{"id":873824,"date":"2026-04-24T21:18:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T21:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/873824\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T21:18:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T21:18:40","slug":"nfl-draft-first-round-winners-and-losers-look-out-the-cowboys-made-the-best-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/873824\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Draft first-round winners and losers: Look out, the Cowboys made the best pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just about everyone knows how long it has been since the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> have been to the NFC championship game. It\u2019s brought up all the time.<\/p>\n

What doesn\u2019t get mentioned enough, as people fire off jokes about team owner Jerry Jones, is that the Cowboys have hit some absolute home runs in the NFL Draft<\/a>. And they did it again Thursday night.<\/p>\n

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Dallas played the first night of the draft better than anyone. It helped to have two first-round picks, as a result of the debatable decision to trade Micah Parsons<\/a>, but the Cowboys maximized those selections. It included taking a prospect who might end up being the best player in the draft.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys saw Ohio State safety Caleb Downs<\/a> slipping, so they made a low-cost trade to move up one spot to No. 11 and take him. They traded picks 177 and 180 overall to the Miami Dolphins<\/a>. They\u2019d make that up later.<\/p>\n

Round 1 grades<\/a> | Best available players for Day 2<\/a> | Draft guide<\/a><\/p>\n

With Downs, the Cowboys got a player some analysts (including Yahoo Sports\u2019 Charles McDonald<\/a>) thought was the best prospect in the draft. He is a versatile safety who can impact the game from all over the field. It\u2019s hard to see him being a bust. Here\u2019s what McDonald said before the draft about Downs, who could turn into the next Kyle Hamilton<\/a>, a great safety who slipped because safeties are still undervalued in the NFL:<\/p>\n

Downs has been arguably the best defensive back in college football since his freshman year at Alabama. He won\u2019t be the first pick in the draft because safeties tend to slide on draft day, but he has all the skills and smarts to immediately be one of the better safeties in the league from Day 1 with upside to be an elite, premier player in the league.<\/p>\n

To get Downs without having to give up any valuable draft capital was an absolute steal. We could look back on that as the best pick of this draft, especially in terms of value.<\/p>\n

\"Caleb<\/p>\n

Caleb Downs of Ohio State celebrates after being selected by the Cowboys on Thursday night. (Photo by Emilee Chinn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

(Emilee Chinn via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

And if that\u2019s all the Cowboys did, it would have been a good night. Dallas wasn\u2019t done. The Cowboys traded down three spots with the Eagles from No. 20 to No. 23, collecting picks 114 and 137 while shipping off a seventh-rounder (218th overall). The Cowboys moved up to No. 11 in the first round and somehow, by the end of the round, ended up with better draft capital than they started with. That\u2019s how you work a draft.<\/p>\n

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With the 23rd pick, the Cowboys drafted UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence, a big and explosive edge rusher who can help right away.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys have done well to fix their defense this offseason, starting with firing coordinator Matt Eberflus and hiring Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker<\/a> to replace him. They have added defensive ends Rashan Gary<\/a> and Lawrence, safeties Jalen Thompson<\/a> and Downs, and get a full season from defensive tackle Quinnen Williams<\/a>. The Cowboys\u2019 offense will be very good as long as George Pickens is engaged on the franchise tag<\/a>, and certainly that\u2019s a concern. But if that works itself out and the defensive additions click, the Cowboys will be dangerous.<\/p>\n

Dallas hasn\u2019t had ultimate success in a long, long time. Cowboys haters will remind you often that the 1995 season was the last time they reached the conference championship round. But they usually do pretty well in the draft, and they nailed it Thursday night.<\/p>\n

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from the first round of the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

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WINNERS<\/p>\n

Ty Simpson<\/a>: The Los Angeles Rams\u2019 side of the Simpson pick will be debated. They could have taken someone who would help them now<\/a> as they chase a Super Bowl. Simpson had just one season of being a starter in college and there were plenty of questions about his ceiling as a prospect.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s hard to argue that Simpson fell into the right situation.<\/p>\n

