← The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL
The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL
On the Clock, picks 19-25: How many offensive linemen will be taken in the first round?
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- [00:01]
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- [01:01]
Mike Renner
Par le tu francais, hablas espanol par
- [01:03]
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- [01:42]
Robert Mays
Welcome to the Athletic Football Show. I'm Robert Mays. Our on the Clock series rolls on today. I've loved doing these shows. Just a quick explanation of the exercise for people who may not have listened to the other ones that we've done so far. What we do is we bring on a draft analyst, we take a certain portion of the first round, six or seven picks and and we go through each individual pick and I give them three options and the exercise is they do what they would do if they were in the seat making the pick for these teams while they were on the clock. It's an interesting range of the draft. Got a couple teams that could go offensive tackle if they wanted to. A couple teams picking between the edge rushers here. This might be the Ty Simpson range for one of those teams. Just a little bit of a spoiler. So here to help me work through picks 19 through 25 and is our friend Mike Renner from CBS Sports. Really enjoyed this conversation with Mike. Couple quick housekeeping things. Mostly just one before we get started, the Reuben Bane news that came out this weekend. We're doing the show a little bit late because I actually was sick yesterday and so I apologize if my brain isn't fully working today as well. We are going to talk about the Ruben Bane news. That is going to be something that Dane and Dave hit on Building the Beast and that show will be available to you tomorrow. Dane obviously is somebody that has talked to these teams about their considerations with Bay and the things that they're weighing and so felt like he was the best voice to address that and kind of work through that. Anyway, so that news will be talked about on Building the Beast tomorrow. But just wanted to let you know that it is coming. But today it is me and Mike Renner doing our next iteration of our on the clock series. So let's get to picks 19 through 25 right now. Our on the clock series rolls on today with picks 19 through 25. Joining us to make his selections with those teams on the board, it is the draft analyst and expert at CBS Sports, our guy, Mike Renner. Mike, how you doing, man?
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Mike Renner
Fantastic, unfortunately. Doing better than you. It sounds like. Robbie.
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Robert Mays
I'm doing okay. All right. I'm doing better than I was yesterday. I'm happy to have bounced back. Apologize. This is coming to you guys a little bit late, but we definitely wanted to keep it rolling. And even if it's a few hours later than we want, it's still good to get this up on Tuesday. So let's get to it. I listed off the players that had already been picked in the intro, but just for the YouTube audience, just to do it one more time very quickly in order, the guys who are off the board. Just so you're not screaming about why I'm not giving this as an option. Fernando Mendoza, Ruben Banes, Sonny Stiles, Arvell Reese, Francis Maui Noah Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Love, David Bailey, Caleb Downs, Mansour Delaine, Spencer Fano, Dylan Thieman, Makai Lemon, Kenyon Siddiq Vega Venga Ione. I was doing so well Jordan Tyson, Kaden Proctor, Jermad McCoy were the first 18 picks in the draft so far. So we are starting with the Carolina Panthers at number 19. Mike, your three options for the Carolina Panthers. Option one draft Akeem Mezador, the edge rusher from Miami. Carolina drafted Nick Scorton in the second round last year. Drafted Princely in the third round. That you could still make an argument that even after signing Jalen Phillips in in free agency this year they could use one more like three down pass rusher. So that's why I threw Mazador in there. Number two and this one I just am obsessed with. Draft Omar Cooper Jr from Indiana like just skill set wise when you think about that Carolina receiving corp. It's exactly what they don't have. The they finished dead last in Yak last year like dead last. They just don't have somebody who does that. Option 3 Draft Emanuel McNeil Warren and the safety from Toledo. After the spending spree and free agency I think you can make an argument that safety is probably still the number one. Is is is right now the number one need on Carolina's defense. Drafted late in the ransom in the fourth round last year. Resigned Nick Scott and free agency but still another whole opposite of Trevin Merrick there at safety. So Those are your three options for Carolina draft Keem Asador draft Omar Cooper Jr draft Emmanuel McNeil Warren. What are you doing if you're the Panthers?
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Mike Renner
I was really excited for this team in particular to see your three options because I feel like of a lot of the teams drafting this round and you're like at this point drafting later they have the most wide open seemingly board like there's a lot of places I think the Panthers could go of the guys you mentioned. So on my board right now the rank is Cooper, Manuel, McNeil Warren, Akeem Macedor. I think of those three Mazador even just like fit for the Panthers. Probably the last one I'm picking just because the investment already because of what I think kind of their timeline is. I would more want a high ceiling guy for like two or three years down the road for this team. I think they're still kind of young and ascending. I don't think they're right ready to compete just yet despite making the playoffs last year. So I'm leaning between Cooper, McNeil, Warren. They are truly back to back on my board 21 and 22. I like both these guys a lot. I think for them though Eileen Cooper and yes I know it's three straight years of first round wide receiver. Four straight years of top 40 wide receiver. But if you haven't gotten it right, you got to get it right. And he is like you said, they don't have a yak guy, they don't have a speed guy in this receiving core. He is both of those. Um, I, I go back to his junior tape when he averaged over 21 yards per catch. Like he can actually be a vertical threat. That just wasn't the way Indiana needed to use him in that kind of weird offense they had. So gimme Omar Cooper Jr. I, I think he is kind of like you said, you love the fit because it's the missing piece. I love the fit as well.
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Robert Mays
I think there are a lot of ways it makes sense. Jalen Coker can play a little inside, outside, and so can Cooper. And so you have flexibility. And it's me, it's just not inside it. To me it's not. Sometimes it's like, okay, we don't have a slot guy, so we need a slot guy. To me, this is a skill set fit where if you look at the skill sets being brought to the table with Carolina's receiving core, he just brings the one they don't currently have. There were so few plays for the Panthers last year where a guy was taking a five yard reception and getting 15 yards. It's just not the types of players they have on that team. And that's exactly what he is. And I understand that, that, I mean, saying, man, another first round receiver, another highly drafted receiver. Well, it didn't work out with Legate. Like, I think you can probably at this point just cut bait and say, hey, it this, it was a swing on a raw guy at the back half of the first round. It did not work out. We're going to keep swinging because we need to keep trying to lift the quarterback that we're trying to make the most of. That still hasn't quite gotten there. And so even with all of those investments, I still think it's an okay thing to rationalize why ultimately Cooper over McNeil Warren, if considering safety might still be their biggest hole on the roster.
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Mike Renner
I think it's McNeil Warren's skill set compared to Trayvon Merrick's.
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Robert Mays
That's right.
