Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -2/17- Brent Sobleski (@brentsobleski) Explains The First 15 Picks Of Most Recent Mock Draft

Episode Date: February 17, 2017

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report joins Matt to talk free agency, the talent available and his latest #mockdraft through the #Colts pick at No. 15. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Welcome back to Locked On Colts, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Matt Dainley. Today we've got a great guest. We've got Brent Sobleski from Bleacher Report on with us today. He's going to talk to us a little bit about his latest mock and kind of why he decided so-and-so should go to each specific team. We're going to talk to him a little bit about who he had for the Colts and why and so on and so forth. So, Brent, thank you for coming on Locked on Colts today. Really appreciate it. No, thank you for having me, Matt. I always love talking football,

especially this time of year with the NFL draft and free agency and everything that goes on along in the offseason. This is my favorite time of the year. I know people might think that's crazy, but when you're someone that grows up a draft pick and then has the pleasure of covering it for over a decade and being around, this is the time when all the fun stuff happens to me. You hear all the rumors, you see the movement, and even the teams at the bottom of the league,

those doormats, they become, there's hope again, and it springs eternal. And I think that's, to me, the funnest part of the year when it comes to the league, when everyone thinks that they can win again. You can't say that even at some point during a season, even early. So this, for me, is entirely my pleasure. Thank you for having me. And I can discuss the draft and anything in the offseason, anytime you like. Absolutely. I greatly appreciate it. And you're right. I think that teams have this inherent hope now that they're undefeated at this point, going into the next season. And they've got a lot to hope for, for sure.

Well, it's fascinating because I think when we look at where we're heading, and I know you want to talk about the draft and things along those lines, but the way this market is about to bear out, at least going into free agent, is going to be fascinating to watch because there's over a billion dollars in salary cap space spread between the 32 teams. And we will see a market that's going to be completely reset. And it's already started to a degree. If you look at the Jamie Collins deal, for example, with the Cleveland Browns,

he's now the highest paid non-pass rushing linebacker in the NFL over Luke Kuechly. And you can expect similar deals along that line for multiple positions because of the way the demand is going to be for numerous players and what may even be entailed as a weak freezing class overall, depending on who hits the market. And yet those guys are going to get paid because there's so much cash, so much money to go around and you still have to hit the 89% salary floor while on top of it trying to be competitive at the same time with what's available to you. So to me, I find that entire process that's upcoming once we get out of the combine to be really interesting to see which teams do what.

And if they go against the grain, like, say, Green Bay Packers, if they decide to dabble a little bit and free agency more than we're used to or the Pittsburgh Steelers. So this is when it all becomes really fun to see how the league operates. Oh, I absolutely agree. And you know what? We're going to go ahead and start there then because that's one of the questions that I think a lot of Colts fans, including myself, have as far as heading into free agency right now.

There's a couple guys that everybody wants to target, but I also think that their own teams are going to target them just on a personal level or they're going to get tagged with some sort. Melvin Ingram, what are your thoughts on him? Do you think that they use he and Bosa both, or they bring him back to create that bookend-type mentality on their defense and try to continue what they kind of started towards the back end of last year? Well, let's preface this by saying most of the teams would like to retain the top guys,

but it's not entirely feasible at all times based on situations, how much cap space is actually available, and a litany of other different things that are going on within each organization. I think with the Chargers, you're looking at an operation that would love to retain Melvin Ingram. He's someone that, after injuries and kind of looking like a bust earlier in his career, has really developed into an explosive edge rusher earlier this offseason. For those who follow social media, the Schwartz brothers,

the offensive tackles, are great to follow. And Mitchell Schwartz is one of the better right tackles in the game, was asked, who's arguably the best pass rusher you've ever faced? And he mentioned Melvin Ingram, which kind of caught people off guard because he looked at him as being very explosive. You know, he's built lower to the ground. He has that short area burst that makes it difficult for bigger, longer offensive tackles to handle. So when I look at him, I view him as one of the top guys on the market and with the availability possibly being

there because they have other guys that assigned like a die as their safety. They have to figure out what they want to do in other positions like Phillip Rivers long-term. Their offensive line needs an overhaul. So these things will all come into the equation when you don't have potentially someone like Chandler Jones hitting the free agent market, who the Arizona Cardinals have already stated they're going to franchise,

and he would have been the number one pass-rushing target for any team on the market. So now you're moving down a step to Ingram, and he's going to get a ton of interest. Right now, the Chargers, I don't think, have those same plans for Ingram, and as such, if he does hit the market, it's going to be open season for a player that can get to the quarterback. Yeah, he's going to get a ton of money. The good thing, as far as on a personal level here with the Colts, the Colts do have quite a bit of money. I think they're expected by both fans and analysts alike that they're going to probably cut ties with Arthur Jones,

which will put them over $60 million in available cap heading into free agency. But there's a couple other guys there as well, like Nick Perry out of Green Bay. Is he somebody that you see them trying to re-sign, or is he kind of somebody that they will... Because I've heard that they're going to more likely allow him to hit the market. Yeah, that's an interesting case, because you need to know exactly where Green Bay stands. Normally, when we do this, in looking at Green Bay and the way they operate, they tend to re-sign all their former draft picks and keep them in tow unless they don't feel they're capable of playing at the level now

you look at Perry who's had over 10 sacks this year really came into his own as a former first round pick they but there's other issues within the Packers roster that may preclude them from doing so first of all Julius Peppers is also a free agent, so that has to be in consideration. Second of all, their main priority this offseason isn't retaining those two. It is upgrading cornerback. Their secondary is a big concern for them. They want to concentrate on cornerback.

When they went out and drafted Demarius Randle and Quentin Rollins, they haven't quite developed like they expected it to after making the first and second round pick. So when I look at where the Packers might dabble, it will most likely be in the secondary. That's where their biggest need is. That's where they put the emphasis. And as such, a player like Perry can hit the market

because they're not valuing him as much when you still have guys like Clay Matthews who can still get the job done depending on if they want to move them inside the outside. And that's where I think they're going to prioritize their entire offseason instead of saying we're going to re-sign our own. They're going to look towards upgrading certain positions. Yeah, and that makes sense. And like you said, that is a little strange for Green Bay, but they are in such a desperate need for those upgrades

that you can't do it all in one year. And especially if you don't have $50, $70 million in available cap room, you can only sign what you can sign. And that's kind of the way it goes. But if you ask fans, you can sign everybody. But there's a guy out of Houston. That's a good point, Matt, if you don't mind me cutting you off for a second. I apologize. Not at all.

No, that's all right. That's a great point because if you look at cap space, available cap space, everyone thinks – I'll use Cleveland, for example, simply because they have the most cap space. They have $101 million in cap space. Now, $50 million of that is rollover cap space from the previous year that went unused that they can take into this year. Just because you have that amount of money doesn't mean a team is going to spend all of that money.

In fact, the reality is most teams aren't going to spend close to how much room they actually have. And as such, while fans can go out there and get their hopes up for signing every big-name player because they can all fit under their cash space, for Cleveland, for example, $101 million in cash space, you could almost buy an entire new team. That's not the reality of the situation. The reality is they're not only looking at what they can upgrade right now, but long-term with players that may have to sign to extensions

or what money has to go towards the rookie pool and things along those lines as well. So that all factors into this. Instead of just looking at that available cash space and thinking to yourself, well, this team can sign this, this, and this player. It doesn't work that way because they're not only looking at just now, they're looking at all the ramifications of that much money and where they can spend it. Right. And that leaves fans typically when they see those big numbers just licking their chops, thinking that they can go out and get everybody. And like you stated too, that's just unrealistic. Not that they couldn't, but it is

unrealistic because the free agent market itself doesn't allow that to happen because there isn't enough quality guys to go out there and just throw 10, $12 million at just simply to put them on the roster. That doesn't work. It doesn't work well for a team. It doesn't build a roster right. And so on and so forth. There's another guy who's a little understated, in my opinion, John Simon out of Houston. I personally think that he might hit the market as well. They're planning on getting J.J. Watt back. They've gotten a lot out of Merciless, and they've got that front four really playing really well in Houston, at least this past year anyhow. Simon might be one of those guys that they allow to walk, in my thoughts.

What are yours on him? Well, first of all, let me say this. When it comes to any of these young men who are about to enter free agency or should, do not sign anything before you contest the market. Because for the exact reasons we stated earlier with the amount of cap space, the market's going to be insane to a degree, and you should try to maximize your value in any way possible. So if you're John Simon in Houston

and you realize you're going to be stuck behind Whitney Marcellus and you're going to be stuck behind Jadeveon Clowney, who really looked like that former number one overall pick, there's room to potentially grow and get a bigger payday elsewhere. So when you come in and a team potentially approaches you to sign an extension, to me there's no upside in that unless you're being overpaid compared to what you feel the market worth.

And at this point, someone like Simon should most likely demand far more on the market than he would from the Houston Texans. He's, I believe, 26 years old, a player that's flashed. He may be limited in certain ways, but he's still that type of 3-4 outside linebacker, 4-3 defensive end, whatever the base defense is, although Nichols is now the base defense in the NFL. But he can set the edge and be that hard-nosed player that a lot of teams need

because they're always trying to invest in the guys that can rush the passers. So I look at Simon as one of those guys that's the meat and potatoes type of player, but that can still demand a lot on the market because he can come in as a starter in the prime of his career and have that potential to become a little bit more. And that's what you sign him for. Because anytime you sign someone to a contract, you're not paying him for what they did. You're paying him for what you project them to do. And he's one of those players I think that have very nice upside. And while Houston certainly would like to retain him, as is going to be all

these cases, he's someone that would be really interesting to me on the market. Me too. And he, you know, just because of name value in itself, he's not the sexy guy that a lot of people want. But if you're paying attention and you see that guy and everything that he's done there, he's a very solid player. He's certainly a building block for any organization. And, you know, like you said, a guy who can kind of move in and out of schemes and fronts and virtually be very impactful in either one. Again, talking here with Brent Sobolewski out of Bleach Report. Now let's jump over into your latest mock here. And I think that you would be probably the one and only who didn't have Miles Garrett at number one, if you didn't, but you do. Is he clear-cut the number one guy in this draft to you?

Yes, nice question. That's kind of what I figured. You know, I studied draft year-round. I try to do as much as I can with the event, and although you're always pulled towards other responsibilities, you know, Miles Garrett, for me, from day one, as soon as the 2016 NFL draft ended, was my number one overall prospect based on what I had seen during his previous season. But that has never changed at any point between then and now.

And I understand there's arguments against him for certain knocks, whether they be they didn't play well against primetime competition, didn't produce as much this past year, loafed a little bit on the field. And I don't see it the same way a lot of some people do in that regard. And to those points, first of all, when I look at him, no, he didn't produce against the best teams, LSU and Alabama this year. But if you look at those games, look at them very closely and break them down play by play,

his impact is obvious. And when you completely make a team right-handed because they don't want to run to your side of the field and they're constantly doubling or chipping you or have guys mauling you as much as possible so you can't make an impact. That, to me, unto itself is an impact. Absolutely. Yeah, and it shows how much they respect you as a player. Second of all, we talk about production.

You know, yes, he only had 8.5 sacks this year. Five of them came against UTEP, I believe. But you know what? He still left college with 32.5 sacks. So it's not like this is a one-year misfire where he wasn't that player and he never produced beforehand. He's not a one-year wonder in that regard as well as looking for. And then finally, with the injury, he played through a high ankle sprain

from, I believe, week four on and wouldn't rest it. He wanted to be there for his teammates. And so while some people might say he's loafing on the field, you know, when you have a high ankle sprain, man, that is one of the most painful injuries you could possibly get. And to play through it week in and week out without letting it rest, that's a big testament to his competitiveness and fire to be on the field, even if all the time he wasn't consistently trying to run down guys from the other side of the field. So to me, everything you can find about him, the knocks, can be countered. And then you still can't deny the fact that he's 6'5", 265 pounds, freakish athleticism,

the bend off the edge to get the quarterbacks, and everything you look for in a prototypical pass rusher at this level. So since there's no quarterback, in my opinion, worth a top 10 pick, let alone the number one overall, Miles Garrett is that guy with a bullet for me. Yeah, I would have to agree. Just watching his tape, it really doesn't take long for, you know, there's only a few guys really that just absolutely explode off the screen that you watch. And he's been one of them for the past year and a half or better that you watch. And like you said, his impact is not strictly in numbers and production. His impact is allowing the rest of his teammates as well to improve their production because of what offenses have to do to eliminate him from actually being the direct impact on that play. He's an amazing athlete, and I don't think that I've heard

anybody say that he's not the number one guy with anything that makes sense as far as my brain works anyhow. We'll put it this way. If he's not the number one pick, there's going to be a lot of people surprised around the league. Let's put it that way. Yeah. And not only that, but he will be number two. Yeah, exactly. San Francisco here, a lot of people have them taking a quarterback there with their new coaching regime and new general manager. You went with Malik Hooker. I think that he's one of those guys who is just gaining a lot of interest as well for those maybe who are just random draft followers, just kind of want to see where they've got people going, who grabbed the name. But Hooker's more than just a name. He is a full-time baller, and they've had a lot of interesting comparisons about him in the last several weeks.

What do you see in him specifically? Well, when you look at Malik, first of all, we have to address the fact that he's had to have labrum surgery this offseason, which seems like a really weird trend right now going into the NFL. He's not the only one. There's multiple ones, but I'm just pointing that out as we go into the combines because if he may not work out for that for that reason but if he does you will see again much like miles garrett a freakish athlete and by that i might you bring up a great point matt and the fact that these guys just jump off the screen

because you can just tell that there's just another level that they reached compared to everyone else on the field hooker is a former basketball player could have went to play major college basketball with his ability but he stuck with football even though he kept trying to quit it's a great story out there about how his mother had to keep keep keep providing him with the confidence to remain at ohio state to play football and that it would all pay off for him at the end, and it certainly did. When you see Malik Hooker, you see him as that quintessential free safety that you can play with a man free, run half field reads, you can have him as your back line and not worry about him anymore because he's the guy that can erase mistakes,

whether it's in the passing game or running game. Now, he's not as physical in the running game as you always would like from the position, but those ball skills he does present are absolutely extraordinary. And in the piece, I mentioned that one of the reasons he makes sense for me for the San Francisco 49ers, they just brought in Robert Saleh, their linebackers coach from Jacksonville who basically mentored under Gus Bradley

and both came from the Seattle Seahawks system. Now, Seattle, the first thing they did to address that defense that eventually developed into the Legion of Boom is by selecting Earl Thomas in the first round. Earl Thomas is the only first-round guy in that secondary. Yet he's the one that makes everything go because of his range and his ability to erase

any mistakes. And Hooker has those same capabilities, those same traits, and that's what makes him special. Anytime something breaks down, you expect Earl Thomas to be in position to make the play. Well, that's the same thing you expect of Malik Hooker. And that's why I think as a system fit, pure talent-wise,

it would make sense, even though he's a safety, to select him here, especially with the 49ers being in the same situation as all these other teams in the top ten that say, well, we need a quarterback. But are you going to force the position in that selection, or are you going to take the best available? And I sided towards the best available because how I felt he would fit within the 49ers organization based on where they're going instead of trying to make that a quarterback happen.

Because sometimes I feel a little dirty, Matt, just putting some of these quarterbacks in the first round. I know I have four of them, but I have to face reality that eventually someone's going to take that leap of faith i just didn't have it with this second overall pick yeah and i don't blame you it it makes sense for either way in my opinion i mean at least for uh a common thought you will have a new guy who is in uh by all accounts uh a great uh phenomenal offensive mind you know that he's going to eventually

want his quarterback. But with the number two pick, there is just so much real first-round talent in this area that you can't, I just don't think you can pass it up. And I don't think that anybody would say that the San Francisco 49ers are a quarterback away from making a legit, being legit contenders in the West. So, I mean, I don't think that that's something that they can really afford that high of a pick on. And just in my own opinion, I think that the second round is going to still have some quality guys.

It's really a coin flip whether you figure that there's going to be this many quarterbacks going the first or whether teams are going to you know sit on their hands a little bit and hope that they can get to them or maybe they can make a move later in the first round to bring come back in and get somebody like that but there's just a lot of options here outside of the quarterback position that I don't think teams really have the I just don't think that these teams can necessarily afford to go that route although although we know it's going to happen. It happens every year. That's the concern because I find this quarterback class fascinating.

I absolutely do. I get it on social media all the time because I say I don't see any of them as legitimate top 10 talents. I'm pushing it if I say top 15 because, in actuality, based on my evaluations, I've had them all round in that late first to early second round range. And I don't see this giant discrepancy between, say, Mitch Trubisky or Patrick Mahomes. And while they all have certain strengths, but you can also pick apart their games as well to a degree. And it all depends on how comfortable you are with these young men that you're going

to hand the franchise to. And that's the concern because not only are all these guys coming out of spread offenses, which is a little bit of me being general in that regard because they're all used very differently, but they're all underclassmen as well. So you're getting these young men who may not be prepared mentally to step into the game. And when you're a first-round pick, you tend to play at some point in that first year, if not immediately.

So that's a lot of expectations placed on a draft class, which you're suspect to start with, and yet then you force them into a situation. What it reminds me of is this. A few years ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars fell in love with some young man named Blake Bortles. And no one expected them to take him as high

as they did with their overall pick. But throughout the draft process, they figured out that he was their guy. That the concerns they saw on the field through the film were overridden to a degree because of the person he was,

the way they saw him absorb information, the way they saw him absorb information, the way that he handled himself within their organization when they had a chance to meet with him and get him on the whiteboard. And as such, that overrode what necessarily the faults that you saw in his game. And while we've seen flashes from Blake Bortles, a lot of those faults are still there. And I think that became a mistake as such.

So I can see the same thing happening this year. And it's not just a Blake Bortles. I don't mean to point him out specifically, although I'm sure Colts fans find that hilarious. But it's someone like a Jake Locker, for example. You know, even Carson Wentz to a degree as well. You know, sometimes you fall in love with these young men and who they are, but you don't necessarily continue to look at what put them there in the first place or where they should be.

That's my concern with this year's draft class. I'll be it talented. There's guys there that can potentially become starters. You have to have a plan in place and know how to develop them. Otherwise, they'll be in the same boat as some of the other names we just mentioned. I absolutely agree. that it's kind of a sink or swim thing anymore with the NFL. They're getting drafted one way or the other. It just depends on what the rest of the roster looks like and what that position specifically looks like as to whether they're going to allow them to sit and watch. Every situation is different and thus every outcome is ultimately different as well. You

don't see too many, even the guys who succeed, you don't see too many situations mirror one another when they go through. It seems that all of them there are somewhat different. Now with the number four pick, you've got Jamal Adams going to the Jaguars, and number five, you've got Corey Davis going to the Titans. Now, that number four pick, is Adams legit the second best safety in the class, or do you think the difference between he and Hooker is simply a fit? Was that your idea going into this? No, in this instance, I think that there will be teams that actually have Adams ranked higher than Hooker. Not necessarily because of injury, as I mentioned earlier,

but because he's a more complete overall safety. Now, while Hooker has those ideal skill sets that you want with ball skills in today's past, that'd be an SL. Adams is more of a traditional safety that can play either strong, free, cover in a slot. He's more well-rounded overall, a little more physical, too. So when I look at these two, it's not necessarily one or the other. free, covering a slot. He's more well-rounded overall, a little more physical, too. When I look at these two, it's not necessarily one or the other. It's that I view

both as legitimate top-end talents, and that's why I see them slotted in that range. With Jacksonville, in their particular situation, what's fascinating about Jacksonville is there's actually a lot of talent on that roster, but it never came together.

And it's hard when you're sitting there with a top five pick and you have that much talent on the roster. Who do you slot there? Now, Adams would become redundant if they tend to re-sign Jonathan Ciprian to a second on their team in tackles. But at this point in time, he's not. So to me, that's where you can slot in an adams because he can come and play that strong safety do those things as i mentioned and really bring the type

of talent that they need to continue to amass and hopefully with their new head coach you know to doug marone they can start molding it into a team instead of a bunch of very good individual talents you know adams to me well you, Hooker's sensational at what he does, I look at Adams as that guy that just does it all. And you can't undervalue that player because he has the potential to do so much if you have a creative defensive mind. And while, you know, some people will be taken aback by two safeties in the top four, their talent really dictates being in that conversation.

I agree. How about with Tennessee, them taking Corey Davis? He's a guy who's flying up draft charts and stuff basically by the day. He's your legit top wide receiver in this draft? He is, and that's something that I came to around late, doing extra film work, going through the advanced analytics. Someone I love to watch, don't get me wrong.

Throughout his career, he's fantastic, going back not only this year, but the last two seasons. Absolutely major production. He has the size, you look at forward position. Not as big as Mike Williams from Clemson. And doesn't have the same catch radius as Mike Williams. So there's a bit of a give and take between those two as your top

wide receiver prospects. But what I see with Davis is better separation consistently and explosion, especially after he catches the ball. And to me, that's a bigger value right now in the NFL on a down-by-down basis than a player that can make the spectacular catch like a Williams, but maybe isn't giving you as much on other downs or outside of red zone.

