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What are our biggest needs in the 2026 Draft

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What are our biggest needs in the 2026 Draft

  • RB

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • WR

    Votes: 17 21.5%
  • TE

    Votes: 32 40.5%
  • IOL

    Votes: 26 32.9%
  • OT

    Votes: 34 43.0%
  • DL

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • EDGE

    Votes: 46 58.2%
  • LB

    Votes: 26 32.9%
  • CB

    Votes: 3 3.8%
  • S

    Votes: 16 20.3%

  • Total voters
    79
According to James Laurinaitis, Ohio St. considered moving Arvell Reese to EDGE his freshman year because of his explosiveness. Laurinairis says he fought to keep Reese at LB because if his vision and diagnostic abilities.

"“He's got to play off the ball,” Laurinaitis recalled saying back then. “He's too freakish not to. He can see the game well. And I'm like, if we keep putting him on the edge, then you lose that vision of seeing the game in the middle of the field. You see it all from (one) way. And so I'm glad we got him back."


Good problem to have. Use him all over the field.

I would have not minded Jalon Walker at #4 last year.
 
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According to James Laurinaitis, Ohio St. considered moving Arvell Reese to EDGE his freshman year because of his explosiveness. Laurinairis says he fought to keep Reese at LB because if his vision and diagnostic abilities.

"“He's got to play off the ball,” Laurinaitis recalled saying back then. “He's too freakish not to. He can see the game well. And I'm like, if we keep putting him on the edge, then you lose that vision of seeing the game in the middle of the field. You see it all from (one) way. And so I'm glad we got him back.”"


Good problem to have. Use him all over the field.

I would have not minded Jalon Walker at #4 last year.
He's going to be the prospect we fall in love with and then two weeks before the draft, Dane Brugler or Daniel Jeremiah will tell us teams in the top 5 are in love with him.
 
Could be. If he goes early and pushes someone else down to us, I can live with it.

OTOH, LBs tend to go later, and some may consider Reese a "tweener". Jalon Walker was getting pre-draft talk as a top-8 lock, and fell to 15, with teammate Mykel Williams going earlier. Parsons went 11.

I'm content for now with adding another guy to my top tier.

There is a lot of road to cover between now and the draft.
 
I find this year to be the complete reversal of last year. Last year I loved the depth in the draft but wasn't overly enamoured by the first round. This year, I really like the first round in the 5-25 range (at least how I rank them) but have yet to get excited by the depth. That'll change of course but that's where I am now.
 
That was my expectation, but I'm not sure I see that much more talent in the top 20 this year compared to last year, at least right now.

Last year had insane deprh.
 
I'm still team BPA but Delane and Fano/Mauigoa looking better right now. I'd also add Jordan Tyson because the WRs seem to be struggling to get open, especially deep.
 
Can we have a word about Kayshon Boutte. He hasn't been bad per se, but 1 catch against the Dolphins and 2 today. He's not an X that can dominate a game. Neither is Diggs to be fair to Boutte. It's all very well spreading the ball around, but I do think a WR that can take over a game is a need.
 
I don't think Boutte was the issue today. Would first like to see the OC open up the offense more.

You may be 100% correct, but I would really like to see the offense opened up first. I doubt either Ja'marr Chase (5 catches, 50 yards, 0 TDs today) or Justin Jefferson (4 catches, 75 yards, 0 TDs) would have made the difference given the play calling.

Wish we had Isaiah Rodgers today, though.
 
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Can we have a word about Kayshon Boutte. He hasn't been bad per se, but 1 catch against the Dolphins and 2 today. He's not an X that can dominate a game. Neither is Diggs to be fair to Boutte. It's all very well spreading the ball around, but I do think a WR that can take over a game is a need.
Im not sure that’s on Boutte tho. I like the receivers they have. Maye is not having the time to make big throws down the field. And we know Josh prefers the middle of the field.
I think the receivers are just fine. Boutte, Diggs, Williams and Chism should be enough.
 
I am disappointed with the "fight" displayed by the other veteran WRs. I liked how the team fought back overall and didn't quit, but the veteran WRs didn't show the same sense of urgency. Need to fight for every yard. That's part of why so many people want to see Chism out there - he gives the impression that you could decapitate him, and he'd still lunge for that 1 needed yard with the game on the line.
 
Im not sure that’s on Boutte tho. I like the receivers they have. Maye is not having the time to make big throws down the field. And we know Josh prefers the middle of the field.
I think the receivers are just fine. Boutte, Diggs, Williams and Chism should be enough.
I'd still like an alpha receiver. Maye is going to have to throw for 300 yards plus at some stage.
 
I'd still like an alpha receiver. Maye is going to have to throw for 300 yards plus at some stage.
Can’t disagree with that.
I just think that with Josh, I would rather look at a big TE for that.
 
I'm fine with an alpha receiver. Hoping Kyle Williams can become that. Fine with going after one, even fine with taking one in the 1st if they are the clear BPA, but not my greatest priority.
 
As I said after the first loss, I would like to see them use the rookies more. I can live with rookie mistakes while they develop. I think the future is very predictable with some of the veterans, and the ceiling is mediocrity.
 
Pats took TreVeyon Henderson, just before the Bears, who took Luther Burden:



I bet Kyle Williams could have made that catch, with a 5 yard cushion.
 
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