The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Prospects to Pros: Shedeur Sanders & QB3 race, Rookie of the Year picks & more

Episode Date: September 6, 2023

How good is Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders as a prospect? And what about Travis Hunter? Dane Brugler and Nate Tice cover these and other standouts from a busy week 1 in college football, check in on the QBs who might push for 3 on their prospect lists, and make some predictions for the 2023 Rookies of the Year in the NFL.This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/MAYS and get on your way to being your best self.This episode is sponsored by Sleep Number®: Save $400 on the New Sleep Number® c4 smart bed. Plus, special financing for a limited time. Only at Sleep Number® stores or sleepnumber.com. Sleep Number. The Official Sleep and Wellness Partner of the National Football League. See store for details.Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/mays. 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. Today, we're going to be covering week one of the college football action who fired the first shots in the battle for QB3. Who else stood out Labor Day weekend? Who we're going to keep an eye on for week two of college football? And actually, NFL perhaps, because this is pros and the prospects of pros. And maybe some rookie award selections at the end of this episode.

So to lead us to the prospect promised land, it's a man who looked like Christmas came early, especially when I was texting up throughout the last week. It's Dane Bruegler. How are you doing today, Dane? How are you doing after this, like, lovely weekend? Barbecue and college football, isn't that like your two favorite things probably? Yeah, that sums it up, yeah, with apologies to my kids. I mean, it's the first week, Labor Day weekend is so much fun for college football because it's five straight days of overreactions and things that, you know,

we'll definitely regret saying a month from now. And you know what? But it's fun. Let's live it up in the moment. The Colorado discussion, we're going to get into that quite a bit. But yeah, it was a ton of fun just with food, football. I mean, it doesn't get any better than that. Yeah, I start measuring myself maybe if actually a few years being into this, I've realized,

okay, let's let it loose a little bit earlier in the season. Like, I always try to be guarded. So it's like, I don't want to be exposed in a couple of weeks. But it's like, whatever. They're going to find you anyway. So just let it rip. Exactly. A bit of sad news, though, in really the scouting industry and the football industry is Gil Brandt passed away at 91 years old.

He was an absolute legend. I had the pleasure of getting to meet him once over the years. And he remembered everything about my dad as a prospect from the early 80s, which still blows my mind to this day. Dane, I know you have a relationship, a great relationship, or had one with Brandt. Anything you want to share or speak on about like a legendary person and legendary career. and really what seems like a great man. Well, I mean, he was, yeah, revolutionary in scouting. You can't tell the story of the NFL without his contributions.

I mean, it's why he's in the Hall of Fame. And there have been many stories written over the last week. I hope everybody reads that really show how much he's done for the league. I got to know Gil first about 10 years ago, and it got to the point where we were on the phone 15 times a week between January and April, you know, thousands of phone calls, stories, information, just little nuggets, things that filled the draft guide. He loved the process so much.

And he was very upset if he was not the first to receive his copy, printed out, and overnighted of the beast. So that was always a priority for me once I was done. One of my favorite things about my relationship with Gil, he was unofficially in charge of sending out the invites to the actual draft to the players. And so he, 20, 25 guys, he looked to invite. And so he would call me after the combine and we would vet all the players. And I would tell him, you know, no, this guy needs to be on there. He needs to be invited or, you know, I'm not sure about this one. He could slip a little bit.

And it was a really fun part of the process for me that I really couldn't talk about publicly until now. But we did it every year. And it was really cool. So Christian Wilkins, if you're listening, you're welcome because you were not going to be invited. But, you know, I fought for you. You're a top 10 player on my board. that draft, 2019, I believe, pounded the table, convinced Gil, you need to be invited, and you were there. I think you've definitely lived up to it. But no, that's just one of the many

memories. I'll have of Gil and, you know, everything that, you know, he, he brought to my scouting education that, you know, definitely a mentor for me over the years. Yeah. And that's what he came across. And like I said, it was just one meeting for me. And that's exactly what it was the memory and just love of the game. And it's just, and that's what it is. Like you said, love the process of it all. And that's what it is. The NFL season, college football season, the NFL draft there is something, you know,

it's a schedule. And it's like you really set your clock to it. And some people enjoy that and some people complain about it. And he just seemed like he loved every minute of it to just obsess over these guys and what they can become, you know, rest in peace. Honestly, everyone that I've ever talked to about him is just told stories like you just did. Incredible detail, incredible love of the game. and just, yeah, just we're going to miss them.

And Mike Kent Garrison, our producer talked about before the show, he's a Cowboys fan, talked about to be, you know, in the Ring of Honor for the Dallas Cowboys is saying something. And that's, especially if you're just a personnel, not just a personnel guy, but someone that maybe did not have the titles that a lot of other guys get into the Ring of Honor. So honestly, a legend of the game. And, yeah, he will be missed. But going on to next year's draft, speaking of talking about prospects, is the quarterback three discussion is something that's going to really quarterback one and two as well. It's going to hang over this season.

I mean, really up until probably late April as we go through this process because there's really it's a good problem because there's just so many interesting and fun quarterbacks to talk about. But when you think of the quarterback three discussion after Labor Day weekend after week one of college football, who stood out to you, Dane or who did you find interesting or maybe who took a little tail end, who stepped back a little bit or you have some more question marks about after the first week of college football action? Man, this quarterback three conversation, it really could be just a weekly segment for us. You know, we just kind of check in and see how the race is going.

So I felt better. I know it was East Carolina, but I feel better about my JJ McCarthy at quarterback three preseason ranking. I feel better about it now than I did, you know, a week ago. He was dealing. He was up and throws to every level. The coverage didn't matter. He was putting the ball where his guys could go make plays, showed off the athleticism. Again, it's the traits and intangibles that have me so bullish on him.

And then, you know, we'll see throughout the season. Can he continue to take those positive steps? Saturday, definitely one of those positive steps for him as a passer. But, you know, we've got to talk about Shadur, Shadur Sanders. I mean, I'm eager to get your take on what you saw Saturday. You know, I think a few things are important to point out with the conversation with Shadur Sanders right now. first. It's not like he came out of nowhere. He was highly recruited. He was 23 and

three as a starter at Jackson State the last two years. And he was my number six quarterback in the rankings this summer. So it's not like he was off the radar and all of a sudden, you know, he's someone we need to talk about this weekend. The other thing, too, I think, is worth mentioning out just, you know, kind of preface the conversation about what happened, what we saw on Saturday. T.C.'s defense, probably one of the worst Colorado is going to see this season. That and Sean Lewis, the play caller, deserves a ton of credit.

