The NFL Draft concluded last week on Saturday, April 25, in the North Shore area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, near Acrisure Stadium. With the No. 1 overall pick, Fernando Mendoza going to the Las Vegas Raiders, and the final pick, “Mr. Irrelevant” Khalil “Red” Murdock going to the Denver Broncos, here is an overview of the biggest headlines from the 2026 NFL Draft.
It is standard practice that each of the 32 teams receives one pick during each of the seven rounds during the draft, with the order of selection being an inversion of the previous season’s final rankings from worst to best. Keep in mind that teams can trade and make deals with others to acquire picks for future drafts.
The draft began on Thursday night at 8 P.M. on the dot with the Las Vegas Raiders selecting Indiana QB Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick, to the surprise of very few. While potential picks like Mendoza were sure of their draft numbers and others saw minor rises or falls, the same cannot be said for Colton Hood, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Denzel Boston and Jermod McCoy, who all fell out of the first round and were later picked up on nights two or three.
Jermod McCoy fell from an expected No. 22 overall — according to ESPN’s Mat Miller — all the way down to No. 101, finally signing with the Raiders during the fourth round. McCoy’s draft stock fell victim to concerns about an ACL tear he sustained in January of 2025. Despite this year-long setback, there is still a great amount of potential in the 20-year-old Raider. Meanwhile, projected No. 42 Peter Woods, skipped ahead of the other second round picks to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs on the first night, as the 29th overall pick.
“You know, it was very emotional. Something that I knew, like, when the time came and if I was still there, man, this this was something that was going to happen for me. And you know, this is what God wanted for me, and I’m just excited to be a Chief,” Peter Woods told reporters during the 2026 NFL Draft Press Conference.
Friday was a good night for the Cleveland Browns after securing Denzel Boston at No. 39, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at No. 58 and Austin Barber at No. 86. These picks are especially relevant to the Browns’ Offensive Team as they held the distinction of carrying the league-low of only 1,467 receiving yards. Similar to how the Browns were able to draft round one talent during the second round, the Baltimore Ravens were able to steal Zion Young and Ja’Kobi Lane at No. 45 and No. 80 respectively. QB Lamar Jackson will be a big fan of Lane’s catching ability, given his record of catching most of his past touchdown catches in the red zone. On a separate, light-hearted note, brothers Avieon and AJ Terrell will unite in Atlanta after the Falcons picked up Avieon Terrell at No. 48.
“Me and AJ just been laughing, enjoying it. We done hug each other about 20 times… I didn’t think it was gonna happen. They made a mistake letting me and my bro team up.” Avieon said.
On the third day of the draft, LSU QB Garett Nussmeier was selected at No. 249 by the Chiefs. Given his lighter frame and certain holes in his performances, the 24-year-old will need to show up strong to challenge Justin Fields for the QB2 spot in Kansas City.
The 257th and final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft was LB Red Murdock, making him the 51st Mr. Irrelevant, joining the ranks of his predecessors Kobee Minor, Jaylen Key, Desjuan Johnson and, of course, Brock Purdy.
In an ESPN interview with Jeff Legwold, Murdock shared his appreciation for his opportunity to play professionally.
“It was a pretty emotional moment, trying to hold it in front of the family and everything. I was just really excited to get an opportunity … the Broncos, man, I’m just really excited to play for the Broncos. That’s a great team… It’s playing out perfectly,” Murdock said.
Despite being the last pick, Murdock boasts a very impressive collegiate career, with 17 forced fumbles in just three years, making him what some might call a successful Mr. Irrelevant.
The 2026 NFL Draft was an amazing taste of what’s to come in the 2026-2027 NFL season, with an all-new rookie class of players fighting to fulfill their dreams of playing professionally.
