NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Bunkercast XXVII: Gronk Traded, 2nd Annual Marc Sessler Mock Draft

Episode Date: April 22, 2020

A bunker filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Chris Wesseling, Marc Sessler and Gregg Rosenthal bring you all of the latest news surrounding Gronk coming BACK before Marc Sessler unveils his mock draft.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, 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 Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everybody. Today's episode of the Around the NFL podcast is presented by Rocket Mortgage. Join Rocket Mortgage and saying thank you to essential workers by posting a video to everyone knows a hero.com. Everyone knows a hero.com. Let's get to the Mark Sessler mock draft.

We have the second annual Marksessar mock draft coming your way in a few minutes. But first, some developing news in the National Football League, Our League, Rob Grankowski is back in the NFL, but not. with his former team. The New England Patriots said goodbye to Tom Brady. Tom Brady went to Tampa. And now Gronk has followed Tom Brady to Tampa. The trade is official.

It happened very quickly. The Bucks acquired the tight end from the Patriots in exchange for a fourth round pick. Unbelievable turn of events here as Grunk ends his year-long retirement and teams with the quarterback, who we went to the Super Bowl with, seemingly 400 years in the row. Dan Hansis, joined by Mark Sessler, Chris Wessling, and Greg Rosenthal. Greg, your thoughts when the news went down? I mean, am I going to have to root for the bucks?

I guess I am a little bit. I know that's heretical to say in New England, but watching Tom Brady throw to Rob Grunkowski sounds like fun to me. It was shocking. It was shocking that it happened so quickly and quietly that the physical was already taken as we're taping like it's official, you know, just to pull behind the peek behind the curtain, at the end of this show with the mock draft, you know,

we were just hearing that it's possible. Rob Grunkowski would be coming back. And, you know, within a half hour, it had already happened. Like, every insider in the business did not know this was happening until basically it was already over. And it's a killer for Patriots fans who are going to be sad watching them in a different uniform. but it's such.

Ricky is dying and we'll get to her. But it's such a great, I don't know, just like chance for Grunk and Brady to try something totally different. And I think it could totally blow up in their face and it could be a disappointment. The expectations are going to be so high. They're both high-risk players right now.

But it's also like a high reward. Like if they make it to the playoffs and win a game, that's just going to be fun and weird and different. And it makes this season all the more important. in my mind to get started on time and hopefully it will. It became one of the tropes on our podcast that last year

Bruce Ariens might not have the same love for the game that he had in Arizona and he might just be playing out the string here. And the opposite has happened. His lifetime football philosophy, no risk it, no biscuit, is exactly how the Buccaneers have played

this offseason, going full bore after Tom Brady and then to bring in Gronk the two greatest to ever play their positions. To me, the question is whether 2020 Gronk is an upgrade on O.J. Howard, because the last time we saw these two guys in 2018, O.J. Howard played a lot better than Gronk. And Gronk was running on fumes for most of the season. He had the high ankle sprain, but we didn't know if a lot of that was the accumulation of age and injuries. And to his credit, he came up big in the FC title game in the Super Bowl, but that Super Bowl offense was not impressive from the Patriots

at all. I think it's a player that the year off could help immensely. And, you know, on our live Twitter show, we played an over-under game of what his line might be if he played 16 games. I think it's convincingly statistically not going to be anything close to what you might expect from Grunk. That would be my guess. But can he be a huge difference and help them? If you you get a 100% rejuvenated, healthy version of Rob Grunkowski? I think so. And then in a weird, again, in an offseason that could be completely tilted, you've got Brady teamed with someone who, the two of them know their movements, their reaction time, the way they see defense is so, they're so in sync that it's a great signing for the, or great trade for the bucks.

I mean, I just, my caution in general is this happens to us every year. One of these teams, looks like they're just going to zoom right into the Super Bowl and, you know, all these tweets, no teams play the Super Bowl in their home stadium, but this Bucks team might, well, there's a long, long way to go and there's a lot of variables. Are the Bucks, though, I mean, the Bucks who have been hidden away in the netherworld for so long, are they suddenly fascinating? Absolutely. And I'm with Greg in the sense that it palpably ups the interest in the season because it's

such a weird team to suddenly be at the absolute core of everything that's happening. I think everyone is on the same page there. The bucks are a huge subplot to the season because of Brady and now Gronk adds to it. Yeah, I think there is some enthusiasm that should be tempered a little bit because I think a lot of fantasy drafters and just in general, like a lot of football fans are going to say, oh, look out, Gronks back and he's got a year off. His body's going to be back to normal. he was his last season in the league in New England playing with what looked like a stick fork a fork sticking out of his back

and he showed up in the playoffs and Pete Gronk was back and I wonder if you know the buy week going into the divisional playoffs then the buy week going into the Super Bowl if he's a guy that could still be an impact player but he needs to be managed snaps even weeks if that's where he is now that he's a player in his 30s so I think that at some point

you've got to not expect him to be that Gronk in 2015. However, for a fourth round pick and the fact that the potential that it brings and the excitement that it brings, it's a no-brainer, Ricky. It's a no-brainer for Gronk to want to come out of retirement. He was sick of playing for Bill Belichick. His body was beat up. And now Tom goes to Tampa, a beautiful place to live, a fun coach to play for. You got to be happy for Grunk, who, let's face it. And I was saying it on this podcast for months the day he retired. There's no way this guy was going to stay out of football. He came back. And I guess the only surprise is that he didn't come back to New England.

He went to a new team. Yeah. It's, it's really, really kind of tough. Like, I'm excited for him that he's back. It does, like, hurt that it feels like the Patriots were home for these guys forever. They were. Ricky and Post, can you put violins under what you're saying, right? Yeah.

And it's just like, it really does sting to watch what you love. so deeply about your team, your hometown team that you've, you know, lived and died on the hills with with just, you know, you talk about sports make you forget about dying. And it is like there are these incredible, incredible dynasty moments with this team. And now what sort of made that dynasty is gone. And it's not just gone.

It's flirting around in a convertible down in South Florida. Oh, it's more than flirting. It's going all the way. Yeah. I mean, it's, it's like seeing your ex with someone, like, way better looking. It just, it just hurts. You want them to just be gone. I want, I wanted them to retire.

Let's come down on the pirate ship and Bruce Ariens in his third act being way better looking. Here's the thing, though, the Patriots, you can't take away what Rob Gruncowski gave you as a fan and gave any Patriots fan. You can't take away that for the Patriots. The bucks are getting Rob Gruncowski at the wrong time. And maybe it'll pay off. Like, this deal is a no-brainer for them. It was a no-brainer for the Patriots, too. They really didn't have much choice because his money would have put them way over the cap.

They had to take what they could get. Guys coming out of retirement aren't just not going to get much. It's what Brett Farve got was a fourth round picked. Tom Brady's at the very tail end of his career. Bruce Ariens is at the very tail end of his career. And maybe it works. But maybe it's just like. Who cares, Greg? Who cares?

My point is, like, what are you going to do? like it i get that but that doesn't mean i can just be like well you know for the cap and everything good job by the patriots like they did what they had to do it's not a good job it's this sucks he was retired but so if they go six and ten is that going to like make you happier no i don't know what it's going to make me happy more like dynasty d i am i right your quarterback had mono dan he had mono he's recovered It reminds me they had the Redskins, what was it, the George Allen teams, the Over the Hill gang that they had back in the 70s, which, you know, that that's kind of what this is. And it makes it fun.

And Mike Evans and Godwin are there, and they have a young, fun defense. So on paper, they are a really interesting team. I think that's what makes them interesting, that you can't compare them to the Overthale gang, because you're just talking about Brady and Gronk, and the rest of the team is young. Yep. You have the young receivers. You have a really young defense. I mean, you've got JPP in Endomac and Sue who are still playing at a pretty high level

and they're over 30, but that's a young defense there in the front seven. Jack Barrett and... I mean, Greg, I will say that you had... I know, I know and I at this point fully almost entirely believe your Patriot stance and where you're coming from. Oh, that's great. You almost believe me. I almost believe it.

I mean, I just would say that you have to acknowledge that you are in complete discord with like huge chunks of Patriot fans everywhere who don't they don't it's not their responsibility sports is combative it's not their responsibility to you know roll into the sports bar and be so excited to see Brady throwing four touchdowns to gronk in week one and say this is just perfect like they're going to be irate and sports fans part of it is suspending you know the rest of the world around you but also common sense and you lose yourself to emotion and everything else and like I kind of get where Ricky's coming from more so than I do from the you're above

Fox fan now. I'm not a box fan. You're a football guy. I like the Patriots. Yeah, I like football more than than I like the Patriots for sure. But I'm, there is part of me that that likes the idea of the Patriots with Jared Stidham, you know, being kind of a team that's under the radar. That's, that's how they started. And the gronk part of it to me, he didn't want to play for Belichick. I think if you, you listen to Jeff Darlington's reporting, that was pretty clear. His body was gone. And it's found money and it's like, what do we like as sports fans? Is there any gratitude or any appreciation

for like the players and the humans themselves or are we just cheering laundry? To me, it's more about the, it's more about those players. Listen, like, don't you think? Yeah, but I think the appreciating gronk and Brady think might come a few years from now when they go back to Foxborough for a

beautiful night ceremony. It's not going to be at this moment. Well, he's a chronic back injury. I guess that's the part of it too. It's like he has chronic back problems and it's worth a shot if you're the bucks but it's not like you're thinking these guys are going to suddenly take over the league

these are the same two guys that we were saying were absolutely done like more than a year ago. Yeah but if you're game planning for a team that has Grankowski on the field regardless if he's going to show up or not all of a sudden your headspace is going to that he is automatically

he's a big ad. And this Greg to your point yes I imagine as a Patriots fan especially a Patriots fan like you, there's a little bit of excitement to the idea of the Patriots as a true underdog with a fourth round pick as their starter. But, you know, get back to me

seven years from now when this stuff is still going on and they're under the radar. Like being under the radar is maybe fun for a couple of months, and then it stinks. And I think that that's this new world of the Patriots. There's a lot of unknowns about

are they going to be able to put this thing back together quickly, or are we going into a long, a hibernation where this team that mattered more than anyone else doesn't matter. And just seeing Gronk and Brady on different teams and seeing this team in the state as flux and this general unknown, that to me is like just crazy to think that it's finally happening. And although we knew Gronk wasn't playing with the Patriots this year, it's just another reminder that time has moved on. What do the Patriots do next? That's one of the great intrigues in the league going forward. It is. And it, and it,

puts so much into this draft for the Patriots and we'll get to Mark's mock draft soon. I mean, one of the big losers here, if we didn't mention it, would be that Mark, but he's not a loser. He's a big time winner because it happened. Mark predicts that Grunkowski is going to be a member of the Bucks by the end of May during the mock draft. And then it happens by the end of the day. Forget the end of May.

Well, I'm slightly annoyed that my standalone mock draft episode has been. utterly upended by Grunkowski and the Bucks in general. And believe me, it changes how I feel about the Bucks. I do have one last thing. You mentioned that Grunk and Brady have practiced together before.

I do think we've almost underplayed or not known what to say about the whole fact that this season either may not happen, may not happen on time, there may not be any practices or the same normal amount of practice. To me, that is a huge

X factor. And it is something that I'm thinking about with every transaction, including this trade. It's like you're trading, you're getting a draft pick and you're trading a guy, we don't know if this season's, we don't know what's going to happen in anything. Like, why give out signing bonuses? Why give out a lot of things when you don't know

if the season's going to be happening? Feels like a worthwhile question. Yep. I'll leave it with Game of Thrones. The North remembers. Well said. I'm not scared of Jared Stidham. And all you, the bitter Patriots fans up there that want to see these guys fail down south,

the hope is that this is the NFL version of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett going to the Nets. Oh, all-famers that, you know, well, the Celtics got a bounty from the Nets. Yeah, they're not getting Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown in return, unfortunately. I know. But a similar situation where Nets fans got fired up that they had these legends and then the guys couldn't really play anymore. The Bucks are hoping that doesn't happen. And I don't think it does, but you can't rule it out that these guys don't. fall on their face.

Right, or the long line of NFL build a teams that simply just don't seem to work the way it does in other sports to some degree. I mean, this would go against that, against that trend entirely. Or more to the point for Patriots fans, that everything that we've been saying about Bill Belichick, the last two decades, was in total BS. Because if he has the team building and the expertise and the defense and everything that we've said he had, it's like they're going to be competitive. Nothing changed because they picked up a fourth round pick for Robert.

we're about to find out yeah all right good stuff we'll probably talk more about this on tomorrow's episode of the around the NFL podcast but for now let's now spin back in time mark sessler the stage is finally yours the second annual mock draft take it away us Hey, everybody, welcome to the second annual Mark Sessler NFL mock draft. Presented by the Around the NFL podcast, my name is Dan Hansis, and I am joined by two of the most esteemed colleagues in the NFL world. It is Greg. Don't call me Rosie Rosenthal. And Chris, the mailman Wessling.

What's up, fellas? Hey, Dan. Unbelievable. We're back. All right, that's enough. I mean, if that doesn't get you in the move for a mock draft, what will? It is so amazing. The time flies, folks, even in a pandemic, you cannot stop the Mark Sessler mock draft.

And why don't we welcome in the man of the hour, man who he's screaming for respect in the business. Not sure if you're one of the mock draft did it, but, you know, if you keep doing it, if you keep showing up, something is going to stick. Mark Sessler, hey, buddy. How you doing? I think it's a, I'm not sure last year did it. I would start there.

But I can't get my employer to put this on our website, so that's hell of it. They'll put people who don't even work for the NFL on there on mock draft Central. It is an interesting strategy. You're thinking, okay, how can I get respect? How can I stand out in the NFL industry? I'll do a mock draft. How do we get paid? That'll set me apart.

Yeah, it's not setting me apart. It's not original and I'm not getting paid for it. And famously, one of the shadowy league figures, John Marvel said last year, when asked if this mock draft or the 2019 mock draft would go on the website, he said, Are you insane? And that's what we're up against here at the Mark Sessler mock draft. that type of stigma that this shouldn't be taken seriously. But I'm going to tell you something.

For the second consecutive year, Mark Sessler has put in the work and he's plugged in and he's been in the industry for a decade now. And it's time for you to hear this man. Listen to him. No, no. The quiet storm roars tonight or today. It's unfathomable to put Mark's mock draft in with a bunch of others that average four right answers.

I like my odds here. Come on. Did you put in the necessary work to get this level of support from your friends and colleagues? I mean, when I promise to do this project and take this on as a new wrinkle in my career, you know, I vowed that I would spend no less than two hours on this and came close to that time limit a little bit more than that, but not a lot more. But I did, I will say this. it caused me some consternation because my initial idea was to go do things

that no one else would do and I would say add in some total insanity into it and I kind of check myself at the door because I take this exercise seriously and I'm looking to come out of here with some accurate bullseyes and nothing less than that. Unbelievable, accurate bullseyes, everybody.

That is something to respect. That's the goal here. Concise, right? I could have not have said that any more concisely. Erica, are you excited for the second annual Mark Sessler? Oh, my God. I could not be more excited. This is the greatest day of this week, for sure.

More like Mock Sessler. Did you even know this was happening today, Erica? I did, Mark. I did. Dan sent me a text about an hour ago asking for some applause and stuff like that. Okay. Well, let's not pull back the curtain there, Erica. All right.

So this is how we're going to go. We're going to go through. Round one, we will track these, we will go through round one tracking each of Mark's selections and come Thursday night, maybe Saturday actually might be the better time to do it. We'll circle back and see how the kid did. See how the kid did. That reminds me of when Schrager was on the show last week and Schrager's younger than Mark and called Mark a kid. He said, you know, this kid writes some of the best stuff on the internet. I think he's sort of viewing me as someone, a bit of a naif in the industry, a child in the

football industry. Well, child no more. Child becomes man, starting with the first overall pick. And how many you get, before we get going, Mark, how many of these are you guaranteeing? You know how it's good people in the industry and the gambling industry, which we don't condone that? But they'll say, we guarantee you'll get a winner if you call our hotline and give us your credit card number.

How many guaranteed winners are you going to give the listeners here to know that your brand is legit and stands above all the rest, the new Mayok? Guaranteeing five picks. Guaranteeing five out of 32, ladies and gentlemen. How about that? All right. Let's get into it. Mark Sessler with the first overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals, are they trading out? They are not.

They're going to do the smart thing this time. All right. Let's hear it. They are taking quarterback Joe Burrow out of Ellis. you. All right. Joe Burrow, the quarterback, the number one passing prospect on the board. No question, right? Well, this is the first opportunity to try to be different than everyone else. But all my sources and all the information that I have tell me that the Bengals have made this pick. And, you know, like with all number one picks that the NFL doesn't want you to say anything

and we get that dog and pony show part of it. But this is where the Bengals are going. No questions asked. All right. Number two, there's some speculation. around the number two pick in the draft, the Washington Redskins hold it. Are they going to stay where they are and make a selection, are they moving out? Well, based on hearing Wes's opinions about the Redskins fielding calls pre-show,

I'm very glad that I stayed right at home here and had Washington take Chase Young or we would lose Wes very early in this broadcast. Chase Young, the Edge Dynamo out of Ohio State. Wes, it's not so much the idea that the Redskins shouldn't move out of the pick. It's just the idea was that people are even speculating about such a thing. That's what really annoys you, right?

I'm surprised that they haven't preempted CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News for this news that the Redskins, the team holding the number two pick in a football draft, are fielding phone calls about their pick. Breaking nose! And now as a special surprise for Wes, Ian Rappaport's been listening this whole time and is coming on to the show. Right, Ian. Come on in. Defend your news, Ian.

All right. The number three pick, Mark Sessler. So, so far, chalk. And you know what? If you're guaranteeing five out of 32 and you're going chalk, I mean, there's not, what are people? I'm just being fair here. Five's a fairly low number, though, isn't it? I just being fair here.

You can't go chalk and only ask for five out of 32. I'm not going to. And I would say that, you know, with one and two, I knew that was not the dramatic start some people would be looking for. but is the point to be totally insane with this, or do I want to make it very clear to the football fan that I am extremely plugged in? Conventional wisdom says that this year more than any other, no one has any idea because no one's been talking,

that the DJs and all this group think out there with how these moxlet, they might look sillier than ever. Not marked, though. All right, the third pick in the draft. Third pick is where our first trade occurs. And the Lions, instead of staying home, trade the pick to the Atlanta Falcons who aggressively are looking to move up according to not only my sources but general news reports out there and the Falcons looking for a

cornerback they're going to go Jeff Okuda cornerback Ohio State and I think they feel very good about it they feel very good well makes sense they just they just traded away Darius Lay their best cornerback I guess they got to fill the void and they get a cheaper younger alternative. Well, that's the Falcons took them. This is the Falcons. Oh, excuse me. Oh, silly me.

I apologize for that. But the Falcons obviously needed the cornerback help. Makes a lot of sense. Dimitroff would be making a stand here. He made his name with the Julio Jones trade. He feels like he's about as on the edge maybe in terms of job security as he's ever been. And this would be a bold move by Thomas Dimitroft. Dimitroff or Demetroff?

Dimitroff is. how he does it, I believe. Greg's right. Okay. You don't must think about going Demetrov just because it rolls off the tongue. It sounds better, but he's sort of started people, he's corrected

him, so. Lions would be big winners here, right? Not only trading out of that spot, but a team trading up from 16, they'd have to give up a windfall they'd have to give up a windfall. They would, and the Falcons gave up a lot when they

traded up to take Julio Jones also. It's not normally in their M.O. for the most part, but I have a feeling they're going to do something. And that would be a surprise if you spoke to people a month ago and you said, I'm from the future. The Lions will trade out of that pick and the team that trades in won't take a quarterback. But things have changed, at least how the draft insiders are painting things as we get closer to the draft. All right. Thank you. Good comment. Pick four.

The Giants, you know, give me this nonsense about their FaceTiming with Justin Herbert. I just, I don't care what they're doing. Tom Brady was facetiming with the Tennessee Titans and their staff. What does that mean in a basketball game? So I'm going right here. The Giants stay home and go Tristan Worf's offensive tackle Iowa. This feels like a very, I don't know heads or tails what to make of these,

what teams think about these tackles, but Worf's is where I'm going. That's the, that's the Worf's pick on the board. Oh. Ouch. Wes, speak on it. No, I said it's the worst pick on the phone. Yeah, I mean, I think it's just a good little line. Oh, does that mean it was the worst or just the player?

Never mind. Okay. A little miscommunication there. There's a play on words. There was a play on words. I thought it had double meeting that it also was a bad pick. Well, that too. No, I'm not going to bury Gettleman.

The fifth overall pick in the draft. All right. And, you know, this is this to me. is the first major turning point in the road. What are the dolphins going to do at number five? There's whispers that they might just go defense or offensive tackle here and try to get a quarterback later on. I don't buy that.

I think that they, after all of this business, they're going to go with Tua, our guy Tua, out of Alabama. And I flip-flopped this and another pick, but going Tua. I'm with you. If I did a mock, I'd ignore all this noise that's happened. And I'd imagine a scenario where Stephen Ross and the dolphins are patting themselves on the back for making everyone think they wouldn't take Tua when they really did. Yep.

Yeah, I agree. I'm totally – because we've heard forever they were connected to Tua. You know this whole thing with the organic tank was to go get the quarterback. Are they really going to pass on a QB in the top five? I just don't see it. And Tua feels like a risky pick, but a lot of upside there. Good job there, Mark. I like your draft picks so far.

You're flying right now. You've got one tackle off the board. You've got two QBs, an edge rusher, and a cornerback. And now that brings up the Chargers, another team that makes sense that they would target a quarterback. Do they do it? They do. I kind of got confused in what to do with this one a little bit. Or I should say more just I was entranced by the idea of some of Justin Herbert falling.

