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

[Riggo44]

"But like, nothing toooooo serious we need you not in jail, okay?"

"How do you feel about drag racing?"

 

[Riggo44]

Another eye-twitcher, pass on Love, Downs, and Styles for Bain

No.	Team	Player	School
1	Raiders	QB Fernando Mendoza	Indiana
2	Jets	Edge/LB Arvel Reese	Ohio State
3	Cardinals	Edge David Bailey	Texas Tech
4	Titans	WR Carnell Tate	Ohio State
5	Giants	OT Francis Mauigoa	Miami
6	Browns	OT Spencer Fano	Utah
7	Commanders	Edge Rueben Bain	Miami
8	Saints	WR Makai Lemon	USC
9	Chiefs	RB Jeremiyah Love	Notre Dame
10	Bengals	DT Peter Woods	Clemson

 

[DogofWar1]

"How do you feel about drag racing?"

We're not Kansas City

 

[Riggo44]

We're not Kansas City

Was thinking Jail-en Carter...

 

[DogofWar1]

Another eye-twitcher, pass on Love, Downs, and Styles for Bain

Mock drafter got that November-2025-brain, needs to catch up.

Styles feels like the kind of guy that Jones will literally put his fist through a table for. Man can play every role on defense except maybe nose tackle. Maybe.

 

[Riggo44]

Styles and Love are my 1.a and 1.b. I would be buying a draft day jersey for either.

 

[Dlts20]

Mock drafter got that November-2025-brain, needs to catch up.

Styles feels like the kind of guy that Jones will literally put his fist through a table for. Man can play every role on defense except maybe nose tackle. Maybe.

Yea but we just had a report yesterday saying that we would only take those guys if the top 3 edge rushers are gone so who knows

 

[Canuck]

Another eye-twitcher, pass on Love, Downs, and Styles for Bain

No.	Team	Player	School
1	Raiders	QB Fernando Mendoza	Indiana
2	Jets	Edge/LB Arvel Reese	Ohio State
3	Cardinals	Edge David Bailey	Texas Tech
4	Titans	WR Carnell Tate	Ohio State
5	Giants	OT Francis Mauigoa	Miami
6	Browns	OT Spencer Fano	Utah
7	Commanders	Edge Rueben Bain	Miami
8	Saints	WR Makai Lemon	USC
9	Chiefs	RB Jeremiyah Love	Notre Dame
10	Bengals	DT Peter Woods	Clemson

That's The Athletic Mock that I posted earlier

I think it is safe to say that 1 of Tate, Styles or Downs will be available at 7.

 

[Conn]

Yea but we just had a report yesterday saying that we would only take those guys if the top 3 edge rushers are gone so who knows

It wasn’t a report, it was Matthew Berry musing. Like a “don’t be surprised if…” thing. He’s not even aware how we feel about any of those three edge guys

 

[Dlts20]

Still who I'd take

 

[Dlts20]

It wasn’t a report, it was Matthew Berry musing. Like a “don’t be surprised if…” thing. He’s not even aware how we feel about any of those three edge guys

Oh yea, I do remember now that it was Berry. Yes, I wouldn't put much stock into that either

 

[skinsinparadise]

I was more talking about the greater "we" of fans of the team paying attention to the draft than necessarily the board. But if we're talking about projections, how is "unlikely" a bad descriptor if the guy is the #3 prospect on the consensus big board, and 2nd highest ADP on something like the PFF simulator? Also this is just devils advocating because why not, I've heard the same evals everyone else has by now and don't particularly want the player either, but we are going to have to pick somebody and we might not be able to trade out. The "funny" part is that you could end up selecting a player who would be a net positive in terms of actual pick relative to consensus rank (barring a big drop in the next few weeks, which could happen, but that would be minus even less meaningful activities and more just actual intel from teams getting out), but it still be a perceived disaster.

Draft media and NFL teams don't always equal the same. Let's take PFF which by far are Bain's biggest advocates, I was watching last night them do a mock, they got to Washington's pick, Bain still on the board, who did they take? Love. And they talked about it and said yeah they would take Bain but in this mock if they were picking who THEY like best but if they are looking at it from how they think the NFL sees Bain, they believe Bain drops.

As has been mentioned here, Brugler also said NFL teams are much more polarized on Bain than the draft media. McShay has said something similar. Similar to Haskins (RIP), the draft media loved him. The fact that he drop out of the top 10 -- a bargain for Washington. But it started to leak before the draft and plenty after that most NFL teams graded him in the 2nd round.

But yeah if we are talking purely from the perspective of Kiper or whomever grading Washington's draft if they took Bain, they likely would get an A. So I get your point from that perspective.

Actually it does remind me a little of the Ryan Anderson drill but in a smaller way. Anderson, bad athlete, small arms. But he was very cool with the draft media. This dude is a baller. He plays angry. He is a leader. Did you hear what Saban said about him? Did you read that long article that cited opponents who say Anderson as the leader of that killer defense? Take the dude and don't look back!! Bravo Washington, great pick!!!

In the end, though its a subjective game of course. As I said I've been negative on plenty of players before the draft -- with Bain I am not negative am sort of neutral but I am excited about other prospects that they could take instead.

Feels sort of like a mini version of me of the draft they took Payne. It's perfectly feasible to me like Payne, Bain ends up solid. But I'd be surprised if he ends up a star. And I got 3-4 players IMO that I think can be stars that they likely could take in that range.

But if the point is the draft media would see Bain making it to 7 as him "falling" and they'd see it as a great pick. You bet. But I don't always see things like the draft media so am riding with my own takes as others do on this thread, too.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Still who I'd take

Not at 7 for me. I also want to see him run in the 4'4s, if not to me he's a late first round-earlly 2nd rouind WR IMO. If he runs in the 4'4s, he'd get my attention in a trade down in the first.

 

[BayouBrave86]

Bain ain’t worth a top 10 pick after those measurables. Need the draft to hurry up and get here already.

 

[DogofWar1]

Yea but we just had a report yesterday saying that we would only take those guys if the top 3 edge rushers are gone so who knows

There aren't even 3 edge rushers in this draft tho.

It's David Bailey and then I cry myself to sleep.

Unless they are counting Reese and Styles as edge rushers because they can both do it.

 

[SkinsFTW]

Bain

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

There aren't even 3 edge rushers in this draft tho.

It's David Bailey and then I cry myself to sleep.

Unless they are counting Reese and Styles as edge rushers because they can both do it.

I would not draft Styles to be an Edge. Reese shows some extra skills there that Styles doesn't, and Reese is a raw pass rusher. This isn't a knock on Styles, he's still a really good off-ball LB prospect. But his pass rushing acumen is best left as a blitzer (imo), and he could be a pretty good blitzer.

For example, Reese has some shockingly good quick speed to power. Like one-two step and wham, hits the shoulder of the blocker and turns them so he can run by. That's on his tape a lot. He did it mostly against Guards though.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[Dlts20]

All in all, none of this really matters until another week or two because we could very well add a RB, WR, or edge in free agency which would completely change our draft strategy and the same goes for everyone drafting around us.

That's when things will really get juicy for the draft because you know what positions of need the teams around you will focus on

 

[Dlts20]

Definitely not new England or Buffalo since they are nowhere near the top and have great defenses already. Possibly Miami but most likely a Jets executive