Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -4/24- Jon Bostic Is A Sledgehammer; Locked On Mock Draft: Picks 17-24

Episode Date: April 24, 2017

The Locked On #MockDraft continues with picks 17 through 24, and Matt discusses the recent addition of Jon Bostic to the #Colts linebacking corps and mulls whether or not it directly affects their draft strategy. Participants: @MBordeaux4 @TitansMM8 @TampaBayTre @EB00717082 @DerySpeaks @timc1765 @AJMilackNFL @RaidersAnalysis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That's for my crazy day. My packed commute. All those unread emails in my inbox. But I'm getting stronger, faster, and pushing myself further every day. I don't care if I'm not like everyone else. This punching bag is the best way to end my day. Fearless is knowing yoga isn't your style. That's the power of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program.

Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. No, I'm not for sale. You are lockeded On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to Locked On Colts, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Matt Dainley, and we are continuing to roll on with our Locked On Colts, Locked On Mock Draft. And it's really turned out really interesting so far. I think that if you guys have listened to the first two editions of this, this third is not going to be any different.

There are surprises around every corner. It's really interesting to see how each team and each participant really feels differently about which direction their team should go. And I think that that's something we learn every single time we watch the draft, especially in the first round. There isn't anybody that any time that one person putting a mock together is going to put a mock that resembles what the actual draft turns out on day one. And it's just so interesting. And this is why I wanted to do this is because it really looks very different from what any mock, any one person mock looks like. And that it's

the enjoyable part of it. It's fun to see people's thought processes going through it, who they want, who they're targeting. They all have the same ideas, you know, with needs for their team, but they certainly have different ideas about who they want to take and where. So it's always fun to see that. I thank you all. I thank you all for joining us and enjoying this with us. And, you know, it's time for our next set of picks. And first, though, I want to go through a little bit of Colts news real quick. The Colts obviously signed inside linebacker John Bostick, who did not play last year, but has started his first two years in Chicago, had his third season in New England. And really, I mean, this guy on tape is ferocious, right? If you ever saw him at Florida, you know that this dude is an absolute hammer. So anything that we

now we have Sean Spence and Bostick there in the middle and, you know, young guys, again, two guys who have been injured or had injuries in the past but both guys who are more than capable very smart and good linebackers uh when they're healthy and this has really turned out to be very interesting i mean it is it affecting our draft uh strategy in that first round first second round i don't know i don't know that we can say it is or isn't because he's real. Uh, Chris Ballard has really put together some interesting, uh, choices in free agency together. And now we're going to look at the draft and kind of see what they're doing. They still have not addressed the

cornerback position. If you guys listened, uh, uh, on Georgia's corner, uh, last week, you guys heard that, you know, we think that possibly addressing the cornerback issue is a need before the draft because then they can draft two, still have time to develop somebody if there is a guy there that needs that time because they're really not very deep at the position at the moment. I mean, considering they don't really have a starter opposite Vontae Davis. We don't know if Vontae is going to stay healthy. Is Rashawn Melvin going to be the guy? You know, there's just a lot of question marks at the position. So it looks at now like you would, I mean, reasonably assume that the Colts could very well go cornerback in round one. Outside of that, you know, you've really got running back that a lot

of people are hyping up and, know the edge rushers i i'm almost feeling like there's just not going to be an edge rusher in there because of what they've done in the offseason as well through free agency it makes you feel like they're not really going to add a defensive lineman in the first round they've got a lot of options i hope that they feel like they've got a trade partner to trade back we'll see see what happens. I mean, just in this mock, you see three quarterbacks go back to back to back. That could very well happen Thursday night. So really interesting to see that and to kind of see how everything's going to fall into place. Very interesting, especially for Colts fans and every other team, really, for all of us, you know, draft fans in general, to see, you know, Chris Balld has pulled together a huge free agent class as far as size,

amount of signings. And there's been a few impact players. There's been some role players added. And now we've got a lot of experience, though, if you think about it, over the past few years, a lot of these guys have played meaningful snaps. Now, Bostic didn't play last year. Spence missed a year, basically two years. Sheard went to the Patriots from the Browns at first. Simon was a guy in the division at Houston. So, I mean, it's just really interesting. They've really been pretty diverse in who they're targeting, and they're definitely targeting guys with upside. I mean, I think that is the one thing, aside from really intelligent contracts, especially outside of Hankins being the most expensive one and being some guaranteed money in the second

year. A lot of those guys have almost no guaranteed money in the second year. And you've seen a bunch of 26, 25-year-old guys, 27 even, come together now on this team is significantly younger than it was last year even, or even the year before. They were bottom five of the past few years in age for defense. Now they're definitely not that low. I mean, it's just that part is interesting just in within itself. So, well, without further ado, guys, let's not waste any more time and let's get to our picks 17 through 24, and it's getting to the thick of it.

We're now in the second half of the first round, and we're going to start seeing some different players come off the board. So let's get busy. And right now the Washington Redskins are on the clock. And here with us to make that pick for the Washington Redskins are on the clock and here with us to make that pick for the Washington Redskins. We got Darius Robinson. You guys can catch him on Twitter at M Bordeaux for that's M B O R D E A

U X four. What is going on Darius? Thanks for joining, man. Hey man, appreciate you for having me on man. Appreciate it. Absolutely.

So we got, we got an interesting situation here with the Washington Redskins. We actually got some strange picks, you know, some out-of-order picks, what you would typically think for the first round, or at least this part in the first round. So you see who's left on the board. What are you thinking for the Redskins here? What I'm thinking for the Redskins here is best player available.

They don't have a GM right now. Well, they have me. But as of right now, the top person I have on my board is Garyon Conley, Ohio State defensive back. He just offers a lot of versatility. I mean, he can play in a slot. He can play outside. He can play man coverage.

He can play zone two, couple three, couple four, whatever. He has very smooth hips, a very clean back pedal. He can stay in the hip of the receivers. I mean, he's just all around very good defensive back, and I'm surprised to see that he's still on the board, honestly. I was surprised

to see him still on the board, too. In fact, the guy before him that go off the board was O.J. Howard. I was real surprised to see him still on the board, too. And, in fact, the guy before him that go off the board was O.J. Howard. I was real surprised to see him still on the board. Gary on Conley is a fantastic pick. He was a guy that I was kind of hoping, you know, or at least going through different situations here that might be available for the Colts. He was, but the guy who drafted for the Colts went with Derek Barnett instead,

which I can't argue either. But, you know, Gary on Conley is a fantastic pickup for the Skins there. I mean, that's a situation where they really do actually need that other guy in the secondary too. Right, right. And then, you know, it has been rumors, you know, going around that Breeland might be moving to safety. And they had some struggles in the slot as well with Brother Play for the Bears

played in the slot last year. Anyways, they had some trouble with him last year, menning down the slot, didn't do that well of a job, and then they brought in Swearinger from Arizona to play the safety, as well as Sewell Cravens that was drafted there last year. So I wanted to try to shore up that other part of the defensive backfield with Josh Norman on the other side. So Gary and Conley was just a home run pick for the Redskins.

Absolutely, and you've certainly done that. So now we've got Gary and Conley off the board of the Washington Redskins, and the Tennessee Titans are back on the clock and back with us to make the next pick for the Tennessee Titans. We've got J.Paglucci. Again, you guys can catch him on Twitter at TitansMM8. Welcome back, man. Hey, how are you?

Good. So we got a guy who was on the board for a little bit longer than I expected to, and O.J. Howard come off a couple picks ago, and then Garyon Conley now is off the board. You guys snatched up Corey Davis in your first pick in the first round. What are you thinking about now? Yes, sir. Well, I was thinking about cornerback. It's a huge need. Also, special teams. I'm thinking who can multitask. So it might be a little bit high, maybe a little bit, but I'm thinking about Adoree Jackson from USC.

