NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
The 2026 NFL Draft has officially come and gone in the blink of an eye, over 3 days in Pittsburgh. 32 teams add the top college football players to their roster to prepare for the upcoming 2026 NFL season. 257 players over 7 rounds had their football dreams come true when they were announced during the NFL draft last weekend. Of course, there were some big-time winners among NFL teams during the three days in Pittsburgh in the draft. And, here were some teams in my eyes who were some big-time winners during the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
Big-Time Winners #1: Cleveland Browns
The first of my big-time winners of the 2026 NFL draft belongs to the Cleveland Browns, and they drafted well. Cleveland came into the 1st round with 2 1st round of acquiring Jacksonville’s 1st round pick in last year’s draft. They went offense with both of their 1st round picks on Thursday night in the 1st round. At #9, they went with a tackle to beef up the offense by selecting Spencer Fano from Utah. And, went double-dipping at wide receivers with the selections of KC Concepcion at #24 and Denzel Boston at #39.
Big-Time Winners #2: New York Jets
Another big-time winner I saw that came out of the 2026 NFL Draft was the New York Jets. With 3 1st-round picks, they found players who could start immediately in week 1 for the New York Jets. At #2, they selected Texas Tech Edge rusher David Bailey, who had 14.5 sacks in 2025 for Texas Tech. Then, at #16, they got tight end Kenyon Sadiq from Oregon, followed by Indiana WR Omar Cooper JR at #30. The Jets are preparing themselves for the 2027 NFL Draft, where they are expected to find their quarterback in 2027.
Big Time Winners #3: New York Giants
The other New York team, the Giants, had itself a great draft with new head coach John Harbaugh. They not only had 1 top 10 pick, but they ended up with 2 after trading Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati. First, they selected Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese at #5, who could play at both outside and inside linebacker. At #10, they went offensive line, selecting Francis Mauigoa from Miami to add to the depth of the offensive line. And, drafted very well in both the 2nd and 3rd rounds with CB Colton Hood and WR Malachi Fields.
Big-Time Winners #4: Dallas Cowboys
Another NFC East team came out as one of my big-time winners of the draft, which is the Dallas Cowboys. Who also like the New York Giants, they had 2 1st round picks after trading Micah Parsons last season. At pick #11, the Cowboys selected, in my opinion, the best player in this entire draft in safety Caleb Downs. After trading back with the Eagles, they went ahead and selected pass rusher Malachi Lawrence from UCF at Pick #23. These 1st round selections will make the Dallas Cowboys defense a much better unit going into the 2026 season.
Big-Time Winners #5: Philadelphia Eagles
A 3rd NFC East team was able to put together a very solid draft class, which is the Philadelphia Eagles. After trading up with their arch-rival, the Cowboys, they were able to take WR Makai Lemon at pick #20. Which means that AJ Brown is more likely to be gone after June 1st to the New England Patriots. Then, in the 2nd round, they drafted Vanderbilt Tight End Eli Stowers to oppose Dallas Goedert on the other side. And, in Round 7, they took DT Uar Bernard, who never played a single down in college.
Overall Thoughts:
The 2026 NFL draft produced a lot of winners in this draft from all different teams. These teams showed up and are poised to showcase their new rookies on the field in pre- and regular season.
