The 2026 Draft Thread - Day 3

Bulldog said:
We need a wide receiver that can come in and contribute in Year 1. Guys found in Round 5, 6 and 7 are long shots and usually take years when they do come on.
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This or Love
 
Kaelon Black, 24 plus years old already so I think that helps him drop to the 6th or 7th.

Good player in that range IMO. 4.45 speed. Good contact balance, low center of gravity. Good pass blocker. Not used much as a WR which would be the drawback. Though saw him catch a screen and get totally flattened by a tackle and held on.

Has some explosion, good doubles hitter. Hits the hole fast. Can juke guys but looks a bit stiff. He has one of the best PFF zone scores in this group. Very steady-consistent.

IMO he's at least in that Croskey-Merritt category from last year and I was pushing Croskey-Merritt in this range.

 
Looking at some day 3 receivers/DBs

Devin Moore, Safety, Florida - 6-2, 200. I'll start with the negative - he doesn't break fast, plays with heavy feet. But he is athletic enough to play all over a defense, takes on blocks well, understands his run assignments, tackles well. This dude has a ton of injuries in his career though... so probably not much of an option.

Reggie Virgil, WR, Texas Tech - Ran a 4.57 but his foot speed looks slower on tape... so he's slower than you'd want. But this dude knows how to run a route. He attacks a DBs leverage, varies his stems, breaks in and out of cuts extremely well and has incredibly sticky hands. While I said he looks slow, he still somehow gets over the top on guys - I'm not sure if it's because he lulls them to sleep with his underneath stuff, he is just flat out physically more talented than a lot of them or what... But he has quick feet and is instinctive as hell. I don't know, he looks like he's projected as a day 3 guy but I can't for the life of me figure out why he would be on the board after day 2. This guy is really good. He's a bit underweight for his 6-3 frame (187 lbs) so I guess he can be viewed as more developmental and, to be honest, with his already slower foot speed adding some weight is kind of a scary proposition. Maybe that's why he's projected where he is?

Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington - Aside from being my favorite name in this class - he has the size (6-3, 200) and speed (4.45). He is not a playmaker by any means, but he plays the run and the pass and is successful in coverage. While he isn't a guy who gets a ton of picks, he does get his hands in and breaks up a ton of passes. He plays inside and outside, he's sticky and comes off his assignment quickly when the ball goes elsewhere. This is another guy that I don't understand why he's projected where he is right now. This guy is the real deal at corner. He plays well in press, doesn't let receivers take his leverage, reads well and is a good tackler. He might be a top 5ish corner for me if we take playmaking ability out of the equation (as it pertains to forcing turnovers, he does the rest of the playmaking stuff). He has also played safety before. I mean, can we please start talking about this dude? Please? A freakin 6-3 corner playing slot and excelling? Isn't this EXACTLY the kind of guy that this style of defense suits? To a tee?

Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal - I've talked about him a lot. Playmaking corner - lower round type of player. Worth a late flier.

Malik Benson, WR, Oregon - This dude is a playmaker. Punt returner, too. He is FAST (4.37) and his film matches that. He gets stupid separation, reliable hands, good size (6-0, 190) can absolutely stretch a defense vertically. I wouldn't be me, though, if I didn't point out some short comings... I think he is going to struggle big time getting off of press coverage or stronger DBs in zone that play their leverage well. He has the most success on plays where the DBs give him some cushion. He's not afraid in traffic, but he definitely isn't a jump ball contested catch winner. And he's a bit old for a rookie. I see why he is rated in the mid round range, but if he develops a bit and can figure out the press situation this guy could be something really special. Thing is... he reminds me a lot of Jaylin Lane. Needs development, can be a game breaker down the road, but needs to refine some things.
 
I watched Travis Burke, the 6’9, 330-pound right tackle from Memphis, against Tulane. He’s been a big riser lately, going from the 230s on the consensus board up to around 150, and probably climbing into the 130s by draft day. Dane Brugler even has him in his top 100 now. The tape makes sense for the rise. He looks like exactly what you’d expect for a guy with that size. He’s strong at the point of attack, anchors well, and brings real physicality. At the same time, the limitations you’d expect from a player that big also show up, especially with redirectability and movement in space.

