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NFL training camps are officially open, and the regular season will be here before we know it, making it a perfect time to take stock of how the league’s power brokers believe the 2026 season will unfold.

For the past six years, I’ve conducted an anonymous survey of my contacts inside the NFL; general managers, coaches, scouts, and players, to get their unfiltered thoughts and predictions for the upcoming campaign.

This year’s panel skewed significantly towards the front office and evaluator side, consisting of two coaches, two scouts, six front office executives from teams across the league, and one current player.

Each of the respondents was granted anonymity to speak freely, as they are not authorized to publicly discuss other teams and to offer the kind of candor that pulls back the curtain on how those inside the league expect the season to play out for our readers.

Despite finishing as the runner-up to Matthew Stafford last season, and powering the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance, at least one executive argues that not only was Maye’s 2025 campaign not a fluke but the additions made around him could be enough to power him to bring home the award this season.

“I love Drake Maye as a quarterback,” an NFC Personnel Executive tells Between The Hashmarks. “And believe the A.J. Brown acquisition will make him even better.

“Brown being there will also open up the running game, as they’ll see lighter boxes due to his presence on the outside and the respect he commands. Mike Vrabel is a good head coach, who learned from one of the best. He can scheme up on defense with the best of them. New England has all the pieces in place for an excellent season.”

When the Super Bowl returns to the shadow of the Hollywood sign, the Rams and Chargers are two teams that players and executives alike believe have all the pieces in place to play for the Lombardi on their home turf.

“It’s always hard to predict this far out,” an AFC player tells Between The Hashmarks. “But, I think the Rams have the pieces to make a big run to at least make it to the Super Bowl this year.”

Here’s how those inside the league believe the NFL’s biggest storylines will be written this season:

1. Joe Burrow (3 votes)

2. Dak Prescott (2 votes)

Caleb Williams (2 vote)

4. Bo Nix (1 vote)

5. Brock Purdy (1 vote)

6. Bijan Robinson (1 vote)

7. Trey McBride (1 vote)

8. Drake Maye (1 vote)

After Matthew Stafford won the MVP last season, the Los Angeles Rams went to work this offseason building out a roster that’s not just far more balanced following the arrivals of All-Pros Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, solidifying the defense, but Los Angeles is banking on another year of familiarity in Sean McVay’s scheme elevating this high-octane offense to new heights.

Stafford’s career-year helped power the Rams to the NFC Championship Game and the doorstep of a Super Bowl last season, but there are several quarterbacks about to step behind center of offenses that have either become more turnkey over the course of the offseason or are primed to make a leap while leading a young and ascending collection of weapons.

This question, though, was built around the sleeper candidate that folks don’t see coming in July, but could dominate the conversation and perhaps steal the award come February.

Unsurprisingly, quarterbacks dominated the vote, if even begrudgingly.

“I like Bo Nix, don’t love him,” an NFL scout tells Between The Hashmarks. “But that offense is going to be very good, which will set him up to be in the MVP conversation.”

The Broncos have certainly set Nix up for success, and to make another major stride in his development after trading for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to pair opposite Courtland Sutton and alongside field stretcher Troy Franklin, who parlayed his past experience and familiarity with Nix into six touchdown catches last season.

Meanwhile, some of the league’s top front office personnel are exceptionally bullish on Joe Burrow.

If Burrow can stay healthy, which has been a bit of a Herculean task for the Bengals’ star passer, given that the 29-year-old has only completed a 17-game schedule once. However, that season, Burrow passed for 4,918 yards with 43 touchdowns to just nine interceptions.

A healthy Burrow, with an improved offensive line in front of him could catapult the Bengals back into the Super Bowl conversation in the AFC.

Meanwhile, despite quarterbacks winning 13 consecutive awards, it isn’t surprising to see Bijan Robinson crack this list after compiling 3,148 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns through his first 51 career games.

Robinson could even be in for an expanded role in Atlanta’s offense in the season ahead.

That a defensive player from the AFC cast his ballot for Trey McBride simply underscores the respect that the rising Cardinals tight end commands across the league.

After all, McBride has caught 343 passes for 3,420 yards and 17 touchdowns through his first four seasons, and is viewed both by analysts and his peers as one of the game’s brightest rising stars at the position.

“If the Bengals defense improves, and they have Joe Burrow, they’re going to light up the scoreboard. That’s a tough combination to beat.” - NFC Personnel Executive

1. Tennessee Titans (1 vote)

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 vote)

3. Cincinnati Bengals (1 vote)

4. Baltimore Ravens (1 vote)

5. Dallas Cowboys (1 vote)

6. Green Bay Packers (1 vote)

7. New York Giants (1 vote)

8. Las Vegas Raiders (1 vote)

9. Washington Commanders (1 vote)

10. Houston Texans (1 vote)

11. New Orleans Saints (1 vote)

Every season there’s at least one.

