NFL Stock Exchange: An NFL Draft Podcast - 22. NEW Mock Draft Monday (Free Agency Edition)

Episode Date: March 14, 2022

Hosts Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers bring you a brand new mock draft on the eve of free agency. The two talk Trevor’s new mock, what could happen in free agency that would shake up the draft needs, and react live to Tom Brady un-retiring. 0:00 - Intro, 2:15 - Will Aidan Hutchinson be the first pick?, 7:25 - Can Kyle Hamilton go #2?, 12:40 - What will the Giants do?, 18:30 - What do the Texans do if they get the 6th pick?, 22:05 - Can Travon Walker be a top-ten pick?, 24:55 - Should the Jets take a WR or CB at 10?, 29:25 - Are the Vikings trying to rebuild or run it back?, 37:45 - Should the Browns take another WR?, 42:15 - Where could Malik Willis go?, 45:30 - Reacting to Tom Brady’s return, 48:05 - Could Treylon Burks fall to 21?, 51:10 - Are the Cowboys rebuilding or trying to win now?, 55:35 - Should the Buccaneers take Tyler Linderbaum?, 58:45 - What should the Dolphins do?

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I got it this year. 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. On this episode, we've got a very special mock draft Monday for you. I wrote a brand new mock draft over at pff.com, a post-combined,

pre-free agency mock draft with all sorts of great info that myself, my co-host Connor Rogers heard at the combine, as well as what we're hearing might happen in free agency to Connor's going to have all sorts of questions for me, picks that he loved, picks that he hated, picks that we want to go back and forth on. So a lot of really great discussion in this episode. And just to give you guys a little of something to keep you listening

throughout the show, about midway through the show, we got the news that Tom Brady was coming back. So you get my live reaction to Tom Brady coming back to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I am Trevor Sycamore. With me is Connor Rogers. Let's get after it. Welcome to the opening bell of the NFL Stock Exchange podcast. I am Trevor Sycamore. With me is Connor Rogers on a free agency mock draft Monday edition of the show. Connor, this is one of our most exciting mock draft Mondays that we do for the entire calendar, man.

It just happened to be that I was releasing one of my own mock drafts. So you get to take this time to roast me on some of my picks, basically throw any question you want at me as we run down this mock draft with free agency just hours away. Yeah, dude, you always got a trick up your sleeve. And that is something I appreciate about you. This is impeccable timing. We are going to have some fun today. And if you are just tapping into the show right now, and it might be four hours past the free agency opening bell, it might be 24 hours. Don't go anywhere because a lot of today is going to be, yes, Trevor's original picks in this mock draft, but also me throwing scenarios at him of what if this team does this in free agency, the trade market or anything like that? Is there alternate directions they can go?

So I would call this the most fluid mock draft we've done on the show today. And it's going to be a lot of fun. I think that that's a good way to put it. And, you know, actually, for those who have gone to PFF to read the mock draft at the beginning, the little paragraph at the beginning before you get to the mock, which I know no one reads anyways, if you happen to read it, you would know that this mock draft that i wrote we're trying something a little different and it's going to be a live free agency mock draft so when guys sign to certain teams when big moves happen when team needs change i'm going to go in and i'm literally going to change my mock draft as free agency week

evolves so we're doing the podcast here on a monday because we wanted to establish the run if you will establish the mock draft monday for uh this podcast but this is going to be an ever-changing thing like connor said he's going to bring plenty to the table of questions that teams can be doing in free agency all that kinds of stuff and so uh look i'll just leave it to you i'll leave it right to you where do you want to start with this mock draft we'll talk about all the picks and i'll mention all the picks but where do you want to start with this one right at number one we're not going anywhere what i think we're gonna start we're gonna start right at number one with jacksonville you had them taking aiden hutchinson number one overall which uh me sitting

here having aiden hutchinson number one overall futures from november i would be ecstatic by that but i think there's no doubt that for the last two months or so, we felt Jacksonville is going to look to improve that offensive line. Then the franchise tag comes along and everybody's kind of spinning around going, okay, maybe they like what they have at left tackle. Maybe they think Aiden Hutchinson's the best overall player. Trevor, this is the first time in a long time I think the number one pick is so unpredictable. And my question for you is, because I have no problem taking Aiden Hutchinson number one overall. He's going to be a really good player. Him and Josh Allen's a fun

edge duo. You got to be able to rush the quarterback, especially in the AFC. If you want to go anywhere, there's too many good passers and that's where it all starts my question for you we know Jacksonville is a very uh tuned in ownership group to what's going on outside will they be afraid of the PR you know overall outlook around picking a defensive player when they've screwed up the first 300 plus days of Trevor Lawrence's career there. Yeah. I mean, that's, that's a big question, right? And you and I have talked about this on this podcast that it could be a handful of players here going number one overall. And I have Aiden Hutchinson because that's my guts telling me right now, you know, this is a predictive mock draft.

This isn't necessarily what I would do. We're at that point of the year where we're, we're trying to give you guys a look into our crystal ball, if you will. We are trying to predict what's going to happen. That's what mocks in March and April really are for, unless they're specified otherwise. And so this is a predictive mock for me. And as of right now, the Cam Robinson franchise tag makes me think that this truly is wide open. Before the franchise tag with Cam Robinson,

you and I both, I think, have been leaning offensive tackle for the Jags. And so, you know, it made sense if they were going to move on from Cam Robinson, even if they liked what they've seen from Walker Little, which I know is the case. They've got Walker Little. They have Juwan Taylor. You add another offensive lineman,

it's not like that's a bad investment in any way, shape, or form, especially when it's a guy who could be's a bad investment in any way shape or form especially when it's a guy who could be an icky aquanoo and evan neal charles cross something like that but i think hutchinson is edging them out right now i really do and people are kind of i guess a little disappointed by his combine which is kind of silly because i thought that he tested the way that he was going to maybe he didn't show up as long with the length as people thought, but the three cone was absolutely out of this world like everybody thought it was going to be.

And to get back to your question, I don't really think they should think about that. I agree. I know that Jags fans are very into their team and they're very vocal on social media, and it's one of my favorite fan bases. I love Jags fans. I really do. The team should just be picking the player that they believe is best and right now i feel like aiden hutchinson has that edge now that might not be the case at all

times but that's what i think at the time and i think i totally agree with that i think it's more of a you know is it's a problem with them i think the fact that they buy into whether it's hype or pr hits or anything like that maybe it's time to do things differently but at the same time the fans of the jaguars uh they are a passionate loud fan base and they've been right a lot and things have gone wrong that they feared so i would get that as well and i think they are a team that should spend a lot of money in free agency so maybe this conversation sure is easier a couple days into free agency where it's like okay they franchise tagged cam they added an interior offensive lineman and they signed a receiver right and they signed a mid-tier tight end and then you look at and go the offense isn't where it needs to be but it's taking significant

steps from the money they've spent that it leaves the number one pick a little bit more wide open to take who they think is the best player and in this case it's Aiden Hutchinson then you can look at 33 and go we'll get a wide receiver then or right we'll get we'll get one of the offensive linemen that's in tier two or three there all right let's keep this thing moving I don't want to spend the whole day on the number one pick but that was a good start because well hold on should I should i run should i run through just the top 10 i feel like i should please just so i can run through it and then we could go back we're not going very far right now either so right which is kind of why that i wanted okay so

