40s and Free Agents with Mina Kimes: Favorite Players in the 2026 NFL Draft

00:00:03
Speaker 1: Welcome to Forties and Free Agents. I'm Greg Rosenthal, joined today by my two favorite ESPN employees, Mina Times and Daniel Jeremiah. We're back, We're doing it. Welcome Mina. How's it going?

00:00:18
Speaker 2: It's good, DJ? Did did they give you a badge? Have you cashed in the Disneyland discount yet?

00:00:25
Speaker 3: True story? And not even as we're recording this, yesterday my Disney passes came and I cannot wait to take my twenty four year old daughter and twenty two year old son. They're just gonna be they run. Yeah, it's a little tough on the timing there, but they did get the passes, so's that's nice.

00:00:44
Speaker 1: I do feel left out as the Avengers here come together, but there's such, you know, such a thing as loyalty in this business. DJ. I'm going down with the ship. I'm staying at the NFL Media. We're gonna do it.

00:00:57
Speaker 3: But really, the shield, he's grasping the shield as he's going backwards. I love it.

00:01:02
Speaker 1: We've got a few more episodes to go here on this season of Forties and Free Agents, and we decided to bring Mina back for a pretty simple exercise that we did a year ago, which was just our favorite players to watch in this draft. Doesn't mean we think they're going to be the best players, but just fun guys to talk about. That's how I looked at it, Guys, I wanted to hear you two talk about that. I think are just fun to watch. But I will start with our guest here Mina in this spot. A year ago, you took Johat Campbell. I think he's going to be great. Still, who who do you want to start with in terms of your favorite players value?

00:01:38
Speaker 2: Who else did I take? Greg Is? It was the other one's age.

00:01:43
Speaker 1: I forget to be honest. I just remember you started with Campbell.

00:01:46
Speaker 2: I'm still a Campbell believer. No linebackers this year. I'll start with one of my few players who isn't injured.

00:01:54
Speaker 4: Actually he just kind of injured, Casey except let's it go DJ A theme in all the names I sent to Gregs, I just kept sending injured guys, which actually is kind of a good referendum on this draft in some ways, right.

00:02:07
Speaker 2: That like a lot of the special talents, there are ones who have question marks when it comes to their health. And I'll talk about the cornerback that I that I'm in love with actually thirty eighty two cores. But let's start with Casey conceptio. And because Greg, I think you saw me posting about him and you texted me that he might be you had him at like two or something, so I didn't even go that high. I had him three in my wide receiver rankings. But I just think that suddenness and explosive playmaking is the most comfortable trait when it comes to a receiver his ability to get separation. And you know, I had all kinds of comps circulating in my brain. The one that I ultimately ended up posting, though this is very serious, and Daniel, you can use this on TV. I won't begrudge you. Is a hot Wheels car launched out of my son's slam walk. Sure, so you guys might not know what a slam launcher is. Greg, you might know. I okay, and you go bam and it weave hours. This is our house in a choke hold, and it sends the hot Wheels car shooting across the house at like ninety miles per hour. I've fallen on many of them. And that's what Casey looks like. Against press coverage of the line of scrimmage, he looks like he's shot out of a slam launcher. And I know this question works about drops, but I want to hear Dany gors thoughts on those, because I found it kind of puzzling. It's different from Johnston Quentin Johnson were talking about for a linear reasons. But one of the readings I found interesting about Case is that he has some really awful drops on tape and then he has some like weirdly difficult tough catches. So I do think he is capable of improving his hands the next level. But what I know he is capable is that speed and separation.

00:03:50
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm just pulling up some notes here too. I want to go back to it. There's a lot of things that I really like about him, and you've touched on the suddenness and the juice. You see all that stuff. For sure. There's there's a polish to him as well. There's a polish to him at the line of scrimmage, and even when he gets to the top of routes, he's got a real good savvy and feel to it. Whereas I think you think about guys guys who have drops, who are mechanical that usually they're mechanical, they've got hard hands. There's a stiffness to him, Like that's when I get really freaked out. I mean, I don't love the drops. Don't get me wrong. Like I factored him into how I how I slotted him. But when you look at how fluid and how lucy is, you look at the return background which is going to translate well with the ball in his hands after the catch, all that stuff is so positive, and you know that's why it's He's a he's an easy one to evaluate my opinion, he's a tough one to slot.

00:04:39
Speaker 1: If that interesting, okay, okay, I just feel like you want to get as there's no safe prospects. But that suddenness that means talking about I feel like you look at that and you're just like, yeah, that's gonna work. That's kind of translate. He reminds me in a little bit of a different way of Olave when Olave was coming out, and just like.

00:05:00
Speaker 3: I think he's stronger.

00:05:01
Speaker 1: Right, they're different players, but I guess I mean when I saw Olave's stop routes like at that level and his decellery, I was like, well that's gonna work. You can just imagine that working, and I love that. Not dominated, but he had great numbers as a true freshman against much older people in the ACC. You know, back in his previous stop, his drops weren't quite as bad there. I think he's going to open things up for others. Like he catched a lot of bad balls. They have some numbers that say like uncatchable ball rates, and he is one of the highest quarterback right like the quarterback situation.

00:05:37
Speaker 3: That was rotten for a lot of these receivers.

00:05:40
Speaker 1: And so like if the Rams at thirteen thought he was their wide receiver too, just like I do. I do. I do have him as the number two. I don't think that's that crazy, do you.