This was the most polarizing question in our survey, and likely for good reason.

There’s always at least one team that comes out of virtually nowhere to make a run, sometimes with a young core that arrives ahead of schedule, sometimes a favorable schedule serves as a springboard to a Super Bowl.

Likewise, a new coaching staff, new set of core values, new messaging can sometimes be all it takes to turn around a franchise where a situation got stale. Enter a team like the Ravens.

“Don’t sleep on the Ravens,” an NFL Offensive Coordinator tells Between The Hashmarks. “You have the first year of a new coach, after a long-time coach was let go, and it just might have gotten stale there.”

The Titans would certainly check a pair of boxes, as well.

After hiring Robert Saleh as head coach, importing his relentlessly attacking defensive scheme, and pairing him with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, if the Titans can follow the playbook that helped turn Josh Allen from young and reckless gunslinger to perennial MVP candidate, with Cam Ward, the Titans are going to be a team to watch.

“The Titans have added a lot of really good pieces who fit what they do,” an AFC East Personnel Executive tells Between The Hashmarks. “I think Robert Saleh has hired an excellent staff, and I believe in the quarterback. Cam Ward is going to take a jump, and I expect them to be solid enough on defense to win some games.”

Tennessee feels like the kind of team that could surprise to the upside, and throughout the offseason have commanded plenty of respect from league sources through various conversations.

Last season, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams barnstormed to the postseason and playoff victory; perhaps the Titans can follow that path.

There is also significant insider buzz about quarterback Tyler Shough and the New Orleans Saints.

One executive recently told me that if he could pick one player to build around from the NFC South, Shough would be his first pick.

“I’m going with new Orleans as the surprise,” a second personnel director tells Between The Hashmarks. “Don’t ask me why. But, they get the benefit of a last-place schedule, with some nice young talent.”

Washington, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New York Giants each garnering a vote isn’t just a reflection on the franchise-altering overhaul undertaken in East Rutherford, a defensive rebuild potentially becoming the backbone of a more balanced philosophy in Dallas, or an endorsement of Jayden Daniels returning to form, but could telegraph the NFC East emerging as one of the most competitive teams in football.

Last season, our panel comprised of some of the same league power brokers included the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Denver Broncos among their potential surprises. Time will tell if the group made as astute predictions this time around.

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“The AFC is down all of a sudden, and the Chargers have been with Jim Harbaugh a few years now. He tends to ingrain his system at about this time in the development.” - AFC Scouting Director

1. Los Angeles Rams vs. Houston Texans (2 votes)

2. Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos (1 vote)

3. Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos (1 vote)

4. Los Angeles Rams vs. Buffalo Bills (1 vote)

5. Los Angeles Rams vs. Denver Broncos (1 vote)

6. Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers (1 vote)

7. Green Bay Packers vs. Los Angeles Chargers (1 vote)

8. Philadelphia Eagles vs. Buffalo Bills (1 vote)

9. Los Angeles Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs (1 vote)

10. Washington Commanders vs. New England Patriots (1 vote)

Super Bowl predictions made in July or August aren’t typically worth the paper internet bandwidth they’re written on, but they certainly can be instructive when comes to evaluating how folks who build the rosters, coach the players, and play the game view the teams across the league.

It should come as little surprise that the Los Angeles Rams were mentioned on six different ballots.

That the Houston Texans were mentioned by two separate executives as a likely Rams opponent is a testament to Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, and DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

“Don’t sleep on Houston,” a longtime scout tells Between The Hashmarks. “Their defense is as legit as there is.”

Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers receiving two votes is a buy-in that a revamped receiving corps elevating former first-round pick Matthew Golden and oft-injured yet productive Christian Watson into significant roles in the passing game, and that even after potentially missing the first month, Micah Parsons will once again have a transformative impact on the defense.

Moreover, though, folks across the NFL remain steadfast in the belief that Jordan Love is one of the game’s premier but still rising quarterbacks.

“Jordan Love has been getting better,” an AFC coach tells Between The Hashmarks. “He’s been in that system for a while, and this is the year the Packers finally break through.”

Three different teams garnering respect from the AFC West underscores the notion that these may be the most complete rosters on that side of the bracket.

