Mailbag! Shedeur’s Future, RB and TE Notes, the Steelers’ Next QB, and More

Summary

The McShay Show – Mailbag! Shedeur’s Future, RB and TE Notes, the Steelers’ Next QB, and More

Date: March 13, 2026
Host: Todd McShay
Co-host: Mitch
Podcast: The Ringer

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Episode Overview

In this Friday mailbag episode, Todd McShay and co-host Mitch dive into a variety of listener-submitted NFL draft and team-building questions. With just over a month to the 2026 NFL Draft, the discussion explores Cleveland’s draft strategy, the future outlook for Shedeur Sanders, Atlanta’s new GM, the quality of the running back and tight end classes, the Patriots’ draft priorities, the Steelers’ quarterback plans, and likely targets for the Saints. The mood is energetic and conversational, with McShay’s signature blend of inside intel and candid analysis.

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1. Browns Draft Strategy: Receiver vs. Tackle, Shedeur’s Path

[02:22 - 08:54]

• Listener Scenario: Choose between (a) WR Carnell Tate at 6 + OT Caleb Lomu at 24, or (b) OT Monroe Freeling at 6 + WR Omar Cooper Jr. at 24 for the Browns.
  • Todd McShay: “I would just get my tackle there, man, if that's what we're planning on doing... I'm of the belief you got to get your tackle because they're just gonna, they're gonna run. It's gonna be like a river running downhill, like, you know, right. And then it... dries up fast after.” (05:02)
  • On WR depth: Warns about the run on top wideouts; “I think Tate's gone. I mean, I know Tate's gone. I know Lemon's gone. Tyson is very likely to be gone. And then... Denzel, Boston and Omar Cooper Jr... there's a world in which they're both gone by 24.” (05:00)
  • Preference: Take Freeling at 6 and Cooper Jr at 24 if possible; focus is development and 2027/2028 rather than “winning now.”
  • On Browns’ QB situation: “This year is about getting better everywhere else but quarterback and seeing what you have at quarterback. Not planning on it being the long term answer. And if it is, that's a great problem to have." (09:25)
  • On Shedeur Sanders: Use 2026 to evaluate; “If he hits, great, we have our quarterback of the future. If he tanks, hey, top five pick... [get] a blue chip quarterback in 27.” (08:11 - Mitch paraphrase)

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2. Atlanta Falcons: GM Ian Cunningham’s Approach & Tua Tagovailoa

[09:41 - 14:05]

• New GM: Ian Cunningham, praised for his background (Baltimore, Philly, Chicago) and patience in landing the right job.
  • McShay: “Ian Cunningham, the human being is like five stars. Ian Cunningham, the evaluator ... five stars with the path that he went on. Ian Cunningham. I've known Ian for 20 years, man. Ian is the man.” (12:17)
• On Tua Tagovailoa Signing:
  • Low risk: “They're not paying him... It's a one year, basically NFL money terms ... they're paying him nothing.” (10:27)
  • Motivation angle: “You find out a lot about a human being... when they get everything ripped away... So we're going to find out with Tua. It's hard to be more motivated. You got one year to go show and utilize this as a springboard.” (11:54)
• Free Agency Approach: "You don’t see a lot of home runs, but you see a lot of singles and doubles ... I just like how he's structured this. Brought in some nice pieces, some role players... without betting too heavily." (14:06 - Mitch)

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3. 2026 Running Back Class: Thin Top, Intriguing Depth

[14:07 - 19:11]

• Overall sentiment: “It’s not a great group. I'll be honest with you. It's not a great group.” (14:43)
• Top RBs: Jeremiah Love (Notre Dame), Jadarian Price, Mike Washington (Arkansas). Praise for Washington’s Senior Bowl and combine performance.
  • On Washington: “You combine his run style with his ability to catch the ball... for his size, the agility and the sharpness to his movements... His combine workout... sensational.” (15:03)
• Day 2-3 Options: Few backs expected in the first three rounds; running back value is “second to last... just ahead of center.”
• Day 3 names: Emmett Johnson (Nebraska), Jonah Coleman (Arizona), Catron Allen (power role), Deon Demon Clayborn (change of pace), Kalyn Black, Nicholas Singleton, Seth McGowan (Kentucky), and Adam Randall (Clemson convert, ex-WR now RB): “He's 6’3''… £233. He's a former wide receiver. He catches... and then the explosiveness..." (18:44)
• Role-by-committee theme: “Backs can be in a rotation. They can play different roles, and that's what I like about this year's class.” (16:45)

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4. Patriots Draft Priorities: O-Line, Edge, Receiver

[20:26 - 24:57]

