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

[Boone]

Man HTTR - I love posts like this. Thanks for doing some snooping and pooping for us. We used ot have a blog here called 'Redskins Recon' where we'd visit other team's message boards and review what they were saying about that week's game. Your post reminded me of that. Awesome.

 

[philibusters]

I would feel comfortable with any of these 7 guys as our picks:

Reuben Bain, David Bailey, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Love.

To be honest I would be fine with CC Mauigoa (though drafting him as a Guard seems like luxury pick) and Makai Lemon too though I would be mildly disappointed with either of those. I would be very disappointed with Kendrick Fault if we picked him at 7. His pass rush tape was so unimpressive. I have soured a bit on Tyson and its just because of the injuries. I feel for like a typical draft prospect with a clean injury history there is maybe a 10 to 15% chance injuries mars the first 4 years of their career, with Tyson I feel its much higher and that just scares me off. Hopefully we are not picking as high as 7 anytime soon and I am just too nervious to use such a premium pick on an injuiry prone player.

Its hard to say anything definitively about scheme fits, but assuming we are playing the Vikings style defense my preferred order may be

1. Bailey
2. Reese
3. Downs
4. Bain
5. Tate
6. Styles
7. Love
8. Lemon
9. Mauigoa

But any of those top 7 would be fine with me. I trust the front office ont he fit and plan.

 

[mcdonaldrw]

I understand the need for a stud on Defense, but I can't help but really hope they draft Love. Getting a top tier RB will help ease JD into a new system, and take some pressure off of our WR core. Or maybe I just want to have a home run hitter RB for a change.

 

[Commander Wraith]

Based on my extensive research (ie what I’ve read on here, lol), I’m seeing it like this currently…

With 3 different teams likely to be considering him as one of their top 2 options, I have to guess there’s a good chance Tate will be gone before our pick. But, if he’s there, I think that’s who Peters selects.

We need a #2 wr, the FA group is lacking, it’s one of the few positions Peters/Quinn tabbed as a need - specifically mentioning a downfield threat (Tate’s strength). I think it would be a no-brainer pick for them.

I think there are fair arguments for other prospects, I just think there are too many factors stacking the deck in that direction - the above factors, it being a costly position to fill via FA (not to mention the money invested in Terry already), Terry’s future beyond ‘26 being in question, Daniels needing weapons, and with (most likely?) Bailey and Bain already gone. Then there’s the cost (and availability) of backs in FA, JCM’s potential, the lack of a receiver with much upside on the squad, and the fact there should be a fairly sizeable group of pretty good FA DEs.


Now if Tate’s gone… that’s where I think it gets interesting, including potentially opening the door to a trade back (maybe with either NO or KC to come up for Love), putting us in the territory for the TE (forgot his name), McCoy/Delane, Boston, Styles, or perhaps a dropping Downs or Reese, etc.

 

[HTTR]

Man HTTR - I love posts like this. Thanks for doing some snooping and pooping for us. We used ot have a blog here called 'Redskins Recon' where we'd visit other team's message boards and review what they were saying about that week's game. Your post reminded me of that. Awesome.

Thanks! I’ll go around again in about a month after free agency is over with. I’m sure at lot will change between now and then.

Tate seems to be rising to alone at the the top of the receiver scrum. But with edge I think it’s very much up in the air. Very close between Bailey, Bain, and Reese… But if Reese is deemed a linebacker instead of edge, he will fall.

Here’s my current order of preference:
Downs
Love
Tate
Mauigoa (at guard?? How sick would that OL be!)
Reese

Yes I know most won’t agree with prioritizing offense this much, but I love the idea of first and foremost giving Jayden every tool we can around him and hopefully building an elite unit. We are not going to be able to fix everything this year anyway, so if defense has to be more of a two-year rebuild, so be it.

I pushed EDGE down because I do think we must and will get an one in FA… I don’t want to go into the draft desperately needing one and hoping that the third guy in the edge pecking order falls to us. If Ariz takes one along with Ten and NYJ, we would completely be left out in the cold.

Tight End is my other MUST HAVE position in FA

 

[burgold]

Just to be contrarian, I think one of the best ways to help Daniels is to provide him with a defense so he doesn't feel he has to put on the Superman cape every series. He needs to feel comfortable throwing the ball away sometimes and not just taking off. To do that, he has to believe his defense can stop someone.

 

[HTTR]

Just to be contrarian, I think one of the best ways to help Daniels is to provide him with a defense so he doesn't feel he has to put on the Superman cape every series. He needs to feel comfortable throwing the ball away sometimes and not just taking off. To do that, he has to believe his defense can stop someone.

I do agree that any improvement team wide is going to help him. Jayden to me though is always going to be wearing the superman cape, regardless. It’s who he is. He will learn to take his foot off the gas or throw the ball away in time as he matures as a player. And we are so far away from having the kind of defense where he could be more of a game manager that it’s just not going to happen. This franchise is going to go as far as he can take us. It’s not just keeping him comfortable. It’s also about keeping him healthy. A super elite unit on offense around him does both.

 

[burgold]

Fair. But under Whitt we were the 48th ranked defense in the NFL. We were so bad they ranked us below every NFL team and half of the UFL teams.

