Every NFL draft gets graded.

Most of those grades focus on names, positions, and perceived value. Who got a steal. Who reached. Who filled a need.

But there’s another way to evaluate a draft class—one that looks at something teams can’t coach:

Elite Athleticism.

Using Relative Athletic Score (RAS), we can measure how rare a player’s physical traits are compared to decades of NFL prospects. A score near 10 represents a top-1% athlete—the outliers, the players who can physically do things others can’t.

So instead of asking “Who drafted well?”, we can ask a different question:

Which teams actually acquired elite athletes?

Who Loaded Up on Elite Athletes

Looking at the 2026 draft through this lens—specifically, counting players with RAS scores above 9.0—a clear divide emerges.

Some teams didn’t just draft players.

They stacked elite athletes.

The gap between teams becomes obvious when you count how many top-decile athletes each team acquired:

The Leaders

• Miami Dolphins — 7 elite athletes 
• Buffalo Bills — 6 
• Green Bay Packers — 6 
• San Francisco 49ers — 6 
• Chicago Bears — 6 

That level of accumulation isn’t accidental. It reflects a clear philosophy:

Prioritize rare physical traits, then trust development to unlock them.

The Bears were the purest example. They didn’t just have a strong draft—they had the most athletic class in the league, consistently targeting high-end profiles across positions.

The Packers and 49ers followed a similar blueprint—deep, coordinated efforts to build rosters with high ceilings.

The Middle

• Cincinnati Bengals 
• Minnesota Vikings 
• Las Vegas Raiders 
• Cleveland Browns 

These teams added elite athletes, but not at the same scale.

The Laggards

• Los Angeles Rams 
• Dallas Cowboys 
• Denver Broncos 
• Washington Commanders 

These teams left the draft with minimal exposure to elite athletic profiles.

Some teams walked away with six or seven elite athletes. Others walked away with one.

That’s not noise. That’s strategy.

The Raiders Upward Inflection

The Las Vegas Raiders prospects took a dramatic turn up following what looks to be an athletic draft. 

They secured their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, with the top pick—a traditional profile built on structure and decision-making. 

Then my favorite pick at 122, Mike Washington Jr., who posted a perfect 10.00 RAS—the highest possible score and one of the most athletic running backs ever measured. Paired with Ashton Jeanty from the previous draft, the Raiders are building a backfield that can stress defenses in ways that go beyond scheme.

If Mendoza stabilizes the offense, Washington Jr changes its ceiling.

Position Depth Shapes the Board

Not all draft classes are created equal.

The availability of talent varies by position—and that shapes how teams approach the board.

This year’s draft featured a deep pool of tight ends and offensive linemen, giving teams multiple opportunities to find both production and athletic upside.

At the same time, it was thin at defensive tackle and running back, particularly at the elite level.

Quarterback is an Exception

Quarterback isn’t just about athleticism. It requires:

• decision-making  
• preparation 
• discipline 

But once that baseline is met, athleticism becomes a differentiator.

And yet, the draft shows a disconnect.

Player

Pick

RAS

Mendoza

1

~7.0

Simpson

13

~6.8

Beck

65

~6.8

Allar

76

~7.5

Payton

178

9.97

Taylen Green

182

9.99

Teams are still drafting for certainty early—even as elite physical upside consistently falls.

UDFA: Source of Free Alpha

The draft gets the headlines. The real edge often comes after.

Undrafted free agency is where elite athletes slip through—players with rare traits and near-zero acquisition cost. In a capped league, that matters. Hit on one, and you add production, depth, and flexibility without paying veteran prices.

The draft is where teams buy certainty. The UDFA market is where they buy asymmetry.

The Kansas City Chiefs understand this. Their draft lacked elite athletic profiles, but they aggressively targeted them in UDFA. With Patrick Mahomes injured, they can afford patience—developing traits now for the next window.

That’s the play:

• acquire upside cheaply 
• develop over time 
• let competition decide 

In a league where everything is priced, UDFA is where value still slips.

This isn’t just about scouting. It’s about how teams build rosters.

Elite athletes—especially late picks and UDFAs—create asymmetrical outcomes:

In a salary cap league, that’s critical.

The draft is where teams pay for certainty. The UDFA market is where they can still find upside.

NFC Central is a Tougher Road Ahead

If one team best captures the full strategy, it’s the Green Bay Packers.

They didn’t just draft elite athletes—they followed it up with a wave of high-end UDFA signings.

They built a pipeline of traits.

And they weren’t alone.

The Chicago Bears delivered the most athletic draft in the league. The Minnesota Vikings added a strong class and supplemented it with more upside.

The NFC North is getting faster, stronger, and more explosive—all at once.

What That Means for Detroit

For the Detroit Lions, the path just got tougher.

Detroit has built a strong foundation, but this draft highlights a shift in the competitive landscape. Division rivals aren’t just improving—they’re doing it with a clear emphasis on athletic upside.

Faced with a division with deeper rotations, more explosive playmakers, better injury resilience, the NFC North looks to be one of the toughest divisions in the league.  When multiple teams in the same division begin stacking those traits, the margin for error shrinks.

The Final Takeaway

Elite athletes don’t win championships on their own.  But teams without them rarely do. The NFL knows exactly how rare these players are. It measures them, ranks them, studies them.

And still, every year, it lets them fall.

Some teams are done ignoring that. Others aren’t. The gap isn’t supply. It’s conviction. And in a league decided by small margins, that difference doesn’t stay hidden.

It shows up on Sundays.