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Conor Orr's Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings: NFC West Remains on Top

By Conor Orr Sports Illustrated

First-round grades | Rounds 2-3 grades | Team grades | Every Team's Remaining Roster Holes| Way-too-early 2027 mock draft | Best picks of the draft

The draft is over. The dust has settled. And now, finally, we are closing in on the point where all of our hypotheses and our subsequent fights about our them and our processes (seriously, dig into this online media consensus board debate if shooting your own foot with a nail gun loses its fun) are rendered meaningless. Movement, as Kurt Vonnegut noted, becomes action.

Because of that, it's important to benchmark the occasion with a post-draft, rookie-camp edition of the power rankings. For reference, he's a look at our post-free agency power rankings and where we felt all the teams stacked up.

Let's jump right in:

1. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams are now going to theatrical lengths to reveal the secretive draft process that led them to draft Ty Simpson-which was either to not alert teams that they were drafting him or to not make Matthew Stafford angry-has been a gold mine. I truly don't care about the truth. I only want this team to continue contorting itself into a pretzel to legitimize the most polarizing pick in the 2026 draft.

2. Seattle Seahawks

By design, Seattle wasn't able to wow anyone during the draft. But using his first three picks to find backfield depth and bolster the secondary was about as sound a draft as John Schneider could hope for. I think Seattle's true advantage-scrambling offensive lines and using their well-worn tendencies against them-is one that doesn't vanish in just one offseason.

3. Buffalo Bills

The more I dig into Buffalo's draft, the less I dislike it. My initial thoughts centered around a frustration that Buffalo didn't get a pure difference-maker at a time when teams in the top 10 were begging to trade down. But the more I look at it, the more I see that Jim Leonhard and this defense are undergoing a pretty radical shift that necessitates different body types and skill sets. The versatile Davison Igbinosun can help at multiple positions in the secondary as the Bills try to find terra firma at one of the league's most fickle positions.

4. Denver Broncos

Jonah Coleman was one of my favorite players in this draft. He's a bruising back with excellent footwork who operates like a bouncer in the backfield. This was the subtle move Sean Payton needed to make to layer his swing on RJ Harvey a year ago. This Denver backfield is now fully loaded and will complement the Jaylen Waddle upgrade at receiver nicely.

5. Kansas City Chiefs

Mansoor Delane and the versatile inside-out tackle Peter Woods headline a Chiefs draft class that felt as regenerative as we've seen in a few seasons. The Chiefs went after premium players this offseason after the spillover from years of late-round drafts and budget free-agency signings at key positions became difficult to manage. While this secondary is effectively starting over after being pillaged by the Rams, the Chiefs will have Steve Spagnuolo ushering in a new-look defense, which maximizes its chances of stabilizing by the time the playoffs roll around.

6. Houston Texans

Keylan Rutledge and Kayden McDonald with the first two picks is a dream scenario for Houston. This offensive line will have at least three new starters, and McDonald gets to slot in behind Sheldon Rankins, one of the more underrated modern defensive tackles, whose evolved understanding of the defense allows playmakers behind him more opportunities. McDonald is going to swallow blocks and set the Texans' screaming linebacker corps free.

7. San Francisco 49ers

The De'Zhaun Stribling pick was a shot call by Kyle Shanahan, who personally evaluates the team's receivers and places his rubber stamp of approval on them. A former receiver himself at Texas, Shanahan seems to have steered the 49ers' draft board toward suiting the finer points of his offense. Stribling is the speed threat that was missing.

While we're on San Francisco, I think this is a really interesting clip from Ravens GM Eric DeCosta that sums up the positional consensus argument we had regarding both San Francisco and Jacksonville specifically.

8. Baltimore Ravens

After missing out on Maxx Crosby, the Ravens had to find run support opposite Trey Hendrickson. Zion Young added some real value to Baltimore's defensive front, and, in picking up on the breadcrumbs of what coach Jesse Minter was looking for, is at least worth an experiment in his ideal defense.

9. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals had an excellent draft and may be entering a season for the first time in recent memory in which Joe Burrow isn't expected to score 35 points a game just to eke out a narrow victory. Dexter Lawrence II doesn't fix the run all by himself, but this Bengals defensive front is no longer a pushover, and the pass rush has loads of options.

