NFL free agency doesn’t just reshape rosters in the sense that it brings in new players. It also reshapes them in the sense that the moves made in free agency change how a team will approach the 2026 NFL Draft.

For example: the Miami Dolphins weren’t going to take a quarterback at pick No. 11 anyway, but let’s say Ty Simpson had some late meteoric rise up NFL Draft boards. Miami might have been interested, but signing Malik Willis takes them out of the conversation for a first-round quarterback. Of course, that’s a bit of an unrealistic example, but there are some realistic things that have happened so far in NFL free agency that will change teams’ draft plans.

Jeremiyah Love’s landing spots have narrowed

Two teams in the upper half of the first round who had been connected to Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love should now be out of the running. The Kansas City Chiefs signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, while the New Orleans Saints added Travis Etienne. Where does that leave Love?

The Tennessee Titans at the No. 4 pick need a running back, but the Titans also need a lot of other things. I’d like to think NFL front offices in 2026 are smart enough to understand that you don’t use a top-five pick on a running back unless that player is the missing piece to turn your team into a contender. The Titans aren’t in that spot.

His best hope of landing in the top 10 is the New York Giants at No. 5. Yes, the team has Cam Skattebo, but as good of a story as Skattebo is, he’s also not some irreplaceable player, and the Giants have a lot of holes filled already. Love might just be that missing link that turns the team into NFC East contenders.

But if he falls past there? IDK. With two potential landing spots now off the market, it’s possible that Love falls out of the top 10.

Raiders won’t be able to give Fernando Mendoza as much help

The failed Maxx Crosby trade means that the Las Vegas Raiders won’t have an extra first-round pick now, making it more difficult to find immediate help to surround quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

However, that might not matter because the free agency moves that the team made have largely been positive for the former Indiana and presumably future Las Vegas quarterback. Signing wide receiver Jalen Nailor from the Vikings gives the team a low-risk, high-reward option at wide receiver, and adding center Tyler Linderbaum provides needed offensive line help, especially if the team follows through on moving Jackson Powers-Johnson to guard rather than pursuing a trade.

But losing out on that pick from the Crosby trade takes away another potential building block. After the trade happened, I predicted that the Raiders would use Pick No. 14 on USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, but that won’t be possible now since, you know, they don’t have that pick anymore. Nailor is a good talent, but Lemon felt much more likely to develop into a No. 1 receiver. Instead, the Raiders will need to wait until the second round to potentially add another receiver, and whoever they would get there wouldn’t be as pro-ready as Lemon.

Edge prospects might come off the board more slowly

This edge class feels…just okay. Like, guys like David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. are a strong top of the class, but the next tier of edge prospects feels weaker than it has in recent seasons. The way NFL teams have approached free agency seems to confirm that.

The Ravens added Trey Hendrickson. The Panthers added Jaelan Phillips. A number of other guys have switched teams, and assuming the Raiders don’t find a different Maxx Crosby deal, they’re out of the edge picture at the top of the second round. It sure sounds like Crosby is going to stick around, by the way.

Keldric Faulk should go somewhere in the first round, possibly to the Cowboys, who need to add edge-rushing help, but is there another first-rounder in this group? Players like Miami’s Akheem Mesidor and Clemson’s T.J. Parker feel like reaches in the first, and Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell feels like a little too much of a project. I’m sure at least one of those guys will still be drafted late in the first, but I think edge rusher is now a position where we might see the most draft fallers as we approach the end of Day 1.

Expect plenty of wide receivers to be drafted on Day 1 and Day 2

The teams that needed wide receivers in this class largely didn’t add wide receivers, or, at least, they didn’t add wide receivers with long-term appeal. Add to that that some top free agents stayed put and this draft should be full of action at wide receiver.

The best name on the market was Alec Pierce, who wound up returning to the Indianapolis Colts. One of the other top names was Rashid Shaheed, who stayed with the Seahawks.

The San Francisco 49ers signed Mike Evans, which is great for 2026, but doesn’t help much down the line. They should still have an interest in the position. Tennessee signed Wan’Dale Robinson, who is a good player, but he’s not a No. 1, so they’re not out of the running to draft one. The only team that might not need to draft a wide receiver after originally needing to is the New England Patriots, after signing Romeo Doubs, but even New England might want to think about receiver by the third round.

It also helps that this is a pretty good receiver class. It might lack much in the way of truly elite receiver prospects, but it still features a number of very good players. Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon could all become No. 1 guys, though Tate’s the most likely to hit of those, while there should be a run early in the second round with players like Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr.