Every year, some prospects are hard to fully project where they’ll land. This year is no different, and especially this year’s NFL draft. Positional value has dominated how NFL teams think going into the event, but with safeties, running backs and linebackers being the top positions in this year’s draft. It’s time for NFL decision-makers to abandon that way of thinking. It makes for some really interesting conversations going into the draft about the ceiling/floor for prospects.

10 names stand out to me when discussing their true landing spot in the draft this year. Here are the sceling/floor for 1-p

Sonny Styles, LB, Indiana

Ceiling: No. 2 Overall

Floor: No. 7 Overall 

Best Fit: New York Giants 

Styles will be a top-10 pick in this draft. There’s just no way I see him falling past the Washington Commanders at No. 7 overall. He has the moxy and the playstile that would excite a head coach like Dan Quinn. The ceiling part is where it gets interesting. Will the New York Jets consider taking a linebacker at No. 2 overall? It probably won’t happen, but I believe there should be a conversation.

The Jets didn’t get an interception last season, and pass rush helps with that, but having a dominant linebacker leading your defense can help, especially the one with the physical tools of Styles. New York signed Demario Davis in free agency, but he’s 37 years old. That’s not the long-term solution; if New York wanted a difference maker, Styles is an option.

In terms of best fit, the New York Giants would make perfect sense. The team has a versatile and dangerous defensive line that’ll allow Styles to operate as freely as he did at Ohio State. My comp for Styles was Tremaine Edmunds, who is around the same size at 6-foot-4 and 251 pounds. Edmunds could help Styles acclimate to the NFL, and at the very least, head coach John Harbaugh would also like to have a dynamic weapon like Styles on his defense.

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Ceiling: No. 4 Overall

Floor: No. 16 Overall

Best Fit: New Orleans Saints

I’ve had Tate as an option for the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall for months. The argument for giving Cam Ward help is a legitimate one, and while many automatically go to Jeremiyah Love as that help, it is fair, but the Titans have a decent running back room with Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Their receiving room is led by Calvin Ridley, and the team just signed Wan’Dale Robinson to a $78 million contract. They could use Tate’s vertical threat.

There have been rumors that the Jets would trade up from 16 to the top 10 to pick Tate. As we get closer, I think that’s likely, but in terms of floor for Tate, he won’t make it past the Jets with the 16th overall pick.

The New Orleans Saints have to be the best option for Tate. The team needs the type of weapon he is, and he’ll fit in perfectly into what Tyler Shough loves to do as a quarterback: push the ball down the field. He doesn’t have to worry about carrying the offense with playmakers like Chris Olave and Travis Etienne on the roster.

Makai Lemon, WR, USC

Ceiling: No. 8 Overall

Floor: No. 24 Overall

Best Fit: Los Angeles Rams

Lemon is a slot receiver, which limits his ceiling, but with the Saints at No. 8, I can see head coach Kellen Moore loving his toughness and twitch as a receiver. He’d fit right into the slot and give Shough even more weapons to target as the Saints try to find out what they truly have in Shough moving forward.

The floor is steep here with the Cleveland Browns at 24 overall, but honestly, I feel like Lemon could slip into the 20s. He’s a true slot receiver who is 5-foot-11 and ran a 4.5 40. He doesn’t have elite athletic ability or the measurables that warrant a top-10 pick. Looking at the tape, it’s understandable why some have him as their No. 1 receiver, but given how the NFL values first-round picks, I can see a world in which Lemon falls short due to his natural size.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay would be giddy to add Lemon to his offense. Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Lemon would be a nightmare for NFL teams. Any offensive player should dream of going to the Rams, because quite frankly, it’s one of the best cultures to enter in the NFL.

Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia

Ceiling: No. 6 Overall

Floor: No. 24 Overall

Best Fit: Philadelphia Eagles

It’s funny how the ceiling and floor are both the Browns for Freeling, but that’s the most likely scenario. After the combine, there were reports that the Browns wanted Freeling at No. 6 overall following his workout. He has the size and strength to be a dominant left tackle in the league, and when you mix that with elite athleticism, it’s understandable why teams would want him in the top-10.

The problem is his up-and-down tape. He’s very raw as a prospect, which is why I don’t see him going in the top-10, but I don’t envision a world where he makes it past Cleveland with its second first-round pick.

Philadelphia would be a great landing spot for Freeling. The team has an impending tackle need amid uncertainty about how much longer Lane Johnson will play in the NFL. With the development Freeling would need, he’d benefit from sitting behind Johnson and Jordan Mailata for a year to learn and take over if one of them went down with an injury.

Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn

Ceiling: No. 11 Overall

Floor: No. 30 Overall

Best Fit: Chicago Bears

It’s another player on this list where I feel like the ceiling and floor are with one team. The Miami Dolphins can go anywhere in the first round of this draft, and one player who keeps getting linked to them is Faulk. He’s 20 years old and had only two sacks this season with Auburn; he’s raw and needs time to develop.

There’s no better place to do that than a team that clearly isn’t ready to win now. Faulk wouldn’t have to worry about being productive in his first year, and he can develop with the help of head coach Jeff Hafley. I think he fits the 3-4 defense the Dolphins would run, so I feel like his floor has to be the Dolphins at 30th, and he can go as high as 11 to the Dolphins.

