The first round of the 2026 NFL draft had a little bit of everything. It had locks, it had players falling farther than anyone thought they would, and even an early quarterback surprise. With a pretty dry quarterback class this year, it left a lot of unknowns about where certain premium position players would go. For example, so many teams needed an edge rusher, with pass rush becoming such an important part of the league these days. Wide receivers were also at a premium, with not many of the highest quality ones available. It was a heavy draft for the trenches as well. A lot of offensive tackles and defensive linemen were picked in the first round.
No one was surprised that the Raiders chose to go with Fernando Mendoza at number one overall. He is sure to be dedicated to his team and should be a stud in the league. There was also no surprise at number two, where the Jets took David Bailey, an edge rusher out of Texas Tech. He had been trending up lots lately and looks the part of being a difference maker for them.
The first real surprise was the Arizona Cardinals taking a running back at pick number three. Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame was who they took at pick three. He looks to be a generational running back prospect, but many didn’t expect him to go to the Cardinals at three due to the nature of the running back position and how replaceable they are.
Another surprise came at four when the Titans decided to go with Carnell Tate. It was also a consensus that he’d go in the top 10, but most people had them taking Love, who was already gone, so they had to pivot. They still got a stud wide receiver out of Ohio State, who always produces high-end wide receivers.
The Giants made what looked to be a head-scratching move to many by taking Arvell Reese with the fifth overall pick. They took Abdul Carter in the first round last year, along with having Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibideaux at that same position still. The thought was that they would take Caleb Downs to solidify their defensive back group, but they thought Reese was a better choice for their team at this time. The first trade of the draft came when the Chiefs traded up to pick 6 with the Browns to select cornerback Mansoor Delane. The pick comes from a team that needed a defensive back in the draft.
The first player that really fell in the draft was Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. Many believe that he could be the best player in the class overall. He’s such a dynamic playmaker and can play anywhere on the field. The Cowboys had to trade up one spot with the Dolphins to grab him. All they ended up having to give up was two-fifth-round picks. Another player that fell was Miami edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. He was a superstar for Miami last year on their run to the title game. He was expected to go in the top 10 but fell to the Buccaneers at number 15.
The most surprising pick of the draft was when the Los Angeles Rams decided to pick up Alabama QB Ty Simpson at 13th overall. Even though they still have reigning MVP Matthew Stafford, they decided to go and pick for the future at the QB position and let him learn under Stafford. Not many expected the Rams to go QB early; many other teams probably thought they had a shot at grabbing him with picks into the twenties. Overall, we will see if it was a good pick based on how he develops and when he plays eventually.
