PITTSBURGH — There was plenty of shouting in the back corner of where the recent NFL draftees arrived to begin their media rounds at Acrisure Stadium.
A fired up Caleb Downs clapped his hands and shouted, “How ‘bout them Cowboys,” before greeting Mansoor Delane and Sonny Styles about an hour after the trio became first-round picks on Thursday night.
Caleb Downs pumped to be with the Cowboys. Shouts “How Bout Dem Cowboys” before greeting Mansoor Delane #nfldraft pic.twitter.com/1JELW5od2K
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) April 24, 2026
Minutes before that, someone who may have been related to Makai Lemon unleashed a booming squeal that frightened a few reporters when it was announced through the speakers that the Eagles had just drafted the wideout from USC. Or maybe that scream served as an alarm for a sight most football fans thought they would never see—a trade between the Eagles and Cowboys, who relinquished the No. 20 pick that sent Lemon to Philadelphia.
As for another sound, poor Ty Simpson, who might have had the most media requests for being the biggest surprise draft pick of the night, asked the person handling his obligations whether he could go home after knocking out a few more interviews, and this was a few minutes past 11 p.m. ET.
Ty Simpson had plenty of media obligations after being the biggest surprise of the first round.
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) April 24, 2026
“then I could go home?” 😅 #nfldraft pic.twitter.com/d3qKnQCcop
I gotta say I found a nice spot to absorb the aftermath of a wild first night of the 2026 NFL draft, which started with me walking more than 10,000 steps from the red carpet at Point State Park to the media work room inside the home stadium of the Steelers.
Here are my winners for the first round, along with a few question marks that I had once the dust had settled. Hopefully, Simpson got to go home by the time I filed this story.
Winners
Eagles pull off impressive post-A.J. Brown plans
The Eagles must have felt dirty doing business with the Cowboys, but it had to be done for them to be in good shape once the worst-kept secret is made official on June 1, the day A.J. Brown is expected to join the Patriots.
It will also be the day the Eagles will finally get to move on from all the drama that has transpired between Brown and Jalen Hurts over the past few seasons. It remains to be seen whether the team is making the right move, siding with the Super Bowl-winning quarterback over the wideout who helped the 2020 signal-caller take his game to the next level.
Putting that aside, Philadelphia needed to break up this duo because, from the outside and based on all the reports that have leaked this offseason, it appeared this feud divided the locker room. Now, the Eagles will get to see whether Hurts can perform at a high level with a different talented receiving corps, which includes the versatile Lemon, DeVonta Smith and the recently acquired Dontayvion Wicks.
If Hurts continues to struggle in the post-Brown era, well, Eagles GM Howie Roseman can find a different quarterback in what is supposed to be a stacked 2027 draft class. The pressure is now on Hurts after Roseman delivered Lemon.
Cowboys show restraint to repair defense
The Cowboys would have been bigger winners had they traded down with a team that wasn’t in their division. Still, Jerry Jones should be commended for finally showing restraint and actually using the picks the team acquired after trading Micah Parsons to the Packers.
Dallas didn’t reach for an edge rusher and instead moved up only one spot to take do-it-all playmaker Downs at No. 11 for a secondary that desperately needed help. It seems Jones has been itching over the past year to quickly replace Parsons by trading for Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary, and by engaging in trade talks with the Raiders for Maxx Crosby earlier this offseason.
But the Cowboys took the better path on Day 1 of the draft, going with younger players and accumulating more picks to build out a once top-heavy roster. Dallas also gained Malachi Lawrence, an edge rusher with plenty of upside, at pick No. 23 and the two extra fourth-rounders in the deal with Philadelphia. (The Eagles also acquired a 2027 seventh-rounder from the Cowboys.)
Perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised about the Cowboys making savvy moves during the draft. This seems to be the only time of the year that Jones listens to his front office and doesn’t make impulsive decisions.
Giants go heavy on hybrid defenders
We have a third team from the NFC East listed as a winner after the first round of the draft.
Similar to the Eagles, the Giants, too, needed to break up one of their core groups, in this case, their defensive front. They did that by trading away Dexter Lawrence II last week to the Bengals and moving on with the No. 5 selection of Arvell Reese to give New York a new-look defense to begin Year 1 with coach John Harbaugh.
The Giants were wise to admit that it wasn’t working with Lawrence, Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux, who might get traded now with Reese in the fold. Additionally, New York can now tinker with its defensive scheme with Carter and Reese, two players who can rush the passer and play off-ball linebacker. Hybrid defenders are all the rage in the NFL these days.
Later in the draft, the Giants added standout tackle Francis Mauigoa, who had a notable sound bite when he said he’d do anything to protect Jaxson Dart. It’s never a bad idea to invest in the offensive line.
Jets get a trifecta of immediate impact players
Perhaps no one had a better night than the Jets, who landed three potential immediate impact players in David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr.
Some might criticize the Jets for passing on Reese’s upside, but Bailey shouldn’t be knocked for being the most polished edge rusher in this draft. The No. 2 pick might not be as versatile as Reese, but Bailey is capable of generating at least 10 sacks in his rookie season, which coach Aaron Glenn would gladly welcome after how poorly it went for his defense in his first season.
