The 10 Most Critical NFL Roster Holes Entering the 2026 Draft

Depending on the timing, the situation and the team on the clock, the NFL draft is always a balancing act between taking the best available player on the board and addressing key roster needs. 

Of course, not all holes are created equal. 

On the verge of the 2026 draft, let's look at the 10 most glaring and critical needs facing contending teams.

Philadelphia Eagles: Edge Defender 

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

Jalyx Hunt

Who They Have: Nolan Smith Jr., Jalyx Hunt, Arnold Ebiketie, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

Why the Hole?: Jaelan Phillips departed in free agency, and their highest-graded pass-rushing edge from 2025 at Pro Football Focus—Joshua Uche—is also gone. Smith and Hunt have a combined 18.5 sacks in five seasons. Everyone beyond that is a wild card. 

Key Stat: The Eagles hurried the opposing quarterback on 7.3 percent of their defensive snaps in 2025, which was the 10th-lowest rate in the NFL. 

Outlook: They could target an edge with the No. 23 overall pick (Clemson's T.J. Parker and Texas A&M's Cashius Howell make sense), but otherwise it'll surely be a huge focus on Day 2. 

Minnesota Vikings: Center 

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Blake Brandel

Who They Have: Blake Brandel, Michael Jurgens

Why the Hole?: Ryan Kelly, the league's fourth-highest-graded center from 2025, announced his retirement last month. Brandel and Jurgens both ranked in the bottom half among PFF qualifiers at that position in 2025 and are not starting-caliber players. 

Key Stat: Brandel and Jurgens have a combined 10 career starts at center. They've been in the league for seven combined years, as Brandel entered the NFL as an offensive tackle. 

Outlook: Expect the Vikes to bring in significant competition via the draft, particularly with one or more of their three Day 2 selections. 

Chicago Bears: Edge Defender 

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Dayo Odeyingbo

Who They Have: Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, Austin Booker, Daniel Hardy

Why the Hole?: Odeyingbo registered just one sack in eight games before suffering a torn Achilles in 2025, while Booker and Hardy are depth guys at best. They ignored the position while losing Tryon-Shoyinka in free agency, leaving an opening opposite Sweat. 

Key Stat: Only six defenses generated fewer sacks than the Bears (35) in 2025. 

Outlook: They're on the clock two spots after Philadelphia with the No. 25 pick and are likely to be in on Parker, Howell, as well as Zion Young from Missouri. If not an edge there, they are sure to address the pass rush with one of their two second-round selections. 

Detroit Lions: Offensive Tackle 

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Giovanni Manu

Who They Have: Penei Sewell, Larry Borom, Giovanni Manu, Colby Sorsdal

Why the Hole?: Veteran left tackle Taylor Decker forced his way out of town last month, causing Penei Sewell to move to the blind side. Borom did a decent job in Miami last year, but is a 27-year-old former fifth-round pick better suited for a swing role? There's no indication anyone else is ready to take the starting reins. 

Key Stat: In the last 13 drafts, the Lions have selected just two offensive tackles before the fourth round—Decker in 2016 and Sewell in 2021. 

Outlook: It would make a lot of sense for them to continue that every-five-years trend and take a potential Day 1 starter at right tackle in the No. 17 spot. Candidates include Kadyn Proctor from Alabama, Spencer Fano out of Utah, Georgia's Monroe Freeling and Clemson product Blake Miller.

San Francisco 49ers: Edge Defender

AP Photo/Scot Tucker

Mykel Williams

Who They Have: Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Keion White, Sam Okuayinonu

Why the Hole?: Both Bosa and Williams are coming off torn ACLs. The former may be fading, while the latter still has a lot to prove. White, Okuayinonu and every other depth edge are just there for insurance purposes. 

Key Stat: The 49ers recorded just 20 sacks in 2025. No other team in football sacked the quarterback fewer than 26 times. It was the fewest sacks a defense has had in a season since 2022. 

Outlook: They have just two picks in the top 100 and might also need to address the offensive line, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if they were to grab a pass-rusher like Parker, Howell, Keldric Faulk from Auburn or UCF's Malachi Lawrence with that No. 27 overall selection. 

