40s and Free Agents: NFL Teams That Are a Draft Away From Contention

00:00:07
Speaker 1: Welcome to Forties and Free Agents.

00:00:09
Speaker 2: I'm Greg Rosenthal joined by my friend Daniel Jeremiah for the last time before the NFL Draft. DJ, you have successfully been a guest on every single football podcast in America. I feel like now it's time you don't have to do that anymore.

00:00:25
Speaker 1: You're graduating. Congratulations.

00:00:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm I'm excited to get the actual draft here. But I did notice, you know, a lot of a lot of media stuff, and they're all dropped in the same day, to the point where I was like, man, maybe I should wardrobe change on these shows. So then you're popping up on people's timeline. It feels like it's something totally new and fresh.

00:00:43
Speaker 2: No one, No one watches or listens to you for your wardrobe. So it's fine, DJA, you're we're going to go through for the very last time.

00:00:50
Speaker 1: Not you could have.

00:00:50
Speaker 3: Probably stopped with the watches or listens and then just left the rest.

00:00:54
Speaker 1: Now. I mean, Forties and Free Agents is a hit. I don't know if you know.

00:00:58
Speaker 2: We might we might have to do this past season, but we got one more before the draft, and we do have one more after the draft. So if you're listening, this is not our last one, but I do feel like we've been on a journey here together. And as we wrap up later in the show, we'll look at some teams we think maybe our only one good draft away that might surprise you from really mattering some teams, maybe to just you know, pump the brakes on a little bit. But before we get into draft week, I guess, now that you've been through the process, you've watched every single player, you have decided to make a change. Your top one hundred and fifty prospects list is out, and Travis Hunter is going to be the guy when you look back years from now, is number one? Why the move at the last minute over Abdull Carter?

00:01:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's kind of a process of getting there. I had the same grades on Carter and on Hunter, and I had Carter from the jumps as the number one guy, And part of that's just a core belief in building front to back right. It's a pass rusher. It's more of a premium position than someone who plays on the perimeter. But there's also the unique aspect of Travis Hunter and all that he brings and the chance to play, you know, on both sides of the ball. At least to major and minor and the impact that he brings. And I'd been I'd been toying with it of like gosh, do I do that? And then you know, you kind of learned more and more about Hunter. To be honest, it was more learning about Hunter the person. Not a knock on Abdol Carter, but just the wiring of Hunter is so off the charts, and that was a big factor in it. But my I can tell you the moment it happened, like I guess, you know, the moment that I decided to make the change. As we were covering the Colorado Pro Day and he was, you know, running around at the very end of the pro day. There's a close up shot of him and he didn't have a beat of sweat on him, and I was like, that was just like I don't know why it's such. It seems like such a small and significant thing. But I was just sitting there going like, this guy is a cyborg. Like he's got an endless gas tank, he does not get tired. Maybe he really can pull this off, or at least you know, he's going to you know, be a full time player. In my opinion, on offense, and you're gonna be able to use him maybe more than I would have even anticipated. On defense. Some guys are just a little a little different. So I was I was leaning, leaning, leaning, and the dumbest of all things, that little close up shot. I was like, that was the last little nudge I needed. I was like, I just do it.

00:03:13
Speaker 1: There is something to that.

00:03:14
Speaker 2: Whenever, like Roger Federer was winning some long five set match against Rafiel and Loadani just looked like he had just woken up like that, that's true greatness. I thought maybe the moment you you changed your.

00:03:24
Speaker 1: Mind though, was on our last show.

00:03:26
Speaker 2: I hate to bring this up, but you know I was pushing you, saying, how can you not have Travis Hunter number one?

00:03:33
Speaker 1: Overall?

00:03:34
Speaker 2: History will not look back on you fondly? And here we are next show and there's a move. So did I have anything to do with it?

00:03:40
Speaker 3: Here? Well, I feel like this is maybe I don't listen to you great because I feel like I'm hearing this for the first time. So yeah, maybe I should just start listening more. Maybe that's the lesson in this whole thing. I just think when Greg talks, I just you know, look at my notes. What else have I got to talk about. Maybe I'm just not listening to you as the point, right.

00:03:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that that would be a coach coaching point if you get any of those emails from our talent coach, you know, maybe listen a little bit more. Okay, we've gotten to the end of this process, and yeah, I'm with you. Hunter is just he's just so special, So how can you not put them number one? But Carter's a strong number two. I guess as we get to the end of the process, kind of your general impressions of this draft class as you went through it the last like three months and we're at this point, how has the draft.

00:04:25
Speaker 1: Changed to you? Like, what stands out the most to you?

00:04:28
Speaker 3: Well, to me, I feel like there's you know, a couple takeaways. Number One, cam Ward to me is the clear number one quarterback, So you start there put him in that class. And then I feel like, in my opinion, there's six guys, you know, six guys who I feel pretty confident about. In other words, I feel like there's a high ceiling there. I feel like there's a high floor. I feel like there's little variants. I feel like I know with who these guys and what these guys are. So for me, that's that you get a couple tight ends in that six with Warren and Lovelin, you get gent the running back in there, the two the we've mentioned, you know, in terms of the very top of the list, with Hunter and with Carter, and then your favorite player in the draft, Mason Graham would be in there as well. So that group right there, Jalen Carter, I guess was that. I don't know if I said him, but that's that collection of players. To me, that's the group that's the core. And then after that, really Greg, there's not much difference like the tenth guy, the you know, I've been using Quinchawn Judkins as an example, like he's in the early thirties for me, but grade wise it's tough to differentiate him between the guys who will be you know, eleven, twelve, thirteen on the list.

00:05:35
Speaker 2: And I certainly don't need to tell you this, but I'm not the only one that would disagree with you on that group, even I think more than other classes. Maybe it's a list of four or five and it doesn't have grammar. Some people have a different defensive player in instead of Carter and it's why it's it's just fascinating where after these first few picks, it just seems like a grab bag, which is exciting to me. And so that makes me think where you think the inflection point is in.

