The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - 2022 NFL Draft: Brugler & Zierlein on Top 100 prospects

Episode Date: February 16, 2022

Dane Brugler and NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein break down the top 100 prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft. They discuss players who improved their stock at the Senior Bowl, positions where they disagree and the questions that still remain. Plus, who is this year’s Cooper Kupp? They talk about what we can learn from Super Bowl LVI and Lance shares his latest mock draft.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Athletic Football Show. Welcome back. I'm Dane Brubler, joined as always with NFL.com's Lancel airline. This is the Athletic Football Show, our midweek NFL draft edition. On today's show, we're going to take a look at my top 100 that just recently went up on the athletic. We're touch on Lance's mock draft as well, and then talk a little bit about, you know, what can we learn from the Super Bowl? What can we expect as we finish up, kind of put a bow on? on this 2021 season.

And, you know, what to expect is we get to draft time as well. So I wanted to start with my top 100, Lance. Up now on the athletic, check out the full list. These are my evaluations. But I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a little bit of influence from, you know, how NFL teams view these guys as well. That's, you know, just always a factor. So it's a mix of both.

I don't know that there's any huge surprises. in there are a few guys that I know I'm higher on than most, starting with my number six player, Trevon Walker, who I know you and I see very differently, and that's what makes this process fun. I think Tron Walker could end up being one of the best defensive players from this draft. No quarterbacks in my top 30.

And it's always interesting when you look and see, okay, which positions are most well represented? So we'll get into that as well. But what was your initial reflection or takeaway from the top 100? Well, you know, I have not talked to a lot of teams up to this point. I have about certain players, but I haven't done deep dives in terms of where guys might potentially stack. And so I really am curious about how many of these guys, your opinion, how many league? Because we see a few guys differently.

And I can already tell you, I already know, you know, I talked to Daniel, Jeremiah too. I like a lot of things about Devin Lloyd. I just see Devin Lloyd further down the road. As I was going through my grades, I noticed that I have more 6.3s, which a 6.4 is going to be kind of the cutoff for the first round pick. I just don't have it this year. I think I've got 23 of those guys so far in this draft. And I think Devin Lloyd for me is more of a 6.3, which would be a plus starter in the league. Four would be a good, you know, a 6.4 would be a good starter in the league. Trayvon Walker, I did put in my mock draft.

I had them with the Baltimore Ravens and, well, you know, for me, Trevon Walker is a guy who is a rugged edge defender. The question is how much rush are you going to get out of them in the future? How are they going to be, you know, how is it going to be used? But I think that's the highest I've seen Walker. I was very interested to see that you still have Stingley ahead of Gardner. Obviously, Stingley 9, Gardner, 10, not much of a difference there.

McDuffey 12. I think we see it very similarly. I have those three very, very close. Here's what I think is going to happen, though. I think when Stingley tests, everyone's going to start bump him a little bit more. Because when he tests, we're going to start to see video footage of his 2019 interceptions, which are spectacular. We're going to see ball production.

We're going to see him matched up against some quality wide receivers making some plays. Then we're going to see him checking at about 6-1, 200 pounds, and he's going to run a sub 440. He's going to jump out of the gym, and he's going to test really, really well. And all of a sudden it's going to be, oh, that's right, Derek Stingley. We need to start talking about him as well, especially if Soss Gardner does not test as well Stingley,

which I don't think he's going to. I think narratives will begin to shift. So I think that is really interesting. You having Garrett Wilson, two spots ahead of Traylon Burks. Here's the listed weight. 60186, Traylon Burks, 632. A mistake I made in last year's draft was taking a smaller, talented guy, Devante Smith.

Now that's a mega talent, really a mega talent coming out, versus the opt-out guy with much better size and tremendous ball skills, Chase is going to be the better NFL player than Devante Smith. That is, he is now, and he's going to be the good big man beats a good smaller man. Berks versus Wilson, did that ever come into play for you? Did you think about that? Different types of receivers.

Right, because of the size. Is that way you're – Yeah, one guy is 6-3-232. One guy outweighs the other guy by over 40 pounds. Right, yeah. And I don't think Garrett Wilson's undersized. I mean, hopefully he gets over that one. 90 mark. I don't think he's ever going to really be that, you know, 200-pound receiver.

But, you know, I think with Wilson, he plays so much bigger than he looks. And I know Devante Smith did as well. But Wilson, I think, you know, with his ability, and Jamar Chase isn't the biggest guy either. Like, it's, you know, he's not near Trailer-Burkes in terms of size. But with Wilson, you know, his ability to, at the catch point, win over-defensive backs, the body control. I see so much C.D. Lamb there, you know, who is going to be the number one for the Cowboys for a long time. And with Berks, I love Trayland Burks. I just, I do worry about just how raw he is and how he was used in that Arkansas offense.

That's why, you know, I still love him a lot. Obviously, he's 13th overall. But I do have some questions about just, you know, his route running, his ability to create space on his own before the catch, things like that. I think we have seen from Garrett Wilson. Gary Wilson, to me, is just so polished. He understands what he's doing out there. And I don't think the size is that much of a detriment for Wilson, just because he plays so much bigger than he looks.

Drake London on the other end of that, 6-5. I've been told by a scout, he's going to measure 6-5. Like, that's a legit height on him. Yeah, looks like it. I didn't think he was a great separator, but then I have to factor in, okay, I mean, he is an amazing ball winner with tremendous. Size, how hard was it for you to slot Drake London?

Did you have any problem with that? Yeah, no, because I think you just summed it up really well because the size is outstanding. He's a ball winner. There's no question about it. Big playability because of the size, the athleticism, the ball skills, but he's not going to be that big time separator. And I think it's worth pointing out that this season, this past season, was his first in his life as a football-only athlete. he was always playing basketball and other sports, but especially basketball. Even his first two years at USC, he was a basketball player as well.

This past year was the first time he focused on only football. And so I do think there is a little bit of upside there in terms of his routes getting better and just a little more concise with his footwork. And he's never going to be that big time separator, but he can get better in that area. So with Drake London, I mean, the biggest compliment you can pay a receiver, is when you know he's getting the football, and yet the defense still can't do anything about it. And that was Drake London.

He had averaged 15 targets per game this past year. And so everyone knew where the ball was going. Defense still couldn't do anything about it. So I think for a team that's looking for that specific style of receiver, they're going to love what Drake London offers. I like what you have Nicoby Dean. And I think Dean is a tricky one because the general public, you know, Dean, I try.

truly believe that it starts at ESPN and to a lesser extent NFL network because we don't get our ratings out there nearly as early because we're very cognizant of the relationship with college football. And so we're not even allowed to do mock drafts until the deadline has passed for players to go back to college. We have to be careful about how we talk about underclassmen in terms of what round they'll be drafted and things like that. And that's fine.

