Eight NFL franchises remain on the sidelines waiting to make their inaugural draft selections after Thursday night’s opening round was dominated by an unprecedented number of trades.
Only 16 of the 32 opening-round selections were actually made by the teams that originally possessed those draft positions.
San Francisco and Buffalo both traded away their first-round opportunities, joining Atlanta, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Denver, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis as teams without Day 1 picks.
The 49ers were positioned to begin the second round with the opening selection after executing two separate trades that moved them from the 27th spot to 30th, then finally to 33rd overall. Buffalo completed three different deals, shifting from pick 26 to 28, then to 31, and ultimately landing at 35th overall.
The other six franchises had previously dealt away their first-round positions in earlier transactions.
“It was really not a lot different with the exception the phones weren’t ringing, we weren’t having a lot of conversations with other teams,” said Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst regarding the quiet evening. “A lot more discussions about the players. … I think it was, it went like I thought it would go.”
Following Fernando Mendoza’s selection by Las Vegas as the first overall pick—a move anticipated for months—the evening’s surprises began to emerge.
New York selected edge rusher David Bailey despite having canceled his top 30 visit. Arizona created the first shock of the night by choosing running back Jeremiyah Love with the third overall selection.
The most surprising pick of the opening day came when Los Angeles selected quarterback Ty Simpson 13th overall. He’s expected to eventually replace 2025 NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.
Pittsburgh’s home crowd followed tradition by booing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his stage entrance. However, many Steelers supporters found themselves frustrated and disappointed when Philadelphia made a strategic move to acquire wide receiver Makai Lemon.
The Eagles executed one of eight draft-night trades, exchanging picks with Dallas to advance from 23rd to 20th position to select Lemon while he was actively speaking with Pittsburgh’s management team.
“I guess it was meant to be. I’m super excited to be in Philly,” Lemon commented.
Following their missed opportunity with Lemon, Pittsburgh selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, marking their third first-round offensive line pick in four seasons.
Among the 17 prospects who attended the draft in person, only defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and cornerback Colton Hood remained unselected heading into Friday evening.
Multiple players projected as first-round talents were passed over, including safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, edge rusher Cashius Howell, cornerback Avieon Terrell, and wide receiver Denzel Boston.
