Six Teams That May Already Regret Their 2026 NFL Draft Decisions
Six Teams That May Already Regret Their 2026 NFL Draft Decisions
Justin Melo|
Teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 were especially tasked with improving during the 2026 NFL Draft. That doesn't necessarily mean every organization took full advantage of their opportunity though. Some teams totally missed the mark.
Mandatory minicamp and OTAs have already exposed some issues. There are a handful of rebuilding teams that didn't generate enough improvement via the NFL Draft. Those teams have been identified and listed here.
We've singled out six franchises that endured lackluster drafts. The majority of them missed the postseason in 2025. The rebuilding period for those teams may be longer than initially feared following their shortcomings.
2026 NFL Draft: Six Teams Made Questionable Decisions
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals' decision to select Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 overall was heavily scrutinized. That's not a knock on Love, who arguably had the best individual skill set in the entire class. The rebuilding Cardinals weren't ready to spend a premium pick on a devalued position. It's shades of Ashton Jeanty to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Second-round guard Chase Bisontis is a stellar prospect, but offensive tackle was the bigger need. Quarterback Carson Beck felt like a forced selection, and the real answer probably won't arrive until 2027. Kaleb Proctor was our favorite selection the Cardinals made.
New Orleans Saints
This New Orleans Saints draft class is built solely on projection. Technically, you can claim that about every draft class, but it feels especially true about the Saints due to the risk they're taking on Jordyn Tyson. The No. 8 overall wide receiver possesses a lengthy injury history, so New Orleans is gambling on talent and availability.
Defensive tackle Christen Miller projects as a future starter. It was surprising to see Oscar Delp land as a top-75 selection, but the Saints are reportedly pleased with his offseason performances. This Saints class will ultimately be determined by Tyson's health, while the others might take a few years before becoming serious contributors.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings had an interesting draft experience to say the least. Conducted before hiring a traditional general manager this offseason, Nolan Teasley has since been appointed. First-round pick Caleb Banks is a boom-or-bust prospect. Banks is occasionally dominant when healthy, but injuries and inconsistent play often derailed his career at Florida.
Using a top-100 selection on Domonique Orange, a devalued nose tackle who was injured throughout the pre-draft process also qualified as head scratching. Linebacker Jake Golday was a smart selection in the second round, as he projects as an excellent fit in Brian Flores' scheme. Late-round picks Demond Claiborne and Charles Demmings also have some potential.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders made some quality selections throughout the draft, but their aggressive decisions to trade picks for veterans last offseason left Adam Peters with just six total selections. Getting Sonny Styles in the first round was huge, but the Commanders didn't make another pick until No. 71 overall. From there, they endured another sizable gap (No. 147).
Sixth-round running back Kaytron Allen may develop into a massive steal. There just wasn't enough overall substance to this Commanders draft. Hopefully Peters was efficient with his lack of capital.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars' draft class has been well documented. Taking tight end Nate Boerkircher with a top-60 pick (the team's first selection) felt heavily influenced by the expanded usage of 13 personnel around the NFL. Boerkircher played six seasons in college and never had a 200 receiving-yard campaign.
Boerkircher wasn't James Gladstone's lone reach. Picks like Albert Regis and Jalen Huskey also felt awfully premature. How this Jaguars class ultimately turns out will be proof of concept for the consensus board argument.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were another franchise that strung together a rather peculiar draft. Second-round wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling was described as a reach by some scouts. Shanahan's history of making life difficult on rookie wideouts adds another layer to this evaluation.
Shanahan also possesses a history of overdrafting running backs, and he possibly did it again with Kaelon Black at No. 90 overall. Romello Height is an undersized pass rusher, but at least he'll have a defined role in this defense. The 49ers haven't drafted particularly well lately and this is another questionable class.
Published Jun 22, 2026 | Modified Jun 22, 2026
JUSTIN MELOJustin Melo is the publisher of NFL Draft on SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. He has previous experience covering the NFL Draft in a professional capacity at various outlets such as The Draft Network, USA Today SMG, and SB Nation. NFL Draft on SI will cover all things NFL Draft extensively, with scouting reports, prospect rankings, big boards, and unique first-hand stories. It will also be home to Melo's NFL Draft prospect interview series, which has featured more than 1,000 exclusive interviews with NFL Draft picks. Melo is also the published author of Titans of The South: Photographs and History of the Tennessee Titans, available where all books are sold.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