I understand that. So ESPN, I think, is a big pusher of early narratives. and that's what the general public begins to believe that this is, that's why we get so much pushback on early mock drafts, because when we don't follow narratives on certain players that has been set by ESPN, for example, there is like immediately, well, you guys don't know what you're talking about.

This guy's red hot, you know, his draft stock is, why do you think his draft stock is plummeting? I don't think it's plummeting. I don't think he's this good a player. That's, that's George Carlophthys. I mean, I think that's a perfect example. I mean, Carl Loftus was being talked about as a top five player potentially in September, and it's like, it's just not quite that type of guy.

It's not on, it's not on tape. And the problem with Kobe Dean, who also had that kind of early, early high bump by ESPN, the problem is he's going to probably check in it under six feet tall. But he's not like it's, yeah, it's not going to be, he's not going to be 230 pounds. He's not even going to be Devin Bush, I don't think, from a physical build standpoint. And I think that's one of the problems I'm having with, with Nikobe Dean is he gets stuck on blocks a little more than you like, but you know he can get there.

So slotting him to me has been difficult. I want to project him, but I also think he needs to be in the right, in the right kind of defense where he can be kept clean because he was. He was in a right defense with, you know, at Georgia, no doubt. But I think if he has to be in a defense where, you know, they're getting up the field and he's having to take on blocks, and blockers by himself. It's going to,

it's going to be a little wear and tear there. Daxton Hill, your first safety off the board? Second. Behind Hamilton. Obviously, I put Hamilton is in a different category. He is,

he is a creature. And I say that in a very loving way. He's a predator. He is a different animal completely. Daxston Hill is your first non-Kyle Hamilton safety. I think this is a really fun, safety draft. I really love, I thought Jaquan Briskers tape. I saw a lot of things. Yeah. You got to talk about him. Yeah. Yeah, I saw a lot of things.

Yeah, I put him in the first round and a guy that I also like, and I haven't seen him in your top 100. He's got named Brian Cook. You know Brian Cook. Yeah, he's in there. Just a little bit lower. Oh, is he? Okay. I feel like Brian. Brian Cook was another safety that to me, I really thought his game resonated as a pro. So, Daxton Hill, really going to test a exceptionally well also. He's going to jump out of the gym. He's going to run really fast. He plays overhang where he can, he can, he's not the most physical guy up near the line of scrimmage as a run support guy, but man, he has some rare coverage traits, which I think makes him such an appealing first round potential pick. And I like the fact that you bet on those traits.

And that's why I'm assuming you plug him in over there at number 23. Yeah, he's twitched up. You see an explosive athlete. And you see a, guy that can cover receivers, cover tight ends, Blitzem, who finds the football downfield. There's a lot to like with him because he can play. He's that modern-day nickelback. He can also play a little bit of corner, a little bit of safety. You know, he grew up around the game. His older brother, Justice Hill, former running back to Oklahoma State was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens and has been injured as a pro.

But, you know, it kind of runs in his family with these athletic traits. and I'm really excited to see Daxton Hill what he could be at the next level and where he is. I think somewhere in the 20s is where we're going to see him come off the board. And I agree with you about the safetys. It's a, you know, with Kyle Hamilton at the top, obviously,

you know, we agree there. And then you got Daxton Hill, Petrie from Baylor, who had a nice senior boy. I think he's worked himself into that probably early second round mix. Louisine, who is such a fun story with him. He was born in Haiti. He grew up in Florida. He learned to play football in Boston.

He became a top recruit in Texas. And they became an All-American at Georgia. I mean, craziness, his journey to this point, a guy that doesn't look necessarily, like physically imposing, but he hits. He makes sure that the ball carry feels when he hit you. And he's got speed. He can cover a little bit.

bit. So, I mean, Lewis C, he's also in that second round mix. And I've got Brisker a little bit further down than you. Just, I don't know. Some of the mistackles bothered me. I think he is a physical guy aggressive. Some of the mistackles bothered me. From this year? Yeah, from this year. So keep in mind, he had a harness on because he had a messed up shoulder because last year he had like one mistackle in 2020. So I had a scout tell me, I had a scout tell me, don't bang him up too hard about mistackles this year because he really struggled. He played through pain and it really had an impact on his tackling. And so I kept that in mind.

Like sometimes you and I will get background knowledge from a team that is very, very important that if we weren't in a position to talk to those guys, we wouldn't have that position that helps us, you know, make certain determinations like that. Yeah. And a lot of it, I wish, I wish we could even share. Some of it's just you can't even talk about because it's that that much behind the scenes that, you know, can't really even divulge it. I have quotes that I can't use, like, a certain wide receiver.

A guy just the other day said he looks like, you know the old phrase, the old, I think it was the old draft maven, one of the original OGs of the draft before Kuiper was Joel Bushbaum. Oh, yeah. And Joe Bushball, I don't know if he invented this or not, but there's a famous saying, looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane, right? And it's the old scouting axiom that he's not. not a physical player, but he looks unbelievable. I had a scout tell me about a wide receiver.

Looks like Tarzan, plays like Tarzan had his hands cut off. And I thought, well, I can't use that quote. Right. That's not a quote I can use. Looks like Tarzan got his hands cut off. But, yeah, some of the things we do find out, you just have to use it for background. Well, and I had one scout just absolutely kill. one of the quarterbacks of the senior bowl because of the way he handled himself during

interviews. I just, he just destroyed him. And I was like, I can't use any of this. I can't, I can't repeat any of this to anything because it's, you know, first of all,

I'd feel bad for the player. And second of all, it's just, it's not, it's not something that's shareable. So, yeah, that happens quite a bit. With,

so with the top 100, I was not surprised by this, but looking back, going position by position, edge rusher, the most well-represented position in the top 100, 17 of them in there. And obviously, pass rushers come in very different shapes and sizes. Trayvon Walker and David Ajabo are, you know, two very different styles of player. And, you know, you go up and down the list with guys like that.

But, you know, it's just really interesting to kind of see how much that position is represented in this top 100. Any surprises with that position for you in this list? Well, I mean, we went through Walker. I would say, no, I think that, I think that those guys. At Enigbari, 38, too high. Now, that would, for me, that would be too high because I just don't see him becoming. I don't see him becoming a high, a high sack guy. I still think he's a down-the-middle rusher.

I don't see, I do like the strong hands. I think he's efficient with his attack, but I think he's a down-the-middle-rush. and I just question whether or not he's ever going to become. Now, let me just say this. Actually, I do think he's going to be a second round pick. And you got him at 38, which would be a second round. So I think that he proved there are certain types of players who may not be bendy. And this gets back to our discussion that certain flavors are for different evaluators.

And I am more of the David Ajabo type that I'm going to be the Kingsley-Ingibari. Anakbari type. But here's the difference. A Jabbo can't play first downs next year. Enigbari can play first downs. And Enigbari can be a problem for tackles. A real problem at the point of attack. He can also be a problem for guys with lesser anchors

because he is a very physical guy who can generate push as a, you know, is really just a handful. There's been talking to past about him gaining more weight and playing three technique. I've heard teams talk about that. He's been as high as 275, right? Right, wait, he got there. He played defensive tackle initially at South Carolina. So he's done it.

Yeah, so he's done it. The question is, would he do it again? I would use him as a base end and just let him be a bully. Yeah. So I would say second round, I might not have him that high. I don't have him that high. But he moved up the charts. Let me ask you this question.

From the Senior Bowl, I'm going to go through some players, and you tell me, if I'm right, I'm going to say up or down because of senior ball. I'll start off with Zion Johnson moved up your board because of senior ball. A little. I had him late one, and he's, what, 26? So, I mean, not any big movement for him. But I tell you, the guy right behind him definitely moved up. Devante Wyatt at 27.

Oh, yeah. He got a little bit of a bump from. A little bump or a lot bump? probably about 20 spots so yeah a good size bump i thought he was a you know solid second round guy like fringe top 50 and then you see a move out there see him defeat single blocks and you're like okay yeah this this guy definitely has a shot to go round one could be one of the first defensive tackles drafted uh if not the first let me guess can he picket i'm gonna say he lost 14 spots from 17 to 31.

Where did I, let me see where I had him last. It wasn't, I didn't have, I've never been high on any of these quarterbacks. So I don't, right, pick it, pick it was 27 last last. Okay, so not too much. Not too much. Yeah, I mean, he is what he is, you know, like I don't, honestly, so much was made of the quarterbacks. We talked about this last week.

I don't, none of the quarterbacks really, maybe except for Carson Strong, who I just, you know, I didn't think. helped himself, he dropped a little bit. But, you know, like, I didn't learn anything from Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis or Sam Howell or Desmond Ritter. Like, I've been pretty consistent on those guys. And I didn't think the senior ball really moved the needle all that much with what they did in Mobile, just based on our expectations going in. But here, I'm going to, I'm going to give you a few names that I struggled with in terms of where exactly to put them. And you tell me if I have them too high or too low. Start with,

DeMarvin Liao, number 51, too high, too low. Perfect. Okay. He is so tough to figure out because he has, there's clear ability there with his movement skills and, you know, just the way he can move in space and, where do you have to passer? 51 overall. He currently sits at 71 for me. Okay.

There you go. But here's a difference. He's a 6-2. So a 6-2 would be the epitome of it would be equal to a late-second. A late second to middle third pick. I don't see, I think he's a tweener between defensive end and defensive tackle. I don't, I didn't, I thought he looked bad, frankly, and reps against Evan Neal and Charles Cross, two of the top tackles in this draft.

I didn't think that he rushed the passer with a whole lot of juice. I didn't see it on tape. Now, interestingly enough, during drinks at the Battle House bar, a buddy of mine who hadn't seen for a while who works for a team in the personnel side he is more than a scout but he's he's in the evaluation side I got a little pushback on Leal

I was saying that I didn't see him and he thinks that he saw enough flashes he thinks that last year's tape was better for Leal and he thinks that Leal should be he thinks he's more top 40 type. So I think it's interesting. I don't see enough consistent juice to warrant that for me at the defensive tackle spot. I want a guy who can either dominate at the point of attack, which he has his moments against single blocks, but I also didn't think he was great at holding up against

double teams, which is another thing. Like, if you're not going to hold up against double teams, I want you to get up the field and really whip guys quickly. And he can do that. He can do that some. and I've got them in the second round with the, my projection is second round. My personal grade would be more like a third. And one of the things that you find with NFL teams, and you'll know this day and is you talk to NFL evaluators sometimes, and some of the grade, the round grades they give them for their own teams

based on their own scheme and what they see will blow you away. I'll talk to a guy who goes, yeah, I like him. I like that safety. I think he's, you know, I've got him in the fourth. And I'm like, man, I was thinking like top 50. Right, right. That's, no, no, I like him. Like, he's a fourth.

Like, okay. Right. It is. And then all of a sudden, when they stack the board, it kind of, they tweak it a little bit. But, yeah, it's, it's obviously we're doing different things when we try to lump all these guys together. For 32 teams. Yeah, for different schemes and different, totally different. Have you looked at Alex right yet, UAB?

No, I write them up today. So I haven't seen it. I was the number. That was the only name I haven't seen out of your list. and I'm really interested in watching him. So I can't tell you if you're too high or low because I have no idea. Awesome. We'll talk about him next week then because I'm eager to get your opinion.

He's a fun player, really long, not super explosive with that first step, but his second and third steps are outstanding. He's got to bend to him. He's fun. How hard was slotting? One of the things I found more difficult than I expected was slotting Dean, Tyndall, and Quay Walker out of Georgia, the three linebackers out of Georgia. I found that to be a lot tougher because I actually think that Walker and Tyndall are a little more consistent with their reed recognition diagnosed than the Kobe Dean was.

And Quay does a little of everything, but I wasn't blown away by anything he did, but I thought he was a good player. And I think Tyndall sometimes gets overlooked. Sometimes I look at Channing Tendell and I think maybe like play in, play out, I felt like Tyndall. I felt like Tyndall was one of the more consistent players they had on that defensive unit. And that was a really consistent unit, by the way. Oh, yeah, no doubt. And I think with him, it's just, I mean, you know he starts Channing Tyndall had in his career at Georgia? You know, he's just one and a half year.

Yeah, he had zero starts. I mean, he played a good amount of snaps, but he had zero starts in his career at Georgia. So it's just a guy that doesn't have the resume that you want. But, yeah, he flashes big time every time. time he's on the field. It's just, you know, and you see it sometimes with there's a little bit of a lag in terms, or, you know, he'll create false steps for himself, but he's so fast that he's able to make those up, because he's, he finds runners between the tackles, he very aggressive run fits. He's a little, you know, I think the anticipation when he drops, that's where

there's a little bit of a hang up. Zero career passes, defendant in his career. And I think that matches what the film says. So I think there are some coverage limitations with Tyndall, but the speed and what he's going to bring to your defense is excited to think about what he could be when he gets coached up a little bit more. Quay Walker, what he did this year. Another guy, one-year starter, you know, when he was out there, he just, he made plays. And so I think that Nicopi Dean did it on a more consistent basis.