Going to a team like the Jets<\/a> or Cardinals, who never get quarterback right and would have jammed Simpson into the starting lineup too early, would have likely led to a terrible result. The Rams can let Simpson sit and learn. In a perfect world, Simpson won\u2019t play a meaningful snap for the Rams all season. And he\u2019s a rare first-round quarterback who needs to sit and learn, after just 15 college starts. That\u2019s a good match.<\/p>\n

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Organizations fail quarterbacks way more often than the other way around, the saying goes. Many teams that could have picked Simpson might have put him in a bad spot. The Rams\u2019 choice will be debated and\/or panned<\/a>, but the braintrust of Les Snead and Sean McVay deserve the benefit of the doubt. And if Simpson is going to turn into a top-end NFL starter, he fell into the right spot to make that happen.<\/p>\n

Aaron Glenn: The New York Jets head coach enters this season on the hot seat. He\u2019ll have some help to get off it.<\/p>\n

Glenn had to be pleased when the Jets chose Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey with the second overall pick, selecting him over Ohio State edge\/linebacker Arvell Reese. Reese might have a higher upside, but Bailey helps more right now. That\u2019s good for Glenn.<\/p>\n

Then the Jets got two offensive pieces later in the round. They took Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the 16th pick and then traded back up into the first round to take Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. with the 29th pick when Cooper fell a bit. The offense needed to add firepower and got it.<\/p>\n

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It helps to have a good draft when you start it with four picks in the top 44. But the Jets got a nice haul on the first night. Glenn has some young talent to work with. Now he has to show he can develop it.<\/p>\n

Whoever the Cardinals\u2019 next QB will be: The Arizona Cardinals<\/a> taking a running back at third overall, when they had significant needs up and down the roster, is questionable. But it\u2019s hard to say they will regret having Jeremiyah Love<\/a> for the forseeable future.<\/p>\n

Love is dynamic and in a draft class that wasn\u2019t that strong, he was a fine reach at No. 3. And whoever the Cardinals draft at quarterback in 2027 will be in a good place. They have Love, Marvin Harrison Jr.<\/a>, Michael Wilson<\/a> and Trey McBride<\/a> at the skill positions. That\u2019s a lot of fantastic young talent. This season might be uneven with Jacoby Brissett<\/a> likely to start at quarterback, and Love might have some Ashton Jeanty-type rookie struggles as teams load up the box against him, but a foundation is being set for Arizona<\/a>\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n

A.J. Brown<\/a>, if he wants out: When the Eagles sent late picks in a trade with the Packers<\/a> for Dontayvion Wicks<\/a>, it was viewed as a sign Brown would be traded. If that was a sign, Thursday night was a blaring alarm.<\/p>\n

The Eagles traded up to draft USC receiver Makai Lemon with the 20th overall pick (sneaking past the Steelers in the process<\/a>). Now it seems inevitable Brown will be traded. A post-June 1 trade<\/a> of Brown has been anticipated<\/a>, presumably to the Patriots<\/a>. The Lemon pick seems to confirm that. Lemon will have a hard time replacing Brown, one of the best receivers in the NFL, but the Eagles were proactive to make sure they didn\u2019t leave a huge hole in the offense if they do move Brown.<\/p>\n

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LOSERS<\/p>\n

Rueben Bain Jr., but not the Buccaneers<\/a>: Bain was considered a possibility to go as high as No. 2 overall as the offseason started. He had to be surprised to slip to the 15th pick.<\/p>\n

Probably not as surprised as Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

The Buccaneers came into the draft with a clear need at edge rusher, but couldn\u2019t have dreamed that Bain would be available at No. 15. When the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> made the reasonable decision to pass Bain to take guard Olaivavega Ioane, the Buccaneers couldn\u2019t have had a moment of hesitation. The Bain pick was a perfect match of need and talent.<\/p>\n

Bain might have slipped a bit due to his arms being shorter than usual for an edge rusher<\/a> and his involvement in a fatal 2024 car crash<\/a>, but the talent is undeniable. Bain was a game changer at Miami. The Buccaneers hope he replicates that in the pros.<\/p>\n

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The Giants\u2019 glut of edge rushers: The New York Giants<\/a> have an issue that other teams would take. They have too many edge rushers.<\/p>\n

