NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Stafford Stays, Deebo Dealt and Combine Winners

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Nick Shook to recap the NFL Scouting Combine. Before a look at the Combine standouts, Gregg and Nick react to Matthew Stafford staying with the Rams (01:36), Deebo Samuel being traded to Commanders (08:00), Davante Adams' future with the Jets (14:50), and more! After the break, Gregg and Nick tell you who stood out to them over the course of the Combine, starting with the running backs (19:30), followed by the quarterbacks (24:21), wide receivers (29:00), tight ends (33:45), offensive line (37:15), and defensive backs (45:50).  Note: time codes approximate. NFL 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. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we were Kieran Culkin super fans going back to Downgo Zigby. In 2002, double-header year that year for Kieran. He had dangerous lives of altar boys. That was good, too. Nick Shook has no idea what I'm talking about

because he's not worried about any Oscars. He's all ball all the time. He has been paying rent at Lucas Oil Stadium all week. How was it, Nick? You are done with the NFL scouting combine. Yeah, the only Oscar I knew this week was Oscar style on my steak at St. Elmo's, which I just had. Bang. Nailed it.

Yeah, upwards of 30, 35 hours spent in Lucas Oil Stadium in the last four days. All beautiful, all magical, all worthwhile, and revelatory on some days for better or for worse. And we all have to discuss. You know, speaking to Elmo, I feel bad. We work shook hard. He, you know, is writing, of course, for the website. He's at these press conferences in the morning. Then he's at the stadium for, you know, six, seven hours during the day.

And then he tells me he actually literally left his dinner at St. Elmo's tonight to deliver this news for you. Although he's mostly finished. It's mostly done. It's fine. No guilt here as long as I don't. A little bit of guilt. But that's how much Nick Shook loves you people. And we got some big news before we even get to the Combine. And I really want to hear about your all Combine team. And we'll talk about the last three days of drills. We got to start with a couple big items of veteran news. first of all, close the circle. It feels like it's a while ago now. But after all that Matthew Stafford talk,

in the end, Matthew Stafford decides to stay home with the Los Angeles Rams. That came out on Friday. It was reported by our friend Jordan Rodriguez of the Athletic and Diana Rossini that Stafford and Sean McVeigh actually met at 6.30 a.m. Friday morning. I mean, if Stafford is getting up at, what,

5.30 to get over to the facility for a 6. meeting. Forget the leverage in that point. Like, you've already agreed to stay with the Rams. Like, what do you think what was the difference here? In the end, he turns down, reported good offers from the Raiders, who he seemed more serious with, and the Giants to wind up staying with the Rams. I think it's what we discussed earlier this week, which is at this stage in Matthew Stafford's career, you want to play to pursue championships. You want at least your best shot of team success. You don't want to spend your last year or two or three years on a bad football team and leave the NFL with a sour taste in your

mouth because it ended poorly. Ask Joe Thomas how that went. Not great. So I think that this was his best opportunity to do so. Yes, he could help the Raiders get out of the cellar or out of the situation that they're in to a certain degree. You make some additions around him. You get a little bit of commanders action going. Same thing with the Giants. But ultimately, he lives in L.A. I started to get Philip Rivers vibes when it was the Chargers move from San Diego to L.A. and he stayed in San Diego and would take that fancy van up north. He doesn't want to leave L.A. He's got a beautiful situation there with a team he's known well in an offense that fits him. It made a ton of sense. And he got most of the money in the

leverage play. I think that he's ultimately won. We'll see. We'll see, Nick. I'm really interested. So, yeah, when we left off and we taped late Thursday night, we said it started to suddenly feel like it's turning back in the Rams direction and that's what happened. I find it very interesting. We have not heard the financials on this deal, that in fact, our guy Ian Rappaport says it won't exactly be all finished for the next couple of weeks. Generally, when you don't hear the numbers, it is not good for the agent. Because the Rams don't care about putting the numbers out there. They don't want to make their player look bad. They, it's not, they don't really care if it's out there at all. Why would, why would they care? And yet we know that Matthew Stafford reportedly was offered

$90 to $100 million guaranteed from the Raiders and potentially the Giants as well. And so what that would have been is probably a two-year deal where it was basically guaranteed $45 to $50 million a year. That actually sounds about right for Matthew Stafford where he's at. I will be very interested to see what the total is from the Rams. But what I suspect is that they didn't end up having to move much at all. I don't know if they'll be guaranteed money into a second year. I think Matthew Stafford either, if you're being generous, kind of had to go through this process and get close to the cliff to realize, man, I don't really want to do this. And yeah, oh God, they're going to call my bluff. Oh, God. Well, maybe it's not even a bluff so much as like,

I thought maybe I'd get 60, 65 from the other teams per year and even more money. And I didn't quite get that. Or, I don't know. I'm being generous in thinking about just the human side of it all. Like, maybe you don't know how you're really going to respond. Maybe you really do think this is BS. They're not paying me the right salary. It's not fair.

But then you have to go through the process and you get to the end. And that's when you can really know, wait, I actually don't want to do this. And, oh, this is unfortunate. The Rams aren't really making it work financially like I was hoping. But Sean McVeigh's been cool this whole time. We've talked the whole time. And that's more important to me. And the alternative is much worse, at least from a football perspective.

And I think that that ultimately is what sways him towards staying with what he knows, even if he doesn't get the ultimate money that he wanted out of it. Yeah, it's a good call. I'm now thinking back to that fits and wit podcast. Check that out. And everything that McVeigh said on that, it was almost like a recruiting session for McVeigh to Matthew Stafford. And he even vocalized that.

All the mistakes he made in the Jared Goff decision, which was a, they were going to make that decision anyways. I think he'd learned from that and maybe use some of those lessons and was really open and honest. And both, you know, Fitzpatrick and Whitworth were saying, like, this is all we ever want out of coaches. Just be open and honest. Like, if you're not going to pay us the money,

at least explain to us why and be up front of. about it. And maybe, who knows, maybe that podcast appearance helped keep Matthew Stafford. But yeah, big swing and miss. Tom Brady's O for two now. Really wanted Ben Johnson as their coach. Really wanted Matthew Stafford as their quarterback. I don't fault Tom Brady for this because ultimately he was kind of playing a losing hand. And it would have been a little crazy for them to extend any more financially. The reports were that the Rams only wanted a second round pick and that would have gotten the deal done. So apparently that would have been the trade terms. And I don't think that was like an

issue. They would have gotten like one second round pick for him. So just on the surface though, a contract of $100 million over two years plus a second round pick for a guy who is north of 35 is a lot. Yeah. And I think one of the reasons that the Rams didn't extend further was unsaid in this entire talk about Stafford was he's coming off his worst season as a ram. Or his most inconsistent at least. He just wasn't as consistent. He was probably playing through injury. And I think people remember the big pop-up games, the bills, certainly, the playoffs. The guy's always at his best when it matters most. That's worth a lot of money.

But there were a lot of, you know, 105 p.m. games against the Raiders, for instance, where they're like stuck on 13 points the whole game. There was a lot more of those games this year than we've ever seen before. But for my family's sake, my daughter and my wife, who were just praying to the football gods that they were not going to have Aaron Rogers as the Ram. quarterback in 2025. They could live without Stafford, but they couldn't live with Rodgers. I am very happy about this

move. Let's get to the big trade. The surprising move over the weekend, Debo Samuel is a Washington commander, Nick Schuck. They only gave up a fifth round pick for him. They apparently aren't going to adjust his contract. He's really got one year left on a pretty sizable

contract. The 49ers are eating a ton of dead money to make this move. Essentially, they're looking to do. some addition by subtraction and save a little bit against the cap and the commanders add a really interesting piece for a very low price in terms of the trade hall, the fifth round pick. Yeah, and honestly, the Niners have been kind of up against it financially when they have

to move these pieces. They have to do what the Chiefs kind of do, which is let guys walk or move guys. 17.4 million cap number, I believe, with Washington. Yeah, it's affordable for them. They needed a receiver opposite to Terry McLaurin to take this offense to the next level. I was sitting in the suite at Lucas Oil when this news came down and you heard a bit of like a pop, a little bit of a buzz, at least in the suite, if not in the stands for the fans that were there, just because on the surface a year ago, if you had said the Niners are trading Debo Samuel to the commanders,

it would have blown your mind. Still surprising. And it's interesting to see how this will fit. I'm still not 100% certain I like the fit, but I like the idea of Jane Daniels have in another option. and then seeing what Cliff Kingsbury can do with him. Okay, so there's only three wide receivers on the rosters. Luke McCaffrey is number three, Devo's number two, Terry McLoran's number one.

They need to add, you know, another one or two in free agency in the draft, and they will. I think the fit's good because it's a yards after catch offense. He's very different than McLaurin. You're not asking him to be a one. You might not even be asking him to be a two when all is said and done. He is Debo Samuel.

I have my doubts that he's the same guy that he used to be. His success rate on catches for the 49ers this year was way lower than he's ever had. His yards per carry as a rusher, 3.2 yards per carry. To me, that's a sign. He's not breaking tackles. He's not consistent. He started to look old. He's taken a lot of beating.

But you mentioned the cap hit. I mean, it's a one-year deal. And this is what can happen when you have a lot of cap space. You know how much cap space they still have? Nick after they had they had somewhere in the 60s prior to this they still have 60 because they moved some around even before it they have 64 million dollars after debo samuel so that's perfect that's that's what cap space is for is one year deals you're overpaying a little bit for a guy that you think might get really motivated in this new setting and could be perfect with our young

quarterback and i actually think it's a good offense for him because it's an offense where you're not asking every wide receiver to be like a great route runner No, I mean, they were relying on Diami Brown last year, and a lot of days, Zacchaeus. Like, this guy, you can already move upwards. Like, the standard was pretty low outside of McLaurin. Yeah, you're absolutely right there. And I really thought it was interesting if you go back to what John Lynch said earlier this week. Number one, he mentioned how their second in cash spending since John Lynch arrived and their fourth in cash spending over the last four years.

And at some point, you have to reset and start to get young. And I'm thinking, oh, that's pretty interesting. That was before this trade. He's already saying, hey, we might not spend as much money. Then we get reports that Ian Rappaport has that they're listening on trades to Brandon Ayuk. The same guy who just had a holdout and then they gave all this money for and it would be very complicated because they would take a lot more dead money to trade Brandon Ayuk. That really says to me they regret that contract.

He's coming off a torn ACL. else. I don't know if that's going to happen, but that's really interesting. Right now, without Debo, they have Joanne Jennings, and they have their first round pick from a year ago, Ricky Pearsall, weird that they're listening on Ayuk. Well, yeah, I mean, honestly, when they did the deal, and it was so prolonged, it was so dramatic. There were trade talks with the Browns and the Steelers, and God knows who else wants a receiver, who I felt wasn't worth that money to begin with. Injury aside, that just, makes the matter even more complicated for them because you have to count on him

coming back from it. Yes, it was kind of early in the season enough to think that he may be able to come back. But what you realize is that it was a bad investment pretty quickly already. And it hurts because you were, I would say you were bullied into it, but you were kind of slowly dragged into it. Like they just like bent back each toenail until you finally gave in and gave them the money and now they're paying for it. But it's a weird moment of transition for them because evaluating this team itself is difficult because of all the injuries they suffered last year like how close are they they have to pay brock purdy soon what are they exactly trying to be is this the fluid rebuild of sorts or the transitional year that the eagles

undertook uh with how he rose in a few years back to let them to two super bowl appearances in three years who knows we'll see but it's it's definitely outside of the realm of usual business for them right now yeah it's really weird there's there's actually not many 49ers left from the 2019 team that made the super bowl no i saw it tweeted out uh it's It's Warner, it's Bosa, it's use check, it's Wichniewski, and it's George Kiddell. And I think that's the-punner, baby. Yeah, I think that's the entire list. So that's a team that's changing.