 

[HTTR]

We’re really just talking about one player here anyway. Taking offense at 7 will not stop us from still improving the defense, hopefully to at least the point of respectability. Keep in mind these days even with a very good D there’s going to be a lot of shootouts.

Need to build both sides of the ball always of course, but I just lean offense because the last thing I ever want to hear in hindsight is “they didn’t do enough around the young QB”

 

[Boone]

You either believe in the BPA philosophy or you don't. I think they will take BPA.

 

[HOF44]

I’d say it would be

1 Downs if available
2 Love like lay available as the BPA candidates.

I’d prefer Tate (as long as the 40 isn’t awful) but don’t think he will be there.

 

[method man]

Was Jalen Carter a, “much better prospect”, though? He plays a more premium position. I don’t think he’s a better player. And if I could choose Love, or Carter for this team. I think I’m choosing Love.

Yes. Jalen Carter goes top 3 in that draft if he doesn’t get that guy killed. For context, in Zierlein’s historic scores, he gave Carter a 7.05 and he has given Love a 6.71

 

[DWinzit]

You either believe in the BPA philosophy or you don't. I think they will take BPA.

And if the BPA is Mauigoa or Fano you are okay with taking them?

 

[Boone]

I'm okay with whoever they take. Peters will either get it right or he won't. I certainly don't have the expertise to question his selections before they have taken an NFL snap.

 

[philibusters]

And if the BPA is Mauigoa or Fano you are okay with taking them?

I absolutely think CC Mauigoa could be in the conversation for best player available if you consider him as a guard. As a Tackle, he is a very good prospect, but probably wouldn't be the BPA at 7. As a Guard, its not out of the question.

 

[DWinzit]

I absolutely think CC Mauigoa could be in the conversation for best player available if you consider him as a guard. As a Tackle, he is a very good prospect, but probably wouldn't be the BPA at 7. As a Guard, its not out of the question.

If you are going off many current boards, one or both of those guys are listed top 7 that's why I threw that out there. BPA might mean you take another T over one of the Edge, WR, CB, RB, or S if you do not consider teams a little into the equation. If it were me, I'd skip over them based on the gigantic other team needs

 

[philibusters]

If you are going off many current boards, one or both of those guys are listed top 7 that's why I threw that out there. BPA might mean you take another T over one of the Edge, WR, CB, RB, or S if you do not consider teams a little into the equation. If it were me, I'd skip over them based on the gigantic other team needs

Yeah I definitely not a best player available by that standard. If we are set at Tackle I am usually going to pass at Tackle unless its like a Penai Sewell level prospect where they are so highly rated that I would consider bumping somebody like Conerly in. But more realistically I would just trade back. With a bluechip tackle somebody will be willing to pay a premium to comeup.

But Mauigoa is interesting because a lot like Will Campbell last year he projects as a solid above average Tackle or an elite Guard prospect. I have Sonny Styles, Jermiah Love, and Caleb Downs as kind of my tier 1. Then I have Arvell Reese and Muaigoa as players with that same level of talent but where its more situational---Reese has to go to a defensive system that can utilize his versatility as an onball/offball linebacker and Mauigoa would have to be drafted as a Guard to be in that range. So no, I don't think Mauigoa as a Tackle prospect would be in that range even if he made it to 7, but as a Guard prospect he could be BPA. Spencer Fano is interesting too. In a Shanahan offense where you don't have a ton of true pass sets and you have a lot of outside zone he could be an all pro level player, but his pass rush anchor is solid, but nothing special at the NFL level and some power rushers will give him issues so in a gap run system that doesn't take advantage of his zone blocking and had a lot of true 1 on 1's in pass pro on the edge where power rushers could take advantage of him, Fano feels like a late 1st rounder. He'd be a nice pick for the 49'ers.

 

[Dlts20]

Tyson is my favorite WR. I however have his injury concerns. Based on what AP and DQ have saved about who they bring in this year and Tysons history, he should be off their boards or at least knocked down the ladder only in their sights if they trade back away.

What did they say

 

[Dlts20]

From Brugler, if Tate runs in the 4.4's he can buy his Titans or Giants jersey that week.

21 prospects our NFL Draft expert can’t wait to see at the scouting combine

The NFL has descended on Indianapolis for its annual scouting combine. Which players have the chance to boost their stock this week?

www.nytimes.com

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State​

Right now, Tate is the favorite to be the first wide receiver drafted, but will that still be the case leaving the combine?

I think so. Tate is deceptively fast because his long strides allow him to gain ground quickly. It won’t be surprising if his 40 time is closer to 4.4 than 4.5.

Rueben Bain Jr., edge, Miami​

Bain had dominant moments on his 2025 tape. He is also a polarizing prospect among scouts. With his non-traditional body type and shorter arms, some teams view his skill set as a better fit inside as a three-tech rather than as an edge.

Will his verified measurements and athletic testing answer some of those questions? Or will they make him even more polarizing?

Im not sure about that. I posted on here last week that it was all over NY radio that Harbaugh is in love with Downs which makes sense after him having Reed and Hamilton

 

[DWinzit]

What did they say

They spoke of being more Leary of bringing in players with injury history. It stems from some of the many players who were injured last year already had injury concerns and history. They wish to avoid at all cost what occurred to the team last season.