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<\/a><\/p>\nINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – FEBRUARY 26: Cashius Howell of the Texas A&M Aggies participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n
Beane took TJ Parker, the edge rusher, out of Clemson. I understand it completely. Parker has real upside as a three-down player and a potential full-time starter down the line \u2014 that\u2019s a legitimate argument and a real strength of this pick.<\/p>\n
I still would have taken Cashus Howell<\/a>.<\/p>\n What I was looking for at 35 was a true pass-rushing specialist \u2014 the kind of player who makes quarterbacks miserable on obvious passing downs. Think Nik Bonitto in Denver. When I watched Parker\u2019s tape, I saw a 4-3 defensive end profile. A good one, but not the profile I was hunting. Howell, to me, is that pass-rush specialist. The get-off, the repertoire, the way he attacks blockers in space \u2014 he fits the role I was targeting. He went to Cincinnati at 41. Six picks later. This was the moment.<\/p>\n Pick 62: The Pick I Keep Coming Back To<\/p>\n DALLAS, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 22: Chris Bell #0 of the Louisville Cardinals catches a pass in front of Ahmaad Moses #3 of the Southern Methodist University Mustangs during the first half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIGB\u201d, as they call him at One Bills Drive, the cornerback from Ohio State. Good prospect. That\u2019s not the argument.<\/p>\n My problem is the business logic. We already have Christian Benford locked in on a big contract at CB1. We already used a first-round pick on Maxwell Hairston a year ago at CB2. Those are two massive investments \u2014 real money and real draft capital \u2014 at the same position. And now you\u2019re trading up in the second round to add another cornerback whose only path to becoming a starter requires one of your two existing huge bets to bust?<\/p>\n I\u2019m not saying corner depth doesn\u2019t matter. It does. Benford has missed time three years in a row. Hairston dealt with injuries in year one. You need real players behind them. But there were other positions in this draft where a second-round pick would have given you a player with a clear path to starting in year one \u2014 no one ahead of him, no sunk costs blocking his path. Corner depth could have been addressed in the fourth round or later. And as you\u2019ll see, it was.<\/p>\n I would have taken Chris Bell out of Louisville.<\/p>\n Yes, he\u2019s coming off a torn ACL. That\u2019s a real risk. But before that injury, he was a first-round conversation \u2014 legitimate lottery ticket at the back end of round two. If he comes back healthy, you\u2019re looking at a borderline elite receiver who fell to you because of circumstance, not talent. That\u2019s exactly the kind of bet this offense should be making. If he just becomes that for Miami\u2026ugh.<\/p>\n Pick 101: Jackson Was Right There<\/p>\n TALLAHASSEE, FL – SEPTEMBER 21:Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr. (6) lines up during a college football game between the California Golden Bears and the Florida State Seminoles on September 21st, 2024 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL. (Photo by Chris Leduc\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Beane took Jude Bowry, the offensive lineman from Boston College. I\u2019ll give him this \u2014 Bowry is talented, he\u2019s versatile, and if the staff genuinely sees him pushing for the left guard job, that\u2019s a real role on a real team. He can protect the quarterback, and he fits what Brady has used up front. It\u2019s a defensible pick.<\/p>\n I still would have taken Darrell Jackson Jr.<\/p>\n Jackson is the kind of piece a three-man defensive front can weaponize. He moves. He\u2019s disruptive at different alignment points, can kick inside and give you some non-traditional nose tackle (as the Bills love it seems) reps in a pinch. In a draft where I had already spent picks on an edge rusher and a receiver, getting a potential contributor \u2014 maybe even a starter \u2014 in the trenches at 101 was exactly the move. Three picks, three guys with a real path to impact. That was the plan. I\u2019m not walking it back.<\/p>\n Picks 125 and 126: Two Moves That Made Sense Together<\/p>\n LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 27: Kamari Ramsey #7 of the USC Trojans intercepts a pass intended for Jabre Barber #1 of the Texas A&M Aggies during first half of the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on December 27, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n At 125, Beane took Skyler Bell. Love him there, but I had already taken Chris Bell in the second round, so going back to wide receiver made zero sense. I took Kyle Louis, the linebacker out of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n I like Kaleb Elarms-Orr more and more as I watch him. He might actually be the better fit next to Terrel Bernard long-term \u2014 and I don\u2019t see Bernard losing that job anytime soon unless he can\u2019t stay healthy again. But I had Louis higher on my board. He can contribute alongside Bernard on clear passing downs and, if something goes wrong with Bernard\u2019s availability again, he becomes the answer. That\u2019s real depth at a position that\u2019s been a quiet concern.<\/p>\n At 126, Beane took Elarms-Orr. I went with Kamari Ramsey, the safety out of USC.<\/p>\n He was falling for no good reason. A hybrid who can play in the box or split out, the kind of piece that disguises coverages and makes life difficult for quarterbacks trying to pre-snap decode a defense. What I want to add here: next to Cole Bishop, Ramsey isn\u2019t just a depth piece. He has a path to the starting lineup, potentially sooner than people expect. Name recognition doesn\u2019t equal current on-field value, and Ramsey was slipping past teams that should have known better.<\/p>\n Pick 167: Corner Depth \u2014 On My Terms<\/p>\n CHESTNUT HILL, MA – SEPTEMBER 27: California Golden Bears defensive back Hezekiah Masses (5) in action during the college football game between California Golden Bears and Boston College Eagles on September 27, 2025, at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Beane took Jalon Kilgore. I like the pick. But I took Hezekiah Masses, the cornerback.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the place this makes sense \u2014 not in round two. There\u2019s a massive difference between spending second-round capital and a trade-up on a cornerback with a blocked path, and taking a corner in the fifth as quality depth. These are not the same decision. Benford misses time. Hairston went down last year. You need a real player at corner three \u2014 not a camp body, not a street free agent scramble in October.<\/p>\n And there are options available. Tre White remains a free agent. There were other good corner prospects available here up to round seven. Corner depth was never going to go unaddressed. I just wasn\u2019t going to overpay to get there.<\/p>\n Pick 168: A Good Fit Differently Arrived At<\/p>\n AUSTIN, TX – NOVEMBER 01: Offensive lineman DJ Campbell #52 of the Texas Longhorns readies for play during the SEC college football between Texas Longhorns and Vanderbilt Commodores on November 1, 2025, at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, TX. (Photo by David Buono\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Beane took Zane Durant, the defensive tackle from Penn State. I can see the vision \u2014 he\u2019s an Ed Oliver-type, the plan B as Oliver eventually ages out, light and quick enough to create interior chaos in the pass rush. My hesitation with that profile is the same it\u2019s always been: lighter defensive linemen playing inside are a liability against the run, and you better have a scheme built to compensate for that. Hopefully, Leonhard has the answers there.<\/p>\n I went with DJ Campbell, the guard out of Texas.<\/p>\n Big, strong, and durable \u2014 Campbell barely missed a snap in four years in Austin. His pass protection efficiency numbers were excellent. He\u2019s a people mover, the kind of interior lineman who fits exactly what this offense wants to do \u2014 create displacement, open lanes, not just survive blocks. Great value at this point in the draft. If he develops the way I think he can, this is a pick that looks very smart down the road.<\/p>\n Pick 219: Beane Nailed This One<\/p>\n INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 27: Toriano Pride Jr. #DB26 of Missouri runs the 40-yard dash during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n Toriano Pride Jr. out of Missouri. I said it during our live show<\/a>, and I\u2019ll say it here:<\/p>\n Pride ran a 4.32. He\u2019s 22. He closes throwing windows as fast as anyone in this class, sets traps in zone coverage by inviting throws he has no intention of allowing to be completed, and in man coverage, he is stuck to receivers like a second jersey. He bounced from Clemson to Missouri and didn\u2019t break out until his final season \u2014 some people called that a red flag. At 22, I see a late bloomer. There\u2019s a real difference.<\/p>\n This is a seventh-round pick with mid-round talent. His physical tools and his production in his final college season both translate. I expect him to push Igbinosun for real snaps earlier than most people think. And honestly? Pride being available in the seventh is another reason why trading up in the second for a cornerback was unnecessary. The class had answers at this position. You just had to be patient enough to find them.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n