Post-free agency needs for every NFC team
- Dallas still needs defensive reinforcements: The Cowboys are making gradual progress on improving the league’s fifth-lowest-graded defense, but they should be able to add at least one premier talent in the secondary with two of the draft’s first 20 selections in tow.
- The Rams’ roster is strong on paper: Although Los Angeles may have the fewest weaknesses of any team, the wide receiver corps could stand to improve beyond Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
The NFL free-agency frenzy has passed, and while there are still notable names on the market, teams will begin shifting their focus to filling needs through the NFL draft. As such, it’s time to reassess the remaining needs for every NFC team with the draft just over a month away. For AFC team needs, click here.
Arizona Cardinals: QB, OL, LB
The Cardinals appear content to move into the regular season with veterans Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew headlining their quarterback room. Neither represents a clear long-term solution at the position, which could put the Cardinals in the quarterback spotlight on the second night of the draft, or possibly late in the first round.
Otherwise, Arizona has major needs on the right side of its offensive line and within its defensive front. The Cardinals are far more likely to use their third overall pick to select a right tackle, such as Miami’s Francis Mauigoa (87.0 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2025, eighth best in FBS), or one of Ohio State’s linebackers, Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles (88.6 PFF overall grade in 2025, seventh best in FBS).
Atlanta Falcons: WR, LB, CB
Drake London is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but Atlanta is sorely lacking depth on the outside. The Falcons currently don’t possess another qualified wide receiver who earned at least a 60.0 PFF receiving grade last season. That includes veteran free-agent additions Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson.
The Falcons could also use upgrades on defense. Linebacker Kaden Elliss departed for the division rival New Orleans Saints. Furthermore, none of their starting cornerbacks earned a 60.0-plus PFF coverage grade last season. Expect Atlanta to dip into the broad depth of this defensive draft class.
Carolina Panthers: LB, S, C
The Panthers made a splashy addition at linebacker in ex-Jaguar Devin Lloyd, but the team could continue to improve the middle of its defense. Any decision on another linebacker addition will depend on the coaching staff’s trust in Trevin Wallace. Carolina could also bring in more competition at safety after that unit ranked 22nd in the NFL in PFF coverage grade in 2025.
Things are coming together on the offensive line, but the Panthers could stand to add more young talent. Their left tackle problem, stemming from Ikem Ekwonu’s knee injury, has been temporarily patched with the signing of Rasheed Walker. Former Saint Luke Fortner was brought in to take over at center, but he has yet to prove he can play starting-caliber football for 17 games.
Chicago Bears: DL, S, C
Chicago’s chances to compete for a championship rest on its ability to improve its defense, particularly down the middle. The Bears are off to a good start with the signings of linebacker Devin Bush and safety Coby Bryant, but they will need to bring in additional depth at those two positions, as well as on the defensive line.
Drew Dalman’s sudden retirement removes 2025’s eighth-highest-graded center (72.6) from the Bears’ line and leaves the team without a long-term solution at center. Chicago added ex-Patriot Garrett Bradbury via trade, but he has rarely played far above a replacement level. The team could select its future center on Day 2 of the draft while Bradbury serves as a bridge player in 2026.
Dallas Cowboys: DB, LB, DI
The Cowboys are making gradual progress on improving the league’s fifth-lowest-graded defense. Their trade for edge rusher Rashan Gary and their signings of defensive backs Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant at least raise the floor of that unit. Two of the draft’s first 20 selections belong to the Cowboys, so they should be able to add at least one premier talent in the secondary.
Linebacker and defensive tackle should also be areas of focus for Dallas. The front office will need to find a reliable starter alongside DeMarvion Overshown, and it will have the chance to do so, given the deep linebacker class. Additional interior pass-rush help will be needed following the departure of Osa Odighizuwa, as well.
Detroit Lions: OT, EDGE, LB
The biggest question remaining for Detroit is who will protect Jared Goff’s blind side after the release of left tackle Taylor Decker. The Lions have yet to sign a starting-caliber option to play that spot, so they are expected to address it in the draft. They have the luxury of Penei Sewell’s versatility to play there in case they decide to draft a natural right tackle.
The Lions could also add trench help on defense. Aidan Hutchinson is currently their only returning player who recorded at least 25 pressures last season. A dive into a deep edge defender class would help solve that problem. Depth at linebacker could be needed, as well, particularly a coverage complement to Derrick Barnes.
Green Bay Packers: DL, CB, G
Green Bay’s pass rush collapsed down the stretch in 2025 after Micah Parsons suffered his season-ending injury. Since then, they traded Rashan Gary to the Cowboys while adding interior defender Javon Hargrave, who isn’t quite what he used to be. The Packers may need to improve upon Lukas Van Ness, who has tallied just 69 pressures in three NFL seasons, on the edge.
The Packers aren’t necessarily barren at cornerback, but the duo of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, alongside nickel defender Javon Bullard, doesn’t inspire the most confidence. The same can be said for their guards. Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan and Anthony Belton are all candidates to start, but they each earned sub-60.0 PFF overall grades in 2025.
Los Angeles Rams: WR, OT, LB
The Rams boast perhaps the fewest weaknesses of any NFL team, particularly after their spending spree in the secondary. Beyond Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, though, their next-highest yardage total from a wide receiver in 2025 came from Xavier Smith, who racked up just 303 yards. Adams is entering the final season of a two-year contract, so the Rams may look to the future at the position early in the draft.
