Breaking Down The NFC Draft
by Jazz Ray
Friday, Apr 17, 2026Looking at each team in the NFC heading in to next week’s draft (odds to win the conference in parenthesis):ATLANTA FALCONS (+4500) – Consistent mediocrity is a tough sell to a fan base, but that’s where the Falcons find themselves after a seeming endless string of 7- and 8-win seasons. Atlanta will be in the middle of a long line of teams seeking an impact edge rusher, but after that they will be looking for a No. 2 wideout to complement and take heat off WR1 Drake London.ARIZONA CARDINALS (+15000) – From the bottom, as they say, the only movement is upward. It starts at QB, where the Kyler Murray Experiment is done. But the QB Draft Cupboard is pretty bare, so the Cardinals might roll with Jacoby Brissett, the NFL’s version of an office temp. They could take the best player on the board, suffer through a Gap Year and regroup with another Top 5 pick in 2027, where the QB of the future might be available.CAROLINA PANTHERS (+5000) – No one in the NFC South had a winning record last year, and it’s beyond obvious that the division need a serious influx of talent. With teams drafting above them seemingly focused on edge rushers and offensive lineman, it could open the door for the Panthers to address their No. 1 need and get a high-impact defensive back, Besides that, the offense could use another playmaker.CHICAGO BEARS (+1200) – The Bears won the NFC North, the only division in which every team finished over .500. But the points for/allowed showed them to be an average team that played well in tight games. Chicago hopes that an impact edge rusher will drop to them late in the first round, though numerous media sites have them looking at a defensive tackle early in the draft.DALLAS COWBOYS (+1400) – Back-to-back-to-back 12-5 seasons from 2021 to 2023 turned out to be a mirages, and Dallas has returned to Mediocrity Island since then. The Cowboys defense was a mess after trading Micah Parsons, giving up the most points in the league (511) and setting a franchise worst in the process. They’ll look D with their high picks, including No. 12 overall.DETROIT LIONS (+850) – Wasn’t that long ago that Lions fans would hold a parade after a 9-8 season, but expectations are much higher now. Lots of talent remains, but there is the not-so-small matter of rebuilding the offensive line. If they can use the draft to fix the O-Line and somehow get better play out of the secondary, they can then fill a few holes and leapfrog back toward the top of the NFC North.GREEN BAY PACKERS (+850) – The Packers have no first-round pick, payment for the mid-season Micah Parsons trade last year. Parsons may or may not be back in time for the opener as he recovers from an ACL tear, but that shouldn’t affect GB’s draft approach. They need serious help in the secondary, and could look in that direction once they get to pick (No. 52 overall is their first crack at it.)LOS ANGELES RAMS (+400) – QBs are playing longer these days, but MVP Matthew Stafford IS 38 years old and it’s incumbent on the Rams to keep enough talent around him to contend before they start looking for his replacement. Depth and versatility are the bywords this year as LA tries to stay healthy into December and avoid special teams mistakes which cost them in 2025.MINNESOTA VIKINGS (+2500) – After messing up the Darnold/McCarthy QB situation, the Vikings will now turn to Kyler Murray. Do they want to build the offense around him? A safer bet would be to re-build the defense, and the Vikes figure to use at least a few of their nine overall picks to bulk up the defensive front – though adding a receiver to take the heat off Justin Jefferson would also make sense.NEW OREANS SAINTS (+4000) – Holes are everywhere in the Big Easy, where the Saints are in serious need of an overall influx of better talent. If any team needed to take the Best Player Available approach, it’s this one. Trading down to accumulate more picks and flood training camp with a ton of bodies might make sense. On the plus side, the NFC South is ripe for anyone to make a worst-to-first leap.NEW YORK GIANTS (+3500) – Lots of holes to plug, and the Giants will pick high in each round and should be able to get a few impact players for new HC John Harbaugh. The QB (Jaxson Dart) appears in place; now the job is to build a capable offense around him while making sure the defense can get to at least average. A better D could help them improve on last year’s 1-8 road record.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (+850) – There’s lot of talent on board, but that ticking time bomb is the potential deal of A.J. Brown. Dealing the impact wideout after June 1 will make the bean counters happy but won’t bring picks right away. The Eagles have used their last four first-round picks to take defensive players.SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (+850) – The Niners draft late on Day 1, and the expectation is that they will take the best offensive line on the board – building for this season as well as grooming the eventual replacement for Trent Williams, who is 38 and counting. SF has four picks in the fourth round, which make them a prime candidate to move up and get one or two impact playmakers.SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (+475) – What do you get a rich person for Christmas? The defending Super Bowl champs have only four picks in the draft, which makes them ripe for a trade-down. After losing RB Kenneth Walker III in free agency, Seattle figures to be one of the few teams in the market for a running back early in the draft. Theere is plenty of talent elsewhere, but lack of depth could be a problem for the Seahawks when inevitable injuries occur.TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (+2000) – Yikes. The Bucs were riding high in 2025, until they weren’t. They THINK Bayer Mayfield is still the guy, but he had a bum shoulder last season and WR Mike Evans is no longer in the mix. Replacing Evans appears to be Job 1, but there are also problems on the other side of the ball. Depth is another issue for a team that won only one game after Dec. 1 last year.WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (+2500) – Washington enters the draft with six picks over seven rounds but without second- or fourth-rounders. There is decent young talent and the NFC East is hardly a powerhouse division, so they probably will prioritize an impact player at No. 1 rather than trade back for more picks. A WR could help an offense which scored the fewest points in the division last year.
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