NFL Stock Exchange: An NFL Draft Podcast - 29. Guest Mock Draft Series: Jets, Giants & Panthers (with Connor Hughes, Pat Leonard, & Jonathan Alexander)
Episode Date: March 29, 2022Hosts Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers continue the Guest Mock Draft Series with three great interviews and picks. Connor Hughes with the Athletic, Pat Leonard from NYDN Sports and Jonathan Alexander ...from the Observer break down the inside info from the Jets, Giants and Panthers respectively, and each make their mock draft pick in the first round.
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On this episode, we fire back up the guest mock draft series with picks four, five, and six,
and that is the New York Jets, the New York Giants, and the Carolina Panthers. We've got
three fantastic guests here with us today, Connor Hughes, Pat Leonard, and Jonathan Alexander
picking for those three teams.
We talk about what these teams need,
what the season has been, head coach changes, GM changes,
what they might be honing in on.
Not just with this first pick in the first round,
but also some other picks
throughout the rest of the draft as well.
I am Trevor Sickle, but with me as always
is my co-host, Connor Rogers.
Let's ring the bell.
What's going on, everybody? Welcome to the opening bell of the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast.
I'm Trevor Sikama. That is Connor Rogers here with another guest mock draft episode for you today.
We have got the New York Jets at number four, the New York Giants at number five, and the
Carolina Panthers at number six.
But you know, Connor and I got to get you caught up on everything that's happening around
the NFL draft world before we get to those picks.
Connor, how we doing, my friend?
Good, man.
It's, you know, it's the time of year, especially the owners meetings are going on, which is
interesting during our guest mock draft series that you have pro days.
You got media availability from GMs and coaches.
You're in and they're never going to give you too much, but you can start to really put puzzle pieces together.
So this is a fun time of year. You know, you got everybody playing detective.
Now, even all of the media, Trevor, from the local beat writers to the national media,
they've fully crossed over into our world, which is the NFL draft.
So there's a lot more noise, which can be a bad thing in a way.
But it's definitely a lot of fun having everybody involved on the guessing game.
It also hasn't made it easier on the scheduling front, getting these guys in on the show to
make the mock draft possible. No, it's been insane, the mantra but uh no we love it because it's great timing because like you said like we're getting a lot
of these guys especially the jets the giants picks carolina like this is perfect timing right now for
the guests that we have and this series getting the freshest news they're getting to talk to the
head coaches they're getting to talk to these general managers and they're going to bring a
lot of fantastic stuff to the table
as we continue the series.
But as I said before, before we get to the mock drafts
and the Jets and the Giants and the Panthers picks,
I wanted to touch on something that we actually did not have a chance
to talk about last week.
Well, we kind of did.
We recorded this before, but then Tyree Kill got traded
and we never actually got to get our thoughts out
and talk to the good people about it.
Yeah, we deleted it, literally.
I wanted to, right, this is a new one.
I want to talk about Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett
and their pro days and the reactions that we saw from all those guys
and where we realistically are right now,
because, man, when we saw Malik Willis launch that bad boy
in T-shirt and shorts,
65 yards down the field, putting the one finger up in the air
for the touchdown like Brett Favre did, sprinting down all smiles,
it made you think, you know what?
If he goes number two overall, I'll be happy about it.
I'm okay with it.
And it's like in that moment, you get so captivated
and you get so okay with it.
And, you know, for as much as i'm joking there
it feels like nfl teams are really buying into this dude potentially even going as high as number
two overall what do you think about the malik willis pro day performance and where you might
see him going now well the nfl would love it because as you and i sit here on this beautiful
morning uh the lions are doing hard knocks so can you imagine if we had a number two overall pick at quarterback in camp
at hard knocks with the veteran and Jared Goff,
with all the energy that is Dan Campbell on a Lions franchise that everybody
believes is going in the right direction.
But man, when you look at this right now, it's just crazy because,
you know, how do we get here? Right? Like we went from Malik Will just crazy because you know how do we get here right like we went from
Malik Willis being you know the high upside guy that might sneak into round one with all his
traits and that speaks to how good of a process that he's had that he could be going in the top
10 of this draft now what like I've said on the mock draft before I still don't think we're here
yet it feels like as early as he can
go as the Panthers, but everybody knowing that means maybe somebody surprisingly trades up with
the Texans at three, the Jets at four, the Giants at five. So it's pretty crazy. It's, you know,
it goes to show you that people can always talk themselves into the upside of quarterbacks. And
that's not an insult on Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis. That's just the fact that when these guys get in front of teams,
they can sell themselves.
I can be the leader of your franchise.
I have all the tools.
It just hasn't all come together in the college level yet right now,
but it can at the next level of the NFL.
So, I mean, man, it's the wild card of the draft, right?
Because if Malik Willis goes at two,
then you have to wonder the teams that assumed
they would have their pick of a quarterback.
I look at it like this, Trevor.
The more people you talk to,
people are comfortable with Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett
as round one quarterbacks.
Not everybody feels that way about Matt Corral.
Not everybody feels that way about Desmond Ritter.
Not everyone feels that way about Sam Howell.
So if there's a team that went into the draft saying we're getting our quarterback this year
and they are stunned by a quarterback going number two overall then the panic sets in and then the
bidding wars come in and then we could see people get aggressive for a way for a picket or Willis
whoever doesn't go first in a way that we didn't see coming so this is just a total stick of
dynamite right in the top 15 of the nfl draft dude it feels as though the hype for willis
is just so much higher than it is for a lot of these other guys in terms of
right and and that kind of goes back to maybe the feeling of this entire draft class is that is he your top quarterback Malik Willis
yeah I think he's gonna go QB one I can't pick it above him it's so same I just finished this
and it's crazy that we're sitting here almost in April and I just finished this that's how long
I just I just keep going back and forth and I'm just the reason Pickett's number one for me is
because of the floor I think Pickett comes in and there's a floor there
that I'm comfortable with and I love Malik and he's rock solid QB too he's just that home run
hitter where he's you know the batting average is really low but if you if you connect it's a home
run and there's a lot of you know development there that needs to be done and I find it
fascinating this is a great like litmus test in a sense of and I get it guys would rather swing for the Alan Mahomes Burrow Herbert because they
know that can take them to an AFC title game and beyond than taking floor um but you know obviously
you and I are more comfortable with Pickett I just had to ask you that because it's it's ironically
we talk so much about it and we never talk about how we individually feel yeah right no i i think that it's it's a foregone conclusion that malik willis is going to be the
top quarterback selected in this draft i didn't have him at that when i kind of finished my
rankings i had to pick it willis and corral and corral and willis are basically like right there
if you flip them i i wouldn't hate it but i'm the same as you yeah so i mean that's kind of where i
am with the quarterbacks but it it's, you know, it's
clear that they would much rather invest in Malik Willis, which kind of, as I was saying,
goes into the feeling of this class overall, because I was just having this conversation
with somebody.
