February, March and April bring unbridled hope to every NFL fan base. We all fall in love with the same seven free agents and the same 15 draft sleepers. But team needs don't always line up with the players available in free agency, the trade market and the draft class. Each offseason is better for some needs than it is for others.
Last year's quarterback class, for instance, ended up being a good one -- not just through free agency (Sam Darnold just won the Super Bowl) but also through the draft (Cam Ward, Tyler Shough and Jaxson Dart all look like hits). This year's quarterback class? Not so much.
With the combine fast approaching, we'll hear about which draft prospects are rising and which free agents will actually become available. As such, I took a look at this NFL offseason's group of available players through the lens of positional need. It's an obviously poor year to need a quarterback, but what about wide receiver? Tight end? Defensive tackle? Guard?
Here are my rankings for the strongest and weakest positions for this offseason, weighing both free agency and the draft.
Jump to:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL
Edge | DT | LB | CB | S
1. Edge rusher
Good year to need ... any sort of edge rusher at all
Bad year to need ... a truly elite dude (unless you'd like to send two first-rounders for Maxx Crosby)
If your favorite team's general manager can't find a good fit at edge rusher this offseason, tell him to take a hike. Putting aside the Crosby trade rumors for now, here's a list of expected free agent edge rushers: Trey Hendrickson, Odafe Oweh, Jaelan Phillips, Khalil Mack, K'Lavon Chaisson, Boye Mafe, Joey Bosa and Jadeveon Clowney.
The main thing that impresses me is the variety. Oweh, Chaisson and Mafe are speed artists who can create pressure fast. Guys like Mack, Clowney and Kingsley Enagbare (Packers) are all hitters in the running game. Want to gamble on injured, aging veterans? Hendrickson, Bosa, Cameron Jordan (Saints) and Von Miller (Commanders) could all have something left. What about undeveloped traits? Kwity Paye (Colts) and Arnold Ebiketie (Falcons) are your guys. There's something for everyone in this group.
Hendrickson, Oweh and Phillips can all reasonably be projected for 10-plus sacks next season, while Mafe, Chaisson, Mack and Bosa can all be eight-sack players. And that's without any surprises from more middle-tier veterans like Dre'Mont Jones and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
In the draft, I think it's fair to have eight-plus-sack projections in mind for David Bailey (Texas Tech) and Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami). Bain is a tricky one. Apparently some teams view him as an undersized 3-tech instead of a big base end, but I've watched him win too many outside rushes too quickly to knock him inside just yet. The real wild card is Ohio State's Arvell Reese, an on-ball/off-ball linebacker hybrid whom the league reportedly prefers as an edge rusher. He has a chance to be a high-value player as a movement piece, but those guys don't tend to hit in Year 1.
Dan Graziano, Bart Scott and Mike Tannenbaum discuss the best course of action for Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.
All three of those prospects are top-10 pick candidates. We haven't even gotten to the bulk of the first round, where options abound.
Auburn's Keldric Faulk was miscast in the Tigers' defense and will benefit from more true edge rusher snaps in the NFL -- he's this year's Mykel Williams, and Williams ended up going 11th. Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) is the Will Campbell of this class (albeit on the other side of the ball), as his short arm length measurements will end up a limiting factor for many teams. But 11.5 sacks in his final season of highly explosive pass rushing should get him drafted early. And Akheem Mesidor (Miami) is the Tyler Shough of this class. He was highly productive late in his college career ... and I do mean late! He'll be 25 by draft night, and he is older than current NFLers Will Anderson Jr. and Lukas Van Ness. But man, that film is good.
Expect to see at least six edges go in the first round (if we're counting Reese). Seven made it in Field Yates' most recent mock draft, as Missouri's Zion Young joined the party. While there isn't a truly elite rusher like Anderson or Abdul Carter, there are a ton of top-50 options, and some splashy free agents to boot.
2. Interior offensive line
Good year to need ... a guard
Bad year to need ... a really big center
Interior offensive line is always a spot at which teams can plug guys quite freely, but this feels like a uniquely good year for it. Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens) might actually become available, which would be surprising and likely record-setting. Drew Dalman became the third-highest paid center last year when he left Atlanta to join the Bears at $14 million per year; Linderbaum will likely leapfrog Creed Humphrey at the top of the center rankings ($18 million per year) and should push $19 million.