But I think the Chargers are going to go Justin Herbert quarterback out of Oregon, simply because if there's a narrative, I do not buy, and if I'm proven wrong, I'll take it into note. But this idea that they're going to sell Tyrod Taylor to the L.A. fan base while they're trying to sell tickets in a massive new stadium, not buying it. I think they're absolutely going to have to find another answer at quarterback. And if it's not going to be a Can Newton or something like that, and there's no buzz around that, I think you go with the less expensive rookie guy that you can, in theory, play behind Tyrod for eight or nine hours until he takes over.

let's play the positive quote negative quote Bob McGinn game for Justin Herbert here's a positive quote if the Oregon kid had Alabama's receivers or Oklahoma's receivers or LSU's receivers he'd be the best one said a scout and now here's the negative because we talked about it when McGinn was on the show

and you know he likes to do the salt with the pepper the oil with the vinegar I like him to a degree I don't think he's an elite play player. He's kind of robotic and mechanical. Accuracies off. He has the classic looks of an NFL quarterback. That's the guy that has burned a lot of people in the past. Big, tall, good-looking, interviews well, smart, throws the ball a mile, all that stuff. Gabbert, Jared Goff. Not a lot of vision. Not a really good playmaker. Mark, kind of a shot across your bow in a way. Why? It is, but I'm comfortable with the scouting work that I've done on this player. And, you know,

It's at that time a year where you just got to dig in on your own beliefs. How would you like to be a Rams fan and you hear Goff and Blaine Gabbard mentioned in the same sentence as the same type of quarterback? Right. That didn't that scout the bad job. I mean, Jared Goff, if nothing else, does not have a big art. I don't know. It doesn't make sense.

He's just saying like he's tall and white is basically what he's saying. Right, yeah. All right, let's go 7-8-9, Mark. Give us three picks. All right, 7-8-9. The Panthers take Isaiah Simmons, line. I think he's one of the teams that people sort of feel like he could fit there, where he's not a fit for everyone. Cardinals, you know, you think they're going to go electrifying offense. They go Derek Brown, defensive tackle out of Auburn, who I think is going to be a plug-and-play week-one starter. Tell us more about that. Plug-and-play in what method? In what way? He's a big body disruptor. He causes enormous problems for quarterback types. And if you're trying to run the ball, good luck on Derek Brown. That's not going to be happening with him. Elite athleticism?

I mean, it's all there. It's everything's, you go watch five minutes of his tape and just, it's a, I'll go, I'll follow my own instruction at some point. All right. And number nine, Jaguars, Jedrick Wills, Offensive Tackle, Alabama. All right, so another tackles off the board to the Jags. And then we have another trade to close out the top 10. Ooh, saucy and it involves your favorite team, Mark, the team you love more than anything else in the whole wide world. I think the, yes, the Browns.

I think there's DNA in that front office again to want to value trading down and thinking if they need a tackle, there's a lot of tackles that'll be left over. They trade with the Broncos, who I think are another team like the Falcons, that have been openly just honest about the fact that they might move up and they want one of these wide receivers. They're going to jump into 10 and take Jerry Judy, wide receiver Alabama. Big need filled. Like that.

Judy, the first off the board of the wide receivers. It's very John Elway to trade up in a really deep receiver draft for a receiver. You know, to just like go all out. But Jerry Judy and Cortland Sutton also sounds like a lot of fun, so I'm in it. I would say one thing on that. Like, I hear you that why do that? But the bottom line is there's got to be two or three of these guys that are way better than the rest. Judy seems like the safest.

Why would the Broncos telegraph their move for weeks? I don't know. I agree they're probably doing it. I just wonder why they're doing it. That's a good question. I mean, maybe to have people call them in reverse and say, we're in a fix. We don't like the player here.

Here's an option for you. All right. All right. Picking at number 11, my New York Jets, what do we got? Well, I know that if they go offensive tackle, it might annoy a lot of Jets fans. It was tempting because they definitely...

It will not annoy Jets fans. Well, they need one, but I think C.LAM to the Jets and what becomes a little bit of a wide receiver run after losing Robbie Anderson. I think that's something that it fills a need, but also this could be a really special player, and the Jets don't have a lot to market around right now.

All right. I have C.D. Lamb going to the Jets in the NFL network mock draft we did last week. It makes a lot of sense. But, yeah, I wonder if they're going to, if they can actually, when it comes down to it, pass on a lineman. That's going to be a tough thing for Douglas to do,

but wide receiver is obviously a huge hole for that. that team. So, all right, Mark, you can't go wrong there with either pick. Good job. I don't have Joe Douglas necessarily done with his handiwork today either. Ooh, that's a tease. All right. Let's keep moving. Let's go. Picks 12 through 15. All right. So the Raiders finished that little trio of receiver picks by taking Henry Ruggs three wide receiver out of Alabama. And that leaves the Niners in a fix because they were someone I thought definitely would have gone wide receiver,

thinking they'd be available there. And they just stay at home on defense ago. Javon Kinlaw, defensive tackle, South Carolina. That is for them something that I think they feel good about. And then the Browns sitting in that Denver's previous spot, they get the tackle that they wanted. They get Andrew Thomas to tackle out of Georgia. Thoughts, Greg Rosenthal?

I mean, Henry Ruggs on the Raider sounds like a lot of fun. just like pure speed you know that that team needs it more than others the kinlaw pick maybe maybe a little bit of a reach there by mark oh man I love the Kenlaw pick all right we got a little scientist cookoff here why do you love it Wes I think Kenlaw is going to be a stud and I'm not out here grinding tape I've seen quite a bit

I saw tape from the senior bowl where he was manhandling people this guy has a higher ceiling than Derek Brown I think so the Niners continue to beef up that defensive line after trading away one of their best players and where does that take us next, Mark Sessler? That takes us to the Lions who sit where Atlanta's pick was initially and, you know, had they been up at three, they definitely were going to go cornerback, I thought, with Jeff Okuda.

