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- [00:00]
Todd McShay
This episode is brought to you by no Bull. Every day is an opportunity to grow stronger, especially when you've got best in class award winning footwear backing you up. No bowl is a footwear brand for training and for daily life, built to support you in your pursuit of physical, mental and emotional strength. And get this exclusive for the McShay show listeners. No bull is offering 30 off your order. Visit nobleproject.com/mcshay for 30% off your entire order. That's N o B u L L P R O j e c t.com backslash McShay for 30% off.
- [00:39]
Mel Kiper Jr.
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- [00:42]
Todd McShay
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Mel Kiper Jr.
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- [00:56]
Todd McShay
Plus, you'll get low costs, transparent pricing.
- [00:59]
Mel Kiper Jr.
And 247 live help. Because at Schwab, we understand it's your financial journey and we believe you should have choices in how you invest. Visit schwab.com to learn more.
- [01:12]
Todd McShay
Monday, we turn the page. Monday, we set sail. Monday, we take this little pirate ship into territory never explored before. Monday, we start an off season program that will put other imposters out of business. Monday, we shove it down there. You get it? But today's not Monday, and we're excited to put a bow on the 2025 NFL Draft. It's the much anticipated but never quite duplicated edition of best picks by round. This 343 days until the 2025 NFL Draft. Mench, you good?
- [01:51]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I'm good, man.
- [01:52]
Todd McShay
All right. Calm me down, Tucker, with some sweet music.
- [01:55]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Sweet.
- [02:12]
Todd McShay
Hey, man, let me ask you a few questions.
- [02:14]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Here we go.
- [02:15]
Todd McShay
Who puts their foot on the gas during the off season?
- [02:21]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Us.
- [02:22]
Todd McShay
Nobody else though, right?
- [02:24]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Nobody else. I was gonna say because it's us.
- [02:27]
Todd McShay
Who in this industry decides, you know what? It's may. Let's do an arch manning breakdown. Let's actually watch the tape. Who does that in this industry?
- [02:37]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Nobody.
- [02:37]
Todd McShay
Yeah, who gives you a breakdown of every single potential QB wonder in the off season and gets fans prepared, truly or with evaluations based off of the tape and really dives in deep this time of year.
- [02:51]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Nobody.
- [02:52]
Todd McShay
Nobody does it. And so when you're on a beach somewhere in July and you're like, I wonder what's going on with like the Clemson draft class? Why the hell do they have so much talent? Where can I find Out. Is this, like, real or is this phony? You can come to us. When people are talking about Arch manning in the 2026 draft, and we're like, we're right here. We're going to provide all of it for people. I'm excited, man. I told you. Last show, right after conversations. Two conversations with you, Mensch. Conversations with Dan, conversations with Tucker, conversations with the boss, Marissa, and. And eventually a plan started to formulate because we had a. We had a preliminary schedule for the offseason. We really wanted to deep dive into this past draft and talk about rosters and talk about the NFL and how the effects. And we've done that, and we will continue to do this in the off season. We will have mailbags. We will take your questions. We will provide answers. There's. I. We. I have literally books of information on the NFL draft. I've got three of them lying right here. Okay? Team stuff, roster breakdowns, three year tallies, all of it. And obviously all the player reports. We're going to continue to provide that in our mailbags and a couple special editions, but nobody. I. I looked. I spent the weekend, okay. My kids were with their mother, Mother's Day weekend. I had a little bit of time, finally, like, decompressed a little bit. Okay. From the 2025 draft. And I started thinking, like, what. What's our process? After talking to you, and like, you're always my governor on this stuff. If people don't realize, let's just kind of take them behind. Like, I come out guns blazing, I'm screaming about Monday, and pirate ships scared me.
- [04:45]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yes.
- [04:46]
Todd McShay
And you are the. You know, you're. You're the worst driver in the world, but you're the best co pilot. You are the best co pilot. Nobody else has attention to detail. Like, we're turning up here, and I'm ranting and raving and cutting people off and honking the horn and all this, and you're like, hey, get in the right lane. We got to exit 29B. All right? So we formulated this plan after a lot of, like, talks, conversations. I. I sat down, I looked through everyone else's content, from Kuiper to Jeremiah to all. All to several other credible people who do it in this industry and a whole lot of buffoons, okay? And I realized that our audience loves what we do, our process. They love. They love the real. And that's why we're growing at the rate that we're growing. And so why. Why stop? Why take the foot off the gas? Why veer to A different lane and just do the typical. Like let's look at the. Today we're going to talk about the chief's draft and are they. Can they get back to the top? You know, like. Yeah, we can sprinkle that stuff in and we have all the information and we'll see what goes on in training camp and all that. But for the next three months, we're going to get you ready. We're going to get you ready as. As NFL draft fans. We're going to get you ready as college football fans. Everyone wants to know who are the prospects, like who's the top talent? So we're going to do all of that. And here we are seven minutes into the show and I haven't shut up about what's going on in the future, but I'm excited. It starts on Monday, so if you're watching this now, come take the ride with us. We were the lost. We're the last ship at sea. Everyone was hoping that they would. The coast guard would never find us.
- [06:33]
Mel Kiper Jr.
You've never had a chance to do this, man. You've always had someone telling you where you need to be, what you have to provide all of that stuff and you're obviously taking it very seriously about what you want to do with this. You really want to put your stamp on this.
- [06:48]
Todd McShay
Yeah. So let's do it.
- [06:50]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Like yeah.
- [06:51]
Todd McShay
Mother foes truly thought that they would never see this ship again.
- [06:56]
Mel Kiper Jr.
And you're fired up today, man.
- [06:58]
Todd McShay
Yeah, it's it.
- [07:00]
Mel Kiper Jr.
It. You're feeling it.
- [07:01]
Todd McShay
Yeah. October 22, 2024 we started this thing and we said we're going to be true to our process. You're either going to love us or you're going to hate us and, and. But we're going to give you exactly what we do. And this is what mentioned I do. I should. I failed to even mention this. The draft's over. We spent a little time take, you know, taking a deep breath, like very little time but a week and then we, we review what just happened but then we dive right in. Like I'm watching quarterbacks right now and it's going to be onto tight ends and why and I told you the tape is different now. It used to be where we had to watch it by college because it was just more efficient time wise. Now we don't. Now we've got these clips, the cut ups, the PFF ultimate, the catapult video. And so now I'm, I'm going through positions and as we go through those positions, we're Going to do shows specifically tailored to provide information that's never in this field, never in this space been provided before. And it starts on Monday. So enjoy this, but get ready for Monday.
- [08:05]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I love it.
- [08:07]
Todd McShay
We're the not around crew and Monday it starts again. All right. But as I said, today is not Monday and I am excited about this man. And you know what was fun today? We're going through all seven rounds and men got to pick his. His players from each of the seven rounds. I've picked mine separately. He sent me an email. I've got it right here. I literally like glanced. I glanced. We, we didn't work in conjunction. Like you get this. So it's just, it's our favorite picks and favorite can mean anything. It can be value, it can be impact, it could be immediate impact, it could be long term, could be any of those things. I'm going to let you kick things off. We're going to start in the first round. But the interest. I just want to mention off the top, the interesting thing about this, this exercise for me is I went through and as I was doing this, I'm like, there's a lot of guys that were, that were interesting, you know, like in addition to. I'll mention some of those guys as we go. But of the first round picks, there were 32 of them. Of the first round picks match, what was your favorite pick in round one?
- [09:13]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I went with Jalen Walker, the outside, the edge, slash, inside linebacker out of Georgia, went 15th to Atlanta. He was the fourth best player on my board. And I get it. Let me start off here. I get it. 6, 1, 2, 43. This is not your traditional edge and I think it scared some teams away. Right? You look at him and you're. I want to see a guy who's 63 or taller. I'd like to see him about 250, 255. I understand all of that. You're. You might be concerned about whether is he. Is he a tweener or a hybrid, but to me, he's a hybrid. And in this draft where we don't have a ton of blue chippers at the top of it, I'm looking for guys and get after the quarterback. And you're. You're looking at a Falcons team that's 31st in sacks or worse in three of the last four seasons. And to get what I think is the second best edge behind Abdul Carter from Penn state who went third overall to get him at 15. And then we've talked about this a lot. He's a culture changer. He's going to come into your locker room and he's going to get people's attention as a rookie. He will not behave like a rookie. He's going to come in there, work his ass off and expect the same from everyone else. You're getting that player to 15. I'm taking a chance, man. I get it. The frame is different, the snap allocation, where he lined up, all of that stuff is a little bit different. But I'm betting on this player and get that kind of a player in the middle of the first round, man, I thought that was a home run. I also thought James Pierce would have been an interesting pick too, because I look again, they needed help on their pass rush. He's a really talented pass rusher, but the price was so steep that we're gonna have to wait and see on that one. With Walker sitting there at 15 and that player falls to you, man, I mean, I. I just think that's, you know, it's my favorite pick of the first round.
- [10:56]
Todd McShay
Yeah. Yeah. I've got no problem with that. I'm going to go Jackson dart pick 25.
- [11:03]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I considered it.
- [11:05]
Todd McShay
Do you remember when I. When I was done watching the 161 play versus pressure breakdown of dart when I came back and we came on the show right after that and I said to you, he reminds me of a certain player. The instincts, the ability to extend, poised, not the fastest, but like strong, I think. So who was it?
- [11:31]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Was it Herz?
- [11:32]
Todd McShay
No. Josh Allen. A lot of people did.
- [11:34]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yes.
- [11:35]
Todd McShay
Yeah. Remember I said yes. And I. And I hesitated and obviously you got to put cast all this stuff. And I was. I'm not saying he's Josh Allen. I'm still not saying he's Josh Allen.
- [11:44]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right.
- [11:45]
Todd McShay
But there were so a lot of things in his game versus pressure when. When the bullets start to fly and. And you just close your eyes and think about Josh Allen. It's like climbing the pocket, but then sliding horizontal with. With the line of scrimmage every.
- [12:00]
Mel Kiper Jr.
They sense it and move the way they sense it and move.
- [12:02]
Todd McShay
Yeah. And. But it's always moving the offense forward. It's not a lot of retreating. I gotta think of Roethlisberger, I think, like retreating the side. You know what I mean? Like, I kind of created his chaos was controlled for him, but it was guys hanging from his legs, you know.
- [12:19]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right.
- [12:19]
Todd McShay
With Josh Allen and similar kind of Bill, like big strong arm guys. And Roethlisberger used to be more mobile. Obviously, Josh is a whole different level, but With Allen, it's always climb slide chaos. But he's calm. Run when you have to lower the shoulder when your coaches don't want you to like all that stuff. I just saw a lot of that in him. And now all of a sudden Brian Dabel drafts him and I have to assume during this process he saw some of the glimpses. And Brian's not an idiot. Doesn't have the arm that Josh Allen does. Not quite as fast maybe, but like pretty mobile. But there's some stuff there that worked with Josh and I that it's going to work with Jackson and I. Right. I actually remember this interesting conversation now, now flashing back. You talked to a bunch of different coaches and scouts and all that. I remember talking to him at the Brian and Dable in the Senior bowl and he has just started the process. He's like, who do you like these quarterbacks? I know you're probably a little bit further down the road. Just got finished coaching the season, you know. And I said to him, I'm like, obviously I was like, you were just with Shadora, the East West Shrine, but I know he didn't play. And Cam Ward, I was like, you guys are picking it three. I, I don't, I don't think necessarily you're taking him at three with a couple of the other players that could be on the board. Who knows how this process will play out. But again, the guy of all of them that I'd like to see you work with is Jackson Dart obviously had like less than 0% of, of why they drafted him. And I'm sure he doesn't even remember the conversation. But, but I, I remember starting to watch his tape and thinking if Day Ball and Jackson could get together, it would be best for both of them. And then I, and then like the 25th pick in, moving up to go get him had nothing to do with the third pick outside of the fact that they didn't get cute, they didn't try to move down from three. They, they didn't overdraft Jackson Dart at three based off of the, the, the value board and what they knew in the information coming in from around the league. We all knew that Jackson Dart wasn't going three, but there was some talk at one point that maybe Jackson Dart could go 10. And so managing it was part of the reason why it's my favorite pick, the fact they only gave up a compensatory. It was their second of three of two third round picks to go move up and get them. And then the fact and this is what I like most about it. Like, you've got, and I've said it a hundred times, but you've got a, you've got a head coach who is legitimately one of the handful of guys that can develop a quarterback and is like in the top tier of offensive minds in the coaching profession. Why is it taking this long, why has it taken this long to allow him to go grocery shopping?
- [15:25]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Because he had success early on when he got there with Daniel Jones, it was the worst thing that could have happened to them. Yeah, they went to the playoffs with Daniel Jones and it was this, they thought they had it all figured out and it was the worst thing that could have happened that early success. I, I, I really believe that they would have scrapped it earlier. He would have gotten a, a chance earlier on. But let me ask you this.
- [15:44]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [15:44]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Did you consider taking, I considered this too. I just thought it was so early and people are going to think it's so simple. The Abdul Carter pick at three for the Giants is also one of my favorite picks. And let me tell you why. It's easy to look back now and be like, oh, they got him and Jackson Dart. Look, they could have misread that situation and all of a sudden quarterbacks are flying off the board. Obviously that didn't happen. Yeah, but imagine if you're the Giants and all of a sudden you take Carter, you now are at risk for Jackson Dart, not even being a chance to get him. Later on, someone else could come up and get him. There was all kinds of rumors that this team might want him. You know, he might end up going to the Saints. All these quarterbacks could have come off the board and then you don't look great. And the other thing, that's why it's.
- [16:28]
Todd McShay
My favorite pick, because this isn't just about day ball. This is about who's pulling the trigger.
- [16:34]
Mel Kiper Jr.
They did anything. Right.
- [16:36]
Todd McShay
Joe Shane has been absolutely abused in this industry and in the media and the public. And, and quite frankly, there were some things that like, you know, he earned some of it. He didn't earn all of it. It's usually the case.
- [16:50]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right, right.
- [16:51]
Todd McShay
Anyone in any position of power in the, in the public eye. Right?
- [16:55]
Mel Kiper Jr.
In, in the, yeah, definitely. And the, the other thing to mention here, I will say this is there's still risk here if Abu Carter doesn't realize the tremendous upside that we all believe that he has and doesn't turn into the player that we all think he will turn into and Shador Sanders shocks the world or another quarterback Shocks the world and Jackson Dart doesn't end up playing. They people are not going to look back on this draft and say they did the right thing. They're going to be upset that they didn't get their quarterback.
- [17:22]
Todd McShay
I'm just saying it's not fifth and Shador's just not the for Brian.
- [17:28]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I get it. It's not as simple as saying that Abdul Carter was the easiest pick to make it three. There was pressure on them to get a quarterback. They did the right thing.
- [17:38]
Todd McShay
There was at least one human being in that building that thought that they should take Shador at 3.
- [17:43]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right.
- [17:43]
Todd McShay
I don't know. We'll. We'll never know. You know, everyone's going to guard that with their life and, and someone who comes out and says it to someone where it gets leaked. Maybe they have an agenda. You just never know truly. But I heard from people who I feel strongly that, that there was at least one human being in that building that was kind of nudging for sure at three. So the other, the other one. And let me put a bow on, on Jackson Dart. Another part of the beauty of this situation too is they brought in Russell Wilson, they brought in Jameis Winston. If Jackson's ready week one, they don't owe those two guys. They don't.
- [18:33]
Mel Kiper Jr.
It's true though. No, no, it's true.
- [18:35]
Todd McShay
They don't owe him anything and they don't owe them a lot. And like they didn't pay him a lot of money. What was it, 10 million combined? Right, okay.
- [18:42]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right.
- [18:42]
Todd McShay
So they don't owe him money. They don't have a long relationship with them and they, you know to pay off past debts and. But they also don't have to play if Jackson's not ready till week 10 or if Jackson's not ready till week one of 2026. That's fine. So it's the perfect. We talk about Tom Brady and you know, it's, it's an age long thing but Tom Brady planting the flag of college quarterbacks are not ready and the programs they're in and there are a lot of people in the league that I think it's a case by case basis. But my whole point in this is yes, he's coming from Elaine Kiffin offense that made reads kind of easier and simplified things and had just, just a handful of concepts but did it beautifully and did it with disguise and it allowed him to make a lot of predetermined and so if he's not ready then it would make sense because he's Got an adjustment to make. But if he is ready, you can play him and if his instincts and his, his awareness are line up with, with what the reports are of him on the board and his football intelligence, I think he might be ready. Ready faster than, than everyone thought.
- [19:56]
Mel Kiper Jr.
All right, here we go. You, I, I listen this is what you do to me. I'm supposed to be the move along guy. We're like 21 minutes in. We're haven't gone through the first round but now my mind is going where my mind's going and you're going to be mad at me. You're not going to want to do this but you're, you know, it's the gambling side of it too. Give me the over under on the week of Jackson Dart the starter for the New York Giants.
- [20:19]
Todd McShay
9 Week 9.
- [20:21]
Mel Kiper Jr.
O. I think that's fair. I don't think that's crazy. I don't think that's too early.
- [20:24]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [20:25]
Mel Kiper Jr.
The way you're talking I thought he was coming out of training camp and he was going to be the, the.
- [20:28]
Todd McShay
Opening day started out. Don't rule it out. I'll just say that. Okay, don't rule it out.
- [20:33]
Mel Kiper Jr.
But if I, you're sitting in line at night.
- [20:35]
Todd McShay
If our, if our folk good folks at FanDuel who thank you for keeping our lights on and and had a blast with them draft season didn't do as well this year as I thought. Some last minute information. They kind of. But yeah, another runner up I wanted to mention here, Jade a. Baron at 20 because at Denver, Denver got their jokers in day two with RJ Harvey at running back in this late in the second round. In the third round, your boy Pat Bryant who we'll get to in a little bit. But you know Sean did a great job in New Orleans of, of allowing the organization. Not allowing but being just fine with the organization using early draft picks on defensive players. Let's be great on that side because I can't coach that side. I'll get the most. Give me a second. Give me Michael Thomas here. Sprinkle that in with a bunch of mid round your thirds and fifths and, and so he same thing here and now you've got this defense, right? Like third in the NFL in points per game allowed. Okay. Second, second in the NFL. Second in the NFL in yards per play allowed. Okay. Nobody throws Pat Patrick Surtan's way. Nobody. Riley Moss is ascending. Okay. So big play opportunities are going to.
- [21:57]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Be there and they're young too. They got Benito's young They're young, man. They're.
- [22:03]
Todd McShay
And J. Yes. And Jade Baron, final three seasons, play 43 games, he racked up 202 tackles, 19 pass breakups, nine interceptions, 18 tackles for loss, and two sacks. You know what? Like, you ever see the movie Michael Clayton?
- [22:21]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yeah, I love that. I love that movie.
- [22:23]
Todd McShay
I absolutely love that movie. This defense just got better because Jade Baron now becomes the cleaner.
- [22:30]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right.
- [22:31]
Todd McShay
You know, he's the cleaner. He's the Michael Clayton of that defense. All right, move on. Round two. Who you got?
- [22:37]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Round two. I listen, this was the toughest round, I think. I mean, there was. There was multiple choices to be made. You look at that second round, man, and there are players everywhere, and there are a bunch of good fits. I went with the guys towards the back end of round two, and I went with him because he was my guy. I had him ranked 43rd. The Chicago Bears take him 62nd, and that is Shemar Turner, the defensive tackle out of Texas A and M. Look, defensive tackle is arguably their greatest need going into the. Into the draft, into the off season, at least I know they signed Grady Jarrett, but going to the off season, at least they needed a defensive tackle bad. And I think being able to wait that long to get Shamar Turner, who already. The early reports and I get take it with a grain of salt. I understand everyone loves their rookies and minicamp and all that, but the new defense coordinator there, Dennis Allen, has talked about how violent and aggressive this kid's style of play is and how well it's going to fit his scheme and the power and the quickness. And again, Shamar Turner, he was so you played hurt. Just remember he played hurt last year. He was on basically a fractured leg. Look at his numbers and look at his tape from 2023 and look at that player. And to get him again, I had him at 43rd overall. He went 62nd. That. I mean, again, I can make an argument for probably. Probably 15 players in that second round as great picks, great picks. I mean, Travion Henderson, early second round, going to the Patriots. I love that one. Mean, there's pick after pick you could talk about, but I'm gonna go with my guy. Maybe not as big a name as some of the other guys. Shamar Turner, defensive tackle from Texas A.
- [24:15]
Todd McShay
And M. It's funny you say that. I. I wrote down in my notes here, this is the Kuiper round where I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna do my best impersonation of Kuiper because we would. Producers would always be like, all right, pick, you know, one player for this one player. Or, or give me, give me your top five. And you have five. A, five B, five, five. But this is my Kuiper round where.
- [24:36]
Mel Kiper Jr.
It'S crazy, right, Because I like.
- [24:38]
Todd McShay
All right, honorable mention one. Trayvon Henderson, Josh McDaniels. The way he uses running backs is in the passing game and, and the protecting job like Travion Henderson is going to be a freaking monster for them and it's not going to take a ton of. Of. Of snaps. Luther Burden with the, with Ben Johnson. Okay. Tyler Shuck. The fact that we're going to go through this whole thing. I think I've given so much on Tyler Schuck that he's gotten his due. But I love that pick for the Saints and, and it may be the most important pick for the organization for a couple years. We'll see if it works out. Elijah Arroyo falling to fall into fifth. What was it, 50 to Seattle. Trey Harris for the Chargers.
- [25:29]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Your guy Seattle also got Nick Eamon worry early, early, early in the second and say what you want about him, great fit for Mike McDonald in that scheme. I mean, great fit.
- [25:39]
Todd McShay
Yeah. Oh, oh, huge.
- [25:41]
Mel Kiper Jr.
So I mean just another.
- [25:43]
Todd McShay
There was one organization you wanted to go him to go play for. It was there with him and then, and then I didn't even on draft night. I'm going through them. I'm going through every pick of the draft as I'm preparing for this. I think you were off doing your ESPN.com draft tracker critical. Critical. Baby girls need. Needs a new pair of shoes, right? Is that Davis used to say at Richmond.
- [26:08]
Mel Kiper Jr.
That's right.
- [26:11]
Todd McShay
Omar Norman lot. Man, I never got to like, I never got to take my flowers on that I was sitting in a room by myself screaming at people for two and a half hours. Omar Norman lot. The chief saw what I saw. But all that's aside, would you go with. It's the only time I'll pull a kuiper on you. Mike Green, man, this is so Kuiper.
- [26:36]
Mel Kiper Jr.
You went with a Baltimore player.
- [26:38]
Todd McShay
I know. Right down to the Baltimore. It's not, not the last time I'm gonna throw some love down to the the crab cake region. Mike Green led the FBS with 17 sacks last year. Okay. Finished second with 22 and a half tackles for loss. He also 84 tackles, led the team with three force fumbles, pass rush win rate was actually weirdly eighth among edge rushers in this year's class, but would have been second behind Jared Verse. Last year, 22%. Okay. Threatens with speed, but it's more this blistering change of direction and, and snap in his hands. He is, he is ready to make an impact in the league. And he's a street fighter versus the run too, man. It's not just pass rush. He is a nasty son of a gun. A lot of teams passed on him because of the, the two accusations in the past. He was, he brought it. He. Listen, Baltimore is equipped with the veteran locker room, okay? Baltimore is not a big market like you would have here in Boston with the Patriots or New York with the Giants and Jets or some of the other markets. And they waited to pick 59 to do so to take him because when he went to, when he went to market. Speaking of markets, he went to market at the combine and, and got out ahead of the news and wanted to let everyone know that these accusations had occurred in his past of sexual assault. And I'm not like, I, I can't stay far enough away from all this stuff except to let everyone know. I'm like, I couldn't, couldn't be more disgusted by it. Have, have a mother, have a sister, have a fiance and have a. And have a beautiful daughter. A lair. So like I'm in the same boat as, as most rational, normal human beings and men out there, but they're, but there was never an arrest, there was never a charge. But he brought it to market and it scared off a lot of organizations and, and, and a lot of it honestly is PR and not wanting to have to deal with the. Our first pick was, was this man who came out and told us a story. But Eric DaCosta believes in him. It believes in his organization. They, they have earned the ability to make decisions like this and to get the. One of the top 20 players in the entire draft at a premium position at pick 59. And then I look at, okay, what's the situation? You got, you get Kyle Van Noy there. He's. He gets to learn from a seasoned veteran. Kyle Van noy. Van Noy's 34 too. And Oda Fay, oh, a. The, the other edge rusher, he just got his fifth year option exercised. So like, yeah, they can tag him or he could be up for free agency next year. Let's see how that all plays out. But this is like vision looking ahead. And so when you have a minute and you sit back and you analyze this pick, yeah, it seems obvious but like everything came together and I just like, it's, it's a combination of vision and understanding your roster and also understanding your market, I just, I can't imagine they're going to be any other players in the second round that have a chance to make a big, bigger impact than Mike Green.
- [30:10]
Mel Kiper Jr.
And trusting your vetting process, too. I mean, they, I mean, they know everything we know and they went through and made sure that they, they felt comfortable with what was going on.
- [30:17]
Todd McShay
All right, round three.
- [30:20]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Listen, Alabama quarterback, running back 40 and slip Alabama quarterback Jalen Milro. I just listen, you may get your starting quarterback in the third, third round again. And we've talked about this a lot. Jalen Milro has all the talent in the world. Best running quarterback in this draft, running by far. Great deep ball thrower. Now you got to figure out the rest of it. And that's a lot. It's a lot. It's a huge if. I understand that. But if you hit on, on this player, your ability and again, you signed Sam Darnold to a three year deal. It wasn't a five year deal. It wasn't an eight year deal. It was a three year deal. And you're hoping that he comes in and he can be what Gino was for you. And there's reason to believe he can do that. I'm a Sam Darnold fan, but you, I love that lottery ticket. At that point in the draft, I want in on that lottery ticket. I want a chance to bring in a player with that skill set and give him a chance to develop. Because what it means for you in terms of finding a, when you can find a quarterback at that area in the draft and he, let's say he's a starter in three years, you still get two years of being able to build your roster around that. So I just think it's, and I mean, what's the ceiling here? Is, is Lamar Jackson the ceiling? I, I, that's, that's crazy to think that he's going to turn into Lamar Jackson based on the tape right now. And Lamar Jackson was better coming out of Louisville. I believe that. I really do believe.
- [31:40]
Todd McShay
Oh, yeah, yes, yes.
- [31:41]
Mel Kiper Jr.
And no matter what people might want to, you know, there was a lot of talk back then about whether Lamar Jackson was going to ever be a great quarterback. He was a better prospect coming out of Louisville.
- [31:48]
Todd McShay
He was. I agree.
- [31:50]
Mel Kiper Jr.
So to say that is, is, is, you know, it's, it's saying something if you think he can get there. But if he can get there and you got that guy at that point in the draft, I'm taking that chance. I just, you Know I love that pick. I love Jordan Birch, by the way. Jordan Burch is my honorable mention. I've talked about this before. He went 78 to Arizona, has the 49th best player on the board. His versatile, versatile defensive lineman could play, you know, outside linebacker in their scheme. He could play defensive end in their scheme. I love Jordan Burch.
- [32:20]
Todd McShay
Yeah, it wasn't quite like round two, but there were certainly some honorable mentions here. I. I'm telling you, man, every day we get closer to the start of Week 1 in the NFL, the more I'm starting to think Pat Bryant may be like, I'm my guy, your guy. I'm excited for you and I'm excited. I'm. There's. I just get this sense. I'm not saying Michael Thomas, but I.
- [32:47]
Mel Kiper Jr.
So it feels like it a little bit, right? Like that role. Maybe not that guy. Michael Thomas is awesome, but that role.
- [32:55]
Todd McShay
Savone Revel, I love that pick. Dallas Cowboys in that scheme. With his length coming off the injury with no chance he falls that far. 76 overall. I love that pick. I also Caleb Johnson, because of the fit, thought he could go as high as the second round. Pittsburgh Steelers, Naji Harris, like all of it. But I went with Jalen Noel. I guess that that isn't a surprise, but I did a little bit of digging here, man. Jalen Noel pick 79 overall to the Houston Texans. Okay. And I want. I've come on here and I've given every positive and negative and I've talked about my, my love affair with Jalen Noel. Right? Here's why. This is the pick of the round for me. You ready? To sum it up, Noel is an explosive, reliable route running slot receiver. Fair. Okay, let's look at the history with C.J. stroud, Bud Tank Dell. In just 25 games the last two seasons targeted 157 times. Okay. Average 14 yards per catch. So yes, Nico Collins is wonderful and all this, but Tank Dell, 157 targets. Stroud loves sudden reliable slot receivers that can get open over the middle of the field where he's comfortable throwing the football. All right. A mecca Buka. You know, in 2022 he had nearly identical receiving numbers production numbers as Marvin Harrison Jr. In 2020.
- [34:40]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Monster year in 2022.
- [34:42]
Todd McShay
A nearly identical. And what is a mecca? A reliable route running slot receiver. Okay, let's go back a year before 2021. They two first round wide receivers. It's Garrett Wilson. It's Chris Olave. Right. Stars, top 10 picks or was a la 10 or 11 or 12. Whatever. Real early draft picks, I think both top 10. You know who had 25 more catches and 600 more receiving yards than Garrett Wilson? Do you know who had 30 more catches and 700 more receiving yards than Chris Olave? Top 10 draft picks. You know who that was? The slot receiver. Jackson Smith and Jigba. Ah, so we've got a history here. So this is Nick Casario knowing his personnel.
- [35:35]
Mel Kiper Jr.
This is 11.
- [35:37]
Todd McShay
11 top 11 picks.
- [35:40]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yeah.
- [35:40]
Todd McShay
Doing deep dives into what's going to bring out the best in my quarterback. Okay. It's vision by Casario, too. He may not have Jalen Noel. That is. May not have a. A, A massive impact as a rookie. It's why I didn't pick him in when we did our rookie impact stuff. I'm not sure that he will. You got. You got Nico, you got John. John Mechi, you got Christian Kirk, and you drafted Higgins earlier. Jaden Higgins, his teammate from Iowa State. Okay, but Kirk. Christian Kirk in that slot role has finished the last two seasons in the NFL in the IR. Okay, Christian Kirk has only played 20 of 34 possible games the last two seasons. He's turning 29 years old, and he's now on his third team in the NFL. Okay? So vision and understanding what. What makes Stroud the best version of himself. That's what Nick Casario did with this pick, right?
- [36:45]
Mel Kiper Jr.
But not allowing a freedom, a freedom signing from preventing you from making your team better.
- [36:50]
Todd McShay
That's it.
- [36:51]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Vision. You know, you. You get Kirk because you think he can play that role for you. And then you're. The way the draft unfolds, you're sitting there and you're like, well, man, I never thought this kid was going to be here. And he could be a potential upgrade over Kirk. If not this year, maybe a year or two. Why wouldn't we take him here? You know, because we already signed a free agent because we already have depth there. You can't. You cannot allow that to prevent you from getting. Making your team better. Is it making your team better? Then let's do it.
- [37:16]
Todd McShay
All right. Round four. Who you got?
- [37:19]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I could not believe this guy was the ninth wide receiver on my board. And he went. It was the 18th wide receiver to come off, and that was Jalen Royals from Utah State. The Kansas City Chiefs get him in the fourth round. Again, take it with a grain of salt, but all the reports for minicamp are, wow, this kid is gonna play this year. And there's. They're loaded, right? They got everyone. They got all these receivers, but I think there's a lot of bodies and Jalen Royals has a chance to really stand out as a guy. 4, 4, 2 speed. And by the way, he, he tied for the quickest 10 yard split out of anyone at the combine. Not receivers, receivers, corners, anyone. 149. This kid is quick. Six foot, 205 pounds, good frame. If he doesn't get hurt, I mean he only played in seven years, seven games last year. Seven years, only seven games last year. If he's not hurt, I, I don't know. I think he goes a lot earlier, to be honest with you. I think it must be a somewhat of a concern about the durability because he was productive when he was healthy. I know it was only for two years really that he had a lot of production, but he was productive over the last two years when he was healthy, I thought he was okay at the Senior Bowl. There were some people who didn't love him at the Senior Bowl. I thought he played better than, than some others did. To me, to, to get him that late was surprising to me. He's the same 10 yard split so people understand as Xavier Worthy, the guy they took last year out of Texas who broke the combine record for the 40. He's exactly that same kind of quickness. You're talking about a guy who's going to produce after the catch. Andy Reid's going to design plays, they're going to go into the lab, they're going to design all kinds of plays, go back to plays they know. They're going to pull up plays from BYU in 1920. They're going to do all of these things and they're going to find a way to get the ball in this kid's hands and he is going to make things happen once he gets into space. I'm telling you this, this was a surprise to me because I look at some of the other players and I'm not going to get into this because I don't want to badmouth other players. I looked some of the other receivers that went before him and I'm like, who, what am I seeing how in the world.
- [39:19]
Todd McShay
And there's opportunity there too, man. Like we're, there's, there's, there's a lot of names. There's. Yeah, there's a lot of names, but there's also a lot of question marks with that group because you got Xavier Worthy. I'm just doing off the top of my head, Xavier Worthy, Rashi Rice, Smith, Schuster. Okay. And, and we don't have to Go through all the question marks there, but there are sky Moore's not been the guy, right?
- [39:46]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Look at it, you're like, oh, there's all this depth. But yeah, and he, he could play on the inside or the outside so they can move him around a little bit. I think he's better in the slot, to be honest with you. But he could play outside. I just, I look at that pick and I'm like, kansas City does it again. With where, where they're going to get this guy.
- [40:05]
Todd McShay
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- [40:34]
Mel Kiper Jr.
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- [41:31]
Todd McShay
Another pass catcher, Gunner Helm. I just, I liked him from week, like week two of the season against Michigan. Who is this guy? Where did he come from? Boy, I like it. He doesn't look like the fastest, he's not the biggest, he's not the strongest. But just like he's just got football. Like Jake Ferguson's the guy I always compare him to. Yeah, compare him to just like Jake Ferguson. There was nothing about immeasurable wiser that stood out and he fell in the draft. But, but to me, Gunner Helm, he didn't run well in the 40. Like kind of looked at the combine like he got his hoof shut off, shot off and it turned out he had an injury. But at the end of the day.
- [42:13]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Injury, he looked like a slab of beef when you look at the picture of the ankle, man, it was like, how did he not break that?
- [42:20]
Todd McShay
But on the field, the guy knows how to get open and he makes plays and he does so in clutch moments. He was.
- [42:25]
Mel Kiper Jr.
The two things those are. Hold on really quickly. Those are the two things I think about. One, him almost breaking his ankle trying to stop running his first combine, his first 40 at the combine. And the second is the touchdown catch that won the game against Arizona State. Just a huge play in a big moment. Those are the two things right away that come to mind with Gunner Helm. Go ahead.
- [42:44]
Todd McShay
He was, he was second on the team with 60 catches, seven touchdowns. Only dropped two passes all of last year. Okay. You know where I like him? I think he's underrated, is after the catch instinct, smooth. He, he may, he's not like a guy by any stretch, but he'll make that one cut against the grain. He kind of senses it. So I look at this, right? For, for Tennessee, you gotta, you've got a rookie quarterback coming in. Let's, let's bring in pass catchers. Okay. They did it. They did it. I mean, they did it in free agency. They've got veterans. They got Calvin Ridley from a year ago, obviously. They get Tyler Lockett they brought in. They've got Van Jefferson. That's all kind of short term stuff. They're trying to build old, get old and grow old together.
- [43:30]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Little patchwork there.
- [43:31]
Todd McShay
Yeah, absolutely. So you. They, they drafted Alec IO Manor. Okay. They drafted Chimera, dk, my guy. Maybe Xavier Restrepo is an undrafted free agent, but now you get this tight end. Let's try, let's, let's test drive him for a year. Let's see what we got. Because we got, we got Chig, Okonkwo and Josh Wiley. They combined for 80 catches last year. But you know what they did? They averaged nine yards per catch. There's just no difference making there. So. And I think Helm will, will level off as a number two and maybe it's another guy that they bring in eventually, but for now, he's got an opportunity to compete. So I just, I, I like Gunner Helm and I like the, the process of thinking is organizationally Tennessee looking at it and saying, you know what, let's bring in a bunch of guys that are young now and let them kind of compete and see who, who weeds themselves out. Because this is, this is a three year deal. This isn't necessarily a one year deal.
- [44:35]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I like that approach.
- [44:36]
Todd McShay
Yeah. All right, round five.
- [44:40]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I'm going Mitchell Evans, the wide receiver, I mean the tight end from Notre Dame ended up at Carolina at 163. Why? Listen, he is. He's got a quicker. We're going to go in the 10 yard splits again. That's going to be my thing for the show. Apparently he's got a quicker 10 yard split than Harold Fannin Jr. Out of bowling Green. I mean I think people look at him as a big blocking tight end and that's just not accurate to me. I mean he's a competitive blocker and he's got a good frame 65258 he's a big kid and he can. He competes as a blocker but he's got more to as a receiver. This before he tore his ACL two years ago and he has had some problems staying healthy, most notably the acl. But before he tore the ACL two years ago I think he was training to be a day two player. I think he was going to be. I actually had him in my top hundred because I just loved his tape so much. I put him in there as like 97th player on my board. That's how much I liked him, I think. And when he started to get rolling early on in the 2024 season, he was still coming back from that knee injury. Didn't really look like he was himself. And then he started to get rolling as the season progressed and I'm looking at that roster and they took Sanders, Javion Sanders from Texas last year who I love but is a receiving tight end. He is a number two, number three move tight end who plays a role for you in.
- [45:51]
Todd McShay
That's a really good point.
- [45:52]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Make, make an impact in that role. You could have your start, you could have got your starting tight end in the fifth round. I really believe that now the concern is the durability because of the injuries. You, you wonder is this guy going to be able to hold up. He's got to get stronger like a lot of these tight ends. I think he's a competitive blocker. He's got to get bigger and stronger and continue to get better in that area. But I think Carolina really might have f fall found their tight end one in the fifth round. That's how talented he is. I'll say another guy that I really like that was the the last pick of this round. The last pick of the fifth round was Tyler Baron. The edge out of Miami. The jets took him. I, I think he's wildly underrated. Tennessee transfer led the team in tackles for last loss in sacks and they Weren't big numbers. I think sacks was five and a half. They weren't big numbers. But when you watch on, watch him on tape, he's a guy gets after the quarterback and probably got pushed down the board because of the depth of the edge class. So I mean that, that guy at the end of the fifth, he. I mean that I was torn between the two. I just like Evan's situation a little bit better because again, I think he could be tight end one.
- [46:51]
Todd McShay
Yeah, Round five was in. There were some interesting players that kind of. I mean, the McShay special, Tyon Ingram, Dawkins.
- [47:01]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I, I saw your list and I was like, how, how did he not. Not take him?
- [47:07]
Todd McShay
I know I considered him. But hey Vikings fans, you got a raw cat. Who I'm telling you, call me in, call me in 2026 and let's see where we are on TID. I also, I, I also like Jaden Blue. We, we talked about him, his fit in Dallas to Tony Pollard role. I thought that was a really good pick. Marcus Bow, I didn't think he was going to fall to that spot. Probably is going to be at guard. Could be. We'll see with the Giants. They have time to develop him, get him stronger. I also really, as I started to look at this, it's fun to go back and look. I love that, I love that Chris Paul pick by the Rams with that aggressive attacking defense with the cats that they got up front and, and play him on special teams a little this year. Let's see what we got. See if he could develop a role. Maybe it's in, in nickel or dime, like whatever it is, I think that's going to be a good pick. But I, I ultimately went with Braden Swinson. I had a third round grade on this guy and, and, and I'm, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I get it. One year production. Had a breakout year. Began at first three years at Oregon. Had a breakout year this past year. 58 tackles in 13 games, eight and a half sacks, 13 tackles for loss, a couple fumbles. The thing with Braden Swinson is he's, he's not great versus the run and may never be great versus the run, but I think he can get to a level where he's effective if utilized properly. But he is a good passer. Like for a guy that struggled to become the productive guy that he was this past year. He, he's refined his hand usage like swipe the slap, the, the push, pull the rip. Like he's, he's. Got a lot of different tools in his bag. The other thing too with him and I, I start to think about Vrabel and kind of the versatility. Let's be multiple up front. He. The thing. I wrote him down. I don't, I, I try to stay away from Mo. He's a 3, 4 outside linebacker who can drop a little bit. This guy actually showed me some stuff on tape, dropping in coverage. Okay. I gave him a comp to Kyle Van Noy.
- [49:20]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Oh, I like that. That's a good comp.
- [49:22]
Todd McShay
I, I like that. Just like the refinement. Don't. Not necessarily the workout numbers, all that stuff. Right. But just like some guys are slippery and know how to get home and he knows how to get home. New England needs pass rushers, man. We talked about this formula. Whether it's, it's, it's the Ravens with Dacosta, whether it's Howie Roseman with the Eagles, Brett Veach with the, with the Chiefs, Green Bay, what they've done. You get a quarterback, you better, you better figure out how to get closers, pass rushers, defense. And this is the fifth round pick. So I'm not saying this is the answer. This is going to. But let's bring in guys, bring in bodies. And New England needs pass rushers desperately, man. Yeah, they brought in H. Harold Landry, but he was down to nine sacks last year. He's turning 29 years old. New England had no pass. You ready for this, men? You probably know, big Pats fan. I know you know, there wasn't a single New England Patriot on that roster last year that had six sacks or more.
- [50:28]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I did not know that. That's bad, though.
- [50:31]
Todd McShay
That's crazy.
- [50:33]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yeah.
- [50:33]
Todd McShay
Do you know how bad that is?
- [50:35]
Mel Kiper Jr.
It's pretty bad. Five.
- [50:38]
Todd McShay
Five was the most. Keon White was tied for that team best with five. And you know, the next up amongst returning players from last year in terms of sack number, and Fernie Jennings with two and a half. This guy's gonna get a chance, man. I think Swenson's gonna.
- [50:56]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yeah.
- [50:56]
Todd McShay
Like he's going to be one of the steals of the late rounds. All right. Round six. All right.
- [51:01]
Mel Kiper Jr.
There's only one answer here.
- [51:03]
Todd McShay
Okay.
- [51:04]
Mel Kiper Jr.
And that's Devin Neal. The Saints taking Devin Neal out of Kansas. But we've talked. I've talked about him too much. There's a guy really. Here's a guy that I really think that maybe people are sleeping on. So I'm going to talk about a different player who I, I really like. And that's the UCLA running back not named Schwester. It's Kane Medrano, linebacker. The linebacker from ucla.
- [51:26]
Todd McShay
Yep.
- [51:27]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Who went to the Commanders in the sixth round. And you look at this kid, he had the fastest 40 time of all the linebackers that ran at the combine. He crushed the combine all around. Crushed the combine. He is so fast. You think about that speed. He's a former wide receiver. He went to UCLA to play wide receiver. He was going to be a wide out. Okay. And then Chip Kelly walked up to him, was like, hey, you know, it's not really working out. And what do you think about making the the move changes, ends up being a two year starter at linebacker, ends up being a team captain kind of kid. I mean you just kind of root for. But add on to this, there's two very interesting things about his landing spot. For me, he's got to get bigger, but he's 6 foot 3 so you think he has the frame to add some weight. But, but, but know this. Who was the linebackers coach at UCLA in 22 and in 22 and 23? Ken Norton Jr. Who's the line, who's the linebackers coach for the Commanders?
- [52:20]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [52:21]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Ken Norton Jr. They knew this kid. They know this kid. They knew when they drafted him who this kid was, what they can do with him. And one of the things, and this is the second point the UCLA did with him was use him as a big nickel. So you're looking at a player now who could do special teams. He could carve out a role in situational packages as a big nickel early on. And then if he could fill out that frame and develop into a starter, you have the heir apparent to Bobby Wagner, who apparently does not age. But at some point, at some point it might catch up to him and they might have to find another guy.
- [52:54]
Todd McShay
He's up to all of us.
- [52:55]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Mench, you think about that kind of a player in the sixth round, late sixth round. You know him, you know what kind of player he is. He's a team captain. He's an ascending player who's still getting, you know, he was that linebacker for most of his career at ucla, but didn't. He was a former wide receiver. Again, all the things that he can do for you. I, I look at that pick and I love that freaking pick.
- [53:15]
Todd McShay
Yeah, those are good points. You did, you did your work today. I'm proud of you. Offseason off season. Says who? I'm going with back to the Ravens man. Anais Peebles, defensive tackle from Virginia Tech. Okay. I'll get back to the Ravens in a second. People spent 384 or 516 snaps in the B gap. That's his three technique. Get on that outside shoulder of the guard, get up field and penetrate. That's what he is.
- [53:46]
Mel Kiper Jr.
He's like, that's, that's his DNA.
- [53:48]
Todd McShay
Yep, it's his DNA. Explosive first step. Everything's moving. Feet are moving with the hands. Athletic, can get in the backfield, disrupt. He's gonna, he's gonna locate the football and change direction and come chase you. That's who he is. Okay, I didn't, I, I had this in my notes and we didn't. We weren't sitting there in the sixth round going pick by pick. But I never got to use this. You know, he had a pass rush win rate of 17.9. I talked about Mike Green, how awesome he was at 22 as an edge rusher. You know, hard it is for you don't find many defensive tackles that are pass rush win rate. That's exceptional. And if it works out, again, vision by the Ravens and let's bring in depth and all these great organizations. Let's stay ahead. He's not going to, like, I'm never, I'm not saying he's ever necessarily going to be a starter or like this high impact player, but you know what we need as an organization? We just signed a big deal, a big deal with Matabike, right? Let's get him some rest and some fresh, fresh legs so we can enjoy the fruits of that four or five year. What was it, like 90 mil? It was a lot of money. I just. It's little things like this. When you go back and study each round of the draft and you see the vision and you're like, oh, I get what. And how about Eric Dacosta, man? This is a draft where we're seeing like, excuse me, fifth and sixth round. There's a lot of dudes. Nil transfer Portal Covid, hangover year. There's more depth in this class than ever before. What, what did they do? Like some other good organizations, they look, they. This is the Ravens 6. The 6 round was their round. They. They got a starting kicker in Tyler Loop, Lajante Wester, the wide receiver from, From Colorado who we talked about. He might walk in that wide receiver room. Like.
- [55:49]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I can play here.
- [55:50]
Todd McShay
I can play with these cats. Two cornerbacks, Bilal cone and, and Robert longer beam. I'll never say longer beam without laughing.
- [55:57]
Mel Kiper Jr.
What's a good player, though, man?
- [56:00]
Todd McShay
He is a good player. I was just looking for a name that no one would know and point out the fact that you were grinding on a random Thursday night watching Robert Longer beam tape. It's just a great name, but. So you got longer beam Cone, Leante Wester, wide receiver, the starting kicker. And now. And now some rotational depth with Pels in the sixth round, right? Nodded nod.
- [56:25]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yeah.
- [56:26]
Todd McShay
All right, seventh round. Here we go.
- [56:28]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I'm staying with the Commanders, man. I'm staying with them again. I'm going late. Seventh round. You get running back Jakori Crosby, Merit out of ar, Arizona. Really? Out of New Mexico. I would say that he was at Arizona last year. He played for one game against his old school against New Mexico, and then was ruled ineligible for the rest of the year. The reporting is. Is that even though. And I. I can't imagine how difficult that is for a player. You have finally worked your way up to an FBS level program. You're a talented player, you have a chance to showcase your skill set, and now you can't get on the field because of eligibility issues. The reporting is that he stayed engaged. The reporting is that he was a great teammate, that he was great in the building. I think that's a good sign. He goes to the East West Shrine Game, wins the mvp, doesn't get invited to the combine, doesn't care, Goes works out. I mean, I think he was a hot name going into the draft. I'm not surprised he got drafted. I thought he might have getting drafted earlier, but really what it comes down to, he was super productive in New Mexico in 2023. And I love the tape. I love the tape. He's. For a guy that runs with a narrow base, he changes directions really well. Some guys, that's hard to do when you run with a narrow base. His feet, it's. It's a magic show to me. I'm watching this guy and I'm. I'm not really understanding how he's doing, how he's changing directions and speeds as well as he is. And he is quick through the hole. And then you look at that backfield. Austin Eckler is getting older. Brian Robinson is. Is a good. I don't think great back. And you get Crosky Merritt late in the seventh round. I'll tell you, it's hard. It is hard to have. We talk about this all the time. You need picks. It is hard to have a great draft with five picks or. Yeah, five picks. And the Commanders got Josh Connerly Jr. Late in the first round. Guy who we think could be a starting tackle. They got Ole Miss corner Trey Amos. Late in the second round, they get one of our favorites, Jalen Lane. They get the kid K. Madrano, who I just talk about. Then they get Jacori, Krosky, Merritt. They smoked this draft for a team. And I think especially on day three when they only had three picks, I mean, I think, you know, you want more, but I think the hit rate, to me, looking at it now in their roster, that hit rate looks high for a team that only had five picks.
- [58:37]
Todd McShay
I don't disagree. Yeah. Again, it's just a deep group. I'm, I'm intrigued. In round seven, there's two quarterbacks that I'm intrigued not just because they're quarterbacks. Like, the situation they're in could not be more ideal for their skill set and for the people, the people who will be developing them. Mike McDaniel with, with Quinn Ewers in Miami. Perfect fit. Curtis Rourke, Shanahan. Sneaky, cares about Brock Purdy's Mr. I'm just like, just. I'm just gonna be keeping an eye in next two, three years. Does anything come of it?
- [59:16]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Right.
- [59:16]
Todd McShay
Okay. I also love Burchard Smith, smu. He's my, he's my, my runner up, Kansas City. And you talked about that impact, too. But I went with Luke Lachey because at this point in the draft, when you get to the sixth, seventh round, I heard, like, Howie Roseman had a good clip. Let's find guys that can be starters. Let's go dig deep. Let's find guys that can be starters. Not saying they will be. We know the circumstances and why they're here, but let's go find some guys that can be. Have the potential. Luke Lachey, tight end, Houston Texans. They had a really good draft. Luke Lachey, if Lachey wasn't, didn't get injured and it didn't set his career back at Iowa. I think he could have been a day two pick.
- [60:09]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Yeah, and the scheme too, by the way. Remember, he's playing in a. They just want to. They want to take the air out of the football.
- [60:14]
Todd McShay
Yes.
- [60:15]
Mel Kiper Jr.
This is not a scheme where you're going to get the Arroyo kind of featured routes and targets or any of that stuff. He is. You better run block if you're going to play at Iowa, man.
- [60:27]
Todd McShay
And like the ankle injury had surgery. It was setback, terrible quarterback play scheme, all of it. And even if it wasn't for the medical and some of the concern, like, I, I still thought he could go like fourth, fifth. He went Seventh late. So obviously the medical set him back a little bit too. But this is a smart upside selection because you're talking about a six, five and a half guy who was tracking to potentially be a day two picket tight end who has the ability that you see who had a 35 inch vertical jump. By the way, men tied for fourth in the tight ends 10, 10 foot broad jump. Tied for six. I. Tyler Higby was kind of the comp that I gave him when studying him on tape.
- [61:09]
Mel Kiper Jr.
You got some good comps today.
- [61:11]
Todd McShay
Thanks. He ran a 4 8.
- [61:12]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Unusual for you, Higby ran a 48.
- [61:15]
Todd McShay
Coming out of Western Kentucky. Knee injury. Cut his career or short in western Kentucky, but became a like a reliable weapon, a decent move blocker for the Rams. Like, I just. I don't know. I. I think there's something there. And look, Houston added competition. It. It. Yeah. I mean they, they. I'll just be interested, I'll be interested to see how this plays out because I think he's got an opportunity to make that roster and actually make an impact.
- [61:46]
Mel Kiper Jr.
He had. He averaged 14.2 yards per catch in 2022 before he got hurt. Lachey did. That's not an outrageous number, but that's a pretty damn good number.
- [61:54]
Todd McShay
Yeah.
- [61:54]
Mel Kiper Jr.
For tight end.
- [61:56]
Todd McShay
All right, that wraps it up. This was fun. Actually was more fun. I might have been more fun do. Doing it and preparing. Going through each round. There's so much stuff that inevitably any year you're gonna miss out on something that's going on and there's so, so many bullets flying and we're. We're invading Rosillo's house and it's raining as we're coming in and men just trying to get a player. Shador Sanders just got drafted and we got. We get Resilo in the corner eating a sandwich and we're trying to get everyone in place. So we missed some stuff along the way.
- [62:28]
Mel Kiper Jr.
Almost under an hour.
- [62:29]
Todd McShay
Almost Monday.
- [62:32]
Mel Kiper Jr.
You're excited.
- [62:34]
Todd McShay
I'm.
- [62:34]
Mel Kiper Jr.
I'm a little scared. I'm excited. I'm excited and scared.
- [62:37]
Todd McShay
I get excited in life when the right thing lines up with the thing. You know what I mean? When it's. It's the right. It's what we do. It's who we are. And it also, I think, hey, we'll see. This could be stupid decision. Maybe we should talk to 2025 draft for two more months and then do a college football breakdown. Fuck that. We're doing our thing. And I think people are. I. I'm starting to get like I know you guys. I know who's watching. I read the comments, we read the chats. Keep what you want from us. Please keep watching on YouTube. I didn't do all that spiel today. Follow click Keep supporting us. We made some some good decisions, some tough decisions. It took a minute to decompress. But Monday, we're going to start this thing off the right way for 2026, getting ready for the college season. We're going to serve our fans and we're going to do it the way that men and I have been doing it for 25 years. We're getting back in the tape and we're going to start doing stuff that no one has ever done before in this space. And we'll see you Then. Must be 21 + and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18/ plus and present in D.C. gambling problem, call 1-800-Gambler or visit RG D help.com call 1-888-call 789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit MD gambling help.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit Gambling Helpline ma.org or call 1-800-327-5050 for 247 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPE NY or text HOPE NY in New York.
- [64:34]
Mel Kiper Jr.
SA.