They had one of the worst special teams units in the entire league last year. We fired our special teams defensive coordinator. Need a top cornerback, Adoree Jackson, come in, fill the starting role, and play on special teams also. Wow, that's interesting. Man, this so far has not ceased to amaze me even the slightest bit. A Dory Jackson now going after Conley, that's something I don't think a lot of people saw coming. Aside from his ability to contribute on special teams, what kept you away from a guy or, you know,

from a couple of the other guys at the cornerback position for that matter? There's other options, such as Kevin King was in my mind. Conley just went. He would have been my pick right there. Marlon Humphrey out of Alabama or nothing? They didn't? I enjoy Humphrey. There's a lot of picks, but I took Adoree because of his attributions,

be able to play special teams, as well as what I think will be a shutdown corner. Yeah, and that's a good point because a lot of these teams, be able to play special teams as well as what I think will be a shutdown corner. Yeah, and that's a good point because a lot of these teams, when they're picking, they see these extra pieces that they offer to their skill set. Not only can he play corner, like you said, you're hoping that he's going to be able to pick up a lot in special teams. And we don't know what the mind frame of a lot of these teams is going into this draft. That could exactly be a reason why he would go as high as he has already. So, you know, fantastic reasoning and stuff.

I just love this because this is real stuff with real people's thoughts, and I absolutely love it. That's a, you know, as far as I'm concerned, that's a great pick, dude. So now Adoree Jackson is off the board, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now on the clock. And making that pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we got Trevor Sikama. You guys can catch him on Twitter, at TampaBayTrey. Trevor, what's going on, my guy? Hey, what's going on, Matt? How are you? I'm doing great, man. Thanks for taking part in this.

So a little bit of an interesting grouping here that's come off the board so far. And, you know, Tampa's got some offensive, some defensive needs. I mean, it's a pretty even keel, it seems, on the outside looking in as far as what they need going forward into this season. You know, give help to Jameis Winston or try to build that back into their defense or just something like that. What's your thought process on where they're going right now? Yeah, it really could go either way, like you said.

I think they're in a sweet spot where, obviously, didn't make the playoffs last year. They wished that they would have, but in a sense, they know they're pretty close. And I think they're really one or two pieces away, maybe on both sides of the ball, which gives them the flexibility to be able to pick the best player available, you know, relative to a couple of spots, but the best player available at this number 19

pick, which, you know, it's a good thing to have in a draft class so stacked. Absolutely. There's a lot of weapons left. There's a lot of defenders left. I mean, every pick as we go, it's like, yeah, that's a nice pick, but man, there's still so much left on the board. I mean, there's a ton of talent on either side right here so far, and this is really interesting how it's kind of shaken out. So what are you thinking? You think the offense is more important right now, or are you leaning towards defense?

Yeah, no, I think with the players that are left, I think that offense is a greater need. And I'm actually going to pick for them David Njoku, the tight end, out of Miami. And I just think when you look at this team and you look at what Dirk Cutter was trying to set up last year with Cameron Brayton, Austin Spurrier, and Jenkins, that dual tight end system, that's really what they wanted to run. And, you know, ASJ getting into trouble, being kind of the head case, they ended up kind of cutting him off the team. They never really got to experience that at all. And on the outside, they also wanted Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans,

two to six, five receivers. You know, they wanted to be a big team. They wanted to really match up well, side and speed, almost against anybody. There's not many teams in the NFL that would have been able to handle those kind of 6-5 players. But we never really got to see that. Now I think the Allurement is there to recreate that possibility, knowing that your defense stepped up last year knowing you can fix that in rounds two or three and in round one by picking joku you're just getting a freak athletically a

guy who boy if he gets to the top of his ceiling and he gets everything out of his frame and athletic ability we're talking about a mismatched nightmare we're talking about a guy that even even some of the best linebackers or or safeties down in coverage can't even cover this guy if he really starts to know what he's doing and so at only 20 years old boy it's the the guy has such a bright future and uh to go in an offense that really wants to use him as a mismatch to go along with Cameron Bray um I think it would be a great fit. Absolutely. Like you said, matchup nightmare. And when you've got Jameis Winston, an ascending quarterback there, that's exactly what you need to give him is give him that security blanket,

plus that guy that can beat, like you said, anybody who's covering him other than a corner. He's going to mismatch with safeties. He's going to eat linebackers for dinner. And that's, I mean, it doesn't get much better as far as fit and need. Yeah, no, that's the right term right there. You said you're eating him for dinner because, I mean, that's going to be what he's doing. It doesn't matter if he's coming in as an in-line guy off the trenches, which he does need a little bit of work there.

