NFL Draft Notebook: Cowboys cash in as Browns load up for Shedeur Sanders

With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to close things out with a few final notes on the class. From the Dallas Cowboys making one of the smartest moves in the draft, to a risky pick by the Minnesota Vikings, to the Cleveland Browns surrounding Shedeur Sanders with weapons, here’s what stood out.

Great value for Cowboys

The Cowboys made a smart move by giving up two fifth-round picks to move up one spot and land Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, one of the true difference-makers in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs won the Jim Thorpe Award this year and saw significant time at both safety and nickel corner for the Buckeyes, which gives Dallas plenty of options for how to use him.

The trade looks even better when you factor in that the Cowboys later picked up two fourth-round picks by trading down from No. 20 to No. 23 with their second first-round pick. In the end, Dallas replaced the Day 3 value it gave up and still walked away with one of the best defensive players in the draft. 

Vikings reach

One of the bigger reaches in the first round was the Minnesota Vikings selecting Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks with the 18th overall pick, a player I had ranked 48th overall on my board. The concerns with Banks start with a foot injury that limited him to just three games this past season. Beyond that, he has been inconsistent throughout his college career, and his 6-foot-6 frame leads to a high pad level, which takes away from his power and ability to consistently control the line of scrimmage. 

Best NFC North first-round pick 

While I was not impressed with the Minnesota Vikings selection of Caleb Banks, the Detroit Lions got solid value with Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller, and the Green Bay Packers did not have a first-round pick.

The NFC North pick that stood out most was the Chicago Bears taking Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick, a player I had ranked 15th overall on my board. Thieneman should step in as an immediate starter in the Bears secondary, and his 4.35 speed in the 40-yard dash brings a much-needed boost to a unit that lacked speed last season. 

Life after A.J. Brown

It’s starting to feel like a foregone conclusion that the Philadelphia Eagles move on from star wide receiver A.J. Brown later this offseason. Their first-round pick backs that up, as they selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick, who was the number two receiver on my board.

Lemon, who won the Biletnikoff Award this year and led all Power Four receivers with 1,156 yards, brings immediate production and big-play ability. If the Eagles get consistent quarterback play, pairing him with DeVonta Smith gives them a strong one-two punch moving forward. 

Bills snag the highest-rated play on my board

The Buffalo Bills started Day 2 of the NFL Draft with a great value pick in the second round, selecting T.J. Parker, who was the highest-rated player on my board entering the round.

What stands out about Parker is his impressive athletic ability for a 6-foot-4, 263-pound defensive end, showing a strong burst off the ball and good bend as a pass rusher. While he had a down year this past season, he was truly dominant in 2024, becoming the only player in the nation to rank in the top 10 in forced fumbles (six, tied for second), tackles for loss (19.5, fifth), and sacks (11.0, ninth). 

Browns add some weapons for Shedeur Sanders

The Cleveland Browns are doing everything they can to make Shedeur Sanders successful, including adding two of the top five wide receivers on my board. In the first round, they took the dynamic KC Concepcion, a playmaker with the ball in his hands who forced 14 missed tackles last season. They followed that up in the second round by selecting Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston. Boston brings size at 6-foot-4, 212 pounds and wins with physicality, routinely outmuscling defensive backs and catching 77 percent of contested targets, according to PFF. 

Jaguars surprise

The Jacksonville Jaguars got their draft off to a questionable start by selecting Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick, a move that even caught NFL Radio announcers off guard. What makes this pick so surprising is that Boerkircher has not shown much as a receiver, never recording more than 19 receptions in a season. On the positive side, he brings value as a physical blocker, earning a 72.2 PFF run-blocking grade and showing good aggression and strength in that area. 

McCoy falls to the fourth round

One of the biggest storylines in the 2026 NFL Draft was how much Jermod McCoy’s knee injury would scare off teams. The answer came at the start of the fourth round, when the Las Vegas Raiders traded up to grab the 2024 All-American. If McCoy can stay healthy, there is a good chance he develops into a high-quality starter. His athletic ability stands out, and his 4.37 speed allows him to stick with receivers in coverage, which showed up in 2024 when opposing quarterbacks posted just a 53.6 QBR when targeting him. 

First FCS player drafted

While we didn’t see a single FCS player come off the board in the first three rounds, the first one went early in the fourth when the Arizona Cardinals selected Southeastern Louisiana defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor with the fourth pick of the round. Proctor shows impressive quickness off the ball, which helped him record 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks last season. He should see solid rotational snaps next year in Arizona as a disruptive interior presence. 

Steelers add elite return man

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have landed one of the biggest Day 3 impact players with Iowa return specialist Kaden Wetjen at pick 121. Wetjen, a consensus All-American, became the first player to win the Jet Award twice, which is given to the top return man in college football.

He set a Big Ten record with a 28.5-yard average on punt returns last season, and his three punt return touchdowns are tied for the third-most in a single season in conference history. His explosiveness in the return game gives Pittsburgh an immediate boost on special teams. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow