McShay’s Guys 1.0, an EMERGENCY Mock Draft, and Best Bets With Stanford Steve

Summary

Podcast Summary: The McShay Show Episode: McShay’s Guys 1.0, an EMERGENCY Mock Draft, and Best Bets With Stanford Steve
Release Date: October 24, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of The McShay Show, NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay and his guest, Stanford Steve, delve deep into the intricacies of the NFL draft prospects, conduct an emergency mock draft, and share their best bets for upcoming college football games. The episode is rich with expert analysis, insider insights, and engaging discussions that cater both to avid football fans and those looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current draft landscape.

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Segment 1: McShay’s Guys 1.0

Todd McShay introduces the segment McShay’s Guys 1.0, where he and Stanford Steve discuss players they are particularly excited about for the upcoming NFL Draft. This segment highlights prospects who may not be the top picks but possess unique qualities that could make them valuable assets in the league.

Key Discussions:

• Jalen Walker, Georgia Defensive End/Outside Linebacker ([03:19] Todd McShay):

  • McShay praises Walker’s versatility, comparing him to stars like Micah Parsons.
  • Quote: “[...] he can do both. And you can excel as an edge rusher, but also play in space, drop in coverage, do different things.” ([04:05] Todd McShay)
  • Walker’s performance includes eight tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and a fumble recovery against Texas, showcasing his disruptive potential.

• Nick Iman Warri, South Carolina Safety ([07:55] Stanford Steve):

  • Steve highlights Warri’s athleticism and playmaking ability, noting his multiple interceptions and touchdown returns.
  • Quote: “He has four picks this year, two touchdown returns.” ([07:55] Stanford Steve)

• Derek Harmon, Oregon Defensive Tackle ([11:00] Todd McShay):

  • Harmon is commended for his smooth technique and ability to disrupt the quarterback, distinguishing him from more traditional three-technique tackles.
  • Quote: “But the value is finding an interior defensive lineman that can disrupt the quarterback. And that's exactly what Harmon's done.” ([11:30] Todd McShay)

• Mason Taylor, LSU Tight End ([13:03] Stanford Steve):

  • Despite his impressive performance, Steve notes Taylor has flown under the radar compared to his father, Jason Taylor.
  • Quote: “He has, he's leading LSU in all-time history for catches and receiving yards for tight ends.” ([14:39] Todd McShay)

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Segment 2: Emergency Mock Draft

Todd McShay and Stanford Steve engage in an Emergency Mock Draft, rearranging their strategies to accommodate the pressing needs of top NFL teams. This segment showcases their ability to adapt and prioritize based on team requirements and player evaluations.

Mock Draft Highlights:

1. New England Patriots - Abdul Carter, Penn State Edge Rusher ([40:36] Todd McShay):

   • Recognizing the Patriots’ need for an edge rusher, McShay selects Carter as a top pick.
   • Quote: “Abdul Carter goes number one to the Patriots.” ([40:36] Todd McShay)

2. Cleveland Browns - Cam Ward, Quarterback ([42:44] Todd McShay):

   • The Browns address their quarterback need by selecting Cam Ward.
   • Quote: “Cam Ward, quarterback, Miami going to the Browns.” ([42:44] Todd McShay)

3. Carolina Panthers - Travis Hunter, Cornerback/Wide Receiver ([43:53] Stanford Steve):

   • Despite initial skepticism, Hunter is chosen to fill Carolina’s defensive and offensive gaps.
   • Quote: “I think Travis Hunter will be the pick at number three.” ([43:53] Stanford Steve)

4. Tennessee Titans - James Pierce Jr., Tennessee Edge ([45:09] Todd McShay):

   • Pierce is drafted to bolster the Titans’ edge defense.
   • Quote: “The Titans take James Pierce Jr.” ([45:09] Todd McShay)

5. Las Vegas Raiders - Shador Sanders, Cornerback ([45:36] Stanford Steve):

   • Sanders is selected to enhance the Raiders’ secondary.
   • Quote: “I take Shador Sanders.” ([45:36] Stanford Steve)

Discussion Points:

• The challenges of aligning player strengths with team needs.
• The potential impact of each pick on the respective teams.
• The speculative nature of mock drafts and their reliance on current player performances.

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Segment 3: Best Bets With Stanford Steve

In this segment, McShay and Steve analyze upcoming college football games, offering their best bets based on team performances, player matchups, and broader season implications.

Highlighted Games and Bets:

1. Boise State vs. UNLV ([56:07] Stanford Steve):

   • Best Bet: Favoring Boise State to secure a playoff spot led by standout quarterback Ashton Ginty.
   • Quote: “We need Gentee in the playoff. We need to find a way to get Gentee in the playoff.” ([90:32] Mensch)

2. Indiana vs. Wisconsin ([56:07] Mensch):

   • Bet: Taking Wisconsin at six and a half points.
   • Quote: “I'd take UCF in that game, the one that sticks out to me.” ([85:31] Mensch)

3. Notre Dame vs. Navy ([59:00] Todd McShay):

   • Bet: Favors Notre Dame with a 21 and a half point spread.
   • Quote: “I'm going to go against the grain and give the points with Notre Dame.” ([67:07] Todd McShay)

4. LSU vs. Texas A&M ([70:59] Todd McShay):

   • Bet: Steve sides with Texas A&M, appreciating their defense.
   • Quote: “I will side with A&M.” ([76:27] Mensch)

5. Illinois vs. Oregon ([79:10] Todd McShay):

   • Bet: Taking Oregon at 21 and a half points.
   • Quote: “So I'm going to go with number 21 and a half.” ([79:47] Mensch)

Key Insights:

• Analysis of team strategies and player performances influencing betting decisions.
• The importance of defensive strengths and offensive potentials in game outcomes.
• The impact of external factors like coaching strategies and player injuries on game predictions.

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Conclusion

Todd McShay and Stanford Steve wrap up the episode by reflecting on their long-standing professional relationship and the dynamic nature of college football scouting and analysis. They express excitement for their new Saturday night reaction shows and anticipate engaging discussions on upcoming games and draft prospects. The episode underscores the complexities of talent evaluation, strategic team building, and the ever-evolving landscape of college and professional football.

Final Remarks:

• Todd McShay: Encourages listeners to tune into the new Saturday night show for real-time game analyses.
• Stanford Steve: Highlights the importance of adapting to evolving game strategies and player developments.

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Notable Quotes:

• Todd McShay ([03:22]): “We’re going to break it all down with Steve and we got a lot of fun stuff in the NFL draft we're going to do.”
• Stanford Steve ([06:18]): “I love that you really stuck your neck out on that one.”
• Todd McShay ([35:30]): “The Browns are a quarterback needy team right now.”
• Stanford Steve ([42:21]): “They need a guy, I don’t think they wanted to allow Shador Sanders to go.”

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This episode offers a comprehensive look into the strategic considerations behind NFL draft selections and provides valuable betting insights for upcoming college football matchups. Whether you're a seasoned fan or new to the gridiron, McShay and Steve deliver engaging and informative content that keeps you ahead of the game.

Transcript

[Todd McShay]

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[Stanford Steve]

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[Todd McShay]

Welcome back Everybody. It's the McShay Show. We got round two. We got a second episode. Mensch we it's a pretty good start for us. Listen, we got a fun show today. We've got Stanford Steve coming in, a good friend of ours, this guy I worked with for almost 20 years at ESPN. Obviously what he's doing at game day and with Scott Van Pelt really interested to get his take on the slate of games, some of his best bets, we're going to break it all down with Steve and we got a lot of fun stuff in the NFL draft we're going to do. That's my guy. That's my guy. Every scout has their own guys. We're going to break down some of the early season players that we really are attached to based off of the tape that we've watched. We're going to talk about where the Scouts are this week and we'll see where it goes from there. Me. You good, bud?

[Stanford Steve]

I'm good, man.

[Todd McShay]

All right, let's go. I mentioned that, that we were going to get into my guys, right? So this is always my favorite. Like, every year when there was you and me and Kevin Whitel, who's with the Baltimore Ravens, sitting in hotel rooms and like, you know, in Indianapolis for the combine or down in Mobile, we'd sit around and like, for some reason, as an evaluator, you always have to have your guys like the guys that you. You think that you, you know, you're attached to for some reason, because you love their tape, you think you like them more than everybody else, and you want to identify them early, like every scout you GM you talk to.

[Mensch]

So.

[Todd McShay]

Oh, that's my guy. That's my guy. So that's what this segment is.

[Mensch]

We'll.

[Todd McShay]

We'll make this a consistent thing, but based off of early tape, we've had almost half of a college football season. Let's just go through a few guys. And just as a disclaimer or a precursor, we're not saying these are the best players in the draft, and in fact, they're not. We're not saying that they're going to be top 10 picks, and in fact, a lot of these guys won't be. But what we're saying is we think based off of, like, you know, what's going on in social media, what we're hearing, we may like these guys a little bit better than the public, if you will, at this point. So with that in mind, I'm going to start with Jalen Walker, the Georgia defensive end outside linebacker. And the reason he's one of my guys is I just think he's different than a lot of other prospects. Right. You look at him physically, he doesn't fit the mold as a true edge guy. He plays off the ball, he plays at the edge spot. But what is different about him to me? Mensch. And it goes back to, like, Micah Parsons, and there's some other guys in this class that we'll get to that have some similarities we've seen over the years. Sometimes there are these tweeners or versatile guys that you look at and you say, well, is he this or is he that? And when he gets to the league, is he just going to be a guy that can't play in the edge? And now we're stuck playing him off the ball, and the value is not there. The unique guys like a Micah Parsons, and I'm not saying he's Micah Parsons. But if you're unique, you can do both. And you can excel as an edge rusher, but also play in space, drop in coverage, do different things. And that as a defensive coordinator is goal. When you can have your personnel on the field, right, and have an individual that can do multiple things so you don't have to sub in and out, you don't have to get into sub packages, you don't have to bring in a designated rush specialist and all that stuff. I think Walker has a chance to be unique. You go back and study the tape. 60% of the snaps he was at the edge, 40% off the ball, I should say. 40% of the snaps coming off the edge versus Texas. Finished that game, eight tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery all over the field. Not many guys can rush off the edge the way that he does. And also still guys can drop, but can drop in space and be that smooth and comfortable. So Jalen Walker, in this year's class, we got. I know we didn't get off to a great start, but Mikel Williams from Georgia, his teammate is an edge rush specialist. You got James Pierce from Tennessee, you got Nick Scorton, who's more of like the bigger, you know, bigger body defensive end. There's some dudes. Abdul Carter, I know that's one of your guys early on. Mitch, I love him too, from Penn State. So there's a lot of good edge defenders this year. But what stands out about Walker is that he can be a little bit of both. So he's one guy that I'm pegging early on that I just absolutely love. And I think he's going to be a first round draft pick. Where do you want to go from there?

[Stanford Steve]

I love that you really stuck your neck out on that one. The guy that I think everyone thinks is going to be a first round.

[Todd McShay]

Pick and because it's going to be that kind of show today. All right.

[Stanford Steve]

I just. Listen, I got to say, like, we're talking about our guys.

[Todd McShay]

You got like a little fancier backdrop. You're not in your daughter's bedroom today and like, you're feeling it. A little confidence.

[Stanford Steve]

I'm feeling it a little bit. I was going to do, you know, I was going to do Abdul Carter for Penn State. And then you, I think you have a first over on your board. I'm like, I can't. I can't do that as my guy. I mean, it's everyone's guy.

[Todd McShay]

That's me smoking you out.

[Stanford Steve]

So I see. Just really Quickly, a Walker. You know the stuff you were talking about. Just look at the corner blitz for the strip sack.

[Todd McShay]

Yours looks to his right.

