Yahoo Sports’ 26-and-under power rankings are a remix on the traditional farm system rankings that assess the strength of MLB organizations’ talent base among rookie-eligible and MiLB players. By evaluating all players in an organization entering their age-26 seasons or younger, this project aims to paint a more complete picture of each team’s young core. Our rankings value productive young major leaguers more heavily than prospects who have yet to prove it at the highest level, and most prospects included in teams’ evaluations have already reached the upper levels of the minors. 

To compile these rankings, each MLB organization was given a score in four categories:

• Young MLB hitters: scored 0-10; 26-and-under position players and rookie-eligible hitters projected to be on Opening Day rosters

• Young MLB pitchers: scored 0-10; 26-and-under pitchers and rookie-eligible pitchers projected to be on Opening Day rosters

• Prospect hitters: scored 0-5; prospect-eligible position players projected to reach MLB in the next 1-2 years

• Prospect pitchers: scored 0-5; prospect-eligible pitchers projected to reach MLB in the next 1-2 years

We’re counting down all 30 organizations’ 26-and-under talent bases from weakest to strongest, diving into five teams at a time. In addition to the scores for each team in each category, we’ll highlight the key players who fall into each bucket and contributed most to their organization’s place in the rankings. Below, we dig into Nos. 15-11.

Read more: 26-and-under rankings Nos. 30-26 | Nos. 25-21 | Nos. 20-16 | Nos. 10-6

15. St. Louis Cardinals (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 16

Young MLB hitters (5/10): DH Iván Herrera, SS Masyn Winn, OF Jordan Walker, CF Victor Scott II, 3B Nolan Gorman, INF Thomas Saggese
Young MLB pitchers (3/10): LHP Matthew Liberatore, RHP Michael McGreevy, RHP Gordon Graceffo, RHP Richard Fitts, RHP Hunter Dobbins
Prospect hitters (4/5): SS JJ Wetherholt, C Leonardo Bernal, C Jimmy Crooks, 1B Blaze Jordan, OF Nathan Church, OF Chase Davis, OF Joshua Baez, C Rainiel Rodriguez
Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Liam Doyle, SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, LHP Quinn Mathews, RHP Tekoah Roby, RHP Tink Hence, LHP Ixan Henderson, LHP Brandon Clarke, RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Tanner Franklin

The Cardinals, long a beacon of small-market sustainability, are officially in rebuild mode. With president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom at the helm, St. Louis dealt away four high-priced veterans over the winter: Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals ate money in each trade to improve the quality of prospects they acquired. That helped propel St. Louis’ farm system from simply solid to a top-10 or even top-five system in the sport.

Atop that group is JJWetherholt, who should make his MLB debut in the near future. The West Virginia product was tracking like a No. 1 draft pick in 2024 before injury concerns pushed him down to the Cardinals at seven. Less than two years later, that looks like quite the heist. Wetherholt is a special hitter, with a rare power-hit combo for an infielder that should propel him to multiple All-Star Games over the course of his career. While there are doubts about his ability to stick at shortstop, those questions won’t matter in the short term, considering that Gold Glover Masyn Winn is entrenched there in St. Louis. Either way, Wetherholt is a dude’s dude, the next face of this franchise.

The Cards also boast a preponderance of catching talent. JimmyCrooks is the closest to the big leagues, a glove-over-bat type in the Patrick Bailey mold. He won’t win any batting titles, but there’s probably a Gold Glove in his future. RainielRodriguez, Dominican-born and raised in Philly, is further from the show but has a much, much higher ceiling. The 19-year-old absolutely smoked minor-league pitching in 2025 and is tracking like an above-average defender behind the dish. He’s a top-three catching prospect in the sport.

On the mound, St. Louis has assembled a massive arsenal of potential impact arms. LiamDoyle, the fifth pick of last year’s draft, is rawer than the typical college ace but also has one of the best fastballs in the minors. If he can smooth out the edges and refine his secondaries, he’ll be a monster. JurrangeloCijntje is famous because he can throw with both hands, but the Donovan deal headliner has been so good with his right that he might soon need to drop his left. There are still multiple delightful avenues to him switch-pitching in the bigs, but he’s going to make a living off a three-pitch mix that features a mid-90s heater and a slider and changeup that both grade out as plus or better. TekoahRoby, QuinnMathews and TinkHence have all been top-100 prospects at one point or another, but all took steps back in 2025. We like Mathews to bounce back to become, at the very least, a good late-inning arm.