aiden hudges obviously went number one overall to the jaguars i have kyle hamilton the safety from notre dame going number two to detroit evan neal the offensive tackle from alabama going three to the houston texans icky aquanu uh the offensive tackle from Alabama going three to the Houston Texans. Iki Ikuonu, the offensive tackle from NC State going number four to the Jets. I got Jermaine Johnson, the pass rusher from Florida State going number five to the New York Giants. Charles Cross to the Carolina Panthers, the offensive tackle from Mississippi State. Trevor Penning, the offensive tackle from Northern Iowa. He's going seven to the New York Giants. I have a feeling we're going to be talking about that a little bit. Tron walker to the atlanta falcons cave on tibido to the now seattle seahawks welcome to the first round conversation seattle post russell wilson trade and then for the jets i

got sauce garner at number 10 to kind of round it out there so from that that top 10 let's go back and and talk about what you want to talk about yeah fun top 10 because i let's go right to number two okay and i'm not going to do this guys i'm not going to do every pick so don't worry if you're you're hating my pace right now what I loved about this was Kyle Hamilton at two to the Lions this scenario no one is talking about no one is talking about the what if Aiden Hutchinson goes number one and I know people are are talking about that they're not talking about what does that do to the following draft pick with the Lions too because everything you and I have heard from Indy and for a long time is that the Lions are taking Aiden Hutchinson at two but if they're not afforded that opportunity they've invested a lot of resources into the offensive line and that that starts with like

that's not a previous regime thing like this new regime has already done that as well with Sewell so for me Trevor and I'm going to toss this to you because I'm fascinated by it I think one they try like hell to get out of this pick if this happened which not going to be easy it's just going to be honest with you you're not going to get the value that you should or they go best player available because they are like Jacksonville the Lions the Texans the Jets no the top four, the Giants at five. Their roster just needs good players. You're not really going to pick apart certain things. For the most part, you need good players. So in this scenario, and Kyle Hamilton, a little spoiler, is not a top five player on my big board. I love the player. He's going to fall right around seven

or eight, but he's a really, really good player. And in this scenario, you just throw your hands up and you're going, they get a really good player at a position they need that can contribute right away how did you get to this conclusion basically and i i mean i agree with you i think if hutchinson goes i don't think they take tibideau right spot i think i think it's really down to hamilton or trade right i think that this is the scenario that I kind of wanted to explore like you said if Hutchinson's off the board because I think people for a long time have got very comfortable with mock draft saying okay any offensive tackle at number one and then we'll just we'll pencil in Hutchinson at number two and we can move on almost to say like all right we're

not going to piss people off at the top of the draft but what if it falls like that and I really do you know you look at Vegas odds and Hutchinson's rising it may be the favorite in some books to go Like, all right, we're not going to piss people off at the top of the draft. But what if it falls like that? And I really do. You know, you look at Vegas odds and Hutchinson's rising. It may be the favorite in some books to go number one overall. And if that's the case, what do the Lions do? I agree with you. I'm not so convinced that they pick Kayvon Thibodeau, right? I mean, when you look at what Brad Holmes has been saying.

I don't think they do, by the way. Right. I don't think, I think there's like a 5% chance they do. So, I mean, you listen to what Brad Holmes has said. You listen to what brad holmes said you listen to what um dan campbell has said like they're gonna pick super tough like they're and they say this super tough like high character dudes like players that they believe in very versatile all that kinds of stuff and i'm not saying that cave on tibido isn't any of those things i don't know that the answer to that question myself, but I do know that the NFL has questions on those things for cave on

Thibodeau. And maybe the lions are one of those teams that do because man, for as much as we got on here last week. And I said that cave on Thibodeau should have been a winner at the combine. And I still believe that that doesn't take away the fact that there are clearly NFL teams who question things about Kayvon that is having him fall down the board.

And I'm just not really convinced that he goes number two overall. I think there's a better chance that Malik Willis would go number two overall than Kayvon Thibodeau at this point, right? Which I don't think is super plausible still. I'm not really there. Like I said, when we talked about this before, we heard whispers about this at the Combine. So all that to get back to kyle hamilton he's an extremely versatile extremely high

character like unanimous praise for how much teams love the dude he can play basically any safety spot that you want he's got unique size and athleticism okay so he didn't test like derwin james so what you've seen what the guy plays like when he's got the high expectation and the helmet and but right and that's that's the thing like you guys are it was the same thing with trailing burks right it's like he was good he's a good athlete for his size we've got to let people be able to succeed with their own athleticism within the realm of realistic expectations we can't just expect to get blown out of our socks every single year sometimes good players are just good players and just good players

and you can just check the boxes off i think that kyle hamilton certainly did that at the combine he did not disappoint in any way shape or form and honestly man all of those things combined makes me feel like the lions you mentioned just need really good football players they're gonna like the really clean unique scouting profile that kyle hamilton brings to the table so that's why i got him too yeah i i don't disagree i think this is a scenario that has to be on the table with hutchinson going number one and i i think my take with hamilton is you know because you see crazy things this time of year i think he's closer to jeremy chin on the spectrum than like derwin james sean taylor but he if he's a better version of j Chin, that's an excellent player. So I

think that, you know, the context is so important and the fact that they need a legit player in that secondary that can kind of come in and be the face of that secondary while they're also building up the front as well, which they could still do in this draft. You're not, they have an extra first round pick. They have pick 34. There are edge rushers in this draft. So, okay. Number three, I'm not going to stop there,

but we'll say that you had Evan Neal at three. I think with all the news buzz around Tunzel, whether they move them or not, I think the Texans are in on the offensive line market as much as they are the mysterious team of the top five. Nope. No problem there. Number four,

the jets stop here. Quick. Icky Aquanu. They would run this one in. That's my belief, at least. And this is something you and I have talked about for a while. If Aquanu makes it to four, which is truly a 50-50 right now, right? You're right. Yeah. Nobody knows. I mean, we've seen him at one. We've seen him at three. So I'm sure the Jets would love it. I think the Jets would love it if Aquanu made it to four, and I think they'd run in the card. So this was a no-brainer for you in that scenario. We will stop at the Giants,

and we'll kind of just pair the Giants together right here, right? So for the Giants or your picks, at five, you had Jermaine Johnson. I love it. At seven, you had Trevor Penning. I hate it. And I know this isn't like you making the picks, like you sitting in Joe Shane's chair and being like that. I have come across this scenario so many times in the last month or two

while doing mock drafts or mock scenarios. And there are so many times in my brain that every time my brain, Neil, a Kwanu are gone and cross is gone at six. And then the Giants at seven, they took an edge at five, and you're like, well, everybody knows that they want an offensive lineman. And you hear how much the league loves Trevor Penning. Loves Trevor Penning.

And man, he's terrifying as a top ten pick. He's terrifying. His anchor isn't where it needs to be yet yes he's tough and nasty but he gets beaten pass pro a decent amount and I think this is so interesting because I can easily see this pick happening but I would have a legitimate fear if this was their answer to upgrading the offensive line instantly while number five Jermaine Johnson slam slam dunk for them. Slam dunk.