Again, though ... if he becomes available. He's the blow-your-socks-off free agent, but after him, the interior is still deep. Isaac Seumalo (Steelers) and David Edwards (Bills) were two of the best players at their position last season, and both are expected to become available at guard. Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets) has been one of the best young guards over the past few years, but he's coming off a torn triceps that complicates his 2026 projection even further. He has always struggled to play full seasons. If Joel Bitonio (34 years old) doesn't retire now that his contract is up with the Browns, he's still a plus starter. And if Ed Ingram has finally seen the light bulb go on -- as his end-of-season performance with the Texans seemed to indicate -- he's a plus starter, too.
Center is a little thinner if Linderbaum stays in Baltimore, but Connor McGovern (Bills) and Cade Mays (Panthers) should both push for deals north of $8 million per year, which is top 10 money for the position. Center can be tough to suss out, and both played within excellent offensive lines as a whole. But McGovern, in particular, has been an impact player in Buffalo.
What center lacks for free agents it makes up for in the draft. While there's no Linderbaum likely to go Round 1, there is a ton of experience and NFL readiness. Jake Slaughter (Florida) and Connor Lew (Auburn) were both three-year starters in the SEC; Logan Jones (Iowa) was a four-year starter at Iowa. All three are smaller players who won't fit for every offense, but Sam Hecht (Kansas State) has the size those teams are seeking.
Guard is splashier. One of the earliest picks in the draft will be Miami's Francis Mauigoa, who might get drafted as a tackle, but I'd wager he gets valued more at guard given his frame and play style. Either way, he's a top-five pick. Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) is the other interior player who should hear his name called on Day 1 after Mauigoa, while Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon) and Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M) have the exciting physical tool kits that get teams excited in Round 2 -- think Steve Avila or Dylan Fairchild. Potential kicks inside for college tackles Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) and Brian Parker II (Duke) would only strengthen the group.
The free agent class is solid. The draft class is solid. Good year to need an IOL.
3. Cornerback
Good year to need ... a slot corner
Bad year to need ... an outside corner with size
Great players don't really hit free agency at cornerback, as the position has been in desperate need of the market-setting contracts it finally got when Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr., Jaycee Horn and Sauce Gardner all signed their extensions. Last year's group was actually a fairly competitive bunch: Byron Murphy Jr. didn't get out of Minnesota, but Charvarius Ward, Carlton Davis III, Paulson Adebo and D.J. Reed all signed deals with new teams.
This year's group isn't as good as that group. The outside-only guys are Riq Woolen (Seahawks), Jaylen Watson (Chiefs) and Jamel Dean (Buccaneers). Alontae Taylor (Saints) has inside-outside versatility, but he has always played his best ball from the slot. Similarly, Greg Newsome II played outside for the Jaguars but could return to some slot play with a new squad. (He was always more productive there.) One of the wild cards of this group is ex-Steeler Asante Samuel Jr., now more than a season removed from his spinal surgery. He is another inside-outside guy with a history of solid play.
Woolen is a particularly tricky one to calibrate. He fell out of favor with Mike Macdonald's defensive staff multiple times in the past two seasons, getting benched for stretches. Yet he also led all cornerbacks in yards per coverage snap allowed (0.6) last season. In a simpler defense that lets Woolen play faster and think less, he might see more consistent and productive play (looking at you, Robert Saleh and the Titans).
The draft class looks strong for cornerback overall, but even the best players are lacking in size. LSU's Mansoor Delane and Tennessee's Jermod McCoy -- both considered clear Round 1 players -- are both listed at 6-foot and sub-195 pounds. (And McCoy didn't play at all in 2025 after an ACL tear last January.) Clemson's Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of Falcons CB A.J. Terrell Jr. and another potential first-rounder, is a nickel at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds. Even Keionte Scott (Miami) and D'Angelo Ponds (Indiana), the darlings of the College Football Playoff, are both clearly slot players at the next level.
Defenses that need a starter on the outside, especially in a defense that prioritizes height and length, won't enjoy this offseason much should they miss out on Woolen or Watson. The draft target for size is Florida's Devin Moore, though he has a spotty injury history. Those defenses that prioritize interchangeability and quickness over size and stopping power -- like the Jeff Hafley unit in Green Bay and the Chris Shula group with the Rams -- will find plenty of options available.
