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

As to Bain. I come off some as a hater of him. But I am not. Unbelievable motor -- great bend for his size, array of pass rushing moves, good counters, etc. Good against the run. But, he'd be the first in NFL history to be a great pass rusher with that length. And I don't consider myself lol a drafting pioneer and not sure I trust Peters to be one, too. But if they took him, I'd trust it. The one I really don't want is Faulk, not at that spot. Bain I am unsure of one way or another. If its Bain, I'd put his success or failure squarely on KDawg -- being both a UM and Bain backer. :p

Screen Shot 2026-01-21 at 1.30.03 PM.png
 
skinsinparadise said:
I just hope they are laser focused on getting "their guy" like the great Ron Rivera

Click to expand...

God I grew to hate that guy. I believed he was a good guy and still do. But he has taken zero accountability for the disaster that was his tenure here. He immediately gets hired by ESPN to do draft analysis (WTF?) and then Cal grads insisted he become, whatever he is there now.
 
With Lander Barton, reviewing my notes from the Daft of Draft episode on LB'ers I believe hes a four year starter who started as a true freshman. Was up and down as you would expect from a freshman, but won PAC 10 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. The problem is he never really took the next step. Its year four and he is still toolsy with up and down play and looks a bit raw. But the athletic tools of a NFL player are there even if his film is way more up and down than you would want for a four year starter.
 
skinsinparadise said:
As to Bain. I come off some as a hater of him. But I am not. Unbelievable motor -- great bend for his size, array of pass rushing moves, good counters, etc. Good against the run. But, he'd be the first in NFL history to be a great pass rusher with that length. And I don't consider myself lol a drafting pioneer and not sure I trust Peters to be one, too. But if they took him, I'd trust it. The one I really don't want is Faulk, not at that spot. Bain I am unsure of one way or another. If its Bain, I'd put his success or failure squarely on KDawg -- being both a UM and Bain backer. :p
Click to expand...

I am cool taking Bain at 7, but I don't think he'll ever be an elite pass rusher. Doesn't mean he won't be a good player. I don't think its unrealistic to think he could be a above average pass rush and above average run defender and be effectively a low end 1/high end 2 edge. Like a Montez Sweat caliber player. That is not an exciting pick at 7, but it would not infuriate me, I am almost positive I would eventually get on board with it.
 
Crazy that a couple inches of arm length could make that much difference, but it is what it is. No reason to think Bain, as good as he looks, will do what no one before him has done. If the draft falls like Kiper has it, give me Downs over Bain. Starting to feel like no chance we get Bailey.
 
philibusters said:
I am cool taking Bain at 7, but I don't think he'll ever be an elite pass rusher. Doesn't mean he won't be a good player. I don't think its unrealistic to think he could be a above average pass rush and above average run defender and be effectively a low end 1/high end 2 edge. Like a Montez Sweat caliber player. That is not an exciting pick at 7, but it would not infuriate me, I am almost positive I would eventually get on board with it.
Click to expand...

This is all fair.

But if the choice is between that and a potential All-Pro RB, I’m taking the game changer and supporting my QB.
 
skinsinparadise said:
As to Bain. I come off some as a hater of him. But I am not. Unbelievable motor -- great bend for his size, array of pass rushing moves, good counters, etc. Good against the run. But, he'd be the first in NFL history to be a great pass rusher with that length. And I don't consider myself lol a drafting pioneer and not sure I trust Peters to be one, too. But if they took him, I'd trust it. The one I really don't want is Faulk, not at that spot. Bain I am unsure of one way or another. If its Bain, I'd put his success or failure squarely on KDawg -- being both a UM and Bain backer. :p

View attachment 14001
Click to expand...
A guy like Bain has too much of a will to be great to not be at the very least a good player.

Elite pass rusher? If that means 15+ sacks a year? I’d say no. 10ish and a quality run player who will see some Pro Bowls? Ya. I think so.
 
Conn said:
This is all fair.

But if the choice is between that and a potential All-Pro RB, I’m taking the game changer and supporting my QB.
Click to expand...
This would be a real tough call for me and ultimately depend on who the DC will be for me.
 
I think for me at this point if I am in APs shoes I want to surround JD with more tools than he could possibly need. That includes going out and either getting him a top tier WR or top tier RB. So count me in on the Love train.
 
KDawg said:
A guy like Bain has too much of a will to be great to not be at the very least a good player.

Elite pass rusher? If that means 15+ sacks a year? I’d say no. 10ish and a quality run player who will see some Pro Bowls? Ya. I think so.
Click to expand...
So a Kerrigan or a Charles Mann?
 
burgold said:
So a Kerrigan or a Charles Mann?
Click to expand...
Better bend than both of them, less length, able to move around and play the DL better than both of them. So from a sack perspective, maybe. But not really comparable as a player.

Kind of reminds me of Dwight Freeney some. He’s a little bigger and stronger, less productive in the pass game but has that same kind of burst and bend.

Also will have similar arm length, though I’m not sure Freeney had his recorded and I’ve found sites reporting it from 30 1/8 and 32 1/2.

