NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - 40s and Free Agents: NY Giants Draft Plan, Strategy for the Seven Teams with New Head Coaches

Episode Date: March 27, 2025

NFL Network's Gregg Rosenthal and Daniel Jeremiah deliver the latest episode of their limited series, "40s and Free Agents." The duo hits the ground running with analysis of how the New York Giants signing QB Russell Wilson impacts the team's draft strategy. Then, Gregg and DJ debate the best course of action for each of the seven teams that enter next season with a new head coach; the Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders, Jets, Saints, Bears and Cowboys. To cap off the show, Gregg puts DJ under pressure with a critical view of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders' draft value.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The NFL is rolling. That's right, and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60. It's in the name, NFL Daily, so you'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, in an all-star cast of co-hosts for previews and recaps of every single game. NFL Daily will keep you up to date with everything you need to know so you can sound smarter than all your friends. Listen to NFL Daily. on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Ends 2.826. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. States and D.C. 18 and over. For complete details, how to enter, prizes, and official rules, visit Toyotas Game Day Giveaways.com. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks.

On Move the 6, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies. To evaluate team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front-offer. Construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sundays. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant.

And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Welcome to 40s and Free Agents, America's Breakaway Limited Series hit, talking Free Agency and the draft. It's Jeremiah's favorite time of year. I'm Greg Rosenthal. That's Daniel Jeremiah. And yeah, it's draft season, and now it's Padre season.

DJ, get excited. I'm excited. I wish we didn't open up with the Braves, to be honest. I don't know that I love seeing them for four games to kick off the year. would have liked a little easier competition. But it's draft season. It's almost April and it's, you know, look in the rearview mirror. I mean, free agency, your time of year is so far behind us.

And we are so much in the mix now of the proper way to build the roster, which is through the draft. Okay. So I took your notes from last week. I'm going to, you know, carry my weight on the show today because we're going to go through all the teams that have new head coaches. And we're going to talk about how they've built the team through free agency. And then we're going to look ahead to the draft and just.

as a team-building exercise. I know there are a lot of teams that are out there. They listen to this show, and they want DJ running their team. And so maybe this will be like a little bit of a preview. How would you run these seven teams, DJ, if you were in charge? Yeah, there's absolutely no truth anything that you just said. But let's get started on the show. What do we got?

Okay, we got Russell Wilson going to the Giants. I thought we just have a little bit of news before we get into the seven teams. And Russell Wilson signing with the Giants since we last talk. Also, James Winston signing with the Giants since we last talked. And Russell Wilson talks a good game in his first press conference saying he expects to be the starting quarterback. But I look at the contract, which is only $10.5 million guaranteed. You add him and James Winston up together. And it adds up to about what Daniel Jones, the former giant, is making with the cult.

So to me, I don't think that changes what's going on at number three. What do you think in terms of how it affects a draft? I think if they love Shadur, they could still take him there. But I also look at it, Greg, and I'm always looking at windows, right, and looking at, you know, timelines and the pressure and the urgency. And it feels like the Giants, everyone involved there needs to win right now. So you could make a case that you say, okay, well, Russ or James, you know, assume Russell end up winning that job. We take Travis Hunter with the third pick, and then we come back. And if we want to, we can get Tyler Shuck.

We could take a Jackson Dart or whoever in that second. round, but feeling like that third pick combined with what we just did with the veteran, maybe that helps us win more games this next season. Because I think even if Shudur were to go out there and show some positive signs, but this team went from three wins to five or six wins, like I think there's major changes there. So I took this, you know, if I'm just giving my opinion, I think, yeah, sure, all options are still open with the draft, but I personally believe this, I think they're leaning towards not taking a quarterback. Wow. Okay. That's a surprising answer to me. I guess I would look at it if I was

Brian Dable and Joe Shane. And of course you got to worry about keeping your jobs and everything. I would think the best path to keeping your job is to make a rookie quarterback look great. Because based on what we've seen from Russell Wilson, over the last four seasons in the NFL, I'm including his last season with the Seattle. I'm including the two seasons in Denver. And I'm including the whole of his season with Pittsburgh, the odds on him upgrading your team that much, to me, isn't that high. I mean, I think there's an argument to be made James or him. They'll both probably end up starting. Whereas if you do take a quarterback and you've got a great quarterback coach in terms of Brian Dable, and sure, Russell Wilson starts the season, but Shadurr Sanders comes in and going back

to your scenario, let's say they only win six or seven games. That might actually be better than expectations. And if Shadurr Sanders looks good in the second half of that season, I think you want to keep that thing going. And that gives you hope for the future. Because what hope is there for the future with Russell Wilson and James Winston? They're telling you what they think of them with the contract. It's a one-year contract for backup money. So to me, I actually think it'd be better for their job security to try to get to get Chitter Sanders. But maybe they just don't love them as a prospect. And that could be part of the I think they need to win games. This team was won three games last year. They were 31st in offense. Like I don't know if what they've done in the

offseason has prepared this great setup here for a rookie quarterback to come in there and have a ton of success. So that's why I'm kind of leaning in that direction. Not saying they don't end up with a quarterback, but I could see it being their second pick and not their first. Okay. Now you're changing my mind on what's going to happen. So we'll talk a little, Shadur later. I'm introducing a new segment. It might be a one-time thing if we don't like it. I'm putting DJ on the clock with some of the questions I have for him. And Shadur is got to come up in that. But let's get to what we're going to spend most of the show on. And we're going to to talk about the seven teams that have new head coaches and just going through the names.

You got Brian Schottenheimer with the Cowboys. You got Mike Rable with the Patriots. Liam Cohen with the Jaguars, Aaron Glenn and the Jets, Kellynne Moore and the Saints, and then Ben Johnson with the Bears. Just kind of big picture before we start diving in. Was there one of those that was like a best fit for you that you were most excited about? I mean, I think Ben Johnson would be the obvious answer there. I mean, this is a team that all their eggs are in Caleb Williams basket and they need him to play well.

And you go out and get one of the brightest minds, offensive minds, and has a clear vision of what he wants to, what he wants to do around Caleb. And the bonus is you just took him from a divisional rival. So that to me, at least on the surface, look like the best match, the best fit. He has more hype, I think, in terms of sustained hype as an offensive coordinator. I was thinking about this. since maybe Josh McDaniels when he took the Broncos job because McDaniels was coming off the 2007 season there was one more season after that with Castle

but he actually did a great job with that and like he had been there for a while like there is a lot of hype I agree that's the most exciting fit and you're putting him with a quarterback in Caleb Williams who had the most hype in at least three or four years who I think showed enough at least as a rookie

that you're excited about that. How about the biggest project? I'm going to go first on this one. I'm not going to go Patriots. There are a lot of holes there, but the expectations are lower. I actually think that Pete Carroll and what John Spitech are trying to do with Las Vegas is maybe a bigger project because unlike the Patriots, they haven't been just losing for a few years. They've been losing for a few decades.

