NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Mock Draft: Jeremiyah Love at No. 3? Caleb Downs Goes Early and WRs Fall

Episode Date: April 9, 2026

Gregg Rosenthal and Nick Shook react to news from around the NFL including Falcons RT Kaleb McGary retiring from the NFL, Dexter Lawrence's status with Giants, the Texans exercising C.J. Stroud's fift...h-year option and more! Plus, Gregg and Nick do a deep dive into Nick's first mock draft of the offseason. NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I am Greg Rosenthal. I know that, Greg. We're teaming up on 40s and free agents, the podcast that owns the NFL offseason. This is where teams are built.
Starting point is 00:00:15 Free agency, combine, pro days, trades. Every move matters. From my draft boards and mock drafts to my vaunted top 101 free agents and how rosters come together. Quarterback movement. Surprise signings. We'll tell you what it means. And who really.
Starting point is 00:00:30 really wins. Open your free IHeart radio app, search 40s and free agents, and listen now. Welcome to NFL Daily, where it is officially mock draft season. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm in the garage. I'm back on the show. I'm with my friend Nick Shook, and yes, we're going to be talking about his mock draft today. We don't like doing our mocks too early, Shook, but they're going to be hot and heavy because we are only two weeks away from the NFL draft. We might do three mcks. in that time. Let's go. It just hit me. I looked out of the date and I was like, 4-9, the draft is the 20. Oh my God, we really are only two weeks away. We are right in the prime window for mock drafts. Yes, we're not messing around with any other shows other
Starting point is 00:01:14 than draft coverage at this point. Next week, we're doubling up with our friend, Ali Connolly. We've got a great 40s in free agents with Mina Kimes and Daniel Jeremiah. Like I said, I'm going to be working on a mock. Shook's going to be helping me out, maybe talking some offensive linemen. It's all draft. All the, time. And yeah, that's a good note that the draft is the 23rd. And what that means is like the clock, the calendar is changing this year. The NFL season, I did notice, is starting like five or five days later than last season. It would have been six if not for the Wednesday game. So we're getting a little extra in the back end, but this front end is shorter. The drafts even sooner than
Starting point is 00:01:52 yeah, yeah, because typically the draft is like the absolute last week of April. It's like 28th, 29th, sometimes creeping into May. Now we get a week earlier for all the draft heads. They don't have to wait one more week. So good for them. and the schedule just continues to expand for us. Nothing like schedule talk right off the top. You know the news isn't really popping when we're doing that. But you and Jordan did a great job going over.
Starting point is 00:02:12 A pretty meaty chunk of news. I was a little jealous. Not as much today. So let's put a clock on this news. I'm going to limit myself to seven minutes max on this news because I want to get to your mock draft. And it'll give us a chance to really talk about motivations and some of these players in a way that we haven't before.
Starting point is 00:02:27 But before that, a little bit of news. There was a lot of Falcons news. So we'll just start there. Caleb McGarry, who's been their starting right tackle for over half a decade, surprisingly retired after six seasons to help replace him. They signed Juan Taylor, who was with the Chiefs for one year. And I also did want to mention James Pierce is not with the team as they are getting together for, it's not OTAs yet.
Starting point is 00:02:55 I've seen people call it OTAs. It's not OTAs. It's just the workout program, but he is not with the team right now as he faces three felony charges. So just a trio there of Falcons news, but the biggest one really is that they had a potential starter in McGarry that will no longer be playing for them. Continue a little bit of a trend of some surprising relatively early retirements this off season. And this retirement only makes sense if you consider how his season ended last year, which was in August. During practice, he suffered an injury that required a car to exit the field and he did not play
Starting point is 00:03:25 the rest of the season. This is a guy who played in double-digit games in every other season that he played. And despite only playing six seasons the NFL, he had a longer college career. He's already 31 years old. So he's at that age where as an offensive line, I mean, you started to think about the wear and tear on your body, and you come off of a major injury like that. And some guys are just like, you know what, it's really not worth it anymore. But I
Starting point is 00:03:43 did find it kind of funny when recapping his career and writing up the quick little retirement post for NFL.com, I ran through the quarterbacks he blocked for. And I thought president of football, Matt Ryan, was one of the guys he protected in the early days of his career. Very funny that, you know, Matt Ryan's now giving a statement
Starting point is 00:03:59 as president of football and Caleb McGarry's retirement. Yeah, he had two contract extensions, which doesn't happen too often in the NFL. So he got some long-term money, but they're going to have to fill that spot. And you just think about their team overall. I kind of group the Pierce news with it. Just a couple absences that they didn't necessarily expect,
Starting point is 00:04:19 although they do have really good continuity otherwise on the offensive line. They're a team that is a total mystery box to me in Pierce's status will be a big part of that. I think Juan Taylor has actually a good sign. It's probably not going to be for a lot of money. He was overpaid in Kansas City, but he can play a little bit. Let's get to the Dexter Lawrence conversation. You guys talked about him requesting a trade.
Starting point is 00:04:41 Let's listen to John Harbaugh, the Giants coach. The players are in the building in New York, lifting weights, and Dexter Lawrence isn't there. We'll find out. I think the prospects are going to be high because the Giants, speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. and I believe Dexter wants to be here. You know, that's a good formula.
Starting point is 00:05:03 But there's business involved. It's a business proposition. We know it's pro football. These things happen every year, pretty much on every team. So not surprised by it. Saw it coming a few weeks back, probably, and good conversations with Dexter's agent, Joel Siegel, and understood what they were thinking.
Starting point is 00:05:20 And this is where we're at. So we'll just try to work through it and see where we can get done. Harba, they're reacting and responding to a question. what are the chances that Dexter Lawrence remains on the team? So he's somewhat confident. The thing I would throw at you that I think hasn't been brought up too much in this conversation is, you know, Giants fans and I think the Giants in general
Starting point is 00:05:41 weren't that happy with Dexter Lawrence's play last year. Like that's been a little lost in the shuffle that he was not, he was certainly not the defensive player of the year candidate that he was previously. I'd have to dive into the tape a little closer, but not as big of a factor in the running game from the people who really pay attention to it. Maybe it got better later in the season.
Starting point is 00:06:01 He was coming off a big injury. But that complicates things a little bit. When you want more money, you're not happy with the team, and you're an aging player who's maybe not coming off his best season. Yeah. And I think that the condensed way of reviewing his season from a fan perspective is just looking at his numbers. And anytime a guy goes from having nine sacks the previous year
Starting point is 00:06:21 to a half sack in 17 games, you're going to draw some criticism. I also think about their defensive performance as a whole. They finished 28th in the league in yards per game allowed. So this was just not a good unit. And of course, he's going to attract some criticism because he is one of the faces of it, of a unit that underperformed. But I don't know if, I mean, you're right. I kind of have to dive into the tape more to really kind of understand exactly what happened there. It's not a good time necessarily for him to demand a trade. And he's already gotten an extension once. So there's a
Starting point is 00:06:49 little bit of like leverage play on both sides. But I have to think that with a new regime, at least a new coach in town, same general manager, that they're going to try to find a way to figure this out just because if he can bounce back he's still going to be a key part of this defense even as you know he gets later into his career for what it's worth and a lot of people don't really buy into the pff grades in general a lot of people are buying into pff right now after what's happening this off season but for what it's worth you know his breakout season was 2022 in the three seasons starting with 22 his rush run defense grade was 81 89 and a half and 84 Last year, they had them at 57.
Starting point is 00:07:29 Yep. Just throwing that out there. That kind of tells you right there. Throwing that out there, at least from that perspective. Also, while we're talking Giants, I really wish Patrick Claibon could be on the show today to just say rest in peace to the Daniel Falay-Lay-Raven's tenure. He is officially a member of the Giants and John Harbaugh is bringing over every former Raven.
Starting point is 00:07:48 So Fulay, who was enemy of the state number one in Baltimore last year, is no longer in Baltimore. All right, it's time for the off-season ride. long presented by Toyota. There's a fifth-year option spree going on right now. No surprise that C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson got it for the Texan. C.J. Stroud will be paid $25 million in 2026. It's just a reminder how much the quarterback money has changed because, like, that
Starting point is 00:08:18 fifth-year option was kind of locked in of like what that number was going to be. And now I look at $25 million, which seems like a lot. He's the number three overall pick for a one-year-caught. I'm thinking like, that's not backup money, but it's not even starter money anymore. So it makes it even easier. If anyone was thinking about C.J. Stroud and his future, it really, the fifth year option made it easier for them to not really get into long-term contract negotiations and $25 million. Like, even if this year went horribly wrong, is actually not that much money in today's
Starting point is 00:08:48 quarterback, you know, salary structure. Do you know where $25 million puts him in the current APY rankings among quarterbacks, just off the top of your head? I'm going to guess 17th. Well, unfortunately, over the cap doesn't number their list. But it's right between Baker Mayfield and Malik Willis in terms of APY. Malik Willis at 22 and a half, Baker at 33.3. So a pretty big gap there.
Starting point is 00:09:10 And it feels about right. And you're right. That's cheap. And it buys them another year to figure out whether they want to keep him. Because after that, just amazing rookie season, he has not proven that he is that guy consistently. Now, you can blame some of it on the offensive line and everything else. But this is kind of a prove-a-year for him, especially with the way last, season ended in that playoff loss at New England.
Starting point is 00:09:29 Brian Brisee got a fifth year option from the Saints. He's had an up and down career for the Saints, but they did pick up the pass rusher there. I should have mentioned with the Texans, by the way, Marte Mapu, a Patriots player was traded to them this week after it was announced that Mapu was going to be cut a guy who really didn't make much of a big impact for the Patriots. Yeah, but you know what? He'll try to help out in the back end.
Starting point is 00:09:54 He had a player too. Yeah, I like the idea. I like the idea. because defense. Keep an eye on them. I like it. Okay. Keep an eye on them. And that was the offseason ride-along presented by Toyota. Because when people are the destination, your ride is important.
Starting point is 00:10:07 Learn more at Toyota.com and find the vehicle that fits your people. Jordan Tyson, who's a divisive, I would say, wide receiver prospect coming out. It's had some injuries, hasn't been able to get off his hamstring injury. We'll have a workout for teams next week. So that's just something to keep an eye on
Starting point is 00:10:24 for next week. With Teams back in the building this week. You know, people made a little too big of a deal that Lamar Jackson was there lifting weights. He's been there lifting weights in the past sometimes. It's just whether he stays the whole offseason or not. But he was there on day one. You're looking quizzically that, hey, now he's all in. No, I don't question this at all because I think there's a vibe coming from Baltimore that new coach,
Starting point is 00:10:50 everybody needs to get their butts in the building and get to work. It seems like that was the sentiment that was expressed by guys like Kyle Hamilton yesterday. when talking with reporters is that the standard, we have a standard that's set and we failed to reach or, you know, get above that standard over the last few years and now it's time to correct that. So I'm not surprised at all.
Starting point is 00:11:07 This is one of those like resets where Jesse met her new coach. Everybody get in here. Let's start working now because we want, you know, to be a better team than we were last year. And there are nine teams working out. These are all teams with new head coaches.
Starting point is 00:11:20 Everyone else doesn't work out for two more weeks. I don't know why the gap is so big. But it really bothers me. I've seen a lot of like, oh, people reporting for OTAs. Not OTAs, they're just lifting weights. But we got nine teams in the building. It almost makes me think football is back. Mm.
Starting point is 00:11:36 Getting closer. Did we just get a premature football is back? I don't know. April 9th. Nine teams in the, you know, guys are like talking at a podium in their own building. That's a sign. More than a quarter. It's getting close.
Starting point is 00:11:48 One of those people, by the way, is Kyle Pitts, who signed his franchise tag and is working out. Devin A. Chan is not. He's staying away looking for. a new contract most likely. But at this point in the off season, I'm not really too concerned about who's there and who's that. I'm more concerned about shook, who's here. Let's just get right into this mock.
Starting point is 00:12:06 We wasted enough time. Too much time. You didn't have to worry about number one. The mock's been out for a minute here, but I just thought it'd be a fun exercise. We haven't done any mocks on this show. And now that you're breaking out as a mock draft live star, we got to do it here.
Starting point is 00:12:23 And there isn't much to talk about with the number one overall pick. have for Nando Mendoza going to the Raiders, and we're going to go more in depth with him next week. We're going to have a quarterback show. So I'm just going to skip right past that because no one is even considering him not being there. The draft really starts at number two,
Starting point is 00:12:41 and I have noticed a little bit of a trend, and now you're part of it. Maybe you kickstarted it. At number two to the Jets, where did you go and why? We went with Texas Tech Edge Rusher, David Bailey. And I think about the history of the Jets when I made this selection. Obviously, they've spent a lot of resources on improving that defense.
Starting point is 00:12:59 It's Aaron Glenn's, you know, Forte, you got Devonari Swett, David Anamatta, DeMario Davis, Joseph Osai. You can continue to go down the list, a couple of additions in the back end, too, including Mika Fitzpatrick, right? So that's been a focus. But when I think about the history of the Jets and where they draft in the first round, I always come back to edge rushers and Vernon Goldston, who came from Ohio State and was a bust.
Starting point is 00:13:19 And so obviously that was a long time ago. That was a different regime. But Jets fans will also remember that when thinking about drafting an edge rusher in the first round. So I pivot toward the guy with the most production coming out of college football, and that is David Bailey, who had a phenomenal final season at Texas Tech. And he's just, he's a guy who is a speed rusher. He sets up a lot of his moves off of his athleticism.
Starting point is 00:13:38 And when you're playing tackle and you face a guy with that type of speed, first thing in your mind is I have to retreat and win the race to that spot. But when you often focus on that, you also expose yourself to moves back inside. He's got an array of moves that have powered him in his collegiate career. And I've seen him mocked it too for a while now, basically since the combine, a lot of People thought that that's where he might go. It was a debate between him and Arvill Reese. I don't think Reese is purely an edge rusher.
Starting point is 00:14:01 And if the Jets are looking for an edge rusher with production behind him and expectation to immediately produce at the NFL level, it's David Bailey. They have edge rushers, though. But you know who agrees with you? Daniel Jeremiah and Peter Schrager both put him recently as their projection to the Jets at number two. They think he's a little more polished from the get-go. I think he's a little more boom or bust.
Starting point is 00:14:23 You know, he had a lot of production against some lesser competition. And he has an incredible first step. But to me, Arvel Reese is more special. But maybe he's a guy who's going to develop a little slower and you have to figure out how you're going to use him. But it does feel like that he is becoming the consensus pick. You did not go consensus at number three. You went wild.
