Winners, losers from first round of 2026 NFL Draft: Giants rock it, Steelers blow it

The 2026 NFL Draft began with the first round on Thursday night, and it went as expected at the top with quarterback Fernando Mendoza going to the Las Vegas Raiders. While it usually takes a couple of years to accurately assess a draft class, that is not going to stop us from picking out some winners and losers from Thursday. 

Winner: Quarterbacks from the 2025 NFL Draft class

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward and New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough got big-time pass-catching targets in Carnell Tate (Titans) and Jordyn Tyson (Saints), while New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart got some serious protection in offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. 

Loser: Arizona Cardinals

Jeremiyah Love might end up be being a great player. He is an incredible talent and arguably one of the two or three best players in this class. But the Cardinals have so many other needs at so many other positions that a running back just seems like a luxury pick at No. 3 overall.

Running backs are the final piece of the puzzle.

Not the first piece. 

Winner: New York Giants

With two top-10 picks, the Giants had a chance to really start rebuilding the roster under new head coach John Harbaugh, and they smartly did so by strengthening both lines.

The Giants opened their draft by selecting arguably the best non-quarterback in the class in edge-rusher Arvell Reese, and then followed it up at No. 10 with Mauigoa

You win championships on the lines. This is a good start. 

Loser: Los Angeles Rams

The Rams, at some point, do need to think about the long-term situation at quarterback. Matthew Stafford is still elite, but his career is inching closer to the end. So in that respect, it does it make some sense that they would take Alabama's Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick.

But that's also a big gamble on whether or not Simpson is the right guy. 

It is also a big gamble to not take some immediate help for Stafford while he is still there and you are theoretically trying to win a Super Bowl this season (with it being played in your home stadium). 

Winner: That future A.J. Brown trade

The writing has been on the wall for a while now, and it seems to be a foregone conclusion that A.J. Brown is going to be, presumably, a New England Patriot at some point over the next couple of months. And even if it is not the Patriots, it seems pretty clear he is not going to be a Philadelphia Eagle.

After making multiple free-agency and trade additions at wide receiver, the Eagles moved up on Thursday to select Makai Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick. 

That is too many wide receivers. Somebody has to go. It is going to be Brown. And that is probably good news for the Patriots offense and quarterback Drake Maye. 

Loser: Pittsburgh Steelers

Speaking of Lemon, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport delivered a stunning report shortly after the pick. According to Rapoport, the Steelers were actually on the phone with Lemon when the Dallas Cowboys were initially on the clock at No. 20, informing him they were going to pick him at No. 21.

What they did not account for was somebody moving up ahead of them to take him.

Which is exactly what happened.