Projected right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. (78.7 PFF overall grade in 2025) is also entering the final year of his rookie deal, so perhaps Los Angeles will look to develop new talent there. Additional linebacker depth could also be a need, depending on how the team feels about its options behind Nate Landman and Omar Speights.
Minnesota Vikings: DI, C, S
The Vikings have seen an exodus of veteran defensive tackles lately, leaving them with just Jalen Redmond as a reliable starter. Redmond was also their only interior player to earn at least a 60.0 PFF run-defense grade that season, so Minnesota could opt for defenders in the draft who can improve upon that.
Ryan Kelly’s retirement also brings ambiguity to the Vikings’ center position if they choose to lean away from incumbents Blake Brandel and Michael Jurgens. Lastly, Harrison Smith’s potential retirement would leave a leadership void at safety, though the team could feasibly survive with Josh Metellus and Theo Jackson still in the fold.
New Orleans Saints: WR, DI, CB
New Orleans is very thin at wide receiver beyond Chris Olave. In fact, the only wide receiver aside from Olave who totaled at least 300 yards for the Saints last season was Rashid Shaheed, whom they traded to Seattle after Week 9. New Orleans is very likely to take a hard look at draft prospects such as Carnell Tate (89.0 PFF receiving grade in 2025) and Jordyn Tyson (85.3) as they look to bolster their receiver room.
The Saints also have some holes to fill on defense, particularly at defensive tackle and cornerback. None of their qualified interior defenders earned a 63.0-plus PFF overall grade in 2025. They’ll also need to figure out who their starting slot cornerback will be after Alontae Taylor departed for Tennessee in free agency.
New York Giants: LB, WR, DI
The Giants have made several moves under new head coach John Harbaugh to fill out their roster. There are still needs at multiple key positions, though, including at linebacker, where they could be in a position to find a starter in the draft to pair with newly acquired ex-Bear Tremaine Edmunds.
Defensive tackle could also be an area of focus despite the presence of Dexter Lawrence. None of the Giants’ qualified defensive tackles, including Lawrence, earned a PFF run-defense grade above 57.0 last season. Improvement at wide receiver is also an option for them, particularly with the fifth overall pick, where Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson could be under consideration.
Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE, WR, OL
Trading for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips during the season made a positive impact on the Eagles’ defense, but he has since departed in free agency after receiving a monster contract from the Panthers. That doesn’t leave the Eagles barren, since they still boast Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and now Arnold Ebiketie — all of whom managed at least 25 quarterback pressures in 2025 — but they could use one more impact player at the position.
Philadelphia could also use some depth on the offense, especially if they eventually opt to trade star wide receiver A.J. Brown. The right side of their offensive line could also be an area of focus with Lane Johnson entering his age-36 season and Tyler Steen entering the final year of his contract.
San Francisco 49ers: DL, WR, IOL
San Francisco added several young pieces to its defensive line in last year’s draft, but they still fielded the lowest-graded defensive line in the NFL. The 49ers also finished 2025 with the fewest sacks in the league. Newly acquired ex-Cowboy Osa Odighizuwa should help the interior pass rush, but San Francisco’s defensive line has a long way to go to improve in run defense.
The 49ers’ wide receiver corps looks a bit more stable with the additions of veterans Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, but they still need a player who can create explosive plays after the catch. They may also want to add further competition on the interior offensive line, as all three of their projected starters earned a sub-65.0 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2025.
Seattle Seahawks: RB, OG, S
Seattle’s running back room currently consists of Zach Charbonnet, who is recovering from a season-ending knee injury, former Packers backup Emanuel Wilson and lightly used George Holani. There is a lack of explosiveness in their backfield after Kenneth Walker III left in free agency.
Seattle could also use an upgrade at right guard, where Anthony Bradford earned a bottom-10 PFF overall grade among all qualified guards in the NFL in 2025. The Seahawks also lost safety Coby Bryant in free agency, so depending on how much they trust Ty Okada in a starting role, they could look to add more depth at the position.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: LB, EDGE, TE
The Buccaneers could soon make headway on a full reconstruction of their linebacker unit, particularly if franchise legend Lavonte David decides to retire. The team has already decided to begin that process with the signing of ex-Lion Alex Anzalone, but they will almost certainly mull over their options in this year’s draft.
Tampa Bay also needs to find more pass-rush help off the edge. Yaya Diaby is consistently productive (60-plus quarterback pressures in back-to-back seasons), though not a top-tier player, while Al-Quadin Muhammad is a nice complementary free-agent signing. Head coach Todd Bowles is known as a heavy blitzer, but his team needs to improve when they send a standard pass rush.
Washington Commanders: DL, DB, WR
Over the past two seasons, Washington has fielded the NFL’s third-lowest-graded defense. The Commanders made good free-agent signings at all three levels, including edge defender Odafe Oweh, linebacker Leo Chenal and safety Nick Cross. Those acquisitions will certainly help, but they still need one more top-tier pass rusher and improvement in the secondary before they can become a championship-caliber defense.
Improving at wide receiver should also be a goal for the Commanders, as their pass-catching options behind Terry McLaurin are scant. In fact, even accounting for McLaurin, Washington doesn’t currently have a single player who tallied 600 receiving yards last season. The team ranked 22nd in PFF receiving grade overall. Any of the draft’s top receivers could be an option for them at the seventh overall selection.
