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Reports emerged in early April that Dexter Lawrence had requested a trade from the New York Giants, and the team obliged him the weekend before the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Giants sent Lawrence to the Bengals in exchange for the No. 10 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

It is a massive swing for a Bengals team that simply had to get better on defense, but will Lawrence be worth the draft cost?

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Dexter Lawrence Has Been Elite

While Lawrence took some flak for his level of play last year, our own Warren Sharp outlined just how elite Lawrence has been over the last three seasons.

Lawrence's pressure rate slipped last season when he finished with just 0.5 sacks, but there is no question he has been as impactful a pass rusher as we have seen in recent seasons among interior linemen.

He has also had that success despite facing double team after double team.

According to Next Gen Stats, Lawrence has been double-teamed at the highest rate among defensive tackles since 2024.

The defensive attention Lawrence commands can be seen in his on-off numbers.

As Warren notes, those numbers were just for the 2025 season, which was a “down” season statistically for Lawrence.

Now he joins a defense that has already added DT Jonathan Allen, EDGE Boye Mafe, and S Bryan Cook this offseason.

With Lawrence also joining, the Bengals are set up to have the most improved defense in the league in 2026.

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Texans' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Houston Texans Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Defensive Line
2. Offensive Line
3. Edge Rusher

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Houston Texans 2026 Draft Capital

The Texans have the 11th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Houston Texans Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Texans to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Houston Texans Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Houston Texans, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. C.J. Stroud
2. Davis Mills
3. Graham Mertz

C.J. Stroud was a mixed bag in 2025.

He completed a career-high 64.5% of his passes last season while improving his touchdown rate (4.5%) and interception rate (1.9%).

He also threw for 217.2 yards per game, which was the lowest rate of his career.

Stroud’s 42.3% success rate ranked 24th in the league.

The season ended on an extremely bitter note, with Stroud throwing 4 interceptions in a Divisional Round loss in New England.

One of the disappointing parts of this new offense under Nick Caley was the lack of top-down creativity.

The Texans used pre-snap motion on 49.9% of Stroud’s dropbacks (21st) and play action on 24.8% (19th).

The downer is that when Stroud did get to use play action, he averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt (10th) and 13.1 yards per completion (7th).

When the Texans used motion, Stroud averaged 7.8 Y/A (7th) with 11.7 yards per completion (9th).

Without either, Stroud averaged 6.0 Y/A (30th) and 9.6 yards per completion (31st).

Stroud missed three games due to a scary concussion in Week 9.

Before the injury, he was using his legs at the highest rate of his career.

Stroud had a 6.8% scramble rate over eight weeks, ranking 10th in the league.

Returning from his concussion, Stroud then only scrambled on 3.1% of his dropbacks, 24th in the league.

The Texans have made the postseason every year of Stroud’s early career, but the season ended on such a down note that there were some whispers about questioning if Stroud was the long-term answer.

He is entering 2026 in the final year of his rookie contract, although the Texans have already picked up his fifth-year option for 2027.

Houston did get a look at their offense without Stroud last year, if they believe the grass could be greener.

Although they went 3-0 in the games Davis Mills started, the offense sagged in production.

Houston averaged 5.2 yards per play with Stroud on the field last year, and that includes the playoff debacle.

That fell to 4.7 yards per play with Mills.

Mills completed 57.2% of his passes compared to 64.5% for Stroud.

Mills averaged 5.8 yards per pass attempt to Stroud’s 7.2 Y/A.

Mills is set to be an unrestricted free agent after 2026.

Running Back

1. David Montgomery
2. Woody Marks
3. Jawhar Jordan
4. British Brooks

The Houston running game was a weak spot for the offense in 2025.

Texans running backs combined for:

• 3.8 yards per rush (27th)
• 34.1% success rate (29th)
• 8.3% rate of runs for 10 or more yards (27th)
• 20.3% rate of runs that failed to gain yardage (27th)
• 18.5% of runs resulted in a first down or touchdown (30th)
• 2.76 yards after contact per rush (28th)

Looking to recalibrate things, the Texans made a trade for David Montgomery.

Montgomery will turn 29 in June and is coming off a year in which he was bypassed by Jahmyr Gibbs.

Montgomery had career lows in touches (182) and yards from scrimmage (908) with Detroit in 2025.

Over the final eight games of the season, Montgomery only played 32.6% of the offensive snaps with 336 yards.

Before that, he had played 41.3% of the snaps with 572 yards.

Montgomery was still a solid back when on the field, averaging 4.5 yards per rush (21st out of 49 backs with 100-plus attempts), a 39.9% success rate (24th), and 3.17 yards after contact per rush (17th).

For better or worse, the real appeal of getting Montgomery for Houston was his underlying usage in man/gap concepts.

In Caley’s first season with the Texans, he brought over that same rushing scheme from the Rams.

Houston was second in the league in man/gap run rate (38.8%), trailing only the Rams.

45.9% of Nick Chubb’s runs in 2025 were man/gap runs, the second-highest rate in the league.

Woody Marks was at 38.3%, which ranked sixth.

On man/gap runs, Montgomery had a 50% success rate (10th) and led all backs in EPA per rush (.034).

The Texans traded up for Marks in the fourth round last season (116th overall).

Marks ended up being the lead back, handling 220 touches for 911 yards from scrimmage with 5 touchdowns.

Marks took control of this backfield midseason, averaging 17.5 touches per game with 63.1% of the backfield touches over his final eight games.

Unfortunately, that did not lead to great results.

He only averaged 63.1 total yards per game over that span.

Out of 49 running backs with 100 or more rushes last season, Marks was 48th with a 3.6 yards per attempt average.

He had a run of 10 or more yards on 7.7% of his runs (41st) while failing to gain yards on 23% (45th).

His 2.59 yards after contact per rush ranked 45th.

Stroud targeted his running backs only 15.2% of the time (23rd), so Marks never got active in the passing game.

He did not have more than two receptions in a game after Week 8.

With Montgomery coming in, Marks can serve more of a complementary role in year two.

Wide Receiver

1. Nico Collins
2. Jayden Higgins
3. Jaylin Noel
4. Tank Dell
5. Xavier Hutchinson
6. Justin Watson
7. Jared Wayne
8. Josh Kelly

Houston threw the ball to their wide receivers 63.7% of the time in 2025, which ranked sixth in the league.

As a byproduct, their wideouts combined for 212 receptions (9th), 2,688 receiving yards (8th),  and 18 touchdowns (8th).

Nico Collins was productive again, catching 71 passes for 1,117 yards and 6 touchdowns.

He did take a slight dip in per-game output.

After 5.3 and 5.7 receptions per game in Stroud’s first two seasons, Collins averaged 4.7 catches per game in 2025.

His 74.5 yards per game were a smidge down from 83.8 in 2024 and 86.5 in 2023.

He caught 4 or fewer passes in five of his final six games.

He also had two concussions that impacted his season, missing two games in the regular season and then the final playoff game.

Collins has yet to play a full season through five years.

All of that said, Collins still had the profile of an alpha WR1.

He accounted for 24.6% of Houston's targets (WR11) and 37.3% of the air yards (WR7) in his games played with 2.35 yards per route (WR12).

He still has two years remaining on his current contract at good numbers, counting $27.8 million against the cap this season and then $28.8 million in 2027.

Houston played a hodgepodge of receivers surrounding Collins.

Xavier Hutchinson was second at the position in routes run, playing on 62.3% of the dropbacks.

He was lackluster with the opportunity, catching 35 of 57 targets for 428 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He produced 1.07 yards per route run, which ranked 99th at the position.

Hutchinson is in the final season of his current contract.

Instead of producing, Hutchinson served as more of a roadblock for rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.

Higgins was on the field for 56.4% of the dropbacks as a rookie, catching 41 of 68 targets for 525 yards and 6 touchdowns.

He only played more than 67% of the passing plays in two games as a rookie, but Higgins was second among the receivers with a target on 18.7% of his routes and produced a first down or touchdown on a team-high 41.2% of his targets.

Noel only played 31.4% of the dropbacks as a rookie, catching 26 of 35 targets for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns.

He did not play 50% of the passing plays in any game as a rookie.

Both year-two players should have more on their plates in 2026.

Houston is expected to get Tank Dell back at some point.

Dell missed all of the 2025 season because of a devastating knee injury he suffered at the end of 2024, enduring a torn ACL, MCL, LCL, meniscus, and dislocated kneecap.

Houston is optimistic that he will play in 2026, but there is no current timetable for his availability.

Dell will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Tight End

1. Dalton Schultz
2. Cade Stover
3. Foster Moreau
4. Brevin Jordan
5. Luke Lachey
6. Layne Pryor

Dalton Schultz caught a career-high 82 passes last season for 777 yards (his most since 2021) and 3 touchdowns.

He was second on the team with 106 targets.

His 45.7 yards per game ranked TE11 on the season, although his 9.5 yards per catch ranked TE44.

Schultz is more volume-dependent than dynamic, but he is a reliable asset at the position.

He was on the field for 77.5% of the dropbacks (TE7) with 19.2% of Houston's targets (TE6).

He will turn 30 this July with two years remaining on his current contract.

The depth here is solid with run-game blockers Cade Stover and Foster Moreau both under contract for multiple seasons.

Offensive Line

LT: Aireontae Ersery, Blake Fisher
LG: Wyatt Teller, Jarrett Patterson
C: Jake Andrews, Evan Brown
RG: Ed Ingram, Jarrett Kingston, Sidy Sow
RT: Braden Smith, Trent Brown

This offensive line is still a work in progress.

Houston ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass block win rate (56%) and last in run block win rate (68%) last season.

Per Pro Football Focus, they ranked 23rd in pass-blocking grade and 20th in run-blocking grade.

Houston moved on from Tytus Howard (who led the offensive line in snaps last year) and Juice Scruggs (351 snaps), as they did not fit their man-blocking scheme.

In an effort to throw more at the line, Houston added veterans Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith to the roster.

Teller will turn 32 in November and is coming off a down season with Cleveland that was marred by injuries again.

He was benched late in the year in Cleveland, ranking 40th in overall grade among guards per Pro Football Focus.

He missed four games for the second straight season.

Smith turned 30 this March and is also coming off a down year with the Colts.

He ended last year 53rd among tackles in grade, allowing a 5.5% pressure rate (41st).

Smith missed four games as well and has missed multiple games in five of the past six seasons, playing his last full season in 2019.

Smith has early-career experience playing center and guard, and there have been whispers that he could move inside.

Houston kept Trent Brown as a potential starter or insurance for Smith if he should miss more action.

Brown played 547 snaps at right tackle last season, allowing only a 3.7% pressure rate, 11th at the position.

Brown also allows Houston some versatility should Aireontae Ersery fail to develop.

They selected Ersery in the second round last year (48th overall) and threw him to the fire.

Ersery played 99% of the snaps as a rookie, taking his lumps.

He allowed the third-most pressures (49) among tackles with 11 sacks (tied for the most) and 13 penalties (tied for the 2nd most).

Houston has some added versatility since it brought back Ed Ingram on a three-year extension.

Ingram had bounced around the league before having his best season last year in Houston.

Ingram ranked 13th among guards in overall grade per PFF in 2025.

Center Jake Andrews made a career-high 16 starts for Houston last year and was 28th among overall centers in grade.

Andrews will be an unrestricted free agent after 2026.

Houston has a lot of pieces to throw at the wall here that could work out if veterans like Teller and Smith can bounce back and stay healthy.

Those additions allow some flexibility, so Houston does not have to force the offensive line, but they are still open to adding players who can be longer-term solutions.

Houston Texans Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Houston Texans, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Sheldon Rankins
2. Tommy Togiai
3. Logan Hall
4. Naquan Jones
5. Kyonte Hamilton
6. Junior Tafuna

The Texans shut down running backs in 2025, allowing just 3.7 yards per carry (2nd) to the position and finishing second in success rate against running back runs.

Sheldon Rankins re-signed on a two-year deal this offseason, but Tim Settle left in free agency.

Rankins bounced back in his return to the Texans, but he is heading into his age-32 season.

Tommy Togiai played the second-most snaps among the defensive line group last season, and he was excellent against the run.

Togiai finished with 9 run stuffs and recorded a tackle on 25.6% of his run defense snaps, the best mark among qualified defensive linemen.

Togiai also posted a career-best 10.6% pressure rate despite finishing with just 1.5 sacks.

Logan Hall was added in free agency after four years with the Bucs.

Hall was never more than a rotational player in Tampa, but that is all he needs to be for the Texans as they look to replace the versatility offered by Denico Autry — Hall can also push outside to defensive end.

Togiai is coming off a great season, and Houston obviously brought back Rankins for a reason.

Still, it does seem like the Texans could use one more quality addition to the defensive tackle group.

Edge Defenders

1. Will Anderson Jr.
2. Danielle Hunter
3. Dylan Horton
4. Dominique Robinson
5. Xavier Thomas
6. Solomon Byrd

The Texans finished second in pressure rate (42.2%) last season, notching 47 sacks (7th).

Houston has one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league with Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter.

Anderson led qualified pass rushers in pressure rate (21.0%) last season while recording 12 sacks.

Hunter finished seventh in pressure rate (17.7%) while getting 15 sacks (3rd).

Anderson just signed an extension, and Hunter is under contract through 2027.

Hunter will turn 32 in October, but he has shown zero signs of decline.

A 2023 fourth-round pick, Dylan Horton only has 0.5 sacks through three seasons and has never played more than 250 snaps on defense.

He did post the best pressure rate of his career last season, though, so perhaps there is more there.

The Texans also added Dominique Robinson in free agency, who also posted his best numbers last year.

It seems ridiculous to call edge rusher a need given what is at the top of the depth chart, but the Texans probably could use more depth here, and there are not many other holes on the roster.

That depth could come by signing a veteran (or maybe bringing back Derek Barnett), but getting a young player to sit behind Hunter makes some sense.

Linebacker

1. Azeez Al-Shaair
2. Henry To’oTo’o
3. E.J. Speed
4. Jake Hansen
5. Marte Mapu
6. Jake Hummel
7. Jamal Hill

With E.J. Speed returning, the Texans have their primary snap takers at linebacker returning for 2026.

Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o were the primary starters last year, with Speed filling that No. 3 role.

Al-Shaair was not as impactful against the run as he has been in the past, but he was still a quality starter who excelled in coverage (5.2 yards per target allowed).

The only real concern in this group is that Al-Shaair is headed into a contract season.

The Texans likely want to work out an extension with their primary starter, but they could also look to add a rookie just in case the price gets out of hand.

Cornerback

1. Derek Stingley Jr.
2. Kamari Lassiter
3. Jalen Pitre
4. Jaylin Smith
5. Tremon Smith
6. Ja’Marcus Ingram
7. Ajani Carter
8. Alijah Huzzie

Houston also excelled against the pass in 2025, allowing 6.5 yards per attempt (7th) and finishing second in EPA allowed per pass attempt.

Like at linebacker, all of their primary snap takers are back.

Derek Stingley has earned first-team All-Pro honors the last two seasons.

He has allowed just a 55.1 quarterback rating in his coverage through four seasons.

Kamari Lassiter made the Pro Bowl in his second season, finishing 34th among qualified corners in yards allowed per coverage snap.

He was also a playmaker against the run, finishing second among all defensive backs in run stuffs.

Jalen Pitre is nominally a safety, but he has been the primary slot corner for the last two seasons and has absolutely shone in that role

The question here is depth.

Houston did spend a third-round pick on Jaylin Smith last year, but he obviously did not get much of a chance with the talent ahead of him on the depth chart.

Adding more experienced depth could make sense, but Houston obviously is not going to find that in the draft.

A veteran addition over the summer makes a lot more sense.

Safety

1. Calen Bullock
2. Reed Blankenship
3. Jaylen Reed
4. M.J. Stewart
5. Kaevon Merriweather

Calen Bullock is another massive draft hit for the Texans in the secondary, and like Lassiter, also made his first Pro Bowl in his second season.

The Texans did need someone to play next to Bullock, and they got that by adding Reed Blankenship in free agency.

Blankenship has been a key player for the Eagles’ excellent defense, but he did give up some plays in coverage last year, allowing a 100.5 quarterback rating.

Jaylen Reed struggled with injuries as a rookie, and he did not fare great in coverage, but he did start in the playoffs.

M.J. Stewart is experienced depth despite being more of a special teams contributor.

Houston has likely made their move here by signing Blankenship, and Jalen Pitre is also a safety by name who can help out as needed.

It never hurts to have a little more depth, but the Texans look fine at safety.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the 49ers' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

San Francisco 49ers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Defensive Front
2. Safety
3. Offensive Line

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

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San Francisco 49ers 2026 Draft Capital

The 49ers have the 23rd-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

San Francisco 49ers Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the 49ers to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

San Francisco 49ers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the San Francisco 49ers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Brock Purdy
2. Mac Jones
3. Kurtis Rourke
4. Adrian Martinez

After winning only six games in 2024, San Francisco bounced back with a 12-5 record last season.

That was an achievement considering it was another injury-filled campaign for the 49ers.

Brock Purdy only played in nine games.

George Kittle (6 missed games), Ricky Pearsall (8), and Jauan Jennings (2) all missed multiple games, while Brandon Aiyuk never showed up.

Despite that, San Francisco was third in success rate on offense (46.3%) and sixth in points per drive (2.53).

This was despite the 49ers ranking 24th in rushing offense, the worst mark for a Kyle Shanahan team since 2011 when he was in Washington.

31.4% of San Francisco’s passing plays gained 10 or more yards, third in the league behind New England (32.9%) and Seattle (32.5%).