• Biggest needs: Listeners ask about O-line, edge, and WR; team recently signed Elijah Vera-Tucker (O-line), Romeo Dobbs (WR), Draymond Jones (DL).
• McShay: “I would assume they don't [see O-line as top need] based on that move” (21:05)
• Mitch: “I don't think they're done at wide receiver... I don't think they're done at Edge.” (22:44)
• Notable quote: “They're dying to have a big-ass X wide receiver. Rabel said it from the day he took the job and that's exactly what A.J. Brown is...” Watch for trade potential after June 1. (22:04)
• Edge/receiver round split: “Edge is definitely the priority if the right guy is there... Our Mason Thomas makes sense...” (23:27)
• McShay on Cassius Howell: “I would love to see Cassius Howell from Texas A&M in Rabel's defensive scheme.” (24:05)
• At pick 63: Prefer the receiver value in round 2 vs edge: “I like the receivers at 63 more than I like the edges.” (24:53 - Mitch)

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5. Eagles Tight End Situation & Draft Approach

[24:57 - 27:13]

• Listener asks about Dallas Goddard situation, possibly drafting Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon TE)
• McShay: “No, [Sadiq's] a really good player... I don't think he's in the class of some of the top, top guys... There’s no way Howie [Roseman]... They need more picks, not, not fewer.” (25:20, 25:54)
• Tight end depth: Praises deep, versatile TE class—“When I say loaded, I'm not talking about top guys who are going to be your number one. I'm talking about... pieces that can be plugged in.” (25:59)
• Potential Eagles options: Max Claire, Joe Royer, Marlon Klein, Sam Roush—all day 2/3 fits.

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6. Steelers’ Outlook: Draft Priorities & Quarterback Question

[27:13 - 31:21]

• Key offseason moves: Michael Pittman Jr. and Jamal Dean signings.
• Team needs: Offensive line (especially guard), slot receiver, safety, D-line depth.
  • “I think offensive line makes the most sense where they pick at 21... they could use a slot receiver... Safety makes sense.” (28:24)
• Quarterback: "It's kind of all about quarterback. I think they need early on to get a guard/tackle."
• Prospects mentioned: Not Ty Simpson at 21, but mentions links to Carson Beck (but not as a first-rounder).
  • “It’s not Ty Simpson at 21, I can tell you that for a fact. I have heard them linked with Carson Beck, so that’s just something to keep an eye on.” (30:25)
• On Will Howard speculation (Aaron Rodgers rumor): “Very few were higher on Will Howard coming out of Ohio State than I was… but I'm not listening to Aaron Rodgers.” (30:44)
• Steelers’ timeline: May be waiting on next year’s QB class; could give Rodgers/Howard a bridge season. “I think that’s the direction it’s trending… try quarterback next year.” (31:21)

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7. Saints’ Draft Likelihood: RB/WR/OL

[31:34 - 33:30]

• Listener asks about Saints and Chiefs extending RBs, meaning Jeremiah Love likely gone; what Ohio State player might fall to the Saints?
• McShay: Offensive line now full of first/second round talent, so likely not the priority.
  • “They've got like five solidified, bona fide, mostly first, second round draft picks across their offensive line. I don't...” (32:46)
• Priority target: WR, with Carnell Tate or Makai Lemon as prime targets.
  • “It's got to be Carnell Tate or, or Makai Lemon or if there's another receiver they like, right?” (33:20)
• Rationale: Put weapons around their promising second-year QB and Chris Olave; echoes league adage—“Play callers, protection, playmakers.” (33:58)

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Notable Quotes

• McShay on roster building: “This is about 2027. If my eye is on 2027 and plugging in an Arch Manning or a Dante Moore ... I’m more worried about developing for 2027 than I am [about] that left tackle... being great as a rookie.” (07:23)
• On Falcons/Tua: “You find out a lot about a human being... when they get everything ripped away from them... we're going to find out with Tua.” (11:54)
• Running back value: “It ranks second to last in terms of positional value viewed by the league… just ahead of center.” (16:35)
• Eagles/TE class: “When I say loaded, I'm not talking about like top guys … I’m talking about pieces that can be plugged in.” (25:59)
• Steelers and patience: “I honestly think they think Aaron's coming back and that... they can make one last run with Aaron and we'll see how that goes.” (31:21)
• Saints draft maxim: “Play callers, protection, playmakers.” (33:58)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:22: Browns' draft combo scenario and OT/WR depth
• 07:24: Franchise timeline, focus on 2027/2028
• 08:11: Shedeur Sanders’ make-or-break year
• 09:41: Ian Cunningham and Falcons' FA moves; Tua discussion
• 14:43: Running back class breakdown
• 20:26: Patriots’ O-line, edge, WR needs—A.J. Brown speculation
• 24:57: Eagles’ tight end situation
• 27:13: Steelers’ positions of need and QB strategy
• 31:34: Saints’ likely draft approach

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Tone and Style

The discussion is conversational, informed, and occasionally self-deprecating. McShay blends detailed draft evaluation with big-picture roster strategy and leans into insider knowledge, especially regarding NFL front office thinking and prospect valuations. Mitch adds fan perspective and questions, making the analysis relatable.