On the big-league side, one question will define this Cardinals season: How many current young big leaguers will make it through the rebuild to be on the next good St. Louis ballclub?

Winn, on the strength of his glove, feels like a lock. The 5-foot-9 Texan is jackrabbit-quick and has a howitzer for an arm. That means he just needs to be competent offensively, like he was in 2025. IvánHerrera is a similarly good bet to survive the sludge, though he and Winn are polar opposites. While Herrera came up and debuted as a catcher, the Panamanian caught only 14 games in 2025 and looks slated to be St. Louis’ regular DH. Thankfully, the 25-year-old absolutely rakes; he had the same wRC+ last season as Vlad Guerrero Jr. And at this point, consistency from any of VictorScott II, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman or ThomasSaggese would be considered a win.

Things are sparser in the big-league pitching staff, though the Cardinals have cleared spots for a few youngsters. While MatthewLiberatore and MichaelMcGreevy project to be in the Opening Day rotation, both guys look like back-end, kitchen-sink types. The same is true for HunterDobbins and RichardFitts, both acquired over the winter from Boston. — J.M.

Davis Long/Yahoo Sports

14. Miami Marlins (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 27

Young MLB hitters (5/10): OF Jakob Marsee, C/DH Agustín Ramírez, SS Xavier Edwards, OF Owen Caissie, INF Connor Norby, INF Graham Pauley, UTIL Javier Sanoja, OF Heriberto Hernández
Young MLB pitchers (5/10): RHP Eury Perez, RHP Ronny Henriquez
Prospect hitters (2/5): C Joe Mack, INF Starlyn Caba, 1B/3B Deyvison De Los Santos, OF Kemp Alderman, SS Aiva Arquette, OF Dillon Lewis, OF Brendan Jones
Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Robby Snelling, LHP Thomas White, RHP Karson Milbrandt, LHP Dax Fulton

The 2025 Marlins were far, far better than people expected, thanks in large part to this crop of young hitters. JakobMarsee, dealt from San Diego as part of the package for Luis Arraez, was a revelation in a 55-game sample after debuting Aug. 1. He looks like a cornerstone leadoff man and center fielder for the Fish, a sum-of-the-parts borderline All-Star. XavierEdwards’ defensive numbers — he was a first-percentile defender in 2024 —finally took a leap forward. He profiles best as a bottom-of-the-order, slash-and-dash, catalyst type, but 2025 was an encouraging year for the 26-year-old. AgustínRamírez is an incredibly fun, incredibly flawed slugger with sensational bat speed and a whole lot of chase. Miami gave the cement-handed Dominican a multitude of opportunities behind the plate last year. That’s something only a bad team would’ve done, as heended the season as the game’s worst catcher. He’s almost certainly a full-time DH down the line.

Eury Pérez made 20 starts after returning from Tommy John surgery and looked good, not great. We think that’s attributable to rust and still have him pegged as a future frontline guy. The 6-foot-8 seedling doesn’t turn 23 until April. His heater sat at 98 mph last year, the third-highest mark for any hurler with at least 20 starts. This remains a unicorn talent who should take a huge jump forward if he improves the command and upgrades his secondaries. 

Conveniently for Pérez — and all the following arms — Miami has developed a strong reputation over the years for pitching development. The Marlins’ current cache of high-minors arms certainly played a role in compelling president of baseball operations Peter Bendix to deal away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers over the winter. ThomasWhite is the crown jewel, an imposing, 6-foot-5 southpaw with an overpowering three-pitch mix. Few pitchers in the minors can rival his immense physicality, trio of plus offerings and statistical résumé. He can get a bit too walk-prone, à la Carlos Rodón or MacKenzie Gore, but like those dudes, White’s stuff is so good that he’ll get outs anyway. Expect him in Miami this year. 

