Fantasy Football Today - 2023 NFL Mock Draft 10.0: Final Full 1st-Round with all 31 picks, What teams WILL do - With the First Pick podcast

Episode Date: April 25, 2023

You know Ryan Wilson from his appearances on Fantasy Football Today breaking down the draft. Well, he has his own podcast with former GM Rick Spielman called With the First Pick, which covers the NFL Draft all year long. You can find With the First Pick on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else podcasts are found. Ryan Wilson, Rick Spielman and Josh Edwards conduct their final Mock Draft before the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday. (6:00) Picks 1-8 (24:00) Picks 9-20 (49:00) Picks 21-31 Watch With the First Pick on the NFL on CBS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NFLonCBS 'With the First Pick' is available for free on the Audacy app as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Castbox and wherever else you listen to podcasts. You can listen to With the First Pick on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the With the First Pick podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the With the First Pick podcast." Follow the With the First Pick team on Twitter: @nfldraftcbs, @ryanwilsonCBS, @spielman_rick, @E_DeBerardinis Follow With the First Pick on TikTok & Instagram: @nfldraftcbs Produced by: Eric DeBerardinis Read the Pick Six newsletter here: https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/picksix/ For more NFL Draft coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

oh rick how many days we got left so we can call this thing dead i've ran i'm exhausted counting the days down it's got to be over by now right is the draft tonight i wish it were tonight not quite yet we're having fun but we're exhausted we're at the end of the uh what it feels like uh a vegas bachelor party um but without uh without all the extras we're three days away rick from the 2023 nfl draft this is with the first cbs sports nfl draft podcast episode 41 i'm ryan wilson that is rick spielman our general manager more than 30 years of nfl experience including a decade as the Vikings general manager. Today, it's Mock Draft Monday.

That's right. It's our final mock draft of the 2023 NFL draft cycle. And we're joined by CBS Sports Draft analyst Josh Edwards to do this thing one last time. But don't worry. This is draft week. Gosh, it's taking forever to get here. It's going to take even longer to get here it's gonna take even longer to get through it which means we're somehow pumping out even more content today

is mock draft monday on tuesday rick and i'll be back to talk about some of our favorite players from the first pick through pick number 259 now wednesday evening assuming rick gets a look from laguardia to stanford connecticut in less than an hour We'll see. Rick and I are going to be doing a live chat on the old YouTube machine. You have it all backwards. What is it? It's on Wednesday. The live chat is I'm going to be in Kansas City on Friday. I hope that is that I can get there for the Friday draft before 7 o'clock if I land at 6.

That's right. And I'll clarify this. You could leave on Wednesday, and you're still not getting through that traffic by Friday, so you're going to be late either way. There's no traffic there. But thank you for the clarification. Oh, by the way, which reminds me, Rick,

as you point out, you'll be in Kansas City on Wednesday night doing the live chat at 6 p.m. Eastern time. But please, if you're listening or watching, send your questions along. You can leave a comment on this YouTube episode and D-Bill will get to it or send us a tweet at NFLDraftCBS or leave a five-star review and have a podcast along with your question,

and D-Bill will be sure to make note of it. Then Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night, Rick will be in studio with me in Stanford, Connecticut, and we'll go live to recap. No, I will not be in studio. Oh, Friday and Saturday. Friday night and Saturday, I will be in studio. Please get it organized.

And if you're watching on YouTube, I broke out the Guayabero with the little champagne glass on top. That's what that is? I think so. That's an understated Guayabero. I didn't even recognize it. That one I don't mind. This one is like to celebrate the week of the draft. Monday kicks

off the week of the draft, so I brought my celebratory, if that's such a word. It is. Guayabera. Yeah, actually, you know what? I don't even hate that one. A. Debo, so he had the bowling Guayabera shirt, the suspenders Guayabera shirt, and then the champagne one. You want to rank them?

I mean, the bowling one was down, down the list rick was down bad with that one that was the most popular guayabera shirt i had on this whole podcast i think i like the shape a one the best yeah we continue to ask people in the chat to rate rick's guayabera's that's that's our newest segment yeah there you go this one's pretty good i. Your wife might let you wear this one outside the house, I feel like. I've got two more to break out this week. Oh, good. All right.

Well, assuming I – whenever I see you, Friday I think is the first day I get to see you. I miss you so much. I keep trying to get you here sooner than later. So Friday we'll see Rick in person, and then hopefully he'll bring his two other Guayabera shirts so we can judge those. And finally, head over to NFL at NFL on CBS YouTube channel at any time to see our ever-growing list of individual teams, seven-round mock drafts. In fact, good old Josh and I are going to fire up a few more after we do this

episode. On those episodes, we fire up the old mock draft simulator and make every pick for your favorite team all seven rounds. All right. Did I get kicked off that segment already no you're doing stuff you're so busy you like doing it though yeah no it was fun we keep getting a pluses how's josh do it does he get a pluses we haven't missed we haven't missed a pick yet so i mean we're doing pretty it's not hard rick i don't know what you're talking about it's not hard

all right our guy j Josh is with us. He finally got a chance to speak after Rick kept correcting me about his whereabouts the next few days. So. The only thing I took from the Guaya Barra conversation was the fact that you can tell where each of us lives because Ryan and I are wearing sweatshirts and Rick is down there wearing short sleeves in Florida. So he's, he's doing a little bit better than us this week. Are you wearing shorts too, Rick?

We have to... Here we go. Oh, sweet mercy. We don't need that. If you're listening as opposed to watching, congratulations. You just saved yourself from seeing Rick's legs there, his shiny white legs.

If you're watching YouTube, we apologize. Rick will send you a dollar to make up for the temporary blindness you just had to endure. Let's get into this mock draft. Are they? Is that what you call that? Yes, very tan. It's the lighting in my office here from the

CBS equipment that they sent to me that was getting thrown out. Hey, we can use it for Rick. He'll use it. I don't have the fancy headsets or the Apple iPods or what do they call it, Earpods?

I can't afford those either. I'm just here. Just whatever people will send me to my GoFundMe page for equipment, I'll use. Well, I tell you all the time, Rick, and I will continue to pray for you because I think it's going to turn around for you. I have hope. All right, let's do this old mock draft here. Oh,

you know what's funny, by the way, Rick? You'll appreciate this. When Thomas was our producer for a while while Debo was cavorting around Italy and we had those amazing graphics, those HQ-type graphics for our mock draft, Eric K., the old podcast boss, asked why we had such amazing graphics as HQ type graphics for a mock draft. Eric K., the old podcast boss, asked why we had such crappy graphics

last week with Debo just typing it into the Word document. Debo, do you want to defend yourself real quick before we get going? No, it looks good. There you go. That, Rick, is why you don't have a microphone or earphones or anything. You need Thomas.

All right, here we go. First pick, Rick, you're on the clock. And we're going to speed through some of these because we've done with a death. And I don't think at this point it's a surprise. But you have the Panthers taking Bryce Young. Bryce Young is your QB1. He's my QB1. Josh, is he your QB1?

He is. Okay, he's your QB1 as well. Is there any concern, if you're the Panthers, about taking a small quarterback, Rick? No, not with the division I play in, not with the weather I'm going to play in. Plus, I'm playing indoors as well. So, no concern whatsoever. Debo's using the old mock draft simulator to upgrade the graphic. They'll love it.

All right, I'm on the clock at number two, the Texans. I have them taking C.J. Stroud. I'm not overthinking it. Rick, you've said time and time again, you can't come out of this draft if you're the texans without a quarterback you have picks two and you have picks 12 but rick i'll ask you what if the texans have a huge difference in their grades for bryce young who they reportedly love and the rest of the quarterbacks are you going to force yourself to take one here too or would you take a will anderson well i'm just throwing this out and we didn't do this in this mock but if we wanted to be creative we should have done this is have the texans take will anderson right and then now where does it go does one of those quarterbacks come back to the

texans at 12 and they can get their quarterback at 12 plus the pass rusher and what if the four quarterbacks went before 12 and i'm just throwing this out there because uh there's some love out in the street on hendon hooker would hendon hooker come into play that early and i know ryan you've been uh very anti-hendon hooker i know right can't stand that young man but let me ask you though rick so let's say 2 and 12 you miss out on the quarterback and an ochre this whole time. Can't stand that young man. But let me ask you though, Rick. So let's say two and 12, you miss out on the quarterback. I mean, how do you explain that to the fan base?