And it makes it tough when you have these guys like Tyndall, zero starts. Quay Walker, one-year starter. where they have these flashes and they have all this ability, but what is that going to mean from, you know, because obviously you know in the NFL, NFL coaches value consistency more so than almost everything else. And so can these guys be consistent players that we at least know that NCOB Dean can be? Yeah, I think that's a really good point.

That's a really good point. You know, the one thing that I think separates Georgia maybe from when you make that point, though, is Georgia is so well coached, so well-schooled. And just like Alabama, let's face it, Georgia defensively is really a lot like Alabama. Whatever you've thought about Alabama players, very similar with Georgia. They know their roles. They know their jobs. And even with one year of starting experience for Tyndall, I personally wouldn't have any problem.

Now, you also get to go talk to the coaches of Georgia if you're an NFL team. But I get the feeling that he knows what to do. Like he knows how to play. He knows what to do. I know there was that one moment in a national championship game where, Nkoby Dean was getting on him about not being in the right spot during a, I think it was a passing touchdown for Alabama. But yeah, I think that was interesting.

Give me, give me some more. Who are some other guys that you think that maybe you struggled with where to slot them? Let's go with Trey McBride at 60 overall. I think it's good. 60, 6.0? 6.0. So I don't, I don't know. The first round, I don't buy that.

No, no, no. That's not possible. It's not going to happen. It's just, it's not, I don't know. If you're drafting a tight end top 40, you better be drafting an impact guy. And Trey McBride's a good player. I just don't know if I see an impact guy with him. So I think I'm a little lower on some players because as I go through all my grades right now,

man, I just beat some guys to hell. It's easy to do in this class. I've got Trey McBride with a low 6.3 and yet I've got him 48th in my, I've got them 48th. I don't know if I'm going to get out this. So so many years, Dane, I've struggled with having an initial feeling on a player or, yeah, on a player, on a prospect. And then I let the public discourse with, you know, media scouting or whatever the case may be or even sometimes NFL scouts have an impact on me. And then Darius Lennelner was a great example. I was really high on Darius Leonard.

And then like, oh, I backed off and Combine. he got hurt and didn't run a combine. Well, I mean, all he did was just chalk up the stat sheet in every category ever imaginable. I mean, and his best game was against Clemson. Everything was there for you. Everything was there for you as a football player. And this may be a draft where they just don't. Sometimes you don't have good drafts.

And I'm going to be careful about getting talked off of my positioning. But I have, I have Trey McBride as my number 40. guy, but when I tell you 48, the guys are very, like, it could also be 54th. Yeah. So I've got him slightly ahead of Daniel Falele, but McBride probably, I don't know that I'm going up a whole lot on Falele. I think he's going to be an average NFL starter, a tackle. Where do you have him at? I have at 52.

6-2 is, I have him at 53. Okay. Yeah. So we see that we're pretty close there. Mm-hmm. What about, okay, this guy I really struggle with. Okay. Nicholas Petit Fereer, Ohio State.

He's a tough one. He's, I mean, he has athletic ability. He can move. The frame, you know, it's not ideal because, you know, he was 260-some pounds when he got to Ohio State. He's put on weight. He's over 300 pounds now. But you do wonder about play strength. You do wonder about, you know, can he get any much bigger than he is right now?

The technique is not a strength to his game. I mean, Petit Frere, how much better can he get? Where do you have on your list? Where did you put him? I don't see him. 89? Yeah, I've got him. Late three?

I think the tape is, I think you, you've basically graded him at his tape. Because if you grade him at his tape, he's a late, he's a three. Yeah. Maybe even a late three. I've got him right now tied basically anywhere between pick number or grade number 69 because they're all jammed up the same number. I've got a 69 to 79. So we're not that far off.

And that's with me. I gave him a push. I gave him a very small push just based on some discussions I have with my dad who's working with him. So I gave him a, like I said, it wasn't enough. He's still in the six twos. But before that, I would have had it. You know where his number would have been?

87. Yeah. Yeah, that's close to where I have. Yeah. That's, and that's tough because he's a talented guy, but just so many negative. I mean, you throw on the Michigan tape. You throw on the Penn State tape. And it's just like, how do you justify drafting this guy?

So here's my problem. I'm glad you brought those two up because those are the two that really shook me. Yeah. When he dealt with power wasn't good. against Aiden Hutchson. That may end up being the best player in this draft. We'll see. Then when he dealt with a guy who can give you a lot of different looks in Arnold,

how do you say his last name? Ebiketti. Yeah. Ebiketty can give you a lot of different approaches and a lot of different looks. He's got really clever hands. When he went up against that type of rusher, a little bit more skilled technician, struggled there too. So he struggled with a technician and he struggled with a power guy.

That's all you're going to see in the league. So now I have to look at okay, is he strong enough? Can he get strong enough? What are his flaws? Can he correct them? Are they coachable and correctable? And this is why I try to talk to coaches as often as I possibly can because I try to, and one of the first things I ask is I start trying to pick their brains on

what is correctable and what is not, what are the hardest things to correct and what are the easiest? Because a big mistake I made years ago with Tyree Kill is his route running. I mean, how stupid. How stupid. I understand the character stuff going in. I already knew that. But my big problem was, well, he runs rounded routes, Dane. I mean, I don't know how he's ever going to get open in the NFL with this kind of route running.

I mean, come on. Routes can be fixed. Rout's one of the easier things to be fixed if you can bend a little bit and if you have the foot agility. That can be fixed. You know what can't be fixed? Core strength, the ability to anchor. Some guys don't have enough bend to create the leveraged anchor. Some guys don't have the core strength.

you know, from basically their chest down to their knees, the whole, I'm talking about the whole trunk, to be able to kind of lock up and really go mono on mono and imagine a tug of war. You've got to be able to withstand that kind of force and give it back and create some force in return. And I think that's my question with Petterfrier. Can he be a forceful enough player

that he can withstand the force that guys have? stronger outside hand and hand placement and punch and stuff that can be fixed a lot of that stuff can be fixed core strength is a concern um with him and and but his upside is really high because he's got great traits and he's a he's an excellent athlete so his upside I think he's going to get if he has a good combine I think he's going to get pushed maybe as high as the 40s I don't see him in the first round but I do think that no he's at a he's at a push position a tackle he's at a push position at left tackle. But I think his right tackle tape is actually a little bit better.

And some guys are just made for right tackle instead of left. That's just the truth. Some guys just are more comfortable working from one side than they are the other. A few guys that just missed my top 100. You tell me if I made a mistake or you can understand why they missed. Lou Geithy, the central Michigan, probably a guard in the NFL. I think I like him a lot. I think he can start in the league.

And he's one of those guys that when I was done with that top 100, I was just like, man, I wish I had one more spot for him. So I think you're going to miss if you just, I think he's going to get drafted inside the top 100. But remember, he also started playing center. And I think he got injured, right, at the senior bowl. Yeah, first day. And he left.

And so we didn't really get a look. But I thought the fact that they were playing him at center was very interesting that he was going to take reps. there because that's something to me where now all of a sudden you say, wait a minute, does this guy have five for one potential versatility in a pinch where he could play left tackle, right tackle, left guard, right guard center in a pinch? If that's the case, that really adds to a guy's versatility. I wouldn't want to play him left tackle and I really don't even want to play him that much at right tackle. But could you get out of it in a pinch? Having a dad who is a line coach in the

NFL, I can promise you this, being able to get out of something in a pinch with a guy in emergency, that has value. If you look at guards in the top 100, Dane, Ben Cleveland, Kendra Green, who was really a center, but Ben Cleveland ended up going inside the top 100. Tyree Phillips, who was a road grader, I liked him a lot, Jonah Jackson, Damien Lewis. You start to see, I always look at what history tells us. Connor McGovern, Nate Davis, Michael Deeter. These are third-round picks.

I remember you were kind of high on Michael Deeter back in the day. Dan Feeney, I feel like you're on. I feel like Gadeke is in their neighborhood, is what I'm telling you, basically. Well, and to your point, that's why I included Marquis Hayes from Oklahoma. That's why he made it in my top 100. Ed Ingram, LSU, that's why he made it in my top 100 because of kind of what you're saying. But I agree. I mean, Getticoe very easily could see him going third round, you know, that type of player. Because I think he is an NFL starter. Two Penn State players that just missed.

And you tell me whether it's a mistake or not. Rashid Walker, left tackle, and linebacker, Brayn and Smith. Two really tough, two talented guys, but really tough guys, easy guys to like, but really hard to love. Did I make a mistake by not including those two guys in the top 100? No, I don't think so. I think Rashid Walker has just too many problematic snaps to get into the top 100. I mean, for me, I've got him as a fourth. I've got a 6-11, which a 6-1 for me is going to be a guy who is a very low-end starter,

but can be a good backup. And I think that's where he is. He's a starter you may be looking to replace. So that makes him a high. end backup. That's not a top 100 guy for me. Even though they may get drafted there, that's not the, that's not the type of player. Brandon Smith, I don't think deserves to be anywhere near the top 100, just not. He's going to bless. Combine. No, he's going to be an amazing combine worker, but I just wish he was more amazing at being physical and scraping and hitting

guys. That's my problem. Now, the guy that you recognized, and I'm glad you did, was Jesse Lucetta, who I thought the combine. did. I mean, I thought the senior bowl did him wonders. He showed up at 261 at the, now remember, he went from linebacker. This year they said, hey, we need a defensive end. Jesse, can you do that? Yeah, absolutely. So the Manitoba tough man, the Canadian, goes down and plays defensive end. You know what? He wasn't big enough. And he had some reps where he got beat up a little bit physically, but he hung in and he was tough as piss. And he just didn't know how to rush. Like he just, he had some athletic ability, just didn't know how to rush.

All of a sudden at the Senior Bowl, he's carrying his defensive end weight, I think actually even more than he carried when he was at Penn State. He's carrying that at linebacker now. And he showed some rush and some one-on-one stuff. And I'm like, he got Raymond. That lower body twitch that he has really got Raymond, tight-up and knots. He plays super, super hard. He's super, super aggressive.

And let me ask you this question. I now left the Senior Bowl, and I thought this going in, and I kind of put it at the back end of my profile, like, and maybe future development is a 3-4 edge. Now all of a sudden I'm saying, you know, I think a 3-4 team who wants a run-stuffing end,

who's physical with maybe some upside to develop as a rusher, might take a look at him. I'm not saying he's not going to be like a 4-3 Sam, but what I am telling you is I don't think it's out of the question that maybe a 3-4 team looks at him maybe as a stand-up, you know, a Pittsburgh Steeler type of physical, tough guy with some athletic traits to maybe get better as a rusher. Yeah, I think different teams are going to look at him different ways because you look at him,

okay, he's a charged up athlete, aggressive, aggressive field demeanor, chase speed. I think the finishing instincts are there. Phenomenal motor. Yeah, no question. He plays, I think, assignment sounds, so he's not trying to play hero ball out there. He knows he can fill, he can spill. He's powerful enough that he creates knockback at contact. So we're talking about a guy that you don't want dropping in reverse necessarily,

but he can wear different hats in that front seven. And I think so for different schemes, he's going to represent something a little bit differently. And I think that showing up at 260 plus at the senior bowl, and then in one-on-one, showing off that athleticism at that weight was absolutely, I think helped him in a big way. You know, there's still some position confusion there, just where his best fit is.

But I think the fact that he can do a little bit of, you know, a little bit of everything, that could be an appealing trait to a player that we're talking about as a, you know, not a top 60 guy, but somewhere probably third round, you know, could bring value to a defense. I had him at 123 before the combine, I mean, before the senior ball.

And after the senior ball, I had him in the, I had him in the 70s. So. Oh, okay, yeah. Yeah, he made my top 100. I agree with you. He's a good player.

Now, okay, I want to shift a little bit. That's the top 100. Again, you can find them on the athletic, find a full list. I wanted to ask you a question about your backdrop. Can I take number nine? Can I take number 99 for a second? I think this guy is going to go way higher than people think. DeMone Clark from LSU, the linebacker.

He's extremely physical. He is very, very big. And his game against Alabama was fantastic. I mean, I didn't see him have a bad rep the entire game. Now, there are other games where I think he will struggle with some of his recognition and fits. But I think the physical, I always try to look at guys who I think look like NFL players because a lot of times the guys that one of the lessons I've learned over the last

seven or eight years of writing this up for NFL is guys who look like NFL players, a lot of times become NFL players, even if their tape is not as good. And your guys at number 98, 99 are perfect representations of that. John Ridgeway, who is a big, wide, great lean muscle mass, long-arm guy, who that's what NFL defensive lineman, you know, that's the prototype of what they look like. He looks like an NFL guy, yeah. And Desmond Clark, they look like NFL guys. Those guys typically will become NFL guys.

So I just want you to keep that in mind. But I think DeMone Clark is going to be a fast riser in this draft as we move forward. Yeah, I could easily see. I did a two-round lock a couple weeks ago, and he actually made it into the second round in that mock. So I would not be surprised at all. If he does go higher, then I have them rated here. I wanted to ship gears to your mock draft over at NFL.com that you came out last week. You're going to hate on it like other people? Well, you make it so easy. I know. I give you credit, because you put some trades in there, you know, keeping it lose, keeping a fun. You know,

a couple names in there that I thought were interesting. You tell me if you think they end up going first round. Kyler Gordon, who, you know, we know about Trent McDuffie. I think he's in the running to be one of the top corners in this draft. Kyler Gordon, the other corner over at Washington, also declares you got him in the first round. I think he's going to test well. He's a good-sized player. I worry a little bit about the instincts, but tell me why he belongs in the first round.

Well, he's a freak show test. tester. He's going to be, you know, his background, as you probably know, is dance and kung and, Kung Fu? There you go. Dance and, yeah, dance and kung fu. You don't usually see those two and football altogether. He is very physical.

He is extremely twitched up, super explosive. So he's going to run fast. He's going to jump high. He's going to test well. His body type is really, really impressive. The instincts are a little bit of an issue for me. I do think that with his amount of of explosiveness and short area of twitch and burst

that he should end up with better ball production, if something clicks with him where he starts to get better pattern recognition and starts to get a better feel, whether it's, I don't know, whether he's playing man or zone, especially if he gets to play a little bit of zone, I think he's got a chance to be a much more impactful

cornerback than he was in college. And he had his moments in college. But I want you to keep this in mind. One of the reasons I plugged him in, tell people where I plugged him in. You've got him at, what, 23 to the Cardinals, yeah. See, your fit there. The team that not afraid to draft based on trades and not afraid to draft Huskies in a secondary.

There you got it. You know, Buda Baker. And I think that you start to trust the guys that Chris Peer recorded Byron Murphy. So that's one of the reasons I said, okay, this makes sense. Brandon Williams didn't work out from Texas A&M, but he is a traits guy. Now I've got a traits guy, and I've got Byron Murphy, and I've got Buda Baker there who already, you know, have had some success with the Cardinals from that same organization,

well, that same college that produces such a high number of defensive backs. So I just looked at the traits. I looked at the background in history, and I said, I could see Steve Kynne going to that well again, because it's definitely a need for the Cardinals as well. Yeah, and you bring up a great point because that's as much of a factor in these mock drafts than anything as understanding tendencies, what teams like to do, especially in the first round. I try to think as the team does. That's –

Yeah, you have to. You have to. If you're doing a mock draft, then not necessarily where I would take guys. But I'm trying to get it right for the team. sometimes creating contingencies and early mocks. I want to plug something in that may seem a little wild that I think has an outside shot of happening and then see how it affects my thinking as those teams for the rest of the month.

People forget one of the reasons we love the NFL draft is because it's so unpredictable on draft day and we have surprises every year. So it makes sense that, hey, yeah, let's throw in some surprises in a mock draft because it could happen. Nothing is off limits here. Every year surprise has happened, Daniel. Every year people can't believe that you have a surprise in your mock. What?

That can't possibly happen. You guys have. What? Tyler Linderbaum, you have him going 31. And I think people are so conditioned that, hey, this guy is one of the best players in the draft. He's one of the best centers. Right. But with the Tyler Lindelbaum, he's not going to be a fit for everybody.

He's not going to fit every scheme. Not every team's going to need a center. So I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility. that he does fall into the 20s, maybe even as far as 31, to the Bengals, which is what you have him in your mock draft. I got a lot of pushback on Tyler Lindenbaum. I have him number seven in this year's draft. I love Tyler Lennonbaum.

Here's what I know for a fact. He came into my office that you're watching me record from. He was here in our building for the Lombardi Awards. He and Kenyon Green and Mike Rose and Aiden Hutchinson came the next day. He wasn't here that night. But Tyler came in, me being me. I'm like, hey, come watching tape with me. Okay.

He came in here and we watched Iowa versus Wisconsin. One of the things that struck me, though, is he's not a big guy. And I asked him, how big are you going to be at the combine? He said, he said, I'm like 6-2-290. And he didn't play. I don't think he played in the 300s at Iowa. No. Which is fine with me.

But this is what I know from having friends in the league who are evaluators and even general managers. If you're 6'2 and 290, there is still a faction of GMs who believe a good big man beats a good little man, and that's all there is to it. If Tyler Lindembaum was 6'4, 315 pounds, he might be the first offensive lineman off the board completely. I mean, he's so unbelievable. But as you mentioned, center is not typically a high priority position, like a top 10 pick. So immediately because of the position, okay, how many teams need center? So you're scraping a bunch of teams off the board. We just thought Creed Humphrey go in the late second round.

I mean, that's a good player, like Crete Humphrey, because of the center position, you know, like you're saying, not everyone needs center. Not every scheme is going to be that perfect fit. And Crete Humphrey didn't have a size, maybe some teams worried about his size. So, yeah, to your point. Well, but, you know, but then the flip side of that would be, well, what about Garrett Bradbury? Garrett-Berry did go on the first.

and see, here's the thing. You immediately scrape off the teams that don't need center. So now you take the teams and you say, okay, teams who are in the top 20, do they covet height, weight speed, traits? Are they big into traits? Because if they are, they're probably not going to put a first round grade. They may love Linderbom say, look, we can't make this physical exception for a guy, 6-2-290.

At center, we can't put them in the first in the top 20, but we love them in the second round. Okay, so you scrape that small amount off. Now you look at scheme. He's probably not going to be a fit for a gap scheme team or a team that's going to ask him to, or a team that faces zero techniques more than once in their division because that's not, you know, that's not really what you want unless you're a zone scheme team. So I think what he is is a slightly, not slightly, he's an undersized center with phenomenal

movement skills. He is scheme dependent. He is a zone scheme center. and I think he's going to be an all-pro zone scheme. I think he's going to be an all-pro center one day. That's how much, that's how highly I think about him. But he's got to go to a team that runs zone scheme. So now we've scraped a bunch of teams off the board, a team who needs center,

and you've got to have a team willing to draft the center in the first round. And I kept looking for spots to plug them in. And trust me, I would have plugged them into Philadelphia, one of their three spots. I would have loved to have done that. But I know that they're going to move Landon Dickerson over probably. And so I gave them a guard. I gave them Kenyon Green next to Landon Dickerson.

