OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
2026 NFL Draft Thread
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With the 80th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC.
The Bears not taking D-line is puzzling to say the least.
I'm with you. Is their big board for D-Linemen so wildly shallow that another TE made more sense? I love the Safety pick, the Center pick made sense because Bradbury is a one year stop gap, but this.....
Outside of QB, TE would have been the other position on the roster where there's no need....unless they're saving cap space after releasing Kmet. That's the only thing that makes sense.
With the 87th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins select Will Kacmarek, TE, Ohio State.
With the 88th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Emmanuel Pregnon, G, Oregon.
With the 89th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Zavion Thomas, WR, LSU.
With the 90th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Not excited personally, but they do need three tight ends.
Here's the NFL.com draft analysis on Thomas:
Draft Projection
Round 6
Draft Projection
Round 6
Overview
Thomas lacks gaudy production as a receiver, but his athleticism, versatility and return talent could bolster his roster value. He has average size with enough vertical speed to stress defenses downfield. He’s average in beating man coverage underneath and struggles finishing catches through contact. His vision, burst and elusiveness as a runner makes the evaluation more interesting. Thomas is likely to be viewed as a WR5 candidate with value as a return man, but teams could dig a little deeper on his potential as a running back.
Strengths
- Builds his speed for adequate vertical push.
- Late leverage pushes coverage out of his downfield break.
- Sharp snap at the top of his comeback routes.
- Legitimate ball-carrying talent on scripted touches.
- Good vision, burst and wiggle to create for himself.
- Return specialist with three career scores (two kickoffs, one punt).
Weaknesses
- Average early acceleration into his routes.
- Short/intermediate routes are gradual and rounded.
- Loses momentum in and out of slant stems.
- Needs to stack and control corners when tracking.
- Struggles to secure catches through contact.
Well, I guess we know who carries the weight in the draft room. We are in desperation mode for an edge and a DT....and we end up with a TE and a WR?
Help me understand.
With the 92nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select Jaishawn Barham, LB, Michigan.
The defensive line is hosed.
Ben Johnson likes his gadget players.
Illiniaaron
- Geneseo, IL
Sounds like Thomas is a reach. Projected to go much lower in draft.
With the 96th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Gennings Dunker, G, Iowa.
With the 97th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select Caleb Tiernan, OT, Northwestern.
With the 100th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Jalen Huskey, S, Maryland.
This is Ben Johnson's franchise now he without question over rules Poles and until he proves otherwise I trust him. That said if we don't do something to improve the D Line before next year I think I'll puke.
I think they're cooking up another trade for a decent DE/DT that won't break the bank.
They seem really reluctant to throw another raw DE in to the mix...
That being said I questioned the Loveland pick and even the Burden pick last year a little bit and was completely wrong on both.
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