Nfl Draft 2026 Takeaways: Rams Reach, Cowboys Retool And Jets Add Juice

The Rams scope for Stafford’s successor

The Rams delivered nan biggest daze of nan night, sticking astatine prime No 13 and selecting Alabama backmost Ty Simpson. It was a stunner that seemed to return even their caput coach by surprise. Sean McVay seemed little than enthusiastic astatine nan Rams’ post-pick property conference, and Simpson said successful an question and reply that he’s ne'er met McVay.

Maybe it shouldn’t person been a shock. Simpson, who started conscionable 15 games successful college, hemmed and hawed astir whether to participate nan draught astatine all. But a cardinal logic he entered nan people was Rams wide head Les Snead telling him he was a first-round pick. On Thursday, Snead stuck to his word, reaching for a backmost tabbed arsenic a fringe first-round prospect.

It makes immoderate sense. The Rams don’t expect to prime successful nan apical half of nan first information again immoderate clip soon. They’re slap-bang successful nan mediate of nan title window, pinch nan champion roster successful nan league. If they judge Simpson tin beryllium a viable starter, it will widen that model beyond nan profession of Matthew Stafford, who has toyed pinch status and has only 1 aliases 2 years near successful nan league.

But taking a flier connected Simpson astatine No 13 was a reach. He is simply a historical outlier successful size, weight and starting experience. The history of quarterbacks arriving pinch truthful small portion is gnarly. Only 1 backmost has made a Pro Bowl pinch 15 aliases less assemblage starts: Mitchell Trubisky, whom nan Bears couldn’t hold to move connected from aft 4 seasons. And nan history of quarterbacks who play astatine 6ft1in, 211lb aliases nether is conscionable arsenic grim. The only quarterbacks who’ve had occurrence astatine that size person been either electrical athletes aliases Drew Brees, 1 of nan astir meticulous passers successful nan history of nan league. Simpson is neither.

Simpson is talented. In college, he was asked to do professional quarterback things, playing successful a pro-style strategy and moving nan show from nan statement of scrimmage. You tin spot why nan Rams would autumn successful emotion pinch his intellect, toughness and his willingness to push nan shot down nan field. All those skills representation good to McVay’s offense; Simpson rips it complete nan mediate of nan field, and McVay’s discourtesy is designed to make those throws.

The rest, however, is axenic projection. Simpson lacks immoderate elite tool. Inexperienced assemblage starters are usually selected highly because they person an diversion super-skill. Simpson doesn’t. On nan continuum of quarterbacks, he is person to Mac Jones aliases Brock Purdy than he is to Stafford.

Simpson isn’t conscionable short, he’s light. He lacked nan assemblage armour to past a 12-game assemblage season. How will it clasp up complete a 17-to-23-game schedule against NFL size and speed? We don’t request to theorize. Last year, he took excessively galore blows, and a rib wounded wrecked his 2nd half of nan year. After looking for illustration 1 of nan champion quarterbacks successful assemblage shot complete nan first 8 weeks of nan season, he fell isolated arsenic nan hits and injuries mounted up.

Pairing up pinch McVay and learning from Stafford is nan perfect landing spot for Simpson. It thumps landing pinch nan Jets aliases Cardinals, nan different teams pinch superior interest. With immoderate clip down nan scenes, possibly he tin bulk up. But he needs reps against unrecorded competition, and pinch Stafford still astatine nan highest of his powers, that isn’t coming immoderate clip soon.

The Cowboys crush it

The Cowboys entered time 1 pinch 2 first-round picks and a clear mandate: to hole their defense. Last year’s portion was a disaster. Thursday nighttime was a awesome measurement successful correcting that.

