Welcome to Fantasy Football Weekly, a production of iHeartRadio.
Time now for Fantasy Football Weekly from iHeartRadio, your weekly source for the nation's best fantasy football advice, speculation, and whatever stupid stuff they decided to drop into the show. Now, here's your host, Paul Chargion.
Welcome to Fantasy Football Weekly. I am Paul Chargie and my co host today is Thornystrom. Hey, buddy, Hey, how are you doing. Oh God, it's been it's been pandemonium. I'm not gonna lie. I Normally I don't talk a lot about myself or ourselves and our personal lives and stuff on the show, but Thor this is uh. As some listeners know, I've decided to relocate from Minneapolis to southern Utah. The drive down, I spent all of last week driving down and pulling a camper behind me because
I own a camper. Had to get it down here, and it was it was it was chaos, just chaos. We got I got to Laramie, Wyoming and everything was going okay at that point, but then high winds forced me off the highways. They closed the highway and Laramie and then I had to start making all of these little I'm taking like little county roads for the next like I don't know, five hundred miles to kind of go the direction I needed to go on these little
tiny roads, pulling this camper that's bouncing behind me. Ah man, it was. It was crazy, Thor, but you made it.
You got to spend some time in Laramie. I hope you paid homage to Josh Allen.
I did, I did. I thought I thought it. When I pulled into Laramy, I'm like, this is Josh Allen territory. He owns this place, yes, and who could throw through the winds of Laramie. J Josh Allen. Absolutely he could. Yes. So now I'm in I'm I'm in this. I'm in the house that we've moved to. But there's no furniture, and that means every room's empty and they echo. All
the rooms echo. I've found one room with the echoes not too bad, and that is in my closet, so as you can, you can see listener's cat or I am. I'm recording this from my closet right now. Try to minimize echo because I'm an audio snob. Oh man, it looked.
Like, yeah, it looked like you were in a prison cell, initially from from my vantage point, but I was happy to learn that that it's a closet.
It's just a closet, yes, yes, And then compounding matters. And this is the last, the last major diversion I will do before we jump into our actual topic today. That is, the house next to me is being built right now, and so there's construction and they're sawing and pounding and hammering. So also this closet on the other side of the house, so I wanted to get away from that, so I was worried that was going to leak through as well. So it's just, yeah, it's just
absolute craziness over here. But glad that everybody joined us, we're able to talk through the rest of the rounds of the draft. Last week we did rounds, we did round one, and we did all reactions. We had all five of our guys. This week it is after round one. I've asked you to give me some of the guys that you think found notable fantasy players who found themselves into good spots and bad spots for and we've got we've got about eleven ish guys to get through.
Excited to do it, Yeah, I mean We had some very interesting ones talk to all spring about the historical running back class. We got some running back rooms around the NFL that got reshuffled after the draft, so and some guys who fell into just bonanza landing spots.
Yeah, and I'm super excited to talk to you about it. So we'll do we'll do the good spots, we'll do the bad spots. Good Times, Bad Times. That was a good Times Bad Times was an absolute epic led Zeppelin song. And when I asked, I asked you off air, what's your all time favorite led Zeppelin song? And you said, I said that I don't know the names of the song. How can you not know? Stairwoid to happen?
Well, I mean like I could tell you that the top U d f A from Wyoming at that time was was a kid named Eclair. Whyclai, I think my brain space, that's where it goes to. And then I don't remember names of songs and and other such things.
All right, you gotta you gotta, I understand, you gotta jettisons for some extra memory if you're gonna if you're gonna know all all the Laramie prospects. So yes, that's it. That's amazing. That's amazing. I I'm gonna by the way, side note, I'm gonna go Cashmere. Even though it's not the uh, it's not the best led Zeppelin song. It's
just my favorite led Zeppelin song. But it's not like the one that uh where you're like, oh it's the you know, it's the best shredder they ever had, or the best singing they ever had, or John Bonham's playing the best drums. I just I just love that song.
It turns out that my favorite ones called the immigrant song.
Oh well, there you go. That's that's totally valid. I love it. That's a great song to bank. It is a banger. Absolutely. Okay, let's roll up our sleeves on some of the key players. Who let's start with the good spots. We'll start. We'll start with the positive first. How's that sound.
Let's do it all right.
