DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk NFL Draft 2026 Favorite Player

I thin k OSU safety Caleb Downs is ov erall best player in the draft. I think he has hall of fame potential.

Tate
Downs
Freeling

Yep. I'm not that far over-the-top, but I'm halfway up the mountain.

Fav player? Olaivavega Ioane - Love a mean, nasty, talented OG. Don't want the Browns to pick him unless they have traded down to 20 or so - and even then OT makes more sense even if it is one of the RT's.

Best OG in the Draft Would love him but like you said OT makes more since!

Favorite player, taking all traditional factors out of the equation?

Jeremiyah Love and it isn’t really close. Problem is, RB requires so much help in the NFL. There are so few Barry Sanders of the world and Love isn’t Sanders.

Second to him is Caleb Downs.

Third is Carnell Tate.

Both of these Buckeyes play their position so effectively that either can be a staple on their drafting team. There aren’t any other players imo that don’t have more question marks to what they can become in the NFL. These (3) players, again imho, have the highest floors of all players in the draft, but more importantly, I think they also have the highest ceilings.

Tate will need someone capable of throwing to him. Downs will need a Coordinator willing to scheme to allowing him to maximize his skillset and Love will need a line that doesn’t allow the defense into the backfield off the snap. Obviously, every player requires more than their own God given ability, but these (3), I believe would need the least amount of help to be impact players. The other factors could make them great.

j/c

Thhere are several players I hope we select, but I do not have a favorite one. I do have one that is a non-favorite of mine: Monroe Freeling, OT, who I feel is over-rated and perhaps also, Spencer Fano, who, with the short arms, may end up as an OC.

I have a couple players I like outside of the 1st round:

R Mason Thomas - edge Oklahoma

HT/WT: 6-2, 241 lbs
A litle on the small side
But reminds me a lot of Nik Bonitto
Now with the Broncos but also from Oklahoma

Draft Scouting Report
Pro Comparison: Donovan Ezeiruaku

Summary
R Mason Thomas is an explosive edge rusher who wins with a relentless, “hair-on-fire” playing style. Despite being labeled undersized, he uses a low center of gravity and surprising functional power to move offensive tackles off the spot. He plays with good bend, allowing him to turn the corner on his way to the quarterback. He’s a high-end athlete in space against the run, able to chase down running backs or mirror mobile quarterbacks. Thomas is a high-energy playmaker who simply refuses to quit on a rep.

About
2025: First-team All-SEC
2024-25: 22.0 TFL, 15.5 sacks over past two seasons

Strengths
Exceptional bend to get around the edge against offensive tackles.
High-energy player who pursues the ball through the whistle.
Consistently uses low pad level to bull rush larger opponents.

Weaknesses
Undersized frame compared to elite power rushers in his class.
Can struggle to hold his ground against interior double teams.

Combine Data
40-yard dash: 4.67 seconds

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/players/28910131/r-mason-thomas/

The other guy, who will go later is:
Jack Kelly Lb BYU
HT/WT: 6-2, 240 lbs

Combine Data
40-yard dash: 4.57 seconds
Vertical jump: 37 inches
20-yard shuttle run: 4.19 seconds
Broad jump: 10 feet, 5 inches
3-cone drill: 7.12 seconds

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/players/26724698/jack-kelly/

Caleb Downs to me is the best player in this draft. It's not even close to me. Then I would say Love. Then it's like 6 players who are all going to be probowlers that I will be happy to have. Then yo have Tate the best option at WR in THIS draft but in reality only worth pick 15 to 20 in a better draft.

I don't have any special attachments to any of the players in this draft. I think it's one of the worst drafts in a long time for first round talent. I think there is a LOT of value in the draft in the second round. IF it were possible I would make lots of trades to pick up second round picks. Try to get like 4 to 5 2nd round picks and say FU to the first round.

That being said, I will be happy with several players at 6 if we don't trade down provided it's not a LT at 6 because that would be such a colossal waste to draft a need for a soso player at 6th overall. BPA would be Caleb Downs and I will be happy to have him. BPA that fills a need would be Tate but he won't be there and neither will Love. IF Tate or Love is there at 6 it's a no brainer to pick them.

I'm not going to complain if we end up with Bailey, Reese, or Styles though either.

The player I want at 6 is Tate though. I feel like he would have the most impact for the Browns. I don't think he is a top 10 players but I think he almost is and he fills a need so I would take him. If he isn't there then the most impact player for the Browns at 6 would be Love because we would instantly have the best RB corps in the NFL and we would run the ball A LOT which would exhaust teams and lead to 4th quarter comebacks like crazy.

My FUN pick for this draft would be Taylon Green in the 5th round. He is a QB that would do very well in Monken's system and if paired with Love would be a real headache. In fact, if the Browns take Love in the first round I want Green in the third round. Green is a huge QB that runs the ball like a HB and has a monster arm talent. I would cut Dillon to make run for him.

This draft feels a little like the Barkevious Mingo draft. In other words, not as talented of a draft as others. That said, I think teams will be (1) looking to trade down for future draft capital or (2) taking a guy with a safer floor which is why I think so many OL will go in the first.

There is no favorite player for me. The top of this draft is underwhelming.

First, you have my curiosity peaked. Who are your top ten players in this draft and where do you have Tate ranked.

Second, I agree on Green. He does have my curiosity peaked. With the success Monken had with Lamar Jackson, does Green have any of that type of talent? It's hard to ever know, but pairing him with one of the few coaches that has utilized that specific type of talent is intriguing. I wouldn't mind at all if they replaced Gabriel with Green on the roster to see what he can do.

I don't think you would get an argument out of anyone about the level of talent overall in this draft. I do think Love and Downs have a chance to be special players in their era of players. I also think there are a lot of players that have potential to be very high contributors to their team, even if they aren't considered premier at any point of their career. Out of this second group, Tate is right at the top. I do think he grades out considerably close to recent WRs taken and have had success.

I don't totally disagree with the poster above wanting extra second round picks, but there isn't a team that has a lot of multiple second round picks, so to keep trading down to just keep accumulating second round picks, won't last long. I don't discredit the first round completely. In a very short time period, I would still hold players at a much higher regard than others, even if I have 30 with second round grades on them. At some point it is still much better to take that player graded near the top, rather than getting several others graded near the bottom.

We can only use so many players on either side of the ball. Regardless of how you feel about this roster, the current players will still start over most rookies in this class. There aren't as many MAJOR holes as people will lead on. Example, while one of our biggest needs is LT, Tytus Howard and/or Dewand Jones, would probably be more effective at LT than just about anyone in this draft class right off the jump. However, there are several that could develop to be better than one or both of them down the road.

The only position I could see an immediate impact on this team is WR. There isn't another position that could be immediately impacted a great deal in my opinion. Even Downs would probably not step on the field and immediately look better than Grant Delpit. He will have a learning curve.

Out wide receiver situation right now is really, really bad. I could see a world where taking two WRs in the first round, would immediately impact the starting lineup to the positive. That doesn't mean I am advocating for two WRs. Players like Downs may project to having a more profound impact over the course of a career, so that is a higher point for me than immediate.

As far as perceived talent for me though. I think WR could make the largest impact for this team as a whole immediately AND into the future. If there is one thing this draft provides, it is talented WRs. This could be the most talented group to come out at the same time.. ever. I don't think there is an AJ Green here, but there could be several fighting to be the second or third best in any given year. That will depend on the teams they end up on, QB and coaching talent to utilize their already seen skill sets.

The two receivers I see as almost scheme proof are Tate, who I have as the best of the class and Boston. Both have a control of their body to react to balls like we only see in elite WRs. That is why I want one or both on this team. It will open up a much larger catch radius no matter who our QB ends up being. We don't have a player like that on the roster at the moment.