The Kevin Sheehan Show - It's Daniels!

Episode Date: April 26, 2024

Kevin opened with his thoughts on Washington selecting LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels #2 overall in the NFL Draft last night. Sam Fortier/Washington Post jumped on with his reaction and information. And then, former Skins' QB John Beck who has been training Daniels had incredible insight on what the Commanders are getting in their new QB. Download the PrizePicks app today and use code Sheehan for a first deposit match up to $100! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You don't want it. You don't need it. But you're going to get it anyway. The Kevin Cheon Show. Here's Kevin. With the second pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Washington commander select Jaden Daniels, quarterback LSU.

Welcome to Washington, Jaden Daniels. I cannot wait for you to get here. Actually, you know what? He may already be here. He should be here because he is scheduled to speak this afternoon in front of media members out in Ashburn. I'll have some of that sound on tomorrow's show. Yes, I'll do a Saturday show following what should be a very busy night two for Washington at the NFL draft. The show, as always, is presented by Windonation.

Call them at 86690 Nation or head to Windonation.com. They've got buy-to, get-to free going on right now with no payments and no interest for 24 months. They'll take really good care of you if you mentioned my name, including giving you a free, no-obligation in-home quote. 86690 Nation windownation.com. Sam 48 from the Washington Post will jump on with me here in a few minutes. And then John Beck will be on the show. John Beck, former Skins quarterback, is also one of those quarterback trainers. He's been a part of a quarterback training group, and he's been training Jaden Daniels for a while now.

Several other quarterbacks as well, including two others that got picked in the first round last night. John Beck coming up in the next segment, and I think you will enjoy his insight on Jaden Daniels. Please rate us and review us if you haven't done that. This is a big week for us. We typically get a lot of people back this week, people that perhaps have listened on a less regular basis once the football season ended. but the weeks leading up to the draft and the few days after the draft are big days for us. So if you haven't rated or reviewed the podcast and you have a chance to do so, Apple allows you to give us five stars.

So to Spotify and you can write a quick one to two sentence review on Apple as well. Subscribing to the podcast is great and also following us on Apple and Spotify is important. The plus follow button is in the upper right-hand side on the, Apple home screen for the Kevin Sheehan Show podcast, and it's on the left side on Spotify. So, look, I'm thrilled with this. I do feel very much like there is a building anticipation for not just the upcoming season, but for the next few years, that certainly would not have existed without the addition of a quarterback. In my case, the addition of this quarterback.

I thought last night by the time we finally got to it, it felt a little bit anticlimactic because, you know, as we've talked about, I do think we had gotten to the point over the last few weeks where it seemed very much like a foregone conclusion. You know, there was mystery around this thing because Washington kept it close to the vest. I'm going to play for you some of the Adam. Peter sound from last night because Adam Peters was gushing over Jaden Daniels, which you would expect him to do, but I think we learned a little bit about just how long Daniels has been

their guy. It was a good night overall, a very entertaining first round of the NFL draft. I'm not sure that the league could have spoken any more loudly than it did last night on the importance of quarterback in this league. This was all time in terms of the number of quarterbacks taken in the fewest number of picks, six in the top 12, and you had many teams that didn't get quarterbacks that were trying to get there. Washington got one of them. They got Jaden Daniels. but we know what the odds say. The odds say that this is a long shot to a certain degree that any more than two of the six taken in the first round

will turn out to be major contributing higher-level quarterbacks. It's more likely that three to four will be on different teams three years from now. But I promise you, the guy they, they, took, I think you can get yourself, you know, geared up for a show. You know, I don't know how the show goes. I don't know how it ends. So much of the success of these quarterbacks hinges on things we can't predict like, you know, the supporting cast and the coaching staff and the fit and the person. But, Jaden Daniels is going to give this franchise a jolt of talent at the quarterback position

that it just hasn't had at that position in the franchise for years. You now have exceptional talent at the most important position on the field. You know, all of the, you know, utmost of respect intended towards the Ryan Fitzpatrick's and the Sam Howells and the Taylor Heine. Nicanekies. Jaden Daniels is a world-class talent at quarterback, but we know that the position is a lot more than that, and that's where we'll have to sit back and wait because there's a lot of mystery around that. He can throw the football. He can run the football. He appears to be able to do a lot of what the position requires at a high level, but does he have the other stuff?

Adam Peters believes he does. Many others believe that he does. You know, will the coaching staff and supporting cast be the right mix, the right fit? Will Cliff Kingsbury be the right OC? You know, will he have the right quarterback coach, et cetera? You know, I think personally the biggest concern is still today what it's been for me, his frame. His skinny frame, will it turn out to be what some of you. you absolutely believe it will turn out to be, and that is an absolute killer, a fatal flaw. We don't know the answer to that today.

But I do believe, I do believe, and I think most of you would agree with this. They had to do this. You know, he's a guy that just has so much that you had to take the big swing here. Last night, as I mentioned, the league told you how important. Not that we haven't been reminded of this before, but they just told you how big of a deal this position is and how you have to keep swinging until you find one. I mean, for crying out loud, the Falcons who paid, you know who,

as Galdi calls Kirk Cousins, they paid them $100 million just a month ago or a month and a half ago, and they decided to take a big swing with the guy that I also liked a lot. Michael Penix Jr. at number eight overall. I actually think that move was silly. You don't use number eight after you've paid a free agent $100 million. And you've essentially said by paying a 36, soon to be 36 year old quarterback, $100 million, that you've got to win now. you don't take the quarterback of two years down the road at number eight.

Maybe you do it 25 or 26 like Jordan Love was taken or 24 like Aaron Rogers was taken. Not at 8. I thought that was really stupid. I understand the importance of having the next guy and they may never get the opportunity to draft as high as they were drafting last night. And they loved Pennix Jr. And I've been telling you guys, I thought it was going to be. Pennix Jr.

Maybe as high as the top half of the first round. I had him behind Williams and Daniels as my QB3 in this draft. I love the kid, but he's 24 years old and he won't play until he's 26 at least. What a first night, by the way. How about this? 275,000 people attended this in Detroit. Amazing that that many people would go to stand for like four hours outside to watch a draft. We're not talking about a game.

We're talking about a draft. Bless their hearts. Look, I'm excited. I am very much anticipating some real excitement. I think he will start week one. I mentioned to Tommy yesterday. They've got the Saints on the schedule. That's where RG3 opened his career in the Superdome.

They play at New Orleans next year. They need a lot more. They've got to put a supporting cast around them. They've got to add offensive line tonight. I think they will. They've got to add defensive talent. We're so focused on what they need to do for Jaden Daniels. Part of what they need to do is have a defense that gets people off the field,

have a defense that turns people over and create short field operations. opportunities. That would be nice as well. They've got a lot of needs. Tonight will be an exciting night more on that coming up. One last thing before I play a couple of sound bites from Adam Peters from last night. Look, this was the first draft in 24 years without Dan Snyder as the owner. It means we don't have to suspend reality anymore. I know that for the first 10, years of Snyder. It wasn't like we had figured it out yet. So it's more of like the last 10 to 15 years of Snyder. But we can take last night much more seriously than we ever have. Like it might work, you know, versus kind of the understanding that no matter how excited about a specific player,

no matter how much reality was suspended so that we could have a conversation about the various players taken. You know, most of us got to the point where we understood intellectually that eventually Snyder's arrogance and his incompetence would undermine whatever, you know, the front office did. And that happened over and over again. So last night and today feel a little bit different for me. I don't know if you guys feel the same way or not, and I'll explain.

