The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - 2022 NFL Draft: Rounds 4-7 recap, favorite late picks, biggest steals & more

Episode Date: May 1, 2022

The NFL Draft has officially wrapped for 2022. Lindsay Jones is joined by Nate Tice and Dane Brugler from The Athletic Draft House to review their favorite day 3 picks and Lindsay's superlatives questions for Dane and Nate, including their biggest surprises, best value picks, who won the draft and tons more NFL draft rewind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the athletic football show. Hi and welcome to The Athletic Football Show. I'm Lindsay Jones from The Athletic, and this is day three of the NFL draft, and I'm thrilled to be joined by Nate Tice and Dane Bruglu, who are still in Las Vegas. I'm not sure if you guys have gotten up off of that couch. No, I brought a change of clothes. I think even though I live here, I stayed overnight here.

No kidding, but we do have ingrained seats on this couch. You ever see like Simpsons with Homer Simpson? I guess like permanent spots in there. That's exactly where we're at this point. Well, I am glad to see that you guys have changed clothes at some point because you guys have been doing tremendous work. I will say I am here in Denver. I've been watching and covering the drop from here.

I went out to the Broncos facility on Friday during the second and third rounds. And I had you guys in my ear basically the whole time. So hopefully all of you guys have enjoyed listening to Dane and Nate and Roberts' analysis over the first couple of days. And now we're going to get into day three and we're going to wrap up kind of some of our overall thoughts of the draft. So I think the biggest takeaway for me from day three is that the trends that we saw that started Thursday and into Friday, they really carried over into day three of the draft.

And that was this miserable quarterback class and how nobody wants to draft a quarterback. So we're recording right now midway through the seventh round. And where we're at right now, only five quarterbacks have been done. drafted. So almost certainly this is going to be a record low for quarterbacks kind of in this era. The previous low was seven. That was in 2015. That was the James Winston Marcus Mariotta class where they were one and two. And then the rest of the class, it was what, like Brett Hundley and Garrett Gilbert. I mean, it was not a, Gary Grayson, yeah, Colorado Grayson. Through the first couple rounds of the drafts, I mean, the quarterbacks were just plummeting, right? I mean, there was one in

the first round of the draft. Three guys went in the third round. Sam Howell didn't go until the fifth round. Bailey Zappy went in the fourth round. We're not going to be at a record low for quarterbacks, but this has been a really, really rough year for passers. So before we get into much more of day three, what's your takeaway from this quarterback class and what happened here on Saturday? We thought this going in, right? It's not like this is a huge surprise, although the lack of quarterbacks in the top 50, I think that was a surprise. Because what happened, history, tells us, these guys get pushed up. That did not happen this year. And so just a big, it's the first time in over two decades, we only had one quarterback in the first 50 picks, you know, that being Kenny Pickett at 20 of the Steelers. So, and here on day three, we're still seeing some, you know, Bailey Zappy came off the board. But some of these later round probably undrafted guys are getting drafted over a Carson Strong, over a Jack Cohn, over E.J. Perry. And, you know, talking about Scalar Thompson did off. just went off the board to the dolphins.

So it's just eyes, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And it's so true with quarterbacks. It's a really fascinating group. And it's kind of refreshing that we didn't see all these teams reach on a quarterback. So from that perspective, I guess it's a little refreshing, but still a little surprising. Yeah, I don't know if I want to say it's an overcorrection, but it kind of felt like usually how I looked at quarterbacks is a half round inflation. So if a guy's a third round grade, okay, maybe you go. to the early second.

The second round grade goes to the late half from the first round. And this year, it seemed like a lot, even just my own board, looking at Dane's board, looking at other boards I've seen online, just kind of hearing chatter about. It was a lot of second,

third round grades. So it kind of figured, okay, maybe a lot of these guys run into the second round. It may be a couple sneak into the end of the first. So when Pickett went 20, it's kind of like, okay, every time there's a trade-up, it was like,

you know, every time in the second round, it's like, ooh, we could see these guys going for a quarterback. But it seemed like everybody just stuck with what they truly had these guys graded on. That's what this class was.

It seemed like a lot of second, third round types and then late day three types. When the Lions traded up from 32 up to 12, would anybody have batted an eye if that was for Malik Willis? I don't think that would have been a huge shock. And I think, you know, correctly, I think they made the right move. They went for Jamison Williams. They went for the playmaker. And then Jameson Williams, or excuse me, Malik Willis falls to the 80s.

And so it's just a fascinating quarterback group that just really goes against, against history. what we're used to. Well, and when I look at that group, too, I mean, draft position at that, a quarterback position more than any other, it lingers, right? I mean, these guys are always going to be known as a third round draft pick, a fourth round draft pick, a fifth round draft pick. That's going to change the way that their current franchises view them, that if they end up getting cut or traded, that their future franchises are going to view them. So, you know, it really is going to impact these guys throughout the rest of their careers. As you say here now and you look at the guys who have already been drafted, whether that's, you know, Kenny Pickett all the way back

on Thursday night through the guys who went this afternoon. If you had to pick one who is the best odds, Nate, I know you love odds here, to be starting at some point in 2022, do you see a path for one of those guys who's the most likely option here? I mean, it's got to be Pickett. You almost have to say besides Pickett because that's, I think, yeah, that's, I would agree with Pickett definitely has a chance. But besides Pickett, I don't know any of these guys. Not really because if...

Maybe Ritter? Maybe Ritter has a lot of starter quality or early starting qualities, but it kind of seemed like their plan was the role with Marriota this year in Atlanta. And like almost, I thought they would take maybe more of a project-y guy like Malik Willis or something like that. But yeah, Ritter might be the other one. If he has a good camp or halfway through the year, they decide to take a chance on him. But I think Willis is a far away.

And you know, as soon as those Carson Wentz interceptions start going, the Sam Howell chance are going to be loud. in Washington. So, you know, you never know. Maybe we could see a Sam Hal at some point, but they believe in Carson went. So, and they drafted Sam Hallow in the fifth. So, yeah, it is really hard to see any of these quarterbacks being big contributors aside from potentially Kenny Pickett. And Lizzie, Rob, a great point with just pedigree.

And it's just how we consider these guys. Like if, and we talked with this after Will's got picked, something about, you can look at it historically and everything. But when a guy gets taken in a second, it becomes. more the whispers are louder earlier. And then also in the guy, a quarterback has a round three with them. It's also a fan. Everybody's expectations just drop. It could be a 10-pick difference.

But like you said, they have that pedigree of R2 in front of them or R3 in front of them. Everybody's kind of viewpoint of these guys. Now I think Willis isn't going to have that rush now because, oh, he's a third round project. Okay, we're fine. But if he went, like, said a team moved up into the teens and took them, fan base gets really loud, like as soon as like there's blemishes with the starter. So it's just, yeah, now that they're round three guys, it seems like all the these teams are fine taking their time with them.

Well, I will say I, and I wrote about this that's going to be up on the athletic tonight or tomorrow morning. So I was out of the Broncos facility on Friday. And who comes strolling in to the field house right before the second round is about to start? Russell Wilson. Oh, yeah. Just comes on in. It was almost like he went in there because he wanted to like throw a little bit and

didn't realize that like that's where the media was watching the draft. But he came in. He had like just worked out. He's got a football in his hands. And he like comes over and he chats a little bit. And it was like, I will say, being in that building when they did not need to draft a quarterback after the alternate universe that they've been living in forever. And we kept kind of talking through like, how different would

this have been for the Broncos? They would have been one of those teams that was like, do we have to push up? So this was a really good year to be a quarterback have to have been one of those teams who had already made a move and a really bad year to be one of those teams that maybe needed to reach or to be like the Seahawks where you're kind of. coming out of this draft, rolling with Drew Locke and Gino Smith. I mean, that's a really, really rough place to be. The team like the Colts, I mean, they, how lucky did they get that? Matt Ryan all of a sudden became available because they were in that same type of deal.