After returning to the lineup in Week 11, Purdy completed 70.6% of his passes (2nd) for 7.5 yards per pass attempt (8th) and a 7.6% touchdown rate (2nd).

A league-high 46.4% of his passes resulted in a first down or touchdown over that stretch, while the league rate over that period was 34.2%.

Purdy was once again at the top of the league in completion rate when pushing the ball downfield.

He completed a league-high 61.1% of his throws 10 or more yards downfield.

He led the league in that department in 2024, as well, and finished second in 2023.

As a result of so much vertical passing, a league-low 39.2% of Purdy’s passing yardage came after the catch.

It was the lowest YAC rate Purdy has received in his early career, and that rate has declined yearly since he entered the league.

Even though Purdy missed time with a turf toe injury, he still ran 3.7 times for 16.3 yards per game.

The 49ers have Purdy under contract through 2030, with two more seasons remaining at a reasonable cap number.

Purdy is set to count for $23.7 million against the cap in 2026 (7.9%) and $30.1 million in 2027 (9.3%) before carrying cap hits of $56.9 million, $71.8 million, and $64.6 million afterward.

San Francisco made a shrewd move last offseason in signing Mac Jones to a two-year contract.

Jones played in 11 games and made eight starts for San Francisco last season.

The 49ers went 5-3 in his starts.

Jones completed 69.6% of his passes for 7.4 yards per pass attempt with 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Running Back

1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Jordan James
3. Isaac Guerendo
4. Patrick Taylor
5. Kyle Juszczyk (FB)

Christian McCaffrey carried this offense through all of the injuries.

McCaffrey led the NFL with 413 touches, producing 2,126 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns.

He was not a hyper-efficient runner but accumulated 1,202 yards and 10 scores on the ground while catching 102 passes for 924 yards and 7 touchdowns through the air.

With that, McCaffrey became the first player to ever have 2,000 yards and 100-plus receptions in multiple seasons.

LaDainian Tomlinson is the only other player to do it once.

It was McCaffrey’s third season with at least 100 receptions.

All other NFL running backs in history have done it a total of four times.

McCaffrey will turn 30 this June.

He has two years remaining on his current contract, with a $10.9 million cap hit this season and a $26.4 million cap hit in 2027.

McCaffrey is coming off handling 76.6% of the backfield touches in 2025, which ranked third among running backs.

Kyle Shanahan is once again saying that he will alleviate McCaffrey’s workload this offseason.

We have heard that before, and McCaffrey continues to rack up late-game touches in already decided games.

McCaffrey had 40 touches in the fourth quarter with San Francisco ahead by 8 or more points last season, which was second in the NFL behind Zach Charbonnet (43).

With Brian Robinson leaving in free agency, the 49ers are light in the backfield behind CMC.

The team has said positive things about Jordan James this offseason, but we did not see James play as a fifth-round rookie.

James played 3 offensive snaps last season.

That was three more than Isaac Guerendo.

After logging 227 snaps as a rookie in 2024, Guerendo did not play a single snap on offense last year.

Patrick Taylor missed all of 2025 with a fractured shoulder.

The 49ers under Shanahan have rarely left a draft without throwing a dart at a running back.

They have selected a running back in four of the past five drafts.

Wide Receiver

1. Mike Evans
2. Rickey Pearsall
3. Christian Kirk
4. Demarcus Robinson
5. Jacob Cowing
6. Jordan Watkins
7. Malik Turner
8. Junior Bergen
9. Colton Dowell
10. Brandon Aiyuk

2025 was another injury-plagued season for San Francisco pass catchers.

Jauan Jennings led the wide receivers with a route run on 73.1% of the dropbacks, followed by Kendrick Bourne at 60.9%.

No other wide receiver was on the field for 50% of the dropbacks.

Neither Jennings (still on the market) nor Bourne (signed with Arizona in free agency) is on the roster.

San Francisco instead played the veteran market by signing Mike Evans right as free agency opened.

Evans signed a team-friendly deal, carrying cap hits of $4.25 million this season, $7.3 million in 2027, and $9.7 million in 2028 should he make it all the way through.

One of the league’s most consistent producers is coming off his worst season in the pros, catching 30 of 62 targets (a career-low 48.4% catch rate) for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Evans only appeared in eight games last season.

He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 that sidelined him until Week 7.

It was the fifth season in a row that Evans has been on the injury report with a hamstring issue.

When Evans returned in Week 7 against Detroit, he suffered a broken clavicle after 14 plays, forcing him out of the lineup for the next two months.

Returning in Week 15, Evans reminded everyone that he still can produce, catching 6 of 12 targets for 132 yards against Atlanta.

He produced only 31, 31, and 34 yards in the final three weeks of the season, but found the end zone twice over that span.

The largest question here is whether San Francisco is attempting to catch a falling knife.

Evans will be 33 and is coming off an efficiency dip across the board.

His yards per route run average (1.62) was the lowest of his career.

Evans was the worst he has been after the catch, producing a career-low 1.2 yards after the catch per reception.

He also produced the lowest rate of targets to produce a first down or touchdown of his career (37.1%).

Baker Mayfield’s efficiency fell off as he dealt with injuries, so there is somewhat of a hall pass to give to Evans here.

Despite playing through multiple ailments, Evans still commanded target opportunities.

His target rate per route (27.3%) was his highest since 2016 and good for WR8 on the season among wideouts with 200-plus routes run.

Like Davante Adams with the Rams a year ago, I expect Evans to at minimum be a major factor near the end zone.

When Evans was on the field last season, he commanded 58.3% of the Tampa Bay end-zone targets.

Adams had 57.1% end-zone targets in his games played last season with the Rams.

In 2024, Evans was second in the league in end-zone targets (18).

Brock Purdy has been the most efficient passer on throws to the end zone.

Since entering the league, Purdy has completed 45.1% of his throws into the end zone.

That is fourth in the league.

In 2025, that rate was 46.2% (QB9) while Mac Jones was first (58.3%).

Joining a San Francisco offense that has a wide-open target tree, I would bet on Evans being a target earner once again, while we already laid out how successful Purdy has been throwing downfield.

George Kittle is returning from an Achilles injury he suffered in the postseason, raising questions about his availability to open the year.

Ricky Pearsall has played 20 games through two seasons.

Pearsall appeared in only nine games due to a PCL injury that cost him most of the season and a late-season ankle injury.

He was on the field for only 45% of dropbacks last season.

He opened the season strong, producing 108, 56, and 117 yards over his first three full games before the injury in Week 4.

Pearsall then closed the year with games of 6 catches for 96 yards in Week 14 and then 5 catches for 85 yards in Week 16.

Pearsall was in the X role a year ago when he was available.

He averaged a team-high 14.1 air yards per target with a team-high 32.1% of his targets on throws 20 or more yards downfield.

Paired with a role near the end zone, I expect Evans to take on a lot of those routes while Pearsall moves into more of the role he had during his rookie season.

He can also take on more assignments that have been given to Jennings, which was the plan in 2024.

Pearsall played 34.4% of his snaps in the slot as a rookie compared to 19% last season.

Only 15.2% of his targets as a rookie were deep targets, and he averaged 3.7 yards after the catch compared to 2.6 yards after the catch last season.

With Jennings likely gone after signing Evans and Kittle’s return to be determined, Pearsall has a solid setup again to kick off 2026.

When the 49ers do go into 11 personnel, they also added Christian Kirk on a one-year deal (just under $3 million) to compete for a slot role.

Kirk only caught 28 passes for 239 yards and 1 touchdown with Houston last year after catching 27 passes for 379 yards and 1 touchdown with Jacksonville in 2024.

Kirk has missed four or more games in three straight seasons.

With two older signings on wide receivers with sketchy injury histories, the 49ers are surely not done here.

They have hit the wide receiver hard in pre-draft visits.

So far, San Francisco has had visits with Denzel Boston, Omar Cooper, K.C. Concepcion, Chris Brazzell, and Caleb Douglas.

Brandon Aiyuk is not expected to be on the roster at the start of the season, but the 49ers have not let him go for nothing at this stage, as the soap opera relationship has yet to reach its conclusion.

Tight End

1. George Kittle
2. Jake Tonges
3. Luke Farrell
4. Brayden Willis
5. Hayden Rucci

George Kittle was productive again last year when he was available, averaging 5.2 receptions for 57.1 yards per game with 7 touchdowns.

He posted 2.18 yards per route run, which ranked third among tight ends to run 200-plus routes last year.

But Kittle only played in 11 games, missing time with a hamstring injury.

Kittle has only been on the field for 68.1% and 46.2% of the dropbacks the past two seasons.

He will turn 33 this October, missing time in every season since 2018.

That is expected to continue this season.

Playing with torn ligaments in his foot in the playoffs, Kittle suffered an Achilles injury in the playoff win against the Eagles.

He had surgery in January, placing the start of his season in jeopardy.

The 49ers have not visited with a tight end yet this offseason.

Kittle is under contract through 2029, but all of the missed time, another major injury, and his age could have San Francisco considering his potential replacement if they like someone in a deep class.

The team retained Jake Tonges on a two-year deal this offseason to help wait things out with Kittle.

Tonges was solid when filling in for Kittle last season, catching 34 passes for 293 yards (8.6 yards per catch) and 5 touchdowns.

Not nearly as dynamic in the passing game, however, Tonges was targeted on 19.8% of his routes with 1.28 yards per route run with Kittle sidelined in 2025.

Offensive Line

LT: Trent Williams, Austen Pleasants, Isaac Alarcon
LG: Connor Colby, Robert Jones, Nick Zakelj
C: Jake Brendel, Drake Nugent
RG: Dominick Puni, Brett Toth, Zach Thomas
RT: Colton McKivitz, Vederian Lowe, Brandon Parker

The 49ers are rolling back four quality starters from last season.

Both Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz are coming off strong seasons as outside protectors.

McKivitz has only allowed 6 total sacks over the past two seasons.

McKivitz is locked up through 2028, but San Francisco is close to needing to find an inevitable replacement for Williams.

At age 37, Williams was still the third-highest graded offensive tackle per Pro Football Focus last season.

He allowed only 4 sacks with 4 penalties while ranking second at the position in run blocking grade.

After it appeared that the two sides might be at a potential contract hangup for 2026, Williams is still on the roster at a $46.3 million cap hit.

It is possible that the 49ers just let things ride and try to bring back Williams for as long as he wants to play, but he is not playing cheaply and will need a new deal if he keeps going.

Center Jake Brendel is also getting up there (he will turn 34 in September) and is set to be an unrestricted free agent after 2026.

Right guard is taken care of with Dominick Puni having two more years remaining on his rookie contract.

Puni started slowly last year while playing through a PCL injury, but he ended the year playing closer to the form he showed as a rookie.

Through eight weeks, Puni was 46th among guards in overall grade per Pro Football Focus, but then was ninth for the remainder of the season.

Left guard is still a potential soft spot on the current roster.

The 49ers started three different players at left guard last season, ending the year with seventh-round rookie Connor Colby in the lineup.

Colby allowed a 7.1% pressure rate (84th among guards) while allowing the second-most sacks on the team on only 281 snaps in protection.

San Francisco signed veterans Robert Jones and Brett Toth to compete for snaps and shore up the inside this season, but both were low-leverage one-year deals.

With only Puni and McKivitz as starters signed beyond this season, San Francisco should be targeting more contractual depth with upside to start in the future across the offensive line.

San Francisco 49ers Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the San Francisco 49ers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Osa Odighizuwa
2. Alfred Collins
3. C.J. West
4. Sebastian Valdez
5. Evan Anderson

The 49ers allowed 4.5 yards per carry to running backs (22nd) last season and finished 30th in success rate allowed on those carries.

While new DC Raheem Morris has been more of a 3-4 coach, Kyle Shanahan has talked a lot about Morris’ adaptability in the months after the hiring, suggesting we will see something similar to what the 49ers have run in recent years.

San Francisco also traded for Osa Odighizuwa, who was no longer needed in Dallas because of their transition into a 3-4 base.

Odighizuwa finished 34th among all qualified pass rushers, not just defensive tackles, in pressure rate last year.

The 49ers do need to find some options next to him after Kalia Davis and Jordan Elliott left in free agency.

A second-round pick last year, Alfred Collins earned a rotational role as a rookie, but he did not have a great first season.

A fourth-round pick last year, C.J. West did not fare much better.

Both are young players who can take a step forward in their second season, but adding some help in the middle of the defensive line makes sense.

Edge Defenders

1. Nick Bosa
2. Mykel Williams
3. Keion White
4. Sam Okuayinonu
5. Cam Sample
6. William Bradley-King
7. Andrew Farmer II

The 49ers struggled to get pressure in 2025, finishing 30th in pressure rate (30.4%) and dead last with 20 sacks.

San Francisco suffered big injuries to their pass rusher group, with Nick Bosa playing just three games and first-round rookie Mykel Williams lasting just nine.

Bosa is obviously one of the best in the league.

Williams did not have a ton of pass rush production (8.4% pressure rate), but the 49ers will hope for more once he returns to full health.

Keion White and Sam Okuayinonu are back after playing meaningful roles last year, though both had a sub 10% pressure rate.

The 49ers also added Cam Sample in free agency, but he has a sub-10% career pressure rate.

Bosa will anchor this unit when healthy, and the 49ers could bet on some progression from Williams.

Still, edge rusher looks like a primary need heading into the draft.

Linebacker

1. Fred Warner
2. Dee Winters
3. Dre Greenlaw
4. Tatum Bethune
5. Luke Gifford
6. Nick Martin
7. Jalen Graham
8. Garret Wallow
9. Milo Eifler

Arguably the most impactful injury for the 49ers defense last year, Fred Warner played just six games because of a broken ankle.

He should return healthy for 2026, and the team reunited with Dre Greenlaw this offseason.

Of course, Greenlaw has played just 10 games over the last two years, but he and Warner formed the best linebacker partnership in the league as recently as 2023.

If Greenlaw cannot get back to form, Dee Winters is waiting in the wings after being a basically every-snap player for the defense last season.

Tatum Bethune also got some experience last year, and Luke Gifford is back to help out on special teams.

Greenlaw’s recent injury history means there are some questions in this linebacker group, and both Greenlaw and Winters are scheduled to be free agents after this season.

Still, linebacker does not stand out as a pressing need.

Cornerback

1. Deommodore Lenoir
2. Renardo Green
3. Upton Stout
4. Nate Hobbs
5. Jack Jones
6. Darrell Luter Jr.
7. Eli Apple
8. Jakob Robinson
9. Tre Tomlinson

Not helped by their pass rush, the 49ers allowed 7.0 yards per attempt (16th) last season but ranked 26th in EPA allowed per pass attempt.

All of their primary snap takers from last season are back, and last year’s lack of success does not truly reflect the quality of corners on the roster.

Deommodore Lenoir has lived up to the billing since signing his big extension, finishing 24th among qualified corners in yards allowed per coverage snap last year.

A 2024 second-round pick, Renardo Green has allowed just 6.6 yards per target and an 84.1 quarterback rating in his coverage through two seasons.

A third-round pick last year, Upton Stout established himself as the primary option in the slot as a rookie.

The 49ers also added Nate Hobbs and Jack Jones in free agency.

Hobbs never found his feet with the Packers and has struggled to stay on the field through five seasons, but he got $16 million guaranteed from Green Bay last offseason for a reason.

Jones has not been great recently, but he does have starting experience.

The 49ers could look to add at cornerback since they struggled so much against the pass last year, but upgrading the pass rush and perhaps safety is probably the better route.

Safety

1. Malik Mustapha
2. Ji’Ayir Brown
3. Marques Sigle
4. Siran Neal
5. Darrick Forrest
6. Derrick Canteen

Malik Mustapha missed the start of his second season because of a 2024 knee injury, but he established himself as an every-down player by the end of the year.

He struggled in coverage, but Mustapha ranked fifth among defensive backs in tackle rate on running plays.

Ji’Ayir Brown played the second-most snaps in the safety group, and he did not fare any better in coverage.

A fifth-round pick last year, Marques Sigle was forced into a meaningful role as a rookie, and he continued the theme of giving up playing the passing game.

Sigel allowed a 149.6 quarterback rating in coverage last year.

Siran Neal was added in free agency, but he has been more of a special teams player throughout his career.

The 49ers could use an upgrade at the top of the safety room.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Bills' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Buffalo Bills Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Edge Rusher
2. Defensive Back
3. Offensive Line

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Buffalo Bills 2026 Draft Capital

The Bills have the 27th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Buffalo Bills Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Bills to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Buffalo Bills Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Buffalo Bills, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Josh Allen
2. Kyle Allen
3. Shane Buechele

Although Josh Allen's counting stats declined in 2025, he had another excellent season.

Allen posted career lows in touchdown passes (25) and passing yards per game (215.8), but career highs in completion rate (69.3%) and yards per pass attempt (8.0).

Those rates ranked fourth and fifth in the league last season.

Although his passing touchdowns dropped from the year prior for the fifth consecutive season, Allen still posted a 5.4% touchdown rate, his sixth consecutive season over 5%.

No other quarterback over that span can say the same.

On top of the passing efficiency, Allen added 579 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, his third season in a row with double-digit rushing scores.

If there is one nit to pick with Buffalo, it is that they do not throw it more.

Skeptics will point to Buffalo’s strengths being the offensive line, James Cook, Allen’s own rushing ability, and the subpar group of pass catchers they have as the primary components for leaning into the run, but any time Buffalo was pressed to throw the football last season, they were successful.

Buffalo may not have had a great group of pass catchers, but Allen raised that tide.

