With Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft officially in the books, we can take a look at some winners and losers of the first 32 selections. Unsurprisingly, there were some major moves made. Teams were trading up and down, and it was kind of chaos to an extent.
But with the first round in the books, 32 collegiate players had their dreams come true. We've decided to dive into some winners and losers from the first round, briefly talking about them here.
With the first round of this year's NFL Draft in the books, let's get into some winners and losers.
Winners and losers from Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft
Winner: Dallas Cowboys
It's hard not to look at the Dallas Cowboys as winners of Round 1. The Malachi Lawrence pick is going to be a gamble, but he has some insanely high upside. However, getting Caleb Downs earlier in Round 1 was a steal of a pick. Downs can do it all in the secondary and is going to tie the defense together.
The Cowboys did great work here.
Loser: Jeremiyah Love
Jeremiyah Love heading to the Arizona Cardinals is kind of no man's land, as Love is a great player, but he's kind of stepping into an empty organization. The Cardinals won't have any sort of quarterback clarity until 2027 at the latest, and it feels like the Cards took Love just to say they got a blue-chip prospect, as some last-ditch hope for the fans.
Winner: Blake Miller
Blake Miller is a stellar right tackle prospect who started over 50 games for Clemson. He should start on day one for the Detroit Lions, which would allow Penei Sewell to switch over to the left side, and you struggle to find a better spot for a young offensive lineman than in Detroit, one of the toughest, rugged cultures in the NFL.
Winner: Ty Simpson
Ty Simpson gets to come into the NFL and learn from Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay, which feels like an awesome scenario. Simpson should eventually get the chance to start for one of the best, most stable franchises in the NFL in the next couple of seasons. This is a stellar pick by the Rams and for Simpson.
Loser: Rueben Bain Jr, EDGE, Miami (FL)
Rueben Bain Jr. slipped into the middle of Round 1 and went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The slide was kind of expected, but Bain's talent is absolutely greater than his draft slot. Teams seemed to be concerned about his length, and his dropping this far does also hurt his rookie contract value, so there was some money 'lost' in this slide.
Add us as a preferred source on Google