The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Prospects to Pros: Breaking down Dane Brugler's two-round mock draft

Episode Date: January 17, 2024

Six quarterbacks, including the top-two picks, in the first two rounds? Three receivers, plus a tight end, in the top-six picks? Oh yeah, it's mock draft season. Nate Tice and Dane Brugler's dig into the latter's two-round mock on this episode of The Athletic Football Show's Prospects to Pros.Follow Nate on Twitter: @Nate_TiceFollow Dane on Twitter: @dpbruglerSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the athletic football show's Prospects to Prospects to Pros. Hello and welcome to Prospects to Pros. I am your host, Nate Tice. We have another mock draft extravaganza. Really just one person's mock draft, but it's a two-rounder. So double the fun. And that one person with a two-round mock draft is the athletics, very own draft expert, who is here to help me go over that. Dane Bruegler, how are you doing today, Dane? I'm good. It's nice and chilly. It's, I think, a negative two out. The feels like here in Warren, Ohio. So it is very, very chilly here. But, uh, you know, I think a lot of people maybe stuck inside or, uh, passing the time with this mock draft. A lot, a lot of things,

a lot of topics that we can go through with this. I got to enjoy my outdoor time. I usually have my express, my first espresso. This right now is my second espresso. My first espresso of the day, sitting outside, reading, catching up and stuff, doing a wordle sometimes. If I, I feel like, like doing it. But now I got a fire pit, so it's even better. So the winners here, we do get winners here in Vegas, but it's more like 30s and 40s. It's not bad. It's just more like, a little chilly, a little blanket. That's it. So I did enjoy this morning's coffee with your mock draft, which was, like I said before, for the third time, a two-rounder, which I know is quite the exercise to do. So let's dive into it. There's some names that we've seen. We have Caleb Williams on top

to the Bears, Drake May, number two, to Washington Commanders. And then there's four more quarterbacks in this two-round mock draft, several in the first round, a couple in the second round. We have three receivers in the top six. That's kind of the highlights, I would say, especially in the top ten. But it's very fun because it seems to me that you have a couple risers here, a couple guys that maybe are creeping up boards or creeping downboards, maybe even off the two-round mock. But starting with the quarterbacks because they're going to be the big name guys.

Said before Williams is going to the Bears. You got made to Washington. But then you have Jane Daniels, the third quarterback off the board, going to the Falcons. I'm thinking on that because I like that choice. I thought that was a very fun one. So I was just curious how it kind of what got you to there and maybe other quarterback landing spots that maybe you got to. Well, and it's interesting because in order for Jaden Daniels to go to the Falcons, he has to get past the Patriots at three. He has to get past the Giants at six.

And, you know, it's it's always tough when a team could potentially go in the direction of a quarterback, but you decide not to. With the Patriots, we're at a kind of an interesting spot with their organization, obviously. Bill Belichick no longer in charge. We're not quite sure what direction they're headed with how they view that roster. And who's really in charge making the personnel decisions? There's a lot of unknown there. So me going with Marvin Harrison Jr. at number three to the Patriots instead of the quarterback Jane Daniels, part of that is just lack of information at this point in the process.

part of it is they have an opportunity to take arguably the best player on their board instead of maybe reaching a little bit for the quarterback. And so they go with Marvin Harrison Jr. And then with the Giants, this is another team that I know they made the playoffs just a year ago, but it doesn't feel like they're a rookie quarterback away from really getting back in this thing. They need help multiple spots. The offensive line needs help. The pass rush needs help. They need more firepower at the weapons, especially at wide receiver, badly, how badly do they need a wide receiver, a true number one? And they haven't had a thousand yard receivers since O'Dell Beckham Jr.

So it's been a couple years. It's PNS. Well, that was about like three different teams since that. Right. That was a lifetime ago. And so they're in a spot at number six, if you're the Giants, where you can possibly get one of these receivers. And I think we have to remember, too, when you talk about a first round pick,

specifically a top 10 pick, this is an ownership decision. more than anything. Especially when you talk about a quarterback. That's a great point to highlight. And with the Giants, we know how they feel about Daniel Jones, the ownership. They love them. Now, I don't think they're married to him necessarily where it's, all other options are off the table. Joe Shone, I mean, he has been looking at all these quarterbacks and just, we have evidence

of him at these college football games throughout the fall. Most of these games that he's going to, they're big time quarterbacks playing. So we have seen these guys. he's done the work on them. I still think at the end of the day, even with Daniel Jones coming off the ACL injury, better chance they go with a top receiver or a different direction than they do with the quarterback.

So long answer to get to Jay and Daniels, there at eight, to the Falcons. But I think it's realistic. I think there's a, you know, that is a realistic path to happen. And I mean, obviously we have to preface all this with saying, hey, it's mid-January. We don't even know who the Falcon said.

coach is going to be, we don't know. There's so many dominoes that are going to fall here. But with the Falcons, with that offense, it feels like a ready-to-go offense. It feels like a team that is not that far away. You look at what Desmond Ritter last year and all the turnovers, he accounted for 12 interceptions, 12 fumbles. Jane Daniels had four interceptions, three fumbles last year. He's a guy that takes care of the football.

And I think that when you look at the total skill set, that he brings, I think the Falcons would be really interested. If they don't go Justin Fields, if they don't go a different direction in the offseason, if they wait until the draft, Jane Daniels sure makes a lot of sense. It does. Yeah, there's a lot of teams with their quarterback situations, even ones that have one right now. I'm very curious. A lot of them feel out of crossroads.

Obviously the Falcons is more of an open road to determine that. But I thought it was just, you know, because when I did my most recent mock, I had a, I think The quarterback's going one, two, three. And that's the thing with the Patriots is I could see him taking a tackle. I can see him taking a receiver. I can see them taking the quarterback. Like all of those makes sense. They have options there, but are they, if they are not committed to a guy, it could cause

a whole lot of things because somebody is going to like Daniels. I really think that. Then I think the most popular pairing in the top 10 for everyone's mock and the one that makes the most sense for everybody involved is Joe Alt going to the Tennessee Titans. I think that's like, okay, yeah, done. I think you're even your line on it was like one sentence. You're just like, yeah, I got nothing else to add here. It was two sentences because the second sentence was I have nothing else to add.

Exactly. Yeah, right. Because I think you look at that left side of the line with Peter Scoronsky, left guard and Joe Walt at love tackle. And, I mean, that'd be a great asset to your offense for the next 10 years. But it's, you know, it's interesting with the Bears in the top 10 because I even mentioned this. I think half of the Bears fan base are going to be upset that I had Caleb Williams going one. The other half of the fan base is going to be pissed at me because I have three

receivers off the board in top six. So at number nine, what direction are they going in? Because I, you'd think they'd love to have one of these receivers there, pair them with DJ Moore and whichever rookie quarterback they take at number one, assuming that's the direction they go. But in this scenario, like I said, it's Marvin Harrison Jr. at three to the Patriots, Malik neighbors at four, and then Roma Dunzee at six to the Giants. And, and, and, you know, And again, this is a, this is why mock drafts in January aren't silly, even though a lot of things are going to change. This is very easily go 0 for 32.

When we look back at this in April, because of all the dominoes that are still to fall, but it's the thought exercise. It really is beneficial for, for everybody to go through these thought exercises, examining each team. What are their draft philosophies? What are they done in the past? Where are they trending? It's not as simple as, okay, what's their time?

need, boom, okay, tackle. There you go. Like, it's not that simple. There's so much more that goes into it with draft trends and everything else. Free agency. That'll play a big part. Sure. And all the coaches that are going to be hired throughout the process.