00:06:02
Speaker 1: The first round?

00:06:03
Speaker 2: And there's probably more than one answer to this. But after listening to Andrew Berry the Browns GM speak on Thursday about Travis Hunter, and you know he's comparing him to Show Hey and that they have a vision that he's more receiver than cornerback. But you take away the Show Hey like special nature to him. I'm just thinking they're gonna do the thing that makes the most sense for them to do, which is take Travis Hunter. So I really do feel like I know our NFL network executives wouldn't like this. There's not a lot of mystery to me of the first two picks. Do you disagree with that, and if so, where do you think the big inflection point is in this draft?

00:06:40
Speaker 3: Yeah? I don't know. You know, with Travis Hunter, if he needs to have that box of all thirty two hats next to him, I think he could probably start. I guess they don't crease hats anymore, right, that's probably showing my age, but I would probably be creasing that that Cleveland Brown's had and making that thing nice and snug and comfortable for draft night. That feels like the way it's going. So you mentioned inflection points, Well, inflection points to me are where there could be you know, intriguer movement and the things that draw both are the quarterback positions. So the inflection points for me and this draft start at three. Do the Giants take one? Do they take Shador? Do they you know, do they shock everyone they take Jackson Dart or do they just take you know, the best available player that's staring them right in the face in Abdul Carter. I think that's the way that they go. But that's still at least the first thing you know that we don't know in this draft starts at number three, and then I get to nine with New Orleans, you know, the Derek Carr news and are they comfortable with Rattler? Are they going to potentially be a quarterback spot? The fact that they're deemed as a potential quarterback spot, does that mean you know, a team like Pittsburgh at twenty one, which is another inflection point, are they are they trying to get ahead of New Orleans? Are they that desperate to do that? So, like to me three nine twenty one, those neighborhoods are gonna be the ones with the most attention on them.

00:07:58
Speaker 2: Okay, so you're talking about potential trades, potential trade ups. If you look at this class as being one where everyone's got a little different opinions, and then you throw in you mentioned the Derek Carr situation. There's a lot of potential veterans that could be traded over the three days. Just a quick list, Jalen Ramsey, Dallas Godder, Mark Andrews, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins. And maybe those guys aren't affecting the top of the draft. Tyreek Hill, I could even throw out there, Trey Hendrickson.

00:08:26
Speaker 1: Who knows.

00:08:27
Speaker 2: When you look at those two things combined, the veterans and then maybe not a lot of consensus on a lot of these players. Do you think that's going to be more trades less trades? Maybe you don't get the full value of the draft chart, Like, how do you think that actually plays out on Draft night?

00:08:46
Speaker 3: I don't know, to be honest with you, and I can you know, I can give you different examples of different teams. I do know that in talking to a bunch of teams in trade back scenarios, they're interested in collecting future picks, so that's something they're interested in. I think there's a lot of people that would love to put the car in reverse, but I can't find a lot of people that want to put the car and drive in terms of moving up for guys, so you never know for sure on that. There's teams that you could say, like Philadelphia is a team to me who has an army of picks next year. I think they have twelve picks next year, So I don't know that all their picks this year would even make their roster because of how deep and talented this team is, So I could see them packaging some picks later on in this draft, and if they identified or targeted a player along the line of scrimmage that they liked, I could see them moving up a little bit and being aggressive. I can look in the opposite and look at a team like San Francisco knowing you know where they are and what they lost, and the you know they have a number of draft picks this year. They are armed with a lot of picks, but I could see them. They have a lot of comp picks next year as well. So they're a team that I think has, you know, the potential to kind of dance around the board a little bit and get a little bit creative.

00:09:59
Speaker 2: I maybe I should be the one that is listening closer while while you're speaking, because it took me like a minute in delay to register that you suggested. What if they surprise everyone they being the Giants and take Jackson Dart at three? Do you think that's even somewhere in the scope possibilities?

00:10:17
Speaker 3: No, I mean, I look, I don't think they would take him at three, but I could see them trading back if that was their guy. I could see them, you know, potentially trading back. But you know, this is a team that's, you know, that's going to be in the quarterback market, and the two names you hear most often connected to them are those two. Now it's a different regime, but I remember I got a lot of quizzical looks when I said that Daniel Jones had a chance to be the sixth overall pick that year, and you know it's where where he ended up going. So always be prepared to be surprised not a lot of people saw Mitch Trubisky coming out of left field and being the Bear's pick up there. So when I'm on the desk, Greg, I'm prepared for any and all options. And when teams need quarterbacks, you better be comfortable one ready to talk on any of them and figure out how they fit and why they did what they did.

00:11:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing you on the desk, and I am hoping for some stunners, like there's too much consensus.

00:11:09
Speaker 3: Makes it fun.

00:11:10
Speaker 2: I'm all the draft among all the draft people, and hey, and maybe it doesn't work out and you do get Trubisky at two oh man, no one. No one gives the forty nine ers, by the way, any grief for passing on Patrick Mahomes, Like they should get a little bit of grief in that draft for passing on pat Patrick Mahomes for Solomon Thanas, let's put you on the clock for the last time. Yeah, for five minutes. This is where I give you all the hardest questions. All right, do the Saints draft the quarterback? And if so, who and where.

00:11:39
Speaker 3: I'll say not early, I will go they will take one later on in the draft. I'll give you let's go Kyle McCord, wow for the Saints, and let's put Kyle McCord at let's go. They have two third round picks, We'll go the second of the third round picks, pick ninety three. That is a player and a pick. So there's probably no chance that happens, but why not take your shirit.

00:12:01
Speaker 2: I can't say I know a lot about Kyle McCord, but I speak for the Saints fan base when I.