Robby Snelling, a former Padres comp-rounder sent to Florida in the Tanner Scott deal, had a bounce-back 2025 and looks like a midrotation piece again, thanks to a velocity bump. In his third taste of High-A, KarsonMilbrandt added 10 percentage points to his strikeout rate. He followed that with an eye-catching fall league stint in which he punched out 23 in 13 ⅓ innings. He might end up in the bullpen, but his high-ride heater is the real deal.

Joe Mack — a lefty-hitting catcher with big power, hit tool concerns and a rocket arm — is Miami’s highest rated position-player prospect, but Aiva Arquette is the org’s most important one. Very few shortstops are built like this (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) with this type of power projection (113 mph exit velocities already). Arquette is a freak athlete with superb body control on the defensive side that should let him stick at short despite his height. Like any long-limbed lad, he has hit tool questions, but if he adds strength, stays nimble and develops the bat, he could turn into a Hawaiian version of Elly De La Cruz. — J.M.

13. Cleveland Guardians (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 9

Young MLB hitters (4/10): 1B Kyle Manzardo, INF Gabriel Arias, OF/1B C.J. Kayfus, C Bo Naylor, INF Brayan Rocchio, OF George Valera, UTIL Angel Martinez
Young MLB pitchers (6/10): RHP Gavin Williams, LHP Joey Cantillo, LHP Parker Messick, RHP Andrew Walters, RHP Peyton Pallette
Prospect hitters (4/5):  OF Chase DeLauter, 2B Travis Bazzana, INF Juan Brito, 1B Ralphy Velazquez, SS Angel Genao, OF Kahlil Watson, C Cooper Ingle, OF Jace LaViolette
Prospect pitchers (2/5): RHP Khal Stephen, RHP Austin Peterson, RHP Daniel Espino, LHP Matt Wilkinson, LHP Josh Hartle, LHP Doug Nikhazy

No team had more key pitchers age out of this year’s rankings than the Guardians: Five of their top seven arms by innings pitched in 2025 (Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi, Luis Ortiz, Cade Smith) were in their age-26 seasons. All except Ortiz remain pivotal members of the pitching staff, but for the purposes of this project, their graduations deal a notable blow to Cleveland’s young MLB pitchers group, which scored a 9/10 last year. Yet the Guardians still rate well in the category, thanks in large part to Gavin Williams’ long-anticipated breakout, as the big right-hander finally put together a complete season in the rotation and got better as the year went on. Command remains a concern — no pitcher walked more batters in 2025 — but the frequency of free passes did not prevent Williams from pitching deep into games. There might be more untapped potential if he can improve the strike-throwing even a little bit.

Cleveland has also done well to develop effective arms with less obvious impact traits. Lefties Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick don’t have blow-you-away velocity but thrive on deception and deft deployment of their arsenals. Top pitching prospect Khal Stephen, acquired at last year’s trade deadline for Shane Bieber, relies on a similar recipe from the right side. Guardians pitchers, regardless of their exact repertoires, usually know how to get outs, which means Cleveland can depend on its run-prevention roots to stay competitive even when the offense lags behind.

About that offense. Quantity is not in question: Outside of veteran face of the franchise José Ramírez and 28-year-old All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan, almost every other position player on the active roster is of the 26-and-under variety. But quality? That’s more murky. Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio remain entrenched in the middle infield, despite roughly 1,000 big-league plate appearances of below-average output from each. Bo Naylor has shown flashes of impact on both sides of the ball but is entering his third season as the primary catcher with a career wRC+ of 88. CJ Kayfus and George Valera both arrived late last season with solid track records of mashing in the upper minors but now need to do it in the big leagues. If there’s one bat to believe in among those we’ve already seen in the majors, it’s Kyle Manzardo. The rare big leaguer born and raised in Idaho, Manzardo’s lefty bat proved potent in his sophomore season, as he swatted 27 homers with a 113 wRC+. He adds minimal value on defense or the basepaths, so he’ll have to keep raking to remain a key piece for Cleveland. 

