40s and Free Agents: Gregg's Top FA RBs and DJ's Senior Bowl Takeaways

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Welcome back to forties and free Agents.

00:00:06
Speaker 2: I'm Greg Rosenthal, joined as always by Daniel Jeremiah.

00:00:10
Speaker 1: He is off the.

00:00:11
Speaker 2: Streets, beating the path, you know, evaluating all the draft prospects for the NFL network. He was Inmobile all week and he is back in San Diego, but in like a guest room or something because he broke his glass desk.

00:00:26
Speaker 3: Still still don't know what happened. Great mystery, what happened to the glass desk? But I am in a I'm in the guest room which used to be my daughter's room. So the desk that I'm operating on right now very much for like a ten year old, and it's a little it's a little slammed in there.

00:00:40
Speaker 1: Wait, what happened? You get you get too angry when.

00:00:44
Speaker 3: You're watching in this blanket, So she was a kid. It's like a burrito, so you kind of fold it up like it's a burrito blanket. So that's what I'm sitting on. That's what I'm sitting on right now, Greg, because maybe the most uncomfortable office share that's ever been.

00:00:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you can check out this great production value at some point on the NFL YouTube channel too, they're putting it up there.

00:01:06
Speaker 1: But yeah, you were at the Senior Bowl.

00:01:08
Speaker 2: We're going to talk a little bit about what you saw in Mobile, some prospects that stood out to you. We're going to start previewing the real rankings that people care about. The free agency rankings. I mean this draft stuff. Half of them aren't even going to work out. We talk about real deal pros in the top one to one free agency rankings. So we're going to go over my running back rankings. I actually we're going to play a little segment. You don't even know this. You can help me with my rankings. I'm trying to sort out different tiers and maybe we'll get your feedback, and then we're going to look at some of the coaching hires too.

00:01:39
Speaker 3: Let me just hit you with this real quick. So the draft is late April, right, Yes, so I have to rank player. You ranked players. I ranked players. So the draft is in late April. My list came out what two weeks ago? When does free agency start again?

00:01:58
Speaker 1: March? Yeah, mid March, March tenth, something like that. I should know this.

00:02:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, any chance we see those rankings before.

00:02:04
Speaker 2: Well, they like to they like to drop it with maximum impact right before the Scouting combine. So so we're we're working hard on it. We're going to be at the scouting combine along with you DJ talking to people and getting all the buzz. But yeah, well that's why people got to listen to forties and free agents. We'll be previewing them here.

00:02:21
Speaker 3: Can we drop some though, Like I know the overall yes, one hundred hundred one to one comes out, but I think yes, forties and free agents can offer us. Hey, maybe we take positions. Okay, kind of roll as we go. That's the value add here. And by the way, everybody.

00:02:34
Speaker 1: Week will do tight ends. I like that.

00:02:35
Speaker 3: Yeah, everybody I talked to it the Senior Bowl like that. They love forties and free agents. They're they're uh, they're rocking with us on this thing.

00:02:43
Speaker 2: So good, just like they just like that. You give me a hard time every time.

00:02:47
Speaker 3: No, but they think you're smart. I mean they didn't say it, but I think they think it. You know, maybe I'm just projecting there. I don't know.

00:02:54
Speaker 2: Now I feel uncomfortable because you said something nice about me for the first time on this show. Let's talk seniable where I wish at some point I really am going to try to catch up to DJ because I can do multiple things, you know, I can do free agency and the draft, but DJ is the expert, and we're here for your takes.

00:03:12
Speaker 1: And I watched some of the coverage.

00:03:13
Speaker 2: I read some of the coverage hit me with maybe a big picture takeaway from the class that was at the Senior ball.

00:03:22
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that there's things you can take away from these All Star games. Is kind of like a microcosmo of being the bigger, broader draft class and the strengths usually a thiese end up being the strengths of the overall class. And so to me, it's a really good defensive line draft, especially on the perimeter with edge rushers. We had some really good guys down there. TJ. Parker from Clemson is an example of someone who's in my top fifty, was just outside the first round range, and you know, as well as he played all week long, very much looked like a first round caliber player. You've got Harris from Michigan who had a really really good week edge rusher who's again was just outside my top fifty, probably vaulted himself in the top fifty. Zion Young from Missouri another one just a whole host of really solid edge players and then you know, like Lee Hunter was one. I took a bite of that apple before the Senior Bowl of like, man, I really really like this kid. I know he's not getting as much buzz and talking to some folks, but kind of planning my flag on that one. He had a really good week at three hundred and twenty plus pounds a defensive tackle out of Texas Tech, so across across the board on the defensive line, I thought it was really good. Offensive line wise, Ian Acho or the tackle from Arizona State, was in my top fifty. He looked like, you know, the second round pick all day long, and Greg. Usually these guys that we say locks the second round picks at that position, they get elevated and sometimes find their way into the first round, but not as deep on the offensive line. So that was kind of like the first takeaways and then quarterback wise, sometimes you see guys really kind of separate themselves and vault themselves up. I thought, you know, there's some solid performances. Garrett Nusmer had a good week out of LSU, but he's not the biggest guy in the world. Cal Payton from North Dakota State flashed a little bit, but he hasn't played a ton, so a lot of I would say, a lot of question marks still on the quarterbacks and that's going to expand beyond beyond this group end of the overall draft.

