The 2026 NFL Draft kicked off with a surprising first round, as only two quarterbacks were selected and two running backs came from the same school. The Las Vegas Raiders kicked things off by picking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. The New York Jets followed by selecting Texas Tech linebacker David Bailey at number two. The Arizona Cardinals chose Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love third overall, while the Tennessee Titans picked Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate at fourth. The New York Giants selected Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese fifth, and the Kansas City Chiefs (via Cleveland) took LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane sixth.
First Round Highlights
The Washington Commanders picked Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles seventh, and the New Orleans Saints selected Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson eighth. The Cleveland Browns (from Kansas City) chose Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano ninth, and the New York Giants (from Cincinnati) picked Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa tenth. The Dallas Cowboys (from Miami) selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs eleventh, and the Miami Dolphins (from Dallas) took Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor twelfth. The Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta) picked Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson thirteenth, making him the second QB taken. The Baltimore Ravens selected Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane fourteenth, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Miami linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. fifteenth.
Notre Dame Running Backs Make History
The New York Jets (from Indianapolis) picked Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq sixteenth, and the Detroit Lions chose Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller seventeenth. The Minnesota Vikings selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks eighteenth, and the Carolina Panthers took Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling nineteenth. The Philadelphia Eagles (from Green Bay via Dallas) picked USC wide receiver Makai Lemon twentieth. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor twenty-first, and the Los Angeles Chargers took Miami linebacker Akheem Mesidor twenty-second. The Dallas Cowboys (from Philadelphia) picked UCF linebacker Malachi Lawrence twenty-third, and the Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville) selected Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion twenty-fourth. The Chicago Bears took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman twenty-fifth, and the Houston Texans (from Buffalo) picked Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge twenty-sixth. The Miami Dolphins (from San Francisco) selected San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson twenty-seventh, and the New England Patriots (from Houston via Buffalo) took Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu twenty-eighth. The Kansas City Chiefs (from LA Rams) picked Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods twenty-ninth, and the New York Jets (from Denver via Miami and San Francisco) selected Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. thirtieth. The Tennessee Titans (from New England via Buffalo) took Clemson defensive end Keldric Faulk thirty-first, and the Seattle Seahawks closed the first round by picking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price thirty-second.
Full Draft Order
The complete draft order for all seven rounds is listed below, with teams and picks for rounds two through seven. The second round begins with the San Francisco 49ers from the New York Jets at pick 33, followed by the Arizona Cardinals at 34, and the Buffalo Bills from Tennessee at 35. The third round starts with the Arizona Cardinals at 65, and the fourth round with the Buffalo Bills from Tennessee at 101. The fifth round kicks off with the Houston Texans from Las Vegas and Cleveland at 141, the sixth round with the Buffalo Bills from the New York Jets via multiple trades at 182, and the seventh round with the Arizona Cardinals at 217.
This draft saw a historic low for quarterbacks taken in the first round, with only Mendoza and Simpson selected. The two Notre Dame running backs, Love and Price, were the only running backs picked in the first round, both from the same school. The draft continues with rounds two through seven, and teams will look to fill remaining roster gaps.