That's what to make, man. Yeah, the game plan. He was cooking. The game plan was awesome. I mean, TCU looked like they were running in circles. With all that said, Sanders was really, really impressive in his debut. And I did a film room on the athletic that you can check

out right now. I had a couple all 22 clips that I think really show why we need to take him seriously as an NFL prospect. He's got a really nice arm, both in terms of velocity and in terms of placement. We saw different types of throws on the tape. He was accurate when he was asked to drive it. He was accurate when dropping it in, you know, some of those bucket deep shots down the field.

He's really athletic, but it's not a crutch for him. It's not something that, you know, he relies on to be productive. It's more of an ace that he has in his back pocket. Right. More so than a central part of his game. And so the thing that, uh, maybe most impressive. In a game like this where all the hype coming in, both teams are just exchanging haymakers back and forth, it'd be so easy to get really high with your emotions

or maybe even a little tight after mistake. But to me, the most impressive thing about Sanders in that game, the poise for all four quarters. I mean, his heartbeat was not elevated. He was controlled. He was focused. And I mean, obviously his dad was a high-level athlete. So maybe it shouldn't be a big surprise, but it was just awesome to see. And so from an evaluation standpoint, Sanders has now set the bar pretty high. And it's going to be important to see the full body of work after we get a few more tapes. I'm not sure Sanders is going to face a truly legit defense all year. And that's a criticism that we're going to say about all of these Pack 12 quarterbacks,

Caleb Williams, Michael Panics, Bo Nicks. But Colorado's got Nebraska this weekend. And then they have Oregon and USC later this month. back-to-back week. So it's going to be a lot of fun to track his progress going forward. Yeah, he was a very pleasant to watch what you're saying with the accuracy, especially underneath, and this speaks to Sean Lewis, is that that was the biggest worry I think everyone has with Colorado is not only just, you know, all the transfers that they have is the offensive line, how it's kind of patchwork.

Sean Lewis showed a great understanding what that offensive line was. It was a lot of quick game, getting the ball out. But I thought Sanders over and over and over was showing good timing on it. everything. It ball in his hands, found a target, and let it rip. And putting it with good placement, I think there was a dig throw as well. I was starting to go, like, are you going to push the ball a little bit? And as the game opened up a little bit and he got kind of pushed to do that, some of those guys were running wide open, which is great.

And then somewhere he was putting some nice throws on there. The deep balls, there should have been a couple more deep balls that were completed. That would have probably even added to its fantastic stat line. What you're talking about with the kind of didn't use his athletic ability, that's actually what surprised me too, is that he was really, trying not to like get into creation mode. He was like, no, I am operating from the pocket. Like hell or high water. I'm sitting back here and going through my reads.

So that is what I'll just be curious to see is like, can he get into that creation mode? And I would assume yes, but I just got to see it, especially what you're saying, going against maybe FBS quality opponents. But yeah, he was a very pleasant surprise. I, watching him operate that offense and what you're saying with the poise, they didn't have any, you know, pre-snap penalties, procedural penalties, like as far as that stood out as like bad moment once where I was watching other quarterbacks with a lot more starts with offensive lines, more veteran offensive lines going through those issues. And that's kind of,

that was surprising to me as well. It was coached their asses off on both sides of the ball. But again, just want to see more. But that was as big of a first step forward in this race that any of these guys took. So that was really, really like just interesting to watch. Any other players in that game stood out to you that Colorado TCU game? The big tight end for TCU is interesting. Jared Wiley. That guy is a monster. He's a good player. He's a good player. That was the one that really stood out to me.

Of course, Travis Hunter. But we got to talk about Travis Hunter, right? I know. We have to, though, right? He's not draft eligible, but I mean, what he's doing is, and like, he lived up to his part of three. Yeah. Former five star guy.

Like, he, he was a guy that was supposed to be this good. He just happened to go to Jackson State for a year. And then now, like, Colorado. Okay. I'm really eager to get your opinion on just the snap count and how that, like, if you have any experience seeing a guy do this. Because, so according to PFF, he played a total of 152 snaps against TCU, 65 on offense, 80 on defense, seven on special teams. And there wasn't once where he was hurting his team by being gassed or not going full speed. I mean, we saw Gibral Peppers do this a little bit all three phases a couple of years ago.

or I mean a couple years ago like more like almost a decade ago Chris Gamble and Ohio State was the one He's the one yeah that The last true two-way player that I remember watching He was a first round pick I've been trying to think how to Contextualize how crazy it is to play 150

you snaps in a game So I went back and two years ago Penn State and Illinois played a nine overtime game He was the first in the history of college football to go past seven overtime It was basically the game that forced the college football change your overtime rules because it was just ridiculous. It's not the Jared Lorenzen game against Arkansas when he was just dragging against Matt Jones. That's what always stands up to me in 7 OTs and they didn't change it then.

Yeah, the LSU A&M seven overtime thrill. Yeah, there went some classics for sure. But in that nine overtime game, the player with the most snaps in that game was an offensive lineman with 106 snaps. 106. That's almost 50 fewer than when a Hunter did in a 4. four-quarter game against TCU. So it's just, obviously, it can't last the full season, right? I mean, it's just, it'll be really fascinating to see how they use him moving forward. But I mean, in your experience, do you remember seeing anything like this where a guy's playing

almost triple-digit snaps playing both ways, not coming off the field and still being that effective? Not that effective. And like usually the guy on offense is he, it's a gadget guy. It's like he's in for those, it was Dionne Williams with Cowboys or, or, you know, other guys that have been like defense. It's usually defense first or Charles Woodson. You know, defense first. Okay, and then you're five, ten plays on offense. Okay, where you're absolutely getting the ball or you are the deep.