He'd be a star for them. Him up on that defensive line with Leonard Williams and Ojalary. That's a home run. So Trevor, after all that, I'll ask you this. Do you just take Charles Cross, number five, because you're so afraid of the Panthers at six? Who might not be making that pick anyway, but let's stay right here for now. Right.

Yeah. So, I mean, look, if, if, if Trevor Penning goes number seven overall, that's not a pick that I agree with. I think that he is further away than it seems like his stock is rising to be

in NFL circles. You mentioned it. We, we really have not heard a lot of negative talk on Trevor Penning. Now we haven't obviously talked to teams specifically, so I don't know if for sure the giants are in that circles, you mentioned it. We really have not heard a lot of negative talk on Trevor Penning. Now, we haven't obviously talked to teams specifically, so I don't know if for sure the Giants are in that camp. But when I was at Joe Shane's podium, their general manager, he continued to talk about three words with offensive lines. Smart, tough, dependable, right?

And he continued to mention all of those words and look every coach wants that right every gm wants that that's what you want in your your offensive lineman but he continued to bring those words up time after time after time which means i really think that he is going to lean on that a lot what does everybody talk about with trevor penning unbelievable nastiness in his tape right the smart the tough the finishing mentality that's all there you can believe in trevor penning at that point when you watch his tape and you can you can fall in love with those adjectives when you are watching what you're watching also joe shane mentioned dependable okay for the last three seasons of play with trevor penning he has played in and started

in 33 out of 33 games including connor going back to 2020s fall season and then if you remember the fcs had a spring shortened season and then he comes back around and immediately plays again in the fall so this dude didn't even get a full off season and he played all it played in and started in all 33 games for his team I think that's going to play a lot into what Joe Shane sees from this offensive line class especially with the big three if you will offensive linemen already off the board I don't know if Trevor Penning is going to end up going this high, but I continue to hear a lot of high praise for him. This is probably another spot where maybe the Giants are going to try to trade down a little bit.

Shane's probably going to want to get that buffer zone, get some extra picks, be creative in this draft class. But I think he is firmly on their radar. Whether or not they feel comfortable picking him at seven, I wanted to put him on New York Giants fans' radars i i really do think after listening to joe shane's presser he is a heavy target for them and of course jermaine johnson uh i think this guy's a lock for the top 10 i think a lot of nfl teams value him there he's been one of the biggest risers throughout this draft class and so i think that they're really going to focus on the trenches and

then number five i mean i don't even think that's too rich for jermaine johnson i think this is probably where it starts like i don't think he's going number three or anything starts at four it oh okay all right all right there's a little there's a little nugget it starts at four but i think this is a realistic spot for jermaine johnson i think so too i think you did a really good job here i like that your mock isn't you're not just fan servicing. Like you are genuinely presenting scenarios that are very realistic. And I think I presented that wrong where it almost comes off. I don't think Trevor Penning can be a good player.

I think he can be a good player, but he is still in the, he's still in the category of developmental tackle that will have serious road bumps in the first year or two. And that's the case for a lot of guys, except this class is pretty unique where there's a, there's a trio at the top that are pretty rare. And the giants, you know,

are obviously in this mold of, we need to do right by Daniel Jones. And you just want to make sure you get that right. So I'm fascinated by their five and seven duo there. And another reason I'm so fascinated by it, because that sandwich right in the middle there is the Carolina Panthers at six you have been taking Charles Cross I don't know if you and I have done a mock draft both of us without making this pick and I know I've done

the evens a lot when we ping-ponged and you've had a couple mock drafts already on the show we always have Charles Cross at six. Good and dandy. An A pick for me. Love Charles Cross. He's tremendous. A gifted pass protector. Super athletic run blocker.

What does Houston do if they make in this pick? Because we know the Panthers are in on Deshaun Watson. We hear it all the time. As you're listening to this pod today, this trade could be freaking done by now. What does Houston do if they are picking at six after they just took an offensive tackle at three? I think they're taking I think they're taking either Trayvon Walker cave on Thibodeau. I don't know what Houston thinks of cave on Thibodeau, but I think it's going to be one of those two guys. I think Trayvon Walker is essentially a lock for the top 10 at this point from the unanimous praise that we have heard of him

from how much he has risen since the end of the season and obviously during the season as well with how well he played with Georgia. I think the top 10, to draft Trayvon Walker's profile as it stands right now in the top 10 would, let's just say, not go along the lines of what we've seen in draft class of the past because this guy is uniquely gifted when it comes to a size speed and power combo he really is being able to run a 4-5 140 yard dash at 272 pounds six foot five 35 and a half inch arms it's never happened before at the combine and so i think that's why you're going to see a lot of teams get very wide-eyed about trayvon walker but he doesn't have the pass rush ability right now he doesn't

have the pass rush plan he doesn't have the pass rush moves now that's not to say that he can't learn that i was able to sit down with him not too long ago and talk about that exact thing and he talked about the guys that he's watching and how he's trying to develop his plan he said i'm always going to be a speed to power kind of a guy and i've got to work my moves off of that i've got to work my counters off of that so he gets it but he hasn't put it on film yet and some of that has to do with the deep talent rotation at georgia but all that to say i think that he is in play for the top 10 shoot man we've even seen mock drafts where he goes three overall so i wonder if he's even going to be on houston's board to maybe go as high as number three certainly if they have picks number three and number six I think Trayvon Walker could very

easily be one of those selections but it kind of depends right because Lovey Smith's the head coach right now Lovey Smith traditionally runs that 4-3 kind of Tampa 2 defense and Trayvon Walker where obviously he could be good as a base five end or a base five tech defensive end I feel like Trayvon Walker would have been more for a pick for Houston of old if you will that three four that those long strong defensive linemen that you might want like on the interior playing in a lot of different alignments I don't want to say it's cookie cutter with with uh Lovey Smith but like it's pretty regimented roles with him at least that's kind of the way the structure is up front as a base and i think that if they're going to stick with

more of a four three i think i think cave on tibido makes more sense for you but are they going to be in on cave cave on tibido who knows ultimately i think this is an edge rusher to answer your question number six if houston is picking where carolina is if they send to sean watson out that way i think so too i think it's a combination of capitalizing on where the draft class is strong at the top while also remaking your trenches that are just not where they need to be right now they're not even close so I think it's a good balance there and that's a really good transition you talked about Trayvon a lot number Number eight is the Atlanta Falcons, and that's where you had him going off the board.

So I know you made this pick because reality is Trayvon Walker is going to be a top 10 pick. As I look at my big board right now, he is my 22nd ranked player. My problem with Trayvon as a top 10 pick, Trevor, is that can you draft a guy in the top 10 that does not know how to rush the passer yet, right? That's my question, where I know he's loaded up with traits.

