Week 1 of the NFL preseason is in the books, and that means there's no better time than now to overreact. Does Week 1 of the preseason mean much of anything? Of course not. There's a ton of time for everyone to find their footing, and there's reason to expect most to do so prior to Week 1 of the regular season. Do we care? No.
With that in mind, let's look back and talk about some 2026 draft picks teams might already be regretting based on how Week 1 went, for varying reasons.
RB Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals
- Draft Pick: Round 1, Pick 3
The Arizona Cardinals' use of a top-three selection on Jeremiyah Love drew a ton of scrutiny from the onset, and while he didn't play in the Hall of Fame Game, his performance on Thursday showed why the team was eager to select him. Love ran for 58 yards on 11 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt in Arizona's win. There's a major problem, though: he suffered an ankle injury in the game, and now his Week 1 regular-season availability is in question.
Love suffering an injury is an instance of bad luck, but it was already fair to question a team as far away from winning as Arizona using such a valuable pick on a position as invaluable as a running back. The injury only makes the selection look even stranger, and if he misses any regular-season time as a result, Cardinals fans' frustration will only grow.
WR Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans
- Draft Pick: Round 1, Pick 4
The pick right after Love saw the Tennessee Titans select Carnell Tate out of Ohio State. There was nothing wrong with this selection, as Tate has all kinds of upside and it makes all the sense in the world to hand their franchise quarterback, Cam Ward, a franchise-caliber receiver, as Tate is.
Well, not only did Ward struggle on Thursday, but he didn't connect with Tate a single time. Tate was targeted three times and did not record a single reception, while late first-round pick KC Concepcion, for example, impacted his game in several ways for the Browns. Sure, a lot of Tate's struggles can be pinned on Ward (there's only so much a receiver can do with lackluster quarterback play), but perhaps that's an issue, too. Why use such a high pick to draft him if Ward is so shaky?
LB Gabe Jacas, New England Patriots
- Draft Pick: Round 2, Pick 55
“I think that it needs to be better," New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said when discussing Gabe Jacas' preseason performance against the Colts. It wasn't all bad, as he recorded five tackles and had a couple of impressive wins on the line. It's also worth noting that he missed part of training camp, waiting to sign his rookie contract. Still, overall, his performance left much to be desired as a second-round pick appearing against backups.
The Patriots are a team in win-now mode, and they expect Jacas to help rush the quarterback, filling a roster hole. He very well could wind up proving doubters wrong, but his first test didn't go as well as planned.
RB Eli Heidenreich, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Draft Pick: Round 7, Pick 230
It might seem insane to have a seventh-round selection on a list like this, as the seventh round is an ideal time to take a shot on a player like Eli Heidenreich, who could very well carve out a useful role for himself as a gadget player of sorts on the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Heidenreich struggled mightily in his preseason debut, and that could lead Pittsburgh to wonder if it should've taken a shot on someone else.
Heidenreich had just 21 yards on nine carries on Thursday, and he never recorded more than four yards on a single attempt. This feel-good story won't feel quite as good if Heidenreich struggles throughout the preseason and fails to make the 53-man roster while other seventh-rounders are able to make their respective teams.
WR Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders
- Draft Pick: Round 3, Pick 71
Jayden Daniels didn't play at all and Marcus Mariota hurt his knee, so it's not as if Antonio Williams had much of a chance to catch passes from either of the Washington Commanders' best quarterbacks, but the third-round pick didn't do much. He wound up recording one reception for 16 yards on three targets, and he also dropped a pass.
As if his shaky outing wasn't disheartening enough, Ja'Kobi Lane, a receiver selected nine picks after Williams, had a great debut for the Baltimore Ravens, and has been generating headlines all summer. Williams has a chance to redeem himself, but as of now, Commanders fans would probably be feeling much better with Lane in the fold.
OL Caleb Tiernan, Minnesota Vikings
- Draft Pick: Round 3, Pick 97
The Minnesota Vikings used a third-round selection on Caleb Tiernan out of Northwestern, and while he isn't expected to start right away, third-rounders are far from throwaway selections. The Vikings expect him to play a role on their offensive line, but most of what Tiernan did in Saturday's contest was disappointing.
Tiernan committed a pair of crushing penalties that killed a second-quarter drive in the game, and it's also worth noting that the team had a brutal time running the football with him on the line. It's only one game, and offensive tackles need time to grow, but this was not a good showing.
DT Peter Woods, Kansas City Chiefs
- Draft Pick: Round 1, Pick 29
Peter Woods isn't the first-round pick that Kansas City Chiefs fans are paying the most attention to (that'd be Mansoor Delane), but he had a chance to change that in Saturday's preseason opener. Matched up against Rams backups, Woods had a chance to show he belonged and had a chance to make a serious impact on the Chiefs this season.
He did the opposite. Despite being listed at 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, Woods was hard to spot on Saturday because, well, he didn't do much. He recorded zero sacks, fumbles, or even tackles while appearing in 46 percent of the team's defensive snaps. That's not what the Chiefs expected.
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