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NFL Draft QB and TE Preview! Are Fernando Mendoza and Kenyon Sadiq Going to be Stars? (04/13 Fantasy Football Podcast)
01:08:28
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- [00:00]
Adam
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- [01:00]
Dave
This is Fantasy Football TODAY from CBS Sports.
- [01:04]
Josh Edwards
What a play.
- [01:05]
Jamie
Can you believe this?
- [01:07]
Josh Edwards
No, I can't.
- [01:08]
Dave
It's time to dominate your fantasy league.
- [01:11]
Adam
Off to the races and he stays on his feet.
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Josh Edwards
This is gonna go the distance.
- [01:15]
Dave
Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.
- [01:21]
Adam
On Thursday, April 23, the NFL Draft will begin. Today is Monday, April 13. It is time to prep, get you ready, get you to know about the prospects that are going to make some fantasy impacts. And we've got Josh Edwards here, one of our CBS Sports draft writers. You heard him a couple months ago. He's back to talk about quarterbacks and tight ends. Josh, please don't take it personally that we gave you these two positions.
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Josh Edwards
Not at all. Actually. I think we talked about running backs and wide receivers last time I was on. So it's kind of all encompassing now that we've come full circle.
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Adam
There we go. Yeah, we're going to. I think we'll go a little deeper and I think tight end maybe is tight end not getting enough hype this year. What do you think about the position?
- [02:04]
Josh Edwards
I think the depth is going to be really good and that's something I think can be said about the entire draft class. Everybody, you know, talks about how lacking the talent is at the top, the lack of true blue chip players that, you know, can be those all pro types in the NFL. But I think when you look at this class as a whole, you can really find starters well into day two, into day three. And the tight end position is kind of a microcosm of that. I mean, it's the perfect example. I think you can get quality players to fit specific roles for your team well into day three. You know, there's some really good blockers. I know that's kind of been in vogue over the past couple years with Jackson, Haas and some of these other players making an impact in the run game. So it's a. It's a really unique class.
- [02:50]
Adam
Good morning, Dave, Richard, Adam.
- [02:52]
Dave
Hello.
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Adam
Hello, Jamie. I'm trying to look up some fun facts about Montreal. So I feel like, you know, you've been rocking that Expos hat four or five shows in a row, I think, so maybe you should go. I hear I've actually been there. It's nice.
- [03:07]
Jamie
I switched it up. I put the CBS hat on.
- [03:09]
Josh Edwards
Okay.
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Adam
How you doing, jb?
- [03:12]
Jamie
Doing great. How are you?
- [03:13]
Adam
Good. Who do you think is going to go number two in the draft? And I don't mean that like who's going to take a bathroom break? Who's going to be the second pick?
- [03:19]
Jamie
Yeah, I think it's going to be Reese. Okay.
- [03:23]
Dave
I think it's going to be Bailey.
- [03:25]
Adam
Josh.
- [03:27]
Josh Edwards
Oh, I got to split the decision. I. I'm just stuck on Orville Reese. I think I'm going to go Reese.
- [03:34]
Adam
Okay. I. Listen, we got a few NFL news items to get to here before we get into the draft. And we decided before the show we're actually going to start with tight ends. Even though quarterback is the glamor position, but tight end better from a fantasy standpoint, we think, going into the NFL draft. But Jamie, the Eagles acquired Dontavion Wicks from Green Bay. Not a super small price tag. A fifth round pick this year, a sixth round pick next year. They're giving him a one year 12 million, $12 and a half million dollar extension as he's entering the last year of his contract. Your thoughts on this trade for the Eagles and the Packers?
- [04:08]
Jamie
I think first off, it's probably the indication of what's going to happen next, which is they're going to trade AJ Brown at some point. So at least I hope, because it's going to be very crowded in that receiving core if. If they don't. Not necessarily meaning that's going to be a bad thing for Brown or Devonte Smith because they'll still get theirs. But, you know, they bring in Marquis Brown this off season. They now acquire Dantavian Wicks. Elijah Moore was added also. You know, so they're getting bodies in place for what seems like the next move. And then I think the. The bigger thing is for. For our perspective, right. From our perspective right now is, you know, Green Bay's Receiving core is starting to thin out a little bit, you know, so you're looking at Christian Watson and hopefully Matthew golden, but Jaden Reed and Tucker Kraft is all getting, you know, clearer paths to targets or at least opportunities for targets. Not to say that the packers are done probably retooling the receiving core, but, you know, we've been sort of begging, you know, Matt LaFleur to have a number one receiver, and there have been all these guys that have been in the mix, and now those guys are, you know, disappearing a little bit with Romeo Dobbs and Don Tavian Wicks going out the door. So I like this a lot for Watson, I like a lot for Craft. I'm hopeful for Reed, I'm hopeful for Golden. Again, we'll see what happens there. But I think just in terms of the guys that are at the top of the list right now, they benefit just a little bit more.
- [05:21]
Dave
I agree. It's a little bit better for Green Bay than it is for Philadelphia. Just one little note on Wicks, because I've poo pooed him in the past. You remember me not being a fan of adding him or starting him at points during the season last year. It is worth noting that he's reuniting with Sean Manion, who's the new play caller in Philadelphia. He was the QB coach for a year and has been in Green Bay for a couple years, I believe. And so there's obviously something there that Manion liked that Wicks will be able to transfer from Green Bay to Philadelphia in the new offense that the Eagles are running. Does that make him draftable? I don't know about that, but it might make me more inclined to add him early in the year if he ends up playing a lot. I think that's easy to say, but if we, if we hear good things about him adjusting and being involved in three receiver sets, for example, in Philadelphia, then maybe he does crawl into a late round consideration.
- [06:14]
Jamie
I mean, look, when, when the A.J. brown trade happens, if it does happen, somebody's going to have to get opportunities here. So, yeah, resume is the, the one that you probably point to first. But I think Dave's right. You know, you look at Wicks and this is a guy that we've been waiting to see get chances. And at times when he's had chances, he's been a productive fantasy receiver. So, you know, maybe the, the connection helps, maybe the change of scenery helps, you know, mostly the opportunity. So if he does get a chance to, you know, younger version, you know, or younger player, you know, by comparison to Marquis Brown, who we know has struggled the last couple years with injuries and just, you know, producing, There's a
- [06:54]
Adam
chance 180 career targets for Don Tavian Wicks. He has 13, 28 yards and 11 touchdowns. It's, it's not bad for 180 targets. It's not great, really. Yeah, it's great. It's pretty good. But 11 touch, the catch rate's not great, 60%, it's not that bad. And you know what? He, he had a lot of drops two years ago, some drops last year. It's not, it's part of his profile, but it got better. Let me get Josh a question here, so I'm going to put you in a little time machine and let's talk about last year's draft and Matthew Golden. And obviously he had a very disappointing season as a rookie, first round pick for the Packers. But, you know, based on what you thought about him coming out of Texas, how do you do you think he's got a chance to still be a really good player in the NFL? Matthew golden, yeah, I do.
- [07:44]
Josh Edwards
I think he's got a chance to be a really good player. Obviously, he should have more opportunities now with Romeo Dobbs and Don Tavian Wicks moving on. But, you know, when you compare him to this year's class, I think he's probably somewhere in that second tier. And that second tier for me would be behind Carnell Tate from Ohio State and Jordan Tyson from Arizona State. Those two have kind of differentiated themselves, in my opinion, in terms of the players that can make or reach the highest ceiling. So you're talking about him possibly being in that same conversation with like an Omar Cooper from Indiana, Makai Lemon from usc, Denzel Boston from Washington. There's one other guy I'm forgetting off top of my head, but you know, that type of receiver, and Green Bay still has him on their roster, so now he's going to have more opportunities. I do think this was a savvy move by the Eagles because I touched on this in last week's mock draft. But if he's not going to be traded until June, what options are you going to have to address the receiver position? You almost had to make a move now, either through the draft, actually had him taking a receiver in the first round of last week's mock draft, because if, if A.J. brown's not going to be there, somebody else has to get those targets. And to me, Wicks is a guy that, you look at that trade and he's somebody that could absolutely absorb those targets. But at the same time you're still kind of left in question of, of what Philadelphia may do because he's kind of in that middle ground where he's, he's not a definitive number two for your offense, but he's somebody that's certainly going to factor into the equation.