He's a great tester. He's got size. He's got length. He's got great work ethic. He is an excellent run defender, right? Really, whatever scenario you put him in if you kick him out to five tech he could set a strong edge if you kick him into three four eye he's just a very strong player and can contain so well could even actually get into the backfield and blow up

plays and control everything with his length he has no pass rush plan right now and there is nothing more that coaches love than looking at a guy that is just built in a lab tests like he's built in a lab and they go that guy's a good player right now because Trayvon Walker is a high floor player because he is such a good run defender loaded up with traits but in the top 10 you are also trying to draft ceiling coaches love to look at that guy and go, he's a good starter right now. I'm going to make him a superstar. For me, in this class, that's loaded with pass rush talent,

that's not a guy I'm taking in the top eight because that's a really scary scenario. But we are at the point where it doesn't matter what I think is happening. Right. scary scenario but we are at the point where it doesn't matter what i think it's happening right and i i would i would say that the league would push back on that thinking a little bit because you said in this class with this many good edge rushers you wouldn't pick him this high i think the nfl would push back a little bit on you and say in this class overall i'm gonna pick that guy because he's so uniquely gifted that's fair and you and i mean you are right every every coach in the nfl probably says to themselves i can make this guy into a pro bowler and that's that's where we are with trayvon walker so i agree

with you man i think that when we went through our defensive line, our edge rushing episode, I didn't even have Trayvon in my top five. I think I had him right out either six or seven. I called him a early second round pick and a fantastic early second round pick to get. But the reality is that that's just not happening. We're not going to get anywhere close to this. I think this dude's a lock for the top 10

or top 12 probably at the very latest. Yeah, I think so too. And we know Atlanta's in the past rush market so yes that's definitely a landing spot on the board okay at nine you had seattle taking cave on tibideau absolutely can easily see that one happening right we won't stop there at 10 we will briefly stop before we move on to 11 through 20 uh the jets at 10 you have them taking sauce gardner the value adds up the need adds up my question and i think this is going to be the question for the jets if they're presented with

this scenario sauce gardner at 10 assuming they don't pay like a carlton davis or whatever it is or the wide receiver of wow you just had to say carlton davis didn't you of all of all the corners you just had to say carlton dav didn't you? It's kind of screwed up. It's kind of screwed up. I mean, Tom Brady's coming back. You'll be fine. Of course. He's coming back.

He's coming back. I saw the Ronaldo video. He was like, maybe. And honestly, I want to throw this to you. Would you take – Sauce is a top five player, I think, for me. He's an excellent corner prospect the jets need a player like that they also need to get zach wilson help the wide receiver market and free agency does not have a top dog and i i can make the case because they're all in my top 20 jameson

williams garrett wilson trailing burks drake london any of the four the jets were abysmal and contested catch situations last year which is why you might be in the Berks-London combo, but they don't have the long speed that Jamison has. And then Garrett Wilson is just a really good player. You obviously gave them sauce, but after I say that to you, how would you make that decision? Yeah, I mean, this is close for me. I'll let you know that I was debating giving Sauce to the Giants at seven.

So I was debating him maybe not being on the board even for the Jets to pick this. But I think what ultimately swayed me in the way of Sauce Garner is a conversation that you and I have had already a couple of times here on this podcast. And that is, there will always be wide receivers to pick not even just in this draft and i'm not even just talking about like later on day two for the jets i mean every year you're gonna have the chance to pick a really good wide receiver i think the way that i put it before is that once out of every three years you will have the chance some way shape or form whether it's in free agency or in the draft to pick a home run wide receiver

one. That's just the world we live in. Yeah. That is that once every two to three years, you will have that chance, whether you even want it or not, whether teams take it or not, it will be available to them. And so when I flip that and I say, how often are you going to get a potential CB1 shutdown lockdown man coverage corner it ain't that often and so I think that's what ultimately sways me in that direction is that even though I believe that winning the arms race in the NFL if you will is very important getting three four wide receivers that can all play at a really high level is where you need to be in today's NFL to compete on the scoreboard,

light it up the way that you need to. On the flip side of things, you being able to go out and get corners that can erase some of those really great wide receivers, I think is really important. And so just for the sheer aspect of looking at how the football world is right now, it is still more difficult to get a player of Sauce Garner's caliber that could reach his ceiling at corner than it is to pick one of these wide receivers

who you and I both really like. All those guys you mentioned, we really like them. You will have the opportunity to get players like that, I feel like, in every class. Now, I say that and watch Traylon Burks go out and be the greatest unique player in the NFL or something like that I don't mean to take away from it but I think in the game of the draft and player acquisition you still gotta lean top tier corner especially in this class with this scenario I think it's a great argument it's the old argument

of the fact that only you know good a couple good corners come around each year at most and we've been kind of spoiled lately I think a lot of people don't realize that we, you know, a couple good corners come around each year at most. And we've been kind of spoiled lately. I think a lot of people don't realize that. We had, you know, Horn and Sertan last year. And even for his injuries, Caleb Farley was really talented. And then, obviously, this year you have someone like Sauce. Even with his injuries, Derek Stingley is really, really talented. But, like, we're spoiled in that sense.

The last three years, we can name 10 wide receivers from each class that you feel great about so i think that argument holds a lot of weight especially for a new york jets team that is picking twice more after this in the top 40 might be a wide receiver there so i like that argument it's really interesting one all right let's move on you want me to rattle through these you want to rattle through these picks here 11 through 20 i will but first i gotta talk to people about a promo code because if they don't have a premium subscription at pff it's there's a problem there's never been there's never been a better time because right now you can get 25 off any subscription at pff if you use the promo code nflse so you can

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Less fantasy, more actual football. So yeah, Connor, we'll run through. We'll do the same thing. We'll run through 11 through 20, and then you can ask a couple of questions about that. 11, for the Washington Commanders, I had them taking Drake London, the wide receiver from USC. Minnesota Vikings, I had them taking David Ojabo.

Cleveland Browns, Garrett Wilson. Baltimore Ravens, Devontae Wyatt. Philadelphia Eagles, oh, this starts a run on my favorite Eagles haul I've ever had. Eagles, Derek Stingley at 15, Traylon Burks at 16. Then the Chargers took Jordan Davis, New Orleans Saints take Jamison Williams.

And then the Eagles again got George Karloftis at 19. So Eagles fans, Derek Stingley, Traylon Burks, George Karloftis, hello. And then a number 20 to round it out. I got Malik Willis going as the first quarterback off the board to the Pittsburgh Steelers. What are we talking about, Connor? Man, 11 through 20, when I was going through this mock draft,

when you sent me to start the weekend, I was like, this is going to be a little tough to kind of poke and prod at a little bit. A lot of this just makes so much sense, and I think so much of it can really happen on draft night. Obviously, the commanders with Carson Wentz, I think, are looking at wide receiver right now because you obviously have Terry there, but you get somebody across from him.