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Mike Renner
Which is redundancy. You know, like, I think you're getting a lot of overlap in the skill sets. Not to say like McNeil Warren's role at Toledo when he watches tape is very much, you know, compared to the other safeties in this class. It's very much trends more towards the Box, he's more of like a whole player in coverage. He's not really ranging on the back end. I think it's underrated. I think he can't when he's asked to do that. I think he can, but, but I don't really want him to because he's so good at the underneath stuff and so is Merrick. So it's like you kind of have two guys who both are so exceptional in the box that really only use one of them there at one given time. Unless you want to move him to the slot, which potentially he could, but I don't think that's really his best role.
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Robert Mays
The other thing I was going to bring up, and I'm curious if you would have gone this direction if I'd given you the option. Tackle is something that is maybe worth considering for the Panthers. They signed Rashid Walker in free agency as a stop gap because Icky Aquan who's coming off that torn Achilles, but Aquan who's in the last year, he's on his fifth year option this year. And so if this team is trying to think a year in advance right now, the way this has fallen, and maybe this is on me for not giving more guys tackle options in the first 18 picks. But we've still got a lot of first round caliber tackles available here for a team in Carolina that may need one and a couple other teams on this list that may be looking for one. So if I had given you, let's say a Monroe Freeling with as one of your four options instead of those three other guys, how much would you have considered that?
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Mike Renner
I really like tackle for the Panthers for two reasons. I, I, I think one is like you mentioned the fact that with Icky's injury, he may not come back the same guy. It's, it's a serious injury. You know, the patellar tear which is, you know, not everyone needs maybe that
- [10:19]
Robert Mays
was, I'm sorry I said Achilles.
- [10:20]
Mike Renner
It's, it's like a 50, 50 comeback rate. That was why Josh Simmons fell to where he did despite his tape last year. Right. So that, and then he's going into free agency after this year. So I really like tackle for them. I think I, I have Caleb Lomu higher than Monroe Freeling, but I think Monroe Freeling specifically would be, would fit that room in terms of what he can do in the running game. It's like more of a people mover as Lomu is just like you're drafting for pass protection. So gosh, I, I mean I have, I have Freeling just a touch behind Cooper on my board. I don't know if it would have been enough to overcome just because I really like Cooper. I really like just getting some weapons. You see how much wide receivers are getting paid nowadays. And I just feel like Cooper has such a high floor that, you know his worst case scenarios, he's making like 15 to 20 million dollars four years from now on his next contract.
- [11:11]
Robert Mays
Okay, I'm glad you would have went that way because I was tempted to do it just because they're one of those teams and I think there's a few different teams in this range that maybe, if not surprise tackle teams, then a year ahead tackle teams, maybe. That's what I would say. I think Pittsburgh is going to be one of those teams. Philadelphia is going to be one of those teams. You know, the Browns are not a year away. Tackle team. The Browns are. We desperately, desperately need a day one starter right now. Especially because in this exercise we went Carnell Tate at 6. So there's going to be a lot of tackle chatter on this, on this, on this in this conversation. That's maybe why I didn't feel compelled to start that discussion with the Panthers because there are some other ways that we could go. Let's get to the Dallas Cowboys here at 20. Option one. Gonna say it again, draft Akeem Mezador. We can also talk about some of the other edge rushers here. Right, just edge as an option, but let's use Mezador as a placeholder there and then we could talk about some of the other guys. Option two. And I'm giving this as the choice because on your initial big board back in February, you had him very high and I'm curious if you prefer him over the other corners that might be available here. And that's Avian Terrell from Clemson. So he is the corner option I am giving you here for Dallas. Option three. Similar discussion. I think defensive tackle is. You can make an argument that's the way the Dallas could go. I'm giving you Peter woods as your third option here at 20 because I know that you are a little bit interested in Peter Woods. So those are the three options. And then I also think it's worth discussing linebackers here. I just don't know if there's a linebacker you would feel comfortable drafting at 20, even if that is a pretty significant need still for Dallas if you look at their roster.
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Mike Renner
You mentioned sneaky OT teams. I would. I've also liked the Cowboys as a sneaky OT team with Terrence Steele and just given their track record of investing in their position. But of those three, you can't do it though.
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Robert Mays
Not right now. Not when you have these holes on defense. It's. I get it. Like, I actually think that's probably a smart way to think about it, especially in a draft like this. But I, man, if you want a Cowboy fans to just rush the facility like you would just have Ike protests outside of the star if they, they didn't use both of these first round picks on defensive players.
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Mike Renner
Yeah, no, I, I do agree with that and I think ultimately they will. But hey, they've done it before. Of those three, the ranking I have on my board is Terrell Woods, Mezador. But I think Mezador, he starts bumping up his value when we talk about teams that I think are ready to compete right now. And, and I think the Cowboys compared to the Panthers, despite, you know, having a worse record last year, I think they're a lot closer to competing. I think what we saw from that defense down the stretch after the Quinn and Williams trade, obviously how talented their offense is right now and just, you know, they're bringing back everybody top five offense in the NFL. I don't see that changing. So if they just hit the right notes defensively in this draft, some impact guys right away, I think they could be there. And of those three, I think Mezador makes a big impact right away. Terrell makes a big impact right away. I don't know if Peter woods makes as big an impact right away, especially given, you know, he's probably going to do the same role as Quinn Williams for that defense. So between Terrell and Mezador, I think I lean Terrell just because I love this guy's tape. I think he is kind of what they were missing last year and he's just like tough, reliable and just smart football player. Like I watch his tape and you know, it's easy to say the bloodlines of his brother being AJ Terrell, but like it feels like they, he's the, he's the TJ Watt to AJ's JJ Watt where he's like not as big, not the same physical specimen, but it's just darn, he plays the game the right way. Like everything about him is what I want. Now the 4, 6:40 will drop him, yes, but I dropped Kamari Laster too much after he had a 4, 6, 5 and I regret that I'm not going to do the same with Avion Terrell. I would draft him here if I'm
- [15:02]
Robert Mays
the Dallas Cowboys love that comparison because I think that the Camari Lassiter thing and talking to people in Houston about him, he's kind of become like a touchstone in the way that they evaluate players. Where like is, is this guy just made of the right stuff? And the fact that he is to such an extent, when you watch that defense play on a defense that has a player last year that would have won defensive player of the year in any season where a guy didn't break the sack record. In Will Anderson, you have an another number one pass rusher. In Daniel Hunter, you have at one point the highest paid corner in the NFL right now. He's second now in Derek Stingley. Justifiably, you have superstars all over that defense. I think you could make a serious argument that Kamari Laster is like the most boiled down like channeler of the Houston Texans defensive energy of any single team on that unit. And I, and I think that it's, it allows you to kind of overlook or move past some of the limitations that we're talking about here. And so if you think Terrell kind of brings a similar sort of mold to the conversation, then I think that that's worth considering. I think that's a good thing to bring up. So those are the three guys. I totally understand Terrell. And if you look at the other, you know, the corner investments, you know, revel last year, the idea that, well, he could have been, could he have been a first round pick if he hadn't been hurt? Well, he was a third round pick. And so the idea that like he has to be part of your future, I think that's worth a conversation. Kobe Durant signed a one year, $4 million deal. And so I don't think there are many barriers to the Cowboys drafting a corner here, especially if one is the best player available on the board. And according to your big board, he's probably the best player available. That's left, right?