And they can still run their zone scheme stuff that they want. But I made them bigger with their offensive line and I moved Landon Dickerson over to center. And so if I couldn't plug them in there, the next place I could have plugged them into the Cowboys. You know, that's fine. That was a spot I could have. But I chose to go with the tackle instead because I just think I think the Cowboys really are going to have to start looking to replenish their offensive line and tackles are more valuable than centers.

That's just how I looked at that. That's fair. That's why I had him falling all the way of 31. And I was dying to find a spot for him. I wanted to find a spot for Andrew Booth because I think Andrew Booth deserves to be in the first round. I had him falling out. You know, if I had it to do all over again, I'd probably make, I'd do some things

a couple different ways. One of the things that I kind of make fun of sometimes, but actually does have some value. When the fans of a certain fan base start getting on you, you do recognize a narrative has developed with that fan base, whether it's sports radio or message boards or Reddit or whatever. But there also is some value, I think, in fan bases alerting you about certain things and educating you on certain factors of the team. I actually have learned things that have helped me out with how I viewed a team in future mock drafts and maybe their draft strategy. There's a lot of smart fans up.

Yeah, there are a lot of smart fans out there. There are. Yeah, people that are focused on the team 24-7, obviously, you know, that comes with some knowledge. So, yeah, there's no doubt. There's some benefits in getting feedback from people, either professional, you know, writers, things like that, people in the media, or fans. There's no doubt about it.

I did want to, before we wrap it up, Malik Willis to the Steelers. The Steelers trading off for the quarterback from Liberty. I understand that that's been a connection that's made quite a bit, especially after the Senior Bowl. Steelers need someone that's going to make a pretty immediate impact. And I think that's where with Malik Willis, do you think he can do that? To me, Malik Willis, he shouldn't see it. Why do you think they need an immediate impact?

Well, I mean, I guess they don't need, I mean, they could start Mason Rudolph for a year if that, you know, if they want to do that. Or they could sign, you know, a free agent and, you know, a stop gap option. That's certainly a direction they could go. But with, you know, I think this is a team that's built to win now. I mean, when you look at the makeup of the roster, they're not ready to take a year off. You know, they're not ready to, you know, with all the, you know, drafting a running back in the first round last year and the way the, you know, the contracts are, I think they want to go for, you know, Mike Tom. Tomlin's not going to be okay with just, you know, status quo. He wants to push for the playoffs this year. Does Malik Willis, is he too much of a projection in terms of you hope he's ready by year two, but maybe he's not? And so do you think from looking at it that way, do you think he's an ideal fit for Pittsburgh? Well, so Malik Willis I have in the 40s personally. I think that's what the tape tells me.

And that's with a little bit of a projection, too, because it's, The tape was bad this year. It was just not good enough. It was up and down. It was definitely not consistent. Yeah, it was not a first round quarterback. What that said, he was okay at senior bowl. Some of the narratives that he had this amazing senior ball is just silly.

It's just silly. It's not what happened. No quarterback was amazing. But what he has is an ability. So running quarterbacks don't slump as runners. You may get hot and cold with your arm. You may be hot and cold with touchdowns. and interceptions.

But Malik Willis is always going to be able to help himself with his legs. Always. So you must factor that in. Jalen Hertz showed that this year. Lamar Jackson has showed that there's so many quarterbacks who have really helped themselves with their legs. Malik Willis does not have to be a great passer to have an impact on the game. Kenny Pickett does.

I think, you know, Well, same how I actually ran really well this year. But I think there is a, I think there are a lot of, I think there are a lot of quarterbacks who are not going to have an impact on the game unless they're throwing it well. Malika Willis is one of the rare quarterbacks who will come into the league and can have a big impact on a game by throwing for 140 yards, but running for 130. It's just, it's just the truth.

He just, it's different. And so you have to factor that in. With that said, I think the Pittsburgh Steelers have. I've always had a great head on their shoulders. Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, ownership. I do think that I remember them trading up. They don't do it much, but I remember them doing it for Troy Palomalu.

They will do it for guys that they believe are high-impact players. If they believe that Malik Willis is going to be their next Ben Rothesberger for the next 15 years, I don't think they're going to let 2020 season, you know, whether they're ready to win right now or not. I don't, and I think that's the smart way. I don't think you should, if you do that, you start chasing ghosts because there's nobody in this draft who is going to help you win right away. I don't think, and I don't think you believe that either.

There's not one quarterback in this draft who all of a sudden, if there was one, I'd say it might be Matt Corral who could come in. Or you don't think Pickett could, you don't think that with Kenny Pickett that Steelers could make the playoffs next year? I just think the most pro-ready quarterback a guy who, if he gets in the right system, I think is Corral. But Kenny Pick, no, I don't think Kenny Pickett could have them ready. to win in a Super Bowl. I think he could end up being... I just made it, you know, compete for the playoffs. Okay, here, I'll put it this way.

Would you rather compete for the playoffs for 2020? Okay, who do you think is the better big, the long-term quarterback? Who do you have rated higher? I think you have Willis slightly ahead of Pickett. I've got Pickett one spot ahead of Willis. It's basically, yeah, the guy that's saying, you know what Kenny Pickett is. Willis is the better, he's got the most upside of any quarterback in this round.

You think Kenny Pickett can be more than a double? No, I mean, I think that's why he's, I don't have a single quarterback in his draft in my top 30. So, you know, I think he could be, uh, Kenny Pickett is somewhere in between Joe Burrow and Teddy Bridgewater somewhere. And that's a wide gap. I think he's somewhere in between. That's a really broad gap. Exactly. That's what I'm saying.

There was some Kenny Pickett stuff I saw that I liked a lot. I'm not, I'm going to tell you one thing that really made me nervous though. Kenny Pickett looked a little nervous at times with that internal clock. and I cannot get the poising out of my head. I did not expect to see that on the tape. I'm like, ooh, man, Kenny's letting his feet get really jittery here, and there doesn't seem to be a reason. I'm not sure why he's void in the pocket.

Things like that really bother me because a lot of times that doesn't go away. I want to ask you, who has the highest ceiling of every quarterback in this year's draft? The highest ceiling. I mean, I think it's got to be Willis just because the way he can impact the game with his legs. But real quick, way that comes to the Steelers, though, say I'm Kevin Colbert, you're my top scout. We're sitting in the war room. We're setting our draft board. I need you, my top scout, to tell me, when should we feel comfortable making a guy like Malik Willis our full-time starter?

When is a realistic expectation? Is it half? Is it his first, his season opener is rookie year? Is it midway through his rookie year? Is it year two? When should we feel comfortable starting Malik Willis? I would say, Kevin, I think that Malik is a guy, you know, he can help us with his legs right away. He's got a lot of arm talent.

He can make a lot of throws that young Ben could make. I don't think he's going to be able to, I think he's going to struggle early on making decisions against NFL coordinator. So we're going to have to let him sit on the bench at least half the season and then reinvestigate where he is. but we also think that once he gets outside of the offense that he was in at Liberty, we feel like we can build an offense around him that makes more sense for where he is as a quarterback. So let's go back to what maybe some of the things we did with Ben early on in his career. I think if we go back and use retrace the steps of Ben Rothesberger, before Ben became Ben Rothesberger, that could end up, we think we could have a similar level of success,

maybe not quite as quickly. but we do think by the end of the year, Malik Willis would be our starter. Okay, very good. Love the answer. Now, with that said, what that said, Malik Willis has a lower floor, too. No, he does. You could argue he's got the highest ceiling and lowest floor of any quarterback, you know, among the top six or seven quarterbacks in this draft.

So, yeah, there's- quarterback who I cannot wait until our next podcast. I've got a quarterback who I found. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, This is a revelation. I've got him ahead of, I've got ahead of Sam Howe. Okay, so he wasn't going to say anything else.

I'm not going to say anything else. And the next show, I want to unveil before we get to the combine, I want to unveil who the quarterback that I think has a chance to be, well, let's not go crazy, who could become an average starter in the league. Okay. I mean, there's only so many options here. I don't want you to guess. Yeah, we'll save it. We'll save it. Yeah. Okay, that sounds good. Before we do go, I do want to get, you know, we just Super Bowl happen on Sunday. Rams, Super Bowl champions. Just kind of revisiting Cooper Cup. And it's funny, I tweeted out Aaron Donald's combine numbers compared to Cooper Cups and eerily similar in the 40-year dash and vert and broad. And never mind that Aaron Donald's 80 pounds heavier.

but give me one receiver who could be this year's Cooper Cup. The guy that doesn't go first round gets overlooked a little bit, but ends up ascending once it becomes a pro because he just has certain abilities as a receiver that just makes him a really productive pro. Give me one receiver that could be this year's Cooper Cup. God, what a great question. I'll give you mine first.

Yeah, give me yours first. Let me pull mine up. I'm going with Skymore. Western Michigan receiver who is, he's not a burner, you know, but at the same time, he's just, he's getting open. He's got sticky hands, quick reaction, ball skills. I wouldn't call him explosive as a yak threat, but again, he's instinctive with the ball in his hands. He does make things happen. He makes it a chore on defenders to bring him down.

So I think he's a guy that used a high school quarterback and corner, but he's a guy that understands coverage. He's got outstanding hands. He's got toughness to work the middle of the field. I like him best in the slot in the NFL where I think there's a good chance. He could be a better pro than I think we're talking about right now. Okay, so I want to find somebody outside of the norm, right? Yep. Yeah.

None of the top six guys or. Well, you know, the guy, wow, this feels like a real, it feels like an interesting comparison. But what about Khalil Shakir from Boise State? Okay. ridiculously competitive. Yeah. What's he going to run? Over under 454.

I'm going to say under. I'm going to say under. I think he's right at that. I think that's a good number. I think it's a good number. Khalil Shakir is an unbelievably competitive player. And one of the things that I've noticed, and Cooper Cup is a great example. Cooper's also this, he's a highly unusual route runner.

Like he's the way he runs his routes, the choppy wide steps. completely flies in the face of all the linear, tight, crisp routes. Like he is a unique route runner. But Khalil Shakir, if you haven't seen him from Boise State, is a ridiculously. I'm not sure he even goes in the first three rounds, but he is a really, really competitive player who does everything. They just get the ball on his hands. He's really more Debo Samuel type than Cooper Cup.

Trey Turner is a guy that I actually, I'm looking at this, and I have a decent grade on him, a 6.2. I did him early on. I need to go back and look at him again. But I felt like Trey Turner was a guy that had some basketball-type talent that I really, really liked. Donario Drummond, maybe not so much. Tyquan Thornton. Boy, I don't know if I see it in this year's draft.

That's a really good question, but it's hard to find a Cooper Cup. David Bell, Purdue? Okay, yeah, probably, you know, going to be, you know, might fall out. of the top 50 picks. I had one scout tell me there's a lot of Michael Pittman there where he's not going to run really well, but

just a guy that's savvy with his route he'll catch the ball at its highest point. Kind of the Michael Pittman style and I can see that with with Cup, a guy that's not going to, because Cup ran a 4-6-240 at the combine. David Bell is not going to run really well. He's just not that explosive athlete.

So I think that fits when you talk about those regards. Here's what I, just to wrap this up with Cooper Cup, here's what I'm looking at my old scouting report. A scout I talked to from an AFC team, he's a regional scout. He said, quote, if he gets to a team with a good quarterback, watch out. In 2014, he punked both Marcus Peters and Sidney Jones when he took on Washington. Two first round guys, you tell me if he's going to be a starter.

Because I ask, you think he's going to be a starter, and that was his answer. And my bottom line was my comp was Jarvis Landry. I gave him a 575 at that time would have been the equivalent of a 6.2 average starter. I said, utilize as a slot receiver but could transition outside, produced elite numbers against lower level competition. He's a natural pass catcher, and you will, as you will find with desired competitive drive on each snap, his transition NFL level cornerbacks will take time. But he has the ability to become an early number three receiver and an eventual starter. I got nailed that one.

Eventually a starter. I hit it. I mean, you didn't have Super Bowl MVP in there? I mean, what? You do yours now. Yeah, right. I'm not even going to pull that up right now because I'm sure it wasn't as close as yours was. But I do remember that senior bowl and how no one could really cover him.

You know, I mean, it doesn't matter who you put on him. He was running the seam, running down the sideline, just creating that separation, catching everything. Were you at the senior ball when Aaron Donald was there? Yeah, yeah. Do you remember who blocked Aaron Donald? Zach Martin, those battles, Aaron Donald, and Zach Martin were... That was it. Nobody else had a chance except Zach.

Exactly. That was remarkable to see up close. And that was back when, you know, you get on the field and you're 10 feet away. You know, it was, that was some of the best of the same-seasonable memories. Oh, yeah. That was a lot of fun. So, all right. That's going to, that's going to do it for us this week.

We're officially in off-season mode, so make sure you're tuned into here at the Athletic Football Show feed. We put up Bow on the Super Bowl this week. We're getting into free agency talk, and of course, all things NFL draft. Please subscribe and rate. Hit us up on Twitter. We'll be back with you next week. This was the Athletic Football Show.