← Scoop City: Inside The NFL
Scoop City: Inside The NFL
Mike Silver reveals crazy Rams NFL Draft story, Bruce Feldman shares insight on Travis Hunter & more
01:17:24
Loading summary
Transcript143 lines
- [00:01]
Diana Rossini
This athletic podcast is sponsored by Shopify. Now when you think about companies like Skims or Allbirds, they are selling through the roof. Sure, you think about a great product, a cool brand, a brilliant marketing. But often the overlooked secret is actually the businesses behind the business, which makes buying and selling simple. And for millions of businesses, that business is Shopify. Because nobody, nobody does selling better than Shopify. It's the home of the number one checkout on the planet and the not so secret secret. With Shop Pay, it boosts conversions by up to 50%. So if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell while your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web or in your store, in their feed and everywhere in between. Businesses that sell sell more on Shopify. So upgrade your business to get the same checkouts used by Skims and Allbirds. Sign up right now for your $1 per month trial@shopify.com theathletic all in lowercase and with no spaces. Upgrade your selling today@shopify.com that's shopify.com theathletic.
- [01:01]
Chase Daniel
As you've probably heard by now, we've.
- [01:03]
Diana Rossini
Teamed up with BetMGM.
- [01:04]
Mike Silver
This season we'll be using BetMGM lines.
- [01:06]
Diana Rossini
To make all of our picks and.
- [01:07]
Mike Silver
We'Ll have special offers for our listeners each week.
- [01:10]
Chase Daniel
If you haven't signed up for BetMGM yet, use bonus code TheAthletic and you'll.
- [01:15]
Diana Rossini
Get a one year subscription to the.
- [01:16]
Chase Daniel
Athletic plus up to a fifteen hundred.
- [01:19]
Diana Rossini
Dollar first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. Here's how it works. Download the BetMGM app and sign up.
- [01:26]
Chase Daniel
Using bonus code TheAthlet Athletic make your first deposit of at least ten dollars. Place your first bet on any game.
- [01:33]
Diana Rossini
And claim your voucher for a one.
- [01:35]
Chase Daniel
Year subscription to the Athletic.
- [01:37]
Diana Rossini
See betmgm.com for terms. U.S. promotional offers not available in D.C. mississippi, New York, Nevada, Ontario or Puerto Rico. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler available in the U.S. call 877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny 467-369 In New York, call 1-800- NEXT STEP in Arizona, 1-800-327-5050 Massachusetts 1-800-bets off in Iowa, 1-800-270-7717 for confidential help in Michigan, 1-800-981-0023 in Puerto Rico. First bet offer for new customers only in partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. Don't forget, if you haven't signed up for betmgm yet, Use bonus code theathletic and you'll get a one year subscription.
- [02:07]
Chase Daniel
To the Athletic plus up to a.
- [02:09]
Diana Rossini
Fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager. Fellas, you know Degree Cool Rush deodorant, right? Well, last year they changed the formula and guys were mad about it. One dude even started a petition. So guess what? Degree heard us, admitted they messed up and brought the original Cool Rush scent back exactly how it was. And it's in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. So grab some and remember why its cool, crisp and fresh scent made it the number one men's antiperspirant for the last decade. Degree Cool Rush is back and it smells like victory for all of us.
- [02:49]
Mike Silver
At what point he says to me now, there may be moments where for whatever reason, in the lead up or afterwards, I want you out of the room for a little bit, but I know you need to do some work, so I'd kind of like to set up a workstation for you somewhere near the draft room. And he gets this twinkle in his eye and he says, now I do have a vacant office. And that was how Chase I went from breaking the Greg Williams story to literally setting up shop in his vacant office during the entirety of that draft.
- [03:34]
Bruce Feldman
Welcome into Scoop City. I'm the athletic senior NFL insider, Diana Rossini.
- [03:38]
Chase Daniel
And I'm Chase Daniel. Played 14 years in the NFL.
- [03:40]
Bruce Feldman
Chase, it's good to have you back in your home base here as we get ready for the draft just a few days away. We're getting pumped up here. Remember, be a friend. Tell a friend if you haven't checked out our YouTube page, head over there. Leave us a comment. Subscribe if you haven't. We are locked in. Phones are charged. Not a new phone yet, but we're getting there. Get a phone, batteries. We got all the.
- [04:03]
Chase Daniel
Oh, a dirty matcha.
- [04:05]
Bruce Feldman
Oh, is that different from coffee these days since you kick the coffee?
- [04:09]
Chase Daniel
Shallow Espresso and a matcha ice matcha latte. Come on.
- [04:12]
Bruce Feldman
Well, we're in the thick of this thing. Every pick, every move, every smokescreen, all of it counts. We are collecting all of the information. We've got a really big week for you too. Wednesday, 4pm Eastern. We are going live on YouTube. So it is going to be just a, what, a little over 24 hours from the start of the draft in Green Bay. And we've decided that we're just going to let this thing rip live on the show. So make sure you tune in for that. So that'll be Wednesday 4:00 Eastern. It'll just be about one hour. Chase and I are just going to discuss everything that we're hearing and seeing. And then, of course, on Friday, we're going to have reaction to everything. From Thursday night's first round. We've got a big show. We figured we'd kick this thing off big. So we're going to get some help on the inside information on the intel by bringing in two of the athletics big insiders and pretty much the two that know almost everything that's going on in both the college and football level. So we've got our college football insider, Bruce Feldman, who just dropped a really big column on the Athletic. Check that out. If you're listening to the show right now and you're able to pull up the app, go to the Athletic now, check out his column. And then Mike Silver is going to join the show. And Chase, this is no surprise, no surprise. He was able to land a really big gig on draft night. Something that you just don't see anymore. Teams are so paranoid and so anxious about reporters and media and cameras being around them that they can't control. Yet Mike Silver has found a way inside a war room for Thursday night to give us all the reporting that's happening. So we're gonna talk all about that. So let's get right to it, though. Here is what I'm hearing around the le. All right, so in this edition of what I'm Hearing, we thought we'd give a little juice to this segment here by bringing in another insider, a college football insider here at the Athletic, Bruce Feldman, who just dropped a gigantic column of intel information, news, notes, everything you need to know about the draft, the players coming up in the next few days. He spoke to people on the college level, on the NFL level, and together between the three of us, I figured we just have a conversation about everything that everyone wants to know as we're just a few sleeps away from the big night. So, Bruce, it's so good to have you here. Just from your description of this upcoming draft class, we've heard. We've heard it all at this point. Based on these prospects, how would you describe this upcoming draft?
- [06:38]
Diana Rossini
I would describe it as a terrific draft if you need a defensive lineman and a pretty good draft if you need a running back or a DB if you need a quarterback. You may want to see what kind of shape Chase is still.
- [06:53]
Chase Daniel
Hey, I got it. I still got it, man.
- [06:55]
Bruce Feldman
No, please don't do that. So with that being said, what was the best quote you heard from talking to different coaches around the league about a single player in this draft.