You're going to try to make that situation as best as possible for Carson Wentz. And at 11, you have a good chance of having your entire pick like the Jets did at 10, where it's like, okay, whatever guy we want, we're in the sweet spot to get him. So we'll move to 12 with the Vikings, David Ajabo. This to me is one of those chain link effects. Kind of makes you wonder, is the Neil Hunter going to get traded? Right. And I think we're going to learn a lot about the Vikings in the next month or two, because they are a team that I truly can't figure out. And it's not pressing because they're a new regime. They're going to have time. Trevor, I can't figure out

if they are trying to rebuild or trying to run it back with the previous regime did because you have to choose eventually right and i like that they're holding their cards close you don't need to tell anyone what you're doing right now but with daniel hunter he's gonna turn 28 this season he makes a lot of money he's only played i think seven games in the last two seasons but he's such a good player at a premium spot that he's worth a lot right now still, or worth enough that it matters. If you are trying to actually rebuild, like you know Kirk's not going to be back after next year

because the contract's going to expire and you want a more quarterback-friendly contract on your roster, by the time you're good again and Aaron Rodgers is back, which probably helps this decision, Daniil Hunter's probably going to be going on the trend downward, not upward anymore.

So I look at this and go, you did it at 12 with David DiGiabo. You're in position to get your edge of the next 8 to 10 years, right? And you're also in position where you can actually get something for Daniil Hunter right now. I know a lot of Vikings fans probably won't love this, but you have to choose a side, and if that side actually is rebuilding for the next two years, Daniil Hunter should be moved now.

I don't disagree with you. Certainly, if you are turning the page, basically do what the Chicago Bears are doing, right? I mean, move on from Hicks, move on from Goldman, move on from Khalil Mack like get something for them like let the cap free up and really hit your next winning window hard with draft picks with salary cap capital everything because they've got Justin Fields in his rookie contract and so that's kind of what you do there Minnesota isn't exactly in that situation because they have Kirk Cousins for another year taking up a huge chunk of their cap but you're right they might be doing similar things over the next over the

course of the next year and so I made this pick with David Ojabo not thinking that Daniil Hunter was going to be gone because I I'd be so hesitant to give up on Daniil Hunter man unless you really know like the medicals are going to stick with this guy and he's not going to be in the NFL long and he's not going to be able to be dependable for you obviously maybe you move on at that point but if there's really anywhere near a decent chance that Daniel Hunter is going to continue to be fully healthy like you mentioned he's 27 man I mean like this is a free pass rusher and so you got to have those guys on your team if you want to have success. I think Ojabo is going to be on their radar. And this was kind of my reasoning for the pick. When I look at Kweze Adafo Mensah, their new general manager,

he is a data-driven guy. Now, when I say that, you mentioned this, and you put it beautifully when we talked about the GM additions. That doesn't mean he's not a football guy. So I don't want people to sit here and say oh he's all into data he doesn't know the real football side of things no no he even said himself he had experience you know we're gonna use it the browns doing more football stuff than analytic stuff and that really helped round out his perspective so even with that being the case i still think he's going to make data-driven decisions and with that in mind i have a hard time believing that his first premium draft pick that he is going to spend

is going to be on a player with limitations one way or the other because i think when you look at the needs of the vikings i think a lot of people would tell you cornerback is probably the bigger need if you will but with Sauce Garner off the board, who are the other corners that you might look at at 12? I think it probably comes down to two guys, either Derek Stingley or Trent McDuffie, okay? Too much risk both ways. Trent McDuffie, as much as I truly love the dude as a prospect,

and I think he's going to be a really damn good pro, he came in a little bit, he's a little bit smaller of a corner. He wasn't as fast as a lot of people thought. You know, he's got the short arms. Can you play him on the outside full-time even? He has those question marks him and then with Derek Stingley you and I have talked about it plenty now he's got the Liz Frank injury you know it derailed his last year when he was at LSU he tried to get over it then he had a surgery Liz Frank injuries can really linger with you is he going to spend his first premium pick on a player who might not be available for him? I don't think so.

I think it's more plausible that he take the chance on a guy like David Ojabo, who has a very high pass rush potential, who is still rounding out his game as a run defender and needs to be a little bit more disciplined in that regard. I think that's the player I would see this Vikings front office target more than the other corners that would be available. So that is my thought process, even beyond Daniel Hunter, for why I had the Vikings taking David Ojabo.

Yeah, and I'll clarify too, for Vikings fans, I think I'm insane. Like, I would not trade Daniel Hunter in like the Amari Cooper fashion. I want a future first round pick back for him and really commit to the rebuild. If that offer is not there because he hasn't played a lot in the last two years, then you run it back with him. You have him under contract. If he has a monster year, the Daniel Hunter we all know and love,

then maybe you do get that first rounder or you keep him and pair him with somebody like a Jabo. So it's just a different scenario when looking at this draft pick. All right, moving to 13, the very next pick, we will stop right there. Garrett Wilson, I just wanted to give a take here. Even with the Amari Cooper trade, this pick we will stop right there Garrett Wilson I just wanted to to give a take here even with the Amari Cooper trade this pick makes sense right it makes sense in a you gotta

know what you have in Baker and you can play like I'm very like Baker neutral I think there's this majority that is like Baker sucks and then there's a very small group of people that's like no Baker's still really good I'm right in the middle where I'm like, Baker was hurt last year and played through it, and that brought out a bad version of him. Baker has not shown that he is your pay him top 10 money franchise quarterback of the future. I'm right in the middle.

We got to see it this year. If you got to see it, we know the offensive line's really good. We know they can run the football. We know that they have a tight end. You got to give them wide receivers. You started that with Amari Cooper. It's not going to be enough. You can't just have Amari Cooper out there.

And even if you kept Jarvis Landry, that's not enough either. So Garrett Wilson, who I think is the biggest high floor wide receiver, and they know they're a team that'll look to draft athletes, and he tested really well. This one really adds up and gives you the true identity you know of finding out if baker is the dude or if you got to move on and at the quarterback position i agree completely and that was my logic with this pick here with garrett wilson at 13 to the cleveland browns no player is a sure thing but i think that garrett wilson

has a pretty high floor and a high percentage for him to be able to step into the league and contribute in his first season and when you put him on the field with donovan people's jones now amari cooper and all the tight ends they have the running back room the offensive line in front of baker i mean you can't sit here and tell me that that's not enough right because the whole idea was that you didn't want a scenario to come up where Baker's rookie contract was done and you had an excuse or he had an excuse to say, I did not have enough. Even if you look at this situation with the Browns and you would say,

okay, Amari's maybe not as good as he was before. I mean, he's not terrible, but maybe he's not the Amari that a lot of people still think that he is. He's good, maybe not great. And even if you go, okay, Garrett Wilson's a rookie, that's enough. Like that has to be enough. You are going to have years in the NFL.

If you are a quarterback that has the talent to have a long career in the NFL, you're going to have years exactly like this, if not worse, that you are going quarterback that has the talent to have a long career in the NFL, you're going to have years exactly like this, if not worse, that you are going to be expected, especially if you're a franchise quarterback, to overcome, to elevate. So if the Browns were to do this and draft Garrett Wilson at 13, yes, that's enough. Could more be done?

Of course it could. You would always want to continue your investments to get the offense better and better. But that alleviates you, I think, from at least in theory. You know, health goes into it and all that things. But in theory, this alleviates you from going to the negotiation table a year from now and saying, you know, we really didn't do right by Baker. Like what the Giants are doing now with Daniel Jones,

where they're like, hey, you know, we just, we haven't really done right by Daniel Jones. If you draft Garrett Wilson, you traded for Amari Cooper, and whether or not Jarvis Landry's on the team, you have done enough, in my opinion, to see whether or not he could be an actual franchise quarterback for you, especially if we're getting a healthy Baker Mayfield next year. So that was my take on that.