So when I look at the Tennessee Titans, they have plenty of pieces in place. And they did a phenomenal job last year. I don't think anyone expected them to come in under you know and say excuse me finished nine and seven overall the record escaped me my mind for a second but they really played above their talent level especially when you don't have those legitimate outside options when you don't have you know. Sharp is a nice young receiver, you know, but Rashard Matthews is a nice slot receiver, but you don't have that true X receiver, that number one target, if you will, and Davis has that potential and that explosive capabilities to really stretch the field, which Marcus Mariota, if you look at his career, whether it's in Tennessee or dating back to

Oregon, never had that type of vertical threat that Davis can present within the offense. And I think it would provide a brand-new dynamic to really set them apart and take them and continue on their current trajectory and improvement overall. I agree. And, you know, Mariotta's proven that he has a really nice deep ball if those guys who are sent to take the top off of the defense, if they can actually do that and create separation downfield.

He threw several nice balls last year. I wouldn't be able to speak on necessarily his percentages over 20 yards, but it seemed that that was one of his more consistent areas as opposed to some of the maybe 6 to 15-yard range. It seemed like he tried to fit stuff in too small of windows when it wasn't really there. But when he was given the opportunity, he could go deep, and his receivers, when they would actually break free, were playmakers. Yeah, Marriott is always interesting to to me because i absolutely loved him coming out of college i had him rated above james winston and i felt the knocks on him at the time were way

overblown to be quite honest with you it was like we're trying to create something and i think that's happening to a degree with this year's quarterbacks to varying levels as well. But when he's already the number one quarterback, at least rating and efficiency-wise in the red zone, why would you couple him with Mike Williams, where that's probably his greatest strength, instead of trying to find someone that complements your offense in a different way that you don't have currently? And that was kind of my line of thinking when I'm looking at which one you take.

And like I said, I have come around on Davis as my number one overall receiver. But you can still make the argument for Williams. You can make an argument for another position. You know, cornerback's a desperate need for them. You can look at multiple options along that line. They could still use a pass rusher as well. But I saw Davis as that guy that brings something different to what they don't currently have. That's a great point, too, because he is very good in the red zone,

and that's just a great point. I wouldn't have probably thought about it that way. But when you have Delaney Walker in there who can definitely help you in the red zone, they've got the two-headed rushing attack for right now, and that's helping them as well. In between the 20s is going to be absolutely critical for them going forward in the next several years. Now you've got Trubisky there at number six to the New York Jets. I think that interests some people and I think that that seems like a perfect marriage almost in my opinion

to where you have a guy who's young enough to come in there. They definitely don't have much to speak of at the position, but he's going to have to be mentored there by Bowles and their offensive staff and their quarterback's coach. Do they have the staff that can help him get over the rookie hump, so to speak, and develop him the right way? Well, my concern, at least for them taking a rookie quarterback, isn't necessarily the staff. I mean, they have a solid staff overall.

But what I'm concerned about is how much they're going to have to gut the roster. I mean, this is a fact of the matter that they're going – they have the least amount of cap space in the NFL. They're over the cap at the moment. They're the only team, I believe. Cowboys are right there as well. Who are you going to move on, that who are you going to move on from?

Who are you? Are you going to cut Nick Mangle? Are you going to cut Brian Clady? Are you going to move Darryl Revis, David Harris? These are important guys, not only on the field, but in the locker room as well. And when you bring in that young quarterback, especially this class that I've mentioned, it seems ad nauseum that you need to have a plan in place.

And if you're planning on taking a Trubisky, for example, six overall after 13 starts and plan on plumping him down right in the middle of your starting lineup without those potential veterans blocking for you or other moves along the way that's going to make it difficult for the team to win, are you really setting him up for success? So it's not necessarily just the coaching staff it's you know mike mccagnan's doing within the front office and how he's going to shape this roster that i think will point towards any quarterback coming in there if they can actually have any sustainable success which is a tongue twister to a degree. But that would be my concern.

And while I swatted him there because of everything you said, that I don't know what the long-term ramifications would be on his career. If anything, bringing in a veteran to coincide with one of these young quarterbacks would be great. I think maybe shooting for the moon a little bit, Tony Romo would be a wonderful fit in New York, in my opinion. And maybe that's a route that they should go once they open up some of this available cap space by moving some of these other veterans that are burdening their cap as it currently constitutes. Right.

And, you know, aside from Fitzpatrick's career year, what, in 2015, you know, they really don't have a ton to, there's not a great high bar over the past six, seven years that they would have to bring in to be better than what they've seen already or what their fans have seen. So especially if you were to get, like you said, a guy like Tony Romo to come in there, he would definitely bring a lot of hope and a lot of excitement as well. And having a young guy for him to be under his tutelage would help tremendously, I think, for that organization and would make the pick make significantly more. There would be a lot more momentum behind the pick as far as in their fan base. And at number seven, you went to the other wide receiver, Mike Williams out of Clemson. And what does he, you think, present to the Chargers? I mean, Phillip Rivers is going to

love this guy, but they've got some injured guys coming back possibly. And they've got, you know, I'm not sure about their free agency as far as at the wide receiver position, but where does he fit into that into that crew there in uh at the with the chargers well as of their free agents the only major wide receiver is don trail inman is a restricted free agent and he was second on the team this past year now that's all based on circumstances because you don't have keenenan Allen for the entire year due to injury. Travis Benjamin isn't a number one target. You had Tyrell Williams, who came up through the ranks and really showed another level of play with getting over 1,000 yards.

But you start to wonder to yourself, are they putting up yards like that because of the situation, because of the injuries, because you still have Phillip Rivers and you need someone to throw it to. The one thing they don't have, while Tyrell Williams is a big target, I don't think he presents the same type of presence Mike Williams does. Maybe some people would disagree with me, but I'm looking at it as Mike Williams brings the spectacular. And you don't really have that in the Chargers offense.

We saw it flash to a degree this past year with Melvin Gordon at running back, and Antonio Gates used to be that guy, but there's nothing there that frightens opposing defenses. They can put up yards. They can put up points, but who's the guy that's creating that constant mismatch? This is the thing that's so important in today's NFL with the preponderance of passing attacks is that you need the guy who you have to roll coverage toward. And it opens up for everyone else.

Or when you go into the red zone, you absolutely need to make a play. Who are you going to? And that's why for certain guys like Julio Jones and A.J. Green, even Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham, that they were worth so much more than even other wide receivers who were 1,000-yard targets because they take so much attention away from the defense while all their teammates can exploit it. I think Julio Jones, for example, after his 300-yard game, his following week,

he was definitely under three digits and barely only caught a couple passes. That game might have been just as good as the one where he had 300 yards because of the impact he's making on a down-by-down basis for everyone else. And that's kind of my thought process with Mike Williams here. Not only are you getting a top talent, but you're getting that big target with a huge catch radius, as I mentioned previously, that gives you a red zone guy, who gives you that power opposite Williams that makes it even more difficult on a defense and stresses it more and more with all these different options within the offense for Rivers to exploit.

