The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - How the moves made in free agency this year affected the draft, with Dane Brugler

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

The effects of free agency are felt long before teams take the field in September. Hopes are up in certain fanbases. Not so much in others. Teams are making plans that they couldn't consider a few weeks ago because of this player or that one. And, of course, teams can now plunge headlong into the draft knowing exactly what their needs are. So how did free agency affect the draft? Dane Brugler joins Robert Mays to dive into that question on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.Host: Robert MaysCo-Host: Derrik KlassenExecutive Producer: Michael BellerProducer: Michael BellerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeFollow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.socialFollow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.socialFollow Robert on X: @robertmaysFollow Derrik on X: @QBKlassFollow Dane on X: @dpbruglerTheme song: HauntedWritten by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love SongsCourtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Athletic Football Show. I'm Robert Mays. Free agency isn't over, but the big names are off the board in free agency. And this is the time of year where we usually turn the page and start to shift our gaze to the NFL draft. And that's exactly what we are doing today with our guy, Dane Brugler. After a free agency, now that the dust is settled, we know which teams have added at certain positions. We know which glaring needs have been filled with free agent dollars. I wanted to talk to Dane just about how. last week and how the moves last week potentially alter the way that he's looking at certain teams in the draft. Has it had that much of an impact? Has it not really changed what teams should be looking for in the first round? So we talked about, I don't know, 10 to 12 teams on this show and what free agency told us about their potential draft plans and which routes still remain after some of the holes that were filled in free agency. So let's get to that conversation with Dane right now. All right. We are in the back. of free agency. The first big wave of free agency is over about this time every year.

Right around St. Patrick's Day, just past St. Patrick's Day is when I start to turn like the eye of Saur onto the draft. And this is that moment. We are now getting into draft time. We're going to try to bridge the gap here between draft and free agency. Talk about how free agency has influenced if it has what the draft may look like at the end of April. So officially kicking off our draft coverage here on the athletic football show. There's only one person than we can have on to do this and to help usher in the next month of what this is going to feel like. And that is our own draft expert here at the athletic, Dan Bruegler.

Dan, how you doing, man? You are knee-deep in beast prep right now. I know that. That's it. We're the final few weeks. And it's, it's, these are, these last few weeks are easily the most stressful because it's all about getting, all the ducks in a row, going back to things that I, you know, maybe skipped.

Because, you know, when you're doing a report in January, it's like, okay, it's 95% done. I'll skip the 5% go to the next guy. So now it's going back, filling in all those gaps. A lot of last minute phone calls. I just got off the phone with Matthew Golden, going over some background stuff, talking about route concepts, Quinn Ewers, that kind of thing. So it's a lot of confirming. You know, I love the draft nuggets, all the information.

So love confirming those. And just, you know, all the stories. It's kind of, that's a part of this. So there's actually, I just talked to a defensive tackle who I didn't, I didn't realize this. He was a walk-on at Juko, and he's going to get drafted. And so, you know, you've got walk-on kids, you've got Juko kids. You rarely have the walk-on Juko kid. And so it's, you know, fun stories like that.

And then, yeah, the pro-day data, it's just, you know, it's just as important to me to have Ashen Gente's pro-day data as it is, you know, the 30. second defense event, all the NFL verified stuff. So yeah, that's what the focus is these last two weeks before the beast is ready to come out here pretty soon. Almost feels like the 12th safeties pro day data might be more important than Ash and Jentee's pro day data as it for your purposes specifically. Especially, yeah, the non-combine guys. And, you know, I can go on Twitter and tell you what scouts tell me. And then my mentions are flooded with the, oh, but I heard.

this and this and look it's pro day data is uh if the 40 yard dash times can be you're going to hear a lot of different things i'm just going to give you what nfl teams have and if you want to believe something else go for it but uh that's uh what we have to deal with right now with just the way the pro days are set up we'll dig into this class specifically a lot over the next i guess five six weeks you know it's really only the only the only time we have it's really gotten that short until we get to the draft i mean obviously the offseason feels truncated just because of the wear of the the combine is now, et cetera, but we got a lot of draft conversations, the prospect specifically to get to here before the end of April.

Today we're going to do a little bit one foot in one world and one foot in the other. Talk about how free agency has potentially impacted the way that we're looking at the first round of the draft, but also just the draft overall. And I want to just start at the top and want to ask you, is anything that happened over the last week or so, whether it was the moves they made or even some of the moves they didn't, that is leading you to believe that Cam Ward is probably headed to the Tennessee Titans with the first overall pick. Yeah, and I think that when you do look at what they did with Dan Moore, bringing the amount of money they gave to Dan Moore to, they hope, stabilize the offensive line,

not being in the sweepsticks for Sam Darnold, not really kicking the tires on at least the way it seems, and what we've heard, is not really being in on any of these other quarterbacks. You know, that points to going quarterback number one. But like, my stance on the number one overall pick really hasn't changed since we talked about this in January. It's, okay, Cam Ward is the clear favorite to go number one. It's the bigger question, who's drafting number one? And I'll say this with the Titans. And I know it feels more and more like they're going to draft a quarterback at number one.

but that's exactly what they should be doing. You and I talked about this, the moment the Titans got the number one overall pick, regardless of what they intend to do, all the vibes that you give off should be that you're taking a quarterback. And like I said, it feels more and more like the Titans will take Cam Ward number one, but that's exactly what they should be doing. And, you know, I think look at the depth chart right now, it's Will Levis sitting alone at the top,

not ideal for what you want to go into the season with. So there's basically two ways. The Titans, they can go two ways with that number one pick. Either you believe in Cam Ward enough to go all in, make him the future of the franchise, or option two is you trade back, you add multiple day two picks, and you draft Tyler Shuck or Quinn Uers or whoever that option two might be to add someone else to the depth chart. And you know what? It could be that day two quarterback could end up being something, but it's not someone that's going to stop you from drafting a quarterback,

top five next year or whenever when there is a quarterback that you fall in love with. So right now Tennessee has pick 35 and then not again until 103. Almost 70 picks where you have to sit on your hands and just especially in this is draft where I think day two it is flush with potential NFL starter. So again, with the Titans, it feels like they're definitely going to draft a quarterback. It's just a matter of do they love Cam Ward enough or are they looking at the other side of this. And it's kind of like you look at this, you know, the Seahawks, what they did with,

with Gino, like they saw, yeah, you know, we could stick with Gino or we could trade him at a draft pick and then, you know, kind of change it up and see what Sam Donald can give us. Like quarterback, sometimes teams want to change quarterbacks and, you know, kind of bring in something different that maybe not just to shake things up, but it might just change the way you look at the offense. And Cam Ward could be that guy. or they might look at this and say let's build up the roster, let's add day two draft picks,

and we'll take our chances with a secondary quarterback who is not going to stop us from drafting a top pick a quarterback next year, the year after that. And so I think that's a long way of saying that they're going to draft a quarterback. It's just, you know, I think all signs point the cam word, but I'm not completely sold just yet. There are a few things I would say here, if I were the Titans and weighing between taking a quarterback at one or taking a quarterback a little bit later in the draft. I've talked about the virtues of the Davis Mills path, if you want to take the Davis Mills path. That's easy when you exist in total anonymity and the results don't matter.