00:05:17
Speaker 2: I want to follow up on something he said with nuss Meyer and it might go for t J. Parker too, that guys who have a great sort of profile coming off like a great year in college, the year before that, you know, their final year for the draft, I feel like get overlooked a little now when you go back to what watch nuss Meyer's like a couple of years, you know, two seasons ago, do you see the hype the reason for the hype because to me, with him and then t J. Parker would be more of an example of a guy who might get taken in the first round.

00:05:50
Speaker 1: You mentioned that the edge rusher, if.

00:05:53
Speaker 2: They can show that level of production at a big time school at the colle they showed that they can do it, and you and you always talk about drafting off off the peaks kind of what they can show, So like, how do you how do you balance that when they're coming off maybe not as productive a year.

00:06:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a good point. I would say, first of all, when we make you know, the comparisons and discussions like this quarterback is totally I think it's by itself, So you know, I just think that's a unique discussion with them where you know, more more track record and kind of the trend line is maybe more important there at that position, whereas like t J. Parker not having a you know, as productive as good as the season this year, but I can go back and watch him last year. Max Claire is a tight end from Ohio State this year that had okay production, but the year before he was at Purdue where he was the focal point of the offense and you could see all the good stuff. So I think those positions are a little different than quarterback. Quarterback usually you want to see guys that are that are kind of climbing and ascending. But I go back to my notes on nuss Meyer before this season, and to me kind of remind me of like Andy Dalton type player, like someone who's a Day two pick who's got a you know, he's got a shot to be a starter in the right spot, in the right system. And I don't know that I'm really you know, coming too far off of that. You know, he helped himself overall with this last week, But it wasn't like what TJ. Parker I thought was a top fifteen pick coming into the season based off the way he played in twenty four and then this year I was like, now he's probably more of a second round pick, and now he probably fought his way back into the discussion in the back of one, if that makes sense. Quarterbacks is kind of its own its own island over there.

00:07:34
Speaker 2: I guess it's also like, what what level are we talking about? Ben People could argue a little bit about Drake May's final year at UNC or even Caleb Williams is but like I think the year before that for both of them were even we're even better.

00:07:47
Speaker 3: That was they played at such a high consistent level. I mean we're talking about Heisman Trophy, you know. For Caleb Williams like played an elite off the charts level with a long track record. Whereas we talk about the grade the flashes, like the high points of players at quarterback, it can get a little bit trickier, Like you've got to have at least some track record of playing at that higher level. Whereas a defensive tackle who just flashes a couple of plays, You're like, okay, we can dream on that, Like that's what he can be. Let's let's let's go on him. Whereas like Drake May played like a you know, a top five pick the year before, Caleb played like the you know, once a decade type player of the year before. That's a little little more track record.

00:08:30
Speaker 1: There by the way.

00:08:31
Speaker 2: It's funny I've noticed with these GM situations around the league, people trying to take credit now for liking Drake May that Minnesota really wanted to trade up for Drake May and they didn't get them. And the Giants and Joe Shane they really wanted to trade up Joe for Drake May and they didn't get It's like.

00:08:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, I could have.

00:08:48
Speaker 2: I could have told you Drake May was great, and Drake May would have been the number one overall pick in a lot of these drafts. I think he would have been in the Kyler Murray draft or the Bryce Young drafter, the km wore draft. This like, you don't need to be Gene. I'm not giving you credit for trying to trade out them for Jake Me.

00:09:04
Speaker 3: Yeah, I will say that in those two instances, I had talked to people in the in the high ups of those organizations before those drafts, and at least I can confirm this is not some revisionist history I know.

00:09:15
Speaker 1: No, I believe it.

00:09:16
Speaker 3: They were both very aggressive and trying to do that. It just you weren't they weren't gonna they weren't going to trade off of you know, where they were up there with New England and wisely so it's just another reminder, though, this is a great reminder of where where you pick is not always as important as what year and what the crop looks like, you know what I mean, like that not all top three picks are the same. I mean to come into the draft that year and it was man, we have we had daily kind of discussions and heated discussions about you know, okay, well Caleb's played kind of falling off, and Jade Daniels had this unbelievable year, and then you got Trake May who's the prototype, you know, those all three of those guys, however you want to shake them up. I don't know that there was a you know, wrong decision to be made between those three, whereas this year or it's like, man, there feels like there's one guy and then a lot of wishing and hopeing.

00:10:04
Speaker 2: And you said, how you know, Caleb Williams was coming off such a high p Heisman Trophy all that, but he didn't do one thing in college and that's been too late.

00:10:11
Speaker 3: He got he got hurt. Didn't he get hurt in? Or is it he didn't get hurt?

00:10:14
Speaker 2: They put up forty points and they gave up fourteen points in the last four minutes and lost forty five to forty four or something like that.

00:10:22
Speaker 3: You know what's amazing and I'm pretty sure these are This was the matchup. Kayln Bullock got run over by Taj Spears in that game, and I think it actually that one play helped Taj Spears climb up a little bit and it actually pushed Kaylen Bullock down a little bit because you know, there was I want to say the Utah game as well, where he had some issues tackling. And then it turns out Kaylen Bullock pretty good, pretty good. Probably shouldn't punish him for one bad play.

