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The NFL's 2026 Draft Hats Have Arrived, and They Finally Nailed It

In the past, New Era’s annual draft caps have been subject to some scrutiny.
Mike Kadlick|
The NFL and New Era's annual draft hats have been subject to some controversy in the past.
The NFL and New Era's annual draft hats have been subject to some controversy in the past. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Each year, the NFL partners with New Era to develop draft caps for all 32 teams—and each year, like clockwork, said hats are met with an abundance of scrutiny. Between quirky pins, awkward word marks, and designs that have served as eye sores rather than eye openers, it’s been a rough go of it on the draft hat front, and fans haven’t been shy about sharing their thoughts.

This year, however, the league shouldn’t have to worry about any pushback—because they’ve absolutely nailed the 2026 design.

As shared by Ari Meirov on X (formerly Twitter), the NFL unveiled its draft cap collection on Monday that players will wear upon being selected, and fans are able to purchase. They’ve decided to keep it simple, with the team’s primary color on the base of the hat and their secondary color on the brim, with an appropriately shaped logo on the front and an NFL draft pin attached to the top.

Check them out:

In years past, New Era has made a conscious effort to pay homage to each team's home cities on its hats, but the added flair often felt more like a distraction than a delight. Instead of scrapping this in 2026, however, they instead refined it—keeping each team's caps individuality while simply tucking those details onto the inside.

Needless to say, it worked. Here are a few examples:

Perfection.

Now, fans can purchase these limited-edition caps without getting side-eyed in public, and players can wear them beyond their draft-night celebrations—while still carrying the uniqueness of their team's cities inside.

As the Navy first said in 1960: Keep it simple, stupid.

The 2026 NFL draft begins on Thursday, April 23 and runs through Saturday, April 25.

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Mike Kadlick
MIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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