Mel Kiper Jr. makes sense of the first round of the NFL draft, sizing up moves like the Makai Lemon, Caleb Downs and Ty Simpson picks.
was difficult to predict right up until the clock started ticking. And the more difficult it is to predict, the more likely we get some chaos and big-time surprises.went No. 2 to the Jets as most expected would happen.
But then the Cardinals put a jolt into Round 1 withNow that 32 prospects are off the board, let's put some context on these picks. Which teams were the big winners of the night? I really liked a bunch of these selections; I see some impact players who came at solid value. But there were some head-scratchers, too.
I sized up the good, the bad and everything in between, leaning onand prospect grades to get a sense of which teams got steals and which teams reached. Each roster's biggest needs and any trades involved in the picks -- both up and down the board -- were also important considerations. We all knew it was going to happen, and they had the benefit of just getting to pick before any other team.
But that shouldn't discount Las Vegas' night -- the Raiders got a franchise quarterback and my No. 1 overall prospect in this class. Mendoza's ball placement is tremendous , and don't sleep on his mobility and arm. , the team's past three first-round picks. New coach Klint Kubiak can cap this thing off by finding an impact receiver and/or offensive lineman on Day 2.
I'd love to see Washington receiverWe started hearing some buzz that Arizona might go this way earlier this week. And I know, I'm not supposed to like a running back in the top five. This isn't a running back. Love is so much more than that -- he's a true all-purpose offensive playmaker who is going to change this offense.
He was No. 2 on my board behind Mendoza. The Cardinals didn't really have an identity on that side of the ball; that unit was pretty bland. But coach Mike LaFleur is going line Love up in the backfield and let him break home runs with his 4.36 speed. He's going to get Love in the slot and out wide as a dynamic pass catcher, too.
No pun intended, but I love this fit, even withEveryone talked about how the Browns had to leave Round 1 with an offensive tackle and a wide receiver. But doing thatpicking up extra middle-round picks after trading back from No. 6? Impressive work by general manager Andrew Berry. Once on the clock at No. 9, Cleveland took Fano, who was my No. 2 offensive tackle and is an extremely versatile lineman.
Cleveland is remaking this line, bringing in. Fano is going to be the key piece, though. He plays with power and quickness, and he allowed just one sack over the past two seasons. The question now: Will he stay at tackle, or will his 32-inch arms kick him inside?
The next Browns pick checked the other box. To be clear, I thought Concepcion might fall a little bit, and he was my eighth-best receiver. I'm not sure he was thereceiver to take here. But he's explosive and can do work underneath.
Not quite an A+ first round -- Denzel Boston would have done it for me there -- but I have to give Cleveland praise for hitting their two big needs and getting some picks back in a trade. Dallas traded two fifth-round picks to move up one spot, but it was worth it. The Cowboys got my No. 6 prospect and a culture-changer for a defense that needed one. They had a top-five offense last season.
It didn't matter. Dallas would get into the end zone, and opponents would immediately go the other way and score. But Downs won't tolerate that on the back end of the secondary. He diagnoses and sniffs out plays, and he has the coverage and tackling ability to limit the big plays that buried the Cowboys in 2025 .
Turns out, those traded picks were coming right back, too. Putting aside the fact that it was an in-division move, how about the Cowboys trading back three spots from No. 20 to No. 23 with the Eagles and getting a pair of fourth-rounders in return? The Cowboys turned the No. 23 pick into Lawrence, who has risen very fast over the past few months.
As we saw both on tape and at the combine, he can fly off the edge. Lawrence had seven sacks last season and helps a defense that tied for 22nd in that area in its first year without I love this pick. Ioane is a big 6-foot-4, 320-pound blocker with light feet and immense strength, and he refuses to give up sacks. He hasn't allowed one since 2023.
Baltimore wasn't able to keep centerto play one guard spot, it needed to upgrade the other one in a big way. Ioane is a safe, high-floor prospect who is going to boost this unit and open some rushing lanes for the Ravens' excellent run game. , you know I absolutely love Lemon's game. I had him as the No. 11 prospect on my board.
He's a true baller who attacks the ball in the air and creates after the catch, finishing eighth in the FBS in receiving yards last season . What a fit in Philadelphia, too, who appears to beto the Patriots. We knew the Eagles were probably going to target a receiver, but I didn't think Lemon would still be on the board this late. I gave the Cowboys props for the trade, so I have to mention the flipside here.
