The Cowboys went into the draft thinking their chances of landing Ohio State safety Caleb Downs were “a longshot.” Downs, though, was on the board for the taking at No. 11, and the Cowboys traded up one spot to draft a safety in the first round for the first time since 2002 when Roy Williams was the pick at No. 8 overall.
Owner Jerry Jones called Downs a player capable of being “a quarterback of the defense.”
Like Hall of Fame finalist Darren Woodson back in the 1990s, the Cowboys believe Downs can play safety, nickel and corner.
“I think it’s just being able to make plays in all facets of the game,” Downs said of how he fits in the Cowboys’ defense, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website. “Whether that’s near the line of scrimmage or in the deep part of the field, I feel like I could do it all and it’ll be a great relationship to be able to do that with the Cowboys.”
The Cowboys have never won a Super Bowl without a Hall of Fame-caliber safety on their roster. They had Hall of Famer Cliff Harris on their roster for their two Super Bowl wins in the 1970s and Woodson for their three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, though Woodson was a rookie in 1992.
“He’s a multiplier,” Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay said of Downs. “He’s going to make other people better.”
The Cowboys gave up a team-record 511 points last season, ranking among the worst defenses in the NFL in most of the major categories.
After the Rams selected quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall on Thursday night, head coach Sean McVay was noticeably subdued during his press conference with General Manager Les Snead.
Whatever the reason for it, McVay’s reaction was enough to get Snead asked about it — and the reaction of reigning MVP Matthew Stafford — during a Friday radio interview with ESPN Los Angeles.
“I think Sean had a chat with Matthew before last night. And that’s one thing that Matthew’s definitely earned,” Snead told The Sedano and Cap Morning Show. “It’s one of the things that we’re working together to go through it. Matthew is on his way to, I would say this, a Hall of Fame career, right? And he still has gas left in the tank. And big picture, our vision’s always been, hey, let’s make the most of this time with Matthew and his teammates — let’s chase special together, however long that may [last]. I mentioned at the beginning of the segment, there’s no timeline on this. The longer, the better. Matthew just came off an MVP season, so if he continues playing, it’s like, this is better for everyone involved. ‘
“And I think at the end of the day, Sean and I are going to always work together in these types of decisions. ... But there was a lot that was going on into maneuvering that draft. So, we’re in lockstep. We work together. We’re collaborative. It’s him and I partnering to try to do the best for the Rams.”
The Rams currently have six selections remaining in the 2026 draft, including No. 61 overall in the second round and No. 93 overall in the third round on Friday night.
One of the risks for prospects attending the first round of the draft is the chance that the night could end without any team calling your name.
That happened to two of the 17 players who accepted invitations to be in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and cornerback Colton Hood spent the night watching their peers go on stage to hug NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected, but never got their calls.
McDonald will be back for more on Friday night. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that McDonald will extend his stay in Pittsburgh in hopes of being selected early in the second round.
McDonald had 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks for Ohio State last season.
There’s no word at the moment on what Hood, who played at Tennessee, is planning to do for the second night of the draft.
The 49ers were one of eight teams that did not make a pick in the first round of the 2026 draft, but they won’t have to wait long for a chance to add a player once the second round begins.
They’ll be on the clock to kick off the second night of the draft after picking up the 33rd pick by trading down three spots with the Jets before things wrapped up in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. It was the second time the 49ers, who were initially at No. 27, traded down and General Manager John Lynch explained at a press conference what he likes about being in their current position.
“I think the cool thing about the 33rd pick, it puts you in a really nice — we can kind of reconvene, reset our board, reset our thoughts, and I think it’s also a coveted pick as a lot of teams are doing that themselves,” Lynch said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “So, that’s where we’re at.”
Lynch said that the 49ers “have a good idea of where we’re going” with the pick, but any team with their eye on a particular prospect will have several hours to try to come up with an offer that causes the 49ers to wait a little longer before making their first pick of the year.
If the Jets ever turn things around, they may look back on the 2026 and 2027 NFL drafts as the time when they stockpiled talent to become a winner.
On Thursday night, the Jets had three first-round draft picks: They used their own pick, No. 2 overall, on linebacker David Bailey. Then they used the 16th pick, acquired from the Colts by trading Sauce Gardner, on tight end Kenyon Sadiq. And then they traded up from the second round to get the 30th pick and use it on wide receiver Omar Cooper.
Next year, the Jets have three more first-round picks. They have their own first-round pick, they have the Colts’ first-round pick from trading Gardner, and they will have the higher of the Cowboys’ or Packers’ first-round picks for trading Quinnen Williams to Dallas.
The total of six first-round picks in a two-year span represents an enormous influx of talent. Or at least it will if Bailey, Sadiq and Cooper pan out, and if the Jets use their three first-round picks next year wisely.
Using draft picks wisely is no sure thing for the Jets, but with the draft capital they have, they’re a team with the potential for a major turnaround.
The first round of the 2026 NFL draft moved fast.