Starting point is 00:14:49 Jeremiah loved to the Cardinals at three. The Notre Dame. running back, really interesting. And if this does happen on draft day, I think it's going to make the rest of the first round much more interesting. The boring pick here is taking a tackle. Why did you go love at three?
Starting point is 00:15:07 First off, I don't think there's a tackle that's worth taking at three. And I know I follow the logic of, well, if he's your guy, go get your guy. But I do think that there's some merit to avoiding overdrafting a guy. I just don't think that there's that generational Joe Thomas type that's available at three.
Starting point is 00:15:21 So that should be deserving. of going to three. And then you think, well, they could use a linebacker. And you think, well, maybe Arvel Reese is where you fit him in because he's a guy that you can move around as a chess piece. He's an excellent offball linebacker. Maybe it's Sunny Stiles. I go love, and I've got a lot of hate from Cardinals fans
Starting point is 00:15:37 and just critics online, as is the case with anything that you write. Because the Cardinals have already bolstered their running back room this offseason, right? They have James Connor coming back from injury. You go and you sign Tyler Algier. You also have Trey Benson back there. none of that makes me feel super excited about this offense though and that's no disrespect to any of those guys the way the cardals have operated over the last couple of years has been did james connor run well they may have won did james kanaer run poorly they definitely lost like their whole offense has been
Starting point is 00:16:06 predicated on whether connor you know succeeded or not i'm not going to put all my chips in the center of a table on a guy coming back who's probably in the back nine of his career in james connor i'm not going to say tyler algiers suddenly going to fix that even though i love tyler algiers as a change of pace back nor am I going to say that about Trey Benson. This is a home run hitting, arguably best player in the draft type of prospect in Jeremiah Love. You don't know what you're doing at quarterback right now. Jacobi Percette, Gardner Minshue, neither long-term answers. So why not go get a really good running back, who is a three-downback,
Starting point is 00:16:36 who can be just as effective in the passing game as he isn't the running game? Answer that, give yourself a weapon, and then figure out everything else, you know, later in the draft and in future years. Todd McShay of the ringer says that someone with power inside the, the Cardinals front office, or at least decision-making group, he said. It could always be an owner or coach. He's a huge love fan and is kind of pushing for love. So there's some actual reporting that backs you up.
Starting point is 00:17:04 I'm fine with it because to me, in a draft without many super duper to stars, you just take the difference maker. You don't think about it. You have the example literally with Tyler Alger that Bejohn was worth having with Tyler Alger. James Conner is not making like even $3 million this year. They cut his salary. It was, I'm not sure he's a lock to make the team.
Starting point is 00:17:29 We'll see if he's healthy. Trey Benson is not a long-term consideration. The logic to it, I like, and I think it makes sense if they fell in love with them. Now, I think A Ava Ries could be that big of a super-duper star and that big of a difference maker, and they have a massive need there too. So I think you go either way, but I don't mind the thought process. and to me it doesn't make sense for love to fall farther, and you don't have Reese falling any farther.
Starting point is 00:17:54 You have them going to the Titans. The question I would pose to you, and that's at number four, so, you know, Reese falls to them. I think they would love to have the choice between Reese and Sunny Stiles. I just think of Sunny Stiles as such a clean fit there in Tennessee.
Starting point is 00:18:08 In that, you know, who's the comp for him? Maybe he's like a more rocked up Fred Warner. Obviously, you're not assuming he's going to be as good as Fred Warner. But like the... Athletic profile, yeah. You know, he could be that sort of player, and you have Robert Sala there. Why Reese over Stiles? You know, it's for the Titans specifically.
Starting point is 00:18:29 Yeah, for the Titans at 4. This is, we enter this range 3, 4, 5, where I'm going to say the same thing about each of these picks, which is that you can't let this guy pass you. Like, he's just too good of an athlete and too high of a ceiling to let him fall past you and take somebody else. It starts with Love at 3. It continues with Reese at 4. The conversation between Reese and Stiles, Stiles is a converted safety, right? and was a key part of Ohio State's defense over the last few years,
Starting point is 00:18:53 one of the best defenses in the country. But when you watched Ohio State this past season, Reese was the better player. Reese was the guy that was all over the field, making more of an impact on a per-down basis. And I think he's just scratching the surface. Previous seasons, he was not really a notable name, and then he blows up this past season.
Starting point is 00:19:09 And I think it's the combination that we saw in the testing profile, the combine of athleticism, but it's also his dynamic abilities. He is really good as an off-ball linebacker, like really, really good. he's also a talented edge rusher who is just getting started. Doesn't really have a lot of polish to his edge rushing game, which is why I want to keep him within the hole.
Starting point is 00:19:27 You can play him off ball. You can move him around, like early Michael Parsons before Michael Parsons became just the edge rusher that he is now. And I think that that would really help this defense. With Robert Sala also being another coach who directed a big investment in the defense in the off season, going and getting his guys in the Jets like Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin Myers. I don't know how he feels about Cody Barton or Cedric Gray.
Starting point is 00:19:47 And that would be kind of thing. Cedric Gray is a good player, but you need two linebackers, so that's fine. Yes. And that would kind of make more sense with the styles pick if they didn't like one of those two guys, right? Whereas with Reese, you can use them all over the place. You can rush him alongside Jermaine Johnson and just make, you know, offensive lines that you're facing, just enter nightmare scenarios with both those guys coming off the edge. So I just like the potential on the ceiling more, which is why in the choice between these two guys,
Starting point is 00:20:09 you take the guy with the higher ceiling, maybe not as high of a floor, but a higher ceiling. Yeah, I think in just terms of, like, who's been the best players? Who are the most, who's the best talent? Right. I think Arvel Reese, Jeremiah Love, and Caleb Downs have an argument to be the top three players in this class. Now, you have Stiles going to the Giants, which is so good. I love this. They need linebackers. They don't need to force a tackle. I think they're in a nice spot compared to these other teams that they're good at tackle. And so I think adding styles helps us answer the question. Like, is Dernard Wilson, the defensive coordinator, like a good coordinator? He had a lot of excuses in Tennessee.
Starting point is 00:20:49 He comes from Baltimore. Like, no, I'm just saying like he didn't really have the players to show it, but he was creative. But I think, look, if you have Sunny Stiles and you have this front, is John Harbaugh a good defensive coach? Because everything, you know, our friend Ali says is that Harbaugh essentially was like a co-defensive coordinator in the last handful of years. He's in the defensive meetings. Like it's not evenly offense defense. And he's had a big hand in their defense throughout the years. And so they just would be loaded.
Starting point is 00:21:24 And they will have an opportunity at five to add to that defense. And I think it's kind of perfect for them, actually, if they don't, if basically if Stiles falls to them instead of like, let's say, one of the edges. Yeah. And I don't care that they signed Tremant's because I think that's an insurance signing that you make in March before you get to the draft. and you hope that a guy like Stiles is there. It doesn't matter to me. And I think that the fan reception to mock drafts is often like, well, they just added these guys.
Starting point is 00:21:51 Why would they add another guy at the position? That doesn't matter to me. You're going for blue chip talent. And Sunny Stiles has plenty of blue chip talent. He's a guy that also is going to be able to play on three downs for you. He's just as good as a coverage man as he has a tackler and a run stopper. He can basically do it all. And it fits the athletic profile, the testing that we saw from the combine.
Starting point is 00:22:08 You know, a good amount of production at Ohio State. He was the heart of that defense over the last couple of years. I mean, you look at the personnel that was on this team. You think about Downs and Reese also being their crazy unit, but Stiles was the face of it. I think he could quickly become the face of a Giants defense that, oh, by the way, includes Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, if he has the bounce back year that we hope he has.
Starting point is 00:22:25 Addo Carter, your first round pick last year, you've invested a little bit in your secondary. Like, I like the way that this defense is starting to shape up, but maybe I've been higher on the Giants defense than most people because the stats don't back it up. But you got a guy like Stiles to it. I'm going to be even higher on them. I think there's a greater chance
Starting point is 00:22:40 that Dexter Lawrence gets traded. by the way, then seems to be getting put it out there. I don't care what Arbaugh said. I just think there would be a market for him. He fits the profile of a guy who would get traded because two years left. He's already making a lot of money. He seemed like a pain for the team last year a little bit.
Starting point is 00:22:59 I know it's a new team. He's a good player. I'm not saying it. He just fits the profile. He was on Bill Barnwell and I's list of guys who could get traded this off scene. It was talked about. So that's just a random aside
Starting point is 00:23:10 that I never got to. Let's do your top seven, and then we'll take a break. Carnell Tate, you have going to the Browns, and the Ohio State wide receiver, first receiver off the board, you know, is there anything that gets in your way of thinking, you know, Tate is worthy of a selection this high? Everyone is saying they're going to take a tackle and a receiver. In this case, they get to take whatever receiver they want.
Starting point is 00:23:37 Yeah, and if you're going to take a tackle and a receiver, and that's your plan, I think if you're going to try to maximize your picks, you go receiver first. And I chose Tate because I know the 40 time is not great. The 40 time is very similar to what Devante Adams ran coming out of Fresno State. They have a lot of similarities in their style of play. Let's think about even this past season. Where did Matthew Stafford turn in the red zone? He went to Devante Adams.
Starting point is 00:23:59 Why? Because he knows Devante Adams is going to make the contested catch and score the touchdown. And Tate is kind of the same guy. That's his greatest strength that he displayed at Ohio State, especially this last season. There's that highlight of him catching that touchdown pass between two guys. against Wisconsin at Camp Randall. And when I saw that play happen in real time,
Starting point is 00:24:15 I go, that's who that player is right there. And that's why he's worthy of the sixth overall pick in this draft. Now, is he a number one? Not really, but do I need him to be a number one right now? No, the Browns just need talented pass catchers, especially with their uncertainty at quarterback. So I'm very much on board with this. I don't care what anybody else says about needing an offensive lineman,
Starting point is 00:24:35 because you can get offensive linemen that are quality with your second first round pick because there's a pool of them that are probably still going to be available. maybe some guys that sneak up into the first round that you take, but you can't let this guy pass up because this guy has his main talent. Being a contested catchmaker will immediately translate to the next level,
Starting point is 00:24:51 no matter who's throwing you the football. Well, and the thing was that he was a vertical receiver. That reminds me of Devante Adams too. It's like, yeah, Devonti Adams didn't have a fast 40 time. You know what he was in the NFL a lot? Open down the field. Yeah. He was always making big plays.
Starting point is 00:25:03 And so is Tate. I mean, Tate is a big play merchant. So it's a great combination. and we said it about Abuka and JSN a little bit that they weren't like the classic number one profile and yeah, especially JSN. They're both pretty awesome. It has fit that and Abuka was a big play guy too.
Starting point is 00:25:22 So yeah, I'm with you. I think that makes sense. You keep the Ohio State train going at number seven. It's Caleb Downs. Let's just review your top seven, by the way. We have Mendoza to the Raiders. We have David Bailey from Texas Tech to the Jets. We have Jeremiah Love.
Starting point is 00:25:38 from Notre Dame, going to the Cardinals. Arvel Reese to the Titans, Sunny Stiles to the Giants, Carnell, Tate, the receiver, go into the Browns, and then the commanders going with Caleb Downs. That is spicy.
Starting point is 00:25:56 Others, he's interesting, Caleb Downs. Like, some people think he's right there as one of the best players in the draft. I also did hear a little bit of, buzz of like, I think there's some teams that won't see him that high. It's the positional. Is he that big of a difference?
Starting point is 00:26:11 Like, and actually think he could fall a decent amount because we've seen it with safeties in the past. Why, why Washington? Why would you have him a little earlier than people say, I'm guessing if you went to the sports books that you do the over under on where he gets taken? If he gets taken here, you're going to win if you took the over. Yeah. Well, first off, he's not going to slide past 10 because Cincinnati is not going to let him
Starting point is 00:26:35 go. And Washington's not going to let him go because their defense was the worst in the NFL last year. That's Dan Quinn's calling card. That's an embarrassment that they were the worst in the NFL last year. They're another team that is invested heavily in the defense this year. Odafe Owe, Kalevon-Shayson, Leo Cheneal, Nick Cross, Amick Robertson, five new projected starters that they've added this offseason. But I don't care that they've added those many guys because Downs is a three-level safety, who I very much believe is one of the best players in this draft. He, like Reese, like Stiles, like Love, are the type of player that you You just can't let slide past you.
Starting point is 00:27:07 And especially for a team that has this big of a need, I'm not really worried about fit. We live in sub packages so much. We see teams go three safeties all the time. This is just a playmaker who is not afraid to get his nose dirty. He was one of the best tackling defenders I've seen in college football this past season. I couldn't tell you how many times he'd wind up at the line of scrimmage on a short pass and just blow smoke screens up, for example.
Starting point is 00:27:28 He's a player that I just think the world of. And he can come in and be an instant difference maker for a Washington defense that certainly needs one. Yeah, and I think like styles with the Giants, Downs with the commanders would be a bit of a culture tone setter for the entire group. I know it's not a new head coach, but it is a new defensive coordinator in Durante Jones who could use downs. They're fairly deep at safety. They signed Nick Cross. You know, Mike Santer still has played on the outside and in the slot. Amique Robertson was signed to maybe play the slot.
Starting point is 00:28:01 They have Will Harris, Kwan Martin at safety. I think having more guys is a good thing. The question there would be, do you leave Rubin Bain on the table when you absolutely need an edge? That's a tough decision right there between Bain and Downs. Yeah, what did Von Miller have with Washington last year?
Starting point is 00:28:19 Seven and a half sacks or something like that? Like, Von Miller, at his advanced age, still making a difference. That kind of shows that you can get production out of an edge rush, and you also need an edge rusher. But I do not want them to go edge rusher now because, again, I think Downs is just that talented of a player.
Starting point is 00:28:32 Bain ends up going the next pick, and you want to talk about a divisive polarizing player, it's Ruben Bain because of his short arms. Now, a lot of people have worried about his short arms and dinged him for it and seen him falling into the teens and mock drafts because of it. But New Orleans still hasn't resigned Cam Jordan. He's near the end of his career anyway. You need that presence off of the edge. They have Chase Young under contract for two more years.