And we'll go through them position by position. But they got a lot of holes to fill. So they did a great job getting Gino Smith and a couple other pieces in free agency. But to me, I look at their roster. And we're counting on a lot of vibes and a lot of good coaching and a lot of of organizational know-how to just make a team that on paper to me is a pretty big project in what you know is a tough division. Yeah, that's an interesting point. I would say, and we'll get to all these teams and have deeper conversations, but just briefly, I would say New Orleans,

just because I don't know exactly what they are or what they're trying to do here. So you've got kind of holding on to some of the aging veterans. You haven't paid the Piper yet in terms of what you're going to have to do with the salary cap when all this eventually is going to have to reset. So normally that reset comes when you bring in a new head coach. They didn't do it here with Kellan. They kind of just pushed everything out again. So that's a high wire act, I think, there of trying to win in the short term with some of these veterans while also developing some younger players knowing that there's going to be a mass exodus

and you're not going to have a whole lot of resources to spend once they finally pay their ticket there. Yeah, not knowing what the Saints are doing is I feel like going around the league, just looking at what, but we'll get to that. Let's start with the Patriots. So let's review a little bit what they've done in free agency. They've added three potential starters on offense. Morgan Moses at right tackle. You got Stefan Diggs just came on board this week at receiver.

Garrett Bradbury is probably their starting center or guard. We'll see. And then four likely starters, I would say, on the defensive side, Carlton Davis at cornerback. Robert Spillane as a linebacker, Milton Williams, the big defensive tackle, pick up my number one free agent. And then Harold Landry as an edge player. So that's a lot. And they added some depth, too. They got a backup quarterback and Josh Dobbs.

Matt Collins is bringing his stanky feet there. Diggs is a guy who just signed. Got more money than I expected. Do you think coming off a torn ACL that informs at all what you were thinking with Travis Hunter as a potential landing spot and playing receiver there at 4? Well, it is interesting because I'd heard, you know, just talking to people around the league and they thought, you know, the Patriots, I think they'd be willing to move back. this is before the Stefan Diggs move.

And a lot of times you hear this stuff this time you're Greg. So I always caution. But look, that is, you know, that's out there. You know, they're a team that could consider moving back. And that would align with them trying to find another offensive lineman, knowing there's not necessarily the value there at pick number four. I still think if Travis Hunter were to get to that pick, I think you almost just have to take him.

And then you throw him in there on offense. And now you're sprinkling him a little bit on defense, major him on offense, sprinkle him on defense, and now was Stefan Diggs. You know, once he gets back up to full speed, you've got a functional offense. This is a team statistically last year was 30th and points per game. They had the highest QB pressure rate allowed in the league. So there was a lot of work to do on offense. And I feel like they did a lot of heavy lifting on the defensive side of the ball.

I definitely think they lean offense, but I would kind of go more towards, you know, as trade back for an offensive lineman or if Travis Hunter's there, you just take him. right is hunter going to the patriots and playing receiver kind of your thing now i know how you guys work in the in the draft game you know you got to have like things you stake your name to i feel like you were kind of first on the hey hunter he could actually play receiver and he should play for the patriots at receiver like if that happens on draft day are you are you puffing your chest out with with rich on the set no absolutely look it's however you want to use them i mean i don't know there's anything I don't think I'm, I watch this guy played receiver and thought I was the only person who thought he was pretty good at it.

So, you know, it just depends on what team gets him and where he goes, how they'd use him. For them, I mean, you follow that team as close as any team. Wouldn't that make a heck of a lot more sense to major and offense and minor on defense with the personnel that they have on both sides? It does. And I see these comments when these free agent signings happen like Russell Wilson, like Stefan Diggs. And they're like, well, does this change how they're going to view it draft? And it really shouldn't. Like, you're not doing your job if that changed

because those are one-two-year contracts. You're looking for guys who are going to be a long-term part of your organization. So I don't think almost anything they did in free agency should change what they're looking at other than the offensive line need is still drastic. To me, Garrett Bradbury is not a guy that you can just count on. I see Patriots fans doing that.

There's a reason why Minnesota didn't want to bring it back. It didn't really work out for him there. Maybe he upgrades where they were at. But to me, they're often. Offensive positions are wide open, interior offensive line, left tackle, wide receiver. Heck, tight end. You might think you're good there. Like Hunter Henry is getting up there.

And Austin Hooper, like, you can get better in a lot of places. Do you think their free agency, like what they've done changes at all, what you're looking at draft wise? No, I just think maybe leaning a little more towards the offensive side of the ball. And that's why, you know, I actually take some pride in this podcast and did a little homework to give you players that they're going to take in the first three rounds. So you ready? Please. All right. So we're going to go, let's go with the Travis Hunter's scenario.

Travis Hunter, I talked about maybe trading down. Let's say Travis Hunter's there. You take Travis Hunter at four. At pick 38, they get Donovan Jackson, who would be perfect for them because he played last year at Guard at Ohio State. And then when they had an injury to Simmons, he kicked out and played left tackle. So I think he'd give you an opportunity to get your best five on the field

with that flexibility there out of Ohio State. At 69, I gave him another pass catcher. I gave him Trey Harris, the receiver out of Old miss who's a big physical you know kind of complements what you have with the other two guys you know when you're looking at Travis hunter playing some on offense and digs this gives them some size and some physicality to compliment those and then I let him go to the defensive side of the ball at pick 77 uh their other third round pick and I went Kyle canard as an edge rusher at a South Carolina who's who plays real firm and physical on the edge and that's kind of the style of choice

for Mike Vrable. Okay. Donovan Jackson. They'd be happy getting the guard. I like that. I like you saying I kind of hinting I didn't do my homework. You also tried to move me along in the first segment. Like you're coaching me from there. You're making it sound like I didn't do any homework.

I was ready here. No, no, no, no, no. I take that back, Greg. That would imply that you're not a professional. You are a professional. Now, is it like quality stuff that you're doing? That's another story for another day. But you are doing something.

Yes. I can't, I have to admit, I do not know like what, what third round guard would necessarily be a great fit for them. But it's a good point you made with the two third round picks. They got that second third round pick and the Matthew Judon deal. And I know Patriots fans aren't really happy with Elliot Wolfe for some of the draft picks last year. It's a little TBD on some of those, especially Jalen Polk. They missed out on your receiver there, McConkey, with the Chargers. They traded down and ended up taking Jalen Polk. But that Matthew Juden trade is aging very well.

I don't even know if Matthew Juden is in the league this year. All right, let's move on to the Jaguars. The Jaguars have 10 picks. I thought they would be more aggressive in free agency than they have been. They did pick up a couple interior offensive linemen. So those were important. But I actually got a chance before all of that in free agency to talk to James Gladstone. I was with my co-host for NFL Daily, my favorite co-host, Jordan Rodriguez.

And I ask Gladstone what the Jaguars needed to do to bring the best out of Trevor Lawrence. I don't think we've seen the best of Trevor. And I really look forward to seeing him within the scheme that Liam brings to life. And I think that the multiplicity that he offers within the scheme, the variety of really the run game and the screen game, it's going to give this team a notable edge. And Trevor's going to feel the benefits of that. Now, beyond that, in terms of personnel, I think interior overall.

offensive line is something that helps a quarterback out significantly. Being able to step into your throws is going to just bring success and really bring confidence. And so I think beyond that, obviously, you're always going to want to give him some weapons and continue to keep that deep. But yeah, we look forward here down the stretch to address some of these things. See, I don't even need to ask you, DJ, how to bring out the best of Trevor Lawrence. I just go right to the source the man with the great packet game James Gladstone what would you do here to help out Trevor yeah so I'm looking at a couple different things here one that I wanted at least bring up for discussion because I had him taking Jalen Walker in in the mock draft out of out of Georgia

who's a dynamic player who would give them really kind of three edge rushers that you could move around so you'd have Trayvon Walker you could kick him inside some and then now you've got Josh Heinz Allen now you've got Jalen Walker and now you have three guys out there who are really, really explosive and athletic and can get home. So that was what I had them doing in the mock draft. But I'll pose this to you because when you look at their situation, I don't think the presence of ETN should dissuade you at all. If you feel like Ashton Genty is by far the best available player

where you're picking there, you need a difference maker when you're picking in the top five. And I think in this type of a draft, I was talking to a former GM like two days ago about this, about different scenarios like this. And he said, this is the year where you just can't have to throw positional value out. Some of the best players are at positions that, you know, tight ends, running backs. And don't pass up a great player to take a good player is kind of the conversation there. So I'll kick that one over to you. What would you think about that if they were going to go running back? I like it.

And I'd like it thinking about the tight end too because I think they're at such an interesting spot. five where if the draft goes with the two quarterbacks and Hunter and Carter off the board, even if Shudder is there for them at five, they're not obviously going to take them. It does feel like a falloff in terms of elite talent. And no, ETN shouldn't stop you. Although you feel good at that position with Bigsby, it's what I was saying before, that Stefan Digg shouldn't stop the Patriots from taking a receiver. I don't think ETN or Bigsby should stop you from taking Gentie or potentially if you

were that high on either of the top tight ends. That's not a crazy thought either. They like Brenton Strange a little bit. They do have a couple extra picks. The Jaguars, they have an extra third from the Dallas Turner trade. Yeah, I got some picks for you. Yeah, that's pretty good at it

from a Dallas Turner trade. Actually, before we get off, Trevor Lawrence, when a guy is that great a prospect and you weren't alone in just loving everything about Trevor, like, do you feel like he, hasn't lived up to it.

Has he let you down a little bit? Let the draft cognoscenti down. Just being like, okay, been pretty solid. Are you still a believer that he's that great of a prospect? Well, I'll say I've been in the building for him winning a national championship against a team that was stacked and loaded and everyone thought unbeatable. I've been in the building when he was facing, what was it, 27 to 7 deficit in the playoffs against the Chargers and brought him back.

So I've never wavered in my belief in his talent and his ability. And he's shown it in these, you know, for the vast majority of his college career and in spurts in his NFL career. But no, he has not, he has not continued to, you know, elevate and climb and get better and reach that upper tier quarterback status. And when he was coming out, I thought he would end up being a top five quarterback in the NFL. And he has not approached that.

So sure. they're disappointment and I can say that knowing that I still think he can get there and he needs to be healthy he needs to have the right pairing with the coaching staff and the personnel and that's why when I look at them

and this draft Greg if you're if you're a new general manager new head coach and a new head coach also happens to be a you know offensive guy at the end of the year let's say that you're one game over under 500 you don't make the playoffs but Trevor Lawrence takes a massive leap. Don't you think they will both feel great about where they are at that point in time?

It's almost all that matters. And I think it was telling they brought in Robert Hainsey, who Liam Cohen was familiar with from Tampa, can play center, kind of solidify that. They brought in Patrick McCarie, who played for the Ravens. So they're trying to help the interior pocket. That's going to help out a quarterback. Who are you giving to them in terms of your pick?

Because I'm with you on the Genti at 5 is smart, because to me, this is a team full of singles. I actually don't think they have a lot of screaming needs. It's a decent roster where they're pretty solid at every position, but they're just not special at most outside of a Josh Allen and Brian Thomas. So like, where are you looking the rest of these picks? Well, I'm not sold on Walker Little at left tackle. So that's one place where I'm looking.

And I know there's differing opinions there. So I had them going, let's go with the fun one. Let's go with Gentie at five. And then let's come back. I went offense here for the first three picks. I came back with Josh Connerley, a tackle from Oregon, who if you needed him to, could kick in and play guard. But that's about the range of where he's going to go late first, early second.

I had Jack Bess, big physical receiver, you know, and I think someone that can win on third down, went in the red zone at a TCU. You know, he's got a great story. If you haven't heard it, you need to, you know, Google that one, read up on his background. It's pretty incredible. And then I had them going on the defense.

side of the ball with a safety and Jalen Reed at a Penn State at pick 88. But those four picks, I tend to lean offense three of the four just because of what we discussed. I think this has to be an offseason and a draft dedicated to getting Trevor Lawrence where he needs to be.

And I think they filled some holes in free agency. They weren't quite as aggressive as I thought, but ultimately I look at it and like they brought in a safety Eric Murray. They think can start Jordan Lewis at Nickelback. If you look at their defense, they have a starting 11. So I'm with you, load up on the offense, help out Trevor Lawrence, and they got a ton of picks.

And you said, like, some people disagree about the Walker Little evaluation. You know who disagrees with you. It's Trent Balke. This is, this is, and I'm not saying, I'm not saying the Jaguars are a bad organization, but they've had a lot of losing lately. And this is what happens when you keep changing out your GM. They gave Walker Little that contract at the very end of last season. Like, they just gave it to him

And then they fired the GM Late in the process So then the new people come in And then they have that contract And he's not a bad player But this is kind of what happens When you're having too much turnover And you do gotta give Trent Bakke

A little bit of a shout out For that third and extra fourth round pick That trade he made for Dallas Turner Looks good and it's not helping him out Let's go to the Raiders Pete Carroll And John SpyTech Who is coming from Tampa Bay

their new general manager, we're hitting all the hits here. Let's actually listen to John Spitech from the scouting combat. When you started going through the roster when we first got to Vegas, we've got some good young pieces here that we can really build upon. And in a place where it's really critical in my belief and my success is really in this league to have that. And we're going to keep churning through that until we have the right group together because it's about having talented guys, but it's about the cohesion in the groups.

