Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - A deep dive on the NFL Draft wide receiver class with four college football reporters

Episode Date: April 27, 2022

Paul Hodowanic does a deep dive into the receiver class by interviewing Shotgun Spartling, writer for USCFootball.com, about Drake London. Nick Kelly, Alabama football reporter for the Tuscaloosa News on Jameson Williams, Collin Gay, who reports on Ohio State for Rivals.com, about Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave and Christina Long, Arkansas writer for the USA Today Network about Traylon Burks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome back to the Purple Insider Podcast. I am Paul Hodowanek. I'm taking the reins from Matt today to do a little breakdown of the wide receiver class. The Vikings at number 12 could very easily pick off a receiver, especially if the draft board falls and some defensive players they're targeting aren't there. And so to break down exactly what the Vikings could do at 12 with the wide receiver position, we are welcoming on reporters from all of the top five wide receivers. And the first reporter we have up is Colin Gay.

Colin reports for Rivals.com on Ohio State. So Colin is going to give us a breakdown of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, two of the top wide receivers in the class, both from Ohio State. So Colin, how are we doing this morning? I'm good. I'm good. This will be the first, which is crazy to think about, especially with what Brian Hartline has done at Ohio State. I mean, I think I read that this will be the first time that,

I mean, barring anything crazy happening, that Ohio State will have first round receivers since 2007. And they're going to have two of them this year. So it's kind of crazy to watch. But, yeah, I'm excited to chat with you for sure. Yeah, for sure. So I guess let's just jump right into it. For those that haven't gotten a chance to watch much of Garrett Wilson or Crystal Labia or read much,

if you could just kind of describe their games, maybe compare and contrast them a little bit. What if one was drafted by the Vikings? Who are they getting in both guys? Sure. So let's start with Chris Olave. So Chris Olave, if we go back to all the way to his recruitment, he wasn't really one of the guys that Ohio State had targeted. He wasn't really on their radar.

Actually, the story goes that Ryan Day went out to California to go watch Jack Tuttle, a former who ended up at Utah, ended up at Indiana later, but he went to watch him throw. And then he saw this guy. He's like, who is this kid at wide receiver? And it's Chris Olave who ended up breaking, you know, setting the school record and touchdowns and just being absolutely insane. And it's actually kind of I was talking about this with somebody. It was very, very similar to what I mean, they knew who Garrett Wilson was. But we'll talk about that later. Chris Olave is kind of that prototypical Brian Hartline receiver.

He can catch. He has hands like anyone's business. He can run routes very, very well. He just has that ability to get open. He's very fast, and he was kind of at least in regards to, say, the emergence of Jackson Smith and Jigba um or the emergence of um Garrett Wilson um these guys like he's kind of underrated and he's kind of been that and and I think it's just because of this slow developing kind of process that he's been on from being so kind of low

lowly rated in terms of recruiting sites all over. And then coming in and kind of developing into this go between from like the Paris Campbell, KJ Hill era of Ohio State to, you know, now, which is kind of this, you know, consistent continuing pipeline of top tier receivers. And he's kind of been the picture, the prototypical picture of what an Ohio State receiver can develop into just based on being in the room, having the talent, but just kind of growing and expanding that. And I mean, just to go through his stats real quick,

I mean, broke an Ohio State school record with 35 receiving touchdowns. The Vikings would get somebody there that's like, that can score and knows how to score. Fourth most, that number is the fourth most in Big Ten history. Third in school history and receptions. Fifth in school history and receiving yards. This guy just goes out there and gets the ball and is a deep threat. Very, very fast. Very, very shifty. Can run routes very, very well. And that's just brian hartline's room that's kind of why not to get off you know onto you know recruiting but like that's why they keep bringing in top tier guy after top tier guy um and it's the same thing with garrett wilson big guy from uh or big big time prospect from uh lake travis and austin kind of came in as, you know, he broke out right away

as he was expected to coming in in the 2019 class, five touchdowns his freshman year. But he was, I mean, everybody expected him to do that. But he had that kind of breakout year in 2021 where it's like, yeah, this is the season that Ohio State expected, you know, in 2020 if it wasn't the weird COVID year. But, you know, 1,000-yard receiver, double-digit touchdown receptions. Again, very good route runner, very, very smart wide receiver, has great hands, very, very fast. A lot of people think he's going to be the first wide receiver off the board, and I tend to agree with them. But yeah, just another example of just the talent that Ohio

State can bring in and kind of develop at that level to send off into what could be a stretch of a couple years where you're going to see a lot of Ohio State receivers at the top of the NFL draft. And I think the Vikings fans have fallen in love with Justin Jefferson, both on the field with his play, but also kind of his personality, his swagger, and just he seems very genuine in he cares about the city and just cares about the team and winning. And so from a perspective of just who they're getting as people and guys, obviously that's a big part in anyone's success. You kind of have to have the right makeup for both those guys. What's that kind of look like?

So I think, first of all, they're extremely smart receivers. They can, I mean, and that just, again, I talk a lot about, it's a broken record, but a lot about Brian Hartline's room and the culture that he's kind of cultivated at Ohio State. I mean, it's just kind of just, they know how to break down film. They know how to break down routes. They can change things on the fly and they know how to talk about it, especially between him and someone like CJ Stroud or Crystal Lave and Garrett Wilson with CJ Stroud. You have someone who can kind of like, I mean, you saw it at their pro day. I mean, on that final throw, you know,

