The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Prospects to Pros: Surveying the OL landscape with Brandon Thorn; Plus, looking back at Oregon-Washington and ahead to Penn State-Ohio State

Episode Date: October 18, 2023

Do you root for a team that's going to be looking for an offensive lineman or three in the 2024 NFL Draft? Well then this episode of Prospects to Pros is for you. Nate Tice and Dane Brugler welcome Brandon Thorn from the Trench Warfare newsletter and Bleacher Report to survey the OL landscape. Then, the guys take a look back at Oregon-Washington and a look ahead to Penn State-Ohio State.Follow Nate on Twitter: @Nate_TiceFollow Dane on Twitter: @dpbruglerFollow Robert on Twitter: @BrandonThornNFLSubscribe to The Athletic Football Show...AppleSpotifyYouTubeThis episode is brought to you by LinkedIn: Right now, you can try LinkedIn Sales Navigator and get a sixty-day free trial at LinkedIn.com/MAYS23. 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. Sponsored by Vesco QQ, the official ETF of the NCAA. I'm your host, Nate Tice. Today, we have a great show talking some offensive line. The big winners, the big bucks, the prize. This is exactly what we need to talk about, especially at this time. And we have a great guest for us.

But to start going with my usual co-host, the real bread winner, Dane Bruegler, how are you doing today, Dane? I'm good, yeah, I'm excited for this conversation. I mean, there's nobody that's more respected when it comes to offensive line talk than Brandon Thorne. This is prospects, NFL players. Yeah, we have a lot to get into, so this will be a fun conversation. Yeah, this is the ace of this type of discussion, and that's why we want to bring him in.

So I'm so glad he's on the show, just like you alluded to, Dane. We have Brandon Thorne on. He is a great offensive line. line mind. No one watches more offensive line than Brandon. And here he is. How are you doing today? Brandon? Thank you guys so much for joining us. I'm like honestly fired up that you're here today.

I'm fired up to be here, guys. I mean, I listen to all the shows and respect what you guys do. And, you know, just I'm a big fan of your guys work as well. So it's awesome to finally get here and talk shop. And Nate, I feel like so many of your takes, like I feel like because we're at the same age, I guess we're all kind of similar ages. But like so many, of your random takes and random pulls of the past I get.

And it's just like, it's awesome. All right. We've been told that we have a lot of baseball references from like 1995 to 2009, 2010. We're really, we got that section. That's a sweet spot right there. A little sweet spot of baseball references. So I appreciate that, Brandon. And me and Brandon worked together at Bleacher Report.

I was covering the offensive skill guys and he was doing offensive line. And it's always just fun to pick Brandon's brain because we'd have those meetings. And I'd get to hear that was the first time I heard about Ikea Kwanu, was Brandon discussing him in September. And he had talked to Dane about him. And I was like, oh, okay, right. I got to keep my eyes on this guy from NC State. So I fired up that Brandon's here. But I know Dane, you're, I always want to say chomping at the bit, but it's champing at the bit, isn't it?

Champing at the bit to get after this. So what's getting going, Dane? All right. Well, there's only one place to start. And that's Olu Foshanoo, Penn State Left Tackle. we could probably rename this podcast, the Olu fan club. I know all three of us are pretty high on the player. So first, Brandon, if you could tell us just, you know, your baseline thoughts on him,

but then also help put in the context just how good he is. You know, I think everyone at this point knows who Olu is. They know he's a potential top 10 pick, probable top 10 pick. But just help us put in the context just how good he is. Yeah, I mean, it's really interesting. I go back over the last four years that I've been doing this for Bleach Report, watching all the offensive linemen in the draft. And he's right there with Penae Sewell for being the most impressive prospect that I've seen.

And there's some interesting parallels there as well because I think the first time we saw both of them, they were 19 years old. You know, Penae might have been younger as well. But like just right away, just a really. real special natural feel for the position. And I think Penaise, you know, translated more so in the run game, whereas Olu's is in past protection. And he just has an innate feel in past protection with footwork, with, you know, the angles that he's taking, you know, his natural ability to anchor and just like the raw strength that he has. He can recover out of compromising positions really

well the few times that he gets in those. Just a really good athlete. So just I think the past protection skills at such a young age, you know, 19 last year. You know, I think he's 20 right now and, you know, still around 15 starts or so, something like that, you know, over under a few there. But like, you know, pretty inexperienced. But the refinement that I think he has, his feet, you know, just a lot of stuff in past protection, man. It just. just it's special, I think. And then, you know, he checks all the boxes physically in terms of like height, weight, frame, build, length, you know, just all that. So then all the off-the-field stuff is like, you know, glowing A-plus type stuff as well.

So it's like, you know, pretty easy to fall in love with him. There's some run blocking things that I think are still, you know, getting ironed out in terms of fits and sustaining. and, you know, not like the most overwhelming physical presence in the run game, but, you know, I think he's good there. So, yeah, I mean, it's kind of difficult to poke a lot of holes into his game, I think. That's kind of where I was at, and I was even watching him this summer. So far this year in the first, you know, five, six games or so, what has he improved upon or anything that he's improved upon so far this year? Or do you think he's ascending or something that other than maybe the run blocking stuff? because to me the run blocking stuff too is a lot of the finish.

Like not, he's not like a lack of effort guy. It's just once in a while he falls off. Like, and do you think there's still, is that a technique thing or strength thing or anything you see that maybe that he has to keep improving on there? Yeah. I mean, I think it is going to come probably with time, you know, and just seeing different looks and, you know, different alignments and adapting to things changing post-snap and, you know, just getting just kind of really, you know, ironing out, you know, footwork. I think a lot of it is technique-based. And, you know, it should just gradually improve with time, I think, as he sees more, you know, things and, you know, kind of processes that. That's really what it comes down to to me is it's more technique-based.

Certainly no question in his, you know, competitive toughness or finish or, like, effort to finish and stuff like that. It's more so just kind of getting out of alignment on different fits and over-extended and, you know, maybe just not. adapting quick enough, you know, to things. So, you know, I think that's where you do see his inexperience show up is in the run game. But I do think there are some improvements this year. Last year was a little bit more of that. So he's, I think there is some improvement there. Pass protection looks pretty much the same as last year, which is really, really good. Yeah. You know, I don't know how much. Stood out right away. It was a perfect balance. Every single snap. Bar was already high.

Yeah, it was very, very high. Very high. Very high. So he probably would have been my top tackle last year. Yeah, because I was scouting him last year. I had the report, you know, the bones of it outlined and all that. And I was like, all right, I'm ready. You know, he's going to be my top tackle and then he came back.

So that probably says a lot right there because, you know, there were some pretty good tackles last year as well. I remember texting you because I got tipped off about 24 hours before he announced it. I remember texting you that he was going back and your respond. Like, I could feel the sadness. in your response. Like you were surprising. Yeah, no, it was because, you know, he was, he was younger. I mean, to your point, he was, he's still only 20 years old.

He turns 21 in December. So a young player and, you know, his numbers, he's 6061, so six foot and one eighth, 321, 34 and a half inch arms, has all that. He was on the freaks list. So has the movements, I mean, and everything that you mentioned, this is a guy that top five, top seven, hard to see him getting out of that range. So many teams need tackle help. He fits in there.

Another guy who might also be close to that discussion is another young player, Joe Walt out of Notre Dame, left tackle. Still, he's only 20. He doesn't turn 21 until February. But I, you know, Nate and I have talked about, we talked about him in the summer and how we liked him, but there were a few things that just gave us a little bit of pause. This year, I've been blown away by. some of the improvements that he's made in past protection,

his ability to hold up and recover. It just looks so easy and controlled for him. What have your observations been with Joe Alt? And how, I mean, is Olu on a tier by himself? Is Alt close to that? Is there a gap? How would you distinguish those two top two players? Yeah, I mean, they're pretty close to me.

I mean, I so, you know, based on our scale, I have for Sean, like top 10 and then all like more you know top 15 you know top half of the first round um i've shana's still my my top tackle by a little bit but i mean i'm blown away by joe alt this year man i i mean i i didn't watch him a whole lot last year you know i just kind of knew what nat thought about him and and i think we had maybe some discussions as well and i was you know so much of it is kind of like what your baseline is going in on a guy if you're totally blind that's great but usually you have some inkling of like what to expect.

So I went in expecting, you know, good, you know, like this is a solid guy does everything pretty well. And what I've seen this year is just exceeded my expectations in every way. Just how clean his film is this year. Even that Louisville rep where, you know, he gets run over, you know, you watch it on the end zone copy. Clearly, you know, his right leg gets caught on the left guard. He's stripped. The TV copy, you can't really see it. But like even that rep, that's like the one rep that people were pointing to, you know, to me as like, oh man, he lost finally.

I'm like, no, I mean, not really, you know, that was, you know, wasn't super clean. As someone who has to defend quarterbacks every single week. I totally get it. It's like, hey, sometimes it's not really their fault. I get it. I get that they didn't win this rep, but I thought, you're trying to make you, like, don't want to sound like you're making excuses, but it's like, no, there's an angle here. Yeah, yeah. I mean, he had absolutely no ability to recover there or even anchor, you know, like.

He just, his foot was gone, you know, his leg was gone. So anyway, I mean, I just think when you first, the first thing that stands out when you watch him on tape is he's absolutely enormous. He's huge, you know, 6-8, 322. I mean, he just takes up a lot of space, you know, and that in of itself is an asset and pass protection. But then when you watch his, just how light he is on his feet, how light he is on his hands, I think is really nice.

He's able to recover very fluidly, redirects well. his ability to move and recover is, I think it's, I mean, it's pretty special at his size. I mean, because he's like Nate Solder looking, you know, like with his body type, but he moves like he's Jake Matthews. You know, that's how he kind of reminds me. Typewriter feet. With his play style. So it's like a big, a much bigger Jake Matthews is kind of like what I see. You know, and that's really good because Jake Matthews is certainly a top half of the league left.

tackle and if he's a little bit better than that. I mean, hey, you got a really good starter. So that's kind of what I see. He's a technician in the run game. His pad level is really impressive. He's great with his hands and he's a really good finisher. He looks like a Notre Dame offensive lineman in a lot of ways too, like the high end of it. So, yeah, I mean, I'm a big fan of Joe Walt.

It's interesting with his dad because his dad was longtime NFL player, offensive tackle, and blocked for Joe Montana. Kansas City back in the early 90s. But his approach with Joe was to keep him at skill positions. The athlete, sorry, I shouldn't say skill positions because, you know, offensive lines very much a skill position. Yes, it is. But keep him at receiver, at tight end and quarterback.

Keep him at those positions as long as possible. He knew eventually that the way the potty was growing and the player he'd grow into, he'd be an offensive lineman. but to keep him at some of those more, you know, athletic and space positions as long as possible to develop that athleticism. And so he was a quarterback in high school, eventually moved to tight end. They played him a little bit. I mean, he's a blocking tight end in high school, but they played him a little bit at left tackle, but not much. So to hear that a player who's just in his third year in college, third year as a full-time offensive lineman, is already a technician.

It says quite a bit about the player and just the way that he was groomed for this. That's that Lane Johnson path, the quarterback tied end tackle. But it's, yeah, with him, it was, we talked about it. Yeah, you already referred to a day, but it was like in the summer. I was like, oh, you know, I want him to throw his hands. I could see he's a good athlete, but sometimes he's not playing up to that athleticism. You can tell he's thinking almost. And it's like when you realize how young he is, how the position changes.

It's like, oh, yeah, because he's thinking. He's like just going, okay, this is my feet. This is my footwork here. And you can see this at all positions. You see receivers counting steps sometimes on their routes. You see a corner going, okay, I have to have my inside hand up. And then they miss on the press. You can see a quarterback going like, okay, this is my perfect drop.

Watch Justin Fields the last year and a half, him trying to do a perfect drop back. And then they play slower than their athleticism is. But this year has been so impressive when we talked about this day. And now I bought into the hype a little bit. And I went from like, oh, yeah, I seem as a back half for. rounder to like, yeah, he's a lottery pick to me, like just locked in. That athleticism, that frame is just so hard to teach and a mindset where he's just, yeah, like you said, technician at this age is just, yeah, that's an ascending player that you want to bet on.

Right. And that's the coaching that he's getting. The fact that he's a type of guy that he knows, okay, if I'm just in my initial kickstep, if my initial movements, if I'm in the right position, he knows he has the athleticism and body to recover. So as long as he's out there with the right steps initially, he has the body control, like you were saying, Brandon, that he can make up those steps. So that's interesting that, you know, he is close to Olu, because I know how high you think of Olu. And for Alt to be that close says a lot of things. And that's, you know, this tackle class as a whole is really impressive. In my, going back to my top 50 in August, I had eight offensive tackles in there more than any other position. Based on what you've seen so far,

is this class, you know, is it potentially a special group? Is it a group that maybe, you know, you look at and say, okay, we have not only these two guys at the top with Olu and Alt, but then there's all these other guys that projectus starters. And, you know, how does this tackle class stack up for you compared to maybe the past few years? I think it's at least as good as that first year when Penae was coming out and Roshan Slate or Darrasaw, you know, and there was a couple other guys as well where it was like four or five deep of, you know, quality guys. And then there were some other guys outside of that. You know, I remember like Brady Christensen and, you know, Leatherwood, even though that didn't work out. And, you know, some other guys. Like there was,

you know, second and third round guys that you like. So I think this class is at least there and it has potential to go even higher, especially with how these young guys are playing. Right now I have seven tackles, you know, with like top of the top of round three or better grades. You know, so yeah, and there's even an eighth guy, you know, that I think could ascend into that. You know, that's BYU left tackle, Kingsley, Sue and Matea, who hasn't really been challenged a whole lot this year, but man, he looked really good in past protection, just kind of the subtleties that he's using with his technique.

Like, you know, Penae Soule's cousin as well, transfer. from Oregon five star guy you can see the talent you know he's a big guy on the freaks list as well um but yeah so like he's my eighth guy right now and like there's a lot of talent there and um he's a red shirt sophomore so he may not come out but if that's like the the bottom of your like you know grouping former five star red shirt sophomore with freaky traits is your eighth guy yeah yeah yeah this and there's guys below him that i like a little bit as well so it's like you know yeah this is a deep tackle class, I think. Who is third for you right now?

I already know the answer, but I was just for the listeners that do not know the answer, but I think it's the same as Dane right now as well, but who is your tackle three at this point in time? Yeah, firmly right now, it's J.C. Latham, you know, from Alabama, right tackle. He's been, you know, borderline dominant this year, I think. There's a handful of reps that you could point out. The first game, you know, against, I was like, was it Middle Tennessee or Tennessee, Tattanooga, one of those. I think it was Middle Tennessee. He got beat really clean on a rep and

pass protection. And I was like, okay, you know, because I know he gained like 20, 30 pounds in the off season. And he was supposed to move to left, but he didn't. And it was just kind of a, kind of an odd game for him. But then, man, after that, it seemed like he just picked up kind of right where he left off last year. And, you know, there's still some things in the run game where he gets over-extended, you know, just maybe a little bit too aggressive, you know, aka kind of like a darnel-right type stuff that he does in the run game, but like his power, man, his tone setting, demeanor, his size. I think he definitely should stay a tackle as well. I've heard some people suggest guard. I don't see. I think he has the range to stick at tackle.

He's the last three, four weeks, he's been awesome, man. He's been really, really good. I'm excited to watch the Arkansas tape. I haven't watched that one yet, but I've seen all the others. And yeah, man, I mean, he checks all the boxes. I think he's an immediate start. or, you know, at right tackle. And, you know, he's ascending to me, I think. What do you feel about the Latham, Dane? Yeah, I figured. No, I match a lot of that.

And, you know, I was very high on Ameris Mims at Georgia, too. I mean, he started the year, my top 10. And unfortunately, had that ankle injury. So we just haven't seen enough of him this year, which really kind of clouds things for him. He only had, what, two starts coming into this season. But, yeah, Latham and Mims, both those guys have so much ability and talent that, you know, they're, to me, they're in that top 20 discussion. I like like them a lot too.

Yeah. I absolutely can stay at tackle. I thought he was, I thought he was a good athlete. I was hoping to see him on the left side this year. You know, they kept him on the right tackle, you know, which just for selfish evaluation purposes, you want to see him do it on both sides. But, yeah, no, I think he's, he continues to get better and better. And he has all that ability.

He can, you know, he can. answer power. He can answer quickness. You know, they're just not a lot of true juniors at the college level that can actually say that. But he can't. It's interesting. You said that he probably put on weight too because I thought he actually had a good build, like even last year. So I like, I thought he was like in that 315 range. I thought he looked good. So I was, when you said he put it on even more weight. I was like, what? Yeah. I know. I need that the kill shot thing is so true, though. In the run game, he goes, that's a classic thing. out. This guy's been one of the most dominant players on the field his entire life.

He's used to just throwing guys everywhere. I thought last year he had some on some pass protection. He had some maybe depth things where he wouldn't get depth off his first step. But I think it's already been cleaned up. So it's like, all right, already wavered away. Like as far as, it wasn't even a concern because I thought he was plenty of athletic. But I think he's probably the strongest tackle in the country, you know, that I've seen. And that's a nice feather in his cap.

He has commanding grip strength. Yeah. When he gets lashed on the guys, it's over. Right. Do you have any other tackles with true first round grades or at least that you think you might get there at this point in time? Probably not. It's, yeah, right now I don't. I won't say that it's, you know, not going to happen for sure.

But like my next guy is Jordan Morgan from Arizona, Patrick Paul from Houston. Troy Fontaineau from Washington and Tyler Guyton from Oklahoma. I have all like second, you know, range grades from there, you know, second, you know, top of the second to like top of the third, you know, round grade type things for them. So that would be my order though right now. I will say the next guy, Jordan Morgan, I think the last two weeks, I didn't watch Washington State, but USC and Washington, I thought we're very up and down games, you know, for him. saw some things where I think maybe a move to guard might be best for him. I certainly think he has the build for it, the strength, the hands and everything, the demeanor. So that he's kind of trending down a little bit for me after I thought he opened the year

outstanding the first few games. Brayland Trice gave him, you know, a good amount of trouble. And then even USC reoccurring issues where I have questions about his range in past protection, his ability to protect the edge. he drops that outside foot and then he's susceptible to inside counters. You know, and it's just kind of a reoccurring thing. At least it was the, you know, the USC Washington tape. So I think the tape, what is it, two weeks now when he's playing UCLA against their really good Ed Rusher,

that's going to say a lot about his evaluation. So I'm very eager to see that one for him. But Patrick Paul is really interesting. Fontneau played outstanding against Oregon. and then Tyler Guyton had his best game of the year against Texas. So there's a lot of talent here with these guys. It's crazy. Yeah, Guyton, he's so physically, I mean, just when he was at TCU,

watch him catching touchdown passes. I mean, this guy is, he's so gifted. And, you know, going back to the game this past Saturday, Washington, you know, in order to beat Washington, you have to be able to create pressure on the quarterback. You can't just let Pennock sit back there and, I mean, he'll just tear you apart. So you have to put pressure on him. And I thought that the right tackle was up and down, but like you mentioned, Foughtonautner

at left tackle was tremendous. I mean, do you think he can stay at left tackle? To me, he just looks like a guard, but he's operating really well at left tackle. So do you think he could stay at left tackle in the NFL or do you think he's maybe best suited inside a guard? I mean, I would lean guard, you know, but he's one of the first. of those where, you know, maybe you let him fail at tackle, you know, that approach might work as well. Maybe he could fit into that, you know, he's six four, you know, right? So it's like he doesn't

maybe look like it. I agree. He looks like a guard. He plays like a guard. He's super aggressive. But he strikes that balance well, like we were talking about in the pre-show, I think. And he could probably do it. I mean, I don't know. I wouldn't say it's impossible. I think, you know, if you had to pick, you say guard, just because I think everything translates well there, but I would have put a pass-in-the-play tackle. He's doing it at a high level right now. I love watching their offense as well. There's a lot of, you know, they're in the gun, five-wide, four-wide. I mean, and Pennix, you know, is, he has a really quick trigger as well. So, I mean, he's not holding the ball back there. Like, they balance each other really well. You know, he gets good protection, but then when he does,

and the balls out and vice versa. And it's like, and then the right tackle even Roger Rosengarten, he's fun, man. He's, you know, he still has some stuff to clean up, Redshirt sophomore. But I see some like high level stuff that he's mixing in with his technique. There's something called a three-step short where it's like you set vertical, then you go jump a guy. Yeah. He's like mixing in all this stuff.

