Welcome to The Lounge. I'm Ryan Mink, here with Garrett Downing, and we are thrilled to sit down with General Manager Eric DeCasa, just a few days after the 2026 draft.

So thank you for taking the time, Eric. And we'll start here. What were the big goals that you came into this draft with and how coming out of it

how closely do you think you got to achieving those goals I think we just we really

wanted to increase the depth I mean looking at the depth chart we lost a lot of good

players this year yeah for whatever reason teams seem to covet our players in the

off season so we lose a lot of guys.

And, you know, we wanted to just kind of augment the depth.

But I think also an emphasis on physicality size, want to improve the offense and defensive lines, and then get some playmakers on offense.

Having lost Charlie and Isaiah, we had to draft a few tight ends, certainly.

But getting some receivers that were different than what we have, I would say was a priority

as well.

So you're on the clock at pick number 14, and some players are there who we wondered whether they would even make it there.

Vanga being one of them, Ruben Bain being another, Kenyon Sadiq is also there.

And the Athletic Spike Silver had a piece that was documenting our entire draft, and he talked about the possibility of us trading back and how you were on the phone talking about making a trade potentially.

Take us through that process and looking at it now, getting Vanga, how happy are you that you

stayed and picked and ended up getting a really good player?

Yeah, I mean, so those three guys definitely factored in.

When we make trades in an ideal world, you could trade back and still get the guy that you

wanted. And so we had three guys that we thought were all viable picks for us right there,

all three of those guys. You know, Sadiq was a field stretching, tight end, rare athleticism and

speed. Bain, tremendously end, rare athleticism and speed.

Bain, tremendously productive, edge pass rusher, ferocious, you know, good player.

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