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

[KDawg]

Here is a list of 12 traits for Edge rushers

• Get-Off / Burst Off the Snap – The first step. How quickly the defender explodes out of his stance and threatens the tackle’s set point.
• Speed-to-Power Conversion – The ability to coil and recoil the body to translate acceleration into force through the blocker’s chest. This is the foundation of most effective power rushers.
• Pad Level and Leverage – Consistently playing low with knee bend so force transfers upward into the blocker rather than being absorbed. Critical for both pass rush and run defense.
• Play Strength and Core Strength – Upper body and core strength to anchor against the run, control contact, and generate power through the blocker.
• Hand Usage and Hand Fighting – Violent, precise hands (swipes, chops, rips, clubs, long-arm) to defeat blocks, control a blocker’s frame, and keep the chest clean in both pass rush and run defense.
• Bend and Flexibility – Ankle and hip flexibility that allows a rusher to reduce his surface area and turn tight corners without losing speed.
• Speed / Upfield Threat – True long speed that forces tackles to respect the edge and open their hips early.
• Length and Frame – Arm length and wingspan that allow a defender to lock out blockers, control contact, and finish plays outside his frame.
• Lateral Quickness / Change of Direction – The ability to cross a blocker’s face, execute inside counters, and redirect in tight spaces.
• Motor and Competitive Toughness – Effort, physicality, and willingness to finish plays through contact and pursue the ball.
• Run Defense Technique / Edge Setting – Ability to stack, peek, and shed, maintain outside leverage, and control the edge against tackles and tight ends.
• Pass Rush Plan – The ability to sequence moves and counters (speed → power → counter, inside-out, etc.) rather than relying on a single move and to do so with correct timing, not too early or late.

So the only one that Bain truly lacks is length and frame - yet you aren’t a fan? Or do I have you mixed up with others? I apologize if so.

 

[philibusters]

I haven't really taken part of the debate on Bain directly. Indirectly I given two mixed signals on Bain: 1. Listing him below Reese and Bailey on my rankings and 2. Saying that he would still be on board despite the arm length. I also said Gabe Jacas who is one of my favorite players is a bit of a poor man's Rueben Bain (he is less athletic than Bain) and said that as a compliment. The reality is I don't quite know what to make of his short arms and hence the mixed signals--I don't have a strong take. I am not sure.

 

[SkinsFTW]

So the only one that Bain truly lacks is length and frame - yet you aren’t a fan? Or do I have you mixed up with others? I apologize if so.

Isn't that kind of important though? Especially once the game is played for a while and they all get tired. It seems to me that Bain would have to be subbed out a lot too.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I don't know about Bain either but that's my point. I think there are guys that are easier to figure out.

It's not just his arm length. He's short. He has small hands. And considering he didn't run or do anything at the combine he hasn't allayed fears he's not much of an athlete. And if he ultimately does some metrics at the proday and shows he's not much of an athlete then the Ryan Anderson comps aren't crazy.

Yes, Bain is a better player than Ryan. But the narrative about Ryan is short, small hands, short arms and meh of an athlete -- on all those metrics (except for the unknown athletic traits) overlap this. Ryan almost identical size, hands -- and arms were actually longer than Bain. But any draftnik that doesn't buy into Anderson, is silly, did you see him play? Sacks. forced fumbles. He's a baller and tone setter for that killer Alabama team. He's a football player so just shut up and draft him and you'll be happy.

Bain is a fun watch. Does he overcome all these limitations? Maybe. I am not out on him. But I got some prospects who don't feel like a maybe. We are picking top 10, not 20-30. At 20-30, I love maybes where if I am right I got a big time prospect on the cheap.

And again if this team loves him or not, we got no idea. Reading about scouts takes when leaked, its clear that some teams really dig Bain, and some teams don't. We got no idea how Washington feels about him.

 

[KDawg]

Isn't that kind of important though? Especially once the game is played for a while and they all get tired. It seems to me that Bain would have to be subbed out a lot too.

Sure is. But everything on that list is pretty important. And that’s a long list.

If a guy checks every box but one - doesn’t that make them qualified?

Granted, it’s not lost on me that the one box he doesn’t check is a pretty big one given historical data points, but no one with his arm length has ever been drafted in the first round and definitely not a potential first half of the first/top 10 guy. So maybe, just maybe, the other 11 checked boxes will help him overcome that one.

If he had 29” arm length I’d bet he wouldn’t be a name any of us even knew.

But we do know him. And he has been a game wrecker.

The arm length thing may yet wind up being a limiting factor. But I bet on the 11/12 here, myself.

 

[KDawg]

I don't know about Bain either but that's my point. I think there are guys that are easier to figure out.

It's not just his arm length. He's short. He has small hands. And considering he didn't run or do anything at the combine he hasn't allayed fears he's not much of an athlete. And if he ultimately does some metrics at the proday and shows he's not much of an athlete then the Ryan Anderson comps aren't crazy.

Yes, Bain is a better player than Ryan. But the narrative about Ryan is short, small hands, short arms and meh of an athlete -- on all those metrics (except for the unknown athleletic traits) overlap this. Ryan almost identical size, hands -- and arms were actually longer than Bain. But any draftnik that doesn't buy into Anderson, is silly, did you see him play? Sacks. forced fumbles. He's a baller and tone setter for that killer Alabama team. He's a football player so just shut up and draft him and you'll be happy.

Bain is a fun watch. Does he overcome all these limitations? Maybe. I am not out on him. But I got some prospects who don't feel like a maybe. We are picking top 10, not 20-30. At 20-30, I love maybes where if I am right I got a big time prospect on the cheap.

And again if this team loves him or not, we got no idea. Reading about scouts takes when leaked, its clear that some teams really dig Bain, and some teams don't. We got no idea how Washington feels about him.

It’s Love first for me. And then everyone else is kind of grouped based on what Jones wants for the D. I’d be great with Styles, Bain or Reese.

 

[burgold]

There's this old cliche "looks like Tarzan plays like Jane" but there are also players who look like Jane and play like Tarzan. I'm not sure if that's the Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm might be two good examples of this. Joe was a giant lump of a man so was Russ. They were big, ole boys who looked much more like someone you'd find a bar than than a gym. In basketball, I think Jokic is the current example. He just looks pudgy compared to so many cut and lean athletes. These aren't the best examples of what I'm trying to get at... maybe it's the short receiver or cornerback who plays big. Maybe it's the undersized D tackle who pops up every now and then and just wrecks terrror with their quickness. Heck, maybe it's Jayden Daniels with his too thin frame? Probably these are all exceptions to the rule but there are enough exceptions that aquiring a Jane that plays like Tarzan is worth the dice throw.

I don't know how often that toss is worth going for in the first round. Being someone who loves the underdog and roots for the Cinderella, Janes appeal to me. They are also risky because for everyone that works out there are probably several dozen Janes who wind up not being Tarzan but Jane Doe.

 

[KDawg]

There's this old cliche "looks like Tarzan plays like Jane" but there are also players who look like Jane and play like Tarzan. I'm not sure if that's the Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm might be two good examples of this. Joe was a giant lump of a man so was Russ. They were big, ole boys who looked much more like someone you'd find a bar than than a gym. In basketball, I think Jokic is the current example. He just looks pudgy compared to so many cut and lean athletes. These aren't the best examples of what I'm trying to get at... maybe it's the short receiver or cornerback who plays big. Maybe it's the undersized D tackle who pops up every now and then and just wrecks terrror with their quickness. Heck, maybe it's Jayden Daniels with his too thin frame? Probably these are all exceptions to the rule but there are enough exceptions that aquiring a Jane that plays like Tarzan is worth the dice throw.

I don't know how often that toss is worth going for in the first round. Being someone who loves the underdog and roots for the Cinderella, Janes appeal to me. They are also risky because for everyone that works out there are probably several dozen Janes who wind up not being Tarzan but Jane Doe.

I don’t know if you’ve seen Bain… and I understand some of the measurement stuff…

But he doesn’t look like Jane.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Off of that list, Logan Paulsen doesn't think Bain is good with his hands. I'd have to rewatch with that in mind.

 

[burgold]

I don’t know if you’ve seen Bain… and I understand some of the measurement stuff…

But he doesn’t look like Jane.

lol... I was just about to write an edit.

The inspiration for my post was absolutely the Bain conversation, but I don't know that I was really writing about Bain. I guess he has "Jane" arms? I did think the concept of looks like Jane but plays like Tarzan is an interesting one to consider given how easy it is to fall in love with measureables and ignore game tape though.

 

[DWinzit]

Off of that list, Logan Paulsen doesn't think Bain is good with his hands. I'd have to rewatch with that in mind.

I was under the impression he has had great hand movement and strength at least initial strike and contact wise. Perhaps he is talking if/when his feet are slowed and heavily engaged

 

[philibusters]

I watched Makai Lemon’s 2024 games against Notre Dame and Texas A&M. In both games he was essentially a slot-only receiver and was off the field for stretches, but when he was on the field he was very good. He’s a polished route runner with a thoughtful release package. He showed multiple releases, including inside and outside releases on slot fades, and one where he really stepped on the corner’s toes to threaten leverage. He can handswipe through contact and the stem of his routes has a lot of intention. He consistently attacks a defensive back’s leverage and at the top of the route he has violent hip sink — probably the best hip sink I’ve seen from the five or so receivers I’ve evaluated so far.

His route tree in these games was fairly thin, but the detail with which he ran those routes suggests it could easily be expanded. The technical foundation is there. He’s not perfect though. Physical contact can reroute him a bit. On a couple reps he successfully handswiped through contact, including on a nice slant where he was actually defensively held (the flag was not thrown, though the QB’s throw sailed high and it was intercepted, but it was a nice handswipe by Lemon). When he couldn’t fully clear contact, it did alter his path slightly. He also had an occasional false step, though nothing that looked like a major issue. There were two mesh routes where he ran them too deep, making it easier for defenders to avoid getting picked at the mesh point. He may also have misread one option route where he should have sat down but instead kept running and took a big hit from a linebacker. Overall though, the route running was very good.