And it's like, they're fun to watch, man. They are. Yeah. He needs to get stronger. But, yeah, I think he's. He does need to get stronger. he's a guy that if he comes out this year, which he's an underclassman,

so no guarantee that he will, but if he does come out this year, I think he's your immediate swing tackle and long term, you're looking at him as a guy that can, you know, be your starter. To your point, Fontenou, I've got him at 6034,

so 6.3 and a half, 319 pounds. So, you know, that's more guard right there, but his length, he's 34 and three quarters inch arms. That's crazy length. Yeah, it really is.

No doubt. So, yeah, he's, he's an interesting one. And, you know, for all the attention that Washington gets, I mean, Pennix deserves to be the front rudder for the Heisman. No doubt about that. At the receivers, in my opinion, the best receiving corps in the nation, yeah, we're big fans of their number four guys step it up. Yeah, exactly. So it's loaded with those receivers. But, yeah, we can't overlook these two tackles because it's Rosengarten, Fontaineau,

they have to be in the conversation for the best tackle duo in college football. And that's as much a part of their success as anything. They attacked so down the field. And I think all of us, we talked about the skill guys last week, but then just even the line point. So much of this translates to the NFL like Brandon was saying, like that they're doing these real protections as opposed to sliding everything. RPO, naked. So some of these guys, you watch them, you get like nine translatable reps. And you're like, yeah, okay.

that that that that's my NFL rep right there when you watch Washington the routes are real the throws are real the protections are real the runs are real so it's nice it's really nice it's refreshing sometimes to see that hey um yeah there's some somewhat similar measurements to isaiah win isaiah win didn't have a you know he was six three six two and three quarters he was three 13 but he had almost he had 33 and a half inch arms so you know kind of that funky build at tackle so just saying that that might be a path there any of that that group right there that you listed off Dane, or Brandon, I'm sorry, they're kind of like your guy. Do you like, have that little group right there.

Is there one that you, is your kind of like special little guy? Or is one that you're kind of like, you're more of a fan of than you think maybe the consensus or you think you might be rising throughout this process over the next like six six months or so? Yeah, I mean, it's, it's hard not to say probably Tyler Guyton, you know, from Oklahoma. Yeah. Because right away when I watched his tape, I, I texted. if somebody on their staff and I was like man like this this guy you know like I could just see it you know just

just you know he's what six seven three twenty five three thirty is what he's listed as and the way he's moving you know whenever you see a guy that big and he carries it so well and he's moving so fluidly and then he's like real nasty and you know you know has the right demeanor I'm like okay the bones the foundation are there for a starter you know and then to see him ascend as he is this season and then put together that Texas game where he's, you know, taking away his outside hand against, you know, guys trying to chop it and, and trap it. And he's, you know, like baiting guys.

And he's doing all this like, you know, cool, refined stuff and pass protection. You know, yeah, I think he's just going to keep going up. He checks all the boxes physically like somebody like J.C. Latham, you know, in terms of sight. He's comparable, you know, physically, I think, to him. So, yeah, I think he's ascending. and I do like Foughtonoo a lot too, but yeah, I think Guyton would probably be the guy to pick, at least at tackle. Yeah, that makes sense that the traits are there, the demeanor is there.

I mean, in the preseason he was number, what was he, 31 for me overall. So, you know, it's betting on those traits and betting on what he could be. And we've seen flashes, but the second half of this season will certainly be a big step for him. And whether or not he stays, leaves for the NFL, ultimately where he's drafted, is there an offensive line prospect in this class that maybe you like more than you expected coming in? I mean, you kind of referenced it earlier, how we wish we could live in a vacuum as we go into tape study with clean slates. But, you know, it's tough. You hear things about players, you know, before you have a chance to form your own opinion.

Who in this class has been different, good or bad? You know, maybe someone hasn't lived up to it or maybe someone surpassed expectations based on what you had going into watching their film. Yeah, I mean, I could go one on each side for the interior. So a guy who is impressed me more than I thought is Zach Frazier from West Virginia, their center. Okay. He's the best center in the country, in my opinion. He's great. I agree.

I agree. Yeah, he just looks like an immediate starter, you know, maybe not going to get, you know, to a pro bowl necessarily or anything like that. But he's a classic kind of, you know, high-level wrestler, four-time state champ, heavyweight wrestler. who looks the part on the field. He's a grappler. He commanding grip strength. He has, I mean, when he gets locked into guys, he's really good about sustaining that leverage through the rep. I counted 13 knockdowns against Pittsburgh, which was incredible.

That tape, everybody should watch that one. But he was good against Penn State. And then I just watched him against Houston. I saw Texas Tech. I mean, I just can't stop watching him because he's pretty consistent. He just does everything pretty well. He just looks like a starting center. So he's somebody who I didn't really have any expectations going in.

But that Penn State and Pittsburgh kind of back-to-back game sequence there for him really put him on my radar. So I have him as like a second round guy right now. And I think this day two probably is where he's going to go, I would guess. But the guy who's been a little disappointing. I haven't checked in on him in a couple weeks. but the first few games is Donovan Jackson at Ohio State. Yeah. You know, former top guard in the country, I believe, a five-star guy who last year, his flashes, man, were really impressive.

Yeah. This year, I just think his technique has fallen apart a lot, especially in past protection. He's trying to jump set guys a lot. He's missing with his hands getting beat clean. You know, just the losing clean thing, you know, is tough. I mean, if you die slowly, you know, and you're able to kind of stay attached, you know, that's fine if you're out of position initially. But if you're out of position initially. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're losing clean, I mean, and it's consistent, that's such a red flag. And it, you know, he still has the physical traits.

And, you know, it's all there. It's just, uh, he just hasn't been able to put technique. You know, he hasn't married those things together this year so far from what I've seen. So that's been a little bit of, you know, a little disappointing for me. because I really liked him, you know, going back last year. The talent's there, right? I mean, it's not a talent issue. It's just, and Ohio State's run game is really struggled this year,

and he's been a part of that. Back to Frazier, yeah, I agree with everything you said. He is so much fun to watch. He, his dad's side, that's where he gets the football from. His dad was an offensive lineman in college. His mom's side, her dad was a wrestler, heavyweight champion. champion wrestler. Her like three brothers were all state champion wrestlers. Like it he got all the right jeans to for the formula, right? And so he is he is a lot of fun. He his record, uh, wrestling record in high school was crazy. He was undefeated the last three years. He had two losses. His entire high school career. Both came pretty early in his freshman year. So this guy needs four five, uh, four five GPA. He's already married like a lot of things. A lot of things center. There's never been more of a center that's ever graced to serve.

