HailYeah
The Rookie
I hope so. Unfortunately, they pick again at 16, it’s very likely they’d just hold and pick him there
 }})
The 2026 Draft Thread - 1st Round - 7th overall
- Thread starter Canadian Hog
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If they trade down, Lemon or Styles for me
I am having a hard time with Sadiq that early. He's an incredible athlete and can really move for a TE, good blocker too, but almost everything with him is first level-catch and run. Seems raw as a route runner. I'd be good with him in the late first but I don't get the early first buzz.
RWJ
The Starter
If Bailey or Downs are gone at #7 and we trade down, I like EDGE Howell from Texas A&M.
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Howell would be one of the absolute worst case scenarios for me before getting into “holy shit we are incompetent” territory. I think Howell is okay. I’m not sure I view him as a first rounder at this point at all. I’d find that to be far worse than a lot of potential options.
That’s just me. I’m not a big fan. But I’m not against him. I like him as a player just not an early to mid first.
I find Sadiq overrated. I don't see him being worthy of a top 20 pick
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Same.
I think there are a ton of players who kind of fit in this category of really good player but… in a better class would be talked about as a late day 1/day 2 pick.
That would really bring home how weak this class is. I’m not a hater but he’s not a top-10 player in a regular draft class. That would be depressing
I see I’m just repeating you guys, now that I made it to the last page of the thread. Whoops
RWJ
The Starter
I respect your opinion KD but I think that he will succeed and do well at the next level. I know he didn't bring it against most top talented teams but I think he have a successful career. That's just me though.
philibusters
The 1st Round Pick
my notes from the December 4, 2025 Daft on Draft episode that focused on corners. As with the other Daft episodes I’ve posted notes from, this is just translating Cory and James’s discussion into something readable. What stood out to me here is how much of this group comes down to how you value fluidity versus physicality, and how forgiving you are of size, speed, and movement limitations.
Mansoor Delane: Measured at 5’11, 191 with 30-inch arms, Delane is one of those players where the tape clearly outperforms the measurables. James emphasized how smooth he is — controlled, balanced, and very sticky in man coverage. He changes direction effortlessly, stays connected through breaks, and generally plays calm football. The limitations are obvious: he’s not big, he’s not fast-fast (around a 4.5 type), and you do see speed concerns show up occasionally, including against KC Concepcion. Both Cory and James agree he’s very well rounded in terms of instincts in both man and zone, and both describe him as a fluid athlete who flips hips and redirects cleanly. Ball skills are fine but not a strength — there are moments where the ball is in the air and he’s a tick late getting his eyes where they need to be. In run support he’s willing but not naturally physical; not a great block shedder, but he won’t avoid contact. James sees him as an above-average NFL starter and floated late first to early second, which tells you how much they trust the tape over the testing profile.
Avieon Terrell: Terrell had a really strong 2025 season and looks exactly like the kind of corner coaches love in space. He’s fast, fluid, and has plus mirror skills, and while he’s undersized, he plays tougher than his frame suggests in the run game. He’ll fight blocks and stick his nose in, even if he occasionally loses contain. Both guys see him as a natural nickel, though he can play outside. The concern is that while his top-end speed and fluidity are very good, his acceleration and closing burst are more average, and that shows up on tape. Against SMU he gave up a post route touchdown where he just didn’t have the initial acceleration when the receiver crossed his face, and you see the same issue on quick slants. Zone IQ was mostly praised — especially as a flat defender covering number two — but Cory pushed back slightly, noting that if you put him in true conflict as a buzz defender in a three-man side read, you can catch him guessing and leaving one route open. Press man technique is excellent, but size is a real limiter; Cory pointed to the Chris Bell game where Bell’s physicality gave him problems. Ball skills are solid, he plays through the hands, and he’s had some legitimately impressive interceptions in prior seasons, including a great one as a freshman against Georgia Tech where the receiver was literally holding one of his arms down.
Colton Hood: Cory flat-out said he thinks Hood had the best 2025 season of any corner in this group, which is interesting because at first glance his press man reps can look a little awkward. His feet sometimes appear flat at the line, which is usually a red flag, but Cory argued the movement is subtle and that there’s no real issue opening up, mirroring, or running. What really stands out is his transitional burst and recovery speed — when he’s beaten, he can get back into phase in a hurry. Cory also called him the strongest corner in the class and the best block shedder among corners, which shows up when he’s committed to being physical. James agreed that while his size is technically average, he plays bigger, especially with how he reroutes receivers. Hood doesn’t just disrupt at the line; he continues to slow receivers down through the stem and at the break point. The downside is that he can be overly reliant on physicality. James noted that when he’s out of phase or covering full-speed breaks, his pure mirror skills are only average. He tends to smother routes rather than truly mirror them, which works as long as the physicality holds up — but that’s a question at the NFL level. Cory pointed to the Oklahoma game where his burst helped him stay in phase against a fast receiver, and James said he saw similar recovery speed against Mississippi State. Ball skills are solid but not special, and zone IQ remains a bit of an open question simply because teams barely threw at him in zone this year. Cory thought his depth in Cover 2 buzz was excellent and that he handled verticals in Cover 3 and 4 and backside crossers in Cover 3 just fine, but those are fairly baseline zone asks, so they don’t fully answer how instinctive he is when things get layered.