Buffalo had a 46.7% success rate on passing plays, seventh in the league.

The addition of D.J. Moore, paired with Joe Brady being elevated to head coach (and a worse defense on paper), could lead Buffalo to push the ball more through the air.

Since taking over as the play caller in Buffalo, Brady has called conservative game plans.

Ken Dorsey was presumably fired in 2023 for throwing the ball too often.

Over the final nine games in 2023, Buffalo was 31st in the NFL dropback rate (52.4%) and 27th in the rate of yardage gained via passing (60.7%).

Before that, they were seventh in the NFL in dropback rate (63.2%), and 68.5% of their yardage came through the air (13th).

In 2024, Buffalo had a 56.3% dropback rate (25th) with 63.5% of their yardage through the air (22nd).

This past season, the Bills posted a 54.3% dropback rate (30th) with 57.6% of their yardage via passing (30th).

What will be interesting to see is how much that was by Brady’s own design or top-down influence from Sean McDermott.

Allen turns 30 this May.

His current contract runs through 2030, but it will surely be reworked over the next few years.

Allen has cap hits of $44.3 million in 2026 (14.7% of the cap), $56.1 million in 2027 (17.4%), and $62.3 million in 2028 (17.6%) before spiking to $89.2 million in 2029 (23.8%) and $82.8 million (20.8%) in 2030.

Running Back

1. James Cook
2. Ty Johnson
3. Ray Davis
4. Frank Gore Jr.

James Cook got a new contract last offseason, which was earned.

Cook is coming off the best season of his early career, setting career highs in rushing attempts (309), rushing yards (1,621), touches (342), and yards from scrimmage (1,912) to go along with 14 touchdowns.

The league leader in rushing yards, here is where Cook ranked among the 49 running backs this season with 100 or more attempts:

• 5.2 yards per rush (2nd)
• 45% success rate (9th)
• 12.6% rate of runs for 10-plus yards (8th)
• 10.7% rate of runs failed to gain yards (2nd)

That came while facing eight or more defenders in the box on 56% of his attempts, the second-highest rate in the league.

Cook faced a light box (6 or fewer defenders) on only 11.3% of his runs, the third-lowest rate in the league.

The Buffalo offensive line is excellent, but Cook was not given many free squares.

If there is one nit to pick here, it is that Cook is arguably underused in the passing game.

He has averaged 9.0 yards per catch over his career, but only 2.0 receptions per game.

Cook was on the field for 43.9% of Buffalo's dropbacks in 2025, which ranked 15th at the position.

Ty Johnson has chipped in for the Buffalo passing game.

He caught 24 passes for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns last year, rushing 50 times for 200 yards and 3 more scores.

Johnson is an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The Bills did not use Ray Davis as much last year as they did in his first season.

After 130 touches for 631 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2024, Davis handled 68 touches for 361 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2025.

He played 15% of the offensive snaps after 24% as a rookie.

Davis still averaged 5.3 yards per touch.

The offense just ran through Cook.

Wide Receiver

1. D.J. Moore
2. Khalil Shakir
3. Josh Palmer
4. Keon Coleman
5. Tyrell Shavers
6. Mecole Hardman
7. Trent Sherfield
8. Jalen Virgil
9. Stephen Gosnell

In 2025, Buffalo's wide receivers averaged 10.6 receptions (18th) for 125.8 yards per game (22nd) and 11 touchdowns (23rd) in the regular season.

Collectively, Buffalo wideouts were targeted on 21.4% of their routes, which was 27th in the league.

Allen averaged 7.9 yards per pass attempt when targeting his wide receivers last season, which was 15th in the league.

Allen averaged a league-high 10.0 yards per pass attempt when throwing to his tight ends and 6.8 yards per attempt when throwing to his backfield (7th).

Buffalo may not be done adding here, but given what they used to acquire D.J. Moore, paired with his remaining salary over the next two seasons, Moore immediately steps in as the leading candidate for targets.

Moore is coming off a down season with the Bears, and his mercurial behavior has come up in each of the past two seasons.

In 2025, Moore posted career lows in receptions (50) and receiving yards (682).

Moore was targeted on a career-low 15.3% of his routes.

His previous career low was 19.1% as a rookie in 2018.

Moore only had one game last season with more than 73 yards receiving, to go along with 11 games below 50 yards.

If lighting a candle for Moore, he did play better to close the year.

Moore scored 5 touchdowns over the final six games last season.

2025 saw Moore set career lows in just about every category you can find, but if you are looking at his career production, his overlap playing under Joe Brady in 2020-2021 with Carolina was a strong campaign.

The hope is that a reunion with Brady, while playing alongside Josh Allen, keeps Moore engaged.

Moore is at the crossroads of his career, and this change of scenery is a boost for his opportunity to lead a passing game again.

Buffalo is one of the neediest teams for a wide receiver, while Allen is the best quarterback that Moore has played with over his career to this point.

Allen has not had a feature WR1 since Buffalo moved on from Stefon Diggs.

Khalil Shakir led the Bills in targets (95), catches (72), and receiving yards (719) in 2025, but he is coming off a down year compared to his career output.

He averaged a career low 10.0 yards per reception last year.

Shakir was playing through an ankle issue, which led to offseason surgery.

The addition of Moore allows Shakir to serve in more of an ancillary function, since he is not an alpha lead WR1.

Through four NFL seasons, Shakir has run 73 total pass routes in one or two WR sets,

Last year, with a limited roster, he was on the field for 25 routes in one or two WR sets, accounting for 18.8% of those play calls.

Shakir also has a limited presence near the end zone, totaling just 6 targets in the end zone through four seasons.

Moore had 15 of those last season with the Bears.

Josh Palmer made a minimal impact in his first season with Buffalo, catching 22 passes for 303 yards and 0 touchdowns over 12 games.

The Bills have been supportive of Keon Coleman through the media, but their actions say otherwise.

Coleman caught 38 passes for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns in his second season.

He caught 8 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the season opener, but then completely fell off the table.

He did not top 49 yards in a game the rest of the season.

Coleman was a healthy scratch in three games and only played on 53% of Buffalo's dropbacks.

Both Palmer and Coleman have multiple years remaining on their current contracts, but Buffalo should not be done adding to this receiver room.

Tight End

1. Dalton Kincaid
2. Dawson Knox
3. Jackson Hawes
4. Keleki Latu

This was the best part of the Buffalo passing game in 2025.

Buffalo tight ends combined for 95 receptions (13th) for 1,210 yards (2nd) and 12 touchdowns (3rd) last season.

Dalton Kincaid was hyper-efficient with 2.73 yards per route run, but limitations with injuries, as an in-line player, and his role in the run game on a run-heavy team have limited his opportunities.

Kincaid only played 33.4% of his snaps in-line last season.

The Bills ran the ball only 28.5% of the time when he was on the field, compared to 57.1% when he was off the field.

That has capped Kincaid’s overall participation in the offense and limited the routes he runs.

Over his three seasons in the league, Kincaid has been on the field for 64.1% of the team's dropbacks.

He dealt with a hamstring injury and a PCL injury on top of his limited role in the run game.

He did not have surgery, but offseason reports indicate that Kincaid will still need to be managed in 2026 due to his knee injury.

That led the Bills to work out a new contract with Dawson Knox.

With Kincaid missing time and being an active run blocker, Knox played 653 snaps last season, his most since 2022.

He caught 36 passes for 417 yards and 4 touchdowns, all highs since 2022 as well.

Jackson Hawes played 43% of the snaps as a rookie.

Buffalo ran the ball 70.6% of the time with Hawes on the field, but he did grab 16 passes for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Offensive Line

LT: Dion Dawkins, Tylan Grable
LG: Alec Anderson, Austin Corbett
C: Connor McGovern, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Lloyd Cushenberry
RG: O’Cyrus Torrence, Nick Broeker
RT: Spencer Brown, Chase Lundt, Travis Clayton

This was still one of the better units in the league last season.

Buffalo ranked fourth in ESPN’s pass block win rate (71%) and first in run block win rate (75%).

At Pro Football Focus, they were sixth in pass blocking grade and sixth in run blocking grade.

They remained one of the healthier units in the league.

Their starters played together on 71.4% of the offensive snaps, which was fourth in the league.

Buffalo is bringing back four of those starters this season.

Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown is one of the best tackle duos in the league, and both are under contract for multiple seasons.

Center Connor McGovern received a four-year extension this offseason.

David Edwards went to New Orleans in free agency, pushing Alec Anderson up the depth chart.

Anderson has made six starts over the past two seasons with Buffalo and is an unrestricted free agent after the season, so competition and depth can be added here.

Buffalo added Austin Corbett and Lloyd Cushenberry to push for that job as well.

Both Corbett and Cushenberry have dealt with significant injuries in recent seasons.

Cushenberry played for Joe Brady at LSU.

The rest of the starters are locked up, but O’Cyrus Torrence is also set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season, meaning that the interior offensive line could have more moving parts sooner than later.

Buffalo Bills Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Buffalo Bills, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Ed Oliver
2. Deone Walker
3. T.J. Sanders
4. DeWayne Carter
5. Phidarian Mathis
6. Landon Jackson
7. Zion Logue
8. Tommy Akingbesote

The Bills struggled across the board against running backs in 2026, allowing 5.0 yards per carry to the position (30th).

They gave up an explosive run on 12.5% of the RB carries they faced (30th).

Buffalo’s coaching change will be felt the most on the defensive side of the ball, with Jim Leonhard taking over what had been Sean McDermott’s defense.

That will likely mean a shift to a 3-4 base, though the new coordinator is certain to live the “multiple” credo that dominates NFL defenses in 2026.

With DaQuan Jones gone, Ed Oliver should lead this room, but he appeared in just three games last year before returning for the playoffs.

Oliver did record 9.5 sacks back in 2023, and he had a massive 20.8% pressure rate on a very limited sample last year.

Both 2025 draft picks, T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker got some experience last year.

Sanders had something of a rough go, but Walker made plays in the running game, leading the team with 15 run stuffs.

That ranked fifth among all qualified defensive linemen.

DeWayne Carter missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, and he did not show great as a rookie.

Buffalo has youth up front, but they could use an addition to the defensive line.

Edge Defenders

1. Greg Rousseau
2. Bradley Chubb
3. Michael Hoecht
4. Javon Solomon
5. Andre Jones Jr.

Buffalo ranked 14th in pressure rate (37.3%) last season, finishing with 36 sacks (20th).

This unit will look different in 2026 with Joey Bosa and A.J. Epenesa leaving in free agency.

Buffalo made a big addition to the edge group, as well, signing Bradley Chubb to a three-year, $43.5 million contract.

He will play opposite Greg Rousseau, who had another good season in 2026, logging 7 sacks with a 15.4% pressure rate (14th).

After he opened the season suspended, Michael Hoecht appeared in just two games before landing on injured reserve with a torn Achilles.

Hoecht should play a versatile role in the new defense, and he perhaps should be listed with the defensive line group instead of along the edge.

Buffalo has no established options behind those three, and Hoecht is returning from an injury.

They have to add at least a rotational option to this group.

Linebacker

1. Terrel Bernard
2. Dorian Williams
3. Joe Andreessen
4. Keonta Jenkins
5. Jimmy Ciarlo

Linebacker lags behind some of Buffalo’s other needs in positional value, but they are in a rough spot here heading into the draft.

Terrel Bernard can hold down one of the starting spots, but he has not been great while missing time over the last two seasons.

Dorian Williams has played the run well, but he has allowed a 103.6 quarterback rating in coverage thus far in his career.

Matt Milano remains a free agent, and he could be a post-draft addition to solidify this unit.

But he will be 32 in July and has struggled to stay healthy for several seasons.

It is fair to argue the Bills need two starter-level additions to this linebacker group.

Cornerback

1. Christian Benford
2. Maxwell Hairston
3. Dee Alford
4. Dorian Strong
5. Te’Cory Couch
6. Daryl Porter Jr.
7. M.J. Devonshire Jr.

The Bills fared better against the pass than run, allowing 6.2 yards per attempt (4th) and finishing seventh in EPA allowed per pass attempt.

Despite that success, Christian Benford is the only primary snap taker returning from last year’s cornerback group.

Benford is coming off yet another good season and has allowed just 6.7 yards per target in his coverage thus far in his career.

That said, he has also never played a full season, appearing in 15, 15, and 14 games the last three seasons.

A first-round pick last year, Maxwell Hairston had a stop-and-start rookie season thanks to injuries, playing just 348 snaps.

The Bills need him to become a starter in year two.

Dee Alford was added in free agency to handle the slot snaps, though he has had some issues the last two seasons.

There are no experienced options behind that top three, a big concern given Benford’s history of missing a few games and Hairston's lack of experience.

At the very least, the Bills need to add some depth to their cornerback room.

Safety

1. Cole Bishop
2. C.J. Gardner-Johnson
3. Geno Stone
4. Damar Hamlin
5. Jordan Hancock
6. Sam Franklin Jr.
7. Wande Owens

Cole Bishop took a step forward in his second season, providing a steady presence at safety, but the Bills had a tough time finding someone to play opposite him.

They tried to fix that in free agency by signing C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone.

Gardner-Johnson had a falling out with the Texans early last season before joining the Bears in Week 9.

Stone was nearly an every-snap player for the Bengals over the last two seasons, but he struggled in their secondary.

Buffalo also brought back Damar Hamlin, who suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in October.

Buffalo has likely made their big moves at safety, but there are question marks up and down this depth chart, especially with Gardner-Johnson on a one-year deal.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

Subscribe to the Sharp Football Email Newsletter to receive all our 2026 NFL content:

No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Bears' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Chicago Bears Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Edge Rusher
2. Defensive Back
3. Defensive Line

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Pre-Order The Best Analytical 2026 Football Preview

Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2026 NFL season.

The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.

This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to get you prepared for the 2026 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.

Pre-order the 2026 Football Preview now!

Chicago Bears 2026 Draft Capital

The Bears have the 21st-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Chicago Bears Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Bears to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Chicago Bears Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Chicago Bears, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Caleb Williams
2. Tyson Bagent
3. Case Keenum

Off a strong finish to 2025, Caleb Williams and the Bears are looking to take another step forward in his third season.

Williams made wholesale improvements in his second season with Ben Johnson.

He went from a 39.8% success rate in 2024 (30th) to a 42.5% success rate (22nd) last season.

24.6% of his dropbacks resulted in a gain of 1.0 EPA or more (14th) after a 20.4% rate as a rookie (30th).

Only 14.2% of his dropbacks lost 1.0 EPA or worse (6th), down from 18.6% in 2024 (29th).

After taking a sack on 10.8% of his dropbacks in 2024 (33rd), that rate was 4.1% last season (fourth).

Johnson had Williams playing more under center in his second season.

After a 28.8% under center rate as a rookie, Williams was at 48.4% last year.

That increased his play-action rate from 16.9% as a rookie to 33.3% last year.

The last hurdle Williams needs to clear is accuracy as a passer.

He still only completed 58.1% of his throws last year, ahead of only J.J. McCarthy (57.6%).

He had a 14.6% inaccurate throw rate, which was the worst among 33 passers who qualified for the league’s passer rating.

Williams was still sensitive to pressure.

He had a shaky completion rate regardless of pressure, but he averaged 7.6 Y/A (13th) when unpressured compared to 5.4 Y/A when pressured (26th).

Running Back

1. D’Andre Swift
2. Kyle Monangai
3. Roschon Johnson
4. Brittain Brown
5. Deion Hankins

Ben Johnson’s impact was immediately felt with the Chicago run game.

Chicago running backs combined for:

• 4.8 yards per rush (6th)
• 40.8% success rate (2nd)
• 26.3% of runs resulted in a first down or touchdown (2nd)
• 11.8% rate of runs that gained 10 or more yards (7th)

If there was any shade to throw here, the Chicago backs averaged 1.79 yards before contact per rush (3rd) while ranking 21st in yards after contact per rush (3.01), but it was an excellent season for this running game.

This was primarily a split backfield over the back half of the season.

Over the final nine games, D’Andre Swift had 139 touches (55.6%) compared to 110 touches (44%) for Kyle Monangai.

Swift was more effective over that period with 730 yards and 5 touchdowns, compared to 502 yards and 4 touchdowns for the rookie.

Swift ended the season handling 257 touches for 1,386 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.

The yards and touchdowns were career highs.

His 5.4 yards per touch were his best rate since 2022.

Swift produced a run of 10 or more yards on 13.5% of his runs, which ranked sixth in the league.

Swift is in the final year of his current contract.

Monangai was a hit as a seventh-round pick in year one.

He turned 187 touches into 947 yards and 5 scores as a rookie.

That was the most touches for a seventh-round rookie running back since 2019.

Monangai got to play one game without Swift active, and although it was against the Bengals, he throttled them for 198 total yards.

Monangai and Deion Hankins are the only backs here currently signed for 2027.

I am not labeling this a “need,” but with Swift’s contract in the final season and Johnson utilizing multiple backs so far in every offense he has helmed, I believe the Bears are live to add another rookie this spring.

Wide Receiver

1. Rome Odunze
2. Luther Burden
3. Kalif Raymond
4. Jahdae Walker
5. Maurice Alexander
6. JP Richardson

This is another one I am not labeling as an outright need, but I do expect the Bears to add a receiver to this room following the trade of D.J. Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus leaving in free agency.

Moore was on the field for a team-high 87% of the dropbacks last season, while Zaccheaus was on the field for 52%.

Chicago added Kalif Raymond as a direct replacement for Zaccheaus, while Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are expected to see a significant spike in playing time with Moore no longer on the roster.

