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By Tyler Erzberger
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We are finished with the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, and although the first pick wasn't a surprise, there were shocks and turns aplenty through the first 32 picks of the three-day extravaganza.
From the best to the worst, here are the winners and losers from night one of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
More news: Sean McVay, Rams Choose Stafford’s Successor in NFL Draft: Ty Simpson
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More news: 2026 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: Ty Simpson Makes Massive First-Round Leap
Winner: Las Vegas Raiders
Fernando Mendoza might not be the savior of Las Vegas, but the franchise now has hope, and that's arguably the second most important thing in sports aside from winning.
Let's be frank: the Raiders' transition to Las Vegas hasn't been working. Most of their games are home contests for the opponent. They are the No. 3 team in the city, behind the NHL's Golden Knights and the WNBA's Aces. And with the MLB and NBA soon coming to town, the Raiders needed something to get fans excited about the franchise's future.
Loser: ESPN's Broadcast
When the NFL changed the rules for this year's draft, making the pick window shrink from 10 minutes to eight, you'd think ESPN would adjust its broadcast accordingly.
Nope.
It got to the point where there were reports on teams picking three slots ahead of the actual draft in Pittsburgh. The crowd already knew, via social media, who was going No. 11 before the No. 8 pick was even announced.
The big surprise of the night was Ty Simpson going to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13, and everyone in the crowd knew it was going down 10 minutes before it finally got announced officially.
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Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
I don't know how they do it, but in every draft, it feels like the Eagles have a need and a top talent falls to them at that role.
Philadelphia got aggressive and moved ahead of the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers to take Makai Lemon, college football's top wide receiver in 2025, who many pundits thought could have been a top 10 selection.
Goodbye, A.J. Brown, hello Lemon.
Loser: 2026 Los Angeles Rams
Ty Simpson might turn out to be the best QB in football. He has an incredible football IQ, clean mechanics, a great arm, and the athleticism to scramble for yards.
But he isn't going to improve the Rams in 2026, a team that was arguably one play away from winning the Super Bowl last season.
They've already massively improved their secondary, and could have gone for a killing blow to be far and away the most talented team in football if they added Makai Lemon, or a strong offensive lineman, or another piece that would make an immediate impact.
Simpson is a play for the Rams' future, and if head coach Sean McVay believes in the Alabama quarterback, then probably everyone else should, too. But just for next season, there was a series of better picks.
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Winner: Chicago Bears
The Bears, like the Rams, were a play or two away from feeling like they could have had a chance at the Super Bowl last season.
They needed to upgrade the secondary, and the Bears got an apparent godsend in Dillon Thieneman, a star secondary player who fell through the cracks to reach the Bears at the 25th pick.
If the Bears had picked 15 and taken Thieneman, most pundits would have seen it as a win for Chicago. But at 25? It's arguably the steal of the draft.
Loser: Arizona Cardinals
Jeremiyah Love is a fantastic player, but the move feels like someone who is renting an apartment with severe credit card debt buying a Ferrari instead of paying off their bills.
Yes, Love, in the right circumstances and franchise, could be one of the best running backs in the league. The Cardinals are not one of those organizations and have holes across the lineup, including the offensive line and QB.
This move feels almost exactly like the Raiders last year with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. And we all saw what season the Raiders had.
But hey, if this is Arizona's plan to tank for next season, stash Love, and then walk into the draft next year to grab Arch Manning or Dante Moore, then maybe it'll all be worth it.
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