Zach Frazier apparently. Exactly. So, no, I agree. He was my top center coming in and he's absolutely lived up to it. I was curious what you guys would say. I was going to ask you guys who your top center was so far because I hadn't, I haven't watched Frazier. So I've been waiting to kind of hear someone stand out stuff. That's really cool to hear.

Yeah, I did my, in my summer preview, I didn't, the only center I, I, I didn't, the only center I, I talked about was him. He got the edge over Van Pran for me. But, I mean, I, Brandon, now you like Cedric Van Pran quite a bit too, the Georgia Center? Yeah, I did. You know, last year, I thought he would probably be in the running for the top center. You know, I think he was in that week conversation, you know, as a day two guy. This year, it's been a little disappointing to me.

I think some of the concerns that you did have last year with his body control, especially, you know, climbing up to the second level. he looks like a, you know, average at best athlete, you know, if not below average. He's just on the first level, you know, he's really good about digging guys out. He can really, you know, create movement and uproot guys, you know, on double teams and combos, which most Georgia centers do, you know, it seems like every year they have that guy who can, you know, clear out the first level. But it's a matter of, you know, keeping your feet, keeping your balance through contact consistently. and then pass protection being isolated, losing quickly as well.

Yeah. So, like, to me, you know, he hasn't really helped himself a whole lot this year, although I didn't watch the Kentucky tape, which I, you know, I think that was a really good tape for him based on, I think we talked about that day. And so I do need to watch a Kentucky tape. But, yeah, so far, just been a little disappointed with him. I haven't seen the consistency there. So there's a pretty wide gap, I think, right now between him and Frazier.

to me. Are there any, just before we kind of wrap this up, the last position, your top guard so far, or top guards, I should say, maybe so far. I know you mentioned that, you know, Ohio State, you know, he's, Jackson's been a little kind of disappointing. And I, I kind of agree with that. I've been disappointed by Ohio State in general, just watching them overall outside of our guy, Marvin Harrison Jr., of course.

But, but, yeah, so I just cares who maybe is the top of your board right now in October we're at the guard position anyways. Well, I'm projecting him inside, and that's Duke left tackle Graham Barton. Yeah. Yeah, I think he's going to be my top guard, you know, in the class. And, you know, he looks like one of the classic, you know, move him inside, you know, in light, you know, what is it, Joe Antonio, you know, you know the list. Joe, Joe. Zach Martin.

Right. Jack Martin. Yeah. Scorotsky. Yeah. It's the same guy every year. Yeah, he's really, he just doesn't have the physical, you know, build and measurements, I think, of a tackle, but he's handling tackle well because his technique is so good. I think he's pretty strong.

You know, he's definitely really athletic. He just, yeah, he looks like an easy, you know, guard projection. Yeah, so he's hands down right now, my top guard. And then after him, my next guy is probably another kind of firm, you know, OG2 right now. Kansas State left guard, Cooper Beebe, who I thought probably should have came out last year as well, but he returned and he looks really good. He fills a lot of holes on an offensive line. I think I've seen him at left tackle, right tackle, you know, left guard.

This season is his primary home. He's definitely a guard at the next level, but massive build. He's wide. It's very wide. Wide, you know, powerful on contact, creates a lot of jolt. And he's also really, you could tell he's played a lot of ball just in terms of how he sorts things. You know, he doesn't get fooled very often. He's processing games and stunts and all that really well from inside.

And so, you know, he's not the most athletic or fleet of foot guy necessarily. But if you're really smart, huge and powerful, like, you know, I think a team will be able to find a home for you. And you could probably be a solid starter, you know. So that's how I see. him. He'd be my with you too right now. Kansas State always has, you know, Cody Whitehair, Dalton Reisner. You know, they always have one of these guys.

And yeah, B, B, B. He actually, he went back. His brother was in the 2023 recruiting class at Kansas State. So I think that was a big reason why he decided to go back. But yeah, no, I agree with you. I know you focus on offensive line, but has there been any defensive linemen that have kind of popped for you? I mean, inevitably, you see a lot of these defensive linemen.

anyone that maybe caught you off guard, like, oh, wow, this guy, this guy's really good. What you mentioned him a little bit, Brayland Trice has really stood out to me. A lot of power. Yeah, power. He's just a chore to keep blocked. He fights through contact really well. He has that inside stab, counter move, you know, a la Kalilomac, although he's not Kalilat, but he has that where he can work across the guy's face and just, you know, pry him

open. So yeah, I think he gives everybody trouble that I've watched, you know, so it's pretty consistent there. So he would be one guy on the edge that stood out to me inside. Let me see. That Texas defensive tackles flashed for me. The guy who's like 360. Sweat. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like some of his, he had a play where he tracked down the ball on the opposite numbers where like he's moving. Granted the second half, I thought he kind of maybe, you know, tape it off a little bit. But like when his motor, if you can keep him on a pitch count and like let him go, you know, you know, and keep his snap count low, like I think he'd probably be a really, really nice, you know, rotational guy or nose tackle kind of guy. So like he's,

he's certainly flashed for me this year. And I'm a big Newton fan from Illinois as well, which I think everybody knows he's good. But yeah, last year, his ability to deconstruct blocks is really good. It's impressive. He's clearly very good with his hands and can stack shed really well. And yeah, he's, he's a really good player. Yeah, that Trice got the shout out. Everyone's, it tries to just a nice, I think everyone knows what he is.

But he's just like a nice, useful player. Like, I can just picture him in the league. I don't think he's going to be a star, right? I just think he's just going to be a nice, good player, solid player. But it's fun to hear, try to get another shout out. Not even like a lock first round pick. I mean, he's probably a better chance to be a day two pick than a first round pick. But yeah, he's just going to be a solid player for a long time.

You said you had him like 40 something, I think on your. Yeah, he's like 48, 49. And that's exactly right. And that's exactly right. I feel like if I, once I stack these guys all up, he'll be at like 42 for me. Like, you know what I mean? Like that that's exactly where I picture him. But yeah, so it's good to hear you got shout out.

