The 2026 Draft Thread - 1st Round - 7th overall

Also watched Rueben Bain trying to set aside my U fandom:

Positive:
-Best pure pass rusher of the top names as it pertains to bend and hand usage.
-Works inside and outside moves, speed and power rushes
-Has a high end get off.
-Plays a 9 and 5 really well, and also plays 3-technique with good technique and speed.
-Very high end run defender. Anchors and re-establishes the LoS in the backfield against high end prospects and gets off blocks.
-Takes on a lot of double teams - and sometimes moves both defenders backwards
-Finds the football and gets to it - on passes or runs away he chases the play. This was extremely evident on his interception against Notre Dame
-Has excellent change of direction
-High end motor.
-Speed and power rush profile
-Violent hands and he has a "seek and destroy" mentality
-Good size - 6'3" 275 and positional versatile.

Negatives:
-Guesses sometimes and takes himself out of plays
-Misses tackles - gets in the right position in run defense or as a pass rusher and anticipates offensive player movement or lunges and loses his guy - looks like he stops trusting his eyes sometimes when he is near the ball carrier. Sometimes this does help him but it does result in more missed tackles than anyone would like to see.
-Short arms - you can see it sometimes play a role in the times he does lose, which isn't all the time in college, but will likely increase a bit at the next level
-Needs to use secondary moves more often - he wins so often with his initial strike that sometimes he gets absorbed when the OL is able to take it on.

I'm a homer - understood. But I just don't see a world where you watch Reuben Bain play and don't think he is the best edge in the class from a productivity perspective and from a tools perspective. He has two major downsides - arm length and he's a gambler. The gambler part is something a lot of big time players possess so that isn't concern. So to me, if you don't find him as a high end prospect it is almost entirely based on arm length. Which is fair. Guys with short arms haven't really panned out as high end edges in the NFL to this point - betting on him being the exception to the rule is a tough bet to make. But Bain also has positional versatility. He can kick in to a 3-tech and still do a lot of the same things he does as an edge if needed. So I believe his bust potential is low and his ceiling is very high.

I also watched Faulk - organizing my thoughts and will get them up in a few minutes.
 
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Keldric Faulk

Positives:
-Great size - perhaps the overall best physical edge prospect in the class (6-6, 285 - will likely have long arms)
-Takes on blocks incredibly well on the edge, including kickouts. And he plays with his eyes from there and is able to slip blocks. Or just put the OL on their ass.
-Strong into contact - absolutely jolts offensive linemen with his initial power and then continues to dominate them backwards
-Positionally versatile - can play 9,5,4i,3-techs
-Sorts traffic in the run game and plays with balances - there's a play against T A&M where he is blocked by 3 different guys and is able to put the third guy into the ground and make a tackle on the ball carrier.
-He lives in the backfield. I haven't seen him displaced very often
-Active, active, active
-CLEARLY understands what is happening - against Arkansas they run a standard zone run to the right side while he is aligned on the defensive left. At the snap he knifes straight down the line on a rip move to where they are running the ball and the running back has no where to go and is swarmed. He is able to do that without taking himself out of many plays.
-Fairly good change of direction.
-High end run defender.
-Able to keep offensive blockers away from his body with his long arm technique

Concerns:
-Works mostly a power game - he can get the edge at times but his game is primarily based on leverage and power and he wins with his eyes.
-Not as quick with his initial burst as others, which allows OL to at the very least get in his way in the pass game
-His bend and "hoop" speed are lower than the other top guys.
-Doesn't have a ton of pass rush moves

In my opinion the best edge in this class is a conversation between Reuben Bain and Keldric Faulk. Bain has the better overall skillset, but Faulk is close and is bigger than Bain in height, weight and arm length. The major differences between the two are arm length and bend/burst in the pass rush game.

This is a guy that has had a lot of negativity surrounding him, but I don't see how this guy isn't getting a ton more love.

There is always the possibility that he just doesn't have the head as it pertains to staying out of trouble or something behind the scenes - because based on film this dude is a player.

He's just not a high end pass rusher - but he is good there. He is a three down DL in the NFL with positional versatility - he won't be a total disappointment anywhere. But if he doesn't get better in the pass rush game he won't wind up being a guy who is near the top of the league in sacks on a year to year basis, either. Which has shown in college with 1, 7 and 2 sack seasons.

While I have said all that I've said above, Faulk ranks below Reese, Bailey, Bain as a pass rusher - and although I haven't dove deep into him, he's below Mesidor as well. But as a run defender the only one close to him as far as ability and productivity is Bain. And I think a lot of the pass rush stuff is technical refinement. So I think he is a high end prospect.
 
