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

[RWJ]

CP was good but Gibbs gave up more than he should have (Champ Bailey and a 2004 2nd round pick).

 

[KDawg]

CP was good but Gibbs gave up more than he should have (Champ Bailey and a 2004 2nd round pick).

Champ was on his way out the door.

 

[clskinsfan]

Still would prefer Downs

Me 2 brother. He is my number one target. Would completely solidify the back end of the defense. Him or Faulk in a trade down are my 2 picks.

 

[Ashburn Dave]

First names are never on jerseys, what do you mean?

I meant booth, sorry. Some booth guys had a hard time with saying 'Bill' since that wasn't JCM's name.

 

[KDawg]

Me 2 brother. He is my number one target. Would completely solidify the back end of the defense. Him or Faulk in a trade down are my 2 picks.

Downs is the last of my choices that I’d be okay with. I don’t think he’s special from a playmaking standpoint. I think he’s about as solid a safety as you’re going to find and I love his football intelligence. His super power is his brain, which should be absolutely seen as a major positive.

Which is why I want him, but I don’t see anything that makes him wow from the physical perspective.

But he’s just so savvy and around the ball so often that it’s hard for me to not be okay with Downs.

I currently have him behind Love, Styles and Reese and Tate.

I don’t think there is a pure edge that is going to make us better in the top 10 (at least that I believe is even an option for Peters).

If we land any of those five I’ll be satisfied.

 

[bowhunter]

CP was good but Gibbs gave up more than he should have (Champ Bailey and a 2004 2nd round pick).

As I remember, Mrs. Bailey had given strict orders that they had to leave DC and Champs gf behind. Gibbs was trying to get whatever he could.

 

[burgold]

My number one wish is still a game wrecking edge. If they are gone then I want the player most elite at their position. I'm cool if that's at RB, LB, WR, or S. I'd be wary if it was at tackle or QB. If either of those were far and away the BPA then I would work every angle to trade down a bit.

I will say that the Gibbs years which were more reliant on rushing attacks tempers my enthusiasm for Love. Even then, we never had A+ backs like Barry Sanders or Eric Dickerson, but we excelled with B/B+ backs like Earnest Byner and an over the hill Riggins. Maybe that's why I'm content to see how Bill develops and less stressed about drafting a RB at 1 or signing the top FA RB out there. I won't argue that we need more RBs, but I just think we haven't seen Bill's best and his good was already pretty darn good when the defense had to respect the passing attack even a tiny bit.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[bowhunter]

Downs is the last of my choices that I’d be okay with.

I currently have him behind Love, Styles and Reese and Tate.

I'll throw Reese into that mix as well. I reckon BC early mocks had him long gone before our pick that I forgot he might be a possibility. Right now, as long as we get Downs, Tate, Reese, Styles or Love I (pinky) promise not to throw a fit on draft day.

 

[burgold]

As I remember, Mrs. Bailey had given strict orders that they had to leave DC and Champs gf behind. Gibbs was trying to get whatever he could.

Oh, admit it. You're still upset with Gibbs for trading Mike Oliphant for Earnest Byner

(I know you're not, but Gibbs actually really did love trading for backs.)

 

[burgold]

.

Cynically, that may be because he and his agent knows that 7 is the highest he could possibly go.

 

[KDawg]

My number one wish is still a game wrecking edge. If they are gone then I want the player most elite at their position. I'm cool if that's at RB, LB, WR, or S. I'd be wary if it was at tackle or QB. If either of those were far and away the BPA then I would work every angle to trade down a bit.

I will say that the Gibbs years which were more reliant on rushing attacks tempers my enthusiasm for Love. Even then, we never had A+ backs like Barry Sanders or Eric Dickerson, but we excelled with B/B+ backs like Earnest Byner and an over the hill Riggins. Maybe that's why I'm content to see how Bill develops and less stressed about drafting a RB at 1 or signing the top FA RB out there. I won't argue that we need more RBs, but I just think we haven't seen Bill's best and his good was already pretty darn good when the defense had to respect the passing attack even a tiny bit.

My opinion and only mine and I’m on a bit of an island… there are no game wrecking edges. I think Bain could be, but I don’t think he’s on our board so he’s not even worth discussing. And the arm length thing is a real concern. I don’t think it’ll stop him but he is the opposite of what AP looks for in an edge.

Bailey…my thoughts are known.

No other game breakers to pick. Reese is capable of that. But I’m just so puzzled by his second half of the season disappearing act.

 

[burgold]

And if that’s the case, then I’ll join you in rooting for a Love pick.

