NFL Stock Exchange: An NFL Draft Podcast - 160. Biggest Surprises From Daniel Jeremiah's Latest Mock Draft (3.0)

Episode Date: March 23, 2023

Hosts Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers go through Daniel Jeremiah's latest 2023 mock draft 3.0 and give you their most surprising picks

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It's awesome. Sign up now at youtube.com slash BS, device and content restrictions apply. Local and national games on YouTube TV. NFL Sunday ticket for out-of-market games excludes digital-only games. Welcome to the NFL Stock Exchange podcast. In this episode, we're going over the recent mock draft of one of the best in the business, one of the most plugged-in guys that we have in this industry. It is Daniel Jeremiah. He released his 3.0 mock draft over at NFL.com. You guys should go read it. And

as you are reading it, come back to this podcast and listen to what the most surprising selections were, according to myself and Connor. I'm Trevor Sycamore. With me as always is Connor Rogers. Let's ring the bell. Welcome to the opening bell of the nfl stock exchange podcast i'm trevor sikama that is connor rogers joining you in the middle of the week for a little bit more mock draft madness i know you guys are probably sick of mock drafts in the title of these videos but we have a treat for you over the next two episodes we've structured out what the show is going to look like. I know, Connor, look at us planning. Who would have thought?

Who would have thought? We're getting good. Not me. After a full year of doing this, we actually, we don't know what we're doing, but we're pretending well. We have planned out kind of what we want this show to look like between now and draft weekend. And so we've got a lot of really cool stuff coming up for you. But these two shows here in the middle of the week, we of left open we didn't really have anything a lot of that

structure starts on monday and we're going to get to that later but because timing loves us two of the goats two of the godfathers of the draft daniel jeremiah and mel kuiper jr dropped their most recent post free agency mock drafts so we're going to tell you what the biggest surprises were in our minds today for this episode, we got Daniel Jeremiah's of NFL.com a good friend who is incredible at what he does has such a great, not only eye for scouting, but ear for what is going on around the NFL.

So very pumped to get into some of these selections of his latest mock draft. But before we get to that, Connor, my friend, how are you doing? I'm good, man. We were laughing, full transparency, before we sat down to record. Well, no, we did sit down to record. And Trevor and I really beat around the bush for a while before we pressed the record button. For people that don't know this, we talk, we fix all the things going on wrong around us, whether it's dogs for him it's a million

things for me with sirens it's true uh and all of a sudden i just like i yelled like oh fuck and i'm like well no everything's fine with the pod i was like elijah moore just got traded so i don't have to do anything it's just just like, whoa. So yeah, that's how this show started. It has nothing to do with today's show, kind of. So yeah, here we are, man. I'm well. I'm well. We're having fun. I wish.

I wish so badly we would have just gotten the live one first. Oh, it was good. Because my face was like, I was like, what? You thought like somebody in my apartment died. Right. Yeah. Or Aaron Rodgers got traded. Or Aaron Rodgers got traded. Or Aaron Rodgers got traded to not the Jets.

I don't know which one would have been more pressing for you to have to leave and not do the podcast. But yeah, Elijah Moore, congratulations on the Cleveland Browns. I guess it's a, what was it? Pick swap for the second round pick? Yeah, the Browns move out of their two into the Jets three. So, which kind of makes you wonder, you know, back to the drafts. Or is that other pick?

I think 43 going to go back to Green Bay from the Jets now. And the Jets didn't want to lose their two. And I mean, this is good for the Browns for, you know, a player that has a lot of upside and clear, like for the Jets to get that kind of return. Like I speaks that they really didn't see his long-term home being with them. It's a pretty wild move. Man, I want you more.

Good wide receiver. Wish it would have worked out for the Jets. Yeah, I think everybody does. The Browns definitely needed a wide receiver. They need. You know what, Connor? Rest in peace, Tank Dell. I was just about to say it.

Damn it. Damn it. The bet is off the table. This trade stinks it the bet is off the table this trade stinks the bet is off the table the tank del bet it's off the table this is one home is one home in the second round all right obviously you guys can tell we're gonna have a lot of fun here on this episode but let's fire it up you guys who are either watching on youtube you can pull up another tab if you're listening to this. You can pull up whatever you're using, Chrome Safari, something on your phone.