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Mike Renner
He is, yes, he is my top available player.
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Robert Mays
So any other options here that we should discuss for Dallas, like linebackers? Is there any, like, are those the options you would have wanted if you were Will McLay and Jerry Jones and you were making the pick here? Like those positions at least?
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Mike Renner
Yeah, truthfully, those are the top guys at the positions that I would draft for them, especially given that they already want safety in this draft. Now I would think about Emmanuel McNeil Warren for them, but like they already drafted Dylan Tiedemann. Good safety class. I'm not drafting two first round safeties.
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Robert Mays
The other one that I think just worth throwing out just for a conversation is the different edge options that are still available here like. Or is there any world where Keldrick Falk would be more appealing to you than a Terrell? I know that you have Falk and Mezador pretty similar in terms of how you have them stacked up.
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Mike Renner
Correct.
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Robert Mays
Even if it's a little bit of. It's very different in terms of what they're bringing you. Right. I mean, it's. You talk about age, you talk about upside, all of those things. Very different prospects, both literally and figuratively. When you think about what Kel Falk and Akeem Mazador are bringing to the
- [17:38]
Mike Renner
table, this is the first team where I think Falk makes sense for me to draft, but I just considerably see me as a better player right now. And for a team that needs the player right now, like he needs impact pass rush right now. Whereas Celtic Falk, you know, maybe for a team that their windows more three to four years down the line then I could draft Falk over Mezador. That could, that could be a deciding factor. But I want the guy right now from the Dallas Cowboys and I know Akeem Mezador is just the better player right now. I don't know if Falk ever figures out as a pass rusher. I think he's a great run defender, don't get me wrong. And that matters more and more in today's NFL. But he's just really not a pass rusher. And I don't know even know if he's a defensive end at the next level. That body type oftentimes is an interior guy nowadays.
- [18:23]
Robert Mays
But with Mezador, is there anything other than the age that concerns you in terms of just like the production profile what he is as a player? Are there limiting factors there that push him a little bit further down to you, or is it mostly just, ah, he's 25, he's tapped out. How much more are we really going to get from him?
- [18:41]
Mike Renner
Well, I think it's that combined with he was not. He's not a great athlete, he's not a toolsy guy. You're drafting him based off of tape. And I'm fine drafting those guys.
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Robert Mays
Right.
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Mike Renner
I'm not a huge, you know, I just said it with avion trolley ran a 4, 64 and I'm taking him. Right. So I'm like, what kind of athlete are you on tape? And he's a good athlete on tape. But you have to admit that he's not crazy explosive. He doesn't have long arms. He's not absurdly Strong for being 25 years old. You know, he doesn't bully guys as much as you would probably hope a guy that age would if he were truly to continue doing that at the NFL level. He just is a very well rounded football player. My comp for him is Olivier Vernon, which is like, hey, that's fine, it's a good football player. We're not shooting for the moon when you draft an Olivier Vernon or an Akeem Ecedore. So that's just kind of the profile and it, it's weird, right? It's one of the weirdest prospects I can remember, but I would be floored if he's not at least a good NFL football player.
- [19:37]
Robert Mays
Let's get to the Steelers here at 21. This one's tough, right? I mean, you're trying to figure out what the actual needs are and what the four options should be. I guess I'll start with that. I thought safety might be one that's worth bringing up. Like Brisker's on a one year deal. Deshaun Elliott's in the final year of his deal. So we could chat about that a little bit later, but it felt like there were three others that were a little bit more interesting in terms of the conversation. And so that's why it didn't go. Safety is one of the four options. Let's start with the thing we alluded to a little bit earlier. These teams are drafting a tackle a year in advance. Your option one for the Steelers here with them likely declining. Roger Jones's fifth year option here coming up pretty soon is draft your best available offensive tackle. I didn't want to pigeonhole you into one guy because all of them are still available. Like the last offensive tackle drafted in this exercise I believe was Spencer Fano at 11. So I mean, we have everybody still on the board here. It's Ayan at Shore, Lomu, Blake, Miller, Monroe, Freeling. So I didn't want to limit you to one of those guys. So draft. Your best available offensive tackle is option number one. Option two is draft Casey Concepcion, the wide receiver from Texas A and M. I. It was one of those where I, I didn't make the connection in my head right away. And then as I started thinking about it, I was like, actually it's more so how he fits with Pittman. Like the combination of his skill set with Pittman's is like, oh man, I actually really do like that. And the trio of those two, plus Metcalf, I do think I Can get behind. And option three, just because I do think it's worth the discussion is draft Ty Simpson. So those are your three options here. If you were on the board for the Steelers draft your best available offensive tackle. Draft Casey Concepcion from Texas A and M the receiver or draft Ty Simpson at quarterback. What are you doing if you're the Steelers?
- [21:24]
Mike Renner
This one's tough because the top tackle Casey Concepcion, Ty Simpson are back to back to back on my board. They're like they are right there. I love Caleb Lomu for them specifically. You want you just, I mean Broderick Jones cannot pass protect you do not trust him one on one. Caleb Lomu I think is a better pass predictor. Literally right now could be a really high end guy if he really wants it. I think it really is just want it with him. Like he just wants needs to be a little more locked in, a little more killer instinct and that guy is a good starting offensive tackle and that's. You got nobody right now. There is nothing in the tank there for this Steelers team. So very intrigued by that. But also Casey Concepcion is ultimately my wide receiver one on my board. I think he is the best separator in this draft class. And like you said for the Steelers specifically, that is the missing piece of this receiving core. Kind of the same way Cooper was for the Panthers receiving core. Like he is exactly what they could use. But then, but then it's like why do you hire Mike McCarthy? You hire Mike McCarthy because he's his track record of developing quarterbacks. This is a quarterback who I think has real developmental potential. Do I want him starting tomorrow? Am I worried about injuries? Yes, like I am worried about that. I don't know if I want him starting tomorrow. But like he showed a lot in the first half of the season before obviously injury struck. So with those three options, this helps.