And that's kind of where the Texans were for two straight years. I don't think the Titans are there for two reasons. One, this coaching staff needs to win some football games. And I think they're aware of that. They won three games last season. And that is probably going to be at least a little bit of a driver of some urgency here. Two, I do think this team wants to create some excitement around the franchise. They want a new stadium.

I think there are a lot of incentives here to not just punt on this season overall. So I do think that's why going with a quarterback at one versus we'll see what we can get in the middle of the second round after we trade back feels more likely to me. And then if you look at the breadcrumbs with the moves they've made and they haven't made, the old line moves point to we're dropping a quarterback into this situation. The Dan Moore thing, but also it's the Kevin Zitler thing to me. Like where you are as a franchise, signing a 35-year-old stopgap right guard to me points to urgency about having a hospitable environment for the quarterback you're going to draft over one overall. But even if we don't want to pay attention to those things and you say, ah, they needed an offensive line anyway. If Cam Ward is not going to be the quarterback, who is going to be the quarterback in week one? The veteran stopgap quarterback market is bleak, man.

I mean, we got James Winston coming in for visits right now. If you're the Titans, you don't want to be living that life. I could understand them trying to adapt a model similar to what the chiefs did early on with Andy Reid when Borganzi was there, where they traded for Alex Smith. And then they use that as a, we're going to be consistently competitive. In my mind, whatever you think of him, the archetype there would have been Darnold. When you move on from that and you're not even in the mix for some of these other veterans, that says to me, we have no other place to turn. And I think if you're a team like the Browns at two, the Giants at three, we'll talk about that. If you want to swing on Chador Sanders or some of these other quarterbacks in the top five,

based on everything I've heard, the coaches I've talked to, that's not that appealing of a plan. People like Cam Ward. I don't think it would be seen as like a stretch or a reach to take Cam Ward with the first overall pick. And if you're Tennessee, it's easy to say, yeah, we'll find a quarterback next year in the top five. Well, who the hell knows? Maybe you stumble into one too many wins. Maybe there aren't as many quarterbacks coming out as we thought. I mean, there's so many different factors that you can't control.

In this moment, you can control it. You can draft Cam Ward with the first overall pick instead of saying, do we have to kick the tires on James Winston right now, which to me feels like a slightly cleaner place to land. And I don't disagree with anything that you said. And that's why I think, you know, if he is the favorite, if I had to do a mock draft right now, it would be Titans picking up one drafting Cam Ward.

I think, you know, that all of that lines up. It makes sense. I there are a lot of people in the league that don't or think that he needs to sit that's the other part of this is are they convinced that he's going to come in and compete for the job right away you know like that's a lot of people want to let him sit and learn and come and develop at his own pace and you know there's different ways you know obviously with where Mike came from with the chiefs that's what they did with with Patrick Mahomes letting him sit at and first year. And ideally, I think that's what they'd like to do with Cam Ward. But are you going to let Will Levis start for the full year? And then if you do, then, okay, are you married to a married or love him enough, Cam Ward enough that you were drafting up number one. And, you know, that that's what all comes down to. I don't like, I understand the need for excitement and all, yeah, like, I get that. That shouldn't be why you draft a quarterback, right? I mean, if you love him, you pick them. If you don't,

then I just don't think you do it. I think you, you know, and I, I, and I, you know, and I, get it. There's not plan B, C, and D are not ideal. And especially, you know, there's not a like Caleb Williams or Drake May next year. or, you know, like, even like, you know, Manning is he's yet to start yet. We don't know what Archie Manning is. Like the next year's quarterback class is not some amazing group that we're talking about already. There's a lot of unknowns. And so 100% agree with that. I just think, yeah, it comes down to do you, do you love Cam Ward?

And do you think that, you know, he can make an immediate impact as a rookie, then I think all of that lines up. And I do think, again, based on the conversations I've had, and we'll talk about the quarterbacks here, very soon, maybe as soon as next week, about this quarterback group and what they look like after studying them a little bit. But based on the conversations I've had, I do think that there is a significant gap between what Ward is as a prospect and how the league views him and how they view Shador Sanders and why that points to Cam Ward being a worthwhile number one pick, even if some of the other quarterbacks might be a little bit of a stretch. And we've been talking about that, you know, for a while now, how there's just, this is not, this is more, this is closer

to the Kenny Pickett year than than last year in terms of the quarterbacks and the first round. Cam Ward's going to go early and then it's it becomes a big wild card when we're going to see that next quarterback. It could be at number two. It could be at number three. It might not be. But I mean, I guess that brings us the Giants and the Browns. So where do we think the Browns go now if Cam Ward goes number one overall? Because I don't, they clearly need a quarterback answer. And I think a young quarterback would be the off ramp that they're looking for from the Deshaun Watson thing. I'm not sure they believe that strongly enough to just take whatever other quarterback is there or two if Cam Ward goes number one. That would surprise me.

Yeah. And obviously it's a much different setup in the front office than with the Titans. You know, this Andrew Barry, I don't think is in a position where like he's been there for a while. I mean, there's there's obviously heat on him to build this thing and back into where they're competing for the playoffs. but I don't know that he necessarily feels like he's pressured to take a quarterback. Now, again, we have to remember that ownership, they put their thumb on the scale when it comes to drafting quarterbacks. And Jimmy Haslam has done it before. And I wouldn't be surprised if he comes into this conversation and is like, hey, find a quarterback.

You know, I don't, we're not, Russell Wilson, no, find a quarterback in this draft. Go invest in a young guy. And if they look at their options and say, all right, well, I guess that's Chador it too. Like, it's, you know, not the best process to be working with, but that might be the reality for where, and really, a lot of what I just said, you could copy and paste with the Giants. And, you know, they're looking at their options at three. They obviously need a quarterback.

And by the way, Russell Wilson has been the mix for both these teams. Like, it's a tough place to be when you don't love your options. It's kind of just doing what is best available. and that's a tough place to live when you're talking about the quarterback position. I'll present you a hypothetical with the Browns, and I think your answer to this might be telling. I'll give you two options. Would you rather have Shador Sanders at two and whichever defensive lineman is available at 35, or Abdul Carter at two, and whichever quarterback is available at 35?

Yeah, plan B, easy. I mean, that's like, Shador Sanders is a fine quarterback. I just, he's not a guy that's elevating my offense. He's not a guy that is, and we're talking about the number two overall pick. If I can get Chador Sanders with the 25th pick, I feel good about that. If I take up number two and I'm passing on Travis Hunter, I'm passing on Abdul Carter, I'm passing on the top non-quarterback in this draft, that is a tough pill to swallow. And I just, that's not for me.

Now, that's my opinion. The Browns could feel differently. I, you know, we, I do know how a lot of teams feel by Chador, and it's not, they wouldn't draft them top five, but it doesn't really matter. All it matters is how do the Browns feel about them? How do the Giants feel about them? And more specifically, how do the ownership feel about them? Do they give stamp of approval?

