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

[RWJ]

If Tyson is their target, then they need to trade down and let the Dolphins who pick at #11. I can only hope that Peters stays away and picks with his head rather than

Love, Styles. In that order. 🔥

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[Faithful Fan]

Neither of the things you listed matter in the least.

How many receivers would be number 1 over Jeremiah Smith?

The answer is zero.

JSN ran a 4.52.

Puka 4.57

Amon Ra 4.52

Pickens 4.47

Justin Jefferson ran a 4.42 - faster, yes. But not earth shattering.

In contrast…

Xavier Worthy ran a 4.21. That isnt helping him.

Tate is in a good spot speed wise.

And here I am, someone that ranks Delane, Styles, Downs ahead of Tate talent wise, arguing the merits of Tate.

Fair point about the 40 times, those are all great wideouts who ran about the same speed as Tate.

I’ll note that none of them were drafted in the top 20, and most of them weren’t even first round picks. I don’t know what to make of that exactly, but two ideas occur to me:

1. You would rather have a Ja’Marr Chase, Malik Nabers, or Justin Jefferson level talent if you are going to spend a premium pick. I doubt Tate is that.
2. You can get a great wide receiver later in the draft. In addition to the guys you mentioned, you could also add AJ Brown and Terry McLaurin to the list of top wideouts taken much later.

Also relevant here, these are wideouts taken in tne top 10 since 2000:

1st: none

2nd: Calvin Johnson, Charles Rogers, Travis Hunter

3rd: Braylon Edwards, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson

4th: Amari Cooper, Sammy Watkins, AJ Green, Peter Warrick, Marvin Harrison Jr.

5th: Jamarr Chase, Corey Davis, Justin Blackmon

6th: Jalen Waddle, Julio Jones, Malik Nabers

7th: Mike Williams, Mike Evans, Kevin White, Darrius Heyward Bey, Troy Williamson, Roy Williams

8th: Drake London, Talon Austin, David Terrell, Plaxico Burress, Tetairoa McMillan

9th: John Ross, Ted Ginn, Reggie Williams, Koren Robinson, Rome Odunze

10th: Garrett Wilson, DeVonta Smith, Michael Crabtree, Mike Williams (05)

Any time I really look at these things I’m reminded how much of a crapshoot the draft really is.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I am definitely intrigued by the tradedown to 13 to 16 and then grabbing one of Mauigoa (probably gone), Fano, or Ioane. If all three are gone that would likely mean Lemon or one of the defensive players is still there

There is a scenario where Mauigoa and Fano are both there for us at 7, and it would be hard to pass on them. Top OT talent is just so rare.

It’s far from our biggest need, but Tunsil is expensive and on the wrong side of 30, and Conerly is still developing, so I could almost see it. I would be awfully surprised if it works out that way though.

 

[KDawg]

Fair point about the 40 times, those are all great wideouts who ran about the same speed as Tate.

I’ll note that none of them were drafted in the top 20, and most of them weren’t even first round picks. I don’t know what to make of that exactly, but two ideas occur to me:

1. You would rather have a Ja’Marr Chase, Malik Nabers, or Justin Jefferson level talent if you are going to spend a premium pick. I doubt Tate is that.
2. You can get a great wide receiver later in the draft. In addition to the guys you mentioned, you could also add AJ Brown and Terry McLaurin to the list of top wideouts taken much later.

Also relevant here, these are wideouts taken in tne top 10 since 2000:

1st: none

2nd: Calvin Johnson, Charles Rogers, Travis Hunter

3rd: Braylon Edwards, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson

4th: Amari Cooper, Sammy Watkins, AJ Green, Peter Warrick, Marvin Harrison Jr.

5th: Jamarr Chase, Corey Davis, Justin Blackmon

6th: Jalen Waddle, Julio Jones, Malik Nabers

7th: Mike Williams, Mike Evans, Kevin White, Darrius Heyward Bey, Troy Williamson, Roy Williams

8th: Drake London, Talon Austin, David Terrell, Plaxico Burress, Tetairoa McMillan

9th: John Ross, Ted Ginn, Reggie Williams, Koren Robinson, Rome Odunze

10th: Garrett Wilson, DeVonta Smith, Michael Crabtree, Mike Williams (05)

Any time I really look at these things I’m reminded how much of a crapshoot the draft really is.