Let's not, you know, he may be a transcendent athlete and a learning prospect, but he still does need a lot of work. But like I said, man, he's only 20 years old. I think we're only beginning to see what we can get from him as a tight end, as football fans for sure. Absolutely. And coming into Miami, he was a wide receiver. And so tight end is relatively new to him too,

and I think they're just starting to scratch the surface with what he can do, and I think it would be a good fit for him in camp. I really do. Absolutely, and there isn't anything that he's not great at that can't be taught and helped out with coaching. Trevor, thanks for dropping this, man. Is there anything you want to plug tonight? Yeah, no, just make sure you follow me on Twitter.

Cover the Bucs all the time, PeterReport.com. I love interacting with football fans from all different kinds of teams, having a blast on Twitter. Cover the Bucs all the time. PeterReport.com. I love interacting with football fans from all different kinds of teams. Having a blast on there. Also, the new co-host to the Locked On NFL Draft as well. Yes, yes. Love listening to that. Doing that every day, and that's been a blast too. Absolutely.

So now Dave Njoku is off the board at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and now the Denver Broncos are on the clock. And making that pick for the Denver Broncos, we got Eric Berg. You guys can catch him on Twitter at EB00717082. That is a mouthful, Eric. What's going on, man? Not much, man. How are you doing?

I'm doing great. As you've seen with our board that we've got right now, you know, it's been kind of a, you know, there's not a whole lot that you can say that you saw coming with this board. It's kind of all over the place, but really interesting picks, a lot of good needs met, and a lot of good talent to a lot of good teams, or a lot of teams now. So what are you thinking here for the Denver Broncos at 20 overall?

Well, initially, I mean, their most obvious need is on the offensive line, and they don't really have any tackles on the roster. So the draft guys that I follow have basically said, you know, they've got to go with a tackle here. But, you know, my philosophy, if I were drafting, would be the best player available. And so, you know, I'd want to see who's around. And in this case, with Mike Williams still being on the board,

the Denver's got a need at wide receiver. They could move Sanders inside as a slot receiver. And I think that Mike Williams would be pretty tough to pass up here in terms of value. And Tavares Thomas is getting older, you know know and so to have a guy like williams available here especially because the tackle class this year is isn't graded out that high a lot of the draft guys are saying you know these tackles are you know second round values and everything so i don't know i would go mike william for Denver if, you know, in this scenario, he, I think, is the best player on the board and he could really help out that offense.

So I think we'd try to find a way to get a tackle another way. Mike is definitely a guy who's going to win a lot of contested balls. You've got a guy with a little bit of speed, you know, with Emmanuel Sanders and stuff like that. So he's definitely going to help, you know, with a guy like Demaryius Thomas. I mean, he's definitely going to take some of the attention away from him if you were to take that. Do I think that Denver needs an offensive lineman? Yeah, I do.

But I understand your thought process as far as, you know, a lot of these guys are second-round values. But a lot of the guys that I listen to lately have got Cam Robinson and Bowles and some of those guys up there in the top 35 or so players. I don't know. It's kind of a, you know, you take your pick, you take what you get. But Mike Williams is not a bad pick. I mean, he's one of the best receivers in this class. The team obviously needs one. That's a good way to get Trevor Simeon, you know, a little bit of, you know, self-respect here to get him a little hyped up throughout the season and stuff.

So I think that's a great pick, man. Now that Mike Williams has gone to the Denver Broncos, the Detroit Lions are now on the clock. And making that pick for the Detroit Lions, my man Matt Derry is on the line, the Locked On Lions host. What's going on, Matt? Matt, great to talk to you. What a great time of year right now, huh?