And, you know, it's, so there's a lot of things that have to happen. But with the way things look right now, there is a realistic chance that all three receivers, those top three receivers could be off the board here. And if the bears don't feel comfortable with, say, a Brian Thomas. junior taking him as a top 10 pick, they might be in a position to take the best defensive player off the board here because that's how it played out in the mock draft. Offensive players went one through eight. Number nine, the bears end up taking Dallas Turner, who, you know, I think you pair him with Montez Sweat, those two ed rushers. Essentially, you're using your

first two picks, your first round pick and your second round pick this year on on pass rushers, along with obviously the first pick overall. But it's a chance to really upgrade one of the most important positions during your roster. And with Dallas Turner, it's a really nice situation because he's not going to ask to be the guy that's Montez Sweat. Dallas Turner can be the Robin to his Batman. And because he's so, I mean, he is, Dallas Turner moves like a middle linebacker, but he plays like a defensive end, a true defensive end, because he can play the run.

They use him as a spy sometimes, too. Sure. Yeah. So, yeah. They'll use them as a, you know, almost like a Michael Parsons sometimes with the way that, you know, he can rush from different angles because he's so strong with his hands. He plays so violent. And so to add him to the mix there at number nine,

even though I don't know if that's higher, or number one on the wish list for Bears fans, I really like this outcome for Chicago. And I think they are a trench first team anyways. That makes a lot of sense. And, you know, I think they're set at tackle for a while. Braxton Jones, I think, is at the very least.

He's, he's, I would even say a good left. tackle at the very least a solid left tackle. And I think Wright really had a nice year as a rookie right's on the right side. So I always kind of at first was looking at the tackle position, but I have seen people, oh, bump this guy inside, do all that. It's like, I don't know. I don't see them doing that because I think they're set there. But yeah, no, I think Turner, Turner's an interesting call there. I think my most recent mock guy, the first 11 or 12 picks for offense, and I was just like, I couldn't figure out where I was pulling the trigger on Turner or a corner.

your first quarter off the board. Well, I should actually say this. You actually had a second edge go off the board, which was lot to from UCLA going to the Vikings at 11. Have you like, what have you liked with him? I got to watch him very recently. I understand kind of the appeal. But is this kind of where he's kind of being seen right now, maybe in the top half of the first round? Well, obviously the medicals are going to be a big part of his evaluation and where he actually ends up.

You know, he had to medically retire at Washington. and left there, had some doctors kind of go over things with him, and they approved him, said, you're good to go. In the last two years at UCLA, he has been unstoppable as a pass rusher.

And it's not just the physical traits, his ability, the first step quickness. It's not just his bend. It's the crafty handwork that he has, that he plays with. It's really impressive, the different doors he can open

with the things that he sets up. And so the Vikings are a team, you look at some of their picks in their early rounds the last few years, they're not afraid to take those injury risks. And so if Latu, as long as the doctors say, yeah, you know, there's some stuff in his background, but he's good to go right now. There's no, you know, could another hit potentially lead to something? Sure, but that's true with almost everybody in the NFL. So, you know, as long as the doctors give you two thumbs up, I think he would make a lot of sense for the Vikings. I actually had the Vikings going defensive line with both their picks, a chance to really get better on that side of the ball. No, that's a great call about their appetite for injury risk players because they took the two DBs in the first draft.

Louisine. Yes. And the corner from the Clebson. Yep. And then they also in free agency. That's why they signed Murphy for kind of a decent contract for what the player he was because of injury stuff. And also the Davenport from Norwich, too. Yep.

Who's heard a lot this year. But it's a, yep, by design. But Murphy when he was playing was a positive player as well. But there's teams that do that. Teams are going to be have some appetite for that. And there's some teams that just go, ah, nope, take it away off the board. Now we're not even dealing with it. But again, it depends on input.

And again, what you're willing, willing to tolerate. I also saw that you had just a round out the top 10. You had Bowers, Brock Bowers going number five to the Chargers, making a lot of fans very happy. And that I think is, I mean, just giving Herbert weapons. And Bowers is one of the best weapons in this class. or in a lot of classes. I mean,

that makes a lot of sense to me. So I understand why you did it. Well, you just said it, weapon. I mean, it's, again,

I don't think we get, if you're getting too hung up on just the fact that he's a tight end or listed as a tight end, I think you're missing the, yeah, you're missing the point. This is a, a versatile weapon.

And, you know, he can, with the versatility to line up in line, but can also be a wide receiver if you want him to be, he's a weapon, an offensive weapon. And the way that you can utilize,

as long as you have a plan, in place. I mean, and I think it's only tapped out by a lack of creativity by an offensive coordinator. Brock Bowers is going to make it easy on you to utilize all of that talent. And so, you know, people are going to bring up,

oh, well, Kyle, people said the same thing about Kyle Pitts. I mean, Cal Pitts was a pro bowler as a rookie. I mean, it's not like Kyle Pitts has been a terrible player when he's been out there. The offense has contributed to that in Atlanta. So, still like, 22. Yeah. And you don't let past mistakes. elsewhere dictate who you draft in your in your organization in your building if you obviously

the charges are in a state of flux they don't have a head coach right now they don't have a general manager that will play a part in this but trust your coaches trust your uh plan to build and i i don't think teams will have any trouble drafting brock bowers in the top seven picks and to draw one little narrative comparison just because going to the charges and who they're interviewing for their head coaching spot and Mr. Harbaugh is who got a lot of use out of Vernon Davis in San Francisco was Harbaugh's offenses. So now you got Bowers right there. Watch me. But you watch Michigan and you see A.J. Barner. You see Loveland. Oh, yeah.

You see these tight ends eat. So yeah, that would, if Harbaugh does end up. Who's that? I watch. Lufflin's a freak man. He's, I wish we could be talking about him this draft process. But yeah, he'll be in next year's class because yeah he's fun he's we'll see what he does with whoever the next quarterback is at michigan uh which heck let's just talk about uh talk about him now mr j jay mccarthy yeah we talked about three quarterback so far yes um i he did officially declared um yes you know just so for people that don't know the deadline for underclassmen to declare came and went this past monday caleb williams from usc was the final uh underclassman to uh formally

commit and announce that he was going to the NFL, which I, you know, I talk into someone in the league about, you know, is there something going on here? Like, why is he dragging his feet here? And he, he made the comment, uh, he knows exactly what he's doing. This is purely to, uh, get people talking. Um, it's why some people wait to the last moment on signing day, uh, to pick their hat for, for college. It's, it's all about eyeballs and to get people talking. And it's not, you know, CJ Stroud did this last year, but C.J. Stroud had just played a game a week before and was realistically thinking about going back to Ohio State. This situation with Caleb Williams, he's been, he hasn't played a game since November, and he knew a long time ago he was going

to the NFL. He's been doing his draft prep for a couple weeks now. So this is purely to, yeah, keep people talking about him. Hey, it worked. So J.J. McCarthy officially declared. Did the workout video already ready to go. Exactly. Yeah. Working with Rick Schengere Hello. The former NFL assistant. Yeah. College assistant. Was with the Kentucky coach Will Levis last year,

offensive coordinator at Kentucky before he got fired. Yeah. Right. So we'll see how that works out. But for JJ McCarthy, I honestly do not have a first round grade on him. I have more of a second round grade on him as a quarterback who I think he needs, he needs time.

