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- [00:00]
Todd McShay
This episode is brought to you by no Bull. Every day is an opportunity to grow stronger, especially when you've got best in class award winning footwear backing you up. No bowl is a footwear brand for training and for daily life, built to support you in your pursuit of physical, mental and emotional strength. And get this exclusive for the McShay show listeners, no bull is offering 30 off your order. Visit nobleproject.com/mcshay for 30% off your entire order. That's N O B U L L P R O j e c t.com backslash McShay for 30% off.
- [00:39]
Mensch
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- [01:12]
Todd McShay
We've got a fun one today. If you're an NFL fan, today's show is for you. If you're an NFL draft fan, today's show's for you. If you're a fantasy football fan or a general manager, today's show is for you. Now that we know where all these prospects have landed today, we identify the top rookie impact offensive skill players for the 2025 NFL season. And we can take the time to do so because we're 350 days away from next year's NFL draft. Mensch, you good?
- [01:45]
Mensch
I'm good, man.
- [01:46]
Todd McShay
All right, let's roll it. Thanks for being here early in May. We appreciate everyone there. YouTube, Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah, the McShay Report. It's out. You can Google it. A lot of stuff coming up this month. Get involved. Thanks for being here. And we're. I'm excited for today, Manchu.
- [02:24]
Mensch
Yeah, this is great. We're fantasy guys now. This is a fantasy thing, man. It's a fantasy exercise.
- [02:29]
Todd McShay
Would you calm down? Let me fix this mic. Honest to goodness, the pushback, Listen, I love it.
- [02:37]
Mensch
I think it's great. There's no pushback.
- [02:39]
Todd McShay
I do think more of this. It was not fun conceptually. That's not like. That's not how we arrived at this plan. Right, right, right. But as I was starting to map it out, I've got, I've got Dan helping me and he's. I, I sent him a bunch of ideas. He's like, well, why don't we do a draft? I'm like, I love a draft. Mitch loves a draft. Let's draft it up. And then it start. But then it is. I'm reading through the concept and I'm starting to put it pen to paper and I'm like, oh, wait, this isn't just for like fans of NFL teams. This isn't just for like NFL draft junkies like ourselves. This is also for your gm like that. I don't even like the dynasty leagues and all that stuff. Yeah, this is kind of for you too. So here's the concept. You ready? Rookie impact offensive skill position players. Why are we doing it now in.
- [03:32]
Mensch
The afc, by the way? We're doing the AFC today. Just want to make that clear.
- [03:35]
Todd McShay
Thank you, men. I mean, that is why. Best wingman in the business. We're doing it now because now we know where they're playing now we have an under now. Free agencies happen. And so there's. It's been sorted out. We kind of understand the rosters clearer than we have in the last several months. We also have the draft picks where they're going to be playing. And yeah, we'll know a little bit more when they get to camp and we'll know, you know, and we can still build on this. But as of right now, there, I mean, I've got friends who text me like I'm getting ready for my. What is it like the dynasty draft or like the year over year? So, yeah, I think it could be a helpful tool. I mean, we're sickos too. So I understand the concept.
- [04:14]
Mensch
Yeah.
- [04:15]
Todd McShay
You know, one of us, same cloth, just different pattern. So that's it. So here, here's how it's going to work. It's a snake draft, as mentioned. As mentioned, AFC only. We'll come back on Monday and we'll do the nfc. So you'll. You'll basically get between the two shows today and Monday. Next Monday you'll get both the AFC and the nfc and it essentially we're going to break it up into a draft. Men, you go first.
- [04:45]
Mensch
Right?
- [04:46]
Todd McShay
Okay. We're gonna do a snake draft. Gonna be on the fly. Deal with us as. As we make mistakes and go through it. But it's always fun that way. Here's how we decided to do it. No quarterbacks. It just like we know Cam Ward's going to start like there may not be another Quarterback starter from this year's class as a rookie. This is all about the 2025 season. Who can you expect to be the highest impact offensive skill position players, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. And in fantasy football type fashion, we are to draft a running back, a running back, two wide receivers and one tight end with a flex position. Digging into my fantasy knowledge. So here. So. So it's a snake draft setup. Okay, so mention I each get and starts with Mensch, then it'll go to me. I get picked two and pick three, then men gets four and five and then I get six and seven. All right, you understand the concept. So you get one pick each from round one. Gonna leave some good talent on the table. One pick each from round two. Then we each get two picks from rounds three through five. And then we each get one pick from six and seven. And just throwing a little bit more knowledge, digging deep into our scouting reports, deep into our pages, we're gonna do bonus picks to each undrafted free agents. Here are some guys like this gets away from the. I know, I know. I can't help myself.
- [06:26]
Mensch
I think it's great, though. I think it is great. It's fun.
- [06:29]
Todd McShay
Well, it's better than Dan. Dan Comer's not here today. He's in Ojai, man. He's chilling up in Ojai, doing his thing on the coast. It's beautiful up there in Cali. Got a day in Ojai. He wanted to do a whole show on undrafted free agents. I'm like, listen, I'm a lunatic man. But that.
- [06:47]
Mensch
Right.
- [06:48]
Todd McShay
That might be pushing it a little bit. So we're going to do two undrafted free agents each part of the rotation. Okay. And we'll put them on the bench. So a running back, two receivers, a tight end and then two bench. Play one flex, be a wide receiver, running back or tight end and then two bench players. Okay, Everyone get the concept. Let's roll. I've got a whole sheet here. Okay. My sheet of all the AFC offensive skill players that were drafted through the seven rounds bench with the first overall pick in the AFC offensive skill position player draft. You are on. Here we go.
- [07:37]
Mensch
I love it. We're already back into that sound. Here we go.
- [07:39]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [07:39]
Mensch
This is a. This is a no.
- [07:40]
Todd McShay
Fond memories, Tucker. Fond memories.
- [07:43]
Mensch
Yes. This is an absolute no brainer, right? I mean, we're turning the car right away. You know, this is the worst kept secret. We're taking Ash Genti.
- [07:52]
Todd McShay
I think it's an it.
- [07:54]
Mensch
We'll get into this in A second. I know you're gonna make an argument for your guy because that's what you do. You just have to. You're wrong. I'll tell you why in a minute. Astro Jetty, the running back for Boise State. You don't draft a guy that early, McShay, and not make him the focal point of your offense. Yeah. Brock Bowers, maybe the best tight end in the league, has a chance to be. I mean, outstanding. Awesome. They drafted some receivers. They got Jack Besh out of tcu. Good. That's great. There is no way they're not handing that ball off to Ashton Genti early and often. He's by far their best back. You know the volume is going to be there in terms of carries. You also know the volume is going to be there, I think, in terms of the passing game. I think they're going to involve the passing game. Chip Kelly, the offense coordinator, was at Ohio State last year, had a couple talented backs, knew how to use them. He's going to know exactly how to use Jason Genti, too. To me, this is. I think he's the odds on favorite. We should get these odds. But I think he's probably the odds on favorite to be a rookie of the offensive rookie of the year. I just think this is.
