2026 NFL Draft Preview: The class has multiple fascinating players our staff views below consensus
The 2026 NFL Draft isn’t the strongest at the top with high-end players, but there are a lot of talented ones. Our staff at A to Z Sports highlighted multiple prospects they are lower on than the consensus.
The NFL Draft is now single-digit days away and the class has been a major discussion point.
There aren’t a lot of high-end talents at the top of the draft, but there are a lot of starting-caliber players. That aspect has analysts all over the place with different prospects.
Our NFL Draft staff at A to Z Sports has highlighted a player they are higher on than consensus, using the A to Z Sports staff consensus board, which is reflected in our fantastic mock draft simulator.
Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
Who: Tyler Forness
Rank: 47th
A to Z Sports Consensus: 21st
I am not a big fan of Thieneman overall. On tape, I didn’t think his athleticism popped nearly as much as the NFL Scouting Combine testing. It might be different if his tape showed a player who was 4.35 explosive, like the testing showed, but it didn’t for me. He also wasn’t someone I loved in coverage, which is a big selling point of Thieneman from other analysts. The idea that he should play single high going into the NFL when Oregon explicitly tried to keep him out of those situations baffles me. When I watched the tape, I saw a player who would overcommit his hips and not display ample catch-up speed when he got beaten.
The other main concern I have with Thieneman was his work in the box. He does a great job of identifying what the offense is doing, but his small stature would get him run over consistently. Essentially, his profile shows a player who isn’t big or strong enough for the box, nor someone I want playing single high consistently. If you run a Vic Fangio-style defense and have him playing from the roof, I can see the vision. If you want him doing just about anything else, I wouldn’t take him until later on day two, as I have a very high third-round grade on Thieneman.
Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
Who: Destin Adams
Rank: 155th
A to Z Sports Consensus: 85th
Zachariah Branch is a former five-star who had success with both USC and Georgia. He projects best as a quick route-winning slot who can make plays after the catch. My problem with Branch is pretty much everything that comes before the catch. He’s not a bad route runner, but his breaks don’t look polished. He often breaks off his route too early, as if he gets impatient waiting for the throw to come. He also hasn’t shown much of an ability as a medium to deep-level threat. It is unclear if having him hardly ever run routes behind the sticks was a Georgia decision or Branch’s. For him to be a full-time starter at the NFL level, I think his route tree is going to need to be expanded, and he will have to become less predictable before the catch.
Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
Who: Josh Taylor
Rank: 113th
A to Z Sports Consensus: 66th
I tried to like Ted Hurst, but I’m just not there like others are. I have serious concerns about his rise in competition as he goes from Georgia State to the NFL. He’s never been tested by a high-end CB and had a drop issue in 2025 with seven and a 9% drop rate. Hurst also only had a 57.3% completion percentage when targeted in 2025, and I don’t see that improving at the next level. The one thing he has is size and athleticism, and we’ve seen that fail too often with players who struggle with drops and certain techniques at the next level. I think he needs more time than people realize, but he is just 22 years old in his rookie season, so maybe he can get there. Hopefully, he can end up as a WR3 somewhere and get favorable matchups to start his career.
David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
Who: Kyle Crabbs
Rank: 18th
A to Z Sports Consensus: 3rd
I would like the record to state that I like David Bailey. I have a top-20 grade on David Bailey! But the book on him as a prospect feels like it’s jumped the shark a bit in recent weeks as momentum has pushed for Bailey to become the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft. Bailey has a dominant first step. He’s got electric cornering ability as a result. But I think his ability to play through contact is modest. He’s got a leaner frame that hasn’t shown three-dimensional power or the ability to play through lateral contact with consistency. I believe he’s a prolific option in a wide-9 scheme to attack the mesh point and create backfield havoc — but how well does he handle the point of attack. Does he negotiate and deconstruct blocks along the line of scrimmage at a level that will appeal to teams on early downs? (Not right now, he doesn’t!).
Bailey is, in my opinion, one of the perfect summarizations of this year’s class as a whole. I see the vision. I think he can be an impact starter and a difference maker. But there are holes in his game that make him “not for everyone” and I think that gets wholly glossed over amid the state of the class.
Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Who: AJ Schulte
Rank: 25th
A to Z Sports Consensus: 13th
In a vacuum, I do like Makai Lemon. However, I think we’re getting in over our skis with his evaluation. He’s a good route-runner and very strong at the catch point. There’s very little in his profile to suggest he won’t be a high-floor option. Yet, small (16th percentile arms, 9th hand size) and slow (4.5) is not necessarily a high-end of the first-round profile. He played the majority of his snaps in the slot in college for a reason, and it’s due to his inability to fight through contact on the perimeter. I see a QB-friendly target who could be a Day 1 contributor out of the slot, but I think he’ll need a friendly scheme and playcaller to hit his ceiling and justify a top-end first-round pick. To me, that’s a profile that should go later in Round One, rather than the top half as I’ve seen.
