NFL Stock Exchange: An NFL Draft Podcast - 46. Draft Grades for Every Team in the NFC East & AFC North

Episode Date: May 3, 2022

Hosts Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers break down every pick -- what they loved, what they liked and what they didn't get -- for the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Dallas... Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns 0:00 - Intro, 2:35 - Giants, 15:30 - Eagles, 23:05 - Cowboys, 28:55 - Commanders, 37:25 - Steelers, 44:50 - Browns, 50:20 - Bengals, 57:45 - Ravens

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This episode is brought to you by our good friends at NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. I'm sure by now you've all got back into your Sunday routines, but they could be even better. With NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV, you get the most live NFL games all in one place, every game, every Sunday. And you can even watch up to four different games at once with MultiView, one of my favorite inventions of this decade. It's exactly what you need to catch all the action. Make your Sundays more magical. And also, YouTube TV is great. I got it this year.
Starting point is 00:00:37 It's awesome. Sign up now at youtube.com slash BS, device and content restrictions apply. Local and national games on YouTube TV. NFL Sunday ticket for out-of-market games excludes digital-only games. Welcome to the NFL Stock Exchange podcast. In this episode, we are breaking down the details of every pick for every team in two divisions, the NFC East and the AFC North. Connor and I are going to go through every single team. We're going to talk about every single pick. We're going to talk about what we loved, what we liked,
Starting point is 00:01:06 and then maybe what we didn't get, where we had some questions, what we might have done a little bit differently, and then, of course, give you our draft grade as well for every single team. On Monday, we did the best and the worst, but we're going to make sure that we get to every single team in detail, talk about every single pick, cover this draft, and recapping it better than anybody else out there. I am Trevor Sikama. With me as always is my co-host, Connor Rogers.
Starting point is 00:01:29 Let's ring the bell. Welcome to the opening bell of the NFL Stock Exchange Podcast. I am Trevor Sikma. That is Connor Rogers beginning our journey, getting in the weeds, into the details here of every single draft class that we just saw from the 2022 NFL Draft. Today, we're talking about the NFC East and the AFC North. We're going to be breaking down all four teams
Starting point is 00:02:03 of both of those divisions. Tell you the entire draft hall, what we loved, what we liked, what we didn't really like, what was a little bit confusing to us, and then we'll give you a grade. We obviously gave you some best and worst grades from the Monday episode, but we're going to give you our draft grade for every single team that we go over here. Connor, this is another big undertaking over the next couple of weeks really getting into what we loved and maybe didn't love about these draft classes but i'm excited man couple of couple of days to digest this now i'm excited to kind of dig into it a little bit here me too our latest
Starting point is 00:02:34 project on the show right and this is one that uh i've been looking forward to for a long time because i think what i noticed with the draft and to each their own i have no problem with it but what i like to do is this where it comes or you know the draft arrives um days one two and three go you get grades almost all by monday from every outlet and then it's 2023 mock drafts or or like rookie mini camp hype And nobody really looks at every single pick and goes through the process. And that is a really good point of this too. Like grades are fun and they're a blast
Starting point is 00:03:13 and analysis is fun. But also the process of these picks is just as important when we run it back and do this next year and try to figure out what teams are doing next year. So this is probably my favorite part of the entire draft process, especially doing this show where you're going to get to hear about your team. You're going to get to hear about pretty much every pick your team made.
Starting point is 00:03:34 And maybe even the picks that they didn't and then put a bow on this thing. Yep. Yep. It's going to be great getting to go through it. And something that always fascinates me about the NFL draft isn't even just the picks picks that are made it's the picks that aren't you know it's the it's the conversations i wrote here yeah it's the conversations that some of these gms might be having or like other guys that were on the board and why they went with this player why they went with this player so this is gonna be fun i'm excited to kind of dig into it we'll start with
Starting point is 00:04:01 the nfc east and we'll start with the new york football giants number five overall because they had five and seven remember in the top of the first round number five overall they settle in on cave on tibido so his slide it doesn't end up going outside the top 10 like some people were predicting obviously the edge rusher out of oregon evan neal the offensive tackle from alabama at number seven number 43 at the top of the second round, Wanda Robinson, the Kentucky wide receiver around, or that was in round two, round three was Josh Zudu,
Starting point is 00:04:32 the interior offensive lineman from North Carolina, Cordell flaw, the corner from LSU. Then around four, they had Daniel Bellinger tight end from San Diego state, Dane Belden, the safety from Iowa, Micah McFadden in round five,
Starting point is 00:04:43 the linebacker from Indiana, DJ Davidson from Arizona State Marcus McKeithen the interior offensive lineman from North Carolina and then in the sixth round they had Darian Beavers to kind of wrap it all up and put a bow on it so Connor I'll ask you at the very start let's start with the positives what'd you love about the New York Giants draft here yeah so we'll do a little loved, and then what we really don't get before the grade. I loved a lot of things about the New York Giants draft. And I called it the rollercoaster draft because it was awesome.
Starting point is 00:05:14 It would take you really, really high up. And then all of a sudden, you'd be shot back down and be like, what the hell? So I loved Kayvon Thibodeau. I loved Evan Neal. I loved Josh Izudu. I didn't value him where they took him, but this goes to show you that just because where you value a guy, where he goes can really bump up how you feel about the pick.
Starting point is 00:05:34 So I thought this was the right spot for Josh Izudu and a place I think he can find success as a starting guard. And I loved Daniel Bellinger, one of my favorite day three picks of the entire draft. So for me, Trevor, they really, all three picks are the same theme. They valued becoming a tougher, more physical football team on both sides of the ball in the trenches
Starting point is 00:05:56 and that is something that the Giants have been miles behind on for years and this gave them not just a little, you know, a little five-hour energy of it it gave them the real deal it gave them the hey we're gonna be here to stay this is who we're gonna be under joe shane and this buffalo regime uh and those four picks they stood out to me what about you yeah and i think that that's a massive theme for joe shane is that it's always going to be built through the trenches and we watched what the Buffalo bills had done over the last couple of years.
Starting point is 00:06:27 And him obviously as the assistant GM there, that was, um, I've said this on this podcast before, when I was at Joe Shane's podium session at the combine, I specifically asked him about defensive line. Cause I wanted to hear what his response was in his mindset, where you looked at this situation. And actually I was asking Brandon being this, cause I wanted to see if it was going to be similar for both these guys. And I asked situation and actually I was asking Brandon Bean this because I wanted to see if it was going to be similar for both these guys and I asked Brandon Bean I was
Starting point is 00:06:49 like you've used so many picks on defensive line over the last couple of years does that hold you back from continuing to invest in the trenches if it is a relative need for you he said absolutely not that's the team that's the part of the team that we're always going to invest in. I heard similar things then from Joe Shane because I wanted to hear from kind of the GM and who he was under and then see what he also had to say about it if he was going to go in a different direction. And Shane, again, emphasized
Starting point is 00:07:14 how much he wanted to build through the trenches, the types of identities that he wanted within his trench players, the difference makers, the toughness, the dependability, all that kinds of stuff. And so I do think that this was a confirming draft. You mentioned it at the top of the toughness the dependability all that kinds of stuff and so i do think that this was a confirming draft you mentioned at the top of the show we're gonna get to again write down the notes of what we think these guys are gonna do i think we're figuring out obviously what joe shane's gonna do and it is gonna be close to what he
Starting point is 00:07:38 was able to do when he was an assistant in buffalo because i as well i love the tibideau pick i love the evan neal pick and then you're right i think i like the trench emphasis that they scattered throughout the draft the thing that i love the most though not trading out of five and seven i think that we went into this draft knowing that the giants wanted to move from either five or seven they wanted to acquire picks in next year's draft that was a well-known fact they didn't force that and instead had two really good football players on the board that i think perfectly helped them out and acquiring those good football players is what it's all about i i loved that he didn't feel that
Starting point is 00:08:19 he had to be forced into trading one of these picks when these two players were available for him to select i'm sure the trade market was not nearly as robust as it is in normal years i think we certainly saw that with how little the minnesota vikings got back for trading back from number 12 to number 32 now there's some picks that were a little bit closer to value but i'm sure that joe shane was calling up all sorts of GMs saying hey who wants five who wants seven and I bet the price was not what he wanted to do so he didn't panic he didn't do that no matter what instead he took two really good football players that's what I absolutely loved about how he navigated his first draft here as a GM so uh
Starting point is 00:08:58 what did you like a little less than love what did you like a great call Trevor I think my favorite part of this show is when we're you're always going to hear us say we loved liked or didn't like the players but when we throw in a nugget of this specific thing and I'm with you that you know I get they didn't pick up the fifth year option on Daniel Jones and I do think that was the right decision but I also don't think that means you had to force acquiring capital next year to protect yourself if he doesn't work out you can cross that bridge when you get there if you're the New York Giants and if Daniel Jones you had to force acquiring capital next year to protect yourself if he doesn't work out. You can cross that bridge when you get there if you're the New York Giants.
