The first round of the NFL Draft draws all the viewers and gets all the hype in the lead-up to the draft, but championship teams aren’t built in the first round. They’re built in the six rounds that follow.

Every year, elite players slip through the cracks and end up sliding into the second round. Just last year, guys like Carson Schwesinger, Nick Emmanwori, and Tyler Shough were day two picks and already look like future stars.

Since everyone’s focusing on round one, I thought it would be a good time to show some love to the second round guys. Here’s the best second-round prospect at every position in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback: Ty Simpson

There’s a very good chance Ty Simpson goes in the first round, but I don’t think there’s another quarterback in this draft class that is worthy of a second-round pick, so it has to be him.

Simpson has one year of starting experience in college, but it was a pretty solid season. He’s a very smart and accurate quarterback, but he’s not a great runner, and his arm is pretty average. Considering how thin this QB class is, Simpson will probably be a late first-rounder, so the team has the choice to pick up his fifth-year option, but he’s a second-round talent in my eyes.

Running Back: Jadarian Price

After Jeremiyah Love, the running back position is very thin. The combine will tell us a lot about who the true RB2 is, but for now, I feel like it’s Love’s teammate, Jadarian Price.

It’s hard to stick out when your teammate is a generational talent, but Price did. In 2024 and 2025, Price totaled 1,420 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging over six yards per carry. If it weren’t for Love, he would’ve been a 1,000-yard rusher each of the last two years. He’s not a burner, but he’s a fluid runner with great instincts.

Wide Receiver: Malachi Fields

Malachi Fields could very well end up going in the first round by the time it’s all said and done, in which case I would pick Chris Bell to be my top receiver available in round two, but for now, he’s got a second-round grade, so I’m picking him here.

Fields doesn’t necessarily have the production you want in a top receiver, but that was largely due to Notre Dame’s run-first offense. He’s 6-foot-3, 223 pounds, and is a true X receiver. He’s not the fastest guy in the world, but he can be an impact player in any offense because of his ability to high-point the football and be physical at the catch point. A lot of teams would love someone like him on their roster.

Tight End: Eli Stowers

Outside of Kenyon Sadiq, there aren’t any tight end prospects in this class that are worthy of a first round pick. There’s a slight chance Eli Stowers could sneak into the first with a great combine performance, but he’s more than likely going to be a day two pick.

Stowers has been one of the most productive tight ends in college football for the past two seasons, totaling 111 catches for 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024 and 2025. He’s a great receiving threat, but he needs to get bigger to help him as a blocker. But in today’s NFL, receiving upside will supersede blocking ability any day.

OT: Max Iheanachor

Outside of Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano, there aren’t any elite offensive tackles in this class, but I still think we see four or five of them go in the first round, with Kadyn Proctor, Caleb Lomu, and Monroe Freeling possibly sliding into the first. That leaves Max Iheanachor likely falling to the second, and someone’s going to be very happy because of that.

Iheanachor is exactly what you want in a tackle. He’s 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, and an elite pass protector, giving up just two sacks in his entire college career. He didn’t play the best talent at Arizona State, which is probably a big reason he’s not going to be a first-round pick, but he can be a franchise right tackle for years to come.

IOL: Emmanuel Pregnon

If guards were more highly valued in the draft, Emmanuel Pregnon would likely be a first-rounder, but teams don’t prioritize interior offensive linemen like they do tackles, so he’s likely to fall into the second round.

Pregnon has played over 1,600 pass blocking snaps in his college career, and he has given up just one sack per PFF. That’s pretty dang impressive. He’s also improved so much as a run blocker during his career, finishing 2025 with a career-high 88.3 run blocking grade. Someone’s going to get a future Pro Bowler at guard in the second round.

DE: T.J. Parker

T.J. Parker could very well end up going in the first round, but I have five pass rushers ahead of him in my rankings, so I think there’s a pretty good chance he slides into the second round.

Parker’s draft stock dropped pretty heavily after an underwhelming 2025 season. I think he’s a solid pass rusher, but he doesn’t do anything exceptionally well. He can be a solid rotational player, but I don’t think he’s a first-round talent.

DT: Lee Hunter

Defensive tackle was a tough one. Peter Woods is the only guy who I think is a lock to go in the first round. Caleb Banks and Kayden McDonald are borderline first-rounders in my eyes, but I erred on the side of caution and went with Lee Hunter as my pick here.

Hunter is a big, physical run stuffer that can instantly improve any team’s run defense. He has some strides to make as a pass rusher, but in a day and age where everyone wants to get after the quarterback, it’s hard to find someone like Hunter who’s willing to do the dirty work in the run game. I think he’ll be an excellent pickup for whichever team lands him in the second.

LB: Anthony Hill Jr.

Anthony Hill should be a first-rounder in my opinion. He’s 21 years old, produced all three years in college, and is an excellent athlete. He’s a three-down linebacker that can defend the run and cover tight ends and running backs, but he’s also not too shabby at blitzing the quarterback with 17 sacks in his collegiate career.

If this class wasn’t loaded with off-ball talent, like Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and CJ Allen, Hill would be a bona fide first-rounder. And while he may still go in the end of the first round, it seems like there’s a good chance he ends up being one of the first picks on day two.

CB: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson might be my favorite cornerback in the draft. He has the ideal size and the production to be a first-round pick, but there are some concerns about his speed and the lack of talent he faced at San Diego State.

This is a loaded cornerback class with guys like Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, Aveion Terrell, and Colton Hood all projected to go in the first round. Johnson would usually have a chance at being a first-rounder, but since there are so many talented corners who played in a power four conference, Johnson is likely to slip to the second.

S: A.J. Haulcy

I wanted to go with Dillon Thieneman here, but I think there’s a really good chance he could sneak into the first round with Caleb Downs and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, so I have to go with A.J. Haulcy here. I used to cover LSU Football, so I saw firsthand just how impactful he was to their defense. He’s a ballhawk, but he’s also not afraid to play down in the box.

The thing holding Haulcy back is his frame and speed. He gets beaten in man coverage against faster receivers, and he’s also just 6 feet tall. Still, he’s a very instinctual player, and in the right system, he could be a star.