- The No. 1 Overall Lock: The Las Vegas Raiders earned a Very Good grade for securing Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, who led the FBS in PFF Wins Above Average (WAA) in 2025.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
The 2026 NFL Draft is underway, and Round 1 is in the books.
The PFF Live Draft Tracker graded and analyzed every pick in real time, and now it’s time to break down the results with full evaluations for all 32 first-round selections.
For more on each prospect, check out the PFF Big Board. You can also get a head start on Day 2 by heading over to the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, which begins at Pick 33.
1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Pick Grade: Very Good
There was little suspense about who Las Vegas would select with the first overall pick. Mendoza is coming off an elite 2025 season for the Hoosiers, where he led all FBS quarterbacks in PFF Wins Above Average (WAA). The 22-year-old quarterback and new head coach Klint Kubiak, fresh off a Super Bowl title, will look to build a new offensive foundation after the Raiders ranked 31st in expected points added (EPA) per play last season.
2. New York Jets: Edge David Bailey, Texas Tech
Pick Grade: Good
The Jets opted for the proven commodity off the edge rather than the “what-if” of Arvell Reese developing into a top-flight edge rusher, given his athletic and physical profile. Bailey is coming off consecutive seasons with 90.0-plus PFF grades, and his 79 pressures this past season ranked second among all FBS edge rushers, trailing only Rueben Bain Jr. Bailey adds an immediate speed element off the edge for Aaron Glenn’s defense.
3. Arizona Cardinals: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
Pick Grade: Average
The Cardinals don’t exactly have a thin running back room after restructuring James Conner’s contract to keep him in Arizona and adding Tyler Allgeier in free agency, but Love adds a different element with his home-run hitting ability. His 22 runs of 20-plus yards over the past two seasons ranked third among FBS running backs. The biggest question with this fit in Arizona is whether the team has the offensive infrastructure to allow Love to generate those explosive plays, given the number of outstanding questions on that side of the ball.
4. Tennessee Titans: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Good
Tate isn’t a name we often saw linked to Tennessee, but if the goal is to surround Cam Ward with talent and give him a real chance to develop, this move works toward that objective. Tate was the safest projection among the top wide receiver prospects, given Jordyn Tyson’s injury history. He’s coming off a 2025 season at Ohio State in which he was extremely efficient, generating 3.02 yards per route run as the No. 2 option behind Jeremiah Smith.
5. New York Giants: Edge Arvell Reese, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Very Good
Reese doesn’t have much experience working as a traditional edge rusher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t impact the quarterback as a pass rusher, even if he ends up playing primarily off-ball for New York. Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.
6. Kansas City Chiefs: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
Pick Grade: Good
While the Chiefs have done a good job of developing young defensive backs under Steve Spagnuolo, they felt the need to jump Washington and New Orleans to select the top cornerback in the draft after losing Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this offseason. Delane had an extremely impressive 2025 season at LSU, allowing just 14 receptions for 165 receiving yards on 340 coverage snaps.
7. Washington Commanders: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Very Good
Styles had an excellent season at Ohio State, earning 85.0-plus grades as both a run defender and coverage defender, and then he tested the way he did at the combine. The positional value argument will come up with Styles, but he has the potential to quickly become one of the better players at the position in the NFL. It’s a much-needed infusion of talent for a Commanders defense that ranked 31st in EPA allowed per play last season.
8. New Orleans Saints: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
Pick Grade: Good
Many of the pre-draft questions surrounding Tyson were medical, but he ran 300-plus routes in each of the past two seasons at Arizona State while earning 80.0-plus PFF receiving grades in both years. He has impressive separation ability and provides a much-needed complement to Chris Olave in New Orleans’ receiving corps after the Saints traded away Rashid Shaheed.
9. Cleveland Browns: T Spencer Fano, Utah
Pick Grade: Very Good
The Browns traded back with Kansas City and still had their pick of the top offensive linemen on the board. Fano can move along the offensive line, giving Cleveland the flexibility to field its “best five” after adding several veteran offensive linemen in free agency and overhauling the unit. Fano has played primarily right tackle over the past two seasons, earning 80.0-plus PFF grades in both years, after playing left tackle in his first season at Utah.
10. New York Giants: T Francis Mauigoa, Miami (FL)
Pick Grade: Good
There’s a good chance Mauigoa starts his career on the interior, where the Giants have a more immediate need after bringing back Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle. However, he provides potential tackle flexibility in case of injury or future roster movement. Mauigoa is a powerful run blocker who is coming off a 2025 season at Miami in which he earned an 87.0 PFF pass-blocking grade at right tackle.