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Summary Takeaways

• Browns: Prioritize OT early, use 2026 as a transition year at QB.
• Falcons: Smart, risk-free moves under Ian Cunningham; Tua's signing is low stakes, high potential.
• RB/TE classes: Running back is thin at the top; TE is deep on day 2/3.
• Patriots: Edge (or A.J. Brown trade?) at 1, receiver at 2.
• Steelers: O-line is priority; QB of the future likely not in this draft.
• Saints: OL solidified—look for WR help, with Carnell Tate a prime target.

Listeners are encouraged to submit questions for more mailbags as draft season heats up.

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Transcript

[Todd McShay]

Foreign. It's a Friday mailbag treat here on the McShay Show. You've got questions, we've got answers, hopefully. And just 41 days until the NFL draft. Look at that smile on his face. Fresh beard cut meant you good. I'm excited, man. All right, Tucker, roll my favorite beat, please. If you're a premium subscriber to the McShay Report and Google it, the McShay Report. Subscribe, if you haven't already, get the opportunity to ask us some questions and we'll do this a couple more times leading up to the draft. It's a Friday show. We told you we're gonna have three shows a week. And I think it's a great opportunity to give back to, to our, our audience and our loyal subscribers. And so we got a bunch of questions here and we're going to have, just so you know, next week, one of the newsletters we're going to do is going to be a a mailbag and answering more of these questions. So. And there's tons. They flooded in, which is awesome. And it's this time of year. So let's roll. Let's just get right into it, Mitch.

[Mitch]

Right, let's go.

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[Todd McShay]

From Joe. You start. You read the questions. You're one of the people. Go ahead.

[Mitch]

Here we go from Jordan. I'm a Browns fan, so the draft is basically my Super Bowl. Poor Jordan. Better combo for the Browns. You get Ohio State wide receiver CARNELL Tate at 6 and then you get Utah offensive tackle Caleb Lomu at 24 or and I love that he's playing this game, man. People are picking up.

[Todd McShay]

That means he's. He's a listener. Yeah. He gets subscriber and he's starting to think the way NFL GMs think.

[Mitch]

Correct. So at number six, you get. Or is this. Or is this. This is the second scenario. Number six you get Monroe Freeling, the offensive tackle from Georgia, tons of upside. And Omar Cooper Jr. The wide receiver from Indiana at 24, he has a second part. You. You don't like second park. You don't like two part questions. So should I wait double barrel. Should I double barrel it now or should I wait for you to answer the first part?

[Todd McShay]

Answer the first part first.

[Mitch]

I like it.

[Todd McShay]

It's a tricky one, right. Because. And if you're a Browns fan, you probably always feel like this happens. Are you convinced that Lomu or another. Here, here's what I think is going to happen.

[Mitch]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

I think in whatever order it is, Maui, Noah, Fano, Freeling are all going to be off the board. I think Blake Miller's probably gone by 24 and I think Kaden Proctor is going to wind up even though he's not ranked as high on my board. I think Proctor could go as high as Detroit. It may be. What is that? Pick 16. I think 17. Okay. Okay, so there's that. So if you're picking at 24, then. Then Lomu is. Is probably. Or Iheanachua from Arizona State. There's that. Now let's look at wide receiver. This unbelievably deep group, but I think there, I don't think we're going to see Carnell Tate could go as high as 4 to Tennessee, could go as high, could go 5 to the Giants. Could also go and could be the picket at 6 right. For the Cleveland Browns as we're talking here. So you're hoping it would be Tate and if it's not Tate at 6, then are you pulling the trigger on Lemon? So that could help guide your decision there, right?

[Mitch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And then. But if you wait to 24, the point I'm trying to make here is I think Tate's gone. I mean, I know Tate's gone. I know Lemon's gone. Tyson is very likely to be gone. And then you have, you've got Denzel, Boston and Omar Cooper Jr. There's a world in which they're both gone by 24.

[Mitch]

I agree.

[Todd McShay]

So now we're looking at Casey Conception, who's kind of right on that fringe. If you talk to teams, some teams have them. You know, top 30. Some teams are more like, like him, you know, 31 to 40, so. And other guys like Brazil II from, from Tennessee or Zachariah Branch or Jeremy Bernard or, you know, so there's depth at the, in the second round at wide receiver, but obviously they're tiered for a reason, so they've brought, they've, they've locked down four spots. Cleveland has, right. With their offensive line, a resigning of a Jenkins and three additions. And so now you're looking at what is it Dwan Jones at left tackle or is it using this pick? I, I, I would just get my tackle there, man, if that's what we're planning on doing. If we're not, if we're help, if we're like, all right, we'll bring in Dwan Jones and maybe we'll use the 24th or second round pick, a developmental guy, then that's fine. But I, I'm of the belief you got to get your tackle because they're, they're just gonna, they're gonna run. It's gonna be like a river running downhill, like, you know, right. And then it, and then that river dries up fast after. I sure. In my opinion. So what do you think?

