop as a run defender may end up defining his rookie year because there’s still a lot of work here. Still, the Jets defense got a talent they needed off the edge.

3. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Grade: D

This is not the player the Cardinals needed at this time. Love is an explosive running back who will make plays in space when he gets there, but this team just signed Tyler Allgeier and has so many holes to fill as they try to rebuild in the toughest division in the NFL. This just doesn’t seem like the right team for a luxury pick. Look at what just happened with Ashton Jeanty last year, even though he played well. This is a tough spot to take a running back.

4. Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Grade: C

Cam Ward gets a quality target on the outside with Tate, and he should be a productive player for a long time. He doesn’t have the greatest athleticism and wins a lot on tough plays, so he might not be a high-end No. 1 wide receiver, but he’s going to be a strong piece of the passing game for years to come. It’s just a little high for someone of Tate’s skill set.

5. New York Giants: Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State

Grade: A+

This is how you get value in the top five of the draft. Reese easily could’ve been the second overall pick, and nobody would have batted an eye. To get him here is a bit further than most people thought he would fall, and the Giants need to replenish front seven talent after trading Dexter Lawrence. Reese can play any linebacker or edge rusher moving forward at a high level.

Grade: C+

The Chiefs are in need of a cornerback, but this feels a little rich for Delane. He’s a talented player who will fit right in on a weak Chiefs secondary, but this is a bit surprising with Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs still on the board. Not a bad pick, but he possibly could’ve been had at the ninth overall pick without trading up. Regardless, they just had to do something at cornerback. Walking into the season without a major upgrade wasn’t an option.

Grading every Round 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)

Grade: A+

Another A+ Buckeye pick here. The Commanders desperately needed to upgrade their back seven on defense and got a potential unicorn at linebacker with Styles. He has the range, size and physicality that Dan Quinn looks for in middle linebackers and will be a massive upgrade over the play that Bobby Wagner gave them last year.

Grade: C

New Orleans needed some extra juice on offense and took a swing here on the talented, but banged up, Jordyn Tyson. He’s a big bodied wide receiver who has a lot of talent, but he’s not the cleanest when it comes to the finer nuances of the position. He needs some refinement, but he should be a quality starter next to Chris Olave.

9. Cleveland Browns (via trade with Kansas City Chiefs): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

Grade: B

This is a nice process from the Browns. Trading down to get a versatile offensive lineman in Fano might be exactly what this team needed. He could potentially play all five spots at the next level and will allow the Browns to keep their best five offensive linemen on the field at all times. He might not stick at left tackle, but his floor and ceiling are both really high.

Grade: B-

The Giants didn’t necessarily need to add to their offensive line here, but they must have really liked the potential of Mauigoa, who should be a versatile starter at multiple spots assuming his back can stay healthy after a herniated disc diagnosis. He’s got a lot of size and power to grow at right tackle or guard for the long term and will stabilize the offensive line immediately.

Grade: A+

Dallas trades up here to get arguably the best defensive player in the draft in Downs. One spot to secure a potential All-Pro-level safety makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys, and this is great value for someone who was seen as an elite prospect coming into the draft. This couldn’t have played out better for Dallas, which wins due to traditional positional value knocking Downs down the board a bit.

12. Miami Dolphins (via trade with Cowboys): Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Grade: C

The recent track record on 350-plus-pound offensive tackles isn’t great, but Proctor has a ways to go in terms of conditioning and technique. The upside is crazy here, but he’s still a big project for a team that doesn’t have many sure bets in terms of startable players right now. If he can stay focused and be the player everyone is hoping for, he could form a great long-term duo with Patrick Paul at tackle.

Grade: F

No way. This is wild. An undersized QB without great traits going this high doesn’t make much sense. This is such a far deviation from the current talent level and arm talent of the top quarterbacks in the league — including current Rams starter Matthew Stafford. Maybe sitting on the bench behind Stafford will unlock some latent talent in Simpson, but the back half of Simpson’s season was legitimately not good. Even if he was injured, his size makes that a concern in the NFL, too.

14. Baltimore Ravens: Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State

Grade: B-

The Ravens needed help on the interior and got a player here who was mocked to them forever. He should slide right into the starting lineup at left guard and give the Ravens a rugged, sturdy offensive lineman they needed after losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency to the Raiders. This is a sensible pick that should get the Ravens back to having a more steady offense than the boom-bust they relied on last year when Lamar Jackson was healthy.

Grade: A

Bain falling this far is kind of crazy, but the Buccaneers are getting a ton of value here. Bain can win against the run in a big way with physicality, and it should translate to playing against bigger offensive linemen. His arm length might stop him being a 10-sack player every year, but he’s a high-floor player who can make the Buccaneers defense a lot more physical.

Grade: C-

Sadiq is a talented player, but he’s not a player the Jets seem to need right now especially with Mason Taylor having a quality rookie year in a tough situation. This feels like a bit of a luxury pick for a team that needs so, so many upgrades. The pure talent of Sadiq makes this more palatable, but they have a bizarre logjam at tight end now.

17. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

Grade: B

This is what the Lions needed to do: grab an offensive tackle with big upside who can start across from Penei Sewell immediately. This was an imperative for the Lions to upgrade given that this has been the strength of their offense over the past few years when they have been at their best. High-floor, high-upside pick for Detroit at a position of need.

