transcript

Speaker 1:
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Speaker 2:
[00:34] Empire.

Speaker 3:
[00:44] The Commanders got their man in the middle. Hello and welcome to my podcast. Do me a favor, subscribe to the John Keim Report, wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. You can find us there as part of Empire Media, AMP, IRE. Always much appreciated when you tune in. Don't forget, you can read my work on espn.com. I have analysis up of the Commanders picking Sonny Styles. That is up on espn.com. I'll have videos up there as well. And I'll have two videos up and that you can go check out on espn.com. And also, just a note, we'll be talking to Sonny Styles on Friday during a press conference. Not sure what time yet. And then we get into rounds two and three. They do not have a second round pick. And Adam Peters said they will not be looking to move up from 71. So we'll be sticking there, waiting to see what they do in the third round. Anyways, let's get to Sonny Styles because this is a guy that I know that they have long liked and wanted. And that's why when we talked to Adam Peters earlier tonight, he said he's been smiling ear to ear since this pick was made. This is someone that I know they absolutely liked. Obviously, they took him number 7 overall. But I know that after what I kept hearing is after Jeremiah Love, I think this was the guy they absolutely wanted. I think if Love had been there, I could have seen them easily taking him. That was the one offensive player that I thought they would, basically that I heard throughout this, that they would take at 7. But they knew it was very much a long shot that Love would be there. So Styles is absolutely a guy that they thought had a chance to be there. And Peter said he didn't think he'd be there, but there was a chance, a better chance of that happening, and that's how it unfolded. That's why there was no doubt they were gonna take him when he was sitting there. When we did our mock draft for ESPN, Styles wasn't there. Definitely would have been the guy I picked. I can say that now, but that's, you know, of course. But the guy that I picked was Mansour Delain, who Kansas City traded up to number six to draft ahead of Washington. So, but I'm telling you, they are thrilled with this pick of Sonny Styles because he's the kind of guy that he is. And it's funny because you always hear, Commander, Commander, who he is, he's a commander. But I do think that this is a guy that, who is a perfect fit for what Dan Quinn wants on the field, in the building, all sorts of that, all that stuff, right? And it's, you know, I know Adam Peters had Fred Warner in San Francisco. And we talked to him about that at the league meeting, you know, just as a guy like, hey, it's a middle linebacker, positional value, etc. But he saw what the difference that Warner made for San Francisco. I don't know that Styles can make that difference here. I think that's asking a lot. And I did ask Adam then, he said, hey, listen, Fred's, Fred's a gold jacket guy. So that's kind of a lofty standard of set. However, there is a lot to like about Styles. What I'm getting into first of all, like why I always thought there would go defense, first of all. And when you, when I would talk to people in the league, talk to people here, defense was always kind of what you would hear. Again, if Love had been there, I do think he would have been the pick, and almost for sure. But he wasn't. And so then you turn, because like he's the guy. But other than that, it was going to be defense. It was just a matter of who would be available for them. Why is it defense? They spent a lot of money on there. I know it's, the number is what, like $888 million. It's about $120 million guaranteed money. But when you look at it, like most of that money went to Odafe Owe. Like half of that $120-some went to Odafe Owe. So then you're looking at like seven other players, maybe eight other players, who accounted for the other $50-some million in guaranteed money. So it wasn't like they signed a bunch of All-Stars, but it also highlights how much work that needed to be done on defense. This was a defense that ranked bottom five in a number of categories, including rushing, yards allowed, and then yards per play, and then they were 27th in scoring. It was terrible. We all know that. So signing who they did was a good step. They've added impact players now at multiple spots, especially in that front seven. And when you're looking at what Durante Jones likes to do, having the versatile linebackers with guys like Leo Chenal and now Sonny Styles, and I would even include Jordan McGee in there as well. Obviously, they still have Frankie Louvue, but especially like Chenal and Styles. Those are the two big additions to that group, but they're both fast, and so is Jordan McGee. So you have the versatile, both can... All those guys can play inside or outside. And I know Styles was a Mike linebacker at Ohio State. Leo Chenal was an outside linebacker in Kansas City, but the Commanders believe that they can both play inside or outside. And Styles said that the team told him they see him as a Mike, Will or Sam, like that he can play all over. And I don't know that they believe they could rush off the edge if they ever needed that to, but they do believe he can be a very good blitzer. And that's not something he did a ton of at Ohio State. And if you listen to my James Laurinitis interview a couple of weeks or so ago, he talked about that. And in fact, we're going to re-release that video with him just talking about Sonny Styles, because we cut this up, because I had anticipated that this may happen. But it's like, can he be a good blitzer? Yes, and I think there's that size. And what Jones likes to do is get those linebackers mugging up in the A-gap. So you got Chenal and in Styles or McGee, whatever you want to do, but