4. Running back
Good year to need ... a starting back for right now
Bad year to need ... a young back to start for the next four years
The running back class is all free agency this year ... and what a class it is. The headliners are Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and Breece Hall, seemingly the lone Jet not to get dealt at the deadline. Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars) and Javonte Williams (Cowboys) represent the second tier of options. Tyler Allgeier (Falcons), Rico Dowdle (Panthers) and Kenneth Gainwell (Steelers) all fill out the very respectable third tier. After all, Allgeier and Dowdle are 1,000-yard rushers, and Gainwell would have been a 1,000-yard receiver if Aaron Rodgers had his druthers!
Of those seven backs, all save for Gainwell could reasonably be the RB1A on a team in 2026. (Gainwell is just too small.) Dowdle and Allgeier are particularly fascinating options to me. Allgeier is a bruiser who has benefited from relieving Bijan Robinson, but we've seen him produce at a higher volume (210 carries for 1,035 yards in his rookie season). No, his top speed isn't particularly fearsome, but for an offense looking to just grind out positive yardage to support a high-flying passing attack (hello, Chiefs), he's a great target. Dowdle had a weird stretch of taking over the Panthers' lead back role, then losing control of it over the course of this season. But over the past two seasons, he's ninth among all backs in rushing success rate and 13th in rush yards over expectation.
While the top of this free agent class won't measure up to 2024, when Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry all changed teams, I do think that Walker and Hall are legit needle-movers. Walker had the third-highest explosive run rate of all RBs this season, and his lightning-strike running style saved the Seahawks offense down the back half of the season. Does he get out of Seattle after that dominant postseason run? I'm not sure. But Hall is destined to escape New York, where bad quarterback play has derailed his rookie-season promise. It's easy to forget, but this guy had 76 catches in 2023 and another 57 in 2024. He's a sleeping dual-threat giant.
The "Get Up" crew debates whether the Seahawks should do all they can to keep Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.
The team that misses out on a solid free agent running back better hope it is drafting in the top 10, because Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) isn't just the crowning jewel of this running back class -- he's the only top-tier option. The RB2 in the 2026 draft might end up being Love's teammate at Notre Dame, Jadarian Price, who could emerge into a high-volume runner out of Love's shadow. Price is crafty and smooth, but he lacks the contact balance and breakaway speed that made Love the Irish's runner of choice.
In addition to Price, there are enough RBs available that we'll see several leave the board on Day 2 and into early Day 3. Nicholas Singleton (Penn State) is a personal favorite, but he broke his foot at the Senior Bowl. Jonah Coleman (Washington) has juice, but he is undersized at 5-foot-9 and 228 pounds. Mike Washington Jr. (Arkansas) is dense and physical and dangerous in the open field, but he has fumbling issues. This is the thing with this running back class -- everyone has a big limiting factor.
I'm sure a few Day 2 picks will hit. But in general, this is an offseason to solve your running back problems in March, not April.
5. Safety
Good year to need ... a deep safety
Bad year to need ... a box safety
If you are looking for the next Nick Emmanwori, who was of course, the next Kyle Hamilton ... look elsewhere. Maybe stop looking altogether. The thing about unicorns is there's only one (or two) of them, and efforts to replicate them too often involve pinning toy horns on unknowing horses.
There are a couple of big safeties in the draft and free agent classes that might, at first brush, look like potential hybrid linebackers like Emmanwori and Hamilton. Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, and Kansas City's Bryan Cook (a highly underrated player in the market right now) is 6-foot-1, 206 pounds in his own right. But both are better as deep coverage players than box players, with range and hitting power over edge-setting strength.
The overall strength of this safety class is in its deep players. That's where Jaylinn Hawkins spent almost all of his time on a one-year deal with the Patriots, and he has played himself into a solid second contract. It's where Reed Blankenship has primarily been with the Eagles; he's due for a middle-tier veteran contract as an average starter. It's where Coby Bryant, one of the unheralded contributors to the Seahawks' Super Bowl defense, has played in the past two seasons in Mike Macdonald's system. (Bryant even has a CB background from his days in college.) Kam Curl and Kevin Byard III are other options further down the list.
