NFL Draft 2026: Every team’s last selection at this year’s first-round draft pick

The NFL Draft will roll around on April 24, and some teams are preparing to select top college talents to improve the future of the franchise. But what if history repeats itself and those picks are whiffs? More often than not, the players picked by teams in the first round end up not panning out to be franchise talents. It's the times that they do, however, that we all remember.

All but four teams will be picking in the first round of the 2026 draft. Let's look back in history and see when each of the 28 teams selecting last owned their respective slot and who they took.

Las Vegas Raiders – Pick No. 1

QB JaMarcus Russell (2007)

The Raiders are expected to pick Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza first overall this year but they better hope he works out better than the last time they picked in the same spot. Russell was a stud in college at LSU but simply could not transition to the NFL. He played just three seasons for the Raiders (and in the league overall) finishing with a 7-18 record and a career total 18 touchdowns in that time.

New York Jet – Picks No. 2 and No. 16

QB Zach Wilson (2021)

The last time the Jets were in this position they bought into the hype that the BYU product was their QB of the future. The result couldn't have been farther from the truth. Wilson played three seasons in New York, accruing a 12-21 record before departing to take on backup roles with the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. He'll enter the 2026 season on the New Orleans Saints' roster as a depth piece.

DE Quinton Coples (2012)

The Jets will select a second time thanks to sending CB Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts last year. The last time they picked 16th overall was in 2012 when they selected DE Quinton Coples. The North Carolina product played just three full seasons in the organization before being released and claimed by the Miami Dolphins mid-way through the 2015 campaign.

Arizona Cardinals – Pick No. 3

WR Larry Fitzgerald (2004)

Cardinals fans should get excited because the last time they sat this high up in the draft their team landed a 17-season legend of the game. Fitzgerald accrued 17,492 receiving yards and 121 touchdowns on his way to earning a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction this year. The only thing that would've made this better is if he got that Super Bowl ring in 2009.

Tennessee Titans – Pick No. 4

Believe it or not, Tennessee has never picked fourth overall in its history. The team will get the chance to make its first ever selection this high a home run, just as the team hopes last year's No. 1 overall pick, QB Cam Ward, will turn out to be a superstar.

New York Giants – Pick No. 5

DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022)

It's not been long since the Giants selected this high and their fans are kind of getting tired of it. While Thibodeaux appeared to be a home run of a pick four years ago, he's entering the final season of his rookie contract with only a single campaign of double-digit sacks. That's left him with a foggy future with the team at best as trade rumors swirl.

Cleveland Browns – Picks No. 6 and No. 24

LB Barkevious Mingo (2013)

Like the Giants, Cleveland has been a perennial Top 10 picker in the draft. Barkevious Mingo was their latest No. 6 overall selection but, like many other Browns first-rounders, he didn't last long. Mingo played just three seasons in Cleveland before becoming a journeyman and finishing his eight-year career with six total teams and a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2016.

HB Chuck Hanulak (1954)

The Browns will have an additional first-round selection by virtue of a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Halfback Chuck Hanulak only played two seasons in Cleveland but won an NFL Championship his rookie year (then served in the Air Force) and retired in 1958. Technically, the last time the team picked 24th overall, the selection was actually in the second round because the league was only 12 teams in 1954 (pre-merger). Also, given the current iteration of the Browns didn't come to fruition until 1999, this pick is technically part of the Baltimore Ravens' history since the old Browns left for Charm City in 1995.

Washington Commanders – Pick No. 7

DB Champ Bailey (1999)

Commanders fans should have their fingers crossed the team finds another Pro Football Hall of Famer at seventh overall but doesn't trade them away later. 27 years ago the franchise discovered Champ Bailey and he became a defensive legend of the game. He played more seasons (10 seasons) with the Denver Broncos than he did Washington (5) which may lead some younger fans to forget he even played in the nation's capital.

