transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:01] The Volume. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, American Beverage. If you think about some of the most iconic drinks in the country, the ones you grab at a barbecue, the ones you raise to celebrate your team that have been part of your story for decades, Coke, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, there's something people don't always think about. The companies behind those brands are still making their drinks right here in the US. While there's a lot of talk about bringing manufacturing back, America's beverage companies never left. There are American companies making American products with American workers in America's hometown. So 275,000 men and women across all 50 states, real jobs, good paying jobs, the kind of jobs you can raise a family on. So more than a hundred years, those brands have been part of everyday lives and they're still here, still investing, still operating in communities around the country. So if you care about strong local economies and companies that walk the walk, check out the good work and what they're doing at WeDeliverForAmerica. All right, John, we're about halfway through the first round. Let's talk Ty Simpson to the Rams at 13. Surprising to a lot of people, it's not, Todd McShay came on my show this week and said, there's a lot of talk. And I mean, when you're as good as the Rams, what were their needs? Corner addressed it with Trent McDuffie. Probably another receiver, although Jordan Whittingham, they got from Texas out of the sixth round. The kid they got out of Pittsburgh in the seventh round last year can play. Puka Devante Adams. I'm not shocked by it, because I think Stepson Bennett wasn't going to work, Garoppolo wants to retire. When I saw Garoppolo thinking of retiring, that felt like in the building, the Rams were showing some affection for going after a quarterback. I guess I'm not shocked by it, are you?

Speaker 2:
[01:59] Yeah, I think when you look at McVay at the owner's meetings, he was begging Kirk Cousins to sign with their team. Then Jimmy Garoppolo, I googled it the other day, has made $160 million. So $4 or $5 million to be the backup financially. He does not need the money. So clearly if he walks away and, listen, Jimmy has been a shell of himself for years. I'm shocked. He's a one year starter. He got banged up at the end of the year. He's not, this isn't a guy with crazy traits, right? He's not a great athlete. He's smaller. He has not proven to be durable. Was it, I had you on the background today and Klatt was talking about the stats of starting quarterbacks to be successful in the NFL.

Speaker 1:
[02:42] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[02:42] The starts that they have made in college and the overwhelming majority of them that have had success. Super Bowl runs and I'd even just say like pro bowl level guys have been multi-year starters to get the reps in college in a certain amount of past attempts. Now, maybe if we had DeBoer with a couple of cocktails, he'd say, listen, I would have gone with Ty Simpson last year, but Jaylen had just used Ty's more my type quarterback, but Jaylen had just led Saban to the playoffs. I didn't have a choice and maybe there's some truth to that. But when your comps are Brock Purdy and those type players, which makes sense for McVay, who's been around those, like historically those guys like quarterback, they've won a lot of games with Matt Schaub and Kirk Cousins, but you don't take that guy 13th overall, Colin. I was all for, I've been saying, yeah, you're not going to draft up here again. Hell, they trade first-round picks like they're going out of style anyway. If you are going to do a redshirt player, go with an offensive lineman that the Georgia attack, go with someone that, okay, you don't have as much, hell, the guard, even if you just get another offensive lineman, you're going to figure out the quarterback position. Isn't that part of McVay, his power?

Speaker 1:
[03:59] Baltimore, with the very next pick, took the second-best interior old lineman in the draft, the kid from Penn State. So the pick, which doesn't surprise you because Baltimore is often built from the interior line, you know, Linderbaum, the center. So the Ravens picked the play. Now, the Rams are very good guard, center guard. Wright tackles a concern. I thought they would go out and get Freeling from Georgia. I guess my take is this. McVay made Baker Mayfield work in one practice. Jared Goff was a bust, made him a star. Nobody thought Stafford would. I mean, last year, Stafford was arguably the best player in the league. And my take is McVay is saying, guys, we're not playing in for two years. We're doing what the Packers do. This guy's going to figure out instead of staying in college, he's going to get better coaching. We're not playing in for two years. And we don't want to get into because the Rams are going to be drafting 30th, 31st or 32nd next year. And I think they're thinking is, well, how many picks do we have to give up to get to the number six spot for a quarterback? I mean, because you know if Stafford's healthy, they're drafting at the bottom around one next year. And I think they look at it and think, is Ty Simpson, he may be middle of the pack of the top seven quarterbacks next year in their eyes. But I think they look at him like Green Bay looked at Jordan Love. We don't think he's good now. We think in three years he could be excellent.

Speaker 2:
[05:35] But here's the thing, using that logic, which is what they're going to do, obviously he's not going to start. And if Jimmy retires, he will just be the backup. In a perfect world, if Stafford can stay erect and not get injured, which is always a question mark, right? I mean, he's older, he's taking a lot of hits. I mean, hell, even last year, I heard McVay saying a lot of people thought we were lying about the back injury. It was not a lie. Stafford was in shambles. So you never know there, which I, okay, you got to have a backup quarterback. But this is a guy that just hasn't played a lot of football. Okay, you're red-shirting him or let's say Stafford plays two more years because this year he's healthy and it's like, well, you're making $45, $50 million. You're on a great team. You don't need to retire. And he's in a place where him and his family clearly like. How's this guy getting any better? I mean, these practices in the NFL, and I understand the coaching McVay is as good as it gets, but you're not getting any reps, Colin.

Speaker 1:
[06:25] I think you are getting reps with Stafford. I think Stafford last year, first of all, you're getting every snap in the preseason. You're going to get them last year. Stafford is going to show up late to camp. I mean, he did last year. So my take is Stafford is one of the few guys. He's not like Brady obsessed. He doesn't need every snap. Secondly, McVay was like when Andrew Whitworth got older. I mean, he wasn't wearing pads all year until games, until Sunday.

Speaker 2:
[06:52] Trent Williams doesn't practice, older players don't practice.

Speaker 1:
[06:55] Yeah. So my take is I don't think Ty Simpson works for 30 teams in the league. But if you told me the Rams, I'm like, sit for two years. Do they, listen, Green Bay has proven, they know how to do this quarterback thing. And I do think Les Snead has excellent connections in Southern football. I mean, if you go look at some of the guys they've drafted, they don't miss a lot on their draft picks. I think so much of what the Rams did is based on how good they think they're going to be next year. And they don't want to have to give up seven picks to move up next year. So now, we also...

Speaker 2:
[07:33] Just before we finish this, I view the draft, you know, being around Howie is like an economic exercise. And to me, a quarterback, if you're going to take, that's going to fall under, you know, the Cousins, some of these comps, these guys went in the third, the fourth, it's Purdy, the seventh round. We have seen guys' physical limitations. Kenny Pickett, now let's even say this guy's better, obviously ideally better for the Rams' sake than Kenny Pickett and Mack Jones. Those guys were, we paid a million dollars for a $500,000 house. And I think in an economic exercise, and I get it, like once he's invited to the draft, a lot of people speculate that there's more than one team interested, the NFL is just not randomly doing this. So the Rams probably weren't alone in liking this guy. But there are a lot of question marks. And I understand the world's changed since the Parcells, the three-year starter, the graduation, the reps. I do believe that matters at quarterback. When you look at all the top quarterbacks in the league, from Patrick, to Lamar, to even Josh Allen, even Rodgers was a multi-year starter at junior college. Then you get a lot of rep. This guy just hasn't played. And there's just so much unknown at the importance of this position. Like at wide receiver, the Saints, Jordan Tyson. It's like, okay, we could mold this guy. Wide receiver is different. A lot of guys can rep in and out. You know, quarterback, it's just a risk. I agree with Lesney. Their history of drafting is pretty good. I don't think there's anything question marks off the field. Like, so you feel good about the person, but pretty risk, pretty risky. That's all, you know, for a team that never drafts this eye. Hell, that never has first round picks.

Speaker 1:
[09:03] You know, what's interesting, I was going to say, the Dallas Cowboys do very well with their first picks. To get Caleb Downs with the 11th pick, that's pretty damn good. I mean, they have two big needs, safety and corner. And now you could argue, they could get safety later. It's a great safety draft. But to be able to get the best safety, and I mean, everybody you talk to, everybody I've talked to at Ohio State, Urban Meyer, Ryan Day have all said the same thing. This guy had 120 tackles as a freshman at Alabama under Nick Saban. Literally walked on. I mean, just think about that. You go to Alabama, Nick doesn't want to play freshman, period. So I think he's pretty special. So I thought by Dallas, we can say all we want about Dallas. But I said this the other day. I don't think people realize how many high-end B-plus players Dallas has. Jake Ferguson's one of only two tight ends that had like 80 catches and eight touchdowns. They have two elite interior offensive linemen. They have two great receivers. Dak Prescott. I mean, now they have Kenny Clark. Think about what they did. Instead of Micah Parsons, think about what they've done in the last eight months. Quinnen Williams, Rashaun Gary, Kenny Clark, Caleb Downs. That's, you say what you want. You know, you spent all that money on Micah Parsons. Look at the four players they have added. This Dallas defensive front now with Caleb Downs at center. That's a big win to me for Dallas.

Speaker 2:
[10:28] Well, I think Jerry takes a lot of shit because of the personality, because some of the crazy things he said or says. There is no debating their drafts for a long time now, especially in the first round have been unreal. And I get this guy doesn't play a premium position. But I think if you polled every general manager in the league, who are the best players in this draft, remove the quarterback, just in terms of regardless of position. I think Jeremiah Love and Caleb Downs would have been a lot of people's one to in some order. Now, obviously, depending on position, you get pushed down for pass rushers. But this guy, you hear Ryan Day talking about him earlier today. He said, I've never been around a guy that young that I felt like this guy should probably be in the NFL now. That was before he played a game when he transferred there. And Saban was, who plays in the defensive backfield for Nick Saban at safety? Because one thing, as a corner, you can just be an athlete. At safety, you're like a coach on the field. And the defensive backfield is Nick Saban's baby. I bet if we historically looked in the 20-year run plus at Alabama, not many guys cracked the field at 18 years old. So yeah, I mean, if you would have told anybody that the Cowboys ended up with Caleb Downs, now they did have to move up one spot.

Speaker 1:
[11:39] One spot, a couple of fifths.

Speaker 2:
[11:39] Do you think the Rams, if he would have kept falling, would have been interested in him?

