NFL Draft superlatives in the immediate aftermath of a weekend full of selections tend to be rote. Many in the industry default to the usual suspects, with guys like Howie Roseman (Eagles) and John Schneider (Seahawks) getting rave reviews (both were brought up repeatedly in discussions with NFL decision-makers this week). But we’ve come to expect that.
What’s most striking as we head into May is that a few historically backwards and lost franchises appear to be remarkably on point with their NFL Draft processes and outcomes. It’s been a race to the bottom for, seemingly, decades between the two New York franchises. And a Raiders offseason that was already getting accolades from rival front offices for its work in free agency, has now been further bolstered by what other teams are considering a decidedly cogent and potentially fertile draft.
Go figure. Here’s why these teams are getting high marks around the league:
New York Giants
The arrival of future Hall of Fame head coach John Harbaugh was supposed to signal the arrival of sound and rational thought, and it has. He has the jam in that organization, and his first draft in New York reminded many of some of the best offerings when he was in Baltimore. General managers were pretty surprised linebacker Arvell Reese fell to him at five, and it was no surprise that Harbaugh went with a massive offensive lineman with the 10th pick secured from the Dexter Lawrence trade.
“John will know how to use Reese,” one longtime personnel executive with a keen understanding of Harbaugh told me. “That’s the perfect player for him. He is going to build a big, tough team. He understands cold weather football. You can see it in this draft.”
Corner Colton Hood has immediate starting potential, and while New York probably gave up too much in a trade with Cleveland, the overall return was noticed around the league. Harbaugh addressed the line of scrimmage, as expected, and the draft, coupled with the haul of former Ravens who joined him in free agency without breaking the bank, had others raving.
“You can just see the impact he’s had on that entire franchise,” said one general manager. “It’s like there's an adult in charge now. Trading Lawrence is tough, but you have to take the 10th pick if the player wants out and you can’t make it work. I thought they had a great draft.”
Las Vegas Raiders
Fernando Mendoza’s success or failure will tell the story of their draft, but overall, there seemed to be sound rationale to what they did, rather than just chasing certain metrics and overvaluing particular traits that have led them astray in the past.
The Raiders picked up a fourth-round selection from Houston just to jump down a few spots — “they got great value in that trade to get the same player,” a GM said. Getting corner Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) outside the top 100, even if he needs a redshirt year for a further procedure on his knee but eventually plays anything close to his potential, will be a steal.
As deep as their rebuild has gone, they can afford to take the risk. One evaluator told me he thinks fifth-round safety Dalton Johnson (Arizona) has starting potential for them, and the GM said he thought second-round slot corner Treydan Stukes (Arizona) was going to go Day 1.
“I thought they had a really good weekend,” another GM said. “When you’re picking first (every round) it helps. But how many times have they (messed) that up, too?" Perhaps Tom Brady’s aura is rubbing off on the franchise he has a piece of. No way is this team nearly as putrid as it was in 2025.
New York Jets
The New York Jets may have won the damn draft. People are gushing about their first five picks. It’s kinda nuts.
Second-overall pick David Bailey (Texas Tech) fits any scheme and could be an immediate double-digit sack guy. Kenyon Sadiq (16th overall) could easily become the most impact pass catcher — regardless of position — in this draft. Two general managers said they thought that 30th overall was too high for receiver Omar Cooper, Jr. (Indiana), but slot corner D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana) has a chance to be better than some of the prospects taken ahead of him at DB. On top of that, defensive tackle Darrell Jackson has an NFL frame and can enter their rotation immediately.
“They got a lot better,” one GM said. “They came out with five starters. I keep looking at their board, and it’s a really strong group of players.”
“I thought they did a great job, like I really like their draft,” another GM said. "I wasn’t as high on Cooper for the first round, but he is definitely going to help them. Sadiq was a really nice pick up, too.”
It seems unlikely fading Geno Smith makes it through the season at QB, so taking a flier on developmental QB Cade Klubnik (Clemson), who had preseason Heisman hype, makes sense. But the reality is that the Jets are set up for 2027 a lot like the Raiders were for this draft: New York is overflowing with cap room, they have the makings of a strong offensive line with a running back (Breece Hall) who has some explosion and a bevy of offensive weapons now.
Whichever QB they select one year from now might actually have the infrastructure around him to blossom on the roster. We’ll see about the coaching staff.
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