I don’t study the film like you and some others do so I tend to take what you all say seriously. I was impressed by Bailey’s stats and his pressure rate, but stats don’t always tell the tale.

Besides, it looks like he will not be in play anyway.

 

[Gooseneck]

I hope Love is there if we get Likley, Then we could either draft him and it is likely KC loves him too. I would go for a trade down to no. 9 if we got KC's n0 40 pick too- players who might be available=

Left on PFF


Arvell Reese

Francis Mauigoa

Carnell Tate

Mansoor Delane

Jermod McCoy

 

[Gooseneck]

ran a scenario through pff

 

[Anselmheifer]

If you pass up on Saquan Barkley for Montez Sweat it’s a very mild loss. If you pass up on Josh Allen (the edge from Jacksonville) for Travis Etienne is a pretty big loss and Etienne is a good player.

I think this is a silly argument. Saquon Barkley was the best player on a Super Bowl winning team and had a solid argument for league MVP that year. Saquon elevated his team. Sweat is essentially a glorified role player. You’re not going to add him to your defense and feel a huge palpable difference. I feel like you’re unintentionally making the argument to draft Love.

Also, there just may not be any players that play a premium position that are close enough in talent.

Atlanta and Detroit obviously do not regret their RB selections

 

[Conn]

I think the board is swooning over Love like a 13 year old girl after boy band crush.

I think the board is being a little irrational about RB value — especially in the context of the Commanders at 7. Jeremiah Love’s rookie deal would be roughly $9M AAV over four years. A top 5 RB right now makes about $13M AAV. That’s only a ~$4M annual delta. Meanwhile, a top 5 WR or EDGE is making $30M+ per year. Even a top 15–20 guy at those premium positions is in the mid-20s. The surplus value math just isn’t the same. Drafting a WR or EDGE at 7 gives you massive cost control relative to the veteran market. Drafting a RB doesn’t — because the veteran market for RBs is already depressed. The scarcity argument cuts against drafting a RB that high. Good RBs are available every year in free agency. They’re available on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft. There are probably 80–100 backs in the league you’d feel fine plugging in if the OL and passing game are good. The position has a relatively flat value curve. That is not true at WR or EDGE. Last year showed Washington exactly that — you can’t just grab replacement-level players at premium spots and expect acceptable outcomes. At EDGE and WR, scarcity and price both spike hard.

For Love to justify pick 7, he has to be more than “good.” He basically has to be Bijan Robinson / Christian McCaffrey / Saquon Barkley level — a true top 3–4 RB who tilts defensive structure. Because if he’s merely the 8th–12th best back in football, the ROI doesn’t separate enough from what you could acquire later or in free agency. Meanwhile, if you draft the 18th–25th best WR or EDGE on a rookie contract, you’re still likely getting strong surplus value relative to the market. I like Love as a player. I just don’t like the economics of RB at 7. The positional value curve and the cap landscape make the threshold for success at RB dramatically higher than at premium positions. And unless you’re convinced he’s a true outlier, that’s a hard bet to justify.

Your post is completely logical and technically correct in terms of philosophy, but nobody cares about contract value of a 1st round RB when we don’t spend anywhere close to the cap limit anyways.

Pure, explosive talent >>

Especially for a guy who is going to make your franchise QB’s life easier (you know, the guy who is going to earn a $400M contract pretty soon if things go well. How’s that for adding cap value, if Love helps maximize Daniels?)

The EDGE prospects are flawed

S and ILB have the same low contract value as RB.

Tate is a consideration.

I don’t know who else you even think approaches Love’s talent level while bringing better positional value via cap allocation. I know you aren’t making that argument for Downs (you are, but I can’t figure out why, given the way Safeties are valued)

 

[Conn]

If you pass up on Saquan Barkley for Montez Sweat its a very mild loss.

I don’t agree with this at all. This represents a massive value loss on game day, I don’t care how happy it makes your cap czar. This is borderline delusional, actually. Sweat has added very little actual value in his career in regards to winning games, while Barkley has single-handedly taken over many, many games. Including playoff games.

There is value to considering how draft slot, cap value, and positional value interact with your premium picks. You’ve taken it too far.

 

[burgold]

Yeah, I'm more interested in impact on game vs. impact on cap.

Cap is important, but first you need a great team. .

 

[RWJ]

Champ was on his way out the door.

Gibbs needed a RB and a good one. Champ was on his way out the door? I beg to differ, Sir. He had good years here but was more productive in Denver than CP was here in Washington and Denver also got a 2nd round pick too.