By Walter Cherepinsky – @walterfootball
April 24, 2026
I’ll be posting 2026 NFL Draft Grades for every pick. Why not grade all of the trades?
Chiefs acquire CB Mansoor Delane (No. 9) from Browns for OT Spencer Fano (No. 6), Nos. 74, 148
I’m very confused about this trade. If Mansoor Delane were some can’t-miss stud cornerback prospect, or if the Chiefs only needed a cornerback, it would have made more sense, but neither is true. Delane wouldn’t have been the top cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft class if Jermod McCoy were healthy, and the Chiefs needed to address nearly every position on the roster. The worst of it is that they probably could have taken Delane at No. 9. I can promise you that the Redskins weren’t going to select him. The Saints may have, but the Chiefs could have just gone with another talented prospect to fill a need at No. 9.
The Chiefs are the clear losers of this trade. The Browns, on the other hand, picked up free third- and fifth-round choices, and yet they were still able to draft the player they coveted at No. 6.
Grade for Chiefs – MILLEN
Grade for Browns – A+
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Cowboys acquire S Caleb Downs (No. 11) from Dolphins for OT Kadyn Proctor (No. 12), Nos. 177, 180
I don’t get the point of this trade either. Did the Cowboys really think the Dolphins would draft Caleb Downs? If they wanted to, they wouldn’t have dealt the pick to them! Jerry Jones fell for Miami’s bluff, surrendering two fifth-round picks for no good reason.
The Cowboys flushed two fifths down the toilet, but it wasn’t the end of the world because they at least obtained a top player in this class. The Dolphins, meanwhile, did even better because they obtained much-needed draft capital and were still able to land the prospect they coveted and were going to draft at No. 11 (per Charlie Campbell’s intel).
Grade for Cowboys – C-
Grade for Dolphins – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Eagles acquire WR Makai Lemon (No. 20), 2027 seventh-round pick from Cowboys for DE Malachi Lawrence (No. 23), Nos. 114, 137
This is the first trade in the 2026 NFL Draft where we know the team that moved up wouldn’t have gotten their coveted prospect at their natural spot. We know this because the Steelers were on the phone with Makai Lemon when the Eagles were trying to reach him. That make me feel better about this trade than I did for the Chiefs and Cowboys.
However, the Eagles aided their arch rival by giving them two fourth-round picks, and the prospect they obtained has a very sketchy personality. Some teams removed Lemon from their draft boards for his very weird combine interviews. The Eagles supposedly didn’t know about them because they wouldn’t have drafted Lemon in the first round if they had known how he conducted himself.
The Cowboys won this trade. They acquired critical assets to move down three spots, and yet they still obtained the player they most likely coveted at No. 20.
Grade for Eagles – C
Grade for Cowboys – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Texans acquire G Keylan Rutledge (No. 26), No. 91 from Bills for Nos. 28, 69, 167
This was a trade that came out of left field. I don’t get why the Texans felt the need to move up two spots for a second-round guard prospect. I didn’t get the sense that the 49ers had much interest at No. 27, so what gives? It’d be one thing if the Texans gave up just a fifth-round pick to move up for Keylan Rutledge, but they also traded down 22 spots in the third round.
The Bills easily won this trade. They picked up a free fifth-rounder and moved up into the early portion of the third round, which is a big deal.
Grade for Texans – MILLEN
Grade for Bills – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Dolphins acquire CB Chris Johnson (No. 27), No. 138 from 49ers for Nos. 30, 90
This is another weird trade for the team that moved up. I don’t understand what the Dolphins were trying to accomplish with this move. Chris Johnson was not some highly coveted prospect, and it wasn’t even clear if he would be chosen in the first round. There were several cornerbacks the Dolphins could have chosen instead, so why move down from No. 90 to 138, just to take him? It makes no sense.
The 49ers easily won this trade. Going from the end of the fourth round to the middle-late portion of the third frame is a huge deal.
