The 2026 NFL Draft concluded with notable picks, including the Raiders selecting Fernando Mendoza first overall. The Jets and Giants made key additions, while the 49ers faced challenges with their draft performance.
Key points
2026 NFL Draft concluded with 257 picks
Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza first overall
Jets and Giants made key additions for rebuilding
Rams surprised by picking quarterback Ty Simpson
Eagles traded up to steal a player from the Steelers
Ty SimpsonFernando MendozaRaidersRams
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After 257 picks, the 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the books.
The draft started on Thursday with the Raiders making the most predictable pick of all time (Fernando Mendoza), but that was about the only predictable thing that happened over the three-day event. The Rams stunned everyone by taking a quarterback at 13th overall (Ty Simpson) in a wild first round that also saw the Eaglessteal a player from the Steelers at a draft that was being held in Pittsburgh. Yup, the Steelers got robbed in their own city.
Makai Lemon was on the phone with the Steelers... until the @Eagles swooped in and traded up to get him 👀
Jets fans haven't had much to cheer about over the past few years, but they had plenty to cheer about during the draft. The Jets are essentially in the middle of a total reset this offseason and they used the draft to start building a foundation for what could soon be a very successful team.
At second overall, they drafted pass rusher David Bailey, who will be joining a defense in New York that could have seven or MORE new starters this year. This offseason alone, the Jets have added David Onyemata, T'Vondre Sweat, Demario Davis, Joseph Ossai, Nahshon Wright and Minkah Fitzpatrick. On top of that, they used a second-round pick on cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, who could also make his way into the starting lineup.
The biggest question mark in New York right now is at quarterback. The Jets will be relying on Geno Smith to carry them this year and they did everything they could to help in the draft. With their two first-round picks AFTER Bailey, they grabbed the top tight end in the draft (Kenyon Sadiq) and one of the top receivers (Omar Cooper Jr.). And if Smith doesn't work out, the Jets also took a flyer on Clemson QB Cade Klubnik in the fourth round, which is a low-risk move at quarterback that could come with a high reward if Klubnik pans out.
This team might not quite be ready to make the playoffs, but for the first time in a long time, Jets fans should be feeling good about the direction of the organization.
John Harbaugh
The Jets and Giants should get together to throw a party at MetLife Stadium this week because, for the first time in forever, both teams crushed it in the draft. We already went over what the Jets accomplished, so let's take a look at what the Giants did. In his first draft with Giants, John Harbaugh took the first step into molding New York into the team he had in Baltimore, and that makes sense, because the Ravens made it to the playoffs in 12 of Harbaugh's 18 seasons with the team.
For the Giants, the draft started with Arvell Reese falling into their lap at fifth overall. Reese was widely expected to be a top-three pick, but he dropped to the Giants, and now, he'll be joining a suddenly scary defense in New York that also includes Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux (There had been some speculation that Thibodeaux might be traded, but it looks like he'll be sticking around). In the second round, the Giants added another likely defensive starter in Colton Hood, who could form a formidable cornerback tandem with Paulson Adebo.
That's just their defense. The Giants also upgraded on offense and that started with at 10th overall, a pick they got from the Bengals after sending Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. The Giants used the 10th pick on Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, a player who could soon become a long-term anchor on their line. When you have a young quarterback, you want to do everything you can to help him and adding a mammoth offensive lineman checks that box. The Giants also helped out Jaxson Dart by taking Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields in the third round. With Malik Nabers on the roster, Fields doesn't need to be a No.1 receiver, but if he can develop into a strong No. 2 receiver, that would bode well for New York's offense.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo
When you think of the Chiefs, you usually think of Patrick Mahomes and the offense, but this team is apparently planning to forge a new identity in 2026. Instead of bringing in help for Mahomes during the early portion of the draft, the Chiefs used their first FOUR picks on defensive players.
Round 1, Pick 6: CB Mansoor Delane Round 1, Pick 29: DL Peter Woods Round 2, Pick 40: EDGE R Mason Thomas Round 4, Pick 109: CB Jadon Canady
With Mahomes coming off a torn ACL, he may not be quite at 100% when the season starts and there's a good chance that the Chiefs are going to need their defense to step up, especially early in the year. The Chiefs' defense wasn't great last year, but Spagnuolo has proven that he's one of the top defensive minds in the NFL and the draft must have felt like Christmas for him, because Kansas City's front office just handed him four presents.