The best ones I've been a part of, that group in Tampa last year, they just, they kind of walk lockstep together. They're kind of about the same things. They hang out together. I mean, that is kind of one of those position groups where it really matters. And so, you know, but we got a great foundation there. And we got a great foundation on the D-Line, too, with Max and Christian and, you know, Malcolm Coons has done some good things. And so, you know, it's a great place to start. But we do have a big challenge in front of us.

It's one that we're excited about. It is a big challenge. The more I looked at this roster, this whole idea, DJ, that they're going to try to rebuild fast because it's Pete Carroll and Gino certainly isn't, you know, the youngest of quarterbacks. That sounds good, but their number one receiver is Jacoby Myers. He's on the last year of his contract.

Their number two is Trey Tucker. Their offensive line is in place, and yet I think they could use some upgrades there. Rahim Moster is potentially their starting running back. And then they lost good players in free agency. They lost Trevon Morg. They lost Nate Hobbs as a nickelback. Like, they need almost everything, especially linebackers and in the secondary.

Like, who is their best cornerback? It's Jack Jones maybe. I don't know if those are Pete Carroll guys. So I don't think this is a team is a mess. They're just taken over, but I don't even know where to start with them. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing if you're running the team. Yeah, I think what Spitech talked about, by the way, I've known him for a long time. He's very well regarded, very well respected.

I'm excited for him getting that opportunity. I think he'll do a really good job there. to me the defensive line is their strength right now and if Coons is healthy and they didn't have Christian Wilkins healthy last year they didn't have Max you know so you get all those guys healthy on the field together playing together I think that is a

that's going to be the strength of their football team so you start there and you kind of build from there I had this thought with them I had them taking Ashton Genty in the mock draft at number six which would just you know look I think he's a great player so he's he's rated up there

for me to make that a worthy pick but I also had this conversation with Jack Andrade researcher extraordinaire and he's always coming up with good ideas and looking at my old reports and different drafts and we're in this constant dialogue and he gave me a great

nugget he knows how much I like Judai Barron from Texas and Barron who's you know play inside can play outside takes the ball away real feisty, real tough, real aggressive. And he was like, well, you know, Pete coming out of Seattle and Devin Witherspoon, remember everybody said they'll never take Witherspoon because he's not the prototypical, you know, tall, long, you know, press corner that he's used to, you know, in those

Seattle defenses, kind of broke the mold there. And Witherspoon's been a great player. So maybe that's, you know, maybe that's a name to throw in the mix there at number six. That would be interesting. And it's a great point because I, you think of Carol and you think of those big cornerbacks. But they had success with all sorts of different types of cornerbacks in Seattle. And the guys that they have there now, Jack Jones, Jacorian Bennett, like, Jack Jones is not known for his tackling. He does not seem like a, like a, he's a gambler, though. The best, by the way, the best interception, when I've been in the building, the most

impressive interception I've ever seen in my entire life. College, NFL, bar none, Jack Jones against the Chargers, Thursday night massacre. That was unbelievable. That was amazing. It was a tough night for Brandon Staley for the Chargers. But yeah, I interviewed Jack Jones, and I spent the whole time just talking about that interview. That's what I mean, talking about that interception.

It's like one of my favorite plays of the last few years. I want to give you a couple more picks here? I do. And maybe your answer will help to answer this question, which is sort of like, what is Chip Kelly 2.01? Weirdly, Chip Kelly, coming back to the NFL, I don't think it's gotten a lot of buzz. I don't know what Chip Kelly, how he's evolved,

or if he's evolved in college. You can tell me maybe, like, what kind of players do you think he's? he wants well he went from you know spread you know at Oregon to at UCLA playing with you know three tight ends and they were heavy personnel and they ran the ball really really well at Ohio State he had the luxury of just the talented personnel that he had so he mixed it up a little bit did a lot of different things there I think in his heart he would rather run the ball a little bit more and and I think that's why with the Raiders I don't rule out you know Ashton Gentile

there with that with that first pick you know trying to build up you know offensive line tight ends it's why like gosh i mean you look at where they are and uh bowers is going to be the person that the offense runs through so who would compliment him you know and gosh ashen genty and bowers like that's a lot of easy completions you've just baked into your offense when you do throw the ball so who maybe then in the second round or third do they take as maybe another receiver, although I just feel like they have so many weapons. You can't, I mean, so many needs, they can't even hold out taking other positions.

Yeah, best player available. I kind of went with two different scenarios. So I had the Ashen Genti, the Jedi Baron, and won. And the second round I had two, which was if you don't take a corner, Tray Amos maybe is there from Old Miss. I think he's climbing up through the process as we go through it here. Ran really well. It's got good

tape. So there's a corner option there. Or Abuka ended up running in the high, mid-to-high four forage the other day at Ohio eight. I thought he might even run a little bit faster based off what I'd heard. But I think he's late first, early second. So, you know, they're about in that range at pick 37. But they could, they could have some interesting receivers there. And then at pick 68, the fun one was here in the third round was Chip Kelly reuniting with Will Howard to give them kind of their long-term guy,

at least to have, you know, he's familiar with him. He loves him. That wouldn't shock me at all. that would be a luxury pick and just as the president of gino nation i don't need that drama immediately people are going to start talking about the third round though the third round's not i mean come on i mean they drafted kirk cousins in the fourth round when they took rg3 in the first and that was immediately drama and conversation but it saved their bacon didn't it it was absolutely a good move i'm not saying draft and i always say just just draft quarterbacks By the way, where's that Gino-Smith contract? That's been on my radar.

They were like, oh, yeah, big contracts coming for Gino right when they signed him. That's one of the reasons why he's leaving. It's been on my radar. That's not out there yet. That's enough about the Raiders. Let's take a quick break. We'll come back with the other teams

with first-time head coaches also going to put DJ on the clock talking a little quarterbacks to finish out 40s and free. Hey, this is Matt Jones. Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen NFL cover zero

with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game

from scouting reports and player development to team-building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision-makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow.

We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture.

If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast.

Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL fantasy football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more.

Back on 40s and free agents, continuing to look at the first year head coaches. And Aaron Glenn and the Jets, I feel like they've had an incomplete this offseason. They got a couple extra fifth round picks, by the way, to play with in the draft, but I thought they'd be a little more active in free agency. And they signed these kind of mid-tier guys, like short-term solutions. Justin Fields is typical at quarterback. Good contract for him, but he's like a bridge quarterback. Brandon Stevens was a surprising cornerback contract to me.

