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

[skinsinparadise]

If Love is gone and Tate and Reese are there who do we take? Chaisson was just a one year signing so Reese would be very tempting

I like Tate here more than most, but I'd go Reese. Reese or Bailey if they fall. Love if he falls. Styles if he falls. Tate would be next for me.

 

[SkinDeep]

Crazy to me that so many football fans are discounting that Tate has a very clear superpower at a premium position.

But if it's between Tate and Reese, yes I go Reese as well.

 

[HTTR]

My guess right now is Love to Tenn, Styles to NYG, Tate to Cleve….leaving Downs for us. Which is who I originally wanted anyway before I fell in Love.

 

[Discobob]

Crazy to me that so many football fans are discounting that Tate has a very clear superpower at a premium position.

But if it's between Tate and Reese, yes I go Reese as well.

re: Tate - Agreed.... also the fact that WR is the second highest paid position in the NFL, so it is very effective to have them on rookied deals

 

[RWJ]

1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana​

2. New York Jets: Arvell Reese, edge, Ohio State​

3. Arizona Cardinals: David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech​

4. Tennessee Titans: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State​

5. New York Giants: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah​

6. Cleveland Browns: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami​

7. Washington Commanders: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame​

8. New Orleans Saints: Rueben Bain Jr., edge, Miami​

Atheltic's latest mock 3/12

Might be but if Downs is there, it will be hard to pass him up.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

McShay's podcast, yestewrday, said some is based on intel.

Bailey and Reese go in some form 2nd and 3rd.

Tennessee goes either Love or Tate, thinks probably Love

Giants go Styles or Downs, probabaly Styles, maybe Love if he falls

Browns O line.

Washington: Tate or Love if he falls

Tate at 3? I don't see that as even a remote possibility.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Tate at 3? I don't see that as even a remote possibility.

Not sure how you or anyone of us can call something or not that definitively.

 

[burgold]

Tate at 3? I don't see that as even a remote possibility.

The only way I see it is if they really hew to that notion of relative value/cost. Wide receivers are more expensive. If you project Tate to be a one then that will "save" you money in the long run. I don't buy the logic but there were many on the board talking about that early on when dismissing the idea of Love, Downs, or Styles.

 

[DogofWar1]

NFL Stock Exchange did a very quick mock for Commanders last night and this is the situation they were in at 7 (before picking Love):

On the one hand it's a dream, having Love, Styles, and Tate all available. Near best case scenario that Bain goes 2 and an OT goes top 6.

On the other hand what a nightmare to have to choose between those 3. Love probably the right choice, I think he's a better RB than Tate is an RB and I think you can afford to pass on Styles with our signings, but man, Sonny is so good that is a toughie.

 

[DogofWar1]

Also this is what they did in 3 and 5 (5 round mock). They also were assuming we were getting Aiyuk in FA.

 

[skinsinparadise]

NFL Stock Exchange did a very quick mock for Commanders last night and this is the situation they were in at 7 (before picking Love):

View attachment 14347

On the one hand it's a dream, having Love, Styles, and Tate all available. Near best case scenario that Bain goes 2 and an OT goes top 6.

On the other hand what a nightmare to have to choose between those 3. Love probably the right choice, I think he's a better RB than Tate is an RB and I think you can afford to pass on Styles with our signings, but man, Sonny is so good that is a toughie.

I love their show. But their love for Bain, even by their own admission probably doesn't play out in real life, but I wish it does.

This would be a tough one for me but I'd probably go Styles by a hair over Love.

 

[DogofWar1]

I love their show. But their love for Bain, even by their own admission probably doesn't play out in real life, but I wish it does.

This would be a tough one for me but I'd probably go Styles by a hair over Love.

I'm...on the fence on Styles vs Love. On the one hand, I've long held that RB rooms are...kinda easy to build? That's a bit of an exaggeration but you throw 3 B level dudes in a blender and you can make an A level rushing attack. The era of the franchise back is over, and while some guys can still carry a team (Barkley, Henry) it just feels like the delta between those RB rooms and one cobbled together from good-not-great guys is fairly small if you know what you're doing.