While the progress of the aforementioned hitters is worth monitoring, Cleveland’s offensive outlook is far more dependent on the wave of rookie-eligible hitters expected to make an impact in 2026. That starts with outfielder Chase DeLauter, who joined the exclusive list of players to make their major-league debuts in the postseason in October after yet another injury-marred regular season. Few hitting prospects in recent memory have navigated a wider array of ailments than DeLauter has since being selected in the first round in 2022, but when he has been on the field, he has shined. He’s in a strong position to make the 2026 Opening Day roster, with hopes that his advanced lefty stick can single-handedly elevate the Guardians’ lineup.

Behind DeLauter, there’s a deep and diverse group of hitters at the upper levels who could play their way into the big-league picture. The 2024 No. 1 draft pick Travis Bazzana might not have raced to the majors like a few of the players drafted after him, but he’s still an exciting, all-around talent who should factor into Cleveland’s plans soon. Juan Brito, Kahlil Watson and Cooper Ingle will be waiting in the wings in case of injury or a player ahead of them on the depth chart faltering. Ralphy Velazquez might not be ready until 2027, but his offensive ceiling is arguably higher than that of any other hitter in the system. All told, it’s an enviable collection of hitting prospects on paper, with considerable pressure to perform quickly or risk replicating the underwhelming output of the Guardians’ group of young hitters in the majors. — J.S.

12. Los Angeles Dodgers (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 5

Young MLB hitters (3/10): Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing
Young MLB pitchers (7/10): Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Will Klein
Prospect hitters (4/5): Alex Freeland, Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, James Tibbs
Prospect pitchers (2/5): Jackson Ferris, Adam Serwinowski, Zach Root, Peter Heubeck

In Los Angeles, amid a galaxy of superstars, the opportunities for youngsters are few and far between. The bar, in Dodger Blue, is that much higher. Dalton Rushing might be hitting seventh as the primary catcher for many other organizations. In L.A., he’s lucky to don the gear twice a week. AndyPages was unplayably bad in October, but he delivered an underrated regular season. Elsewhere, a .774 OPS with great outfield defense from a 24-year-old would be frontpage material. The signing of Kyle Tucker means Pages could be relegated to the Dodgers’ bench whenever Tommy Edman gets off the IL this year. 

The 2025 Dodgers don’t win the World Series without EmmetSheehan and JustinWrobleski, both of whom came up huge in key spots. In many other places, they’d be mid-rotation mainstays. In L.A., they’re either fighting for scraps behind Yamamoto, Ohtani, Glasnow and Snell (Sheehan) or pitching out of the pen (Wrobleski). Then there’s RokiSasaki, baseball’s ultimate mystery box. Hyped more than the original iPhone, the Japanese phenom spent the first third of 2025 acting like a skittish cat before he landed on the IL due to a shoulder issue. But at the 11th hour, he returned as a white knight reliever, posting zeros in eight of his nine October outings to solidify a rickety Dodgers ‘pen. Now he’s headed back to the rotation, armed with an abundance of talent and a dearth of moxie. Anything could happen.

As you surely already know, The Franchise Ruining Baseball is much, much more than a collection of highly paid mercenaries. This organization, despite drafting at the back of the first round or later seemingly every year, has been world-class at identifying and developing talent. Part of that is certainly financial — the Dodgers were early and heavy on game-changing tech — but a lot of it is employing smart people and getting them all on the same page. That’s why this farm system, despite being regularly plundered for trades, remains absolutely stacked with position players.

Josue De Paula has intergalactical offensive upside, with an advanced eye and an orchard of juice. If he optimizes his swing plane for lift, watch out. ZyhirHope is one of the best athletes in the minors, a power-speed dynamo with huge swing-and-miss concerns. He either needs to stick in center or upgrade his hit tool to break onto L.A.’s stacked big-league roster. Still just 21, he has time. AlexFreeland got his doors blown off during a cup of coffee in 2025. That short stint amplified questions about whether he can play short and how much contact he’ll make.

Whether any of these prospects ends up playing for the Dodgers is somewhat beside the point. The position-player depth in this system — we’ve yet to mention guys like Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota or Charles Davalan — will allow Friedman and Co. to be aggressive in the trade market if the opportunity presents itself. Los Angeles has the horses on the farm to acquire pretty much anybody in baseball — and yes, that includes Tarik Skubal. — J.M.