New Orleans Saints – Pick No. 8

OT Willie Roaf (1993)

Roaf, also a Hall of Famer, gave nine seasons to the Saints before an injury forced the team to trade him to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2002. He still had four Pro Bowl-worthy seasons left in the tank before hanging up his cleats. Perhaps the Saints can strike gold again at eighth overall.

Kansas City Chiefs – Picks No. 9 and No. 29

Speaking of the Chiefs, the franchise surprisingly has never selected at ninth overall in its history. Whoever the lucky prospect is that gets chosen in 2026 will be making club history as the reward for Patrick Mahomes' first ever bad season.

DE Sylvester Hicks (1978)

The team will, however, get a second pick at No. 29 overall thanks to the Los Angeles Rams acquiring CB Trent McDuffie this offseason. Though the last time the team picked in that spot, it was technically a round two selection because the league was only 28 teams at the time. Sylvester Hicks played two full seasons for the Chiefs before injuries eventually kept him from seeing the field in 1981.

Cincinnati Bengals – Pick No. 10

OT Levi Jones (2002)

The Bengals hope their latest attempt at drafting in the Top 10 will go better than the last time. Jones, an Arizona State product, spent three seasons in Cincinnati before being released from his six-year contract in 2009 after the team drafted a better prospect. He started for the then Washington Redskins during the 2009 season before ending his career.

Miami Dolphins – Picks No. 11 and No. 30

S Minkah Fitzpatrick (2018)

Dolphins fans know all too well the wasted opportunity of selecting a star at No. 11 overall was. Fitzpatrick spent just one full season in Miami before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. After six years there, he returned to the Dolphins in a 2025 trade but was, again, flipped a year later. He's now a member of the New York Jets.

Miami has never selected 30th overall in its history but will change that thanks to acquiring the Denver Bronco's pick via the blockbuster Jaylen Waddle trade last month.

Dallas Cowboys – Picks No. 12 and No. 20

OL Tyler Booker (2025)

The Cowboys are picking up right where they left off last year picking 12th overall. OL Tyler Booker was brought in from Alabama and had a solid rookie year, appearing in 14 games. The jury is still out on whether he was worth the pick but Jerry Jones could find another good player two years in a row.

DE Marcus Spears (2005)

Dallas gets another bite at the apple in the first round thanks to the Green Bay Packers acquiring Micah Parsons. 21 years ago Jones actually got to pick the future ESPN pundit just nine picks after snagging future Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware. Spears spent eight seasons in Dallas before attempting to continue his career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.

Los Angeles Rams – Pick No. 13

DT Aaron Donald (2014)

The Rams really hit a home run the last time they were in this position. Sure to be a future Hall of Famer, Aaron Donald became a franchise legend by dominating the league for 10 years and lifting the Lombardi Trophy in 2021. He got to play for two different cities too as the Rams were in St. Louis at the time of his drafting.

Baltimore Ravens – Pick No. 14

S Kyle Hamilton (2022)

The Ravens could've vacated this pick to the Las Vegas Raiders if they didn't back out of the Maxx Crosby trade but they'll get to attempt to pick another stud mid-way through the first round. In 2022, Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton landed in Charm City and for the last four years he's been a staple of the Ravens defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Pick No. 15

WR Michael Clayton (2004)

Buccaneers fans will hope this pick this year will have a better fate than the last. Michael Clayton opened his career as a promising wideout but injuries caused him to remain a mediocre talent until his release in 2010. He made a comeback the same year with the New York Giants and stuck around long enough due to injuries from other players to earn a Super Bowl ring during the 2011-12 season.

Detroit Lions – Pick No. 17

OT Gosder Cherilus (2008)

I'd be shocked if anyone but Lions fans remembers Gosder Cherilus. He played nine seasons in the NFL, five of them in Detroit. He was a solid yet unmemorable tackle, playing an additional four years for the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Minnesota Vikings – Pick No. 18

C Garrett Bradbury (2019)

The Vikings got a solid investment out of their last No. 18 pick in center Garrett Bradbury. The NC State product played six seasons in Minneapolis before ending up on the Super Bowl runner-up New England Patriots in 2025. He was traded to the Chicago Bears this offseason where he'll presumably start the 2026 campaign.