00:12:07
Speaker 1: Say boo to this, I mean if.

00:12:09
Speaker 2: They come out of this and Derek Carr, who might have surgery, and Rattler and McCord, no, to me, they're the team most likely to trade up and take Sanders or just sit and pick and take Sanders.

00:12:20
Speaker 1: But who knows.

00:12:21
Speaker 2: You've been giving away a lot of good advice and tidbits on other people's podcasts.

00:12:27
Speaker 1: I've noticed it's been a little bit on My raidar.

00:12:29
Speaker 2: On the Ryan Roscilla podcast, you said the Texans are taking either Tyler Booker, the guard from Alabama or Kelvin Banks, the tackle from Texas. First of all, why are you giving other podcasts these these goodies and not our podcasts.

00:12:47
Speaker 3: Because it's like you build up the reputation of our podcast as being a smart podcast, and you know, and hence some takes. So the reach Ryan's reach is a little bigger than ours. So we dump some information there and it's just bait, right, We're just drawing a little bait and we're trying to reel those fishes on over to forties and free agents.

00:13:06
Speaker 1: Okay, but he doesn't even know our podcast exists. He keeps mentioning, move the sticks.

00:13:10
Speaker 2: And if you're gonna give goodies like that to him, I'm gonna put you on the spot.

00:13:13
Speaker 1: Then give give give us a good team player combo? You got anything?

00:13:18
Speaker 3: Gosh good team player combo? Well, I mean, I don't think this is rocket science, but Colston Lovelin and the Chargers makes a lot of sense for a lot of different reasons there in terms of need, familiarity. Michigan. Jim Harbaugh to me, that one, uh, that one's is an easy dot to connect there. You want to see what else would you like? I would say Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh shoud or standers potentially.

00:13:43
Speaker 1: Okay, Okay, if he gets.

00:13:45
Speaker 3: There is that? What? I just know you want some kind of a headline.

00:13:48
Speaker 2: Now I'll just accept that, and I'll feel like you're giving you all to us to our podcast. It's not it's not a situation where you're going out on the night and you're dressing what's interesting.

00:13:58
Speaker 1: You go to other places, you know.

00:14:00
Speaker 3: It's as they say in journalism school, which I've never been, don't know for sure, but the answer is only as good as the question. Greg.

00:14:06
Speaker 2: You know, I've never been to journalism school either. I think that shows up all right. Out of the following players, who is the most likely to fall further than expected in round one? All right, we will Campbell, Assen, Genty or our guy Mason Graham. So these are premier players most likely to follow.

00:14:25
Speaker 3: In gat Graham. Yeah, yeah, Graham. It's not universal. I don't think he's going to fall like outside the top, you know, ten to twelve picks that would be like his you know, that would be considered a fall from where I have him. What is He's like six or seven on my list, somewhere around there. So that's a little bit of a fall compared to the other guys, I think Genty. The closer we get, the more you talk about connecting dots, that just feels like Jacksonville to me.

00:14:50
Speaker 1: Wow, okay, that's another spicy one.

00:14:53
Speaker 3: Yeah. So to me, I just think when when Gladstone comes on there and if he said it or it was posed to him, is like, is this a statement pick? And you know, first pick of a new era, and he didn't, he didn't run away from that, Like yeah, this kind of sets the tone. And they have everything that's come out of his mouth and Liam Cohen's mouth, I just hear like makeup and wiring and you know, toughness and commitment and you know, and its just like Ashton Genty's just right there, right in front of your face. To me, is the third best player in the draft. I don't think they're committed to ETN long term. To me is that he's a totally different player, better version of ETN. And I think you've got to get the quarterback up and run in to justify the money that you just paid him. All those reasons together, I'm like, this all points to Ashton gent.

00:15:36
Speaker 1: Okay, Okay, let's speed it up here.

00:15:38
Speaker 2: You're like Belichick when he gets like a special teams question, then he gives ten minutes on the answer so that he can't get any more questions, all right, which como you mentioned gent would you rather have if you were the Pats. The more I've thought about it, I thought, man, I would to buy a National genty on the Pats in this draft. Would you were that rather have the combo of armand Membu and let's say Luther Burden or a wide receiver you want to put around there, or Ashton j E and Ohio State Guard Donovan Jackson if you were the Patriots, which.

00:16:05
Speaker 3: If you told me I could get genty and Donovan Jackson, I probably would do that. I don't think you'll get Donovan Jackson at the top of the second round.

00:16:11
Speaker 2: Interesting, that's a little nugget too. Now you're giving him out all right. Last one most likely to be a surprise top ten pick Samar Stewart out of A and M the pass rusher, Nick aman Worri the safety or Josh Simmons from Ohio State surprise top ten piss.

00:16:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I'll go with I'll go with the EDG dresser Stewart.

00:16:31
Speaker 1: Okay, we did it.

00:16:33
Speaker 3: I got it all in oh worried about long answers, Well, I mean again, all your questions answered and plenty of time I.

00:16:38
Speaker 2: Could have had more, But you did a good job there. I feel like the heat that I gave you for the Rosillo podcast performance actually improved you on this one.

00:16:46
Speaker 1: We will be back after the break.

00:16:47
Speaker 2: We're going to talk about some teams going into the draft we think are just one great draft away from contending, maybe sooner than people think.

00:17:04
Speaker 3: The countdown is on for the twenty twenty five NFL Draft, presented by bud Light. Watch all seven rounds across three days live starting this Thursday with NFL Network Draft coverage presented by Verizon, also streaming on NFL Plus and on ESPN ABC and ESPN Deportes. Subscription required for NFL Plus.

