The 2026 NFL Draft: Day 1 recap of first-round picks

The 2026 NFL Draft kicked off Thursday night in Pittsburgh with a quarterback being taken No. 1 overall for the fourth straight year.

The Las Vegas Raiders, as was widely expected, selected QB Fernando Mendoza, who capped his stellar Heisman season by leading Indiana to its first national title in school history.

The choice of Mendoza marks an attempt by Raiders minority owner Tom Brady — the legendary QB who won a staggering seven Super Bowl rings — to mentor an heir apparent of sorts, giving Las Vegas a clean slate as it enters a major rebuild following the disappointing one-and-done tenures of head coach Pete Carrol and QB Geno Smith.

A major unknown heading into Thursday was the fate of powerful Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, arguably the draft's best athlete. That question was quickly answered when he heard his name called by the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 overall.

With the position is no longer considered premium, it is often overlooked at the top of the first round. Love was the first running back taken in the top 3 since the Cleveland Browns selected Trent Richardson at No. 3 in 2012. He is just the fourth running back since 2018 to be selected in the top 10.

The Los Angeles Rams selection of Ty Simpson at No. 13 was a shocker, indicating that the Rams have tapped their successor to veteran QB Matthew Stafford, who is currently in extension talks with the team.

Miami edge Rueben Bain Jr., who had been projected to go in the top 10, fell all the way to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 15. A report earlier this month found that Bain was involved in a deadly 2024 car crash in Florida in which he was cited for careless driving, but was not criminally charged.

Teams were expected to focus their attention to the trenches in a draft experts concur is lacking in blue chippers. But maybe the the biggest surprise was that two wide receivers were selected early: Ohio State WR Carnell Tate was chosen by the Tennessee Titans at No. 4, and then Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson was taken at No. 8 by the New Orleans Saints.

The New York Giants, who finished with just four wins last year and are hoping for a reset under new head coach John Harbaugh, had two top 10 selections thanks to a blockbuster trade last week in which they acquired the No. 10 pick from the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for disgruntled star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. They used that pick on offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa of Miami. Earlier, they took vaunted Ohio State edge Arvell Reese at No. 5.

Football powerhouse Ohio State was maybe Thursday's big story: responsible for four of the top 11 selections. Along with Reese and Tate, linebacker Sonny Styles was selected at No. 7 by the Washington Commanders, and safety Caleb Downs, who the Dallas Cowboys traded up one pick with the Miami Dolphins to take at No. 11.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs conducted the first big draft day trade: moving up from No. 9 to No. 6 to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane in a swap with the Cleveland Browns.

2026 NFL Draft order for Round 1

No. 1: Las Vegas Raiders — QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

No. 2: New York Jets — Edge David Bailey, Texas Tech

No. 3: Arizona Cardinals — RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

No. 4: Tennessee Titans — WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

No. 5: New York Giants — edge Arvell Reese, Ohio State

No. 6: Kansas City Chiefs (trade up with Cleveland Browns) — CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

No. 7: Washington Commanders — LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

No. 8: New Orleans Saints — WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

No. 9: Cleveland Browns (trade down with Chiefs) — OT Spencer Fano, Utah

No. 10: New York Giants — OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami

No. 11: Dallas Cowboys (in trade with Miami) — safety Caleb Downs, Ohio State

No. 12: Miami Dolphins — OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

No. 13: Los Angeles Rams — QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

No. 14: Baltimore Ravens — Guard Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

No. 15: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, edge Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

No. 16: New York Jets, TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

No. 17: Detroit Lions — OT Blake Miller, Clemson

No. 18: Minnesota Vikings — defensive tackle Caleb Banks, Florida

No. 19: Carolina Panthers — OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

No. 20: Philadelphia Eagles (in trade with Dallas) — WR Makai Lemon, USC

No. 21: Pittsburgh Steelers

No. 22: Los Angeles Chargers

No. 23: Dallas Cowboys

No. 24: Cleveland Browns

No. 25: Chicago Bears

No. 26: Buffalo Bills

No. 27: San Francisco 49ers

No. 28: Houston Texans

No. 29: Kansas City Chiefs

No. 30: Miami Dolphins

No. 31: New England Patriots

No. 32: Seattle Seahawks

Where to find expert picks for a 2026 mock NFL Draft

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