NFL Stock Exchange: An NFL Draft Podcast - 38. Guest Mock Draft Series: Picks for the Cardinals, Cowboys & Bills (With Alex Clancy, Jeff Cavanaugh & Joe Buscaglia)

Episode Date: April 19, 2022

Hosts Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers give percentages for how likely they think it is a QB, WR or RB won’t go in the Top 10, then get guest mock draft picks for the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills 1. Jaguars: EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, 2. Lions: EDGE Travon Walker, 3. Texans: S Kyle Hamilton, 4. Jets: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, 5. Giants: OT Charles Cross, 6. Panthers: OT Evan Neal, 7. Giants: CB Sauce Gardner, 8. Falcons: DI Jordan Davis, 9. Seahawks: CB Derek Stingley Jr., 10. Jets: OT Ickey Ekwonu, 11. Commanders: WR Drake London, 12. Vikings: C Tyler Linderbaum, 13. Texans: EDGE George Karlaftis, 14. Ravens: EDGE Jermaine Johnson, 15. Eagles: QB Malik Willis, 16. Saints: OT Trevor Penning, 17. Chargers: CB Trent McDuffie, 18. Eagles: WR Jameson Williams, 19. Saints: WR Chris Olave, 20. Steelers: CB Andrew Booth Jr., 21. Patriots: LB Devin Lloyd, 22. Packers: WR Treylon Burks

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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 have the guest mock draft series rolling again with picks 23, the Arizona Cardinals, 24, the Dallas Cowboys, and 25, the Buffalo Bills. But before we get into

that, Trevor and I are going to take a look and answer the question, is this going to be the first draft in forever that a skill player does not go in the top 10 picks? Could it happen? Will they get by the Carolina, Atlanta, the Jets, or many of these other teams picking in the top 10? So a loaded show to get through today after a wild dueling mock draft Monday. As always, I'm your host, Connor Rogers. Joining me as always is my co-host, Trevor Sikama. Let's ring the bell. Welcome to the opening bell of the NFL Stock Exchange.

I'm Connor Rogers, joined as always by my co-host Trevor Sikama, and the guest mock draft series rolls on after a day of dueling mock drafts. Ryder, you are spoiled on this feed every day. A long, long Monday show, Trevor. How are we feeling, man? We rested up after a long dueling mock drafts with the tailgate boys. That was a battle. That was a battle for anybody who missed it. Me and Connor went head to head against Mike Renner and Austin Gale of the tailgate podcast.

We had two dueling mock drafts going on at the same time. It was a lot of fun. The mock drafts, because they're what we would do mocks. They're way different, man. Like even from the very first pick from number one, we had different picks and it was different all the way throughout. So shout out to everybody who was in the chat, watching live, getting in on it. We had so much fun doing that. Shout out to you guys. That was a blast. Hopefully we get to do those more often for sure.

All right. Before we get into today's show, happy to announce we have a new presenting sponsor. If you haven't heard yet the nfl stock exchange podcast is presented by jock market that is jock mkt stop betting start trading buy and sell shares of players in real time for real money while the games are happening all shares have a guaranteed cash payout at the end of the night deposit now with code pff for a hundred percent deposit match up to a hundred dollars on your first deposit and get a free pff edge subscription at jockmarket.com slash pff mlb opening day was obviously awesome trevor i've been bragging to you how i finally

have hit on baseball you have the masters promo man it's been cool i know you've gotten in on the app i've gotten in on the app whether it's gotten in on the app, whether it's hockey, baseball. I can't wait to see what this thing looks like when football gets rolling. I am so nervous for the money that I'm going to put on the line during the NHL playoffs. I'm very nervous, but I want the listeners to get in on it too, so let us know what your bets are going to be. All right, dude.

Well, let's waste no time. Obviously, we have a lot to go through on today's show with three picks ahead but i know you've tapped into a little bit of an interesting nugget that we wanted to break down to kick off today's show is the nfl draft is god dude less than 10 days away officially yeah so the one and only Peter King from Football Morning in America, a longtime B reporter covering the NFL. Pete's one of the best. He's been doing this for so long. He's got so many great sources.

And something that's always very interesting once we get into the month of April is Pete definitely switches his gears towards more of a draft focus. You know, he talks about he covers the playoffs a lot, and then he covers NFL free agency and the owners meetings, but then he gets to turn his attention and his sources, if you will, towards the draft. So when he writes about things, when he writes his column, I pay attention, especially in the month of April, because it means a lot. And one of the first things that he said in his column on Monday was I'll read this. This is one of his points. This could be the first draft since the NFL began the annual college player selection meeting in 1936 that no one who touches the ball would be

picked in the top 10. No running backs, of course, quite possibly no wideouts. Maybe the Jets picking a 10 quarterback. It's such a cloudy market here this year. So he's saying that we might not get a single skill player or a player on offense who touches the ball in the top 10. Connor, how likely do you think that is that that happens? I'd be pretty shocked. I think there's two really, three really huge variables in here. And there's a fourth bonus variable. The first being that I feel like Carolina,

there's a good chance they take a quarterback with the sixth overall pick. The second one being, I think Atlanta's got to be looking at these wide receivers. And I think at 10, the New York Jets are looking at these wide receivers. And then that fourth bonus variable is there's always a trade that we didn't see coming for a player. And when you look at how this board breaks, the tackles are going to go early. The pass rushers are going to go early. What would somebody be coming up for with one of those teams outside the top five that might want to move if Sauce Gardner's gone? It might be a wide receiver.

So it's not crazy. It's an interesting note to show you that the fact this is up for debate, this is up for conversation, shows how unique of a year it is. But I would be pretty floored if we made it through 10 picks no quarterback no wide receiver take let's let's let's play the percentages here let's kind of label this because i think this all comes down to like the draft and predicting draft always comes down to percentages right because you never know exactly what's going to happen but i think the reason why statements like this exist is because we look at the top 10 and we say to ourselves there's not a lot of even landing spots that have shoot i'm not even going to say hi less than zero

percent chance of them taking one of those guys who's on offense who touches the ball quarterback or running back a wide receiver something like that jacksonville number one zero yep houston at number two basically zero i mean there's a chance that they could take a quarterback i think that that's extremely small so let's say three percent right let's say like i'll even go like five to ten right i'll give i'll give you five to ten just because it's a quarterback but extremely low houston they're not taking one to three well you skipped detroit did you or no sorry did what that's what i said. Detroit would take a quarterback. That's what I was talking about.

You said Houston a couple of times. Oh, okay. Well, then I'm a moron. So I meant Jacksonville at one. Detroit take a quarterback at number two. I'll give that five to 10%. Yep. Houston, zero at three. I mean, they're not going to, they wouldn't entertain one.

The Jets, five percent if they love a wide receiver, zero at three i mean they're not gonna yeah they wouldn't entertain one the jets five percent if they love a wide receiver but i would be shocked if they take a wide receiver less than that yeah so it's extremely low giants don't think they're gonna take one no carolina that's where it gets interesting i think that there is a, I would go as high as 75% chance that Caroline is going to take a quarterback. I'm with you. I think that's the one where you're playing the odds and you're getting a lot of really good odds on Carolina.

Giants at seven, I don't think it's happening. Atlanta at eight, I would say, it's basically a toss-up, right? Wide receiver, basically anything else. I'd give it 50-50, which are decent odds. Seattle, no. Really don't think they're going to go with a wide receiver unless they trade DK and they trade Lockett

and somehow they do. And here's the ultimate knuckleball. Jets at 10. And Jets, I think, are... 80%. I think at 10. You want to go with 80? You're going 80?

