← See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack
See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack
David Pollack's NFL Combine PREVIEW and PREDICTIONS with ESPN's Matt Miller | Texas A&M Takeover
00:29:22
David Pollack's NFL Combine PREVIEW and PREDICTIONS with ESPN's Matt Miller | Texas A&M Takeover 00:00:00 Quarterback Development and NIL Impact 00:07:00 Offensive Line Play Evolution 00:12:00 Jets Draft Strategy and Edge Rushers 00:16:30 Texas A&M's Rising Draft Presence 00:21:00 Top Prospects and Combine Expectations 00:23:37 NFL Combine Superlatives
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Transcript67 lines
- [00:00]
McDonald's Commercial Announcer
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Matt Miller
And how about that Pollock interception in the end zone?
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Well, it's David Pollack and I think people are going to learn what kind
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Matt Miller
of ball player he is.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
He's got a heart of a lion.
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Matt Miller
I'm real proud of that kid. This is C Ball Get Ballack, college football's top show for football analysis, predictions and coach interviews. Now here's your host, three time American,
- [01:04]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
seven time Emmy award winner. Welcome to see Ball get ball. Matt Miller looking dapper by the way. Just you bet. You about to jump on some television, aren't you?
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Matt Miller
Little NFL Draft Daily Today, Sports Center. It's fun, man. It's that time of year. So it's your super bowl, man. It is, right, but it's like a two month long super bowl, right? So it's like, you know, every day is, is fun. But you know what, Like I'm blessed. I have the best job in the world. You work really hard for three months, you get four months off and then you work kind of hard for three months. And those kind of hard three months are watching football. You just watch a football Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Thursday. It's not, it's not a tough life at all.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Dang skippy. Well, you look dapper. So let's talk some, some college football. We got some helmets hung up by the way, on the walls now, which is, which is fantastic. So we're, we're moving and grooving, but when you look at Matt, like what's going on with the QBs now? Like it's, it's very interesting to me because like life, life is kind of different because these QBs like Trinidad Chambers, I think a couple years ago you're like, dude, get me to the NFL. Get me to the paper. Well, now them and Joey, him and Joey Aguilar are like, wait a minute, like I want to be back here. So how is this affecting Yalls world and just how strange is it to see?
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Matt Miller
Yeah, remember Cardell Jones? He had that three game stretch for Ohio State and it was like, you got to go, like you got to go to the NFL. You know, strike all the iron top. It has made my life infinitely easier. Just honestly, you know, there are so many factors within IL that have that benefit. What I do for a living, evaluating players, trying to predict how good they'll be in the NFL. The number one thing is, remember you said the conversation, what's David Pollock going to be like when we give him a million dollars a year? Is he going to be able to handle that responsibility? Is he just going to go wild? What's he going to do with it? We don't have to wonder anymore because you've been getting money in college. So we know the guys that are going to maybe fizzle out a little bit because of money, they've probably fizzled out, right? So we're good on that front. The other factor is experience, especially at quarterback. I talk about this all the time. The NFL wants 25 starts from you as a college quarterback before you head to the NFL. That's the marker and we're going to talk about that a lot this year with Ty Simpson. There is not a quarterback in the NFL outside of Cam Newton for since I've been covering the NFL draft in 2010, there has not been a quarterback other than Cam Newton to come in with fewer than 25 starts and be successful. Now you could go back and say like, okay, Matt Castle before that, who is a backup at USC to Matt Leiner? Like, there's an exception there. But these exceptions are tiny. We're talking about guys like Mitchell Trubisky, Trey Lance, Anthony Richardson. It just really hasn't worked out. And so I think more experience is better. It's better for me, it's better for the players. There used to be this idea that, like you said, you get to the NFL as fast as possible to make that money. Agents existed to tell players, you need to go to the NFL now to get your money. And it was, you know, kind of mutually beneficial to the agent and the player. Everybody gets paid faster. Now you're getting paid in college. So there's not that rush to say, hey, we need you to go to the NFL because you know, you're you maybe you're supporting some people. That's, that's gone now. And so there's not that rush to get to the league. And I think it does benefit guys because they're able to develop in college. The NFL does not develop quarterbacks anymore. That is a, that's a myth. It just doesn't happen. You're either good or the next guy comes in. So now these guys are getting the opportunity to develop in college, and I think that's incredibly valuable for, for the player, for the league, and for all of us that cover the sport.
