The 2026 NFL Draft is officially less than a month away, and this is the time when many teams get to enact some major roster changes. In today's NFL, Super Bowls are won by drafting and developing, and there isn't a secret formula here, either.
Teams can 'buy' talent in free agency, but it's not a viable, long-term method of building a roster. For some teams, the front offices will be able to draft the right players and set their teams up for long-term success.
And we talked about, right here, which three teams can improve the most in the NFL Draft.
3 teams set to improve the most in the 2026 NFL Draft
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have the first overall pick this year, and it's pretty much a guarantee which player the team takes. Fernando Mendoza might not be the best quarterback prospect to come into the NFL, but he's got a lot of the necessary tools to be a franchise passer.
Something I have seen thrown around with Mendoza is 'Kirk Cousins with more mobility,' and I do believe that is a relatively accurate description. With rookie quarterbacks coming into the NFL, the end game is obviously well beyond the rookie season, but as we have seen with recent former rookie quarterbacks like Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, there can sometimes be immediate results.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have seven picks in the first 100 selections and four in the first 75 picks. It's flat-out insane how much capital this team has, as the recent deal they made allowed them to acquire picks 30 and 94, as they traded Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos.
Now, yes, draft picks are just draft picks, but even if the Dolphins were to 'hit' on three of these top 100 picks, the roster would get a lot better. The main issue with Miami, though, is that this team might have the least amount of roster talent in the NFL, so there is more urgency here to hit on a higher percentage of these picks than in normal circumstances.
There is a huge advantage here, though, as the early day two and day three talent could actually yield a ton of future starters. The legitimate blue-chip talent at the top of the NFL Draft this year just is not present, but the Dolphins do have a ton of 'sweet spot' picks that they could use to really enact some great change on this roster.
Dallas Cowboys
With picks 12 and 20, the Dallas Cowboys have some obvious directions to go here. In normal circumstances, Dallas should truly use both of these selections on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas has made a ton of defensive change recently, notably hiring Christian Parker as the defensive coordinator.
They also added Rashan Gary, PJ Locke III, and Jalen Thompson in free agency. However, there is still room for at least one more 'impact' addition, and that 12th pick could end up being for that type of player.
Given how great the offense was and how little that unit needs any sort of change, the Cowboys using both of their first-round picks on defense could truly be the two remaining additions that round-out what might be the most improved unit in the NFL for 2026.