[Mitch]

I'm with you. And I think, I think Jordan's asking if you could have one or the other and, and maybe Cooper's gone. But in this scenario, one of the reasons I like this is because you get Cooper Jr. Later on. I, I don't. I mean, let's start with the offensive tackle, Freeling. I think I, I have him as my top offensive tackle in this draft and he is raw and he's a one year starter, but I just see the projection and I see how good he's going to be. I think Cleveland is developing. I don't think they're a playoff team yet. You can bring him in and let him get his feet wet and, and get a year under his belt and start to become the player that I think he can be. That makes sense to me. And then Omar Cooper Jr. At 24, I think is just a great value. Like you said, he may not be there, but if you're telling me that I'm going to get those two, then I'm taking Cooper Jr.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

There.

[Mitch]

And I love Carnell tape. I think both of those guys are a reach at 6. Freeling and Tate are a little early, but that you're going to reach for someone in this draft.

[Todd McShay]

I think personally, if I'm, if I'm Andrew Barry and I'm running that room I'm taking Freeling. You want to know why? Because I'm not that worried about 2026. This is about 2027. It's just you said what I. Yeah,

[Mitch]

it took me 20 minutes. Say what you said in 10 seconds.

[Todd McShay]

That's exactly the point you're making. And so if my eye is on 2027 and plugging in an Arch Manning or a Dante Moore or a Brendan Sorsby or Levitt or the list goes on and on, I'm not that worried. And, and like, I'm sorry, Shador or desean Watson or Gabriel, like, I'm, I'm, I'm less. I'm more worried about developing him for 2027 than I am for that left tackle that I'm drafting at 6 overall to being great as a rookie. So, yeah, that's, that's the direction I would go. What, what's the second part of the question?

[Mitch]

It's also, I think we kind of answered this a little bit, but also quarterback. You think they ride with Shadore Sanders this year? If he hits, great, we have our quarterback of the future. If he tanks, hey, top five pick or better, and we finally get a blue chip quarterback in 27. They have to figure out their quarterback situation now and whether or not they think they have a guy. And I think you and I would both agree that they probably don't have that guy on that roster.

[Todd McShay]

I think just like Geno Smith going to New York, it's, let's win enough games and try to like, let's try to build a team that where like we feel good about the nucleus we're developing, we're getting better for 2027. And then we plug in our quarterback in 2027 is not going to be this great playoff run with a rookie quarterback, but it's kind of for 2028.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And so like there's two. A miracle happens and Shador goes off next season. And it's like, great, great, a miracle happens. Deshaun Watson comes back and is like. And it's probably a greater miracle. One of those two miracles happens. That's a good problem to have something in between happens and Shador or, or desean plays really well. But you know that that's not the, the answer. Maybe you get a, you get trade value for it.

[Mitch]

Right, Right.

[Todd McShay]

So this year is about getting better everywhere else but quarterback and seeing what you have at quarterback. Not, not planning on it being the long term answer. And if it is, that's a great problem to have all Right.

[Mitch]

Ready for the next one? Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mitch]

From McGregor. Hey, Todd, I love the show. What do you think about Ian Cunningham at GM and how the Falcons have started free agency?

[Todd McShay]

I mean, everyone's kind of picking on the, you know, the Tua signing. But you know what? Like, Tua, maybe Tua gets in the best shape of his life after not looking like he's in the best shape of his life. Maybe two with a fresh start, serving as the backup to Michael Penix and depending on what Pennix's health situation is, can, can win you some games. It's. It's also a lefty quarterback. Similar. Somewhat similar styles. I just, I think it fits and bet. And guess what? They ain't paying them shit.

[Mitch]

Right?

[Todd McShay]

They're not paying them and they're not. It's.

[Mitch]

It's a one year deal. It's.

[Todd McShay]

It's a one year, basically NFL money terms, as we just spent like $3.3 billion on, on trades and free agency in the last, like, week by NFL terms, they're paying him nothing. It's like me going and it's me going and hiring. I'm gonna put a name with it. That's not a good idea.

[Mitch]

Don't do it. Don't do it.

[Todd McShay]

Me going and hiring an NFL scout who's established, who maybe like, has never rose to a GM and bringing him in here and paying him $10,000 a year and saying, Write up 5,000 reports for us. You know, like, it's not. So that move, I think everyone was kind of defining what, you know, this, this first start for Ian Cunningham off of that is honestly kind of brilliant. And you get a young man in Tua who's still a young man who, like, things fell apart fast. And so this, I've told you this about life, man, and I'm, I'm not a therapist or a philosopher, but you find out a lot about a human being. Not just a man, but in this case, a man. When they get everything ripped away from them and it becomes a wake up call. And, and humans tend to go in one of two directions. They grab their manhood and they, and they, and they pick themselves up and they say, let's go, or they wallow in it and they just can't recover. So we're going to find out with tua. And so Tua's. It's hard to be more motivated. You got one year.

[Mitch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

To go show and, and to utilize this as a springboard. We saw, like, we saw what Baker Mayfield did with an opportunity. We saw What Sam Darnold did with an opportunity so like this, to me, it's, it's. What's the risk? There's none.

[Mitch]

They're literally playing. It's the veterans minimum. They couldn't pay him less. There's, they could not pay him less.

[Todd McShay]

Ian, Ian Cunningham, the human being is a like five stars. Ian Cunningham, the evaluator and, and the, in the, you know what was the aspiring general manager. Five stars with the path that he went on. Ian Cunningham. I've known Ian for 20 years, man. Ian is the man. And Ian, you've always been a man since. Former Virginia player, undrafted, cup of, you know, cup of coffee in the league for a little while, then went to the Baltimore Ravens. Who's he with? Ozzy Dasta? Phil Savage. Who's he grow up with? Joe Douglas? Andy White.

[Mitch]

Joe Ortiz.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, Joe Ortiz. Right. It's been around the way you build an organization. Not the only way, but one of the, the, the proven tested ways to build an organization. I, I actually thought he was going to get a job a few years ago and he waited for the, the right spot and he clearly has it in. And, and by the, by the way, he goes from the Ravens to. And then. So all those people I just named that he's, he's kind of growing up in this business with. Then he goes and works with Howie for a while in Philadelphia.

[Mitch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Then he goes and works with polls in Chicago. So this guy's been. Or like Ian Cunningham is like I just. And I can separate the two. Like my, my love for the man as a human being. Like, he's just, he's just everything you want. Yeah. From, from like who he is in this job. I think he's going to be awesome. Flat out awesome. I was, I'm pumped for him personally. But I also think like he, this is long overdue that Ian Cunningham got a job, a GM job or whatever we're technically calling it. So the third round pick didn't have to get traded away.

[Mitch]

Go ahead.

[Todd McShay]

What's next?

[Mitch]

I would just say really quickly when you look at the free agent signings, like I don't think you see a lot of home runs, but you see a lot of singles and doubles and it's all one and two years deals. So I kind, I just like how he's structured this. Brought in some nice pieces, some role players and see what they got and that they can figure it out and without betting too heavily on someone right now, the next one from Tyler. I'm really curious how you see the running back class this year. We know about Love, and we know about Mike Washington from Arkansas lighting up the combine. But what is the sentiment looking like right now in the league in terms of how many Day 2 picks there might be and. Or how do you personally have this class ranked right now?

[Todd McShay]

It's not a great group. I'll be honest with you. It's not a great group. As I pull up the list, we know about Jeremiah Love. We've covered that extensively. Jadarian Price, his backup. I like his run style a little bit more than Mensch does, but I recognize to me, he's not one of the top 40 players in this draft. I think Mike Washington is awfully intriguing. You combined his run style with his ability to catch the ball. We got to see him up in person at the Senior bowl. And just like for his size, the. The agility and the sharpness to his movements and the pass protection, he just does a lot of the things that you look for and his. And then you take his combine workout with it, which is absolutely sensational. And by the way, I talked to Scott Goldman the other day, and he's like, hey, Washington's one of. One of. One of the guys.

[Mitch]

Oh, really?

[Todd McShay]

Which is. Which is intriguing, too.

[Mitch]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

And Scott Goldman from AIQ with the intelligence, the reaction, the processing, all those sorts of things. So I thought that was intriguing. So those are the three guys. And quite frankly, I don't know that another back goes in the first three rounds. We talked about last year's group, how sensational it was. You know, RJ Harvey went early because Denver, targeted like that was the guy they wanted. There were six. Six running backs in this, like, one of the best five running back classes in the last 25 years. 26 years of us doing this. Okay. And still 20 of the. Or I think it was 20 of the 26 running backs that were drafted one on day three. It's just the value. So. And you look at the average top five that take the top five from each position, the average salary of those guys, it ranks second to last in terms of positional value viewed by the league and how they're playing, paying those positions. Running back, second to last, just ahead of center. So with all that said, it won't shock me if there's only three guys, but I do think there's some intriguing backs. And backs don't have to last for 12 years. Backs can come in, and backs don't have to be the own. They're not a left tackle that you plug in and you have to just rely on him. Backs can be in a rotation. They can play different roles and that's what I like about this year's class. As I look through it, Emmett Johnson from Nebraska is. I like his run style. He's a talented. I think is a day three pick. Jonah Coleman. The best of Jonah Coleman was. I thought he was tracking towards being, you know, let's say round three pick. I think Jonah Coleman's got some, some juice. I like his run style too. Catron Allen's not. He doesn't catch the ball well. He's not going to be a big factor there. But my gosh, he's instinctive and he's a power back where you can utilize him in that like a Ramandre Stevens type role, right?

