Field YatesApr 28, 2026, 06:45 AM ETCloseField Yates is a fantasy football expert and NFL draft analyst for ESPN. You can find him on Fantasy Football Now on Sunday mornings and regularly on NFL Live throughout the week, as well as the Fantasy Focus and First Draft podcasts. A graduate of Wesleyan University (CT) and native of Weston, Mass., Yates has previous experience interning with the New England Patriots on both their coaching and scouting staffs.Follow on XMultiple Authors
play0:29Indiana’s Riley Nowakowski powers into end zone for game’s 1st TDRiley Nowakowski scores a 1-yard touchdown to give Indiana a 10-0 lead over Miami.
Indiana’s Riley Nowakowski powers into end zone for game’s 1st TDRiley Nowakowski scores a 1-yard touchdown to give Indiana a 10-0 lead over Miami.
play0:51What R Mason Thomas brings to the ChiefsWhat R Mason Thomas brings to the Chiefs
play0:23Harold Perkins picks off Arkansas RazorbacksHarold Perkins picks off Arkansas Razorbacks
Of course, the Raiders kicked off Round 1 by drafting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but then the real fun began. The Rams shocked everyone by taking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13. Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, who was No. 16 on my board, fell all the way to Round 4 because of injury concerns. And there were 41 draft-day trades by the end of Round 7, the second most in a single draft since 1990, per ESPN Research.
Draft preparation for what should be an exciting 2027 class starts soon, but here is my annual look at the five picks I loved most in each round. These aren’t necessarily the best players from each round, but rather the picks I loved the most when factoring in player, value and scheme fit.
Note: For the first round, I’ve focused on picks outside of the top 10, as the first 10 picks were all top-13 players on my final rankings.
Baltimore’s long-standing “stick and pick” preference yielded another strong value in Round 1. Ioane fills a significant need and was the clear-cut best natural guard in the class (I do believe No. 10 pick Francis Mauigoa will move from tackle to guard for the Giants). Ioane is nasty, tough, extremely reliable and disciplined.
Freeling was the No. 11 player on my final board as he has the upside to become the best pass protector from this class. He has only one season of starting experience and needs to add more core strength, but Carolina affords him an ideal landing spot.
With Rasheed Walker signed this offseason, Freeling has a chance to grow into a starting role at left tackle. In a year or two, this pick could look shrewd.
The Bears had to remodel their entire safety room this offseason and have successfully done so with the addition of Thieneman and free agent signee Coby Bryant. Thieneman has the best ball skills in the class and can fly down into the box in run support. He should be a favorite of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Lomu finished at No. 23 in my final rankings, possessing a starter kit of NFL-level tools: excellent athletic ability, light feet and very good length. He didn’t yield a sack in 2025 and helped Utah finish with the highest yards per rush in the FBS (6.0). Lomu must add more mass to his frame, but he’s only 21 years old and can be used at right tackle or guard.
In 2025, Cooper did the dirty work as a blocker, hauled in 13 receiving touchdowns and made clutch plays when it mattered. Garrett Wilson will enjoy his new running mate.
After the Giants traded away Dexter Lawrence II, McDonald seemed like the perfect pick for them at No. 37. But Houston leapfrogged ahead of New York to get the best nose tackle in this class.
Though Houston’s defense is already a top-three unit in the league, adding youth and long-term contract control was important at defensive tackle. McDonald is an immovable force who clogs running lanes and makes linebackers happy by giving them room to run.
I was bullish on Thomas, as I thought he was a top-25 prospect despite some concern with his arm length. He is an explosive pass rusher who can bend and turn the corner against offensive linemen; he also has powerful and active hands that show up against the run. The Chiefs needed juice off the edge and could sacrifice size (6-foot-2, 241 pounds) for speed in the case of Thomas.
What R Mason Thomas brings to the ChiefsWhat R Mason Thomas brings to the Chiefs
From the start of the 2025 CFB season to April 23, few players did more to bolster their case as a prospect than Rodriguez. The instinctive, disruptive linebacker forced seven fumbles in 2025 and scored touchdowns on both offense and defense. Then, he crushed the Senior Bowl and NFL combine.
What Rodriguez lacks in size (6-1, 231 pounds), he makes up for in myriad ways. Miami’s linebacker duo of Jordyn Brooks and Rodriguez will be fun to watch.
Trotter has a throwback nature to his game as a downhill, physical linebacker who blends strong instincts and the ability to sort through traffic. He exploded in 2025 during his lone season at Missouri and projects as a starter the Bucs, whose star linebacker Lavonte David retired this offseason.