In pass protection, his game is built on a really strong foundation. The anchor is excellent. It’s centered in his lower half and he gives up very little ground. His inside hand is the standout trait. It’s consistently well placed and powerful, and when he lands it, reps tend to be over. The outside hand is solid but more inconsistent, and that shows up at times with his outside shoulder. I wouldn’t call it a major issue, but there are reps where it softens because that outside hand doesn’t have the same dominance. His footspeed is actually pretty good for his size. It’s not a plus trait overall, but for a 6’9, 330-pound tackle it’s more than adequate and not a liability. The bigger issue is redirectability. When his base gets compromised, he can struggle to recover, though the inside hand and grip strength help protect him from inside counters. He did show a couple reps of hand replacement ability, which is encouraging, but his timing needs work. He shot his hands early multiple times and left himself vulnerable to cross chops. His bend is also limited. Both knee and hip bend are just okay, and there were a few reps where his weight got out over his skis instead of sitting back and staying balanced. On the positive side, his eyes and awareness are good. He picks up blitzers and maintains solid spacing.

In the run game, he’s much more of a people mover than a space player. He brings real pop in his hands, plays through the whistle, and can move defenders when he gets into them. His grip strength shows up here too. The lateral mobility is below average when compared to tackles as a whole, even if it’s not terrible for his size. He had enough movement ability to function in outside zone, but he’s not scooping defenders or consistently winning on reach blocks. That said, he’s so big and strong that it’s hard for defenders to cross his face cleanly. Pad level can get high, which limits some of the displacement, but when he does get his pads right, you see the power.

Overall, this feels like a Day 3 player with some upside. Probably somewhere in that late third to fifth round range. There’s nothing elite, but the size, play strength, and anchor give him a path to being a starter if things come together. At worst, he feels like a swing tackle you can trust. Given how the league values tackles, I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes a bit earlier than consensus, maybe somewhere in the 85 to 125 range rather than the 150s. For the Commanders, he’s not really a priority given bigger needs, but if he were there around 147, it would be a reasonable value swing on a developmental tackle with traits.
 
KDawg said:
Looking at some day 3 receivers/DBs

Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington - Aside from being my favorite name in this class - he has the size (6-3, 200) and speed (4.45). He is not a playmaker by any means, but he plays the run and the pass and is successful in coverage. While he isn't a guy who gets a ton of picks, he does get his hands in and breaks up a ton of passes. He plays inside and outside, he's sticky and comes off his assignment quickly when the ball goes elsewhere. This is another guy that I don't understand why he's projected where he is right now. This guy is the real deal at corner. He plays well in press, doesn't let receivers take his leverage, reads well and is a good tackler. He might be a top 5ish corner for me if we take playmaking ability out of the equation (as it pertains to forcing turnovers, he does the rest of the playmaking stuff). He has also played safety before. I mean, can we please start talking about this dude? Please? A freakin 6-3 corner playing slot and excelling? Isn't this EXACTLY the kind of guy that this style of defense suits? To a tee?
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I believe SIP brought this guy a couple days ago as a possible pate day 5 guy. He would be a good player to get spot time while developing, especially if they strike out on DB's earlier.

Love the idea of over 6'3" with longer than 33" arms gives. I only worry about him getting grabby which it doesn't seem to have been necessary at times. Draft him and coach him up with his hand usage!
 
KDawg said:
Looking at some day 3 receivers/DBs

Devin Moore, Safety, Florida - 6-2, 200. I'll start with the negative - he doesn't break fast, plays with heavy feet. But he is athletic enough to play all over a defense, takes on blocks well, understands his run assignments, tackles well. This dude has a ton of injuries in his career though... so probably not much of an option.

