The 2026 NFL Draft has finally arrived! Pittsburgh is the spot for the next three days as the latest group of prospects will have their pro football dreams come true. TeamFB7 will bring you live updates and analysis of all 32 picks in Round 1.
The 2026 NFL Draft gets underway Thursday night in Pittsburgh with first round taking place on the first of three days at Acrisure Stadium in the Steel City.
Follow along for live updates, commentary and anaylsis.
TeamFB7 will track all the picks and trades plus provide analysis throughout the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft. There will be plenty of top storylines to follow Thursday evening, so buckle up for an exciting night.
2026 NFL Draft Previews: Las Vegas Raiders | New York Jets | Arizona Cardinals | Tennessee Titans | New York Giants | Cleveland Browns | Washington Commanders | New Orleans Saints | Kansas City Chiefs | Miami Dolphins | Dallas Cowboys | Los Angeles Rams | Baltimore Ravens | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Detroit Lions | Minnesota Vikings | Carolina Panthers | Pittsburgh Steelers | Los Angeles Chargers | Philadelphia Eagles | Chicago Bears | Buffalo Bills | San Francisco 49ers | Houston Texans | New England Patriots | Seattle Seahawks
Live Commentary/Analysis
It’s official — no surprise as Raiders take QB Fernando Mendoza No. 1
The only sure thing in this draft is now officially official.
Mendoza is absolutely the quarterback a franchise and fan base can be excited to build a team around as the Raiders begin their latest rebuild with the Heisman Trophy winner out of Indiana.
Mendoza chose not to attend the draft and celebrate the moment at home in South Florida with his family.
Mendoza joins an exclusive group of Heisman Trophy winners to lead their team to the national championship and then go No. 1 overall in the draft.
We can only hope Mendoza’s youngest brother doesn’t get the full meme treatment for being left hanging here on the celebration!
Now the real intrigue and suspense begins …
Jets Take EDGE David Bailey At No. 2
Bailey was our recommendation for this pick in our pre-draft analysis series — a true Day 1 impact force at edge rusher is what the Jets needed the most.
The 6-foot-3, 251-pound Bailey had 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks in an All-American season for Texas Tech last year. There are questions about his bend, but he flashes in plenty of other ways.
Cardinals Make Jeremiyah Love The First RB Drafted Top 5 Since Saquon Barkley in 2018
Wow. Wow. Wow.
We heard the buzz, sure, but the Cardinals have so many needs as they begin a total reset/rebuild that taking a running back at No. 3 — just the sixth RB to go top-5 in the last 21 years — feels like the wrong move.
That’s no knock on Love. He’s the real deal and will most likely have an excellent NFL career — but using premium draft capital on a RB should be the final piece to a puzzle and not one of the first pieces to a rebuild.
We broke down in-depth how that move has rarely worked out historically.
Also, they paid for free agent running back Tyler Allgeier (2 years, $12.25 million) to pair with incumbent James Conner, so this couldn’t have been their plan all along.
Simply wild. This could shake up the entire first round.
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate Goes No. 4 To Titans
Again, this feels too high. We thought the Titans needed an edge rusher, and passing on Tate’s Ohio State teammate, EDGE/LB Arvell Reese.
We thought Tate would be the third of the four Buckeyes first-rounders to come off the board after Reese and linebacker Sonny Styles.
This is another surprise, especially with defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh taking over the Titans rebuild.
But Tate will be useful, for sure. He’ll pair with Calvin Ridley and free agent signing Wan’Dale Robinson atop the depth chart at wide receiver as 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward gets a major upgrade in playmakers to target after a blah rookie season while being put in a tough situation.
New York Giants Benefit From Draft Surprises, Land Arvell Reese At No. 5
Our pre-draft recommendation for the Giants was to take Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 5, but that was with the assumption that there was no way his Buckeyes teammate Reese would still be on the board.
The Giants are the first beneficiaries of this draft after Titans’ surprise move to take WR Carnell Tate one pick earlier.
There was question leading up to the draft if Reese would ultimately settle as an off-ball linebacker or an EDGE rusher — he worked out as both at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Giants have a bigger need at linebacker and Reese is an ideal fit.
TRADE: Chiefs Move Up To No. 6, Take CB Mansoor Delane
We have our first draft-day trade!
The Kansas City Chiefs trade up three picks with the Cleveland Browns for the No. 6 selection, sending No. 9, No. 74 and No. 148 to the Browns.
After trading top cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams and losing their other top cornerback Jaylen Watson in free agency to the Rams, the Chiefs didn’t want to take a chance on missing out on their priority target and grab the consensus No. 1 CB in the draft in LSU star Mansoor Delane.
This is the player we thought the Chiefs should and would take — we just didn’t know they’d need to trade up to get him. But it’s the right selection for Kansas City.