- [07:08]
Diana Rossini
You know, it's funny, I have 11 year old twins and one of them is obsessed with football and he was in the other room when he heard me talking to an NFL D line coach. And the level of the amount of profanity that came out in those 25 minutes was like, he came in and his eyes were big and it was just like. And the thing I realized is the more cussing, the more certain guy with D line guys, the more they, the more they love a certain guy, you know. And so it was interesting for me. I could go through the stuff in the weeds that might have been like, oh, I didn't think that. I didn't realize that. You know, there seemed to be. And I'm not saying Shemar Turner from Texas A and M is going to go higher than Shemar Stewart, but there was a lot more love for him. Now Shemar, Shemar Stewart, who's the freakiest D lineman in this draft, you know, he broad jump almost 11ft and vertical jumped over 40 inches. Only had four and a half sacks in his entire career at Tech San M in three years. Shemar Turner is the inside guy who's really disruptive. But I think Shemar Stewart is kind of like the riddle where it's like, can you get it out of him? And the talent is so tantalizing. But just the, you know, multiple coaches I talked to, I was like, wow, they really like Shemar Turner way, way more than I realized. And then so you start hearing stuff like that. I mean you start hearing about for ever, almost ever since Chase's alma mater, I just realized it's like, you know, Missouri guy here got Luther Burden, who was a huge recruit coming out of high school for Missouri. To get him, you know, you have to go back like a dozen years ago before they got another guy who was like a high five star receiver. Didn't pan out the same way. But Luther Burton was a huge, huge get for them. And people in college compared him a lot to Devo Samuel because he's really good in the ball, with the ball in his hands. But the coaches I talked to in the NFL were like, you know, the guy who's more like Devo is actually playing at tcu Savion Williams and how he, you know, what they do with them. You know, Luther Burden's physical, but not Debo physical, right? And I think they just said he's very, very different. Doesn't mean he's going to be Debo Samuel either. But they, you know, they think he's in the Cordero Patterson, Debo Samuel range. Whereas, let's see what you know, where does Luther Burden fit? It's going to be interesting to see how somebody utilizes him next year in the NFL.
- [09:37]
Chase Daniel
You know, the interesting thing for me, I've only been covering the draft for two years, but being in the league for 14 years and then in college and just seeing how every team has a different evaluation on the same player and it changes from team to team, and just the evaluation process, especially for quarterbacks, is all over the place. I'll get to the quarterbacks because obviously, you know, I mentioned that. But the surest player, in my opinion, in this draft and the best overall player is Travis Hunter, in my opinion, right? When you're talking about a guy like this who can play receiver, who can play db, and he's dead set in saying he won't play unless he plays both ways, how sure are we that he could play both ways? Do you see him doing that? Do. Do these people you talk to seeing it and what's his best fit?
- [10:28]
Diana Rossini
The DB guys I talked to thought he. And also not just the DB guys. So it was a. I talked to one scouting director from an NFL team also for this, I talked to multiple offensive coordinators. One of the offensive coordinators said this, thought he needs to be a defensive back, who they have a package for him as a receiver. And one of the DB coaches made like an interesting analogy. He was like, if you're a defensive back, you're a cornerback. You're more like a starting pitcher than you are a relief pitcher and a closer. He said, you need to see the whole body of work and this guy. And people can. It's a long quote. People can read it in the story where it's like, you need to, you know, sometimes you may need to walk a guy, sometimes you may need to, you know, like, there's a lot of different things you need to set up. It's not coming in. This guy was like, Greg Maddox is not going to come in and, you know, get you three outs. And you need to see all the stuff he's going to present and cause challenges with you. And it's. And how you fit in the defense. And the people I talked to really kind of sold me more on. On him as the shutdown cornerback because he's a guy. And I heard this from. From coaches who played against him in college also, where he has rare talent in terms of reaction. He is crazy Burst on the ball, could be a great zone corner because his instincts and vision is so. Yeah, are insane. Right. But he's still a little raw. And why would he not be a little raw? Because he hasn't practiced and majored in something and lived it. Because he's doing both things and he's. And we've never seen anybody do what he did in college football in terms of going both ways and playing like 130, 140 snaps, you know, like, as great as Charles Woodson was, as great as Champ Bailey was, as great as Dion was, they only dabbled in office, right. You know, the, the only guy in college we saw who played really both ways at a high level was Chris Gamble at Ohio State, but Chris Campbell wasn't Travis Hunter. High level, right? So this guy, I, I asked the evaluator, the, the scouting director says, well, how would you present it if this guy. You're taking him in the top five. And he said, you got to basically let him realize you're kind of doing a disservice to yourself, but also to the team if you're like, I want to play receiver and, and do both. But we've never seen anybody in the NFL in the modern era try to do both. You have to go back, like, way, way back to Roy Green and then what's. That's probably 40 years ago. And it's a different game then, right? I'm sure it's a different game.
- [13:18]
Bruce Feldman
But then it makes you wonder what Cleveland's plans would be if they're going to take him at 2, because from the conversations I've had, it's he's going to be receiver, right? But if. If there's a thought that maybe he'd be better playing defense, and I'm sure they've had those conversations and ironed out how they would. Would want to do that. You know, this is a Browns team who, I really do think they're locked in on him, but are certainly taking calls from other teams right now, seeing if they'd be willing to trade up to go get him. So, you know so much. I think fair argument has been made over the last few weeks of who's going to be the second quarterback off the board, knowing that Cam Ward's going to most likely wind up a Tennessee Titan. And Chase and I have gone back and forth a lot. He's given his analysis, his opinion on it, and I've shared what people around the league think. What have you learned? So who's next off the board after Cam Ward? You think?
- [14:13]
Diana Rossini
I do think it's a big, big gap between Cam and the next guy, especially if the next guy is Shador. Right? Like, is Shador gonna go in the top 15? Does somebody move around because they're sold on him? Because there's a lot of questions there. I mean, he's really smart, he's really tough, and he's accurate. He can throw on the run, but it's not like he has a huge arm. It's not like he's super athletic. And the thing that came up a lot from people who, you know, who were studying him for the draft was some of the issues Caleb has where he could escape and buy time and extend plays and then make some wow throws. Caleb, you know, had to learn, has to learn in the NFL. You can't do that in the NFL. You get hawked down by. It's not college anymore. But Caleb is also much, much more horsepower and a much better athlete than Shador is. Right? So. So there's Shador. You have to project some of the system. There's people, there's coaches I know who did not love the system he played in. He played behind a terrible offensive line, but he did have good receivers. Yes, I know. I mean, that's like he.
- [15:22]
Chase Daniel
The.
- [15:22]
Diana Rossini
The issues, you know, because you had a guy. And this is interesting as, you know, a side note, I think, for my college football world, hat is the, okay, Pat Shermer, NFL guy, longtime NFL guy. But what he was doing there in Boulder was probably different than what was what people in the NFL know him to be just like Jackson Dart at Ole Miss. His coach is Lane Kiffin. Lane. But you talk to the coaches who are evaluating Jackson Darton, and they know Lane. They're like, this isn't Elaine Kiffin from USC offense. This is the Baylor offense. Old Baylor Riles offense that went to. Went to Tennessee with Josh Hyp. And as you know, there hasn't been a great track record of quarterbacks in that offense. I mean, RG3 had had a moment for a while, but it didn't stick. You know, Bryce Petty, really good college quarterback, didn't stick. You go back to Matt Corral, who put up some big numbers in the offense. I mean, he didn't stick in the NFL. It's just we'll, you know, we'll see about Hendon Hooker, we'll see about Joe Milton. But there's a projection of how people are evaluating the know Jackson Dart. There's a lot to like in terms of, like, he's tough. He's a pretty good athlete. He's. He did get better in the system and played a lot of football in the sec. But in terms of, there's guys I talk to feel like, you know what, there's a lot of mechanical stuff that needs to be cleaned up. And also the offense he played in, there's going to be a big learning curve at development wise as he transitions to the NFL. I mean, the one who I've heard some love for, not across the board, but from some coaches, was for Tyler Schuck from Louisville. You know, like the issue with Tyler has been not the age. The age doesn't seem to scare the people I talk to. It's just that the injury history, three years in a row at Texas Tech before he got to Louisville, he had season ending injuries. But he's got good size apparently. He is super smart. They love him in the meetings. He's pretty athletic, he's got good footwork. It's just the injury history is a concern. But he also came from a system that people like. You know, Jeff Braum is very well regarded in coaching circles and I think he's interesting. I would not be surprised if he's gone in the top 40.