We were all excited, and we shared in this joy last July when the sale was final. We felt really excited about the Arizona home opener, the first game without Snyder. This offseason started with the hiring of a general manager, the most sought after general manager, and then a head coach, and there's this feeling of normalcy with kind of a traditional, structure, but, you know, nothing really generates the kind of excitement than a player, specifically a star quarterback does. And I know we've been through this before, but it's different this time. You know, I don't think in 2012 we felt like it was going to be, you know, the disaster that

it turned into in the moment. And we were still kind of at the beginning of wrapping our arms around needing to, you know, suspend reality. But picking Jaden Daniels, number two overall, a superstar college player, a Heisman trophy winner, and knowing that he's entering an organization that as far as we know today is the most normal it's been in a quarter century. And there seems to be an environment that he'll be entering with people like Dan Quinn and a very experienced coaching staff,

it just feels like there's a chance. And maybe they didn't get it right with him. I think they did, but we don't know anything today. But if they got the right player and the right person, this time it's got a chance to thrive. You know, one of the things that you have to trust to a certain degree, and I am the benefit of the doubt, you know, attitude that I've taken is that all of the things that are important with any player that you bring in, but specifically the quarterback, these are things that are being taken seriously. You know, we didn't have people capable of identifying traits, identifying characteristics, you know, identifying personality flaws because they were all flawed.

themselves personality-wise. I don't know. It just feels like there's something to be legitimately excited about. And I think that from an overall organizational standpoint, I do think that Jaden Daniels is a bit of a bump in excitement than maybe Drake May or J.J. McCarthy would have been. perhaps not Caleb Williams but there is a certain

flare and style of play that Jaden Daniels had in college and we think he'll bring to the NFL that they can sell but trust me I do not think that that had anything to do with why they selected him why did they select him this was Adam Peters last night oh why Jane why not Jane

he's to us, he was special in every way, on the field, off the field. Just, I talked to him a couple times, and I told him, kind of what I told you guys the other day, didn't really watch a lot of the quarterbacks hard during the season, being with the 49ers, and then I turned on Jaden for the first time here, and I couldn't believe it. I honestly couldn't believe how good he was. And saw him on TV, saw him on highlights,

everything, but when you really study him as a quarterback, just as a quarterback, he's really, really good. And just the way you could process, the way you can see the field, go through reeds, deliver on time, deliver with pressure in his face, take a hit and deliver a third down pass and move the chains. He's the best deep ball thrower we thought in the draft. And that's even before he start watching him run. And the way he runs, he just kind of, We talk about it, kind of takes your soul as a defense. You know, you think you got him, and then all of a sudden he rips off a 40-yard run. And this is against the SEC.

This isn't against, you know, some lower competition. This is against the best of the best. So for all those reasons on the field and off the field, I can't say enough about him. And we did a lot of work on all these guys. We did a lot of work on Jaden. And in terms of every single person we spoke to, it was just exemplary as a person, personal character, football character, his work ethic, his football intelligence, how much he cared is his leadership, how he is as a teammate. They were all exemplary. And we went back to high school.

We went back to Arizona State and Herm Edwards. his personal quarterback coaches, his LSU and all the staffers at LSU, Brian Kelly there, every single person you would talk to, it was the same answer. So we felt so good about how awesome of a person that he was on top of watching all that tape. So, you know, it made us feel really, really good about making this pick. And if we could have run it up, we would have run that pickup. We waited a little while because I think they tell us to do that. But we couldn't be happier.

That was funny there at the end because I think I told Tommy yesterday on the podcast, it may have been the day before, that a theory about why we had not gotten the Adam Schaefter sources say, you know, the actual report, Washington will select Jaden Daniels, is because the league didn't want the drama killed. You know, they wanted it to be a cliffhanger after number one, because number one with Caleb Williams to Chicago was, you know, a given. And so there it was there at the end with Adam Peters saying, you know, we didn't run the card up right away because they make us wait a little bit.

Anyway, you expect after a first round pick, front office, you know, general managers, head coaches to say, we got our guy. That's the guy we wanted all along. So that's always a given. But I 100% believe this. I believe that this has been their guy for a while now. I think it's one of the reasons I didn't know for sure. If I'd known for sure, I would have shared that with all of you.

But I've just had this very strong feeling that this front office was going to agree with a lot of other front offices and a lot of, you know, the so-called legitimate experts that evaluate the draft, that this guy was the second best, if not the best quarterback in the draft. It's funny that he mentioned, you know, kind of what Tommy and I were talking about yesterday, it was Tom's question at the press conference a week ago about, you know, tell me, Adam, what you thought of the quarterbacks while you were at San Francisco and how much of it's changed since you got to Washington. and he said, well, I didn't watch the quarterbacks when I was in San Francisco because we weren't

going to be in a position to take one and we didn't need one. Part of that, to me, is a bit of an exaggeration. Adam Peters has been a high-level, a thought of high-level candidate to be a general manager for a year now. So I would think that this guy was thinking ahead a little bit and paying attention to some of the quarterbacks, but whatever. when he said, you know, I turned on Jaden for the first time and I couldn't believe it. I honestly couldn't believe how good he was and saw him on TV, saw him on highlights and everything.

But when you really studied him as a quarterback, just as a quarterback, really, really good, the way he could process, the way he could see the field, go through reeds, deliver on time, deliver with pressure in his face, take a hit and deliver, move the chains. He's the best deep ball thrower we thought in the draft. then he gets into, you know, the running. I think that's one of the things that, uh, as just, you know, a fan, uh, talking about the player that I like the most. I wanted to emphasize the most during this lead up is that it's not, he's not Lamar Jackson. You know, this isn't a run first quarterback. This isn't a quarterback. You have to design a dual threat running attack around. This

guy can flat out throw it from the pocket. I think, you know, of the guys we were talking about, he was the best pocket passer and has the best overall, and I'm far from an expert on throwing mechanics, but to hear people like Cooley talk about it, to hear some of the others talk about how it's just such a repeatable throwing motion, and it's a perfect throwing motion and perfect feet and all those things. And I think, you know, as a fan and you know what a guy looks like when he's maybe not as smooth in the pocket. You know what, you know, something looks like that's good, something that looks bad is maybe the in-between, we're not so sure,

but I just always thought it looked perfect, and they did too. This was Adam Peters on when the team decided it would be Daniels. Yeah, I think you guys kind of getting to know how we do things, and going through the whole process, I think is important. And I think I said this last week, too, you know, you don't want to make a decision until you have to. And but, you know, because you never know what's going to happen. But that being said, we, you know, we knew it was Jaden for a while.

And it would have taken a lot for it to not be Jaden personally, you know, or just in reality. I mean, it was the building, the whole building was, you know, I'll say unanimous on that one, and it's easy to see why. We didn't hear collaborative, aligned vision, consensus. What we heard, though, was overwhelming agreement for sure. I was told by somebody very much in the know after he was selected that Daniels was the lean pretty much with Peters and Quinn and most of the brass from the jump.

They went through their thorough process, just like they did with the coach, with an open mind, could have been convinced otherwise, but Daniels was, you know, the guy from the jump, and it held up. Cliff Kingsbury. I was curious if there would be any mention of Kingsbury, and what he thought and his role in the selection of Jaden Daniels. Here's what Adam Peters said. Cliff had a lot of input in the process,

and when we went out and did all the pro days, he was with us the whole time. And so we had a lot of time together to talk, just talk philosophy, talk quarterback play, just talk about the players. And so he was a very, very, very big fan of Jaden, like all of us, and he is extremely fired up. I know not all of you are on board

with Cliff Kingsbury because of what, you know, happened in Arizona or what you perceive happened in Arizona. They had one good season offensively and they went to the playoffs. But I can't wait to see what he does with Jaden Daniels. And it's not just him. I mean, you know, this is not an experiment this year. You've hired Brian Johnson who worked with Jalen Hurts. You've got, you know, a guy like David Blow who everybody swears by. And you've got a guy in Kingsbury, no matter what you think of him as a head coach, in the NFL. He's not going to be a head coach here. He's an offensive coordinator here. And, you know, words like guru have been attached to him as labels because of his prowess

with offense and quarterbacks. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do. Adam Peters had a lot of other things to say that I will try to find some time on tomorrow's show to play and maybe even Monday show. Needless to say, the net of it was, this was their guy all along. He was. He did mention that they were calling teams to try to get back up into the first round last night. Ben told me that he had sources that told him that Washington had reached out to teams in the teens. You know, Cincinnati took Amarius Mims, the offensive tackle from Georgia at 18. So it's possible Washington was interested in him. And they may have been interested, you know, in Jordan Morgan from Arizona at 25.