The Chiefs were the only team in the draft this year to use each of their first four picks on defense.
Browns front office
The Browns have made some bad decisions over the years, but if there's one situation where this front office almost always seems to shine in recent years, it's in the draft. The Browns kept busy during all three days of the draft: They made six trades in the first five rounds and they did a solid job of cashing in on their picks after making those trades.
The deals started in the first round when they traded down from sixth to ninth in a deal with the Chiefs that ended with Cleveland taking offensive tackle Spencer Fano. The Browns then pulled off a historical double by taking a receivers with their next two picks (KC Concepcion at 24 and Denzel Boston at 39). Those two picks made the Browns the first team in 30 years to take two receivers in the top 40.
Including Fano, they ended up taking three offensive linemen with their first six picks, which was a much-needed move for a team that will be going into 2026 with a totally revamped line. All of this comes one year after the Browns drafted Carson Schwesinger, who was voted the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2025. This feels like the second straight year where the Browns have hit a home run in the draft, but it remains to be seen if the smart moves will actually translate into wins on the field.
City of Pittsburgh
The NFL turned the draft into a traveling road show back in 2015, and so far, that plan has been a home run. The draft ended up being a smash in Pittsburgh with 805,000 fans at the three-day event, which set the all-time record for draft attendance. The total in the Steel City topped the previous record of 775,000, which was set during the 2024 draft in Detroit.
What does it look like when you have that many people in one place? Glad you asked.
WHAT A SCENE IN PITTSBURGH FOR ROUND 1 OF THE NFL DRAFT 😱
The NFL went full Pittsburgh during the draft and that includes a moment where they let Pittsburgh native, Michael Keaton, announce a pick in the fifth round.
Pittsburgh's own Michael Keaton announces @Steelers' 5th-round pick Riley Nowakowski!
The fans in Pittsburgh got several other thrills. First, the Steelers drafted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round, which drew some loud cheers, and then they turned around and selected a Pittsburgh-native in the seventh round.
.@NavyFB and Pittsburgh native Eli Heidenreich is taken in the 7th round by the @Steelers... and was in attendance to take in the moment ❤️
It was a wild week in the Steel City, and now, Washington, D.C., will be looking to top that excitement next year.
Raiders
There were only two teams that earned an 'A' in the draft this year from our stable of graders, and surprisingly, those two teams were the Browns and Raiders. We already covered why we liked the Browns draft, so let's break down why the Raiders came away a winner.
The Raiders earned an 'A' or an 'A+' with each of their first six picks. They were the only team in the draft that did that well with their first six picks. Fernando Mendoza is obviously the crown jewel of the class, but the Raiders also filled some big needs, including one at safety when they took Arizona's Treydan Stukes in the second round.
The Raiders also got Jermod McCoy with the first pick of the fourth round. The Tennessee cornerback was projected to be a first-round pick, but he tumbled down the draft board due to injury concerns involving his knee. If McCoy can stay healthy, he might end up being one of the biggest steals in the draft.
The Raiders have a new head coach, a new quarterback and a front office that just aced the draft. This team hasn't won a postseason game since 2002, but it finally feels like bright times might be ahead in Las Vegas.
Losers
49ers draft plan
The 49ers might need to start rethinking their draft strategy, because whatever their doing isn't working, especially at the top. They went into the draft with the 27th overall pick, but after making two trades, they didn't end up making their first pick until 33rd overall. That was the first pick of the second round, which is one of the best picks you can have in the draft, because other teams are always eager to trade into the spot. However, the 49ers decided not to trade the pick. Instead, they stayed at 33 and drafted Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, which might have been the biggest reach of the second round.
Not to be outdone, the 49ers then turned around used their third-round pick (90th overall) on running back Kaelon Black, a player who wasn't even invited to the combine. Look at Kyle Shanahan's excitement after the Black pick.
The 49ers took running back Kaelon Black - who wasn’t even invited to The Combine! - and Kyle Shanahan appeared to be in stunned disbelief, frozen in time pic.twitter.com/Ajcb6IrnO7
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) April 25, 2026
Between Black and Stribling, that's two questionable picks on the offensive side of the ball on Day 2.
The crazy part is that messing up their Day 2 picks has now basically become an annual tradition in San Francisco.