Dallas Cowboys: Off-ball Linebacker 

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

DeMarvion Overshown

Who They Have: DeMarvion Overshown, Shemar James, Justin Barron

Why the Hole?: Jack Sanborn and Kenneth Murray Jr. are off the roster, while Logan Wilson has retired. Overshown has a ceiling as a third-rounder from 2023, while James struggled as a rookie fifth-rounder in 2025. It's ugly. 

Key Stat: Dallas ranked eighth in football with 112 missed tackles while surrendering an NFC-high 6.1 yards per play in '25. 

Outlook: This need is magnified to an extent by the fact that the outside linebacker positions are also weak spots with questionable talent and depth. The linebacker corps needs another high-potential body, which is very likely to come with one of their two top-20 selections Thursday night. Could they make the leap for Ohio State riser Sonny Styles? 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge Defender

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Anthony Nelson

Who They Have: Yaya Diaby, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Anthony Nelson, Chris Braswell

Why the Hole?: It was already a soft unit. Replacing failed experiment Haason Reddick with Muhammad—who ideally isn't more than a rotational piece—doesn't change that. Diaby is a solid starter but has 19 sacks in three seasons and may be at his ceiling. 

Key Stat: Tampa Bay had the eighth-lowest pressure rate in the NFL in 2025. 

Outlook: As with the Cowboys, this is really an overall need at linebacker. However, the Bucs could really use a leader on the edge with more potential than their current starters. Faulk is a likely target 15th overall, as is Akheem Mesidor from Miami. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Left Guard 

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Spencer Anderson

Who They Have: Spencer Anderson, Brock Hoffman, Steven Jones

Why the Hole?: Isaac Seumalo is off to Arizona. Jack Driscoll has not been retained. Anderson is a 2023 seventh-round pick who has struggled throughout his career. Hoffman and Jones are better suited for backup spots or the practice squad.

Key Stat: Anderson's 2025 PFF grade of 58.2 ranked 53rd among qualified guards. 

Outlook: This is heightened by the fact that the Steelers are also far from steady and set with left tackle Broderick Jones, who likely faces a make-or-break 2026 campaign himself. Assuming they don't have to change course for a quarterback, the Steelers could try to land Proctor with their first pick.

Baltimore Ravens: Center

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Corey Bullock

Who They Have: Corey Bullock, Danny Pinter, Jovaughn GwynAP Photo/Abbie Parr

Why the Hole?: They lost Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. The potential successor, Bullock, is a third-year UDFA with three career snaps at that position. Pinter and Gwyn have combined for 10 starts over eight seasons and should only play in case of emergency. 

Key Stat: Linderbaum was on the field for at least 99 percent of Baltimore's offensive snaps in three of his four seasons with the team. The only two missed games of his career came in 2023. 

Outlook: The problem here is that they were already weak at guard. They've brought in veteran John Simpson in hopes that he can rebound from a down year with the Jets, but relying on Simpson and Andrew Vorhees without Linderbaum in the middle could be disastrous. It'd be shocking if they didn't end up with Ioane, Proctor, Fano or Freeling in Round 1. 

Kansas City Chiefs: Cornerback 

AP Photo/Jeff Lewis

Nohl Williams

Who They Have: Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, Kader Kohou, Kaiir Elam, Melvin Smith Jr., Kevin Knowles, Chris Roland-Wallace, Jaden Hicks

Why the Hole?: Especially when we include Roland-Wallace and Hicks as hybrid safeties who can cover the slot, this is an extreme quantity over quality following the departures of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson on the open market.

Key Stat: Even with McDuffie and Watson in 2025, the Chiefs surrendered an opposing completion percentage of 66.8, which was the sixth-highest rate in the league.

Outlook: They've backfilled to an extent. There has always been a decent amount of depth and versatility there, but McDuffie and Watson earned top-12 PFF grades among qualified NFL corners in 2025. The Chiefs are almost certain to use one or even both of their first-round picks on the secondary.