The National Football League will hold its Annual Draft on Thursday, April 23, with 32 players selected in the first round in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For NFL football fans, there are many players to be excited by and many interesting things to take note of. Going into the draft, there are players who more than likely know where they will be drafted, but there are many more surprises that can take place compared to last year.
As of right now, the Las Vegas Raiders have the first pick in the draft, and Fernando Mendoza is the favorite. He is the quarterback coming from the University of Indiana, who recently led the Hoosiers to their first national championship. Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns, while only having six interceptions the entire season for 2026. He also won the Heisman trophy back in December, which is given to the most outstanding player in the nation.
Surprisingly, but understandably, well-known NFL sports insider Adam Schefter reported that Mendoza will not be attending the draft since he would like to celebrate with his family. Mendoza’s mother suffers from multiple sclerosis, which has left her in a wheelchair and makes it hard for her to travel.
After the first overall pick, most NFL analysts are projecting defensive players to be drafted early in the first round. For example, linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles from Ohio State are projected to be top six picks. Both players had good performances at the NFL Combine, where they tied for the fastest linebacker time in the 40-yard dash at 4.46 seconds. Reese is projected to be the second pick drafted by the New York Jets, and Styles is projected to be the fifth pick drafted by the New York Giants.
A highly respected defensive player is edge rusher David Bailey of Texas Tech, who is projected to be the second or third pick at the latest by the Arizona Cardinals. Bailey was considered one of the top edge rushers in college for being extremely explosive, as he racked up 14.5 sacks last season.
Another defensive end, Rueben Bain Jr., from the national championship runner-up Miami Hurricanes, is also projected to be a first-round pick. ESPN reports that Bain’s stock has dropped after a fatal car accident in 2024, in which Bain was cited for reckless driving.
On the offensive end, the wide receiver that is projected to be drafted the highest would be Jordyn Tyson from Arizona State. He is known for his high-level ability to run accurate routes as a receiver, and he is able to play in any of the different WR spots. He is projected to be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the ninth overall pick in the draft.
Makai Lemon is another notable wide receiver to be watching during the draft. Lemon played for the University of Southern California for three years and won the 2025 Biletnikoff Award, which is an award given to the most outstanding receiver in college.
Lemon is known for being able to catch any ball thrown in his area, even in heavy traffic or when taking on contact during the catch. He is heavily compared to NFL pro-bowler Amon-Ra St. Brown, also an ex-USC Trojan, who now plays for the Detroit Lions. As of now, Lemon is projected to be picked up by the Los Angeles Rams with the thirteenth pick in the draft.
The running back to watch in this year’s draft is Jeremiah Love from Notre Dame, who was a Heisman finalist. He has exhibited premium speed and can catch passes efficiently. He is projected to be drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the fourth pick overall in the draft.
Many of the draft projections and potential team destinations are not certain. Last year, there was a surprise when highly regarded Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was projected to be a high first-round pick, but he ended up as a fifth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns.
Will there be any other surprises? While Sanders dropped further in the draft, Jaxson Dart was a surprise first-round draft pick for the New York Giants. Mendoza is the only quarterback that many believe will be a first-round pick, but another one to look out for is Diego Pavia from Vanderbilt, who finished second in the Heisman trophy race. There is a chance that if another quarterback goes during the first round, it will be him.
This is the drama and interest just for the first round of picks. In previous NFL Drafts, seven-time Super Bowl Champion Quarterback Tom Brady was not drafted until the 6th Round in 2000.