- [09:15]
Jamie
It's funny because like, you know, you look at what the issues, if there were issues were last year where A.J. brown's not getting the ball enough or the, the stereotype of diva wide receiver complaining. Well, what have they done potentially if this is going to happen? They've removed the diva wide receiver and they've replaced him with guys that don't necessarily fit that profile of quote unquote complainers or divas. You know, it's, it's a group now. It's opposed to just having that one guy now, devonte Smith, you would expect him to be that guy, but he's not the type of player, at least based on his previous history, that has that reputation of complaining for the ball. So you know, it's almost like addition by subtraction. If that was an issue. Again, they never said it was an issue, but from the outside looking at it appeared to be the case.
- [09:58]
Adam
Okay, now on the topic of potentially the worst dynasty pick ever. Travis Hunter is going to be a full time cornerback this, this year according to Ian Rapaport. And there have been, I think there have been other reports, but it doesn't mean that it'll stay that way forever. But yeah, if you have him in a dynasty league, would you take, would you take a third round pick in a rookie draft for Travis Hunter? Nope.
- [10:24]
Jamie
Third round pick.
- [10:27]
Dave
You're basically punting in a super flex league.
- [10:30]
Jamie
I consider it in a 1 QB league.
- [10:31]
Adam
No, I think it's a big difference if you're taking one in a 2027, 2027 draft compared to 2026. Would you take a 2026 second round pick for, for Travis Hunter?
- [10:44]
Jamie
No. Well, I guess same same answer I gave. Okay, two qb, yes. One qb, no.
- [10:51]
Dave
The only way I would say yes to that is if I'm in the middle of the draft and that pick is up and there's somebody I like.
- [10:58]
Adam
Okay.
- [10:58]
Dave
That I think can make an impact for my dynasty team sooner than Travis Hunter. I wouldn't rule out Hunter eventually going back. Not to being like, you know, playing a lot on both sides of the football, but he's gonna, he'll have a chance to play receiver again someday.
- [11:14]
Adam
Johnny says I wouldn't trade a ham sandwich For Hunter now, I mean, we're putting cheese on the sandwich. Tomato. You gotta be a little more just ham. I don't. I love ham. I would not want a just ham sandwich. There's gotta be something else on that. And then the big storyline right now regarding the NFL draft is about Reuben Bain, Miami Hurricanes defensive end. He was involved in a car accident back in 20 for one of the passengers in the car. Destiny Betts died in the accident three months afterwards. And. And it's really a heartbreaking story that's just coming out now. Will it affect his drafts, his draft stock? We'll see. There was a charge against him. I believe it was reckless driving. It was dropped and it was back in 2024. So we'll see what happens. He's. He was already one of the more interesting prospects because he's super productive, great college player, but no player with his arm length has ever been. No edge rusher with his arm length has ever been selected in the first round, I believe. Right. So he will be. But we'll see where he goes. If you want more draft coverage, cbs sports.com NFL/draft. We have prospect rankings. We have mock drafts. We have terrific resources for you to learn about these players and see where they might go. CBSSports.com NFL/DRAFT Also, we're going to do that NFL draft contest where if you win that, then you can be in the podcast league and what you'll have to do and do not submit now. It makes no sense. You should really submit. And Thomas, correct me if I'm wrong, but we'll have some type of, like, Google form for people to fill out. Yeah. And basically what you'll just do is you'll just predict the top 10. You don't have to tell us which team. You just tell us which player 1 through 10. You have to get the order right. So Fernando Mendoza, 1, whoever, 2, blah, blah, blah, and so on. Doesn't matter which team takes them.
- [13:03]
Josh Edwards
It's.
- [13:03]
Adam
And it has to be the right order. And whoever gets the most correct is in the podcast league. It's a fun. What's that?
- [13:11]
Jamie
One entry per person?
- [13:12]
Adam
Yeah, one entry per person. And there will be some type of tiebreaker as well. But yeah, it's fun. But again, you want to wait until we're closer to the draft date so you get more information and can do better. All right, let's get into NFL draft talk with Josh now and talk about the tight ends. How many tight ends are drafted on day one and how many are drafted on day Two, do you think?
- [13:34]
Josh Edwards
So looking at my numbers, I've got one in the first round, which I think is a pretty safe bet, and that's Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq. If you expand that to the first two days of the draft, I think I have six currently in that range, you know, but because of the depth of this tight end class, I could see teams approaching it differently if they feel they can get a player that has the skill set that they're looking for to fill out their room. You know, maybe they're more comfortable waiting until day three of the draft to take that player and get a different position of need. So I think it's going to be interesting where the run on that tight end two, tight end three starts to occur because I think they'll come off the board pretty quickly once those first couple come off the board.
- [14:18]
Adam
Is it me or is this a pretty small class? Seeing a lot of guys in the 240 to 245 range, some of them like Sadiq six three, 241 pounds, which I believe is exactly what Harold Fannin Jr. Was weight was weighed in at and size at the combine. Stowers at 239, Michael Trigg at 240. Is it, is it a small class? Is that a concern that people are talking about?
- [14:43]
Josh Edwards
I think it's a little bit of everything. It just kind of depends on your flavor at the position. You're talking about Kenyan Sadiq, you know, he's a little bit shorter. He's kind of a move tight end, but he can also block. And then you talk about the actual move tight ends, those F types, the Justin Jolly's from NC State, Michael Trigg from Baylor. Then you've got these shorter blocking specific tight ends like Riley. Now Kowski from Indiana, Eli Stowers you touched on from Vanderbilt there probably a day two selection somewhere. He's like this above the rim, really athletic tight end that just has not rounded out into form quite yet. But somebody's going to take a chance on that potential. A little bit lighter, but otherwise has, you know, the prototypical frame for the tight end position. So it's a little bit of everything. I mean, again, it just kind of depends what you're looking for in this draft class. But there's players that can make an impact for you whether it's through the air or on the, on the ground in the run game.
- [15:40]
Adam
All right, we're going to take a quick break here. Just a note on Stowers, as you probably heard about Kenyon Siddiq and his record setting 40 time 4.39 for a tight end is insane. Stowers was at 4.51, which is just slightly better than what Brock Bowers ran. So he's a really good athlete too. All right, we'll be right back to talk about these guys in depth after this.
- [16:03]
Josh Edwards
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Dave
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Josh Edwards
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Adam
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Josh Edwards
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Adam
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Dave
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Jamie
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Adam
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Josh Edwards
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Adam
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- [17:17]
Josh Edwards
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- [17:19]
Adam
So if your business is in it to win it, win with Shopify. Start your free trial today@shopify.com win. Dave, I'm gonna throw this to you first. How much do you like Kenyan Sadiq? And then Jamie, I want you to tell us. He's probably going to be a first round pick. Where do you want him to go? Dave, give me your thoughts on Sadiq.
- [17:37]
Dave
Out of Oregon, easily the best tight end in the draft class. Phenomenal athleticism, very good speed. There's a lot of things that he can still improve on to be more of like a well rounded NFL tight end compared to just like an athletic prospect which is sort of kind of what he is right now. I love the size, the speed is great. Good tracking skills, good at adjusting to off target throws. Did have a little bit of a drop issue. Does sometimes bring balls into his body. I wish he'd catch more away from his body. That's something that could be worked on. All the things that have room for improvement in his game he, he can get better at, but he's just got athleticism that just puts him head and shoulders above everybody else. And it's going to be an NFL team that wants to use him for his receiving skills far more than anything else and to tap into that athleticism that will take him with one of those first picks.
- [18:37]
Adam
Jamie, where do you want to see Kenyon Siddiq go?
- [18:40]
Jamie
I'll tell you where I don't want to see him go, which is where he keeps getting mocked to is Baltimore. Like I, I can see the long term appeal, but I don't want to see that for 2026 just because then we have another Isaiah likely Mark Andrews situation. I would love to see him go to Miami. You know, just a place where you're going to get targets upon targets upon targets. And we know this receiving core is absolutely dismal and awful on paper at least they're going to add a bunch of pass catchers. Obviously they have so many picks. So when you're talking about Jalen Tolbert and Malik Washington and Tutu Atwell as their top three receivers and Greg Dolce as their top tight end right now, I would love to see them get a playmaker like this. Not necessarily just for 2026 because I do think again that just opens up target possibilities which is what we're looking for but with the eventual situation that Miami could become because of what their picks are for the future as well. So when they address quarterback most likely again in 2027, then we have maybe that pairing of whoever that quarterback is in Sadiq for for many years to come. But I'm just looking for opportunity for any of these past catchers to get targets immediately and hopefully grow into a great situation. And to me Miami is the blank canvas that we're looking for for any superstar potential type of player to go. And whether it's a top receiver, you know, Lemon or El Dictator, maybe even Tyson is in the Tyson should be in the range but Tate not necessarily as much but whatever receiver, slash, maybe Sadiq or tight end that goes there opportunity to start or play right away and certainly get chances to to be a playmaker.
- [20:09]
Adam
The dolphins pick 11th and after that there's this a lot of teams I think because tight end was so good last year, a lot of teams that have a tight end that maybe wouldn't want Sadiq or we wouldn't want him to go there. Dallas, the Rams picked one last year. Jamie already mentioned Baltimore, Tampa Bay would make sense. The jets drafted Mason Taylor. The Lions have laporta. The Vikings I could see taking, but they do have Hawkinson the Panthers could take them. Then you got the Cowboys again. So we'll see if he doesn't get. I don't know when he's going to go. I don't know if he's going to be a top 12 pick. But Josh, you can tell me where you have Kenyan City going. And then just how would you compare him to Loveland and Warren who were first round picks? And do you think he can have a big rookie season for fantasy purposes?
- [20:53]
Josh Edwards
Yeah. So first of all, he's to me kind of a half tier below Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren from last year's class, and he's been kind of difficult to peg in the first round because I don't think there's like an obvious team for him. Whereas last year, I mean, from the combine on, I think everybody had Tyler Warren to the Colts, you know, so it's a little bit more unique. Baltimore is a team that I've, you know, connected with him. He, it's, it's obviously not going to be fun from a fantasy perspective, but when you look at Declan Doyle coming over from Chicago, that team used a lot of two tight end sets. So you have Mark Andrews, then you would have Kenyon Sadiq. Eventually Mark Andrews is going to move on and then Sadiq would be the, the focal point of that offense. Tampa Bay is another team that I've linked with Kenyon Sadiq because again, they used a lot of two tight end sets which, you know, just on a general note, is becoming more common in the NFL just as teams start to get a little bit heavier to, you know, account for shorter packet or smaller personnel. You know, teams are starting to lean more into the run game again, so we're seeing more two tight end sets. So I think there's a place for him on a lot of teams. The Eagles, I know they brought Dallas Goddard back, but when you consider what that team has done in the past, replacing Zach Ertz with Dallas Goddard, you know, now possibly having a similar, you know, transitional period with Goddard to Kenyon Sadiq, you know, that can be an option. And then I can also see him available in the latter half of the first round, whether that's a team like the 49ers, that could be coming the mix. So he's just kind of been all over the place in recent mock draft exercises. The only thing that I really feel comfortable with is that he's going to go in the first round somewhere and I think he's going to have an impact as a rookie immediately similar to a lot of the rookies that we saw last year. I mean, you're seeing how quickly tight ends can make an impact on your roster. And I think Kenyon Siddiq is the next one to do it. He's that player that is incredibly comfortable with the ball in his hands. He's almost a running back in that way. He knows how to turn a double into a home run. So he's that player that is going to create explosives for you in the past game and if you have a need on your fantasy roster, he's somebody that can fill it in a big way.
- [23:13]
Dave
The only other thing that I would throw in here is don't, don't view him through the lens of a traditional tight end.
- [23:20]
Josh Edwards
Right.
- [23:20]
Dave
And I, I think one thing to think about when it comes to him, let's say he goes to Tampa and everyone will say, you know, that's Kate Otten's there and that's going to hurt his target volume and maybe to an extent in the first half of the year it might. But he's much more of a wide receiver and almost like, like out of the box. A big slot like you could begin the year with him as your big slot in the NFL. And I think he'll be okay in that role because of the speed that he can give you after the catch. You just feed him easy short targets and he can turn a 6 yard catch into a 16 yard play or maybe even longer than that and then he can grow and develop into being more than that and just be much more wide receiver than tight end. And so I like, I see Carolina at 19 and I don't know how in the world they could let him get past there where he could be the, he'd be their number two target getter. But there would be weeks where he would be number one as just a nice wide easy target for Bryce Young to throw to when Ted is getting double teamed downfield.
- [24:22]
Adam
I looked at the percentage. I'll call this big play rate, which is a little bit different. Big play rate it. What I'm doing is a little bit different than what true media uses for in the NFL. I think they use a 17 yard reception. I just, I went 20 yard reception per target. Okay. So the big, I looked at seven tight ends, Sadiq, Eli Stowers, Max Claire, Michael Trigg, who's also in the slot all the time by the way, and had the Longest wingspan of any tight end in combine history. Michael Trigg out of Baylor, Sam Roush, Justin Jolie and Jack Andries. And in the last two seasons, the highest I saw a big play per target, 20 yard catch per target was Max Claire had a 13.5% rate with Purdue in 2024 and 11% with Ohio State last year. Michael Trigg 11.8% last year. Kenyan Sadiq was 19.4%. I mean, so much more explosive than, than the next best guys. And I only looked at seven guys, but I can't imagine anyone else is, is even sniffing 19.4% of his targets turned into a 20 plus yard play. That's amazing. All right, so Sadiq's the big name here. Josh, who's. Who are like the next two, let's say, because I, if we go one by one with everybody, we'll never get to quarterbacks. So like, who's the, who are the next two for you at tight end? And are they, you know, are they capable of being, let's say like 800 yard receivers as rookies? Maybe, if they land in the right spot.
- [25:52]
Josh Edwards
Yeah. So the next two for me would be Oscar Delp from Georgia and Max Claire from Ohio State, neither of which are in my top 50. So again, you're talking about kind of a cluster there on day two. But you touched on Claire there and you know how he was more dynamic in Purdue's offense in 2024. I think that's something that's evident on tape. I thought he was better in 2024. So you kind of factor that into his evaluation a little bit. And it's interesting because that's kind of true of multiple tight ends in this class. Jack Enderes from Texas, moving over from California to Texas, you know, I thought the 2024 tape was a little bit better. So, you know, there's a couple guys in this class where you kind of have to go back maybe a little bit deeper to really figure out who they are and what they could be in the NFL. But I think Delp has the highest upside in terms of just being that well rounded, you know, traditional wide tight end that, you know, can set the edge for you in the run game, but also be effective in the past game. I, you know, one of the criticisms that a lot of people come with is it's the same offense at Georgia that produced Brock Bowers, and Brock Bowers was the focal point of that offense. But, you know, Oscar Delp was just kind of this accessory to, you know, to that group, you know, he wasn't kind of a standout for them, but I think he's somebody that's incredibly well rounded. Max Claire, again, I thought he was better in 2024, but when you're projecting him forward, I think he's somebody that offers you a little bit more. Possibly in the past game. When you look at that Ohio State offense this past year, he was splitting repetitions with Will Kacmerrick from, you know, who transferred from Ohio. He's more of a blocking tight end, but, you know, I think he's got a little bit more room to develop in the past game as well. So those two players were kind of siphoning repetitions from one another. So those two would be next for me on the board, but again, neither of them within the top 50.
