2026 NFL Draft grades, picks, analysis for Round 5: Saints earn 'B' for selection of Lorenzo Styles Jr.

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

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>Selecting an Iowa offensive lineman has historically been a fruitful venture. Stephens brings versatility to Seattle's offensive line.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>Dugger has great size and athleticism, but is a bit unrefined. San Francisco has done well with those types over the years.

>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.

>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.

>Abney is a Dan Campbell-type addition. He is on the smaller side but plays bigger. The Lions received good value with this pick.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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.

>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

>The wait for Singleton may have gone longer than anticipated, but he is a bigger back to offset the Titans' current room.

>Elliott missed out on the linebacker run earlier in the day, but joins a renovated Bears linebacker room after Devin Bush was brought in and Tremaine Edmunds was ushered out.

>I love the fit of Kilgore in Jim Leonhard's defense. He brings a lot versatility to the field for a team that has struggled to replace Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer.

>Law was used at or near the line of scrimmage on most of his touches, but there is room for him to adopt a more diverse route tree. Law will not have to contribute immediately, but he does bring added value as a returner.

>Nowakowski is the unheralded piece of Indiana's championship offense. He could be this year's Jackson Hawes in that he brings a lot of value to the run game as a blocker. Pittsburgh has invested heavily in its tight end room and may now be preparing for the possibility that they have to let one or more go.

>The Browns seemed to be caught off-guard by an early run on the tight end position. They eventually addressed the position, but the options were more limited.

>Prunty is a big cornerback who has continued moving upward through the transfer portal era.

>Styles and his brother, first-round linebacker selection Sonny Styles, took over the NFL Combine. The secondary was a big need for New Orleans and they are aggressively addressing that area of their roster.

>It feels as though everyone has taken a tight end in this class and Baltimore has used the strong class to double up after losing Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.

>Derrick Henry and Randall are pushing about 290 pounds between them. Opposing teams don't want to find themselves trailing against the Ravens late.

>California has done really well producing secondary players over the past few years and it begins with identifying the talent in the transfer portal. Masses, a Florida International transfer, immediately looked like he belonged on the Power 4 level. Good pick for the Raiders.

>Kansas City will be Allen's fourth team in as many years. The transition to a new environment will not be daunting for him. Being with Patrick Mahomes is a good spot if you want to outperform your draft spot

>Coleman has been one of the most productive pass catchers in college football over the past two years. Miami has made a million picks this weekend and Coleman is the third receiver.

>The Eagles quarterback room is suddenly very interesting with Jalen Hurts, Tanner McKee, Andy Dalton and now...Payton. The big lefty has great athleticism, but will need time.

>Cruz is one of the offensive tackle prospects I'd want to work with on Day 3, because there is definitely some potential there. Again, San Francisco has identified and developed multiple Day 3 offensive linemen and Cruz could be next.

>Traore is a really athletic tight end prospect originally from France. He is the first draft pick from the NFL Academy.

>Durant is a shorter interior defender with good quickness to get into gaps. Buffalo is not going to guarantee him a roster spot, so he will have to compete in camp.