This year, the NFL changed the rules so that teams got only eight minutes to put in their first-round picks, and as a result the first round finished in under three hours.
According to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, the official time of this year’s first round was 2 hours, 53 minutes.
That’s 36 minutes shorter than last year’s first round, which lasted 3 hours, 29 minutes. Last year, teams were allowed to take 10 minutes between picks.
The draft used to be a marathon, with teams getting 15 minutes between first-round picks. In 2007, the first draft Commissioner Roger Goodell presided over, the first round lasted 6 hours, 8 minutes.
Half of the picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft changed hands before the selection was made.
Of the 32 picks, 16 of them were traded, resulting in eight teams having no first-round pick, six teams having two first-round picks, and the Jets having three first-round picks.
The Falcons, Bengals, Broncos, Packers, Colts and Jaguars all entered the draft without a first-round pick, having previously traded theirs. The Bills and 49ers traded out of the first round during draft night.
Six teams drafted two players on Thursday night: The Browns took offensive lineman Spencer Fano and wide receiver KC Concepcion. The Titans took wide receiver Carnell Tate and defensive end Keldric Faulk. The Giants took linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. The Chiefs took cornerback Mansoor Delane and defensive tackle Peter Woods. The Cowboys took safety Caleb Downs and defensive end Malachi Lawrence. The Dolphins took offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor and cornerback Chris Johnson.
The Jets had three first-round picks: With their own pick they took linebacker David Bailey, with the Colts’ pick acquired in the Sauce Gardner trade they took tight end Kenyon Sadiq, and then they traded back up into the late first round to draft wide receiver Omar Cooper.
All of the teams with multiple first-round picks missed the playoffs last season. They know they have big roster rebuilds ahead, and they hope they’ve added an infusion of young talent to get those rebuilds moving.
The Chiefs surprised some when they traded up to draft cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall on Thursday night.
That was by design, General Manager Brett Veach said in his press conference, as the club wanted to keep its interest in Delane pretty quiet. In reality, the Chiefs knew Delane was the player they wanted weeks ago.
“[I]t’s funny because, three, four weeks ago, when we were going through the ’30’ visits, I bumped Steve [Spagnuolo] and said, ‘We’re going to bring our corner in,’” Veach said. “And he said, ‘Don’t bring him in. Just don’t bring him in. Let’s just Zoom him. Let’s keep it quiet.’
“I thought we did a good job. I think a lot of people thought we might go offensive line there. But this was our guy the whole time. Again, assuming [David] Bailey and [Arvell] Reese were off the board — again, great players. But we had Delane right up there. And it’s hard to find good corners. And I know that we’ve done well over the years of addressing corners late. But when you’re kind of within reach of a top corner, we did that a couple of years ago, I think we traded a 3 and a 4 to get McDuffie. So, traded a 3 and a 5 to get Mansoor Delane, so we’re extremely excited.”
Entering Day 1 of the draft, the Chiefs had the No. 9 overall pick, with Washington at No. 7 and New Orleans at No. 8. Veach said that given the Saints’ losses at cornerback over the last two years, Kansas City figured New Orleans would be its top competition for Delane. So, having engaged with the Browns on what a potential trade down could look like, the team executed a deal with Cleveland, moving up to No. 6 overall for a coveted player at a premium position.
“He’s super fluid. He’s athletic,” Veach said of Delane. “Obviously, he ran that 4.3 [40-yard dash]. But he’s a guy that plays patient, is super aware, has great ball skills. He’s tough, he’ll tackle. We think he can play inside and outside.
“Again, we feel like he was the most complete corner. I’m sure he was the consensus No. 1 corner. And, again, when you’re picking at [No.] 9, and you’re right there ,and you can get the No. 1 corner in the draft, you go get him.”
The Jets ended up with three first-round draft picks, getting help for a team that desperately needed help at every position.
After selecting Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey second overall and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the Jets traded back into the first round. They gave up picks 33 and 179 overall for the 30th overall choice.
The Jets used the selection on Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
They needed a No. 2 wideout to pair with Garrett Wilson, giving Geno Smith two legit outside weapons.
Cooper had 69 receptions for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 49ers have a longer wait for their first pick after a second trade down in the first round. They went from 27 to 30 in a trade with the Dolphins and now move back to 33, the first choice in Friday night’s second round.
The Chiefs have selected defensive tackle Peter Woods at No. 29 overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Woods played his college ball at Clemson, where he appeared in 35 games with 24 starts. He was a first-team All-ACC honoree in 2025, recording 30 total tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, and two passes defensed. He also showed versatility by playing offense, rushing for two touchdowns.
He finished his collegiate career with 14.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.
This is Kansas City’s second selection of the first round, as the club also traded up to pick cornerback Mansoor Delane out of LSU.
The Chiefs acquired the No. 29 overall pick from the Rams as part of the deal for cornerback Trent McDuffie.
They have now added to their defense with a corner and a D-tackle.