And even if your grades are such that you don't have them as top 15 quarterbacks after Bryce Young, we talked to him on the Clusters podcast last Monday, which feels like it was three weeks ago now. You stick to your board, so you're just not wavering? Nope. You stick to your board. You spend all that time and that money and energy and effort to get that board which feels like it's three weeks ago now, you stick to your board, so you're just not wavering? Nope. You stick to your board. You spend all that time and that money and energy and effort to get that board stacked the right way, the way everybody in the organization saw it. So stick to your board.

So this number two pick is why it's going to be so intriguing, because if they don't go quarterback here, then it's going to throw a tizzy into the rest of the draft. And then you're going to see a lot more movement, I think. People are trying to come up, and it's going to be a pretty entertaining first 10 picks on Thursday night if they don't go quarterback at number two. Let me ask you one more question, Rick, and then we'll get to Josh at number three with the Cardinals here. Chris Ballard, the Colts GM, said recently,

and I thought this was very informative because at this time of the year it feels like teams know more than media, which is true, but Chris Ballard said we have no idea what other teams are doing because everyone lies. Did you have a sense for what teams were doing typically from year to year, or was it you just focused on what you could control and go from there? Yeah, you try to anticipate, but you just kind of control what you can control and then be ready to react and respond to what happens.

It's like, you know, just equate it to a game. All of a sudden, you didn't expect the safety blitz coming. First play of the game or second play of the game, they start sending the safety off the edge. So that's when coaches, you know, you're looking and you have to make adjustments on the fly. And that's the same thing through the draft. No, that makes sense. So you're sort of game planning for the draft, but you with the expectation that things are

not going to go as you might think, and then you have to adjust. I like it. All right. Finally, Josh, you get to make your pick at three, the Cardinals. Presumably, if CJ Stroud does not go two, they'll get a ton of trade offers and they'll move out of this number three spot. But you were staying put here for the purposes of this final mock draft. Who are you going with the number three?

I'm taking Will Anderson Jr., the edge rusher from Alabama. He is my top rated player available. I think he's the type of player that Jonathan Gannon will want in that locker room to kind of restart this franchise, especially on that side of the ball. He's coming from a situation in Philadelphia where they had a wealth of depth along that defensive line, so I think you really want to start his first year with one of those difference-making edge rushers, and I think Anderson is that player. Rick, if Tyree Wilson has a clean bill of health, would you consider him here? I would, but I think Anderson is the safest pick. You're betting on Tyree Wilson's upside, which is huge.

But like we said in the past, first-time head coach, first-time general manager, go with the for-sure thing. Get the solid player that's going to be a very good player in the NFL and move on. All right, Colts are at four. Our buddy Pete Prisco will not leave us alone about trying to – he must – he jokes that you get paid by Alabama. The Kentucky football program must be paying him millions of dollars to pump up. Or the agent. Or the agent to pump up Will Levis the manner in which he is.

But you have the Colts taking Anthony Richardson quarterback out of Florida. Why Anthony Richardson over Will Levis for the last time, hopefully? Yeah. The only thing I'm comparing it to is what Steichen was able to do with Jalen Hurts. This player has probably even better athletic traits. He's bigger. There was some question about Jalen Hurts' accuracy that has improved. He got playmakers around him when they traded for A.J. Brown.

So I'm just thinking, I'm just envisioning the same path that Philly had with, and Steichen had success with Jalen Hurts. Josh, do we have you on record? Who's your QB 2, 3, and 4? I'm assuming CJ's 2, and then how does 3 and 4 sort out? Yeah, so CJ is number 2, Levis is number 3, and Richardson is number 4. So if you're the culture of 4, you're taking Will Levis, quarterback, Kentucky. Is that what I'm hearing?

That would be who I take. I also think that that's a good possibility of happening in real life. I think it's not out of the question that they would take Levis over C.J. Stroud as much as that is sacrilegious to those evaluating. Okay, that's it. That's short and sweet on your Will Levis evaluation. We got a lot of picks here to make. It's a long week. We're trying to get in and out of here. All right. All right. Let's do it.

All right. Seahawks are on the clock at five. Jalen Carter is still there. I'm actually taking edge rusher Tyree Wilson, again, assuming he's 100% healthy. Jalen Carter, we talk about celebrating uniqueness in Seattle. I'm just mixing it up here. I think Tyree Wilson, I'll ask you, Rick, more likely to be, let's say both these players hit their peak in three years, whatever. More likely to be, let's say both these players play at their peak in three years, whatever. More likely to be disruptive, Tyree Wilson or Jalen Carter?

If you get the good Jalen Carter or the football player, then Jalen Carter all the way. Okay. I'm taking Tyree. How much do you dislike that pick? Are you okay with it? I'm fine. I mean, you're going the safe route, just like this mock draft. Oh, he gets crazy here in a second.

Watch this. All right. Lions are on the clock. And, Josh, you were going to be Chris Spielman. Who are you taking? Let me get clarification before I get phone calls. Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell are calling the shots. My brother is a supporting actor, just like I am on this show.

No, that's right. I was going to add Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell are actually GM shots. My brother is a supporting actor, just like I am on this show. No, that's right. I was going to add Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell are actually GM and head coach, and Chris Spielman is, much like Rick on this podcast, he serves as eye candy in the facility in Detroit. So let's be clear. No, Chris isn't eye candy. I'm eye candy. Chris had to change direction. That's why he plays for the NFL. I just was eye candy

that was stiffer than a board. Gotcha. Okay. All right. So very nice Guayabera shirts. This one's the best. I'll give you that. So let's just speak generally, Josh,

as representing the Lions organization, who you taking? I'm taking Jalen Carter. To me, he's the best prospect available. I think they do value Jared Goff in that organization. You know, because when they made that trade, what they had to give up in order to make it suggested that they actually value him in that locker room.

So I think they're going to stick with Jared Goff. I think they take Jalen Carter here. You pair him with Aiden Hutchinson. Rick's shaking his head. He doesn't like it. James Houston, you've got Aline McNeil. I think that's a great player to add along that Detroit defensive front. What are you shaking your head for?

That's absolutely anti-Detroit Lions taking Jalen Carter. Can I ask you a follow-up, Rick? I'm going to ask you. I'm just being polite. How big a pain in the ass is it to get a phone call probably? I don't know who calls you, whether you see it on Twitter or whether one of your assistants calls you and say, we've got some gambling concerns we've got to take care of. I mean, is that at the bottom of the list of things you want to be doing as a GM?

Yes, those are the things you have to deal with as a GM, but those are the things you hope you don't have to deal with, especially three days before the draft. Right. And look at the history of Detroit, how they built their draft. And Brad Holmes has done a phenomenal job being patient, bringing in high-quality, high-character guys that are, as Dan Campbell likes to say, and we said a few times,

knee-biters that love the game of football. I believe if they had the number one overall pick last year, they still would have took Hutchinson because he fits the mold of what they're building that roster with. I don't see, as talented as Jalen Carter can be with the red flags on, I just don't see it as a fit with the Detroit Lions. So if Jalen Carter had gone to the Seahawks,

you like Tyree Wilson there in terms of being a fine young man. Okay. All right, Rick, you're up. You are the Raiders general manager and you have the seventh pick and you have a ton of needs, mostly on defense.

And I went with Christian Gonzalez. I passed the quarterback because of Garoppolo because we signed Hoyer as the backup. I'm going to take my chances and not draft a quarterback here, and I'm going to go with a shutdown corner in this draft to help the defense that needs it desperately. Josh, who's your cornerback one? Devin Witherspoon is mine just because I like the way that he plays the position. I mean, you've got the versatility of the awareness to play in zone. You've got the traits to play in man coverage.

He's willing to attack the flat. I mean, there's a lot of things to like about his game. Yeah, I think Rick 1 and 1A for those guys as well. Is that right, Rick? You win with either one of them. Yeah. I'm trying to fit the personality and the scheme a little bit with i think gonzalez is a little better scheme fit with the raiders

now if it was the lions and they went corner then it's weatherspoon all the way because he fits the personality and scheme maybe better than gonzalez but you're you're you're going to be fine with either one of those i'd be fine with either one of those. I'd be happy with either one of those corners. All right, let's get crazy. Rick, you said this is boring. I'm about to mix things up. I don't think in the history of the 2023 mock draft cycle has this ever appeared with the First Pick podcast

or even in any of my mock drafts. The Atlanta Falcons with the eighth pick in the 2023 NFL mock draft are taking. We'll love us quarterback out of Kentucky. You're going to get booed more than the commissioner does when he goes. So listen, both of you,

they took Des Ritter last year in the third round. He was okay when he had an unlimited duty towards the end of the season when Marcus Marietta went missing. They have Taylor Heineke. I'm going to take a chance here. We like Will Levis. We like him for all the physical attributes that he has. This is not a great football team.

We need to put people in the seats, Rick. What is your concern about taking Will Levis? Desmond Ritter could be like Malik Willis. Maybe you're ready to move on. Could be like Matt Corral. Maybe you're ready to move on. Could be like Matt Corral. Maybe you're ready to move on. Not your guy. They were extremely active in building up this roster in the off season.

This is their third year. They're going to, even though they were in it last year, they weren't a complete team. I think they did a lot of things this off season to improve the football team, improve the roster. I would have definitely went with Witherspoon here since he's still on the board. But boy, you're setting your franchise back when you're trying to move forward. And the third year is a critical year to see if they can overtake the AFC South.

Now, what if they help their defense? Or I don't think they'd go another playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. But I think they're going to do everything they can to get the best players to help them win this year. So let me push back and ask you this. Let's say the Falcons end up with the first overall pick this year. Are you taking Bryce Young? No. Really?

You're putting all your eggs in the Desmond Ritter basket? For now. Let me ask you a conspiracy theory follow-up, sort of based on your for now answer. Let's say, is there any truth to the sort of theory that a coach can draft a coach in a GM can draft a first round pick wide, a corner casually quarterback passer franchise face the franchise to help extend their careers, maybe give them an extra year because ownership said,

well, this is their quarterback. Let's this will give them one more season. If things don't go right. The following. Does that make sense? Yeah, I understand what you're saying,

but I think Ritter had shown signs that i believe this organization believes in them yeah if they didn't believe in them then yeah i would understand if i had a first over pick yeah i would take bryce young an heartbeat okay young i love bryce young but i'm just saying where they're at as a franchise and everything they were able to accomplish in the offseason by who they signed, they're building this team around Ritter. You're going to see Ritter take, I think, steps forward because last year, I believe, his size, his athleticism, he ran four fives last year, I believe, at the Combine, if I recall. He showed

improvement. It's just a matter of time and giving him reps and giving him a chance to grow. You don't draft that guy. And I understand where he was drafted in the third. Yep. He was a second quarterback taken off the board. That's right. So they believe in him or else they would not have done a lot of things that

they were doing this offseason because I think they think they have a chance to take over a very weak division as of, you know, from what we saw last year. Now, it may change this year. You never know. But as of last year, they have there's no dominant team in the NFC South. So we're going to go with Ritter and we're going to continue to build the roster around him.

All right, Josh, what Levis is your QB three. I'll ask you the same two-parter ask Rick, are you okay with the Falcons rolling the dice on him here? And if you had the first overall pick as the Falcons, would you take Bryce Young? The answer is yes to both of them. I think Atlanta has a good offensive infrastructure. I think they've got a good offensive line. They've got some skill talent that would allow him to potentially ease that transition to the next level. The defense, they're a little bit older in certain areas, but they've made improvements this year. I think if you value one of these quarterbacks, you take him in this spot. But Atlanta historically is a team that they're not going to take a player that they do not feel convicted about.

They did not take Justin Fields. They did not take Mac Jones that year that they were both available. Malik Willis was a talking point last year because he was from Atlanta. Yeah, so this is a team that's not going to reach at the position. Just me personally, I like Levis. I like the structure that they've got on the offensive side of the ball. I would be comfortable taking him here, and I would absolutely take Bryce Young if I had the number one overall pick.

Okay. All right. Well, that's why we have different opinions, and we'll all find out together on Thursday. It would truly be a shock if the Falcons took a quarterback, but I thought I'd mix it up here. Are they going to bet a dollar on this one? No. Absolutely not. They're not taking a quarterback unless you want the Falcons taking a quarterback. No.

I'm saying you must have a conviction to take Will Lovins here. I think they did bring him in for a visit. So with the point of that being from Atlanta's perspective, just let's try to convince other teams that we're interested in a quarterback trying to drum up some trade interest yeah because this isn't an unrestricted free agent thing that you sometimes do right rick so what are you thinking no it could be that it could be you know a lot of times you don't know you know and brad holmes said it best in detroit we're going to do our due

diligence on all these quarterbacks because you don't know down the road what if two or three years from now that i mean god or jared golf would have got traded to detroit you know brad holmes had a history with him because he was in la at the time but you don't know you want to try to accumulate as much information as you can because two or three who knows where the the the path may cross again in this business good point all right let's take a quick break we'll come back and hit the rest of this mock draft right after this did you know 66 of utility damage is caused by not requesting a locate don't let your project become part of this statistic a quick locate request can save you from

unexpected downtime financial penalties and keep you safe don't let avoidable damage cost you time and money click before you dig ensure your next project is safe visit ontarioonecall.ca it's free it's easy it's the law data sourced from the orcga 2023 dirt report all right for even more draft content, subscribe to the With the First Pick newsletter, formerly known as the old Pick 6 newsletter, which Chris Trapasso has hijacked from John Breach for the month of April. Each weekday, Traps hits your inbox with the draft news and notes you need to know. So sign up at cbssports.com slash newsletters slash pick six.

All right, Josh. Bears on the clock at number nine. You have them taking, I'll say, offensive linemen, and you can tell me where exactly you think he plays. Peter Skowronski out of Northwestern. He is the first offensive lineman off the board. What are you thinking here? You have a couple edge rushers available,

and you also have some longer, perhaps more athletic offensive linemen as well. Yeah, so Peter Skowronski is a player that has the versatility to play offensive tackle. He's probably better suited moving inside, in my opinion. I think he could be a tackle at the next level, but I think his real potential is unlocked if you move him inside. So that's probably what I'm going to do. Chicago may be inclined to try him at right tackle because they need a solution there.

But to me, I think his ceiling is much higher if you were to move him inside. But the reason for this pick is because I need to have an answer on Justin Fields after this upcoming season. It's an important year for both Fields and the organization. I need to know if he's going to be my quarterback moving forward because you've got some really good quarterbacks in next year's draft class. So I need to know if I need to make a move for one of those players next year or if Fields is my guy moving forward. So I'm going to add some to his supporting cast. You've already brought in DJ Moore.

Let's add to that offensive line and give him a chance this upcoming season so we can properly evaluate him. Where are you putting him, at tackle or guard? I'm sliding him inside the guard personally, but I could understand if they start him at right tackle. Right tackle? Yeah. Okay.

Why did you say it like that, Rick? What are you thinking? No. Everybody, I – wait, where's my cue card? You lost it. Jibo always says to me, I respect every opinion and work that you guys have done on this show. I cannot say what I said last time because I will get in trouble.

Everyone was on the show. I said it was all. I can't say it anymore. I thought Braxton Jones did an adequate job at left tackle. I think it would be, it would represent a bigger upgrade if you put them on the right side. How hard is it? And I'm asking your opinion, Josh. Yeah. Yeah. That a guy that is a top 10 pick that plays at a left tackle position may move

inside the guard, but why are you drafting a guy and trying to move him over to the other side and he may not be as effective? Or do you think he'll be just as effective as a right tackle? Well, that's why I'm sliding him inside personally, but I think he has the mental acumen, the technique to move and make that transition to the right side. Most players, I would not feel comfortable in making that transition, but I think this is a player that is going to put in the work and be able to make it at a fairly adequate level. So if he is a, let's just say a very, what we used to call red or blue type player,

which you can line up and start and play very well at that position because you did that. And all of a sudden you move him and he cannot play to that same level because you moved him out to a brand new position he's never played before. Does that concern you at all? And all of a sudden he's playing below that top 10 pick? No, it's absolutely a concern. I mean, that's going to fall back on the decision maker. But to me, he has –

Yeah, no kidding. Well, you've got to be convicted. So if you don't have a conviction in your own pick, you're probably in the wrong business anyway. So I'm putting him in the interior offensive line personally. We've seen former college tackles, Joel Batonio, Joe Tooney, make that transition to the inside and do it at a very high level. So for me personally, I think he can play tackle. That's why I'm making that argument. But I think he's better served to move inside where he can really be that pro bowl, all pro caliber player that I think he can be.

All right. And Peter Skowronski has been in the first office of lineman drafted conversation going back to the fall. So this isn't the only question is where does he end up pick 10 rick you're the eagles you're taking defensive lineman because depending on how much he weighs will determine where he plays probably lucas van ness out of iowa why did you take lucas van ness who never started a game in iowa over my guy running back bjohn robinson out of texas um because you said that he should go back to school. So I'm trying to make a point. Well, you're trying to make a point.

And you look at that. The reason that they won last year was because of their offensive line and their defensive line. And defensive line, you need a rotation. There's not going to be a guy that lines up for 16 games and plays 60 snap every game. The most successful defensive line, the most successful opportunity, the pressure,

the quarterback is to have enough guys that are in a rotation that you can keep fresh, that you keep bringing them off the bench and keep going. This kid has got a chance to sit and he will be in a rotation. He doesn't have to come in and start right away you know you got Graham you got Redick you got uh Barnett Graham and Barnett are long in the tooth and at the end for maybe one more year and then you got Sweat who also is a very good player so you get a chance to work behind two veteran offensive linemen you get a chance to be in a rotation he can help you outside. He can help you inside.

He's going to grow. And then you're looking at year two where he becomes the full-time starter and the player that everybody anticipates that he will be. So I'm taking care of my line when I have an opportunity because it gets a little slim pickings after you get too far down. And you have to take someone that has this much position flexibility no that's a good point and we talk a lot about bjohn robinson haven't talked nearly as much about jameer gibbs's first round pick but

there's a chance that perhaps he sneaks to the first round different type running back out of alabama but extremely um versatile and he's extremely slippery. All right, pick 11. Wait, we didn't ask Debo. Were you okay with that? Oh, yeah, Debo. That gets a D grade from me, Ryan. He wants Bijon, I bet. Do you want Bijon there? I've talked to myself.

Well, Skowronski went off the board. I've talked myself into Jackson Smith and Jigba. What? I'm sick of Quez Watkins. I'm sick of them. of them go back to producing okay and being a bandwagon fan that you are wow what if they got no they can't what do they got jackson smith and jigba and jamir gibbs with their 30th pick that would be something they're not going to be able to block anyone or rush the pass but other than that they'll be fine they'll be

fine oh my god they got the best o-line and D-line in football last year. I know, but you have to take care of your line when you can, Devo. He called you out by name. All right, Titans at 11. Maybe I should take Bijon here because it sounds like Derek Henry is going to be traded. I mean, of all the things that the Titans might do, that seems like it would be the worst case scenario for that offense. But whatever. That's just conjecture on the Twitter machine, so who knows how much truth there is to that.

Instead, I went with Parrish Johnson Jr. He's still available at 11. Obviously, I could have gone wide receiver here as well. That's a need. But Parrish Johnson Jr., to Rick's point, you've got to have people blocking for you. I'm going to go with the athletic left tackle who also has position flexibility played right guard two years ago i don't think anyone has any issues with this so we're going to move forward i got a question for you are you talking in your draft room to potentially trade up and go get one of these quarterbacks yes one of the quarterbacks dropped to you yes so here's the thing if cj if i were smart and had will levis going number two to the texans which maybe happens in real life and CJ is dropping.

If I'm the Titans, I'm trying to move up. So the Cardinals would be a spot and they're not in your division. So that makes things a little easier. Obviously, the Texans and the Colts are in your division. So they might make things difficult for you in terms of charging you a premium. So absolutely. If CJ gets past two, maybe the Cardinals is a landing spot. And I don't think that's too far to go up, right, Rick? If that's your quarterback? No, not from 11 to two. Yeah.

So where do you play Paris? What are you talking about? Are you playing with left tackle? Oh, yeah. Andre Dillard. I mean, Debo can give you a breakdown of why Andre Dillard is no longer with the Eagles. I'm not sold on him as a long-term solution,

especially going to a run-heavy team and he can't run block. Don't ask Debo. He just wanted Philly to take Smith and Jigba. I'm actually on board. He's drafting for his fantasy team. Yeah, I was going to say that's a fantasy team. You get Smith and Jigba and then Jameer Gibbs. My goodness.

Yeah, I do agree. I do agree that Johnson's a better player, but they did give him a lot of money. So that's one of the situations that I was trying to work through in my own mock draft is where you play both of those guys. Which Johnson are you talking about? Paris. What do you mean they gave him a lot of money? No, they gave Andre Dillard a lot of money.

Oh, gotcha. I was like, wait, Paris got paid a lot of money already? They gave him a short-term deal. Itillard a lot of money oh gotcha i was like wait paris got paid a lot of money already they gave him a short-term deal it wasn't a lot a lot of money it was it was a chunk of change but but yeah worst case or maybe best case juan taylor money is what i'm saying yeah right yeah juan taylor's big point money all right pick 12 josh on the clock the texans smith and jig was still out there that's been a popular landing spot who are you taking so i'm taking devin witherspoon i mean he's still available here. I know you took Derek Stingley Jr. this past year, but if he's your best player available, which he is for me at this point in time, that's the direction you have to go. I would love to get one of these edge rushers,

one of these interior defenders, but the run on the position has already happened. So for me, I'm taking Witherspoon because he's sitting atop my board. So Rick, Smith and Jigma still out there, but you say all the time, never have enough edge rushers or cornerbacks. And Devin Witherspoon is going to be cornerback one for some teams. How do you like the idea of CJ Stroud

and then doubling back and get Devin Witherspoon? Yeah, I would agree with that because I think Witherspoon's unique. And if you have him and Stingley, if Stingley can stay healthy, you have two pretty good shutdown corners for your defense. And you just hired a young, dynamic defensive coach.

All right. Love it. Pick 13. The Jets are on the clock. And just to recap in case you missed it, if you're watching or listening, or if you're Josh Edwards and the Emory Hunt mock draft, he had the Jets taking DeJuan Jones, and that's what sent Rick over the edge. Rick, are you going to go down that path again,

or are you going to go in a different direction? Well, please. Yeah, he wants Becton, who hasn't been able to line up maybe two games since he's been there, and he wants to roll the dice on him one more year. I'm taking left tackle Broderick Jones with no hesitation. Out of Georgia, we've talked before that he may not be ready to go from day one, but he has probably the highest upside of this group. If he stays healthy, he will already be a success over some previous first-round picks

that I will not mention, though. He just called them out. We don't know what's going on with Aaron Rodgers. Rick, I don't think you think it's going to be this pick that perhaps gets sent to green bay but at the end of the day i mean i don't know where this man when it's going to happen i'm tired of talking about it to be honest with you all right pick 14 this is where my guy comes off the board because ricky didn't take him at 10 the patriots are taking running back bijan robinson out of texas here's my thought process you messed up my guy, Mac Jones,

by having a defensive coordinator call plays last year. And now he's – is he with the Eagles now, Debo? Oh, my gosh. I hired Matt Patricia to call plays in Philadelphia. He's a new offensive coordinator. Debo wants Smith and Jigba while Matt Patricia is calling offensive plays. Way to go, Debo. Rick is fired up. But here's my thinking. I'm fired go, Debo. Rick is fired up.

I'm fired up on Debo today. I'm just happy Rick said Jared Goff instead of Jeff Goff today. We're at the point in the draft process where everyone's on edge. I want to see how far down this road we get. Luckily, we're not in the same

room because Rick might start throwing on guys. I wouldn't want to mess up my Gu start throwing on guys. I wouldn't want to mess up my Guayabera shirt. You don't want to get anyone's blood on your newfound shirts. I'm going B. John Robinson because Bill O'Brien's backhauling plays. Mack Jones is going into year three. He's got to

get right because he's making me look bad. I think the easiest way to help a young quarterback is to run the football. They could go Darnell Wright here. We've talked about that before, the right tackle at Tennessee. But I'm going to add a little offense, go along with Ramon J. Stevenson. I know this is a pretty deep running back class, but there's only one B. John Robinson. He's a workhorse back, sort of the type back that you feel like

would go to an England and have success. And that was a pretty easy choice for me. All right, Josh. That was a bad, easy pick for you. We'll see. It couldn't be any worse than having your defensive guy call offensive plays. In fact, Matt Patricia might still have a job if he had B. John Robinson back there. All right, Rick.

You have to block somebody up front. A running back is not invisible. He can't, like, disappear and run through people like a ghost. You have to have someone to create some holes up front. This guy runs through arm tackles like he's the only person on the offensive side of the ball. That's how good he is, so that's why I'm not concerned about it. It's called

learning the game, Rick. Oh, God, I am on this podcast. All right, Mike15, the Packers are bucking conventional wisdom over the last 21 years, Josh, and they're taking wide receiver Jackson Smith and Jigba out of Ohio State. I know what your thought process is, but what do you think the chances

this actually happens? I think it's better than we expect, actually, because when Aaron Rodgers was named the starter in 2008, that's a team that had James Jones, Donald Driver. I mean, they had some pieces on that side of the ball, and yet they drafted Jordy Nelson, number 36 overall, traded back from number 30 overall to take him, and then they took Jermichael Finley, the tight end, in the third round. So this is a team that has shown they are willing to take skill talent

to invest in a young quarterback. That's the thought process here. I want to instill confidence in Jordan Love that's my objective for the upcoming season is to give him some confidence going into the following year and really you know give us a chance to compete because this is a roster that has some needs but first and foremost I want to give Jordan Love some confidence and identify that he's our quarterback moving forward. Hey, Rick, can I ask you, so that was the Tua, Justin Herbert draft, and Jordan Love was in that group. How'd you feel about Jordan Love coming out?

He had ability. You know, Nevada, I actually went and saw him play live in Frisco, Texas. I can't remember against Kent State. But there was all the physical traits that you look for in a quarterback. We didn't do much work on him at the time, but he did have ability. So I'm anxious to see when he does take over because I thought when he played a little bit last year, he showed signs just like Ritter, but you want to can Ritter right away. So I imagine you want to can Jordan Love as well.

I like Jordan coming out. Pull the trigger on these guys. But I'm anxious to see Jordan Love, and I do agree he does need some weapons. I may have leaned. I can see Smith and Jigba, but I also may have leaned towards Kincaid here because of his unique receiving skills at a position of need for them as well. Yeah. Jordan Love out of Utah State. Also, by the way, that was a Jalen Hurts draft that everyone thought was a joke in the second

round. Turns out Howie Roseman was not joking around at all. All right. Pick 16, the commanders on the clock, Rick, they have huge needs at cornerback. What are you doing? Well, since you screwed it up and took Bijan Robinson with the Patriots, I'm taking the right tackle that would have helped my team win a lot more ballgames, and I went with Darnell Wright here. Out of Tennessee.

Now, you say that screwed it up. Do you mean the commanders would have considered Bijan or that the Patriots should have taken Darnell Wright? The Patriots should have taken Darnell Wright. They don't have a starting right tackle right now. Darnell Wright steps in right away and his immediate day one starter for them sets the tone up front because I think he's one of the most physical offensive linemen coming out in this year's draft. He took tremendous strides from his junior year where he played left tackle. Then they moved him over to the

right side and found a home. And this guy has continued to ascend through this pre-draft process. All right, pick 17. Only two cornerbacks off the board are two favorite, Christian Gonzalez and Devin Witherspoon. The Steelers are on the clock. And I would have taken Darnell Wright here. That's what Sneak Peek, BMAC, and I did.

Brian McFadden in our Steelers-only seven-round mock draft. BMAC GMed his way into taking Darnell Wright, which somehow, miraculously, no one had any negative opinions on in terms of the fan base, which is unheard of, but whatever. He's gone here. So instead, I'm taking Emmanuel Forbes, all 166 pounds of him. And Josh, as a Browns fan and longtime hater of all things Steelers, does this pick, how does this pick make you feel, I guess? Because that's one of the true gauges of

whether it's a good pick or not. How does the opposing fan base think about it? Well, I mean, he's got incredible ball skills. Six interceptions returned for touchdowns over the course of his career. I think he had 14 interceptions total. So I don't love the fact that he's able to make plays on the football if you're in that division. But I also wonder if you're going to be welcome back in Pittsburgh because you pass over Joey Porter Jr. to take Emmanuel Forbes here. Rick, who are you taking here at cornerback three for the Steelers and you want to get a cornerback? Yeah, I've been pretty consistent with Joey Porter Jr. And maybe I don't want to get emotional.

All right. With the legacy and everything else. But wait a second. Now, Rick, ball steals are incredibly important. Joey Porter Jr. doesn't have much in the way of turnover production. And we know that Emmanuel Forbes does. He's a big physical corner that i think fits pittsburgh steelers style play no i don't disagree with that i just like i fell in love

with the ball production the 166 no i do too i love emmanuel forbes i was the one you didn't even know who he was so i told you about him in the fall that's true no that's right i will give you that all right pick 18 the lions are on the clock j, you'll be picking for the entire Lions organization. You also were the Lions GM, head coach, owner, and eye candy back at pick six where you took Jalen Carter. What are you doing at pick 18? Well, hopefully this one gets a little bit more favor from Rick. I'm taking Deontay Banks, the cornerback from Maryland.

I have him rated a little bit higher than Joey Porter Jr. here, so that's the reason for my pick. They've made some additions at the cornerback position this offseason, but I think Banks is a player that gives you a little bit more stability long term. So, Rick, the word on the street, and I don't take this for what it's worth, is that Deion Banks, teams are hiring him than perhaps the media thinks. We've talked about him for a while, and we like him. Do you like this fit? Because he's a physical, fast cornerback. Yep, and he'll fit. And they traded Akuta to Atlanta, who you took Will Levis to

when they were rostering around to win now. But don't worry about that. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. He will be fine. So, yeah, I do like this pick a lot. Okay, pick 19. Rick, you are the Buccaneers.

And, I mean, they have quarterback needs. They have offensive line needs. Our guy Darnell Wright's already gone at right tackle. He would have made a lot of sense there. Our buddy Pete Prisco wants to move Tristan Wirfs over to the left side, and he probably has the athleticism to do that. But as you talked about with Peter Skowronski, it's not just as easy as snapping your fingers.

Either way, what are you doing at pick 19 for the Buccaneers? Well, because I felt bad for you when you took Will Levis to the Falcons, so I gave you a gift. You did. I did not take Hooker here, which in all my right mind I should have, but instead I went with flexibility with Brian Branch, safety, corner, Nick. And I do think they need help in the secondary. And this was a player that I think can help their defense. And I like Antoine Winfield Jr.

I think he's a heck of a football player. But some of the guys that they have in the secondary have had durability concerns. So I understand that Brian Branch did not test as well as everybody anticipated, but I'm not going to pass up a very good football player on the defensive side of the ball. Although I expect a check in the mail from you for leaving Hendon Hooker there for you to take the next pick. That's a tease if you do take him the next pick.

I didn't send you a check, but I sent you a With the First Pick T-shirt. That's in the mail. Just keep checking your mailbox. If it doesn't show up, it'll come the next day, I promise. So what I'm hearing, Rick, is that pick 19 is not too high to take Hennon Hooker in real life? No. Ooh-wee.

Love it. And by the way, Josh, I don't know if you've heard this on previous podcasts. I'm not sure if we talked about it out loud before. But Rick's son played on a high school football team in, was it Minneapolis, Rick? Eden Prairie, Minnesota. So Antoine Winfield was on that team. Good program. The edge rusher that went to Minnesota, I can't remember his name, Carter Coughlin was on that team, right?