- [22:51]
Robert Mays
I'll say this, I'll say this before you, I make you make a decision. It's an option. You can say no to Ty Simpson here because you think you can get him later. That that is a thought you can take into this exercise with the Steelers. And I don't mind the Steelers believing that the Steelers have. I'm not even going to count them. It's infinite picks in this draft. The Steelers have infinite draft picks. When you look at what they're working with in rounds three and four, they have two third round they have three third round picks and two fourth round picks. And so they are the perfect team if they wanted to maneuver either back up into the first round. Or higher into the second round. They're picking at 53 right now. And so if they're a little bit worried that Simpson wouldn't get to them at 53, they're more than capable of getting back up a little bit higher and drafting him in either the back half of the first round or early in the second round. And so if you want to have your cake and eat it too and get the tackle and the quarterback later, that is a thought that I think is acceptable here for Pittsburgh specifically.
- [23:50]
Mike Renner
I think I'm leaning still. Just take Ty Simpson here. I don't, I don't think he falls out of the first round. I think there's too much desperation. Too many teams would want him, especially when it's like Cardinals at the top of the second, I think they would take him there. So because of that, take Ty Simpson here and again you have. You give Mike McCarthy guy to develop. I think there's real developmental potential here. I think he's a good athlete. I think he has a good enough arm. I think there's a lot to work with to mold him into the guy of the future. And you're too good to get the guy next year, right? You're just too good of a team right now. Yeah, you're super old and you need some youth too. But this is too good of a team to really bottom out and go 5 and 12. That's not going to happen with this roster. So you're not going to be in any quarterback class anytime soon. I think Ty Simpson's about as good as you can do when that's not the case.
- [24:44]
Robert Mays
Like that thought a lot because I guess that's. It's a really good argument as to why you do it now because why would you do it later? Like, do you think you'll be in a better position later on? And even if you're drafting like 15th next year, maybe you can maneuver up a little bit and get a guy in a slightly better quarterback draft, but there's no guarantee of that. And so this idea that this actually might be their best chance at a quarterback prospect, that moves the needle. Let's just say that, like he's a needle moving quarterback prospect, this might be their best chance at getting one. I actually do understand that argument as to why they should pull the trigger here. I wonder just how much the Kenny Pickett thing has scarred like them from doing this.
- [25:27]
Mike Renner
Exactly right.
- [25:27]
Robert Mays
Like, like the idea of we're taking a guy that falls a little bit. Like if you look at the history of quarterback prospects from 20 to 32 or 20 into the first round or into the second round. There's a reason that a lot of those guys don't end up panning out, because if they were good enough, we would draft them higher. Like it. There are reasons that the, the Kenny Pickets of the world are not success stories very often. And if Ty Simpson is shaping up to be another one of those, I could understand, especially in that building, if they were a little bit worried about going that direction.
- [25:57]
Mike Renner
But I'll just say this to cap it off, and I agree with all that. Right. Like it you are. Your odds are slim. I think Simpson's a weird prospect, though, and that's why he's falling to here. There's like a just the profile is unique throughout NFL history. You slam dunk hit on, say, Caleb Lomo, he's a franchise left tackle. Casey Concepcion, he's a number one wide receiver. You're still not winning a Super Bowl. You're still not close really to winning super bowl with this team right now, in my opinion, because of what's going on at the quarterback position. Because kind of this roster is getting really old. So it really doesn't matter if you don't hit on the quarterback position. If you slam dunk hit another position, you're still kind of in the same spot you were last year, which is maybe sneak in the playoffs, maybe you win a playoff game, but you ain't competing with the top end of the afc.
- [26:44]
Robert Mays
But you can always tell yourself the story of, well, next year is the year that we can get the quarterback, right? If that, that, that's the old. That's the upside is that, well, if we get a really good tackle or really good receiver, next year is the year that we can get the quarterback. Even if there's really no evidence that next year you're going to have a better chance than you do right now. Any of the other, any other positions that you think are worth touching on for the Steelers, I mentioned safety is kind of a stray thought. Any others? When you're just tracking needs and like when you're doing mocks, things like that you're thinking about when it comes to
- [27:15]
Mike Renner
Pittsburgh's roster, I would love to give them a slot cornerback at some point, but not in the first round. You know, like it's a good slot class. Day two, let's, let's talk about some of those names.
- [27:28]
Robert Mays
I'm just curious, like, as you're thinking about guys who are better fit for the slot, it might be day two options who are some of the names that come to mind for you?
- [27:34]
Mike Renner
I love Keonte Scott from Miami. Now, he's not only better fit for the slot, he literally is a slot. Like, that's pretty much all I'm playing him as. But he is physical around the line of scrimmage, like the run defense, around the line of scrimmage sort of aspect. The weak side linebacker stuff that slot now does is he's awesome at like that. That guy can play in a phone booth and you're happy with it. He's great at that. Trading Stukes is kind of the opposite end of the slot corner, I'll say, in that he's more trends towards the coverage ability, his ability to go one on one or, you know, range with someone. I could think he can even play outside corner. I think he can play safety, given his skill set. So those two are kind of the guys who are truly slots right now. I think Keith Abney from Arizona State also is a guy who I would be willing to. Him and Brandon C. Say, are the two outside corners where I'm like, they play the game the way I would want a slot corner to play. So those are two, like day two guys, probably second rounders, where if you need a slot and he drafted them and put them there, I would kind of. Kind of like Jacob Parish last year, right? I think he was an outside corner and then just immediately went to the slot that I would be like, yeah, they're going to be successful there.
- [28:44]
Robert Mays
If you want to hear more about Keante Scott and Traden Stukes, those are both on Bruce Feldman's list of the guys that people have wrong going into this draft class just because they can play like. Like those guys can play. So we did an entire episode last week about that bucket of players, and both of those guys were on Bruce Bruce's list, if you want to go check that out. All right, we're going to take our first quick break and then come back and chat about a team that I just cannot get my arms around in. The Los Angeles Chargers.
- [29:11]
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- [30:35]
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- [31:05]
Mike Renner
Par le tu francais Hablas espanol Parliamento.
