Post-draft NFL rankings reset, George Kittle’s new contract and Dane Brugler’s 2026 mock

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Inside: It’s not too early for a 2026 Dane Brugler mock draft, right? That, plus post-draft power rankings and George Kittle’s big payday.

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Categorizing Teams

The NFL schedule is always busy, but the past two months have been blurry. We’ve gone from the 2024 Super Bowl to 2026 mocks (see below) at breakneck speed.

Today, we can take a deep breath, like the kind you need after realizing there’s traffic when you’re already five minutes late. Let’s reset and check where teams stand in both Josh Kendall’s post-draft Power Rankings and BetMGM’s odds. There are some surprises here.

The favorites: Eagles and Chiefs, again. The two Super Bowl teams have maintained their positions atop our power rankings and the expected win totals (11.5) throughout the offseason. Despite losing key players, both teams addressed weaknesses in free agency and the draft.

The bottom: Browns. Cleveland added a haul of picks in the Travis Hunter trade, drafted two quarterbacks — fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders has the third-best selling jersey among rookies — and even signed turbulent WR Diontae Johnson. No matter, they are last in the power rankings. Vegas agrees, giving the Browns an NFL-low win total of 4.5.

The best offseason: Patriots. They scored the highest marks in Dane’s post-draft grades by landing four potential starters on offense in the first three rounds. Combine that with a successful free agency spent addressing defensive weaknesses, and it’s not surprising to see the Pats jump all the way up to 23rd in our power rankings. BetMGM has their win total at 7.5.

The worst draft: Vikings. A lack of draft capital was hampered when they reached for Ohio State G Donovan Jackson at pick No. 24 (Dane had a second-round grade on Jackson). Beat reporter Alec Lewis disagreed, grading the pick an A-. “Jackson may not be an All-Pro talent, but he will limit negative plays and give young quarterback J.J. McCarthy the requisite space to step up in the pocket,” wrote Alec. After a stellar free agency for the team, the McCarthy era begins with them at No. 9 in our rankings.

The diverging: 49ers. Their 10.5-win total from Vegas suggests they’ll bounce back from injuries and finish among the top six teams, but they’ll need to prove power-ranker Josh wrong. After losing eight starters to free agency, the 49ers fell from 15th to 22nd in his rankings.

The optimists: Jaguars. Trading a future first-round pick is always risky, but especially so when next year’s picks are likely to be highly valuable as trade pieces (more on that below). But Jacksonville’s new regime signaled a bold new era by trading for Hunter, hinting that, despite a 4-13 record in 2024, this team is close to competing. Our rankings (30th) disagree, though Vegas sees a middling roster (7.5).

The unchanged: Seahawks. Even without their three biggest names — Geno Smith is a Raider, DK Metcalf is a Steeler and Tyler Lockett is a Titan — their position in the power rankings (17th) remains unchanged from our post-Super Bowl rankings.

The Jim Harbaugh team: Chargers. Huh? In case you forgot, Harbaugh reached the Super Bowl in 2012, just his second season in San Francisco. With two offseasons to mold the Chargers in his image and plenty of shiny new weapons for Justin Herbert, Harbaugh’s 11th-ranked Bolts will hope to repeat his sophomore success.

Should be higher: Rams. Both their Vegas total (9.5) and power ranking (eighth) feel low, considering two things: First, how close this team came to beating Philly and second, how strong their offseason has been (I loved them signing DT Poona Ford from the Chargers). Jourdan Rodrigue’s post-draft Rams depth chart illustrates a team with talent everywhere except cornerback, though Jalen Ramsey could change that.

2026 Draft: Return of the quarterbacks?

This year, the Steelers passed on an early-round quarterback — they had three chances to draft Shedeur Sanders — before using a sixth-round pick on Ohio State QB Will Howard. That leads beat reporter Mike DeFabo to suspect that an Aaron Rodgers signing is imminent.

Either way, Pittsburgh will be in the quarterback business in 2026, since Rodgers would be far from a long-term solution. And as Dane Brugler’s “yes-we-know-it’s-too-early” 2026 mock suggests, it should be a perfect time to find one. Fans in Pittsburgh will be in attendance for the 2026 draft, when the city plays host from April 23 to 25. They’ll likely target one of five first-round QBs:

• Arch Manning, Texas
• LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
• Drew Allar, Penn State
• Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
• Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

College football’s most famous nephew already owns the spotlight of 2025 as he takes over in Austin for seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers. Despite Manning entering his junior year with just 95 pass attempts, he is Dane’s projected No. 1. As the former five-star recruit becomes an undisputed starter, The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman asked former Longhorns if the 20-year-old is ready to take over.

“I think he can,” said new Packers receiver and former Longhorn Matthew Golden. “He has the heart to do it. Arch comes in each and every day, and he goes to work. He acts like a walk-on. He has a story. He’s trying to make a name for himself.”

Even if Manning remains next year’s projected No. 1, scouts believe he could instead heed the model of his uncles — both Peyton and Eli went first overall after four years each in college — and return to school in 2026 for a fourth year. (And there wasn’t even NIL money to factor, back when his uncles played.) His coach hopes it’s a difficult call.

George Kittle’s record-setting $75M

George Kittle announced this morning that he and the 49ers agreed to a four-year, $76.4 million extension. This should keep the 31-year-old in San Francisco through 2029, though only $40 million was guaranteed.

It was an obvious move after the six-time Pro Bowler led the position in PFF grade in 2024 (92.1), evidencing his prowess as both a pass catcher and blocker.

A new APY of $19.1 million means Kittle is the highest-paid tight end in NFL history, a necessary* tick above the $19 million Arizona agreed to pay Trey McBride earlier this offseason.

*Given the unwritten rule that stars must always sign the biggest contracts for their positions in NFL history, which means they are always more expensive than their earlier-signing colleagues (a rule of which Cowboys and Bengals fans are well aware).

This is earlier than usual for the 49ers, who might have learned their lesson after last offseason’s Brandon Aiyuk drama dragged out across the summer.

Brock Purdy likely still wants contract business to end soon. “I want to get it done quick,” the 25-year-old said in January when asked about his own extension. “Just so we can get back for Phase 1, get after it with our receivers and our team. I’m not the kind of guy that wants to have any kind of drama associated with anything.”

The 49ers have finished Phase 1, and Purdy still has no deal, but Kittle’s extension suggests that his quarterback’s could be on its way.

Extra Points

🎧 Who won the NFL Draft? “The Athletic Football Show” brings Dane Brugler back to discuss why New England won the draft. Watch it on YouTube here.

Also, be sure to read Dane’s review of every team’s class:

🎧 What did Shedeur Sanders do wrong? Today’s “Scoop City” podcast includes what Dianna Russini is hearing about Sanders’ interview process. “I believe Shedeur approached these visits with teams as a recruiting trip versus a job interview,” said one exec. Listen on your podcast player of choice.

Yesterday’s most-clicked: Shedeur and father Deion were taught a hard lesson in humility.

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(Photo: David Eulitt, Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

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