With Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft wrapped up, Yahoo Sports NFL draft analyst Charles McDonald has passed judgement on every pick of Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday night.
Here’s how he rated rated Round 1 of the draft on Thursday.
Grade: C
The 49ers took a risk here, but they need to keep building out their wide receiver room for the future, especially now that veteran Mike Evans is in the fold. Stribling is raw, but has the athleticism the Niners love.
Grade: A-
Bisontis is a high-upside, high-floor offensive lineman who can boost the Cardinals’ run game that now features Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier.
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Grade: B+
The Bills needed to get younger on the edge and they got a rugged, heavy-handed player who can fit in Jim Leonhard’s defense smoothly right off the bat with room to grow. They needed to stop the run better than last season and this helps them with that.
Grade: A
McDonald could have gone in the first round of the draft, but ended up here where the Texans swooped in and got a rare playmaker at nose tackle for a defense that likes to play aggressively. Getting a highly productive 330-pound player for this defense was exactly what they needed for their defensive tackle depth.
Grade: B
Hood fills a need with value for the Giants. He’s a potential starter with man coverage upside, which the Giants needed to add. With Deonte Banks disappointing so far, this became a bigger priority.
Grade: C-
Stukes is a good athlete and figured out how to be productive in 2025, but he’s an older prospect and might be capped in terms of potential. However, the Raiders needed to get more athletic and faster in the defensive backfield, so it makes sense.
Grade: B+
The Browns added another wide receiver early in their offense-heavy draft. Boston is a bigger body WR compared to the speed and big-play ability of first-round pick KC Concepcion, hopefully giving the Browns a passable wide receiver duo for the immediate and long-term future. This is one of the few times double-dipping makes a lot of sense.
Grade: C+
The Chiefs needed another body along the defensive line and got a productive, dirty-work player here in Thomas. He’s not always going to create explosive plays behind the line of scrimmage by himself. Getting to play with Chris Jones and George Karlaftis will be a big help early in his career.
Grade: C
Howell has to hit the ground running for the Bengals’ brutal defensive line, but he has enough upside where this is intriguing. Howell joins Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe as major defensive line additions the Bengals need to hit right away.
Grade: C
Miller was hot-and-cold as a player for the Bulldogs last season, but he has potential as a nose tackle for the Saints. Their defensive line has deteriorated due to age and shaky draft picks. Miller gives them another hack to find a talented player to join Chase Young and Bryan Bresee.
Grade: B-
Rodriguez was a star in college football last year and parlayed a solid NFL scouting combine into being a second-round pick. He joins a defense that’s in the middle of rebuilding. Rodriguez has a lot of value in the immediate and long-term future as a speedy presence in the middle.
Grade: C+
Moore doesn’t play with great technique but he doesn’t get moved much off the ball. He is NFL strong and already has the size necessary to compete in the league. He has a ways to go in terms of consistent technique, but he’s got a chance.
Grade: A
Your prototypical Ravens pick. Young is heavy-handed and will wear on the opposition. Baltimore’s signing of Trey Hendrickson made getting someone who can stop the run critical for this defense. Young will also complement Mike Green.
Grade: C+
The Buccaneers needed to add some speed and youth at linebacker, and the downhill Trotter makes a lot of sense for Todd Bowles’ defense. Trotter has a lot of speed and power to be a fixture for the Buccaneers’ defense for a long time.
Grade: C
The Steelers needed to add more talent to their wide receiver room and got a competent player here in Bernard. DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr. and Bernard are a big upgrade over what they had last year.
Grade: A
He easily could’ve gone late in the first round. Matt Ryan, with his first draft pick leading the Falcons’ front office, got great value here. The Falcons have needed another starting cornerback for a long time here and got the younger brother of star cornerback A.J. Terrell. This is a strong value for where he was projected.
Grade: D
His athletic testing was below subpar. What’s worrisome is he’ll be in a division that features strong offensive line play. This felt like a Day 3 pick. As an older player, he needs to prove his worth and disruption immediately because his athletic profile is really lacking.
Grade: B-
The Jets needed to continue adding talent to their defense this year and they got a competent player here in Ponds. The Jets have added a lot of floor-raisers on defense this year and Ponds can be another one of them.
