The 2026 Draft Thread - Day 2

Perhaps they think he might be there in the 5th.
Yeah if they were to trade back from 7 or 71 and accumulate other picks in the 3rd or 4th. It's not strong RB class ad see some of these guys dropping into the later 3rd and 4th easily
 
I don’t see E. Johnson being drafted before day 3. As an end of the draft guy, if he is BPA… yes. I’m all for it. I like Emmett.

But Love is a guy I have been pushing for, as Conn noted, because he is special. These other backs are not.

With White, Ford, McNichols and Bill we have four backs. We can add UDFAs and low end FA to fill the roster and compete. We don’t need to take a running back for the sake of taking one.

Any that we take need to be the BPA.

And at some point they might be. But that shouldn’t be the case at 71
 
Johnson at 71 would be a serious misstep for this organization I think. Not because anything you said about him is incorrect, I think you’ve identified why they’re intrigued by him and why he could fit.

But imo we’re only considering Love because he’s SPECIAL. Beyond that, if you take a RB before the 5th round or so I think you’re really hampering this regime’s ability to round out the roster at all and have a realistic shot at keeping their jobs. Johnson doesn’t give us anything special that we don’t already have in an average/good capacity in the current RB room. Taking him in the high 3rd round after not having a 2nd…misuse of resources imo. That’s one of your last real shots to add legit talent that could potentially slot in and start for us fairly early on from one of the deeper positions in this draft (CB? S? WR?)

Can’t see a scenario where he’s actually the BPA either.
I don’t really disagree with you, but man, if the season (and the staff keeping their jobs) does hinge on a 3rd round pick… they’re probably screwed.
I do think they can supplement things with FA still, mainly at wr and (maybe?) corner, to take some pressure off that 3rd rounder.
I actually wouldn’t be totally opposed to taking a center at 71 for that reason. Not my top want at all, but landing one of the top centers, vs the 15th (or whatever) ranked receiver, particularly when factoring in hit rates*, makes some degree of sense to me. Maybe I’m crazy though, lol.

*I’m just presuming the hit rate is far higher for center than receiver in the 3rd, I don’t actually know
 
I don’t really disagree with you, but man, if the season (and the staff keeping their jobs) does hinge on a 3rd round pick… they’re probably screwed.
I do think they can supplement things with FA still, mainly at wr and (maybe?) corner, to take some pressure off that 3rd rounder.
I actually wouldn’t be totally opposed to taking a center at 71 for that reason. Not my top want at all, but landing one of the top centers, vs the 15th (or whatever) ranked receiver, particularly when factoring in hit rates*, makes some degree of sense to me. Maybe I’m crazy though, lol.

*I’m just presuming the hit rate is far higher for center than receiver in the 3rd, I don’t actually know

I mean, it’s not a popular take, especially after our fairly successful FA period but yeah, I think this staff (this largely inexperienced staff) has an uphill battle on their hands unless Jayden just goes beast mode again, shows he’s taking steps forward, and stays pretty healthy. Their jobs pretty much hinge on that.

I guess my point was more, this franchise has limited draft resources to obtain potential building block type players. So if you’re taking an okay RB prospect at 71 it’s not looking good for their ability to build on any sort of short timeline. Which is unfortunately what they may be operating on due to their offseason an in-season failures last year. They need as many impact players as they can get. Preferably early impact players, or it’ll be the next staff developing these players.

6th round? Sure, go for it, seems like an NFL player which isn’t guaranteed at that point in the draft
 
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I do get that there's a great chance they go WR and DB at 7 and 71 absent of a trade or FA signings prior (assuming the big 3 defenders and Love are gone).

But I am not ruling a front 7 defender depending on how the board falls if they take WR at 7.

I'm sure they would be salivating if certain DL/Edge/LBs fell to 71.

The one in particular I'd jump at would be a guy I have mentioned a bunch of times as has SIP ILB Jake Rodriguez.
 
I do get that there's a great chance they go WR and DB at 7 and 71 absent of a trade or FA signings prior (assuming the big 3 defenders and Love are gone).

But I am not ruling a front 7 defender depending on how the board falls if they take WR at 7.

I'm sure they would be salivating if certain DL/Edge/LBs fell to 71.

The one in particular I'd jump at would be a guy I have mentioned a bunch of times as has SIP ILB Jake Rodriguez.
My guess is he doesn’t get out of the first.
 
My guess is he doesn’t get out of the first.
Seriously? Wow!

Back in November he was grading around the mid 3rd thru the 4th round.

Now I have been thinking mid 2nd.
 
Seriously? Wow!

Back in November he was grading around the mid 3rd thru the 4th round.

Now I have been thinking mid 2nd.
The mock with Schrager, Carthon, Yates and Brugler he went low 30s.

Realistically I think he’s long gone by mid second. We’ll see. But many have him as LB2
 
The mock with Schrager, Carthon, Yates and Brugler he went low 30s.

Realistically I think he’s long gone by mid second. We’ll see. But many have him as LB2
Dang, that stinks but he really deserves some of the recognition he is receiving
 
Just the tape put up every Bryce Lance rep, so I watched all of it. Was interested in part because this team I am gathering digs him some.

Pros

He's a 4'3ish runner and he plays like it --- fast on the field
Tracks the deep ball well
Though he's a body catcher he makes it work mostly
decent run blocker -- not great but good enough
Plays the comeback route well -- which works for a dude who is a deep ball threat
Good YAC runner -- he's a bit of a linear runner but he flies with the ball in his hands
Decent contested catcher

Cons
The body catching stuff -- would that work in the pros?
Didn't run a diverse route tree -- go routes, comebacks, screens -- occasional slants, corner routes
Releases? Wasn't really tested much as to being jammed at the line of scrimmage and with his lanky frame you wonder if he can beat press
A bit stiff -- he's fast but not really twtichy or quick
Playing against easy competition he wasn't still always seperating big -- his double moves come off a bit clunky

Overall he reminds me of Chris Brazzell from this class -- Brazzell with softer hands. Both deep ball threats. Both somewhat one dimensional but its a good dimension. I trust Brazzell more with the deep ball in the pros considering he did it against stiffer competiion and has better hands. But I like Lance's physicality more especially with short stuff-YAC.

There are WRs i like better than likely end up in this range. But if he falls to 71, It's not a crazy pick, I'd get it. And I wasn't a big Gandy-Golden guy back in the day, best analogy I can think of to a dude who played against inferior competition. Golden from what I recall struggled to seperate and would just drape over smaller corners from those small schools. Lance has more juice to him, much more upside than Gandy-Golden, did.

I have been only able to see Hurst highlights so hard for me to go a deep dive into him. But judging purely on that -- Hurst has quicker feet, better double moves, and is a hands catcher -- not a body catcher. But I'll say about Lance, if he's coached up well, he's a fast guy who looks fast, so if they can tap into it, again I'd get it.
 
Some under discussed day 2 receiver types:

De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss - Good size (6-2 205), quality production, tackle breaking machine, 4.36 speed. Knock on him is that he just isn't really quick in his breaks and his brakes aren't F1 quality. They are more GT4. But this dude could be our starting #2 receiver pretty quick. Only issue here is I think he needs to be off the LoS because he needs motions to get him free more often. He's a bit of a gamble, but has WR2 potential. I'm not sure he really fits much else, so him as a 3 or 4 doesn't really work. Quality back up on the outside is probably his floor.

Deion Burks, Oklahoma - I mean... this guy SUFFERED from AWFUL QB play. I've kind of put off watching him too much because he just didn't stand out... but the more I watch of him the more I like him and the less I like his quarterbacks. I also hate how OU used him. Now... the question is: Did they utilize him based on what he could handle or did they utilize him based on the quarterbacks or did they just stink? He's smaller, 5-9, 180. But he's a ridiculous athlete. This guy is a true vertical threat.

Underdiscussed DB types:

Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina, Safety - 6-1, 210, 4.4 speed, 8 picks in three years, high school receiver. He is a hitter and can develop. But he needs to do that. He doesn't get off blocks well as a box safety and struggles a little in man coverage in the slot. Doesn't have the range you want as a free. But he has high end potential with some development. I'm not sure he is a guy we have the luxury of taking and developing, though. But I love the style.

Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State, CB - love how he plays, but he is a walking 15 yard penalty. His super power is press man. Long arms, 6-2, 190 frame allows him to get onto receivers and 4.45 speed allows him to keep up with guys that do get by him. If he wasn't so aggressive with penalties this guy would be a legit first round prospect. But he has to figure out how to play the same game he currently has without committing so many damn penalties.
 
Just the tape put up every Bryce Lance rep, so I watched all of it. Was interested in part because this team I am gathering digs him some.

Pros

He's a 4'3ish runner and he plays like it --- fast on the field
Tracks the deep ball well
Though he's a body catcher he makes it work mostly
decent run blocker -- not great but good enough
Plays the comeback route well -- which works for a dude who is a deep ball threat
Good YAC runner -- he's a bit of a linear runner but he flies with the ball in his hands
Decent contested catcher

Cons
The body catching stuff -- would that work in the pros?
Didn't run a diverse route tree -- go routes, comebacks, screens -- occasional slants, corner routes
Releases? Wasn't really tested much as to being jammed at the line of scrimmage and with his lanky frame you wonder if he can beat press
A bit stiff -- he's fast but not really twtichy or quick
Playing against easy competition he wasn't still always seperating big -- his double moves come off a bit clunky

Overall he reminds me of Chris Brazzell from this class -- Brazzell with softer hands. Both deep ball threats. Both somewhat one dimensional but its a good dimension. I trust Brazzell more with the deep ball in the pros considering he did it against stiffer competiion and has better hands. But I like Lance's physicality more especially with short stuff-YAC.

There are WRs i like better than likely end up in this range. But if he falls to 71, It's not a crazy pick, I'd get it. And I wasn't a big Gandy-Golden guy back in the day, best analogy I can think of to a dude who played against inferior competition. Golden from what I recall struggled to seperate and would just drape over smaller corners from those small schools. Lance has more juice to him, much more upside than Gandy-Golden, did.