- [27:53]
Adam
Dave, any strong feelings about the next best guys?
- [27:58]
Dave
I think Delpa is the next best guy for a lot of the same reasons why Sadiq is the top guy. And it's athleticism and untapped potential, which we didn't really get from Delp. Josh talked about it. He didn't see a huge target share. He wasn't used exactly like Brock Bowers. But when you watch him play, and I encourage people, go on YouTube, search for Oscar Delp and just watch his speed. This dude is almost 65 and 245 pounds and he runs like he's got good speed to him. And I, I think that that's a differentiator. And whether or not he's a top 50 pick or not, someone's going to get him and they're going to say, okay, we didn't get Kenyon Siddiq and this guy doesn't have exactly the same type of athleticism, but it's fairly close. You might say that he's the Reuben Bane of the tight ends because he's got short arms. And that is, that is something that becomes a negative in his game when it comes to catch radius. He. He tends to jump for a lot of passes that I've seen. Sometimes that that works out, sometimes it doesn't. His blocking, I'm, I'm not as sure of, of his blocking potential at least as an inline blocker. Maybe out in space he can do it because of that arm length that he's got and you can't coach that and can't make that longer. But he's, he's got some interesting traits that will, that will make a team take the chance on him and try and build on him. I would not expect him to make a big impact in fantasy as a rookie, I think, like certain things would just have to fall into place for Delp to do that. But I would overlook the stats that he had. And I think this is what the, the trend will be at least with the tight end position and maybe a lot of positions this year. Look past the stats, look at the traits. Kind of like what Josh was saying with Max Claire Perdue when he clear played more and he showed off his athleticism more in 2024 than 2025. The teams that are smart are going to do that, and pretty much every team will do that. I think they'll find that Oscar Delp is one of the most athletic tight ends in the class.
- [29:53]
Jamie
So, Josh, you like Claire and Delp more than sours?
- [29:58]
Josh Edwards
I do. I. To me, Stowers is more of a project. You know, I don't think that he's a refined route runner. He can obviously make plays for you down the field. He's incredibly athletic, tested off the charts at the combine, but to me, he's more of like a vision than a finished product. And again, if you were to put him in the right situation, allow him to continue developing, kind of get him on the move and allow him to use that athleticism, I think he is a player that, you know, can make a general manager look really smart, but he's just not quite as well rounded to me as those other two guys. He is right behind them. He's actually number 70, so he's. He's just behind Max Claire. Is that tight end, three delts a little bit higher, but again, kind of clustered right there.
- [30:43]
Jamie
I wonder if. If Stowers is kind of what you were talking about with Sadiq, about like that kind of heir apparent to maybe a Mark Andrews, maybe a Zach Ertz, not exactly a Dallas Goddard, you know, maybe even a Travis Kelsey, you know, one of these guys that can step in and learn for a year and then, you know, we see 2027 as the. The what the actual upside could be. But in the right system for this year, you know, a few specialty plays here or there, you know, just the type of, you know, guy that can. Can make a big player too. Not necessarily have to be a featured option, like, let's say like a Sadiq.
- [31:16]
Adam
Yeah, well, I mean, it's a good call because this guy, Eli Stowers, this is the guy I mentioned a little while ago, ran a slightly better 40 than Brock Bowers. It wasn't Kenyan Sadiq, but still like really good and better than any, any tight end in the 2025 class, not that the 40s, everything. He also led the position in receiving yards with 769 yards. Eli Stowers out of Vanderbilt. He's only been playing tight end for three years, so.
- [31:42]
Josh Edwards
Right, right.
- [31:43]
Dave
Former quarterback.
- [31:44]
Adam
Yeah, he's came in as a quarterback, then he got moved to receiver, then he got moved to tight end. So he's still learning then. You know you talked about the guy, Oscar Delp from Georgia, only no more than 284 yards in any season. And Dave, you said focus on the traits and not the production but I did want to point out we talked about this off the air before we went on because Kenyan Sadiq is really on paper, not that productive. 560 yards, eight touchdowns, which is great, but 561. 560 yards in 14 games for a first round pick.
- [32:14]
Jamie
That's really like Loveland was last year too Lovely was.
- [32:18]
Adam
Was 649 yards in 15 games as a sophomore, but then as a junior. 582 yards but only 10 games. So you know, not. He. He also didn't jump off the charts or anything but he was better than, than Sadiq. And the only two run to only two tight ends that I've found that have been really good recently in the NFL that were less productive in college like in their best seasons than Kenyan Sadiq were George Kittle who never even had a 300 yard season which is amazing. Or maybe it wasn't a 400 yard season. Yeah, 314 was his season high. George Kittle and Darren Waller who was a wide receiver in college but you know, Kelsey Ertz, Andrews McBride, Bowers, Najoku, Laporta, Ingram. Gronkowski even looked at Aaron Hernandez because he would share the field with Gronkowski, Hawkinson, all these guys. Much more productive in terms of yards than Sadiq. It's kind of interesting and it really makes it hard for me to buy into a guy in Delp that didn't even have 250 yards or sorry, he had 284 yards. I don't know. Obviously there's. He would, I don't know. It would be surprising to me if that guy was like the second tight end drafted I guess, you know, with that little production in college.
- [33:32]
Dave
Well, what if he was the second tight end drafted at the top of round three?
- [33:37]
Adam
I. Yeah, I don't know. I guess I'd be surprised. Just the production so low.
- [33:43]
Dave
I'd be surprised if he was a top 50 pick. Yeah, that's. That feels like a little bit of a stretch to me for, for as good of traits as he has and the potential that he has. And, and obviously the argument can be made that he's worth a top 50 pick, particularly in a year that isn't locked with a bunch of offensive talent. But I, I could see him being the second tight end off the board, just not necessarily with a. Is a top 50 pick a premium pick around 2 pick. I'd be surprised if he went in anywhere higher than. Let's call it. No, let's. Let's call it round two. I'd be surprised if he goes in round two.
- [34:19]
Adam
Okay.
- [34:20]
Josh Edwards
The only thing I'll push back on with Sadiq, and you know, we touched on this before is they may have had tight end too in this draft class as well. With Jamari Johnson. He elected to go back to school. Now he's going to be the focal point in that Oregon offense. So I'm sure next year we'll be talking about how productive he was and all of his numbers. But unfortunately for Sadiq, he had some of that production siphon from another very talented player that could have been in this year's draft class.
- [34:48]
Adam
Let's talk about a talented player who is in this class and that's Michael trigg out of Baylor. 6 4, £240 I mentioned longest wingspan of any tight end in the history of the NFL Combine. Big yards per catch guy has been kind of a downfield guy. 11.3 yard ADOT in 2025 led all tight ends. And I also like the fact that he averaged 13 more than 13 yards per catch two straight seasons with very different ADOTs. 8.4 yards in 2024, 11.3 yard a dot in in 2025. Pretty fun highlight reel for, for Michael Trigg and I believe he is the number. Let me just double check. Yeah, he's the number two tight end for Mike Renner who does our Prospect Rankings on CBSSports.com how do you feel about him, Josh?