Speaker 1:
[11:43] Yeah, because they love, like the Seahawks and the Rams, highly value safety. I think Sean Payton, I know, highly value safety. A lot of these coaches do. I will say Reuben Bain fell to 15. Jason Light, the GM of the Bucs, took him at 15. So we said somebody was going to fall in the first round. It ended up being Bain, who many had going eight, nine or 10. Measurable is a problem, kind of a bully on the field. This is what Jason Light has done for years in Tampa, gets value often on the defensive side. What do you make a Bain dropping to 15?

Speaker 2:
[12:16] Well, this is a long time ago, but sometimes guys can just play football. If you just walk by Warren Sapp, he doesn't exactly look like Jaylen Carter or Reggie White. To me, if you just watch Warren Sapp play, obviously, he's one of the greatest players of all time.

Speaker 1:
[12:29] I covered him in Tampa as a rookie.

Speaker 2:
[12:32] Do you agree if you walk by him, he doesn't look like one of the greatest defense tackles of all?

Speaker 1:
[12:36] A little shorter than you'd like. I remember about halfway through his rookie year, he popped in year two, but halfway through his rookie year, he just had an attitude that he was great and he knew he was going to be great. Had incredible confidence.

Speaker 2:
[12:49] Some guys just have the natural feel to dominate at whatever position. To me, Reuben Bain, I've been watching college football all my life. That guy just jumps off the screen. The arm length is definitely concerned, but it shows you sometimes, especially in the teens, just be patient. Good players fall in the teams because a lot of teams hire up for some needs. We say a couple of wide receivers get forced. The chiefs desperately need a corner. Guys drop.

Speaker 1:
[13:22] No. People are going to bang on Kansas City a little bit because they move up to six to get Mansoor Delane. But in my take, I said this all week, the two teams I thought could move up were the Eagles because they have eight draft picks and there's not eight guys in this draft that can make the roster and the chiefs. Because the chiefs basically, John, after they got Kenneth Walker, they had three needs this off season that were like urgent, now needs, running back corner and edge. Well, they got Kenneth Walker, they solved that. By moving up, they get the best corner, they solved that. They have the entire remaining draft to get an edge in a good edge draft. Well, Kansas City, I thought they may move up for Bailey, but my take on Kansas City is, John, they have the coach, the quarterback, and they have the defensive coordinator, and they've got good athletes. They lack a star power that maybe the Rams, the Eagles, the Seahawks have at the top or Denver. Well, now they've added Kenneth Walker in the best corner. To me, this didn't surprise me and it doesn't bother me. Does it bother you?

Speaker 2:
[14:26] No, because this guy is a plug and play outside corner. I think one of their concerns, they love Trent McDuffie. He's everything you'd want in a guy, in a competitor. I mean, they one big with him. They viewed him more as an elite nickel, solid outside guy. Well, I just looked, Ashton Jenty was a six pick last year. Got four years, $35 million and a $22 million signing bonus. The Rams gave McDuffie four years, $124 million and guaranteed a hundred million dollars. So you go, well, to me, it was just economics like Andy Reed did not think poorly of McDuffie, but they looked at the money in how much they would have to give him when they wanted him to just primarily dominated nickel. And they get this corner for what? Six, $7 million a year. So they go, Hey, even if this guy turns out to be 80, 90% of McDuffie, a really, really good player, he's way cheaper. And this is unlike the Rams, the Chiefs are, Andy's thinking this year or next year like this, they're living in the moment. So, hey, and think about this, Colin, because when they picked them, the first thing I thought of Justin Herbert, Bo Nicks, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Dragon, think of the quarterbacks you have to play in the AFC, Joe Burrow, Fernando Mendoza is good. Like you're playing potentially, the NFC teams feel a little more well-rounded, the Rams, Seattle, the Niners are healthy. The AFC is, I mean, you're talking Hall of Fame. Trevor Lawrence resurrected his career. If CJ Stroud got on the straight and narrow, Daniel Jones for the first 10 games look like a pro bowler. I mean, the AFC quarterback wise is loaded. So when you got $50 million quarterbacks, you're not asking them to hand the ball off, they're chucking around 40, 50 times a game. So it's specifically in their division against Herbert, who last year shocked a lot of people through, they threw the ball all the time. We know Sean Payton, what did they just do? They just added Waddle to go with Sutton. We'll get Drew Brees to Google his numbers. Sean Payton likes to call passes. So I think part of it is we're already paying Chris Jones. We need Carl Loftus to bounce back. We need a guy that we can just plug. Andy has to go back to the Eagles. They've drafted a lot of good corners over the year. So I think him and Beach have a pretty good feel for LSU. Google LSU's corners too. That's a pretty good place to draft for them.

Speaker 1:
[16:54] Today's show brought to you by our friends, our presenting sponsor Hard Rock Bet. We've just loved being their partner. Florida Sportsbook. It's NBA playoff time. I watched all of them the last two days. Lights are brighter, pressure's higher. Every possession counts. On Hard Rock Bet, every night's your shot to score a major bucket. Winner go home energy on the hardwood. So same game parlays are so much fun in the NBA. To me, even more than football, Hard Rock Bet gives you so many ways to stack your picks into a same game parlay built for the playoffs. If you're late to a tip off, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet lets you live bet all game long. First to the final buzzer. So sign up today, double your winnings in your first 10 bets, maximum $50. That's right, double your winnings, first 10 bets. So if you win 100, you'd win two. The welcome offer is just the tip. Hard Rock Bet, new promos daily, same game parlies are great. Open up the app, takes 90 seconds, get signed up, download the Hard Rock Bet app. It's the best app in the industry. Let's get the party started. Payable and bonus bets, not a cash offer, offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida, offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC in all other states, must be 21 plus and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling in Florida, call 1-888-admit-it. In Indiana, if you or somebody you know has a problem, wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. So, both New York teams had two first round picks. The Giants get the best available player, Arville Reese. Then the Giants get Francis Maui-Noah. That was my take the entire two weeks before the draft. Get the best player available at five, then get somebody to protect or elevate the quarterback. The Jets meanwhile, David Bailey's who I thought plug and play pass rusher. Their second pick, 16 Kenyon Sadiq, the smaller than average tight end, but really a versatile playmaker. The next coach I think will probably be able to use his skills. But my takeaway on both New York teams, I thought they did well. They have the two worst records in the NFL over the last decade. But I don't see a bust with those four players. Thoughts?

Speaker 2:
[19:15] I think, listen, John Harbaugh's been around, I mean, a couple of the greatest defensive players of all time. And you had Suggs and Heloti, like the guy knows defensive lineman. He didn't draft Abdul Carter, who I think is a better prospect. Now, he went three, Reese went five. I do think you could have justified taking Sonny Stiles there over Reese, just because you already have Brian Burns. The Giants were pretty bad last year. He was not. I mean, you watch the Giants play. Burns coming off the edge. I would imagine they trade Thibodeau. But I wonder inside that draft room, if Sonny Stiles is the next Fred Warner and you already got Pass Rushers, because it's not a defensive tackle to take, the offensive lineman is a no-brainer. I would have taken Sonny Stiles there at five over the Pass Rusher. Obviously, you always value the Pass Rusher more than the middle linebacker, but you already got Pass Rushers. I mean, elite. Abdul Carter to me could be a Micah Parsons type player. Now, part of that, remember last year, he's late. He's got, maybe there were just question marks for John. But I'm with you on the Jets. They just took Kenyon Sadiq. You get Bailey, a plug-in play, edge rusher, speed guy.

Speaker 1:
[20:25] Playmaking, chess piece in Kenyon Sadiq. Listen, I don't hold the Jets or the Giants in high regard, but I do think the Giants are going to be an 8-9 win team. And I really appreciate, you know, I was, my wife kind of likes the draft and all the dramatic stories. And I was saying, I said, you know, these offensive tackles, it's never a sexy pick, but it's interesting how often the really smart people in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys to their credit, have crushed on first round picks and they've taken centers and guards and tackles and they don't miss. So, yeah.

Speaker 2:
[21:07] The two offensive tackles that went back to back, I mean, are just going to play in the NFL for a long time. Fennel and the Miami. Those guys are just NFL players.

Speaker 1:
[21:17] Okay. So I don't think anybody's surprised by Mendoza to the Raiders, Bailey to the Jets, Jeremiah Love to the Cardinals, Carnell Tate to Tennessee. Now, Tennessee is one of those organizations that has felt wide receiver shy for like 10 years. Again, I looked at that and I thought, Salah, Salah texted me about a year ago, two years ago when I said I don't trust defensive coaches with offensive guys. He goes and he texts, he was very funny. He's like, hey, I coach tight ends. I totally respect offense. So when he took this, I think he was sending a message like, I understand the game. I've been a head coach before. I went to Shanahan. Shanahan, if there's any criticism, they overdraft wide receivers. If there's any criticism, and so I don't have a problem. Tennessee is a franchise that always feels like they need another skilled player on the outside. They've had great D lineman. They've had great backs. I don't have a problem with Carnell Tate. Now, some think Tate's going to be a great number two receiver. But again, I think he's a lower end one, but it's an Ohio State receiver. They're all good.

Speaker 2:
[22:22] Yeah, I thought this was pretty shocking. Now, I'm with you. Shanahan believes in taking playmakers over offensive lineman. Now, he would not take a playmaker over a defensive lineman. And the Titans have a million needs. Now, Reese is 20 years old. Sonny Stiles played middle linebacker. A lot of people thought, well, he could be his Fred Warner. But they just drafted Cam Ward number one overall. And Jeremiah loves off the board. So they feel very, I mean, look at their wide receiver room. It's pretty terrible. I mean, their offensive weaponry. I think this is nuts though, Colin, because I have a hard time taking a wide receiver in the top five if I believe that he could never be a top five wide receiver in the league. You know, if I'm going to take a guy top five, Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Jamar Chase, the upside has to be enormous.

Speaker 1:
[23:10] Do you think they tried to trade down?

Speaker 2:
[23:13] I would imagine they definitely tried to trade down. Now, I think they would argue this. We just invested the number one overall pick a year ago in Cam Ward, and it was a nightmare on offense last year. And this draft, like, yeah, we would love Julio Jones too, John, check this draft, he's not in it. So it's like, I get it. And there's not a wide, I think the wide receivers in the top 10, I didn't think one might go in the top 10. Obviously two ended up going. I think in a lot of drafts, none of these guys, look at Obuka last year that Jason Light gets. Obuka was a better player than Tate when they played on the same team. And where did he go, in the late teens? You know, JSN a couple years ago, same type thing. I'm not anti this player. The one thing you hear, which I give Ryan Day a lot of credit, all these Ohio State guys are like pristine character. They're all high level guys. So if you go, hey, we're a little, we're forcing a need here, we're taking a good guy who worst case scenario is catching 80 balls, like we could do, to me it's more of a double pick than going Reese who's 20 that might not be able to help us for a couple of years. Sonny Stiles and maybe they just argued the premium position at wide receivers more important than the middle linebacker. Personally, I would have gone Sonny Stiles because I think Sonny Stiles could be the best middle linebacker in the league in a couple of years. So that's where I would lean when I'm drafting really high over Tate, but I understand their logic.

Speaker 1:
[24:39] Well, there's going to be somebody that busts in the top 15 to 16 picks.

Speaker 2:
[24:44] If I had to pick......historically, there's like half of them.

Speaker 1:
[24:48] Kadyn Proctor, Offensive Tackle Miami. I'm a big believer in life. You either have the work ethic and the focus or you don't. Very rarely in my life, I'm now older, have I met somebody that was unfocused, not driven, not aspirational, and then you give them a bunch of money and they become grinders. It doesn't happen. In my life, it doesn't happen. I mean, Nick Saban threw shade at the guy. He said he's not really a self-starter. I mean, even during the broadcast, I mean, you're hearing Louis Riddick say, listen, I mean, he should dominate less talented guys, and he often didn't. A whole time, I'm listening. People don't want to go on the NFL network or ESPN and criticize players. They don't really want to. In fact, years ago, it kind of became a running joke. John Gruden was so favorable and almost protective, and then somebody got into his ear and said, John, you got to be brutally honest on some of this stuff. And then Gruden became really good at it. But to me, Kadyn Proctor, and again, they've got a ton of picks. But if you told me there's a bust, find somebody in your life, your social circle, that is not really driven or focused, and then you give them money and a little fame, and they get really driven and focused. It just doesn't work that way.

Speaker 2:
[26:10] Especially in that area. You and I have talked about how hard it is to build an NFL team down there. A lot of stuff to do. You know, speaking of Lewis, when I worked with him in the Eagles, one of his big things was, and he had played in the league and then he'd scouted for a long time. It's really easy for the skinny guys. I remember Deshaun Jackson. Could eat a cheeseburger and fries, and he could give any conditioning chest, he would pass it backwards. Right?

Speaker 1:
[26:35] Who is that?

Speaker 2:
[26:35] The skill guys, Deshaun Jackson.

Speaker 1:
[26:38] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 2:
[26:38] Right? Wide receivers, DBs, they can run like they can go forever. Even if they're out of shape, you have to be Bill Belichick to really notice. Bigger guys though, you can notice it fast. There takes a discipline and a focus. It's why when you see these great offensive tackles or great defensive tackles, they have an underrated work ethic because it's just, you're naturally carrying more body weight. It's why I don't crush, when I hear Dexter Lawrence doesn't play hard every single snap. Well, yeah, he weighs 350 pounds. It's harder for him to play. But it does when you look at Dexter Lawrence. I saw an interview. You couldn't really tell the weight on him. He wears 350 really well. Kadyn Proctor is 390. So this is a guy at Alabama where they are on you much harder than they will in the pros where you have a lot more free time. You have discretionary income now in college, but you have more in the NFL. I just think lazy, big guys, it's hard for them, their discipline to change because one, they're naturally, it's not like me or you, if we're going to go on a diet, they're naturally eating a massive amount of food just to maintain 340. Look at a lot of these offensive living like Jason Kelsey. He drops 40 pounds in the blink of an eye just because he's probably eating more like a normal 250-pounder, not a 310-pounder. When you're that big, it can be really difficult. Yeah, it's got some Beckton parallels. It's harder for those big guys that don't have the discipline to really stay focused. Then what happens when you're that big? You're more likely to get injured. It's harder on your knees and your joints.

Speaker 1:
[28:14] Okay. Carolina has made the pick at 19. That's what's happening as we speak. The Eagles have moved up and made a deal with the Cowboys. The Cowboys have moved back to 23. Dallas and Philly have made a trade. How about that?

Speaker 2:
[28:33] Well, you remember when they got Devonte Smith, how he traded with Jerry too. The Eagles and the Cowboys, they're both, they're pretty unemotional when it comes to the draft. Do business, do business, they don't care. They hate each other when the season starts, but they got no problems trading with each other.

Speaker 1:
[28:48] You know what I think the Eagles are doing?

Speaker 2:
[28:51] Taking the George Offensive Lyman?

Speaker 1:
[28:53] No. Well, yes, but I think Makai Lemon from USC because that tells you they're going to move AJ Brown to the Patriots. They have Devontae Smith. They get Wicks from the Packers. You lose AJ Brown, you can't just replace him with a number three receiver from Green Bay. Do they go out and get Makai Lemon?

Speaker 2:
[29:15] My guess would be they go Offensive Lyman. I just think they're Howie's history. Lane Johnson last year, his body was really hanging by a string. They need some reinforcements. That offensive line really let them down last year. The one thing Howie has done is draft a lot of Alabama and Georgia guys. He's very comfortable with Kirby Smart. But I'm with you. I do wonder, though, if they've added enough wide receivers to just make it happen. I mean, look at Sean Mannion, who's running the Shanahan offense. You don't like ideally you'd want Julio Jones or Pukka Nakua, but you can get by with some random wide receivers and just run the rock and they have a Dallas Goddard back on the team. He has to average more trades per draft than any GM in NFL history. I mean, he doesn't go through many without making a maneuver. A little shocking that the Vikings took the big defensive tackle from Florida who's had some feed issues.

Speaker 1:
[30:16] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[30:16] Another thing like the little different, I think, than the Proctor from Bama. But the big guys to me are always really, when you hit, they become dominant players, Dexter Lawrence. But when they don't work, they're a disaster. Do you know who they took?

Speaker 1:
[30:41] No, I don't.

Speaker 2:
[30:44] I'd be stunned if they didn't go all the way.

Speaker 1:
[30:46] Okay, I'm gonna go wide receiver to the Eagles. I think they've had this AJ Brown thing figured out for a while. I think they thought about it a year ago. I mean, they made the Green Bay move to get Wicks, who's more of a three, good size three. Devontae's a mid to low end one. Yeah, I'm...

Speaker 2:
[31:12] Well, they can't take my guy because the Panthers just took him.

Speaker 1:
[31:16] Who?

Speaker 2:
[31:18] Freeling from Georgia.

Speaker 1:
[31:21] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[31:22] The Panthers. They've drafted pretty well the last couple of years.

Speaker 1:
[31:24] Well, Dan Morgan, the former player, is... He is pretty highly thought of. My people think he's pretty good.

Speaker 2:
[31:32] Well, John Schneider taught him back in the day when he first got into the business, then he worked for Brandon Bean. Before he became the GM, he learned from some good GMs. So that's a good pick. They got good guards and centers. They drafted the tackle a couple of years ago from NC State. A lot of pressure on Bryce Young just to be solid. The Panthers... I think the Panthers and the Saints actually kind of sneaky, decent teams coming into the year. Yeah, maybe you're right on the Eagles. There's probably not an offensive lineman to take there. I guess they could take the Tennessee corner has a lot of knee question marks. They've had some question with their other corner beside... They got Cooper in the slot and they got Mitchell outside. I just...

Speaker 1:
[32:20] I don't know. Yep. Eagles took Makai Lemon.

Speaker 2:
[32:24] Nailed it. Well, adios AJ.

Speaker 1:
[32:28] Yeah. And listen, he's also... He's a guy that you got to put in motion because he's not super big, so you can tie him up at the line of scrimmage. They're going to put him in motion a lot. He's a yards after the catch guy, very sure-handed. I watched every one of his big college snaps. I thought he was as self-starting, hard-working, got better. You know, he was one of those four or five-star recruits who was... The minute he arrived on campus was everything that was advertised. And they had a lot of other weapons on that team, but he just separated. He was totally dependable. He's also got incredibly... He reminds me of Omar on St. Brown. Incredibly strong hands. If he gets his hands on it, he's catching it. You're not going to see fumbles. You're not going to rip the ball away. I think Philly... Listen, you know, Dallas didn't need a receiver. They probably knew who they were going after. Yeah. I mean, listen, people can tell me how bad this draft is, but if Makai Lemon goes 20, that's going to be an 8 to 10 year, highly productive NFL player.

Speaker 2:
[33:30] Yeah. This is where the argument in this draft is sometimes you're better taken in the late teens, 20s than you were drafted in 7 or 8. Like the difference in this draft class is not that big. The one thing Lemon is going to give them with AJ being gone, Devontae Smith is an awesome player, but he's not breaking tackles. You know, in this offense, if you're booting and waggling the Shanahan offense with Jalen Hurts, you can dump it off to guys like Lemon. If he's like St. Brown, well, what can he do? He can run through contact. He's a physical wide receiver. So not only, like you said, is he sure-handed in contested catches. Like that was why a lot of people like Lemon more than Jordan Tyson is because in tougher areas, the NFL is full of contested catches. Like you're not wide open against some of these college teams in the NFL. So you get a physical wide receiver. I'm with you. I mean, you watch Makai Lemon. He was the best player on USC last year. I mean, he was fantastic. And how he's got to be pretty fired up to get him at 20 when they need to replace. I guess eventually they might not trade AJ for another month because of the cap situation. But yeah, I get it.

Speaker 1:
[34:46] It's really interesting now. You get at the bottom of the first round. These are good teams. These are playoff teams. So they have fewer holes. And it's also no man's land for a lot of teams. People, you know, a lot of these teams would rather trade out. So this is going to be interesting. John, I've got a little tequila, blanco, club soda.

Speaker 2:
[35:15] You're no dummy.

Speaker 1:
[35:17] You know what? I just won. I need clarity. It's a clean drink. You know, I'm looking over this draft. You know, anytime people say it's a great draft, there's always busts. And this draft, I mean, there's a lot of offensive tackles. This is a really, I don't remember. I mean, let me count the offensive tackles here taken so far. So you got one, two, three, interior lineman, Blake Miller, four, five, six. You got six of them so far, and there's a couple more that are going to get drafted. So listen, it's not a quarterback draft. It's an offensive tackle and edge rusher draft. And again, if Makai Lemon's going to Philadelphia at 20, it can't be that terrible a draft.

Speaker 2:
[36:11] Yeah, I think to me, drafts are usually defined when people say that on the elite at the top. Yeah, you know, they're, Makai Lemon types, you know, I mean, he's a really good player who's going into the first round any year, right? Sadiq is the type guy going in the first round any year. It just, are they going to pick 26, or are they going to pick 15, or 18, or 20? I mean, some drafts, Sadiq Lamb, where the Cowboys get Sadiq Lamb, like pick 17? You know, so, it was more about, to me, this argument on the draft was about the top. Ty Simpson, you know, I mean, we had a draft a couple years ago that had six quarterbacks go in the top 15. And I'm always hesitant, everyone goes, it's going to be a great quarterback draft next year, which could be true, but every single year, Nussmeyer was supposed to go one overall, then his coach got fired week five, right? And he got benched slash was injured by the end of the year, and now he's going to go in the third or fourth round. I couldn't have pointed Joe Borough out of the lineup, you know, when he when he first got to LSU. A couple of years later, he's one of the has one of the greatest seasons ever, and he's a no doubt about it, number one overall pick. So I just think things haven't flowed so much with quarterbacks in college because I would say no position is more dependent on, you know, you got to play pretty well, right? Listen, I can nitpick Ty Simpson. I mean, at one point in time, they look like a top five team.

Speaker 1:
[37:39] Oh, his first, yeah, first six, seven weeks. I mean, there were a lot of people that thought he was better than Mendoza. I mean, he was shredding it with no run game at all in Alabama, no run game.

Speaker 2:
[37:49] So if you look at the two quarterbacks that went, Fernando Mendoza ran the table, beat everybody, and Ty Simpson, they won a playoff game on the road. Part of being a quarterback to get drafted high now, you kind of got to put up or shut. Jaden Daniels, Caleb Williams, these guys were dominating college football. So I'm never as confident to go, there's Andrew Luck types. But we've seen Jaden Daniels the year before, no one would have picked him to be a top five pick. Then the next year, he has one of the great seasons we've ever seen, wins the Heisman, is a no doubt about it, top two or three pick. Things change so much at quarterback. Where the positions, we've been talking about Caleb Downs for two years. We've been talking about the Ohio State guys, the defensive players, even if they're not starting, you always hear like, wait for Sonny Styles, wait for Arville Reese. Fennel, how many years he started at Utah. Jordan Tyson two years ago was an unreal player for Arizona. The position players you know about. The quarterbacks though, to me, they're kind of like crazy stocks that can be up and down. That's where I think back to the McVay, Ty Simpson. It's almost like bird in the hand. We feel this guy could be a starter in the NFL, even if he's never a top five starter, I wouldn't have done it. I'm just surprised they do it because they feel like they always live much more in the moment than they do think big picture. This is their first big picture move in a long, long time. They've just been so aggressive with these first round picks.

Speaker 1:
[39:22] Steelers, not a surprise. I was talking to Mike DeFabo from the Athletic who covers the Steelers. He said, I suspect them at 21 to get an offensive tackle. Another offensive tackle is picked, Arizona State, that's down in your neck of the woods.

Speaker 2:
[39:38] Good player.

Speaker 1:
[39:41] Listen, I watch Arizona State football. It feels like my entire life. He feels like he's a little bit more of a... He's a high ceiling, not quite ready offensive tackle. Is that fair?

Speaker 2:
[39:55] That's fair. I mean, I think a lot of people thought that there was a lot to work with there. It's why he was like a fringe first rounder. But once you get the run of tackles, they just have their offensive lineman. What was the report in the last couple of days? The Broderick Jones neck injury. He might not be right, so do they make this pick if they don't have that problem arise? He's just fully healthy, probably not, but I totally understand. I will never ever nitpick a team for taking an offensive tackle. To me, even if it doesn't work, I think you can always lean on that philosophical belief when picking a player.

Speaker 1:
[40:37] Yeah. Max Ihenacker was a high school basketball star. He's a very good athlete. He's an ascending tackle. Lance Zerline is a guy I listen to a lot when it comes to his draft preview. Listen, he is the classic big athlete, and that's what everybody falls in love with. When you get these 6'7, 330-pound guys with good feet, he's an ascending player. They love his traits. He's not polished yet. But I mean, Texas Tech played Arizona State, Texas Tech had a great pass rush, and I think that's the game that he blew everybody away.

Speaker 2:
[41:16] They upset him. They upset him this year with a backup quarterback. Doesn't this speak to college football? If you want to make the playoffs, obviously the highest end like Miami or Ohio State, but if you want to be 8-14, this is USC, I think, where they're trying to go. Look at how many guys Arizona States have drafted these last, Scadaboo, Jordan Tyson, the offensive lineman, Levitt just got $5 million a quarterback to go to LSU. You need a lot of NFL talent now to compete to make that top 12-14 range in college football. You cannot just be the little engine that could with just some overachievers. You need high-end, first-round talent, guys with that ability on the lines, especially offensive line, because you're gonna have to block in that. Look at Miami, look at Ohio State, NFL, high-end edge rushers. I mean, Ohio State, they are... I know they don't win the championship every year, but holy moly, are they just a factory right now.

Speaker 1:
[42:16] Well, since Saban left, they're the best college football program in America. I mean, what's really fascinating, I was talking to somebody last week about this, somebody up the food chain in college football, and he said, Notre Dame's having a problem scheduling. He said, because it's one thing that the Big Ten added, Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA. It's one thing that the SEC added, Texas and Oklahoma. But the problem is the NIL has made non-traditional powers like Indiana and Vanderbilt really good in football. And like these teams, like USC said, we don't want to play Notre Dame. That's what everybody's saying privately. Notre Dame's on the phone. They can't get games. That's why they were so upset about USC. USC just preemptively did what everybody's doing in college football. You have two super conferences now. And Big Ten and SEC schools are like, not only are, did we add these traditional powers, but now non-traditional powers like Indiana and Vanderbilt are landing four and five star, guys, because these are excellent universities, a lot of rich alumni. Mark Cuban gives you a $15 million check and buys you, you know, six NFL players.

Speaker 2:
[43:26] Well, because that was always the knock on the SEC. It's like, okay, Georgia, you're complaining. I know you got to play Florida and LSU, but you also get Vanderbilt and Ole Miss in there. Well, now, you know, with the NIL, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss are no takeaway. Indiana, great example. That's a good point I didn't even think about. The conferences now, the money of the rising tide lifts all boats. It's not, I just think we're just inevitably going to get to the two conference deal and then Notre Dame's just be in the North Conference, which will essentially be some version of the Big Ten.

Speaker 1:
[43:59] So the Chargers take another Miami Hurricane, Akeem Mesadour, he's the, you know, not a surprise, not a surprise, a hardball goes for a pass rusher or an offensive lineman.

Speaker 2:
[44:13] He is a fantastic player. I know he's a little older, but there were Miami games where he was every bit if not better than Bain. Like he is a big time player. The knock is just, he's a little older. He's got position versatility. You put him, Khalil Max back. I mean, that defensive line, if that offensive line is healthy. Chargers are my pick right now to win that division. That's a fan. I wonder if Dallas, they had to know. I mean, the Chargers would have been interested in the defensive lineman thought they'd get back to 23 and take him there.

Speaker 1:
[44:45] Well, my question is, do the Cowboys get, you know, they need a corner, but there's some questions about McCoy out of Tennessee's, his health.

Speaker 2:
[44:58] You already took Caleb, so you're not going to take, you know, the Oregon safety, right? You're not going to take two safeties in the first round.

Speaker 1:
[45:05] No, although they won't, but that kid's going to get picked here pretty quick. My guess is if Dallas doesn't take him, Chicago, keep your eye at 25, they're going to take defense.

Speaker 2:
[45:19] Could Dallas go offense here? Or do you got to go D?

Speaker 1:
[45:23] No. I mean, I.

Speaker 2:
[45:25] You know, could you go Casey, the wide receiver from Texas A&M? You know, George Pickens is just a concession. I mean, he's not, he's no lock to be on the team.

Speaker 1:
[45:36] And I, I, I would be surprised if the Cowboys don't go secondary. I would be surprised. I, I did not buy, said this when, when the word came in that they were going to go. Now they may get Falk from Auburn, who's kind of a tweener, edge rusher. But I, my take was I didn't believe the Cowboys would move up because they needed either a safety or a corner. I think they go defense. I'd be shocked if they went offense.

Speaker 2:
[46:02] Yeah, I think McCoy would be the no doubt about it, pick the corner from Tennessee. But injuries, you know, with skilled guys and explosion always scare people.

Speaker 1:
[46:10] My guys didn't like Falk, the rush end from Auburn. They kept saying he, he's always the second guy to the tackle. He's just always a little off.

Speaker 2:
[46:20] He's a guy a couple years ago, I think would have been viewed as a potential top five pick with his physical abilities. And then Peter Woods was another guy, the Clemson defense alignment, this kind of, you know, a guy that you can move around because to me, part of drafting guys now, it's like, do they have position versatility? Cowboys are changing their defense with this new defensive coordinator from Philly. There's pretty good wide receivers on the board still, Boston from Washington, Cooper from Indiana. You could take the Clemson DB, Terrell here. You could take, there's still some, you know, Cassius Howell talking to people, they thought he was more like mid-second round. He's got short arms, he's a little smaller. Cowherd was a good player here.

Speaker 1:
[47:06] They're going to go defense. And they've been very good with their picks. I think if the, Malachi, I'm just told Malachi Lawrence, Malachi Lawrence. Now he is, he's an older player, but he's one of those guys, you know, they always use the term get off. He's one of these guys that is a kind of a pop explosive get off guys. You know, listen, they moved off. Think about this. They moved off Micah Parsons. Look at that defensive line now. For Sean, Gary, Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Overshone who was already there, injury prone. Really interesting. Yeah, that's where I wonder if they, Malachi Lawrence, Central Florida, he's a senior.

Speaker 2:
[48:05] 40-inch vertical, long, I mean, he's a big time athlete.

Speaker 1:
[48:09] Now, the knock on him, I remember reading this from Zerline, the knock on him is discipline. He can kind of hero ball it. You're not quite sure. But again, Dallas has said, okay, we're going to lose Micah Parsons, and we're going to buy and draft several players up front. And listen, Caleb Downs and another pat, you know, Overshown, Demarvian Overshown, doesn't get a lot of discussion because he's been banged up. He's a hell of a player.

Speaker 2:
[48:38] Excellent. And the one thing is when you get, this goes to the Bengals, when they get Dexter Lawrence, well, they drafted Shamar Stewart last year, who was a lot of physical characteristics, wasn't the most productive guy. Well, if I get a guy eating up the guards and centers, and you just kind of run around on the outside, like Brad Moffay, that's kind of what the Cowboys have done. They have a lot of interior help. They got some big bodies. So I get this kind of young, I guess he's not young, he's senior, but in terms of rookie past rusher, who's got all the physical characteristics, but he's playing at UCF, so they're in the Big 12. It's not like this guy's getting double digit, you know, he's got 13 sacks the last two years in a conference that passes the ball a lot.

Speaker 1:
[49:18] He's an ascending, he's like freeling the tackle for Georgia. He's an ascending player.

Speaker 2:
[49:25] He's your classic guy you take in the 20s, right? Who has physical characteristics that could go much higher. The tape and the production is not what you'd like, right? Bailey's a great example. Elite production, elite size, playing on an elite defense, no doubt about a top five. This guy, little smaller school, same conference, not quite as productive, but just standing there, they look the same, you know? And hell, this guy jumped, you have a 40-inch vert Colin at 250 pounds, that's a pretty good athlete.

Speaker 1:
[49:55] So Cleveland took Spencer Fennault with their first pick, they've spent the offseason rebuilding the O-line, they've got another one. Denzel Boston, they need a receiver, the wide receiver Washington, who I'm kind of hit and miss on. Jermod McCoy, the corner out of Tennessee. My guess is they go wide receiver. Listen, I don't think Shandor Sanders is long term starter, but if you go to right tackle, they need offensive help. That receiving corps to me, the worst in the sport.

Speaker 2:
[50:24] Yeah, they also could go deep. I mean, this team is just so terrible. They could go Boston. You said they did take Boston or that's who you think they could take?

Speaker 1:
[50:33] My guess is I'm looking at my sheet, Denzel Boston and McCoy, the corner from Tennessee. Now, there's also the kid from Texas A&M, Casey Concepcion. That's another. I think they're going to go receiver. I heard two different people that I trust about two weeks ago, and they really like Barry. My guys like Barry, Andrew Barry. They said they thought Cleveland at some point... Listen, when Tate went early to Tennessee, Cleveland liked him. Cleveland would have taken him at that spot. I think they're going to go wide receiver.

Speaker 2:
[51:12] Omar Cooper is a guy that at the beginning of the season, I had never even heard of, by the end of the season at the combine, I didn't meet many people that didn't like him. This is the Indiana thing, is that program now is very highly thought of, in terms of people are getting coached hard, people know what they're doing. Obviously, he had one of the catches of the year in that Penn State game, but he was really good for them. I wouldn't be stunned if they went with Omar Cooper here, too. He's had a really good off season. People, I think as this process goes, here's the thing, as this process goes, and you're not like an elite guy, your meetings, how you interact with the coaches, the position coaches, that goes a long way, because they got to feel comfortable with you. That's where I think can make or break on some of these guys now in the late 20s. When you're kind of, you probably could pick between five or six guys, we're all humans, what guy do you like them? If we think they're all kind of equal players, who do we trust the most as a person? You know, I was with Zachariah Brantz the other day, gets in trouble when you read the story, it's pretty stupid, like it's not, no one's going to, but it's like, can I trust you? Like we got to, you're five, six days away from the draft, and you're clearly out late drinking, which we don't have a problem with, but that's just, you have to avoid that situation. So I do wonder if Cleveland, they've drafted a sneaky lot of off-the-field guys that they've had some issues with pretty high. I wonder if they just need to get some, you know, Omar Cooper, just get a really high-level guy in your program, because they do, you know, Junkins, the running back last year before he broke his leg, he looked really good.

Speaker 1:
[52:53] You know what, John, think about this. I'm just looking at my picks, the first 11 picks in this draft, the Big Ten had five, the Big 12 had three, Miami, Notre Dame and the entire SEC had one. The entire SEC had one of the first 11 picks. And I think if there's a bust in the first round, Kadyn Proctor, the tackle from Bama to Miami would be the bust. Boy, I saw this the other day, I was talking, I don't know who I was talking to. You ever heard of GDP, Gross Domestic Product, countries have that, states have that, right?

Speaker 2:
[53:30] Heard of it.

Speaker 1:
[53:31] College football conferences have GMP, Gross Metropolitan Product. What are the average home, metro area homes? What's their revenue? The Big Ten is almost at 6 billion, the SEC is at one and a half billion. I mean, the SEC, it has happened quickly. They just do not have the money. I mean, the fact that Alabama couldn't keep Caleb Downs, who was a dominant freshman safety, and this was always my thing. The minute you brought LA and Phil Knight and Seattle money into the conference to go, you've already got these northern traditional, Michigan's endowment is gigantic, Penn State's endowment. The Big Ten is pulling away. They are pulling away from the SEC.

Speaker 2:
[54:22] Yeah, I mean, if you're having $50 million rosters, this is not when you're begging, when Kenny Dillingham, he went on local TV here and just begged for money. He's like, could someone help us out with $20 million? That's not an investment for the next decade. Back in the day, I remember when I worked at Fresno State, if you gave a couple million dollars, that was like a pledge over seven years to the athletic department. That's just to pay for your defensive backfield, or your offensive and defensive line. So it's a yearly thing, and this is what gets complicated in college football. Unlike the NFL that gets these huge media deals that funds all the money for your players, if the SEC or the Big Ten, that money, you still got to pay all the rest of the athletic department, so you need this outside money to fund the field. It's why, I don't know if you've been following Tosh Lu Poi at Cal, he's done a really good job. Cal is more billionaires than any college in America. They don't need 10 of them. If they can just get a couple of them to give a little bit of money, they can really get off and running. That's Andrew Luck going back to Stanford. They have the humans there with the money, it's just they don't normally give. That's the huge disadvantage for Alabama. They have a lot of people that be willing to give, they just don't have enough money to give, they can fund at the level that needs to go. The Big Ten, Concepcion went to the Browns.

Speaker 1:
[55:44] Yeah, Casey Concepcion.

Speaker 2:
[55:45] I think the SEC though, when you care about something and it means that much, there's almost like, there's a will, there's a way, they will figure it out. But Indiana is gonna be a problem because they have funding that just has, I mean, I didn't realize, it made it make sense, the big, Ohio State I know has always been famous for, we got 50,000 people that go to school there.

Speaker 1:
[56:07] Yeah, and they have a top eight business school. So that's like Vanderbilt. So Indiana, which by the way, Bloomington is one of the great college towns in the country. People have no idea how great Bloomington is. It's a business school. It's a top eight business school. And so, you know, and I tell friends in the south, I'm like, guys, Vanderbilt is going to start stealing recruits because their graduates make double like a Georgia graduate. And there's a lot more entrepreneurs and millionaires and 100 millionaires out of Vanderbilt than your typical SEC school. And the other thing, the Big Ten, to your point, has massive schools like Auburn's a small school. Minnesota's got 50,000 students. Wisconsin, Penn State, USC is one of the tiny ones. Washington's big.

Speaker 2:
[56:51] Isn't Oregon pretty big?

Speaker 1:
[56:52] Pretty big. But I mean, it's these Big Ten schools. Pick is in for the Bears. Bills are on the clock. Niners after that. So now you're getting to the better teams. Chicago needs a safety and an offensive tackle. Defensive lineman. That'll be interesting to see what the Bears do. Yeah, no, I think it's just the reality of... Listen, it used to be the SEC's slogan was, we just care more. The slogan now is, it just costs more.

Speaker 2:
[57:27] Yeah.

Speaker 1:
[57:27] And the Big Ten is, we just make more. And that's the difference. It's... Players were always getting paid. Now it's above board.

Speaker 2:
[57:35] Well, couldn't you argue that the University of Texas and Texas A&M, their advantage in that conference is pretty massive?

Speaker 1:
[57:43] Well, think about this. What if they didn't go to the SEC? I mean, Texas and Texas A&M, and Texas Tech and the Big 12, Texas money is saving these conferences. I mean, just the three Texas... Listen, there's just no state tax. It's very... fewer regulations. Texas is a place to make great money. Florida and Texas, it's just easier to get rich. I mean, USC is private, and they've started spending real money in football. Oh, what a shock. Now all of a sudden, they have O&D lines with like Sunday players. Like, there's no getting around it. You gotta pay these guys. It used to be 10 years ago, John, it was all about facilities. Now it's about paying players.

Speaker 2:
[58:24] Well, if you look at the West Coast, wasn't Oregon the most equipped to make the transition for an IELT immediately and they haven't skipped a beat. Mario went there with that mentality. They recruited elite Dan to have the same mentality and they have not. I understand they've, you could argue, underachieved, just haven't got it done in the playoffs yet, but it's not a roster problem. It ain't a talent acquisition problem. I mean, look at this year. Oregon has Dante Moore that would have gone two in this draft who returns. And they added Dylan Riola, right, who was a multi-million dollar starting quarterback at Nebraska, who is now their backup. How many teams have that ability? Texas Tech, Lance Sorsby from Cincinnati, they had to buy him out from Cincinnati, pay a million dollars and then give him five million. That's college football and he's a guy that could be a top two or three pick next year.

Speaker 1:
[59:16] Yeah, it bears to me it's offensive tackler safety.

Speaker 2:
[59:20] I think the Browns these last couple of years, they do draft really good players. Isn't it a good example though? And the Jets were like this under Joe Douglas. And I've told you this before, but I remember having a buddy on his staff. He said, we've hit on a lot of picks, but of the seven, eight guys, if we hit on 90% of them and we miss on the quarterback, we're all going to get fired. If we hit on the quarterback and miss on all the other guys, we're going to get extensions. It really is the power of that position.

Speaker 1:
[59:56] So, the Bears take the safety, Dylan Tineman from Oregon, and that dude is a, he is a baller. He used to play at Purdue, Oregon went and bought him. 4'3, 5'40, super versatile guy, plug and play starter for the Bears, who lost Bayard.