While the class mostly has players who win from deep alignments, safety gets the fifth spot here because it's still deep overall (deep, as in there are a lot of them, not deep alignments). Teams in desperate need of a quality man coverage safety in the box will ring up Nick Cross, a longtime starter for the Colts who will see a competitive market. Teams that like to blitz their safeties will reach out to Chicago's Jaquan Brisker, a fine player who might fall too low on Chicago's laundry list of free agents to be successfully retained.
The most linebacker-esque safety of any note might be the star of the 2026 draft class, Caleb Downs. Used with Budda Baker-esque aggressiveness by Matt Patricia last season in the Buckeyes' defense, Downs has the quickness, route recognition and instincts to have an absurd range of influence when playing in short zones, while still having the requisite mass and play strength to fit the run. He's a more traditional box safety with some nickel ability, a la Baker or Brian Branch. He reminds me of prime Malcolm Jenkins in that you want him as near the action as possible; he'll both make plays himself and make pre-snap calls that unlock other second-level players.
I have two wild cards I'd want to look at if I were an enterprising general manager -- one in free agency, one in the draft. The veteran is Jalen Thompson. He has played over 4,900 snaps in the past five seasons for the Cardinals and just finished out his second contract, but he's only 27. (He turns 28 this summer.) Jonathan Gannon's three-safety defensive structure in Arizona was quite unique, and Thompson's role is difficult to map onto other teams. I think a more traditional deep safety job would benefit him well.
The draft wild card is LSU's A.J. Haulcy, who weighs in somewhere near 220 pounds. With serious stopping power as a downhill hitter, he reminds me at times of current Steeler (and rising free agent) Kyle Dugger. Common refrain for the safeties, but here it is again: Haulcy played more from depth than you'd expect for a player of his mass, but he could be more of a traditional box safety at the NFL level for those teams looking to still live in a single-high world.
Downs is the only true star across the free agent and draft classes, but don't be surprised when McNeil-Warren joins him in the first round -- and multiple other safeties (Oregon's Dillon Thieneman, Penn State's Zakee Wheatley, etc.) are right behind in Round 2.
6. Linebacker
Good year to need ... a difference-maker
Bad year to need ... a difference-maker and not have a top-10 pick
It is a total rock star year at the linebacker position. Three huge names are entering the fray. Two are rookies from Ohio State: Sonny Styles and the previously mentioned Arvell Reese. One is a free agent out of Jacksonville: Devin Lloyd.
I'll start with just a dash of cold water. Lloyd is probably not a top-five linebacker in football; I'd say he's more LB10 or LB12. But he's almost certainly about to get paid like it. Last year was an enormous offseason for linebacker contracts, as four of the six biggest deals currently in the market were signed by Fred Warner, Zack Baun, Jamien Sherwood and Nick Bolton -- and Lloyd comfortably outperformed the latter two last season. I'd argue he outplayed Baun, as well. Lloyd is going to clear $15 million per year, and at that price tag, I'd likely pass if I was a general manager. With that said, Lloyd is still an impactful player. He's great on blitzes and made a huge step forward in coverage last season.
Styles is one of the best linebacker prospects of recent memory. He's 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, rangy with great acceleration and deceleration, smart in play recognition against both the run and the pass, good at slipping blocks and reading a quarterback's eyes, reliable as a tackler and thunderous into contact. He's all that and a bag of chips. Styles is the first linebacker prospect I've seen since Roquan Smith in 2018 who makes me think, "Oh, this dude can change the face of a defense."
And Styles might not have even been the best linebacker on his own team! Reese, his running mate, was a hybrid player for the Buckeyes. Reese spent 33% of his snaps at linebacker last season and 67% as an edge defender. For my money, the film is better at off-ball linebacker. His range is unbelievable. His explosiveness into contact is play-wrecking. His feel in coverage isn't perfect, but for how excellent he is as a pass rusher, he shouldn't be dropping into coverage anyway. There's no reason a team that likes to blitz their backers and use mugged fronts on pass-rush downs shouldn't draft Reese as a turbocharged Lloyd or Kaden Elliss.
Reese and Styles should both be top-six picks. Reese almost certainly will be, though the acquiring team might move him to edge rusher (lame, but I get it because of positional value). Styles might fall out of that range, but I think that would be an error.
OK, so those are the three stars. Teams need either $16 million per year or a top-10 pick to go get them. After that ... man, I don't know.
