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

[Anselmheifer]

I just don't want Love to go to the Giants. I can't stand this wait, draft can't come soon enough for me. I would be fine with any of the names we have discussed. They all seem like good prospects for different reasons.

110% this. Keep him out of the division, and I’d love him out of the conference. Us or the Titans.

I still think Delane is being slept on. I might be Love, Tate, Delane. That’s assuming that the top 2 edges go before us.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

One thing to note: the more you meet with players, the more likely it is you want more information on them, so you're not sold on any one of them. Or they are REALLY close and you are trying to figure out which one is the top guy. If you're completely sold on a player early in the process, after one discussion, background work, film work, all the things, then there's really no reason to keep meeting with them.

If you keep meeting with them, it's because you're somewhat unsure, or want to clarify things.

You can read the fact they are meeting with WRs multiple times in a few different ways:

1. They have questions about the players, which is why they keep meeting with them to solidify their grade on all of them.
2. They know they have a need, they haven't fallen in love with any one of them, so they are doing due diligence on all of them
3. Subterfuge
4. They want to see what the options might be at 71 if they don't pick one at 7
5. probbly 5 other things I'm not listing.

I think if they had their druthers, they would probably pick a stud WR at 7. But they're trying to figure out if that guy exists, and if one of them is gone, is there a second one.

There's literally no way to know who's going to go where, but there's at least a good chance Tate won't be there. So if he's not there, "now what" at the WR position is probably a real question.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Keim podcast.

Mentioned he has the sense they potentially would dig multiple likely players who fall to 7, there is one player in particular he's getting the sense there is strong interest in but said stayed tuned to his ESPN reporter mock draft next Tuesday and that would be the tell.

He believes they'd entertain a small trade down if they can still get one of the players they want. He isnt sure if they'd do a bigger trade down. Then he offered his own opinion, which was this team needs blue chip players don't let that opportunity go by for more picks. He suspects the team feels the same way, that is they know they need blue chip players.

He went over some of their recent trade downs, and how they didn't work out -- and more picks, doesn't always translate to more success and not just here but elsewhere.

 

[RexTomb]

110% this. Keep him out of the division, and I’d love him out of the conference. Us or the Titans.

I still think Delane is being slept on. I might be Love, Tate, Delane. That’s assuming that the top 2 edges go before us.

My hunch is the Gmen go Carnell Tate to solidify WR2 behind Malik Nabors. That has been a sore spot for them for several years at this point. Plus they have Skattebo, who showed real promise as RB1 last season before that dirty hit by the Eagles that injured him.

 

[skinsinparadise]

One thing to note: the more you meet with players, the more likely it is you want more information on them, so you're not sold on any one of them. Or they are REALLY close and you are trying to figure out which one is the top guy. If you're completely sold on a player early in the process, after one discussion, background work, film work, all the things, then there's really no reason to keep meeting with them.

If you keep meeting with them, it's because you're somewhat unsure, or want to clarify things.

You can read the fact they are meeting with WRs multiple times in a few different ways:

1. They have questions about the players, which is why they keep meeting with them to solidify their grade on all of them.
2. They know they have a need, they haven't fallen in love with any one of them, so they are doing due diligence on all of them
3. Subterfuge
4. They want to see what the options might be at 71 if they don't pick one at 7
5. probbly 5 other things I'm not listing.

I think if they had their druthers, they would probably pick a stud WR at 7. But they're trying to figure out if that guy exists, and if one of them is gone, is there a second one.

There's literally no way to know who's going to go where, but there's at least a good chance Tate won't be there. So if he's not there, "now what" at the WR position is probably a real question.

Just following it over the years, I don't know if there is a catch all reason for all teams with this approach aside from any player with an injury history its another opportunity to probe more.

With Rivera there seemed to be very little correlation between 30 vists and who they took. So to your point, which many others have made too, looks like he did these with guys he wasn't sure about.

Feels like with this regime, where there has been a strong correlation between 30 visits (especially the Top Golf event which spills into it) combined with the combine meetings to who they take. So it feels like, albiet I don't know, that they perhaps use it as a tipping point between why this player over that player. Peters has talked specifically about the Top Golf event as another gauge to see players personalities. Reading about this, some teams more than others are obsessed with the players personality-makeup, and the more exposure the more its on display.

The irony is Rivera's FO would leak like a sieve about what players they are interested in -- yet their actual meetings with players weren't that revealing. Peters is the opposite. Close to the vest. But meetings-interests -- especially combine-top 30 are good indicators.

When for example I talk about diving a lot last year into Croskey-Merritt, it sounds like an odd player to do it with. But why did I do it? They didn't hide interest in the player as for spending time with them. So I figured I need to put some time in watching him. If I recall it came out later that Croskey-Merritt was on the golf team with Peters -- unless I am confusing him for another player they drafted but I recall Peters joking about that as to one of the players they drafted, if I recall it was Croskey Merritt.

They've done combine and or 30 day meetings with the usual suspects we are interested in this draft. But it got my attention than Mansoor Delane is doing a late one here, so that sounds like he's doing the Top Golf which is today or tomorrow. So lol, it makes me think at a minimum their interest is heavy.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I don't remember who I was listening to who brought this up, but they brought up that Quinn doesn't have the luxury of a 10 year plan. (It might have been Bullock on Galdi, or it might have been Keim. I think it was Bullock, but really not sure.)

And said that might factor into who they take at 7. They might grade higher the player who can have the most immediate impact, because they need an immediate impact.

And that comment resonated with me.

Quinn has to win this year or he's toast. Peters probably isn't toast if they don't win this year, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to re-boot with an entire new coaching staff either. And starting over with a new coaching staff probably means 2 new coordinators, and I don't think anybody wants that.

If you put all of that together, they need impact players who can be impactful immediately.

So, if you put all that together, who is the fastest path to production? I'd argue it's either Love, or if they think there is a WR who dramatically alters the offense, a WR. That might be one of the reasons they keep meeting with the WRs, so see if that guy exists, especially if Love is off the board.

Love, for all the position value stuff, trade down stuff, don't take a RB in the first stuff, could make an immediate impact for an offense that wants to be explosive and lean on the running game more than it did the last 2 years.

Or they could say that the bigger need and path to success is the best WR to play outside opposite Terry, and they have enough at RB, but they don't have enough at WR.

I don't know how they will judge that internally, and they will never tell us their internal evaluation.

(As an aside, and we will never know this, but if they determine that guy is Love, and he goes before our pick, Harris needs to have a conversation with Quinn and Peters about the logic of trying to win that last game for absolutely no reason with old guys and a 3rd string really old QB.) Because that loss MIGHT have effected the team's future by eliminating the blue chip playmaker they wanted. Maybe not. But they didn't put themselves in the best position to be competitive in the future by winning a meaningless game with a 39 year old QB. And Harris is smart enough to know that.)

I get the feeling they know they have made significant upgrades on defense, but they struck out at the top of the market at WR in FA. And they know that as well as anybody. So now the question is, is there a WR in the draft that can impact the offense immediately, or is it Love, and what do you do in the scenario the top guys are gone....

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

They've done combine and or 30 day meetings with the usual suspects we are interested in this draft. But it got my attention than Mansoor Delane is doing a late one here, so that sounds like he's doing the Top Golf which is today or tomorrow. So lol, it makes me think at a minimum their interest is heavy.

Could be.

Or it could be they are starting to feel like their top options might not be there and they want to learn more about a guy who probably will be there.

Or it could be they want to make somebody THINK they want to take Delane to entice a trade.

It could be anything.

But for this group, I will say, I do think most likely it means there is at least more than passing interest. I don't think they would bring somebody in they had no intention of drafting.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I don't remember who I was listening to who brought this up, but they brought up that Quinn doesn't have the luxury of a 10 year plan. (It might have been Bullock on Galdi, or it might have been Keim. I think it was Bullock, but really not sure.)

