Key events
No 14: Baltimore Ravens pick Olaivavega Ioane
But you can call him “Venga” Jesse Minter is the new head coach in Baltimore after years and years of Harbaugh and he and his GM start with a guard.
No 13: Los Angeles Rams pick Ty Simpson
They got this pick from the Falcons last year, and they turned it into Ty Simpson. Surprise! The QB is heading to LA, earlier than expected, no question about it. He spent four years in Alabama, and started just one.
With Stafford at the helm in LA, surely this is a pick for the future, right?
No 12: Miami Dolphins pick Kadyn Proctor
The offensive tackle a big boy, nearly 400lbs, from SEC giant Alabama. How many stone is that?
He’s had an up and down college career, but now expectations should be ratcheted up as he heads to the Dolphins.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: What if I told you there was an offensive lineman in the draft who played at close to 400lbs but carried the ball as a running back and caught passes as a receiver? Introducing you to Kadyn Proctor. Put simply, guys as big as Proctor should not be able to move so quickly. He is a devastating run blocker who is too big for pass-rushers to run through. At his size, he may move to guard in the NFL. But if he can keep his weight under control, he has quick enough feet to control the edge at tackle and force pass-rushers to run through his frame – and no one is running through his frame. No prospect has a wider range of outcomes than Proctor. He could be out of the league in three years or be a perennial All-Pro. Early on, he needs to play for a run-centric offense and prove that he can maintain his new, svelte frame.
No 11: Dallas Cowboys pick Caleb Downs
Correction, it’s just a swap with Miami, so the Dolphins pick 12th. Things are moving fast in Pittsburgh!
They take Caleb Downs, the safety from, you guessed it, OSU.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: Downs is a do-everything safety who can form the glue of any defense. He moved all over Ohio State’s defense, playing as a deep safety, nickel corner and linebacker. He’s physical against the run and can match up with tight ends in coverage. No safety in the past five drafts has lined up in coverage more than Downs or been more effective. He is also a superb blitzer, instinctive against the run and the best tackler at any position in this draft. The “wow” physical traits may not leap off the screen, but he is the kind of defensive force multiplier who will make everyone around him better. Downs may lack some of the size of Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton, but he brings a similar brand of positional flexibility.
Trade!
Dallas traded into the 12th pick with Miami, so now have back-to-back picks. Who will they bring to Jerryville, or whatever it’s called?
No 10: New York Football giants pick Francis Mauigoa
An offensive lineman from Miami should help the Giants O-line that took massive steps last season.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict:
Mauigoa (pronounced: Maui-noa) is a physically imposing tackle with slick feet and vice grips for hands. He was the power center of a Miami offense that made it all the way to the national championship game before losing to Indiana. Mauigoa’s game is built on power. He is a run-first tackle who can drive bigger defenders off the ball, but who struggles with speed off the edge as a pass protector. Mauigoa could wind up moving inside to guard in the pros, where his exposure in protection will be limited and he can be weaponized as a run blocker.
No 9: Cleveland Browns pick Spencer Fano
As a result of the earlier trade with KC, Cleveland are finally up. And it’s Spencer Fano, a tackle out of Utah. He was the offensive lineman of the year, so that should help bolster the Browns line in 2026. Check him out.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict:
Fano is a twitched-up lineman with the versatility to play all five spots along the offensive line. Most teams view him as a long-term guard, but he has enough juice out of his stance to be a capable starter at right tackle depending on the team’s needs. He played in a run-centric system at Utah that showcased his impact as a run blocker, but hid his flaws in pass protection. David Bailey pulverized Fano when the two matched up last season. It’s hard to see him sticking at tackle long-term when he will be seeing pass-rushers of Bailey’s caliber every week.
No 8: New Orleans Saints pick Jordyn Tyson
Goodell is back to the tune of “Sweet Caroline”, rather bizarrely.
The oft-injured wide receiver from Arizona State is heading to New Orleans for some gumbo, meat pies and hopefully, a few touchdowns.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: If you’re looking for wow plays, crack open a beverage and pull up some Tyson highlights. Squint hard enough – like, really squint – and you can convince yourself you’re seeing the next Odell Beckham Jr. Tyson is an acrobat receiver who can twist and contort in the air to snag off-target throws. He’s quick off the line and explosive at the top of routes. If you isolate his 20 best plays, there is no conversation about the best receiver in the draft. But consistency and durability are concerns. Tyson has dealt with significant knee and upper-body injuries and has had nagging hamstring problems throughout his college career. He worked out for teams a week before the draft to try to assuage their concerns, but he remains a close-your-eyes, turn-the-card-in and hope prospect.
And here’s some of those “wow plays”.
