Out-of-the-box thinking and roster building has never been more paramount to finding success in the NFL. Recent examples include the Jacksonville Jaguars taking a two-way player second overall in last year’s draft, the Seattle Seahawks handing the keys of their offense to a former draft bust, and the Los Angeles Rams avoiding owning first-round picks altogether for an entire era. Creative thinking will be key during the 2026 NFL Draft, especially considering how deep and talented the league currently is. So, here is one bold move each NFL team must consider on draft night.
Arizona Cardinals
Every year, NFL teams reach on quarterbacks because they feel the need to have an answer at the most important position in football. This year, the Arizona Cardinals are at risk of doing so. Arizona has pick three in what is viewed sort of as a one-quarterback class, and Fernando Mendoza is almost certainly going to be drafted first overall.
With Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett making up Arizona’s quarterback room, the team might feel an urge to take Ty Simpson, the second-best quarterback in this class, at pick three. The Cardinals must resist this urge because that would just be too rich for a player who is far from a guarantee to work out at the next level. Arizona needs to take the best player available at pick three, and then they can decide if they want to take a gamble on Simpson in the second round.
Atlanta Falcons
After adding two edge rushers in the first round last year, the Atlanta Falcons don’t have a first-round pick this go around. The Falcons won’t be able to be as aggressive in this draft, but they can’t take their foot off the pedal when it comes to adding to the defense. After double-dipping on pass rushing help last year, the Falcons should do the same on adding run-stopping help this year. With early picks, Atlanta needs to add off-ball linebackers and defensive tackles that can clog up running lanes.
Carolina Panthers
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The Detroit Lions infamously took a receiver in the first round in four straight drafts from 2002 to 2006. While they became a laughing stock for that philosophy, especially because Charles Rogers became one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, it culminated in them adding Calvin Johnson, one of the best receivers ever.
The Panthers have already taken a pass catcher in back-to-back drafts with the selections of Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan, and if they think there is an elite receiver available at pick 19, they shouldn’t be afraid to take him just because they have invested so much in receivers already. The Panthers still need to be doing everything they can to ensure Bryce Young has plenty of help. Plus, it is getting to the point where the team shouldn’t be counting on Legette living up to his draft billing.
The Panthers specifically need more speed in their receiving corps, and this is a loaded draft class at the receiver position. If any of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, or Jordyn Tyson fall to pick 19, the Panthers should leap at the opportunity to draft one of them. They could even consider Omar Cooper, KC Concepcion, or Denzel Boston.
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears took a huge step forward last season, and the main reason why was that they dominated the turnover battle. The team led the NFL in interceptions, yet they lost all of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jonathan Owens, Kevin Byard, Nahshon Wright, and Jaquan Brisker to free agency. The Bears already started bringing in replacements in the form of Coby Bryant and Cam Lewis, but the team can’t stop adding defensive backs. The cornerback position, in particular, needs to be the top priority in the draft.
After years of adding offensive talent in the draft, the Bears need to make sure they walk away from the 2026 NFL Draft with multiple defensive backs.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have a history of not paying their best players, or at least not until the last second. CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott didn’t get new contracts until the 11th hour, and the team decided against paying Micah Parsons altogether and packaged him in a trade. They have another star who needs to get the bag.
George Pickens is currently signed to the franchise tag. Teams have until July 15th to agree to new deals with their franchised players, but the Cowboys should change how they conduct business and get a deal done sooner rather than later. In fact, the two sides should do whatever it takes to get a deal done before the 2026 NFL Draft. So far, Pickens and the Cowboys haven’t gained much ground on a new deal, but contract extensions simply can’t be as hard as the Cowboys make them seem.
Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery formed one of the best running back tandems in NFL history. The Detroit Lions moved on from Montgomery, and now the recent first-round running back is expected to have a bigger role. However, part of the reason Gibbs was able to rack up huge numbers over the last couple of seasons was because Montgomery’s presence allowed him to stay fresh. The Lions brought in Isiah Pacheco to relieve Gibbs from time-to-time, but his regression in recent seasons is worrisome, so the Lions should draft a running back within the first four rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers got a poor grade for their free agency performance, but that was to be expected, as they rarely get active in the open market. Unfortunately, they don’t have much in the way of draft capital, either. The Packers should regularly trade down in the draft to accumulate more capital. That will be the best way to help fill the void of all their offseason departures.