CJ Straud going up to Garrett Wilson and saying, okay, this is what I want you to do and see, and just showing him based like the route based on his, like just these symbols or his hands and things like that. And then them doing it straight away. So they're very, very bright, can talk about football and they're just very genuine people. And I think my favorite example, at least for Chris Olave, is so he, like he was expected to, he did not play in the Rose Bowl for Ohio State, but he traveled with the team. He was basically a coach, and you saw him on the field at uh the practice um on the practice field before um the game started this year and he was running routes he was working

with cj stroud he wasn't done like being an ohio statewide receiver he just wasn't playing to protect that draft stock so i mean and you saw him on the sidelines at uh that um rose bowl kind of cheering him on and and he was talking so highly about like the guys coming up and their development and how like he was challenging them working with them being that leader of that room that's what chris olabe kind of signified all year was kind of like i said that that kind of process between the paris campbell era the kj hill era and now so like heading into the jack Smith and Jigba era, the Emeka Egbuka era, Marvin Harrison Jr. era,

like these guys that, you know, he almost represents that continuation in the timeline. And he took that to heart, you know, being that leader, being that guy who can be on the field and kind of mold receivers in the way that, you know, Ohio State expects them to. And it's the same thing with Garrett Wilson. Very, very friendly guy. Both of them are very friendly guys, but very, very smart.

Big leader. And it's really, I mean, obviously when it comes to, you know, three receivers in a room that are like garnering for the attention, garnering for the yards. I mean, it's hard to, I mean, it's easy to be like, okay, I want to be the guy. I want to be the person with all of, you know, the receptions, the touchdowns. I'm the only one you should target, you know, telling CJ Stroud that. But, like, there was none of that really, you know,

whether it's watching on the field or just whether they talked about it. They spoke so highly of the rest of the room. And they're guys that, you know, they know they're talented. They know they're going to make an impact. But it doesn't matter when and it doesn't matter how much. They just know based on their talent and based on how they are developed at Ohio State that they will make an impact. So there's really not any ego there from what I saw.

So, I mean, both are very, very good guys. And the Vikings, in terms of that aspect. Would be lucky to have them. Yeah and I know just looking at mock drafts. And kind of the way the betting marks have shaked out. Garrett Wilson could easily be a top 10 pick. He may not be there when the Vikings do pick. But Olave is someone that most likely.

I think any time I check. He's really he is on the board. And one of the cons I want to ask you about with him. Is they talk a lot about maybe his lack of size and lack of after the catch ability. Does that show up a lot? Should that be a concern in your mind heading into the NFL? I don't, I mean, I really don't think so. I mean, let's, let's talk about size first. I mean, if you're talking about an outside receiver, yes, he's not, you know, the size of, say, Marvin Harrison Jr., who's like 6'2", 6'3", and just this big, burly, like, linebacker that's outside at receiver. But, I mean, he's 6'1", 189.

As they have him right now, he's probably grown from that point. But, like, he's been – I think simply he's been – I think he'll tell you this. He's been doubted, like, throughout his time at Ohio State. And I think that just comes from – that stems from his time as a three-star recruit coming from, you know, that story that I told you earlier about him and Jack Tuttle. I mean, he's driven off that, you know. like he's, that's, that's where he came from. That's where he's, he's a kind of a gradual growing process. I mean, he was never a thousand yard receiver for Ohio state, but he was always one of the guys that can consistently find his way into the

end zone, consistently score and find those breakaway opportunities. He is fast, man. I mean, he is fast, and I think that can be what separates him there. I don't see size as an issue. I don't see him. I think that's why he's falling as he is. That after the catchability, I'm not sure. What I saw from Chris Olave was a receiver that didn't have the numbers

that Jackson Smith and Jigba or Garrett Wilson did because he was getting all of the attention, especially early in the year. They were letting other receivers beat him because Big Ten corners knew what Chris Olave can do. And looking at mock drafts, I mean, whether it's with the Vikings, I've seen him with the Packers, like down low in the 20s. I mean, they're really getting a guy at that point that I think could be a steal. I really do. I think he's very, very, I mean, he's that slow growing, developing receiver that you don't see. He's not like that, you know, three-year guy

that bolts and leaves because he was he was highly touted or whatever but I mean you're getting a guy who's proven you're getting a guy who has a lot of history you're getting a guy who's worked with very very very good quarterbacks uh whether it's Stroud Justin Fields or Dwayne Haskins um so I mean I think whoever if whoever gets Chris Olave is going to get a receiver who's going to be ready to go. And especially, I mean, if you're talking about the Vikings, I mean, to pair him with Justin Jefferson, I mean, that's a great combination, man. That's a great combination. Yeah, I think any wide receiver that comes, if that was the pick in the first round, they're coming into a really great room with Thielen, with Jefferson, where they're probably not asked to do a ton right away and kind of can grow into their role which I would assume is is only a good thing for either guy uh I know Ohio

State has had obviously maybe not a first-round wide receiver but the Michael Thomas's of the world the Terry McLaurin's of the world I think people are starting to see that from Ohio State just with these two guys and maybe if we're comparing those to Thomas and McLaurin or to any of the other Ohio wide receivers Ohio State wide receivers that are in the NFL, do you feel like their ceilings match those guys, those McLaurins, those Michael Thomas's out there? Or how would you kind of compare and contrast how they could fit in the NFL to those guys? So here's the thing. I mean, I think with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson specifically, this is kind of that first year where, and I'm trying to figure out how to word this because like, I mean, Terry McLaurin, he, I mean, people around Ohio state knew how good he was. And you see this guy who, you know, again, he was slowly developing

and, and, and, and he had that final year where i mean he showed people what he could do at ohio state but he hadn't hit his ceiling yet so you know he may have not been the highest drafted guy but i mean he made an impact as as you said michael thomas is the same way didn't make the biggest impact at ohio state new orleans saw that potential wasn't the highest rated guy went on and became michael Michael Thomas right I think this is the first draft in a long time for Ohio State where NFL teams are looking at those wide receivers and they're like oh we know what room they're coming from we see the talent right away and they have first round potential because I think if you gave say Michael Thomas or Terry McLaurin

another year at Ohio State or kind of like that extended look you know consistency because both of those guys came from very very full rooms I mean their their ceiling was a first round pick even if they were picked you know not in the first round second round third round whatever right and I think it's the same thing with yeah KJ Hill uh Paris Campbell like these guys that are like uh coming from that kind of group. But this, yeah, this is kind of the first year where you're like, okay, yeah. I mean, Brian Hartline does a great job at developing wide receivers. These two are top tier wide receivers.

