Old Town News Scottsdale

2026 NFL Draft live updates: Round 1 picks, trades, rumors and grades

Written by

asifmalk988

in

Follow live updates with details on every pick, plus real-time highlights and analysis from the first round

By 

The biggest event of the NFL offseason is underway. The 2026 NFL Draft is live from Pittsburgh, and the first round could get a little wild due to a new rule the NFL implemented this year. (Here’s how to watch.)

For the first time ever, teams will have just eight minutes to make their first-round picks, down from 10. Shaving off two minutes might not sound like a big change, but it’s good for fans: It should shorten the opening round and could lead to some serious drama as teams scramble to adjust to the tighter time limit. We might see some panic picks.

Speaking of drama, there should be plenty tonight. The only thing anyone seems to know for sure is that the Las Vegas Raiders will take Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. After that, no one seems to know what will happen.

Now that the draft is underway, we’ll break down every pick and trade right here in our live blog. Let’s get to it.

2026 NFL Draft essentials

 Updating Live
(69)

Titans make trade with Bills, then grab Keldric Faulk at 31st overall

Apparently, the Bills did not want to make a first round pick this year. First, they traded the 26th pick to the Texans in a deal that gave them the 28th pick. After that, they traded the 28th pick to the Patriots in a deal that gave them the 31st pick. And now, they just sent the 31st pick to the Titans.

Here are the terms of the deal
Titans get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 31), 2026 third-round pick (No. 69), 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 165)
Bills get:  2026 second-round pick (No. 35), 2026 third-round pick (No. 66), 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 101)

After taking Carnell Tate at fourth overall, the Titans turned around and grabbed Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk at 31st overall. Robert Saleh is a defensive-minded coach and it’s no shock that he ended up getting a defensive player in the first round. The Titans now have a totally revamped defensive line that should be able to bully opposing offenses with Jeffrey Simmons John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Keldric Faulk.

Jets make their third first-round pick of the night after making trade with 49ers

After making two picks in the first round, the Jets decided they needed to make one more, so they made a trade back into the first round in a deal with the 49ers.

Here are the terms of the deal:
Jets get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 30)
49ers get: 2026 second-round pick (No. 33), 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 179)

With the 30th overall pick, the Jets selected Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. The Jets are cleary doing everything they can to put as many weapons as possible around Geno Smith. Not only did they draft Cooper, but they also spent the 16th overall pick on tight end Kenyon Sadiq. They also made the second overall pick in the draft when they took David Bailey.

As for Cooper, he’ll be playing opposite Garrett Wilson, which gives the Jets a solid 1-2 punch.

Chiefs select Peter Woods with the 29th overall pick

The Chiefs started their night by taking a defensive player, and now, they’ve ended their night by taking a defensive player.

At 29th overall, the Chiefs decided to take Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods. With Chris Jones set to turn 32 in July, the Chiefs had to start thinking about bringing in his possible replacement and that’s where Woods comes in. Woods will join a defensive line that also includes newcomer Khyiris Tonga, who signed with the Chiefs in October.

The Chiefs didn’t add any weapons for Patrick Mahomes, but it seems their strategy this offseason was to pull off a defensive makeover and they’ve now done that with the addition of Woods and CB Mansoor Delane at sixth overall.

Patriots make trade with Bills: New England grabs Caleb Lomu at 28th overall

The Bills have officially gotten trade happy. First, they traded the 26th pick to the Texans in a deal that gave them the 28th pick. And now, they’ve traded the 28th pick to the Patriots. That’s right, the two AFC East rivals just made a deal with each other.

Here are the terms of the deal:
Patriots get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 27)
Bills get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 31), 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 125)

The Patriots then used their pick on Utah OT Caleb Lomu. If you watched the Super Bowl, you probably noticed how badly Drake Maye got beaten up, so the Patriots were in desperate need of some help at tackle and at the point in the draft, Lomu was arguably the best guy left on the board.