The fit is a hard one to project for Faulk, because there are plenty of teams where I feel he can thrive. I ended up going with the Chicago Bears because of what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen typically likes in his edges. The Bears play in the NFC North, and they’ll face teams that like to run the ball, and at the very least, Faulk can help in that aspect of the game. He’s an elite run defender with his heavy hands, despite the lack of pass-rushing numbers he put up in college.

Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

Ceiling: No. 20 Overall

Floor: No. 46 Overall

Best Fit: Buffalo Bills

Rodriguez is one of the more polarizing players to try to predict. He finished fifth in Heisman voting and was an ultra-productive linebacker for Texas Tech this past season. His worry was his speed, but after a 4.57 40 at the combine, there aren’t many questions remaining about his game. That’s why his ceiling is Dallas Cowboys at 20; they need a linebacker, and if they can’t land Styles via trade, Rodriguez could be a real option for them at 20, since they don’t have a second-round pick.

The floor is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round. I can see Rodriguez falling this far, but I can’t imagine Tampa Bay passing on him, especially after the retirement of Lavonte David. They need a playmaker on the second level of their defense, and Rodriguez can be that.

His best fit would be the Buffalo Bills for me at 26. I know Buffalo wants a receiver in this slot, but the run defense wasn’t good last season, and they need a difference maker on that side of the ball. The team is switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4, and Rodriguez has the speed and knack for finding the ball to play as one of the two inside backers. He’s the best pass coverage linebacker in this class, with his elite instincts.

Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri

Ceiling: No. 15 Overall

Floor: No. 31 Overall

Best Fit: Los Angeles Chargers

The range for Young starts at 15 for me with the Tampa Bay, and simply because they need pass rush help. I’ve had them circled as a team that needs a pass rusher in the first two rounds, and the heavy hands of Young would fit into head coach Todd Bowles defense easily.

I fully expect Young to be a first-round pick on Thursday. The floor has to be the New England Patriots. Young’s playstyle and willingness to play the run are traits that head coach Mike Vrabel would love.

In terms of development and being able to truly learn how to rush the passer, the Los Angeles Chargers have to be the best fit for Young. The team re-signed Khalil Mack to a one-year deal, and Mack shares the same power profile Young uses in his rushes. Mack could help Young develop as a pass rusher and help him take the next step in his game.

Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Ceiling: No. 6 Overall

Floor: No. 29 Overall

Best Fit: Detroit Lions

The Browns have such an obvious tackle need that every single tackle in this class seems to be linked to them, and they reportedly have Proctor high on their board. His range for me starts with them at No. 6 ovearll come Thursday.

There’s a world, it’s all smoke with Procotor in the top-10, and he falls. He’s a big man at 6-foot-7 and 352 pounds and has the size of an elite NFL tackle. The tape is just inconsistent. That’s why there’s a world I can see Proctor failing into the 20’s. I don’t think the Kansas City Chiefs would go tackle in the top-10, which is why I don’t have him making it past them with the 29th pick.

Just reading the size of Procotr, doesn’t it seem obvious Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell would love this guy? The Lions would be a perfect fit for Proctor to start immediately at left tackle and get reps at the NFL level. He has the size to be dominant; he just needs to work on the power.

Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

Ceiling: No. 20 Overall

Floor: No. 44 Overall

Best Fit: Seattle Seahawks

Cowboys need help at corner, and Johnson’s ceiling should start with them at 20. Expecting Mansoor Delane and Jermod McCoy to be gone by then, Johnson would be the next corner on my board. He didn’t play the hardest competition at San Diego State, but that shouldn’t be used to knock a player who only allowed a 16.1 passer rating this season with the Aztecs.

With him playing at San Diego State, I could see him falling to Day 2. I just don’t see a world in which he makes it past the Jets with the 44th pick. New York had zero interceptions in 2025, and Johnson has the elite eyes and aggressiveness to help address that.

Any cornerback in this draft should be praying to land in Seattle. The team let Riq Woolen walk in free agency, leaving them with an outside corner need. Head coach Mike Macdonald is an absolute psycho when it comes to calling defenses, and with the elite eyes Johnson has, he could thrive in Seattle’s scheme.

Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

Ceiling: No. 19 Overall

Floor: No. 49 Overall

Best Fit: Houston Texans

The Panthers don’t necessarily need a defensive tackle, but they need help in terms of pass rush. Woods is a smaller tackle and has the versatility to line up along the entire defensive line. It’s not a likely pick, but I can see this as the ceiling for Woods on night one of the NFL draft. He brings more pass rush juice and can push the field vertically; he’s also capable of stopping the run.

I see Woods falling to the second round, but not that far. The Minnesota Vikings have a defensive tackle need, and it’s hard to imagine they’ll pass on him at 49. He gives them the needed pass-rush ability, especially with reports that the team will trade Jonathan Greenard before next season.

The Texans’ front is always attacking and wants to push the pocket. That’s where Woods would thrive. Having edges like Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who are problems on the edge, would give Woods more one-on-one pass rush opportunities where he’ll thrive. I can’t imagine a better fit for Woods going into the NFL.