Winners and Losers of round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft and some thoughts on round 2
The first round is in the books, with the top 5 playing out as many expected, but after that, pure chaos from the huge reaches to teams just trading out the first round entirely, all the good Tackles off the board, but only two corners drafted the joint lowest ever, and obviously Ty Simpson going in round 1 to the Rams who you'd think with a home Super Bowl this upcoming season they might take a player that pushes them over the edge but alas they are smarter and know more than me. Here are my Winners and Losers from night 1.
Winners
The New York Jets especially Geno Smith: Just an unbelievable haul for the Jets, I like David Bailey at 2 personally, I would have taken Reese, but it's a six and two threes situation, and after that I love Kenyon Sadiq at 16 arguably the best pass catcher in the draft, pairing him up with last years second round pick Mason Taylor means they are set at TE for the forseeable future. I love the aggression of also trading back into the round 1 for Omar Cooper Jr to make their receiving core now containing Cooper, Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Sadiq and Mason Taylor. No one will be a happier man after round 1 than Geno Smith, who is again looking to resurrect his career and get another payday after this season.
Dallas Cowboys: Getting a top-three player in the draft at 11 is always going to be a win, and Caleb Downs will instantly come in and be their best DB and spiritual leader on their defence and pairing him with Malachi Lawrence, who is a beast and was my Edge 3 in this draft, only behind Bailey and Reese, to help their dline which all of a sudden boasts Lawrence, Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary as a starting four the Cowboys have put themselves in a position to at least make the playoffs this season and potentially compete for that long awaited Super Bowl.
The Offensive Tackle class: Despite the first one not going off the board till Spencer Fano to the Browns at pick 9, a further six were taken in the first round, the highest since eight were taken in the 2008 first round. The number of tackles going is good news for the second tier of Tackles in the draft, with players like Marklel Bell and Isaiah World now projected to go much higher in the draft than they would have done if guys like Caleb Lomu and Max Iheanachor were still on the board at the start or round 1.
Deshaun Watson/Sheduer Sanders: Whoever the starting QB is in Cleveland has to be pleased with round 1 as the Browns directly addressed the biggest offensive needs with Spencer Fano at pick 9 and KC Concepcion at pick 24, giving the QBs much more of a chance of success than they had last season when the O-line was 4 turnstiles and Bitonio and the Receiver room couldnt catch anything adding these picks plus the heavy investment in the O-line in free agency give the QB in Cleveland a much better chance of success in Watson's case or gives Sheduer a much fairer evaluation than last season.
Ty Simpson: I don't get why the Rams took him, as I'll explain later, but this is the best case scenario for Simpson himself getting to sit behind reigning MVP Matt Stafford for a year or two, all while learning from one of the best offensive coaches in the league, in Sean McVay, while getting around $25 million. This is the dream scenario for him and the best chance he will have of being successful at the pro level.
Losers
Los Angeles Rams: I just don't get it. They were 4 points away from the Super Bowl last season with guys like Bain, Sadiq and Lemon still on the board. Why have they drafted Ty Simpson, who had a chance, albeit a slim one, to still be on the board at 61 when they pick next? Sean McVay, from the outside looking in, didn't seem too happy about it. Usually, a bubbly personality in his interviews, after round 1, McVay was very serious in his answers. Another factor is that the 2027 Super Bowl is in their building, so you surely go all out for the championship this year and worry about replacing Stafford in what looks to be a stacked 2027 QB class.
Minnesota Vikings: Why, Why, Why, If a DT was a must pick, then the best one in Kayden McDonald is still on the board, if not, both of Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren were sitting there waiting to fill the Harrison Smith-shaped hole in their secondary instead they took the third best DT in the draft who is a massive man who has shown flashes but has had consistent foot injurys and when big men have consistent foot problems that doesnt tend to end well. There is definitely a world where I end up with egg on my face, and Banks overcomes the foot problems and reaches his potential and becomes a great NFL DT, but I just don't see it happening.
Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs definitely didn't have a bad draft. I just think there was no need to trade up to 6 with the Browns to take Delane, who, barring another trade up, would definitely have been there at 9, but Delane is a great player, that pick isnt where my main gripe comes from. I just don't get the Peter Woods pick. Yes, he was great in 2024, but last season was very mediocre, and you have Chris Jones, who makes every defensive tackle net to him look better, meaning there is no need to spend the high-value picks on that position adn again like the Vikings, Kayden Mcdonald is the clear best DT in this draft and yes he isnt quite as good at rushing the passer as Woods but he is so much better against the run and mkae rushing the passer be Chris Jones priority again not a bad round 1 for the chiefs but there were better players and strategies available to them.
Cornerbacks: Only two got drafted, Mansoor Delane at 6 and Chris Johnson at 27, who in himself was a reach as a consensus CB 5-6 rather than 2 in this draft. This is the joint lowest amount of corners going in round 1 ever, and it's not like there was a lack of good ones available. Jermod McCoy is a top 8 player, but the injuries scared teams off from drafting him. But his college teammate Colton Hood, Aveion Terrell, Brandon Cisse, D'Angelo Ponds and Treydan Stukes all have had their name floated with going in round 1, so expect a run of CBs before pick 50 tonight.
Kayden McDonald: I find it difficult to believe that a player of Kayden McDonald’s calibre is being viewed as, at best, the third-ranked defensive tackle in this draft. While his pass rush certainly leaves room for improvement, his impact is undeniable; at 6'2" and 326 lbs, he is a massive presence who eats space and occupies interior linemen for a living, making him absolutely dominant in the run game.
I was certain he would be selected between picks 20 and 32, but alas, he now looks destined to be a massive steal for whichever team snags him at the top of the second round. It is often argued that pure nose tackles do not command high draft capital, yet we have seen players like Vita Vea, Dexter Lawrence, Jordan Davis, and Derrick Brown all selected within the top 15 in recent years. While those players may have been slightly more refined prospects, McDonald is clearly a superior prospect to Mazi Smith, whom the Cowboys selected 26th overall in 2023.
Second Tier Edge rushers: While Keldric Faulk snuck into the first round at pick 31, the rest of his tier of edge rushers like Zion Young, Cashius Howell, R Mason Thomas and TJ Parker, all failed to hear their name called despite heavy rumours a couple of these guys could have gone towards the back end what this does is pushes back the draft prospects for all the later round edges with guys like Romello Height who pre draft many thought would be a lock as a day 2 pick may now have to wait till day 3 to hear his name called.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren: As a selfish Browns fan, I'm delighted EMW is still on the board, and I hope he is still on the board at 39 when the Browns next pick cause he is amazing. Yes, he plays a non-premium position in safety, but Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman went in round 1, and I personally believe EMW is a better prospect than Thieneman and a top 15 player in this draft, so whoever takes him in the 30s is getting a hell of a player.
Thoughts on day 2
Expect plenty of corners and Wide receivers to go early in round 2, with guys like Colton Hood, Aveion Terrell and Denzel Boston expected to be in the first 4 or 5 names called in round 2. Don't expect many, if any, tackles to be taken as the drop off after Lomu to guys like Markel Bell and Isaiah World is massive, maybe only 1 goes on the whole of day 2 cause guys like Gennings Dunker and Caleb Tiernan may be listed as tackles but are almost certainly NFL guards. This also applies to the running back class, as we are almost certain you won't see any picked in round 2, and maybe there won't even be any in round 3, as the drop off after Jadarian Price to the next tier is also very steep. It'll be interesting to see where the next tier of linebackers start going off the board. Will guys like Jacob Rodriguez and CJ Allen go in the 30s or 50s? As for quarterback, someone is going to panic in either round 2 or 3 and take Carson Beck and Garrett Nusmeier, and whoever takes Drew Allar on day 2 is getting a guy who I believe has a legitimate chance to be an NFL starting QB. If teams need to guard, the drop off after Emmanuel Pregnon and Chase Bisontis is very steep, so expect teams to trade up into the early second round for those two. Finally, when will the first centre go off the board? Will it be day 2, or will guys like Jake Slaughter or Logan Jones have to wait till day 3?
Daniel Mott
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