And while they still have concerns, and you're absolutely correct, whether it's offensive line, defense, and they need to rebuild everywhere. Just getting the best available player, especially one that can help your veteran quarterback, who despite all the team's issues has played tremendously well the last two seasons, really is something that a luxury they haven't had, but they can use to get better because they have that ability to be explosive. They have that ability to score a lot of points,

so just accentuate a strength instead of constantly worrying about filling in that ability to be exposed. They have that ability to score a lot of points. So it's just accentuated strength instead of constantly worrying about filling in those holes in the areas. Yeah. I used to really dislike Phillip Rivers just because it seemed like in the playoffs, he would always end up finding a way to beat the Colts. But over the years, I just felt, I don't know if you know if it's possible but I felt bad for the guy and have really started to really and like him just because you just feel bad for him because it seems like he's never had that extra boost of talent to get them over the hump like you said and help him because he is one of I mean I just think that he's been one of the

top six to seven quarterbacks in the NFL over the past I mean, I just think that he's been one of the top six to seven quarterbacks in the NFL over the past 10 years. And for a guy that that is that dynamic and that good at his position and the biggest position on the field to not have a consistency of talent around him enough to go further into the playoffs is just, you know, kind of feel bad for the guy and hope that he ends up getting it because he is on one of the final legs of his career. Well, he's a perfect example of everyone who says you have to have a quarterback to win. Well, they have a quarterback. They're not winning.

So it shows you that while you do need to have a quarterback, don't get me wrong on that, while you do need to have a quarterback, you need other pieces in place too. And that's what it comes down to when you're in a top ten pick. you need to get a land, a top talent, whether he fits an immediate need or not. Yeah. And that would be a great pick for, for him. I think that he would, uh, he would certainly break a crack, a smile if they were to pull in Williams and at number seven there. Now at number eight, you've got the, uh, the Panthers taking Leonard Fournette. I don't think that there is a better spot with a specific guy, in my opinion, in this top ten that fits more like a glove than Fournette to the Panthers.

I mean, they've got that bruising running back that fits right with their style, their scheme offensively and everything. And I think his pass-catching ability is a little bit underrated, although he wasn't asked to do it a ton in LSU. He's definitely good after the catch, and he's definitely a guy who can run downhill, which is going to benefit them. What are one of the things that really stuck out to you

other than the obvious YouTube clips or whatever that Fournette's brought that he can bring to the Carolina Panthers? Well, one thing about his running style is while he's very physical, he's also elusive. I believe this past year, if you go to the advanced analytics sites, I know a lot of people are pro football-focused fans out there, and I'll give them a quick shout-out that he was the most elusive running back in college football last year, if I remember correctly. And that's based on how many missed tackles he generates,

how much yards he gets after contact, things along those lines. So it shows you that he's not just the ground-and-pound type of guy, much like Jonathan Stewart really is at this point of his career. And when you add that dynamic nature in the running attack, when you don't have the same presence as you did just a year or two ago with Stewart. Stewart, to me, is on the verge of 30 years old, former first-round pick. But when you hit that point in your career, it starts sliding a little bit.

You don't have D'Angelo Williams. You haven't been able to rely on him the last couple of years. So you need that presence in the backfield. Because Carolina's offense, as good as Cam Newton is, as talented as he is, is predicated on establishing a run for first and foremost. It's one of the few offenses in the NFL that still relies and works in that manner. So you need to have the guy that you can be your workhorse. He doesn't have to constantly get the ball, but he has to be back

there to threaten defenses and they have to constantly get the ball, but he has to be back there to threaten defenses, and they have to account for him. In my opinion, Mike Shula, when everyone's healthy, and they weren't last year, but if everyone's healthy with Newton, with a talent like Fournette, he can game-plan a running game better than anyone else in the league.

As such, that's what makes Carolina very, very successful. Now, I'll ask you a similar question as I did previous with the wide receivers. Is Fournette your number one running back, or is that purely a scheme fit? No, he is my number one running back, and I know you're leading me towards a certain direction, and I'll give you the reasons why I think Leonard's my number one back here in a few minutes.

Okay. Well, we'll round out the top ten here real quick with Solomon Thomas at number nine to the Bengals. And then you've got the second quarterback coming off the board, Deshaun Watson, going to Buffalo. I think that both of those are pretty perfect fits as well. Kind of take your pick on which one you'd like to explain a little bit further in detail.

Well, let's go with the quarterbacks because of our conversation that we've been having throughout the podcast. I don't necessarily see them as elite guys, as top-end prospects. But the way this is a very specific situational fit because of where Buffalo stands. If they move forward without Tyrod Taylor, and that seems the likelihood of which way they're trending at the moment. You're putting yourself in a position where you almost have to take a quarterback here.

Because once you release Taylor, he essentially becomes the top free agent quarterback on the market. So that gives you an indication of how good the free agent market is for the game's most important position. And you've already moved on from that guy. And then when you're sitting at the 10th overall pick, the likelihood of a legitimate starting caliber prospect falling to you in the second round is very unlikely at this point, whether it be Patrick Mahomes or maybe Deshaun Kizer slides. Otherwise, you might be forcing that pick with a Davis Webb or Nathan

Theterman. So what do you do once you're in that situation? You get rid of your franchise quarterback who you signed to a five-year, $90 million contract because you're not quite happy with how it's structured, and your general manager never quite believed in him. And yet you get to the draft, and now you have to force your hand because you really are in a situation where there's no other option. And to me, I think the Bills are really painting themselves in the corner

this offseason, not only because of Taylor, but if you look at their free agent list, it's long and has some big names on them that they have to deal with. And then in the draft, you're not really sitting in the right area to address the position with the best overall value. And that, to me, is why the Bills might be in one of the worst situations this offseason. I tend to agree with you.

I think that he is a good fit there. And I think Watson's going to be – I think he's going to surprise some people. I'll just say that. I think that the critiques on him are accurate, though. But at the same time, I think he's likely to be a guy who flourishes at the next level at just kind of a sixth sense, not that it's been proven to work for me or anything like that. It's just one of those feelings you get about a certain guy that they're going to kind of explode as far as

where they were in the college game versus how they'll be as a pro. But it's not probably the most conducive situation in Buffalo for him to be in. However, I'm rooting for the guy. I'm rooting for all the quarterbacks, really. I love the position and just hope that they can all find a way to succeed because there's going to be some crazy fits. They're going to go to teams that aren't doing well because they don't have quarterbacks. And that's going to be one of those sticky situations for a few of them, at least. One thing I think that could be interesting in Buffalo is you bring Sean McDermott in, right? So you have the defensive coordinator who's been around Cam Newton the last few years. And while obviously Deshaun's not the same physical specimen as Cam,

and he's not as dynamic a runner, you still can do similar things with them. And as long as you incorporate those aspects of the offense within Deshaun's game, within your scheme, you know, you can be successful. Now, Watson's upside isn't the same, in my opinion, but I agree to an extent that while he may not be that dynamic guy, he can be a competent player. And I know that sounds like I'm disparaging him, and I'm really not. I feel like if you can get a competent quarterback playing

the NFL, that's a win. So if you can get that guy and put him in that situation, that's best for all parties. I agree. At number 11 now, you've got a guy who's coming into the draft with some injury history. You've got Reuben Foster going to the New Orleans Saints. Kind of describe why you think, if he wasn't injured, I guess, would you see him going a little bit higher than this possibly? Or is this just strictly off his talent level and need and best player available currently for the Saints? It's a little bit of both, I'm not going to lie.