But they're going to take what many think is the second best or right up their cornerback in the draft. C.J. Henderson out of Florida. You mentioned that Dan Darius Slay out the door. The Lions like to move on from big talent and then fill it in with the same position. So this feels like a nice Detroit move right here at number 16. So how was a shot?

There's a little bit of a shot. A little bit. I mean, it's sort of how I feel about them, but they definitely need cornerback. In your scenario, the Browns and Lions would both trade down and then take a player, at least that conventional wisdom says, is a pretty steep drop-off from the tier at their position ahead of them. Well, I don't know. I mean, actually reading a little bit about Andrew Thomas, there are people that think Andrew Thomas is the best. tackle on the draft. You can't get any consensus on the lineman.

Wift on that one, buddy. Rap sheet had that today. Some people think that Thomas is the best. Swinging to miss. Fight rap sheet. What is Dan attempting to cook up over there, please? Hey, a reminder that the second annual Mark Sessler mock draft is presented by Rocket Mortgage. Oh, my God. Join Rocket Morgan and saying thank you to essential workers by posting a video to everyone knows a hero.com.

All right, let's get back to it, Mark. Where are we? All right, we're a pick number 17. I'm not sure Rocket Mortgage was planning for this show, but... Let's give a 17 through 21. Okay, here we go. Cowboys take Clavon Chasing the Edge out of LSU. Dolphins, they get their tackle at 18.

Austin Jackson, offensive tackle out of U.S.C. Then at 19, the Packers aggressively move up because they need to add speed. they need to add a wide receiver, and they like Justin Jefferson. They trade up where the Raiders were into 19, take Jefferson out of LSU, and then at 20, the Jaguars with that pick from the Rams, take A.J. Terrell, cornerback out of Clemson, and the Eagles take Kenneth Murray, linebacker, Oklahoma,

who we were reading reports today that it is one player that Rappaport says he has not heard a single negative word about from anyone who evaluated him wire to wire, so a well-liked individual. what do you guys think with when we're talking to Bob McGinn who covered the Packers forever and he said Aaron Rogers physically is as good as he's ever been so he hasn't slumped off there in any way that the coaching staff has never been the problem it's actually built to make him successful it's built around the quarterback said that the surrounding skill players it's been overstated how much help he really needs because he has one of the best wide receivers in the

league. He has a great running back. He's got an offensive line. McGinn wouldn't really get into it. Greg, you pointed out that he has history with Rogers and it wasn't always a great relationship. What do you think he was really saying? Because I had a theory that it was a little bit McGinn wouldn't say it because obviously he's a nice Midwestern man, but maybe that Aaron Rogers has lost the eye of the tiger. What else is there? Well, I don't think anything he said is controversial. I think anyone would agree with all that. The only thing that, I guess, would be different is that he says the coaching hasn't been the problem at all, which I guess would be a little different. But everything else is sort of obvious. I mean, it's decision-making,

I think, with Aaron Rogers. He's played so safe. And maybe it's Eye of the Tiger you're talking about, and he's leaving that unsaid because he wouldn't say that. But to me, it's just been decision-making. It's obvious that is physical abilities there. Yeah, I got the sense he's just about as mystified as everyone else. And that does come down to decision making. Like Greg said, he plays it so safe a lot of the times, but in situations where he should be safe, like on third downs, he's going for big plays down the field. It's situational football. And what I got out of is Bob McGinn just saying, it's all there. He just has to actually do it. And where he did it early in his career, he's failed too many times recently. All right, let's move 22 to 25,

including another quarterback joining the National Football League, Mark Sussler. All right. At number 22, the Vikings who just traded away Stefan Diggs to the bills, have that bills pick. And they take T. Higgins, wide receiver out of Clemson. They can't just ignore that position for too long. At number 23, where the Patriots are sitting, some people thinking when New England go quarterback, instead, John Gruden and Mike Mayock of the Raiders, trade in to number 23 and take Jordan Love, quarterback out of Utah State.

And I think that we for years have felt like Gruden might have eyes for another, and I think that plays out potentially in this draft. Then we move on to the next spot. People are going to just keep saying it until he actually takes somebody. So yeah. Right. At some point, we'll be proven correct. And it may be in a few days from now. We will find out.

And Erica is saying, what about Mariotta, you idiot? She just texted that to us. Well, I don't know what to say to you, Erica. Number 24. That's bad news for Marcus Mariotta is what it is. Well, it is. Number 24, the Saints take Patrick Queen, the linebacker out of LSU, and at 25, the Vikings, they've got another pick.

Jalen Johnson, quarterback out of Utah. I think they've lost three cornerbacks in a safety this off season, so they have to address that. Ooh, that Raiders pick is why Mark is making the big money with this mock track. Huge money. It's two teams you can see trading with each other,

you know, Mayak and the Patriots and all that. And it totally seems like a guy that John Gruden and Mayak might just fall in love But he, Jordan Love is like maybe the most fascinating guy in this draft because like the the talent he has just sort of oozes off the screen. I mean, he's like a Uber, I don't know, like Josh Allen type that you can just see the arm strength and the athleticism is like wild. But he's just, he's been wild and his decision making has been terrible.

But some team is probably going to see him and think like, oh, this guy's enough of a Mahomes type to just go for it. here's another juicy McGinn quote this one connected to Jordan Love he's the only quarterback I ever scouted who will throw into bigger windows as a pro than he did in college those guys did not get open for him if he ends up outside the top 10 we could be saying how the heck did Jordan Love last that long hubba hubba hubba it seems like a nice little flyer pick in the later reaches of the first round is there a flyer pick in the first round I guess not I don't know you've got Henry

rugs for him to throw to as well. So the Raiders would look quite different. It's also like a very Patriots move. This is the highest pick they've had in a little while and Patriots fans will be all excited. Ooh, did they take a quarterback? And now they just like trade down and take like some tiny cornerback that's out of the league in three years later. That rang true. All right. So the dolphins now are back on the board. I like this one a lot, Mark, because they address a serious need. They do. The Dolphins take D'Andre Swift running back out of George. I think heads and tails meant to be seen as the best running back in this draft and worthy of a first round pick.