Delane was stifling in coverage.
PFF graded him 3rd (90.5) out of 897 qualifying cornerbacks in college football last season. Per PFF, he allowed just 14 receptions all season while allowing a 31.3 passer rating when targeted, with 2 INTs, 11 passes defended and 45 tackles. He had 4 INTs in 2024 for Virginia Tech.
Washington Commanders Are Big Winners With LB Sonny Styles At No. 7
The Commanders are our second big winner of this draft board. They couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome than Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles falling to them at No. 7.
Washington’s entire offseason focus has been getting younger and faster on defense, and that middle linebacker spot was the lingering question mark after the Commanders let veteran leading tackler Bobby Wagner become a free agent.
We noted that Styles would be the dream pick for coach Dan Quinn’s defense, but we didn’t think the Commanders would get a shot to take him.
That makes three Ohio State Buckeyes drafted in the last four picks.
New Orleans Saints Get Much-Needed WR At No. 8 With Jordyn Tyson
We broke it down in no uncertain terms that the Saints absolutely needed to take a wide receiver with its first-round pick, and indeed that’s the route they go with Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.
The Saints had one of the thinnest WR depth charts in the league behind No. 1 WR Chris Olave, and now they potentially have one of the better top tandems at the position.
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Tyson had 61 catches for 711 yards and 8 TDs in nine games last fall for the Sun Devils after exploding for 75-1,101-10 in 2024.
The Run On Offensive Tackles Begins!
Neither the Cleveland Browns, after trading down from No. 6 to No. 9, nor the New York Giants, with the No. 10 pick they acquired from the Bengals this week, needed any time to think about their picks here.
Both quickly turned in draft cards for the first two offensive tackles selected, with the Browns taking Utah’s Spencer Fano and the Giants taking Miami’s Francis Mauigoa.
The Browns prioritized pulling off a total makeover on the offensive line this offseason, signing former Chargers left guard Zion Johnson (3 years, $49.5 million) and former Packers center Elgton Jenkins (2 years, $24 million), trading a fifth-round pick to the Texans for right tackle Tytus Howard and re-signing right guard Teven Jenkins (1 year, $4 million).
They have Dawand Jones back at left tackle, but he’s been limited to 11, 10 and 3 games his first three seasons due to injuries. Cleveland decided not to leave itself vulnerable to more of the same and added Fano, who also has the potential to play guard.
Meanwhile, the Giants going for an offensive tackle was more of a surprise as they return both starting tackles in Andrew Thomas (ranked the 4th best OT in the NFL last season by PFF) and Jermaine Eluemunor (ranked 54th out of 89 OTs). Thomas is in the middle of a five-year, $117.5-million contract that runs through 2029, and Eluemunor just got a new three-year, $39-million contract.
So this is a true stunner.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants plan to slot Mauigoa at right guard to start out, where sure, he’ll be an upgrade over Daniel Faalele, who is on a cheap one-year contract and moves to a reserve role. That’s a high price to pay for a right guard, though.
We really thought the Giants would — and should — double-down on defense and take safety Caleb Downs.
TRADE: Cowboys Flip Picks With Dolphins, Take S Caleb Downs
The Cowboys traded two fifth-round picks to flip spots with the Dolphins and move up one pick to make sure they got their guy — Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
Excellent pick for a defense that needs difference-makers, and that’s what Downs was as a two-time All-American for the Buckeyes. Many feel he’s not only the best safety in this draft, but the best to come along in years (since Kyle Hamilton to the Ravens).
This is simply incredible value for Dallas.
In turn, the Dolphins took Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor, which makes fine sense for a team that totally stripped down its roster this offseason to begin a full rebuild. Starting with an anchor left tackle is sensible.
STUNNER: Los Angeles Rams Draft QB Ty Simpson No. 13
Well, we didn’t see this coming!
The question entering the day was whether Ty Simpson would got in the first round at all — maybe to the Jets or the Cardinals trading back into the first round. But the Rams?
The Rams are all-in on winning the Super Bowl this year — or were. It made all the sense in the world to get the third WR they needed for reigning MVP QB Matthew Stafford and take USC’s Makai Lemon here — a perfect fit who could have been a major weapon out of the slot with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the outside.
Instead, they mortgage the present to plan for the future? For a QB who wasn’t even in incredible demand with teams seemingly split on his NFL upside?
We don’t like this move at all. Sure, Stafford is 38 years old and operating year to year right now, but still, the Rams had a chance to complete their 2026 roster puzzle and double-down on what already might be the best offense in the NFL.
This pick can’t truly be evaluated for a few years, obviously. Maybe it proves to be a shrewd move long-term.