Starting point is 00:28:52 I love the idea of Ruben Bain on one side, Chase Young on the other. Does it go against the whole build the offense with the offensive mind and Kellan Moore? Yes, it doesn't matter to me because you need a long-term replacement. placement there. And I think Bain is explosive and powerful enough to come in there and be that type of guy. Answer that void for you for many years to come. And honestly, I'm not too worried about his arm length because it doesn't really fit his play style anyway. There's some weaknesses in it, but he's a very instinctive player. And I just think he's a guy that's going to make the leap to the next level and be able to, you know, give you quality snaps right away. I think there's eight
Starting point is 00:29:23 really standout players in this draft. And you took them in the top eight in a row. like bane Bain is such a saint They love big physical run stopping tough edges that you know aren't necessarily
Starting point is 00:29:41 bendy guys who are going to win around the edge whether it's Cam Jordan or Granderson or Marcus Davenport when he was there even Chase Young kind of fits that profile and Bain absolutely fits I think they'll be really happy
Starting point is 00:29:53 with that selection I can see Mickey Luma's doing it those are those are the eight guys that to me stand out the most in this class We got the rest of the first round to go. Let's take a break, and we're going to come back with the Chiefs on the clock at number nine. I'm Luke Wilson.
Starting point is 00:30:12 Join me each week for Film Never Lies. Since retiring from the NFL, I've had a lot of my mind, and now got my own show. If you're tired of lazy takes, if you want honest conversations, join us each week. Film Never Lies available on all TSN platforms in the IHeart Radio app. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I'm Greg Rosenthal. And this is 40s and free agents. The games may be over, but the NFL.
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Starting point is 00:31:09 We'll tell you what's real, what's noise, and what it means for your favorite team. Smart analysis, real conversations every week. I don't know about the smart, but definitely analysis. Listen to 40s and free agents on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Back on NFL Daily. Feels good to be back in the chair. We'll be in the studio on Monday. Patrick Claibon back on the show.
Starting point is 00:31:39 on Monday, looking forward to that. Jordan, of course. Big week leading to the draft. I had a good time seeing my parents in freezing Massachusetts. And Shook had a good time on NFL Network this week. Who cares about ESPN here? Shook is wearing suits on mock draft live. How come, Shook, you are looking so sporty.
Starting point is 00:32:03 If you're watching us on YouTube, he's got a very Chris Wessling coated shirt and a nice looking suit. Why do you clean up so much for mock draft live when you don't for us? I was told by the producer, Heitham, that we do it fancy in this show. And honestly, I pushed back
Starting point is 00:32:21 because as a private school kid, I always wore a tie to school for many, many years. The idea of wearing a dress shirt without a tie is still foreign to me. So let me just tell you, I overcame some uncomfortableness just to wear that without the tie. It's tough.
Starting point is 00:32:34 I mean, you can't, Shook can't just be buying things off the rack. He's got to get his, specially suited for him. The Chiefs go cornerback, Mansour Delane from LSU. This is not what they've done in the past. Did you think about them taking the first
Starting point is 00:32:50 offensive linemen instead? Yeah, because you think about their need at right tackle and how Joanne Taylor obviously wasn't worth the money that he made last year and was okay for them, but he wasn't, you know, what you really want out of a right tackle. But I also think about the fact that they invested in Jalen Moore the previous offseason before Josh Simmons rose to be their starting left tackle. I think they need death of the positions, both tackles,
Starting point is 00:33:12 interior line too. But at this point, I think about who left this team, this defense this past year. I think about what the identity of the Chiefs has been since they won the Super Bowl. What was that, 58 in Vegas? That was a defensive-minded Chiefs team. They are not that team anymore. They were not last year. They need to get back to that. They lost both starting corners in Jalen Watson and Trent McDuffie. They go and get Cater Cahoohoo to play the nickel. but no offense to Noel Williams and even Christian Fulton, I think that they could use another addition.
Starting point is 00:33:39 So they get the best corner in the draft in Mansour Delane, a guy who I think is just very pro-ready after a strong season at LSU. He might be the guy that is the clear number one at his position of any of the positions remaining. It's clearly a position of need.
Starting point is 00:33:54 And yes, they've developed well in the middle rounds. They did take Trent McDuffie at the end of the first round, and that obviously worked out really well for them. And so I could see it happening. It is a nightmare scenario, I think, for the Bengals to have the draft go this way, to have neither of the Ohio State players, including Caleb Downs, to not have Ruben Bain fall to them.
Starting point is 00:34:16 They don't really need tackles. So the tackles not getting taken at all in the top nine really hurts them. By the way, I mentioned the over-under for Caleb Downs. It is nine and a half right now in Vegas. So that basically says, will he get taken before the Bengals or after? Because we assume he's getting taken by the Bengals if he makes it there. instead you have them taking a cornerback Jermad McCoy from Tennessee and yeah this it they'd be in a tough spot I think if the draft fell this way why did you go with McCoy so so two minor regrets and mistakes
Starting point is 00:34:49 this is the only pick that I really feel that about with this mock draft is I never considered the prospect of trading just because this is my first mock draft no forget it but I mean if they if any team were to trade out after watching the first nine picks fall this way it would be the Bengals and maybe try to get, you know, some help or, you know, get some capital back before spending your pick. And I also think about their roster and it's like DJ Turner really became a very good corner last year and they like what they saw from Dax Hill who finished strong in the 2025 season. So why would you go corner? And the only logic I have for that is your defense still needs help everywhere. They need a linebacker. There's just no linebacker worth taking at this point.
Starting point is 00:35:28 They can use an edge rusher because yes, they got boy Amafe, but Miles Murphy hasn't quite produced at the rate they expected him to, right? They just need help everywhere. So why not take the next best corner that's available and try to bolster your secondary that way? Because people love McCoy, and what they love about him is how physical he is. He didn't play college football in 2025
Starting point is 00:35:46 because he was recovering from an ACL injury, but he looked great at his pro day. And the 2024 tape just suggests this is a corner who's not afraid to get physical at all. They need that kind of identity in their secondary and really in their defense as a whole. So that's why I go in that direction. But I would not be surprised at this pick more than any
Starting point is 00:36:01 is not the one that actually lands with their team. Well, I mean, you know, you've got to get used to the mock game. You can't be too surprised if any of them. Don't end up being right. It's a tough world out there. That's why we're going to nail ours. But yeah, I think this is a tough one. If they do have that 10 pick, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up taking who's on
Starting point is 00:36:20 your board at number 12. So we'll fly through Vega Ione to the Dolphins. That would be a statement of intent type of pick, Penn State Guard, big athlete. You can't worry about what the last group did taking Savonaya last year in the second round. He would be the first offensive lineman off the board in your draft and a guard and one of Brandon Thorne's absolute favorites
Starting point is 00:36:44 who I really respect the work that he does. He's his favorite first round pick. So that would be interesting. I wouldn't have been surprised though if you had put Dylan Thineman to the Bengals at 12, at 10. Instead, he goes to the Cowboys. Any defensive back help is great.
Starting point is 00:36:59 Do you think, though, you're just almost playing to stereotype in giving their new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, just another white safety? I'm so glad. I'm so glad somebody finally called me out on that. Because as soon as I wrote it, and like after I had put the two together, I was like, oh, God, I'm totally going to get pinned for giving him another white safety. This is a guy who coached Reed Blankenship.
