2026 NFL draft: Winners and losers from the first round

New York Giants

Time will tell if the Giants regret passing twice on Downs, whom they were frequently linked to.

But there’s no denying the Giants improved Thursday with the additions of versatile Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at No. 5 and road-grading Miami offensive lineman Frances Mauigoa at No. 10.

The freakishly athletic Reese was a candidate to go as high as No. 2, and nobody — including the Giants — expected him to last until No. 5.

So even though the Giants have a surplus of edge rushers, they took Reese, whom some considered the best player in the draft.

Reese has experience playing inside and outside linebacker, and he’ll begin off the ball to complement edges Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux. But expect Reese to move all around the Giants defense — and for their “NASCAR” pass-rushing package to be a terror on third downs.

Mauigoa, meanwhile, fills a huge void as the missing piece on the offensive line. He is set to start off at right guard but has plenty of experience playing right tackle, where he could end up down the road.

Selecting the 6-6, 329-pound Mauigoa was all about protecting second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.

“I’m ready to die for you, man,” Mauigoa said in a message to Dart on the ESPN draft broadcast.

It was a statement first draft for head coach John Harbaugh, who prioritizes physicality as much as anybody.

New York Jets

Indeed, it was a big night for the New York teams, as the Jets added three players in the first round.

First, they selected Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey, opting for the more polished product at No. 2 over the higher-upside Reese.

Next, they took pass-catching Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16, adding a mismatch nightmare to their offense.

Then they traded back into the first round to take steady Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30 — a value pick considering Cooper had been in the mix at No. 16.

Suddenly, the Jets’ long-suffering offense is flush with playmakers, while Bailey is a plug-and-play piece on defense.

All three could be instant starters.

Young QBs

Dart isn’t the only second-year quarterback who stands to benefit from Thursday night’s draft results.

The Tennessee Titans took dependable Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate at No. 4, giving quarterback Cam Ward a big-bodied weapon.

The New Orleans Saints followed a similar approach, selecting explosive Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 8 to build out their Tyler Shough-led offense.

And while there’s no guarantee Shedeur Sanders will be the primary quarterback, whoever starts for the Cleveland Browns will be better off thanks to Thursday’s additions of Utah tackle Spencer Fano at No. 9 and Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion at No. 24.

Losers

Arizona Cardinals

This is no indictment of the uber-talented Jeremiyah Love, as the Notre Dame star is one of the true blue-chip prospects in this draft.

But the Cardinals have too many holes to be taking a running back at No. 3 overall. In doing so, they passed on Reese and their choice of offensive lineman, either of which would have filled a major need.

It would have been more palatable if the Cardinals could have paired Love with a young quarterback in Alabama’s Ty Simpson, whom they were often linked to.

But before the Cardinals could even consider trading back into the first round for Simpson, the Los Angeles Rams sniped him at No. 13.

Matthew Stafford

That Rams selection was the biggest stunner of the first round, and not only because of the polarizing nature of Simpson’s prospect stock.

Los Angeles is in win-now mode, having advanced to the NFC Championship Game last year. Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL MVP, is entering his age-38 season.

But rather than adding an instant-impact player to support their Super Bowl mission, the Rams drafted Stafford’s eventual replacement.

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon and Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. were among the top players still on the board.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Speaking of Lemon, the Steelers called the wide receiver Thursday to tell him they planned to draft him at No. 21.

Footage from the green room shows Lemon’s family celebrating as he spoke on the phone with Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan.

However, confusion unfolded when Lemon received a call from Philadelphia.

As it turned out, the Eagles traded from No. 23 to No. 20 (sending two fourth-rounders to Dallas) and took Lemon before the Steelers could.

Lemon figures to be part of the solution for replacing disgruntled wide receiver A.J. Brown, whom the Eagles are expected to trade to New England after June 1.

The Steelers pivoted to Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with some egg on their face — and with the draft in their city, no less.

Minnesota Vikings

Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks was No. 53 on the big board put together by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.

He ranked No. 62 among ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s top prospects.

Yet the Vikings took Banks with the No. 18 overall pick in what appeared to be the biggest reach in Round 1.

The 6-6 Banks is oozing with talent, but his college production didn’t always match. More concerning is that Banks has broken his left foot twice over the last year, requiring surgery in March.

He played in only three games last season.

Still, Minnesota made Banks the first defensive tackle off the board, ahead of Clemson’s Peter Woods and Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald.

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