It's not a simple evaluation. I know you watched more of him, so I'll be eager to get some of your thoughts on J.J. McCarthy. But I was high on him coming into the year because I was banking on his projection. He goes 15 and 0 as a starter at Michigan, wins a national title. And I still yet don't feel much better about him than I did before the year. Now, I think there's a lot of things going for him. I do, even though he needs to add weight, he's undersized just from a pure bulk standpoint. I know some scouts thought he was right around 200 pounds, if not below 200 pounds this year.

There's parts of his game that are more unproven than proven. And so there are question marks there. But I'm banking on a lot of the intangibles that he offers, a lot of the arm talent that he has. Does he have the arm talent of Caleb Williams? No, I don't think anyone's saying that. But he has enough to be a functional NFL starter and perhaps more. But I think people roll their eyes when you hear the win-loss record. when you talk about intangibles and leadership and blah, blah, blah,

people just, their eyes gloss over. That stuff matters to NFL team. So even if you don't think it matters. Watch the sideline. They freaking love this guy. Oh, yeah. It's a big deal. And look, he was like, I don't know, I can't remember.

I have it written down on my notes, like 36 and 2 in high school, 271 in college. This is a guy that he wins at every level. And he has that FU energy that if you're not with us, you're against us. And that meant, that's why I see some Zach Wilson comparisons to J.J. McCarthy. And immediately, they don't make sense because Zach Wilson shrunk in the NFL. And that was, you just looked like I had no confidence.

J.J. McCarthy is just oozing with confidence. And I don't think the NFL is going to change that. He might not have a lot of dropbacks on film, but he made more throws and structure than Zach Wilson did in their final years. Like that, that's the number one thing when you're watching McCarthy. And so just, I do have J.J. McCarthy going in the first round. I have him going to the Los Angeles Rams at number 20. And I think it's an interesting parallel when you think about the Packers when they drafted Jordan Love.

Aaron Rogers is going into his age 36 season. Matthew Stafford right now going into his age 36 season. I don't think Stafford's going to retire tomorrow. Who knows when he'll be ready? He still looks like he's one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL when he's healthy. And that's a key thing here. I don't know how long Stafford plans on playing, how long his body will allow him to keep on playing. But it's at least a conversation the Rams have to have about the future.

And maybe, you know, McVeigh doesn't want to have that conversation because once Stafford's gone, he's ready to move on. You know, I mean, who knows. But that organization at least needs to have a conversation about the future of quarterback. And J.J. McCarthy could be a guy they're interested. Yeah. And especially how this team is set up. I mean, I think they are as was the job that they put on this year, the Rams coaches. And just the draft that they had last year with less need was one of the most impressive turnarounds.

I would say turnarounds, revamps, I would say, that any team did this year. It's been really a lot of fun to watch. Even if they lost this week. They got the best bang for their buck in terms of draft. Period. Period. Everything they did. Every move they made, I mean, even just doing stuff with the line, just a lot of stuff.

A lot of bets they made paid off this year. Have you heard of Puka Nakua? I'm telling you. I think he's going to be good. I think it would be all right. I think you might break a thousand yards. But I actually really like McCarthy. And this is why I've come around in.

I got to watch, I watched three more games yesterday with Bama game. I watched Ohio State again. I had watched that before, but I was watching a different player. But I was watching Ohio State defensive players. And then I watched another one. But these three games, I see what everyone's saying with the flash stuff. And the fit with the Rams makes a lot of sense because of his ability to throw in the move, but also his ability to throw over the frickin' middle of the field with no conscience.

And that's what they love in that offense. is the willingness to do that, the willingness to fit it into a tight window, to stare where the ball, to throw the ball where it's supposed to go, and to find a ways with a little bit of creativity. He has a little more creative flare. I mean, we saw the throwback, double throw where he's catching with one hand and winging it. We see some of that. But I would even say some of the pocket movement, be able to move into like step, no fat in the movement, and then throw the ball and throw it accurately, create yards after the catch.

So the Rams fit makes a ton of sense. I think those guys of that tree are going to really like. J.J. McCarthy. The Rams fit makes even more sense because look at who the Rams have brought in outside of Stafford. Stetson Bennett, who is 188 pounds. You know, they brought in. Yeah. John Wolford, who was a smaller quarterback as well. It was a pretty good athlete as well. But they're willing to let these guys. Baker last year. Baker, all these guys that can throw on the move. And that makes and they're tough SOBs. All of them. Yes. And that's what McCarthy is. And I think Big Vay, ever since he had, when Jerrug

off first got hurt in 2020. And he had Wolford in there and he had another quarterback in there. But he was really doing the quarterback run game. And I think he's always just been like, I want to get back to that. I want to like use that a little bit. McCarthy, you can sprinkle it in just a little bit. And that's where you see Michigan spam it whenever they need it. Like fourth quarter, huge drive.

We got to milk this clock. There is the quarterback run game with McCarthy. So I've come around on him. I'm with you. I have like that late, second, early third round grade on him. But there's more to like. maybe even I thought a couple weeks ago. And that's not even including the games that what you did in the college football playoffs.

I mean, the Bama game a little bit, but the other games before that. There's more flashes to it. The ability to throw on the move, the ability to create, guys are going to like that and that accuracy. I still think there's some struggles throwing outside the numbers. He's kind of kind of forces it. But I don't know. There's more to work with than maybe I even thought about six weeks ago. So I understand that he might creep in.

And especially again, with that mentality, that's catnip for coaches. the mental toughness. I was talking to a scout about him the other day, and he mentioned how talking to the guys at Michigan, the coaches, they said that when McCarthy signed out of high school, he was telling other Michigan recruits that if they wanted to party, if they wanted to go chase girls, stuff like that, go somewhere else.

I mean, he had this mentality since he arrived at Michigan that, you know, he was going to be, they were going to be different. And so his makeup's a little bit different just the way he's wired. I know the big story with him as a recruit was, I think it was his junior year. He broke his thumb in the state playoffs, the semifinals. They told him to shut it down, have surgery. He taped it up. He played won the state title the next week, had surgery on Monday.

And stuff like that is, again, it's catnip for coaches. That's what they love to hear. And when you put your money where your mouth is and actually go out and do it and win these games and win a national, win a state title, win a national title in college football. That stuff matters. And so people get fed up with the whole 27-01 and the winning and all that. At least be open-minded to the idea that a team would be able to talk themselves into J.J. McCarthy in the first round. So that's four quarterbacks in the first round.

And then you had two more in the second round. So you had Bow Nix at Pick 34 to the Patriots. So there's that quarterback at the future possibly. And then Michael Pennix, Jr. to the Raiders at pick 44. So that is, I would agree that this is kind of the top six. I mean, just like this is, these three McCarthy, Knicks and Penix are kind of that fight for QB4 to me right now. All kind of really graded like day two guys for me right now. So and Knicks to the Patriots and Penix to the Raiders, what kind of led you to these kind of passed?