Brandon Cisse: Cory was pretty direct about the footwork issues here. He said Cisse plays with very wide feet, which makes him late opening up and turning to run, and that the wide base contributes to clunky change of direction because he needs an extra step to redirect. He can flip his hips cleanly when he’s unthreatened or working from a buzz look pushing vertical, but in backpedal he plays high-hipped with very little hip sink, which costs him acceleration when he has to change direction. Cory also raised long-speed concerns, pointing to him getting beaten on a post against Clemson. On the positive side, Cory liked his length, his punch timing in man coverage, and thought he could sit in a receiver’s hip pocket fairly well. He also felt Cisse showed decent zone instincts, though more reactionary than anticipatory when put in conflict. He’s clearly a press-man corner first. Ball tracking is okay but inconsistent — he’s a bit late getting his eyes around, though he plays through the hands well. Cory also flagged durability concerns and was pretty critical of his run support, calling him gun-shy at times with ankle-biter tendencies and a high missed-tackle rate. James is higher on him overall, but agreed the wide feet hurt him badly in transition. James pushed back more strongly on the run defense critique, saying he thought Cisse was willing to take on blocks and that run support was more of a strength than Cory implied. James also said speed evaluation is tricky with him. Both agreed he struggles badly locating the ball on back-shoulder fades, citing Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Missouri games, and that he panics when stacked downfield. In catch coverage he’ll let receivers get into his cylinder and cross his face. James did like his mirror skills, ability to decelerate, and his play at the catch point when playing top-down. One concerning note: James mentioned that his play declined as the season went on.
Keith Abney: Abney had a quietly strong 2025, and the data really backs it up. He was targeted on 12 quick slants — the most among FBS corners — and allowed just three completions with five pass breakups, one interception, and a ridiculous negative 1.0 EPA per play allowed on those throws. The message was simple: don’t throw quick slants at him. He’s a former ice skater, and it shows in his fluidity and change of direction. James thought his man coverage on horizontal breaks was inconsistent — there are A-plus reps, but his route recognition and hand usage to resist subtle push-offs at the breakpoint still need work. Run support graded out as solid but unspectacular. He can play both outside and inside. Cory noted that if you throw a screen his way, his trigger is excellent. A four percent missed tackle rate is very good, and both agreed he’s a reliable tackler. Ball skills are solid with some real receiver-like traits, and his zone instincts stood out — particularly his ability to use the sideline as a secondary defender. He’s not flashy, but he feels like a corner who makes offenses work for everything.
Overall, this episode really highlighted how different teams are going to see this corner group depending on what they prioritize. Delane is the smooth, instinctive tape-over-measurables guy. Terrell is the fluid nickel with burst limitations. Hood is the strength-and-physicality corner whose success depends on how much that style translates. Cisse is a press-man bet with real movement questions. Abney is the quietly effective, data-backed cover guy who may never wow you but consistently wins reps. None of them are perfect, but all of them make sense if you know exactly what kind of corner you’re trying to build around. Its worth noting they both have Jermod McCoy the corner who was not included in this episode because he missed the entire 2025 season with an ACL injury as corner 1 in their rankings.
Mansoor Delane: Measured at 5’11, 191 with 30-inch arms, Delane is one of those players where the tape clearly outperforms the measurables. James emphasized how smooth he is — controlled, balanced, and very sticky in man coverage. He changes direction effortlessly, stays connected through breaks, and generally plays calm football. The limitations are obvious: he’s not big, he’s not fast-fast (around a 4.5 type), and you do see speed concerns show up occasionally, including against KC Concepcion. Both Cory and James agree he’s very well rounded in terms of instincts in both man and zone, and both describe him as a fluid athlete who flips hips and redirects cleanly. Ball skills are fine but not a strength — there are moments where the ball is in the air and he’s a tick late getting his eyes where they need to be. In run support he’s willing but not naturally physical; not a great block shedder, but he won’t avoid contact. James sees him as an above-average NFL starter and floated late first to early second, which tells you how much they trust the tape over the testing profile.
