NFL Draft Grades: Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles Earn 'A' Grades

The 2026 NFL draft wasn't short on excitement. Quarterback Ty Simpson to the Rams midway through the first round? Big defensive additions for the Cowboys? A dynamic running back to the Cardinals? Two brothers going to the same secondary? Eight trades on Day 1 and 41 across all three days? That was fun.

Now we take it all in and try to make sense of the picks. Which teams nailed their selections from start to finish, tackling needs, sticking to the board and actively getting better? Which teams found steals in some places but reached in others? And which teams made real head-scratching moves, missing big opportunities to get value or fill a hole on the roster?

Here are my annual NFL draft grades, where I size up all 32 teams' classes. I evaluated each front office's haul across the 257 selections, pulling in my own Big Board rankings and positional grades to see how efficient each franchise was in maneuvering the board. Trades -- both up and down the draft order -- were also factored in; that's all part of the overall value. I recapped Round 1 on Thursday night and Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday evening, but I'll go a little deeper here and touch on every team.

We'll start with the best report cards (I handed out four "A" grades) and go to the worst (yes, there is a few "C" marks). Teams that have identical letter grades are listed in alphabetical order. For more on how these rookie classes stack up, check out "NFL Draft Daily" and listen to the final episode of the "First Draft" podcast this week.

NFL draft coverage:

Kiper's Day 1 winners | Kiper's Day 2 winners

Pick-by-pick takes | Overreactions | Every pick

Jump to:

ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN

CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND

JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN

NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF

SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

Cleveland Browns: A

Top needs entering the draft: Left tackle, wide receiver, defensive tackle, safety, guard, cornerback

The Browns came into Thursday with two first-round picks (thanks to last year's trade with the Jaguars so Jacksonville could go up to No. 2 for Travis Hunter) and two big needs. Would they go receiver at No. 6 and offensive tackle at No. 24? OT at No. 6 and WR at No. 24? Or would they completely shake things up and entertain a trade?

They ended up going OT-WR ... and then hitting both positions again on Day 2. The Spencer Fano and Austin Barber picks could be the final touches on a complete offensive line rebuild this offseason. The Browns had 14 different offensive line combinations play at least 10 snaps last season, third most in the NFL. Then ... everyone was gone. Wyatt Teller signed with Houston, and Cam Robinson, Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio and Ethan Pocic are all still unsigned. In their place, Cleveland traded for Tytus Howard, re-signed Teven Jenkins and brought in Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson, in addition to getting Dawand Jones back from a knee injury.

But this team needed a left tackle, and Fano could be a solution. He has spent the past two seasons on the right side, but he was a LT in 2023. He stays square to pass rushers and has pop in his hands, but 32⅛-inch arms might ultimately force a move inside. I love that Cleveland was able to trade back, add picks and still get one of the top two tackles in the class. Barber made the opposite change, going from the right side to the left during his college career. He's a great run blocker, but he gets beaten by power a lot in pass protection at 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds. I thought there were better options out there, and Cleveland having to trade up to get him made this pick a little questionable.

At receiver, the Browns landed two of my top eight guys in the class. I have concerns about KC Concepcion's drop issues (seven last season), but he has a nose for the end zone (25 career TDs) and averaged 15.1 yards per catch last season. I said Denzel Boston would have been the right pick in Round 1 ... and Cleveland got him in Round 2. Even though I would have flipped these two players value-wise, the Browns ended up with two really talented pass catchers. That's critical. The Browns' WR room was at the bottom of the NFL in receptions (117), yards (1,467) and TDs (four) last season. Boston takes defenders out of the play with his 6-4 frame and routinely makes tough catches on balls thrown too high or too low. Like Concepcion, he had a healthy YPC in 2025 at 14.2, and he scored 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons.

The major defensive addition was Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. Just sheer value -- my No. 33 prospect at No. 58. Take him out of Toledo and put him in a Power 4 uniform and maybe he goes a little earlier. But I'm not worried about the quality of competition. He flies to the football and generates turnovers (10 forced fumbles, five interceptions).

Among the Day 3 picks, Parker Brailsford and Taylen Green stand out. Brailsford is yet another option for the offensive line, with more than 2,400 snaps at center over his career. And while the Browns don't need any more quarterbacks quantity-wise, Green is an explosive player who ran a 4.36 and jumped 43½ inches in the vertical jump at the combine. He needs to work on his accuracy, but he has a big arm and a lot of attributes.