Or these kind of the consolation prizes, all those types of things. I actually kind of like these fits, to be honest. So I wanted to hear you talk about them. Well, I mean, with the Patriots, again, there's so much we don't know, but it feels like the status quo is not good enough. I mean, I don't think anybody would disagree there. So what are you going to do to help the quarterback situation? I think Bo Nix, I have my issues with him as a quarterback,

but he could bring a spark to that team. And it's so strange hearing the differing opinions throughout the league on him. There are some in the league that absolutely believe he's going first round, that he will be a top 25 pick. others believe he'll be available in the third round. So it's just a wide range of opinions on Bo Nix. And the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. But again, when it comes to quarterbacks,

all it takes 31 teams could have a certain opinion on one. And all it takes is one team to think a little bit better of a player. And next thing you know, they go down in history as a first round pick. So Bo Nix will be interesting where he ends up. He was two months old when Bill Belichick was hired as the Patriots head coach. So just some context to that. where we're at. Yeah,

the time, how that's all played out. But we'll see how the Patriot situation evolves throughout the next few months and how that will hopefully give us an idea of their draft strategy. But then with the Raiders and Michael Penix, it just feels like, again, with the Raiders, they have to do something here

to add some type of new life to that quarterback room. Aiden O'Connell is a nice player. But what are you going to do to get better in the room? And Michael Penix could potentially be that guy. And we're talking about the 44th pick. I think this is, Michael Pennix is probably more likely to go 44 than he is to go 14. Yeah, based off of just his ability,

but then also a factor in the age, factor in the medicals. But, you know, the Raiders are on a spot where it's like, hey, it's a 44th pick in the draft. Let's roll the dice and see what we have here. You know, I think that's potentially how they could be thinking. But again, they don't, it's another team. We don't know the general manager yet.

We don't know the head coach. In theory, it makes sense. And I think, you know, you could also maybe say the same thing about the Vikings. They're picking two picks earlier at 42. Would they be in a position, even if they do bring back Kirk Cousins? Could they be in a position to, you know, we saw the revolving door of quarterbacks after Cousins went out. Could Michael Pennix be a guy they lean on, especially early in the season if Cousins isn't ready to go right away?

So I think the Vikings at 42 and then even the Falcons at 43, if they don't get a quarterback in the first round, could be an option there. So 42, 43, 44, those three spots are interesting landing spots for either Bo Nix or Michael Pennix. Like you said, it just takes one, any player, but especially quarterbacks. And quarterbacks make people lose their mind. So you like, especially if you have a decision maker that has a lot of influence in the room. Yeah, you can get some interesting picks at that position.

But I also want to ask you, I think we both at the same time, we're kind of rising this guy up. You already mentioned him a little bit as a guy that, oh, do this guy sneak into the top 10? Maybe not was Brian Thomas as your receiver four from LSU. You had him going to the Jaguars that pick 17, I believe. And I was, I thought your last line of this was very interesting

because I kind of seeing it and kind of hearing the same thing. By the time April rolls around, he might not be an option outside of the top 15. And I, yeah, I think maybe. just wanted to give you a second to maybe gush about Thomas and maybe why he could be a riser this next couple of months. We've talked about him a little bit before, but maybe why he's going to be a name to note outside of his very famous teammates, Daniels and neighbors. Yeah, and Brian Thomas, he, you know,

he really came on this year. And he was a big time recruit coming out of high school. You know, he's from Louisiana. He was a big time basketball player, especially I think he led his high school team to the state championship as a freshman or as a he has a freshman and then he didn't even play football until a sophomore year he was baseball or basketball focused and then at some point it switched over to football and this past year is where he really exploded he had almost 1,200 yards led fbs and receiving touchdowns the 17 nobody had more receiving touchdowns than he did just an outstanding size speed combination and it's not stiff he's very fluid um as a route runner you see the type of acceleration you need to beat NFL corners.

He has a little stutter step release, and then he quickly eats up that grass. Can get over top man, can get open underneath, and he does a nice job at mid-air adjustments at the catch point, play strong to the football, he'll work back to the ball, he'll box out, you see that basketball background with the way that, you know, the box-out angles that he uses. So there's also a minimal delay going from,

from catcher to runner. And that's uncommon for a bigger receiver like him, right? And so, and he has natural run instincts, I think, too. It's not just a, I'm going to get three yards and then go down. He can make the first man miss. He's a really impressive athlete. And then what he did as a blocker too. So all these things are, as I say them, I'm like, yeah, he might not be there

outside of the top 15 picks because when you have the length that he offers, the fluidity, the speed, the ball, the ball, winning athleticism and then just his budding route instincts. You know, you could see it connecting the dots. It's, this is a really dangerous weapon. And so, you know, what's his upside? T. Higgins or, you know, like he has a lot of ability that I think teams are going to look at and say, yeah, he's good now, but we're three years from now.

That's what we're really excited about. And so I don't think a team would really bat an eye drafting him somewhere in the top 15 picks. That's what has me excited is you could you said it's budding kind of route awareness route running is if you watch this one game from each month of LSU and watch him improve each month in his route running and his feel and he has for 64205 I believe he's listed at he has very very light feet and that is like you say that is not normal to be that agile. I'm trying to I've been trying I've been struggling with a comparison for him in my brain but it was like the some of the footwork stuff is kind of like Sutton, uh, Cortland Sutton, but I think he's

actually a way better player than Sutton is. And I like Sutton and Sutton's more of a ball winner. And that's the thing is like Thomas has that size, not saying he's finessey, but it's like, man, he plays like a guy that's more six foot 190. But that's how he moves and everything and has that kind of yards after a catch. But I'm a huge fan. You had them very early way up your board. And I got to watch him early when I was watching the LSU offense. And yeah, I'm a big fan. I agree with you. I think he's just going to keep rising up the board. The guy that wasn't contentioned, maybe receiver two for a while, Keon Coleman,

you have at pick 29 going to the bills, giving them another weapon, you know, to add with Khalil Shakir, maybe to give a Stefan Dick succession plan. But Coleman kind of maybe some people, that might be a little bit falling. And he kind of like insight on that to maybe the back after the first round when he was looked at maybe as a top 12 pick for a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know, with Keon Coleman, he's just a different type of weapon, right, that Buffalo usually has had, that Josh Allen has had over his career. People are going to ding Keon Coleman because he's not the best separator at the top of routes.

I think when you focus on what Keon Coleman does really well, and that's the, you know, just the physical abilities, the size, the body control, you could argue he's the best in this class at the catch point because he can make these unbelievable adjustments. adjustments on the ball 50-50 grabs several you know the one-handed stuff um the way that he can maintain his focus to track finish while he's wearing defenders like a backpack it's it's impressive uh and he consistently draws past interference calls because especially in the red zone uh that's where he can really flex his muscles um so i mean he is he's i think he's getting dinged up or dinged by uh yeah by people a little bit too much because this is still a really good player and i mean you don't have 100 plus receiving yards, 100 plus punt return yards in the same game

first to do it at Florida State since Peter Warwick. You don't do that if you're a bad athlete. He's not stiff. Yeah, that's what I'm kind of right my head around too. Yeah. So, I mean, yeah, he fell to the bottom of the first round in this mock draft, but I don't think he's going to run great. You know, but I mean, he'll be somewhere in the four or fives,

but it might be closer to a four or five, or a four, six, you know, like a four, five, six, something like that. Okay. You know, this is a player that I think teams are still excited about. And if you get him in the back half of round one, you know, you're going to feel really good about that. And when we've seen players, whether it's A.J. Brown or, you know, players with maybe some question marks that teams made a mistake because they focused on what he didn't do instead of focusing on what he did do. You know, AJ Brown is the second round pick because teams focused on what he didn't do.