11. Dallas Cowboys: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Very Good
As is often the case with safety prospects, Downs slid further than he appeared on most big boards. Dallas traded up one spot to ensure it got its guy. It’s hard to find much fault with Downs’ college career, as he earned 85.0-plus PFF grades in three consecutive seasons — one at Alabama and two at Ohio State. He should be a stabilizing force on the back end for a Dallas secondary that ranked last in PFF coverage grade as a unit in 2025.
12. Miami Dolphins: T Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
Pick Grade: Average
The Dolphins have a near-clean slate with needs across the board, and they chose to address the trenches early with a massive addition up front (6-foot-7, 350-plus pounds). Proctor is a three-year starter at left tackle for Alabama and is coming off a career-best 86.1 PFF grade in 2025. It remains to be seen where he will slot into the Dolphins’ offensive line, but he raises the talent level of the group up front for Miami.
13. Los Angeles Rams: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama
Pick Grade: Poor
In a spot where many assumed the Rams would look to bolster their short-term Super Bowl window with Matthew Stafford at quarterback with an early first-round pick, they instead opted to take a swing on the future at the position in a post-Stafford world. There was growing momentum that Simpson would be selected toward the end of the first round — he ranked 38th on the Consensus Big Board — but few expected him to come off the board this early. Simpson has just one year of starting experience, and Los Angeles is betting that the time spent behind Stafford and with Sean McVay will help clean up some of the timing and ball placement inconsistencies in his game.
14. Baltimore Ravens: G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
Pick Grade: Very Good
This was the chalk for the Ravens at this spot in mock drafts, and it materialized. The Ravens had a clear need to improve their interior offensive line — especially after losing Tyler Linderbaum this offseason — and Ioane should help stabilize things. The bulk of his time at Penn State came at left guard, where he earned an 80.2 PFF grade across nearly 1,500 offensive snaps over the past two seasons.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge Rueben Bain Jr., Miami FL
Pick Grade: Elite
The Buccaneers stayed at their original draft slot and were able to pick up a player at a position of need and a premium position who led all FBS edge rushers in total pressures and PFF Wins Above Average. Bain was likely still available because of his limited length, but his tape — including against high-level opponents on big stages — indicates he should have come off the board earlier.
16. New York Jets: TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
Pick Grade: Good
Most expected the Jets to add a wide receiver to complement Garrett Wilson in this spot, but they added a slightly different type of weapon. Sadiq is a rare athlete — he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at 240-plus pounds, and he produced 15 receptions of 15 or more yards last season at Oregon. His addition gives new quarterback Geno Smith a big, explosive athlete who can line up in multiple alignments.
17. Detroit Lions: T Blake Miller, Clemson
Pick Grade: Good
Miller gets the nod as Penei Sewell’s new running mate after the departure of longtime Lions tackle Taylor Decker. Miller should start at right tackle, with Sewell kicking over to left tackle, and he certainly isn’t lacking experience there. He was a four-year starter at Clemson, logging nearly 4,000 offensive snaps across those seasons. He was remarkably consistent, too, earning 70.0-plus PFF grades in each year.
18. Minnesota Vikings: DI Caleb Banks, Florida
Pick Grade: Average
This is a significant reach based on the Consensus Big Board, but the fit in Brian Flores’ defense makes sense. Banks’ length and strength give the Vikings a unique presence on the defensive front that they can move across a variety of alignments, even if his production didn’t stand out at the collegiate level.
19. Carolina Panthers: T Monroe Freeling, Georgia
Pick Grade: Good
Freeling is still a young tackle prospect with untapped potential, but he showed clear signs of improvement as a pass protector from 2024 (65.3 PFF grade) to 2025 (86.1). This provides Carolina with another starting option at left tackle, with Ikem Ekwonu coming off a major late-season injury when he will be on his fifth-year option.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: WR Makai Lemon, USC
Pick Grade: Very Good
With the Steelers needing wide receiver, the Eagles jumped Pittsburgh to take the sliding Lemon. This is good value at a position of need for Philadelphia, as has often been the case in recent years. With a potential A.J. Brown trade looming, Lemon adds a player who can make tough catches over the middle of the field, as he recorded 10 receptions on 14 contested targets in 2025.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: T Max Iheanachor, Arizona State
Pick Grade: Good
Iheanachor has the build and athleticism necessary to develop into a high-end starting tackle in the NFL. His experience across just over 2,000 collegiate snaps at Arizona State came at right tackle, so it remains to be seen how Pittsburgh will fit the pieces together up front, with Troy Fautanu currently slotted at right tackle and the bigger question mark — due to performance and injury — at left tackle with Broderick Jones. Regardless, Iheanachor raises the talent level up front as Pittsburgh continues to invest heavily in the trenches.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Edge Akheem Mesidor, Miami FL
Pick Grade: Good
Mesidor is an older prospect (25 years old), but it’s difficult to be more impressive than he was coming off the edge for Miami in 2025. He earned an elite 92.5 PFF pass-rush grade to go along with an 85.0-plus run-defense grade. Mesidor is set to replace Odafe Oweh and help maintain a strong top three off the edge for the Chargers alongside Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu.