I agree - Tate isn’t what I typically want out of a top 10 receiver. Production wise, size, etc.

But he is the best this class has to offer. And, this is what I keep coming back to…

McLaurin was drafted in the third. But given what we now know… wouldn’t you have taken him in the first? He was probably the third best receiver in that class ultimately (not looking that up, going off memory) and probably more of a middle of the first pick due to that in retrospect.

But if Terry were the best receiver in a class, would you take him in the top 10? I think, in a case like this draft class… I would.

Now, it’s fair to say, “Tate hasn’t proven he’s anything like Terry yet” and I appreciate that point completely and it’s so true. But I think he is a very similar style of player to Terry. And I’d take him at 7.

My hang up is that I have Love, Styles, Delane, Downs all rated above him.

Love will be gone.

Would I take Styles or Delane over Tate? Man, that’s tough.

In a perfect world? Yes. I take the absolute best talent and in this case it isn’t Tate, imo.

But for this team? I might not. Why? Well first off, we have failed at receiver time and time again. Second, nothing says we can’t go receiver first next year, too, if we are in position for Smith/Marsh. Third, the GM/HC have to find success immediately and fourth we NEED to do right by Jayden. We don’t want issues getting him under contract for the foreseeable future. And we’ve done a pathetic job supporting him.

So, am I 100% that I take a lesser talented player in Tate (who is very good) over Delane, Styles, Downs? No.

But I sure as hell have that in the back of my head.

 

[Chris]

If we are in a position to take Jeremiah Smith next year things will have decidedly gone to hell in a handbasket.

 

[HOF44]

I’d go

Love
Tate
Best ranked D guy on my board

 

[KDawg]

If we are in a position to take Jeremiah Smith next year things will have decidedly gone to hell in a handbasket.

Given our current roster and coaching staff, I don’t rule that hand basket out yet.

 

[Commander Wraith]

In a vacuum I get the defense vs offense debate and I’d be happy to go defense with #7. However, to expound on @KDawg’s point… for our team, my number one priority is keeping Daniels healthy and happy. If teams can play us like (many) did last year, he’s going to be under way more duress than I’d be comfortable with.

Perhaps the scheme makes a major difference on that front, but I also worry that it could actually compound the problem - drawing more defenders into the box, more players in the short zones, and more rushers coming after Jayden. To combat that (IMO) you need guys that can win quickly on the short and intermediate routes and/or a deep threat that forces more defenders to play deep. Beyond Terry, I don’t think we have those guys.

Now, with that said, I’d be fine with name that defender - Delane or Downs, etc - at 7 if we added a receiver at 71 that can provide a deep threat and a FA that improves our underneath stuff like Deebo, Allen or Jennings. I’m even ok with one of those guys plus Aiyuk and using 71 on a different position. So there is an element of factoring in which spot we’re more likely to find a decent addition via FA (and I think that’s probably wr over corner).

 

[Discobob]

I am definitely intrigued by the tradedown to 13 to 16 and then grabbing one of Mauigoa (probably gone), Fano, or Ioane. If all three are gone that would likely mean Lemon or one of the defensive players is still there

I'm all likely on board with a trade down, but it sure as **** isn't for an Olinemen!

I'd be hoping that one of the following fell:

WR: Tate, Lemon, Tyson
DE: Bailey, Reese, Bain
LB: Styles
S: Downs
RB: Love
CB: Delane, McCoy

That's 11 guys, you know Mendoza is getting drafted, and there's gonna be at least 1 Olinemen in the top 10... so one of these guys is definitely there at 13. I know some of them have no chance of falling, but there's always one faller that surprises everyone.

 

[burgold]

In a vacuum I get the defense vs offense debate and I’d be happy to go defense with #7. However, to expound on @KDawg’s point… for our team, my number one priority is keeping Daniels healthy and happy. If teams can play us like (many) did last year, he’s going to be under way more duress than I’d be comfortable with.

There is a short term pressure here that's undeniable.