But you got to find a willing trade partner. It's got to be the right price. And they didn't find that. So tonight starts the process of five picks from 36 through 100. I don't know if they'll pick exactly at the spots that they're targeted to pick. Right now 36 and 40 in the second round, 67, 78, and 100, which is the last pick of the third round. That's the Chase Young pick. If there's a player that they really like, they can package some of that stuff together to move up into the second round or move up into the third round and get a player that they really like.

Offensive line is certainly going to be a target. Edge rusher, corner, potentially wide receiver, tight end. Cooper DeGine, the corner from Iowa, I'd be thrilled with at 36. He got hurt this year at Iowa, but he's a hell of a player. Offensive line-wise, we've heard, you know, John Kime and Ben tell us over the last few days. Roger Rosengarten from Washington is a guy they had in. He's a projected early second-round guy. Edge rusher, I told you a guy that I really kind of like, but he's more third round is Austin Booker from Kansas.

You know, tight end, Cade Stover from Ohio State. Wide receivers, plenty still out there as well. They will be busy. tonight. That is for sure. Looking forward to that. More on what's next coming up here in a moment with Sam 48 from the Washington Post. Did want to mention that I will be on radio tonight, 7 o'clock with all of the second and third round coverage on the Team 980 and the Team 980.com. You can also download the Odyssey app to listen to our broadcast tonight, which will include my producer Denton Day as a co-host tonight. Sam 40A, Washington Post. Of course, does a great job

covering the team is with us right now. At Sam, the number four, TR on X on Twitter. So let's just start with your reaction to Jaden Daniels at two last night. You were in Detroit. Yeah, they're swinging big, obviously. You know, you like what Jaden Daniels does with his arm and his legs. And obviously, there's a little bit of a concern there with the durability with the frame, but obviously they feel comfortable with him. And I got to say, Kevin, being in Detroit last night, one of the things that stood out to me is after he got picked, he had to go through a gauntlet of media. He might have done 90 straight minutes of interviews, and it's, you know, it's everything

from ESPN on the stage to, you know, the local Baton Rouge affiliate who had three sessions at the very end. and he answered most of the same questions for 90 minutes undeterred. He had his patent lines, and he delivered him, and he never seemed frustrating. He never seemed upset. So he definitely, you know, obviously you see what he can do on tape. But last night, I feel like I got a little bit of taste of Jayden Davis as the face of a franchise as a pitchman as somebody who is going to have a lot of demands on his time from a lot of different people.

And I thought he handled it really well. Since you're one of the few people that have actually stood next to him, how skinny is he? I mean, he is thin. You know, he's six, three, five, eighth, and two hundred ten pounds. I mean, that is, in terms of first round quarterbacks, a relative outlier because there's not a lot of guys. You know, the guys in the last two decades who have had that frame are Teddy Bridgewater, Alex Smith, and Robert Griffin the Third. Robert Griffin the Third was a little bit thicker than Jayden is. And so, I mean, look, like, if they feel comfortable with it, I know that they've done their homework on it,

they feel comfortable with it, but at the same time, I mean, he is a thing guy. And I don't think at 23 years old it's going to be 24 in December. I don't think this is a thing where you say, hey, bulk him up and make him bigger because obviously he plays how he plays at that weight. And he's a grown man. You know, this is not a Chase Young coming into the league at 20 years old situation. It's very different. So I wanted to mention to everybody. Sam wrote a really interesting story the other day.

I think I actually mentioned it maybe on radio. It was a story about the analysts out there on the internet, former players, that are breaking down quarterback play before the draft and, you know, whether or not the analysis has improved or not improved and the results, etc., etc. and I wanted to ask you about that. Maybe you can talk a little bit about that and what you learned, but also ask you about Washington's process in identifying and honing in, ultimately on Jaden Daniels.

Yes, okay, I think that there are two different things at play here. The first one is that I do think quarterback analysis has gotten better, right? Like, in the last five years, a lot of dudes, Dan Arlovsky, JT, O'Sullivan, Chase Daniel, these guys are putting out Kurt Warner are putting out videos on YouTube that help us understand better than ever why quarterback succeed and fail. And I can tell you, you know, just by watching some of those videos, okay, you know, Jaden Daniels did this and it was important because he's not scrambling because he got to his first read. He didn't know what to do and he just took off. He's doing it because he notices coverage structures and he notices pressure paths and he's then

adapting to what the defense is giving him and using his legs to capitalize. But, you know, the thing that I wonder because of that is we're getting closer to the minutia than ever, but what are we learning because the hit rate on quarterback is still less than 50% even in the first round. And so I think that really what that underscores me is

the analysis is getting better at projecting. Now, to flip it over to Jayden Daniels specifically, I think for him, it's kind of like what I was saying about JT. Sullivan, and sort of what he was finding when he looked at the tape. And so for him, I mean, I think the command

Sanders process, they did all of the things. They watched all the tape. They went to all the events. They had them over. They stressed, you know, they stress tested him with the top golf thing. I don't see at least for now any flaws in that process. Very interesting what you're describing and what you wrote about the other day. The analysis has gotten better, but the results haven't changed. And I'm not just talking about the results of the internet guys, former players, but the guys that are getting paid to do this, the results haven't changed. And maybe to a certain degree that speaks to, you know, all of the other stuff. And Adam Peters has emphasized that from the jump. You know, this is about getting the

person right as much as it is anything else. In listening to him last night, did you get the sense that there was a real comfort in the guy, the person they got in Jaden Daniels? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he's been described as a, as a, 6 a.m. guy, you know, someone who gets up, puts in the work. I thought his comments were telling. I asked him last night, you know, basically like, where do you start? And he said, look, I got to show up and I got to work hard. I got to be myself because I'm, you know, I'm 23 years old. I've got to lead grown men with families. And the only way they'll respect me is if I do those two things. And I thought that that sort of good level of awareness. And somebody else asked

him how he feels being a franchise quarterback. And he pushed back on that. Even though he is, he said, I have to earn that role. And I think that that level of self-awareness for what he has to do with the position that he's in, I mean, look, it's easy to kill it on draft night when you haven't taken a snap. But, I mean, he started off on the right foot. I agree with you. I didn't hear that answer, but that's the right answer. When he was asked the other day on, I think ESPN, the get-up show,

he was asked whether or not he's the best quarterback in this draft. And he didn't just come out and say, well, yeah, I think I'm the – He said any competitor thinks he's the best quarterback in the draft, but there are a lot of really good quarterbacks in this draft, and that's something that you've got to earn, you know, on the field at the next level. I think those are good answers. I mean, I think sometimes we read so much into this stuff, because let me just tell you a quick, funny story.

RG3's first rookie minicamp, he's doing sort of, you know, post-mini-com. camp practice presser outside. And he waited on an answer until a jet that was landing at Dulles had cleared because he wanted people to be able to hear him. And I remember everybody looking around, including my very good friend Tom Levero, and said, now that guy is really smart and he's really aware. And it was like, okay. I mean, but he hasn't actually taken going to snap on the field yet. But it's amazing how much of the detail and how much we kind of project off of

these things. So if I can jump into a funny, quick story of my own, when we were, when I was reporting that story that you were talking about, I talked to Chase Daniel, who played obviously with a journey to the league, 14 years, and he actually would argue

that teams have done, have overdone it. They're overanalyzing these prospects by going to a 30 visit, by going to the pro day and hosting the 30 visit, he was like, look, like, I think we're getting too close to it. And all the systemic biases that you have that you are not even conscious of, you know, oh, does this guy look like me? This guy talked like me.