And yeah, I mean, Derrick Wilson is going to be the first, I would guess he's the first wide receiver taken in the draft because of that, you know, and, and I think even not to go on a side tangent or whatever but I mean it's the same thing with Jameson Williams not a guy that had a lot of potential at Ohio or not a lot of time to show what he could do at Ohio State had a very very good season but didn't see saw what was coming in needed to go somewhere else and then shined at Alabama. I mean, it's the same thing. It really is the same thing. And it's kind of mind-blowing to think just how much talent Ohio State has acquired at the position.

And honestly, Paul, I wouldn't be surprised if we're having this conversation again next year. Maybe it's not with you, but it's with somebody else talking about those receivers down the line. Even Julian Fleming, maybe one year could do it for a former five-star receiver. You have Jackson Smith and Jigba, who could be a top five pick, I think, if he has a big year, you know, like, I mean, this is not going to stop with Ohio State and especially with the offense and the quarterback that is throwing to them. I mean, it's not, yeah, this is not going to, this is not going to end for Ohio state. And I think Olave and Garrett Wilson are just that first kind of example of

that kind of becoming the norm for Ohio state moving forward. All right. Before I get you out of here, I want best and worst case scenarios for, for all of them because everyone loves comps and everyone kind of wants to know how things fit. I don't know if you have guys particularly in mind or just kind of best case in their roles or best case in their production but if i was gonna i want both ends of the spectrum for either guys because obviously some some players just don't hit and it could be these two who knows so for um both of them best and worst case scenario let's start i guess let's start with crystal lobby uh and i think

worst case scenario you have a guy who may not be the biggest may not be the fastest guy in the long run but you have a guy who can you know if if the corners are it's kind of like the opposite of what happened at ohio state right where you know i'm going to use the v Vikings as an example. If the corners are kind of locked into Justin Jefferson or they're locked into Adam Thielen, you have a guy who can kind of come around and be that third guy and be that option where, you know, he'll find the end zone five, six times a year. I really think that's kind of the floor for Chris Olave. Ceiling, I mean, I really do think he can be, I mean, if he comes into a system like you were talking about, where it's like he can come in and not be, have the pressure of being the guy right away, I think, and he comes in with a good

quarterback, I mean, the sky's the limit for him. I really do, and I think it's the same thing with Garrett Wilson, and I think NFL scouts see that where you have a guy in Garrett Wilson who who's only known the top level of football throughout his career, whether it's coming from Austin, Texas, Lake Travis High School, whether it's coming from Ohio State. Like just these big time offenses, all they've all he's seen is just the upper echelon of what could be and the upper echelon of the defense that he's faced you know so I think for Garrett Wilson I think it's the same thing you see worst case scenario possession receiver one that's going to get a lot of PPR points but maybe not a lot of yards but again ceiling I mean these guys are touchdown maniacs, man. Like these guys can go out there and beat corners. That's all they've known how to do.

And I think even through, I mean, I think this is a good point too. Over the course of maybe not exactly last year, even though Denzel Burke as a corner is very, very good. And he developed very, very well over the course of last year year and you're only going to see him get better in 2022. I mean, they're facing top tier talent at corner every single day. You see the pipeline that's come from Ohio State at corner. you have Jeff Okuda, like these guys that like are consistently picked in the first round or become Denzel Ward, who just got a big contract, like these guys that, you know, that's all they see every day in practice. And the Big Ten's no slouch either, you know? So I think they have their ceiling very, very high for each one of those, sure um floor consistency i i think that's really

all i can um say because i mean that's just what ohio state's receiver room is is it's a floor of consistency the sky's the limit awesome awesome and then quickly before i let you go if any other late round guys that vikings should just have on their radar at any position that ohio state could have drafted just you know in the mid mid or later rounds that, you know, just keep an eye on them? Yeah, I mean, based on kind of the conglomerate of mocks that have been out there, I think, so you're going to see seven guys go from Ohio State in this draft with a few more taken late as, um, UDFAs and things like that. But, um, you know, Haskell Garrett story is great. Um, you know, guy, um, was in a unfortunate situation on campus where he was shot, uh,

came back and, and, and, um, you know, became a very, very kind of maybe the most, not the most dominant defensive tackle that Ohio State has ever seen, but a guy who can anchor a room very, very well. And his leadership qualities are like off the charts. So he's one to watch and just very, very good size, has mobile ability, can kind of be – he can get to the quarterback and get those tackles for loss. You have, I mean, for a guy who could be a free agent, because I don't think he's going to be

drafted, but my God, I mean, if I was at Ohio State's pro day and Master Teague looked like a Greek God, just like he was the most like fit running back I've ever seen. And he didn't get a lot of playing time, but that's one of those guys who we can look back and say, like he was once in an Ohio State uniform and Ohio State didn't use him as much as they should have. He's very, very, very, very skilled, very, very strong, can bowl through people. And so he could be a free agent pick for that team,

but he's going to get a lot of attention. I know he was visiting the Bengals either today. I think it's today he has their pro day. So Jeremy Rucker, he's going to be a, he's going to be a first, second or third round pick at tight end. Nicholas Petit Frere,

tackle, very, very good. Very, very smart. Like my goodness, tackle, very, very good, very, very smart. Like, my goodness, smart. Like, very good. Worked well with DeJuan Jones on the other side, who's coming back for this year at tackle.