00:05:51
Speaker 3: I don't think it's crazy. I don't think it's crazy at all. I just I have to factor in. I can't just ignore it, you know, like I have to factor in the drops in terms of where I have him. And then you got this knee thing that popped up a little bit late too, which it sounds like everything will be fine there. But my thing on the drops. The other thing I'll point out too, is you better be able to offset it with explosives and he does that, So that's where that's where you become a little bit more forgiving.

00:06:13
Speaker 2: Drops are interesting too, right, Like, dang, I'm sure you've talked to a lot of folks in the NFL about this, trying to evaluate whether or it's something you can get better at. Because you know, Quen Johnson a very different player. He did get better at catching the football. He is undoubtedly improved in that regard. And when I was talking about Casey on my pod, I went through historical prospects of receivers who had high drop rates in college, and they're all over the mat man, like, it's guys who failed in the league, and then it's guys who had success. I think a Lovey actually, right, had a pretty high drop rate if I remember, I'm mismembering that, but it was definitely Nikua Jamar Chase, even like they're some of the best receivers in football, did improve in the league. And I think in college, because of the nature of quarterback, player can be a little bit tricky to evaluate. So it is real it is an important part of playing the position. But you know, I Greg shared your feelings about just what will translate. So I did a first where he goes Daniel. When he came on my pod, we did a mock draft and we ended up with the Panthers at nineteen, which perfect sick right, I mean with Pat McMillan on the outside him inside, I would love that fit.

00:07:22
Speaker 3: It's a fun player. The don't think that last thing I'll just say on him is like he's one hundred and ninety six pounds. This is not one hundred and seventy five pound guy. Like he is a strong, sturdy player.

00:07:32
Speaker 1: He just seems to fit where the NFL is right now with motion and I can just Matt. You can see it in college when he is in motion and you can just see the defense going, oh no, Like he just causes a five alarm fire, and I can just see that at the next level. All right, DJ, who do you want to go with it as your first player that you just loved.

00:07:50
Speaker 3: To Now I'm going to go to the trenches. And I think that nobody's We've talked about this Greg, but not much talk about this guy because he's just boringly good? Is Venga?

00:07:58
Speaker 2: Yo?

00:07:59
Speaker 3: Wanna like he just like every tape for a draft that we're trying to talk ourselves into things and we're making exceptions, Like he's just consistently good in every single game that you watch, like he's the same guy. I'm just like that this is just boringly good. And I think he's so boringly good that we just haven't discussed him. But when I watched him, it was really fun. It was really fun tape to watch that you do a lot of different things than they move him around and letting him work in space, and then with offensive lineman, I've always just had a fondness for once once they get their hands on you, like the play is over and you watch these poor guys trying to get away and it's like they're flailing and they can't get off of him. He's so strong.

00:08:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, he's like one of the more no brainer prospects to me in the draft, Like there's just so few questions about him. He also is There's a few positions like this right, like linebackers, one tight end where there's such a large gap for me between him and the next interior offensive lineman that it'll be interesting to see whether he even gets to Baltimore at fourteen, right, but that would be the natural fit. I think I think that you hit on it. Just the way he finishes as a blocker is so impressive, so palpable. And I also think he can play in a variety of schemes. He has nice at his size movement skills, and so I think you could put him in his own blocking offense. But he has the strength and power to you know, block for gap as well. So I just think he might be the most plug and play in the entire.

00:09:25
Speaker 3: Round if we didn't exercise Mina and I said, I we'll take this entire draft class where you only get credit if they are on an All pro list next year. He might be my first pick like him and Sonny Styles might be like my first two picks in that of guys who I think could like emerge at the top of their position relatively early in their career.

00:09:45
Speaker 1: Not unlike Carson Schwessinger, who Mina you had him as one of your favorites last year.

00:09:49
Speaker 2: There we go, bom nail Gotta Winneba.

00:09:55
Speaker 1: Do you think some you kind of mentioned you didn't want to go at length on sweastionener because you already did on camp, but you can put it down for the record, smart smart analyzing there. Do you think some teams that might agree with you, though, and just take Ayane before anyone else, uh, like, before any of the tackles, because half the top tackles people are thinking about moving to guard DJ do you think teams might agree with you? And he goes higher than.

00:10:17
Speaker 3: I think I would. I would almost guarantee you that he's the top ranked offensive line on some people's list. Okay, just's he's really really solid.

00:10:27
Speaker 1: Okay, So I did look at this exercise a little differently. I just wanted to hear you two specifically talk about some of these guys, just guys. I enjoyed watching CJ. Allen, linebacker from Georgia. I I'm putting on my list here this dude. He wants to kill everyone. He's always talking, he's you know, he's a communicator. He's explosive. And the reason I want to talk about him is once I did watch him, he wasn't what I expected, which is I heard him talked about as this kind of like high ceiling, low floor guy, and I'm thinking this guy is rating know. Okay, maybe maybe I heard the wrong maybe I heard the wrong people, because yeah, what content are you consuming?

00:11:06
Speaker 3: Greg?

00:11:06
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna say who I'm not going to say, who's a couple of primes? Okay, yeah, shot out of a cannon, will do everything. Like the mindset. I think he's getting dinged a little because he's in this class with these two great linebackers ahead of him. I think you could go back over the last five years and there's an argument that he is better than any lineback. I think he like coming into the class. In terms of his ceiling, I think he's better than the two from last year. And you could go back as far as you know, when Devin White went in the top ten. For what it's worth, that like, he has that sort of ceiling if everything goes well. If not, it like it could be a little quay walker ish where he's lost a little in coverage and it's just like big plays. But man, I think he could be a real big weapon that like if he landed with the Bucks or something in the first round, Like I would be very excited. Am I am? I too excited to watch me?