Grade for Dolphins – D
Grade for 49ers – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Patriots acquire OT Caleb Lomu (No. 28) from Bills for Nos. 31, 125
We finally have a trade where the team moving up won the deal!
This trade made all the sense in the world for the Patriots, who needed to find players to protect Drake Maye. Caleb Lomu was the final first-round tackle available, and the Patriots certainly had to leap the 49ers and Chiefs to get him.
As for the Bills, it’s nice that they got a free fourth-round pick out of the deal, but at what cost? They helped their top competitor to protect their MVP-caliber quarterback. This could hurt them in the long run, so I’m not going to grade them favorably.
Grade for Patriots – A-
Grade for Bills – C
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Jets acquire WR Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 30) from 49ers for Nos. 33, 179
This is not an instance where we can say the team that traded up had no reason to do so. The Bills at No. 31 need a receiver and could have selected Omar Cooper, so it was right for the Jets to leap over their rival and obtain their coveted receiver. It only ended up costing them a late fifth-round pick, which is fine.
This trade makes sense for the 49ers as well. There are plenty of decent prospects still available, so why not move down three spots and pick up a free fifth-round pick?
Grade for Jets – B+
Grade for 49ers – B
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
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Titans acquire DE Keldric Faulk (No. 31), Nos. 66, 101 from Bills for Nos. 35, 69, 165
The Titans are another team that had to trade up for their desired prospect. The Seahawks interviewed with a bunch of edge rushers and certainly could have taken Keldric Faulk. Likewise, the 49ers have a pass-rushing need, so they could have chosen Faulk at No. 33. Tennessee moved down just three spots in Round 3 and 64 spots during the third day to make it happen, which seems reasonable.
Meanwhile, I’m sure Buffalo fans are mad that their team once again traded multiple times to move out of the first round, but picking up all of this extra draft capital should be worth it.
Grade for Titans – B+
Grade for Bills – B
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Go to our 2026 NFL Draft Grades to see grades for every pick.
2026 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
Fantasy Football Rankings - April 5
NFL Picks - Feb. 9
NFL Power Rankings - Jan. 26
April 24, 2026
I’ll be posting 2026 NFL Draft Grades for every pick. Why not grade all of the trades?
Chiefs acquire CB Mansoor Delane (No. 9) from Browns for OT Spencer Fano (No. 6), Nos. 74, 148
I’m very confused about this trade. If Mansoor Delane were some can’t-miss stud cornerback prospect, or if the Chiefs only needed a cornerback, it would have made more sense, but neither is true. Delane wouldn’t have been the top cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft class if Jermod McCoy were healthy, and the Chiefs needed to address nearly every position on the roster. The worst of it is that they probably could have taken Delane at No. 9. I can promise you that the Redskins weren’t going to select him. The Saints may have, but the Chiefs could have just gone with another talented prospect to fill a need at No. 9.
The Chiefs are the clear losers of this trade. The Browns, on the other hand, picked up free third- and fifth-round choices, and yet they were still able to draft the player they coveted at No. 6.
Grade for Chiefs – MILLEN
Grade for Browns – A+
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Cowboys acquire S Caleb Downs (No. 11) from Dolphins for OT Kadyn Proctor (No. 12), Nos. 177, 180
I don’t get the point of this trade either. Did the Cowboys really think the Dolphins would draft Caleb Downs? If they wanted to, they wouldn’t have dealt the pick to them! Jerry Jones fell for Miami’s bluff, surrendering two fifth-round picks for no good reason.
The Cowboys flushed two fifths down the toilet, but it wasn’t the end of the world because they at least obtained a top player in this class. The Dolphins, meanwhile, did even better because they obtained much-needed draft capital and were still able to land the prospect they coveted and were going to draft at No. 11 (per Charlie Campbell’s intel).
Grade for Cowboys – C-
Grade for Dolphins – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Eagles acquire WR Makai Lemon (No. 20), 2027 seventh-round pick from Cowboys for DE Malachi Lawrence (No. 23), Nos. 114, 137
This is the first trade in the 2026 NFL Draft where we know the team that moved up wouldn’t have gotten their coveted prospect at their natural spot. We know this because the Steelers were on the phone with Makai Lemon when the Eagles were trying to reach him. That make me feel better about this trade than I did for the Chiefs and Cowboys.
