Solak: How every team can ace the draft

17.04.2026, 19:11 espn.com

Have you ever clicked on an NFL draft grades piece, scrolled down to your favorite team and been stunned by the terrible grade given to your squad? Doesn't the analyst get that all these picks will hit?!

Well, I have the solution for you -- a draft grades file comprising only A+ marks! Never again will you have to worry about your team's likely busts or bad trades because it did everything right this time.

Of course, to achieve such a piece, I had to write it a week before the NFL draft and make all the draft strategy and trades myself. This isn't a mock draft -- I don't make every pick for every team. Instead, it's a rubric each team should follow to address its particular short- and long-term needs while acknowledging its likelihood of competitiveness in 2026 and beyond.

It's a fun exercise made totally null by April 23, when one surprising faller can shake up the entire board and all the draft strategies hit the fan. Until then, this is how every team can get "A" grades from me when the dust finally settles.

Jump to a team:ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CINCLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | INDJAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MINNE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SFSEA | TB | TEN | WSH

Picks: Nos. 12, 20, 92, 112, 152, 177, 180, 218

The Cowboys fielded the league's worst defense last season (by EPA per play, explosive plays allowed and points per drive), but an A+ draft class should change that.

Let's start in the trenches and work backward. They need an additional pass rusher badly, as Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku are useful players but not every-down dominators. Could the Cowboys package pick Nos. 12 and 20 to move up into the top five for Arvell Reese (Ohio State) or David Bailey (Texas Tech)? Or would they instead play the patient game, either to wait for Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) or to go another direction in Caleb Downs (Ohio State safety) or Sonny Styles (Ohio State linebacker)?

The Cowboys' linebacker need cannot be overstated. Dallas is kicking Marist Liufau to 3-4 outside linebacker in Christian Parker's defense, which leaves its off-ball LB room with third-year pro DeMarvion Overshown (still recovering from a major 2024 knee injury), 2025 fifth-round rookie Shemar James and 2025 UDFA Justin Barron. That's ... it. I cannot imagine Dallas is willing to take CJ Allen (Georgia) or Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) at No. 20, but both will be gone (and many more linebackers with them) by pick No. 92. Should Styles not make it to No. 12, the Cowboys might need to move back from 20 to get a starting linebacker at the appropriate value. (Of course, they could also trade up for Styles.)

This brings us to the secondary, where things are ... better? The Cowboys added veteran safety Jalen Thompson from the Cardinals and corner Cobie Durant from the Rams. Thompson and Malik Hooker are an acceptable safety duo, but CB is mighty thin. Durant was given a one-year deal worth a maximum of $5.5 million -- not guaranteed starter money. Dallas can go for either a nickel corner (to keep incumbent starter DaRon Bland outside) or an outside player (to kick Bland back inside), which is reflected in its predraft visits. The Cowboys brass has met with expected boundary players (Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, Colton Hood) and slots (Avieon Terrell, D'Angelo Ponds, Keionte Scott). The team is going after the secondary.

Because the Cowboys have two top-20 picks then no selection until 92, how they address their needs is highly conditional on the players and trades available. They should be an active trading team, and whether it will be up or down depends on how the board falls.

The bottom line: Be flexible with trades and address the board as it comes to you. Defense, defense, defense.

Picks: Nos. 5, 37, 105, 145, 186, 192, 193

The Giants were active in free agency this offseason and have been for the past few years, so many of their positions are set in the short term. The remaining glaring need on offense is at right guard, where Daniel Faalele was just signed as another John Harbaugh follower -- but ask Ravens fans how it feels to have Faalele start 17 games. The Giants have fine-to-strong starters at all other positions along the line and shouldn't faff around with the fifth pick here accordingly. They draft too early in the first round, but No. 37 is a great spot for guards in this draft, including Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech) and Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M).

Neither wide receiver nor running back needs big additions, but don't be surprised if Carnell Tate (Ohio State) or Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) is the pick at No. 5. Cam Skattebo and Darius Slayton are not deterring Harbaugh from taking a blue-chip talent if he sees one.

Defensively, there are more gaps. CB2 is a need after the departure of Cor'Dale Flott in free agency, and LB2 has been a big need for a while as Tremaine Edmunds has swapped in for Bobby Okereke. Again, neither spot is in so dire a need that it must be addressed early, but I'd expect the Giants to get a potential contributor at each spot. As with WR and RB, the Giants can let the board fall to them.

