Four Teams That Are Winning 2026 NFL Draft So Far

The first round of the NFL draft is in the books and six more chapters are coming in rapid-fire sequence on Friday and Saturday in Pittsburgh.

So far, only five teams are holding an A based on our instant reaction grades.

Take a look, but remember the chance for a team to improve their score is right around the corner.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Pick: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

Picking nits is part of the reality of the draft process and until Mendoza wins in the NFL, there will be doubts, concerns and detractors. With Tom Brady in the room and former Michigan teammate John Spytek in the lead personnel role, the Raiders know a turnaround from 3-14 and 23 straight seasons watching someone else celebrate the AFC West division title requires a winner at QB. Mendoza was 16-0 last season, won the Heisman and now carries the flag as the No. 1 pick into his first professional gig. He's a great starting point, but the brass also knows this can't be a one-man band. We're giving the Raiders an A for now with the potential to slice their final score based on what other help they provide Mendoza in this draft.

New York Giants

The Picks: OLB Avrell Reese, Ohio State; OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami

Reese might prove to be the best value in the first round if the Micah Parsons comparisons are anywhere near on the mark. Mauigoa won't need much time to endear himself to the Giants and quarterback Jaxson Dart. In the bigger picture, the Giants made massive improvements with these two moves and most of the interior defensive lineman on the team's radar — none ready to replace Dexter Lawrence off the plane, of course — are still on the board.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Pick: DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

Dripping with Warren Sapp vibes, the modernized remake tale of Tampa catching a falling star in the draft could play out much the same way it did with the Hurricane-turned-Bucs Hall of Famer Sapp. Bain is an on-brand selection for GM Jason Licht, who has a stellar draft record and walked right into a no-brainer with Bain. Is he a perfect fit at any NFL position? Not exactly. If he walking into the NFL with a briefcase overflowing with elite-level college production and temperament that spells greatness? Yessir.

Seattle Seahawks

The Pick: RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

GM John Schneider entered the 2026 draft with some context flowing behind his Super Bowl championship cape: he needed a running back (Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signed with the Chiefs in free agency); likely will have to add multiple cornerbacks; and has the reputation for embracing offers to trade down, an idea he brought up himself before the draft because the Seahawks had only four picks entering Thursday night. Well, something happened on the way to the Schneider kneeldown plan Thursday night. 

In a pick we called with our final mock draft, Schneider sidled up to our No. 2-ranked running back, Notre Dame backup Jadarian Price, with Walker gone and Zach Charbonnet likely out for the first half of the 2026 season. Yes, there are other needs. But for added context, consider where Schneider has historically found starting-caliber cornerbacks. Josh Jobe is currently a starter. 

He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, was waived by the Eagles and signed to the Seattle practice squad before earning his keep. Nehemiah Pritchett is currently a backup drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round in 2024. Richard Sherman is now a talking head, but he got his start with Seattle as a fifth-round pick in 2011. That same year (2011), Schneider brought in a CFL veteran — Brandon Browner — who spent three years with the Seahawks and won consecutive Super Bowls with Seattle and then the Patriots.