- [08:51]
Todd McShay
I mean, ask FanDuel for the NFC show on, on Monday. We'll get those. Those odds. Okay.
- [08:57]
Mensch
Yeah, it's. It's so obvious to me. I'm having a hard time coming up with things to say about it. It's just that clear to me.
- [09:03]
Todd McShay
I don't disagree that it's a, that it's a great choice. Okay. The only thing I wondered with this first pick and you, you turned the card in fast. I didn't have time to.
- [09:16]
Mensch
Ready to go?
- [09:16]
Todd McShay
Yeah. I like, you boxed me out. I was trying to get a little jab in before you started. The only part of it is it's tricky because the wide receivers run out fast because it's not a good group.
- [09:29]
Mensch
We already got the odds. Look at this.
- [09:31]
Todd McShay
Look at Tucker, man. Yeah. Ashton Jinty plus 270. Cam Ward plus 380. Oh, my pick is third on the list. But I did want to say. I did want to say because there it was a really good tight end group. But when you start getting out of the rounds now, all of a sudden we're in the third round. If you don't have a tight end, it gets interesting, right, because. Because we did have Tyler Warren and, and Colston Loveland's in the Bears in The other conference and we did have Mason Taylor. He's going to be available in round two. But, but, but Jake Ferguson. Not Jake. Terence Ferguson from Oregon is, is, is in the other conference, as is Elijah Arroyo. Okay, so there's a limited pool in the AFC of tight ends and that's why I thought you would consider Tyler Warren there. As I say that I did too, but I'm not taking Tyler Warren. I'm taking the best offensive skill position player in this draft. And he just so happens to be two sides of the ball. But they made it perfectly clear in Jacksonville. Travis Hunter is wide receiver first and we'll figure out how we're going to utilize him on that side of the ball. Aston Jint. Jinty's rush yards over under a 50. While they are putting some stock in your boy.
- [10:54]
Mensch
I'm. Man, I'm taking over.
- [10:56]
Todd McShay
I love how Tucker's now all of us. He's, he's, he's serving as. First of all, he's, he's your hype man.
- [11:04]
Mensch
Always.
- [11:05]
Todd McShay
Yeah, Tucker's locked in. And second of all, Second of all, he's, he's distracting me, but I love it. It's a good distraction.
- [11:14]
Mensch
It's me and he's playing like it's April, man. He's locked in.
- [11:17]
Todd McShay
I'm taking Travis Hunter, second pick in this draft, second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in a trade that shocked a lot of us. Even though we were getting information that Jacksonville was trying to do it, I didn't think Cleveland was going to do it Important for this. I want you as a, as an audience. When you think of Travis Hunter just as a receiver, I think you can expect to see out of him what we saw out of Garrett Wilson as a rookie with the Jets. Think about the impact that Garrett had. Okay?
- [11:49]
Mensch
That's a good, good comparison.
- [11:51]
Todd McShay
It's all about ball skills and yak with this guy, okay? Like, he is so creative and slippery getting off the line of scrimmage. He's smooth in his movements and all those things, but where he's rare and different is with his, his catch radius and his ability to adjust to the football. And when you've got Trevor Lawrence as a quarterback, it's not always going to be pinpoint accuracy. So I think that that will aid in this, this mission for Jacksonville to get Trevor Lawrence back on track. I think also what helps a quarterback a lot, a guy who you can get screenshots, 3 yard outs, 5 yard outs, quick slants, all that. So the quick game I Think his ability after the catch. This is a guy who had three drops on 128 targets last year. I'm telling you, it's rare. Rare ball skills. And I would go back and debate a couple of those three drops, by the way. And he's absolutely special with the ball in his hand. So. So we brought in Liam Cohen, head coach. Right. I want you to remember OC of the Buccaneers last year, one of the highest 11 personnel teams in the national football. 78%. They were almost 80% of the time. They were in three, three receiver sets. They're going to move him around, they're going to put him in the slot. They're going to move him out wide. He's. I just, I love his fit there. And, and it's. Honestly, this is every. The entire off season was about getting Trevor Lawrence fixed. And, and right. Is. Is certainly a qualified man to do that. And, and they, they didn't give away a first next year. And all they gave away to bring him in and make him your average, like number two, number three receiver. This guy is going to be, you know, he's going to be a major, major factor for, for Jacksonville in year one.
- [13:48]
Mensch
I hear you. Is he wide receiver one on this team? I mean, at best he's 1A right. I mean, Brian Thomas is coming off an outrageous season.
- [13:59]
Todd McShay
No, he's probably two.
- [14:00]
Mensch
So I just want to say. I just want to see that. I want to see two things. This is why I hesitate. I love. We all love the player, right?
- [14:05]
Todd McShay
Let's.
- [14:05]
Mensch
Let's not kid ourselves. Everyone loves the player. And I hear exactly what you're saying. I think you make some great points. Don't get me wrong. I want to see the target share. I want to see how they utilize him, how they manage him. He could be a guy that, you know, doesn't get a ton of touches and puts up a ton of production. I mean, that's his. That, that's the kind of ability he has. And I want to see is. Is Lawrence fixed? They're doing everything they can for him. And I thought Trevor Lawrence was a lock. As close to a lock as you can get coming out of college. Is he fixed? I want to know if he's fixed before. You know, this is. I'm catching myself here too. There was only two other players you could have picked, right? Tyler Warren at tight end. Because there's only four skill players taken.
- [14:47]
Todd McShay
For the hunter Genty, Warren and Omari and Hampton.
- [14:51]
Mensch
So it's a no brainer that you take. Take Hunter here, but I would say that Genti is clearly head and shoulders the first pick, and then it's Hunter above the other two. Because here's the thing with Tyler Warren, who's throwing on the ball. Is it. Is it?
- [15:05]
Todd McShay
Oh, that's why they are like.
- [15:08]
Mensch
So I want to see that, too. And then Omari and Hampton, I think I would probably take third. Third overall. But they got Naji Harris. They're gonna. They might use him a little bit differently. Justin Herbert's gonna throw the ball. I think he's. I think Justin Herbert's still the focal point of that offense where I think Genti will be the. The focal point of the. Of the Raiders offense. So, I mean, it's easy to. In those 4. Those first four picks in the first round. I think it's easy to slot them, but I don't. I think if you're making an argument you would take Travis Hunter over Ash and Genti. Come on. Come on.
- [15:37]
Todd McShay
It is a clip. This off Tucker because he's getting a little. He's getting a little. Yeah. A mecca. Buka wasn't going in the first round.
- [15:48]
Mensch
I think you're getting too much sun, man. I think you're getting too much sun.
- [15:51]
Todd McShay
I know I've been in the sun a lot. It's been nice. It's been nice. I walked like six miles today. Feeling it. All right. It's a snake draft. So I get. I get the next one.
- [16:03]
Mensch
You get the next one?