Got a little bit of money from them. Andre Cisco at safety got a one-year deal. Derek Nottie, kind of these guys who wasn't the top of the market. They're not really showing their hand. Josh Myers at safety was another. What do you make of them like a new GM in Darren Mugi, a new coach in Aaron Glenn, kind of just dipping their toe in when they do have a lot of needs on the roster? Yeah, I still think there's, you know, it's an interesting roster because they do have some star power.

Like they have some top tier guys, like top, you know, five-ish type players at their positions. But there's, you know, some other work to be done there. I was intrigued by the offensive line because I just feel like the offensive line's been the topic. there, you know, obviously the quarterback as well, but the offensive line, just trying to find the right five guys, trying to get guys that can stay healthy and play together and play well. So

I still look at that as kind of being incomplete. I think they've got a good nucleus there. Oliphoshana will now get the reins to be the full-time guy there. Tipman at Center's an interesting player. Elijah Vera Tucker I think is, it'll be interested to see if he gets paid. He's come,

you know, he's due for a new deal. When he's been on the field, he's played really, really well. So I still think another tackle is a place that you could look there for the Jets pretty early in this draft. Yeah, you have them projected to take Armand Membou with the seventh pick, which makes a lot of sense. He played right tackle. I actually think that the interior offensive line played well, and Fashtonu got it done. You know, when he played, it was really promising. So it took Joe Douglas, their former GM, a while to get that offensive line in a good place.

I actually do think it's in a good place now. If you add one right tackle here, they're looking good. piece, yeah. That's really it. And I actually don't know what this team's biggest need is. And maybe your projected picks will help tell me, I might go edge quietly. Like is Will McDonald like a one edge? I don't think they're happy with what they got out of Michael Clemens when he played last year. Germaine Johnson is a good player, but coming off injury. He's a really good player, but it's coming off injury. Right. I just think you might, you might want to start building with your guys, knowing what you know about Aaron Glenn kind of what do you think he views as the

biggest need there well you know the secondary you know lost some pieces in the in the off season and he's a secondary guy so I always think that's a you know that's a place that they could end up looking early on they got to get sauce gardener back playing the way he did two years ago the way his his play kind of fell off last year was alarming so they got to get that figured out but I still you know defensive tackle another edge rusher corner those are kind of the places I think you could look for them. Also, you know, they signed your guy at Stone Smart. I just wanted to give Stone Smart.

I like Stone Smart, man. Love on NFL Network. I hate to see Stone Smart go. You'll see him. He'll make like, you'll make a couple big plays in a few random games throughout the year. He's got talent, man. Who do you have projected for them to take?

Yep. So Membu was the option there. I also had Tyler Warren as the other one who I've been kicking around there. Because I do think Tyler Warren, the Titan at Penn State, is the one who helps both the run game and the past game. Like, he's going to, you know, he's going to be an easy target.

He's going to give you easy completions in the passing game, which with Justin Fields, I think that'll work out great. And then also, you know, he's going to be able to move people in the run game and open things up. They have three very talented backs on that roster, and it's perplexing to me. When you just discussed how this offensive line has kind of come along and they've got some key pieces in place there, they were 31st in the league in rushing yards like that shocks me that they did not run it better than they did last year so that can be a combination and maybe it's some new scheme coming in maybe it's you know getting that right tackle solidified or even like a guy like tyler warren i think could help that but their backs are way too talented for them to be that bad of a run team okay let's let's move on to the same so i feel like i've had some some bumps along the road here with kellen more starting out kind of like dj did with his voice

to just start that that jet segment, you know. Did it really? I don't know about that. I don't know what was going on. Just a little. I'll take it. Can I get an endorsement deal here? No?

We all develop at our own pace. Just playing hurt. Just playing hurt today. Playing hurt over here. He's playing hurt. He has cough drops for everyone that checks us out on YouTube. He's got the cough drops. This is the trick.

Yeah, I really don't feel like a nice guy here. Yeah, go ahead. I do. This Saints off season, I just, I just don't know. what you said off the top of like what exactly are they doing i i think there are people around the league that share share your opinion they bring in brayden cook brandon cooks this week that that's kind of a typical type of huh move from them like who are they bidding against exactly uh justin read i thought that was a nice signing at safety but they gave a lot of money to chase young

to to bring him back after they swung and missed on a couple other free agents and it was almost like they just felt like they had to spend some money. And so they got a bunch of extra picks. Good job by Mickey Loomis here with Marshawn Lattimore. When they traded him, they have an extra third and a fourth and a sixth, I believe, from their trade for him. And if I know Mickey Loomis, like I know he doesn't like having those extra picks. So it really makes me think they're going to try to trade up. I don't know if they'll be successful, but do you buy that?

I think they are going to try to trade up and get a quarterback. maybe they're the landing spot for Shadur. If you're not buying the Giants in Shadur, then this would be the team that I think he goes to. Yeah, the only thing about that is I think, you know, Shadur and, you know, with Dion, I think there is some thought there that maybe the more established coach, you know,

would be a better fit there. In other words, and this is, again, this is just a conversation that takes place. Like I had somebody brought this up to me, and I don't know that this, that I agree with this completely, but it is an interesting thought. it's like you think about this you have a rookie quarterback whose dad is going to have a microphone in front of his face three times a week at press conferences you know they're going to ask him you know what happened in this game and how you know what's going on there and i think if you're a more veteran coach i think if a if something was said you would it would roll off your back you wouldn't care and be i think dion would be less likely to you know be critical so and again that's that's just conversation that's taking place around the league and maybe dion will take the approach of like hey i'm worried about color

I'm not going to talk about anything that's going on with my son's team. But that is at least some of the conversation you hear when you're talking to people. Well, if you're afraid of getting the heat from Dion, then come on. But then again, it's Kelly Moore. You've never, you've never been a first time head coach with all that pressure and attention on you. And then all of a sudden like that, it's just another, it's another layer, Greg. Like it is, it's, it's, it's, there's never been a situation like that where a quarterback's, you know, coming from the great, one of the greatest players of all time in the history of the league,

who still has a huge platform, you know, multiple times a week. So it is, it is, it's interesting. I think it's, it's just part of the, part of the calculus. And they must have a relationship. I mean, I don't really know, Kellynne Moore, who is with the Cowboys, and Deion and his Cowboys ties. Who knows, who knows if they have a relationship? Although, I don't know what, what is Kellyn Moore about?

It's not a criticism, but I do think you look at what they did bringing back all the players with the renegotiations. That's just more of the same. So we've seen that. It doesn't feel like it's a huge transition from Mickey Loomis and Dennis Allen to Mickey Loomis and Kellyn Moore. It just feels like a lot of Mickey Loomis. And then if you actually kind of go through what Kellyn Moore has done the last handful of

years, you know, him and McCarthy, that was shared, and there was some back and forth, and McCarthy's even talked about that, whose offense was a little bit of both. And then he's with Siriani and did a great job, and they melded what they both do together, but certainly a heavy influence of Siriani and what Hertz does well. and he had that year with the Chargers where he really, Kellen Moore wanted to establish the run. So I kind of am looking at this draft

is like, show me, all right, show me what a Kellen Moore offense kind of looks like because I don't know. I don't know if you know. You know him a little bit from that time with the Chargers. Yeah. No, I know Kellan.

I like Kellen a lot. I think he is good at trying to adjust to what he has, but I think at his core, he does want to be a physical line of scrimmage team. He's one of the best coaches in terms of mixing up tempo. I don't know that people even pay attention to it or notice it

when you're watching their games. But when you talk to defensive coaches that play against his offenses, they say it's hard to get into a rhythm against him because you play against some teams who go fast, you play against some teams are methodical. They are constantly switching up the tempo of, you know, even like when they, you know, from the time they break the huddle to when the snap is,

from when they get under center or, you know, how quickly they operate from that standpoint. Like it's just he's really, really, really, good at that you know that little intricacy of designing offense so uh anyways i don't know how many people pay attention to that but it's it uh it is kind of unique to what he does i think they're going to go more on the defensive side of the ball though uh i think brandon staley there i've been around uh coach staley he is an excellent salesman like he will give you you know reasons he will tell you you know if we can get this guy and that guy and we can put him here and do this

and do that i i could see him winning some battles in the draft room they could use a cornerback, certainly. They lost Paulson-Adebo. They traded Marshawn-Ladamor. You still have Alante Taylor there, but I don't know if he's a long-term guy for them. You have Kool-Aid McKinistry. So I could see that.

They have a lot of veterans, though, as well on that defense, not a lot of open, you know, starting jobs. It's a great point about more because I felt like the tempo, by the way, of the Eagles and the Super Bowl was one of the underrated parts of what was happening early in that game. Being there live, I really noticed that. It took a big advantage. I think with the way they played fast.

All right, you got me a little excited. Who says no, though, before we move on from the same? I've got to give you my picks, too. Okay, okay. Two firsts and Derek Carr for the number one overall pick. Number nine and a second this year and next year's first. Or maybe would it take three first? I'm easy.

I want that pick. No. Golly. I don't think it matters. I don't think Tennessee. I know they've said they're open for business. I'll be shocked if they do anything. Now, saying that by the time this probably hits the airway

like, oh my gosh, the Titans have traded the first overall pick. I just don't see that. It's not going to happen. Callahan and Derek Carr have a little bit of a background together, so I thought that may be made sense. If the Saints sent three first, it's kind of like an NBA trade, you're betting on them maybe being bad this year, and then you'll have a high pick last year that worked out for the Bears.

All right, give me your picks. Yeah, yeah. So I talked about defense winning the day. I had him taking Jehad Campbell, who is an interesting one, who is an off-the-ball lineback who can also rush off the edge. We talked about him on a previous episode. So that's where I had him going. I also think, you know, I know Coach Staley is a close relationship with Kirby Smart,

so I'm always keeping an eye on Georgia players. So Mikel Williams, I put him in there. I stayed with the connection with the second pick because I had him go on offense at 40. Had Luther Burden sliding a little bit out of Missouri, who I think is a late one, early two wide receivers, really good after the catch. Real quick, quiz. Greg, the head coach of the New Orleans Saints is who? Kellyn Moore.

And the offensive coordinator at the University of Missouri is who? Kirby Moore. I was going to guess someone related to Kellynne Moore. Yeah. So there's a connection there. So that's why I just had some fun with that one. And then 71 Savion Jones defensive lineman from LSU. So try and get a couple more line of scrimmage type players there.

And you mentioned they got some extra picks on day three. I could see them just throwing a bunch of resources like they did when Staley was with the chargers. They took some later round corners and took some flyers. Yeah, their drafts have been a lot more missed than hit lately. So they could stand to just use those picks and try to get younger because they really need it. All right, let's move on to the Bears. The Bears and the coach we both agreed is the most natural fit.

To me, the most exciting. Ben Johnson going to the Bears. There was some question, like, do they just totally change the situation there? But no, they kept Ryan Poles as a general manager. So they have good continuity. He's done a good job building up that war chest of picks, partly from that Bryce Young trade. And so they have an extra pick again this year. They have two early second round picks.

I talked to Ryan Poles at the Combine and just kind of talked about how the process changes now that they're adding a new head coach and a lot of new coaches to the mix. Anytime you can add a different perspective and make those tweaks and changes to make your process even better, it's critical to growth and make sure that you, you, you know, you're keeping up with the times and you're also staying open mind on how you do things. One thing that we do what I'm proud of is any new staff member that comes in. We do a cohabitation report so that player goes through all of, let's just say all the players in for agency that they've touched. And that could be over the last three, four, or five years.

And they do a one or two liner to just give us some more information about the players that we could potentially bring in the building. It's a big guy there. I like that. By the way. Yeah. I mean, I'm sitting next. to him. I just felt like a child. You can understand why they've invested in the offensive line, though. That's kind of at his sport. Yes. And you have them taking Will Campbell, and they could

keep going offensive line because even though they improve the interior, you can't think of Jonah Jackson is a long-term solution. Even Joe Tuny, you're going to count on a few years from him, but he's up there. And then you signed Drew Dalman in free agency. Who do you think are the best types of players to add around Caleb Williams. So I wanted to go just again, I feel like this has been a little bit of a theme here as we're talking about some of these teams. A lot of the reasons these teams have new coaches is because either they don't have a quarterback, they're going to be bringing one in, or their quarterback is not playing up to the level that they'd like him to play at. So with that being said, I thought, let's just do the offensive draft here.

Let's do something that if you're a Bears fan and you have a creative offensive coordinator, be the most fun way to run this thing. So just allow yourself to dream for a second here, Greg, pretend you're Adam Rank and a huge Bears fan. We go Will Campbell to upgrade our left tackle situation at 10. We come back and we take Quichon Judkins at 39, who is a better running back than, in my opinion, than Swift than anybody else you have on your roster there. You come right back, remember they pick 41. They pick 39 and 41. You come back at 41. You come back at 41. and you take Mason Taylor and we can live in 12 personnel

with him and Cole Commet. How are we making life easier on our quarterback? Well, we're doing it that way. With those first three picks, Will Campbell, Quinshaw, Judkins, Mason Taylor. Then at 72, I gave the defense a little love there and took David Walker, Central Arkansas, edge rusher. So another edge rush that can pop in there.

