The Jaguars traded their 2026 first-round pick as part of a package to move up to No. 2 overall to select Travis Hunter in 2025. They had a long wait to make their first pick of 2026.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen joked Thursday that he “waited a lot longer before,” referring to 2022 when he was offensive coordinator of the Rams. Los Angeles didn’t make its first pick until No. 104 overall, the next-to-last pick in the third round.
The Jaguars had only to wait until 56th overall this year.
They used the choice on Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher.
The Jaguars have only four players under contract at the position, with Brenton Strange, Quintin Morris and Hunter Long all scheduled for free agency in 2027. (Strange will return.)
Boerkircher, a one-year starter for the Aggies, was a Y tight end with 69 percent of snaps in line. He made a career-high 19 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in his only season in College Station after transferring from Nebraska.
The Jaguars have 11 total picks, including four in the top 100.
The Patriots have traded up for the second time in two rounds.
After moving up to snag offensive lineman Caleb Lomu in the first round, the Patriots made a swap with the Chargers to get in position to take former Illinois defensive end Gabe Jacas.
The Chargers will receive the 63rd, 131st, and 202nd picks in exchange for giving up their original pick.
Jacas spent the last four seasons at Illinois and had 11 sacks during his final college season. He also led the team in sacks in 2024 and had the team high in tackles for loss both seasons as well.
New England has six more picks over the final five rounds.
The Colts are finally on the board in the 2026 draft.
At No. 53 overall, Indianapolis has selected linebacker CJ Allen out of Georgia.
Allen played his entire collegiate career at Georgia, playing 41 games with 30 starts. He was a first-team All-SEC honoree, leading the team in forced fumbles, tackles, and tackles for loss in 2025. He finished the season with 88 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and four passes defended.
Allen has a chance to step in and help replace Zaire Franklin, who was traded to the Packers this offseason.
The Colts were originally slated to pick at No. 47 on Friday night but traded down with the Steelers instead. The club’s first-round pick went to the Jets during the season as part of the deal for cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The Jets traded up to take wide receiver Omar Cooper with the 30th pick on Thursday night and they added one of his Indiana teammates after trading down to the 50th pick of the second round.
Cornerback D’Angelo Ponds was the Jets’ selection. He and Cooper both played key roles in Indiana’s run to the national title and Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said on Thursday night that he liked that all three of the team’s first-round picks were from teams that made the college football playoffs.
Ponds followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana and had a pick-six to kick off the Hoosiers’ playoff win over Oregon. The Jets had no interceptions last season, so they’ll be hoping Ponds can make the same kind of impact.
Cooper and Ponds are joined in the rookie class by edge rusher David Bailey and tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
Avieon Terrell followed his older brother, A.J. Terrell, in every step of the way. They both played at Westlake High School in Atlanta and then at Clemson. Now, they will play together with the Falcons.
Atlanta used the 48th overall to select Avieon Terrell, who will join his brother in the team’s secondary.
A.J. Terrell has played six seasons with the Falcons.
The brothers hugged and cried at a draft party, sharing an incredible moment.
Avieon started 31 consecutive games to finish his career, and he led the Tigers in passes defended as both a sophomore and junior. He had 28 pass breakups and three interceptions in three seasons.
The Colts were set to make their first pick of the 2026 draft at No. 47 overall. But that’s not going to be the case.
Pittsburgh has traded up to No. 47 and has selected receiver Germie Bernard out of Alabama.
Bernard spent one season at Michigan State, one season at Washington, and two seasons with Alabama in his collegiate career. In 2025, he caught 64 passes for 862 yards with seven touchdowns. He led the team in receptions in 2024 and 2025.
So, after Pittsburgh’s mix-up with Makai Lemon on Thursday night, the Steelers have picked up a young receiver.
The Steelers sent No. 53, No. 135, and No. 237 to the Colts in exchange for No. 47 and No. 249.
Indianapolis’ first pick in 2026 now set for No. 53.
Jacob Rodriguez reminds a lot of people of Zach Thomas, so all was right with the world when the Dolphins drafted him in the second round.
The Texas Tech linebacker heard his name called with the 43rd overall pick.
Rodriguez won the Butkus Award, the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Award and the Lombardi Award last season. He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Like Thomas, size prevented Rodriguez from being a first-round pick. Rodriguez measures 6 foot 1 and weighs 233 pounds. Thomas was 5 foot 11 and 228 pounds but had a Hall of Fame career with the Dolphins.
The Bengals didn’t have a first-round pick, having traded the 10th overall pick to the Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. They made their first pick of the 2026 NFL draft with the 41st overall selection.
The Bengals made Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell a second-round pick.
It marks the second consecutive year that the Bengals have drafted an Aggie pass rusher, following the first-round selection of Shemar Stewart in 2025.
Howell was more productive in College Station than Stewart, with 27 sacks in his five-year college career. Twenty-five of those came in his final three seasons, including 11.5 in 2025 when he won SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The concern is Howell’s 30 1/4-inch arm measurement — the shortest of any edge rusher since at least 1999 — could impact his ability to create separation in the NFL. He insists it won’t matter in the NFL.
The Bengals hope that’s true. They were among the worst defenses in the NFL last season, including ranking last in pass rush win rate.
The Chiefs went with defensive players with both of their first-round picks and they stayed on that side of the ball in the second round.
Defensive end R Mason Thomas is headed to the Chiefs with the 40th overall pick. Cornerback Mansoor Delane and defensive tackle Peter Woods were the selections on Thursday.
Thomas posted 26 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble return for a touchdown and a safety for Oklahoma last season.
George Karlaftis is the top returning edge rusher for the Chiefs and Thomas should have a path to early playing time if he shows the ability to get to the quarterback against NFL blockers.
After bringing in two offensive players on Thursday night, the Browns are adding another.
Cleveland has selected receiver Denzel Boston out of Washington with the No. 39 overall pick in the second round of the 2026 draft.
Boston was a two-year starter at Washington, though he spent his entire collegiate career with the program. He led the Huskies in receiving in each of the last two seasons, catching 63 passes for 834 yards with nine touchdowns in 2024 and 62 receptions for 881 yards with 11 TDs in 2025.
The Browns selected offensive tackle Spencer Fano and receiver KC Concepcion with their two picks last night.