Reggie Virgil, WR, Texas Tech - Ran a 4.57 but his foot speed looks slower on tape... so he's slower than you'd want. But this dude knows how to run a route. He attacks a DBs leverage, varies his stems, breaks in and out of cuts extremely well and has incredibly sticky hands. While I said he looks slow, he still somehow gets over the top on guys - I'm not sure if it's because he lulls them to sleep with his underneath stuff, he is just flat out physically more talented than a lot of them or what... But he has quick feet and is instinctive as hell. I don't know, he looks like he's projected as a day 3 guy but I can't for the life of me figure out why he would be on the board after day 2. This guy is really good. He's a bit underweight for his 6-3 frame (187 lbs) so I guess he can be viewed as more developmental and, to be honest, with his already slower foot speed adding some weight is kind of a scary proposition. Maybe that's why he's projected where he is?

Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington - Aside from being my favorite name in this class - he has the size (6-3, 200) and speed (4.45). He is not a playmaker by any means, but he plays the run and the pass and is successful in coverage. While he isn't a guy who gets a ton of picks, he does get his hands in and breaks up a ton of passes. He plays inside and outside, he's sticky and comes off his assignment quickly when the ball goes elsewhere. This is another guy that I don't understand why he's projected where he is right now. This guy is the real deal at corner. He plays well in press, doesn't let receivers take his leverage, reads well and is a good tackler. He might be a top 5ish corner for me if we take playmaking ability out of the equation (as it pertains to forcing turnovers, he does the rest of the playmaking stuff). He has also played safety before. I mean, can we please start talking about this dude? Please? A freakin 6-3 corner playing slot and excelling? Isn't this EXACTLY the kind of guy that this style of defense suits? To a tee?

Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal - I've talked about him a lot. Playmaking corner - lower round type of player. Worth a late flier.

Malik Benson, WR, Oregon - This dude is a playmaker. Punt returner, too. He is FAST (4.37) and his film matches that. He gets stupid separation, reliable hands, good size (6-0, 190) can absolutely stretch a defense vertically. I wouldn't be me, though, if I didn't point out some short comings... I think he is going to struggle big time getting off of press coverage or stronger DBs in zone that play their leverage well. He has the most success on plays where the DBs give him some cushion. He's not afraid in traffic, but he definitely isn't a jump ball contested catch winner. And he's a bit old for a rookie. I see why he is rated in the mid round range, but if he develops a bit and can figure out the press situation this guy could be something really special. Thing is... he reminds me a lot of Jaylin Lane. Needs development, can be a game breaker down the road, but needs to refine some things.
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I've watched Virgil some. Agree, he looks smooth, good catch radius and high points the ball well and is a hands catcher from what I saw. Has moments where he's hard to bring down with the ball in his hands as to his highlights -- YAC. But looking at his stats overall, he had one of the highest drop rates among the WRs and one of the lowest YAC numbers.

I went to watch one Texas Tech full game from the offense and lol he didn't play but his teammate Caleb Douglas did, who is also intriguing as a late round WR. Douglas is physically impressive 6'3, over 200 pounds, ran a sub 4.4. Decent YAC number. Good YPC number. You can see his explosion. But looked a bit raw. Sort of a poor man's De'Zhaun Stribiling. Similar attrttibutes but not as good. But if I am throwing a dart in the 6th-7th round I might do Douglas over Virgil because of upside.
 
A couple positions not discussed much:

Kickers are important to AP and we only have Moody right now. Do you think they draft a kicker late day 3? There are a couple that are predicted to go there and at least one that the team did show interest in.

Also, what about a guy like Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Rutgers who they held a top 30 visits with or another QB to develop? 7th? or just pick player you may get something out of?
 
DWinzit said:
A couple positions not discussed much:

Kickers are important to AP and we only have Moody right now. Do you think they draft a kicker late day 3? There are a couple that are predicted to go there and at least one that the team did show interest in.

Also, what about a guy like Athan Kaliakmanis, QB, Rutgers who they held a top 30 visits with or another QB to develop? 7th? or just pick player you may get something out of?
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With the lack of picks we have and depth this team needs, maybe. I think it is likely that both will be addressed as UDFA after the draft is over. PK Houston's Ethan Sanchez and PK Florida's Trey Smack they have interest in.
 
