The 2026 NFL Draft featured significant surprises, including the Jets selecting David Bailey over Arvell Reese. Experts like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are being graded on their mock drafts following this event.
Key points
Jets selected David Bailey at No. 2 instead of Arvell Reese
Ty Simpson surged up the rankings during the draft
Over 300,000 fans attended the event in Pittsburgh
Experts like Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are being graded
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft proved to be one of the most whirlwind in recent memory.
The action really started at No. 2, with the Jets opting for Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey as opposed to Ohio State maven Arvell Reese. That set the stage for a hectic draft board, one whose fireworks were amplified by trades and Ty Simpson's surge up the rankings.
All told, it made for a heart-racing, but memorable night at the races for the more than 300,000 fans that pooled into Pittsburgh's North Shore on Thursday night.
The Sporting News is grading pundits' final mock drafts. Here is the point system:
One full point for correct player, pick and team;
One half point for correct player and pick, but incorrect team;
One half point for correct player and team, but incorrect pick
Here's a look at how some of the experts fared in their final mock drafts.
(Bold lines represent one full point while italicized lines represent a half-point).
Iyer successfully predicted three picks, projecting Fernando Mendoza to land with the Raiders at No. 1, Olaivavega Ioane to join the Ravens at No. 14 and Peter Woods to be swallowed into the Chiefs ranks at No. 29. He also was right in linking Mansoor Delane with the Chiefs and Omar Cooper Jr. with the Jets, although they heard their names called at different points than Iyer initially thought.
Kiper was correct with his prediction for the draft's first two picks. His accuracy dwindled as trades and surprises took hold of the board. He pulled things together towards the end, however, correctly hypothesizing that the Seahawks would grab Jadarian Price with the last pick in the first round.
Schrager started his draft board on a tear, successfully predicting four of the first five picks. His accuracy waned throughout the night, although he did offer sage assessments that the Browns and Cowboys were interested in Spencer Fano and Malachi Lawrence's services, respectively.
Brooks only mustered three correct picks over the course of the first round of the draft. His vision of Mendoza, Bailey and Price was inspired. The hectic nature of the remainder of the draft board left his mock draft looking worse for the wear, however.
Brugler recorded two fully-correct picks, successfully predicting Mendoza landing with the Raiders and, more impressively, Akheem Mesidor being selected by the Chargers. He also predicted that Browns would add Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion to their ranks, albeit at different draft slots.
Simms, too, was felled by a streak of inaccuracy, with his picks proving fully successful just two times. He did predict that Sonny Styles would hear his name called with the No. 7 pick, although Simms believed the Giants would swap selections with the Commanders to make the choice.
Yates was by far the most accurate draft expert in our roundup, successfully predicting seven picks. His most impressive lands were Jordyn Tyson with the Saints at No. 8 and Max Iheanachor with the Steelers at No. 21. He also was correct in believing the Patriots were targeting Utah OT Caleb Lomu with their first-round pick.
Jeremiah, too, was fairly successful with his pre-draft predictions, with five of his premonitions coming true. He was correct in assuming that the Cowboys would be looking at Caleb Downs at No. 12. He also has good reason to think that Todd Monken would be interested in adding KC Concepcion to the Browns' roster at No. 24.
