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

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Steve Smiths Top 20 Receivers:

Honorable mention: Stribling, Ole Miss
20. Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech
19. Malik Benson, Oregon
18. Ja'Kobi Lane, USC
17. Bryce Lance, ND St
16. Malachi Fields, ND
15. Antonio Williams, Clemson
14. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
13, Chris Brazzell, Tennessee
12. Omar Cooper, Indiana
11. Skyler Bell, UConn
10. Ted Hurst, Georgia St
9. Zach Branch, Georgia
8. Chris Bell, Louisville
7. Germie Bernard, Alabama
6. KC Concepcion, A&M
5. Denzel Boston, Washington
4. Deion Burks, Oklahoma
3. Makai Lemon, USC
2. Jordyn Tyson, AZ St
1. Carnell Tate, Ohio State

Woh, I haven't looked at Burks.

I did catch that he thought Omar Cooper wasn't good at setting up corners on his breaks.

Has he talked about Sarratt?

 

[Faithful Fan]

Hold up...they were surprised dumpster diving wasn't providing good WR3 production?

. . .

We're totally injuring Jayden again this year and he'll either be damaged goods or demand a trade aren't we?

This is the second or third time I’ve seen this idea. Are we really saying that the lack of quality receivers got Jayden hurt? I’ve seen that said about poor pass protection or lack of running game, but saying it about receivers is a new one on me. In any case, sometimes the QB takes hits because of bad support but sometimes it’s his own bad decisions.

I’ve noticed this weird thing with Jayden’s biggest fans where any of his shortcomings, in this case being injury prone, are attributed to someone else. It was Quinn’s fault for playing him, KK’s fault for bad play calling, AP’s fault for only signing or drafting 10 different receivers in two years, Terry’s fault for holding out and getting hurt, LMC’s fault for getting hurt, Deebo’s fault for not being a deep threat, etc. It couldn’t have anything to do with Jayden’s small frame and propensity to play hero ball. This excuse making has gotten to the point where we are preemptively making excuses for his poor 2026 campaign. Maybe that’s part of my hesitation with drafting a WR, most of the people I see arguing for it have this strange cognitive bias about our QB, so I’m not sure I trust their judgement on related questions.

I don’t know, maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I do agree in the sense that this is a team sport where all the parts have to work together. That includes not only pass protection and reliable targets for the QB, but also defense for field position and avoiding shootouts.

 

[SkinsGuy99]

 

[KDawg]

Offense was way better than defense last year, Daniels is a force multiplier, NE and SEA defenses were better than their offenses...

...I still have a very hard time ignoring that Springfield Gorge level hole at receiver

Offense under Kliff Kingsbury was better than the defense.

Kliff isn’t here.

Kenny Walker was a big deal last year for Seattle in the Super Bowl. JSN was surreal all year.

I absolutely agree our defense needed improvement and still does. But I think we upgraded everywhere but CB on D, including DC.

I think on O we slightly upgraded at TE, RB, downgraded at C, WR, OC, Staff

And when you put your upgrade eggs all in one basket, that basket better be among the best in the League.

I’m not confident Downs, Styles or Delane takes what we have and transforms the defense.

I think Tate can change the entire offense (and Love).

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Because our D was damn near historically bad, we still had a top 5 rushing offense, the 2 best players on our team play offense and they barely played last season. Most of all, there are no real FA defensive players left while there are still receivers out there. That's not saying that I wouldn't go with Tate but I am more than OK with defense.

We hardly had Jayden or Terry last year, definitely didn't have Chig. Bill will be more ready. Aiyuk still has potential and I still see us signing a Deebo, Diggs Allen, etc. I also think that Jennings is truly back in play if we don't get a WR. We still have cap space to give him a one year deal for decent money. I personally think that Burks is a sleeper. Yes, we are wishing for a lot.. Lol, but we were last in defense last year and signed a bunch of short term guys

Then why did we fire our OC?