And, you know, oh, can he play outside? Does he have the speed to win one-on-one down the field? I mean, they, they, they, they're, instead of, that was, right, right, Jefferson too. Oh, he's a slot guy. I was like, well. Focus on what he does well and how, and maybe what he does well doesn't fit your offense perfectly, and that's fine. But for a lot of teams, this Keon Coleman could be exactly what they're looking for. I think the bills could be one of those teams because, again, he's a different type of weapon, uh, gives Josh Allen a huge catch radius.

Um, so even if he's not open, he's open. And so when you focus on what Keon Coleman does, well, I think, you know, you start to, okay, yeah, he's still a good player. Yeah, I love it too, especially. Yeah, because I have him as an easy, still a first round grade. And I kind of have softened a little bit on him, but I just kind of keep, like you said, I keep seeing him getting dinked. I'm like, man, I just see this guy dunking on guys.

I see him catching the ball over the middle and adjusting for it and then actually breaking tackles, which is not what you see from usually long, gangly guys. So it's, yeah. And I don't think it's necessarily anything that he did. It's more just. watching more of these guys and oh yeah i like brian thomas more or you know roma dunze is is a better prospect and i like what he has to you know also it's just more a product of other players being really good in this class and this being just another loaded wide receiver group 11 wide receivers

i was just off the board in this two round mock draft so in five in the first round six in the second round and i know i'm already getting yelled at for some of the receivers that uh i didn't have in there So this is going to be a receiver class that stretches a little bit. And, you know, there should be some pretty good players even into the third round. That group of six, maybe that made your second round, any that you want to highlight. There's one interesting name that I got to watch this morning. But any of these guys that you want to highlight, you had Donne Mitchell going to the Panthers of 33, Jaylon Pope from Washington, going to the Falcons at 43.

Love that fit. Ladd McConcly to the Bengals at 49. I love that one because you're saying he's a Tyler Boyd replacement. Troy Franklin from Oregon to the Browns at 54. Really like that one. Xavier Worthy to the Bucks of 57. I mean, this is like fantasy. Fantasy booking, they call it in wrestling.

But then the last one, Malachi Corley from Western Kentucky going to the Texans. And that's kind of who I was garring, angling this conversation towards. But any of these guys you want to talk to specifically Corley from Western Kentucky? Let me talk about all of them. Because, yeah, I think Malachi Corley to the Texans in the second round is one of my favorite team player matches in this draft. When you think about Demico Ryan's Blobie Slowick, where they come from, San Francisco,

they saw firsthand the impact of Debo Samuel and what he brought to that offense with that play style, Malachi Corley brings the exact same play style. I'm not going to say he's Debo Samuel or on that level, but he's close. They call him the Yat King for a reason. He is a wide receiver before the catch, a running back after the catch. he will run over you. Did you watch Louisiana, I think it was Louisiana Tech? Did you watch that tape this morning?

I did. I did. And I saw it into your video too on him, your tweet on that game as well. Yeah. I mean, he just embarrassed dudes. I watch Ohio State this morning. He ran over three of their DBs on just, you know who he runs like? And this is just a modern comparison and not the same size, just smaller.

He's smaller, quarterly smaller, Rishie Rice. And maybe because they get used the same, but a lot of those, you know, a lot of bubbles, a lot of flat, but he's not just a gadget player. Usually that's an alarm belt for me. It's just flats. It's just screens and smoke screens and stuff. It's like, no, you see the flashes of downfield stuff, especially with the route running. But I agree with you.

He's explosive. He's strong, very physical. There's flashes of route running. It's a little loose right now, but he has ability that you can work with. So I really like this one. I think the senior bowl, the Shrine Bowl, you know, these All-Star games can get beat up a little bit when you say, what, you know, what, what, what, what, what, what, they can they show in one week that they can't, they didn't put on film for three weeks or for three years, you know, like, and why is one week going to change a grade? A guy like Malachi Corley, 70, 75% of his targets, uh, or his catches in college came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. So he can do it downfield, but it's not as frequent. It's that, just not what they asked him to do. It's an old air raid offense. So it's all, yeah, yeah, yeah, get a short, short throws everywhere. That, he had a specific role with what. They wanted him to do, and he executed it very well.

At the senior bowl is where he can maybe show, hey, I'm more than this. I can win downfield. I can win in the one-on-ones and the outside against corners, doing more than just using that physicality to break tackles. So, yeah, this guy, he's got that compact build. He looks like a running back. He has the mentality of a running back. He's going to run over dudes.

You know, his ability to accelerate to top speed quickly is impressive because he'll translate that into contact, run over guys, power through tackle attempts. You know, some of the, he averaged 9.2 yards, yak per reception over the last two years at Western Kentucky. That's a ridiculous number. First out of yak, basically. Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, so, and I mean, he was really productive.

He is the all-time catch's leader in Western Kentucky history. Really good guy as well. Just, you know, I get a lot of strong character. or stuff from him. So, from scouts on the player. So Malachi Corley, I love that fit to Houston. I mean, I don't think wide receiver is necessarily number one need for them. But, you know, Tank Dell, you expect comeback healthy.

Nico Collins with what he did. Noah Brown's a useful player. They still expect good things from, from Alabama. John Meachie. Yes. So, you know, I don't think wide receiver is necessarily flashing in bright lights as, hey, we need to go get one. But the thought of adding a guy like this with a C.J. Stroud in that offense with a role that

I think this coaching staff will be familiar with. I just love that fit. I do too. I really like the player. That one makes a lot of sense. Yeah. And how he would fit in there too. There's more receiver to him than I thought of initially going in, which I was very excited.

His ball skills were very real. Like he can adjust for catches behind his body. So, yeah, a very, very fun player. So that, yeah, man, geez, there was a lot of receivers. And I wanted to talk about at 33 with Carolina, because this is an interesting spot for them. Because they're going to feel pressured to help the quarterback with this pick. I mean, every move they make this off season is going to feel like they're pressured to help the quarterback. But, you know, with a new GM coming in, new philosophy with how they attack the roster and just the whole management of what they're doing out there.

new coaching staff. But still, I think at 33, they're going to feel pressure, especially if they don't get a, you know, the T. Higgins or they don't get that big fish in for agency or trade. How are they going to help the quarterback? I have them taking Adana Mitchell from Texas who I think this is a little rich for where most people in the league, most teams expect him to be drafted, but he has high upside. Half round though, like I'm guessing I'm kind of late, second or only third on him. Probably, yeah.

But that's still, okay, okay. Again, I think it's high upside. It's, okay, what can this guy, if he hits, what can he be for us? Because, yeah, he is a very loose athlete. I mean, he's a good-sized player. There's a lot that could, you know, a lot of good that could come from this pick. So, yeah, that's an interesting one. Yeah, you mentioned Jalen Polk to the Falcons.

I think that's a great one. Yeah, that's, that's one that, yeah, I was surprised, but I wasn't when I realized that the Falcons only had, the Falcons receivers had only four touchdowns this year. Shocked. I mean, I was a incredible surprise, but I wasn't. Was it two of them for Scotty Miller as well? Scottie Miller, that's right. Drake London had two.

Scottie Miller had the other two. Oh, man. Unbelievable. Too much Falcons this year. I can tell you. Oh, I mean, no, you did. There was about seven of those touchdowns were about one inch away and they turn into turnovers or something.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I know. As someone that had way too much money invested in, Falcons over eight and a half wins. Yeah, that was a, Yeah. That was an interesting game.

But now I really like the poke to the Falcons one because it just makes sense. He's a Z. He blocks his ass off too. I know Arthur Smith is no longer there, but that's still a valued asset. So I like that with a lot. Yeah. And Drake London, I think, can be a legit number one. And you had a guy like this at number two.