Vertically, he’s dangerous but not a true burner. I’d describe his speed as having about two and a half gears. He clearly has a second gear and then a mild third gear, but that top gear isn’t blazing. I’d guess somewhere in the 4.45–4.50 range. It’s enough to gain a step on defensive backs, though usually just a step. He caught three deep balls across the two games. One showed excellent ball tracking and late hands where he caught the ball over his shoulder and throttled down early enough to catch it over his shoulder but never give the db any clue on what was happening. On the other two he turned around for the ball, which telegraphed the catch point to the DB and exposed his hands and chest, though it felt partly situational because he was tight to the sideline. On one of those he showed excellent body control to secure the catch in bounds.

After the catch he has real make-you-miss ability. I counted roughly four or five forced missed tackles. He doesn’t break tackles much, but he can make defenders whiff. His ability to throttle up and down helps him squeeze out extra yards even though his long speed isn’t elite. In the run game he was a sometimes feisty blocker — not consistently high effort, but enough reps with real fight to show he’s willing. In zone coverage he also appeared to have a good feel for finding green grass. It’s sometimes hard to tell whether that’s route adjustment or simply the play design, but he seemed to read defenders and subtly settle into open space. Overall he looked very good. Whether he’s worth the 7th overall pick is debatable given the slot-heavy usage and lack of elite long speed, but I wouldn’t be heartbroken if Washington took him. In a trade down scenario — say around pick 14 — he could end up being very good value.

 

[KDawg]

Off of that list, Logan Paulsen doesn't think Bain is good with his hands. I'd have to rewatch with that in mind.

Ya I’m not sure I agree with that take, but he doesn’t have to use his hands much because he wins with bend/burst/lateral agility most of the time. But I think he has solid hand usage.

But I’ll do another watch on just his hands.

 

[skinsinparadise]

It’s Love first for me. And then everyone else is kind of grouped based on what Jones wants for the D. I’d be great with Styles, Bain or Reese.

Of those three Styles seems like the safest pick.

lol, I keep doing these. But post combine, for what its worth, mocks change and some cite sources to it, and you got me if its right or wrong but its all we got.

QB gone. at least one O lineman gone. Some mocks have 2 but I'll stick to 1 to be conservative. Looks like Bailey, Reese gone.

So that's 4 players.

Some have Styles, Love and Tate gone in the next 3. Downs on occasion but rarely, I think Downs because he's a safety and not a freakish athletic one will be there at 7.

So at the moment I think its someone between Styles, Love, Tate, Downs at 7. The NFL Executives interviewed by the Athletic all had Tate going before our pick. So lets take Tate out.

So that's now between Styles and Love where one of them falls. I'd take whichever one falls. Downs would be my next choice.

For Love we got to hope the Titans and Cards and Giants get a RB in FA. Looks like the Giants are shopping in FA, so that likely rules them out.

 

[skinsinparadise]

I was under the impression he has had great hand movement and strength at least initial strike and contact wise. Perhaps he is talking if/when his feet are slowed and heavily engaged

Nope, he was very specific about it. He said he relies on his elbows-shoulder power to swat and watching his hands specfically he didn't think he was hot with them. And he didn't think the elbow-shoulder power drill would work on more powerful NFL tackles.

 

[philibusters]

I was under the impression he has had great hand movement and strength at least initial strike wise

Logan was not detailed enough to convey exactly what he meant. Bain's core move is the club rip and he is good at it. He also also that hump move that meshes the use of his hand with his upper and core body strength. Some moves like a long arm may be less effective and the long arm is one of the primary moves of speed to power. But Logan would have to get more technical for us to really understand his take. He tries to keep it a little less technical as he knows the majority of the audience prefers it that way. The thing about Logan is he seems like he is a very technical analyst but he understands how media works and dumbs it down a bit.

Rather than a pure long arm for example on speed to power where you have you arm full extended and push the O-Line backwards he uses his leverage and core strength to forklift and lift them up and backwards so he is less reliant on his arm length and more on leverage and lower body and core strength.

 

[DWinzit]

Logan was not detailed enough to convey exactly what he meant. Bain's core move is the club rip and he is good at it. He also also that hump move that meshes the use of his hand with his upper and core body strength. Some moves like a long arm may be less effective and the long arm is one of the primary moves of speed to power. But Logan would have to get more technical for us to really understand his take. He tries to keep it a little less technical as he knows the majority of the audience prefers it that way. The thing about Logan is he seems like he is a very technical analyst but he understands how media works and dumbs it down a bit.

Thanks to you and skinsinparadise for the explanations. I can understand that and think that some of the hand fight could still be learned by Bain improving his abilities rushing. THere are so many college players that would benefit from learning more about hand usage. I am surprised teams don't have a martial arts teacher come in and work some with their OL and DL players

 

[Kalu44]

I’m going to be depressed if the Giants take Styles and he turns out to be a stud. His interviews alone tell you that he is special. We’d be reminded of that constantly in the NFC East. That late season win against the Giants is rearing it’s ugly head now.

 

[skinsinparadise]

McShay

 

[HTTR]

Tate not very high on that list. Maybe he falls?

We are probably not getting Love 😞