The 2026 NFC landscape feels like a fever dream that finally broke. After a season that saw Sam Darnold complete the ultimate redemption arc by hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara, the rest of the conference has spent the spring in a frantic arms-race.
The Old Guard is officially under siege; from John Harbaugh transplanting a violent Baltimore identity into the heart of East Rutherford to the Rams aggressively mortgaging their future to ensure they don’t just host Super Bowl LXI, but win it. While the Seahawks attempt to stabilize a backfield suddenly devoid of its Super Bowl MVP, and the Lions and Eagles scramble to patch holes in their once-impenetrable trenches, the theme of this draft cycle is clear: Adapt or get steamrolled.
Whether it’s finding a defensive hammer to satisfy a new regime or a safety blanket for a young signal-caller, the following needs represent the final desperate adjustments before the chase for Seattle’s crown begins in earnest.
Arizona Cardinals – Offensive Line
With Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew set to lead the tank season for the Arizona Cardinals, their goals entering the draft are to build a safe landing spot for their quarterback of the future. The team has viable offensive weapons in Marvin Harrison Jr, Michael Wilson, Trey McBride and the running back committee of Tyler Allgeier and James Conner. They could use a tackle opposite of Paris Johnson on their offensive line, and there will be plenty of projected right-tackles available to them in the draft with the 4th overall pick who would be major upgrades over free agent signings Elijah Wilkinson and Matt Pryor, along with guard Isaac Seumalo. At some point the Cardinals need to get more established pieces on their line instead of throwing names together and seeing what sticks.
Atlanta Falcons – Defensive Line
The Falcons will have to wait until the second round to make their first pick in the 2026 draft after trading away what turned out to be the 14th overall pick to the Rams to select edge James Pearce in 2025. Pearce is now facing three felony charges and one misdemeanor following a February domestic dispute, so it’s fair to assume that his status as an NFL player is very much in doubt. With very little cap space, Atlanta signed defensive tackles LaCale London and Chris Williams who have a whopping combined 6 starts in the NFL, while losing David Onyemata and his 115 starts to the Jets. While it will be a long wait as they sit out on day 1 of the draft, look for them to add some big bodies with their picks on day 2 and 3.
Carolina Panthers – Centre
The Panthers were masterful in managing a difficult situation at tackle, with standout left tackle Ikem Ekwonu’s status to begin the season in doubt as he recovers from a serious knee injury, and solid swing tackle Yosh Nijman, his expected replacement, opting to retire instead of returning to the team. The Panthers managed to sign Rasheed Walker to a very reasonable deal to cover the position while Ekwonu recovers, and added Stone Forsythe as veteran depth. After adding an impact player at edge in Jaelan Phillips and Linebacker with Devin Lloyd, the Panthers must now look towards the interior of the offensive line. Free agent signee Luke Fortner is fine in a pinch, but he has yet to prove that he can play consistent starter-level football over the course of a full season. The Panthers main goal this year, aside from making a playoff push, must be to make a decision on whether quarterback Bryce Young will be their starter going forward, and giving him a strong centre will help evaluate his future with the franchise.
Chicago Bears – Defensive Line
The Bears are another team that had to quickly pivot on the offensive line, trading for Garrett Bradbury from the Patriots after the unexpected retirement of centre Drew Dalman. While they will need to eventually look for an improvement on Bradbury, he will be just fine alongside Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson for the time being. The Bears need to improve their defence for the 2026 season, and are off to a good start with the signings of linebacker Devin Bush and safety Coby Bryant, but they are still lacking in talent on the defensive line. They brought in DTs in Neville Gallimore and Kentavious Street, but they still need to find someone to start on the edge opposite of Montez Sweat.
Dallas Cowboys – Defense, Defense, Defense
The Cowboys are the NFC’s version of the Cincinnati Bengals. The offence is ready to roll, but the defence is filled with holes that need to be filled before they can be taken seriously. They still need a starting caliber cornerback and edge rusher to replace Micah Parsons, but their biggest need might actually be at inside linebacker. Their current depth chart is a myriad of skilled players who have concerning injury histories – Demarvion Overshown, DaRon Bland and even 2025 second round pick Shavon Revel Jr. The trade for edge rusher Rashan Gary, along with the signings of defensive backs Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant will, at best, raise the floor of the defence, but the Cowboys should be using both of their first-round picks to add impact players if they want to make a serious push at winning the NFC East.
Detroit Lions – Offensive Tackle
What was once the strength of the offence, the Lions’ offensive line is now a shell of what it once was. Penei Sewell is the only strong starter left on the line after the release of Taylor Decker. If the season were to start today, Decker’s replacement would be Larry Borom – a former Bear and Dolphin who they signed to a modest one year deal in free agency. There’s already talk of moving Sewell to the left side to protect Jared Goff and find a right tackle in the draft, but regardless GM Brad Holmes needs to draft and develop the majority of the offensive line over the next couple of seasons if the team is to make another run at the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers – Defensive Line
Backup quarterback is a sneaky need for the Packers after Malik Willis left in free agency – as they do not want to trot out Desmond Ridder or Kyle McCord when Jordan Love misses time this season. However the defensive line might be the most pressing need in Green Bay after losing Kingsley Enagbare to free agency and trading away Rashan Gary to the Cowboys. Not to mention the questions surrounding Micah Parsons’ recovery from a torn ACL suffered in December still up in the air to start the season. Green Bay’s first rounder is owned by the Dallas Cowboys, so they will have to look to day 2 and 3 to help backfill their defence for this season.
Los Angeles Rams – Wide Receiver
The Rams are the betting favourites to win the Super Bowl in 2026 (that they will be hosting) and for good reason. They were aggressive when the offseason opened up, trading for Trent McDuffie and signing Jaylen Watson to fix their biggest weakness in 2025. The Rams were also tied to every available wide receiver, particularly A.J. Brown, but they can also address that in the draft with the 14th overall pick and enter the season with Puka Nacua, an aging but effective Davante Adams and a top rookie prospect like Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson.
Minnesota Vikings – Safety
The Vikings enter 2026 in a state of high-stakes limbo. On one hand, they boast a top-3 defence under the newly extended Brian Flores; on the other, they’re rolling the dice on a quarterback room featuring a rehabbing J.J. McCarthy and a dart throw on trying to get the best out of Kyler Murray. While the offence searches for its solution under centre, the defence is facing an existential crisis on the backend. For the first time in fifteen years, Minnesota is preparing for a season without the legendary Harrison Smith – the on-field brain and heartbeat of Flores’ complex scheme. Following Smith’s release and the departures of interior anchors Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, the communicators that made this defence tick are gone. Picking at No. 18, the Vikings are in the crosshairs to land the most Flores-ready prospect in the class: Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman. Thieneman is a rangy, ball-hawking centerfielder who pairs 4.35 speed with the elite processing power required to disguise Minnesota’s signature aggressive blitz packages. In an NFC North where you have to defend both the Lions’ smash-mouth power and the Packers’ verticality, Thieneman represents the essential post-Harrison upgrade. He has the instincts to organize the secondary and the physical thump to play in the box, ensuring that the NFL’s most creative defensive unit doesn’t lose its identity without its long-time captain.
New Orleans Saints – Wide Receiver
Fans of the Saints are entering an era that they haven’t seen in years. The team is finally getting out from the crushing toll of pushing their veteran contracts to future years to stay cap compliant. After years of pushing back the credit card bill, their roster is in fairly good shape going forward, especially if Tyler Shough takes a step forward in his second year. To help him to do so, the Saints should be looking to use their 9th overall pick on another offensive weapon – mainly a wide receiver opposite of Chris Olave. Olave is a true number one, and had a healthy 2025 season, but his history of concussions is well documented. Behind him, the depth chart has a slew of guys that fit better as WR3, so drafting a high-upside receiver like Ohio State’s Carnell Tate to share the field with Olave will do wonders for the offence as a whole.
New York Giants – Linebacker
The Harbaugh Era has officially arrived in East Rutherford, bringing a stark cultural shift from the offensive-leaning Daboll years to a smash-mouth, defensive-centric philosophy. While Jaxson Dart showed legitimate franchise promise as a rookie and Malik Nabers has blossomed into a superstar, the roster still lacks the defensive hammer required to execute John Harbaugh’s vision despite the past investments on the defensive line. The Giants’ linebacker corps is the most glaring hole on the roster – a unit that desperately needs an alpha to stabilize the spine of the defence. Picking at No. 5, the Giants are in the range to snag Ohio State’s Sonny Styles. A former five-star safety who successfully transitioned to linebacker, Styles is a 6’5″, 244-pound freak of nature who recently shattered Combine records with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and a 43.5-inch vertical. He is the ultimate Harbaugh player: a high-IQ, position-less defender who can erase elite tight ends in coverage or crash the A-gap with the violence of a traditional middle linebacker. Pairing Styles with Dexter Lawrence would give the Giants a physically imposing core that could finally bully the rest of the NFC East. For a franchise that hasn’t had a truly transformative presence at the second level in a decade, Styles would immediately give the Giants defence an identity they’ve sorely been lacking.
Philadelphia Eagles – Edge
As of this writing, the Eagles still have A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson and Landon Dickerson on the roster, meaning they have 10 out of 11 starters returning to the offensive side of the ball. While the Eagles need to find eventual replacements on their aging offensive line, the A.J. Brown trade rumours are still running rampant, and the defence was certainly underwhelming last season As such, the Eagles’ most immediate need is on the defensive side of the ball. Philadelphia was unable to retain Jaelan Phillips, whom they traded for at the 2025 trade deadline in free agency as they could not match the massive four year $120 million contract the Carolina Panthers gave him. Philadelphia signed Arnold Ebiketie to join Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith, all of whom managed at least 25 quarterback pressures in 2025, but they could use a more impactful down to down player at the position – especially considering Smith’s injury history. GM Howie Roseman is notorious for building the team through the trenches via the draft and will have to get back to his roots after straying from that mentality over the past couple of seasons, drafting a linebacker (Jihad Campbell), safety (Andrew Mukuba) and two cornerbacks (Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean) early in the first two rounds of the past two drafts.
San Francisco 49ers – Defensive Line
When Nick Bosa went down with a torn ACL in September, the unit’s identity vanished alongside him. Without their anchor, a group that once bullied the NFC finished the year ranked 21st in PFF defensive line grade. The departure of Javon Hargrave – who took his interior pass-rush specialty to Minnesota before recently landing with the Packers – has left a crater in the middle of the formation that the trade for Osa Odighizuwa only partially fills. While the 2025 addition of Mykel Williams provided a spark, the 49ers need a versatile, high-ceiling disruptor to ensure Bosa isn’t walking back into a double-team nightmare. Picking at No. 27, San Francisco is perfectly positioned to target a powerhouse like Clemson’s Peter Woods. Woods seems to be dropping down mock drafts after an unimpressive season at Clemson, but he has the build to be a high impact player in the NFL.
Seattle Seahawks – Running Back
After hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February, the Seahawks watched their Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III, depart for a massive payday with the Kansas City Chiefs. With Zach Charbonnet still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January, Mike Macdonald’s squad has a championship-caliber roster that is essentially missing its entire ground game. While the defence remains elite, the philosophy that led Seattle to a ring – physical, tone-setting football – needs to establish a viable run game to take the pressure off of Darnold and keep the defence rested and off the field. Picking at No. 32, the Seahawks could look to the secondary to replace the departed Riq Woolen, but the pressure to find a bell-cow back is overwhelming. Local favorite Jonah Coleman (Washington) or a high-upside slasher like Jadarian Price (Notre Dame) would be ideal fits to restore the identity of this offence. For a team looking to repeat, finding a replacement for Walker isn’t just about the box score; it’s about maintaining the bully ball mentality that has become the hallmark of the Macdonald era.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Edge
The Todd Bowles era in Tampa Bay has always lived and died by the blitz, but the 2025 season proved that you can only manufacture pressure for so long before the lack of a natural pass rusher catches up to you. Despite the savvy veteran addition of Al-Quadin Muhammad – who brings a much-needed double-digit sack pedigree from Detroit – and the interior beef of A’Shawn Robinson, the Buccaneers’ edge rotation remains a collection of players that lack a true alpha. With Joe Tryon-Shoyinka failing to evolve into a consistent closer and the defence finishing 22nd in sack rate last year, Bowles’ scheme is working overtime to mask a talent deficit. Picking at No. 15, the Bucs are in prime territory to stop the bargain bin cycle and hunt for a true blue-chip finisher. Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell or Miami’s Akheem Mesidor would provide the explosive, bendy presence that this defence hasn’t felt since Shaq Barrett’s prime. For a team that narrowly missed the postseason due to an inability to get off the field in the fourth quarter, finding a transformative edge threat isn’t just a need – it might be what Bowles needs to save his job in 2026.
Washington Commanders – Wide Receiver
The Washington Commanders were a popular pick to take a step back in 2025 so their fall from the 2024 NFC conference finals to drafting a 7th overall in the draft wasn’t overly shocking. Head Coach Dan Quinn had success surrounding QB Jayden Daniels with veteran stopgaps in 2024 but unfortunately that couldn’t be repeated as a myriad of injuries (including to Daniels himself) and player decline left the team lacking in talent across the board. While there are many ways they can go in the draft this year, especially on defence, their wide receiver room needs to improve if they expect Daniels to continue to develop. Terry McLaurin looked to return to form late in 2025 after holding out to start the season, and then suffering an injury upon taking the field causing him to miss multiple games, but he is 31 years old and the only true ball winner on the roster. Deebo Samuel provided some fireworks in 2025, but he certainly faded down the stretch. With Luke McCaffrey and Treylon Burks currently slotted in as the WR2 and WR3, the Commanders should be strongly considering taking someone like Carnell Tate out of Ohio State with the 7th overall pick. Tate is widely considered the most pro-ready receiver in this class – a smooth, technical route-runner with the vertical speed to punish single coverage. Pairing Tate with McLaurin would give the Commanders two high-IQ Buckeyes who can separate at will, effectively ending the era of Daniels having to play hero ball into tight windows. If the Commanders pass on a playmaker here, they risk wasting the prime of a rookie-contract quarterback by surrounding him with a bargain bin supporting cast.
-Devon Gallant
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