Fernando Mendoza to make $54 million as the No. 1 NFL draft pick. Here are the other big winners - and losers.

By Weston Blasi

The top three picks in the draft - Fernando Mendoza, David Bailey and Jeremiyah Love - will each be eligible to sign deals worth $50 million

Fernando Mendoza was the first player selected in the 2026 NFL draft.

The NFL draft is a celebration of all the hard work players have put in to achieve their dreams. And while a lot of dreams are coming true, there's a lot of money at stake, too.

Ty Simpson, a prospect from Alabama, was projected to be taken early in the second round of the NFL draft, but in a surprise move, he was taken in the first round at No. 13 by the Los Angeles Rams. His earlier-than-expected selection will likely add around $10 million to his contract.

Wide receiver Carnell Tate was also drafted higher than projected. He was taken No. 4 overall ($48 million guaranteed), but was originally projected to go in the middle of the first round, and his sudden rise from his estimated draft slot added an estimated $27 million in additional funds to his bank account over the life of his deal.

On the other end of the spectrum, former USC wide receiver Makai Lemon was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 20 overall pick, but was originally projected to be drafted around No. 14, according to oddsmakers. The difference in total contract value between those two slots is roughly $3 million.

But no slide was bigger than former Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy. He was originally protected to be drafted in the middle of the first round, but ended up getting drafted at No. 101 overall to the Raiders after news reports surfaced of a cartilage issue in his knee that may require surgery, according to the Athletic. The difference in his projected draft pick slot and his actual slot is over $15 million in total contract value.

The earlier a player is selected, the more money he stands to make, thanks to the NFL's rookie wage scale. This system dictates that fixed salaries are tied to specific draft positions, meaning a higher draft pick results in a more lucrative overall contract and a larger signing bonus. So being selected early isn't just a matter of prestige - it's also a major financial advantage.

First-round picks in the NFL draft will receive a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year, as well as a signing bonus. The salary and signing bonus are fully guaranteed - paid out regardless of injury, performance or release - while other elements of the contract, like roster bonuses, are not.

The top three picks in the draft - Fernando Mendoza, David Bailey and Jeremiyah Love - will each be eligible to sign deals worth $50 million.

Wages for this draft class are far from NFL records, because the league introduced a rookie wage scale in 2011 to keep salaries for its youngest players lower. In 2011, the year before the rookie wage scale was implemented, quarterback Sam Bradford, who later played for the Los Angeles Rams, signed a six-year, $78 million contract.

To understand just how much money is at stake, here are the estimated contracts and first-year salaries for each first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, according to contract-monitoring site Spotrac.

   Draft pick  Player            Total value   Year 1 salary 
   1           Fernando Mendoza  $54,565,500   $9,921,000 
   2           David Bailey      $52,103,630   $9,473,387 
   3           Jeremiyah Love    $50,537,014   $9,188,548 
   4           Carnell Tate      $48,746,540   $8,863,007 
   5           Arvell Reese      $45,613,238   $8,293,316 
   6           Mansoor Delane    $40,018,084   $7,276,015 
   7           Sonny Styles      $35,541,950   $6,462,173 
   8           Jordyn Tyson      $31,065,822   $5,648,331 
   9           Spencer Fano      $30,841,760   $5,607,593 
   10          Francis Mauigoa   $29,611,072   $5,383,831 
   11          Caleb Downs       $27,708,728   $5,037,950 
   12          Kadyn Proctor     $25,023,034   $4,549,642 
   13          Ty Simpson        $24,351,620   $4,427,567 
   14          Olaivavega Ioane  $23,232,590   $4,224,107 
   15          Rueben Bain Jr.   $22,785,000   $4,142,727 
   16          Kenyon Sadiq      $21,442,128   $3,898,569 
   17          Blake Miller      $20,994,516   $3,817,185 
   18          Caleb Banks       $20,435,008   $3,715,456 
   19          Monroe Freeling   $20,099,288   $3,654,416 
   20          Makai Lemon       $19,987,396   $3,634,072 
   21          Max Iheanachor    $19,875,486   $3,613,725 
   22          Akeem Mesidor     $19,651,672   $3,573,031 
   23          Malachi Lawrence  $19,427,870   $3,532,340 
   24          KC Concepcion     $18,980,258   $3,450,956 
   25          Dillon Thieneman  $18,756,456   $3,410,265 
   26          Keylan Rutledge   $18,532,620   $3,369,567 
   27          Chris Johnson     $18,308,844   $3,328,881 
   28          Caleb Lomu        $18,196,940   $3,308,534 
   29          Peter Woods       $17,298,970   $3,145,267 
   30          Omar Cooper Jr.   $16,823,440   $3,058,807 
   31          Keldric Faulk     $16,425,104   $2,986,382 
   32          Jadarian Price    $16,168,614   $2,939,748 

In the first round, if a player ends up getting picked a few slots lower than expected, he could lose out on a few million dollars over the life of his rookie contract. If he drops by 10 spots, a player could lose out on tens of millions of dollars. And if he falls out of the first round completely, a player could lose out on nearly $50 million in total guarantees. And there have been dramatic draft day falls in recent years.

See: The 5 highest-paid college basketball players this year: No. 1 is making $4.2 million from NIL

No player epitomizes the fragility of NFL draft day quite like former University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who now plays for the Cleveland Browns.

Sanders, the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, was once projected to go as high as No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL draft, with No. 3 overall to the New York Giants seemingly as low as he could go, according to betting odds from nearly every sportsbook. His long-rumored destination at pick No. 3 to the Giants would have paid him a total guaranteed contract of $39.9 million. But in a draft-day surprise, he was not taken until the fifth round - at No. 144.

Sanders lost out on roughly $40 million in total wages from where he was projected to be drafted. He signed a deal totaling $4.6 million over his first four years. The quarterback position tends to be most volatile on draft night.

And draft position not the only financial wrinkle in the 2026 NFL draft.

The draft comes at an inflection point for college sports, and particularly college football. Due to the introduction of name, image and likeness rules in college sports, some top college football players are currently getting paid millions of dollars a year. University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning has an NIL valuation of $5.4 million, for example, and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has an NIL value of $4.2 million, according to database On3.

Former University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck has entered the draft, but he wasn't a first-round selection. If he is selected late in the draft, there's a chance he may be one of the players taking a big pay cut from his college days. Beck received $4 million during his final season at Miami, CBS Sports has reported.

There's been a trend in recent years of some top college athletes making less once they turn pro. That has happened in football and in women's basketball.

"They could make more in college, actually," Lisa Delpy Neirotti, the director of the sports-management program at George Washington University's business school, told MarketWatch. "You're seeing [college] players get $4 million. Maybe even more."

In addition, President Trump on Tuesday repeated his call for Congress to pass a law that would rein in college sports and put limits on player movement and wages.

The remaining rounds of the NFL draft continue on the NFL Network, ESPN and ABC on Saturday.

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-Weston Blasi

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04-25-26 1225ET