That was triple peppers. Yeah, he was in a full-time offensive guy. But yeah. But it's bad on offense. Dozen snaps, tops, you know, and specialist role in a very a gadgety type of role. And not like this where it's full time. I don't remember it. Chris Gamble might be the only one.

But again, I think they kind of rotated him on offense. So it's always a defensive first type of player because we'll be in the NFL like Brown, Troy Brown. What's his name? With the Patriots. That's that, yeah, that who's now a coach there. That would be one I've seen the NFL and they actually have another guy in Jones. They're Marcus Jones there who's kind of doing the same thing.

DB special teams and sprinkling into offense. But I actually, my question, but to answer your question, have not really seen it to that level other than maybe they're playing some FCS opponent to start the year. not to that in a big game week one, got to have it. And I think that's kind of how he's going to be used because I don't think it's sustainable for a whole season. I mean, he's an unbelievable athlete, but it's just 150 snaps is 150 snaps. That is a lot of bruising and he's a fantastic athlete and everything.

I actually was going to ask you, do you see him as a DB or as a receiver at this point in time? Because I know he got recruited more as a DB, but it wasn't really like the receiver part I was too negative on. I thought both aspects. he was a plus plus player at, but just right now in September 5th, 2023, a year and a half before he's even draft eligible, do you see him more as like a DB or receiver type just off an experience? If we have to pick one, I think it's definitely corner, you know, if you have to pick one.

But there's no reason why NFL teams won't look at them both ways and say, you know, a little bit, this, a little bit of that. But I think for the most part, it will be on defense. He has just a really instinct of nature for to go get the ball. I mean, we saw that an interception at the goal line. I mean, it was crazy. So, yeah, this is a player that has the athletic traits, has the instincts, has the mental makeup to really be a stud at a cornerback. So when we, champ Bailey did it a little bit when he played both ways at Georgia.

That's right. You know, I think he's more in that champ Bailey mold where I think defensive first. But heck, I mean, I don't know. After a few more weeks, I could change my mind. I know. He was making plays on offense, no doubt. Yeah, he's running fantastic routes. It's unbelievable. But getting back to the QB3 race, any other quarterbacks that you want to touch on?

I got like a little short list. I thought it was going to be a short list. It turned out to be like a dozen guys. Yeah. That speaks to the quarterbacks. The potential of this quarterback class, it is really, really bonkers. Actually, I was trading techs with a guy in the league this morning. And we were talking about how if you're in the NFL right now and you're a quarterback,

you better be good this year. Because there's a lot of guys coming. You know, it's always the case, you know, where if you're not good enough, teams are going to look to have an upgrade. But the supply of quarterbacks coming is really, really impressive. And so, you know, Desmond Ritter, if you're, you know, guys that have a chance to snatch that job, you better do it this year. And so it will be fascinating to see. I think, you know, Michael Pennix at Washington had a great day. Joe Milton, Tennessee, showed off that ridiculous arm.

Maybe it sounds hyperbole, but it may be the most powerful arm I've ever seen. It is like Ryan Allen. Like it's yeah. I'm trying to think. It's crazy. It is. It's up there. Whatever it is, it's in the top three that I've ever seen.

Spencer Rattler, he didn't get much help against North Carolina, but I thought he played well for the most part. Michael Pratt looked awesome at Tulane. He looked great. Yeah. Shut up Greg Rosentall, by the way. He's two-lane grads. He's been bugging me. He's like, what do you think about Pratt?

What do you think about Pratt? And I was like, all right, I'll watch him. The crazy thing about Pratt is he is not a lock to be one of the first 7, 8, 9, 10 quarterbacks drafted. But that's the depth of this quarterback class because he absolutely has what it takes to be in the NFL. He against South Alabama, he was 14 of 15, four touchdowns. His one in completion was a drum. So, I mean, this guy, really the only thing keeping him from having a perfect day was he had a fumble on a sack where he held the ball maybe a little bit too long. But otherwise, it was just an outstanding, outstanding game.

Jordan Travis, Florida State quarterback, had a few yolo plays that may I'll maybe give you a little pause. He's got a little high-key. That's what he is. He's got some high-nkey in him. That's how I compare him to him. I mean, he's in the Heisman race. I mean, with everything he did, he's got Florida State, especially after watching Clemson. He's got a chance to lead Florida State to the playoffs, especially with those weapons.

We'll talk about some of those weapons later. But speaking of the ACC, we've got to talk about Riley Leonard, too. I love to. I mean, anyone who's been paying attention to prospects of pros, or just either of us, you follow us on Twitter, whatever. If you've heard us talk about these quarterbacks, we've mentioned Riley Leonard, how he is a legit NFL prospect, someone in contention for that QB3 spot. He debuted, I think, at number 29 on my top 50 draft board.

That's fair. So, you know, a guy that's in that first, late first discussion, he just led Duke to one of the biggest wins in school history Monday night over Clemson. So more, a lot more people know who Riley Leonard is today compared to, you know, a couple of days ago. And honestly, it wasn't even that great of a game for Riley Leonard throwing the football. I realized the bandwagon's a little more full this morning. Honestly, I was a little underwhelmed. I feel like I'm being that guy But so

And I'll be eager to see if you agree With what you saw Because he was awesome as a runner That's that's there's no question about that But this morning I sat down Watch the tape charted every one of his throws And I don't know

I just there wasn't a ton There wasn't one pass that you could point to in that game That could get you excited Of this That's where I'm at Yeah There was 17 completions. Of the 17

passes he completed, how many do you think were 10 yards or more in the air? Zero. Completed? I was going to say one. No, not a single one. I know he threw about five inside fades he missed. Yeah, well, that's it.

13 of his completions were within five yards of the line of scrimmage. The other four were between 6 and 10 yards. So not including throwaways, okay? He was over 5 on attempts over 10 yards. Four were inaccurate, throws where he sailed the ball. One was just really good coverage. So I mean, 78% of Duke's passing yards came after the catch.