Yeah, I'm with you all the way. I think the only debate at this spot is who, right? You got Amari Cooper, a technician, a true separator. That's who Garrett Wilson is as well. Do you think there could be any intrigue from the Browns to look at Jamison Williams and really get that vertical threat, keep the defense back a little bit because of how run-heavy they are. That's what's going to be fascinating to me,

is, you know, are they like, we don't care about the ACL, which we don't think teams really will. We want the true vertical threat. I don't really think there's a receiver that would be the wrong pick in this spot out of those top four, I said. Yeah, no, obviously I love Drake London.

He's my wide receiver one but like gone for Cleveland I probably would rather have a little bit more of a yards after the catch type of receiver so a Burks uh Williams uh Garrett Wilson is something like that to go along with the group that they have now but obviously if they were to pick Drake London I it's not a bad pick in any way shape or form he could be a third down monster monster that Baker could just chuck it up to and make things happen. All right. 14.

You had Devante Wyatt to the Ravens 15. We talked about the Eagles, Stingley and Burks. And I think Burks is the kind of wide receiver they need. Honestly, I think if they had the first pick of the wide receivers, I still think Burks or London are the kind of wide receivers they need to pair with Devontae Smith and help out Jalen Hurts above the rim kind of target. 17, the Chargers, Jordan Davis. We've talked about that fit a lot. 18, the Saints, Jamison Williams.

19, the Eagles come back with Carl Loftus. I want to stop at this point of the draft because I find this part so interesting. This is the point of the draft when I was making a big board where I was like, man, you start to get a little bit of a talent drop off besides the fact that McDuffie and Linderbaum and even, you know, for me, Devin Lloyd and Louis seen at this point in the draft, you get a little bit of a cliff. So if you're one of those fan bases that every time you're like trade out, trade out, trade out, be careful what you wish for.'ll leave you with that it could be the wild wild west from from 20 on i would say from from pick 20 on like anybody could get any name could come out of roger goodell's mouth and i'd be like yep all right yeah good surprise yeah right all right so before we move on to the final third of

the mock trap i do want to stop at pick 20 with the steelers malik willis and i i know you agree with me on this take but this is just the way the board fell they're gonna have to move to get him in this spot i think i would be very surprised if malik willis was sitting there at 20 good for pittsburgh if that's the case uh we we know how much they are interested in him i'm fascinated what the sweet spot is really going to be i i am i don't know if seattle is going to look to restart with a rookie quarterback with pete's age maybe they will i think the jets are going to be open to moving at 10 maybe washington's open to moving at 11 right but who are you jumping there is the question right so i just wonder you know if the panthers get watson maybe Malik Willis does fall a little

bit. I'm just trying to find a home for him here. The Saints at 18, that's not far. So while I think the Steelers got to move up, maybe we've drastically overrated how far that actually is. The most difficult part about mock drafts is not predicting good picks for teams it's predicting the inevitable bad picks or picks that i won't even say bad picks just the picks that shock us the most that is the most difficult part because i i can when i write a mock draft i write it logically like like of course i i'm trying to put myself in the seat of the general managers and, and listen to the hints and look at the roster and things like that. And truly come down to, okay, who do I think they would pick? And for example, like the Trayvon Walker selection,

like the Trevor Penning selection, those may be a little bit rich for my blood, but I still see them happening. I don't know how Malik Willis is going. I mean, we, we, we talked about him going number two overall, right? And now I have him going 20. This is the – where the first quarterback goes off the board is the most difficult part of a 2022 mock draft, 100%.

Because I totally agree with you. If the Steelers want him, they're probably going to have to trade up. I didn't want to do trades in this mock draft because I was going to be changing it a lot because it's a live mock draft that we're doing for the agency. Trevor? What? Tom Brady just came back what tom brady just came back oh my god i told you i told you he wasn't done i told you he wasn't done baby that's how he started the show i had to read this 45 times while you

were ranting to make sure it wasn't like fake tom brady that i'm reading this right oh my god oh my gosh you knew he wasn't done you knew he told ronal knew he wasn't done. You knew he wasn't done. Dude, he told Ronaldo he wasn't. And he posted it to his account. So many people have asked him. So many people have asked him.

Are you done? Are you done? Are you done? The man's had enough. And he's never said no. He's never said no. Oh my. Did he just need to be home?

Like with the wife and kids for a month to reach this conclusion like did he reach the point where it was a pot of coffee every morning and he's just staring at the ceiling a month and a half he's like nah i, I got to get to OTAs. Oh, my God. Let's go, baby. I'm buying a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey. I have not celebrated a lot of Tom Brady things in my life growing up in New York. But as a Tom Brady Dynasty League owner, this just saved me a ton of trouble. A ton of trouble. And honestly, you a ton of trouble. A ton of trouble. And honestly, you a ton of trouble.

But this is right as free agency starts. Like, if you're the Bucs right now, you're like, how do we make the money work for Ryan Jensen? How do we make the money work for... Oh, my gosh. Tom Brady's going to play for free, dude. He's going to play for free. You know Tom Brady's on the phone with Ali Marpet right now brady's on the phone with ali marpet right now

he's on the phone with ali marpet this second get your ass out of retirement we got one more run baby so he's got yeah he's got a 20 million dollar cap hit this year all right i mean people listening to this are probably just like because obviously trevor and i record sunday evenings now you know the exact time if you read the tweet um i don't i'm like i'm scrambled eggs right now i don't even know how to function oh my god well speaking of tom brady the patriots are over 21 yeah basically oh my god you want to read the pics sure Sure. Yeah, I will read the picks here. Okay, 21 through 32. Let's finish this bad boy up.

New England Patriots, Chris Olave, Las Vegas Raiders, Kenyon Green, Arizona Cardinals, Zion Johnson, Dallas Cowboys, Bernard Raymond, Buffalo Bills, Trent McDuffie, Tennessee Titans, Tyler Smith, the offensive tackle from Tulsa, for those of you who don't know. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tyler Linderbaum, now snapping for the GOAT himself. Tom Brady confirmed.

Green Bay Packers go with Devin Lloyd. Miami Dolphins, Breece Hall, Kansas City Chiefs, Louis Scene, Cincinnati Bengals, Kyrie Elam, and then Detroit Lions at number 32.

They go with N'Kobe Dean to round out this first round. Mock, where we start. Tom Brady, great. Yeah, I think the Bucs are immediate favorites. No,

I'm just kidding. Go ahead. What spot do you want to start with here? with all right now that i've come back to reality 21 the patriots let's start right there chris alabe is such a patriots player i've just thought about this pick for months at this point where he's played special teams the mentality he fits what they need a wide receiver he could win deep he knows how to get open uh he's great at tracking everything he's a really smart guy he's i i know the patriots obviously are a team that this is a skill set they need but just everything about his identity fits this mold and at 21 this is probably gonna be their best option guys fall all the time but at 21 i don't think jameson williams is gonna be

there i don't think garrett Williams is going to be there. I don't think Garrett Wilson is going to be there. From everything I'm starting here, I don't think Drake London is going to be there. Traylon Burks, I know the combine was disappointing. He shouldn't be. So maybe Traylon, maybe. But this is probably the guy that's going to be the best available and fits exactly what they love in players. So when you had this one, I'm like, yep.

