Why the 2026 draft's best picks might not come in Round 1
· Yahoo Sports
Why the 2026 draft's best picks might not come in Round 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, and the production will be enormous. What won't quite be there, at least according to people inside NFL front offices, is a top of the board that matches the occasion.
"There are good players, but not a lot of star power," one executive told ESPN's Adam Schefter this week in a piece accumulating intel from weeks of calls to NFL front offices and coaching staffs. Another GM said outright it was not a great year to have a top-10 pick.
The one clear consensus piece is Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 1. After that, the lack of a second quarterback has muted the usual pre-draft chatter at the top.
The Jets at No. 2 are reportedly choosing between edge rusher David Bailey and defensive tackle Arvell Reese.
The Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 are said to hold the keys to how the rest of the first round unfolds.
Where the depth actually is might surprise you
Multiple executives told Schefter the third and fourth rounds are where this class shows its real strength, which is not how most fans typically experience draft weekend.
Round 1 is the event. Rounds 3 and 4 are where teams quietly find starting-caliber players in a year like this.
Real decisions to watch
The Steelers have a Broderick Jones neck injury clouding their offensive line plans, and Aaron Rodgers still hasn't told Pittsburgh what he intends to do in 2026. If he doesn't confirm a return before Thursday night, Ty Simpson at No. 21 becomes a genuine conversation.
The Giants, after trading Dexter Lawrence for the No. 10 pick, now hold two top-ten selections and a wide-open board in front of them.
Most drafts have a few surprises. This one might have more than usual, precisely because fewer teams are locked in. That unpredictability cuts both ways.