You know, when you look at the situation, obviously he's been dinged. There's questions of how his shoulders might hold up at the next level, reverberating through the, or I should say rumbling through the NFL ranks a little bit. He's not a big linebacker. One of the biggest differences in Foster is from the 2015 to 2016 campaign is he dropped about 15 to 20 pounds to play much

faster, and it was obvious he was much faster. In today's NFL, you don't need those pounding downhill linebackers anymore. You need the guys that go sideline to sideline that can chase down receivers and running backs. When I looked at him, when he made that

leap, when he saw us display that athleticism this year, to me, he really worked himself into that consideration as a top prospect. You look at his, and then you couple that athleticism with his aggressiveness. Go back to the National Championship game, for example, in the first series, I literally thought he was going to rip

Deshaun Watson's head off. Or at least his helmet at one point. So these are two aspects that are very important and very valuable, you know, for the position he plays. With that said, there are concerns about the injuries. He slid a little bit as a result in my scenario. But for the Saints, beggars can't be choosers. Look, you need a top defensive talent.

You've been trying to overhaul this defense for how long now, and yet you haven't even come close to succeeding. So if you can throw as much talent at it as possible, to me that's the only option that they can take at the 11th overall pick is to get the best available defensive player that flies for them, take them, and be happy with them. Yeah, I think if he falls there, the Saints would be foaming at the mouth. I just hope that his injury isn't something that can leak over into the season.

I hope it's something that can be shored up by training camp. Because you just never like to see that. Somebody so talented getting into the NFL, and for all accounts being projected as an impact player, and then to have injuries be kind of the burden of them not succeeding or not shining, so to speak. So I hope that that's something that can clear up. Jalen Smith last year, that's all you've got to say. Yeah.

No, no, Foster's isn't nearly as significant, and it's something that's not as wor to say. Now, Foster's isn't nearly as significant, and it's something that's not as worrisome for teams, but you just don't like to see it because these are young men that we tend to forget. And it's something I hope you don't mind me bringing up for a second, that when we look at the NFL draft of fans or analysts or however you view what prism you view it through, we tend to look at these individuals as commodities instead of people who

are aspiring to live their dreams. And sometimes I have to remind myself that because, well, he's not any good and he's got an injury, so I got to mark him down a little bit. But, you know, that just takes some of the life out of the event, as it were. And really what makes the NFL Draft special isn't your team making the pick. It's seeing those young men crying with their mothers and their fathers and their brothers and sisters when they finally get to realize that dream. And I know I went off on a tangent, but to me that's very important to point that out because it's something we tend to overlook. And you're right, it is.

And a lot of times it seems like it depends on an injury for people to really realize that because, like you said, they're considered commodities. They're basically pieces to a puzzle for fans right now. And then when you see or hear that one of them has an injury or some sort of a significant downfall, then people start to take notice that, wait, that's actually a person, and now they're not possibly either going to live out their dream or not going to live out their dream to where they could have had that not happened to them.

So it's one of those things where always the reality doesn't set in until something makes it a more real situation for the person looking in on it. Yeah, and I think as a whole, as a society, we tend to do that. And I'm not trying to be preachy or anything like that. It's just human nature. But there's certain things, and I'll give you a story. When I was down senior bowl a couple years ago, I was talking to a scout, and he looked at me and he said, Brent, I don't know how any of these guys are successful.

And I love telling this story because it's an absolute fact that we look in terms, black and white, bust, success. Or great pick, terrible pick. But we don't take into account everything that goes into what happens after that spectacular moment when you realize your dream. Whether it be family members you have to deal with, what if you're married, do you have kids, even at a young age, you're moving into a new city, how do you handle that, are you going to fit into the new locker room you're going into, are you going to get along with your coach,

do you have to buy a house, maybe you're renting, where do you live, what is going on, and all these things seem like little things, but they add up and they have an effect on a player's psyche and mentality and how he handles the transition from the collegiate ranks to the professional ranks that when that scout told me that it just like a light went off that we have to realize that when we watch the nfl draft myself for example we you know i i put myself out there writing mock drafts, but any one of us can be

right or wrong on every single pick. We could be absolutely right on where they're selected in the draft and what their value is in, but dead wrong on the player they become at the next level. And that's because of all those factors that go into the situation once the event actually ends. Very, very true. Definitely worth listening to that, for sure. And don't ever apologize for being preachy on here. Anytime you've got some knowledge you want to drop, please feel free. I love to listen to it, and I know that my listeners are smart people. They want to listen to it, too. So don't ever hesitate. Well, I'll get on my soapbox every once in a while, but sometimes you get into certain topics people just don't like to discuss,

and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Yeah, the old stick-to-sports argument, huh? Yeah, I don't agree with it, but I'll leave it at that. Right. Well, then let's get back to this here at 12, the Cleveland Browns, after grabbing Miles Garrett number one overall in your draft. They get this pick from Philadelphia at number 12, and they go with Marshawn Lattimore, the corner from Ohio State.

This guy is going to be phenomenal at the next level, in my opinion. A lot of people have him as their top corner. Some people, I don't think too many people have them lower than their second corner, but this guy is an absolute difference maker regardless of where he goes. Here's another example of when you're constantly reevaluating yourself. Lattimore was one for me. I did not see him as one of the top guys in this class. Some of it had to do with he was a redshirt sophomore, so you don't tend to watch those guys as closely during the season because you're not necessarily expecting them to declare early for the draft as some other underclassman who's more well-known

or that is expected to make that decision. With Lattimore, I saw him as a very nice young player, but then I started, you know, people were talking about him in the top five, top ten range, and it caught me off guard a little bit. Now, I look at this year's cornerback class very simply. It's pick your favorite flavor because there's so many top talents. It's a deep class, but they all have different skills. They all could fit different systems. So how do you evaluate one's better than the other?

And in Lattimore's case i think the reason he's getting the edge by so many people is because he's he's just a raw athlete that's to run with anybody when when i went back to the tape i thought to myself man he is fluid in his hips and he could and no one's going to outrun him and that to me is where his true value lies because he essentially only has one year starting, as you mentioned earlier, that that topic is going to come up repeatedly in this year's draft class because in 2015, Lattimore had a lot of concerns with hamstring injuries. So you have to weigh that into the equation about his long-term productivity.

We saw a player like Maurice Claiborne with the Dallas Cowboys suit is exceptionally talented, but he had dealt with so many injuries and got benched a couple times that it really shattered his confidence until he played better this past year. But what happened? He ends up on injured reserve again. And I'm not saying Lattimore's going to be that guy, but it's something you have to weigh when you're looking at his pure,

raw talent with his history. And for me, if you're Cleveland with the 12th overall pick, again, quarterback is in the conversation. We can't deny that. But you just need difference makers. And if you take Garrett at number one, then you're sitting at number 12 thinking to yourself, whatever top guy falls to me, I'm taking.

At least that would be my approach. And in this instance, it would be Lattimore, because you compare him with Joe Hayden for a year and if you move on from Hayden next year, you have his replacement already in the fold. So that's why it made the most sense to me at that juncture. So is there a guy that you liken his game to kind of a comparison at the pro level right now?

Claiborne makes sense just because of the raw athleticism and the way teams favor him from that regard. I'm trying to think off the top of my head with his ability to turn and run. I'll also mention at this juncture that Davis White, those two for me, are the most fluid cornerbacks in this draft, and yet I don't have either one ranked as my top cornerback. I think that falls on Quincy Wilson from Florida. I think he had the best overall

season from all of them and a prototype size. He can move for a guy his size. When I look at those two, specifically Lattimore and White, the guy that immediately comes to mind for me is Jason Barrett. Because you see a guy that can open

and run, they might not be the tallest or longest cornerbacks in the world, but they can cover. And that's really the key and what's really valuable. Absolutely. As we move on, and don't worry Colts fans, we are getting to the Colts. We're going to be there in just a couple picks, but I hope you guys have enjoyed the conversation. I know I have to this point. It's been great to hear Branton, all of his explanations for not only his picks, but why he picks them, why he likes the player just in general. And this guy at number 13 to the Arizona Cardinals is probably one of my favorite picks so far of the draft, of your mock draft, is Deshaun Kaiser out of Notre Dame going to the Arizona Cardinals there at 13.

