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Newark 2026 Draft Recap
As the Bulldogs entered the offseason with an aging roster, it was paramount that they continue to bring on and develop young talent. With Travis Kennedy signing a huge extension with the team, it’s only fitting that the organization continue to surround him with weapons to maximise his effectiveness.
Goal – get those sexy offensive weapons wherever possible. picking at 1.19 isn’t exactly the ideal spot, but it was the cards we were dealt. Once the draft class was revealed we were eager to get started. It was apparent that there just wasn’t that many offensive studs available in this year’s draft. Our WR’s are getting old. Jesse Lucas and Jose Hoover have been the top 2 WR’s in Newark for 12 years now. their play has slipped slightly as shown by the drop in offensive production. We really wanted to get a target for Kennedy, but we knew we had no chance at the only WR we thought was worthy of a 1st rnd pick. Mark Briggs ended up sliding further than we expected and landed in Lansing’s lap. We talked with a few teams about maybe swapping some picks so we could move up, but we just lacked the fire power to do so. We didn’t want to over commit our future picks because we see ourselves trending downward and in turn, the value of our picks will increase. We really wanted TE Cory Wilburn. He has stud written all over him. Once Carolina picked him, we immediately switched our mindset back to building our offense from scratch. Historically we’ve had great offensive lines which has led to great offenses. We also wanted to grab a corner and safety in this draft. After we selected our LT of the future last year, we thought it was important to solidify the right side. We really were torn as to what to do with the line as there were also dominant G’s available at this time also. Ultimately we chose to go with tackle over guard hoping that we might be able to trade back into the 1st if either of the guards lasted past 24. That was my strategy.
1.19
RT Billy Kramer USC
Kramer looked solid enough to me to have him as a top value pick. He had good combines and shows he can both run and pass block. I wasn’t concerned about his strength really. He will ride the pine for a few years and learn behind both Jessie German and Shane Brush. I’m not in a hurry to throw linemen draft picks in. I’d rather have them develop cohesion with the unit over a number of years.
While taking offensive linemen isn’t sexy, it’s stable. Both of the guards I liked were then drafted 23rd and 24th. At this point we were keeping an eye on the trends and trying to either get a step ahead of others or draft the opposite positions as everyone else.
As my 2nd rnd pick approached, I had my eyes on C Damon Gilmore. Gilmore reminded me of Norman Enright in some ways. With Enright getting older, and NFK stealing away my backup C in FA, I knew I needed to find that longterm replacement. In my opinion, the C is what makes the running game work. I needed to get a replacement and Gilmore was the guy I coveted in rnd 2. At this point no other C had been drafted yet and Gilmore was sitting there when my pick came up. It was a no brainer for me
2.18
C Damon Gilmore Hawaii,
To me Gilmore was hands down the top C in the draft. We were ecstatic to draft him. The knock on Gilmore is his endurance. I’m hoping that it’s better than currently advertised. With this pick we’ve now drafted a LT, RT, and C with 3 of our top picks in the last 2 years. I’m happy now to fill in the guards with value picks when they come available.
As the 3rd round approached, I had identified a few players. A couple of WR’s and CB’s and even a few Safeties. I was happy to see the top WR on my list in the 3rd fall to me again. we jumped on that like a fat kid on a smartie.
3.20
WR Martin Welborn Johnson C. Smith
His combines weren’t too impressive. His BPR bar was average and I was hoping that his other bars would be decent also. I thought I was going to get a serviceable WR with this pick. Someone that will develop and potentially be a stop/gap player for us until we can get some 1st round WR talent. Welborn isn’t going to set the world on fire, but my hope is that he is consistent.
With no 4th round pick I had to wait until round 5 where we would have 2 selections. I still had some flagged players on my list here in the 5th round.....including a WR that I liked.
5.18
WR Glen Torres Rhode Island
Torres is a workout warrior. He ran the 3rd fastest 40 time in this draft class and 5th fastest agility drill. Torres did not excel in college, but appears to have the physical tools to make it in the pros. Call it a gamble by our front office, but we felt this was a great value pick if Torres develops.
With our 2nd 5th rnd pick we had to go on defense.
5.22
S Brady Kramer Baylor
We really wanted to get a S at some point in this draft. We were hoping to get one of the top 3 guys, but they went too early for me. Kramer is a guy we drafted with the intention to make the switch to CB, although he looks not too bad as a S. For now we will likely switch his position in hopes we can replicate the success we had when we drafted and switched Craig Downs.
At this point in the draft I’m literally looking for something that I can make into a contributing member of my teams of the future. Return guy, specialist guy, depth guy.....whatever.
6.20
CB B.J. Brennan, Nevada – Las Vegas
Brennan had a ho hum combine. I like his bars which include good endurance and that nice bump and run bar. I’m hoping he holds up.
7.19
DE Britt Buckley, Oklahoma state
I pawned this pick off on my scout as I was working. Hopefully he makes me look smart.
Overall, I’m somewhat satisfied. I like to draft value picks whenever possible. I wasn’t coming into this draft thinking I needed to upgrade my offensive line, but because I saw both picks as great value picks it should help me in future drafts to not reach for someone.
Can’t wait to get these guys signed and on the roster.
but...
