Transactions
I opened the draft with KC's baseline selections with no trades: 1-31, 2-63, 3-95, 4-133, 5-167, 6-207, 7-247, 7-251, and 7-257
I am
accepting the following:
- Pre-draft trade of OG Joe Thuney to CHI for 2026 4th Round Pick
- Draft-day trade of selection 1-31 for selections 1-32 and 5-164
- Draft-day trade of selections 7-251 and 7-257 for selection 7-228
I am
declining the following:
- Draft-day trade of selections 3-95 and 2026 4th for selection 3-85
- Draft-day trade of selections 5-164 and 7-226 for 5-156 (I do not have selection 226)
I am executing my own in-draft trade up with Baltimore, sending selections 2-63, 4-133, and 5-167 for selections 2-59 and 7-243
2-63 + 4-133 + 5-167 = 82 + 18 + 9 = 109 * 0.85 = 92.65
2-59 + 7-243 = 91 + 1 = 92
Preface
I came into this draft hoping to get a true X wide receiver and enhance my edge rush. After that, I saw safety, linebacker, running back, and offensive guard as my more critical needs. I feel like I was able to address each of my needs in some way, but I came away especially happy with wide receiver and edge rush. There are going to be some extremely tough cuts this year.
Draft Selections
1-032: WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State (6'4" 214, 4.48) HOU 2-34
Coming in, I had Higgins as my personal number one overall receiver in this draft. He is a dominant X with the ability to move around and play the Z and Slot. He reminds me of Mike Evans, and I think he's going to be an excellent player going forward. Higgins is big, yet he's got really good speed and is smooth in his movements, plus he has insanely good hands (3 drops in 210 targets at Iowa State) and an excellent catch radius. The only concern in reality is that Nico Collins will absorb too many targets to make Higgins a star.
2-059: ER Mike Green, Marshall (6'3" 251) BAL 2-59
I moved up for Green, who is one of the more controversial prospects in this class, but I'm taking a chance that his character does check out because he has the potential to be one of the best players from this draft. I'm trusting Eric DeCosta when he says he exhaustively vetted this guy. Green has great burst and twitch and is violent and disruptive. He was consistently ranked as a top-15 player and among the top four edges in this class. Green had 17 sacks this past season and was a standout during Senior Bowl practices.
3-095: FS Xavier Watts, Notre Dame (6'0" 205, 4.58) ATL 3-96
I thought hard about moving up for Wyatt Milum here, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I feel like a 4th in next year's draft could help me to move around for an RT prospect if I want. Instead, I decided to grab another playmaker in my secondary with Watts, who most had as the third-best safety in this class. Watts has the potential to be a superstar if he's allowed to play as a rangy, backend safety valve with freedom to make plays on the football.
5-164: OG Miles Frazier, LSU (6'6" 317, 5.24) DET 5-171
I truly feel like Frazier is a tremendous potential value at this point. He was ranked in the top 5 OGs by most boards and a mid-day two prospect. He should instantly compete to start at LG, plus he has the versatility to play at every offensive line position except center, having done so in college. He isn't the best athlete, but he's big, strong, tough, and can maul in the run game, plus he's experienced in a zone blocking scheme.
6-207: ER Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech (6'3" 258, 4.69) PHI 6-209
Powell-Ryland is the sort of guy you take because he's just a damned good football player. He doesn't have elite length, speed, or strength, but he does offer great variation in his pass rush and an excellent spin move to disengage and make plays. He'll need to gain strength to set the edge against the run in the NFL, but he can be a sub-package rusher right away. This is a guy who had 25.5 sacks over the past two seasons at a Power-4 school, so that's saying something.
7-228: RB Brashard Smith, Southern Methodist (5'10" 194, 4.39) KC 7-228
I never found a spot to grab a bell cow running back in this draft, but I'll definitely duplicate the shot on an explosive, dynamic passing game weapon in Smith. Smith, being a former WR, makes for a player with excellent hands, understanding of routes, and the ability to pluck the ball away from his frame. Smith accelerates quickly and has elite top-end speed to go with it. He's shown good contact balance and outstanding lateral agility to make for good yards after contact. Smith also has top-end ability as a kick returner, which should strengthen his contributions.
7-243: CB Korie Black, Oklahoma State (6'0" 192, 4.35) NYG 7-246
I don't need a corner on my roster with my current group, but I like Black too much to pass on him at this juncture. Black is a physical and aggressive press-man corner who is great at shrinking the catch window and disrupting passing lanes. He's an excellent, physical tackler when coming downhill. With his speed and tackling ability, he should have an immediate impact on special teams. He also blocked several field goals in college.
7-247: LB Shaun Dolac, Buffalo (6'1" 225, 4.55) LAR UDFA
Sticking with the damned good football player mantra, I'm sticking my neck out and grabbing an UDFA here in Dolac who was twice the MAC's leading tackler and a consensus All-American in 2024. How Dolac went undrafted is somewhat surprising, but I'll take the shot here that he makes the 53 and makes his way up the depth chart in short order. Dolac has solid coverage skills and an electrifying downhill trigger to eat up the run game.
Current Training Camp Roster