The first round of the 2026 NFL draft was one of the more eventful ones in recent memory.
Eight trades took place — three of which included the Buffalo Bills — and the New York Jets (3), Tennessee Titans (2), Kansas City Chiefs (2), Cleveland Browns (2), New York Giants (2), Dallas Cowboys (2), and Miami Dolphins (2) all ended up with multiple first-round picks.
Several teams fared well, while others made some head-scratching moves. Below are the five biggest winners from Round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft.
Los Angeles Rams
GettyThe Los Angeles Rams made Ty Simpson was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft
Round 1, No. 13 overall: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
This isn’t a knock on Simpson, who very much deserved to be a first-round pick. And this isn’t to say that Simpson won’t be a great NFL quarterback, because he very much can be. This is about the clear division seen between Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay, who was pretty much seething during the team’s media availability after selecting Simpson.
It’s clear McVay wanted another weapon for Matthew Stafford, and with Makai Lemon and Kenyon Sadiq sitting there, either one would’ve been a win. But Snead chose to plan for the future instead of capitalizing on the team’s win-now window.
Kansas City Chiefs
GettyThe Kansas City Chiefs made Mansoor Delane was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft
Round 1, No. 6 overall: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Round 1, No. 29 overall: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
The Delane pick is a good one — it addresses arguably the team’s biggest area of need after trading All-Pro CB Trent McDuffie to the Rams, and it gives the Chiefs a building lock player in the secondary.
But the Woods pick is a bit of a question mark. Most would agree KC needed an edge-rusher before another defensive tackle — and there were plenty of good ones still available including Keldric Faulk, Zion Young, Cashius Howell, Gabe Jacas, and T.J. Parker. And if the Chiefs were hellbent on taking a DT, why they didn’t take Kayden McDonald, who many scouts tabbed as the best at his position, is also puzzling.
Minnesota Vikings
GettyThe Minnesota Vikings made Caleb Banks was the No. 18 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft
Round 1, No. 18 overall: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
Minnesota reached on a defensive tackle in the middle of the first round when it had bigger areas of need including safety, center, and cornerback. The team made Banks the first DT drafted when McDonald or Woods would have made more sense. Both were higher-rated players on most big boards.
Safety is the Vikings’ top need, and both Dillon Thieneman and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren were sitting right there for the taking. They also need another CB, and Chris Johnson, Jermod McCoy, and Avieon Terrell were all still available. Minnesota’s pick may have been the biggest head-scratcher of Round 1.
Arizona Cardinals
GettyThe Arizona Cardinals made Jeremiyah Love was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft
Round 1, No. 3 overall: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Just like with Simpson, this isn’t about the actual player. Love may be the best player in the draft regardless of position, but the Cardinals had much bigger areas of need to address including offensive tackle, edge-rusher, linebacker, and quarterback.
Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, or Kadyn Proctor all would have been justifiable at No. 3 overall, as would Arvell Reese, who was considered the best or second-best pass-rusher in the class.
Not to mention Arizona already has two 1,000-yard rushers on its roster in James Conner and Tyler Allegeier, who signed in free agency, plus Trey Benson who was drafted in the third round in 2024.
The Cardinals had the second-worst rushing offense last year, but it wasn’t all because of the RBs. Arizona finished with the 26th-ranked offensive line in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and those players haven’t changed. Love is going to have a heck of a time matching the production he had at Notre Dame running behind one of the worst O-lines in football.
ESPN Broadcast
GettyMany fans were not happy with ESPN’s presentation of the 2026 NFL draft
There wasn’t one redeeming thing about the product ESPN put out last night.
Because of the new first-round time limit (teams are given 8 minutes to decide their pick), ESPN was often two or three picks behind where the draft actually was in real time. Picks were being tipped on social media by insiders, which meant fans knew which players were announced nearly 10 minutes in advance.
Things were so chaotic that host Mike Greenberg didn’t know that the San Francisco 49ers had traded their first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins. Greenberg directed viewers to the stage for Goodell to make the 49ers’ pick announcement, only for Goodell to state the Dolphins had picked San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson.
Tape delays are often criticized for ruining the viewer experience, and ESPN has firsthand proof now that that is, in fact, the case.
Biggest Losers From Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft