NFL Player News

The Rams selected Simpson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 13th overall.

In what might go down as the most shocking pick of the first round, the Rams picked Simpson as their quarterback of the future at the 13th pick, something around 20 slots earlier than most projected Simpson to go off the board. Simpson (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) only started one year at Alabama and posted troubling efficiency numbers (64.5 percent completed, 7.5 YPA), but to be fair the surrounding cast at Alabama was probably the worst it has been in some number of years. The Rams know Matthew Stafford and his creaky back can only take so many more hits, and with the Simpson selection the team resolved to get ahead of whenever Stafford has to hang up the cleats.

The Cowboys selected Downs in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 11th overall.

The Cowboys moved up from the 12th pick to take Downs from what was previously Miami's draft slot. Downs (6-feet, 206 pounds) is a blue-chip prospect who might have gone even higher if not for vague long-term concerns over his meniscus health, so there are basically no critics of Downs as a safety. Downs dominated at both Ohio State and Alabama, and drafting Downs might be giving Jerry Jones flashbacks of drafting Roy Williams out of Oklahoma, which was once a point of pride for the Cowboys. Downs will be a three-down player for Dallas right away.

The Giants selected Mauigoa (back) in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 10th overall.

Mauigoa (6-foot-6, 329 pounds) is a prototypical if not a blue-chip right tackle, and it's possible that he slipped slightly due to a disc issue that he played through at Miami (FL) last year. The Giants aren't in a rush to force Maiugoa onto the field over veteran right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, but that might be Mauigoa's long-term spot after beginning at guard as a rookie. It's also possible the Giants leave Mauigoa as Eluemunor's understudy at tackle, giving Mauigoa time to develop and/or shake off the back injury before throwing him into the fire.

The Browns selected Fano in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, ninth overall.

The Browns traded back from the sixth spot before selecting Fano, who was clearly their intended target the whole time. Fano (6-foot-6, 311 pounds) started at right tackle for Utah and won the Outland Trophy in 2025, but coach Todd Monken was quick to note Thursday that Cleveland plans to use him at left tackle, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com. The concern with Fano was that he lacked the reach (32 and 1/8-inch arms) of a traditional offensive tackle, but evidently it wasn't enough to make the Browns flinch. Fano has excellent athleticism across the board (4.91-second 40, 32-inch vertical), and that's no doubt part of what led Cleveland to take the leap of faith on Fano in the top 10.

The Saints selected Tyson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

Tyson (6-foot-2, 203 pounds) had the best collegiate production profile between himself and fellow top wideout prospects Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon, but Tyson's injury history understandably caused some anxiety and until Thursday it was unclear whether NFL teams would red-flag Tyson over those injury concerns. That Tyson was picked this early seems to answer the question - the Saints looked into his knee and hamstring injuries and evidently decided to bet on his talent. Tyson suffered a torn ACL, MCL and PCL his true freshman season at Colorado, and hamstring troubles from his 2025 season followed Tyson into the offseason, leaving him unable to participate in pre-draft athletic testing. If one disregards the injuries as the NFL seemingly has, then there are otherwise only reasons to like Tyson. His production was compelling both at Arizona State and Colorado, and while Tyson won't ever be a great big-play threat he shows the ability to dice up the underneath to a high-volume extent, giving him clear 100-catch upside at the NFL level during his best years. Even as a rookie, Tyson should push for a heavy workload right away, likely running as the primary Saints wideout opposite Chris Olave.

The Commanders selected Styles in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, seventh overall.

Styles (6-foot-5, 244 pounds) is a remarkable athlete even by Ohio State standards, boasting a frame massive by linebacker standards yet the easy, gliding athleticism of a cornerback (4.46-second 40-yard dash, 43.5-inch vertical jump). He might be a slight tweener in that he looks like a brute yet plays a game closer to a finesse style type, but there is almost certainly plenty of ways Styles can help the Washington defense. Styles has a history of playing both safety and linebacker, which highlights his rare upside in coverage especially. The versatile defender can probably offer the Commanders quality reps from linebacker, rover and even nickel corner spots.

The Chiefs selected Delane in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, sixth overall.

Kansas City traded up from the ninth pick to snag the sixth choice from the Browns. Delane was evidently coveted by the Chiefs to the point that they could not bear to miss out on him, and that's not terribly shocking given that the Rams poached both of the Chiefs' prior starting corners -- Trent McDuffie (trade) and Jaylen Watson (free agency) -- earlier this offseason. Delane (6-feet, 182 pounds) initially built up his game at Virginia Tech, where he was a memorable true-freshman starter before transferring to LSU for his fourth collegiate season. With so much quality experience and production to go with his 4.38-second pro day 40, it's understandable why the Chiefs were determined to reel in Delane as their new CB1.

The Giants selected Reese in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, fifth overall.

Reese (6-foot-4, 241 pounds) is a high-upside prospect who has not yet fully arrived, but the confirmed details on Reese to this point are highly encouraging. Although it's not perfectly clear yet how he'll apply at the NFL level, there is sound reason to suspect that Reese will be one of the more uniquely productive defenders in the league not long from now. Reese won't turn 21 until August 30, yet last year he consistently stood out in an Ohio State defense overrun with star-level talent. With 4.46 speed and freaky range, Reese shows an uncommon amount of upside in all phases of linebacker play, which almost gets held against him since pass rush is valued so much more than off-ball run defense in the front seven. That Reese looks obviously capable as an off-ball linebacker isn't to say that he can't develop into a straightforward 3-4 edge rusher for the Giants in due time, and it's worth keeping that in mind because Reese's positional ambiguity is sooner due to being good at too many things than it is specific doubt over his ability to do any given thing. With the raw materials Reese possesses there's very little that he can't do.

The Titans selected Tate in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, fourth overall.

Tate (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) is the first wide receiver off the board and the new hopeful WR1 for Cam Ward. Perhaps Tate was not quite as dominant as teammate Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State, but Smith is fully expected to be the best wideout in the NFL at some point in his career, so there's no shame if Tate isn't quite on that level. Tate produced 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine touchdowns on just 65 targets last year and won't turn 22 until January. Although Tate's 4.53-second 40-yard dash wasn't exciting, all it really means is that Tate won't be running go routes all day in the NFL. His speed is plenty functional enough to draw targets rapidly through the intermediate, and if he can land enough punches on those routes the big plays will occur in due time. Tate and Wan'Dale Robinson are likely locked in as the target leaders for the Titans in 2026, with the likes of Calvin Ridley, Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor fighting for the scraps otherwise.

The Cardinals selected Love in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, third overall.

Love (6-feet, 212 pounds) might not quite be on the level of recent blue-chip running back prospects like Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, yet the former Notre Dame standout finds himself drafted earlier than either. With such mammoth draft capital invested the Cardinals are compelled to feed Love, but Arizona might also find itself with the most crowded backfield in the league. Power back Tyler Allgeier was added with a two-year, $12.5 million contract in free agency, and the duo of James Conner and Trey Benson remain third and fourth on the depth chart, for the time being. Love is an automatic big-play threat as both a runner and pass catcher, leveraging his 4.36 speed with elusiveness and power. The one question is how much of a workload Love can withstand, especially in terms of power running. Love is a bit upright for a running back and might lack the anchor to be a regular 20-carry running back. That Allgeier is around means the Cardinals won't need to overwork Love.