This is what we want to do. This is the direction we want to go in. And I still don't think we have any clear or any clarification there where we feel better or worse about Chador going two or three to either one of those teams. I think the Browns are hoping they can spend modest amounts on quarterbacks from three different pools. come out in the end with a workable plan and a workable starter. You trade for Kenny Pickett because Kenny Pickett's free, right?

That's why they traded for Kenny Pickett. It's free. If you look at Kenny Pickett's history, you can tell yourself a story about why he might be better with you than he was with Matt Canada. That's fair. And it costs you nothing to go get him. Russell Wilson, if he costs $8 million, at least that's a guy who has started in the league, at the very least, he gives you a floor.

It's a lower floor than you want, but he gives you a floor. And then if you take a guy in the second or third round, you get into camp, throw those three guys in the mix, and ideally, if you're the Browns, the rookie is the best player among those three. That would be the best case scenario, I think, for Cleveland, and you take an elite player at two. The Giants, I think, is a slightly different conversation because I think that there's a little bit more urgency with that group to make sure they have a sellable plan at that position. And if it's not Aaron Rogers, do they maybe have a little bit more urgency to try to find a quarterback earlier in the draft? because they need a plan there based on where this regime is. I think there's a distinction between the Browns and the Giants in this exercise. No doubt.

And just back with the Browns real quick, I'm interested what they told. Like the Miles Garrett signing, is that strictly about money? Was that strictly just here? Here's as much money as we can give you. Or did they sell him on, hey, look, this is what we plan to do a quarterback. This is what we plan to do. What could the sell be, though? What could the sell realistically be?

I don't know what it could realistically be. I think $40 million a year is to sell. That's how I see it. 100%. But don't you think, like Miles Garrett, don't you think he wants to be, he asked those questions? Don't you think he said like,

okay, what direction, where are we headed? Like, are we doing a rebuild? Are we doing it? Like, what's our quarter?

I bet you he asked those questions. And I'm fascinated what type of answers he was given about, okay, you know, we're going to draft someone young. We're going to draft someone at number two. Or we're going to try and go this direction with it. You know,

obviously that's, it's not necessarily. that like he's all jacked up about those, uh, that direction. But I mean, 100% the money is why he signed. But I'm just interested in what they sold him or what they informed him that they were looking to do. Uh, but I agree. The giants that they are drafting a quarterback. It's just a matter of how they go about doing it. They have to. And so there's, even if they do sign, whether it's Rogers or Russell Wilson, whatever, like it just, it still feels like they're going to draft a quarterback, it just might not be at third overall. So let me ask you,

what do you think is a timeline here with these last few, with Aaron Rogers, with Russell Wilson, with these last few veteran guys that could potentially be starting for the Giants? What are we looking at sometime before the draft, sometime the next week? What do you think is a timeline for when they might make a decision? I don't think anybody knows with the Rogers thing. I think everyone just kind of sitting and waiting and seeing. So I think Rogers would be the domino that falls because I think that there's still multiple teams that want him first and if they don't get him, what does

that mean for that team? So let's say the giant swing and miss on Rogers. Then it feels to me like, man, if you don't want to go the Russell Wilson route or the James Winston route, are you more inclined to try to take a swing early on a quarterback? If you're the Steelers, then what happens? And if you don't get Aaron Rogers at the end of this,

you've already done the Russell Wilson thing. And that's the funniest part about this, is that Each team has guys that they don't care about because they are too close to it. The Steelers, it's like, I don't really want Russell Wilson anymore. The Browns, it's like, I don't know, you guys can live the James Winston life. I don't want to do that anymore. So the teams that already had these guys being able to cross that guy off of the very short list of veteran quarterbacks available has also been a fun wrench that's been thrown into this thing.

Yeah. And I think you're right, though. Rogers is that first, that domino. And that really will change how the draft plays out, which, I mean, it feels weird to say because, I mean, Aaron Rogers, with where he is in his career, really shouldn't stop you from drafting or not drafting a quarterback early in the drafts. Because, again, either you love the quarterback or you don't. If you do, then you should still be the pick. But, yeah, it feels like more so than past years, the veteran quarterback signings, a month. month before the draft are going to directly influence how these quarterbacks come off the board.

The last team quarterback wise, I think is interesting. It's just what Pittsburgh does. They still obviously need a quarterback. And if they miss out on Rogers, like, is there a chance they take one at 20 or wherever they're picking? Is that the best option for them? They no longer have a second round pick. Do they just punt on the position overall and run it back with Russ? Like, they're a team that has even fewer avenues to go get the guy that they want because of where they're picking and the fact that they don't have as many picks. So they're the team that if they get left with what left without a dance partner here at the end of the Rogers saga, it seems like they have fewer alternatives than a team like the Giants does or even the Browns. No doubt. And yeah, what are you, you waiting on

try to figure out something with Kirk Cousins? Like what do you, I don't know I'm not sure what you're doing. If you're, if you're the Steelers, you're running out of options. And you know, they did this with Kenny Pickett where they, it wasn't a great quarterback class. They stayed, like usually in the first round, you were trading up, unless you're picking one, two, or three, you are trading up for your quarterback because you're not going to just sit back and hope he falls to you. They waited, sit, they sat for Kenny Pickett. He landed in their laps. We know how that turned out. Are they going to do that again at 21 this year with the Jackson Dart from, from Ole Miss or would they look to trade up if Shador falls a little bit? I mean, it feels like that makes more sense.

than just kind of punting on the position. But yeah, like you said, they don't have a second round pick anymore with the DK Metcalf trade. And again, another signing where, obviously here, here's all this money. I will sign on the dotted line. But I'm sure he at least asked, hey, who's going to be the quarterback? Who's going to be throwing me the ball this year? And so what did they tell him about how they see this all playing out?

Yeah, it's fascinating because I don't, there's not a clear path for any of these three teams. We're going to see how the Rogers Domino falls. that will lead to, okay, then when is Russell Wilson end up? And then that will help us help at least maybe inform, okay, how are these quarterbacks going off the board? If I had to guess right now, maybe this is just how I wanted to go because I find it most compelling.

Rogers going to Pittsburgh, Russell Wilson going to the Giants, and then the Browns rolling with whoever they end up getting at 35 that's there that they like. That to me is like the most compelling version of it, I think. Just because I think Rogers and Pittsburgh makes for good theater. I don't need to see him on that Giants team at Brian Daibel. I think I'd rather see him with that Pittsburgh team because, I don't know, it feels more combustible in a way. Just because the Steelers fans probably have higher hopes for what this season can be because they've consistently been a playoff team. The Giants almost feels like the Jets where the fan base is going to immediately welcome him with open arms just because they've been so starved for any sort of success.

The Steelers, I think, if that starts going poorly early in the season, I feel like they could turn on him faster. So that that timeline is at least mildly entertaining to me. And it could go well. Let's say he makes it work. It's very possible. Absolutely. And then that becomes interesting. Okay, where does Shador go if that, if it plays out like that.