I would say the only way they don't take a receiver at 10 is if the obvious they trade the pick the second one is that if they took icky at four then they might try to take like a jermaine johnson at 10 okay so we've got so i'd still roll with 75 80 okay so we've got 75 at number six 50 at number eight and 75 at number 10 those numbers now that i'm actually saying in them out loud and i guess detroit you know like five to ten percent potentially at number two those numbers are enough for me to probably think that this is not going to hold true that we are at least going to get one quarterback wide receiver or running back off the board in the top 10. So I think that it's,

that it's interesting. Peter King does a really great job of like getting a lot of quotes from talking to GMs and other people who are executives around the league. One of the quotes that he gets from a GM says, quote, but unless Carolina takes one, I can't see any team picking a quarterback in the top 10. I would agree with that outside of a trade-out.

Yeah, but I mean... I think we're getting a receiver at 10, though. I think I'm with you. I think we are, too. And I think what I sit here and wonder, Trevor, is if everybody knows that, if somebody wants the receiver the Jets want, why aren't you calling Seattle or Atlanta,

two teams that would easily move? So that's why I'm like, man, that much smoke at wide receiver at 10 might also intrigue teams or motivate teams to get ahead of the Jets that those odds start to go up a little bit more when you're factoring in the unpredictable. If Jameson Williams had never torn his ACL, I think this wouldn't be a question. Rightl i think this wouldn't be a question i think that you're right i think this wouldn't be a question because i agree with you either he'd

be going at 10 to the jets or somebody would be trading up to go get him i i think i think that that's kind of the way that i'm viewing how teams view this wide receiver class at this point i wouldn't even have ruled him out at seven to the giants at that point and i know they spent big on kenny galladay i know the previous regime drafted cadareus tony but there's just guys that are sub four three with that kind of ability he's not just fast he's a really good receiver they just don't come around like that so that would have even opened the door for them they're they're thinking okay when the money clears from the guys that we didn't sign but we're stuck with we're gonna have a dude here already uh the second point that uh peter king had before we move on we're gonna get to the guest mock draft in a sec but the second point that he

had in his column is it's gonna be a bad year for mock drafts he said i had a great line from a top gm that texted me on saturday night quote you can take the top 20 most plugged in guys in your business ask them to pick the top 10 most plugged in guys in your business, ask them to pick the top 10 guys in this draft. And I would bet a lot of money that no two guys have the same exact top 10. When you don't know who's going one, two, or three at this point in the year, you've got a very mysterious year. So Connor, we got our work cut out for us. You think they were talking about us?

Are we in the top 20? We're in the top 20. Brother, I've finished top 10 last two out of three years in the huddle for you already you you gotta get in on it this year we've already talked about this i know because now people are wondering if i'm in the top 20 they don't they don't have concrete proof well i mean if they listen to this podcast they know that you're the top did have trey lance going to the niners when everybody died on that stupid mac jones hill oh i didn't i didn't do it that's my last i'll say that was you know it's funny because you submit your final mock draft and then obviously you're you're continually checking your mock versus what actually happened and you can also see in live real time how mocks around you did and so many people who

submitted to huddle last year had mac jones at three oh of course that was basically the coin flip like 50 of the people had mac jones at three and 50 of the people had trey lance so if you had mac jones at three your entire huddle mock was was screwed it was done it was basically busted it was like a march madness bracket damn dude but your boy was in on it your boy was in on yeah i've heard big things that one hit it big for me and the other one that did it big having jamar chase over penny so i had jamar chase going five oh that's dynamite bangles and a lot of people it was the same thing they're very split with uh with penny sewell and uh and jamar chase so we got to get you in on it to make sure full bragging rights this year but we're gonna get back to the guest mock draft series we have

the arizona cardinals the dallas cowboys and the buffalo bills before we get to that just letting everybody know right now you can get 50 off five zero 50 off a pff elite subscription if you use the promo code draft 50 that gets you PFF Elite subscription if you use the promo code DRAFT50. That gets you everything, the locked content, the draft guide, the unlocked mock draft simulator. It'll get you the fantasy football guide in a couple of months, all the betting tools during the season,

the free agency guide that you'll get a year from now. 50% off, folks. Use that promo code DRAFT50 and make it happen. We've got the Arizona Cardinals. i couldn't remember which one was first the arizona cardinals at number 23 it's been a long it's been a long process here but yes we've got them up at number 23 with some really good players on the board so let's check in with alex see what he picks we are now on pick number 23 of the guest mock draft series it is the arizona cardinals and joining us to talk everything Cardinals,

which for some reason seems to be one of the most mysterious teams in the league. I feel like when I do mock drafts, people were just like, Oh, what are the Cardinals going to do? Well, after this episode, you're going to know exactly what the Cardinals want to do or need to do. Thanks to Alex Clancy, who is the host of the lock on Cardinals. Alex, thank you so much for joining us, my friend. Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me, guys. So I want to start off with, it might be the tough question. I don't know. Cardinals start off 7-0 last year, then kind of limp their way into the playoffs, losing the first round to the Rams, a very familiar opponent. They end up going

on to win the Super Bowl. My question is just just where are the cardinals because i i feel like they certainly jumped the shark a little bit starting seven and oh on the season but then the last half of the season they're probably not as bad as they finish so where is where do you think this team is in terms of a legit winning window and then is that different from where you think the team maybe believes they are you know I never thought that they were you know going to be a one seed last year it seemed like at least you know even through 12 or 13 weeks when they were 10 and 2 it's like oh it's are we experiencing something here that we weren't you know like like a magical 49ers run from a couple years ago worse to first something

like that with Kyler Murray and then AJ green doesn't turn around on Thursday night football or Kyler Murray throws in the ball when he's not ready. And then that seemed like the catalyst that seemed like something that just completely changed the frame of the organization moving forward for, for last year. And, you know, anybody can win in a vacuum, you know, when your defense is causing strip sacks and quarterbacks are throwing bad balls and Kyler Murray's finding open receivers, you know, running a mile behind the line of scrimmage

back and forth like a whirling dervish finding a wide receiver down the field. When those things happen, great. On fourth and two, you call an audible and you throw a 30-yard to the pylon pass over the throw to Christian Kirk for a touchdown. It's magical. And then, you know, on third and six,

when you need a first down in Detroit and you can't get it midway through the season, obviously something's amiss. I think everybody's to blame. DeAndre Hopkins going down was tough. Chandler Jones kind of disappearing, even though I don't think you can really equate Chandler Jones's output on the field and impact based solely on sack numbers because opposing offenses have to scheme for him so much, but all in all, in my opinion, I just think Cliff Kingsbury can't win games when he needs to. And I've said this and I, you know, when I, it's not like this is an irrational thought or an original thought. He's never been a winning head coach ever.

And then he comes to the NFL and you know, I think he goes as far as Kyler goes. And that's kind of what we saw in Kyler's a young quarterback. And not all young quarterbacks are Patrick Mahomes. So that makes this an easy transition for me because I wanted to ask you about Kyler. How much do you think we've seen everything that's gone on this offseason? And a lot of it's been really passive aggressive, right? We haven't heard that he's requesting a trade and we haven't heard that Arizona will not pay him.

