The 3 Biggest Winners From First Round Of 2026 NFL Draft
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the books, which means it's time to discuss the biggest winners of Day 1.
The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the draft by selecting Indiana star Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. It'll be interesting to see how the Heisman Trophy winner handles the AFC West.
After the Raiders made the most predictable pick of the draft, the Arizona Cardinals shook up the board by taking Jeremiyah Love at No. 3. That move directly led to Arvell Reese falling to the New York Giants at No. 5 and Sonny Styles dropping to the Washington Commanders at No. 7.
While both NFC East teams deserve credit for their first-round picks, they didn't crack our top-three for biggest winners.
Dallas Cowboys get tremendous value with the No. 11 pick.
Even though Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was considered a top-five prospect, he was still on the board when the Cowboys were on the clock with the No. 11 pick. That being said, Jerry Jones immediately turned in the card and got himself a game-changing safety.
Downs, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 257 tackles, 12 pass deflections and six interceptions during his college career. He'll give the Cowboys a much-needed boost in the secondary.
The Cowboys bolstered their defense later in the first round by drafting UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence, who had 28 tackles for loss and 20 sacks in his college career.
New York Jets aced the first round.
The Jets kicked off their draft by selecting David Bailey with the No. 2 overall pick. He had an incredible 2025 season at Texas Tech, racking up 23 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Aaron Glenn is hoping he'll make an immediate impact for his defense.
After adding serious firepower to their defensive line, the Jets used the No. 16 pick on Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. He had 51 catches for 560 yards and eight touchdowns last season.
The Jets weren't done making noise on Day 1 of the draft. They traded back into the first round to select Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr. with the No. 30 overall pick. He had 69 receptions for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns during his 2025 season with the Hoosiers.
Ty Simpson lands in the perfect spot.
There's no question Ty Simpson has the talent to be a good quarterback at the next level. All he needs is time to develop his skills. Luckily for the Alabama product, he'll get to sit back and learn from Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford.
As you'd imagine, Simpson is fired up to work alongside arguably the best head coach in the NFL.
"Two of the greatest minds in offense, especially with Coach McVay and the quarterbacks from an offensive standpoint," Simpson told ESPN. "And then Matthew is just one of the greatest of all time. So, I'm looking forward to it."
If Simpson develops into the long-term answer at quarterback for the Rams, they'll remain contenders even after Stafford retires.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 8:40 PM.