Eric Edholm lists winners and losers from an eventful opening night of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
WINNERS
1) Offensive linemen: The biggest winners on Thursday were the biggest men.
Nine offensive linemen flew off the board, more than a quarter of the players picked in Round 1. That's a testament to the league-wide need at the position, plus the strength of OL prospects this year, although let's also note that this first round lacked your typical allotment of flashy, blue-chip prospects at other positions.
Enter the big boys. Spencer Fano (Browns), Francis Mauigoa (Giants) and Kadyn Proctor (Dolphins) were part of a mini-swell at Nos. 9, 10 and 12, respectively. Proctor's landing spot was tough to peg leading up to the draft, but the new Miami regime clearly loved him, given where they took him.
Vega Ioane kicked off the fun for the interior guys by going to Baltimore at No. 14 -- one of the most-mocked picks there was this year -- and we got a surprise with the Texans trading up for Keylan Rutledge at 26.
Four more tackles went between Nos. 17 and 28 -- and the Patriots felt the need to slide up to make Caleb Lomu the last one. Another reminder of that position's value, both this year and every year. There are some decent interior options still available, but the OT position has been thoroughly picked through heading into Day 2.
2) Jordyn Tyson, WR, New Orleans Saints: Of the top prospects coming into draft season, the one with arguably the most injury questions was Tyson, who missed multiple games in each of his four college seasons with different ailments. But Tyson was arguably also the most talented, too, and as the draft process wore on, teams couldn't help but notice it, with a source from one team that is not the Saints telling me their grade on Tyson went up after coaches got involved in the vetting.
When Carnell Tate went earlier than expected (fourth overall to the Titans), it was apparent that a run at receiver would start. That certainly didn't hurt Tyson's cause when the Saints' turn came around at No. 8. I'd argue the Saints were taking him there either way if he was available. In the past week or two, that became an untamed rumor that wouldn't die.
And it's a huge win for the Arizona State product, who could have returned to school and attempted to prove he was capable of making it through a season unscathed. Instead, he took the risk and gambled on his talent, and it paid off. (And, of course, he prevented any more bad injury luck at the college level from sidetracking his career trajectory.) Landing in New Orleans gives him a chance to be one of Tyler Shough's go-to targets if he can stay healthy. This is an optimal setting for Tyson.
3) Las Vegas Raiders: Look, we've all pretty much known for months -- or weeks, at the very least -- that Fernando Mendoza would be a Raider. But let's not gloss over how bad Las Vegas' quarterbacking and offense in general was last year. The arrival of Mendoza, Kirk Cousins and new head coach Klint Kubiak have to help -- the bar couldn't be much lower.
Ultimately, considering the shape of this quarterback class, which has some talent but is littered with question marks, the Raiders made out great. Mendoza might not set the world on fire as a rookie, but he has the right traits and mental strength to weather the toughest stretches. With Cousins ready to go now, Mendoza won't have to be rushed in his progression.
It's easy to forget about the Raiders because the pick was in no way a surprise, but they have to be listed among Thursday's biggest winners. The AFC West is no joke, and Vegas needs all the reinforcements it can find. Plus, there are several intriguing options still left for the Raiders on Friday, starting with No. 36 -- the day's fourth selection overall.
4) Ty Simpson, QB, Los Angeles Rams: There were plenty of people who questioned whether Simpson would be drafted in Round 1 this year. He left a terrific offer on the table at Miami, too, revealing recently that the Hurricanes were going to next season to stay in college and transfer away from Alabama. Coming out carried considerable risk, especially considering how Simpson's 2025 season went from very promising to injury-plagued in .
But he was rewarded by going 13th to the Rams.
All along, the mocks were telling us the Rams needed a receiver. And while Simpson and the Rams made plenty of sense to a lot of us at one stage of the process, after they traded the 29th pick to the Chiefs for Trent McDuffie, that pairing felt less likely. In the end, though, the team seems to be thinking long-term, with the 38-year-old Matthew Stafford perhaps entering his swan-song season
Even if Rams fans don't love the pick, it certainly gives them another talented arm and a layer of insurance behind Stafford. As far as progressions go, we always beg for teams to take more of a proactive approach like this, as the Packers have done for decades, but so few teams have the patience -- especially contenders like the Rams -- to pull it off.