However, the Eagles aided their arch rival by giving them two fourth-round picks, and the prospect they obtained has a very sketchy personality. Some teams removed Lemon from their draft boards for his very weird combine interviews. The Eagles supposedly didn’t know about them because they wouldn’t have drafted Lemon in the first round if they had known how he conducted himself.
The Cowboys won this trade. They acquired critical assets to move down three spots, and yet they still obtained the player they most likely coveted at No. 20.
Grade for Eagles – C
Grade for Cowboys – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Texans acquire G Keylan Rutledge (No. 26), No. 91 from Bills for Nos. 28, 69, 167
This was a trade that came out of left field. I don’t get why the Texans felt the need to move up two spots for a second-round guard prospect. I didn’t get the sense that the 49ers had much interest at No. 27, so what gives? It’d be one thing if the Texans gave up just a fifth-round pick to move up for Keylan Rutledge, but they also traded down 22 spots in the third round.
The Bills easily won this trade. They picked up a free fifth-rounder and moved up into the early portion of the third round, which is a big deal.
Grade for Texans – MILLEN
Grade for Bills – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Dolphins acquire CB Chris Johnson (No. 27), No. 138 from 49ers for Nos. 30, 90
This is another weird trade for the team that moved up. I don’t understand what the Dolphins were trying to accomplish with this move. Chris Johnson was not some highly coveted prospect, and it wasn’t even clear if he would be chosen in the first round. There were several cornerbacks the Dolphins could have chosen instead, so why move down from No. 90 to 138, just to take him? It makes no sense.
The 49ers easily won this trade. Going from the end of the fourth round to the middle-late portion of the third frame is a huge deal.
Grade for Dolphins – D
Grade for 49ers – A
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Patriots acquire OT Caleb Lomu (No. 28) from Bills for Nos. 31, 125
We finally have a trade where the team moving up won the deal!
This trade made all the sense in the world for the Patriots, who needed to find players to protect Drake Maye. Caleb Lomu was the final first-round tackle available, and the Patriots certainly had to leap the 49ers and Chiefs to get him.
As for the Bills, it’s nice that they got a free fourth-round pick out of the deal, but at what cost? They helped their top competitor to protect their MVP-caliber quarterback. This could hurt them in the long run, so I’m not going to grade them favorably.
Grade for Patriots – A-
Grade for Bills – C
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Jets acquire WR Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 30) from 49ers for Nos. 33, 179
This is not an instance where we can say the team that traded up had no reason to do so. The Bills at No. 31 need a receiver and could have selected Omar Cooper, so it was right for the Jets to leap over their rival and obtain their coveted receiver. It only ended up costing them a late fifth-round pick, which is fine.
This trade makes sense for the 49ers as well. There are plenty of decent prospects still available, so why not move down three spots and pick up a free fifth-round pick?
Grade for Jets – B+
Grade for 49ers – B
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Titans acquire DE Keldric Faulk (No. 31), Nos. 66, 101 from Bills for Nos. 35, 69, 165
The Titans are another team that had to trade up for their desired prospect. The Seahawks interviewed with a bunch of edge rushers and certainly could have taken Keldric Faulk. Likewise, the 49ers have a pass-rushing need, so they could have chosen Faulk at No. 33. Tennessee moved down just three spots in Round 3 and 64 spots during the third day to make it happen, which seems reasonable.
Meanwhile, I’m sure Buffalo fans are mad that their team once again traded multiple times to move out of the first round, but picking up all of this extra draft capital should be worth it.
Grade for Titans – B+
Grade for Bills – B
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates.
Go to our 2026 NFL Draft Grades to see grades for every pick.
2026 NFL Mock Draft - April 23
Fantasy Football Rankings - April 5
NFL Picks - Feb. 9
NFL Power Rankings - Jan. 26