Does he have the same interest as me? You know, do I hear a story about from the janitor in high school about this kid coming in and sweeping the floors or whatever? Like, he was like, I think we're just over analyzing it. And maybe if we dialed it back, if we just said, okay, look, look, at the tape, okay, talk to a couple of his coaches. Yep, did he check the boxes? That's fine. He thinks that that might improve the hit rate on

quarterbacks. And while I'm not totally sure I agree with him, I do think at this point if the results are what they are, maybe there's something to it. Well, yeah, it's like the criticism from various corners on the top 30 visit format that Washington

had, which wasn't totally unique, as we know, because of the 49ers and Belichick, etc., at New England. But it's like at this point, how can you be either an advocate of any format at all because nothing's really produced overwhelmingly positive results? So yeah, it's like, you know, you spend too much time looking for something that's wrong. You'll probably find it. I think, though, Right. Ultimately, the tape is the thing that is the most important. You don't even get to that

next part if the tape doesn't, you know, show you what you need to see. I would have to say so because can he do those things? And J.T. O. Sullivan, who I went to go see in Southern California, I mean, we sat there and I thought he set up and we watched some tape together. And he was like, I have gotten less confident over the years that I can project quarterbacks. What I try to do because it's, oh, is this, what's the scheme going to be, who's the supporting cast? And he was like, what I do is I just look at the tape.

And when he looked at the tape, he felt that Jane Daniels was the second best quarterback in the class. But he was like, if you ask me, you know, oh, Drake May, the footwork, did you have a higher ceiling if you fix it? How do you fix it? What's the best way to support him? He was like, I don't know. It's impossible. And so I have given up on a better,

on coming up with a better system. And so I just try to grade the tape what does he show that he can do? And I don't have to worry about getting fired, so I don't have to like pretend to prognosticate things that I don't know. Yeah, well, when you're not, you know, getting paid, you know, based on the results, it's just about, you know, what you know, which is watching the tape and projecting. I mean, the other stuff they don't have access to, and we don't either. Only the teams do. you know, with respect to sort of the way some of the people that you talked to for that story that you did,

and some of your reporting over the last couple of weeks, did you get the sense that, you know, as far as the football on the field that Jaden Daniels eventually emerged as the clear-cut number two quarterback in this draft? I think that enough people, enough experts who I, I think that enough people, who I, do trust their evaluations of the tape have said Jaden had the second best tape, you know, overall in the body of work in this class, to say that that was, you know, a major factor. I don't think that that was Adam Peters, you know, his one true deterministic factor. But I do think that Jaden Daniels, if you just go on, what did he do on the tape, was it consistent, you know, decision-making consistent, you take care of the ball, was the explosive, was a dynamic,

I think you can make a really strong argument that he was the second best guy. So let's go back to last night and after Jaden Daniels was selected. What can you tell me, if anything, about their efforts to trade back into the first round and perhaps for whom? Yeah, I think that they were interested in trading back up into the first round. Obviously, when you look at their offensive line right now, you do want an upgrade, particularly at left tackle. But, I mean, a lot of offensive tackles went along with quarterbacks and other offensive players. And so I think the price was just too rich. I don't have a strong sense of who exactly their target would have been.

But obviously a lot of guys that they were connected to in the pre-draft process, you know, Tyler Guyton and some of those other guys, Dacey Latham, they went, you know, pretty high. And so it's the thing that they're going to try to address today. offensive line, I think, would be a major focus, corner, edge rusher, tight end. I would say that those are probably the positions that will make sense for tonight. But offensive line, obviously, they're going to have two second round picks and three third round picks, and I imagine that'll be a focus. Perfect.

You just answered my last question about tonight and what you expect. I know you're busy. Thanks so much for doing this. Appreciate it, as always. We'll talk soon. Of course. Thanks, thanks always for having to Kevin. Sam 48, everybody from the Washington Post. Up next, I think you're really going to enjoy this.

John Beck, former Skins quarterback, is now a trainer of quarterbacks, and one of the quarterbacks he's been training, Jaden Daniels. You'll hear him next right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey, guys, I want to tell you about Harry's. Many of you have probably heard of Harry's razors and shaving products. even from this podcast. They've been an occasional advertiser over the years. I'm a customer. I have been for a while now. I think it goes back to the first shipment of product that they sent me

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We remember the training camp battle between the two of you in 2011. I had John on the radio show, I don't know, six or seven months ago, and John is one of those people who's been training quarterbacks with 3DQB, and he's been with them for a while, and Jaden Daniels is one of the quarterbacks that he's been working with. and that's why I reached out to John to have them on the show today. Real quickly, because I know that it's been more than just Jaden Daniels, and I want to ask you a lot about him, but you guys had a couple of quarterbacks going the first round last night, right?

Yeah, we did. Mike Pinnock was the eighth pick overall to Atlanta, and J.J. McCarthy, the 10th pick to Minnesota. You work with three first-round picks. That's pretty impressive. So let's start with Jaden Daniels. Now that we know he's in Washington, it's less of sort of a projection and a talk about the teams that he'd be a great fit with. I want to hear from you what you think he does well and is translatable, and then we'll get to some of the things that you think he needs to work on.

Yeah, well, I think when you talk about Jaden's story, it's really who he's become over the last 18 to 24 months. He leveled up in so many areas of his game, and it was very cool to be a part of that process, to watch how much time, effort, and energy he put into that. He recognized, here's where I'm at, here's currently my strengths, this is where I want to end up, this is what I want to become, and so what is it going to take to get there? And then he literally just grinded for two years in all of those areas. So it's really cool to see where he's at. I believe this last year really showed that work that he put in.

I felt like he was exceptional in areas of the dropback game. That were areas that he specifically said, I need to improve on this. Going through his progressions and delivering accurate footballs on the second and third receiver in the progression was something I felt like he really worked on and it showed up in games. It's easy to see that when he steps on the football field, a lot of the times he's the best athlete on the field. he can outrun everybody on defense at times when needed. He creates plays. He's very accurate with the downfield throws that he's dropping into the bucket on guys.

You saw that a number of times running the slot fades. But the thing that I felt like really impressive was watching Jayden Daniels play in the dropback passing game as efficiently as he did this year. And it came down to decision-making also. It's not just about the ability to make the throw, but making the right decisions. You saw that in his touchdown to interception ratio. you saw the times when he would pull the ball down, not force the throw, and take off and run. It's that decision-making process that has to go hand in hand with the throwing efficiency

because you can be a great thrower. You can improve on your accuracy through progressions. But if you're not making good decisions with that, it can hurt you at times. And I felt like he was tremendous at that this year. When you said he decided to essentially improve over a grinding two years, specifically what did he go into that process thinking that he needed to improve, or what did you guys share with him needed to be improved? Being a consistent thrower, like there were times where in his early years at Arizona

State the potential was there, but not always the consistency and repeatability. And that's fairly common, especially of the guys that come out of high school that are exceptional athletes, meaning they at any time could pull the ball down, take off, and run, and create plays at the high school level. It didn't always require them to be the most repeatable or efficient of a thrower. But I think as he entered the collegiate game, you know, especially in a situation where his team, you know, was not essentially, oh, I walked into this great situation. I have this great supporting cast where everybody's just making tons of plays around me. They played him as a young player on a young Arizona State football team. And so a lot was required of him. And when he

made mistakes it showed. And so for him, it was how can I be repeatable in the past game, meaning can I drop back and if I'm given a certain look, can I consistently throw that ball 10 out of 10 times, efficient spiral, good location, accurate timing, all of that stuff. That was, I would say the number one area, when I have somebody open and maybe that window's a little bit of a smaller window, am I accurate enough, efficient enough to be able to drive that ball in that spot and not just do it here and there, but to do it consistently every time it shows up. And so that was the main area. If a team's going to give me a throw, I want to be able to consistently hit that throw. You know, I think one of the things you're really emphasizing

here, and I think it's important for everybody listening who are fans of this team, he's not a runner first. I mean, the running yardage, the scrambling yardage, some of the design stuff, some of the option stuff. He was lethal at doing, but one of the things that I've loved about him and watching him over the last year is I really felt like, no, this guy can throw from the pocket. And I think that's what you're saying, right? This isn't this isn't Lamar Jackson coming out from Louisville, you know, in 2018. Oh, you're 100% correct.