And man, I thought the contract for Ayuk made sense at the time, but there was something weird going on there personally between him and the team and that affected him, and he did not look right, and then he got injured. And, man, Kyle Shanahan, those guys are tough on wide receivers, and they seem ready to blow up the whole thing. So more on this space later. By the way, Rams, I should have mentioned, they signed the biggest contract of the weekend was Allerick Jackson, the left tackle, top 40 on my free agents list, and one of the top tackles that was going to be available. So the money that they kind of save in theory by keeping Stafford for like a reasonable, you know, price, hey, here, we're going to help out.

We're going to we're going to keep your left tackle. And yeah, the Rams now kind of reenter, you know, Super Bowl. contention status with Stafford there, whereas, you know, the other teams that are looking for quarterbacks, Raiders, giants, they're looking at the leftovers, which right now are Rogers, Darnold, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, that crew. So very good weekend. You got to keep going. It gets way worse. Yes. You got a very good weekend for the Rams there too. That was a good big bit of business. It was three years for under $60 million. For a starting left tackle that you like, that you know that that's pretty good. And great.

deal for Alarick Jackson, who was an undrafted free agent, too. The last big item in news was also from our guy Rapsheet. Good week for Rapsheet, I think, in the end. History will look back finally on him. The Jets are expected to cut Devante Adams if they are not able to trade him. Kind of just confirms what we've been talking about, to be honest. So we were ahead of this story. But it's nice to get confirmation. We'll see if a team wants to give up a pick for him. But he has a huge salary, something like $32 million this year. So it's not like Debo Samuel, where it's a cheap one year. It'd be a very expensive one year.

I think he's somewhat likely to get cut unless he can work out a contract with a new team that lowers that number. The cap number, according to over the cap, $38.25 million. That's a lot for a guy going into the age 33 season. And you don't know what you're doing at quarterback right now. You traded for him because you were trying to help Rogers out

and make him happy after he threw Mike Williams into the bus. The reason for him to be on the team no longer exist because you're moving on. So you felt like this was going to happen one way or another. just thought that maybe they could trade him. And maybe they still will. Maybe they can. The alternative of the cut was always on the table.

It's interesting because, according to over the cap, if you look at his contract in the way it is right now, if they were to trade him or cut him before June 1st, they're only taking on $8 million in dead cap. You do it as a post first, June 1st, and they clear almost all that money. They only have $2 million in dead caps. So it makes sense financially. It makes sense. Roster-wise, overall, entirely it makes sense.

Yeah, it does. And yet, I don't know, I'm just going to throw a question at you. Would you rather have 2025 Devante Adams or Amari Cooper? I would have Adams. Would you rather have Adams or Chris Godwin coming off of a big injury? The Godwin injury happened, what, like week eight? Godwin. Okay.

And you can get him a couple years too. Yeah, I mean, Adams was fine. He's got to be high up on my top 101. If he gets cut, like he's pretty much the best wide receiver available because he's a true starting receiver. I don't think he's going to get the money that he used to get, but he's not Stefan Diggs coming off in ACL. You know, he's not, he's not, he's not Diommy Brown.

He's not one of these other guys that are available. T. Higgins is not going to be available. So he will be a very interesting free agent. I'm looking forward to that. I need some juice on that free agent list, frankly. And so I'm excited about it. Just a couple other items I'll speed through. We'll take a break and then we'll get to the Combine talk.

The Raiders are looking to potentially trade Michael Mayer. That was a little bit of a surprise. Second round pick, who I thought played fairly well a year ago, but it's a new regime. That is from our friends at the athletic, Vic Taffer and Tashon Reed. Tashon Reed's going to join the show later in the week.

So there's a young, pretty good tight end. I think you could probably get for like a fourth round pick right now. Not a crazy idea. Zemir White is also potentially available. And then the Cowboys are reportedly going to tag Osa Degazua. at $25 million if they can't get a deal done. There were reports in Dallas that they were very close to a deal. It hasn't happened yet.

And so he is not going anywhere. That's a big number. Another reminder, get your contracts done early. You wait until the last second. You start paying Osadigizua $25 million. Well, I mean, after they were quiet last offseason, they're kind of making up for lost time across the board here with this team. So it makes sense to not let another guy leave,

especially with a team that could use some help in their front seven, really. So it makes sense to bring him back. I also think he's a quality player. Maybe not worth that type of money. But if you can't get a deal done, you use that's why the franchise tag exists to back yourself up. But on the Raiders start real quick, with Zemir White and Michael Mayer, two guys that the previous regime brought in that never lived up to expectation. Mayor dealt with some off-field stuff, some personal matters before he came back and was a little bit better.

But then they got Brock Bowers. They don't need a second tight end. And Zemir was like the succession plan to Josh Jacobs and the new regime comes in and like, no, blow that up too. So like transition, when you get a new coach and new GM, things like this tend to follow. These are the dominoes that fall afterward.