Speaker 2:
[60:21] But they added Kobe Bryant from the Seattles. So now they got two guys to play in the defensive backfield. I know John Schneider really liked Bryant. The Bears gave him $14 million. You know, obviously, you know, they got some other guys to invest in. So they kind of had to make a business decision, but it wasn't because they didn't like him. So you had Bryant, you had the Oregon safety, their defensive back, I mean, their defense, Colin, let's face it, last year for most of the year was atrocious. I mean, that's, it was really, really bad. Now, the one thing I would say is the defensive line past rush is still not great. So it's like, you know, they need an edge.

Speaker 1:
[60:59] They need an edge next.

Speaker 2:
[61:00] Bad. And maybe there just wasn't a guy on, you know, with Lawrence and Mezador going, they didn't feel comfortable taking, but they've definitely added two good DBs, one in for agency now.

Speaker 1:
[61:10] Buffalo is on the clock and the Bills need defense. They didn't have a Pro Bowler on defense. I actually think for all the shit that Brandon Bean gets, for all the crap he gets, they've got a left tackle quarterback, excellent tight ends, a slot receiver. They went and got DJ Moore. I'm gonna tell you something, people in Chicago, including Ben Johnson, it was not easy to get rid of DJ Moore. Like DJ Moore made, Roma Dunze hasn't done much yet. Luther Burden at the end of the year became an improving player. DJ Moore was a big catch guy who never missed starts. That dude is durable. Buffalo went and got DJ Moore. Now, you hope Keon Coleman turns out. He's an over the top guy. But for as much crap as Brandon Bean gets, he's gotten the right side of the ball pretty well equipped. They're defensive guys. They've got a lot of guys that are solid. There's nothing special about their defense. They're just got Russo. It's above average guys.

Speaker 2:
[62:13] Ed Oliver, pretty solid play. They made a big move a couple of years ago when they didn't have that much money and they paid Von Miller a lot of money and then he kind of got injured and it was just never the same after that Rams run and that kind of limited them because you only get so many swings when you're in that position where you have a highly paid quarterback. But the job of a GM and a coach, whether you miss on some picks or hit on picks, they're winning 12 to 14 games every year. Their job is to win games and the Bills have been, I mean, a player too away from being in multiple Super Bowls.

Speaker 1:
[62:47] So Buffalo moved back 26 to 28. Houston moved up 28 to 26. So two AFC teams swapped just like the Cowboys and the Eagles did. So Buffalo moves back to Houston on the clock, moves up to Niners in the on deck circle.

Speaker 2:
[63:04] Well, the Texans, Colin, because they traded Laramie Tunzel to Washington, they have Washington's second round pick coming. It's like 37 or 38. So they're going to have two picks right here. And I would say, I've been watching football long enough. I don't know if they need much help on defense. So offensive line, a major, major issue.

Speaker 1:
[63:23] Omar Cooper.

Speaker 2:
[63:24] Yeah, Tankdale is injured. You could go wide your seat. You know, Nico Collins has some concussions to be offensive line, though, Colin. It's I don't know what offensive line is worthy of this pick, but I would be stunned if either this pick or their high second round pick was not an offensive lineman. Tankdale with his knee injury and Nico, who's a fantastic player, but he's just banged up. They did take, is it, they took the Iowa State wide receivers last year. They were pretty good. Yeah, for the Texans.

Speaker 1:
[63:56] Both of them.

Speaker 2:
[63:56] So I, yeah, to me, defense, I mean, they, it's going to sound crazy. I feel like they have one of the fastest defenses I've ever seen. Their defense, they got to lead corners. They got good linebacker play. Their pass rush is unreal.

Speaker 1:
[64:11] Well, their offensive line, it's just been, let's be honest about it. It's been kind of a mess.

Speaker 2:
[64:18] He's missed on a lot of picks. He's drafted guys. He's missed on picks. They've had some turnover with the offensive coordinator. I think that's kind of been a problem. Here, the elephant in the room though, their quarterback has been not great.

Speaker 1:
[64:34] No, he regressed badly.

Speaker 2:
[64:36] Some of this is on the quarterback. This is a quarterback-friendly offense. My big issue with him is CJ. There is nothing wrong with just trying to play like Jared Goff or Alex Smith. But I think CJ views himself like I'm a star from high school, Ohio State. And you watch him, it's like sometimes he thinks he's Josh Allen. It's like, D'Amico needs to sit him down like, CJ, did you see our defense? We got enough guys on offense, just play under control. We could win the Super Bowl if you were just average. I'd be stunned if they don't go offense.

Speaker 1:
[65:08] They just did. Interior offensive lineman, the Texas State, Keelan Rutledge from, he's the Georgia Tech. He's one of the classic, he's like Graze Able.

Speaker 2:
[65:16] Tough guy.

Speaker 1:
[65:17] Just a brawler, guy in a phone booth, tough, burly, brawler, physical. I like, when Woody Marks got banged up, they had no run game. They couldn't get any push on their offensive line. So I don't have a problem with it at all. He's just a big, you know, he's your classic, tough interior offensive lineman, burly, physical, bit of a mauler, not super athletic, but that's why he's on the interior and not at left tackle.

Speaker 2:
[65:43] Well, think about what they've added, Colin. They added David Montgomery, who wanted out of Detroit, what's David Montgomery? An old school physical running back. Now you get a physical offensive lineman. I think what they want to do is almost take it out of CJ's hands a little bit. Let's get back to a team that can run the ball, right? Run the ball, play defense. When your defense is that good in that division, because I don't know where you stand today on the Jags. I would probably pick the Texans today if you just tell me CJ solved them to win the division. I mean, last year, they were right in until the end. And what did they start, 0-3? They got off to a terrible start last year.

Speaker 1:
[66:20] Think about how good Seattle's defense was. The Rams ate it apart multiple times. The Rams could not move the chains against the Texans. It was like, I think they scored 14 points. I think they beat them like 14-9. Think about how good the Seahawk defense was and the ease in which the Rams moved the ball up and down the field against it. Couldn't they struggle to pick up first downs against the Texans? That tells you how good Houston is defensively. So they go with an offensive lineman. All right, now we're getting down to pick 27. It's going to be the Niners, the Bills, another Kansas City, Miami, New England, Seattle. Good God, that New England situation.

Speaker 2:
[66:56] The Niners just traded with Miami. So the Niners are going back to 30. Miami's coming up here to 27.

Speaker 1:
[67:03] Okay, so this is, let's do a little guessing here. Miami needs everything. Miami literally needs every... Now, I could see Miami going wide receiver here.

Speaker 2:
[67:12] Yeah, I think you got to.

Speaker 1:
[67:14] They have nothing to work with. I don't like their first pick. And I kind of thought between the Green Bay front office and the Green Bay coach, I thought they'd have it together. Oh, God, I feel like the Packers...

Speaker 2:
[67:29] Do you think the Packers over the last 20 years, the Ron Wolf, the Ted Thompson, Proctor's not really their type guy. When I think the Green Bay Packers, Proctor, so not only is it a bold pick, the way the guy learned, you know, John Eric Sullivan, Troy Aikman's guy, who I've always heard great things about, that doesn't really feel like what Green Bay does. They get much more reliable guys, I feel like. The back, you know, just kind of like tough. I don't know, that's a little bit strange.

Speaker 1:
[68:00] I have a feeling they're going to go Denzel, Boston. You know, I grew up a Husky fan. I'm a little hit and miss on him. You know, he's a couple of years starter. He's got, you know, he's not a guy, he's not explosive enough to beat like press coverage. I don't know, he's Denzel Boss.

Speaker 2:
[68:25] I would take Cooper over him.

Speaker 1:
[68:27] So, oh, I would take Omar Cooper in a second. Boston against better teams didn't produce. Go watch him against like the top teams Washington played. He met his match physically. Omar Cooper to me, you wouldn't move up for Denzel Boston. You'd move up for Omar Cooper.

Speaker 2:
[68:42] Yeah, I think they are to sign Malik Willis and to have multiple first round picks. I think once you trade Waddle, you feel kind of obligated to get a skill guy here because the running back is good. When people are saying, well, do you think they'll trade him and I start texting around, what could they get for him? I had a lot of people thought that like you could get a high one or a low two. He's a really explosive player. So all of a sudden, you get a good wide receiver. They took the corner. They took the San Diego State kid, who I think is pretty good. But I...

Speaker 1:
[69:17] Well, it's a defensive coach. I mean, I'm sure he wanted one of these picks to be on his side of the ball. San Diego.

Speaker 2:
[69:28] I feel pretty confident about saying this. I think Miami's got a chance to be the worst team in the league next year. Because the Jets do have good players, you know? The Jets do have some guys that you would like. Obviously, the Bills and the Patriots are going to be good. Miami is going to be hard for them to win games. It's... I'm a Malik Willis fan, but it's one thing playing for the floor, who's a play caller, a play designer. It's an offensive, you know, oriented coaching staff. Now come to a first-time defensive coordinator. This could be a tough year for the Dolphins, which I think Big Picture is not the worst thing in the world.

Speaker 1:
[70:14] I'm going to read you what Zerline says, and this is probably why they took him. Average size, but the ability to play inside or outside. Johnson is consistent in mirroring the release. Rarely labors when transitioning, in-route breaks. He can play inside or out. He's not big, but it's rarely a concern against bigger receivers. Just coverage versatility, toughness, athleticism. This is where he was, for the record, John, this is where he was predicted to go, late first round. So I think, I mean, listen up, the two first round picks, I'll take the second or third best corner. Doesn't have injury issues. You could play in corner, slot or sideline. I'm fine with that. That's fine with me.

Speaker 2:
[71:03] I just texted a couple of people. One thing I would question with the smaller school guys is, like last year Ashton Gentey turned down a million dollars to go to big schools. And he said he felt very loyal to Boise. He was like, okay, totally get it. A couple of years ago, Quignon Mitchell from Toledo did the same thing. I always want to know, were all the big boys all over this guy? And he felt loyalty to the coaching staff? Because if they didn't, then the late Bloomer, it just makes me a little nervous in this transfer portal era, when a guy, I'm sure could go, I mean, if you're a first round player, Oregon, Texas, I mean, USC, you go to all the big boys, and that's the world we live in now, that why did he stay at San Diego State? Was he not a guy viewed as a high level prospect a year ago? Obviously, he's well liked in this class, which I just think in this transfer portal era, one of my big questions in Mark's is, why is he still at the small school? Which is sad, I'm a small school guy at heart, but I like my guys jumping up to see what they look like under bright lights.