No 7: Washington Commanders pick Sonny Styles
Another Buckeye! The third one selected in the top seven picks. I guess OSU are pretty good.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict:
A former safety, Styles has ridiculous range for a 6ft 4inch linebacker who can thump with the best of them in the box. He flat out doesn’t miss tackles, and when he squares a player up one-on-one, he doles out vicious punishment. Styles is everything you’re looking for in a modern linebacker: athletic enough to play all over the defense and drop into coverage, a tackling machine and the springs to be a potent blitzer. The upside is Fred Warner, a cheat code at the second level.
No 6: Kansas City Chiefs trade up for CB Mansoor Delane
A ball stop corner from LSU to be avoided at all costs. Don’t believe me?
SI say that “to move from the No. 9 overall pick to No. 6, the Chiefs reportedly surrendered the No. 74 and No. 148 overall pick, a hefty haul for a short jump inside of the top-10.”
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: There are two kinds of cornerbacks: lockdown corners and playmakers. Delane falls into the first bucket. He’s a small, smooth, explosive mover who has matched up with every conceivable kind of receiver in college. He might not be an elite playmaker on the ball, but he constantly forces opposing quarterbacks to look elsewhere. Delane is also the holder of the most bonkers stat in this draft class: he allowed just 13 catches in 2025, and no receiver caught two passes against him in a single game.
No5: New York Football Giants pick Arvell Reese
The Jim Harbaugh era is underway in NY! The losing and the Jets-like humiliation that has gone on for years and years, is it over? Their fans hope so.
It’s Arvell Reese, linebacker, all 6ft 4in of him.
Ollie Connolly’s profile: Is Reese an edge-rusher or a linebacker? In the modern game, does it really even matter? At Ohio State, Reese played all over the defense. Largely, he lined up as a traditional linebacker backed up off the ball, while offering some thump up on the line of scrimmage as an edge defender. But he’s yet to pin his ears back and play exclusively as a pass-rusher. When does rush, he plays with burst, power and flexibility. If he doesn’t work out as an edge-rusher, he can always shuffle back to linebacker, where he ranks as one of the best prospects in a generation. Wherever he winds up lining up, Reese will be a game-wrecker.
Cleveland are on the clock.
No 4: Tennessee Titans pick WR Carnell Tate
Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State is heading to Nashville!
He only caught 103 passes for 13 touchdowns in a powerful Buckeye attack. “Unselfish” and “safe pick” are some adjectives being used by ESPN TV to describe the wide receiver.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: Tate is a 6ft 2in, 192lbs jar of polish. He is a savvy receiver without any A-plus physical traits, coming from a long line of Ohio State-to-NFL receivers. He may never be “the guy” that terrifies opposing defenses, but he’s a smart route runner who understands how to separate and who catches everything in his orbit. At Ohio State, he produced more consistently than Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka. That’s a pretty nice resume. He may not be dynamic, but he will be productive.
Here come the Giants!
No3: Arizona Cardinals pick RB Jeremiyah Love
Are they going with Love? The pick is in! Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort select Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame. Only 21 touchdowns last season for the Irish, which is OK, not great. No, seriously. I think it’s still a gamble to take an RB that high, especially when the team is bad and the offensive line is porous – see Barkley, see Jeanty.
What does Ollie Connolly think? I’m glad you asked:
Here is what you need to know about Love: 48.5 percent of his career rushing yards have come on explosive runs of at least 15-plus yards, one of the highest marks in the history of college football. As a receiver, he averaged 10.4 yards per reception in his final year at Notre Dame. He is, in every sense, a chunk play waiting to happen. Oh, and he’s also happy to stick his nose in and blast pass-rushers in pass protection. You can quibble about the value of running backs in the first round, but Love is more Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson than he is Leonard Fournette or Najee Harris. He will be an instant-impact player as a runner and receiver.
The Titans are on the clock.
Mendoza Mania!
For more on the no1 overall pick, read all about him, right here.
No2: New York Jets pick David Bailey, edge
The Jets nab David Bailey, the linebacker from Texas Tech. He should help the Jets do SOMETHING on defense after they regressed significantly last season, which is really saying something, even for the Jets. Bailey had 14.5 sacks for Tech last year.
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: Bailey is the most explosive pass-rusher in the draft. He is all about burst off the ball and flattening to the quarterback. Think Denver’s Nik Bonitto. Speed-only pass-rushers have a dodgy history in the NFL; the bust rate is higher than that of players who rely on power. And Bailey’s outlook is no different. Right now, he’s a zero against the run, which could cap his ceiling. At times in college, he wasn’t an every-down player but was used as a pass-rush specialist. Still, he has the league’s most valuable commodity: unteachable hops. But he will need to develop as a run defender to become an every-down presence.
Mendoza tells ESPN TV….
…that “the last five months have been such a blessing…now I step into a great game, the NFL and look forward to improving every day.”