11. Boston Red Sox (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 1

Young MLB hitters (8/10): OF Roman Anthony, 1B Triston Casas, INF Marcelo Mayer, OF Ceddanne Rafaela, OF Kristian Campbell, INF Caleb Durbin
Young MLB pitchers (4/10): LHP Connelly Early, LHP Payton Tolle
Prospect hitters (2/5): SS Franklin Arias, INF Mikey Romero, OF Allan Castro
Prospect pitchers (2/5): LHP Jake Bennett, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Marcus Phillips, RHP Gage Ziehl, RHP Juan Valera

Our No. 1 team in last year’s rankings, the Red Sox took a tumble in 2026 due to the graduations of Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Wilyer Abreu, plus some stagnation among some of their important young bats. But the arrival of Roman Anthony — who looks as advertised — in the big leagues and some pleasant surprises on the mound have ensured that Boston remains in the top half of our list.

Entering 2025, Anthony was the clear headliner among Boston’s trio of elite hitting prospects that also included Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. While he was not the first of the three to debut — Campbell made the Opening Day roster — Anthony delivered most thoroughly on the hype as a rookie, immediately asserting himself as one of the most dangerous Boston bats before an oblique strain ended his campaign in September. His absence was felt during Boston’s early exit against the Yankees in October, and now Anthony’s role atop the lineup carries all the more weight in the wake of Alex Bregman’s departure. Just 21 years old until May — and currently gearing up to play left field for Team USA in the WBC — Anthony is rapidly establishing himself as one of the premier left-handed hitters in the sport. It’s no surprise the Red Sox already awarded him with a nine-figure extension.

Campbell’s and Mayer’s transitions to the majors weren’t nearly as smooth. Campbell raked for a month before going ice-cold for much longer, necessitating a demotion to Triple-A in June, and he did not appear in the majors the rest of the season. Boston is now focused on developing him as an outfielder, which should simplify a previously uncertain defensive outlook, but most important is getting his bat back on track. While it’s far too early to discard Campbell as a potential core piece, his path to impacting the Red Sox in the near future is cloudy based on his weaknesses and the roster in place around him. Mayer’s glove is big-league ready at multiple infield spots, but late-offseason additions to the infield depth chart — including contact maven Caleb Durbin, who also strengthens Boston’s young MLB hitters group — suggest a hesitance to entrust him with regular at-bats just yet. He’s still wildly talented, but his ramp-up to an every-day role could take time.

Triston Casas, 26,and Ceddanne Rafaela, 25,are more experienced than the aforementioned offensive trio, but both still face crucial developmental hurdles. Rafaela’s sensational center-field glove is irrefutable, but his bottom-of-the-scale plate discipline (.287 career OBP in 1,247 career plate appearances) has hampered any semblance of upside at the plate. Casas’ powerful left-handed bat was on an encouraging trajectory early in his career but is now tasked with bouncing back from a season-ending leg injury while attempting to reintegrate into a lineup without an obvious opening for another 1B/DH type.

A year ago we tabbed Boston as having one of the weaker prospect pitching groups. But a pair of enormous breakouts from Payton Tolle and Connelly Early ultimately rendered that assessment inaccurate. Tollehadn’t even thrown a professional pitch at this time last year, but the gargantuan southpaw carved through the minors en route to an August debut. His special fastball paired with elite extension will carry Tolle quite far, but if he can polish his command and improve his secondary offerings, the sky’s the limit. Early’s raw stuff isn’t quite as eye-popping, but his pitchability is a notch above, which could give him the edge as the two jockey for positioning on Boston’s crowded starting pitching depth chart. Neither is guaranteed a rotation spot to open the season, but we’ve included Early and Tolle in the young MLB pitchers category on the basis of their demonstrated importance to the club last season and in October. Both pitchers remain rookie-eligible, but it’s hard to envision either spending the bulk of this season in the minors.