Now they've got three guys with Oda Engbo joining Montez Sweat. Now you've got a little bit of a change-up rusher there in David Walker. But can you imagine? Give Ben Johnson the creativity, and you have Cole Commet, Mason Taylor, Quinshaw-Jet-Jetkins in the backfield, Roma Dunzei. I mean, you are often running there with what you have there offensively,

not to mention more, obviously. I love it. It's similar to what the Panthers have tried to do around Bryce Young. And what that does, taking multiple picks, it gives you some margin for error. If one doesn't hit as a rookie, maybe the other two are going to. And they are in a situation. And I thought they were with the last coaching staff. If Caleb Williams had played better, like all they needed to do to me was have him have a good season.

And they might not have changed coaching staff. If they win eight or nine games, like you mentioned with the Jaguars, but the offense is humming, it has been so long, like you mentioned, with rank, since that offense was humming. I have a soft spot for the Jay Cutler era. I think he was a little better than people gave credit for. Was the best quarterback in his draft class, by the way, a highly touted Matt Leiner, Vince Young draft class. Cutler had the best career. But let's give Caleb Williams some weapons and have some fun. And as much as Roma Dunzee and DJ Moore are a fun one too, like the depth isn't really there in terms of the weapons.

You're right. They can upgrade the running back. They need a third receiver. Commet could have a tag team partner and let's fly. Can I give you the last line, the last line of my Jay Cutler report? And I remember going to Vanderbilt, scouting him and then writing him up. The last line of my report, I always remember it was, if Jay Cutler doesn't lose you the game in the first three quarters, he'll win it for you in the fourth. Yes, yes. Well, you were not on air, though. You were working for a team back then. I was in the league, yeah, yeah, oh yeah, yeah.

Because I was a Cutler guy, and he was a tough valuation at Vanderbiltz. That was with the Ravens. That was with the Ravens. You would make that pick again. He had a great career. If he had stayed his whole career with Mike Shanahan, like, it would have been a much, much different career. Yeah, a live arm.

He had a very live arm. That is the Bears. And Dennis Allen, by the way, is there. Dennis Allen, the former Saints coach, is now the Bears defensive coordinator. And so it'll be interesting. They're pretty set on defense, especially in the secondary where he specializes. They're secondary. That's one thing.

In this process, like going through and looking at these teams, I think of all these teams, their secondary might be the best position group of any of these seven teams that we're talking about. It is awesome. And if Dennis Allen, look, he's a good coordinator. And if he does anything great in the NFL, it's coach up the second. So that is a great coach in terms of marrying talent with the coach, and he loves those pocket pushers. He doesn't like the bend the edge guy, so that's what I look forward to pass rush. Let's wrap it up with Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys before we put you on the hot seat here.

They have 10 picks. I actually thought about him as the best fit. He makes sense to me as the Dallas Cowboys head coach, actually of what they are looking for. I kind of buy the notion that he might be a better head coach, especially in the ecosystem that they're in that is not going to change. So why wish that it's going to change? Then he necessarily was as a dynamic play caller because he was a solid play caller in the NFL. It's not like he's been bad. So I think they might be closer to contending again than people think, but they need a lot of help on offense. To me, that is where the needs lie. Running back, a wide receiver too. They could use like a

big old like defensive tackle, like another one of those. But overall, it's a pretty nice defensive roster. I think the offense is where they focus. Do you? agree. Yeah, I think at least with that first pick, you know, at pick number 12, I threw it on a couple names there. I had Matthew Golden in there at a Texas and people like freaked out of like, how could he have, you know, all the way up there. I'm like, well, there's, there's reasons. They've probably seen a whole heck of a lot of them there over the last year at Texas, not only just because of proximity, but, you know, he had a long season and Texas went on the run that they went on there. So I think he helped himself as much as any player in this draft over

the last year and someone who gives them some real speed and kind of over-the-top ability to compliment what they have there in C.D. Lamb. So that was a direction I had them going. I also have thought about if Genties off the board, if Amarion Hampton doesn't enter into the conversation for them. It's a big-time explosive running back out of North Carolina. So those are the two areas I was thinking, two interesting players at 12. And then I let him go to the defensive side of the ball with 44 and JTTT, Tui Malao from Ohio State, who's kind of a power edge rusher, really kind of has some similarities to Tank Lawrence, who just left. I don't know if you heard anything about that, but yeah, so he would plug in right there

at pick 44, and then at 76, I doubled down, I came back to a wide receiver and Tori Horton out of Colorado State, who's, I think if he had stayed healthy, had been healthy through the whole year, they'd have no chance of him being there at 76, but a nice value. you play they got to get more more weapons more dynamic like they got they got to get some dudes man they they spent the late pick uh in a trade on jonathan mingo we'll see if that helps them but at this point you're not counting on him jalen toberts in the last year of his contract he's their second best receiver he would probably fit better as a third or fourth best receiver and not necessarily a guy that's getting a second contract so i'm with you they they probably need to go

back to back i feel like me me talking up shot and hymer a little bit was the the only positive press that the Cowboys have gotten all this offseason. Did you see my tweet about that? Did you see my tweet about that about Travis Hunter with them? I just said like, look, like full disclosure growing up in the like I loved those Cowboys teams in the 90s. Like that was like growing up watching those teams. And I remember thinking it was so fun team to follow because it was Charles Haley and

it was go out and get Dion Sanders. And even even the one that didn't pay off like Joey Galloway, like different, they were always just kind of going for it. and being aggressive and that's I kind of I think that's what's great about sports is when your big brands and your marquee brands like as much as I hate the Dodgers and I hate the Dodgers more than anybody I think it's that's that they should do that like they should be deferring 600 million dollars like they should be doing everything possible like it's it make it happen the Yankees the same the same way the cowboys from brand standpoint that's who

they are in the NFL and Greg like there's that old adage of you know just don't be bad and boring you know you can get away with being one or the other but don't be both and they have turned into just this boring team i know they had the three years in a row they won the 12 games they're boring like go be do so it's time for the cowboys to do something be bold go do something and that's why i was like hey Travis hunter just go do it if he's there and the patriots want to trade down because they want offensive line help um then then let's do it just gosh be interesting for crying out well right and enough of these like broken around the corners. They signed Giovante Williams and Miles Sanders. They're just

trying for these reclamation projects, Kair, Elam, Kenneth Murray. They're still working off their old draft profiles. I like thinking of a young DJ, though, in the 90s with his Cowboys starter jacket on, listening to H-Town and Shide. I think I might have had one of those. I think I had one of those. Yes. Brian McKnight might have been somewhere in there. I like to, you know, I liked a little Brian McKnight back in. Your 90s R&B session is the most, is the most surprising and and delightful thing about you. More to come on 40s and free agents back in a minute. Hey, this is Matt Jones.