- [31:10]
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- [31:52]
Robert Mays
All right, let let's let me explain what I meant before we went to break with this team. Specifically interior offensive line is like to me clearly their biggest need. Can you take an interior offensive lineman at 22among the group of guys who are available here probably not. Right. And so I think that's part of the issue here is that trying to stack up their biggest needs with the players who are available in this range of the draft is a little bit more difficult. And so I think it might be too early for. Too early for an interior offensive lineman. We can chat about that if you want to. So the three options that I'm going to throw out there, one, draft your best available edge rusher. One of the reasons I framed it this way is I didn't know if Mazador would still be on the board because I'd given him to you a couple different times, a couple of these other teams. So. And the other reason is it's, I'm curious which body type they would be willing to go for here because it's their third edge rusher. So in like on, in a perfect situation, right. You think, oh, they might be a Keldrick Falk team like Cleo Mack is a longer player like Clue Max in the final year if he's on a one year deal. Do they want that as a succession plan? But would you actually want somebody that has a little bit more pass rush juice if he's going to be your third edge rusher early in his career? And so the range of different types of edges available in this draft and in this range, I think we can talk about that with the Chargers specifically. So option one, draft your best available edge rusher. Mezador Falk, Cassius Howell, whatever you want to do. Option two is draft Emanuel McNeil Warren if he's available. Safety to me, feels like a need for them. Tony Jefferson's on a cheap one year deal at this point. You've had Derwin James move to the slot often enough. Where is he? Completely redundant with what McNeil Warren gives you. So I feel like that was worth throwing out there. And then option three, I'm going to say it again because you really do like him, is draft Peter woods if he's available. And we can talk about the other defensive tackles here if you want to. Dylan Dalvin Tomlinson's on a one year deal, so it seems like if they wanted to keep adding to that room, they could. But those are the three options I threw out. And of all the teams we're doing here, it's the group I felt the worst about because I just don't know how strong I feel about stacking up the actual needs that the Chargers have.
- [34:02]
Mike Renner
I'm right there with you. And I also, I don't, I feel like I can't really get a handle on how the Chargers draft.
- [34:09]
Robert Mays
Yes, that's. That's part of it. Yeah.
- [34:11]
Mike Renner
You know, I don't know what they like.
- [34:13]
Robert Mays
It's still so early with this front office that hey, we don't really have. Cause you try to maybe apply some of the Ravens thinking, but at the same time, is that what you should be doing? And so it's just a team that I'm like, I. I just don't know what I feel about this.
- [34:27]
Mike Renner
Yeah, I am right there with you. And so this one's been hard. And I thought they'd also spend more money in free agency this year than
- [34:34]
Robert Mays
they did you and Chargers fans both, buddy.
- [34:37]
Mike Renner
So I was like, I don't know what to make of what this front office is going to do. But of those options, one sticks out to me. Flashing lights that I'm just like, this is the way. And it's Peter woods, the Clemson dt. I look at kind of just the track record of Clemson of late, developing top end guys, and it's just been not good. Let's say like he, he reminds me of like Dexter Lawrence in that freshman year we were talking about this guy like he was going to be the next big thing you sophomore year. All of a sudden you know, like this guy is going to be a top five pick junior rolls around. It's like, what happened, you know, Dex, the guy Dexter Lawrence never developed in college, Peter woods really never never developed in college. That's kind of just has unfortunately been a common theme for a lot of Clemson players of late. And it's maddening to me, but you can't deny that guy is a freak athlete. Extremely explosive, extremely strong for his size. And to me, Jim Harbaugh, his track record between Michigan, the 49ers, even here now with the Chargers, he's like PEDs for DTS. Like the DTS play their best ball under Jim Harbaugh wherever he goes. So if you, you give Peter woods with all his tools to Jim Harbaugh, I think you're getting a high end potential difference maker for a team that, you know, they got, they got fine DTS right now. I don't think you're going to complain about their DT room any time soon. But to call those guys like difference makers, that's not what they are.
- [35:58]
Robert Mays
And I think that's with this group specifically in this front office. I think what the way they're trying to use free agency is can we put ourselves in a position where we're not scrambling on draft day because we didn't fill starting roles in free agency. And I think that's partially why it's slightly difficult to come up with exact needs like them going out and getting Dalvin Thomason. It's like well now they have another defensive tackle. Well, they did that at all the positions. And so what, what position stands out? Because they've done that in so many places. But in the first round is where you want to find difference making players. And so if you project this into 2027, Tyre Targe assigned a three year deal. Jamari Caldwell will be in year three, but Tomlinson won't be on the roster anymore. So you still need that group to go three or four deep. And trying to find a difference maker at this range of the draft I think does make sense. So why Woods? Over the edge rushers, I guess is what I would say. Because again if we're projecting this a year in advance, there's a chance that Khalil Mack isn't even on this roster anymore.
- [36:52]
Mike Renner
I think to me it's just tools. I don't necessarily see high end potential from truly any of the edge rushers at this point. I think you can get some fine players, but I have not seen enough in terms of even flashes to say that any of them are going to be Pro bowl type ceilings. Whereas I think I have from Peter woods, right? I think Peter woods, that is his ceiling. And now, you know, he's kind of a three tech only, you know, smaller frame, not going to be a versatile, do it all dt. He's definitely pigeonholed into a certain role. But in that role I think he, he has the traits to be all pro potential at that position. It's just why didn't we see it develop? Who knows, hopefully we get that at the next level.
- [37:38]
Robert Mays
And the other thing is again, if he's pigeonholed, if he's a little limited, especially early in his career, you can use him as part of a rotation. Like you've got enough bodies where you don't have to ask more of him than he can do early on, which I think is another benefit here. So I mentioned interior offensive line, any interior offensive lineman that you would consider here if I had given you that as an option. Or is it too early for pretty much everybody you'd be thinking about?
- [38:00]
Mike Renner
I think it's just too early.
- [38:01]
Robert Mays
Okay.
- [38:02]
Mike Renner
Like the, you know, I really like Vega Yuani. I like kind of the second wave of guys like Keelan, Rutledge, Chase Besantis. I think those are quality, competent starters for you. It's just first round for those guys. It's like really stretching thin positional value in my opinion. Like you're really kind of wasting what could be. Like I said, an all pro DT potential is on the board versus a guy who's going to be a quality starting guard for you. But like I don't see those guys as Pro Bowler Pro Bowlers at the position.
- [38:33]
Robert Mays
They have 55 and 86. They only have five picks in this draft. They don't have their fifth or seventh round picks, but they do pick at 55 and 86. So the second round is a spot where they absolutely could try to find an interior offensive lineman. As part of this discussion, the other position I'd throw out. I'm just curious your thoughts. Is there a reason that the Chargers shouldn't be thinking about another corner? Like Cam Hart's been fine. I think Dante Jackson's on the final year of his deal this year. But it just seems like a spot where if they wanted to seek out an upgrade it might be worth doing.
- [39:03]
Mike Renner
I think it's because Cam Hart and Tar Heap still were day three picks, right? I think it's because what they want to do defensively they're just like they just want smart football players. They don't necessarily need, you know, the best lockdown man corner to run that defense. So I think that's they're just going to keep probably throwing multiple day three picks at it every year and seeing what sticks.
- [39:23]
Robert Mays
I will say the one thing you talking about Jim Harbaugh being a an accelerant for defensive line when you talk about the types of corners they can get away with. We are in year one of no Jesse Mentor in Los Angeles. So what how we talk about this defense on April 14th of next year versus how we're talking about it now. I'll be curious to see how that goes.