I mean, there were a lot of, you know, dump off screens, design screens, you know, wide receiver screens, quick throws. And, you know, that's all well and good. Obviously, it worked for that Duke offense and it was enough to get the win. But basically what I'm getting at is, yeah, let's be excited about Riley Leonard. Again, pound for pound, he's one of the best athletes playing. quarterback in all of college football. I mean, he was an all-state basketball player in high school, a legit triple jumper

in track. So he's got the pedigree of a big-time athlete. And that manifests itself on the football field. That 44-year touchdown that he had was just a thing of art. But, you know, let's, based on what he did last year, based on the athlete and competitor, we saw Monday night, again, easy to be excited about Riley Leonard. Still some key questions that he needs to answer as a passer. And we didn't get a chance to see that against Clark.

The questions remain the same. That's how I feel about him. He was my quarterback three going to this process. And everything I was high on him about, which is underneath accuracy and athleticism, yeah, I feel about the same. And then everything that I had question marks about, whether they push the ball, whether he could stand in there, move as opposed to look into scramble. He played exactly the same as he did last year. Again, this is week one. That's why you have to see these guys, especially so many of these quarterbacks are so young now that, you know, we really have to see how they look in November. And the bowl, game and all that just to see once they get more starts. But I totally agree with you. I was I have so many people text me. They're like, you're a guy. Your guy's stepping up. Look at him. And I was like, yeah, but he hasn't like, his success rate yesterday was or last night was 39% which was lower than what Kate Klubnick finished with. And so and people are roasting Kate Klubnick right now, who like who was a top recruit coming out high school as well. But it was. It wasn't throwing the ball. He didn't really, he did have some nice kind of timing throws underneath. But this is the offense. It's a lot of quick game. It's a lot of screens. Some movement throws, which is good for

Riley Leonard. He's all good at that. But it's like, but to be an NFL guy, a guy you truly label as a first round pick, a true first round pick is you got to complete those dig balls, the intermediate balls over and over again because that's what you're asked to do at the NFL level. You can't live in quick games. So like I said, still, I kind of feel exactly the same on him as I did a week ago, as a month ago. It's just that he still, the same question marks I had on him. That kind of remained the same. Uh, honestly. Actually, in that game, were there any other Duke or Clemson players have stood out to you? I know Barton, the left tackle, he seemed to have a fine game, haven't watched all 22 yet.

But any of the Clemson of Defenders or Will Shipley, the Clemson are running back, anyone else that may be stand out to you outside the quarterback? Yeah, I mean, I did think Graham Barton played really well in Pass Pro. I didn't have him giving up a sack, which was good to see. He does a great job staying controlled, staying balanced in the run game, keeps his block centered. very smooth in his kickslide so he can match that edge speed. And then with his hands, he's got that strong, stubborn grip. So I thought Barton played really well. For Clemson, I mean, they got so many guys on defense.

And that was, you know, it was great to see what that Duke offense did because they were playing a defense with five, six, seven, eight future NFL guys. Ruka Rohiro, which is one of the best names in this draft to say. So he was. Yeah. Or roohra. Rojo. Yeah, there's like three or four Hs in it that you don't actually pronounce. The rural juror.

He's legit. He's a guy that didn't play football until his junior year high school. And he was like 215 pounds. He started at receiver and then tight end. Eventually he moved to the defensive line and he's just grown into this 300 pound wrecking ball. So really good movement skills for his size. But he also has power. He can create push at the point of attack. Him and Tyler Davis in the middle were pretty good in that game. The linebackers, they were a little more inconsistent. Barrett Carter just, you know, he's that big time athlete, a little undersized,

but you sacrifice a little bit of that size for the play speed, the range, the ability to hold up in coverage. His tackling power is adequate, put it that way. Leonard got him once on a scramble. Oh, yeah. Well, that's another thing. You got him in space. Yeah, in space. Yeah.

That long run that he had, Carter's the one that had him in the backfield that he was actually able to get out of that, got out of the grasp. And then Jeremiah Trader. I even gave him credit for. Like, I thought he was just a long strider once he gets to space. But he has a little, he's got some wiggle to make a guy miss. It's actually, it's very surprising. He's really balanced, really, you know, with his contact balance. Yeah.

Yeah, it's really impressive. Jeremiah Trotter. He had a few. He's a guy just in space. he's, he's, if you are facing that Clemson defense, you want to get him in space. Put it that way. But he is a guy that, you know, he can get off blocks. He had that, I think it was him that he had that force fumble against Duke that that kind of could have changed things if the Clemson offense took advantage of it.

But he doesn't have big time speed, doesn't have, you know, some of the athletic traits that you look for in a first round linebacker. That's why I was a little surprised to see Trotter mentioned as a first round type of guy. I just, I didn't see that last year or on the Duke tape. And then Nate Wiggins, the corner who I'm super high on. He was my 12th overall player in my top 50. I did really nice job in coverage. I think really the only time he was tested was the incompletion that I mentioned earlier where it was just good coverage.

And it was an incomplete pass. Big time liability as a Rudd defender. And that showed up several times against Duke. So that's something he needs to get better at if he wants to be drafted as high as he, you know, potentially could be next April. Yeah, that, that, that's the thing is like, I was really excited to watch Wiggins. And I think I only saw as number once, like where I saw, like you said, Defendant Pass. Sheridan Jones, number six had like a little PBU, you too.

But that's the thing is, again, with Leonard, that Duke offense, you don't really get to see a lot of digs and go balls and comebacks and everything that you maybe get to see those kind of advanced routes and feels and how they play those. So no, it's, it's, it was an interesting game. It's a game. I'm glad sometimes to dive into the prospects early because they got, that wouldn't have been a game. If it was just NFL had me, I would not have paid much attention to, but knowing just Clemson what Duke had, you know, maybe some, just especially along the lines, especially at the quarterback position.

Also helps the commentators are really putting over Riley Leonard. There was like, there, that really helps too. If you ever notice, if you ever listen to Red Zone channel too, it's like Scott Hansen goes a long way and putting players over. So that really goes into people's brains. That's what sticks. So yeah, it was, no, it was, it was a fantastic weekend, especially all those quarterbacks.