Avieon Terrell: Terrell had a really strong 2025 season and looks exactly like the kind of corner coaches love in space. He’s fast, fluid, and has plus mirror skills, and while he’s undersized, he plays tougher than his frame suggests in the run game. He’ll fight blocks and stick his nose in, even if he occasionally loses contain. Both guys see him as a natural nickel, though he can play outside. The concern is that while his top-end speed and fluidity are very good, his acceleration and closing burst are more average, and that shows up on tape. Against SMU he gave up a post route touchdown where he just didn’t have the initial acceleration when the receiver crossed his face, and you see the same issue on quick slants. Zone IQ was mostly praised — especially as a flat defender covering number two — but Cory pushed back slightly, noting that if you put him in true conflict as a buzz defender in a three-man side read, you can catch him guessing and leaving one route open. Press man technique is excellent, but size is a real limiter; Cory pointed to the Chris Bell game where Bell’s physicality gave him problems. Ball skills are solid, he plays through the hands, and he’s had some legitimately impressive interceptions in prior seasons, including a great one as a freshman against Georgia Tech where the receiver was literally holding one of his arms down.
Colton Hood: Cory flat-out said he thinks Hood had the best 2025 season of any corner in this group, which is interesting because at first glance his press man reps can look a little awkward. His feet sometimes appear flat at the line, which is usually a red flag, but Cory argued the movement is subtle and that there’s no real issue opening up, mirroring, or running. What really stands out is his transitional burst and recovery speed — when he’s beaten, he can get back into phase in a hurry. Cory also called him the strongest corner in the class and the best block shedder among corners, which shows up when he’s committed to being physical. James agreed that while his size is technically average, he plays bigger, especially with how he reroutes receivers. Hood doesn’t just disrupt at the line; he continues to slow receivers down through the stem and at the break point. The downside is that he can be overly reliant on physicality. James noted that when he’s out of phase or covering full-speed breaks, his pure mirror skills are only average. He tends to smother routes rather than truly mirror them, which works as long as the physicality holds up — but that’s a question at the NFL level. Cory pointed to the Oklahoma game where his burst helped him stay in phase against a fast receiver, and James said he saw similar recovery speed against Mississippi State. Ball skills are solid but not special, and zone IQ remains a bit of an open question simply because teams barely threw at him in zone this year. Cory thought his depth in Cover 2 buzz was excellent and that he handled verticals in Cover 3 and 4 and backside crossers in Cover 3 just fine, but those are fairly baseline zone asks, so they don’t fully answer how instinctive he is when things get layered.
Brandon Cisse: Cory was pretty direct about the footwork issues here. He said Cisse plays with very wide feet, which makes him late opening up and turning to run, and that the wide base contributes to clunky change of direction because he needs an extra step to redirect. He can flip his hips cleanly when he’s unthreatened or working from a buzz look pushing vertical, but in backpedal he plays high-hipped with very little hip sink, which costs him acceleration when he has to change direction. Cory also raised long-speed concerns, pointing to him getting beaten on a post against Clemson. On the positive side, Cory liked his length, his punch timing in man coverage, and thought he could sit in a receiver’s hip pocket fairly well. He also felt Cisse showed decent zone instincts, though more reactionary than anticipatory when put in conflict. He’s clearly a press-man corner first. Ball tracking is okay but inconsistent — he’s a bit late getting his eyes around, though he plays through the hands well. Cory also flagged durability concerns and was pretty critical of his run support, calling him gun-shy at times with ankle-biter tendencies and a high missed-tackle rate. James is higher on him overall, but agreed the wide feet hurt him badly in transition. James pushed back more strongly on the run defense critique, saying he thought Cisse was willing to take on blocks and that run support was more of a strength than Cory implied. James also said speed evaluation is tricky with him. Both agreed he struggles badly locating the ball on back-shoulder fades, citing Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Missouri games, and that he panics when stacked downfield. In catch coverage he’ll let receivers get into his cylinder and cross his face. James did like his mirror skills, ability to decelerate, and his play at the catch point when playing top-down. One concerning note: James mentioned that his play declined as the season went on.
Keith Abney: Abney had a quietly strong 2025, and the data really backs it up. He was targeted on 12 quick slants — the most among FBS corners — and allowed just three completions with five pass breakups, one interception, and a ridiculous negative 1.0 EPA per play allowed on those throws. The message was simple: don’t throw quick slants at him. He’s a former ice skater, and it shows in his fluidity and change of direction. James thought his man coverage on horizontal breaks was inconsistent — there are A-plus reps, but his route recognition and hand usage to resist subtle push-offs at the breakpoint still need work. Run support graded out as solid but unspectacular. He can play both outside and inside. Cory noted that if you throw a screen his way, his trigger is excellent. A four percent missed tackle rate is very good, and both agreed he’s a reliable tackler. Ball skills are solid with some real receiver-like traits, and his zone instincts stood out — particularly his ability to use the sideline as a secondary defender. He’s not flashy, but he feels like a corner who makes offenses work for everything.
