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I don’t think Scott makes it that far. He is a playmaker safety/slot that ran a 4.33
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The 2026 Draft Thread - Day 2
- Thread starter Primus Porcus
- Start date
He is indeed! What do you think, mid to top of the 2nd?
They do seem to be looking at some guys that will go between late first and late second. That's either in case they fall to 71 or prepping just in case for a trade back....
I am not certain you can count on any of those RBs to be a decent contributor with our current RB group.
I have a hard time seeing them spend 71 on any of those guys unless they are in love with one and they fall. I guess perhaps Coleman or Johnson???
That means they may choose to address RB later on day 3
I do like Mike Washington but he is out due to ball security issues.
Selecting Price brings back memories of us missing on Jerome Bettis who would have been perfect and taking his ND backfield mate Reggie Brooks
I have a hard time seeing them spend 71 on any of those guys unless they are in love with one and they fall. I guess perhaps Coleman or Johnson???
That means they may choose to address RB later on day 3
I do like Mike Washington but he is out due to ball security issues.
Selecting Price brings back memories of us missing on Jerome Bettis who would have been perfect and taking his ND backfield mate Reggie Brooks
RWJ
The Starter
So is Center the pick at the 3rd or 5th round pick? I have it as our 6th but think it needs to be higher.
RWJ
The Starter
Parker Jr offers flexibility at OC and OG. That's good. I'm liking Sam Hecht and Conner Lew in the 3rd. High for both players. Maybe they slide and if we trade to the 4th and they last until the 5th, it'd be better value.
method man
The Starter
method man
The Starter
I am hoping that #71 can be a trade down spot to move back a bit and pick up an extra 4th or 5th. With the depth that's there at TE, C and S in this class, I think we could find possible starters or at least productive players at rds 3, 4 and 5 in this class.
Agreed and you could add Edge to your list. I do however see them having a rough one with that after watching so many good fit prospects go off the board between 7 and 71.
Couldn't find much to watch of Lance or Hurts. But dived in more to what I can find and watched some segments from people who did have more footage.
As to Lance, I am out on him, just raw, clunky body catcher, run by you WR and does so against scrub CBs, great athlete but otherwise IMO not much else to him, he can develop but he's an older prospect already. I think he falls to 5th-6th round range and is a project IMO. Hurts also raw, but I like his hands better than Lance but also feels like a project. So this team not looking for raw projects.
In that third round range if they fall there to me its Bernard, Antonio Williams, and Sarratt. But the pool of WRs who are high floor in that range isn't as large as I thought it was.
Maybe I can be talked into Brazzell, though I think he's a one trick pony -- go-corner routes. But he does have soft hands and a good catch radius on that front, but to my eyes he isn't physical, doesn't run a wide route tree and in the pros he likely will be bullied by good corners.
I still got to watch more of Zachriah Branch but from what I've seen, good get in the third, insanely dynamic with YAC -- sort of a speedier a little less physical Burden or Deebo.
I watched more Malachi Fields. I think I've settled on who he is. I think he's a high floor-low ceiling WR -- like a taller version of Noah Brown. 3-4th type of WR -- nothing special but I doubt he will suck.
I can't really find much to watch Skyler Bell, so waiting to see if Just the Tape, the film compiler on youtube gets to putting footage on him.
As to Lance, I am out on him, just raw, clunky body catcher, run by you WR and does so against scrub CBs, great athlete but otherwise IMO not much else to him, he can develop but he's an older prospect already. I think he falls to 5th-6th round range and is a project IMO. Hurts also raw, but I like his hands better than Lance but also feels like a project. So this team not looking for raw projects.
In that third round range if they fall there to me its Bernard, Antonio Williams, and Sarratt. But the pool of WRs who are high floor in that range isn't as large as I thought it was.
Maybe I can be talked into Brazzell, though I think he's a one trick pony -- go-corner routes. But he does have soft hands and a good catch radius on that front, but to my eyes he isn't physical, doesn't run a wide route tree and in the pros he likely will be bullied by good corners.
I still got to watch more of Zachriah Branch but from what I've seen, good get in the third, insanely dynamic with YAC -- sort of a speedier a little less physical Burden or Deebo.
I watched more Malachi Fields. I think I've settled on who he is. I think he's a high floor-low ceiling WR -- like a taller version of Noah Brown. 3-4th type of WR -- nothing special but I doubt he will suck.
I can't really find much to watch Skyler Bell, so waiting to see if Just the Tape, the film compiler on youtube gets to putting footage on him.
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Yeah I saw Nicki from the Athletic predict no trade down in the first but a trade down in the third, I can see that.