10. Dallas Cowboys

When you nail the draft, you've earned a cold one (or seven).

11. Chicago Bears

Without a pass-rushing menace on the board when the Bears made their first-round pick, the team pushed to revamp its secondary with Dillon Thienemen, pairing him with Coby Bryant and creating a lid on the Bears' defense that should improve upon last year's bottom-10 unit against the pass.

12. Los Angeles Chargers

I liked the immediacy of Los Angeles's draft, with the Chargers unafraid to take one of the oldest first-round picks in recent NFL history in 25-year-old Akheem Mesidor. I also liked taking swings at college tackle prospects at the back end of the draft in hopes that one may turn into a suitable NFL guard. Offensive line depth has continually been an issue with Jim Harbaugh's Chargers.

13. New England Patriots

The Patriots, with A.J. Brown, Caleb Lomu and Eli Raridon, among others, are unquestionably better than the 2025 team that just lost the Super Bowl. However, we can question whether New England can handle the rigors of a much more difficult schedule and an offensive line that will have no choice but to make drastic improvements.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles could be looking at major changes on offense next season. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles could be looking at major changes on offense next season. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

14. Philadelphia Eagles

Based on the draft and free agency, plus the impending trade of A.J. Brown, it's going to be thrilling to see how different a complexion this offense takes on in 2026. Clearly, Philadelphia cannot play bully ball anymore, and it's time to see whether Jalen Hurts can run point in a more modernized version of an offense that will likely feature fewer predictable deep balls fired down the sideline. Tight end Eli Stowers could be a red zone threat and may appear in myriad places in this Sean Mannion scheme.

15. Washington Commanders

Sonny Styles was my favorite player in this draft, and the remake of Washington's defense gives Jayden Daniels something he hasn't enjoyed in two years at the helm in D.C.: a complementary defense that can actually be weaponized. After what I felt was an irresponsible 2025, the Commanders seem to be allocating money and energy to the right areas in 2026.

16. Jacksonville Jaguars

Now that the immediate overreaction has blown through, the intellectualizing of Jacksonville's draft has begun. And, really, we should be more open-minded about it. I'm as guilty as anyone of having some fun at the Jaguars' expense, but in a draft with such a shallow talent pool, tight end was at a premium and James Gladstone was likely picking with Liam Coen's blessing. If Nate Boerkircher can play … who cares where they got him?

17. Carolina Panthers

The Panthers are an offseason favorite, but the plan came into full view with the second-round selection of Lee Hunter. Upgraded offensive line? Check. Significantly upgraded defense with one of the more high-upside interior line tandems in the league right now? Check. Devin Lloyd is going to have a field day as a playmaking off-ball linebacker.

18. Detroit Lions

DC Kelvin Sheppard got his chance to put a stamp on the defense with critical picks in all but two rounds. The Lions need quality depth after years of getting picked apart in free agency. If Blake Miller can hold down the right tackle position and at least one or two quality starters emerge from the back end of this draft, we can start buying in on the Lions' mystique again.

19. Minnesota Vikings

I think we forget that the Vikings won nine games last season with a ridiculous carousel of quarterbacks, including a version of Carson Wentz so injured that a police report should have been filed. While we can all pile on the Caleb Banks pick, this was a draft of wild swings. Banks may be a team's only crack at a defensive tackle that can wreck games. And without a GM at the wheel, why not let DC Brian Flores have a voice?

20. Green Bay Packers

The Packers checked boxes in the draft, after desperately needing to come out of the second and third rounds with a cornerback and defensive tackle. The question, of course, is how quickly new DC Jonathan Gannon can integrate both into his scheme and whether there's enough progression to get this defense near its Jeff Hafley–led peak before the Micah Parsons injury.