This guy, I, I, you know, living in Indiana, obviously I see a lot of Notre Dame football. It's on the local stations and everything. And this guy is one of the guys that I want to say he jumps off the page, but his, uh, his abilities, uh, raw, jumps off the page. He's a guy that would fit perfectly, as far as I'm concerned, in Arizona. When you get the coaching staff in there, especially with the way they run their offense there, he fits that mold for what I see of him and what I've seen of him at Notre Dame. Do you feel similar about that?

Well, first of all, let me tell Colts fans out there, I'm sorry I'm long-winded. There's a reason my initials are BS sometimes. But to your point about Kaiser with Arizona, I feel exactly the same. He's someone that Bruce Arians would be slobbering over

to fit in his system. Now, my concerns with Kaiser are multiple. You know, his mechanics are awful at times, especially when he's under pressure. Now he puffs, and he can handle pressure. But everything tends to fall apart from his footwork and arm angles and everything along those lines that make him more erratic in his accuracy. And physically, you're absolutely correct that he is, I put him, we're looking purely at physical tools, purely. Both Kaiser and Mahomes are those guys. They are the elite guys.

They just jump off the screen with the ability, the types of throws they can make. But as we both know, what happens above the shoulders is just as important with the quarterback position as the arm that's attached to the rest of the body so i think jamaicus russell exactly now i'm not saying either one of these guys are jamaicus russell i'm just pointing out yeah i'm just pointing out that uh while physically talented and both could be if you're looking purely for on that gradation would be in the conversation for number one overall. In Kaiser's case, you can go and point towards certain games where his mechanics fall apart, his decision-making goes from very good to very poor very quickly.

He misses easy throws. You want that consistency from the position he lacked this past year. Now his tape in 2015, obviously better, but you've got to take the whole evaluation. And right now he, while he has all those tools, he's again, I say it over and over again with these quarterbacks next year's class, developmental prospects. And their downfield approach there with Arian system is something that I think

that he can greatly show off even more so of his talent. Like you said, a lot of his mechanical issues are issues. However, they can be fixed. And what better guy to pair him up with than a guy who's had Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, and Peyton Manning all in their rookie seasons. I mean, if anybody can do it, it's definitely going to be Arians, and Kaiser would definitely be the beneficiary of a fantastic organization and head coach taking him. I'll get to your point, Matt. It's someone that if you can bring him in that type of situation where you have time to develop him.

Consider for a moment that the last two first-round picks for the Arizona Cardinals, who weren't quarterbacks, might I add, they didn't start a single game for that organization in their rookie years. It gives you the time they show patience when they have the type of talent like that. And it's even more beneficial for the quarterback position, especially when you can work with Arians and Carson Palmer, that I think they should seriously consider that, especially when Palmer wasn't so dedicated to returning right at the end

of last season, as it were. So, to me, I would definitely have to strongly consider it if a player like that's available at 13. I totally agree. And like you said, Mahomes is another guy that jumps off the screen as just pure abilities, although I don't know that he fits kind of, I think that Kaiser, I would put it that way, Kaiser fits more of what Arians would want to bring in,

physical mold and tools attached as well. Now as we get too close to the coin flip here between what ultimately is the Eagles and the Colts at 14 and 15, you've got your number one corner going off the board to the Eagles and the Colts at 14 and 15. You've got your number one corner going off the board to the Eagles and Quincy Wilson, somebody that I think a lot of Colts fans are hoping continues to fall or not continues to fall necessarily but does fall, and the Colts possibly could snatch him up because I don't think that Colts fans are very particular in what they want.

They just want talent with this first round pick. So we get to Quincy Wilson in Florida. Tell me a little bit why you have him as your number one guy. Well, what I like about him, and this is both cornerbacks, but with Wilson, you have better background checks as it were compared to T's table, who had a couple of suspensions during his time on the floor. But Wilson's 6'1", over 200 pounds. Their system allows them not only to press but work in zone coverage. And it's not just bail techniques. They're actually backpedaling. And for anyone that watches a lot of college football,

you don't realize how rare that is anymore, that you run all these different types of schemes and systems for your cornerbacks to really display the full repertoire, as it were. Like, let's go back to Lattimore for a second. You know, he almost played, he played like 95% of the snaps on the right side and he was never asked to backpedal. It was, you know, a quarter turn or a bail technique at all times. So while you saw, you see his physical attributes, you don't see the technique that you would see was a quarter turn or a bail technique at all times. While you see his physical

attributes, you don't see the technique that you would see with a Quincy Wilson and a Keith Tabor. With Wilson, he's another guy that I don't think he... I can't remember the exact game off the top of my head, but he went through three-fourths of the season before he even allowed a reception.

Let's show you how good he was this past year. He literally, I think, a total for the entire year, he only gave up 13 catches for the entire season. So he is a guy who has the length, the experience, the technique. He's physical. He's fluid. And to me, that's the entire package of what you want in a top cornerback. The only concern I have is I'm wondering, I want to see how he tests.

Because you never know sometimes with these cornerbacks, especially bigger ones, how they're going to test pure speed-wise. And I'm kind of curious about that. Otherwise, I don't have very many reservations for him whatsoever. He's definitely a special guy. There's a few of those guys in this draft, but once you finally start to break it down in the minutia, you kind of see certain things that jump out to you a little more than other guys,

especially from this cornerback position, I think. Yeah, a lot of talent in this quarter. We can't understate that because going into the Colts pick, and if you want cornerbacks, you can land a starting cornerback from this class well beyond the first round. Mm-hmm. and a starting cornerback from this class well beyond the first round. I think that what they call – is this possibly the second most – the position with the second most depth in this, would you call it that? Well, I'd definitely say corner, wide receiver, safety, and tight end

are probably your four strongest going into this year's draft in whatever order you prefer. It's all relative to the position and how many will be selected. Now you point out here as we get to the Colts that some Colts fans are getting bored, so to speak, with Dalvin Cook being your pick here, the running back from Florida State. But it's something that is starting to grow on me a little bit. But you've got a guy like Derek Barnett who hasn't come off the board yet. You've got Sidney Jones who you actually had at 18 to the Titans. The Colts would be probably

remiss to let him get that far down there, but you've got an offensive lineman in Garrett Bowles still left on the board, and another guy like Zach Cunningham, who's also been mocked to the Colts at this position a little bit later on in the draft. What made you go running back here, and why do you feel maybe that some of the defensive holes are maybe a secondary option here for a running back like Cook? For me with the Colts, maybe I want to simplify it to a degree. But building around Andrew Luck should be your number one priority.

