Finally, it’s time for NFL teams to open those early Christmas presents they got nearly four months ago.Training camps are happening, which means rookies are being pushed into the deep end for the first time.Not every first-round pick is the same, though. Some will be put in situations where they’ll be asked to start on day one, whether they’re ready or not. Others will be afforded more time. Talent, however, always determines the end result.Here are my expectations for every 2026 first-round pick in the upcoming season:1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Las Vegas RaidersThe Raiders have done all a team in their position can to make life as comfortable as possible for a rookie quarterback.Given how similar their games are physically, there might not be a better mentor for Mendoza than Kirk Cousins. If Cousins starts the first half of the season, thereby allowing Mendoza more time to bring himself up to NFL speed, it won’t be an issue. Mendoza will get the most out of it.However, if — at any point in 2026 — Mendoza shows that he’s ready, he should start.Raiders players trending up, downSam Warren2. David Bailey, edge, New York JetsThere are questions about how effective Bailey will be versus the run, but pass rush was his specialty in college. He was the most productive pass rusher in the Power 4 last year, with the deepest set of moves. I’d expect him to be in the starting lineup by Week 1 and, based on everything we saw from him in school, he should be a credible NFL pass rusher by the end of his first month.3. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona CardinalsI love Jeremiyah Love; I did not love this pick. The Cardinals had one of the NFL’s least efficient run blocking outfits last season and didn’t do much to give me a ton of hope for 2026. It may well be a slog for Love, due to stuff beyond his control — similar to what we saw with Ashton Jeanty last year.Love’s presence inside a Mike LaFleur offense (and alongside James Conner) is an exciting thought, though. The rookie is capable of so many things, and not just out of the backfield.4. Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee TitansIt’s unreasonable to suggest Tate should come in and immediately be a 100-catch ace up Cam Ward’s sleeve. The Titans, much like the Raiders, are building from the quarterback out. Ward and Tate could build a great rapport in training camp and still have a pretty middling start because the rest of the roster just isn’t very good yet.I’m not expecting Tate to light the world on fire, but he should be a trusted target by mid-year. Don’t be surprised if he outperforms that baseline, either. It’s hard to bet against an Ohio State receiver.5. Arvell Reese, edge/LB, New York GiantsReese is still a very young player, and he’s still growing both as an edge rusher and as an athlete who moves around the box. If New York throws a lot at him early (and it might), it’d be by design — he’s arguably the most talented rookie in this class. Still, I could see Reese needing a month to get used to everything he’ll be asked to do.If he’s healthy, though, expect him to blossom into a playmaker by Halloween at the latest.6. Mansoor Delane, CB, Kansas City ChiefsI might have higher expectations for Delane than any player in the top 10, health permitting — not because I think he’s the best prospect, but because he’s the most ready to roll. Delane was an NFL football player moonlighting at LSU last year. Kansas City clearly coveted Delane, so unless his recent shoulder injury is serious, expect him to be a Week 1 starter.7. Sonny Styles, LB, Washington CommandersThe totality of everything he’s capable of bringing to the table as a gigantic linebacker with world-class speed will take time to develop, but Styles can earn a starting job inside right away. He will make mistakes, but I’d expect him to be a factor wire to wire for Dan Quinn this year.8. Jordyn Tyson, WR, New Orleans SaintsIf Tyson is healthy, he’s a candidate to be one of the NFL’s better rookies right away. Saints QB Tyler Shough had a nice enough close to 2025 to create a bit of excitement for his future. More important for Tyson, however, is that he doesn’t have to be the man right now — New Orleans just paid Chris Olave No. 1 receiver money and signed RB Travis Etienne this offseason.Health concerns were all that kept Tyson from being a top-five pick.9. Spencer Fano, OT, Cleveland BrownsThe Browns opened camp alternating Fano with Dawand Jones at left tackle, which isn’t a bad idea as Fano spent most of his time at Utah on the right side. Making Fano earn the job is a plus. Cleveland also might tinker with its O-line combinations for a while until it finds its best five.Don’t be shocked if Fano spends time at each tackle spot — or even inside at some point — this season.10. Francis Mauigoa, OL, New York GiantsThis still feels like one of the best fits of the first round. Mauigoa can slide inside to his natural position and should have a chance to make an immediate impact. The Giants also have former Raven Daniel Faalele in camp to push their rookie, but Mauigoa showed NFL-ready power in college.Caleb Downs should be a Defensive Rookie of the Year award contender. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)11. Caleb Downs, DB, Dallas CowboysIf I had to bet my car on two guys who wind up starting immediately and never leave the lineup, it’d be Delane and Downs. Reese and Styles were this draft’s best athletes, and there were other safeties in this class with better physical attributes, but Downs was the best pure football player in the class. Don’t be surprised to see him wear the green dot for Dallas’ defense.12. Kadyn Proctor, OL, Miami DolphinsI was torn on this pick, but I like it a lot more with Miami playing Proctor at guard. I’d have been nervous with him at left tackle.The Dolphins absolutely need a new attitude over the ball, something Proctor’s gargantuan frame and freakish athletic ability can offer.13. Ty Simpson, QB, Los Angeles RamsSimpson feels like a ground-up developmental project for the Rams, which is probably what Sean McVay wanted. This is how college teams used to train true freshmen back in the day — overwhelm them, break them and build them into exactly what you want over time. If they surprise you and can play early, cool; if not, no rush.Don’t panic about Simpson if Stetson Bennett is the Rams’ backup this year.14. Vega Ioane, iOL, Baltimore RavensI came awfully close to slotting Ioane ahead of Mauigoa in my prospect stack last spring, so this still feels like a steal — and another great fit. I don’t think we’ll see as much positional versatility (though Ioane has played center before), but like Mauigoa, expect Ioane to be an immediate starter at guard.If Mauigoa, Proctor and Ioane all perform to their ability, it could push more teams to draft guards early in the future.15. Rueben Bain Jr., edge/DL, Tampa Bay BuccaneersBain has a relatively clear path to a starting job opposite Yaya Diaby. And though it won’t be handed to him, expect to see some serious fire from the former Hurricane. Scouts overthought Bain more than any other player in this class — and Bain knows it. Health permitting, we should see a fast start from the Bucs’ rookie.16. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, New York JetsThe Jets are in position to have all sorts of fun with 12 personnel. (Or, maybe, 11 personnel that looks like 12 … or 10 that looks like 11, and so on and so forth). Sadiq and Mason Taylor, a 2025 second-round pick, are two of the most athletic young tight ends in the NFL. Sadiq, specifically, can line up anywhere from slot to X.The Jets have one of the NFL’s worst QB situations, but their offensive skill is suddenly pretty exciting.17. Blake Miller, OT, Detroit LionsThe Lions rebuilt their offensive line this offseason, and Miller was a key part of the process. After releasing long-time left tackle Taylor Decker, the Lions moved Penei Sewell to that spot and now have Miller in a battle at right tackle with veteran Larry Borom. The rookie is a perfect character fit for Dan Campbell’s program, and it’d be a bit surprising if he’s not the starter in Week 1.18. Caleb Banks, DT, Minnesota VikingsThis was certainly a gamble, but the Vikings got great news to start camp as Banks was fully cleared medically — he’s already spent time with the starting defense. If Banks stays healthy, he pretty easily stands as the best DT prospect in this class and will have an impact this year. So far, so good.19. Monroe Freeling, OT, Carolina PanthersIdeally, the Panthers would’ve been able to give Freeling — one of the youngest O-line prospects in the 2026 class — some time before throwing him into the lineup, but that’s not life in the NFL. Freeling opened camp as Carolina’s starting right tackle, as presumed starter Taylor Moton is currently out with a blood clot.Primarily a left tackle at Georgia, Freeling did have some reps on the right side. He’s a tremendous athlete, but this could be choppy at the start.20. Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia EaglesLemon started his first NFL training camp where no rookie wants to be: behind. He missed the final two weeks of offseason drills with a hamstring injury, although Zach Berman wrote Sunday that the “Eagles haven’t slow-played” Lemon and that the USC product has been “working with the first-team offense, and the Eagles seem committed to finding ways to get him the ball.”He can be a situational nightmare in this offense in ways Amon-Ra St. Brown has been for Detroit. How soon that happens depends on how quickly he progresses this summer.21. Max Iheanachor, OT, Pittsburgh SteelersI’m in the camp that believes Iheanachor will be ready sooner than later, possibly by the season opener. He’s such a smooth athlete at 320 pounds, and his play strength as a run blocker looked pretty NFL-ready toward the end of last season. He has some technique work to clean up, and it could cost him, but bet on Pittsburgh throwing him into the mix.22. Akheem Mesidor, edge, Los Angeles ChargersWith some guys, you can just see it. With Mesidor at Miami, you could actually hear it. When you watch him play, you see (and hear) a Jim Harbaugh guy. Mesidor didn’t share Bain’s physical gifts in college, but he was every bit as violent up front — and probably more relentless.If he’s healthy, he should be starting in Week 1.23. Malachi Lawrence, edge, Dallas CowboysLawrence is in a pretty good spot, as the Cowboys have proven starters (Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku) in front of him. However, Lawrence is the type of third-down rush specialist who can be a game-wrecker. He’ll need time to prove himself defending the run, but I’d bet on him outplaying James Houston and fellow rookie Jaishawn Barham for that spot.24. KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland BrownsIt’s still really hard to put any type of expectation on Cleveland’s offensive skill players because the quarterback situation is so bad. That said, Concepcion’s fit with new head coach Todd Monken is just about perfect, so we probably can expect to see him as part of the run game in addition to working from the slot. He’ll have company, though, as Cleveland also has Isaiah Bond, Jamari Thrash and Aaron Anderson in camp.25. Dillon Thieneman, S, Chicago BearsI thought Thieneman was a top-15 prospect in this class and one of the safest defenders. He was such a quick study at Oregon, it felt like he’d been there forever. Expect something similar here, as Thieneman should be a starter — and a competent one — by the opener.26. Keylan Rutledge, iOL, Houston TexansRutledge is in a fascinating situation, as he’s fighting for Houston’s starting center job, despite having never played there (in a game) in college. But if I had to bet on one guy in this class to pull it off, it’d probably be him. The league was much higher on Rutledge during the process than the media, and for good reason.Is this the year that C.J. Stroud gets the Texans over the hump?Mike Jones27. Chris Johnson, CB, Miami DolphinsJeff Hafley was a huge fan of Johnson during the draft process, and we’ve already seen why — the first-year Dolphins coach has moved his rookie all over the defensive backfield during offseason drills. He’ll mainly be an outside corner with nickel ability, but Johnson also has some safety tools that lend to potential hybrid work down the road.He’ll be on the field, somewhere, quickly.28. Caleb Lomu, OT, New England PatriotsThis was a steal on draft night, and the situation could make it even better.The Patriots do not have to force anything with Lomu, as they still have Morgan Moses on the roster. His presence will allow Lomu to continue his strength development, which was pretty much his only issue coming out of college. He’ll get on the field at some point this year and might even make Mike Vrabel’s best-five decision a difficult one.29. Peter Woods, DT, Kansas City ChiefsI’m still not totally sure how much we’ll see Woods as a rookie. There’s certainly an opportunity for him to push for a starting job, but questions remain about his relatively apathetic 2025 and whether or not his length will hold up in the NFL.He’s very explosive and young, though, and he’s a terrific talent when he’s engaged.30. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York JetsThe Jets’ gaggle of young skill talent is now at capacity, which makes it tough to know just how many targets Cooper will find in an offense that’s starting over (with another poor QB situation). However, Cooper was such a consistent player in college that he could force his way into the lineup as a reliable chain-mover who’s willing to block from the slot or as a Z.31. Keldric Faulk, edge, Tennessee TitansFaulk is an elite project, but a project nonetheless. The 6-foot-6, 280-pounder has every tool in the shed and could become a truly dynamic NFL edge presence, but I’m not sure we’ll see much evidence of it in year one. One of the youngest prospects in this class, Faulk might need time to adjust to NFL speed.32. Jadarian Price, RB, Seattle SeahawksPrice was more patient than any player in college football the past few years, as he spent his entire Notre Dame run behind Love. But he still wound up a first-rounder.He’s waited a long time for this opportunity, and Seattle, which lost Kenneth Walker and is awaiting Zach Charbonnet’s return from a knee injury, will give him one. Price has a great chance to become one of the top-producing offensive rookies.