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

[skinsinparadise]

No, just saying how loaded next year is with WRs. Forgot to mention Strong at Cal and Craver at Miss State. Craver is a STUD as well but he’s tiny. I don’t see Williams and Coleman falling out of the top 10 though.

ETA I don’t think there is a RB in college that is on Love’s level next season.

Lacy at Ole Miss is probably the closest thing but I’m taking Love over him every day of the week. Love is a freak.

I am all into taking Love. But I don't like the odds he's there at 7.

 

[BayouBrave86]

I hear you, to each their own but I don't care about the 2027 draft right now aside from two points: A. If I needed a QB. B. I don't want to trade away 2027 capital.

But yeah the idea Colin Simmons, Leonard Moore, Dylan Stewart, etc doesn't impact who I want on defense right now. Same on offense.

Hopefully they are picking 32 with the top prospects out of reach. But regardless, this isn't like left tackle where you got only one, or QB -- you can have multiple good WRs.

Would you feel good if Jayden comes into next season with the current slate of WRs? I recall is another post you said Jayden made dude with mediocre WRs in 2024, he can do it again, or something like that. I don't feel that way, I am tried of putting all the pressure on Jayden.

Give me Terry, Jennings, and Deebo back with Lane and Luke as 4 and 5 with Chig/Ertz and I’m good with it for next season. Id also love for us to take a stab at Koziol , the TE out of Houston in the 4th or 5th round if he falls. He’s a player. Have him learn from Ertz and pair him with Chig. Oh my! The next offseason we get really aggressive with the WR room. In a perfect world, we have Love at RB, Chig has turned into a top 10 TE, and we have an elite oline with the emergence of Conerly. Turn our attention to WR and continuing to stack the defense.

If we do take Tate I hope I never have to hear the end of it about how great he ends up being for us, trust me. 😂 I just want us to win baby! I can see everyone’s arguments too, that’s what makes message boards great. We can’t all be in alignment on the same thing all the time. Would make things boring.

 

[skinsinparadise]

agreed, I also don't think the league is totally enamoured with thsi year's edge prospects, would anyone be shocked if 2 of the 3 edges are there at 7?

Based on draft buzz. I'd be shocked. Seems like the feeling is Bailey and Reese will go #2 and #3 in some order.

The dude who seems to be dropping in the minds of draftniks, is Styles. Some think he can fall.

Of course we don't know but purely going by buzz.

Right now I'd guess it as

1. QB
2. Reese
3. Bailey
4. Love
5. Styles
6. The Georgia tackle

That would leave Tate, Bain, Downs. For me I'd go Tate a hair over Downs.

the wildcard I think is Tate. McShay can see him go 4-6 -- that might be the best shot for Styles or Love to fall.

For those that want Love. You might want to root for Tate to run under a 4.5 in the pro day.

 

[BayouBrave86]

Ah forgot about Burks in our WR room too. I really think he can be a solid 3rd for us. The talent is there, he just can’t stay healthy.

 

[KDawg]

If we draft Bailey I promise I will try really hard to be positive about it.

 

[Phantvm]

For me I'd go Tate a hair over Downs.

Im moving Downs above Any 1st round receiver, but under Love and Styles.

Drafting the receiver that high and being pigeonholed into playing a lot of 11 IF Aiyuk returns to form, isn’t ideal to me. So I’m starting to pivot towards Love, Styles, Downs in that order I think.

If they did go receiver at 7 I’d still want it to be Tyson over Tate though, but think they’d likely take Tate. Although Lemon would fit better between Terry and Aiyuk. Hard to say how they’d see it.

Actually, thinking on it I might slide towards Lemon because he might give us the most well rounded 11 maybe in the whole NFL if Aiyuk returns to form. That could be deadly.

 

[Canuck]

Based on draft buzz. I'd be shocked. Seems like the feeling is Bailey and Reese will go #2 and #3 in some order.

The dude who seems to be dropping in the minds of draftniks, is Styles. Some think he can fall.

Of course we don't know but purely going by buzz.