You look at Tyler Linderbaum.
Tyler Linderbaum is going to be a top 15 player for both of us.
I think Tyler Tyler Linderbaum isbaum is one of the cleanest players
in this entire draft.
What you see is what you get,
and you could have a Pro Bowl type of player here.
Dude's going to go back into the first round,
maybe not even the first round.
We didn't have Tyler Linderbaum
going in our first round of our mock draft yesterday.
How is this possible?
And I think it's because we're doing
these predictive mock drafts, right?
It's not from our rankings, it's from what we're hearing.
And it just seems like so many more teams, as they look at this draft class and they say,
okay, it's not as talented as a draft class as it has been in years past.
So instead of playing it safe with some of the higher floor players,
it seems like more NFL teams this year are taking that swing of the bat,
that they're just going, we're going to hit for the
fences we're going to go for guys like malik willis guys like trayvon walker uh guys like
whoever it is that's really going to pan out that i don't want to say our projects projects always
come with such a negative connotation with them but there's a lot of work before these guys really
figure it out and become these full-time starters and solidified guys with where their draft status is right now so it just feels that's the theme overall is that this year's draft
class is going to be more about teams being aggressive and taking risk than playing it safe
on prospects that might have a high floor and i think that's just the way that i'm i'm reading
the tea leaves in the nfl right now and i think you're exactly right. I think guys believe they'll get fired
by drafting high floor, low ceiling players
over and over again.
And I don't know if that's necessarily right,
but it's a justified feeling of NFL front office members
that they will pick all these guys
that are good players, not great players,
and they're going to fall behind because the NFL will never be the NBA, right? These super teams,
these you got to have stars and then you go so far. But we are seeing an aggressive NBA style
of offseason that we have never seen before of the top teams just throwing
haymakers at each other, especially in the AFC, because everybody is so worried about, you know,
how do I get past Patrick Mahomes? How do I get past Josh Allen? How do I get past Joe Burrow
now? And that's not even factoring in year three is going to be a mammoth year for Justin Herbert.
Right.
So now you have look at the press conference the Browns just had this week.
That's they were willing to pull down their pants, show their entire ass to try to get past these teams in the AFC.
That's where we are.
You know, you're not wrong.
It was unbelievable
to witness. And then you
look at, obviously,
the Broncos on a totally different scale. I'm not grouping them with
the Browns, but the Broncos traded a lot to get
Russell Wilson because the Broncos
have a really good roster. They've had a
really good roster for a long time, but
the Drew Locks of the world, the
Teddy Bridgewaters of the world, they couldn't get over that hump and they said you know what we're gonna trade it all we're
gonna get russell wilson and now we're we think we're in the royal rumble with the bills you know
the chargers eventually i keep saying that but obviously the bangles deserve their credit the
chiefs are gonna be there the ravens i don't want to forget about the ravens they have an mvp
quarterback um it's really it's almost completely changed the mindset of a lot of valuators in the
NFL right now we are witnessing it with Malik Willis as a potential top six pick so let's see
if Malik Willis goes off the board here in this guest mock draft we got three great guests for
you Connor Hughes picking for the New York Jets we got Pat Leonard picking for the New York Giants
and then Jonathan Alexander picking for the Carolina Panthers.
That's who it is.
That's the team.
I forgot the draft order now myself.
Before we get to that,
we do have to get some housekeeping things out of the way.
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All right, let's get back to this guest mock draft series with number four and the New York Jets.
All right, the Jets on the clock with the first of two top 10 picks
in this year's NFL draft,
picking at number four.
And we are bringing on Connor Hughes
from The Athletic,
who has covered this team quietly
for a long time now.
Connor, you are all of a sudden
one of the veterans on the Jets beat.
You have seen a lot in a short time
and it's a nice year for you
that there was no coaching change no gm change
all things going forward so how has everything been is this one of the more tame off seasons
you've seen in a while the ones that i can remember yeah man because there's there's no
quarterback controversy there's no quarterback decision there really hasn't been knock wood any
drama around the team you know the coach is coming back you know the gm's coming back it's just been I don't know like it was actually funny I was talking to one of the Jets media relations
staffers down here in the at the owners meetings and I said man I was like this probably has to be
the most relaxing thing because we're going into these conversations with Woody with Christopher
with Joe and with Robert and I'm like I don't think there's any drama to pick on there's none
of it so it's honestly it's been pretty relaxing and on. There's none of it. So it's honestly, it's been pretty relaxing.
And I'll tell you what, if this is what it's like for the foreseeable future, sign me up yesterday.
Yeah, for sure.
I think the one difference is the elephant in the room is this team has to start winning football games soon.
And, you know, you've seen a lot of losing seasons recently.
It can't all be put at the blame of not just Joe Douglas, but of course, Robert Sala, who's only been here for a year.
So this is a team that spent a decent amount of money in free agency.
We've seen them try and come up short on some big trades.
Internally, is there a feeling of,
all right, we've had enough of the four-win seasons.
We're finding ourselves in the top 10 of this draft over and over again.
With all the trades we've done, we've built ourselves up
for this was the off season of all the ammo.
Is there any kind of different level of urgency with this organization to
start winning?
I think there is with Joe Douglas.
And I think the reason why you can see it with Joe Douglas is you can see
some of the moves that he's tried to make.
Now he hasn't been able to get the Tyree kill.
He wasn't able to get the Calvin Ridley.
He hasn't been able to get the Amari Cooper and wasn't able to go out there and get Daniel Hunter and obviously Chandler
Jones chose to go over there and sign with the Raiders but you can see that he's now suddenly
starting to take some swings and and at some pitches that maybe he wouldn't have necessarily
touched his first couple years as general manager and there's a reason for that man Woody Johnson's
back you know this is no longer Christopher Johnson's show.
Christopher is still very involved, but Woody Johnson is the number one guy in command.
And you've followed this team forever.
I've covered him for a decent amount of time.
When Woody's around, things are a little bit different with this team.
There is a lot less patience with Woody. He likes the shiny toys.
He likes the splashes. He likes the news.
It's why he went out there and traded for Brett Favre.
It's why he went out there and he brought back Darrell Revis when a lot of people maybe shouldn't have news it's why he went out there and traded for brett farb it's why he went out there and he brought back daryl rebus when a lot of people maybe shouldn't
have it's why he went out there and he got tim tebow i mean this is a guy who likes to make the
big splash on the deep end of the pool and to have joe douglas be the general manager who is so not
that it's been interesting to see how they work but i think what you're seeing is is it is a an
owner now who's back in the fold
that is not going to be okay with his losses piling up.