And you're in a good, you're in good shape moving forward. Ladd McConkey to the Bengals. This is in, you know, McConkey, if you told me that he is going to average 15 to 16 games over his rookie contract, 15 to 16 games a year over his rookie contract, I would have no problem pulling the trigger on him, the top 40 picks, you know, maybe even the first round. He's missed a lot. He's been banged up often the last two years, and he's a smaller guy, and I think that's

going to worry a lot of teams. But here at 49, you look at the Bengals, and, you know, we've probably seen the last of the Jamar Chase, T. Higgins, Tyler Boyd, in Cincinnati, and McCona. could be that guy that helps them transition to the next phase of what that offense looks like. And, you know, you want to scare defenses. Ladd McConkey will help you scare defenses with Joe Burrow throwing the rock. Yeah.

And that's perfect for how they use them too because they don't need that slot guy to be like a blocker or a scrappy guy or like a scrapper and all that physical guy. Just get open. Just get open. And there's a lot of space with Jamar Chase and with or without T. Higgins. But there's going to be a lot of space for him to work with. So I thought that one was a great one. I was maybe on a flip over.

I actually thought, actually had one more question. I noticed that you gave the chiefs a tight end replacement in the second round. Would you want to talk about the maybe the heir to Travis Kelsey's throne? I do not going to put him in that category, but that's unfair. But I did notice that little fit that you had there. Well, and I think that maybe long term he's the air, but I think right now he's the compliment. I think that with what you put him out there, he'll, he's more receivers. than Blocker, but he's just another option that I think Patrick Mahomes will feel comfortable

throwing to. He will gain trust in what he can offer. So, you know, who know, I mean, Travis Kelsey's going to play as long as he wants. And that might not be, he might retire in six years, who knows. But the opportunity to bring in a guy that's going to help to learn under Kelsey that can, you can have them on the field at the same time, I think it just helps the offense. So, Again, this is pick 59. So when you're talking about outside the top 50 picks, let's just draft good players. Let's draft guys that we think can, you know,

really be an asset to our team. And I think Sanders is that guy. Yeah, Jatavion Sanders from Texas. And that's what he is. He's a move tight end, but they know how to use those guys. So I thought that was a very interesting one. And he'll be, uh, he not got announced today.

He'll be at the Shrine Bowl. He's not going to play, but he will be there to, to interview with teams, interview with media. So just kind of a, you know, he's a Texas guy. He's from, I believe he's from Denton, Ryan, which is right there in North Texas. It's an opportunity for him to get some FaceTime with scouts before the combine,

answer any questions. And so, you know, good on him for taking advantage of that opportunity at the Shrine Bowl, which is going to be in Frisco coming up here in a week and a half. So you mentioned Coralie as one of your favorite team fits. Did you have any other favorite kind of like player team fits that you have? kind of, we're like, ooh, I like that one. Like you're like, yeah, that scratchy nature, maybe a little narrative thing that you really like there. Yeah, you know, in the, in the fur, back in the first round, I really like Jackson Powers Johnson, the Oregon Center to Miami.

I was going to ask about it at 22. Yeah, I think it's, that's definitely one of my, one of my favorite fits. I think when you look at Powers Johnson, um, I'm still searching for the bad tape. I'm still, I'm still looking. He was, he had such a good year this year for Oregon. He's a center. but he has guard experience. He's a good-sized player, good-sized athlete, the way he moves.

He's strong at the point of attack. He finishes. He'll get a little over-zealous at times, a little over-aggressive, but it's not something that hinders his game. He is a young, ascending player. And I think it may be surprised people that I'm going 22 that early, but I love the fit in Miami. He is a plug-and-play guy that really can help all three of those interior positions.

It seems no matter what when we do mocks for the dog. offense. It's like we need versatile offense alignment. Just versatile. Like that's just, which hold of the day? Just fill it. Just give him a guy. So that's been one of the easier fits. No, that's a guy that I've watched recently, but that's a riser, I would call because that is somebody that has been kind of picking up some steam. I would say another riser. Also, I'm trying to tie us the Pacific Northwest. You had going to the Seahawks, they're not from Washington, but you had Byron Murphy from Texas going to pick number 16. I'd leave to the Seahawks. So Byron Murphy, this is a little bit of jump up there. So what are your

thoughts on Murphy? You know, defensive tackle is kind of a, there's not a lot of names up at the top of the draft at this point in time. So some thoughts of Murphy is your DT1 at this point in time as far as in this mock draft. Yeah, no. And I think he is the top defensive tackle with the way he plays. He's just, he's so disruptive versus both the pass and the run. He is a hard guy to block. And he'll get beat up through the process because he's not the biggest player. You know, we'll see what the exact measurements are height, length, hands, all that. But just the tape and the metrics are heavily in favor of Murphy. He had a pass rush win percentage rate 19.6% this year. No other defensive tackle in the country was above 17%. You think about, you know, some of these. Anything that percent's good.

Oh, for an interior player? Absolutely. And you know, Collaja Cancy was a top 20 pick last year. We've seen undersized defensive tackles go in the top 20 before, so I don't think it should surprise anybody with Byron Murphy gets up there. And I think he's going to test well. At 300 pounds, he might run on the 4-7s in the 40 and some of the other drills should look nice too. So, again, I think it's just all about checking the boxes. Tape checks, metrics check. We'll see what the testing numbers, but if it's the check that I expected to be,

no surprise why he would go this early. and Seattle, I know they traded a second, you know, for Leonard Williams. And so it's kind of like we're using our first two picks on interior defense alignment. But at the same time, okay, let's just, yeah, let's just keep getting better. Let's keep throwing our assets at a position that we need to get better at. And Murphy, again, when you can be disruptive versus the pass and the run, that could be such an asset. And so, yeah, I kind of like this marriage. And I like Murphy going this early.

I love when you get the different flavor on the defensive front. Like even you had Dallas Turner going to the Bears defensive front, him and sweat complement each other because they are a little bit different styles, even if they both are two-way players. But like Murphy with the Seahawks front, you brought Leonard Williams, but a lot of their guys are kind of those muller, bruiser types. So you get kind of that more, you know, shooter type, you know, the one that's really disrupt as those other guys are kind of plugging. So I always kind of like that kind of mix And you have no idea what kind of defense system they're going to run So that's a whole other So I consider that a riser

Or is there any other guys that you kind of jumped up here Maybe in the first round or the second round That you want to highlight as guys that you're noting Rising for you, rising what you're hearing Or just yeah, generally good I mean yeah we touched on a bunch of them already I think Chris Jenkins A defense tackle from Michigan going 37 overall

I think he benefits from a defensive tackle class that isn't great. But you look at what he offers. I think a lot of teams are going to be in on Chris Jenkins and saying, okay, if we don't get him here in the second, he won't be there for us on the third. So we're comfortable drafting him here in the top 40, top 50 picks. So yeah, he'd be won.

Some of these safeties, I think, in the second round, are going to make a lot of sense that just good players. Jayton Hicks from Washington State, I am going to the Packers at 41. He has almost. He has almost the size of a linebacker. He's 6-2-215. He is that intimidator over the middle of the field.

I mean, as a Wisconsin fan, I know you know from that game this year, laying out dudes over the middle of the field. But he's also – he can cover. I mean, he picked off Michael Pennix this year. I can't remember. I think it was like a – might have been a slot fade. But he is a guy that can do different things. to wear different hats. He can play the nickel.

