Draft Rumours 2026

manxman2601 said:

I don't put a lot of stock in LaCanfora, but fwiw

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Nice Rumor No O-Lineman in the First Please... we Drafted Three last year. I'm fine with one from the Fourth Round onward. Edge - WR and TE should be our Day 1 picks.

PatsFan2 said:

Nice Rumor No O-Lineman in the First Please... we Drafted Three last year. I'm fine with one from the Fourth Round onward. Edge - WR and TE should be our Day 1 picks.

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How can BOTH be "Day 1 Picks" when there is only 1 round on Day 1?

NO. WR should NOT be a day 2 pick. TE should only be considered if it's far and away the BPA.. Otherwise waiting until the 4th round would be fine for the TEs..

BTW, just because they took 3 OL in last year's draft doesn't mean that OL isn't still a priority. It's a much HIGHER one than your shiny toys that only do anything if the QB isn't flat on his arse. Since you haven't been paying attention, the Pats have a 35 yr old RT in the final year of his contract, a 28yr old RG in the final year of his contract and an Oft-injured LG. The only reserve lineman currently on the roster that has shown he can fill in adequately is Ben Brown. So, they need a Swing Tackle who can be projected as a starter at RT in a year. While past issues aren't indicative of future ones, there was a 6 year stretch that saw the Pats have injuries at OT that forced them to have 2 capable back-ups who could fill in as starters. The Pats don't have 1 right now capable of that.

That being said, they shouldn't need to move up to get an OT. They should take BPA of OT, Edge or LB at 31... Or trade back slightly if the opportunity arises.

mayoclinic said:

NFL Draft: Tight End Prospects Slide After Choosing Not to Run at Pro Day

Injuries and missed workouts are shaking up the draft board. From Ohio State to Baylor, see which prospects failed to run for NFL scouts.

www.essentiallysports.com

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I cam to the exact opposite conclusion from Tony Pauline:

His conclusion: "The other cautionary tale is that players must be careful not to test at the combine and wait until pro day. There are too many things that can go wrong."

My conclusion - "Not testing at the combine is a red flag to teams and there is no guarantee that you won't tweak something before your Pro Day, which is further hurt your draft stock. So test early and do them all".

DaBruinz said:

I cam to the exact opposite conclusion from Tony Pauline:

His conclusion: "The other cautionary tale is that players must be careful not to test at the combine and wait until pro day. There are too many things that can go wrong."

My conclusion - "Not testing at the combine is a red flag to teams and there is no guarantee that you won't tweak something before your Pro Day, which is further hurt your draft stock. So test early and do them all".

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I agree in principle with your conclusion but I'm starting to wonder how much of a red flag not testing is now. There are so many doing it this year, particularly the agility tests, agents wouldn't be advising their clients not to test if it was a serious red flag. Maybe testing bad is a bigger red flag than not testing at all. Guess we'll find out at the end of the month.

manxman2601 said:

I agree in principle with your conclusion but I'm starting to wonder how much of a red flag not testing is now. There are so many doing it this year, particularly the agility tests, agents wouldn't be advising their clients not to test if it was a serious red flag. Maybe testing bad is a bigger red flag than not testing at all. Guess we'll find out at the end of the month.

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I was referring to not testing at all vs. skipping a singular test..

Not draft per se, but related:

Tony Pauline on the top OTs

1. The order of the top 4 is likely

1=. Fano
1=. Mauigoa
3. Proctor
4. Freeling

2. Browns high on Fano but would want to trade down from 6.

3. Chiefs very high on Fano.

4. Chiefs at 9 or Dolphins at 11 is sweet spot for Mauigoa

5. Proctor could go top 10 but Lions at 17 is his floor.

Call it now: How many first-round edge rushers will we see?

Miller: Five, maybe six if you classify Ohio State's Arvell Reese as an edge rusher. I believe Reese, David Bailey (Texas Tech), Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) and Keldric Faulk (Auburn) are locks. Then, Akheem Mesidor (Miami) and Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) are likely to go in the first round, too.

But would it be a surprise to see as many as nine edge rushers? Not in this class. There is a lack of top prospects at other premium positions and a need for rotational pass rushers in the NFL, especially from playoff teams selecting in the back end of the round. R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma), Zion Young (Missouri) and T.J. Parker (Clemson) could all sneak in.

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How about the number of first-round offensive tackles?

Yates: Six, though a seventh is possible. The six I believe are the strongest first-round candidates: Francis Mauigoa (Miami), Spencer Fano (Utah), Monroe Freeling (Georgia), Kadyn Proctor (Alabama), Caleb Lomu (Utah) and Blake Miller (Clemson). But Arizona State's Max Iheanachor is right there as well. The intriguing part about this class is that stacking these tackles is so dependent upon scheme and which traits a team most values.

