2026 NFL Draft superlatives: Best overall, highest ceiling, Day 2 steal

Every NFL draft class is unique. Certain positions and prospects stand out among their peers in the latest crop of stars to reach the NFL.

Just like in school, we've reached the final weeks until the end of draft season, as it culminates with three days of action from Pittsburgh. A total of 257 players will have their names announced at Acrisure Stadium.

Ahead of that version of prospect graduation, we're ready to hand out some superlatives. Instead of "class clown" or "most likely to succeed," these are more geared toward the NFL draft.

These are skewed more towards the top of the draft but we're including a few for the rest of the class to keep things exciting. Here are 10 superlatives for the 2026 NFL Draft:

2026 NFL Draft superlativesBest overall prospect: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

Reese is a unicorn. Players of his size rarely move as well as he does, especially in a defense as demanding and diverse (for the college level) as Matt Patricia's system. The hope that he will develop into a contributor off the edge is based on his tools and some limited action. If he doesn't reach that ceiling, his floor is a perennial Pro Bowl off-ball linebacker.

Best QB prospect: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

This one is pretty straightforward. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy as college football's top player after leading the Hoosiers to their first national championship in program history.

He's the top guy at the most important position in football and tiers above the rest of the class. In another year, Mendoza could have had competition for the top spot but not in 2026.

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Best offensive player: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

For the second year in a row, the NFL draft has a clear-cut No. 1 running back. This time around, he happens to be the best offensive player in the class.

Love is a dynamic playmaker in the same vein as Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson. He can impact the offense in both the running game and passing game. He has home run speed and balance to force missed tackles. His only knock is that he shared carries with another talented back in South Bend, but that's not nearly enough to move him off the top spot.

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Best defensive player: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

Downs isn't an outlier athlete like Reese or his teammate Sonny Styles. Both of them have a higher ceiling thanks to their mix of traits. Downs has a higher floor than both of them.

He was Alabama's best defensive player as a freshman in 2023 and led the team in tackles as a safety. He transferred to Ohio State in 2024 and continued to be an impactful secondary player. There's little he can't do from the position. His lone knock is a lack of ball production (six career interceptions in college), but there's so much more to his game to outweigh that.

Player with the highest ceiling: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

If Reese can hit his ceiling, he's comfortably the best player in the class. He's barely scratching the surface as an edge rusher with the tools to be very effective in that role, in addition to his standout abilities as an off-ball linebacker. His ceiling is an All-Pro level player who consistently impacts everything opposing offenses do.

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Player who is the biggest risk: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

McCoy looked like a top-15 player in this class in 2024 during his first season with the Volunteers. He was an All-American behind a campaign showcasing his talents in both press-man and zone coverage moments. The risk is that he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn right ACL. He ran well at his Pro Day. The question is how much NFL teams are willing to bank on a single season of tape from him before a major knee injury.

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Player most likely to fall: DT Caleb Banks, Florida

Banks looked like a potential first-round lock as the top interior defensive lineman in the class. Then he suffered a foot injury at the NFL combine, less than a year after a foot injury had affected his final season with the Gators.

Banks is one of the biggest players in the class at 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds and moves exceptionally well. If teams are concerned this foot injury is something chronic, Banks could fall well out of the first round.

Surprise first-round pick: OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State

This is a very top-heavy offensive tackle class. There's a chance teams jump to make their pick at the position and won't wait until Round 2. Iheanachor could be swept up in that.

He's very raw for the position, with just 31 starts with the Sun Devils, but he possesses rare traits. For a player his size (6-foot-6, 321 pounds), he's an outlier athlete with exceptional balance and foot speed thanks to his basketball and soccer background. He may struggle as a rookie, but with some development, could become one of the best tackles in the class. A team could be willing to take that gamble late in Round 1.

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Day 2 steal: WR Chris Bell, Louisville

Bell was firmly in the conversation for Round 1 before a torn left ACL ended his 2025 season in November. That late injury means it'd be tough for him to return to the field before training camp.

If a team is comfortable taking a chance on him on Day 2 and he returns fully healthy, Bell could be a massive steal. He's built like a running back at 6-foot-2 and 222 pounds with explosive athleticism and reliable hands. Those kinds of players usually don't make it outside the first 40 picks.

Day 3 steal: QB Drew Allar, Penn State

There's a chance Allar is gone by the start of Round 4. If he isn't, he could end up being a steal for a team looking for a quarterback to develop.

Allar's all about tools with a big frame (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) and a powerful arm. His mobility at that size drew comparisons to Josh Allen earlier in his career. But he underperformed at Penn State in 2025 before a season-ending ankle injury. He looks fully healed now.

Allar has traits and intangibles, including being a hard worker and a well-liked teammate. He'll need time to develop his mechanics and rhythm to make it in the NFL. If he can do that, a team may have found at least a solid starter on Day 3 of the NFL draft.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Draft 2026 superlatives: Most likely to fall, best players, steals