- [17:50]
Chase Daniel
And those are the three really like the, the Shador Sanders, the Jackson Dart, the Tyler Schuck. Right. Like it just depends on the evaluation process. And that's like for me it's like exactly what you're saying with Jackson Dart. I mean he, he runs the same six to seven concepts but in different formations. And even with Shador, you talk about the Pat Shermer offense. I'm the, I'm one of the ones that's analyzed and I'm like, this makes no sense to me. It's not a pro style offense. So then what does that say one about the player or two, are they just trying to make it easy for him? And three, as true evaluators of talent and what their ceiling could be at the next level. It's an impossible evaluation. I mean, you take Shador Sanders and half, like about a third of his snaps, he throws the ball at or behind the line of scrimmage. You got to take those away. And the other third of the snaps, it's poor O line play. So you really have a third of his snaps to really break down and actually see if he's going to be successful at the next level. So why do you think that? I mean, because there could be, there could be one quarterback taken in the first round, there could be four. If teams fall in love, why do you think just this is more of a, an open ended, like the evaluation process for quarterbacks is so skewed because I'm not sure if Cam ward would be QB6 last year, but now it's, all of a sudden everyone needs quarterbacks. The, the bottom 12 teams just consistently turn over where they're always looking for quarterbacks. When will teams stop reaching on guys? You know what I mean? Because it's like they're, these are the quarterbacks we get and this is all we got.
- [19:26]
Diana Rossini
Yeah, I think there's just a desperation that goes on with the position. You know, we didn't mention yet Jalen Milroe. Jalen Mulro is intriguing. You know, like he, he's a super athletic kid who's blazing fast and has actually a really strong arm, but he is somebody who is really, really inconsistent and I think that he's a big developmental guy. You know, you get into some of these other guys where it's like, okay, there's stuff they like and I think people can talk themselves into it, but there's probably guys. You're saying, okay, this guy's a late second round guy. Maybe he's a, maybe he's a third round guy. You know, you, you, you look at, you know, Notre Dame had a quarterback they took from Duke who's big and athletic and really tough. Riley Leonard can, and he's really athletic. There are people like I asked who's, who would you say is a sleeper and Riley Leonard's name has come up. But, but again it's like, do you trust, you know, is he going to be accurate enough where he can be a franchise quarterback? I don't know. I mean I could see these guys being in the NFL for eight years because character wise, everybody likes them. And if you get in a system where, okay, he has some, some positives, but then all of a sudden are you looking at maybe this is another version of Easton stick who can run well and can probably get you out of a game and probably while in the quarterback room. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I know Justin Herbert likes Easton, so he's played for a long time.
- [20:55]
Chase Daniel
And yeah, and I think that's the consensus is like people try to reach, but they're more. And I've heard this from other people. I'm sure Diana's heard something similar. Is like the middle level of this quarterback class, they're going to be good backups. Like, like, like their ceiling might be backups. And that's okay because everyone needs it. I Just don't think you should reach for these star power quarterbacks as well.
- [21:15]
Bruce Feldman
The problem is there's a need for starters. So while that's a good sentiment that you can grab a backup here, these are teams with jobs on the line right now, like the New York Giants, which. Bruce, that's. I feel like I'm on this journey the last few, few days here. Whereas no matter who I talk to, it could be a gm, an even the person who helped me make my bagel this morning. I'm asking, what do you think the Giants should do? Because I just want to get an idea from your conversations. What kind of sense are you getting, or, you know, just around football, about what the New York Giants are going to do at the top, what they're.
- [21:46]
Diana Rossini
Going to do or like, I don't think they should be in the business of trying to grab a quarterback and ramrod him into, you know, that system, which is not going to be very easy to, from what, you know, we've heard. And now all of a sudden. And you also have Jameis there. So, like, how ready is. Is that guy going to be to. To step in and compete? I mean, there's a. This is a really good draft for D lineman. It's a good draft, I think, in a. In a bunch of different spots that can help them. I just don't think especially the Shador fit in New York would be fascinating just because of this. And again, this doesn't mean Shador isn't going to be a good quarterback somewhere. But I was thinking about it, where him at CU was one of the more unique. It was the most unique environment I think I can remember in college football because it was. It was a kind of an ecosystem where they really controlled the media as much as possible. So you had in, you know, internal media, which was a lot of stuff that was on YouTube. And it was a lot of digital, right? A lot of digital. Way different place, right?
- [22:59]
Chase Daniel
Yes.
- [23:00]
Diana Rossini
But there was like, you know, so if people popped in there, it was like you just didn't have the same level of access that you see any place else. And like, it was just a way different dynamic. And then if you were to say, all right, now you're going to go into, you know, Diana, you know, this way better than anybody, that media market, it's a completely different fishbowl. Right. And so I'm not saying Shador is like having talked to him a little at like a Big 12 media days and a cup, you know, like, he's very bright, but I Just think it's going to be a way different environment than you're in your dad's program. And it's like, it's just. It's a really fascinating situation of wherever he goes, look, he could go to a small marketplace. It's going to be different. I just think if you're talking about New York, and again, I don't. It's not like he's a combustible. Like, there's plenty of quarterbacks who come into the NFL who are way less media savvy than he is. I just think it's going to be. It would be a very different. Just a 180 compared to where he's. Where he's been for. Since he was in college because it was to a smaller degree at Jackson State and then much bigger at. @ CU when they got it rolling there.
- [24:24]
Chase Daniel
Let's talk about a position real quick that the Dallas Cowboys need both of running backs and receivers. I read obviously the article, it was excellent. The running back, to me, that stands out, obviously, Ashton Genti. What have you heard about him? Because off the field I've heard like excellent football character, excellent character, excellent person. And then you put that with the actual play on the field where, hey, he, he stayed at Boise. He led them to the all. All this stuff, right? It seems like the quintessential teammate. Where are you hearing like. I'm hearing like Jacksonville Raiders. I mean, that's five and six in this draft. For running back that seems crazy high, but with a guy on a rookie contract, it makes sense. What are you hearing mostly about him?
- [25:05]
Diana Rossini
Character wise, all the stuff is glowing. I would be a little surprised if he went in the top six. I'd be really surprised if the Raiders took him. But, you know, I would be surprised.
- [25:17]
Bruce Feldman
If they took or didn't take.
- [25:19]
Diana Rossini
I would be surprised if they took him. I would be surprised if they did take him. But you know, like, we get, we get curveballs all the time. I think with him, he was ultra productive. He put that program on his back and carried them into a playoff. And the questionable stuff with him, as I mentioned in the story, is a little bit of ball security issue. You'll hear people are like, yeah, he's not very good in pass protection.
- [25:47]
Mike Silver
Okay.
- [25:49]
Diana Rossini
The one thing somebody brought up to me was like, okay, he is not Saquon. Now who is? But the person I talked to, you know, about this part of it was like, if you're going to take a running back that high, it probably needs to be Saquon or Adrian Peterson and I don't think this guy is that, you know, Saquon is 20 pounds bigger, he's taller, he's faster, he's just, he's just a different caliber guy. It's not to say Genti isn't a first round talent, but to be a top 5ish guy. The other thing is Saquon was, was doing in the Big Ten. You know, other guys, if they excelled, were doing it in the sec where you're seeing NFL caliber guys week in and week out. The two defenses that weren't like really mid major that Genti went up against were Oregon, he did really well and Penn State who he had 100 yards but he averaged three and a half yards of carry against. Now again, Penn State, that is the guy you are trying to shut down. You are not worried about their quarterback or any of their receivers, right? And so, and Penn State has a bunch of dudes who are going to be NFL players. Oregon who really struggle with them. They have, you know, high level D line guys. Their secondary is not, you know, I think they were like middle of the pack in the Big Ten. I think they were 11th in the, in the conference against the run. So yeah, Oregon's really good but, but like I don't want to totally gong him for that, but I just think that.