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams have a history of making big trades and not drafting players in the first round under general manager Les Snead. The team has already been active in the trade market this year, specifically with the move for Trent McDuffie. They’ve managed to hold onto the 13th pick, which is owed to them via the Falcons, though. While trading first-rounders isn’t all that out of the ordinary for the Rams, it is still a bold move from the perspective of the rest of the league.
Reigning MVP Matthew Stafford doesn’t have that much longer performing at an elite level, so the team’s championship window is now. If there is another star on the trade market they can get, they should do it, even if it means once again trading first-round capital.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have one of the bigger names at the tight end position on their roster in T.J. Hockenson. However, his statistics have been underwhelming over the last two years. Hockenson hasn’t surpassed the 500-yard threshold in back-to-back seasons. Plus, he is well-regarded for his blocking ability. Even with Hockenson’s presence, the Vikings should pursue another tight end early in the draft.
Kenyon Sadiq showed off record-breaking speed at the Scouting Combine and could be on the board when the Vikings are on the clock in round one. Eli Stowers and Max Klare are second-round options. Whoever will be under center in Minnesota needs help. Kyler Murray needs help to revitalize his career, and JJ McCarthy needs help to avoid becoming a draft bust. The tight end position is the ultimate security blanket for quarterbacks.
New Orleans Saints
Drafting offensive linemen in the first round is never flashy nor something that the fans get super excited about, but it is often the way to go to build a winning organization. The New Orleans Saints’ offensive line was a disaster last year. David Edwards was a great free agent get, but the Saints need more protection. There is a lot of offensive line talent in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Saints should take one of the best big boys in the first round with pick number eight. Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, Monroe Freeling, and Vega Ioane are the top available players.
New York Giants
The New York Giants shouldn’t be afraid to use their top-five pick on a safety. Doing so is incredibly rare, but Caleb Downs is arguably the best player in this draft class. He is a weapon that would single-handedly improve New York’s defense as a whole. Taking a safety so early would be bold, but if Downs is still there at pick five, the Giants should snag him.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl 59. They proceeded to lose tons of defensive talent in the offseason. Then, after this past season, Philadelphia once again suffered a massive defensive purging. Nakobe Dean, Jaelan Phillips, and Reed Blankenship will all be playing for new teams next year. In all likelihood, the Eagles will bring in reinforcements on defense through the draft, but they need to consider the receiver position, too.
A.J. Brown is uber talented, but nearly the entirety of his Philadelphia tenure has been filled with drama. The Eagles can’t afford to not have a replacement readily available if he is traded because the rest of the receiving corps is pretty thin after DeVonta Smith. Brown and Smith form a great duo, but the team has long lacked a great third option. The Eagles did bring in Hollywood Brown, but he is a mere speed threat at this point, and neither he nor Smith are known for their physical presence. KC Concepcion is a player with a similar skill set that the Eagles should target in round one.
San Francisco 49ers
Moving back in the draft can oftentimes be a boring move in the eyes of fans, especially fans who have specific draft targets in mind. The San Francisco 49ers have four fourth-round picks but no selections after that. The team is often injured and still recovering from the biggest offseason spending deficit ever in 2025. They should move back in the draft utilizing their fourth-round capital in order to ensure they have ample depth going forward.
Seattle Seahawks
Drafting running backs in the first-round is a rarity in the modern era. The Seahawks lost their Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker, in free agency. And with Zach Charbonnet on the mend from an ACL tear, Seattle should consider taking a ball-carrier with pick 32. The value of running backs is back on the up-turn, and pick 32 barely counts as a first-round pick, but it would still allow the Seahawks an extra year having a running back on a rookie contract before they’d have to decide between re-signing him and letting him walk in free agency.
