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The Essentially Sports Big Board, version 3.0, is now live.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

The update reflects post-Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl performances and shows little movement at the top, though several players moved into the early part of Day 2 based on their sensational performances at those events. Here’s the breakdown.

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A quick breakdown of EssentiallySports Big Board, version 3.0, which grades 528 players eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft and includes:

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  • 14 players with solid first-round grades
  • 85 players with Day 1 or Day 2 grades
  • 275 players with a draftable grade
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The board is reflective of the draft as a whole, not strong at the top but deep. With only 257 selections in the entire draft, the large number of players with draftable grades is the result of fifth, sixth- and seventh-years players ending their college careers and moving on.

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Much of this has to do with players cycling out after receiving the extra year of eligibility afforded college athletes by the NCAA due to COVID-19 in 2020.

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There was not much movement at the top of the board, as not many of these players have done anything football-related since the last update, posted after the College Football Playoff ended.

The biggest movers were Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor and Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter. Both come off terrific seasons and were absolutely dominant during Senior Bowl practices. In fact, Iheanachor also looked great in the game, which doesn’t count for much.

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Both moved from the third round into the early part of Round 2. Either could end up as late first-round picks, as the position they play are priorities on draft weekend.

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Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis was another big riser, moving from the middle part of Day 3 into the third round. Measuring under six feet tall and just over 220 pounds, many questioned the position Louis would play on Sundays and how he would hold up. As reported during our Senior Bowl coverage last month, Louis not only held up fine at linebacker, but he was dominant all three days of practice.

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The two biggest sliders can be found in the secondary Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad as well as Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.

This is based on what I’m hearing versus what I witnessed. Word at the Senior Bowl is that Muhammad will struggle to run faster than 4.6 seconds at the combine or his pro day, should he choose to skip workouts in Indianapolis.

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As I reported upon returning from Mobile, sources from Toledo said McNeil-Warren purposely skipped the Senior Bowl fearing his lack of speed would be exposed. Both issues are major red flags for defensive backs.

Players who came out of nowhere and those who were not graded by scouts prior to the season but showed well at the Senior and Shrine Bowls will eventually be added to the big board once relevant film work is completed.

One name that fits the bill is Maryland offensive tackle Alan Herron, who was not on the scouting radar in August but now grades as a potential late-round pick.

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Tony Pauline

127 Articles

Tony Pauline is a Senior NFL Analyst at EssentiallySports, bringing over two decades of trusted expertise in draft evaluation and league scouting. Recognized as one of the most reliable voices in NFL Draft analysis, Tony has contributed to major outlets including Know more

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Tim Wood

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