Rams select QB Ty Simpson, Mendoza first overall
A wild first round saw Fernando Mendoza go No. 1, the Rams took Ty Simpson, and there were plenty of big swings and standout moments on night one.
- The New York Jets have added three first-rounders to build support for their future franchise quarterback.
- Pittsburgh held its first NFL Draft in more than 78 years and set a Round 1 attendance record.
- The local Steelers missed out on a reported target as the Eagles traded up and selected wide receiver Makai Lemon.
Only 32 picks remain in the 2026 NFL Draft, with 225 still to be selected from Friday’s second and third rounds and Saturday’s final four rounds. But what happened in Pittsburgh on April 23 during the first round will go a long way in shaping the legacy of this draft — one that isn’t necessarily expected to be a seismic shift in the league this year, and probably not for the long term.
It’s up to the players, and time will decide whether it’s a pedestrian group, a group that perhaps exceeds expectations, or a group that doesn’t reach the level that seems to have already been set as a low bar. In any case, it’s never too early to microwave something that may not be fair until at least 2029. So let’s (prematurely) label the winners and losers in the first round of the 2026 draft.
winner
New York Jets franchise QB
I don’t know who it is. Arch Manning? Dante Moore? Joe Burrow? Let’s go back to 2027. But Gang Green’s plan to build a support system for a man who will undoubtedly end the franchise’s (nearly) 60-year Super Bowl drought, now notable for ending a playoff absence that stretches back to 2010, the longest in a major North American professional team sport, appears to be off to a promising start. Pass rusher David Bailey became the highest drafted defenseman in franchise history at No. 2 overall. A good defenseman is often a QB’s best friend. But the Jets made two more picks in the first round, taking Oregon State tight end Kenyon Sadik with the 16th overall pick and Indiana State wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. after general manager Darren Mousey slid to the bottom of the round at No. 30. An influx of great talent, if not young players who are sure to be ready to make big contributions in 2026…this could only benefit a team that is in a clear position to draft early again in 2027.
Fernando Mendoza?
Five Presumptive No. 1 Picks in the Draft? – A few months later, he officially changed his LinkedIn profile to Hiring after officially joining the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza will almost certainly forever be the face of this draft, for better or worse, and he’ll just have to become the first Silver and Black quarterback to win a playoff game in nearly a quarter-century to justify his investment. But certainly on a human level, if he buys what his college teammates who adore him are selling, it seems like he’s fulfilling his mission. Tip: Don’t let Kirk Cousins bother you at the slots or at the table 24/7. Good luck, buddy.
Shedua Sanders
First, the Browns traded down from No. 6 to get mid-round ammunition. After that, they drafted OL Spencer Fano with the 9th overall pick and acquired the decisive WR KC Concepcion with the 24th pick. If Sanders, who famously fell to Round 5 a year ago, fails to secure the QB1 spot this season, it’s almost certainly not because Cleveland couldn’t build solid talent around him.
Dan Orlovsky
QB Ty Simpson’s No. 1 media defender was vindicated Thursday when the Rams selected him with the 13th overall pick, despite intense speculation that Simpson’s name might not be called at all after the ESPN analyst and former NFL backup QB shamelessly tripped over the former Alabama passer throughout the pre-draft process. Good luck, Tai. Congratulations Dan, you were able to take a victory lap with Pat McAfee on the ESPN broadcast.
2027 first round draft pick
Despite all the trade activity on Thursday night, there wasn’t a single deal involving next year’s first-round pick. Next year’s first-round draft picks are expected to boast far more star power than this year’s draft picks. The Jets acquired valuable 2027 picks from the Colts and Cowboys at last year’s trade deadline, making them the only team currently with multiple first-round picks for next year.
ohio
Having four players left out of the roster with a top-11 selection is quite a recruiting message for the Buckeyes. It sucks, oh, Michigan.
jeremiah love
He was selected No. 3 overall by the Arizona Cardinals and had more than $50 million guaranteed in his draft slot, an almost 50% increase from the market-set $36 million guaranteed money that Eagles forward Saquon Barkley received in his recent contract extension.
