NFL Draft Round One: Best and Worst picks

The NFL Draft has begun, with the first round complete.

It has been filled with shocks and trades, with plenty of talking points.

But who have made the best and worst draft decisions?

Here are the best five and worst five draft picks of the first round.

Top Five Picks

5. Monroe Freeling – Offensive Tackle - Carolina Panthers

When the Carolina Panthers took Monroe Freeling 19th overall, the camera shot to the offensive lineman celebrating with his family, the beauty of this pick stood out.

A second team All-SEC with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2025, he celebrated in the family home in South Carolina. He will be returning home.

Freeling grew up in Mount Pleasant and whilst there is no official confirmation, one would assume that he grew up a Panthers fan. Either way, he will have the chance to protect quarterback Bryce Young, who saw improvement on the field down the stretch in 2025, including an agonising loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard Round.

Putting sentiment aside, the Panthers are getting one of the highest rated offensive line prospects in this year’s class and will hope this will see Young further grow as a quarterback in the NFL.

4. Akheem Mesidor – Edge Rusher - Los Angeles Chargers

In a lot of Mock Drafts, edge rusher Akheem Mesidor was projected to go mid-teens. For the Chargers to get him 22nd overall represents a good deal for the franchise.

Described as a “high effort edge rusher”, he will join a defense that already ranked fifth against the pass in 2025. His strengths lie in the art of the run defense, where the Chargers also ranked eighth in the league.

His injury record in college could be the one thing that affects how he is looked at by the time his time comes to an end in Los Angeles, whenever that will be. Despite this, at a time in the first round where a lot of the top edge rushers were taken, this was a solid pick by the Chargers.

3. Omar Cooper Jr – Wide Receiver - New York Jets

Garrett Wilson has sometimes been a one man show with the New York Jets. However, now the organisation has a second wideout to use for whichever quarterback is under centre in 2026.

Cooper Jr was part of the Indiana Hoosiers team that won a surprise National Championship alongside first overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

This was a campaign that saw Cooper Jr record 937 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns.

Not expected to displace Wilson, Cooper will have a chance to show his worth at the WR2 position in the depth chart, something the Jets have been crying out for in recent years.

2. Francis Maugoia – Offensive Tackle - New York Giants

Every year, there is a highly touted player who falls.

Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Francis Maugoia came close to having that tag, before ultimately passing the baton on to Makai Lemon.

Seen as the top offensive line prospect in this year’s NFL Draft class, Maugoia ended up being the second one taken after the Cleveland Browns selected Spencer Fano.

For the New York Giants, who also took Arvell Reese fifth overall, gained the 10th overall pick via their previous trade with the Cincinnati Bengals that saw Dexter Lawrence head to Paycor Stadium.

The fact they managed to get such a highly touted prospect without having to trade up, is a very impressive draft selection in John Harbaugh’s first season as head coach.

1. Caleb Downs – Safety -Dallas Cowboys

Seen as one of the top prospects in this year’s NFL Draft class, Caleb Downs somehow managed to fall to the 11th spot. This was taken by the Dallas Cowboys after they traded up one spot to replace the Miami Dolphins.

Dallas ranked bottom in the NFL against the pass in 2025, so adding in a player of Downs’ talent without having to do anything too crazy is a bit of a steal for this Cowboys team.

Downs has been described as an “agent of disruption near the line of scrimmage”, with outstanding awareness and good instincts. Whilst there are concerns that he focuses on the receiver rather than locating the ball, this is an excellent pick for the Cowboys in one of their biggest areas of need.

Worst Five Picks

5. Chris Johnson – Cornerback - Miami Dolphins

This is less on the player, but more who the Dolphins could have got.

Going into the draft, Johnson was seen as the fifth best cornerback of the 2026 class.

Jermod McCoy, Avieon Terrell, Mansoor Delane and D’angelo Ponds were all seen as better prospects, but only Delane was taken in the first round.

Johnson could be a great player for the Dolphins, but there is a feeling they could have gotten better.

4. Max Iheanachor – Offensive Tackle- Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the team picked to host the 2026 NFL Draft.

When the Steelers pick was in, the crowd roared. The decibels were high and the sound of fan elation was soon replaced by the noise of a Pittsburgh tradition, Renegade.

Whilst being picked 21st overall is not too dissimilar to his late first round projections in mock drafts, there will be a lot of unhappiness that the Eagles traded up to snipe them and take Lemon.

Steelers fans can be forgiven for wanting more.

3. Peter Woods – Defensive Tackle- Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs were in territory they have not been used to in the past decade, having two first-round picks.

KC showed aggression earlier that evening, trading up to get Delane with the sixth overall pick, seen by many as a good pick.

However, there is less buzz about the picking of defensive tackle Woods 29th overall. With the chance to get a much-needed weapon for Patrick Mahomes in Omar Cooper Jr or a one-two punch at running back in Jadarian Price, there is a sense of a missed opportunity for this Chiefs team at a crossroads between contender and in rebuild.

2. Caleb Banks – Defensive End - Minnesota Vikings

Taken at 18th overall, the Minnesota Vikings took defensive end Caleb Banks.

This is a very questionable pick by the organisation, considering many did not have him as a first-round talent let alone 18th overall.

There were also health concerns for Banks, with the Florida Gators product recovering from a surgically repaired bone in his left foot.

Defensive line was the biggest area of need going into the 2026 NFL Draft for the Vikings. With Mesidor, Malachi Lawrence available in that position and safety Dillon Thieneman, who a lot of the fanbase wanted, there is a lot of disappointment in the air amongst Vikings fans.

1. Ty Simpson – Quarterback - Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams made the surprise pick of the first night, taking Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson 13th overall.

It must be said, this is a great pick for Simpson himself. It is rare for someone to go to a good team 13th overall.

However, this is not a team in need of rebuild. This is an organisation in win now mode, as seen with their trade for Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie. They were one game away from the Super Bowl and had fixed their biggest area of need in the offseason.

Whilst the pick of Simpsons represents the future of the organisation, they already have league MVP Matthew Stafford and could have gotten other players with this selection. Head coach Sean McVay’s body language suggests he also agrees.

In fact, it was the first time since 1967 that a team has picked a quarterback in the first round whilst boasting the reigning Most Valuable Player award recipient. They took Don Horn after Bart Starr won MVP.

The Rams are in a perfect position where there were not clear areas of need which gives them the true luxury of picking the best player available. Rueben Bain Jr, Lemon and Mesidor would have been better options at this point of the night.

Super Bowl LXI still has a strong possibility to feature the Rams, but the decision to take Simpson where they did will make it a little harder to reach it.

Andy Davies