- [16:04]
Todd McShay
Yep. This one's interesting for me, man. I'm passing on six other offensive skill position players that were drafted in the second round ahead of RJ Harvey to take RJ Harvey. Six of them. There's other running backs, there's other wide receivers. There's other tight ends. So this is where. If you're a fantasy football player, you might want to listen up.
- [16:28]
Mensch
Yeah.
- [16:29]
Todd McShay
Because. Because the. The like a lot of people with some of the medical stuff, long term, thought maybe RJ Harvey's third, maybe fourth round. The tape said. Absolutely. Second round. Love this guy. You know what I love about RJ Harvey, by the way? He's the Broncos draft pick at. At number six, 60 overall. I. I love this. I love. Let's talk about the player first, then we'll get to Denver. I love the fact this guy paid his dues. He started off as a quarterback back at Virginia in 2019. He bought. He transferred over to UCF as a running back. He, you know, he was in a kind of a rotation a little bit early on. Didn't do Much second year he was set to be, you know, he was set to be a starter and wound up getting injured before the season. Then like this third season there he winds up, he winds up like third and carries as he's kind of getting back to four full, full speed. But the last two seasons you go look at what he did and it's 2,993 yards on 458 carries, 38 touchdowns, caught 39 passes for this is the important one. 13 yards per catch match. This guy like usually running backs is like 7.8, 9.2 13 yards per catch. I think, I think now I get it. Like shorter frame but he's tightly packed. Excellent top end speed. Also showed like the lower body explosiveness. A 38 vertical, the 107 broad. Like RJ Harvey is a dude and Sean Payton recognized he's a dude and that's why Sean Payton stepped in after they couldn't move up and go get Ashton Jinty and said don't worry about it. I just spent two hours in the film room. He's my guy. Let's take him in the second round. Everyone is talking about him maybe in the third. Let's take him at the end of the second. Let's get ahead of the curve. And you think about like Sean Payton does not like to spend early round picks on offensive weapons. He thinks he's, he can kind of create them. Well now he spends an early round pick on an offensive weapon and he can create what that role is. I just, I love, I love Andre estimate is, is the backup but he could take some of the pounding carries off of him and that will keep him healthy and fresh. I, I just, I think this is a perfect spot for RJ Harvey. In fact I gave him the, the Aaron Jones comp. I think he can be for that offense. What Aaron Jones has been in the NFL.
- [19:02]
Mensch
Talk to me about why you passed on Judkins. Quinton Junkins. They're both Ohio State backs. Quinton Junkins at the Browns.
- [19:09]
Todd McShay
Yep.
- [19:10]
Mensch
And Travion Henderson who I know you love with New England. That one seems a little more obvious. That's maybe a workload thing that Henderson. We're talking about impact and I think Henderson could have a great impact for New England but he may not play a big enough role early on as.
- [19:23]
Todd McShay
I think Henderson's going to be a lot more passing game and like you're talking about in a rotation touches though, right? I think more overall so too. Yeah, I think we'll see. But I, I right Sean. I mean, look at Bo Nix when Sean Payton goes in and comes out of the tape room or out of a pro day and says, this is my guy. It's not like the general manager who's now trying to sell the coach, the head coach who then has to sell the OC like it is the play caller for the organization.
- [19:54]
Mensch
Right.
- [19:54]
Todd McShay
Making that pick, saying, right.
- [19:56]
Mensch
He.
- [19:57]
Todd McShay
That set of specific skills that he carries fits exactly what I want. Let's go.
- [20:05]
Mensch
That's right.
- [20:06]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [20:07]
Mensch
That's great. It's a good example because I know you had both Ohio State guys ranked higher.
- [20:10]
Todd McShay
Oh, yeah.
- [20:11]
Mensch
You know, this is just an example of what this. This, this exercise is supposed to do. It's all about the fit, the landing spot, the how. How many touches, volume. All of that stuff comes into play now.
- [20:20]
Todd McShay
100%.
- [20:21]
Mensch
Great.
- [20:22]
Todd McShay
Yeah. All right, so you're. You're up.
- [20:24]
Mensch
My. This was the easiest pick. This was almost as easy as. As Jenty in the first. I took the LSU tight end Mason Taylor going to the jets because I just think when you start looking at these tight ends and the roles they're going to play and again, how many touches are they going to get? Mason Taylor is tight end one for the Jets. I'm not sure there's another guy going down that list who is a lock to be tight end one. So I saw that. And you're mapping out where you're going to go in the future. And to me, it's Mason Taylor in the second round. He's ready to go, man. He. We. We've talked about this ad nauseam, but we'll do it again because I think it's very true. The way LSU used him is borderline frustrating.
- [21:08]
Todd McShay
Yes.
- [21:09]
Mensch
Just gonna run him in the flat, gonna dump the ball off to him, you know, put him in motion, dump the ball off to him in the flat. They didn't do enough with him, in my opinion. They did. They mixed in a little bit of. Of some seam routes and all that stuff. I think when you get him to the pros, he's going to be a far more productive pro because you look at that skill set, you look at that frame, and he's. I think he's going to take off if they can get him the ball. Like Justin Fields is a little bit concerned out how consistent he will be. I get that. But in terms of volume, I think he's by far the best tight end left on this list in terms of how many touches he's going to get and the role he's going to play. So for me, this was easy. This is, this is, you know, when you're looking at a fantasy draft, this is why people take or have traditionally taken a Travis Kelce earlier. Why they'll take Brock Bowers early because tight ends are tough to find that play a big role in their offense. So to me, I was a lock for Mason Taylor.
- [22:00]
Todd McShay
I agree. Yeah. I mean, quite honestly, I.42 sounded about right, but I. It wouldn't have surprised me if he came off the board earlier. Absolutely need it. And with that quarterback situation, you need security over the middle of the field and. And Mason Taylor's perfect for Justin Fields.
- [22:17]
Mensch
Love it. So the next.
- [22:20]
Todd McShay
Yep.
- [22:21]
Mensch
And this is now we're got. So I. We've both exhausted our first and second round picks, right?
- [22:25]
Todd McShay
Yep.
- [22:25]
Mensch
Now we're in the three to five.
- [22:28]
Todd McShay
Yep.
- [22:28]
Mensch
I've got my running back, my tight end. I better get some receivers, man. And I am going with Kyle Williams, the third round pick for the New England Patriots for a couple of reasons. They have. They have bodies there. They signed Matt Collins. They got Stefan Diggs who's coming off the knee injury. They got Pop, Douglas, Kendrick, Bourne. There's a lot of bodies there. I think Kyle Williams has a chance to be a top three receiver on opening day. Just think he's that talented. He's a 44 guy. He's only 5 11, 190. But I like the way he gets off the line. I like he stacks his vertical routes. I think he's got a lot of upside as a short to intermediate route runner. And then you got Josh McDaniels who I think is an excellent coordinator in terms of putting receivers in great matchups and great situations and understanding how to attack defenses. And then you add on top of that, of course, like this is the most important part of the deal. You have Drake May at quarterback and I think Drake May.
- [23:18]
Todd McShay
We'll see.