And you can listen to the podcast while we go over this bad boy. It's over on NFL.com. It's not behind a paywall. So you guys can go see it for free. And there's all of DJ's thoughts and analysis and picks there. And we're going to tell you what the biggest surprises were. We're not going to go through every single selection.

We're going to make these two shows a little bit shorter for you. See how they do. See if you like these a little bit better. But Connor, I guess I'll start with you, man. When you look at DJ's 3.0 post free agency mock draft, where does your mind go first? Wonder if it's at the top of the list or maybe a little bit further down for a surprise that you really want to dig into. Not not a surprise but let's start at number one and then we're gonna work pretty quickly downward because a lot of the you know two through i would say 10 is pretty chalky nothing shocking but number one is such a hot storyline right now because quite frankly uh nobody really knows what the panthers are gonna do

but daniel jeremiah who I think I would comfortably say has the biggest power to shift mock draft processes, which does reflect on betting boards. I mean, there was a time, Trevor, where like CJ Stroud, I think made it to minus 400 to be the number one pick to the Panthers. Everyone's like, oh, well, they're taking them. And then when a guy like Daniel Jeremiah puts Bryce Young there and we had Bryce number one in our most recent mock draft it just goes to show you that like no

this this thing's pretty open right now this is going to be interesting uh I do know and obviously he does too there are Bryce Young fans in Carolina that would like him to be the pick but there's obviously people that also like Stroud so it's going to go down to the wire and I just thought hey we got to acknowledge that Bryce Young is still in contention to be the first overall pick. Yeah, I think you and I talked about this on the Monday episode. I don't know just because it's new, right?

Everybody likes to talk about the new, shiny, different options and everything after the combine and all that. And Carolina makes the trade after that. And all we heard about was CJ Stroud and who had a phenomenal combine performance especially out there passing looked like the best pure passer of the group and of course like what anthony richardson was able to do and those are the two guys that we

continue to hear about as options at number one overall for the carolina panthers i felt like we barely even heard about bryce young like nobody was talking about it and i didn't like anthony richardson stroud yeah and i didn't know if that was because we really were moving on or people were learning that Carolina was much more in on AR and CJ Stroud than Bryce Young. Or if it was just the fact that we talked about Bryce Young so long, everybody wants to talk about something new. So with DJ putting Bryce at number one, I do think that at least notifies us that this is not out of the question it's not like a guarantee that the texans are now going to get bryce young or something like that there is a realistic path to where young could still be the number one overall pick so i'm glad that you uh i'm glad that you pointed that one out there

can i go a little bit further down yeah my first one? I want to talk about the Seattle Seahawks. And Seattle is picking at number five in this draft. And they end up taking Jalen Carter, which Carter not getting out of the top five, I think is notable in and of itself, right? Because we were wondering how some of these more, I don't want to say more plugged in, but certainly in this situation, DJ is one of the most plugged in draft analysts that we have

from behind the curtain and sources that he has from around the league and in front offices. If DJ would have mocked Jalen Carter to, let's say, the Titans at 11, I'd have been like, oh boy's real yeah okay then like we're then at that point his stock is the wild wild west like you have no idea what's going to happen he could have been anywhere in the top 20 but the fact that he's still at five does make me believe that a lot of these teams are just looking at the insane talent that Jalen Carter is. And I think that we've got a little bit of a process here over the next month to see where he ends up. But I think that him going in the top five of the draft is still on the table. Wasn't sure if it was going to be completely off. All of that to say, you go up

to his little blurb at number three overall, where he has the Cardinals selecting Will Anderson he says I won't be surprised if the Cardinals trade this pick to Indianapolis Las Vegas or Seattle he mentions the Seattle Seahawks at number five I think that you could certainly say that they maybe would move up if they love will anderson and they really want to try to get will anderson but i also think that him mentioning seattle as a trade-up team makes it feel like they're more into this quarterback frenzy than maybe we have been giving yeah the situation credit for what do you think about this i mean here's what you always do right trevor when you you've done all the work and you put all the thought into it and you've heard certain things another point of research you could do is look into contracts and i look

at the structure of geno smith's deal and i look at the state of the Seattle Seahawks roster and the age of the coach. And I go, when is Seattle going to be even close to this again in Pete Carroll's lifetime? They should never be. They should never be picking in this range for a quarterback. So if not now, when? And I love Geno Smith. And I'm blown away by the deal they were able to negotiate with him, where in all reality, he could be there another three years. He could be there another one season. That's the flexibility that they have with the Geno Smith contract.