00:10:51
Speaker 2: He's been incredible and you know who played about the end of last season, Taji Spears.

00:10:54
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna.

00:10:55
Speaker 3: Have a nice style for everybody career.

00:10:58
Speaker 1: That that's the two lane coverage for today.

00:10:59
Speaker 2: I did do some homework on the Senior Bowl before we moved on, mostly just like reading your article and do you actually write the stuff or does someone help you?

00:11:11
Speaker 1: Can? You can?

00:11:12
Speaker 3: Truth? Truth be told like the top fifty list and the mock draft. I write all on the Senior Bowl. Dan Parr is there, editor is Jordon there. So I will go find Dan in the press box in between the first and second practices on Thursday, and I'll have my just my you know, my roster stuff and soa all this all right, Dan, let's rip through these guys and then I dictate to him this guy, this is what I liked, and it ends up he flowers it up a little bit based off what I tell him there, but it's at dan Park production.

00:11:42
Speaker 2: Well, you hit on a lot of the guys that I was gonna ask you about. Anyways, I and Young, by the way, got the MVP of the game. Played great. The other question would be on Maliki Field too. It sounded like you liked I noticed you had him in the top fifty, the big wide receiver from Notre Dame.

00:11:57
Speaker 1: I looked at the consensus board.

00:11:59
Speaker 2: I don't know if you know that way site where it's just kind of averaging all the it's just a for enormy like me.

00:12:04
Speaker 3: I like the idea. I can't understand what it means.

00:12:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, but just to get a feel of, like what the consensus is at you you were you were higher going into this Senior Ball on him than consensus. He was in the sixties or something like that. You already had him in your top top fifty. Big dude, Like, for a team that is looking for a wide receiver in this draft, tell me a little bit about Malachi Field and what you saw in person.

00:12:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, six four two eighteen so ideal size. But he can you know, he can get off press, which is always a good thing when you're a bigger receiver. Do you have either the quickness or the strength to be able to get offul line of scrimment? He does that easily. On tape. He did it really well at the Senior Bowl. He made some spectacular catches. His pit game is going to be the highlight tape that everybody's going to watch. The plays that he made in that game, including an incredible one handed catch. Then he goes in the week of practice, makes a diving catch down the field. He was clearly the best receiver there. I mean, it wasn't even close. And he's built like a power forward. He's incredibly smart. He interviewed really well with teams. And when I was talking to the guys that notre dame about him, I was like, tell me, can you give me a story about him, Like, just tell me about him? And they said, well, I think it was I remember the opponent. I can't remember the opponent who it was. Said they had an explosive play and they got down inside the ten and there was a time out on the field, and so he walks over to the sideline and he walks by the offensive coordinator and goes, you know what to do and he said, okay, all right, So they throw them. They throw him just a jump ball and he scores, and he's like, yeah, apparently he did. That was the right move. But just a very look at just like kind of the subtle confidence of a guy like that. And you know, someone who I think is an all day top fifty pick and is going to be in the conversation in the bottom of the first round.

00:13:47
Speaker 2: Love that and yeah, we look. I'm a basic. I like focusing on the skill positions. That's all I ask you about, because we're going to be talking about these guys for a couple of them.

00:13:56
Speaker 3: Why did Gavin put March eleven? Is that is that when your list comes.

00:13:59
Speaker 2: Out, that is, I believe, the first day of free agency.

00:14:04
Speaker 3: Okay, it's also my anniversary, so I'll be able to remember that easily.

00:14:07
Speaker 1: So congratulations. How many years will it be?

00:14:10
Speaker 3: I was I got married in two thousands, so I would always know how many years have been married, So pretty easy.

00:14:15
Speaker 2: Twenty six okay, okay, and then you're done with the kids, right, you know you're you're oldest is now almost out of the house.

00:14:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm done. Yeah, the oldest youngest. I got them the empty nest. I mean, that's why I got the access to the guest bedroom here.

00:14:29
Speaker 2: Man, It's what a world DJ is going to have with like the second second teenage years, just the empty nest.

00:14:35
Speaker 1: It's going to be fun. Let's talk rankings, the real rankings. Let's talk.

00:14:40
Speaker 2: Let's let's debut some rankings in terms of free agency. Let's talk running backs. It is an awesome group in free agency this year and in general, people say it's easier to find running backs, and I do find that to be mostly true in free agency, but it's not like that every year. It just happens to come up this year that it's not only fun at the top, but then you can also get whatever flavor you want as a backup, which is what most teams do in free agency. I thought this was a good week to do it because one of them is starting the Super Bowl, Ken Walker, and you know, there's a great three pack at the top of free agency, and maybe Cowboys fans would think that Javonte Williams needs to be in that three pack, but I'm not putting them there. So my top three, and I'm curious how you would rank them right now. It's a group, it's a cluster like your drafts. It's Ken Walker, Kenneth Walker, you know where we've seen just the creativity, the explosive ability, really rare movement. Travis Etn who's coming off of a really nice season for the Jaguars, and if you look at his production, it's really been pretty consistent three of the four years of his career. And then Bryce Hall, who's always been consistent, you know, producing as a receiver a little less so this year, but that.

00:15:58
Speaker 1: Was more because of the people aroun him.