Carolina Panthers – Pick No. 19

OT Jeff Otah (2008)

Panthers fans may be the only ones to remember tackle Jeff Otah. The last 19th overall pick by Carolina, Otah spent four seasons with the team before it attempted to trade him to the New York Jets. He unfortunately failed his physical twice and was sent back to Carolina where he was promptly released and his career ended.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Pick No. 21

DT Derrick Harmon (2025)

Like Dallas, the Steelers will be picking in the same spot as last season. Their 2025 first round pick, DT Derrick Harmon, still has a long way to go before his worthiness at that selection can be judged but if his efforts last year were any indication, he could be a team regular. Harmon earned the Joe Greene Award given to the Steelers' top rookie.

Los Angeles Chargers – Pick No. 22

RB Omarion Hampton (2025)

The 2026 draft is looking eerily familiar to the 2025 draft with so many teams picking in the same spot as the year before. The Chargers nailed the No. 22 pick last season with RB Omarion Hampton despite an early injury. The North Carolina product stepped right into a major role on offense when healthy and posted 545 yards and four touchdowns on 124 carries. It'll be interesting to see where Los Angeles goes this time around.

Philadelphia Eagles – Pick No. 23

OG Danny Watkins (2011)

Eagles fans will hope the No. 23 overall pick goes better in 2026 than it did in 2011. Danny Watkins played just two seasons at guard for Philadelphia but hardly got to see the field. The oldest first-round selection since 1971 was released in 2013 and was picked up by the Miami Dolphins for a single campaign before he reportedly left the NFL to become a fire fighter in Texas.

Chicago Bears – Pick No. 25

TE Bob Jencks (1963)

It's been a while since Chicago has picked a player late in the first round outside of its Super Bowl-winning campaign in 1985. Again, with this selection coming in 1963 it was technically in the second round of a draft featuring just 22 teams. Bob Jencks only played two seasons with the Bears, however, and ended up a journeyman by pre-merger standards, playing a single season with Washington in 1965 and participating on the practice squads for the Falcons and Rams the following two years.

Buffalo Bills – Pick No. 26

DT John McCargo (2006)

The Bills have recently frequented the late first round due to their repeated playoff appearances but it'll be the first time in 20 years they'll select 26th overall. The last time that happened, however, they didn't land a star. John McCargo, originally projected to be a day two selection, played five mediocre seasons for the Bills after the team traded up for him. The reach was very apparent as McCargo hardly played full seasons and failed to be traded midway through that tenure. He eventually finished his career in 2012 after brief stints with the Buccaneers and Bears.

San Francisco 49ers – Pick No. 27

DB Mike Rumph (2002)

It's been almost a quarter-century since San Francisco has had the 27th overall pick and their fans will want the pick to end up better than the last time. Mike Rumph was a college football standout, winning the 2001 national championship with Miami. He spent four seasons with 49ers and a single campaign with Washington, finishing his career with three total interceptions and two sacks.

Houston Texans – Pick No. 28

The Houston Texans will be making franchise history by selecting 28th overall for the first time. After a quarter-century, it makes sense that they haven't picked at every spot just yet.

New England Patriots – Pick No. 31

RB Sony Michel (2018)

Patriots fans will be hoping for another solid pick late in the first round this year after returning to a familiar spot in the final league standings. Sony Michel became a flash in the pan talent for head coach Bill Belichick and helped earn the team a Super Bowl title his rookie year. He left for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and won another title that season. He hasn't played since the 2023 campaign.

Seattle Seahawks – Pick No. 32

The Seahawks will take the final player in the first round for the first time as a franchise despite winning a Super Bowl before. The team didn't own the 32nd overall pick in 2014 after winning Super Bowl XLVIII and will be looking to add a playmaker to begin their title defense in 2026.

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