And said that might factor into who they take at 7. They might grade higher the player who can have the most immediate impact, because they need an immediate impact.

And that comment resonated with me.

Quinn has to win this year or he's toast. Peters probably isn't toast if they don't win this year, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to re-boot with an entire new coaching staff either. And starting over with a new coaching staff probably means 2 new coordinators, and I don't think anybody wants that.

If you put all of that together, they need impact players who can be impactful immediately.

So, if you put all that together, who is the fastest path to production? I'd argue it's either Love, or if they think there is a WR who dramatically alters the offense, a WR. That might be one of the reasons they keep meeting with the WRs, so see if that guy exists, especially if Love is off the board.

Love, for all the position value stuff, trade down stuff, don't take a RB in the first stuff, could make an immediate impact for an offense that wants to be explosive and lean on the running game more than it did the last 2 years.

Or they could say that the bigger need and path to success is the best WR to play outside opposite Terry, and they have enough at RB, but they don't have enough at WR.

I don't know how they will judge that internally, and they will never tell us their internal evaluation.

(As an aside, and we will never know this, but if they determine that guy is Love, and he goes before our pick, Harris needs to have a conversation with Quinn and Peters about the logic of trying to win that last game for absolutely no reason with old guys and a 3rd string really old QB.) Because that loss MIGHT have effected the team's future by eliminating the blue chip playmaker they wanted. Maybe not. But they didn't put themselves in the best position to be competitive in the future by winning a meaningless game with a 39 year old QB. And Harris is smart enough to know that.)

I get the feeling they know they have made significant upgrades on defense, but they struck out at the top of the market at WR in FA. And they know that as well as anybody. So now the question is, is there a WR in the draft that can impact the offense immediately, or is it Love, and what do you do in the scenario the top guys are gone....

Bullock was on Galdi today grading Tate, Styles, Downs. His favorite in the mix was Styles. But he thought of the three he'd make the least immediate impact in part because they have enough LBs. I somewhat agree but I think the bigger reasons are he is newer to the position and also LB tends to be slower impact positions in season 1.

He thought Tate would be the 2nd best because his sharp-precise route running marries well to Jayden's strengths. KDawg would like that he used the same comp as him to Downs. That is, Kam Curl but a better version. And thought Downs would make the 2nd most impact.

I don't always agree with Bulllock but I do agree with those points.

As to helping this team win now IMO

A. Love -- force multipler on the offense
B. Tate -- he's super young but also super polished, steps into Z right away and makes an impact
C. Delane -- while Flores scheme isn't as dependant on CBs arguably. You still can't have CBs who suck. And this room potentially sucks. Amos was the best in the bench but he struggled to stay healthy
D. Downs -- smart player who should hit the ground running and it helps fix a weakness

 

[skinsinparadise]

Could be.

Or it could be they are starting to feel like their top options might not be there and they want to learn more about a guy who probably will be there.

Or it could be they want to make somebody THINK they want to take Delane to entice a trade.

It could be anything.

But for this group, I will say, I do think most likely it means there is at least more than passing interest. I don't think they would bring somebody in they had no intention of drafting.

I think we all know we aren't dealing with certainties. So we are making guesses based on the past.

So specifically so far as to this regime, they are close to the vest with their own talk. Heck Rivera would give strong clues in his own public discussions let alone leaks. But heavy attention on players from this regime has been very telling. Not the Senior Bowl-pro day nonsense that same publish on twitter -- basically in that context especially the Senior Bowl everybody more or less gets a meeting from every team.

I recall some of the prospects that Ron drafted would say they were surprised that they were taken by this team, including Jahan Dotson, because this team was one of the ones they spent the least time with. It's been the opposite so far with this regime.

 

[burgold]

Harris needs to have a conversation with Quinn and Peters about the logic of trying to win that last game for absolutely no reason with old guys and a 3rd string really old QB.)