Good for Simpson, even if he likely has to wait to prove himself. He's used to it, having bided his time for three years before getting his chance at Alabama. So much of QB success is about fit, and it's hard to argue this isn't a near-perfect match for an imperfect prospect with terrific potential.
5) Dallas Cowboys: Dallas was in a great position to add two impact players to its defense, and I think Thursday was a good day for that beleaguered unit.
Caleb Downs at No. 11 is a home-run pick -- no other way to say it. You can argue positional value until you're in the face for all I care, but I love it. This is the kind of player -- think Darren Woodson -- whose impact can't be measured strictly in statistics. He's instantly going to have a captain-like influence on the secondary.
The trade-up to land Downs (they handed pick Nos. 12, 177 and 180 overall to Miami) wasn't very costly, and the trade down to No. 23 with the Eagles earned the Cowboys good value by . We'll see if Malachi Lawrence ends up worth the 23rd selection -- he was my 47th overall player -- but he brings some badly needed pass-rush juice. I would have personally preferred Keldric Faulk (who went 31st overall to Tennessee), but I get it.
The Cowboys don't need Lawrence to become a respectable NFL run defender tomorrow. They do need him to rush the quarterback, and he has the potential to become a more complete defender over time. Even with some overlap with what Donovan Ezeiruaku does, he, Ezeiruaku and Rashan Gary can help Dallas do a better job heating up the edges next season.
6) Ohio State: This was always going to be a banner draft for the Buckeyes, who boasted the most prospect firepower of any school this year, but it's tough to overstate the extent to which Ohio State kept its dominance of the event rolling on Thursday.
Arvell Reese slipped a bit farther than expected, going fifth overall to the Giants, but Carnell Tate went earlier than projected, going No. 4 to Tennessee. Tate gave the Buckeyes a stunning fifth straight draft where they had a top-20 receiver selected, following in the footsteps of Emeka Egbuka (2025), Marvin Harrison Jr. (2024), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2023) and Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, who went back to back in 2022. Tate now has a chance to be Cam Ward's go-to guy with the Titans. Not bad for the Buckeyes' second-best receiver last season.
Reese is surrounded by talent in New York. He can develop at his own pace -- Reese won't turn 21 until right before the season begins -- and gives the Giants another defensive weapon up front.
Sonny Styles feels like a perfect fit in Washington, where he'll likely take the place of Bobby Wagner. The Commanders badly need impact defenders, and Styles' speed could have a dramatic effect.
Caleb Downs couldn't quite crack the top 10, going 11th to Dallas, but tell me this isn't a terrific fit. The Cowboys need a defensive identity, and Downs is the type of prospect who can raise all the boats in the harbor. The Cowboys had only six INTs and 42 passes defended last season -- the latter figure counting as the fewest in the NFL by 10. Downs will change that.
The only Buckeyes-related down note? Kayden McDonald will have to wait until Day 2 to hear his name called. Otherwise, the top of the draft belonged to them.
LOSERS
1) Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: It wasn't hard to detect the disappointment in Bain's voice when he was interviewed onstage after being picked 15th overall.
Yes, he's in for an easy move to Tampa from his native Miami, and he's likely going to be an instant contributor for a Bucs team that needed to juice up its rush. But while it might have been a win for Todd Bowles' squad to land the prospect, it was a tough fall for Bain, who was roundly projected to go somewhere in the top 12 overall. That drop might have cost him upward of $10 million in guaranteed salary, even if it was only by a handful of selections.
Bain's decision not to work out before the draft might have hurt his stock, but I suspect his arm length was the biggest factor. It's not just that his arms are short -- at 30 7/8 inches, they're historically so, at least as far as first-round picks go.
To be clear, he lands in this category only because of the money-loss/draft-disappointment factor. He is no less a prospect today than he was on Wednesday, and his landing spot looks like a strong one. This is a place where he can succeed and build a brand. All of that is in front of him. And I wouldn't want to block a guy who lost the national-title game, then slid in the draft ... especially not someone who seems to have a long memory when it comes to being slighted.
2) Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh is one of my favorite sleeper cities, especially on a game day. I'd argue there are few better environments than what one experiences walking over the bridge toward Acrisure Stadium, and though I missed attending this year's draft in person, I can only imagine how electric it was for Round 1. Hearing "Renegade" blaring through the house PA on the broadcast gave me the little dose of "Yinz" I badly needed.
