Three best NFL draft classes of 2026, plus some behind-the-scenes insights

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Sometimes those revelations are heavy. Other times, like in the exciting afterglow of another draft, they’re more fun. Yesterday, our reporters shared some notes that take you inside their favorite picks for all 32 teams. First, the full list of those picks: Inside: Stories behind our favorite picks, plus Dane Brugler ranks all 32 classes (and we look at his top three). Michael Silver also fully explored Maxx Crosby fallout in Baltimore. Juicy. Let’s go. This article is from The Athletic’s NFL newsletter. Sign up here to receive it directly in your inbox. My three favorite tidbits from our reporters’ story on their favorite picks: 1. The Lions had to draft Blake Miller. Detroit’s first-round pick and newest offensive tackle was an ideal fit for Dan Campbell’s team, as Colton Pouncy explained: 💬 “Miller delayed surgery the spring of his junior season because he didn’t want to miss practice and be away from his (Clemson) teammates. He ended up missing a single practice, and told reporters, ‘That kinda sucked.'” How could it get any more Detroit? Full takeaways from Colton here. 2. The Ravens’ owner made a pick. Baltimore drafting Miller’s college teammate, WR-turned-RB Adam Randall, was interesting due to the player’s backstory. It gets better: Jeff Zrebiec explained that it was owner Steve Bisciotti who scouted Randall and chose him, even calling the fifth-rounder personally, all with GM Eric DeCosta’s permission. (More on Baltimore’s class here.) 3. Yes, the Commanders drafted “Fatman” to play running back. (Not my words! That’s from Penn State’s Kaytron Allen himself, who explained to the media, “I was a fat baby, and everybody in the town called me Fatman. Hopefully, I keep it going in Washington and they call me Fatman. And you know, when I score, all you hear is Fatman.”) There’s a first for everything. 4. The Packers traded up to draft a kicker … named Trey Smack. That is awesome. For more where all of that came from, check out our beat reporters’ favorite picks for all 32 teams. Now for the three best draft classes … The Monday after every NFL Draft, Dane Brugler ranks each team’s class from 1 to 32. The No. 1 and No. 3 teams in his 2025 rankings made the Super Bowl. No. 2 was Cleveland, which reset its foundation with a stellar class. The Eagles, No. 4 in 2024, would win the Super Bowl later that season. That means we should pay close attention to the top of Dane’s latest team-by-team class rankings, published this morning. Two might be in the Super Bowl. The other is in Cleveland. We’ll start there. After another impressive haul, the Browns might be the most only-a-quarterback-away team in the NFL. Their elite defense is now buoyed by an offense-heavy class, which saw Cleveland improve its receiver room and offensive line with seven (!) total additions. Spencer Fano was the draft’s top-rated lineman and has elite tackle potential, while KC Concepcion might be the most dangerous receiver in this class with the ball in his hands. They also added two of the draft’s biggest values in safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (consensus ranking No. 22, drafted at 58) and receiver Denzel Boston (consensus No. 20, drafted 39). Now all the Browns need to do is … suck in 2026. That way, they can draft an elite 2027 quarterback, who could actually be fortunate to end up in Cleveland. (I can’t believe I’m typing that either. This is the first time since early-2010s Josh Gordon that I’m excited about the Browns.) Top-10 draft rankings in 2025 and 2024 produced a strong base for the Giants, one that enticed this cycle’s most attractive coaching candidate despite the team’s 22-45-1 record in the prior four seasons. John Harbaugh happily inherited Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and Abdul Carter, each at a premium position, on a rookie contract and under 23 years old. His Giants then spent $173 million in free agency — eighth-most in the NFL — to patch the roster elsewhere. They’ve now added the draft’s best player, linebacker Arvell Reese. The Ohio State product fell to No. 5, significantly further than any of Dane’s other top-ranked players since 2019: Reese, also the best scheme fit in the draft, benefits from landing on a team where he can play both inside linebacker and on the edge. He was expected to land in New York, but with the Jets at No. 2. Giants’ brass was shocked. “Even general manager Joe Schoen didn’t anticipate the linebacker would be available,” wrote my colleague Charlotte Carroll in her post-draft takeaways. “Harbaugh said, ‘I think Joe probably ran about a zillion mocks — no, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. … And this one didn’t come up.'” Reese leads a group that emphasized size and build. After his first draft in New York, Harbaugh called this 2026 class “A bunch of Giants, figuratively and literally.” (And hey, kudos to Schoen for three consecutive top-10 classes.) Nothing matters all that much here unless Fernando Mendoza becomes a franchise quarterback. That said, our new Raiders beat reporter, Sam Warren, (who sports an impressive moustache) shared an interesting theme in Las Vegas: “Almost all their additions overcame some sort of adversity in their college careers, whether that be underrecruitment, transfer or injury. That’s representative of the character general manager John Spytek wants his team to play with.” It sounds like Spytek wants players who are as motivated toward greatness as co-owner and former sixth-rounder Tom Brady. A smart approach. They just still need a receiver, badly. Free agent Jauan Jennings could be a fit here. Otherwise, no notes. The Raiders were my pick for the draft’s best class. That’s thanks to Mendoza, the potential value they landed in cornerback Jermod McCoy and other additions who could be major contributors in 2026, including offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III. 🫵 Poll time: Who do you think won the 2026 draft? Click here to vote. 👀 Ravens explain Crosby saga. Michael Silver went inside Baltimore’s facility with exclusive access to DeCosta and other decision-makers. He shares it all. 🎙 Mike Tomlin explained the factors that went into his resignation. Insightful look into the mental side of coaching pro football. 💡 This draft taught us plenty, and Zak Keefer tells us every key takeaway here. 📓 Who were the NFL Draft’s biggest outliers? Saad Yousuf shared his 10 favorite value picks (and the most daring reaches). 🤝 The 2027 quarterback class is heralded as the next great group of passers, a la 2004 or 2024. Here are those prospects. ▶️ Sunday’s most-clicked: Mike Jones on this draft’s winners and losers. 📫 Enjoyed this read? Sign up here to receive The Athletic’s free NFL newsletter in your inbox.  Also, check out our other newsletters. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms