The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - 2023 NFL Draft Round 1, picks 11-20: Peter Skoronski to Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Episode Date: April 28, 2023

The Athletic Football Show's live coverage of the first round of the NFL Draft continues, as Robert Mays, Nate Tice and Dane Brugler dig into picks 11 through 20. The Lions surprise everyone with a running back and linebacker, the Patriots nab what might be the steal of the first round, and the Seahawks round it out with the first receiver of the night, who just might be the perfect fit for their offense.Follow Robert on Twitter: @robertmaysFollow Nate on Twitter: @Nate_TiceFollow Dane on Twitter: @dpbruglerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Athletic Football Show. I'm Robert Mays. Just a heads up for you guys, this is Picks 11 through 20 of the first round in podcast form. You can check out the video on our YouTube channel of our live stream from tonight. But this is the second of the three podcasts coming your way today. Let's get to it. This is the Athletic Football Show's draft night special. Live in studio from Kansas City.

Featuring your host, Robert Mays, the Athletics NFL Drafts, Beast, Dane Brugler. And of course, the one and only Nate Tice. Plus, special guests along the way. The NFL draft is now officially open. One of the biggest moves in the entire night so far, the Colts deciding that Anthony Richardson is here, is their guy, here to talk us through the Colts pick

and the big swing from that front office. It is our Colts writer at the athletic. Zach Kiefer. Zach, thank you very much for joining us, sir. You look fantastic back there. What's up, guys? How's your night going? We are having a great time.

How's your night going? Hey, they took a quarterback, man. This has been, it feels like seven years in the making. Why do you think Anthony Richardson ultimately became the guy for Indianapolis? I think if you look at the three pillars at the top, it makes a lot of sense, right? Jim Ursay wants a running quarterback. First of all, he wanted them to draft a quarterback. All the Lamar Jackson conversations, I kept going back to Bursay wants a rookie quarterback.

So start there. You pivot to Chris Ballard. He likes traits, right? Robert, we've talked about this a lot. He loves traits. Does anybody have more traits than Anthony Richardson? And then thirdly, this is a bet on Shane Steichen. And I've said this as well.

Like you're betting on this guy's ability to draft a young quarterback who's a little bit raw but has everything you want physically. Stuyken, Ballard, Ursey, it feels like it makes a lot sense. And then the final box for them to check was it was the personality. It was the character and they visited with him a lot in Gainesville the last couple weeks. And it just felt like they felt really comfortable with them. Have they talked about, again, the process a little bit? Have you gotten to hear from ballot at all?

He gotten to hear from anybody there after they made the pick? Yeah, yeah. They decided that he decided in his mind about a month ago that he was good with this pick. And the biggest amount of anticipation and angst was waiting to see who was trading up to three, right? And he said, someone might be lying in the weeds. And if it was Tennessee, that would have been a bad look. If they would have jumped up to get Anthony Richardson, when they didn't, the Colts knew this was the guy. And I heard it wasn't going to be Lovis.

And they were pretty sure it was Anthony Richardson. We've talked a lot about, you know, Chris has been open about this. I mean, when you draft one of these guys, it's on you. This is the moment when it really kind of turns over. And they had sorted through all of these veteran quarterbacks. Is that sense there now that this is it? This is our big bet at the position. And however it turns out, this is how it turns out.

Yeah, but don't you think this gives them a little bit more time? I absolutely think it gives a little bit more time, but it still feels like... He's 20 years old. It still feels like we were waiting for them to make their big bet, and this is it. And to do it on a guy who has this package of traits, and clearly like you said, fits personality-wise the way that they want to, then to be the next kind of guy in this lineage of Colts quarterback just feels different for this franchise in a way. And for it to be a guy like Anthony Richardson, it's pretty fascinating. Yeah, it needed to happen.

And I asked Chris Ballard at the end of our conversation, like, do you feel relief? Like you finally pulled the trigger on this quarterback. And really, this is what the fan base has been waiting for since August of 19, when Andrew Luck walked away. And they finally did it. But again, Jim Versailles is going to exercise patience here. I really believe that. And remember, Shane Steichen's on a six-year contract. So there's no real hurry to play him a lot this year.

But then again, as you've mentioned, Dane, like this. guy needs to play. He needs reps. He's only started 13 games in college. So that's going to be the interesting dynamic. But if you think about this guy and Jonathan Taylor in the same backfield, that could be fun. That's fun. It's fun. Zach Kiefer, enjoy your night, my friend. Thank you very much for joining us. We'll talk to you soon. Thanks, guys. Thanks, Zach. All right. A month. That's exciting. A month. And they sat on it. And we had such little kind of insight into who they were going to pick, who they preferred at that spot. It was one of the biggest misters in the entire draft.

They decided a month ago that this is going to be their guy. Yeah. And we actually have the Titans at 11. Here it is. In the 2023 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans select, Peter Skoronski. Offensive tackle, North Western. Passing the quarterback. I was so, yeah.

It's just, you know what, anything. Just anything on offense. It's so perfect for them. I mean, they need so much help at offensive line. And this is, we don't know what his best spot is. But he doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. He is a good, yes.

Doesn't matter. He will be your best lineman at any spot he plays at all five spots he can potentially play at. And yeah, I was dreading, not against the player, but Jackson Smith and Jigba there. I was like, no, you guys don't need a receiver. You need offensive line. Yes, they do need a receiver as well. Will Levis? Yeah, or Will Levis.

But this is great for a team, again, they're really rebuilding on the offense. This is a guy that it's a building block, a literal building block. And yeah, he's going to be their best offense alignment at whatever spot they put him at. This is great. This is a great pick. Like perfect spot to take them. I love this. We're starting from scratch on offense.

Yes. It's similar to thinking about the Cardinals on defense. I mean, you need something. He needs some starting point. He could play guard. He could play tackle. It really doesn't matter. Just one building block on the way to wherever they need to get.

You think Mike Vrabel, you know, where did he really cut his teeth, New England. What is Bill Belichick always preach, smart, tough, physical? Peter Skoronsky is that. I mean, this is a rable guy. Plug them in on the offensive line. We don't know where. Could it be guard, could be tackle. But that versatility gives you options to get the best five out there. And that's what they need right now. So the Titans have more than a few spots they need to address here. But offensive line was absolutely one of them. And Peter Skronsky is as clean as they come. Yes.

when it comes to a prospect on the field, off the field, understanding what he is, what he does best, and then what he's going to bring day in, day out. So this pick, this pairing makes a lot of sense. Talk about when that run an offensive lineman was going to go. There is. So now we've got three of them off the board, and this is when we can have a lot more potentially in play.

So there might be more teams looking for tackles here than are going to be available in these spots. Is it four offensive linemen off the board? Or three. Three. Three. Harris Johnson, Donald Wright, Peter Scronsky.

Broder Jones is still there. Yeah, and there are a few teams here coming up that could possibly take them. And it's interesting with Detroit now on the clock, we thought maybe Christian Gonzalez is at six. Christian Gonzalez is still on the clock. That's a possibility for them if they want to go that direction. They want to continue building that defense,

which we think they're going to do. But, you know, because this offensive line class, I think it taps out. You know, it's huge drop off. We figured, we talked about it the other day. We see that run early. by Matthew Bergeron made it into my final mock draft just because teams need offensive linemen. And so you might take one a little bit earlier than you're comfortable with.

Yep. But the tackle class, just not a great group this year. You know, you like some of the guys at the top with, you know, Paris Johnson and, you know, Broderick Jones still out there. But then it just falls off a clear. The Detroit Lions select, Jamir Gibbs running back. Wow! No way. Jamir Gibbs with the 12th overall pick. I was waiting for this sort of reaction to, the first one of the night where it was really going to floor you. What do we think about Jemir Gibbs landing in Detroit with the 12th pick?

Do you imagine if you did that in a mock draft? Oh, my God. Fans would have said to you. They were taking your head off. It's fascinating that they traded away from Bijon Robinson at six. Yeah. And they, I don't know if they thought they'd get Bijon here or if they were thought Gibbs the entire way. Either way, look, I love Jemir Gibbs.

He is, you cannot name the top 25 players in this draft in the, not named Jemir Gibbs. He is that good of a player, rushing the football, catching the football. He is so sudden with his feet. And the way he marries his eyes with his feet, it is really impressive. So we mentioned it when we're talking about Bracianne. He led the team in receptions this year. That's not ideal, but it also speaks to his talent. And you think about the lions and that running back depth chart with DeAndre Swift still there? They signed David Montgomery. All right. This is a... They gave David Montgomery $11 million guaranteed, like a month and a half ago. This is a different type of weapon where, I bet you we see him in a slot, we see him all over the formation.

This, you know, it's one of those deals where we're going to make defenses defend us with the different things we throw at them. And Jemir gives gives you that flexibility, the versatility. I just did not see Detroit doing this. I thought they were going to take a pass catcher somewhere. We thought they needed one more complimentary pass catcher. You know, you have Jameson Williams who's going to be suspended, but you have them in the fold. Obviously, you have Amon-Rosé Brown in the slop, but that one other outside spot or tight end,

could they find a tertiary pass-catching option? To do it at running back, I did not anticipate because DeAndre Swift is on the roster. Maybe they spent that David Montgomery. It speaks to what they thought of this running, or this wide receiver group. They look at who's available. Or the tight end class.

Both, right. And they say, you know what? Gibbs is our best option. We want to get more explosive. We want to score more points. And that's why we've seen so many wide receivers come off the board early. teams want to score more points.

The best way to do that, adding wide receivers, we've seen that the last two years. This class does not have the caliber of receiver we've seen in the last two years. And just speed kills. And that's what he's got.

He's got juice. And so once Jameson Williams comes back, now you've got kind of guys that'll compliment each other as well. Amon Ross St. Brown. Even, Amon Rae St. Brown, and Jameson Williams

are kind of the receiver version of what David Montgomery and Jemir Gibbs are. So you got your thunder and lightning, the classic running back pairing. And with that offensive line, I mean, D'Andre Swift was leading the NFL until he got hurt with like nine yards of carry. And I'm not even exaggerating that much there. It was like seven or eight yards of carry before he got hurt.

Now you get a guy that's much better true running back and much has a better vision. He's more explosive that even Swift is. And Swift is explosive. It's, wow, this could be home run after home run and 20 yard gain after 20 yard gain. I understand it's exciting because he's an exciting player. This feels like a luxury pick. It's rich. It feels like a luxury pick.

Are the lions with all those picks that we've already talked about in a position to make one? maybe you could argue that but this feels really rich for what feels like a cherry on top to put it in your parliance. I think this also speaks to maybe the Lions believing Gibbs was not going to make it to 18. They liked them that much where instead of taking the defensive player here, Christian Gonzalez, whoever it was. They thought, yeah, they thought their best bet was to take Gibbs here. That's how much they liked them. That says a lot when they were picking again and six picks. Yeah. That says a lot that they took the running back here.

And look, I get it because Gibbs is an exciting player. And I keep going back to them probably not believing in this receiver class, this tight end class, Gibbs being that best option to give just that extra punch to the offense. And so a guy that he ranked top 15 in the FBS last year in all-purpose yards, 135 yards per game. He had one drop. All the targets he saw one drop. That's it.

So this is a player that you, he lined up in a slaughter outside 25% of the time. He can be that creative mismatch. match weapon that a lot of teams are looking for. So I do think, I agree with you, it is a bit of a luxury pick. But, you know, this is also a team that traded up for James and Williams last year, who was, you know, that was coming off the ACL and it was a lot of excitement about what that could be. This is another exciting pick.

They get another Alabama skill player here early. Let me talk you through my rationale. It doesn't, let me it doesn't say they don't like the tight end class. Maybe it says, we thought the drop off after Gibbs to the next group of running backs. was going to be bigger than the drop off from the tight ends that would be on the board at 18 that we can get in the second round. They have all these second round picks. Maybe they think, oh, we can get a tight end at 54 or whatever,

but we couldn't get a running back nearly in this conversation the same way. And different type of skill sets with those second round running backs, too, a lot more bruser types, Sharbonnet, and other guys like that, like bigger size guys of his own runners. So my dad had a line about running backs. I asked him one time, I was like, what do you look for it? What do you like you? Can they catch?

And can they take it to the house? Well, that's, that's Jemir Gibbs right there. So again, with a good offense line. And also, and you're talking about the auxiliary pass catching role, that's huge in this type of offense that is balanced. They, now you can kind of line up guys wherever you want. You can run the ball how you want to. You can get into pony personnel with two running backs.

You're just giving yourself flexibility of personnel, getting your best players on the field. And when they're balanced like this, it can do, like, other things, you know, catching the ball and all that, that just gives you flexibility to offense. And Ben Johnson's a great offensive coordinator. So this is a great weapon for him.

I would argue that the pick here with the Lions has honestly nothing to do. Maybe I'm wrong. But I don't think it has anything to do with the running backs. I think it's more just they love gives that much, where they thought his adding him to this offense and the weapon he could be, they probably just think of him as a weapon more so than it's strictly a running back. It's not just best player available. It's a favorite player available kind of thing.

Yeah, yeah. They drafted the most impactful player that's a good way for it. That they can get here. This is, you know, we thought for sure they'd go defense. And, you know, this is, this is an offense that did pretty well last year. If you asked me to put a list, like, what guy I would expect there? Like, we did a quick, like, who are the lions taking next? This would have been 14th.

I'm on my list. So it's interesting. All right. The Packers pick at 13 is in. Let's hear. Let's see where the Packers take here. With the 13th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select, Lucas Vines.

defensive end Seymal Packers Trades, trades, trades, trades Yeah I mean we thought Maybe they take Jackson Smith and Jigba Maybe they take a Dalton Kid Kid

No they go with the D And look I'm in favor of the pick Because Lucas Van Ness is a very good player I've comped them before to Watching Growing Pains And you see this little Leo DiCaprio You're like, hmm This guy's got something

He's on the ascent You know we're going to buy our stock now before he gets the Titanic. The whole game was what's eating Gilbert Gray. Yeah, exactly. This boy's life. I mean, so look, this is, Lucas Van Ness, I get it.

He's never started a game. It didn't start a game in college. He played starter staffs. So to me, that's a non-factor, a non-argument. This is a guy when you put on the tape, you see power, you see explosion, and you see a guy that's still figuring out

how to use it. You know, he understands that he's a little bit better than everybody, but not quite sure how to get it all out of there. smart guy tough physical you know the hockey background it's wild they're showing the hockey ring on the screen right now that's my home hockey rink I used to go to when I was a little kid that's I used to go play hockey because we're from the same hometown that's really wild oh funny oh the Packers room standing up but what you're saying too is tough and intelligent

that also speaks to his versatility yeah he has legit snaps again this isn't theory this is like oh we can project them that you can kick inside he does it all the time he lines up as a three tech over the guard seeing a line up as a nose over the center on like first and second down not just pass rush snaps, but that versatility, but there's just the traits with him and he's more, he's a better player than just just the raw traits.