Grade: A-

This might be the highest grade on Banks you’ll see, but this guy can really do all the hard stuff in terms of defeating blocks and understanding leverage within a true top-1% athletic frame. The injury and lack of finishing makes him a risky pick, but he does so many other things at a high level.

Grade: B+

Freeling is flatly one of the most athletic players in this year’s class with all the tools in the world to grow into a top tackle. He might be the most improved player for Georgia over the past year, and while he’s not perfect yet, he’s truly a unicorn in terms of athleticism at offensive tackle. At the very least he should be a road grader in the run game.

Grade: C

Lemon should be a quality starter for the Eagles and this probably shows that A.J. Brown will be headed elsewhere at the start of the summer. This will be an interesting fit for the Eagles with Jalen Hurts moving from Brown to Lemon (should that trade happen), but this will keep starting quality talent in their wide receiver room, which was a priority for the Eagles this offseason.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State

Grade: B+

The Steelers had to bring in more offensive line help, and they took a huge swing on potential and talent here with the selection of Iheanachor. He just started playing football 4-5 years ago in junior college, so even though he’s an older player, he still has a ton of upside here and could be the final piece for the Steelers’ young, talented offensive line.

Grade: D+

This is rich for a pass rusher who is already 25 years old, but the Chargers must believe that he has enough juice to end up as a consistent threat off the edge. He’s more inconsistent and needed the talent around him at Miami more than people have let on. He now enters a defense that needs him to be sturdy against the run. This is risky.

23. Dallas Cowboys (via trade with Eagles): Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF

Grade: C-

Lawrence is a good, linear athlete who has some juice as a pass rusher, but he wasn’t so good that it covers up the lack of impact in the other areas of his game. He doesn’t turn the corner against tackles consistently, so he might need to adjust his game to have a consistent impact as a pass rusher. There’s upside here, but the floor is very low.

Grade: B-

Concepcion is a very solid player who will likely be the Browns’ best wide receiver from Day 1. This was the expected range for Concepcion, and he now joins an offense that desperately needed some sort of explosion and speed to make life easier for … whoever ends up playing quarterback this year. They just had to add someone with real playmaking ability down the field.

25. Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

Grade: B-

This is another pick that was mocked incessantly in the lead-up to the draft, and it makes a whole lot of sense. Thienemen is a great athlete with a lot of smarts who was able to immediately jump into Oregon’s starting lineup and be a plus player for the Ducks. He joins a talented defensive backfield that will likely be the spine of the defense once again this season.

26. Houston Texans (via trade with Buffalo Bills): Keylan Rutledge, OG, Georgia Tech

Grade: C

This is a sensible pick for the Texans here, even if the prospect is still a little bit surprising. Rutledge is a mean, athletic offensive guard who helped pave the way for one of the toughest offenses in all of college football last year. This is a bit higher than he was projected to go, but taking him here is sensible for sure.

Grade: C-

This is a pick to get on base, which a rebuilding team like the Dolphins needs. He’s not the flashiest cornerback prospect, but he still should project as a solid starter. It feels like a little bit of a reach, but it’s hard to say a roster with this many holes is really reaching on anyone. Time to keep adding talent and building this thing out.

28. New England Patriots (via trade with Bills, Texans): Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah

Grade: A

This pick can be a two-for-one upgrade for the Patriots. Lomu can slide in as a legit long-term left tackle prospect and allow Will Campbell to play elsewhere along the offensive line if that’s what they choose to do. The Patriots desperately needed to upgrade their frontline play after getting sledgehammered by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and this pick should help them get better up front.

29. Kansas City Chiefs (via trade with Rams): Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

Grade: A

This could be a huge boom pick for the Chiefs. Woods was projected to be one of the first picks in the draft prior to the season, but (like the rest of Clemson’s team) his production wasn’t where it should be. He’s got incredible, tangible upside to be a player who develops for the long haul next to Chris Jones.

30. New York Jets (via trade with 49ers, Dolphins and Broncos): Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana

Grade: C

This pick was connected to the Jets for a long time, and Cooper might be a solid WR2 to Garrett Wilson. He’s not the most athletic player, but he’s a solid one who should be a capable starter and help complete the Jets’ rebuilt wide receiver room. Maybe not the best value, but it fits a need with a competent player at this spot.

31. Tennessee Titans (via trade with Bills, Patriots): Keldric Faulk, DL, Auburn

Grade: A

Faulk easily could have gone a lot earlier than this, so to get him at this spot is potentially incredible value. He’s got elite run defense skills already and will have a better shot to rush the passer in the NFL than he did at Auburn due to him playing inside a lot. He can be a more impactful version of John Franklin-Myers, who has been a longtime favorite of new head coach Robert Saleh.

32. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame

Grade: D

Losing Kenneth Walker to free agency hurts, but this still feels like a surprise. Price was seen more as a Day 2 pick, but the Seahawks must be enthralled with his ability to play a similar style of game as Walker. They needed a running back in a big way, but this feels like a reach for the Seahawks.

2026 NFL Draft Round 1 grades: Ty Simpson at 13 is wild, while 2 teams in top 10 get A+ marks

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