NFL Draft 2026: Winners and losers from the 1st round

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft wasn’t lacking when it came to surprises. Trades galore dominated the first round, with eight trades deals being executed on Thursday night, and six teams making multiple first-round picks as a result of these deals.

It was a truly stunning evening of highs and lows, with some teams absolutely destroying the draft process in the best way by finding incredible value, while others were left to shake their heads over what could have been.

Winner: Literally everyone in the NFC East

At first this was just going to be about the Giants’ incredible haul, but as the draft progressed we saw everyone in the division kill it.

New York Giants: Sitting on two Top 10 picks doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion you’re going to do well with your picks, but my goodness did the Giants cook in the first round. They got Arvell Reese, the No. 1 player on our big board at No. 5 thanks to an assist by some earlier chaos, then came back around at No. 10 to get the top-ranked offensive tackle. It addresses both sides of the ball in different ways, leaning pure BPA with Reese and worrying about how all these pass rushers will fit later, and then the much-needed blocking that Jaxson Dart needs in Francis Mauigoa. These picks make the Dexter Lawrence trade worth it, several times over.

Dallas Cowboys: The only knock I can really put on the Cowboys is that I think they should have put the screws to Philly a little more in their trade, but still just a killer draft in Dallas. Caleb Downs is my personal favorite player in this class, who I think can be a transformative player in the entire NFL, not just in Dallas. I’m less of a fan of the Malachi Lawrence pick at No. 23 — but I see the vision. Overall these two guys will significantly add to the defense and picked up some bonus fourth-rounders from the Eagles in the process.

Philadelphia Eagles: Getting Makai Lemon at No. 20 is just filthy, and it’s not like they needed the mid-round picks to bolster the back-end of the roster. Sure, pass rusher was more of a pressing need — but this is immediate insurance for when they eventually trade away A.J. Brown. Lemon is an elite slot receiver and will complement DeVonta Smith perfectly. Also, you get major troll points for jumping the Steelers during a draft in Pittsburgh for some good in-state hatred.

Washington Commanders: This was by no means the flashiest 1st round in the division, but getting Sonny Styles at No. 7 is just great work. Styles’ length and athleticism will quickly make him one of the best box linebackers in the NFL against the pass, and he’s an incredibly reliable tackler. The Commanders have needed a captain of the defense to be an extension of the coaching staff on the field, and Styles fits that bill to a tee. We honestly thought he’d come off the board a lot sooner — so this is a home run.

Winner: Cleveland Browns

I really, really like what the Browns did with their two picks in the first round. Sure, they didn’t get much of a return in the trade with Kansas City — but if you look at all the 1st round deals, nobody really got great value. This was a draft where getting something for moving down was better than nothing, and it worked out for Cleveland. Picking Spencer Fano at No. 9 was the right area for him to go, and while he might lack the versatility of Francis Mauigoa I understand the vision.

Landing KC Concepcion at No. 24 was the coup in my book. Concepcion is never going to be a No. 1 receiver as far as I’m concerned, but I think he could become the best No. 2 receiver in the entire NFL in not very long. You take him now and then pair him with a true No. 1 via the 2027 draft, free agency, or trade — man, that is going to be an offense to watch.

Winner: Ty Simpson

There were so many places that Ty Simpson could have gone in this draft, but the consensus was broadly that he was going to go in the early part of the second round, or a team in that range would jump into the late 20s to get him with the fifth-year option. If that was the Cardinals or the Jets, fine — but he would have walked into a horrible situation where it would be asked of him to turn the franchise around immediately.

Instead not only does he go No. 13 overall, significantly upgrading his pay and stature, but he goes to the freaking Los Angeles Rams. Any possibility of Simpson to the Rams appeared to die when the team traded away the No. 29 pick for Trent McDuffie. Now the former Alabama QB lands inside an organization that knows how to develop quarterbacks, on a contender, in a position where he can sit behind Matthew Stafford and learn the game until the veteran retires.