And it's just, it's musical chairs. You don't want to be the, the team left without a chair. And it's just, it's a bizarre quarterback market that changes daily. I mean, here we, Cleveland cannot get rid of Baker Mayfield, right? You know, like that's where we are right now. But at the beginning of the process where Washington's giving up all this draft capital for Carson Wentz. And so it's just, it's bizarre the quarterback market, the ebbs and flows throughout, especially this offseason where we saw so much movement. It's a draft class that was below average at the position.

So really, really unique year. And it's, I don't, I'm not going to say this is a new normal because each quarterback offseason had its own identity, its own kind of feel to it. And, you know, next year's draft class should be a lot better. you know, we'll see, but I mean, it's the most important position on the field, most important position in sports, and teams are, you know, kind of that you have to do what you have to do to get your guy. Yeah, I think the only constant is now that everything is going to be so uncertain now in that. And that I think a lot of these quarterbacks is they realize the power they wield, I guess is a good way to put it. And they're, and I keep making this comparison that they're more like NBA stars, not like all players, but just the quarterback in the sense that, hey, the franchise goes where I want. to go. So, hey, I don't like what you're doing with this franchise. All right, that trade market starts opening up. Like, I think that's more, it's more of an understanding of how important that is. Of course, other positions are too, but how important that position is and the quarterbacks realize

the weight that they carry now. Yeah, absolutely. So, and I will say one of the other trends that we saw throughout this draft was the dominance of the Georgia Bulldogs. Fifteen Georgia players were drafted this year. That is a record for the seven-round format. That's one more than LSU had in 20. This more than Alabama's ever had. That's more than the University of Miami had during kind of those early 2000s years. So, Dane, when you were evaluating this class and studying all of these Georgia guys, did you think it was going to be a 15? What kind of is your takeaway from what the Bulldogs did this weekend? Yeah. And I remember back in January giving our athletic Georgia beat writer, Seth Emerson, a heads up. Like, hey, they may have a chance here. Legit chance to break the record. And, I remember Seth actually talked to Kirby about that, and Kirby said, no, not going to happen. I don't think you understand how hard it is to get 14, which would have tied the record. And here we are, and they broke the record. So that dominance that they showed throughout the season, through the playoffs, national title game,

it's continued here on Draft Weekend. And it started early with all those first rounders. And we saw, what, seven defensive players going the top 100 alone? I mean, that was fantastic. And then the two players that I'm coming into today, I was not 100% sure they would get drafted. Darien Kendrick, the corner, who he's got some off-field stuff, his workout, his 40 was terrible.

But, you know, flashes on tape. And so if he could be more consistent, he could be a draft pick. He ends up getting drafted, I believe, by the Rams. And then Fitzpatrick, the tight end, who was a combined snub, more of a blocker, not a guy that had a ton of receiving production, but one of the better blocking tight ends in this draft, but not sure he was going to get drafted. He gets taken and that ended up,

give them the record. So that dominance we saw in the field translates the draft time and recruiting tool that you know George is going to dip into quite a bit here. Yeah, it was early and off. Those guys started coming off the board early and they just, every round, there's a couple of Bulldogs going, some on the same team like with the Packers. But even like when you know the role playing third linebacker goes in the top line.

100 picks or in the third round, really, or actually it was just outside 100. But that's like just the talent level that they have. And that's just on one unit, just their defense. And then they have all these interesting offensive players like a George Pickens and stuff. So it's crazy. I mean, there's a reason they had such an incredible year. You said that you mentioned the LSU record. Well, that was a team just recently that had a historic season as well.

So it's like, yeah, as much as we want to say coaching everything, talent matters as well. Who is your favorite Georgia player to go? based on either team fit. What's your favorite Georgia pick? That's a good one. I mean, I think you can really make a case for Jordan Davis going to Philadelphia. You knew Howie Roseman was not going to be able to pass.

And it turns out he was aggressive. He traded up for him. He leaped frog to Ravens to go get him. So I think that definitely makes sense. Quay Walker, going to the Packers, you know, how much they like size and traits at that position, especially, and Quay Walker is that.

one-year starter, you like the instincts, but you love the length. You love the wing span. You love the athleticism, 452 at 245 pounds, almost the size of a defensive end with the way he moves. So those two guys stand out for me. Yeah, and I'll sit with the other Packers, one, Devante White. I like where they're going to have him on the front there in Green Bay. I think that's a great kind of plan for him and ease him into the role and decide. I mean, they like to move their guys around that defensive front.

So I think that'll be great for him going kind of inside, outside three, some four-eye stuff for them. Also, there's character concerns with him, but I do like George Pickens. And I mean, he went about where I thought he should go. But I like him with the Steelers. I think that's a good outside option for them. He can do some maybe some slot vertical stuff. And a little more developmental than I think people wanted to, I think both of us have said that day. And I actually made me feel better.

I thought the same thing. More developmental to him than maybe a plug-and-play guy. but he has some really good ball skills and his competitive player as well. And he's going to a spot where he's not going to be expected to go in and be the one, the two. I mean, they can sprinkle them in and get him these looks and maybe almost be like a,

like kind of like Claypool was his rookie year, where you give him these opportunities, see what happens, let him go make plays. Pickens led Georgia in receiving when he was a true freshman. It's hard to go to the SEC at a big program like that and have that type of production, but he did.

So would not be surprised at all if he, has, you know, not consistently one game he might have, you know, one target, one catch for six yards, the next game he might blow up. And then he might have a two game stretch where, you know, we don't see much from him, but then blows up again. I think that's what the expectation should be for that rookie season for pickings. All right. So now let's get into a little bit more of the day three stuff. We're going to rip through this superlative style. So I've got a bunch of topics. And I want you guys to just hit me with some of your favorites, your answers for these categories. So let's start with the good stuff.

Who is your favorite pick of day three? I'll go first. So Perry and Winfrey, Oklahoma, he was the 108 pick in round four to the Cleveland Browns. This is what the Browns need. They needed that penetrator at the three technique on the defensive line. Winfrey is still raw in areas. You worry about him as a run defender, but he's long.

He has that initial quickness. There's a lot to like about Winfrey's traits and just the raw ability. And so I thought that there was a good chance he could go in round two. They get him in round four. That definitely stands out. I think Eric Johnson from Missouri State was my top rated non-combine guy. He goes to the Colts in round five. And then I got to mention Connor Hayward going to the Steelers, joining his big brother.

How awesome is that? I mean, it's to go to a situation like that where, you know, different sides of the ball, you know, Connor Hayward does kind of do everything fullback, H-back. do a little bit of everything on offense. That's going to be a lot of fun to see. Yeah, and I'll go with the guy that started round four, Kate Otten and the start of day three, K'daten to the box. I really like this guy blocking, more of a blocking tight end, but enough receiving sales.

That's good hands. Didn't test, I believe. No. He had some injury stuff. But this is a guy that when I watched him, I played against Michigan, actually, and he held his own, there was real, real blocking reps against Aidan Hutchinson, and OJabo. So they got better of them a couple times, but it was what you want to see.

And this is a great spot for him. I had him great as like a late third, early four. So it's kind of a perfect spot for him as far as my rankings for him. But I really, really like that fit. They needed tight ends. They lost OJ Howard. We have no idea what's going on with Gronk. You know, and as much as like Cameron Bray, we need more guys in there.

Really like what he brings to the table for them. Other guys, I like, I like Khalil Shakir to the bills. And this is a personal favorite of mine. I really had a second round grade on Khalil Shakir. And I think for the bills, they needed a slot guy. And perfect. I think he does enough on the outside, but he can really make a living from the slot, good route running and everything.

I really like that. And they got him in the fifth round. So I really like that selection as well. So to follow up on what Dane said before. So Winfrey to the Browns also had like an epic interview. They got him on a, they got him on a Zoom call. And he's like wandering around. It looked like he was wandering around his house or wherever it was he was having his

party. And he just like went off talking about how hard he's going to work and how excited he was to line up next to Miles Garrett. I think his quote was like, you line me up to next to Miles Garrett. The shit's over. The shit's over with. He's a scary dude. Like nobody wanted to block him with a senior bowl. And when you just see him up close and personal, he's, he's a scary guy.

How big he is. And he's a very confident guy. So the way he comes off is very like matter of fact. And, you know, you watch the tape and you see some good things. That slanting front they had, not really the best situation for him, but you love guys with backfield production. And over 40% of his tackles ended up in the backfield. So this is a guy that is used to playing on the other side of line of scrimmage. And now I will say the other thing with your other favorite pick with the Haywards.

This is now the third set of brothers that the Steelers have. They have two Watts, T.J. and Derek. They've got two Edmonds, Terrell and Trey. And now two Haywards, Cam and Connor. And then the Cam Howard and Conner Hayward, because they're, what, 11 years apart? Yeah. It's not like they grew up, really even grew up together, but Cam Hayward's initial reaction was, well, I guess I got a roommate and maybe a built-in babysitter.

I mean, it's really, really cool for their families. And it'll be really fun to watch some, I don't know, D-end, tight-end blocking drones. Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to make the trip out to La Trobe to just watch how that goes. That's an ideal situation for a rookie, too, because that's usually the biggest headache. because they're trying to find housing and everything. He's just going to bum it with his brother. He's got it.

Yeah, he's got it made. It's just cool because they're at very, like, different points of their life. They are so far apart in their careers and growing up. Cam was some brain, his beard and another one. Yeah. Connor, I think it was like seven years old or something like that when Cam went to Ohio State. So, you know, just he was a young kid. They never really got to, like, wrestle, you know?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This will continue that, that bond and that, that, that's so cool to see. It is. All right. So now let's go to our most surprising pick of day three. Mine isn't really more scouting-wise, but it's more narrative-wise, and that's the punk god.

Not only being not the first punter off the board, but not the second, but the third punter off the board. And that's more, I'd be lying if I said I scouted every punter, but that's just more kind of the narrative that is built up, the kind of the mythos that's built up around the punk god. So I'm sure that was a little bit of a shock for some people. Just the fact that you're calling him the punt guy. Yeah, exactly. That was some excellent branding work that he did. That was really well done by him in San Diego State to get him the most epic nickname ever. The rare junior punter to come out early.

Yeah, I mean, he's he had all the fanfare. And we'll see how it plays out. I mean, who knows, Buffalo might have got to steal it with him. I think he's the first pick in the sixth. So, you know, we'll see how it plays out. And my pick is kind of in the similar vein in terms of a surprise that a guy that fell. Jamari Solier from Georgia, 6-3, 320. He played left tackle primarily for the Bulldogs.

And probably going to be a better guard. He's just not the type of athlete that you necessarily see on the outside in the NFL. But I get it. He wasn't a big-time tester. You can pull holes in his game, but this guy was just, he just produced. He did Zion allows. He allowed one sack the last two years. That was to Will Anderson, the best non-quarterback in college football.

So this is a guy that it was just consistently consistent for the national championship, Georgia Bulldogs. And so a little surprise that he fell as far as he did, went to the sixth round, 195. I thought he went to a perfect spot with the Chargers where, yeah, they did draft Zion Johnson in the first. But you bring in a guy like Sawyer, who's got that tackle guard versatility, can be that perfect depth piece. So even though it did not go as high as maybe he thought or a lot of us thought, he went to a good situation. And I think there's a good chance he'll outplay that draft spot. Absolutely. And he played on an island against top tier guys.

Not even just SEC. You know, they're playing Michigan too. You know, we've already mentioned those guys. So it's just, yeah, that one is, I really like that one because just also the situation with the chart is so perfect. Like that is like just even if they were like, okay, interior depth or just depth, the fact that you can kick out maybe in a pinch. they need help still on the right side. So I really like that one as well. And what's the scouting motto?

Traits over production. Okay, you focus on the traits. But with Sawyer, at a certain point, you just have to be watching the tape and saying, okay, nobody's beating this guy. So,

you know, he's a guy that I thought teams would really trust the tape on as opposed to looking and focusing on some of the areas where he maybe just didn't match up perfectly with what you're looking for, but still a good player. And we both had round three-ish grades on them, you know, give or take.

So that's, yes, okay, I mean, round four, okay, then you're more comfortable with it. But round six, hell yeah. Let's take a swing on it. I think his teammate guard was drafted over him. Oh, yeah.

So that was surprising. So, yeah, we actually had our fourth punter just got drafted here in the seven. So the fifth specialist, I think, with one kicker off the board. So. Yeah, I wanted to circle back to those specialists because the first specialist who was taken was Kade York, the kicker from LSU. He went in the fourth round. He's a guy who has trained with Evan McPherson, I believe.

same kind of kicking coach. And then we saw the first two punters go very shortly after him. So it was three specialists within the span of like nine picks in the fourth round. Has the valuation of these guys and the way that these guys are scouted now and the fact that we now have seen five punters drafted? Do you think that's changed at all? Maybe a little bit. I mean, you know, it's it's tough with specialists because, you know, it's, you know, no one wants them until you need them. You know, it's one of those things.

And kicker so volatile. Yeah. Punner is a little more steady. So I can understand drafting the punter. I always feel like kicker is so like, I mean, it's confidence, really. I mean, that's, I mean, Young Way, Ku got cut after a week. And now he's just signing big money. Yeah.

And shout out to the Atlanta Legends. And AAAA for signing it. But no, but like Young Way Koo, like that's a great example for just like an undrafted guy. They bounce around. Kickers is just all situation. You hit one big kick and also you're there for five years. Punter is more steady, more consistent. So maybe more of an emphasis of teams going like,

Do we really want this, you know, body that we don't really love? Or do we want a guy that can actually affect the game and play right away? And I think for the Browns, they, I think they clearly saw one above average kicker in this draft. And they didn't want to wait until the fifth to see if he'd still be there or the six to see if he'd still be there. So did they draft it maybe a little bit earlier than most thought, both us on the outside and NFL teams? Yeah, probably. But if you have one guy above the rest, you kind of have to do that with a kicker to make sure you get your guy. So Cade York, yeah, not a huge surprise.

He went in the fourth. And if he ends up being awesome, that'll be a really fun kicking division with Evan McPherson and Justin Tucker. And it was last year, not this past year, but the year before that LSU Florida game, that went, you know, that was the same. It was the shoe game where the shoe, but it was that game where Cade York had this game winning field. I mean, and Evan McPherson kind of got overshadowed in that game a little bit because Cade York was so good. So we'll be talking about that game as the preview of these two kickers potentially. Yeah, and I know I mentioned punters being more kind of the consistent, but shoot, I mean, how much the Bengals got on McPherson? I mean, fifth round pick, but that dude was ice cold.

That borough was ice cold in those late game situations. But a quarterback's only as good as his kicker. So, I mean, you can lead him to that game winning kick and they miss it three times. Okay, well, that was fun. We all thought that he was going to get a shot at the end of that Super Bowl. I mean, he didn't need that much more a room. It was like, just give them to the 40. Like, get them near midfield.

I know. And that's, you know, so if you want to see these guys do affect the game early and often. I mean, they really do. All right. Now, let's talk day three value. Is there a team or two or a pick or two that you think was just tremendous value here on the final day of the draft? Yeah, I mean, I think Jemarjew kind of fits that.

But staying with the same position, Darying Kinnard from Kentucky, he went in the fifth round. pick 145 to Kansas City. And you know what? It kind of reminds me of last year when the chiefs in the sixth round got Trace Smith. So they go back to the SEC and they get a guard on day three who slipped a little bit because, you know what, it doesn't always look pretty. He's sloppy. But he's a mauler. He wants to overpower everything.

And so you get him with your offensive line coach. You get him in that room. You kind of get him to scale back a little bit. And you might have something. I don't think it would be surprising at all if he turns out. to be a steel pick 145. Yeah, Canaro is my first choice as well, just because it matches what the chiefs are trying to do with their, really, their whole offense now.

I mean, first to start with the offensive line last year, going for more finessey to now more more mall or power at you type of guys. And same with the receivers going from the Tyreek Hill trade kind of show the shift, going down VS and JuJu kind of get more physical type of guys. And then, of course, I say that, and they draft a sky more. Exactly. But the other one, too, is just this guy who was so traitzy. I thought somebody would take a chance on him earlier, and that's Tariq Wollin, who the Ciox took.

They took him in the fifth, and I thought somebody would take a chance on him, like in the third, somewhere on day two, because I've seen much worse, tracy, height, weight, speed type of corners go on day two. So I just thought somebody would maybe take a chance on him. He is not a finished product. He is a project. But he has excellent, rare size and speed combination and length combination. So it's just an intriguing pick. And yeah, really, that was the one. I also liked their other corner pick that the Seahawks had, Kobe Bryant, who was another, I think.

The other Cincinnati. The other Cincinnati who won the Jim Thorpe. But I think that's a guy they took on the fourth round. I think he has the upside of maybe being a solid number two type corner. And that's hard to find in the middle round. So it seems like they race to get that pick in. He's a good football player. It just seems like a no-brainer for the Seahawks.

Yeah, yeah. There's a lot of things alike with him. And it's funny because Sauce Gardner last year saw 11% of the defensive targets. nobody threw at him. And so we'll try our luck with the other guy. That won him the Jim Thorpe Award because he stepped up to the plate and knocked it out. So, and then, yeah, I love your point with Tariq Wullen. A guy that's so rare, so unique, 6-4-205 runs a 4-26.

You just would think someone's taking a chance on that before they did. So that was definitely a surprise. The value with that defensive staff, what they want at that position, that late in the draft, you love that. And actually, one of my best value picks has went off the board, the 257, Marquis Hayes from Oklahoma, I had this guy in the third round. Marquis Hayes really physical to point of attack, played, can play guard, I think can play either side. There's a lot what you can do with Marquis Hayes. And I think the Cardinals just stole him here in the seventh round.

I mean, this might be putting you in the spot, Dane. But do you know or look it up real quickly with the biggest gap between where you got had a guy rated and where he ended up going? This year or like any year? Well, this year. This year? I mean, it's probably him. I had him in the third round. We mentioned Solier.

I had him, I think, 54th overall. Again, just trusting the tape with him. And he ended up going 195. So big disparity with some of these guards with maybe had him ranked higher than they ended up going. So what does he how it plays out? And we are now five picks, five picks to go, four or five picks to go. And you are perfect so far with the beast?

So far, yeah, there is not I don't want to jinx here. Yeah, I know. The Packers are going to take someone right now. But yeah, so far we're 257 for 257 in terms of at least being in the draft guide. There's been a few scares, you know, there's a undersized linebacker from Yale. Yeah, that one was out. Oh, yeah.

The other Oklahoma State corner that just went. So there's a couple like, oh no. He was in there right now. Did you have any Texas guys in the Beast? Yeah, there were a few. We're O for Texas so far, right? Oh my gosh, that's true. No Longhorns.

That's incredible that a guy from Yale has gotten drafted before anybody from the University of Texas. Yeah, it is. I mean, Cameron Dicker might. Texas is not back just for a record. Cameron Dicker, their kicker might have been the best chance that they had. Maybe, maybe he'll sneak in here the last. Well, Chiefs won't take a kicker. Ramps could take a kicker.

Sure. I don't know. Never know. Chargers could take a kicker here at the end. You know, honestly, at this point, these players are probably hoping they don't get drafted because they're their agents, you know, laying it out with the talking over the eight options they have going over signing bonuses, you know, and at this point, it's, so it's okay to not to get drafted because you get to pick, okay, let's look at the depth chart.

Let's see, okay, let's look at the coaching staff. What do they like to do? Does it fit what I really appreciate doing on the football field? Is it a fit culture-wise? What's my best route, my best path to sticking on a roster through training camp? So, yeah, at this point, it's okay to not get drafted because you're still getting. those phone calls, still getting chances to sign with the team after the draft. And it could be the most frustrating thing. Oh, I was going to say it's the most frustrating thing.

You're calling these players. And they're like, yeah, I was going to say, when you worked in personnel, what is that like? What is going on right now? There's five guys left, five picks left. Once round, middle of round six gets going, every area scout assistant coaches, they're getting together and going like, okay, who are the guys we'd like? Okay, I already have a deal with this guy or I've been talking to this guy if he fell. And, but it becomes chaos. It turns into what is in college recruiting is years and years of work. It turns into about an hour of all these coaches and scouts trying to get together and just calling guys.

They can be really frustrating because a team, there might be two teams that it's like, wow, they're both offering 10 grand and a bonus. And their situation is bad. And then it turns into full blown. Hey, get the head coach on the phone. Call them, call them up. Hey, what info do we know? And do you know his assistant coach?

So we can butter them up. But it's so jam-packed. It's chaotic. But it can be very frustrating when you're trying. And of course, you always want to get the guy. as you want, but you're trying to lay it out to him and go, we have nobody. We have, you're going to get so many reps in camp. You will get a chance to get that third tight end spot, you know, that fourth or fifth

receiver spot. And they go to a team that just drafted two guys and has like a pro bowler. And you're just like, okay, sorry. You know, sorry your agent. You went to. Do you have a favorite, like a favorite recruiting moment that you can share with us or undrafted guy or is there like a guy that you missed out on that it's always like, for me, I wasn't doing the recruiting.

I was booking flights. Yeah. So, but for me, it was a lot of, like when I was calling these teams or calling the players, it was fun and kind of annoying. I'm trying to get information on them. And they're enjoying their moment. They're just signed with a team. And so they're at parties.

And so you're, and some of them are a little, have a few drinks in them. You know, they're celebrating. And you're trying to like get them. You're like, I just need your pre check number. I need this. I'm setting up all their info. And I'm like, please, please, just tell me your, like, how do you spell that? And then, you know, they're yelling.

Ah, yeah, give me another one. So you would get, you. You'd get a lot of that going on. So that's more of like with the fun, quote unquote fun stories. Was there ever a situation where there's a bidding war in terms of like, okay, let's up the bonus. Let's, you know, any situations like that? We had that where we had to get the owner involved and go like, hey, because they give you a budget. And that's like, and that's what isn't like Jerry Jones is legendary.

It's like his undrafted free agent pool bonus is ridiculous. And so it's like, we only have 14 grand to sign, you know, four undrafted DBs. And it's like, you're trying to divvy up that pie. And then it's like, well, I gave that guy eight grand. And so you get more arguments amongst like scouts and stuff going like about their deals and stuff. And then it's like it would be hilarious that these teams will throw tens of thousand dollars, millions of dollars at things. But then that two grand over the bonus over the bonus pool for the undrafted free agents, it's like, nope, can't do it. So I'd always find that pretty funny that there's some discrepancy there.

Well, so I say because the way that the CBA is structured is these guys that are late round draft back six, seventh rounders, I mean, they're going to all make the same amount in salary. They're going to make the same rookie minimum. But the bonuses is what's different. So the fifth rounders make a little more than the sixth and the seventh. But some of these undrafted guys because of, like you said, these bidding wars, it can really change. And when you're a beat writer and you're trying to figure out, okay, well, like, what's the, how do you, like, power rank the undrafted guys? And like, who is the best chance to make the roster? And obviously you're looking at depth chart stuff.

But that one of the things you can go in is like, well, how do they value on what was the bonuses? And one of my favorite stories looking back was, the 2011 class, that was the lockout year. And so all of these guys didn't sign until July, the undrafted guys. And the Broncos signed a whole bunch of those when I was at the Denver Post. And they signed a big class of undrafted guys. And the smallest signing bonus on their roster was Chris Harris, the cornerback in Kansas, who I remember his agent called me up and was like, just watch this guy.

Just like, just keep an eye on him. Just I'm telling you, just watch this kid. Sure enough, he makes the team. He goes on. has like, you know, 10 plus year NFL career had the smallest signing bonus, out of all of the undrafted guys. That would be a funny thing, too, with the free undraft, or all the rookies is a lot of teams, you know, this is the modern hazing is, oh, sing your fight song or sing a song in front of

everybody. I had to do it as a rookie coach. But, you know, sing a song. And, but for the rookies, it would be. We should have made you do that as like the rookie full-time staff writer at the athletic. Right. I know. And they would make every guy that came up.

