2026 NFL Draft Round 1 grades: Fernando Mendoza pick an A for Raiders; Cardinals get a B

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Welcome to The Athletic’s pick-by-pick grades for Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Which teams filled a need with a potential star? Which GMs might wind up regretting their decisions down the line?

Because we won’t know those full answers until the incoming rookie class has been in the league for a few seasons, our immediate grades take into account a number of factors: pick value, trade cost, how the draft board looked at the time of the selection and so on.

The Round 1 grades:

(Note: Scott Dochterman provided grades for odd-numbered picks,