Starting point is 00:37:22 He coached Cooper DeGene in Philly. In Cooper DeGine's first year, year and a half, he wasn't just a corner. He was playing all over the place. and I kind of see something similar for Thineman in a secondary that needs it. Thineman is a guy that will be able to play in the box, not afraid to get dirty, but can also erase advantages downfield. You know, he's good at dropping back and taking away passing lanes as a coverage safety over the top. And I think that that's just what the Cowboys have lacked.
Starting point is 00:37:45 Now, if you try to fit their depth chart in there, moved on from Donovan Wilson, right? Still have Malik Hooker back there and also made an addition in Jalen Thompson. But this is best player available in the secondary, I think. Now, there would have been some debate, I think, a couple of weeks ago. If it should have been Thineman or if it should have been Emmanuel McNeill-Worne from Toledo, I'm going Thineman because of that connection. You just pointed out with the history of defensive coordinator,
Starting point is 00:38:08 Christian Parker. Well, and he gets, well, he gets the versatility. He's much more Cooper de Gene than he is, read Blankenship. I don't think as natural, maybe a mover, but still very athletic and plenty versatile. Seems like a safe player to me. And they need help in the, the secondary, so it makes a lot of sense.
Starting point is 00:38:28 You have the Rams up next at 13 taking Francis Maui Noah from Miami, so they get the first tackle off the board. Excellent value, excellent need. They didn't have to reach for it. They'll have their option in your draft of tackles. The Ravens start what's going to be a run of tackles with Spencer Fennoe from Utah. And did you think about going wide receiver? They aren't going to be this high often.
Starting point is 00:38:58 Did you think about Kenyon Sadiq, the tight end? Perhaps for Baltimore. I know they need a tackle, but I also think they need some weapons. Those are actually all great questions. I don't think you could have gone in a number of different directions, but I have retired from putting the Ravens, you know, pairing them with a receiver. Because they've done this over recent years. You've had mixed results.
Starting point is 00:39:17 They basically... Flowers, Bateman, those are first round guys. They do it. Flowers paid off. Bateman, not quite as much, right? And I'm done trying to address the receiving court as all they need is Lamar needs more receivers to make it work. That's not their problem. And they also wasted DeAndre Hopkins after leaning on him early in the season.
Starting point is 00:39:35 So, no, I'm not going to spend capital on a receiver at this point in the draft with them. And I go with Fanow because he's a tackle who might play guard in the NFL and is open to playing guard. And I think about, all right, what needs do you have in that offensive line? You lost your center, Tyler Linderbaum. You may like what you have in Corey Bullock. But if you get a guy who is versatile enough to shift from tackle to guard, he might also be versatile enough to shift from guard to center. So you get the versatility to plug and play him where you need it most,
Starting point is 00:40:01 and they need offensive linemen. So that's why I go in that direction. The bucks are up next at 15, and you haven't taken Akeem Messador from Miami. There's health concerns here. He is a fascinating prospect. We're going to talk about him a little more at length next week when we do our edge show. But I like that.
Starting point is 00:40:18 If they make this pick, though, they got to get it right. If they go edge, they got to get it right. Let's go to the Jets though next, who you have taking Mackay Lemon out of USC. They basically get their choice over of wide receiver twos. So you had a couple trends that I'll mention. The receivers fell a little bit. A lot of tackles in your first round. But for the Jets, I think they'd be thrilled to basically have the choice of wide receiver two.
Starting point is 00:40:45 Why Lemon for them over, let's say, Jordan Tyson or any other of the other options? Yeah, it's a Jets team. first round picks and the second one they spend on Lemon because I felt Lemon was the next best receiver in this class. Now, we could talk about Tyson and his ceiling, but we also have the injury concerns that have made him a polarizing player. You're not polarized by Lemon. The only thing that I'm worried about is maybe a little bit of effort and that only comes from watching his Combine workout. It seemed like he didn't really turn it on until the second half of that workout. I wasn't as impressed as I wanted to be or thought I was going to be by him in Indianapolis,
Starting point is 00:41:15 but ultimately that doesn't really matter that much. I think on the tape, I think effort is the last thing you're questioning. Yes, exactly, when he's on the field, exactly. So when you pair him with Garrett Wilson, you suddenly give yourself two, you know, high-ceiling guys. And for Gino Smith, that'll help, but really the next quarterback, that'll help as well. And it looks a lot better than that cobbled together receiving core of A.D. Mitchell and John Mechie and whoever else that they had in the middle of the season last year. Don't, don't dismiss A. Mitchell. I kind of like not dismissing him. That was a cobbled together group. It was. Lemon, I think, is going to win in part with toughness and smarts.
Starting point is 00:41:50 And I think you'd be a good pair for Gina Smith, who loves to throw over the middle of the field. I think wants a receiver that can read coverages like him. It's a lot to ask of a rookie, but he's always had a good connection with guys who can play really well from the neck up. So I think that's a good pick. The Cassius Howell pick to the Lions at 17
Starting point is 00:42:11 was the first one when I'm going through your picks that I was just like, whoa, surprise. Boom or bust? Pure pass rush. Detroit is a team that is known to not really worry about what the consensus board is taking. And I think this would raise some eyebrows. Cash is howled. Defend it, Shook.
Starting point is 00:42:29 Yeah, that's precisely what I had in mind. Brad Holmes is a general manager, probably more than any other general manager in the NFL who will take his guy and doesn't care what everybody else says. Cassius Hald, the knock on him short arms, like one first percentile short arms at the edge rushing position. But he proved himself at Texas A&M. And I thought it was kind of funny when we did. mock draft live that we picked like with the game on the line who are you taking from this edge rushing
Starting point is 00:42:52 group and bucky went with cash as how and i was like yes that's why and that's what that's what brad holmes is going to look at too you need the compliment edge rusher we need to finally answer this question of who are they putting opposite aiden hutchinson on that defensive front i think you finally answered that right now and you just look past the fact that is you know measurable's his arm length doesn't fit the archetyte that you necessarily want yeah i just don't know if he can play on running downs or just because you don't know what a running down, whether he can survive as a run defender. I think in terms of pure pass rush juice,
Starting point is 00:43:24 he's got a crazy ceiling. He's a really unique player. It'd be a fun one. And you're right. I mean, ultimately guys get drafted off answering that question that Bucky went with Howell. Like, who do you trust on a third down? And how on that fast track in Detroit
Starting point is 00:43:38 would be really interesting. Also interesting in the same division. Minnesota, taking Emmanuel McNeil Warren, the safety from Toledo. I would just love that for him. I would love that for Brian Flores. I think he could maximize what McNeil Warren likes to do, big hitter, rangy guy, just a fun player to watch.
Starting point is 00:43:58 You had the Panthers up next. Lee Hunter going to Texas Tech. This was another one. I was like, oh, okay. My question for you is, did you hear from Panthers fans that weren't happy about this specific? Well, a little bit of both.
Starting point is 00:44:12 Some liked them. A lot of people were like, I don't even want him in the first round at all. And I understand that. I think I'm the first person to put him in the first round. But I was thinking about compliment here. And we know what Derek Brown brings to the table. Derek Brown,
Starting point is 00:44:22 one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the NFL. And partially because he plays for Carolina. But he's a really good pass rusher at that position, which is relatively rare. Let's compliment him with a really good run stopper in Lee Hunter. Arguably the best run stopping defensive tackle in this class. Yes, it's high. It's higher than anybody else has projected him.