- [23:18]
Mensch
Could be a sophomore slump. That happens. It happens with guys. I think he's. He's ready to elevate his game to the next level. He's got all the talent in the world and you're giving him a talent like Kyle Williams. And I'm getting him with my third overall pick. I like, I, I think Williams is good there.
- [23:33]
Todd McShay
Yeah. And the league spoke and the league's agreeing with you. I mean he was the first wide receiver taken rounds three through five. He was the second offensive skill position player taken in rounds three through five. So like. Yeah.
- [23:46]
Mensch
And it's a good landing spot even if you don't like the rankings, you start looking at some of the other names that were in the AFC there. I mean, yeah, you start going like.
- [23:55]
Todd McShay
The pool gets shrunk. Right. Because it's the afc so we'll get to the NFC on Monday. The, it's the AFC in a wide receiver group that just wasn't great to begin with. And, and then you got a fact like Jaylen Noel, I absolutely adore. Like I, I should be screaming about this, but he was the second receiver taken by Houston. Houston's still got a couple cats with Nico Collins and Christian Kurt. So like, so he, at best, if things go really well, he's comes in as like the number four. So. And yeah, the two receivers that Tennessee.
- [24:32]
Mensch
Likes that they drafted, we like, we like both of them more. But then you look at, you know, they brought in a couple guys and now you have two there that they drafted in the same round. It gets muddy.
- [24:42]
Todd McShay
It's a rookie quarterback.
- [24:43]
Mensch
So you're making a rookie quarterback and who's targeting like it just again. Kyle Williams, I think is in a really good spot and he's a talented player.
- [24:51]
Todd McShay
Yeah. So I mentioned that Kyle Williams was the second offensive skill player from the AFC drafted in rounds three through five. The first was my pick, Harold Fannin, tight end, Bowling Green State University. Let me tell you a little bit about.
- [25:06]
Mensch
Is it State, Is it Bowling Green State?
- [25:08]
Todd McShay
Bgsu.
- [25:10]
Mensch
Oh, I, I did. I always call them Bowling Green. Man. That's interesting. Go ahead. Yeah, no, you're right. I'm sure you're right.
- [25:17]
Todd McShay
I'm lending a little, little love. Yeah. I'm learning today thing I love first like with, with fan and it's ball skills. Right. It's coming in and I trust him catching the football. 2.3 drop rate, 94th percentile last year. Okay. And actually the last two years it's just who he is. He's going to catch the football. He's not the biggest. He's not like huge catch radius in terms of like a 66 guy, but he catches everything in his neighborhood. And the second thing is it's almost like watching, I don't know, it's not a running back but it's like a little bit like a bigger back who's like in space. He's. It's a smooth and, and comfortable and a feel. He just has a natural feel that you don't normally see with tight ends. Right. With the ball in his hands after the catch. So. And it kind of, it got proven too when you start looking at you Know, going to pff and some of the numbers, like, he led all players that were invited the combine and missed tackles forced on receptions with 34. That's more than. Than Luther burden. Like, second on the list was Luther Bird. So that tells you, like, what he can do after the catch. Right?
- [26:31]
Mensch
So here's the Penn State tape.
- [26:32]
Todd McShay
Man, oh, man.
- [26:34]
Mensch
Yeah. I mean, he put up numbers against good competition.
- [26:37]
Todd McShay
Was it Texas A M too? Right?
- [26:39]
Mensch
It was a. It wasn't not A M. There was another big school. I think it was A M. I.
- [26:43]
Todd McShay
Think it was A M. I remember.
- [26:45]
Mensch
Looking right on the screen. I'll double check what you're talking.
- [26:46]
Todd McShay
Okay. So. So, so we know he's going to catch the football and we know we can create after the catch. Okay. And then I talk and then I think about Cleveland. And this is why I hesitated for a minute. I'm like, they've got David Joku, but this is a team that had Jordan Akins a year ago as the. As the number two tight end. He was fourth on the team with 40 catches. So now Fanon steps into that role. And Stefanski. Yeah, they were in like 72% of the time or something like that in. In three. In three receiver sets. But maybe it was just because they didn't. They didn't have the, the personnel. And I think Stefanski will try to be a little bit more loose with the 12 personnel, giving Ninjoku some. Some breathers.
- [27:30]
Mensch
I don't know.
- [27:30]
Todd McShay
I. I think Fanon's got a chance to be. I'm not saying he's gonna. He's not gonna have a monster rookie year, but getting him is the, you know. The what? The. The third pick here. And as a third through round three, through round five guy I feel really good about. Then I got my flat. Go ahead.
- [27:46]
Mensch
Hold on. Fannin had 11 for 137 in a touchdown against Penn State. And then two weeks later, cut 8 for 145 and a touchdown. Again, Texas A and M. The other thing, I will just say this quickly about that landing spot, too. I love this. The fancy thing. One of the surprises for me with the Browns was they weren't aggressive about addressing the wide receiver position in the draft. I mean, they need pass catchers.
- [28:06]
Todd McShay
He becomes. Yeah, a slot.
- [28:09]
Mensch
Exactly. They don't have. They don't have a ton. They have Jerry Judy on the outside and then a couple, like, some bodies. So I think when you're looking at that, it makes sense that they go more 12, that they get fan involved a Lot.
- [28:20]
Todd McShay
He's a big slot.
- [28:22]
Mensch
I agree. You know, you can run split zone with him where he comes across the formation and blocks a linebacker or yeah, you know, you can use him as a move blocker. But yeah, he, I think you're right. He's essentially a big slot receiver. This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. Not everyone is careful with your personal information, which might explain why there's a victim of identity theft every five seconds in the U.S. fortunately, there's LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity. If your identity is stolen, a US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year by visiting lifelock.com podcast terms apply.
- [29:04]
Todd McShay
So that puts me in a predicament now. Right.
- [29:09]
Mensch
Painted himself into a corner.
- [29:12]
Todd McShay
A little. But I, I honestly, I think the wide receiver class painted us both into a corner.
- [29:17]
Mensch
Oh man. Killed us.
- [29:19]
Todd McShay
Right. And so I'm look, I'm looking at this rounds three through five and there's some other wide receivers. Yeah. Like you took Kyle Williams. There's, there's Pat Bryant. I mentioned Jalen Noel Chamiri dk, who I love out of Florida, but a kind of a developmental guy. I said from the start, ran, he ran. 90% of his routes in my, in my recollection are deep crossers. Right. So he's got some growing to do. And he's got a rookie quarterback, Aran Smith can't catch the football.
- [29:43]
Mensch
Yeah. I was surprised he. Yeah.
- [29:46]
Todd McShay
That early. But he's a burner. And so, but like again, developmental stuff there you get down to like Jalen Royals coming off the injury. Kc I considered that. Alec AO Manor. I considered that. But again, the second tight end for, I mean second wide receiver for Tennessee. So I went running back here with.
- [30:08]
Mensch
None of those guys.
- [30:09]
Todd McShay
I went with none of them. None of them.
- [30:13]
Mensch
I love it.