You know, he could go to it's possible to the Browns. And if he doesn't go to, then it gets really interesting about, okay, is at what point does a team look at it and say, hey, he's falling a little bit too far. Let's go get him. nothing would surprise me with Shudor Sanders. When we're all together doing the show live Thursday night, Shudor Sanders, nothing would surprise me about where he ends up on that Thursday night. As to get out of the top five,

I want to talk to you about a couple of teams that you had mentioned, that you had your eye on after the way that free agency has gone. The first one of those teams is the Dallas Cowboys. Why do you have the Cowboys circled after the first wave of free agency here in terms of what they could do in the first round? It's so critical that they hit on this, pick. Just with the way the roster is structured and the money they have allocated, they have to be

able to hit on these early picks. And look, to their credit, the Cowboys have been one of the best drafting teams in the top 25 the last 15 or so years. I mean, you look at it, they have found some really, you know, impact players. Michael Parsons, C.D. Lamb, Zach Martin, Des Bryant, Tyron Smith. I mean, when they're picking in the top 25, they don't miss. You know, the Taco Charlton's, the, you know, those guys have been outside the top 25. So in top 25, they don't miss.

And at pick number 12, this is something they need to hit on. You look at what they did in free agency. Basically, what, bargain shopping at some of those need positions. You bring in at Giovante Williams. Miles Sanders. I don't even know if he'll, he might not even be on the opening day, the season opening day roster. Who knows? Kair Elam at Corner.

players that are not going to stop them from addressing any of those positions at 12. So for Dallas, I'm looking at that and saying, okay, Ash and Gentie, Will Johnson, the corner from Michigan, and then the best edge rusher on their board or the best receiver on their board, whoever that may be. One of those four directions, it feels like that's a direction they're going to go. I feel like receiver, as I look at the depth chart, is probably the most pressing need right away, depending on what you think about Trayvon Diggs's health. So he had another knee surgery. I think it was in January.

If you think this is a scenario he misses half the season and his future period is in doubt, then I feel like corner becomes slightly more pressing. But as you currently look at the players on the roster period, independent of health, another receiving option to me feels like the most pressing need on the entire roster. I mean, they have nothing. They got Jalen Tolbert as their other kind of outside vertical receiving option.

They traded for Mingo. Yeah, they traded for Mingo, right? And like, it's funny that I'm not even like considering that as an option. I'm just kind of like, ah, it's that, whatever. That pick is lost. I just feel like trying to find somebody else there, whether it is a Tett McMillan or somebody with that skill set. Like, I do think that would be helpful within the structure of their offense.

Like, that skill set combined with what CEDE is, I just feel like some sort of vertical receiving presence is necessary for it all to come together. I actually like a lot of the stuff they've done it for agency. Like the little moves that they've made to go get Dante Fowler back. Now you've got some edge depth again. You know, they signed Robert Jones from the Dolphins, who I think was a little bit miscast in that offense as a bigger body. Now you have some guard depth back there.

I do think that they've been smart at how they've shored up some of these positions, but I think they need another body on the interior of the defensive line, potentially another corner. And then the spot that to me feels the most glaring is still some sort of vertical receiving option. Right. And I think they'll have options there at 12, that they want to go with that receiver. whether there might be in all the receiving options could be on the board and we may not see the first receiver drafted until number 12 you know and so whether that's is it TMAC is it Matthew golden is it at Buka from Ohio State. I mean I think you can see how any of those three would fit into what they want to be on offense and it's going to help CD. It's obviously going to help DAC. They're going to draft a running back at some point either if they don't take Ashty Genti or I mean throw up.

Marion Hampton, the North Carolina running back, he's included there at number 12. If they don't draft a running back at 12, round two or round three, they're going to draft a running back. And so it's a matter of, you know, which in that first round with that picked 12 overall, the best player available for them, yeah, I think it's one of those four positions that I wouldn't be surprised at all if it's a receiver. How many second round running backs do you have in terms of how you have guys graded? Because I know Hampton is, there's some steam about him, potentially going late in the first round now and, you know, maybe, being an alternative to Gentie if you want to wait a little bit longer.

When you get into picks like 35 through 60, how many running backs could you reason to the BC going in that range? Three or four. I think let's say Gentie and Hampton go in the first round. Then I mean, Caleb Johnson from Iowa, if you run any type of outside zone, he's going to be a perfect fit for you. The two Ohio State players, Trayvion Henderson, Quinton Judkins, your favorite player in the draft.

And then, you know, you could talk. Some teams have Dylan Samson in that mix, the Tennessee running back, other teams, you know, teams, it's not as cut and dry, but once you get to the third round, then it really opens up. And it's just kind of pick your, pick your flavor, what type of running back you want. There's a lot of different guys, third round, even in the fourth round. So it's a lot of different options this year. Let's stick in Texas here with another team that had an interesting couple weeks to say the list. Houston Texans trade Laramie Tunsell.

and it probably changed what their offseason plans potentially look like. As you looked at the Tunsel trade and then where the Texans are picking, has it been easy for you as you've thought about your next mock to just kind of throw the best tackle prospect on there and call it a day? Or are there some more layers to it as you think about Houston's immediate future here? I mean, there's definitely layers, right? I mean, because they don't have a, hey, this is the obvious answer at left tackle. But, I mean, they drafted Blake Fisher in that second round last year.

and, you know, they, he was a young player coming out. It was always assumed that it was going to take some time with him. But, you know, he's a player that they think of highly. And when you stack him with the tackles in this draft, I wouldn't be surprised at all. If he, he's top five for the Texans on their board, if you include him in this, in this draft class. So I'm not, I don't think it's completely, you know, obvious that, hey, they're going to draft. to tackle there. I think they have plenty of needs on this roster, whether that's adding on the receiver or fixing the interior of the offensive line. There's so many different ways they could

attack with this pick. It's just tackle becomes much more of a possibility there, but I wouldn't say that it's necessarily the definitive way they should go. It seems right now like there's an outcome where they play Blake Fisher at right tackle or left tackle. They play Titus Howard at right tackle and the interior is where they need bodies. Obviously, they traded for at Ingram. they sign Lincoln Tomlinson, you got to do something else. You got to do something else to compel me here. If you want to add those guys as depth or camp bodies or competition, whatever, however you want to frame it, that's fine. Somewhere along the way, you're going to need to add to the offensive line if you're going to play those two guys at tackle.

Whether that happens in the back half of the first round, whether that happens in the back half of the second round, I don't know. But if it is interior, maybe there's an argument that you could potentially wait a little bit. But my understanding is we get a little bit deeper into the draft, some of the interior prospects maybe aren't quite as strong. There's not that deep of a group there this year compared to some other seasons. Is that right? I think it's a pretty good guard class. Okay, okay.

But centers, then, no doubt. Guard, I think is average to slightly above. Okay, that's maybe I was thinking about the center group after Zs. Yeah, definitely center. People weren't loving that. Okay, compared to last year. Guards, you do think there might be available. Yeah, and Gray's Zabel will be a possibility there.

on the board at 25 for Houston. And I think we need to remember, too, with Blake Fisher, he actually, like, he was the big tackle signing for Notre Dame three years ago, or four years ago now. Like, he was the guy. He actually, he started the 2021. Yeah, his true freshman year, 2021. He started the season opener at left tackle.

