Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - BONUS EPISODE: 2023 NFL Mock Draft picks 1-5: Is Bryce Young or CJ Stroud QB1?

Episode Date: April 20, 2023

The 2023 NFL Draft’s biggest conversation is whether or not Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s CJ Stroud Wilk be the first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft. With the Carolina Panthers leading things off find out if either are QB1 in the most extensive mock draft available or if Florida’s Anthony Richardson surprises the league.  Locked On's NFL Mock Draft Special is here and it's bigger than ever! Led by the dynamic trio of Brian Peacock, former NFL scout Matt Williamson, and team scout for the LSU Tigers championship team Keith Sanchez at the anchor desk; alongside dozens of local Locked On team experts as GMs, you'll get unparalleled insight from the war rooms of all 32 teams' first pick in an ultimate mock draft experience only Locked On can deliver. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thank you for listening to your favorite team's Locked On podcast. In the following special bonus episode, our experts reveal your team's first pick in this year's draft as part of our ultimate NFL mock draft special, along with trades and reactions to each pick. Afterwards, check out the rest of the opening round episodes on the Locked On NFL Draft podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. All part of the Locked On Podcast Networkraft Podcast. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. All part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day.

Welcome to Locked On's 2023 NFL Mock Draft Special. The most comprehensive mock draft. With local and national experts providing insight and analysis you can't get anywhere else. Don't miss a single pick as we discuss where the future stars of the NFL will call home. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the 2023 Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special. The most comprehensive mock draft you'll find is even bigger this year. The six episode series will take you through the entire first round of the NFL draft with unparalleled insight from the war rooms of all 32 teams, thanks to the local experts

of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And don't worry if your favorite team doesn't select in the first round, you won't be left out. The hosts of your favorite team's shows will be making their first pick, whether it's in round one or round three. So you'll want to stick around for the whole thing. Make sure you don't miss a minute of the action. Throughout this binge-worthy special,

you'll hear from all 32 of our local NFL shows and dozens of our college shows that cover your favorite teams every Monday through Friday. Our NFL Draft Experts from the Locked On NFL Draft Podcast. And this year, you'll get team building insight from the draft dudes. Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino of Locked On NFL Scouting are here.

And so are all of our NFL hosts in our Locked On War Room waiting to react to their competition's picks. And of course, we are your hosts. I am Brian Peacock, NFL analyst and co-host of the Peacock and Williamson NFL Show and Locked On 49ers. Here with me, my co-host, former NFL scout Matt Williamson. Glad to be back for another year, Matt. I love the extravaganza that is the Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special. Yeah, this is taking it up a notch from you and I's regular show, and it's a blast.

And it is quite the production. It blows me away every year how the entire network can come together to put this thing together. Plus, the collective knowledge of everybody on the network is really impressive. But it doesn't mean I'm going to approve or be fine with every pick. I'm not holding back. That's for sure. And this year, we have a new addition. Team scout for the LSU Tigers championship team and one half of the Locked On NFL Draft podcast, Keith Sanchez. Welcome to the anchor desk, Keith.

Glad to have you. Oh, man, thank you. I'm just excited to be a part of the dynamic duo they call Peacock and Williamson, man. Ready to get this thing started. And guess what? If Williamson is going to let the bullets fly with some of these picks that are, quite frankly, maybe bad, I'm going to let the bullets fly also. So this is going to be a ton of entertainment coming up. It wouldn't be an NFL draft or a mock draft without some huge shocking picks.

And I'm sure our hosts won't let us down. Every year there's always a lot of fun stuff. And while Julian Council, the host of Locked On Carolina Panthers, hangs out and discusses their pick, Matt, Keith, and the biggest story of the draft this year. It's the quarterbacks, right? And we might have quarterbacks going one through four. Guys, I mean, Keith, you're new here, so I'm going to let you go first.

What are your thoughts on the quarterbacks? Is there one that stands out to you? Could it be any of the top four quarterbacks that could be the pick here at number one? Yeah, I think with the quarterbacks in whole, right, it's a battle of the proven versus the unproven, and everybody likes the unproven and they have all of the tools but then the proven guys right we're kind of like okay where's the ceiling for them so i think for the carolina panthers sitting at pick one if i'm them you trade it up to the number one pick you traded all of these assets you have to go to a guy who has simply done it in college already right

whether that's bryce young or cj straw for I think C.J. Straw is probably the better selection because I think his ceiling may be a little bit higher because when you watch the film, you see the on talent there. He is accurate. He had two really good games in the game against Michigan that they lost, but it was still a really good performance. And then obviously the Georgia game to kind of cap off his career. So I i would like to see them go see this draw here matt what do you think about the quarterbacks this year because you nailed it last year with kenny pickett and the pittsburgh steelers and him being the first quarterback off the board uh do you have any any feelings about this year's quarterback class and who might go number one to be very honest when i first really dug into my

draft prep which is after the nfl season yeah i i looked at these top four guys will levis from kentucky anthony richardson from florida cj stroud from ohio state and of course brights young from alabama and just from a scouting eye i thought man there are major things wrong with all these dudes you know like this group scares the heck out of me yeah i'm like man and i'll be honest over the last couple months i've warmed up to them not levis so much but the others i mean richardson just infatuates me i think he could be a superstar i think shroud is very safe and a little more traditional and frankly young has rare aspects of his game but that size scares the heck out of me

i mean all the word on the street though is it's going to be young to carolina i prefer stroud yeah all four of those quarterbacks have something to really love and reasons they could go very high in the draft all four of them have reasons that could scare you if you're gm and yeah and uh could give you some you know just just make you pause for a second before you turn in that card but that card is in and the pick number one is ready to go let's go to Julian Council of Locked On Panthers with the first overall selection in this year's Locked On NFL mock draft special with the first pick in the 2023 nfl draft the carolina panthers select bryce young quarterback alabama yes i know i know i know bryce young is too small bryce young doesn't

have the prototypical size no one at 5 foot 10 190 or whatever his playing weight has ever gone on to have a long-term success in the n. But let's go back to my favorite draft antidote that I heard a couple of weeks ago from Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL network. Coming out of high school in California, there was a debate between the top two quarterbacks, Bryce Young and DJ Uyunga Lele, who went to Clemson and now plays at Oregon State. DJ U, big player, looked like everything you wanted out of a starting quarterback. But how did that work out? Bryce Young went on to Alabama to win the Heisman Trophy, play for a national championship, win one as a backup, and then go on to have one of the best careers of any Alabama quarterback

in the program's storied history and be the best quarterback in college football. If he was 6'3", there would be no conversation that Bryce Young is the top pick in the NFL draft. But because he's shorter, people get too concerned and overlook the fact that he is the best quarterback in this class. The Carolina Panthers do not do that. They take their guy, Bryce Young. Keith, what do you think? The 5'10 quarterback, it's something I've never seen,

and it's hard to sell teams sometimes on a 5'10 quarterback no matter what round you're picking in. 1.1, though, for Bryce Young. Is that too high for a guy with some size questions and really longevity questions is what it comes down to in the NFL? Yeah, I'll say this, Peacock. I'm not concerned with the height as much as I am the overall size. This is a guy that I had the opportunity to see in person a couple times,

and the 200 pounds, to be quite frankly, I don't believe. I believe the 190, the 188, maybe after the game is over. And so when you think about big guys like Chris Jones and those guys falling on top of him, and you think about bones, right? You think about him being able to stay healthy and some of that he can't control, right? When these big guys fall on top of him, he can't stay healthy. But the film is the film, man. The film is that this guy is a highly talented player.