- [30:13]
Todd McShay
I filled my flex spot. It's a fantasy.
- [30:16]
Mensch
Don't reach for need, baby. Don't reach for.
- [30:18]
Todd McShay
Don't reach for need. Why am I going to take a receiver that like might be a three or four There you go with a rookie quarterback or can't catch the ball or only runs deep crossers when I can take Caleb Johnson, right, The Iowa running back.
- [30:34]
Mensch
It's like those crazy guys who have to fill out their fantasy roster when they're going through the draft and end up taking a kicker in round like eight or nine. It's like, dude, what are you doing? Like you. Those are the guys that everyone Else starts whispering about in the draft like dude, this guy doesn't know what he's doing. Yeah. Yeah.
- [30:50]
Todd McShay
So Caleb Johnson was. Was interesting study. Right. He was a three year player but just a one year starter. Right. But he finished with almost 2800 rushing yards. 508 carries. Six most in program history. 29. Only 29 catches though in, in three seasons. I will throw that in. And he also like the, the combine was concerning and it wasn't the 4, 5, 7. It was the 16210 yard split. Quinshon Judkins, similar build, similar. I don't want to say style. Judkins is downhill. This guy's his own block scheme. Okay. Kind of patient. Go. But he was a 162 which was tied for worst among all the running backs. Again, it's just a number but it showed up on tape sometimes so it'll be interesting to see how it translates. But his, his run skills are ideally suited. Outside zone. He's okay in inside zone but outside zone. But you can be effective in all of them. But I just as a zone zone blocking scheme fit. I loved his vision. His feel just. I thought his vision and feel were like the ingredients in his secret sauce.
- [32:06]
Mensch
Right. Caleb Johnson, no wasted motion.
- [32:08]
Todd McShay
No wasted motion. So much of his game is on feel and vision and, and he's got good contact balance, sets up his blocks is everything smooth. And I just envisioned him in that Pittsburgh offense and I think about what Najee Harris was at his best for that Pittsburgh offense. Remember the comp I gave to him when we went through all the running backs. We did the running back deep dive. It was Najee and now Naji's in LA in the Chargers and this like they know what they're doing. Pittsburgh, they didn't identify this guy and say let's use a. Our, our only day two pick, remember because the second round pick was on DK Metcalf. Our only day two pick. We're going to get this guy. And because he's a perfect fit. I see him in a rotation with Jalen Warren and with, and with Kenneth Gainwell who they brought in, but I think he's the guy. Rookie contract running back. Let's. Let's get every, let's squeeze every ounce of juice out of him and, and you know Pittsburgh's going to run the football, especially considering we don't even know who their freaking quarterback is right now.
- [33:17]
Mensch
No, we don't. And Kenneth G. Is a nice piece. He's a nice complimentary back. But they didn't Bring him in to be the number one guy. And if they thought they were comfortable with Jaylen Warren being the guy, you don't take Caleb Johnson that early.
- [33:28]
Todd McShay
So our only J2 pick. Yeah. So I like that one.
- [33:31]
Mensch
Yeah, I agree with you.
- [33:33]
Todd McShay
All right, so now you're up, right?
- [33:38]
Mensch
I believe that is correct.
- [33:40]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [33:42]
Mensch
And I am going with. This is my second three to five round pick. Right. And I'm going with my guy. I gotta go with my guy. You mentioned him, Pat Bryant from Illinois. Oh, I mean, he's just gotta be. I mean, look, I need a receiver. I think he's, you know, I think he went earlier than both of us expected when he looked at how he ran at the combine and the four sixes. But you look at the production average over 18 yards of catch in the Big Ten. Productive. Dude. Tape is way better. He plays way faster on tape. And then I think about him and Sean Payton's offense and he's a little smaller. But I can't help but think, Mike Thomas, I can't help but think he's going to be that physical slant receiver that they let run after the catch a little bit. I think Sean Payton has a plan for this young man when he drafts him that early. And you think about Bo Nix maybe taking the next step. I get excited about the idea of what Pat Bryant could do in that offense.
- [34:37]
Todd McShay
Yeah. And it's the same logic that I, that I applied to, to RJ Harvey.
- [34:43]
Mensch
Some guys you just trust, they know what they're doing when they take players. Right. Like, because Peyton knows how. Yeah, go ahead.
- [34:49]
Todd McShay
He's gonna make it fit. Yeah.
- [34:50]
Mensch
He's like, they have a plan. They, they don't draft a guy based on, oh, good tape, good talent. They draft the guy based on, does he fit with us? It's like, you know what it reminds me of is the watching Les need and Sean McVeigh talk about Puk and Nua.
- [35:03]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [35:04]
Mensch
When they do the behind the scenes. Right. Like, we'd love to get this guy. Right. He just, he, he's. I like guys who are where they're supposed to be when, when they're supposed to be there and all of those things. The, the. How much they trusted Puka Nua.
- [35:16]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [35:16]
Mensch
My guess is that McVeigh and his staff looked at, at Pat Bryant were like, man, like, I know he didn't run that well, but look at this tape.
- [35:23]
Todd McShay
Michael Thomas, right.
- [35:26]
Mensch
Would you tell me he didn't work out well? You know what I mean? Like, I think that that's the kind of player he could be in their scheme.
- [35:31]
Todd McShay
Yeah. And they, they identify and target. Sean does identifies and like, I'll take him around before maybe the league is going to take him.
- [35:40]
Mensch
Right.
- [35:41]
Todd McShay
But I want to make sure I get him.
- [35:43]
Mensch
Right. I'm not taking the chance he's not there next time around.
- [35:45]
Todd McShay
His, his list is shorter than a lot of teams lists in terms of like the draft, the draft board. His fits in his back pocket with like, I'm gonna get my guy. I don't care where the league takes him. And I sometimes, sometimes you look at it and say, well, that doesn't match the value. You could have gotten him in the fourth, but like, yet you could have not gotten him in the fourth, too. And if you specifically see like that. So it's the same thing with RJ Harvey, it's the same thing with Pat Bryant. And, and if you're a fantasy football fan out there, like, I would, I would put stock in the fact that, that Sean Payton made those two picks to fit his offense. And guess who gets to call the place. And by the way, the league had Bo Nicks late first, second yet last year.
- [36:26]
Mensch
Right.
- [36:27]
Todd McShay
Sean didn't.
- [36:28]
Mensch
Right. Just showing you.
- [36:30]
Todd McShay
I, I did. I, I had him late. I had early second.
- [36:34]
Mensch
Absolutely.
- [36:35]
Todd McShay
Sean didn't. And.
- [36:36]
Mensch
Right.
- [36:37]
Todd McShay
We saw. We saw. All right, so you've won more now.
- [36:40]
Mensch
I gotta go. Yeah, I gotta go to my seventh. Right?
- [36:43]
Todd McShay
Sixth, Seventh round.
- [36:44]
Mensch
Sixth. Seventh. And I took the Broussard Smith, your guy out of smu. Yeah. Went to the Chiefs. I think he went in the sixth round. Correct.