That said, I think the Steelers have to wonder if Thursday could've gone better in the draft room.
I am a fan of Max Iheanachor as a prospect; he landed at No. 32 on my Top 100 prospects list. Yes, it's a bit of a leap to take him No. 21 overall, but this might end up being a savvy long-term move, as his best football appears to be ahead of him. The slot is not the biggest issue for me.
What worries me is counting on Iheanachor to start early on, perhaps in Week 1, and that scenario could conceivably come into play if Broderick Jones' neck injury -- which GM Omar Khan was a factor on Thursday night -- causes further trouble.
Maybe Mike McCarthy sees it differently, having coaxed a mostly successful effort out of Tyler Guyton as a rookie starter at left tackle a few years ago in Dallas. Perhaps Iheanachor can become that kind of player one day.
But the tackles were flying off the board ahead of Pittsburgh, including Steelers-y prospects Blake Miller (drafted 17th overall by the Lions) and Monroe Freeling (No. 19 overall by the Panthers) in the handful of picks before them. Instead of using their ample capital to move up for one of those players, the Steelers set their sights on Makai Lemon, , only to lose out when the Eagles traded up to 20 for the receiver. So Pittsburgh turned to Iheanachor. Could they have found a way to provide a surer thing for the home fans, who are also waiting to see who their quarterback will be?
3) Arizona Cardinals: I want to be clear that I don't at all dislike Jeremiyah Love as a prospect in a vacuum. He was my No. 2 overall player, and the Cardinals got him third. So what's the problem? Well, Love finds himself in a rather strange offensive situation, with his new team lacking its long-term quarterback and still being a few other pieces short.
The hope is that new coach Mike LaFleur can help build an offense, and Love could be a key part. But similar to what transpired with the Raiders and 2025 No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty, the Cardinals might end up using carries on Love's body while putting everything together.
Sure, Love still has plenty of tread left after starting just two seasons in college, but it's fair to question the value and the fit right now, I think. We'll see if passing up on a chance to snag some blocking help was the right call in a few years.
Another blow landed in Round 1 when Ty Simpson was drafted by the Rams. Simpson was roundly mocked to the Cardinals, who felt like the overwhelming favorites to take him -- either at No. 34 overall or via a short trade up. The Rams blew that concept out of the water.
Thankfully, the Cardinals have done plenty of homework on other QBs in this draft, and they likely weren't counting on Simpson to be all theirs with no resistance. But can they get someone of commensurate talent later? That's highly debatable.
4) Houston Texans: I had a blast watching Keylan Rutledge mixing it up with the defensive linemen in one-on-ones (and making few friends in the process) at the Senior Bowl. He was by far the scrappiest guy down there on the offensive side, and my appreciation for him as a prospect grew as the week in Mobile went on. He clearly fit.
But some of Rutledge's tape was a little rough, and his medical history includes a notable toe injury, though he did play two subsequent seasons. On top of all that, he's almost exclusively been a right guard, although Rutledge did cross-train at center this offseason, including at the Senior Bowl.
The Texans also paid through the nose, dropping 22 spots in Round 3 and giving a fifth-rounder to the Bills to slide up two slots for the Georgia Tech product. I understand it, the way linemen were flying off the board at breakneck pace. But I also wonder if Rutledge will ultimately be worth the cost.
5) University of Tennessee corners: My highest-rated player still on the board is Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, but it's not necessarily a surprise to see him there. Although McCoy an impressive 4.38-second 40-yard dash at his pro day, we still haven't seen him demonstrate his lateral ability after he missed the entire 2025 season with an ACL tear. The biggest issue might be with the long-term stability of his knee.
At one point during the draft cycle, it appeared that McCoy had the opportunity to prove he was not only worthy of a first-round selection, but also potentially a high one. Instead, he ended up echoing of Michigan's Will Johnson a year ago. It will be fascinating to see how far McCoy slips.
I was honestly surprised Colton Hood, his Vols teammate, wasn't picked. Only two corners went off the board on Thursday: Mansoor Delane to the Chiefs at No. 6 overall and Chris Johnson to the Dolphins at No. 27. I thought there was room for at least three corners in the first, including Hood. His wait might not be long, as several teams picking early on Friday need help at the position, but it was a disappointment nonetheless.