- [27:24]
Chase Daniel
Well, do you.
- [27:24]
Mike Silver
That's something.
- [27:25]
Diana Rossini
There's a little bit of a concern.
- [27:26]
Chase Daniel
Do you think the hype. Sorry, Dan. So I wanted to follow up. Do you think the hype around him is real because the player on the field is worth it and then the player off the field is definitely worth it? Or do you think the lack of talent in this year's draft is just skyrocketing him because multiple teams we talked to the dance like after player number 10, it like, it like drops off a lot. Obviously he's in that top tier of guys. Do you think there'll be a team that trades up to him if he, if, if, if he does pass 6? Like where do you think that is? You think he's worth the hype?
- [27:55]
Diana Rossini
I think he's worth the hype. Again, I just think if you're talking about a generational running back, whether it's Saquon, whether it's Adrian Peterson. To me those are the guys that go, you know when, like. And this is probably right around the time when you were playing and coming out of college, you know, Trent Richardson was a ridiculous, I mean you could watch some, some jaw dropping film of him again he was doing in the sec. Yeah, His NFL career did not go great. You know, it's like I that based on that I not just based on trek terms. I'm just saying like to go take a guy to a running back that high to me. But look, Ladanian Tomlinson is a guy real NFL scouts have said they compare him to, you know, his old coach, Dirk Cutter, who was the offensive coordinator last year at Boise State, has told everybody who's around him that he reminds him of Maurice Jones Drew, which is a glowing compliment. And I like Maurice Jones Drew a lot personally as well. And he went to Pro Bowls. I mean, do you. If he's Maurice Jones Drew, do you take him in the top eight?
- [29:07]
Chase Daniel
I just think the lack of talent, man, that's what you know.
- [29:10]
Bruce Feldman
Yeah. And I think that's kind of been the base of our conversation here is it's so hard to grade and evaluate these prospects knowing at least trying to separate the difference between need and almost desperation. Because there's certainly a lot of teams that are desperate here, especially in the quarterback position. So before we talk about next year's quarterbacks, which I can't even wrap my head around that they want me to ask you this and then I say them because I said can we give Bruce a break? Like he's going to drop all this stuff on this year's draft QB talk about next year. But Chase is like, yes, we do. I want to know.
- [29:40]
Chase Daniel
Yes, we do.
- [29:41]
Bruce Feldman
We do that though. Is there a position here? So we hit running back. We obviously hit quarterback here. Do you think because of the needs here, are we going to see a certain position probably go pretty high here? That, that that may be interesting or something to keep an eye on.
- [29:55]
Diana Rossini
It's going to be D line. There will be from what I'm told, at least a dozen that go on the first round. Last year there was six. There's a lot of edge rusher dudes and there's a lot of deep interior defensive linemen that coaches are really excited about. That's what this draft will be, I think. Now, will there be a Lawrence Taylor or a Derek Thomas? Probably not. You know, there's a lot of love for Abdul Carter from Penn State. He's super twitchy with great get off but he only played. It's really his first full season this past year as not as not a linebacker like he was last year. They played him on the edge and he really ended up coming on. There's a bunch of guys who. There's two guys at Georgia people are very excited about Jalen Walker and Mikel Williams. Mikel Williams is going to be interesting because you will see looking at some mock drafts where people are like, oh, he's going to be 22nd or he's going to be in the 20s. And there's other guys I talked to think he has more potential than any of the other edge guys. But he had a lower leg injury that slowed him down for the first half of the season.
- [30:59]
Mike Silver
But.
- [30:59]
Diana Rossini
But they think he could be first pick of the draft kind of talent. When they look at him, people really like him. And then you start getting into some of the inside guys. Look, Mason Graham at Michigan will probably be. We're talking about Genty, you know, like, is he going to be a top six, top eight guy? I think Mason Graham will be a top six eight guy. He's an interior defensive lineman at Michigan who has really good film. He doesn't have it like people would like his arms to be longer. Maybe his body type isn't what they love, but the film they love. He's an old wrestler, like high school wrestler, plays with a lot of leverage. He's somebody they really, really like in that. I just think you will see a bunch. And you also see some, I think, tight ends. I think you could see four, if not five tight ends maybe go in the top 42, I think could go in the top 15. So this is a good draft for tight ends. It's just when we want star power, like last year was top heavywood receivers. Whether Travis is a receiver or db, he's of that caliber. I think athleticism. But then once you get after Diana, when you're talking about like safest picks, like there's a guy who will probably go in the around 25. Ameka Buka from Ohio State. I think he's about as safe a pick as there's going to be in the draft. You know, he's. He's a lot like Jack. He's almost exactly like Jackson, Smith and Jigba, but a little bigger and maybe a touch faster. And everybody loves him. It's just you take Jackson, Smith and Jigba, a version of that, who was really productive last year. You take it in the top 20. You probably don't. But again, I think, I think he's a real safe pick.
- [32:43]
Chase Daniel
All right, before we let you go, let's. Let's just do this way too. Fast forward of quarterbacks for next year's draft. Even though we haven't even hit this year's draft, I can think of a few names. What are the Names you heard to be looking out for this college season and for next year's NFL draft.
- [33:00]
Diana Rossini
I think Garrett Nussmeier from LSU will be one to watch. The name is familiar for probably a lot of NFL fans. His dad Doug was a backup in the NFL and longtime quarterback coach and now the OC with his buddy Kellen Moore of the Saints. Garrett is not as tall as his dad, but is kind of got some gunslinger to him and I think he was good. Last year was his first year as a starter after backing up Jalen Daniels, Jaden Daniels and I think he's going to have a big 2025. Another one to watch is Carson Beck. You know, this time last year I think a lot of people thought he was a first round quarterback and could have been first pick in the draft. Brock Bowers and Lahad McConkey left Georgia and I think that was a big factor. Then he got hurt in the, in the SEC title game. He's now going to be at, at Miami. Really quick release, really accurate. I think he has, I think he has top 5 pick like if he's healthy and if this was last year, last year's film going into this, he would be maybe the first pick of the draft. He would be a top five quarterback. He probably would be the guy the Giants would end up taking. But you know, he's coming off an injury now. He's only going to start throwing really, you know, in workouts now in the next couple of weeks. But he's one. I would. Those are the two guys of a. What I think should be a pretty interesting group that I, I think are the.
- [34:27]
Chase Daniel
What about the Penn State guy? Drew out.
- [34:29]
Diana Rossini
Drew Aller has a huge, has a huge arm, he's athletic and everybody I've talked to who's worked with him said he, he sees the field really well. We just need to see him play really well in, in those games.
- [34:42]
Chase Daniel
In big time games. Yeah, yeah.
- [34:44]
Diana Rossini
I mean but he's definitely got everything you, you think you would want in terms of the skill set to be a first round top 10 quarterback. He's got it now. He just needs to play more. He just doesn't play that much quarterback in his life.
- [34:57]
Bruce Feldman
Yeah. All right, Bruce, thanks so much for hanging out with us. I know you're going to be joining some more athletic podcast shows this upcoming week. You're going to be hanging out with Robert Mays and his show on Thursday night, 7:30 Eastern over on YouTube on Friday for the second round. You're going to be weighing in, sharing all your observations, thoughts and amazing coverage that you've been consistently providing for. Feels like decades. I'm not trying to age you, my friend, but decades. Okay, I did. I love you. You look great. It's the best. So we'll have more or you can hear more from Bruce coming up later this week on YouTube. Thanks so much for hanging out on Scoop City. Enjoy the draft and we'll talk to you soon, my friend.
