DRAFT WINDS PART 2: DEFENSE

DRAFT WINDS PART 2: DEFENSE

Yesterday, I gave you a position-by-position guide to the offensive players in play for pick 11.

Today, we turn our attention to defense.

EDGE:
Make no mistake, the Dolphins are in dire need of edge help. There is little money to spend in free agency, whilst incumbent Bradley Chubb is a prime candidate to be released. Even if he does return, there’s still a significant problem in terms of rushing the passer, as Chop Robinson hasn’t trained on it, and neither Seth Coleman nor Derrick McClendon, who were both signed to futures contracts, have a career tackle to their names. Jeff Hafley loves to try to get home with four, relying on athletic second and third-level defenders to make plays in coverage. At the moment, beyond Jordyn Brooks, he has absolutely none of that.

Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is likely to be a top-five pick because he’s a height/weight/speed/IQ demon and the ultimate Swiss Army knife for a DC. He brings a truly terrifying skillset to the table: an elite bender and dipper who lacks a true pass rush plan but whose ceiling is almost out of sight. He possesses elite take-on strength as an edge setter and is a fluid mover in space, able to get out on screens with rare ability.

Texas Tech’s David Bailey has elite get-off and is able to immediately compromise a tackle to create short corners. He can dip and rip, he has a terrific spin move, he tempos his rushes, and he can convert speed to power. A true QB hunter, his pass rush win percentage is more than 4% higher than Will Anderson’s in his final season at Alabama.

Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. doesn’t have the rush wins of Bailey, but he’s a very different player. Extremely thick in the lower half, you get the impression that playing against him is a serious 60-minute problem for an opponent. Bain is explosive, he’s bendy, he has outstanding hands, and a plan for every down. He’s also a strong run defender who plays every snap as if it’s his last.

Unfortunately, that trio probably won’t make it to 11. So that brings us to the tier two guys.

Cashius Howell of Texas A&M is a super twitched-up speed rusher with a smart football brain who can bend. He’s got short arms, which will be an issue, and he can be overwhelmed in the run game, but he reminds me of Pittsburgh’s Nick Herbig. 

The first thing to do when studying Miami’s Akheem Mesidor is to work out how much of his production comes because he plays opposite Reuben Bain. But it’s clear pretty quickly that he gets more than his fair share of pure wins. He’s explosive both inside and out. He gets his pads low and can bull rush his man back into throwing lanes from both the edge or multiple interior spots. When inside, his rushes are clean, and he can force the QB to shift platforms. There are significant injury concerns, and he’ll be 25 before the draft, which will limit his ceiling.

Clemson’s TJ Parker came into the year battling to be the #1 edge on the board, but struggled early on. However, down the stretch and at the Senior Bowl, he showed his trademark explosiveness, his ability to convert speed to power, and his outstanding hands. He plays a hard-nose brand of full-gas, no-brakes football with a reckless abandon that coaches will love, and he plays off contact as well as anyone I’ve seen. I suspect 11 will be too high for him, but he’s worth a mention.

DEFENSIVE END:
I always split edges and ends depending on their weight. If you’re 275+, then I consider you an end. Hence why Keldric Faulk is here, as he’s 288lbs. He’s a fascinating player because he fits so many of the things that Sullivan and Hafley have talked about, specifically around character and leadership. An incredible athlete, he doesn’t win with elite snap quickness, burst, or bend, but he has great power and tremendous hands, is violent, scheme-proof, an elite run defender, and won’t turn 21 till week two. He’s a different type of player, and his success won’t be tied to sack production, but he ticks a lot of boxes. You’re buying upside here because it’s so tantalising.

OFF-BALL LINEBACKER:
Sonny Styles is one of my top three players in the draft, regardless of position. He has the lineage – his dad was a 3rd round pick of the Falcons and won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams – and the skill set. A 5-star safety in HS, he just moves differently. He’s the prototypical modern linebacker with great FBI, rare length, range, twitch, versatility, downhill explosion, and he’s a force in the run game. He also brings some nice pass-rush juice – often as a nickel blitzer – and a natural understanding and feel for coverages where he still moves like a safety. There are just too many Fred Warner similarities to ignore.

Georgia’s CJ Allen is an outstanding run defender who’s super aggressive in how he comes downhill to deconstruct blocks, fill gaps, and take on ball carriers. Blessed with elite processing skills, he’s instinctive in zone, and like Faulk, is well regarded for his character and leadership. I think 11 is too early for him, but he’s worth thinking about.

CORNERBACK:
Much like the edge position, the Dolphins are crying out for corner help. Both their 2025 starters, Rasul Douglas and Jack Jones, are free agents, as is slot Kader Kohou, who missed last season with an injury but was one of the NFL’s premier nickel corners when healthy. 

The top three in the 2026 class are all SEC kids, beginning with LSU’s Mansoor Delane who for me is the best in class and is coming off an elite season where he shut down his side of the field. He’s not as big as some in this draft, but he’s super physical – he was a high school wrestler – he’s scheme diverse, and he possesses terrific instincts, range, and diagnostic skills. Delane has fast feet and a fast brain, and they’re tied together perfectly. He’s patient, rarely opening the gate to cede ground, in run support he can come downhill fast, he can crack-and-replace, and he’s a sure tackler.

Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy might have been a top-five pick had he not torn his ACL last January and missed the entire season. But his 2024 tape is compelling: he’s super smooth as a mover, he’s instinctive, and can smother receivers, showing great route IQ as he moves them to the boundary to narrow the throwing windows. This is an explosive man-coverage CB with great ball skills. The void he left last season was filled by Vols teammate Colton Hood. One of the most patient corners you’ll ever see, he’s a natural in man coverage, possessing outstanding reactive quickness and great vertical speed.

Clemson’s Avieon Terrell is the brother of Falcons corner AJ, and is a pure nickel at 5’11, 180, but he’s quick, explosive, fluid, and super feisty in man coverage. He also plays with great anticipation. He’s a plug-and-play day-one slot. I think 11 is too high for South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse, and there are some holes in his game, but he has elite quickness and foot speed. He plays almost exclusively as a side-saddle corner but has good hip turn and plays with sound instincts.

SAFETY:
Arguably the best overall player in the draft is Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, the archetype for the modern NFL defender. He’s the complete package at safety and one who can dictate how a defense plays because of what he can offer. Blessed with athletic ability and a deep third range to play single high, he can shut down the middle of the field or explode to the sideline.

In 2025, the majority of his production actually came down in the box and nearer the line of scrimmage, where his instincts and tackling ability take over. But he’s shown in man outside or in the slot how he can carry receivers, tight ends, and backs. A read-and-react weapon, he should have much the same impact on a defense that Jalen Pitre does in Houston or Quentin Lake does with the Rams.

The other safety in play is Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who falls into the category marked: “JUST DRAFT GOOD FOOTBALL PLAYERS”. He’s long, super physical, and has played everywhere, an alley running missile who’s rangy, instinctive, agile, and explosive, with a nose for the big play – he’s got 11 forced fumbles in his career with the Rockets. McNeil-Warren will come down into the box, and at 6’3, 209, he will hurt you. His eyes are as good as anyone in the class, and to watch him shade across gaps and make plays in space, to redirect tight ends and backs, and make plays on the ball can be like watching a player who was in the offensive huddle. I’ve seen some comparisons to Justin Simmons, and they’re justified. A zone team is going to love him.