Quenchhn Judkins found itself himself in Cleveland, and Cleveland was one of I thought the two most running back and needy landing spots in this draft, along with Denver. Tell me about how you think quinch On Judkins will fit into this scheme.
Yeah, and the bronze situation certainly was exactly how you described, and they not only prioritize spending some real draft equity on their new Belkoll quench On Judkins, I also believe they got their passing down back later on in Dylan Samson, so they can you know, this is something I advocated other teams do during the NFL draft process, but basically construct your backfield out of this historic running back class, and Cleveland actually did it.
But Judkins, you step into that.
Bell, call bellcow roll right away, gonna He's gonna get the usage that you're looking for In fantasy. The offense might not be the best, but Quinjohn Jukins is going to be getting all the touches around the goal line, in the red zone, et cetera. And of course between the twenties as a runner, Dylan Samson I believe is the guy who, like I said, who is going to be the passing down guy. Quin John Judkins the one
slight nippick about his game. Didn't get to see as much of him as a receiver dynamically in college, but we know that he can handle heavy usage as as the running back. So yeah, that's how I expected to go. Quinn John Jenkins doing Quinnchhn Judkins things and then Dylan Samson doing sort of a poor man Trevion Henderson.
You think Judkins starts week one for sure?
Absolutely?
Yeah, And not only that, I will I'll set the over under it for his touches that we get twenty two.
Oh Jesus.
Yeah, they're going to be giving him the ball all the time. The quarterback room, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pick, Dylan Gabriel, Shadeer Sanders, and Deshaun Watson. That team must run the ball. Now, the games, of course, could start getting away from him when you know this fall people, and whether you're in Redraft or where you're in Dynasty, you have quinchn Jukins on your roster, there are gonna be matchups, I think
where you will have to consider sitting him. But there's also gonna be smash ones, right because when the game script starts to get away from from Cleveland, that's when you're gonna see Dylan Samson on the field as opposed to Junkins when they're.
Just throwing throw and throwing.
But yeah, Junkins normal game scripts is going to get all all the work he can handle.
Let's assume that Deshaun Watson gets cut released something not on this team, But then they still have another quarterback to go. Do you have who do you think is going to be the next odd man out of a five quarterback.
Room?
Right now?
That's interesting because you got the two veterans there. You wouldn't imagine they're gonna cut one of.
Those two guys.
But getting if I don't think they're gonna be able to get Gabriel into their practice squad based on the way the NFL treated uh Shdeer Sanders last weekend, they have a shot at that.
But then if he's showing stuff or in the.
Preseason, yeah, then I don't know if you're going to be able to So that is going to be interesting how they sort through those things.
Certainly not keeping four active quarterbacks.
No, I mean almost teams almost never keep four active quarterbacks, so that it seems like somebody's there's gonna be a high profile cut out of that group. Let me mention one guy that we're not going to talk about is a bad landing spot guy. But because we're talking the Browns, Harold Fannin gets logjam behind David and Joku, and that's kind of a bummer for him at least short term.
Yeah, it is.
And to get on the field at that point within Djoko on this roster, it will require yanking off either and Djoko or Deontay Johnson. Right like Fannin is the twelve personnel guy where you have the inline dude and then you move Fanning around. But to do that you have to yank the slot receiver off the field. They
signed Deontay Johnson. I already see the Browns fans trying to do the thing of oh, he's he's he's been engaged this offseason and he's gonna have a rebound season, all this sort of stuff.
Harold fan and owners. You're almost rooting that Deontay Johnson.
Has just totally checked out at this point, and then he can get on the field more because and Joke, Uh, Fanning can't do the Djoku stuff as far as on the line and then blocking defensive ends. So you almost need both those guys on the field together when Fannin's gonna be on the field, because you won't have an inline guy if Fannon's on the field and Joke who's not.
As mentioned earlier, Thor Denver was the other team that I think was deeply well everybody thinks was deeply running back needy. They landed art Jay Harvey, who to me vaults also to the top of the depth chart.
Yeah, this this was my This is like the biggest stock up. This was bonanza outcome everything. People who did the drafts before the their fantasy drafts, before the NFL drafts happened.
If you ran into RJ.
Harvey on your dynasty team, congratulations, go Yeah, that asset is worth a heck of a lot more today than than it was before the draft.
I was one of the in church. You know this. I was one of the most bullish people in the entire meeting on RJ. Harvey.
