Thursday night got started exactly the way most people expected. The Las Vegas Raiders used the first overall pick to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and truthfully, there was never a serious debate about it. After winning the Heisman Trophy and guiding Indiana all the way to a national championship, Mendoza walks into Las Vegas as the face of the franchise from day one.
What makes him valuable is not flash — it is consistency. Mendoza is a polished pocket passer who processes the game quickly, delivers the ball accurately at every level of the field, and rarely makes the kind of mistakes that cost teams games. He will not wow anyone with scrambles or off-platform throws, but his football intelligence and pinpoint touch are qualities that translate directly to the NFL. He enters a division that includes Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix, so the competition is stiff — but the Raiders finally have someone worth building around.
2026 NFL Draft First-Round Picks: The Complete Round 1 Selection Order
Here is a full look at every pick from Thursday night’s opening round in Pittsburgh:
- Las Vegas Raiders — Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
- New York Jets — David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
- Arizona Cardinals — Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- Tennessee Titans — Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- New York Giants — Arvell Reese, EDGE/LB, Ohio State
- Kansas City Chiefs (from Browns) — Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
- Washington Commanders — Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
- New Orleans Saints — Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
- Cleveland Browns (from Chiefs) — Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
- New York Giants (from Bengals) — Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL)
- Dallas Cowboys (from Dolphins) — Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
- Miami Dolphins — Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
- Los Angeles Rams — Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
- Seattle Seahawks — Qu’Darius Price, RB, Notre Dame
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
- New York Jets — Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
- Detroit Lions — Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
- Minnesota Vikings — Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
- Carolina Panthers — Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
- Philadelphia Eagles (from Cowboys) — Makai Lemon, WR, USC
- Pittsburgh Steelers — Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
- Los Angeles Chargers — Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami (FL)
- Dallas Cowboys (from Eagles) — Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
- Cleveland Browns — (pick used in trade)
- Atlanta Falcons — (pick result pending)
- Houston Texans (from Bills) — Keylan Rutledge, OL, Georgia Tech
- Miami Dolphins (from 49ers) — Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
- New England Patriots (from Bills) — Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
- Kansas City Chiefs — Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
- New York Jets (from 49ers via Dolphins) — Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
- Tennessee Titans (from Bills) — Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
- Detroit Lions — (compensatory or traded pick)
NFL Draft 2026 Trade Tracker: Breaking Down All Eight First-Round Deals
Eight trades took place on Thursday night alone, making this one of the most active opening rounds in recent years. Here is a clear breakdown of every significant move and what it means going forward.
Chiefs trade up from No. 9 to No. 6 (with Browns): Kansas City surrendered picks 9, 74, and 148 to Cleveland in order to move up and secure LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. The motivation was straightforward — the Chiefs lost Trent McDuffie through a trade and watched Jaylen Watson walk out the door in free agency. Their secondary needed an immediate upgrade, and they made sure to get one.
Cowboys trade up from No. 12 to No. 11 (with Dolphins): Dallas sent picks 177 and 180 to Miami in exchange for moving up just one spot to draft Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. On the surface, it looks like a minor move — but for a Cowboys defense that gave up 30.1 points per game in 2025, locking in one of the most reliable prospects in the class without overpaying was smart business.
Eagles trade up from No. 23 to No. 20 (with Cowboys): Philadelphia parted with picks 114, 137, and a 2027 seventh-round pick to move three spots and grab USC wide receiver Makai Lemon. Given how strongly the rumor mill points toward an A.J. Brown trade in the coming weeks, this was less of an impulsive move and more of a calculated plan to protect the depth of their receiving corps.
Bills/Texans/Titans three-way swap: Buffalo traded pick 26 to Houston, received pick 28 in return, then flipped that pick to New England for pick 31 and a fourth-round selection, and finally sent pick 31 to Tennessee. The Titans used it to land Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk, while Buffalo walked away with picks 35, 66, and 101 to deploy on Day 2.
49ers-Dolphins-Jets chain: San Francisco slid back from pick 30 to pick 27 in a deal with Miami. The Dolphins then turned around and sent the 30th pick to the Jets, who used it to select Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and finalize a truly remarkable night that saw New York make three first-round selections in total.
Biggest Surprises of NFL Draft 2026: Picks Nobody Saw Coming
Most of Round 1 went according to script. However, a handful of moments had draft rooms and living rooms alike doing a double-take.
Ty Simpson to the Rams at No. 13: This was the single most shocking pick of the night. Simpson was widely projected to go somewhere in the late first round or early second round at best. The Rams selecting him at 13 — while Matthew Stafford, a 38-year-old reigning NFL MVP, is still under center and still in his prime — is a head-turning long-term bet. Los Angeles is clearly thinking about what happens after Stafford hangs it up. From a 2028 or 2029 planning standpoint, this makes a degree of sense. From a win-now standpoint in 2026, it raised more than a few eyebrows.
Notre Dame producing the first two running backs off the board: Jeremiyah Love went No. 3 overall to the Cardinals, and Qu’Darius Price was taken by Seattle at No. 14. The last time a single school produced the first two running backs taken in the same draft was back in 2008, when Arkansas sent Darren McFadden and Felix Jones into the first round together.
Ohio State putting four players in the top 11: Carnell Tate (No. 4, Titans), Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants), Sonny Styles (No. 7, Commanders), and Caleb Downs (No. 11, Cowboys) all came off the board before the first 11 picks were done. That kind of concentrated first-round representation from a single school in a single draft is genuinely rare.