I still don't mind them going out to try to win that game. I still am bugged that they tried to do it with Josh Johnson. Johnson had no future with the team. Proof? He is not on the team. So, what was the point of playing him as an emergency starter. If we played Hartman and won that would have been hilarious and great. Winning with Johnson was a poor decision. It was nice to give Sirriani a black eye and dent their playoff seeding. Their arrogance was annoying. Still, Johnson should not have been the guy. That was a game to treat like the fourth preseason game where you just wanted to make the final calls on all the bubble players.

 

[burgold]

KDawg would like that he used the same comp as him to Downs. That is, Kam Curl but a better version. And thought Downs would make the 2nd most impact.

I liked Kam Curl and thought it was a mistake to let him go. I would not draft a Kam Curl with the seventh pick in a draft. So, saying he's a rich man's Kam Curl just makes me want him less.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I still don't mind them going out to try to win that game. I still am bugged that they tried to do it with Josh Johnson. Johnson had no future with the team. Proof? He is not on the team. So, what was the point of playing him as an emergency starter. If we played Hartman and won that would have been hilarious and great. Winning with Johnson was a poor decision. It was nice to give Sirriani a black eye and dent their playoff seeding. Their arrogance was annoying. Still, Johnson should not have been the guy. That was a game to treat like the fourth preseason game where you just wanted to make the final calls on all the bubble players.

I think the Eagles arrogance was probably part of Quinn's drive. But I also thought for me it was the low point for Quinn when after they lost the home game and the Eagles went for the 2 pointer -- and Quinn made a big deal about if "that's how they want to get down" and will see them again. As if the "revenge" game is a big deal. Felt pathetic to me then and i said so then.

Contrast that to the Eagles wanting to lose years back in the last game to Washington for draft position -- and talk about ego-bravado on the line -- a Washington win meant the playoffs and the Eagles didn't give a rats ass about knocking them out of it. And lol, Washington struggled to put them away, so the Eagles put in their third QB to ensure they'd lose.

 

[burgold]

I think the Eagles arrogance was probably part of Quinn's drive. But I also thought for me it was the low point for Quinn when after they lost the home game and the Eagles went for the 2 pointer -- and Quinn made a big deal about if "that's how they want to get down" and will see them again. As if the "revenge" game is a big deal. Felt pathetic to me then and i said so then.

Contrast that to the Eagles wanting to lose years back in the last game to Washington for draft position -- and talk about ego-bravado on the line -- a Washington win meant the playoffs and the Eagles didn't give a rats ass about knocking them out of it. And lol, Washington struggled to put them away, so the Eagles put in their third QB to ensure they'd lose.

Yeah, I agree. That two-pointer felt unnecessary and dirty. I'm sure Quinn took it badly because it was meant as disrespect.

And your overall point is well taken. Quinn let his emotions get the better of him. Again, I wouldn't have minded if our scrubs beat their scrubs (and in fairness Josh Johnson is a scrub) but play the scrubs who you have questions about for the team's future. I mean, sure, let Bobby Wagner get his 2,000th tackle but then sit him for Kain Madrano or Magee.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I liked Kam Curl and thought it was a mistake to let him go. I would not draft a Kam Curl with the seventh pick in a draft. So, saying he's a rich man's Kam Curl just makes me want him less.

A rich man's Kam Curl is really good. He just got one of the richer safety contracts in the league, 12 million a year. Per usual he wasn't maximized here.

But a souped up Curl with better ball skills and even better read and react skills -- is a really good player.

I was just listening to McShay who said that the NFL is much higher on Downs than the draft media. That's clear to me too reading the reports on him from the scouts on McGinn's report.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Yeah, I agree. That two-pointer felt unnecessary and dirty. I'm sure Quinn took it badly because it was meant as disrespect.

Yeah you can tell he was pissed about it. So he went out to win the battle to lose the war so to speak as to the draft.

 

[burgold]

A rich man's Kam Curl is really good. He just got one of the richer safety contracts in the league, 12 million a year. Per usual he wasn't maximized here.

