Mel Kiper Names 4 Clear Winners of 2026 NFL Draft

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has been considered the gold standard of draft experts for decades. His mock drafts and big board rankings typically are among the most talked about among industry experts.

On Sunday, Kiper released his "draft winners, losers, and steals," where he assigned letter grades ranging from "A" to "C" for all 32 teams.

This year, four teams - the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, and Philadelphia Eagles - all tied for his highest grade.

Browns: A

• Round 1, pick 9: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

• Round 1, pick 24: KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

• Round 2, pick 39: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington

• Round 2, pick 58: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

• Round 3, pick 86: Austin Barber, OT, Florida

• Round 5, pick 146: Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama

• Round 5, pick 149: Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama

• Round 5, pick 170: Joe Royer, TE, Cincinnati

• Round 6, pick 182: Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas

• Round 7, pick 248: Carsen Ryan, TE, BYU

Kiper was a fan of the Browns jumping on McNeil-Warren in Round 2. The Toledo star was projected to go in the first round but slid before the Browns pounced on him. Kiper called him "just sheer value."

He also raved about Cleveland doubling up on both offensive tackle and wide receiver in the first three rounds, as well as trading back multiple times and acquiring additional draft capital.

"Even though I would have flipped [Concepcion and Boston] value-wise, the Browns ended up with two really talented pass-catchers - that’s critical," Kier wrote. "The Browns’ WR room was at the bottom of the NFL in receptions (117), yards (1,467) and TDs (four) last season.

Cowboys: A

• Round 1, pick 11: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

• Round 1, pick 23: Malachi Lawrence, DE, UCF

• Round 3, pick 92: Jaishawn Barham, DE, Michigan

• Round 4, pick 112: Drew Shelton, OT, Penn State

• Round 4, pick 114: Devin Moore, CB, Florida

• Round 4, pick 137: LT Overton, DE, Alabama

• Round 7, pick 218: Anthony Smith, WR, East Carolina

Kiper praised the Cowboys for aggressively coming up for Downs, who some believed was the most talented defensive player in the draft. He was also on board with adding three young pass-rushers with upside.

"Between trading for Rashan Gary and drafting (Malachi) Lawrence, third-rounder Jaishawn Barham and fourth-rounder LT Overton, the Cowboys are at least building that unit back up after dealing away Micah Parsons before last season. And I thought the Barham and Overton picks were good value."

Raiders: A

• Round 1, pick 1: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

• Round 2, pick 38: Treydan Stukes, S, Arizona

• Round 3, pick 67: Keyron Crawford, DE, Auburn

• Round 3, pick 91: Trey Zuhn III, C, Texas A&M

• Round 4, pick 101: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

• Round 4, pick 122: Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas

• Round 5, pick 150: Dalton Johnson, S, Arizona

• Round 5, pick 175: Hezekiah Masses, CB, California

• Round 6, pick 195: Malik Benson, WR, Oregon

• Round 7, pick 229: Brandon Cleveland, DT, NC State

While Mendoza was an unanimously celebrated pick, Kiper was actually more of a fan of what Vegas did on Days 2 and 3. He called cornerback Jermod McCoy and running back Mike Washington Jr. steals in Round 4.

"There were a lot of strong picks on Day 2 and Day 3, too," Kiper stated. "Treydan Stukes is a versatile safety who wears a lot of hats. He can stick with receivers in coverage (4.33-second 40-yard dash), he can hit and he can make plays on the ball (four interceptions last season). Keyron Crawford can bring some depth and juice to the edge rush. … Outside of Mendoza, Round 4 could define the rest of the Raiders’ draft class.”

Eagles: A

• Round 1, pick 20: Makai Lemon, WR, USC

• Round 2, pick 54: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

• Round 3, pick 68: Markel Bell, OT, Miami

• Round 5, pick 178: Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

• Round 6, pick 207: Micah Morris, OG, Georgia

• Round 7, pick 244: Cole Wisniewski, S, Texas Tech

• Round 7, pick 251: Uar Bernard, DT, Nigeria

• Round 7, pick 252: Keyshawn James-Newby, DE, New Mexico State

Kiper praised the Eagles for their aggressive trade up for Lemon (the Pittsburgh Steelers were planning to take him just one pick later. He also raved about Philadelphia acquiring Pro Bowl edge-rusher Jonathan Greenard to replace Jalean Phillips.

"Lemon (No. 11 on my board) is a tough, physical receiver despite his 5-11, 192-pound frame," Kiper said. "He snags the ball on the run and turns up field through traffic without fear, helping him to 1,156 yards in the 2025 season. He will match well with DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown.

"Eli Stowers is another playmaker for the Sean Mannion offense, and he can be Dallas Goedert’s future replacement."

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 8:08 PM.