- [35:32]
Diana Rossini
My pleasure. Always a pleasure being on with you guys. Take care.
- [35:35]
Bruce Feldman
All right, when we come back, Mike Silver joins the show. He's got some big plans for draft night. We're going to dive into that. We're also get to get the latest on the Brock Purdy contract situation. We'll be right back.
- [35:51]
Diana Rossini
There are people out there all across the country pushing boundaries to grow the game of golf. Like champion speed golfer Lauren Kupp, who plays faster than anyone else. And Will Lowry, whose work in the golf community inspires more kids to get into the game. As a champion partner of the Masters, bank of America supports everyone determined to find out what's possible in golf and in life. What would you like the power to do? Bank of America bank of America NA Member FDIC Copyright 2025 bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. You might say all kinds of stuff when things go wrong, but these are the words you really need to remember. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. They've got options to fit your unique insurance needs, meaning you can talk to your agent to choose the coverage you need, have coverage options to protect the things you value most, file a claim right on the State Farm mobile app, and even reach a real person when you need to talk to someone. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. This episode is brought to you by Peloton.
- [36:53]
Bruce Feldman
Everyone has a reason to change. Growing old, heartbreak, a fresh start. Whatever it may be, Peloton is here to get you through life's biggest moments. With instructors that speak your language and.
- [37:05]
Diana Rossini
Workouts that move to your own rhythm. Peloton's tread and All Access membership help you set your targets, track your progress.
- [37:12]
Bruce Feldman
And get stronger, making your fitness goals a reality.
- [37:15]
Diana Rossini
Find your push, find your power.
- [37:17]
Bruce Feldman
Peloton visit1peloton.com well, you know, it's a big week when we've got two guests on one show. Mike Silver back here on Scoop City. It's been too long, Mike, how are you doing?
- [37:37]
Mike Silver
So good. Anytime I can enter Scoop City limits without a passport, without getting checked at the weird, you know, station where they make you show your passport. Once I'm in, you're always welcome.
- [37:56]
Bruce Feldman
I feel like you're the type that.
- [37:57]
Diana Rossini
Gets stopped a lot.
- [37:58]
Bruce Feldman
I'd stop you. I'd be like, this guy's shady. Something's going on. Let's really make sure he is who he is.
- [38:04]
Mike Silver
And then the problem is I talk for so long that they're just like, oh, my God, just let him in. Okay.
- [38:11]
Chase Daniel
Just talk your way into it.
- [38:12]
Bruce Feldman
Well, Mike, we want to have you on because we love talking to you, we love catching up with you, but you're doing something that just, I feel like teams just don't allow anymore, which is you're getting some tremendous access in this upcoming draft. What can you tell us?
- [38:26]
Mike Silver
Well, I will be in a draft room, also known as war rooms around the league. And it is something that I was able to do a bunch of times, you know, over the years. Was actually in the Rams war room when Michael Sam got drafted. That was one of the more exciting.
- [38:47]
Chase Daniel
University of Missouri.
- [38:48]
Mike Silver
Yeah, the. One of the more exciting moments. But yeah, it's really cool. It's been a while since I've done. Obviously requires a great level of trust from the team. So pre existing relationships help. And I think a lot of people would be shocked by how little drama there could be in there. Sometimes a lot of scenarios have been gone through. It's very businesslike. They've got the two TVs on usually with ESPN and NFL Network, and some of it's a little overdramatized, but sometimes it's really cool just to see the interplay. The way the GM or primary picker coalesces everyone and gets people behind a pick. The interplay with the owner or owners can always be really interesting. You know, we've all gotten glimpses over the years, you know, with the draft cams that kind of sit in the corner in these very, you know, or we see the people, like, clap it afterwards and like, yeah, great pick. You know, I'd love to be in a war room afterwards where like the GMs like, great pick. And everyone else is like, oh, my God, we are so, so hosed. But, yeah, no, I'm really, really excited that a team that I won't name yet, I'll keep a little element of surprise out there, but it's a team that picks at least as of right now, in the juicy side of things. In that first round. Early on in the draft, I will be checking out some very interesting scenarios, and I'm planning to hang out on Friday Too. So very, very excited that I'm getting back in a war room. It's. It's been a minute and can't wait.
- [40:45]
Chase Daniel
That's really pretty crazy because usually these GMs and owners and head coaches are very, very like, hey, no one's allowed. Like, I know offensive coordinators at some point that aren't even allowed in draft rooms. So the fact that you're getting to go into one, a war room, that's special. I know you don't take it for granted for a guy who was being in the league for 14 years. I never even stepped foot in the facility, more or less the draft room, when that was going on. But what are some of the experience. Because you've done it before. What are you looking forward to on Thursday? The experience? And can you name a few things and talk about the. Because that's cool, man.
- [41:26]
Mike Silver
Yeah. Thank you. First of all. And, yeah, like, I'll take you back to my very first one, because it's a. It's a story where I was kind of like, is this gonna actually happen? So Jeff Fisher and I have known each other forever, since he was a 49er assistant and I was a young idiot beat writer who thought that the guy with, like, long hair was cool. And remember, I gave him a Nirvana cassette tape to listen to one time on his voice, the facility. And, you know, we went way back. So when he got that job as the St. Louis Rams head coach, coming off his long stint with the Titans, Diana's favorite team to cover, you know, there was a lot of excitement. He had kind of handpicked Les Sneed as his first type gm. And Jeff and I started talking about the possibility of me going into the war room. I was at Yahoo at the time, you know, just as a writer, because I have done TV hits inside war rooms kind of leading into the draft or in the middle of picks for NFL Network subsequently. But this was as a writer. And we came out of the combine feeling pretty good about things. And then an event happened which I thought might change things. And that event was, I broke a story in Yahoo. And you'll remember this chase. I know Greg Williams had been the Saints defensive coordinator, and there had been, you know, a bounty scandal. And I was the one who came out with the kill the head and the body will die audio.
- [43:04]
Chase Daniel
That was you?
- [43:06]
Mike Silver
That was me. Wow.
- [43:08]
Chase Daniel
I lived it.
- [43:09]
Mike Silver
Yes, you did. So that was filmmaker Sean Pamphalon, who at the time had been doing a project with Steve Gleason, got brought into a meeting in The Bay Area before that Niner playoff game and didn't have video recording, but had audio recording of Greg Williams saying some very, very strong things. In fact, I'm going to pause for a second because we've never talked about this. Chase, take me through that from your perspective.
- [43:34]
Chase Daniel
Well, like, for me. For me, I wasn't. I wasn't in the actual defensive meeting room, but to. I mean, yeah, I mean, I remember the game. I was there. We ended up losing that game. That was one of the craziest experiences I've ever had to have to have a head coach and Sean Payton just, like, gone for the whole. Like, for the whole year. And then we had an interim. And then we had an interim to the interim, because Joe Vit. Joe Vitt, if you remember, was suspended for a few points of that game. So that was just. That was my last year with the Saints until I went back in 17. That was just. That was. I put it out of my head. It was so long ago. That was crazy.
- [44:10]
Mike Silver
Yeah, so that was that. So to. So to bring people back. Greg Williams had since been fired by Sean Payton and was now reunited with Jeff Fisher, for whom he'd been the defensive coordinator in Tennessee, as the new defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams. But this bounty thing was hovering over everything, and Greg was facing a suspension, just as the coaches that Chase mentioned were. But there was an appeal, and there was a sense that maybe Greg Williams was going to get that suspension reduced so that he could be the Rams defensive coordinator for at least part of that first season in St. Louis. Now, while the appeal was pending, this story is about to come out. And I call Jeff Fisher and leave him a message, and I'm like, hey, call me. I'm about to drop something.