Right now I'd guess it as

1. QB
2. Reese
3. Bailey
4. Love
5. Styles
6. The Georgia tackle

That would leave Tate, Bain, Downs. For me I'd go Tate a hair over Downs.

the wildcard I think is Tate. McShay can see him go 4-6 -- that might be the best shot for Styles or Love to fall.

For those that want Love. You might want to root for Tate to run under a 4.5 in the pro day.

When I try to mock it myself, you are probably right about the edges, but I think Tate goes top 6 to either TEN or NYG.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Give me Terry, Jennings, and Deebo back with Lane and Luke as 4 and 5 with Chig/Ertz and I’m good with it for next season. Id also love for us to take a stab at Koziol , the TE out of Houston in the 4th or 5th round if he falls. He’s a player. Have him learn from Ertz and pair him with Chig. Oh my! The next offseason we get really aggressive with the WR room. In a perfect world, we have Love at RB, Chig has turned into a top 10 TE, and we have an elite oline with the emergence of Conerly. Turn our attention to WR and continuing to stack the defense.

If we do take Tate I hope I never have to hear the end of it about how great he ends up being for us, trust me. 😂 I just want us to win baby! I can see everyone’s arguments too, that’s what makes message boards great. We can’t all be in alignment on the same thing all the time. Would make things boring.

I hear you. But lol I am not saying this to needle you, but the more you blast Tate, the more I think he's the pick if past is the prologue. Usually if a person or two rants about a potential pick that ends up the pick.

I am just starting to dive into the TEs -- 3rd-5th round range the ones that hit me so far are Klare, Roush, Bentley. I haven't watched Koziol, but he has some sick stats so I'll get to him.

As for Jennings and Deebo, sounds great. But it hasn't happened. I've heard no interest about this team bringing back Deebo. Jennings definitiely a possibility, I'd love to have him.

 

[skinsinparadise]

When I try to mock it myself, you are probably right about the edges, but I think Tate goes top 6 to either TEN or NYG.

Definitely possible. Going purely on buzz, the big wildcards in the top 6 are the LT from Georgia, Tate, Styles, Love. Feels like the three almost given are the QB, Reese, Bailey going before 7.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Im moving Downs above Any 1st round receiver, but under Love and Styles.

Drafting the receiver that high and being pigeonholed into playing a lot of 11 IF Aiyuk returns to form, isn’t ideal to me. So I’m starting to pivot towards Love, Styles, Downs in that order I think.

If they did go receiver at 7 I’d still want it to be Tyson over Tate though, but think they’d likely take Tate. Although Lemon would fit better between Terry and Aiyuk. Hard to say how they’d see it.

Actually, thinking on it I might slide towards Lemon because he might give us the most well rounded 11 maybe in the whole NFL if Aiyuk returns to form. That could be deadly.

For me its:

A. Styles-Love tied, who I prefer changes with the win.
B. Tate
C. Downs

But would be ecstatic with any of these 4.

I have been beating the drum for Downs, and being the one posting here about all his intangibles, posting interviews on and on. So I've been a Downs propaganda machine. But i think the fact that he's not a special athlete or with special size puts him a little below these guys in my book.

 

[BayouBrave86]

I hear you. But lol I am not saying this to needle you, but the more you blast Tate, the more I think he's the pick if past is the prologue. Usually if a person or two rants about a potential pick that ends up the pick.

I am just starting to dive into the TEs -- 3rd-5th round range the ones that hit me so far are Klare, Roush, Bentley. I haven't watched Koziol, but he has some sick stats so I'll get to him.

As for Jennings and Deebo, sounds great. But it hasn't happened. I've heard no interest about this team bringing back Deebo. Jennings definitiely a possibility, I'd love to have him.

Well to counter that rant theory, I shouted from the rooftops for us to take Jayden.

 

[BayouBrave86]

I hear you. But lol I am not saying this to needle you, but the more you blast Tate, the more I think he's the pick if past is the prologue. Usually if a person or two rants about a potential pick that ends up the pick.