So I also find Pete Carroll an interesting person to analyze. He's somebody that, like, he's been very vocal in funny ways at the combine and i i think that he's somebody that he's so open and honest sometimes um or so like he's talked about trading the pick i believe he's talked about keeping the pick all these different things he's talked about needing to get bigger and better in the front seven that it just feels like it wouldn't it shouldn't shock anybody if seattle is in on the quarterback flip now the the big problem i guess trevor though is like do they trade with arizona right and we did see the lions trade with minnesota in the first round last year so you never say never arizona i think needs to step back and be like we need to do what's right for us not

petty division rivalries. But that's a little layer. But no, I do think it's on the table for Seattle to be in the quarterback class. I think the you never deal with a team within your division is – I understand where it comes from, but at the end of the day, if you think you're getting the better of the deal, why wouldn't you do it? Like, like if one,

you're not making a trade unless you think you're getting better, the better end of the deal. I mean like that, that's just, that's just a fact, even, even if it is even right. Like even if you think the trade is even, you believe that the player that you're going to move to select or the players that you're going to move to select are going to benefit you more that's why you're making the move a lot of people look at it and go oh you can never trade with a team within your division you can never like help them if you know they're going up for a quarterback maybe this is a little bit different and i will

definitely give you that but yeah that's that is a difference maker it's like oh we have to see this guy right right so like quarterback like many other things exists in a world of its own but outside of quarterback selections if you think you're getting the better of the deal doesn't that only make it even sweeter that you think you're getting the better of the deal, doesn't that only make it even sweeter that you think you're getting the better of the deal against a divisional rival? I don't know. I always, I always felt like that.

I always felt like that was a little overplayed and overblown unless a quarterback's involved. I really don't think it's that big of a deal. Now in this instance, it might for Seattle. So that would go into this particular example here. But outside of that, I just, I think that that's funny. You mentioned the Geno Smith contract, and I don't know how many people have taken a look at the details of it since it's come out. So Geno signed

a three-year $75 million contract, but only $27.3 million is guaranteed at signing. And this is basically a one-year deal with an out immediately after this coming season. He's only a.3 million is guaranteed at signing. And this is basically a one-year deal with an out immediately after this coming season. He's only a $10 million cap hit this coming year. He's got a dead cap hit at that 27.3. So it's all right there this year. Next year, he jumps from a $10 million cap hit to a $31 million cap hit.

And then the year after that, he goes up to 33.7. They could save 14 mil on the cap if they cut him next offseason and they could save 25 mil on the cap if they cut him the season after that so essentially you are right i i don't think enough people are honest with the fact that the geno smith extension does not take them out of the quarterback conversation. And that was just an area of this mock draft in particular that I found very, very interesting, especially in the top five. But what do you got next? We go all the way down to 11 with the Titans.

Yeah, sure. I love this pick. The Titans taking Jackson Smith and Jigba. I mean, listen, Tennessee is in a weird place. They need so much help on the offensive line.

Not so much help. They need help on the offensive line. They did make some additions in free agency. But man, and I like Traylon Burks a lot. It's not enough. It's not enough. And I think in this class, Jackson Smith and Jigba is worth a top 15 selection. I like this pick for Tennessee.

And it fits Rabel's identity of being a tough football team where this dude will catch everything over the middle of the field. He's an assassin, great routes, great work ethic, can take a hit, pop back up. I mean, he'll do everything you ask of him. So this was one of those ones we hadn't seen yet, and I'm like, why not? Why not if you're Tennessee?

Take Jackson Smith and Jigba. And you're rolling with Ryan Tannehill, who I know this is like taboo to say, when healthy and he dealt with the ankle all last year. Ryan Tannehill is a solid quarterback. If you're going to roll with him for one more year on that expiring deal, give him something to work with. Tannehill throwing to JSN and Traylon Burks, and we don't know if they're going to trade Derek Henry or not.

I mean, I'm not saying the Titans are back in contention for the division. I actually think they're in a pretty significant retooling phase. But if you're a Rand Carthen, you know, get a double here. You don't have to hit a grand slam. Hit a double. It's your first first rounder. You got a lot of work to do on this roster. You got one of the best coaches in football. Just hit a double. It's a first, first rounder. You got a lot of work to do on this roster. You got one of the best coaches in football.