Like Williamson said, man, you see some of the things that he does in the pocket it's rare man his ability to manipulate things throw on a run he's accurate his processing there's some really fun things there so i i think the panthers went with the kind of the safest option in the sense of if you base it solely off of the film and you know i think those guys will be able to coach him up. The size is rare. It's unique. And, Matt, you spoke about the other rare qualities that Bryce Young has, which is why a lot of people think that he will be the number one pick in the draft. And he does. I mean, he has ridiculous field vision, processing, playmaking ability,

spatial awareness. He's a good, not great thrower. The size just scares the heck out of me. I mean, Julian just mentioned there, if he's 6'3", he's a slam dunk number one. If he's 210 pounds and has some muscle on him, yeah, he is. Because I look at Tua. Tua comes to the league injured. He leaves this last year injured. A lot of injuries in between. Lamar Jackson, the last two seasons, has not been able to finish the year. Kyler Murray, injured as we speak, is going to miss tons of time probably next season.

Bryce Young would kill to be as big as any one of those three or have as much muscle mass as any of those three. Durability worries me, not the play on the field. You know what? Usually when a team in your division gets the first overall pick the rest of the division isn't supposed to be happy but ross jackson of locked on saints over in the locked on war room is celebrating the selection as a guy that covers the new orleans saints in this division with the uh with the the carolina panthers taking bryce young i am incredibly happy

super happy to see that because i will i would be more than happy to see the Saints and their six foot five, six foot six defensive lineman going up against five foot six Bryce Young every single day. No problem. Happy about it. I don't know. I don't know if I trust Ross Jackson there

when your division opponent gets the number one quarterback in the NFL draft that can spell doom for decades for your franchise. So we'll see how it turns out for the Panthers and the Saints in this one. How about a guy that's watching? He didn't come cheap, though, BP. That's true.

They should DJ more and a couple other picks and get it right. If it's a miss, that sets you back, too, as well. So we'll see what Bryce Young ends up being for the Panthers. A guy who's watched more than anybody, Luke Robinson of Locked on Bama. Hey, everybody. It's Luke Robinson with Locked on Bama. Going to talk. It's Luke Robinson with Locked On Bama. Going to talk about my favorite player of all time when it comes to Alabama. And also, I just happen to think he's the best player of all time ever at the University of Alabama.

And that's Bryce Young. I know that some may think that's hyperbole. Some may think that's recency bias. I'm telling you, I think this guy is the best player ever to come through Alabama. Won a Heisman Trophy. Has the quarterback of the Crimson Tide. Won an SEC championship. He put on a show against Georgia in the 2021 SEC title game. That Georgia defense was incredible.

They later on defeat Alabama, obviously, but Bryce Young had lost two of his main targets at wide receiver by that point. He threw for 559 yards against Arkansas in 2021. He had some injury issues, slight injury issues in 2022. He also didn't have the caliber of weapon that Alabama is used to at wide receiver, so that hurt him a little bit. But overall, this guy is awesome. His best quality to me is his poise and maybe his leadership. He is a quiet leader, and he's super cool. All you have to do is see him at the Heisman ceremony.

He looked like Prince up there. I've always said that. Okay, the best player ever at Alabama. Not just the favorite player. We've heard comps now. We're going way beyond the NFL with these comps for players. We've heard a steph curry comp for bryce young and now a prince comp for bryce i love that keith the best alabama player ever ah man that's that's tough man you're talking about it you throw positions in there right man it's hard to say julio jones right and you know jonathan allen's

and you know some of these corners. Patrick Sertain is well on his way to being one of the best corners to ever come through Alabama. So that's tough, man, and that's coming off the heels of Tua having a hell of a career also right at the University of Alabama. So I don't know if I'm quite ready to say that yet. A little recency bias there, BP, I have a feeling. Hey, I could even buy that he's the best player in Alabama history.

I can't buy he's the best NFL prospect, though. Different world. Let's see what Damian Parson has to say about it. One half of the Locked On NFL Draft podcast. Carolina Panthers selecting Bryce Young to start off the 2023 NFL Draft class. It's a good move and it's a good fit in my opinion. Bryce Young is going to bring veteran-esque leadership in the locker room, in the huddle, in the pocket, as well as the calmness.

We're in those big moments on third downs. He's seen it. He's done it before and it doesn't bother him. He's not moved by it. He also has the style of play that's very similar to a point guard, like a Chris Paul, you know, in the NBA, just a ball distributor, getting the ball to his weapons and to his teammates effectively, efficiently, and quickly. So combine all of that, plus the ability to make plays outside of structure to evade free runners and different

pressure packages that defense will throw at them. I think Bryce should give the Carolina Panthers a day one starter that could potentially help them win the division. Coming up next, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is still on the board. Will the Houston Texans have their next franchise quarterback fall in their lap? That's up next on the Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special. This episode is brought to you by Ultimate Football GM. If you've ever thought you'd make a good NFL GM, then this is the mobile game app for you. You've got to give it a try because it's not as easy as you might have thought to create that dynasty. With Ultimate Football GM, you're responsible for controlling the destiny of

your franchise by hiring and firing the right coaches and coordinators, managing all the finances, including negotiating players' salaries and terms, and of course, navigating through the NFL draft every season, free agency, player personnel issues, and all the ups and downs of a season. All this in a challenging and realistic game world. Ultimate Football GM is completely free and playable offline. Play on the go as you want to and when you want to. The best part? Locked on listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise in-game when using promo code LOCKEDON. That's promo code LOCKEDON, one word,

all caps. So make sure you check it out today to download the game. Just visit ultimate-gm.com or look it up on the app stores. That's ultimate-gm.com. Ultimate Football GM, start your dynasty today. Welcome back to the Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special. One pick in the books. Pick number two now on the clock. But first, I want to check back into the local Locked On War Room

where this pick is still leaving some of our hosts scratching their heads. Ross, I'm shocked, though, as a New Orleans Saints fan that you would have a problem with a small quarterback since the one you just had. I will tell you. There's a small guy. Just because it worked a couple times doesn't mean that it's going to work every time.

I got it. And that's what has me nervous about this pick for Carolina. This is a team that can't afford to get it wrong. They've not chosen to participate in the quarterback class the last several years. I think that's been a mistake. And now they're counting on an absolute exception, a complete size outlier at the position to come in and get it right after all they gave up to put their eggs in this basket with a 5'10 quarterback wouldn't be the choice. All right. So we got some, some homers and some haters. We got everything already so far here in the locked on NFL mock draft special and pick number two is it as easy as say, okay, the other best quarterback in the class that's got that resume and C.J. Stroud, or do you think, Keith, the team should swing for the upside of someone like Anthony Richardson here at number two? Yeah, I mean, I think the Houston Texans

should worry about trading out of this position or selecting Will Anderson or Jalen Carter. I'm all about, man, if your team is ready to select a rookie quarterback, and this team has so many holes, man. You're talking about the defensive side of the ball, you're talking about wide receivers, you're talking about improving this interior offensive lineman. They found a Jim and Damian Pierce last year in the fourth round, right? But you can't ride him, you know, the entire season again. So I will be honest, man.