The middle tier of free agent linebackers isn't totally empty. The aforementioned Elliss is available for blitz-heavy teams, and Eagles starter Nakobe Dean is a quality player for those general managers who don't mind undersized linebackers (and those who miss some games). Packers starter Quay Walker enjoyed a breakout in 2024 under the same coach (Anthony Campanile) that authored Lloyd's emergence in 2025, and there's more to uncover in that physical profile. For those in the market of Band-Aid options, Alex Anzalone, Alex Singleton, Demario Davis, Lavonte David and Matt Milano are all viable veterans.
In the draft class, the linebacker depth is predictably paltry. More and more undersized backers with no chance against the run trickle into the league every year. Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. makes it work despite his lack of size, playing at the sort of hyperspeed necessary to survive at the NFL level. Georgia's CJ Allen -- like all Bulldog defenders -- has more toughness and play strength than his measurables would indicate, but because he's so rocked up, his transitional quickness and flexibility suffer. The quality of linebackering in this draft class falls off a little less quickly than the free agent group, but it falls off just the same.
Linebacker tends to be a developmental position in the NFL, so a few of these guys will hit as the years go on. But this is really an all-or-nothing positional group this offseason.
7. Offensive tackle
Good year to need ... a starter for 2027
Bad year to need ... a starter for 2026
I really, really struggled with ranking offensive tackle. Here's why.
There are about 4 billion names at the position in the draft this year. Guys I've seen get late-Round 1/early-Round 2/future developmental starter buzz include Arizona State's Max Iheanachor, Clemson's Blake Miller, Georgia's Monroe Freeling, Utah's Caleb Lomu, Alabama's Kadyn Proctor, Oregon's Isaiah World, Iowa's Gennings Dunker and Northwestern's Caleb Tiernan. Seemingly every draft we get a mini-run on developmental tackles in Round 3, but given how poor the class is overall this year, that run might come in Round 2.
To be clear: I like plenty of these guys (Iheanachor and Miller are my dudes), and even the ones I'm sketchy on, I can see how a positive developmental track would play out. But even for those guys I like, the idea of a Week 1 start really shakes me up. Forcing young tackles into action too soon can teach them bad habits and hurt their confidence.
The best immediate starters by consensus are Francis Mauigoa (Miami) and Spencer Fano (Utah). But Mauigoa looks like a guard to me, and Fano is far too skinny for my tastes at tackle. I don't view either as a set-it-and-forget-it pass protector in Year 1, the way I felt about Joe Alt or Charles Cross coming out.
Of course, the whole point of the draft is acquiring developmental youth, and the whole point of free agency is acquiring immediate (if unspectacular) starters. There are two enticing names available to that end. The first is Rasheed Walker, a 26-year-old three-year starter with excellent pass-blocking film out of Green Bay. How is a guy like this escaping his current team? Well, the run blocking leaves a lot to be desired. Walker is a fit for teams that want to live in the gun and drop back plenty, but balanced attacks will worry about hiding him in the running game.
The second name is Braden Smith, who bounced back nicely in 2025 after a fraught 2024. Smith's up-and-down play and lack of length (32¼-inch arms) will similarly limit the teams for which he is a fit -- he's simply not a plug-and-play starter, which is what is expected at the top of the free agent market. And these are the only two names, really. No other offensive tackle made the ESPN's top 50 free agent list from Matt Bowen.
Thus my difficulty in ranking this tackle class. I'm confident that sharp teams that know their coaching staff's predilections will find the apple of their eye in this loaded group, but there are plenty of pitfalls to be avoided along the way. Is Jermaine Eluemunor's career turnaround at 31 years old legitimate and worth a solid veteran deal? Can Braxton Jones find some career stability outside of Chicago, where injuries and coaching staff changes have stunted his development?
8. Wide receiver
Good year to need ... bodies in the bullpen
Bad year to need ... the next elite guy
Wide receiver is an impossible position to rank, too. There's really no such thing as a bad receiver class. There are too many body types that work at the position, and too many ways to funnel production to players across the board, that even the bad classes might have a few stars in it. I remember when we called the 2023 wide receiver draft class bad. The first wide receiver off the board was at No. 20. What was his name again? That's right ... Jaxon Smith-Njigba. (Puka Nacua was also in the 2023 class, I just don't have a cheeky bit for him.)