Not Joe Walt. It was Blake Fisher. And then Fisher hurt his knee. And that allowed Alt to, who was not as high of a recruit, step in. And we know how that played out. Fisher came back the next year, started the last two Cs, or his sophomore junior year is a right tackle. So it's not a situation like, well, he has to play right tackle. He was going to be the guy at left tackle for Notre Dame.

So that is certainly a direction we could see them going. And then, yeah, if we look at guard different ways, they can go fix the guard position. Tate Ratledge from Georgia is a second round guard. Miles Frazier from LSU is a third round guard. there will be options if they want to go best player available, whether say a receiver, Matthew Golden, at Buka in the first round, and then wait till day two to really address the interior of the offensive line.

I'll be curious to see how they think about receiver and how they think about how much urgency they have at receiver because they went out, they trade for Christian Kirk. Christian Kirk is on the last year of his deal, I believe. So he'll be a free agent after the season. they went out and signed Justin Watson. So if you look at the way the receiving positions kind of shake out, you got Nico Collins is your big X.

You got Christian Kirk is a slot, but a vertical slot. And then you've got Justin Johnson as kind of like a vertical outside the numbers player. The skill sets actually do make sense. But I don't think the presence of either Kirk or Watson could dissuade you from taking a future answer at receiver in the first round, especially if you're a little bit worried about what Tank Dell's future looks like. So maybe they say, yeah, we want a receiving option in round one, and then we're going to go get a guard in round two.

We feel good about the defense. This is what we're rolling into the season with. I could see justifying that on paper if that were their approach. Yep, 100% agree. And that's when you're picking later in the first round, like it's, again, I think we fall into the trap, not we, but I think a lot of fans fall under the trap of, okay, what's their biggest need for 2025? All right, that's the direction we need to go.

Like this is a four or five year at minimum commitment that, that you have to plan out what your roster look like in 2026. You have to really think about planning forward. And when the Texans make their pick, I can promise you, yeah, Nick Casario is going to be making a pick not for 2025, but for the next four or five years. I want to bring that up because when we were going to do this exercise, you said something interesting to me as we were waiting into it. You're like, there isn't that many teams.

There aren't that many teams where what I think they'll do in the first round has dramatically changed based on what happened in free agency. So I think pointing that out to people where it's not necessarily affecting, one is not necessarily affecting the other quite as much as you might believe in a given season. I think it's easy to forget that because it's tempting to look at the holes left on the roster and say, where are we going to find that guy in the first round? Even the quarterbacks. Like, yeah, the Raiders went and got Gino, Seahawks went and got Sam Darnold. But you know what? Last year, the Falcons went and got Kurt Cousins and they still drafted a quarterback. So, you know, I don't, they, we could, the Raiders, the Seahawks for all we know,

could still be in the quarterback mix, especially with the way, the Darnold contract, I think after one year, they could move on, right? So like, you just, you never really know. People keep saying that. It'd be one year, 37 and a half million for Sam Darnold. I don't think they want to do that. The fact that they can do it is fine, but this idea of like, it's essentially a one year deal. You don't give a guy that kind of money hoping it's going to be a one-year deal. I just want to get out in front of that a little bit. 100%.

But a guy like Jackson Dart is someone that's going to need time. Like Jackson Dart is not ready to step in and be your starter in the NFL. And so if they really like Jackson Dart, throw a dart. Sure, exactly. I'm sure we're going to hear that multiple times here over the next month and a half. Yeah, my comedy chops have definitely started to a road as I've gotten a little bit older. I don't have kids, but I'm starting to wade into that territory.

We're going to take a quick break here and then we're going to come back with a few more teams we want to hit based on what they did in free agency last week. All right, let's talk about the New England Patriots because this is a team that has two, in my opinion. We just talked about how the most glaring needs aren't going to be what drives you in the draft,

but I think with this team, we might have to go that direction because of how glaring the needs are. So the Patriots do a lot of their spending in free agency on defense. Milton Williams, Carlton, Davis, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane. The offense, they go get Morgan Moses, as a stop gap, but there are still some big, big holes on that team, notably at left tackle

and any sort of receiving option. I know they drafted some young guys last year, but they did not produce, and I think there's still probably a need there. They were trying to get Chris Godwin. As you look at New England, do you think this is setting up for them to potentially draft a tackle at four because they almost have to based on the way that everything else is gone? Yeah, I mean, it's no disrespect to 34-year-old Morgan Moses, but it's just that's not enough. It's not enough. And, you know, they have to do something.

And you hate to be locked into who you're going to draft, you know, because that's how you end up with Jalen Polk way too early. But it kind of feels that way where I mean, let's let's not give them a pass on that. They could have had Madamacanke if they wanted him. Yeah, exactly. Well, okay. I've got maybe a Mokonki, Mayaculpa coming up here. Because if they, okay, you look at number four.

for Travis Hunter or offensive line, it feels like it's got to be one of those two. And, you know, because if we do seek two quarterbacks go, let's just say it's Cam Ward one of the Titans, say Shador Sanders, two, the Browns. I mean, I think the Giants would take Abdul Carter. And then you have Travis Hunter at four, and you're taking Travis Hunter. As much as they need offensive line, I just don't see how you're passing on Travis Hunter there. And so that's one of your half answers at receiver. And then so that you wait till, I mean, your tackle options. Do you think he could just capably play receiver?

If they took him, he could just play receiver. And that they just, because they have those two starting corners, you just say, yeah, you're a receiver based on the players that we have on the roster. That's viable to you. 100% I think it is. I think he's that different where it's, I think everything's on the table with him. Everything. You know, if you want, I think I've always said that I like him better at corner just

because of the circumstances of it's easier theoretically to, be a full-time corner and then you play 25 snaps on offense. Like it's easier to do that as opposed to the inverse. So, you know, but at the same time, there are plenty of teams that like him better at receiver. They think he's more electric. They want the ball in his hands, all of that. So, you know, I wouldn't rule that out. But let's say they go Will Campbell at four, who, you know, is, you know, we've had the

Will Campbell conversation and just how he's a little bit of an outlier with the side. specifically the length and specifically the wing span. Like his length, 32 and 5 eighths, arms not great, but the wingspan being right around 77, right over 77 is that's a big outlier. I mean, even like the guys that you see,

like, Roshan Slater, 33 inch arms, but he has over 80 inch wingspan. My comp for Will Campbell has been Bernard Raymond, who also has shorter arms, but his wingspans over 80 inches. So that, I think, is something that some teams care about more than others. But let's just say they go Will Campbell at 4.

I think at 38, a guy like Jalen Newell from Iowa State would be a really good target for them. He's 510, so not big, but he's very quarterback friendly. So we think about, you know, a guy like T-Mack, McMillan from Arizona being this big, rangy athlete and how that would help Drake May. Noel's just, he's a tough guy to cover. And I think he has really confident hands. I'm thinking back to Drake May's sophomore year at North Carolina when he had his best year and he had Josh Downs to throw to. He just destroyed ACCC defense destroying to Josh Downs.