[Stanford Steve]

He sees Jalen Walker coming off the edge, and he's like, all right, we're going to declare the protection or the offensive line, whoever made the call, we're going to declare the protection to the right. Because there's Jalen Walker. And what happens? He drops into coverage. They bring the blitz from the other side.

[Todd McShay]

Everett off the other side.

[Stanford Steve]

It's the kind of thing a player can do, that kind of a player can do, and they are rare. And I will just quickly.

[Todd McShay]

And it doesn't show up in the numbers. It's not going to be in the stat sheet. It's not going to be a PF thing. Yeah.

[Stanford Steve]

When you. A coach in the NFL watches that, like, oh, yes, I want to. Like, I want a guy that can help me do that. And I think the important point to make is you don't want a tweener, because then you don't really have a home. You do want versatility, and it can be a fine line when you're trying to. Trying to project a guy like that in the NFL. Now, I think Walker's versatile.

[Todd McShay]

I'm with you.

[Stanford Steve]

I don't think he's a tweener. I think he's a guy that can do a number of different things for your defense. But do you want me to. South Carolina safety Nick Iman Warri. I hope I'm pronouncing that right.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Stanford Steve]

I think he has four picks this year, two touchdown returns. He had one called back against lsu.

[Todd McShay]

Let me give people a background on this. Okay? I don't mean to cut you off. No, no. This is in your favor. That's why I'm talking.

[Stanford Steve]

Oh, here we go.

[Todd McShay]

That's why I'm talking in this tone. We're talking in August. I'm more wrapped up at that point. Like, I'm not going to get into the details of it, but negotiations, trying to figure out what our next step is, or we're going to have podcast Life. Life. And you call me and I'm. I'm walking up the hill, coming back to the house, and you can't. You don't even know how to pronounce his name right at this point.

[Stanford Steve]

It's gonna be an ongoing theme, by the way.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. I'm. I'm interested to see if it. If it's always the same name or it changes over time. But you. You were raving about. He's not on anyone's list. I. I'm putting together my. My list. I got. It was like talking to Kuiper, like, you know, and. But you were on this dude early. So I went, came back and probably a week later, I popped in the tape and I saw what you saw. But this was your guy from the jump. But now I'm watching him play during the season and I'm going on the X and I'm going on social media, and I'm seeing all the, you know, the social media draft geniuses out there and everyone's jumping on board. And I just want to say I can say this without any concern about this claim. Mensch was on this guy earlier than anyone.

[Stanford Steve]

Right. And again, we talk about versatility. He's six three, he's like £230. You're thinking this is a box safety. This is a guy that's going to play in the box. And he can. He plays in the box a fair amount.

[Todd McShay]

He also plays over the box cam chance, almost like that guy.

[Stanford Steve]

He plays. He's. I think he's even more, you know, I think. And no, but I'm saying no, he.

[Todd McShay]

I'm saying he. He looks like. He looks like he's going to play that physical brand. Just that physical brand, you know?

[Stanford Steve]

The comp I like is Kyle Hamilton. That's who I see. I see you're talking about one of.

[Todd McShay]

The men, the best defensive players in the NFL.

[Stanford Steve]

We had Pollock on the other day, and I'm taking the cue. I'm following his lead. We're not going to be shy about saying things on the show, and I.

[Todd McShay]

No, sir.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, right. Kyle Hamilton is one of the best in the league. I think this kid has that kind of ceiling, really.

[Todd McShay]

And that defensive front, too. I mean, they are loaded. South Carolina is kind of legit. I'm excited to see. I think if they finish the season playing the same way and their quarterback can stay healthy, I think South Carolina is going to cause some problems. All right, so that's a good one. And I'm not shocked that that's where we started for you. And I'm glad you were able to get that out there. And I'm glad you called me and annoyed me that day in the middle of the summer. All right, my next. My guy is Derek Harmon, defensive tackle from Oregon. Didn't know much about this guy coming this season. Transferred from Michigan State. Good player there. Probably didn't get enough buzz because he was playing at Michigan State. They were struggling, but he puts on this Ducks uniform. He looks body beautiful. He's got a different uniform every week and it seems like he should be the poster, he should be the guy. Like he just 6, 5, 3, 10 fills it out perfectly. I know it sounds weird, but like, Scott, you want your player to be well proportioned and like the uniform, but he's the part, right? He's a three technique. He's what you're looking for in defensive tackles. And we're seeing more and more come in the league. The disruption on the interior, 26 hurries so far with three sacks. He's not like, you know, when you think about three techniques, they're usually like that six, like the Dwight Frini type, you know, they're usually like the 6:1 guy, 6:2 at most. And they like explosive up the field, twitching and I'm not saying he's not. He doesn't have some lateral, but he's not, he doesn't jump out the same way that some of those guys will, right? But, but when you watch him, he's smooth. His swipe move, his, you know, his rip. He's smooth with his hands, he's quick, he's athletic. He can, he can change direction. When he gets in the back field, the dude is making plays and I love his ability to affect the quarterback. And at the end of the day we can, I can find a big dude who's going to 2 Gap and take on blocks. Like, there's plenty of those guys out there. But the value is finding an interior defensive lineman that can disrupt the quarterback. And that's exactly what Harmon's done. Now we've got Mason Graham from Michigan, we've got Kenneth Grant from, from Michigan, we've got some good interior players. Harmon's moving up, talking to some scouts like, and you know, west coast area guys. So like, not necessarily, maybe the perspective of the whole country, but like you're starting to talk to people in the league where it's like top 50, maybe like maybe could work his way into the late first. So that, that's exciting for Harmon.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, yeah, I think that's fair. I've got my guy from lsu, the tight end, Mason Taylor. I just think that you look at this tight end class and some guys are starting to emerge. Gunnar Helm out of Texas. You're going to talk about a guy in a minute here that I think is playing really well too. I just think you look at Mason Taylor and he's kind of flown under the radar, which is crazy because he plays for LSU and his dad is Jason Taylor. His dad's Jason Taylor, right? I think that's right.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, absolutely. No, it feels that way for a guy who's like such a big name and like that breakout game he had, I think it was against Bama, right. The prime time game with Herbie and Fowler and Mason, you know, talking about Mason Taylor and Jason Taylor wasn't there but his mom was there and crying.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And had the big, the big. Was it two point conversion or touch up. So like he had this massive breakout. Right. But it does feel like people just don't talk about him as much as you would think that he would be a superstar in college football.

[Stanford Steve]

So somehow I feel like he's flying under the radar. I see a guy on tape that they like to get the ball to him in the flat and let him produce after the catch, which I think is one of the reasons why his average yards per catch isn't super high. But you know, I think he's going to test super well and he's going to be one of those guys that gets into the league and. And you're going to realize he always had the potential to stretch the field. And then you look at as a blocker, he's highly competitive. He's not overpowering a lot. None of these guys really are going to be overwhelming or overpowering. But he's a highly competitive blocker. I think when you put it all together in the production, keep in mind you might look at those numbers and not be wowed. He has, he's the leads LSU in all time history for catches and receiving yards for tight ends. So keep in perspective a little bit. Yeah. When you have Malik neighbors, you know, running down the field, you might not really want to stretch the field with your tight end. And I think that that's probably the role that he has played for them, has kept those numbers down a little bit. But when you look at the tape and you look at the player, he's a guy that I think is going to be. I think he'd go in the second round, might be tight end too.

[Todd McShay]

I can see that. Behind Colson Loveland.

[Stanford Steve]

Yes.

[Todd McShay]

From Michigan.

[Stanford Steve]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

All right, so yeah, you mentioned it. I sent you my notes. It was a mistake. I'll never send you my notes again. That scooping me here. But Elijah Arroyo from Miami, now this one is an interesting one. Didn't have great production early in his career. Had the ACL injury I think in 2023. So everyone's gonna say, well, one year wonder. Well, let's see, let's see now listen 6, 4, 2, 45, athletic, smooth difference maker after the catch down the field, I just think we're just kind of scratching the surface with this guy. Here's what's concerning. Here's why I want to, like, keep an eye on him. And it's going to be critical how he finishes the season. Jumped out to a huge start, right? Averaging 20.4 yards per catch. But silent versus Louisville.

[Mensch]

Got.

[Todd McShay]

Got shut out. No catches, three catches for only 14 yards versus Cal. Those are the last two weeks. So off to a fast start in the first four or five games. Last great.

[Stanford Steve]

Against Florida in the opener.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, that's where he caught my eye. And I was like, whoa, whoa. That looks like an old Miami tight end. You know what I mean?

[Stanford Steve]

The Jimmy Graham of the world.

[Mensch]

Yeah, yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Shocky, like all the. Like, he's just.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

You talk about, like, fit in the uniform, looking athletic. So I'm interested to see in a class that's got. It's not a great class, but you got love. You got Loveland from Michigan, you've got Taylor from. From lsu. Could Arroyo wind up emerging and being that third tight end that. I feel like the class is missing, like, a little bit more depth in that spot. So that's it. I like that any more.

[Stanford Steve]

You're.

[Todd McShay]

You're good on your guys.

[Stanford Steve]

You caught me off guard with that one. The other most guys, you know, like, I have a feeling for who this guy is, and I had seen him a little bit, but I was like, oh, that's interesting that you had him as a guy to look. So I had to go back and watch. And I'll be honest with you, I saw the same things that you saw. This guy could be a difference maker in the passing game. I mean, talk about making plays down the seam, stretching the middle of the field, giving you a little bit of something after the catch. For a guy that big, he's a smooth route runner. I mean, there are flashes, so you can look at the injuries. It's all part of the eval. Right. It's all part of. When you've a final grade on a player is you're going to look at his ability to stay healthy, how productive he was consistently, and that all come into play, but ultimately it's the tape. And if he tests as well as, you know, I think he could test. He's a. He's definitely a player to keep an eye out on. It was. It was. I was happy to see it. It was good to look at him. Good. Good to watch him.

[Todd McShay]

It'll be good if your Internet can hold up and you don't wind up cutting out anymore. All right, here we go.

[Stanford Steve]

Here we go.

[Todd McShay]

I so every week I always, like, you know, I get, I get some texts and read some, you know, some stuff on social media, like, where are the scouts? And so, like, we, we kind of look at it here a little bit differently. Obviously, we're looking at the slate of games. We're watching the games like everybody else. But I want, like, I always look at the slate for the upcoming week, usually on like, Monday. And I'm like, where, where would I want to go? Where are the scouts? Right. And to me, there are three places that I think it's going to be loaded with scouts. Missouri, Alabama might not be the best game when it's all said and done. Sounds like it sounds like Brady Cook ankles. According to Pete Thamill yesterday he had a report, it's doubtful to play in this game. So it might not. Again, might not be the best game. But you talk about talent and I'll just kind of rip through it and then you tell me what jumps out to you. Obviously, for Missouri, let's stay on that side of the ball because I just mentioned Cook, Luther Bird in the third, and I know you've got some numbers on him, but a player who can get down the field, explosive. He's to me, like, against this past defense, he's got some opportunities, but can the quarterback get him the ball? But Luther Burden, one of the top two or three receivers in this class. Tedoroa, the wide receiver from, from, from Arizona, I think, I think we agree the number one wide receiver, Tedro McMillan. But, but some, a lot of people think Burden could be the number two wide receiver in this class. So an opportunity for him against Alabama, depending on what the quarterback situation is. Really, really quickly.

[Stanford Steve]

Just interrupt you just so we're clear about this, do you have Travis Hunter from Colorado as a wide receiver or as a corner?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, I mean, we can just.

[Stanford Steve]

So people are. People are going to watch us and say Travis Hunter is the best receiver in the country.