Jeremiyah Love might be gone by this point in the draft, but you never really know with running backs, so maybe he has a draft day fall. Even if Love is gone, his Notre Dame teammate, Jadarian Price, should be available.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Heading into last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked number one in ClutchPoints’ receiving corps rankings. A lot can change in a short while, though. Nearly the entire room was depleted by injuries, and Chris Godwin might not be the same receptions beast he has been in the past going forward. Furthermore, Mike Evans bolted in free agency. Receiver is now the number one area that the team needs to address, even after Emeka Egbuka showed tons of promise as a rookie.
Washington Commanders
After a postseason appearance during Jayden Daniels’ rookie season, the Washington Commanders took a huge step back last year. They don’t have a second-round pick, so they will need to make the most of their seventh overall selection. Washington should kick off the inevitable run on receivers. If they take one of Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, or Makai Lemon, the remaining pass catchers would likely come off the board soon thereafter.
Baltimore Ravens
The free agent loss of Tyler Linderbaum could be one of the most detrimental in the entire league. Because of that, everybody is pinning the center position as the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest draft need. The team brought in Jovaughn Gwyn and Danny Pinter through free agency, though. The position has already been addressed, and the Ravens might not need to utilize draft capital on a center, at least not until later in the draft.
Buffalo Bills
Year in and year out, the Buffalo Bills fall short. The team was in a prime position to win the Super Bowl with some of the best AFC quarterbacks not in the postseason field this year, but they lost in the Divisional Round instead. One critique of the team that has stood for a while is that Josh Allen isn’t surrounded by enough weapons. The team finally gave him a worthwhile top target in the form of DJ Moore, but it can be argued that he isn’t a true WR1. Buffalo should draft a first-round receiver. Omar Cooper would be a great fit and could be on the board when the Bills are up in round one.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and the entire Cincinnati Bengals’ offense is great. It is a horrendous defense that has continuously prevented the team from reaching their potential. As has been the case for years now, defense, defense, and more defense should be the priority in the draft for Cincinnati. However, the Bengals should consider adding a receiver at some point in the draft. While Chase and Tee Higgins form arguably the best receiver duo in the league, the Bengals really lack depth at the position, and a great third pass catching option could take the offense to new heights.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns should take Arvell Reese at pick six if he is still on the board. While that wouldn’t be all that out-of-the-box of a move, considering the Ohio State product is one of the best players in this draft, what would be bold is announcing Reese as both a linebacker and an edge rusher. Reese clearly is versatile, but he has seemingly zoned in on being a primary edge rusher at the NFL. With Myles Garrett already on the roster, though, the Browns don’t need a pure edge rusher.
After all, Garrett just broke the single-season sacks record. Together, Garrett and Reese would be a force, but Cleveland should use Reese plenty at the off-ball linebacker spot, too. He has plenty of ability in coverage and against the run, so the Browns shouldn’t box him into one position/role.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos don’t have any glaring holes. They are also without a first-round pick after trading for Jaylen Waddle. While drafting the best player available isn’t necessarily out-of-the-box thinking, it is rarer than many would expect, as teams tend to draft players at positional needs. The Broncos can truly just take the top player on their draft board, regardless of position, when they select at pick 62.
The last two times the Broncos were without a first-round pick, and they took the best player available, they ended up with Marvin Mims (2023) and Nik Bonitto (2022). Mims is one of the best returners in the NFL now, and Bonitto was in the Defensive Player of the Year race last season.
Houston Texans
There is always one position that is overlooked in each draft class. This year, it might be the defensive tackle position. The Houston Texans have done enough work revamping the offensive line for now. They need to take advantage of draft day slides from interior defensive linemen. A player like Peter Woods or Kayden McDonald would pair nicely with a team that already has arguably the best pass rushing tandem off the edge in the NFL.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts looked great before injuries got the best of them. Daniel Jones’ Achilles injury, in particular, was the true downfall of the team last season. Jones signed a new contract with the team, but he likely won’t be ready for the start of the year, meaning Anthony Richardson will be the team’s quarterback in the meantime. As a former number four pick, he deserves a second chance, but Richardson is a streaky player, and that doesn’t bode well for the team’s immediate playoff hopes.