Downs had almost 100 catches that year. So you add Noelle to that mix. You let Jalen Newell be the new Josh Downs, work inside outside. He's got some juice. To me, that could be the McCongy-Mayacolpa, where it's like, yeah, we passed on a guy that, yeah, he might be best in the slot, but he could also play some out. outside as well. He's just, he's a good player. Jalen Newell could maybe be the, all right, we're not going to make the same mistake twice. Yeah, we like him best in the slot, but he can also line up outside at times. Bottom line, he's a good player. He's going to help our young quarterback.

So it's interesting. The Patriots to me feel a little bit like the Chargers felt last year, where they have this top five pick. They need a receiver and an offensive lineman. Right. How do they end up sequencing them? And for the Chargers, even with Malik neighbors on the board, which is a very different vibe than what we're getting this year, they went with the offensive linemen first because in their minds, it was harder to find that caliber of offensive tackle than it was to find a tier two receiver. Those guys you can find later in the draft, and history would lead you to believe that.

So if that's the same way the Patriots are thinking about this and they think, all right, whether it's Membu or Campbell or whoever, it's going to be harder to find that caliber of player at that position at pick 34 than it is at pick four. We'd rather try to dig around and find a receiver at that spot. than try to find an offensive tackle. History would you lead you to believe that's true? Unfortunately, it has not been that long since the Patriots were burned

trying to find a receiver in the second round or just the entire organizational history period of trying to find a receiver in the second round. Right. And this is, like there's some good receivers in this draft, but it's not last year. It's not what we've seen the last few years. Even when, you know, the Jackson Smith and Jigba year, when we didn't have a receiver drafted in the first 19 picks,

They were still, you think about Jordan Addison, you think there were good receivers still available in that late first, early second. This year is just a little bit different. The depth isn't there. But I think they're picking early enough in the second round where one of the two Iowa State players receivers, you know, whether you go with the smaller guy, Jaila Noelle, you go with the bigger guy, Jaden Higgins. I think that's maybe their best way to go if they go offensive line at first. but yeah, this isn't a great receiver draft, no matter, regardless, you know, if they pick one in the first round or second round. What will happen with this remaining offensive linemen and the remaining offensive or left tackle options specifically will be worth watching? Because if you're the Patriots, Cam Robinson's still out there.

And Cam Robinson isn't a long-term solution for you probably. But if you sign Cam Robinson to a one-year stopgap deal, you at least have a floor at left tackle. I don't think that should prevent you from doing anything. but maybe it's less of a screaming week one need if they address it somewhere along the way. It's easy to say, the first wave of free agency is over. Most of the big players are gone,

so free agency is over. It's far from over. We still have several months before a training camp starts for these teams to potentially add at those positions. And I think there are some teams, you know, teams are rebuilding that have done this recently, and it's happened with different outcomes, and it's sent teams in different directions.

I think about the Bears and Washington and what they did with Braxton Jones and Brandon Coleman specifically, where they think, ah, we're early in this. We drafted an offensive tackle in our first draft or second draft. I can't remember when Braxton Jones went. I think it might have been polls his first draft. And you think, all right, we're probably a little bit far away from competing, which is funny to say about Washington now,

but I think last training camp, this is where they were. And you say, why would we sign Riley Reef or Donovan Smith when we could just see what we have in the fifth or third round pick because if that guy develops, it's such a huge value for us. And I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriots came to a similar conclusion where they're like, we're not going to be good anyway. You know, we might as well see if we can draft somebody a little bit later in the draft, find out what we have in them, don't cut off their development plan with a veteran

because we're two, three, four steps away from being relevant anyway. The danger in that is that you get Drake May killed. Exactly. Your rookie quarterback is. Yeah. That's potentially dangerous. But we have seen teams operate that way when they're a little bit further away from contention. So we'll see how the Patriots treat that position.

Speaking of the Chicago Bears, I'm curious about this because the Bears came into free agency with a bunch of needs. They came into free agency with probably three offensive line needs. They had multiple needs along the defensive line, interior and on the edge. Well, they've spent the GDP of a small nation in order to fill those needs. And now, as you look at the depth chart, there are not enough blue chip players on this team. for them to be really, really competitive. But there also aren't that many, like, glaring, glaring holes as you look at the depth chart right now.

So is this a team where what they did in free agency has kind of shifted what you think they might do with the 10th overall pick? Yeah, it certainly doesn't box them in. You know, we just got done talking about that with the Patriots and how we have a good idea of where they're going to be drafting or what position they're going to be drafting. With the bears, yeah, it's wide open. I still think that, you know, you look at office. offensive line and you're not done if you're the Bears.

You are not done with your offensive line. Joe Tooney, you love that addition, but at the same time, older guy, contract situation. Like, you know, when you plan for 2026 and 27, you know, it'd be nice to put an Armand Membu on your roster to provide depth from day one and then down the line you have a starter, whether that's a guard or tackle. You know, who knows what will happen with Braxton Jones moving forward? will he play well enough this year where he's going to put a hard decision on your desk about whether or not you try to bring him back to more of a long-term deal?

Darnall Wright. You need darnall Wright insurance. I think he's played well, but as he played up to a top 10 pick, not consistently. And so, you know, hopefully he takes another step in his third season this year. But so I think going offensive line, a guy like Armand Membue, who's young and has a lot of promise, that makes a ton of sense. Again, I think the trap that a lot of fans fall into is they think about 20, 25 and not the next four to five years. And let's be honest, how many times does, unless you're Jane Daniels, a rookie is not determining whether or not you make the playoffs or not.

It's just, you know, especially if you're drafting, you know, a guard or a tackle, it's just not going to be the difference in you winning or not. The other thing, other direction, if they don't go offensive line, I still look at defensive line. You look at, especially a guy like Shamar Stewart from Texas A&M, you look at Ryan Poles and his draft picks on the defensive line. They've been toolsy, ascending type of guys. You think of, you know, Geron Dexter, you think of Austin Booker. You know, Stewart's kind of in that mix where rare traits, best football's ahead of him, but it's going to take a little bit of patience for him to get there. And the moves they made in free agency, you can afford to be a little bit patient on a high upside,

has some bus potential, but high, high upside. And, you know, I think that's the, that's the method of drafting that I think Ryan Poles subscribes to more than maybe some other ways. So, and then should we have the action gentie conversation too? I mean, because when you do. So this is the other one to throw in there is that now I think people are going to look at this. It's the one area that's like, kind of like, they could use an upgrade there. I think it's running back.

I understand that thought if you look at the depth chart right now, but I'm still on board with you. I still think if you projected a year from now, and Braxton Jones is a free agent, and you always need more defensive line, you always need more pass rushers. So them getting a third pass rusher at 10, having that guy be a rotational piece this year,

you know, by year three, if you move on from Dio, and that guy becomes a star, you know, I think having that guy in the pipeline is worth it. and then offensive line, if you do have to move on from Braxton next year or you choose to, do you have a tackle in the pipeline that you can just throw in there? I still think when you're picking 10th overall and you're not lined up for multiple years at high impact positions, especially up front, I would rather take another swing at those high

impact positions up front. I still think running back, running backs are luxury picks, especially in the top 10. I don't think this roster is in this sort of position where they can afford luxury picks. because like I said, they need more blue chip talent. And I think that is what at 10, that's where you have to be hunting for that blue chip talent. Let me ask you this. If you could get Bijon Robinson for the 10th overall pick,

or you'd make a net trade? No. Interesting. I feel like you can find a running back a little bit later. I do. And this is something, you know, it's a longer conversation. But people are going to point to what happened with Sequin

and what happened with Derek. Henry and all of that stuff. Derek Henry is making less than the guy drafted 10th overall is going to end up making. And I think the idea that we're automatically going to be paying this guy like top 10 money at the position. And we've never even seen him play. So do we think Ashen Genti is going to be really good? Yeah, I can understand thinking Ashen Genti is going to be really good.

