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Night 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft showed some notable trends on both sides of the ball.
Defensively, we saw an early rush at defensive tackles, indicating a priority for NFL coordinators. On the other side of the ball, targeted tight ends show how offenses around the league are emphasizing 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 traits still matter in the exam room
Even as skeptics dismiss 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.
Beck, who is 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds, is a throwback with a classic playing style that would have worked well in the 1990s. He shows the ability to make every shot from the pocket with touch, timing and anticipation. While he had some premature turnovers that clouded his evaluation, scouts were enamored of his experience (43 college starts) and his management skills as the leader of two championship-caliber programs in Georgia and Miami.
Allar is 6-foot-5, 228 pounds with elite arm talent, but has struggled with accuracy and ball placement. Despite his struggles, the former five-star recruit logged 35 college starts, during which he displayed enough skills as a pro-style passer 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 view him as a legitimate QB1 consideration. But new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy’s skill as a quarterback developer (SEE: Aaron Brooks, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott) gives Allar a chance to defy the odds as a potential starter.
As teams look for quarterbacks with starting potential, size and traits continue to weigh heavily in evaluation. As a result, I’m not surprised that Beck and Allar (highly touted quarterbacks viewed as QB1 of their respective classes at various stages of their college careers) came off the board in the third round as developmental prospects.
2. Cappers rule night 2
The top of the second round included a rush of run-stopping defensive tackles, which was a direct reaction to the NFL’s renewed emphasis on the running game.
Kayden McDonald, Christian Miller and Lee Hunter were selected in the first 17 picks of Day 2. Defensive coordinators have leaned on general managers and scouts in this draft to add more big bodies to help them stop targeted runs between the tackles.
With more teams favoring two-high looks or split safeties to eliminate big plays, defensive playmakers need more big bodies on the front line with “two-gap” potential to win with fewer defenders in the box. McDonald, Miller and Hunter excel at handling double teams, while also showing enough quickness to win with delicate maneuvers (such as the swim move).
As the league returns to some of its rough roots, with the running game back in focus, the early emergence of defensive tackles is no surprise.
3. The New York Jets are focused 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 fighting over the team’s direction, Aaron Glenn & Co. have made a concerted effort to populate the roster with “winners” from championship-caliber programs.
With their first four picks, the Jets chose last season’s College Football Playoff participants: 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 rebound from a disastrous first season by changing the team’s culture. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
While 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 rookies with championship swagger to an overhauled roster that added quarterback Geno Smith, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Demario Davis in the offseason.
4. Offensive coordinators are stacking tight ends to create more mismatches.
The Los Angeles Rams opened a can of worms with their clever use of the “13” personnel (one running back, three tight ends and one wide receiver) to create mismatches all over the field.
Teams have begun manipulating the numbers at the line of scrimmage, with multiple tight ends lining up close to each other to create additional space for runs off the tackle. The illusion of a running play with more tight ends can also produce big plays through the play. Teams are also running more “YOZ” formations (tight ends aligned wider than wide receivers), with the wide tight end alignment forcing linebackers and safeties out of their comfort zones.
The Rams added another tight end in former Ohio State standout Max Klare in the second round on Friday night. (Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Regardless of how they seek an advantage, offensive play-callers have found a cheat code that utilizes ultra-athletic tight ends on the perimeter.
In the 2026 draft, nine tight ends came off the board during the first three rounds, with a mix of “Y” (traditional tight end) and “FLEX” (H-back) playmakers selected on Day 2. Teams looking for dropback tight ends opted for Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher (Jacksonville Jaguars), Michigan’s Marlin Klein (Houston Texans) and Chicago’s Sam Roush (Chicago Bears). Stanford. Meanwhile, players determined to find mismatch creators nabbed 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 tight end race in the first two days of the draft reflects the changing landscape of the league.
