With the 2026 NFL Draft officially over, teams have now made the most significant roster changes possible ahead of the summer months. At this point, clubs across the league will begin getting their rookies under contract, will slowly begin various offseason activities, and may even dip into the free agency market once again.
Unfortunately, we are approaching the quietest time of the offseason, so there may not be a whole lot happening between now and right before preseason action begins. The way teams are built now is largely how they'll stay for much of the 2026 campaign.
We'll begin to roll out our predictions for the upcoming season, so let's get that started with predicting the seven AFC playoff teams for the 2026 campaign following the NFL Draft.
Predicting all seven AFC Playoff teams following the 2026 NFL Draft
1. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens bringing in Jesse Minter as its next head coach is instantly going to help this defense improve, as Minter was a mastermind as the defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, and it's not like the Ravens were bad last year because they're a bad team.
The team struggled to stay healthy and just did not have enough games to rebound from it. Given how loaded the roster is, and adding key players like Trey Hendrickson and Vega Ioane to the mix, the Ravens will be right back atop the AFC North and the AFC.
2. Denver Broncos
Perhaps the best roster in the NFL right now, the Denver Broncos are again going to be in a position to win the AFC West. The Broncos shocked the NFL world in 2025, winning 11 games in a row at one point and finishing 14-3. It is so incredibly difficult for a team to earn the top seed in the conference in two-straight seasons, and the 2025 versions of the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions prove that.
The Broncos, however, are well-built, well-coached, and truly do not have a major weakness. It'll be another successful regular season for Denver.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills should be able to ascend back to the top of the AFC East in 2026, as the New England Patriots schedule gets a lot harder, and the Bills have taken a ton of strides to improve this offseason. Last year, the Bills sported the better roster, as the Patriots primarily benefited from an insanely easy schedule. The Bills were a mainstay atop the AFC East for years and will return to that point in 2026.
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