[Todd McShay]

I've currently got him at cornerback as a ranking. But then I would have Hunter then at wide receiver one, if you will. I think he's a better cornerback at this spot at this point than wide receiver. But I think there's more value at wide receiver conversation that we. That I look forward to having moving forward. But I appreciate you. You clarifying that because I'm sure I would have gotten blown up about that. And then on that side of the Ball. Missouri's offense against Alabama's defense. The defense has been kind of middle of the road. They've been up and down. They've had some, you know, some issues with new system. There's going to be some transition and we've seen that. But my goodness, I love these linebackers. I still like Deontay Lawson and Jihad Campbell and I know they only go, you know, off the ball. Linebackers only go, you know, so high in the draft. But these are going to be two of the first three at worst, four off the ball linebackers to be to be drafted this weekend. I'm excited to see Missouri is going to have to run the football. They're going to have to try to take some pressure off the quarterback. And I really, I think Lawson and Campbell could have huge games here. On the flip side, can Jalen Milroe bounce back? You know, I look at it, Milro was one of eight on deep balls versus South Carolina and Tennessee. His game is throwing the ball vertically, it's running the football, and he throws one of the most beautiful deep balls you'll ever see.

[Stanford Steve]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

But defenses know that now. And so they're, they're either pressuring him and blitzing and getting after him so he doesn't have the opportunity to first receivers to get down the field, or they're dropping eight, backing up and saying that keep everything in front and make him work short to intermediate, right? And so that's what we're seeing. Missouri's defense, statistically, pass defense is pretty good, but you go back and read some of the numbers versus the deep ball and vertical passing, that's where they've struggled. So opportunity here for Milro to bounce back. Against the Missouri defense, that looks on paper like they're good against the passenger, but against the deep ball, they have struggled. So I'll be interested to see how Milroe bounces back. And my goodness, he need to run. Run. Yeah, we talk, we talked about it in the first part.

[Stanford Steve]

Like, run, man. I want to see him start making plays with, with his feet when the opportunity, you know, presents itself.

[Todd McShay]

Just.

[Stanford Steve]

That's one of the other things to look at. Stop trying to be or I don't know what he's trying to be, but, you know, maybe trying to be that pocket passer.

[Todd McShay]

It almost seems like a mentality thing, like some games, almost like the game plan dictates his mentality as a runner and then his mentality is what's seen on the field. Because when he, like that first half we talked about first Half against Georgia he was great throw. That was his best passing performance, best tape I've seen on him as a passer. But it also was some of the best running in terms of deciding when to run. And then when he, when he ran, it was aggressive shot out of a cannon. Let's go. No looking back. There's other times where he's been timid. So I'll be interested to see what his mentality is as a runner and what, and honestly what Missouri is trying to do. To me, this is what the NFL scouts want to see this. How does Milroe bounce back? Is Milroe going to make the progression? We're now entering the second half of the season and you know they're probably, there's a good chance but as of right now they might not be in the playoff. But can he, can he go on a run and put together, you know, stack tapes right. That are more resemble the first half versus Georgia. And if he does, then maybe we're back to that conversation. Could he be a first round quarterback? All those sorts of things. But right now the conversation, quite honestly, talking to some people this week is shifting to like I think Jalen might need to go back to Alabama for another year. So you're talking about like a massive change and I wouldn't disagree at this point because you've seen the flashes but the negative plays and the inconsistency are starting to outshine those, those big time plays and those big moments. So this is a big, this is a huge spot for Milroe and I know he's not looking at it like that, but from an evaluator standpoint you want to see, it's two weeks now, he has not played great. It's two and a half games now where he's not been at that. The level that we saw in the first half against Georgia, how does Milroe bounce back in this game? So I don't know if there's anything else in this game that jumps out, but to me those are the kind of the spots.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, the Cook injury is really unfortunate for, I mean for a number of reasons. But Burton the third I just haven't seen. I'm not as high on him as I feel like other people are. I haven't seen enough. The production, it was something like he had 5 or 600 yard games at this point. He had 96 yards in the opener last year. He has one 100 yard game this year. I haven't seen wide receiver 3 in this class. I think there are guys that are creeping up. I think that he has a chance to fall and it's just too bad because I think if Missouri wants to win this game, they need a big game from him. I think that's true in any big game they go into. So they need to have need him to have a big game. And I think he had an opportunity against a secondary that is not what we usually see in an Alabama secondary. So this had he had a chance to have a big game in a big spot and now it looks like his quarterback's not going to play. So that's unfortunate.

[Todd McShay]

All right. And Keon Saab, the safety for Alabama, is not playing too. How about did you hear that story? No. Fractured a bone in his foot. I want to say I'm not Pete Thamble. I'm not Adam Schefter. I'm good. Get used to it, folks. Like I'm probably going to have to look up some things, but I think it was a fractured bone in his foot. Had an injury in the game, played the game with the injury, tracked down a receiver at some point with just pure effort. Love for the game. Like you those are the stories scouts love to hear, like dudes just laying it on the line. But unfortunately the injury is the injury. You can't you know, it's now that he's played through it and I don't think playing through it made it any worse. But he's going to be out a while. Was the was what I read this week. So it'll be interesting to see with Sab, who was playing really well and is absolutely on the radar is kind of like it potentially like a day two prospect at the safety position. All right, let's transition lsu, Texas A and M. We'll get into the meat and potatoes of this game if you will. I get two well an offensive lineman and a tight end. When you know, when we talk to when we talk to our guy Stanford, Steve. But to me like there there are two things in this game I am most interested in seeing and it starts up front. Will Campbell emory Jones talking two top 50 prospects at least. Certainly Will Campbell's in the discussion for OT. One, if you if you will Emery Jones up and down tape a little bit but the talent is there. Could could be late first round, second round, wherever he winds up. But really damn good college offensive lineman. But going up against Nick Scorton, seven and a half tackles for loss over the last three three games. Scorn is a big physical dude. Twitchy like he oh my gosh.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, he Looks good, man. He's playing.

[Todd McShay]

You can make an argument.

[Mensch]

He's.

[Todd McShay]

He's the. He's. He's been on tape, the number one Edge this year in terms of performance. Now we'll get into Abdul Carter.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, you could. I wouldn't go there, but. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

All right, well, I'm marking. I'm marking these things.

[Stanford Steve]

I'll let you make that argument.

[Todd McShay]

I'm just saying the tape. He's. He's been one of the more consistent edges, and it was a slow start. Like, everyone was talking about all these. All these Edge guys. Like, they didn't. Really early in the season, they weren't kind of jumping out. Scorton has been more consistent than some of the other guys. Let's. Let's leave it there. So. And then the second thing for me is Garrett Nussmeier, we talked about it in the first pod with Pollock. Try to, like, you know, he was like, let's keep this quiet. But he had to throw me up against the fire, and that's fine. I love what I've seen from Garrett Nussmeier. He does not have Josh Allen's arm, but he anticipates. He squeezes every little bit of juice out of his arm that he can. He knows when to take chances. He'll take some chances that he probably shouldn't, but I don't mind. He's got that aggressive mentality. He's been given the keys to this offense. He's. He understands the game. He. And I just love the story of, like, in this day and age, nil transfer portal, all that, that you hang around and you wait your turn at a place and it means that much, and you. And you get that shot, and here he is. What are you talking about?

[Stanford Steve]

I. Listen, I. It's a great story, and I love when it works out like that, but I. You know, there's a reason why these kids are allowed to go wherever they want to go and they can follow.

[Todd McShay]

I'm not trying to strip anyone of their privileges. I'm saying I respected dude who. A, trusts the process and B, believes in his ability, that he knows that when he gets a shot, he's going to deliver. And Garrett has delivered from the jump this year.

[Stanford Steve]

I don't respect Cam Ward any less from going from Washington State to Miami and figuring out a new offense in a new setting so he can.

[Todd McShay]

I don't respect you picking this fight.

[Stanford Steve]

I'm just saying. I just think that's an old. It's an old argument of the guys staying in one place. And, you know, it's just these coaches would replace them if they felt like they needed to or could replace them in a heartbeat. So it's nice that he stayed in the right place. It's nice.

[Todd McShay]

All right, so what else in this game? Cynical mensch. I think you hit cynical Steve, I should say. What do you got?

[Stanford Steve]

You fit. You've hit the nail on the head. I mean, it's really, for me, the big guy, it's watching the big guys up front. And I do think, look, I. This offensive tackle class has more questions than answers right now. So let's. Let's start getting some more answers because, you know, Will Campbell's a. Is a damn good tackle, and Emory Jones got all the talent in the world. You know, I don't want to get into this too much right now because we are going to talk about it later on, but there were some struggles in the South Carolina game that we'll get into. So let's get some more. I want to get some more answers at the offensive tackle class. So these guys are two of the best. I hope they play like it.

[Todd McShay]

All right, then the third one is I'm going to present this as, like, what. What I would do if I was out in the scouting trail. You know, now if you're a national scout, you get the opportunity. You're doing like top 100, and you can kind of pick where you're going and choose your schedule early in the season, you kind of map it all out. Here's what I would do, because we knew from the start that Ashton Ginty was going to be a stud. So here's what I would pitch to my general manager if I'm on the trail. Okay? It's a. It's a really. I'm going to be. I'm going to be in Las Vegas. I'm going to start early in the week. I'm going to go to practice in Vegas. Okay. Stay at a casino, have a few days there, get a little sun. Life is good. I'm going to be at the un. The Boise State at UNLV game. There's some players there. Jinty is the jumping off point, but some pass rushers. Unlv, he's got some talent as well. So we got some day three guys to go with Jinty, who's going to be the number one. Number one running back in this class. So I'm there on Friday night, but again, my gm, I need to go in on Tuesday. You know, practice on there. Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday Night, Friday night, get up Saturday morning, hop on over. And I know you want me to drive, but like I gotta get over there. So we're gonna have to get some commercial flight into, go to Eugene. I forget where you even fly into, but flying in. And then I got Oregon. Illinois at Oregon on Saturday. And now we got some more talent. This one's an easier sell to the gm, right? But now we get some more talent. There's some great restaurants in Eugene. Some great restaurants. There's like sneaky little food. I'm a foodie. Sneaky little food spots. But. But now I'm there. We got Illinois versus Oregon. You got Evan Stewart, Tez Johnson at wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks, both having great years. Dylan Gabriel not sold as an NFL prospect. No, but what I want to see is the opportunities for Evan Stewart, Tez Johnson versus this Illinois secondary that's on an island, man. They pressure up front, they're going to get to you. How does Dylan hold up? Is he able to take advantage of the one on ones on the outside? The corners are good for Illinois. The receivers are better. Do they win their one on ones? Like as a scout, it's so important to get these opportunities to see one on ones press man coverage. How do they win in these, in these situations? So I want to see Tez Johnson, Evan Stewart, how do they step up here? Then on the flip side, you get Luke Altmeier again, another guy. We're not talking about drafting him, but a capable quarterback going up against this Oregon defense. I want to see Pat Bryant, 6 foot 3, one of the best vertical receivers in the country. Can he have a monster game in a monster spot? And then Zakari Franklin, the transfer from Ole Miss, can he step up as well? More of a short to intermediate guy. Love his route running from what I've seen so far. So they've got two receivers as well. So now I got four receivers that are going to be able to study with two capable quarterbacks throwing to him. And another guy I'm going to mention, Jordan James. This running back class is loaded and we don't have to do that today. We're not going to do that today. But this running back class, I mean Aston, Jinty and then everybody else. But the everybody else list is so deep. I'm fired up to see Jordan James though. I love his running style. Low to the ground, shifty, quick, but also will lower his shoulder. There's that one play a few weeks ago where he just absolutely knocked out a defensive back with his ability to stay Low and win low. So I think one of the underrated backs in the country is Jordan James for Oregon.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, no, I agree with all that. There's also. You're going to take a peek at that tackle from Oregon, a Johnny Cornelius, who I think coming into the season was a second round guy, but depending on how he plays, can move up or down.

