Draft Day: Linemen Surge
- Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft wrapped Thursday with teams prioritizing the trenches over skill positions. - Nine offensive linemen were selected in Round 1, and the Raiders used a top pick on Fernando Mendoza. - Analysts say the line‑heavy early board could make Day 2 a rich market for remaining skill players. ( )
Round 1 of the 2026 National Football League draft turned into a run on blockers, with nine offensive linemen taken among the first 32 picks Thursday night. (cbssports.com) Las Vegas opened the night by taking Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1, and only one other quarterback followed in the first round: Alabama’s Ty Simpson to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 13. (sports.yahoo.com) The line run started at No. 9, when Cleveland drafted Utah tackle Spencer Fano, and stretched to No. 28, when New England took Utah tackle Caleb Lomu. CBS Sports counted seven tackles and two interior linemen in Round 1. (cbssports.com) That left much of the early board tilted away from the usual quarterback-receiver frenzy. Arizona used the No. 3 pick on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Tennessee took Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate at No. 4, and Seattle closed the round with Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price at No. 32. (sports.yahoo.com) (nfl.com) The draft is in Pittsburgh this year, and Round 1 ended with teams spending premium picks on the players who protect quarterbacks and open rushing lanes. NFL draft operations shortened first-round pick windows to eight minutes for 2026, but the position trend still held through the night. (nfl.com) (operations.nfl.com) Day 2 now opens with a different board. Yahoo Sports’ best-available list heading into Rounds 2 and 3 was topped by Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, and its remaining pool also included skill players still waiting to come off the board. (sports.yahoo.com) Round 2 begins Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. Eastern, with the second and third rounds scheduled for the same night in Pittsburgh. Teams that passed on wide receivers, defensive backs or running backs Thursday get their next shot a day later. (nfl.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The first round still produced its headline quarterback, but the shape of the board came from the trenches. After nine linemen went Thursday, the names left for Friday should look very different from the ones that dominated opening night. (cbssports.com) (sports.yahoo.com)