And the dolphins need it. And you've suddenly got a new quarterback and a new running back to pair together, Aikman and Emmett style for the next four plus years. Then the Jets trade back into the first round. Yeah, Joe D. Because Joe Douglas is not done. And the Seahawks love trading out of that first round pick. I think they've done it eight times or something under John Snyder.

The Jets get in there and they take, You tore Gross Maddos. I love the name. Edge out of Penn State. Do the Jets need an edge rusher? Yes, they have. For how long? For about a decade plus.

You know what Jersey did get me for my birthday? Gross Maddos. Gross Maddos will pair nicely with Van Rotten. Yes, he will. And yes. This is the point, Mark, where if you're a true mock drafter and plugged in, you make a John Abraham reference. Go ahead.

I do not choose to do that. You've made the reference right there. The New York Jets have not had a pure edge pass rusher since John Abraham in 2006. Maybe Yatur Gros Matos fits the bill. All right. We're getting near the end of it now, Mark. Keep going. All right.

Number 28, the Ravens, I just think this is a Ravens type of player. I could be totally wrong about that. But Zach Bond, linebacker out of Wisconsin, he'll probably win defensive rookie of the year with the way things seem to go for Baltimore. So nice job by them. The Titans are looking for a little wide receiver help. They take Brandon Ayuk, wide receiver out of Arizona State. I couldn't tell you five things about him, even five words, but he sounds like a nice player.

We go from there, the Patriots. I leave that out. Let's edit that out of the final show. Why would you admit that? You just completely set your reputation. That's sort of my fatal flaws, like in the middle of a big moment. I'll explain why I shouldn't be doing this to begin with. We'll handle that in post.

Okay, yeah, just kill all that. Patriots, they're sitting in that Raiders spot. Number 30, and they take a very, I think, Patriots-S type of guy. A.J. Eponiza, defensive end out of Iowa. You know, Belichick, if you go back, he loves his Iowa players. Kirk Forens was there for years. Those guys are buds. There's some connecting some dots here.

Not sure they're meant to be connected, but. You like to see that, Greg. That's one of the picks I almost guarantee. I feel that good about it. All right. Can we do a sandwich on that? Now, just, you know, let's see how that plays out. So that's, to the Patriots, is an almost guarantee.

Let's get that sponsored, Ricky, because I'm looking for stuff to really build around this mock draft, ways to monetize it, ways to promote it. So this is your lock of the draft. I mean, AJ and Penaata out of Iowa. Why not? Let's make that the lock. I feel good about it. To the Patriots at 30. Is that what it is?

30, that is correct. Okay. Bill's are loving this draft for the Patriots. Like, oh, yeah, go help your defense some more and leave your offense the way it is. There's been 17 tackles taken, too. What is going on? Wait a second.

The Jets trade into the first round again. I thought they were trying to call out. I'm sorry. Yeah, that was a spoiler alert. Yeah, at number 31, the Jets trade back in. They need a tackle. And they're basically saying... Are they going to be out of draft picks after this?

Because I imagine their capital's going to be running low at this point. Here's what we're thinking, let's get three or four players we love. Let's not do this thing where you drafts 8. players from round five through seven and none of them are employed by your team two years later. Get the guys we like. They take Joshua Jones' offensive tackle out of Houston. And I would say this.

There are mock drafts out there with more tackles taken than I've suggested. It's interesting because Daniel Jeremiah, a good friend of Joe Douglas, he was just quoted as saying that Joe Douglas, he can't wait till the middle rounds and late rounds of the draft because that's when he does his favorite work. But you're saying he's just

going to like throw all that out and he's just going to focus on Thursday. night. Well, in Mark, in Mark, he took a mid-round tackle. He just took him in the first round. He is not a mid-round tackle. He is not a mid-round tackle. He's got a first-round grade on them by many.

And I mean, this, if anything, Dan, I was trying to win you over with, like, what would be a Titanic Jets draft. And it's not working. I'm not judging. I'm not judging or saying anything negative. I just, it feels a little desperate to trade twice into the first round. But jets are a little desperate. If he wants it, if that's what he wants, that's what he gets.

But, I mean, it. And the back pages of the sports tabloids would go nuts if the Jets wound up with three first round judges. If they had Joshua Jones in their building, yeah. People would be going insane. All right. And the final pick, and I, you know, I couldn't, I moved. I had this in and out, like the Chiefs doing all sorts of stuff here. They stay right at home and they pick that center that they need.

Lloyd Cushenberry. That is not a real person. I did not believe that it was either, but the more research I did, he does appear to exist. Sounds like John Cusack character from the 80s. Lord Cushenberry. Good pick for those chiefs. Not a lot of first round grades on him. Old Cush.

Not a good interior line draft, apparently. And then, Mark, in your notes, and this is now separate from, this is just... Your notes are better than the mock. Yeah, this is more like now we're getting to, you know, fantastical cessar realm, so have fun with this, everybody, but be aware that the brand that we're cultivating here, which is the mock draft, is separate from... Mark Sessler Funland, which begins now with items. Yeah, these are in-draft items that will occur

and some fallout that will occur after the draft. But don't stake your reputation of this. This is just having fun, everybody. Do not stake Mark's reputation. Unless they go very strongly. Unless they go well. And one of them is a tease here. He's ahead of the curve.