Just hit a double. And I think that's what Jackson Smith and Jigba is, is the best wide receiver in this class. So I was a big fan of this. And I just like how this mock draft from Jeremiah, and I think it was very purposeful, while also remaining true to himself and his info, showed off-the-cuff scenarios that we need to start discussing

which you and i tried to do on monday as sure right right i because i i agree with you this is definitely an intriguing selection because we we have not seen this one before from jackson smith and jigba's angle and from everything that you said, I do agree with it. But for a player in JSN who is a slot exclusive guy, now it can be a damn good one, but a slot exclusive player, to me it depends on what they think of Traylon Burks. Because Burks played mostly on the outside last year with tennessee that was not the case at arkansas he played a lot in the slot over especially those last two seasons i've got numbers hold on let me make sure i have them completely right so in his career at arkansas trailing burks and this is yes we're talking about big

six foot two, 225 pound Traylon Burks, a guy who you think has the body type to be able to play on the outside and a guy who looks like an outside wide receiver. Throughout his three year college career at Arkansas, he played over 1300 snaps from the slot and only 242 out wide. That's just not what he did. Yep. Tennessee played him on the outside last year, so if they have confidence that he could be an outside receiver,

then all of a sudden a lot of those slot snaps free up. You can get a guy like Jack Smith and Jigba there. I agree that he'd be a great addition for Ryan Tannehill. He would really help out that offense, giving them a different kind of weapon. But if this coaching staff goes, yeah, we tried last year and it was not he was not the player on the outside that we wanted him to be we think that he's probably going to go as more

of a slot player that's my only hold up here and that was my only when when i saw this one i agree with you at first i was like oh this is interesting i like it and then i thought about how it would complement trailing burks and it just depends on their outlook of them. So that was, that was my initial thoughts there as well. Absolutely. I think we, we skip now to the jets with Nolan Smith, because it's more about Nolan Smith than the jets,

right? Yeah. It's about both. I taught, I taught 15 selection, right. From Nolan Smith and not to give away too much. Cause I'm sure that we'll talk about this a little bit on the next episode as well. When we go over Mel Kiper's mock selection, right, from Nolan Smith. And not to give away too much, because I'm sure that we'll talk about this a little bit

on the next episode as well when we go over Mel Kuyper's mock draft. But the man is trending up, you know, to... Oh, he's flying. He's flying, man. To get back to the roots of this show, the stock is up. His stock is going up, and we are seeing... We haven't done that in a while. His mock draft stock trending in the right direction. So what do you think?

I mean, what do you think about the fit for the Jets? But then just overall us seeing Nolan Smith a lot higher in these mocks. Tricky for me, right? Because I like Nolan Smith. I will raise my hand. I don't love Nolan Smith is like this top 10 ish kind of guy because I don't think he has figured out how to rush the passer yet.

And it's weird when you say that, because he's still a good football player. He's great against the run. He's tough in the trenches. When you have that kind of explosive nature off the edge, you can run yourself into some sacks. Like when I say you don't know how to rush the passer, it doesn't mean you have a plan

to generate consistent pressure, but you're just so dang explosive that you find a way sometimes. And so it's tricky for me. And DJ makes a really good point that not enough people are talking about. Bryce Huff is an RFA, so he'll be back for one more year. And then they got to figure it out with him. Carl Lawson is back for one more year unless they cut him. Like the jets can get thin at edge rusher and Robert Salas defense.

And for your, the fans of, you know, Seattle, the Texans, the Niners, like same kind of front, like it's based on the edge rush.

So this is a logical choice in a sense. Like it's, it could be a real need. He's an all character kind of player. He's a good football player. I'm having trouble projecting Nolan Smith as this master class pass rusher. Like, is he just a good one? And he's not one right now.

He's pretty average right now as a pass rusher. Like, can he be a good one? Well, if I'm taking him at 13 and I have significant issues on the offensive line and I have Aaron Rogers coming to town. This was, this is a tough bet. You could tell chair. I'm like battling this one back and forth.

Yeah. Cause you like the player. Like you, you, you like Nolan Smith, but in this mock draft in particular, not saying that this couldn't happen, but Paris Johnson was there.