For you, Brandon, because I know it's not just college that you watch. You are watching the NFL every single week. Everyone make sure to check out his Twitter. count. You'll see some great stuff on there. But so far for the rookies in the NFL, who has stood out for you through six weeks in the trenches at the offensive line spot? Yeah. And, you know, I think I don't want, I'm not trying to do this, but my top tackle in the draft last year was Paris Johnson. And he looks really good this year. Yes, he does. At a new position. Maybe a little bit better than I was expecting. I would agree with that. yeah so he's just he's he's looked really good this year i mean he looks just highly competent you know like he's out there executing his blocks um he's recovering well you know the athletic abilities there

his length is a huge asset for him in terms of establishing first meaningful contact on rushers and then getting into his anchor quickly and um yeah just like he's he's really good in the run game as well i think that was one of the things i like so much about him his ability to be standing picky, you know, once he gets attached to blocks and sustains finish as well. So like, just the Cardinals in general in a lot of ways and, you know, everything has been surprising. But like, Parris Johnson to me has been really impressive. And then Steve Avila was, you know, the guard that I like the most. And I think he's been the best rookie offensive linemen that I've seen so far in terms of consistency. His ability to anchor, man, has really been an asset for the Rams this year.

I think it's allowed Stafford to have a lot of clean pockets. And then in the run game, he creates a lot of movement and he's a physical presence. And he's been very consistent. So those two guys have been a lot of fun to watch. DeWan Jones has looked really good in Cleveland. I was just texting somebody. I think that is right now as like a master class in terms of aligning what you're asking the guy to do with his strengths. because he's setting vertical almost every time and he's letting guys come to him.

The ball is typically gone before rushers even get to him. And then they can't really get to the ball because he just sling. He just washes him away. And then he'll mix him the jump set and he'll hit a guy right in the face or in the neck. Yeah. You know, he'll like mix it up. The game against Nick Bosa, I just watch that game. I mean, you know, he's getting help, you know, when he needs it.

And then when he does it, he's mixing it up. He's just being asked to do, like, It's perfect how they're handling him and he's executing at a high level. So those three guys have stood out to me. That Bill Callahan guy is pretty good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you still see some of the communication issues.

But he's such a young player that it's, he's going to get better and better. And when Jack Conklin went down, that's exactly what Cleveland needed. So no, that's a great shout out. He has been for a fourth round rookie, I mean, exceeded what. what I think anybody would expect from that. Brandon, this was awesome. This was so much information. I think the listeners really enjoy it.

What, you know, Bleacher Report, Trench Warfare, how can people get a hold of your content? Yeah, yeah, trenchwarfare.substack.com. I'm going to be doing a deep dive rookie film room this week. So I got a lot of film cut up on all these guys and more. So people can check that out. And then, yeah, Bleacher Report, we're going to have scouting reports start coming out here in the next month or so.

So, yeah, those are the main two spots. And then Twitter, you know, Brandon Thorne, NFL, posting a lot of stuff there. Trying to keep up with Nate on the videos. He's part of the wait night film crew. No, Brandon, thank you so much for joining us. This was freaking awesome. So I can't wait to get you back on here. Yeah, thanks, guys.

I appreciate it. Thanks again to Brandon for joining us. That was just awesome. I can't wait to do that again in a couple of months. and hear who's ascended, descended, and steal any other information I can from Brandon,

so it's great. But let's talk about what's kind of further along, get further along our discussion last week, a big matchup that happened in the PAC 12. I think I thought it was just

such a fun game to watch and so many big moments, a lot of big players stepping up. But yeah, Washington, Oregon, we dove into it last week. What are some of your thoughts after watching that game?

I don't know if you watched all 22 yet or just reviewed TV copy, but what are your thoughts so far on that game day? or what were they upon review, I should say. Yeah, actually, I watched the tape Saturday night because I was still on the high of how much fun that game was. I mean, just back and forth and two really good college quarterbacks, plenty of speed on the field, some questionable coaching calls, but, you know, it's be aggressive and go get it.

And, you know, we said on the pod last week that Washington receiver, Roma Dunsier was the best prospect on the field. And I think that absolutely held up. I mean, he was he was a guy that. Even when he's covered, he's open because of his ability to go win at the catch point. But he's also a really good athlete. He's got a little bit of juice after the catch. I mean, the Huskies, they're going to be so tough to be because of those weapons. Part of its scheme, you know, like the way they align their splits, the stacks, the motions.

But also, these receivers are just really, really good. Polk was awesome. You know, with McMillan out for most of the game. Polk was, Polk might be their second best. receiver anyways. I know. He wins with speed. He's another guy that can extend that catch radius full. He work inside and how. Like he, he's a good player, man. Yeah, he's, he's really good. Sorry to cut you off. But yeah, he fired me up on Saturday. I was like, ooh. He was, yeah. And then even on the other side with Oregon, Troy Franklin, with the way he played. So the receiving talent in this game, to me, was the main

takeaway. I thought Michael Pennix played really well for the most part. I think the best, best way to sum up his performance was it was good. I don't think it's necessarily going to move the needle based off of like what you thought going in. Like the poise that you showed late in the game, you know, I thought he got away with some throws. He made some big time throws also got away with some, especially that last drive, the one that's set up the touchdown pass, the Oregon safety, if she just turns his head and looks, the ball's right there for him. And Washington was able to, I mean, but credit to Washington. I give Pennix a lot of credit. I think he he deserves to be the favorite for the Heisman at this point.

Yes, yes. He did nothing to dissuade that and it's a big performance for him. And even our discussion with Brandon earlier where he was talking about, oh, yeah, he gets the ball out. It's like we, in an NFL prospect sense, there are some things that we talk about with his timing and everything. But he does. He makes that offense go. And they ask him to be aggressive. And he's like, okay.

It's not like he's checking it down all the time. I was curious, actually what, also like a Dunsier is like, is it Dunsie or Dunsie? A duncee. A duncee. Oh, my God. So it's the third one. But behind door number three is that you mentioned that, you know, and I saw it as well looking at his profile, was that, you know, he has some track background. That's not how he wins.

And I mean that as a positive. Because he's big and physical and can catch and he's a good route rider. So the fact that just the cap or two is like, oh, yeah, he's got real legit track speed. It's like, oh, man, this guy. There's a really good package working for somebody there. Right. 10, 6, 7, and 100 meters. He won the state title in the 200 meters.

I mean, yeah, the track background's awesome. But yeah, he is heavier than he was in high school, obviously, but even more so because he's up to almost 220. So he is a well-put-together receiver. And, you know, I can't help but get some Keenan Allen vibes just with the way he plays. You know, he can work inside outside. You know, Keenan Allen. Yeah, it really is. It's just, it's understanding.

It's like a pitcher that knows how to pitch. And I'm watching the baseball playoffs right now. And it's like some of these guys just know what they're doing. They know to set up receivers or set up batters. Same thing with these receivers. They know how to set up corners. Every step has a purpose, those types of things. So in a dunzier right there in that mix, not only is he detailed with how he attacks his routes

and how he attacks the catch point, but he's also just a really good athlete, especially for that size. So, man, this wide receiver two conversations. man. The Keon Coleman, one-handed grab. He had that punt return against Syracuse. Just ridiculous Saturday for Keon Coleman. But, you know, Malik neighbors, he leads the nation in receptions of 20 plus yards.