Go ahead. All right. I think that number one, we're going to look at Dave and Ajoku traded to the Patriots. We all know why New England needs a tight. Right end, the Browns just picked up Austin Hooper. Yannick, Noghawk who? Exactly.

Gronk is not in the picture for Belle Belichick. He's annoyed at him. Yannick Nagakwe traded to the Seahawks for two second rounders, which is really, you know, John Schneider is going to trade down with the Jets. I've already told you that. And they'll have another presence in the second round, and then they'll have two other, they have two other second rounders, which they will use to get Naguqway out of Jacksonville. Everyone's happy.

Leonard Fournett will be cut. No one's trading for that guy. but he will wind up on the bills to compliment Devin Singletary. So he essentially replaces Frank Gore. Yeah, I think it's just like not a workhorse guy. Frank Gore is not there.

No, I'm saying he's going to replace Frank Gore. Yeah. By some definitions, that would be replacing him. He was on the team last year. Now he's not on the team. He's no longer, I would expect, well, we'll see. He's going to fill Frank Gore's role

that he had in the 2019 season. Right, right. You're going to want him in that leadership role. The inconvenient truth may be hanging him up. A bit of a leadership void to go from... One of the great tropes of sports. What are they going to do in that locker room without Frank Gore's leadership?

They'll replace it with Leonard Fournett. No disrespect, Greg. A few more items here before we get out of here. Marquis Scudwin traded to the Redskins. Don't care. Kevin Coleman traded to the Titans. Well, you know what? When these become true, I just...

You only need to get one true, and you already have. Exactly. O.J. Howard traded to the Texans. Yikes. Rob Grunkowski joins the Bucks by the end of May. There we go. He might be by the end of April. I mean, a little breaking news here, Erica, Tamposi.

Let's do it. All right, go ahead, Greg. Ian Rappaport is reporting that Rob Grunkowski has already requested to Bill Belichick to be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. How about that? We'll see if they do it, but why not? Well, that explains the O.J. Howard rumor. Tampa Bay could draft an all offensive line and defensive players and win the Super Bowl.

Gronk. This is great. Godwin, Evans, Edelman. They're going to get Edelman, too. I think there's a chance Grant comes back and he's very gronky and the year away was great for him. I could totally see that. There's a chance that, you know, he gets hurt within a few minutes and he's hobbling around like he was in 2020. There's also a chance Bill Belichick's is no freaking way.

So this is early in this story, but it is a juicy one. It makes sense. It was probably part of the conversations with Brady when it's a free agent that Granc wants back in. He wants in the league. They put Howard on the block, but interesting. Yeah, this will be. Ian says it could happen within 24 hours,

which indicates to me that the Patriots are very open to it, which also makes a lot of sense to me because I think Belichick would be happy to just get a pick for him versus like trying, you know, what you would expect would be a decent pick instead of like hoping that Rob Gruncowski can stay healthy again. It feels like a Belichick thing to do if they could get a decent pick for him. I'm not sure Ian broke this just to be clear, but I understand how the industry works. Well, we're in the middle of a show. He's the first one I saw. I sent this to you an hour ago. Who broke it? Yeah, you broke it. Well, you didn't report that he's talked to the Buccaneers. No, I just simply saw the future. You said the end of May.

It's April 20 something. I don't think he's going to be waltzing a back since the day he retired. Don't try to upstage me. Don't try to upstage me. So it turned out that he will come back and wants to play Tom Brady, but it just so happens that Tom Brady is now on a different team.

Getting caught in a park trying to work out by himself. Is that what he was doing? Well, that's the information that we have. What are you suggesting? Yeah, what else? What is, what do you think he was up to? I don't know. It's like, I got nothing.

No, I think you know where, you know, you could read between these lines. No, I can't. It's like an empty park in the middle of the pandemic. What is he doing? It's empty. He's got some privacy. All right. Now, Mark, you've done it.

The second annual mock draft is in the books. And I'm feeling good. I still think you said it five out of 32. Do you want to move that up just a little bit, potentially? so he can market you a little bit better because it's hard to really get behind a guy as a draft czar when he's guaranteeing a bit like, all right, nine's great.

Nine's more than a quarter of them right. Now we're cooking with fire here. Nine, if I can include Gruncowski as one, which is a factual accuracy. Are you a little concerned, Mark, you've already, within minutes, been upstaged on the mock draft episode by news bigger than anything in the mock draft.

Yeah, I mean, when we call about the second annual well it's always the also possibly the final version of the episode so i you know the fact that this got made feels like a win a coup all right well thanks mark for all your work and we'll be certainly tracking all of your selections very closely and seeing how close they are we're looking for nine out of 32 which is what about 28% clip we're looking at what do we what is the success rate there it's in the 25 to 30 range nine out of 32 it'd be yes between 25 and 30 well that would it, by the way, be blowing away everyone at NFL.com and they might consider publishing this next year if that happens. I'm not saying that their thinking is sound about not putting it up to

begin with. And the only thing that matters is that you beat Jeremiah. And that's what I'll be going head to head. I need a W over quote unquote move the sticks. You got to move the sticks fast him. Dan, speaking of him, I just texted him and I said, this can't be real, gronk, right? Tell me it's not real DJ my poor patriot broken heart can't take it and he said a couple of things that i can't bizarre because me and DJ texts were buds and he said your health heart is a worthy price for a good talking point out i'd agree with that out i think you're texting someone else that's definitely it's definitely helping um it's definitely helping the top of our twitter show which is coming up in a little. That's great. All right, Mark, thank you very much and thank you everybody at home for

following along. The Mark Sessler Mockdraft, the second annual. Excellent work, buddy. And yes, don't forget the 2020 NFL draft Thursday night. It's virtual, baby. Till next year. 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 Sunday.

Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.