2026 NFL Draft Superlatives: Who Wins OROY, DROY? Biggest Steal? Best Upside?

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to make bold predictions. Who takes Rookie of the Year honors? Who’ll be the biggest steal? Who winds up as the biggest star years down the line? Here are my way-too-early superlatives for the 2026 class: Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals With quarterback uncertainty and the lack of a true No. 1 wide receiver, the Cardinals could run their offense through Love in Year 1, enabling him to put up monster numbers. The former Notre Dame star is positioned to be Arizona’s best offensive player not named Trey McBride. 2026 stats projection: 225 carries for 1,265 yards and 8 TDs; 46 receptions for 398 yards and 3 TDs Defensive Rookie of the Year: DE Rueben Bain Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers Bain may have slipped a bit in the first round, but as Tampa Bay’s pick at No. 15, he landed in a great situation with a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles. The attention standout nose tackle Vita Vea draws from the interior offensive line could open up advantageous matchups on the edge for Bain. 2026 stats projection: 8.0 sacks, 9 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble Steal of the draft: TE Eli Stowers, Philadelphia Eagles The athletic Stowers broke the vertical jump record for tight ends at the combine. Last season at Vanderbilt, he won the John Mackey Award as college football’s top tight end — in just his third year playing the position. His growth could be exponential in Philly, where he’s positioned to be Dallas Goedert’s successor. 2026 stats projection: 36 receptions for 387 yards and 3 TDs QB1 in five years: Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders At least for now, Mendoza’s only challenger for this spot appears to be Ty Simpson, who the Rams picked as Matthew Stafford’s eventual successor. Not only does the No. 1 overall pick have the edge in physical traits and clutch performances, but his well-documented mindset makes it hard to believe that he won’t be at least an average starter. Plus, Mendoza has the greatest quarterback of all time in his corner in Tom Brady, a Raiders minority owner. 2026 stats projection: 62.5% completion rate for 3,744 yards and 18 TDs with 10 INTs Best long-term player: S Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys The only knock on Downs is that he plays a position that isn’t highly valued in the modern NFL. Widely regarded as a generational talent, Downs has the instincts, intellect, versatility and play demeanor to become one of the league’s top safeties for many years to come. 2026 stats projection: 2 INTs, 11 pass breakups, 94 tackles, 3.0 sacks (Pro Bowl) Biggest rookie breakout: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Miami Dolphins The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year joins a Dolphins team that has two established off-ball linebackers in Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson. But Rodriguez’s playmaking ability makes him a candidate to be one of the best players on new head coach Jeff Hafley’s defense by season’s end. Rodriguez recorded 10 forced fumbles, 21.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 10 pass breakups over his last two seasons at Texas Tech. 2026 stats projection: 77 tackles, 2 INT, 3 PBUs, FF Most pro ready: G Vega Ioane, Baltimore Ravens The 14th overall pick, Ioane could be one of the Ravens’ best offensive linemen from Day 1. He made 32 starts for Penn State at left guard. 2026 stats projection: 17 starts at LG Highest upside: CB Jermod McCoy, Las Vegas Raiders McCoy is a mid-first round talent who fell into the fourth round after missing the 2025 season with a torn ACL. If he’s healthy, the former Tennessee star has the potential to be a playmaking CB1 in the NFL. 2026 stats projection: INT, 4 PBUs, 29 tackles (10 games) Top playmaker: WR Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans Now out of the shadow of Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Tate is positioned to fully show what he’s capable of as a WR1 at the NFL level. His contested catching ability, ball-tracking skills and route-running efficiency will make him a friendly and a high-volume target for Titans quarterback Cam Ward. 2026 stats projection: 61 receptions for 896 yards and 7 TDs Best fit: OL Keylan Rutledge, Houston Texans The Texans have desperately needed to stabilize their offensive line for QB C.J. Stroud, and Rutledge — who made 43 starts at right guard in his college career — slots in at one of Houston’s guard spots. Rutledge posted the top athletic score for guards at the NFL Combine, according to Next Gen Stats, which will serve him in both pass protection and the run game. 2026 stats projection: 15 starts at LG