Yep. Ryan Conley, who's been bouncing around. The Jets undersigned Jermaine Johnson. Jermaine Johnson was on that team. Blake Cashman was on that team. She's a pizza. And they lost exactly zero games in three years. Is that

right? Yeah, they end up losing after a lot of those guys left, but they were pretty unstoppable in the state of Minnesota. Good Lord. That's something else. They had some really

good athletes. Man, that's crazy. All right. Pick 20. Josh, I don't know if you noticed there, Rick did something that they call in the business a tease because the Seahawks, who at number five, I had them taking Tyree Wilson. Now, they get hit and hook our quarterback out of Tennessee, despite the fact that he's 25,

despite the fact that he tore his ACL late last fall. The good news, Rick, as you've been pointing out for a while, in fact, you talk about Anthony Richardson to the Seahawks at five in this situation, but he can go get healthy behind Chino Smith, sit for a year. I don't think you want to sit Hinton for two years because of his age, but maybe next year after the season, you reevaluate. Let's say Gino Smith has a similar type year as he did this year. Are you thinking about trading Gino? If you're Seattle,

are you going to roll another year with Gino as your quarterback and make Hinton sit for two years? What are you thinking? Yeah, no, I'm, you know, I'm just going to assess where we're at at the end of the season. If Geno has another year, it doesn't hurt. I understand the concern with the age and maybe that would have been five, six years ago. Now with the protection that the quarterbacks have in this league, you're seeing them play a lot longer. They're trying to keep them on the field because that's what brings the fans. So I believe that, yeah, the age is not as big of concern as it was maybe five or six years ago.

I'm guessing Hendon's your QB5, Josh. I can't imagine it'll be someone else, but let's see. Yep. Yep, he is. Any concerns beyond the age? Not other than coming off the torn ACL, but even that is something that's overblown now because of how far medicine and technology has come over the years. Right.

You know, the offensive structure is going to be a little bit of a transition, but I also have confidence that he has the mental acumen, the preparation, the want to, to be able to make that transition. Yeah. Rick actually has admitted before on the podcast, and he said it at the preparation, the want to, to be able to make that transition. Yeah. Rick actually has admitted before on the podcast, and he said it at the time, he was blown away after our 15-minute conversation with him on the set. You took a lot away from that, right, Rick? Yeah, I know. And the intangibles and everything reminded me a lot of,

and I've said this in the past, of Teddy Bridgewater. Yeah, high praise. Intangibles, smarts, leadership, intelligence, everything from A to Z on the intangible side. To me, this kid is just like Teddy Bridgewater. All right, let's take a quick break, and then we'll get to the final 11 picks right after this. All right, Josh, you're on the clock.

You're the Los Angeles Chargers pick 21. I love the idea of B. John Robinson going here. He's obviously off the board, so that's not going to happen. You could take a wide receiver. You could take a tight end. What are you choosing to do? Yeah, you're kind of making my point for me because as I dug into this team a little bit more, I realized there's a number of directions you could go for this organization.

Add a little bit more speed at the wide receiver position, tight end. But I went with defensive tackle Brian Brezzi from Clemson because that's also an area on this roster that they have been unable to address under Brandon Staley. I think you add a player that has tremendous upside at the position, it's incredibly difficult to find those impact players to play the interior defensive line. And I think Brezzi, if you get the best version of him,

although you're taking a little bit of a risk, you're getting one of those caliber players. So for me, that's the direction I went. I had him one pick or one spot ahead of Joey Porter. So those were kind of the two players I was considering here. JC Jackson was unable to stay healthy this past year. I mean, they need some long-term vision at the edge rusher position to eventually replace Khalil Mack, add a little bit of depth. So this is a team that, you know, Sneaky has a lot of options that they could go in the first round. Bijon, as you mentioned, but he was off the board. But I went with Brezzy because he was the best player available in an area where I thought they could use some upgrade. No, makes sense. Had a tough season last year, but there are a lot of reasons for that

that we've talked about on the podcast prior. Pick 22, Rick, if you're the Ravens, at what point would you like to have some clarity on what Lamar Jackson's going to do? Yeah, hopefully sooner the better, but I don't think you're going to get clarity until right before the season, to be honest with you. Oh, okay.

So you're going into this draft understanding that, fingers crossed, we have our quarterback, so we're just going to fill out the rest of the roster? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, they're not letting him go. They don't sign OBJ and some of the things that they've done to build the skill position to help Lamar Jackson. So they have no intention of trying to trade Lamar Jackson in my my opinion I haven't asked you

I don't think I've asked you this but if I have I've forgotten obviously have you ever had to deal with a player negotiation wise who did not have an agent no no most no I've always had we always worked through a representative although I know how difficult that could be the non-agent part yes yeah I would imagine it just complicates things although you know i don't know if you worked with the agents a lot of fun either so it just might make matters worse it's part of the process but at least you have someone the in-between person right you can negotiate with and he can relay back and you know um it makes it as hard as it still can be depending on the agent you're working with at least you have a

middleman in between is it fair to say like when you're talking to an agent about a player you can say well player x didn't do x y and z that we had him we wanted him to do and the numbers bared out do you say they have those sorts of conversations yeah no you're you can have probably a more frank conversation with the agent than if you're dealing directly with the player because you got to be very careful about burning the bridge and usually an agent can um massage it yeah massage it or or kind of turn it in a different direction where he knows that he can handle the player. He knows the player's personality and how he can phrase it or talk through the scenario with the player to help him, guide him through it. Right.

So I would imagine that's another layer of stickiness. It's only a matter of time before you step in some dog doo-doo and make the player angry because you said something that they don't want to hear. But that's a conversation for another time. All right, Rick, you're now picking for the Ravens. You're assuming that your quarterback's coming back. Who are you taking? I'm taking a corner, and Joey Porter's still on there.

Ravens like big physical corners. Joey Porter's 6'2 corner fits their style of corner that they play with. So, to me, this was a no-brainer. I need a corner, and I'm taking Joey Porter. Cornerback out of Penn State. And if you want to hear Rick and Brian McFadden, our cornerback from CBS Sports HQ, two-time Super Bowl champ for the Steelers, talk about these corners, these safeties. You can see that podcast or listen to it.

It's in the feed. Pick 23, the Vikings. The Vikings also need a corner. And my guy. Oh, God. What do you mean? I'd like him to fall. You just can't help yourself, can you?

He's going to go in the first round. I'm telling you. Oh, a dollar? Yeah, let's do a dollar. I don't feel great about it. Let's do a dollar on that, Debo. My guy, Julius Brents, cornerback out of Kansas State. 6'3", 34-inch arms,

4'5", 3". That doesn't necessarily blow your hair back, but his three-cone and short shuttle were among the best of the combine among the defensive backs. This is a good young man, Rick. Good young man. Patrick P. has gone to the Steelers, so I'm replacing some help. They need some help

in the secondary with Julius Brents. Is that so crazy? I just don't think that's a first-round talent. I'm sorry. I don't think you're sorry. I think you're just saying that to make me feel better. All right, Josh. I'm trying to make you feel worse, to be honest with you, if you really

want to know. I appreciate your honesty. Josh, where are you on Julius Prince? I think I have him late second round, early third round. All right. Go on. Well, I think this is a draft class that you can kind of make arguments for players like this at the same time, because I think there is probably a lot of volatility in how teams see these individual players.

So I do think we're going to see some names that we don't necessarily talk about in the first round more so this year than we have previous years. I mean, nobody saw Cole strange a year ago, even the Rams based on their reaction. So I think we will see some of those picks made in the first round. Brent's I understand he's got the traits. I just value him a little bit later. Okay.

Fair enough. You're like politically correct on this podcast. I was going to say, that's how you very politely. Do you think it's a reach? Do you think Ryan reached on this pick? I would personally not make this pick. See, Rick, that's how you do it politely so you don't hurt people's feelings. All right, I'll go to the seminar.