Ravens Bolster OL With Coveted OG Olaivavega Ioane
Spencer Fano was viewed as a versatile tackle/guard, the Giants are apparently moving Miami left tackle Francis Mauigoa to right guard (at least initially), but the best true guard in this draft was Olaivavega Ioane.
We thought the Ravens’ biggest need was at wide receiver, and with USC’s Makai Lemon still on the board that would have been a nice value pick here to give Lamar Jackson another high-upside target. But we can’t fault this pick.
The Ravens are set at offensive tackle with well-regarded bookends Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten under contract through 2027 and signed free agent guard John Simpson for 3 years and $30 million. They could have gone into 2026 with incumbent Andrew Vorhees remaining at the other guard spot, but Ioane is a clear upgrade and now becomes an anchor on the interior for Baltimore for perhaps the next decade-plus.
Also, this is another shot across the bow in the rivalry with the Steelers, who badly coveted Ioane at No. 21.
Buccaneers Another Draft Winner With EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
In our draft preview for the Bucs, we made clear that finding an elite edge rusher was the best possible outcome for the team, but we didn’t think Bain would still be on the board.
The Buccaneers are our next big winner in this draft for being able to address their biggest need with an ideal option that shouldn’t have still been on the board at No. 15.
Bain became one of the hardest prospects in the draft to project, so Tampa Bay couldn’t have been certain he’d be on the board for them. But he was clearly the cut-off of the Tier 1 edge rushers before a drop-off to the next group.
Bain was the engine of the elite defense that led Miami to the national championship game. Great get for Tampa Bay.
Tight End Kenyon Sadiq A Fun Fit For New York Jets
After going defense with the No. 2 overall pick, the Jets add a foundational offensive piece at No. 16 with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq — the far-and-away consensus top TE in the draft.
Pair Sadiq with star running back Breece Hall and impressive wide receiver Garrett Wilson and suddenly one of the worst offenses in the NFL has some fresh upside in 2026, even with veteran Geno Smith a mere placeholder at quarterback.
Lions Bolster O-Line With Clemson’s OT Blake Miller
Well, we had the position right but the pick wrong.
The Lions needed an edge rusher, but we knew they wouldn’t have a shot at the top tier guys (Bailey, Reese, Bain), so offensive tackle made the most sense. We thought Georgia’s Monroe Freeling, a pre-draft fast-riser coming off a breakout 2025 season, was the best pick in that regard, but the Lions went with a more experienced offensive tackle in four-year starter Blake Miller.
No qualms with that.
Vikings Deliver Second-Biggest Surprise Of Draft
This one might be an even bigger surprise than the Rams taking QB Ty Simpson.
There was absolutely some debate as to who was the top defensive tackle in the draft, but few noted draft analysts would have said it was Florida’s Caleb Banks. Also, this was mighty early in the draft to take a defensive tackle — especially one undermined by a concerning foot injury last year.
But what do we know?
Panthers Take OT Monroe Freeling
There he is. We love the upside of the 6-foot-7, 315-pound Freeling, even if he only started one season at Georgia. That’s the reason he fell in the draft, but he created a lot of buzz at the NFL Scouting Combine after showcasing his top-end athleticism.
We thought the Panthers should have gone wide receiver here, but Freeling is a local prospect from the Carolinas and a good value at this pick.
TRADE: Eagles Move Up 3 Picks To Take WR Makai Lemon
The Eagles and rival Cowboys pulled off a trade with Philadelphia moving up from No. 23 to No. 20 and getting the best value left on the board — USC WR Makai Lemon.
The Cowboys get picks No. 23, No. 114 and No. 137.
With the expectation that disgruntled star WR A.J. Brown is traded after June 1, the Eagles had already signed free agent Hollywood Brown and traded for former Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks. But neither of those is a true No. 2 complement to DeVonta Smith.
Lemon certainly is. We couldn’t love this pick more.
The USC star won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top pass-catcher with 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 TDs. He’s a tenacious competitor in the mold of the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown or the Rams’ Puka Nacua in that he plays with relentless physicality, is an exceptional route runner, has elite hands and top-end yards-after-the catch ability.
Great move for the Eagles.
Steelers Don’t Get The OG They Need But Go OL Regardless
Most every draft pundit was in agreement that the ideal outcome for the Steelers in this draft was getting Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane to replace standout left guard Isaac Seumalo, who signed with the Cardinals in free agency, but the rival Ravens didn’t let that happen — taking Ioane far earlier than most expected.
Pittsburgh nonetheless invested in the offensive line with its No. 21 pick, taking Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor. That comes after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier in the day that Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones had a setback in his recovery from a neck injury that could threaten his availability for the start of the season.