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DWinzit said:
If he is there at 7 and the other favorites are gone, are you taking him or are you looking for a small trade back?

There are a lot of mocks that have him listed as a top 3 player in this draft. I have had difficulty having him ranked that high although I definitely like him. Me, I'd be accepting all offers before making a decision
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Tough to say without completely understanding what we are doing on defense.

If I'm looking for an inside backer - I think I'm after Sonny Styles over him. If I'm looking for a pure edge with positional versatility on the defensive line, I'm looking at Bain or Faulk. if I'm looking for a pure edge rusher in any defense, I'm still favoring Bailey. But if I'm looking for a linebacker that can add some bulk and play on the edge, drop into some coverage and also play as an inside backer than it's Reese.

This class has a ton of nuance on the defense as far as schematic fits go, imo. Moreso than many other years.

I'm not even sure that, if we go defense in the first, I'm going to be able to fully be on board or not with the pick until we see how they are utilized.
 
KDawg said:
Tough to say without completely understanding what we are doing on defense.

If I'm looking for an inside backer - I think I'm after Sonny Styles over him. If I'm looking for a pure edge with positional versatility on the defensive line, I'm looking at Bain or Faulk. if I'm looking for a pure edge rusher in any defense, I'm still favoring Bailey. But if I'm looking for a linebacker that can add some bulk and play on the edge, drop into some coverage and also play as an inside backer than it's Reese.

This class has a ton of nuance on the defense as far as schematic fits go, imo. Moreso than many other years.

I'm not even sure that, if we go defense in the first, I'm going to be able to fully be on board or not with the pick until we see how they are utilized.
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I hear you. For me I take Bailey no matter but I am seriously listening to all small trade options otherwise. Most of the defensive guys can be scheme flexible especially with good coaching where they put them in the best position to take advantage of their strengths. Right now I'd be pissed if they go WR at 7. And a dude like Faulk, might be the best fit of all of them but how boring of a pick lol
 
DWinzit said:
I hear you. For me I take Bailey no matter but I am seriously listening to all small trade options otherwise. Most of the defensive guys can be scheme flexible especially with good coaching where they put them in the best position to take advantage of their strengths. Right now I'd be pissed if they go WR at 7. And a dude like Faulk, might be the best fit of all of them but how boring of a pick lol
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I’m just not a fan of Bailey’s game. He is so, so, so bad against the run. And he’s not a big guy, either. He’s around 250 and I’m not sure he’s even that big watching him get displaced.

I’m not sure his pass rush win rate is enough to put him over the top with the way he plays the run. I will say, the thing that gives me pause on saying that I am out on Bailey is that if he bulks up he has a great skill set to be an overall beast of a defender.

But right now he is a one trick pony who’s trick was neutralized against almost every NFL caliber OT that he went against.

I’m just not sold on him. I have him below Bain, Faulk, Mesidor overall as an edge. Reese as an OLB in an odd front.

But when you factor in long term potential it gets murkier. Though I think he has a higher bust chance than any of the other guys… I also think his ceiling might be higher than most of them.

Odd case.
 
KDawg said:
Keldric Faulk

Positives:
-Great size - perhaps the overall best physical edge prospect in the class (6-6, 285 - will likely have long arms)
-Takes on blocks incredibly well on the edge, including kickouts. And he plays with his eyes from there and is able to slip blocks. Or just put the OL on their ass.
-Strong into contact - absolutely jolts offensive linemen with his initial power and then continues to dominate them backwards
-Positionally versatile - can play 9,5,4i,3-techs
-Sorts traffic in the run game and plays with balances - there's a play against T A&M where he is blocked by 3 different guys and is able to put the third guy into the ground and make a tackle on the ball carrier.
-He lives in the backfield. I haven't seen him displaced very often
-Active, active, active
-CLEARLY understands what is happening - against Arkansas they run a standard zone run to the right side while he is aligned on the defensive left. At the snap he knifes straight down the line on a rip move to where they are running the ball and the running back has no where to go and is swarmed. He is able to do that without taking himself out of many plays.
-Fairly good change of direction.
-High end run defender.
-Able to keep offensive blockers away from his body with his long arm technique

Concerns:
-Works mostly a power game - he can get the edge at times but his game is primarily based on leverage and power and he wins with his eyes.
-Not as quick with his initial burst as others, which allows OL to at the very least get in his way in the pass game
-His bend and "hoop" speed are lower than the other top guys.
-Doesn't have a ton of pass rush moves

In my opinion the best edge in this class is a conversation between Reuben Bain and Keldric Faulk. Bain has the better overall skillset, but Faulk is close and is bigger than Bain in height, weight and arm length. The major differences between the two are arm length and bend/burst in the pass rush game.