- [04:38]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah, so. So you talked about development a lot there and you talked about 25 starts. Like, one thing that kind of blew up. I was talking on McElroy show, and I was just talking about offensive line play. And Matt, you've been, you've been studying this tape for a long time, and you've been watching tape, like in a layer. And you've been watching, you know, offensive lines for years and grading them and grading them all. I made the comment they're as soft as I've seen them. Like, you're talking about guys that are getting bigger, more athletic, quicker, stronger every year that they're not. They're not. I don't see the physicality in the run game. Like, I see a lot of, like, yeah, we're past setting, we're good at it. But, like, I don't see a ton of like, I'm going to hit you in the mouth. You know, Maulers, movers, like, would you agree with that in your tape? And is it harder to assess offensive line than you think it used to be in the past?
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Matt Miller
Absolutely. It's why guys like, when Quinton Nelson comes out of Notre Dame, you're like, okay, that's what it's supposed to look like. You know, when players do play with a mean streak in the run game, that is kind of a lost art. It has become a little bit more of a finesse sport. You know, hey, let's get the ball out as fast as possible and let the playmakers make plays and we'll, we'll watch. So I think that physicality is missing. You still see it at times. You know, a good example this year, Sam Hecht, the center from Kansas State, great example of somebody that will get downfield. He's looking to put linebackers in the dirt, but those players stand out when you see them. You know, Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa, was a great example of why do we love him? That's why. So it does make those players stand out more. It is. I keep waiting for the game to swing and maybe this is just me being an old man in this sport now, but I keep thinking offenses are getting faster, linemen are getting more athletic, defenses are getting smaller. To combat that, when someone going to come back with a 250 pound running back and just run inside over and over again to beat up these 220 pound linebackers, you know, I still catch myself. I look, I was looking at Kyle Lewis from Pitt, really good player, 511, 220. My brain still goes to undersized linebacker, big strong safety. And I have to recalibrate and be like, wait, no, it's 20, 26. That's normal. But when I first started this job, that was a strong safety and maybe a small strong safety. And so I do keep waiting for someone to look at the way defenses are built now and, and I understand Derrick Henry is a unicorn, but a player that can pound between the tackles I think would have so much value.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
You think when it comes to the line play, is it. Is that scheme or is that coaching or why do you think that's changed so much?
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Matt Miller
I think it's both. I mean the lack of coaching or the limitations on coaching is absolutely affecting college players. Right. And I think it's even affecting NFL players. You know, you don't have as much time with these players as you used to. It's why I think the private coaching industry, there's a lot of value in it and there's a lot of guys that do a really good job with it. On the offensive line, Duke Mannyweather in Frisco, Texas is the best in the country and he gets guys and he says, hey, you're great but here's what we need to clean up. And they work at that. They work at technique, they work at strength. They do pre combine training. Not to be an AD for Duke, but they understand we're going to take you from college to the NFL. Because he works with NFL players and he has guys like Lane Johnson in there working side by side with quick
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McDonald's Commercial Announcer
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- [08:11]
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- [09:12]
McDonald's Commercial Announcer
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- [09:41]
Matt Miller
And then it can help these guys understand what NFL teams want versus what college teams want. And you know, I've talked to Mitchell Schwartz who was an all pro right tackle about this once and he was talking about how NFL coaches o line coaches, they want pancakes. And like you're very much evaluated on how many pancakes did you have in that game. And that wasn't who he was. He was just really, really good. Like he was probably the best or second best right tackle in the NFL for a long time. But those coaches are still kind of old school. They want how many pancakes did you have? And it's like, well, maybe one or two. But my guy never even smelled the quarterback. He didn't even get close to him. So it is, I think, interesting for college guys to make that jump and understand that you're going to be asked to do a lot of different things now.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Well, and pancakes, man, like that used to be huge. Like that used to be a big thing. Like that used to be a huge marker that you had to get. And listen, high school football, it still is, all right? The Draft is pretty boring when it comes to number one. Like we're pretty, we're pretty sold. Universal across the board. Everybody, everybody thinks Mendoza, right? Like everybody's. Is everybody in agreement? Across the board? In every circle.
