The Athletic Football Show: Building the Beast — Dane Brugler’s Updated Top 100
February 11, 2026
Host: Dave Helman | Guest: Dane Brugler

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into Dane Brugler’s updated Top 100 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft. With the NFL season officially over and the Seattle Seahawks crowned Super Bowl 60 champions, Helman and Brugler launch into full draft mode. They break down the big board, examine trends at key positions (notably wide receiver and edge rusher), explore players’ draft stock, and unearth both top-tier names and under-the-radar gems. The discussion emphasizes how team needs and value fit intersect with overall talent — and highlights how Brugler synthesizes everything into his influential rankings.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of the Draft: The Process & Philosophy

• Draft Season Kicks Off: After Super Bowl 60, attention shifts immediately to the NFL Draft. The Combine looms, setting the stage for rapid ranking shuffles.
  • Dave: "The whip around from Super Bowl week to diving right into draft season is always a fun one, but I'm really excited.” [03:41]
• Building the Top 100: Brugler explains the challenge of creating a generalized big board that fits every team, rather than ranking for a specific scheme or system.
  • Dane: "The issue is getting these guys in the right buckets and feeling good about where those break points are… stacking these guys from a very generalized point of view.” [06:46]

2. Top 10: The Big Names and Trends

• Familiar Elite Names: Arvell Reese, (top spot, edge), Fernando Mendoza (top QB & likely No. 1 pick), Jeremiah Love, and Caleb Downs occupy expected places near the top.
• Positional Surprises: Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State) makes the Top 5 despite positional value debates.
  • Dane: “6'4, 240. He's going to run 4.5. The thing that I don't think we appreciate enough is just the jump he took this year… He was a safety at Ohio State... Just really, really impressive.” [11:29]
  • Conversation on LB value: stil feels unusual for a linebacker to rate this highly, but his "high floor" makes him safe.
  • Dave: “I don’t have a ton of reservations if that’s the way it winds up... I think that’s overthinking it." [13:17]

3. Offensive Line: OT Landscape

• First Non-QB/Skill Player: Spencer Fano (Utah OT) is the first offensive lineman off the board, praised for his mobility, technique, and "losing slowly."
  • Dane on Fano: “The feet, the temperament, the recovery balance… just has a knack for losing slowly and that’s absolutely a skill NFL teams want." [16:20]
• Francis Maui Noah (Miami) and Vega Ioane (Penn State) round out the top OL trio. Brugler stresses how closely graded these players are and how priorities may shift based on scheme fit.

4. WR Class of 2026: Depth Over Superstar

• Seventeen WRs in the Top 100, Six in Top 30:
  • Top three: Carnell Tate (10), Jordan Tyson (12), Makai Lemon (14):
    • Brugler doesn’t see any as true “No. 1” NFL receivers but likes their fit as complementary pieces.
    • Dane: “It’s a good receiver class, but I like the depth more than the options in the top 10... Are we over-correcting with Lemon because we don’t want to miss on the next St. Brown?” [19:49]
    • On Lemon: “Not an elite athletic profile... but easy player to like and very possibly turns out to be worth a top 15 pick.”
  • Team Context Matters: WR2s can carry more first-round value if teams have established alphas.
    • Dave: “Is it more palatable to draft a wide receiver two considering the options that are already available?” [21:59]
    • Dane:"They don't have a choice, right, because there isn't a WR1 in this class... If you have that role already filled, take [the good football player].” [23:25]
  • Under-the-radar WRs:
    • Omar Cooper (playmaker after the catch, No. 27); Antonio Williams (61, Clemson; fluid slot, but not explosive); Brennan Thompson (74, Mississippi State; “my pick for the fastest 40”); Bryce Lance (99, North Dakota State; size, hands, will interest teams day 3).

5. Edge Rusher: The Deepest Pool

• Sixteen Edges in Top 100, Nine in Top 40:
  • “Edge may be the deepest it’s been in years,” with day two loaded for strength and variety.
  • Dave: “I typically think there’s a cutoff for where I get excited to draft an edge... I’m amending my attitude because... throughout day two it feels like there are edge.” [38:02]
  • Highlights include:
    • Kieran Crawford (Auburn, emerging past bigger-name teammates)
    • Danny Dennis-Sutton (Penn State)
    • Akeem Mesidor (discussion of age vs. polish and readiness for NFL impact)
      • Dane: "There will be some teams that have Mesidor higher on their board than Bane... It's more about the way he played this year, especially in the playoffs.” [40:51]
• Philosophical Note: Draft philosophy can differ — “do you want immediate, more mature production, or a younger project?”