I blew off the seminar too many times apparently i have to be more politically correct on this podcast and not bs sarcastic because i do appreciate all the hard work that you guys put into this show that said josh just so we're clear rick has come around on julius brentz he likes him more than he did the fall is that at least fair to say rick? Yeah, I'm picking from a Saturday pick to a Friday pick. Okay, fair enough. He didn't very well end up going in there. I'm going to have to cover Quinton Johnson. We'll be fine. The receiver from VCU.

Yeah, one of the best receivers in college football. Hopefully, he doesn't have to cover Justin Jefferson during training camp. Yeah, that might not do a lot for his confidence. Although, Garrett Wilson told us at the Super Bowl that he thought he was terrible because he had to go up against Sauce Gardner in training camp. And that just goes to show you they're good players on both sides of the ball, Rick. They are. Learn the

game. Learn the game. All right, Josh, you're up. I've worked so much. Pick 24, the Jaguars are on the clock. They need offensive line help. They need tight end help. You can even go defensive back here. Brian Branch is gone, unfortunately, for them. Who do you have the Jaguars taking at pick 24? Similar thought process to what I had Green Bay doing. I'm going to give Trevor Lawrence, Dalton Kincaid, the tight end out of Utah,

give him a little bit more pass-catching ability. A guy with a little bit more length, they need some size on that side of the ball. Evan Ingram is playing on the franchise tag this coming year, so you're not committed to him long term. Maybe this is an opportunity for them to save some salary cap space in the future and honestly get a little bit of a better player that's, I can't say has been more consistent because of the injury, but a player that I think has the upside to be a consistent performer for them down the road. But one thing I'll say about Kincaid, I made this argument for the Packers like a month or two ago and Rick pushed

back on it quite a bit. Now Kincaid is the guy that he mentioned is possibly being a fit for Green Bay instead of Jackson Smith and Jigba who I took this week. So Rick changing tunes a little bit there on Dalton Kincaid to the Packers. Yeah, after I figured out that he doesn't have a broken back, that makes a whole big difference. I will add that Brian Brezzi, if he were not off the board at this point. Brezzi.

He is Brezzi. Okay, so Brezzi would be the ideal fit for Jacksonville based on Trent Balke's history because he has traditionally gone for those players coming off a torn ACL. He loves those athletic traits. So this is a Trent Balke pick all day. I love that. Also, shout out to Rick for correcting Brian Brezzy's pronunciation. I love that as well.

It's the only name I know how to say properly. I'm horrible at names. So, Rick, I'm going to ask you about Don Kincaid. You mentioned the back appears to be all clear and teams remain high on him. But so you said this about Emory the other day. You said he talks out of both sides of his mouth. Now, Jalen Hyatt, you don't like that only he's a one-year productivity guy. Where has he been?

Don Kincaid's in that same bucket, and he's older. So explain the differences. Because Dalton Kincaid, did he not transfer from somewhere? San Diego, I think. Yes. But when he came to Utah, he was with a bigger program, and he responded where Hyatt has been at Tennessee has been invisible and luckily I don't want to say luckily I shouldn't say that that's not proper he had a break go his way with Tillman

getting injured all of a sudden he had an opportunity to shine would he have shined the same if Tillman the receipt other receiver from Tennessee who's a very good football player did not get hurt. Yeah. And Tillman has a chance to be, um, he might go in the second round, but you can say the same thing about Kincaid, right?

There was another, there's another tight end and then Kincaid, uh, got his opportunity and took advantage of it. So I'm kind of speaking out of both sides of my mouth here is too, but I think, um, Kinid, because of the transfer, took advantage of when he transferred. And Hyatt has been at Tennessee, and then all of a sudden came on the scene

when he should have been on the scene a lot sooner. No, and I'll give you credit for that because he was at FCS program. He wasn't at San Diego City. He was at San Diego. So he played there a few years and then transferred i'm looking at his bio from san diego so yeah it wasn't like he he stepped he went from you know mountain west to sec he went from fcs to to pack 12 which is a probably a pretty big transition for him and he eventually got his opportunity showed up but i like jalen hyde as well so i'm not going to hold that against

him either all right rick pick, the giants on the clock. They desperately need a center. What are you going to do? Well, I'm not going to take a center here. Can I interrupt you quickly? You've been preaching how you have to protect people, your quarterback and so on and so forth. So what are you doing?

I need to get my quarterback that I just spent Danny dimes, some weapons on the offensive side of the ball and Quentin Johnson, uh, to fill that need. So he was my next best player on the board. And I went with Quentin Johnson. Now they re they, you know, resigned Slayton. Um, they signed Paris Campbell. So they're trying to get offense. He's more of a slot gadget guy. I don't think he's a true outside guy. They signed Jeff Smith from the Jets, but they're not Quinton. And, you know, it was a disaster when they signed Galladay. He was never able to get healthy and be on the field.

So this gives him an outside vertical threat with a receiver that has a high upside. Clean up some of the concentration drops, an outside vertical threat with a receiver that has a high upside. Clean up some of the concentration drops, but this guy gives them another weapon on the offensive side of the ball. Yep, Quentin Johnson, wide receiver out of TCU. And you've said this before, I'll just repeat it. I like Zay Flowers as well, but Zay Flowers basically is in the same bucket as the other players in the roster you currently mentioned. So it sounds like you're –

Mike Robinson is coming off an ACL, but they drafted a slot receiver last year who's an explosive playmaker. By the way, all three of us were at the Will Loves Pro Day Kentucky, and Wondell Robinson was there, and Josh pointed him out to me. He's smaller than I am. Like, he is tiny, tiny. So you don't need a bunch of tiny guys running around as your receiver. I don't think. I mean, having big guys would help.

All right, pick 26, Cowboys. Rick, tell me what you think. I'm taking linebacker Jack Campbell. What are you doing? Not Drew Sanders, Jack Campbell out of Iowa, linebacker. Why'd you say, what am I doing? Well, because you still have Michael Mayer on the board. They don't have a tight end right now, am I not mistaken? You're correct.

Why would you take the tight end? They have Jake Ferguson, but here's what I'll throw back at you. Is there more depth at linebacker or more depth at tight end in this draft? You can get all these linebackers. They're going to be good linebackers with your pick in the second round. Yeah, actually, you're right. Dale and Hindley will be there probably. Yeah, and he's a head of a football. There's a lot of good linebackers on Friday that you're going to be able to get.

So I went with Mayer because after that, I think there is a little bit of a drop-off. You know, Musgrave we've talked about on this podcast. Laporta, I mean, your guy, I mean, you passed him up as well. Darnell Washington. From Iowa. Yep. But boy, that was a little bit of a reach for me taking Jack Campbell here. Josh, what do you think about Jack Campbell compared to, I don't know who your linebacker one is,

minus Drew Sanders, but I mix it up here with Jack Campbell. I like Drew Sanders as a fit a little bit more for Dallas just because he offers a little bit more versatility. I like what Dan Nguyen could do with him in that system. Jack Campbell I think probably goes in the second round. That's kind of where I see him in this class. I actually see the Giants and the Bills as possibilities for him, though, if you're looking at possibilities in the first round, just because those are a couple of teams that are looking for a little size at the position. Buffalo, of course, losing Tremaine Edmonds in free agency. So I wouldn't be surprised if Jack Campbell goes in the first round.

I think that is certainly one of the names that could get some traction there in the latter portion of the first round. I just personally think that Sanders would be a better fit in that system. All right, fair enough. Can I do a dollar bet on that, that Jack Campbell does not go in the first round with these two yahoos? Yeah, I'll take Jack Campbell going first round just for fun so you can get back in this competition because you're getting all right well it's going to be 31 to 1 in a second i guess yeah i'll take jack campbell

the first round devo all right pick 27 the bills are on the clock here and i can't believe this player's still sitting here josh you have them taking Osiris Torrance guard out of Florida. Yeah, Buffalo hasn't traditionally made a significant investment in the offensive line, so that's kind of the idea here is to provide some protection for Josh Allen. Zay Flowers, the wide receiver from Boston College, is the other player that I considered here. Just because we've seen the impact that a quality slot receiver can have on the Buffalo offense.