But simultaneously, the best LB on the market just got 15M/year. That's chump change. Everyone talking about how much they love Chenal, he was had for 8M/year.

So if RB is an undervalued position, AND LB is an undervalued position, maybe RB is the right choice there.

Tough one for sure.

 

[skinsinparadise]

The only way I see it is if they really hew to that notion of relative value/cost. Wide receivers are more expensive. If you project Tate to be a one then that will "save" you money in the long run. I don't buy the logic but there were many on the board talking about that early on when dismissing the idea of Love, Downs, or Styles.

The premium postion stuff is big time real of course. This FA brought it home some more. Coming from one of the only ones on ES who was big on Pierce before that draft, seeing him get 30 million is still shocking to me, and Tate iMO is a peg better of a prospect than Pierce was in college.

IMO Kenneth Walker for example is a better player than Pierce yet is making less than 50% of what he is. Lloyd also a better player than Pierce and getting half the money.

The other issue aside from the money is you don't see top tier WRs hit the market much anymore. A top LB, or safety or even RB is more likely to hit the market.

I just looked up ESPN's latest mock from just a few days ago, Tate goes #4, and Yates is plugged into the league. So is Todd McShay. So the idea of taking Tate is certainly not crazy. Also on this thread specfically, you got a Tate hater and then a few people who are lukewarm on him so It might give the vibe that its a universal take on the player. But its not really from my observation. Tough to find another hater, on Tate like we got here, but I am sure I could find one or two if I looked. But there are definitely a mix from what I can tell of two camps on Tate. Actually kind of reminds me on the rap on Egbuka and even to an extent McMillan last year, to some extent Drake London years back.

A. He's a high end #2, so top 10 is too early for him. Sort of a Tee Higgins type,
B. He's a mid level #1 -- sort of a Devonte Smith, Olave, Drake London -- maybe even Terry.

I am closer to B myself. And part of it is based on what type of WR he is. He's a homerun hitter with IMO elite ball tracking skills. It's part of the reason why Pierce got paid big -- he can track the deep ball and has soft hands and that's an uncommon triat.

2026 NFL mock draft: Top 10 pick predictions off free agency

How has NFL free agency affected 2026 draft plans? Here are Field Yates' updated predictions for picks Nos. 1-10.

www.espn.com

4. Tennessee Titans​

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Much of this offseason for Tennessee will be dedicated to improving the supporting cast around second-year quarterback Cam Ward. Signing slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson was a good start, but adding Tate would further that commitment. He is a sure-handed, nuanced and detailed route runner who averaged over 17 yards per reception during his final college season. Tate is among the most pro-ready prospects and would carve out a significant role in Tennessee from the jump.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I'm...on the fence on Styles vs Love. On the one hand, I've long held that RB rooms are...kinda easy to build? That's a bit of an exaggeration but you throw 3 B level dudes in a blender and you can make an A level rushing attack. The era of the franchise back is over, and while some guys can still carry a team (Barkley, Henry) it just feels like the delta between those RB rooms and one cobbled together from good-not-great guys is fairly small if you know what you're doing.

But simultaneously, the best LB on the market just got 15M/year. That's chump change. Everyone talking about how much they love Chenal, he was had for 8M/year.

So if RB is an undervalued position, AND LB is an undervalued position, maybe RB is the right choice there.

Tough one for sure.

Both positions aren't that well paid. And to me just as on point, you likely can find high end talent for both spots on the market almost every year.

It's tough for me to overlook a freak talent with supposedly freakish smarts and supposedly with off the charts intangibles like Styles. But its close for me. I know its an unpopular position here, but Tate's not that far behind either for me.

