The 2026 NFL Draft will allow six teams the opportunity to select more than once in the first round. This means these teams have the privilege, and pressure, of doing it right to really strengthen their roster ahead of the upcoming season.
Those six teams are the New York Jets, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins. All of those teams have a pick inside the top 12, which gives them even more of a premium, though the time to select will be the same for every team in the 2026 NFL Draft.
By having multiple teams with first-rounders, it logically means that there are teams that don’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Having said that, this doesn’t mean the Jets, Giants, Browns, Chiefs, Cowboys, and Dolphins are set for success. Drafting is an art —or a lottery. There is no certainty that the picks will actually live up to the hype.
Why are these teams having multiple first-rounders?
The Jets have their second first-rounder thanks to trading Sauce Gardner to the Colts. The Browns hold extra picks following a trade with the Jaguars last year, where the Jaguars picked Travis Hunter. As for the Chiefs, their 29th pick comes from the Los Angeles Rams, thanks to the Trent McDuffie trade.
Andy Reid head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs has two first-rounders to work with
The Dallas Cowboys have an extra first-rounder courtesy of the Packers for the Micah Parsons deal. In the Dolphins’ case, their extra pick comes from Denver due to the Jaylen Waddle trade. The Giants recently traded Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the 10th pick, hence their draft capital.
Is this a good NFL Draft class?
This may not be a stacked class. In fact, analysts like Josh Edwards of CBS Sports have stated that this draft “may not have more than 12 players worthy of a first-round grade.” Hence, while still having valuable picks, the talent selected with them is not expected to create a big enough impact, though we’ll have to wait and see.
Besides, this is still valuable draft capital that can otherwise be used in trades. After all, teams can get desperate, overvalue, or just find appropriate picks that a team before them doesn’t need. It’s going to be a very fun draft to watch.