They passed Paris Johnson. And I think they passed project Jones too. He went at 17. Yeah, Jones doesn't go until 17. So are you passing over Paris Johnson Jr. or Broderick Jones for Nolan Smith? Probably not, but I think it brings up a good conversation. I think we're going to have more of the Nolan Smith conversation as well in the Kuiper episode that we're releasing tomorrow.

Yeah, we can keep it moving. We got to go down to 19. I mean, this is the one i've been the most excited for this is this is not this is not a let's talk about the buccaneers homer selection from i mean it kind of no it's not a betray here but we have to talk about the buccaneers he asked them taking will levis at 19 now the biggest surprise here is not the buccaneers taking a quarterback i think they would if any of them made it all the way to 19 it's the fact that we had quarterback three going off the board at number four overall right we went bryce young at one we went cj stroud at two and anthony richardson at

four so that's three out of the first four picks in this mock draft our quarterback we have been told that it is a big four right we have been operating the entire time as if it is a big four again little little foreshadowing a little teasing when we get to kuiper's mock draft he's gonna have levis going a little bit higher just letting you guys know we're gonna have that conversation on that episode. The gap between where Richardson went at four and where Levis went at 19, I think that's the part that I cannot, that I just don't think is going to happen. That's the biggest surprise to me, that there is that big of a gap there, especially over some teams that maybe would go for that quarterback upgrade if they felt like Levis gave them that potential. But as we said at the very beginning of the podcast connor

dj is a plugged in dude now does that mean that every single pick is going to be like a uh like a fortune teller kind of a pick no no i'm not putting that kind of pressure on him because he's you know he's going about this enjoying the process having fun thinking of different scenarios just like we all are but i don't think it comes out of nowhere. So what do you think? Levis going 19 overall, obviously it makes a ton of sense for the Bucks current situation. They don't have the confirmed long-term starter there, but what do you think about Levis lasting all the way to the bottom of the top 20? Well, this is where I think he should be drafted right go to a place that you are afforded the luxury to sit and develop and not be drafted in the top seven as this franchise savior i i like

this for will levis a lot and it helps that they got good wide receivers like there's a lot of good in this scenario dj did a good job of writing in if If Levis starts to slide, I believe a team like Tampa Bay will trade up to get him. So back to your point of like, it feels really unlikely. Will Levis falls out of the top 15. I am still sitting here wondering, are the Raiders going to sit there at seven and be like, Hey,

if he falls to us, we'll take him. If he doesn't, we'll take a player to make our team better. And you go here's the one for me trevor how the hell does will levis get by washington that's right right right i'm not like killing this like me well but that's the thing like he i i think that dj might be operating first of all i'm glad that you read the blurb of him saying if levis starts to slide somebody's probably going to trade up for him because i think that's the case as well but i do agree with you there's just too many teams it feels like even outside of the top 10 that wouldn't

take the chance on them tennessee sitting there at 11 you know the commander sitting there at 16 like these are teams that would take the flyer on it no question about it if you ask me even for whatever you think of levis but to your to your very first point this feels like where levis should have gone all along it's just you know high trait ceiling quarterbacks we know go higher than you pay the tax you you pay the tax i think it's a toll is it a toll is the quarterback toll oh man you ever go across the gw it's like 20 bucks it's expensive again 20 bucks yeah wow get in new york city sucks let me tell you uh so yeah the quarterback toll yeah but man that was obviously a shock we're gonna get to another quarterback

in a second but before we get to that pick i wanted to point out one seattle seahawks he has them going wide receiver but jackson smith and jigba is off the board because jackson smith and jigba went 11 he still had them going wide receiver with jordan addison felt like that was very interesting there um baltimore ravens joey porter jr baby we've been on the train we started the train a couple of weeks ago when we had them trading up for a guy like Joey Porter Jr. I think he's going to be very much on their radar. And that brings us to number 23 overall and one Hendon Hooker getting into the first round here. Now the blurb from Jeremiah, I'll read it off before I ask you, Connor, what you think about it and how we got here. Well, the Vikings have been doing their homework on this quarterback class.

Hooker is well-liked around the league, and he could sit for a year behind Kirk Cousins before taking over and ushering in a new era for Kevin O'Connell. What do we think, my friend? I think Hendon Hooker's going in the first round. And I really do. It's funny how you get here, right? You go full circle. This happens to a quarterback every year.

