2026 NFL Draft overreactions: Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel's jobs at risk? Rams wrong to target Ty Simpson?

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And just like that, the 2026 NFL Draft is at its conclusion. So, now what? Well, now it's time to digest all the madness that just ensued.

In any given draft, there are jaw-dropping moments, and that certainly was the case here in 2026. In the first round, the Los Angeles Rams pulled off one of the early stunners by selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Meanwhile, Howie Roseman, as he often does, made multiple trades throughout the weekend to improve the Philadelphia Eagles roster, and the Arizona Cardinals made a couple of selections that left most evaluators scratching their heads.

Of course, there are loads of opinions, and we use this space to sort through some of the main narratives. We comb through some of the notable takes from the weekend and determine whether they are overreactions or worth taking at face value.

Sheduer Sanders or Dillon Gabriel are at risk of being cut/traded

Overreaction vs. reality: Reality

Once we get to training camp, one of the biggest storylines in the NFL becomes the upcoming quarterback battle in Cleveland. However, a little wrinkle was thrown into that battle at the draft with the Browns selecting Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green atop the sixth round. While Green likely won't factor into the competition to start Week 1, he is another body in a growing quarterback room. And he is a quarterback, despite speculation that NFL teams could move him to receiver.

"He's playing quarterback," Browns GM Andrew Berry said of Green, via NFL Media. "He's playing quarterback."

So, that means the Browns now have four quarterbacks on the roster: Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, and Green. It seems unlikely they carry four into the 2026 regular season, so someone will likely be shown the door, whether by release or trade.

If we assume that they keep Green as a developmental third-stringer (given that they just drafted him), it comes down to Watson, Sanders, or Gabriel. Watson is in the final year of his mammoth contract and has a dead cap hit of $131.1 million, which likely rules him out from releasd. That means it could come down to Sanders or Gabriel, and the latter could be the most at risk. After all, Sanders did take over for Gabriel in the second half of last season.

Of course, Green could be moved to the practice squad and make it easier for Cleveland to keep all three veterans. That said, something will need to give here, and it could result in the departure of one of the Browns' 2025 draft picks, making this a fascinating story to monitor later this summer.

Rams should've helped 2026 team instead of drafting Ty Simpson

Overreaction vs. reality: Overreaction

One of the biggest jaw-dropping moments of the draft occurred when the Los Angeles Rams used the No. 13 overall pick to select Alabama's Ty Simpson. As you might expect, there were plenty of opinions surrounding this pick, especially when it looked like Sean McVay was less than thrilled with the selection (which he has since explained/walked back).

Regardless of McVay's reaction, the rest of the NFL world seems pretty divided on Los Angeles' approach here. On the one hand, they give themselves an heir apparent to Matthew Stafford, who is entering his age-38 season. On the other hand, Stafford just won NFL MVP, and the Rams are firmly in the Super Bowl conversation for 2026. They could've brought in a player at another position to help push them over the top in that pursuit.

While I understand that logic, this was the correct move for the Rams. Given how talented they are, they shouldn't be this high in the draft for a while, so they may not have another opportunity to bring in a talent like Simpson. Moreover, L.A. could've looked at this pick as a luxury, especially after using their other first-rounder (No. 29 overall) to acquire corner Trent McDuffie, a move that certainly helps the 2026 squad.

Simpson is the ideal prospect to bring in and develop behind Stafford, as he only has 15 collegiate starts under his belt. Now, he has the time to hone his craft without the pressure to start right away. Whenever Stafford decides to hang it up, they now have a talented player waiting in the wings.

Carson Beck will start sooner than Fernando Mendoza

Overreaction vs. reality: Reality

Fernando Mendoza may have heard his name called first at the draft, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the new Raiders quarterback will be the first rookie signal caller to become QB1 for his franchise. That distinction could belong to Carson Beck, the third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals.

Throughout the pre-draft process, Mendoza was the consensus No. 1 overall pick, which gave insight into how Las Vegas plans to proceed with him. New coach Klint Kubiak has been on record saying that you "ideally" wouldn't want a young quarterback to start on Day 1, and that "you'd love him to be able to learn behind somebody." They gave themselves that flexibility by signing veteran Kirk Cousins.

If they follow that plan, Mendoza could sit behind Cousins as he continues to develop. This is a prudent approach with the franchise's most important asset.

As for Beck, he could be thrown to the wolves sooner rather than later. The Miami product doesn't have nearly the upside that Mendoza has, as evidenced by being a mid-Day 2 pick as opposed to the first overall selection. That said, the Cardinals don't have a ton of options at quarterback, with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew as the two notable veterans. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Arizona leans towards Beck early to see what they have in him. The 24-year-old started in 43 games over the last three seasons between Georgia and Miami, so he has plenty of playing experience.

Travis Hunter trade looks worse by the minute

Overreaction vs. reality: Reality

Jacksonville didn't make a pick in the 2026 NFL Draft until No. 56 overall in the second round. That's because they shipped out their first rounder during last year's trade up to select Colorado do-it-all talent Travis Hunter. At the time of his selection, the thought process was that Hunter was worth two first-round picks because of his ability to play both wide receiver and corner at a high level. While that worked in college, it's proven to be far less feasible in the NFL. In fact, the Jags appear like they're throwing out the possibility of Hunter playing both ways altogether.