I ended up with him at RB six. He was close to my RB five, who was Quinn Shawn Jenkins.
I had r J. Harvey seventy five.
It turns out the one person who was more bullets than me on r J Harvey with Sean Payton, and boy, what a fit here as Sean Payton offense historically, that is love throwing to the running back.
So that's number one.
You get the draft equity where you're stepping into the bell call role immediately. It was a Wasteland at running back there before, and the quarterback of that team is one of our favorite screen guys in the NFL and it is their bow Nicks.
So I mean, like all this stuff is set up for RJ.
Harvey to be pounded both on the ground with usage but also as a receiver and charge.
It's interazing. I was talking r J.
Harvey at the Senior Ball and asking him about, you know, the things he wanted to show the NFL when he was at that event in Mobile, and he was talking about want to show more as a receiver, and I said, well, RJ, you were one of two backs in this class that at one point two five yards per route runner more each of the last two seasons. And he kind of chuckled and he's like, I he didn't know that. He was telling me though, what what you know sort of
what frustrated him? And he was super nice about it. But what frustrated him number one, And he said this in an extremely nice way, but the quarterback play there wasn't very good. And then they also were not sending him down the field on routes pass the line of scrimmage as certainly as much as he would have liked the specific thing that he talked to me about. If this was what I want to show the NFL is winning pass the line of scrimmage on his route path before the ball was thrown.
Because that was the thing.
He didn't think the UCFS offensive system allowed him to do that much in mobile When you saw him matched up those one on ones with outside linebackers with strong safeties, he was breaking their ankles, every single one of them. Nobody could stay with RJ. Harvey in space. And very very skilled receiver. Keep in mind that production he had as a receiver at UCF was in a bad passing environment with an offensive scheme that wasn't allowing his entire
game to flower out. He is going to be an incredible receiving back at the next level, and he's a home run hitter. He has that bowling ball build five eight two O five, but legitimate four four speed or high four to three speed. He was ticked off he ran the four four flat during the pre draft process. He was running in the four threes during during his pre draft process during the training leading.
Up to that. So r J. Harvey wheels up, wheels up.
I remember you and I touched on him. You know, whenever we started breaking down running backs over a month ago, and you you brought him up and he wasn't somebody who was very familiar with you. You talked about his behind the line of scrimmage, lateral quickness, you talked about his h his ability to break tackles, his elusiveness, and now here you just spent all the time talking about his pass catching ability. This just it feels like Harvey is is sitting in a just a smash spot, like
you said, and I I'm trying. I don't have I have not started I haven't done my rankings yet. I think I think R. J. Harvey is going to be sitting at like running back twelve fourteen something like that. Overall, that sounds that maybe I'm being out overly optimistic, but that sounds about right.
I you know, I haven't I haven't done any of those. I would have to stack him, but I would be bullish maybe even maybe even the back half of that top ten. Okay, yeah, Like because as a rookie, I just feel like he is going to get so many touches. And again to give the draft equity that you did there to spend the second round pick on r J.
Harvey prioritizing like that. Yeah, they clearly have that role ready for him.
And Sempayton's going to spend the next four months just drawing a plays on cocktail napkins for him, for like the receiving concepts, different routes at r J.
Harvey's gonna run out of that backfield. They're gonna have a lot of fun with him.
Al he sat on Sean Payton, sat on Alvin Kamara. I want to say about five games of his rookie year and then just you know, gave in and Kamara was awesome after that. It'll be interesting to see if this takes zero games for Harvey to become the starter or if it takes a little bit more time for Sean Payton. But just the dearth of other talent on the team suggests to me he's going to start right away. Let's go over to Caleb Johnson. You and I talked about a lot we texted during during an IOWA game
last fall about Caleb Johnson's pro prospects. He finds himself in Pittsburgh and you like this landing spot.
Yeah, I mean another one that's really good. You know, obviously they bring.
Jalen Warren is still there for another year, but Najre Harris is gone and Caleb Johnson obviously has been acquired to step into that Naja Harris role. Caleb Johnson is better than Nase Harris. He gets the explosive runs. We've talked about that about how he can manipulate the linebackers. He runs through more open holes. That's how he's able to access his high end speed. It's the slow acceleration, but the high high end, top end speed for a
two hundred and twenty five pounds back. And I forgot if it was the Pittsburgh Steelers it took their color scheme from the Iowa Hawkeys, or if.