This is a guy that has had a lot of negativity surrounding him, but I don't see how this guy isn't getting a ton more love.

There is always the possibility that he just doesn't have the head as it pertains to staying out of trouble or something behind the scenes - because based on film this dude is a player.

He's just not a high end pass rusher - but he is good there. He is a three down DL in the NFL with positional versatility - he won't be a total disappointment anywhere. But if he doesn't get better in the pass rush game he won't wind up being a guy who is near the top of the league in sacks on a year to year basis, either. Which has shown in college with 1, 7 and 2 sack seasons.

While I have said all that I've said above, Faulk ranks below Reese, Bailey, Bain as a pass rusher - and although I haven't dove deep into him, he's below Mesidor as well. But as a run defender the only one close to him as far as ability and productivity is Bain. And I think a lot of the pass rush stuff is technical refinement. So I think he is a high end prospect.
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I view both Faulk and Bain as 3-4 DEs in this scheme. Faulk fits well there

I know we are all really focused on 3-4 EDGE guys but a 3-4 DE with some real pass rushing juice is a big need.

The Vikings added both Jon Allen and Javon Hargrave last season.

If we want to maximize pass rushing juice out of the DL, you put Payne at NT and Kinlaw at one of the DE positions. You could then use a John Franklin Myers type to provide more pass rushing juice juice than either of them
 
If we are in short yardage situations does Payne hold up as NT or do we need more prototypical NT at least for certain situations?
 
DWinzit said:
If we are in short yardage situations does Payne hold up as NT or do we need more prototypical NT at least for certain situations?
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Probably need a bigger bodied nose for a tradition Tite front but I get the sense we won’t be in a traditional Tite a whole lot.
 
method man said:
I view both Faulk and Bain as 3-4 DEs in this scheme. Faulk fits well there

I know we are all really focused on 3-4 EDGE guys but a 3-4 DE with some real pass rushing juice is a big need.

The Vikings added both Jon Allen and Javon Hargrave last season.

If we want to maximize pass rushing juice out of the DL, you put Payne at NT and Kinlaw at one of the DE positions. You could then use a John Franklin Myers type to provide more pass rushing juice juice than either of them
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Yes, in a true 34 they are “tackles” or 34 DEs.

But, in the under shift, one of the “tackles” would become a true edge. So that is a perfect role. Both of their position flex would be extremely helpful to the scheme.

But it’s all still conjecture. In a set up with you bump a “tackle” to over hang you probably have the OLB so that side as more of a coverage guy and the backside overhang is your rush guy. In this case the opposite side OLB would be a perfect fit for Luvu (from my perspective).

The coverage guy is an open position, as would be one or two of the inside positions if Wagner doesn’t return.

Whatever we do… it’s going to be difficult to fill all of these roster holes. But we have cap space and if we are smart with spending (read: this doesn’t mean cheap. It means spending big on guys we should spend big on and finding great players on affordable contracts in more niche roles) we can fill a lot of them.

Everything goes to shit if we don’t get Tunsil taken care of and we don’t trade him, though. Means we are likely having to go OL at 7 when OL was almost settled.
 
KDawg said:
Probably need a bigger bodied nose for a tradition Tite front but I get the sense we won’t be in a traditional Tite a whole lot.
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I can see that if we are based like Minny, the big man not used a lot butt needed
 
Been real busy at work so I am behind watching players, but I'll have time soon. For now, I am doing the opposite of what I typically do. That is, listen and read to what others say before watching. And I am doing that a lot.

On that front was interesting to listen to the PFF guys on some players, the 2 can often disagree with each other, but both agreed that A. Hall is really raw and they don't think he will hit the ground running. They both love Trotter as a run stopper but think he's lost in coverage.

They like most draft geeks love Reese. But I am getting the early feeling that the NFL might not be as high on Reese than the draft media, right now am thinking he might be there at 7.
 
Will Campbell is why I have serious reservations about Bain. I certainly do not have the eye the better informed here do, but the book on Campbell was he had all the abilities, but not-quite 33" arms. He was awful in the playoffs against top competition. I get they're different players, but if Bain in 31", I worry about him being buried by the better OL in the league.
 
Riggo44 said:
Will Campbell is why I have serious reservations about Bain. I certainly do not have the eye the better informed here do, but the book on Campbell was he had all the abilities, but not-quite 33" arms. He was awful in the playoffs against top competition. I get they're different players, but if Bain in 31", I worry about him being buried by the better OL in the league.
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It’s a valid concern, but an OT struggling doesn’t directly mean that the Edge will.

Bain’s game isn’t long arm, so I think he can circumvent it to some extent. I think it’ll show at times, it did once in awhile in college when he wasn’t active with his hands.