00:17:25
Speaker 2: Yes, we are back on forties and free agents, and we're talking about what teams are maybe a good draft week away from contention. And yeah, the Eagles nailed it. For instance last year they already had a great roster. But just think of the difference makers they put on the team in one class, Quindy on Mitchell, Cooper Dezine, and then Jalb Hunt with a sneaky good Super Bowl and then you add some special teamers there, so you can you can really change your team in one draft. And I'm not thinking any of the teams we're talking about are Eagles like.

00:17:54
Speaker 1: But I just wanted to make the case.

00:17:56
Speaker 2: For a team that maybe people wouldn't expect that are a little closer to contingent than you think.

00:18:01
Speaker 1: And I'll go first.

00:18:02
Speaker 2: I think the New York Giants actually have the bones of a team if they could figure out the quarterback position, which I don't know if that quarterback is going to be available for them in this draft. But if you really look at their roster as a whole, Okay, let's talk about their wide receivers. You have Malik Nighbors. I think Darius Slayton and Wandel Robinson are good rotational pieces for them. Maybe you still need another receiver, but you had some rookies last year that you're going to build around, Tyrone Tracy and Theo Johnson, a running back, a tight end who looked like guys. And then, if you know what I'm talking about, Giants fans out there, their offensive line for the first six weeks of last season, actually that was the best offensive line play that they have gotten in a long time, certainly in the Brian Dabele era, and actually played a lot better. And yeah, you lose an all Pro tackle and Andrew Thomas, it doesn't look the same, and you had injuries the rest of the year. And then you go back to the defensive side of the ball, a great defensive line. You get Dexter Lawrence back. You added a couple pieces in the back end in terms of Davon Holland and Paul Sanadebo. I think you can certainly add more in this class. But to me, they're linebackers. Bobby Okaric like, they have players all around their roster, and I think if they hit like they did DJ last year with their picks and add two three more contributors and I didn't even mention a couple of guys you know in the secondary last year that that looked pretty good for them, Drew Phillips and and I like.

00:19:22
Speaker 1: What they have. The giants to be are not that far away? Do you agree?

00:19:26
Speaker 2: And does all of this not matter if you don't get quarterback figured out?

00:19:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I'm gonna get there. But to me, okay, how do they do it well? Abdell Carter comes in there. Now, you fortify a strength, you become a chance to have a really dominant defensive front, and Dexter, you know, what he is. He is an incredible player. Now you've got a rotation of guys you can roll through there. It will be interesting to see what they do with the fifth year option with Thibodeau sidebar there, but no abdul Carter. To me, that jumps up that side of the ball. This team couldn't score last year. Greg. I mean, and it's all you know. You can point towards the offensive line, injuries, quarterback, It's hard to point in any other direction. Feel better about the offensive line running those guys out there every week, that that's gonna be functional. Can they just get functional quarterback play? You know, that's that's gonna be what it all comes down to. But I do think, yeah, that's a defensive line that's a nightmare to prepare for, especially you throw in abdul Carter. So now I think they are I think they're a candidate to make a jump. The question is in that division. Man, it's gonna be hard to go from you know, three win team to a playoff team. But could this team hover around five hundred and be in contention. I think that's more than possible.

00:20:35
Speaker 1: Man.

00:20:35
Speaker 2: I think the ceiling is even a little higher because I look at other teams that are rebuilding at the top of the draft, like the Patriots and the Raiders, and yes, they have the big edge at quarterback, but to me, they have so many more needs and they have so many fewer dudes at all the other positions that when I went through it, and yeah, Tyler Nuban was the other name at safety who is pretty solid for them that I like. Is just they have a lot of answers to me and Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson at least this will be floor raisers based on what they got out of quarterback a year ago. And then if I'm a I'm a Giants fan, I'm hoping, you know, they can hit on someone and they have a good quarterback coach in Brian's aims.

00:21:09
Speaker 3: So here's my reservation. Yeah, the two quarterbacks that you just mentioned just came from organizations that need quarterbacks and decided they did not want to proceed with those quarterbacks that you just mentioned. And to make a big leap, it's just hard to make a gigantic leap when you've got to play everyone in your division twice. And unless you are going to shockingly disagree with me, they are going to have the fourth best quarterback in that division.

00:21:36
Speaker 2: No, you're You're right there. I guess Giants fans know better than most, though. You can have some okay teams that go ten and seven and eleven and six and make the playoffs.

00:21:46
Speaker 1: He they won a super Bowl. That way, Go ahead, DJ, You're next.

00:21:50
Speaker 3: No, I like that. I like that one for a team. I actually went with another team in New York that I thought could make the jump. Again, this isn't We're not saying this is the Eagles, but the Jets to me are a team that I could see making a little bit of leap. They have a lot of blue players, like when you just go around and start looking at like premier players on rosters. Yeah, they have some holes they need to clean up. They lost a lot of their secondary. You know, there's one offensive line need that they have there at right tackle. But man, they've got a lot of blue chip players, and I think where they are in this draft, I think they could solve the right tackle issue right away and that all of a sudden becomes a really really good young offensive line with a lot of talent. With Fashanu out there, Vera Tucker Tipman at center. If they can run all those guys out there for the entire season, they'll be solid. The running backs, they're extremely loaded fields. I'm hoping they cut him loose as a runner. I just think this team when you look at the collection of players, they're really good on the defensive line, They've got a premier linebacker, and then you get Sauce Gardner back up and running. But you hire a coach with the secondary background. Now they're a team to me. I know. I feel like we say this every years, the Jets is a team to watch. I don't think they're that far away from being a playoff team. I really don't.

00:23:01
Speaker 2: I don't say it every year, but I was going to say it this year, and this makes me wonder. Were you looking at the document that we send out before the show, because this was my second pick.

00:23:10
Speaker 3: I feel like you just cheated me, right, they were my first. So I wrote down three teams and we had crossover with one team with the Jets, but the Jets were my number one team because I was looking at who takes a big leap and they were the team that I had taken the biggest leap.

