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Night 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft showed some prominent trends on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, we saw an early round of defensive tackles, indicating a priority for coordinators around the NFL. On the other side of the ball, the tight ends selected show how offenses around the league stress the position to create mismatches.
Here are my takeaways from the second and third rounds of the draft:
1. Carson Beck and Drew Allar prove that attributes still matter in scouting rooms
Despite skeptics dismissing the importance of size and tools in the evaluation process, the selections of Beck (by the Cardinals at No. 65) and Allar (by the Steelers at No. 76) show that coaches and scouts are still chasing prototypes at the quarterback position.
At 6-foot-4, 233 pounds, Beck is a running back with a classic drop-back style of play that would have worked well in the 1990s. He flashes the ability to make every throw from the pocket with touch, timing and anticipation. While he had some untimely turnovers that clouded his evaluation, scouts raved about his experience (43 college starts) and leadership skills leading two championship-caliber programs in Georgia and Miami.
Allar is 6-foot-5, 228 pounds with elite arm talent, but he has struggled with accuracy and ball placement. Despite his struggles, the former five-star recruit recorded 35 college starts, displaying enough skills as a pro-style fit to warrant some consideration as a developmental prospect with starting potential.
Yes, the Penn State product’s inconsistencies made it difficult for some evaluators to see him as a legitimate QB1 consideration. But new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy’s ability as a quarterback developer (SEE: Aaron Brooks, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott) gives Allar a chance to defy the odds as a potential starter.
With teams looking for quarterbacks with starting potential, size and attributes continue to weigh heavily in the evaluation. As a result, I’m not surprised Beck and Allar — highly touted quarterbacks considered QB1s in their respective classes at different stages of their collegiate careers — came off the board in the third round as developmental prospects.
2. Run-stopper rule night 2
The top of the second round featured a run on run-stopping defensive tackles, which was a direct response to the NFL’s renewed emphasis on the ground game.
Kayden McDonald, Christian Miller and Lee Hunter were selected in the first 17 picks on Day 2. Defensive coordinators have leaned on general managers and scouts in this draft to add more big bodies to help them eliminate runs directed between the tackles.
With more teams favoring two-high or split-safety looks to eliminate big plays, defensive playcallers need more big bodies on the front line with “two-gap” potential to win with fewer defenders in the field. McDonald, Miller and Hunter excel at handling double teams while also being quick enough to win with finesse maneuvers (like the swim move).
As the league returns to some of its gritty roots, with the running game back in prominence, the early run on defensive tackles isn’t a surprise.
3. The New York Jets are focusing on changing the culture
After a disappointing debut season in which New York’s locker room seemingly fell apart amid a mix of believers and non-believers arguing over the team’s direction, Aaron Glenn & Co. made a concerted effort to populate the roster with “winners” from championship programs.
With their first four picks, the Jets took College Football Playoff participants from last season: Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey (Round 1), Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq (Round 1), Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. (Round 1) and Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds (Round 2).
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is looking to bounce back from a disastrous first season by changing the team’s culture. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Although rarely discussed in pre-draft coverage, teams covet players with winning pedigrees because they understand the standards and expectations of a championship program. The Jets aren’t close to title contention, but the team is laying the groundwork for a playoff run by adding a handful of championship-caliber rookies to a revamped roster that added quarterback Geno Smith, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Demario Davis in the offseason.
4. Offensive coordinators stack tight ends to create more mismatches
The Los Angeles Rams opened a can of worms with their clever use of “13” personnel (a running back, three tight ends and a wide receiver) to create mismatches all over the field.
Teams have begun to manipulate the numbers at the line of scrimmage, with multiple tight ends lined up close together to create extra holes for off-tackle runs. The illusion of a running game with more tight ends can also produce big plays through play-action. Teams also feature several “YOZ” (tight ends line up wider than wide receivers) formations, where the tight end’s wide alignment forces linebackers and safeties out of their comfort zone.
The Rams added another tight end with former Ohio State standout Max Klare in the second round on Friday night. (Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However they look to find an advantage, offensive playcallers have found a cheat code that uses ultra-athletic tight ends on the perimeter.
During the 2026 draft, nine tight ends came off the board over the first three rounds, with a mix of “Y” (traditional tight end) and “FLEX” (H-back) playmakers selected on Day 2. Teams looking for throwback tight ends selected Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher (Jacksonville’s Jaguarstons) and Michigan’s Kleinuarstons (H-back). Stanford’s Sam Roush (Chicago Bears). Meanwhile, players intent on finding mismatch creators got Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers (Philadelphia Eagles), Ohio State’s Max Klare (Los Angeles Rams) and Georgia’s Oscar Delp (New Orleans Saints).
With the game evolving to feature more multi-TE sets, the race for tight ends in the first two days of the draft reflects the changing landscape of the league.