I've done it with Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield. The guy, and everybody does this. You watch him, and in November, you're like, man, that's my day two quarterback. And then you realize, you're like, hey, idiot. If you're saying that, the league is not letting him go to day two so magic johnson i'm not gonna be there i mean i'm not gonna be there that's what it feels like so hennon hooker was everybody's not everybody's but plenty of people's

favorite day two quarterback sure i thought with the age and the injury it was gonna be the top around three and now i've just come full circle where it's like you know what the guy can play he's got good tape he's a great interview he's a really bright guy he's got a big body he can run a little bit i mean he's gonna go in the first round and it's either a team in this range like say washington would be a little early but we'll start with them and or it's somebody trading back into round one and getting the option the fifth year like the fifth year option is kind of that willie wonka ticket now for quarterbacks you almost have to have it if you really believe in a guy well it's important for quarterbacks and it it would be especially important for hendon hooker because he's missing the first year no matter what right

so if you're in on him at all probably i think yeah i mean yeah he's there's no way that was pretty late right there's there's no way he's i would think that he would be able to give you meaningful football outside of maybe for a team that's absolutely tanking you throw him in there maybe the second last game of the season or something like that but yeah all of a sudden the the that extra year on the contract becomes paramount for him. It would just be wild to me because I agree. It seems like Hennenhoeker is well-liked around the rest of the league. It feels like everything that we've heard, he's interviewed very, very well.

Every team that's talked to him has loved him. Obviously, he had a phenomenal year before he got hurt. But it's like, OK, you get a 25-year-old rookie coming off a major knee surgery. He's missing his first year no matter what you're basically putting all the cards against him he he was not nearly this good of a quarterback until this past year for a stacked offense with a unique offensive coordinator all of those things which is it makes it makes it hard to believe that he would be a first round pick but perhaps perhaps the demand for him and just how much the teams are like man i like this guy let's i like this guy let's get him i know the lions are a team that likes him as well a lot i

don't know if they're gonna pick him at 18 but maybe trading back up into the first round to get that fifth year but yeah we had to have the hendon hooker conversation so um had to have it anybody anybody else here that you want to highlight as we're getting into the back part of the draft i mean mousey smith in the first round is just too much for me i gotta be honest um he's gotta go 26 to dallas he's massive he's a freak i get it i really do there's just it always starts with like hey there's not a lot of guys this size that can move like this. Very true. Very true. He never really put together like a full productive season at Michigan. The tape is here solid for his size.

Do I wish he can eat more double teams or at least like compete against them? Yeah, I do. That was why I was hoping to love him on in round two. I'm like, hey, get a big two gapping run stuffer that has some athleticism upside for pass rushing it's just oh it's a keanu benton yes literally keanu keanu benton is literally who is keanu benton to me is who people want mozzie smith to be i completely agree it's like i don't know if it's the wisconsin logo on him or like what it is that he just like yeah he's probably just like you know lunch pail right it's like no he has skill he has skill on him so i mean full transparency i have kiana benton ranked ahead of mozzie smith so yeah i and when i say all these things, like think again to how Trevor opened the show,

DJ does mock drafts with his ears. Bozzie Smith is going in the top 40 of this draft. Probably. But I thought Dallas could have done better here. I really did. Buffalo Bill is getting coins in Johnston. I mean, that's sick. Speaking of newcomers, though, one of the last ones that I'll point out,

we had the New York Giants selecting John Michael Schmitz as the interior offensive lineman in our mock draft that we had this past Monday. We were onto something. DJ also has them taking an interior offensive lineman and a center in particular, but he hasn't taking Joe Titman from Wisconsin. Titman has been, it feels like, it feels like we, when I say that his stock has been on the rise since the off season began, it was like the media has been catching up to, I guess,

what the NFL believes about Joe Titman. Cause wasn't able to work out of the combine. Right. And so it's not like the guy's really done anything different. And yet he continues to move higher and higher and higher up mock draft list Wasn't able to work out of the combine. And so it's not like the guy's really done anything different. And yet he continues to move higher and higher and higher up mock draft list until we see him now in the first round. I think this is the first time I've seen him in the first round. So maybe he is another player who top 40 guaranteed, it seems like, with Mozzie Smith of something that a lot of teams are going to be in

on a big athletic center. And I think this is the Creed Humphrey effect, right? Nobody wants to miss on this game changing center. Like it felt like people overlooked Creed Humphrey just because he was a position that traditionally carries a little bit less value. So I wanted to shout him out going to the Giants there too. Sure. Yeah. I mean, it's fascinating to me. The Giants let all their centers walk in free agency, but the good news is for both New York teams that don't have a center, you can get one in this draft. Because I believe in the long-term potential of Tippman,