Grade: C-
Golday doesn’t play with great physicality in the box, but he has versatility considering his size, speed and the slot-ish alignment that he played in college. Finishing plays in the NFL is a worry.
Grade: C
The Packers’ secondary struggled mightily last season and this pick feels like a weird fit for a team that needed better man coverage chops. Still, the Packers needed some kind of secondary upgrade on Day 2 of the draft.
Grade: A-
Allen was one of Georgia’s most important players over the past few seasons and falls this far only due to questions about athleticism and length. Still, he’s a capable athlete and a strong tackler in the box who should emerge as a leader.
Grade: A
The Eagles needed to find a long-term replacement for Dallas Goedert and took a player with tangible upside here in Stowers. He is a ridiculous athlete who’s still learning how to block, but his chops as a receiver are already stamped.
Grade: B
The Patriots needed juice and upside at defensive end, and they got it here with Jacas. At this point in the draft, Jacas is one of the last edge defenders on the board with a chance to develop into an impact player in the NFL.
Grade: C
Jacksonville adds a true Y-tight end to add some physicality to its offense. The Jags needed a little influx of physicality to their run game and this is a solid way to get it.
Grade: B-
Jones is a solid fill-in player for the Bears as they replace the production of Drew Dalman, who retired this offseason. Center was a huge need and they’ve at least taken a stab at a potential starter here.
Grade: B+
It’s the second straight draft where the process is sound for the Browns. If McNeil-Warren went 30 picks higher it would have made sense. Another big hitter on a defense that’s already juiced up with a bunch of good players.
Grade: C
The Texans needed a little more juice up front and have sacrificed some blocking ability here to get more athletic for C.J. Stroud. This might be a pick for the future moreso than now.
Grade: A-
Great pick to get Hill here. He has a ton of upside, with a head coach in Robert Saleh who’s proven to develop defensive talent. This pick makes a whole lot of sense.
Grade: C
He has a chance to develop as a blocker. Otherwise he’s a smooth athlete the Rams are keen on having in Sean McVay’s offense.
Grade: C
Cornerback wasn’t a huge need for the Bills, but it never hurts to have depth there. New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will err on the side of that, and Igbinosun has long arms and more potential to tap into.
Grade: B-
He checks the boxes here. Slaughter has a high football IQ and played a lot in Florida. He needs to get stronger at the next level. He has a shot to start early.
Grade: B+
This makes sense. He’s got plenty of versatility to add to the Seahawks’ backfield, and he’s a smart player who can grasp Mike Macdonald’s playbook.
Grade: D+
I don’t understand the upside here. Beck could be a good backup, but the Cardinals already have Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. It’s a dart throw, but I’m not sure about this one.
Grade: C
A one-for-one replacement for John Franklin-Myers, but also a reach. The need makes sense, the player does not.
Grade: B-
Crawford can rush the passer and drop into coverage. The pick makes sense, and he could have easily gone in the second round.
Grade: C
The Eagles needed a tackle at some point, and they get one here. Huge size (6-foot-9, 346 pounds), though not particularly athletic for it.
Grade: C+
Arm length is short by NFL standards, but Roush has a good, athletic profile. He’s able to play in-line and contribute in the run game in Ben Johnson’s 12 and 13 personnel.
Grade: B+
Perfect range for him, and the 49ers need defensive edge depth. They had to make some premium investment here, and Height, who’s good at a lot of things if not great at one, fits cleanly.
Grade: B-
The Commanders needed certainty at WR, and they get it here. He’s a smaller, separation-based receiver, but projects to be a reliable target for Jayden Daniels.
Grade: C
He’s got some ballhawk to him, but it’s definitely a bet on his upside and traits. The Bengals have thrown a ton of draft picks at defense the past two years, and one has to hit eventually.
Grade: B+
Delp was underutilized at Georgia after looking like a potential superstar as a freshman. He’s a good blocker with good hands who ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash. The Saints can make something out of him.
Grade: C+
His skill set as a zone beater could allow Malik Nabers to be his best version. Fields is relatively new to the WR position after playing QB in high school, but that shows up in his game as a smart player with versatility.
Grade: D
Head scratcher. Might only be effective on 50/50 deep balls with his size and length.