Oh, man, it's getting thick. And this is almost just as fun as seeing these go off. And you know the good thing about them is they go off about every three or four minutes, not every half hour. At least that's what it seems like in the first round of the draft every year. You're just sitting there waiting. I mean, you can get up and cook dinner and you won't miss a pick. So it's getting exciting.

As you can see from the list that everybody's come off, it's a little strange this year, which is kind of, uh, you know, had some people scratching their heads when it comes for their time to pick. But, uh, what are you thinking right now for the lions? Matt, with a number 21 for Detroit, certainly they would love, uh, another weapon for Matthew Stafford, but I know what David Njoku, the chief from Miami, the tight end off the board. I think that's who they would go with if he was on the board. He's not.

A lot of other good possibilities on your board here, including Taco Charlton, the local guy from Michigan. But I'm going to go with Jared Davis, the linebacker from Florida, can play inside, can play outside. If there's one thing that Detroit needs, well, not one thing. The Lions have a lot of needs despite a 9-7 year in 2016, but they really need a linebacker that can fly.

Somebody that can make a difference. Somebody that can tackle people for loss. Somebody that can rush the passer. I think Jared Davis is going to do a good job in Detroit. I think it might be a little bit of a reach at 21 for him, especially coming off of an ankle problem and a knee issue a couple of years ago, but

that will be my selection for the Lions. Jared Davis, linebacker from Florida. I absolutely love Jared Davis. I've done a couple pieces on him. Fell in love with him, with his film, absolutely. And then you kind of listen to him talk and talk about what kind of leadership he is and a guy who just wants to be out on the field, whether anybody's out there with him or not. This dude is all about football, head to toe, nonstop, eat, drink, sleep it. There isn't – I mean, I personally, kind of like we talked about off air real quick, but I definitely see – we got Reuben Foster's issues with some recent injuries, the medical rechecks and all that good stuff.

But you got Jared Davis with a little bit in his background as well. But where you get the three-year comps and you're looking down the road, I think Jared Davis is actually going to be the better inside linebacker of the two. I think that's a phenomenal pick. I'd love to have him for the Colts. Oh, no, I think Indy's in the same boat as Detroit a little bit, definitely in need of defense, definitely in need of people up front.

And with the Lions right now, remember Deandre levy recently cut really they're not bringing back the only starting linebacker they're bringing back is is to hear whitehead who was their leading tackler but to be honest he did not grade out very well if you talk to pro football focus people uh he you know a lot of his tackles were were cleanup jobs eight nine yards down the field the lions linebacking core this, Matt, did not force a fumble, did not pick off a pass all season. There were zero turnovers from the linebackers this past year. And in the last four games, which were vital, and the Lions, remember,

were 9-4 going into the Giants game. They lose that game. They lose to Dallas, and they lose to Green Bay to finish nine and seven. Then they go into the playoffs and lose to Seattle. So they lose their last four, zero turnovers in all four of those games caused by everybody on the defense. The Lions were brutal in just giveaway takeaway. So with all of that, I think Davis is a guy that can run down a running back and make a play, step in front of a tight end, and pick off a pass. They are desperate for linebackers right now.

They signed Paul Warlow from the Falcons as a free agent, but I don't know if he's a starter. He's more of a bit guy. Antoine Williams was a fifth-round pick last year that they like, and then you throw in Whitehead. I'm not sure if they're going to bring Josh Bynes back or not. He's still a free agent, so I think this is a filling a need, bringing some speed into the game, which is what GM Bob Quinn has said they needed, and that's still a free agent. So I think this is a filling a need, bringing some

speed into the game, which is what GM Bob Quinn has said they needed. And that's the pick for me in your mock draft at 21 for the Lions with Jared Davis. And I love it. Like I said, I love it. I mean, and you're right. He can come downhill. He's got a lot of pop behind his pads. He's good in coverage. There's just, you know, you can call it rich or anybody can call this a little rich for him, but ultimately, like you said, he fills a need, and he's every bit the player that anybody else is as far as I'm concerned. A lot of people are up and down about him, but I'm right there with you, Matt. I love this pick. You guys can catch Matt on Twitter at Derry Speaks, D-E-R-Y Speaks on Twitter.