As a tackle you have to keep those guys at bay in pass pro. You’re actually defensive there. The end is the aggressor so it’s not quite a 1:1 comparison.

The arm length concern is valid, for sure.

But not because Will Campbell struggled.
 
It’s going to be real tough for them to take Bain given that. If it doesn’t work out, there will be a LOT of questions about spending a top 10 pick on a guy whose arm measurements would make him the first ever to succeed at that size. It’s hard for me to believe a couple inches of arm length make that much difference but the past statistics are very clear on this, no matter how good he is otherwise. If it wasn’t such a position of need, I don’t think we would be considering him. I’d rather have Downs or Love.
 
HTTR said:
It’s going to be real tough for them to take Bain given that. If it doesn’t work out, there will be a LOT of questions about spending a top 10 pick on a guy whose arm measurements would make him the first ever to succeed at that size. It’s hard for me to believe a couple inches of arm length make that much difference but the past statistics are very clear on this, no matter how good he is otherwise. If it wasn’t such a position of need, I don’t think we would be considering him. I’d rather have Downs or Love.
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It’s certainly a risk. But he also has some of the best bend/arc running that we’ve seen and a nasty hand strike.

I’m not sure there is a way to measure his bend/arc/hand strike to see the success rate of pass rushers with that ability… but im willing to bet it’s high.

So with Bain the question is: is he doomed because of arm length, inevitable due to bend/arc/hands or does none of that matter? I don’t know. But I’ve watched him for a few years at Miami and he’s the kind of guy I’d bet on every time.

Imagine passing on him if he is a high end pass rusher?

The other thing to keep in mind is that he likely has a very low bust rate % based on the fact he can play inside a bit as well.

I’m also a big fan of the idea of drafting Love.

Downs? Im on the fence. Love his instincts and his ability. Love his intelligence. I certainly think he’s worthy of a top 10 pick. And we need a safety really bad.

But with Bain, Love, Downs, Bailey, Reese, Styles, Faulk, Tyson, Lemon, and all the other potential options at 7… a lot of it is going to come down to who is available and what we do in FA.

I’m not big on drafting for need, but I’m also not all that big on drafting Love if, for instance, we get Hall. Do I think we will? No. But I’m just saying I need some of this to play out before I really nail down who I want. I’m very open and up in the air at the moment.
 
KDawg said:
It’s certainly a risk. But he also has some of the best bend/arc running that we’ve seen and a nasty hand strike.

I’m not sure there is a way to measure his bend/arc/hand strike to see the success rate of pass rushers with that ability… but im willing to bet it’s high.

So with Bain the question is: is he doomed because of arm length, inevitable due to bend/arc/hands or does none of that matter? I don’t know. But I’ve watched him for a few years at Miami and he’s the kind of guy I’d bet on every time.

Imagine passing on him if he is a high end pass rusher?

The other thing to keep in mind is that he likely has a very low bust rate % based on the fact he can play inside a bit as well.

I’m also a big fan of the idea of drafting Love.

Downs? Im on the fence. Love his instincts and his ability. Love his intelligence. I certainly think he’s worthy of a top 10 pick. And we need a safety really bad.

But with Bain, Love, Downs, Bailey, Reese, Styles, Faulk, Tyson, Lemon, and all the other potential options at 7… a lot of it is going to come down to who is available and what we do in FA.

I’m not big on drafting for need, but I’m also not all that big on drafting Love if, for instance, we get Hall. Do I think we will? No. But I’m just saying I need some of this to play out before I really nail down who I want. I’m very open and up in the air at the moment.
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You definitely have me convinced that Bain is the pick among the edge rushers. I agree he is very unlikely to be a total bust. But a high floor isn’t the best selling point to me for a top 10 pick. Everyone of these edge rushers seems to have major flaws which you yourself have pointed out and it makes them all feel like reaches for need to me.
I REALLY hope they can get the edge players they need in FA so they can choose Downs, Love , or maybe Tate.

I know you’ve already answered this before KDawg, but what would be your top 5 of those guys as it stands today?
 
HTTR said:
You definitely have me convinced that Bain is the pick among the edge rushers. I agree he is very unlikely to be a total bust. But a high floor isn’t the best selling point to me for a top 10 pick. Everyone of these edge rushers seems to have major flaws which you yourself have pointed out and it makes them all feel like reaches for need to me.
I REALLY hope they can get the edge players they need in FA so they can choose Downs, Love , or maybe Tate.

I know you’ve already answered this before KDawg, but what would be your top 5 of those guys as it stands today?
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In no order, right now:

Bain
Love
Downs
Reese
Styles
 
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