We thought Melvin Gordon was going to be really good too. Melvin Gordon was solid. He was a good NFL running back. He was capable. He was productive. But I don't think anybody ever looked at him. him and said, yeah, that's a guy that was worth the 10th overall pick. So I just feel like it's enough of a crapshoot when you've never seen the guy play

in the NFL where that logic of, well, if we drop Seekwon into this, like, how's it going to go? Ashton Jentzy is probably not Seekwon. And we have no idea if he is or not. And that's why I said Bejohn, because it's not just that we haven't seen him. It's more, it's also that the fact that the running back position is what it is, and especially in a draft like this where it's running back rich, you can get a plan B, plan C later on and feel just as,

not just as comfortable, but almost as comfortable with the running back you're getting later. It's just do you believe that a guy like Ashton Jentee could be that needle mover, you know, just a little bit different where he is, whether you're not, you think Bijan's that type or not, but a Sequin type, a guy that is a true needle mover.

There's not many running backs like that. You know, and so could the bears see him that way? I think it's possible, sure. But I, again, in this draft especially where it is just flush with running backs. I mean, there will be running backs that go undrafted that will have NFL careers in this draft. Because it's just, it's impossible for all the draftable running backs to get drafted in seven rounds. It's just not going to happen. And so with that type of just,

excess at running back. Yeah, that's hard to ignore when you have the conversations in the war room about whether or not you are going to draft or consider draft a national gentie. If you're the Raiders at 6, the bears at 10, the Cowboys at 12, you can't just completely ignore the options that you'll have later on. I think that's the best argument for it, is that finding that blue chip talent at a high value position, or not even high value, a position of scarcity at 10. And tackle and edge rusher are positions of scarcity where running back is not. And then you can find that guy. You have three picks in the top 40. Do you get that running back in the second round? The Jamir Gibbs thing is an interesting signal because obviously the Lions

took Jamir Gibbs at 12 when they needed more help at some of these positions. They still probably needed an edge rusher when they took Jamir Gibbs. But if you look at that 2023 draft, there were 40 picks between Jamir Gibbs at 12 and Zach Charbonnet going at 52. That's probably not going to happen in this draft. There are going to be guys that you can find in the top 50 picks that are probably better quality prospects than Zach Charbonnet and Kendra Miller and Tajay Spears who went in the third round of that draft after Gibbs. It's a bet. I mean, that's sometimes, you know, you make a bet and you hit. And that's what the Lions Day with Jamir Gibbs, who, with the way, where they were in their roster construction, it felt very rich. But the player was

worth it. And it's paying off in big ways now. And so, the bears with where they are and they're especially with Ben Johnson coming in, do they feel like Ashen Gentie is enough of a needle mover where he is worth that pick? And you know what? We'll make that bet on this guy every single time. It's certainly part of the conversation with the Raiders as well for Genti to go that high. The Raiders are another interesting team here and just talking about where they could potentially go. because now with Gino, it feels like they're less prone to take a quarterback at 6.

So now which direction do they end up going? Have you been tempted to kind of send Gentie there in your mind? Or do you feel like there are other positions you've also been circling based on where the Raiders are right now? In my post-combine mock, that's where I sent them. So even before the Gino trade and with the uncertainty of what they were going to do at quarterback, I don't know, when you think about Pete Carroll coming in, he's ready to win now, establishing a run game with a really dynamic running back. It just, it feels like something that they might do,

especially with the state of the running back position on the roster. So if you're going to stack your board and be true to it, you're going to say, all right, Ashton Genty is he might be, for a lot of teams, I think he will be a top three player on the board. If you take out any consideration about the position they play, about value, anything like that, If you just go on the best players available, I think a lot of teams are going to have Ashen Genti top three.

And so for a team like the Raiders with where they are, I wouldn't be surprised at all if that's a direction they went. Raiders, and then I think when you look at the bears at 10, the Cowboys at 12, and then do the Broncos get frisky enough where they try to make a move. Those are kind of the four teams I keep coming back to for Ashen Gente. Broncos are another team I wanted to ask you about because they've gone out.

There are three things, probably four things I wanted the Broncos to do this off season. I wanted some attitude in the spine of the defense. I wanted a pass catching tight end and I wanted them to go get a running back with some juice. Well, they did three of those four already in what they did in free agency and then they go out and get Evan Ingram. So where they find a running back becomes interesting. So let's say they don't get gentee. Are they a Hampton team at 20 or wherever they're picking? Because it feels like that could be a decent outcome for them if that's how it

ends up going. Yeah, and that's in my post-combine mock right after I left Indianapolis, it was Gentie at 6 and Hampton at 20. And it makes a lot of sense. I feel like I've been so, anytime I've done, I've only done, what, two moks since the end of the season, but each time when you're looking at Denver, you're looking at tight end or running back. You know, you're looking at that who's going to be that difference maker that's going to help put them over the top in that Sean Payton offense. Who's going to be that little extra difference, whether that's Colston Loveland, the tight end from Michigan, or it is one of these backs.

But yeah, a guy in, I don't think Evan Ingram necessarily stops you from, you know, if you love a guy like Colston Loveland, it's not like it's going to stop you from making that move. They're a little sameish, you know, but in terms of not being true, you know, wise, inline guys, they're more the jokers, the Fs. But at the same time, you want to draft impact players. And I think the Broncos, Sean Payton has never been afraid to trade up. So if Ashen Gentie makes it pass, say he's there at 11, would the Broncos go up and get him at 11?

Or would they stay put and be like, you know, we like Hampton enough. But you have to be, you know, if Gentie goes six, Hampton could go 12. The Cowboys could take him at 12. And all of a sudden, then you're, I think you feel good about your leftover options in round two, round three like we've talked about. but if you're really looking for that difference maker early, the Broncos might have to be a little aggressive to make sure they get their guy. We don't have to have this discussion now

because I do want to have maybe a whole show of these discussions before we get going, but we've had too long to think about this is always a fun draft discussion. And this idea of Hampton being as good as Gentie now, like suddenly, even though Gentie was billed as like this elite elite prospect throughout the process,

that's a conversation we can revisit sometime in like late March, early April because I do think it's worth having. A couple more teams very quickly here. The Vikings, after everything that they did, interior offensive line, interior defensive line, they still have a need of corner. I think that's the spot I keep coming back to when I think about where they might need to go.

Are there defensive backs from 20 to 35 that you feel like could come in and be starting level corners? Because I think there are a couple teams in that range where it might be worth looking there. Yeah, there's two that stand out. Judi Barron from Texas and Maxwell Harrison from Kentucky.