 

[burgold]

I'll admit my impressions of Tate have been shaped (negatively) by the board so this is good to read. If Terry's draft were redone he'd clearly be a first rounder so the idea of getting a Terry high in the draft wouldn't displease me. McLaurin has been a borderline probowl receiver his entire career despite pretty bad Qbing.

 

[burgold]

LB is an undervalued position, maybe RB is the right choice there.

Tough one for sure.

The thing that has struck me for several years now is that every killer defense fields great linebackers. Maybe I've been paying more attention because our linebacking corp has for so long let leaking running backs and TEs kill us, but it seems to me that without good LBs to seal the edge, to pressure the QB, to cover the TEs and RBs you just can't have a top defense. You might not even be able to have a good defense.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I'll admit my impressions of Tate have been shaped (negatively) by the board so this is good to read. If Terry's draft were redone he'd clearly be a first rounder so the idea of getting a Terry high in the draft wouldn't displease me. McLaurin has been a borderline probowl receiver his entire career despite pretty bad Qbing.

For me what brings it home for Tate is part of the discussion going on right now on the FA thread. So many burners who can't track the deep ball. From watching so many WRs over the years I find it an elusive trait. You can see Pierce had it in college in Cincy. You could see Terry had it at Ohio State. Two of my fav college prospects over the years -- neither guy beloved on the draft threads. So for me I am used to the yawning about that skill in draft discussions. So we got it here about Tate again. IMO Tate is better at it then Terry and Pierce were in college. But for me its a big deal.

And I overlooked one WR like that too in George Pickens. Goingcommando in ES was so negative on him that lol I think I was biased against him by the time I got to watching him, I didn't take a stand pro or against but I recall one of my observations was he tracking the deep ball so well and his catches look so effortless.

So I am trying to learn from my successes and failures. And to me Tate, has skills that maybe some people don't get jazzed about, but I've learn to appreciate more and more the more years I watch.

A. He's great high pointing the ball IMO
B. Catches everything, hands catcher and does it so effortlessly
C. Can track the deep ball so well
D. Good at contested catches
E. Sound route runner
F. Good run blocker
G. Off the charts intangibles

Why he's not elite IMO or concerns
A. Not sure how he'd do against physical press corners
B. Has good speed but not special
C. Not a YAC guy


"Carnell is one of those dudes you could always trust," Hurst said. "One of the nicest people you'll ever talk to. But when he would get on the field, he just embarrassed guys. I knew no matter how far off the corner would play, Carnell would get a step on him eventually."

Hurst said Tate was "straight business. ... almost like a military dude," the first to arrive for breakfast or meetings.

Ohio State WR Carnell Tate has always been 'one of those dudes'

Tate's emergence began on a 7-on-7 team filled with future Ohio State teammates and other college standouts.

www.espn.com

 

[Canuck]

Think you have to go Tate/Love or Styles/Downs

I'm not one to draft for need, but the D has been really upgraded and it is good draft for LB / S

RB and WR are two major holes and with what is left in FA (including Ayiuk) the pickings are extremely slim.

 

[Chris]

I was thinking about OSU’s Pro Day.

Reese and Styles put on a show. Downs didn’t participate in the testing and drills. Carnell Tate ran but I’m not sure if he did the other drills (help?).

So, in my mind, Reese and Styles can gain nothing by taking part in the testing or drills. Downs must. At a minimum Tate may benefit by running again as there is some controversy over electronic vs hand-held timing at the combine.

 

[burgold]

I do think you need a speed receiver. You need someone that scares the defense a little bit. That said, not everyone needs to be a burner. Ricky Sanders was our fastest receiver. Art Monk was the Hall of Famer, but Art and Gary both benefitted from the deep attention Ricky garnered because defenses knew that if they let their guard down Ryp or Doug would kill 'em with bombs.

I think we already have speed at receiver. Terry is fast or fastish. Lane is definitely fast. So, we do have someone to keep the deep safety honest. I think we need more receivers who excel in that middle range, the ten to twenty yard throws. Heck, we also could use a pure possession receiver who's a chain mover.