- [39:43]
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- [39:43]
Robert Mays
I'm open to it being the same but I think that that is at least going to be worth evaluating as we move through the 2026 season.
- [39:51]
Mike Renner
You're. You're in the same boat as me because all last season I'm like this defense should not be getting these results. Like there is a incongruity between talent and results. And hats off Jesse Mincher. I mean what a hire that guy was coaching his butt off there.
- [40:06]
Robert Mays
That's why he got the most sought after job on this entire cycle is because he was doing that consistently with those guys in LA. Get to the Philadelphia Eagles at 23. Okay, this is, it's kind of easy when you're talking about Philly in some ways. Cause I, I think when you talk about what do they want, what are their types? We. We can go to a couple different positions. And so I threw out a couple big buckets similar to what we talked about before because there's so many players available at these spots. Number one, draft your best available edge rusher. Jalen Phillips leaves in free agency. Feels like a spot that could use an upgrade plus a little bit of depth. So that's option one for Philly. Draft your best available edge rusher. Option two. I had draft Denzel Boston from Washington as option two here for the Eagles. I'm open to another receiver if you want to talk about them. Right. Concepcion is still available and so we could discuss that. But just receiver as a general thought. And I went big bodied because if they do trade AJ Brown, do they want like a true X replacement? That's why Boston kind of made the most sense. Heard some smoke about them maybe wanting Jordan Tyson and potentially a willingness to move up in the draft for Jordan Tyson. So that is something to be thinking about. But in this exercise, you can't trade into the top 10 because then our lives would get very difficult very fast. Option three for Philly. After Edge and Denzel Boston is draft your best available offensive tackle. It's probably time for Elaine Johnson Succession plan. This draft actually sorts out very well to potentially find one with a decent amount of tackles available here at 23. And so those are your three options if you're making this decision for the Eagles. Edge Denzel Boston, slash receiver, which we can talk about. Or draft your best available offensive tackle. What are you doing if you're Philly?
- [41:48]
Mike Renner
I've been saying this is the year. Philly O line. Go back to the O line. They haven't taken one top two rounds since Cam Juergens in 2022 and he's already.
- [41:55]
Robert Mays
Yeah, they haven't had to. It's a nice life.
- [41:57]
Mike Renner
Yeah. Right. But I think it's. We're getting to the point where it's close because like last year, they kind of wish they had another guy. Right. Landon Dickerson, with his injury history. It's not just Lane Johnson. It's Landon Dickerson too.
- [42:07]
Robert Mays
They had to trade for Fred Johnson. It would felt like the first time in a while where they were scrambling a little bit because they were not operating from a position of strength up front.
- [42:15]
Mike Renner
Yes. Which is not the Howie Roseman way. So I. For them specifically now. No. Jeff Stoutland.
- [42:20]
Babbel Advertiser
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- [42:20]
Mike Renner
That's. That's Kind of the rub here that I'm not sure which way to go. Because if you had Jeff Stoutland, I'd just say draft Maxi Honuchor and we're going to turn him into an all pro. Right. The guy is a freak of nature, but without him, I probably want a guy a little bit more NFL ready. I would debate between, for them specifically, probably Lomu and Monroe Freeling at this point. Lomu, I just don't know if he's a good enough run blocker to fit in with that offensive line though. I think for them specifically, I might lean Monroe Freeling just because of the physicality. You want to keep that, you know, just like that's how they operate. So I'd probably go Monroe Freeling. It's just, it's the year to dress the trenches. Such a deep class. And a deep class is you get better value at your picks than normal. Because not everyone's going to draft o line just based off a need. So that's where I, that's where my head's at with the Eagles.
- [43:14]
Robert Mays
I think that's totally fair. At Monroe freeling going at 23 here, I think there's the biggest gap between where he went in this exercise and where he could potentially go in the draft.
- [43:22]
Babbel Advertiser
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- [43:22]
Robert Mays
Like if Monroe Freeling was the sixth overall pick to the Browns, would that surprise you?
- [43:26]
Mike Renner
Not at all, no. I mean the, the, the ascension and just the body type is crazy. I mean, you see, I know, you know when you see it, right? When a guy looks like a tight end at 315 pounds, it's like, okay, those guys have a strong track record in the league and there, there are
- [43:43]
Robert Mays
a lot of teams in the, in the course of the top 22 picks that we didn't go offensive tackle for in this exercise, but I think you could easily see them doing it when it actually comes to draft day. A couple of those teams just because I'm trying to account for the fact that no offensive tackles have gone so far in the first 22 picks. Trying to figure out why. The Chiefs are one of those teams. Right? Like the Chiefs could easily pick a tackle at eight if they wanted to. With Jalen Moore being on the final year of his deal, he was kind of a stopgap option anyway. So if Kansas City decided, eh, we're not in a position to draft these guys normally this is the premium position they want. I don't think that would be surprising. Miami did pick a tackle here. I think they absolutely are a team that could do that. The Rams at 13. Lance went with with Makai Lemon, which I think is totally justifiable. But I also think they're a team that could draft a tackle for the same reasons and then keep moving down. Carolina is a team that we mentioned and then Pittsburgh is another team and so we're we've only had like four or offensive linemen go it could easily be six or seven by this point in the draft because I think a lot of these are coin flip type decisions between the tackles and the players that were ultimately taken.
- [44:50]
Mike Renner
Yeah. And I think it's if you saw at the combine right these are highly gifted athletes even if they're not for the most part dominant football players. Already the NFL trends towards the athletes round one so I do think that when it's all said and done we might have eight guys 8o lineman in the first round and like 8 o' lineman maybe before like pick 25. I could very easily see just given how how many teams just want that strength up front.
- [45:16]
Robert Mays
All right, before we move on, we're going to take one more quick break.
- [45:23]
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- [45:53]
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- [46:23]
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- [47:00]
Robert Mays
So for CLEVELAND Here at 24, we're going a different direction than we've gone with any of the other teams that we've had so far. Cleveland went with Carnell Tate at 6, which again, fair right. You have a big needed receiver, you have a big knee to tackle. And the way that this has played out, there is a world potentially where there are a lot of tackles still available at 24. So for the Browns specifically, that's all we're choosing between. It is pick your best offensive tackle that is still left. So Monroe Freeling just went. So we have Max Honorshore is number one, Caleb Lomu at number two, Blake Miller at number three. So if you are the Browns picking in this spot, which of those three offensive tackles are you taking or is there one I didn't give you that you wanted?