Last year, at some point defenses realized they could totally disrespect our receivers and just stack the box. It forced endless pressure on Daniels, made him run when there was not good chance to run, and stuffed the run. In the Superbowl, we saw the MVP running back routinely get 2 yards against a stacked box. So, if we do not find a way to make defenses respect our threat at WR at least a little then seeing a repeat of last year is on the table offensively.

That makes finding a receiver really important. Peters whiffed in free agency so far which means we are looking to the draft for an answer. Since we don't have a second, we have to assume that we only find one day one starter in the draft unless we hit a jackpot. That said, I still lean Love and Styles, but that pressure to find a wide receiver is real and it has to be addressed unless they know for certain that Jacoby Brooks, Lane, or McCaffrey are ready to step up and not only surprise but devastate.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I think at a minimum you are equally obsessed. I recall having a similar debate with you where I had to go through the trouble of transcribing a podcast between Bram and Keim on ES.

So you can say its "only" me. But you are all over any discussion like this.

It's all cool. I don't take any of it personally.

I am just trying to share information that I find relevant. You can believe what you want. I'll believe what I want. It's all good.

I promise you I'm not even remotely obsessed with this at all. You can accuse me of being obsessed with trashing Jay Gruden. Guilty as charged on that.

I don't think our front office talks to the media about anything they are going to do, with one exception: I think they very purposely put out information on the Terry negotiation so they could control the narrative a little and all the information wasn't put out there by Terry's dumbass agent. But apart from that, I just don't believe they tell anybody anything. I could be wrong. That's the basis of my skepticism for any type of a read or definitive take from anybody, including Schefter, who gets more information than anybody.

However, all I did in my post was offer a different interpretation of what Keim said in his podcast. I didn't disagree with anything he said, or even question why he said it. It was an interpretation of what he said. There are some who heard it one way, I heard it a somewhat different way. And from the outset, I didn't try and convince anybody my interpretation of what Keim said was right or wrong. From the original post you replied to:

I think in this case, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you want to read the first "Honestly, I don't think they would go that way" in terms of he's heard something definitive, I have literally no issue with that at all.

If you want to read it as he just presented both sides of the argument and gave his personal opinion, unverified by the team (that's my read), then that's fine too.

When you pushed me on it and offered to bet on whether Keim was right or not, I emphasized this point:

There was a mass “Keim said no Tate” this morning. And everybody sortof piled on they thought. I’m just saying, I didn’t hear it that way. I heard it more balanced.

If you did, that’s fine. I am not trying to convince you or anybody else otherwise. I also said that in my origin post. You can read it however you like to.

Read or listen to it and consume the information however you like.

You said you share information you find useful. I, and I think everybody on the board, truly appreciates that. As I said, the contribution you bring to the board and the community is amazing. Speaking for myself, I'm truly glad you found the board after ES shut down, because you add so much content and good thought. And there's actually a metric to prove that: you have the second highest reaction score of any poster on the board EVER. The only one higher is Boone, and he is an original founder and has like 15 more years of activity. That doesn't happen by accident.

In this case, I simply offered a different interpretation of the information you presented.

You can take or leave that interpretation.

As I said, I wasn't trying to convince anybody your read of Keim's statement was wrong. Ever. I didn't even argue or contradict it.

One thing, if I didn't value Keim's reporting, I wouldn't listen to his podcast. I listen to it every time it comes out. I've been following him for 20+ years. Maybe 30? I can't remember not reading Keim on some outlet somewhere. I'm in no way anti-Keim. He and Standig are the two beat reporter podcasts I listen to. I guess you could throw in JP's podcast with Mitch, but I don't really see JP as a beat reporter anymore.

I think it's best if we wrap up this little squabble, even though I'm not entirely sure why there is any controversy to either of our interpretations at all... I think both are valid.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I agree - Tate isn’t what I typically want out of a top 10 receiver. Production wise, size, etc.

But he is the best this class has to offer. And, this is what I keep coming back to…

McLaurin was drafted in the third. But given what we now know… wouldn’t you have taken him in the first? He was probably the third best receiver in that class ultimately (not looking that up, going off memory) and probably more of a middle of the first pick due to that in retrospect.

But if Terry were the best receiver in a class, would you take him in the top 10? I think, in a case like this draft class… I would.