00:11:58
Speaker 3: I'm gonna off here. I mean that. This is why I hate Greg Okay, this is why I hate him because what he does is he takes a player that I like, right, I like a players right now, and he goes so far past me that he puts me in a position to have to talk negatively about a player that I really like.

00:12:16
Speaker 2: It's good to have productive tension. No one wants to lisen to a podcast where everybody agrees, So I think that me and it sounds like DJ disagreeing with you is going to make for good content right now. I don't like him more than the two linebackers who I selected last year. For me, there is a lot to like. I think he's a really intelligent player, Like that was the thing that jumped out to me watching his tape. He knows how to find the football. He's really good at diagnosing run pass, He's constantly He's often in the right position. I think where I'm a little bit slower to love is it doesn't have the athleticism to sort of build off of that to be like I think that when you talk about high ceiling. That's why my eyebrows kind of shot up. I don't see like the explosiveness and movement skills on tape that I personally really value at that position. So I think he can absolutely be a starter. I think he can start very quickly because of how smart he is. I just question whether or not he has the athletic tools and range to be like one of the guys that I really love watching. So that is my take.

00:13:22
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's a good way to explain it. I'm doing the Charger games. I get to see the two different styles, right, I could see dent Zil Pairman and then I get to see him play right next to day On Henley. So he's going to be more on the Paamid thing. Now. I think he's a little more athletic than than Pairriman. I don't think he's as athletic as is hintle me, but he is very instinctive. He sees things well, he's the communicator. They rave about him like he at Georgia. They told me when he got there in the spring, like he'd immediately right got on the field and established himself as a guy, Which that does mean something to me, like at that place like that where you kind of command that he's got the middle linebacker, leadership traits, all those things. He's you know, tackle to tackle, he's excellent, but there's some stuff in coverage where he's a little bit tight and and that get exposed a little bit when he's out in space. So that just when I watch the Chargers every week, I feel like I see both styles and they can both work, they can both be effective. I just think he's more on the Paraman's side than on the Henley side.

00:14:16
Speaker 1: His I mean, I don't know what Pairman was like coming out of Codgo. If you took his best ten coverage, I mean again.

00:14:22
Speaker 3: Instinctive zone coverage.

00:14:23
Speaker 1: I'm just talking about some of his coverage refts are incredible and picking up some of the receivers, and to me, he is a little not I don't know of anyone sideline to sideline, but he there were plays where he covered a lot of I could see him like in a floor. I mean everyone in a Flora's defense would be fine. But he is a guy that will sacrifice for his teammates. You want to you want to send him into the double teams, you want to send like I just feel like you do a little bit of everything. It could be a lot of fun, all right, But.

00:14:48
Speaker 3: Se see like I like him, Greg, He's like my i'lter you right now. He's my thirty fifth player. So yeah, I really like him, But yet you put me in a position where I have.

00:15:00
Speaker 1: Got any more, like top twenty five.

00:15:02
Speaker 2: Where I start considering is Houston at twenty eighth, and that's when it comes kind of an.

00:15:07
Speaker 1: He he would and that would be great because they would put him. He would be the perfect Houston Texan linebacker. But if Minnesota got him would be fun too. All right, Dina, go ahead some other players. By the way, you had Trey Amos. I don't know why we're only picking your players. Mine was like Dile Williams, who I still believe.

00:15:35
Speaker 3: That must be that ours were. We didn't love ours. I kind of fell off.

00:15:38
Speaker 1: Then Marion Hampton had who I'm still by.

00:15:40
Speaker 3: Technically, I think Mina got to pick first, because I promise I would have. I would have liked Swessenger on there, but hit the punch, the.

00:15:48
Speaker 2: Eagles would have drafted Russell Wilson. Okay, I'll be one of my injured guys. I loved Jamon McCoy's twenty towy four tapes, so probably because your question was like who's your favorite to watch? I think his game against Ryan Williams in twenty twenty four is like one of those movies. I'll go but like it's like clueless. For me, I want to go back and watch it over and over because it's such a great battle and this was Ryan Williams. Will that's a whole other conversation, but in twenty twenty four, it was an awesome matchup, and I think you saw a lot of the traits that, for me make him perhaps the cornerback with the highest upside in the draft. And very angry at DJ because I thought I was so clever coming up with my Stefan Gilmour comp and I do put comps, and then I googled just to see if anyone else did it, and of course, of course he got to it before I did, because they're the exact same size. He has similar fluidity in man coverage, the foot speed. Again from twenty twenty four, I guess I should have started saying jamorro Qui was injured last year, you're not playing at ACL. I think his ability to make plays on the football from off and zone, his closing speed when he comes down on it. He's got a great wing span. I don't know off the top of my head, but it's very obvious on tape. So I just look at him and I think his upside if he's healthy, and of course he ran a super fast forty at his own pro day, but didn't do it you know traditional offseason, it is worth betting on because that is a really special set of traits.

00:17:17
Speaker 3: Hes Yeah, I think to me, this is just comes down to the doctors, you know, like what do your doctors say about him? And where is he at in the process and how comfortable are with you? Because the twenty four tape is the best dB tape in the draft, Like it's really really good. So it just becomes risk assessment. You know, we need mina how can you get your medical degree in a year? Like when we come back and do this next year.

00:17:37
Speaker 2: So it's why I'm so glad I'm not an NFL team Dan, because it's like you look, imagine you're like on a Dallas at twelve or whatever, and you're looking at this player and you're you got to make that call. And we've seen so many examples of like medical concerns that ended up not being anything, or medical issues that ended up being like damning, and I it's just a fine line in the draft and I I never know how to evaluate it. But the fact that he did run was at least promising.