[Mitch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Stevenson.

[Mitch]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

Deon Demon Clayborn is one of those. I just like him. Talk about a role in a role

[Mitch]

in a role, right? He's not going to be your. He's not going to get 20, 25 touches, but you give him 10, maybe 15 and he can turn that into something for you.

[Todd McShay]

Kalyn Black from Indiana doesn't get invited to the combine. It's an absolute travesty. We both like his run style. Nicholas Singleton not instinctive as a back, but like Travion Henderson's not that instinctive. But if he can. If he could kind of reignite his. His career as a third down, you know, kind of a past specialist. Back outside the outside, the tackles. Seth McGowan from Kentucky has had awesome postseason. I got to dive deeper into his tape, but I've watched enough.

[Mitch]

He's got. He's got some off the field stuff from earlier in his career that I'm wondering if he's just put behind him and he's. And everything's ready to go. But I think that's something the team's gonna have to look at.

[Todd McShay]

And I'm telling you the guy who worked out to yesterday at Clemson's pro day, Adam Rams. This your guy.

[Mitch]

I We're gonna look back on this and I'm. I know I'm gonna hear it. M. I told you about Adam Randall.

[Todd McShay]

I told 63. He's £233. He's a former wide receiver. He catches. I've talked to today. He catch, catches the ball again. Great. You know, going through their drills and catching the ball from Kate Club Nick. I just. And then the explosive. Go ahead.

[Mitch]

I believe the size matters at running back and I. And I also believe having the receiver, the receiver background is a. Is a real nice touch. I think he's a little bit tight, but there's a lot more to like about his game than there is to not like.

[Todd McShay]

So that's, I think, a pretty deep dive into the running back position.

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[Todd McShay]

What do we got next?

[Mitch]

It's Patriot. It's a Patriots question from Ed with the Patriots having needs at O line, edge and wide receiver, what is their best options with the 31st pick? You guys talk combo picks. So what is their best options at the at the back of round two? Is the edge the best play in the first round? If so, then who is our Mason Thomas worth a late first

[Todd McShay]

of all, I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

[Mitch]

I'm not sure. Online as much of a need as they think with Elijah Vera Tucker signing and then you got Jared Wilson kicking into center. They're, you know, like I don't. I listen.

[Todd McShay]

I I'm not this also could have been a question. I don't think we don't have the date on. It could have been a question just before the the av. AVT signing. I always mess that up, which I absolutely love.

[Mitch]

I absolutely he's been banged up, but he's a player and he's a good player. So I don't know if they see that as one of their top needs. I I would assume they don't based on that move. I don't think signing Romeo Draymond Jones, Romeo Dobbs. I don't think as good as that signing is and I like that signing a lot too. I don't think. Yeah, me too. I don't think it prevents them from targeting a receiver. Still, I still think they could do that.

[Todd McShay]

I, I, I watch June. Hey, Ed from New England. Watch June 1st as a date. Get hunker, hunker down around June 1st. June, June 2nd. I don't think the A.J. brown situation's over.

[Mitch]

Maybe that's the answer.

[Todd McShay]

They're, they're dying to have a big ass X wide receiver. Rabel said it from the day he took the job and, and that's exactly what A.J. brown is. And there's, I don't want to get into the details now. I, I got him in my notes on my phone. There's a massive difference between parting ways with AJ Brown now versus June 1st and I think how he was willing to do it for the right compensation before the draft. But if they're not going to get the right compensation, then they've got to save the money. So I just keep an eye on that.

[Mitch]

Yeah. So maybe that's the answer. But that being said, they're not done at wide receiver because of.

[Todd McShay]

I agree.

[Mitch]

And I don't think they're done at Edge because of Draymond Jones. Again, I like those signings. Elliot Wolf's done really well. I like all of those signings. But so I think it's edge and wide receiver. So if we're going to do that game right, and the first and the

[Todd McShay]

second, they're going to miss Caleb on Chase and man, he, he had, he like, you know.

[Mitch]

Yeah. Oh yeah. He had a nice year for them.

[Todd McShay]

Got a one year deal, I think. Came on.

[Mitch]

I think.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Came on strong at the end of the year.

[Mitch]

So what are you doing? Are you going edge then receiver or receiver than Edge for your first two picks?

[Todd McShay]

I don't know that I'm going receiver because I might, I might be working out a deal with A.J. brown.

[Mitch]

Yeah,

[Todd McShay]

Edge is definitely the priority if the right guy is there. I think they need a pass rusher because Jones is a physical former three technique. Like, you know, I mean, what to me there's a lot of guys that could. Hey, you know what? Our Mason Thomas makes sense. Okay. Because I look at Harold Landry and the way Variable used him throughout his career and what, you know what I mean?