With that necessary caveat in place, it does not feel like a good year for elite receivers. Top receivers rarely make free agency anymore, as the blue-chip players at the position are too valuable to let anywhere near the open market. The Cowboys will reportedly franchise-tag George Pickens accordingly, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Were Pickens to make it in this class, he'd be given a contract near $35 million per year.
Louis Riddick and Booger McFarland react to Mike Evans playing in 2026 and being set to be a free agent.
As it is, the top of the free agent class features Alec Pierce (Indianapolis), Romeo Doubs (Green Bay) and Jauan Jennings (San Francisco). Pierce is the buzzy name after a breakout 2025 season in which he led all receivers in yards per target (11.9) and was second to Tyquan Thornton in yards per reception (21.3). Pierce's average target was 18.8 yards downfield -- again, second only to Thornton -- as Indianapolis used his excellent combination of height, speed and ball tracking on schemed shot plays and one-on-one alerts alike.
Pierce's beauty isn't just in one big season, but in the dirty work he did before he broke out. His 2024 was already a great season for big play creation (12.1 yards per target, better than his 2025 number), but in 2023 and 2022, he ground his nose as a blocker and has more "big slot" potential than the Colts film indicates. He's the one I could see becoming a three-level receiver with high-volume usage ... something like Mike Evans, if we're really shooting for the stars.
But otherwise, it's strong WR2s and WR3s. Doubs is an every-down player with good route running but unreliable hands. Jennings is a high-impact blocker who can be a high-volume player in spots but should more so be a third-option stick mover. The aforementioned Evans lacks the juice to separate that he once had but still wins with physicality for those quarterbacks who like throwing back-shoulder balls on the outside. Rashid Shaheed, Deebo Samuel, Wan'Dale Robinson and Christian Kirk can all still fill roles behind star receivers.
One wild card to watch is a household name: Tyreek Hill. For as much as I'd like to believe Hill can recover his 2023 and 2024 form, he'll never again play in a fresh Mike McDaniel offense taking the league by storm. He's coming off a dislocated knee with multiple ligament tears. I cannot reasonably weigh him in this free agent class, but with a heroic recovery, he'll be an impactful signing in 2026.
Another wild-card name is the Vikings' Jalen Nailor. Of course, he's not nearly as buzzy, but Nailor has been an effective speed option on play-action shots and YAC throws behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in Minnesota, and I wouldn't be surprised if he blossoms into a valuable field stretcher for his next team. Teams that miss out on Shaheed should hustle to secure Nailor's services.
Onto the draft class. There will be some early-drafted receivers this year. Ohio State's Carnell Tate and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson are the two big prospects, with Makai Lemon (USC) also sneaking into the conversation for teams looking to fill their slot role. But I don't rank any of these players above Tetairoa McMillan from last season, or Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze and Brian Thomas Jr. from 2024. Tate and Tyson, should they go top 10, will benefit from a poor draft class pushing them up into higher draft capital.
The names on Day 2 are thinner than usual. Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr. is my preferred Round 2 target, assuming Washington's Denzel Boston has already left the board on late Day 1. Chris Bell (Louisville) is the big injury risk this season, as a torn ACL ended his emphatic 2025 season early. Zachariah Branch (Georgia) is the guy everyone will fall in love with for his 10 best plays, despite the fact that he's perilously undersized (5-foot-10, 175 pounds) for NFL play.
By no means is this a receiver class without options. The trade market might expand on those options and strengthen the class accordingly, if A.J. Brown gets dealt out of Philadelphia, or if Brandon Aiyuk is healthy and ready to play after escaping San Francisco. Neither feels like a sure thing, yet both are exciting possibilities. That's the story of every wide receiver class, of course -- there are just so many players at this position, year over year. Relative to past groups, though, this year's offerings don't stack up.
9. Tight end
Good year to need ... undersized tight ends
Bad year to need ... any significant blocking ability
If tight ends were legally not permitted to weigh above 250 pounds, this would be an unbelievable year to get one. Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq, likely the lone first-rounder at the position this offseason, has loose movement traits and explosive downfield strides to boot. Of course, his 6-foot-3, 245-pound frame is real small -- we're talking Evan Engram, Sam LaPorta or Chig Okonkwo size. And would you look at that ... Okonkwo is in this free agent class.