 

[skinsinparadise]

To be fair, Jayden had to be a hero, not just because of offense. He had to be a hero because the defense was trash and it got twice as bad last season. Going defense in this case helps Jayden also. I won't be upset by us going that route

We are setting the bar really low for this team.

NE was a crap roster heading into 2024 just like this team was -- guess what? They bolstered their O line, made a bad defense good, added weapons, they did it all in two off seasons. We are suggesting its asking too much for Peters to do it in three let alone match NE in two.

Denver was saddled with a lack of picks and cap hell from the Russell Wilson trade. They got the O line, weapons, defense. They got it all working.

The Bears ditto albiet they still need to fix their defense but its better than Washington.

It would be like telling my kid, don't worry about the other A students in school. Just get one A this semester. Next semester go get another A. We don't play the lets shoot for A's in multiple course drill like the honor students, that's not our game.

 

[Faithful Fan]

Steve Smiths Top 20 Receivers:

Honorable mention: Stribling, Ole Miss
20. Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech
19. Malik Benson, Oregon
18. Ja'Kobi Lane, USC
17. Bryce Lance, ND St
16. Malachi Fields, ND
15. Antonio Williams, Clemson
14. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
13, Chris Brazzell, Tennessee
12. Omar Cooper, Indiana
11. Skyler Bell, UConn
10. Ted Hurst, Georgia St
9. Zach Branch, Georgia
8. Chris Bell, Louisville
7. Germie Bernard, Alabama
6. KC Concepcion, A&M
5. Denzel Boston, Washington
4. Deion Burks, Oklahoma
3. Makai Lemon, USC
2. Jordyn Tyson, AZ St
1. Carnell Tate, Ohio State

I was watching a bit of Concepcion in his matchup with Delane, intriguing prospect, I could see him being better than those above him on the board. Sadly we have no picks anywhere near the range he will be taken, but maybe he could be a trade down target?

 

[Bulldog]

Aiyuk has not played football in a year and a half. And at this point he may not be freed up to sign a contract until the late summer if a trade is not completed before then and that crazy bonus structure in his deal are a non-starter.

Deebo is 30 and would be great as a #3. But his days as a true playmaker in the NFL are over and that's why he was available for modest compensation. The 1,400 yard Deebo is history.

If you ask me would I rather help Daniels and upgrade the talent on offense and still have a hole or two on defense, I can live with that.

But if you take the scenario where Terry suffers another injury and you are back to Deebo being the #1 receiver on this team and special teamers like McCaffrey and Lane as the 'go to' players for Jayden that's just criminal.

The NFL is a quarterbacks league. Yes, you need a complete roster but this is a RETOOL and is going to take more than ONE year to fill every hole and get this team to a legitimate 12-5 or 13-4 record.

Now, if the GM wants to take Delane (Styles is available in 5% of mocks I have seen) first that's FINE to me.

But it then becomes incumbent upon him to do more than wait until #71 to draft a WR or wait until after the draft to sign Diggs, etc.

If you are watching the Patriots MOVED ON from Diggs because they realized they needed MORE at WR to help their developing young quarterback.

It's a bit embarrassing to see Caleb Wiliams and Maye get all of this love from their organizations while some fans here seem to want Washington's offense to remain a Jayden Daniels solo act with some modest help from the background band members.

Going cheap at WR and RB didn't work out so well for the Chiefs the past couple of years and Reid/Veatch realized their error and have said goodbye to Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins at 37 and have brought in Kenny Walker and are now poised to add a WR in Round 1 of the draft.

They have some promising players at CB but lost McDuffie and Watson in the offseason.

Evidently they think protecting and securing the offense for Mahomes is more important to take care of first.

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Offense was way better than defense last year, Daniels is a force multiplier, NE and SEA defenses were better than their offenses...

...I still have a very hard time ignoring that Springfield Gorge level hole at receiver

But Jayden isn't a conservative QB, he's aggressive. If the O isn't working to his standards he'll put his body on the line.

Are we trying to make Jayden not Jayden? Teach him that he doesn't need his killer instinct?

