Well, that was a fun first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tons of trades, tons of emotions, a shorter run time due to reduced pick times (finally!) and the certainty and uncertainty we've all come to love and expect.
The New York Jets led the way with three selections on Thursday, while their AFC East counterparts in Buffalo matched that number in trade-downs. And, like every year, there's still tons of talent left on the board.
Here are our takeaways from Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft:
Rams plan for life after Stafford
The biggest surprise of the night came at pick No. 13, when the Los Angeles Rams
— who usually "F them picks" — planned for the future for once.
Picking in the first round for just the third time in the last decade (Jared Goff, 2016; Jared Verse, 2024), the Rams stunned the record crowd in Pittsburgh by selecting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson was the top QB behind first pick Fernando Mendoza, but many wondered if he'd go on Night 1 at all. But after years of L.A. flirting with life after Matthew Stafford, general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay finally pulled the trigger.
With Stafford nearing retirement at 38 years old, the Rams decided to echo the Green Bay Packers' route with Jordan Love sitting under Aaron Rodgers for developing the next franchise guy under centre.
Here's the good news for the 23-year-old Simpson: he doesn't have to start right away. The bad: it's unknown when Stafford plans to hang up the cleats, but you'd think it'll happen within five years — which is when Simpson's rookie deal would be up if the team picked up his fifth-year option.
Sitting and learning behind a Super Bowl-winning QB for one, two, maybe three years is probably a smart plan for Simpson, who only has 15 collegiate starts under his belt. Especially since recent first-round QBs who started in the NFL right away with minimal starter experience in college (Mitchell Trubisky, Anthony Richardson) struggled to find their footing.
Jets add weapons for ... Geno Smith?
The New York Jets began Thursday with two first-rounders. They finished the night with three. And the final two were used on shiny new toys for their franchise QB, Geno Smith.
I kid, Smith is merely a temporary option. It's his second tour of duty in green and white, and he is coming off an abysmal season with the Raiders.
However, GM Darren Mougey did a fine job finding weapons for whoever they decide to select in next year's draft.
At pick 16, New York took Oregon's super athletic tight end, Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq set the all-time 40-yard dash record at the Scouting Combine with a time of 4.39 seconds.
He'll be a field-stretcher up the seams, and ideally open up some targets for star wideout Garrett Wilson. The slightly confusing part of this pick? The Jets spent an early second-round pick on a tight end last year in Mason Taylor.
Now, just because they used a premium pick at the position last year doesn't mean they can't do so again, and win doing so. Look at the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks, who picked RBs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet in the second round in back-to-back years (2022, 2023).
But the Jets do have some mouths to feed, including disgruntled RB Breece Hall, as well as the final of three 2026 first-rounders in Omar Cooper Jr.
Cooper Jr. now forms a formidable duo with Wilson, and is coming off a spectacular season at Indiana where he was Mendoza's top target, posting 937 yards and 13 touchdowns — including the stunner against Penn State.
Oh, and Mougey and Co. scooped up who they believe is the best pass rusher in the draft in David Bailey at No. 2.
Not too shabby, Jets.
Eagles find Brown's replacement
After months of trade speculation surrounding star WR A.J. Brown, the bombshell finally dropped on Monday when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Brown will likely be dealt to New England on or after June 1.
So, Howie Roseman did what he does best and made a swift move to find Brown's replacement.
The Eagles jumped up from pick 23 to 20, sending two fourths to the rival Dallas Cowboys to pick USC WR Makai Lemon.
Lemon is a fascinating prospect, often compared to fellow USC alum Amon-Ra St. Brown due to his hands and toughness. If Lemon becomes half the player St. Brown is, the Eagles will continue to boast a top WR duo alongside DeVonta Smith.
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit about this selection, however, is the story behind it.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Steelers, who owned the 21st pick, were on the phone with Lemon informing him that he'll be their pick, completely unaware that Philadelphia jumped ahead.
Roseman wasn't able to get in touch with the USC product since he was on the phone with the Steelers brass, but in the end, Philadelphia got its guy.
"I guess it was meant to be. I'm super excited to be in Philly," Lemon said, according to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press.
Bears stray from the norm
After seeing what a Caleb Williams-led offence can do, the Chicago Bears strayed from their norm and picked a defensive player on Night 1 for the first time since 2018 in Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
Granted, the Bears have only held four first-rounders in that time, and much of that was trying to find the solution under centre. But now they have Williams, who led them to a top-10 offence and a Divisional Round appearance, and can afford to invest premium resources on the other side of the ball.
Chicago lost both starting safeties from last season in free agency, but brought in Coby Bryant to help fill that void. Thieneman was NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah's 16th-ranked player in the entire class, and should pair nicely with Bryant on the backend.
If history repeats itself, the Bears will get a superstar in Thieneman since Roquan Smith — who's gone on to become one of, if not the best, inside linebackers in football — was that 2018 selection.
Chiefs get cheaper(ish) at cornerback
On March 4, the Chiefs sent star cornerback Trent McDuffie to the L.A. Rams in exchange for a package that included the 29th-overall pick.
McDuffie was entering his fifth-year option worth $13.6 million and due a major pay raise, so the cap-strapped Chiefs shipped him away.
McDuffie wound up signing a mega four-year, $124-million extension with the Rams, but the Chiefs were left with a glaring hole at cornerback. That need was amplified a few days later, when the Rams also scooped up former Chief Jaylen Watson on a three-year deal.
So, the Chiefs — armed with pick No. 9 — moved up three spots to select the first CB off the board in LSU's Mansoor Delane. It was a similar cap-savvy move that San Francisco pulled a few years back, when it shipped defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to Indianapolis for a first, just to use that pick on DT Javon Kinlaw.
With the cap rising at such a rapid pace, first-round contracts, especially in those in the top 10, are getting quite pricey. But it's still cheaper than $124 million.
Run on the trenches
For months, the narrative in the media around this draft class was that it was strong in the trenches. Well, the teams felt the same, with nine offensive linemen and six defensive linemen/edge rushers picked Thursday night.
That includes Ohio State's Arvell Reese, who went fifth to the Giants. He's a hybrid linebacker/edge rusher, but for this purpose, he's on the edge.
The first offensive lineman to go was tackle Spencer Fano to Cleveland at No. 9. Three of the next five picks would also be O-linemen, while picks 17 through 23 were all along the trenches, with the exception of Lemon at 20.
Our fan-favourite pick? Defensive end Akheem Mesidor to the L.A. Chargers at 22. The Ottawa native starred alongside Rueben Bain Jr. at Miami, and became just the sixth Canadian to be selected in the first round.
For teams that didn't pick from the trenches, don't worry, there's still plenty of talent left to pick from when Night 2 begins Friday.
Young QBs get help
If you are a starting quarterback about to begin your second NFL season, it was a good night.
Cam Ward, Tyler Shough, Jaxson Dart and Shedeur Sanders/Dillon Gabriel all received some form of help during the first round, which can only help their development. The Browns and Giants opted for protection of their guys, taking Francis Mauigoa and Fano, respectively, but Ward and Shough were gifted a new target.
Ward, last year's top pick, was blessed with the first receiver off the board in Carnell Tate. Tate joins Wan'Dale Robinson as new additions to a passing attack that last year finished in the bottom three by featuring Calvin Ridley, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor
And, as an Ohio State wideout, there's a high chance Tate turns into a star.
Shough, meanwhile, gets Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson. Tyson is an uber-talented pass catcher, whose one caveat was staying on the field.
That's not necessarily the best thing to hear considering Chris Olave's injury history, but the two should form a formidable duo for their second-year QB.
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