To put it in a nutshell, that's what he wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to be. that's not what I want to be. I want to be able to play in the drop-back passing game at an NFL level. That's what I want to do. You know, I'm really blessed to be a part of 3DQB to be one of the owners in it. We have a lot of great NFL players, college players, but I think it kind of creates this cool situation for these college players because many times when they come to the field, the NFL guys are just finishing up their workouts.

And so there was a number of times last year that the NFL guys, you know, the Jalen Hertz, the Dak Prescott, the Jared Goff, like these guys are out there with their teammates finishing up their workouts and then boom, Jaden walks out on the field with his LSU receivers. And so it's a really cool thing that as a college player, you get to see what does NFL efficiency look like? And these are guys that are, you know, Provo caliber players in the NFL. A couple of those guys have nearly won the MVP. So, man, to be able to see that and then step on the field and say, okay, what is it going to take for me to get there? That's what Jaden did. He said, I want to be a passer.

I want to be able to go out there and deliver the football around the field, spread the ball accurately or accurately on time, be efficient. That's what I want to be. And then when I need to take off, I want to take off. And that kind of reminds me of a story back when I was a young player in the NFL. Steve Young, sorry, in college, Steve Young talked to me about, you know, how he learned how when to use his legs. And this is one of the best, you know, running quarterbacks in NFL history. And he was not a runner first, but he recognized, let me hold on to my athletic. as the last option. Let me use it only when it's needed. I'm going to go through my progressions.

I'm going to work efficiently as a quarterback through my dropback game, decision-making, and then when I need to use it, that's what I'm going to use it. And so I'm sure there's going to be some design runs here, there, just because that's the day and age that we live in, and they're going to utilize that, but he's going to be a drop-back passer first, and then when he's got to take off and create some plays, he's got all the athleticism in the world to do it. Really interesting what you described, that environment. Do you remember any specific, pro-quarterbacks that were influential for him, that developed a relationship with him? You know, look, Jaden's a little bit of a guy where to come off, he'll be a little bit, like, quiet

in reserve. He's not going to go up. Some of the college players, they can't wait for their opportunity to go, you know, hey, introduce himself to the NFL guy or, you know, rub shoulders with him. Jaden was like, I'm going to watch, I'm going to observe. A lot of the guys took an opportunity to talk to Jaden. because he'd been around so much. You know, this is a kid that we, you know, started working with a handful of years ago.

And so they've seen them around the field a lot. They've seen his progression. You know, I think for me, I don't know if he even had somebody that he's like, this is what I'm going to pattern myself after. I think he kind of reminds me a lot of Dak Prescott in this way. They look at the guys that are succeeding in the NFL of more like, I'm going to be there with them competing with them pretty soon. So I'm going to take what I can, and then I'm going to step into that arena and show them who I am doing it my way, you know, the unique way to me.

And I think there's a strength in that. Like, there is value in recognizing what some other players are great at and learning from them and saying, how can I advance my game in that way? But there's also a strength to stepping in and say, I'm me. This is the way I play the game. I'm not trying to play the game exactly like those other guys. I recognize how they're succeeding, and I want to succeed in the same way. also going to do it with my flavor with the way that I play the game and my uniqueness. And I really love that about Jaden because, you know, he's a guy with so many talent and abilities. You don't want to

tone one of those down anywhere just to fit something. And I think when I think about what they're probably going to do in Washington, you know, Cliff has had some really unique positions as a coach and the type of players he's had, you know, and I think he's going to be able to use all those experiences and say, how can I take all of those experiences and how can I get this quarterback to be the absolute best he can be using all of his weapons. I don't want to put any of those weapons on the shelf. I want to use all of them. You know, the first part of your answer there,

I heard what you were saying because I've watched him in a lot of interviews. I went back and watched a lot of the LSU post-game game ball speeches. He is definitely an introvert, right? Well, it's funny because that's how he comes off in the beginning. And then he's actually a very like, loves to joke around, loves to have fun. Like, he'll chat it up. I mean, so it's funny, like the first, like, in the beginning,

you'll assume that that's what he is. But once he feels comfortable with you, once, you know, I don't know if you want to call it, you pass the test or whatever, he opens up, and he's actually a, like, he's always laughing. He's always joking around. Like, the guys that he did all of the training with, there was a group of six guys that were all training together,

three other quarterbacks that are in this year's draft. I don't know if they would say he's an introvert. They would probably say, yeah, he's like a little bit quiet. You would first assume that. But, man, he's also going to be an energetic guy. He's going to laugh and joke and play around as well. So, you know, I think it's just a comfort thing once he gets comfortable with you. Who were the other three after Panics and McCarthy with him?

Sam Hartman, Notre Dame, Keaton-Slovis, BYU, and Talia Tago-Viloa, Maryland. Yeah, so you had Leah as well. Interesting. We're talking to John Beck. When did you know watching him, whether it was training him or watching him in a game, when did you know that he had a chance to be legitimately like a top two pick in the NFL draft? I will share a story of my partner at work. So Taylor Kelly, one of our coaches, he has worked a lot with Jaden over the last couple years.

spent a lot of time with him in Baton Rouge and Taylor last summer we were finishing up our day and Jaden and the LSU wide receivers were the last group on the field so we've already had a handful of NFL guys bringing their receivers Jaden and his guys finish it

and we sat down and just said man how good did Jaden look today if you don't know who's a pro and who's a college guy who just of today would you say maybe had the top work out, maybe look really, really good. And Taylor goes, guys, I'm telling you, I really believe Jaden's going to win the Heismann

this year. And, I mean, look, we kind of like scoff. Like, oh, my gosh, Taylor, come on, bro. Like, that's a big, like, that's a pretty bold statement, dude, to make, you know, in July, he's like, no, I'm telling you. And this is, you know, Taylor also worked really close with C.J. Straub, Bryce Young, their last couple years in college as well. So another Heisman trophy winner, I think CJ might have finished runner up once or twice.

and he's just like, look, I'm telling you guys, like I've been with Jaden for a while watching this. I'm telling you with how he's playing, with the guys that he has around him, if they can play well defensively and all this different things, he's like, I'm telling you, I'm not going to be surprised one bit

if he's not standing up there with the Heisman trophy and if he's not a top three or four pick. So he called it. He saw it, and maybe he's a guy, you know, that can be on the show one of these days that he'd be a great person to talk to

about the same things with Jaden, just like you could see man, this guy really does have the potential. If things align up, this is going to be a really special year. And when the stars kind of align, you have the talent, the ability, the work ethic, you know, there's some really cool stories about the work that he was putting in through VR, going through all of the different fronts the teams were giving him, the early mornings that he was putting in, being the first guy showing up at the place, putting in the preparation for game day.

You know, all of those things, they all pay off, and then boom, the stars aligned. That usually equates to a very high draft pick. And, you know, last night, that's what happened. All right. So we've talked about and we've gushed about because I'm right there with you. I've loved watching him for the last year and a half about all that he does well. What are the things that you think should be concerning or things that just need to be worked on at the next level? Well, first off, any quarterback success depends highly on the environment that he's in.

situation that he's in. You know, quarterbacking is so unique. I'll share a phrase that Drew Brees used to always say. There is no position in sports where the team depends so much on them as the quarterback, but there's also no position that depends so much on his teammates as the quarterback. And so, you know, if a quarterback wants to succeed, it really truly is about the people around him, the environment, the situation, offense, defense, I mean, everything. You know, all aspects of the game, the quarterback, it impacts him and how, you know, his performance unfolds. I've seen quarterbacks in games. You watch the tape, and you're like, I mean, this guy's playing a pretty good game.

He's in a tough situation there. And yeah, every quarterback is going to have a few plays here or there that they would like to have back. That's everybody. But you're looking at it like, let me, for the situation, the guy didn't he played a pretty dang good game. And their team loses by 10 points. And in other situations, you see a guy that, like, they're able to overcome some of his mistakes. because of the situation that the team's in, or they don't require as much from him.