But, I mean, he was a high-rated guy, another example of a person who came in as a highly touted recruit and kind of just developed and became strong, became lean, and very, very smart in the game. So those are a few guys. I mean, there's so many more Tyreek Smiths in there. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of different guys. I mean, just coming from a program, it's so funny. So I was talking with Zach Taylor, the Cincinnati Bengals head coach a couple of days ago. And one of the things that he was saying is that just based on who Ohio State is and the way they develop talent and the way that just knowing the culture

and how smart that program is, I mean, they, the Bengals themselves usually take an extra look at an Ohio State guy just because of that alone. It doesn't matter if they're like, okay, you know, he's not like, it doesn't matter the skill level at this point. Like if it's, if it's a late round guy, he said he leans Ohio state because of it. So I think that, and that's something you've seen for years. I mean, starting with the urban Meyer era where it's just like six, seven,

eight guys drafted for more taken as free agents after the draft, you know, like, so you know what you're going to get with Ohio State guys. And like I said, I think it's the same thing with Chris Olave Dallas Cowboys, right? Like a guy who's like low on the depth chart, but Ohio State running back didn't really know what to do with him. Didn't make a huge impact at Ohio State. But I mean, he's been in the league for four or five years. So that's kind of the floor for Ohio State players. If they can find that groove, kind of find that momentum at the NFL level, even if he's not a superstar, even if he's not like, I mean, that's what you're going to get from Ohio State because that's the players that they recruit and develop in the program. All right. Well, Colin Gay with

the, with rivals, he is Colin Gay underscore rivals on Twitter. His old Twitter got hacked or something, I think. So he's trying to build that back up from the ground. So if you want to follow Ohio State, look him up, Colin Gay underscore Rivals. Colin, thank you so much. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. All right, and welcome back. Now joining me today to talk Drake London from USC is Shotgun Spratling.

Shotgun is a writer for uscfootball.com. You can find Shotgun on Twitter at Shotgun SPR. Shotgun, we're doing this right in the middle of the Heat Hawks game. How are you feeling right in this current? Not feeling great right now because I'm a Hawks fan, and they did not play very well in the second quarter, but I'm hoping we'll have a similar outcome as last game where, you know, they came back in the fourth quarter. Well, let's take your mind off it for just a few minutes talking about Drake London.

The Vikings are a potential destination for some wide receivers. Drake London by some is considered wide receiver one. It's a very fluid kind of wide receiver rankings in the draft this year, but for people who haven't really watched him from Minnesota, there's probably a lot of people who haven't watched a single snap of him. So tell me a little bit about Drake London, the type of receiver he is, and maybe kind of what offense he would fit best in. Drake London's a monster, to be honest. He's a guy that's six foot four. He goes up over defenders consistently. He dominated as far as the pro football focus contested catches category, and he was still leading that, I believe, until maybe the last week of the season, despite missing the final month and a half, basically, of the season because he broke his ankle.

USC's offense was super one-dimensional. It was a Drake London air raid. It was throw the ball to Drake London. He was getting 15 targets a game he was getting double covers he was getting triple coverage it didn't matter he was still going off for big games consistently um and he's it's interesting because he's he's a unique receiver because of his size because of his background as a basketball player he came to usc as a two sport guy um and actually i I saw him in high school playing both sports, and I actually thought coming out of high school that he could go pro in either sport. Now, I don't know if he would have been an NBA player necessarily because he's 6'4", maybe needed a couple more inches to be a wing on it,

but he's a dynamic defender on the basketball. He's tenacious, and he takes that basketball mentality, actually, the defensive mentality, too, to the wide receiver position. And I actually asked him one time this season, I said, hey, you're getting those one-on-one matchups, and you know that the safety's not playing over the top of you, and the quarterback's going to throw it up. What's your mentality in that one-on-one situation?

He said, it's basketball. Just go dunk on them. And that's kind of the way he plays. He goes up, and he's super physical as well. So yards after the catch, one of his biggest highlights was against UCLA last year where he catches the ball in the middle, kind of fumbles the ball actually, gets the ball kind of knocked out of his hand a little bit, regains it, but he breaks like six tackles on the way to a 65-yard touchdown.

It was just spectacular. Three or four guys hitting him at the same time. He's spinning away from it. That's what you get from him. Now, the question marks are, is there the ability to separate? And he separates at the line of scrimmage with his physicality. He can separate with his route running, but not necessarily just the top-end speed where he's going to take it off

the – take the top off the defense. But if you get him in a one-on-one matchup, hey, he might not get three yards behind the defender, but if you just throw the ball up there, he's going up and making the play over guys consistently. His percentage of contested catches was impeccable as well. So that's the type of guy you get. He can catch the short stuff as well and then turn it in.

USC used him a lot in their screen game. They basically just wanted to get the ball in his hands over and over and over. And if you played off of him, they were going to run a screen and, hey, it's going to take two guys to tackle him. Or if you play up on him, he's going to buy somebody. He's going to be able to use his physicality at the line of scrimmage and then go up over a defender and make somebody look silly with a you-got-moss type of catch.

Well, that would work good in Minnesota, where they remember many, many moss type of catch uh well that would that would work good in minnesota where they remember many many mosses of catches um i think vikings fans in general when they talk when they're thinking about wide receiver they haven't really considered drake london heavily because just his from his size standpoint he matches up really um just very similar to a draft bus that vikings had recently which is laan Treadwell back from old miss. He's very similar size. He was like six, three to 20.

I think Drake London's like six, four to 20, right about that. So I need you to convince me that's not what's going to happen. If he gets drafted because Treadwell struggled to run routes, he struggled with drops. And I think he, he struggled with all around focus and understanding of an offense.

So give me the pitch for why he wouldn't bust out of the league. Because I think it's making fans apprehensive when they see Drake London mock because they think back to a guy of a similar size and they're worried about that. So Treadwell, now I didn't really focus in on Treadwell, but he seemed a little bit more raw coming out of college. Whereas Drake London is a guy who has some versatility. You know, he played on the outside this year. It was the first year he actually played on the outside. So he's kind of that hybrid tight end that was split out in USC's air raid offense because they didn't have that true tight end that they wanted to do that with

in the past years. So he was inside as an inside receiver and was matched up against safeties, matched up against linebackers, could beat those guys. He was in the slot. He's been all over the field, so he's not just a one-trick pony in that regard. He was matched up, and USC had a dynamic receiving core his freshman year with Michael Pittman on the outside and Amon Ross St. Brown also on the inside with him. And Tyler Vaughn's another guy that's on a practice squad in the NFL,

so four NFL receivers, and he was the third or fourth option there, but you saw how they used him changed as his career progressed. I think that shows you that he can succeed in any offense because he's already played inside. So if you need him, bump him inside and use him in bunch formations, he can do that. And he has the physicality to get off the line of scrimmage, and people are worried about him to get off the line of scrimmage, you know, and people worry about him being pressed the line of scrimmage. He can take care of that as well. So I don't think that you're going to have the same potential there. And the athletic background with him, just the fact that he was a basketball player, he brings that to the field as well. So I think that, I think he has a, you know, that he has a pretty high ceiling, but he also has a high floor. I don't think that he's necessarily a bust potential just because I don't see him as a similar to JJ or Sega white side. They're really struggled with Philadelphia where, Hey, I made a ton of contested catches in college,

but I can't make those in the NFL. Drake London can still go up and get it. And not just because he's a bigger guy. He has that athleticism to go up and jump over a guy at the same time. And like I said, he runs routes really well, and USC didn't use him as just, hey, we're going to throw the ball down the field. They did that when they got the single coverage on him,

but otherwise he was running a ton of slant routes. He ran a ton of bubble screens and stuff as well. So he has the route tree there. He works super hard too. His uh, is really high up there. And one of my favorite players is a great kid. He comes from a great family. Um, so I don't think that he's going to be a bust. I mean, obviously I'm a little biased covering him for the last four or five years now from high school up. Um, but I think that he's got a pretty high floor once again. Yeah. And I was just, I was going to ask, like, if it doesn't work, what would, what would be

the circumstance in which it doesn't work? Like, is he, from what you're saying, it sounds like, you know, very versatile could probably work for the Vikings specifically. They already have two really good wide receivers and Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, that's an ideal spot for a wide receiver to land. But is there kind of a system he could go into that maybe wouldn't fit his skill set? Or is there, you know, things to avoid if you had him on the team? Or is he pretty malleable in that sense? I think the fact that, you know, as a freshman, he was the third or fourth option. He was the inside guy.

And then as, you know, a junior, he was the guy the ball was going to all the time. All the coverage is slanted his way, everything. I think he's been able to fit in different areas now it wasn't air raid offense a little bit different obviously when you get to a more of a pro style offense but I think he'll fit in just perfectly with wherever he goes I think he's a kid that's constantly wants to learn and constantly tries to get better and improve his game so I think wherever he goes even if maybe he struggles a little bit early in his career, I think he'll figure it out. And the other thing is, if it doesn't work out,

for whatever reason, if it doesn't work out, there is still the possibility that you could try to add some weight to him and turn him into a deluxe tight end, a guy that you split out a little bit more. Because that was a lot of the conversation when he was a freshman. Because he was playing inside, a lot of people, they didn't know how it would work when he went outside. And then this year he goes outside,

and he was the bullet-in-the-claw frontrunner when he got injured. And, you know, as long as he comes back and he looks pretty good in the pro day and everything, so as long as the foot is healed up, then I think that you've got a kid that's going to be, you know, a multi-, you know, a many-year vet in the pros as long as he stays healthy. Awesome.

Well, Shotgun, thank you so much for joining us. We'll let you get back to the game. Us, as Timberwolves fans, we're very sympathetic to the underdogs. Want them to go far. See what happens. Timberwolves are still in the playoffs. Hopefully the Hawks survive tonight. If you want any USC coverage, make sure to check out USC football for everything Shotgun,

Spartan, and the whole team is doing over there. There's tons of USC draft prospects actually this year. There's an edge rushers, guys that the Vikings could take. So plenty of draft coverage, I'm sure, coming from you guys. Again, that is Shotgun SPR on Twitter. Shotgun, thank you so much for taking time. No problem.

And congratulations on the Timberwolves win with a USC guy, Jordan McLaughlin, another really good guy as well that had 16 points off the bench last night. All right. Thanks, Shotgun. All right. And now we are back. We're talking Jamison Williams now, wide receiver from Alabama. And to do so, I have Nick Kelly. Nick is a Alabama athletics reporter for the Tuscaloosa News. You may recognize the name. He is a Minnesota, born and raised in Minnesota here.

He was an intern at the Athletic Minnesota. He was intern at Star Tribune, freelance for Star Tribune, freelance for everyone pretty much. So you may recognize the name. He has now migrated down south to the very warm Alabama covering Alabama athletics. Nick, how are we doing this morning? I'm doing well. Like you said, no offense to my home state, but I keep getting smarter because I went to school in Missouri. It's a little further south. And then I, my first job was down here. So I like to keep migrating further and further south so that I can get some nice warm weather.

It's, he got up to 90 yesterday, so we're enjoying it. I look forward to talking to you about the Miami Dolphins when you inevitably move just a little bit further. That's right. Yeah. All right. Well, Jamison Williams is a water stupid that really fascinates me because I think early on in the pre-draft process,

he was probably a little bit more of a later first-round guy just because of the injury, the ACL injury kind of pushed him back. But it feels like despite him doing no like athletic testing over the pre-draft process, he is one of the fastest risers of any of the wide receivers, which is just much different from what we would get from a typical pre-draft riser where they have a great combine, great senior bowl, something like that. And they just start skyrocketing. So help me understand why he is jumping up boards right now,

despite having not seen him in a game for quite some time. Yeah, I think part of it is seeing the progress he's made. There's a video put out yesterday, I believe, from his agent showing all these workouts he was doing. Obviously, not him playing football, not him maybe doing some serious running, but, I mean, he was doing some good footwork drills. He was doing some, I mean, some high knees. I mean, I don't remember the exact drills.

But, I mean, just basically he looked pretty good. He's about today, I think it was 15 months ago, that he tore his ACL in the national championship game. And so he's making good progress. And that's the thing. All it takes is a team saying, hey, we don't have to have this guy available first game, but if he's going to be available even at some point in the first year, we can maybe take that risk by playing a team like the Jets. They have two first-round picks.

They're obviously in a rebuilding mode. They can take a guy where, yeah, this is not the year for them necessarily. They can take a guy who, hey, he's going to be healthy next year, and we're going to have a superstar receiver. I mean, that's what he really became in college football this year when Alabama added him via the transfer portal. I mean, he went from a guy who I think he had like not even 13,

14 receptions in at Ohio state, which crowded receiver room, no doubt. And then he goes to Alabama. He has 79 catches like 1500 yards. I mean, just insane year and so yeah you saw what we could do on tape and so teams that can take that time say hey this guy's incredible because if he wasn't hurt almost a lock for the top 10 maybe even top five and now

he still could go there but I think at this point yeah teams who can take that risk are more willing to take him early on so that's maybe why we see him moving up boards yeah and I think that's why Vikings fans who want a wide receiver which is a growing contingent now want to just add another wide receiver to that Kevin O'Connell offense add another threat I think that's partially why they've invested themselves in Jamison Williams just because this offense isn't one that needs the wide receiver to come in right away he would also be a guy that you can let heal fully, and then maybe you get kind of that best guy in the draft. But just from an on-the-field type of player, what is he, what is a Vikings fan getting if they haven't watched much Jamison Williams? Because each of the top

wide receivers kind of has their own little lane. Jamison Williams has his. So kind of describe for anyone who hasn't watched him what kind of receiver he is. Well, his lane is the fast lane, if he has one, because this guy is ridiculously fast. I mean, he's one of those people where he would catch a pass over the middle, and defenders would have good angles of pursuit. But then within just a few feet, they looked like they were in a good spot. Next thing you know, he's running right by them. I mean, there were so many plays where he just caught one pass, they looked like they were in a good spot. Next thing you know, he's running right by them.

I mean, there were so many plays where he just caught one pass, took it to the house, and next thing you know, the game's flipped. The SEC Championship game, the Georgia Bulldogs were up 10-0 heading into the second quarter, or I think early in the second quarter. And Jamison caught a pass over the middle, kind of like I just described, ran by guys, I think it was like a 67-yard touchdown, just ran right by these Georgia defenders, who are good defenders. I mean, the team ended up winning the national championship, had a great defense, and he just made them look like he was playing

against like JV guys. And so he just has that next level speed that you just can't account for because even when you defend it while you have guys in position, I mean, it's that scary speed where you you don't you can't counter it from as a defensive coordinator necessarily you can do things to put yourself in a good position against that speed but there are times where if you just have one or two guys against that in the open field Jameson's gonna win and so he's that home run threat who can can really stretch a defense and can really allow other guys to work underneath.

Why didn't it work for him at Ohio State? What have you been able to gather from talking to him specifically and just others around him? Because obviously you see what he does at Alabama, so it shouldn't be that much of a red flag, but it is still something that he had to transfer away because he wasn't getting much time on the field at all. So what have you kind of gathered about that? And should that be any kind of concern for a team looking to draft him? Yeah, I don't know if I have a special insight in terms of something that went wrong, but I think it's as simple as you look at some of the guys that they had in that room. I mean, I'm blanking on their names right now, but there's what, two of them. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Yeah, right. And so, I mean, you have two great receivers

there. So it's crowded. And I think at that point, he was a freshman, sophomore. He was a junior this past year. So he was an underclassman. Now he's an upperclassman. But also it comes down to usage, how a team wants to use you. And let's be honest a big red flag. I think it's just opportunity. And he got that. He was needed at Alabama. Alabama needed him. I mean, it was a perfect marriage. And the way Bill O'Brien wanted to use him, their offensive coordinator, Bryce Young, you know, find that. You have Evan Neal giving Bryce Young time at left tackle.

I mean, it just worked out perfectly for Jameson. And, yeah, I think there was some of that development too. Again, he was a junior. He was a sophomore and freshman in the years before that at Ohio State and so you develop you become more mature smarter I mean just all kinds of different things happen when you when you have three years of college football behind you and it was just the perfect combination for Jameson to break out and that's the thing I mean even if there were concerns back then clearly showed last year there shouldn't be concerns and and he's a guy who if healthy again he's going to be that home run threat yeah and just like in the NFL college is all about if you have the opportunity and you know scheme and everything

to kind of match up you need a good fit in college and he obviously found that in Alabama so I want to know from you uh if he hits if this is a home run draft pick for whoever takes Jamison Williams what happened for that to happen? And then on the flip side, if we look back and say three years from now, you know, he didn't pan out how we'd want. What happened in both those scenarios kind of forecast what it would look like? Yeah, well, I think for him to pan out, it's as simple as he gets healthy and he does what he did last year at Alabama in the NFL. And I think from what I've gleaned, some teams see that kind of Tyreek Hill, just scariness.

Again, it's that scary speed that as a defensive coordinator, you can only do so much against. And so, yeah, he's that kind of guy. You know, in this scenario, he becomes that kind of guy in the NFL. And I think he can. He's got that speed.