My strategy for the Houston Texans would be to trade out of this pick or to select one of these defensive cornerstones, whether that's Will Anderson or Jalen Coder. Do you think that the Texans have to get a quarterback, Matt? Can they wait until 12 or can they be mobile in this draft? Well, the fact that they do have 12 is a big deal. I mean, I think Levis will be there at 12. The difference between Young and Stroud and Levis to me is large, though. If you could somehow finagle this thing to get a defensive lineman

and Anthony Richardson, now you're talking. Or even a Hendon Hooker, you know, at one point, early second round, trade back into the first. What I think you can't do, and I know everyone's raving about next year's quarterback class, and hey, Houston can be right in the mix to have the first overall pick next year. And maybe if you do trade back, you gain some picks for next year to make that more feasible. But I don't think you can go into the 2023 season with the quarterbacks that are on hand right now in Houston

and, you know, try to sell to your team that you're trying to win it all. Yeah, that is a tough sell. Go ahead, Keith. No, because the thing is this, man. We talked about these quarterbacks at the beginning of this, right, Williamson? And we talked about how they're all good quarterbacks, but we're not sure if they're all world quarterbacks. They all have some type of holes.

And when you look at this Texans roster, I'm not sure if there's a quarterback that instantly is able to impact this team to where they can carry the entire team, right? Like we're not talking about Peyton Manning's or Andrew Lux or, you know, potentially a Trevor Lawrence. So that's the only thing that scares me a bit that the Houston Texans roster right now may not necessarily be meant for a rookie quarterback, one of these three quarterbacks that's left.

That was using the analogy. You have to build the nest first before you put the baby bird quarterback in. And this nest is sort of on fire. Interesting. You have to pay off for one of these teams to be a little bit more patient at quarterback instead of fighting and scratching their way up to get these guys at the very top. We'll see what Cody Davis does. The host of Locked On Texans, pick number two, is in.

And with the second pick of the Locked On NFL Mock Draft, the Houston Texans select C.J. Stroud, quarterback from Ohio State. I'm Cody Davis, one half of Locked On Texans, and with the Carolina Panthers taking Bryce Young with the number one overall pick, of course, down here in the city of Houston, we are going to roll with C.J. Stroud. However, that doesn't mean that the Houston Texans are just settling for a quarterback because at the end of the day, it really don't matter how you view Bryce or C.J. Both of those quarterbacks have an opportunity and have the potential

to change the fortune of a struggling franchise. And what franchise has gone through the most struggle than the Houston Texans over the last couple of seasons? This is a franchise who thought they had themselves a franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson, but for several reasons, that did not work here in the city of Houston. However, you bring in CJ, a guy who is known for his pocket presence, a guy who is known to be able to find all of his receivers out there on the field. This is a guy that's going to be very helpful for this organization to help bring some relevancy back to the city of Houston.

You got yourself a head coach in D'Amico Rimes. Get yourself a franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud, and now it's time to build something special here with the Texans. By the way, after a terrible season by Davis Mills, this definitely means no more Davis Mills for the Houston Texans moving forward. No more Davis Mills. It will be C.J. Stroud at quarterback for the Houston Texans. One of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football and played big in some big games. What's the ultimate upside, Keith, of C.J. Stroud? The ultimate upside is a franchise quarterback, right? But you look at percentages of him touching that,

and I'm not sure, man. I have to be honest. I want to say I understand the pick. Now, am I fully convinced and I have conviction in the pick saying that, hey, I know this is going to work? I can't say that, Peacock. Matt, for the Texans that need a franchise quarterback, to pass on one at two might have been just just too much to ask i think i mean i understand it you're trying to

rekindle a lot of flame with the organization the fan base it's been a tough couple years as he just mentioned you have a new coach put these guys on the billboard sell jerseys but you know as mentioned he's not going to be throwing the the Buckeyes receivers and protected that way more is going to be on his shoulders I understand it he is my favorite quarterback in the draft not by leaps and bounds but I probably would have went the d-line route and you know tried to work something with that 12th bit guys I love how fired up the the locked on war room here is for all these selections. And most of them think that this was the right pick.

But most people aren't locked on Packers host Peter Bukowski, who wants teams to swing for the home run. Don't you want to try and hit that home run? Like, I just see the tools with someone like Anthony Richardson. And look, we're going to get these picks wrong more than half the time anyway. So wouldn't you be wrong betting on the guy that is literally the greatest athlete we've ever seen play the position, who has incredible arm talent, and who I think is undersold as how developed he is.

I think sometimes we look for the outlier so much, and we look for the next LeBron James, the next Mike. We forget, if we cut all the noise off and just watch CJ Stroud throw the ball he here's one of the best I've seen and just spinning it and putting the ball where it needs to be down the field on deep outs and doing all of those things that a coach like North Turner would want his quarterback to do I don't think it's a negative thing just because he's not this freaky, wild athlete.

I think this is a home run for the Houston Texans. Simple. Yeah, absolutely. This could not have gone better for the Texans. Interesting. Ross Jackson doesn't like the pick for the team in the division that he plays against, but he's cool with all these other quarterbacks going to all these other

teams and other divisions hitting home runs. Okay. I see how it goes for Ross Jackson, the host of Locked On Saints. I want to hear, though, from Jay Stevens, who's the host of Locked On Buckeyes and what he saw from C.J. Stroud at his career with Ohio State. C.J. Stroud, quarterback, Ohio State. The two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year possesses the tools that every NFL team will want their starting quarterback to have.

What's up, guys? My name is Jay Stephens, the host of Locked Up Ball Guys, and C.J. Stroud is the self-proclaimed ball placement specialist. That's a title that holds a whole lot of weight, and it's clear C.J. Stroud is just that when he's on the football field. Do you want a quarterback that can make all the throws and has the arm strength to do so? That is C.J. Stroud. Do you want a quarterback that can make all the throws and has the arm strength to do so? That is C.J. Stroud. Do you want a quarterback that is extremely accurate? That is C.J. Stroud.

Do you want a quarterback that has the ability to get through his progressions consistently? That is C.J. Stroud. Do you want a quarterback that has the biggest game of his life when he needs to have it? That is C.J. Stroud. We saw that against Georgia. C.J. Stroud can do just about anything you want a quarterback to do on a football field, and he will do that in the National Football League. Excellent stuff.

Let's move on to Damian Parsons standing by at the locked-on NFL draft desk. D'Amico Ryans gets his quarterback, C.J. Stroud, out of Ohio State, and this is, to me, the best pure passer in the 2023 NFL draft. He can attack all three levels. You talk about ball placement, you know, accuracy, touch, timing. He's got to improve the anticipation from time to time. But a guy that could truly dot every I and cross every T as a passer. And I've seen so many high level throws from CJ Stroud,

ability, the ability to throw guys away from coverage and throw them to open spots on the field at all three levels, the arm talent to push the ball down the field, as well as the accuracy and the velocity to whenever he wants to hit the short to intermediate. So I think with this team building up this offense into Miko Ryan's image, you need a guy that can come in and play the quarterback position at a high level.

I believe that C.J. Stroud could. He gives me vibes of a Joe Burrow. And for D'Amico Ryan's in the Houston Texans, that's a good thing. Two picks down, many to go here throughout round one and beyond in the Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special. Guys, the Arizona Cardinals are an interesting team. Could be a hinge point in the 2023 nfl draft i have a feeling they would like to move down um matt is there a team that

you think needs to move up in this spot to number three to maybe get a quarterback or who knows maybe another position and allow those cardinals move down and collect more picks to rebuild that thing i mean the raiders and titans come to mind. Could a Seattle or Detroit with multiple first-round picks jump ahead of the Colts? I'm not sure trading out of threes would be as easy as people think, though. I think that is the ideal move for Arizona. If you stick there, Will Anderson's the obvious choice. And while I think he's a great prospect, I don't think he's a Miles Garrett level defensive end. But their defensive line is a disaster right now.

So if they can get picks, they need everything. That would be wonderful. Otherwise, you stick and pick, Anderson. And I know there are some trade talks happening with Alex Clancy, the host of Locked On Cardinalsinals and some other teams. Keith, do you see a reason to move up into this spot? Because it's easier said than done for us to say, oh, a team should give up all of this to move up in the NFL draft. But it's not really that easy for teams to give up everything unless they truly, truly believe that this is the quarterback.

Yeah, and I think that's the thing. If they're 100% and they feel confident that their guy is still there, you can't wait because two of the quarterbacks, two of the big four, the core four are already off the board. So your chances are already – and they're dwindling fast, right? And now, like Matt Williamson said, you're competing against teams that you may not know or know that you're competing against, right? Like who's on the phone having these conversations, ready to move up?

So if you feel really confident about it, I say pull the trigger. But I agree that it's going to be hard moving up to that number three overall position because you have to think about the head coach, right? He's going to want to have some say. He's a defensive-minded coach. So you can't tell me that a defensive-minded coach want to leave his imprint on a franchise. He's going to want a Will Anderson or a Jalen Carter.

So I'll be interested to see that if they're able to move out of three, what the other team have to give up for draft compensation. I'm getting word now that Alex Clancy, as hard as he tried, it looks like is not going to move out of the third spot in the NFL draft. He's going to stick and pick at number three. And that pick is in. Let's go to Alex Clancyancy the host of locked on cardinals with a third pick in the 2023 nfl draft the arizona cardinals select will anderson jr

edge rusher alabama while trying to get value for the number three overall pick the arizona cardinals could not find a trade partner who'd want to draft the quarterback at number three so the cardinals stick and pick taking what's hoped to be their edge rusher for the future. Will Anderson is looked at as a potential transcendent talent. And one thing the Arizona Cardinals roster is lacking is talent. With two young pass rushers drafted last year in Cameron Thomas and Mike J. Sanders, Will Anderson is set to take the lead for a pass rush that has been severely lacking talent-wise over the last handful of seasons and what's hoped to be the strength of the Arizona

Cardinals defense moving forward into the future. I love Will Anderson. I've got no problems. I think there might even be some over-analysis and some overthinking it as it pertains to Will Anderson in this draft. And maybe he's not a perfect prospect, Keith. Maybe he's not Miles Garrett physically, 6'5", 270 pounds. But man, his workout numbers are great. His production has been off the charts. And I think it's maybe a situation where when you have more production as a junior statistically

than as a senior, and you've been that guy that everyone's projecting to be at the top of the draft, the best non-quarterback in this class for years, is it prospect fatigue with Will Anderson? Or do you see him as a prospect that maybe might disappoint going this high in the NFL draft? Yeah, I think it is prospect fatigue, but I think it's key to talk about Will Anderson as a prospect and what I've seen on film.

And I think that there's improvement there. A lot of his sack production comes via twists and stunts and things that are schemed up. So you're talking about just beating the offensive tackle one-on-one. There are things that can be improved. But I'll say this about Will Anderson. Drafting Will Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals, it's not just about the play on the field.

It's about the person that you're getting in the locker room. You're talking about a guy that's going to bring it every day. He's going to make his teammates feel guilty about not giving 100%. And when you're talking about culture, that's the little things that matters. And that's the reason why you take a guy like Will Anderson, number three, even if you feel like there's still room for improvement as far as sack production. Yeah, character absolutely counts. Matt, does he have enough juice for you off the edge

to go top three in any NFL draft? In this draft, yes. I don't think the top of this draft is loaded. You know, I mean, he's not competing with the Bosa's or Miles Garrett. I mean, so you can only draft the guys that are available to you. And if you're not comfortable with Jalen Carter, who I think is the best player and the best prospect in this draft, well, then you go Will Anderson. And I do think he's not going to disappoint.

I mean, I think he's going to go to Pro Bowls and be really good. And as Keith mentioned, the character, the work ethic from a winning program, everything Saban's put into that, you know, the Cardinals need that in a big, big way, to say the least. And I do think Keith is right. There might be even more there in the NFL level than than there was in college even though he's technically sound i mean he plays the run well high character player and no team's gm will sleep better that night after the draft on thursday than the team that drafts will anderson in my opinion because they know they're getting a really really good player that uh that has quite a ceiling as well. The pick at three wasn't a surprise, but the locked on war room was surprised

that Alex Clancy of the locked on Cardinals kept the pick. I want to know why there wasn't a trade. Why did no one move up? That's what I'm talking about. Oh, yeah, yeah, for real. I believe that there were things in motion that did not go down.

I tried to jump up to number three all day from the Titan selection at number 11. I tried to jump up and get Alex to make the trade. As you guys know, I went back and offered a second trade, but in all honesty, it was contingent on the fact that one of Stroud or Young was available. I would consider taking Richardson at 11. He probably won't fall there, but because of the project nature of him as a prospect, I wasn't willing to trade three first round picks

and another pick out of the six that the Titans have this year to go up and get Richardson at three, knowing that I got to sit him behind Tannehill for a year. How about locked on Bama? He can't be the best prospect in Alabama history, but is Williamson the second best prospect in Alabama history, but is Will Anderson the second best prospect in Alabama history? Let's go to Jimmy Stein and find out his thoughts on a guy who was super productive

and a really great Crimson Tide player. Let's talk about Will Anderson. He is an edge pass rusher from the University of Alabama. Will grew up in a house with four older overprotective sisters, and that's why Will is super tough. This is Jimmy Stott from Locked On Bama, and I want to tell you a little bit about Will. He's one of the most discussed players in the draft, and one of the reasons Will is so spectacular as a player is you'll hear all of it that Will is the best pass rusher in this draft, and that's probably true.