I'm Drew Franklin, and this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what.

what you're going to get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning.

rosters. Every week we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full. picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. We're back on 40s and free agents. All right, let's wrap up this show. I'm going to put you on the clock. So this segment, we're finishing out of the show here. No. No, I know.

DJ didn't really agree to this, but I'm doing it anyways. I thought about, like, I have this great access to the draft guy. I mean, there are other draft guys out there, but let's be real. Jeremiah has evolved into the place. He's the draft guy. And so I admit, I don't study all up on these guys until somewhat late in the process. You've been doing it for a long time. So I want to be the voice of the average fan that's now doing my last minute cramming and watching these guys and start asking you some of the

questions maybe that they would ask you. So let's put DJ on the clock for five minutes. And this time is this going to be focused. Oh, yeah. Wow. You're losing time. You better get started here, buddy. I know. Okay. How many more games do I have to watch on Shadur Sanders until I get why he would be a top 10 pick. And this is no slight. Like I have so much respect for these guys and these players and they're so tough.

And what I mean by that is when I watch him, he just looks exactly like the type of prospect that quarterback that goes in the second round. Like he is that exact guy. He reminds me a lot of Andy Dalton.

Like a little Andy Dalton with swag. Are there more games out there than I'm missing, DJ? He's my 18th overall player. So you had all this time to come up with these questions. And, you know, it's like, you're going to start me off by asking me why I would have him in the top 10 when, in fact, I don't have him in the top 10.

So that's a great way to start this new segment that you've came up with here. Then what is it? Because to me, his comp, I actually heard this from another podcast. They're great. Ollie Connolly, John Ledyard. They thought Brock Purdy was the comp. And I actually think that makes sense. but I'm like, Brock Purdy doesn't get taken early.

And he doesn't get ranked by guys like you early. Yeah. So I always say there's different families of players, right? So, and you look at it's just like if you had a family of five brothers and one might go play in the NBA and then maybe one goes to Division 2 and then another one goes in the high school. You know, it's different, but they're the same style. So you have Joe Burrow as the top of the ladder of this style of quarterback. Brock Purdy is a member in that style of quarterback, you know, beneath Joe Burrow.

and then you kind of go down and like that's the that's the style but you know you could also go through you know in history and you can find some backups that played this way chase daniel plays you know on on that rung of quarterback like there's just certain guys who are anticipation timing touch throwers and that's that's how he plays the game so he's he's on that scale i have him as the 18th overall player i think he's you know i think he's worth a first round pick in this year's draft when you look at how it all stacks up. But he is going to be dependent, Greg. He's going to be, it's going to 100% be dependent on what's around him.

There are great attributes, great in the quick game. He throws over the middle, like the touch, the timing. He just doesn't have a power arm, and he's not an urgent athlete. So those are the knocks. And you're betting on intangibles. I'm always a little worried when you're betting on intangibles. I think if his last name was Wilson, he'd be going in the second round. But it's like you're betting on a guy with leadership.

And that is more important at quarterback than everything else. I just think, is there like, was there a harder evaluation than him? Because I'm watching that Colorado team, and that offense was kind of a mess. Like that not just the pass protection, but like the receivers are running into each other. And a lot of his good plays, even though you kind of have to give him credit for overcoming the offensive line, a lot of his good plays are his wide receivers coming back to the ball and making great plays on it. I just found him very difficult in general to evaluate. That's why I'm not a pro like you.

no you know what's interesting too is the you know that conference was not great this year so you and I'll give you an example Arizona State won that conference this year Arizona State had one combine player in Camp Scataboo and they didn't even play Arizona State so it's yeah there's there's there in evaluating that I think it's going to be a it's going to have to be a very specific fit and that's why I've said with Shadour I think he if he goes two or three if it's two or three or fall like that. I don't think there's a, there's a spot after the two or three, and then I think you're looking at a fall. So we'll see. I've taken so much time just talking to he would fit, he would, but I had a lot to say. He would fit, I think, in the Kevin O'Connell,

McVatry, if he fell out, or the Rams, that would be, that would be a fun fit for him. My question on Ward is, is why is there not more hype on him? Because if nothing else, he's box office. He kind of reminds me of Jay Cutler. Jay Cutler was box office as a college pro and you say you grade the flashes right and i i would say if this if you grade the flashes he's the number one overall pick why not yeah i mean i you had zach wilson in your top five he's going to be the number one overall pick and i have him as a top 10 player on on my list the um the things and again let's stick with that theme right of the families he's in the Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams family of ultra-elastic, like explosive arms, creative.

They bring energy to everyone around him. Like he has those characteristics. And then, you know, as those guys had issues to varying degrees coming out, the reckless side of it, that you've got to kind of clean up some of that stuff where he's, you know, some of the cross-body stuff that's led to some wacky turnover. So you've got to clean that up. But he seems like a smart player. And maybe it was like the, he's, he's,

He's more athletic than you expect. Oh, no, I'm out of time. I thought Brett Fav is the comp. He kind of reminded me of Brett Farrb. Where would you put him compared to him? But that's the family, right? Brett Fav is the godfather of the Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams, Cam Ward family.

That's that style. Give me that guy, at least. Because at least as a fan, I think he's going to add a lot of value to the NFL infrastructure. And I would put him ahead of McCarthy, Pennix, and Knicks from a year ago, if I'm evaluating them as I had I've already done this before but I'd have to pull it back up

but I think I had the same grade on him as I had on Knicks but I have to go back I know I had better than Penn X and I had the same grade that I had on on next disrespectful I ran out of time we're we're done for today maybe we'll talk Jackson Dart or Tyler Shuck some other time DJ thank you for playing hurt you've done no I appreciate your kindness that was fun fun fun episode. 40s and free agents will be back next week

and all throughout the draft season. The NFL is rolling. As we march along to Super Bowl 60. It's in the name NFL daily. So you'll have fresh content in your feed all season long.

Join me, Greg Rosenthal, in an all-star cast of co-hosts for previews and recaps of every single game. NFL Daily will keep you up to date with everything you need to know so you can sound smarter than all your friends. Listen to NFL Daily on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. No purchase necessary. Voidware prohibited.

Ends 2-826. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and D.C. 18 and over. For complete details, how to enter, prizes and official rules, visit Toyotas Game Day Giveaways.com. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies,

coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sundays. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies.

Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL fantasy football podcast on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. This is an IHeart podcast.