2026 NFL Draft grades, tracker: Live Round 5 analysis for every selection made in order
Josh Edwards grades the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft
The 2026 NFL Draft is officially more than halfway complete, but the fifth round begins in earnest. Some of the notable names taken in the fifth round over the last five years include Talanoa Hufanga, Riq Woolen, DaRon Bland, Kyren Williams, Dontayvion Wicks, and Puka Nacua. Who will be this year's fifth-round steal?
Every pick in the round will be graded from one person's perspective on the topic. It is important to note that at this stage of the event, each team's big board is beginning to thin out, and special teams' impact gets taken more into consideration.
Be sure to refresh this page throughout the weekend to get all the latest grades. If you want to do all that plus track the best available prospects and get access to every pick in the draft on one page, you can in our draft tracker. And follow along with each pick and every trade in our live blog.
This year, pick-by-pick grades are being used to create real-time team report cards, so keep this page open throughout the weekend.
Grades: Round 1 • Round 2 • Round 3 • Round 4 • Round 5 • Round 6 • Round 7
141. Texans: Kamari Ramsey, S, USC
Grade: B+
Ramsey is an instinctual safety who will sometimes gamble and find himself out of position, but he looks the part of a Texans safety. Good value for Houston.
142. Titans: Fernando Carmona, IOL, Arkansas
Grade: C
Carmona has played multiple positions during his collegiate career, so he has some versatility. Versatility is important when teams carry just a few backups on the active roster during the season but must account for the possibility of injury.
143. Cardinals: Reggie Virgil, WR, Texas Tech
Virgil was likely a victim of a strong receiver class. He had been thought of as a potential Day 2 prospect, but there were so many options that he got pushed down the board. Arizona has a lot of tall targets in the offense.
Grade: B
144. Panthers: Sam Hecht, IOL, Kansas State
Grade: A
Hecht has the talent that warranted a Day 2 selection, so this is great value for Carolina, who is replacing Austin Corbett. Hecht could really push Luke Fortner for the starting job.
145. Chargers: Nick Barrett, DL, South Carolina
Grade: A
There is nothing flashy about Barrett, but he is incredibly consistent. He has a professional approach to the game and has the potential to play in the league a long time. Jim Harbaugh is an ideal situation for him.
146. Browns: Parker Brailsford, IOL, Alabama
Grade: A-
The Browns needed a center. It is unknown if they may have preferred Sam Hecht, who just came off the board, but they addressed the position nonetheless. Brailsford is an athletic blocker who can get out in space.
147. Commanders: Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
Grade: B+
Josephs is a quick, explosive sub-package rusher. Washington picked up a few veteran rushers in free agency, so that is all Josephs has to be for the Commanders.
148. Seahawks: Beau Stephens, IOL, Iowa
Grade: B-
Selecting an Iowa offensive lineman has historically been a fruitful venture. Stephens brings versatility to Seattle's offensive line.
149. Browns: Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama
Grade: B-
Jefferson has athleticism that pops off the chart and they have done well developing linebackers recently, but this is definitely a bit more of a gamble on the upside.
150. Raiders: Dalton Johnson, S, Arizona
Grade: C+
Las Vegas has taken some big swings on offense, but they did a nice job upgrading the floor of the defense through free agency as well. Safety is a position they had to address.
151. Panthers: Zakee Wheatley, S, Penn State
Grade: A-
The expectation was that Wheatley would be in the conversation for a Day 2 selection. He has high-end athleticism and there is room for him to immediately compete in Carolina's secondary.
152. Broncos: Justin Joly, TE, NC State
Grade: B
The belief was that Denver was in the market for a field-stretching move tight end. After missing out on the first wave of the position, the Broncos tap into the next group with Justin Joly whose 2024 tape was better than 2025.
153. Packers: Jager Burton, IOL, Kentucky
Grade: B-
Burton played all three interior offensive line positions at one time or another during his Kentucky career, but really settled in at center. The Packers covet positional flexibility and certainly accomplished that with this selection.
154. 49ers: Jaden Dugger, LB, Louisiana
Grade: C+
Dugger has great size and athleticism, but is a bit unrefined. San Francisco has done well with those types over the years.
155. Buccaneers: DeMonte Capehart, DL, Clemson
Grade: B
Capehart at one point in time was viewed as an early round prospect, but the vision and production never intersected. I do like this selection as a flyer on a player who could become better than his draft slot.
156. Colts: George Gumbs Jr., EDGE, Florida
Grade: B
Gumbs has a well-rounded skill set and his story is really cool as a one-time Northern Illinois transfer. There always seems to be a MAC defensive lineman on Day 3 who goes on to find NFL success, but maybe the Gators found him two years in advance.
157. Lions: Keith Abney II, CB, Arizona State
Grade: A-
Abney is a Dan Campbell-type addition. He is on the smaller side but plays bigger. The Lions received good value with this pick.
158. Dolphins: Michael Taaffe, S, Texas
Grade: B
Taaffe was in this range on my board. For a team needing a totally new secondary, Taaffe has an opportunity to compete for playing time as a rookie.
159. Vikings: Max Bredseon, TE, Michigan
Grade: C+
Bredeson is an H-Back type who can inflict punishment in the run game. There isn't much upside to this pick, but he fills a role.
160. Buccaneers: Billy Schrauth, IOL, Notre Dame
Grade: A
Schrauth should have been off the board a long time ago. Tampa Bay had a Notre Dame offensive lineman at a position of need staring them down in the fifth round? It's a no-brainer.
161. Chiefs: Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
Grade: B
Kansas City is making a statement this off-season: the run game was not good enough last season. After signing Kenneth Walker III in free agency, the team adds more depth. This is about the range I thought Johnson would go.
162. Ravens: Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke
Grade: A-
Rivers is going to be knocked for his size but his football IQ is high. John Harbaugh may be gone, but Baltimore continues to just take good football players.
163. Vikings: Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin
Grade: B-
Demmings is one of the rare small school players who found his way into this draft class. Demmings had some fans regarding his handling of the pre-draft process, and the Vikings had a need at cornerback.
164. Jaguars: Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston
Grade: B+
The tight end options have been bled dry to this point, but Koziol was a high-volume pass catcher last season for the Cougars. Liam Coen puts his players in a position to succeed
165. Titans: Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State
Grade: A
The wait for Singleton may have gone longer than anticipated, but he is a bigger back to offset the Titans' current room.