[Todd McShay]

So again, and I mentioned Derek Harmon. We talked about him in the.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, that's my guys up front.

[Mensch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Segment. Yeah. So what's that? What'd you say?

[Stanford Steve]

I love that. That's your guy. We're gonna have to get that as audio for this.

[Todd McShay]

That's my guy. All right, so. So those. That's where I'd be. That's where I'd be. I did want to come. Go ahead. Can we.

[Stanford Steve]

Can we talk about Drake May now? Or are you going to let me. Are you going to let me talk about Drake May? I feel like I've been patiently waiting.

[Todd McShay]

We've been at this company for like a minute match, and you made some.

[Stanford Steve]

Outlandish statement at the end of last pod. Then we're like, oh, that's. That's all we got time for. We got to go.

[Todd McShay]

We're going to have to play it back. I would like to hear the audio. I'm not exactly sure how I phrased it, but I've already gotten a.

[Mensch]

It felt like you were running from.

[Stanford Steve]

It a little bit.

[Todd McShay]

The head man around here, Bill Simmons, has already texted me and said that, you know, I'm causing problems in his life because of, you know, his friends are now concerned that Drake May. There are two rookie quarterbacks coming in that might be better than Drake May.

[Stanford Steve]

I can't wait for this.

[Todd McShay]

You know what? I've had enough. So, like his quarterback class, it's a mess. It's a lot of. There's a lot of uncertainty. I want to take this time now forget what can talk about Drake May. We can talk about these quarterbacks and all that. Where are these quarterbacks going to go? Cam Ward, Shador Sanders? I think we both agree they're. They're at that top tier. This is the first time we're going to do this emergency mock, mock draft. Emergency mock draft. That's the beauty of this show. We don't need to call, you know, dot com people. We don't have to have a schedule. We don't have to line up TV all day. We can, whenever the freak we want, come out and do an emergency mock draft. I do have this and I'm always Going to have this every week. Every week I'm going to have the list what the draft order would be right now. You already mentioned. Get your pen, get your paper, get ready. Right now it's the Patriots picking at one, the Browns at two, the Panthers at three, the Titans at four and the Raiders at five. Okay, before we start putting player, because this is. I've kind of thought a little bit about it, but I literally, like, literally have not put pen to paper one time. I have not like decided where anyone would go. I have a feeling this is going to be a mess because let's just off the top of our heads, okay, Patriots, we know they need offensive line, we know they need a weapon, they need an edge rusher, they need a cornerback. Like those are the spots that they need. The Browns they need.

[Stanford Steve]

I mean, what don't they need?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, no, I get that the Browns, we're a quarterback, right? I mean, quarterback is a need.

[Stanford Steve]

I 100% agree.

[Todd McShay]

Okay. Wide receiver, offensive tab. But like the Browns are a quarterback needy team right now, which is a whole different pod for us to do on managing front office and everything else. Panthers at number three. I think they're a quarterback.

[Stanford Steve]

I don't want them to be. I wish they weren't, but they are.

[Todd McShay]

From information I've gotten, Bryce Young may turn out to be a great quarterback in the NFL, but it ain't going to be in Carolina. And you know what? For Bryce Young. Hey, Bryce, I got news for you. It's the best thing that could ever happen to you.

[Stanford Steve]

Get out.

[Todd McShay]

So do the Sam Darnold route. Do the Baker made like get out.

[Stanford Steve]

Pick where you're going. Put yourself in the best position. Could be the best thing that happened to you.

[Todd McShay]

Titans, Titans, quarterbacks a possibility. I guess that's my whole point. They need receiver, they need edge. The quarterback could be on the radar. And then the Raiders number five at quarterback. So I guess we act. I act surprised. But it's like the same song and dance every year. You get to the draft and the only team in the top five that doesn't need a quarterback is the Patriots.

[Stanford Steve]

So because they have Drake, maybe.

[Todd McShay]

Let's do it. Let's do it. No one drinks. No one drinks out of their cooler or whatever that is louder than you. It's. It's not surprising.

[Stanford Steve]

I gotta get.

[Todd McShay]

All right. Patriots are number one. Only team that does not need. And let's just go through some of the top guys. I've got Abdul Carter, the edge from Penn State at number one, Travis Hunter Wide receiver, cornerback. Number two from Colorado, Will Johnson, cornerback, Michigan. We got a few edge guys in there like Nick Scorton from A and M, James Pierce from Tennessee, Mikel Williams from Georgia. We got a defensive tackle, Mason Graham from Michigan. So at the top of our board, it's edges, receiver, corner, corner and defensive tackle. And you can throw in like Will Campbell. I know you're not as high on these offensive. But it's. I guess my point is marrying up players to what the needs are is going to be a nightmare right. Right now. So number one pick in this em mock draft, the New England Patriots, they need an offensive tackle. Not one there. They need a receiver. Travis Hunter from Colorado could be the fit. They need an edge. They could have their pick. Abdul Carter, Nick Scorton, all the other names I mentioned.

[Stanford Steve]

Can I be the.

[Todd McShay]

Tell me what. Yeah, you tell me what you think could happen here, what you think the best decision would be, and then we'll decide on what the pick is going to be.

[Stanford Steve]

Well, you know, if I'm calling, if I'm Jimmy calling in from Revere, I'm going to be like, let's trade the pit back. Let's trade out.

[Todd McShay]

Marty from Lynn calling.

[Stanford Steve]

They all want to trade out. And by the way, not a bad move if you could trade out of it.

[Todd McShay]

And you know what, then you know what? Because they're the only team up near the top that does not need a quarterback. If we get to this, if we get to the end of this process and the Patriots are picking it one or even two, and we have one or two quarterbacks that people actually believe, people in the league actually believe are worth drafting that high and it doesn't become the Kenny Pickett year and Malik Willis, they will have an opportunity to move out and they should get a really good deal to move back because as we mentioned, Browns, Panthers, Titans, Raiders and beyond will be, you know, trying to. Trying to move up aggressively to get ahead of the other teams to get to that number one or number two spot, wherever the Patriots wind up picking. So with all that said, you can't trade out of this spot. You're the Patriots at number one.

[Mensch]

Where.

[Todd McShay]

Where do you think they should go? And I'll tell you what we're going to do.

[Stanford Steve]

Penn State edge. Abdul Carter, I just think he's the best. He's the best fit in terms of need and value. Again, I have questions about the offensive tackle class, so I don't see. I'd love for there to be a Joal this year if you Joel from Notre Dame was there this year. I think that he would be a guy you could take there. Now if someone emerges, if Will Campbell has a great end of this run, Kelvin Banks from Texas has a great, you know, a great pre draft process and you start to feel like he could be that guy. I think ideally they get the offensive tackle because again, you're going to want to protect that.

[Todd McShay]

So you got quarterback, you got a head coach who's a defensive guy. Don't think that that really matters. You got Elliot Wolf currently making the decisions and kind of that de facto role.

[Stanford Steve]

By the way, I don't have. My board is a little bit different than yours. I don't have.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, I don't care about your board.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, I don't ha. I know you don't.

[Todd McShay]

No, I. So I guess my point is like Travis Hunter's flashier gives your. Gives your young quarterback going into a second year a legitimate weapon on the offensive side. But there's question marks that come with Travis Hunter. Is he developing enough as a wide receiver? Can he play both sides? Where's his value? I could see them going Abdul Carter. All right, let's write in Abdul Carter from number one. But I would put a, an asterisk there that Travis Hunter absolutely in this scenario would be in play. So Abdul Carter goes number one to the Patriots.

[Stanford Steve]

Listen, I love Hunter, but I mean, you gotta, I gotta believe you gotta address the offensive and defensive line before you start getting into skill. I just.

[Todd McShay]

Browns. Browns are sitting here at number two. Yeah, exactly, number two. They have a quarterback need here. Here's where the discussion starts. On my board. I have Shador Sanders at 11, Cam Ward at 12. And then there's another big drop off before you get to guys like. And I'm not putting him in order, but Milro, Ewers, Beck, Nussmeyer, all that.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

The Browns need a receiver. I could see the Browns going Travis Hunter.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah. I mean, they make mistakes all the time. I love Travis Hunter. Let me be clear there. I just.

[Todd McShay]

Again, do you think there's. And here's another thing we need to talk about briefly now. And as we get closer, it's going to be a big topic of conversation. Do you think for a second that prime is going to allow his son to go to Cleveland or to Carolina? And honestly, like, I hate even the fact that we're having this discussion, but I think it's legit. I think we think it is a legitimate conversation.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, you can't ignore it. I just don't know how I honestly.

[Todd McShay]

Mannings can do it. And like Elway and like, it will be done. I. I'm. I'm convinced of it. It will be done. And so I, I think you take for Shador, you take Cleveland out, you take Carolina out. Like, I, I don't. I don't know what his list is. I haven't read enough on it because it's like.

[Stanford Steve]

It.

[Todd McShay]

It's not my favorite subject. I'll just be honest. Things were closer.

[Stanford Steve]

He's linked to the Giants all the time, and it's one of those things.

[Todd McShay]

You're like, Dallas in Dallas. But I don't.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, I could. I don't know. We'll see.

[Todd McShay]

But that was before. No, it's not gonna be Dallas. So.

[Stanford Steve]

I'm going Cam Ward here.

[Todd McShay]

I can see that.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

All right, let's go. Cam Ward.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Cleveland. Cam Ward 2.

[Stanford Steve]

I think it's early, but it's also a little bit of a projection. And I mean, they.

[Mensch]

They're.

[Stanford Steve]

They need a guy.

[Todd McShay]

Okay, so Carolina. I just don't think, honest to God, I think Carolina would want to take Shador at this spot. I don't think. I thought. I don't think it will be allowed. And I know that's insane to say. And we'll get more information as we get closer and we'll see what they. Their rights are and how they're going to play this whole thing. But I tell you, this thing, if I had any power and Tate McShay, my son, was. Was as talented as Shador, and unfortunately for. For my son, he's coming from my gene pool, so that's just not in the cards, bud. But. But if there was one place I would not want him to go simply because of ownership, not of the individuals there, not the coaching staff, not the personnel department, simply because of ownership. And what has gone on there with every other quarterback that's gone into that abyss, that's the last place I would want him to go. So. And I don't think that they. So, like, what do we. I think this. This to me is where. Is where you have Travis Hunter come off the board.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, I agree. I think.

[Todd McShay]

And I could see ownership. And again, we'll prime. Even let him. Even let Travis Hunter go there, but we got it. Let's just. Let's play the board out. So, number one, we've got Abdul Carter, edge rusher for the New England Patriots. Cam Ward is number two to the Cleveland Browns at quarterback. Number three, we don't think Shador Sanders is going to be Allowed to go. The Carolina Panthers. But Travis Hunter is. We'll see how that plays out, but Travis Hunter will be the pick at number three. Now we get down to number four. Titans. Could be another QB team. I could see the Titans. I could. I could see. There's no wide receiver here, right? No Edge.

[Mensch]

No.

[Stanford Steve]

No, no, no.

[Todd McShay]

But where do you think the Titans will stand next year in terms of Will Levison moving forward? I think they'll wind up giving him another year. Okay. I. Yeah, I'm not convinced.

[Stanford Steve]

Neither am I.

[Todd McShay]

At all.

[Stanford Steve]

I mean. No, but again, it's about who's there.

[Todd McShay]

So I would go. Let's go. Nick Scorton here. Okay. I actually like.

[Stanford Steve]

I think Pierce, who hasn't been as good on tape, but I think is super talented, might be a better fit for what they do. Take the hometown kid, but.

[Todd McShay]

All right, fine.

