The ESPN on-air talent has released his first mock draft of the season
As the days wind down to the start of the NFL draft, mock drafts will start to come in with people selecting players based on what they are hearing rather than the players they believe the team should select.
ESPN's Peter Schrager is one of the league's most tapped-in media members and usually releases one mock draft per season, which is based on the intel he has collected around the league. Today is the day for Schrager's mock.
Schrager makes sure to outline the reasoning for each first-round selection:
"What follows is my first mock draft for the 2026 class. These 32 projections are based on what I'm hearing, rather than what I would personally do at each slot. Nothing is set in stone quite yet, which is why I'll have a second mock draft in two weeks. But for now, this is my best guess for how things could play out."
So, who did Schrager hear the Saints will target in the first round?
8. New Orleans Saints
Reuben Bain, Jr., Miami, EDGE
"New Orleans said farewell to many defensive leaders this offseason, as Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Alontae Taylor will all likely be elsewhere next season. (Jordan is still a free agent.) And short arms be damned; the powerful and disruptive Bain is viewed as a top-10-worthy prospect after a 9.5-sack season. This seems like a good match."
The elephant in the room (or the T-rex, sorry, couldn't resist) is Bain's arm length. The timing of this mock and intel is interesting considering the reports of Bain dropping in the draft.
Former defensive tackle Breiden Fohoko is very concerned about Bain, Jr., and his arm length.
“Drafting Reuben Bain in the first round, let alone a top 10 pick, will get a general manager fired,” Fehoko said. “It is not a hot take. It’s the facts. Bain is a phenomenal football player. However, Bain is a tweener. He’s 6-foot-2, 265 with 30 and a quarter-inch arms. When you have to ask yourself, where does Bain fit into an NFL defensive system?
That’s where it starts getting tricky. He’s too undersized to be a 4-3 defensive end. Now you can say he can get the job done. I think he can. However, NFL teams don’t believe it. Cause if they did, we’d see a starting defensive end in the NFL (with Bain’s measurements). You don’t see any Bain builds out there in a 4-3 system. You could make an argument that he could be a 3-4 outside linebacker, but you and I both know if you’ve watched Bain, his best asset is going forward, it ain’t dropping in coverage.”
In my opinion, this is the overthinking portion of the NFL draft process. There simply is too much time in between the combine and draft. Bain, Jr. will be a stud in the NFL.