John Michael Schmitz, Luke Whipler, Steve Avila, Oluwatimi. I mean, I even think, going back once again, looking back at the senior bowl week and after watching, uh, his guard film, I think Emil Ekior can play center. I really do. So I would go into this draft happily and be like, yeah, I'll find my center in the draft. Now Giants fans are like, well, why do we have to do it at 25 then? And, you know, there is something to picking your guy, picking the cream of the crop. And I think the Giants looking at center at 25 is a completely reasonable strategy,

as much as I know they also like the corners of this draft. But this mock draft just confirms something you and I, Trevor, say every single mock draft Monday. Deontay Banks, Joey Porter Jr., Christian Gonzalez, and Devin Witherspoon are going, and they're going to be gone. They're not hanging around. Full transparency, I think Baltimore has to move up for a corner. I don't think they just have Joey Porter fall into their lap at 22. No, I agree with you. I definitely agree with you. So look, there's only 31 selections that

you can make in a first-round mock draft, and so there's only so many names that you can make in a first round mock draft. And so there's only so many names that you can get in here, but Brian Branch, not on here. Ada Tamiwa, not on here. I don't think Darnell Wright is on here. So those were three that, no, Darnell Wright is here at number 28. Darnell Washington is not here. That's who I meant to say. Yeah.

So just very interesting. Very interesting that those are three names that we have seen in and out of the first rounds thatj did not have in his first round mock draft here is will mcdonald of the chiefs the new will levis you are a cult like it's just it's such a random spot 31 and everyone's doing it everyone's doing it like you get there and you're like will mcdonald you are a chief and i love it will levis you are a tampa bay buccaneer you are a chief. And I love it. We'll let us, you are a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. You are a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Let us know what you guys thought of,

of DJ's mock draft. Hit us up in the YouTube comments, please. NFL stock exchange, youtube.com backslash at NFL stock exchange. If you guys are listening to this on audio, only let us know what you thought of our thoughts on the mock draft or some other ones.

When you go and look at DJ's's mock draft over at nfl.com which i would encourage all of you guys to do because dj is awesome he's one of the best in the business not only what he does but he's just a phenomenal dude as well so make sure that you go give him a click go read the mock draft and then comment on on this youtube channel of what you guys thought was the thing that stood out to you the most if you guys are listening on thing that stood out to you the most. If you guys are listening on audio only, you want to get on the conversation at Tampa Bay Trey at Connor J. Rogers. Same thing on Instagram as well.

We got one more episode coming for you this week. Tomorrow, we are doing the same thing, but for Mel Kuyper's most recent mock draft. Like I said, we were blessed. We got two incredible mock drafts that we get to look at. These are two of the most plugged in guys in the business. And so next up is the Godfather, man. We're going to go through and give you our biggest surprises from Mel Kuyper's latest 3.0 mock draft. Connor, you got anything before we get out of here? This is fun. I really enjoy this. We'll do our best, hopefully, to get to talk to those guys one day. But it is fun. They just do such a good job of it.

They have connections that are pretty unmatched in this industry. I always enjoy it, Trevor, when, honestly, you and I think of something a couple days before they release these. Even if it's not the same player, like Tippman going to the Giants. It's cool we had John Michael Schmitz going to the giants like yeah sometimes insane ideas we come up with land it's like throwing blind darts we have a good time with it look sometimes we're good at this i mean we've never missed on a prospect it is you know if you go back all the way you check every single it's pretty crazy that we've never missed on a prospect obviously we're just joking around but appreciate everybody listening to the podcast connor's not joking around he's never missed on

the podcast he's going on six years here we're done appreciate everybody listening to the show uh on the next episode not only are we going to go over kyber's mock draft but we're also going to lay out for you what this show is going to look like over the next month and a half. We're going to tell you what's coming up on Monday and the good stuff that's coming up after that. I'm Trevor Sikma. That's Connor Rogers.

Thank you guys so much for listening to the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast. See you guys next time. Thank you.