- Elite Defensive Steals: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears secured the highest honors of the night, earning Elite grades for catching high-production players who slid. Rueben Bain Jr. (No. 15) led all FBS edge rushers in pressures and Wins Above Average (WAA), while Dillon Thieneman (No. 25) earned 89.0-plus PFF grades during his career.
- Ohio State Dominance: The Buckeyes' elite talent pool was on full display as Arvell Reese (No. 5), Sonny Styles (No. 7), and Caleb Downs (No. 11) all earned Very Good grades for the Giants, Commanders, and Cowboys, respectively.
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The 2026 NFL Draft is underway, and Round 1 is in the books.
The PFF Live Draft Tracker graded and analyzed every pick in real time, and now it’s time to break down the results with full evaluations for all 32 first-round selections. Here are the highest-graded picks of Round 1.
The Elite Picks
Pick 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Edge Rueben Bain Jr., Miami FL
Pick Grade: Elite
The Buccaneers stayed at their original draft slot and were able to pick up a player at a position of need and a premium position who led all FBS edge rushers in total pressures and PFF Wins Above Average. Bain was likely still available because of his limited length, but his tape — including against high-level opponents on big stages — indicates he should have come off the board earlier.
Pick 25. Chicago Bears: S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon
Pick Grade: Elite
Thieneman didn’t often make it to Chicago in mock drafts, but the Bears will certainly be happy he was available here. Thieneman earned 89.0-plus PFF grades on multiple defenses — 2023 with Purdue and 2025 with Oregon — and can cover, defend the run and bring high-end athleticism. Given that the Bears came into this draft with a clear need at safety, this is an ideal scenario for Dennis Allen’s defense.
The Very Good Picks
Pick 1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
Pick Grade: Very Good
There was little suspense about who Las Vegas would select with the first overall pick. Mendoza is coming off an elite 2025 season for the Hoosiers, where he led all FBS quarterbacks in PFF Wins Above Average (WAA). The 22-year-old quarterback and new head coach Klint Kubiak, fresh off a Super Bowl title, will look to build a new offensive foundation after the Raiders ranked 31st in expected points added (EPA) per play last season.
Pick 5. New York Giants: Edge Arvell Reese, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Very Good
Reese doesn’t have much experience working as a traditional edge rusher, but that doesn’t mean he can’t impact the quarterback as a pass rusher, even if he ends up playing primarily off-ball for New York. Reese is a tremendous athlete who plays with physicality, and there’s plenty of room for growth at just 20 years old. This marks back-to-back years in which the Giants have used an early pick on a pass rusher with off-ball experience (Abdul Carter in 2025), providing versatility to their defensive front and pass-rush packages.
Pick 7. Washington Commanders: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Very Good
Styles had an excellent season at Ohio State, earning 85.0-plus grades as both a run defender and coverage defender, and then he tested the way he did at the combine. The positional value argument will come up with Styles, but he has the potential to quickly become one of the better players at the position in the NFL. It’s a much-needed infusion of talent for a Commanders defense that ranked 31st in EPA allowed per play last season.
Pick 9. Cleveland Browns: T Spencer Fano, Utah
Pick Grade: Very Good
The Browns traded back with Kansas City and still had their pick of the top offensive linemen on the board. Fano can move along the offensive line, giving Cleveland the flexibility to field its “best five” after adding several veteran offensive linemen in free agency and overhauling the unit. Fano has played primarily right tackle over the past two seasons, earning 80.0-plus PFF grades in both years, after playing left tackle in his first season at Utah.
Pick 11. Dallas Cowboys: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Pick Grade: Very Good
As is often the case with safety prospects, Downs slid further than he appeared on most big boards. Dallas traded up one spot to ensure it got its guy. It’s hard to find much fault with Downs’ college career, as he earned 85.0-plus PFF grades in three consecutive seasons — one at Alabama and two at Ohio State. He should be a stabilizing force on the back end for a Dallas secondary that ranked last in PFF coverage grade as a unit in 2025.
Pick 14. Baltimore Ravens: G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State
Pick Grade: Very Good
This was the chalk for the Ravens at this spot in mock drafts, and it materialized. The Ravens had a clear need to improve their interior offensive line — especially after losing Tyler Linderbaum this offseason — and Ioane should help stabilize things. The bulk of his time at Penn State came at left guard, where he earned an 80.2 PFF grade across nearly 1,500 offensive snaps over the past two seasons.
Pick 20. Philadelphia Eagles: WR Makai Lemon, USC
Pick Grade: Very Good
With the Steelers needing wide receiver, the Eagles jumped Pittsburgh to take the sliding Lemon. This is good value at a position of need for Philadelphia, as has often been the case in recent years. With a potential A.J. Brown trade looming, Lemon adds a player who can make tough catches over the middle of the field, as he recorded 10 receptions on 14 contested targets in 2025.
Pick 30. New York Jets: WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
Pick Grade: Very Good
Cooper was the betting favorite to be the 16th overall pick by the Jets entering the night. New York opted to go with Sadiq in that spot, but as Cooper continued to slide, the team moved up and added him as well. Cooper profiles as a well-rounded complement to Garrett Wilson who can operate in the slot or out wide. Cooper is tough to bring down and forced 27 missed tackles after the catch in 2025, ranking in the top five in the FBS.
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