I am pretty sure that Mendoza practiced that response in his bathroom mirror a few thousand times.
No1: Las Vegas Raiders pick QB Fernando Mendoza
With the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders select…
…Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and now no1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, quarterback, Indiana.
Oh, so that’s why the Raiders did a complete evaluation on the QB. I guess the silver and black liked what they saw, because he’s the top dog in 2026!
Mendoza’s close friends and family celebrate in his home as the QB dons a Raiders hat. It’s a somewhat muted celebration for sure.
So, what about Mendoza then?
Ollie Connolly’s verdict: Mendoza is a big-bodied, tough, accurate quarterback. He has the size of Carson Palmer with wheels that remind you of Daniel Jones: enough athleticism to stumble for first downs but not a five-alarm fire in the open field. As a passer, he wins with pre-snap recognition and accuracy. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, but he can make all the throws. The knock on his game is the system he played in at Indiana – one drenched in RPOs – and his lack of quickness in the pocket. Mendoza can be a little robotic when navigating against pressure in the backfield. It will take some time for him to develop in a full-field, NFL offense, but he has the tools and intellect to be an upper-tier starter in the league. He will probably fall somewhere on the continuum between Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins.
The New York Jets are on the clock! Oh boy…
Here comes the NFL Commish!
Roger Goodell walks on and eggs on the boos in Pittsburgh – what a good sport! He’s flanked by TJ Watt and Cam Heyward, just in case the crowd try anything.
I have to say, the sound quality off the mic isn’t great, surprising for such a big event.
Anyway, Heyward welcomes more Pittsburgh greats, including Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann. And the crowd goes wild!
Here comes the first pick….the Raiders are on the clock!
Fernando Mendoza
The QB widely expected to be selected no1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, will be the first presumptive top pick to not attend the draft in person since Trevor Lawrence was selected by Jacksonville. Mendoza wants to be at home to share the moment with his mother, who has multiple sclerosis, his father, and other close family and friends. But don’t worry, ESPN TV in the US will have at least one camera inside the Mendoza home to document the moment.
And speaking of Mendoza, he’s going to be off the board shortly. Stick with us!
New Rules
If you’re after the whole kit and caboodle of how this thing works, you can find all the details here. But the main difference this year is that the time between first-round selections has been shortened from 10 minutes to eight minutes. It’s the first timing adjustment since 2008, when draft windows dropped from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. So in an era when eyeballs are tougher to keep from straying, the NFL is trying to move things alomng just a bit quicker.
The timing for Round 2 is seven minutes, and after that, teams will have five minutes to make their selections.
1948
That was the last time the NFL held its draft in Pittsburgh. A bunch of cigar smoking, whiskey swilling men (that’s just a guess) gathered at the old Fort Pitt Hotel in December of 1947 to select the future NFL booms and busts. Harry Gilmer, a running back from Alabama went first to Washington because they won the draft lottery; that’s how the top pick was determined back then. The biggest name to come out of that draft has to be Y.A. Tittle, the LSU quarterback selected by Detroit, who gave us one of the most famous photos in NFL history. It was snapped at the end of his Hall of Fame career when he was with the Giants in 1964.
By the way, in case you don’t think your team can do well in the late rounds, in the 1948 draft, offensive lineman Louis Creekmur was selected by Philly with the 243rd overall pick in the, you guessed it, 26th round!
Creekmur was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
National Anthem
Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter KELS is performing the National Anthem. Ooooo! She’s a little off right there at the end. I was just about to give her an 8/10 score, but unfortunately I have to knock a point off it.
Player Introductions
The biggest names are being announced and walking on to the stage.
The most noticeable thing is that crowd that just seems to go on forever. I mean, Green Bay drew an estimated 600,000 fans, and Detroit had 775,000 in 2024. These numbers to watch players chosen are completely bananas, obviously, and Pittsburgh is expected to draw 500,000-700,000 fans over the three day event.
Honestly, I don’t really get it, but the thirst for anything and everything NFL never seems to end.
Some questions
Here’s a few things we can ponder as we lead up to the Raiders selecting Mr Mendoza.
1. What do the Jets do at two—edge rusher Arvell Reese or David Bailey?
2. How high will an NFL GM dare to draft running back Jeremiyah Love?Talented? Oh yeah, but he’s still a back. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it’s not.
3. Will Arizona trade pick three or take Love themselves? As always with thew Cards, anything is possible.
4. Where does Ty Simpson land as a quarterback? That’s the big QB question this draft. Last year, the big question was, “when will Shedeur Sanders go off the board?” The answer was late. Very late.