The Buccaneers added Rueben Bain Jr. on defense, but lost talent and veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Buccaneers added Rueben Bain Jr. on defense, but lost talent and veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I've started feeling like Tampa Bay is Pittsburgh South. Which, depending on your expectations for life and a football season is not … bad. Really. It's not bad. The NFC South got better this offseason, and I think it's fair to wonder how much better the Buccaneers got. No one wants Rueben Bain Jr. to succeed in Todd Bowles's defense more than I do, and I loved seeing Bowles get another ace off-ball linebacker in Josiah Trotter that will make Tampa less vulnerable in passing situations and give Bowles more juice to blitz the A and B gaps.

22. Indianapolis Colts

Let's check in on Indianapolis's de facto 2026 first-round pick….

23. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are getting antsy enough about the Aaron Rodgers situation to tag him. While I think everyone is operating under the assumption that Rodgers will return, Pittsburgh is woefully understocked in terms of a backup plan with a proven track record of winning games. The Steelers' draft class feels like an amalgam of I-can-fix-it! prospects in a league with a mixed track record of development.

24. New York Giants

We've heard this story before. The Giants focusing on pass rush and pass protection/run blocking is a winning formula-until seemingly none of those pieces perform up to expectation. However, it's still the recipe for success, and not taking another swing would be foolish given the state of the roster. Arvell Reese is more than a pass rusher and can occupy multiple roles as both a devastating middle linebacker and rush end. Francis Mauigoa will be a brutebrutal as a guard until he eventually moves outside.

25. New Orleans Saints

Jordyn Tyson has to remain healthy, but it's hard to hurl cold water on the Saints' ascension, which began over a series of plucky performances down the stretch in 2025. While I would warn that we said largely the same thing about the early Jonathan Gannon–era Cardinals, each situation is completely different. New Orleans got difference-makers on both sides of the ball at a point in the draft when quality players were still available. We can't say that about other teams that waited far too long to try to scrape together playmakers.

26. Cleveland Browns

I said it a week ago on the MMQB Podcast, and I'll say it again now that it's been backed up by a few Browns insiders: I think Deshaun Watson is winning this job and Todd Monken is the best thing to have possibly happened to him (as a childhood Browns fan who completely disowned the team after his acquisition, I'm not saying this as some sort of hype mouthpiece; I'm just being realistic). While this may not be a full-on revival, I would not be shocked to see the Browns try one more time to squeeze something positive out of the worst trade ever.

26. Atlanta Falcons

While the world at large began piling on former general manager Terry Fontenot after the ill-advised 2025 draft night trade with the Rams, this decline has been a long time coming.

28. New York Jets

The Jets had one of the best drafts in recent memory-and a draft that I think can outlast the Aaron Glenn regime if it comes to that. D'Angelo Ponds, Omar Cooper Jr., Kenyon Sadiq and David Bailey are immediate impact players who can make a team that made headlines for gross incompetence seem, at the very least, serviceable. That's saying something.

29. Las Vegas Raiders

The Commanders would be the best example of a team that utilized a strong free-agency class recently to propel a rookie quarterback from a worst-to-first type scenario. While I don't see the Raiders having the infrastructure to make that happen, the team has undeniably upgraded its talent floor to a point where the basement isn't an option anymore.

30. Tennessee Titans

Drafting Carnell Tate may not have been the move Titans fans were expecting, but it was the move that made the most sense for Cam Ward. Tennessee's previous regime had to pour wasted free-agency dollars into veteran weapons just to stabilize the backfield for Ward. Now, he gets to grow with the best receiver in the draft.

31. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins succeeded in the draft, insofar as they could not fail. The lack of talent on the roster was so pronounced that any pick would have made sense for new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Swinging at Kadyn Proctor was the right move both tonally and strategically for a team that lacked the necessary grit and toughness to execute former head coach Mike McDaniel's vision.

32. Arizona Cardinals

I think I can separate my love of the Jeremiyah Love pick from the obvious: Arizona needed to use mid-round picks in a bad draft simply to backfill some of the most important parts of its roster. Love will eventually be a game-changing talent for this Cardinals team, but I think we are still a fair distance away from the "vision" and the "overhaul." I'm unsure whether Mike LaFleur knew he was going to be in bridge mode this year.

More NFL from Sports Illustrated



This article was originally published on www.si.com as Conor Orr's Post-Draft NFL Power Rankings: NFC West Remains on Top.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 5:00 AM.

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