Dallas traded up 1 spot to prime Ohio State information Caleb Downs. It’s a location tally pick. Downs was nan best all-around subordinate successful nan draft, a do-everything information who tin screen from nan slot aliases heavy down nan field, bang distant against nan tally successful nan container and is simply a limb arsenic a blitzer. He was nan champion read-and-react defender successful assemblage football, starring a Buckeyes defense that had Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, 2 top-seven picks successful nan draft, successful tackles and scatter plays. Downs will besides adhd immoderate much-needed playmaking and versatility to Dallas’ re-made unit.

Caleb Downs poses aft being selected by nan Dallas Cowboys connected Thursday night. Photograph: Ben Liebenberg/AP

In nan era of Kyle Hamilton, Brian Branch, Jalen Pitre and Nick Emmanwori, safety/slot worth should person gone retired nan window. But Downs’ descent proves nan convention continues to place nan worth of hybrid players successful nan secondary. Hamilton, Pitre, Branch and Emmanwori each slipped successful nan draft. Each of them is now a linchpin portion for nan league’s champion defenses, putting worldly connected nan paper that different defenses cannot access. As a prospect, Downs stacks up pinch each of them. He lacks Hamilton’s size, but he is simply a much blurry jock who tin create carnage each complete nan field.

And nan Cowboys weren’t done there. With their 2nd prime successful nan first round, they traded backmost and still picked up 1 of nan apical edge-rushing prospects successful nan class, UCF’s Malachi Lawrence. Lawrence brings juice disconnected nan ball. He’s a speed-bend pass-rusher who moves a little like erstwhile Cowboys awesome DeMarcus Ware. Lawrence isn’t arsenic refined arsenic Rueben Bain aliases Akheem Mesidor, 2 of nan 3 edge-defenders selected up of him, but he has a changeable to beryllium nan most impactful pass-rusher from this year’s class.

It’s a convention of large men

Ties, nan aged cliche says, spell to nan large man. And nan convention stayed existent to nan rule, loading up connected violative linemen connected nan opening night. Nine violative linemen came disconnected nan committee successful nan first round, much than a 4th of nan evening’s haul. Part of that is nan accustomed league-wide panic astir nan trenches; portion of it is simply a genuinely beardown harvest this year; and portion of it, let’s beryllium honest, is that nan apical of this draught was bladed connected nan benignant of blue-chip skill-position prospects that usually hoover up nan early picks.

Spencer Fano (Browns), Francis Mauigoa (Giants) and Kadyn Proctor (Dolphins) went astatine 9, 10 and 12. Vega Ioane sewage nan interior prospects going, landing successful Baltimore astatine prime No 14. And past nan Texans decided to move up for Keylan Rutledge astatine 26, a mauling, somewhat unhinged defender pinch shades of Richie Incognito. Four much tackles went betwixt 17 and 28, pinch nan Patriots jumping up to make judge Utah tackle Caleb Lomu didn’t get away.

Proctor was nan buzziest selection. Miami has been astatine pains to opportunity they’re rebuilding done nan trenches, trying to shed their explanation arsenic a soft (yet fast) squad and looking to build a much imposing, powerful group connected offense. Proctor checks nan box. He’s a 6ft 6in, 352lb tackle who played person to 400lb successful college. His weight and activity ethic person been concerns astatine times, and if he continues to play heavy, he will beryllium forced to move wrong to guard. But erstwhile Proctor’s weight is nether control, he’s an bonzer jock for his size. It’s not that complicated: guys truthful large shouldn’t beryllium capable to move truthful fluidly. Given his sheer mass, nary 1 tin tally done him. Proctor has each nan beingness to activity pinch and is 1 of nan youngest players successful nan people contempt having plentifulness of experience. For a Dolphins squad going done a afloat rebuild, taking a plaything connected a subordinate pinch All-Pro potential, most apt astatine guard, was a stake worthy making.

The electrical Jets

The Jets coiled up making 3 picks successful nan first round. They traded backmost up to prime No 30 to spell on pinch selections astatine No 2 wide and No 16. All their picks had 1 point successful common: gas.