Like they all just kind of like did nice things where I'm not like, oh, throw them out, throw them out. It's like, no, no, I've got to keep eyes on all of them. And obviously they can't all keep up to this level of play throughout the season. But one thing to keep in mind about this weekend, remember, NFL season doesn't start until this Thursday. So NFL teams, they're on the road. They all eyes.

were on, you know, I talked to scouts that went to two games this weekend, three games this weekend, because you could, you know, what else you're going to do? You're getting your, the season, you know, as a GM, as a director, you know, you even as an area scout, you have a chance to really take advantage of the spread out schedule and a lot of them do. So there was a lot of NFL lives at these games. I think LSU, Florida State probably the most, uh, with the future NFL talent that was on that field Sunday night. So that, that was a, a, a, a, really fun one to watch. I didn't expect a Florida state runaway in the second half with the way I played out, but I mean, that

offense is going to be a lot of fun to watch throughout the season. Yeah, let's, let's dive into that game. I mean, really, yeah, speaking of Florida State offense, Keon Coleman, there you go, Dan, look at you go. No, but Keon Coleman, everything you kind of made him out to be. And I mean, he just really announced himself on that stage. I mean, statistically, I test everything. But yeah, Keon Coleman was your research. receiver three, I believe, a receiver four? Three is three? Four.

Yeah. Somewhere out there. But you had a high grade on him. How about that? Here's a top 30 guy. Okay, yeah, top 30 guy, first round pick, first round grade. Really after Marvin Harrison Jr., who Ohio stayed kind of a wonky game, but it's like I'm not, the stats. I know what Marvin Harrison Jr. is, but we talk about QB3 kind of race. The receiver two race is going to be something we keep an eye on every week this year. Again, there's different flavors in this class. So, Keown Coleman announced himself, what would you

about Coleman. I know we dove him to him a little bit, but what did he show this weekend that kind of like had you such a high grade and maybe probably even keeping that high grade or ascending it? Yeah. Again, if you listen to Prospects of Pros, you knew about Keon Coleman. All about it. Advance. Yeah. Yeah, he was arguably the best player in the field. That's saying a lot with the amount of NFL talent that was out there. Finished with nine catches, 122 yards, three touchdowns. I think you really liked how those three touchdowns. The first one was, it's a simple slant that he beat the corner to the ball and then he made a safety miss. Yeah, exactly. So you six, four, two, 15, but he's not just a, you know, a big guy that can't move out there. That's not quote unquote,

how he should win. But like, if they can create that way, it's like, oh, boy, and you're not just a ball winner. Hell yeah. Exactly. Let's go. But he also is a ball winner. Yes. When you have him single covered, he's open, right? Especially with those red zone opportunities, the second two touchdowns, They were both just really corner routes that he just, my guy's better than your guy and use that body. You can see that basketball background. And again, this goes back to last year watching Jane Reed at Michigan State. And this other guy just kept drawing my eyes because the freaky athleticism at that size,

the high upside traits, powerful, explosive. He's a guy that I think a lot of people, you know, maybe didn't know about. Like, okay, yeah, he's talented. But, oh, he actually is this good. Keon Coleman Coleman made a really strong case to be that wide receiver two. And that's a great point because, yeah, Marvin Harrison, wide receiver one, lock it in. Wide receiver two, definitely a little more wide open. Malik neighbors had a pretty quiet night for LSU.

Agbuka at Ohio State also had a quiet opener. But, yeah, again, like you alluded to, Ohio State breaking in a new quarterback, breaking in a really a brand new offensive line with those two new tackles, new center. and, you know, it was pretty obvious. And so Ohio State, even though it was not an exciting opener, it might take a few weeks for them to get going. That matchup they have with Notre Dame in a few weeks is going to be a lot of fun. But, you know, definitely the two Washington receivers, I really like.

Yeah. Yeah, they're both in that top 60, top 75 conversation with a chance to keep moving up. So, yeah, this is a receiver class that it's maybe not as. you know, we don't have that the no doubt about it guys in the top 10, except for Marvin Harrison, Jr., but there's a lot of quality, a lot of really talented guys that are going in the first round, just a matter of, okay, what's the order going to be by the time we get the draft day? It's so funny, too, compared to last year was having, you know, kind of Smurfs were in last year's class. And then this year, it's, like, there's a lot of size. There's some X's here. There's some guys with some power slot potential.

so I'm all about it. I'm all about this class. I mean, but I think that's why this kind of like you're saying, that maybe it's not those star star power other than Marvin Harrison Jr. who is like as starry as you can get as a receiver prospect. But it is a lot of useful players, but like good players.

I'm starting to really like this class to really come around. Like even a guy like Johnny Wilson had a good game and like, you know, and he's more of a round three-ish kind of guy, round four-ish for me at this point in time. But it's like, but he did some nice things. Like he actually looked a little more fluid.

it was nice. But where do you see a guy like, because he's six, seven, two, 35? Like, he's, he's very unique as a wide receiver. Like, what kind of role? Do you see him as an F? Do you see him as a, like, what kind of role do you think he may be best at the next level? I actually, I love that what you were just saying with the F, but as a move around guy. It's funny.

It's like you would think he's an X. But no, I think I see him as a Z because you want him off ball. Right. So you don't want him pressed because of that height and everything. That's why I've seen. There's not that functional strength off. the ball sometimes. And also with the move around stuff, that's better against zone, which in a weirdest way,

you almost got to look at him like a tight end, even though he's not, I'm not saying he isn't the move tight end or anything, but how to use him. Like, he's a zone beater. It's, it's, you're using him almost like Hawkinson as opposed to maybe, you know, Dandre Hopkins. So that's kind of how I kind of picture. My picture was like a role playing Z kind of number three upside on like a good offense, like number three option, I should say.

So yeah, FZ as opposed to X. which is just so weird. Usually 6, 7, you're like X all day. He's unique. Yeah, he is a really unique guy. It's going to be fun watching a Florida State offense the rest of the year. They're awesome. Yeah, they're a lot of fun.

I didn't realize they sat with their offense a line. Like, they have a veteran laid an offensive line and stuff like that. So it's obviously Mike Norville, offensive guy, offensive background. You know, that's going to be a lot of fun to watch. Speaking of tight ends, Cade Stover, who my top ranked senior, I know a guy you really like. He had career high 98 yards in the opera against Indie. end. He looked good. He had five catches. All five went for first downs. Oh, yeah. They boot like a hell out of them. They got him out of the move. Exactly. But, I mean, there were after he, he'd breaking some

tackles out there. You know what? I think his, his run blocking in particular needs to be a little bit better. You know, it was okay, but definitely not great. You know, he has the strength. He has the attitude to fix those issues. And I love his pedigree. I mean, he was an all-state basketball player in high school. And honestly, he cares about two things. Ball and farming. That's it.

