The Tankathon thread,i.e., the 2026 Draft

[KillerRaider30]

https://www.tankathon.com/nfl

[pfish57]

Let’s maintain the first pick getting through next weekend with a loss.

Then you have to draft Mendo.

THEN we can worry about how he performs at the NFL level. Hit or miss, it’s a no brainer we have to go QB with the first pick.

No doubt never said don't draft him, just saying let's see how the college playoffs play out before we crown him the Savior!

[Raider_Dave]

We automatically gain on them next week.

How do you figure that?
With every game next week being intradivisional, only a few games will make a difference.
For us, 2 teams in the AFC West will win next week and 2 will lose. So no change. Same with 2 divisions we played. The NFC East and the AFC South.
Jets will be in the same situation with their division and the 2 divisions they played.
Each team played 3 games outside of those division matchups.
Raiders played: Bears, Browns, Pats. So we want those teams to lose
Jets played: Cowboys Broncos, Jags. We want these teams to win. Yet we also might want the Cowboys to lose since they are playing Giants.

[LayneStaley]

Fernando plays a better D in practice than Bama has…just sayin.

[rich72]

I heard no matter what happens the worst pick we can have would be #2.

[LayneStaley]

How do you figure that?
With every game next week being intradivisional, only a few games will make a difference.
For us, 2 teams in the AFC West will win next week and 2 will lose. So no change. Same with 2 divisions we played. The NFC East and the AFC South.
Jets will be in the same situation with their division and the 2 divisions they played.
Each team played 3 games outside of those division matchups.
Raiders played: Bears, Browns, Pats. So we want those teams to lose
Jets played: Cowboys Broncos, Jags. We want these teams to win. Yet we also might want the Cowboys to lose since they are playing Giants.

Yeah but won’t we gain from them playing a 13 win team while we are playing a 6 win team?

[Jeevo]

How do you figure that?
With every game next week being intradivisional, only a few games will make a difference.
For us, 2 teams in the AFC West will win next week and 2 will lose. So no change. Same with 2 divisions we played. The NFC East and the AFC South.
Jets will be in the same situation with their division and the 2 divisions they played.
Each team played 3 games outside of those division matchups.
Raiders played: Bears, Browns, Pats. So we want those teams to lose
Jets played: Cowboys Broncos, Jags. We want these teams to win. Yet we also might want the Cowboys to lose since they are playing Giants.

We were talking strength of schedule, they play Pats, we play KC so they lose on that no matter what.

But yeah, I see your point.

[haji81872]

Aiden O'connell

SCOUTING REPORT: STRENGTHS

Possesses very good vision balance, elusiveness, and deceptive speed and power as a runner.

Mentally, O'Connell was able to make checks at the line of scrimmage and manage the run game

Good zip and ball placement on the quick slant. Good touch down the seam and on post-corner, flag routes to attack the defense vertically and horizontally.

O'Connell has a quick release and shows good accuracy on shorter throws when on the move to either side.

High football IQ with the mentality of a gun slinger

Really nice anticipation a passer and has outstanding overall touch

Very accurate quarterback - especially on timing throws


Fernando Mendoza

Throws with surgical precision between levels, threading windows that don't exist for quarterbacks lacking his touch and anticipation on intermediate routes.

Keeps his head on a swivel when chaos erupts, maintaining downfield vision while maneuvering through traffic like a downtown cabbie at rush hour.

Built like a power forward at 6'5" with long levers that create unique passing angles and help him see over collapsing pockets.

Absorbed relentless punishment behind Cal's turnstile protection yet never flinched from delivering strikes.

Manipulates safeties with subtle eye movement and shoulder fakes, creating lanes that weren't there at the snap through veteran-level deception.

Eats blitzes for breakfast, posting a 15:0 TD-INT ratio against seven-man pressures across two seasons while maintaining elite efficiency numbers.

Displays ice water in his veins during crunch time, engineering comeback drives when seasons hang in the balance without his pulse ever spiking.

Shows enough wheels to make defenses respect his legs, using functional mobility to buy time and convert broken plays into positive gains.


I don't know.

Just posing the question.

What question? Why are they so different?

[pfish57]

Fernando plays a better D in practice than Bama has…just sayin.

I find it Bizzare that you would say that when your favorite team is Texas A&M lol Keep talking you are just giving more juice to Bama RTR

[Cruisin with Tooz]

Looking at the schedule, because its all division games i don't think NYJ could mathematically pass us if we win. So a top two pick seems guaranteed

Yes they can.

[Reno Hightower]

I find it Bizzare that you would say that when your favorite team is Texas A&M lol Keep talking you are just giving more juice to Bama RTR

I imagine you will disappear on one of your 10 day benders after Indiana Rolls the Tide in the Rose Bowl.

[Raider_Dave]

We were talking strength of schedule, they play Pats, we play KC so they lose on that no matter what.

Yeah but won’t we gain from them playing a 13 win team while we are playing a 6 win team?

Doesn't work like that.

Screenshot 2025-12-28 200552.png

So next weeks opponent record is already part of our SOS.