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Matt Miller
Everyone I've talked to. I mean, I think we'll probably have somebody come out to be a naysayer, you know, and there's going to be a Ty Simpson fan or somebody's going to, you know, pull some quarterback out of nowhere. Cole Payton from North Dakota State, you know, somebody's going to start hyping those guys up. But I think it's, it's Fernando Mendoza. And then the draft kind of starts at pick two.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Okay, so you're at pick two. Like, what are you thinking? Like, first of all, like the Jets, I mean, it's comical. Like it's, it's. I don't know how you run out of superlatives to use. Like they've been absolutely dreadful. They've been, they've been silly. It's been a mixed bag at the quarterback spot. Last year wasn't any different. Wasn't any better. Like we could go the last five, six guys, they've had like the draft starts at two. They have a pick at 16. They have multiple top round picks. Where they got two picks, man. Like, can, can they get this thing moving in the right direction? And what would you do if you were the Jets?
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Matt Miller
They should. They have five first round picks in the next two years. So if you can't fix it with that, then like, what are we doing? Right? If you can't get those picks right, and your hope is, and you know, Darren Moshe is a new gm, you hope that he's the guy because they have given him. You know, you trade your best player, Sauce Gardner's out, Quinn O. Williams is out. Breeze hall is going to walk as a free agent. You didn't get the quarterback. So you really got to hope that this guy that you hired knows what he's doing because he's, he's loaded with capital now. He has to make the right pick. So if I'm the jets at 2, I would go defense and I would go edge rusher. You know, they missed on Jermaine Johnson. They missed someone. McDonald, Ivan, both were first round picks. Now they're in a spot where they need an edge rusher. This is such a good draft at that position. So now the job for them is who's your guy? Is it David Bailey from Texas Tech with that raw speed around the edge, is it going to be Reuben Vance Miami, who's more of a power player that we've talked a lot about, 6, 3, 2 or 75 pounds. Or is it Arvel Reese who is a hybrid player right now? He only had 97 pass rush reps last year, 97 snaps where he went and got up to the quarterback. He had seven sacks. Three of those actually came on blitzes for middle linebackers. So he's still very much a work in progress that you're going to have to mold and bring him along probably a little bit slowly, but I think that's the decision for them is which pass rusher do you love? And my thing would be trust the tape, not the times when we get to Indy next week, really, you know, evaluate the last three years of these guys and which one do you believe in as a staff? I would lean toward Arvell Reese just because of the immediacy that he brings as a linebacker, as an edge player, but then also the upside, what he can become once he's rushing the quarterback 300 times a year and he starts to learn the moves and put together that toolbox that you have to have as a pass rusher.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
So you're taking the what you think could be versus what you have.
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Matt Miller
Yeah, I think going with upside a little bit more and reset. He's not far behind those other dudes right now. Like day one if you got.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Let me tell you something, that dude's got some ninja stiff hands, bro. He hits people and they feel it like he, he has got. He might be small, he's got some power.
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Matt Miller
Absolutely. Yeah. And he fits the mold of what you want because he can stand up. There are times, I mean he has, like I said, he has three sacks from middle linebackers. So there's time. I mean he's shooting a gap undelayed pressure. He's able to get through, get small. The speed is fantastic, the hands are violent and he actually knows how to use them, which I think is really impressive. So I would go there instead. Like David Bailey, Texas Tech, good player. I think he's kind of a speed only guy right now. There's not that power element to his game. And then Reuben Bain, we've talked a lot about short arms, a lot of power, not always the best dip and bend around the edge, but he's got good closing speed. But I think with Bane what you wonder is dude you were on a loaded defensive line and same all these guys run loaded team. So I'm not, not trying to just single him out. But you have a king messenger on the other side. So you do have to account for, you know, the push and pull of each guy on the opposite bookend.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Well, but you, but you told me a little something, something that you take Reese over those guys. So that, that. And I think that's the greatest part about the draft, man. Like, you have guys that you have to project. Are they finished products? You have guys you have to project, are they going to, you know, get a lot better when they get in new systems? And that's why this is a billion dollar business. That's why this is really hard to do. That's why the jobs are not easy to find. Like, those are, those are hard things to do. That. What would you follow that up with with your Jets? If you're trying to give the jets some hope, like, what are they doing at 16?
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Aura/Grainger Commercial Announcer
What.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
What is the draft doing? What is the draft going to do from a pass rusher standpoint? Because I keep seeing a lot of things, Matt, and I keep seeing running back and quarterback not being in people's top hundred. Like, yeah, I'm used to seeing those guys being littered in there and even like five, six first round picks a couple of years ago. Right. Like, but it seems like the draft is not really heavy on quarterbacks and running backs. So what does that do for the rest of the first round and the rest of the draft?
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Matt Miller
Yeah, I put out a tweet the other day. There might be more safeties drafted in the first round, the quarterbacks and running backs combined. And like, that tells you everything you need to know about this year. Strapped towards Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiah Love, maybe Ty Simpson, maybe Jadarian Price. Right. Those would be the guys that get in there. So if you're the jets 16, I think your hope is a wide receiver falls. Maybe Jordan Tyson from Arizona State is there. I think there's a slim chance that he could be there. At the corner position, Jamal McCoy from Tennessee, who missed this past year rehabbing ACL injury. Maybe he's still there. I think Mansour Delaney from LSU is probably off the board, but I think your hope is okay. We need a running mate for Garrett Wilson and we have to replace Sauce Gardner. Those would be the keys. I think reaching for a quarterback at 16 would be. It's not something I would do. Like, we'll have the Ty Simpson conversation coming out of the combine. I think, like, for me, there's so much information missing when it comes to him because he only started 12 games. Excuse me, 15 games. Nine of them looked fantastic, six looked bad. So trying to Figure out how much of that was the injury, how much was the scheme, how much was defenses figuring you out? So as of now, I think Ty Simpson has an incomplete grade until we get some more information. But Angry. The jets receiver corner, those look like the smart plays right now in terms of where the value is going to be.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Okay, going to the combine, who are the. Who are the guys that are, like, the scariest prospects, man? Like who. Who are those guys that, that you're looking forward to seeing the most or who are the scariest?
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Matt Miller
Well, I think you got to start with Brendan Thompson, receiver from Mississippi State. He led the SEC in rushing last year or receiving yards. Excuse me. He has a shot at Xavier Worthy's record, 4 to 1. He's got a shot at it. It's going to be fun to watch him move. He's. He's built like a sprinter. Five, nine, like a buck 70, you know, and just. He's going to shoot out of the gate, so he's going to be fun to watch. And I think Peter woods from Clemson, the defensive tackle, is going to put on a show. It's always fun, like, who is going to work out, because I do think, you know, Denzel Boston from Washington is built to put on a show. He's the type of player that should do well in an event like this. Kaden, probably from Alabama, you know, we talked about maybe there's not a lot of violence in the offensive line anymore. He would be, you know, an exception to that rule. There's still a lot of violence in his game. So I look at those guys and say, I hope they work out. Like, that's. That's one big thing that I am hoping we see is last year, a lot of guys just didn't work out, feel like they didn't have to. This draft, I believe at least. There's so many ties that need broken, even at receivers. Kai Lemon, Carnel, Tate, Jordan, Tyson, they're clustered together and they're very different body types, very different players. Those guys should work out. Maybe not everything, but they should work out. They should give us that opportunity to evaluate them, see what's what. But it's, you know, I think athletically it's a little bit of a lighter year. Sonny Styles from Ohio State, he tests. He should be pretty good. There's rumors he's hit like 23 miles an hour. GPS that translates really, really well to, like, speeding force. Yeah. And to be 6, 4, 2, 45. If he runs in the four fours like that. See you later. He's you're probably going in the top 10 even as a linebacker, because the play's great. He's 21 years old. You're that athletic. Like, he's. He's probably going to go pretty early, but those are the guys I like. You hope you get to see him work out, because last year it was, you know, they give us these lists, these printouts with all the players, and you're sitting in the stands at Lucas, and you're like, all right. Linebacker one. Nope, just cross them off. Linebacker two, Nope, cross them off. It's like, you know, you're actually watching, like, two guys run instead. So I hope that this year we do get to see more participation.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah, well, we. We use Scariest. We'll keep using Scariest with you because you got all those Stephen King novels. Novels behind you there. So you're. You're a customer.