His numbers in terms of tackles for loss and sacks, playing the SEC, playing an incredibly tough schedule week after week. Unbelievable. But Will is a great player because he's not just a pass rusher. He's a great every-now linebacker. Damian Parson with his thoughts on the pick, the host of Locked On NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals stay put at three and select the Terminator, one of the best defensive players, best players, blue chip player,

in Will Anderson Jr. in the 2023 NFL Draft. Since Chandler Jones declined prior to being let go in free agency and signing with the Raiders, this team, this defense has needed that true guy, that guy off the edge. And Will Anderson Jr. brings that power, explosiveness, a guy that has good length, who knows how to win when you scheme him up on the inside rushes,

but also has a high, high ceiling and a high motor to continue to win as a one-on-one pass rusher off the edge. So for Jonathan Gannon, the new head coach in the former D.C. over with the Philadelphia Eagles, he needs a guy that he can count on to go get sacks. You talk about an NBA bucket getter, you need a sack getter. And Will Anderson Jr. brings that.

Joe Marino and Kyle Krabs here from the Locked On NFL Scouting Podcast with the Draft Dudes. And Kyle, quarterbacks came off the board early. We expected that to be the case. But how about the order here? Bryce Young, number one to the Carolina Panthers. Houston gets C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State at number two. Yeah, we've certainly started to hear the rumblings that the Carolina Panthers have eyes,

or at least several of the higher ups within the brain trust in Carolina have eyes for Bryce Young and obviously when the Panthers paid the price that they paid to get that first overall pick and you have that luxury of getting to choose your guy Bryce Young the momentum seems like it is fully in his corner for him to become the number one overall pick. We see that materialize here. Really interested in that fit with the Carolina Panthers. The good news is you finally feel like they have some stability along the offensive line,

looking at the progress that they made last year. And now it's really about how Carolina can surround Bryce Young with the kind of talent that can help complement what he does well in the passing game. But you like the coaching game but you like the coaching staff you like the offensive line they got there i think we got some strong foundational pieces to work with yeah and i like the veterans that they were able to add in terms of the weapons this offseason miles sanders at running back hayden hurst at tight end dj charke adam feel and demir bird at wide receiver those are all veteran players and i think that's going to be a major

benefit to bryce young as he takes over this Carolina Panthers offense, knowing that he's not surrounded by a bunch of young, developing weapons that are still fighting their way in the NFL. Those are all established players. They've got to really help Bryce Young with his acclimation to the next level. The only question I have here is the same question I think everyone has, and that's the fact that he's the smallest quarterback in the NFL right now. He's drafted, he's the Panthers quarterback, and he is tiny.

And for a Carolina Panthers team that has chosen to not participate in some of these recent drafts when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, this is the one that they finally went in and drafted. And not only that, they gave up a ton to get this player. And so, obviously, there's a lot riding on this pick, especially for what Carolina traded up. And they're doing so counting on, you know, a complete outlier in terms of size being an answer for them. And obviously the most important position in the game. But Kyle, the Houston Texans, they come back, they get C.J. Stroud. That's my top quarterback. That's your top quarterback.

I got a feeling that you're going to be a fan of this pick just like I am. Yeah, not for nothing. Houston at number two, you know, lands a player in C.J. Stroud who you feel like has a lot of really likable and translatable traits to the next level. And you think about the accuracy along the sideline, the accuracy down the field, the confidence to stand in the pocket and throw the football. He's not quick twitch like Bryce Young is, right? He might not have the strongest arm like Will Levis does in this class, but I think from an accuracy standpoint as a pocket passer, Stroud's got all the goods.

And this Houston Texans team, they've spent the last two years treading water, trying to make the right decision. And now they are getting their quarterback of the future as well. After their transition away from quarterback to Sean Watson, they obviously have a load of draft capital at their perspective at their their disposal to build around CJ Stroud. But Joe, I think one thing that's interesting to me throughout this top three is the non quarterback. And you think about what the Texans were able to do to get extra draft capital. Do you feel like this is a missed opportunity for the Cardinals to stay put at number three when we've seen two quarterbacks come off the board? We know there's kind of four consensus buzzy quarterbacks. We know we got a spot coming up here at number four with the Colts that might be a quarterback spot. What are your thoughts on the Cardinals staying put at

number three and drafting Will Anderson? I got a feeling they'd love to move back, but maybe they just couldn't get a deal done. I'll tell you this, though. If you got to stick and pick, Will Anderson ain't a bad option to sit there and get. Obviously, they're in need of building blocks for their football team. Will Anderson certainly provides them a major boost in terms of their edge rush, a big issue on the team. And so you get a premium talent at a premium position. Maybe you'd love to move back and got a bunch of stuff. But at least you got one of those guys that you feel like can really be a core foundational piece of your roster moving

forward. Up next, will Anthony Richardson or will Levis be the next quarterback off the board? The Indianapolis Colts are on the clock in the Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special. special welcome back to the locked on nfl mock draft special we've got three picks down indianapolis colts are on the clock for pick number four cj stroud the second pick after bryce young who went number one overall to the carolina panthers and will anderson number three to the arizona cardinals no trades yet and I don't think guys that the Indianapolis Colts going to be trading out of the number four spot it's a it's a prime spot for a quarterback here Matt Anthony Richardson or Will Levis for you I don't think it's even close anymore to be very honest with you I don't consider Levis a first round player

I think Richardson is being criticized way too harshly as, oh, he's a work in progress, going to take him a really long time. He is so special athletically that he can learn on the fly. He doesn't have to be Joe Montana in the pocket as a processor while he learns. And especially with Colts coaching staff coming over from philadelphia and having the jalen hurts you know offense and history in their back pocket plug and play you know richardson and jonathan taylor carrying the ball time and time again at you i don't play against that keith with anthony richardson's resume at florida and one season as a starter

and maybe you know only a handful of really good games. Could you still make an argument as raw as he might be coming into the NFL that for the Indianapolis Colts and, you know, new coach Shane Steichen that Anthony Richardson's floor is higher than it might be for a prospect with his resume just because of his athleticism that could carry him until he's ready to go as a passer? Yes, and I think if this conversation was happening 20 years ago when the NFL was in a totally different space, I think players like Anthony Richardson or Will Levis will probably scare the hell out of you even more, right?

But you've seen more offensive coordinators taking schemes from high school to college to the NFL, and they're allowing these quarterbacks to use some of their best abilities, which some of them is their legs, right? For Anthony Richardson, it takes nothing to get the snap and then run forward. Right. Like he can he's able to do that. And he showed us that he can run forward really fast. So I think that that matters when it comes to moving the chains and getting him comfortable. So you're talking about a day one prospect, somebody that you should be able to throw in there.

