Episode Summary: 2026 NFL Draft Round 1 Reaction w/ Silva & Daigle (April 24, 2026)
Round 1 is in the books. Adam, Silva, and Daigle react to the various fantasy-relevant picks. The Cardinals stay at 3 and run it back at running back, making Jeremiyah Love the highest-paid back in the league before he plays an NFL snap. The Saints get the guy they were on for weeks in Jordyn Tyson at 8. And Silva torches the Rams for taking Ty Simpson at 13 with a roster sitting in a Super Bowl window.
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Key Topics
- Round 1 reaction: Cardinals at 3 take Jeremiyah Love. Titans at 4 surprise with Carnell Tate. Saints at 8 grab Jordyn Tyson. Commanders at 7 go defense with Sonny Styles. Rams at 13 swing on Ty Simpson. Eagles trade up to 20 for Makai Lemon. Browns trade down and grab KC Concepcion at 24. Seahawks take Jadarian Price at 32.
Takeaway #1 (2:18): Cardinals stay at 3 and take Jeremiyah Love — Silva says the owner got involved
- Evan Silva: The owner got involved. When that happens, you can throw out logic and reason. He’s drafting the shiniest thing available, and Jeremiyah Love was the shiniest thing in this draft. Michael Bidwill might think they sell a few more season tickets out of it. It’s not increasing their win probability. The Cardinals are in a really bad state. This is essentially a tank year. Why burn a year of Love’s rookie contract on the highest-paid running back in the league?
- Adam Levitan: People will defend it as “best player available” in a bad draft. Pushback is twofold. You can find serviceable running backs much later, and Arizona already had two on the roster in Tyler Allgeier and James Conner. And the whole point of a high pick is hitting on a guy you have at a bargain for five years. If Love hits, he’s not a bargain. He’s the highest-paid back in the league. From a projection standpoint, the market is probably going to be higher than the model on Love once you give touchdowns to Allgeier, carries to Conner, and targets to Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson.
- Daigle: Strictly fantasy, it’s a great spot. Arizona’s leading rusher had 92 carries last year. Allgeier was just behind Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. Love had 27 and 28 catches the last two years at Notre Dame, so there’s a Bijan-type role on the table. Better situation than the Ashton Jeanty-to-Raiders comp because the Cardinals have better receivers and a Brock Bowers-style tight end in McBride.
Takeaway #2 (19:22): Silva says the Rams blew it taking Ty Simpson at 13 with a Super Bowl window open
- Evan Silva: “I have an awful lot of thoughts on this.” Last year, the league’s drumbeat had the Rams as the best team in the NFL. This is the kind of pick that can lead to discord, a rift, the collapse of an organization. No doubt in his mind, Sean McVay was pissed. McVay’s a body language guy. Look at him on the phone with Simpson. He wasn’t even in the picture. McVay would have preferred Makai Lemon, Kenyon Sadiq, or an offensive lineman. Major, major mistake. Silva’s giving the Rams an F.
- Adam Levitan: Rams were a chin hair from home-field advantage over Seattle and might have won the Super Bowl with it. You don’t take a Super Bowl window for granted. If there’s a player who can help you in your last year of the window, take him. If this pushes Matthew Stafford to move on early, it’s even worse, though the back stuff last year makes Adam wonder if Les Snead is a little worried about Stafford’s health.
- Daigle: Per Albert Breer, Snead is great friends with Simpson’s dad, Jason Simpson, the head coach at UT Martin, and walked Ty through how and when to declare. Friendships got in the way. The 13th pick won’t see the field at all, arguably. Mendoza is 6-foot-5, 230, the prototypical starter. Simpson is 6-foot-1, 211, with 500 career pass attempts, 5.9 yards per attempt under pressure, and was injured half the year. They don’t even know what they have.
Takeaway #3 (13:44): Silva loves the Saints landing Jordyn Tyson at 8 — “this is how you do it”
- Evan Silva: Loves the pick. This is how you do it. Tyler Shough showed plenty down the stretch last year. Now you’ve got Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, Travis Etienne, and Juwan Johnson. Playmakers everywhere. The offensive line is set in New Orleans. Kellen Moore calling plays. The kind of offense that can take a big leap in 2026. Olave is locked in as the No. 1, but Tyson can have some really big games. Silva would take Tyson over Carnell Tate straight up in redraft.
- Adam Levitan: Already feeling himself get excited about the Saints. Last five games of 2025, they were at 5.7 yards per play. Add David Edwards, get Erik McCoy back healthy, add Tyson, they’ve got Noah Fant, and it’s Shough’s first full year as a starter. Kellen Moore wants to run the most plays in the NFL. Could be a bonanza. Only worry is cost. Is the market going to think the same way?
- Daigle: Kellen Moore’s offense already elevated Rashid Shaheed and Devaughn Vele behind Olave for portions of last season. Tyson got cleared from the medical issues going into the draft and led this class in being targeted on 31% of his routes. An amazing situation for Shough, who overshot expectations last year.
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About Establish The Run
Establish The Run was founded by Adam Levitan and Evan Silva, two of the most respected analysts in fantasy football and sports betting. ETR delivers high-quality, actionable analysis across season-long, best ball, DFS, and props.
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