- [44:58]
Chase Daniel
So, you know, yeah.
- [44:59]
Mike Silver
And I'll never forget, I was at a Safeway in my town in Northern California doing some light shopping, and Jeff called, and he knew it was important by the way I'd left the message. And he just goes, what's going on? And I told him, and he just goes, how bad is it? And I go bad. Because, you know, as. You know, Chase, and as Jeff certainly knew people who take Greg Williams literally, it doesn't go well. And I have similar qualities. Like, I tend to be over the top, but Greg Williams is the most over the top person.
- [45:35]
Chase Daniel
That is a fact.
- [45:36]
Mike Silver
So Greg Williams is saying things like, you know, we need to basically find out if. If this little punt returner, if his concussion, he's coming off, you know, he's. He's saying some very strong things in the light of this scandal. So Jeff and I both knew at that moment, like, okay, it's not going to go well in the appeal. And of course it did not. So I just assumed at that point after I hung up with Jeff, that sometime in the next couple weeks, you know, before I went out there probably wouldn't be Jeff because he and I were close, but that his owner or somebody would go, wait, who were we letting into our draft for that guy? The guy who just ruined our. There's no way. And so I just waited and waited, and miraculously, when Jeff finally called me back, he said, hey, when you coming out? Want to have dinner the night before? I'm like, this is like, wow. Okay. Unbelievable. So now Jeff and I are in Clayton, Missouri, at this great Italian place outdoors having dinner. He's laying out what they want to do in the draft. And at one point he says to me, now, there may be moments where for whatever reason, in the lead up or afterwards, I want you out of the room for a little bit, but I know you need to do some work, so I'd kind of like to set up a workstation for you somewhere near the draft room. And he gets this twinkle in his eye and he says, now, I do have a vacant office. And that was how Chase I went from breaking the Greg Williams story to literally setting up shop in his vacant office.
- [47:11]
Chase Daniel
No, you did not.
- [47:12]
Mike Silver
During the entirety of that draft.
- [47:14]
Chase Daniel
That is an excellent story.
- [47:16]
Mike Silver
Yes. I do not take it for granted. And I've had blessed existence. And after that, it's all been gravy.
- [47:23]
Bruce Feldman
Well, just knowing that you may not be given all the access in the world that you were perhaps used to when you were covering Jeff Fisher. What are some of the things you like to just observe in terms of right before there on the clock, as you're taking in as much as you can in order to write the story?
- [47:45]
Mike Silver
Well, I want to be careful that I don't reveal too much about the specific situation, but I'm going into a situation where the picks themselves will be very interesting, I think. But there's a larger story going on that I'm trying to capture. So in this specific case, all of it. But let me go back to that first Rams draft to answer this, because here's one thing I always look for now. Jeff Fisher had laid out to me a lot of what they wanted to do. One of the things that they really were intrigued by was this inside linebacker out of Utah State who wasn't getting a Lot of attention in the public realm that they thought could be a really, really good NFL player and wasn't going to be a first round pick. And that guy's name was Bobby Wagner. Now, as the draft was playing out, he's one of the people I'm keeping an eye on. I feel like he's still there. And I'm thinking, wow, they may be able to actually get this guy. And the Rams had a bunch of picks near each other, and at one point, I guess in the third round, right, Bobby Wagner, if I'm recalling, or was he second round, I get it all. I got to go back and look at this. But this was the year they got Russell Wilson in the third round in 2012 as well. So the Seahawks are in the middle of this incredible draft, and of course, not every team knows what each other's doing, let alone division rivals. So I see a chance for the Rams with a pick coming up to go get Bobby Wagner. And at this point, I'm invested, I'm excited. Like, Jeff's going to get his guy. Well, there was some discussion with Jeff and Les, who were kind of unfamiliar with each other. It was a lot of people who didn't know each other that well. And they said, okay, we could take them here, or we could make this little trade here, down a few picks or maybe just wait a few picks till we go again. But we could get a running back named Isaiah Pede from Cincinnati that we also like and gamble that Bobby will be there. A few picks later, we can get them both. And they decided to take the gamble. They took Isaiah peed Judge Schneider swooped in and got Bobby Wagner.
- [50:05]
Chase Daniel
Second round.
- [50:05]
Mike Silver
Yeah, second round. Going to be a Hall of Famer. And the Rams ended up pivoting, and I'll have to go back and look at what they did. But spoiler alert, whoever they took was not as great as Bobby Wagner turned out to be. But. So I'm always interested in, like, opportunity cost. And it's funny because Les Sneed has since talked about this and said that in the Rams war room and draft process to this day, there is a Bobby Wagner rule. And that rule is, if you like someone that much and you really want him, don't get cute. Take the Bobby Wagner and stop being cute.
- [50:43]
Chase Daniel
So in all these experiences that you had and including this Thursday, what is, like, some of the craziest things you've witnessed? Obviously, that's one. But, like, maybe not the craziest things you've witnessed, but I just can't get over the fact that you get this type of acts. I mean, that's amazing. It's a testament to you and the trustworthiness of you and your reporting and everyone trusts it. But are they more. Are these guys more calm than not? Are they just very. Is it by the book or is it by your gut? Are owners paying a part of it? Like, what do you, like, tell us a little bit about that, because that's what I'm like, most focused on.
- [51:18]
Mike Silver
I'm so glad you asked about owners because I'm going to tell the story now. When the Rams moved to la, they didn't really have their facilities set up, so their draft room was just a little banquet room, believe it or not, in a Courtyard by Marriott in downtown la. I mean, there's some nice hotels in downtown la. This was one of the more economically sound options for guests. And so this was not like a tricked out place, but they had a. It was a nice story. Jeff Fisher was from LA and was back at his hometown and Jared Goff was going to be the number one overall selection and they had the number one pick. And that was not suspenseful to me because again, I'd had dinner with Jeff Fisher the night before and I had known for a long time that it was going to be Jared Goff. But there's a clock, and we've seen over the years, a couple times it was the Vikings who let the clock run out one time, didn't get the pick in and got jumped. What happens is the next team gets to go and you go back a spot and that's actually happened just for people on the outside who don't know how it works. Every team has a draft room. They have landline phones in addition to obviously the cell phones. And it's someone's job, once the pick is decided upon, to get on the landline phone. And every team has one representative at draft headquarters, in this case in Green Bay, who then takes that call and then officially makes the pick. And there's a clock. And I think the clock starts at what, 10 minutes or 15 minutes of the first round? Yeah. Then it gets down to seven and by the later rounds it's shorter. So the Rams are on the clock as they have been for weeks since making a trade with the Titans. And Les need is of course going to pick Jared Goff. But in that moment, he let the clock go pretty far deep. I want to say with about. It was under two minutes, which to me was getting stressful before Less finally got, you know, had someone pick up the phone, call New York or wherever the headquarters was that year and make the pick. And, you know, it wasn't like, oh my God, it's gonna expire. But I was getting nervous. So afterwards when I debriefed with Les, I said, hey, that went kinda late. And he smiled and said, so our owner Stan Kroenke is in the room and I can't remember whether it was ESPN or NFL Network, but they were doing a thing about Jared Goff as the possible number one pick. And he said, all of a sudden they start showing Joe Montana footage and whoever the broadcaster was was comparing Jared Goff to Joe Montana. And he said, I saw that gleam in our owner's eye and I just, I wanted to hold that look as long as I could and I didn't want to take that moment away. And so I just waited and waited as our owners sat there with that happy look at his eye. And then I made the call. So I've seen owners influence picks either kind of, you know, subtly or very directly. I've heard stories of owners just saying, no, we are picking this guy. But in that case, the owner's excitement over what he was seeing on TV created a little undue drama into the procedure.