I am just starting to dive into the TEs -- 3rd-5th round range the ones that hit me so far are Klare, Roush, Bentley. I haven't watched Koziol, but he has some sick stats so I'll get to him.

As for Jennings and Deebo, sounds great. But it hasn't happened. I've heard no interest about this team bringing back Deebo. Jennings definitiely a possibility, I'd love to have him.

I think you’ll really like Koziol’s game. He was impressive every game I got to see of his. Granted that was only around 4-5 games including him absolutely abusing LSU in the bowl game (a game where he got dinged up and still put on mind you). He’s a warrior.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Well to counter that rant theory, I shouted from the rooftops for us to take Jayden.

lol, if you are talking about the ES thread, Jayden had a lot of haters there. I recall an LSU fan defending Jayden there, guessing that was you.

On that thread, NFLchick was a bit over the top. It seemed like they were vindicated in year 1 with Jayden killing it and Maye being meh -- but it didn't age well because they attacked Maye a lot and Maye looks like the goods.

I was one of the few threading the needle, loved Maye, loved Jayden, I recall KDawg was with me too on that.

And when NFLchick disappeared, you may or maye (pun intended) remember, I became the sort of the defacto Jayden defender there for about the last 3 weeks before the draft. I was trying to be balanced because I loved them both -- but NFLchick was such a Maye hater, I debated with them plenty on that and pushed back. But when they disappeared the thread became really over the top pro Maye and to an extent anti Jayden. So I had to go the other way defending Jayden.

So lol your example helps my point doesn't hurt it.

 

[Bulldog]

So, if Bailey falls and Washington somehow gets the player at #7 people here are going to jump out a window if we sign Diggs, Allen or other veterans to get us through 2026 and draft a WR at #71?

The Ravens won the Super Bowl with Torrey Smith and Ed Dickson as their leading receivers on offense.

 

[KDawg]

So, if Bailey falls and Washington somehow gets the player at #7 people here are going to jump out a window if we sign Diggs, Allen or other veterans to get us through 2026 and draft a WR at #71?

The Ravens won the Super Bowl with Torrey Smith and Ed Dickson as their leading receivers on offense.

I’m more inclined to window jump from drafting Bailey than signing the older receivers.

 

[burgold]

So, if Bailey falls and Washington somehow gets the player at #7 people here are going to jump out a window if we sign Diggs, Allen or other veterans to get us through 2026 and draft a WR at #71?

The Ravens won the Super Bowl with Torrey Smith and Ed Dickson as their leading receivers on offense.

I'd be dancing if we somehow wound up with Bailey at 7 (sorry KDawg) We are probably good at end this year, but to have someone with that kind of ceiling moving forward could be amazing. Yeah, our offense might be hurting a little in 2026, but that would be a heckuva get.

 

[SkinDeep]

If 10 people post that Tate is a really good WR prospect, but BayouBrave posts 10 times that he is not, each post more emphatic, does it mean he's just an average WR prospect?

 

[Bulldog]

Actually the idea of getting a speed receiver at #71 and signing a vet or two for 2026 while grabbing a Love or Downs or Edge at the top of the draft order sounds better and better.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Ah forgot about Burks in our WR room too. I really think he can be a solid 3rd for us. The talent is there, he just can’t stay healthy.

Other than that spectacular catch what did Burke show that would lead you to believe that he could be a solid #3?

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

It is early enough to know whether they hit it out of the park with the 2024 picks. If you want an example of what it looks like, look at the Rams 2023 class and see what they did in 2023 and 2024

Maybe. However, if 2 or 3 of those guys develop into really good starters in year 3, that's still a really good draft, especially if Daniels is a top 5 QB.

I'm not suggesting it will turn into a really good draft class. But I'm also not suggesting it can't.

I guess maybe just mentally, I see the entire 2025 season as a lost season for everybody. For whatever reason, it was just a throw away. So, I'm going to pay much more attention to what they do this year. I don't think it's impossible that of that group of 5 players, 2 of them take a huge jump forward and are considered key contributors. But they have to do it first.