The 2026 Draft Thread - Day 2

I previously wanted Haulcy but Cross plays the same role. If we take a safety at 71, I prefer a guy who plays a good post safety like Bud Clark
I think there’s still a spot for Haulcy on this defense. He’s pretty versatile and that’s what Daronte wants in his DBs. Supporting the run, blitzing, covering deep, or rotating pre‑snap etc. Haulcy is a little slower than your typical free safety but he can certainly play high and leverage angles. But traditional FS, Bud would definitively be a better fit agreed.I just think this defense wants really versatile defenders so interested to see which route we go in the draft. Haulcy has great coverage instincts and just an overall ball hawk. Reminds me a lot of Eric Reid actually.
 
I like Haulcey a lot. I think Genesis Smith is the best true post safety in terms of coverage, but he is a terrible tackler--so he is a bit of a mesh of extremes--best coverage, worst tackling--so he won't be a fit for everybody's defensive system.
 
I like Haulcey a lot. I think Genesis Smith is the best true post safety in terms of coverage, but he is a terrible tackler--so he is a bit of a mesh of extremes--best coverage, worst tackling--so he won't be a fit for everybody's defensive system.
Yeah it is hard to justify a bad tackling single high S. Its a shame probably not something he is just going to pick up or be taught quickly after being drafted lol
 
Listened to the March 13, 2026 Daft on Draft episode on running backs and it was a pretty blunt evaluation of the class overall. They covered six backs and basically split them into two tiers: Jadarian Price, Mike Washington, Emmett Johnson, and Jonah Coleman in the top group, with Kaytron Allen and Damond Claiborne a step below. They even said it would not surprise them if backs like Seth McGowan or Leveon Moss went ahead of Allen and Claiborne. The overall theme of the episode was that outside of Jeremiah Love this is a below-average running back class and nowhere near the strength of last year’s outstanding group. They also mentioned that the depth of the class is shaky enough that a lot of backs drafted in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds may struggle to make 53-man rosters.

Jadarian Price: Price is widely viewed as the consensus RB2, though James Foster has him as RB4. He is about 208 pounds with good speed but only average explosiveness overall. His best trait is a really impressive jump cut in wide zone, especially when he cuts against the flow of the run, and he shows good contact balance against side ankle tackles. However, he does not have much power running head-on and struggles to churn out tough yards through defenders. On gap scheme runs he does not have a great feel for working through traffic. Ball security popped up as an issue in 2025 when he had three fumbles, all inside the five-yard line. His passing game profile is extremely limited with only 18 career targets and a very small route tree. Pass protection is also a weakness; he flashes decent hand pop but takes poor angles and lacks an anchor, though James noted there are worse pass protectors in the class. James compared him to Jordan James and Zamir White, basically a player who can be part of a committee but is unlikely to be the focal point of an offense. Cory described him as a loud runner with heavy feet, saying his footwork often looks flat-footed which hurts his ability to change direction outside that signature jump cut, and he also noted limited ankle flexion. Both hosts landed in a similar place with him as RB4 and generally viewed him as a decent committee back but not someone who projects as a difference maker.

Mike Washington: Cory said his overall grade on Washington is very similar to Price. Washington ran a blazing 4.33 forty but Cory said he does not see that level of speed consistently on tape. What he does show is good vision and he keeps his eyes up well when working through the first level of the defense. He runs high but still manages to run through contact because of his size and contact balance. Pass protection was disappointing because with his physical tools you would expect him to be better there. Cory has him as RB3 while James has him as RB2. James agreed that the 4.33 speed does not really show up in games. He described Washington as fluid and agile behind the line of scrimmage but once he hits second gear he becomes stiff and turns into a very linear runner who struggles to shake defenders at the second level. He does bring some decent power and the mental processing is clean and quick. James also pointed out that Washington’s jump cuts are fairly rigid, which makes him a poor fit for wide zone heavy schemes because he loses momentum out of his cuts and they are not particularly precise. He does show good hands in the passing game, but both hosts thought his pass protection was disappointing given his wingspan and 230-pound frame. One other note is that he will already be 24 when he enters the league.

Emmett Johnson: Johnson rushed for about 1400 yards this season and Cory said the tape shows outstanding vision, but he wishes the physical traits matched that vision more closely. James agreed that Johnson’s change-of-direction skills are very good but he lacks explosiveness and true top-end burst. James joked that Johnson’s long run against Iowa might have been the least explosive explosive play he had seen all year. What Johnson does well is operate in tight spaces; his elusiveness in a phone booth, his creativity, his peripheral vision, and the way he can almost teleport laterally from gap to gap are impressive. Pass protection is a problem though because he is tall, a bit stringy, runs high, and only weighs about 200 pounds. Cory was impressed by the peripheral vision and the way Johnson sees the second level develop, and in the passing game he has dependable hands even though Nebraska did not use him on a very extensive route tree. Cory said the frustrating thing is that Johnson constantly gets nipped at the ankle when he breaks into open grass and you just wish there were a bit more athletic juice there. The testing numbers did not really back up the change-of-direction ability seen on film either, with a 51st percentile shuttle and only a 13th percentile three-cone. James has him as RB3 while Cory has him at RB5.

Kaytron Allen: Cory saw good initial patience from Allen but thought he missed too many backside cuts and did not see the backside of runs as well as the front side. He also felt Allen’s second-level vision was disappointing. Cory thought the jump cut was not very good and that Allen looked tight in the ankles. There is also almost no production in the passing game. Even though Allen weighs about 216 pounds, Cory said he runs very high and that hurts his contact balance because he is easier to knock off track than you would expect for a back that size. Cory said the only trait he consistently liked was Allen’s initial vision. In pass protection Allen tends to wait until the last possible moment to initiate contact, which often puts him in a bad position. James was higher on the vision and patience and thought those traits were excellent, but he agreed that Allen has significant athletic limitations that will likely cap his upside in the NFL. James thought the contact balance was decent but also agreed that for a runner of Allen’s size it is not quite the dominant trait you would hope it would be. One major résumé point in Allen’s favor is that he finished as Penn State’s all-time leading rusher.


Jonah Coleman: Cory has Coleman as RB2 and described him as a bit of a bowling ball runner in the mold of Ashton Jeanty at around 5'8 and 220 pounds. He does not have breakaway speed and that shows up on tape, but his explosiveness off the back foot is good and his vision is solid. Coleman’s hips allow him to make himself small while squeezing through tight holes and he has very good contact balance. He also brings reliable hands in the passing game with 31 catches and zero drops. Pass protection was a disappointment though. His chips are usually ineffective, his eyes move extremely fast while trying to diagnose rushers, which leads to missed assignments, and he does not generate much pop in his hands when he does engage. He is at his best operating in tight quarters where his jump cut and lateral quickness in the phone booth really show up. James was a little split on him but agreed with many of the positives. James said speed is really the only clearly below-average trait on Coleman’s tape, but he also thought Coleman had more mental errors in pass protection this season compared to 2024. James also praised his jump cut, vision, and contact balance.

Damond Claiborne: James described Claiborne as a home run hitter with excellent speed, great burst, and very easy acceleration when attacking the perimeter. He is elusive laterally and can dodge unblocked defenders in space. The problem is that he trips constantly, which showed up repeatedly across multiple games. His contact balance is below average and he was especially disappointing in short yardage and goal-line situations. He had five fumbles in 2025 after having none in the previous two seasons, but he does have a habit of letting the ball drift away from his body which contributes to the problem. He also does not always take what is blocked for him and can make questionable decisions trying to bounce plays outside. He shows some flashes of creative vision but too often passes up open running lanes. His pacing and tempo as a runner are inconsistent as well. At 5'9 and about 188 pounds he is on the smaller side, and the passing game profile is not good either with six drops on 38 targets and poor technique catching the ball. In pass protection there is basically no hope for him; he lacks both the mentality and the physical tools to hold up there. Cory wondered if the frequent falling might be related to tight ankles. Both hosts agreed that Claiborne’s explosiveness is elite, but too many other traits fall into the below-average category.