There's nothing like that. It's just minor things here and there. How much do you think this draft, specifically early in this draft, is there a thought that there should be resources allocated towards helping him? It doesn't have to just be in the trenches. It could be anywhere on the offense,

especially with how they've previously spent resources early on the defense. That's a really good question. I think it needs to happen. I mean, unless, you know, a Jordan Davis drops and that's the apple of their eye or somebody like that, or, you know, if they like hear Elam out of Florida, if they want to draft a corner or something like that, but you're right. I mean, he hasn't gotten a lot of help. It could want to draft the corner, something like that, but you're right. I mean,

he hasn't gotten a lot of help. It could have been Tristan worse or CD lamb in 2020. We're now seeing with what happened with Jamar chase. It's like that kind of puts salt in the wound with, you know, college quarterback, college number one receiver. I don't think Steve Kime has done enough through the draft at all to set up. You're right.

The franchise quarterback for success. And I think it's imperative this draft to do so. And, you know, we've seen through free agency, I mean, he brought back Zach Ertz and James Conner, but I mean, they haven't done a whole lot on the offensive side of the ball with, there were a bunch of impact makers when free agency started to, you know, boost the, you know, the talent level on the offense. It just hasn't

happened so i don't know if steve kime doesn't know how to or if he's aloof as to why you know as to why kyler needs more help than he already has but something needs to happen on the offensive side i definitely agree with that on the other side of things how does this team make up for the loss of chandler jones you mentioned that being such a pivotal point of why things kind of started to deteriorate last year now he's not on the roster at all when I look at this depth chart Zach Allen, Leckie Fotu, JJ Watt, Devin Kennard, Marcus Golden I mean where is a lot of the pass rush coming from I know that they have Isaiah Simmons and Saban Collins and they're hoping that they can certainly help contribute to what's going on in the box there at those two levels. But man,

where's the pass rush coming from? Cause when I do mock drafts, I feel like some of these guys, these pass rushers either last to 23 or, you know, when I'm considering a lot of different options for Arizona, I look at the depth chart. I mean, it's gotta be edge rusher or something along the defensive line. Is that as dire of a need as I am making it out to be? Yeah, there it's a tide for first slash tide for last situation.

It's offensive line, wide receiver, interior defensive line, an edge rusher and corner five of the 11 or five of the 20, you know, whatever there's five that are tied for last or tied for first on what's needed the most. And I wonder if they're going to move Isaiah Simmons outside. I wonder if they're going to move Zayvon Collins. Like what we saw with the son Reddick, where a son Reddick was played in the incorrect spot for the first three years of his career and then three different defensive schemes.

And then you move them to flat out edge pass rusher and he blows up. And then now he's making a whole bunch of cheese and Steve Kime declined his, we were talking about at the time, Steve Kime declined his fourth year option. We're like, right move, Steve. Cause you haven't seen anything. And then he absolutely blows up and the rest is going to be history because they finally figured out where to play him. Hopefully that's a cautionary tale and maybe that's part of the plan to move

one of those guys outside. I don't think that's going to happen, that they're going to become one of the pass rushers. But yeah, I mean, this would be a perfect draft for the Cardinals to move up and draft somebody that they know is going to work, but they don't have the capital for it. They have first, second, third, but as of right now, the future is now, if you were going to call cable guy, like it's now. And they can't give up assets or picks to get one guy.

They have to get as many guys as possible. And that's where we are. I mean, all joking aside, they've got a lot of holes they need to fill immediately. And we'll see what they do with the draft and frequency as it's continuing to tick on. You brought up, obviously, Redick. You look at Zayvon Collins.

Where are we at with Isaiah Simmons right now? It's interesting how we get sucked into the draft cycle. We talk about a guy every day for over 100 days in a row, and then he ends up being a top 10 pick, just like you expect. Somebody that was labeled as a bit of a unicorn at the time. And, you know, I'm not writing the player off or outright saying he's been a disappointment, but what has been the situation with somebody like

him where expectations were so high fit was always going to be really interesting and what does the future outlook look like right now yeah when he got drafted i was like oh like this could be really fun like this could be really fun you know when you have and you have a veteran like chandler jones i know they don't play the same exact position but you have a veteran like Chandler Jones, I know they don't play the same exact position, but you have a guy like that that can kind of mentor. And I say, it's like when you used to play NCAA football video games, you were recruiting an athlete, ATH. That's what Isaiah Simmons would be. I feel like when they try to put him and train him

into so many different positions his rookie year, it was a detriment because they thought that he was going to play Clemson football against the NFL when the ACC is, you know, eight cupcakes and he could do whatever he wants. And it's a little different here. I think moving forward, even though we saw leaps last year and we've seen him put on some, you know, pretty big hits one on cam Newton two years ago in, in, in new England, even though it was, it was a personal, a personal fail, ended up losing the game because of it I think that he needs to have one position and play one position and not have it be inside which is a position he didn't

really play a whole lot and I don't think it really suits him because 6-3 not really a guy where you want just kind of caged up inside inside the linebackers you know I kind of want to see him run free you touched a little bit on cliff kingsbury and before we get to kind of how the board fell in this guest mock draft and and who we're going to get for your pick because i know you're passionate about the guy that's still left on the board so i have a feeling i know where you're going to go with this but i do want to go back to cliff kingsbury how hot's the seat for him because Because clearly you can tell there's some disdain with how ineffective he has been down the stretch and being able to adjust and, like you said,

just win those big games more often than not. Is this dude's seat pretty hot? Because it felt like he came in, he was a young coach who was going to be the future of the league, and then he ends up getting to draft Kyler Murray, and you go, oh, this is absolutely perfect. They trade somehow for deandre hopkins and it's almost like what more could this guy want at this point is that kind of where we are where it's like hey the excuses are they're drying up for cliff kingsbury how hot's the seat for him right now well it's interesting

because when he got that five-year extension this off season, it kind of, I don't think it meant a whole lot. I think Michael Bidwell is out of his mind, but like when it comes to Cliff Kingsbury, I don't think he's grown as much as everybody think he has. I, and I get, I get unfollowed for two things that I say and they're both centralized around Cliff Kingsbury. One, if the offense isn't the strength of this team, why is Cliff Kingsbury the head coach?

The offense has not been the strength of this team. The one, if you need a stop or you need a first down, I would bet on the Cardinals getting a stop over getting a first down on third and eight, you know, at the 47 yard line, when you need it, when you need to milk the clock on offense, they had a couple of chances last year, under two minutes, three and out, three and out, call it a day, lose the game. That's where a head coach makes his money. And that's kind of, that's kind of where I'm at. And the other thing that I say is Cliff Kingsbury has never won an important

NFL game ever when he's had to. So how hot the seat is, I don't know if that's directly correlated to him being the head coach on paper now through 2027. That's why I think that that contract extension now, I'd rather him play for his job. Anybody. When did we go away from that? Oh, the seed's too hot.

Let's give him a contract extension. You don't want a lame duck head coach. What if he's a lame duck? I don't understand it. So that's not to say he won't grow. That's not to say that there are better offenses out there, but from what I've seen, when you need something from him, he can't give it to you.

I totally forgot about the contract extension. When I was asking that question, I was like, damn, you know, he hasn't, hasn't been the best. They started off hot last year. I totally forgot about the contract extension. But still Trevor, I don't think it's, I don't think it's an irrational question to ask, even if you – it doesn't matter.