Overall, this episode really highlighted how different teams are going to see this corner group depending on what they prioritize. Delane is the smooth, instinctive tape-over-measurables guy. Terrell is the fluid nickel with burst limitations. Hood is the strength-and-physicality corner whose success depends on how much that style translates. Cisse is a press-man bet with real movement questions. Abney is the quietly effective, data-backed cover guy who may never wow you but consistently wins reps. None of them are perfect, but all of them make sense if you know exactly what kind of corner you’re trying to build around. Its worth noting they both have Jermod McCoy the corner who was not included in this episode because he missed the entire 2025 season with an ACL injury as corner 1 in their rankings.
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He currently weighs 220 lbs. he is just entire too small to be a full time edge in the NFL. He can add size, yes. Combine can change a lot. I love his skillset. But if you are asking him to be a defensive lineman at 220ish you are going to be very sad with the result.
Edit: different site says 248. Guessing he’s closer to that. But he does play smaller.
DogofWar1
The Free Agent Vet
Problem is, if we hate the talent there, I gotta imagine other teams will feel the same. No QBs to entice anyone, and lots of the "great" players are at positions of lesser value (Love at RB, Downs at S, Sadiq at TE, Styles at ILB). Like we really would need like a QB/WR/Edge/LT to dangle there and I just don't know you get that.
Any trade up probably comes at a significant discount, like we're probably gonna have to move past 15 to get someone to give us a 2nd.
With Moore going back I'm coping hard, and it makes me like Bain more.
Like sure, he's gonna have to slide inside on a lot of downs, but I think he can be an NFL caliber defender and disruptive. He's not exactly what we need, we need an edge, not a tweener with T-Rex arms, but he's got a motor. He also lets you part with Payne and then you can finally maybe get a decent DL interior without having to pay Allen and Payne 20% of the cap.
_____________
It's also cope bc I've been pretty anti-Downs due to positional value, BUT in the scenario where that top tier of guys who are also good positional value are gone, which is a very possible situation, Downs might be the best option, and I do think he can be a real cornerstone of a defense, really anchor that back end.
Still out on Love tho.
I'm not expecting many early trades in this draft. I doubt we will be able to trade down even that's the only way we could recoup missing picks
I fully expect we make a selection at 7
actorguy1
The Rookie
If the draft goes defense heavy (including Reese, Downs, Bailey and Bain) after Mendoza and no WRs get taken, they could be in a good spot for a trade down with a team looking to jump the Saints at 8 for their top rated WR.
DogofWar1
The Free Agent Vet
Moore going back and us basically sliding another spot in the draft just highlights how important FA is gonna be.
They better be spending money like Dan Snyder is back in charge and in mid-2000s form. But like, with good players.
If we cheap out in FA and then have to like, settle for Faulk or Sadiq in the draft, we're gonna have a problem.
They better be spending money like Dan Snyder is back in charge and in mid-2000s form. But like, with good players.
If we cheap out in FA and then have to like, settle for Faulk or Sadiq in the draft, we're gonna have a problem.
Riggo44
The Team Captain
7. Washington Commanders: David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech
I understand the argument that the Commanders should lean offense with this pick to help their young quarterback. But their defense was atrocious this season, with a noticeable lack of juice, especially off the edges.With his explosive twitch and raw power, Bailey is one of the most disruptive rush pieces that this draft has to offer.
Brugler new mock
#4: Tate
#5: Tyson
#7: Bailey
#8: Love
#9: Downs
#10: Bain
#12: Styles
#4: Tate
#5: Tyson
#7: Bailey
#8: Love
#9: Downs
#10: Bain
#12: Styles
method man
The Starter
From a talent level and floor standpoint, Bailey should be top 5 in a draft as light at the top of this. As philibusters pointed out from one of those podcast summaries is that Bailey needs to be in a certain type of odd front scheme to not be a liability against the run, at least as he enters the league. That might be the element that drops him to us.
I'm guessing Bain suffers from the same as he is either a 4-3 end or a 4-3 3 tech but probably not a great 3-4 EDGE. It feels like the other non QBs in the top 10 are fairly scheme agnostic, even Reese who could play 3-4 EDGE or offball LB or offball LB in a 4-3
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