[Stanford Steve]

Fine.

[Todd McShay]

Let's go, Pierce. That's fine. I mean, they're right in the same. It's no. No difference for me.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

In terms of grade, they're in the same. Same ballpark. All right, so we get Abdul Carter, Edge going number one in the Patriots. Number two, Cam Ward, quarterback, Miami going to the Browns. The Panthers take Travis Hunter, cornerback, wide receiver, edge. James Pierce Jr. From Tennessee. And then number five. This is where I would plug in. I would plug in Shador Sanders.

[Stanford Steve]

Oh, I love this idea.

[Todd McShay]

Yep.

[Stanford Steve]

Oh, the Dion show going on the radars. The Raiders.

[Todd McShay]

That. And you get Tom Brady there. Like they could, you know. All right, so that's our. That's our emergency mock draft. And I did that for two reasons. One, to get it so that we could have a conversation about, like, how tricky this. This quarterback class is. But fortunately or unfortunately, there's. If you're drafting high nine times out of 10, you're in a quarterback bind.

[Mensch]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

And we see that in this exercise. Right. We also see in this exercise that a quarterback that is ranked number 12 or 13 and some teams talking to him like they think late, even later in the first, could still go in the top five. That's why I wanted to do this exercise. The second reason I wanted to do this exercise was to get you off the scent of the Drake May conversation about two quarterbacks in this class being better than Drake May. I don't think I said exactly that. I said I wasn't willing. I wasn't willing at this point to say definitively I said the jumping off point would be three.

[Mensch]

Where we.

[Todd McShay]

That's what I said. Now it's coming back. The jumping off point for me, I want to go to the tapes. The jumping off point for me would be go would be number three. That's when we could have a conversation that absolutely out of the, out of, off the table is. Yeah, off the table was having a discussion about any of these quarterbacks being at the same level as Jaden Daniels or Caleb Williams. That was. I said jumping off point for a discussion would be Drake May. And quite honestly, looking back and now having to like take some ownership of this, of this take, if you will. Yeah, Drake May. Drake May has a high had a higher grade than what I have on these guys. I didn't. I had Drake May as like the sixth or seventh best player in, in the class last year and I had him even higher coming into the year. But he didn't have a great 2023 season. So Bill, I hope this satisfies some of your needs with the fans here in New England. I live down the street from Boston. Lived here for over 20 years. I've got some, some of the same people I'm dealing with Mensch who's up in New Hampshire, but he's a Patriots guy his whole life. So like I get it. I'm surrounded by mass holes and I understand the pressure. But I also think the conversation would start with Drake. But right now I would take Drake over Shador Sanders if we were to redraft. I would take him over Cam Ward if we were to redraft and they were all in the same class. I hope this episode is brought to you by Vitamin Water. Food, entertainment, Sports teams. New York City is one of those places that oozes choice. It's got something for every taste. So it's fitting that Vitamin Water was born there. It's a product of its environment. Colorful, flavorful, anything but boring. Vitamin Water injects a daily dose of vibrancy into a watered down life. So grab some Vitamin Water today, NYC style. Vitamin Water is a registered trademark of Glasso. My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do. Get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com campaign to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com campaign. Terms and conditions apply.

[Stanford Steve]

LinkedIn the place to be to be.

[Todd McShay]

Hope that satisfies some things the McShay show is brought to you by FanDuel. Keep your college football season going with a win on FanDuel, because right now new customers can kick off the season with 300 bucks in bonus bets. Just place any $5 bet and you'll get 300 in bonus bets if you win. Use your bets on spreads, live bets over unders, and so much more. Just visit FanDuel.com McShay to download. America's number one sportsbook. Must be 21 or older and present in select states or 18 and older and present in D.C. first online real money wager only. Five dollar first deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] Gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com well, Mensch, we got another friend of the show here. I, I said it from, from the jump. It's all it's going to be. Guys we've worked with that we know that we love. And Stanford Steve is one of those dudes. Our history, like we go back from, we go back in the mud, man. We do. We go back in the mud. Let me lay this out for you. Let me lay it out for you. So I'm a pup at espn. I'm commanded Scouts Inc. Right? We're supposed to just be working with ESPN.com and all of a sudden I get this opportunity to do a college game day radio, right? So I'm traveling, going out to games, like six, eight games a year. And there's this guy, Steve Cochlan who comes in and he quickly gets the name Stanford Steve. He's a Connecticut guy, got recruited, great player in high school, goes and plays at Stanford. And so we got to know each other just a little bit in the beginning, right? And then, and then I find out he knows Steve Sorrels. Mensch mentioned offensive lineman at Richmond. Steve Sorrels was my roommate, nightmare roommate because he was so clean and like, you know, like Pete Sousa and I are another roommate. We're always parties and messes. But, but Soros is our guy. And so he, I find out that he has a connection with Soros through his friends at Stanford. And so we start talking and we have, you know, instant connection. We're both kind of around the same age, young guys starting out at ESPN. So I @ the time, follow me here at the time Rossello. I'd done some shows with Rossello up in Boston at like this, this failing radio station really loved Rossello. I'm telling everyone. And I don't have a leg to stand on. I barely have this job. I'm with Jerry DiNardo, Dave Revson. But I'm like, we got to bring in this guy Rosillo, give him some chances. So he comes down a year later, Russello's on the show, hosting it because Revzin goes to the Big Ten network, and then they bring in our guy, Stanford Steve, and now he's the freaking producer. So I want you to understand this mensch. We're in our late 20s. You remember me in my 20s. I mean, absolute wild men. And so Steve, because the ESPN radio budget, he's not traveling all the time with us, so he's having to produce our show from back in Bristol. And Russello and I are out. You know, we're like the houndstooth in Alabama till three in the morning, you know, not showing up on time. And he's trying to manage us and. But he's like our buddy, you know, but that's where the relationship all started. And so then Stanford Steve is our producer there. He's like, just, you know, cutting his teeth, getting by, but talking to me in my ear during breaks. They're, you know, in studio. Like, I really like. I really like, you know, Michigan minus six today. I'm like, dude, I can't, you know, I can't do the gambling thing. We're on a radio show. This is before gambling. So anyway, long, short. Then Rossillo has Scott Van Pelt. It's like this weird family tree inside espn. Russell does the radio show with Scott Van Pelt, and then Van Pelt winds up getting that late SportsCenter. He's the producer. And it goes from there. And I turn on game day. Was it last year? First year. And I look at Stanford Steve plugged into that spot, talking about picks, talking about bets, and I'm like, like, we're finally home. Like, all four of us doing his thing. Resilience. Got his thing. I got my thing. And Stanford Steve is at home and exactly where he needs to be. So I love you, bro. You know that. Pumped that it's all working out for you, can enjoy it more for you. And I know how hard you've worked for it. So I just wanted to let you know that before we get started, but thanks for joining us today.

[Mensch]

Absolutely. I do want to touch. I'm pretty sure car rental places all over the country are happier that you are not on the road as much. And you're going to be at home watching Games. Because that's a whole nother pod that we could do with Todd McShay in car rentals.

[Todd McShay]

Do you know I would be a.

[Stanford Steve]

Part of that one, too. I got some stories.

[Todd McShay]

I'll just say this and we'll tell that story another time. And it's 2024. I am still, I promise you, if you look up the rec. I am still on the do not rent list at National. And the thing that's a nightmare is national combined with Enterprise. So, like, the only rental car place that I can rent from, and I hope no one's listening, like in the rental car world is Hertz.

[Mensch]

Wow.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. So anyway. All right, so let's. You know my favorite thing, though, with. Because he was producing Van Pelt's show and we would be like the Rose Bowl, National Championship. All these big games, right? And we would have. There would be like a rundown, like me and Herb Street, Des and all, like all these big time A list guys who have been in the business company forever. But like, because Stanford Steve is my boy, I would always get on the A block. It would be like the Rose Bowls over and it's like post draft Pollock Dez. You got like, hold on. McShays in the A's. And they'd be like, what? You know, and then like, being in the A's means I'm getting back to the hotel lobby at 12:30, not 2:00am Everybody, I don't know, they're like, what's going on? But I don't, I don't know. It must have been a miscommunication. So I was always like, if you ever look back, I was always the first guy on after the biggest games because of this guy right here. All right, let's get to the rundown. I'm going to rip him off real quick. We got. And it's not the best slate. Like, we're not here to lie. It's not the best slate this week. But I feel like, like three weeks ago when he said it wasn't the best slate, that's when Vandy upset Alabama with all those big upsets. It's always these weird weeks, right? Notre Dame, Navy, Notre Dame's -12 and a half. Illinois, Oregon, Oregon's -21 and a half. Alabama, Missouri, Roll Tide -16 and a half. LSU, A&M. The game I'm probably looking forward to the most. A and M is minus two and a half. You also got Washington, Indiana, the game that you're going to be at in Bloomington. We'll get to that in a second, Indiana is minus six and a hook. Penn State is minus six and a hook against Wisconsin, and then Texas, Vanderbilt, The Longhorns are minus 18 and a half. So take it wherever you want to go first. Steve.

[Mensch]

I'm going to go to a game, Todd, that you haven't even. You didn't mention. It's Friday night. It's Boise State and unlv. Because in the big picture, like this is like you talked about, you know, weird slate. We're going to start learning a lot more about these teams as whether they're going on the road, they're playing, you know, more teams with winning records. And Boise State, I stayed up that, that week when they went to Eugene. I wanted to see what that was. Talking to a couple guys on the, on the Georgia Southern staff that I, that I know had played Boise State. They were blown away by Genty. And then on the other side, you got unlv. I love what Barry Odom has done. When you look at the roster, I mean that's, that's a cool thing that, like he took our, you know, he was a DC at Arkansas after he got fired at Missouri. Jalen Catalon is it. Was it. He's like a former SEC player, all SEC player like three years ago. He's out there in Vegas having a time of his life. So I, I think it's a, it's a real good barometer test because we know what Boise State brings to the table. Spencer's done a great job as a head coach. Interesting move at the quarterback position. He got the five star from sc, but then he goes with the other kid and gentle. Just been unbelievable. No matter who he plays against, the numbers are there. And unlv, I think it's really just a tribute to their staff, the way they handled the Sluka story and they just have hit the ground running. Tough loss to Syracuse in the second game.

[Todd McShay]

Pretty good team though.

[Mensch]

I know. Yeah. Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Were they five and one now? Six. Five and one.

[Mensch]

I think Thursday night they get Pit 2 who's undefeated. So just in the big picture, you know, Army, Navy, Indiana, probably the best stories. Boise State's right there. And just going back.

[Todd McShay]

Like Oregon pass rush too.

[Mensch]

Yeah. Oregon needed two kicks, two kick returns to win that game against Boise or.

[Todd McShay]

That'S when I was like, is Oregon like cracked up right like that game? I was like, what?

[Mensch]

And, and it, and it, and it was because of what Boise State was doing to him, you know, like, like.

[Todd McShay]

I remember being like, Oregon's offensive line is Going to be a problem this year, but it turns out like maybe Boise State's just really good up front.

[Mensch]

So that, that's, that's one right off the get that I'm, I'm super. I mean, I'll be sleeping in Bloomington while that's going on, but that's the first game I'll, I'll jump on and watch the tape of whenever I get done Saturday night with our stuff. So that one and obviously Indiana just diving in on them this week. Really, really cool to watch. How organized, buttoned up. Reese uses the word crisp when you watch them offensively.

[Todd McShay]

Good word.

[Mensch]

But their skill guys are better than you think. When you put on the tape, both of their running backs can go. Their defense is just an L. Justice.

[Todd McShay]

Ellison and Tyson Lawson, right?

[Mensch]

Yeah. And then, you know, going back and watching the tape, Roark, the quarterback to transfer from the Mac, he gets hurt on the 25th play. You see it, the hand goes out and hits the defender. And then he plays like 13 more plays. He can't do it. Like you could see he's thrown quicks and he can't grip the ball. He's just like shoving the ball out there. Throws a Hail Mary on the last play of the first half. It goes like 35 yards, gets picked. So now it's 28 7. And now they got Taven Jackson coming in, who's the backup. And I was really interested to see what Signetti would do. Like it's 28 7. You just run the ball here and get the hell out of here and get prepped for another big game against Washington next week. No, not Cignetti. First six plays, four passes, a great fade in the end zone. They run a pick play down the end zone. So four of this first six are passes. Taven plays 25 total plays. He throws two touchdowns in those first six plays. He was super impressive. I think he brings more mobility to their team too, I think. I love the offensive line. The center Caddock's a fifth year kid, he's a leader of that group. So I'm really fired up because now you have this Signetti train game days going there. We were there last year at jmu. I don't think we mentioned App State once on that show. Last year App State beat him in overtime, which was nuts. I stayed for the game. It was crazy. But how funny is this, this Indiana train? And the best story and this week, what's going to try and stop him is a Belichick. Like, it's just like, like full world Stuff, it's. It's awesome. So, you know, diving in on Washington lost as much as anybody in the portal. I think there's four guys safety back that, that I really like from last year. They. They. But against good teams, they haven't been able to put 60 Minutes together. And I'm sorry, Michigan fans, I don't put you in good team. You're. You're really unwatchable right now. But then they go to Iowa and you know what Iowa does to you for 60 minutes when they could play with a lead. So really interesting matchup with all the focus on the home team Indiana schedule being questioned. And here comes Lillo Washington, you know, traveling two time zones again, that stat is not good for the teams that have had to do that. So, yeah, there's plenty, plenty to watch at that on that noon kick on Saturday with those two.

[Todd McShay]

You know, it's funny, I, you know, summer sometime spent some time in Nantucket. Your boy Van Peltz come and come and visit, but Jed Fish would visit every summer.

[Stanford Steve]

Right.

[Todd McShay]

Like we spent some time hanging out. We just cut it up and just talk ball talk. Life at the Tree Bar is where we. The last time we hung out. But Belichick lives on. On the. Has placed places like six or seven places on the ice. I wonder if the time he spent there is kind of the connection with, with Steve Belichick. But yeah, I mean, this is going to be a fun one and it'll be interesting to see, to see offensively with, you know, Rourke and what his situation is. I love. What is it? Mikhail Kamara, the. He's got five sacks for Indiana. That's going to be an interesting game. I. Who do you like?

[Mensch]

I think Washington could hang around. I would take the six and a half with them right now. As I stand here, it just seems way too easy for Indiana to just come in here. All the emotion in that. I've been there plenty of times. You know, Texas last week, just.

[Todd McShay]

It's real, man.

[Mensch]

Yeah, I mean, I mean, we're a circus when we come to distraction. Yeah, no doubt. So it being a noon kickoff, I think kind of helps though. You know, we're. I think we're gonna do some time, you know, the end of our show in the stadium. We'll see about that. But it's, it's a, it's a huge, you know, swarm storm, you know, blizzard that's coming and there's a lot that I think the team just needs to get on the field in between the lines and do what they do. They, they've been super impressive. They can only beat the teams that are on their schedule. But there's just something. The line should be more is what I'm trying to say. And that's what makes me think Washington can hang around in this game.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, it's been fun to watch. You know, Kurt Signetti and what he's done. Kevin Wil, who worked with us for a long time, the Whittle family, they all have connections with the Signettis. I can remember 100 this, signetti that. Like I, yeah, IUP.

[Mensch]

Right?

[Todd McShay]

IUP. And now to see him where he is, Google me. And coming in and winning here. It's, it's what? And I'll say this, he's a different cat, Signetti. And I almost think it takes a different cat in terms of being like so focused, so dialed in, so mechanical to overcome some of the obstacles. Like, I can see him being just a terrible guest on game day. You know what I mean? Like, just like not, you know, like.

[Stanford Steve]

Sark comes, he's not here to have a good time. Yeah, he's not there to have fun.

[Todd McShay]

That's exactly it.

[Mensch]

He's also a Pittsburgh guy, so is McAfee. So he knows when he gets up there, he's got to have a little something ready to go. He'll, he'll be ready to go.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Stanford Steve]

How does the coach prep for this kind of a thing with this just all this circus coming to town? How do, how do they do it?

[Todd McShay]

Because it's recruiting.

[Stanford Steve]

It's 20 year old kids. What's that?

[Todd McShay]

Sorry. It's a recruiting opportunity too. So like, while you want to stay dialed in and keep your players focused, you've got to get involved in the circus to help recruit it.

[Stanford Steve]

Right?

[Mensch]

And I mean, he's smart enough now to have a big enough staff to handle all these. I mean, being at Texas last week, I mean, it's, it's, it's not 20 recruits, like for a home game anyway. It's a hundred. It's more than a hundred.

[Todd McShay]

I heard, I heard Miami, Florida State this week. There's a hundred recruits coming to that game.

[Mensch]

A hundred I like. It's, it's, it's a circus. You, you, you're, you're either going to embrace it, Mensch, or you're, you're, you're just going to, you know, not do it at all. Like, we, we went to Washington State for one of the biggest shows ever years back, and Leech just said, no, I want everything on the team and the Fans and do that Matt Campbell, long awaited show to go to Iowa State. Nope, I'm not coming on. I want it to be about the team and the people and I think Nick would tell you otherwise that, you know, he made it a point to always go on game day. He knows, he knows how many people are watching that, you know, early morning show, how many parents are watching it. You know, it's a chance to get out there and talk. So there's definitely different approaches and I think Signetti's been around the block. He's been on team staff. Yeah, right. You know, that have hosted. He talks to enough people. There's definitely a way to do it. And you know, we want everything to work out for everybody. So it's going to be a scene, man. Multiple establishments already reaching out where we want to eat and stuff like that. That's what I could tell, you know, the excitement level and Bloomington is definitely ready for it and I can't wait to get there. It's going to be, it's going to be a blast.

[Todd McShay]

We'll get back. Get back to your dining choices and where you're going to watch some games in a minute.

[Mensch]

But.

[Todd McShay]

All right, let's rip through a few games real quick. Notre Dame, Navy. I don't think a lot of people have seen Navy. I did a little bit of tape on him this week. Blake Horvath is playing really well. I mean his I was going through like I read something on pff about his efficiency, like passing grade up there with like Miller Moss and Will Howard, like, because you think Navy, it's all about the run game. But what's different about this team? He's already thrown 10 touchdown passes. The record at Navy is 13. So like this is. It's a little different animal and it's Eli Heidenreich, I believe, the wide receiver. I mean they don't get vertical threats like this. And to open up that. It reminds me almost of like Calvin Johnson was at Georgia Tech having that one guy that can create mismatches. He's just, he's been a big play machine. So I'm interested on your take to get your take on what you see in that game, like Notre Dame trying to fight back in this thing. They're up to, I think number 12 this week. We'll see where they are when the poll reveal comes out. But huge spot, I think for Notre Dame.

[Mensch]

Yeah. And it feels like the world is on Navy seeing all those points and how good they've been and they've covered every Single game.

[Todd McShay]

So I saw that, I saw early in the week, you know, Ben Fox, we used to work with F A W K E S. Check him out on Twitter. He, he does the like the early, early week ticket numbers and dollar amounts bet on one side and there's always like five or six that are like 88%, 92%. All the money early was on Navy Plus. What, what, what's the number? I said it before. 12 and a half. 12 and a half.

[Mensch]

Yep. Yeah, so that's, that's an interesting thing because, you know, it's hard to find a team that keeps on giving and Navy and Army have definitely been those teams. But I will say this, it going back and watching Notre Dame, I think we started the year in Ireland. I've had this affinity for Georgia Tech and what they do pre snap. I love how many guys they move around. It helps them in the run game with so much split zone, you know, I'm always, I'm always looking at those tight ends, man, because it's a dying breed how we're setting up for a positive aspect with all these cross motion split zone blocks and constant moving like set the advantage for those, give those guys an angle. And Georgia Tech's done a great job. They started out doing that against Florida State and pre snap they really put you in some conundrums that, you know, the, you know, the alleyway players really got to make a decision where they want to go. So Notre Dame was super buttoned up on that and now you got to realize Notre Dame's lost a ton of guys on defense too. So now it's a, it's a fret true freshman corner. 1529's a redshirt freshman who I like a lot. And Morrison, Herbie and I would argue all year, I like Notre Dame secondary better than anyone in the country. The first couple weeks, I just love how they would get in your face. Jordan Clark, Ryan Clark's son, I thought was a huge get in the portal because he played in Arizona State. They're not the best team, but you could tell he was always the quarterback back there. And seeing Georgia Tech with, with the, with the pre snap stuff, they're constantly communicating. But this week it's different. Now it's assignment football against Navy. And I do love how much Notre Dame runs to the football. I think Freeman does a great job being a defensive guy, getting in there, getting in their ass about the, you know, being buttoned up. So I'm going to go against the grain. I think, you know, the One offense that Navy has played was Memphis. Memphis scored 44. Is an absolute shootout. So I'm going to. I'm going to be against the grain. I'm going to take Notre Dame and give the points. I do believe their defense will show up against Navy. The issue I have, though, is if, like, you know, they call it the sling T the guy chronic. He was at Lenore, Ryan and Mercer. Really, really cool offense, and Horvat's been awesome. I think it's 51 pass plays over 30 yards and 10 or touchdowns. Every time you watch them throw the ball, it feels like they're throwing a touchdown. But if Navy has the lead, how many possessions is Notre Dame going to get? That because Navy's played not. Not tempo, but the offense and explosive plays have. Have made it look like, you know, they're scored. They have scored all these points. And the pace of a Navy game is totally different than what we've watched. So the first couple quarters and possessions, and Notre Dame's offense has only gotten better. I think Love is as explosive as a kid as there is. He stood out to me against Week 1 at A and M. I'm like, you got to get that kid the ball more. He's. He's your most explosive guy, without a doubt. So Riley's not, you know, the most accurate guy, obviously, but they have progressed, and I think it's a tribute to the offensive coordinator. That's why they paid him a ton of money. So it's a fascinating matchup, but I'm going to go against the grain and give the points with Notre Dame.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, that OC is the same OC that was with Jaden Daniels last year, too. So he knows a little bit about what he's doing. All right. LSU, Texas A&M, 8 versus 14. I think it is 7:30 prime time game. Mensch, I don't know if we told you this, but we're going to be on the McShay show right after that game, so drink some coffee on Saturday. But the Tigers and Tigers and Aggies, only two undefeated teams in the sec. So this huge spot for both of these teams. The thing that jumps out to me, and I'm curious to see what you see, but, like, I guess as a evaluator looking to the next level, you got a quarterback in Garrett Nussmeier who is playing well above, I think, the expectation. I love what he's doing inside the pocket. You have to give credit to this offensive line, though. Like, he's only been pressured on. I think I read like 22, 22% of the time, which is like, you know, 17th lowest in the FBS. So, like, the protection has been outstanding. We know about, like Will Campbell, the offensive lineman that they're going up. Go. Going up against, though, a defensive front for Texas A and M. That's outstanding. Just dogs everywhere. Nick Scorn is leading the charge. He's just so, like, to me, that's the matchup. It's LSU front versus A and M's front. And how can they protect Nussmeyer? Because if they can, LSU is going to have success.

[Mensch]

Yeah, there's a ton. I'm with you. That matchup alone, you know, everybody, we talked about Signetti, obviously, he's everyone's coach of the year. My coach here is Mike Elko. Being around him, I don't disagree, man. Seeing like, you know, I got a chance to go to practice Thursday before Notre Dame game. It's, you know, it down there. They're outside. It's 110 degrees. It's, you know.

[Todd McShay]

And how red was your face? Oh, pretty. I was your head.

[Mensch]

The only shade was the tape tower, the guys with the cameras. And I'm like sitting under there trying not to be in the way, but I'm, I'm watching them and I'm like, this is, this is the offensive line. Like, this is what they're going to do. I'm like, they're going to. And I love Notre Dame's personnel going to that game. I'm like, this is going to be tough. And then on the other side, you got the defensive guys, you know, fitting in. And, you know, it's not, it's not clean. You know, they got gassed during. I think it was a two minute that day. And he's, he's, he's hot.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mensch]

He's given it to his guys and he coaches his ass off. That's what I love about him. And, and now you see, you know, he, he gets caught in two run stunts against Notre Dame, and that's the difference in the game. Notre Dame bust. They stay on their tracks. They. That. That's how Notre Dame wins that game. And I'm like, where do they go from here? You know, he played two situations, absolutely genius style. They go to Florida and he unleashed. He. He hides the Wigman injury and he gets Reed, who's more mobile guy. That's. That's a, that's an opposing coach's worst nightmare. When you don't have time to prep for a mobile. A mobile guy. Then he plays it week to Week between Wigman and Reed. Missouri comes in, he goes with. He goes with Wigman, and they absolutely gash Missouri and hand them their first and only loss. I just love his temperament. The, the way he goes about things. He's not afraid. And when Nick Saban is asking guys about what they do situationally in third down and how they confuse quarterbacks, I'm gonna be confident that you know what you're doing. So I love what Elko's brought to the table. Scorting that day at practice, I'm like, all right. Yep, he's, he's, he's. Both Shamars in the middle are great. And it's funny, every single coach you talk to going into the season, even in September, what, what, what worries you about your roster? Defensive, defensive line, talent, defensive line depth. Even Georgia. Georgia. That. That was Georgia's number one concern. You know, going in to the season.

[Todd McShay]

Should have been wide receiver, but.

[Mensch]

Yeah, understood. I know you, I know you're. I know your feelings there. Very valid, heated. You backed him up. I get it. No, but A and M didn't have that, that issue. And when you, when you think about that, like being there that night, they're the home crowd and what a, what a versatile, dominant defensive line does to help confidence on your back end. You know, it's, you know, you guys evaluate all these corners and everything. You really got to take a look at, hey, how much, how much time is this opposing quarterback going to have? You know, are they jumping routes? Because they know they are going to get pressured. So I love the matchup. I was at South Carolina when lsu, amidst chaos, is trying to figure out this run game and they start, you know, adapting. They just start, you know, blocking Will Campbell out on Kenard or Stewart, and they're running inside all their stuff. So LSU has been very impressive. They've added on stuff offensively. I do think Nussmeyer has to keep defensive honest a little bit more and take those third and fives. Just take him, run it and slide like. Yeah, like, he, he's not a, he's not a standing still bullseye back there. But it's getting to the point because I do think they, they give him a little bit too much leeway with play calling. I being there and seeing it, there's some things that you're like, did. What's. What was that one?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mensch]

And you know, he. I've said he doesn't have elite arm strength, but there are certain situations where he thinks he does and he's going to test it. He's a baller, man. He's not afraid. His guys love him. You could tell that with the offensive line when he comes over on the sideline. So it's a fascinating matchup. I was worried about the receivers coming into the season. And then Saban tells me, receivers at lsu. Are you kidding me? He's like, no, it's different this year. He's like, they fall out of trees in Louisiana. They're going to be fine at wide receiver. So they've had guys step up. Lacy's been awesome. I still think Mason Taylor guy that should get more targets. I love him. In the past game. And then the big six, six. Kid 14 caught a touchdown or two point last week. Fascinating matchup. I'm going to side with A and M. I do believe in that defense. I don't love it. I'm kind of rooting against LSU to be wrong. And they keep winning. So we are in Baton Rouge for game day against Alabama because it's been too long where I haven't been to my favorite place in America.

[Stanford Steve]

That LLC line has some problems with South Carolina's front, though. I mean, that's the thing that really.

[Mensch]

Campbell. Here's the thing. You know, it's true.

[Todd McShay]

But that's.

[Stanford Steve]

You're gonna see that again this week, right? So that's what scares me.

[Mensch]

It's fun. I mean, you guys, I'm sure read all this stuff too, but, you know, our. My guy, Cole Kublick, who, who's, you know, Joe Moore Award voter and organizer and all that. We go back and forth all the time. And I'm texting them from the sidelines. I'm like, they're getting whipped. I mean, Will Campbell's getting whipped. Emory. And then like the. The PFF stuff comes up after, you know, Tuesday or whatever. And like Emory Jones, like, only allowed two pressures.

[Todd McShay]

I just watched five. Correct.

[Stanford Steve]

No way.

[Mensch]

But only Cole could point out. He's like, yeah, because the other guy on the other side got there earlier.

[Todd McShay]

Right, right, right, right, right. So technically it wasn't.

[Mensch]

I know what's going on here. But no, amidst that chaos and you know, that place could be nuts with sandstorm and everything they got. They dialed it in, man. I was really, really impressed. I really like their center, Chester. He's a red shirt freshman. And LSU is always going to be chaotic. And then you got Red Face Brian on the sideline, just, you know, getting everybody on the same page who I love.

[Todd McShay]

He's calmed down a little.

[Mensch]

Yeah, yeah. So it. It'll be. I Mean, all the recruiting angles with these two teams being so close together. And I mean, it feels like every guy is down when they're down to LSU or A and M, the other one's on the other side. So fascinating matchup. Can't wait to watch that one Saturday night. But I'll side with A and M.

[Todd McShay]

All right, one last game I want to get to quickly. The Illinois versus Oregon. Big number here, 21 and a half. I think it is for my. Oregon's favored. I'm interested to see if Illinois can hang for a while. I mean, their offensive line is much improved from what I've seen. Pat Bryant, who was like the third leading receiver a year ago, but now he's stepped up. He's the guy six foot three, I think, to me, he's one of the best vertical threats in college football right now. And then Zakari Franklin on the other side, he's like the per transfer from Ole Miss, right? Yeah.

[Mensch]

And then he's at UTSA before that.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah. So. But. But like the perfect compliment because he's great. Intermediate, route runner, smooth in and out, you know, like, so those two guys give them. And I'm not saying offensively they can hang, but I do think some of the, you know, I think the matchups on the perimeter on both sides are going to be critical because Oregon's got its two receivers. Illinois cornerbacks are in man to man as much as. From what I've seen. Like, I've been not studying every cup, but like, from the teams I've studied, Illinois cornerbacks are on an island just as much or if not more than any other team in the. In the country. So I think the perimeter matchups in this game are going to be huge. Let's just drill in like 21 and a half.

[Stanford Steve]

21 and a half to me.

[Todd McShay]

So, like, here's the. That I'm glad you said that. And we're going to get to my theories on gambling, because I'm not. Yeah, that's not my thing at Stanford, Steve. But, like, I'm not. Yeah.

[Mensch]

I do love hearing you. I do love hearing you read the fanduel reads. I love it.

[Todd McShay]

Vegas. Vegas. I'm convinced of this. Thank you. I thought they're decent. I like when I have to go through the disclaimers at the end. Vegas prays on the mentally weak. Right?

[Mensch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So Mensch. No, I'm not calling you mentally weak.

[Stanford Steve]

That's an interesting segue.

[Todd McShay]

It was a very. But. But it's like the first reaction that you get from Someone who knows anything about football is what they're looking for. And so mention right away you're like 21 and a half. That's a lot of points. But I almost think because it's that high, the play is orange. I'm curious what your take.

[Stanford Steve]

Oh, they. Here's the thing. I'll just jump in really quickly. Like, they know better than I do. That's what I'm always. I always look at that and I'm like, that's a big number. It scares me.

[Todd McShay]

No shit. Men's right.

[Stanford Steve]

But though, every week you watch these handicappers and you're like, how in the world are they doing this? At least I am. I'm not. You know, again, Steve, you've been around it a lot longer.

[Todd McShay]

You've.

[Stanford Steve]

You're a lot more of an expert than I am or whatever way you want to word it. But it's amazing to me how close they get every time.

[Mensch]

They're incredible. I mean, like everybody always says, there's a reason those buildings are so big in Vegas that those guys know.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mensch]

And for how long they've been doing it, you know? You know, it's funny you got to hear him cry now, the last two weeks in the NFL because the books are getting blasted because every road favorite's covering and teams love betting or, you know, public loves betting teams. But I. I would put Texas, Vanderbilt in this category, too. 18 and a half after. After what? Texas.

[Stanford Steve]

Alabama game. Yeah, that Alabama. That one's going up, too.

[Todd McShay]

Right.

[Stanford Steve]

I think that was.

[Mensch]

I don't know about Cook in that game. I don't. I don't know.

[Todd McShay]

Thamo came out yesterday and said that he's. He's not playing or he's. Or he's highly doubtful. But. Yeah, Pete, Thamo had a report like, late yesterday afternoon.

[Mensch]

No. So going back to Oregon, the whole thing is on. Is on Altmeyer, he's. He's shown strides in a positive way. You know, being at the Ohio State game in, at. At Eugene. It's been a while and, man, that place could put you in a tizzy. And that's what I know the last play would happen. But I was really happy with the way Will Howard played in that game amongst chaos. Now he's. He's got the most talented roster in the, in the, in the country. You know, it's the best roster $20 million could buy, as people that don't like Ohio State will point out. But Altmeier, like you mentioned, the receivers, they got some good stuff going there. I Thought last week was a monster spot because you knew it was going to be ugly against Michigan. But no matter what, you got to win that game. You have to win that game if you're going to take steps, as Bert wants to. So. Yeah. See, the other thing too at Oregon is, you know, we mentioned the Boise State game earlier on, and I didn't like their plans offensively, you know, whether it was Dylan holding onto the ball. Against Ohio State, Will Stein's plan was phenomenal. They answered every touchdown with a deep ball. Dylan got going with his legs and converted third downs. Then they break the big run to take the lead. So it feels like they've found their. Their thing, their skill guys are more comfortable. They got a running back that they're really confident in. So to me, it's all about Altmeier. I would take the 21 and a half. Bielema has got some tude, but I don't think he's ever been to a place like this. Like that. This 7. Nothing can turn into 24 nothing as fast as any place. What Oregon brings to the table. But the biggest key is Altmeyer, and he's got to keep Dylan, Gabriel and that offense off the field. That's the key. So I don't love it, but I would. I would take the candy and the li. And either.

[Todd McShay]

All right, I'm going against you on that one. All right, so I'm. So I told you my theory on it, right? The Vegas praise on the mentally weak. They want whatever your first reaction is as a fan, then you got to look. And if it's a sharp reaction, if it's a harsh reaction, this is kind of my theory on it. That's when you got to say, wait, Corso, right? This is one of my favorite lines of Corso ever had. Somebody knows something. And I'm going with the somebodies because the somebodies are the geniuses out in Vegas building those buildings, right?

[Mensch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

So I'm going to give you two games that I like, and we already touched on one of them. Washington only. Like I first looked at it, Washington only plus six and a half. Indiana, the way they're playing, the points they're putting up, the defense they're playing, somebody knows something. I'm going with the somebody's. I like Washington plus six and a half in that game. And the biggest one of the week. And I'm curious to get your opinion. And then I want some of your best bets. Just rip off whatever you got. Byu.

[Mensch]

Oh, yeah.

[Todd McShay]

Rolling, right?

[Stanford Steve]

Rolling.

[Todd McShay]

They're plus two against ucf. That just jumped off the page. Yeah, I'm taking UCF minus two.

[Mensch]

Correct. I'm not overthinking that. As you said, you look at that line. Holy undefeated teams getting points on the road. UCF did the same exact thing to Oklahoma State last year. If you go back, I think they ended up going off as a favorite. Oklahoma State was a top 10 team, maybe top five when Ali really got it going and UCF gave him a dose. I still trust Gus in, in that, in that run game. BYU has been as you know, it goes back to like USC a couple years ago when that defense was like plus 10 after the first two months of the year. Like no way can that turnover rate keep up. And you know BYU has been very beneficial in that aspect. You know Oklahoma State had them can't tackle in the secondary last week and they lose. So UCF has played better. Sorry. Had the game against at Iowa State who I think the world of with Rocco Beck and they blow it there the week before. Tough loss to a low scoring game to Cincinnati. But the run game, Gus can always get it going. I will take UCF in that game, the one that sticks out to me. I think I would give out if the line went up to 40 because they haven't beaten him I believe since 2020. And that's Miami at home against Florida State. Like you know what Mario wants to do, you know the bravado that the U plays with.

[Todd McShay]

We've all a hundred recruits there.

[Mensch]

We've all seen what Florida State has put on tape and it gets worse and worse and worse and worse. So whatever that number is, I'm going to lay it with Miami. And what else do we have here? I'm taking Vandy plus 18 and a half. You know there's always that stat about the physicality of playing Nick in Alabama and the teams the week after, what they, what they look like, what they did. Vanderbilt still scary man. The quarterback doesn't have an ego. He, he, he takes the third and fives and, and converts. Keeps the other team off the field.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, he doesn't have a fear in the world either though.

[Mensch]

No, it's really, really cool to watch. But on the other hand I really want to see what Sark does. Like do they just, you know, start trying to wing it all over and get up on these guys? Vanderbilt's not great on defense but they kept it together against Alabama and in a close game they get a pressure and they get the ball from Milroe like that. That's the whole, the whole game. As much as Alabama battled back Vanderbilt's defense was. Was the deal that, that did that. Mitch, I just really wanted. How much. How much do you love watching Oklahoma's offensive line?

[Todd McShay]

Oh gosh.

[Stanford Steve]

And it's not great.

[Mensch]

Oh my Lord.

[Todd McShay]

And it's.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah. I mean that and it used to be. It used to be so awesome.

[Mensch]

Yeah.

[Stanford Steve]

And now I don't. I don't know what's happening.

[Todd McShay]

So bed and ball, right? The old offensive beaten ball. Yeah. I mean he's one of the best offensive line coaches.

[Mensch]

He can't fix it. I just, I just hope they adjust their plan a little bit. Like they got the kid 10 sharp. He's about 2:25. And like against Tennessee they're asking him to come across formations and try and, and block Pierce in those. Like it's just a. I just think it's a bad way of going about things when you know you have to run the football and that's what you're going to like. It's just, it's just too much. I think these teams, you know, try and do the copycat because other teams are doing it. If you don't have the personnel to do it, go back to your pin and pull and all that stuff to try and get something going. Penn State's a really interesting one. Kind of the same wavelength as Indiana here. Only given six and a half. Madison @ night is one of my favorite environments in college football. I love what Wisconsin has done in responding. When I think of Luke Fickle, I just think he's a badass man. He's a badass dude and now his team's starting to play like that a little bit. Penn State's got Ohio State on deck. Be careful there. Wisconsin shown some capability, but to me, Penn State is a team higher on. I thought aller against SC was a game that we've all been waiting on. You talk to guys around Penn State, they love them and we finally got to see him do it on the field, you know, so that's a, that's a tricky one. But Penn State's defense gotta be. Gotta be better than. Than what they have, you know, going on the road. You got to rely on your defense if your offense is. Isn't getting it going right away. So I'd be wary there. And take the six and a half of Wisconsin.

[Stanford Steve]

I love that you asked him for you for a couple games. He's just going to rip through the schedule. He's got something to say about everyone.

[Mensch]

I love talking no, no.

[Todd McShay]

We got to save something for Saturday, man. Go ahead.

[Stanford Steve]

Can I circle back really quickly and talk about that Boise State game? I like that UNLV team. Ricky White, the receivers. Fun to watch, man. I need Boise State to win that game. We need Gentee in the playoff. We need to find a way to get Gentee in the playoff. Because I think it's going to be a shame if he's not, you know, he doesn't get that stage at the end of this unbelievable season.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, he deserves it. And he deserved. He'll be in New York and he's got a legit chance. Right. I mean, right now I would vote for him. So I agree. All right.

[Mensch]

So can I give it off the radar Heisman if you want in right now?

[Todd McShay]

Yeah.

[Mensch]

You guys have talked about him.

[Todd McShay]

Why do you think we're here?

[Mensch]

They're going to be here for you. They're going to be favored in every game moving forward. You know the hype that will get around this team. It already is. It never goes away, but it's only going to get bigger. And I think he's shown immense improvement with arm strength, accuracy. Shador.

[Todd McShay]

Oh, I agree. Yeah, we're tape has been brilliant this year, man.

[Mensch]

That first. The first game against North Coast State, that first touchdown where Hunter broke it. That's an opposite hash to outside of numbers Hitch. And that thing was there like that. And I'm like, wow, he got himself better. And I was so happy to see that, knowing. You know what. What's that?

[Todd McShay]

His touch. His. His ability to drop the ball.

[Mensch]

You nailed it the other day when you talked about the red zone fades that you watch. I watch guys in pregame. We go these games. I go out for individual. And I'm like, can't. Can't do it. Yeah, you can't do it on air, man.

[Stanford Steve]

The mill pick against Tennessee is too flat. I mean, he threw it too flat.

[Mensch]

Yeah.

[Stanford Steve]

You know what I mean?

[Mensch]

No, that's a good.

[Todd McShay]

That's a good call. Like, I'm in his corner. Like, I.

[Mensch]

He's mine.

[Todd McShay]

Up and down. I was lukewarm. I was hit and miss that pick six early in the year against Nebraska held on the Nebraska tape. The Nebraska tape was not fun if you're a Shador guy. But since I can have.

[Mensch]

He came back like you didn't know. Like, they got ambushed right at the beginning and they got their feet down, you know, and he played.

[Todd McShay]

He played well down the stretch in that game. And he's played. Played great. Not good. He's played great, and he's getting a little. Little bit more protection. And that. That's been a big difference.

[Mensch]

Yeah, he couldn't get less.

[Stanford Steve]

That's true.

[Todd McShay]

All right, so I heard the dogs barking. I think it means the car service is here. We're going to whisk you off to the airport all fired up. Bloomington, you're going to go to DiNardo spot.

[Mensch]

Jerry DiNardo, I believe that's on the table. We got upstairs pub. We got buffalo.

[Todd McShay]

Right. D'Angelo's is a Italian Creole.

[Mensch]

Yep.

[Todd McShay]

I mean, it's my. I was texting with Dinar the other day. I should. Yeah. I mean, well, he coached at lsu. He brought a little. He's the best. I mean, I. I just. I. I love. I love Italian food to begin with, and I love DiNardo. But it's like, I saw you put out some feelers, and I was ripping through your. Your X firm and at the X first is pointing you to upstairs pub. Is that where we're going?

[Mensch]

Yeah, that's. That's what it feels like to watch some games tonight. So I'm fired up.

[Todd McShay]

People realize, like, they're going to realize on Saturday. Well, I've got.

[Mensch]

I've got enough Sports center last night. Whoever you are, people, you're going to want that check.

[Todd McShay]

Yes. Yes. You are going to want that check. I hope people get to see, like, Indiana is a basketball school. I get it. Like, they are crazy about their Hoosiers and their. Their Hoosier football. It's going to be a wild scene. So I appreciate you, man.

[Mensch]

Absolutely.

[Todd McShay]

We're texting every week. Keep it up.

[Mensch]

Yeah.

[Todd McShay]

And just really, really excited to see you doing what you belong doing. And it's been awesome to see. So go get it, man. We'll talk soon.

[Mensch]

You just do the same back to have you see your face breaking it down, as we know you love to do. So keep grinding. I'm here. We're doing the same thing, mostly during the week. Menge, please get my number from Todd. And let's keep in touch, because we're watching. We're watching more of the big nasties than Todd is. He's got to focus on the quarterback.

[Todd McShay]

There's no question I'm the pretty guy.

[Mensch]

There's way better stuff to watch.

[Stanford Steve]

By the way, Sorrels is gonna blow up my phone after this. He's gonna be.

[Mensch]

Don't even call him a former offensive lineman. How pretty.

[Todd McShay]

Now, he texted last night.

[Stanford Steve]

I know he's listening. He texted last night. So awesome.

[Mensch]

All right, guys.

[Todd McShay]

See you, man. Safe travels.

[Mensch]

Got it.

[Todd McShay]

Big slate this. Well, actually not a huge slate. I'm not gonna lie on the show. I promise. I promise everyone. We're not gonna lie. Like, it's an average slate in college football. We talked about all. You know, we're going to cover with Steve, some of the best, but, like, but I. The NFL. I'm going to the Patriots game. Speaking of Patriots, I'm going to the Patriots game on Sunday.

[Stanford Steve]

Mitch, the.

[Todd McShay]

Were they playing this week, the Jets? When I got the tickets, when I. When I called, you know, my guy, Stacy James. Thank you. Thank you in advance. You know, a long time ago. This is like an exciting ticket, and I knew the Patriots were going to be great, but they started off, you know, they won their first game and. And Aaron Rodgers and now devonte Adams. And so I'm excited to. I'm excited to get down there. I'm excited to see if the jets can play to the level that I think they can. I'm concerned about Aaron. I don't see the mobility, and I think it's the ankle, the knee, now the hamstring. How does that play out? I'm excited to see our good friend Joe Douglas. Tate gets to see him. He's all excited. Tate, my son thinks Joe's a lot cooler than his old man, which is understandable because he is.

[Mensch]

He is.

[Todd McShay]

Oh, yeah. I'm excited for that. We'll get a little Patriots check out on Sunday, but Saturday night, we're going to be back here, and I'm fired up for our first ever Saturday night show. And that's. That's exciting, man.

[Stanford Steve]

I love it. I mean, we did a little bit of a test run after last week, and I love the instant reaction, you know, like you just got to what you saw right away, and it's fresh on your mind. I love it. Was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it.

[Todd McShay]

Yeah, I hope. I hope everyone. We're going to promote it just because I want people to check it out and tell us how horrible it was, like, how exhausted we looked or whatever it was. Any feedback we can get. But it's going to be every Saturday night for the rest of the season. Saturday night, the McShay Show. It's going to be mention. I. We're going to try to get Russell on from his couch. He's always texting me all day long. You know, if something breaking happens, we'll call, like, you know, Molly McGrath or someone, find out if there's some news. We'll try to get some people as they're in the car coming back from gate. We'll do whatever we can to try to add people, but at the end of the day, it's going to be you, it's going to be me, it's going to be any guest that we bring on. It's going to be post post the prime time game usually every week. This week we're going to come on after the LSU, Texas A& M game and we're fired up for that. Two undefeated SEC teams in SEC play. So we'll be on after that game, but we'll go over all the big games from the day and just get a feel for for what the landscape looks like. I'm excited to do it, man.

[Stanford Steve]

Yeah, I can't wait. It's great.

[Todd McShay]

All right, well, that's it. That's a wrap for the for episode number two from the McShay show mention I'm proud of you hanging in there. Hopefully we get an episode three must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 + and present in D.C. gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.orgchatinconeticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org In Maryland, hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 1-800-327-5050. For 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny in New.