Chenal and Styles for sure. And now you can mug up, now you can drop because they have the speed to get to the spots where they need to be. And they're both smart players. And that's, so like the versatility of that defense, and now that front seven with the pass rush, you can do a lot, a lot, a lot with that. And with again, adding Odafe Owe, Caleb Oncheson, Omenu Hu to go inside or outside, like those, they've added parts up there, and it just, it's so much better than it was last year. Now, you gotta stay healthy. Now, I will say, the back end to me, there's still some concern. And that's why if they had not taken Styles, then to me, it would have been Delaney or Caleb Downs. Because you get, especially, you know, I had mocked Delaney, but I think that was the name I heard. But I don't know for sure, but the bottom line is they would have added an impact guy in the secondary to kind of balance, to get more back there as well. Because you look at corner, it's still thin. You have basically three guys' guaranteed spots with Amos Samristil and Robertson. And Witherspoon did not get a lot of money here, so they can cut him if they wanted to. But the bottom line is it's not a guaranteed spot for him based on the money, based on the roster, the numbers. Right now, it would be. But they still need some more help there. They could still use some more help at Safety, where they added Nick Cross and they have Will Harris coming back. But do they have the necessary depth to get by? That's something you're going to have to address as well. But Corner is definitely a spot to address. But what you can do now with this front seven is be very creative and then with a lot of movement up front. And I think that will help with the secondary coverage, like again, hand in hand. And I know the secondary has got to help the rush. But I think in this case, the rush is going to help them, the ability to disguise and then get a lot of guessing games up front with the versatile pieces that they have had. And you can put Omenu inside to be a pass rusher as well. And I know like there's a lot of people, I know a lot of people, I heard from a lot of you said, you gotta go offense because they need help for Jane Daniels. I agree with that. However, what they need as much as anything is that roster balance. When you look at the playoffs last year, this past season, look at the teams that were in there at the end. All were led by their defenses. Seattle won because of its defense. New England was in the game because of its defense. Yeah, Drake May, they added, they had Stephon Diggs, they had guys around him. He stunk in the playoffs. They got far because their defense was that good. And Houston, defense. Denver, defense. All those teams. So this team did not have that. Jaden Daniels and the offense had to score a lot because the defense couldn't stop teams. That's why you needed to continue addressing it. And there was, when I talked to someone earlier today with the team and like, hey, talked about defense, they're like, there's, I said, because I told this person, like, hey, I talked to people around the league who say like, you guys still, they thought, others that I talked to in the league thought these guys would go defense at seven because they need a lot more help on D than they do on O. And the person said, basically, you're not kidding. And I heard from someone else via text, but basically said, hey, earlier today, defense wins championships. And so like the message was clear that short of Jeremiah Love being there, it was going to be defense. And Love would have helped for sure, right? An explosive runner. But when Carnell Tate went four, that was very good for Washington. And even Adam Peter said later, he was, I think he felt like that was his ceiling, he felt like his floor was nine. That should tell you something.

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Speaker 1:
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Speaker 3:
[13:23] Now, you have a strong, foundational, young piece in the middle, a guy that others feel could be one of those classic 10-year starters, multiple Pro Bowls, has that ability for sure. Now, you got to go out and do it. We've heard this before, right? From a lot of players, you got to drop to top 10. But Sonny Styles tested off the charts as an athlete at the combine, and he played like that. I think the other thing too, and you know I watched him a lot because of where he played, but you saw a lot of improvement from year one to year two as a linebacker. Missed a lot of tackles as a junior, missed two as a senior. Played with a little bit better play speed as a senior, or as last year, as a linebacker. And one of the things that he talked about that, when I had Lauren Itis on, he talked about having to improve his footwork, going from safety to linebacker, and that was an area he got better at. I think the other thing is, as Lauren Itis said, you gotta play slow, two of them play fast. In other words, don't overrun a play and by overthinking it, make sure you read it right, then get going, right? And so I think you'll see that as well. He did a better job taking on blocks and shedding them. And I know Adam Peter said that they were really impressed with what he showed against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship game. So I think, like I said, I think this is a very good pick, and it's not because of school he went to, it's because I think he's a very good player. He's also something else they need, which is a strong communicator and leader. And when you're losing a guy like Bobby Wagner, then you need to have a guy in the middle like that. And not that he's gonna be Bobby Wagner right away, whether he's a player or as a leader. Wagner built that up, was tremendous in that area. So I'm not gonna disrespect Bobby by saying, this guy can come right in and do that. I don't think