00:16:00
Speaker 2: He actually has high for rushing yards this year, so slightly different. But actually I think a lot of similarities between those three and kind of shaking them out. I did, unfortunately, kind of see what other people are are thinking, and I think I'm going to be different than Consentus on these three guys.

00:16:17
Speaker 3: Wow, those are three. There are three really really good players. I think there's going to be some recency bias that's going to help Walker in these rankings. But I would actually do it in the reverse order that you just gave them to me. Yeah, I would go Brishall, I'll go Etn, I would go Walker.

00:16:33
Speaker 2: Brisall. He's a big playmaker. And yeah, I usually don't do this, but I just have to be real. I saw some of the other early early lists and yeah, Brisaw is up there like he's going to be I think in the top ten overall free agents. He's a He's a dynamic player. To me, Kenneth Walker, maybe I'm just falling for the flashes a little bit, but who moves like him in the NFL. It's pretty special. The way he can make people miss in space and sometimes maybe it's the blocking assignments that haven't been always cleaned that they trust Charbonnay a little more. I he's the one that intrigues me the most. And maybe you're right that it's a little bit of recency bias. But if you want big plays, I mean, all three of them can do it for you. But I think Kenneth Walker has still like a little little untapped potential there.

00:17:30
Speaker 3: I want to do some on the job homework here.

00:17:35
Speaker 1: What was that?

00:17:36
Speaker 3: I would love to know what the carries were from these three guys, like from a usage standpoint during the year. I'm pulling it up right now.

00:17:43
Speaker 1: This year it was very similar between the three of them.

00:17:46
Speaker 3: They were Yeah, Etna had two hundred and sixty carries, Yeah, Breese Hall had two forty three, Kenneth Walker at two twenty one.

00:17:54
Speaker 1: Yeah, and Kenneth Walker.

00:17:56
Speaker 2: You know, this year, it was the last couple of years really has been consistent in terms of, you know, he'll catch thirty forty passes a year.

00:18:02
Speaker 1: It was a little less so for Breesaw.

00:18:04
Speaker 2: When you look at the total production in terms of yards from scrimmage, you know, like Breestall's in the fourteen hundred range three out of four seasons, ETNS around there. Kenneth Walker is slightly less, but not really much thirteen hundred yards this year. The thing about ETN that I like, I think he might be the safest pick of the three. If you watch what he did this year, and I went through a lot of his run it's a lot more inside runs and breaking tackles than you think. He was a touchdown scorer this year. And if you go through like the rushing touchdowns, like they're inside runs where he is breaking tackles in addition to the big plays. And then the thing that he's given you is he's the primary receiver on a lot of his touchdown He scored fifteen touchdowns this year at age of seven of them catching the ball and like the plays are designed for him and Liam Cohen does.

00:18:55
Speaker 1: A great job.

00:18:55
Speaker 2: You've got to give credit to the offense, but he is beating you know, the linebackers or the safety.

00:19:00
Speaker 1: He's one on one.

00:19:00
Speaker 2: Sometimes it's it's the scheme, but it's like, hey, you're going to go be that guy either on a wheel route or different types of routes in the red zone. And so you can use him a different a lot of different ways. To me, he's probably the safest pick of the three.

00:19:13
Speaker 3: Yeah. I don't know there's a wrong answer though, to be honest, I think they're a little different and how they're utilized and what their strengths are. To me, I watch the Seahawks every week, you know, doing that show up there, So I like Kenneth Walker a lot. I just to me, Charboney has better vision. Charboney has kind of better feel as a runner, a little more patience. But Kenneth Walker, what he did, you know in the last game that we saw the most recent view of it, the move and the hole to be able to make you miss was outrageous, you know, just showing you that's the that's the athlete that he is, like the you know, kind of an electric player. But I think it's just a pure, you know, vision feel runner. I would you know, I'd probably have him third on this list.

00:19:53
Speaker 2: Yeah, he he doesn't always go to the hole that's blocked, So I think around the NFL he might be third on this list because he's a little more unpredictable than the other two.

00:20:05
Speaker 3: Dynamic is hecked all.

00:20:06
Speaker 2: I mean, really, there is something you could make the case after Bajon and just in terms of pure job dropping like movement, explosive ability to kind of make you miss it and open. There aren't many running backs in the league that are better than Kenneth Walker. So all three of them are really intrigued.

00:20:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, again, this would not be a slight on any of these three guys. I think it's I think whichever one of these guys goes to the better you know system offensive line play caller is going to have the you know, the better future. I'm just I'm curious to see with Breese Hall with a legitimate passing game to kind of free some things up and loosen some things up. I think you see more of those dynamic runsies capable of.

00:20:46
Speaker 2: My prediction is he's going to remain in New York Jet ultimately and that it will tag him because they have the space. The franchise tag for running backs is just not that much. It's eleven or twelve million dollars. I think in a one year deal at a position where you're worried about the long term, I think they'll be They'll think, let's just not have to worry about that position. I could be wrong and the Seahawks could think the same with Kenneth Walker will find out.

00:21:10
Speaker 3: I'll be a little as the City Chiefs should be in on all three of these guys.

00:21:13
Speaker 2: By the way, yes, the reporting was that they did not want to give up a third round pick. I believe it was for Briestol. During the season, some of their fans were upset. I think I think it made sense not to give up the pick.

00:21:24
Speaker 3: So vont Williams names give more names here.

00:21:27
Speaker 2: Gavanti Williams is next. He's sort of in a category of his own. Looked like a different player to me coming off of a really serious injury.

00:21:38
Speaker 1: I thought he had his best year this year.

00:21:40
Speaker 2: I mean, he's the old phrase, a rolling ball of butcher injury it is. It is tough to get him down, and I think he fits that cowboy system well. Wouldn't surprise me if if they bring him back. So to me, he's a solid fourth and will probably have a pretty nice overall ranking. And after that then then I get into the backs.

00:21:58
Speaker 3: Is it a bowling ball, knives or rolling bowl of which your knud either way, bowl and bowl in the China shop is a similar something like that.

00:22:07
Speaker 2: I love, I love what Javonte Williams did after that. Then to me, it's guys who are going to be like one be guys. So it's the different flavors, and these are in order. Uh, it's it's the kind of more physical backs, and I would put it in this order. Rico Dowdle, you know, had a pretty solid two years there with the Panthers, Tyler Alzier, who's been a great one bee behind Bijan Naje Harris who's coming off the injury but obviously was an intriguing pick.

00:22:33
Speaker 1: Up look good before he got hurt for your charge, and JK. Dobbins.

00:22:36
Speaker 2: And so that's one flavor of kind of one bee and then Kenny Gainwell and Rashad White, who I think.

00:22:41
Speaker 3: Are oh low on You're low on Gainwell.

00:22:43
Speaker 2: See when I when I actually sort all these guys, I think Gainwell is gonna actually be the top of all these backups. But when I was presenting it to you, I kind of wanted to give you I thought that these guys were kind of one bees behind the Javante Williams and the three above.

00:23:00
Speaker 1: But I do think Gainwey will be fit.

00:23:02
Speaker 3: I think I think from a pay standpoint and who's going to be valued the most. I think that you could put Gainwell up there with Javonte Williams.

00:23:09
Speaker 1: That's fair.

00:23:10
Speaker 2: I tend to agree team MVP for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. And I think Rashad White is an underrated player, Like he's not he's not a perfect player, but he blocks, he is unreal on passing downs, and he's a he's a pretty good runner action. They were more effective running the ball with him this year at times than with Bucky Irving. And then you know your guy Najah Harris got hurt for the Chargers last year. But that's a good if depending on what you need. A running back like that is a really deep, good group. All those guys are going to make my top one on one.

00:23:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, that is a really good group. Yeah to me, those last two names, to me are more interesting than I know. Daddall's has played well, Algier, Harris, Dobbins, you've got injuries, You've got maybe not the most explosive guys there. I would be more intrigued with the Gainwell White combination up there with Javonte Woyd.

00:24:00
Speaker 2: Okay, I like that you're helping me do the ring. I I agree, gain well, if if it was my team, and that is how I should do it, because who knows, maybe they'll call me someday.

00:24:11
Speaker 3: Somebody else's mistakes. So that's what they That's what I was told very early on.

00:24:14
Speaker 2: That could be the next quessay at Dophamenta, having seventeen different articles dissecting what went wrong when when my tenure as an experimental GM blows up in my face.

00:24:24
Speaker 3: Yeah, I've been Uh, I've been in the player bubble trying to get three hundred and thirty plus guys watch for the uh for the comment. But I have noticed that every time I go, I'm a you know, outfl dot com. We got the athletic ESPN dot com. There's a lot of Minnesota Vikings.

00:24:41
Speaker 1: It's a lot of it's a lot of Vikings.

00:24:43
Speaker 3: It's floating out there.

00:24:44
Speaker 1: It's a lot of vikingstock.

00:24:45
Speaker 2: And then just for for those who are complete us out there, uh, deeper down the list, Uh, just some names that will be available. Isaiah Pacheco to me, just hasn't looked the same post injury, not the complete type of player, probably not going to be making my one on one. Nick Chubb Kareem Hunt, Julia mcloffin, Brian Robinson, Jerome for just some guys that will be added to teams as depth dept. Can tell you.

00:25:07
Speaker 3: You know what interesting one in that list to me? And maybe it's because I just see him twice a year in the AFC West, But Julia mcloffin, every time I have in the stadium when he's playing, he makes a play like he just he's a little something to him.

00:25:18
Speaker 2: He's not a throwaway, including in the NFC Championship game. I need to check that he might be a restricted free agent, but I haven't written down.

00:25:25
Speaker 1: Let's take a quick break.

00:25:26
Speaker 2: We're going to go over the new coaching hires and just what impact that could have in the offseason before we get out of here and let you get back to valuating all those players.

00:25:48
Speaker 1: Well, we've done it, DJ.

00:25:50
Speaker 2: The NFL has successfully filled all ten head coaching jobs, even if the tenth one is not confers. It is expected that Clint Kubiak will be the next Raiders head coach. Based on all the reporting at NFL Network. If you just add up the different reports from Ian Rappaport and Tom Pellisero, it sure sounds like Clint Kubiak essentially chose the Raiders over the Cardinals, which I don't know how that's gonna make Matt Lafleur, i mean, Mike Laffler feel because that ultimately was the tenth job to get filled. It kind of did feel like it was the tenth most attractive job, and that Mike Lafluer was the tenth guy to get hired, and a crop of candidates that didn't get everyone that excited around the league, but they were the last two two get filled.

00:26:40
Speaker 1: And we're going to go through a few of them.

00:26:42
Speaker 2: But why don't we start at the end if you if you have any thoughts on just like now, what those two teams are going to be looking for. Obviously, Kubiak, we presume did it with the knowledge that he gets to pick his quarterback at number one.

00:26:56
Speaker 3: Yeah, I like the you know, I like to move there. And the decision between Vegas and Arizona would have been a very easy decision. And not just saying that personally, but just being around the vast majority of folks in the league this last week, it was clearly, you know, hey, Vegas can be an exciting job because you've got a chance to get the quarterback here with Fernanda Mendoza coming up, and I know I saw this discussion. I think it was Dan Patrick with Rich the other day and DP, who I love, was talking about I don't know if the Raiders are positioned to take a quarterback right now because the offensive line is so bad. And he invoked like the David Carr situation when he went to Houston and the pushback I would have on that. So I think it's you know, that's solid reasoning. But we have a team playing in the Super Bowl, as you know, that rebuilt four fifths of their offensive line in one offseason. I can't imagine if they would have said we're not going to take Drake May the year before because their offensive line was in tatters, when in fact it was rebuilt within twenty four months. Like that, that's not the biggest hill to climb as it used to be. So the Chicago Bears went from a bottom five offensive line to a top five to eight offensive line from Caleb Williams first year to his second year. They have a functional left tackle already, which is probably the hardest piece to find in Colton Miller, you know, and then they've got some other promising players that are young powers Johnson and Glaze, like they've got some ability. You go out free agency, signed one or two, you draft one or two that bad, terrible, awful offensive line, you also upgrade the offensive line coach. That's not a to me, there's no compelling case for them not to take a quarterback. And so that's taking a coach discussion and flipping it right back to the draft as I like to do, Greg. But that's where I stand on that one.

00:28:44
Speaker 2: No, that's how we want to look at at this discussion, and like how these teams are going to build. I think just from a roster standpoint, the Raiders before adding Mendoza and now we can assume they're going to you know, could be thirty two out of thirty two in terms of total talent. They do have left tackle and Max Crosby, so they have two premiere you know. Colton Miller, I don't know if you call him a premier player, but a very good left tackle. Ten he's a top four left tackle and in the last you know year, I think some would argue when he was healthy, like even better than that. Likes he's one of those tackles kind of like Garrett Bowles, who's getting better and better as he gets older. And so those are a couple couple of players. But defensively you got a long way to go. But you have Rock Bowers, you have Ashton Genty in place.

00:29:28
Speaker 1: I'm with you.

00:29:30
Speaker 2: I just think for first of all, I can see why you got so far in this career because you were like, that's a very strong argument. It's a reasonable case because you're talking about you know, someone you respect in Love Patrick and all, I don't know Dan Patrick, he doesn't know me. It's not a good argument. I never buy that argument. Always take the quarterback, don't over You should always be taking quarterbacks until you get one. Forget about what's going to be there one.

00:29:55
Speaker 3: Of my I think that same argument though works for running backs.

00:29:58
Speaker 2: Sure I agree agree with that, but I have a friend. You always say how you hear from people in your life who like the podcast, And you heard that and mobile that makes me feel good.

00:30:08
Speaker 1: The forties and Freedoms. Of course they love move the Sticks too.

00:30:11
Speaker 2: Maybe my friend Adam who hosts the Saints Block Party podcast. You know, for half the season, before they saw what Tyler Shuck could be, they were all in that boat too, and he loves this podcast. He loves how much grief that you're But they were like, oh, the Saints can't be taken a quarterback next year because they won't be ready anyways. They got to, you know, just get back like, no, you always take a quarterback when you can take it, and so they're going to. And that's why I think the Cardinals are in such a difficult position. I mean, Micha Lafleur is that's a tough fold. But that division, it just it's life changing money for a coach too, to get that five year contract, whatever the money is. And I don't think that can be dismissed or you might never get an opportunity you want to take a swing. But they are really pushing uphill. To be in that division against those three coaches and to not have a quarterback, it's going.

00:31:04
Speaker 1: To be difficult.

00:31:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I don't know what really the identity is. It's not I don't know. You look at it and say, well, but they're great here. I mean they got a stud tight end, you know, a really really good tight end, got a couple interesting offensive linemen. But I don't think that they've hit the level that they need to be at consistent. There's just a lot of homework to do there, and then there's just the kind of the mess you're in with with Kyler Murray. I almost wonder if it's if it's worth it to say we've got a new voice in here, like let's give Kyler Murray another shot. I just don't know where you're going to You're not going to get a more talented quarterback than him this offseason. I feel very confident in saying that you can. And I don't think that you're going to be an attractive landing spot for somebody like a Malik Willis. He's going to find playing time somewhere else with a more desirable setup than that one. So I I don't know. I'm curious to see what they end up doing there with the quarterback.

00:31:56
Speaker 2: Like they need to find someone that's going to fill that scheme. And I am curious from an evaluator, like putting yourself in the mind of the front offices at some point. And Kubiak is essentially an offshoot of this larger tree, obviously the son of Gary Kubiak, who Jenahan you know once you know worked for Mike Shanahan. Gary Kubiak, of course, gave Kyle Shanahan his first offensive coordinator job in Houston, so that those two were working together, and then they were all together in Washington, the Shanahan and Kuba. There's just it's all it's all to, you know, mix it again at some point, isn't it diminishing returns because you're all looking for similar skill sets in similar players in terms of the type of players that you're gonna get, and especially inside this I mean, the division is just crazy that how similar it's going to look between Shanahan, McVeigh and Mike Lafleur. Isn't it going to be harder to get these guys in the draft with the types of traits that they want.

00:33:00
Speaker 3: I think there's so many people running that now that it goes so far beyond that division. I mean, I would say at least half the league is running a similar offshoot of offense, and they've all put their own little stamp on it. Maybe even two thirds of the league is doing this stuff. So I think you're all competing for the same players. It's why it was fascinated to see McVeigh be the first one to kind of deviate to go get two big guards and to then say we're gonna run duo and we're going to be a downhill. We need to move people off the line of scrimmage, physical type team, because I think some of that was scarcity of like trying to find these ultra athletic wide zone offensive linemen that can move like that. We're all we're there's a very limited pool and we're all swimming in it here. So I think all these guys who've had similar training and background and family connections, they've all tried to put their own little spin on this thing.

00:33:49
Speaker 2: And Klaik Kubiak is coming from, you know, a situation where he gets that guy Gray's Abel, you know, in the first round and.

00:33:58
Speaker 3: They made put on this earth offense, right.

00:34:01
Speaker 2: And then see, yeah, like he's no longer there, Like he had a nice year, but he has been bouncing around. Talk about you know, you always talk about quarterbacks who have a new coordinator every year, Like he just has a new job every year. San Francisco to New Orleans, he was in Minnesota to now the Raiders. It's going to be difficult flying through. You know, some of the other coaching hires that that are most recent, Todd Mounkin takes over that Brown's job. They're ten million dollars over the cap. I don't want to repeat kind of the the overall preview for these teams that that we did, but imagining, you know what with what you know of Todd Munkin, Like what do you think they're going to be looking for Because they have an entire offensive line to replace, They're going to need to figure out their quarterback situation. Like what is what does a Todd Munkin Andrew Berry collaboration look like?

00:34:54
Speaker 3: Well, it's going to be starting with a blank slate. I mean, you know, from an offensive standpoint, they've got some key you know, some key positions filled with the tight ends who's a stud and Love Judkins the running back, but they have so many other pieces to fill in, including an entire offensive line. They kind of build it however they want. And to me, I always look at guys of you know, what would it look like? What would the build look like? Okay, well where has he had the most success and what did that scheme, player profile, you know, roster construction look like. Well, we won two national championships in college at Georgia where they were the biggest, baddest bully on the block. So to me, trying to build up size and physicality and then using that to kind of be the basis of their offense. I think that's probably where they start, which would mean you're looking at offensive linemen and free agency as you're trying to play matchmaker, Greg, I think you're looking for bigger, you know, powerful guys you look in the draft. I think I had them taking Cayden Proctor from Alabama, who's three hundred and fifty plus pound tackle. They could keep Dwan Jones healthy. He's you know, he's a mountain of a man. Like I think big is probably the way they go. And I think on the quarterback, I don't think you I mean, I don't know. Maybe I'm reading into it, but like the first piece of content you see is him embracing Shaduur and talking about how we wanted to draft in Baltimore. That's the first introduction that you get to him as someone who's already been in this building, you know, with under Freddy Kitchens in a forgettable era for his introduction, and that to be a part of the introduction feels to me like He's going to get every opportunity to be that guy this year and then you know, however, this year goes and forms what you do with all your picks in twenty seven.

00:36:31
Speaker 1: I think that's right.

00:36:32
Speaker 2: I think he'll be paired with some sort of veteran option. But as we went over last week with the free agent quarterbacks, you get pretty quickly to probably a backup as a veteran quarterback option. There's not a lot of high tier options out there. I'm going to put you on the spot. I'm throwing a tough one at you because Jim Leonard was hired in Buffalo to be Joe Brady's defensive coordinator. We didn't talk about the Joe Brady high but ultimately he was the coordinator. He is going to change some things in how the building runs, but the offense, yeah, he was there. And so I'm thinking more about Jim Leonard, who has been kind of a hot name. Maybe the average fan doesn't know him too much, but he's been in college and then been under Sean Payton and Vance Joseph in Denver.

00:37:19
Speaker 1: Like that's going to be interesting.

00:37:21
Speaker 2: I don't know if you have any thoughts of like the types of players or what changes maybe from a McDermott defense to a Jim Leonard defense there.

00:37:28
Speaker 3: I think just maybe speed, you know, I just thinking about Jim Leonard. You know, it's an attacking group that they had there in Denver, but just that was a very very fast defense, and I don't know that. You know, you look at Buffalo's front seven. They've got a bunch of solid players, but there's no real, you know, fast fast balls coming at you. So I would guess maybe just trying to be a little bit more dynamic with that with that group at the first level and with the linebacker position, just getting guys who can really really run. That would be my guess of what that might look like.

00:38:00
Speaker 2: Yeah, and we're learning, like with some of these hires, what they're going to do, what they're not going to do. We were already hearing Kirk Cousins. You know, despite the connection or maybe because of the connection to Stevanski, they're not going to keep him in Atlanta. They also don't have, you know, a first round pick, so they're going to have to be very active in free agency in terms of what they want to do addressing the offensive line in different offensive positions. Jesse Minter hires Declan Doyle as the offensive cordab in Baltimore.

00:38:27
Speaker 1: Why do you think that's a fun one.

00:38:29
Speaker 3: I just think you're taking somebody. Is he the same age as Lamar? I think, isn't he right? The same age and someone I, honestly I've never met. I don't know. I was asking about him at the Senior Bowlers, the people that have been around him, and it's all really good feedback. Just bright, young guy and kind of grouping him with Yudinsky and like two guys who were just kind of ahead of their time a little bit and the timeline of things being so young and you know, progressing through their careers. But he's creative. I thought they did a great job, you know, to get a chance to learn or been Johnson and the job they did with Caleb is he just got better and better and better throughout the year. I'm curious to see how, you know, how how Lamar takes to that and how Lamar enjoys being coached by somebody literally his own age.

00:39:11
Speaker 1: Mmm.

00:39:12
Speaker 2: And like we assume that he's going to take a lot from his experience under Ben Johnson last year. But yeah, it's it's becoming a trend like Sean Mannion getting this job with Philadelphia very young. You mentioned Udinsky like Selhouse is now going to be elevated to the.

00:39:32
Speaker 1: Offense about Seuse by the way, yeah please.

00:39:35
Speaker 3: I talked to someone who was in the interviews with him and said they were like blown away, m like like he was. He said, you can make a case of the best the best interview, like the most impressive guy. Literally, it was just at the end of the day, just doesn't have enough experience. So I think him and I haven't seen it if it's been reported yet, but you know, if Flour getting the ear his own job, I'm assuming he will just kind of slide into the coordinator's role with the Rams. But he's this is a one year and if you're a Rams fan, you got him for one year because what I heard how impressive he was. He'll be a head coach next year.

00:40:11
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:40:12
Speaker 2: Yeah, they haven't officially announced that. They did officially announce extensions for Sean McVay and less sneed.

00:40:18
Speaker 3: Well deserved ten years. I saw that in the little clip.

00:40:24
Speaker 2: It is really crazy to think about the hiring of McVeigh and he was the shield house of his era where people were like, who.

00:40:33
Speaker 3: Imember the boy band coach? That was the knock on. They just hired somebody from a boy band to be their head coach, and he's too young. This is idiotic, and they're just trying to sell La and Hollywood. So they got this good looking young kid who has no business being a head coach, and it's like, you pulled everybody right now, and he would be number one on the list of the best head coaches in the NFL.

00:40:51
Speaker 2: And less than him have shown. Look, sometimes an arranged marriage can absolutely work because Less Sneed was with Jeff Fisher for a number of year is with the Saint Louis Rams and wondering how that combo was was gonna work. And here they are in the mix each and every year, like we're in the mix each and every week. DJ we I gotta go to the Super Bowl. I mean, uh, you're they probably have you doing studio stuff this week. Are you going up there?

00:41:17
Speaker 3: No? No, I'm I'm in the cave trying to get players watched and just trying to work hard. But you enjoy that boondoggle up there. Get yourself a little sour dough, a little soup. Super bowl up there, get you go off the wharf, get yourself some some clam chowder.

00:41:30
Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's not a boondoggle.

00:41:32
Speaker 2: We have about twenty guests lined up over three days Wednesday to Friday on NFL Daily.

00:41:38
Speaker 3: So yes, who's your best one?

00:41:40
Speaker 2: That's I mean justin Jefferson in terms of just who's the best player.

00:41:46
Speaker 3: What's pitching.

00:41:47
Speaker 2: I'm sure he's pitching something. Jackson Dart is a fun one, but there there's a lot of good ones. Might have to have Malcolm Butler on for like the fourth time. He's Malcolm Butler's is always around.

00:41:58
Speaker 3: He's super Bowl Week. He's gonna to pop in there like Larry b Larry Brown Butler.

00:42:03
Speaker 1: Oh, you know which one. I'm excited.

00:42:04
Speaker 2: Actually, I don't think Matcolm Butler is on the agenda this week. It's a little bit of a random one. But I'm very excited that Bo Jackson is going to be whoa, you.

00:42:13
Speaker 3: Guys got the Ohio State running back on there?

00:42:15
Speaker 2: Just the other one, the other the great video game player, the great super technical player, Bo Jackson.

00:42:22
Speaker 1: But I believe we're on the docket. You know, we don't quit.

00:42:24
Speaker 2: We're going to be back next week, and yes, let's break down another free agency position. Let's talk about what's what's happening in the draft, and uh, we'll talk about the Patriots having done it again with a second year quarterback being super Bowl champions.

00:42:38
Speaker 3: How about that? Maybe looking forward to next week, buddy, this is fun really, Yes, I kind of my favorite environment here. You know, I just feel like I'm in a kid's room talking to someone who looks like a kid, and I just I think it all kind of comes together.

00:42:53
Speaker 2: I mean, looking like a kid is the nicest thing you said to me all day. All my all my kids tell me is how how old I look? I'm you know, you look you look man who stole his dad's watch.

00:43:04
Speaker 3: That's that's it.

00:43:06
Speaker 1: That's it for forties and free agents this week. We'll see you after the super Bowl. Yeah,