[Mitch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Who else makes a ton of sense that might now be there because of his 30 and a quarter inch arms that I'm absolutely in love with and you can't.

[Mitch]

I knew this was coming.

[Todd McShay]

You can't get this boat, that bone out of this man's mouth.

[Mitch]

Everyone who watches the show knows what's coming right now.

[Todd McShay]

Cassius. I would love to see Cassius Howell from Texas A and M in Rabel's defensive scheme. So I mean you look at. When you look at the edge group, right? I mean there, there's going to be guys. There's going to be guys because Arvell Reese and David Bailey are going early. Ruben Bain is going to go somewhere in the top 15, maybe the top 10. Keldrick Falk, we like a lot. Zion Young, Akeem Messador. All those guys I think will be gone by the time they pick at 31. TJ Parker will probably be gone but. But then you get Howell and R. Mason Thomas and so I. There's some guys but I wouldn't wait.

[Mitch]

I like the receivers at 63 more than I like the edges.

[Todd McShay]

Hell yeah.

[Mitch]

Hell, that's really the point. The next one, here we go. Is from Cullen. Hey, Todd, Eagles fan here. I'm not sure what is happening with Goddard. Dallas Goddard at the tight end. If he leaves, do you think the Eagles should go after Sadiq? Kenyan Sadiq, the Oregon tight end. Is he worth trading up for if necessary? Thanks.

[Todd McShay]

No, he's a really good player. He's explosive. I, I don't think he's in the class of those of some of the top, top guys. I really. I just don't. So you want my opinion and put like, there's no way Howie with the. Like, look at what the departures have been for the Eagles. When we sat with Howie 13 months ago the combine, he told us this was coming. You got to pay the piper every once in a while and they want a Super bowl. So it's all. It's worth it. But there's going to be some departures over the next two years, he said. And that's exactly what we've seen. They need more picks, not, not fewer.

[Mitch]

They.

[Todd McShay]

They're not a tar. You know what I mean?

[Mitch]

Yeah,

[Todd McShay]

they'll figure it. I don't know the Goddard situation. I honestly thought Goddard might move before last year's draft or they might draft a tight end. So we'll see how that plays out. I. I would much per this tight end group man is loaded. And when I say loaded, I'm not talking about like top guys who are going to be your number one. I'm talking about. There are pieces that can be plugged in. Kind of like the running backs, but much better. Whether it's a Dallin Bentley, a. You know, I love Max Claire.

[Mitch]

Joe Royer.

[Todd McShay]

Joe Royer. You like Marlon Klein. There's just. There's a lot of it. I love Sam Roush typing in all caps. There's guys and so I agree. Yeah, I'm. I'm waiting till the third round beyond rather than reaching there unless, you know, the top two guys aren't going to be. Because Kenyon Sadiq is the number one tight end and he's going to be gone by the time you pick late in the first and then by the time you pick late in the second, Eli. Eli Stowers is going to be gone. So I think it starts with like a Max Claire and then goes down to some of those other names. All right, what do we got next from Jer.

[Mitch]

Our guy. Jeremy Godden, chat regular. With the additions of Michael Pittman Jr. And Jamal Dean. What position do you see the Steelers Steelers targeting around 1. Is Ty Simpson in play?

[Todd McShay]

It's funny because first of all. Hey, hey, Goden. Good to hear from you, my man. We got some news coming up soon. We're actually working out the details about the chat for the live shows during the NFL draft. We will be live on Netflix for the NFL draft Thursday night, Friday night and Saturday. Okay. And we're working on. On where the. The chat details are because it's critical that we get the gang back. Okay. So what's up? God. Secondly, it's interesting looking at the Steelers. I was looking at them yesterday, actually. It's kind of all about quarterback. I think they need. Here's what I think they need. I think they need early on to get a. A guard tackle. All right. I think they need a left guard and I think there's more questions and answers. Maybe at left tackle. Right. Coming up. What's his name's coming off the. The neck injury. I just. I think offensive line makes the most sense where they pick at 21. I also think they could use a slot receiver. They brought in Pittman, obviously. They got DK Metcalf, obviously. But what's the deal with Calvin Austin? He's still technically an unrestricted free agent. I just. I think another. Another receiver makes sense. I'm not saying in the first round, but maybe in the second or third. Safety makes sense. They. They handled. You got Jamel Dean. Awesome signing Sante Samuel. Samuel Jr. Is there. Porter's. They resigned. Samuel Jr. Porter is there. DeSean Elliott's coming back off the injury, so TBD on. On all of that. And you've got Ramsey, Jalen Ramsey as well. But safety is a position I think that they will target again. Not. Not round one, I don't think. And maybe like a Dylan Thienaman or if they love one of those guys, they could. And I think probably somewhere on day two, you're going to see an interior defensive lineman, Cam Hayward, one more year. They've got three guys but none of them are the guy. You know what I mean? Yeah, Harmon could develop into one of them, but they've got three interior defensive linemen in that scheme and they. They're going to need. You know, they got Black from Iowa. They got one. The one. One other. Oh, Benton. Kenu Benton from. From Wisconsin.

[Mitch]

So there are. They got three.

[Todd McShay]

They get three guys but. But I think they could use. So I wouldn't be surprised if they drafted interior defensive linemen, but maybe a little bit more down the road. But yeah, the question is who's their quarterback?

[Mitch]

That's the question.

[Todd McShay]

We're going to start positional. The position deep dives. Right. With quarterbacks, I believe next week. I just finished up top few guys tapes so I get a lot. We'll do quarterback confessionals basically and just diving into what. What we're seeing. It's not ty Simpson at 21, I can tell you that for a fact. I have heard them linked with Carson Beck, so that's just something to keep an eye on guys.

[Mitch]

But not a 21.

[Todd McShay]

Oh, hell no. Right.

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Right.

[Mitch]

Okay.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, just.

[Mitch]

I just.

[Todd McShay]

I think like round. Round three probably would be the range.

[Mitch]

What about. Aaron Rodgers thinks that Will Howard's the next starter of the. Of the Steelers. Do you see those comments? I just. I just want to get your thoughts on that.

[Todd McShay]

Very few were higher on Will Howard coming out of Ohio State than I was. I told you I saw something in his college football playoff run where I. It. It seemed so I'm not saying he won't be, but what I am saying is I'm not listening to Aaron Rodgers. Here's.

[Mitch]

Here's what I would say. Are they another team and Pittsburgh fans do not. I, I understand that you're. I understand the history, the tradition. I, I'm almost like going to say this and duck my head. Is this another team that we played out that maybe we sign up Rogers for another year, maybe we see what we have in Will Howard and then we'll try quarterback next year?

[Todd McShay]

I think that that's the direction it's trending. Yeah, I honestly think they think Aaron's coming back and that air and that they can make one last run with Aaron and we'll see how that goes. Why don't we skip down to the last question from John and then we'll wrap it up here.

[Mitch]

Okay. From John. So with both the Saints and Chiefs signing running backs to long term deals, it's more than obvious. It's more than obvious. Teams don't think Love is making it that far. So as a Saints fan, which Ohio State player is most likely to get passed, pushed down the line, assuming Saints are looking at whatever. At whoever that is, or Delane?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, I think there are a lot of factors to both those teams. I think one is, yeah, there's no guarantee that, that Jeremiah Love gets to them there. There's also, you know, depending on, on your train of thought, it's better, you know, like an apple in hand. And you know what this veteran is and the, and the money isn't necessarily all that different if you're drafting a guy at 8 versus what you're paying a running back in the league. A veteran in the league. So, so there's a lot of layers to that. But to answer the question for the Saints, I think it, it's funny because we sat with Mickey Loomis and he was talking about the offensive line and they went and added another offensive lineman and now they've got like five solidified, bona fide, mostly first, second round draft picks across their offensive line. I don't.

[Mitch]

Three first, a second. And they signed David Edwards.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I don't think it's going to be that spot. I think it has to be, doesn't have to be. The thing that makes the most sense. If you study their personnel moves and you add to the fact that they have a second year quarterback who showed a lot of promise and they've got a Lave who's had trouble staying healthy. It's like every bad break that could happen for a lave has happened, but when healthy, he's a really good player. It's got to be Carnell Tate or, or Makai Lemon or if there's another receiver they like. Right?

[Mitch]

Yeah, I mean, I think they would

[Todd McShay]

love, I mean it could be edge. I think they would love for it to be tape too.

[Mitch]

Yeah, that's the one that jumps out to me.

[Todd McShay]

I gotta guess, I, I gotta guess that it's, it's gonna be a wide receiver there. But that would be my, my best guess at this point because if not then why wouldn't they get involved in the free agency market? At wide receiver, you've got a second year quarterback, man showed a lot of promise. You got to be ready to get put. What do we always say? Everyone in the league says play callers, protection, playmakers.

[Mitch]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

So, all right, this is fun. I like our Friday show. It's shorter than normal because no one wants to be listening to an hour and a half podcast on Friday over the weekend. Appreciate everyone watching on Netflix, Spotify listening on Apple and everywhere else. And we're back on Monday. I think we're starting the position overviews, but you'll be with us and we'll, we'll figure it out. We'll have some newsletter. So we got a bunch of stuff. It's, it's ramping up and we get major announcements to make next week. We got a lot of fun stuff and I'm psyched about it. So hopefully you'll, everyone will be here to enjoy it with us. So, men, this is the time of the show where I say five stars.

[Mitch]

Thanks, man.

[Todd McShay]

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[Todd McShay]

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[Todd McShay]

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