The Browns received an A-plus from me last year, and the class lived up to expectations. Carson Schwesinger was Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. were the main catalysts of the offense, but all seven picks chipped in at some point during Year 1. I don't know that Cleveland's 2026 group of draft picks will have the same impact, but this is another good group which should have Week 1 roles. Another good draft weekend for the Browns.

Dallas Cowboys: A

Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback

You'll notice the only top needs listed here are on defense. The 2025 unit was outrageously bad: 6.1 yards allowed per play (31st), 30.1 points allowed per game (32nd), minus-153 EPA (32nd), 58.4 opponent QBR (29th), 47.3% opponent third-down rate (32nd) ... the list just keeps going. Big plays had an especially big role in the Cowboys' defensive shortcomings, as they allowed a league-high 54 plays of 25 or more yards.

So it's no surprise that the Cowboys' first three picks -- and five of their seven total -- came on that side of the ball. They made splashes in Round 1, trading up for Caleb Downs and trading down for Malachi Lawrence.

Downs fell out of the top 10 despite ranking sixth in my rankings, and Dallas took the opportunity to trade up one spot to get him. Downs' pre-snap instincts are elite, which allow him to play top-down and make plays on the ball in coverage (six career INTs). But he can sniff out run plays and wrap up as a tackler in open space, too. He's just a tremendous football player, and he's going to change everything in that secondary. Safety wasn't a top three need, but he will join free agent addition Jalen Thompson to turn a safety room with 2025 questions into one with 2026 promise. It's tough to get a steal at No. 11, but Dallas might have done it.

Getting Lawrence later in Round 1 made things even better. Edge rusher was my No. 1 need for Dallas, and Lawrence had seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss last season. Jadeveon Clowney led the team with 8.5 sacks last season, but he's still unsigned. Between trading for Rashan Gary and drafting Lawrence, third-rounder Jaishawn Barham and fourth-rounder LT Overton, the Cowboys are at least building that unit back up after dealing away Micah Parsons before last season. And I thought the Barham and Overton picks were good value.

Las Vegas Raiders: A

Top needs entering the draft: Quarterback, defensive tackle, offensive line, wide receiver, cornerback

The Raiders have a new quarterback!

We've known for months that Las Vegas would take Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, but the lack of suspense takes nothing away from the fact the team just landed a franchise QB. The Raiders ranked 30th in QBR over the past two seasons (33.2), with five passers starting at least one game over that time. Geno Smith threw 17 interceptions in 2025. And the team mustered 5.0 yards per dropback, among the four worst in the NFL. But Mendoza changes everything there -- there is suddenly real promise under center.

His rise in 2025 was incredible. He threw 41 touchdown passes en route to an undefeated record, the Heisman Trophy, a national championship and now the No. 1 pick of the draft. Mendoza is very precise with his ball location and can dial up any throw, with a miniscule 7.1% off-target rate. He's going to elevate this offense for coach Klint Kubiak immediately.

There were a lot of strong picks on Day 2 and Day 3, too. Treydan Stukes is a versatile safety who wears a lot of hats. He can stick with receivers in coverage (4.33-second 40-yard dash), he can hit and he can make plays on the ball (four interceptions last season). If not for a torn ACL in 2024 that cost him a chunk of that season and the first few games of 2025, he might have done enough to warrant a first-round pick. Keyron Crawford can bring some depth and juice to the edge rush.

Outside of Mendoza, Round 4 could define the rest of the Raiders' draft class. To kick off Day 3, Las Vegas stopped Jermod McCoy's slide. McCoy was in the conversation for CB1 in the class all season based on his tape and attributes. But he suffered a torn ACL in January 2025, missed the entire season and sat out the combine. I kept him at No. 29 on my board, but it's clear teams weren't comfortable with how the knee was progressing. When healthy, he's excellent and picked off four passes in 2024. But will he get healthy? At this point in the draft, it's worth finding out.

And then Vegas picked Mike Washington Jr. Ashton Jeanty, last year's No. 6 pick, isn't going anywhere, but Washington can bring a speed factor to the table. The 6-1, 223-pound running back ran a scorching 4.33 in the 40 at the combine. Per ESPN Research, it tied for the fastest 40 time over the past 20 combines for players weighing at least 220 pounds (joining DK Metcalf and Isaac Guerendo). He can add a pass-catching factor on third down, too. Getting my RB3 at No. 122 is a win.

I do wonder where the receivers are, though. Las Vegas was working on improving the supporting cast around Mendoza, signing Kirk Cousins as a veteran mentor and Tyler Linderbaum as his new center. But the skill positions left a lot to be desired beyond the team's past two first-round picks, tight end Brock Bowers and Jeanty. Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor are still the top two WRs on the roster. I would have thought Zachariah Branch or Antonio Williams would have been in play in Round 3.

Philadelphia Eagles: A

Top needs entering the draft: Offensive line, edge rusher, tight end, safety, wide receiver

As draft week kicked off, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that A.J. Brown would very likely be in a Patriots uniform for 2026, though any trade would come after June 1, which means $43 million in dead cap money could be split between years. We've heard the Brown trade rumors for months, but this firmed things up a bit. So it was no surprise when Philadelphia moved up three spots to No. 20 to stop Makai Lemon's mini slide. If you have any doubt a trade-up was needed to get him, look no further than the video circulating of Lemon on the phone with the Steelers, who had intended to take him at No. 21 before they learned the Eagles had jumped the line.

Lemon (No. 11 on my board) is a tough, physical receiver despite his 5-11, 192-pound frame. He snags the ball on the run and turns upfield through traffic without fear, helping him to 1,156 yards in the 2025 season. He will match well with DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.

Eli Stowers is another playmaker for the Sean Mannion offense, and he can be Dallas Goedert's future replacement. Goedert is back, but he's 31 years old and on a one-year deal. Next up, offensive tackle support with Markel Bell. Remember, general manager Howie Roseman likes to draft for future needs. There's no guarantee that Stowers takes over for Goedert or Bell develops enough to take one of the tackle spots when 35-year-old Lane Johnson retires, but putting resources into those positions on Day 2 is good work by the Eagles front office. Bell is still developing, but he did a good job manning left tackle at Miami. Philly went down the board for him, but the top OTs were gone.

Cole Payton probably won't beat out Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton for QB2 behind Jalen Hurts, but he ran for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. I think Mannion could use him in some packages. Payton runs a 4.56 at 232 pounds, so I'm envisioning some sort of Taysom Hill role in Philadelphia. As a passer, he's very accurate despite a long delivery. The rest of the Day 3 bunch is filled with dart throws: Micah Morris is athletic, Uar Bernard has some intriguing physical traits, and Keyshawn James-Newby was unstoppable at the end of last season (4.5 sacks over the final five games).

To cap it off, remember that the Eagles made a draft-weekend trade for Jonathan Greenard. They sent a pair of third-rounders (one in 2027) to Minnesota for Greenard and a seventh-rounder (used on Cole Wisniewski). Greenard had just three sacks last season after hitting at least 12 in the previous two years, but he's an instant starter for Vic Fangio.

New York Jets: A-

Top needs entering the draft: Quarterback, wide receiver, edge rusher, cornerback, linebacker

Let's flash back to 2022, when the Jets had two picks in Round 1 and ended up making three selections -- Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson. Only one of those players is still with the team, and one of them was actually traded for one of the Jets' first-rounders this year, but we're running it back. New York added three playmakers on Day 1, starting with David Bailey.

I made the case that this should have been Arvell Reese because of his high upside. But Bailey brings tangible production to the table, having led the nation in pressure rate (20.4%) en route to 14.5 sacks -- which also tied for the most among all FBS players. He's a bendy 251-pounder with 4.5 speed that allows him to get on top of QBs quickly. Johnson is in Tennessee now, so the Jets needed a real presence opposite Will McDonald IV. They were 31st in sacks last season with 26.

New York went with offense at Nos. 16 and 30. The Jets used a second-round pick on Mason Taylor last year at tight end (44 catches in Year 1), but that didn't stop them from jumping on Kenyon Sadiq in the middle of Round 1. It wasn't the most obvious need, and I had zeroed this one in on receiver Makai Lemon. But Sadiq is going to be used all over the formation and is basically a big receiver when he's flexed out. He ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash and jumped 43½ inches in the vertical jump at 241 pounds. He can box out cornerbacks and safeties and outrun linebackers, so it's no surprise t