So it would be, okay, you know, player X from. Baylor and then you had to say how much your bonus was. So it would be really funny when a guy came up and it was like, you know, 25 and you just hear him, I go, ooh. And then, but then it would be really cool. And this is a guy I brought up on the show a lot. It was Jalen Richard, uh, running back for us with the Raiders. He was a rookie mini camp invite, last minute invite.

Then he got the, the bump to come to training camp. So he was a zero, zero dollar bonus guy and made the active roster and was a, you know, our kick returner and ended up being our third down back as a rookie. who was a Ricky mini camp guy. So that one was really funny because when he came up to saying, he goes, well, you guys been, you guys been called me Jalen Richard. My name is Jalen Richard. And my bonus is $0.

And it was like, okay, all right, but you're having a good camp, buddy. Respect. Respect. Yep. All right. So we're down to two picks to go, about to be at Mr. Irrelevant. So who are a couple of these undrafted guys to watch? Who are guys who maybe didn't hear their name called, but now have an opportunity to pick

their team and might end up in a better spot than they would have had. They've been drafted late here in the seventh round. So I don't think Jojo Doman, the Nebraska linebacker, has been drafted yet. I was a little surprising. He's a nickel player. I mean, his ability and coverage, his awareness, the spatial awareness, that fits today's modern NFL. I know there's some medical stuff going on there. I think that's maybe the biggest reason.

But, you know, he'll be, I think, a guy that's, you know, his phone's going to be blowing up. Christopher Allen, the edge rusher from Alabama, had a foot injury in the opener. He had like in the season opener against Miami, first 10 snaps, he was unblockable. Miami had no answer for him. And then he broke his foot. He was out for the rest of the year. And instead of going back, he decided to enter the draft. And he had a late workout.

And it did okay. But, you know, at that point, it's like, okay, where do you place a guy like this in the draft? And I don't think he's been drafted yet. So Christopher Allen would be another one of those guys that fits. Yeah. I mean, I mean, the one I always just say is Justin. but that's because of medicals. So, yeah,

the team will even sign him. Team's kind of just, yeah, he's, I know. And fortunately, um, Jayvon highly from Coast of Carolina is a receiver I really like.

I was pretty high on a third, fourth round grade on him, but he was a, not a combine non-invite. Um, but I, I think he could be a pretty, he's a good route running,

a good hands. He had a great shrine week, really productive guy. Um, I think, I think teams will be interested in him. I was very interested at he didn't get invited to the combine. So,

um, that's one that's off top of my brain right now. And then a couple of quarterbacks, E.J. Perry from Brown and Jack Cohen from Notre Dame. I was going to say Wisconsin. But yeah, Wisconsin, then Notre Dame. Yeah, former badger. But those two, too. I'm actually kind of surprised that no one took me even the seventh round around those guys, you know, just to get some quarterback depth. One more guy, Vron McKinley from Oregon, who the last three years had 11 interceptions combined. I mean, just a guy that got his hands on the football. So, but guy that was undersized, didn't have elite speed. that that's where teams are not going to trust the tape on that.

They're not going to trust the production if you don't have the traits. And that's where I think Vroom McKinley got cut up with. What about the quarterbacks? Are they any of these guys who didn't make it? Carson Strong? It's all about the knee. Yeah. I mean, yeah, tried to kind of warn.

Because Carson Strong was I know a draft Arling for a lot of people on Twitter and out there. And just try to warn people like, listen, this guy is a good chance. He's not getting drafted. The knee's an issue. And to Carson's credit, he's been up front with everybody since the start, you know, going to the Senior Bowl, doing it at the Combine. Like, he's, he has not hit from the fact that the knee is a little bit of an issue. And with durability. And so, you know, it's something that's going to probably keep him getting drafted.

But he'll get, he'll get his chance. And, you know, we'll see if he's able to maybe break through. And even if he starts as a camp arm, you know, it's exposure. And if you start where you start. It shouldn't matter if you're drafted or not. Once you get to training camp, it's just what you do. And sometimes there are some stubborn GMs who are going to keep their draft picks more than a guy they signed. But a guy like Carson Strong, you never know.

Okay. And then not even quarterbacks. I mentioned Perry and Cohen. But then running backs of Max Borgie from Washington State. I always want to say Wazoo from Washington State. I liked him as kind of a receiving back. I actually liked his running ability a little bit more than I thought it would originally. But that's another interesting on drafted free agent.

I thought maybe another guy that someone might sneak into round seven. That's just kind of a role type of guy. And now we have the last pick of the draft. We were talking about the guys who were not going to get drafted. Mr. Irrelevant looks like it's a quarterback, but not one of the guys we necessarily were expecting. So what do you know about Mr. Irrelevant, Dane? Yeah, Brock Purdy, who, uh, he, his career, maybe went the different direction than, you know, usually you get better and better and better.

His production, his numbers kind of went the other way. But this is, and he was benched at one point as a senior. But he's a really smart guy, really competitive player, not the biggest guy. I mean, he's a lot of things that you want intangible wise and quarterback. He has that. And I kind of fit Kyle Shanahan with kind of what he looks like, looks for in a quarterback. So a little surprise he's drafted here, but I can understand the fit. with the 49ers.

Yeah, totally, completely on the same page. Yeah, you understand. He knows what he is, which doesn't have everything that you want, but he understands that. So he understands how to get the ball off in time and all that. But there's some other things lacking as far as tools-wise. But yeah, exactly what Dan said, all the intangible stuff. And I think we're, I think we're both in agreement. I use more of an undrafted type of guy to me, but this is Mr. Irrelevant.

So same, you know, split in heirs here. If everything hits right for Brock Purdy, I think he has a Colt McCoy career. Yeah. If everything goes right, if he hits a ceiling, the situation is what it is. I think he could be a Colt McCoy, which is not, that's not a negative. I mean, he can play in the league for 10 years. So, um, he won a few games in the NFC West last year. Well, there you go.

Exactly. So it's, it's his Nick Mullins. That's his new Nick Mullins. That's what Brock Purdy is. 100%. All right. And he's going to get a parade or something special jersey, whatever goes, else goes into being Mr. Irrelevant.

So, all right, let's run through a few more of these superlatives as we kind of wrap up the weekend. We'll let Dane get on a plane go back to see his family, Moa's lawn. Nate, you can drive back across town and see how all your bets hit this weekend. All right, so let's get into some of these. Let's get into our favorite classes. Nate, I know you and Robert are going to do another show Sunday night, going to be posting Monday morning. That's going to kind of wrap up a lot of stuff. But as we sit here right now, all of the picks are in. Who are a couple of your favorite overall draft classes? Dane, you go first. So the first article I did. do as soon as the draft it's over is I power rank my top 32 favorite draft classes. And right now I'm

kind of working through who those first, I've narrowed it down to four that are kind of going for number one. And those four classes, the Jets, the Ravens, the Lions, the Chiefs. I absolutely love what each of those teams did. The Jets, I mean, obviously with three first round picks, you know, you should hit a home run and you should, it should be a draft class you like. But even after that, with Breece Hall and Jeremy Ruckert on day two, and what they did, in the fourth round, Michael Clemens, Max Mitchell. So I love what the Jets did. I mean, they are doing everything that you want your head coach and GM to do

in terms of surrounding your quarterback with talent. So it's all on Zach Wilson now. What are you going to do with all this talent around you? The Ravens with getting Kyle Hamilton and then Tyler Linderbaum in the first round, all the picks they had. David Ajabo in the second. It's so awesome. That's another one on favorite stories is kind of with going back to his former

teammate in high school with Daufe O'way. It's a big reason why David Ojobe started playing football. He had not played the sport before until, you know, he, at that high school, was a junior, I believe, when he started to go try out for football. So love that story. The Lions, again, this is a theme with multiple first round picks, but getting Aiden Hutchinson, my number one player in the draft, then trading up, being aggressive, going to get Jameson Williams.

To me, the best playmaker they've had on that roster. since Calvin Johnson. And so you love what they're building in Detroit. And then the Chiefs, I love what they did with the first round, with Trent McDuffie, and then coming back with George Carl Loftus. And then arguably my favorite pick of the entire draft was after the pick 50,

getting Skymore, which is not in apples to apples replacement for Tyree Kill. They're very different styles of player. But in terms of bringing in after the catch element to that offense, a guy that can win early, he can win vertically. I just think he gives the Chiefs a guy that's going to be a lot of fun with Patrick Mahomes and that offense and all the things you can do with the Skymore. Yeah, I mean...

Sorry if I took some of your teams. Yeah, Jets and Ravens. I mean, that was exactly with you. I love what the Chiefs did. I love what the Lions did. So I'm with you with all those. One of my other favorites is going to be a team that actually traded out of the first round. That's a Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I just liked a lot of the solid. kind of like I could see what they're going for. Their first four picks, I really think they might get four starters out of them. Logan Hall, you know, I think their defensive line is aged, kind of like they're reconfiguring it a little bit. Yeah, they didn't bring back Sue. Yeah. Now it seems like they probably won't.

And JPP and yeah. And so he's a guy that can move across the defensive line. I really like that. I think his best ball's in front of him. He was really coming together for him this past year. Luke Kedeky from central Michigan. I like him. I could slot in the interior line.

I really liked where they took him. Rashad White at running back in the third round. He's a personal favorite of mine. Love to fit there. His style is size, has enough juice, has great receiving skills. I made a joke on the live show that I can already picture Tom Brady throwing him about 15-3-yard checkdown, so he could fall forward for a first down. And then really, I already mentioned the name, but Kate Otten, I really think it will be a starting tight end for him sooner or rather than later,

somewhat because of necessity, but also because he's worthy of that. but I really like that for a team that didn't have a first rounder, getting four potentially pretty good players with their first four picks. And then the other team I want to throw in here is actually the Falcons. And this is a team more that they took some personal favorites. Drake London is my receiver one. Desmond Ritter is my QB one. Like where they ended up with Ritter.

That is so much more comfortable with Desmond Ritter in round three than pick 20. That makes a lot more sense. Troy Anderson's an intriguing player. He is not a finished product adult. He's just learning how to play linebacker, really. But really interesting traits there. That's a good situation, too. It is.

He won't be pressed in the field from day one. He'll bring him along on his own pace. It's a team that doesn't, they need them, but they don't need them. Like right now, they're finally losing games. Like, that's the thing. Let's just get this talented guys. Same with Arnold Abacetti, and they also took him as well. So these guys, it's just, I like the, it's just a nice blend.

And on top of it in round five, Tower Alger, running back that I really like. I think Dana likes as well. But good size, and it fits really, really well. well and what Arthur Smith likes to do in the run game. I'd throw the Texans in there as like kind of just like a sneaky, quietly good draft. I mean, I think that. Culture draft. Yeah.

I mean, they obviously just needed players everywhere, right? I mean, their roster needed like a complete overhaul. But I kind of like what they did. You could like kind of see a plan there. And then, God, the Ravens. I know you guys already both said the Ravens, but it's like they're just playing a different game than everybody else. that it's I don't know how the rest of the reasons every year. Their day one was awesome.

Their day two was great. And day three, they start with like what, six fourth rounders. I mean, any way you look at it, it was a great day. Part of that this article that I do is,

you know, when I power rank them, I do my favorite pick in each class. And then a day three player who could surprise. And with the Ravens, it's like, oh, there's like eight guys I can choose from here that would make sense.

You know, like a Daniel Falle Laylay. It's funny, not too long ago, in the third round, the Ravens, you know, took an overweight tackle from Oklahoma or, you know, a bigger guy that nobody wanted. And it worked out okay. Yeah, next thing you know, Orlando Brown is, you know, one of the higher paid tackles in the league. And so that kind of happens again here, but in the fourth round where they take a guy that's a little different because he's so big.

He's not the best mover, but in the fourth round, yeah, see if you could be your long-term right tackle. Yeah, I mean, I think the only knock on their draft is that they didn't take a little bit. a receiver. I mean, they traded away Marquise Brown and they didn't really get. I mean, I think there might have been, unless they took one in the seventh, but they took two tight ends. Eric Acosta indicated that they're not done at receiver. So I imagine their undrafted group will have some receivers there. And they might still be exploring the veteran market. I don't, I'm not saying. They just love Rashad Bateman. That's all. Join the club, right? You're a captain of that fan club. They read my cushing report on him. Yeah. So I would say that would be the only

kind of knock on their class to me. But even though, I mean, they traded Marquis Brown in the middle of the draft and got like insane value for him. They traded him for 23 and then traded that pick and got Tyler Linderbaum. Probably the only thing you can criticize there with that is that pissed off Lamar Jackson. But he, Hollywood asked for a trade. You know, it's just, Lamar needs to take that up with. Yeah. But they don't seem to be really talking right now, which is a whole other issue. But so yeah, yeah, I, I am. with you guys. So now let's, let's flip it. What's the most confusing plan, the weirdest class or the one that just does not make sense to you guys, top to bottom? Nate, you want to go first this time?

Sure. And I'll just, yeah, I'm going to go with the Cardinals to start. And I thought this was a team. And they did, they got a nice actually pick late. So it kind of defeats the point for this. But I thought they really could have helped their interior line and their DB rooms when they were picking on day two. and instead they went for what I think is a luxury pick for them and Trey McBride. And so that was really confusing for me. I think it's a team. They're grasped match. They're trying to figure out what they are.

I mean, I know the coward situation isn't pretty, but it just seems like they do all these moves to kind of play fantasy football as opposed to, like, build the team. I know they took two trench guys on defense, but also those guys, Sanders from Cincinnati, you know, skinny.

The production really wasn't there this past year. We talked about on the live show about maybe the usage based on Cincinnati's defense, but the Cardinals were a little bit confused. using for me. And I know the coward situation kind of causes some of that, but this is kind of what the Cardinals will have done really the last few years as well. And also trained for Hollywood, first rounder. It should have been day two pick. But Patriots don't count. They're the Patriots. And then also my other one would be the Bears, not helping Justin Fields out. I like the D.Bs, though. So I don't want to knock up too much. That's it. That's it. Yeah. And we've talked about this.

But I like the DBs they took. So I'm not as like down on them overall. Yeah. I mean, the thing with the Bears is they do need players. everywhere and their defense clearly needed help. But if you were approaching this draft and kind of this 20-22 season as we have to make things better for Justin Fields and you take your first two picks are defensive backs. I mean, that's clearly not helping him. They didn't take an offensive lineman until the fifth round, I believe. And the receiver that they took is like 37 years old.

Yeah, he caught passes from Sam Donald in USC. He's older than 80. Jay Brown. Yeah. I mean, who just signed a second contract. It's wild. And he's a gadget guy.

Like he's a cherry on top pick, not a foundational piece even at the receiver room. So that's, yeah, that was an interesting one. Yeah. I mean, the bearer is that was going to be my answer because of everything we just talked about. It's, uh, it was, especially in a draft like this, what wide receiver is so strong. And I say draft like this one. I mean, wide receiver has been strong every year, but, uh, and it probably will be next year. But, you know, still, they, they passed on some really good players.

Um, but I mean, you guys make good points about. They need help at many other spots. So, you know, Kyler Gordon's a good player. Juan Brisker is a good player. It certainly helps their secondary. Their secondary is a lot better than it was a couple of days ago. That's what was funny. It was like, you know, Robert's like, oh, this is what during the live stuff.

But it was like, actually, I like these players, though. Like I want to like say, no bears, but I'm also like, okay, I get it. I mean, they might, those two legit starting quality DBs with, you know, some good, you know, good play in front of them. So, yeah, I know. That's why it's hard to talk about both her to mouth with them. And the devil's advocate. it. You know, credit to first year general manager, Ryan Poles, who maybe, you know, a lot of first year general

managers making their first ever draft picks may be pressured to take just whoever the best receiver is on the board instead of staying true to their, to the draft board and taking the best players. Because they understand this is not a, okay, what's going to make us better in 2022? It's what's going to make us better the next three or four years. And so credit to polls for sticking true to the draft board and following the plan they had in place. Yeah, now just hopefully they'll have some other plans with maybe some undrafted guys or the, I mean, it's not like they were super active in free agency.

What are they going to do then to develop Justin Fields and scheme things up to make it easier on him next year? Things that the Nagy regime certainly did not do. Nate, you mentioned the Patriots and you kind of like breeze past them because Bill Belichick operates on a different plane and obviously has different valuations on guys. But when you look at the Patriots class, what was weird to you about it other than the Cole Strange? Yeah. And it's just so hard with the Patriots because Dane has made this point is that they're just going to do what they do. They have their own board. They have their small board.

They have their positions that they like. And they're like, we're going this guy here or this group of players here. And that's where we're taking. Like a Taekwon Thornton, who I liked as like a fourth round type, interesting, take the top off the defense. they take them in the second round when there's other kind of more down-to-down receivers. I think Taekwant Thorne is going to be more specialty type early on and develop more of his game. I think Dane, you speak better to this. Their DB picks, their corner picks were kind of against type.

I guess it's a good way to put it. Even I did like Peerstrom. He's a long-speed guy and more of a glider, kind of a one-cut guy. Can't really make a lot of guys miss. It gives them a different flavor. I actually didn't hate that. But it was really more of their day. They wanted day two picks that I kind of was like, oh, okay.

You know, that's, that's Patriots are doing Patriots things. All right. Who is your favorite fit when we're talking player with scheme, whether that was a first round guy, a day two guy, somebody today, where you're just like, this guy ended up in the exact right spot for him. So I kind of mentioned him earlier, but Skymore. Yeah. I'm surprised he was a 13th receiver drafted.

There were a dozen receivers. What a class. drafted ahead. Right. And so to get him outside the top 50, to get him as a 13th receiver, again, not an apples to apples comparison in terms of being a replacement for Tyree Kill. Nobody is. But a guy that, and you Nate mentioned this earlier about being a little more physical at receiver, you know, with guy like Juju. And that's what with Sky Moore, yeah, he's got speed, but he also plays really well through contact. And especially with the quick game and catch and run opportunities. And so I love that fit going to that offense with Pat Mahomes. That's going to be a lot of fun to watch. And I also wanted to mention Zach Tom in the fourth round, goes to Green Bay. Not going to, I hate putting this on him, but there are some similarities to Tom and Bakhtiari when he was coming out. This undersized tackle who maybe is a center. Can he hang at tackle?

And so there are some similarities in terms of the athleticism and what they do well. So I'm really interested. If there's, you know, maybe a situation that would understand how to use a guy like Zach Tom, I think it's the Packers. So I really like that landing spot for him in the fourth round. Yeah, Sky Moore was one of mine as well. That was like one of those. It was like, really, you guys, let this happen? Yeah, that one was actually kind of stunning.

I'll even say that word. But one of my favorites was in the first round was Zion Johnson to the Chargers. And I just love that as far as player, team fit, team need, shoring up, like, or strengthening a unit that we're all excited. about but making it even better and actually like more of the way to make it better than what we think. Oh, I had another receiver. It's like, no, it's short up the line a little bit more. And then we'll add those receivers. Another one in the first round is Kyrie Elam to the Bills.

Love that as far as they needed a second corner. That's perfect for him as far as personality, as far as competitiveness. Really, really like that fit for them, a smarter player as well. And then the last one from round one because I'm on original. It would be Daxon Hill with the Bengals. I like that playing in the slot. He's got other safety. these that kind of a different type of skill set than they have.

And also, like, and brought this up on the live show, really excited to see what they do with him on third downs as far as a cover guy and as far as a pressure guy because of what the Bengals like to do. So that was another one I was at, but before the draft, do you even think of that kind of fit. And then after it happened, I was like, man, I really, really like that one. Aside from the Patriots and Cole Strange, I think after the first round, you know, on Twitter and everything else, the most negative feedback I heard was from Bengals fans, you know,

going with a safety. And then, okay, then I made sure I tweeted, there's nothing on this guy's tape that says he can't play outside corner. Right. I mean, it's a versatility that makes Dax Hill so impressive, whether he's in the nickel,

he's outside, he plays more of a two safety look. However he want to use him, he can do that. He has the athleticism. He's a smart guy. So I love, I'm with you.

I love that fit. And I think, you know, for the Bengals fans listening, I mean, I think that they got a really good player. And a scout, put it perfectly with,

with Dax Hill. he told me he's going to be the best Michigan defensive back since Charles Woodson. I mean, we're talking about over 20 years ago. So, you know, he has a chance to be a really good player. And it just fit what they needed, right? I mean, their offense, obviously their offensive line needed a lot of work, but they went really heavy offensive line in free agency. And they needed defense health days, especially in their, in their secondary.

So I like that they had a plan. And I know you guys, I'm sure Nate and Robert, you guys are going to get into some of the plan and what did we learn about? some of these teams in the next show. I would say Drake Jackson was also one of my favorite fits. Okay. Yeah, just because of what the Niners do for defensive linemen. Yeah.

And the way that they develop talent there, it like kind of is a luxury pick, right? You know, they have a lot of defensive linemen, but they just do such a good job of whoever they get in there and the guy who's kind of as athletic as he is. I can just like, I can just picture it right now. No, that's a great one. see the way that they're going to develop him. That was a really good one. All right.

So let's move into our favorite kind of just overall moment of the draft. You guys watched, I don't even want to know how many hours of television, ESPN, NFL network. A lot of weird stuff happened over the course of the draft. What are the couple of things that are going to like stick in your brain of like when I think back to the 2022 draft, maybe the non, you know, schemy stuff, you know, football fits and stuff? What are you, what are your favorite moments from this weekend?

Yeah, I mean, a couple of the celebrations were really cool. Like the kid that was up there for the Giants pick with Tibido. That was one of my favorites. That was a lot of fun. And that kid had an awesome interview on Saturday. He went onto the NFL network set with Rich Eisen. And Rich like flipped it. He got out of his chair, gave the mic to this kid and let him like do the interview.

And he was freaking awesome. I was going to say energy. Can we get him a podcast on the athletic? It's infectious. It was on mute and we're watching them. I was like, God, this kid's great. Yeah. Yeah, it was awesome.

Let's stop the podcast. I want to watch this guy. This is good. So, yeah, no. Charismatic. I don't know. For me, the Cole strange. Like, that was, that was my number one.

That was fun. I mean, it's a guy that, for an awesome player, an awesome person. And so to, we're rarely surprised, I think, in the first round. You know, like maybe a guy gets drafted a little bit earlier than we think. But we said it before. This is a draft where we could see third rounders going the first round. And I don't think he's a third rounder for the Patriots. but, you know, just a big surprise.

And that was a lot of fun to see him come off the board. Yeah, and now he's just a player. It's funny hearing like Dane's actual thoughts on there because actually during that round one, you know, it's near the end of the round one. It's been a long night. And that like gave us all second life here in the athletic draft house in Las Vegas. It was kind of really fun. And it's one of those years from now, you know, it was my first time doing a show

with Dane. And I'll remember that. Like that's, I think it's going to be really, really cool and something we look back on. The other one was the guy for the Vikings getting yanked off the stage. After he was going like 15 minutes, that was as we're like waiting. Yeah, I immediately started texting everybody knew who was like working at the draft like from the league. And I was like, who is this woman? I need to know.

She's the MVP. Her name is Ashton Ramsberg. She used to work for the league office. Now she doesn't work for the main office. She was the stage manager there. And apparently do you remember a couple years ago when Kevin Hart tried to like sneak onto the stage after the Eagles won the Super Bowl? and there was like there's like he tried to like he was on the field and like was trying to get up onto the stage and there's a photo of a woman like stopping him from like dude you can't i know

you're kevin heart but like same woman so she is same woman so yeah MVP so she's a pro yeah i was the league office and operations um yeah like super bowl major events all that kind of stuff so she was the end up it turns out he's he's an actor like i mean he played the NFL, but he's been an actor for the last, you know, 30 years or so. And so he's verbose and, you know, a little, you know, kind of, this is my moment. I'm going to take my 15 minutes. A ham, if you will. Yeah. Literally 15 minutes. So that was bizarre. It's just so funny of like we're in here because we have the show on mute and, and producer Kent will do a great job and turn the sound on for when the pick happens. And I felt back for Kent because he didn't know, he kept trying to turn it up

and on, like waiting for the guy to finish. So, yeah. So it was just a very funny sequence of Robert's trying, like, we're trying to, like, do we pause? Do we kill time? You know, so it was, that was a very funny sequence. So, Nate, you live in Vegas. I know you guys are at a undisclosed location near Vegas where you guys have been a top secret location. I guess you guys are going to be gone probably by the time this airs. But how do you think Vegas did? What was the vibe like in town, you know, as somebody who lives there regularly? How'd Vegas do? I think they did well. They are really, I think they're new. their new slogan for the city is to emphasize that they're the stadium.

Like the whole city is a stadium. Like they want, I think the city is a arena. I think that's their phrase or anything. I'm just butching a great Las Vegas logo that I am. But they're really emphasizing sports. And this is, this was a way to signal it a couple years ago and then COVID happened.

So this was supposed to be their way to kind of signal that. They got the stadium. They got the Legion Stadium now. They got T-Mobile Arena. So I think this is a good way to like show that they can host it. And it's like a trial run for the Super Bowl as well. But, I mean, it was over 400,000 people, I believe, that came in town. It was, I think they did a good job.

It was very weird to see it kind of the construction happening on the strip. And I was like, where is this all happening? And also, and it was like, oh, the Blasio Fountains and all that stuff. So you put it best when you said that you're not used to traffic here. Oh, yes. But, I mean, this week, this weekend, the last three days, the traffic was, you know, you put you back a little bit. It did. It was like, it should have only been 20 minutes to get to our undisclosed.

location. And it was like the first day, it took me on like 50 minutes to get here. And I've gotten so spoiled. I lived in Atlanta and then the Bay Area and then moved to Vegas. So I went from terrible traffic, terrible traffic. And I was like, this is amazing. Everything's 12 minutes away. So I was throwing a little bit of hissy fit about that when I came in on Thursday night. And it kept me from going to the strip at all. But I think they did a very good job. I'm excited. It's amazing. I mean, I flew in on Wednesday. And on my flight, I had a layover in Chicago, the amount of Bears fans on my flight, like you guys don't pick in the first round.

I mean, it didn't matter. I mean, they were here for the fun. And I mean, it's, the draft will be back at some point in Vegas. No doubt about the more NFL events will be here based on the success of the last three days.

It's a hosting city. That's built to host. And that's what it's really cool. That's something too. And this is what I was trying to bear. Everyone's like, oh, excited for the Super Bowl.

Do you get a lot of fans for that? And that's why I try to explain is that the Super Bowl is almost like a business event. And the draft. is the fan event. And it's like, what better city to have fans that people, you know, quote unquote normal people right here in Vegas with the strip and downtown and everything. So it was good. It's going to be interesting. So next year the draft is going to be in Kansas City. They've awarded it to Detroit in a couple of years. That's coming up in a couple of years. And, you know, and it was in Cleveland last year. And some of these cities like, it is like their Super Bowl, right? Yeah, sure.

That's almost for Cleveland last year. I think Detroit is going to be an excellent host. Kansas City will all eat really well when we go there next year. That's what we said. Instead of Chris Angel to hold up a rack of ribs. And I love Kansas City. I mean, it's one of my favorite trips. I've got family who lives there. It's a fun place to visit.

But at some point, I do wonder if they're going to kind of get into a rotation of like, these are the best cities to host it. And it doesn't mean it's going to be in the same city every year. But like, do we have to give it to everybody or it works well in Vegas? Let's go back and throw the best freaking party in the spring. And not only the drive. but the combine. The combine could be on the move and other fan events.

Like it's, you know, the success of a place like this, you know, really makes you think about how the NFL is going to look, look towards the future and how they're going to look to branch out. And at some point do we get international? I mean,

it's just, it really is, I don't think the NFL sees a ceiling for an event like the draft that is in, you know, it's in April. So it's, there's a lot of football fans that are just, they want something,

they need something. and they'll travel for it and they'll have a lot of fun for it. So it's just a really unique event. And I like what you brought up too about all the Kansas City, Detroit and all that and Chicago a few years ago as well is cold weather cities aren't going to get the Super Bowl. Unless you're a dome. It's just what it is. So this is your way to go like, yeah, we can freaking host.

Philly had it. Yeah. It's our way to host fans and host the NFL and show what we can do as a city and get to show our personality a little bit. So I think that's always cool. I like the draft moving as a road show more than the combine. 100%. But that is a rant for another day.

I will say the compound is going to be back in Indy next year, but at 2023 or 2024 and beyond, I think it's going to start moving. So we'll get one more hurrah in Indy. And we'll see. But I, you know, it was like the NFL just had to get over the like embracing sports gambling. Like they're there now. So let's just put Vegas into the mix for all of these big events. I do want to see, want to make sure that there were no major like incidents.

You know, like, you know, there was an incident at the Pro Bowl. right? I mean, a player was literally arrested because of a fight, you know, hours after the Pro Bowl. I mean, they let him play in the game. It's a whole other topic. But we, I think we want to make sure that there were no, you know, all the guys who came to Vegas. We were able to leave Vegas. There were no big issues, but let's bring back. That's one of the unique things is because there's only about 20, 25 players that come here. And usually it's, I mean, they're doing something every minute of the day. And as soon as they get drafted, there are. There are, on a plane out of here. So yeah, they're really, the, the player interaction part of it is, is really

different than other events. Yeah. I think a lot of players were trying to find excuses to come to this one for this draft. They're like, yeah, you might not go to day two, bud, but. Matt Carroll. Yeah. I think I'm going to go there anyway. Yeah. Yeah, you know, Breece Hall was still hanging out. He like showed back up in his t-shirt, like a couple hours after. I know. I noticed that when we were, yeah, that was funny. I also I just don't walk him back out with a white t-shirt on, right? He was the virtual green room. He was in a hotel for day one.

And then, yeah, that was cool that he was part of it on day two. That is. Last thing before we go, who won the draft? Who won the draft? I'll lean the Jets. I mean, I think what they did, getting sauce, getting Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson, and then Breeze Hall.

I mean, I think in terms of impact, I will go with the New York Jets. Yeah, Jets is a good answer. And then the other one is the Ravens. I think flip a coin for which one I decide on, but I'll go with the Ravens. Because just what they did, like I said, day one with the two picks, day two, they got some interesting players. And then day three with the plethora of fourth rounders, it's, I mean, that's the thing with those six fourth rounders or whatever they had. Only two need to hit.

You don't even need to go 50-50. Maybe one has to hit. And then they'll get calm picks for them and be picking in the fourth round again and they'll start to cycle over again. Yep. Just repeat it. We made it right, Dane. Every single guy was drafted was in your draft guide. I'm pretty sure.

I'll double check it again, but I'm pretty sure 262 for 262. So we made it in the year. Dane won the draft. Hey, I'm good that. Thank you for being an indispensable resource for all of us. So thank you guys for listening to The Athletic Football Show. Make sure you rate, subscribe. The athletic is just flooded with content right now from our beatwriters all across the country,

our national writers, winners, losers, podcasts from the course of the weekend. Nate and Robert will be back Sunday night. with another wrap-up pod. Robert and I are going to be back early next week talking about kind of the big questions that are still left. So thank you guys so much for going on this ride with us. It's been really fun, and we'll talk to you next week.

This was the Athletic Football Show.