that's gonna be, but I think eventually over time, that is what he will become, because that's what's going to be expected of him if you're drafted this high and you have those skills and those traits, that's what you should become. So I think, like I said, I think this is a very strong pick for Washington and I think it's what they needed to do to fix this defense. And the other thing I like about Styles too is, I just, again, the versatility. And I just, I can't underscore that because I think what's going to key this defense is that versatility upfront. And you watch the Minnesota defenses, and I know I was talking about a corner at seven, but when you look at how their defense improved in the time that Brian Flores was there, it was all about the front. And the corner play, the corners were not, there was no, again, they had Patrick Peterson end of his career, Stephane Gilmore end of his career. Otherwise, they're kind of just, they were okay, but it was all predicated on the front. And this is what Washington is bolstered. Also the run defense, like they've been bad again, they haven't been very good against the run for a few years, right? And so I think this is going to be something that should help him in that area, because I think he's been good against the run. And as long as he's learning, as long as he's taking on blocks in the NFL and shedding them, and not getting caught up in the traffic, et cetera, and learning how to play that spot, then he will be a big help. How long that takes to get there, I don't know. But I do think like you have now that ability to do so. And the thing I wonder about too is how will they use all these linebackers? Because I still think Jordan McGee can help. In what role? I don't know. Now you have four linebackers who can play, because you also still have Frankie Louvoo. And I think this can help him as well. Just add some versatility. I will be curious to see how they deploy all these guys, because there are going to be times where you're only going to have two linebackers in the field. And I, you know, could I see it being Chanel and Styles? Yeah, because of speed that they have and the versatility that they have. Frankie is not a cover guy. And we've seen that. He's also not as fast as these two. I think he's a good blitzer. I think he can be used in that way. But I think these other two offer more versatility in that way. And so I think, like, that's something to, for sure. Now, the other thing, too, is, again, the smarts. And one of the things Laura Knight has told me is just how teams told him how Styles was able to go up on the board, draw up a play, and draw up all, what all 11 were responsible for on a play. That's not, that doesn't always happen. And that's something that's unique, just considering how little time he had really spent at linebacker at Ohio State. But yet, that's something that jumped out to teams. And so, you know, he's going to be smart and prepared. And the other thing is, too, he told us, this is where he wanted to be. He said he told his family this morning that he was like, I'm going to be a commander. And he said they didn't think it would happen because I think they thought he'd go higher. But he felt it when he was here for his visit at the top golf event. He told Quinn, he wanted to be here. That matters as well. Shoot, you heard that from Jaden Daniels a couple years ago, too. When he left here, he had told his agent, this is where I want to be. Because they liked being in the building, they liked the people here, et cetera. And so it made sense for them to want to be here. But that's how Styles was as well. I think that's an important thing. Is it the most important? No, but I do think you want guys who want to be here, and I do think they want to be where they're wanted, and Styles is absolutely wanted here for sure. So that's about all I got. I do think, like I said, I think overall it's a good pick. Now you turn your attention to round three, because that's where they go next. And to me, you've got to go receiver. Now you've got to get more help for that offense. And you think you still need more corner help. So if you went there, would I be shocked? I don't know if I'd be shocked by anything. But personally, I say go receiver, because it's deep there, there's good players there, and somebody who can help you. And whether it's a guy like Ted Hurst, I don't know if he'll be there. One coach told me he didn't think he'd be there at 71. But there are going to be a few guys that could be possibilities at 71. And then you can also add Brandon Ayuk. Not a guarantee he's going to be anything, but they certainly could add him in between the combination of Ayuk and a third round pick. That can fill the gaps at the receiver. And suddenly you have a very deep receiver core, potentially, because, I say potentially, because you'd still have to see Ayuk really be able to come through in that role. So we don't know where he's at with everything. He's not even free yet. He's not even here yet. But that's where you can get better offensively. But I would also say they still, they're gonna want to get, to me, I would draft an interior lineman on day three. And I would certainly look to draft another corner at some point or get more help there. Because I just don't think you have enough there for sure. And I, you know, you can have all the stuff up front, but you don't want to be giving up big plays in the back end when things, if things don't, if you're not getting home on the quarterback. So anyways, folks, that's it for me. I do think it was a good night for the Commanders. I can tell you they are ecstatic. So that's all I got. I appreciate you tuning in. I'll be back on Friday night after they make their third round pick. And appreciate you tuning in. Talk to you next time.

Speaker 6:
[20:31] If you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.