He can play the box. He can play deep. There's a lot of things you could do with Jaden Hicks in a 6-2-250-pound body. So like him quite a bit. The other safety that I think has been maybe moving up a little bit, Javon Bullard from Georgia, he's a,

every single tape I watched on him this year, he made his presence known in the run game. And I think he'll get dinged a little bit because I don't expect him to be a great tester. But for a safety, I think he's going to be just fine. And he does just enough range where he can make plays in coverage and not just totally get beat. So Javon Bullard from Georgia, another one of these Georgia DBs that maybe not go into the second round, but he's a good player.

Yeah. And honestly, there's another name that was a, this is, we're talking defense right now, but it makes sense that you're talking about, oh, this guy might rise up. This guy is a new name or this guy teams are going to like and everything. It's because defense tackle linebacker and safety, or there's not a lot of guys at the top of the board. So there's going to be guys that are going to rise as we, oh, this guy, oh, this guy is interesting because that's what's going to be as more interesting names. So the first linebacker you had off the board, speaking of which was Junior Colson from Michigan at pick 50 to the Eagles, which is a very relevant position need that I thought was very timely that you slotted that one in there. So has Colson kind of approved throughout the process as you watch more of them? Yeah, I think he's just, he's reliable.

He's rock solid. He might not have an elite area to his game, but everything he does, yeah, he's a good quality player. He's not going to be the fastest linebacker at the Combine, but he'll be just fine. He'll run well. You know, he plays physical. He plays tough.

He'll play through injuries. You know, the background's kind of crazy. He grew up in a Haitian orphanage and came to the U.S. and didn't know English, didn't know football, didn't know anything, and just gradually grew into this, you know, really. dominant linebacker in high school and then goes to Michigan and continues to get better and here we are. I think he's got a chance to be a top 50 drag pick. And it's funny, the Eagles, they have three picks in the top two rounds. All three picks are back seven defenders in this mock

draft. And if you need to know why, we didn't watch the game last night against the bucks, they need help in a big way because it's, you know, as much as we want to get on them about the coaching. It's just personnel. They just don't have it. And so in the first round, I had them taking Quignon Mitchell, I believe. Yep. From Toledo. Yeah, corner from Toledo. And then in the second round,

Junior Colson here at 50, and then they have another second round pick. I haven't taken Bullock, Kalen Bullock, the safety from USC, rangy, true center field type. So, yeah, those three picks make a lot of sense and very topical based on how that Bucks

and Eagles game played out. Another one of my favorite... Yeah. Another one of my favorite fits was, well, what the Steelers did in this mock in the first round, they go Cooper DeGine, a guy that, you know, we know we can play in that black and yellow. And you think about the Steelers,

they could use an outside corner, but they could also... I stole those uniforms, so that makes a lot of sense. They did. They had to deal with them. They had to match the uniforms for you. Yes, that makes sense. The Steelers need an outside corner,

but they can also use an inside corner. They can also use a box guy. they can also use that Cooper does all that stuff. It's great. I love that. Make a Fitzpatrick, Joey Porter Jr. and Cooper DeGine, yeah, sign me up. That's great.

I do, yeah, I think that fit makes a lot of sense. And then the second, I haven't taken Zach Frazier from West Virginia, who grew up just south of Pittsburgh. He embodies that Pittsburgh, what you think of a Pittsburgh offensive lineman. And talk about two guys. Backyard brawler. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And he has that mentality.

I mean, we mentioned how, after he broke his leg. trying to get off the field just so they didn't have to waste a time out or get the penalty, 10-second runoff late in that final game. Now, obviously, that injury will play a factor in where he's ultimately drafted. But as long as it's, you know, the rehab's going well. It's healing just fine. I think that, you know, he's still going to be somewhere in this day two conversation. And for the Steelers, you take the long-term look with Zach Frazier.

He could be starting center for you, you know, at some point in October next year, which obviously is a position they need to address. So to Dijin and Frazier, those two picks, I think we'll go a long way to kind of helping what, you know, the culture I think is going to be fine as long as Tomlin's there. But two guys that will help edge it in the right direction. So I like what they did. And then, you know, Troy Franklin of the Browns. The Browns are kind of tough. They don't pick in the top 50 this year.

But when you look at that offense needing another explosive element, Franklin is, you know, I know, I know. some people like him in the first round. I just can't get there. And I haven't heard any feedback from NFL teams that he's in the first round. He's just, he's an unpolished player. And so there are question marks. But again, if you're the Browns, you're picking at 54.

More likely than not, you're getting a guy at 54 who's going to have some warts on them. But they want explosive young talents. And that's what Troy Franklin is. He had, he was top three in the country this year, eight catches over 40 yards. he was one of only two receivers that had at least 1,300 yards receiving and 14 receiving touchdowns, him and Malik Neighbors. So there's a lot to like about him as a get down the field, go make a play, and you add him to that mix in Cleveland, and you might have something even as early as his rookie year. And then one more I wanted to talk about was Jonathan Brooks.

That's who I was going to ask you about. You're only running back, I believe, in the first two rounds. I wasn't planning on doing a running back in these first two rounds, especially when Travion and Henderson. went back to school. You know, it's interesting when you think about who that first running back's going to be. Is it going to be Audragestime from Notre Dame? Is it going to be, you know, could Blake Corum get up there? You know, there's not a consensus running back one, especially with Jonathan Brooks coming off the ACL injury.

But the Cowboys, you know, Troy Pollard, or, yeah, he's a free agent. Yeah, excuse me, Tony Pollard. He's a pending free agent. We don't know if he's going to be back or not. I'm sure he's going to want to get paid, and the Cowboys are probably not going to pay him the money that he wants. We'll have to wait and see on that one. But you look at Jonathan Brooks, a guy that maybe had an early second round grade before the injury. You have a chance to get him at 56.

And this is a Cowboys team that's not afraid to take risks within that second round. They've done it often when it comes to. Oh, yeah. Randy Gregory. Jaylon Smith coming off that major injury of Notre Dame. Yeah. I mean, even last year. year with a schoonmaker, like a guy that, you know, yeah, a good player, but, you know, you're,

you're telling me that, you know, Jonathan Brooks can't make a bigger impact than schoonmaker where they drafted, run the same area last year. So Brooks even, even coming off the ACL injury, but here's the key thing with him. The guy that did his surgery, his ACL surgery, is the Cowboys team physician. So it's, it's, no one is going to have better information than the Cowboys about what the, okay, when's going to be back on the field? When, realistically will he be able to run and be, you know, game ready and all those questions will be answered for the Cowboys because now all these other teams will have these answers to because they'll, you know, their own doctors will look at them and all that. But nobody will have better information than the Cowboys. And again, I think there's just a fit that makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels.

I know, I like that one a lot. And it's he's supremely talented. It's, you know, a Texas running back. It's like, of course they have a guy. They get a five star guy every single year. But we just talked about some risers. Were there any guys that fell or surprises or guys that you're kind of feeling that their ground is kind of maybe falling a little bit or their floors falling a little bit when you're doing this or just anything you're hearing? You know, I think, well, and some of these guys, I think we're a little overvalued to begin with.