The next-closest player to Moore on the team (Odunze) was on the field for 65.6% of dropbacks, while Burden was at 41.1%.

We only have a small sample of Moore missing time last year, but Odunze was targeted on 28.3% of his routes with Moore absent (46 routes).

Colston Loveland was at 24.2% (62 routes), and Burden was at 20.3% (64 routes).

Those are all reasonable proxies heading into this season.

Burden (3.20 yards per route run on those plays) will have an efficiency dip on a larger sample size, but he will get much more top-down opportunity.

Burden closed the season quietly (6 catches for 66 yards in the postseason), but he flashed on his limited opportunities, drawing a target on a team-high 24.3% of his routes with a team-high 2.36 yards per route run.

Those totals are influenced by a sample size impacted by entering games for designed play calls when the team was at full strength.

Still, when Odunze missed the final five games of the regular season, Burden led the team with 324 receiving yards despite missing a game himself over that span.

In the four games that Burden played without Odunze over that stretch, he had 21.1% of the team's targets and posted 3.52 yards per route run.

Going back to his rookie profile, I always considered Burden to be misrepresented as a slot-only player, which played out as a rookie.

He played 57.4% of his snaps out wide and 40.7% from the slot.

The one area where Burden can be much more involved is that he only had 2 targets in the end zone as a rookie.

Moore also leaves a team-high 15 end zone targets (28.8%) behind.

Those will definitely go up since Moore is leaving some on the table, but Odunze is a thorn in that area.

Odunze opened last season hot, scoring 5 touchdowns over the opening four games.

He had over 60 yards receiving in three of those four games.

Then the wheels came off.

He scored 1 touchdown the rest of the season and missed the final five games with a foot injury.

Before his injury, Odunze led the team with 23.7% of the targets and 38.2% of the air yards.

While Caleb Williams still had accuracy issues despite growth in 2025, Odunze again took the brunt of it because his route tree offered higher-variance target opportunities.

Over those final eight games, 27.3% of Odunze’s targets were inaccurate.

No player with as many targets had a higher rate of off-target opportunities.

As a rookie in 2024, 26.7% of Odunze’s targets were inaccurate.

No player had a higher rate with as many targets.

What we are left with is nearly a two-year sample of Williams and Odunze being disconnected, which spans two different schemes.

Where Odunze still has upside is the types of targets he gets and his continued profiling as a vertical and red zone option.

Despite missing time, Odunze had 13 targets in the end zone, which was only 2 fewer than Moore.

Odunze had 39.3% of the end-zone targets before his injury, which was WR9 at the time.

Raymond has familiarity with Johnson during his time in Detroit, but the depth behind Odunze and Burden leaves a lot to be desired in terms of big-picture upside, while the team has little contractual depth at wide receiver.

Outside of Odunze and Burden, only Jahdae Walker is signed for 2027.

Tight End

1. Colston Loveland
2. Cole Kmet
3. Nikola Kalinic
4. Stephen Carlson
5. Qadir Ismail

It took a bit for Colston Loveland to get going as a rookie as he worked his way into the lineup and recovered from an offseason shoulder injury, but the wait was worth it.

Loveland ended the season with at least 15% of the team’s targets in each of the final nine games, drawing a target on 24.7% of his routes for 1.97 yards per route run over that span.

Over the final five games of the season, Loveland was on the field for 80.9% of the team's dropbacks, receiving a target on 30.5% of his routes with 2.34 yards per route run.

He caught 31 passes for 408 yards and 2 touchdowns over that span.

As Loveland came on to close the season, the Bears and Ben Johnson took a page from Sean McVay’s 2025 game plan.

From Week 10 on, the Bears played 12 personnel on 35.4% of their snaps (6th) and 13 personnel on 13.4% (2nd).

They averaged 5.8 yards per play on offense with two or more tight ends on the field over that stretch compared to 5.1 yards per play with one or fewer on the field.

Cole Kmet did not stuff the stat sheet with the arrival of Loveland, but he was a contributor in the base offense when Chicago was at their best, catching 30 passes for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Kmet is still under contract for two more seasons.

Offensive Line

LT: Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills, Ozzy Trapilo
LG: Joe Thuney, Jordan McFadden
C: Garrett Bradbury, Kyle Hergel
RG: Jonah Jackson, Luke Newman
RT: Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie

Chicago made wholesale changes to their offensive line in 2025, paired with the arrival of Ben Johnson, and the impact was felt.

Chicago ranked first in ESPN’s pass block win rate (74%) and fifth in run block win rate (74%).

At Pro Football Focus, they ranked fifth in pass blocking as a team and fifth in run block grade.

There are a few moving parts up front heading into 2026.

The first is at left tackle.

The Bears started three different players at left tackle last season.

Ozzy Trapilo was a second-round pick who eventually took over the job, but he suffered a torn patellar tendon in the playoffs last year and is expected to miss most (if not all) of 2026.

Trapilo took over the job from Theo Benedet, who made eight starts last season.

Benedet allowed a 7.8% pressure rate, which was the second-highest rate on the team, ahead of only Braxton Jones (11%).

Chicago retained Jones on a one-year contract to potentially compete again at left tackle while taking a flyer on Jedrick Wills.

Wills is a former first-round pick who sat out all of 2025 with a knee injury.

Drew Dalman made a surprising retirement this offseason at age 27 after starting all 19 games last season.

In an effort to quickly pivot, the Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury.

Bradbury has not been the same player since early in his career, but he started all 17 games for the Patriots last season.

Bradbury is only signed for 2026, so the door is open for Chicago to add competition and contractual depth here.

The rest of the starting spots are locked up with quality starters between Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Darnell Wright.

Thuney and Jackson are under contract for multiple seasons.

Wright is in the final season of his rookie contract, with the Bears expected to pick up his fifth-year option for 2027 before the May 1 deadline ($19.1 million).

Chicago Bears Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Chicago Bears, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Gervon Dexter Sr.
2. Grady Jarrett
3. Shemar Turner
4. Kentavius Street
5. Neville Gallimore
6. James Lynch

The Bears struggled to slow down running backs in 2026, giving up 4.8 yards per carry to the position and ranking 30th in yards before contact allowed per carry.

Signed last offseason, Grady Jarrett continued his career decline that began in Atlanta, getting pressure on just 5.6% of his pass rush snaps.

Gervon Dexter was better as a pass rusher, recording 6 sacks with a 10.3% pressure rate, but he did not make many plays in the running game.

2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner did not do much before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in October.

The Bears might also view him more as an edge defender when looking at his limited usage as a rookie.

Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore were added in free agency.

Both can help out in a rotation, but neither player has been a difference maker.

Dexter is headed into a contract year, and the team can get out of Jarrett’s contract after this season.

Depending on how they view Turner and what they want to do with Dexter’s contract, they could be in the market for two long-term starters.

Edge Defenders

1. Montez Sweat
2. Dayo Odeyingbo
3. Austin Booker
4. Daniel Hardy
5. Jamree Kromah
6. Jonathan Garvin
7. Jeremiah Martin

The Bears ranked 29th in pressure rate (31.5%) last season, finishing 22nd with 35 sacks.

Montez Sweat is coming off a good season, recording 10 sacks with a 12.5% pressure rate, but the rest of the group added next to nothing.

Dayo Odeyingbo only played eight games in his first season with the team, recording 1 sack with a dreadful 5.3% pressure rate before suffering a torn Achilles in November.

Austin Booker was third on the team with 4.5 sacks, but his 9.4% pressure rate was less than ideal.

Odeyingbo’s return will give the Bears an experienced enough top three, but they need a real impact addition to their edge group.

Linebacker

1. Devin Bush
2. T.J. Edwards
3. D’Marco Jackson
4. Noah Sewell
5. Ruben Hyppolite II
6. Jack Sanborn
7. Dominique Hampton
8. Nephi Sewell

The Bears made a splash in free agency, signing Devin Bush to a three-year, $30 million contract.

He will replace Tremaine Edmunds, who the team released ahead of free agency.

Bush was outstanding last season, putting up good stats against the run while allowing just 5.4 yards per target and a 64.2 quarterback rating in coverage.

The rest of the linebacker group is in flux.

T.J. Edwards is recovering from a broken leg suffered in the playoffs, and he has been the subject of trade rumors.

The Bears brought back D’Marco Jackson, who started four games last year and looked good in his first real playing time in the league.

Noah Sewell is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in late December.

A fourth-round pick last year, Ruben Hyppolite struggled through a few injuries and was not a factor as a rookie.

Chicago has a quality starter up top and enough options behind him to be fine at linebacker for 2026, but there are questions in this group.

Cornerback

1. Jaylon Johnson
2. Kyler Gordon
3. Tyrique Stevenson
4. Zah Frazier
5. Jaylon Jones
6. Josh Blackwell
7. Terell Smith
8. Dallis Flowers
9. Dontae Manning

Not helped by a non-existent pass rush, Chicago’s secondary allowed 7.6 yards per attempt (28th) last season and finished 19th in EPA allowed per pass attempt.

The Bears also did not field the corner group they expected for most of last season, with Jaylon Johnson playing just seven games, Tyrique Stevenson playing 13, and Kyler Gordon appearing in just three.

On top of that, 2025 fifth-round pick Zah Frazier missed his entire rookie season with a “personal issue.”

Jaylon Jones was re-signed in free agency, but it was a small one-year deal.

Stevenson is also scheduled to be a free agent after this season, and while he played the most snaps among the returning corners last year, his role was greatly diminished once Johnson returned from injury.

All of those moving parts make this cornerback room difficult to judge.

Even when on the field, Johnson has not lived up to his contract the last two seasons, but he obviously earned that deal with some great play.

Gordon struggled when on the field last year, but that was a very small sample.

How do the Bears feel about Stevenson?

Will they get anything out of Frazier?

There are bigger defensive needs on this roster, but a case could be made for cornerback being a primary target in the draft.

Safety

1. Coby Bryant
2. Elijah Hicks
3. Cam Lewis
4. Gervarrius Owens

The Bears lost a lot at safety in free agency, with Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Jonathan Owens all set to play for new teams in 2026.

They also made a splash, signing Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million contract.

A nearly every-snap player for the Super Bowl Champions, Bryant will hold down one of the starting safety spots.

The other job is up in the air.

The Bears did bring back Elijah Hicks, who has some starting experience, but it feels like the Week 1 starter next to Bryant is not on the roster heading into the draft.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

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Philadelphia Eagles Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Philadelphia Eagles, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Jalen Hurts
2. Tanner McKee
3. Andy Dalton

For as uneven as this offense was during the 2025 regular season, Jalen Hurts ended up throwing a career-high 25 touchdowns while matching his career-low interception rate (1.3%).

It's not as if Hurts was bad.

Most of the issues he and this offense had stemmed from a lack of consistency.

This offense looked suitable for stretches given the amount of talent they still have, but then went dormant for equally head-scratching periods.

The Eagles had two wins last season in which Hurts did not even complete a pass in the second half of the game.

Hurts ended up with a 42.5% success rate, his lowest as a starter.

The scheme under Kevin Patullo took a lot of flak for the lack of creativity.

Hurts had the lowest screen target rate of his career (5.3%), which was 28th in the league.

18.1% of his throws were hitch routes, the second-highest rate of his career and fifth in the league.

The Eagles used him less as a runner.

He did rush for 8 touchdowns, but it was his first season below double-digits as a starter.

Hurts averaged 3.3 designed runs per game, easily his lowest as a starter.

From 2021 to 2024, Hurts averaged 5.2, 6.7, 5.8, and 6.0 designed runs per game.

He scrambled on a career-low 7.6% of his dropbacks.

Patullo is out as offensive coordinator, with Sean Mannion getting his first shot as a play caller.

Mannion comes over from serving as the offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach with Green Bay and Matt LaFleur.

Since Shane Steichen left after 2022, the Eagles have had a new offensive coordinator every season.

This will be the sixth different play caller that Hurts has had in the NFL.

In college, Hurts had four different play callers.

Hurts is still only turning 28 this August with two Super Bowl trips on his resume.

He is under contract through 2028, carrying cap hits of $31.9 million (10.6% of the cap), $42.1 million, and $42 million (13%) in the next three seasons, with more dead money than salary in each.

If the Eagles do eventually look to turn the page, the most feasible window would be after the 2027 season.

Tanner McKee has circled trade rumors since last offseason, which may be part of why the Eagles acquired Andy Dalton.

But McKee remains on the roster before he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

Dalton will also be a free agent after the year.

Running Back

1. Saquon Barkley
2. Tank Bigsby
3. Will Shipley
4. Dameon Pierce
5. Carson Steele

Saquon Barkley may have produced the most disappointing 1,413-yard, 9-touchdown season in recent memory based on the expectations coming off a historic 2024 season.

Out of 49 running backs with 100-plus rushes, Barkley posted:

• 4.1 YPC (33rd)
• 45% success rate (39th)
• 10% rate of runs for 10 or more yards (25th)
• 24.3% rate of runs that failed to gain yards (47th)
• 17.1% rate of runs to gain a first down or touchdown (45th)
• 2.71 yards after contact per rush (38th)

A lot went wrong for this offense, paired with obvious regression taking hold after Barkley’s insane 2024 campaign.

The offensive line was banged up, and, as noted with Hurts, the offense overall was not dynamic.

After averaging 2.64 yards before contact per rush in 2024, Barkley averaged 1.36 yards before contact per rush last season.

That would have been his third-lowest rate during his Giants tenure.

When Barkley was not hit at or behind the line of scrimmage last year, he still averaged 6.6 yards per rush, which was in line with his career output before his outlier 2024 season, which was a perfect storm of explosive runs.

When those explosive runs did not come at the same rate as in 2024, the overall numbers dropped.

Barkley still had 5 touchdowns of 10 or more yards last season, but he once again lacked the usage near the end zone.

The “Tush Push” was not as successful in 2025 as in previous seasons, but that still impacted Barkley’s scoring output.

After only 6 carries from the one or two yard line in 2024, Barkley only had 4 carries from that area of the field last season.

Hurts had 8 of those attempts last season.

Barkley turned 29 this February.

He is under contract through 2028, with favorable cap hits of $9.9 million, $13 million, and $17.3 million over the remainder of his contract.

Tank Bigsby was a distant backup to Barkley in 2025, handling 61 touches for 376 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Bigsby is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this year.

Will Shipley handled 23 touches for 105 yards over 15 games in his second season.

Wide Receiver

1. A.J. Brown
2. DeVonta Smith
3. Dontayvion Wicks
4. Marquise Brown
5. Darius Cooper
6. Elijah Moore
7. Quez Watkins
8. Britain Covey
9. Danny Gray
10. Johnny Wilson

There has been plenty of smoke surrounding a potential trade of A.J. Brown, but as of right now, he is a member of the Eagles.

Brown was part of the theme surrounding this offense in 2025.

He averaged 66.9 yards per game, his fewest in a season since 2021.

In his first three seasons with the Eagles, Brown posted 88.0, 85.6, and 83.0 receiving yards per game.

His 12.9 yards per catch were a career low.

For as mercurial he was through the media, and how down his counting stats were in bulk, Brown did close the season with a strong second half.

From Week 7 to Week 17, Brown accounted for 28.6% of the team’s targets (WR6), 36.7% of the air yards (WR11), and had 2.63 yards per route run (WR5).

He averaged 81.0 yards per game over that stretch (WR8).

Brown will turn 29 this June.

Part of the hangup in trading Brown is that any deal right now will run the Eagles $43.5 million in dead money and cost $20 million in overall cap space this year.

A post-June 1 trade would only be $16.4 million in dead money and end up saving the Eagles $7 million in cap space for 2026.

That is playing a significant role in any potential trade negotiations early this offseason, but the Eagles have acquired a few receivers, including Dontayvion Wicks and Marquise Brown.

They also lost Jahan Dotson in free agency, so there is a lot of reading between the lines about what will happen with Brown moving forward and whether he is on the roster when the dust settles and the season begins.

DeVonta Smith ended 2025 averaging 4.5 receptions and 59.3 yards per game, his lowest rates since his rookie season in 2021.

After scoring 7 or more touchdowns in each of the previous three seasons, Smith only found the end zone 4 times last season.

That aligns with what we have covered about this offense, but, like Brown, Smith’s underlying profile was still solid.

Over that same stretch that we covered with Brown to close the year from Week 7 to Week 17, Smith accounted for 27.8% of the targets (WR8), 37.6% of the air yards (WR8), and still posted 2.07 yards per route run (WR21).

He only had 4 touchdowns, but Smith was a bit unlucky as he had more end zone targets (8) than Brown (5).

Should Brown be moved, Smith would step into a leading role as a WR1.

Since Brown joined the team in 2022, Smith has run 205 pass routes with Brown off the field.

He has been targeted on 28.8% of those routes (36.9% of the team targets) with 2.36 yards per route run.

Any trade of Brown makes wide receiver more of a need, even with the additions the Eagles have made this offseason.

Over three seasons with the Packers, Wicks reeled in 108 receptions for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Wicks has been a target earner whenever he has gotten playing time.

Over the past three seasons, Wicks has been targeted on 22.3% of his routes, which ranks as the WR38.

The hangup is that he has been on the field for only 47.4% of dropbacks.

Wicks takes some heat for drops, but that was really only in one of his three seasons.

He dropped 8 passes (10.5% of his targets) in 2024, but he only had 2 drops as a rookie (3.4%) and 3 drops last season (6.5%).

Marquise Brown has never been able to recapture his early-career success.

Brown is coming off 587 yards and 5 touchdowns on 49 receptions with the Chiefs last season.