Grade: C-
He has prototypical size and elite arm strength, but hasn’t made much of it. The Steelers need to throw darts at QB, but his inconsistency after ample college experience isn’t encouraging.
Grade: C-
In a normal draft he wouldn’t go this early, but the lack of depth in this draft is starting to show. Not explosive as an athlete, nor super technically sound, so he’ll need coaching.
Grade: B+
He was one of the best DBs in the SEC last season and has a ton of college experience. Good value pick in the third round with a high floor.
Grade: C+
Interesting pick. Not sure he has utility as a WR2 for the Falcons, who need a true deep threat. But a fine pick for Round 3, especially with the ability to take advantage of playing in the same corps as Drake London.
Grade: C-
He struggles to get separation, which doesn’t project to improve at the next level. He has a low ceiling but gets high marks for route running.
Grade: C+
He plays with power and is a “plugger” type of defender. This, like much of everyone at this point in the draft, is a dart throw.
Grade: B-
This is a safe range for him, and a double dip at a position of need after taking Caleb Banks in the first round. Orange is raw and doesn’t always play with great explosion and violence off the snap, but Brian Flores can fix that real quick.
Grade: C
This is a bit of a project considering skill position players from Knoxville haven’t really stuck in the NFL recently. Plus he has some character red flags. But the raw talent is there.
Grade: B-
Freak athlete who’s walking into a good WR room that needs an X option. Hurst is big and can run, and could fit that mold with some patience and development. Not a bad pick for this range.
Grade: C+
Made a big leap in play starting from his junior year. Might be better as a safety in the NFL.
Grade: B-
Good size, nice mover and started a lot of games in college. He could well hang as a left tackle in the NFL, but at worst could be a swing tackle. Another dart throw at OL for the Browns.
Grade: B
A true Y-tight end, meaning he will block and do it well. This landing spot matches his talent.
Grade: B+
An older prospect with huge hands and good length, he’ll be better in the run game for the Jaguars than the passing game, but he fills a need in a solid way. Good range for him too.
Grade: C
Thomas is fast and might be able to pull things open for the Bears’ other WRs, but he didn’t jump out on tape in college. He can contribute in the return game, though.
Grade: C
He can pass protect and has juice in the run game, but upside is limited. Kyle Shanahan loves his Day 2 running backs.
Grade: B-
Zuhn has some positional flexibility, which you look for at this point in the draft. The Raiders don’t need him at center after signing Tyler Linderbaum, so maybe he can transition to guard. Either way, a good idea to continue to try to protect Fernando Mendoza.
Grade: C
He reminds you of a less athletic version of YaYa Diaby, and not much else. The Cowboys are throwing resources at their pass rush room though, so the fit is obvious.
Grade: C+
A seven-year (!) college player, Trost can play guard or tackle, though there are questions about how much potential there is to tap into. The Rams can get the most out of him, though.
Grade: B
Bell might not be ready to be a high-volume contributor for a year or two, due to his recovery from a torn ACL and developmental needs, but the raw ability is there. He can win against press man and run a vertical route tree, and he’s good with ball in his hands. He may well end up the best pass-catcher the Dolphins draft this year.
Grade: B+
Raridon can dominate in the run game as a blocker with his big frame (6-7, 252), and he can also stretch the field as a receiver. Health has been a question in the past, but if he can stay on the field, he’ll play a key role for Drake Maye and that offense.
Grade: A-
He can play guard and maybe even right tackle. He’s a good mover who generates a lot of power on first contact. Dunker tested pretty well and could have been a late second-round pick.
Grade: B+
Solid pick. Tiernan has clean footwork and is a good technician, though he needs to work on sustaining in his blocks. Good athlete and depth piece who should help Kyler Murray and Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
Grade: B
Older prospect, but a ballhawk and good value at this spot. It’ll be interesting to see where Brian Flores uses this playmaker in his defense.
Grade: C+
The Seahawks needed to address corner, and Neal is good in zone systems with decent size. He’s a different flavor from what they’ve had on the outside.
Grade: C-
The Jaguars need to hit on their picks, because they’re mostly running back the same team that lost in the wild-card round. Huskey feels rich here, but maybe he works out.