NFL draft 2026 winners and losers: Eagles’ aces, Rams’ damage control and a missing coach

Ty Simpson, Mike Vrabel, Spencer Fano and Makai Lemon all played their parts in this year’s draft. Composite: Guardian Picture Desk Grading a draft immediately after it happens is an interesting concept – a bit like giving out marks for a meal in a restaurant right after you order. But the NFL Draft Industrial Complex will not rest until verdicts are handed out, so here we are.

So, with the standard disclaimer that we won’t know for years just how these moves turn out – who had the last pick of the 2022 draft leading his team to a Super Bowl appearance? – here’s a rundown of what caught our eye over the last few days. WINNER: Cleveland Browns We are not used to praising the Browns this time of year – there are reasons that this was the franchise immortalized in the legendarily awful Draft Day movie .

But it’s tough to argue with the draft class Cleveland put together. The Browns traded down from the sixth to the ninth overall pick, and selected Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano. Fano is one of the cleanest blockers in this class, and he’ll help a Browns line that had the mammoth but raw Dawand Jones last season.

General manager Andrew Berry said that the plan is to park Fano at left tackle and leave him there. Then, with the 24th and 39th overall picks, the Browns took two receivers to add to a very thin group. First up was KC Concepcion, dismissed by some as a gimmick receiver, but the tape shows a fully formed weapon if he can solve his drop problem (he had seven in 2025).