Iheanachor is an interesting pick in that regard, though, as he is considered one of the more raw offensive tackle prospects in the draft — but with high upside. His family moved from Nigeria when he was in high school and he was a basketball player initially before getting an invite to East Los Angeles College to try his hand at football. He then transferred to Arizona State and developed into a really impressive right tackle there.
Chargers, Cowboys Start Run On Second-Tier Edge Rushers
The next group of edge rushers is starting to come off the board as the Chargers took Miami’s Akheem Mesidor and the Cowboys grabbed UCF’s Malachi Lawrence at picks 22 and 23.
The Chargers were likely to take an EDGE after losing Odafe Oweh in free agency to the Commanders, and Mesidor is viewed as a high-floor plug-and-play Day 1 contributor as he’s already 25 years old. He teamed with Rueben Bain Jr. to lead Miami’s elite defense to the national championship game with 63 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles.
It’s a logical pick for the Chargers as Mesidor can learn from veteran Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu.
Lawrence, meanwhile, goes a little higher than most projected, but he consistently produced at UCF with 19.5 sacks over the last three seasons.
Dallas needed help all over the defense and comes away with two intriguing selections in the first round in Downs and Lawrence.
Cleveland Browns Get WR They Badly Needed
Many thought the Browns might go wide receiver with their first pick, but they made a strong selection in OT Spencer Fano after trading back from No. 6 to No. 9. And they still get a high-upside wide receiver at No. 24 in Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion.
That’s a win-win. We’ve been critical of Browns general manager Andrew Berry (with good reason!), but that’s nice management of the first round for Cleveland.
The Browns had one of the thinnest WR depth charts in the NFL with Jerry Jeudy and a weak supporting cast. Concepcion should be a high-volume weapon out of the slot (61 catches for 919 yards and 9 TDs for the Aggies last season) and help the team as a kick returner (2 punt return TDs in 2025).
Bears Get Great Value At No. 25 In Safety Dillon Thieneman
We had safety as the Bears’ No. 2 need behind edge rusher, but the value at pick No. 25 was to pounce on Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, the consensus No. 2 prospect at the position.
2026 NFL Draft First Round Selections
| PICK | TEAM | NAME | POSITION | COLLEGE |
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | Fernando Mendoza | QB | Indiana |
| 2 | New York Jets | David Bailey | EDGE | Texas Tech |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Jeremiyah Love | RB | Notre Dame |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans | Carnell Tate | WR | Ohio State |
| 5 | New York Giants | Arvell Reese | LB | Ohio State |
| 6 | *Kansas City Chiefs (via Browns) | Mansoor Delane | CB | LSU |
| 7 | Washington Commanders | Sonny Styles | LB | Ohio State |
| 8 | New Orleans Saints | Jordyn Tyson | WR | Arizona State |
| 9 | *Cleveland Browns (via Chiefs) | Spencer Fano | OT | Utah |
| 10 | New York Giants (via Bengals) | Francis Mauigoa | OT | Miami |
| 11 | *Dallas Cowboys (via Dolphins) | Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State |
| 12 | *Miami Dolphins (via Cowboys) | Kadyn Proctor | OT | Alabama |
| 13 | Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons) | Ty Simpson | QB | Alabama |
| 14 | Baltimore Ravens | Olaivavega Ioane | OG | Penn State |
| 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rueben Bain Jr. | EDGE | Miami |
| 16 | New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts) | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | New York Jets |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | Blake Miller | OT | Clemson |
| 18 | Minnesota Vikings | Caleb Banks | DT | Florida |
| 19 | Carolina Panthers | Monroe Freeling | OT | Georgia |
| 20 | *Philadelphia Eagles (via Cowboys) | Makai Lemon | WR | USC |
| 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Max Iheanachor | OT | Arizona State |
| 22 | Los Angeles Chargers | Akheem Mesidor | EDGE | Miami |
| 23 | *Dallas Cowboys (via Eagles) | Malachi Lawrence | EDGE | UCF |
| 24 | Cleveland Browns (via Jacksonville Jaguars) | KC Concepcion | WR | Texas A&M |
| 25 | Chicago Bears | Dillon Thieneman | S | Oregon |
| 26 | *Houston Texans (via Bills) | Keylan Rutledge | OG | Georgia Tech |
| 27 | *Miami Dolphins (via 49ers) | Chris Johnson | CB | San Diego State |
| 28 | *New England Patriots (via Bills via Texans) | Caleb Lomu | OT | Utah |
| 29 | Kansas City Chiefs (via Los Angeles Rams) | Peter Woods | DT | Clemson |
| 30 | *New York Jets (via 49ers, via Dolphins, via Denver Broncos) | Omar Cooper Jr. | WR | Indiana |
| 31 | *Tennessee Titans (via Bills via Patriots) | Keldric Faulk | EDGE | Auburn |
| 32 | Seattle Seahawks |
*Reflects draft day trade.