The overall takeaway from the episode was that this running back class has some useful committee backs but very few players who project as true difference makers. Compared to last year’s loaded group it is a noticeable drop-off, and outside of Jeremiah Love there may not be many backs who end up being focal points of NFL offenses.
 
Great RB information. Sounds like it’s Love, or Hate…kinda….
 
Another fine post philibusters !

There is one RB I'd be interested in and he is outside of those 6. It would be Penn States Nicholas Singleton.

I can see him being good if we are moving to a zone blocking scheme as he is a good quick (4.39) one cut big (6' 220) with good hands in the passing game and doesn't fumble

But yeah, the rest of the pack makes Love more appealing.
 
Another fine post philibusters !

There is one RB I'd be interested in and he is outside of those 6. It would be Penn States Nicholas Singleton.

I can see him being good if we are moving to a zone blocking scheme as he is a good quick (4.39) one cut big (6' 220) with good hands in the passing game and doesn't fumble

But yeah, the rest of the pack makes Love more appealing.

I think Nick Singleton's primary role in his first couple year's in the NFL will be as a third down back. He is one of the better backs in pass pro and showed some skills as a pass catcher.

Penn St. ran an outside zone under Andy Kotelnicki and Singleton's decision making wasn't that good. His vision is just a major limiter. He doesn't see the openings in zone and he can not sift through traffic in gap runs. But I do think he could have a future as a third down back and maybe he can develop into something more. Him and Jeremiah Love clearly have the best athletic profiles in this RB class.
 
I think Nick Singleton's primary role in his first couple year's in the NFL will be as a third down back. He is one of the better backs in pass pro and showed some skills as a pass catcher.

Penn St. ran an outside zone under Andy Kotelnicki and Singleton's decision making wasn't that good. His vision is just a major limiter. He doesn't see the openings in zone and he can not sift through traffic in gap runs. But I do think he could have a future as a third down back and maybe he can develop into something more. Him and Jeremiah Love clearly have the best athletic profiles in this RB class.
What does do well is have a quick initial burst, gets the hope quickly, the second level like the speed of light, runs through contact and falls forward. I know he doesn't have the elusiveness but if our OL is creating holes, he is hitting them. I definitely am not crushing on him but like him more than he others and he should survive until 71.
 
My thinking has not changed since a couple weeks ago post FA - if there is a guy who very legitimately profiles as a possible EDGE2 in 2027 like Moore, Jacas or Lawrence and we didn’t use #7 on an EDGE, take that guy.

If not, take BPA at safety, hopefully one who is plus there like Bud Clark. The data says the guy you take there has a very high chance of becoming a starter, perhaps even in year 1.

Avoid center. There are some good centers in this draft but a Day 2 center should be starting in year 1 from a value standpoint and these guys really value the veteran center to take the load off JD when it comes to calling protections. If they want to take a center to sit for a year or two and learn, go take someone in Day 3. NFL.com has given grades to 10 guys and some of the guard and tackle prospects may be able to play center as well

Avoid receiver. When I took a look at third round receivers drafted, the hit rate was bad, about a third or so. Historic data suggests guys like Sarratt and Fields are more likely than not going to be backups/out of the league vs starters down the line.
 
My thinking has not changed since a couple weeks ago post FA - if there is a guy who very legitimately profiles as a possible EDGE2 in 2027 like Moore, Jacas or Lawrence and we didn’t use #7 on an EDGE, take that guy.

If not, take BPA at safety, hopefully one who is plus there like Bud Clark. The data says the guy you take there has a very high chance of becoming a starter, perhaps even in year 1.

