The 2026 NFL draft first round is over and done with. Teams have made their selections, and there’s no going back. There will be a lot of talk about which teams won the first round and got the best grade, but in this article, we’re going to focus on which players and teams were the best scheme fits.

Landing spots are important for players and can determine whether they hit the ground running in the NFL. It matters a ton, but these teams made sure to select players who can confidently operate the scheme they will be running.

Here are my favorite scheme fits after Round 1 of the NFL draft.

Jadarian Price to the Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks lost offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to the Las Vegas Raiders. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald pivoted to San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach Brian Fleury to take over the role, and the expectation is that the team will continue to run a similar zone scheme.

Price fits into that mold with his 5-foot-11, 203-pound frame and has the capability to handle the wide zone scheme the Seahawks will run.

He had 113 attempts with Notre Dame this season, but 67 of those attempts were in a zone scheme. Price has the speed, patience and vision to execute what Fleury will ask him and can perfectly replace what Seattle lost in Kenneth Walker III, who went to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sonny Styles to the Washington Commanders

This is where the floor for Styles had to be for me. He’s a true difference maker at the linebacker position, and he’s the type of athlete head coach Dan Quinn needs in the middle of his defense.

Washington went out and hired Daronte Jones as their defensive coordinator, and he’s from the Minnesota Vikings defensive staff, which has those athletic linebackers who can drop back in coverage but also blitz.

Styles matches that type of athlete, being 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, who ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He can fill the run with that speed, but also drop back into coverage and cover routes down the seams and in hook zones on passing downs. He has the versatility to blitz the quarterback as well, which gives Jones even more ways to use him.

Chris Johnson to the Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins hired new head coach Jeff Hafley from the Green Bay Packers this offseason, and Johnson will thrive in the zone scheme Hafley will run.

Green Bay ran a ton of cover-3 in the backend last season, and that requires corners to have the quick trigger and eyes to see things across the field. Johnson ran a 4.4 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, showcasing that he has the speed to handle the scheme and the knowledge.

Johnson’s interception against California showcases that he has the eyes to drop back in coverage and read what he sees. Johnson won’t be asked to play a ton of man coverage in the Hafley system, unlike when he was at San Diego State. I couldn’t imagine a better fit for Johnson going into the NFL.

Mansoor Delane to the Kansas City Chiefs

Delane was the No. 1 corner in this class, and it was because of his ability to play in man or zone. He’s physical off the line and isn’t scared to use his hands in coverage. That’s exactly the type of corner Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo lost in All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and Jaylon Watson.

The Chiefs are an aggressive defense under Spagnuolo and aren’t scared to play heavy-man coverage and blitz the quarterback. With the current corners on the roster, the team wasn’t equipped to run that scheme confidently, so they went out and got Delane in the first round.

In his final season at LSU, Delane was targeted 35 times and allowed 14 receptions.

Caleb Downs to the Dallas Cowboys

If we were being honest, any team that Downs went to, I would’ve said he’s a scheme fit, but for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, Downs is the type of leader he needs in the back-end. He comes from the Vic Fangio scheme, and it’s a lot of sub-packages mixed in with two-high looks and press-man.

You need a communicator in the back-end of the defense, and someone to lead. That’s exactly what Dallas was missing, but gained it in Downs on draft night.

Downs was my No. 2 on my big board for that leadership and his ability to use his eyes to be everywhere. Parker can get creative with his two-high looks and let Downs roam or come downhill to make plays in the run game. That’s the type of versatility he has, and Cowboys fans should be screaming from the rooftops that Dallas was able to land him.