It’s the best scenario for a first-round quarterback … maybe ever. Sure you can point to Aaron Rodgers and then Jordan Love, but neither Brett Favre nor Rodgers himself were happy to be tutors. Meanwhile, the Rams got Stafford’s blessing to make the pick; he’ll be there to assist, and Simpson is being afforded the best opportunity to succeed. Good for him.

Winner: Peter Woods’ draft room

We can only aspire to be as cool as everyone at Peter Woods’ draft party.

Loser: New York Jets

I know it’s low-hanging fruit to dump on the Jets, but I hated the value they got out of their THREE first-round picks this year. I understand wanting steady and reliable at EDGE being a justification for taking David Bailey over the field at No. 2, but that doesn’t mean he’s a No. 2 overall caliber pass rusher. Bailey doesn’t have great size or power, making him more of a finesse rusher — which typically has failed at the NFL level outside of very few, very special guys.

At No. 16 I like Kenyon Sadiq, but I don’t love Kenyon Sadiq in this situation. This is a tight end who is best as a tertiary offensive threat on a team with solid receivers and quarterback locked. Without those, I just don’t know. Sadiq is a below-average blocker, and fills the big-slot role more than a traditional tight end. I think he can be very good, but this smells a little too much like a luxury pick.

Getting Omar Cooper Jr. is the pick of the three where I felt the value and pick more or less matched. Still, I don’t really know how he fits into this picture with Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Mason Taylor, and now Kenyon Sadiq. It’s been reported that the Jets were high on drafting from “winning cultures,” but man … when has drafted that way ever worked before?

When the dust settles the team landed Bailey, Sadiq, and Cooper Jr.
They could have had Arvell Reese, Makai Lemon, and Jermod McCoy (or Aveion Terrell if you’re scared), then could have gotten someone like Eli Stowers in the second in they really wanted that athletic, hybrid TE.

Loser: Arizona Cardinals

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Jeremiyah Love — but I hate the positional value here. Did we not learn anything from the Raiders taking Ashton Jeanty last year with so many holes, then run it back to be the worst team in football? Without a solid offensive line I don’t know how Love can be an impact player in Arizona, and this offensive line in front of him is a mess.

The obvious choice would have been to accept that the time wasn’t right for a running back, and looked to address a more glaring need. Arvell Reese would have been a nice hybrid pick, Sonny Styles could anchor the middle — someone to get some results quickly.

As it stands the Cardinals feel like a team already in tank mode as they hope to find their QB next year, but they still won’t have an offensive line.

Loser: Miami Dolphins

Proof that not all teams with multiple first-round picks get high grades, the Dolphins meandered their way through this draft and got two players who I really don’t like for them. Kadyn Proctor looks every bit of an Alabama offensive tackle, and that’s not a good thing. Look at JC Lathan, Evan Neal, Alex Leatherwood … there’s a pattern here of these massive, technically raw offensive tackles who are incredible physical specimens that then bust. Proctor seems cut from the same cloth, and it made even less sense with the board shaping up as it did.

Chris Johnson was a late riser who got a lot of buzz after it was revealed Jermod McCoy might need knee surgery again. I don’t see the vision here. It’s been said that Johnson is scheme-versatile, but I think this is a nice way of saying he’s too much of a tweener. I don’t see the speed, size, or fluidity for him to be a starting-caliber outside corner, though he could be a very good Nickel. Either way, I think this was another reach.

You spent the money to land Malik Willis in free agency. That was very smart! Then you follow with an exceptionally dumb draft that gets him no high-end weapons. Make this make sense.

Rapid fire reaches and steals

• Titans select WR Carnell Tate at No. 4 — reach
• Buccaneers select DE Rueben Bain Jr. at No. 15 — steal
• Vikings select DT Caleb Banks at No. 18 — reach
• Bears select S Dillon Thieneman at No. 25 — steal
• Chiefs select DT Peter Woods at No. 29 — steal