 

[KDawg]

I’m totally fine with D at 7, by the way. Really.

But that “totally fine” comes with “but you better find a way to give us better weapons than what we have and not more band aids.

I’m not confident in our ability to do that. Some people here seem to believe in Peters and Quinn much more than I do. One year is a mistake, 2 years is questionable, 3 years is a trend.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Woh, I haven't looked at Burks.

I did catch that he thought Omar Cooper wasn't good at setting up corners on his breaks.

Has he talked about Sarratt?

I have talked a little about him. Runs in the 4'3s, benched 26 reps -- twitchy, played outside and slot but in the pros I think he's more slot.

Had a DUI, but supposedly a good dude, he has a bit of an ego if you watch his interviews.

But I'd take him in the third, not my top want in that range but he was one of my wants in that range when I posted my WR rankings a couple of days ago

1. Carnell Tate -- mid-late first -- comp a bigger Devonta Smith

2. Jordyn Tyson -- mid-late first -- comp poor man's Stefan Diggs

3. Omar Cooper -- late first -- comp Luther Burden

4. Makai Lemon -- late first -- comp poor man's St. Brown

5. Denzel Boston -- late first-early 2nd -- comp poor man's Drake London

6. KC Concepcion -- late first-early 2nd -- maybe the most explosive WR in this draft

7. Germie Bernard -- 2nd round -- does everything well, nothing great but very steady

8. Anotinio Williams -- 2nd round -- a rich man's Jamison Crowder

9. Elijah Sarratt -- 2nd-3rd round -- not sexy, not the best separator, but consistently gets the job done

10. De-Zhaun Stribling -- 2nd-3rd round round. Explosive, great tools. Poor man's Concepcion, not as explosive but more physical

11. Ted Hurst -- 2nd-3rd round -- don't have enough footage to go deep on him but like his hands-movement skills

12. Chris Brazzell -- 2nd-3rd round -- poor man's Alec Pierce

13. Skyler Bell -- 3rd round fun YAC player, good hands

14. Deion Burks -- 3rd round -- underrated, sort of a quicker but not as smooth route runner as Antonio Williams

15. Ja'Kobi Lane 3rd-4th -- poor man's Carnell Tate, some personality issues

16. Malachi Fields 3rd-4th. Overrated as a contested catcher, but underrated hands, deep threat. Taller Noah Brown.

17. Zacriah Branch 3rd-4th. Overrated by Kiper and McShay IMO. Rich man's Jayiln Lane.

16. Brenan Thompson -- 4th. Aldrick Robinson?

17. Bryce Lance -- 4th. Physical freak but very raw and older prospect.

18. Kendrick Law -- 5th-6th -- great YAC player, physical and quick with the ball in his hands. Similar idea to Branch

19. Cyrus Allen --5th-6th -- probably drops further than this. Similar idea to Antonio Williams

20. Malik Benson 6th -- potential as a deep threat, which he was better with YAC especially with his speed



Raw 6th-7th-UDFA -- tough to rank them against each other



Reggie Virgil -- poor man's Carnell Tate

Jason Cameron -- physical possession WR

Caleb Dougas -- poor man's Stribling

Eric Rivers -- poor man's Santana Moss, can track the deep ball and run

Eric McAllister -- big dude who is physical and a deep threat sort of a faster Malcahi Fields but a raw route runner

 

[KDawg]

Woh, I haven't looked at Burks.

I did catch that he thought Omar Cooper wasn't good at setting up corners on his breaks.

Has he talked about Sarratt?

“Did everything, didn’t complain, he just kept chopping wood. Short intermediate winner, not sure he’s the guy, but he fits the mold.”

He’d use him as a slot and an outside and figure out where he better fits and then keep him there. Teams that understand receiver play are a better fit.

Might have maxed himself out already - same reason DK Metcalf dropped. It depends on what you are looking at. If you want a guy that can develop and grow, not a fit. Want a guy more ready to go he’s the guy you go for.