Matt already talked about Jonathan Taylor. They have big receivers on the outside with Alec Pierce. So I think this is a fit if Anthony Richardson does go to the Indianapolis coach. Keith, to follow up on that with Will Levis, he's a physically talented guy as well. Is there a big separation now for you with Richardson and Will Levis? And how come Will Levis isn't getting that credit that Anthony Richardson is for being a high upside player that teams should be fighting for to draft in the top four of the

class? Yeah, for me personally, it is a separation. And part of that is the athletic ability, right? Like we're talking about an elite level athlete and Anthony Richardson and some of the things that you can do. And I know that Will Levis, he comes off as a good athlete, but when you watch the film, I'm not sure how many times that actually translates to in-game snaps, right? Between the snap to snap, how much does it translate? So I think that's the thing, that if you're a head coach, if you're the GM of the Indianapolis coach,

you're saying, which guy can I actually apply their athletic ability to results on the field? And the pick is in. Jake Arthur is standing by with a selection for locked on Colts. It is time to get off the quarterback carousel with the fourth overall pick in the locked on NFL mock draft. The Indianapolis Colts select quarterback,

Anthony Richardson out of Florida. Since 2019, the Colts have been riding this roller coaster of trying to recover from the Andrew Luck retirement, and it's mostly gone the way of just washed-up veterans. They finally get a young, fresh face of the franchise. They can pair Richardson with new offensive-minded head coach Shane Steichen to hopefully give them a positive future for the next decade plus

he fits very well with what steichen likes to do he's obviously a superb athlete had a perfect relative athletic score through the combine he's known as being a little more of a raw passer which 13 career starts of course but there's a little more nuance to his game than people realize as well. What this guy really needs is experience. And I think Steichen can formulate a game plan to get this guy ready to play right away. Maybe rely on that athleticism a little bit until they can develop him a little more as a starter. If you look at Philadelphia and what Steichen and Nick Sirianni did with Jalen Hurts over these first couple years, I think that is a good blueprint for what the Colts could do with Richardson. One thing I struggle with, guys, when it comes to a prospect like Anthony Richardson, and I saw this firsthand covering

the San Francisco 49ers with Trey Lance, and a player's maybe not ready to play right away coming out of college, but then if you sit him, it's hard for him to get the reps he needs when that's the one thing missing from not playing a lot in college is those reps. So do you sit, Matt? Do you sit Anthony Richardson or you just play him right away and not worry about it? It's hard for me to answer because mentally he has to be able to protect himself. He has to be able to get guy. If he sees a blitz coming, he's got to be able to adjust protections, things of that nature. And you can simplify those things for him and by all accounts he's very bright he's a very hard worker he just doesn't have a lot of pass attempts so i want him on the field at all costs and all ties i'm breaking in his favor that hey you maybe you blow a protection or something

like that in the meantime but that's really the only things that keep him off the field for me is if he can't protect himself schematically in that type of thing. Keith, do you agree? Do you play Anthony Richardson early or do you think you let him sit, let him learn what the NFL game looks like for a year and then plug him in a year or two? I think you play him simply just when he's ready, right? Like I wouldn't put a necessary like six games, eight games, one game or two games, right? I play when he's ready.

And we talked about the Houston Texans not having the pillars in place to play a rookie quarterback. I think the Indianapolis Colts, I think it's the opposite. They do have the pillars. We talked about the tight ends. We talked about the wide receivers.

We talked about Jonathan Taylor. They have Quentin Nelson. So this is a guy that you're not afraid to run out there. You know, you don't feel like he's protected as far as having guys with him that can play high-level football. So I simply put Anthony Richardson when, you know, it could be a Wednesday or Thursday practice,

and I'm like, you know what? I think this guy's ready. Let's go see what he can do. And no matter what, even if he isn't mentally ready early in the season, he's active on game day for me, and he's going to see the field in a package or two, no matter what. I think that's very key, that package is right,

because that gets a guy very comfortable, right? If you put him in goal line, he gets success. And I know you know, Matt, right, just how much the mental game matters to quarterbacks, them being comfortable, feeling like they know what they're doing, even just being in a huddle, right, convincing their teammates that they know what play is called. So that's very important.

And a great point by Jake with the quarterback carousel that's been going on in Indianapolis since Andrew Luck retired. And they can't really get too cute with this and screw around anymore. They've got to figure themselves out, a quarterback and a young quarterback, and someone to build around instead of just this revolving door of veterans that have been coming in and they haven't really had great success with it. So we'll see if Anthony Richardson can be that guy for the Indianapolis Colts. And we all, we all picked it and we weren't surprised by it. Let's go to the locked on war room to see their reactions.

It was not a surprising pick, but a little bit of a polarizing one. Is the risk worth the reward? That's the move. There it reward? That's the move. There it is. That's the move. He has the highest ceiling and the lowest floor, so it's obviously a massive risk. But at the same time, like Peter was talking about earlier,

he's an unbelievable freak athlete. And if you can just get him to take that next step, he is going to be the most devastating quarterback coming out of this class. I think it's a great pick for the Colts. I don't know if I personally would have taken that risk in the top five, but when you need a franchise quarterback, you've gone from Phillip Rivers to Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan.

It's been an absolute disaster. You have to take that. Let's get another scouting report on Anthony Richardson from someone who watched him more than anybody. That is Locked On Gators host, Brandon Olson. Allow me to introduce you to the most athletic quarterback in NFL history, Anthony Richardson from the Florida Gators. I am Brandon Olson with Locked On Gators,

and Anthony Richardson presents physical tools that are literally generational. You don't find what he brings to the table in every draft, every five drafts, 10, 20. You don't find the height, weight, speed combination that can throw the ball 80 yards and hurdle defenders and just be great. Truly, nobody has ever tested as well as Anthony Richardson has. And honestly, I don't know if anybody ever will. If he can hit his ceiling, you're looking at a legitimate top five quarterback in the NFL. That's what Anthony Richardson brings to the table. And that is what will make him great. Matt, I'm not calling you old, but I know you're old enough to remember another generational prospect, the generational thrower that the Las Vegas Raiders, then the

Oakland Raiders drafted in 2007. Number one, overall being generationally talented and a physical freak does not mean you are going to be a star NFL player. So I ask you the same question that they talked about in the locked on war room. Risk reward here is just that upside worth it, even if you don't hit on the pit. Unfortunately, from where we sit, I've never sat down with Mr. Richardson and know what his work ethic is scouts do that they spend an immense amount of time with them and when i was scouting in the league one of the things that was widely believed is people don't go to the nfl and get more accurate well zach prescott josh allen there's a long list now of guys hurts is a perfect example and i think a big reason why is because all the

work they do outside the organization you know specific quarterback coaches biomechanics things that i don't understand that have come a long way hey if you move this foot a little differently you're going to be more accurate where they didn't have that 20 years ago and if he's willing to do the work and you're comfortable with the kid that he's going to do it, you got to make the pick. Keith, is he the most physically gifted quarterback we've ever seen in the NFL? Yeah, man, it's tough, right? Because now we're going down the train of Michael Vick and we're talking about Cam Newton, who, I mean, he powered those Carolina Panthers teams to wins, right, day in and day out.

So I think he's definitely in the upper echelon i'll put him in the top five percent man but you have to have respect for you know michael v i mean even lamar jackson right so john elway was pretty talented yeah he was pretty good too right it's tough man he probably ran the fastest forward that we've ever seen but it's all about how does that apply to in-game situations for Anthony Richardson. Real quick, talent to me gets thrown around a little bit much. Is he the best athlete we've ever seen? No question.