Now, both are smaller guys. Barron is, it's funny, some teams see him as a nickel only, kind of, you know, that Brian Branch type. Others think that, hey, he showed on tape he can play outside. So we believe that he can, even though he has under 30-inch arms. I don't know that he necessarily necessarily be a fit for Minnesota in the way they think. Maxwell Harrison's a little more interesting. He ran a 4-2 at the combine.

Guys that have that type of situation. speed, have good cover talent. I worry about the tackling a little bit, but you know, you're with where you're drafting, you're drafting him to cover. So I do think the Kentucky corner Maxwell Harrison would make some sense there. Trey Amos from Ole Miss is another one who ran better than I think a lot of people thought than he would at the Combine, ran in the four fours. And so I think Amos could potentially be in that top 40 mix as well.

So there will, it's not a super loaded position at corner this year, but there will, there's enough of them where I think you're going to, there's going to be someone in every round that you're going to point to and say, okay, that's someone that can help us. All right. Before we move on, we're going to take one more quick break. Two more very quickly. The Jags, a couple stopgap offensive line sidings, they spent on a nickel, which was interesting, giving the scene that contract they gave to Jordan Lewis. There are indications based on what James Gladstone has said since that they're probably going to take a couple swings on the defensive line along the way in this draft. do you still think some sort of defensive line presence, whether it's Mason Graham or somebody else, is the most likely direction or the direction you'd like to see them go at five?

Yeah, and you kind of mention this with the Bears, how you look at the depth chart and there aren't any glaring, glaring needs. It's kind of like that with the Jaguars too, right? Like there's not, like, yeah, they could use another outside corner. Yeah, they could use, you know, but there's not that one, it's not like the Patriots where it's like, okay, they definitely need to go in this direction. and the Jaguars are an interesting spot at five because the first four picks, not set in stone by any means, but at least we have a general feeling of the way they could go. Jaguars feel much more like a wild card where, especially, okay, you have a first year GM,

first year head coach, the roster is no true glaring holes where they have to go a certain position. And then you have a draft class where it feels like there's a tear break before that you get to that fifth pick. And so, you know, do they like Jalen Walker from Georgia there who he was my number three overall player last time I did my top 100? You know, some teams are high on him. Others don't like him until the midfirst round later on. So, you know, Mason Graham has been, I think, the most popular name to put at five to the Jaguars. And I get it. But, you know, he's not as teams aren't as excited about him as maybe most fans think.

That doesn't mean he's not going to go five. but he's under 300 pounds. He's not long. Good athlete, not great athlete. There's a lot of things that don't say top five pick. But the tape is really good. And so I think he's still in that mix to be there. But they're just in a weird spot because of all those different circumstances.

Feels to me still, and I know they drafted Jerry and Jones last year. And he played mostly nickel for them, which is why I think that Jordan Lewis thing was kind of curious. He was a third round pick, but a third round pick of a regime that, no longer exists. True. So is this a team where if Travis Hunter is sitting there at five, they just say, eh, we're doing this.

We're going to have Travis Hunter and Tyson Campbell and Jordan Lewis and we feel decent about our safeties. We got enough guys at front. We'll find a defensive lineman in the second round and then we'll just be ready to rule. That would not surprise me if that was available to them. There's a chance. It's not.

There's probably a good chance that it's not. If somehow Travis Hunter made it to the Patriots, I just don't see how, like to me, like he's not, I'm not going to throw the transcendent or whatever label, like I'm not going to put that on Travis Hunter, but he is clearly, in my opinion, the best player in this draft. And so for him to fall to five would just be a big shock, no matter how many quarterbacks end up going in the top four picks.

Last one, where are the Chargers going to find a wide receiver? Because that's the other big question I have coming out of free agency. They did they, Mike Williams is not it. Mike Williams doesn't prevent you from doing anything. So if they, if there's a receiver at 20ish or wherever the Chargers pick. What does that look like? Do they wait till the second round again? Any thoughts about who might fit what the chargers are right now and what they need? Which receiver is going to be there?

Like that's kind of, this feels like a couple of years ago that Jackson Smith and Jimba receiver year where we weren't quite sure. Like where's Jordan Addison going to go? Where's Zay Flower is going to go? And they ended up kind of all going back to back to back in the 20s. This year, it could be very similar. A guy lately on Team Mac from Arizona, he could go five. He could go 25.

I wouldn't, you know, like there's different, there's a wide range of outcomes for him. Same thing with Igbuka. Teams really appreciate him because he's smart. He's just well-rounded. Doesn't have any, you know, glaring weaknesses to his game. But is he truly dynamic enough to take him top 20? There's differing opinions on that. Matthew Golden got better throughout the year.

You feel like you're getting them as an ascending player, but there's some question marks there. And then Luther Byrd, same thing out of Missouri. So this is a receiver class that there's a whole lot of different opinions. And for the Chargers, you're just kind of maybe crossing your fingers. One of them makes it to you.

I think the interesting one is going to be Colston Loveland, who is, you could say his maybe even more of a receiver than a true tight end. And so is he your new kind of slot slash, you know, share the slot with Ladd? and then, you know, play him a little bit in the backfield, play him a little bit out wide. Like, there's no reason why you couldn't be able to do that. He is that good of an athlete where you could play him as an X on some plays, as, you know, just a really hybrid version of, you know, whatever they want him to be.

And obviously, nobody will know him better than Harbaugh and the Chargers. So that's Colston Lovelland's a guy with the Chargers that I think I keep coming back to and say, okay, that makes some sense. I could see they need corners as well, the same conversation. we just had with the Vikings, you know, Thomas from Florida State, Harrison from Kentucky, like, you know,

the Chargers are an interesting spot where it feels like they need more speed on both sides of the ball. I think that's totally fair. It's interesting with the Chargers is that I think because they made the playoffs last year and because they were sort of a feel good story, we forgot how far away the roster actually is,

like how much talent they truly need at all of these different spots. And so the fact that they've been a little bit more, cautious, maybe the wrong word, but a little bit more methodical and how they've built this offseason compared to other teams that made the playoffs and really want to supercharge this thing. Not necessarily surprising when you think about how many gaps still exist on that Chargers roster

and how many spots where they really actually do need to get better. All right. That is all we've got for today. We'll start digging into these guys next week. Maybe we'll do the quarterbacks next week. Maybe you, me, and Derek can dig into the quarterbacks next week. Maybe it's time. It probably is time for us to take a good long look at that.

them. I know Derek's been digging around on that. So we will, you'll be coming with, you'll be joining us weekly through the draft. Is that, that's the plan, correct? I believe so. Yeah, we'll make it happen. Okay. All right. So very excited about that. Please be on the lookout for the beast when that drops. Dana's working very hard on getting that thing done. And like Dana alluded to, we are going to be having another draft show coming your guys's way during the NFL draft this year. Still working out, ironing out some of the details with that, but pretty excited about what we've got in the works this year. One of my favorite things to do every single year. So we will update you guys on that as we get a little

bit more information. For now, that's all we've got. Appreciate you listening. We'll talk to you very soon.