The true must-get: a defensive tackle with run-defending ability. The Giants' defensive line is oriented toward penetration and pass rush, and they suffered with easy yardage on the ground accordingly. Even if Dexter Lawrence II stays, adding a rotational nose tackle is a wise proposition -- but with Lawrence's trade demand on the table, the need becomes even bigger.

The bottom line: Plug right guard and add to the defensive tackle room (especially if Lawrence might really leave). Go "best player available" otherwise.

Jordan Raanan reports on how the Giants view Jeremiyah Love ahead of the 2026 NFL draft.

Picks: Nos. 23, 54, 68, 98, 114, 137, 178, 197

The driving force behind the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX win was their offensive line, and that unit is suddenly in jeopardy. Left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens are both returning from injury-hampered seasons; right guard Tyler Steen is in a contract year; right tackle Lane Johnson is coming off an ankle injury and was reportedly mulling retirement. The Eagles need to invest in multiple offensive linemen to start in 2027 or earlier.

Because Jeff Stoutland is no longer the O-line coach, the Eagles' preferences at the position might have changed. But supersized tackles like Kadyn Proctor (Alabama), Monroe Freeling (Georgia) and Blake Miller (Clemson) would all be good picks. Max Iheanachor (Arizona State) is also the classic late bloomer to the position that Stoutland used to develop well. After No. 23, players like Austin Barber (Florida) and Markel Bell (Miami) make sense at tackle. The Eagles have also loved their tackle-to-guard converts, so Gennings Dunker (Iowa) and Kage Casey (Boise State) are two good middle-rounds names to watch.

Of course, that isn't the biggest need on everyone's mind. The Eagles should take a receiver to eventually replace A.J. Brown, but not in the first round. With DeVonta Smith waiting in the wings as a budding WR1 and good depth in recent additions Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown, the Eagles need only a middle-rounds prospect with a high ceiling -- think North Dakota State's Bryce Lance or UConn's Skyler Bell. They could also elect to solve the problem of Brown's departure and the incoming void at tight end (Dallas Goedert is a free agent in 2027) by drafting Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq at No. 23.

Defensively, the Eagles need a starting edge and starting safety, as both Jaelan Phillips' and Reed Blankenship's departures were met with meager depth additions. If this feels like too many needs for one draft to solve ... it is. Whether the Eagles go O-line-heavy or need-heavy will tell us if they're vying for a Super Bowl in 2026 or setting up for a stronger push in 2027.

The bottom line: Weigh 2026 needs (safety, edge, WR) with big 2027 voids (offensive line, tight end) and try to split the difference.

Picks: Nos. 7, 71, 147, 187, 209, 223

If neither Caleb Downs nor Jeremiyah Love makes it to No. 7, the Commanders should trade back. They're missing their second- and fourth-round picks as a result of the Laremy Tunsil trade, and they have more needs than their first two picks can address.

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Another safety to start opposite Nick Cross should be a major focus, especially if new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones wants to field three safeties (as Brian Flores' defense did in Minnesota). Three free agents at edge rusher (Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu) aren't enough to fill all the snaps, especially because Oweh and Chaisson both lack the ideal run-defending profile. A trade back could see the Commanders in range of Oregon's Dillon Thieneman at safety or Auburn's Keldric Faulk at edge.

Wide receiver could also be a target at No. 7 or after a trade back. Carnell Tate (Ohio State) will likely go at the top of that range, while Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson and USC's Makai Lemon could go somewhere in the teens. Washington desperately needs a legitimate second pass catcher opposite Terry McLaurin, and ideally someone who can blossom into a WR1 since McLaurin is almost 31. The Commanders have a much bigger chance of taking a wide receiver in the first round than people realize.

This is all well and good ... but after the release of center Tyler Biadasz, the Commanders still need someone to fill those snaps. Jake Slaughter (Florida) and Connor Lew (Auburn) are two likely targets at No. 71.

The bottom line: Trade back to score an extra pick to address receiver, center and at least one of the two outstanding defensive needs.

Picks: Nos. 25, 57, 60, 89, 129, 239, 241

The Bears' roster is in a larger state of transition than you'd expect for a team that just lost in the NFC divisional round. Chicago has tricky positions o