And I understand there are needs elsewhere much higher potentially than running back, although you had a thousand-yard running back last year who was 33 years old. So it's not like that is a position that should be overlooked because if you can add someone to me that has the dynamic presence, and I keep using that word because when NFL, it's so much about having to adjust to top talents and what you can create mismatch wise on the field that it opens up an entirely different part of the Colts' offense. As I mentioned in the piece, you go through a list of leading rushers the last few years

that is awful, to be kind. Right. And Andrew Lux never has that guy that can be reliable or at least create without him throwing the football. And I think that makes your offense so one-sided that defenses know what to expect and they know how to defend it to a degree. And, I mean, you still want to get your yards with T.Y. Hilton. You still want to get your yards through the air with Andrew Luck

because they're that talented. But you can slow those guys and win a lot of games by taking away the rest of the offense. And when you can't do that, when you add someone like Dalvin Cook, who is a true home run threat at the position, then there's something different than the Colts are approaching with. And to me, that's a huge difference not only for your offense and your quarterback, but your defensive as well, because if you get a running game rolling a little bit... That's exactly where I was going next. Yeah, you can shoe up a little bit of time

and get those yards. Now, my concerns for Cook, which I alluded to earlier and didn't fully mention, this is my two concerns with Cook. I think he's adverse to contact at times because he's that wanting back that always wants to score a touchdown on every time he touches the ball. And two, his fumble numbers are much lower than you prefer. But you can overlook those things to a degree. If you're getting the big plays from the offense, it doesn't require Andrew Luck dropping back 40 times a game.

Now, one of the things that you didn't write necessarily with an exclamation point at the end of the sentence, but I think it deserves one. Here you have, according to PFF, 62.9% of Cook's rushing yardage came from gains of 15 or more yards. That's insane. Yeah, and he was by far number one and oh you know so it's it's one of those cases where yeah i i can't stress it enough to

where you need something within the colts offense that is a variation off of what you already have. And while I can look and I can rationalize offensive linemen, pass rusher, cornerback, all those make sense, and I won't deny that. But you see that spark, you know, that something's different within the offense. And you mentioned it, that when you can get chunk plays, chunk plays don't have to come through the air. Chunk plays can come through the ground game. And the more chunk plays you can create, the more effective your entire offense is going to be.

And that, to me, while Cook has some reservations in his game, as I mentioned, he is something completely different than the Colts have seen within their offense for a long time. Oh, absolutely. And like you list some of these running backs here, Vic Boward, who showed promise, you know, he was bitten by the injury bug. Donald Brown was really kind of a strange, you know, emerger at one point, even got a contract with the Chargers after that. But we all know what happened to Trent Richardson.

And while Gore's been really good at his age especially, he's not going to be there much longer. And the Colts definitely need a dynamic guy in the backfield that Luck can trust and can basically be a massive threat on his own to where it doesn't really make a difference if he's coming out of the backfield in a pass play or whether he's taking the ball between the tackles. He's a guy who is just as dangerous as any play or player that they're going to put on the field on offense, and that's something that they absolutely haven't had in years. One thing I'll bring up is when you have someone that's explosive at the running back position like Cook, he makes your offense align better too.

It's a symbiotic relationship. Yes, you like to have that dominant front, but if you can find a guy that can slash through holes that close quickly instead of having that plodding running back back there that can't find the openings, then it improves everyone. Not just the running game, but your blockers up front, your quarterback. And that's why, to me, if you have that guy, that explosive capabilities, it's hard to bypass him for someone else that may not have as much of an impact throughout the entire roster.

Absolutely. Now I'm going to ask you this real quick, but who would be your 15B in this exact situation? If everybody's off the board, who's off the board, you come to 15, who would be your next pick for the Colts if they weren't to take Cook? Well, right afterwards, you know, I have Derek Barnett coming off. He makes a lot of sense to me because I think he's being downplayed because he's not the exceptional athlete of like Miles Garrett. Well, no one's Miles Garrett in this draft when it comes to raw

freakish athleticism. But when you have a potential to get after the quarterback, and one thing I wrote in the Baltimore Ravens when I had Derek Barnett that's always stuck with me, I think, on about a few years ago, Ozzie Newsom said,

if I've seen you do it at the collegiate level, I expect you to do it at the NFL level. And he was talking specifically about pass rushers. Barnett has 33 career sacks and broke Reggie White's all-time sack record at the University of Tennessee. He had half a sack more than Miles Garrett. And while they're different

players stylistically, the ability and the understanding of how to get to the quarterback should not be overlooked. This isn't someone that I know when I say he's not a great athlete as a pass rusher. Colts fans cringe a little bit and probably think of Bjorn Horner. But Derek Barton, sorry, I didn't mean to throw that out there to hurt anyone. But he's a guy that can set the edge, shows good strength, very good hands, and I've seen him, you can go to the tape and watch him drop in the space and do so competently. So it's not like he's a terrible athlete.

It's just that he's not to the same level or quite as explosive as some of these other pass rushers in this class. If you can get that guy that can have that ability to get after the quarterback, as we well know, that is the second most valued position in the NFL, and it shouldn't be overlooked. Right. Well, we are a solid month and a half from the draft, and it's something that if you're any kind of a fan of the league whatsoever,

it's something that's on your mind at least a couple times a day. Get out there and follow Brent Cebleski on Twitter. He is at Brent Cebleski there. And is there anything else that you wanted to maybe touch on before we jump off of here? Oh, nothing off the top of my head. You know, I tend to go on tangents as I'm rolling. But, you know, this year's clash is going to be fun.

And I think it's being downplayed to a degree because you don't have that quote-unquote elite quarterback prospect. But you know what? If you watch Miles Garrett, if you watch Malik Cook, if you watch some of these guys, these guys, they're not consolation prizes. There is legitimate talent coming into this league. And while it might not be at some of the sexiest positions, it's still a deep class in multiple other positions. And that shouldn't be overlooked because there is multiple teams that will not only need to build and add through free agency through all the money we

discussed at the beginning of the show, but need good draft classes. One or two good draft classes is all it takes to really turn around a franchise. Look at Oakland and what they did. And any team, for example, the Colts, can stay competitive in their division with a really good draft class because you don't have Ryan Grigson anymore and relying so much on those older veterans, big-name veterans. Now you can start building that core through a strong draft class, through a couple shrewd moves in free agency. And that's, to me, it's that chess game that makes this all so fun to watch and cover. It is.

It's going to be exciting. I think Colts fans are excited with everything that's gone on in the past month or so. And rightly so. This is going to be a fantastic time of year. And there's hope. That's something that every organization and their fan base needs. Brent, thank you very much for spending this much time with me. I really apologize for keeping you for so long, but, uh, I hope you

enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed it. And for all you listeners out there, I hope you guys enjoyed it as well. Uh, make sure you guys are following Brent on Twitter, follow myself at M Dainley, underscore NFL, follow the show at locked on Colts. And, uh, if you need something, you want to, uh, uh, bounce something off of, off of me or just whatever you want to talk about the show at LockedOnColts. And if you need something, you want to bounce something off of me or just whatever you want to talk about the show or anything like that, hit me up at LockedOnColtsPod at gmail.com. Brent, thank you again for your time today, man. No, thank you for having me.

I love talking to Draft. And anytime you guys want me around, which I don't know sometimes, but I'm more than willing to talk about Draft at any time. Absolutely. I'm sure you're going to get taken up on that offer, too. Thank you, guys. I appreciate you all, and I'll talk to you next week right here on Locked on Colts. You are locked on Colts, your daily podcast on the Indianapolis Colts,

part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team, every day.