Graduations and a substantial number of trades to upgrade the big-league roster have thinned out this system in recent years. But the developmental leaps made by Early and Tolle lend optimism that the next wave of minor-league arms could chart similarly expedited paths, with last year’s college pitching-heavy draft class providing several candidates to monitor (Kyson Witherspoon, Marcus Phillips, Anthony Eyanson). Franklin Arias should also not be overlooked as a likely shortstop with a plus hit tool who reached Double-A as a 19-year-old last year. If he can access more power, the Red Sox might have another elite hitting prospect to factor into their position-player plans sooner rather than later. — J.S.

The grades from the NFL Players Association’s 2026 report cards have been revealed . . . or were at least obtained and revealed by ESPN on Thursday.

Per senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler, the survey—which was conducted from Nov. 2 to Dec. 11—includes responses from 1,759 players who were on rosters across the league in 2025.

So, how well did the Carolina Panthers do?

Here are the results . . .

Treatment of Families: B

Home Game Field: F

Food/Dining Area: B+

Nutritionist/Dietician: A-

Locker Room: D+

Training Room: B

Training Staff: A-

Weight Room: B

Strength Coaches: A-

Position Coaches: A-

Offensive Coordinator: A-

Defensive Coordinator: B

Special Teams Coordinator: A-

Team Travel: D

Head Coach: A-

General Manager: A

Team Ownership: B-

The most notable mark, perhaps, belongs to ownership—which improved off a ‘D-‘ from last season. General manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales received high grades as well—at an ‘A’ and ‘A-,’ respectively.

Carolina’s lowest grade, an ‘F,’ belongs to their home game field. That, given the pushback on the Bank of America Stadium turf from Panthers players over the years, shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers’ grades from NFLPA’s 2026 report cards revealed

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been cleared to return for the Oklahoma City Thunder after missing nine straight games with an abdominal strain.

Gilgeous-Alexander was not on the official injury report for Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets and will be available to play for the defending champions, who went 5-4 in his absence.

Since Gilgeous-Alexander was hurt in a February 3 victory over Orlando the Thunder’s lead atop the Western Conference has been cut to two games by the San Antonio Spurs, who went into Thursday on a 10-game winning streak.

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and remains a favorite to repeat as MVP.

Oklahoma City will still be without Jalen Williams and key reserve Ajay Mitchell.

But the return of Gilgeous-Alexander will be a huge boost for a team that started Wednesday’s game against East-leading Detroit without four of its leading scorers in Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Mitchell and center Chet Holmgren.

Isaiah Hartenstein was also absent, and Isaiah Joe and Branden Carlson exited early with injuries as Detroit built a big lead then held on for the win.

Holmgren, Hartenstein and Joe are also expected to be available against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

bb/amz

It took a while, but Day 1 of NFL Combine workouts in Indianapolis got fun by the end. In particular, one position group more than any other looks like one the Bears should definitely dip into, and it might not be the one you think.

Let’s get into it.

1. I’m good on Kayden McDonald at No. 25.

One should never put too much stock into the Underwear Olympics when it comes to moving players up or down in the Combine. In the end, your resume is the tape.

That said, I feel like McDonald’s on-field workout revealed something he himself has hinted at in interviews with reporters: he’s more of a pure run-stopping 3-4 nose tackle than a 4-3 tackle at either the 1- or 3-technique.

While he has the short-area quickness and strength you want inside, you can almost see the lack of versatility in his game when you watch him move. He simply doesn’t have the juice to consistently rush the passer, which you can see in his production (three total sacks in college). There’s something to be said for being REALLY good at your role, and McDonald certainly is that when it comes to stopping the run.

But if the Bears are still in the market for a defensive tackle at No. 25, I’d look at Lee Hunter over McDonald. Hunter’s the more complete player of the two, and is one of the few guys in this class you cannot single-block either in the run game or the pass game. If you do, he inevitably wins.

I might even suggest waiting until the second round and look for guys like Christen Miller (Georgia) or Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati) if the value seems right.

McDonald will likely be solid at what he does in the NFL, especially in a system that fits his skills. I’m just not sure that system belongs to the Bears.

2. T.J. Parker is not making it to the Bears.

Throughout the week, I’ve heard from draft experts and scouts that the Clemson product was going to go earlier than Bears fans would want him to, despite some mocks and big boards suggesting he might be an option at No. 25. After the workout he just put together in Indianapolis, you can kiss any dreams of that goodbye. 