- [55:03]
Chase Daniel
That's wild.
- [55:04]
Bruce Feldman
It is all so good. You never know if there's going to be fireworks. We expect some fireworks in this upcoming draft. Mike, let's take a quick break here. I know you got some news to provide us on The San Francisco 49ers, some contract talk, and I just want to get your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers, who we still do not know if he's going to play and if he does play, where he's going to play. Let's have that conversation next. We'll take a quick break.
- [55:30]
Diana Rossini
This episode is brought to you by Chevy Silverado. When it's time for you to ditch the blacktop and head off road, do it in a truck that says no to nothing. The Chevy Silverado Trail boss Get the rugged capability of its Z71 suspension and 2 inch factory lift, plus impressive torque and towing capacity thanks to an available Duramax 3 liter turbo diesel engine. Where other trucks call it quits, you'll just be getting started. Visit chevy.com to learn more. Nordstrom brings you the season's most wanted brands, Skims, Mango Free People and Princess.
- [56:06]
Bruce Feldman
Polly, all under $100.
- [56:08]
Diana Rossini
From trending Sneakers to beauty must haves, we've curated the styles you'll wear on repeat this spring.
- [56:14]
Bruce Feldman
Free shipping, free returns and in store.
- [56:17]
Diana Rossini
Pickup make it easier than ever shop.
- [56:19]
Bruce Feldman
Now in stores and@nordstrom.com 24 chefs, 24.
- [56:31]
Mike Silver
Culinary showdowns for 24 hours straight.
- [56:37]
Chase Daniel
Which chef will out cook outpace, outlast the competition?
- [56:44]
Bruce Feldman
No chef escapes the clock.
- [56:47]
Diana Rossini
All new 24 and 24.
- [56:49]
Chase Daniel
Last chef standing Sunday night at eight.
- [56:51]
Diana Rossini
See it first on Food Network stream.
- [56:53]
Mike Silver
Next day on Max.
- [57:04]
Chase Daniel
All right.
- [57:04]
Bruce Feldman
Back here on Scoop City. Mike Silver joining the show or at least hanging out with us here for another block. San Francisco 49ers OTAs begin this week on top of the fact that they've got 11 picks in this upcoming draft. So they are busy in that facility as they are preparing for hopefully a much better upcoming season. Let's just start with the biggest story San Francisco's facing right now, which is Brock Purdy's contract. Their owner Jed York has said this should be easy. We should be able to get this done. Yet here we are and it's still not done. What's the latest here, Mike?
- [57:34]
Mike Silver
Well, guys, you know, The San Francisco 49ers organizationally do so many things really, really well. They have great alignment between owner, GM and coach. They stockpile talent in an incredible way. Kyle Shanahan coaches him up. I wrote a whole book on this. I know, you know that the why is everything available everywhere about how Kyle Shanahan and his coaching compadres do it in a different cutting edge way. So I don't want to in a vacuum just drop this criticism. But there is one very fair criticism about the 49ers and that is they don't tend to get contracts done very early, even when it seems like there's an opening to do so. There are exceptions like Christian McCaffrey last year, but there have been some long drawn out contract disputes. Kittle, Debo Bosa last year, Iuk, Trent Williams. And so 49er fans are very triggered by the Purdy situation and a couple of things that go along with it. So you've got Brock Purdy who finally can get the extension that he so richly deserves. You've got George Kittle and Fred Warner, cornerstone veterans who are looking for extensions. And I think the team agrees that they want to do something. The question is how much. And now you have the start of the off season program, voluntary program at this point and who's going to report on Tuesday? So here's where we are on all three of those fronts as of Monday afternoon. And of course, it's a fluid situation. Fred Warner, they're kind of waiting their turn behind Purdy and Kittle. Not, not a lot going on, talk wise. But Fred Warner has always come into OTAs of the past. I expect him to show up. George Kittle, there have been some back and forth. There's been. There've been back and forth between his agent and the team. Not really anywhere close to alignment there. I think it's very likely that George Kittle will not show up for the start of the voluntary program. And so that's a pressure point in this ongoing negotiation that hopefully for 49er fans will get resolved or certainly has the potential to spin in the wrong direction. And then we have Brock Purdy. Everyone agrees he's been underpaid vis a vis the rookie deal and being the last pick of the draft for three years. They all agree they want to keep them, they want to make them their guy, and they want to pay him what they believe is market value. I think there's some sense on the team side that maybe they're getting pretty close. Maybe on Purdy's side there's a little bit less of that sense. But of course you can get very close very quickly with one text or phone call. And so the question is, how close are they in Purdy's view and what is the point where he shows up? If Brock Purdy does show up Tuesday, I believe that means he thinks we are really, really close. So I'm just going to come in and we'll get this done pretty soon. In my mind, if he doesn't show up, then it's a way of applying pressure. And of course a quarterback showing up is a whole different deal. So I don't know that they, as of Monday afternoon had decided Purdy and his agent whether he's coveted or. They definitely don't seem to be inclined to declare that until Tuesday. So you've got some drama here. What will happen between the time of Monday afternoon and Tuesday when they would otherwise show up and what will happen when players come in? Will Brock Purdy be one of those players?
- [61:28]
Chase Daniel
So that is news. Awesome. Thank you for that. So the Purdy thing is, is fascinating to me because, you know, you can think about what he ranks in the NFL. You think what he. He fits their system so well. Do you imagine this is something that gets done quickly versus, you know, holding out like Brandon Ayuk or like a Trent Williams into training camp because of the quarterback position that is so important. And where do you imagine this number ends up at? Because you got a guy like Tua, you got a guy like Trevor Lawrence making 55. In my opinion, Brock PR is better than both those guys.
- [62:10]
Mike Silver
Yeah. And it's one of those things. It's such a good question. You know, there's leverage on both sides. The 49ers technically have leverage because he's under contract on the, you know, the option year, which will pay him more, but not anywhere near market value. And they technically don't have to do anything. But Brock Purdy has leverage, and that's. I might not come in. And as you said, it's a whole different deal when your franchise quarterback is not into the offseason, let alone for Kyle Shanahan, who is a very detail oriented guy who wants to go like Brock Purdy. They want to go over every single detail starting the second they can. So, yeah, I think it's one of those things where they want him, he wants them. Part of what makes Brock Purdy so good is that he doesn't have to overextend. He just goes through his progressions and makes the right play and uses his legs to get out of trouble. But he's not trying to be Superman. Well, now they have some departures that make it more likely that he would have to overextend. And so you're trying to work with him and be like, no, no, no, no, dude, you keep being. You let us handle the loss of a Debo or the weapons accordingly and hopefully for them, Kittle is still part of things. So I think there is a middle ground. I think in his heart, Brock Purdy is grateful for everything that's happened there, wants to be with Kyle Shanahan, recognizes that there's so much money to be made as the guy with the 49ers over a long period of years and wants to have cap space to help them build around him. On the other hand, I think what you're saying has tons of merit. You could look at Brock Purdy and go, I think I'm better than those guys. I've been playing for cheap. And then add to that. And Diana's obviously been at the forefront of this reporting too. But the 49ers have spent more cash in recent years than any other team. Last year, Jed York led the league in cash spending. It's not just salary cap. It's easy for people like me every year in free agency to be like, more, more, more, spend, spend, spend, pay him, pay him, pay him. But of course, it's not my money. It is actually Jed York's money. So there is a sense there. And you know, Diana and I have both reported on this where Jen York has kind of Said, okay, we went after it. We loaded up one more time after we lost the super bowl in overtime. It didn't go well. It's not like, oh, we're not trying to win, but let's not be so cash reckless all the time. And so that would be the other part of this. All of which goes against what you said, Chase, which is, let's not take this one in August. It's happened so many times. This is the quarterback. Let's get this one done early and go from there.