Well, how about three and four years? You know, it wasn't that long ago that it was Mayak and Gruden. Yeah. You know, like Toronto. It was a free agent. Was drafted by Mayak. Yeah.

It was Mayak and Gruden. And then it flips up and it flips up again. I really liked John Spitech having met him, but also just what I hear about. him around the league. He was a great guest on the show. I think they have the right people to turn around, but it does not mean it's going to be easy. What is easy is knowing who to call when you want to talk all Combine team. We're going to do that after the break. Hey, this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to

try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit. bit different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen to NFL cover zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here.

And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together,

on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a diehard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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

Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Back on NFL Daily. Daniel Jeremiah let loose the news that we're dropping a new draft season only podcast, me and DJ, me and Move the Sticks. Coming out later this week, 40s and free agents, 40s and 40s, free agents, because you know what people need is more podcasts for me. So that's coming up later this week, and that's combining the draft and free agency,

my favorite time a year. And I was thinking, like, who's been in Lucas Oil Stadium even more than Daniel Jeremiah? It's our guy, Nick Shook. He's grinding the in-person, all 22, and he's going to tell us who he liked best. Let's go through the skill positions to start. And I know some of them were disappointing. So I want to, I want to start with some positive news. Let's talk about the running backs.

Running backs are back, Shook. You give me one or two of your guys that you especially like. But man, this running back class is awesome. Yeah, a huge promise in a lot of these guys. A lot of guys who tested very well. I picked Quinn Sean Judkins as one of my running backs because of how good he looked in the passing game. He's like an artist.

when it comes to running routes as a past picture. One of the two Ohio State running backs that will get taken top 50, I would say at least. And we did not see Trayvion Henderson in a comparison beyond that. Trayvion didn't do the drills. Judkins did. And he looked fantastic in those areas.

He also was largely solid in the running drills, save for the due staley drill where he got a little caught in the bag. So he looked complete. Trevor E.T.N., I think he just looks like a guy who is a pro. You know, his lineage, you know, having an older brother in the league coming from Georgia.

He's been prepared accordingly, and I thought he handled the drills well. Testing landed him in the elite category as well. The next-gen stats, athleticism, the score of 90. So complete picture there as well. And then we also had Bayshul Tutin from Virginia Tech, a name that people probably don't know. I was largely unfamiliar because I'm not a hokey fan,

you know, myself. I'm not a big ACC football guy, but he came out there and blew the doors off of the testing. 432, second 40, jump 40 and a half. inches in the vert 10 foot 10 broad jump his numbers were crazy and then he went out there and had solid work on the field as well so those were my top three um i also liked dylan sampson from tennessee kind of looks like the pro jaden blue put down a super fast 40 time as well the running back from texas and david's tested well some things in the drills i didn't like that much kind

of lent itself to how he kind of lost his job at michigan this past year but we'll see what happens because gms and scouts love the testing results when when that when you see the numbers you think we can make something out of that guy. RJ Harvey, another running back from UCF. There's so many. They literally were all running 4-4, 4-4-2. Yeah, it was a very, like they showed the board, and it was just like, it was just hundreds of seconds difference.

And they're huge, too. Like, you went through all these guys, and I would never push back on, like, where's my guy? And maybe he didn't do the drills, actually. A Marion Hampton, he did not do, did he do the drills? He did. He tested, like, crazy, and he's got a lot of juice, a lot of buzz. for those who are paying attention to that, I didn't like his workout.

I thought his workout was just a little sloppy in some of the drills that he did. That's things that can be fixed. And again, GMs and scouts get on board with he has the physical traits, we can fix the rest of that. And good coaching can. So I wouldn't overlook him.

Just in picking all combined team performance here, the drills didn't stack up for me. And did, in Trayvion and Henderson, I believe ran the 40, but he didn't do anything. Correct. Only did the 40. That's another big boy. And what I mean,

Okay, Hampton didn't, like, look great in the drills, but he finishes 43 out of about 1,900 running backs and relative athletic score. He is a 5-11, 221-pound man who can run a low 4-4. It's just like, man, this running back class is one of the best of the last five or six years, maybe the best since that Joe Mixin, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook class.

So it's going to be really exciting to see where these guys go. A lot of them will go in the top. 60 picks, which is new for running backs. All right. And I'll tell you this, too, before we move on to the exposition group with Tutin. We're on the street. He's gaining some serious attention. So keep his

name on your radar as somebody who goes earlier than expected. Not saying he's a first round pick or anything like that, but just when his name flashes in April, don't be surprised if it's earlier than you anticipated. He blew up the combine. It's funny that ETN, the second brother, who was definitely helped by his combine performance, that

helped Travis rock rocket up the boards. All right, let's go Let's go to the, maybe the more disappointing part of the weekend. And we don't have to focus on the negative, but I guess let's combine them together. We can just talk quarterbacks and wide receivers and have a conversation there. I know a lot of the, certainly the top quarterbacks didn't throw. I know you weren't thrilled with the wide receiver drills, though. Give me, give me the guys, let's start with the positive that you did enjoy watching from those two groups.

So K.M. Ward and Shador Sanders did not participate. They watched. So it left an opportunity for a lot of guys who had questions to answer to come out there and try to answer those questions. And none of them really did. Nobody put together a complete performance. And maybe my evaluation is a little bit skewed because it wasn't that long ago that I was sitting in basically the same seat in that stadium watching C.J. Stroud put together a remarkable performance throwing on air. These guys just weren't consistent throughout the different routes. Some guys were good on short routes.