But a souped up Curl with better ball skills and even better read and react skills -- is a really good player.

I was just listening to McShay who said that the NFL is much higher on Downs than the draft media. That's clear to me too reading the reports on him from the scouts on McGinn's report.

Maybe it's just my bias against safeties? I don't think you should draft a safety in the first unless they are a sure first ballot HOFer and even then check to see if there's someone better out there.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[skinsinparadise]

“If you were trying to put a team together with a quarterback Downs would be your guy,” said another executive. “He was always one step ahead of everybody else. When they say someone’s playing chess while everybody else is playing checkers, he’s that guy.”

1. CALEB DOWNS, Ohio State (5-11 ½, 207, no 40, 1): Weighed and measured at the combine but didn’t work out. Did position drills only March 25 at pro day. As much as teams preparing to pay him millions would like to know his stopwatch speed, grumbling seems to be at a minimum. “He didn’t do anything (at the combine), and he doesn’t need to,” said one scout. “He was there cheering up his guys. He’s taken every opportunity with grace and he’s kind of happy to be there, where some guys would opt out of a bunch of stuff and have a crappy attitude. It’s probably more just (high) character with Caleb. They talk about how intelligent he is and how mature he is. In his interview you can get a feel for that. A guy that rushes the passer (Arvell Reese) has more value but Caleb is wired different. He is smart, he is mature, he is humble.”

First two-time unanimous All-America defensive player at Ohio State. “People don’t value safety like they do the money positions,” said a second scout. “But this is a good player. I saw him two summers ago and he was crouching down and looked like Ed Reed trying to sneak around in the back end. He didn’t have that kind of splash production like Ed did but this kid’s a football junkie. If he can come into Alabama and learn that scheme and talk fluently with (Nick) Saban, then he knows football.” Started as a true freshman in 2023 for the Crimson Tide. Moved to Ohio State and won a title in 2024. “You take him, you’re gonna hit,” said a third scout. “He’d be up there with the best (he’s scouted). Ed Reed broke the mold. Sean Taylor is up in there. (Eric) Berry was a big-timer. The (Troy) Polamalus and Ed Reeds of the world, they’re all his size. Brian Dawkins was his size. Really balanced as a tackler. Doesn’t miss many. Not a killer. More of a wrap-you-up, get-you-down tackler. He’s a much better Brian Branch. He’s got incredible instincts, he’s fast to the ball, he’s physical as hell. He can (cover wide receivers). He’s in the 4.4s. He’s a do-it-all impact player.” Finished with 257 tackles (16 for loss), six interceptions, 12 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one recovered fumble. Returned punts in 2023-’24, bringing back 10 for an 18.5-yard average and two touchdowns. “Best one I ever did was Eric Berry,” a fourth scout said. “This (Downs) was a hard study because he was used all over the field. He was their eraser. To watch tape on him you have to understand the defense. He’s smart as shit.”

Part 11, S: Why Caleb Downs, a 'slam dunk,' is one of the best players in the NFL Draft

Names of all-time greats come to mind. Scouts view the Ohio State chess piece as a true difference-maker in the pros. Are there others, too? Bob McGinn details in full.

www.golongtd.com

 

[skinsinparadise]

Maybe it's just my bias against safeties? I don't think you should draft a safety in the first unless they are a sure first ballot HOFer and even then check to see if there's someone better out there.

He's not my top want at 7, but he IMO would be a really good get. Safeties are a bigger deal in the Flores' scheme especially ones who play in his style.

 

[burgold]

It's all good. I was a little unhappy with Sean Taylor as our pick and then super unhappy with Laron Landry. I just thought no team needs two safeties picked that high.

I remember writing something titled "The problem with pastry" all about it on ES. To some degree, even though it is even more of a passing league I still think of safeties as pastry. Washington needs more meat and veggies than desert. OTOH, with all the big plays we give up, maybe we need light and flakey to top off the meal.