ANALYSIS — NFL DRAFT 2026

April 25, 2026  ·  Capital Bridge Staff

Before the 2026 NFL Draft kicked off in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, the pre-draft chatter had a particular energy to it. The analysts and insiders weren’t promising fireworks exactly — but they were strongly hinting at them. Jay Glazer had floated that something significant was coming, without giving details. Mike Florio was reading between the lines on air, suggesting the action would involve a skill position player rather than a pass rusher, because — as he put it — pass rushers don’t generate jersey sales.

He wasn’t wrong. And he wasn’t entirely right either. Because what Round 1 ultimately delivered wasn’t one big moment — it was a string of them.

“Everybody wants their favorite team to go get somebody whose jersey they’ll go buy and who they’ll see running with the football.” — Mike Florio, hours before the Rams spent their first-round pick on a quarterback who isn’t Matthew Stafford.

The night opened cleanly enough. Fernando Mendoza — Heisman winner, Indiana’s national championship quarterback — went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders as everyone expected. He watched from his living room in Miami, surrounded by family, and the moment his mother embraced him was the night’s first genuinely moving image. The rest of Round 1 was considerably less predictable.

TOP 10 PICKS — ROUND 1

1 Fernando Mendoza, QB, IndianaLas Vegas Raiders

2 David Bailey, EDGE, Texas TechNew York Jets

3 Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre DameArizona Cardinals

4 Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State ★Tennessee Titans

5 Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio StateNew York Giants

6 Mansoor Delane, CB, LSUKansas City Chiefs (traded up)

7 Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio StateWashington Commanders

8 Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama ⚠Los Angeles Rams — shocker

★ surprise pick   ⚠ biggest shock of the night

The Tennessee Titans at pick No. 4 were the first real conversation-starter. The pre-draft buzz had centered on whether they’d take Jeremiyah Love or Arvell Reese — a running back vs. pass rusher debate that dominated the discourse for weeks. Love went third to Arizona, and Reese was still sitting there at No. 4. Head coach Robert Saleh — a defensive-minded coach who analysts were convinced would jump at Reese — instead went with Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate. A receiver. For Cam Ward. It was the kind of pick that makes sense the second you think about it and still makes you blink.

Ohio State had a historically dominant night. Arvell Reese went fifth to the Giants. Sonny Styles went seventh to Washington. Caleb Downs fell to Dallas at 11. Four Buckeyes in the top 11 picks — the kind of draft haul that’ll have Columbus fans insufferable for a decade.

But the moment that genuinely broke the internet? The Los Angeles Rams, sitting at pick No. 13 with Matthew Stafford still active and coming off an MVP season, selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. The Rams became the first team since 1967 to hold a reigning MVP at quarterback and still draft a QB in the first round. The Glazer whisper — the “something’s going on, can’t tell you” energy from the day before — this was likely it. GM Les Snead said afterward that he and Sean McVay were “in lockstep.” That’s the kind of diplomatic phrasing that covers for a decision people thought was weird in real time.

Florio had specifically predicted the big move would involve a skilled position player. A quarterback is a skilled position player. Close enough. Technically.

Eight total trades made Round 1 move fast — faster than usual, with the selection clock reduced from 10 minutes to eight minutes per pick. The Bills did something remarkable: they traded down not once, not twice, but three times — eventually trading entirely out of the first round. The Jets, meanwhile, somehow ended up with three first-round picks and used all three aggressively: Bailey at No. 2, tight end Kenyon Sadiq at 16, and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at 30. You want to talk about a team that got better in one night? That’s the Jets. Which feels strange to type.

The question everyone’s debating today isn’t which pick was best or worst. It’s the Rams. It’s always the Rams. History suggests this kind of move doesn’t work — the last comparable situation, when Green Bay took Don Horn behind Bart Starr in 1967, produced exactly two career starts. But Sean McVay has earned enough goodwill to get the benefit of the doubt. For now.

Rounds 4 through 7 continue today. The big swings are done. But in a draft full of people saying “something’s coming,” the night delivered — in the best, most chaotic, most NFL possible way.