AFC Draft Grades
Grading the AFC’s draft classes following the 2026 NFL Draft
Before we begin, my yearly caveat: I rank every draft class, and then I evenly distribute the letter grades. This means that, every year, two organizations are awarded A+ grades, two organizations are given the dreaded F grade, and the grades of the other 28 organizations are evenly dispersed between those two polarities. I do this so that you leave this column with no ambiguity about how I feel about each class today, one day after the conclusion of the draft.
One change this year: Trade value on draft picks has been added into the ROI methodology. This didn’t affect the overall rankings much, but it did move a few teams up or down a slot in the rankings.
You can find my NFC draft grades here.
Las Vegas Raiders: A
This grade isn’t all about no-brainer 1.1 pick QB Fernando Mendoza. Picking first means you have a lot of talent to make up on the rest of the NFL – the Raiders took a big step in that direction by exiting the weekend with six top-96 prospects on my board. The Raiders kicked off Saturday’s Day 3 by stopping the free-fall of CB Jermod McCoy, a first-round talent with medical concerns. If McCoy’s body doesn’t betray him, he’ll be a steal. After falling to Day 3, the upside/risk pendulum had swung the other way, and McCoy had become a low-cost bet on serious upside that the Raiders were sage to make.
Buffalo Bills: A-
The Bills were ridiculously active during draft weekend, making six trades – including a three-trade flurry on Thursday night that ultimately skipped Buffalo down the board from No. 26 to No. 35. Most importantly, my chart says that Buffalo manufactured a mid-R4 pick in pick value from those transactions. When Buffalo finally stayed put at No. 35, the Bills took EDGE TJ Parker, the No. 22-player on my board at a position of need. Slick, slick work. The Bills didn’t have a Round 3 pick, but they made up for lost time with an inspired Day 3 that included a chef’s kiss three-pick-stanza of WR Skyler Bell, LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and NB Jalon Kilgore between Nos. 125-167.