[Cruisin with Tooz]

If the Raiders lose or tie their last game we have first pick. If we win our last game we cant drop any lower than third. With 18 games left on the NFL schedule (going into the Sunday night game between SF and Chi), these are the OWT’s for the 5 teams that could have 3 wins:
NYG 143.5
LVR 147.5
NYJ 148.5
ARZ 154
TEN 155

We have a 7.5 win lead over TEN and it is impossible for them to shave anything off that lead. That tiebreaker is clinched for us. It is impossible for TEN to pass us in draft order.

We have a 6.5 win lead over ARZ and it is impossible for them to shave off more than 1 win off that lead. That tiebreaker is clinched for us. It is impossible for ARZ to pass us in draft order.

We currently have a 1 win lead over NYJ, however that tiebreaker is very secure for us because there are several games on the schedule that, regardless of who wins, our lead will balloon to 4 wins. There are 8 other games that will be the difference makers in who ultimately holds the tiebreaker (the 1st listed team in each matchup are “our” teams, eg SF, ATL, etc. The 2nd listed teams are the Jets teams):

SF v Chi
ATL v LAR
CIN v CLE
DAL v NYG
DET v CHI
DEN v LAC
MIA v NE
JAX v TEN

If the NYJ sweep that slate of 8 games they win the 1st tiebreaker outright. If they take any 7 out of 8 the 1st tiebreaker is tied. In that case the jets pass us based on the 3rd tiebreaker (conference record). We will have 3 conference wins to their 2 wins. Five of those games are competitive; three are less so. The chance of taking at least 7 out of 8 equally matched contests is 9/256, roughly 4%. The Jets chance is a little higher because 2 of the three less competitive games favor the Jets.

The NYG hold a 4 win lead in our tiebreaker with them. There is still a pathway for us to the #1 pick, even if we both finish 3-14. It will require that we take at least 4 out of the 5 games that are the key games. All 5 games appear to be competitive. The 1st listed teams are “our” teams:

SF v CHI
CIN v CLE
DET v CHI
NO v ATL
SF v SEA

The chance of taking at least 4 out of 5 equally matched contests is 6/32, roughly 19%.

It isn’t possible for there to be a 3-way tie for the 1st tiebreaker between NYG-NYJ-LVR.

There are 4 ways for us to clinch the #1 pick:

1 lose to KC
2 tie KC
3 NYG win/tie + win 2 of the 8 matchups on the jets slate
4 win 4 of the 5 matchups on the Giants slate + win 2 of the 8 matchups on the Jets slate.

[pfish57]

I imagine you will disappear on one of your 10 day benders after Indiana Rolls the Tide in the Rose Bowl.

Once again you are back to your insulting trolling ways, but as usual nothing is done about it, I'm not going to go back & forth with you junior...go hangout were you can inhale some second hand weed;)

[LayneStaley]

If the Raiders lose or tie their last game we have first pick. If we win our last game we cant drop any lower than third. With 18 games left on the NFL schedule (going into the Sunday night game between SF and Chi), these are the OWT’s for the 5 teams that could have 3 wins:
NYG 143.5
LVR 147.5
NYJ 148.5
ARZ 154
TEN 155

We have a 7.5 win lead over TEN and it is impossible for them to shave anything off that lead. That tiebreaker is clinched for us. It is impossible for TEN to pass us in draft order.

We have a 6.5 win lead over ARZ and it is impossible for them to shave off more than 1 win off that lead. That tiebreaker is clinched for us. It is impossible for ARZ to pass us in draft order.

We currently have a 1 win lead over NYJ, however that tiebreaker is very secure for us because there are several games on the schedule that, regardless of who wins, our lead will balloon to 4 wins. There are 8 other games that will be the difference makers in who ultimately holds the tiebreaker (the 1st listed team in each matchup are “our” teams, eg SF, ATL, etc. The 2nd listed teams are the Jets teams):

SF v Chi
ATL v LAR
CIN v CLE
DAL v NYG
DET v CHI
DEN v LAC
MIA v NE
JAX v TEN

If the NYJ sweep that slate of 8 games they win the 1st tiebreaker outright. If they take any 7 out of 8 the 1st tiebreaker is tied. In that case the jets pass us based on the 3rd tiebreaker (conference record). We will have 3 conference wins to their 2 wins. Five of those games are competitive; three are less so. The chance of taking at least 7 out of 8 equally matched contests is 9/256, roughly 4%. The Jets chance is a little higher because 2 of the three less competitive games favor the Jets.

The NYG hold a 4 win lead in our tiebreaker with them. There is still a pathway for us to the #1 pick, even if we both finish 3-14. It will require that we take at least 4 out of the 5 games that are the key games. All 5 games appear to be competitive. The 1st listed teams are “our” teams:

SF v CHI
CIN v CLE
DET v CHI
NO v ATL
SF v SEA

The chance of taking at least 4 out of 5 equally matched contests is 6/32, roughly 19%.

It isn’t possible for there to be a 3-way tie for the 1st tiebreaker between NYG-NYJ-LVR.

There are 4 ways for us to clinch the #1 pick:

1 lose to KC
2 tie KC
3 NYG win/tie + win 2 of the 8 matchups on the jets slate
4 win 4 of the 5 matchups on the Giants slate + win 2 of the 8 matchups on the Jets slate.

Excellent work, what are the odds the jets pass us if we win and they lose? Or more simply what are the odds off the Raiders having 2nd pick with a win over KC and a Jets loss.

[DanKD]

Yes they can.

No they can't. A win means we increase the sos distance and almost all other games are split.