Now, it’s fair to say, “Tate hasn’t proven he’s anything like Terry yet” and I appreciate that point completely and it’s so true. But I think he is a very similar style of player to Terry. And I’d take him at 7.

My hang up is that I have Love, Styles, Delane, Downs all rated above him.

Love will be gone.

Would I take Styles or Delane over Tate? Man, that’s tough.

In a perfect world? No. Not a chance. I take the absolute best talent and in this case it isn’t Tate, imo.

But for this team? I might. Why? Well first off, we have failed at receiver time and time again. Second, nothing says we can’t go receiver first next year, too, if we are in position for Smith/Marsh. Third, the GM/HC have to find success immediately and fourth we NEED to do right by Jayden. We don’t want issues getting him under contract for the foreseeable future. And we’ve done a pathetic job supporting him.

So, am I 100% that I take a lesser talented player in Tate (who is very good) over Delane, Styles, Downs? No.

But I sure as hell have that in the back of my head.

I think this summarizes exactly what I think.

What I don't think we know is if the team thinks Styles, Delane and Downs rated over Tate. I could see Styles and Delane. I'm not sure about Downs. Peters loves his athletes, and Downs isn't a freak athlete. I could also see them thinking Tate is more talented than others, and he has room to grow into a WR1. He could play WR2 for 2 years behind Terry, develop, and then be a WR1 down the road. Maybe, maybe not.

The way I've heard a lot of people describe this class at WR is not super special at the top but very deep.

Which leads me to believe they might go with BPA on the board at 7, which might be, and probably would be, a defensive guy (assumption Love is gone), and then pick a WR at 71, whoever is the best they can get.

That would also probably set off a set of dominos with FA WRs, either Jennings, Deebo and then it might convince Peters to work with SF for some type of late round pick swap sign/and trade for Aiyuk. The theory being "necessity is the mother of invention." At least I would hope that it would kick off the domino effect.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

If we are in a position to take Jeremiah Smith next year things will have decidedly gone to hell in a handbasket.

I'm going to go on the optimistic side and say this seems unlikely.

And if we're in that kind of position, we might be looking at QB again because the fastest path to a pick that high would be Daniels getting hurt again, and that might lead to "he isn't going to be healthy, let's move on."

But I personally don't see this happening. I think we're going to be a good team. How good? I don't know. But I think we're going to be a good team.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

I listened to that part of the presser with great interest.

It really seems like they are doing all their homework. They're looking at the mock drafts, the information out there, and they are running their own simulations.

But Peters also said several times things like "it's lying season" and "something you hear today can change by tomorrow."

The funny part of this was the reporter asked about "war games" and Peters looked at him like he was from mars. Then the reporter said "mock drafts" and then Peters knew what he was talking about.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I don't, because I consider it even odds. Why would I bet with even odds?

People do that all the time. If you are convinced of your position why not make a bet?

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

I really really wish Alec Pierce wasn't so happy playing with Daniel Jones. That would have opened up our Draft process into anything we wanted. Hell I would even not complain about trading back and taking Lemon.

As it is, this pick unfortunately needs to hit on multiple levels. There are no WR's that do that. So we're stuck with a WR that mostly does it.

If we only take a WR at #71, we're all expecting him to start the season. How rough does the WR room have to be for that to happen?

If we trade back and take a WR, then WR is still on the table at #71 too. If we take Sonny Styles or whoever at #7...we should entertain trading up from #71 for a WR. We lack the draft capital to do that...but necessity is a bitch.

As the season starts, I would like a mid-season trade for a WR. Possibly still even if we draft say Tate at #7.

Here's an ugly truth that's been brought up here recently...Front Office might really be gunshy about reaching for Needs over better talent. And then we're stuck with crap for Jayden. I only have 2 WR worth a 1st rounder, and one has large injury questionmarks. So it's only 1 guy.

It's really hard to justify taking that guy at #7 overall when interior grading might have him in the 20's in a normal draft year. Will the front office fight that struggle?

 

[DWinzit]

Tyler sounds as hyped up as you SIP

 

[Canuck]

Tate/Downs
Love
Styles/Delane

I'm weary of the players who see a jump after combine/pro days

Tape doesn't lie