Winners and Losers from the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 23: Jeremiyah Love (R) of Notre Dame poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (L) after being selected third overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals during Round One of the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images The first round and night one of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and most fan bases are pretty excited right now. Their team just added what they believe to be a difference maker and future Hall of Famer who was their team’s top choice this entire time.
However, some fan bases may not be as happy and are upset that their team didn’t trade up, trade back, or select another prospect. So let us take a look at some of the winners and losers from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. WINNER – Las Vegas Raiders The Raiders were awful last season and earned the top pick in the draft, which just so happened to be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
He was considered the top pick the entire time, and the Raiders unsurprisingly selected him with their number one overall pick. Mendoza was by far the top quarterback in this draft, and the Raiders are hopeful that the National Championship-winning signal caller can lead them back to the top of the AFC West. It sounds like Mendoza isn’t going to play right away, and we’ll see veteran Kirk Cousins this season, but if Mendoza does prove to be their quarterback of the future, they just made a franchise-changing selection tonight.
Landing the top quarterback in this draft makes the Raiders a winner for me. LOSER – Arizona Cardinals It’s the classic case of a bad team selecting a running back with a top 5 selection. Don’t get me wrong, Jeremiyah Love is an excellent prospect, but the Cardinals are a bad team that already has running backs on their roster.
They have veteran James Conner, signed Tyler Allgeier in free agency, and still have Trey Benson, who they selected early in the draft a few years ago. What are they doing? There were rumors they were considering trading out of this pick, which is something they should have done.
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