If Bain is smart he doesn’t have his arm length tested unless it’s damn near 32” somehow.
 
KDawg said:
Better bend than both of them, less length, able to move around and play the DL better than both of them. So from a sack perspective, maybe. But not really comparable as a player.

Kind of reminds me of Dwight Freeney some. He’s a little bigger and stronger, less productive in the pass game but has that same kind of burst and bend.

Also will have similar arm length, though I’m not sure Freeney had his recorded and I’ve found sites reporting it from 30 1/8 and 32 1/2.

If Bain is smart he doesn’t have his arm length tested unless it’s damn near 32” somehow.
Click to expand...

Sikkema had that point. Bain has Pro Bowl / All Pro potential if he is with a sharp DC that will be very thoughtful about how to use him and move him around to create favorable matchups for him. If we end up with Joe Whitt v2 as our DC next year, people will be calling Bain a bust after he finishes with 4 sacks
 
There are guys with short arms who are good pass rushers, maybe not quite as short as Bain, but not a huge difference. Micah Parsons at 31.5 is just .75 longer than Bain for example.
 
So, what you're saying is that Bain needs to play with press on nails and he'll be good?
 
philibusters said:
I am cool taking Bain at 7, but I don't think he'll ever be an elite pass rusher. Doesn't mean he won't be a good player. I don't think its unrealistic to think he could be a above average pass rush and above average run defender and be effectively a low end 1/high end 2 edge. Like a Montez Sweat caliber player. That is not an exciting pick at 7, but it would not infuriate me, I am almost positive I would eventually get on board with it.
Click to expand...
I was just thinking last night that I sure wish Montez Sweat was still here. I was fine with the purge that year but Sweat was the one I wasn't sure about losing.
 
Watched some Senior Bowl Prospects highlights (yes, youtube highlights - they actually tell you a good chunk of the story but the context matters... but it gives you an idea on a prospect... I'll dive in to some of the more intriguing ones later. Here are some that I had some intrigue with: (Note: I've only done through the Indiana on the alphabetical roster listing and there wasn't much out there for some of these guys)

QB:
Sawyer Robertson, QB, Baylor

Tight End:
Josh Cuevas, TE, Alabama
Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston

WR:
Josh Cameron, WR, Baylor
Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State*
Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana

OL:
Parker Brailsford, C, Alabama
Kage Casey, LT, Boise State
Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
Keylen Rutledge, RG, Georgia Tech
JC Davis, LT, Illinois

DL:
Tim Keenan, DT, Alabama
TJ Parker, DE, Clemson
Anthony Vincent, DE, Duke*

Secondary:
Treyden Stukes, CB, Arizona
Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal*
Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia*

LB:
Xavien Sorey, LB, Arkansas
Jack Kelly, LB, BYU*

* - denotes player I'm shocked hasn't gotten more hype

Of this group, Anthony Vincent is probably the guy that I liked most followed by Hezekiah Masses. Again, these are from highlight reels. There may be better players or these guys may not show up for long portions of time... but from what it looks like these two show up every down. They have the total package.

Obviously Sarratt is here, Everette.

Jack Kelly is a later round LB type.

I REALLY like Ted Hurst - only thought is if his competition level made him look superhuman. We'll find out in Mobile.
 
Dwight Freeney ran a 4.48 40yd, I don't think Bain runs that. Freeney had a dominant spin move which I don't think Bain can pull off. He's not that athletic.

Going to be honest I see Bain as more of a 7 or 8 sack a year guy with plus run defense. His bend is a key asset in not totally ditching his pass rush lane either. I'm hoping he can pull a Ryan Kerrigan at times by being around the action enough for cleanup sacks caused by other pressure.

If I recall, Freeney kind of sucked against the run, which Bain should be much better at.

I'm fully with SIP that the arm length is scary and should create pause. I think because of that I would go Love over Bain if both are there.

For the record, I think Keldric Faulk's yearly sack output is likely a smidge lower than Bain's. I think we could get Faulk in a trade back though, so he is tempting from that perspective.
 
Always Commander Never Captain said:
Dwight Freeney ran a 4.48 40yd, I don't think Bain runs that. Freeney had a dominant spin move which I don't think Bain can pull off. He's not that athletic.

Going to be honest I see Bain as more of a 7 or 8 sack a year guy with plus run defense. His bend is a key asset in not totally ditching his pass rush lane either. I'm hoping he can pull a Ryan Kerrigan at times by being around the action enough for cleanup sacks caused by other pressure.

If I recall, Freeney kind of sucked against the run, which Bain should be much better at.

I'm fully with SIP that the arm length is scary and should create pause. I think because of that I would go Love over Bain if both are there.

For the record, I think Keldric Faulk's yearly sack output is likely a smidge lower than Bain's. I think we could get Faulk in a trade back though, so he is tempting from that perspective.
Click to expand...

I think you are taking my Freeney comparison WAY too literally.

He's NOT Dwight Freeney. He has Freeney traits. His get off, bend and arm length are all similar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 3, Members: 0, Guests: 3)

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    You haven't joined any rooms.
    Top