00:18:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no, that that's a good thing. It delayed to me, had really good tape this year. Last year was not good, but this this year's tape was really consistent steady. I feel like you're playing the floor game. Just based off of the health you would you'd have Delaine there with the floor, but this, if you're chasing the ceiling, it'd be McCoy. Another side note on that, they're like one pound difference, but one looks so much bigger than the other one on cape is what. It's kind of one of those weird things. He's longer, he's an inch taller. But McCoy, when you watch McCoy and delaying back to back, McCoy looks he looks like such a bigger guy for a guy who's one pound different.

00:18:36
Speaker 1: And you could galaxy brain a little bit and think, what I'd rather is torn ACLB at the end of the twenty four season rather than the twenty five season. Like he's recovered and today's torn ACL is not the same as twenty years ago for the most part.

00:18:49
Speaker 2: And that's where Yeah, the better in ACL than a foot the other players, right.

00:18:53
Speaker 1: I know, I got some injury guys coming up too, all right, DJ, give me another one.

00:18:58
Speaker 3: First of all, they did put ours in there, so I mean I don't Jedi Baron did not start for Denver last year, but it's a great defense. I'm gonna give myself a pass there. Jack Besh didn't do anything, but at least Travon Henderson and Tyler Warren. I got some. I got something there. Greg went with the Milroe Easeraku Kyle Williams trifecta. So I mean, I think clearly got the gold medal. I'm very secure in my silver medal status.

00:19:22
Speaker 1: I mean I'm looking for fun and uh, Kyle Williams in terms of like forty yard catches per target might have led the NFL. I think you I love reading plays in about twelve targets.

00:19:35
Speaker 2: You just love speed Man like you love Jamieson Williams, you love Kyle Williams, you love concepcion, You're you're a fiend for it.

00:19:42
Speaker 3: I guess so you know what the one he bragged about the most, though, Mina. Greg knows what.

00:19:46
Speaker 1: It is, George Pickens.

00:19:50
Speaker 3: I'm like, I'm like Greg, it's not anything about the ability man A scouted the whole league, like you guys, did guys really chalota something in uh freaking Sherlock Holmes over here being able to sniff out the talent of George Pickens on tape. All Right, do I am?

00:20:09
Speaker 4: I up?

00:20:09
Speaker 3: Are you up?

00:20:10
Speaker 1: Yes? I'm waiting.

00:20:11
Speaker 3: All right, I'm gonna give you a fun one. This is Caleb Proctor, who's a defensive tackle from Southeast Louisiana in a draft that I do not love the defensive tackle class, especially as it pertains to rush in the quarterback. He has got some upfield twitch and some juice and can rush the quarterback. I remember highlight Milton Williams when he was coming out, and like somebody you'd identify in those middle rounds who's got tons of juice, and you know, obviously he exceeded expectations, but he's he's not. I don't have as high a grade as I did on mill Williams, but he's in that category, and to me, he's that target guy. You want to target a guy in the middle rounds who you think can give you some interior pass rus should be him.

00:20:47
Speaker 2: How busy I was just looking it up because I remember, okay, yeah, he looks small.

00:20:53
Speaker 3: He is Caleb Proctor sixty one. He ran four seven nine.

00:21:00
Speaker 1: It's always funny when we're in this position, you're like, hey, it looks small. It's six to one. Seeing that man in real life.

00:21:08
Speaker 2: You can't see size, right, Yeah.

00:21:10
Speaker 1: I know enough to know that DJ, if you're seeing him this way, do you think that he is going to be one of those targets maybe a higher ranked col Strange who we didn't know, but many teams were targeting back as like, oh, he's going to be our third round guy, do you think and that kind of pushed him up maybe a little higher than people.

00:21:30
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he was kind of in that like start the process, you're like, I'd love to get this guy in the fourth round, and as you go through the process, you're like, he probably have to take him in the third round, you know, like that's kind of where he is for me.

00:21:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mentioned can see his I I haven't watched a lot of him, only a little bit. Trying to remember how I wrote down small and I wrote reminds me of a little Clauds you can't see and winch Yeah, right, like wins with immediate penetration but lacks the side.

00:21:56
Speaker 3: Banged around in there. Yeah, but I'd rather have him. I'd rather have him, and we'll get to it later. But there's another defensive tackle talked about in the first round. I'm like, I don't know. I think I'd rather just get this guy in the third round.

00:22:07
Speaker 1: Really, I have some like third round types coming up. But since since Mina's you know, sniped Concepcion not sniped. But we both love him, we haven't had a Jeremiah Love conversation on this particular show, and so I'm just gonna put him out there as my guy because as as a guy, because as you know, I want to have hear what you guys think. And I know you've talked a lot about draft value Mina when it comes to love.

00:22:34
Speaker 2: But we have fans are not heavy with big although I did, did I see that you had him? I had him.

00:22:43
Speaker 3: I had him go through Kansas City with the ninth This is this is fan brain.

00:22:47
Speaker 2: They're so mad at me now and when they if they pass on him, they're gonna be like Mina times was right through that guy. We never liked him. Value is everything.

00:22:57
Speaker 3: So my favorite part of the process is the is the fact, like I remember my first list, I would this would be a great exercise when you put out your first something. I remember putting on my first list and the most blowback I got was you have the white Safety from Oregon as like a top twenty player, Like that's insane. And then now, I guarantee if you look at some of the same user names, would be like, how they can't pass on him at twelve, They've got to take him at twelve. If he's there at twelve and you.

