The Ins and Outs of the NFL Draft 

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The 2026 NFL Draft was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Acrisure Stadium, home of the Steelers. The Draft is a free event that anyone can attend with just a simple tap on your phone. Fans who attended were able to experience the unexpected on the clock trades and picks that happened live.

Credit: Edward Ziemba

What is the NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft is an event that is held every year that is three days long, all 32 NFL teams select college athletes to add into their roster. The location of the draft changes every year and is usually picked years prior. 

Leading up to the draft, teams are paying attention to players and their skill level and are setting their eyes on players they are interested in some time in advance. When the draft comes around, there are some “no brainer” picks but there are also some crazy surprises that happen in the process. 

The No-Brainer Choice

Fernando Mendoza, who attended Indiana University was always a topic of conversation and was projected by NFL Analysts to be a top pick of the draft. Mendoza helped lead his team to win the National Championship this year. The Las Vegas Raiders who have been struggling with their quarterback situation and have been making some adjustments for this upcoming season, have had their eyes on Mendoza since the very beginning. He was selected as the No. 1 overall pick to start off the draft. 

The Pick that Shocked the World

The LA Rams who made it to the NFC championship this year and had a close run to the Super Bowl. It was pretty clear that they are still in the Super Bowl window with having a top star wide receiver like Puka Nacua and a future Hall of Fame quarterback like Matthew Stafford. There were minor adjustments to be made to help stabilize the team. The world was shocked to find out that the Rams selected Ty Simpson, five star quarterback at the University of Alabama. 

Simpson was the 13th pick in the first round, rumors are going around that Head Coach Sean Mcvay was visibly upset at the choice that was made to pick up Simpson. 


College to Pro Level Football

A big take away from the draft is the amount of pressure and change that these athletes are having to deal with coming out of the draft and entering the fast paced life of an NFL player. 

“Realizing I don’t want to hit that rookie wall,” said Mansoor Delane, Cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs. “ Being able to change my mindset and take care of my body and invest in myself.” Delane discussed the change of moving from college to professional level football and needing to prioritize his health and mindset to succeed at such a high level. 

The Price of a Fall

The Draft isn’t always picture perfect, top prospects in college face challenges throughout their career that don’t always work out in their favor. Caleb Banks, a Defensive back from the University of Florida is a perfect example of that. Banks was considered a top-10 talent who ultimately plummeted to No. 18 in the first round. 

Although Banks was still drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, his injury report had an effect on the ranking of his pick. Banks dealt with recurring foot injuries and had two surgeries that slightly set him back. 

Not only do teams look at a player’s tape of top plays but also have a heavy look on their medical charts as well. This could be considered a massive gamble for the team depending on the outcome of the player this upcoming season. 

What happens to the Undrafted?

There are hundreds of athletes that enter their names into the draft but not all are selected. Once the draft is over and all 32 teams make their selections, there are still a ton of players who have a dream to be a part of a team. These undrafted players immediately become undrafted free agents which allows them to talk to teams and negotiate a contract. These players often attend rookie mini camps to show their skill level to be able to secure a spot on the practice squad. 

Overall, so much goes into the draft whether that’s the preparation for the event, the recruitment process and even trades to move up in the draft to sign players who teams really want. The process is long and tedious, and prioritizes the impact for teams with the players that are selected.