The NFL Draft started on April 23, 2026 and ended on April 25. The NFL Draft consists of 7 rounds where each team gets to pick a player and there are 257 overall selections in one draft. This year’s draft was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There is one major question among football fans: who won the NFL Draft?
The first overall pick in this year’s draft was Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University. The players that teams pick in the draft can influence how good their drafting was.
“I think that the Cowboys won the draft this year,” freshman and diehard football fan Beckham Fritsch said. “They got lucky getting Caleb Downs at the eleventh pick.”
A player who plays well in college but struggles once they get to the pros is called a bust. Busts end up bouncing around from team to team in their career until they either start playing well again or they retire.
“I think that Fernando Mendoza has a good chance of being a bust,” Fritsch said. “Because he got drafted by the Raiders and they don’t have a lot of good players to help him win games.”
The team that lost the NFL Draft is considered a team that did not draft the best players for the situation they are in. They could also be a team that didn’t draft any good players at all.
“I think that the Cardinals lost the draft,” Fritsch said. “Because they picked a running back, Jeremiyah Love, top five and they didn’t even need a running back as bad as they need other positions.”
The NFL Draft can influence how good a team may perform in the next season. If a team drafts solid players and fill in spots they need, they can be favored going into the next season.
“I think that the Rams are the best team going into next season,” Fritsch said. “Because they had a good draft and they traded one of their first round picks for Trent McDuffie.”
Trades and free agent signings are other ways that teams get players for their team. When teams sign and trade for good players, they get better.
“I think that the Ravens are the best team right now,” freshman and football fan Charlie Collins said. “Because they just signed Trey Hendrickson, who is an elite edge rusher.”
Over the past ten years, the same couple of teams have won the Super Bowl. In the past ten years, the Eagles, Patriots, and Chiefs have each won two Super Bowls. This makes people wonder if any of those teams will win again.
“I think that the Patriots will win the Super Bowl next year,” Collins said. “ Because they are going to sign A.J Brown on June 1 and they have a top quarterback [Drake Maye] and the best coach [Mike Vrabel].
The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl last season. Despite losing their starting running back Kenneth Walker III, the Seahawks still have the top ranking going into next season.
“Even though the Seahawks are at the top of the power rankings, I think the Rams will win the Super Bowl next year.” Fritsch said.