Dolphins make trade with 49ers: Miami selects Chris Johnson after moving up three spots

For the second time tonight, the Miami Dolphins have made a trade. Last time, they traded down from 11th to 12. This time, they traded up from 30th to 27th in a deal with the 49ers.

Here are the terms of the trade:

  • Dolphins get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 27), 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 138)
  • 49ers get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 30), 2026 third-round pick (No. 90)

The Dolphins then used their pick to grab San Diego State’s Chris Johnson. The cornerback is a ball hawk who had four interceptions in 2025, including two pick-sixes. The Dolphins definitely needed a corner, so in that sense, this pick made sense, but there were some solid corners still on the board, including Jermod McCoy and Avieon Terrell.

Texans make trade with Bills: Houston selects Keylan Rutlege after moving up two spots

We officially have our fourth trade of the night. The Houston Texans moved up two spots in a deal that saw them go from 28th overall to 26th overall.

Here are the terms of the deal:
Texans get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 26),  2026 third-round pick (No. 91)
Bills get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 28) 2026 third-round pick (No. 69) 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 167)

The Texans then used the 26th pick to get Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutlege, who was widely regarded as one of the best interior linemen in the draft. Rutlege will join a totally revamped Houston offensive line that also includes newcomers Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith.

Bears select Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick

The Bears got hit hard in free agency this year with the loss of several players in their secondary, so they pretty much had to add someone at the position and that’s what they did with the addition of Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman on Thursday night.

The Bears have shied away from defensive players this high in the draft in recent years. The last time they took a defensive player in the first round came in 2018.

Thieneman  will be joining a Bears’ roster that just lost Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Jonathan Owens, so he’ll have a chance to prove himself early.

Browns select KC Concepcion with the 23rd overall pick

The Browns had one of the worst receiving groups in the NFL last year, so they decided to upgrade the unit on Thursday night by taking KC Concepcion with the 23rd overall pick.

In 2025, only one wide receiver finished with more than 350 yards and that was Jerry Jeudy, who tallied 602. An explosive receiver was exactly what the Browns needed, so this pick certainly makes sense. As an added bonus, he can also return punts.

It’s been a solid draft for the Browns, who also got Spencer Fano at ninth overall.

Cowboys select Malachi Lawrence with the 23rd overall pick after trading with Eagles

The first round isn’t even over the Cowboys might have already won the draft. This team had a horrible defense last season and they needed to fix that in the first round and they’ve now done that twice over.

They started their night off by taking Ohio State Caleb Downs and they closed their night by taking Central Florida pass-rusher Malachi Lawrence. Not only did they get some much-needed pass-rushing help, but they traded down to get him and added two fourth-round picks.

This marks the first time since 2005 that the Cowboys have had two first-round picks and used them both on defensive players (DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears).

Chargers select Akheem Mesidor with the 22nd overall pick

You don’t usually see a 25-year-old rookie in the NFL, but that’s what the Chargers will be getting with EDGE rusher Akheem Mesidor.

Despite his age, this pick makes a lot of sense for the Chargers. Khalil Mack is only getting older, so they needed to bring in some young pass-rushing help and that’s what they’re getting here with the former Miami Hurricanes star.

Steelers select OT Max Iheanachor with 21st overall pick

With the draft in Pittsburgh, the Steelers got a lot of cheers for taking Max Iheanachor, but did the move make sense?

This pick is certainly a gamble: Iheanachor’s a raw talent who could potentially turn into a star, but there’s no guarantee that will happen.

Iheanachor was a fringe first-round candidate going into the draft and one knock on him is that he just started playing organized football in the last five years.

The 6-foot-6 and 321-pound Iheanachor has a unqiue story: He came to the United States from Nigeria and due to that fact, he didn’t play organized football for the first time until 2021 when he enrolled at East Los Angeles College. With just four years of football experience, Iheanachor is talented, but he’s also raw, so the Steelers will be getting a player with a lot of potential, but there’s no guarantee he’ll pan out.