RWJ said:
With the lack of picks we have and depth this team needs, maybe. I think it is likely that both will be addressed as UDFA after the draft is over. PK Houston's Ethan Sanchez and PK Florida's Trey Smack they have interest in.
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I think they end up with at least one more later round pick through a trade down. I can see either or both being selected if the right players is there at the right time.

Going off Bruglers mock at QB Clemsons Klubnik doesn't go until 232 in the 7th. That sounds like a great place for a player like him and allow us to let Hartman go or make him a QB asst coach. He also has Smack going in the 7th
 
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I watched Eli Heidenreich against North Texas and USF, and he’s a really tough projection because of the offense. What he’s asked to do at Navy just doesn’t translate cleanly to an NFL role. For example, he had around a dozen carries in those games, but only one was actually between the tackles. The rest were jet motion runs where he’s basically reading blocks on the perimeter. That’s not even outside zone, it’s a completely different type of rushing responsibility, so it’s hard to evaluate him as a traditional running back.

He actually had almost twice as many receiving yards as rushing yards, so projecting him as more of a slot type makes sense. The raw numbers say he’s elite at catching, only one drop on 129 targets over the past two years, which is outstanding. But watching these games, I think there’s a little more nuance there. I saw three catchable balls he didn’t bring in that weren’t charted as drops. PFF had him at 2 for 4 on contested catches in the games I watched, which lined up with the tape. There were a couple reps where he just couldn’t finish through contact. To be fair, his season-long contested catch numbers were strong, 13 for 18, so maybe I just caught a couple of the misses. There was also a low ball he didn’t corral. I understand not calling it a drop because it required adjustment, but it was still catchable and you see good receivers make that play. His 29-inch arms show up here. The catch radius is limited, so you need to be pretty accurate with him. There were some positives too, a nice catch through contact and a really impressive one-handed seam catch downfield. But overall, the hands looked good, just not quite as flawless as the numbers suggest. Another thing that stood out was that he leaves his feet a lot. That might be tied to the smaller catch radius, but there were plays where he probably didn’t need to jump, especially over the middle, and staying grounded would give him more YAC opportunities. As a route runner, it’s a mixed bag. He’s got choppy but quick feet and fluid hips and ankles, so he can get in and out of breaks, but there are some rounded routes. The stems vary quite a bit. You’ll see flashes of good salesmanship, attacking leverage and setting up defenders, and then other reps where he tips his break or doesn’t really threaten leverage at all.

As a runner, it’s just hard to draw firm conclusions because of the usage. On those jet motion runs, he may throttle up a bit early at times instead of letting blocks develop, but he’s also often getting the ball already at speed, so it’s not a clean read. In tighter spaces, he’s actually pretty interesting. He has very fluid hips and ankles and can chain movements together, like a jump cut into a quick acceleration and then another cut. He can make people miss in a phone booth and has a nice ability to twist and reduce his surface area to squeeze out extra yards. It’s not traditional contact balance. When defenders got clean hits on him, he usually went down, with maybe one clear broken tackle in these games. He runs a bit high, which doesn’t help. But that ability to swivel and contort his body is at least adjacent to contact balance and does show up as functional elusiveness.

Athletically, he tested better than I expected. He ran a 4.44 with a 1.55 ten-yard split, which is strong. Based on the tape, I would have guessed closer to the mid 4.5s because he didn’t consistently pull away once he had space. If anything, his short-area quickness and fluidity showed up more than true long speed. The fluid hips and ankles are definitely real and help him be elusive, even if the top-end speed doesn’t always pop on film.

Overall, he’s just a difficult projection. What he did at Navy is so different from what he would be asked to do in the NFL that you’re really betting on traits and trying to imagine a role for him. I’d be hesitant to take him before the sixth round just because of that uncertainty. At the same time, I could see a team being higher on him than I am if they have a clear plan for how to use him in a more traditional offense.
 
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