They don't care about anything else. And so he has one of the best nicknames in color football. Should have been a badger. Yeah, right. Farmer grunk. I mean, it doesn't get any better than that. So this is a dude that a lot of teams are going to be interested in come draft time. Oh, yeah.

No, yeah. There's, he's, he's, one of my theories with tight ends is just draft the biggest athletes and just hope it works out. And he's kind of like that in college because he's mixed moves moved around positions, right? Is that like you're saying is that he has the want to, to strength the athleticism to be a good blocker. He has no idea how to use his hands. So it's one of those where it's not, but it's not like where it's like he's never going to figure it out.

It's more like, no, that's a bet I'm willing to make because what you're saying is that he loves football. So it's just like you're hoping that it gets better. So yeah, I know. He had a anytime you have your tight end at Ohio State when you look at their offense the last couple of years, and it was just the top three receivers every time getting targeted. to 10 plus times a game. Seeing the tight end lead the team in targets is something interesting to watch. Any week two games, matchups, players that you're focusing on, Dane?

I actually very curious to hear this answer because my day-to-day has, now I'm NFL-minded. So now I got to remember that Saturdays are available as well to watch some football, much to my wife's sugar in. Right. Well, the biggest game is going to be Texas at Alabama. That's going to be the main attraction. Quinn Ewers. I was going to say, what did you think about quit?

Yeah. Yeah, we didn't mention for that quarterback three race. He was a little underwhelming against Rice in the opener. There's no other way to put it. And here are a few numbers that I wrote down to kind of illustrate that. So take away the screens against Rice. He completed only 52% of his passes. And it's not like there were a bunch of drops in there.

It was just he just didn't look on time with some of these throws. I thought he did a really nice job when he was in rhythm. and especially when they used play action. All three of his touchdown passes came off play action. On the non-play action passes, completed only 53% of his throws. And then the final point, which, and this is a concern that I wrote about over the summer. We've talked about it before, the downfield touch. It remains just wildly inconsistent.

He attempted six passes of 20 plus yards against Rice. All six were incomplete. So he has an awesome arm to make those throws, especially when he's in shorts and he's in practice. but I need to see a better feel for the timing, for the trajectory to just complete those passes against live defenses. Again, when you have to read, when you have to really, when timing is at the most important part of the play, I just need to see it. And so can he do it against the best defense he'll face all year in Alabama? That's something that will be fascinating to watch. It will.

And I'm completely with you that he underwhelmed me as well. that offense is a lot of two-man routes. You know, it's, you know, Sark does a really good job of adapting. And I think that's on purpose is, hey, let's limit the menu, limit the options that he can go through. And that when Quinn Ewers is, I think I always just have the misconception of his size. You know, he's 6-200-ish. You, if you're not an overwhelming athlete, you've got to win this way. You can't, you can't be like, oh, I'll just figure it out and trick shot it.

It's like, no, you have to be an assassin from the pocket. That's how he's going to have to win at the NFL level. So seeing that and seeing them limit the options and he's still kind of inconsistent, especially with a really talented receiving room, it's kind of like, okay, there's some alarm bells. Yeah, some alarm bells going off right now, I think initially. And we have to keep in mind, too. It's not just about Uers as a prospect and competing for quarterback three. Texas, they have arguably the best quarterback depth chart in the country.

Right. I mean, everybody knows about Arch Manning and what he might become. with that last name. But Malik Murphy is technically the backup. Yeah. Super, super talented. 65, 240 kid from California. He redshirted last year.

So we just haven't seen a ton of him. But from the little I've seen, he looks legit. And I'm not saying he was going to be benched anytime soon. But Sark knows what he has waiting in the wings. And if Texas, if that Texas offense becomes even a little bit stagnant, it'll be hard for him to not at least say, hey, what else do we have here? So that's just something to watch as we get. through the next two months by the time we get to Halloween, you know, what does it look like?

And it really, it starts this Saturday against, against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. So a few other games definitely want to mention the Brasquette, Colorado. We'll see what Colorado does for an encore. Instead of being that massive underdog, now they're the darlings, right? They're the favorite. Yeah, they are. They were seven point underdogs. So they're the favorite now.

Right. That's great. How does Dion use? that. You know, like, that's what I want to see. Because, you know, the, and honestly, if you're one of the Colorado players, how do you not, you know, read your press clippings this week and see everyone talking about you? And how do you, how do you go past that?

And look, Nebraska, they looked rough against Minnesota in the opener. I heard a lot of Jeff Sims hype in the summer. I'm still trying to figure out why. I mean, I get it. He's, he's big. He's a good athlete. But it's kind of where it ends, at least with what we've seen up to this point. So I don't know.

I just, I need to see more from Jeff Sims before we talk about him as a draftable quarterback. What else this weekend? Sam Hartman. He's actually going to face a defense with a pulse. So that's, that's going to be fun to see. Notre Dame is going to NC State.

I mean, not just throwing just touchdowns every other throw against maybe. It was like, oh my God, this is, this is Rodney, us against us against us. And then what, Tennessee State this past weekend.

So, okay. Yeah. Yeah. The numbers are ridiculous, but against NC State. state. First time he's going to face national defense. What's it look like? Old Miss at Tulane. Again, Michael Pratt, especially when you face a big time opponent, if you're a group of five team, GMs, directors at the end of this year, when they say, all right, let's throw on some

tape of Pratt. Oh, Ole Miss is on the schedule. First one on. Let's watch that one. It guaranteed. And so it's a crowded quarterback year like we've talked about. You have a big stage like this. you need to play well. And so for Michael Pratt, this is going to be a big weekend for him. Oregon at Texas Tech. We'll see Bo Nix. You know,

what is, you know, Texas Tech, they lost to Wyoming this past week. So I'm not actually sure how good they are, but Lubbock's not an easy place to play.

