4 Takeaways From Night 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft

Night 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft put some prominent trends on display on both sides of the ball.

Defensively, we saw an early run on 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 are emphasizing the position to create mismatches.

Here are my takeaways from the second and third rounds of the draft:

Despite the 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.

Measuring 6-foot-4, 233 pounds, Beck is a throwback with a classic drop-back playing style 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 were enamored with his experience (43 college starts) and management skills as the leader of two championship-caliber programs at Georgia and Miami.

Allar measures in at 6-foot-5, 228 pounds with elite arm talent, but he has struggled with accuracy and ball placement. Despite his issues, the former five-star recruit logged 35 college starts, during which he flashed 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 hard 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 shot to defy the odds as a potential starter.

With teams looking for quarterbacks with starting potential, the size and traits continue to weigh heavily in the evaluation. As a result, I am not surprised that Beck and Allar — highly-touted quarterbacks viewed as QB1s of their respective classes at various stages of their collegiate careers — came off the board in the third round as developmental prospects.

The top of the second round featured a run on run-stopping defensive tackles, which was a direct reaction to the NFL’s renewed emphasis on the ground 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 snuff out 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 frontline with "two-gap" potential to win with fewer defenders in the box. McDonald, Miller and Hunter excel at handling double teams, while also flashing enough quickness to win with finesse maneuvers (like the swim move). 

As the league returns to some of its rugged roots, with the running game back in prominence, the early run on defensive tackles is not a surprise.

After a disappointing debut season, in which the New York locker room seemingly fell apart amid a mix of believers and non-believers feuding over the squad'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 took College Football Playoff participants from this past 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).

While it's 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 are not close to title contention, but the team is laying the foundation for a playoff run by adding a handful of rookies with championship swagger to a revised roster that added quarterback Geno Smith, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and linebacker Demario Davis in the offseason. 

The Los Angeles Rams opened up a can of worms with their clever utilization of "13" personnel (one running back, three tight ends and one wide receiver) to create mismatches all over the field. 

Teams have started to manipulate the numbers at the line of scrimmage, with multiple tight ends lined up close to each other to create extra gaps for off-tackle runs. The illusion of a run play with more tight ends can also produce big plays through play-action. Teams are also featuring more "YOZ" (tight ends lining up wider than wide receivers) formations, with the tight end's wide alignment forcing linebackers and safeties out of their comfort zone. 

Regardless of how they're looking to find an edge, offensive playcallers have found a cheat code utilizing ultra-athletic tight ends on the perimeter.

The 2026 draft saw nine tight ends come 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. The teams looking for throwback tight ends opted for Texas A&M's Nate Boerkircher (Jacksonville Jaguars), Michigan's Marlin Klein (Houston Texans) and Stanford's Sam Roush (Chicago Bears). Meanwhile, playcallers intent on finding mismatch creators snagged 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 run on tight ends in the first two days of the draft reflects the league’s changing landscape.