Purple Insider - a Minnesota Vikings and NFL podcast - LIVE DRAFT COVERAGE: Reacting to first round; Picks 1-7

Episode Date: April 24, 2026

Matthew Coller is live breaking down the NFL Draft pick by pick and then giving a deep dive into the Minnesota Vikings' selections. We will have a check in from TCO Performance Center and Jonathan Harrison standing by to cover the draft buzz. The Purple Insider podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. Also, check out our sponsor HIMS at https://hims.com/purpleinsider Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everybody, welcome to the NFL draft on Purple Insider presented by Fandul. Happy to have everybody here. We have talked about this for weeks and weeks and weeks, and the night has finally arrived. The Minnesota Vikings on the clock in a couple hours with the 18th overall pick, but we will be breaking down every single draft selection on the way. We'll get your takes, your reactions, thoughts. we'll hear from Dane Mizatani from TCO Performance Center. Mani Hill is going to jump on later on in the evening.

And I've got a video essay to begin the show with that I'm going to bring you in just a second. I did want to make a quick request that in the chat, if we can avoid tipping the picks until they come on TV, that would be great because I'm trying to, for those who are just watching TV and then listening to me, not give away what they're seeing on television first. So I've got the TV here. I've got the beast from Dane Bruegler. I've got a draft board set up so we can show it to you. I've got profiles of every single player.

We're ready to go, man. So off we go. But I want to begin with an essay that I wrote and produced to try to capture the Minnesota Vikings' 2026 draft. So off we go. Let me begin our 2026 NFL draft coverage by asking, a question, how are we supposed to approach a draft that the Minnesota Vikings so desperately need to go their way? Vikings fans know all about anxiousness and nervous energy when it comes to these drafts. There have been selections in the past that have changed Minnesota sports

forever in a good way, and there have been picks that never turned out to be as good as everyone dreamed on draft night. The hits and misses have shaped Vikings' recent history as much as any other time in the franchise's existence. Just like in 1998 when picking Randy Moss put the Vikings in the driver's seat in the NFC, Justin Jefferson's fall down the board in 2020 and Christian Derasaw's slide in 2021 set the Vikings up with foundational stars to build around. Yet in recent drafts, they have come up short, putting them in a hole that they are still trying to climb out of.

Some recent picks gave them so much hope and yet so much uncertainty at the same time. One of the reasons that the Vikings are being led by a new general manager during tonight's draft is because of the failures of the past. Look up and down the depth chart and you won't find very many Quasi Adaflmenza draft picks that you can say are key pieces to the 2026 and beyond. That has to change now. The Vikings have uncertainty all over the roster after 2006 and even this season as well. Who's on the offensive line? Who's in the backfield? Who's playing tight end?

Who's on the D-line? Edge rusher, corner, safety, all over the roster. Brzeinsky, Kevin O'Connell, and Brian Flores would love to solve all of these current and future issues in round one, but that's not how the draft works. And that's what makes the Vikings situation tonight so interesting. Are the Vikings going to make a big swing for the 2026 roster? Is Kevin O'Connell going to push for play?

who can help right away because he's under pressure following the Sam Darnold debacle. Or will Brzezinski, a longtime employee of the franchise, urge the front office to look toward the future? Brian Flores returned to the Vikings after a contract debate this off-season? Does he have more sway upon his return, or will they keep asking him to squeeze the most blood out of the stone? He has only had one top 100 draft picks since he arrived at TCO performance. Center in 2023.

Are the Vikings going to view this as a trial period for the next GM? Will Brzezinski's impression on the front office and ownership make all the difference? Will the owners be studying how he manages the board? Those are just some of the questions facing the Vikings. Are they interested in Oregon safety Dylan Thinemann after everyone in the mock draft universe connected him with the Vikings this off-season? Does Harrison Smith's uncertain status impact that decision-making? making. Could they make an aggressive move up the draft board to pick one of the only few

blue chip players in the draft or will somebody trade down with them? Is Jonathan Granard still on the table for a potential trade and what would it take for a team to get him or could he be a chip in a bigger move? What about all the potential targets and all the questions that follow? Dermad McCoy reportedly has a knee issue but he might be the best cornerback in the draft. Akeem Messador is 25 years of old, but he demolished college football last year. Spencer Fanow has short arms. Some of the wide receivers supposedly aren't fast enough or supposedly aren't tough enough or don't give good enough interviews or whatever critique it might be. There's a tight end who has the most freakish

combine out there but didn't catch as many passes as you might expect last year. His range of outcomes is as wide as any player in the draft. And then there's other team's questions that will impact the Vikings. The Giants are now picking twice in the top 10 after dealing for Dexter Lawrence. Will Jeremiah Love make it to them? Will they rebuild on their defense with some Ohio State talent or do they have different plans? Will any other quarterback be taken in the first round? Will the teams before the Vikings take the players that they might covet the most? Will the Lions improve their O-line? Will the Bears improve their D-line? The drama and the domino effects of the NFL draft are unmatched, my friends.

The energy is high as the Vikings have four picks out of the top 100 this year and opportunities to maybe get even more. So we find out where it all begins tonight. Welcome everyone to Purple Insiders coverage of the 2006 NFL draft. Let's go. Football. And off we go, folks, into the NFL draft, 2006 and the Minnesota Vikings are in such an interesting and unique spot.