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That would leave us our Iheanachor vs. Jacas showdown at 31. Both would be fine with me.

I also agree that Jermod McCoy and Mansoor Delane will both go top 12.

1 QB
1 RB
2 WR/TE
2 OT
3 EDGE
1 LB
3 DB

That makes 13.

10 hot takes from Jeff Risdon, based on what he's heard from league sources:



1. There will be no WR taken in the top 10.

My take: Possibly, though not likely. I have 2 WR/TEs (out of Tyson, Tate, Lemon and Sadiq) going in the top 13 along with QB, RB, 2 OLs, 3 EDGEs, LB, and 3 DBs. I agree Tate is more of a WR2 type. Tyson is the clear WR1 for me, but the injury issues will drop him. Miami at 11 and the Rams at 13 are likely spots if no one goes earlier.

2. Kadyn Proctor will go in the top 10.

My take: Very possible. 2 OTs will likely go top 13, maybe more. Teams will vary greatly in terms in how they rank Proctor, Monroe Freeling, Francis Mauigoa and Spencer Fano. Teams like size. Personally, I hope this happens.

3. Ty Simpson will be the #32 pick in the NFL draft.

My take: I would prefer Simpson to be the #31 pick.

4. Three safeties will be drafted between 10 and 20 overall.

My take: Very possible. Caleb Downs could go before #10, but his floor is probably the Bengals at 10, which is also likely Dillon Thieneman's ceiling. The Vikings at 18 could view Emmanuel McNeil-Warren as a Harrison Smith replacement.

5. Caleb Lomu does not get drafted in the first round.

My take: Possible, but unlikely. I have Lomu graded behind Freeling, Iheanachor, and Miller. He has excellent feet, but lacks power. That said, I would consider him at 31, and teams are so tackle-needy, I think someone will jump.

6. After Jeremiyah Love, no RB will be taken until the 3rd round.

My take: Possible, though I'm not sure Jadarian Price or Mike Washington get past Seattle at 64.

7. There will be one trade in the top 10, and it will be someone trading up to draft Monroe Freeling.

My take: I have Freeling as OT1 and a top 10 player in this draft. That said, it would take a lot for teams to trade into the top 10, especially those that need an OT (Dolphins 11 and 30, Lions 17, Steelers 21, Eagles 23, 49ers 27, Texans 28, Patriots 31). I think it's more likely that a team like Arizona trades back. For example, Arizona could trade back from 3 to 7, allowing Washington to get one of David Bailey or Arvell Reese, and then take Freeling at 7.

8. Akheem Mesidor falls into the 30's, maybe even the 40's. Emmanuel Pregnon could last into the 3rd round.

Risdon thinks older peospects like Mesidor and Pregnon benefit from being more physically mature than their competition, and this advantage will not project well to the pro level. Both had by far their best year of tape this year. 24 year olds should be able to beat up on teenagers.

"A lot of teams want to see [Mesidor] without Rueben Bain. If you're taking someone in the first round, you don't want him to be a complementary pass rusher."

My take: I have Mesidor to TB at 15, so I don't buy that one. But Iheanachor plus a trade up for Mesidor would be a dream. I do think Mesidor could fall due to age and injuries, but for teams needing an immediate EDGE impact, his tape is too good.

Tony Pauline has Pregnon going in the 25-42 range. I could see both Chase Bisontis and Keylan Rutledge jumping him.

9. Jalon Kilgore will go 2nd round, possibly top 50.

My take: I would consider him beforeb95. Good player, crowded class.

10. The Lions will take either TJ Parker or Keldric Faulk at 17.

My take: I sincerely hope so.

If they offered a 1&3 I will seriously have to rethink my opinion of their intelligence.

Agreed. Thank God the Iggles turned it down.

I would rather take Chris Bell at 31 than do that. Younger player, 5 years cheap cost.

As much as I've been banging the table for RT at 31, Bell at 31 could be a unique opportunity for a future Numbah One Receivah on a 5 year rookie contract falling in our laps. Most mocks have him going early to mid 2nd.

Given the pending Gonzo and Maye contracts that needs some serious consideration.

Water Boy said:

As much as I've been banging the table for RT at 31, Bell at 31 could be a unique opportunity for a future Numbah One Receivah on a 5 year rookie contract falling in our laps. Most mocks have him going early to mid 2nd.

Given the pending Gonzo and Maye contracts that needs some serious consideration.

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I don't like Bell before the 3rd