If you’re on the hot seat you don’t pick a guy like him.

Thinks he fits in well with the Chargers run game because he’s a quality blocker. He gets down and dirty.

 

[skinsinparadise]

But Jayden isn't a conservative QB, he's aggressive. If the O isn't working to his standards he'll put his body on the line.

Are we trying to make Jayden not Jayden? Teach him that he doesn't need his killer instinct?

He's also a timing based QB who relies on strong route running receivers.

My issue with this debate is the bar is so low that its a binary choice

A. Do you help the crap defense even more post FA?

B. Or do you bail out one of the worst supporting casts in the NFL on offense

The fact that this is an A versus B debate is letting Peters off the hook. How about NE again who fixed an atrocious defense and bad O line and added weapons in 2 off seasons and is now poised to trade for AJ Brown. Why is Peters being graded on a curve -- we are just assuming he's not as good or ambitious as some of the better FOs in the league?

 

[washington football]

Dolphins are looking at Bain moving down to 11 is possibly. They have a ton of picks.

 

[Faithful Fan]

He's also a timing based QB who relies on strong route running receivers.

My issue with this debate is the bar is so low that its a binary choice

A. Do you help the crap defense even more post FA?

B. Or do you bail out one of the worst supporting casts in the NFL on offense

The fact that this is an A versus B debate is letting Peters off the hook. How about NE again who fixed an atrocious defense and bad O line and added weapons in 2 off seasons and is now poised to trade for AJ Brown. Why is Peters being graded on a curve -- we are just assuming he's not as good or ambitious as some of the better FOs in the league?

We don’t have enough draft picks because we used one to put a stud LT on our quarterback’s blind side.

 

[skinsinparadise]

It's a bit embarrassing to see Caleb Wiliams and Maye get all of this love from their organizations while some fans here seem to want Washington's offense to remain a Jayden Daniels solo act with some modest help from the background band members.

To me this point extends beyond just what's the best move up upgrade what unit. There is some evidence as I pointed out that people around Jayden are acutely aware and frustated about how little they've done to help him.

And it feels like some fans and some in the local media are OK with staying on this ride. We got local reporters for example saying its silly for this team to sign a TE after they signed Chig. And we got the Bears in contrast who had a young TE, Kmet who was decent already on the roster, and yet they draft a TE, Loveland high in the first round, so how about that two good young TEs? The Bears draft a WR top 10. The next draft that take a WR in the high 2nd. It's all hands on deck, our young QB can't have enough weapons.

Versus the conversation about this team about whether the mid round WR can pan out or one of their many street FA signings.

 

[skinsinparadise]

We don’t have enough draft picks because we used one to put a stud LT on our quarterback’s blind side.

They had 5 million draft picks in 2024 and close to the most cap space in the league three off seasons in a row. How many more resources does Peters need?

 

[Faithful Fan]

They had 5 million draft picks in 2024 and close to the most cap space in the league three off seasons in a row. How many more resources does Peters need?

I get the frustration, last year was a disaster and you don’t want to squander the opportunity with a young franchise QB, but I’m willing to give AP some time here. We will know more about that 2024 draft class this year, I have higher hopes for them than most. And last year’s failures are at least partly the historically bad luck with injuries. Now another year like that and I’ll join you in calling for his head.

 

[KDawg]

I get the frustration, last year was a disaster and you don’t want to squander the opportunity with a young franchise QB, but I’m willing to give AP some time here. We will know more about that 2024 draft class this year, I have higher hopes for them than most. And last year’s failures are at least partly the historically bad luck with injuries. Now another year like that and I’ll join you in calling for his head.

When Terry and Noah Brown were hurt / holding out we didn’t do a thing other than band aid the issue.

I’m just so tired of band aids.

We have four total skill players under contract next year. One being Terry.

Lane
Terry
McCaffrey
Bill

That’s it.

Please, for the love of all that is good, add some stability to the offensive skills. Please.

 

[skinsinparadise]