I'm almost at the point where like, we'll keep the white out on the desk but write that one in ink so i mean yeah i i think that this this this this this has to be the pick for them there and you know chris olave with the patriots i mean we've we've heard rumblings of you know like nikhil harry kind of wants out they don't really have an option there i mean mac j Jones needs somebody that's a little bit more reliable. Even for Mac Jones standards, he needs to stretch the field. They need to keep defenses honest. Like all of this stuff needs to happen.

And so like Olave going at this point, man, look, I thought Olave was a, I thought Olave was a first round potential wide receiver last year. And so I think the same thing this year, I really do. I know people, Ohio state fans in particular really got on me when i had olave as six in my rankings you had him 5b by the way i just gotta point that out i gotta point that out so we 5a or b which one so look i think you're a mad one it's like how is he not in your top five well i think more than

five receivers are going to the first round. Do you want me to call him a first round wide receivers? I got no problem with that. I think that that pig definitely made sense there with, I'll teach you the tricks of how to not get roasted in the comments, my friend. Okay. Thank you.

I appreciate it. Always find a way. Okay. So Kenyon green to the Raiders, Zion Johnson, the Cardinals 24, the Cowboys, you have Bernard Raymond and we know Dallas is probably going to be looking

offensive line, especially early with this pick. While we were recording this, Michael Gallup got a pretty juicy extension, five-year, $62.5 million. And they obviously traded Amari Cooper, more of a salary dump. I have a question that is so broad. What is Dallas doing right now?

And I don't mean that as like a dunk on Dallas. I don't mean that on a, it just feels like one foot in, one foot out. And I think it all comes back to the Zeke contract hamstringing them in certain areas a little bit. I know they didn't want to lose Dalton Schiltz, so they went the franchise tag route. I know that they probably internally felt like Amari was overpaid and that money was easy to move obviously they obviously like Michael Gallup

I think my problem with Dallas is you're picking at the in the spot where the talent in this draft starts to fall off you've run into a salary crunch at multiple areas and while you probably are still the most talented team in the division what are you going to do to be better than the Rams what are you going to be going to do to be better than the Packers what are you going to do to be better than the 49ers and I and I'm usually the guy that hates asking those questions without having the answers that's usually that kind of a thing that I find particularly annoying but right now I look at Dallas and go it's they're in a brutal spot

right now and this pick kind of set off that green light of how much better does bernard raymond make them especially if you move on from lyle collins it just feels like yes they are still top dog in the division but they cannot get over this hump to be the kings of the nfc you know when i look at the cowboy situation uh unfortunately I think the contracts that they have signed over the last I don't know four or five-ish years have kind of like come back to haunt them in certain ways I don't think they've been the best at extensions at Zekiel Elliott and so that's why you're seeing some of these guys kind of have a little bit of exodus from Dallas but I mean to answer your question and and with Bernard Raymond

what you are hoping is that you you're just hoping that your status quo now it's it's not that you hope that your status quo not getting to the Super Bowl that's not what I mean sure sure when you have the caliber of team that Dallas even does you give yourself a chance right when you have Dak when you have that offensive line healthy and playing well, when you have even receivers that without Omari Cooper, like CeeDee Lamb, like Michael Gallup, right? And when you have guys in the backfield, like Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, who can get it done. We have a defense that plays really well up front

and a secondary that's getting better. And Michael Parsons being an absolute animal, right? The best defensive player on the planet in the next five years. Yeah, that's fair. You give yourself the opportunity to any given Sunday, if you will, compete and potentially win every game. So I think that this pick here for Dallas, then picking another offensive lineman,

it is their best attempt at staying with the status quo. We often look at, okay, it's got to be an upgrade here, upgrade here. Okay, why are you getting rid of Lyle Collins just to bring in Bernard Raymond? Well, unfortunately, probably some of their old cap moves probably has forced their hand a little bit here and there. And they're hoping that Raymond can allow them

to contain the status quo, which is be a contender, be favorites in the NFC East. And I think that that's kind of where we are with Dallas at this point. I think my frustration with potentially moving on from Collins is that if you keep them,

you could take Tyler Linderbaum with this pick, which I think would be a significantly better pick. You're talking about at least in the eyes of this draft analyst here. I have Linderbaum as the fifth best player in this class. And I have Bernard Raymond. It's not good when you can't find the guy for a long time, but outside the top 30. So I think when you look at it like that, it's just a scenario.

I haven't 45th. Whoa. We'll talk about that another day for the offensive line show. But yeah, it's the Dallas is just an interesting cap crunch. And I think when you have a franchise quarterback like Dak, your point resonates that you're just trying to live another day, compete and give yourself a chance to play in one of the big games. All right.

So 25, the bills, Trent McDuffie. That is a scheme fit like a tight glove. That is perfect there. I know the Bills will be, we've talked about this with them. They could be looking at wide receiver. They could be looking at pass rusher. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make some kind of big move at pass rusher in free agency or on the trade market, and then McDuffie would fall into place.

26, the Titans offensive line help. Tyler Smith is their kind of guy. That is is a scheme fit that is an attitude mentality fit let's stop right at the freaking buccaneers man 27 tyler linderbaum before tom brady uh blew up our quiet sunday evening i wrote in the doc people will think this is nuts but it's not and that's because you obviously have a great player in Ryan Jensen, whose free agency is very TBD right now. When you could just slot in a top five center for the next 10 years, which I think Tyler Linderbaum will be,

that puts the Bucs in such a great reload position. And now that Brady is back, this might make even more sense, to be honest with you. Dude, I... Does Brady being back change this? Let me ask you that. No, I mean, it it doesn't because i think they're still going to lose ryan jensen unless ryan jensen takes like the biggest pay cut ever which i don't think was going to be the case even before brady retired this pick doesn't change at all with brady i mean

especially with marpet also being retired like for now uh with brady i don't i like all things possible so i don't think the pick changes, but I do want to talk about Tyler Linderbaum a little bit. I don't get it, man. I don't either. I don't get it. Go off. I'd be picking Tyler Linderbaum way sooner than this.

There are going to be so many really smart draft analysts who have Tyler Linderbaum as a top 15, top 10, maybe even player in this class. And yet all of them are going to mock him somewhere at the back end of the first round, maybe even in the late 20s like we have here. And that's because the NFL, there's just not a lot of buzz on this guy.