I have been only able to see Hurst highlights so hard for me to go a deep dive into him. But judging purely on that -- Hurst has quicker feet, better double moves, and is a hands catcher -- not a body catcher. But I'll say about Lance, if he's coached up well, he's a fast guy who looks fast, so if they can tap into it, again I'd get it.
The way I see it, we need WR at 7 or 71 that can contribute right away.

I have a hard time buying either of these guys at 71 because I can't see them having big value right away.

Would you say Hurst has a higher floor and Lance a higher ceiling?
 
Some under discussed day 2 receiver types:

De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss - Good size (6-2 205), quality production, tackle breaking machine, 4.36 speed. Knock on him is that he just isn't really quick in his breaks and his brakes aren't F1 quality. They are more GT4. But this dude could be our starting #2 receiver pretty quick. Only issue here is I think he needs to be off the LoS because he needs motions to get him free more often. He's a bit of a gamble, but has WR2 potential. I'm not sure he really fits much else, so him as a 3 or 4 doesn't really work. Quality back up on the outside is probably his floor.

Deion Burks, Oklahoma - I mean... this guy SUFFERED from AWFUL QB play. I've kind of put off watching him too much because he just didn't stand out... but the more I watch of him the more I like him and the less I like his quarterbacks. I also hate how OU used him. Now... the question is: Did they utilize him based on what he could handle or did they utilize him based on the quarterbacks or did they just stink? He's smaller, 5-9, 180. But he's a ridiculous athlete. This guy is a true vertical threat.

Underdiscussed DB types:

Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina, Safety - 6-1, 210, 4.4 speed, 8 picks in three years, high school receiver. He is a hitter and can develop. But he needs to do that. He doesn't get off blocks well as a box safety and struggles a little in man coverage in the slot. Doesn't have the range you want as a free. But he has high end potential with some development. I'm not sure he is a guy we have the luxury of taking and developing, though. But I love the style.

Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State, CB - love how he plays, but he is a walking 15 yard penalty. His super power is press man. Long arms, 6-2, 190 frame allows him to get onto receivers and 4.45 speed allows him to keep up with guys that do get by him. If he wasn't so aggressive with penalties this guy would be a legit first round prospect. But he has to figure out how to play the same game he currently has without committing so many damn penalties.

I am a Deion Burks fan. I used to be De'Zhaun Stribling fan when he was considered a 4th or 5th rounder. Now that he is considered a third rounded, I think he is approiately valued and not necessarily a good value anymore. In terms of size and speed Burks is similar to Jaylin Lane, but I think he more body control, contested catch ability, and ball tracking. If Jaylin Lane is the middle class standard, Burks is the upper middle class version. Stribling is great after the catch. He has a little bit of Dyami Brown in him in the sense he is good in the quick game and vertical game, but is a bit lacking in the all the other stuff. I like Stribling but maybe not at 71, would rather get him in a tradedown to like 85 or 90. Burks I would be happy at 71 though that is a little bit higher than his consensus board ranking of 101 (Stribling is 106).

I think Igbinsun could be what Jones is looking for in a corner assuming he wants the same traits Flores does. He is good in press and disrupting routes and if the pressure gets there he could be very good in a Flores system. He is a competitor. On the other hand he is grabby and receivers can get clean separation from him if the QB has enough time so if the pressure isn't getting there he could be bad.
 
Klare was the first TE I hit months back, I liked him, its being eons for me so need to rewatch.

It's actually a really deep TE class. Stowers, Delp, Jolly, Rairdon, Roush. Deeper in the draft with Bentley, Endries, Klein. Might be the deepest TE draft I can ever recall. And I haven't watched yet a bunch that are considered in the range of some of the other guys I talked about.

It’s one guy’s opinion (Zierlein) but one thing I’ve enjoyed doing is going on NFL.com and comparing his grades for individual players and position groups in this class vs prior classes (all the data is there)

At TE, he gave 12 guys last year a 6.0+ grade and 14 guys this year a 6.0+ grade.

Last year, there were another 4 guys with a grade between 5.90-5.99. This year, it is 7.

Last year, 2 guys with a 6.0+ grade (Joshua Simon and Briningstool) and 1 guy with a 5.9-5.99 grade (CJ Dippre) went undrafted. Something similar is probably going to happen this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trigg goes undrafted given his character issues.

I think we are virtually guaranteed a solid prospect if we take one in the 5th but likely can get one top of the 6th
 
They seem to have a thing for fast raw WRs who are mostly one trick pony deep threats if the rumors about their interests are correct . If so staying on that theme why not Thompson?

 
He is just so freaking small
True hes a few pounds lighter than even Devonte Smith.

Don’t get me wrong I am not into the one note raw deep threats but they seem to be in the third round if the rumors are true
 
True hes a few pounds lighter than even Devonte Smith.

Don’t get me wrong I am not into the one note raw deep threats but they seem to be in the third round if the rumors are true
Oh wow, I didn't realize there was a shot at him being so early. I had him pegged for closer to the 5th.
 
I am a fan of Denzel Boston but this shows why he is dropping little. If he fell to the second round it would be a real value

This is why I love D'Angelo Ponds small or not

 
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