Final 2026 NFL Draft Process rankings
Ranking each franchise's 2026 draft process -- draft/UDFA talent, trades -- through an all-encompassing ROI metric
The purpose of this study is simple: I seek to determine who had the best draft process through a variety of metrics. I quantify the total talent each franchise acquired in the NFL Draft and UDFA, add/subtract value gained/lost in draft trades, and divide the sum by Draft Equity Spent to come with a final draft process “ROI.” Prospect values and draft slot values were determined by a modification of my trade chart.
Note: Below, the “Draft grade” and “UDFA class rank” come directly from our post-draft projects (which you can read here: NFC Draft grades, AFC Draft grades, NFC UDFA class rankings, and AFC UDFA class rankings).
The “Draft trades” metric combines every draft-pick trade a given organization made over draft weekend and pegs the total value gained or lost from my trade chart. I have simplified this below by showing the equivalent draft pick gained or lost through draft trades alone.
The Bills made the best trades from a value perspective in the 2026 draft – in their section below, you will learn that Buffalo generated the equivalent from a mid-R3 pick in excess trade value. Meanwhile, the Texans – who the Bills fleeced in a R1 trade – lost the most trade value over draft weekend, coughing up the equivalent of a late-R3 pick in draft transactions.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Draft grade: A+
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 6
Draft Equity Spent rank: 15
Draft Trades: gained early-R6
UDFA Class rank: 5
2. New York Giants
Draft grade: A+
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 1
Draft Equity Spent rank: 2
Draft Trades: lost mid-R5
UDFA Class rank: 13
3. Dallas Cowboys
Draft grade: A
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 9
Draft Equity Spent rank: 10
Draft Trades: gained early-R5
UDFA Class rank: 20
4. Carolina Panthers
Draft grade: A
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 12
Draft Equity Spent rank: 19
Draft Trades: lost early-R7
UDFA Class rank: 24
5. Buffalo Bills
Draft grade: A-
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 17
Draft Equity Spent rank: 24
Draft Trades: gained mid-R3
UDFA Class rank: 25
6. Philadelphia Eagles
Draft grade: A-
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 16
Draft Equity Spent rank: 21
Draft Trades: lost late-R4
UDFA Class rank: 4
7. Kansas City Chiefs
Draft grade: A-
Draft Talent Acquired rank: 5
Draft Equity Spent rank: 8
Draft Trades: gained early-R5
UDFA Class rank: 6