23. Dallas Cowboys: Edge Malachi Lawrence, UCF
Pick Grade: Average
Lawrence joins 2025 first-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku and Rashan Gary as notable additions on the edge over the past year after the team traded away Micah Parsons. Lawrence profiles as a rotational pass rusher who could make an early impact in that role, coming off an 89.5 PFF pass-rush grade last season at UCF. This pick profiles as a reach to address a need, with Lawrence coming in around No. 50 on the Consensus Big Board.
24. Cleveland Browns: WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Pick Grade: Good
The expectation was that Cleveland would come out of the draft with an offensive lineman and a wide receiver to bolster an offense that needed more talent. That’s exactly what happened. Concepcion isn’t going to come in and be a traditional “X” receiver for Cleveland, but he can work as a “Z” and in the slot while bringing after-the-catch ability to the Browns’ offense.
25. Chicago Bears: S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
Pick Grade: Elite
Thieneman didn’t often make it to Chicago in mock drafts, but the Bears will certainly be happy he was available here. Thieneman earned 89.0-plus PFF grades on multiple defenses — 2023 with Purdue and 2025 with Oregon — and can cover, defend the run and bring high-end athleticism. Given that the Bears came into this draft with a clear need at safety, this is an ideal scenario for Dennis Allen’s defense.
26. Houston Texans: G Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech
Pick Grade: Poor
Rutledge was a late riser in the pre-draft process — and offensive linemen tend to go earlier than expected in general — but it’s an interesting decision by Houston to move up to take him, as he ranked outside the top 50 on most consensus big boards. Rutledge earned PFF grades below 70.0 in his first three seasons — at Middle Tennessee State and Georgia Tech — before showing improvement in the run game in his final season (77.8 PFF grade).
27. Miami Dolphins: CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State
Pick Grade: Good
The Dolphins’ secondary was one of the league’s worst units entering the 2026 season, regardless of position. Johnson was one of the bigger risers in the pre-draft process, coming off a 2025 season at San Diego State in which he earned an elite 92.4 PFF coverage grade and allowed a passer rating of just 16.1 on passes into his coverage.
28. New England Patriots: T Caleb Lomu, Utah
Pick Grade: Good
New England jumped a few spots to get the last tackle before a noticeable tier break. Lomu was a two-year starter at left tackle for Utah, where he earned PFF pass-blocking grades above 75.0 in each season. He provides a potential long-term answer at the position, with starting right tackle Morgan Moses nearing the end of his career at 35 years old.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: DI Peter Woods, Clemson
Pick Grade: Good
The Chiefs stuck with defense for both of their first-round selections, adding Woods to an interior defensive line that needs a disruptive presence beyond Chris Jones. Like most of the Clemson roster, Woods is coming off a disappointing 2025 season, but he’s an explosive athlete at 6-foot-3 and 300-plus pounds who earned PFF grades above 83.0 in each of his first two collegiate seasons. Having just turned 21, Woods should continue to improve and potentially cause some early disruption for Kansas City.
30. New York Jets: WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
Pick Grade: Very Good
Cooper was the betting favorite to be the 16th overall pick by the Jets entering the night. New York opted to go with Sadiq in that spot, but as Cooper continued to slide, the team moved up and added him as well. Cooper profiles as a well-rounded complement to Garrett Wilson who can operate in the slot or out wide. Cooper is tough to bring down and forced 27 missed tackles after the catch in 2025, ranking in the top five in the FBS.
31. Tennessee Titans: Edge Keldrick Faulk, Auburn
Pick Grade: Good
This is a bit lower than where Faulk was expected to come off the board, prompting the Titans to move back into the first round to add him along the defensive line for new head coach Robert Saleh. Faulk wasn’t an overly productive pass rusher for Auburn, but he’s young with good size and athleticism to go along with PFF grades above 80.0 against the run in each of the past two seasons.
32. Seattle Seahawks: RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
Pick Grade: Average
Seattle made it two Notre Dame running backs coming off the board in the first round. Price fills a need for the Seahawks with Kenneth Walker leaving in free agency. Price played a secondary role to Jeremiyah Love over the past two seasons, but he was very efficient in that role, averaging more than four yards after contact per attempt and forcing 59 missed tackles on 234 carries over that span.