This is where contenders live.
Picks 29 through 32 belong to the final four teams on the board — organizations that didn’t just compete, but controlled the season. The Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks all won at least 12 games and enter 2026 with expectations of doing it again.
The mindset here is different.
There are no panic moves. No desperate reaches. No foundational rebuilds.
This is about sustainability.
Championship windows close faster than teams expect. Veterans age. Coordinators get poached. Depth gets tested. Contracts escalate. And the teams drafting at the end of Round 1 must balance two timelines:
Win now — and win later.
Do you reinforce a strength that carried you to 14 wins?
Do you patch the one weakness exposed in January?
Do you draft a successor before the roster demands it?
These are luxury picks — but they’re also strategic ones.
Late-first selections are often about long-term cap health, premium position succession plans, and maintaining a competitive edge in a conference that’s always hunting the top seed.
In this batch, we break down:
The biggest roster holes for each franchise
Contract situations and future cap implications
Which positions should be prioritized for veterans and rookies
Potential fantasy football implications
These teams aren’t chasing relevance.
They’re protecting it.
Wrapping up the team needs series with: the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks.
Salary cap contract information provided by Spotrac.
Fantasy Football Research & Advice
Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
2026 NFL Mock Drafts
Fantasy Football Trade Tools
NFL Team Needs: Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Giants, Browns, Commanders, Saints (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Falcons, Ravens, Buccaneers, Colts (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Packers (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Bears, Bills, 49ers, Texans (2026)
NFL Team Needs: Rams, Broncos, Patriots, Seahawks (2026)
Pick 30: Denver Broncos
2026 Free Agents
QB: Sam Ehlinger
RB: JK Dobbins, Jaleel McLaughlin (RFA), Tyler Badie (ERFA)
WR: Lil’Jordan Humphrey
TE: Adam Trautman, Marcedes Lewis, Lucas Krull (RFA), Nate Adkins (RFA)
OL: C Sam Mustipher, G Alex Palczewski (RFA)
EDGE: Dondrea Tillman (ERFA)
DL: John Franklin-Myers, Matt Henningsen (RFA), Jordan Jackson (ERFA)
LB: Alex Singleton, Justin Strnad
CB: Ja’Quan McMillian (RFA)
S: P.J. Locke, Devon Key (ERFA)
ST: Michael Burton
2027 Free Agents
QB: Jarrett Stidham
RB: Deuce Vaughn (RFA), Cody Schrader (RFA)
WR: Marvin Mims, Michael Bandy (RFA)
TE: Evan Engram
OL: G Ben Powers, LT Matt Peart, G Calvin Throckmorton, G Michael Deiter, G Nick Gargiulo (RFA), C Alex Forsyth, RT Frank Crum (RFA), G Nash Jones (ERFA), OT Marques Cox (ERFA)
EDGE: Garrett Nelson (ERFA)
DL: Eyioma Uwazurike, Kristian Williams (ERFA), Jordan Miller (ERFA)
LB: Drew Sanders, Levelle Bailey (RFA)
CB: Riley Moss, Reese Taylor (ERFA), Jaden Robinson (ERFA)
S: Brandon Jones, JL Skinner
Team Needs: RB, TE, LB, OG, DT
Veteran gamers know better than anybody to never take HC Sean Payton on face value for fantasy football purposes. Who will be his “Joker”, etc.?
Spoiler…he is still looking for that RB or TE with those certain traits.
But we do know he loves to use RBs in the passing game. And technically, what he says about certain player usage actually holds less weight in 2026 compared to previous years, given he will no longer be calling plays.
Davis Webb was promoted to offensive coordinator and will call plays. Two potential winners that make the most sense based on the switch? Evan Engram and Marvin Mims. Engram and Webb were former Giants teammates. And Mims – we all know – has suffered at the hands of Payton’s dreaded WR rotations. If Webb decides this guy is too talented to come off the field…well, we are cooking with gas.
Still, Payton can’t be left out entirely. He acknowledged Denver’s top needs at the NFL Combine: Running back, linebacker, and tight end stand out as the biggest roster needs for the Broncos heading into the player-acquisition period.
Makes sense considering J.K. Dobbins, Adam Trautman, and Alex Singleton are their top in-house free agents at those three positions. They also have players at these positions hitting FA in 2027.
GM George Paton was adamant about bringing back his linebacker room. Also called RJ Harvey, a three-down back.
I do think the Broncos will add somebody else to the backfield, but Harvey’s role as the primary pass-catcher should remain intact from his rookie year.
The offensive line was arguably the best in the NFL last season, and everybody is returning for 2026.
LG might be the one area they look to add more depth. Ben Powers was injured last season and is in the final year of his contract (a potential cut candidate per The Athletic). The same goes for OG Matt Peart.
On defense, DEs John Franklin-Myers and Eyioma Uwazurike might both be gone as soon as 2027.
CB Riley Moss is also entering a contract year (but Denver did draft a CB in the first round last season).
Denver’s roster is very well built and is in a window to “splurge,” given the cost-friendliness of a rookie QB’s salary.
They can and should swing for the fences on a plug-in play piece to get them over the top. Paton mentioned there’s a possibility of adding more playmakers on offense.