00:23:24
Speaker 1: Have Love, what do you have Love two in your top fifty, two in my top fifty? Yeah, and and but you went on Rich Eisen on Sports Center? How about that?

00:23:35
Speaker 3: What was that like?

00:23:36
Speaker 1: By the way, DJ, I don't know.

00:23:37
Speaker 3: I mean, it's just worlds are colliding. That's where it is right now. So it's very very bizarre.

00:23:42
Speaker 1: It was funny you had like a mini mock draft preview. It's not going to be your official one. But yeah, you had Love falling to nine in that case, and if that happens, I do think people are overthinking it because just his feet with that size is just so unique, I think, and I think if you just went with you know, size, speed measurements, all that he's in balance, like there's it's obviously like a very unique running back prospect. But when you put it all together and his change a direction and like there was a play and you know in what was it in the Miami game where you know, he steps a foot inside and he sees that it's cut up and then immediately can explode outside. It was actually ruined Bain trying to get him and there was a penalty on the play, and then he does one of his full speed hurdles and keeps his balance to get the first down, and it's it's just so freaky that I do think he's in that like Bijan maybe Saquon, but I think he's as good or better a prospect as Saquon, Like this is one of the best prospects of the last twenty five years, and so they at his position, I mean, and so maybe maybe you disagree Mina that he's just not that good, But if he is that good, then it just seems crazy to me to be thinking about questionable tackle prospects, for instance, ahead of him. And if you do believe in him that much, you're gonna be right, Like you could end up with a Tyree Wilson over Bajon Robinson type of thing. If you're looking at positional value.

00:25:07
Speaker 2: If he did drop to nine, you said, you know it would be overseeking it. Who is the team though that you would point to is like that was a mistake in you know, ahead of the Chiefs.

00:25:17
Speaker 1: Like if if if anyone takes a tackle, I feel like that's like if the like I even.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: The Cardinals, you would never pick him for them, so like you know what I mean.

00:25:26
Speaker 1: But I don't think that's that crazy for them to pick him, Like that doesn't seem like a mistake to me. The Cardinals, I mean it makes more sense years.

00:25:33
Speaker 3: Into his career before they'd be willing to support him.

00:25:37
Speaker 1: Well like who I mean, we've seen like was Jon Robinson a mistake with Tyler L's year? Why is that?

00:25:42
Speaker 4: Like?

00:25:43
Speaker 3: I think their line was was in a better spot? I think that was Greg? Is that?

00:25:49
Speaker 1: How this?

00:25:50
Speaker 4: I like that?

00:25:52
Speaker 1: I think if there's if there's a guy you were talking about, like the first team all Pro like possibility or whatever, Jeremy Love would have a chance. And I think the bigger thing is like would you rather like if you think he could be a Hall of Fame player and maybe maybe there aren't that many people that do think that. But if if he's at that level of running back prospect, I do think that goes over a lot of guys like that aren't like normally top ten picks. A lot of these guys would not normally be a top ten pick.

00:26:17
Speaker 2: Anyways, who did you have Washington taking?

00:26:19
Speaker 3: I had Washington trade now oh trading?

00:26:22
Speaker 2: Oh yes, I saw that, and I was like, Washington should absolutely do that, because that would be the team. To go back to my original question where I might be like, maybe you are at this one right, like if they were to take a receiver, you know, like that's because but it's the only team where when I look at the roster and what's shaped they're in where I feel personally a little bit more comfortable. However, I remember I saw your mock and I thought, no, you just absouly zero chance.

00:26:47
Speaker 3: And how you they have no second round pick, They're just a target to me and I, you know, off the subject. But I just look at the Jets and all the capital they have, like they they can be afford to be aggressive and go up and get a receiverally desperately. Mean that's why I did that one. But do you get back to your conversation. I want to hit me. I want to hit Mena on this one because I haven't even I haven't even been on since since this came out, so I don't know what the feedback. I'm sure that there's people losing their minds about the Kansas City love thing, but I'd love to get Mina's thoughts on it because it's very layered conversation. I don't think it's an easy one, but I think it's a layered conversation.

00:27:22
Speaker 2: The Kansas City taking love. There's I have two thoughts on it. On one hand, is setting aside Walker, you know they saw, yeah, it's really a two year deal whatever. On one hand, I feel a little bit itchy because they have such great needs as such high value positions wide receiver, corner, edge right, three of the most expensive positions in football are ones that they could stand to address. But on the other hand, the two first round picks does change the calculus a little bit, and I think it what matters here is how they feel about their ability to get an impactful receiver, corner or edge with that second first round pick. I think receiver is a thing where you could they could really find someone there. But boy, that's asking a lot of cheese bag nolo if you go all offense. So so I guess it wouldn't be what I would do. But if they really believed they could get another contribute, having that extra pick from the McDuffie trade does help a lot. I do think Chiefs fans are leaning a little bit too hard on the we can find a corner in the fifth round every year, Like that's a little you know, it's that's hubris in my opinion, even though they're obviously the track record speaks for itself, and I do like Noel Williams, but I would I have to look at your draft and see who was available to them. Were there anyone available that they passed up?

00:28:47
Speaker 1: There?

00:28:47
Speaker 3: Bain Bain was still there. Down was still there right now, still there?

00:28:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, Downs would be really nice defense. And then yeah, but you know what I mean about receiver does feel like they can especially take on It's like, yeah.

00:29:03
Speaker 3: Well here's here's the other side of the coin that I'm looking at here. So a couple of different things. Number One, you had love notoriously with Jadarian Price, you know, was at his best, complimented with another back Kenneth Walker complimented with Sharbonney like, I don't. I think having those two guys together would be dynamic. The enemy comes in. You got Mahomes coming off an injury. We want to we obviously want to be able to run the football and make people pay for how they've played us for the last five years, and now we've got a way to keep two elite backs fresh. Who Oh, by the way, can also spark some creativity and rejuvenate the mind there with Andy Reid of like, I can get my screen game going that I go pull out all my Lashaw McCoy stuff that I did back in the day, and I can reintroduce it here with a more dynamic version of that. I want to put both those guys on the field and be creative and let him roll out of the slot. I'm going to throw bubbles to him, you know, all this kind of stuff, Like, I just think it could kind of spark some life into an offense that that nobody's really talked about has been so unexciting and unwatchable for the last few years.

00:30:05
Speaker 2: The other thing about the Chiefs is like I've seen people mock offensive linement to them. I think their line is fine I mean Simmons was a hit. They have more in the build, like they could continue adding there. Obviously you're betting on recovery from injury, but like that to me is another reason, Like Jeremiah love the reason why Washington was also something I'm okay with. Your first question is what's the statut your offensive line? She's good? Like that kind of feels like I don't love more though, Like, yeah, would rather you want them to upgrade?

00:30:33
Speaker 3: No, I mean, I look, they pot committed, so to speak, but I think that there's they could be better there. And then Simmons, there was reasons why fell in the draft, and he unfortunately wasn't available for a good chunk of the season. So the talent wise is phenomenal, Like he's yeah, as anybody in the in the draft lecture.

00:30:51
Speaker 2: At that position, it definitely requires some internal scouting.

00:30:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think at a certain point, isn't it just like how how much do you believe in the in these plays that you are just about like if if if he is at the Bajon level, like you're just not You're just not gonna regret that pick. And I just think certainty is so hard to find, like and and maybe he's it's not certain, you know.

00:31:14
Speaker 3: If they lined up, If they lined up, I'll ask both of you this. If they lined up next year with Noel Williams and Chris Johnson at corner within being coached by Dave Merritt and Steve Spagnolo, I think they'd be fine. How do you guys feel about that?

00:31:29
Speaker 1: I mean, they won a Super Bowl with Jalen Watson and I forget who the other guy was playing as rookies playing thirty snaps and Watson turns into a great player. It's it's tough to keep doing it. They do have your your guy, Christian Fulton, by the way, still there cooking around. Okay, Hawks guy, I'm just saying. I'm just saying, like it's not overthinking too much.

00:31:53
Speaker 3: If let's go for a second.

00:31:54
Speaker 1: I never I never got the worst. If you guys even believe in him as as that bunch.

00:31:58
Speaker 3: Of a prospect like our Mason Amas is a fit with Seattle as well as for a couple of Seahawks.

00:32:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think Edge is a sneaky one that people are sleeping for Seattle, right because you've got older, Lawrence is older. You lost Mafe, you know, Chenna is not a spring chicken either, so yeah, I definitely think they could go. I actually like to the edges who are going to be I like the edges and quarters that they'll be picking from if they're to stay. But they might not stay in the first round.

00:32:25
Speaker 1: That's a good call, I kind of expect. I was almost surprised me most was still on the roster, so you're right, that could be a very different looking group. All right, let's take a break and let's come back with some more favorite players in the draft. Okay, we are back. I have made a fool of myself. Mina. You are next up. This is very important. Your third pick here?

00:32:57
Speaker 2: Should I do Chris Johnson here? Because I just said I love it, but I didn't say why. It's probably it took me a while to get to him. I'm doing defenses defensive players. This week, we probably talking about him that much.

00:33:08
Speaker 1: Although I don't know.

00:33:09
Speaker 2: People are starting to watch. I feel like he's climbing San Diego State cornerback. I feel like I should start by saying that I just could not believe how technically refined he looked to me on tape, and obviously not always the greatest competition, But the game that I watched first was Washington State.

00:33:30
Speaker 3: Now he kill.

00:33:36
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I did watch that one. Washington State was one that I watched first, and I just found him to be so much more complete than I would have expected for a corner that I hadn't heard of. Talked about being in the top four or five players, that the position, good size, good measurables, such a smooth mover. But then just the plays on football, I mean always it feels like his hands are in there jarring a loose good ball skills as well. So I just thought, you know, that corner being a need for Seattle. Oh so I think you can playing different schemes as well Man's own. So yeah, I just think to me, when you start getting into that tier of corners, your Colton Hoods, your Avanterrell's, you know, I thought there's some really good ones, but all of them I can kind of point to, like, oh, I don't love this. I was surprised by how complete Chris Johnson's game was when I watched him.

00:34:34
Speaker 4: Like I didn't.

00:34:35
Speaker 2: You can tell me what the ding on him is DJ Like I was, I was struggling to find it when I was watching him.

00:34:41
Speaker 3: So here's the fascinating This is like one of my fascinating case studies with this draft because with him, when I watched him, all the stuff mean that talked about I loved. The only question was okay, like some recovery speed stuff. I'm like, okay, like what does the pure top speed look like. Well, then he goes to the combine and he runs thing four four flat like he ran any fast. Had a phenomenal workout there by the way as well, just to see how loose he was. He's real sturdy and his lower like he is a strong, sturdy dude.

00:35:09
Speaker 1: So all that.

00:35:10
Speaker 3: So then I come back and I was talking with somebody and I'm like, did I really like him? He's like my thirty fifth player here at the end of the process. But that I saw the time speed, but there was some I did go through my notes and he goes, he goes, you realize San Diego State and I live in San Diego. So once he said this, it connected. He goes, It's the worst playing surface, like one of the worst playing surfaces in the country, to the point where the MLS team that plays there had complained about it because the turf is always flying up, and so I'll go, Okay, it was like a detective. I go back through all my notes and I'm like, the question where I questioned some recovery speed play speed, I go, was that a home game or a road game? Home game? Home game? Home game? So I was like, it was like this little investigative I went on there and I was like, and then they said, the GPS numbers are exceptional game. So his in game GPS numbers, even at San Diego State, are really really good. It's just that in some of the recovery transition stuff there's turf flying around a little bit and you see the sand pop it up in the air, so it just messed with your eyes a little bit.

00:36:10
Speaker 2: Oddly, Washington State was at Washinges.

00:36:13
Speaker 1: They were just I'm like, what did you have the team here? They're hurting their draft? Well, have you heard their lousy field?

00:36:21
Speaker 2: Because I didn't throughout this process, I didn't hear of him being mentioned as a first round pick, But I've started to hear it a little bit more lately, which is what sort of prompted me to finally sit down. Do you think there's any Chancey sneaks into the end of the first.

00:36:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there's you know those you get to the last handful of picks when you're going through the process, if you're like, okay, there's fifteen guys that could go in here, like and he's he's really clean. So if you're picking towards the bottom of the first round, do you want to swing for the fences or you want to just take a really clean you know exactly what you're getting player.

00:36:53
Speaker 2: Chiefs, Dolphin, Seahawks could all take a corner ye mention that.

00:36:57
Speaker 1: So I like it when you two agree on a player, because because DJ has been talking up Chris Johnson, it's kind of an underrated guy for a while. So that's just one to put in bold. All right, DJ, you get another one here, all.

00:37:08
Speaker 3: Right, I'll stay at the corner position. Every year, I go through this exercise at the very end of the process where I look at the top fifty and it's the dumbest thing, but I just do it, and I go, Okay, who do I have outside the top fifty that if they get picked in the top fifty, I'm going to be sick to my stomach because I liked him, but I just didn't put him where I you know I should have put my money where my mouth was, basically, And I did it with Jalen Hurts when he was coming out, and I'm like, I understand the flaws, but I'm like, he's just so competitive and tough, Like I'm just going to put him in there. So I put him in there in like the late forties or what have you. So I've done this every year, and this year I did it with D'Angelo Pons. I'm like, he's been my undersized player. He's so small, but he's so competitive and he's so tough, and this is how this is what got me over the threshold. I've had him like in my in all the one fifty will come out, but he'd been like in the fifty sixty range, which is going to put him on the bottom of the second round. He's an exception one hundred percent. But I was talking to a team and they, you know, we were talking about comps and I kind of brought up the ones that came to my mind that I, you know, looked at in terms of the Darius Web of Ante Maddox, like some smaller guys who I thought were really good players. And he's like, well, we go back a little bit further in our database, like his everything's it's a different game we're playing now. I get that. But if you look at Aaron Glenn's numbers compared to him, they are identical, and if you read the competitive background and the intelligent stuff, identical. So if you're going to bet on an exception, it helps to have at least something I could grasp onto. So I grasped onto that and I got him into the back of my top fifty.

00:38:40
Speaker 2: Who is the little TCU corner as little Chargers took him?

00:38:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, not because he was so verit Jason Verrett, Yeah, you're thinking about no, no.

00:38:51
Speaker 2: No, I'm thinking about the one recently, not neus.

00:38:55
Speaker 1: Mina's burne, because she tried to make an exception with Emmanuel Forbes a couple of years ago.

00:39:00
Speaker 3: Everyone loved the mantle player last year, some flashes last year.

00:39:06
Speaker 2: Uh no, the little t I was just saying, little sorry corner.

00:39:10
Speaker 3: Tomlinson, Tomlinson, Tomlinson, Yeah, Rams, I.

00:39:13
Speaker 2: Think yes, right, because you played the Rams preseason. He must have been about the same size as Ponds, like five ft.

00:39:20
Speaker 1: Eight and change.

00:39:22
Speaker 3: I I think he might even have been smaller.

00:39:25
Speaker 2: He was little, but He also was like weirdly good at like climbing the ladder against bigger receivers and making plays in the football. I mean weirdly that he reminds me of the feistiness and and Pond's Ponds is a better player. I I don't know if I can get there with that size.

00:39:41
Speaker 1: I love the name. I want to continue the theme. I'm going to pick a similar player then too. I was on the fence because I want to hear you guys talk about it. It's partly because of an age question here. Scott, Uh yeah, Nickel kind of a candidate to be a Nickel slot player. I think from myami he was that guy one hundred and ninety two pounds, so not that small, but he plays like he's two forty. He thinks he's too forty. He plays like a linebacker, like, yeah, Jalen Petrie is a high bar but if he if he hit everything that he could ever hit, you know, that's the type I think a player that Keante Scott is just so aggressive force fumbles, like just hilarious, talking trash. And also I just think maybe where the league is going in terms of he can fit in a lot of these new defenses. But he is twenty five years old. He didn't really break out until his sixth season in college. But really, fun, I'm curious. I've not heard you DJ say anything about he's.

00:40:41
Speaker 3: In my top fifty he is?

00:40:43
Speaker 1: Now? Wait?

00:40:44
Speaker 3: Is he's been in my top fifty?

00:40:45
Speaker 1: Is that right? Okay, well let's talk about him.

00:40:48
Speaker 3: No. Look, I love the way he plays. And it's not just because it's the San Diego Kid. I can't say kid because he's twenty five, but I just want to die little like five times.

00:40:56
Speaker 1: So I think kid is fine now for twenty four.

00:41:00
Speaker 3: I think he's twenty four, right, uh, twenty four years old? No, yeah, he plays so he like I'm I'm big on conviction with secondary players. I think that's a very important aspect of it. Right or wrong, Just play with conviction, just trust yourrise and go. He plays with the utmost conviction and especially against the run. If he sniffs its run, he is gone. And he he just plays so fast and so aggressive. He ran like low four threes to go along with when you when, Yeah he flew, he flaw, God, yeah he flew. It was reported like on social media he ran in the four twos that was not right. I'll give the official time. He ran four three three uh five one one two one ninety three and he ran four three three.

00:41:42
Speaker 1: He destroyed blitter people, kind of like CJ. Allen, but obviously smaller like he he destroys people considering his his size.

00:41:51
Speaker 4: Funny.

00:41:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, he is a He was a fun player to watch. He would have definitely been on my list. As I saw the names you guys had on there, that one would have been mine, just for the fun factor. Like when you're watching him just jump routes. You see like the A and M playoff game. He makes a ton of plays in that one where they're trying to spit the ball out and he just is all over it. So again, I think that player has more value now than maybe it did you know ten years ago. Yeah, and I did see. I don't I haven't. I haven't got great stuff on with coaches at Miami yet on him. I try and dig something up, but I've seen interviews with him. He's impressive, dude, man, Like when you see him talking ball, like very very impressive.

00:42:31
Speaker 2: If I was doing like an all Honey Badger team there you got draft team, he would be I was just like but you guys talk about the league. I think about guys like an Upton Stout or in San France scoutch trying to think of some of them, like just Nicols.

00:42:46
Speaker 1: Like yeah, little like, uh, we're running out of time. DJ's got TV. Let's just do a speed around. If there's anyone else you just want to get in for the record.

00:42:54
Speaker 2: I just think Max Claire is going to be a good tight end in the NFL, A minimum good. I took me a while to get to him as well, because the tight ends I was like they were going the first round. I just watch him and I see an NFL skill set very clearly. I love the way he moves, I love how good he is catching the football. I think he's very quarterback friendly. I think he is a sufficient blocker and can obviously build on that at the next level. But put that guy, that tight end from Stanford saying that in a play action heavy offense and let him cook.

00:43:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's and I like to better at Purdue, which, by the way, this is the only draft I can remember whether every player I've said that they were better at Purdue. I've said it. I've said it with Dion Burks, I've said with Dylan Thieneman and I've said it with Max Clair. Purdue almost had a great team. They were so close to this. I just could have kept the game together. They would have quite a team last year. I'll do one more trading stinks Tradan Stekes from Arizona, who can do a little bit of everything and covering the slot. He can play in the post. He's he's Rangy's fast, he can he's instinctive like he's a good player. I think he's going to chance to go in the second round once.

00:43:55
Speaker 1: Also maybe maybe filling a similar ish spot if he's not just a traditional safety as my guy Kiante Scott. I just want to throw out for the record, like Chris Ball, wide receiver from Louisville and then Ted Hurst from Georgia State. This is such a weird class that these guys, Man, they look like NFL receivers. If you catch Chris Ball in the right rep where he's just catching a slant in full motion, I mean he looks like a J Brown or something. He's coming off a torn acl But man, these two guys look like NFL receivers. Hurst from Georgia State, they were one and eleven, he compares himself to t Higgins. I'm not sure I see that. I saw Sam Monson compt them to Roy Williams, and I thought that, man, that is perfect. But these guys look like NFL players. I don't know if it's gonna work out, But as in this class where I just don't know if it's that big of a drop between like wide receiver four and some of these fun third round guys.

00:44:46
Speaker 3: Do you remember, obviously, hopefully you guys, do you remember the Ilantis Morissett song? Isn't it ironic? The extra verse you could add on that was like would be about how Chris Bell goes on to be the rookie of the yar year and Greg's beating his chest. But isn't it ironic because he called him Chris Ball? You know, So it's like you can't really take all the credit for it.

00:45:06
Speaker 1: You know, why did I write down Ball?

00:45:10
Speaker 2: This is there's like there's multiple Bells, so it's a little confusing. I'll defend you, Greg. There's Tyler Bell, Yeah, easy to get those they're very different sizes, but there's yeah, but you're right, the receiver there's like fire, like just big fastide someone one of them is probably going to be awesome. I don't know which one. That's the problem.

00:45:34
Speaker 1: No, it's tough. Hurst's a lot of fun, all right. We did it to the end of draft season.

00:45:40
Speaker 3: Thanks for not calling her Patty by the way, I thought you might, you know, with the name, with the name situation. You got ted right, So that's good.

00:45:45
Speaker 1: I mean, you're making Patty Hurst references a lot of a lot of catering.

00:45:51
Speaker 3: I'm catering to the sixty to seventy five audience that I know is the core of your your group here, Greg.

00:45:56
Speaker 1: You're calling, You're calling mid twenties guy kids. That's it for forties a greatness. Thank you, Mina. Everyone watched Mina on NFL Live. Of course, check out her podcast, The Mina Chimes Show featuring Lenny and I'm looking forward to the two of you espn ors, you know, doing some collaborations in the future. I'll be watching it on my television.

00:46:16
Speaker 3: I'm trying to get some of that sweet hot Wheels money that Mina got coming.

00:46:20
Speaker 2: I'm just glad we revisited our records from last year and you guys.

00:46:25
Speaker 3: Got to go first. I had to clean up whatever names were left. That's not fair.

00:46:28
Speaker 1: Come we'll see you next week. We got one more before the draft.

00:46:33
Speaker 3: See that