NFL · 1 hour ago

Biggest Winners and Losers From the 2026 NFL Draft

Grant White

Host · Writer

Winners: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Even without Mike Evans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense is set. However, major defensive issues were plaguing their outlook. That was until this weekend. Tampa Bay made off with one of the best hauls in Pittsburgh, focusing their early efforts on improving their defense.

Rueben Bain Jr. will go down as one of the biggest steals in draft history. The Miami (FL) Hurricanes edge rusher was passed on by 14 other teams before the Bucs drafted him 15th overall. They would go on to add linebacker Josiah Trotter, cornerback Keionte Scott, and defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart before the end of Round 5, adding playmakers at every level on defense.

Tampa Bay's reign as NFC South champs came to a four-year end last season. With those stalwarts joining Todd Bowles' defense, we're betting they climb the division heap and reassert themselves as Super Bowl contenders in 2026.
Winners: Fernando Mendoza & the Las Vegas Raiders
Since the Las Vegas Raiders were guaranteed the top draft spot after Week 17, it has been a foregone conclusion that Fernando Mendoza would end up in the Black and Silver. After months of waiting, the union was consummated in Pittsburgh at the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza is the savior the Raiders desperately needed, but their draft success goes well beyond the top pick.

Altogether, Las Vegas had 10 picks in this year's event, and it made the most of them at every spot. Treydan Stukes was the second player drafted by the Raiders, but the best value lies in the preceding four picks. Along with Mendoza, Keyron Crawford, Trey Zuhn III, Jermod McCoy, and Mike Washington Jr., they are the foundation of the Raiders' future.

Crawford is a physical specimen, but didn't start playing football until his senior year in high school. He wreaked havoc off the edge as a senior, accumulating 9.5 sacks with Auburn. Zuhn has the potential to be a standout interior lineman for years to come, while Washington Jr. could develop into the next Josh Jacobs. McCoy could end up being the steal of the draft after an ACL injury robbed him of his 2025 campaign.

The Las Vegas Raiders have their nucleus for years to come. Under Klint Kubiak, the sky isn't the ceiling; it's the floor.
Loser: Diego Pavia
Not since Jordan Lynch in 2014 has a Heisman Trophy finalist gone undrafted. Diego Pavia joined a small, humiliating group, going undrafted in Pittsburgh.

Pavia's off-field antics have overshadowed his remarkable on-field play. The Vanderbilt alumnus has a terrible track record in the public eye, and we can only begin to imagine how he presented himself during his pre-draft interviews. In addition to his post-Heisman Trophy rant online, Pavia didn't hire an agent because he didn't see the value in paying someone 5-10% of his potential earnings, confronting fans after games, and desecrating opponents' fields. All of which he proudly boasts of.

Pavia may be a talented quarterback, but he won't get a chance to prove that in the NFL. At this point, even the CFL will want nothing to do with him.
Winner: Aaron Rodgers
Whether he wants to or not, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to need Aaron Rodgers to play at least a few more years.

The Steelers' search for a franchise quarterback has taken them down a winding and unfulfilling path. Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Mitchell Trubisky are just a few of the people who have auditioned for the role, none of whom have taken up Ben Roethlisberger's mantle.

Undoubtedly, Rodgers has been the most successful of the bunch, but he's made no commitments for the upcoming campaign. Given the state of the Steelers' quarterback room, Pittsburgh will be willing to pay a handsome premium to ensure Rodgers suits up for at least one more season.
Losers: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were punked in the worst way. Making matters worse, it was a hated rival that did them dirty on their home field. That's just the tip of the iceberg, as Pittsburgh made some questionable decisions on draft day, limiting their potential success next season.

On the phone with Makai Lemon, the Steelers thought they had their standout receiver to pair with DK Metcalf. We all know how it played out. Philadelphia got on the horn with Dallas, a move that was potentially made to spite former head coach Mike McCarthy, and snatched Lemon from the Steelers' grasp.