- [35:35]
Josh Edwards
Michael Trigg, he's a very exciting player. I mean, you touched on the statistics there. Like all of that checks out. When you watch him play, he is, you know, a little bit smaller, kind of that move type that you just want to get the ball in his hands and allow him to create yards after the catch. When you watch his highlight tape, you know he's got, you know, maybe the five best plays at the tight end position from this year's class. Like he's incredibly dynamic. You know, he just doesn't offer, I think the down to down Consistency that I typically look for. If I'm, you know, talking about a top 100 type guy, you know, he's kind of in that day three, early day three range for me, just because I think he's a little bit more limited in how he can help your team. I don't think that he's as refined of a route runner. So that's kind of where I see him is into day three. You know, he's that possibility. But even this past year's class, I mean, we saw Aronda Gadsden land in Los Angeles and he made an immediate impact for the Chargers. So it's all about fit. It's all about situation and scheme. And I think this is a player. If you put him in the right situation, he's somebody that can absolutely splash for you as a rookie.
- [36:44]
Adam
Okay. Any other tight ends that you want to mention? You mentioned Jolie. Anyone else that you think our fantasy managers out there could. Should. Should have on their radar?
- [36:55]
Josh Edwards
Yeah. As far as fantasy is concerned, I would say Justin Jolie is, you know, probably the most effective. Two guys that I think have a little bit more that they could tap into at the next level. Notre Dame's Eli Raridan, you know, he has NFL pedigree. He's somebody that's really well rounded. You know, I think he's. He's someone that could be a better pro than necessarily what we saw at Notre Dame. And, you know, Notre Dame has a pretty good history of producing those NFL tight ends. Sam Roush, you know, when you watch his tape, you generally associate him with this blocker, somebody that's going to make an impact for you in the run game. But then he tested really well at the NFL combine. So you're talking about maybe a more well rounded skill set for your offense than what the tape may have shown you. So he's somebody that I think has a lot of potential moving forward. And again, Stanford tight ends typically, you know, fare pretty well in the NFL. And the last one that I will mention is Marlon Klein from Michigan. And again, this is an incredibly deep tight end class. I'm not going to get into some of the predominant blockers and things of that nature because it's just not sexy from a fantasy perspective. But Marlon Klein is somebody that's relatively new to the game as well coming out of that Michigan offense. You know, we've heard all of the narratives in the past about how managed JJ McCarthy had been, you know, how limited Colston Loveland had been in terms of production and what he was able to show on the field. So Marlon Klein, I think, is he continues to learn the game and utilize the gifts that he has athletically. He's somebody that, you know, we may be talking about three years down the road as part of a really talented tight end class.
- [38:34]
Adam
All right, and we're going to talk about the quarterbacks, Fernando Mendoza and the rest of the gang when we come back. We'll take a quick break on fantasy football today. Stick around right now at the Home Depot. Shop spring Black Friday savings and get up to 40% off, plus up to
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Dave
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Adam
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Dave
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Adam
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Dave
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Adam
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Dave
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- [39:13]
Adam
K Pop Demon hunters, Haja boy's breakfast meal and hunt tricks meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans.
- [39:20]
Josh Edwards
What do you say to that, roomie?
- [39:22]
Adam
It's not a battle.
- [39:23]
Josh Edwards
So glad the Saja boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day.
- [39:27]
Adam
It is an honor to share. No, it's our honor.
- [39:30]
Jamie
It is our larger honor.
- [39:32]
Josh Edwards
No, really, stop.
- [39:34]
Adam
You can really feel the respect in this battle.
- [39:37]
Dave
Pick a meal to pick a side.
- [39:39]
Adam
Ba da ba ba ba. And participate in McDonald's while supplies last. The Raiders will trade the number one pick. Realize Josh's like, no, it's not gonna happen. I don't know, man.
- [39:56]
Jamie
Do you think that trade package would have to include.
- [39:58]
Adam
It shouldn't include much. I don't think they should take Mendoza. I don't think he's the best player in the class.
- [40:03]
Dave
Wow. I don't disagree with that.
- [40:06]
Adam
Yeah, I don't.
- [40:07]
Dave
I don't think he's the best quarterback in the class. That team needs a quarterback.
- [40:10]
Adam
I know, but, you know, that's not how you drive. I mean, I just don't think you. You draft that way. I think you'd have to be very good. Honestly, I don't know one of the defensive players that. I don't necessarily feel like I could sit here and say that Reese is better than Downs, is better than Bailey, but the guys who are paid to do it, there's probably a superstar defensive player that they should Take. But I guess my point is he's a number one pick but sometimes the number one pick is, is of a Caleb Williams level and sometimes the number one pick is of a, a Bryce Young level and there's in between. You know what I'm saying? I just, it's not a great quarterback class. He's not a conventional number one pick. Cam Ward wasn't either. Like I didn't think that Titans should have taken Cam Ward. I thought that was a mistake. Hopefully I'm wrong. But anyway, Josh, like what's your take on him as a number one overall pick? Mendoza.
- [41:01]
Josh Edwards
Yeah. And you know, first of all, you may have been saying it in jest but the reality is, you know, they will take a quarterback because they need a quarterback. But I think there is an interesting conversation to be had if people were open minded about roster construction and you know, acquiring additional assets to potentially still get a quarterback in 2027. Like you're not guaranteed for that to happen. But is this team ready to just drop a rookie quarterback into. I think the offensive line needs some work. They spent a lot of resources on defense. They're going to take Mendoza. But I do think that it's at least a conversation that they should be having within that building and people should not be scared of having in the public Ey. But this is a player that I do think if you put him in the right situation, just the way that he plays on time, he can push the ball downfield. He's made some big plays in high leverage moments. I do think if you surround him with the right supporting cast and you put him in the right situation and you know, we saw this past year Sam Darnold, the right situation for him was Seattle. So if you're able to bring that same level of comfort to Fernando Mendoza, I do think that he has the potential to be a top 10 quarterback in this year. I don't think that he's going to be, you know, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes where they're consistently, you know, mocked as the top three, top five quarterback. But I do think that he's a player that has the skill set and in the right situation is going to be a winning quarterback for you if you're able to do the necessary things around him at this time. I think, you know, Brock Bowers is probably going to be the focal point of that pass game. I am excited about the possibility of Ashton Genty being a little bit more productive than what we saw from him as a rookie. But this is a team that Desperately needs to upgrade the offensive line. They need to add more pass catchers. But I also think that they are at least acknowledging that publicly by going out and getting Kirk Cousins and saying, hey, like we're not ready yet. But we like this player and we think if we just get a couple more pieces around him, he is somebody that can be our future quarterback.
- [43:14]
Jamie
Adam either is jaded from what Mendoza did to his beloved Hurricanes and national championship.
- [43:21]
Adam
He didn't really do that great. I'm fine with it.
- [43:22]
Dave
He wasn't.
- [43:23]
Jamie
Or you, you've watched Draft Day a little bit too much and you just, you wrote down on a piece of paper Sonny Styles or nothing else.
- [43:31]
Adam
No, look, I, I think he's a really good player, Fernando Mendoza. I just think he's, he's interesting to evaluate because I don't know that there's, it's not like there's a physical trait that jumps off the charts. It's. To me, you know, Josh obviously would love to hear your thoughts. To me, it's more like the total package is really good. The accuracy is phenomenal. I mean, 72% completion rate with the 35th highest ADOT among 133 quarterbacks. So it's not like he's just throwing short stuff. That's really impressive. He's, he's mobile, but he's not, you know, he's not going to be a huge rusher or anything. I don't know. He doesn't. Does he have an amazing trait? Scout him, Josh.