00:23:22
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:23:22
Speaker 2: I can't believe how they're viewed right now, like in Vegas, they're viewed as three wins worse than the Patriots, which seems absolutely crazy. I might take the Jets in that, and you're right, maybe they'll get a right tackle right off the top of armand Membu, although I kind of hope the Patriots take him.

00:23:36
Speaker 1: That's my hope.

00:23:37
Speaker 2: But just a little bit of juice in terms of their pass rush and just improved offensive coaching, which isn't about fixing the roster.

00:23:44
Speaker 1: I'm with you.

00:23:45
Speaker 2: The offensive line is in better shape, and they bring in Tanner Engstrom from Detroit, and you hope you can bring some of that creativity on the offensive side, and I think they would look.

00:23:54
Speaker 1: A lot better.

00:23:55
Speaker 2: Let's how about another team I'm going to throw out for you, and it it's a team that when I look at the roster, they certainly need more blue chip players. It's a different argument than I think the Giants and the Jets have in that the Jaguars to me, don't have a lot of true difference makers.

00:24:11
Speaker 1: But you're drafting at five.

00:24:12
Speaker 2: You mentioned the new process that's going on there, and maybe they take Ash and Genty and that's a blue chipper at running back, And I look at a team that to me doesn't have a lot of huge holes, that they're good enough in a lot of spots.

00:24:26
Speaker 1: And I don't like their secondary.

00:24:28
Speaker 2: You got to hit on someone in this draft, but I think they're a team that's good enough. And I also look at the schedule and I think who can pop up and they're in this AFC South that the out of division schedule isn't too bad either. They weren't as good as they were in twenty twenty three. I think they're a little better than people. They weren't as bad as they looked in twenty twenty four, and I think maybe it lands here. The jump that people expected a year ago might happen now under the new coaching staff.

00:24:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, one of the things that just kind of surprised you because I think Etn has a good reputation as a player. This team was who were they twenty eighth or twenty sixth? My eyes aren't great, twenty sixth in rushing yards per game? So man, you get you jump start the offense, You go out and you get Ashton gent plug him in there. And even if they can get up to twelfth or thirteenth, think of all the pressure that's gonna take off of Trevor Lawrence. And I know you're obviously a big fan as am I, but Brian Thomas Junior, as great as he was last year, there's another gear like he can even get better. So I'm excited to see what that looks like going forward.

00:25:28
Speaker 2: I mean, him getting better would be top eight receiver in the entire He's.

00:25:32
Speaker 3: Got that ability he does. There's no hole, there's nothing he lacks.

00:25:36
Speaker 1: I'm with you there.

00:25:36
Speaker 2: And they talked about interior line and improving that position to help Trevor Lawrence out, and they did it in free agency. Robert Hainsey, Patrick McCary from the Ravens. Hansey was from the Bucks, who who Liam Cohen has worked with before, And yeah, I just I look at that team they were. I don't think it's the same situation as the Bills because it's a different coaching staff in place here. But when you look at the Bills when they first made the playoffs with John McDermott and it was Tyrod and then they took a big step back in year two, but they were still building up what they wanted to do. I do think this roster is in better shape. Where now the year, now three years removed from when they made the playoffs, still look better. Who else did you write down? So you wrote down the Jets as a team that could improve.

00:26:15
Speaker 1: Who else?

00:26:15
Speaker 3: Yeah? I wrote down the Bears? You know. I just think I love what they did in free agency, aggressively looking at that offensive line and getting better there. I think where they're positioned in the draft, I think they can get a big time impact player at ten. They have two second round picks, which means I think, I mean, I think they've got a chance to You look at their current roster as it is, which is not bad. Defense is really talented. They've addressed the offensive line. I think you can come out of this with a running back and one of those three picks, like a dynamic runner, no matter where you decide to take him. With those three picks, you're going to get an upgrade over what you're playing with with Swift and then now, okay, we can get an offensive lineman in there, like you're going to get three starters, three quality starters added to a team that has upgraded. The offensive line, has upgrade, did the play calling and the coordination offensively with one of the most creative minds in Ben Johnson, Like, I don't know if a team has has done more like added, you know, upgraded at so many different spots, both on the field and on the sideline. Is the Chicago Bears.

00:27:14
Speaker 1: I hate to agree with you because maybe do.

00:27:17
Speaker 3: You have them on your list?

00:27:18
Speaker 2: No, no, it was they weren't on my list. Maybe it's a personal bias. Three straight years going into the season on NFL Daily and then back on the Around the NFL podcast, we do this thing where we pick over runners going to the year, and I thought the Bears were maybe the most overrated team in the league three straight years, Like I didn't see the vision. Every offseason everyone gets excited about the Bears, the fan base.

00:27:38
Speaker 1: Does they think it's at this time?

00:27:40
Speaker 2: I think it makes more sense than it ever has before because of the coaching staff.

00:27:44
Speaker 1: I agree, because of the.

00:27:45
Speaker 2: Coaching staff, because of the almost mistakes that they've built into the roster. Is Grady Jarra and Dio and Dengbo both gonna work?

00:27:52
Speaker 1: I don't.

00:27:53
Speaker 2: I don't think so. But you look at the drafts that they've had lately with Girvon Dexter, who's a good young player and then the pick up that they had with Montes set like they don't both need to work.

00:28:02
Speaker 1: They have a lot of good players on the both lines.

00:28:04
Speaker 2: And that's kind of where I look for all these teams, like are you good enough on the offensive and defensive line? And I think the Bears get over that mark. And then now you're adding the coach and some of the sizzle in this draft.

00:28:14
Speaker 3: Who is I know you're a fan of I know you're a fan of good bones on HGTV. You just strike me as that type of guy, Greg, But that's what they have. They have, they have bones. They have good solid structure here to build off of.

