Mel Kiper Names Biggest Winners From Day 1 Of 2026 NFL Draft
Last year Mel Kiper Jr. made a bit of a fool of himself by repeatedly and somewhat angrily declaring that QB Shedeur Sanders deserved to be drafted way higher amid his infamous drop. But after the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft unfolded, Kiper had more real analysis than gripes.
In an article published on ESPN.com, Kiper listed off his six biggest winners of round one. Though he had praise for the Titans, Jets, Giants, Commanders, Dolphins and Bills, there were several teams that he feels truly crushed it last night.
- Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza, No. 1 overall - Kiper praised the Raiders for getting both a franchise QB and his No. 1 overall prospect in the entire draft, even though it was known for months that Mendoza would be going to Vegas.
- Arizona Cardinals: RB Jeremiyah Love, No. 3 overall - Kiper said that despite the Cardinals going against convention and taking a running back in the top five, he believes that Love is "a true all-purpose offensive playmaker who is going to change this offense" and was his No. 2 overall prospect after Mendoza.
- Cleveland Browns: OL Spencer Fano, No. 9 overall; WR KC Concepcion, No. 24 overall - Not only did Kiper like seeing the Browns come away with both a starting wide receiver and a starting offensive tackle, he praised the team for managing to land some mid-round draft pick value by trading down three spots with the Chiefs.
- Dallas Cowboys: DB Caleb Downs, No. 11 overall; EDGE Malachi Lawrence, No. 23 overall - Kiper liked the trade value of the Cowboys moving up just one spot to land Downs, his No. 6 overall prospect. He then liked seeing America's Team make up for it by picking up some mid-round picks in moving down while landing Lawrence.
- Baltimore Ravens: OL Olaivavega Ioane, No. 14 overall - Kiper flat-out loved the Ravens drafting Ioane, seeing him as a "safe, high-floor prospect"
- Philadelphia Eagles: WR Makai Lemon, No. 20 overall - Kiper had Lemon as his No. 11 overall prospect, calling him "a true baller who attacks the ball in the air and creates after the catch." He believes the Eagles have also managed to get ahead of their impending trade of wide receiver A.J. Brown.
What's not to love?
There were, of course, some moves that Kiper didn't love. He felt that the Kansas City Chiefs gave up way too much to move up for CB Mansoor Delane, who he didn't even have as a top-10 pick.
Kiper was downright stunned by the Los Angeles Rams drafting QB Ty Simpson in the first round when there were players that could contribute more immediately to the team while Simpson would still be on the board later.
Lastly, Kiper felt that perhaps the biggest reach of the entire night was the Minnesota Vikings drafting DT Caleb Banks, his No. 62 overall prospect.
Who do you think were the biggest winners and losers of last night?
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 7:24 AM.