T.J. Parker is a DE prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.33 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 138 out of 2046 DE from 1987 to 2026.

Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left to run, bench tomorrow.https://t.co/v7lww9nouWpic.twitter.com/5LTupv1Slq

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 26, 2026

We knew he was strong and had the baseline frame Dennis Allen might want a 4-3 defensive end. His speed (4.68 seconds in the 40) tore the track up, and his solid 34-inch vertical affirmed his explosiveness at 6-3.5, 263 pounds. 

Again, though, these numbers only confirm what he’s already shown on tape, as he ranked 56th in total pressures last year among 853 qualified edge rushers. After that first set of edge rushers—Arvell Reese, David Bailey, and Rueben Bain Jr.—come off the board, Parker will likely be next.

If I were the Bears, I’d be looking for later options at edge and looking to bolster that position a different way. Because guys like Zion Young and Cashius Howell, who ran well but simply isn’t long or twitchy enough to be in play, aren’t likely to be the best players available at No. 25.

3. The Bears will dip into this linebacker class.

It seems like the linebackers just get faster every year. Not a single one of these guys ran a 4.7s 40 or worse, and three players—Reese, Sonny Styles, and Kaleb Elarms-Orr—ran under 4.5. Obviously, the Bears will have no shot at taking those first two guys, who likely both will go in the top 10. But expect the Bears to do a lot of homework on this group after the day they collectively put together.

After all, Chicago’s linebacker position is only slightly less problematic than the safety position this year due to impending losses—Tremaine Edmunds will be cut, Amen Ogbongbemiga has been cut, T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell are injured and face long recoveries, Ruben Hyppolite II barely played, and DeMarco Jackson is a free agent/has made four career starts.

Expect the Bears to sign some more veteran talent at linebacker to steady the ship and grab another linebacker either late on Day 2 or early on Day 3. They suffered too much from decimation at this position not to invest in it this year. 

Day 1 of on-the-field workouts at the 2026 NFL Combine saw Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton go through their auditions, and it’s safe to say it was a strong one for both players.

Durant was up first with the interior defensive linemen, and he showed off with an impressive 33.5-inch vertical (tied for third best for DTs) and an official 4.75 forty time at a confirmed 290 pounds.

Buckle up.@PennStateFball DT Zane Durant sprinted for a 4.76u

2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/IrpOEJnHji

— NFL (@NFL) February 26, 2026

The 4.75 forty time for was the best time for a defensive tackle in the 2026 class, and it comes in as tied for the 4th best time by a DT since 2013. Only Adetomiwa Adebawore (4.49 — 4th round pick, 2023), Calijah Kancey (4.67 — 1st round pick, 2023), and Aaron Donald (4.69 — ugh you know him, 2014) had better forty times for interior defensive lineman prospects. All those guys were listed in the 280s — Adebawore 282, Kancey 281, and Donald 285 — where as Durant was 290 flat.

Does that mean Durant will go in the first round like Donald or Kancey? Not likely, at all. Durant was good at Penn State, especially as a junior, but his production was not on par with either of those Pitt guys. Kancey had 14.5 sacks and 27.5 TFLs his last two seasons in college, and Donald had 16.5 sacks and 47 (!!!!) TFLs his last two. Comparatively, Durant had just 7 sacks and 15.5 TFLs. And sure, the Big Ten in 2024 and 2025 was steeper competition than the Big East and ACC were back then, but that’s a big gap in raw production. Still, this was an overwhelmingly good day for Durant, who probably puts himself more squarely in the 4th round area and maybe could even sneak into the 3rd round.

As for DDS, it was a banner day. As you can see from the Dane Brugler tweet below, but DDS was one of the big winners from the defensive end group.

Dani Dennis-Sutton had a really nice day:

4.63 40
1.63 10
39.5 vert
10’11” broad jump
6.90 3-cone (!!)

6-6, 256 pounds, 33 1/2″ arms, 10 1/8″ hands

— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 27, 2026

His 40 time was 6th for a defensive end. His vertical was 4th. His broad jump was 1st. His 3-cone was first. And he did it at a shade under 6’6 and coming in at 256 pounds — which is a little on the lighter side for DDS, but it’s around the 260-ish he usually plays us.