Matt, thanks for joining us, my man. All right, Matt. Thank you, buddy. Absolutely. Now with Jared Davis off the board, the Miami dolphins are now on the clock and to make that pick for the Miami dolphins, we got Timothy Cunningham. You guys can catch him on Twitter at T I M C 1765. Tim, what's going on, man? Hey, how you doing? I'm doing great. So you see who's on the board now. And you know, Miami's got a lot of things that they need to do in order to start being competitive there in the East legitimately. Offense, defense, they've made some new moves with their new coaching staff and stuff like that, but the rest of these moves need to be coming through the draft. What are you thinking about where they're at right now and what are their major needs?

Well, you know, when you have the Patriots in your division, you always have some issues defensively with them. And, you know, you could also – I thought about maybe an offensive guard to help out their quarterbacks and their running backs and things like that. Their defensive front, it looks good for a while, so I don't think they need anything there. Now, the problem I saw was with their safeties. Their safeties only had one interception together last year

and four pass defenses total between their free and their strong safety. So I think that it might be a little bit of a stretch here but um he could be used many many different ways i think jabiro peppers out of michigan is going to be the pick for the miami dolphin oh man i'll tell you what this draft is not for the faint of heart i mean i would have never guessed him to go to the dolphins um i personally am not a huge fan of him just because i don't think that he's really got a skill set as far – not a skill set, but I don't think he has a real position that he's just perfect at, you know, great at, that he's going to excel at at the next level.

But, man, he does a lot in the return game, and he has a lot of special qualities, and he's a huge, fantastic athlete. What do you think that his skill set's going to offer Miami? Well, you know, as a Buckeyes fan, I'm not a big fan of his either, but he is probably one of the biggest or best athletes in this draft. I mean, that's something you can't argue. I think that if they give him time, I think safety could be a really good spot for him.

I think he could excel at it. But until then, the guys that they have both have five years in right now in the league. So it gives them enough time to let him develop and grow a little bit. And I mean, they could use him in the return game, which is definitely a big help. Right. Man, super interesting. Thanks, Tim, for your pick. I was not expecting that at 22 overall, that's for sure. But if they can use him in that return game, like you said, and if they can somehow refine his skills and stuff and turn him into some sort of a ball hawk back there, as opposed to kind of a jack of all trades in the secondary in the back seven, you know, this could turn out to be a fantastic pick. It's so hard to tell with these, but

very interesting. Thanks for your pick tonight, man. And is there anything that you wanted to plug or anything? No, go Buckeyes. All right, there you go. And now Jabril Peppers is off the board to the Miami Dolphins, and now the New York Giants are on the clock. And making that pick for the New York Giants, we got A.J. Malak. You guys can catch him on Twitter at A.J. Malak NFL. A.J., what's up, man?

Hey, Matt, how's it going? Good to talk to you. Good. Good to talk to you too, man. It's been a little while. How's it going? Good to talk to you. Good. Good to talk to you, too, man. It's been a little while. Yes, it has. So we got a lot to go on here with the Giants. They added another receiver, Brandon Marshall.

They've lost Hankins up front. Does any of that impact what they're going to look for in the draft, in the first round, you think? Not necessarily in the first round. I think think wide receiver definitely you could cross off but as for the Hankins I think it's just going to happen to be the way the board falls and I think that you know the the the idea is to go offense that's obviously what the downfall of the team was last year but I mean the way that this draft board fell, you know, my cards kind of fell into place for me here. And if I was Jerry Reese, I'd be, you know, going completely against the grain.

