The 2026 NFL Draft week is kicking off with six franchises holding multiple first-round picks after yet another blockbuster deal over the weekend.
The Giants acquired the No. 10 pick in a trade with the Bengals that sent defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to Cincinnati.
First-Round Firepower
New York joins five other clubs that already hold multiple picks in Thursday’s opening round due to previous trades.
- Jets: No. 2 and No. 16
- Giants: No. 5 and No. 10
- Browns: No. 6 and No. 24
- Chiefs: No. 9 and No. 29
- Dolphins: No. 11 and No. 30
- Cowboys: No. 12 and No. 20
With several days still to go before the Raiders are officially on the clock in Pittsburgh, further activity this week or on Thursday night could lead to this draft challenging the record of nine teams that ended up with multiple first-round picks in 2022. Typically, there are multiple draft-night trades, with teams acquiring an additional first-round selection or moving up or down in the opening round.
QB Talent Pool
Unlike the record-tying six quarterbacks taken two years ago in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, there is a lack of consensus high-end quarterbacks in this year’s class beyond Indiana star and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Alabama’s Ty Simpson is widely considered the only other potential first-round QB.
Due to the lack of young, promising signal callers, more teams may be willing to part with their first-round picks—and some may be hoping to stockpile picks in next year’s draft, when the likes of Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore are projected to be among the top selections.
The six teams currently without first-round picks are the Bengals, Broncos, Colts, Falcons, Jaguars, and Packers.
ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network—now under Disney ownership—will have live coverage of the first round on Thursday, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
Cashing In
As the NFL salary cap surpasses $300 million for the first time during the 2026 season, teams will also be committing more than $863 million in guaranteed contracts to first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The top three picks are each projected to make more than $50 million in their four-year rookie deals:
- No. 1: $54.56 million
- No. 2: $52.1 million
- No. 3: $50.53 million
- No. 4: $48.74 million
- No. 5: $45.61 million
This is the 16th year of the NFL’s rookie wage scale, which was implemented in 2011, when No. 1 pick Cam Newton signed a four-year contract with the Panthers worth $22 million.