Yeah, that was a lot of fun for them. I mean, that's, I didn't see Texas Tech losing that game, but, heck, I mean,

when you go to Laramie, you never know. But, you know, Lubbock's a tough place to play. So, Oregon going down there. And look,

they're more than just Boone Knicks at quarterback. Some of the weapons that he has, legit guys running back, Bucky Irving, he rushed for 137 yards in the opener on five carries.

It was Portland State, but still 27 and a half yards per carry. Kind of crazy. Troy Franklin at receiver, he's a playmaker. He had 100 plus yards, two touchdowns in the opener.

So definitely some good, your badgers, they're going out west too, Washington State. They are. They got Wazoo. They got an avenge. And another interesting quarterback, Cam Ward. Like, it's just another one. Yeah. I actually, the Wisconsin players that are staying out to me the most are their two linebackers.

And that, that I'm very interesting. They actually like look the part. So I know the Badgers, that's who I'm focusing on. Usually it's, I'm just looking and muttering to myself about their offense. The last few years, that was tough because I could tell you every play call and I would still muttered to myself. Now actually, I kind of have this weird like, okay, I don't know anybody anymore. So yeah, all right. I could be,

I could actually be a fan and a love. So I don't. The linebacker is that number 55, it's just a really hard name to pronounce. And who's the other linebacker? Well, and the one got in trouble too. So that's why I don't want to like stay.

I know. So I'm making sure I'm clarifying which one I, anoint before. That's why I'm just grouping them both together. But really, honestly, if you watch last year, they,

they looked like the real deal and they used them really well. So I'm actually those are guys I'm most interested in. I'm glad we're bringing up Pratt a bunch, though, because I'm glad I rewatched him. and it was his footwork looks tighter. He looks more comfortable like throwing outside. I would see that sometimes where I could tell he wasn't comfortable throwing.

So it's kind of a guy will have a really strong arm on throws they're comfortable with. And they're like, oh, I know this dig route. I throw it 100 times of practice. And then there's a concept, okay, I have to throw the sail corner route. Okay, I'm going to loop that out there. And I hope I'm right. And Pratt, obviously, going 14 to 15. It was just, oh, my God, just dialing it up.

That ball was zipping out of his hand. And you could see it was like, even though I play like the flea flicker for the touchdown, you can see his athletic ability because he flips his hips and then launches it. And it's like, that's not an easy ask because he's working left. It's like, yeah, it'd be like a bootleg left where you have to flip your hips. So that, yeah, I know. I was, I was happy I rewatch Pratt because he really showed out, I think. And that's a great point about the big games coming up.

So, all right. He's just the guy that I, no matter, I don't know what his ceiling is necessarily. Like, I don't know if he's going to start games in the NFL. but I know he's going to be on an NFL roster. Absolutely. He just has the makeup and the tools, the baseline tools to be a guy that's going to win a roster spot. So I mean, he wins. He's tough.

He's got enough arm. He's athletic enough. It's like, yeah, that teams are going to love that. He checks all the baseline boxes you want. Right. Well, it's funny because in the summer I wrote down Bailey Zappy, which, of course, he didn't make the active roster. So I don't know what that says anymore. But, you know, just a guy that it's easy to like.

know, because he's going to make smart decisions. He's going to keep the ball out of harm's way. And he just might not wow you, you know, week in, week out, snap in, snap out. But he's a guy that you can trust. And that's something that's pretty valuable to NFL teams on the depth chart. It goes a long way. They want reliability and toughness.

If you can bring that, you can play for a decade. We have a new co-host that is getting preached about that with Chase Daniel. There you go. All right. So moving on from we got the NFL starting. up. Robert and I will be doing an awards, our award show, I believe it will be coming out Thursday morning. So I don't want to spoil my picks, but that doesn't mean we can't ask Dane on some of his selections. So we'll do offensive rookie of the year. So Dane, right now, we'll start,

I'm sorry, offense and defensive. I'm sorry. But we'll start with offensive rookie to year. Dane, who is your selection for offensive rookie of the year? Or do you have a couple or do you have a long shot you maybe like? Or is it just chalk with maybe a name that that might be? be up there. I hate going chalk, but I mean, I got to go with Bijon Robinson here. There's obviously a little bit of an unknown element where we don't know exactly what the plan will be like for just usage and touches. And sometimes I hate saying this because it sounds like a cop out to, you know, oh, well, they draft them eighth overall. So that's all the evidence I need. But I'm just a big believer in Bejohn's talent and how it's going to translate to the pro game,

especially this offense. So, There is a part of me that wants to say Jemir Gibbs here in Detroit because he could easily have 100 targets this year. The quarterbacks are obviously interesting. But, you know, especially Anthony Richardson. You know, that's a really interesting situation that could play out. And, you know, best case scenario, he could be the answer here. But I'm going to go Bejohn. If we're looking for like a long shot, Dalton Kipaed, he's plus 4,000.

And that's really interesting. It's hard for tight ends to win this award. But, you know, we think of KKade is more of a... What's the last tight end that won? Was it... Did Shockey win? Shockey? I think Shockey was a...

I think that's the only one that comes to my mind. There's so many different rookie that, you know, there's a Pepsi rookie of the year award. There's the AP, you know, like, I think Shockey won one of them. Okay. But, but yeah, before that, I mean, you probably have to go back to the 80s. So it's just, yeah, it's not something we see often. But, again, Kincaid, we've talked about it more of a past catcher than a true

tight end. And again, this is a cop out, but the bills didn't draft him in the first round so he can make an impact three years from now. They need him now and they're going to feed him early and often. So if he, even if he doesn't have the amazing, you know, numbers in terms of just total yards and targets, if he has eight touchdowns, like, you know, that's something that will stand out. That's double.

That would be double the amount of touchdowns that Garrett Wilson had last year when he won the award. So I'm going with Bejohn, but for. in terms of the betting odds, Kincaid's an interesting one. That is an interesting one, especially they're already peppering them in the preseason designing plays for them.

So it's kind of like, okay, this wasn't just an idea from the personnel staff. It's like, no, the coaches wanted this too. So that, no, that's a great pick. Yeah, it's, yeah, they're going to feed them. I don't want to spoil my pick, but it's not going to be too dissimilar from you. Yeah, it's, but just laying it all out.