Tight End

1. Dallas Goedert
2. Grant Calcaterra
3. Johnny Mundt
4. Cameron Latu
5. Stone Smartt
6. EJ Jenkins
7. Jaheim Bell

Sticking with the theme, Dallas Goedert averaged 4.0 receptions (his fewest since 2021) and 39.4 yards (his fewest since 2019) per game in 2025 with a career-low 9.9 yards per catch.

That is in line with what we have touched on with this offense, but Goedert did have a massive spike in the scoring department, catching a career-high 11 touchdowns.

Goedert only had 15 targets in the red zone, but 10 of them were touchdowns.

The Eagles adopted their own passing version of the “Tush Push,” with Goedert scoring on several variations of the shovel pass.

Goedert had a 27.8% target share for the Eagles in the red zone (TE4) compared to a 15.3% share outside of the red zone (TE9).

There were early offseason whispers that Goedert was potentially on his way out with the organization, but the two sides agreed to keep him for at least one more season.

Goedert turned 31 this January and is not signed for 2027.

That should leave the Eagles in play to grab a tight end in this class.

Behind Goedert, this unit lacks a receiving threat.

Grant Calcaterra has only been targeted on 11.8% of his routes (314 routes) with Goedert off the field the past two seasons.

The Eagles also have no contractual depth at tight end.

Jaheim Bell and E.J. Jenkins are the only tight ends on the roster signed for 2027.

Offensive Line

LT: Jordan Mailata, Myles Hinton, John Ojukwu
LG: Landon Dickerson, Willie Lampkin
C: Cam Jurgens, Drew Kendall, Jake Majors
RG: Tyler Steen, Hollin Pierce
RT: Lane Johnson, Fred Johnson, Cameron Williams

The Philadelphia offensive line was less dominant in 2025 than in previous seasons.

They ended the year ranking 17th in ESPN’s pass block win rate (64%) and 16th in run block win rate (71%).

Their starting offensive line played 41.9% of the offensive snaps together last year.

Tyler Steen was the only lineman to play in all 18 games.

Cam Jurgens (three games missed), Landon Dickerson (two), and Lane Johnson (8 games) all missed multiple weeks over the season.

Jordan Mailata turned 29 this March and is signed through 2028.

Jurgens (27 this August) and Dickerson (28 in September) are still under 30, with multiple years remaining on their contracts.

Still, each spent time this offseason getting stem cell treatment to help deal with injuries they suffered last year.

Dickerson confirmed he is returning, but there were rumors he was mulling retirement after the injuries he suffered over the past two seasons, which he pushed through.

Johnson will be 36 this May, having missed the second half of the year with a Lisfranc injury.

His age, injury, and the team's performance with him off the field last year should push the Eagles to consider lining up his inevitable replacement.

Steen is also a pending unrestricted free agent after this season, after being the only lineman to play in every game last year.

Philadelphia Eagles Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Philadelphia Eagles, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Jalen Carter
2. Jordan Davis
3. Moro Ojomo
4. Ty Robinson
5. Byron Young
6. Gabe Hall
7. Ta’Quon Graham

The Eagles allowed 4.2 yards per carry to running backs (12th) last season, but they ranked 28th in negative run forced rate.

Philly signed Jordan Davis to a long-term extension this offseason, and they are almost certainly going to pick up Jalen Carter’s fifth-year option.

That keeps their top two along the line under contract through at least 2027.

Carter was limited to just 11 games last season, and he was not at his best even when on the field.

Davis played the most snaps of his career (686), producing the ninth-most run stuffs among defensive linemen (13) and 4.5 sacks.

Moro Ojomo showed flashes with a 12.2% pressure rate in 2024, and he got home on those pressures more in 2025, finishing with 6 sacks.

Those three give the Eagles a very good rotation, and they have Ty Robinson and Byron Young as depth options.

The Eagles are set along the defensive line.

Edge Defenders

1. Jalyx Hunt
2. Nolan Smith Jr.
3. Arnold Ebiketie
4. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
5. Jose Ramirez

Philly finished fifth in pressure rate (40.1%) but lagged behind a bit with 42 sacks (12th).

Jaelan Phillips was a big but expected departure this offseason that the Eagles have yet to truly replace.

A third-round pick in 2024, Jalyx Hunt took a step forward in his second season, finishing 10th among qualified pass rushers with a 16.9% pressure rate.

He only ended up with 6.5 sacks, but that pressure rate points to better success in the future.

Nolan Smith had a similar problem in his 12 active games, getting just 3 sacks but posting a 15.4% pressure rate.

While they are not replacements for Phillips, the Eagles added Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in free agency.

Ebiketie has never recorded more than 6 sacks in a season, but he has a solid career 12.6% pressure rate.

He could end up being a good value signing on a one-year deal.

Even if Ebiketie steps up, though, the Eagles need to spend an early pick on a pass rusher.

Linebacker

1. Zack Baun
2. Jihaad Campbell
3. Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
4. Smael Mondon Jr.
5. Chance Campbell
6. Chandler Martin

The Eagles lost Nakobe Dean in free agency, but they prepared for that future by signing Zack Baun to an extension and drafting Jihaad Campbell in the first round last year.

Baun remained one of the best linebackers in the league last season, and he has allowed just 4.9 yards per target in coverage over his two seasons with the Eagles.

Campbell played 710 snaps as a rookie, also playing well in coverage despite a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.

That injury is a concern because there is not much experienced depth behind those two, with 2024 fifth-round pick Jeremiah Trotter and 2025 fifth-round pick Smael Mondon next up on the depth chart.

Trotter has played well on a very small sample thus far in his career, including a start in Week 18 last year.

As long as Campbell is fine, the Eagles are in a good spot at linebacker.

Cornerback

1. Quinyon Mitchell
2. Cooper DeJean
3. Riq Woolen
4. Kelee Ringo
5. Jakorian Bennett
6. Jonathan Jones
7. Tariq Castro-FIelds
8. Mac McWilliams
9. Ambry Thomas

The Eagles allowed just 6.4 yards per attempt (5th) last season, finishing ninth in EPA allowed per pass attempt.

The defense had some trouble finding a good No. 3 option last year, but their young duo of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean continued their outstanding play.

Both are under contract for two more years, and the Eagles can pick up Mitchell’s fifth-year option for 2028.

The Eagles made a move to shore up that No. 3 spot in free agency, signing Riq Woolen to a surprisingly team-friendly one-year deal.

Woolen has put up great overall coverage numbers in his career, but he is prone to high-profile mistakes, which could have hurt his market.

He will get a chance to rehab his value in a great defensive system.

The Eagles also added Jonathan Jones, and they bring back both Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett as depth.

With Michael Carter (listed below with the safeties) also able to help out at cornerback, there are no real concerns with this unit.

Safety

1. Andrew Mukuba
2. Michael Carter II
3. Marcus Epps
4. J.T. Gray
5. Andre’ Sam
6. Brandon Johnson

The Eagles had an offseason shake up at safety with Reed Blankenship leaving in free agency and Sydney Brown getting traded to the Falcons.

2025 second-round pick Andrew Mukuba is back after playing 672 snaps across 11 games as a rookie.

He should take one of the starting spots.

Michael Carter re-signed on a small deal in free agency.

Nominally a corner, offseason reports suggest the Eagles will give Carter a real shot to earn a role at safety.

Shortly after trading away Brown, the Eagles re-signed Marcus Epps and added J.T. Gray.

Epps does have starting experience, including 17 games for the Eagles in 2022, so he is another option next to Mukuba.

The Eagles might be able to get what they want out of Carter, Epps, or some combination of the two, but spending some draft capital at safety makes sense.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Steelers' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Pittsburgh Steelers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Quarterback
2. Offensive Line
3. Linebacker

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 Draft Capital

The Steelers have the 7th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Pittsburgh Steelers Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Steelers to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Pittsburgh Steelers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Pittsburgh Steelers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Mason Rudolph
2. Will Howard

All indications are that the Steelers are anticipating Aaron Rodgers to return for another season, but as things stand today, the Steelers have the worst quarterback situation in the league.

Rodgers turned 42 in December, so even if he decides to return in 2026, the long-term answer for this franchise is still up in the air.

In 2025, Rodgers was 23rd in EPA per dropback (0.01) and 32nd in success rate (39.6%), ahead of only Cam Ward (36.9%).

He completed 65.6% of his throws (16th) for 6.7 yards per pass attempt (27th), posting a 4.8% touchdown rate (16th) and a 1.4% interception rate (8th).

Protecting the football was still something Rodgers did well, and he was able to do so because he took next to no chances pushing the football downfield and has zero interest in being touched at this stage of his career.

Rodgers had the quickest time to throw from the snap in the league (2.52 seconds), paired with the shortest depth of target (6.0 air yards).

Only 25.5% of his throws went 10 or more yards downfield, the lowest rate in the league.

The league average among qualifiers for rating was 33.1%.

Rodgers threw a league-high 31.7% of his passes at or behind the line of scrimmage.

The league rate in that department was 21.3%.

If Rodgers does return, he will once again get a chance to work with Mike McCarthy.

That combination was together for the apex run of Rodgers’ career in Green Bay through the 2018 season, when McCarthy was let go.

Running Back

1. Jaylen Warren
2. Rico Dowdle
3. Kaleb Johnson
4. Travis Homer
5. Lew Nichols

The Pittsburgh backfield was productive in 2025, with Jaylen Warren (1.291 total yards) and Kenneth Gainwell (1,023 yards) both reaching 1,000 yards.

Pittsburgh running backs combined for 65.1% of the team touches, which was third in the NFL behind Atlanta (69.5%) and Miami (65.5%).

Warren handled 53.8% of those backfield touches (251 touches) for 1,291 yards and 8 touchdowns.

For the first time in his career, Warren served as the leading rusher, posting career-highs in rushing attempts (211), yardage (958), and touchdowns (6) on the ground.

He added 40 receptions for 333 yards and 2 scores through the air.

Warren has averaged over 5.0 yards per touch in each of his four seasons in the league.

With Gainwell leaving during free agency, the Steelers added Rico Dowdle, who was with Mike McCarthy in Dallas in 2024 during his breakout season.

Dowdle is coming off a 1,373 total yards and 7 touchdowns on 275 touches last season with the Panthers.

With Dallas in 2024, Dowdle posted 1,328 yards and 5 scores on 274 touches.

Dowdle also has 39 receptions in each of the past two seasons.

The addition of Dowdle could push Warren back into a more complementary rushing role, or Pittsburgh could use these backs as interchangeable options across all facets.

The Steelers ran the ball 48.5% of the time with Warren in the game last season, compared to a 28.9% run rate on Gainwell’s snaps.

Over his first three seasons in the NFL, Warren’s offenses only ran the ball 35.4% of the time on his snaps.

This is a new offense, but I would anticipate that being more balanced with this duo.

If Rodgers is back, you can expect the backs to remain active in the passing game.

Rodgers threw the ball to running backs 25.2% of the time in 2025 (4th).

He was ninth in that department in 2024 (19.9%) and in 2022 (21.5%).

Both Warren and Dowdle are signed for multiple seasons.

The addition of Dowdle does leave Kaleb Johnson in no-man’s land.

Selected in the third round last spring (83rd overall), Johnson only played 51 snaps as a rookie (9%), touching the ball 29 times for 78 yards (2.7 yards per touch).

Wide Receiver

1. DK Metcalf
2. Michael Pittman
3. Roman Wilson
4. Ben Skowronek
5. A.T. Perry
6. Max Hurleman
7. Cole Burgess
8. John Rys Plumlee
9. Brandon Smith

It was a down season for DK Metcalf in 2025, his first with the Steelers.

Metcalf averaged 3.9 receptions for 56.7 yards per game, the lowest rates since his rookie season.

Metcalf had the lowest depth of target of his career (10.6 air yards), having 55 or fewer yards in 11 of his 15 games played.

At 1.84 yards per route run (WR34), Metcalf has been below 2.0 yards per route run in four of his past five seasons.

Metcalf is signed through 2029, carrying cap hits over $30 million in each of the next four seasons.

The Steelers can save $14.5 million in cap space after this season if they do need to move in another direction, and $22 million in 2028 cap space following Metcalf’s age-30 season.

Metcalf will be in a new offense in 2026, but he has also added target competition.

He was targeted on 21.4% of his routes last year (WR37) in an offense with no established WR2.

Metcalf had 45 more targets than the next closest receiver on the roster, which was Calvin Austin.

The addition of Michael Pittman will shake up the target dispersal here.

After setting career highs with 6.8 receptions for 72.0 yards per game in 2023, Pittman has since averaged 4.3 receptions and 4.7 receptions per game the past two seasons for 50.5 yards and 46.1 yards per game.

Pittman only averaged 9.8 yards per catch last season, which ranked 127th among wide receivers.

On a positive note, Pittman did score 7 touchdowns, which was a career-high.

Pittman has declined over the past two seasons, but the area where he has earned targets overlaps the field area where Rodgers throws the ball most often.

Pittman will only cost the Steelers $8.9 million in cap space this season.

They can reevaluate things afterward and decide what to do with Pittman’s remaining cap hits of $26.1 million in 2027 ($15.1 million in dead space) and $24.1 million in 2028 ($7.6 million in dead space).

Beyond Metcalf and Pittman, there is not much here.

Roman Wilson did get on the field for 253 snaps in his second season (33%), but only managed 12 receptions for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Wilson has 21 targets over 13 games, which was the same total Marquez Valdes-Scantling had in five appearances.

Tight End

1. Darnell Washington
2. Pat Freiermuth
3. JJ Galbreath

The Steelers went with a tight end committee last season.

Darnell Washington played 52.9% of the snaps.

Jonnu Smith played 51.9%.

Pat Freiermuth played 50.6%.

With Smith no longer on the roster, Washington and Freiermuth can operate as a clear-cut tandem.

Freiermuth is coming off career lows with 2.4 receptions for 28.6 yards per game.

He was targeted on a career low 16.6% of his routes.

Washington caught a career-high 31 passes for 364 yards and 1 touchdown.

Despite the growth as a receiver, Washington was still primarily featured in the run game.

Freiermuth ran a route on 54.9% of the dropbacks, while Washington was at 35.6%.

Pittsburgh ran the ball 50% of the time Washington was on the field, compared to 32.9% with Freiermuth.

Washington is in the final year of his rookie contract.

Offensive Line

LT: Broderick Jones, Dylan Cook, Lorenzo Thompson
LG: Spencer Anderson, Brock Hoffman, Sataoa Laumea
C: Zach Frazier, Ryan McCollum
RG: Mason McCormick, Steven Jones, Aiden Williams
RT: Troy Fautanu, Jack Driscoll, Doug Nester

The Pittsburgh offensive line played well last year, ranking third in ESPN’s pass block win rate (71%) and ninth in run block win rate (72%).

At Pro Football Focus, they ranked third in pass blocking grade as a team and 16th in run blocking grade.

The Steelers also stayed healthy up front last year compared to the rest of the league.

Their starters played together for 50.7% of the offensive snaps, ranking ninth in the league.

There are a few things in motion here as we approach the draft.

Isaac Seumalo left in free agency, pushing Spencer Anderson up the depth chart.

Anderson made seven starts for the team in his third season, but was a weak link when tasked with playing time.

Anderson ranked 53rd among guards in overall grade per Pro Football Focus.

He allowed a 5.4% pressure rate (the second-highest on the team), ranking 60th at his position.

Anderson enters the year in the final season of his rookie contract.

Broderick Jones is also in the final year of his rookie deal.

The Steelers are expected to decline the fifth-year option for Jones in 2027, which puts his long-term status in question.

Jones missed six games last season.

When he was on the field, Jones allowed a team-high 6.1% pressure rate (50th among tackles) and was 90th in sack rate allowed at the position.

The left side of the line can be upgraded while also needing contractual depth.

The rest of the line is in good shape with Zach Frazier, Troy Fautanu, and Mason McCormick all under contract for multiple seasons.

Pittsburgh Steelers Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Pittsburgh Steelers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Cameron Heyward
2. Derrick Harmon
3. Keeanu Benton
4. Sebastian Joseph-Day
5. Yahya Black
6. Logan Lee
7. Esezi Otomewo
8. Anthony Goodlow
9. Kyler Baugh
10. Jahvaree Ritzie

The Steelers finished 17th in yards per carry allowed to running backs (4.3) last season, but they were first in touchdowns allowed to the position (5).

The Steelers will have a new defensive coordinator as part of their sweeping coaching changes, hiring Patrick Graham from the Raiders.

Graham has a history of using multiple schemes, but we should not expect much of a change from the “3-4 base” of the Steelers' past.

There was talk about Cameron Heyward retiring after the season, but he signed a new deal that runs through 2027.

Father Time will catch up with him at some point, but Heyward played at a high level again last season.

The Steelers have some youth behind Heyward with Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, and Yahya Black, who are all still on rookie contracts.

Harmon played a rotational role across his 12 rookie games, but his snaps picked up to close the season.

The Steelers will hope for a step forward from the young lineman.

Benton has played a lot of snaps since he was taken in the second round in 2023, and he broke out with 5.5 sacks last season, though that came attached to a lackluster 7.4% pressure rate.

Benton is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, so the Steelers will have to make a decision on him soon.

A fifth-round pick last year, Black offered nothing as a pass rusher in a rotational role, which is not surprising, but he made a few plays in the backfield in the running game and could solidify the middle of the defense if he gets more snaps in year two.

The Steelers also added veteran Sebastian Joseph-Day in free agency, giving them experienced depth.

There are some longer-term questions with Heyward’s age and Benton’s contract situation, but the Steelers are in a good spot along the line.