He's not going to be okay with another four or a five or a six-win team.
He wants the playoffs.
He wants contention.
He wants seats in those stands.
And until he gets it, I think you're going to see the temperature
underneath Joe Douglas' seat get a little bit warmer
and a little bit warmer and a little bit warmer.
And the one thing that I will say, though, man, is you talk about the guys.
And, look, we talked to Woody today and and he stressed over how aggressive the off
season was aggressive the off season was you're right the jets did sign a lot of players but the
players that they signed they don't necessarily know if they moved the needle a lot in terms of
win loss you know dj reed he's definitely better than what they had but he's not a shut down
lockdown corner you know whitehead not really a a game-changing player better than what they had
in that game changing with the exception of tomlinson all the other players I'd say are good
no one's really great if the Jets want to get themselves in contention and get themselves to
really chase in a playoff berth they need good or they don't need good players they need great
players and obviously without finding them in free agency Joe now has to find them in the draft
yeah I think you summed up free agency perfect it felt like a nice steady plugging holes with
we got serviceable in areas that we were maybe bad or abysmal at times but like you said they
just have not landed that star yet so coming off that no a free agency they did pay dj reed as
their number one corner they have made moves that have you know given them some flexibility for the
draft you look at a move like DJ Reed in the sense of,
okay, maybe we don't need to take a sauce gardener with a top 10 pick.
Do you look at missing on Chandler Jones as we have to get a pass rusher early?
Do you think there is a trickle effect of what worked in free agency
and what didn't now to the NFL draft?
Yeah, look, I mean, the one thing that's kind of funny about Joe Douglas,
I always chuckle sometimes when I see like reports kind of surfacing out there hello joe loves this guy joe
loves that guy joe wants this guy joe doesn't talk to anyone like that's that's his thing man he is
as tight-lipped as they come so if you want to get a look into his brain and look into what he wants
to do you have to follow his actions and i think you can learn a lot about the jets plans going
into the draft with the pursuit of Ridley Cooper and Tyree Kill and
the pursuit of Chandler Jones. The fact that the Jets were willing to go out there and give $16,
$17 million a year to Chandler Jones, the fact they were willing to trade for Tyree Kill and
then make him the richest receiver in NFL history, it shows how much this team wants a number one
receiver and how much this team wants a pass rusher. And when you go into the draft, they
still don't have those two holes filled so in my opinion
i think that's where you can see this team going i think that's where this team is going to want to
go and and specifically with reed man i think you and i talked about this robert salad's defense
doesn't need a lockdown corner like like that's not that's not the way that it worked in san
francisco i know they went out there and they got richard sherman but the richard sherman that they
had in san francisco was not the richard sherman who was the all pro player in Seattle. He was a good player and he was a veteran player. And that's what the 49ers wanted,
but he wasn't this elite level, unstoppable force like he was with Seattle. So what Salo believes
is that his defense can work, his defense can be effective. At times his defense can be dominant
with two solid corners on the outside, rangy safeties back deep, and then just stud after stud after stud on the defensive line.
And he's got a couple pretty good players up front there,
and Quinnen Williams and John Franklin Myers and Mike Bryce Hopp-A-Lot,
and you're hoping Carl Lawson comes back healthy.
But there needs to be more in the chamber.
They need more ammo.
They need more firepower up front.
I think you're going to see them attack that quite a bit in the draft.
All right, we'll get to that in a little bit.
Looking at the offense, obviously we've seen Jacksonville, the Jets.
We've seen teams with these young quarterbacks
that are not coming off good rookie seasons
allocate a lot of money to the offense.
The Jets signed two starting tight ends,
and they're going to play them both.
They signed Lakin Tomlinson to big-time guard money.
Like you said, they've tried, but they've failed
at getting that number one wide receiver.
How close do you think they think
they are to having it right to evaluate Zach Wilson where okay we you know you brought back
Braxton Barris as well but he's number four and you've talked about this a lot how do they think
they are close enough where they go okay with this offense we're gonna learn if he's the guy
or we're just not there yet this is Sam Darnold all over again.
And that obviously ended the way we kind of expected.
But do they think they're close enough that it's fair to evaluate him?
Yeah, they're close enough.
I mean, I think they believe they're a piece away on offense. And that's why you saw them so aggressively pursue Tyreek Hill.
I mean, and a lot of people were saying, oh, why?
Why make him that?
Why give up that?
Why were they considering doing this?
Or why would they go after him?
You know, is Tyreek Hill really going to make that big of a difference for the Jets? And the answer to that is yes. Why make them that? Why give up that? Why were they considering doing this? Why would they go after him?
Is Tyreek Hill really going to make that big of a difference for the Jets?
And the answer to that is yes.
I mean, when they look at this offense,
if they're able to add a number one receiver,
like a true number one X receiver,
one of those guys that's going to go out there and just put up 1,200, 1,300, 1,400 yards a year in his sleep,
just be one of those dominant top 10 players in the position,
they believe if they add that player to this offense it has wholesale impact across the entire
board obviously it's going to make Zach Wilson better right I mean that's just an obvious
statement but think about what it's going to do for Corey Davis and Elijah Moore because if you
had that number one out there who's demanding the double coverage suddenly you can't double more
suddenly you can't double Corey Davis and those two guys who are very good in their own right
are seeing single coverage all day, right?
The offensive line, it's going to make the offensive line better
because the odds of a true number one receiver,
Corey Davis and Elijah Moore,
one of those three guys not getting open within three seconds,
it's probably pretty slim,
especially considering the fact that they're going to be, again,
two of those three are going to be seeing single coverage.
Makes Michael Carter's life easier
because obviously if you've got those three wide receivers,
you're not going to stack the box so they do genuinely believe that adding that
number one receiver would change the landscape of the offense open up the offense and really take
this entire scheme to another level because of the impact it would have on just about everyone
especially Zach Wilson under center because you really it's with this would be completely
different from the Sam Darnold situation. This would be Joe Douglas finally surrounding his quarterback
with quote-unquote protection and playmakers.
That's what this would be if they're able to get that number one receiver.
And fortunately, you see these number one receivers going hot and heavy,
and you kind of wonder who's the next one and where they're going to find it,
especially in a draft that doesn't necessarily have Chase or someone like that in it.
That's exactly where I wanted to take this.
We know that there's no definitive signs that A. or dk metcalf those are more generated i think fan hopes and rumors
yeah i could the brown one i don't get like that somebody came up to me i was like i don't
i i just again i haven't sourced this i haven't talked to anyone about it like we'll probably
actually be out there tonight to do some of that but it's like i i just don't i don't know why the
titans get rid of them like that's the one I'm like I don't
get like it makes no sense to me but yeah go on sorry well they didn't pay Corey Davis so you'd
assume they're allocating money to keep AJ Brown there and I know the Julio move didn't work out
but now you have Robert Woods's money but let's just put that aside and say that not AJ Brown
specifically but a player like him like DK Metcalf I won't consider Devo Samuel, but one of the,
we have we're less than five weeks away from the draft.
One of those guys are a guy like that.
They, the team knows, Hey, we're not going to meet his number.
He's been in the league for three or more years.
It's due.
He's due for an extension.
He won't play for us.
If he gets that extension is Joe Douglas on watch at this point where he's
going, okay.
If a number one becomes available, like we
saw with Tyree kill, I have the ammo that I don't even have to give up a first round pick, but I
have the cash ammo, which is a giant domino and the assets in the top 50 to get this done. And we
want to get this done. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. That, that is that. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that,
that is a hundred percent. I mean, Joe kind of hinted at it when we talked to him at the,
at the end of the season, when we did that end of year press conference, he hinted at it when we talked to him at the end of the season, when we did that end-of-year press conference.
He hinted at it then because he said, you know, with our assets, with our money,
with our cap space, with our draft picks, we have the means to be involved
in whatever player acquisition route we want to be involved in.
And when we talked to Woody Johnson at the owners' meetings just now,
he pretty much reiterated the same thing in his own Woody Johnson way,
where he said, you know, yeah, we didn't get Tyree Kill,
but I fully expect us to be involved in whatever player comes up so if one of these
guys is made available if Brown is made available if Metcalf is available Metcalf is available the
Jets will absolutely 110% go after and pursue and get that player to be the game changer and the one
thing that we've also seen change a little bit this offseason and I think we've seen it very
much so with this Tyree Kill edition
or the Tyree Kill pursuit, I should say,
is that the Jets are also turning their attention a little bit off
of the choir boy acquisition like they've been in years past
where there's been the, no, no, no, we want the sparkling clean record
off the field.
We want the good players in the locker room.
I think they realize that, yeah, you need a foundation of that.
You need foundation of those guys.
But you also need some dudes who can play ball.
And when they went after Tyree Kill, it showed you they want players who can play football.
DK Metcalf, another guy who's thrown some never-liked Tyree Kill off-field stuff.
You can see some Odell Beckham-like persona on the sideline.
He wants the ball a lot.
Correct.
Exactly.
Everybody knows it.
Yep.
Exactly.
So I think you can see some of that.
And when you do see some of that, is it going to deter the jets away two, three years ago? I would have said,
yes. I don't know if they wouldn't necessarily gone and pursued that for the young quarterback
right now. I think they were hell bent in adding talent and hell bent and getting playmakers and
hell bent and getting those players with, as Robert saw it calls it superpowers to try to
start flipping some of these games around. All right. Before we get to the fourth overall
selection, the last thing I had on the offense was Makckay beckton right last year they were in a unique
situation that they were able to get morgan moses for pennies on the dollar in june when nobody had
any free agent money they went to the year with three starting caliber tackles and thank god they
did because mckay beckton gets rolled up on week one. He's out for the year.
I follow you religiously, especially during training camp.
And if you follow Connor, you knew that Carl Lawson was whooping ass.
I mean, he was beating Becton left and right where it was, okay,
Moses and Fant going to play.
Is Becton going to play?
All of that aside, there's no Morgan Moses this year. It's George Fant.
It's Mekhi Becton.
They are going into a draft that is gifted at tackle besides the big three in the first round there's a lot of other tackles in
this draft that can go early internally is there a we are one more Becton injury away from Connor
McDermott protecting Zach Wilson and we saw a big enough sample size that last year where we need
insurance or are they in the mold of
he's going to be healthy joe douglas not robert solid joe douglas drafted him in the top 15
this is our guy or is it somewhere in the middle right now i think it's they are going into this
one and they've let mckay know this that they're going into this one very much letting him know
that it's you're you're the the scholarship's over basically that there is no more handing him the
position. This is no more. You're guaranteed a starting job.
This is Robert Salah saying, look, I'm not the one who drafted you.
This is my roster. I'm the one who's in charge of who starts.
You got to earn the starting job because we've got a guy in George fan who can
be our left tackle and has shown he's, he can be our left tackle.
If you're not worthy of being the left tackle,
we'll shift you over to the right side. If you're not good on the right side we'll turn to somebody else now you mentioned conor mcdermott i would be very very
surprised if he was the only offensive tackle behind these two guys i genuinely do excluding
chuma too like obviously chuma is not i i think they have chuma listed as a guard now or something
along those lines but he's just there yeah he's he's a body like that's the fact he's still there
it's actually pretty surprising but i think that you will see the jets i don't know if it's going
to be at four unless icky gets down there if he's there then i think suddenly you're going to have
to have a conversation because i got a stud but i think that they are very much in the world of
there's i'm under the belief that they're going to draft an offensive tackle at some point within
the first three rounds potentially within the first two like I genuinely believe that's going to happen
I don't know if one I don't know four and ten is where it's going to be again unless he's there but
I think you could see one in the second round and the reasoning for it is not just
to put the pressure on Mekhi Becton not just to heat things up with Mekhi Becton
but because of the fact that you need to look down the road as well you
know george vance in the last year of his contract he's probably not going to be coming back to this
team at 33 34 years old where they're going to extend them deep into his 30s so you're going to
need another tackle in here anyway so why not get your guy now you know you have george vance
replacement for next year but you also now know you have somebody who if something happens to
mckay where he gets hurt or something happens with mckay where he's just he doesn't take the step that the jets are asking him to take or he doesn't
show up in shape or basically the mckay back then they had year one and two is back in year three
you now have the guy that can step in and play in place of him because like you said i mean going
going with mcdermott in any capacity as a starting role i mean that's gonna that's gonna they could
have gotten tyree kill dk mccaf and aj brown it wouldn't matter if you got mcdermott starting one
of those tackle spots.
Yeah, that would create a Bengals situation at best.
All right, so you are on the clock at number four.
Jacksonville took Aiden Hutchinson, no surprise.
The Lions took Trayvon Walker, and the Texans took Kyle Hamilton,
leaving an interesting situation that you already touched on,
where Aquanu's there, Neal is there, Thibodeau's there,
Jermaine Johnson is there, Sauce Gardner is there. I know at the top of this, you said they know they need a front four player so, so badly. Where are you going here with the Jets with the number four overall pick?
Yeah, it's funny. When we talked to Salah here at the owners meeting, I asked him this. I said,
I was like, you know, there is a very real possibility that you're going to be on the
clock at number four, and there's going to be a very, very good offensive lineman there.
And there is going to be a very,
very good pass rusher there.
And we know from talking to Joe Douglas over the last three years,
that guy could have a offensive line of all pros,
and he would still be trying to tinker with it and prove it.
Obviously we know going back to San Francisco's run on pass rushers,
when Robert Sala was there,
they're going to draft a pass rusher every single year and just keep adding
them in there,
keep adding them in there and then trade for them too, because they went out there and they traded for Ford.
So you've got now a war room where you have one guy that says, God damn it, give me all the pass rushers.
The one says, God damn it, give me all the offensive linemen.
Who's going to win?
And Sala jokes it's going to be a bare-knuckle fistfight in the war room, and whoever wins is the one who drafts it.
But in this situation, look, I mean, we've seen the run on quarterbacks that have either stayed in the AFC or gone to the AFC.
Watson, obviously, now with the Clevelandveland browns russell wilson's with denver
the best way to neutralize an all-pro quarterback is you knock him on his butt i mean that's really
it it's it's how the giants were able to win two super bowls over tom brady it's how the eagles
were able to take down tom brady i mean if you want one of the best if you want to neutralize
a pass rusher the best way to do it is you knock him on the butt and you're a quarterback and you
do that obviously by going out there and getting a pass rusher so for me i really don't see
how the jets pass on cave on tibideau i really don't i think that's going to be the selection
at number four i know people have some of those like concerns and there's those works i always
see that interested what's his off-field interest like from my understanding the kid just likes
branding like he's into his brand he's and that's that's not unnormal that that's the 2022 athlete
everyone's into that stuff he likes his social media he likes his brand he's into his brand. He's the, and that's, that's not unnormal. That's that's the 2022 athlete. Everyone's into that stuff.
He likes his social media. He likes his brand.
He's going to flourish in New York.
So I don't think the jets are worried about that.
I'm not worried about that.
And considering the talent and the skill level that that kid has,
you put them next to Carl Lawson next to Quinn or across from Carl Lawson
with Quinn and Williams next to him.
And you've got the makings of a line that has the potential to be really,
really good.
I like it. I'm with you.
I think it's going to be too tempting for robert sala to pass on getting a gifted pass rusher
uh tibideau there's been a lot of buzz around him i think it's been overblown i don't think
he makes it out of the top five of this draft so it makes a lot of sense connor hughes from
the athletic you could follow him at connor underscore j underscore hughes amazing stuff
dude always a blast to talk to you. Thanks again.
Yeah, no problem.
Thanks for having me on, man.
I appreciate it.
All right, the Giants picking twice in the top 10,
but right now we'll stick with number five overall.
And we are very excited to have on NFL columnist
and Giants beat reporter from the New York Daily News,
Pat Leonard.
Pat, it has been an insane offseason
for the New York Giants.
New GM, new coaching staff.
How's everything going right now? How are the vibes around the New York Giants, new GM, new coaching staff. How's everything going right now?
How are the vibes around the New York Giants in a new era for big blue?
Yeah, Connor, you're right. A ton of turnover, something new every day,
a firing, hiring a player, signing a lot of one-year deals,
a lot of veteran salary benefits for a team with no cap space,
even though they have two picks in the top seven go figure
that that's a story in and of itself but obviously the optimistic part of it is that joe shane has
nine draft picks two in that in those top seven and they're trying to build this for the future
and they know there's going to be some pain here but they do feel like they're going to get some
good players in this draft and start building better for the future. Pat, it seemed like when they were going through a lot of their changes
with head coach and with GM, it was like, okay, Joe Judge is safe,
and now he's not safe.
Now he's gone.
Were the Giants really one foot in, one foot out with Joe Judge?
Was it that close?
Because right now it seems like with Dable and Shane,
it's the perfect situation for them right now.
I mean, with a GM and a head coach that know each other so well,
it just seems like such a great pairing that they have.
And they almost didn't have it because I felt like they kept Joe Judge around.
So how close were they to actually keeping Joe Judge
in this current group that's now the decision makers not even being there? That's a good question, Trevor. They were very close to keeping Joe Judge and this current group that's now the decision makers not even being there?
That's a good question, Trevor. They were very close to keeping Joe Judge. John Mara didn't
want to fire him. Steve Tisch ultimately tipped the scale and said, let's blow this whole thing
up because two years prior, they didn't blow it all up. Steve wanted to blow it up and fire
Gettleman and Shermer and they compromised and they fired Shermer, the head coach, but kept Dave
Gettleman as GM.
You know, I would argue that Joe Judge was behind the eight balls in the beginning in being paired with Gettleman
and not having a fresh start like you're just alluding to now.
It feels like such a better situation when you're bringing people in
who seem to have alignment, who see the game the same way,
where the GM knows what kind of players he has to get for a coach
who also can help your quarterback and offense.
It just makes so much sense when you say it.
And so the Giants were just so behind in their thinking there.
But they John Mara and the Giants knew that they had told Joe Judge they were going to give him a long runway to rebuild this.
And so the element of firing him two years in when he felt like he was getting a minimum three years,
that was something that caught judge off guard,
caught the coaching staff off guard. You see Pat Graham kind of,
even though the giants thought he would stay leave because he didn't want to be
a part of this anymore. He goes to the Raiders instead with Josh McDaniels.
So a lot of fallout there, but ultimately Tish tips, the scales,
they had been doing homework on Shane for a while.
An interesting part of it too.
Judd was actually on the verge of
letting Dable as his offensive coordinator if he
stayed a third year because Dable was going to leave
Buffalo no matter what. And so he was
on the outs there in Buffalo with McDermott.
Well, this really could have started looking good in year three
with Dable running the show, working with Dan Jones.
From an organizational standpoint, you did need a new face at the top a new general manager and so once that
decision was ultimately made and they gave joe shane all this power and they decided that's the
direction they wanted to get they had to press reset on the whole thing so with that being said
pat now you have and this is a classic case you have a new staff that's really promising a new
front office that seems very promising but you have so many premium assets from the previous regime that, to be fair, ownership has
stood by. They've vouched for Daniel Jones. They said they haven't done right by him. They said the
same about Saquon Barkley. Do you believe this regime is going to try to get it right for Daniel
Jones, or is this one of those things where it's, you're going to have to show a lot this year for us to keep building around you,
or at some point we're going to look to get our own quarterback in here with a premium pick?