5. Where of the top edge rushers—Reese, Bailey, and a bit down the line, Rueben Bain Jr., go?
6. Does the Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort pull off a trade? See no3.
7. Will there be surprise trades early? Philly? New Orleans, KC? Will we have deals?
8. Where do receivers and offensive linemen get taken? And how will ghat impact remaining wideouts that are still available, Hill and Diggs for example.
9. What happens with some injury concerns like Caleb Banks’ foot? Will a team pick a defensive tackle with a repaired fractured fourth metatarsal in his left foot, early or later in this draft?
Chew on that for a bit.
Draft order
I’m just drop this right here. Is that OK?
1) Raiders
2) Jets
3) Cardinals
4) Titans
5) Giants
6) Browns
7) Commanders
8) Saints
9) Chiefs
10) Giants (from Bengals)
11) Dolphins
12) Cowboys
13) Rams (from Falcons)
14) Ravens
15) Buccaneers
16) Jets (from Colts)
17) Lions
18) Vikings
19) Panthers
20) Cowboys (from Packers)
21) Steelers
22) Chargers
23) Eagles
24) Browns (from Jaguars)
25) Bears
26) Bills
27) 49ers
28) Texans
29) Chiefs (from Rams)
30) Dolphins (from Broncos)
31) Patriots
32) Seahawks
So the teams with two first-round picks tonight are the Giants at five and 10, the Jets at two and 16, the Cowboys at 12 and 20, the Browns at six and 24, the Chiefs at nine and 29 and the Dolphins at 11 and 30.
One thing to keep an eye on is, with this draft being seen as kind of, sort of, below average – at least when it comes to quarterbacks – will any teams deal 2026 capital to get a spot in a 2027 draft, which is expected to have more box office names? Por ejemplo, Miami doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of interest in winning games this year – will they try to grab a shot at a Manning and the other premiere QB’s next year? Will they try to deal one or both of their first round picks to get into that arm race?
Draft day is here!
Hello everyone and welcome to our rolling coverage of the 91st NFL Draft!
Let me begin by saying that the NFL off-season has two important dates. There’s the day that free agency begins, where moves just fly in at incredible speed and the NFL takes over sports for about a week. And of course, there’s the NFL draft, which is the Big Kahuna, and manages to bring the NBA playoffs to its knees despite the fact that not a single ball is thrown. Somehow, the NFL just continues to grow and eat everything in its path with each passing season, and that includes the draft, which is a premier showcase and a boon to whichever city hosts the event.
This year it’s in Pittsburgh, so it gets a 12,000 square foot fan village in its Point State Park, a red carpet event, and a draft theater so big that it’s inside the Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) parking lot. The whole zone takes about a half hour to walk from one end of the event to the other, all along its famous Three Rivers area.
So Yinzers are happy and so are visiting fans who can’t wait for the first of 257 picks to be chosen by the NFL’s 32 teams. Who will go first? Well all eyes are on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza who the Las Vegas Raiders may, could, probably, definitely will be snatched straight away. Then what? Well we’ll explore some of the story lines as we draw closer to draft time.
Until then, any thoughts, feelings or predictions? Feel free to drop me a line and providing you don’t say anything particularly offensive, I’ll get you in our coverage and make YOU famous!
More to come, stick with us!
David will be here shortly. In the meantime, see who the Guardian’s staff of writers think is the most talented player in this year’s draft class:
Fernando Mendoza will go No 1. But the most talented player in this draft is …
Arvell Reese, LB/Edge, Ohio State. He is one of the best pure linebacker prospects in a generation, and he has the athletic traits to become a full-time edge defender. Some teams view him as a linebacker; those at the top of the board prefer him as an edge rusher. In an ideal world, Reese will do a bit of everything. Think Philly’s Zack Baun on Super Soldier Serum. Reese has a rare combination of smarts, speed and power. Whichever role he plays, he will be a force multiplier for a defense. Oliver Connolly
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame. Not only is Love being discussed as a top-10 overall pick, but he’s also one of the most buzzed-about targets for teams looking to trade up. He’s a physical, explosive three-down back with breakaway speed (he ran a 4.36sec 40 at the combine), great hands and the ability to protect. All in a 6ft, 212lbs frame. Love is the total package. Melissa Jacobs
There’s so much to like about running back Love: effortless acceleration, feline elusiveness, stout pass protection, soft hands. Time and again at Notre Dame, he showed a knack for turning chain-moving plays into home runs. The last time a rusher was selected inside the top five was 2018, and Saquon Barkley has since proved his worth for two franchises. Love enters this year’s draft as nearly as complete a player, with all the teams in the top five in need of his services. Andrew Lawrence
If drafting was done on skills alone then Love would be the first cab off the rank. He’s a running back with explosive speed who is also a sublime pass catcher. His versatility draws very favourable comparisons to Jahmyr Gibbs. A home-run pick. Graham Searles