Starting point is 00:09:29 And if Daniel Jones is really bad this year, the Giants might be picking in range to get a quarterback anyway, despite this roster taking a step forward, and maybe two. What I liked, kind of funny, it's none of the picks. You know, I had obviously the two day one picks in there. What I liked was two of the day three picks, and Dane Belton and Darian Beavers. For me, Belton is a guy that I liked better than taking Cordell Flott. And I know they're different.
Starting point is 00:09:55 Flott is a true, very skinny, I guess I'm just going to start saying light in the pants. He is truly like a light in the pants corner. He's 175 pounds. So Belton to me is a little bit more of the tough guy flex slot. He could play the slot. He could run with the tight ends. You're in a division where you're going to see Dallas Goddard,
Starting point is 00:10:15 Logan Thomas, Dalton Schultz. He could play some safety. I saw ball skills with Dane Belton. So for me, I thought that was a really, really good pick that helps the defense in a variety of ways. And then Darian Beavers, to me, they just valued him the right way for me. I was a little worried Darian Beavers
Starting point is 00:10:35 was gonna be overdrafted. I had him 179, and they took him, I think, at 182. I think he could start in the middle of the field. I think he has enough athleticism he has the body type to take on contact is he ever going to be a three down all over the field you can't miss him on tape kind of guy no but can he be responsible and do his job yes and that's the kind of day three picks that I really really like so I thought they got two guys that are contributors on defense on day three in that spot it was they're never going to be pro
Starting point is 00:11:05 bowlers they're never going to be guys that you're you know oh my god i can't believe that play but they need to be serviceable level and i think that's really really good drafting on day three and that's something the bills have done really well for a long time he's super solid man i love the darian beaver's pick to get him in the sixth, I thought because of the value that he brings on special teams, all the special teams experience and the snaps that he has there, at the very least, I think this guy's got the potential to be a third-phase captain for you as a special teams captain. And then I also think he's got a decent upside.
Starting point is 00:11:37 Everybody talks about how smart of a football player he is. Man, I think that New York's a great spot for him to maximize the most out of what he could be as a true linebacker, as a special teams player. so I also like that pick getting to the the I don't get you mentioned one of them the Cordell Flott thing it's just I like Cordell Flott as a player he graded out really well as a slot defender for us at PFF but you've already got a Dory Jackson you've got Aaron Robinson you got Darnay Holmes I mean like a lot of those guys it feels like their their game and their size is for slot and I know that Dory Jackson play on the can play on the outside as
Starting point is 00:12:11 well but Darnay Holmes seems like he's kind of a slot only defender so are you are is Cordell Flock going to gain some weight and play on the outside because that didn't really go well at LSU he did not grade well as an outside defender for us so it's it's definitely a projection there for him and then the wandale robinson selection you know just to pick wandale robinson over uh you know they say that run it went him and then the right it's it's like sky moore and and george pickens and like all of those players that i think were picked after him the great taekwon thornton the great taekan Thornton, of course. You know what's insane, dude? What?
Starting point is 00:12:46 I almost, and obviously I value Tyquan Thornton so much further down the board than Wondell Robinson, but for what the Giants needed, I almost would have liked that pick even better than Wondell. I mean... Not really, because I don't think he's going to be a really good player. Trevor, I don't see the's going to be a really good play. Trevor. I don't see the fit on this roster for Wanda unless you're just so far out
Starting point is 00:13:09 on Kadarius, Tony. Right. Right. Which could make sense. Like if they, if they, if they move on from Tony here,
Starting point is 00:13:15 like, okay, I would have liked for them to get a draft pick if they were going to immediately move on from Kadarius, Tony, like get a draft pick this year, but maybe they're kicking it down the can again. Maybe this is Joe Shane, not panicking saying, I don't care like I'm gonna give Kadarius Tony another year
Starting point is 00:13:28 and we're gonna figure it out and then if we can't we'll get a draft pick for him but I just I'm reading the list now like John Mechie went after him as well Jalen Tolbert obviously a little bit later than that he was a top 50 pick dude Calvin Austin goes in the fourth round yeah it's not I know you and I kind of valued Wandale the same like so it's not that we we hated this player when you take him in the top 50 and you see all the wide receivers go after him like he's just a slot player and he might even be just a gadget player like it felt like this was their isaiah mckenzie almost some people were saying that oh they're probably not gonna have Sterling
Starting point is 00:14:05 Shepard much longer so like even if Kedarious Tony is still there there's going to be more targets to be had because Sterling Shepard's not going to be there I guess if it works out like that but again is is Wandale Robinson going to be able to be a wide receiver who can run kind of the full route tree for you because I thought that that was something that Sterling Shepard brought to his game coming out of Oklahoma that that he was pretty sharp with it as a route runner and you could use him in a variety of different alignments because of that juanio robinson isn't that kind of a player so i'd be a little bit worried about that projection anyway so those are the two ones i don't get i think they're probably going to be common i see they're on your list as well for they don't
Starting point is 00:14:40 get but i ended up giving the new york giants a beat like what they did at the top like they didn't panic and i think i like what a Like what they did at the top, like they didn't panic. And I think I like a lot what they did throughout. I probably could be honestly giving this a B+. This is a good draft by Joe Shane. This B grade, probably a little harsh on me. I could have gone a little higher for it, but that's what I got. Yeah, so my last don't get, and once again, nitpicking Wandel Robinson,
Starting point is 00:14:59 did not like the Cordell flop pick. I like Aaron Robinson a lot and think he could be the slot there for the long term. I gave it an A-. My last don't get was no Saquon insurance. That felt like you took two linebackers. You, you know, doubled up on us. You could have waited for the slot. You could have waited. You have guys on the roster that can hold it down at slot. If you don't like them, they weren't your picks. You can wait a year for that. I even felt that same way about Wandale, but if you love the player, take him. But at some point,
Starting point is 00:15:29 in my opinion, they should have taken Saquon insurance. He gets hurt all the time. He's an awesome player when he's healthy, but he's a big player when he's healthy. They don't have a steady back of, you know, this guy, we need four yards right now. We need four yards right now. Go get us four yards. I hate to say it, Giants fans, that's not Saquon right now. He's the big home run hitter. So didn't like no Saquon insurance, but love this draft. Gave it an A-. This draft is going to be remembered for the building blocks up front.
Starting point is 00:15:57 Eben Neal's going to be an 8-10 year starter at right tackle for them. Kayvon Thibodeau was my favorite edge in the draft. I think Josh Izudu has a chance to start. I think Daniel Bellinger's a long-term tight end too, that could block and catch the ball in the middle of the field. And one of Belton or Beavers is going to be a long-time contributor on defense. So I was a big fan of Joe Shane's debut for the Giants.
Starting point is 00:16:15 It was just slow and steady in the right ways. Man. I like their fourth round picks. Like you like Bellinger. I like Dane Belton. I like Belton a lot. I'm like, I'm looking at the running backs right now.
Starting point is 00:16:24 Like Damian Pierce went in the fourth round. Samir White went in the fourth round. Two guys that were perfect for them, by the way. Hassan Haskins, Tyler Algier, then went at the beginning of the third. Brian Robinson somewhere in there. Brian Robinson was a little earlier. He was late third round with the Washington Committees. They needed it, though.
Starting point is 00:16:41 They needed a power back that could pass protect. I would have liked for them to get one, but I think that that's kind of nitpicking. I feel like you can get those guys all the time. Yeah, that's what took it away from being an A for me. I was an A-. All right. We spent a lot of time on the Giants. We did.
Starting point is 00:16:54 We spent a lot of time on the Giants. We're going to pick it up here in a second, but make sure we get through all these teams. Before we get to our next team, though, got to tell everybody about our presenting sponsor. It is our friends over at Jock Market. Their motto, stop betting, start trading. You buy and sell shares of players in real time for real money while the games are happening.
Starting point is 00:17:14 You know, like, for example, if you know the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to get absolutely smoked by the Toronto Maple Leafs, then you're probably not going to want it. It's okay. I'm sweating tonight. The Rangers are going to break my heart. Oh, they're playing the Penguins, right? Yep.
Starting point is 00:17:27 My least favorite team in the NHL. Dude, that bad boy is going to go six or seven. You are in for one hell of a series. Me, personally, when the lightning gets swept, then I won't have a care in the world. Listen, you've seen cups, okay? I was in a diaper when the Rangers won the cup, I think. Oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:17:48 Back to the jock market. That was actually a great transition, actually. So if you find a player, baseball, basketball, hockey, whatever it is, and you say, this guy's got a juicy matchup. I think he's going to have a fantastic game. You could bet on that player. You buy shares of that player. So instead of saying like oh this team's gonna cover this spread this team's gonna go over this many points you're betting on player performances which is a really cool
Starting point is 00:18:13 unique way to do this all the shares have guaranteed cash payouts at the end of every single night so something that you could do a little bit every day to get some skin in the game it's a really cool concept deposit with the promo code pff and up to 100 they will match you a 100 bonus on whatever that you are for your first deposit is you also get a pff subscription as well jock market that's jock mkt.com backslash pff or jock market on the app store philadelphia eagles next it's kind of a short and sweet draft for the Eagles when it felt like they had a ton of picks coming in. Jordan Davis at 13. Love to see it. A little trade up there with the Houston Texans.
Starting point is 00:18:52 Cam Juergens in the second round at 51. Also, I do have to say, of course, A.J. Brown getting dealt. Yep. Now with the Philadelphia Eagles because it's an important thing to know. N'Kobe Dean in the third round at pick number 83. No picks in the fourth and fifth round, but Kyron Johnson, the edge rusher from Kansas in the sixth round, and then Grant Calcaterra as well in the sixth round. No picks in the seventh round.
Starting point is 00:19:13 Like I said, short and sweet draft for the Philadelphia Eagles, but extremely impactful. Connor, what'd you love about this class? Man, a lot. First off, what I loved, obviously obviously was trading for AJ Brown how can you not it was an awesome trade it was good value for them even counting the extension that he got uh that looks like when all said and done he'll be you know he could be on the Eagles for five years 100 million dollars I loved Cam Juergens he was my number two center in this draft he was a top 50 player for me I know I was particularly high on him in this class
Starting point is 00:19:46 compared to the consensus board having him at 42. I thought he was a Ryan Khalil type player. And I think Jason Kelsey is the right guy to bring him along there in Philadelphia. So it was cool that Jason was a part of that process. Obviously love N'Kobe Dean in the third round. I think he's going to figure it out. I know he's banged up. Maybe he needs a year to solve those little things, but that mounted into a big thing, right? It's like he has a bunch of little things and it feels like it all just compiled into one big thing. So I really, really like the value of N'Kobe Dean
Starting point is 00:20:16 for a team that has not been good at linebacker. They're traditionally never very good at linebacker. N'Kobe Dean can get them there where they can be above average at linebacker, and he'll play through injuries. If you're worried about him, it's even this. If N'Kobe Dean has four good years, Trevor, it's worth
Starting point is 00:20:34 the pick. It's worth the pick for the Eagles. The Eagles are trying to contend right now. Really, really loved a lot of things about their draft where I think they got an upside starter at Cam Juergens in center when Kelsey retires they got a stud in AJ Brown and they got a stud in N'Kobe Dean look I'll just I'll mention all three categories right here because it's easy to do
Starting point is 00:20:55 love the entire draft I did and I don't I don't mean that as a cop-out I thought the Eagles navigated this entire thing extremely well they went up and got a football player at number 13. They traded up from 15 a little bit to get in front of the Baltimore Ravens to go get Jordan Davis. And I thought that was a brilliant move. I thought it was great at Howie recognizing that Jordan Davis probably was not going to make it to the number 15. The Ravens are probably going to take him right there at number 14. And they went up and they got a unique unicorn, kind of a defensive lineman.
Starting point is 00:21:23 I get it. People out there are going to tell me about him playing nose tackle limited snaps he plays jordan davis changes defenses that's all i'm going to say jordan davis changes defenses you start at the nose tackle spot you start in the middle of that defense and everything around him gets better because of his presence i think he's going to be playing it a little bit lighter of a weight than he was at georgia at these conditionings going to be a little a little bit lighter of a weight than he was at Georgia. I think his conditioning is going to be a little bit better than it was at Georgia. And, of course, he's going to be in a rotation. Guys, that's what defensive linemen do.
Starting point is 00:21:51 But when Jordan Davis is on the field, when he's going to be used correctly, he is going to be a monster. He is going to be a game changer. And I believe that he even has more pass rush potential than what he showed us at Georgia. Absolutely love the pick. A.J. Brown cannot be understated enough how incredible of a pickup that was for them to deal number 18,
Starting point is 00:22:08 to get a player like A.J. Brown, who's going to help maximize Jalen Hurts, the passing game, shoot the running game, everything, man. I think he's going to be another player who just absolutely elevates everything they do. So with their two first round picks, they selected two players
Starting point is 00:22:21 that are going to elevate the entire unit on both office and defense. Those are first round picks. Those are the kind of investments that you want um cam jergens you mentioned it great pick great kelsey replacement i think it's fantastic and then you talked about nicobe dean i mean just retweet on everything that you said there it's such a great pick for him the injuries aside man even if he doesn't play in 2022 this pick can absolutely be worth it it can be an absolute steal for you. I loved every part of this draft.
Starting point is 00:22:47 You know, the later picks, I think that they're, you know, it's an edge rusher. And shoot, who was their last one? Grant Calcaterra. Calcaterra, who I like taking a chance on. Of course, receiving tight end. And this class is fantastic. There is no I don't get.
Starting point is 00:23:02 The only I don't get here in this class for me was, like, maybe not picking a secondary player. But when you, I don't get the only, I don't get here in this class for me was like maybe not picking a secondary player. But when you look at the Eagles secondary depth chart, yeah, you could say that they would need upgrades here and there, but we're going to make it in the first round. I'm not going to change any of that. I love the cam Jurgens pick. I love the Nicoby Dean pick. Cause he fell to him and they took an opportunity there.
Starting point is 00:23:20 What would I change? I'm not just going to sit here and complain that they didn't make a secondary pick when I wouldn't have changed anything they did ahead of it. So I think it's almost the perfect draft for the Eagles. I give it an A, A+. I think it's right there with it. Yeah, I give it an A. This is the only team on today's show that I wrote nothing in the don't get section.
Starting point is 00:23:38 I was good with everything. I thought they maximized their value. I thought they moved the board around. I liked the Jordan Davis pick. I liked the Kyron Johnson pick, an athletic edge that kind of fits that mold. You're always looking for backups in day three of your scheme-specific guys. Kyron Johnson is that backup to Hassan Riddick. Grant Calcaterra is that backup to Dallas Goddard.