Every skill position the 49ers have drafted on Day 2 in the Shanahan era
WR De'Zhaun Stribling
TE Cameron Latu
RB Tyrion-Davis-Price
WR Danny Gray
RB Trey Sermon
WR Deebo Samuel
WR Jalen Hurd
WR Dante Pettis
It's not just Day 2 picks that the 49ers have struggled with, they've also been pretty bad at drafting running backs in the Shanahan era, which started in 2017.
49ers Running Back Draft History;
2017 - 4.21 Joe Williams (cut in 2 years)
2021 - 3.88 Trey Sermon (cut in 2 years)
2021 - 6.194 Elijah Mitchell (solid 2 years, injury issues)
2022 - 3.93 Ty-Davis Price (cut in 2 years)
2024 - 4.129 Isaac Guerendo (solid rookie year but hasn't…
Shanahan has one of the smartest offensive minds in the NFL, but for some reason, the 49ers can never find players who fit his system early in the draft, and based on their picks this year, it feels like they could strike out again.
Jaguars GM James Gladstone
Based on their picks in the first four rounds, it seems like the Jaguars threw their draft board out the window and started throwing darts to decide who they were going to draft next. Based on the consensus draft board, the Jags reached on four of their first five picks.
Let's check out where those four players were drafted along with where they ranked on our overall big board here at CBS Sports. We'll also show you their ranking on ESPN's big board so you don't think we're just doing this because we're out to get the Jaguars:
Round 4, Pick 119: DE Wesley Williams (CBS -- 356, ESPN -- 240)
There are plenty of instances where a team ends up getting a steal because it takes a player who wasn't projected to go very high, but making that your entire draft strategy is quite the risk. It's fine to think outside the box, but Gladstone has set the box on fire. He essentially took two projected seventh-round picks at 100th overall and 119th.
Gladstone isn't afraid to be bold -- after all, this is the guy who traded up to second overall to get Travis Hunter last year -- but if those bold moves don't eventually pay off, he might have to start rethinking how he does things in the draft.
Browns QB room
We complimented the Browns' front office for their savvy drafting skills in our "winners" section, but when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, that's where this front office seems to fall apart. The Browns held a four-way battle at quarterback during training camp last season, and for some reason, it looks like they're going to do it again.
In the fifth round, the Browns decided to take a flyer on Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green. Apparently, the Browns' plan at QB is to keep drafting quarterbacks until they actually find one. With the pick of Green, they're the first team since the 2010-11 Panthers to select three quarterbacks in a two draft span.
Green will now be joining Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in a crowded QB room. The problem with having four quarterbacks is that it's tough to get snaps for everyone during practice. If you need proof of that, just look at Sanders. After being selected in the fifth round last year, he got almost zero first team reps during training camp last season. With a new head coach on the job in Todd Monken, all four quarterbacks are going to be learning a new offense so getting reps will be important.
As for Green, the fact that Monken is the head coach makes the pick even more intriguing, because the Arkansas QB has a skill set that's similar to Lamar Jackson and Monken knows a lot about Jackson after serving as the Ravens' offensive coordinator (Green isn't as talented as Jackson, but Monken might be hoping that he can mold him into something special).
For now, the Browns say they're going to keep all four quarterbacks, but it's hard to see that happening. Last year, they ended up trading Joe Flacco, and this year, it wouldn't be surprising if Gabriel is the odd man out. For now, it feels like Watson will have the best chance to win the job, but only if he still has his fast ball after missing 32 games over the past three seasons.
If the Browns can somehow get their QB situation figured out, they might actually have a chance to be competitive this year.
Cardinals' early draft strategy
With the third overall pick, the Cardinals decided to take one of the most electrifying players in the draft in Jeremiyah Love. Taking a running back that high is a luxury pick and it's a luxury the Cardinals couldn't afford, but they did it anyway.
As I noted on Thursday, it almost never works out when a bad team uses a high pick on a running back. Love is the 12th running back over the past 20 years to be taken with a top-10 pick. Of the previous 11, none of them won a Super Bowl with the team that drafted them. As a matter of fact, none of them even played in a Super Bowl.
The Cardinals have a lot of holes on their roster, but they didn't have one at running back. The Cards gave Tyler Allgeier a two-year, $8 million deal this offseason. They have James Conner returning from injury. They have 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson, who has averaged 4.9 yards per attempt on 92 carries. And let's not forget about Bam Knight. This team went 3-14 last season and they have holes all over the place, adding a running back who will be getting $50 million in guaranteed money is not going to put them over the hump.