Max Iheanachor and Germie Bernard are formidable players. Still, Drew Allan couldn't handle Big Ten defenses and definitely doesn't project well against AFC North competitors, let alone the rest of the league. Without a long-term solution under center, it's just a matter of time before the Steelers suffer their first losing season since 2003. After this draft, we're betting that happens sooner rather than later.
Winner: Garrett Nussmeier
It may seem odd to include a quarterback who fell to the seventh round as a winner. Still, this was the best-case scenario for Garrett Nussmeier, even as the 10th quarterback selected in the draft.

Formerly a top prospect, Nussmeier's draft stock was hurt by injuries that limited him to just nine games in 2025. More concerningly, he dropped four of his last five starts with the LSU Tigers, a year in which he was supposed to compete for the Heisman Trophy.

Now, Nussmeier gets to apprentice under a generational talent while learning from some of the league's best coaches. This isn't Aaron Rodgers falling to the Packers all those years ago, but it could allow Nussmeier to develop into a capable NFL starter.
Losers: Les Snead and Sean McVay
Ty Simpson wasn't supposed to be a first-round pick. A relationship between Les Snead and his father ensured that Simpson wouldn't slip past the Los Angeles Rams with the 13th-overall selection.

While he's gone on record to state otherwise, Sean McVay was clearly displeased with the Simpson selection at the draft. And rightfully so. Simpson struggled to compete against inferior SEC defenses; he only has one year of starting experience, and accuracy can be an issue.

Even under McVay's tutelage, we don't think Simpson has the profile to succeed at the next level. Snead's circle is too small, and he's listening to the wrong people. This was a bad selection, and the optics after the draft are even worse.
Winners: Cleveland Browns
When the Cleveland Browns eventually make it back to the playoffs, it will be thanks to their 2026 NFL Draft class. Unlike their well-documented struggles at Acrisure Stadium, the Browns knocked it out of the park at the draft in Pittsburgh.

Spencer Fano, ninth overall, didn't sit well with everyone, but there's no denying his talent on the offensive line. For months, we projected the Browns nabbing two receivers in the draft, and they got two of the best (KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston) with their next two selections. Projected as a Day 1 talent, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was taken with the 58th pick.

Day 3 would lead to more riches for the Browns. Taylen Green was brought in as a development option under center, and they maximized value with their other late-round selections.

The outlook is typically guarded in Cleveland. But for the first time, things are finally looking up.
Winners: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Even without Mike Evans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense is set. However, major defensive issues were plaguing their outlook. That was until this weekend. Tampa Bay made off with one of the best hauls in Pittsburgh, focusing their early efforts on improving their defense.

Rueben Bain Jr. will go down as one of the biggest steals in draft history. The Miami (FL) Hurricanes edge rusher was passed on by 14 other teams before the Bucs drafted him 15th overall. They would go on to add linebacker Josiah Trotter, cornerback Keionte Scott, and defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart before the end of Round 5, adding playmakers at every level on defense.

Tampa Bay's reign as NFC South champs came to a four-year end last season. With those stalwarts joining Todd Bowles' defense, we're betting they climb the division heap and reassert themselves as Super Bowl contenders in 2026.
Winners: Fernando Mendoza & the Las Vegas Raiders
Since the Las Vegas Raiders were guaranteed the top draft spot after Week 17, it has been a foregone conclusion that Fernando Mendoza would end up in the Black and Silver. After months of waiting, the union was consummated in Pittsburgh at the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza is the savior the Raiders desperately needed, but their draft success goes well beyond the top pick.

Altogether, Las Vegas had 10 picks in this year's event, and it made the most of them at every spot. Treydan Stukes was the second player drafted by the Raiders, but the best value lies in the preceding four picks. Along with Mendoza, Keyron Crawford, Trey Zuhn III, Jermod McCoy, and Mike Washington Jr., they are the foundation of the Raiders' future.

Crawford is a physical specimen, but didn't start playing football until his senior year in high school. He wreaked havoc off the edge as a senior, accumulating 9.5 sacks with Auburn. Zuhn has the potential to be a standout interior lineman for years to come, while Washington Jr. could develop into the next Josh Jacobs. McCoy could end up being the steal of the draft after an ACL injury robbed him of his 2025 campaign.

The Las Vegas Raiders have their nucleus for years to come. Under Klint Kubiak, the sky isn't the ceiling; it's the floor.

Biggest Winners and Losers From the 2026 NFL Draft

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