Starting point is 00:23:57 So I really liked that strategy for them. I didn't love Jordan Davis. I only liked Jordan Davis because I think Jordan Davis will never get the credit that he deserves on paper and in awards. I think he's a guy that's going to make life so much better for everyone around him. And maybe I should love the pick for that, but I just think when we're all said and done, we'll go, oh, Jordan Davis is a really nice pick. He wasn't a franchise altering pick because those guys just don't get the credit um that they really really have earned so great draft for the eagles in a here uh and the highest grade in the nfc east from me dallas cowboys next team tyler smith picked at number 24 in the first round the
Starting point is 00:24:38 offensive tackle from tulsa they took the edge rusher from old miss sam williams in the second round third round they went went Jalen Tolbert, the wide receiver from South Alabama. Fourth round, Jake Ferguson, the tight end from Wisconsin. Fifth round, Matt Waletzko, the offensive tackle from North Dakota. Deron Bland, the cornerback from Fresno State. Damone Clark, the linebacker from LSU. John Ridgway, the defensive lineman from Arkansas. And then the sixth round, they wrapped it all up with Devin Harper,
Starting point is 00:25:04 the linebacker from Oklahoma State. What'd you love about the Cowboys draft here, Connor? Yeah, interesting one, right? I love Jalen Tolbert. I think that was one of the better wide receiver value picks we saw in this draft. I thought many wide receivers went ahead of him that had no business going ahead of him. I think he can be their number two of the future, whether that's when Michael Gallup's
Starting point is 00:25:25 contract they want out, whether that is playing CeeDee Lamb in the slot more and keeping Tolbert on the outside. That opened up the door for their offense a little bit. Love Jake Ferguson, Dalton Schultz 2.0. I love Damone Clark. I have no idea if he's going to be able to play in the NFL with the spinal fusion situation. But as a player, I love him. He would have been a two rounds earlier player for me if he didn't have that injury. One of the more complete linebackers in the draft medical situation. I feel really bad for the guy and hope it all works out. I really liked, sorry, the word we're using is loved.
Starting point is 00:25:59 I loved the Jalen Tolbert pick. I think that was really great to invest a big pick in a guy, especially a guy who can really stretch the field to continue to allow that offense to have top five potential. I think he's definitely going to be able to do that. And we're just really surprised that he was picked that late in the draft. I was, I thought he was going to go a little bit sooner. So the vertical ability of,
Starting point is 00:26:17 of Jalen Tolbert and how he can really help out that offense with Michael Gallup still there. And obviously CD lamb make up for the loss of Amari Cooper. Obviously, I'm not going to say that Jalen Tolbert's going to step in and be like Cooper was, but he can do a lot of things well, especially from attacking at a vertical plane. And I think that he could be a great complement to a lot of stuff that could happen in the intermediate, the short and over the middle stuff
Starting point is 00:26:39 when you use a weapon like Jalen Tolbert. And once he starts to get a rapport with Dak Prescott there. Tyler Smith, the offensive tackle. I love this pick. I really did. I think he's a first-rounder. I think he's got first-round traits. Love that the Cowboys selected him.
Starting point is 00:26:54 And I love that he went to the Cowboys because he's right next to Tyron Smith. He's going to be fantastic for his development there. I also love John Ridgway. John Ridgway was an underrated part of Arkansas' defensive line. I thought that he was a big reason why Arkansas was able to only play with three down linemen and kind of get away with it, if you will. They played that 3-3-5 formation. And so him being the big man in the middle also has a fantastic nickname,
Starting point is 00:27:19 the Vanilla Gorilla, which I wanted to shout out there. Guys, a pick that I like, I like the Sam Williams pick. Speed rusher, for sure. I mean, like, his get off the ball is incredible. We saw a great 40-yard dash from him, so we put that on display at the Combine. Needs to be a little bit more than just a speed rusher, right? Needs to set a speed.
Starting point is 00:27:36 Zero run defense. Zero. Zero run defense, you mentioned. Needs to kind of develop that counter to make sure that, as he has effective reps attacking the outside shoulder, he's to manipulate that go back inside a little bit keep offensive linemen guessing um so yeah those are the picks that i like from carol i like that you shouted out ridgeway ridgeway is the type of player the dallas cowboys have been missing lately you know a true nose that can get in on the fun in the run so i I really liked that one. Like I said, loved Tolbert Ferguson-Clark,
Starting point is 00:28:06 liked Tyler Smith. I was a big Tyler Smith fan. Liked Deron Bland a lot, a ball skills corner that has some speed that I think is going to surprise some people in camp there. So that was a pick that I liked. I'm with you. I liked Sam Williams.
Starting point is 00:28:21 I didn't love Sam Williams. He is truly speed to power, straight ahead rusher, no run defense, not an array of tools, but the athleticism that if you develop them, he can get after the quarterback. I don't get Matt Waletsko. I don't get Devin Harper. I thought Waletsko is a guy that's going to have serious problems with leverage at the next level.
Starting point is 00:28:42 He's 6'8". I think he plays high. I don't know that. I don't know if that was a pick that they had to make in the top 160. Although I was clamoring for them to draft O-line depth. That wasn't my favorite player to take in that spot. Devin Harper, it's hard to say you don't love a sixth round pick, Trevor. But why does this team feel the need to constantly collect linebackers?
Starting point is 00:29:04 I was literally just going to say, like, you almost can't even hate this. I think what I have that I don't does this team feel the need to constantly collect linebackers? I was literally just going to say like, you almost can't even hate this. I think what I have that I don't like is like, why do we keep drafting linebackers? It's nothing against Devin Harper. He was on my board. Yeah. He was on my board.
Starting point is 00:29:13 So this was a B rock solid. There's that. You're not going to walk away and be like, Oh God, we, you know, a ton of duds. So this was a B for me,
Starting point is 00:29:21 the Cowboys. I gave it a B plus. So a little bit higher, but I, yeah, I did. I liked the Cowboys draft and classic Cowboys at the end. They're never not going to draft linebackers.
Starting point is 00:29:30 It's just the way it is. I think my hot take of this draft might be that Jake Ferguson might be the player that I feel the best about in it, like floor-wise. Like, I feel like they're going to let Dalton Schultz walk eventually, and Ferguson's just going to be the next guy up in that role, which is kind of ironic, considering he wasn't one of the first picks for them. But yeah, rock solid for the Cowboys.
Starting point is 00:29:56 Rock solid. I love it. I love the take. Love the take there. All right, final team of the NFC East. It's the Washington Commanders here. Interesting draft. Very, very interesting. That's never how you want to start a draft.
Starting point is 00:30:12 Just say it like that. That took John Dodson, the Penn state wide receiver at number 16, overall in the first round for daring math, this defensive lineman from Alabama in the second, Brian Robinson, junior in the third, the Alabama halfback,
Starting point is 00:30:24 Percy Butler safety from Louisiana in the fourth the alabama halfback percy butler safety from louisiana in the fourth round sam howell wild enough uh in the top of the fifth round there the quarterback from unc colterna the tight end from nevada the fifth round as well no picks in the sixth round but chris paul um point guard for the phoenix suns no uh the offensive tackle from Tulsa in the seventh round and then Christian Holmes the corner from Oklahoma State Connor what did you love about this draft the commanders I love Brian Robinson I really do I I think that I know there you have talent at running back I get it but I just think Brian Robinson is a guy that gives you power. He gives you pass protection. He can really be any kind of runner you want him to be.
Starting point is 00:31:08 You sound like you're pretty high on him then. Oh, I like Brian Robinson a lot. Yeah, okay. All right. Yeah. Apparently, I went on a fantasy pod, and apparently I found out the hard way that it's not cool to like Brian Robinson. But I did. I had him as my 83rd overall player, and he reminded me of James Conner. And I had him in the third round. So, yeah. I had him as my 83rd overall player. He reminded me of James Conner.
Starting point is 00:31:25 And I had him in the third round. So yeah, I thought this was a good pick. A really good player. And I believe they took him with the pick, one of the picks they got back from trading out of 11. So yeah, I think it was a compensatory pick from the Saints. Pick 98.