Newark 2026 Draft Recap
As the Bulldogs entered the offseason with an aging roster, it was paramount that they continue to bring on and develop young talent. With Travis Kennedy signing a huge extension with the team, it’s only fitting that the organization continue to surround him with weapons to maximise his effectiveness.
Goal – get those sexy offensive weapons wherever possible. picking at 1.19 isn’t exactly the ideal spot, but it was the cards we were dealt. Once the draft class was revealed we were eager to get started. It was apparent that there just wasn’t that many offensive studs available in this year’s draft. Our WR’s are getting old. Jesse Lucas and Jose Hoover have been the top 2 WR’s in Newark for 12 years now. their play has slipped slightly as shown by the drop in offensive production. We really wanted to get a target for Kennedy, but we knew we had no chance at the only WR we thought was worthy of a 1st rnd pick. Mark Briggs ended up sliding further than we expected and landed in Lansing’s lap. We talked with a few teams about maybe swapping some picks so we could move up, but we just lacked the fire power to do so. We didn’t want to over commit our future picks because we see ourselves trending downward and in turn, the value of our picks will increase. We really wanted TE Cory Wilburn. He has stud written all over him. Once Carolina picked him, we immediately switched our mindset back to building our offense from scratch. Historically we’ve had great offensive lines which has led to great offenses. We also wanted to grab a corner and safety in this draft. After we selected our LT of the future last year, we thought it was important to solidify the right side. We really were torn as to what to do with the line as there were also dominant G’s available at this time also. Ultimately we chose to go with tackle over guard hoping that we might be able to trade back into the 1st if either of the guards lasted past 24. That was my strategy.
1.19
RT Billy Kramer USC
Kramer looked solid enough to me to have him as a top value pick. He had good combines and shows he can both run and pass block. I wasn’t concerned about his strength really. He will ride the pine for a few years and learn behind both Jessie German and Shane Brush. I’m not in a hurry to throw linemen draft picks in. I’d rather have them develop cohesion with the unit over a number of years.
While taking offensive linemen isn’t sexy, it’s stable. Both of the guards I liked were then drafted 23rd and 24th. At this point we were keeping an eye on the trends and trying to either get a step ahead of others or draft the opposite positions as everyone else.
As my 2nd rnd pick approached, I had my eyes on C Damon Gilmore. Gilmore reminded me of Norman Enright in some ways. With Enright getting older, and NFK stealing away my backup C in FA, I knew I needed to find that longterm replacement. In my opinion, the C is what makes the running game work. I needed to get a replacement and Gilmore was the guy I coveted in rnd 2. At this point no other C had been drafted yet and Gilmore was sitting there when my pick came up. It was a no brainer for me
2.18
C Damon Gilmore Hawaii,
To me Gilmore was hands down the top C in the draft. We were ecstatic to draft him. The knock on Gilmore is his endurance. I’m hoping that it’s better than currently advertised. With this pick we’ve now drafted a LT, RT, and C with 3 of our top picks in the last 2 years. I’m happy now to fill in the guards with value picks when they come available.
As the 3rd round approached, I had identified a few players. A couple of WR’s and CB’s and even a few Safeties. I was happy to see the top WR on my list in the 3rd fall to me again. we jumped on that like a fat kid on a smartie.
3.20
WR Martin Welborn Johnson C. Smith
His combines weren’t too impressive. His BPR bar was average and I was hoping that his other bars would be decent also. I thought I was going to get a serviceable WR with this pick. Someone that will develop and potentially be a stop/gap player for us until we can get some 1st round WR talent. Welborn isn’t going to set the world on fire, but my hope is that he is consistent.
With no 4th round pick I had to wait until round 5 where we would have 2 selections. I still had some flagged players on my list here in the 5th round.....including a WR that I liked.
5.18
WR Glen Torres Rhode Island
Torres is a workout warrior. He ran the 3rd fastest 40 time in this draft class and 5th fastest agility drill. Torres did not excel in college, but appears to have the physical tools to make it in the pros. Call it a gamble by our front office, but we felt this was a great value pick if Torres develops.
With our 2nd 5th rnd pick we had to go on defense.
5.22
S Brady Kramer Baylor
We really wanted to get a S at some point in this draft. We were hoping to get one of the top 3 guys, but they went too early for me. Kramer is a guy we drafted with the intention to make the switch to CB, although he looks not too bad as a S. For now we will likely switch his position in hopes we can replicate the success we had when we drafted and switched Craig Downs.
At this point in the draft I’m literally looking for something that I can make into a contributing member of my teams of the future. Return guy, specialist guy, depth guy.....whatever.
6.20
CB B.J. Brennan, Nevada – Las Vegas
Brennan had a ho hum combine. I like his bars which include good endurance and that nice bump and run bar. I’m hoping he holds up.
7.19
DE Britt Buckley, Oklahoma state
I pawned this pick off on my scout as I was working. Hopefully he makes me look smart.
Overall, I’m somewhat satisfied. I like to draft value picks whenever possible. I wasn’t coming into this draft thinking I needed to upgrade my offensive line, but because I saw both picks as great value picks it should help me in future drafts to not reach for someone.
Can’t wait to get these guys signed and on the roster.
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