The most intriguing teams and players of the 2026 NFL Draft's first round

The 2026 NFL Draft is upon us. Clay takes us through ALL things NFL Draft, are the Cardinals bluffing about wanting Jeremiyah Love?

The 2026 NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET with the Las Vegas Raiders picking Fernando Mendoza to be their new franchise quarterback, but the intrigue doesn’t actually start until after that first pick is history.

That’s how this draft will play out. The first pick will go down as the draft's signature moment, but the fireworks won't be lit until later.

The maneuvering, complications, and curiosity, all of it, begin beyond the first selection.

An advertisement for the 2026 NFL Draft is displayed on a video board outside Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on March 25, 2026. (Imagn Images)

The reason is this draft lacks the allure of multiple quarterbacks competing to go higher than the others. Only one QB beyond Mendoza has even a small chance of getting picked in the first round and that would likely require some of that maneuvering you just read about.

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This draft also lacks the draw of polarizing players such as Randy Moss back in 1998 or Shedeur Sanders a year ago, so finding heroes and villians will be difficult.

But this draft does offer touch points of high interest that will keep folks engaged. It offers drama about some teams and some individual prospects.

Let’s begin with the teams:

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn reacts during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 28, 2025. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)

This draft actually begins when the New York Jets are on the clock at No. 2 and pick a player whose identity only three people in the