- [65:22]
Bruce Feldman
Yeah. And I never got the sense that Brock Purdy was coming to the table or Lisa's reps were saying, you must make him the highest paid player in football based on the market. You know, I, I think they're aware of the situation. I think Brock is the type of player that is probably an owner's dream in a way.
- [65:40]
Diana Rossini
Right.
- [65:41]
Bruce Feldman
Because he isn't going to be that guy that's saying, pay me top of the market or I'm not going to be here. So we've always felt really good that this deal was going to get done and I think the Niners are going to want to avoid that any disaster or dark cloud that we saw last year. So we'll see what happens. I do think it's interesting though, Mike, that here we are talking George Kittle's contract situation. We're a few days out from the draft. It is a good tight end draft. Just. I'd be curious to see if any teams would call just to see his teams explore situations. You know, I mean, granted, you got to figure George Kittle probably wants to be paid top of the market for a tight end that has achieved as much as he has and has been such an important piece of Kyle Shanahan's offense. So we'll see what kind of pans out there before we let you go. Aaron Rodgers went on the Pat McAfee show recently to talk about the situation with the New York jets, the future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I really just wanted to get your thoughts on just what you made about how he was talking about his next steps because he didn't give much.
- [66:43]
Mike Silver
Yeah, Chase broke that down beautifully, by the way. That was. I can only go so far to get into a quarterback's mind, but we have someone here who understands. Understands it on a different level. But, yeah, I would say this. Of course, I take Aaron at his word that he's going through something with people, someone in his inner circle, and there's something else that is weighing on him. And of course, we're all hoping for that to resolve in a good way. And we're mindful that these people aren't just commodities, they're human beings and all of that. I sat down with Devonte Adams recently the other day, and I'm going to write about this as soon as I get done with you guys. I'm gonna start typing, which is why I'm talking so much. Cause I'm trying to avoid writing. I'm a procrastinator at heart. But Davante has been talking to Aaron, and so it was interesting to hear from him. They had golfed together, I believe, at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. And Aaron said, okay, we're golfing today. I'm flying tonight to go meet with the jets new GM and coach Darren Mugi and Aaron Glenn and talk about what's going on in my future. And then I'm gonna come back the next day after that and we'll play Shadow Creek again. And then eventually Aaron called him and was in such a bad mood about the way the meeting had gone with the jets that he said, I'm not coming back. We're not playing Friday. And so Devontae told me, he said what Aaron said on the McAfee show was basically what he told me. And he said, at first I thought he was maybe being overdramatic. And I was like, dude, bro, what did they really say? And then he said, no. Aaron told me they really said this. And we know the main points by now, but basically fly all the way here. Yeah, we don't want you. Not much of a discussion going forward. And Aaron clearly felt disrespected by that. Devonte told me, and this will be in my story, that once he heard Aaron tell him that, he was like, well, I knew I wasn't going back there. I don't know how viable that was because they would have had to redo the deal. But devonte was like, I'm done with the jets based on how they treated my former teammate and Fred. And then devonte, once we talked about Aaron, he told me two things. He said, look, I think he could still play at a very high level. He said, I think if you look at last year, the injury was bothering him in the first part of the year. And you could tell that affects a lot of decisions. When you can't move, you just make passes you wouldn't have otherwise made. He said, by the end, I think you saw a guy who's still Aaron Rodgers, and that's what I believe he is. And then the second thing devonte told me was, I think Aaron wants someone to roll out the red carpet for him. That is what he is looking for. And I'm not sure if you would consider the Steelers doing that right now. I'm not positive how Aaron perceives that or how the Steelers perceive that. The Vikings clearly aren't because they're basically like, we're going to just see how J.J. mcCarthy's spring goes. And obviously whatever the Giants were doing that, you know, maybe just the situation itself wasn't what he wanted, but felt to me like Aaron, based on what Devonte said, would love to be swept off his feet. And look, he's a four time mvp. He's one of the greatest ever to spin it. I understand why Aaron would want to feel that level of intensity before he jumps in. So.
- [70:27]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, but why?
- [70:29]
Mike Silver
Why?
- [70:30]
Chase Daniel
You're a four time mvp, you're going to walk into the hall of Fame. Why in the. That just, you just made me upset, Mike and you. It doesn't make, it's hard to make me.
- [70:37]
Mike Silver
And again, this is second half.
- [70:39]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, no, no, I got you. I got you. Yeah, I know. I, I 100 agree. I'm just, I'm just reacting to it because it's like, just go play the game of football. You got one year left. Like that makes me think that first of all, no team's going to roll out the red carpet for you. That is a fact. Right. Because Pittsburgh would have done it if they wanted to. Minnesota hasn't done it. Those seem like. Do you think retirement is a real option for him?
- [71:05]
Mike Silver
I do, but I also think retirement doesn't end it. And that's not just because he followed Brett Favre who as you'll recall, loved to retire and unretire. But you know, I mean, I mean, just play it out this way. Let's say he retired and you know, I don't want to like jinx people, but let's say the quarterback of, you know, let's say one of the quarterbacks we mentioned earlier in the Brock Purdy contract discussions who has a history of head trauma, got another head injury which obviously we pray would never happen if, if you were the team that paid him a lot and thought you needed to win now and that happened, you might call Aaron Rodgers and not only roll out the red carpet but like get down on your hands and knees and pick the little particles out of that carpet to make sure.
- [71:55]
Chase Daniel
So you think he waits.
- [71:57]
Mike Silver
So I am not like, oh, I'm hoping that happens. But he seems content to wait until he feels. And it might. Red carpet again. This may be lost in the translation. Without having talked to Aaron about this, I believe that he just wants to feel that vibe, because the jets, let's face it, and our host here knows it more than any human Diana Rossini outside of that building, the jets are a little different. And it didn't go amazing there, and it ended poorly, obviously. So I think he just wants to feel like this is a real place that is pulling together. There's a chance to have it go great here, and we think you're the guy to take us, and we want that. Here's our vision. Come, come aboard. And. And honestly, when he's talking to Kevin O'Connell, who he's known for a long time, if Kevin O'Connell was like, Look, I love JJ McCarthy, but we just drafted him and we're putting that on the back burner for a year with him coming off the knee injury, you and me right now together with this team built to win. Now, that might be a conversation that could have moved him. And so, yeah, the answer is, I don't know. But there's a reason why he's not jumping into the Steelers. And whatever that reason is, the wait continues.
- [73:31]
Bruce Feldman
Well, Mike, we know that we filled a lot of your time purposely because we wanted you to not have to write anything. But the thing is, we'd be missing out, the world would be missing out if we didn't allow you to write. Uh, so we look forward to seeing what you put together on your visit with Devonte Adams. And of course, on Thursday night when you're in a war room. Uh, we will find out about that as we get closer to the draft. So we can't wait to read you on Thursday night on the Athletic, and then you'll have more from that night later on in the weekend and perhaps later into the following week.
- [74:02]
Chase Daniel
But.
- [74:03]
Bruce Feldman
But make sure you guys join us. We are going live at 4:00 Eastern on YouTube on the Scoop City Channel for our special draft edition, where we are emptying the notebook. Chase is giving all his opinions, he's crunching more film, and we're just gonna break down everything that we know that's about to go down on Thursday night. So that'll do it for us here on Scoop City. Mike, thanks for hanging out with us. We'll see you guys next time.
- [74:26]
Mike Silver
Thank you. And if I can't be in Scoop in a war room, I would love to be in Scoop City. Always. That's the ideal location.
- [74:34]
Chase Daniel
Thanks for joining us, man. Bye, guys. Tag me next time.