2026 NFL Draft: 8 Prospects Who Will Make This Draft One to Remember
Theres been a lot of criticizing and bemoaning and maligning the 2026 NFL Draft. Im not here to name names (mostly because Im as guilty as the next guy). But we can all be honest that the NFL world has focused on what this draft has lacked rather than what it has to offer. So lets highlight some prospects, from Day 1 to Day 3, who are likely to have an impact on their new teams. If you want to talk about positional value and salary-cap percentage and advanced statistics and the deep stuff, then maybe pop over to Sound Smart. This is about taking note of some of the fun rookies to follow in 2026 and beyond. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame Do me a favor: Just watch his highlights. Watch the way he bursts through the line of scrimmage in ways that remind me of Derrick Henry. Watch the way he makes guys miss at the second and third level like Jahmyr Gibbs. Watch the way Love moves in open space as a pass-catcher like some of the best screen receivers in the game, including Khalil Shakir. Watch the way Love hurdles defenders unlike basically anyone Ive ever seen before. There are complications around drafting running backs in the top five picks namely the $50 million price tag that instantly makes them one of the highest-paid players at their position. I get it. But when youre simply watching the player, Jeremiyah Love, its hard not to fall in love. Caleb Downs, safety, Ohio State I keep going back to a conversation that I had with a scout before the pre-draft process really got rolling. The scout told me that Downs is the guy that you can pick and rest easy more so than any other prospect in this class. And Im in firm agreement. If positional value and financial value had nothing to do with the draft, the board would go Love at No. 1 and Downs at No. 2. Downs has the production, with 68 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack. Alongside Fernando Mendoza, hes probably the smartest and hardest-working prospect in this class. Downs is going to be a stud. Vega Ioane, OG, Penn State Youve gotta love a mauler the kind of offensive lineman who makes you think of demolition equipment. Thats Ioane. Someone will select him in the first 16 picks, and there will be the detractors who say something to the effect of,"Dont like taking a guard there." But at that exact same moment, that teams running back (and quarterback) will be thanking their higher powers for the selection. Its not going to sell tickets. Its going to boost the offense. Eli Stowers, TE(/WR), Vanderbilt There are some offenses that can find ways to avoid asking their tight end to block. Thatll be one of the offenses where Stowers lands. Because if you can accept the fact that he is a receiver who plays tight end, you can turn him into an extremely productive matchup threat in your offense. Stowers has an awesome blend of production (769 receiving yards, four touchdowns in 2025) and athleticism (4.51-second 40-yard dash, 45.5-inch vertical, 11-foot-3-inch broad jump). Hes large (6-foot-4, 239 pounds) and he's explosive. He just needs an offense thatll preserve those tools as he transitions to the NFL (which will likely involve some weight gain). Gennings Dunker, OL, Iowa You really dont need to know anything about him on the field, where he should be a starter in the interior over the next year or two. Its all about the mullet. He is a gigantic goofball, who will consume 10,000 calories on gameday and crush 36 ounces of coffee on the bus to the game. Hes a huge Culvers fan. Hes a Midwest icon. His name *dramatic pause* is Gennings Dunker. Hes far from the best offensive lineman to come out of Iowa, but he is a caricature of an Iowa offensive lineman. Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana He averaged more than 100 tackles in his final three seasons at Indiana, and was at his best in 2025 when he was the cornerstone piece at the middle of the Hoosiers' defense and that included logging two sacks in their final two games. The last one, as you may remember, was a national championship victory. Fisher is the kind of player where his size ("too small") and his athleticism ("not explosive") will land him on either Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. But it feels inevitable that, in three years, hell wear the green dot for a defense and will be a beloved leader in a locker room. Drew Allar, QB, Penn State Im not usually a fan of the but-what-about-his-potential prospects. But in the case of Allar, Im here for it. Because I really do wonder:But what about his potential?! Its a tough class for the quarterbacks. You can go the route of Ty Simpson or Garrett Nussmeier, who profile similarly: coach's son, undersized, struggled at the end of the year due to injury. But Simpson in Round 1? Thats a bit rich for my taste. And Nussmeier, in general, concerns me because of his lack of physical tools. So thats where Allar comes in. He strikes me as a developmental talent with awesome upside. Hes got the physical tools. He just never put it all together in college. But he looks like a Day 3 prospect with a Round 4 grade from NFL.com and so I love the idea of teams investing in him as a flier. Hes 6-foot-5 and 228 pounds. His arm isvery impressive. He was once the No. 1 QB prospect in high school. None of that necessarily makes a good pro QB. But if you put this guy under Sean McVay, he would have as good of a chance as anyone in this class to be a top-tier starter someday. [Rankings, Best Team Fits for Top-12 Quarterbacks] Eli Heidenreich, WR/RB, Navy I am cracking up at the one-for-one athletic comparisons between Heidenreich and Christian McCaffrey. Theyre physical clones. Admittedly, theyre not comparable when you put on the film. Not even close. McCaffrey went eighth overall in 2017. Heidenreich will be happy if he lands in the sixth round. But theres something enticing and deeply entertaining about a weapon like Heidenreich, who last season had 941 receiving yards and six touchdown catches and 499 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He played in Navys spread triple-option and therefore is not prototypical in any way. He played two positions after all, and was more of a receiver in college but he figures to be more of a running back in the pros. If Bill Belichick were still an NFL head coach, hed risk it all for Heidenreich. Of course, no one will have to. Hes a Day 3 pick. Itll be fun to see what a team can do with his athleticism and versatility, likely starting with a special teams role.
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