The plan is to make Hunter a full-time corner and occasionally work him in on offense, NFL Media reported earlier this month. This comes after Hunter suffered a knee injury that cut his rookie season short. Looking at Jacksonville's actions at the draft, double-dipping at wide receiver on Day 3, along with trading for Jakobi Meyers midseason and extending him, the blockbuster trade of last draft is beginning to age like milk.

Giants will not trade Kayvon Thibodeaux

Overreaction vs. reality: Overreaction

Will they or won't they? The status of Kayvon Thibodeaux and his future as a member of the New York Giants had been up for debate throughout the draft. Even leading up to the festivities, the pass rusher was on shaky ground, and once the team selected Ohio State's Arvell Reese with the fifth overall pick, it felt like Thibodeaux would be the odd man out. As rumors started to pick up that he could be on the trade block, Thibodeaux himself added gasoline to the speculation with what appeared to be a goodbye post to the Giants on his social media.

Kayvon Thibodeaux’s IG story. Yeah he’s gone ☹️ pic.twitter.com/l6z9ug0kDp

— 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 (@AbdulCarterMVP) April 24, 2026

However, the Giants have stated multiple times throughout the weekend that they don't plan to trade him.

Joe Schoen says there is no truth whatsoever to any talks right now on Kayvon Thibodeaux.

"That's not true," he said.

— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) April 24, 2026

So, what gives? Well, if I had to guess, New York is simply trying to keep leverage in trade talks. I'd guess that Thibodeaux could be had if someone meets the Giants' price because something needs to give in that pass-rusher room. The club already has Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, in addition to Reese and Thibodeaux. With Thibodeaux entering the final year of his contract in 2026 after the Giants picked up his fifth-year option, they'll either need to extend him or trade him.

Given that they spent the past two drafts adding pass rushers, it wouldn't make sense to ink him to an extension, which means a trade should be coming down the wire at some point. That could be later this offseason or even at the deadline during the season, but New York's actions at the last two drafts tell us that Thibodeaux is not long for the Big Apple and could be scooped up at the right price.

Howie Roseman's trades stole the show at the draft

Overreaction vs. reality: Reality

If there was one GM who made his presence felt the most, it was Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only did Roseman go through the routine of draft selections, but the veteran executive was wheeling and dealing in the trade market. On Day 1, he effectively stole Makai Lemon from the Steelers. The USC receiver was ON THE PHONE with Pittsburgh as they planned to make him the No. 21 overall pick. However, Roseman and the Eagles jumped over them by trading with their NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys, to get to No. 20 and scoop him up.

Makai Lemon was on the phone with the Steelers... until the @Eagles swooped in and traded up to get him 👀

(via @nflnetwork) pic.twitter.com/oLI0T2yCZH

— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2026

On Day 2, Roseman lit off some more fireworks, acquiring pass rusher Jonathan Greenard in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. As part of the deal, Philadelphia inked Greenard to a four-year, $100 million contract extension.

Both of those moves filled current/looming holes on Philly's roster. With Greenard, he comes in to replace Jaelan Phillips after the pass rusher left in free agency to sign with the Carolina Panthers. Greenard has the upside of being a double-digit sack figure in Philadelphia's defense, and it only cost two third-round picks (one in 2026 and another in 2027) to acquire him. Because they lost Phillips, they'll likely recoup a third-rounder next year in the form of a compensatory pick, making this even more of a no-brainer.

Meanwhile, the trade-up for Lemon perfectly helps cushion the blow of the impending departure of receiver A.J. Brown, who is widely believed to be on his way to New England after June 1.

Overall, it was a master class in draft trading by Roseman.

Cardinals showcased the most confusing draft strategy

Overreaction vs. reality: Reality

Arizona had us scratching our heads over the first two days of the draft, as their roster-building strategy was ... interesting. While Jeremiyah Love may be the most talented player in this draft, regardless of position, selecting the Notre Dame running back at No. 3 overall felt a little too "fantasy football" for our liking. The Cardinals are not one skill-position player away from leaping into contention, as they are without a clear-cut quarterback at the moment to build around. By the time they actually get to that point, Love could be nearing the end of his rookie contract and has seasons of tread on his tires. Speaking of his contract, he's now the seventh-highest paid back in the NFL (based on AAV), which feels too rich a price for where the Cardinals currently are in their rebuild.

Meanwhile, with the first pick in the third round, Arizona then selected Miami quarterback Carson Beck, which was even more puzzling. With Love, there's at least the superstar ceiling, but that's not the case with Beck, who struggled to push the ball down the field last season. This felt like taking a quarterback for the sake of taking a quarterback, and if Arizona was going to do that, they should've finagled a way to trade up for Ty Simpson.

It appears like the Cardinals will be in the quarterback market at the 2027 NFL Draft, which means they missed on an opportunity to take a player at another position of need with that 65th overall selection. Just a bit too erratic a draft approach for our liking.