Starting point is 00:44:40 Maybe it's not where it happens. But for me, I'm going to make this pick out of preference. And I want to build a bit of a wall in the interior with Jalen Phillips out there on the outside. If he could stay healthy, suddenly looking a little beefy up front, look a little exciting in Carolina. I like that your mock was different. There were some trends with a lot of tackles. Hunter was surprising.
Starting point is 00:44:58 Cassius Howell was surprising. I think there's too much of a consensus of picks 11 through 32 and that the actual draft is going to be way more unpredictable. So if we're recapping the 16 to 20 picks, You had Lemon to the Jets, Cassius Howell to the Lions from Texas A&M. I mean, Emmanuel McNeil Warren from Toledo, the safety going to the Vikings, Lee Hunter from Texas Tech going to the Panthers. And then Avian Terrell, AJ's brother, the Clemson cornerback, going to the Cowboy.
Starting point is 00:45:30 So you have them going back-to-back defensive back picks. You had them taking Deniman from the cowboy, I mean, from Oregon earlier. And he does just seem like a cowboy, Aviont. I don't know how to describe that, but he just does seem like a cowboy. Yeah, he does. And basically, I felt really convinced in this pick once I went and checked out some of Brian Schottenheimer's recent comments, which included the fact that they wanted to keep Duran Bland on the outside.
Starting point is 00:45:58 They need a nickel corner. This is the best nickel corner in the class. I think Aviontrell is just scratching the surface of his potential. I like, the way that he worked out in Indianapolis, I was like, well, that guy's going to be a baller. Like that he's compared with his tape, that guy's going to be a baller. He's just starting to figure it out. I think it's a perfect, like, value add at 20 to this second.
Starting point is 00:46:13 for the Cowboys who continue to try to repair that unit and try to fill out their secondary with a guy who I think is going to be really good in the slot. He just moves like an NFL player. He might be the type of guy who never is an all-pro or pro-bowler but just plays a lot of years in the league and has one or two seasons where he pops up. I basically just described his brother, AJ Terrell.
Starting point is 00:46:34 So maybe that's why. The Steelers, you have another tackle off the board. Monroe Freeling. He would be replacing Broderick drones in theory. at left tackle, who's had injuries and a bit of a problem. The chargers are up next. You have them taking another wide receiver. Omar Cooper, I think breaking the hearts of some fans behind them.
Starting point is 00:46:55 Like if the Browns need a wide receiver, he could be an option later. The bills, the 49ers, I think, could be looking at Omar Cooper. And yet, this guy just feels like a Harbaugh guy. Can you imagine Omar Cooper catching passes from Alex Smith on the 2000 and 11? 49ers. It just makes sense to me somehow. And I know they didn't pair up in San Francisco. That was Kyle Shanahan 49ers when Deva Samuel showed up as a rookie, but that's the comp and it makes a lot of sense. I also think it fills the need they had at the position
Starting point is 00:47:26 that they lacked in previous years. Like Ladd McConkey owns the slot, but they also do move him outside sometimes. Cooper's kind of the same thing. You can play him outside. You can play him inside. Good run after catch guy. Rugged receiver. The type that fits the identity of the Chargers who, even with their offseason moves, are clearly still focused on being a run first team, but if they can finally protect Justin Herbert. And I know when I say that, folks are like, well, why don't they invest in the offensive line? Well, they couldn't protect him last year because they lost both of their starting
Starting point is 00:47:49 tackles. They have invested in the offensive line. This offseason, Tyler Beautish at center, Cole Strange at guard. Let's go to receiver. Let's give you an option to pick up somebody who can get open because what did you say about them, Greg, especially when they lost in the playoffs of the Patriots last year. Chargers receivers couldn't get open. Their offense was uninspiring in terms of, you know, route design.
Starting point is 00:48:07 Mike McDaniel's there now. Let's build this thing out. Let's give them a guy who's able to make big play. plays and is going to be very durable. And I know he's getting the Debo comp. I hear that. I think he's more of a receiver, than Debo and not as special as a mover
Starting point is 00:48:24 and just like a yak type of guy. But I think of how they use Keenan Allen and McConkey together last year, and you could see him doing that with Cooper, two guys who just get open. He just seems like an NFL player. I personally think, I mean, I got to go back even more.
Starting point is 00:48:40 I think he might be safe. for quote unquote, then Lemon or Jordan Tyson. Like I just, I like him fitting in at the NFL level and being a player. That's why it fits here. I think it's 22. Yeah. And I like him with Herbert. More tackles off the board.
Starting point is 00:48:57 Blake Miller from Clemson, you know, the Eagles, they love big guys. They could, you know, find their replacement potentially for Lane Johnson here, although you're not going to be replacing, you know, a Hall of Famer. And you keep the tackle run going with Max Eonachian. from Arizona State. I do worry about the consensus that they're just taking wide receiver tackle. Like when there's that big a consensus,
Starting point is 00:49:18 does it happen? And then another tackle off the board next, Caden Proctor from Alabama to the Bears. Give me between these three guys, kind of what stands out to you the most in the way that they play and they could fit with these teams. I can quickly summarize all three.
Starting point is 00:49:33 We could start with Miller because he's a guy with 54 games of experience at Clemson. So he's played a lot of football. You know what he is. And he slots in a right tackle as your future replacement for Lane Johnson. You give him a year at least to learn from the future Hall of Famer, and then you have your immediate answer.
Starting point is 00:49:46 That's how Hally Roseman drafts. He drafts for the future. He doesn't draft for right now. So it makes way too much sense. That was the easiest pick to make it this entire first round. Ian Ocher with the Browns, I think you're going for the upside there. You're going for a guy who played right tackle at Arizona State.
Starting point is 00:50:00 Incredibly big, long. Winsmore with his hips than his feet, which is kind of rare, but it's also why I really loved him. I'm sitting in Indy watching him work out, and I'm like, God, he's got like the loosest, most oily hips I've ever seen from a tackle. What do you mean?
Starting point is 00:50:12 How do you win with your hips? I mean, other than the obvious. When you engage in position, usually it's about feet, but watch some of these clips here if you're watching on YouTube, oftentimes he's swiveling in his hips and not with his footwork.
Starting point is 00:50:23 And he's so long he's able to do that because he can still stay engaged. I think he's a guy who's going to sneak into the first round and could project to be much better than a lot of people expect him to be, and it's going to take a savvy front office to make that pick, and it's a team with two picks in the first round
Starting point is 00:50:37 who might feel like they're willing to take that risk. And then Proctor, Ozzie Tripila is coming back from a ruptured Patelot tendon. You can't necessarily depend on that. You got high expectations in Chicago. You could always use another lineman. And I think at 25, that's really good value on Proctor, who is a super athletic, massive lineman,
Starting point is 00:50:52 and could eventually just be your long-term left tackle. Just so many tackles. Jeremiah loves Proctor in terms of this second kind of group of guys. He really likes the Alabama tackle. You have Jordan Tyson, the Arizona statewide receiver, falling all the way to 26, which I could absolutely see. I think he could go anywhere from 12 to out of the first round. It's not that crazy.
Starting point is 00:51:14 I agree. And I could see this because they just feel like the team that's going to over correct for the thing that everyone got on them for. So you take another receiver in Jordan Tyson. Are you a Jordan Tyson guy? If he's healthy, yes. If I could predict that he's going to be healthy for the next five years, yes. But I can't predict that. And history tells me that he may not be.