To be clear, Love is definitely one of the most talented players in the draft, but he's just not what the Cardinals needed. They also didn't help themselves in the third round. In Round 3, the Cards drafted Carson Beck and if history has proven one thing, it's that third-round quarterbacks never pan out. Over the past 13 years, no QB drafted in the third round has made a Pro Bowl. In all of NFL history, only four quarterbacks drafted in the third round have ended up winning a Super Bowl as a starter (Russell Wilson, Nick Foles, Joe Montana, and Jeff Hostetler).
Both Wilson and Foles were drafted in 2012 and outside of that draft class, it's been an ugly 40-year stretch for third round quarterbacks. Love might put up big numbers and Beck might eventually start a few games, but it seems unlikely that these two will ever lead the Cardinals to a Super Bowl win. Basically, this was a bizarre drafting strategy for a team that went 3-14 last season.
This marked the first time since 1988 that the Cardinals selected a QB and a running back in the first three rounds.
Chargers
The Chargers were the only team that didn't earn a single 'A' for any of their picks through the first four rounds from our stable of graders here at CBS Sports. The Chargers made five picks in that span and our graders didn't really love any of them. The highest grade went to first-round pick Akheem Mesidor, who earned a 'B+.' On the other hand, the Chargers had two picks who were given a 'C+' in center Jake Slaughter (63rd overall) and receiver Brenen Thompson (105th overall). This is the second straight year that the Chargers didn't get a single 'A' on any pick in the first four rounds, making them the only team in the NFL with that distinction. You can check out each team's overall draft grade along with the individual grades for all 257 picks here.
Vikings, Jaguars, 49ers, Bears, Cardinals
Although the Chargers didn't get an 'A' grade with any of their picks through the first four rounds, the good news is that they didn't get the lowest overall grade of the draft. Their overall team grade was a 'B,' which was better than the five teams listed here. The Vikings, Jaguars, 49ers, Bears and Cardinals all tied for the lowest grade with a 'B-.' We've already covered why San Francisco, Jacksonville and Arizona scored so low, so let's check out why Chicago and Minnesota got low overall grades.
Chicago: The Bears earned a low grade for their picks of Iowa center Logan Jones (D+) at 57th overall and LSU receiver Zavion Thomas (C+) at 85th overall. Here's why CBS Sports NFL Draft guru Mike Renner didn't like the Jones pick, "I had three centers on my board, considerably higher than Jones, that were all good scheme fits for Ben Johnson's offense. Jones's ability to run outside zone is why he comes off the board here, but you're going to consistently give up a lot in pass protection with him in the middle."
Minnesota: The Vikings got off to a rough start in this draft. They took Caleb Banks at 18th overall and that pick got a 'D,' which was the lowest grade of any player the first round. Here's why Renner didn't like the pick, "At 6-foot-6, 327 pounds with an over 7-foot wingspan, when he fires off low into contact, he's nearly impossible to block. The worry is that we never saw it consistently before his 2025 season was cut short with a foot injury that required surgery. He then had another foot surgery after an injury suffered during the combine week. That's a big swing for the Vikings to take at 18." The Vikings made nine picks and four of them got a 'C' or worse.
Former LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is both a winner and a loser. The losing part is because he had arguably the biggest slide of anyone in the draft. If the former LSU quarterback had entered the NFL Draft last year, he would almost certainly been a first round pick, but instead he decided to stay in school and that gamble definitely didn't pay off.
Nussmeier was generally viewed as the third or fourth best quarterback in this year's class, but he ended up being the 10th quarterback taken and that didn't happen until the seventh round.
The reason Nussmeier is a winner is because of where he ended up. Sure, he's probably not happy about going 249th overall, but he ended up getting selected by the Chiefs, which is the perfect landing spot for a young quarterback. Nussmeier will get to learn under Andy Reid and he'll get to share a QB room with Patrick Mahomes, which should help him quickly learn the ropes of the NFL. Also, with Mahomes coming off an ACL injury, the Chiefs star QB likely won't be taking first team reps in OTAs, which means more reps for Nussmeier. Justin Fields will almost certainly be getting the brunt of the work with the first team, but Nussmeier will be able to take second-team reps and that's big deal for a young quarterback.
Nussmeier had to wait longer than he would have liked to be drafted, but it all worked out in the end.