Can he throw the football incredibly well? Is he a great playmaker? Yeah, but that doesn't mean his talent is Pat Mahomes or Josh Allen as a thrower. You know, I mean, how good a thrower are you? How talented of a thrower, you know, I mean, you know, how good a thrower are you? How talented of a thrower are you? And if I'm not mistaken, Justin Fields just a couple of years ago ran four, four flat at his pro day. And he's got a heck of an arm himself. So there's a lot of physically talented quarterbacks out there.

We'll see what it looks like when you go from graduating out of the college game to the pro game. And, but no doubt, I mean, Anthony Richardson is a freak, and he might be the most physically gifted quarterback we've ever seen in the NFL, and maybe even from day one. On to Damian Parson, the host of Locked On NFL Draft, his thoughts on the fourth pick. This by the Colts, Anthony Richardson, quarterback from Florida. The Indianapolis Colts get their quarterback,

and that's Anthony Richardson out of Florida. Shane Steichen, the new head coach, saw the improvements and how big of a move it is and what it means to a team to have a Jalen Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles during his tenure there reach the level that he has reached and how it impacts the offense. Now you get a supersized, more explosive, and a bigger arm version than Anthony Richardson, and man, I think that they have put themselves

in a great chance to be a perennial powerhouse in the AFC, not just south, but in the AFC as he gets closer to his ceiling and develops. The ball placement and everything else that you continue to work with him, but this young man has Josh Allen-esque type of ceiling. So Indianapolis Colts feel vindicated and happy about Anthony Richardson. While we wait for the Seattle Seahawks selection at pick number five, Corbin Smith, the host of Locked on Seahawks, is on the clock there getting ready to turn in his card.

I want to go back to the Locked On War Room who can't stop talking about the quarterbacks and the conversations melted into comparing two of the best in the NFL. How many times have we heard the quarterback experts say it's not about arm strength and it's not, it's about anticipation and leadership. And so those are things that we really, really can't measure.

But I can tell you this, I might be in the minority. I take Joe Burrow before I took Josh Allen any day of those intangibles I just want that guy that can probably win me over at the interview table and and and and be the leader of men as opposed to a dude who's superman and does all of these wonderful things but it never amounts to winning sort of like him I'm with Tony Wiggins there, also a Joe Montana guy. He had that internal GPS, and it's all so important in the NFL. Guys, as we look ahead here to pick number five, and it's the Seattle Seahawks who are currently on the clock, at least they are right now. We'll see if any trades happen before that pick is in.

There's a polarizing prospect still on the board in Jalen Carter out of Georgia. And Keith, I don't know if you've heard any inside information about this how teams feel about Jalen Carter but clearly just based on the tape and what kind of player he is he could have been selected already and and should be the pick here how hard is it going to be for teams to figure this one out when it comes to a player that has some you know red flags off the field you have to do your due diligence you have to you have to do your complete due diligence because you're talking about a player who's, you know, a lot of people believe is the best player in this draft, right? Checks every single box on the field.

But the situation is that you want him to be on the field, right? Like, and you can't have any off the field situations. And we, you know, obviously we know about Henry Ruggs and, you know, things like that, you know, that have been disastrous for franchises. So you can't make that mistake. So have been disastrous for franchises um so you can't make that mistake so you have to talk to everybody right when you go to the university of georgia facilities you're talking to the coaches you're talking to the nutrition staff you're talking to you know maybe teachers right you're talking to everybody yeah you're speaking everybody

because you just want to know who this guy is because you have to think about it. You're about to hand him $20 million to $30 million, right? And the NFL season is four to five months. So it's like, what is this guy going to be doing the other seven months of the year? And that's the part that is going to scare you if you don't check all the boxes. But we believe that, you know, Pete Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks, they run things a little different up there, right? We've seen videos of Pete Carroll on scooters. So maybe Pete Carroll, if any of these head coaches,

can kind of corral a young man who, you know, just has to mature. Matt, who do you like for the Seahawks at five? Who's the number one on your board? I think this is the easiest pick we've had yet. I would run to the podium to get Jalen Carter, who I think is a transcendent player. I agree with everything that was just said. You have to be comfortable with the human being, of course. But, hey, Pete's not a young dude. He needs to win now. And that's the biggest

need on the team is defensive front. You're getting what I think is a transcendent player. I think this is Randy Moss, Warren Sapp. I mean, just get the stud and figure it out from there. Yeah. All right. Well, we'll see how comfortable Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks is with picking Jalen Carter, or does he go another direction? The pick is in at number five. With the fifth pick of the Locked On NFL mock draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Tyree Wilson, outside linebacker, Texas Tech. Outside linebacker might not necessarily be the Seahawks' greatest need

with Echenon Nwosu, Daryl Taylor, and Bwe Mafe all returning in 2023. But at the same time, you can never have too many pass rushers. And Wilson offers more than just the ability to get after opposing quarterbacks. He's a stout run defender with 27 and a half tackles for a loss over his last two seasons with the Red Raiders. And at 6'5", 270 pounds, he offers some intriguing positional flexibility. They could slide him inside to play some three tech. If he gains 10 pounds, that might end up being where he plays most of his snaps. But he also has the athleticism to be able to stand up out wide and get after the quarterback, set the edge, can do all of those things well. He's a raw player in terms

of some of his fundamentals, but he's a very intriguing player in the top five, a younger talent with a chance to really blossom into a Pro Bowl, maybe even an All-Pro caliber player in Seattle's 3-4 defense. So the slide begins for Jalen Carter out of the University of Georgia, the big defensive tackle, and it's another edge rusher that goes here to the Seahawks at number five. Keith, tell us about Tyree Wilson of Texas Tech. What kind of player is he, and what kind of player can he become, really, is what we're talking about. Yeah, so first of all, he's a guy that checks all the measurable boxes, right?

He's 6'6", 260, 270 pounds, versatility. You watch the film, he aligns, you know, can do wide nine. He can stand up. He can play on the edge. You can kick him inside. This is a guy that has explosive first step, you know, convert speed to power with ease. The question is for me, though,

when I talk about the Seattle Seahawks taking him, why are you taking him, right? Because this is a guy, Tyree Wilson, I think still has leaps and bounds to develop as an edge rusher. Talking about really threatening quarterbacks to be a consistent, relied upon edge rusher. If you're taking them to be a defensive tackle, kicking them inside, play against the run, I'm fine with that. But I think this is a combination of, okay, we just talked about Jalen Carter, right?

Because if you took him to be a defensive tackle, then you may not have been comfortable with Jalen Carter. So I like Tyree Wilson. I don't necessarily love Tyree Wilson especially this high Tyree Wilson does have the all-important arm length though Matt do you think teams go a little bit too traits heavy in the NFL draft trying to hit that home run when you know maybe they could go a different direction to find a player that just is a better football player right now today yeah i mean his traits are immense i mean he is extremely talented i think he's a better athlete than football player at this point and really i yeah i mean i don't really have anything i i can't you know fight corbin on what he said about tyree wilson he the thing he didn't mention, though, is he didn't draft the best player in the draft.

