⬇️ We’ve got you covered with what you should know about the 2026 NFL Draft.
🏈 2026 NFL Draft Round 1
The 2026 NFL Draft included a bunch of trades, surprises, and more on Thursday night. Key takeaways from Round 1 include:
The first major surprise of the night was the Titans going with Ohio State WR Carnell Tate at No. 4 overall—a move that virtually no mocks drafts had. After one pick like that, chaos ensues.
The Giants used their two top-10 picks on Ohio State defender Arvell Reese and Miami OL Francis Mauigoa. Meanwhile in the NFC East, the Commanders took Ohio State LB Sonny Styles, the Cowboys stole Ohio State S Caleb Downs at No. 11 overall, and the Eagles leaped the Steelers for USC WR Makai Lemon.
The Rams kept their plans under wraps and took Alabama’s Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall, with both GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay (despite McVay not looking happy at the press conference, presumably to not look too cheerful after breaking the news to QB Matthew Stafford earlier) very happy to get who they feel is their future franchise QB.
“I gotta play against this thing again.” Giants star WR Malik Nabers was… not thrilled with his team allowing Downs to go to the rival Cowboys. Downs was the No. 1 overall player on the Wolf Sports big board.
📝 Day 2 and Day 3 of the Draft
The second night of the draft started with another surprise, with the 49ers taking Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling at No. 33 overall. Other picks include the Giants selecting Tennessee CB Colton Hood at No. 37, the Steelers grabbing Alabama WR Germie Bernard with the No. 47 selection and Penn State QB Drew Allar at No. 76, and Indiana star CB D’Angelo Ponds going No. 50 to the Jets. More:
The Cardinals took Miami QB Carson Beck at No. 65 overall, with a shot to compete for the starting job.
The Falcons paired Clemson CB Avieon Terrell with his brother, All-Pro CB A.J. Terrell.
An emotional Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald was taken by the Texans at No. 36 and had an emotional moment with a nephew who looks up to him.
Day 3 of the draft kicked off with Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy—who slipped out of the first round due to concerns over his knee injury that kept him out all of 2025—going to the Raiders. Full Day 3 picks:
🤝 Greenard headlines trades and moves
The Draft also included trades of picks for players, led by a trade between the Eagles and the Vikings that’s been expected for weeks now:
Philadelphia acquired EDGE Jonathan Greenard for two third-round picks. They then signed the pass rusher to a four-year, $100 million extension.
The Raiders traded 2023 No. 7 overall pick EDGE Tyree Wilson to the Saints, swapping a fifth-rounder for a seventh in the deal.
The Cowboys acquired LB Dee Winters from the 49ers for a fifth-round pick.
The Cowboys say star WR George Pickens will play under the franchise tag this season, with no long-term deal in 2026. However, Jerry Jones and Pickens’ agent David Mulugheta (the agent of Micah Parsons) have reportedly begun to talk. Dallas also signed WRs Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Tyler Johnson.
The Packers extended WR Jayden Reed on a three-year, $50.25 million extension.
Fifth-year options were exercised for Eagles DL Jalen Carter and EDGE Nolan Smith, Ravens WR Zay Flowers, and Bucs DL Calijah Kancey.
📰 More NFL news and notes
Patriots HC Mike Vrabel was not with the team for Day 3 of the draft, as he went to counseling. In case you missed anything about the situation:
Photos were taken of Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini hugging and holding hands at a luxury resort in Arizona ahead of the NFL Annual League Meeting.
More photos and information came out following the initial news breaking, and Russini resigned from The Athletic and deleted her X account.
Vrabel went from initially dismissing the situation and calling it “laughable” to skipping Day 3 of the draft to go to counseling.
Zoom out: Though they are both married—personal lives aside—this is obviously not a good look for the anyone. Russini reports on all 32 teams and has put out a ton of information regarding the potential for an A.J. Brown trade to New England. She also votes on things like NFL MVP and Coach of the Year (things that, with wide sports betting legalization, can be bet on). Vrabel’s standing with the Patriots appears fine for now, and the NFL says they are not investigating the situation.
The Ravens and Cowboys will officially play in Brazil in Week 3, during the usual Sunday window of NFL games.
Ravens star DL Nnamdi Madubuike recently underwent neck surgery, and doctors believe he will be able to play again this season.
Longtime Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is joining NBC Sports and Football Night in America to help headline SNF.
Other Sports Updates
📰 Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby, who was one of the top players in the transfer portal this year, has entered residential treatment program for gambling addiction.
⚾️ The Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora, who led the franchise to a 2018 World Series title, after a 10-17 start.
🔥 Angels SP Jose Soriano has a 0.24 ERA through six starts—the best (minimum 30 IP) since ERA became an official stat in 1913.
🐘 Alabama extended HC Kalen DeBoer through the 2033 season.
⛳️ Jim Furyk is returning as the Ryder Cup captain for the United States this year, according to the AP.
🐺 Found on wolfsports.com
Final 2026 NFL Draft Big Board (Unlocked)
