The 2026 NFL Draft began as expected, with Fernando Mendoza coming off the board with the first-overall selection by the Las Vegas Raiders.
NFL Draft 2026: The best players available for Day 2
Here are the best players still on the board after the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft


From there, however, the night did not go to script.
By the time the dust settled, we had seen trades between division rivals — the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys pulled one off as did the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots — Ty Simpson come off the board much earlier than anyone anticipated, and 32 players had begun their NFL journeys.
However, we still have six more rounds remaining, with over 200 players yet to be drafted. That means there is a lot of talent left on the board. That starts with Jermod McCoy, considered one of the top cornerbacks in the entire draft. But McCoy has faced serious injury questions in the past few days, stemming from an ACL surgery prior to this season.
Other top talents include Washington WR Denzel Boston, Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, and Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who could come off the board early on Friday night.
Here is our list of the best players remaining ahead of Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft. In the first column you will see where they ranked overall on our Big Board, and in the second you will see where they rank among the remaining players.
Note: This list has been updates following the 2nd round
Rank (Overall) | Rank (Remaining) | Player | Position | School | Position Rank (Overall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | Jermod McCoy | CB | Tennessee | CB2 |
| 44 | 2 | Emmanuel Pregnon | IOL | Oregon | IOL2 |
| 48 | 3 | Keionte Scott | CB | Miami | CB7 |
| 56 | 4 | A.J. Haulcy | S | LSU | S4 |
| 58 | 5 | Chris Brazell | WR | Tennessee | WR8 |
| 59 | 6 | Zachariah Branch | WR | Georgia | WR9 |
| 61 | 7 | Chris Bell | WR | Louisville | WR10 |
| 65 | 8 | Connor Lew | IOL | Auburn | IOL4 |
| 66 | 9 | Caleb Tiernan | OT | Northwestern | OT8 |
| 67 | 10 | Domonique Orange | DT | Iowa State | DT6 |
| 68 | 11 | Mike Washington Jr | RB | Arkansas | RB3 |
| 69 | 12 | Antonio Williams | WR | Clemson | WR11 |
| 70 | 13 | Keith Abney II | CB | Arizona State | CB10 |
| 71 | 14 | Gennings Dunker | OT | Iowa | OT9 |
| 72 | 15 | Dani Dennis-Sutton | EDGE | Penn State | EDGE12 |
| 73 | 16 | Gracen Holton | DT | Oklahoma | DT7 |
| 74 | 17 | Romello Height | EDGE | Texas Tech | EDGE13 |
| 75 | 18 | Kyle Louis | LB | Pitt | LB8 |
| 77 | 19 | Malachi Fields | WR | Notre Dame | WR12 |
| 78 | 20 | Darrell Jackson Jr. | DT | Florida State | DT8 |
| 79 | 21 | Elijah Sarratt | WR | Indiana | WR13 |
| 80 | 22 | Sam Hecht | IOL | Kansas State | IOL5 |
| 81 | 23 | Joshua Josephs | EDGE | Tennessee | EDGE14 |
| 82 | 24 | Ted Hurst | WR | Georgia State | WR14 |
| 83 | 25 | Garrett Nussmeier | QB | LSU | QB3 |
| 84 | 26 | Jonah Coleman | RB | Washington | RB4 |
| 85 | 27 | Kamari Ramsey | S | USC | S5 |
| 86 | 28 | Carson Beck | QB | Miami | QB4 |
| 87 | 29 | Skyler Bell | WR | UConn | WR15 |
| 88 | 30 | Dametrious Crownover | OT | Texas A&M | OT10 |
| 89 | 31 | Keyron Crawford | EDGE | Auburn | EDGE15 |
| 90 | 32 | Oscar Delp | TE | Georgia | TE4 |
| 91 | 33 | Jaishawn Barham | LB | Michigan | LB9 |
| 92 | 34 | Markel Bell | OT | Miami | OT11 |
| 93 | 35 | Daylen Everette | CB | Georgia | CB12 |
| 94 | 36 | Devin Moore | CB | Florida | CB13 |
| 95 | 37 | Bryce Lance | WR | North Dakota State | WR16 |
| 96 | 38 | Taylen Green | QB | Arkansas | QB4 |
| 97 | 39 | Genesis Smith | S | Arizona | S5 |
| 98 | 40 | Julian Neal | CB | Arkansas | CB14 |
| 100 | 41 | Jalon Kilgore | CB | South Carolina | CB15 |
NFL
Who won the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft?
The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is a wrap! It was a wild night of trades, but we have some clear winners and losers from Thursday. You can also check out our full draft grades from the first round.
It was a great night for the NFC East, and the long-woeful Browns had a big night for themselves. We've got a poll below with five options plus an Other category. If you vote Other, let us know who you think in the comments.
Here's a look at the hauls for each of the five teams listed:
Giants picks: LB Arvell Reese, OT Francis Mauigoa
Commanders pick: LB Sonny Styles
Cowboys pick: S Caleb Downs, Edge Malachi Lawrence
Browns pick: OT Spencer Fano, WR KC Concepcion
Eagles pick: WR Makai Lemon