Like, I'd still have that conversation now. He could – like, if they go 6-11 this year, like, just say what they've seen. They go 7-10. Crazier things have happened. Michael Bidwell has looked, you know, not so smart from times before. So, crazy things have happened. Man, his – I'm looking at his record now as Arizona's head coach. Okay okay you got 5 10 and 1 the first year 8 and 8 the second year 11 and 6 the year after that so last year which you think okay that's a good progression but when you factor

in that he went 7 and 0 and then went 4 and 6 down the stretch lost in the first round of the wild card game oh man six year extension for that that's that's uh that's a little that's a little rich that's a little rich i don't know it's problematic all right well on a lighter note yeah all right alex let's put you on the clock here you're obviously picking for the arizona cardinals at pick number 23 a pivotal pick i mean you said it before they have a lot of needs. They need kind of a surefire thing here. Where are you going for Arizona with their first round selection? I've been on the train for this young man. I saw a couple of interviews with him with,

which even strengthened it. I Trevor, my podcast last week, like he strengthened my thought on this guy. And even though the mock draft with that you guys put together has a wide receiver that's a star still on the board i'm still hell bent on zion johnson interior offensive lineman guard out of boston college like i don't i don't think that because it's fun to draft a wide receiver that the cardinals deserve to draft a wide receiver i don't think because there's a wide receiver that the cardinals deserve to draft a wide receiver. I don't think because there's a wide receiver that the Cardinals need. I don't think they deserve to draft a wide receiver. You have to eat your vegetables before you can have dessert.

Steve Kime hasn't eaten his vegetables. I've said this for I've Trevor, I've talked with you for three years. Now I said the same exact thing before every draft, eat your vegetables, Tristan works, Tristan works, eat your vegetables, Greg Newsome, your vegetables and he has it he's chosen parfait and not dessert and this is where we are and i think zion johnson like this isn't backing into a pick like the fact that like do you guys see potentially him going a little bit higher totally yes yes absolutely yeah so the fact that he's there i'm like yeah i think this is a no brainer shores up rodney Hudson, Zion Johnson,

DJ Humphries left side of the line for the future. I can vouch for Alex. He has been saying for multiple years in a row. Now eat your vegetables. I remember he was talking about it with Tristan worse. Thankfully Arizona didn't do that. And Tampa did it instead. Big respect to Steve kind for letting him fall into the bus. But Connor, what do you think about, did it instead bid big respect to uh steve kine for letting him fall into the bus but connor what do you think about uh what do you think about these roasted carrots here at zion johnson 23

i love it man i think we've been looking at this pick uh in the same view for a long time this is one of our most consistent picks we use in the entire first round 23 when arizona gets on the clock if zion johnson is there more often than that not that's the selection just when you look at their offensive line it's a no-brainer fit it gives them a little bit of flexibility to a guy that can kick out to tackle in a pinch as a long-term guard has athleticism has strength is a really really good run blocker obviously it's three-year starting experience so i think this is the exact kind of player that arizona needs in the trenches because you know what you're getting from day one.

Yep. Yep. Love the pick. Absolutely love to pick Alex. Thank you so much for coming on, man. We appreciate it. Go follow him on Twitter at Clancy's corner.

Go listen to all of his Cardinals takes over at locked on Cardinals. He tells you like it is. I know you want the dessert, but you got to get the vegetables first. That's how you build the team. Alex, thanks so much for joining us, first. That's how you build the team. Alex, thanks so much for joining us, man. We really appreciate it.

You got it. Thanks for having me. On to number 24 in the guest mock draft series. It is America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. And here to bring the energy, to bring the knowledge, to bring everything that you possibly can to this Cowboys pick, we have one of my favorite people in media, Jeff Cavanaugh, who you can see all of his great coverage over at his own YouTube channel, which my man's been pumping for years now. Just Jeff Cavanaugh on YouTube. Jeff, my friend, how are you? Hi, Trevor.

You did that purposely just because I said that you were going to bring energy. That's exactly right. Hey, we're excited. I've seen who got picked. Yeah, I'm happy. We're happy. We're excited. The Cowboys were receiving gifts left and right, and it's glorious. Yeah. Hi. Welcome to me.

I think that there is one particular player that is still left on the board that I think that you are going to covet, but we'll save that for the end. We'll tease it a little bit. First, I want to ask you some general Cowboy questions. 12 wins last season. Okay. you some general cowboy questions 12 wins last season okay it was it was a good season in the win-loss column but lose that first weekend against the the san francisco 49ers in the playoffs what were the expectations last year and how the year was going what were the expectations once

they actually made the playoffs there and then i want to tie all that into where do you think this team is right now in a weaker NFC? I think the expectations last year kind of changed about six weeks into the year. And it kind of built to that point because going into the year, like most years, it was like, all right, the Cowboys are going to have a top three to five offense. If they can play any defense whatsoever,

then maybe they can be really, really good. Right. And then sure as shooting, they were an awesome offense and Holy cow, their defense is really good. And so everything changed. It was like, Oh goodness, this is going to be a 12, 13 win team. And this team can win the super bowl. And the delineating point of the season was the deck calf strain coming off of the ankle injury and then the calf strain. And he was never the same. He had good games, but he was never the same.

The offensive line fell apart. They couldn't block four man rushes. They couldn't run block against light boxes. And it just all got real wonky and inconsistent on the offense. So you went from thinking they had a legit chance to winning the Super Bowl to still you end with 12 wins. So it's playoff time. You can beat the 49ers. It's Jimmy Garoppolo. Right. And then they played like they played the second half of the season.

And so here we are where I think they can be good again. They won't be better on paper than they were a year ago. Not without Amari Cooper, without lyle collins right uh without randy gregory they're not gonna be better on paper but their quarterback will be removed from his calf ruining his season and so they can be a better team they're just not gonna be better on paper what's the bigger loss between what's the biggest loss between amari lyle and and randy gregory no longer being on the team who's the biggest loss between Amari Lyle and Randy Gregory no longer being on the team who's the bigger loss again it's it's weird because I have to kind of differentiate

between on paper and what they think I guess because the Cowboys don't think losing Lyle Collins is bad at all clearly clearly because yeah yeah they love them some terrence steel and you know that's every organization has the guys that they love and the guys that they don't love the cowboys never loved lyle collins like his personality was to kind of just chill and terrence steel is where's the weight room boss and so they're like hell yeah this guy gets it uh so they don't think that they're getting worse at right tackle. They don't. They are.

They don't think that. And Amari Cooper is the same thing. Amari Cooper is a $20 million receiver. Cowboys don't want him. They didn't want him. They were just done with Amari Cooper. Dak has a football field in the backyard, and they want a bunch of dudes that are going to be at Dak's house every day,

practicing and playing around even when it's not, you know, official team activities. Amari's always got a foot, a calf or whatever. His plantar fascia, he can rarely practice. Jerry didn't like that. He wasn't vaccinated, which enjoy the comments on that. This is your product, not mine. So you get the vaccination comment. It's all right. We, the, the show is called NFL stock exchange. So we already get just all of these crypto comments on,

on the show that have nothing to do with what we're actually talking about anyway. So throwing in vaccination comments, I mean, it'll just be more viral comments for the, for the comment section. Everybody enjoy the rug pull. So they, they don't think the only one that they tried to keep was Randy Gregory. They tried to. They meant to. And they screwed it up.

So in their mind, Randy Gregory is the biggest loss. But I think to most people it's Amari Cooper because right at the second, if you had to play a game, your receiving core in week one would be CeeDee Lamb, James Washington, Noah Brown. Because Michael Gallup's not going to be core in week one would be cd lamb james washington noah brown because michael gallup's not gonna be ready for week one uh so that would be receiving core if cd lamb rolls his ankle in the last preseason game you're receiving core in game one would be james washington noah brown and semi fihoko holy cow so the amari cooper thing looms large at the moment because they haven't because the offseason's not over they haven't done anything about it i think they will they haven't yet james washington doesn't count to me he's wide receiver four so we talk about the offensive line

is like a potential pick for the cowboys here at 24 and you don't have to give away who you're picking yet because there's a couple of offensive linemen that are obviously already on the board. But there's some guys who are still here that they could choose from, specifically an offensive tackle. But you don't think they're going to go after that? You think if they go after an offensive lineman at 24,

which you could tell me how much you think that's in play anyways, you're saying it's probably not going to be an offensive tackle? I think offensive line is a hundred percent in play. And if the right tackle, not right side, but the proper tackle, there you go. If the right player were available, I think they could be interested in the tackle. Absolutely.

Because Tyron Smith long-term if you had a guy who you thought could play guard until it was time to play tackle, that would be even better. There you go. I think just looking at their 30 visit list and the Cowboys use their 30 visit list, they'll have years where they pick five or six guys off that list. They're picking guys off their list. Having the two top guard prospects in the draft, both come visit the star. I think if you had to tell me to guess today, who's the pick at 24, I would say flip the Kenyon green Zion Johnson coin and tell me which side lands up. Okay. I think that's the favorite to be the pick. And I believe where we are right now, I just lost Zion,

but I believe that Kenyon green is available. He's still there. Yep. So he would absolutely be in strong consideration for the Cowboys because with Connor Williams gone, who they hated anyway, or didn't love whatever, uh, everybody knew he was going to be gone, but they also tried to bench him last year because he was getting too many penalties and Connor McGovern, who is the backup guard. They had a high second round grade on when they picked him. The scouts loved him. The coaches yanked him back out in like two or three weeks.

They were like, all right, that was fun. Get out. Connor Williams, back in. So you can't sell that he's your starter. They don't have a left guard. They need one. And there's one available. Yep.

Okay. All right. All right. Flipping things over to the defensive side of the football is Trayvon Diggs the best corner in the NFL or the worst you will it's one of those two options you can only pick one of those two which one is he so I'm so glad I quit sports radio terrestrially uh no I hate i hate i hate like i hate the sports radio format and in dallas it's better than a lot of places where it doesn't have to be a bunch of yelling and anger and stupid stuff but yeah like is it okay that trayvon diggs is a risk-taking jump route, go after the football,

and that, oh, no, I gave up catches and yards, but guess what? I got an interception every week. It's weird because I don't know if I could say confidently that he's one of the five best corners in the NFL. Sure, right. But last year, he gave as much value to your team as any corner in the NFL.

If I get the football that many times, he was as valuable as any corner in the NFL. Can he repeat it? It's a big number. Probably not. Will he get interceptions all the time? Yes, because he can actually catch and it's the way he plays. And God forbid a guy who is a wide receiver up until his sophomore or junior year at alabama actually that we think he might develop and actually become a better cover player like no no way absolutely not he must just be whatever he is trayvon diggs is a good corner who made an amazing amount of plays last year that like everyone else in the league he can keep getting better Trayvon Diggs is very good he's very good so I guess I said he's the best way too level-headed of a take Jeff that's not why we have you no I'm kidding I'm totally kidding

that's the right answer I've even gone to war with some of my PFF colleagues here talking about the value that Trayvon Diggs actually brings to the team okay steak sticking on defense linebacker has been so fascinating with this team right because like everything that happened with jalen smith the up and down of of and and the value and what they put on it with layton van der esch you would say that michael parsons is the best linebacker they have i argue that they shouldn't even pick them last year i felt like it was a panic pick but now it all works out for him because he was just ungodly good. What are they doing with Micah Parsons? Because do you think that they're going to play him more as like an off-ball

dude? Do you think they're going to let him rush? I'm sure they're going to have him do a lot of both, but I think where they might play him or categorize him would go into what they might think that their draft needs are. Right. And I think I would call him a linebacker, but you and I, we're such smart football people. Savants, yeah, of course. Like he is, I was with you, like when he got picked,

there ain't a lot of tape of him at Penn State lining up on the edge and playing as a pass rusher. And if there were, and you said, hey, Micah's the best pass rusher in this draft class, then at 12, I would have been like, yes, great pick. I thought they picked an off-ball linebacker that was going to be tackling running backs. And it was just like, oh God, what are they doing? But, you know, they, Dan Quinn,

unlike the prior defensive coordinators, is actually a smart guy and actually has a creative brain. So like Micah Parsons is going to play the edge plenty. I don't think it'll be his primary, but that's if we have to use the word primary, right? Because they're going to do whatever I think against San Francisco in the playoff game, because they'll hand the ball to Debo Samuel and they'll hand the ball to wide receivers on sweeps. And they're not reliant on their passing game unless they have to be. He played mostly linebacker because they thought he can impact the game most from there. And in games where, first of all, you didn't have tank Lawrence,

but in games where it was going to be 40, 50 passes, let them go get the quarterback. So that's, that's the wild card in the Cowboys defense. Like, do I think they have two starting quality edges right now? let him go get the quarterback uh so that's that's the wild card in the cowboys defense like do i think they have two starting quality edges right now maybe not they have tank lawrence and since they lost gregory i think their other starter is not dante fowler i think it's dorrance armstrong and so like you look at that you're like man this team really needs a starting caliber edge. Then you go, unless you count Parsons, then I don't. So yeah, he's just, he's a wild card. He's, if he's not one of one, he's near one of one where he could play edge every snap and probably be one of the better

ones in the league. And he could play linebacker every snap and be one of the best ones in the league. He's unique and they're going to let him be unique, which thank God. The best offensive and defensive coordinators do that. And it's so funny when we see these players with versatile ability, sometimes get picked to these teams. And we think it's going to be a bad pick because, Oh, we label him like a tweener or he's got no home or whatever. The good offensive and defense coordinators find the home and the home might be different every single week. So I'm with you.

I certainly hope that they're able to do that with Micah Parsons, because you mentioned it. He's about as close to one of one as you're going to get, especially for an edge or a linebacker player. So, okay. We kind of go, we went over a lot of the needs that I think the Cowboys have. If I missed any, feel free to bring them up, but I'll put you on the clock here at number 24 in the guest mock draft

series. We don't have Zion Johnson, but we do have Canyon green. We also have a particular wide receiver who is still left on the board. There's a couple of other positions that I'm interested to see if you'd be interested as well, but who would you be taking a 24 here if this board fell this way and why? Okay. I'm looking at my board because I spend too much time on the stupid draft, but it's what I say to myself every

year every single year around this time the wild card that I think would at least be interesting and worth talking about for the Cowboys but I don't know if they will because I don't know if Dan Quinn it's weird because Atlanta he didn't mind having smaller linebackers but now he seems obsessed with giant people. But I don't see N'Kobe Dean off the board. He is still there. He is still on the board. And N'Kobe Dean is one of those dudes that I believe in the idea of, you know, playing the odds with draft picks.

Like part of it is risk management. So I understand why you do things with different players. He's a monster. N'Kobe Dean's a monster. The COVID is a monster. He's not a first round pick the league stupid. I think he's going to be a first round pick. I just think it's going to be back half of the first round. Yeah.

