NFL futures 2026: Which team has inside track for most wins and Super Bowl title following the NFL Draft?

The 2026 NFL Draft has come and gone, and the grades are out on the job done by all 32 teams. 

The Dallas Cowboys made a huge splash when they traded up one spot to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the 11th overall pick, but they were criticized by some for their selection of UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence 23rd overall. The Las Vegas Raiders surprised no one by using the first overall pick on Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza of national champion Indiana, while the Los Angeles Rams obtained who they hope to be their QB of the future as they surprised many by grabbing Alabama's Ty Simpson with the 13th overall selection.

Another notable first-round move was the one made by the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded up three spots to No. 20 to take wide receiver Makai Lemon of USC. Philadelphia is expected to trade star wideout A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots at some point this summer.

Meanwhile, the New York Jets addressed some glaring needs as they were one of seven teams with multiple first-round picks. New York, which currently owns three first-round selections for the 2027 NFL Draft, made three over the weekend, taking Texas Tech edge rusher Davis Bailey (second), Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq (16th) and Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (30th).

Sadiq was the first of 21 tight ends selected this year, the most in a draft since 2002 (23), while Cooper was one of 36 wideouts taken, which is the highest total since the same amount was drafted in 2003.

The Arizona Cardinals took Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick, making him the first running back selected in the top five since the New York Giants drafted Saquon Barkley second in 2018. The Fighting Irish then became the first school with the first two running backs taken in an NFL Draft since SMU's Doak Walker (third overall) and Paul Page (fourth overall) in 1949 when the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks selected Jadarian Price with the 32nd pick.

Nine offensive linemen were taken in the first round, tying the second-most in the Common Draft Era, with the Cleveland Browns beginning the run by drafting Utah tackle Spencer Fano ninth overall. Cleveland has a glaring need at left tackle and hope Fano can fill the hole despite having played on the right side the last two seasons.

It's never too early to look ahead to the next football season, so let's take a look at the projections from SportsLine's Inside the Lines team's model for 2026 following the draft. According to the model, the Seahawks will record the most wins in the upcoming campaign and have the best chance at winning the Super Bowl a second straight time.

The ITL team's model has Seattle, which will be looking to become the first NFC to repeat since Dallas in 1993, capturing the championship 15.92% of the time. The Seahawks addressed one of their top needs in the draft by selecting Price after Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent in March.

The Rams, who lost to Seattle in the NFC Championship Game last season, are second on the model's list to post the most victories and win Super Bowl LXI. It has the Detroit Lions with the third-most wins and the Denver Broncos with the third-best chance for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.