When we have looked at all the mocks, they have one particular player that has loaded up for most people's pick, and that is Dylan Thineman. And I wanted to bring you a couple different things here before we get fully into it. And we'll start to get your takes as the picks are coming off the board and all that. We'll have a really good time. But Dylan Thineman has been the main discussion around the Minnesota Vikings. and I saw, I don't know, 15 more mocks come out today with Thineman to the Minnesota Vikings. If you missed it, Chris Trapasso, great draft analyst formerly of CBS Sports, does the Chris

Trapasso draft show each week leading up to the draft here on Purple Insider. We talked about Dylan Thineman's fit with the Vikings. And even though it's gotten a little bit dull, and even though I've pushed back against the idea at times, Chris said he likes the idea. So was Dylan Thineman. and I feel like even though it is a new general manager, Rob Brzezinski's been in the Vikings organization for a long time. He, among everyone that's been there in Minnesota,

knows the presence and the impact and the value of having maybe a low positional value guy at safety, but what he can do to your defense when you have that player that is really a game changer. And Heritin Smith has been that guy for over a decade. So I think if he's there, he will be the pick for the Vikings. but you might win that hedging a little bit because he just might not be there because he's that good of a prospect. Safety's and off ball linebackers. I mean,

we have just not seen that many go. And I always, I probably said it 10 times on this show the last five years. Like, oh man, how did Durwin James fall? How did Kyle Hamilton fall? Those were like universally considered like top three to top five overall players in their

respective classes. And they both went in the teens. And that maybe will speak ultimately to what happens with Dylan Thieneman. But 18 would be right in. that range. So the question is, will the Vikings take Dylan Thinemann because he fits an immediate need and is a very good prospect? Or will they look toward 2007, tackle, wide receiver, edge rusher, even corner, you could say they don't need a starting player there right now. Roger Goodell is headed, by the way, to the stage at this moment. So time to get in your,

your final takes right before the draft officially begins. And thank you to P. Gellick and Pizza guy for the super chats. Not necessary, but very much appreciated. If you guys want to throw those in there tonight during the epic coverage. And yes, several of you have asked, I am well loaded up with Diet Dr. Pepper's this evening. We'll also get, you know, Dane Mizatani in here, Mani Hill. So it won't be just me and you for the entire night. And producer Jonathan Harrison is keeping an eye on reaction and breaking news.

And he will pop in when we have those things as well. So to the 2027 question, I asked that of the acting general manager, Rob Bersinski, earlier this week at his pre-draft press conference. And let's just say I was able to maybe use an eyebrow raise after listening to his answer. Rob, when it comes to 2027 now to the future, you've kind of mentioned that a few times when we've chatted with you. How difficult is it when you're going into a draft to try to project a year forward, even though you know that whoever you bring in, will need development time and things like that. Like how do you weigh the future projections?

We were just in a meeting before we came down here, and that's part of it. You're always trying to balance that. And such a big thing in our league is having a path for your draft picks to play, especially your early picks. You know, you want them on the field. And that's ideal. But there's also a world where you have to identify what the role is, year one, but also what the bigger picture is, you know, down the line.

And so it's always a balance. And that's what we're talking about what our needs are, you know, in 2026. And then what our needs are in 2027 are two very different things. And so it's a, you know, it's a process of, you know, balancing those two things. So there was Rob Berzinski answering my question. I wonder about how they have balanced those two things over the last couple of weeks, analyzing where they're going to go. Officially, I want to say, if the Vikings do get Dylan Thineman, it will kind of be like

seeing your Christmas present before it gets opened, but at the same time, it's an N64, so you're going to like it. I think that Dylan Thineman is an excellent prospect who would fit really, really well with the Minnesota Vikings. I like to deep dive into team building, numbers, free agency, all those things. And there's a lot swimming in my head when it comes to that when analyzing the idea of drafting a safety. But at the same time, he is a very, very good football player.

and we'll see if he even ends up being on the board when the Minnesota Vikings get there. So let's get your guys' thoughts as we fire this up. And I'm assuming at some point very soon they will announce Fernando Mendoza. But right now on the broadcast, it's pompant circumstance. I see Heinz Ward. We got all the Pittsburgh stuff. So we've got time for some takes and some questions as we start to get into it. So where to begin?

Where to begin? Right away with football, Matt. No more garbage draft picks. You know, it's funny you say that because really that was the center of my essay, I think, was kind of about how like this is such a huge draft for the Minnesota Vikings that you put it very bluntly there in your comment, but I kind of said the same thing that they have done well early in the draft in recent years. Donovan Jackson was a hit immediately last year.

Dallas Turner took a big step forward. You have Jordan Addison, who on the field has turned into a really good football player. But when it comes to the bigger picture of the draft, they have not been successful as a franchise building through the draft. And when you look around and you start to do the math and you come up with maybe four or five players that they've drafted that are even on the roster and look like they're ready to make a serious impact unless there's big steps forward from some under. drafted free agents. I mean, has really been a lot of the guys who have filled out the back end of the roster. It's not just tonight.

It's really the entire draft where they need to come away with starters right away and for the future foundational players. And then they also need to come away with just some solid role players, some guys that have potential. You go back to 2020, I believe it was when Josh Mattelis was drafted. It wasn't until 2023 that he became a good player for them. And almost the same thing could be said for.

somebody like Cam Bynum. I know those are Rick picks, but that shows you that one draft has repercussions into the future. And you need to have players that have a possibility of developing. And they really haven't had the patience with those players or drafted guys that have seemed to have that potential in recent years. Pizza, Gary says, please no tweeners reaches undersized. He went, he went earlys or trade downs within reason. I mean, okay. so there's some exceptions there.

Reaches kind of depends on the opinion, I suppose. Who is declaring it a reach? Are we talking about versus consensus boards, versus mocks, versus analysts? So reaches are tough to put a finger on sometimes. tweeners can be good at times depending on the right guy. Like, Caldrick Falk is kind of a tweener between a defensive tackle and outside linebacker, but I actually think he's a good football player and might be able to be a good contributor at one of those spots.

And the trade downs within reason I totally agree with because there is a scenario for the Minnesota Vikings tonight where they get to 18 and there's just a lot of opportunity on the board to move down and pick up extra draft capital. And we were just talking about they don't just need stars and starters. They also need role players and developing guys that maybe two or three years from now could also be something. You can get more shots at that. by trading down.

So there's always an exception to every rule. Oh, and the undersized guys, if it's the Angelo Ponds, then you could take that one away because the Indiana corner is one of my favorite players in the draft, despite not being the exact perfect size. There have been other players, Antoine Winfield, John Randall, throughout history of the Minnesota Vikings that weren't the perfect size, but they were great football players. So exceptions to every rule, but a lot of options on the board for the Minnesota

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restrictions, and important safety information. Just another dude says the first time I saw Thinem and mocked to Minnesota, I absolutely hated it. And once I watched his tape and saw a million mocks taking him, now it's going to be weird if we don't. I totally agree with that. It is going to be a little bit weird. if the Vikings don't end up taking Dylan Thinnaman because I think probably in the future,

if that happens, by the way, the Raiders are on the clock right now. If that does not happen for the Vikings, if they don't get Thinaman in the future when they play him, I will absolutely refer to him as one-time Minnesota Viking because I've never seen anything like it. I really haven't. I mean, you go back to last year, a lot of people were mocking the Vikings' offensive linemen. And Donovan Jackson was thrown out there.

I think actually Kuiper was one of the ones that had Donovan Jackson. But it wasn't like there were 4,700 analysts who were all picking the same guy. It does, just in my brain, make me want to think, all right, like, what's, there's got to be a way to, like, figure out what this means, right? Does this mean that everybody knows the same thing or that everybody is kind of just lazily throwing number 18 in there because it's not a very sexy draft pick? but you're right. I think during this time, there's a lot of attachment almost to the idea of Dylan Thinemann. Doomers says going to be a long year of speculating who will be on the roster in 2027 and regretting not pushing the pedal all the way down in 2006. That is possible. But also, I might say that we could look at the way Rob Brzezinski has handled this offseason. And we might end up

be saying, well, it's a good thing that they didn't move this pick or that pick or trade up or trade for Dexter Lawrence or whatever else it might be to sacrifice the future. I don't know what the right decision was because we can't go ahead and jump in our crystal ball and look five years in the future and see how it played out because they could have moved more money this year. They could have extended more contracts and done more restructuring and things like that to sign a couple more free agents. And I don't actually know if they could have gotten Dexter Lawrence.

The 10th overall pick is pretty darn valuable that the Cincinnati Bengals were willing to give up. But maybe if you gave up enough other draft capital, but then you're kind of doing the same thing that they had done to get themselves in this position right here, right now. So maybe they'll end up in the playoffs and you'll say, gosh, if you just had that one more defensive tackle, or maybe two years from now, you'll say, thank goodness you didn't give up the 18th overall pick because Dylan Thinemann became a four-time Pro Bowl or something like that. So we don't know, right?

But that's the way that they've decided to handle it is with more of a long-term approach. And what I'm thinking about is how that might impact the number 18 overall draft pick. P. Gulloch, I appreciate you and the Diet Dr. Pepper Fund. Thank you. Five bucks buys like one Diet Dr. Pepper these days. So, I don't know when we find out if Minneapolis gets the draft bid. I actually, I actually don't know. Glad you guys enjoyed the intro.

I appreciate that. That was a lot of fun to put together. Dan says first choice is Kenyon Sadiq. Second is Thinaman. If both gone, then trade down. Of course, it takes a team wanting to trade up. But there are a couple positions that might make that interesting, which is wide receiver and offensive tackle. If they start to go off, the board.

And then the Vikings are sitting on a spot where there's a wide receiver or an offensive tackle to be taken. Then we might end up seeing a team say, we need that receiver, we need that tackle. We're going to jump up and make a play with the Vikings. Here comes Roger Goodell to make the first pick of the 2006 draft. And this one is the only pick that was mocked more often than the Vikings and Dylan Thineman. That would be Fernando Mendoza. So Roger Goodell announces the first overall draft pick in the 2000 and, whoops, I clicked the wrong button. In the 2006 NFL draft is indeed Fernando Mendoza.

The Heisman winner, one of PFF's top quarterbacks, 41 touchdowns to six picks, and the national champion quarterback, 6 foot 5, 230-something pounds. And with the Raiders specifically, they have all. already done a lot to put Fernando Mendoza in a positive position, which the Raiders franchise has not done very often for literally anyone to put them in a good spot to succeed. And Mendoza now gets to come into an organization with a coach who has been around a lot of different organizations, a lot of different coaches. He just won the Super Bowl with an excellent organization in Seattle. he was in Minnesota before.

He was in San Francisco before talking about Clint Kubiak. And then right away, I know it's a meme and I know it's been a bit of a laughing stock, but right away, they go and get Kirk Cousins to be the bridge quarterback there, which I think just could not be better for Fernando Mendoza. Kirk knows the offense inside and out. And I think he's also at a point in his career where he is willing to look at himself and say, I can be a mentor. I don't have to be the guy who is QB1 who says it's not about the dollars, it's what the dollars represent and that sort of thing.

He doesn't have to be that anymore. He can actually work with Fernando Mendoza to get him up to speed. And when he's ready to play, then he's ready to play. And when they can build the line, when they can build the receiving core and get their running game going with Ashton Gentie, then Fernando Mendoza will be ready to start. So I think that they're handling this the right way, getting serious as an organization. And I also think that Mendoza has a higher ceiling than some people think because he is not mobile. He's not a scrambler.

But he is huge. And that really is the difference between him and Kirk, that he's Daniel Jones type size and accurate and very intelligent and very diligent. And that stuff plays in the NFL. So I think he's been kind of treated as a. second tier type of QB1, which I would have said that a lot more about Cam Ward than about Fernando Mendoza. It's been a meteoric rise for him this last year. But when you look at the way that he's developed the skill set with arm talent, toughness, intelligence, if he can run Kinkubiak's

offense, he's going to have a lot of success. So here's a look at our draft board for this evening where I'll be filling in the picks and, uh, trades and whatever else may come. So Fernando Mendoza to the Las Vegas Raiders and this is a stick to the model.com. By the way, if any of you want to, uh, toy around with that. So the least surprising pick ever in the history of ever. And, uh, we'll get your guys reactions and thoughts to that. And, uh, also, Dane Mizatani is supposed to join the show at some point here, uh, soon. And we'll get him in from T.

TCL Performance Center. Oh, actually, we have Dane. So let me get Dane here dialed up on the show just after Fernando Mendoza was picked. And we'll see what happens with the New York Jets. And we'll keep you updated on each pick while also talking plenty of Minnesota Vikings. So tonight, an interesting night, Dane Mizatani, welcome back into the show. An interesting night at TCO Performance Center. Dane, do you expect to be waiting around for a long time?

as in trade down? Do you expect to be sitting there at 18 and the Vikings stick and pick? Do you expect that have you pre-written your Dylan Thineman drafted by the Vikings article yet? What's your sense there? Yeah, I feel like we're going to be making this pick in two hours. I think they're sticking and picking at 18. I understand obviously the idea of trading back. If maybe you have 12 guys that you love and they're all gone by the time.

18 rolls around. I just like it feels to me like everybody is saying that that kind of mushy middle of the first round is all the same. So it's not always like do the Vikings want to move back? It's does somebody else want to move up to 18? And it kind of just feels like the talent across the board is pretty similar right now. So I think they're sticking and picking at 18. I hope they're sticking and picking at 18 because I mean, shoot, like like trading back 14 picks

to 32. would just elongate the night. And I think we're all ready to figure out if it's Dylan Theanman or if it's somebody else. I know I predicted Dylan Theanman on the pod because I am a subscriber to Group Think. But I'm very curious who it will be. It's obviously something that will shape the future of this franchise as we know it. Well, you know, Group Think or Wisdom of Crowds. It kind of depends which one.

And look, I think everybody makes a lot of sense. when they're putting Dylan Thineman and the Minnesota Vikings together, which just now, David Bailey of Texas Tech is the number two overall draft pick, the pass rusher who had some of the best numbers in college football this year. And oddly enough, wears nothing on his arms or hands. It looks very, very weird for somebody who's being drafted number two overall. But both teams at the top making some sense here with the New York Jets,

just taking the best pass rusher. That's the type of player that you build. around long term. But I played earlier on the show, Dane Rob Brasinski's answer about 2007 and potential options that they could look at that aren't necessarily to fill needs right away. Now, the interesting part about that is that you can make an argument that there's almost every position on the field. If you open the door to 2027, it's like very, very clever, Rob. That gives us no idea what you're talking about because safety makes sense short term and long term. but there are a few positions that only make sense for 2027.

Tackle is one of them. Corner is sort of 50-50 because they have starting corners, but they don't have much depth there. And wide receiver is another one where certainly you can always have another wide receiver at the inn because you can target those guys and rotate those guys, but it's not an immediate need when you're picking up Jordan Addison's fifth year option. So if I told you, if I went forward in time three hours and then came, back. It told you, Dane, they didn't pick a safety. What would you say they must have picked

that? See, I wasn't going to come on here and change my pick because I'll stand on business that I took Dylan Thineman in a moment of pressure 72 hours ago in the same room. But I think if you fast forward three hours and tell me they stayed at 18. They did not take him. I don't know if he's going to be there. But if he is, I think it's because they took Kenyon Sadiq. And that's the name. I said it earlier this week. That popped in my head when Rob Brzeinski said just because they won't be a contributor in 2026 doesn't mean they can't be a cornerstone in 27. That sounded like Kenyan Sadiq to me. The problem with that obviously is he has to get past the Los Angeles Rams, who run 13 personnel almost exclusively now it feels like.

He has to get past the Baltimore Ravens. He has to get past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But I ran a few mocks like everybody has, and I've looked at almost all the mocks that I, at my disposal. And Kenyon, Sadiq gets to 18 a lot of the time. So I could see that. I think it would make sense. I think that probably fits more into the kind of type cast of player that you were talking about, where it's almost exclusively for 2027.

I think if they took Kenyon Sadiq, they'd obviously find ways to get him the ball. And they'd find ways to make that pick worthwhile. in the short term. But I think if you're making that pick, it's because you're projecting out, you're giving him kind of a slow ramp way. It was the cliche, and the cliche is kind of gone by the wayside as tight ends have hit the ground running immediately in the NFL, but it was before you're learning two positions. It's really hard to make an impact right away. Well, if they were to take him, T.J. Hawkinson is still under contract. Obviously, it feels like he's downturning in his career, but maybe he can channel something for 2026 and then you can kind of have a full

runway for Kenyon Sadiq to hit the ground running in 2027. So if they do what Rob Prasinski has said and take the best player available, and he's the best player available, I think it could be him. There was a particular word that Rob used that made me think maybe it is him. And that was unique. And when he said, Unique, I thought, you know, there really is no tight end who is exactly like Kenyon Sadiq. It actually even rhymes with unique. But there are not guys who are 240 pounds that run 4-3-9s. Most of the time, those guys are actually like outside linebackers or something.

