The madness of the NFL Draft is partially in the books as the first round of draft is offcially in the books. The night was defined by some massive trades as the Browns, Jaguars, Giants, Rams, and Falcons all swung massive trades that shaped the night. Following the first night of the NFL Draft, there are three massive winners and three massive losers as we head into day two of the draft.
Winner: Los Angeles Rams
It's hard to be the biggest winner of the NFL Draft when you don't make a first round pick but, the Los Angeles Rams were able to pull it off. The Rams got an absolute haul from the Falcons for the 26th and 101st overall picks netting the 46th overall pick, the 242nd overall pick, and the Falcons 1st round pick in 2026. The Rams now have two first round picks in a quarterback rich draft class which will help when the team looks to move on from Matthew Stafford.
Loser: Shedeur Sanders
One of the biggest storylines of the NFL Draft has been where Shedeur Sanders may end up being picked. When it became clear Cam Ward may be the first overall pick, all eyes were on the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns. When both teams passed on picking Shedeur Sanders it was clear he'd have a massive slide. The Colorado star slid completely out of the first round of the draft which comes as a shock but, the reports were that Sanders didn't have the best Pre Draft process.
Winner: Cleveland Browns
If the Browns stood pat and drafted Travis Hunter it would've been a massive win but, the team had too many holes to fill and made the best decision trading out. The Browns still land Mason Graham an elite talent but, they also add a 2nd and 4th round pick in this draft as well as the Jaguars first round pick next season. The team can now run off another year of Deshaun Watson's contract with two first round picks in a better class for quarterbacks.
Loser: Will Johnson
When Will Johnson returned as the best cornerback in College Football after a massive National Championship season all signs indicated that he'd be a top 5 selection. Instead, a Junior season derailed by injury ended up absolutley tanking Will Johnson's draft stock as he fell out of the first round. Johnson will hear his name called early on day two but, the massive slide certainly will hurt his pockets.
Winner: Cam Ward
The storybook ride that Cam Ward went on is one that producers in Hollywood dream of getting. Cam Ward went from a 0 star recruit starting his career at Incarnate Word before emerging at Washington State. Rather than entering the draft last season, Cam Ward returned to college football and became the first overall pick capping off a storybook ride.
Loser: The NFL Draft Broadcast
If you watched the entire first round of the NFL Draft, you likely lost count of the number of times the broadcast reminded you that Shedeur Sanders was still available. When Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart were selected rather than building the picks up letting the players enjoy the moment the broadcast slammed their play compared to Sanders which was brutal to listen to.