NFL Draft Fantasy Rookie Winners and Losers in Round 1
The 2026 NFL draft is finally here!
Not only will this event help shape the future of all 32 NFL teams, but it also will have a massive impact in the fantasy football world. While talent is obviously huge for a player's value, their ultimate landing spot can, in many cases, be just as important to determining a rookie's stock.
In the interest of giving you immediate gratification, I'll be giving you instant analysis for each offensive skill player picked in the first three rounds of the draft. Let's kick things off with the first round and all of the fantasy-relevant selections from Thursday night's first 32 picks!
Albert Breer's mock draft | Top 250 prospects | 2026 NFL draft tracker | 2026 NFL draft guides | Best-case/worst-case scenarios | Conor Orr mock draft | Daniel Flick mock draft
Winners
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Raiders: Mendoza is an accurate pocket passer who won a national championship with Indiana and will now be the Raiders' franchise quarterback. I don't think he'll make an immediate fantasy impact (Kirk Cousins could be under center in Week 1), so don't be shocked if he's drafted very late or not at all in traditional, one-quarterback leagues. Long term, I can see Mendoza being a very good, but not great or elite, fantasy signal-caller.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Cardinals: Arizona isn't the best landing spot for Love, at least for Year 1, as the Cardinals signed Tyler Allgeier and still have James Conner and Trey Benson on the roster. Still, he's far and away the best running back in this class, and he'll be the lead back in Arizona from Day 1. I do worry that he'll lose carries to Allgeier like as Bijan Robinson did in Atlanta, but Love will still be the first rookie picked in all redraft and dynasty leagues.
Carnell Tate, WR, Titans: The Titans had a huge need at wide receiver, and Tate fits the bill. Arguably the top wideout in the class, he will immediately become the top option in the pass attack for QB Cam Ward. Coming from "Wide Receiver U," Tate comes from a long line of Ohio State wideouts who have made a quick fantasy impact at the next level. He'll be in the WR3/flex starter mix based on volume alone in the offense of new coordinator Brian Daboll.
Losers
None so far.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Draft Fantasy Rookie Winners and Losers in Round 1.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 8:38 PM.