I watched some Logan Jones. Good athlete, not the most physical player, doesn't always sustain blocks but can move really well and fits the zone blocking scheme they plan to run. Generally I like Iowa O lineman.
I am a big fan of Jones in the 3rd/4th. Have posted a number of times on him. I think he is an excellent fit and has 50 starts with Iowa at C. His main drawback is the dreaded arm length and like most C's, not big enough versus the giant NTs
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philibusters
The 1st Round Pick
I listened to the March 26, 2026 Daft on Draft episode on centers, and the big takeaway was pretty clear: this is a mid-round heavy class. There will be starters to come out of this group, but it’s hard to feel confident about exactly who those guys will be. James basically said there’s only one player he feels good about as a sure-fire starter, which kind of tells you where this class is at.
Brian Parker II: Parker played RT at Duke, so you’re projecting him inside to center. Cory pointed out that his base at tackle was really wide, which hurt his ability to redirect, though that might matter less at center. The bigger concern is his hands—they tend to be early and wide, which could absolutely carry over. James likes the translatable stuff: grip strength, awareness vs stunts and blitzes, and generally sound run game assignments. Cory pushed back a bit, saying the grip strength doesn’t always show up because he doesn’t consistently land his hands inside. The anchor is questionable, though he’ll be more protected at center. James also noted his run blocking dipped late in the season. Overall, James has him C6 and Cory C8.
Trey Zuhn: Another tackle-to-center conversion, though Zuhn at least has 127 snaps at center. James likes him quite a bit—his hand usage and “flash bait” technique should translate, and his lack of length at tackle becomes much less of an issue inside. He’s a bit tall, which could affect leverage, and while he has good linear movement, he’s not always clean working through traffic. Cory is interesting here—he has him lower (C6) but actually likes him more than that ranking suggests because there’s real upside with more reps at center. Traits over tape situation. He noted an aggressive punch that can get him overextended and said he falls off blocks at the second level, but both agree there’s guard/center versatility here.
Jake Slaughter: Cory is lower than consensus here. He thinks Slaughter is undersized and doesn’t really fill out his pads, and while the athleticism is fine, it’s not good enough to compensate. He climbs in a controlled way, but not fluidly, and struggles to anchor because he can’t consistently drop his hips. James saw a lot of solid but unspectacular tape—nothing dominant—and shares the size concerns. He did note some positives, like getting to the play-side shoulder on reach blocks, but also agreed the climbing ability and anchor are issues. Projection-wise, James sees a low-level starter in a zone scheme and more of a backup in gap. Both have him at C7.
Parker Brailsford: Feisty, undersized, and very technical. James really likes the hand usage—it’s what allows him to survive in pass pro—and he has a natural finishing mentality. But size is a real issue, and he can get overwhelmed at the point of attack in both phases. James compared him to a slightly less athletic Aaron Brewer and gave him a 7th round grade. Cory is a bit higher, liking the lateral movement and noting that his core strength plus hand usage gives him a better anchor than you’d expect, even if it’s still limited. Cory’s higher on him overall, while James keeps coming back to the lack of size being a real cap.
Logan Jones: Another undersized center, but interesting split—Cory prefers Brailsford, James prefers Jones. Cory didn’t love how much outside zone Iowa ran and thought it limited his exposure to true pass sets. In those limited reps, he felt Jones got beat through the chest too often and didn’t show much pop in his hands. He does move well laterally and can scoop and climb, but the pacing and spacing can be off. James thought his run blocking actually regressed from 2024 to 2025, likely due to added weight that helped his anchor but hurt his movement. He’s a Feldman Freaks guy, but the athleticism didn’t consistently show up on tape this year. James is higher on the hand usage—placement is strong even if the pop isn’t—and likes his ability as a puller with good spatial awareness. James has him C4, Cory C5.
Jager Burton: Basically grouped with Slaughter and Jones as undersized, lower-strength centers, but the worst of that group. Poor play strength was the main takeaway.
Matt Gublin: Both are higher than consensus here. James has him C5, Cory C3. Gublin is kind of a “player of extremes.” The good is really good—James called him a “doorstop” in the A gap with the best anchor in the class. Excellent lower body flexibility, tight inside hands, great at replacing and countering through reps. But the lateral quickness is a real issue, and the testing confirmed it—2nd percentile shuttle, 3rd percentile 3-cone. Both guys said it didn’t look quite that bad on tape, but it’s still a limitation. He’s not a great puller or second-level mover. Cory said he’s not a great mover but a controlled mover, and he fits much better in a gap/power scheme than outside zone.