Yeah, you know, what's interesting is that they are scouting all of the top quarterbacks.
They haven't been on the Malik Willis's and Kenny Pickett's so strongly
that it makes you think they're definitely going to draft them,
and I don't think they're ultimately going in that direction.
But what I like about Joe Shane and what he's bringing to the Giants is this
idea of, okay, we know you believe in this quarterback,
John Mara and Steve Tisch.
That doesn't mean we're going to not scout the QBs because if we see Malik
Willis is the real deal, we're not going to let that opportunity pass.
You know, even though a lot of people say, well,
they've done this like they love to tell people but seems that they love justin herbert it's just
oh well we are jones and my do the guy was going to be a star at the biggest position in the sport
i don't care if you took the guy the last year you take him anyway you have to solve the quarterback
position that solves it for 15 years you do it so. So I like the open-mindedness that Shane is bringing to the process.
Organization.
That said all the GMs that are interviewed for this job,
also what the giants wanted to hear,
which was that they still wanted to run it back.
One Jones.
Standpoint though.
Like it makes sense,
right?
Still on a rookie deal.
And as you said,
draft assets,
you can reset for the future. Yeah, no mean you you you go back to the arizona cardinals and for
as much as the arizona cardinals really have had their draft misses going and making sure they get
kyler murray the year after they got josh rosen i think that people look at that and went okay well
that was actually the right move so i know a lot of other gms look at that as well what are some outside of quarterbacks pat what are maybe some hints of philosophy
or maybe just hints in certain players or positions that you have heard from shane from
dable about what they might be targeting either at five at seven or even at the top of the second
round what are some maybe characteristics or position groups you really think they're going to hone in on from what you've heard?
Well, in the draft, I think offensive tackle, edge rusher, and corner
are the positions you have to look at.
The one element, Trevor, from a team-building standpoint
that stood out to me so far,
even though they haven't made any major signings,
other than Tyrod Taylor as a backup, is speed.
They've added Matt Bred Taylor as a backup is speed. Like they've added, you know,
Matt Breda as a backup running back, they cut Devante Booker.
He was actually doing pretty well as a three down back and backup, but they want Breda who had that speed outside the edge element,
Richie James jr.
A guy who they feel like can add a speed element and a vertical thread on the,
in the kick return, maybe as a spot receiver in the offense.
They are clearly trying to get faster as a team.
That said, the positions they're targeting
and seem to be targeting at the top of the draft
are less that skill position on offense
and more kind of these premium positions
that you just need to lock down, right?
They don't know if they have the quarterback.
They believe they do.
But if they're going to find out one way or another,
they need to protect him. So offensive tackle, even though they have the quarterback. They believe they do. But if they're going to find out one way or another, they need to protect him.
So offensive tackle, even though they have Andrew Thomas on the left,
they have a gaping hole on the right side that they have to fill
and they will fill.
And then they've been really in on corner.
And with James Bradbury expected to be traded soon,
they already have a need with him on the team.
So if they trade him, you know,
they have an extra need at the corner position.
And I'll be totally honest with you, Trevor and Connor.
I don't know how to rank these edge rushers.
Like as far as when their picks come up, who's going to be there, who they like, who they don't like.
That is the one position I would tell you I am.
And I think a lot of people are still working out in their minds.
How much are they going to invest?
How high?
Because Wink Mart martindale as you
know produced a lot of pressure on quarterbacks and then ravens hit a lot on like at middle round
edge rushers right so are they going to invest big time first round and second round in that
position or are they going to work the middle rounds and the final thing i would just add
quickly is they have been looking at receivers i'm not saying they're going to draft one in the first or second,
but they definitely have been looking at that position.
If Darius Slayton doesn't stick, yes, you have to Darius Toney and Kenny Galladay,
and they have Sterling Shepard back on a pay cut,
but there's always room to add speed and playmaking to that position
and to the Giants as well.
I'm glad you brought up Wink Martindale because that is obviously a hire
that's met with
a lot of warranted praise. It's a big hire. It's a bold hire. It's a total. When you hire Wink,
you know what you're getting in that system. You said it. You're bringing pressure. You're
asking a lot of your cornerbacks on the outside to hold up in man coverage. There's just no doubt
about that. And when you look at the construction of the Giants roster especially without Bradbury that becomes a very hard system to run so how much influence do you think they will get they
went out made the bold hire of getting a guy like Wink how much influence do you think he has early
on in this draft not even just the two top 10 picks but an early second round pick as well
yeah no I think I think they are they have to as you're just pointing out
they have to have an outside corner that they find early in this draft who wink trusts to put
press man on the outside and go to work and send some numbers to the quarterback and generate that
pressure from my vantage point from what i can see he has a ton of input into the type of player that they
need for his defense and so you know as one person was telling me like he's a back to front coordinator
in the sense that and you guys know too all that you look at those numbers of the ravens defense
is his four years those first three years lights out last year when it didn't go as well what
happened he had a ton of injuries
to his secondary and you know you're playing some either younger inexperienced or guys kind of above
their level if a number two is moving into a number one slot whatever and so he's coming off
a season where he loses his job and it goes wrong in baltimore purely because the secondary didn't
hold up and wasn't up to snuff and so that's the input he is providing into how this defense can stay relevant
and actually get better, especially when, like, listen,
I'm not saying Logan Ryan's the best player in the world or anything,
but he was giving the Giants some good leadership and some good ball
for what you were expecting him to do.
Bradbury last year, a lot of people don't know,
was playing through a lot of injuries.
So his 2020 self was closer to who he is than his 2021 self.
So they're getting rid of their two good players. So Wink is stumping for playmakers at those positions. And Joe Shane, one thing I can tell you that I know about him, I'm still getting to know
him. He is smart and he knows what he's watching when he watches tape. I can already tell that.
And so when he's watching corners at the top of this draft
and Winks telling him what they need,
there's no doubt in my mind that they're targeting that position.
All right, well, let's put you on the clock.
Whether it's a defense player or an offensive player,
let's put you on the clock here at number five overall
for the New York Giants in this guest mock draft.
We've got Aiden Hutchinson, Trayvon Walker, Kyle Hamilton,
and Kayvon Thibodeau all off the board.
So you got all the offensive linemen left and you got some edge rushers.
Of course, corner hasn't been touched as well.
So Pat, for number five overall, who would you be taking for the Giants
if the board fell like this?
So, okay, I'm going to preface this with I'm constantly expecting right now
Evan Neal and Ikema Quanwanu to be off the board.
If they are on the board like this, it throws it into a little bit of chaos
because I view this as a decision between most likely the way I see it falling,
Charles Cross, the offensive tackle for Mississippi State,
and Ahmad Sauce Gardner, the corner from Cincinnati.
Obviously, the Giants have two picks up here.
My answer for you right now is Charles Cross. I know the Giants have two picks up here. I'm going to, my answer for
you right now is Charles Cross. I know the Giants love him. I know they think he can play on the
right side. That is also like, I'm prefacing it with obviously a Kwan who's a guy. He looks like
even if he doesn't end up starting a tackle his whole career, he seems like a safe pick to start
on your offensive line for years and years,
whether it's a guard or a tackle. So it could easily be him or Evan Neal if he unexpectedly
falls. But as far as who I think is most likely to be there and who I know for a fact, the Giants
have been very high on for a while now. I'm going to go with Charles Cross, the tackle for Mississippi
State, athletic. And really, if they mean what they say about protecting Daniel Jones,
giving him every chance to succeed. And I'll tell you what, like John,
John Mara said this week, he said, he said,
like our offensive line is going to be better God willing.
And he's rolling his eyes. You know,
Dable said to us at the combine, Hey,
any members of the media want to try out for offensive line? Like, you know,
Joe Shane made a crack about, well,
we only have five
damn healthy linemen on the whole roster like they can't stop talking about it so if it's not an
offensive lineman it's sauce but um charles cross would be my final answer at this moment which is
not that crazy you know i think that people are going to look at it and say you know oh evan neal
and icky aquan who are on the, but there are plenty of people who have
Charles Cross' offensive tackle won. It's
just not mocked as commonly, so
I think this is, I love that
Pat's doing this. He's giving us a peer behind the
curtain for the Giants. What do you think about this one?
I mean, it's awesome.
Number one, it's because nobody is factoring
in the fact that Cross is
in, I call it the big three, right?
When you look at Neal, when you look at Akron,
it's amazing how Cross isn't lumped into that group as much as he should be.
I think he's the best pass protector of the three as a pure tackle.
He's obviously a good athlete.
He's got really, really long arms.
He's not coming from a Mike Leach system necessarily.
He wasn't a Mike Leach recruit where he's recruited for that system.
He's a NFL-level kind of of build. So Pat, before we sign
off, I'll ask you one question that me and Trevor struggle with every time we do these mock drafts.
If they take a, it could be Cross, Neal, or Raquanu, is Andrew Thomas more likely to stay
where he started to find some success? Or do you think they're going to balance this out,
maybe move him to the right side? Is there any inkling of how they want to plan to use this offensive line
in Thomas' long-term future with a rookie coming aboard?
I've seen no indication and received no indication
that they intend to move Andrew.
Makes sense.
I think everything I know and have heard and been told
is they think they're leaving him there.
They trust him there.
And this second surgery he had, like let's see if this pans out or not.
But basically, he had a surgery on his left ankle two years ago.
And they thought they fixed the problem.
But he ended up still having bone spurs in the ankle that they didn't take out.
They didn't realize were a problem.
So this time they went back in and got to the real root of the issue.
He feels like a million bucks.
And from what I understand, he's already working out hard, feeling good,
and they think like he's their long-term left tackle.
So no plans to move him.
That's why the Giants and other teams, as you guys know,
they really wanted to see Cross at right tackle at his pro day.
And he did a ton of work there and did a fabulous job.
And the Giants were already over the moon about him.
And so after that, it was just all the more reason to think, well, that we, we can circle
on the depth chart where they want to plug the hole. And now they know this guy could do just
that. Well, as, as somebody who, uh, who had Andrew Thomas's OT one in that draft, I love
hearing this baby. I love hearing it. Let's get more healthy. Let's get a little bit better. I'm
a big June, New York giants fan. So I hope that I get validated in that regard. Everybody go follow Pat Leonard on Twitter,
follow all of his incredible work. He does such a great job covering the New York Giants,
covering the NFL. Obviously, as you heard from just this 15 to 20 minutes, he'll give you nuggets
the second that you start listening to him. Pat, thank you so much for coming on and making a pick
for us here, my friend. You got it, Trevor and Connor.
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate it.
All right, joining me now to pick for the Carolina Panthers here at number six,
we have Jonathan Alexander, who covers the Carolina Panthers for the Charlotte Observer.
He is live on scene at NFL owners meetings,
so we appreciate him taking the time here to join us a little bit.
Jonathan, how are you doing, my friend?
I'm good. How are you?
I am doing great, man. I've been excited about this one, getting ready to get to Carolina's pick
because this is such an interesting draft pick. I know that you know this team better than so
many other people do, so I was looking forward to picking your brain about it. Let's just take
it back a little bit. We've got two back-to-back seasons now with Matt Rule having just five win
seasons I know there was a lot of hype about Matt Rule coming in with David Tepper and Scott Fitter
a new era in Carolina but it hasn't exactly started off great to the point where shoot
talked about the Matt Rule might even be fired after last season how close do you think that
was to them maybe moving on from Matt Rule?
How much confidence did they have in him moving forward?
And how hot is his seat going into this offseason, this draft,
and into next season?
Yeah, I'm sure it was a consideration.
Probably, I mean, I'm sure it was probably a thought.
But, you know, it never got to that point.
You know, they were embarrassed.
5-11, 5-12 after that second season, they made some moves
because they thought that they could be a playoff team.
And then, you know, they end up losing their last seven games in a row,
I believe.
So, you know, they've got to be a lot better.
I think Matt Ruhle will be playing for his job next season in year three.
You know, if they finished with another losing season, I think that there's an expectation among a lot of people in the coaching
staff that they won't be back. If they,
especially if they start off bad that they won't be back at that season.
So they've got to have a better year.
And so far the off season hasn't been too bad.
They just have a couple of holes that are arguably the most important that
they need to fill.
Yeah, one of them is a quarterback.
And I guess there's some debate with that, right?
Because they still have Sam Darnold on the roster.
But I'm curious what the whole journey with Sam Darnold has kind of been for this team, right?
When they traded for him, how excited they were and, you know,
how he wasn't exactly the quarterback they thought he was or maybe should have
since he looked a lot like he did when he was with the New York Jets.
Where is this team on Sam Darnold right now?
Because Carolina is really the realistic start to where in this draft,
we talk about Malik Willis or Kenny Pickett or other quarterbacks.
It really starts at number six overall as potential landing spots for those guys.
So how much do they still believe in Sam Darnold is kind of my question
compared to the other quarterbacks they might have on the draft board.
I think, to be honest with you, I think they have to believe in him
just because they might not be able to replace him this year.
I think we saw what we needed to see from Sam Darnold.
He struggled.
