Steven Ruiz· Sep 3, 2026
Ruiz ranks the 20 best position groups in the NFL entering the 2026 season, topped by the Rams' defensive line, and picks the Broncos as owners of the league's best offensive line. He also suggests Bears tight end Colston Loveland could be the NFL's best tight end a year from now.
“With the Eagles taking a step back last season, it's time we pass the "best OL in the league" title off to a new line. The Broncos are my pick for the honor.”
published in writing · Fox Sports · read the original →
5 checkable claims — 4 position group rankings and 1 positional finishe — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
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Who this take is about
5 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Position Group RankingsSep 3, 2026
“4. Bengals Skill Players ... 8. Cowboys Skill Players ... 10. Lions Skill Players ... 11. Vikings Skill Players ... 13. Rams Skill Players ... 18. Bears Skill Players”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Position Group RankingsSep 3, 2026
“12. Texans Secondary ... 14. Eagles Secondary ... 15. Patriots Secondary ... 19. Broncos Secondary”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Position Group RankingsSep 3, 2026
“1. Rams Defensive Line ... 2. Texans Defensive Line ... 5. Seahawks Defensive Line ... 17. Steelers Defensive Line”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Colston Loveland to finish top 1 at his position, by receiving yards
“At this time next year, we could be talking about Loveland as the best tight end in the NFL.”
Too vague to check — we could not tell what would count as right.
- Position Group RankingsSep 3, 2026
“3. Broncos Offensive Line ... 6. Buccaneers Offensive Line ... 7. Eagles Offensive Line ... 9. Bills Offensive Line ... 16. Rams Offensive Line ... 20. Colts Offensive Line; "The Broncos are my pick for the honor" of best OL in the league”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Mike MoraitisDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0Moraitis writes that although Braxton Jones has looked like the favorite, Ozzy Trapilo is likely to take over as the Bears' starting left tackle once he's healthy enough to play.
- Pete MartuneacDepth Chart Calls · Ozzy TrapiloMiss · 0After Trapilo's activation from the PUP list roughly seven months after rupturing his patellar tendon, Martuneac says the Bears' left tackle competition is over and Trapilo will be starting at left tackle early in the 2026 season, even if not by Week 1.
- Eric CohenGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Cohen says the Bears win easily in Carolina, and that Tennessee starts 1-0 over a Jets team he considers the third-worst in the league.
- Gene ChamberlainScore Predictions · Chicago BearsClose · 57Chamberlain picks the Bears to beat the Panthers in Week 1 at Charlotte, 34-30, giving Chicago the edge in the run game, passing game, pass defense and coaching.
- Danny ParkinsGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Parkins picked the Giants to upset Dallas, the Steelers to beat Atlanta by two scores, the Bears to beat Carolina, the Bills to beat Houston and Denver to beat Kansas City outright; he also said Justin Herbert will win an MVP and had the Bengals as AFC North champs.
- Kirk HerbstreitGame Outcome Picks · Chicago BearsHit · 100Herbstreit made a full slate of Week 1 picks — Lions, Ravens, Bears, Bills, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Packers and Cowboys — and also said he still thinks Seattle is the team to beat in the NFC West.
More position group rankings
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Gregg RosenthalPosition Group RankingsClose · 75In a snake draft of the NFL's best position groups, Rosenthal took the Eagles' tackles as the No. 1 group in the league, followed by the Steelers' edge rushers, Bengals receivers, Texans corners, Lions safeties, Rams defensive tackles, Broncos corners, Chiefs quarterbacks, Patriots corners and Seahawks defensive tackles. He also rated Ja'Marr Chase a top-two receiver and A.J. Brown a top-five receiver.
- Nick ShookPosition Group RankingsMiss · 0Shook's picks in the best-position-group draft: Buccaneers receivers (over the Bengals), Lions tackles, Ravens tight ends, Steelers interior offensive line, Lions running backs, Giants edge rushers, Ravens safeties, Commanders quarterbacks, Lions defensive tackles and Texans safeties. He also called Jordan Addison one of the league's best No. 2 receivers.
- Brandon GrahamPosition Group RankingsMiss · 0Graham ranked his top five wide receiver duos with the Eagles first, and predicted Philadelphia returns to the Super Bowl, the Rams make the playoffs again, and picked the Commanders' duo over the Cowboys' new pairing.
- Kyle BrandtPosition Group RankingsClose · 40Kyle Brandt ranked his top five NFL wide receiver duos, deliberately excluding newly formed pairings, with Cincinnati first and Tampa Bay fifth.
- Jamie ErdahlPosition Group Rankings · Los Angeles RamsHit · 80Erdahl ranked her top five wide receiver duos, putting Philadelphia first, Detroit above Minnesota, and Cincinnati fifth.
- Isaiah StanbackPosition Group RankingsMiss · 25Stanback ranked his top five wide receiver duos, with Cincinnati first, Miami second and Philadelphia fifth, and also placed the Lions atop their division.