The 2026 NFL Draft officially has concluded, and while Louisville football fans only saw one former Cardinal get selected, they did see a handful of Cardinals get scooped up as undrafted free agent signings. Louisville football’s NFL first-round draft drought extended to six years as the Cardinals fans haven’t seen a Louisville Cardinal drafted in the first round since the New York Jets selected Mekhi Becton with the No. 11 overall pick.
Louisville football’s draft drought hits six years after day one
With the draft officially over, Cardinals fans saw some Louisville players get picked up by some teams, so we wanted to break down a few winners and losers from the weekend. So, here are Louisville football’s winners and losers from the 2026 NFL Draft.
Louisville football winners and losers from the 2026 NFL Draft
Winner: Chris Bell
While, Chris Bell wanted to be drafted earlier, he is the lonley Cardinal to get drafted, so he is the biggest winner from the weekend. Bell was trending to be a late first-round pick and snap the Cardinals first-round pick drought, however after he tore his ACL he dropped in mock drafts, and then ultimatley the NFL Draft.
ESPN had him trending toward selection in the late 60s, early 70s, in the 3rd round. Bell ended up being picked No. 94 overall by the Miami Dolphins. Bell was picked as the 11th wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft and the first Louisville wide receiver since 2024 when Jamari Thrash was selected by the Cleveland Browns.
Loser: Rene Konga
Rene Konga had a big NFL Pro Day with the Cardinals and was trending toward being a late pick in the NFL Draft. ESPN had Konga trending as a 6-round pick in their NFL mock draft, as Jordan Reid predicted the defensive linemen to head to the Super Bowl champs, the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 188 overall pick.
Now, Konga still got picked up by the Miami Dolphins and will join Chris Bell, but unfortunately the 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive linemen went undrafted. Konga started in every game for Louisville this past season and had his best season, earning a spot on the All-ACC Second-Team after earning 29 tackles, six pass breakups, 5.0 tackles for a loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Winner: Wesley Bailey
Another winner from the weekend is defensive end Wesley Bailey. The former Cardinal signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams and will look to make an immediate impact out west. Bailey spent his first five years at Louisville, and then transferred to Louisville a 3-star transfer and now is heading to the NFL.
Bailey was a dominant edge rusher for the Cardinals this past season, earning the third most tackles for a loss on the team with 7.0, and the second most sacks on the team with 6.0.
Loser: Jordan Guerad
Maybe the most notable Cardinal to not be picked up by an NFL team yet is the former FIU transfer, Jordan Guerad. The fifth-year senior had a combined 132 tackles, 21 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, four pass deflections, one interception, and one fumble recovery in his five seasons.
He spent two seasons with Louisville, and logged 49 tackles, 8.0 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, four pass deflections and one interception. This past season for the Cardinals in the 2025 season, Guerad logged 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, three pass deflections, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Below is every Cardinal who got picked up by an NFL team:
- Chris Bell - Miami Dolphins
- Rene Konga - Miami Dolphins
- Caullin Lacy - New York Jets
- Wesley Bailey - Los Angeles Rams
- Miller Moss - Chicago Bears
- Pete Nygra - Kansas City Chiefs
- T.J. Quinn - Green Bay Packers
- Trevonte Sylvester - Baltimore Ravens
Related: 2 Louisville players appear in ESPN’s 7-round NFL mock draft, with one trending undrafted
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.
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