The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night will bring a unique spotlight on several franchises facing some of the biggest questions in the league, both on and off the field.
Six teams picking in the top 12 also have an additional selection later in the first round, setting up what could be an impactful evening for multiple clubs.
New York State of Mind
The Jets hold the Nos. 2 and 16 picks (nine picks total), and their in-town rival, the Giants, have Nos. 5 and 10 (eight total).
While the Jets are still in the hunt for a franchise quarterback, it’s the Giants that have already been through some of the most significant changes of any NFL team this offseason.
In January, John Harbaugh was hired as the team’s new head coach, signing a deal estimated to be worth $100 million over five years. Then, later that month, Giants co-owner and chairman Steve Tisch came under fire after emails surfaced between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that appeared to discuss Epstein connecting Tisch with women.
In March, Tisch decided to transfer his ownership stake in the Giants to his children, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said that Tisch would not be punished.
The Giants have the No. 5 pick following their 4–13 record during the 2025 NFL season, and recently acquired the No. 10 pick in a trade with the Bengals last Saturday that sent defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to Cincinnati.
Unfamiliar Territory
In a stark contrast to their standard draft position at the end of the first round, the Chiefs hold the No. 9 pick after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014 with a 6–11 record. Kansas City traded cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams for the No. 29 overall pick—and currently has nine total selections.
The status of two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes for the early part of the 2026 season remains uncertain, as he rehabs from a torn ACL.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs are moving forward with a new $3 billion stadium project that will see the historic franchise move across the state line from Missouri to Kansas in 2031.
Shining Stars
The Cowboys, the NFL’s most-watched team on TV alongside the Chiefs, have multiple first-round picks—Nos. 12 and 20 picks—which could bring plenty of fireworks to Thursday’s telecasts on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network.
How big is the spotlight on Dallas? Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance at the Cowboys’ pre-draft press conference on Wednesday.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer is entering his second season, after a 7-9-1 record in 2025 that came after trading Micah Parsons to the Packers in a deal that included Green Bay’s 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. Dallas currently has eight picks total.
QB Questions
Like the Jets, both the Browns (picks Nos. 6 and 24, and nine total) and the Dolphins (picks Nos. 11 and 30, and 11 total selections) have questions at the all-important quarterback position.
However, this year’s QB class is not projected to have top-end talent beyond expected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
Miami released Tua Tagovailoa following the start of the new league year last month, a decision that created an NFL-record $99.2 million in dead money against the salary cap.
Cleveland drafted two QBs last year—Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders—and during the 2025 season had $41.65 million allocated to eight different quarterbacks on their salary cap. Both teams have new head coaches this year, too: Todd Monken with the Browns, and Jeff Hafley with the Dolphins.