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Matt Miller
I'm an expert. Yeah.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Super. Super expert. When you. When you look at. When you look at teams, man, Texas A and M, like, they got a long list of guys, man. So this kind of speaks to. This kind of speaks to them and how much, like, they've turned this program around and found dudes and. And they're going in the right direction. What about A and M? Those guys? And I mean, there's so many of them coming to the combine, it's crazy.
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Matt Miller
Yeah. I think they have the most this year. I'm excited for Casey Conception, the wide receiver. I think he'll test really well. He's speedy, he's agile. He's got some hop to him. He should do well. Chase Bisonitis, their offensive guard, he's a stud. He should test well. Cassius Howell, who led the SEC in sacks, he's coming off the edge. He's going to test well. But a sleeper for you. They have an underside linebacker, Terry New York. He should test really well, and he's a day three guy right now, so we should see full workout from him as long as he's healthy after the longer season. But they are loaded, and it's. It is fun to watch and see. You know, the way that Mike Elko has built this program, the types of players they have now. You know, four years ago, we looked at A and M. They would have great recruiting classes, and guys never got to the finish line. He's getting them to the finish line now. So they're recruiting well. They're pulling in guys from the transfer portal, and they're taking them to the. To the line and having these guys actually show up as top 75 top 100 prospects. They're going to have five or six players probably drafted in the top 100. And then obviously, you know, Ohio State's going to be well represented. Georgia is going to be well represented. Texas is going to have a bunch of guys like those. Indiana is going to have a ton of guys as well. It's like the, you know, the old school blue bloods and then some of these new schools that are popping off are going to be very, very well represented.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah, I think when you, when you look at Casey Concepcion in the, in the preseason when they got him, I very much compared him to Percy Harvin. Like he had to me, he had that run ability like with the football. The dude can take it, but he's not big. But he broke tackles.
- [21:22]
McDonald's Commercial Announcer
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- [21:38]
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
And the thing I liked about him a lot too, watching him play receiver like I felt like he understood how to sit in holes and zones and stuff too. Which, you know, not everybody knows that, Matt. Like not everybody has that feel of where a guy's on me and where I need to sit and stuff too. So I feel like, I mean he's a guy that, you know, him and Craver were as, as fast of a one, two punch in college football last year.
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Matt Miller
Yeah, absolutely. And again you, you hope we get to see these guys work out. The longer season has made things so difficult and I, I sympathize with the players, especially if you're an Indiana player. Indiana, we've talked about this. Indiana had a lot of really good football players, not a lot of stud prospects. Guys like d' Angelo Pons need they need to work out. You just played 17 games, so I understand that you've only been off for a month. Right now your body needs time to heal. Training for the combine is not football training, it's track training.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Right.
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Matt Miller
These guys train from December to February 24th for a reason. And so as you know, these guys that the longer season are at a disadvantage because, you know, if I'm dangerous ponce, I probably don't run a 40 in Indy unless I just know I'm super fast on my own. Because you haven't been, you haven't been training and you know a good trainer can carve 3/10 of a second off your 40 just off your technique. And so if you haven't been doing that, no, you probably don't want to go run. You'll wait for your pro day. So it, it's something that the NFL and the NCAA have to get together and figure out is. And I know this sounds like I'm complaining, but it has affected draft evaluation that we don't get a lot of participation, whether it be in the All Star games or the combine because of how late the season is next year. The national championship game is January 25th. The combine starts February 25th. That's a short amount of time to recover from a 17 game season.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Man, you hit the nail on the head because. So my, my sprinting coach when I came out was Michael Johnson. So that wasn't bad. Went to ig, Olympic gold medalist.
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Matt Miller
Yeah.