- [36:56]
Todd McShay
I like that. I like that. Pick no. 7. Look, he was early seven. Yeah, seven pick, 228 overall.
- [37:02]
Mensch
So he went the seventh to the Chiefs. And first of a little background of the player. Former wide receiver turns running back. But you, when you look at that background, you know he's good out of the backfield. You know that he can make plays for you in the passing game. And when I look at that and you're taking players later on and you're looking for a player who can play a role that could be productive. I mean, it's just it. They have very different profiles coming out of college. But in terms of the role that they could both play for the Chiefs, it's Jerick McKinnon all over for me. I mean, Jerick McKinnon, you know, similar size, similar speed. McKinnon ran a 4, 4 1. Smith ran a 4, 3 9. They got a 4, 39 running back, by the way. The Chiefs got a 4, 39 running BACK with a receiving profile and, and they got him in the seventh round. I mean, I think that's silly, to be honest with you. You look at McKinnon and there was, he had 56 catches one year for the Chiefs, I think was 20, 22. And Pacheco was in that, it was in that backfield. I mean, all these other guys were in this backfield and they still find a way to use McKinnon a ton of. And I think that's the same thing that Broussard Smith could do for them. So when you're looking that late in the draft and I'm trying to get a flex, I love that. I think this player has as a real opportunity to play a significant role in the passing game for them.
- [38:16]
Todd McShay
Yeah, I totally agree.
- [38:19]
Mensch
And McKinnon, the super interesting thing about that is because I do think they could be different players. McKinnon, if people remember, was a option quarterback, start his college career. Was it Georgia tailback? Georgia Southern, Georg Southern. Yes. Then he moves to tailback. I think he had 10 career catches. I think he had 10 career catches in college. And we're all sitting there saying, it just goes to show you, just because a player isn't used in a certain way doesn't mean they can't do something. And it's. You got to be careful about that stuff. You do have to take into account that they haven't done it in your report, but it doesn't mean they can't. And for a guy who is a former option, triple option guy to turn into a great receiving back in the NFL, he had a couple good years with Vikings too. I think it's super interesting.
- [39:06]
Todd McShay
Tommy Malot was, was picked 15. 15, 15 picks earlier, right? The Raiders quarterback.
- [39:18]
Mensch
Yep.
- [39:20]
Todd McShay
You're welcome. I say it was one less player you had to write up. But you did the tape. You, you knew. You saw it.
- [39:28]
Mensch
Oh, I watched them.
- [39:29]
Todd McShay
Yeah. Yeah, I know you did. You, you'll listen, you'll go watch and you'll tell me I'm an idiot when, when you think I'm crazy. But that one you agreed on. All right, so my pick, this is the final pick I have. And until we get to the undrafted guys.
- [39:42]
Mensch
Right.
- [39:42]
Todd McShay
And I have to fill a receiver spot, I, I, I went, I went what? I, you know, wide receiver with the first pick. And then I went with Travis. Travis Hunter.
- [39:57]
Mensch
Yep.
- [39:57]
Todd McShay
And, and then I went RJ Harvey.
- [40:00]
Mensch
And Harold, you did RJ Harvey, running back from ucf?
- [40:03]
Todd McShay
Yep. RJ Harvey. I should probably know my team better this Harold Fanon, tight end. Then Caleb Johnson is my flex because of value. And now I'm going. Lajante Wester, 6 round pick, 203 overall, coming out of Colorado. He was drafted by the Ravens. Tiny guy, man, five ten, 163 pounds. But he, but he, but he ran a four, four, six. And he's quicker than. He is fast. Listen to the. They had other guys, right? Jimmy Horn Jr. Ran fast. They get bigger guys. They get, they've got faster guys, all that. It was always Wester though, if you noticed, obviously Travis Hunter, but it was always Western, like getting the tough yards, like in a pinch, if they, if they were double teaming or rolling coverage to Travis Hunter, he showed up and he's been doing it for a while. Just nobody knew about. He was at FAU, Florida Atlantic for, for four seasons. Okay. The final season at FAU, he was second in the FBS with 108 catches. Nobody knew about. If a tree falls in the woods, like, nobody knows, but, but, but Colorado knew. Called him up, bring him in, come up, fly into Boulder. Thirteen games he played, played all 13 games, 74 catches, 931 yards, almost 13 yards per catch, 10 touchdowns. Okay? He's a tough little nugget, man. Western's a tough little nugget. I'm telling you, this guy's gonna, he's gonna get in there with the Ravens receiver room and he's gonna look around, they're gonna be taller than him and they're gonna be thicker and stronger than him. And Wester's gonna look around and be like, hey, I can play on this team. I'm a six round pick. I'm 163 pounds. I could play on this team. I'm telling you, he can't. He's gonna get his shot. You got Zay Flowers, you got Rashad Bateman, and you got DeAndre Hopkins, who's on like very last. Okay? Those are the three starters. Last year. Nelson Aguilar was the third leading receiver, okay? By. In terms of receptions by receivers for the Ravens, he's gone the fourth leading receiver in terms of receptions of the wide receiver. That, that room he's walking into with a bunch of bigger, older, stronger guys, whatever. The fourth leading receptions guy of the wide receiver group was Tylan Wallace, who's back, but he had 10 catches last year. There's a space, there's a spot for Wester. He's one of those guys.
- [42:45]
Mensch
Yeah, they show they had a plan for they can use smaller receivers. When they took Zay Flowers I mean, that was my concern with Zay flowers, how he's like 5 9, 175 pounds. I mean, that's scary how, how small he is.
- [42:57]
Todd McShay
But.
- [42:58]
Mensch
And I mean, he was outstanding. I mean, he's been outstanding when he's been on the field. And Wester gives you that guy who can play a similar role, and you got. Again, who's your quarterback? It's Lamar Jackson. If you're taking guys late, I want to, you know, you do this again. There's. These are the parallels with fantasy. When I. When you take guys late, you want to take guys who are in good situations. And Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson can get him the ball. So to me, that's. That's a good spot for him.
- [43:27]
Todd McShay
All right. I get the first pick of the UDFAs, right?
- [43:32]
Mensch
Lucky you.
- [43:33]
Todd McShay
I love it. My first bench spot. Then you get two UDFAs, and then I get the final one. Okay. Of all the undrafted free agents in the AFC and there are hundreds of them that wound up signing with NFL teams, I'm taking the one that just makes the most sense. Xavier Restrepo.
- [43:54]
Mensch
I love it.
- [43:55]
Todd McShay
Miami wide receiver, formerly the go to guy for Cam Ward, brought in, not drafted because he ran a 4, 8, 5, slow as molasses. He can't play in the NFL. He can't separate that speed. 45. He tried to say that it was a hamstring that was tight. We don't buy that. We're not drafting them. The league said Cam was like, hey.
- [44:22]
Mensch
What if it was, though? Can we just say that? Like, what if it was? Because he has.
- [44:26]
Todd McShay
I mean, I, I promise you, I saw 4, 6, 5, which ain't fast and it's not good. I saw 4, 6, 5. Like, we've seen plenty of guys at 465 have really great careers.
- [44:37]
Mensch
Yes, yes.
- [44:40]
Todd McShay
His toughness, his savvy ability to uncover. I, I just, I trust him. I trust you. So as an undrafted free agent with a quarterback that's asking for him, with an organization that provided him, Cam Ward wants. Because he trusts him. Yeah, they had two fourth round picks. We mentioned them. Chimary dk, still developing, but talented. He was one of my guys. I love Tamiri Decay, but still developing. And we're playing the long game with him in terms of route running and all that. But he's fast. Second or third fastest of the receivers. Then Alec Ao Manor. Love, love his tenacity, his toughness, the energy. He plays with the urgency. He's tough. He's got enough speed to get down the field. But he. He's.
- [45:34]
Mensch
He doesn't. Yeah.
- [45:36]
Todd McShay
But he is not a reliable target. And so if I'm Cam Ward and I'm. And. And every. The Bullets are flying fast, and this league is fast and physical, and it's. And I'm just looking to get the ball out of my hands of someone I trust. Maybe Restrepo makes this team. Maybe he becomes part of that rotation. I don't know. We'll see. They got crazy for thinking.
- [45:58]
Mensch
For thinking he makes that team. I think. I think he makes that.
- [46:01]
Todd McShay
I actually think he will make that team. Calvin Ridley. Yes. Tyler Lockett. They brought in. Yes. Van Jefferson. Yes. Is Traylon Burks gonna hang?
- [46:12]
Mensch
I don't know, man.
- [46:13]
Todd McShay
I don't know either. And then you get the two rookies as well. I think he's got a chance. We'll see. I think he's got a chance. All right, you 2. You do UDFAs. Undrafted free agents for you.
- [46:24]
Mensch
My first one's gonna be DK's Florida running mate. Another guy that loves that D crosser, Elijah Bear. Badger.
- [46:33]
Todd McShay
Yes. Son of a. I thought some Mrs. Mensch.
- [46:40]
Mensch
This Restrepo was the. Was the bell.
- [46:45]
Todd McShay
Got him right here. Elijah Badger.
- [46:48]
Mensch
Yeah, but this guy's close, man.
- [46:50]
Todd McShay
Okay.
- [46:50]
Mensch
Close. I mean, six one, 200. Good arm length, 32 and a half. Ran a four four three. Averaged 20.7 yards per reception. Last year, Florida played. Was at Arizona State before that, and he led the Sun Devils and catches for two years in a row. I mean, can you imagine if Arizona.
- [47:07]
Todd McShay
State kept and developed all the players that were. Now that we're now writing the. That went on.
- [47:12]
Mensch
I want a documentary on it. I want a documentary on that T.
- [47:15]
Todd McShay
There's got to be like a 30 for 30, right?
- [47:17]
Mensch
There was some talent on that team, man. Yeah. So that be interesting to go back.
- [47:23]
Todd McShay
Was. Was it. Was it not Savion Jones? Yeah.
- [47:31]
Mensch
My other UDF guy. Yeah. I think Switzerland was there. Yeah.
- [47:34]
Todd McShay
Swinson was at a. There was a bunch of them this year.
- [47:36]
Mensch
My other udf. My other UDF A was there, too, but just. Just to finish up with Badger.
- [47:42]
Todd McShay
Okay.
- [47:42]
Mensch
Obviously talented, man, 443, 200 pounds. Like, I was surprised he didn't get drafted. Maybe it's because he does like. Just like dk. I mean, they love those deep crossers of Florida. And you know what? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Those guys were running away from. That's how you average 20.7 yards per cat. But then I look at. I'M like, where do you end up? Well, Kansas City. And I like Jalen Royals. And he was, he was definitely a consideration when I was looking at, at my board. When we look at him in the fourth round, I think that's a great value, you know, considering he's coming off an injury. But then you got. Xavier Worthy is going to be a really good player. I wouldn't. I'm not sure he's, you know, that elite player that you would have taken the first round. Looking back on it, but they drafted late in the first round. Whatever got Rashid Rice, and then it's a Hollywood Brown, Jalen Royals, Sky Moore, juju Smith, Schuster, a lot of bodies, but I'm not sure. Like, I mean, there's no one there. I'm like, oh. I mean, like, it's. It's exactly what you're saying about Restrepo. He can. Like, he's gonna. Or. Or who the Ravens took. I can't remember the John Tay Wester. He's gonna look around that wide receiver room and say, man, I can play here.
- [48:45]
Todd McShay
I got a shot.
- [48:46]
Mensch
Yeah, I got a shot. Like, I can play here.
- [48:48]
Todd McShay
The other thing with, with, with Badger, he was 6 in the FBS. If you go back to 20, 23, almost 29 yards per kick return. So, Right.
- [48:57]
Mensch
He's gonna, he's gonna help you out there, too. If you want to use him that way, he's gonna compete in that area. And then again, who's your quarterback? Who's throwing the ball? Oh, it's. It's Patrick Mahomes.
- [49:06]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [49:06]
Mensch
Great. And, you know, it's. This is the case of all great quarterbacks. If you run your rights, your routes the correct way, you catch the ball and you make plays, you get more targets. So it's not one of these situations where he's going to end up somewhere and, you know, he's gonna play well.
- [49:19]
Todd McShay
Squad to start. And then there's.
- [49:20]
Mensch
Whatever it is.
- [49:21]
Todd McShay
Whatever it is.
- [49:21]
Mensch
Yeah, right. So, you know, you end up some other places and they're like, well, we want to give our second rounder a little more run. Like, Kansas City won't mess around with that. Man, the Chiefs were like, amy, if this is the bet, the guy who's playing best, we're gonna play him. You know that. That's going to be the situation. So I love where he landed. I mean, talented player. I love where he landed.
- [49:40]
Todd McShay
One other quick note. Kansas City.
- [49:43]
Mensch
Like, it's funny you wanted badgers so bad.
- [49:45]
Todd McShay
Oh, I want a badger so bad. I had all These notes. I was ready to go. Kansas City added. I mean I literally was ready to go like I did for a second. You're gonna take Elijah Badger. Of all the hundreds of guys. The Chiefs also added Jake Brending Stool, the tight end from clubs. It's funny because I didn't see it and I heard I, I heard a lot of.
- [50:05]
Mensch
I don't see it either.
- [50:06]
Todd McShay
It could be top 100, could be four. I didn't see it but it's like when the market over over. I had like a six. I had like a six round grade on him, you know. Yeah.
- [50:15]
Mensch
Probably should have got drafted.
- [50:17]
Todd McShay
Should have got drafted. So that one's interesting to me. He's another one if you're a Chiefs fan to keep an eye on. Like he could wind up never going to be special but like reliable enough. I think he could wind up making that team. But go ahead Matthew.