So I think you can get that player in the second round. I don't think you can get a comparable player to an Osiris Torrance in the second round. So that's the decision that I made here at number 27 overall. Yeah. I think Rick, if you're okay, if Osiris clears,

it's a hundred percent healthy and all that. I think 27 to the bills makes a lot of sense, right? No. Not at all. Not even a little bit. What were you doing there here then? Say Flowers all the way. They need another offensive weapon for Josh Allen.

And I think Osiris probably may go before them, but he's a guard only. They signed Connor McGovern in the offseason. But you're going to take another swing at some of these guys in the off season, but there's going to be, you're going to take another swing at some of these guys in the second round to, uh, Steve Avila, who I think can come in and start right away. Uh, if he's still around there, I think there'll be some guards there, center guard combinations. There's Tippman there's, you know, John Michael Schmitz, who I really like. So there's a lot of potential guys there in the second round. But to me, Zay Flowers is unique compared to the rest of the slot receivers in this draft.

There are some good slot receivers, but Zay Flowers is a unique player for his size and would be a huge upgrade for Buffalo. Okay, fair enough. I don't hate the Osiris-Torrance pick, but Rick, you want to take Zay Flowers there? I get it. Zay's a good football player. Pick 28, the Bengals are on the clock. Rick, you can finally take your tight end

and give Joe Burrow yet another weapon. You went with Michael Mayer, tight end out of Notre Dame, and he is tight end two, I believe, in this mock draft. So he didn't go first, but he does go 28 bottom of the first round. Yeah, no brainer.

They need a tight end. If Branch was't go first, but he does go 28 bottom of the first round. Yeah, no-brainer. They need a tight end. If Branch was still sitting there, I'd consider that because of the versatility. A lot like the kid they drafted out of Michigan last year. Not as fast, but, you know, with Mayer there and I need a tight end, I'm taking him. Good football player. Yep, I agree.

Solid, as you like to call him, and I think that's a great description. Pick 29, I have the Saints taking Miles Murphy. For some reason, he continues to slip down these boards. We had him going in the top 10 several months ago, and we've gone through the pre-draft process. He hasn't really hurt himself with his testing. And, Rick, you've sort of joked about this generally in the past. Sometimes players can be too smart and you get the sense, at least through the media, that maybe he's too smart. His brother's an electrical engineer, I believe, or mechanical engineer. He takes academics very seriously. What does that mean, too smart?

I don't want to make it as a negative comment or der derogatory comment yeah um but he was uh as one of the most classiest kids we interviewed at the uh fine um you know um so i was just kind of making fun a little bit and sometimes we'd make fun that god he will make he's going to make more money potentially being a uh a chemical or an you astronaut engineer, if that's such a – Debo, is that astronaut engineer? Is that a profession or no? I think that's what Josh Jobs was, right, pretty much? Yeah, I think he was a nuclear physicist or something.

Don't ask Debo. Debo would depend. He doesn't know what astronaut engineers are. Pick 30. I like Miles Murphy, by the way. I think he's a huge upside guy. By the way, Rick, he's 6'5", not 6'3", 275, ran to the 4'5", so there's

a lot to love there. Rick, I'm going to give you a choose draft A or draft B because I know you're going to be super pumped about this. So the Eagles take Lucas Van Ness at 10. That was your pick. And then they circle back and get Nolan Smith at 30. This is Josh's pick, the edge rusher out of Georgia.

Would you rather have these two players here or would you rather have Smith and Jigba and Jameer Gibbs with these two picks? I would take, if I got me personally, if Josh would have paid attention to my first pick taking... I would take, if I got me personally, if I, if Josh would have paid attention to my first pick taking, uh, Oh, I paid attention. You made Josh mad. I'd have taken Jameer Gibbs here with Bijan God.

I think he would come in and be an explosive playmaker on their offense. And they rely on explosive plays. And to me, Jameer Gibbs, some teams, as you said, have him ahead of B. John Robinson. But to get a – you know, they lost Miles Sanders, they signed Penny, who hasn't been able to stay healthy from Seattle. So I would have taken Jameer Gibbs here. And Debo had told me, please, if they ask you, take Jameer Gibbs. And so I'm going to go with Debo on this one and take Jameer Gibbs. I'm guessing that Josh thinks that Lucas Van Ness is going to kick inside,

but Josh, you tell us why you took Nolan Smith here. Well, I don't think, first of all, he's the best player on the board is why I went in that direction. I think it's more in line with what Howie Roseman would do. I personally would have taken a Jameer Gibbs here because he's a top 10 player for me, just like Bijan Robinson. But I think Howie is more in line to take a front seven player. Nolan Smith is the best player available. I don't think you would look at Lucas Van Ness and Nolan Smith and question that

they play a similar role. So I think that they both have a spot on this defense. They're probably going to have to pay their dues and be some rotational players early in their career. But I see both of these players as an off-ramp for larger contracts on that roster two, three years down the road. Debo, you okay with Lucas Van Ness and Nolan Smith? I'm still not okay with Lucas Van Ness. Oh, you're just picking on me, Debo. I'm making you self-conscious. Looking back at the board, I know I said JSN.

If Devin Witherspoon is there at 10, I know you just re-signed two of your corners, brought them back. They're both over 30. I'm taking Devin Witherspoon the way that it shook out in this mock. Rick, you can never have enough cornerbacks. You okay with that at 10? Yeah, since Debo's the boss, yes, Debo, I fully and totally agree with your decision-making.

That means he doesn't like it, and that means he's pouting. All right, Rick, you're on the clock. I picked 31. You have to take an offensive tackle. Jawan Taylor cannot play left tackle. What are you doing? Well, I really struggled with this one a little bit. Everybody's a little higher on Anton Harrison, the OT from Oklahoma.

Yeah. And I am. I can see that as a possibility here. But I cut Frank Clark. I need another edge rusher to go with Karloff. So I took an underrated and I think playmaker that's only going to get better when he gets to the NFL because they're going to play him in a position where he doesn't have to reduce down as a five-tech,

keep him as a wide nine pass rusher like Frank Clark, and I'm going to take Will McDonald, the edge rusher, out of Iowa State. And you mentioned it. He has to play seven-tech. You can't put him over the tackle at 145 ish. Maybe I think he had 35 inch arms, which is freakishly long. Are you planning on adding weight or he can play that way? Well, if he's only 145 pounds, I'd want to put at least a hundred pounds on it. Yeah. At least a hundred. Can he play? Yes. I would like to add weight to his

145 pound frame that you that you so educationally stated. He needs to stand next to Emmanuel Forbes, so Emmanuel Forbes looks bigger. He's 145. At 245, is that enough for you to hold up an NFL as a seven technique? Okay. Because Carl Loftus is certainly thicker than that, and he had a really good rookie campaign. That is it. That is the final mock draft of the 2023 draft cycle

for us here. I know with the first pick, but we ain't going anywhere. We back tomorrow. We back Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and again next week. We'll be doing the old looking back before we look ahead, but we'll get to that after the draft. So episode 41 in the books. Remember

gives a thumbs up if you're watching on YouTube and please subscribe to the podcast. leave a five-star review. Thanks, as always, to my guy, Rick. Thanks to Josh for joining us. Thanks to Debo for producing it. Thanks to all of you out there who are watching. Josh, we get another with the first pick T-shirt. You have three now, I believe.

At least three. Is there some kind of a punch card? Am I supposed to be on here five times before I get a T-shirt, or how does this work? Debo's got T-shirts. He ordered hundreds and hundreds of t-shirts there's actually there's a delay rick because we were making just like standard t-shirts and then we suddenly switched to making with the first pick guayaberas and that production takes a little longer oh that's rick you have to get that embroidered on that shirt. That's what you need to do. Oh my gosh, that's a great call.

That would be classy if I came out with a Guayabera and I had a With the First Pick logo on it. So, Debo, this should be enough lead time. Next year for our Pro Day tours, we need some Guayabera With the First Pick shirts. I think that has to happen. You expect to

be at University of Miami Miami van Dyke. You need some more. Caleb Williams at USC. Yeah. It's a good chance. There you go. And Rick knows people in all those places. So we'll be set up there.

All right. That's it. That's it for this podcast. Thank you everyone for joining us. We'll be back here tomorrow. NFL draft. We'll be back here tomorrow, NFL Draft.