After the 28th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft was traded twice, the Patriots ended up with it and selected Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu.
It’s the second straight year the Patriots have taken an offensive tackle in the first round, as they continue to prioritize protecting quarterback Drake Maye.
Lomu joins last year’s first-round pick, Will Campbell, in what the Patriots hope will be their pair of starting tackles for years to come.
The 28th pick originally belonged to the Texans, who traded it to the Bills, and the Bills then traded it to the Patriots. New England hopes that the music stopped with an offensive tackle who will start for the Patriots for years to come.
The Dolphins traded down before making their first pick on Thursday night and they traded up before making their second first-round choice.
Miami made a deal with the 49ers to go from No. 30 to No. 27 and then selected cornerback Chris Johnson. They took offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick.
The 49ers received the 90th overall selection for agreeing to drop three spots in the first round and they sent the 138th pick to Miami. The Dolphins still have 11 more picks over the final two days of the draft.
Johnson was the co-defensive player of the year in the Mountain West after picking off four passes and returning two of them for touchdowns in his final season with the Aztecs. The Dolphins brought in three corners during free agency and Johnson should jump right into the mix for playing time in head coach Jeff Hafley’s defense.
The Bears needed defensive help in the worst way after ranking 29th in total defense. They had not taken a defensive player in the first round since Roquan Smith in 2018 and paid a price for that.
On Thursday, they had their choice of several defenders among a list that included Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Caleb Lomu, T.J. Parker, Kayden McDonald and Peter Woods.
With the 25th overall pick, the Bears selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
The Bears lost Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker this offseason and thus needed a new starter to play alongside Coby Bryant.
Thieneman was with Purdue before transferring to Oregon for his final college season. He totaled 96 tackles, seven passes defensed and two interceptions.
He surely won’t be the last defensive player the Bears select. They badly need an edge rusher after finishing 31st in pass-rush win rate last year.
The Browns have selected wide receiver KC Concepcion with the No. 24 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Concepcion, 21, spent his first two collegiate seasons at NC State before transferring to play for Texas A&M in 2025.
Concepcion caught 61 passes for 919 yards with nine touchdowns last season, becoming a first-team All-SEC honoree. He also had two punt returns for touchdowns for the Aggies.
In his 38 collegiate games, Concepcion recorded 185 catches for 2,218 yards with 25 touchdowns.
This is Cleveland’s second selection of the night, as the club drafted offensive tackle Spencer Fano at No. 9 overall. The Browns traded the No. 6 overall pick to the Chiefs to gain an additional selection in this year’s draft in the third and fifth rounds.
The Browns have now addressed two clear offensive needs in tackle and receiver.
The Chargers added some juice to the edges of their defense in the first round on Thursday night.
They made Ahkeem Mesidor the 22nd overall pick. Mesidor’s Miami teammate Rueben Bain was the No. 15 pick to Tampa, so both Hurricane edge rushers are now off the board.
Offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa was selected 10th by the Giants, so three Miami players have now gone in the first round.
Mesidor had 12.5 sacks for Miami last season and spent six years in college overall, so he’s older than many of the other players being picked on Thursday night. That could limit his growth potential, but it could also make him likelier to contribute right off the bat as a complement to Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu in Los Angeles.
The Cowboys traded up from 12 to 11 to take Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. They traded down from 20 to 23.
The Eagles gave Dallas picks No. 23, 114 and 137 to move up three spots.
Philadelphia selected USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, another sign the team will trade veteran wideout A.J. Brown after June 1.
Brown is not attending the Eagles’ voluntary offseason program as he seeks clarity on his future.
Lemon will join DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore at the position in Philadelphia.
He led the Trojans in receiving each of the past two seasons, becoming an All-American and winning the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver in 2025. Lemon caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final college season.
The Panthers have selected offensive tackle Monroe Freeling with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Freeling played his college ball at Georgia. He started 18 games at left tackle in his career, including the final five games of the 2024 season and 13 contests in 2025.
He was a second-team All-SEC honoree last season.
The Panthers had a need at offensive tackle with Ikem Ekwonu suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in the club’s playoff loss. Now Freeling can be a candidate to replace Ekwonu while he heals.
The Lions parted ways with longtime starting left tackle Taylor Decker and they moved to refresh their offensive line with the 17th overall pick on Thursday night.
They selected former Clemson tackle Blake Miller with that pick. Miller is the fifth offensive lineman to come off the board so far.
Miller was a four-year starter at right tackle while in school and will likely remain on that side with Penei Sewell flipping to the left to replace Decker. The Lions signed Larry Borom as a free agent, so he may not be jumping right into the first team but the coming weeks will bring a better idea about where Miller will begin his NFL career.
The Lions’ next pick is No. 50 and they have eight more picks in total.
University of Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. was one of the most productive players in the country last season. His 30 7/8-inch arm length scared off some teams.
It did not scare off the Buccaneers, who ended up with a player who could prove a steal.
Tampa Bay used the 15th overall pick on Bain, who made 9.5 sacks for the Hurricanes last season and 20.5 for his three-year career.
The Buccaneers badly needed help at the position.
Yaya Diaby led them in sacks in 2025 with only seven, and Shaquil Barrett’s 10 sacks in 2021 was the last time the Bucs had a double-digit sacks leader.
The Ravens have selected guard Olaivavega Ioane out of Penn State at No. 14 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
One of the top offensive linemen in the 2026 draft class, Ioane appeared in 44 games with 32 starts for the Nittany Lions.
He spent all of his time at left guard.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Ioane will be an important part of the five up front for Baltimore and quarterback Lamar Jackson.