No matter what happens, Aaron Rodgers was probably thrilled with this pick and if the Steelers are trying to woo him back, taking a lineman in the first round is a good way to do that.

A.J. Brown trade watch is on after Eagles trade up to grab WR Makai Lemon

The Eagles just moved up from 23rd to 20th in a trade with the Cowboys.

Here are the details of the deal:

  • Eagles get: 20th overall, 2026 7th round pick
  • Cowboys get: 23rd overall, 114th pick, 137th pick

The Eagles gave up two fourth-round picks to move up three spots and they did that to get USC WR Makai Lemon.

This makes it seem like A.J. Brown is all but gone. The Eagles have been busy adding receivers this year. Not only did they just draft Lemon, but they traded for Dontayvion Wicks while also signing Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore.

That’s four receivers in six weeks that Philly has added. With those additions, the Eagles have put themselves in a spot where they now have more than enough depth on the roster to withstand the potential loss of Brown.

2026 NFL Draft: Panthers select OT Monroe Freeling with 19th overall pick

The reigning NFC South champions just beefed up their offensive line with the addition of Monroe Feeling.

The Panthers got busy upgrading their team on the defensive side of the ball in free agency by signing guys like Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips, so it makes sense that they decided to improve the offensive side of the ball with their first round pick.

The Panthers could have used another offensive weapon and Makai Lemon was there for the taking, so that would be the only knock on this pick, but Freeling should make Carolina’s offensive line better.

2026 NFL Draft: Vikings select DL Caleb Banks with 18th overall pick

The Viking just took one of the biggest gambles in the first round by taking Caleb Banks at 18th overall. The defensive tackle has huge upside, but he has to stay healthy for that upside to pay off.

The Vikings are getting one of the most talented defensive linemen in the draft, but he’s been injury prone. He suffered a foot injury at the combine in February that’s expected to sideline him until June. The issue with the injury is that Banks has been dealing with foot issues for more than a year now. The University of Florida star only played in three games last season after having surgery on his left foot, which is the same foot he injured at the combine.

With Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen gone, the Vikings needed a defensive line, so they decided to take the gamble on Banks.

2026 NFL Draft: Lions select OL Blake Miller with 17th overall pick

The Lions didn’t try to hide their draft plans going into tonight. It was pretty clear they were going to take a tackle with their first pick and that’s exactly what they did by taking Blake Miller

If Dan Campbell could design a tackle in a lab, it would probaby be Miller. The former wrestler was an iron man at Clemson with 54 starts.

With Penei Sewell expected to make the move to left tackle, look for Miller to be Detroit’s starting right tackle.

2026 NFL Draft: Jets select TE Kenyon Sadiq with 16th overall pick

After using their first pick in the first round on David Bailey, the Jets came back and used the 16th pick on Kenyon Sadiq.

The former Oregon star was hands down the best tight end in this draft and it’s hard not to like this pick.

From a blocking standpoint, Sadiq can help with the Jets’ rushing attack, but he’s also a weapon in the passing game. Opposing defenses will likely be worried about Garrett Wilson, which should create openings in the passing game for Sadiq.

Sadiq will join a tight end room that also includes Mason Taylor, who was taken in the second round last year.

We don’t know what Geno Smith is going to look like in New York, but the Jets are certainly doing their best to set him up for success.

Rams pull off rare move, also told Matthew Stafford about their draft plans

What the Rams did in this draft is something you almost never see in the NFL.

The Rams have a QB who’s the reigning MVP and they used their first round pick on a quarterback. The last time a team was in that exact situation came back in 1966. After Bart Starr won MVP for the Packers in 1966, the team turned around used the 25h overall pick on QB Don Horn in 1967.

Horn would be an example of why you don’t do this. He sat behind Starr for two years and only ended

More posts