Trotter is a reliable tackler in the running game. In pass coverage, he has good zone instincts and a feel for space.
The Browns had one of my favorite drafts across the board, hammering away at needs while not reaching based on consensus rankings. I thought McNeil-Warren could go 20 or so spots higher than this as the long, rangy safety showed up around the football and has excellent ball skills. Cleveland’s defense is already excellent, but safety was a need beyond 2026.
Crawford began his football career as a senior in high school, yet he has quickly figured out how to be an effective pass rusher. He was a more disruptive edge rusher in 2025 than Auburn teammate Keldric Faulk, who went No. 31 to the Titans.
Though Crawford is still learning nuances of the position, his ability shines on tape. I am a big fan of Las Vegas’ picks to build around quarterback Fernando Mendoza and shore up the defense.
Tough, reliable, good after the catch, selfless and with strong hands. Those are among the ways to describe Williams, who gives the Commanders a potential WR2 next to Terry McLaurin. The rookie will take on a slot role for the Commanders, whose depth was immensely tested in 2025 amid injuries. Williams was No. 64 in my final rankings.
If you’re looking to get more physical and tougher, Pregnon is your type of guard. He has heavy hands, broad shoulders and a bulldozer mentality in the running game.
Pregnon will have to improve his quickness at handling pass rushers, but he has a good starter kit of tools to work with. He spent six years at the college level, finishing with one season at Oregon.
The weekend went very well for the Cowboys, including this selection of Barham. The former Maryland standout began his college career as a stand-up linebacker before moving to a hybrid role during his final season at Michigan. Barham has aggressive hands and is explosive when rushing the passer. Still, he needs to develop a better rush plan at the NFL level.
At some point, the health risk surrounding McCoy’s right knee is outweighed by the upside a team was getting by taking him. I’d argue that point was well before the start of the fourth round, so I loved this pick by the Raiders.
McCoy’s 2024 tape was downright exceptional, landing him in the top 15 of my prospect rankings. He is fast and confident as a man-to-man coverage corner.
If I could have picked an offensive coordinator for Thompson to begin his career with, Mike McDaniel would have topped the list. The fastest player at the combine (4.26 seconds), Thompson is a stick of dynamite in the passing game. Los Angeles will have to be careful as he was also the lightest at the combine (164 pounds), but he changes the dimensions of an offense by forcing safeties to play way deep in coverage.
Farmer is a quintessential “first guy off the bus” type of guard, bringing a mean streak to the field. He has great size and nimble feet, and he can drive defenders with ease when he engages. Farmer will need to work on his hands at the NFL level, but I’m bullish on his strength making an early impact for Indy.
Like Scott, Dennis-Sutton was much higher on my board (No. 70) than where the Packers got him. He has NFL size (6-5, 268 pounds) and produced at the college level, registering 8.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons. The Packers are looking for complementary rushers to Micah Parsons, and Dennis-Sutton is an inexpensive option to fill that need.
When sizing up Day 3 picks, I like to look at prospects who can fill specific roles. Barrett won’t register much in the sack department (just 2.0 in four seasons), but he’s like a house to move for run blockers. He’s massive, plays with a strong base and eats up blockers in a way that frees up linebackers to roam and hit. A tough L.A. defensive front should get tougher with Barrett.
The best pure fullback in the class, Bredeson is a throwback type of player who can step into the role C.J. Ham played before his retirement this offseason. Bredeson didn’t handle a single rushing attempt in college (he caught 12 passes), instead serving as a pave-the-way blocker. He’s physical and plays with the body control to operate in space as a second-level blocker.
Had Jeremiyah Love been available at No. 4 overall, he would have been a consideration for the Titans. The team needs a young running back behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears as both are entering contract years.
Singleton was a good pickup this late as he had an extremely productive college career. He rushed for 12 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2022 (also scoring on a 100-yard kickoff return), ran for more than 1,000 yards in 2024 and had 65 catches over the past two seasons.
On an Indiana team that dominated in 2025, Nowakowski was the glue guy who made plays when it mattered most. Given Indiana’s talented trio of wideouts, he was not a prominently featured target in the passing game. Nowakowski had a pair of receiving touchdowns, had a pair of rushing TDs and held his own as an end-of-the-line blocker and out in space in 2025. He can absorb the role Connor Heyward played for the Steelers in recent years.