If you like your 240 pounds a little more stretched out, I have good news for you. Kyle Pitts Sr., the famously supersized wide receiver at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, is the gem of this free agent group. Pitts has improved as a blocker over his five years in Atlanta, going from unplayable to passable, but it's really his involvement as a three-level, high-volume receiver this past year that will get him paid.
Pitts fits both with offenses looking for an explosive play-action element from a downfield tight end (think prime Darren Waller or current Dalton Kincaid) and offenses looking to spread their tight end out and pepper him as an every-down receiver (think prime Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz). Pitts looks to be back to his prime athletic self as he gets another year removed from his 2022 knee injury, and I think he'll surprise folks with how much he signs for and how well he produces.
Kelce is also technically in this class, though the idea of him doing anything other than playing for the Chiefs or retiring is laughable. More meaningfully, Baltimore's Isaiah Likely (another WR-masquerading-as-a-TE) will be looking for a TE1 job out of Mark Andrews' shadow, and Cleveland's David Njoku still has some juice both as a receiver and as a blocker. But again, two players under 250 pounds.
The issue for these undersized tight ends? So long as the lighter, pass-catching tight ends are paying off their targets with highly efficient and explosive receiving performances, then they deservedly stay on the field. But if they can't either take on a huge volume of targets as a reliable stick mover (think Trey McBride) or create explosives in limited opportunities (think Colston Loveland), then they have to block well in order to play. Otherwise, it would be better to just field a receiver who might also impact only a little as a blocker but at least has more overall juice in terms of speed and quickness.
Jobs are much safer for the plodding 260-pounders who will never break the bank but will always have a role for their in-line blocking. Those guys are simply not available this year. Check your math if you think Cade Otton (Buccaneers) or Dallas Goedert (Eagles) fits the bill. Otton lined up in the slot or out wide just as often as Pitts this past season, and Goedert's best days as a blocker are well behind him. Charlie Kolar (Ravens) is the sneaky target here as teams look for pile movers, though Baltimore wants to keep him in-house.
The consensus on the draft class behind Sadiq is all over the place. Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers and Ohio State's Max Klare are both in the running for TE2, but they have the same concerns for size and blocking ceiling that the rest of the field does. Cincinnati's Joe Royer is perhaps the most exciting player for blocking floor and ceiling, while still having a viable path to receiving impact. Georgia's Oscar Delp is another middle-round name to watch. And Stanford's Sam Roush is the Jackson Hawes of this class -- all block, sometimes rock.
10. Defensive tackle
Good year to need ... John Franklin-Myers
Bad year to need ... an impactful defensive tackle on third down
Weird, weird, weird year when there are simply no interior defensive linemen to go around. This is a position that has been better and better appreciated by league analysts and fans alike in recent years -- not to mention by owners' wallets. After Milton Williams signed a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency last season on the back of one year of productive rotational play, the message couldn't be ignored: If a front office has the chance to get a field-tipping player at this position, it should do it.
Well, there aren't any this year. One -- just one! -- defensive tackle made Bowen's top 50 free agent list this cycle. Broncos veteran Franklin-Myers is an extremely likable player with inside-outside versatility, a powerful bull rush and a three-down skill set. But he'll turn 30 next season, and the Broncos already told us what they thought of Franklin-Myers when they extended fellow defensive tackle Malcolm Roach in November -- months after re-signing another defensive tackle D.J. Jones -- to run next to Zach Allen. Franklin-Myers was low on their priority list.
I expect Franklin-Myers to get a solid contract because somebody has to get one. Aging veterans Calais Campbell (Cardinals), David Onyemata (Falcons) and Sheldon Rankins (Texans) should see decent one-year deals for their service. Khyiris Tonga (Patriots) signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal in one of the bargains of free agency last year, and he joins such players as Sebastian Joseph-Day (Titans) and DJ Reader (Lions) as viable nose tackles who will, again, see solid short-team deals.
Can the draft class save the defensive tackle-needy teams? Not really! There is no sure thing along the defensive interior in the 2026 draft class. For those teams already secure with their 2026 starters, there are some high-upside swings, though. Peter Woods (Clemson) entered the 2025 season as one of the top draft prospects overall, and while his stock fell some following a down year, the potential is still clearly there for a game-wrecking 3-technique. Caleb Banks (Florida) looked to build on a strong 2024, but he lost all but three games in the 2025 season to a foot injury.