Ibuka from Ohio State is still in the mix, even though he's been hurt, which is hopefully we see him this weekend against Penn State. But again, just he belongs in that wide receiver two conversation. It's a lot of fun to talk about as the backup play. this is fascinating to me. We won't get into this, but the fact that this is a draft that's looked at as, okay, we've got this elite quarterback, okay?

And we've got this big time offensive tackle and it's one, once a generation receiver. But you know what? At quarterback, if you don't get Caleb Williams, you feel really good about Drake May. Right. It's, there's not a huge gap there. We talked about it with Brandon, but if you don't get Olu Foshinoo,

you feel pretty good about Joe Walt as your plan B. And then if you don't get Marvin Harrison, yeah, I mean, that's that you're going to miss out on a really good player. But you feel pretty good about the receiver two options that are available for you. So even though we have these high level top shelf players to each one of those premium positions, the backup plan behind those guys not bad at all. Right. The fact that this receiver two is like,

it's not just like we're like, oh, it's a big drop off. Maybe these guys sneak in the first round. It's like, now we're getting to three, four names that are going to be easily in there, which I think is awesome. And like we talked about last week was that these guys have size. These guys are legit outside guys, but can bump in inside now, which is kind of needed, but in what you want to see from receiver position.

Also, I have two things here. One, make sure to check out Greg Maddox on, he did an interview with Pitching Ninja. And it's on YouTube. It's about an hour long, give or take. It's like Greg Maddox is just insane anyways, like, like, in a great way and also just like a real life way. Like he thinks about baseball on a different scale than we can even fathom. And him trying to like articulate that is really interesting and just him talking about his memories and how he goes about things. So make sure to check that out.

But also not just talking about receivers. What about any thoughts on Bucky Irving for for Oregon, the running back. So fun. I know. So I, because I don't think we've had a discussion about him and not, you know, I have feelings. but any thoughts on Irving right now? Where do you stand with him right now? Well, you know, he's tough because he's obviously small.

I mean, he is 5, 10, probably going to be right in the mid-19s, if not low-190. So, you know, you do worry about him as an inside runner and, you know, being able to break tackles at the next level. But you get him out in space and, man, he is a tough guy to just corral. His balance is fantastic. I don't know, you know, can he be a. like Kyron Williams in the NFL, you know, like a guy that is, has got a lot of things going for him with the way he runs the football, the way he can stay on his feet, the way that he can set up his moves, also be really reliable as a pass catcher.

I don't know, what do you think of Bucky? No, that's, I have kind of, you know, kind of like Spears a little bit last year, Tadje Spears, where it's kind of like, I appreciate the game. They're not, I'm not saying they're one to one, but that size, that run style, it's like, okay, The combination, I like the player, but I just want to be realistic about what to expect out of him. I think he has to be part of a rotation. I have like a fourth round grade on him, but I like him. I think that's what this running back class is.

It's a lot of kind of like nice players, you know, fine players, but they all have blemishes like that. But size is the big thing for him. I like his well-roundedness. I like that he can catch the ball a little bit. But I think he's more of a useful player than a, you know, true, true, huge needle mover type. but a guy I would like on my team. Right, yeah, I think he, he's not a guy that's a locked top 100 pick by any means.

I think, yeah, I think that makes a lot of sense where you're talking about him. And yeah, to your point, that's how this running back class is. I'm going to be doing an updated top 50 here in a few weeks, and it's hard to make a case for any of these running backs really being in there. You know, I like some of these guys, but to be a top 50 guy, you got to be more of a difference maker. And I don't know that any of these guys really qualify as that. So, you know, the Michigan guys have been good, not great.

I mean, still really like them. But again, to make a case to be in the top 50, I don't know that any of these running backs have truly done this. I mean, I've been really impressed with Jonathan Brooks at Texas. I think he's a guy that has put himself into that discussion as, okay, you know, you're a day two player now. You know, Adrick Estime, we talked about him a little last week for Notre Dame. I don't see him as a top 50 guy, but he's at least put himself up there as an NFL guy. But yeah, there's a lot of fun running backs in this group,

but it's going to take the rest of the way to really stack them. And even when we do, my list can look completely different than your list, which will look completely different than, you know, what the Dallas Cowboys have as their running back stack. So it all depends on maybe, you know, the type of running back you're looking for and just, you know,

what you value. So the running back this year, the order, the rankings are going to be all over the place, no matter where you look. It's going to be a big eye of the beholder class, which is, definitely. But yeah, like right now, I just, I'm right there with you. It's a lot of guys that I've graded, yeah, that third, fourth round range. So yeah, that's 60 to 120 player range. And it's going to be like seven, eight guys in the same tier. And I, you know, so it's going to, when I get asked them of spring, well, at this point, we're in October, I'm going to be like, Which guys do you like? Well, I like these three.

You know, like, you know, it's not going to be a guy. Right. Yeah, you got to get this guy on your team. I think that's how it's going to go, but we'll see. So looking at, that was last week, but upcoming week, we got another juicy. Well, this is good. That was a future big time matchup, an actual big time matchup between Ohio State and Penn State. I was referring to you in Washington, Oregon.

We were going to, I kind of skipped over USC and Nordane because we already talked Joe All and we'll talk quarterbacks in the future. Don't, don't you guys worry. There'll be plenty of Caleb Williams discussion in the future. but upcoming this weekend Ohio State Penn State what are you looking for when you watch that game day there's going to be a lot of NFL talent on the field that's for sure um I mean I'm working on my NFL draft watch article for this week and there's over 20 players that have written down that have at least a chance to be a top 100 pick in April uh from this game I mean it is kind of crazy um I mean just look at the tight ends alone um Cade stover with what he's doing and then Penn State has two guys

with Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren, who have a chance to be day two prospects. I mean, it's interesting that both sides in this one have an elite prospect with Marvin Harrison, Jr. and then Olu Fashnu. And then after that, there's a lot of question marks about, okay, I don't know that there's another player outside of those two. I don't know there's another one of these players that's a locked top 25 pick. I think there's guys that flash that ability, like a Chop Robinson, the Penn State Edison, edge rusher. Kaelin King, the corner, who it's been quiet this year. He's got like one pass breakup, no interceptions, but he doesn't get tested a lot. He's averaging like three targets per game. Emeka Buka, we don't know if he's even going to play. He's missed most of the Maryland

game, didn't play last weekend's Purdue. Will he be healthy enough to go in this game? And even if he does play, you know, what is he 80%? Where is he with his return from injury? So these are guys that could be there. And both of the Ohio State edge rush too. With Tuiyamalahu, Jack Sawyer, I like both these guys, but it's just a matter of, okay, are they true top 25 type of prospects? And I'm just, I'm not there with them. So it's a really interesting group of players because talent flashes, everyone can see that. But are they consistent enough with who they are as football players and are they on the right trajectory to be top 25 picks? And that's kind of, of what we have to. I think this game, this game will be weighted more than others,

especially for, you know, Ohio State and Penn State hasn't really played anyone up to this point. I mean, their best opponent was probably what, West Virginia. And so this will be a big game for them. You've got a true sophomore quarterback going into a tough place to play in Columbus. Yeah, he's an Ohio kid. That was the year that the Ohio State took Quinn Ewers. And so Drew Aller goes to Penn State. kind of the domino effect there of how everything played out with Ewers and how that's, you know, to the advantage of Penn State because Aller looks really, really good. He's big.