Sam Hecht: Cory liked him a lot on tape as a mover, so the subpar testing was disappointing. He has shorter arms (32 inches), but Cory loved the hand usage—both initial punch and ability to replace it—and said he’s fluid, even if not explosive. High IQ, technically refined player. James is a big fan and has him as C1. He sees him as a mid-level starter and was actually higher on his run game power than Cory, noting he eventually generates displacement even if it’s delayed. He also called his pass pro hands “machine-like.” Like Gublin, lateral quickness is the main concern, though Hecht has more of it. Cory has him C2.
Connor Lew: Cory’s C1, James’s C2, and both said he’s a tough eval because of limited true pass sets—you might only get 4–5 meaningful reps per game. James thinks the résumé is incomplete and noted he lost both shoulders too often in pass pro and has only an average anchor. He also saw issues picking up blitzing linebackers. Cory loves the movement—explosive initial kick, great base, excellent footspeed and hip fluidity, and the ability to scoop and redirect. He does admit Lew gets beat across his face, but attributes that more to play strength than athletic limitations. Both agree he’s very smart—he’s been setting protections at Auburn since age 19—and has excellent spacing. Core strength helps the anchor, but overall play strength is still a concern.
Pat Coogan: Both gave him a 7th round grade and basically called him a poor man’s Matt Gublin.
From a Commanders perspective, this is actually a pretty important class to understand because center is now one of the bigger needs after moving on from Tyler Biadasz. Based on Cory and James’ evaluations, I like targeting that position in a couple different ranges. At pick 71, Hecht and Lew both make a lot of sense as higher-upside options who could grow into starters. In the mid rounds, guys like Zuhn, Logan Jones, and Brailsford feel like solid bets in the 5th depending on how the board falls. In the 6th, Gublin and Slaughter offer more role-specific value depending on scheme—Gublin I put in the 6th rather than 5th on the idea we will run more outside zone, but if Blough plans to use more power, he would be worth the 5th rounder. Then in the 7th, Parker, Coogan, and Jager are more developmental depth swings. Given how uncertain this class is, it feels like a spot where Washington could take a swing without forcing it early and still come away with a viable option.
Brian Parker II: Parker played RT at Duke, so you’re projecting him inside to center. Cory pointed out that his base at tackle was really wide, which hurt his ability to redirect, though that might matter less at center. The bigger concern is his hands—they tend to be early and wide, which could absolutely carry over. James likes the translatable stuff: grip strength, awareness vs stunts and blitzes, and generally sound run game assignments. Cory pushed back a bit, saying the grip strength doesn’t always show up because he doesn’t consistently land his hands inside. The anchor is questionable, though he’ll be more protected at center. James also noted his run blocking dipped late in the season. Overall, James has him C6 and Cory C8.
Trey Zuhn: Another tackle-to-center conversion, though Zuhn at least has 127 snaps at center. James likes him quite a bit—his hand usage and “flash bait” technique should translate, and his lack of length at tackle becomes much less of an issue inside. He’s a bit tall, which could affect leverage, and while he has good linear movement, he’s not always clean working through traffic. Cory is interesting here—he has him lower (C6) but actually likes him more than that ranking suggests because there’s real upside with more reps at center. Traits over tape situation. He noted an aggressive punch that can get him overextended and said he falls off blocks at the second level, but both agree there’s guard/center versatility here.
Jake Slaughter: Cory is lower than consensus here. He thinks Slaughter is undersized and doesn’t really fill out his pads, and while the athleticism is fine, it’s not good enough to compensate. He climbs in a controlled way, but not fluidly, and struggles to anchor because he can’t consistently drop his hips. James saw a lot of solid but unspectacular tape—nothing dominant—and shares the size concerns. He did note some positives, like getting to the play-side shoulder on reach blocks, but also agreed the climbing ability and anchor are issues. Projection-wise, James sees a low-level starter in a zone scheme and more of a backup in gap. Both have him at C7.
Parker Brailsford: Feisty, undersized, and very technical. James really likes the hand usage—it’s what allows him to survive in pass pro—and he has a natural finishing mentality. But size is a real issue, and he can get overwhelmed at the point of attack in both phases. James compared him to a slightly less athletic Aaron Brewer and gave him a 7th round grade. Cory is a bit higher, liking the lateral movement and noting that his core strength plus hand usage gives him a better anchor than you’d expect, even if it’s still limited. Cory’s higher on him overall, while James keeps coming back to the lack of size being a real cap.
Logan Jones: Another undersized center, but interesting split—Cory prefers Brailsford, James prefers Jones. Cory didn’t love how much outside zone Iowa ran and thought it limited his exposure to true pass sets. In those limited reps, he felt Jones got beat through the chest too often and didn’t show much pop in his hands. He does move well laterally and can scoop and climb, but the pacing and spacing can be off. James thought his run blocking actually regressed from 2024 to 2025, likely due to added weight that helped his anchor but hurt his movement. He’s a Feldman Freaks guy, but the athleticism didn’t consistently show up on tape this year. James is higher on the hand usage—placement is strong even if the pop isn’t—and likes his ability as a puller with good spatial awareness. James has him C4, Cory C5.