He has a tendency to struggle when
he has pressure and makes bad decisions i think they know that i think the thought is that they
think he can be a little bit better under ben mcadoo however they know for 100 certain that
he's not the long-term answer um at quarterback they are still looking to upgrade and if they can
find that guy whether that's in the draft or or or via trade or, you know, free agents, it's kind of dried up right now.
Right. But if they can find that guy, then they'll make that move.
Well, they were certainly, I mean, doing, uh, they're in,
I want to say due diligence, but I mean, it's a lot more than that. I mean,
we learned that they were in on Deshaun Watson. It's,
it sounded like they were in on Deshaun Watson for a really long time,
even before this.
Now that Deshaun has moved on, they don't have the chance to get him.
Are they putting that same kind of effort and energy into this quarterback class?
Like really looking into guys like Malik Willis?
Have you heard that from the coaching staff and the GM?
Like, have they been floating around how much work they're doing on these guys?
Do you think, because you mentioned it there and you kind of said it with a laugh that
they kind of have to think about upgrading or, you know, they, they, they don't really,
uh, they have to roll with Sam Darnold, but they would love to upgrade if they could.
Where are they with this quarterback class? Do you think, are they buying in? Are they still
doing research or are they out on these guys? What do you think? I think they like this quarterback class. You know, they've been to,
they went to pickets pro day,
Willis's pro day and Matt Corral's pro day on back to back to back days.
And I think, you know,
I'm just talking to people around the organization.
They like some of these quarterbacks and think they have potential.
Now there is a thought that this class isn't as strong as other classes in the past or, you know, next year's class.
So they're examining that, whether they should take a chance.
I think picking one of those guys at six is viewed as a little too high.
But, you know, I think that that's going to be one.
I don't I don't think they've made a decision yet, but that is going to be under strong consideration at picking a quarterback if one of the best players available is on the board.
So what about the rest of the roster? You know, I think a lot of people talk about offensive line with Carolina for sure, but there's other positions as well. things that they did in free agency were there any particular moves that they did in free agency
putting money in one place prioritizing one position that made you think that might influence
where they're going at number six yeah i think you know you saw them but they signed a center
bradley bozeman um and then a guard austin Corbett. So, you know, offensive line was their worst, you know, position.
Offensive line and quarterback together were their worst position moves.
So they've tried to do what they can with offensive line.
Now they have to fill left tackle, which is going to be important.
But they think left tackle is pretty deep.
And they think that they can address that in this year's class
and that'd be the most cost-efficient option.
So they've got to decide between whether they want to draft a quarterback And they think that they can address that in this year's class and not be the most cost efficient option.
So they've got to decide between whether they want to draft a quarterback in a left tackle.
I think whichever is the best player available, they'll go with.
So, yeah, but they also in free agency,
they got signed to safety was they needed and a linebacker as well.
So Xavier Woods supposed to be really good.
Not really sure about the, about the linebacker as well. So Xavier Woods is supposed to be really good.
Not really sure about the linebackers they got,
but they felt like they filled some of the holes they needed,
and now they hope to draft an offensive tackle or quarterback.
How tempting might it be for them to trade back?
Because this is a team that they pick at number six overall,
and then I believe they don't pick again until the fourth round. And so that's just such a massive gap for a team that, you know, they pick at number six overall, and then I believe they don't pick again until the fourth round.
And so that's just such a massive gap for a team that finished with just five wins in each of the last two seasons. So are they going to be tempted to trade back?
Have you heard any kind of talk with that?
Of course, I think every team has all their options on the board.
But you mentioned how desperate Carolina is for a franchise left tackle
or for a quarterback do you think it's it's much more likely that one of those guys would be the
pick of number six or do you think that they really have a chance to move back and get some
some extra picks throughout this draft yeah i absolutely absolutely think it's a possibility
i mean it really though depends on what they can get back in a tradeback.
Because, you know, the Panthers, they don't have a second or a third-round pick.
They don't pick again after the first round.
They don't pick again until the fourth.
So, you know, they believe if they can get, you know,
fill at least one of those picks,
they'll get somebody they think they can get in that first round,
then that'll be under strong consideration.
I think that is a high probability.
I know they'll look at it.
I know they'll inquire around,
and I know they'll take calls for that tradeback.
So I do think it's a good probability that that could possibly happen.
So let's put you on the clock here.
I'll put you on the clock at number six
as I kind of pull up the draft board here off the board so far, Aiden Hutchinson, Trayvon Walker,
Kyle Hamilton, Kayvon Thibodeau and Charles Cross. So we got some good offensive linemen still on
the board for you at number six. We also have the quarterback class, which has not been touched yet.
Jonathan, if you were making this selection for the Carolina Panthers, where do you think they
need to go here at number six? Who would
you be taking for them? In this
case, if this were the Carolina Panthers,
I think they would go
left tackle Evan Neal. I think they
think very highly of
Evan Neal. They believe he's
the day one starter and he can
transcend that
offensive line. So Evan Neal would be that pick.
I think that that makes, that makes total sense.
Do you think it's the top three offensive linemen?
And I guess I'll just ask you about those three guys overall,
because you have Evan Neal, which you mentioned there, who you took,
who I think is a great option for him.
You have Iki Okuonu from NC State,
and then you got Charles Cross from Mississippi State.
Charles Cross wasn't on the board here in this draft,
but have you heard any rumblings one way or another how Carolina might rank these guys,
where you think they would be, in what order on their board, who they might like the most?
I know that some people prefer Evan Neal and Ikeem Ekwunnu more than Charles Cross.
But I think they think all three of those guys will be day one starters
and they wouldn't be mad if they got one of those guys.
But I do know that, you know, the opinion was that Evan Neal and Akeem Ekwunnu
were the top two guys that they liked
among the left tackle.
All right, there we go.
Anything else before we get out of here?
Any draft nuggets you might have heard
from owners meetings
or where they might be looking
or anything in this class that they,
a position, a player, anything like that,
you know, they might be looking at
as well as the draft goes on?
No, still kind of getting started,
still kind of learning things.
But I do
know that
if it does, if Evan Neal is on the board,
I'd be extremely
shocked if they passed
up on him. All right, there we go.
All right, Evan Neal, we got Evan Neal at number six
overall here on this guest mock
draft series, courtesy of Jonathan
Alexander. Go follow all of his work over at
the Observer and the Charlotte
Panthers. Jonathan, thank you so much for joining me, man.
All right, there we go.
Three more picks in the guest mock draft series down on Thursday.
We are going to be rounding out the entire top 10.
We got four picks coming at you. And then beginning of next week,
we got another special guest that we're going to have on to recap the top 10 picks.
This is the NFL Stock Exchange. We'll see you next time.