2026 NFL draft risers: Seven prospects climbing boards - ESPN

During a discussion last season about putting a scouting staff together, Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters revealed the timetable on how an NFL draft board is constructed.

«You're building it, essentially, for a year every year,» Peters said. «From the spring to the season to the combine, pro days, visits and back around to the next spring, when the scouts are looking at the calendar to see the first places they're going to go. The real movement for players and grades in that time probably comes long before people might think it does.»

That makes the concept of a March «riser» rarer than a no-doubt franchise quarterback. The actual rise of a prospect up draft boards is a multi-month process that consists of on-field production and predraft work.

With the 2026 NFL draft less than two weeks away, we identified seven players who have gained the most ground since the beginning of the 2025 season. Last year's list included two first-round offensive linemen in Armand Membou (No. 7, New York Jets) and Grey Zabel (No. 18, Seattle Seahawks). Here are the top risers in 2026, starting with one of the best offensive tackle prospects in this class.

Scouts Inc. ranking: No. 14

How far he climbed boards: Freeling opened his first season as a full-time starter labeled as a potential Day 2 pick by many scouts simply because of his measurables (6-foot-7, 315 pounds). But he's now a solid first-rounder after making 13 starts last season, holding up well against SEC pass rushers and presenting some high-quality work in the predraft windup.

Turning point: Scouts who monitor the SEC said they could see Freeling's pass-protection technique improve in real time. His hand placement got better throughout the season against some of