2026 NFL DRAFT GUIDE

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2026

The Dieter & Hutch

2026 NFL Draft Guide

Serious football talk by unserious people

Who We Are

Dieter Kurtenbach

Co-Host · Big Board

Dieter has covered the 49ers since Jim Harbaugh, moving to the Mercury News for Kyle Shanahan's coaching debut. He contributed his big board rankings, player comps, and analytical framework for many of the prospects in this guide.

Jake Hutchinson

Lead Analyst · Host

Jake has covered the 49ers — and the Warriors and Giants — for over seven years. He loves a type two fun project that makes people ask, "Why would you do that?" This. This is why. He is the principal author of player evaluations throughout the guide.

Listen to the Guide

How to Navigate

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Big Board

The full ranked list of prospects — Jake and Dieter's combined top 150 in one scrollable table. Click any row to open the full player evaluation.

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By Position

Prefer to browse by unit? Hit "By Position" in the top nav to get column views broken down by QB, WR, EDGE, and every other spot on the field.

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Position Shortcuts

Use the position tabs in the nav bar to instantly filter the board down to any single position group.

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Badge Filters

Every player carries trait badges — Speed, Brain, Tank, Mace and more. Click any badge icon below the header to filter the entire board to players who carry that tag.

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Use the search bar in the top-right to find any player or school instantly.

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Athletic Rating

Filter the board by athletic tier — from Blue Chip freaks to players we'd politely describe as "Oh Dear God NO." Use the Athletic Rating panel below the header to narrow down by physicality grade.

Athletic Rating System

Blue Chip

Cream of the friggin crop. Elite athlete, top of the position class.

🦾 Superior

Great athlete. Think above a 6.5/10 but not in that absolute top tier.

➖ Meh

Mostly average — may be slightly above or below. May excel in one or two specific traits.

😬 Yikes

Worrisome, below-average athlete. Might have one standout trait to compensate.

💀 Oh Dear God NO

Probably undraftable, barring injury at the Combine and/or outrageously good tape. See: Jauan Jennings, Jarvis Landry, Orlando Brown.

Big Picture

Jake's Draft Class Assessment

The 2026 Class

Folks, thank you for all joining us here. This is the (hopefully you agree) UPGRADED version of last year's draft guide. Unfortunately, the class itself is not an upgrade.

There is a palpable meh-ness to this class. I'm not sure the 49ers, or any team, will have an exceedingly lengthy list of draftable players. It's far closer to 150 than it is to 200. That said, there are a ton of interesting players and some positions, like corner, linebacker and safety, where there is a glut of talent.

If you see any issues, or think of anything you want added, PLEASE, let us know at the email below. Unlike last year, we have the capacity to make some changes. Thanks.

Email: Dieterandjake@gmail.com

Enough preamble. Let's get into it.

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