- [44:14]
Josh Edwards
So to me, he's got the arm strength to be able to access any part of the football field. You know, first and foremost you have to be able to win from the pocket. And I think that he's somebody that can, he's somebody that, you know, has an incredibly high IQ. He can process, get from 1 to 2 to 3, work across the field through his progressions. At the same time, I do think that he has enough athleticism to be able to roll out of the pocket, make throws on the run. I'm not saying he's, you know, this really creative off platform thrower, but I think he does have the threshold be able to do that. He's got that to tap into, in his bag. So I think that he's more athletic than people give him credit for. He's incredibly tough. He's obviously willing to stand in and take a hit as we saw multiple times in the playoffs. You know, he took a big hit in the first, first play against Ohio State and got right. So this is a player that's incredibly tough. He's smart. I just don't think that he's going to allow himself to fail. And I think he's got the athletic traits to rise above that. So to me, I think he is worthy of the number one overall pick. I'm more comfortable with him just from a down to down efficiency rating than I was with Cam Ward last year. So I would absolutely take him number one overall. I wouldn't take him over Caleb Williams or Drake maybe. But you know, you play the hand that you're dealt and in this case, to me he's, he's, you know, a fairly easy choice for the Raiders at number one.
- [45:40]
Adam
Okay. And he's basically the most likable player in the world, so I'm certainly rooting for him. Dave, you want to give your thoughts on Mendoza?
- [45:48]
Dave
I, I'm pretty much in lockstep with Josh on this one. I think when you're talking about traits for him, his, his from the pocket, especially if it's a clean pocket, the accuracy is surgical. It's Brady esque and I don't say that lightly. It's tough to find that. But he's got it. I would say he's got functional arm strength. I think if you ask him to push a ball 50 plus yards, it's going to be tough for him to do that. The film showed that over his time at Indiana and Cal. But he can hit the far sideline, throws. He throws the great velocity and from the neck up he's pretty good. I don't know if he's the best quarterback in terms of reading coverages, especially post snap, but he's up there and he can get there. And the, the drive to, to win and be great, obviously that's been with him for a long time. I do think that Mendoza struggled with pass rush pressure at times. There were, there were moments where he'd leave clean pockets. That's the Sam Darnold scene, ghost thing. There were times when pass rush pressure turned him into a runner and he's okay as a runner. I, I'm with you, Adam. I don't think you're going to draft him and think, all right, he's going to give me numbers like Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts, but he might get you 300 rushing yards and three touchdowns over the course of a football season. But that, that pass rush pressure does impact his accuracy, does impact his decision making. That's going to be something that has to be looked at by coaches and help him get over that so he can Manage that pass rush pressure better and the Raiders know their offensive line isn't going to be great. And so brushing him onto the field unless he's amazing in training camp, I think it's smart for them to put Kirk Cousins there. And he reminds me of Kirk Cousins from footwork mechanics, just ability to throw and all that other stuff. Like he, he looks like Kirk Cousins out there. So the things that are wrong with, with Mendoza, like a lot of other players, I think they can be fixed, they can at least be improved upon. But the things that are right with him is what makes him worthy of being the first pick in the draft from a team that needs a quarterback and isn't guaranteed to get a better one next year.
- [47:50]
Adam
Okay. And if you're on the Raiders, you hopefully been working on your back shoulder catch because that is the, the specialty.
- [47:58]
Dave
Well, their best wide receiver probably isn't on the team yet.
- [48:02]
Adam
Sure.
- [48:03]
Jamie
Yes.
- [48:04]
Dave
Their best pass catcher is obvious. Yeah. And that's one other. I don't know how often Brock Bowers is going to be one on one with somebody, but I, after watching as much Mendoza as I did, he loves throwing to the one on one. He totally trusts his pass catchers in those situations. And Brock Bowers will have a humongous target share when it's man coverage with Mendoza under center.
- [48:28]
Adam
All right, Ty Simpson, you think it'll be a first round pick, Josh?
- [48:34]
Josh Edwards
I don't think he should. The tougher question is whether he will because I didn't think that Jackson Dart would be there or Tyler Schuck would get as close as he did. So, you know, I think if a team falls in love with him, that's certainly a possibility to get that fifth year option. If I had to guess today, if he's going to be a first round pick, I would probably say no because I just have not been able to associate that one team with him quite yet. I think Arizona makes a lot of sense like they could possibly trade back into the first round and take him. If you listen to Pittsburgh and you know Pittsburgh historically will just tell you who, who they're taking. It's always pretty clear who they're going to pick before we actually get to draft night. It's been a little bit quieter this year, but you know, there just has not been a lot of Ty Simpson to Pittsburgh buzz at this point. So it's, it's all about trying to find which team is going to be in the mix and I just have not been able to do that yet. But he's got A really interesting profile. We talked about him, actually. I think on the lead up to the NFL combine, you know, Dave and I kind of both presented each side of the coin in terms of his small sample size, playing the quarterback position. Dave probably did a little bit more eloquently, you know, but when you're talking about a player that's got one year of starting experience and, you know, he's dealing with injuries for part of that year, it's just tough to really feel like it's a clean evaluation. And, you know, on one side of the coin, you're saying when you look at him at, you know, complete health, he was a player that can move the needle for you. He can play the NFL position at a fairly high level and some teams will be excited by that. But the other side of the coin is he had one year of starting experience and he dealt with injuries for part of it. So is that going to be an issue moving forward? Because durability is, you know, often follows you to the NFL. It's, it's, it's a tough league. So I think, you know, there's, there's sides to both of it to be made. But he is a coach's son. He's somebody that is going to be able to sit in those meeting rooms with the coaches, be able to, you know, talk X's and O's, and, you know, he's going to endear himself to coaches across the league. So if there's a Brian Dable type in the NFL who just falls in love with him, that's the situation to me where he gets into the first round. I just haven't heard who that team is at this point. So Simpson, to me, I think I would not feel comfortable taking him in the first round, but I would not be surprised at the end of the day if, if he did find his way in there.
- [51:12]
Jamie
I think the thing you might see with him is if he falls, a team trades into the first round at the back end of it to get the fifth year option, right? Because that's so valuable if the quarterback is above average or even close to being, you know, slightly above average. Just because that cost, by the time you get to fifth year, if the salary stays the same, which, why wouldn't it? You know, you're talking, what, 26, 27 million per year for that guy at that point, you know, like, that's so doable. It's why Bryce young gets his 50 year option picked up, for example, you know, so you get, you get that cost at what this guy is without maybe having to negotiate that deal yet. Like, it, it's so, it's so valuable. So I, I, you know, you kept seeing Pittsburgh. Adam and I did a fantasy football to express last week about this. Ryan Wilson's last mock draft. He's probably done seven since he had Pittsburgh trading back in. I think, what was it, 30 or 32 maybe? Yeah, 32, I think, you know, to get. That'll be the spot to get him, you know, and that makes so much sense if that's the type of, you know, draft capital you have or willing to, you know, sacrifice future draft picks to get that type of project that maybe become something.
- [52:20]
Adam
Dave, in your mind, is Simpson clearly, the number two quarterback in this draft?