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Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Pretty good Olympic gold medals. He gave us gold shoes. It didn't help me though. It was weird. That didn't help me run that much faster. But, but you're absolutely right, man. All you do is track. Like you're literally doing the, the high knees and all the drills up against the wall and like you're. And here's what's crazy. Like when I learned the technique of the three cone, the shuttle drill, like you're talking about day one day you can shave off exact. You can shave off three tenths like this. And that's not important. That's the whole deal. Like, if I can show people that I can do these different drills at an elite level now, like, listen, okay, he's a good player. I thought he was a good player. Now I know he's a freak athlete on top of a good player. So like talk about too, like just those drills and what, what does the evaluation in your head go to once you see somebody go and do something freaky?
- [25:00]
Matt Miller
You know, it's crazy. It's almost pass fail. I Can remember a DB from Florida several years ago, he showed up to the combine and it was like, this guy been doing anything? Like what. What have you been doing since Christmas? So it's almost, you know, if you don't come in and press, it is just like a. You know, it's like the bench press. The bench press doesn't matter. It just shows us that you've been in the weight room. Like, no. No one's ever looked at a bench press and said, oh, that's going to translate to take that. It really doesn't. Right. It just shows us that you've been working out. So I feel like it is pass. Fail to some degree. But then you. When you have a guy, you know, when you. When you run four two, and on tape you looked four, four, it's like, you. You do go to that. Oh, my gosh, like, what. What could you be with? Good nutrition, good training, you know, you're locked in for a couple months. I. I think you automatically go there as an evaluator of. Did we just unlock a superhero trait that we didn't know this player had? And then you, you know, it kind of reverts back because you realize that they can't live like that. It's like the dudes in Top Gun for the beach scene, how they talked about, you know, for like, 30 days, they're as strict as possible to get cut for that beach scene. And then you. You look at yourself in the mirror that day, and you're like, hope you remember it, because you're never gonna look like this again. That's the combo. Like, you show up, you're the best shape of your life. You take a selfie and you say, this was me and my prime kids. You know, when the grandkids get on the knee and you can say, this was. This is what I looked like when I was 22 and, you know, had been eating nothing but grilled chicken and smoothies for two months.
- [26:23]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah, I. I had a time, man, where I could drink almost a gallon of water. And my thing was my weight. Everybody was like, how much is he going to weigh? How much is he going to weigh? I could drink a gallon of water and gain, like, 12 pounds. And I pulled the trigger and drank a gallon of water. And then I got in line and I. And I drank it too fast, and I had to piss the whole entire time. Like, I literally went. Was getting out of line, like, the whole time. But, like, you're. I mean, as a player, man, like, you're just. You're begging for some kind of. You're begging for some kind of edge. I mean, you're just trying to find it in some way, shape or form. And that. And that's all the training is, man. It's. It's. It's different. It's different drills, which is kind of cool because you just did all this football stuff, like, and now it's fun to change your brain and not do the same crap over and over that you've done. But I don't know if you can do this or not off the top of your head. If you can, I'm going to be very, very impressed. But, like, so who. Who will be the speed demon of the combine? Did you. Did you already mention that you're already giving that title away? Is there anybody else that will challenge?
- [27:27]
Matt Miller
Brendan Thompson will be the fastest after. I don't think anyone will get close to him. Like, that's. That's the key. Like, he's crazy, crazy fast. I don't think we'll see anyone get even remote. Like, he'll run. He'll run mid four twos is where he should be at. After him. Chris Brazil from Tennessee is going to be pretty fast. Nick Singleton's got a tall frame, too,
- [27:52]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
man, to be running that fast.
- [27:53]
Matt Miller
Yeah, he does. Yeah. So I think, you know, Dion Burks will be fast. It's always. There's always some DB that you're like, that you're not ready for, that comes out and runs, and you're like, oh, wait, what? Like Igbosan from Ohio State might be that guy. You know, he's kind of built like that. He's six, two one, nine, long legs, but he's powerfully built. I could see him doing pretty well. Yeah, Brendan Thompson, that's the dude. When, you know, if you're watching the NFL Network and they're doing the workouts, he's the guy. They won't cut to commercial. When he gets up to run, you're gonna. You're gonna get to watch it. They're gonna show him, guaranteed.
- [28:27]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Eisen will smoke him. What are you talking about? Eisen. Eisen will just.
- [28:30]
Matt Miller
Eisen's the man, you know, the. The who's the kid from Iowa. Wet gin. He'll run very well, too.
- [28:35]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah, the. The. The. Yeah, the little. The little white number 21.