Avoid center. There are some good centers in this draft but a Day 2 center should be starting in year 1 from a value standpoint and these guys really value the veteran center to take the load off JD when it comes to calling protections. If they want to take a center to sit for a year or two and learn, go take someone in Day 3. NFL.com has given grades to 10 guys and some of the guard and tackle prospects may be able to play center as well

Avoid receiver. When I took a look at third round receivers drafted, the hit rate was bad, about a third or so. Historic data suggests guys like Sarratt and Fields are more likely than not going to be backups/out of the league vs starters down the line.
I love the idea of taking one of the Edges at 71 assuming the draft plays out as we think it will. If not safety makes a lot of sense as both are positions have strength in this draft and you want to take advantage of the strength of the draft if possible.

At WR in the 3rd, you are correct there is a chance they become no more than a WR3 playing sporadically throughout games but you go with your grading chart and if you have higher needs falls into play.

One point you have continued on is to take an edge if they can be a starter next year and contribute this year(which I am good with). Yet you say avoid Center if they can't start until late this this year or next year. If we get our starting C for the next decade at pick 71, no one will care if he didn't start day one. Also, there are a couple Cs that should be NFL ready, just not certain if they reach 71
 
I love the idea of taking one of the Edges at 71 assuming the draft plays out as we think it will. If not safety makes a lot of sense as both are positions have strength in this draft and you want to take advantage of the strength of the draft if possible.

At WR in the 3rd, you are correct there is a chance they become no more than a WR3 playing sporadically throughout games but you go with your grading chart and if you have higher needs falls into play.

One point you have continued on is to take an edge if they can be a starter next year and contribute this year(which I am good with). Yet you say avoid Center if they can't start until late this this year or next year. If we get our starting C for the next decade at pick 71, no one will care if he didn't start day one. Also, there are a couple Cs that should be NFL ready, just not certain if they reach 71

I hear you DWiz regarding C at 71. The way I think about it is C is the lowest valued position in the league, even more so than RB per the salary data another poster put up. If we took a RB rd 3 with the idea hed be a year 1 backup, with our lack of draft capital, I’d be disappointed.

At the end of the day, S is more valuable than C and this draft class is excellent. There will definitely be a Day 1 starting caliber guy we can get at #71. If we are optimizing draft capital, why not take a likely Day 1 starter at a (slightly) more valuable position?
 
I hear you DWiz regarding C at 71. The way I think about it is C is the lowest valued position in the league, even more so than RB per the salary data another poster put up. If we took a RB rd 3 with the idea hed be a year 1 backup, with our lack of draft capital, I’d be disappointed.

At the end of the day, S is more valuable than C and this draft class is excellent. There will definitely be a Day 1 starting caliber guy we can get at #71. If we are optimizing draft capital, why not take a likely Day 1 starter at a (slightly) more valuable position?
I fully understand and appreciate your response, especially regarding the position values.

If a Bud Clark is there at 71, it would be difficult to ignore as he and Dillon T are the 2 safeties I think fit really well. there are a number of players at different positions that if they are there at 71 will be difficult not to take. We just need AP to hit on his picks better than he has as well as not trading away more picks.

Even in the lowly position of Center, good ones do not grow on trees as shown with the teams hunt for Lindenbaugh and by his 3yr/81mil contract. Perhaps they move up the value chart. There are a few good ones and the FA market is crap now the top couple were signed. I still hate the idea of Allegretti as the planned 2026 starter
 
I fully understand and appreciate your response, especially regarding the position values.

If a Bud Clark is there at 71, it would be difficult to ignore as he and Dillon T are the 2 safeties I think fit really well. there are a number of players at different positions that if they are there at 71 will be difficult not to take. We just need AP to hit on his picks better than he has as well as not trading away more picks.

Even in the lowly position of Center, good ones do not grow on trees as shown with the teams hunt for Lindenbaugh and by his 3yr/81mil contract. Perhaps they move up the value chart. There are a few good ones and the FA market is crap now the top couple were signed. I still hate the idea of Allegretti as the planned 2026 starter

Agreed on AP having to hit on these picks. I think not having a 2nd and 4th puts more pressure on him to hit in rounds 1 and 3.