On draft day, the Colts need to trade for a veteran quarterback who can compete in a competition with Richardson for the short-term starting job. If Richardson wins that competition, then great. Perhaps he can even restore some trade value. The Colts need a backup plan with Jones sidelined, though, because they can’t let this year go to waste.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Reports suggest that the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to make Travis Hunter a primary cornerback who only occasionally takes offensive snaps next season. They didn’t draft him second overall to not be a full-time two-way player, though. If drafting more cornerback and receiver talent would help ensure Hunter plays both ways more often than not, then the Jaguars should do it.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are rarely in a position to add such a prestigious draft pick. The team that is in the midst of a dynasty had a down year, which means they are picking ninth overall. They also have the 29th pick in the first round. While potentially getting a superstar in the first half of the first round has to be intriguing, the Chiefs should consider trading back. They have a lot of holes, and the dynasty might not continue if they don’t plug them all.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders just gave Kirk Cousins a bizarre contract, one that totals $172 million. While Cousins will never see all of that money, it still seems like the Raiders may plan on using the veteran as a bridge quarterback before they hand the reins to projected number one pick Fernando Mendoza. That would be a mistake, though. The Raiders need to give the Heisman winner the keys to the offense right away and let him figure out how to become the team’s franchise player. Cousins can mentor him from the bench, but he shouldn’t take reps/snaps away from the Indiana product.
Los Angeles Chargers
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While offensive tackles are drafted in the first round often, it is much more rare to see an interior offensive lineman drafted within the first 32 picks. The Chargers have an elite tackle duo between Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, if those two can get healthy. There is no excuse for the offensive line to be as bad as it has been with Jim Harbaugh as the team’s coach, though, so the Chargers might have to get bold and take a guard at pick 22. If any guard were to go that high, it would be either Vega Ioane or Emmanuel Pregnon.
New England Patriots
Drake Maye played at an MVP level last season. At the end of the day, though, he is still a young quarterback, and the New England Patriots need to ensure he has ample targets to throw to. Leading receiver Stefon Diggs left the team after New England appeared in the Super Bowl, too. If the Patriots don’t add receiver help, they are at risk of putting Maye in a situation like what Josh Allen is in. The Bills are always viewed as contenders, but they seem to fall short every year, largely because their quarterback carries too heavy a burden.
New York Jets
The New York Jets have a plethora of future draft picks. They have two first-rounders in 2026 and another three in 2027. The Jets are rebuilding, so bringing in a bunch of prestigious prospects over the next couple of years makes a lot of sense. With that said, New York can’t be afraid to sacrifice their surplus of picks to move up for their guys. Specifically, the Jets should consider trading draft capital to move up for the number one pick to take Fernando Mendoza.
The Las Vegas Raiders seem set on taking the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, but if anyone can incentivize them to move out of the top slot in the draft, it would be a Jets team that owns pick two. The expectation is that the Jets will use Geno Smith as their bridge quarterback this season and go after a quarterback in next year’s draft. However, projected top 2027 quarterback Arch Manning has become overrated in the draft community, and it isn’t a guarantee that the Jets will have their pick of the litter come next year.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the purgatory of mediocrity for far too long. While the team is never below .500, they also haven’t been in a position to truly contend for years. Bringing back Aaron Rodgers would continue this trend. Instead, the Steelers need to embrace a rebuild, and that starts with bringing in a young quarterback. However, this is considered somewhat of a one-quarterback class, and Fernando Mendoza will be off the board when the Steelers pick.
Instead of reaching on Ty Simpson or Garrett Nussmeier, the Steelers should wait until the middle or later rounds to take a quarterback, and that player should be given a fair chance to start over Mason Rudolph. Carson Beck or Cole Payton could be worth a gamble. They are projected to go late, but they have the potential to outplay their projected draft range.
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans had a fantastic offseason. They added talent all over the roster, including receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. However, after what could be considered an underwhelming rookie season, the Titans need to ensure Cam Ward is surrounded with talent. The team picks fourth overall, and while that would be considered too rich to take a running back by some, Jeremiyah Love has to receive consideration by the team. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears aren’t getting the job done. Love is considered a generational prospect and would help take pressure off Ward’s shoulders.
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