- [28:39]
Matt Miller
Yeah. Five. Yeah, I know how big he is. Yeah. Number 21, which was my. That was my number. So that. This would have been me, you know, had I actually had any athletic ability. 5, 9, 175. Pounds, probably maybe 180. He's gonna run really well also.
- [28:54]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Well, he's a guy too, man. With a new school football, like, he's got a chance. Like old school football, he had no chance because you were too small. You'd get your head face knocked off like, you can still run. What about, like, have you heard any crazy numbers on who will be the long jump king?
- [29:08]
Aura/Grainger Commercial Announcer
Or.
- [29:08]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Or I'll give you some time to think too. Who will be the plate mover? Like, who's going to be the guy that. Is there any numbers that, you know, like bench press numbers that you've heard? Like, this is going to be absolutely stupid.
- [29:21]
Matt Miller
Yeah. I think Kaden Proctor, if he works out, the offensive tackle from Alabama, I mean, he's 673-65-lbs, and he'll probably come in lighter than that just because weight has been the biggest concern for him. But he should be up there. Peter woods, who I mentioned earlier, the D tackle from Clemson, the, the bench press numbers on him was like mid-30s. In training, he was doing mid-30s. So if he hits 34, 35 reps, that's going to be pretty notable. Long jump, I would think that we've got a shot to see. Sonny Styles should jump really, really well. Going off the top of my head, like, he's the guy that might hit 40 in the vert. Just. And again, at his size, that's crazy. But he's just such great athlete. Kenyan Sadiq, the titan from Oregon, should move really, really well. He should. He'll be a 41 vert guy. I would think. That's just what I've. I love talking to trainers this time of year because you're getting like real information. It's not, it's not, you know, the strength coach from the school pumping a guy up. It's the guys at exos and, you know, other places like that, we're like, yeah, you know, this guy's. This guy's a freak show. Wait, wait till you see him work out. He's gonna be a freak show. So Sadiq is another one of those. He might be like an overall winner just because of, you know, have you top to bottom. Yeah, I have.
- [30:36]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah.
- [30:36]
Matt Miller
He's tough, man, because he's not very big and he drops. I think he had six drops this past year. I don't have my scouting report up in front of me, but, you know, he's six three, like 235. He's not, he's not a big guy, but he's, he's compact.
- [30:49]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
He's athletic.
- [30:50]
Matt Miller
There's a. There's first. It's just you. You want a little bit better concentration on the ball, which is crazy because he was their best red zone target as well. So he's. He's a tough player to evaluate.
- [31:01]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
When I watch him, the thing that I worry about is he caught so many balls that were touchdowns and big plays that I'm like, dude, why are you leaving your feet? Like, just, like, seeing. Judging the ball. Like, I know you're a freak. Like, I know you've been sculpted by God. Like, I know you have discernible traits that are absolutely freakish. But, like, it's just not pluck. It's not smooth all the time. And so I just wonder, because he's a good blocker for his size, but he's not big. He's willing, but, like, you know, what is he going to be and can you trust him to be a tight end? And it's just. He's an interesting prospect to me.
- [31:43]
Matt Miller
Yeah, he's one of those guys I've moved down. Like, I was. I was high on him in season because, you know, you're watching as much as you can. Post season, the more I've watched, I've bumped him down. And I think the best, like, the hope for him is that he's a more explosive Harold Fannin Jr. But a good rookie season for the Cleveland Browns, really expect to be a good player, but scheme's going to matter, and obviously that's going to affect which teams draft him. You know, it might be. Half the league says, yeah, you know, we'll take an F tight end in the first round and, you know, we'll coach him up a little bit. But there might be half the league that says, no, we need a guy that can play in line, and that's just not who he is.
- [32:19]
Co-host (possibly a sports analyst or commentator)
Yeah, you've seen that more and more, though. All right, Matt, you're dressed dapper, Looking good. Time to go. Time to go show that mug on television. Appreciate you joining us again. We got a little bit later in this week, this week, but we'll try to consistently stay with the. The Wednesday. And you got more and more. More and more work coming up, man. Look forward to watching you.
- [32:36]
Matt Miller
Yeah. All right. Appreciate it. Thank you.