Both will likely go Round 1 not just because the class is generally poor, but because defensive tackle is such a premium position and many teams will enter the draft with needs unanswered by free agency. Those who miss out on Woods and Banks will go after Texas Tech's Lee Hunter or Ohio State's Kayden McDonald, but both are true nose tackles who aren't ready to impact the pass rush often in Year 1.
If forced to identify the sleepers I'd target in this group ... Tim Settle Jr. (Texans) always impresses in rotational play as a surprisingly quick penetrator for such a big, boxy build. And Domonique Orange (Iowa State) has the measurables and first step of a Jordan Davis-like space gobbler. He could provide just enough on pass-rush downs to warrant a solid second contract, at least after a few years of growth.
11. Quarterback
Good year to need ... Fernando Mendoza
Bad year to need ... anything else
What do you want me to tell you? If I could earnestly include Mendoza in the pool of "available quarterback options for QB-needy teams," maybe this position would leapfrog the interior defensive line. But Mendoza is all but off the board to the Raiders, leaving roughly a dozen other teams with serious quarterback needs in the lurch.
The second-best quarterback prospect is Alabama's Ty Simpson. He's a one-year starter in college, he didn't have elite production in that one year, and he lacks top-flight tools (size, arm strength, speed). That's the long and the short of it.
There's plenty of ways to talk yourself into him as a developmental player. He rose quickly in his lone season as a starter, bouncing back from a poor season opener and catching some fire through October and November. He can see the full field from the pocket and has the intangibles and coachability of a player who will succeed in the pros. But again, this is a developmental player -- a year away from seeing the field. He should be drafted where Jalen Milroe (who started above him at Alabama in 2024) was drafted -- the mid-third round. Maybe Simpson goes higher because his play style is more typically pro-ready, but we're talking ourselves into a second-round pick on projection here.
Tim Hasselbeck and Mina Kimes explain why they can see a strong free agent market for Malik Willis.
Yet Simpson may go to the Rams at No. 29 because they have the extra first-round pick and need developmental youth at quarterback. If they pass on Simpson, who is there? Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) had the film in 2024 to push for Round 1, but he wasn't 100 percent in 2025 and lacks ideal NFL size; he's now likely a Day 3 pick. And Carson Beck (Miami) and Drew Allar (Penn State) and Cade Klubnik (Clemson) are all trading on recruiting rankings.
The free agent and trade markets have more viable options than the draft class, but that isn't saying much. Malik Willis is an exciting free agent in that he's an enormous mystery box, and the few peeks we've gotten beneath the wrapping paper have looked marvelous. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks over the past two seasons, Willis is first in QBR, yards per dropback, completion percentage and explosive pass rate. But again, that's on 115 dropbacks collected over a few relief appearances and three measly starts.
Willis is far from a sure thing -- even less sure than Sam Darnold was when he got his three-year, $100.5 million deal from the Seahawks last offseason. A trade target like Tua Tagovailoa is a sure thing, but the surety is in his limitations. The Dolphins have shown over the past few seasons just how many offensive resources have to be dedicated to Tagovailoa's skill set to make his passing game viable. Teams that want a spot starter to run some spread RPO offenses should like Tagovailoa, but not with any designs on him becoming the next Baker Mayfield or Darnold reclamation.
The better target for veteran reclamation is Kyler Murray, whom the Cardinals will almost certainly jettison via release if they cannot find a trade partner to take on his heavy contract. Murray is coming off a foot injury and has not looked the same outside of Kliff Kingsbury's offense. So while he has some of the signs of a veteran QB reclamation -- the high draft background, the physical talent, etc. -- he also has some warts that the veteran reclamations often don't bring. Murray will be 29 next season and simply might not be the sort of escape artist he once was. That's a hard portfolio to buy into.
The only thing I like about this quarterback class (sans Mendoza) is how many rookie contract dart throws are floating around on various rosters. The list includes Anthony Richardson Sr., Will Levis, Spencer Rattler, Tanner McKee -- and even Milroe now that Darnold has proved he's the guy in Seattle. For the many teams that will be stuck with an uninspiring veteran this offseason, it isn't hard to find the desperate prayer of a young passer to pair with him.