Jager Burton: Basically grouped with Slaughter and Jones as undersized, lower-strength centers, but the worst of that group. Poor play strength was the main takeaway.
Matt Gublin: Both are higher than consensus here. James has him C5, Cory C3. Gublin is kind of a “player of extremes.” The good is really good—James called him a “doorstop” in the A gap with the best anchor in the class. Excellent lower body flexibility, tight inside hands, great at replacing and countering through reps. But the lateral quickness is a real issue, and the testing confirmed it—2nd percentile shuttle, 3rd percentile 3-cone. Both guys said it didn’t look quite that bad on tape, but it’s still a limitation. He’s not a great puller or second-level mover. Cory said he’s not a great mover but a controlled mover, and he fits much better in a gap/power scheme than outside zone.
Sam Hecht: Cory liked him a lot on tape as a mover, so the subpar testing was disappointing. He has shorter arms (32 inches), but Cory loved the hand usage—both initial punch and ability to replace it—and said he’s fluid, even if not explosive. High IQ, technically refined player. James is a big fan and has him as C1. He sees him as a mid-level starter and was actually higher on his run game power than Cory, noting he eventually generates displacement even if it’s delayed. He also called his pass pro hands “machine-like.” Like Gublin, lateral quickness is the main concern, though Hecht has more of it. Cory has him C2.
Connor Lew: Cory’s C1, James’s C2, and both said he’s a tough eval because of limited true pass sets—you might only get 4–5 meaningful reps per game. James thinks the résumé is incomplete and noted he lost both shoulders too often in pass pro and has only an average anchor. He also saw issues picking up blitzing linebackers. Cory loves the movement—explosive initial kick, great base, excellent footspeed and hip fluidity, and the ability to scoop and redirect. He does admit Lew gets beat across his face, but attributes that more to play strength than athletic limitations. Both agree he’s very smart—he’s been setting protections at Auburn since age 19—and has excellent spacing. Core strength helps the anchor, but overall play strength is still a concern.
Pat Coogan: Both gave him a 7th round grade and basically called him a poor man’s Matt Gublin.
From a Commanders perspective, this is actually a pretty important class to understand because center is now one of the bigger needs after moving on from Tyler Biadasz. Based on Cory and James’ evaluations, I like targeting that position in a couple different ranges. At pick 71, Hecht and Lew both make a lot of sense as higher-upside options who could grow into starters. In the mid rounds, guys like Zuhn, Logan Jones, and Brailsford feel like solid bets in the 5th depending on how the board falls. In the 6th, Gublin and Slaughter offer more role-specific value depending on scheme—Gublin I put in the 6th rather than 5th on the idea we will run more outside zone, but if Blough plans to use more power, he would be worth the 5th rounder. Then in the 7th, Parker, Coogan, and Jager are more developmental depth swings. Given how uncertain this class is, it feels like a spot where Washington could take a swing without forcing it early and still come away with a viable option.
Don't forget that the Commanders could have an advantage with the OL because our 2 OL coaches were part of the Senior Bowl staff. They had extra exposure to some of the players in philibusters post on Centers.
Hecht received a lot of praise for his intelligence and play.
Others involved were Zuhn and Slaughter.
Slaughter had received lots of hype and that he was pro ready plug and play but he is but too tall and lean.
I can see them focusing on Zuhn or Jones if they can't get Hecht who probably goes before 71
Hecht received a lot of praise for his intelligence and play.
Others involved were Zuhn and Slaughter.
Slaughter had received lots of hype and that he was pro ready plug and play but he is but too tall and lean.
I can see them focusing on Zuhn or Jones if they can't get Hecht who probably goes before 71
I could see it, but I’m not sure it’s guaranteed. Sain doesn’t seem to actually be a fit in the slot, so he and Amos will likely be outside unless they’re giving up on him as a starter, which they aren’t. And they signed an aggressive slot corner. So while we need depth (and while I’d never turn down another talented corner) I also wouldn’t be surprised if we have our top-3 in place when it’s all said and done.
Center or Safety feels much more likely in this class, unless we go Downs in round 1.
ES1974
The 1st Round Pick
I’m kinda struggling with how we will make our picks work when we only have #7 and #71 before the 5th round. Slight trade back from #71 with one of these teams with a boat load of mid rounders could be the way forward.
Otherwise you may go ultra aggressive and use #71 plus a 2027 pick to jump into the mid 2nd for a perceived ‘starter’……
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