pittsburgh
The Steel City held its first draft in over 78 years, and it was spectacular. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced at the end of the night that Pittsburgh set a record for first-round attendance with 320,000 fans. This number is expected to rise significantly over the weekend.
loser
steelers
On the other hand, it seems that the local team did not perform as well as expected. The AFC North champions reportedly planned to take USC WR Makai Lemon with the 21st overall pick, although they still haven’t decided who will be their quarterback in 2026… Unaware that the interstate jump had even occurred, the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in to literally sink their claws into Lemon after moving up from No. 23 to No. 20. But who knows? Sometimes what you don’t do ends up being a good thing, and Arizona State fallback Max Iheanakoor may actually address what may be a much more pressing need given Steelers OT Broderick Jones’ questionable neck injury.
jeremiah love
He has a (huge) bag. He also points out that the Cardinals appear to have plenty of running backs (James Conner, Tyler Allgaier, Trey Benson) but no long-term prospects at quarterback and are heading into a literal and figurative football desert. There’s also little short- to mid-term hope for the NFC West, home of the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who drafted Love’s former Notre Dame backfield mate (Jadarian Price) on Thursday, and two other teams that won the championship in 2016. Last season it was a minimum of 12 games. Love is getting paid above Barkley’s level, but he also seems headed for a suboptimal situation like the one Barkley dealt with early in his career. Weft.
mike vrabel
you. You don’t owe me an apology. An explicit message to the Patriots might be nice, but a public message to the family seems mandatory at this point. Either say more or say less. But this week’s approach clearly isn’t working right now…although the internet’s ability to beat your reps certainly is.
defensive backs
Thursday was a good day for Mansour Delane, as the Kansas City Chiefs made a trade to acquire the former LSU cornerback with the No. 6 overall pick. Otherwise, round 1 was mostly unkind to DB. S. Caleb Downs was widely expected to be a top-five pick in this draft, but he ended up losing out to the Cowboys with the 11th overall pick. Former Oregon standout Dillon Thieneman also fell lower than expected, landing in Chicago with the 25th pick. San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, who gained momentum late in the pre-draft process, also snuck into the first round, heading to Miami two spots behind Thieneman. Otherwise? Nada. Tennessee cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood, Clemson cornerback Avion Terrell and Toledo S. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren were among the most notable players to slip into Day 2.
Kayvon Thibodeau
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft suddenly looks like the Giants’ No. 4 pass rusher after the additions of Arbel Reese, Brian Burns and Abdul Carter. Somewhat ironically, Thibodeau, who was the first draft pick during GM Joe Schoen’s tenure, is only under contract for one more season. He’s averaged less than six sacks per year to this point in his career, and it’s worth wondering whether the Giants should hasten his departure in an effort to acquire whatever assets they can in the future draft for Thibodeau.
Are the Rams expected to play in Super Bowl 61?
Super Sunday will be held at SoFi Stadium to conclude the upcoming season, five years after the Rams won their only championship in Los Angeles. Current MVP Matthew Stafford and Co. certainly seem to have what it takes to hoist another Lombardi Trophy next February, especially if they can fix their special teams issues. However, while drafting Simpson with the 13th overall pick may be a positive move as Stafford evaluates his desire to continue playing on a year-to-year basis, it almost certainly won’t help the Rams much in 2026 or 2027.
Tennessee Titans franchise QB
That would definitely be Cam Ward. Speculation had been rife for weeks that Love would be the pick here, but at the 11th hour, most likely due to smoke inhalation, Tennessee would use a defender to shore up defense for Robert Saleh. However, the Titans didn’t have to move up from No. 4 to No. 3, and while Love ended up going to Arizona, they also didn’t sign Ohio State’s LBs Abel Reese or Sonny Stiles, choosing Buckeyes’ WR Carnell Tate instead. What about take-home? The Titans were certainly focused on upgrading Ward’s arsenal…but they didn’t get the weapon that would almost certainly have the biggest impact. They even traded back to the first round at No. 31…but DE Keldrick Faulk can only help Ward indirectly, unlike Love’s former Irish teammate Jadarian Price, who went to Seattle with the next and final pick on Thursday night.
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