The first round of the 2026 National Football League draft has come to a wrap with teams drafting their most needed positions. Certain picks were expected, like Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza being drafted 1st overall by the Las Vegas Raiders, while others came right out of the blue. For example, the Tennessee Titans picked Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Carnell Tate 4th overall instead of a much-needed defensive position, which was very controversial in both the world of sports analysts and, especially, sports fans. A draft pick can either make or break a fan’s satisfaction with their team. So, what do the students of Ledyard High School think about the player their favorite team picked in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft? 

In the previous NFL season, the New York Giants ended with a record of 4-13, which gave them the 5th overall pick for the 2026 draft. On April 19th, they earned themselves another top 10 draft pick by trading their All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Giants were projected to draft another defensive lineman to replace such a big loss. In fact, they were projected to use both draft picks on their defense, as their defense ranked 30th in the league after last season, while their offense was graded 13th, being slightly above mediocre. Therefore, their defense was abysmal and desperately needed aiding. 

With the 5th overall pick of the 2026 draft, the Giants selected Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese, who was originally projected to be taken by the Tennessee Titans. Reese should serve as an impactful addition to the team and be a successful replacement to Dexter Lawrence II. He is a developmental player who has been compared to All-Pro edge rushers such as Green Bay Packers Micah Parsons, who has 65 career sacks and is the first player to reach at least 12 sacks in his first 5 seasons. He is also similar to Houston Texans All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. who won defensive rookie of the year in the 2023 season. While sports analysts have considered this an astonishing pick, they have not said the same for their other first-round pick. For the 10th overall pick, the Giants selected Miami Hurricanes offensive linemen Francis Mauigoa, with Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs still on the board. Downs was considered one of the most skilled players in the draft, and after passing up on him, their division rival as in the Dallas Cowboys, chose him with the 11th overall pick, which left many Giants fans frustrated. Sophomore Jack Williams is a student at Ledyard High School who has been a lifelong fan of the New York Giants. When asked what he would grade the Giants’ first round results of the draft, Williams replied, “I would give our team an A despite what other people have to say. I am disappointed that the Cowboys were able to draft Caleb Downs, as he is an incredible player, but I am satisfied with Francis Mauigoa and think he will be a tremendous addition to the offense.” Although Williams is let down by the fact that the Cowboys were able to obtain such a significant player, he is pleased that his offense will add a skilled, young player to the roster, which already consists of many young talents.  

There were some miscommunications that occurred in the draft, which ended with teams not getting the player they wanted. The Pittsburgh Steelers thought that they were in the process of drafting USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon with the 21st overall pick when in reality, the Philadelphia Eagles traded up to receive the 20th overall pick from the Dallas Cowboys and selected him. Lemon recalled how he was on the phone, having a conversation with the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, when he kept getting a “spam call” and realized it was from Philadelphia. 

In the 2025-2026 season, the Steelers finished with the 25th-best offense in the league while having the 7th-best rushing offense, meaning their passing and receiving game was unproductive. Not one wide receiver on the roster had a 1,000-yard season, which is the typical standard for a team to have at least one. Their number one receiver, DK Metcalf, was supposed to serve as a replacement for George Pickens, who they traded to the Dallas Cowboys. While their new receiver in Metcalf had a disappointing season with only 850 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns, their former receiver Pickens had a career high season, finishing with 9 touchdowns and top 10 in receiving yards with 1,429 yards. This was a huge downgrade and loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers, so they needed an addition to their receiving core that could improve their passing and receiving part of the offense. Most fans and analysts would say that not being able to draft Makai Lemon was a huge fail, even though it was not the front office’s fault. Instead of drafting Makai Lemon with the 21st overall pick, they went with their second option, which was Arizona State Sun Devils’ offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. Sports analysts view this pick to be useless since the Steelers had the 8th overall best offensive line in the league, ranking 2nd in pass blocking with an 88.8 pass-blocking efficiency score, and had the 4th best guard in the league, Isaac Seumalo. This offensive line also consists of a young unit, including star players such as Troy Fautanu, Mason McCormick, and Zach Frazier, meaning they have more time to develop. Many fans agree with sports analysts that this choice in drafting Iheanacho could be defined as pointless, seeing that the offensive line does not need help. Junior McKenna Kneeland has recently gotten into watching football and taken a particular liking to the Steelers. After being requested to grade the Steelers’ first round pick, she answered, “I am definitely grading the pick a C+. Even though Max Iheanachor is a great player, he wasn’t needed for this team. I believe we should have still gone with a receiver or even a tight end, just anyone to catch the ball.” Kneeland also contributes to the group of people who believe this pick was ineffective, saying she would have rather made additions and alterations to places on the team that truly needed it. 

Overall, the first round class of the 2026 draft has been very mixed in terms of how well the team made their decisions on their new players. Usually, sports fans and sports analysts can come to an agreement on how well a certain team did, including the students who are sports fans at Ledyard High School. 

Nyela Whitney, Staff Writer

Junior Nyela Whitney is a staff writer for the 2025-2026 Colonel News Site. She likes writing, spending time with her friends, and playing video games.