He's the makeup. The intangibles are off the charts. He's still a young quarterback in his first year as a starter. So going into a tough place to play, his home state, how is in Ohio. Penn State doesn't have necessarily the best weapons, you know, receivers. And so that in Ohio State secondary has. not been great up to this point. So Denzel Burke and these Josh Proctor

the safety and ransom and I mean, how would these Ohio State defensive backs match up? So there's so many, it's hard to focus on certain players in this game because your eyes are going to be all over the place looking at all the different players. But like I said, this game will be weighted

more than others. But I think this will be, I think this game is going to be one based off Ohio State's front four. If Ohio State's front four, If Ohio State's front four can get pressure on and make the quarterback uncomfortable, I think Ohio State wins. If Ohio State can't get pressure with their front four, then I think Penn State will do enough to win this game because they also have a really good defense and Ohio State's going to have some troubles of their own moving to football. But plenty of prospects in this game is going to be a lot of fun to watch. It's a moving day for the prospects.

We'll see if they go up and down on this game. The money game, chance to really cash in. Because again, this is a game. will be weighted more so than others for these two teams. And obviously the Michigan game for both Ohio State and Penn State will be another one. And for the Michigan players against these three teams in the Big Ten, how they play against the other two opponents, that's the type of tape that will move the needle on how teams project these guys and ultimately where they're drafted. I referred to this before, but a lot of evaluators and just my timeline, even the last couple of years, just how it worked. out was they don't start watching some of these prospects till December, you know, until,

you know, that'd be nice. Yeah, right? Or maybe even November, December, January. And once these games are all wrapped up. And then they, and then they look, okay, they've played 12 games. Yeah, I'm going to watch Ohio State, Penn State. That's going to be the one game that they watch of October. And so, again, yeah, like you're saying, it is weighted because even in the moment it

is, but then afterwards it is as well. It is as well. Yeah, the K-L and King, Marvin Harrison Jr. match will be interesting because Harrison Junior game of the business last year. So I'm curious if this could be a really big essential game for him or it could be another frustrating one. One question actually I did. I know I glossed over it with the Notre Dame game. They're tied at Mitchell Evans. Any thoughts on him? Number 88. Do you have it? He's kind of, he's really been shining this year. So I'm kind of, I'm coming around on him. So, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts. I know I hadn't

prepped you on this, but I was just curious. No, he looked, I mean, he's an Ohio kid. But he's, he's, he's another one of, you know, next in the pipeline, Notre Dame tight ends, right? I mean, they recruit the position well, they develop the position well. But yeah, he is, his focus at the catch point is so impressive. And then he's, he's not a slug. I mean, he can move a little bit too. So, yeah, I can't say I've done like a really deep dive into him, but he's at least someone that I've been impressed with.

And he, you know, is, you know, you look at this tight end class and it's, okay, Brock Bauer's who we should mention had ankle surgery this week. There's a chance we might not see him in a Georgia uniform ever again, at least on the field. You know, it's a, he might have some tough decisions to make because Georgia probably going to be in the playoff picture. And, you know, do you make the decision to push it or, you know, help your team go for a three-peat or, you know, start preparing for the draft? So TBD on that.

But after Brock Bowers, you know, we talked about. Jatiamon Sanders and Cade Stover. I mentioned these two Penn State tight ends are really good. But the Notre Dame tight end might have a decision to make after the year, no doubt. I know. I was like, God, that guy's got, hopefully he's a sophomore. And then I looked at it was a junior. I was like, oh, you're eligible.

Yeah, I got to watch you more. But every time I watch Notre Dame, he's just stepping up, making nice plays. I just, yeah. You could tell Sam Hartman trust him. I mean, there's a. Yeah, he's Mr. Third Down. Yeah. Yeah.

And it gets overused, you know, tight end, safety valve. So true. But it's it that that's the Notre Dame offense. It really is a huge part of what they do, especially on third downs. When they need a, okay, we need it play to move the sticks. Yeah, they're looking for the tight end. Yeah, I was just curious what you thought. Any other games that you're checking out, any other prospects or matchups that you have circled or highlighted that I'm going to get a text.

I'm sorry about missing your Keaunt Coleman comparison, by the way. I feel bad about that one. I was, hey, I was playing botchy ball with my parents at the park. That was a way to compromise our whole family and the kid. some competitive element with my parents. But any other games that are standing out for you this weekend. Well, I mean, Utah and USC is like, okay, Caleb, I mean, he, Caleb owned his mistakes. And again, we'll talk more about Caleb here probably next week after this game.

But how does he rebound against, you know, a really good youth defense, a defense that always gives USC trouble? I mean, last year, played him twice. And, you know, we saw how that played out. So what can he do to, you know, what is the mindset like after? you know, such a deflating loss. His worst performance at the college level. I mean, before Saturday, Caleb Williams only had one multi-interception game.

And that was his freshman year at Oklahoma. Yeah. So this was uncharted territory for him. For someone that throws so many trick shots, that's unbelievable that he, that he's only had one. That's very remarkable. Yeah. Right.

And so, yeah, how does he rebound? You know, in the SEC, Tennessee at Alabama, plenty of good players in that game to watch. But yeah, it all starts at noon with Penn State, Ohio State, man, that's going to be a ton of fun. 9 a.m. for me. Oh, my gosh. That's kind of nice.

It's a good thing, though, right? I'm such a morning person now. It's great. I know. I'm out of bed by 630, so it's like, for me, it's great. I know. I definitely love it. I go get donuts or breakfast and we're good to go.

I will say Caleb Williams has had some strong moments, I would say as far as handling some of the outside noise as far as what you're saying he owned his mistakes. But even when the Mahomes comparisons were getting thrown at him and how he handled that and he kind of kind of was just like, hey, I'm my own person. Like, yeah, I love the comparisons. But I come on. I really like that. I just like that demeanor he's had.

It's been really cool for me to kind of see that kind of personality side. That's how you have to be as a quarterback, especially NFL quarterback. But just wanted to mention that. That's been pretty cool with him. I think that's it for Prospects of Prosos. This was a great one. Love talking to the line with Brandon. Thank you again for him coming on.

Love talking about the prospects coming up this upcoming week. But until next time, I'll see you guys next week. This was the Athletic Football Show's Prospects to Prospects to Prosk.