00:28:24
Speaker 2: I am a cheek bone guy, you know. That's that's what I like. I mean, I guess who is it? I'm just saying, who's your third?

00:28:31
Speaker 3: I don't really know where you want me to go with that, but what's your next what's your next one? That? Yeah, yeah, I have the Ravens would be the last one. Just fix the defense and they're the team that's like, that's the Eagles. Uh comp right? Eagles? Last year? To me, the secondary was their achilles heel. They kind of fell apart the year before at the end of the year. But that was their need and they hammered it in the draft with those first two picks with Mitchell and with Cooper dejen they solve their problems in a way. They went defensively, and there's other changes on the obviously Saquon coming in and choosing things up a little bit. But I just look at the Ravens and their pass defense, and if they can add a corner and a pass rusher in the draft, that might be enough for them to get finally get over the hump and get to a Super Bowl.

00:29:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, they're in a spot that you want to be, which is you have the base of a extremely consistent and explosive, productive offense, and yet you have some areas on the team that you need to improve. They quietly had I wouldn't call them rebuilding the last couple of years, but they had so many changes that they had to make with the core of that team, and they did it successfully while still winning a ton of games.

00:29:35
Speaker 1: Why right on the fly, you're your old boss.

00:29:38
Speaker 2: Is Eric DaCosta and Ozzie Newsom like making it happen? And I kind of quietly thought, and especially last offseason, they were almost rebuilding and yet they come out and they have a great regular season and now just a couple of pieces to put them over the top.

00:29:50
Speaker 1: The Falcons are maybe the other team.

00:29:51
Speaker 2: I would just throw out there where obviously you have the bones of a good offensive team there, you don't have a lot of transition, you have continuity on the offensive side of the ball, and can you just add a couple of difference makers. The only thing that holds me back is, like we've been saying this for years, it doesn't matter who's running this team, whether it's Terry Fonteau or not, Like you just need a couple difference makers because I think you have the right defensive coach to make it happen. So the Falcons would be the other team. And I don't think they'll necessarily ignore offense. It's not like it's not like they couldn't add another offensive lineman get younger.

00:30:23
Speaker 1: There if they really felt like that was the right fit.

00:30:24
Speaker 2: But ultimately it's about defensive difference makers I think for the top of the draft, and I do don't think the Falcons are too far away, as they showed last year with up and down quarterback play, and they weren't too far away from making the playoffs.

00:30:37
Speaker 3: I think that's fair. That's a division too. I mean, Tampa has kind of had a stranglehold on it, but I feel like it's pretty bunched together there in that division. So the littlest improvement could make a big difference there.

00:30:49
Speaker 2: All Right, some teams kind of to go negative to wrap things up here that maybe you would pump the brakes on. Maybe it's more than just one draft to improve this team, that the team actually does have a lot of needs.

00:31:03
Speaker 1: Quietly, who would you throw out there to start?

00:31:07
Speaker 3: Well, I would just say Houston, and Houston's a playoff team last year Houston. I was in the building when they beat the brakes off the Chargers, and they have a dominant, dominant front seven and it's secondary. I mean, the the whole defense is really really good. But they've undergone, undergone this process and project of revamping an offensive line that was broken, and I understand the thought press process behind it, and Laramie Tunzel is a very gifted player, but I think that was more along the lines of, you know, okay, is this the is he the right guy to kind of captain this offensive line to raise up everyone else's level? And they came to the conclusion by trading him that he wasn't so there is a talent drain there when he leaves. You already weren't good there. They brought in a bunch of guys that I don't know that the talent overwhelms you. They're they're banking on kind of a sum is greater than the individual parts, and I think they'll continue to add to it here in the draft. But that just seems like, Man, there's a lot of uneasiness for me with that offensive line, and it's hard to be a consistent team of a dominant team when you have those types of question marks. So the Houston offensive line more so than the Houston team, if that makes any sense. It's just causing me some reservation.

00:32:20
Speaker 1: It does make sense.

00:32:21
Speaker 2: And yet I have seen teams fix their offensive line quickly, just from god awful and terrible to average pretty quickly with coaching and just decent players. And maybe I'm just an optimist here, but I look at the Texans have something we know, which is a marauding defense, and one of the best defensive coaches in the league that has has the ear of his entire team, and they've got.

00:32:44
Speaker 1: A quarterback that I completely believe in that.

00:32:47
Speaker 2: I'm not worried at all about what happened a year ago that I think is going to be ready to bounce back. So I'm not agreeing with you on this one.

00:32:55
Speaker 3: I just want to see what happens with the offensive line. I don't I mean, I love the defense, and to me, like Demiko Matt Burke, like that's as good of a combination of guys on the defensive brain trust, and you know, I love Stroud. I mean Stroud, I've seen it. He's like he's got some some stone cold killer to him, like he's uh, he's he's he's legit. But I just, man, that's that's that offensive line TBD. I'm gonna have a little more caution and concern there than you are.

00:33:31
Speaker 2: Okay, I don't think anything is gonna happen to Jaden Daniels in year two that happened to c. J. Stroud in terms of the offensive line just completely collapsing in front of him. I do think they'll have kind of a two point zero version of this offense and start adding new wrinkles. And yet you look at a team historically, any team that improves as much as the Commanders did in one year if you look at it statistically, traditionally takes a step back the next year, and there's many reasons for that, but there's just not a lot of young core pieces. And I think Adam Peters did an incredible job. A year goes making all those one year contracts for veterans, and a lot of them like Bobby Wagner are back this year. Zach Ertz like, they can still get it done this year, and they had a good draft.

00:34:15
Speaker 1: But when I look.

00:34:16
Speaker 2: At their overall talent level and I compare them to let's say that Dallas Cowboys and even I'll throw in the New York Giants in their division, I don't see a big gap.

00:34:25
Speaker 1: Now.

00:34:25
Speaker 2: I see a gap in a quarterback that you're excited about for the next ten years. Of course, but the expectations are going to be so high. To me, is the talent base really there for them to be the runaway second best team in that division?

00:34:37
Speaker 1: I don't necessarily think so.

00:34:38
Speaker 2: I still think the Cowboys and the Giants are going to be harder games in the division for them this year, and some of their young players, if they can hit on another draft, sure like that will be a great base to build off of.

00:34:49
Speaker 1: But that's tough. So I think they might be a little further away than commanders fans want to admit.

00:34:54
Speaker 3: Now we've talked about this a little bit, but to me, look, they did. They accomplished two things to put the record in the run that they went on a side. They changed the quarterback, they changed the culture they get on both that made a drastic difference. But it doesn't change the fact that when you look at before they got there and twenty three their first round pick was Emmanuel Forbes, and twenty two it was Johan Dotson, and twenty one it was jam and Davis, in twenty twenty it was Chase Young. None of those guys there. So the nucleus of what should be your young core guys they arrived that didn't exist. They band aidd the crud out of that group last year with all these one year deals, and they made it work and it all kind of clicked and it all came together. That to me is as a's a tight rope to walk that way and try and get to the finish line when you're having to piece this thing together. And it's no fault of their own. They did a great job last year, but they're going to need a couple drafts to accumulate before you know, they can get out of this little rut that they're in. In terms of band aids, they're having a band aid a lot of stuff, right.

00:35:52
Speaker 2: I think they told a lot of what they did in free agency because to me, it could work out great and then they'll be where their fans want them to be. To me, Deebo Samuel is a boomer bus pick up. Javon Kinlaw is a boomer bus pickup. Marshall Lattimore, just based on the amount of time that he's missed over the last few years, is a boomer bus pickup. And so if you hit three booms there, you're looking great. But it wouldn't shock me if you run into some struggles with some of those pickups. Do you have another team that you would throw out there?

00:36:21
Speaker 3: You know, the one team? And this is an interesting one because I think this team's going to be a playoff team. They were a playoff team last year. I think they're really good. Is green Bay like I to me, the thing that green Bay needs there, I don't see how they're going to acquire They got to draft their butts off, then maybe they can. They can do it. But Greg, when I look at their team, I see so many good players, Like, they've got a lot of good players. Good players raise the floor, great players raise the ceiling, and I just I don't know how many like true blue guys they have, like true like elite top five at their position players. I think got a lot a lot of good guys. They just need somebody that when it's third down, you're like, Okay, gosh, this is where the ball's going and luck stopping this guy. I don't think they have that player. When you go to the other side of the ball and it's you know, who's gonna who's gonna dominate? Who do you have to game plan against on their defense, I think, well, they got a lot of good players. I don't know there's one guy that we need to build our game plan around. So to me, that's my that's my only issue there. And I'm saying this, they're going to be a playoff team. They're well coached, they're well run. I just don't know when you stack them up with the other elite teams in the league, if they have as many of those marquee like Premier Premier guys and what you win the way that they've won. I don't think they're in position, you know, draft wise, to get one unless they just knock it out of the park.

00:37:34
Speaker 2: See what you should do if our social person is watching so that we start getting the great clips is skip all that part about you thinking that they were a playoff team again and a lot of good players and.

00:37:45
Speaker 3: Just go to the context and.

00:37:47
Speaker 1: And I think Packerstans will be upset.

00:37:50
Speaker 3: Please don't do that.

00:37:51
Speaker 2: I mean, because this is a team that went into last year, is one of the favorites to represent the NFC, so there there's high expectation there. But you're absolutely right that the the wide receiver position, maybe even the offensive line, heck even Jordan Love. Maybe they are all representative of really good players, but where are the standouts and the defense stars hasn't really performed to the level of the talent that was there. I think they could be better in year two, but yeah, they need to start hitting on some guys like Jayra Alexander. He was not a high pick. He was Guda Kun's first ever Pickie.

00:38:26
Speaker 3: Cooper Adrian Cooper is the one that I think has a chance to elevate into that category. Is someone you have to worry about in game plan.

00:38:33
Speaker 2: Around and you know what you don't want and is to be paying guys a lot of money that aren't premier players. And Kenny Clark last year did not play like a premier player. He has been throughout his career, but last year did not. Alexander, who is still on the roster, and he's another name I could add to the potential trades, hasn't played because he hasn't been on the field like a premier player. Rassan Gary has been up and down. I think it was partly because he was coming off the injury last year. Maybe it was a fit Wyatt is a first round pick who again is a good player. So you're putting a lot of resources Kuai Walker into this defensive side of the ball and you're not getting elite elite production.

00:39:09
Speaker 1: All right, I'm gonna.

00:39:10
Speaker 3: It's going to be such a plot twist when the social team just clips off what you just did and sends that out.

00:39:16
Speaker 1: Now, I've just run myself into trouble.

00:39:18
Speaker 2: I actually think this next one would be would be one that they would like to I mean the category was team to pump the brakes on. So we're like putting ourselves in a box here where you almost need to be negative. But I would just make the point that the Cincinnati Bengals have had Joe Burrow and t Higgins and Jamar Chase. It's so exciting that they could sign them all long term and that got everyone in Cincinnati getting over their worst fears that they weren't going to do it. They've had them on the field the last couple of years, not all the time, but when Joe Burrow was starting DJ they are fourteen and thirteen over a two year span, and so I look at their roster right now. They haven't really addressed the defense at all. You're suddenly saying, like getting rid of lou An Rouma, who's been a good coordinator overall, is somehow going to fix everything. And then we're also back to where we were a couple of years ago.

00:40:07
Speaker 1: I look at that.

00:40:08
Speaker 2: Interior offensive line and they're still an issue.

00:40:11
Speaker 1: And so.

00:40:13
Speaker 2: I hate to bring up bad memories when you're the Bengals, but there are certain organizations that you look at and you think like they should have been better over the last two years with Joe Burrow, and so I think they maybe are a little further away than people think when you look at the overall roster and you look in Vegas and they are tied right now for the best team in the league in terms of predicted over underwins, right with the Ravens and the Chiefs and the Eagles, and they definitely aren't in that category. To me, I think they really need a good draft here.

00:40:40
Speaker 3: DJ Well, I'm I'm a fan of everything lou and Rumo is accomplished in what he's done as a coach, and I think he's well respected. But the last year, Greg, you know, you mentioned when you have Burrow and you have Higgins and you have Jamar Chase and they're not winning ballgames. And you know, I look at their schedule last year. They scored thirty three and lost to one Washington. They scored thirty eight and lost to Baltimore. They scored thirty four, lost to Baltimore again. They scored thirty eight and lost to Pittsburgh. Like that is a pretty simple defensive problem that they have. And that's why in this draft, you know, offensive players need not apply. Just take the entire defensive side of the ball, and you've got to upgrade it there. Offensively, they're going to be fine. They've got this group together. They're going to score points. They can't continue to lose games. When you're scoring over thirty points in the league, you just can't do it right.

00:41:28
Speaker 2: But when you look at the depth chart, it's all the same guys, Like I hope Trey Hendrickson is still there.

00:41:34
Speaker 1: If you trade him away, you're worried.

00:41:36
Speaker 2: I really thought they would add some speed at the linebacker position. Instead it's still Jermaine Pratt who wanted out of there, Logan Wilson, and Orn Burk's not a lot of speed there. And then you look at the secondary, it's a lot of guys that they have invested on defense. The idea was to turn over this defense, but they haven't all necessarily panned out. DJ Turner, Jordan Battle, Cam Taylor, Britt Dax Hill. Those are all guys who are taken high in the secondary. I wouldn't say balance. They're disappointing players, but they're not, you know, being part of a defense that's really impacted change. And then at defensive tackle, even at defensive end, like to me, on paper, it's a pretty lackluster defense. So you're right, they know where they need to focus, but they haven't necessarily shown that they can fix it. I'm just I'm just holding up the caution because my friend, you know, I'm in the Chris Westling podcast studio, like Phil Westling, Nick Westling, they all think the Bengals are going to be right back. There is an expectation in Cincinnati that, of course they're Super Bowl contenders. They have Joe Burrow, and I get that, and I'm not sure I totally see the vision when you look at the roster.

00:42:34
Speaker 3: Well, they have a new voice defensively, can that help you a little bit? Maybe that just gets something out of some other players, just having a new voice in there. And then to me, this draft, I mean, hey, Duke, when it's time to knock this thing out of the park and go get three four guys that can step on the field and help you out.

00:42:50
Speaker 1: Do you have any other teams you want to throw out there or do you want.

00:42:53
Speaker 3: To No, I mean you probably have ten teams that you want to pump the brakes on because you're you're more negative than I am. But that's all I could come up with. And literally the ones I came up with, I would make an argument all three of them are going to be playoff teams next year. So I'm just like pumping super Well, you're you're just crucifying Johnny.

00:43:10
Speaker 1: And you're mister positive. You got to keep all these relationships going.

00:43:14
Speaker 2: You can't say anything too negative because you're going to see those guys.

00:43:17
Speaker 1: They don't care about me. They don't even know who I am, so I can say whatever whatever we want.

00:43:21
Speaker 2: Dolphins are another one, But I don't think anyone's really too high on the Dolphins.

00:43:24
Speaker 3: Okay, yeah, can we if we're gonna if we're gonna end this thing, and we end this on a positive note, I feel like this is Draft week. I'm excited. It's like my Christmas and Greg's just sitting here telling me how terrible the world is.

00:43:34
Speaker 1: No, you are.

00:43:35
Speaker 2: It is hope season, and so I don't want to recognize the fact that, like, not all these prospects are going to work out, but they're all beautiful.

00:43:42
Speaker 1: Right now?

00:43:43
Speaker 2: Do you get nervous by the way, Like Draft night, You've done it quite a bit, it's about to start. You've done all this homework for a year basically on these players. Does DJ still get any nervous or are you are you dead inside?

00:43:57
Speaker 3: No, they're the crowd. When you get the energy from the crowd, so that gives you some nerves. Like when we first start and the draft gets going and it's like a it's a rhythm to it. You know, nobody cares about this, but anyways, you're sitting on the desk, you get all the energy and your heart starts racing and it's fun. It's it's fun to be nervous because I mean, you're doing something big and and and then it takes about three or four picks. And like behind the scenes. Rich told me when I my first year on the main desk, which I think was in Philadelphia twenty seventeen, maybe somewhere around there, where I had gone from the kid's table to the adult table to sit there with those guys, and he said, he said, like, hey, don't try and be funny for like the first couppix or something like that, like just say just relax, like just let the draft kind of we'll get into a rhythm. We'll get into a flow and then we can do our thing and we have a good chemistry. We have a blast. But that's what I always remember is is great advice from a veteran of like, hey, let the draft kind of settle in a little bit. We'll get comfortable and then we'll get in a rhythm and then off we go.

00:44:55
Speaker 2: Well, I hate to think that this is the kids table, but we wish you well.

00:45:01
Speaker 3: We're going no, no, we're gonna be watching. This is like the cousins. This is like the cousins table. We're outside on the patio by the pool, but.

00:45:07
Speaker 1: We have we have more fun than with all the parents around.

00:45:10
Speaker 2: We will be back for one more forties and free agents before this little mini series wraps up. So we'll be wrapping up the draft next week. Looking forward to that. Good luck, DJ, Well, I'll be watched.

00:45:20
Speaker 3: Thanks buddy. Appreciation