I think he knows his seat has to be at least a bit hot and he needs to put up a good overall offseason independent of the coaching where he can position himself to pick the next coach if the season doesn’t go well and DQ is let go
 
I watched Jonah Coleman, the 5'8, 220-pound back from Washington, against Michigan and Illinois, and those games were actually great evaluation tape because things were not blocked particularly well. In both matchups the defensive fronts consistently stacked Washington’s offensive line, crossed faces to erase gaps, and generally made life miserable in the run game. There were very few clean rushing lanes, which meant Coleman was constantly dealing with muddy pictures at the line of scrimmage. Despite that, he was still effective in both games, which tells you a lot about the type of runner he is. At the NFL level he probably starts his career as a two-down back, but I think he will be a good one, and there is enough there in the passing game that he could eventually grow into a three-down role if the pass protection improves.

As a runner, Coleman brings a lot of plus traits. His first-level vision is very good, and I did not see many bad reads when he was working through the line. The blocking frequently left him with ugly looks—defenders stacking linemen, crossing face to close gaps, and generally blowing up the intended design—but he almost always chose the best option available. He clearly sees both the frontside and backside of runs. His power game is excellent as well. The contact balance really stood out; he runs through arm tackles, ankle tackles, and even plenty of full hits from defenders. He also falls forward consistently for extra yardage. His leverage through the line is outstanding—he almost always wins the leverage battle on first contact, which is very different from a runner like Emmett Johnson. Coleman also has a violent jump cut. It is not the kind of surgical jump cut that precisely aligns with a new crease, but it is explosive enough to get him out of trouble in tight spaces. His short-area quickness shows up repeatedly on tape. There were several plays where he turned nothing into something just by being quick in a phone booth. On one run Gabe Jacas set a very strong edge against a pulling guard and the play looked dead, but Coleman’s short-area burst still allowed him to bounce it outside. He was also excellent in goal-line situations; he scored a touchdown against Michigan where he was hit a yard behind the line at the three but just kept the legs driving and powered into the end zone.

There were a few misses as well, though most of them showed up at the second level rather than the first. A couple times it looked like he outran his pulling blocker when that blocker was working toward a linebacker. Instead of slowing slightly and letting the block develop, he bounced the run outside. If he had been a bit more patient, the puller might have sealed the linebacker and he could have cut it upfield. That said, he is not a runner who constantly bounces plays unnecessarily. The bigger issue is that when he does bounce it outside, the results are only okay because his long speed is just average.

That gets into the athletic profile. Coleman is basically a bowling ball with great leg drive, strong acceleration, and very good short-area quickness. His ankles and hips are flexible enough that he can get small through holes and maintain good knee bend for leverage. The jump cut is dynamic and gives him a real escape mechanism in tight spaces. What he does not have is top-end speed. He probably runs something like a 4.6 forty, which means he is not much of a home-run threat. When he does bounce runs outside, he is not consistently outrunning defensive pursuit angles, and that caps some of the explosive upside in his game.

For now he probably projects as a two-down back. He actually catches the ball well—31 receptions with no drops on 34 targets is excellent—but most of those are screens and checkdowns rather than true route-tree usage from the slot. The hands are soft and he accelerates well after the catch, so there is potential there. Pass protection is the bigger concern. He chipped a lot in the games I watched but the chips lacked impact, and he often looked passive and indecisive in protection, waiting for rushers to come to him instead of seeking out work. For a 220-pound back he does not generate much punch and his eyes looked a bit scattered. From a Commanders perspective, he feels a bit like Chris Rodriguez, maybe a slightly richer man’s version—excellent vision and power, very good in tight spaces, but lacking the speed to be a true explosive threat. He would be a reasonable option at pick 71, though I doubt Washington wants to go running back there. Given the lack of depth in this class, however, I would not be surprised if he is gone well before pick 145.

Below is the first one fourth or so of the video I watched...

 
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