Hey, be smart, make good decisions, don't have to force any ball downfield. We're going to be really good in the screen game. Utilize your outlets. We're going to be really good on running the ball on first and second down, or we're even going to set up some third downs that we can run the ball for a first down.

In those situations, now it's not so much on the quarterback. So for me, you know, look, there's always going to be things that Jaden's going to work to improve on, right? And he's going to want to continue on that trajectory of improving as an elite passer,

especially as he gets in the NFL. We always talk about, college accuracy, NFL accuracy. That also comes down to decision-making. Balls that you might pass up in college, you're giving a guy a chance in the NFL. Those areas he's going to continue to improve on, but to me, so much of it is going to be about the commanders.

It's going to be about the environment that that coaching staff creates for Jaden's success. It's going to be out that teammates around him about how good of a teammate he is for them to help lift them up and help them improve his game and vice versa the way that they can help alleviate him, especially if he has to be out on the field early, how can they help him so that he can be successful?

I truly believe that so much of a quarterback success in the NFL, especially when they're a young quarterback, depends so much on the circumstance and the environment that they landed. So what does your gut tell you about the environment he's going into? I love Adam Peters. I think that was such a great hire. I've known Adam for a lot of years through the 49ers. I think Dan Quinn, I've had the opportunity to be about Dan a lot.

Our group worked with Matt Ryan and Atlanta, of Falcons when they had their run there, they went to the Super Bowl. I've spent the last seven years, I think it is, with Dak Prescott. And so I've been in that Cowboys building a lot. I know just how much they all loved DQ there, the influence he had in that building, how much his players loved playing for him. And then Cliff Kingsbury, he's a guy that I've gotten to know this last year, but I've followed him from afar from his college days, the quarterbacks that he had,

his time in Arizona. He's actually a guy that I've always admired and getting a chance. to meet him in person was great. And the conversations that we've had about quarterback, quarterback development, I think he is just such a good dude for that job. So I'm pumped that trio right there of, you know, GM, head coach, quarterback coach, man, those are three guys that I absolutely believe in, you know. And look, it's tough, though.

You can have great people, and they're doing their very best to try to make it work, but sometimes there are circumstantial situational things that at times can be out of people's hands. So that's where you just put your best foot forward. you do everything that you possibly can to help a young quarterback, and then you've got to let the chips fall where they may. Everybody in that building is going to be trying to do everything the right way. I believe a lot of NFL teams are doing that, but it's a tough game. It's a tough business.

There's a defense that's being paid hundreds of millions of dollars to stop you, and that's why the game is so great. That's why the position is so challenging. But I like the chances. I think that Jaden's done so many good things, and I think it's a situation that obviously, they're picking where they're at, the organizations where they're at, because they do have to continue to grow and improve, and they want to get back to the playoffs. And despite, you know, hey, my situation didn't work out the way that I would have liked it to be there.

But, you know, I've always continued to, like, hope for good things for the organization because of the people. And especially when there's people that I know there that are working hard to do their best. And so I'm absolutely pulling for the commanders to see not only Jaden, but the other people that I know in the building. have success. Well, you know this. The biggest change since you were here, and over the last year, is that this organization has a new owner, which it desperately needed. I'm curious as to whether not you think he can come in and start day one. Oh, it's tough. Okay, so during the process, a number of teams asked me that question. You know, what of your guys do you think can come in and play day one? And like, I'm just a firm believer.

Like, it always helps a young quarterback to not have to play day one. I know there's guys that have done it. I know there's guys that have had success. I also can tell you a number of guys that went through it, and the situation of those first six games left some major scars that they had to overcome. So I think if you have somebody in the building that is a veteran that you're comfortable with and confident that they can go out there and lead your team and that they can get some wins, like I think it's a good thing for a young quarterback to just watch.

watch somebody else go through the pro process. You know, you're still learning. You may have been at an elite level as a collegiate player, but you were still a college player trying to act like a pro while you were in college. Pro guys that have been pro guys, that they know the routine, they know the ups and downs, they know the mindset. They can really help a young guy when a young guy can just observe and absorb information. So I would love to see him not have to play right away.

But if he had to, he is the guy that I said, I believe he could because he may not see everything perfectly. That happens to young quarterbacks. They're not always going to see everything perfectly. They're not going to execute the game plan perfectly, but he has so many traits and abilities to help create plays. And I think when you've got a guy that can create plays, he doesn't have to be perfect on everything that his eyes are saying

or in the execution of everything. He can just go create. And so, I mean, obviously this last year, I know sacks were a big issue, right? I think Sam Hal, like if I remember, right, the number of sacks might have been first in the NFL. It was. And so that's something that, like, you look, you don't want to put a young quarterback in a situation.

If you feel like, man, there's some holes that we've got to address in the offensive line, like don't just put him out there because you believe, oh, well, his ability to run around and make some plays can overcome our inability up front. You know, I don't think that's the right reason to play a young guy. You know, and again, going back on the trust I have in those three guys, the GM head coach and offensive coordinator, if it's right for Jaden to be the day one guy, they'll do it. And if it's right for him to sit and watch somebody else, I think that's what they're going to do because they want to get the pick right. They want to make it right for the kid.

They want to help his development. Throwing somebody out there early just because you picked him high is not always the best thing for their development. The development of the players is what has to be the priority because you're picking a player for the long term of your organization. You want him to be the guy for a long, long time. So do the right things in the beginning. You know, one of the things that the analytics people had an issue with as it related to Jaden was this pressure to sack percentage, which did come down last year. And, you know, last year in watching Sam Hal, I think anybody would watch Sam Hal and understand a lot of what happened to Sam Hal was the offensive line, but a lot of it was on Sam Howell as well. And maybe one of the fears that some have is, is he going to be a guy that if the offensive line is imperfect, is he going to be able to get the ball out quickly, process quickly, have the, you know, he's got different height,

he's nearly six-four, Sam was a shorter quarterback. But how would you respond to that concern? Well, I think this is an area that I know that Jayden worked a lot on, you know, through the VR, like recognizing fronts, understanding where coverages are. kicking where pressures are coming from so that he can be a better decision maker and get the ball out, you know, early and on time. A lot of that, you know, look, sacks, I mean, gosh, sacks are tough because sometimes you're processing through things and you're remembering coaching points that we're giving to you during the week and you're trying to execute that.

I mean, there's so many reasons for sacks, the ones that are on the quarterback, the ones are on the O line. I mean, sometimes you can be doing everything right. Defense does something better than you. You can be, you know, doing something trying to say, hey, we are going to give this play an opportunity, and then there's a breakdown up front. And you've been coached to, hey, buy a little bit of time, we're going to really let this thing develop and then bam, you're stacked. So, I mean, look, it's a tough, tough deal. And, you know, as I was finishing the last answer, and as you started talking, I remembered CJ Stroud, a guy that went and played first. I remember the feelings when he was being named the day one starter because I didn't know what Houston was going to be in a very

similar pick situation. I wondered, what is this team going to be like around CJ to help him? And I'm not going to lie. There were things that I was like, man, I hope that this beginning of the season starts out all right. You know, we had the opportunity to training for a long time. I just want the situations to be good for these guys to help them. And look what happened. Houston made a playoff run. CJ had a rookie of the year, you know, year. I mean, it was great. It was awesome. And so who knows what this situation could be like, you know? Who knows what the differences are going to be, who knows what they're going to be asking, Jaden to do with the line of scrimmage. You know, if there are these situations where it looks like, man, we might be under some pressure,

we've got to rely on Jain to get the ball out quick. A coordinator can also help with the design of its play calls. Sometimes if you're in a game where, man, we're struggling a little bit to protect, okay, we've got to change our play scheme a little bit. We have to get the ball out a little bit quicker. We've got to call the plays that are going to help him feel comfortable getting the ball out quick and standing in there, not just keep kind of having him sit there's a sitting duck. So, I mean, look, there's a lot of areas.