6. Safety & Defensive Back Trends

• Big Nickel and Hybrid Role Impact: The Nick Emmanwori effect is real — teams covet hybrid mismatch-proof defenders.
  • Dane: “The thing you want is mismatch proof. That type of value... it changes things." [47:12]
  • Thienaman (Oregon) and McNeil Warren (Toledo) rise for their hybrid potential.
• Arizona Defenders Rising: Unheralded prospects like Genesis Smith (72, safety, coverage-first, but non-physical) and Trade Stukes (77, versatile, late-bloomer) get their due.
  • Dane: “Genesis Smith is a, he’s going to be a really polarizing player. He’s a true center field type of safety... but also a very finesse run defender.” [51:15]
• Keith Abney II (Arizona State), former elite inline skater, offers rare balance and speed — "a steal in round two." [55:34]

7. Other Underrated or ‘Beast’ Names Highlighted

• Offensive Linemen:
  • Blake Miller (Clemson, #42) praised for durability, toughness, and leadership.
    • Dane: “If you’re going to just rank every player in this draft in terms of football character, he might be in the top five… In four years at Clemson, he missed a grand total of one practice and that’s because he broke his wrist.” [59:04]
• Linebackers:
  • Kyle Lewis (Pitt) and his Senior Bowl showing bumps him into the top 100.
• Guards:
  • Jalen Farmer (Kentucky): physical, athletic, long; Billy Shrauth (Notre Dame): overlooked due to injury but "Wyatt Teller" comp.
• Running Backs: Only three crack the top 100.
  • Jeremiah Love (Notre Dame), Jadarian Price (Notre Dame), and Emmett Johnson (Nebraska, #92): A versatile pass-catching option, “the Big Ten running back of the year.”
    • Dane: “He’s quick, he’s balanced and he catches the ball well... He’s going to stack cuts on cuts on cuts and be a productive player.” [64:53]

8. Draft Dynamics & How the “Beast” Takes Shape

• Dave on Brugler’s process: “People in general don’t know as much about players as people as... And that is why The Beast is so amazing. Because I’ll have these guys’ life stories available to me at the click of a finger...” [57:48]
• Agonizing over the Cut Line: Brugler discusses "the painful process" of leaving prospects off the top 100 — up to 15–20 credible names hovering just outside the cutoff.
  • Dane: “Could have easily just stretched this out and done a top 150 or 200, but gotta cut it off at some point.” [66:52]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Dane Brugler:

  • On the frustration of fitting a class to a single ranking:
    “The issue is getting these guys in the right buckets and feeling good about where those break points are...” [06:46]
  • On Sonny Styles:
    “6'4, 240. ... Last year was his first year playing linebacker... The only reason I don’t have him higher... is just to become a better playmaker in coverage.” [11:29]
  • On the receiver class:
    “It’s a good receiver class, but I like the depth more than I like the options in the top 10... Lemon, to me is the most interesting... 1% of Lemon's contract should go to Amon-Ra St. Brown.” [19:49]
  • On hybrid defenders:
    “It’s all about a hybrid skill set because the thing that you want is you want to be mismatch proof. That type of value... changes things.” [47:12]
  • On challenging safety prospects:
    “Genesis Smith... a true center field type of safety... but also a very finesse run defender. Below average tackler. Those things are really bothersome.” [51:15]
  • On the importance of football character: “If you’re going to just rank every player in this draft in terms of football character, [Blake Miller] might be in the top five.” [59:04]

• Dave Helman:

  • On positional value shifts:
    “I don’t have a ton of reservations if that’s the way it winds up... I think that’s overthinking it.” [13:17]
  • On the “edge” class and ROI:
    “This year... throughout day two it feels like there are edge... if I’m using your board I’m liking a lot of my options…” [38:02]

Important Segments / Timestamps

• 03:41 – Transition from Super Bowl to Draft focus
• 06:46 – Dane’s process: building a top 100 big board
• 11:29 – The case for Sonny Styles in Top 5
• 16:20 – Breaking down Spencer Fano and the O-Line cluster
• 19:49 – Wide receiver class philosophy and depth
• 27:00 – Introducing under-the-radar WRs (Antonio Williams, Brennan Thompson, Bryce Lance)
• 35:57 – Edge class depth, names to know from day one through day three
• 40:51 – Mesidor vs. Bane; age vs. polish debates
• 47:12 – Hybrid safeties, the Emmanwori effect
• 51:15 – Deep cuts in the DB class (Genesis Smith, Trade Stukes)
• 55:34 – Keith Abney II’s unique background
• 59:04 – The rise of Clemson’s Blake Miller
• 62:07 – Spotlight: LB Kyle Lewis, OL Jalen Farmer & Billy Shrauth
• 64:53 – Emmett Johnson and the RB “bubble”
• 66:52 – The “painful” process of setting the big board cut line

Tone and Language

• Insightful but Fun: Dave and Dane blend deep analysis with lighthearted banter, making the dense topic engaging.
• Candid: Dane is frank about the grind, uncertainties, and philosophical gray areas in draft rankings.
• Audience-Focused: Both aim to serve listeners who follow the whole process — not just the high profile names.

Takeaway

This episode is a definitive field guide to the pre-combine NFL draft landscape, offering sharp analysis on class strengths (receivers, edge, hybrid DBs) and honest conversation about the evaluative challenges behind each ranking. Whether you’re locked in on blue-chippers or looking for day two gold, Dane Brugler’s Top 100 — and his reasoning on this show — provide a roadmap for both NFL front offices and the draft-obsessed fan.