- [47:38]
Mike Renner
No, it's between those three. Those are my next three up and it's, it's Lomu. I, I just think I feel so much better about him in pass protection than the other two. I think all three of them end up being starters. Their ceilings we can debate but I know Caleb low move guys that move the way he does, the coordination that he plays with is just what it looks like that that's what you're supposed to have to be a high end pass protector. So with him it's really about strength development, about technique development. He gets those two things. You have your blind side locked down and it didn't take, you know, pick six. It took pick 24 to get it. I, I, so I, I think this played out very well for the Browns.
- [48:20]
Robert Mays
Yeah, I again if that was literally those one of the points I was going to make, this feels like an ideal outcome here for the Browns. Looking at the guys who are still available here and there's absolutely a scenario where this is not how it goes on draft day and all these guys go earlier and the well gets drier faster than this. But the way that these picks have gone and thankfully I could distance myself from that. The Browns have plenty of guys available to pick from with their 24th overall pick here. So they're going with Caleb Lomu from Utah as their left tackle here at 24. Anybody else? Any Other positions that you think are worth mentioning for the Browns where there are some teams where they've been hard to pin down in the first round. The Browns two first round picks just seems like receiver tackle in some order. Receiver tackle is where the Browns need to go here.
- [49:05]
Mike Renner
No, I'm, I'm not going to stray too far. It's. It's receiver tackle and I think it's a good year to do it. Right. That's why. It's because those are stronger positions relative to the rest of the quote unquote value positions in the NFL. And so, yeah, just take receiver tackle. We can worry about, you know, maybe getting a slot cornerback or maybe getting some help. Maybe another edge rusher, I think in this building could help too, but that's where we're looking right now.
- [49:33]
Robert Mays
So the idea that Lomu is potentially the safest pass protector among this group and you would feel the best about him just being there on day one. I, I completely understand that we're doing the offensive tackles on tomorrow's show with Brandon Thorne and Dane and so I've been working through those guys and I, I understand landing there. Hana Shore. I just watch him though, and I'm like, if you have. It's. It's so easy as somebody who is not in the chair to pick him over the other guys because I just think that if you connect on that guy, the ceiling is crazy high and you can understand why there's still a gap between what he is and what he can be. The fact that he came so late to the sport, there's like, there's rawness, but there's rawness that you can kind of explain away and get over. Like, I just think the combination of everything he's bringing to the table, if you're a team that again, maybe can develop him for a year or feel like you're in a spot where you feel really good about your offensive line coach. He's just the type of like, bundle of traits, a Hana Shore from Arizona State that, like, it's just hard not to get really excited about what the best version of him looks like, 100%.
- [50:41]
Mike Renner
But the thing is, like, I want a strong offensive line coach if I'm drafting him. If I do, yeah, I would take him shoot top 15. You know, if I really trusted, you know, if you had a Jeff Stoutland or a Bill Callahan, it's like, yeah, okay, he's got, that guy's going to be special. But if you don't, it's like you might be here three years from now and you might not be comfortable starting them or be having to protect them or whatever. But yeah, I thought I was. I remember watching his tape first rankings come out. I'm like, yeah, this guy's a first round tackle. Like look at watch him move. And then some people got way higher on him than me and I'm like, I mean he's an amazing athlete, but when you draft a guy in the first round, that guy's probably going to play for most teams. That's why I thought like for the, you know, for the Eagles it's an interesting one for, for teams that can kind of red shirt them, it's an interesting option. You know, maybe the Cowboys, he's an interesting in play there, pick 20. But if you got to start them in there right away we're having a much different conversation.
- [51:40]
Robert Mays
Let's get to the Chicago Bears at 25. I'm going to open this up a little bit just because my first option was going to be draft Keldrick Folk. And I, if I, if I were as a Bears fan, I think that just, I don't like it like it just. I just don't like it as an option because what they need is past rush juice. Even if I think he does check a lot of boxes when it comes to the length that Dennis Allen teams typically like at edge, all of that stuff I the past the lack of pass rush productivity. Even if he does make sense in some other ways, it would just drive me crazy as a fan of a team that desperately needs pass rush help. So let's just open it up to draft your favorite edge rusher here for the Bears with option number one. Option number two is draft Emmanuel McNear Warren if he is available, you could potentially this draft specifically for the Bears safety I think is probably the biggest need they have on the entire roster just for like a day one starter right now. But we've talked about this. Safety is a position where you can wait into the second round and they have two second round picks and so they don't necessarily need to show a lot of urgency at safety in the first round. But I still think McNeil Warren is worth discussing as an option here. Option number three was going to be draft Peter woods because I get. I just think they need a difference maker up front no matter which position he plays. But he's gone already. So let's just open that up to draft your top available defensive tackle with woods off the board. So edge rusher Emmanuel McNeil Warren defensive tackle. And then there is another position. Again, I think this is a sneaky offensive line team if we want to talk about that as well. So pass rusher McNeil Warren, draft your best defensive tackle and then we can talk about the offensive tackle option later.
- [53:20]
Mike Renner
Was at Alabama's pro day which if you know their prospects, which prospect would he be looking at Alabama's pro days? Probably getting Proctor. So I do think that's in play. I think safety's in play but I don't think Emmanuel McNeil warns the safety they're going for. I was on, I was talking with Greg Gabriel, he does Shrine bowl scouting with me and he's like they want they turn their safety room over because they want more range. They want guys who are back end, whatever. And this is great class for the 57 or 60 guys like Genesis Smith, guys like Bud Clark. Like there are coverage athletes that are going to be there that you know again we talked about male McNeil Warner earlier. That's not really his game. So I don't think going to Kobe
- [54:01]
Robert Mays
Bryant you can just see me, he's a converted corner. I mean just like the range that Kobe Bryant plays with, you can, you can see them already kind of drifting in that direction.
- [54:08]
Mike Renner
That's what they want and that's why they got rid of their room from last year. So I don't think I'm taking one here Thienaman if he was here, sure. Dylan Diedman's the guy. Not a male McNeil Warren. Even if I'm a little bit higher on Warren than Thieman. So honestly this is, I like Akeem Mezador here for this team because their window is tomorrow and as much as I love Austin Booker, I'm like Austin Booker probably is better as a third down guy or just like a pass rush down guy than Mezador can be an early down guy and then also he can kick inside on third downs. The guy played second most staffs in college football this past year, doesn't come off the football field. He can be a every down sort of guy for you and then be an interior pass rusher where he cut his teeth at West Virginia. So I, I Mezzador is the one for me for the Bears where if you're going to draft Ned Rusher at this point, yeah, it's not a long term move. I mean his career length is his rookie contract basically. But this is a guy that can change this team's fortune overnight and that's, you know, they're there, they're at the precipice, they just need A guy right now.