Good point. Good point. Draft the best player. He's really the point of all of this. That's a good point. The Seahawks and Corbin may have ruined the Lions' plans, though, at pick number six. Let's check back in on the locked-on war room. Okay.

Oh, we got a laugh. You just stole Brad Holmes' pick with the Lions. That would have been the pick. Wow. All right. Are you going to take it to the corner? We'll get to it. Number six is for sale, by the way, if anybody wants to try it.

I'm dead serious. For sale. We can give it a try. There you go. We can give it a time. So ready to get rid of him? Some inside information there. The pick is for sale, number six.

So we might have some trade-offs going on behind the scenes before that selection is made by Matt Derry of Locked On Lions at number six overall. I want to go first, though, to Locked On Texas Tech host, Chris Level. Edge rusher Tyree Wilson. This is a player that came here two and a half years ago and is going to likely leave Texas Tech and Lubbock, Texas as a top 10 draft pick.

Big time motor. It's somebody that is an elite level pass rusher, I think, at times, but it's still somewhat raw. I think plays the run better than people think, although that's potential weaknesses. I think some criticism is he plays a bit high at times. And I'll tell you, the biggest thing about Tyree at Texas Tech is his presence. I think he's an alpha that can kind of control the locker room, if you will,

or did so here, and I mean that in a good way. He practices just as hard on a Tuesday as he does as he plays on a Saturday you're talking about somebody that can run people down on screen plays 20 yards down the field gets to the quarterback just a big-time player and I think the sky's the limit for somebody like Tyree Wilson. Damian Parson the host of Locked On NFL Draft standing by to break down more of Tyree Wilson. Really quick, guys, though, a little nugget that Matt Derry dropped on us there, checking in on the war room, that the pick is for sale at number six. Do you like anybody to come up to number six right now?

Everyone that loves Jalen Carter. I mean, like me. I mean, if I'm the Raiders, the Bears, the Falcons, the Eagles, I mean, the Texans. Imagine the Texans adding Jalen Carter. I mean, I'm enamored with the player. I think he's a total superstar. I wouldn't let him fall a second month. I would say that the Texans are key for me.

The Texans and the Eagles would be two teams to watch out. The Texans need a defensive pillar. They played their best football, right? Like, not only when they had Deshaun Watson, but when they had J.J. W watt and jade mcclowney on their defensive line so the texas would be a team i would watch out for and as vp knows damico ryan's come from the niners who likes the lineman more than the niners uh yeah i would i would i would be shocked if they didn't go up front with one of those two picks at number two

and number 12 that's for sure and there's still a quarterback out there by the way will levis the team could be in love with him and want to come up in the draft. So we'll see if there's more trade conversations happening at pick number six with the Detroit Lions. But first, Damian Parson, the host of Locked On NFL Draft. The Seattle Seahawks selecting Tyree Wilson at the fifth overall pick. I'm not truly a fan. And the reason why I'm not a big fan of it is Jalen Carter, a blue chip player, is on the board.

And yes, you can mention the off the field things. And hey, what does that mean? Does Pete Carroll decide not to select them? I just don't foresee that being the case, especially for a guy that's extremely raw as Tyree Wilson. When I look at Jalen Carter, I see a game changer and impact player day one. I don't truly see that with a Tyree Wilson. And he's a bit of a tweener because I don't know if you're going to play him as a true edge or you're going to have to reduce him inside as a 50-50 split.

So a guy that's not really refined with his hands and still don't really know what type of plan to have for him, that's a little risky for my liking. So I'm kind of, I'm kind of out on the Seattle Seahawks pick of Tyree Wilson. Before we wrap up, let's do one more check in with the draft dudes, Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino of Locked On NFL Scouting,

who had the best pick out of the top five. I'll tell you what, my favorite pick here in the top five is Anthony Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts. And I definitely recognize that there's a curve here. Richardson comes into the NFL with less than 400 career passing attempts, but he also comes in the NFL with a really dynamic skill set, all the size arm talent and movement skills you could ask for from the

position. And we've been waiting a long time for the Colts to go draft the young quarterback. And they certainly do that here. And I like the opportunity that he's stepping into. they've got Gardner Minshew already in place he has a year with experience with Shane Stike and the head coach who comes over from the Eagles I think that takes some of the the burden off of him having to come in and play right away gives him a chance to really develop but obviously this is a big bet on traits moment for Indianapolis

Shane Stike and your creative offensive mind, you know that they have this identity of wanting to run the football with Jonathan Taylor, a physical offensive line. They got some weapons that they've started to build there with some of the recent drafts. I think this is a nice opportunity for Anthony Richardson to go somewhere

where he doesn't have to play right away, develop and give the Colts a real shot at a high impact franchise quarterback if everything comes together. So I agree with everything that you're saying about the fit. But if I had to pick my favorite selection, it is the fact that the Houston Texans at number two stay put. Those late season wins didn't cost you what in our eyes is the top quarterback

in this class with C.J. Stroud. And then you think about what the Texans have done this offseason between making sure they're locking in Laramie Tunsil, trading for Shaq Mason, signing players like Dalton Schultz, acquiring Robert Woods. Yes, they traded Brandon Cooks, but I have a feeling with some extra draft capital here coming throughout the rest of the early rounds of this mock draft. We're going to see a wide receiver added to the mix for the Houston Texans and for CJ Stroud. And this being a team that plays in the AFC South, I think there's plenty of optimism that a young nucleus over the next couple of seasons can really get you kickstarted. Obviously, that same discussion point is available with the Indianapolis Colts. And kind of this division has seen a changing of the guards.

It's been the Titans for a long time, and it feels like all of these teams are kind of poised to make their next push. And for the Houston Texans to have had a franchise quarterback in place, transition away from that franchise quarterback, get C.J. Stroud as the passer who's going to step in here and be the next, hopefully, franchise quarterback. I think there's a lot of building blocks that are in place here who's going to step in here and be the next, hopefully, franchise quarterback. I think there's a lot of building blocks that are in place here for Stroud to be set up for success. And it's because of that reason and the fact that they got him at number two

as our number one quarterback, why he is my favorite pick here in the top five. Well, that's it for the first episode of the 2023 Locked On NFL Mock Draft Special presented by the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Tomorrow is the rest of the top 10, and we're hearing there's a potential shocker on the way. Pick number six we already know now is for sale with the Detroit Lions on the clock.

Will Levis, the fourth quarterback still on the board. We've got Jalen Carter, the best defensive player in the draft, still on the board. And don't Jalen Carter, the best defensive player in the draft, still on the board. And don't forget, you can find the entire special on both audio and video at the Peacock and Williamson NFL show, Locked On NFL Draft

and Locked On NFL podcast feeds. For Matt Williamson and Keith Sanchez, I'm Brian Peacock. We'll see you for the rest of the top five in our next episode of the Locked On NFL

mock draft special, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Thank you for listening to this bonus episode of the 2023 NFL Mock Draft Special, your ultimate mock draft experience. For the remaining episodes of the opening round selections, check out Locked On NFL Draft. Available wherever you get your podcasts. All part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team, every day.