And I think he had a 43-inch vertical. And this is just unreal athletic stuff. And he did lead Oregon and receiving, but didn't have crazy, crazy numbers like you might expect for someone that athletic. outside of how I put it this way. I think Sadiq is the one that would scare people the most because he is more of a projection. And I think Thinaman would be the pick

that everyone would feel the safest about. Like, okay, you just got your regular guy and he's going to slot right in and it should be fine. If I was looking for a safe player and a risky player that were not those two, then who would you have in mind? I think like a safe player that probably wouldn't get people really that excited,

but he's probably going to be a pretty good player in the NFL. Just with the tape, like we've seen, the projections of what we've heard is a guy like Katie McDonald from Ohio State. Like, I think he could come in and be like a two-down guy right away that could make an impact in the interior of the defensive line. Like, it's not sexy. I don't think it would get people super jacked up. and you know screw those plus 550 fan dual projections i'm i'm betting the viking to win the nfc north

but i think he would be a safe player um that could contribute on defense i think like the opposite out of that spectrum like somebody that would make people a little nervous or just like i guess he this what i'm about to say also fits into like the safe category but it would be polarizing is if one of the tackles fell like if a spencer fano fell if a Monroe Freeling fell. Like, I think that would bother people because I think fans want any first round pick, like, but certainly, you know, number 18 and after we've talked about it for so long, they want that guy to have a pathway to the field right away so you can get excited about them.

Not only would you be drafting an offensive lineman, which never gets people that excited. Like Donovan Jackson, good player. I don't think people were jazzed up about that pick last year. you would basically be saying unless you're going to like trade brian o'neill or cut him like that this guy we take at 18 is not going to play until next year so right i guess i listed two safe players but i think i think if you were to walk away from the draft and spencer fano fell and some people think he's the best tackle in the draft and if you get him at 18 like probably just do it i don't know how excited people would necessarily be in the short term, though in the long term, I think it could be maybe the best pick on the board for them. Real quick, thanks to Ronan for the super chat. Appreciate that. And the number three overall pick is in and already a little bit of a surprise.

The buzz started to gain over the last couple days. Jeremiah Love to the Arizona Cardinals who continue to not really have any idea what they're doing. And this feels like a lot of Ashton Genty to the Raiders, where you are several years early on this draft pick. This is Ricky Williams going to the New Orleans Saints, not with the huge trade, but the superstar running back to the horrible team is a very tough sell for me. And they are in a really, really tough spot. The Cardinals are in their rebuild. And they add a running back to the backfield. We've seen a lot of these guys, Christian McCaffrey and Carolina and Seekwon Barkley, where they went to bad organizations.

And they ended up being bigger stars in other places than they did for those teams. and even Bejohn Robinson, as great as he's been, their team has not made the playoff since they drafted Bejohn Robinson. So already a bit of an odd pick from a team building perspective, but all those dreams of Jeremiah love going to the Minnesota Vikings in a trade up. Nope, so much for that, Dane. Actually, I was talking to some people earlier. I went on the radio in South Dakota earlier.

You know, Nate Brown, great guy. Yeah, yeah. He was like, would they try? trade up. I don't think they would trade up unless Jeremiah Love somehow got to like 10. I said, I don't think he's getting to 10. He's certainly not getting to 10 now. Like it was a fun thing to talk about for a while because I do think getting into kind of like the psychology of the run game and Kevin O'Connell and the way he is going to be willing to rely on it that you probably need like a generational talent in that backfield for him to be comfortable

giving that guy the ball on second and 10 staring down the barrel of third and long. So, Jeremy, I love, he was always the pipe dream. Seemed like that thing went away pretty quick tonight. But what about Caleb Downs? Is that possible, you think? See, I don't think so because I think, like, some people have him as the best player in the draft. Like, if he's there, yeah, take him. Like, that would be, like, you'd feel kind of multiple buckets there, box check multiple.

boxes there because people think you need a safety, you do need a safety, and he's a special talent. There's always a guy every year, often multiple guys that are supposed to be high draft picks, and then they fall, and then they fall, and then it's really sad because they're in the green room and they're still falling. I didn't think it was going to be Jeremiah Love. It's not. I didn't, I don't think it's going to be Caleb Downs. Maybe, like, if the medicals aren't, aren't right for a guy like Jordan Tyson. Like maybe he'd be there for you at 18. But there's also been steam that certain teams love him.

So in a couple of hours, we'll know who that guy was that fell. I just don't think it'll be down. I am interested to see where Jermad McCoy ends up and whether there's been smoke screening in regards to his medicals because oftentimes, as you mentioned, guys will slide down and we won't hear anything about it until after the draft. and then it's like, oh, okay, that's why that guy slid. But this was pre-draft and everyone seemed to know about his knee injury. So how serious is that really or how much is somebody putting it out there?

Like, you better stay away from him because he needs to get to number 18. Not that I'm accusing the Vikings of doing that. So he's on my radar. One more thing before you head back to the media room there. Dane is Rob Brzezinski in his handling of this draft tonight. My confidence in Rob is extremely high in handling a circumstance like this because, well, one, I mean, even just the way that he is talked to us and presented himself as a general manager, I have bought it. I mean, I've felt very much like this is a guy who understands how to be in charge of these rooms and understands the discussions that need to be had, the pitfalls that could potentially befall a team that doesn't put their board the right way or make the right process. in route to getting their board set.

But how do you feel like Rob is going to approach this that might be different from things we've heard in the past from Quasi Adolfo Menzel? Yeah, I do think he's going to lean heavily on his experts. I think he has expertise in this field. He's been doing this in some way, shape, or form since 1999, at least for the Vikings. He's knowledgeable. He's a great talent and evaluator. He's not just some cap guru.

who hangs out in his office and crunches numbers. Like I think he has a good eye for talent as well. But I think he understands his shortcomings and understands that like some of these guys around him or some of these guys and girls around him. This is their job. They go out there. They scout. They're boots on the ground in these areas. And listening to Rob talk and I think this kind of just speaks to his leadership.

But I also think it somewhat tips his hands. about how he's going to handle this is he he's talked a lot about just being grateful to work with with the entire collection of of people that the vikings have so i think first and foremost my my confidence level and rob would be rooted in the fact that i don't think he's going to just try and galaxy brain this thing and prove he's the smartest guy in the room um which i i like quacy i thought he like when we did get to talk to him we didn't get to talk to him very often but like when we did, he came across as somebody like that I might get along with outside of the building. But like, I think there was an element of I have every answer. And sometimes that

maybe tended to get away from just the process of what you've done up until this point. And I think that's interesting because I think like we'll turn the page on Saturday on the 26 NFL draft. And these people will start working on the 27 NFL draft. It's a it's a constant cycle. all the information that Rob has at his disposal, I think he will use, which gives me confidence. And the last thing I would say is just the way he's talked about just being objective, about the draft board stacking it, just objectivity is a word he's used since he took over for Quasidavamensa. And he explained it in a way the other day earlier this week, which I thought was a real kind of good insight into, the way teams fail sometimes is that if you don't stack the board objectively,

if you are trying to angle for this player, you're just going to see what you want to see from certain guys. And I think the Vikings might have done that at times over the past four years. Like, well, this guy is a talent I like. Let's move him a little higher because he feels a need. And I feel a certain way about him. I don't think Rob Brzezinski's going to let that happen. I think his skills as a leader in that room will,

allow hard conversations to be had, but ultimately at the end of the day, at 18, a consensus to be made. And then for the other eight picks in the draft, obviously they could trade some, and maybe it's not a nine-pick draft. But for every pick they make, I think they will have reached a consensus because of Rob. I have a ton of confidence in how he's going to handle this and whether he's going to be the guy to oversee the rise of these guys. We'll see. They'll do a GM searched pretty intently and pretty, I think, expeditiously right after the draft. But this is Rob's time to shy and I think he will. I think trust is probably the key word from the front office, the coaches in Rob Brzezinski

based on his experience and leadership skill. Carnell Tate goes number four to the Tennessee Titans. That was one that not many people mocked Tate that high. But surprisingly, I think the Tennessee Titans just made a really good move to get a top weapon for their quarterback who had basically nothing to work with last year. Dane Mizatani from TCO Performance Center. Go get yourself ready for the big trade up that the Vikings are going to do for Caleb Downs or something here in a few minutes.

Thanks so much for popping on and for all the times that you've come on through this whole process, NFL Combine, Owners meetings, press conferences, breaking it all down with me. I appreciate you, man. And we'll be talking again very soon. If they trade up for Caleb Downs, I'll hop back on on an emergency basis. It's a deal. Thanks, Dave. Have a good one.

All right, there you go. Dane Mizatani, the Pioneer Press. Carnal Tate is indeed the fourth overall draft pick. And thank you to Blue Stork for the super chat and says have not been paying attention since the end of the season. What basic should I go going into tonight? I would say Blue Stork, just sit back and enjoy the ride because I can't. tell you everything right now. That's that's the best I could do. Let me get, let me get Jonathan Harrison in here because we have some breaking news in the draft. We've got

a trade up. Another one that had been signaled a lot leading into this. Jonathan, what do we got for a trade up? Yeah, Ian Rappaport reporting, Browns and chiefs are deep in talks on a trade to send Kansas City up to number six overall in Cleveland back to number nine. Okay, do we have any sense of what they would be doing that for? I mean, Arvel Reese is still on the board. He was a guy that was projected to go number two overall, number three, number four. I mean, everywhere at the top. And he and Sonny Stiles both on the board still, Caleb Downs, still on the board at the moment.

It seems like they would be doing this for defense because there doesn't look like there's a wide receiver that would be potentially in the mix. Yeah, unless you're reaching for Tyson, but that feels a little bit early at this point. But yeah, that trade is official now. Everybody else reporting it, it field Yates Adam chapter. So chiefs now at number six now. Okay. All right. Very interesting.

Thank you, Jonathan Harrison. Jonathan will be paying close attention to everything going on with trades, breaking news, stuff like that as we go throughout the night and also reaction. as well, that we'll get when we get to maybe after about 10 picks, we'll see what Jonathan's been seeing as far as reaction, because I can't read your messages, watch TV, talk to you, and look at Twitter at the same time.

I know I'll try to be better. I will try to be better. Let's take a look at the board and what the board looks like currently. Now, in that number six slot is instead of Cleveland, it is now the Kansas City Chiefs. So the best players available at this moment, Arvel Reese, Caleb Down, Sunny Stiles, all three Ohio State players. Ruben Bain as well is one of the most interesting prospects in this draft.

And they gave up number 74 and 141 to move up. So that may give us a little bit of an indication of what the price tag might be if a team wants to move up with the Vikings at some point in the draft. Like would it be a late second or an early third? But best players on the board, Ruben Bain is one of the first. the most interesting in this entire draft because he does have shorter arms and he is a little bit of a tweener, but he had tremendous, tremendous production this year for Miami. And anybody who watched college football, you would have watched Rubin Bain and said, this guy is a monster.

And once we get into the draft season, sometimes it feels like we're just overthinking this. But at the same time, he would have basically the shortest arms of any person. to play that position, which makes you think that the NFL might hesitate. They do that sometimes when it comes to stuff like this. So we're going to find out very shortly who the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to get. But right now the New York Giants are on the board with their first of two top 10 draft picks. And I think if you're the Giants, you are absolutely thrilled because you can get any of those Ohio State guys that you want. you could get Bain.

The options are all over the place for them to continue to build up their defense. Bain might not quite fit with their defensive ends unless he was going to play D.T. But the other guys, linebackers, they're a little bit weak there. Safety they could use another guy. So the New York Giants have plenty of options here. But nothing has been different than expected in terms of the players. Maybe the order has already been not what we expected. because you have Jeremiah love going so high, and a lot of people had him four,

and then Carnell Tate going higher than he was expected to go. But these players were expected to be top 10. So nothing shocking yet so far. So let's get back to your guys' reactions. Matt says, seem like Bain won on speed against bad tackles most of the time. NFL guys will get hands on him and the short arms will show up. I think that that might be true for a guy who was like the 20th best prospect. I don't know if that'll be true for someone like Ruben Bain.

Like arm length definitely matters, but it feels like it's a thing that could be overrated that his quickness against bigger guys, his power, his motor, his determination. And I think we also know this about this year's draft is that, you know, these guys are not going to be perfect. It's not a blue chip draft. It's not 1998 where you have Charles Woodson and Peyton Manning or something like that. This is a draft where you have to hold your nose a little bit when you make these picks. Like you just have to kind of do that sometimes where it's going to be like, well, he's not going to be perfect.

And this goes for 18 too. The guy's not going to be perfect. And yet you're also, you know, maybe going to find someone who can really help your team. So if Rubin Bain turned into a plus run defender who got. seven or eight sacks a year, that might end up being good for this draft. The New York Giants going with Arvel Reese with the number five overall pick. So it will be fascinating to see what they decide to do in terms of Arvel Reese's role. Will he be an edge rusher?

I don't think so because they have Brian Burns and they have Abdul Carter, who they picked last year. And here's the thing about the New York Giants. So they've been a comedy act. No question about it for a very long time. Now that John Harbaugh is there and they just traded for more draft capital and they've just got another young prospect. I mean, how many top prospects can they stack together? If Jackson Dart turns out to be decent, Arvel Reese, Abdul Carter, Malik neighbors,

I mean, this team is getting stacked with top talent if they can make it work. So kind of the, we've talked about this before on the show through the years like the accidental tank and it feels like they have kind of gone through a little bit of the accidental tank like they never meant to be here but here they are so the sixth pick is going to be the Kansas City Chiefs and we'll find out momentarily who they traded up to get the best players on the board right now Caleb Downs sunny styles Rubin Bain Mansour Delane is an interesting one Francis Maui Noah Spencer Fanoe Mackay Lemon the fact that that Carnell Tate went early might be some sort of indicator that wide receivers could go earlier.

Let's take a quick look at the Fandul odds and they are updating as we go along. So they've got right now number 9 through 16 pick in terms of odds. And I'm curious who they think could get to the Vikings. Like the number 16 players that they're mentioning on the odds here on Fandul are Omar Cooper Jr. Vega, Youani, Dylan Thineman, Mackay Lemon, Caden Proctor, Kenyon Sadiq, all those players. I mean, if all those players dropped to 16, then that means that somebody is going to end up being there at number 18 for the Vikings. But we'll see who the Chiefs trade up for. Again, still, it's chalky, but not exactly how everyone expected it.

And that's why the mock drafts are a lot of fun. But sometimes it's like, you just don't know. You just don't know. there was hints late in the process that Arizona would do it. I was actually surprised because I thought that is a classic smokescreen, classic smokescreen that they're trying to get someone to trade up to three, but then they did it. And that's the one pick that I would not say is the best in terms of team building.

I think the rest of these make a lot of sense versus what the teams have done. So there's what your board looks like so far and we'll keep you up to date on the best players available. in the draft. And we will have Jonathan check in if we have any updates on trades or moves up. It was thought to be a draft that would be kind of filled with trades and different moves. And as of this, we get, you know, one big trade right there. So, uh, Rochambeau makes a good point. Yeah, Carter, Reese Burns and Tibido.

There's word about potentially trading Tibido. but I mean, I guess maybe if the Vikings trade Jonathan Grenard, that was out there earlier today where there were a few people saying, hey, the odds are very high that they move Jonathan and Granard. I'm curious what you guys think of that because so far, we have not heard of that happening. And I kind of don't expect that to happen tonight because I'm thinking that it would be much more of a tomorrow thing for the Vikings to get draft capital for, day two. But if they were to get day one draft capital from the Philadelphia Eagles, that would

be incredible return if they could do it that way. But there is a little bit of, for me, with the Giants, now that they have a real head coach and they can start turning around the culture, a little bit of jealousy because the way that they've built their team is through the young foundation that if it works, it's going to work for a really long time. And it doesn't always and drafting Arvel Reese doesn't guarantee anything, but man, they've got a lot of high draft picks that they are building around. Hunter picking up a third from the Browns and a fifth, only moving back three spots. And, you know, if later on in the draft, if the Vikings can pick up a third, even if you don't

get the fifth to move back three or four or five spots, I think they would be in great shape to do that. Bill's is always great to finally reach the draft after months of mocking. You're absolutely right, my friend. It is a ball to finally get these picks coming in and get the results after having so much speculation. Not that I don't enjoy the pre-draft process, but I was very ready this week. If Raj wants to move it back by a week, feel free, my friend. Garrett says, what do you think the odds are that Granard gets moved today?

No way we get a first for him. I agree as the Chief's pick is in, they traded up for Mansour Delane, the cornerback from LSU. Again, another player that was consistently mocked in the top 10, but was not necessarily mocked to go this high. And what we're already seeing is a lot of positional value here. And this is why I talked about it so much leading up to the draft is that the NFL is doing a lot of work with the data. they've talked about it a little bit in press conferences. They've done a lot of studying of what brings the most value. What is the hardest positions to replace?

They've all seen this stuff. And so we see a corner. The edge rusher go ahead of the off ball linebacker. And then we'll see if Reese becomes kind of a hybrid there. But almost all of these picks, especially the two that have gone earlier, are those premier positions. And Caleb Downs on Fandul was over under nine and a half. for his spot.

So, you know, they got a sense for it heading up to the draft that maybe downs might not go quite as high as he was projected. But I don't know that anyone had Mansour Delane being taken this high in the draft. But they, the chiefs badly needed a corner. Both of their starting corners left actually for the Rams this offseason with the trade and then free agent signing. So they needed a guy. They needed a dude.

And Mansour Delane has the best chance. becoming a shutdown corner of which there are so few in the NFL these days. Thank you to Julian and to Skull, Seattle for the Super Chats. Appreciate that. Is Washington taking Sunny Stiles here? That's a good question because now, Stiles, who was incredibly impressive at the NFL Combine, is on the board for a team that desperately needs defense.

And this is where I am curious. about how the defensive players end up playing out. Because if all the defensive players come off the board, then, you know, you might end up seeing Dylan Thineman go earlier than he is expected. That, that I think is possible, right? If the defensive players go off the board and, let's say, Sunny Stiles goes here, then the Dallas Cowboys might get to number 12 and say, we need a top defensive player.

Let's go Dylan Thineman. But they are the Dallas Cowboys, so are they going to do something flashy instead? Eric, a long time listener, first time commenter. Well, welcome, Eric. Appreciate you joining. Anything telling for the Vikings yet are too far out to tell. Are we looking to trade up? The only thing that I would say is a little bit Vikings related because all these players so far,

everyone just had different orders, but everyone had these players going in the top 10. It's just I'm not sure anyone had Kansas City. trading up for Mansour Delane or even necessarily Jeremiah love going to the Cardinals until two days ago when that started to percolate and I guess people got good information there. So there wasn't much expectation in mocks that this is exactly how it would play out, but yet these are all the players that we didn't expect to be there for the Vikings. Where it becomes a little bit interesting is if let's take a look at the board here. Let's go take a look at the board and see kind of how things might play out.

out. So if Washington takes, and we'll see, I mean, the pick is already in. So we're going to figure this out. So they're going to take either down, Stiles or Bain, somebody here, it might mean that there could be a player who we've mocked much higher, not getting there, and then slipping through the cracks to 10 or 11, where the Vikings might consider a trade up with someone like Miami. So there is a chance that one of the more blue-chings. tip-ish type of players slips through the cracks here and ends up available at 10 or 11.

It really only takes one team reaching for that to happen. And then the Vikings would maybe consider making a trade-up depending on who that player is. And I'm thinking about Caleb Downs here because if Stiles goes, if Bain goes, if Maui-No, we haven't seen a tackle yet, Spencer Fanon, we haven't seen the wide receivers other than Tate go yet. So there's a lot of options that could allow someone to slide. I wonder what the Vikings would do if one of the best wide receivers made his way through this draft and got into that range just ahead of them if they would consider making a move there. So, all right, the pick in for Washington.

And they are going to go. All right. Now they're doing a Walter Payton Man of the Year thing. they're going to go Sunny Stiles here. So say it, Raj, say it, Raj. Okay, there you go. Sunny Stiles. To the Washington Commanders.

And this is my favorite player in the entire draft, actually. I mean, of course, I like all the wide receivers best. All wide receivers are wonderful in my eyes. But Sunny Stiles, I know he doesn't play. Thank you, Pepper. Really appreciate that. Thank you very much. Um, sunny styles is a very, very unique guy.

Uh, I think that his size speed combination is something that you almost never see in the NFL. And if it clicks for him, he's going to be one of the best players in the entire league. If that happens, then this is a good pick to go with a linebacker. And he's got the potential to do it. That's what is interesting about this draft is that teams, you know, are kind of forced in a position to say we might have to take a linebacker here. We might have to, you know, take Sunny Stiles and Arvel Reese, maybe Caleb Downs coming up

very soon because those are just the best prospects in this draft. And even though Sunny Stiles is not a premium position and linebackers are easier to find, I watched a lot of Ohio State this year, his instincts, his coverage ability, is blitzing, his downhill, you know, run defense, is a ability. ability to take on offensive tackles with his size and strength. He's one heck of a player. So Washington makes a plug-in-play type of selection to help rebuild their defense.