With the end of the 2026 NFL draft, there are still lots of questions to be answered on why teams made or didn’t make the picks they did. Not surprisingly, with the first pick the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Heisman trophy winner and national champion, Fernando Mendoza.
Before the draft however, the Raiders signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a 5-year 172 million dollar contract, leading the two high performing quarterbacks into a position battle, or into Mendoza riding the bench and learning from a veteran.
Before Cousins was signed, the Raiders were the most likely pick among mock drafts for Mendoza to end up at. However, since Cousins was signed a small amount of mock drafts had the Raiders picking Francis Mauigoa, an offensive tackle from Miami University. However, because Mendoza was drafted at the first pick, Mauigoa fell to the tenth pick, being drafted by the New York Giants.
On another note, with the third pick, the Arizona Cardinals drafted Jeramiah Love, a running back from Notre Dame. This was a shock because no other running back has been drafted that high since Saquon Barkley in 2018. It was also shocking because the Cardinals had higher priorities in different positions that they could have chosen from.
But what’s most shocking of all is the contract that Love was signed to. Love was signed to a four year contract, guaranteed and estimated at 50.5 million dollars. Love is the highest paid running back in the NFL when he has yet to play a down of professional football. With being the first running back picked in this year’s draft, it is obvious that he is considered the best running back in this year’s pool of picks. However success at the collegiate level doesn’t always translate to the professionals. With this pick the Cardinals are hoping to establish their run game more and keep their young offensive moving.
With the 15th pick of the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up edge rusher Ruben Bain Jr. from the University of Miami. Bain was a lethal and prominent edge rusher for the Miami Hurricanes by having 67 pressures and 10 total sacks his third year of college football, winning ACC defensive player of the year.
Many people had Bain going higher in the draft because of his performance at Miami, however his measurables are not that great for an edge rusher. With him being only 6’2 and 260lbs he was turning heads for the wrong reason.
With Bain’s poor measurables, it was a lock for Texas Tech David Bailey to be picked over Bain. Bailey was picked up by the New York Jets with the second pick of the draft.
Bailey was an elite edge rusher for the Texas Tech Red Raiders with 73 pressures and 13 sacks in his senior season with the Red Raiders. Bailey is a rising star that is projected to have a good career in the NFL, this is why the Jets picked him. The Jets defense has not been the best in recent years and finished with the 25th ranked defense in a league out of 32 teams. With Bailey going to be a starter for the Jets, defense is looking to be rising in skill.
The first round of the draft had many surprising picks and not so surprising picks. This year’s rookies are looking promising to strengthen their new teams and have good long careers in the NFL.