The Jets kicked disconnected nan nighttime by selecting Texas Tech edge-rusher David Bailey, opting for proven pass-rush juice complete nan hybrid Ohio State defender Arvell Reese. Reese is nan amended prospect, but Bailey has unteachable first-step velocity and a settled position. Given his deficiencies against nan run, Bailey whitethorn struggle to go a full-time starter. But pass-rush sizzle is 1 of nan astir valuable commodities successful nan league, and fewer get disconnected nan shot as quickly aliases play arsenic suddenly arsenic Bailey. He whitethorn not beryllium arsenic unchangeable down-to-down, but he will create scatter plays.

The NFL said a grounds crowd of 320,000 fans turned retired connected Thursday for nan first information of nan draft. Photograph: Jason Miller/Getty Images

After Bailey, nan Jets turned their attraction to nan offense, grabbing Oregon tight extremity Kenyon Sadiq and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. Sadiq is simply a ridiculous athlete, pinch nan champion acceleration of nan threat of immoderate subordinate successful nan class, sloppy of position. His fresh pinch caller violative coordinator Frank Reich is funky, but Sadiq has nan benignant of playmaking chops that Reich tin build portions of his discourtesy around. Sadiq is still somewhat of a project, some arsenic a receiver and a blocker, but each tight ends return clip to develop. And Sadiq isn’t conscionable a harvester darling. Sure, he tested for illustration a freak, but that athleticism translates to nan field. And he’s consenting to play a rugged style, offering all-out effort arsenic a blocker. Sadiq is simply a small boom-bust, but squint difficult enough, and you tin spot Vernon Davis. With nan Jets lacking velocity each complete nan field, taking a bet connected 1 of nan astir explosive violative weapons successful nan draught makes sense.

It’s difficult not to consciousness amended astir nan Sadiq prime aft nan Jets closed retired nan nighttime pinch Cooper, either. The Indiana receiver is simply a tough, shifty, slot-based player, pinch a hint of Puka Nacua astir his game. He’s a consenting blocker and creates chunk plays pinch nan shot successful his hands. There were much tantalizing receivers disposable successful nan draft, but Cooper was arsenic safe a action arsenic nan Jets could person made. They entered nan offseason pinch fewer playmakers connected discourtesy and an aged and slow defense. If thing else, they now person game-breaking velocity connected their roster.

A information of applause for nan league

There was a clip erstwhile teams had 15 minutes to make their selections successful nan first round. For nan amended portion of a decade, nan convention reduced that clip to 10 minutes. This year, nan NFL trim nan clip betwixt picks down to 8 minutes. And it was a triumph. The first information was snappy, moving astatine a slick pace.

The opening nighttime of nan draught has go a marquee event. Ultimately, though, it’s an workout successful reference names. While location are dorks (hand up) who obsess astir this stuff, astir fans conscionable want to cognize who they’ve picked and whether aliases not their squad is tally by bozos. Back successful 2003, that took six hours. You could person flown coast-to-coast successful nan clip it took to rattle disconnected nan selections. This year, pinch nan reduced clock, everything was wrapped up successful conscionable complete 3 hours.

That subtle displacement made everything consciousness much dramatic. There was almost nary clip to digest what had happened earlier Roger Goodell was backmost astatine nan podium. Who’s connected nan clock? Who’s still available? Have nan Cowboys traded up? What did they springiness up? Mel Kiper couldn’t grip nan cortisol spikes. It was a broadcast built for nan TikTok generation, and successful a people that lacked prima powerfulness astatine nan premium positions, it added immoderate needed tension. Teams whitethorn not emotion making franchise-altering decisions without a chance to breathe, but it cranked up nan stakes.

The convention deserves credit. When do they ever make a determination that leaves money connected nan table? Dropping nan wide tally clip whitethorn person reduced nan number of advertisement slots but made for a amended wide program. Sometimes, moreover nan NFL deserves a begrudging information of applause.