Like Cameron Kitchens, like he's a nice player. He's a good player. It's just, you know, he's not that first round pick that a lot of people want him to be. He'll make a play. One play, he'll make a play and then he'll miss the next two. or, you know, like, he's a good player. He's just, he's an inconsistent player. And so I, right now, if you had to say over under, you know, the top 75 picks, I mean,

that's kind of what those over under is. At least that's how NFL teams grade. I mean, that's why I was really glad to see Kitchens, except his senior bowl invite. That's another guy who was a chance to really help himself with a good week in Mobile. You know, a lot of teams need safeties. And Kitchens, he has a lot to offer. It's not like he's a bad player. It's just can he be more consistent?

Can he convince teams? that he will be, you know, he is yet to reach his ceiling. He has more upside and will continue to get better and better with more coaching. So kitchens would definitely fall in that category. But, yeah, no. Some guys are going to like him because he's just such a smart player. Yeah, yeah, but it's just like you have to understand what he is. Right, right, exactly.

And so, yeah, and it's interesting. Another theme with the second round was offensive linemen and how we're going to see a lot of them going the first round. And so who's going to be left in the second round? And once those guys are gone, are we going to see maybe some reaches? And, you know, maybe we have a third round grade on this guy, but we need to take him here at, you know, 45, you know, talking about the Saints. They need offensive line help. I haven't taken Dominic Pune from Kansas, who I think realistically is maybe more of a late second, early third,

but they take him in the top 50 because, hey, we need offensive line help. And if we don't draft him here, he won't be there for us in the third, and we don't love our third round options at that point. So offensive linemen, after those guys come flying off the board at the first round, it just thins out a lot in the second round. And that could help some guys maybe go a little bit earlier than we thought. Okay. And speaking of which, you had one offensive line that you snuck in in the back half of the second round. And it was a Yale Bulldog at offensive tackle.

I'm not going to try to say his last name. So I would like, I'd love to hear you talk about this guy because he is a new name for me. And I think it's a very interesting one to be thrown out here because I think he's an interesting prospect overall. So I want you to talk about this Yale Bulldog from this office to tackle prospect. Yes. Karan Amagogy. Amagogy. Yeah. Amagaji. I would be close. I would be close. He's one of my favorite players in the draft. He's not going to talk about a lot because

he's an Ivy Leagueer and he's hurt right now. So we're not going to see him at the Senior Bowl. We're not going to see him at the Combine. He'll be at the Combine. He'll be at the combine he's not going to be working out um he he's a young player he grew up a basketball guy uh you know and he's he's kind of late to football he didn't actually start playing football until eighth grade um and you know he is kind of it's been a gradual process for him but and then he goes to to yale and his first season's wiped out because of covid so he doesn't get on the field until his sophomore year uh he starts at guard and then the last two years he's a left tackle uh before his his injury back in October this year. So there's, and he might not go this early because of all those

factors, but, and I'm going to the 49ers who, again, it's, it's, it's about planning for the future. And do you need a left tackle tomorrow? No, but in a year and tomorrow, you might. So drafting a guy like this now that you can develop and learn from one of the greats and Trent Williams, and need someone that can also help maybe at right tackle this year. Yeah, that's another area that 49ers could address. So I think that's a fit that would make. makes sense for a really promising young player with a ton of talent. This guy is, he's one of the longest players in the draft for as athletic as he is. His arms are 36 and three quarter, which is remarkable.

I mean, it's, because Paris Johnson was like 36 and a half, right? So he even got that. Man, yeah, DeWan Jones was. DeWan Jones was up there too, right? Yeah, but yeah, this is, that's as long as you can hope for. Yeah, that's as long as you over here. Yeah. So, yeah, if, and we'll see if that's, if that, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that comes to fruition and that's what he actually is at the combine.

Well, we'll wait and see, but that'll definitely, hopefully they can count. Hopefully they can count on that campus, you know. Hopefully they're using, maybe, are they using the metric system, maybe? Is that they do in the Ivy League? Yeah. But he is, he is a guy that's impressive. Yeah. I've talked to him multiple times.

He's, he's, he's really, really smart guy. character's great, coaches really like them. And then again, the athletic traits, the length. And it's like, all right, yeah, let's take a swing on this guy, even as early as a second round and see what we can, we have down the road. And someone will, especially at that position. That's what, there's some interesting day two guys at the tackle position. Even the guy, you know, Kingsley from BYU.

In the end of the first round, I believe you had in there. Like, no, that's what's so interesting. And I bet you there's a lot of northeast area scouts there were very happy about this prospect, I'm like, oh, we got somebody. I got somebody that's interesting at one of these schools. And yeah, just the last thing is any guys that maybe you had thought about on these mocks or on your big board that returned to school, kind of the best that are returning to school. And guys that you'll see in about four months when you do your way too early big board of mock draft right after the draft that they did April.

Well, nobody benefited more than Ohio State, right? All the guys they got back, you know, from JT. He would have made to Amalo. he would have made this mock draft, whether it was late first or early second, I don't know, but he would have been in there. Tray Van Henderson, the running back might have been in there. Micah Bucca probably would have been in there.

Denzel Burke, the corner, probably would have been in there. Jack Sawyer. Sawyer probably would have been in there. I mean, they had a lot of guys. I was told that the day after the Michigan National Championship game was the biggest, most lucrative day for the collective at Ohio State. This That's hilarious

Ohio State has one of the biggest alumni bases So I mean There's no reason why it shouldn't be obviously But clearly they want to Get back on the right side of things For them as they see this rivalry But they have the

With Will Howard We'll see you know How that comes to fruition But with all the guys they came back Nobody benefited more And bringing in Quinchon Judkins I'm running back from Ole Miss I mean, it's going to be, expectations might be too high.

This is for Ryan Day. It's not even playoffs. It's because it's a 12-team playoff next year. So not even playoffs is enough. You have to beat Michigan and go to national title game to justify keeping your job. And, hey, the talent's there with all these guys that went back and that will not be in this draft. But yeah, it'll be interesting. They didn't get their number one quarterback prospect, though, probably Cam Ward or anything who did, who I felt like every single day.

changed between he's going to the draft and going to a new school and then ended up going to Miami. So that that's a he made the right choice, I think. I mean, I think he was a dark horse. You know, maybe could go ahead of panic. Maybe could, you know, sneak into the top seven to five. Yeah, maybe. But another year, I think, is going to benefit him more long term. And, you know, we'll see how it plays out. But yeah, it always felt like he was leaning more towards going back than actually coming out. There's a few guys. I'm very glad went back, including Van Dyke, who's at Wisconsin now.

So that'll be interesting two-for for me this upcoming year. But no, that was awesome. I'm glad. I mean, we're fully in it. We got the Senior Bowl in the Shrine game coming up in a couple of weeks. Other All-Star games as well. We got, of course, the Super Bowl. But then after that, man, it's like two weeks.

Then you got the Combine. Oh, man. That's it. We're in it. We're in Dane season right now. Next week will preview Senior Bowl. with Mr. Janaggy himself.

He'll help us kind of run through what to look for in Mobile. So that'll be a lot of fun. And yeah, it's always, it's always crazy because an all-star game, you know,

does that change anything? And, yeah, we got a lot of stuff coming up here. Get ready for some one-on-one clips on Twitter. So just get ready for a lot of guys getting tossed in shorts and a five-second route that you'll never see ever in a game situation. but hey we got to see some breaking ability and some body control but no just get ready for it we're in it

we're in it and it's awesome so thank you so much to dane for joining me as always on prospects foros we will be here every single wednesday as the draft season rolls on we'll see you guys next time this was the athletic football show's prospects to pros podcast