I don't think it's going to be first half. And then Kenyon green, the A&M guard at this point, especially if the Cowboys think he could be a long-term tackle, which I like him at guard, but either way they need a starting left guard. Kenyon Green is going to be the best fit because the Cowboys, well, close to the best fit because they have literally,

they don't have a starting left guard. They benched the dude that they're going to try to sell to us if they don't get a guard early. So Kenyon Green makes a ton of sense. The only problem is he ain't the highest graded guy for me and i did this last year or two years ago it might have been with you where i had a wide receiver fall to me and i was like i don't know if the cowboys would have the stones to do it this year they would and i picked cd lamb two years. And I think we spoke it into existence. You did. You did you on this very

podcast series, you pick CD lamb when he dropped to the Cowboys. Cause I was like, look, I can't, if I, even if I do think they're going to do something different and wrong, I won't allow it not on my watch. And I'm doing the same thing. Garrett Wilson is my wide receiver one. And there's four receivers. There's four receivers off the board and he's not gone. And I'm just gonna throw out two other names because the league doesn't, or mock drafts don't love him as much as I do. George Pickens at Georgia and Skymore at Western Michigan. I like both of them more than a couple

of the guys who are already off the board in this mock, but Garrett Wilson's my guy. That's wide receiver one. And he's staring me in the face. The George Pickens love makes my heart very happy because I, on this very podcast had George Pickens love makes my heart very happy because I, on this very podcast, had George Pickens listed as my wide receiver two back at the end of January, early February. And I got roasted for it. And now a lot of people are like, Hey, this George Pickens guy is pretty good. I'm telling you, I'm trying to tell you, what do you mean? So I don't know if George Pickens is going to go at the back end of the first round, because it seems like the NFL, like you mentioned,

it seems like mock drafts aren't as high on him as I am. I'd pick him in the back end of the first round for sure. I'd pick him in Green Bay and enjoy your 1200 yard rookie season. I think you put him in Green Bay. You even put him in New Orleans, right? I think like a little bit sooner, if you want to go him to go 19, I think that's a decent ceiling for him. i think he would thrive in new orleans too so man i i i like him a lot but certainly i do not blame you with garrett willison still on the board i can't believe he was still on the board he was one of those players that connor i were like

oh man he made it out of the top 20 that's crazy at least he'll go 21 and then he didn't go 21 i was like okay well he's gonna go 22 he didn't go 22 so look it's uh it top 20. That's crazy. At least he'll go 21. And then he didn't go 21. I was like, okay, well, he's going to go 22. He didn't go 22. So look, it's a, it's your reward. It's your gift. As we said, right before we hit start on, on this little segment here, you said, Hey, just let teams in front of you screw up and you'll take the good guy as he falls to you. The beauty of the teens and into the twenties is you just let other people

screw up, let other people go chasing need too hard. Then you just look up and go, Oh Let other people go chasing need too hard. Then you just look up and go, oh crap, that's the best player available. And he's probably one of the 10 best players in the draft. I'll take him. By the way, as long as we're doing wonky wide receiver takes Garrett Wilson, wide receiver, one Skymore wide receiver to George Pickens wide receiver, three dude. I know Mike Renner at PFF loves him some Sky Moore as well. I think that he could potentially go to the back end of the first round too. What do you love about Sky Moore?

Tell me about him. His floor is so high. It's so high. And I don't think Sky Moore is a slot only, but I do think that smart teams now put guys who can destroy you in the slot in the slot. So I think he's going to play the slot. But a guy who's incredible at releases,

I have a really weird comp for him that i don't hear anyone else saying but watching his tape the initial thing i thought of was actually cooper cup because the way that he gets open it's not that he can run a three seven short shuttle it's that he can do the deceptive and change directions at speed and then after the catch it's it's the same sort of herky jerky but hard to tackle you just today's NFL can you get off the line of scrimmage can you get open and are you good after the catch yes yes yes let's go yep I uh I got to interview him for a feature piece and he's actually only been playing wide receiver for the last three or four years that he has been at Western Michigan because he wanted to be playing wide receiver for the last three or four years that he has been

at Western Michigan because he wanted to be a wide receiver in high school and freshman year he told me he lined up for a round the quarterback threw in the ball and it was so bad they told Sky Moore okay you go be quarterback and then he and then and then he had to be quarterback for his team for the next four years so he never got to play so he played corner on defense and then quarterback on the other side and then when he got to western michigan they uh they actually flipped him over to wide receiver so he got to do what he wanted to do there and we're thankful for it because now he's a damn good wide receiver prospect sweet sweet sky more yep jeff thank you so much for joining us man this is an absolute blast appreciate it and uh man more

firepower for the dallas cowboys here at number 24 going Garrett Wilson it's a good pick appreciate you my friend all right youtube.com slash Jeff Cavanaugh I'm going to do a mock draft now I love you smash subscribe smash do it we're up to the Buffalo Bills at number 26 here in the guest mock draft series we got a lot to talk about with the Buffalo Bills this is a team that is on a hot rise. They were my Super Bowl pick from the AFC and they let me down, but I still think that that window is wide open. We're going to find out just how wide open it is with Joe Biscaglia, who covers the team for the athletic Joe. Thank you so much for joining us, my friend. Yeah, no problem. Thanks for having me guys. So I'm going

to start with Josh Allen. We have to start with Josh Allen. I'm sorry. I know you start every single interview with Josh Allen, but we have to hear because it was unbelievable last year. I remember, I remember being the one of the people who was poking fun to Josh Allen at the very beginning of the year. You know, the first couple of weeks when, Oh, it looked like, okay, same old Josh Allen. And then it was just an absolute

flamethrower season from him. He ascended into that elite category of quarterback. You tell me, because you've been covering the team for a while. How much of that were there really signs of this dude could really put it all together? It was only a matter of time, kind of a thing, or how much it was just, whoa, this is out of nowhere.

And he's an absolute superstar now. I mean, I'm going to refrain from being hyperbolic, but you could really kind of feel it within the building back in 2018, his rookie year, because let me tell you, I, like you said, I've been covering them for a while. I've been covering them since 2010. Buffalo has been a graveyard for quarterbacks for quite some time. And like the likes of Thad Lewis have started a few games. Jeff tools started a game,

uh, Ryan Fitzpatrick, you know, just EJ manual, just the list is crazy long, but when Josh Allen got the town and a lot of the guys in the locker room start to feel of what he could become within, within that scheme. And with that offensive coordinator, Brian Dable, you know, players were excited about him right from the get-go. Like there was a buzz within the locker room about him before he even started a game, you know, while they were still trying to go through their Nathan Peterman phase.

So when, as soon as Alan got in the lineup, started growing a little bit, you saw these little flashes, like he, he owned the Miami dolphins in his rookie year. And there was a Charles clay drop touchdown away from him just having a tremendous game, one of the best of his career. And then it just kind of kept going from there. And he never stopped working at it to the point where he fixed a lot of mechanical flaws that he had, which is kind of ridiculous when you think about, you know, college to pro, um, you don't really see that too often

his accuracy improved, especially in his intermediate accuracy. That, that is where it really kind of went up from 19 to 20. It went down a little bit in 21, but it was still nowhere close to where it was when he was as a rookie. But I mean, just what he has been able to do and fine tune a little bit of everything. One of the most impressive things that he does from a week to week basis is if he spots something on film that he's doing poorly, he fixes it within one to two weeks. I've never seen anything like it with a quarterback, especially because a lot of guys fall into the same habits again and again. But I think that's what they really loved about him, that he was just never complacent. And that's that hard work that he's put in throughout all these years now have really come to fruition as, you know, a bona fide MVP candidate every year. So, Joe, you mentioned Brian Dable,

and obviously he's been a part of this meteoric rise in Allen's development now Dable obviously reaps even more rewards of that being a head coach while Ken Dorsey steps in to be the offensive coordinator what do you if any do you think there's any kind of impact this change has or do you think with Dorsey's experience already there that a lot of the offense traditionally will look the same and that Allen's skill set is just so transcendent in a way that as good as Dable was the offense will be able to continue to carry on the way it has no matter really who the offensive coordinator is yeah I think there will be a little bit of a an early impact because it's it's just natural right like Ken Dorsey this is gonna be the be the first time he's calling plays.

So when you have that element to it, there's going to be sort of a feeling out process. Of course, they've been together, like you pointed out, and that's good. That was very important to the Bills this offseason, that they surrounded Allen with familiarity. So they upgraded Ken Dorsey from quarter from quarterbacks coach to offense coordinator. They brought back Matt Barkley just to be in the room because Barkley is one of his

absolute favorites, but this is kind of how they're trying to navigate this new world without Brian Dable. And I think there will be a little bit of a feeling out in, in those early stages, but I also think that this is an opportunity for the bills to maybe evolve their offense under Josh Allen a bit more. They were really reliant on his legs over the last four years, really. And I don't know that they want to do that as much moving forward. Now, I'm not saying like, you know, telling him not to scramble or anything like that, because that's that's the beauty of Josh Allen, right? Like he just makes stupid plays that no one else does. Well, mostly no one else does and he makes it work somehow. But I think a lot of those designed runs that really made the offense go, I think they want to kind of pivot away from that a little bit. So maybe trying to find that sweet spot between what they were over the last couple of years and what they want to be, you know, I'm, I'm anticipating them doing things a tad differently.

Like they were, you know, at one point, just total spread, error rate, like 10 personnel, just spread it out and then go, right? But they kind of pivoted from that late last year. And that's when they really started to get going offensively. They utilized a lot more two tight end sets. They had a threat to run a lot more often than they did previously to where they were less predictable. Teams were unable to do as much too high defensive looks against them, which is really something that gave them trouble in the middle portion of the year. Hello, Jacksonville loss. How are you doing? So like when you have

all of these different elements to it, you see what they could do, maybe what, what is to come. And that's why I think that maybe Sean McDermott, who, you know, not so subtly said, Hey, I like when we have the threat to run in post game press conferences, I think that might be where they're kind of going moving forward here. Let's go around the roster a little bit and talk about where some team needs might be as we kind of hone in on what prospects they might be targeting here in the mid-20s i want to start with cornerback because that is a position that could i continually look for with the buffalo bills i thought this was going to be a major need that they attacked last draft and not only did they with their first pick they didn't with their second selection either so where does this team

believe they are with corner like do i just need to stop mock drafting corners to the bills like did they just do they believe they're solid at this point or what just what do you think about that secondary i know they've got the fantastic safeties they've got davius white but how much is that second and third corner need for them you know what's interesting we've been waiting for them to take a crack at a at a second cornerback for a long time now brandon brandon bean a, at a second cornerback for a long time. Now, Brandon, Brandon bean has not drafted a boundary cornerback in the first five rounds since he's been in Buffalo, which is why they have gotten by with guys like EJ gains, Philip gains,

Sharice, right? Levi Wallace, Kevin Johnson, Josh Norman at the tail end of his career, Dane Jackson. It's just not something they have prioritized at all, even in free agency, let alone, let alone the draft. I do think this is a year that they'll want to take one within the first, you know, five, maybe fourth, maybe even on day two, I'm less sold that it's a lock solid first round pick for them just because of how little they have given that position over time. You know, the the one factor I think that could make an impact here is Tredavious White's torn ACL because he suffered it Thanksgiving night. He had surgery from what Jordan Poyer said in the middle of December. So that would put him his nine month mark right in the middle of September.

And so he might miss a little bit of time. So maybe that that advances the need. But they do have, according to the NFL website this morning, they do have about 10 million in cap space right now. And guys like Kyle Fuller are still out there. Joe Hayden, who was just recently golfing with Von Miller randomly. And, you know, Janoris Jenkins, Jack rabbit, whatever you want to call them. I mean, these are guys that could fit into their defense for a one-year bandaid like they've

been doing so often. And I do think there's a little bit more belief in Dane Jackson internally than there is externally. But that said, if they find the right guy who has the arm length, they're, they're, they're looking for like, you know, on average, they're usually looking for somewhere between, you know, at least 31 and a half inches arm length. And then, and then moving forward, that's just how they've drafted. That's how they've signed since being has gotten here. And then a good tackler is a prerequisite that must be there, no doubt about it, because they basically siphon their defensive ends to where they encourage guys to go out wide and then they want their cornerbacks to bring them down.

So all of that different stuff, I do think it's a need. I'm not, you know, fans are all aboard the cornerback train, but I don't know. I'm not as convinced. Looking on the other side of the ball, the offensive line. This is a regime that has taken a volume approach since they've gotten here. They'll sign a ton of mid-tier guys. They'll draft guys on day two or day three over and over again. And to be fair, it's worked for Brandon Bean.

They've gotten enough out of this offensive line by taking that volume approach rather than just paying one big fish here or drafting this guy in the first round. Looking at the current construction of this offensive line, do you think that's a trend that continues as a guy like Roger Saffold is expected to step into guard? And his play has kind of been going downhill, but he's still serviceable to get you by? Or do you think they just kind of stick to their plan and say,

you know what, this is who we are and we'll find a way to make it work by just having a ton of depth at this position. Yeah, I think they'll address it at some point in the draft. I don't know if it's going to be early just because I don't think they value guard highly enough within their scheme. Because like you pointed out, they've just been getting by. They matched Ryan Bates' offer sheet,

which was kind of a big deal for them. Four-year deal. They really believe in him. He was really good down the stretch in the playoffs. And as soon as he got into the starting lineup, Saffold is just a goodbye this year. I think the interior spot that I would look for is for a guy that can play guard, can start at guard,

but in the future transition to center because that's the spot where they value super high because, you know, they gave Eric Wood an extension their first year, Sean McDermott and Brandon Bean's first year. They go out and set the market with Mitch Morse. They just signed Mitch Morse to a contract extension, but Morse has had, you know, concussion history. And, you know, if, you know, something unfortunate goes wrong with him, then they're going to want to have someone with that center flex to be able to step in and potentially be the long-term guy there. So, you know, I I've got eyes on, you know, players like Dylan Parham from, uh, from Memphis, who I think would be a

strong fit for what they're looking for. They've been really hitting, uh, guys that have had offensive linemen, I should say that have really high relative athletic scores, which is just an absolute great tool. Like Spencer, right along the list. Spencer Brown, Ryan Bates, Mitch Morris, Deion Dawkins. I think Dawkins was around a seven or so, but he was a McDermott pick, not a bean pick. Saffold was high in his draft year.

Tommy Doyle, who they drafted last year, was close to a 10. That's just kind of what they're doing. I think they want to get more athletic. I think they want to run more zone concepts and go from there. This is fantastic stuff, and I want to flip it over to the defensive side before we get to your pick. I look at the defensive line. They invested a lot in edge in the last draft. Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham.

