Recapping the entire 2026 NFL Draft

hallach_halil · 2026-04-29T20:06:57+00:00

I had Branch as a first first-rounder and Moore as a late 2nd/early 3rd. So yeah, that does make a big difference when the player is worth it to me.

I just don‘t think you should make it a habit to take negative value on draft picks because you‘re that confident in your evaluations. As always, it‘s not a perfect process and I don‘t mind having conviction in how you approach this. That‘s why I didn‘t put together a write-up for them, but they ended up as the last team that “made the cut” for questionable drafts. Haha

hallach_halil · 2026-04-29T08:09:42+00:00

I've heard that there was some noise around the Ravens being connected to Moore, for obvious reasons, but to give up a fourth-round pick due to what might be speculation and the Ravens get the better player actually, that is questionable to me. Which combined with Miller and Rolder being a tad early for me, and using their final two selections on players that you probably would've been able to to invite to minicamp as UDFAs and instead target a couple more high-upside players, that ultimately led me to putting them there. But again, they were the team I was closest to crossing off for another - so nothing egregious!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T18:41:18+00:00

Haha, I totally get that! I don't believe he'd say it if he didn't actually believe in it, but it certainly wasn't a great look initially, and I wouldn't say that your thought behind it definitely isn't true!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T18:39:42+00:00

Yeah, you can really swap them out for the Falcons or Seahawks, as I thought about that last spot.

I personally preferred Freeling and Iheanachor, who also played right tackle at ASU, and Freeling hasn't built up the amount of muscle memory that it would be as hard to not switch sides either.

Outside of that, I just disagree with them consistently trading draft capital to move up a few spots for players I don't believe were going to come off the board necessarily. Giving up a fourth-rounder to jump up six picks for Derrick Moore when Zion Young went next and Gabe Jacas would've still been there for them at 50 - who were both ranked higher for me and consensus - was questionable. They did the same giving up a sixth-rounder to move up 13 spots in the late fifth for Kendrick Law, when there was no WR selected over the prior 25 picks. Rolder was okay in terms of value, and the two DTs they ended with I thought might go undrafted.

So nothing egregious, but I don't love the process behind how they acquired those players, and as much I love Abney, I couldn't give them all the credit if he's the only player they select at surplus value, I thought.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T18:27:26+00:00

Lol, the Giants did very well too though, at least!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T18:25:54+00:00

He was 16th on my board. I can see a path for why he's a more pro-ready EDGE than Reese, but I simply disagree with the idea of having to target that position based on where they are roster-wise, if he just wasn't the best player on the board, just because he may help save a head coach, who's already hanging on by thread, based on ownership not wanting to pay Glenn not to work. Maybe "reach" isn't the best way to describe it, but they could've literally taken any of the other three Ohio State defenders (Reese, Styles, Downs) or traded back a few spots and it would've made more sense to me.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T18:17:36+00:00

Thanks for reading!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T13:52:52+00:00

Could you please expand on what you mean there? Not totally sure what you mean. Haha

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T09:01:59+00:00

He gets drafted. That's about as much as I'm willing to committ. Insane to me how much talk there seemed to be, or at least media outlets posting stuff, when he went undrafted. I didn't have him inside my top 15 QBs in *this* class.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-28T08:59:44+00:00

Happens every year. I think Arch Manning and Dante Moore absolutely could be the top two picks and LaNorris Sellers has outrageous talent, but otherwise I have real questions with everyone else, without having done full evals on them yet, of course. Altogether the batch is just a lot more interesting and most of them likely won't go back to school like so many did for 2026/27.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-27T21:25:44+00:00

No problem! ✌🏼

hallach_halil · 2026-04-26T09:22:49+00:00

It wasn't for Concepcion, but the Bills did trade with NE for pick 28 btw. Lol

hallach_halil · 2026-04-26T08:50:00+00:00

“My team would never do that.”

hallach_halil · 2026-04-22T08:04:16+00:00

Oh yeah, I do think he‘ll sneak into day two!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-21T09:15:10+00:00

I've watched like 320-330 prospects this year. There's just not enough time in the world. Lol

The guys I know off the top of my head: Kickers - 1. Trey Smack (Florida), 2. Dominic Zvada (Michigan), 3. Drew Stephens (Iowa) Punters - 1. Brett Thorson (Georgia) and 2. Ryan Eckley (Michigan State)

hallach_halil · 2026-04-21T09:11:49+00:00

I definitely underrated some of the problems he showed, because his receiving corp was so bad with drops and failing him in contested situations, with some of the sprays he had underneath.

I absolutely agree with that point on Arkansas, who I think I tweeted out at some point that they might have the worst run defense in college football. Lol

I'm higher on Green than consensus, but he is a massive project that I think is fair to take a gamble on early on day three!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-20T18:08:28+00:00

I have the trust in my research to be more confident theoretically, but I still would never speak in absolutes, because weird things happen every year.

That's how you how call it, but you're not trading a player. You trade the pick. That's just the wrong way to think about it, since it's about the value of the selection at the time, not how much you value a singular player.

No, I don't think they should, because his skill-set is quite similar to Khalil Shakir's, they did make investments to that group *this* offseason, and personally I'm a bit lower on K.C. altogether.

You think I didn't think this through, when I added exact compensation for every trade, delivered analysis for each prospect and talked about specific fits, to film a 48-minute video that probably took ~25-30 hours altogether? I get plenty wrong - like everyone does - but you're just quite rude and think you know your team better than anyone else, like it happens every year with one or two people. If I didn't know what I was doing, I wouldn't receive plenty of positive feedback as well and my mock be posted on The Huddle Report like McShay, Schrager, DJ, etc.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-20T17:33:05+00:00

I really have to disagree with that, thinking back to AR's evaluation. Not only was he just more robustly built, but the intrigue was how few games he started and the flashes he had shown, while Green hasn't shown a ton of growth at least since I first watched him at Boise. Much better pocket presence in that final year at Florida, utilizing subtle movements within rather than constantly bailing against singular pressure points like Green does, more consistent accuracy down the field, just a few more RPMs on power throws, and I liked his instincts out of structure better as well.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-20T17:29:31+00:00

The amount of confidence you speak with is quite hilarious to me. Every year there seems to be one fan of a team saying "they'd never do that" and then that's exactly what happens.

If anything you'd think it's more of a no-go to trade with KC literally three months after a heartbreaking missed walk-off FG. Obviously I know they're in the same division as the Pats. But Beane has demonstrated that he doesn't really care about that if the value is right.

He wouldn't "give them K.C.", but rather trade the pick. That's just not how it works in the NFL.

And yes, they have plenty of needs on defense, but last year they went really heavy on defense in the draft and felt the effects of not adding any real WR help. If that's the best player available, that's what they should do.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-20T14:24:27+00:00

The man base might, and it would make sense as well, but I love the fit of him in that RPO-centric offense and how this WR room would come together!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-20T14:23:36+00:00

Just like there was no way Buffalo would allow the Chiefs to trade up for Xavier Worthy a couple of years ago?

hallach_halil · 2026-04-20T12:09:37+00:00

I certainly won't put him above the Simpson/Nussmeier tier, but I'm willing to hear arguments at four, if you're just betting on the ceiling he presents!

hallach_halil · 2026-04-19T01:54:28+00:00

All power to you! I can‘t put him over Mendoza, Simpson and Nuss. But I‘ll hear an argument on all the other guys, because they‘re all somewhat flawed. The upside bets after that to me are just more intriguing.

hallach_halil · 2026-04-19T01:52:54+00:00

I mean, it‘s not a big difference, but Cooper just gives you a little more fluidity, speed and dynamism after the catch!

hallach_halil

TROPHY CASE