Starting point is 00:31:42 So I thought this was the right time to take Brian Robinson. So I like that pick. Man, actually I loved that pick. so I thought this was the right time to take Brian Robinson so I like that pick man I actually I loved that pick and I love Sam Howell I mean you got Sam Howell so late I'm waiting there let's be real if you know what hits the fan where Carson Wentz or he gets hurt again when Sam Howell can have that Heineke plus kind of juice he comes in he runs around he makes some plays he's got a strong arm. These wide receivers know how to win down the field. So those, unfortunately, Trevor, though, were the only two picks I loved.
Starting point is 00:32:12 What about you? I can expand it a little bit. I love the Sam Howell pick. Sam Howell falls to you at the beginning of the fifth round. You take a chance on him. It's beautiful. Love it. Big potential return on investment there with him
Starting point is 00:32:25 i have no idea why he was a fifth round pick i mean even if even if he didn't interview well which is all i mean there's nothing medical with the dude so i've got to think that maybe he just didn't interview well maybe teams weren't jazzed about him maybe they didn't think that he was fiery enough because sam's sam's a little bit more of a reserved kind of soft-spoken guy so like i don't know if that's the case but even if that's the case he's firing on the field though but like yeah even if you watch it even if you who cares watch the tape like this is how many worse quarterbacks have been taken before sam how over the last like five years it's just Zappi got drafted before him in this draft. Dude, Kyle Trask and Kellen Mond went borderline
Starting point is 00:33:11 at the very end of the second, early third last year. Yeah, team's kind of overcompensated. Kellen Mond couldn't hit the broadside of the barn. And Kyle Trask is about as not as fiery as it possibly gets and they still picked him at the back end of the second round it's just that was crazy for me love this pick for the commanders because they saw an opportunity to take a quarterback who has i think a lot of talent even for the people who are lowest on sam howell getting him in the fifth round man is uh it is a great investment the picks that i liked i like j Jahan Dotson, the player.
Starting point is 00:33:45 Bingo. I like Fedarian Mathis, the player. Me too. I think he's a solid, strong, two-gapping defensive lineman. Love it. You're not going to be able to pay everybody on that defensive line, especially with Montez Sweat and Chase Young's contracts coming up. You definitely got to pay those guys.
Starting point is 00:34:02 Did you like him in the top 50? Right. I didn't think he was going to go top 50. I didn't seeing like i didn't think he was gonna go top 50 i didn't think johan dotson was gonna go top 16 top 20 i like percy butler but i do think that sometimes his his his instincts are gonna need work he was really great in coverage but there were times when he was a little late at anticipating things to safety from louisiana and obviously that only multiplies in the nfl because he's jumping up the competition level and that's something you need to be even better at you need to be even better at anticipating so hey might be a little bit of a road for him but i do like his talent so those are three picks that
Starting point is 00:34:33 i liked but i love them i didn't love how washington went about getting them it was almost as if connor washington was drafting a little bit too much of a luxury feel for me like some of these picks like getting super aggressive for johan dotson and picking fedarian masses math that's where they did and even honestly man even picking the brian robinson selection which i don't hate brian robinson as a player they prioritized him way too high for a team that is not competing if you ask me especially for a team that already has a running back that you should be leaning on constantly both the run of the pass game and Antonio Gibson so it was just a strange draft for me I think I gave it a c plus and my my don't get is just the prioritization of the picks because it feels like Washington was drafting as if they won the division last year and they made it to the second or third round of
Starting point is 00:35:33 the playoffs like they think that everything around them is good and they just needed like a couple of guys that they could overdraft or that they could preference here and there and these guys are good football players but it was just an odd prioritization of where washington was taking them that gives me a little bit of hesitation of how much they're actually going to see an impact from this class maybe it'll be a lot maybe these guys will all pan out maybe this is where they actually should have been drafted but looking at it from my board where they selected them seemed a little bit too much like a luxury mindset for a team that doesn't have that luxury, full pun intended.
Starting point is 00:36:10 Yeah, I think bundling it the way you did is exactly how I feel, and I just didn't know how to explain it in that sense, where it's why were the priorities this? So I like Jahan Dotson because I like the player so much, so I liked the pick. I don't get Fedarian Mathis. I had him 79th. I thought that was high for what he is.
Starting point is 00:36:28 He's a very athletically limited player. That's a smart player that can contain against the run and give you effort against the path as a pass rusher. That's not a top 50 pick at that position. Percy Butler. I didn't like that pick. Cole Turner. I did not like that pick.
Starting point is 00:36:42 He's a guy that plays like a wide receiver and tested like a very unathletic tight end that's scary right not a good combo that's not a good combo um i didn't like the round one trade let me just call it what it is i know the value of it they were close they got picked 1698 and 120 for 11. 11's worth 1250 points that bundle of picks is worth 1162 points i'm not nit of picks is worth 1,162 points. I'm not nitpicking that they came up short on the points chart. I don't care about that. You were taking a first-round wide receiver, and everybody knew that.
Starting point is 00:37:14 And I know you were upset Drake London wasn't there, Washington. But you let a team come in to take Chris Alave, and you moved back to 16 knowing Jamison Williams was going to be gone. Yeah, that is strange. I would be a fraud if I got up here and said, as much as I like Jahan Dotson, I had five receivers with first-round grades. Garrett Wilson, Jamison Williams, Traylon Burks, Drake London, Chris Alave.
Starting point is 00:37:38 My next receiver up, but as a second-round grade, was Jahan Dotson. I felt like they got a little cute on the bargain rack. Just a little cute. I think Dotson's going to be a good player in the NFL. I think the other guys are going to be better. And it wasn't worth those extra selections to do that. And if it works out the way we think, that trade is going to be looked back not so fondly.
Starting point is 00:38:03 So I gave this a C+, same grade as you, Trevor. The players they walked away with, okay. And if they didn't get Sam Howell when they did, this grade would have been worse. In a division where the Eagles are on rocket fuel, the Giants did some really nice things, and the Cowboys stayed nice and steady, I thought the Commanders fell behind behind i would agree with you i would agree with you there before we move on to
Starting point is 00:38:31 the afc north we're gonna get to all four teams there as well we gotta introduce our newest sponsor sunday all right listen up peeps does your lawn boys let's go baby does your lawn have weeds bear patches pet spots something like that? Sunday can help you solve all of these problems and more the easy way. They've got everything you need from fertilizer to seeds to weed control, and it's all delivered right to your door. Sunday can help you grow a beautiful lawn without the guesswork or the nasty chemicals. Their custom plans include fertilizer and everything you need to easily care for your lawn
Starting point is 00:39:07 so you can feel good with the kids and the pets playing around. Just attach the ready-to-use pouch to a garden hose and spray. That's it. Just takes less than 15 minutes. And Sunday is offering our listeners 20% off. Full season plans start at just $129.
Starting point is 00:39:28 And you can get 20% off at checkout. When you give them, when you visit get sunday.com slash NFL, that's what the URL is. It's get sunday.com slash URL at 25. That's 20% off your custom plan over at get sunday.com slash NFL. Summer's rolling around. Summer's rolling around Connor, I know that you don't you don't have a lawn right now. I don't have a lawn right now. I sure wish I did. Because I'm one of those weirdos that like I love lawn work.
Starting point is 00:39:54 Oh, I miss it. I love building the good lawn. It's such a great investment, man. Trevor and I. The sweat and the time and the energy into it. And then just sitting back gazing upon a beautiful lawn on a summer day.
Starting point is 00:40:07 There's nothing like it. Trevor and I's pre pod conversation this morning was how we miss having lawns when we were in our early 20s. So maybe we'll go to our parents places and get our Sunday on. All right. Oh, this is good. It's good. Father's Day gift. Yeah. Yeah, it is right around the the corner sneaks up on you every year dads love lawns they love lawns they love lawns and
Starting point is 00:40:32 they love more efficient lawn work every time i call my dad i'm like what are you doing and he's like ah i'm out in the yard with the dog i'm like staining the fence and i'm like yeah jealous sounds right so jealous all right let's move on to the afc north and the pittsburgh steelers I'm like staining the fence and I'm like, yeah, jealous. Sounds right. So jealous. All right, let's move on to the AFC North and the Pittsburgh Steelers. They took Kenny Pickett QB one number 20 overall. It's a big headliner because of how the rest of the quarterbacks went in this draft. Second round, George Pickens, wide receiver out of Georgia. Third round to Marvin Leal, the edge rusher from Texas A&M.
Starting point is 00:41:04 Fourth round, Calvin Austin, the third, the wide receiver from Memphis. No picks in the fifth round. Sixth round, a little family pick here. Connor Hayward, tight end from Michigan State. Seventh round, they got Mark Robinson, the linebacker from Mississippi. And then Chris Olutakun, the quarterback from South Dakota State.
Starting point is 00:41:20 How do we feel about it, Connor? All right, let's ride. So, loved Calvin Austin. Good lord. Great, great pick pick and you jumped baltimore to get him i mean good stuff good stuff from the steelers liked kenny pickett i know that will not be popular i liked kenny pickett at 20 i think kenny pickett he was a qb1 right he was my qb1 i had him as play player like. So no problem here. I think Kenny Pickett's going to be rock solid in Pittsburgh. I like George Pickens.
Starting point is 00:41:51 I think George Pickens fell this far because teams did have some concerns there. But I think for the Steelers, he's worth the gamble, size and speed. I liked DeMarvin Leal here for what he is, you know, a tweener rusher. And I also liked Connor Hayward in this spot. So I liked a lot of what they did. Didn't love a lot of what they did. Liked a lot of what they did. And I'll be quick here. Did not understand Trevor passing on offensive line depth. That scared me a little bit. I think they, yeah, this draft class had some good depth on the offensive line. Uh, they passed up on it. So that was my one concern, but once again, there was,
Starting point is 00:42:30 didn't love a lot, didn't have a problem with a lot. I liked a lot of what the Steelers did. I love the offense that the Steelers are setting up here. I also love, it's awesome. Love the Calvin Austin pick. Also love the George Pickorge pickett pick of course like you know me he was my wide receiver three in this class so i absolutely love george pickens and the talent that he brings i'm just gonna rattle off the names you should love this draft it's like two of your guys i do i like this draft a lot on offense now they've got chase claypool they've got deontay johnson they've got george pickens they've got cal Austin. They also have Anthony Miller and Miles Boykins. People forget.
Starting point is 00:43:06 They've got Pat Fryer-Muth. They've got Najee Harris. I mean, this is a good skill group, man. I think that they're building a really nice supporting cast, both in the run game and the pass game, when it comes to the skill position players for whoever's going to play quarterback, whether it is Kenny Pickett or whether it is Mitchell Trubisky.
Starting point is 00:43:25 Now the offensive line. Sure. I do still think that that needs work, but I loved those two picks because I love what Pittsburgh is doing, giving themselves a lot of really great receiver options and building a pretty dang good offense there. I liked the DeMarvin Leal pick. I agree with you. I think that if he was going to go anywhere at any time, it feels like the Steelers and how multiple they stay on defense how flexible he could be with that really good defensive line that makes a ton of sense for him de marvin leal could not go to any team he really couldn't if you're going to a defense that shoot just like isn't he's not nearly as multiple will not get
Starting point is 00:43:59 them creative with how they're using de marvin leal if they try to like kind of make him a certain type of player him a certain type of player like a 4-3 defensive end or even like just a three tech I don't think you're getting a good return for him but instead if you're staying very multiple if you're using him in a lot of different alignments and what's most important is if you are playing him on a defensive line that is already good then I think he can give you the good flashes and I believe that Pittsburgh was a best case scenario for DeMarvin Leal for a lot of ways.
Starting point is 00:44:26 Also like Connor Hayward pick. Had to, of course, shout out the family aspect of it. We have a family battle. Right. Cam Hayward is there as well. So that's just it. Well, isn't TJ Watt's brother the fullback on the roster? Yes, Derek Watt's also. So we have the Watts versus the Haywards family feud
Starting point is 00:44:43 at Steelers training camp. This is actually a really great point. Just incredible, incredibly compelling content. Really great point. I gave this a B+. What held it from being an A for me is ultimately, I don't really believe that Pickett's going to be a franchise quarterback, so it's hard for me to think that they selected a guy who
Starting point is 00:45:05 was qb4 for me behind yeah ridder behind malik willis behind sam howell so they selected my qb4 number 20 overall 54 picks before the next quarterback was going to go so that's just never going to look good when it comes to my board um and then not getting offensive line i guess is something that you can nitpick there as well but i really do the guys that they picked outside of quarterback i think i love the way they went about it the calvin austin the george pick is the department leo i thought those are fantastic picks so i did like the steelers as well you're right that was definitely a my draft kind of a thing for sure yeah i gave this a b um loved calvin austin i think pickett's gonna be fine honestly could
Starting point is 00:45:40 even be a b plus they did a lot of good things with what they had. And having to have a quarterback kind of hurt their first round in improving the rest of the roster. And I thought they made up for it really, really well on day two. So really good stuff from the Steelers overall with what they were working with. Moving on to the Cleveland Browns. Yes. I think we previewed on Monday's show that this was not a top flight draft for the stock exchange.
Starting point is 00:46:08 Correct. We'll start with the good first. Loved Perrion Winfrey where they got him. I know Perrion Winfrey's concerns, but in the fourth round, in this scheme, I think he can get after the quarterback. I loved Jerome Ford, maybe more liked him now that I'm reading it. I think the breakaway speed element in this zone offense is going to play.
Starting point is 00:46:31 So, and Kareem Hunt is a free agent after this year. I think Jerome Ford can be the long-term backup to Nick Chubb. Trevor, did you love anything? And if not, give me the lowdown on the Browns draft. No, I didn't.
Starting point is 00:46:43 I didn't. I mean, look, there are things that I like Martin Emerson. He was a player who wins with length. I did not. But, like, I think he was miscast at Mississippi State. I didn't think he was playing in the right system. And I feel like he's going to be used a lot more as a man coverage defender at the next level.
Starting point is 00:47:01 And I think that's something that Cleveland wants to do, especially if they get aggressive up front. And so I think that you're drafting a longer corner who has that length to play that closer press coverage that main coverage role and so like I liked it in theory like that's kind of it's an in theory thing with me Jerome Ford again liked it he's destined to be a backup behind Nick Chubb so I don't think I can say that I loved it but man their backups play. Look at last year with Dearness. But I know what you mean.
Starting point is 00:47:28 I know what you mean. But I think that you're always going to be able to find those dudes too. Like, especially you look at the situation that they have now with Hunt there. And maybe you're right. Maybe Ford's going to come in and they're going to basically let him be Kareem Hunt. If that's the case, I think that may be a good investment in the long run, especially for where you pick them. I was fine with Alex Wright. Again, I think that may be a good investment in the long run, especially for where you pick them. I was fine with Alex Wright. Again, I think that they needed extra defensive line help,
Starting point is 00:47:49 but I didn't like David. I didn't like David Bell. I don't think David Bell is going to be good in the NFL. I really didn't like the Perrion Winfrey pick. Oh, you really didn't. Dude, he is not what they need. They needed beef and strength in the middle. That's what they needed. That not what they need they needed beef and strength in the middle that's what they needed that's what i think they needed and perry and winfrey is exactly not that no you're
Starting point is 00:48:12 right he is a one gap pass rushing defensive lineman who is really susceptible to strength and dual blocks in the middle they need to bring back clowny for their run defense they needed they needed somebody to i think anchor in the middle of that defense that that's at least what i think and so i think he did not he he did not fit that bill um at all i didn't actually read off all the picks martin emerson third round they didn't have a first or second round pick martin emerson in the third round alex right in the third round david bell in the third round fourth round they went parian went free we also forgot to mention that they drafted the first special teamer the highest drafted kicker since 2016 when the bucks took roberto aguayo kate york the kicker from lsu now kate york big leg a lot of kicking talent cleveland browns to the lowest field goal percentage in the nfl last year all right okay you can see why they picked that but fourth round
Starting point is 00:49:04 still still fourth round fourth round not great fifth round they got jerome ford then michael woods the wide receiver from oklahoma in the sixth round isaiah thomas the edge rusher from oklahoma in the seventh round and then uh dawson dean the center from texas tech so i i don't know man i obviously outlined that i didn't love this draft this was a c-minus for me I suppose if Emerson ends up working out a lot at corner if if Jerome Ford becomes this RB2 that they continually use in their rotation then it can look a lot better but outside of that I don't know how much of an impact Alex Wright's gonna have I don't think David David Bell was the kind of wide receiver that they
Starting point is 00:49:44 that they needed I don't think the Perry on winfrey was the kind of interior defensive lineman they needed so just a very meh draft for me with the cleveland browns even with the knowledge that they did not pick until the third round i'm fully aware of that i'm fully aware of that thank you for emphasizing that because i think a lot of people are going to go well you gave the eagles credit for aj brown but you didn't give the Browns credit for Deshaun Watson. I'm factoring all of this in here. Once again, I didn't celebrate that trade, too. So I think everybody knows where we stand on that.