Carnell Tate landing at No. 4: Tate was a consensus top-10 prospect, but the fourth overall pick was earlier than nearly anyone had him projected. Most evaluators had him pegged somewhere in the 8–12 range. The Titans moved before someone else could.
NFL Draft Winners and Losers 2026: Who Made the Most of Round 1?
Winner — New York Giants: Coming off the Dexter Lawrence trade with Cincinnati, the Giants held two picks in the top 10 and made both of them count. Arvell Reese at No. 5 is a rare athlete who can line up at multiple spots on defense and has the speed and instincts to make an instant impact. Francis Mauigoa at No. 10 solves a long-standing problem on the offensive line. Two real needs filled, no drama, no questionable reaches.
Winner — New York Jets: Using three first-round picks in one night can look like desperation. In this case, it looked like a plan. David Bailey at No. 2 is a legitimate pass-rusher fresh off posting 14.5 sacks. Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 is the top tight end in the class. Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30 gives Geno Smith a strong, versatile weapon on the perimeter. The Jets addressed their roster in a meaningful and targeted way.
Winner — Dallas Cowboys: Dallas came into the draft needing help on defense. They left with Caleb Downs — a cerebral, versatile safety who thrives in multiple coverages — and Malachi Lawrence, a high-motor edge rusher who can develop into a reliable starter. On top of that, they collected future picks while facilitating Philadelphia’s trade-up. That is a productive evening by any standard.
Loser — Los Angeles Rams: Drafting for the future is not inherently wrong. Drafting Ty Simpson at No. 13 when you are paying Matthew Stafford as a contender and handing him MVP-caliber support is a complicated message to send. The Rams did not get measurably better in the short term, and in a competitive NFC, that matters.
Loser — New England Patriots: Caleb Lomu is a legitimate prospect who addresses a genuine need — Drake Maye took far too many hits last year behind a shaky offensive line. But the Patriots now have a starting tackle question that did not previously exist. Does Lomu start? Does Will Campbell move? The uncertainty at that position could be disruptive during the early weeks of camp.
2026 NFL Draft Team-by-Team Grades: A Quick Report Card After Round 1
Las Vegas Raiders — A: Secured their franchise quarterback cleanly, without trading up or creating drama. Mendoza was the right pick and they got him. Simple as that.
Kansas City Chiefs — A-: Filling two defensive holes in a single round — cornerback and defensive tackle — was the right priority after a disrupted secondary. The only thing missing was an offensive playmaker to help Mahomes.
New York Giants — A: Clean execution, two starters, zero wasted picks. General manager Joe Schoen had a very good night.
New York Jets — B+: Three first-round picks used on three genuine needs. The execution was sharp. Whether the talent translates in year one will determine how this grade ages.
Los Angeles Rams — C+: Logical long-term thinking, awkward short-term positioning. For a contender, that is a difficult trade-off to accept.
Philadelphia Eagles — B: Makai Lemon is a quality receiver and a Biletnikoff Award winner. The cost of moving up three spots was a bit steep, but Howie Roseman tends to know what he is doing.
Top NFL Draft Steals of 2026: Which Round 1 Picks Were the Best Value?
Three picks from Thursday night deserve extra attention as potential steals once the full picture of this draft class comes into focus.
Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Tennessee Titans (No. 31): Several analysts had Faulk graded as a mid-to-late first-round talent before the draft. He brings immediate value in run defense and has real upside as a pass rusher at the NFL level. Getting that kind of profile with the 31st pick is precisely the kind of value that separates good drafting teams from great ones.
Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 22): Mesidor was productive against top competition all season, including during the College Football Playoff. He slipped down the board largely because of his age — he will turn 26 this fall — but his readiness to contribute immediately was exactly why the Chargers were not going to let him slide further.
Arvell Reese, EDGE/LB, New York Giants (No. 5): This is not a traditional steal in terms of draft position, but the argument can be made that Reese’s combination of size, speed, and positional versatility made him a top-three conversation. The Giants got him at five. That is good value at a premium pick.
FAQ:
Q.1. Who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Ans: The Las Vegas Raiders took Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza first overall. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and delivered a national championship to Indiana before making the jump to the NFL as Las Vegas’s new franchise signal-caller.
Q.2. How many trades took place during Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft?
Ans: Eight trades were completed across Thursday night’s first round. The headline moves included Kansas City trading up to No. 6 for Mansoor Delane, Dallas moving up one spot to land Caleb Downs, and Philadelphia trading up to pick Makai Lemon at No. 20.
Q.3. What were the biggest surprises from the 2026 NFL Draft’s first round?
Ans: The Rams taking Ty Simpson at No. 13 was the pick that generated the most conversation. Ohio State placing four players in the top 11 picks was historically significant, and Notre Dame producing the first two running backs selected was another story that drew attention.
Q.4. When does Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft begin?
Ans: Rounds 2 and 3 are taking place on Friday, April 24, 2026. The draft wraps up with Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday, April 25.
Q.5. Which team performed best in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft?
Ans: The New York Giants and New York Jets both made compelling cases. The Giants filled two clear positional needs with high-quality players and zero wasted capital, while the Jets used three picks to systematically address their most pressing roster gaps.
What to Watch When Day 2 Gets Underway
With the first round settled, attention now turns to a strong pool of prospects still available as Friday’s Rounds 2 and 3 get started. Teams with significant draft capital heading into the day — particularly the Jets, Browns, and Bills — will be worth watching closely as they look to stretch the value of a busy Thursday night. The A.J. Brown trade situation in Philadelphia also continues to hang over the proceedings; if that deal happens, Makai Lemon’s early role in the Eagles offense changes substantially.
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