Speaker 1:
[72:03] It should be noted, Soss Gardner, there's a safety out of Toledo. I will say this, there is something about defensive backs from smaller schools. True. I don't know what it is. You don't find a lot of small school left tackles. They're usually from the big boys, or small school safeties. I shouldn't say safeties because they do.

Speaker 2:
[72:27] But like Richard Sherman went to Stanford, Revis went to Pitt. You don't have to go to Florida or USC.

Speaker 1:
[72:34] The Quinion Mitchell.

Speaker 2:
[72:36] Mitchell went to Toledo.

Speaker 1:
[72:37] Yeah. There is something about DBs and wide receiver. Speed positions, schools not as big a factor. But to find a 6'7, 330-pound offensive tackle, they're going to go to Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State.

Speaker 2:
[72:51] Well, Josh Simmons last year, who the Chiefs took, he started his career at San Diego State. But it's like, wait, this guy's a future first-rounder, Ohio State gets him. So I'm with Darius Slay, Mississippi State. I mean, there are, that's a fair argument.

Speaker 1:
[73:05] Now, Buffalo at 28, I think they have to take defense. Now, the Patriots just traded up to 28. It's interesting. Buffalo and New England had a trade. Dallas and Philadelphia had a trade. Like nobody cares anymore. I mean, the fact that the Patriots and the Bills can make a trade, it tells you there's not a fear of the kind of player you're getting, right?

Speaker 2:
[73:31] No. That's this draft. Honestly, I've been told, once you get past the pick of 100, you might see some security guards making picks in the sixth round. The Bills last year took, or the Patriots last year, I guess the Bills traded out. Patriots could take a wide receiver here for sure, even if they're going to trade for AJ Brown. I mean, they got Kyle Williams, Diggs is gone.

Speaker 1:
[73:59] I think it's Omar Cooper.

Speaker 2:
[74:01] They also, their defense is well coached in a solid unit. But beside Gonzalez, when I say the New England Patriots, you know, it's not like they have a lot of high end, elite pro bowl level guys. So you could take a DB, you could take a pass rusher. It's weird. They're a good, I mean, they were just in the Super Bowl, but their team doesn't feel like the Denver Broncos, right? Doesn't feel as high end as the Chargers.

Speaker 1:
[74:34] I don't even like last year at Will Campbell. I think he's more interior than left tackle. That was their top pick.

Speaker 2:
[74:40] They could take an offensive lineman here. They're one of the rare Super Bowl teams. They're like, yeah, we still got a lot of needs.

Speaker 1:
[74:50] You know what? So Kansas City's picking 29th. New England moves ahead of the Chiefs.

Speaker 2:
[74:57] They took the Utah tackle.

Speaker 1:
[74:59] They took the, Caleb Lomu. How about that? Because they know Kansas City is probably considering that. That's interesting. Okay, so now does that mean, is he a left or a right? He can play both. I mean, he was the left tackle. So my take is New England, do they move, do they move Will Campbell inside or to the right side?

Speaker 2:
[75:27] The one thing about Will Campbell, and this is, he's played left tackle, I'm pretty sure his whole life, right? He was a starting left tackle at LSU his entire career there. To just make a move, I think we're guilty, and I'm guilty sometimes, as anyone. Just move the guy. It's easier said than done. You know, just to move him into left guard. Like that is a pretty big right and left tackle. Like for Penne Sewell, he could do both with his eyes closed. Trent Williams could do both with his eyes closed. Lane Johnson, if you needed him in a pinch, go left tackle, no problem, you know, in his younger days. Some of these guys, though, to move into guard when they've never played, I don't think it's as easy as we like, well, hey, he's guarding the point guard, have him guard the small forward. It's not as easy of a transition, but I think one thing was pretty clear in their Super Bowl run, their offensive linemen, usually when your offensive line is playing like that, you don't win a bunch of playoff games.

Speaker 1:
[76:31] All right, so the Chiefs could use a wide receiver. Obviously, they need an edge. They have solved running back in corner between Kenneth Walker and Delane from LSU. So their big need is edge rusher.

Speaker 2:
[76:45] Well, I bet the Patriots, one of Andy's best friends in the world is Kyle Whittingham. Kyle Whittingham's son was on his staff. I think he just went with his dad to Michigan, but he's been on the Chiefs' staff for like the last seven years. So one thing, they're taking a Utah guy. Andy Reid's taken a lot of Utah and BYU players over the last 25 years. He knows those programs really, really well.

Speaker 1:
[77:08] So New England jumped Kansas City.

Speaker 2:
[77:11] And I still believe that the Chiefs' offensive line, I understand Simmons is a question mark, but he's a pretty elite special talent when he's on the left-hander.

Speaker 1:
[77:21] Well, Creed Humphrey and...

Speaker 2:
[77:22] They have a guard, center guard.

Speaker 1:
[77:23] Yeah, they're great. Creed Humphrey is probably the first or second best center in the sport, and Trace Smith's been a home run.

Speaker 2:
[77:30] And the one thing with the Chiefs, because they were bad last year, they have this pick and then they pick...

Speaker 1:
[77:38] They pick four.

Speaker 2:
[77:40] They have two picks in the next 10 picks.

Speaker 1:
[77:42] Peter Woods' Clemson defensive tackle. So Chris Jones, off year, they go get second best, first second best defense. It's bad DT draft. But the Chiefs go out and get, with Chris Jones coming off, highly expensive, relative to his talent, a sub optimal year, they go get a defensive tackle Peter Woods. Smart pick. Kansas City goes defense with their first two picks.

Speaker 2:
[78:05] Yeah, who was viewed a couple years ago as a guy that could be the top five pick in the draft. And then he has a down year. Clemson has a bad year as a program. The other thing is, when you draft, you feel very good about your coordinator handle on these guys, right? Spags, if Spags is signing up, like they're not drafting this defensive lineman in this corner without Spags liking the guy. I mean, you're, you know, your defense. Just a couple of years ago, when they transition off Tyreek Hill, they had an unreal draft with Carl Loftus, McDuffie, Watson from Washington State, the DB who I think is on the Rams now. They hit on a ton of players because Spags might not be a head coach. He is a pretty special defensive coordinator. And from an evaluation standpoint, from a motivational standpoint, the other thing is when you have a Hall of Famer in the unit, you get him around that guy. It's pretty conducive to success. All you got to tell us Peter Woods, just watch what Chris Jones does, follow him. We'll show you Chris Jones. We want to make you the next Chris Jones. So yeah, I would guess the Chiefs probably go offensive line, maybe a pick 40, but they definitely needed some defensive help because defense, they were a defensive team a couple years ago. Last year, they weren't quite as powerful, especially the pass rush. They're going to need Corloftus to be better.

Speaker 1:
[79:24] Niners are on the clock. They need an edge. They need an offensive lineman.

Speaker 2:
[79:30] They could kind of honestly take any position here.

Speaker 1:
[79:34] I think they may take, they may draft two safeties in this year's class. I'll say the Jets are trading back in with the 49ers.

Speaker 2:
[79:46] So the Niners trade back twice.

Speaker 1:
[79:49] So the Jets jump ahead. How about that?

Speaker 2:
[79:55] Who would they be trading back in to the first round four? I guess they're not moving up that far.

Speaker 1:
[79:59] Omar Cooper. Omar Cooper. I mean, the Jets, let's go back and look at the Jets.

Speaker 2:
[80:07] How many picks they have so far?

Speaker 1:
[80:09] Well, they had a rush end. David Bailey, I think we both thought that was a smart pick. Then they get a playmaker, Kenyon Sadiq. How about get another playmaker for Garrett Wilson? So then you'd have Garrett Wilson, Kenyon Sadiq and get Omar Cooper. That's now you got something and they're all, by the way, for your quarterback next year, they're all generationally young guys growing together.

Speaker 2:
[80:30] You do stuff, Breece Hall on the roster. Offensive wise, if you hit on this wide receiver.

Speaker 1:
[80:35] They have tackles. They like their offensive tackles.

Speaker 2:
[80:38] They actually have, it's what I've been saying, they're much better equipped this year than Miami.

Speaker 1:
[80:43] Yeah. If you combine those teams, the top 10 players, they have nine of them. Yeah. What the Jets don't have is the key to the league, quarterback or head coach. I mean, if you start looking at the Jets' talent. Yeah, I'm thinking Aaron Glenn, he got his pass rusher, he got a playmaker. There's no quarterback here. I mean, if, you know the guy that dropped out of this league was Falk, the Russian from Auburn, who's, I was told this by an NFL general manager because I did a mock draft and sent it to him and he said, Falk won't go as high. I had him like 17. He's like, he's, he may, he may plummet. One of those guys that you just, you keep thinking he's going to produce and he's just not productive enough, has all the measurables.

Speaker 2:
[81:42] I wonder if the Jets are going to be too good, you know, to be too good relative to what, you know, people thought that there are going to be some lock to be the one or two pick. Like to me, if Gino isn't as terrible as he was last year and shows some signs of Seattle, all of a sudden are the Jets draft in 10th instead of second. Because if you play out the last season, even coming into it, they didn't have an interception.

Speaker 1:
[82:09] Statistically, they just took Omar Cooper.

Speaker 2:
[82:12] Yeah. I mean, there's just, that makes sense to me.

Speaker 1:
[82:15] That's pretty damn good. Best pure edge rusher, a wide receiver that they needed, and somebody I think universally, if he was not taken in the first round, somebody would have traded up at the top. Because you know, the Raiders would love to get Omar Cooper, right? To go with Fernando Mendoza. I like that pick a lot.

Speaker 2:
[82:37] I'm actually a little surprised that 49ers didn't just take him right there.

Speaker 1:
[82:41] I like that pick by the Jets a lot. I think that, you know, listen, man, they had three good receivers in Indiana, and that guy was the guy, there was a lot of big plays to him down the stretch. That's a good pick.

Speaker 2:
[82:54] Maybe the Jets know what they're doing here in the draft.

Speaker 1:
[82:57] I mean, listen, they got the best edge rusher, a universally respected wide receiver. And again, Kenyon Siddiq said, he's just, he's...