Starting point is 00:50:15 Liked Alex Wright. I liked David Bell. I think he's their Jarvis Landry-ish replacement. The testing is scary, but he can play on tape. I don't get Martin Emerson at all. I don't get Cade York in the fourth round at all. It feels like overcompensation for kicking problems, which I hate.
Starting point is 00:50:33 I hate when teams do that. Man, I didn't get the trade trading out. It felt like they didn't walk away with a real player from this draft, to be honest with you. So I gave it a C+. When I factored in that they didn't have, obviously a real player from this draft to be honest with you so i gave it a c plus yep when i factored in that they didn't have obviously some picks from the trade yeah this was let's just call what it is this is not a stock exchange favorite i know that will not be well received and we'll see how it plays out i mean i'm up and always open to discourse rather than you guys suck go browns like that's just how we feel i think we broke it down in a pretty fair way
Starting point is 00:51:05 well yeah you know some drafts you're gonna love some drafts or you can say we suck and that's fine i don't care brother they didn't need your approval for that they've been they've been going for a while here cincinnati bangles very interesting draft one that i'm very curious to hear how much you liked because i got a lot of really good talent. Dax Hill at the back end of the fourth round. Yeah, let's do it. Cam Britt Taylor, the corner from Nebraska in the second round. Zachary Carter, the defensive lineman from Florida in the third. Cordell Volson, the offensive tackle from North Dakota State in the fourth round.
Starting point is 00:51:38 Tyson Anderson, the safety from Toledo in the fifth. No picks in the sixth round. And then Jeffrey Gunter, the edge rusher from Coastal Carolina in the seventh how we feel about it Connor pretty dang good to be honest with you for the Bengals considering they weren't picking obviously at the top of this draft loved Dax Hill loved Tyson Anderson you're talking about two safeties that you can ask them to do almost anything Dax Hill more in coverage Tyson Anderson more downhill in the box. Tyson Anderson, three-time team captain, over 800 snaps to special teams, I want to say. Played every
Starting point is 00:52:11 single safety spot, almost every spot on the defense. Like Cam Taylor-Britt, kind of a corner that acts like a safety. Jeffrey Gunter, I like betting on athleticism to develop at edge. And I like Zach Carter, kind of the opposite kind of you know what you're gonna get he's so stout against the run once again that high effort pass rusher um not overly creative as a rusher but that's okay the bengals are gonna be fine they're fine with guys like that the only pick i didn't get trevor was cordell volson that didn't really move the needle for me but oh man yeah i didn't really get that one um come on this draft rocked though this draft was freaking awesome on defense it was load up the defense let's get back into the afc playoffs and have a
Starting point is 00:52:50 party dude i i love the cold elvulsen pick really yeah because i think you know when you look at it for what the bangles were prioritizing they were clearly going secondary with dax hill and camber taylor is their first few selections there and then they go defensive line depth uh with with zach carter right after that so you said to yourself like oh how many mock drafts did we do connor when we were like oh you know i mean if a good interior offensive lineman falls to him you know like yeah like a tyler linderbaum or zion johnson or maybe even a tyler smith like if one of those guys falls to him, maybe you end up taking the bait and you end up doing that. They didn't, they went secondary.
Starting point is 00:53:28 But I still think that getting depth in the offensive line was going to be important. And the thing that I love about Coral Wilson is that he's experienced, man. He understands it. He's like, he's played so many reps. He's played so long for that team that he is a player that now let's face it you were picking in the
Starting point is 00:53:45 fourth round you weren't picking in the first round so you weren't like you weren't taking the spot of a Ted Karras or of a Alex Kappa or something like that I think their starting offensive line is already set now with the Cincinnati Bengals Bolson now becomes that sixth man if you will, for that offensive line. I don't think he's ever going to play center, but like if a guard goes down, you need somebody to plug and play right away,
Starting point is 00:54:14 especially for a team that just went to a Super Bowl that thinks they're in a winning window. If a tackle goes down, you need somebody to kind of plug in right away. Hopefully they're short-term injuries so they don't have to play a long time. But Bolson's not going to be one of those players that is experiencing live reps, like for the first time, if you will, or is super green in his experience.
Starting point is 00:54:33 He's seen a lot of it before. So I think that guys like that don't get nearly as overwhelmed when they have to come in in a pinch. Their warm-up time, their tune-up time isn't nearly as much. So I really like that. That was one of the picks that I loved for that reason. Trevor, you're spot on in everything you're saying. My counter-argument is take Jamari Salyer.
Starting point is 00:54:55 That was like everything you just said is perfect. And I'm not, listen, this is me nitpicking. I gave the Bengals a B+. I love this draft. I'm always going to go back to be truthful to my board. I cannot believe Jamari Sire, a guy that's succeeded at tackle, succeeded at guard,
Starting point is 00:55:12 was a force in huge games for Georgia, went in the sixth round of the Chargers. That part, totally with you. Also, when I'm looking at the camera, I can't see you or my computer, so the last time that you said my name trevor like that tom brady unretired yeah you you got scared that uh samuel just
Starting point is 00:55:32 went to the box when you just said my name like that my heart literally dropped i got you to stop it worked immediately because i've already because i've been there before i've seen this movie before so that was good i hear you i can't believe jamari saw your yeah no problem like it's nitpicking this was a good dress that's fine that's fine that's fine i just want to get my jamari saw your bit in there i love i love dax hill the player but if i had a don't get it is maybe dax hill because okay we said this before and you and i have chatted about it i believe on the podcast right after night one yes if this is a move to not pay jesse bates i don't like it i like i like i and i should rephrase that it's not that i don't like it because i think dax hill is a phenomenal football player he's going to come in he's going to play well for
Starting point is 00:56:16 the cincinnati bangles he's going to be great but when you look at dax hill what can he do for you you talk about versatility how you're going to use them the two ways and you can use his versatility the best is free safety. He's got great range on the back end, understands space really well, has really good spatial awareness in the back end. Or as a slot defender, like he was this past season, they have Mike Hilton, one of the best slot defenders in the game, who can only play slot, so you cannot move him.
Starting point is 00:56:40 So, I mean, maybe you're going to get creative with Dax Hill and use him in different slot ways when they're going four wide receivers, maybe when it's a tight end that's on the field in the slot, maybe you're going to get creative with Dax Hill and use him in different slot ways when they're going forward receivers, maybe when it's a tight end that's on the field in the slot. Maybe you're thinking that. But the other position is free safety. Who plays free safety? Jesse Bates. And Jesse Bates is not happy about the fact that he got franchise tagged.
Starting point is 00:56:56 He is not happy about it. And I don't think he has signed it yet. And so the Bengals have been known as a team that doesn't like to spend money and if you are going to take one of the best players that you had a major catalyst for the reason why they got to the Super Bowl and tell them we don't want to pay you we're just going to draft your placement I don't know man I don't know I feel like it sends a bad message I feel like it sends a bad message now Lou Anarumo he's one of the best defensive coordinators. He proved that this past year about how versatile he was able to get with some of his guys. He's super aggressive. You mentioned they get Anderson as well, who do a lot
Starting point is 00:57:32 of different things. Canberra Taylor's a nice outside replacement for Eli Apple. And Dax, I think is a fantastic football player. If you can figure out how to use all of these guys really well, and this is not a major, we don't want to pay Jesse Bates kind of a thing. Great with it. I think all of a sudden their secondary is loaded if that is their mindset. But that's the only don't like I have in this class is did you draft Axel
Starting point is 00:57:57 to just get rid of probably your best defensive player? Because if that's the case, it's hardly even a one-on-one replacement for me you're just going a little bit backwards you're just saving money for a little bit because you're hoping that dax till would then become the player that jesse bates is when's that gonna happen two three years down the road when he wants another new contract so i don't know man that's my only that's that's no no it's a good it's, no, it's a good rant. It's a good rant. We're going to be watching how that one plays out.
Starting point is 00:58:27 Because if that's the problem... Why I love the Dax Hill pick is, I think, the way you can use him as a chess piece while having Jesse Bates behind him is unbelievable. Yep. I think it's a good point, Trevor. We both ended up with B-pluses for the Bengals, I believe, right? Yes.
Starting point is 00:58:44 Is B-plus? Did I go with B plus? Yeah, B plus for this one. Probably be an A if they used Axel the right way, keep Jesse Bates and have a fantastic secondary. Honestly, I would love this draft. It'd probably be an A for me. Last one.
Starting point is 00:58:55 Yep. Rounding it out with the Baltimore Ravens. Kyle Hamilton at number 14 in the first round. Also got an additional first round pick. Trading Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals. And with that pick, they traded down. Selected tyler linderbaum the offensive lineman from iowa incredible second round edge rusher david ojabo from michigan travis jones the defensive lineman from yukon uh in the fourth round we've got daniel filele the offense attack from minnesota jalen armor davis the
Starting point is 00:59:22 cornerback from alabama charlie kohler the iowa tight end jordan stout the punter from penn state isaiah likely the tight end from coastal carolina uh damarian williams the cornerback from houston no picks in the fifth round and the sixth round they got tyler baity the halfback from missouri i really like tyler baity pig that was a nice way to end that draft all right their picks were so good that nobody cared that they got a nice pick in tyler baity later Beatty could be great. I really do. It was interesting. Okay, so loved
Starting point is 00:59:49 Kyle Hamilton, first-round player, top 10 player. Loved Tyler Linderbaum, top 5 player. Loved Travis Jones, first-round player. Loved David Ajabo, first-round player. Unbelievable haul right there. I like Daniel Falele. I've explained why he fits them so much on the right side,
Starting point is 01:00:06 eventually behind Morgan Moses. Like the size, speed, developmental gamble on Jalen Armour-Davis. That was the right time to do it. Going into a room with Marlon Humphrey is really, really going to help him, those Alabama guys. Really like Charlie Kohler, the pass-catching ability he brings to their 13 personnel
Starting point is 01:00:22 sets. Do I do the don't get now now or do you want to say what you liked as well now you just run through it you just run through the only question i have from this draft and why i changed it from an a plus to an a i love this draft i thought it was the best draft it was the best draft of any draft this year it was one of my favorite drafts of all time that i've since i've been doing this one question that i don't get, and I know they got jumped for Calvin Austin, which probably hurt this a little bit. What happens if Rashad Bateman gets hurt again?
Starting point is 01:00:51 Have you seen their wide receiver depth chart? It's not pretty. Well, hold on now. Tylan Wallace, the king. Sure, he's fine. The short king, Tylan Wallace. He's fine. Devin Duvernay, James Prochet proche proche i always go back back
Starting point is 01:01:07 and forth on that one he's a 2021 draft guy we're allowed to forget now we're long past i just this team is awesome um little spoiler i might pick this team to win the north but king in the North I what I want to see the Ravens do is go trade 2023 capital for Deebo Samuel or or DK Metcalf and I and I and you are just firing right now so awesome drafts wide receiver depth scares me I know there are 13 personnel team I know that I just I had to write it you always have to write a question you don't want to all be sunshine and rainbows um if they went if they went and traded for dk metcalf i would force my friends to not be able to pick the ravens when we played with him and madden uh that would be that would be a house that'd be silly that would be a house rule for me lamar and uh rashad
Starting point is 01:02:01 bateman and dk metcalf. Look, I love this entire draft. You know, we talked about it a lot in our favorite drafts. We both mentioned the Ravens. This is an A-plus for me. I agree. Wide receiver depth definitely is something that would be a – just something to note that they weren't able to address. Now, they got two receiving tight ends, right? They got Charlie Kohler.
Starting point is 01:02:21 They got Isaiah Likely. Those are two guys that I think could definitely help in the receiving portion of the Ravens' offense. They're just not traditional wide receivers. So I think that those guys help a little bit, but there's no doubt about it. They needed another wide receiver, didn't pick one. You can't fix it all, though, right?
Starting point is 01:02:37 No, no, no, no. I guess somewhere in the middle, maybe you switch it out with a wide receiver. You mentioned Calvin Austin being a potential target for them, but not much to not like about this draft. I said it on the Monday show. There's a reason why the Ravens are good at this. There's a reason why the Ravens are always a team
Starting point is 01:02:53 that's competing for a division title, competing for long playoff runs. It's because they know how to acquire talent. They understand how this goes. They get it. They get value at their pick they get value when it comes to trading up or down they understand how to play the board eric dacosta and obviously as you knew some before him were you know to the best to the best of what they do it's it's awesome
Starting point is 01:03:16 to watch the ravens cook on draft weekend and i think that's absolutely what they did they got an a plus from me and uh truly one of my favorite drafts there we go those. Those are two divisions down the NFC East and the AFC North. Before we get out of here, just remind you guys that if you don't have a PFF subscription, you get 25% off any PFF sub. If you use the promo code NFLSE, you get all sorts of stuff. I mean, fantasy football is going to be coming around. You're going to get all the betting in season tools. Of course, when draft season rolls back around, you're going to get the draft guide as well.
Starting point is 01:03:45 Completely unlocked mock draft simulator. Tons of really great stuff. If you don't have a subscription, use that promo code NFLSE and you will get 25% off whatever it is. Edge, Elite, College, whatever you're looking to sign up for, you will get 25% off.
Starting point is 01:03:58 We are doing two more divisions on Thursday. I'm spacing out my words because i'm looking up which divisions we're getting and in fact it is the nfc north and the afc we just flipped them what we did today smart i'm so good at scheduling i didn't even remember how yeah this was all you so this is good man it's just I felt like this is therapeutic. I really enjoyed getting the weeds a little bit with the details here. These classes, this would get stuck. Who's going to be more ready for the preseason than us?
Starting point is 01:04:31 And this and the sex addicts. The sex addicts are going to be just as ready for the fourth quarter of the Bengals Jacksonville. Oh, hell yeah. They're going to be watching intently, baby. We too. Holy shit. Is that Cordell Volson? Oh, hell yeah. They're going to be watching intently, baby. We too. Holy shit. Is that Cordell Volson?
Starting point is 01:04:48 Oh, my God. Look at Jeffrey Gunter. Get off the ball there. That's what it's going to be in the football game. It's good. It's good. I love it. No, it's going to be good.
Starting point is 01:04:57 We promise, though, we're going to have you guys as ready for preseason football and for the NFL season as we possibly can get. Over the summer, we're going to have a lot of fun, you know, doing these different drafts for rookie of the year, you know, drafting all kinds of under 25 teams who we think is going to win each division. We're going to be doing over hunters and everything. We got a lot of really great summer plans for you guys, but we'll talk more about that once we get through these divisions, two more teams coming up on Thursday. Thanks for listening to the NFL stock Exchange. We'll see you guys then. Bye.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.