2026 NFL Draft first-round winners and losers already causing chaos

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft was fast and furious, in large part due to pick times being shortened to eight minutes per team. The top of the draft went as expected, with the Las Vegas Raiders selecting their quarterback of the future in Fernando Mendoza.

But starting with pick No. 2, the remaining 31 selections were filled with surprises—good picks, some questionable ones, and even one of the biggest heists in draft history.

All told, most teams came away looking good. But here are the three biggest winners and three biggest losers of the first round:

Biggest winners from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft

Arizona Cardinals: There has been a lot of chatter around this pick—“love the player, hate the pick.” But in my opinion, that couldn’t be more wrong.

Jeremiyah Love is the best running back prospect I’ve seen since Adrian Peterson, and it feels fitting that the Cardinals may have “righted a wrong,” in a sense, after passing on Peterson with the No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft. Love was hands down my No. 1 player in this class, and any team not residing in Las Vegas (hi, Jeanty—but I still think Love is better) would have been foolish not to take him at No. 1.

While Love isn’t going to lift Arizona to the playoffs in Year 1, he is a generational building block—the early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year and a future MVP candidate who, when paired with a championship-caliber quarterback and a stronger defense, could help the Cardinals flirt with their first-ever Super Bowl title.

Buccaneers pull off the biggest steal of Round 1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The steal of the first round, no questions asked. While it was no secret that Rueben Bain Jr. could potentially slip in the draft, seeing him fall all the way to No. 15 was mind-blowing. And for him to land in his home state of Florida? Poetic.

Bain is an absolute game-wrecker, and joining a Tampa Bay front that already includes David Walker, Calijah Kancey, and Vita Vea is going to make life miserable for opposing offensive lines. To top it off, the emotion Bain showed on his draft call with Jason Licht and Todd Bowles, along with the intensity he showed on stage, proves he has the want-to to match his talent.

Look for the Bucs to bounce back in a big way in 2026, in large part due to Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Rueben Bain Jr.

Dallas Cowboys: A Dallas Cowboys defense that was the bane of every fan’s existence in 2025 could quickly become a strength after what they did Thursday night. To kick things off, they moved from No. 12 to No. 11 to leave absolutely no doubt and secure their guy in Caleb Downs.

Downs has been considered one of—if not the—best defensive player in college football ever since helping lead Ohio State to the national championship in 2024. Now his home is Jerry World, where—ironically—he helped defeat Texas in the 2024 national semifinal, then came up short against Miami in the 2025 quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl. Dallas made sure to stamp itself as a night-one winner with the selection of Malachi Lawrence at No. 23 overall. Downs and Lawrence will be an immediate shot in the arm as the Cowboys look to balance their defense with an already explosive offense and make a push back to the playoffs in 2026.

Biggest losers from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft

Pittsburgh Steelers: Tough to be a loser in front of a record crowd of 320,000 in your home city, but the Steelers managed to do just that with the aforementioned “heist.”

Pittsburgh had USC wide receiver Makai Lemon on the phone and appeared ready to draft him at No. 21 overall. There was just one problem—they weren’t on the clock. Dallas was.

The Cowboys then struck a deal with the Eagles in a move that would make Sonny Weaver Jr. proud (if you get the Draft Day reference). Philadelphia jumped to No. 20, swooped in, and called Lemon while he was still on the phone with the Steelers to let him know they—not Pittsburgh—were making the pick. The rest is history, as the Steelers panicked and ended up with Max Iheanachor—a potential “anchor” to their offensive line, but certainly not the pick they thought they were going to make.

Rams raise major questions with Ty Simpson pick

Los Angeles Rams: I like Ty Simpson—I really do. I actually think he can contend with Fernando Mendoza to be the best quarterback in this draft class. But something didn’t add up. Head coach Sean McVay appeared to be caught off guard by the pick based on his press conference, and Simpson admitted he hadn’t spoken with McVay during the pre-draft process. That’s not exactly the conventional way to kick off a head coach–quarterback relationship.

To top it off, the Rams are coming off a season where Matthew Stafford won MVP and had them on the doorstep of the Super Bowl, reaching the NFC Championship Game. With a chance to take a player at No. 13 who could have pushed them over the top and into the Super Bowl, this one feels like a bitter pill to swallow. And McVay made that crystal clear with his tone at the podium.

Chiefs may regret passing on offensive firepower

Kansas City Chiefs: As mentioned in the lead, most teams came away looking good—and the Chiefs very well could end up happy with their selections of Mansoor Delane and Peter Woods. But when you make a move from No. 9 to No. 6 with a chance to add an explosive wide receiver like Jordyn Tyson to pair with Patrick Mahomes, you do it. Especially with an offense that has shown signs of slowing down, Tyson could have been a second wind for the back half of Mahomes’ career.

Instead, Kansas City stood pat and will rely on what it already has. The defense will benefit greatly from Delane and Woods, but the Chiefs’ offense still needs serious help heading into Day 2.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow