The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books. Thirty-two teams made their picks on the North Shore in Pittsburgh — franchise-altering decisions, a few surprises, and the always-dramatic wait for a name to be called. Here's everything that happened.
The moments that defined Round 1 in Pittsburgh.
The Las Vegas Raiders made it official: Indiana's Fernando Mendoza is their franchise quarterback. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to their first national championship and undefeated season in 2025, completing 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 touchdowns. The 6'4" Cuban-American signal-caller joins a Raiders organization with minority owner Tom Brady mentoring him, and veteran Kirk Cousins in place as a bridge starter. He joins Joe Burrow and Cam Newton as the only players in the common draft era to win the Heisman, a national title, and be selected first overall.
Despite months of speculation about a deep quarterback class, only two QBs came off the board in Round 1. Mendoza went first overall to Las Vegas. The second — and far more debated — QB selection was the Los Angeles Rams taking Alabama's Ty Simpson at No. 13, a pick that drew immediate scrutiny from analysts who saw it as a significant reach. Simpson is viewed as the Rams' long-term heir to Matthew Stafford. No other quarterbacks were selected Thursday night, meaning most teams hunting a franchise QB will have to wait for Day 2.
Round 1 featured eight trades. The night's first major move saw the Kansas City Chiefs jump from No. 9 up to No. 6 in a swap with the Cleveland Browns, landing LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane. The Buffalo Bills were the most active traders in the opposite direction — they moved down from No. 26 to No. 28 (with Houston), then traded that pick to New England for No. 31, then sent No. 31 to Tennessee. The Bills exited Round 1 without making a selection, banking future capital instead.
Ohio State had the most remarkable team performance of the night: four Buckeyes went in the top 11 picks — Carnell Tate (WR, No. 4 to Tennessee), Arvell Reese (EDGE, No. 5 to the Giants), Sonny Styles (LB, No. 7 to Washington), and Caleb Downs (S, No. 11 to Dallas). On the other end of expectations, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. — a consensus top-10 prospect — slid all the way to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15, one of the night's most notable falls and a significant value pickup for Tampa Bay.
Every selection from Thursday night in Pittsburgh, in order.
All 32 first-round picks are listed in order. The full pick-by-pick breakdown is below — positions, schools, and team context for every selection made Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
All 257 picks are in the books. See the full three-day recap from Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh had the night's best haul (WR Bernard, QB Allar, CB Everette, G Dunker), QBs finally came off the board in Round 3, and the Bills addressed both of their big needs in two picks. Read the Rounds 2–3 Recap →
Day 3 wrapped up 157 picks on Saturday. The Jets traded up for QB Cade Klubnik at 110, Harold Perkins Jr. slid all the way to Round 6, and Denver's Red Murdock became Mr. Irrelevant at pick 257.
After seven rounds, see how all 32 franchises addressed their needs across the full draft weekend in Pittsburgh.
Back to the full 2026 NFL Draft guide — prospects, how the draft works, rookie contracts, and more. 2026 Draft Home →