As for the two other picks, the Jets are now in a good spot to give their future franchise quarterback a talented group of weapons, which now includes Garrett Wilson, Sadiq and Cooper. Geno Smith will likely serve only as a temporary starter, a bridge to the new quarterback who will likely come from the 2027 draft.
New York could still lose double digit games this season, but it’s headed in the right direction with all the talent gained on Thursday.
Question marks
Did the Cardinals really need to take a running back at No. 3?
Don’t get me wrong, Jeremiyah Love is going to be a star player in this league. But the Cardinals weren’t in an ideal place to make Love the first running back taken in the top three of the draft since the Giants did it with Saquon Barkley in 2018.
New York gained a few special years from Barkley, but it wasn’t until he left to join the Eagles that he started winning games due to being on a team with a well-rounded roster.
The Cardinals don’t have a franchise quarterback, no offense to Jacoby Brissett, who now has some leverage after asking for a pay raise last week. Perhaps Arizona gets a quarterback next year in that loaded class, and this question will seem silly then, especially because this team has talent at the skill positions with Love, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson.
I can’t help but think what this team would have looked like if it had gone with Arvell Reese or Sonny Styles to continue building the defense, or gone with one of the top tackles to fill the massive void on the right side. The Cardinals could have taken a top defender or a tackle with the option of later trading back into the first round to take Jadarian Price, the other Notre Dame running back who went to the Seahawks at No. 32.
Seattle built its defense without needing to splurge on a running back and won the Super Bowl in February.
Is Sean McVay annoyed with Les Snead picking Ty Simpson?
It sure seemed like McVay was not happy with his GM taking a quarterback of the future over a player who could help the team in 2026. Or at least it appeared that way to everyone who saw McVay’s facial expression during the Rams’ news conference after taking Simpson with the No. 13 pick.
Last year, I was critical of the Rams trading down and swapping picks with the Falcons before selecting tight end Terrance Ferguson, the 2025 second-round pick who only contributed 11 catches for 231 yards and three touchdowns. The minimal production ultimately didn’t hurt the Rams because they had depth at the position and leaned heavily on their 13-personnel with multiple tight ends on the field.
Again, the Rams—or just Snead—are betting on their roster depth to help them in the immediate future while adding pieces for them long term. After all, they created flexibility by adding cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to address their biggest weakness. Still, the Rams could have used help on the offensive line or gained another pass catcher with Puka Nacua dealing with off-the-field issues and Davante Adams turning 34 later this year.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rams’ roster depth is enough for them to make another playoff run, but McVay might be glaring at Snead again if they fall short in 2026, partly because they didn’t add an immediate impact player in the draft. Perhaps that Simpson-to-Ferguson connection will be fun to watch in 2027 or ’28.
Did the Bills pass up a golden opportunity in the first round?
In my dream scenarios story, I mentioned that the Bills would be a step closer to winning the Super Bowl if Keldric Faulk were to land in their laps at pick No. 26.
Welp, Buffalo could have taken Faulk multiple times on Thursday night. The Bills traded down to No. 28, then again to No. 31, and eventually traded that pick to the Titans, who used it on Faulk.
I was told by one NFL coach that Faulk had as much upside as Reese and said to ignore his minimal sack production at Auburn and focus more on his skill set and massive 6'6", 274-pound frame. Faulk could have learned from Bradley Chubb and given Buffalo a formidable pass-rushing rotation.
Instead, Titans coach Robert Saleh added an intriguing edge rusher for his revamped defense.
Did the Panthers play it too safe by adding another tackle?
I won’t dwell on this one too much because depth on the offensive line usually leads to positive results.
Carolina already had an insurance plan for the injury to Ikem Ekwonu by signing Rasheed Walker in free agency. But the team felt the need to add another insurance plan after drafting tackle Monroe Freeling at No. 19.
Yes, the Panthers were in a tough spot with Sadiq off the board, a pick that would have been perfect for Bryce Young. But Lemon was still available, and there were a handful of talented defensive players, including edge rushers Akheem Mesidor and Lawrence, and safety Dillon Thieneman.
Carolina’s defense still needs reinforcements even after the signings of Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips. Again, adding a stout lineman is often a plus, but the question remains about the Panthers getting too conservative with their first pick.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
- Mike Vrabel Had Such an Awkward Conversation With Patriots’ First-Round Draft Pick
- SI:AM | Sean McVay Didn’t Seem Thrilled With Rams’ Ty Simpson Pick
- Oh, So Lonely: Meet the Two Players in NFL Draft Green Room Who Weren’t Selected in the First Round
- The Eagles Trolled Pittsburgh So Hard After Stealing Its Draft Pick at the Last Second
- Eliot Wolf Details What Patriots Will Miss Most From Mike Vrabel on NFL Draft’s Final Day
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Draft Round 1 Winners and Losers: Eagles Get Great Value, Cardinals Make a Reach.