So, yeah, with that being said, you know, I mean, D tackle is a need. O tackle is a need. Tight end, obviously, Jinoku and OJ Howard are off the board. So, I mean, the best player available in my eyes and my personal grading has to be reuben foster i mean the giants we've been dying for an impact linebacker it's been probably since antonio pierce since we've had a true three down impact linebacker you know the quarterback of the defense and it's actually something that we could definitely still upgrade and based on my my grades, just off football, I know the shoulders

are concerned with Foster as well as what happened in Indy at the Combine. But just based off football, I think he's one of the five best players in this entire class. So if he was to fall to 23, I would love if that's who he scooped up. Yeah, he absolutely is one of the best. I mean, he's one of the best five talents coming out right now. Does the medical recheck situation bother you at all? Well, if it turns out that it's something that the doctors don't trust, obviously that's a decision they'll make and they'll take him off the board. But if they're okay with it and he gets the green light to go and they figure that he'll be around for the season,

I think there's no way, especially it's not like we got anyone that we want on the field anyway. I mean, Keenan Robinson, there's no one that – we have B.J. Goodson who they're talking about a three-down roll, but if Reuben Foster falls to 23 and they're comfortable with his medical recheck, I don't know how we could pass him up. Yeah, I agree. and they're comfortable with his medical recheck. I don't know how we could pass him up. Yeah, I agree.

Huge talent, lots of upside, lots of pop behind him pads. He's a very good side-to-side line and can cover as well. I mean, like you said, one of the top five talents in this draft hands down. So you guys definitely got yourself a stud there for the middle linebacker, and he'll be holding that down for quite a while pending all of his uh his health issues but uh now reuben foster is off the board and the oakland raiders are now on the clock and making that pick for the oakland raiders we got my guy ted when you guys can catch him on twitter at raiders analysis ted what's going on man much doing good how are you good uh Thanks for taking part

in this. Really appreciate it. Kind of an interesting offseason here for the Raiders, you know, the possibility of adding Marshawn Lynch. You know, they've got some obvious needs now on kind of both sides of the ball, not as heavily on defense, but defense in the secondary for sure, I would say, at least for some competition and whatnot. But, you know, offense is still not quite where they want to be, but it's getting real close. What are your thought processes going into this draft, man? Well, linebackers, a huge need for the Oakland Raiders. And, you know, unfortunately, it looks like the top two first linebackers that have first-round grades on are off the board.

Reuben Foster, who I really like, and Hassan Reddick. The second biggest need for the Raiders, I think, is going to be safety. They have a lot of money invested in the cornerback position right now. They just drafted Carl Joseph last year, but they have Reggie Nelson. Reggie Nelson is getting pretty old, and his play was up and down. So I think the Raiders' defense would really benefit from having another playmaker in the back end. It's strange because we got Jared Davis, Reuben Foster, and Riddick

all off the board in the first 23 picks, or in 24 picks, I guess. And I was a little surprised about that. But at the same time, I mean, there's a lot of things to like about all of them. So if you're looking for safety then to kind of pair back there with Joseph, what style are you looking for? Well, the Raiders originally, they wanted to kind of emulate the Seahawks, one high safety style of play. And that kind of fell, you know, we had a really tough beginning of the season in that defense.

So we decided to make a change. After week four, we started playing a lot more two high coverages, meaning we'll play more cover two, quarters, coverages. And Reggie Nelson was kind of brought in to play the single high role and be uh you know play in that deep middle and read the quarterback's eyes you know through his film study able to get like a nice jump on the ball and things like that and he you know he really wasn't expected to play more too high coverages where he might end up getting locked up on the number two receiver or having to play an entire deep half where it takes a little more athleticism than he has so i think um getting a dynamic playmaker with some range and some man-to-man ability is going to be huge for us on the back end absolutely so who's uh who's the guy you're eyeballing right

now i'm looking at obi melafonwu from uh yukon you like him yeah he has uh he has some people are looking at him as a cornerback transition player. He's 6'3". He tested off the charts at the Combine. But I think keeping at safety and having that ability to play man-to-man on tight ends, because he has the size and speed to do it, it will really take advantage of his skills. Now Obi Malafonwu is off the board to the Raiders,

and now the Houston Texans are on the clock. Again, thank you all for listening. Really appreciate it. Be sure to tune in tomorrow when we start off with the Houston Texans at 25 and run all the way through 32 here to finish up our last eight picks in the Locked On Colts Locked On Mock Draft. Thank you guys all for listening. Be sure to rate and review the show on iTunes or anywhere else that you guys get this podcast.

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