- [52:24]
Dave
Yeah, based on what I've watched so far, he's. He's the number two guy. I think a team's going to fall in love with him. It's not for the best reasons. Well, some of these reasons are the best reasons. From the neck up, I think he's better than Mendoza. I think he can read coverages pre and post snap. Josh talked about it like son of a former or current college football coach. He's been around it and he's been a quarterback his whole life. So I think he's just, I think he really has that great understanding that a lot of quarterbacks that we've evaluated over the years just do not have. But that just might make him a clipboard holder. I don't know if that's, I don't know if everything else about him is enough to get him drafted and then eventually on the field and then staying on the field. If he can follow the Tyler Shuck pathway, then that would be great and at least it sounds great for New Orleans right now with Shuck and Simpson with another team, whether it's the jets or the Cardinals or whatever. But I don't know if that's guaranteed. A team would have to fall in love with him from the neck up and they'd have to look at the eight games that he played healthy and say, that guy, we can make that guy our guy for a lot longer than eight games. We can do that for, for years and years and years. But I just want to go over like, the injuries that he had were, were crazy. Starting with a herniated disc in his back. He had gastritis from the medicine that he used to treat the herniated disc in his back. He had elbow bursitis. And then he cracked a rib against Indiana. He played in Indiana, was in the College Football Playoff. He played that game against Indiana all beat to hell. So he's tough. That's cool. But there is a clear difference. And, and this is in his profile on CBSSports.com there's a clear difference in his metrics from his first eight games to the other games that he played. I think it was seven games last season. And so that's going to weigh on your mind. Like, is he going to be a different quarterback when he's not playing at 100? Because a lot of guys don't play at 100 for very long in the NFL. And then the other issue, and I think I brought this up when we had Josh on before the combine, is he couldn't beat out Jalen Milroe for the starting quarterback job in 2024 at Alabama. And Milroe had some bad games and they didn't bench Milroe for Simpson. And I still don't know why. I don't know if anybody does, but that's a concern. And I don't think he goes in the first round. I don't think a team is going to give up draft capital just to have the extra fifth year on somebody who might not be their guy. He might not be their guy in 2027 if he doesn't put it all together quickly for an NFL team.
- [54:56]
Adam
So, Josh, okay, we can establish that he was better. Simpson was better before his injuries. Okay. Dave said first eight games versus last seven games. When you gave your analysis of, you know, you don't. You would not take him in the first round. How, how much of that is influenced by the last seven games or he's playing through injuries. In other words, if you had just stopped watching tape after his first eight games, do you think you would take him in the first round?
- [55:28]
Josh Edwards
Yeah, I probably would. You know, I, I, as Dave touched on, like, he played at a really high level when he was healthy. He was somebody that, you know, was able to work through his progressions. He's able to see every part of the field. You know, he throws with anticipation, touch. When he did start to compile those injuries is where you started to see the accuracy kind of wane. But he's a little bit undersized. He's probably more at, he's definitely more athletic, I think, than Fernando Mendoza. But we're not talking about a player that's just going to make plays with his feet all the time. So you really have to rely on who he is as a passer and just needing him to use his entire body to you know, be able to manufacture that arm strength to push the ball down the field. That's where I think you have to factor in the second part of the season, because if he needs his whole body to make those throws the way that Baker Mayfield does and he cannot stay healthy, then I think you're really confining yourself to a player that, you know is not going to be able to do everything that you need to do, do as an NFL starting quarterback. So it's absolutely part of the evaluation. It's probably a big part of where I fell on him. He's number 44 overall, so, you know, Tyler Schuck went number 40. Ty Simpson, you know, he's viewed in a similar vein, in my opinion. You know, that that's kind of where he should go. But, yeah, if he were fully healthy, we would probably be having a different conversation. But having the small sample size, that's something you have to take into account.
- [57:04]
Jamie
This, this is the type of situation where there's one guy in the class that stands above the rest, and then which team is desperate enough to go take a gamble on somebody like Simpson, you know, so is it somebody that trades into the back end of the first round? If somebody takes him in the first round, like, you know, you said Josh, it's kind of all over the place where he could go as well. I think, obviously, if you don't want to overspend, 44 makes sense. Somewhere in round two makes sense just to see what you have there. And you kind of let the drafts, you know, sort of fall in line with that. But, like, this is, you know, the, the teams that are desperate for quarterbacks and, you know, you can run down the list however you want to. They're all waiting for next year. They're all waiting, you know, especially they know they're not going to win. Like, if you're the jets, for example, why would you waste. Because they're not going to do it at 2. Why would you weigh 16 overall on Ty Simpson to see what he could become? Now, maybe you trade back and, you know, make some things happen that way, but like, to me, that'd be a waste because they're not going to win. They're probably still going to be in the top 10 unless everything falls in line perfectly for them. And you listen, Aaron Glenn. But it feels most like. Like this is a team that's looking at 20, 27, you know, so I, I don't want to use just them as the example, but, you know, like taking him in in the first Round. Unless, of course, you have, like, to me, a Pittsburgh situation makes sense because they're almost always. Unless just everything falls apart. Gonna be at the back end of the first round anyway. Like, whatever you're giving up to try and take a chance on this, if you're gonna get Rogers and then you let Simpson sit for a year, like, that's the type of scenario you want to see for this kid, just so he doesn't have to get rushed into a situation on a crappy team and then has to sort of be, you know, viewed as their savior, because he's not going to do that. At least my opinion of it, you know, I don't think he's gonna eat. Like, shuck was a. A huge surprise. And now he's, you know, sort of viewed, I think, in the way Ty Simpson would like to be viewed. But I don't see that happening with. For him. Unless, of course, everything just sort of, you know, goes the right direction.
- [58:56]
Adam
Okay, let's get. Let's move on to some other quarterbacks. We've talked about Mendoza, we've talked about Ty Simpson, the rest of this class. There's some guys who were, you know, the number one player coming out of high school, like Drew Aller out of Penn State, Cade Klutnick in Clemson, and it just didn't really work out for them. Carson Beck went to the national championship game. Garrett Nussmeier just had a disappointing 2025 season after a much better 2024 season. So some interesting players, but basically, look, I think everybody listening probably knows it's not really considered a very good quarterback class. So after those top two, and I haven't even asked you, I assume that Simpson was your number two quarterback, Josh. But yeah, who else do you like after that? Just give us some names and some. Some thoughts.
- [59:42]
Josh Edwards
So Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU is going to be quarterback three for me, and it's, you know, with a bullet. I think he's a player that, again, went healthy, undersized, but just knows how to operate from. From the pocket. A lot of the same talking points of Simpson are true of Garrett Nussmeier. He is the son of an NFL coach, currently the Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier. He's somebody that, you know, throws with anticipation, touch, he can push the ball downfield. He was certainly willing to do that at LSU when he was healthy. You know, he played through those injuries this year at times, and I think that's kind of what affects his draft status. You know, people take that into consideration, but he was not playing at 100%. And then you see him at the NFL combine, he's, you know, closer to his original form, the Senior Bowl. I thought he was, you know, kind of showing that he was taking strides towards that. So this is a player that I think can absolutely operate in NFL offense if he's got a clean, you know, full bill of health. Beyond that, I'm just not really comfortable with really. Anybody in this class like Arkansas's Taylor Green is somebody that, you know, has tantalizing athletic traits, but just doesn't have the efficiency down in and down out that you look for at the quarterback position. Drew Allen from Penn State is just, like, incredibly robotic in the way that he plays the position. He's got the arm strength that you love, the prototypical, you know, frame that you love with the quarterback position, but just does not distribute the football in a way that you need to as a starting NFL quarterback. And the Carson Beck, I just. The decision making over the years, I just. I cannot wrap my head around in terms of that being a viable starting quarterback in the NFL. I. I think he could absolutely be a piece of an NFL room and step in in the event of an injury and give you maybe a game or two here or there the way that Davis Mills has for the Texans. But Nussmeier, to me, is the only one that I really feel comfortable in saying he could be something more if he falls into the right situation, much like Brock Purdy did with San Francisco. You know, maybe you're talking about a Shanahan route for Garrett Nussmeier where he can just sit back in the pocket, you know, play on time, play, you know, through rhythm and, you know, deliver the ball on time and all that kind of stuff. Maybe he's successful in that way, but that's kind of the only path that I see for him moving forward. And then just as part of a relatively weak quarterback class overall.