- [55:13]
Robert Mays
And when you mentioned Diodango tore his Achilles on November 3rd and so what his return timeline looks like, like there is, you could, there's an argument Austin Booker, somebody you may need to play on early downs early in the season if Odengbo is still working back considering how the rest of that room looks. And so having somebody that can contribute right away can give you a little bit of pass rush juice can bump inside potentially if necessary. I think all of those things make sense. And I do think it's an interesting kind of contrast again between drafting a guy like him and drafting a guy like Falk, where even if you can make an argument that the upside with Falk is higher and you're more interested in the Runway for a team in this exact position. And considering the timeline, I think it's telling that if they drafted Mezador, I'd be like, I understand the limitations, but I still think it's an exciting pick. And if they drafted Falk, I'd be like, seriously, like this is what you're going with here. And so I again, we shouldn't be letting the emotionality of the fan base dictate how these picks are going. But I think in this particular instance
- [56:10]
Mike Renner
there's a little bit of signal in it 100%. I mean like there's. Yes, because I do believe in drafting for, you know, the draft is yes, long term moves, but you draft for where you're at as a franchise and you can make some shorter term moves when you have a shorter term window. So I, I'm all for a move
- [56:31]
Robert Mays
like this offensive tackle. It's one of those things where if they drafted an offensive tackle at 25, my response would be I'd be frustrated that it's necessary like that. That that would be, that's how I would respond to them drafting an offensive tackle at 25. Like I cannot believe they've had to spend a first or second round pick in multiple years on offensive tackles because of how this played out. But I could also understand believing this is what you have to do. Like if you don't think Trappell is going to be back until 2027 at the very earliest and you don't know what he's going to be and you do think that you have a couple year timeline to actually get this thing done, are you going to feel better about the state of your roster if you have that spot at left tackle lockdown over the next two years than anything else you could do with that first round pick? I do Think that's a justifiable way of thinking about it. Even if it's an extremely frustrating place to have landed considering the way the last couple of years have played out.
- [57:27]
Mike Renner
Yeah, I mean a third and then a second and then a first and three straight drafts to just find one guy. The way this tackle class fell though, I would not want to, I wouldn't take you, Hannah Shore. I wouldn't take me, I wouldn't take right side guys and say hey, you're left side guy now right away and think that that's going to fix it. I would probably, like I said, I'd lean messy door over probably pretty much anyone here.
- [57:51]
Robert Mays
Well here this is my galaxy brain thought they signed Braxton Jones that one year deal. Braxton Jones could potentially play early. Are we in a spot where you move a hanasure over to the left side all off season you let him learn for the first half of the year. You drop him in there and now you have a hana Shore, Tuni, whoever you drafted and it'll be, it'll be Bradbury for this year but then whoever you drafted center in the third round and then on the right side you have Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright and you've got those two with the hana Shore on the left side and you just say like this is, this is what we are, this is what we are for the next three years. Like whatever. We are going to commit to this then double down. I actually do. I can get excited about that as like a plan. I, I, I, it's not hard for me to get there pretty quickly.
- [58:40]
Mike Renner
I mean whoever drafts Maxi onshore, their fan base is going to be buzzing like right, like he, he is a very easy prospect to get excited about now. Might not be buzzing in November when you know you're having to chip every time on pass plays but like it's very easy to talk yourself into what he could be. So yeah, I mean a hunch or is a, he's, he's a very intriguing prospect.
- [59:03]
Robert Mays
All right, let's run through these very quickly. At 19, Omar Cooper Jr. Going to the Carolina Panthers. Every time I think about that one, I like it more. At 20, Avian Terrell going to the Dallas Cowboys, the cornerback from Clemson at 21. This is definitely the wrench in this but I completely understand why we landed here. Ty Simpson, the quarterback from Alabama going to the Pittsburgh Steelers 22 Peter woods from Clemson going to the Chargers 23 Monroe Freeling, the tackle from Clemson going to the Eagle or from Georgia going to the Eagles 24. The for whatever reason the break. The, the Monroe Freeling, Blake Miller thing is just. I, I, I don't understand why I keep getting those two mixed up in my head, but I do. So we got Moreau Freeley going to the Eagles at 23. Caleb Blow moved from Utah going to the Browns at 24. Akeem Mezador the pass rusher from Miami going to the Bears at 25. Any of these that you particularly like?
- [59:58]
Mike Renner
I mean I really like the Omar Cooper one. I think that the Panthers it's like just trust the process. You know it's a lot of wide receivers in the first round. It's a lot of draft capital. But that is a top gosh, five receiving corps very, very soon if you draft a guy like Omar Cooper and then I think I love the way the board played for the Eagles getting Monroe Freeling. Now will he fall there? Probably not. But like if you got Monroe Freeling to replace Lane Johnson to it was, was lane the number one RAs. I know I saw Monroe Freeman was number two RAs all time. Like he might be you, you might have number one and number two RAs because those guys are specimens. So what better of an offensive tackle to learn behind than Lane Johnson?
- [60:41]
Robert Mays
For him the only mark where Lane doesn't, the only two marks where Lane doesn't clock in at like the 99th percentile are height and weight. Those are the only two 34 inch vertical, 910 broad, 472-4168 10 yard split, 452 shuttle and then a 7313 cone at 66. He just all time, all time freak of nature. I mean like there's very few guys have ever walked into the NFL draft that look and move like Lane Johnson
- [61:16]
Mike Renner
and what he was ot3 that year somehow.
- [61:19]
Robert Mays
I mean just one of the weirder drafts in recent memory, but one that clearly worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles. I mean there was a little bit of projection right where it was like ah, you know he just, he had played with, he was a tight end, right? He was like a quarterback tight end. Yeah, it was just, it was just, just one of those things. But a very very strong lesson in just draft the athlete. And there is a potential as far as this exercise goes for the Eagles to be doing that again with Monroe Freeling. Mike, please tell the people where they can check out all of the excellent draft work that you are doing over there on CBS.
- [61:52]
Mike Renner
Yeah, go to CBS sports.com check out my draft board. I got some articles coming up. I got a notebook coming up next week of all kind of like my off the wall thoughts on this draft class that I think is going to be pretty interesting. So go ahead and check that out.
- [62:05]
Robert Mays
All right, that's all we've got for today. Building the Beast will be your guys way tomorrow. And then like I alluded to, we are going to be talking a little bit of offensive line on Thursday's show. Very excited about that. For now, that's all we got. Appreciate you listening. We'll talk to you guys very soon. Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to hit that subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed what you heard, please like comment and leave a rating. We'll see you next time.
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Mike Renner
Nah, I'm just kidding. Let me get my phone out.
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We get the same great signal as
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Mike Renner
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