- [50:32]
Mensch
My last Udfa Jalen Conyers out of Texas Tech. He was another guy was at the. Another former Sun Devil and what I love about this guy is his versatility. I mean Miami took signed him. They already have John Smith. They signed Farrell Brown as a. I think he's a pretty good backup but on the back end of his career Jalen Conyers is a big body tight end who could be their number three. I think he, he goes into camp as the number three or comes out of camp as the number three has some upside. But what I really like about him we're. We're just my last pick in this draft. He could play, he plays wildcat quarterback. You could put him at wildcat quarterback and short yardage goal line situation. So now we got a guy who might, you know, I'm looking for. I'm taking a flyer on someone I, I think could maybe win me a game, you know if I have to call him off the bench. And here's a guy who get a couple touchdowns in those goal lines packages and, and that's. I think that's what I love about him.
- [51:24]
Todd McShay
He is.
- [51:25]
Mensch
He's great with the ball in his hands whether it's after the catch or as, as a ball carrier. He's really good with the ball in his hands. For a guy who's 265 pounds. I think 255, maybe 265 pounds. Anyways, he's, he's much more athletic than you would expect looking at his frame. I think he runs better on tape than he ran in at the combine. He's an interesting player that if they can get. They can unlock his upside. He's going to be a good player going like down the stretch. And I think you end up that number two tight end who makes some plays and again gives you that extra versatility as a guy they can use in certain packages.
- [51:57]
Todd McShay
Do. What if I told you there was a program that had 75 players drafted, right? 20, 25 draft that, that still had. Still made it to the College Football playoff, but that's 70 of those 75 players were, were drafted from different schools.
- [52:25]
Mensch
That might be the craziest part of the story when you look at all the guys that fled the. The exodus and where that, that that program was.
- [52:33]
Todd McShay
The story of Herm Edwards.
- [52:36]
Mensch
Yes.
- [52:36]
Todd McShay
The great 2020 recruiting class, whatever it was. Right. Holy smokes.
- [52:41]
Mensch
And for them to turn it around and get. What if I told all Texas could handle?
- [52:46]
Todd McShay
All right, last pick, right? I got my last pick. I had to scramble here. I don't think many people know about this guy, but I like him. He was, he was sneaking around my chicken Cooper. I wound up giving him a late round grade. Never heard his name called. But I. Oh, I just, you know, like certain guys, like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna keep a marker on this guy. I liked him. I liked his tape. The Houston Texans brought in undrafted free agent named Daniel Jackson, Wide receiver from Minnesota. He was at the combine. Okay. Quicker than fast slot. Okay. Like when you watch him say he's one of my twitch guys. I, I love slot receivers. I love twitchies. Right. Maybe it's because I never had any twitch as an athlete. So I just, I, I just adore players were like agile, crafty route runner. Okay. 5:10, 193. So not the tallest guy, obviously, but kind of packed tightly. Acrobatic catches, like adjusting to the football plays tough plays a physical brand of football that gives him a chance. Houston Texans. Right. Oh, by the way, I should mention this. You look for traits and you look for, for things that fit. And the things that fit are he can separate and he's tough and he could catch the football away from his frame. Then you look for traits. All right, what are the traits? Well, yeah, he didn't run a 40 at the, @ the combine because he's not the fastest guy in the world. But I talked about that twitch and the quickness and the body control. He ran a 407 short shuttle match. You know what that was at the combine. No one talked about it. No one talked about second fastest of all the wide receivers. Then he went and ran the three cone 6, 7, 8. It was a fourth fastest of all the wide receivers. Those are important drills. I remember training Daryl Jackson 20 something years ago for the draft and it was with Travis Taylor, who was a, was, it was a late first round pick, New England Patriots. It was with, it was with Peter War, Peter Warwick, number four overall pick. I think it was two or four, whatever it was with the Cincinnati Bengals. D Jack was the one who always separated and his routes were the Christmas. And I'm training all those guys and I'm like, he's, he's got something different. And then he had great three cones and all that stuff, but didn't run a great 40. Wound up falling to the third round of the Seattle Seahawks. You know who had the best career of all those receivers?
- [55:18]
Mensch
Yeah.
- [55:19]
Todd McShay
Jackson.
- [55:19]
Mensch
Yep.
- [55:20]
Todd McShay
So that, watch out for Daniel Jackson. A different Jackson, a different D. Jack.
- [55:24]
Mensch
D Jack. Yeah.
- [55:25]
Todd McShay
I didn't even expect to tell that story. It all came together.
- [55:28]
Mensch
You're pretty proud of yourself.
- [55:29]
Todd McShay
I'm very proud. Sometimes the sun, the sun shines. Look what I found in production. Traits in production. 208 catches from Minnesota, third all time in school history. So I look at Tank Dell out, obviously they've got Nico Collins, they got Christian Kirk, they've got John Mechi. Okay. And, and they brought in the two rookies. I understand who I love, Jaden Higgins and Jalen Noel from Iowa State. But Jackson could prove himself to be too valuable in camp to cut or maybe like we said, practice squad, whatever it turns out to be. This is fun.
- [56:11]
Mensch
I got, I like the quarterback there too. Like you can, I mean, maybe I'm being too optimistic with him, but I, I'll put a little bit of aggression last year on the injuries at receiver. Oh, and the mess of an offensive line. And we'll see if time will tell if I'm right. But I'm still a mar.
- [56:27]
Todd McShay
They were still in the playoffs with an offensive line that they literally had to send like, like u haul trucks to get the bleep out. And with what Nico Collins missed like five games and Tank Dell with the devastating acl, pcl, mcl and dislocated kneecap. And oh, and Stefan Diggs, who they brought in, only played what, eight or nine games and they still were in the playoffs, Man. Okay, no, I, I, that's going to be fun to watch.
- [56:58]
Mensch
Just remember, everyone, he's at McShay 13. When you want to let him know how much better my team is, you can just Twitter.
- [57:04]
Todd McShay
All right? Throw up the graphic. There we go. His team versus mine. I'm sorry. I mean fanduel I don't even think this is close.
- [57:13]
Mensch
Sorry.
- [57:15]
Todd McShay
I don't either. I don't either. Yes, the running backs are what Kill would. Yeah, over the top, but we'll see. All right. This is fun.
- [57:25]
Mensch
Was great.
- [57:26]
Todd McShay
Love you all for joining. It's. We're having fun, but like, this is good stuff and it's good stuff to prepare for the season. And then we're going to do it again on Monday. So come back on Monday. We'll do the whole nfc. I hope there are more receivers. I I didn't study it by conference.
- [57:41]
Mensch
Gotta be right.
- [57:42]
Todd McShay
I hope there's more receivers. There has to be more receivers. I know there's a couple good tight ends. We'll battle through it. I'm excited to do it. But yeah, you know where to find us. And and the the where is YouTube, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast. The when is next Monday and we look forward to being back with you then. Have a great weekend, everyone. Enjoy your we call it our summer, but enjoy the the rest of your spring later. Must be 21 + and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18/ plus and present in D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit RG D help dot com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit MD gambling help dot org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gambling helpline ma dot org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text hopeny in New York.