The Chargers’ backfield situation may be the most fascinating in the NFL, with Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal, and Keaton Mitchell forming an explosive but elusive trio in new coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme, which may marry perfectly alongside Jim Harbaugh’s ground-and-pound nature.

Meanwhile, a healthy Patrick Mahomes now buttressed by between-the-tackles bruiser Kenneth Walker on the heels of a Super Bowl MVP performance could significantly raise the ceiling for a Chiefs offense that sputtered down the stretch while relying far too significantly on ‘MahomesMagic’ in 2025.

Then, there’s the Broncos, who field one of the league’s stingiest defenses and a balanced offensive attack around a now battle-tested young quarterback.

Whether any of these matchups come to fruition in SoFi Stadium in February remains to be seen, but there is a healthy respect for some of the most talent-rich rosters across the league.

Like a rite of passage each summer, unheralded young players surge up the depth chart during practice, make meaningful contributions during preseason games, and become the darling of their local press corps and fanbase as final cuts approach.

While some players who don’t have the weight of a long-term contract or premium draft pick investment behind them will ultimately wind up settling for a practice squad spot or fighting for one of the final slots on the 53-man roster in late August, others develop into diamonds in the rough under the oppressive summer sun before carving out meaningful roles in the season ahead.

As camps open and practices are beginning to intensify, here’s a look at some young rising stars to watch and names to know ahead of the exhibition slate kicking off next month:

De’Zhaun Stribling, WR, San Francisco 49ers - Few positions are more vitally important to the success of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense than wide receiver, and the 49ers may have stolen a game-altering weapon at the top of the second round of April’s NFL Draft.

Stribling is the complete package.

At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Stribling ran a blazing 4.36-second 40-yard dash, combining elite speed with the traits of a reliable possession receiver and willing blocker in the running game, which clearly made him a Shanahan favorite during the pre-draft process.

While Ricky Pearsall and Mike Evans are entrenched at the top of the depth chart, Stribling should walk into camp as the No. 3 receiver in Brock Purdy’s target hierarchy and may eventually supplant Evans if his tape and traits translate at this level.

Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Carolina Panthers - After Panthers rising edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered a torn ACL in practice last week, the door was flung wide open for Umanmielen to carve out a meaningful role in Carolina’s pass rush rotation.

Umanmielen, 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, appeared in 16 games for the Panthers last season, while posting 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 13 tackles while playing only 222 total snaps.

The Panthers are going to need to make up for the production lost in Scourton’s absence, and Umanmielen’s elite bend, quick decision-making, and closing speed could make him the biggest benefactor, or at minimum, the first up to try to fill the void.

Jordan Hudson, WR, Dallas Cowboys - In CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys boast one of the most prolific wide receiver duos in the sport, and Hudson has the kind of traits to force his way into making it an explosive trio.

Hudson, 6-foot-1 and 199 pounds, has the frame of a No. 1 wide receiver, and checks into Oxnard this summer on the heels of catching 61 passes for 766 yards and six touchdowns last season at SMU.

The former five-star recruit coming out of high school ran a blazing 4.48-second 40-yard dash during the Mustangs’ Pro Day this spring, and his ability to stretch the field could make him a favorite to nail down the Cowboys’ slot receiver role in quarterback Dak Prescott’s supporting cast.

Gunnar Helm, TE - Tennessee Titans - Much of the optimism around the Titans is predicated on Cam Ward making a leap, and Helm may be the kind of reliable weapon who helps him get there.

As a rookie last season, the 6-foot-5 and 241-pound Helm caught 44 passes for 357 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as Ward produced a stellar 106.6 passer rating when targeting him. Helm’s big catch radius, especially on seam routes, and ability to run the deep post could push him even further up Ward’s target hierarchy.

Few positions can make more of a significant impact on a young quarterback’s development than a reliable pass-catching tight end, and Helm could be primed to parlay his connection with Ward that seemed to strengthen down the stretch in 2025 into a breakout 2026.

Nick Dawkins, G/C, Baltimore Ravens - During his collegiate career at Penn State, Dawkins wasn’t just one of the most dominant interior linemen in the nation but one of the Nittany Lions’ most respected leadership voices within the program.

A road grader in the running game, Dawkins’ 68.3 run-blocking grade was top-50 in the nation last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and the fact that he only allowed two sacks could be the kind of steadiness that pushes him up the depth chart in Baltimore.

As the Ravens look to replace stalwart center Tyler Linderbaum, who signed with the Raiders in free agency, Dawkins has the traits to push up the depth chart and the intangibles to win over a coaching staff when it comes time to make the difficult decisions when putting together the 53-man roster.

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