NFL Draft 2026
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Imagine 32 different billion-dollar companies lining up to pick the best new employees that are graduating college but instead of them looking at resumes, these potential employees bring highlight reels, 40-yard dash times and the ability to bench press a refrigerator.
Each spring since 1936, the NFL holds a giant event called the Draft. The Draft allows NFL teams the opportunity to take turns selecting college players to join their teams. The worst team in the NFL selects first and the Super Bowl champion team picks last.
The Draft was created to provide some equality and fairness in the league. Prior to 1936, the richest team with the best players would be able to acquire the top talent coming out of college over and over and got better and better teams while the rest suffered. It was sort of like the biggest kid at the party grabbing the most slices of pizza. Allowing the lowest ranking NFL team to grab the top talent built up their team and balanced out the talent pool somewhat.
There are 7 rounds to the Draft and 257 total picks available this year! It's a three-day mega-event with fireworks, fireworks, fans wearing costumes and all sorts of parties for over a million visitors to Pittsburgh's "Steel City" in Pennsylvania.
The event starts Thursday April 23rd at 8PM and runs through Saturday April 25th at North Shore, Pittsburgh. During this time, Pittsburgh is hosting a muti-venue music crawl, interactive fan zones at the new Arts Landing, a 5K race on April 25 and a food festival.
Because Pittsburgh Steelers have such an awesome team, we don't get our Round One pick until 20 other teams get their Round One picks. Pittsburgh Steelers picks for 2026 are:
Round 1: No. 21
Round 2: No. 53
Round 3: Nos. 76, 85, 99
Round 4: Nos. 121, 135
Round 5: No. 161
Round 6: No. 216
Round 7: Nos. 224, 230, 237
Steelers are looking for a wide receiver, interior offensive line and safety. Steelers would love to acquire:
Zachariah Branch (Georgia) had the highest interest score among WR prospects (10.4). ((Unfortunately, Branch was arrested on Sunday in Athens, GA and charged with two misdemeanor charges following a run-in with law enforcement)
Makai Lemon (USC) ranked second (9.7).
Overall, the top 10 picks according to mock draft picks are:
Las Vegas Raiders — QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)
National champion, Heisman winner, elite accuracy and poise.
Universally expected to go No. 1.
New York Jets — EDGE Arvell Reese (Ohio State)
High‑upside pass rusher; Jets likely wait on QB until 2027.
Arizona Cardinals — EDGE David Bailey (Texas Tech)
Explosive edge defender; strong odds movement in betting markets.
Tennessee Titans — RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame)
Led college football in TDs; rare RB projected top‑10.
New York Giants — WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State)
Dynamic WR; Giants need playmakers in Harbaugh’s first year.
Cleveland Browns — OT Kadyn Proctor (Alabama)
Massive, powerful tackle to stabilize the line.
Washington Commanders — LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State)
Freak athletic profile comparable to Calvin Johnson.
New Orleans Saints — EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami)
Elite production but shorter arm length (30⅞") is a concern.
Kansas City Chiefs — CB Mansoor Delane (LSU)
Physical, versatile corner to bolster the secondary.
New York Giants (via Bengals) — S Caleb Downs (Ohio State)
Top defensive back in the class; trade for this pick was the major shake‑up.
Is there Drama? Oh, yeah, the Draft is full of drama! Teams panic, fans boo, players cry, families celebrate, analysts argue live on TV and invariably a team will make a pick that shocks everyone!
Trades are a big part of the NFL Draft. Suppose you and your friend are taking turns picking snacks from a table. You're supposed to pick 5th but you REALLY want a snack that will be gone by then. So, you say to your friend, "Hey, I'll give you my 5th pick AND my dessert if you let me take your 2nd pick instead." Your friend agrees and BOOM, you've just made a draft deal.
The NFL Draft trade is a lot like this, except instead of snacks, they're trading:
Draft picks (Their turn to choose players)
Players (Actual humans already on their roster)
Sometimes multiple players from future years
Here's where the drama comes in - if a team is obsessed with a certain player, they'll trade up to get him before someone else does. But there's other reasons too:
A team panics - a rival team makes a move and the rumors start flying - before you know it, a team will trade half their draft to move up three spots.
Some teams prefer quantity over one big splash - They'll trade DOWN to get more than their allotted number of picks - They turn their $20 bill into two $10s and a $5.
They get rid of an existing player they don't need any more to get a draft pick - It's like giving up something in your house that you don't use anymore for store credit.
Trades can occur before or DURING the draft and must be approved by league officials. No secret handshakes or magic. Just the chaos and paperwork. Think of a trade as a strategic, dramatic, panicky chess match.
When it's time for a team to pick their player, the clock starts. Since there are seven rounds for each team, their first pick must be selected in 10 minutes. Their second pick must be selected within 7 minutes, rounds 3-6 must be made within 5 minutes. Their seventh pick must be made within 4 minutes.
Inside each team's draft room, the executives, scouts and coaches collaborate to finalize their decision. Once they make a selection:
A team representative writes the player’s name, position, and school on a draft card.
This card is handed to an NFL runner, who delivers it to the head table at Selection Square.
The pick becomes official once the card is received.
The NFL Player Personnel representative enters the selection into the database, simultaneously notifying all teams and broadcasters.
Ken Fiore, the NFL’s vice president of player personnel, reviews and announces the pick.
If a team fails to submit its selection within the allotted time, the next team can immediately make its pick. However, the team that ran out of time can still submit its selection at any point afterward.
If you're already a football aficionado, I'm sure I didn't teach you anything new about the draft that you didn't already know but are excited about tonight's draft. If you're somewhat familiar but didn't know the process, I hope this helped. If you're like my brother and can't stand football, he probably won't read this anyhow, so he won't know I mentioned him here.
There's another post following this one that's part three of cover songs. Hope you enjoy it. Happy Thursday, everyone.
Sounds like you missed out on pizza at the party
Awesome. It would have been better if the concentration was on the NY Giants. 😀