Starting point is 00:51:37 but I think the bills are at a point now where they need to answer that receiver one question. And yes, they got DJ more. Kian Coleman didn't work out. I know they have needs in the defensive side that they could address here. But I just feel like with Josh Allen in his prime, you can't afford to go another season when we get to the playoffs. And we're talking about Brandon Cooks and Khalil Shakir and random appearances from Gabe Davis,
Starting point is 00:51:57 who didn't play very much with them before his season ended. You can't afford that. If you have Super Bowl aspirations, you need to invest in a talent, and you can't just do it on the cheap. So if Tyson falls to this point for them in the draft, I think they have a really hard time looking at him and passing him up for somebody else. Fun player, I think the effort sometimes looked like it was going up and down,
Starting point is 00:52:17 but it might have just been whether he was 100% or not. And considering the injury history, that's just concerning. The 49ers you have taking Keldrick Falk, kind of a divisive prospect. On one hand, it's a great mock pick because he absolutely seems like a 49-or. On the other hand, it's just like they got. got a lot of defensive linemen that can't really rush the passer and Keljrik Falk feels like another
Starting point is 00:52:38 one of those guys. That's true, but they also had a lot of injuries up front last year. I mean, you lost Nick Bosa from that equation. You had some turnover in the off season. So you're working with younger defensive tackles guys like C.J. West. You get Falk, a guy who's lined up up and down the line for Auburn and just gives you the versatility and the depth you need. And you think, why would you spend a first round pick on a guy you see as a depth guy? Well, that's how important your front four is going to be to your chances of building on what you did last year. So you get this type of guy who, yes, is divisive. But there have been some 49ers fans who are very excited, very happy with the pick once they read this mock.
Starting point is 00:53:07 And I'm like, good, you kind of see the vision. You understand that you need more bodies and quality playmakers on the defensive front. I'm looking forward to talking about him a little more in-depth next week as we get into the position previous. You had Caleb Lomu, the tackle going to the Texans at 28. Did you consider taking Kenyon Sadiq the tight end for the Texans at 28? instead he goes to the Chiefs, or did he just want the big
Starting point is 00:53:37 metrics grab of having a Travis Kelsey replacement? I didn't want the metrics grab, I just wanted it to work out for the Chiefs and have a Travis Kelsey replacement because I think Sadiq just makes too much sense fitting in that offense. And I also think that there's no offense in the NFL that will capitalize on his athletic abilities at a greater rate than the Kansas City Chiefs
Starting point is 00:53:54 with Andy Reed in charge. It's just what they've been in this Mahomes era. You got Mahomes coming off of injury. You got Kelsey probably playing his last season of NFL football. You get the successor. You get one year with both of them as you try to get back to the playoffs. It just makes a lot of sense. And I've gotten a lot of pushback on the Lomo picked to the Texans. And all I see it is is keep adding offensive linemen.
Starting point is 00:54:13 Keep giving yourself options up front because this offensive line while it was better last year is still not as good as it needs to be. And that's a good pick for a tackle at that point in this round. It's just like everyone's just so offensive line desperate. It's so impossible to get them. They don't grow on trees. They don't really, they're not available. Titus Howard gets traded to the Browns got overpaid.
Starting point is 00:54:32 We can admit that he got overpaid. Maybe it'll work out. But that's the state of offensive line play right now in the NFL. He's a big fellow, 6-6, the Utah Ute. And Sadiq, I think he could go much earlier in this draft. I think he's a pretty unique prospect. I think the 49ers would think about him at 27. I think he would be an interesting guy
Starting point is 00:54:54 kind of as the long-term kiddle replacement. But either way, this is nice for the Chiefs. They would love a playmaker like that this deep. And I think they're a candidate to take a pass catcher again, whether it's a tight end or not. The dolphins take Colton Hood, the Tennessee cornerback at 30. Patriots at 31 take Clemson Edge, T.J. Parker. And then you wrap up the draft at 32 with Brandon Cise,
Starting point is 00:55:23 the South Carolina cornerback, who I don't know a ton about. I check the pronunciation guide. Fun player. Do you think, do you think he's like the type of player that fits in that secondary specifically? Yeah, I mean, they just lost Rieke Wollin to Free Agency. And I don't think they were too upset to see him go, given how his last year and a half went with this team. But this is an athletic profile that kind of mirrors Wollin in some ways. And we know the strength of the Seahawks defense has been in their depth and the different types of players they've had,
Starting point is 00:55:52 both up front and in the secondary. So I think it's a natural like replacement there. They love Josh Job. You know, he played more down the back half of last season. really started from like week one or two that they were going to play him more. Adding another corner with a guy who's kind of sneaks into the first round makes sense. But honestly, they could go in a number of different directions. I saw Lance Zeerline.
Starting point is 00:56:10 He also mocked them with Judarian Price from Notre Dame as another rugged running back back there. That makes sense too. I'm going to lean defense because that's their calling card. Yeah. So to recap, yeah, T.J. Parker differing views on him, but I could see the Patriots taking an edge, certainly at 31. I don't think the draft fell that well for them. It's interesting to think about who didn't get taken here.
Starting point is 00:56:32 So no Ty Simpson in your first round. I tend to agree right now. No Denzel Boston, Washington corner, I mean a wide receiver. No Casey Concepcion. That's where I disagree the most. I think he could go as high as top 15. I don't think he's going to fall that far in this class. He just, to me he fits the profile,
Starting point is 00:56:54 maybe even more than Jordan Tyson of a guy NFL teams just look at and be like, I want that. So I don't think he's getting past a lot of receiver, needy teams in the late 20s. No C.J. Allen, the linebacker. You know, you mentioned, like, is there a linebacker worth taking
Starting point is 00:57:08 for Cincinnati? Could they go as crazy as CJ? Like, he has a high ceiling. He's an interesting player. No Caleb Banks. After that, we get to guys who kind of expected to fall out of the first round.
Starting point is 00:57:18 But just those are some of the guys who fell as you kind of push some of those tackles up a little higher. Yeah, I'm concerned that the Browns are going to take Ty Simpson with their second first round pick because they just seem to be infatuated with him. And I also know that we're getting the late cycle,
Starting point is 00:57:33 random quarterback push into the first round effort that we always get. And this year, the apple of their eye is Ty Simpson. And we'll see how that plays out. Boston, I just feel like, you know,
Starting point is 00:57:44 he's a bigger receiver, but I feel like he's not quite a first round prospect. And what was the last guy on that list that you just listed there? In terms of the big name, Concepcion and C. Yeah. I could totally. see that with Concepcion. C.J. Allen at 10 is too high, but the Bengals, they have been a team
Starting point is 00:58:03 that does, you know, Zig when others zag. He fits their profile. He just like a big school, big defense. They love athletic guys, measurable guys. I like C.J. Allen too. So we've got a couple weeks now to really get ready. But we will be back on Monday. Thank you, Shook. And we're going to be in the studio. I'm looking forward to that. It's myself. It's Patrick Claibon. I got a call later today. I'm working on obtaining the rights to Jordan Rodriguez for Monday's show. So we're hoping to do that too. Play to the name later.
Starting point is 00:58:37 All draft all the time. We have hit the home stretch. It is good to be back on NFL daily. And football seems a little back with the lifting weights. I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I am Greg Rosenthal. I know that, Greg. We're teaming up on 40s and free agents,
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