They've got A.J. Epinesa still, who feels like they're moving all over the place. They end up winning the Von Miller sweepstakes too. They got Von Miller on the interior. They brought in Tim Settle. They got Daquan Jones. They have Ed Oliver. Is there a need?

Like, do we think that there's a big need? Because for Brandon Bean, I was standing next to him at the combine and I was just listening to him talk. And it just, i actually asked him the question is you picking defensive linemen twice early last year like does that give you any hesitation to dip into the well again this year if you might think that you have a need and he's like we're always going to look to get better in the trenches and he did and he didn't say it in

like a cliche way he said it in a way in which you really believed him so do you think defensive line is a strong priority for this team even with the other additions they've had over the last two years side note brandon is very good at media um he knows he knows how to play the game um i have a little bit of hesitation with defensive line just because of how much they have added this off season. I mean, settle Daquan Jones and Ed Oliver will be their top three, not to mention they also resigned Jordan Phillips out of left field shack Lawson. They just brought back on a veteran minimum. So they already have nine defensive linemen on their roster right now that I think are going to make the team. They carried 10 last year, which is ridiculous, but you know, I don't know that they would want to do it again. Maybe,

you know, if, if the right value hits, it can never rule anything out with, with Brandon being, especially guys that can affect the passer. But I mean, Von Miller, uh, you pointed out Greg Russo, Boogie Basham, AJ Appanessa, Shaq Lawson on the edge, and then Ed Oliver, Daquan Jones, uh, Tim Settle, uh, who am I forgetting? Um, Jordan Phillips and, and they also have Justin Zimmer who I think they'll, they'll want to bring back and, and continue him moving along after a torn ACL. So they've got a lot of guys there. Okay. I don't know. I Jones Settle being locked into two-year contracts, I think might deter them from adding to the interior. But, you know, never say never with Brandon Bean,

the defensive line. Trav, sounds like you got played by Brandon Bean. I don't know how to break that one to you. I would respect. Tough go. It's just the sheer volume of defensive linemen that they've added. It's crazy.

I straight up asked him. I was like, you, Trav. Like like we, so many people in so many bodies. The reason why I asked is because so many of us look at their situation and they go like, okay, well, it's not the most talented defensive line. Brandon Bean likes defensive lineman. Would he draft another one? Like, wait, is that almost like, is that his kink at this point? Just drafting good defensive lineman.

I bet he did it a lot. And that's basically what I was trying to ask you, right? And so, hey, you know what? I respect the game. I really do. All right, Joe. Well, you're on the clock here. Pick 25 in the first round for the Buffalo Bills.

No pressure at all. A board has broken pretty interesting for you in this spot. A couple of premium players left on the board here. Curious to see, after going through all those needs for the Bills, a no-ter super bowl contender this year which direction you're going in yeah i i kind of look at this a couple different ways i saw that why it was still on the board but i just don't know because of how much that they have it on the defensive line that they would actually do it even though he's super talented

i think this is a first round is a sneaky safety spot potentially for the bills just because Jordan Poyer is not happy with his contract currently. And, you know, he's on the final year of his deal. Both those guys are entering their age 31 season. Micah Hyde's a free agent in a couple of years. So I think that might be it. They had Lewis seen in for a visit not too long ago they also talked with kyle hamilton which i think is an intriguing possibility if they want to get

super aggressive and move up for them that's hilarious yeah i mean they they could never rule it out with right sure they have their picks yeah they have their picks to do it and um they also value safety a lot higher than most teams based on how they run their defense. And, you know, just that's why I kind of think like second cornerback almost kind of falls to the wayside in compared to compared to a safety just because of how much he means to their defense. So like someone like Dax Hill intrigues me here because maybe he could play boundary in the interim and then you work them in, you know, just trying to think outside the box. But the one thing I keep coming back to, and I think this is where I'm going to go with my pick.

I know it's not popular. I know people hate it. Oh, here we go. But I think the bills would be of the belief that they could get a running back at 25th overall. I had a weird feeling. So here, here's, here's my, So here's my justification for the pick, right? Okay. So Brees Hall would be the pick out of Iowa State. Brandon Bean in the first round generally looks for players who can do something that

no one else on their roster can. And Brees Hall represents so much of that because he's got the explosive traits. He's a potential three down back. By the way, Devin Singletary is a free agent at the end of the year who they like, but they want to invest. They don't have like a home run element out of their backfield. I mentioned before, they want to take more off of Josh Allen's plate in terms of a rusher and they want to maintain their threat to run. They signed OJ Howard in the off season to run more two tight end sets. I think they want to utilize maybe not their run game more, but you know, just to be a little bit more threatening in

that way, which could in turn help their passing game. Right. And, and keep the two high safety off of them. And so all of these different things, Brees Hall having that explosive quality and not to mention, I also think they were in on Travis ETN last year. So all of that kind of builds the case here. Brandon Bean last year was asked about the idea of not taking a running back in the first round based on value and basically said, I don't subscribe to that. If there's a guy we like, we'll take them. And late first, you know, it seems like there's kind of a run potentially in that early second. I don't know if that, that they have the ammo to get up from 57 to usurp one of those teams, like the jets, the giants, they might be scared of the bucks, potentially taking a running back to, I could see Brandon being sitting there at 25, taking Brees hall, locking them in for five years

and say, okay, this is our guy to help the home run out of the backfield and keep this offense afloat. They have not yet added to their fastball this off season outside of Jameson Crotter. And so that's why I keep coming back to Brees Hall and Bill's fans hate me for it. Cause I mocked it like a couple of weeks ago and they just hate me for it. Connor, we, I didn't know if'd get a running back here in the guest mock, but Joe just laid it out so logically. If you don't want to take a running back in the first round, okay, that's probably where you're going to stop and start. But if you're open to the idea, Joe just put some pretty great points out there.

So the other thing to remember is Brandon Bean was a part of the Carolina staff that drafted Christian McCaffrey, and that worked out pretty well for them i did yeah joe i did this exact pick on one of our mock draft mondays maybe two or three weeks ago uh and he did the comments were not nice they were not nice at all and i'm i'm just glad that we have a bills expert on with us that laid out the same thing with either than more finer detail So I'm not alone anymore. And man, I just wouldn't be shocked. I wouldn't be shocked at all. Yeah, it just keeps permeating in my brain. Like, you know, everyone thinks corner and I'm like,

okay, it could be a corner. Like everyone's like Andrew Booth. I mean, it would be a fine pick, but I'm just thinking like swing for the fences. That's all they've done in the first round. Josh Allen, Tremaine Edmonds, Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau. They're swinging for the fences every time. Yep.

Yeah. I like the way that you said that too, adding to the fastball, because I think that we often also think about wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills and maybe adding to the offense isn't wide receiver. Maybe it's running back. Maybe it's running back maybe it's running back yep i like it well i absolutely love it joe you did what no one else was gonna do i don't think and you took a running back but man the case you made such a good case for it that was fantastic stuff man i appreciate you popping on the show everybody go follow him joe biscaglia on twitter

there's a g in there at the end of his last name but the g is silent like lasagna always work over at the athletic joe thank you so much for joining us thanks for having me guys i appreciate it all right that's all for us on this episode man only a couple more episodes of the guest mock draft series we've got one coming out on thursday and then as we said before a bonus episode to wrap it all up coming up on Saturday. Thanks for listening. See you guys on Thursday. Thank you.