DDS was pretty squarely in the Day 2 (rounds 2-3) mix heading into today, and I think he cemented his floor as a Day 2 guy and might have opened up the possibility to sneak into the first round. He has great size, confirmed elite athletic ability, and solid production totaling 17 sacks and 25 TFLs the last two years.

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As expected, the NFLPA’s annual grades of NFL franchises leaked to the media, with ESPN getting the full details of the reports. The NFL, through a grievance and an arbitrator’s ruling, blocked the public release of the NFLPA’s report cards earlier this month. 

The union handed out marks in 17 categories, including head coach. No one got lower than a C-, a grade that belonged to the Cleveland Browns’ Kevin Stefanski. He was one of nine head coaches fired from last season with one other, Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, resigning after the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs. (Stefanski was quickly hired by the Atlanta Falcons, replacing Raheem Morris.) 

Here’s a look at who got A’s, Bs and Cs: 

*fired during or after the season
**resigned 

NFC East: Cowboys | Giants | Eagles | Commanders
NFC North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings
NFC South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | Buccaneers
NFC West: Cardinals | Rams | 49ers | Seahawks

AFC East: Bills | Dolphins | Patriots | Jets
AFC North: Ravens | Bengals | Browns | Steelers
AFC South: Texans | Colts | Jaguars | Titans
AFC West: Broncos | Chiefs | Raiders | Chargers

Los Angeles Rams: A+

Sean McVay

Washington Commanders: A+

Dan Quinn

Chicago Bears: A

Ben Johnson

Detroit Lions: A

Dan Campbell

Kansas City Chiefs: A

Andy Reid

Minnesota Vikings: A

Kevin O’Connell

New England Patriots: A

Mike Vrabel

New York Jets: A

Aaron Glenn

Philadelphia Eagles: A

Nick Sirianni

Pittsburgh Steelers: A

Mike Tomlin**

Seattle Seahawks: A

Mike Macdonald

San Francisco 49ers: A- 

Kyle Shanahan

Cincinnati Bengals: A-

Zac Taylor

Dallas Cowboys: A-

Brian Schottenheimer

Buffalo Bills: A- 

Sean McDermott*

Carolina Panthers: A-

Dave Canales

Houston Texans: A-

DeMeco Ryans

Indianapolis Colts: A-

Shane Steichen

Jacksonville Jaguars: A-

Liam Coen

New Orleans Saints: A-

Kellen Moore

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Arizona Cardinals: B+

Jonathan Gannon*

Atlanta Falcons: B+

Raheem Morris*

Miami Dolphins: B

Mike McDaniel*

Baltimore Ravens: B 

John Harbaugh*

Denver Broncos: B

Sean Payton

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B

Todd Bowles

Green Bay Packers: B-

Matt LaFleur 

Tennessee Titans: B-

Brian Callahan*

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Las Vegas Raiders: C+

Pete Carroll*

Los Angeles Chargers: C+ 

Jim Harbaugh 

New York Giants: C

Brian Daboll* 

Cleveland Browns: C-

Kevin Stefanski*

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have a bit of an unusual promotion planned for March 16: They’re paying tribute to Magic City, the city’s famed adult entertainment club.

To celebrate the “iconic cultural institution,” the Hawks a planning a night filled with food — including the club’s famous lemon pepper wings — along with music and exclusive merchandise.

The opponent that night? The Orlando Magic, of course.

“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ’Magic City: An American Fantasy’,” Hawks principal owner, filmmaker and actor Jami Gertz said. “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”

Gertz was one of the producers of a five-part STARZ docuseries, ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy’ that explored the club’s history and its place in both hip-hop and Black culture. The Hawks are also bringing in Atlanta native T.I. to perform at halftime, and there will be a special live pregame recording of a podcast about the club and impact it has on music, culture and sports.

Magic City will be serving two versions of the lemon pepper wings, including the ones named for former Hawks guard Lou Williams.

Said T.I.: “We doin’ this one for the city … Magic City.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA