The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Brugler & Zierlein: 2022 NFL Draft takeaways & ranking the top classes

Episode Date: May 4, 2022

Dane Brugler and NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrap up their 2022 NFL Draft coverage by discussing their favorite picks, biggest surprises and overall takeaways. Plus, they break down what happened with the QBs and rank their favorite draft classes.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Athletic Football Show. Welcome back. I'm Dane Bruebler. joined as always with NFL.com's Lancel airline. This is the athletic football show, our midweek NFL draft edition, and now it's our host draft NFL draft edition. Now that we made it through the weekend, 262 picks are in. Now this is the fun part of it, because we can, instead of trying to project and make educated guesses,

we can reflect and kind of, you know, what caught us off guard, what surprised us, what do we really enjoy about what happened, who killed it, who maybe left us a little bit, underwhelmed. We're trying to hit on all those things, but Lance, how you feel? And I know, you know, both of us had crazy last, you know, five, six days. Got to feel good being back home and starting to review this. Yeah, I was actually, I actually had gone to New York. York. So I'd gone to Boston. The last time we did a podcast, I was in Boston, my wife friend, the marathon. And then right after that, we went back to Houston for almost two full

days, not quite. We got back Tuesday night, and then Thursday, we're off to New York because the wife had a trip plan, and I had to step in and be a pinch hitter on the trip with her. So I told her, I'm like, hey, you know, it's kind of a busy time for me, this whole draft thing. So I went to New York Thursday through Sunday. So I ended up, NFL Network said, hey, we want you to fly in and be ready for TV Monday. So I flew from New York to Houston and then Houston to L.A. Same day, but we had like a three-hour delay because of a plane issue. So it was a long Sunday and then a long day of draft stuff or a long week, I should say, that entire week.

But it's also at the same time, it's like it's a fun chaos. It's a chaos, but it's a fun chaos. I'm getting to spend time talking to people like James. Jones about wide receivers the Packers could look at and his thoughts on Sky Moore and, you know, talking to Bucky Brooks. We had Kvon, Tibado in studio and I wish he had confidence, you know, at some point if he develops any confidence at all, I think he's going to be okay. It might be something.

Yeah. Yeah. He owes me. I brought up his Bitcoin. So he told his manager, we need to get him me. He was talking to some Bitcoin because I brought it up on the air for him. So I'm waiting for the Bitcoin to come in. We'll see if that lands.

But, you know, Dane, it was an interesting week because at the end when the draft was rolling, so you and I both knew there's not the superstars in this draft. You know, there's not the high-end monsters in this year's draft. They had quarterbacks where we weren't sure they would go. And then you had, you know, wide receivers, offensive tackles, and pass rushers. Those were the three groups and then two cornerbacks. Corners. And it was really intriguing to see how.

those groups would go. Like where's the run going to be? Is it going to be on tackles? Is it going to be on wide receivers? Is it going to be on pass rushers? So I thought there was some really, despite not having some hammers out there, I thought there were some really interesting storylines. And sure enough, you know, it ended up being cornerbacks, ended up getting the first run. And I don't know about for you, but that last week. So I know I talked about it here on our show. I'd started hearing from LSU sources that the Texans were doing a tremendous amount of work. And I don't know. on Derek Stingley. And so I was not caught off guard.

He was in my final mock draft. It was actually my first mock draft. I'd Stingley to Texans just because of a fit. And I figured his pro day would push him back up the boards because at that time he was not a hot name. And then my last mock draft I had Stingley because the information that I had I thought was pretty solid. And that, but that did, I think,

end up causing some dominoes to fall. When it went stingly, then saw us. I think that the dominoes started to fall a little bit, and we saw some things alter and change. And Seattle, I think, benefited by getting cross where they got them. And Ikea Kuanu all of a sudden was available at number six to Carolina. Some interesting things happened in the first 10 picks. And I think the Giants sitting there at five,

I think they were ready to take the tackle. But with no tackles off the board in the first four picks, they knew one of the guys they liked was going to be there at 7. So they could take the defensive end. And that's what they did with Kvon Tibido. Ikego 6 and then the Giants get their guy Evan Neal at 7. And I think you're 100% right. Seattle, they benefit with Charles Cross.

It's really interesting how Seattle and then they drafted running back, Kenneth Walker in the second round. We know they're going to be, you know, a team that wants to run the ball. They drafted two tackles from air raid schemes with Charles Cross. with Abraham Lucas. Now, the fits in terms of, okay, Charles Cross, he's a left tackle only in college. Abraham Lucas was a right tackle only in college.

Two pretty good players. So I like what Seattle did, but just interesting how kind of their banking on those two players, maybe showing us a little bit more as run blockers. But let me start with this. We got to talk about the quarterbacks. No surprise. I don't think there was a big surprise that,

The first quarterback wasn't until 20. You know, I don't, you know, I had Kenny Pickett going to Pittsburgh in my mock. That that's just what I kept hearing. That's what made the most sense. I have Malik Willis to Pittsburgh is the first one. So we were both, yeah. The later we got, the further it got away and the tape started to speak and we stopped worrying about narratives and you stopped worrying about buzz and social media.

When you really get through these and you piecemeal it together, Dan, and I'm sure this is the same thing with you, it became really hard to find a quarterback. fit anytime earlier than 20. That's why I kept telling, I kept saying two and a half quarterbacks in the first round, I'm taking the under. I mean, there could always be trades into the late first round. We see, but again, I think that fifth year option for quarterbacks is vastly overrated. And it's something that, you know, we've seen the Browns, Baker Mayfield. You know, you look at Sam Darnold. The Giants just declined Daniel Jones' fifth year option. It's become more of a detriment if the quarterback isn't a clear-cut top guy.

And by that time, chances are you're already trying to extend him. So, you know, that fifth-year option for quarterbacks is not as alluring as I think a lot of people make it out to be. So that's great point. Or maybe NFL team's thought at one time. So, you know, that plays into the thought process too. But I even wrote this in my second, my day two mock draft after the first round that this will be the first time. that since 2007 that we had more quarterbacks drafted second round than the first round. I just assumed it was going to happen.

And here we go. Throughout the second round, zero quarterbacks off the board in that round. That was more shocking than only one going in the first round. So it does made Ritter off the board and then Malik Willis, then Matt Corral. What was your reaction to the quarterbacks when they went, the Domino's, I mean, just, kind of an overarching theory about, is it as simple as teams just didn't like these quarterbacks like we thought? Or are teams getting smarter about their quarterback evaluations where, you know, we're just, we're not going to reach. We're going to draw a line here. I mean,

just what were your reactions with the quarterbacks? I think it was as simple, Dane as number one, people work off of some old narratives like they always bring up Christian Ponder. Quarterbacks get picked up. Hey, they get pushed out. Remember the Christian Ponder draft? Yeah, it was a long time ago. Since then, there's also been an E.J. Manuel draft where Gino Smith went in the second round, and E.J. Manuel was the only first round quarterback to go. There's been the draft where I get it. Blake Bortles went third. But in that same draft, you had Teddy Bridgewater falling, and you had Johnny Mansell. He fell some too from where it was expected. So I think what's happened, Dane, is the old adage is, or the true adage is that when you draft a quarterback in the first, you start to, the hourglass on your job.

job is now ticking. And there are NFL teams that understand third round is where you have backups who have a chance to become future starters. And I think what the NFL basically did was there's a huge disconnect between the general public, draft media and social media, and then NFL. So let's take a look at this. This is the format where we can get into this a little bit. And I'm curious to what you think. So I've thought about this a lot. You know, I, I, came out of the senior bowl and we talked about this i came out of the senior ball and i thought none of these quarterbacks were impressive but i'll i'll write um you know i'll have something on malic willis because he did have a couple throws here in the rainy weather on wednesday that were

were good throws so i highlighted those two plays that he made and then i'm reading that malique willis was this standout at the senior ball and just had some just you know an incredible senior ball just and i thought well what did i miss here? I didn't see that. I thought Kenny Pickett was disappointing. I thought in general, the quarterbacks across the board were really disappointing. The only guy that you could point to was some throws from Malik Willis. And so you didn't have a strong senior ball, which is a huge part of.

You look at where Justin Herbert got drafted, and then you look at a senior ball. Justin Herbert had a really good senior ball, really good senior bowl when he was there. Carson Wentz had a really good senior ball. He was drafted early. None of these quarterbacks had a good senior ball. And yet the narrative started to fly around that wasn't picket. It was Malik Willis. And then it turned into draft people on Twitter, Malik Willis, Malik Willis, Malik Willis.

And we all work off of the notion that quarterbacks could get drafted earlier than expected. That's not unusual. I do it. You do it. We all do it. I had a draft where I had Malik going six because I like to play around with different things. I have four mock drafts. My last one's my most serious one.

But Malik Willis, I thought, well, Well, you know, maybe a team that has a huge need in Carolina. Because all it takes is one. All it takes is one. That's the other thing that's always said. All it takes is one. But my draft grade on him, I had a 6-3 until I finally moved them up to a 6-4. A 6-4 would be back into the first round.

The 6-3 would be a second round. Could become a plus starter. And that's great in them on the high side. That's kind of grading the flashes. The tape wasn't very good. Lots of interceptions against lesser teams. terrible against Middle Tennessee State, who's terrible against Ole Miss. But you see the potential, and you see there is upside with Malik Willis.

There's upside with Matt Corral, with Ritter, all these guys. But Dane, is it enough for a team to risk their job on Willis, Pickett, Corral, Ritter, Hal? And what we found is that teams stayed true to the tape on all these guys and then to highlighting the weaknesses of the areas of concern, and kind of a one-year wonder for Kenny Pickett. He still went 20. Matt Corral has some maturity issues that, frankly, concerned some teams and some size issues.

Desmond Ritter was kind of a one-year guy when you look at the production of a first-round quarterback, and he has some accuracy issues, despite everything else really checking a box for him. And Malik Willis is high-ceiling, low floor. So I think what happened was the general public was kind of fooled by the narratives that were out there for so long, but the reality was NFL teams just stuck with the tape and stuck with the idea of do we believe that this quarterback can lead us to competing for a Super Bowl and how do they compare against Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen to just any of the young quarterbacks who have come out over the last few years.

And I think what happened was when they compared those quarterbacks versus quarterbacks over the last five years and they compared those quarterbacks to what's coming out, eventually next year, they punted. They punted. And the general public was fooled by the narratives that were out there about four quarterbacks in the first round for a long time. Instead, you got three in the third round. That's crazy. Never has there been that disconnect. It really is remarkable.

And, you know, we've talked about it before, how the Malik Willis, in narrative at the senior bowl, was really strange because it was all, he's got this big arm. good athlete. Well, we knew that already. And it's like, you know, a lot of media maybe does their first exposure to him. And so maybe they, you know, just took it a little too far. But I mean, there was nothing about, and then it's, you know, the Steelers, you know, being live at the Senior Bowl and seeing Malik Willis up close. And somehow that turned into, oh, well, well, zero chance. Malik Wallet. We know if Malik Willis is there at 20, the Steelers are taking them. And at what point it was, oh, well, they have to trade up to get him. But we know if Malik Willis falls to 20. There's no way he's falling past there.

I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't, how it, the narrative gets so twisted throughout the draft space. You had Kenny Pickett as the first quarterback off the entire time. Yeah, yeah, because, I mean, to me, he was the top quarterback, and it just made the most sense where Malik Willis, I don't know, I really had to talk myself into, he was my, I remember 32 overall player, and I had to talk myself into that. Like, it was just, okay, this is the highest I can go. I understand, there's definitely a.

side here. And I could see a path where Malik Willis could become a starter, you know, three years down the road. But, I mean, you can't just ignore the pitfalls and where it could all go wrong. And that's where it's tough with quarterbacks because at what point is it worth rolling that dice, taking a risk? You know, it's easy for us to say. But to your point, when you're a general manager and every single pick gets so heavily scrutinized, you know, it's just they would rather not take a chance like that in the first two rounds. And we saw that play out. So the quarterback thing is fascinating.

I saw people who I think are good football people and people who do this and, you know, kind of new media, not necessarily for old established, you know, ESPN or NFL or athletic or CB. I'm talking about like new media guys who hustle and do good work. And I saw them throwing all their chips in on, on Willis. And, you know, and I know they watch tape and you can't, you have to, you have to say the good with the bad, right? on all of these, I'm talking about on all these quarterbacks. Right.

But I think what happens is people get so, I think unfortunately, we're at a time, Dane, and you know this, where if you have an opinion on a player, it could be a quarterback, but whoever a popular player is, if you have an opinion that is not a positive opinion or that where you point out some things that maybe a player needs to work on, you catch backlash.

Like you have to have thick skin because you're going to catch backlash. Well, similarly, if you go all in on that player and you're all in with that player, you're going to get a lot of likes and you'll get retweets and you feel good about yourself and your endorphins are flowing and like, man, I'm doing something great, man. Look how many people really love what I said. But is it accurate? Like, are you being accurate or are you getting likes? Which one is it going to be?

Because at some point, if you're going to do this, I think that you have to be accurate and honest. And sometimes it's uncomfortable on social media because you're going to get backlash if you're really honest. But if you're really honest, you also will catch credibility. It just takes longer. It takes longer. But you get skewered. Like, you know, I don't, there's no question. I don't know how you feel about this day.

But there are times where I'm like, God, I hope I like this player. When I start watching tape, like please let me like this player because I don't feel like dealing with the crap. But at the end of the day, my job is to be accurate. whether I like a player, I don't like a player, whatever I think their strengths and weaknesses are, whatever I think their draft grade is, and how I project them to be. I'm not trying to get you to like me. I just want to be accurate. That's all I want to be because to me it means more that teams and people like Dane Bruegler

and Daniel Jeremiah and people who are in the space respect the work that I'm doing and the people who are hardcore fans who are reading my work because they want to respect what I say and they want an honest. opinion, that's more important to me than trying to get a bunch of likes and retweets. That does retweets and likes ultimately, they go away, especially when you miss on a guy. Be accurate. Don't try to be right. Be accurate.

Well, and I think it's fair to point out, too, that we want to be accurate more so in two to three years as opposed to, you know, on draft weekend. Because, you know, I mean, who knows? Malik Willis could turn out to be an NFL starter, a high-end NFL starter. He's got that. Oh, he's got that upset. I mean, that's got that upside. That's a realistic outcome for him.

You know, how realistic is obviously up for debate, but a lot of teams were willing to not draft him and find out. So, all right, let's move away from quarterback a little bit. I want to talk about the first round. Your point earlier was... Can I ask you one? Can I ask you one? How shocked are you that Sam Howell went in the fifth?

Like, I had a fourth round grade on Sam. Yeah. So I was not that high on them. But then by the time it hits the fifth and it's Washington, And I'm like, this is a great addition because there's no pressure on Sam Howe. And you got a chance to potentially find a future starter in the fifth round. I thought that was a great pickup in the fifth. Yeah, I mean, no question.

I mean, I think that some told me the interviews were a little underwhelming with him. Not bad, but underwhelming, I think was the word that was used. So that I think was part of his tumble down the board, but still fifth round. That was surprising. I mean, I did not see a first round player like a lot of people did. I graded, he, like, he was not a top 50 player on my board. Like, I didn't see that caliber of guy, but still, to last of the fifth round, that was surprising. And, you know, all these quarterbacks, but I do like the fits, like Desmond Ritter for the Falcons in the mid-third round.

That's a good fit, because the Falcons are in a total rebuild mode. And using a third rounder on a guy like Desmond Ritter, that doesn't stop them from drafting a quarterback in the first round next year. And Desmond Ritter is a guy that regardless, if he's starting or not, you want him in your quarterback room. He's a confident, smart guy. I want him in my quarterback room. So, you know, even if the Falcons say they have the number one pick next year,

I don't think they're passing on a quarterback. That doesn't mean that they, you know, don't like Desmond Ritter or is a wasted draft pick. It's just they have a chance to have. grade, and I don't think they would pass on that. So that was an interesting fit for me. Matt Corral going to the Panthers. That's another interesting one. The Panthers trade up into the third round to get him.

Malik Willis to the Titans. I mean, so a lot of interesting things. I thought, I love that. That fit. I think Malik to the Titans, it's a power team. I swear to you, I keep flashing back to the old Titans when they came from the Oilers and they became the Titans. and you had Eddie George and Steve McNair.

So you had a hammerhead with a dual threat quarterback with a big arm. And they would physically try to impose their will on you. And now they got Jeffrey Simmons and a good defense. There is a lot of flashback potential to the early 2000 Tennessee Titans right now. A lot of flashback with Malik going there. I thought that was a really good fit for him. That's a great call. All right.

So pivoting away from quarterbacks, just, I mean, you made this point earlier, the positions, but you know, you could argue the four most important positions outside a quarterback, pass rusher, and then the tackle trying to stop the pass rusher, wide receiver, trying to put points on the board, and then the corner trying to stop that receiver from putting points on the board. Those were the top 12 picks, those four positions. And it was interesting that in a draft where, you know, we were missing the quote unquote blue chippers, the high end talent, that teams went to those positions specifically as, okay, well, if we're picking this high, we're going to go to a premium position.

And we're going to pass on a Kyle Hamilton. We're going to pass on some of these other players and go for those positions specifically. Now, it helped that those were strong classes at the top and those four positions, but still interesting. Was there a pick in the first round, one through 32, that you liked the most? Was there just one that you just, you love the fit, you love the value? What stands out for you in the first round? That's a really good question.

I think Evan Neal to the Giants immediately stands out. I mean, they have such a huge need. And I thought what's interesting is that Andrew Thomas played left tackle, right tackle in college. Evan Neal played left tackle, right tackle in college. I think what you have is an opportunity to find the best player for the best side from a tackle standpoint. So, yeah, it's a position of need,

but it's also interesting because both tackles have left-right flexibility because they've been left-right starters from a tackle position. So I thought Evan Neal, Evan Neal was a really, really good fit at number seven. And then, you know, honestly, I thought I had Kenyon Green going to the Texans in my final mock draft. I might have been one of the only people there. But the reason for that, I had no inside intelligence in that. And some would say I have no intelligence, period.

There's a lot that might say that. But at number three, if I have Derek Stingley there, then I have to address either pass rush, which I figured there'd be no pass rush or there. I knew they weren't big into Jermaine Johnson, so I scratched him off the board. And I looked at offensive line like they need help kicking ass and running to football. And the one guy that made the most sense to me was Kenyon Green. And I don't get caught up. And I've done enough of these and so have you, Dane, where guys get drafted in different places

where you think they're going to. So I don't get too caught up. I try to just get the fit, the need, and the philosophy right, and worry less about, well, everyone else has Kenyon Green going 21. And how could anyone see him going this early? To me, Nick Casario comes from the Patriots. Name a time when the Patriots drafted somebody where you thought they were going to get drafted. Oh, strange.

I mean, what are we doing? Exactly. So for me, Kenyon Green at 13 just fit a big need for them, which is philosophically, They have to start running a football. And he's a good run blocker. And I just thought that he would make some sense at 13 and he ended up being the pick at 15 because of a trade. So I think that's actually a really good fit for them as well.

I think the Jets were my favorite. Because that's what I, my article. Their draft was incredible. Yeah. My article up on the athletic right now. I don't do grades. I just, and I power rank 1 through 32, my favorite draft classes. Not the best.

You know, like not, I don't use some analytical formula. here. I just, who did I like the most? Like, I lay it all out. One through 32, my favorite draft classes. And obviously, that's going to skew towards the teams that have multiple first round picks and multiple early round picks. So the Jets, they were number one for me. You know, you think about what they did in the first round, getting Soss Gardner, which I was very surprised. I did not think they would go corner. That just, you know, you look at the history of that coaching staff. but I still love the pick. I think Soss Garner makes a ton of sense.

Garrett Wilson. You get him to Wilson-to-Wilson connection for the Jets on offense. And then you're able to trade back up. Even if you didn't love Jermaine Johnson, I did. For him to fall to 26. I mean, what, I mean, I know several of those teams, you know, they've got certain age requirements.

You know, you can't draft a player that's 23 years old in the first round. Jermaine Johnson is not your You know Like his get-off I think is average Compared to most first round pass rushers So I mean I get why everyone maybe didn't love him But for him 25 teams made a mistake Letting him fall to 26

I 100% believe that Passing and the crazy thing to me, Dame Was he he got passed on by teams that needed rush And there wasn't much rush left in the first round I was like Okay you you absolutely You absolutely didn't want Well, I mean, the Texans, I mean, you clearly didn't want Jermaine Johnson for some of those teams because I just didn't understand them passing.

I'd heard that he had had some interviews where he rubbed some people the wrong way or whatever. And I was down at a baggage carousel. Jermaine Johnson and a guy from a team was down there. And he made a comment to Jermaine like, hey, I'll clean it up. But he basically said some of these teams didn't love the way that you were in the interviews. and I want to see you cleaned it up because I want to see you get his drafted as high as you can. I want to see you make as much money as you can and be the best player you can be. But make sure that you are respectful and blah.

He had a – it was a very stern message to him that he was trying to give him a heads up. I think it was after the senior bowl. Before you went to the combine, you got to make sure you play the game a little bit. So maybe that had something to do it. Look, I just know that Jermaine Johnson doesn't have injury issues that I know of, doesn't have character issues that I know of. is a really terrific edge setter. Yes, he is.

23 will end up being, I think, a 24-year-old rookie, which does hurt him with some teams. I think Cleveland only draft players who are 21 years old or younger, I think for the most part, just as an example of a team, to your point about certain teams. And I think Jermaine Johnson showed that he got substantially better as a rusher from game one on tape to the Senior Bowl. There's no denying the fact that the spin move was already starting to get more fluid.

you could see him getting better. That was probably the most shocking thing. Malik Willis falling out of the first. I didn't have him in the first. Or rather, I did have him in the first. I had Kenny pick it out. So I only had one quarterback going number 20. So it wasn't shocking that a second quarterback didn't go on the first.

Jermaine Johnson falling that far, to me, it was the biggest surprise of the first round. There's no doubt. That was a big surprise. And I mean, even like some of the other surprises, if you want to call it, surprises. I think you can at least understand the thinking. You know, the Cowboys going Tyler Smith at 24. They wanted Zion Johnson or Kenyon Green. Both those guys were off the board in the first 17 picks. Okay, what's plan B is, okay, Tyler Smith. He's going to hopefully win the left guard job as a rookie. And then he's our long-term succession plan at left tackle behind Tyrant.

And, you know, it's funny. I mean, Dallas, they wanted to move down and take Tyler Smith. they're actually talking to the Titans. And, you know, but, you know, the Titans, they were coming up to get Tyler Smith. So the Cowboys stayed put, took the player. And, you know, again, Tyler Smith was my 50th overall player in the draft. Like, I very, very raw. And that rawness worries me a little bit.

But I can understand the Cowboys thinking there. You know, it's the same. Patriots taking Cole Strange. Like, you know, is it a little bit of a reach compared to what we all think, where we thought Cole Strange was going to be drafted? Yeah. But we have to remember the Patriots, they have the smallest draft board in all of football. I mean, it's 75, 90 names.

So once those guards, there was a run on those guards in the top 20, okay, Patriots saw their chance to move back. And they knew they still had a good chance to land their next guy and Cole Strange. So it was just a weird draft where every year we see second rounders go in the first round. This year we saw maybe a third rounder going the first round. according to what most of us thought going in. But, you know, the Patriots don't care. That's just how they operate.

Yeah, I didn't think Strange was getting past mid-50s. Like, Cole Strange to me was a lock in the second round. I felt like Cam Juergens was a two, three in that neighborhood. But I think in general, to your point, I always do projections. I talk to some different team sources, and I slot players. I've got my own grades, but then I slot them for where I think they're going to be projected to go. And most years, it's pretty accurate. This is probably the least accurate it's been over the last five years because once you got past the first seven or eight picks of the second round, it was a shit show, if I can say that on the athletic.

I mean, the way people viewed pick number 40 through pick number 100, they were all over the place. I had guys who I had slotted in the fifth round like Wondell Robinson going in the second, you know, early in a second. I saw guys who I had slotted like Bernard Raymond potentially late first, falling into the third. I mean, it was, I was so far off on some of these. And even talking to teams, some of the sources I talked to were really off on this. Logan Hall going 33 was like the only thing that was like, okay, yep, that makes sense. Check that off.

Check that box. And then that's when all hell broke loose. Do you think. Ebiketti, you weren't that surprised. No, no, no. My fan, Ebiketti. But Travis Jones going third. Yeah, that was a surprise.

I mean, I actually, I was surprised how many I got right in my mock draft. You know, like Cam Juergens, I had ranked. I used my 49th overall player. He went 51, so I didn't think that was a reach necessarily. Right. Skymore going 54, that's, he was 13th receiver drafted. That surprised me a lot. Now, the Skymore love got a little bit away from us.

He got a little, it got a little out of control. It did. But still, he was not the 13th best receiver in my opinion. No, he was, he was best. better than that. Like him going behind Wondale, to me, is pretty crazy. It is crazy. There's no doubt about it.

But that's also why the Chiefs had a top three draft, in my opinion. Trent McDuffie and George Carl Loftus in the first. Then you come back with Sky Moore. And Sky Moore, that was maybe my favorite pick of the entire draft. Getting him at 54, he's not in apples-to-apples replacement for Tyree Kill because they're very different players. But you think about how Sky Moore wins in a short game. he's going to be able to do that for the Chiefs.

You think about how he can win vertically. He's going to be able to do that. With Mahomes at quarterback, Skymore, man. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch. But also, I mean, getting Dary and Kahnard. It reminds me so much of Trey Smith last year, who, you know, from Tennessee fell down the draft boards and then had this great rookie season.

Dary and Kinnard, again, another SEC blocker fell down draft boards, and the Chiefs ended up getting a steal on day three with Kinnard. Yeah, I, some of the guys, yeah, it's just, it really is interesting to watch certain players like canard watching what duke manningweather's done to get his weight down and his body type you know where it needs to be if you can keep your weight where it needs to be if you're a canard and you can get your hands right and your discipline right with your hands i mean he's got a chance to really be a very very good NFL starter and there's some you know some of those are some i don't say big ifs but they're you know moderate

ifs, but you have to factor those things in. So yeah, I think, I think Kansas City let the draft come to them. And they ended up with some really good football players. I mean, Trent McDuffie to me is just behind Sauce Gardner, for me, as the second best cornerback. When you factor in tape, you know, when you factor in tape, he's ahead of, he's definitely ahead of Derek Stingley. But I get the Derek Stingley, height, weight, speed, trait stuff. I certainly get that. And the 19 tape is exceptional. Yes. So I get all that. You know, a team that I really like, Dane. And I should say, okay, really liked is one thing. I thought it was a very interesting look at a draft.

And I actually did like their draft. It was the Buffalo Bills. And here's why it's for two different reasons. Number one, they went with a pick. So it's a team that doesn't have a lot of weaknesses. Would you agree with me on that? Oh, yeah, 100%. I think they were kind of hard to come up with team weaknesses.

And you look at cornerback was one of them. Kair Elam, a very smart. cornerback. I think maybe the athletic testing and the speed, you don't always see the same things on tape that you saw with his testing. I think when he flips the hips and sprints, he can be a little late to accelerate, which is why he got behind some speedsters and stayed behind him. But a team told me early on in a process after cornerback, you better put Elim in a first round because that kid is exceptionally bright, and he's going to really impress people in interview. So immediately I started plugging him in the first round.

And frankly, usually it was with the Buffalo Bills. That's the first place I put them. So you had the bills getting Kairilin, which is a position to need. And then two of the next three picks, James Cook in round two with the 31st pick of the second round. And then Khalil Shakir in the fifth round, I think this is really intriguing because what it tells you is from a standpoint of matchups, they're trying to get a wide receiver, I mean a running back, who is more of a scatback, not going to be great between the tackles, but does have speed to the outside over the tackles. But more importantly, is a nightmare to match up with out of the backfield, an absolute nightmare.

So they got a matchup player in James Cook. And then Dane, in the fifth round, they came back and got Khalil Shakir, who, as you know, from studying him, this is a guy who is used just like Debo. You want to, running back carries, jet sweep, hitch route. get the ball in his hands, short slants. He's as competitive as any wide receiver in the entire draft with or without the ball on his hands. He's a super competitor.

He tested better than I expected. And frankly, I think Buffalo said, okay, he plays the new style of hybrid running back wide receiver that so many teams are able to mismatch defenses with. Let's draft him. So you've got a mismatch running back in James Cook and a mismatch wide receiver hybrid in Khalil Shakir. I love that they did that. because what they're trying to do right now is just get over the hump and get to a Super Bowl.

And maybe those are the types of players that can help them do that, not to mention a guy with a monster leg and Matariza fall into the sixth round. I mean, if he learns to hang the ball up just a little bit with hang time, that could end up being a huge weapon for one of the teams that had one of the worst, you know, punting games in the NFL last year. Yeah, and I mean, it's a – Khalil Shakur has to be, yeah, one of the best picks that I think that was made all weekend. But he's going to see snaps right away. I mean, he's going to be competing in that slot role. I mean, that's a pick that's going to pay immediate dividends.

And we don't always say that about fifth rounders. We got to mention Baltimore with what they did, their first four picks with Kyle Hamilton, which at that point, I haven't seen this. Maybe they addressed it whether or not they admitted they were sniped for Jordan Davis or not. but to get Kyle Hamilton then at 14, Tyler Linderbaum at 25, David Ajabo in the second round, and then Travis Jones in a third round. I mean, we say this, I think I say this every single year. Good players fall to the Ravens.

It's a coincidence, it's a coincidence. And then in the fourth round, they had six picks, six picks in the fourth round, which we don't, you don't see that. That's just rare. and they pick six times, get, you know, some really good players. The Ravens, it's just, this is how good teams stay good. Well, two of the picks for tight ends, too. Charlie Kohler and Isaiah Liklin, you could argue.

Yeah, I mean, but, you know, Charlie's not much of a blocker. No, he's not. He's not. He's not. He's not. He's not. And Isaiah likely is probably going to be relied on to block a little more, but Isaiah likely a little smaller so I could see them maybe using him as a flex or as an

H-back type where he, lines up in the backfield maybe some. I'm curious to see what they do. Jordan Stout, the most accurate punter in the draft in the fourth round. Jalen Arbor Davis, I think he's got a lot of upside. I think Jalen Arbor Davis is a future starter. They got him in a fourth. Falaelae, you know, my questions are, where is the weight? Can you get the weight into the 360 range? Because I think you do have to watch that with him. Can he play any guard or is he going to be a tackle? It's kind of Orlando Brown Jr. all over again. That's what I was going to say. And people, People had problems with Orlando, and he ended up being a starter.

And it's been a quality starter. So, yeah, to see six players, DeMarian Williams was the only one that I felt like was a little bit of a reach in the round that they got him. But he's a good football player and a highly competitive, feisty, tough player as well. Tyler Batty in the six round, are you kidding me? This guy's going to step on the field early on and give you third down reps if you want it. Like, I mean, the Ravens had an unbelievable draft in my opinion. I know the Jets are the winner, but I don't know how you could argue that the Ravens are right there with them. Yeah, for me, I went Jets won.

I actually, I did go Chiefs two just because I think getting McDuffie and Carl Laughness in the first and then Skymore at 54. I just, I love what he's going to be able to do in that offense. Kinnard later on, and I love their other picks as well. But then Ravens were clear three for me. That was the clear one, two, three on my rankings. because my number four was actually Detroit Lions. You know, being able to have the number two pick,

you get Aidan Hutchinson, and then you are aggressive to go up and get your receiver in Jameson Williams. And this is a team that, you know, they are, you know, they're competing for the long term. You know, they're playing the long game here. And so the fact that Jameson Williams is going to miss camp, miss the first month of the season, not a big deal at all.

So James and Williams, whoever ends up being a long-term option, the quarterback. They've already got the stud playmaker at receiver. And then they come back. They get Josh Pascal in Kentucky. In the second round, one of the best run defenders in this draft has pass rush upside. Talk about Kirby Joseph and the third. Really like James Mitchell in the fifth. You and I are both big fans of Malcolm Rodriguez. Malcolm Rodriguez is going to a situation in Detroit where there could be a path for him in training camp to not only get on the field, but see. He's a future starter. Yeah. And Dan Campbell's going to love him.

Aaron Glenn's going to love him. He's got the best instincts maybe in the draft. He has the best pathways to the tackle. He avoids blocks with this unbelievable talent. If he was one inch, if he was two inches taller with arms that were two inches longer, he's a day two pick without question, without question. He's immensely anticipatory, can drop back in coverages. He just doesn't check the height weight.

He checks the speed box and explodes. box. He's he's fast and explosive, but just the length, the overall length form is not where it needs to be. But he's the draft crush of a lot of people out there. I thought I liked him. Brian Baldinger was, I mean, it might be Baldi's favorite player in the last three years. He loved him. And I was a huge fan. I know you are. I think anyone that watches tape, you fall in love of them because it's just so fun to watch him. You just see his mind processes so quickly. And that's one of the things that makes him fun. You just, you know, you just always knew with sub 30-inch arms, it could end up hurting him. Yeah, and you find out his background being a, you know, a quarterback in high school, being a state

champion wrestler, and, you know, just the kind of the path that he's come from is really, really interesting. Now, there's no such thing as, I mean, losers, you know, I mean, I hate using that term even when we talk about these draft picks because time will tell, you know, what happens. was there a team or two or pick or two that you thought, eh, I didn't love it. You know, this is something that,

you know, kind of bothered me just because I don't know why they went this direction or I'm not sure what their overall plan is. Were there any picks or any team classes that kind of bothered you in that respect? Yeah, I mean, the Giants, obviously Tibino and Neil, I mean,

you fell into that. You were going to, the Giants would have to really work hard not to have a good draft in the first round because where they drafted, there were going to be good football players. And they got two good ones, Tibado and Evan Neal. I just think when you look at what they did, I feel like they drafted a bunch of backups. And Wondell Robinson, just way too soon for a guy who's not exceptionally fast, is undersized and had trouble handling punts.

And he's a slot only. Like, that's not the spot you draft. And I get that they don't like Cadarius Tony and he'll be gone no matter what they say. they're not going to they don't like them. No. I just, that just seemed, that just did not seem like a good pick to me. Especially who was, I mean, he, I think he was only like the eighth receiver, ninth receiver.

Yeah. I mean, there was a lot of receiver talent still in the board. A lot of guys you could have gone with. Easy you do. And I, and I don't begrudge teams for having different boards than me or you. I mean, they're the ones who do this for a living. That's, I just thought from the standpoint of having a wide receiver who's so limited. There's a limited scope of how he can influence a game.

Not that he's not a talented player. I think Wondale's a talented player. There's a lot of ways that he can. But there, that's not the profile of a 43rd pick. That's my big problem there. Easy Udo. I like him. I didn't really have a huge problem with that pick.

Honestly. Cordell Flott. I thought Flot, that's too early for a player who is as raw as he is. To me, he's like a fifth rounder that you try to develop. Bellinger, I'm okay with Bellinger in the fourth. Belton, I thought that was a little early for me for Belton. Micah McFadden. I felt based on the linebackers that went,

I thought that was early for Micah McFadden, DJ Davidson. And once again, these are all personal opinions based on how I graded them. I just felt like they got a bunch of backups. And I just, I don't see as much high upside for some of these guys. I wanted to see a little more upside for some of the picks. They had a lot of picks. I just didn't think they came away with the quantity of picks they had. I would have rather they packaged a couple of those picks.

you know, the Belton pick and McFadden pick, package those two, the fourth and fifth, and get up into the back end of the third and get somebody of consequence in the third. So I just didn't love the way they operated their draft, honestly. I'm finding a hard time disagreeing with what you said. I had similar grades on Flot. I am a big Michael McFadden fan, so I was good with that one. The best blitzing linebacker in this draft, arguably. said much better than I expected.

But I, yeah, I find myself agreeing very much with what you said. All right. I think that's going to do it for us. I mean, any parting shots on this class? Anything else you wanted to add? I mean, I actually, I posted this 20, 23 mock today. So I, you know, I'm ready to turn the page. Okay.

So do you like doing those mocks, the future mocks? Or is that something you just get assigned? It's stupid. Yes. Okay. Okay. So good. That was about to be super.

super, super uncomfortable based on what I'm going to say. I spent weeks working on this and I will be right. So luckily I don't have to do it because the NFL will not comment on underclassmen. So I'll never have to do that one. But Jim Nagy, I think, had a really interesting tweet yesterday. He said, you wonder sometimes if a guy like Sam Howell is hurt by some of these way too early mock drafts that come out right after the mock because agents look at some of these and they say, okay, who are some guys that we need to start recruiting right away?

Now I got news for you. You're also late to the game sometime if you're just starting based on a mock draft list because these guys are doing work way earlier than that. But his point was some of these way too early mocks do they start creating narratives for players because we know who the way too early's had last year. It was like Spencer Rattler, Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell, Brock Purdy. like Purdy was mystery relevant. Spencer Rattler's not even with the team

and Sam Howe went in the fifth. So Jim's point was these way too early mock drafts, do they end up putting, do they give players a false impression of who they are before they even start, you know, that next season and maybe get them on the road to coming out when maybe they shouldn't come out.

We know that it's never going to stop. I mean, it's content that people like to read so it's not going to stop. Do you think there's anything to what Jim had to say? Jim Nagy's Senior Bowl Director. Yeah, I mean, yes and no. I mean, Jim's a good friend, you know, to both of us. I mean, my only disagreement would be like, I mean, I'm getting these names straight from teams.

Like, I've done very little work on next year's class. And so the names that are included in my mock draft are straight from discussions I've had with teams. So at this time last year, and I'm thinking, oh, you know, Sam, How should I put them top five? And like, I mean, teams are telling me, yeah, I don't think that's like crazy. Like they all, you know, that could happen. Like, so it's not like, you know, I mean, I obviously there are other mock drafts out there way too early mock drafts that are more just kind of throwing stuff at the wall,

see what sticks. But I know for me personally, my mock draft that I do, my way too early. And I even say this in the, in my intro, I literally say this is silly. Do not take this as I'm trying to be accurate. This is a 32-person, 32 prospect watch list. It's just packaged as a muck draft. But take this as a 32-player guys to watch next fall. And all-I like it.

All 32 of these names, I'm getting straight from teams. Like, I mean, obviously, I watched a lot of C.J. Stroud. You know, studying Chris Oliva, Garrett Wilson. And, I mean, I'm a big fan of C.J. Stroud. And some of these other quarterbacks, I've seen enough of Bryce Young. I've seen a lot of, you know, Jalen Carter from Georgia. So it's not like all these guys are. foreign than me. But a lot of these names, especially in the back half of my round one mock,

I'm getting from teams that they liked or they have, you know, high hopes for, optimism for. So I think it is, you know, what Jim said is, there's truth to it. You know, that's how narratives get formed. But at the same time, you know, I don't think it's, blame shouldn't be placed on those of us in the media that are just talking about players, you know, if, Yeah, you know, if people take it and run with it and maybe, you know, that's, I don't think, I don't think we deserve to blame for that. I'll put it that way. No, and I don't think Jim was blaming. He just kind of was wondering out loud if any players and agents kind of get pushed in a direction that maybe they shouldn't be going in based on the way too early mock.

He was just kind of thinking out loud. Yeah. I just wanted to bring it up, see what you thought, because I'm glad I don't have to do it. Oh, sure. And I know that's not your choice either to have to do it. We don't like giving draft grades. I have to do a draft grade show. It's a test that's never been taken.

So why are you grading the test that hasn't been taken, you know? And it's based on our personal opinions. And we don't have background information that NFL teams have. So we're operating with less information than they have just with our opinions. So it's all interesting fodder in conversation. And I enjoy doing it. That's why we have this podcast. But it's been a pleasure doing a podcast.

with you again, my man. It's always being able to check in with people who see it kind of the same way, like approach it the same way I do. Right. And we always have, I mean, my gosh, I'll never forget sitting here saying I had Trayvon Walker is like a second or third round guy because he couldn't rush and he ends up being the first pick of the draft. I did come around a little bit on, number one, I thought he was an elite edge setter and run defender. And that needs to count for more when it comes to. But then when he tested and I saw him, him bend at the senior ball. I mean, at the combine, and I was like, okay, I don't see this on tape. So maybe there's something here to him being able to line up outside. I never got any higher.

I mean, I still have him 14, 15. That's as high as I could go with them. But always good to have the disagreements and be able to get fresh perspective on players. It helps me a lot in my process. So I certainly enjoy doing it with you. Yeah. And back in January, I took heat for him being my number six player. And I didn't really even give him that much of a bump after the combine. I moved him up to number five. You know, because what he's showed at the combine,

to me, I kind of saw those traits a little bit on the film that got me excited. You saw projectable, yeah. Yeah, exactly, because, I mean, guys that size shouldn't be able to move like he did.

And so, but yeah, it's been a lot of fun doing this podcast because if you and I are going to talk regardless about players, you might as well hit record, right? Yeah, that's a great way to look at it.

Yeah, share the insight with the people. So, um, outstanding job, as always, by Lance this year on NFL.com. Make sure you're checking out. Um, his work, both TV and on the website as, uh, we kind of wind down, uh, my stuff on the athletic. My one through 32 favorite draft classes, my 20, 23 mock draft is up. Um, I know we'll have a few more things draft related before we take a little bit of a break. But, uh, I just want to say thank you to all, uh, to all the listeners as well.

Uh, you know, the, our listenership has been. been up big time from last year. And so it's continuing to grow. And that's awesome. We'll keep doing it. So this is not the last you'll hear from us. But I think we can put kind of a pin in this 2022 draft cycle. So for Lance Airline, I'm Duhlurel.

Thank you. And we'll talk to you down the road. This was the Athletic Football Show.