Edge Defenders

1. T.J. Watt
2. Alex Highsmith
3. Nick Herbig
4. Jack Sawyer
5. KJ Henry
6. Julius Welschof

Pittsburgh finished 13th in pressure rate (37.4%) last season, but they recorded 48 sacks (6th).

T.J. Watt has obviously been an elite pass rusher, but he is coming off a down season where he finished with 7 sacks in 14 games and a 10.6% pressure rate.

With Watt turning 32 in October with $42 million cap hits the next two years, there at least have to be some concerns about decline, though he has a much longer history of great play.

The Steelers also have two good options behind him, which could allow the new defensive staff to use Watt more situationally moving forward.

Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig picked up the slack for Watt last season, though both of them also missed some time.

Highsmith notched 9.5 sacks with a 14.5% pressure rate, while Herbig had 7.5 sacks and a 14.2% pressure rate.

Herbig is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, which creates some longer-term questions.

A fourth-round pick last year, Jack Sawyer did not do a ton in a rotational role, but he obviously has runway to improve.

The Steelers are in a good spot along the edge in the short term, especially if Watt can rediscover his form, but there are some longer-term questions.

Linebacker

1. Patrick Queen
2. Payton Wilson
3. Malik Harrison
4. Cole Holcomb
5. Carson Bruener

Patrick Queen has shown up in some trade rumors this offseason, and he is coming off something of a rough season by his standards.

He finished last season 94th among 115 qualified linebackers in yards allowed per coverage snap.

The Steelers will need better from Queen in 2026, and they need to find an answer next to him.

Payton Wilson and Malik Harrison made up the rotational last year, with Harrison playing more on early downs and Wilson seeing more time in coverage.

They could run that back again, but it would not hurt to have a better three-down option next to Queen, especially since he is heading into a contract year.

Cole Holcomb was that at one point in his career, but he missed all of 2024 because of a serious knee injury and then played a limited role last year.

Cornerback

1. Joey Porter Jr.
2. Jamel Dean
3. Asante Samuel
4. Brandin Echols
5. Donte Kent
6. Cory Trice Jr.
7. Daequan Hardy
8. Doneiko Slaughter
9. D’Shawn Jamison

The Steelers allowed 7.2 yards per attempt (23rd) last year and finished 16th in EPA allowed per pass.

Pittsburgh suffered some losses to the corner group this offseason, including James Pierre signing with the Vikings, but they also had a massive addition in Jamel Dean.

Dean never played a full season during his seven years in Tampa Bay, but he also allowed just a 79.6 quarterback rating in his coverage during his time there.

He should be an excellent No. 2 option opposite Joey Porter, who was a shut-down option last year.

Porter has been charged with 1 touchdown allowed through three seasons, and that was in his rookie year.

Porter is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, but the Steelers will almost certainly figure out an extension with their young corner.

Pittsburgh also brought back Asante Samuel, who at one point looked like an up-and-coming corner but had his career derailed by a neck injury.

Brandin Echols also has the talent to push for a job in sub-packages, and the Steelers have Jalen Ramsey (listed below with the safeties) as an option to cover the slot.

They are in a good spot at cornerback.

Safety

1. DeShon Elliott
2. Jalen Ramsey
3. Jaquan Brisker
4. Darnell Savage
5. Sebastian Castro
6. Jack Henderson

After transitioning Jalen Ramsey to safety last year, the Steelers made a big addition in free agency by signing Jaquan Brisker, albeit to a one-year deal.

With DeShon Elliott returning from injury, that gives Pittsburgh three starting-quality options at safety, allowing them to play more big nickel and mix and match with the depth at cornerback.

Darnell Savage was added in free agency, and he also brings the versatility to play anywhere in the secondary.

Like at cornerback, the Steelers have a good group at safety.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

Subscribe to the Sharp Football Email Newsletter to receive all our 2026 NFL content:

No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Chargers' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Los Angeles Chargers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Offensive Line
2. Edge Rusher
3. Defensive Line

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Pre-Order The Best Analytical 2026 Football Preview

Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2026 NFL season.

The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.

This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to get you prepared for the 2026 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.

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Los Angeles Chargers 2026 Draft Capital

The Chargers have the 26th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Los Angeles Chargers Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Chargers to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Los Angeles Chargers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Los Angeles Chargers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Justin Herbert
2. Trey Lance
3. DJ Uiagalelei

Justin Herbert went through the wringer in 2025.

Rashawn Slater missed the entire season.

Joe Alt only appeared in six games.

Herbert closed the year with a broken left hand, taking a career-high 54 sacks.

That was the second-most sacks taken in the league behind Cam Ward (55).

Herbert was hit on a league-high 129 dropbacks.

For some added context, Bo Nix led the league with 669 dropbacks (54 more than Herbert).

He was hit 71 times.

With Alt off the field (431 dropbacks), Herbert completed 65.9% of his passes (15th), averaging 7.3 air yards per pass attempt (25th), 6.9 yards per pass attempt (22nd), a 4.2% touchdown rate (26th), 2.8% interception rate (28th), and a 10.1% sack rate (31st).

With Alt on the field (184 dropbacks), Herbert completed 67.5% of his passes, averaging 9.1 air yards per attempt, 8.3 yards per pass, had a 7.1% touchdown rate, 1.9% interception rate, and an 8.3% sack rate.

The most significant difference, as you can see in those splits, is that the Chargers adopted a shorter passing game to compensate for the loss of Alt.

With Alt, 64.3% of Herbert’s passes were five or more yards downfield, 36.4% were 10 or more yards downfield, and 13% were 20 or more yards downfield.

Without Alt, 54.2% of his passes were five or more yards downfield, 30.2% were 10 or more yards downfield, and 12.3% were 20 or more yards downfield.

The other area that hurt this scoring offense was the red zone.

Herbert only completed 50.6% of his passes in the red zone, which was 28th in the league.

He had a league-high 5.2% interception rate in the red zone while taking a sack on 8.3% of his dropbacks (25th).

All of that pressure forced Herbert to run more than ever.

Herbert rushed for a career-high 498 yards in 2025.

He had a career-high 8% scrambling rate.

His previous high was 6.2%.

Hoping for better fortune in terms of offensive line health, Herbert will get to work with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

Herbert is under contract through 2029, but he is not cheap and will need a reworked deal before the 2028 season.

He is carrying cap hits of $46.4 million in 2026 (15.4% of the cap), $58.4 million in 2027 (18.1%), $71.1 million in 2028 (20%), and $59.5 million in 2029 (15.9%).

The team brought back Trey Lance on a one-year deal this offseason.

Running Back

1. Omarion Hampton
2. Keaton Mitchell
3. Kimani Vidal
4. Jaret Patterson
5. Amar Johnson
6. Alec Ingold (FB)
7. Scott Matlock (FB)

Omarion Hampton’s rookie year was limited to nine games due to an ankle injury.

When active, Hampton turned 156 touches into 737 total yards (4.7 yards per touch) and 5 touchdowns.

Hampton’s rookie sample was highlighted by averaging 3.35 after contact per rush, which ranked 11th out of 49 running backs with 100 or more attempts.

He had a 40.3% success rate as a runner (21st) and a run of 10 or more yards on 11.3% of attempts (14th).

Hampton averaged 1.04 yards before contact per rush, which ranked 38th on that same list.

Arguably, no player here could benefit more from the addition of Mike McDaniel, paired with the potential for better run blocking from having his starting offensive tackles on the field more often in 2026.

Over his time with Miami, McDaniel’s offenses ranked fifth in yards per rush for running backs (4.7 YPC), fifth in success rate (40.9%), and first in explosive run rate (12.7%).

Those teams ran outside zone on 43.3% of their running-back runs, ranking third in the league during that period.

As a rookie, Hampton only averaged 0.21 yards before contact on outside zone runs, 45th in the league.

McDaniel loves a speed back, and the Chargers added Keaton Mitchell during free agency.

Mitchell only has 140 career touches through 26 games played, but he has averaged a robust 6.3 yards per rush when he has received opportunities.

A small sample size, 18.2% of Mitchell’s career runs have gained 10 or more yards, the highest rate in the league over the past three seasons.

Interestingly, Mitchell struggled on his small sample of outside zone runs with Baltimore, rushing for only 3.9 YPC on 37 attempts, which ranked 55th in the league.

That makes up 30.6% of his runs, his highest run type.

Mitchell has cracked the explosives on inside zone runs (20.6% of his career runs), rushing for 6.7 YPC with a run of 10-plus yards on 20.7% of those attempts.

The Chargers still have Kimani Vidal as a back who stepped in effectively for Hampton last year amid poor offensive line play.

In his second season, Vidal handled 171 touches for 779 yards (4.6 yards per touch) and 4 touchdowns.

Wide Receiver

1. Ladd McConkey
2. Quentin Johnston
3. Tre Harris
4. KeAndre Lambert-Smith
5. Derius Davis
6. Dalevon Campbell
7. Luke Grimm
8. JaQuae Jackson

The Chargers threw the ball to wide receivers a league-high 68% of the time in 2025.

Their wideouts combined for 370 targets, which was second in the NFL behind the Cowboys (387).

The opportunities were there for the wideouts, but production was hampered by the offensive line.

Ladd McConkey took a step back in his second season.

After averaging 5.1 receptions for 71.8 yards per game as a rookie, McConkey averaged 4.1 receptions for 49.3 yards per game.

He went from 14.0 yards per catch as a rookie down to 12.0 yards per catch last season.

After being targeted on 23.4% of his routes for 2.40 yards per route as a rookie, McConkey was targeted on 18.9% of his routes with 1.40 yards per route in 2025.

McConkey lost a significant number of targets on third downs to Keenan Allen.

McConkey’s early target share (20.2%) was on par with his rookie season (21.9%), but his target share on third downs (18.4%) was significantly down from 2024 (25.4%).

Allen had 33.6% of the third-down targets last season, which was second in the league behind Amon-Ra St. Brown (37%).

After Alt’s injury, McConkey averaged 2.7 catches for 37.9 yards per game.

Quentin Johnston improved for the second season in a row, averaging a career-high 14.4 yards per catch and 52.5 yards per game.

That yardage per game led the team, and he also led the team with 8 touchdowns over 14 games.

Johnston was a complete boom-or-bust option.

He had fewer than 50 yards in half of his games, with two games with 0 catches.

Johnston enters the year in the final season of his rookie contract.

The Chargers have the option to pick up his fifth-year option for 2027, which will be $18 million.

With Allen still on the open market, Tre Harris is positioned for a larger role moving forward, even if the Chargers do pick up Johnston’s option for 2027.

As a second-round rookie (55th overall), Harris ran a route on 43% of the dropbacks, catching 30 passes for 324 yards and 1 touchdown.

The question for Harris in 2026 will be how many 3WR sets the Chargers run transitioning under McDaniel.

During his four years in Miami, McDaniels’s offenses utilized 11 personnel on 41.4% of their offensive snaps, which was second to last in the league.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith played 123 snaps (19%) as a fifth-round rookie, catching 5 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Tight End

1. Oronde Gadsden
2. Charlie Kolar
3. Tanner McLachlan
4. Thomas Yassmin

Oronde Gadsden’s rookie season was a success.

As a fifth-round pick, he caught 49 passes for 664 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He averaged 13.6 yards per catch.

No tight end in the league averaged more yards per catch with as many receptions as Gadsden last season.

There was a stretch in the middle of the season when Gadsden looked like a ceiling player, but he lost steam due to injuries that dragged this offense down in bulk, and he showed limited ability to contribute as a blocker.

He caught 17 passes for 211 yards and 1 touchdown over the final eight games of the season.

Over that span, his route participation dipped to 65.2% of the dropbacks with a target on 15.9% of his routes.

From Week 6 through Week 9, when he was surging, Gadsden was on the field for 82.1% of the dropbacks with a target on 19% of his routes.

Run blocking remains the primary area that Gadsden must improve to become a full-time player.

He played 50.3% of his snaps in-line, posting the second-lowest run blocking grade at the position per Pro Football Focus.

The Chargers ran the ball only 30.5% of the time when Gadsden was on the field, compared to 50.3% when he was off the field.

That, paired with the addition of McDaniel, led the Chargers to sign Charlie Kolar in free agency to complement Gadsden.

Kolar was a decorated receiving prospect coming out of Iowa State, but he did not have many opportunities in the passing game in Baltimore.

He only caught 30 passes over his four seasons with the Ravens, but he was seventh in yards per route run at the position on his limited opportunities.

Instead, Kolar was a featured part of the run game.

His offenses in Baltimore ran the ball 69.2% of the time with him in the game, the highest rate for any tight end in the league over that span.

Offensive Line

LT: Rashawn Slater
LG: Trevor Penning, Kayode Awosika
C: Tyler Biadasz, Josh Kaltenberger
RG: Cole Strange, Branson Taylor, Ben Cleveland
RT: Joe Alt, Trey Pipkins

As alluded to throughout, this offensive line was a disaster last season.

Rashawn Slater ruptured his patellar tendon in August and missed the entire year.

Joe Alt played in six games due to an ankle injury.

The most-used offensive line combination for the Chargers last year was on the field for only 16.5% of the offensive snaps, the lowest rate in the NFL.

Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson were the only starters to play in every game.

Neither remains on the team.

Mekhi Becton was a bust in free agency last season and was let go, giving the Chargers an entirely new interior line heading into the draft.

The team added Tyler Biadasz in free agency to replace Bozeman.

Bozeman ranked 40th in overall grade per Pro Football Focus among centers last season, while Biadasz was 13th with Washington.

Trevor Penning and Cole Strange are penciled in at the guard spots for now, but both can be improved upon while each has a low-leverage contract only for 2026.

Penning joined the Chargers in Week 11 last season, making four starts.

He allowed a 7.5% pressure rate across his time with the Saints and Chargers, which ranked 87th at his position.

He also had 8 penalties, which was 92nd among guards.

Strange was with McDaniel last season in Miami, where he started 14 games.

Strange ranked 63rd among guards in overall grade per Pro Football Focus, four spots below Johnson, who the team let walk in free agency.

Los Angeles Chargers Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Los Angeles Chargers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Teair Tart
2. Jamaree Caldwell
3. Justin Eboigbe
4. Dalvin Tomlinson
5. TeRah Edwards
6. Josh Fuga

The Chargers allowed 4.3 yards per carry to running backs (16th) in 2025, but they were second in the rate of negative runs forced.

There will be a new defensive coordinator leading this group, but Chris O'Leary was with the team in 2024 before his one year leading Western Michigan’s defense, so there likely will not be wholesale changes.

Teair Tart was re-signed to a three-year, $30 million contract after reestablishing himself as a quality option against the run over his first two years with the team.

Tart was 10th among all qualified defensive linemen in run stuff rate last year.

A third-round pick last year, Jamaree Caldwell also performed well in that metric, though neither player offered much to the pass rush.

Justin Eboigbe picked up that slack, finishing with 6 sacks despite a somewhat lackluster 9.5% pressure rate.

Dalvin Tomlinson was added to the mix in free agency.

He is not coming off a great season, but he is experienced depth who can help out in the rotation.

If looking for a need, this group could use a true threat as a pass rusher, which the Chargers could look to add in the draft.

Edge Defenders

1. Tuli Tuipulotu
2. Khalil Mack
3. Bud Dupree
4. Kyle Kennard
5. Garmon Randolph

The Chargers finished 16th in pressure rate (36.9%) last season, ranking 10th with 45 sacks.

Tuli Tuipulotu had the best season of his career in 2025, recording 13 sacks with an elite 17.9% pressure rate.

That rate ranked sixth among all qualified pass rushers.

The Chargers lost Odafe Oweh in free agency, but Khalil Mack signed a one-year deal to return after nabbing 5.5 sacks in 12 games last year.

Fellow veteran Bud Dupree will also return, though he is at best a rotational option at this point in his career.

A fourth-round pick last year, Kyle Kennard appeared in just five games as a rookie, playing 80 total snaps.

The Chargers could be fine with this group for just 2026, but there are a lot of long-term questions with Tuipulotu scheduled to be a free agent after this season, while Mack and Dupree are nearing the end of their careers.

Adding a high-level rookie to the edge group makes sense.

Linebacker

1. Daiyan Henley
2. Denzel Perryman
3. Troy Dye
4. Junior Colson
5. Del’Shawn Phillips
6. Marlowe Wax
7. Emany Johnson

The Chargers did not get great play out of their linebacker unit last season.

Daiyan Henley took a big step back against the run, recording a tackle on just 14.2% of his run defense snaps, though he still allowed just 6.3 yards per target and a 78.9 quarterback rating in coverage.

Denzel Perryman was limited to just 10 games, with Troy Dye filling in as the No. 3 option.

Both Perryman and Dye were more impactful against the run, ranking in the top 20 in run stuff rate.

A 2024 third-round pick, Junior Colson missed all of last season on injured reserve and has played just 218 snaps in the league.

The Chargers brought back Perryman in free agency and probably have enough to get by at a lower-value position, but there is room for an upgrade at linebacker.

Cornerback

1. Tarheeb Still
2. Cam Hart
3. Donte Jackson
4. Deane Leonard
5. Nikko Reed
6. Eric Rogers
7. Isas Waxter
8. Jordan Oladokun

The Chargers allowed 6.6 yards per attempt (8th) last season and finished eighth in EPA allowed per pass.

The top three snap takers from last season are back, with Benjamin St-Juste the only notable loss in free agency.

Tarheeb Still continued to play at a high level in his second season, allowing just a 76.8 quarterback rating in his coverage.

Cam Hart did not fare as well as a sophomore, ranking 111th in yards allowed per coverage snap among qualified corners.