Like Jaylon Milrow, great on running the whip, right? like tossing the ball to a route where a receiver runs in and cuts back out toward the sideline accurate there accurate on the slants didn't once the ball moved downfield it was hit or miss because the deep corner he sails like three over the guy's head the sail route he's missing guys but receivers are also not running routes to the right spot so it was a difficult evaluation he looked good in the deep ball and we knew he has that arm but the dig for example doesn't trust like drops back hits the back of his drop steps up and once wants to throw before the receiver is starting to hit his break, and you can tell he struggled

with that. Will Howard was all over the place. Not surprised, but was all over the place. Kyle McCord, kind of good, but low ceiling. Quinn Ewers, I don't know what's going on with his arm, but oh my God, a lack of velocity. Seth Hennigan from Memphis, the broadcast was trying to give Quinn Ewer, Quinn Ewers a little bit of love. It wasn't good. I'm sorry, I'm sitting there, and it wasn't good. Inaccurate, not a strong throw. Not good. Not a good. Just lack of velocity, the whole thing. Hanigan from Memphis

was like lofting balls early, but then showed some arm strength downfield later. Just a very weird group overall where Jackson Dart had some moments where I can see it. Then he had other moments where he missed guys. Tyler Shuck started strong, didn't finish as strongly as I would like him too, but I could see

the vision there. He's a natural thrower. The kid, Brasmer, Max Brasmer. I love his delivery. Very short compact, whip-like, but miss some rose later in there. But again, the receivers were dropping passes left and right. They weren't running the best routes. There was no separation in that group either. So it was really tough to evaluate or at least give

positive marks to a lot of guys. Yeah, I think the takeaway is just no quarterback stamped themselves. You know who was the most consistent, Greg? Brady Cook from Missouri. That's who made my team. Yeah, he's not going to get drafted. Jackson Dart, like, there's a whole Jackson Dart Mafia out there.

I'm not totally sure why. Just whatever. He He's getting the Jalen Hertz comp, which is not a bad comp to have for a physically talented but somewhat limited guy that people believe in that will improve as a pro. But if you're looking for him to have a rocket ship past where Jalen Hertz got drafted, which is late second, I don't think it's happened yet. A couple other quick quarterback things before we go to the receivers is just I think consensus finally caught up to. how the media was talking about it, was like how the teams all along probably were viewing it,

which is Shitterer Sanders has not looked at, I think, as like a close prospect to Cam Ward. That I think conventional wisdom is going to be, there's a decent chance Cam Ward still goes number one, whether it's to the Titans or a team trading up and that he is not going to fall past the first couple picks because he's a really intriguing quarterback prospect. And that Shudder Sanders is just not at that level

as a quarterback prospect and that and that's fine like he still might go top 10 he might go in the first round he might go top 20 but that there's there's a gap i think uh most teams view there is a gap and it just there is a logical grab and then the other funny note i thought was uh jalen milrose hand size grew significantly between the senior bowl and um and the NFL scouting combine like almost like half of i think it was like three ace of an inch or something it like it grew i don't know you're just doing stretching exercise. It just shows how silly this whole thing. I think he had sub-9-inch hands at the senior bowl, which is like smaller than Jared Goff, which he's sort of the benchmark of like quite

small hands. And his hands grew quite a bit, which really made me laugh. Give me a couple wide receivers that stood out to you the best because we did have, while we didn't have Ted McMillan, who might be the favorite to be the first wide receiver off the board. He's from Arizona, big, strong looking number one type of receiver. There's some word, he might not even run at his pro day, which is like, hmm, that's interesting. We did have more of the first round type of receivers run and work out. Who were your favorites? Doesn't have to be from the first round category.

Yeah, we didn't get a mecca abuka either. And so that kind of left us with a class that, like, the next couple of guys headlining it are like Luther Burden from Missouri, an honor used player at Missouri, who is a playmaker, but they had a revolving door at quarterback. And, you know, like I mentioned Cook, but Cook got hurt during the season. And so it was an inconsistent situation for him and it was a struggle for him to produce. I felt as if he kind of like when I talked running backs

looked like a pro. Like he ran the gauntlet really, really smooth, like tight to the line, catches were effortless, very natural. The little tracers they have on network. It was beautiful when you were watching him. He does look like a pro, Luther Burden. My man knows how to color inside the lines

and he certainly did at the Combine. He didn't do the full batter of testing, but he threw it down a 4-4-1 of the 40 that basically checks the box for him. So he's on my list. And then it got kind of murky because a lot of these guys who ran well didn't participate in the drills like Matthew Golden from Texas or guys who did run well were very up and down like Jalen Lane for Virginia Tech, Jalen Noelle from Iowa State. So I got caught in this in-between ground where I was like, I kind of have to lean toward guys

who tested good, like, well enough and looked consistent enough in the drills. I've got a candidate for you. Go ahead. How about Jalen Newell's college teammate from Iowa State, Jaden Higgins? Yes, he is on my honorable mentions list. He was close to making the top three, yes. When they showed the Nico Collins comp, I was in 6-4-214, 2-14, check some boxes, very good times for his size, you know, a very good athletic score, looks pretty good in the drills to my eye.

That to me is a guy with a decent floor. but like a Nico Collins, maybe has a nice ceiling. Someone viewed as like, yeah, I don't know. Maybe he's a second. Maybe he's a third. We'll see. That sort of talent to me seems like a very intriguing second round type of player. Yeah, and that's why I end up with the honorable mentions.

Just because when I do this and I go back and through my notes like, in some years, guys pop and I know halfway through the drills after looking at their testing. I'm like, that guy's going to be on the team. We didn't have those separation guys this year necessarily. So we had to kind of dig deeper. So Chimray, DK, the receiver from Florida. He made my squad for the same reason that Isaac Tuslaw from Arkansas did, which is they tested well and they had the most consistent workouts to where I'm watching them move and I'm thinking, okay, I can see at the next level. I can see this guy being a producer of sorts.

They just kind of kept popping up over and over again. They'd make a nice grab here. They'd run this route well. They'd run this drill well. They never looked overwhelmed. But the ceiling in general with this class was just lower because nobody popped like in past years like a C.D. Lamb, for example, or, you know, you can run a tank Dell. There's no tank Dell in this group that performed in these workouts that I was taken aback by watching them run their routes this

time around. So a lot of similar guys. And I think if you're in the market for a receiver, if you're not in a position to take a Tet McMillan or in a Mecca, who's just going to live in the slot in the NFL, Abuka, then you're in a tough spot where you can wait and hope for the best from some of these guys. Well, you mentioned Matthew Golden from Texas. He ran a 429, one of the fastest times ever for a guy who's over 190 pounds, which is, you know, a self-selecting cutoff because he's, he's about that size. But he's a guy with that sort of speed wouldn't be shocking if he snuck into the first round like Xavier Worthy a year ago, because he has pretty good tape in production as a college player, too. He was already maybe in that group. Jalen Noel, who

you mentioned, the top broad, the top vert. So certainly people who helped themselves, but maybe not an amazing, you know, wide receiver class. I still like Tess Johnson, who happens. to be under 160 pounds and ran a slow 40, but he had insane three cone and insane shuttle time. That's where he's going to live. All in the eye of the beholder, when I watched him, I thought like, that guy is a Rams type. I could absolutely see him because they love the three cone. They love the shuttle. They don't mind the little guys.

Live between zero and 12 yards, win with instant separation, and then run after the catch. Yes. He could be like a better version of 2-2 at well. So who knows? Let's wrap up, I guess, the skill position groups. We didn't talk tight ends yet. Now Friday night seems so long ago to me. When I watch Mason Taylor, he just looks so clean.

He just looks like the guy that you're like, I don't know if he's going to be an all pro, but he will be in the league eight or nine years. Did he make your all combine team? He's an honorable mention. Okay. Now that this is a couple days ago, I can't remember if it was because the testing wasn't quite there,

if it just didn't pop on the field as much. The testing was like fine. Yeah. Because I think his workout was very solid. He looked very much like a pro-ready guy. So it had to be, I think, testing with him now that I'm thinking back about it. My top two guys, this was actually tough. I think there's a lot of talent in this tight-in class.

There's a lot of guys that are similarly affected that might look like different molds. Like Harold Fanon from Bowling Green reminds me of Isaiah likely and had some really nice moments in his workout. And I think he put together a good overall day. C.J. DePray from Alabama looks like a pro-ready tight end who just does everything pretty well. Jake Briningstool from Clemson kept putting together good reps down in the field during the drills. So we got a lot of those types of guys. But the guys that ended up on top of my list were Terrence Ferguson from Oregon, who just looks like a smooth, silky athlete at tight end. The modern tight end kind of exemplified in this guy.

A little bit of a late riser potentially. Let's hear it. I like that. And then we also had Joshua Simon from South Carolina, who is, I think, just going to be fantastic. Like he just, he's big, he's a unit, and he moves well. He's not slow. he's super athletic and throughout his workout I was just like damn this is a good player like this is the modern tight end who's going to come into the NFL and make a difference for the right team I don't know if I would call him like a like maybe a Gerald Everett who's always a super athletic but inconsistent tight end but a guy who I think just has a very high ceiling in the right situation Gerald Everett's still cashing them checks I mean I know he is he's still getting it done so most of these guys would take that career even if that doesn't get you it's funny now as we're going finish seeing the combine here. I kind of am realizing why people are going wild for this class. And

granted, we saw more people sit out the combine than ever. Well, but here's why. Because here are the classes that are awesome. The running back class is awesome. It's just not as sexy a position as it used to be, even though it should be. The tight end class is awesome. The defensive tackle class had like 14 more people invited to the combine than a year ago. So it's very deep at like defensive tackle. And the top guys didn't really participate. Mid-round guards. It's very deep, like interior line. Yes.

Running back tight end. So it's a meat and potatoes type of draft. And I'm glad you mentioned Harold Fanon. If you guys listened to the podcast they did with Nate Tice, really a fascinating player that I've gone to school on over the weekend and started watching him. And I think this was a big weekend for him because people just weren't sure if he was going to be athletic or not.

And he's a big dude. And he tested well. Like he had a good enough 40, very good 40 and very good 40. and very good in the three cone and the short shuttle. And so I think he's someone's like, okay, he passes the benchmarks of what we want for an NFL tight end. And now he could be a guy where, man, a lot of these tight ends are going to go, I think,

in round two and certainly round three. Yeah, we're going to see a number of them. And he would have made my team if his on field workout was just a little bit more consistent. There were moments where I was like, like I went into it being like, every once in a while I see a guy where I'm like, God, I really hope you crush this because I want to put you on the team

because I see your potential. and he's one of those guys, it's just that other guys usurped him with their on-field performance. Okay, well, let's wrap up the offense with the guys that did the workouts on Sunday. Your last day was about the big boys, the offensive line, who caught your eye?

The last day is the best day because this is my wheelhouse baby, all about the trenches, and there is a lot of talent to work with, especially in the interior offensive line. My center is Jared Wilson from Georgia. He is an athletic, freak, 99. The highest score you can get in next gen stats, athleticism score based on how he

tested 48440. Uh, the only interior linemen for a center. I know. The only interior lineman to break 21 miles per hour. Uh, third fastest speed by an offensive lineman top speed 21.04 miles per hour over the last three years. So he started hot, right? And then he goes to post 32 inch vert, nine forward broad jump, did it all at 310 pounds. And then he goes on the field. It looks, exactly the part. Like this is a guy that you could plug into like an Eagles run scheme or another scheme like I think about back four or five years ago, the Stefansky Wide Zone scheme in Minnesota where like you need a guide to get to second level and make a consistent impact and do it with athleticism and strength and power. This is the guy. This is the center in the draft. I was

totally impressed by him. Every rep was good. There's a ton of burst and spring in his steps. he has wildly light feet, like featherweight feet, so taken aback by how good he was. So that's my center. I should have started with offensive linemen because it just brings out the, you know, the shine in shookie's eyes. Oh, yeah. We should have opened with us.

All right, go with your second one. Sunday's the best day because it's the shortest and it's my favorite position group. Then we go to guard. A lot of talent at guard. I'm telling you, interior offensive line, there's a ton of value here. I actually had a really hard time picking between these guys.

Gray's Able came in with a lot of pop from the senior bowl. Didn't quite look as consistent as I want him to be tested well, but didn't quite look as consistent on the field. So he ends up in the honorable mentions. 36 inch vertical, by the way, like a guard is preposterous. Kind of a freak. There's some things missing from his game, but the way I characterized it to the guy sitting in the suite with me today

was that you put him in a phone booth. He's winning that battle every time. It's just that some of the other situations. And like North Dakota State, he ended up playing some tackle. Like, it's hard to figure out exactly where he's going to play. He's going to be the interior lineman. He could be a center,

but you put him in that phone booth, he's going to win as a bit of a brawler who's very agile. Joshua Gray, the guard from Oregon State, moves phenomenally well. I think he's going to have a great career ahead of him as well. I also realized Georgia was freaking loaded at offensive line because I had a bunch of Georgia guys end up in the honorable mentions are on this list. We had Dylan Fairchild, Xavier Trust, both on my honorable mentions. And then I also picked Tate Ratledge, the guard from Georgia, who you want to talk about a guy who

could move. And maybe you say I'm overvaluing movement. But guess what? In today's NFL, you can't just be a brawler at the first level. You've got to get to the second level to really make a difference in the run game. Go look at the Eagles. Go look at Saquan and Barclay. That's why they succeeded. And Tate Ratledge is that guy at guard. He is just so swift. He's 6.6. He's huge. And yet he moves. He's 308 pounds, but he moves like he weighs 280. And he put on a show in the testing, 497, 40, 32 inch jump, 95 broad.

Best three cone time, 7.38 seconds. Three Cone is where teams like to get their guards moving, quick, agile. He did a trap drill. It was a short pool is what they call it on TV, but it's a trap. You're mimicking a trap. Talk to me. And a lot of these guys, basically the essential thing you want to do on a trap is your first step is quick, it's backward, and you swing open the hip. Because what you have to do is drive right behind the center's rear end and get through the hole before the running back runs you over.

If you can't get through the hole, you can't be a guard and can't run a trap. And you can't play football, essentially. he can not only do it he was the only guy in the entire group that I saw who was so used to doing it and had such light feet that he like did this shuffle that was like a blur like he'd done this rep thousands of times and other guys struggle with this stuff and I was like oh man like I felt a tingle inside me I was just like this is incredible I love this guy and then he crushed the rest of the drill too I wrote a lot about him and the all combine team he's not a brute he's not going to win with pure force but he's going to win with his feet so I like to him a lot. Okay, that's a great shout out. Big day. I think as we get closer to the draft, people are realizing, yeah, there's not a premier left tackle prospect necessarily in this class, but actually the overall class is pretty deep and pretty strong. It's just not amazing in the top five or ten. And who knows, Aramon Membu might be OL1 after the day he had a very fast 10, a very fast 40. He's 20 years old. He finished 26th out of 1379 qualifiers at tackle.

He moves well. People questioning whether he could go to guard, but like, there's a chance he could go in the top 10 in this draft, I think, because whether it's him or Will Campbell, Will Campbell had a good workout, but the short arms were were a little shorter even than people were expecting 32 and 5 eighths, which is, you know, it depends how much you care about that. But he had a great workout, too, Will Campbell. So interesting, those two guys, though, did not make your team. I have things to say, because Membu did make my team, first off, at tackle. Campbell makes honorable mention.

And we'll start with Membub. Membu, I don't know if you watched the broadcast with the sound on, Greg. But his first 40, he screamed through the entire 40. I'm not kidding you. Yeah, there was a guy like that yesterday who yelped like a seal. Yes. He ran, yes. Keep going, keep going. What is happening?

He was, ah, the whole way through. And we're all like, wow. And Eric at home, proud Mazugrad, I look across the suite, I go, is that how they teach you in Columbia, Eric? And then we look up at the board and we see his 40 time, 491. And it was like, well, it justified the sound. He had an excellent drill. He was another guy very light on his feet, considering his size, very fluid, very comfortable. And I'm curious about the projection because I think about a guy like Mackay backed

and not the same player, but Mackay kicks into guard with the Eagles this year and thrives for the most part, right, and kind of replaces the void that Cam Juergens left when he had to slide over to center and they don't miss a beat. And maybe that's what some people are thinking. I think there's some other comps that are outside of that with him moving to guard, but I can see him playing tackle and being fine. Doesn't define as a traditional top left tackle prospect necessarily, but I see it in the physical traits and potential there.