When the Giants drafted Abdul Carter<\/a> third overall last year, there was a question of how he, Brian Burns<\/a> and Kayvon Thibodeaux<\/a>, the fifth pick of the 2022 draft, could all fit together. And then on Thursday, the Giants added Arvell Reese to the mix.<\/p>\n

The Giants got great value on Reese at fifth overall. He played linebacker and was a part-time pass rusher at Ohio State, but he has said he considers himself an edge rusher entering the NFL. The Giants said Thursday they plan to use Reese at inside linebacker and weakside linebacker, via Dan Duggan of The Athletic<\/a>, though it will be hard to keep him from being a full-time edge rusher if he flashes there early in his career. It could mean Thibodeaux gets squeezed out because it\u2019s very unlikely Burns, Carter or Reese goes anywhere.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a good problem to have. The Giants will figure out what to do with Reese. They weren\u2019t passing on one of the better values of the first round.<\/p>\n

Safeties: Safety might be the new running back.<\/p>\n

Even though players like Kyle Hamilton and Nick Emmanwori<\/a> were clearly underdrafted and have become very valuable defenders in the NFL, there hasn\u2019t been a revolution at safety. The position is still undervalued. Caleb Downs might be the best player in the draft, and he fell to No. 11. Oregon\u2019s Dillon Thieneman was raved about by draft analysts, and he had to wait until No. 25 to be picked. The Chicago Bears<\/a> made a great pick there to take Thieneman. Toledo\u2019s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren is another versatile playmaker at safety, and it\u2019s arguable he was the best player to not be picked in the first round<\/a>. Some team will get a nice steal with him early in the second round.<\/p>\n

Offenses are highlighting scheme versatility, gradually incorporating more multiple tight end sets to attack defenses that got smaller to defend spread attacks. A good way to counter that is with safeties who can do it all. The Cowboys and Bears seem to understand that.<\/p>\n

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Titans\u2019 reach on Carnell Tate: Ty Simpson was the most surprising pick of the first round. Tate wasn\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n

Among all the reputable mock drafts,<\/a> none had Tate going in the top four. The Tennessee Titans<\/a> didn\u2019t care, selecting the Ohio State receiver ahead of Arvell Reese, among others.<\/p>\n

Maybe the Titans will be vindicated. Tate comes from a school that has done very well producing NFL receivers. But nobody saw him as a prospect on the same level as some of the receivers recently selected in the top five. Many thought Jordyn Tyson was the true WR1 in the class. But the Titans had conviction. Now Tate has to prove them right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just about everyone knows how long it has been since the Dallas Cowboys have been to the NFC…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":873825,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[8694,1585,291,375,390,2222,117,1483,211,613,271,391,230,229,257,2461,3992,7,467,7523,2950,226,755,1506,3374,251,491,11369,56,6,15,297,1446,428,208,187,6736,3996,426,394,1119,6042,20708],"class_list":{"0":"post-873824","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-a-j-brown","9":"tag-aaron-glenn","10":"tag-abdul-carter","11":"tag-arizona","12":"tag-arizona-cardinals","13":"tag-arvell-reese","14":"tag-baltimore-ravens","15":"tag-brian-burns","16":"tag-buccaneers","17":"tag-caleb-downs","18":"tag-charles-mcdonald","19":"tag-chicago-bears","20":"tag-cowboys","21":"tag-dallas","22":"tag-dallas-cowboys","23":"tag-dallascowboys","24":"tag-dontayvion-wicks","25":"tag-football","26":"tag-george-pickens","27":"tag-jacoby-brissett","28":"tag-jalen-thompson","29":"tag-jets","30":"tag-kayvon-thibodeaux","31":"tag-kyle-hamilton","32":"tag-marvin-harrison-jr","33":"tag-miami-dolphins","34":"tag-micah-parsons","35":"tag-michael-wilson","36":"tag-new-york-giants","37":"tag-nfl","38":"tag-nfl-draft","39":"tag-nick-emmanwori","40":"tag-ohio-state","41":"tag-packers","42":"tag-patriots","43":"tag-pick","44":"tag-quinnen-williams","45":"tag-rashan-gary","46":"tag-steelers","47":"tag-tennessee-titans","48":"tag-the-cowboys","49":"tag-trey-mcbride","50":"tag-ty-simpson"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}