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

Walter Football also has Downs and Bailey both gone by the time we pick. They have us taking Love (Walt) and Tyson (Charlie).
 

The Obsession That Built Caleb Downs — and Made Him College Football’s Top Defender | FOX Sports

Ohio State's Caleb Downs isn’t just talented — he’s relentless in dissecting greatness itself, and it’s this obsession that has carried him to where he is today.
www.foxsports.com www.foxsports.com
Athletically speaking, Caleb himself now qualifies for admission to that exclusive group. He developed into a five-star prospect and the No. 1 safety in the country at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia, a suburb to the northeast of Atlanta, and then enrolled at Alabama to play for legendary head coach Nick Saban, under whom he became the first freshman in program history to lead the Crimson Tide in tackles.

From there, Caleb transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2024 campaign and promptly earned unanimous first-team All-American honors while leading the Buckeyes to their first national championship in a decade. He is, now, at 20 years old, simultaneously the best player on Ohio State’s defense and the best defensive player in college football. Come April, he’s likely to be the first safety selected in the top 10 of the NFL Draft since former LSU standout Jamal Adams eight years ago.

...But even when Caleb wanted to talk about football, he wasn’t always talking about football — not in a traditional sense with X’s and O’s and defensive philosophy. He often asked Kelly to describe some of the best defensive backs he’d ever coached, like Brian Branch at Alabama (2020-22) and Derwin James at Florida State (2015-17), eager to learn about what those players did off the field in preparation for games. They went deep on topics like strength and conditioning, nutrition and how the business world worked, how football players could market themselves in college and beyond. The intellectual nature of their relationship reminded Kelly of something his mother used to tell him growing up: "The more books you read," she told him, "the more you increase your intelligence." And by then, Caleb was already an avid reader.

"He would just say [things like], How is this guy successful?" Charlie Strong, a defensive analyst with the Crimson Tide when Downs was at Alabama and now the defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told me. "And it wasn’t just football players. It was about people outside of football. What do I have to do to be like this person?"

And there was, perhaps, no person who Caleb wanted to be like more than Saban, arguably the greatest coach in college football history with seven national championships and a dynastical run at Alabama until his retirement following the 2023 season. A huge portion of Saban’s messaging to his teams, Kelly told me, was about success being the product of myriad small decisions that are made every day. To someone as regimented and goal-oriented as Caleb, who arrived in the weight room promptly at 6 a.m. each day, those words seemed to validate the way he’d already been living his life.

So Caleb planted himself by Saban’s side during every defensive backs meeting, which he always led given his background with that position. Caleb could ask any question he wanted, as many questions as he wanted, and Saban delighted in having such an inquisitive pupil with an advanced football mind. The two remain in close contact to this day.

"He was the reason Caleb went to Alabama," Tanya told me. "On all the visits we went to, when we would sit and talk with Coach Saban, it was like Caleb was in a trance listening to him, soaking in all of the advice he was giving.

"All of his teammates, they would joke and say that Caleb was like Coach Saban more than anybody else on the team."

Just two obsessive peas in a pod.
 
I am totally fine with Howell.... in a trade down. But if we draft Howell, I would like to pick up a 2nd and a 4th or something like that. In that scenario (where Downs, Baily, Bain, Tyson, and Tate are off the board) I am probably taking Lemon, Reese, Styles, Love, or McCoy. I actually do like Howell, I would give him the nod as my edge 3 over Faulk, though they are a close 3 and 4, but I want to be picking at like 15 if I am taking Howell.
 
Howell is a fun watch. But tough for me to get over him dissapearing in some games. And he's short and with short arms -- likely under 32 inches. He'd have to look freakish at the combine for me to be sold. Too bad he pulled out of the Senior Bowl.
 
KDawg said:
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets took Bailey at 2. At all.

Given a few of these scenarios I don’t see why we wouldn’t take Love at 7. Howell at 7 is not ideal.
Click to expand...
Howell at 7 is Rivera-level poor drafting.
 
KDawg said:
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets took Bailey at 2. At all.

Given a few of these scenarios I don’t see why we wouldn’t take Love at 7. Howell at 7 is not ideal.
Click to expand...

I know you are a big U fan. What's your take on Mesidor? Sikkema currently has him as his #2 EDGE behind Bain.
 
method man said:
I know you are a big U fan. What's your take on Mesidor? Sikkema currently has him as his #2 EDGE behind Bain.
Click to expand...


Mesidor is an excellent pass rusher who can play the run. He is an explosive playmaker, but he benefits a lot from Bain.

He will be 25 at draft time and has a bunch of lower limb injuries.

But he might be one of the absolute best pass rushers in the class. He has a 21% win rate.

I love the guy.
 
Anselmheifer said:
Bain AND Mesidor over Bailey? Crazy. Being edgey for clicks.
Click to expand...
I can see Bain in certain circumstances with a DC that knows how he wants to use him.

But Mesidor, skill wise, is on par with any of them. But injuries and age alone, without even factoring other things in, mean Bailey is a better long term prospect.
 
LETS GO CANES!!!

images.jpeg
 
KDawg said:
Mesidor is an excellent pass rusher who can play the run. He is an explosive playmaker, but he benefits a lot from Bain.

He will be 25 at draft time and has a bunch of lower limb injuries.

But he might be one of the absolute best pass rushers in the class. He has a 21% win rate.

I love the guy.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Having to give a guy a 2nd contract when he is 29/30 is tough. Learned from Stock Exchange that WVU had him as a big end and nose tackle early in his career and Miami made him more of a standard EDGE.

They pointed out how technically sound Mesidor is given Jason Taylor’s tutelage.
 
Drafts get weird and he probably won't last that long, but Mesidor in the 3rd would be nice. High floor rotational Edge guy for 4 years is nice value at pick 70 or whatever it is.

If we traded back from #7, what would be the highest people would take Mesidor with whatever picks we wind up getting?
 
Commentator for this game on some serious hard drugs and doing his best WWE announcer impression.
 
Bain is a bad man.
 
DogofWar1 said:
Commentator for this game on some serious hard drugs and doing his best WWE announcer impression.
Click to expand...
Pat McAfee? I have news for you.

Or do you mean Fowler/Herbie?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    You haven't joined any rooms.
    Top