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.