This gets into the scheme of things. But, you know, look, I think that Jaden is going to do everything within his power to be efficient through every aspect of the game. And I do know that he put a lot of emphasis on being able to get the football out of his hands because of what he picked up visually. What he understood was the concept and where he knew the ball needed to go on time. And I think he's going to continue that with this coaching staff in the organization. This is so good right now with John Beck, and your time is incredibly appreciated.

Just a couple of quick ones, and we'll end it. Do you do, in your mind, comps? Do you ever think about a pro comp for your guys? And if so, who's the pro comp for Jaden? Man, you know what? That's funny because I get that. That's another question I get a lot. When GMs, assistant GMs, they always want to comp.

of somebody. And man, it's tough because he's so unique. Lamar's a guy that we have worked with over the years, and it's easy to just be like, oh, I see some Lamar there. But man, in the drop-back passing game, I've just seen him improve so much. He really truly is unique in a lot of ways. There are some things where he became really flicky on some of his mid-to-downrange throws that really does remind me a lot of CJ. There were times when they would actually both be throwing on the field last year, and there were so many similarities in just watching their ball be delivered to certain areas of the field, and how they were getting it there, and the wippy arm action, you know, he's just such a rare combination because of the height, you're right,

he is close to six-four, the arm that he's, you know, playing with, the accuracy, and then to be able to take off and run the way he can run and just get skinny through some of these, and I don't mean skinny like build, but like some of the areas that he's slid. through the offensive line to then get to that second level and take off with a burst of speed. I mean, you just don't see those combinations as often. And I don't want to sit there and throw out, you know, hey, Robert Griffin. Like, I don't want to just pick these, like, athletic black quarterbacks, right? I don't like pigeonholing people like that and just be like, oh, well, the white guy did this

and black I did that. Like, I think that's bullcraft. You know, I mean, there are times that, like, you know, some of the stuff that I watch Jaden improve on, I can say, man, very much Jared Goff, Matt Ryan, Justin Herbert, like some of these things coming off of these actions, first hitched deliver and just ripping these, you know, deep in cuts or deep overs. Like I can say those guys as well. You know, I do think to a degree, take away just like all of the different tons of arm angles. Jaden can change his arm angle. He does have that ability. But in a little bit of the way that Patrick plays, the way that Mahomes plays,

of just keeping plays alive. You know, that's an aspect that, like, I really liked when I saw in some of Jaden's games, keeping plays alive while keeping his eyes downfield. That puts the defense in such a bind, such a bind, because when they see you escape the pocket, now it puts them in the bind of, are we chasing down a runner, or do we have to stay in our zones, or do we have to plaster and man up and match? Because now it's going to be a scramble drill, like that just puts, I mean, when you, hear defensive coordinators talk about what that does to their defense, that is so, so hard on

their defense. And so I see aspects of Jason's game that has that as well, where he knows if I can get out of this pocket and start to create a play, but I still remain a passer and a runner threat, man, now I'm the one in position to capitalize on this play. In a different context, you use the word skinny, but is he too skinny? No, you know what? And I think he's the type of guy. I mean, yeah, he was very skinny over the years. I've watched him put on weight, put on muscle. I actually think he's going to be one of those guys where as they mature weight naturally comes on. Like he's still a young guy.

And I know a lot of guys that when they start to get to those mid-20s, just a little bit more of natural man weight. Naturally, it just like it hits their body a little bit. And so it wouldn't surprise me to see Jada, even without trying just over these next few years, just put on eight to 10 pounds just continuing the maturation process of, you know, of getting into those mid-20s. Let's take a quick break, and when we come back, I'll ask John about one of his other clients,

Michael Pennix Jr., being taken number eight overall by the Falcons, and we'll get into maybe some of his time here in Washington as well, right after these words from a few of our sponsors. Hey, guys, most of us are interested in our mental and physical well-being to a certain degree, and with that in mind, I'd like to welcome and introduce a new sponsor to the podcast. The new sponsor is Unified Healing, Unified spelled, Unified, Spelled, U-N-I-F-Y-D healing. It doesn't matter if you're a big-time world-class athlete or just a somewhat athletic podcaster like me.

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unifed, healing.com slash sheen. No material or testimonies on the unified healing website are intended to be viewed as medical advice or a substitute for professional medical advice diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, including EE system. This segment of the show brought to you by MyBooky. Go to MyBooky.orgie. Use my promo code, Kevin D.C., and MyBooky will give you a cash bonus on your initial deposit. They still have plenty of NFL draft prop bets for 10.

tonight and tomorrow in all of your NBA and NHL betting needs. They've got all of the NFL prop bets up for the 2024 season as well. Use my promo code Kevin D.C. You'll get a cash bonus. Just go to mybooky.orgie.ag. We continue with John Beck. Michael Panix Jr., another client of yours. What did you make of him being drafted number eight overall by the

Alkins. Yeah, I mean, look, that was wild. That was exciting. I have some friends in the organization there. The offensive coordinator is a buddy of mine, the quarterback coach I know well. And so, you know, it was one of those things like, man, could they? Like, you know, they're never going to ever say straight up what they're going to do. But we, you know, I'm in a position where because I've been training Mike for the last two years,

they always want to ask a lot of questions. And so you can tell by the teams and the questions they ask, which, guys are highly interested. And I knew that Atlanta was highly interested, but I also knew the situation of Kirk Cousins just going there on a big deal. And understanding, if you signed a guy to a deal like that, he's got to play for a couple years at least. But I love the fit. I love that they did pick Mike because I know how much they liked him. And do I think that he's talented enough to be a top 10 QB? Absolutely. Very gifted, armed talent. So it's a great ball. Can make every single throw. Like, I love the adversity of the guy's been through. When I saw the letter, the open letter that

It was actually a morning I was on the Rich Eisen show And he told me about it I read the letter before I came on the show And I was like I love these things about Mike I love the grit that he has I love the adversity that he's faced You know you have to have those things to succeed in the NFL Dak Prescott always talks about

He went through so many things that calloused his mind And it's those things that calloused his mind That make him the player that he is today And I believe that there's aspects of that in Mike's life That he's been through and so I love I think it's great And you know Atlanta knows how talented he is. And so it did not surprise me at all

to see him be a top ten pick. When it was Atlanta, because of the Kirk Cousins, I was a little bit shocked. And I got a little bit of a tip off because Taylor Kelly was actually with Jaden Daniels and his group at the draft. So before the pick happened, I got a text that said,

it's Mike, it's Mike, he's going to Atlanta. And so it was super cool to see all that shake down that way. Wow. This was great. It's really appreciated. I'm just curious, like being with Mike and Kyle in 2010 and 2011, how influential was that for you on what you're doing now? Yeah, I mean, look, that whole situation, you know, that was a really exciting time to be there with those guys. I obviously, you know, had belief in myself, belief in the situation, really wanted it to work out differently.

it didn't, but those relationships, and right as I finished playing, all those guys kind of went to those teams, right? Like Kyle was in Atlanta, Matt LaFleur, Sean McVeigh, they all were in their spots. Well, Matt was in Atlanta for a little bit, and then he went and went over to Tennessee. Like, I stayed in contact with all those guys, and I've trained a lot of their quarterbacks throughout this process over these last, geez, how long have been now, 11, 12, 13 years, something like that. So, you know, it was really interesting for me, like, not going to lie, like that situation of things working out as crappy as they did. Like, I did not see it

get shaping out that way. Nobody saw it shaping out that way. And I know that there was a period of time there where I'm sure the majority of people in D.C. kind of, like, laughed at me for, like, why does this dude believe that, like, he's going to be the guy? And I don't need to go into the stories of why I felt that way. I mean, that was a long time ago, and why the coaches felt that way. It was super exciting because I wanted to achieve my dream that I had thought for my whole life. It didn't work out that way. But in the pivot, that that experience, kind of that turning point of my life, a kind of a shift in some mindset things, a new view on the quarterback position, a relationship with Drew Brees that I previously had and kind of where that turned to me after

that and who it connected me with, that is absolutely why I am doing what I'm doing now with the people that I'm with and the mindset that I have and the approach that I take towards the situations that quarterbacks go into so much of what I learned since that time in my life is because of that experience and how I just kind of shifted a little bit in some areas of my life. And so it's tough because, you know, I mean, look, still to this day, I would love for that thing to shake out different, you know, and man, I still remember those feelings sometimes oh too well. But those scars, yeah, but those scars became the catalyst to so much growth in my life. And I can't not be grateful for that. Well, that's good for you for taking that because,

of course, many people listening remember a lot about this team like I do in those years. And I think the last time I had you on, I didn't mention the Buffalo sack game. I said you were part of another record, and that was Roy Huloo's 14 catches is still a franchise record for receptions in a game, and you threw all 14 to them in the game against the 49ers. So there it is. I'm not going to lie. When I was talking about the sack thing, and I was like, well, there's a lot of reasons for that.