I mean, it's a really interesting class because there's cordyrecks, because there's interesting, even interesting receivers, too, that can have beyond good offenses. Like, I mean, it's, it's an interesting offensive rookie of the year class, even if, like, there is one guy that might get fed to it. What was your, did you, I don't think I ever heard your, did you have a comparison for Bejohn with anybody? I, I know comparisons can be good sometimes and sometimes it's stupid, but did you have a good one? Because I, I never really had a good one that wasn't outlandish. So I was curious if you ever had one. I'm trying to wreck my brain. I don't think I ever came up with one that I really liked.

Or, you know, like that it was more like you see shades of this, shades of that, but there wasn't. That's where I was at. Yeah, because I mean, I, I, like, who was the most popular? Like, a lot of people said Seekwan. I think that was just because Sequin was the most, or the most recent back taked in 10. But Bejan has way better vision and tempo than say, not quite the same athlete. Athlete.

Yeah, you know, but. People, some people went LT. but it's also like comparing anyone to LT is like, come on. That's like a once in a lifetime guy that I think people don't realize. Right. Exactly. Who was your comparison? I didn't really have one.

Like I was like, I was like there was some running like as a runner. There was, but different type of athlete again is with Jamal Charles just as like how we kind of had that gliding running style. But it's, you know, but that wasn't great because Jamal Charles is like a four three guy. You know,

with a, you know, like had real, real long juice. So I didn't really have a good. one. Like, and that's a different size skill set. That was more just style of running. I, I, I, I was kind of like TBD and then I just never had to answer it. So I just kind of kept the TBD. If you have to force it, then it's really not worth it. Let it come to you. Like, just let it

come to you. Yeah. I know, I used to have to do one for everybody on Bleacher Report. I would just be pulling up some random names. I think, yeah, I think I did an Ashley Lilly comp one time. And I was like, okay, that's enough for me. Shout out Hawaii. Yeah. Yeah, first round pick. All right. Now, moving on to defense. This actually is, this is a pretty interesting class. It's wide open, right? Wide open. So I'm kind of curious where you're going to, what your angle is maybe on this pick.

You know, I think first reaction would be Will Anderson. You know, maybe one of the corners, like Emmanuel Forbes, a guy that got his hands on a lot of footballs in college and probably will in the NFL. I'm going to go with Will McDonald's. And look, I've got major questions about him as an every down player and like truly holding up as a run player. and ultimately living up to being in the 15th pick. I mean, I was, I mean, I criticized the pick when it was made. And I still, yeah, still, I'm not sure it's going to work out. But in terms of like flash plays and the situation, I mean, you think about the Rookie of the Year award.

It's all about narrative and stats, right? And McDonald's going to tee off in some of these pass rush situations. He's playing for a stack defense. He's not going to be expected to come in and be the guy. who leads the team in snaps and, you know, he's going to be more of a sub-package player and go get the quarterback and do it for a team that's in the playoff picture. So when the dust settles, the voters are going to see a guy with near double-digit sacks or maybe double-digit sacks and helping a team reach the postseason.

And, I mean, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Will McDonald ends up winning this thing. So if I had to go with more of a long shot on defense, I'll go with Brian Branch. Nice. Looking at some of these odds, he's plus 3,500. So, you know, pretty far down the list, it wouldn't be a surprise if he leads all rookies and interceptions. And he should have strong tackle numbers, too. And remember, it's a narrative-based award. And if that lion's defense takes a jump in performance, I could see, you know, voters looking at branch and saying, oh, well, you know, give credit where it's due.

He's helped this turnaround. And, you know, that's something that could lead him to an award like this. I like that. He was my pick for a breakout player for the Lions. I tried to avoid rookies, but I had to give it to him to just how they're going to use him too. I think they're going to blitz him a bunch. And yeah, I actually love that fit for where he went and how aggressive they're going to use him. I really like Brian Brandt. He was like, I kept 20 player for me. I got it. I was like, I kept comparing them to Jimmy Warren. And everyone's like, oh. And I was like, no, that's a great thing. That's awesome. I was like, just watch him in the slot. He's a monster. I love that one. Teams really overthought him in the draft. I never got that. I mean, yeah. I don't know if it was just, you couldn't put an exact position next to his name. And, you know, he used a little bit of this, a little bit of that, that kind of thing.

But because every scouts that I talk to in the southeast, they loved them. Like, they all spoke. They said, oh, the best DB in that Alabama secondary, one of our favorite players in the draft. And then somehow he falls. You know, I just, maybe the sell to the GM, the head coach about what, his role, specific role was going to be, maybe it's just a little bit unclear. And so that caused him the fall. But I mean, if you're the, feel of lions.

And it's funny, you think about the, what, the first four players they drafted. I mean, just shuffle them around and you feel better about it. Exactly. Right. Brian Branch, I think was my highest graded of the four. So it's just funny how that works. If he went 11, I would, I don't think anyone would have bad an eye. Everyone would go.

Oh, yeah. You guys need DVDs. Yeah. That makes sense. Yeah. Okay, cool. Yeah, I know. , right.

It's funny how that works. No, I actually think the comparison maybe for your Will McDonald pick is Hugh Douglas winning offensive or defensive rookie of the year back in 1995. It only started three games and finished with 10 sacks. So we didn't have. That's a great pool. Yeah. Did not have snaps play back then because NFL used to think that was a competitive advantage until they changed that one like 10, 12 years ago. So thank God they did.

So I can't tell you how many snaps he played. But I can tell you that he only started three games at that point in time. So Hugh Douglas, shout out to Hugh Douglas. But I think that's all we got today. Dane, this was awesome. This was, again, we're week one recap of Prospects to Prospects to Prosos. Got the award picks. Robert and I will be doing our award picks Thursday morning.

I know. Hopefully I got some good ones there. Nailed a couple last year, so I'm pretty fired up about it. We'll also be doing Robert and I a live show on YouTube after Chiefs Lines wraps up. We'll be back on our Sunday recap pods and Prospects of Prospects of Prox. We'll be back every Wednesday for the rest of the year, and we're all the way probably through the draft. So make sure you check us out. Thank you all for tuning in.

I'll see you guys next time. This was the Athletic Football Show's Prospects to Prospects to Prospects Podcast.