3 Former College Football Stars Who Were Taken Surprisingly High in the 2026 NFL Draft

These College Football stars found themselves taken off the draft board in the 2026 NFL draft | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Throughout the past few days, the 2026 NFL draft has provided fireworks, with 16 picks in the first round being traded. Several teams traded up to find their guy in the draft. Some definitions of teams' "the guy" didn't satisfy their fanbases, though.

Here are three draft picks who were taken surprisingly early in the 2026 NFL draft.

Ty Simpson (No. 13 overall, Los Angeles Rams)

There was not a single pick that enraged its fanbase more than the LA Rams selecting Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson with the No. 13 overall pick, which the Rams acquired from the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Sean McVay certainly didn't seem happy about the pick at the postgame presser.

LA doesn't know how much longer Matthew Stafford will be suiting up under center, but Rams fans were hoping Les Snead would bring on skill-position threats to maximize the 38-year-old's remaining career in the City of Angels.

Instead, Snead took the player whose father he's friends with and who he convinced to declare for the draft in the first place. Fans don't like nepotism involved with their football franchise, especially when it goes against the team's ambitions of winning now. The Simpson pick is seen by most as a major misfire.

Malachi Lawrence (No. 23 overall, Dallas Cowboys)

UCF Knights EDGE Malachi Lawrence has the chance to be a massively popular pick for the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL Network's Brian Baldinger believes Lawrence is "elite," saying, "Being able to turn the corner, being able to bend, all those things that you hear about defensive linemen, he showed you." Baldinger might be onto something, too. Lawrence had a 4.53 40-yard dash and 40-inch vertical at the NFL Combine.

With that said, many were hoping Missouri Tigers EDGE Zion Grady would come off the board before Lawrence. Grady was seen as the win-now option of the two, but he went off the board with the No. 45 pick in the second round to the Baltimore Ravens.

Keylan Rutledge (No. 26 overall, Houston Texans)

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Olaivavega Ioane was the only sure-fire first-round pick at OG, though Miami Hurricanes tackle Francis Mauigoa, who went No. 10 overall to the New York Giants, is expected to get some burn on the interior this season. The Houston Texans going with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets G Keylan Rutledge was somewhat of a head-scratcher.

Rutledge could be competing for snaps at center this season, making him a versatile selection. Still, the Texans had the chance to snag Clemson Tigers defensive tackle at No. 26, but let him fall to the Kansas City Chiefs. Houston could've taken the riskier pick with Woods, but instead played it somewhat safe by taking Rutledge off the board surprisingly early.