You can't teach that speed. He's from a track family, full of track athletes. I mean, he just has that gear. You can't teach that speed. He's from a track family, full of track athletes. I mean, he just has that gear that you can't teach. Now, if it's not going well, maybe the injury lingers. Maybe he's a guy who just, you know, teams figure out. Maybe he's not as fast as he was before. But I just, I don't see a scenario where if he doesn't regain that speed,

that he's not what he was before. I mean, just if he has that speed, he was in the SEC. I mean, he's playing against the best of the best. And he still just made him look like they're at another sub level of football compared to him. And obviously the NFL is difficult. I mean, that's even better. It's next level. And but I think that speed still translates as long as his hands are good.

I mean, he's going to have a pretty nice NFL career. All right, Nick. Well, thank you for joining us. It'll be very interesting to see where Jameson Williams goes. I think his betting market over under right now is right around 11.5, which is just right before the Vikings pick, so it will be interesting to see if he lasts there. It seems like the building momentum is he will not, but if he makes it there,

he's going to be a very, very intriguing prospect for the Vikings. You can find Nick Kelly on Twitter at underscore Nick Kelly. Nick, thank you so much. Hey, thanks for having me, Paul. Good to be with you. We are continuing our series, talking to beat reporters of all the top five wide receiver prospects in the NFL draft as the Vikings could end up going wide receiver here. So now to talk Traylon Burks, wide receiver from Arkansas, we have Christina Long. She is the beat reporter for the Arkansas Razorbacks for the USA Today Network and the Southwest Times record. It also may be a name familiar to you. She was an intern at the Star Tribune. We crossed paths a few times there. So if the name rings a bell familiar to you. She was an intern at the Star Tribune.

We crossed paths a few times there. So if the name rings a bell to any Minnesotans, that is probably why. Christina, how are we doing today? Pretty good. Excited to be back talking a little bit of Minnesota stuff. Yes, excited to have you back. People know me on this show as Intern Paul because I've interned at many different places. And so, of course, for this episode I'm'm doing I had to bring on some other interns gotta gotta you know rep the game

there a little bit um yeah everybody everybody's gotta start somewhere of course of course awesome so I want to talk to Traylon Burks because he is a really really interesting name in all of this I think his kind of prospects have fluctuated a ton throughout the draft season. I think he was maybe kind of, you know, one of the mid to late first round guys, one of the, you know, third, fourth, fifth wide receiver off the board, and then gearing up towards the combine, it felt like there was some momentum growing for him. And then it kind of cooled off after that, maybe because of a slow 40. I'd love to get all your take on that. But first, for people who haven't watched a lot of him, what is kind of his style of what kind of style wide receiver is he?

What kind of production did he have at Arkansas? Give me the breakdown of who Traylon Burks is on the football field. Yeah, he was absolutely massive in terms of production for Arkansas. He had more than a third of their receiving yards and I think about half of their receiving touchdowns last season. And that was especially impressive because they did rely really heavily on their running game, but then he was kind of just dominant on the outside for quarterback K.J. Jefferson.

The interesting thing about him is just his size. I mean, he is just a massive guy. Um, and he does have good speed, but what makes him most dangerous is just his size and his frame. Um, and so he can just power through people. Um, he is really stand out, stands out in terms of yards after the catch. Um, he is sort of, he functions a little bit like a running back when he gets in space, kind of just kind of doing that pinball sort of bouncing off people the way that running backs can do. So it's definitely his size and his physicality and his strength. He's one of,

I think he's the heaviest of all the wide receivers that are appearing on most draft boards. So he can really hold his own against some really physical defenders. Yeah, he was part of Bruce Feldman's freak list. He's 6'2", 225, I think. Just reading here, he bench presses 380 pounds, squats 500 pounds. Just an absolute specimen in terms of what you're getting from an athlete. And I think we've heard this name kind of thrown around with him in comparisons, which is Debo Samuel.

I think everyone after what has happened with the 49ers are looking for that next Debo Samuel. And that's, as we've seen in draft history, when you try to replicate finding a really, really special guy, sometimes that can be a mistake as you're trying to chase that type of guy. But from your perspective, do you see similarities in who they are as players and just kind of what his comparisons are in the NFL? Yeah, I think definitely that's the one that's come up. And I think rightfully so. I think because of that frame and kind of his ability to have that physicality, that's what really sets him apart. got it um and yeah i want to just kind of take me

through his pre-draft process because it feels like his stock has really ebbed and flowed as we've gone from your perspective you know paying attention to it every day what is his pre-draft process looked like yeah i mean i think a lot of people were really concerned about his combine because his 40 time was maybe not what people thought it was going to be. But at the same time, when you think about it, I mean, he's a huge guy and he is fast. And that really comes into view in game because of, like I said, his ability to kind of just bulldoze people in space. So I think people were really wigging out about the 40 time. But I don't think it's that big of a cause for concern. Um, he participated in Arkansas's pro day and if I remember right,

he did run the 40 and I think it was maybe slightly better, but still not as what people had hoped, um, for a receiver, especially one as highly touted as him. But I really don't know that it's that much of a cause for concern because of his other skills and because it makes sense for a guy of his size. Yeah, and his 40 time at the combine, I think, was 455. But when you're 225 pounds, it's a little different. I think they were hoping, you know, it's closer down into the four fours. Then you're kind of getting into that DK Metcalf range, just another absolute freak in terms of what he can do. So he doesn't have that exact size, but from your

perspective, like best worst case scenarios for him, um, or maybe even just like 80th percentile, 20th percentile scenarios for him in the NFL. What do you, what do you think it could be? Because he is that type of guy that can get, uh, allures people in with his size and physicality. And sometimes that's really, really worked out with those DK Metcalfs, AJ Browns, those guys. But then there's also times when you take one of those guys and he's maybe not as refined in some of the other areas and he can struggle because he's a crazy athlete in college. And then he gets to the pros where there's tons and tons of crazy athletes and it doesn't stand out as much. So I'm wondering from your perspective, where you kind of see him and best and worst case scenarios for him going forward.

Yeah. I mean, the other good thing about him is that he's a really strong run blocker. He had to do that a lot for Arkansas because of their emphasis in the run game. So I think as far as him sort of making a splash and having a star turn in the NFL, he needs a system that's really going to allow him to thrive in terms of actually, you know, scoring. But I think he can also fit in and make an impact as a run blocker and just kind of being

that physical body. So I think for him, I think a lot of people have talked about, I know the Saints have been a pretty high projection for him as well. People like the idea of that. But I think if he can get into a system that allows him to, that doesn't try to force him to use speed that isn't right for his size, I think that he can be fine. Yeah, and you'd like to think in an offense that's coming from the Rams system where they're very good at optimizing what different receivers can do, that that would maybe be a good spot for him in terms of what we've heard Kevin O'Connell say it doesn't sound like he just wants to you know just fit a square peg into a round hole and you think coming from that Rams offense where they use a lot of their wide receivers in different ways and try to optimize them that they'd get that similar thing from

because I think that maybe correct me if I'm wrong but maybe that is kind of one of the scenarios where it doesn't go well is the team maybe doesn't fit him, like doesn't try to work around his exact abilities. He kind of feels like a guy that the coaches need to commit to, you know, creating offense around and really kind of fitting the scheme to make his talents and like his best traits stick out. Is that kind of a fair assessment? Yeah, I think so, especially because like we said, you know, if they try to force him into a really, you know, if they're trying to force him to just like burn DBs, that's just not really what he's going to do. He's going to bulldoze them, but he can't just, he's not just going to sprint and get away. He's going to kind of do some, um, some

bulldozing. So I think that if they can find a way to use him that uses that size and rather than force him to be a more traditional wide receiver I think that that's really what's going to thrive I think you're right that they would need to commit to not forcing him into a traditional kind of role and we've I've talked about this with the previous uh people we've had on for this episode but Vikings fans have fallen and fallen in love with Justin Jefferson and kind of his personality both on the field and off the field um Trelon has a very interesting personality from what I've read. I would love to get your thoughts on who he is as a person. He seems like just a really funny dude, kind of a, but quirky at the same time. So I'd love for you to describe him. Yeah. I mean, he's a really, really good kid.

He's always been a good talker. He's actually more soft-spoken than I think you would expect. Not in that he doesn't have a lot to say but just that he is literally just a little bit quiet um which is interesting but everybody's kind of gravitated toward this boar hunting story um and it's really funny because it's actually like that's like a thing here like i mean it's not like everybody's going out and hunting boars with their mom on the weekends like it's not like everybody's going out and hunting boars with their mom on the weekends. Like, it's not like that, but like my dad has done it. Like people, I mean, it's a thing that people do. But so everyone's kind of gravitated toward this, this boar hunting story. And it's really funny because he's just like such an Arkansas kid. And for those who, for those who don't know the boar hunting story, can you relay it a little bit to us? Yeah. Yeah. So he, he made a big splash.

I want to say it was at the combine. People were asking him about, you know, what he does for fun and things like that. And he, he's kind of a country boy. And he was talking about he's from Warren, Arkansas, which is in southern Arkansas. And he was talking about how he has gone boar hunt, like hunting wild boar. he talked to and people were like what does that like i didn't know you could do that you know all these nfl writers were like baffled by this um and it's basically you can go out and hunt boar you have to have you have dogs so these dogs go and they track down this boar and then you have like a kill dog that goes and like basically pins down this wild boar and then you you have to stab it you have to like it's not like shoot it's not like deer hunting you use knives um and he i think

he had a great quote about like how like you could use a gun but it's like not as fun and like you know so yes it's this really interesting wild story about him kind of going out and hunting these wild animals. And everybody was very baffled by this. And it was really funny. But I mean, and Coach Pittman has Sam Pittman, Arkansas's head coach, has been asked about it. And he described him. He's like, he's a really he's a country boy. And I think it kind of surprises some people.

Got it. Just in terms of confidence that you have in him working out in the NFL, like on a scale of one to 10, where do you, like if 10 is that best case scenario and one is, you know, probably doesn't get used right. Just probably struggles to catch fire. Like on that scale, where is your confidence that he just, you know, his average outcome, where would you think it would be?

I think I'm going to give him a seven, just because I think it'll really depend on, as we discussed, how a team decides to use him. And if they decide to, like we said, force him into a role that he doesn't really fit into, or if they're willing to kind of adapt their system or find a place for him and really work around him. So I think it'll really depend on a team's willingness to do that. But I think if he's put in a position to succeed, he definitely can. I mean, he is such a unique receiver as far as his build, his skill set. And I think that he could really add a new dynamic to a team that's willing to adapt to him for sure.

And then finally, before I let you go, any other small, like small Arkansas players who could go later in the rounds that Vikings fans should just keep an eye on if they see a name pop up or just people to keep on the radar that could go later in the rounds for Arkansas? Yeah, the one guy that I'm kind of keeping an eye on is cornerback Monteric Brown. He could go later. I think he led the SEC in interceptions. He had a really strong year for Arkansas. So I think he's somebody that has come up on some later round draft boards for teams that need a corner.

They had several guys participate in the combine. None of them had amazing showings, and I'm expecting a lot of them to sign as undrafted free agents. Fantastic. Well, Christina, thank you for joining me again. Christina Long is the Arkansas beat reporter for the Southwest Times record. Twitter handle is ChristinaLong00. Is that what it is?

Yep. So many Christina Longs. I never have to worry about it. But I'm sure hard to get the just regular Christina Long Twitter handle. So you can find her at ChristinaLong00. Thank you so much, Christina. Thanks, Paul.