- [62:11]
Adam
You mentioned Taylor Green out of Arkansas, and he's basically Anthony Richardson. I mean, 6, 6, 227 pounds, and he ran a 4, 3 6, unbelievable athlete. And. But yeah, I mean, really kind of bad passing numbers, honestly. 60% completion rate in his career, 59 touchdowns, 35 interceptions. But for the fantasy managers out there, if you're in a dynasty league and you want to take a shot on a guy who has this fantasy appeal, I'm not saying he should be the third guy or anything, but Taylor Green is a name to know in the same way that Jalen Milroe was these are the best rushing quarterbacks. Green ran for 777 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games in 2025. All right, so, Dave, it's for, for Josh, it's Mendoza, Simpson, and Nussmeier. And he said Nussmeyer with a bullet. What do you got? Like, who do you like after those top two?
- [63:05]
Dave
It's probably Nussmeyer as far as, like, safest goes, because every other quarterback that's there and, and I guess Nussmeyer kind of qualifies for this. Just isn't that safe. Doesn't have the type of appeal that you can hand your franchise to ultimately and, and have them as a starter for five plus years. I, I kind of like Cole Payton from North Dakota State. I thought he was, I thought he was the best quarterback at the Senior bowl by far. And I know that sounds so silly because they had a lot of, you know, Nussmeyer was at the Senior bowl and there were a lot of other established quarterbacks who have a lot of games and a lot of experience, but, boy, is there potential for him. Just a strapping lefty, big arm, good speed to go along with it. He's somebody that I would put in that same bucket as Taylor Green, assuming that the landing spot is good, where he can go and, and be a potential fantasy dynamo if he ever gets the opportunity. And so if he gets a, if he's on that pathway of Tyler Shuck where he lands on a team, there isn't a clear number two quarterback, but there is a number one guy. But eventually he gets the, the opportunity. The jets take him, the Browns take him, whatever. Cole Payton could end up being good in the NFL and very good for fantasy.
- [64:18]
Jamie
He's actually my second favorite fantasy quarterback. So Mendoza 1. Peyton would be 2.
- [64:24]
Adam
I honestly don't know that much about him, but I did see he's number three on Mike Renner's list. So how do you feel, Josh, about Cole Payton?
- [64:33]
Josh Edwards
Yeah, I mean, he's got the athleticism that, you know, Jamie and Dave are talking about. Like, he, he is incredibly dynamic on the ground. He's somebody that, you know, has a strong arm. I think he's still a little bit raw in terms of how he plays the position, but, you know, he's, he's, he's a lefty, which is probably endearing to Kevin Stefanski in the room that he's building over there in Atlanta with.
- [64:55]
Dave
Yeah.
- [64:56]
Josh Edwards
And Michael Penix, and he drafted Dylan Gabriel in Cleveland last year, so he's probably going to end up on the Falcons at Some point in time. But yeah, he's, he's got the traits that you look for at the quarterback position. I just think when you factor in the competition that he's played and you know, Dave talked about that he played at a higher level at the Senior bowl and you know, did not look like he did not belong. But that's something that I take into consideration. Of course, you know, Carson Wentz came out of that program. Easton Stick came out of that program. So they've had some history. Trey Lance, you know, they've, they've had some history producing quarterbacks.
- [65:32]
Adam
What kind of a weird throwing motion for him. Yes. Yeah.
- [65:37]
Dave
Well, it also looks a little weird because he's a lefty. We say that about all lefties.
- [65:40]
Josh Edwards
It doesn't if you, if you put it in, if you mirror it, which I've seen going around similar to, I think Dylan Gabriel, we saw this with last year as well, Michael Panicks. Yeah, exactly, exactly. It doesn't look as wonky as it does as a lefty, which I'm a lefty, so I can say that.
- [65:58]
Adam
Yeah, my daughter's a lefty. I'm really kind of just so weird, you know, like she's going to be
- [66:03]
Dave
a relief pitcher in baseball for 20 years and make $100 million.
- [66:07]
Adam
Yeah, I had her first T ball game yesterday, so.
- [66:09]
Jamie
Oh, let's go.
- [66:10]
Dave
How'd you do?
- [66:10]
Adam
How'd she do? Well, first of all, she couldn't figure out if she wanted to hit righty or lefty, so we'll try to figure that.
- [66:17]
Jamie
Go lefty.
- [66:18]
Adam
Yeah. It's crazy. They're five and six year old girls and they are required to wear like face masks in the field.
- [66:26]
Jamie
The whole team?
- [66:27]
Adam
Yeah. Like these girls are hitting, these girls are hitting the ball three feet in front of home plate and you're making these kids wear face masks in the field.
- [66:34]
Jamie
We just do that for pictures, but we don't actually do face masks, just helmets.
- [66:38]
Dave
Better safe than sorry.
- [66:39]
Adam
I guess so. But it was really cute, really fun. The girls were great.
- [66:44]
Jamie
You coaching?
- [66:45]
Dave
Well, that's how I feel watching Cole Payton throw. It's really cute.
- [66:49]
Adam
No, I, you know, I thought about go. She, she joined so late that she's one of the last girls to join, I think. So the, the rosters were already filled out and they didn't need any coaches, but. Yeah, but guys, listen, if you're up and you want to stream it on, I think it's on Paramount Plus 9:30pm Tonight, Monday night, my first softball game of the year. Be able to.
- [67:13]
Josh Edwards
Yeah.
- [67:13]
Adam
It's not.
- [67:13]
Jamie
Have you moved up from batting last?
- [67:15]
Adam
It's not on Paramount Plus. No, probably not.
- [67:18]
Dave
It'd be great if it were.
- [67:20]
Josh Edwards
Why? I think it should be maybe.
- [67:22]
Adam
Yes, it would be under the comedy section.
- [67:26]
Dave
Of course it would.
- [67:27]
Adam
Yeah. So it's gonna be. I'm so bad. It's humiliating. But, yeah. Tonight. Tonight's opening. Opening night. We're very excited. I'm hoping we get rained out, so I don't want to be terrible again.
- [67:41]
Jamie
But you're hoping you get rained out on the first game.
- [67:44]
Adam
It's like, I don't even want to play. If the ball gets hit to me, I'm gonna boot it.
- [67:48]
Dave
I don't even want to play. Why are you going?
- [67:51]
Jamie
You're.
- [67:51]
Dave
You're over 40 years old.
- [67:53]
Adam
I love the guys. Like, they' good guys.
- [67:56]
Jamie
Be the team manager. Just hang out.
- [67:57]
Dave
Yeah, right. Just hang out on the bench and squirt Gatorade into their mouth.
- [68:00]
Adam
We're shorthanded today, so I need to play. But anyway, wish me luck. Josh, thanks for coming on, man.
- [68:08]
Josh Edwards
Of course.
- [68:08]
Jamie
Thanks, Josh.
- [68:10]
Adam
All right. Something tells me this won't be the last time we hear from Josh in the month of April, maybe early May, but Dave, Jamie, thank you guys. We've got an episode of FFT Express that Jamie and I are about to record. I think you'll hear that on Tuesday. And we were going to talk about wide receivers on Wednesday, running backs on Thursday, so we gotta really dig in and start researching. We'll talk to you then. On fantasy football today,
- [68:37]
Josh Edwards
Paramount podcasts, CBS
- [68:41]
Adam
Sundays, it's three incredible heroes on one unmissable night. The night starts with a new era of Yellowstone. In the CBS original marshals, Casey Dutton is back and bringing range justice to Montana. Then Justin Hartley stars in TV's number one show, Tracker. When your loved one goes missing, he's the man for the job. Followed by Morris Chestnut as the world's
- [69:02]
Dave
best doctective in Watson Marshalls, followed by Tracker and Watson.
- [69:06]
Adam
CBS Sunday starting at 8, 7 Central and streaming on Paramount.