I was laughing inside, and I almost said a quick little joke. Right. Well, look, you know you're talking to the guy that whole. I knew. For the most sacks. So if anybody's going to know about the sacks, it's going to be me. Yeah, no. Oh, yeah.

I wish that night could just be vanished or existence, but whatever. It is what it is. And, you know, it's funny. That whole Roy Huloo game, that was not, obviously not the intention was to let's get Roy Huloo the ball. Right. The idea, I still remember going into that game sitting down with Kyle, and they're like, look, we are down a lot of guys.

Like, that Buffalo, San Francisco and then the next week, Rex had Miami, that, like, stretch right there. We were a completely different team because of all the injuries that we had gone through. And I remember Kyle being like, look, this is the best defense we've faced so far, the San Francisco defense. We have got to get through our protection, I mean, through our progressions quickly. Like we are probably not going to be able to sit and work through a lot of these things in the pocket. So I want you to be decisive, get the ball out, and it's not a bad thing to get to our outlets and our checkdowns this game.

You know what I mean? Look, that wasn't the idea. I think one time I threw a ball down, filled it got tipped up in the air and Roy caught it. So, I mean, but I, you know, I just remember walking off the field and somebody said, like, did you know Roy had 14 catches? I was like, holy crap, are you kidding me? Like, you know, I mean, look, that was a very, you know,

I didn't anticipate that when I became the starter, we were going to go through all those things. I mean, just crap, you know, that's the NFL. And my life now, I can't tell you how many quarterbacks like, when I finished in the NFL, I actually utilized their programs, and I went back to school, and I got two master's degrees in performance psychology and sport performance and conditioning with emphasis on sport psychology.

And so much of my work with quarterbacks is also just the mental side of things. Like how do you handle the craziness, the roller coaster that is playing quarterback in the NFL. And I mean that's even led to coaches where I have coaches sometimes that reach out just wanting to talk through, how can I better help my quarterbacks through these really difficult situations? And it's weird because no way back then could I have ever said this is what I would be doing in life, but it's because of really honestly what was a situation that just actually, like, out of nowhere, shifted into a very difficult situation that at the time of my life I was trying to utilize the tools as best I could to help the team succeed.

Obviously, if I could go back now knowing what I know, now, I had done some things different, but it's now put me in a position where I'm coaching all of these quarterbacks through all of these things. And, you know, the pressures, the stress, the anxiety, the, you know, the benchings, the, I mean, you name it. The playing quarterback in the NFL is a roller coaster of emotions and adversity, and it requires so much mental strength, emotional strength, resilience, and that's actually the things I love most about the position. And so I'm grateful for the experience to coach these guys through it. Well, there's a lot of self-awareness in everything that you just discussed. There's a lot of, you know, resilience, which is very cliche, but there's obviously somebody who's very

intelligent and somebody who's very competitive in getting through that and turning your life into what it's become. So congratulations. And my God, to have three guys taken in the first round last night, you're working with others. Oh, for Maryland fans, and I have a lot of them that listen to this, does Leah have a shot at getting drafted? Do you think before the weekend's up? Do you know what? I don't know. I mean, here's the thing. I think, most teams, so that everybody listening can understand how the NFL works, you can have a draftable grade, but that doesn't mean that the NFL is going to take you with a draft pick. I have a number of quarterbacks I've worked with over the years that the teams know they have him

with a draft grade for the final round or two, but what they're going to do is they're going to say, but we're going to try to get him as an undrafted free agent. Everything about the back end of the draft is saying, could we potentially get him a round later? Could we get him undrafted? And so phone calls are actually starting to be made in the latter end of those rounds because, hey, talking to the agent, you know, trying to figure out, like, hey, our team's talking to you, do we feel like we got to use the draft picks? I mean, look, I don't know what happens in the last round.

Sometimes teams that have multiple picks, they just say, you know what? I don't want to, like, chance it. I know that that player's talking to his agents talking to two other teams. I want to make sure we did him. let's just use the draft pick now and get him. And other teams go, you know what? I got a pretty good feeling that we're going to get one of these two guys is undrafted. So like if I was a betting man, I would say that Leah's probably going to go undrafted somewhere.

But, man, but how six quarterbacks are the first 12 picks, I think that today is going to be really interesting. If any quarterbacks, you know, they're saying maybe Spencer Rattler goes in the third round, there's for sure gap rounds. I wonder what the gap rounds are going to be where no quarterback is selected. but so much of Leah's getting selected or being undrafted is probably going to be predicated on how many quarterbacks are taken through round four and six. By the way, you're working with a guy that I loved watching, especially when he was at SC,

plus he was at your alma mater. But I think Keaton's Slovis has looked like a pro quarterback from the moment that he walked on and was playing at Southern Cal. Yeah, you know what? The tough thing for Keenan, when I met Keenan, he was still at USC, everybody's like his best years were his SC years. Why does it not look the same? And this goes back to what I said earlier in the conversation about situations.

Keenan's best situation was when he was at USC. Keenan's tougher situations have been these last few years at BYU. I mean, BYU is my alma mater, and I'll be straight up. They struggled last year. They struggled in the run game. They struggled to protect. At one point in time, they were like the 120-somethings rushing team in the nation. That is a difficult situation to play because

you're always playing from third and eight, third in nine, third and 12. I don't care who you are at quarterback. Like, you're not going to look great. It was also the first year of BYU going to the Big 12th. Keaton has improved as a quarterback in so many areas. He's a better quarterback now than he ever was those other places, but the situations have become more difficult.

So teams know that. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see Keaton Slovis drafted at the back end of this draft because teams recognize that, they know that. It's just, you know, it's tough. It's tough for people because they go through these circumstances where it frustrates the heck out of them because they know they've worked their tail off. They know they've improved, but it's a team sport.

It's all about the entire situation, and it's easier from the outlook, from the fans' perspective, or the media to be like, man, this guy's gotten worse. No, he hasn't gotten worse. The adversity has become steeper and more difficult, and so it's harder to look as good as what he really is. But he went to the East West Shrine game. I actually had an opportunity to be on that staff. He and Leo were on the team that I was helping out, and they both played extremely well.

and I had a number of teams after that and the combine, call me about Keaton and say, man, we were impressed with what we saw at these performances. Tell me some more about what's gone on. Why did Pitt and VYU look like the way that it did were interested? I really enjoyed this. Thank you so much. At Jay Beck 12, but it's spelled out T-W-E-L-V-E on X on Twitter. John's training a lot of these quarterbacks, and he worked with Jaden Daniels and other people

that were drafted last night and people who will be drafted in the future. I'm really glad you're doing well. Thanks so much for doing this. Yeah, you're very welcome. Have a good one. John Beck, everybody, former Skins quarterback and now a trainer of quarterbacks, several of whom were drafted last night and others that will get drafted tonight and over the weekend. I really enjoyed that with him. And that last part, I think it's very clear that the couple of years that he spent DC weren't necessarily the most pleasant for him professionally, but ultimately they proved to be

very, very influential in terms of what he would become post-playing career. All right, we are done for the day. I am planning on doing a podcast tomorrow to recap the picks they make tonight. So until tomorrow, that's it. Enjoy the draft tonight.