He has made plays on the ball through two seasons, though, with 18 passes defensed in 30 games.

Donte Jackson played the third-most snaps among the returning corners, but he was better per coverage snap than both Still and Hart.

Los Angeles might not have a true No. 1 corner, and the depth here is questionable, but that is mitigated by how many snaps Derwin James plays in the slot.

The Chargers could target a high-end starter in the draft, but they are fine at corner overall.

Safety

1. Derwin James
2. Elijah Molden
3. Tony Jefferson
4. RJ Mickens
5. Kendall Williamson

Derwin James got back on track while working with new DC Chris O'Leary in 2024, and he kept that momentum going with a great 2025 season in his usual Swiss Army Knife role.

He reportedly wants a new contract, which could lead to some missed offseason time, but James should be ready to anchor the defense by Week 1.

Elijah Molden is not coming off his best season and missed some time last year, but his breakout came while working with O’Leary in 2024, which gives hope of a bounceback.

Tony Jefferson re-signed in free agency to handle the No. 3 duties, a spot that should continue to see a lot of snaps.

2025 sixth-round pick RJ Mickens showed well across 328 rookie snaps, giving the Chargers even more depth.

There is high-end talent and depth in this safety unit.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Jaguars' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Jacksonville Jaguars Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Defensive Line
2. Edge Rusher
3. Offensive Line

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Jacksonville Jaguars 2026 Draft Capital

The Jaguars have the 22nd-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Jacksonville Jaguars Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Jaguars to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Jacksonville Jaguars Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Jacksonville Jaguars, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Trevor Lawrence
2. Nick Mullens
3. Carter Bradley

Liam Coen quickly turned around the Jaguars.

The Jaguars won 13 games in his first season as head coach, their most since 1999.

The Jaguars went 9-1 after their Week 8 bye, winning eight straight games with a league-best +153 point differential over that winning streak.

Jacksonville scored 2.83 points per drive over that period, fourth in the league.

Before their bye, the Jaguars were averaging 1.71 points per drive, which was 27th in the league.

A big part of that was a turnaround for Trevor Lawrence.

Jacksonville gained 10 or more yards on 31.4% of its passing plays over that run, third in the NFL.

Before that, they had a gain of 10 or more yards on 23.3% of their passing plays, which was 25th.

After the bye, Lawrence averaged 7.9 yards per pass attempt (7th) with a 6.6% touchdown rate (4th).

Before that, Lawrence was averaging 6.3 yards per pass attempt (26th) with a 3.5% touchdown rate (26th).

Lawrence also set career highs with 359 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns on the ground for the season.

Lawrence will look to build off the best stretch of football for his career coming into 2026.

He is under contract through 2030, with the first restructuring window opening after 2028.

Running Back

1. Bhayshul Tuten
2. Chris Rodriguez
3. LeQuint Allen
4. DeeJay Dallas
5. Ja’Quinden Jackson

This running game produced counting stats in 2025, but not much efficiency.

Jacksonville running backs combined for 20 touchdowns (7th in the league), but only 114.9 yards from scrimmage per game (22nd).

Their backfield averaged 4.1 yards per rush (22nd) with a 37.3% success rate (23rd), producing a run of 10 or more yards on 9.1% of runs (22nd).

Travis Etienne took the crux of the work, handling 69.7% of the backfield touches, a rate that was ninth in the NFL.

After the Jacksonville Week 8 bye, Etienne rushed for 3.6 YPC (24th out of 32 backs with 100-plus attempts) with a 31.9% success rate (30th).

He failed to gain any yardage on a league-high 25.8% of his attempts over that span.

With Etienne leaving free agency, the Jaguars do not have much proven production left on the roster.

Bhayshul Tuten was selected in the fourth round last spring.

There were moments during his rookie season when Tuten pushed Etienne for a backfield split, but they were always fleeting.

He played 21% of the offensive snaps as a rookie, turning 93 touches into 386 yards (4.2 yards per touch) and 7 touchdowns.

Out of 65 running backs with 50-plus rushing attempts last year, Tuten’s 3.7 yards per rush ranked 52nd.

He had a run of 10 or more yards on 6% of those attempts (58th).

Despite the lack of chunk-gain runs, Tuten turned 27.7% of his runs into a first down or touchdown (12th) with a 47% success rate (8th).

That disparity in efficiency metrics was due to his role, as he was used as a short-yardage clasher for the majority of his rookie season.

26 of Tuten’s touches (27.9%) were inside the red zone.

Only Chris Rodriguez had a higher red-zone touch rate (28.7%) and as many overall touches as Tuten this season.

Tuten faced eight or more defenders in the box on 39.8% of his runs compared to a 31.2% rate for Etienne.

Tuten was an explosive back out of college, so opening up his role outside of the red zone should lead to more explosive runs.

The Jaguars added Rodriguez to the roster, giving Jacksonville a potential combo for the power-back role.

Over three years in Washington, Rodriguez produced 974 yards and 10 touchdowns on 204 touches.

He is coming off his best season, rushing for 500 yards with 6 touchdowns.

Last year, Rodriguez rushed for 3.46 yards after contact per rush, which ranked eighth out of 49 running backs with 100 or more runs.

He posted a 48.2% success rate (3rd) with a run of 10 or more yards on 11.6% of his attempts (12th).

28.6% of his runs resulted in a first down or touchdown (4th).

That was while 59.8% of his runs came against eight or more defenders in the box, the highest rate in the league for a back with 100-plus attempts.

Front offices usually talk up a player they just signed, but Coen’s praise for Rodriguez comes from experience.

In 2021 at Kentucky with Coen as the offensive coordinator, Rodriguez popped for 1,440 total yards and 12 touchdowns.

Tuten can have an extended workload in 2026, while the Jaguars could view him and Rodriguez as interchangeable power-back options.

Neither back has much experience as a pass catcher.

Rodriguez has 6 receptions in the NFL.

Tuten entered the NFL as a raw player in the passing game and had issues with ball security as a prospect, two problem areas for him as a rookie.

He struggled in pass protection at Virginia Tech and had a limited role as a rookie in the passing game.

Tuten ran a route on only 15.4% of the dropbacks in his games played and logged only 21 snaps in pass protection.

He also lost 2 fumbles on 93 touches.

Rodriguez has fumbled once on his 204 early-career touches.

The lack of a passing game role for Tuten and Rodriguez opens the door further for LeQuint Allen to have a larger role in his second season.

Allen managed only 33 touches for 148 yards and a rookie, but he was an excellent pass protector in college and was already used in that regard over Tuten last season.

Allen played 61 pass blocking snaps as a rookie (Etienne was at 83).

The Jaguars have said that they are “content” with this running back room entering the draft, but the lack of proven top-down NFL production leaves the window cracked for another back to be added to the depth chart.

Wide Receiver

1. Brian Thomas
2. Jakobi Meyers
3. Parker Washington
4. Travis Hunter
5. Austin Trammell
6. Tim Jones
7. Chandler Brayboy

I am opening this up with Travis Hunter, since so much of where the Jaguars are now as a passing attack stems from the point of midseason last year when Hunter was lost for the year.

As a rookie, Hunter caught 28 of 45 targets for 298 yards and a touchdown over seven games.

Starting the season slowly, Hunter was ramping up as a full-time receiver in the offense.

In his three games before his injury, Hunter went from 67% to 78% and 87% of the offensive snaps.

In Week 7, he caught 8 of 14 targets for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Rams in London.

Going into the bye week after that game, there was significant buzz on Hunter taking over as the feature target of the passing game for the rest of the season.

He then suffered a season-ending LCL injury in practice.

The loss of Hunter played a role in Jacksonville trading for Jakobi Meyers, who also received an immediate three-year contract extension after the trade.

Hunter’s injury also opened the door for Parker Washington.

Before Hunter’s injury, Washington had 17 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown over those seven games.

He then led the team with 640 yards receiving for the rest of the season on 41 receptions with 4 touchdowns.

Hunter’s injury was a real “sliding doors” moment for him and this offense.

Early reports this offseason indicate that Hunter will primarily play cornerback in 2026, moonlighting on offense.

While his actual role on offense is to be determined and likely nebulous, as it stands today, he is a good bet to still be behind Brian Thomas, Meyers, and Washington in terms of playing time at wide receiver while those players are active.

Meyers caught 42 of 61 targets for 483 yards and 3 touchdowns after joining the Jaguars.

He has only cleared 50 yards receiving in three of those nine games, but led the team with 7 end zone targets.

The addition of Meyers meant more for this offense as a whole, getting the wide receiver room in the right place.

Meyers played more Z with the Jacksonville Jaguars than with the Raiders.

He went from a 59% slot rate with the Raiders to a 29% slot rate with the Jags.

That move allowed Thomas to move to the primary X position, and sent Washington into the primary slot role.

All three dabbled in the slot, but this transition improved the offense.

Meyers played 73% of his snaps out wide when all three receivers were on the field together.

Thomas is coming off a down second season in the league.

After averaging 75.4 yards per game as a rookie, he posted 50.5 yards per game last season.

After catching 10 touchdowns in 2024, he had 2 last season.

Thomas had 8 drops after 6 during his rookie season.

He battled wrist and shoulder injuries over the front half of the season, while struggling to find a fit in Coen’s offense that was built more around intermediate crossing routes.

With all three wideouts on the field together, Thomas averaged 15.6 air yards per target but also is third among the trio with a target on 17% of his routes, compared to 20.8% for Meyers and 25.5% for Washington.

Thomas will look to find the middle ground between his rookie season and his second year in the league.

As a first-round pick last year, the Jaguars have control of him for at least two more seasons and a potential fifth-year option after 2027.

Washington has had the best season of his early career in 2025.

After being targeted on 11.9% and 13.3% of his routes in his first two seasons, Washington was targeted on 23.3% last year.

He averaged 2.08 yards per route run after 0.75 as a rookie and 1.02 in his second season.

With all of Washington, Meyers, and Thomas on the field together, Washington had a team-high 31% target share with 3.17 yards per route run.

Washington played 63% of his snaps from the slot when all three receivers were on the field together.

He ended the year on a tear.

Over his final four games played, including the postseason, Washington had games of 6-145-1, 8-115-0, 5-87-1, and 7-107-1.

Washington enters 2026 in the final season of his rookie contract.

Tight End

1. Brenton Strange
2. Quintin Morris
3. Hunter Long
4. Patrick Herbert

Brenton Strange had his best season since entering the league, catching 46 passes for 540 yards and 3 touchdowns over 12 games played.

Strange has raised his receptions and yardage every year in the NFL.

He was targeted on 19% of his routes (TE14) with 1.71 yards per route run (TE4).

Strange is also in the final year of his rookie contract.

The Jaguars do not have a tight end signed for 2027 at the moment, which puts them in a good position to add an option during the draft.

Offensive Line

LT: Cole Van Lanen, Walker Little, Kilian Zierer
LG: Ezra Cleveland
C: Robert Hainsey, Jonah Monheim
RG: Patrick Mekari, Wyatt Milum, Sal Wormley
RT: Anton Harrison, Chuma Edoga, Ricky Lee

The Jaguars had several breakouts on offense last season, but one of the more surprising ones was Cole Van Lanen.

Through four years in the NFL, Van Lanen had only started three games.

He made 10 starts for the Jaguars last season, taking over at left tackle as Walker Little struggled.

Van Lanen stepped in and ranked 17th among offensive tackles in overall grade last season per Pro Football Focus.

He allowed a 5.9% pressure rate compared to an 8.1% pressure rate from Little.

That play netted Van Lanen a three-year contract this offseason.

Right tackle Anton Harrison had his best season as a pro, as well.

The Jaguars picked up Harrison’s fifth-year option for 2027 this offseason.

With the tackles in place, the interior of this line still can be upgraded.

Robert Hainsey ranked 26th among centers in overall grade per PFF last season.

Patrick Mekari ranked 74th among guards.

Ezra Cleveland was their best interior lineman, but he is also an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Jacksonville Jaguars, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. DaVon Hamilton
2. Arik Armstead
3. Matt Dickerson
4. Ruke Orhorhoro
5. Keivie Rose

The Jaguars held up well against the run in 2025, allowing just 3.9 yards per carry to running backs (4th) and ranking in the top 10 in both yards before contact allowed and yards after contact allowed on those runs.

Despite that success, this defensive front looks like a need.

DaVon Hamilton and Arik Armstead led the defensive line in snaps last season.

Armstead was second on the team with 5.5 sacks with an 11.1% pressure rate, and Hamilton tied for the team lead with 9 run stuffs.

Both are out of contract after this year, and Matt Dickerson is only on a one-year deal after returning this offseason.

The Jaguars made a move just before the trade, trading Maason Smith to the Falcons for Ruke Orhorhoro.

Orhorhoro was the 35th pick in the 2024 draft, and Smith was the 48th pick.

Neither had lived up to that draft cost, but perhaps Orhorhoro can find more success with his new team.

Jacksonville has no long-term stability at defensive tackle, and they could use upgrades at the top of the depth chart.

Edge Defenders

1. Josh Hines-Allen
2. Travon Walker
3. B.J. Green II
4. Danny Striggow

The Jaguars ranked 19th in pressure rate (36.2%) last season and 27th with just 32 sacks.

Josh Hines-Allen continues to be an elite pass rusher, ranking fifth among qualified defenders in pressure rate, though he was limited to 8 sacks.

Travon Walker signed a four-year extension this offseason, keeping him under contract through 2030.

That locked up the top of the depth chart, but there is no established depth on the edge.

Though nominally a linebacker, Dennis Gardeck can help out the pass rush as he did last season.

The Jaguars could also bring back Dawuane Smoot or Emmanuel Ogbah, who remain free agents.

However it happens, they have to add more options on the edge.

Linebacker

1. Foyesade Oluokun
2. Ventrell Miller
3. Dennis Gardeck
4. Jack Kiser
5. Yasir Abdullah
6. Jalen McLeod
7. Branson Combs

Devin Lloyd left in free agency, opening a big hole in the linebacking corps.

Foyesade Oluokun has been a solid starter for a long time, and he should hold down a starting spot this year.

With Lloyd gone, the Jaguars will need more from 2023 fourth-round pick Ventrell Miller, who showed well on limited snaps last season.

Dennis Gardeck is a versatile option who can serve as the No. 3 after re-signing this offseason.

The Jaguars also have Jack Kiser, a 2025 fourth-round pick who could see a bigger role in year two.

Lloyd leaving means this linebacking unit is unsettled, but it also does not stick out as a pressing need, especially when positional value is added into the equation.

Cornerback

1. Montaric Brown
2. Travis Hunter
3. Jourdan Lewis
4. Jarrian Jones
5. Keith Taylor
6. Christian Braswell
7. Keni-H Lovely
8. Jabbar Muhammad

The Jaguars had an elite pass defense in 2025, ranking third in yards per attempt allowed (6.2) and fourth in EPA per pass allowed.

Greg Newsome left in free agency, but the Jaguars re-signed Montaric Brown to a three-year contract.

Brown is coming off the best season of his career, allowing just 5.6 yards per target and a 74.3 quarterback rating in coverage.

There has been a lot of offseason noise about Travis Hunter, and the general consensus is he will play more on defense in year two.

Hunter did not get a ton of coverage snaps before suffering his season-ending knee injury, but he put up good numbers on that limited sample.

Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones offer two quality options to cover the slot, and Jones can offer cover on the outside, as well.

A 2024 third-round pick, Jones has allowed just a 73.3 quarterback rating in coverage through two seasons.

The Jaguars could look to add depth at corner, depending on how they plan to utilize Hunter, but there is already good talent in this group.

Safety

1. Antonio Johnson
2. Eric Murray
3. Caleb Ransaw
4. Rayuan Lane III
5. Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig
6. Trevian Thomas

Andrew Wingard left in free agency, opening up a lot of snaps at safety.

Antonio Johnson is coming off a breakout season and should be in position to handle one of the starting spots while also bringing the versatility to play deep, in the box, or even in the slot.

He is heading into the final year of his rookie deal, which opens up some longer-term questions.

Eric Murray started 12 games last season and could be the favorite for the No. 2 job, but 2025 third-round pick Caleb Ransaw will push for that spot after missing his rookie season with a foot injury.

Both Murray and Ransaw should play regardless of who earns that No. 2 spot after we saw some big nickel looks from the Jaguars last season.

2025 sixth-round pick Rayuan Lane is also waiting in the wings after a limited role as a rookie.

The best-case scenario for the Jaguars would be Johnson and Ransaw turning into a quality young safety duo, but there is uncertainty in this group, especially if the Jaguars want to continue using three safeties.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

Subscribe to the Sharp Football Email Newsletter to receive all our 2026 NFL content:

No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Packers' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Green Bay Packers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Edge Rusher
2. Cornerback
3. Offensive Line

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Pre-Order The Best Analytical 2026 Football Preview

Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2026 NFL season.

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Green Bay Packers 2026 Draft Capital

The Packers have the 30th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Green Bay Packers Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Packers to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Green Bay Packers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Green Bay Packers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Jordan Love
2. Desmond Ridder
3. Kyle McCord

Jordan Love produced another solid campaign in 2025.

Love finished sixth in quarterback rating (101.2), completing 66.3% of his passes (15th) for 7.7 yards per pass attempt (8th), 11.6 yards per completion (10th), a 5.2% touchdown rate (10th), and a 1.4% interception rate (6th).

He posted a career-high 47.3% success rate (7th) and was second in the league in EPA per dropback (0.22).

Love is one of four quarterbacks to have a 5% touchdown rate or higher in each of the past three seasons.

Those numbers last year came in a season filled with injuries across the entire offense, but especially the offensive line.