The other guy that ended up there was Josh Connolly because of the way he went through his drills testing solid 85 athleticism score but not as good. From Oregon, potential first round pick, another one. As I watched him, I wrote in my notes, he's a stud. In fact, I texted a friend in Oregon grad who we know and I was just like, Connolly's a stud. And he goes, go back and watch the Big Ten title game tape

and you'll see it too. And I was like, I've already watched it. I know what you're talking about. But let's talk about Campbell because... Will Campbell, LSU, potential top five pick. I think he was the number one tackle on a lot of people's boards going into this. He goes to the podium yesterday

and all the questions are about arm length like you just referenced. And your arms are too short to play tackle. What do you think? And he was pretty adamant that he's going to play tackle the next level and prove everybody wrong he's been hearing it for years

and he's ready to find the same success at LSU. I'm telling you this. He could be in the NFL and be a fine tackle, but he's got the potential to be an all pro guard because he wins with his feet, not with his arms,

you know, upper body strength or his arms because his arms are short. You could even see it in the drills. There just wasn't a lot of force up there, but those feet are smooth as butter and they're feather light, like a lot of these other guys. He had some of the best feet of any linemen in this entire group. I could see him being a phenomenal guard for a long time

as opposed to being a decent to slightly better tackle in the NFL. I just wish, I just wish that somebody would draft him and say, you are going to be a guard. He might be. He might be. Top five guard in the NFL. fell for a long time. Look, Zach Martin and Elijah Vera Tucker are two recent vehicles. That was who I thought of Martin. Of guys who got taken and teams weren't sure where they would play. And they got a little test

drive outside and they were better inside. Obviously, Martin is the ultimate example. Quentin Nelson never even really got tried at left tackle, but he was a guy that got moved inside in both those guys. Certainly Martin and maybe Quentin Nelson will be in Canton one day. Let's wrap up. with the D.Bs. It went back on Friday. Maxwell Harrison has the fastest time, I believe, of anyone at the combine this year. Kentucky cornerback. And by all accounts, was smooth in the drills, too.

So a nice combine for undersized cornerback, but one that has a chance to get taken maybe in the first round and certainly in the first, you know, 40, 50 picks. Yeah, it kind of feels like the Quinnioner Mitchell story from last year where a team banks on explosiveness and athletic potential and then, you know, hopes the rest of it's a little bit cleaner in terms of technique. He had a good, he had good workout. Obviously was fantastic in the testing, smooth confidence, made hands catches inside and outside the frame. And in a group that doesn't really have the top tier corners that we saw in previous years, even last year, you know, with a Terry on Arnold and Mitchell and, you know, Cooper DeGine and stuff like that, I think he's going

to be the first one off the board at the position. And he makes the team. From there got a little bit harder to separate some of these guys, kind of like the receivers, probably a little bit more talent overall, but kind of like the receivers in separating these guys. I had Robert Longerbeam from Rutgers. It should have been Azarade Thomas's spot, but he didn't test. So incomplete picture there, that kind of disqualifies you and just puts you in honorable mentions. So Longer Beam had one of the most complete workouts of anybody in testing in on-field drills as well. And I liked his performance as well. And another guy, you got to mention this just for you, Greg.

I don't want to reveal them all, but I'm going to you right now. None other than Caleb Ransaw from the two-laying Green Wave makes my team because of the performance he put down. That included a 43340, a 40-inchvert, kind of borderline freakish numbers from him. And he was good on the field as well. So he looks like an NFL player. He'll be a nickel, like a smooth player who can hit inside. Love it. I love he's going up.

And before we go, the safeties, Nick Emanwari just blew up the combine, 6-3, 220 pounds, you know, had a 4-4 and just crazy numbers. How did he look in the drills? Because I think he's someone who absolutely improved his draft stock to it from a guy where it's like maybe he's in that first round mock. Maybe he's not. So I have a feeling he's going to be in the top 20 of a lot of first-round mok. Yeah, he's the first round pick.

He's the first safety out the board, but he didn't do that. the drills. So you just go off the testing. And because of the testing, just in complete picture again, he's an honorable mention on this team. But there is one other guy who I think helped himself out a lot. Maybe not with the testing, but with the way that he went through those drills. And it was Malachi Stark's from Georgia. He ran a four, five, 40 into 33 inch vert. But on the field, he was excellent. He was springy. He was sharp. He had the most complete performance of anybody. He was a natural as a ball catcher. I kind of felt like there was a bit of a Brian Branch similarity in terms of testing versus on-field performance.

That's what I felt about Branch when he was in the combine a couple of years ago as well. So I see good things for this guy. He may have snuck into the first round as well. I love that. And Jaday Burden, who I don't think did the drills, but ran a 4-3-9. Ninth overall, by the way, on Daniel Jeremiah's board. And a guy, like, I think he's been getting some of that branch comparison. People weren't sure about his speed.

So it's one of those where, like, maybe he doesn't look like he plays that fast, but he ran fast. And so that's definitely going to help his chances. So you say I'm Enwari's first safety off the board? There's some other good players, Starks. You know, Baron, if you want to count him as one, I guess he's sort of a hybrid there. There are good enough defensive backs.

Look, you are more than good enough. You put in the work this week. Are you going back out now? No, God, no. I'm going to go to bed. I have to fly home tomorrow. I hit my combine wall three hours ago. it officially, officially hit the wall.

Luckily, it's Sunday night. Like, right when you dug into that steak? Yeah, right when I sat down almost, I was like, oh, God. I mean, come on. It's only 11 p.m. there in Indianapolis. That's an early night. If you knew how long I was out last night, you would understand. Oh, okay.

I love it. Nick shook, everyone. Let's play that music and go home. I'm really looking forward to this week. It's, I would say it's the con before the storm, the free agency storm, but there's going to be trades happening. There's going to be cuts happening. We will be there for you all week.

We'll also preview the off-season for the AFC teams. We'll talk about free agents we want to sign. Patrick Claibon with me on our next show. Yeah, when you're getting the all-combine team from the man himself, you know football's back. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks.

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