He's not like a true raw guy. I'm glad you said it too. It's like, yeah, he didn't start but he was playing a lot. You were seeing 91 out there a lot. Just because he wasn't the first, on the field for the first play. You know, don't let the... Manu Jinnobli closed all the games for the spurs.

Yeah, he was the sixth man too. We got a trade. We got a trade. We got a trade. Now, Lucas Van Ness landing on the Packers, I believe, and we'll say if he's a starter because Preston Smith and Roshang Gary are still there, but we're going to have eight guys on the Packers defense, probably in heavy rotation that were first round picks now. Eight guys. Wow.

They haven't, they, they, uh, they, they, uh, there's no mystery. Yeah. Yeah. This is, and, you know, we thought maybe they would, uh, stray off the path a little bit, but no, they stay put to what they know and what they do. And, you know, so it's not really big surprise. I mean, this is, Sean Gary's going to be a free agent. Who knows how much longer Presidents is going to be around.

This is always a team that's planning a year, two years in advance, and this pick is no different. You talked about the offensive line run. Seems like this is the last one, right? It feels like the Steelers, they, you know, they're, what were they picking at 17? Yeah, 17. Yeah, they didn't feel good about maybe Broderick Jones falling that far. Give up a fourth round pick to move up to 14.

You know, you've got a, you know, that's obviously something that if you believe in this player, which if it is Brodrick Jones coming in. I mean, their tackle depth chart is just, it's not easy to get excited about it. No, it's. I mean, Dan Moore right now is your left tackle and that's it. There isn't much behind. And Broderick Jones is a young player and not a finished product by any means.

But he has outstanding feet. He was actually bigger than we thought he was, longer than we thought he was at the Combine moves really well. And a guy that when he gets the timing figured out with his hands, with his punch, He has a chance to be a really good player. He's a puppy. I mean that he's young as a player, but just sometimes using his limbs,

like an elephant with its trunk. When you see a dog, the paws are too big. Yeah, it's a great day. Yeah. But that's how he is. And we talked about it when we're talking about some of these prospects, including Jones, and I said, you want to focus on the second half of last year because that's where he started really ascending and figure out how to use those traits.

So, yes, this is the next of this group of tackles. And then it's kind of a little drop off after this. and this makes a lot of sense that the Steelers move up and make sure they got him. Because the Patriots were also probably looking at tackles as well. I'm assuming here. But Jones really has that upside. I think he is going to take some time. But he has all the upside in the world because of just all the tools that he has.

And again, ascending play and he's going to the Steelers, which they usually get the most of some of these guys, like these developmental guys. They're going to coach them up. Look at the sporting cast around Kenny Pickett now. You've spent a lot of free agent capital just kind of rolling through interior offensive line guys, trying to find the right one. Isaac Salmalo and Mason, Cole. They went out and got Daniels from Chicago, whose name I cannot remember for some reason right now.

James Daniels. They have Chooks of Coro for a right tackle, and I can potentially drop Roger Jones in at left tackle. Obviously, still have Deonté Johnson, have George Pickens, Pat Fryer, Meuth. I mean, they have built a pretty solid group of players around Kenny Pickett to kind of figure out what he is on this rookie contract. Yeah, and I mean, Alan Robinson,

who knows what he gives you this year? I forgot about it. Alan Roberts. So there's your third receiver. That's right. And George Pickens, the promise he showed last year as a rookie, Deonti Johnson still, you know, has a chance to be a top 12ish receiver in the league. He has that ability. We'll see if they find that consistency. They're going to lean on Najee Harris, obviously. They're going to stay true to that run game. But you had to get better on the offensive line. And they have a few holes on defense too. We thought maybe corner

with Joey Porter Jr. They have the 33rd pick. The 30-second pick in this track. The first-pick on the second-second. Deeply pains me, but they have the 32nd pick in the draft. And there seem to be more corners available at that spot. That's true. Yep. The New England Patriots have traded the 14th pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the 14th pick in the 20-23 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Broderick Jones. Offensive tackle, Georgia. It would have been hilarious if it hadn't been much. I know, right? I think it makes a lot of sense. And we wondered, and we'd heard rumblings about the Steelers wanting to move up because they probably anticipated a run of the position like this. It has a huge need for them.

I think this makes sense on three or four different levels. Yeah. And also just what Matt Canada was doing and what his offenses are, it's better to have good athletes in that type of offense. And he's a fantastic athlete. Great athlete. Yeah, a lot of stuff like where he has to do athletic feats from your offense alignment, a lot of pulling stuff, a lot of zone stuff.

A lot of zone stuff. Like just get these guys out in space. A lot of screens. And that's another thing that he has that athletic ability to be good on screens when he gets on in space. So just receiver screens too, like kicking out of the guy. So I think just with Broder Jones is just this is, you're betting on potential here a little bit, but there is more to him day one than maybe, but there's going to be growth there. You have to be able to trust a guy on an island and I think you can with Broder Jones.

And yeah, to your point, I mean, you'll see plays watching on the Georgia tape. he's near the numbers blocking. I mean, he is getting out in space, getting downfield. So, yeah, I think the fit makes sense. The timing of where this makes sense. We've been talking all along about the offensive line run. Here it is. Tackle, it really falls off.

You know, the next tackle drafted, maybe it's Anton Harrison, maybe it's Matthew Bergeron. I don't know. It might not be tonight. Might not be until tomorrow. So, yeah, this is a pick that once we saw the Steelers logo pop up with, okay, yeah, it makes perfect sense. Just so that we didn't know that.

they were taking them. It was an easy assumption about the... We're not tipping anything. We're finding out as... The players available, that's why we knew this because here's the tear drop of the tackle. No matter who you're looking,

who's looking at these tackles, this is where the tier job happens. So this made a ton of sense with the series. What I really liked about Broderick Jones, too, is even though he is really young, especially in snaps played, he was asked, there was a lot on his plate when Jamari Solier got hurt last year,

George's left tackle. He had a step in. He had never started before. stepped in at left tackle. Georgia might not win back-to-back national championships without Broder Jones and how the way he played both last year, or the 2021 and 2022, he was forced to grow up early. They put a large plate. He answered it. And so I think if you're the Steelers, you feel good about bringing him to training camp and competing for a job right away. This is just, there was such a glaring hole there where it's like, okay, they signed a couple

patchwork guards. That makes some sense. They're rebamping this line. And that's what it just seems like with the Steelers. Like, we have a question mark there. We're answering it. Usually, we thought it would be corner maybe, makes sense. But when the tackle like this is available, where they moved up to,

it's like, okay, we got to get this guy. And who do they move up in front of? The Jets. And the Jets have moved down two spots. Think about if the Jets had kept the 13th overall pick, do they draft Roder Jones? And then the tackle runs over, and the Steelers don't get their guy.

That's it. I mean, we talk about the Jets, you talk about, okay, they got their tackles. McKay Bechtin, DeWayne Brown. Where are the chances they start all 17 games? Not high.

Right. So getting an extra tackle like a Broder Jones, that could be that third tackle, that depth piece, but also the long-term answer, they made a lot of sense. But now they're shut out of those tackles. And, you know, it's funny. We, you know, have the NFL network feed on. We didn't see any Peter Skronsky, you know, from his. I was told he turned down cameras. He's at a pizzeria, local pizzeria.

Okay. And just you wanted no fanfare. No, he's with his family and friends. No camera. is that sums up Peter Scoronsky. Yeah. Right. Perfectly right there. Doing the Joe Thomas

the bit where he was on the boat. Can't really do that now because it's a prime time back then. It was during a middle of Saturday. All day Saturday. Yeah, it was a lot better to do that. But no, that's a great point with the tackles because now tackles them with the Jets because that was Deonté Lee and I, when we did Armagh job, we did a tackle run and we had the Jets taking one because

we're like, oh, this actually makes sense, but I reached hard to take the fifth guy. And so here, like now is another pass catch. That would be hilarious as the Jets call, Hey, Aaron, we'll draft a receiver for you. Green Bay might not, but we will, but that's what's going to be really, really interesting. The pass catcher is a defense. What do we think it is? Now the Bradshaw is off the board.

Tackle made sense for the Jets. What is your gut sense here, Dane, about where they could go? Nolan Smith and a pass rusher of this mix. Carl Lawson's probably his last year with the Jets. You think about that, you know, obviously Robert Sala, and, you know, the way he wants to build that defense. It's not like that defense is ready to go. They need a lot of help on offense.

But adding a guy like Nolan Smith, another fastball in there, who can be a chess piece. And different stylistically guy than what they have, too, which is interesting. Right. And you can get creative with Nolan Smith. And whether it's off the edge, whether you're blitzing him from different angles. Dropping them. Yeah. So I think Nolan Smith makes sense.

Just looking over my best available, Christian Gonzalez, Nolan Smith, Will Levis, Joey Porter, Jr., Brian Branch, Jackson, Smith, and Jigba, Michael Mayer, Dalton Kincaid, Miles Murphy. Those are the best available. We have to mention Will Levis watch. Where is that landing spot? Tampa's coming up here at 19. Minnesota's out there. Will Levis, where that fourth quarterback goes,

that becomes a really interesting talking point now. We thought Tampa could they have to move up to get Will Levis. To move up to get a quarterback? And if they liked Levis in the process, they can stand pat. It's actually a pretty good outcome. when we just how much uncertainty there was about what the plan was going to look like for that moving forward yeah yeah and with the the the bucks they didn't bring in a lot of quarterbacks for 30 visits

they did bring in will levels okay so they've done a lot of work on them um you know they're you would think that if you like them that much you'd move up here a little bit you know just to make sure you get your guy but maybe they stay put and say you know what if he falls to us great uh you know we feel like we like them that much so but if it doesn't go 19 then all of a sudden, we're going, and I think we also have to talk about Henn and Hooker at this point, too. It's not inconceivable that a team would like Henn and Hooker over Will Levis. So both those quarterbacks are interesting landing spots at this point. God, it's just so funny, the journey of Levis's stock from the last few months.

The betting favorite to go number two? The week and a half ago? Yep. A week ago. Yep. A heavy one. If you're Tampa, maybe it's not too worried about the teams in front of you. You know, I think Washington's going to take them.

If New England was going to take them, you're probably going to take them. It's another team. You're probably going to take him at 14. It's another team potentially jumping in front of it. I'll tell you what, the Patriots did like will Levis a lot too. You never know. I mean, if they were going to take them, though, the idea that they would move back and then try to take them seems insane for a quarterback. Once they just keep calling, all right.

You guys keep doing this to us. We got to take them. No, the Levis watch is actually, I wouldn't, I didn't think it would last this long. I thought maybe it would be maybe to 11. You know, the Titans, I was reading lips here and expecting to see that. And no, it's interesting that. Levice will, we talked about the Bucks being an interesting quarterback team. It's like, wow, this might work out, like where they actually get to that position.

It's definitely the most intriguing outcome. It's him landing there with those receivers and, you know, they still have some pieces along the offensive line. And again, it just kind of solves like a team building sequencing issue. Yeah. Where you have all these pieces already in place and it's like, we're too good with Brady to get in the position to draft the guy, but we have this veteran team, like, how are we going to thread the needle?

Yeah. Stumbling into a quarterback that you like at 19, that's threading the needle. Yeah, there's no doubt. And if it's not Levis, what is the plan? You know, what is the quarterback plan there? I mean, Kyle Trask is fine. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. But I don't think he's an NFL starter.

Obviously, nobody knows better than Tampa who's seen him at practice every day and everything. But I just, you know, Baker's there for the short term. At least Will Levis gives you that long-term idea. Jason Light, you know, he's, he has to do something at quarterback. back to at least tell the fans, tell ownership, we have a plan in place. And I'm not sure that what they have going on right now with Baker and Trass, that gives you much optimism moving forward for the position. Well, all those vets, that's the thing of hitting so many good players.

You have to pay them. So getting a rookie contract quarterback helps that with that too. It's like, okay, we don't necessarily have to trade all these guys, even if they might move on from a couple. But also, it's a good situation if they did drop in a young guy, like as far as line and weapons. Just looking at the Jet's death chart right now. Just so hard to figure out exactly what they would need outside of a tackle.

You know, they went out and got chart Clark in that trade. They already have Jordan Whitehead there. And do they need another safety? Is that the answer? Is a guy like Brian Branch somehow involved here? Do they want another body there but doesn't feel like a huge need? I mean, there aren't a lot of glaring holes where it's like absolutely that's where they need to go with this.

So I'm fascinated by which direction they ultimately go here. Can we see the first tight end off the board here? Right. I mean, you know, they, I know they spent, and Jeremy Ruckert's still there. Ruckert, Uzama, and they signed up in the Conklin as well, yeah, I know. But, you know, I mean, it's all about adding weapons. And, you know, Dalton Kincaid's a little different than those guys. Right.

So, yeah, you don't rule that out. Oh, Kincaid would be really interesting to him, because he's a totally different flavor for them. And it also fills that spot kind of the inside, inside, slottish spot that they might need a pass catcher at. Yeah, I mean, that's the one that you kind of go to because it's just what the position is available, what, you know, are they, do they want Jackson Smith and Jigbo? Like, they started using Garrett Wilson a little bit inside last year as well to, like, loosen them up and let open up his route running. So, yeah, just curious what they actually do.

Defensive tackle would be one that I would go to just in terms of looking at their depth chart and the way that they're built. But is there one worth picking it? I mean, that's the question. I think what they want to do. Oh, right. It's still a really for a monster of the global community that supports the life-changing wishes that make a sudden.

Rich Grants. It's a great. It's a motor solos. Yeah, it likes the length. Yeah. It's difficult to pin down. We'll see what happens here. I make a wish kid who battled

and overcame bone cancer. It's a great dream time. Kyle's wish is to announce the first round pick of his favorite team. The New York Jets. Yeah, that kid is. I like all of you to join me in cheering on Kyle's. His wish comes true.

The floor is yours, Kyle. Go for it, thanks. There you go. The Jersey kid right there. Yeah. Here we go. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Goodell.

I'd also like to thank the NFL, the New York Jets, and the Make a Wish Foundation of Northeastern New York for giving me this opportunity tonight. Yes. With the 15th stick, and the 20th year.

2003 NFL draft, the New York for Jay E! D. It's, it's becoming, like, a punchline at this point. It's just like, let's add one more. Do you think we need one more? You think we need one more. That's the scene for motions 11

with the past rushers and the Jets at this point. Okay. Do you need any one more? You know what? I like Will McDonald. I don't love Will McDonald. This is the first pick where you had him lower on your board. that I think other people did.

He was consistently being, not consistently, but I saw plenty of mocks where he was in the back half of the first round, somewhere between 25 and 31, maybe going to the Chiefs every once in a while. But he don't think he's in your top 50, is he? Yeah, I mean, he's a guy that, you love the athleticism, you love the length, I think you love the idea of Will McDonald,

but him being able to be a more well-rounded player, I just, I'm not, I'm not sold, I put it that way. And this is an older player. He's late to football. He was a basketball guy basically his entire life. And he's lighter. He's going to play around 240, 2.45.

So, you know, how they use him will be really, really interesting. Yeah. Like you said, they can't have enough. Just get another one, get another one. You're on the edge. John Franklin Myers, Carl Lawson, they drafted Jermaine Johnson in the first round last year.

Bryce Huff was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league on a per snap basis last year. They just want an army of those dudes that they can continue to roll. lot. That's just the edge guys. That's not even Quentin Williams. Yeah, this is a little rich. I looked at him as like an early second round type. Like so this is a little rich. I agree.

My number 46 overall player. 46. I knew it was somewhere near a top 50. Yep. And that's kind of, yeah. But again, I love your phrase right there. You like the idea of him. Yeah. The length and you see some flashes. You see him inside sometimes. You see some moves. You see him ideas and moves.

But he's, you know, a little older. I think he's a red shirt senior, I believe, coming out. 24 years old in a month. 24. You know, it's kind of similar with Johnson last year. Johnson was more like a late bloomer. Yeah, yeah, with Germaine Johnson. It was a little older as well.

And kind of like there's flashes and some good stuff that you want to hone in on. And Johnson was a late bloomer. The last year he had the big production of Forest State. But that's kind of what it seems like to me. It's like, okay, we're looking at those glimps and we only need you for 20 snaps because we have all these other guys. Okay, maybe we can harness those good snaps and then like maybe we can work on with all the other stuff with all the traits he have.

The quarterbacks went in such quick succession. We really didn't get a chance to talk all of them at length in terms of what their on-field production, those traits look like. Nate, just explain a little bit more about what type of player C.J. Stroud is and who the Texans are getting and who they're making this bet on. First and foremost is accuracy. And when we talked about it after the pick was made, it's just that accuracy and that ball placement. Right here, even with talented receivers, this is Marvin Harrison Jr. that he'll be thrown the ball to right here. Even on this play, this is layering the throw. And this is a far hash throw.

These are college hashes that CJ Stroud and all college quarterbacks have to throw from. So he is throwing this. This is the arm strength. This is the touch. This is the ball placement. This is the accuracy. This is the anticipation that Stroud works with. And on this throw, this is with timing.

So he hits his hitch here, throws his corner out, and throws it over the corner to Marvin Harrison. Yes, that's a big target. Yes, that's an athletic guy. But still, just that ball placement to maximize this room. That's what CJ Stroud does. time and time again. And even here against Georgia and this national championship game, I just want to show some of his pocket movement. Again, this is the polish that C.J. Straught plays with that he has improved upon as he played on. Usually guys get better,

but leaves and bounds that C.J. Stroud showed. And this has been the flash plays. He had a touchdown on Marvin Harrison Jr. where he was moving the pocket. He made Jalen Carter missing this game. But just here is just that subtle pocket movement, just the one step, and he is ready to throw, and he delivers the ball on time. Everything comes out. on time as scripted. You love to see the eyes downhill or downfield the entire way. Yes, feel of pass rush. And that's why it's easy to like Stroudsville. And that's why there's, I'm sure a lot of quarterback coaches watch him. It's like, this is great. Balls out, eyes are downfield. He's got great pocket movement. And he does this time and time again. And I'm going to just go with one last

play. And this is just the creation. And this is that Northwestern game that I refer to. This game was terrible for Ohio State on offense and just in general for weather-wise. But here he is running a zone read. This is in the fourth quarter. They had to dial up plays and find plays, fine yards, any way, shape, or form. So what they did was like, all right, C.J., hey, remember, we don't like to run you? Okay, we're going to run you right now. And this is a zone read, classic play, and with a little split, tight end coming across, Deanne crashes down right there. Look at him, he's just looking right at scratch. He's like, oh, shoot, where did you go here? You don't do this. Yeah, exactly. They were well coached, and they're like, yeah, he's not

keeping it. And there goes Stroud. And he opens up here. And this is a 6-3, 21-pound Yeah, you know, he's not a smaller back, or a smaller quarterback, I should say. And he's out racing. He finally gets pushed out the end. He kind of gives like a weird lower shoulder there. But this is creation. And he can do this as far as a play extender. He shows those flashes.

But if you want to tap into some of those design runs, just like a DAC Press got, it's, you know, once or twice a game, he can harness that and can do that. So that's why he's a balanced player, accurate, polished, with a little bit of creation of the cherry on top. And that little tiny pocket movement, that's it. You don't need to be this guy who's rushing for 80 yards again. game or having all these design runs, you just showed one. It's just, can you create something that's not there consistently?

Because we know what the ball placement is. That throw you showed against Michigan, that was the one the first time I watched that game. I was like, okay. I stood up very straight in my chair after I saw him throw that corner out because the ball placement down the field consistently is just impeccable. It really does stand out. But when you start to sprinkle in those little, all right, when it's not there, I can make it there.

That's when things really get interesting with drive. And that's key because you want defenses. They want that in their mind. Yeah. They know they have to defend that. You're not one-dimensional. Make them honor it. Exactly.

And so, you know, you put that on tape and then, yeah, you don't do it every time. But you take what the defense gives you. So the best quarterbacks in the league deal. You know, and so whatever the defense shows, you're going to do this. You're going to zig when they're going to zagging. So, you know, it's a chess game. And the best quarterbacks, they are one step ahead. And with CJ, if he's able to expand a little bit, be a little more creative,

then, yeah, he's going to be a productive problem. You said just enough. It's having that third pitch. With the 16th in the 2023 NFL draft, the Washington commanders select Emmanuel Forbes. Over Christian Gonzalez. Over Christian Gonzalez. So now we have a 166-pound corner drafted over the guy who was probably the most physically gifted corner in this drafting. I had Emmanuel Forbes and my final mock to Washington because I heard that was a guy they really liked.

But if Christian Gonzalez was available. I would have got Christian Gonzalez. This is a surprise. They must have liked Forbes quite a bit. You want DBs that can get their hands on the football. Nobody did it better than Manuel Forbes. Oh my gosh. His, you know, at first I was a little scared of him because he does freelance quite a bit.

Yep. But then the more you watch, you're like, okay, this guy does it responsibly. He does it at a high level, but also doesn't, he's not reckless. You know, he's not taking low percentage chances. and he's able to get his hands on the football, set the FBS record for pick sixes in a career, 30 career interceptions, his final three years in high school,

first three years at Mississippi State. Look, you want your DBs to have those ball skills and create those turnovers. Nobody did it better than Forbes. So you see that at 166 pounds, you hope maybe he gets to 175, that's the hope. But, you know, even though you do worry about maybe holding up physically, he plays tough in the run game.

Yes, he does. He doesn't back down. He'll play tough. So, you know, this is a guy that it's easy to like. You just have to be okay with the weight. We talked about it with Skoronsky in the length. We talked about it with Bryce Young and his size. No different with Forbes. Just have to be okay with that slight frame.

He's a football player. Like, he really is. And his feel for the game really stands out. They showed it right now on NFL Network. But my introduction to Manuel Forrest was watching Will Levis. And they were playing Mississippi State, and he picks off a wide receiver screen. Why? Because Kentucky had run a wide receiver screen in that situation twice earlier in that game.

So he saw the formation and jumped on it. So like you're saying, it's that controlled aggression. And I'd much rather have my corners doing that than the guy just that has no idea what's going on. He's like, well, you guys didn't coach that up for me. Just that feel for the game and length. And like you said, he is tougher than his frame would suggest. He sticks his nose in there. Is he a great tackle?

With the 17th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He is willing to do that, which is a huge check. The New England Patriots, like Christian Gonzalez, Defensive back Oregon. That's a good. I mean, that's awesome. That's Christian Gonzalez.

When you talk about corners, tall, long, can run. That's Gonzalez right there. I mean, knowing you love him, so it's probably hard for you to articulate this, but why do you think we had to wait so long to hear his name and have other corners go off the board before that? Especially when you compare him to like a Witherspoon. He is more finesse.

He is a little more of that style. But, you know what? I mean, it's okay. he get guys on the ground? I think he can't. That's all I need my corners to do. Can you, as a tackler, get your guy on the ground. He's competitive at the catch point. I thought that, you know, you watch the opener against Georgia.

There were a few times where he was late finding the football, but then watch later in the year he got better. Watch the Colorado tape. Watch later in the year for Oregon. And he got better understanding where the tells were. You know, to read the receiver, find the football, create those interceptions. And he's 20 years old. This is a young player who is just, he's on the. assent. And so I'll bet on those traits.

Belichick loves those smart, tough players. I think Gonzalez has that. So this is, I will put money on it that. The outplay is the 17th spot in the draft. Oh, absolutely. This is best place to be a corner in land is the Patriots. Because you're like, oh, okay. They might coach me tough, but at least I'm going to maximize this. But the Patriots

last year, their defense was really fun. And also a defense that was, and I've mentioned us on our podcast, is that he was, a little different flavor than typical Belichick defenses, a lot more cover two, a lot more just too high, and also just a lot more speed on the defense than this is another speed guy. But they also had some issues covering bigger receivers. So that's why they ran more cover two.

They did that one double stuff, the one cover one where they double team this particular player, still often. But when they had a bigger guy that you could tell they're like, I don't know how we can do this other than double teaming the guy. So this is their answer for that. Let's get a guy that can handle length and handle size. and he has it. Before we get to Detroit 18, excited to chat with our Seahawks writer at the athletic

Michael Sean Dugar about a big night for the Seattle Seahawks. Michael Sean, how you doing? Look at that. I'm doing good. How are you guys doing? You guys look good over there. You look good, man. I love the sweatshirt.

I like it. You got that all juice team. Yeah, man. Shout to Terrez, man. All juice team, man. Shout to Therroud. That's great. When we talked earlier this week, I think you were a little bit apprehensive about how much of a need

corner was for the Seahawks heading into this draft, just because we haven't seen them really over draft that position. Then they drop a bombshell on us draft. Devin Wetherspoon with the fifth overall pick. Did you see that coming in any way? No, I didn't. I'm legitimately surprised. You know, I thought they would try to fix the defensive line

just because, like, we talked about, Robert. Pete Carroll has, like, some earned arrogance with a cornerback spot. He has found not only Studs and Richard Sherman and Tariq Wulin in the fifth round, but he found, like, serviceable starting caliber guys like, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane. Those, I think, were like, fifth and sixth round picks, respectively. So you get a guy like that who can turn, you know, Kobe Bryant, the Jim Thorpe, World winner, a fourth round pick into a starting nickel last year,

you know, as a rookie, that's pretty impressive. So I didn't think that guy would ever feel like he needs to use the highest pick he's ever had at running the Seahawks on a corner. So I'm legit surprised today. Why do you think they went with Weatherspoon over or J.O.N. Carter or somebody to kind of give them more help at what we thought was a bigger, need heading into the draft? I think with Jalen,

money does play into it. I believe the fifth pick is projected to sign for four years and like $34 million, fully guaranteed with a signing bonus around $21 million. And when you take that type of risk on a dude and you're saying, hey, man, I get eight figures up front. I mean, you need to know that he's going to show up in shape, motivated. He ain't going to do anything silly when he's not at the facility.

That's a big deal with that type of financial investment for a team that honestly, it's cash strapped right now, not just cap strap, cash strap, which is the difference there when you're talking about signing bonuses. So I can see why they went away from Jalen with that pick. I was surprised they didn't go with their biggest need, which is a defensive line that may be taking Tyree Wilson, a long-armed guy who can play in a 3-4, even at that, like, long, terranactal body type.

I was surprised by that. But at the same time, Pete Carroll did tell me at the Combine, you know, I asked them, I said, hey, does where you dropped the cornerbacks in the past, reflect how you view the position in terms of positional value. He's like, no, it doesn't. It just happened to be how the board fell. And, you know, this was one of those times that wasn't a smoke stream. So I've credit to Pete Carroll for not lying to my face, you know, during this draft process.

It's interesting. In the last two years, we've seen two guys from that Seattle tree where corners haven't been overdrafted. The Jets and Robert Salah took Sauce Gardner with the fourth pick, and then Seattle was back a year later and used a top five pick on Weather spoon. But that's not the only Seahawks pick in the first round. We got a Seahawks pick coming about two more spots here with the 20th overall pick. What is on your mind with that pick?

Which direction you think they might be looking with the guys that are currently on the board? I think they're going to try to trade out initially, which I do think they tried to do with the fifth pick. I'll find out for sure later tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if they maybe push someone up the board at defensive tackle, because that is a spot. I mean, I like the Devin-Wittlespoon pick. I think it'll be a fine player. I got some film of them queued up right now on my laptop while I eat. But, like, I'm also looking at old film of the defensive line.

And, guys, they only have three interior defensive line that I'm on the roster right now. Miles Adams, Jaron Reed, and Draymond Jones. Those three are fine, but that's just three, you know. So I do think maybe you push up a collagic tendency, you push up the kid from Northwestern. You push up Mazzie Smith, which maybe where I would go, the Clemson defensive tackle, Brian Bressie,

like any of those guys, I think, would be a nice pick. But, I mean, what do I know? These guys are going to take, like, Dalton, Cain, or Michael Mayer or something like that, and then just shock the world. with their next thing. Michael Sean, thank you very much,

my friend. Enjoy the rest of your night. We'll talk to you soon. Thank you guys. Thank you guys. We're going to take a quick break before we get back to the first round. Excited to get back with you guys.

We'll talk to you in a minute. All right, we are back and we are back with some big news. The Detroit Lions with the 18th pick take Jack Campbell, linebacker from Iowa. You had Jack Campbell mocked to the Lions, but I think it was at 50, correct?

Exactly. We'll count it. Put it on the board. Wow. I mean, this is, top 20 is early for Jack Campbell. But, you know, he's an easy player. I don't know anybody that doesn't like Jack Campbell. Yeah, right?

I mean, you can, we can debate whether or not this is too early for him, but you like Jack Campbell, you know, he, especially because he can play in coverage. Yeah. You know, it's not just that he's big and physical. He's going to go downhill. He can drop in space. I mean, watch him again on the Ohio State tape. The intercepts C.J. Stroud.

You know, he can. cover tight ends. He has a really good feel for a zone. You know, and understanding in my spatial relationships with the routes and the combinations. That inception came on that, right? Exactly. He has a good feel for that. It's very natural for him. So you're looking for that throwback, Chris Spielman type of linebacker

who can get downhill but can also drop in space. You know, I understand why Jack Campbell's going to be a first-round pick. It's just surprising to see him as a top 20 guy. It is, especially, you know, may have thought maybe Drew Sanders would probably be the first one off the board. But I, that That Ohio State tape is where he popped for me because also he was shedding guys. When the offensive line and climbed him, he stacked and shed it.

It was like clinic tape. I had some high school coaches. I posted a clip on Twitter. Some high school coaches were like, I'm using this. I could tagging other coaches going like, we got to put this on the real because it was like such clinic tape and such good technique. Like you said, it's hard not to like him. He's like, honestly, the lines needed linebackers. They did need a lineback.

And they re-signed Alex Anzolone on a pretty big deal, which I was like, all right. Yeah. Because that was their biggest issue. You're excited for what he's going to be. But, yeah, that's... And you have to understand what he is. There is going to be the limitations for probably durability as well.

Did Jack Campbell test better than you thought he was going to as well? His short area agility was off the charts. I mean, so I don't think you always see that on film. I mean, I know some scouts had third round grades on him. So obviously, Lions had a different grade on him. They saw him as a player worthy of... I think the Lions probably didn't have a first round grade on him,

but they must have had a 2A grade on him high second round pick. And that's what we figured is back after this first round is going to be, hey, we're getting the players we like, screw, like, positional values. I think they've done that the whole first round. The lions with all those picks have come away with a change of pace running back and an off ball linebacker with in the top 18. At the beginning of the day, if I would have said, hey, the lions, they're going to, in this

draft, they're going to come away with Jemir Gibbs and Jack Campbell. You couldn't make the argument. Oh, so in the second round they drafted. Jamir Gibbs. Yeah, maybe they moved out from 18. They got Jamir Biggs at 24, and then they got Jack Campbell in the second round. No, 12 and 18, those are the two guys that came away with. And you know what?

When they get on the field, it doesn't really matter where you're drafted. It's just can you live up to it. And, you know, the Lions obviously felt good about these two dudes. And, you know, they needed that presence on defense. Jack Campbell also won the academic heisman. This is a guy that is sharp as a whip. Yes. Character off the charts. So, you know, not someone you're going to have to worry about away from the building.

I mean, he think he fits a lot of, I mean, I'm sure Dan Campbell watching this guy interviewing, talking to Kirk Farrants about him. I'm sure it just hit all the right notes with Jack, with the. Here we go. Box of 19. Let's see. With the 19th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select, Colizia can't see. Defense of Ben, Pittsburgh. So, will Levis watch continue?

here. The bucks go with Collijah Cancy from Pittsburgh. I mean, just an absolute pass rushing force. And the interior day and was easily the most productive interior pass rush

in college football this year on a person that basis. But again, another size outlier and a draft full of them. That's it. We talked about it with Brace Young.

We talked about Skoronski. We've talked about size outliers all draft so far. And here's another one. I do like the Ed Oliver comparison.

A player who's a top 10 pick, but maybe hasn't lived up to it. Cansey, think it brings a little more violence with the way he plays. The hands, it's the wax on, wax off, and he's going to go with some force. That first step quickness, yes, that's what stands out. Guards struggle to match that first step quickness. And so if he has an opportunity to shoot that gap, a lot of times he's going to win. So yes, he's undersized, does not have the length you look

for. He is the first defensive tackle in the last decade with a sub-sevour-inch wingspan to be drafted. Not in the first round, to be drafted, period. Does not have long arms, doesn't have the wingspan, but a guy that, you know, at 2 80-ish pounds, you know, ran really well at the combine. He has the tape to match because, again, the quickness and the violence that he plays with, the question is, are you comfortable with him on run bombs? Are you comfortable with him stacking, shedding, taking on doubles, being able to be more than that, you know, that one-gap penetrator?

Or is he more one-dimensional? That's where teams were split based on scheme and what they value in a player like this. But obviously the Bucks are betting on that first-step quickness as being something that can really ignite their pass rush because that's something they needed to fix. We thought maybe on the edge. Yep. But here they go with Cancy on the interior. I wonder how it's going to shake out. Yeah.

Because now you got Logan Hall. They're driving the second round last year. They're still there. They signed great gains in free agency. He's more of a depth piece. But on passing downs, who are the guys on the field and where are they lining up and how do they see? can't see fitting into that. Totally different flavor of guy

that they have gone for. I mean, just picture big, they go super long. That's usually what they want. Traditional D-Ns. We talked about Miles Murphy on our edge show and it's like,

oh, this is a Bucks D-N right there. And yes, he plays the defensive tackle what Colaja does, but it is just a gap shooter. Todd Bowles is a traditional three-four guy. You know,

and this is not, this is a four-three defensive tackle that they're really going with here. And so that's just interesting. And what is his best spot? Do you see potential on outside at all? like him bumping out there. That's kind of my question.

A sub package guy. Without that length, it becomes harder on the outside. Right. With his quickness, that speed. Yeah. You know, I just get off and everything. Yeah. I think it's, you know, you can mix him up.

He's not strictly a B gap only guy. I mean, I think, yeah, you can, you move him around, get creative with him. And the other thing, too, is, you know, this is, we thought maybe this is a Will Levis spot. Yeah. Will Levis Watch is still going here in the 20s now. So, you know, we know Seattle. I was going to say, Seahawks have five were potential quarterback spots. So this is interesting.

Now they're at 20 and potentially that they have levels available. Also, but also we were speaking to the versatility at Kansas, he might have some outside ability. Maybe it's not his best spot, but potential. But everybody's versatile on that defense line now. Like, that's what's kind of cool. Try on all those guys have outside inside stuff. Even Logan Hall, that was kind of like his MO was kind of like,

he was like, oh, yeah, can kind of do both. Inside inside. I kind of like that, though. I love when everybody kind of has ever stilled because it makes passing down so much fun. Because it's up to how creative the defense coordinator is. And Todd Bowles is pretty dang creative, especially with his blitz packages and stuff. All right. So now, if the bucks didn't take Will Levis, and let's say the Seahawks don't take Will Levis.

Who is going to take Will Levis? I mean, the Vikings, you can't completely rule them out. I think it'd be a surprise that the Vikings did it, but you don't completely rule them out. Liam Cohen, Kevin O'Connell. There's a relationship there from their time with the Rams before Liam Cohen became the O.C. At Kentucky in 2021. So you don't completely rule that out. But if it's not the Vikings, then I mean, you're looking at potentially a team having to move up from the second round into the first to go get him.

And again, Hendon Hooker is also in the mix here as a quarterback that could go. So no guarantee that Will Levis his next quarterback drafted. Right. and a team of the second round, the Rams potentially moving up. That was my other thought. I mean, that Liam Cohen connection, but do the Rams like Hendon Hooker?

I mean, they, was the little rumblings about them liking Henden Hooker? Is that a product? I'm thinking Will Levis wasn't going to be available. So I think there are a lot of different questions

to consider thinking about where the landing spot is going to be for Will Levis. But now, Michael Sean said he thought Seattle might move back from this pick. They are still on the clock here with two minutes and 20 seconds left. Among the guys that are still available, Dave,

makes the most sense potentially for Seattle? I mean, I don't think that Nolan Smith is a great scheme fit. I don't, but he is the top pass rusher available. And again, I think with Nolan Smith, you're looking at a guy that has some versatility. Yeah, he's 240 pounds, but you can use him in different ways. It's not just strictly as an edge rusher. So Nolan Smith, I don't rule him out here, even though I don't love the scheme fit. After that, you know, they're not taking Joey Porter Jr.

They're not going to take Brian Branch. Jackson Smith and Jigba. We thought the receivers, 11 to 20. We thought he'd go, Jackson Smith and the Jigua goes somewhere 11 to 20. We're at 20, and he has not gone yet. So that number three receiver spot has been not what they wanted in Seattle. And so give Gino some more help on offense with D.K. And Tyler Lockett, Jackson Smith and Jigba would be a perfect fit.

I know. Again, a totally different flavor. Yeah, I love the. the basketball room. I love it so much. I can't stop thinking about it. The moment it became clear, like, okay, he might be available at 20 because of some of the concerns.

You think about his skill set and how it lines with who Tyler Walker is, who DK MacKF is, and what they have, that hole they have in that offense, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. It was my favorite landing spot for him, and if it happens, I would be thrilled. It would be great to see because I think that Gino Smith would love it, and the fan base would love it,

because it just makes your offense tougher to defend and, you know, gives you different options. You know, they, they still have high hopes for Noah Fant and what he's going to be in that offense. But could we see the first guard off the board here? You know, we, they feel good about their tackles, but they need help on the interior. Could, you know, no Cyrus Torrance being in the mix? Yes, you know, we start talking about Steve Avila at this point.

So, you know, interior offensive line, you don't rule that out. We know they still need help on defense. Yeah, that's, you're adding a Devon Wither spoon, that's a great, it's awesome. Awesome. But, you know, we heard Michael and Sean talk about they still need help on the defensive line. We just saw a Clashicancy go one pig earlier, so he's not in the mix here. Could we see a Mazi Smith? Aida Borei from Northwestern. Could we see him come off the board here? So defensive line, there's a lot of different directions.

Yeah. I mean, this is even like a Kincaid, even though they have tight ends on the roster, Dalton Kincaid. But that answers your slot guy. Yeah, that was what we're thinking about. And, Dane, you know, we talked about how early. really the tight ends might go, whether it's going to be run them. We see three in the first round. We're at pick 20.

We have not seen a tight end come off the board. And the Chargers are on deck. And they are a team that could potentially go. So they're very interested in what this pick is going to be at 20. If it is indeed a tight end, is it a wide receiver? Because we know the Chargers could go either direction if they want that offensive skill player that's going to help Justin Herbert. At the Combine, the impression I was under is that the Chargers just wanted an

offensive difference maker in the first round, a playmaker in the first round. There is a chance that the only one in this draft that is off the board by the time they draft at 21 is Bejohn Robinson and then Jemir games. That's it. Yeah. So they could have their pick of past catching options from this entire draft at 21. I can't imagine they believe that's how it was going to work. Everyone's alternated tight ends or receivers for them in mocks. It's just like, just somebody. But I think that was their mindset. We just need something. We just need a little bit more juice within this offense. And now they're going to have the pick of every single guy that came in this draft. They felt good that somebody would be

in Save Flowers, Addison. Justified. Correct. And yeah, sure enough, they're going to have their option. And so that makes it even more fascinating to see which direction they go. If it is the receiver. Quinn Johnston? Do they get a totally different dude than what they have?

Like that, like, you don't know what they prefer. That's what's so interesting too. And now some of my other dream scenarios here with JSM, potentially going to Seattle and now that tight ads haven't gone, is Dalton Kate going to be there for a team like the Bengals? Like it's just all the different things. that are now to play here. Comes with some company.

Got it? The Seattle Seahawks are champions of growing the game of football at the youth in high school levels. Joining me on stage are local boys tackle football players and local girls flag players

who are pioneers in flag football growth. These young men and women embody the NFL values of respect, integrity, resiliency, and responsibility to their teams. Congratulations on your accomplishments and your academic and football careers. Now to make the selection, please welcome Bethany, your rebate. With the 20th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Jackson and Jigbuff.

Yes. I love it so much. It feels right. It does. It feels right. The rug really brings the room together. It really, really does. It just, when you think about skill set and complimentary pieces and what it feels like in that offense, you're really cooking with gas with these three guys together because, Dan, he has such a specific skill set.

For a guy drafted in the first round to spend 88.6% of his snaps in the slot in his final college season when he was a full-time player, that doesn't happen. We don't see that very often. So he needs to find the right offense to get the most out of who he is as a player. And I absolutely think that this is the right offense. No doubt. And he's going to a spot where he's probably going to be playing mostly in a slot. And his spatial awareness as a route runner is what makes him special. It's not just that he finds the soft zones, but he knows how to set up db.

Snaping guys off. Oh, yeah, consistently. And he does it with his footwork. He does it with his eyes. He does it with his body rhythm. he is a pro right now. Out of the box, no assembly required. So Jackson Smith and Jigba, yeah, if you're Seattle,

this is not a development pick that you're thinking in two, three years, she's going to help us. Day one, really, both of their picks. Devin Witherspoon, Jackson Smith and Jigua, these guys are going to help this team right away. And, you know, Seattle, tell you what, they knocked out of the park last year, their draft class.

So far, you've got to feel great with what they're doing. makes sense to it and just stylistic fit too. And that's by the receiver room, the synergy. It's perfect. It really is. D.K. McCaff is the true outside ball winner. You got Tyler Lockett, who's the intermediate, can go vertical. He can work inside it out as your Z. And then now he got Jackson Smith and Jigba, who's a true slot with feel. And you were talking about his routes. I always like to say tempo his routes. He knows how the throttle up and down. He might not have the fifth gear, but he can go to one to four so quickly in and out and just has that feel for space. It's just the puzzle pieces make a ton of sense.

Just little tiny shoulder movements, little head movements, setting guys up. It's pacing. Yes. And when you think about these slot receivers, I think a lot of the time people envision them having a feel for avoid in zones. I'm more impressed by what he does against man coverage. When he's got a guy trailing him or just understanding how to set guys up at the top of his routes, it's beautiful to watch. Like, he's one of the more nuanced players at the position.

He's so specific what he does that has come along in a really long time. Savvy. That's what he is. He has a really good feel for it. And it's just, I really like him after the catch, too. There's a yak element where. That Rose Bowl, man. I mean, that is all just him making plays with the ball on his hands.

It's like he has eyes in the back of his head. As soon as he catches the ball, he knows, okay, what's going on around him and what he needs to do. Because, again, he's not a burner. He had a 16, 5, 10-year-s split. Yeah. That's horrible. But he understands everything going on around him, and he maximizes those skills.

So, you know, this is no surprise. is he set the Texas receiving record for a career in high school. Like this guy has been a pro for a long time with the way he goes about his business, goes to Ohio State because he knew that they would develop him as a receiver even more. Even though he didn't play this year, it still felt like a safer pick where you know exactly what you're getting. He might not be that burner. I can put on tape where a linebacker catches him. Right.

And that's okay. You kind of sacrifice the straight line speed a little bit, but he's going to get open. He's going to catch a football. Last time I checked, those are the two most important things to playing the position. They needed a technician. They didn't need speed. And so it's like perfect. Yeah, ceiling is defined, but that's not what they needed within this offense.

We talk about it. I mean, these are glowing reviews. So like, okay, then why is the 20th pick? Because one of the reasons that there's no assembly required, there's nowhere to go. Like, this is who he's going to be. And that's fine. You have to understand what that is. That's why he's on a top 10 pick.

For what he is, he's really intriguing. Absolutely. All right, guys, that's all we got for picks 11 through 12. The end of the first round, the third and final show from night one of the draft, should be available in your feeds very shortly. So please come back and check it out. We'll talk to you guys soon. This was the Athletic Football Show.