Love was pressured on a career-high 39.5% of his dropbacks.

Love is still in his apex (turning 28 in November) and is signed through 2028.

The Packers have two more palatable seasons with Love, counting against the books as a $36.1 million cap hit in 2026 (12% of the cap) and $42.5 million in 2027 (13.1%) before spiking to $74.2 million in 2028 (20.9%).

Love himself was part of those injuries on offense last year.

He missed two full games and left another in the first half.

This is the second year in a row that Love has missed multiple games.

With Malik Willis leaving during free agency, the backup situation is in a worse spot, with Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord as the alternatives should Love miss any time in 2026.

Neither backup is signed for 2027.

Running Back

1. Josh Jacobs
2. Chris Brooks
3. MarShawn Lloyd
4. Pierre Strong
5. Damien Martinez

Josh Jacobs handled 270 touches for 1,211 total yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

That has raised his touchdown total to 30 over the past two seasons, fifth in the NFL.

Jacobs was also dealing with his own set of injuries and running behind a battered offensive line.

Jacobs dealt with a lingering knee issue that he suffered in Week 11 and was never quite the same to close the season.

He missed two games outright due to the injury, and he played 21.8%, 38.9%, and 27.7% of the snaps in three others.

Through nine games, Jacobs had 845 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He then posted 366 total yards and 3 touchdowns over the remainder of the season.

Emanuel Wilson produced 355 yards and 3 touchdowns over that same stretch.

As noted, the offensive line did not aid Jacobs.

He averaged 0.91 yards before contact per rush, which ranked 44th out of 49 running backs with 100 or more rushes on the year.

Wilson also was at 0.91 yards before contact per rush, and Jacobs averaged 3.06 yards after contact per run (23rd), suggesting that the lack of yardage gained on the ground was a byproduct of the state of the line.

Jacobs is 28 with two years remaining on his current contract.

With Wilson leaving during free agency, the Packers do not have a lot of experience behind Jacobs.

Chris Brooks has averaged 5.2 yards per touch through three seasons, but he has only had 106 career touches.

MarShawn Lloyd has been snakebitten over two NFL seasons, playing in only one game with 10 snaps since entering the league.

Both Brooks and Lloyd do have multiple seasons left on their current contracts.

Wide Receiver

1. Christian Watson
2. Matthew Golden
3. Jayden Reed
4. Skyy Moore
5. Bo Melton
6. Savion Williams
7. Isaiah Neyor
8. Will Sheppard
9. Jakobie Keeney-James

The Packers have thrown a lot at wide receiver in recent drafts, but they may have to keep that trend going due to what they have lost this offseason and their contractual situation.

Romeo Doubs left during free agency, and the team traded Dontayvion Wicks.

Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after this season.

Only Matthew Golden and Savion Williams are currently under contract for 2027.

Doubs was the only Green Bay wide receiver to run a route on 50% of the dropbacks last season (74.3%).

Watson started the season recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in 2024, but when he returned to the field, he was efficient.

Watson played in 10 games, catching 35 of 55 targets for 611 yards and 6 touchdowns.

While active from Week 8 through Week 17, Watson was seventh among all wide receivers with 2.54 yards per route run.

That was the third season of his rookie contract in which Watson was over 2.0 yards per route run.

Since entering the league, Watson has averaged 2.15 yards per route run (WR15).

The rub has been keeping him on the field.

Watson has missed multiple games every year in the league.

A fractured collarbone in Week 2 derailed Reed’s 2025.

That injury limited him to seven games, catching 19 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown.

When Reed returned in Week 14, he was on the field for 68.1% of the dropbacks.

Another effective player on the field, Reed has been a bit roadblocked by his limited involvement in heavier sets on a run-first team.

Through three NFL seasons, Reed has run a pass route on only 8 plays in one or two receiver sets.

Selected in the first round last season (23rd overall), Golden did not have the rookie season many were looking for, especially when accounting for all of the missed time among this pass-catching unit.

Golden closed his rookie season catching 29 of 44 targets for 361 yards and 0 touchdowns, rushing 10 times for 49 yards.

He was forced to play a lot to open the season with injuries to Watson and Reed.

Golden ran a route on 68.2% of the dropbacks through nine weeks (2nd among the wide receivers), but only managed 23 catches for 262 yards.

He averaged 1.40 yards per route run with a target on only 15.5% of his routes over that stretch despite the early opening to establish himself in the offense.

He also picked up a shoulder injury in Week 10 that limited him to the end of the year, paired with the return of several receivers to the lineup.

From Week 10 on, Golden only played 28.1% of the passing snaps, catching 6 passes for 99 yards.

Although his rookie season was underwhelming, Golden did catch 4 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in the playoff loss to the Bears to provide something to build on heading into 2026.

As a rookie, Golden did play 72 snaps in one or two WR sets, so he has a leg up on taking on more work with the moving parts this wide receiver unit has had this offseason.

The Packers selected Williams in the third round last year (87th overall), who could also have a larger role in his second season.

As a prospect, Williams was an incomplete player, offering more rushing appeal than as a receiver.

That played out in his rookie season.

Williams had more rushing attempts (11) than receptions (10) and was only used sparingly as a manufactured touch option.

Williams averaged 1.7 air yards per target on his limited sample.

Tight End

1. Tucker Kraft
2. Luke Musgrave
3. Josh Whyle
4. Drake Dabney
5. Messiah Swinson

Tucker Kraft was on his way to a massive breakout season last year before an ACL injury cut his season short in Week 9.

Before his injury, Kraft was third among tight ends with 469 receiving yards and second in touchdowns (6).

He was averaging a league-high 15.6 yards per catch among tight ends with the most yards after the catch (336).

Since entering the league, Kraft has averaged a position-high 9.1 yards after the catch per reception.

With Kraft on the field last year, the Packers averaged 6.0 yards per play with a 47.2% success rate.

With him off the field, they averaged 5.3 yards per play with a 42.3% success rate.

That was the difference between being third in the NFL in yards per play and second in success rate and ranking in the middle of the league in both departments without him on the field (league average last year was 5.3 yards per play and a 41.8% success rate).

Kraft will be right around 10 months in his recovery at the start of the season.

He is also up for a new contract after this season, in the final year of his rookie deal.

No tight end on the roster is signed for 2027.

Without Kraft, this tight end room did not pick up any slack.

From Week 10 on, Green Bay tight ends combined for 28 receptions, 251 yards, and 1 touchdown.

Luke Musgrave caught 15 passes for 164 yards over that period.

Musgrave has 65 catches and 1 touchdown through three NFL seasons.

Offensive Line

LT: Jordan Morgan, Darian Kinnard, Brant Banks
LG: Aaron Banks, Donovan Jennings, Dalton Cooper
C: Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk
RG: Anthony Belton, John Williams, Karsen Barnhart
RT: Zach Tom, Travis Glover

This offensive line was decimated in 2025.

The starting offensive line was on the field together for only 17.6% of the offensive snaps last season, 30th in the league.

The only lineman to play in all 17 games was Rasheed Walker, who left the team in free agency.

Zach Tom (12 games), Elgton Jenkins (9 games), and Aaron Banks (15 games) all missed multiple games, with Tom’s injury having the largest impact.

With Tom on the field this season, Love was pressured on 37.3% of his dropbacks compared to a 44% pressure rate with Tom off the field.

With Tom on the field, Love had a 1% interception rate and a 3.2% sack rate.

With Tom off the field, Love has a 2.1% interception rate and a 7.2% sack rate.

On 140 attempts with Tom on the field, Jacobs averaged 4.2 YPC with a run of 10 or more yards on 11.4% of those attempts.

With Tom off the field, Jacobs averaged 3.6 YPC with a run of 10 or more yards on 7.4% of those runs.

Even with a healthy Tom back (who is signed through 2029), the Packers have some work to do here.

Walker and Jenkins are no longer on the roster.

Jordan Morgan is expected to move to left tackle.

Selected in the first round in 2024 (25th overall), Morgan played snaps at left tackle (51), left guard (191), right guard (358), and right tackle (219) last season.

He largely held up in pass protection (allowing a 5.3% pressure rate) but struggled as a run blocker.

Sean Rhyan played 524 snaps at center last year and was one of the worst interior pass protectors in the league.

Rhyan allowed a 5.7% pressure rate, which ranked 41st out of 45 centers to play 100 or more snaps last season.

He only played roughly half the season and allowed the fifth-most pressures at the position.

Anthony Belton was a second-round pick last year (54th overall), and he was thrown into the fire as a rookie.

Belton played 463 snaps at right guard, allowing a team-high 9.5% pressure rate, which ranked 93rd out of 96 guards to play 100-plus snaps.

To compound the injuries and young players forced into the lineup, Banks struggled.

Banks was 61st among guards in total grade per Pro Football Focus last year, allowing a 6% pressure rate (69th) with a run grade that ranked 60th.

Green Bay Packers Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Green Bay Packers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Devonte Wyatt
2. Javon Hargrave
3. Karl Brooks
4. Warren Brinson
5. Nazir Stackhouse
6. Jordon Riley
7. Jonathan Ford
8. Jaden Crumedy
9. James Ester
10. Dante Arnett
11. Anthony Campbell

Green Bay ranked 11th in yards per carry allowed to running backs (4.1) last season and fifth in explosive run rate allowed on those carries.

The Packers were forced into a coordinator change this offseason, replacing now Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley with former Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon.

Gannon should bring more of a 3-4 base look to Green Bay’s defense, which the Cardinals used at the highest rate in the league last year.

That was still only 37% of their defensive plays, but it will require an adjustment for the roster.

Green Bay looks good atop the defensive line depth chart with Devonte Wyatt returning from injury and Javon Hargrave joining in free agency.

Wyatt did not have his best season as a pass rusher last year even before going down with injury, but he has an excellent (for an interior lineman) 12.8% career pressure rate.

Hargrave was a rock against the run for the Vikings last season, and he has consistently gotten after the quarterback in his long career.

The questions start behind those two.

Karl Brooks has played a lot of snaps since being drafted in the sixth round back in 2023, but they have not been particularly impactful.

Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse got some chances as rookies and could continue to develop, but they did not look like building blocks last year.

Adding to this group, especially a nose tackle if they do not see Hargrave in that role, makes sense, especially with Wyatt in the final year of his rookie deal.

Edge Defenders

1. Micah Parsons
2. Lukas Van Ness
3. Barryn Sorrell
4. Collin Oliver
5. Brenton Cox Jr.
6. Aaron Mosby

The Packers ranked ninth in pressure rate (39.4%) last season but just 20th with 36 sacks.

Micah Parsons was having a great first season with the Packers (19.4% pressure rate) before suffering a torn ACL in Week 15.

The timing of that injury means Parsons will almost certainly miss the start of the season and might not be at full strength until late in the year.

Even if Parsons was fully healthy, the Packers would be looking to add to this group after trading Rashan Gary and losing Kingsley Enagbare in free agency.

Lukas Van Ness was limited to just nine games last season, and he was just a rotational player when active.

As things stand, he will need to take on a much bigger role in 2026.

A fourth-round pick last year, Barryn Sorrell did get some playing time last year, but he only posted a 6.2% pressure rate on a limited sample.

A fifth-round pick last year, Collin Oliver appeared in just one game.

Brenton Cox has played 15 games in three seasons.

The Packers do not have enough on the edge even if Parsons was healthy, and they will need multiple additions if his recovery lingers into the season, which seems likely.

Linebacker

1. Edgerrin Cooper
2. Zaire Franklin
3. Isaiah McDuffie
4. Ty’Ron Hopper
5. Nick Niemann
6. Kristian Welch

Green Bay lost Quay Walker in free agency, but they traded for Zaire Franklin to help fill that gap.

Franklin was 11th among linebackers in run stuffs last season, but he did not show well in coverage, allowing a 111.5 quarterback rating.

Franklin should start next to Edgerrin Cooper, who was second on the defense in snaps last season.

Cooper allowed just 4.8 yards per target in coverage as a sophomore.

Isaiah McDuffie is experienced, quality depth, and the Packers also have 2024 third-round pick Ty'Ron Hopper waiting in the wings.

This is a strong linebacker group.

Cornerback

1. Keisean Nixon
2. Carrington Valentine
3. Benjamin St-Juste
4. Kamal Hadden
5. Jaylin Simpson
6. Shemar Bartholomew

The Packers allowed just 6.4 yards per attempt (6th) last season, but they finished 24th in EPA allowed per pass.

Keisean Nixon took a step back last season despite making his first Pro Bowl, allowing 6 touchdowns and a 105.1 quarterback rating in his coverage.

Carrington Valentine had a tougher go, giving up 7 touchdowns and a 121.2 quarterback rating.

Green Bay added Benjamin St-Juste in free agency, and he did have some success in a limited role with the Chargers last year.

Nixon and St-Juste do have some experience in the slot, but Javon Bullard (listed below with the safeties) showed well in that role last season and will likely keep it moving forward.

Nixon is fine is one of the starting spots, but the Packers have to at least add competition to this group.

Preferably, they would add a starting-quality talent to take on the No. 2 role.

Safety

1. Xavier McKinney
2. Evan Williams
3. Javon Bullard
4. Kitan Oladapo
5. Johnathan Baldwin
6. Mark Perry

Unlike at cornerback, the Packers have no issues at safety.

While he did not match the 8 interceptions of his first season in Green Bay, Xavier McKinney has lived up to the bill as an impact free agent addition.

Evan Williams took a step forward as a sophomore, finishing ninth among defensive backs in run stuffs.

As mentioned above, Javon Bullard took over the slot corner role last season to good success, and it is likely the new defensive coaching staff keeps him there.

With the top three options all signed through 2027, there are no immediate concerns at safety.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams

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Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Panthers' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Carolina Panthers Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Defensive Back
2. Offensive Line
3. Pass Catchers

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Carolina Panthers 2026 Draft Capital

The Panthers have the 20th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Carolina Panthers Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Panthers to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Carolina Panthers Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Carolina Panthers, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Bryce Young
2. Kenny Pickett

Bryce Young did not stuff the stat sheet in 2025, completing 63.2% of his passes (22nd) for 6.2 yards per pass attempt (29th), 9.8 yards per completion (30th), and a 4.7% touchdown rate.

He threw for 200 yards in only four games.

Carolina ran an ultra-conservative game plan, throwing the ball 4% below expectations, which was 29th in the league.

Was that by design or insulation?

Over his rookie contract, Young has completed 61.4% of his passes (35th) for 6.0 Y/A (37th), a 3.5% touchdown rate (31st), and a 2.2% interception rate (26th).

In 2025, he completed 42.7% of his throws 10 or more yards downfield, which ranked 28th in the league.

Pair that with 72.6% of his passes coming shorter than 10 yards downfield, which was the seventh-highest rate in the league.

Carolina made the postseason last year and pushed the Rams, but they are approaching a fulcrum point in potentially giving Young a big contract extension without a large sample of above-rate production to warrant it.

In an effort to buy more time in making that decision, Carolina did pick up Young’s fifth-year option for 2027 at $25.9 million.

Carolina added Kenny Pickett as the backup this season.

Pickett made two starts with the Raiders last year, throwing for 4.2 yards per pass with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Running Back

1. Chuba Hubbard
2. Jonathon Brooks
3. Trevor Etienne
4. AJ Dillon
5. Anthony Tyus
6. Montrell Johnson

This backfield had a tale of two seasons in 2025.

Over the opening nine games, Carolina running backs had a 43.8% success rate (7th) with 4.8 yards per rush (9th).

Then over the final nine games, their backfield combined for a 32.1% success rate (30th) and 3.6 yards per rush (29th).

Their backs had a 6.4% rate of runs of 10 or more yards over the back half of the year (29th), down from 10.6% before (14th).

Coming off two strong seasons in 2023 and 2024 that earned him a contract extension, Chuba Hubbard took a step back last season.

Hubbard turned 164 touches into 734 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Hubbard suffered a calf injury in Week 4 that caused him to miss two games.

He said he forced himself to return too soon, which impacted his performance.

Hubbard lost his starting job at one point in the year to Rico Dowdle, before forcing himself back into a backfield split to end the season.

With Dowdle leaving in free agency, Hubbard has a runway to bounce back and take the lead in the backfield.

Jonathon Brooks is returning from missing all of the 2025 season with an ACL injury.

Carolina and Dave Canales are saying positive things about Brooks and his expectations for 2026, but he is a mystery box at this point, having played only 14 games of football over the past three years due to knee injuries.

We only had a brief glimpse of Brooks as a rookie in 2024, handling 12 touches for 45 yards.

Wide Receiver

1. Tetairoa McMillan
2. Jalen Coker
3. Xavier Legette
4. John Metchie
5. Jimmy Horn Jr.
6. David Moore
7. Brycen Tremayne
8. Ja’Seem Reed
9. Dan Chisena
10. Ainias Smith

Tetairoa McMillan turned in a productive rookie campaign, securing 70 of 122 targets for 1,014 yards and 7 touchdowns.

McMillan’s usage splits are strong on the surface, accounting for 25.4% of the team’s targets (11th) with 43.3% of the air yards (2nd).

But because Carolina was so run-heavy, McMillan had inconsistent opportunities in the box score.

McMillan had 3 or fewer receptions in seven games as a rookie.

Carolina did not do a great job getting McMillan involved in the base offense.

He had a 32.8% target share on third downs (3rd in the league), but only a 21.1% rate on early downs (22nd).

We would love to see Carolina put more on McMillan’s plate in year two and develop him to work around Young’s shortcomings as a passer.

McMillan’s rookie season shared a high resemblance to Marvin Harrison Jr's in Arizona.