Speaker 2:
[83:06] It's a riskier pick. He's kind of, you know, can be a little hit or miss. I think people thought that he not mailed it in this year, but the expectations were really high. He didn't quite live up to it.

Speaker 1:
[83:14] I think also this staff, he won't flourish. But I think if you got the right offensive staff, he's a chess piece. He's like a, I'm not saying he's as talented as the late Aaron Hernandez. He's not, but I'm saying in Oregon, they used him in a lot of different ways. You can use Kenyon Siddiq a lot of different ways.

Speaker 2:
[83:32] Do you think it's the NFL, they're only 32 jobs, but in the Jets roster might not be terrible. But are people going to be lined up to come work for Woody? If this guy gets fired in the middle of the year, the Jets would feel, because the one thing the Giants had is the Mara family could just sit down and talk with John Harbaugh and it feels real. Now the Jets just feel pretty chaotic in a day and age where there's not really that many chaotic teams in the NFL anymore.

Speaker 1:
[84:02] Ten teams replaced their coaches. And I was thinking about this the other day. You can't have another ten openings next year. You're not going to literally turn over two-thirds of the league in two years. My guess is there's a couple of, like Schottenheimer was better than we thought in Dallas. I mean, I thought it was going to be a circus. I could argue they overachieved. So if he's at least competent, Zach Taylor, the Bengals are cheap. I mean, they're not going to pay big money for a coach. And Zach got to a Super Bowl. You start looking at the coaching, Sean McDermott was hot seat, he's gone. All the hot seat guys, Mike Tomlin got bounced. So if you start looking, I mean, Aaron Glenn is hot seat number one. There's not a lot of hot seat guys going in to next year.

Speaker 2:
[84:54] Well, even if you say, let's say Zach Taylor Faire, he's on the hot seat. Don't you think the Bengals would be pretty good this year? To me, sitting here right now, I'd pick them to win that division. A couple of years ago, when Burrow was healthy, they were nine and eight and their defense, their defense is going to be better. Mafay, Dexter Lawrence. I think the Bengals could be pretty solid. Like who's, I guess the Colts would be one team. They've kind of rode this out for a while. Daniel Jones is not healthy and they were a disaster, but the Titans have a new coach.

Speaker 1:
[85:28] The Dolphins have a new coach. Everybody's banging on this draft. If you can get Caleb Lomu with a 28th pick and Omar Cooper with the 30th pick, those are good football players.

Speaker 2:
[85:43] Yeah, I think, you know what, the narrative too kind of grows.

Speaker 1:
[85:48] John, I bet you the Bills, do you think they take that safety from Toledo? McNeil Warren.

Speaker 2:
[85:57] I feel like last year they had a young safety who was pretty good. If I was them, I'd go defensive line.

Speaker 1:
[86:04] The Zion Young from Missouri.

Speaker 2:
[86:07] Maybe take the big defensive tackle from Ohio State. You know, last year, the Bills took the Kentucky corner in the first round. I would probably take a defensive line in here.

Speaker 1:
[86:17] All right. Tennessee just traded up. Sala just traded up to the 31st pick. So Buffalo was at the 26th pick. They moved down to Houston. And then they went down. Buffalo went down with New England. So Buffalo just keeps moving back. They're accumulating picks. So the Titans now and Robert.

Speaker 2:
[86:40] The 49ers and the Bills just kept going backwards.

Speaker 1:
[86:42] Yep. The Bills and the 49ers. Good teams. Let's go backwards.

Speaker 2:
[86:51] I could see them going defense here. They could go the safety. They could go a pass rusher. They're going to be.

Speaker 1:
[86:56] I bet you. I bet you the Titans go safety. That's my hunch. I mean, they could use everything.

Speaker 2:
[87:03] That's why they trade back into the first round for it.

Speaker 1:
[87:05] They could also use an edge. They could also use offensive line. I mean, they have a lot of needs. Linebacker.

Speaker 2:
[87:11] Yeah, they could take anybody here.

Speaker 1:
[87:15] I mean, they have Jeffrey Simmons and then just a bunch of needs.

Speaker 2:
[87:19] That's why I thought they'd go Sonny Stiles and they easily could have hopped. I mean, all these teams were willing to do deals. They could have hopped back into the first round. I personally would rather have Sonny Stiles and Omar Cooper than Tate. Then we'll see who they take here. To me, the wide receiver thing in the top of the round, he's got to be a guy in the first round that I think can be one of the best players in the league, or I'm just taking a guy at a different position than I believe that. And I'm a Robert Sala guy. I was a little... That must have been the Kyle Shanahan influence on him, to take that to Tate. Were you surprised when Tate came on the television?

Speaker 1:
[88:02] I was because I think he's a low end one. I've said, my guys all liked him. Nobody loved him. Everybody liked him. Those Ohio State guys just at practice. We used to always say this about Alabama Georgia guys. You're practicing against first round guys. If you're a wide receiver at Georgia, we're practicing against Georgia's safeties and corners. We're all first and second round guys. Tate is going up against Caleb Downs. He's going up against NFL corners. All these Ohio State receivers come into the league, and they're all good immediately. They feel like they're older than their Ibuka, JSN. Titans are okay. I don't love this pick. Titans taking Keldrick Folk. It's the Auburn guy, who again, they need an edge, so Salah is looking for an edge, and maybe Salah thinks I can coach him up. He was the classic, looks like he should be better than he is, always just a little late to the tackle, not as productive as he should be. But again, at this spot at 31, he'll be a starter for them.

Speaker 2:
[89:07] Yeah, Salah did this back when he was on the Niners with Kinlaw. Remember when they traded Buckner? And Kinlaw was a really risky pick, looked like he should be a Hall of Famer, did not necessarily play like that. So you can get caught up with the traits and what I can make you on the line of scrimmage. I would rather have had Sonny Stiles and Omar Cooper than the group that they got. The other thing is I just got some text back on the San Diego State Johnson. I was like, why didn't he transfer? The text I just got, I said the same thing as Gent, he stayed very loyal to them because they were on him when no one else was. So that's, I do like my smaller school guys in this NIL era to have the big boys all over them. And if they stay, I got no issue with it.

Speaker 1:
[89:49] And they also come in with a chip on their shoulder.

Speaker 2:
[89:52] To me, the Falk, the Woods, the type players that have the ability to be a top 10 pick, and just the season ends and they underwhelm, always make me nervous. They're just very, very risky. I think Sala would say, that's what I do. I'm a defensive guy, I'm a motivator. Spags would say the same. So those guys though are to me always the big swing and misses, and now they can also be a home run.

Speaker 1:
[90:21] So Makai, the corner from Tennessee is Seattle. Now he's got some health stuff, but he was considered the second or third best corner in this draft. Seahawks are like Howie Roseman, they get good players falling to them. So my take on, I could say Seattle taking a corner. There's not a running back, I don't think, in this spot. I could see them taking a corner. They don't do that.

Speaker 2:
[90:46] I mean, the Toledo, I mean, they got safeties. Terrell, the corner from Clemson, he would know, I mean, obviously they just paid JSN a bunch of money, but you get a guy who picked 32, he's not very expensive. He would know Boston really well, right, going into school there, John would. I don't know if he would do that.

Speaker 1:
[91:08] I thought against better competition, Boston met his match. When I heard late first round pick, I think he's more of a mid-second.

Speaker 2:
[91:16] I mean, their defensive line is really good, but they could just double down on it. Now, Jeremiah loves in the division, you still got Kyle Shanahan, he wants to run the ball. Kadyn McDonald, the big defense attack from Ohio State.

Speaker 1:
[91:25] Now, I'm not looking at best players left. What are they saying on best players left?

Speaker 2:
[91:30] Yeah, I mean, McCoy is clearly the number one, but anytime you got a knee injury, then you got Toledo, you got the Clemson corner, you got Boston, you got Kadyn McDonald, the defensive tackle is more of a run stuffer. But to me, physical player, like he would be right up John Schneider's alley. Zion Young, like it wouldn't surprise me at all if they just keep doubling down on the defensive line. Because the one thing with, they have a bunch of DBs and their coach is a DB master. So like the one place where you can get, you know, once you get past the first couple rounds, it's harder to find the body types at the defensive line. What's his name? Leonard Williams getting a little older, right? So they just lose Mafay. Charles, Cassius Howell would have been a guy I feel like Pete would have liked.

Speaker 1:
[92:13] That's, that's a A&M guy.

Speaker 2:
[92:15] A&M pastor, he's got shorter arms though. Quarter from, from the other corner.

Speaker 1:
[92:19] No, they took Judarian Price, the running back from Notre Dame. Interesting. Also a good return guy. Interesting. He was the second best running back. You know, it's so funny because Jeremiah Love got so much press that nobody paid attention to this running back. But if, if you, he would have been, if it not for Love, who's really like an, I don't even know his, his comp is Jameer Gibbs. Like he just, he looks different than other running backs. Price was a really good running back for them. He can do, he also gets, he returns kicks.

Speaker 2:
[92:57] Yeah. Fantastic kickoff returner.

Speaker 1:
[93:00] Fantastic.

Speaker 2:
[93:00] Very explosive player. I mean, this is, you lose Kenneth Walker. Charbonne's injured, right? Tears his knee. So they, they did. And this is a bad, to me, if it's a deeper running back draft, I bet he's like, we can get, this is, this is viewed as, I've had some friends tell me it's the worst running back draft they've ever seen.

Speaker 1:
[93:18] No, people say it's a two running back draft class.

Speaker 2:
[93:22] So typically you're like, John Snyder would be like, we'll just draft a guy in the third round. You know, he'll star for us or play for us. I don't think you feel comfortable doing that. So the other thing about drafting when you win the Super Bowl, they don't draft again until the late, you know, 64. So the pretty decent chance that this guy goes somewhere between there. I know, I think he had mentioned at his press conference because this is a guy that a lot of people had had kind of linked to Seattle. I almost thought it just made too much sense. I'm like, that's usually not how it works, but it actually happened.

Speaker 1:
[93:53] All right, John, hour and a half. First time since 2015, the SEC didn't have the most first round picks. The Big Ten had the most with ten.

Speaker 2:
[94:03] Fun draft.

Speaker 1:
[94:06] The Volume.

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[94:24] He's on fire now.

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