But given the value of the prospect and the clear need on the not-so-distant horizon, I think it makes sense for Philadelphia, too.on the WR board, but they were back to back at Nos. 7 and 8, respectively. So I had no problem with Tennessee taking Tate at No. 4 and gettingsome immediate help. The Titans' offense scored 15.0 points per game last season, and it was dead last in yards per dropback at 4.6.
The Titans dropped a lot of money onin the receiver room, but they needed a game-breaking pass catcher. Tate runs great routes and has terrific hands. He's going to be Ward's new best friend.was an interesting selection in the middle of the round -- he's an after-the-catch maverick with explosive traits -- and landing receiverThe Commanders watched Love and a bunch of the top defenders come off the board before we got to No. 7.
But they still landed the No. 4 prospect on my board in linebacker, which is huge for a Washington defense that allowed 6.0 yards per play in 2025 . Styles is a former safety, and you can tell on the tape. He's going to use that 4.46 speed to fly around the field and make plays on the ball.
The Giants had a lot of options, and some might question the fit of Arvell Reese at No. 5, considering edge rusher wasn't really a need. They. But at the same time, Reese is a top-three prospect overall, and I could see New York using him as an off-ball linebacker as he develops and realizes his immense potential as an NFL edge rusher.
Reese is a complete football player, and he's going to be a factor regardless of how defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson uses him.match is fun. The Miami cornerback room was barren, and Johnson is a ball hawk. He had six interceptions and 16 pass breakups over the past three seasons, and he'll be a Day 1 starter on the outside. Buffalo didn't pick any players on Thursday, but it added some picks in three trade-backs.
The Bills entered with seven picks and now have nine. In a year without many players with true first-round grades, this is good management of the board for general manager Brandon Beane. Maybe Buffalo uses one or two of those to move up for someone like Georgia receiverThere's a lot to unpack here.
First, we have to recognize that the Chiefs gave third- and fifth-round picks to Cleveland to move up to No. 6 to even make this pick. I had Delane as the No. 14 prospect on my board, so it feels like a slight reach. It's an aggressive move for a team that hasn't entered a draft with a top-10 pick since 2013.
's knee, there wasn't another elite CB1 on the board this year. It was no lock that Delane would be there at No. 9, especially with the Commanders and Saints picking ahead of the Chiefs. Delane is instinctive and has ball-hawking coverage skills . He is a Day 1 starter.
But between the reach and the draft capital headed to the Browns, I'm not sure this was the savviest move.were the two best players on the board at that point, and they both would have hit needs. Instead Kansas City rolled the dice on an interior lineman whose 2025 production didn't match his talent. If defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo can coach him up, maybe this looks great in a few years.
But I saw more consistent prospects at positions of need sitting there for the taking. , and the USC receiver was still on the board when L.A.
's pick came around. This team is in win-now mode as it tries to capitalize on a really good roster with 38-year-oldplaying on a year-to-year basis. I really thought the Rams would go get another playmaker for Stafford, or at least boost his protection with someone like tackle Instead, the Rams took Simpson, who I wasn't positive would even go in Round 1, let alone this high.
I did have Simpson in my final mock but not until late in the 20s. So this was a little surprising to say the least. There was talk that the Rams were interested in him at No. 29 before they traded away that pick, but No. 13? Way, way too rich.
Simpson is an accurate passer with a lot of promise, and he looked like the real deal for half of the 2025 season. But he fell off down the stretch and declared for the draft despite just 15 career starts. I get that Simpson is the heir apparent here, and Los Angeles is smart for planning for the future.
But using the No. 13 pick on a QB with lingering questions when the Rams had the chance to do something to help themBig-time reach for me. Banks was No. 62 on my board, the biggest stretch of the night. Sure, there's reason to believe this could work out for the Vikings. Banks can stop running backs in their tracks, and he gets enough interior push to be a factor in the pass rush.
He moves well for a 6-foot-6, 327-pounder. But he has been dealing with afor a while now, and he just had surgery on it after the combine. A lot of risk here, even if Banks healthy and at his best can shore up the interior.is still uncertain to return for 2026, and even if he comes back, he's 37 years old.
Thieneman would have beenKiper's best available prospects for Round 2 Here are the best players on my board still available for Day 2. I have their predraft top-150 ranking in parentheses. I've mentioned a handful of these players, but as you can tell by this list, there will be some solid linebackers and defensive tackles out there early on Day 2. Watch Tennessee cornerbackcould go quickly.
I was hearing their names a lot on Wednesday night before the draft. And with Simpson off the board, the best QB still out there is Miami's
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