And I think a lot of NFL teams don't like the fact that his measurables were really short, his height, his weight, his arm length, all below the 10th percentile for interior offensive linemen in the NFL, which isn't great, but turn on the freaking tape, man, go turn on the freaking tape. It's all there. I, you, you cannot find anyone who has a bad thing to say about Tyler Linderbaum outside of his measurables, which he clearly makes up for clearly he's put out that tape

consistently now. So I think the fact of the matter is he's just gonna go later than a lot of people think which kind of blows my mind especially in this class when there aren't a lot of sure things when it's not the most loaded class at the top how is harold linderbaum going this late so look man i have no idea if he goes this late but i know i i'm letting you know now that if if he's on the board at 27, Tampa's probably sprinting to the table, or at least they should. I've never watched such a dominant prospect

or been so excited about a dominant prospect. And literally, people I talk to working in the NFL are like a total wet carrot about this guy. And it's not like they don't like Tyler Lindabomber. It's just, there's nothing there that they're like, this is a rare center or this is a guy that has to go in the top 10. It's wild to me. I feel like this is going to be almost even a boosted Creed Humphrey situation

where it's like, this guy's really good. Everybody was like Creed Humphrey, top 30 player. Then he goes as late as he did and he was great all year. Tyler Linderbaum, top 10, 15 player, going to go at the end of round one. Everyone's like, wow, top 30 player. Then he goes as late as he did, and he was great all year. Tyler Linderbaum, top 10, 15 player. Going to go at the end of round one. Everyone's like, wow, he was awesome. He was one of the best interior offensive linemen in football, and he's going to be that for a long time.

Why did we let this happen? All right, 28, the Green Bay Packers. You had them taking Devin Lloyd. 29, the Miami Dolphins. Brees Hall. My take here is that I think they'll reach on the best offensive lineman available in this spot. Knowing Mike McDaniels need to revamp that group and to get whoever is getting the handoffs a

little bit of running room maybe they can find a you know Kenneth Walker on day two um there's a lot of different packs that actually would fit what they want to do even uh Pierre Strong I think Miami is that slot at 29 where and in this scenario it's not good trevor to be honest with you linderbaum's gone tyler smith is gone those are two names that i would connect to them i don't know if canard is the level of athlete they would want in this spot penning and raymond are gone right this is a this is not the situation you want to be staring down if you're the dolphins right and that's kind of that's kind of where i came out with with the mock and the selection with the dolphins is dolphins fans are going to be mad at me for not having an offensive lineman go to them at 29

but good offensive linemen don't really make it to 29 they just don't i know that you're going to you're going to come back and argue with me and name names of guys who went in the second, third, fourth, whatever round and played well in the NFL. Okay, well, what's the percentage there? What other offensive linemen are picked around that range that did not work out? It's just offensive line is a premium position. Tackles are the most premium,

and you want to have good guys up front as well in the interior too. The good ones go early especially before number 29 and i think the dolphins are in trouble if they're not going to trade up because i don't think they're going to be super happy with any of the guys that are left now i like darian canard i really do so like if they took darian canard at 29 i'd i'd be great with it i really would i think that that would be a good pick i just it doesn't seem like the nfl is as in on darian Kennard as I am, which I think that's always been the case.

I've always been a little bit higher on Kennard. So if they pick Kennard, I think it's a great pick for them. I really do. But it just doesn't seem like that's going to be the case. And look, I think Brees Hall is going to be a damn good running back. I really do. The only concern I had with him was the long speed, and he really put on a show in Indianapolis with the

combine and and being able to run as fast as he did so yes you have to have a good offensive line for the running back behind them to actually maximize their talents not denying that but you can still pick the running back and then add the offensive line a little bit later and hopefully in two years whatever it is it all comes together and it works out for you. It might not be as pretty as you want it to be in year one, but that's not to say you can't pick Brees Hall and him be really good for you year two, year three, year four of his contract. So that's where I was along that thinking.

I'd love for them to pick an offensive lineman just like everybody else would, but not a lot of great options at number 20. Can't invent a pick. And I do like Breece Hall. He's a top 30 player for me, so the value is on the money there. At 30, the Chiefs, Louis Seen, all I wanted to say about this was Louis Seen deserves to go

round one. He is an incredible athlete. He comes down with tenacity coming downhill, running the alley. He is completely adequate enough as a cover safety where he can really do a lot of different things for you and play at an impressive, impressive speed. Bring some leadership to your secondary.

That for the Chiefs at 30, it's honestly one of the best picks of this entire first round. 31, the Bengals, Kier Elam. Goes back to the Miami argument. You cannot invent an offensive lineman. I hope the Bengals are very Elam goes back to the Miami argument you cannot invent an offensive lineman I hope the Bengals are very active in free agency in the trade market to not go into their draft with the bat their backs against the wall at 31 where they're you know they have to move up or anything like that 32 the Lions N'Kobe Dean that has been a favorite of ours for a long

time and that being said that was the mock draft dude a lot i'm glad this was a scenarios mock draft right for us it's like what if this happens what if this happens and i think we're at the time of year where the reality is a lot of the listeners of the show are either diehards or are now completely caught up on the draft where they know all these players now we're talking about the teams the thought process the landing spots and if you get punched in the mouth right your plan a doesn't work what's the b c and d yeah and and this is this is the it really is the fun part of mock drafts now because we have i guess at least i have i don't want to speak for you i've had my fill of doing mocks where i would tell you what i would do we're at the point where we've

even been doing this podcast for about a month and a half almost two months now where we've been telling people what we think of prospects now it's time to get into the let's kind of flex our knowledge a little bit and and really predict where these guys might go and so there's seasons within draft season right and i think that we are now in the season of predictive mocks and it's fun man i think this is going to be the first of many uh i'm excited to get to the end of april i can't remember have you done the huddle report mock draft before i think we've had this conversation have you ever done one of those the huddle report mock draft yes so it's a it's it's it's a mock draft competition have you seen this you haven't seen yes yes yes yes didn't't Josh Norris like crush last year, if I remember this correctly? Josh Norris won last year.

But so many bigwigs around the industry put their final predictive mock to the test. Oh, I'm in this year, baby. Let's go. I need you to be in, man. Let's go. I need you to be in because I'm excited for it, man. It's something that I've done for each of the last, have I done it for four years? Oh, what the hell hell where the hell have

i been dude i don't know man i don't know god look i'm just you know i mean let's do it look i'm i'm not gonna brag a little bit but i am gonna brag a little bit two out of the last three years i've been top 10 in the world top 10 in the world yeah what's up what's up dude how did i land you as a co-host how large your boy is that the top thing on your resume? Or the first thing in your reel? It's just like you holding up your graded mock draft? Oh, my God. I still can't get out of my head that Tom Brady's back. I'm just like completely.

I'm not shocked. I've been waiting for this. I literally made a joke at the beginning of the show that Tom Brady's coming back. But it's really threw a wild wrinkle into our Monday stock exchange. And tomorrow's is going to be our free agency special. So this is pure mayhem. This is as close as mayhem as you get for a draft pod besides the actual week of the draft.

This week is going to be amazing. Like Connor mentioned, tomorrow's episode, we're going through all of the tampering period news that we heard where teams can finally talk to free agents. So there's going to be a lot of needs for teams changing. So much is going to shoot. Tom Brady came back, man. Who else knows what's going to happen in the next 24 hours? I'm very excited about it. You guys should be too. Me and Connor will be back with you tomorrow to recap all the changes that we are going to hear and see in the NFL. We'll see you guys then. Bye.