It was vice versa.
But there is something in there and you're gonna be wearing the same color in the pros love it.
Kenneth Gainwell found himself in Pittsburgh too, and I thought Gainwell was coming up his best year, but Philadelphia didn't like him enough to keep him, and I don't think he's a major factor here. It'll be where Caleb Johnson. I still think Caleb Johnson's gonna be the power back. I think he's the goal line back for Pittsburgh. I don't think Jalen Warren has you know, really ever been
that guy, and Kenneth Gainwell certainly isn't. So you know, Caleb Johnson could be a sneaky double digit touchdown guy because he's just such a good power back.
And he talked about you know, and a lot of guys do that Le'Veon when you talk to the running backs in the pre draft process and you ask him who they they pattern their games after, who they watched, lots of them tosso Le'Veon Bell. Caleb Johnson did as well, and for him it actually stuck like I would hear like two hundred pump backs.
Being like, oh I run like Le'Veon, I love Levia.
For Caleb Johnson had actually made sense and good luck kid, Now you get a shot to try to replicate his career.
Tyrone Tracy was one of the big surprises of last year, and the Giants ended up picking up Cam Scattabo, who you and I both just love. Stylistically, I mean, you can't watch camp Scatabo and not be just thrilled with the way he plays football. They just don't make guys like him. This Giants landing spot is really interesting because Tyrone Tracy brings a lot to the table, but like breaking tackles, powerback, goal line used, that's not his game.
And that's where Cam Scatibo is in least theoretically, gonna have a big role with the Giants, don't you think.
Yeah, you said it.
Finished number two in the FBS last year behind ash and gent and Forrestmith's tackles, and they've got you got the usage with him on the ground, heavy usage at Arizona State, and then he also finished number two on their team in receptions and very efficient type receiver and then after that it's just the berserker thing. Yeah, Like he's breaking tackles out there in the open field. Last year, one point nine to two yards per run led all backs in this class for Camp Scattaboy.
So he's a very like you were.
You were setting up a very good stylistic fit with Tyrone Tracy's.
Game so that they're gonna mix and match those guys.
But yeah, Scataboy is gonna get all that that high leverage stuff inside the ten yard line, so he's gonna whatever touchdowns they can pile up, but a lot to see their offense will be better than last year?
How much better can it be?
Their defense is certainly going to force a lot of three and out so that that offense should at least get possessions, and whenever they can get around the end zone, it's gonna be Cam Scataboy time.
Yeah, hard to if Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston is as weird as it sounds. Their upgrades a quarterback huge where from from where the Giants were last year? And this offense is going to be better, And you're right, they're gonna have some a lot more short fields to work with, which is which is fantastic? I thought Drake May last year was downright gallant playing for the Patriots behind the league's worst offensive line and worst set of receivers.
Now they addressed offensive line with a fourth pickover uh fourth fourth pickover all in the draft, and then in round three they drafted Kyle Williams to give a better target for for Drake May. So let's break down Kyle Williams a little bit. I have to assume you love the landing spot here because there's just so little competition for him.
Yeah, Kyle Williams, he was a third round pick sixty ninth. Overall, he's a better player than their high second round pick last year, Jalen Polk, and we talked.
About that time.
I can say it, you can't. You absolutely nailed that your concern on Jalen Polk. Now we're not saying he's dead yet, right, And a lot of times, you know, struggled people who struggled as a rookie will get better in your two but you you gave us a lot of reasons for concern at this time last year over Jalen Polk, and it turned out that you know, his rookie year suggested that you're right.
Yeah, and the Patriots this selection here, it's it's somewhat of an acknowledgment at that right like that, the running I'm sorry, the wide receiver room that you were talking about in part was as bad as it was because that miss pick. I think they hit this one though. Kyle Williams one of the best release packages in this class. It's the reason that he can play on the boundary
despite being a little bit smaller. He's a shade under five to eleven hundred and ninety pounds, but you can't get him off the line because of that release package. And then he's really good at the route break as well, the measurables.
You know.
The way I think of it is he always starts out a rep with the head start because of the release, and then the defensive back catches up to him during the route stem, and then he pulls back ahead at the route break and then creates the separation and opens up the throwing windows. Drake May is really really going to like working with Kyle Williams. And he's solid after the catch too. He has good vision, he has good acceleration and there's sort of a slipperiness to the way
that he runs as well. Very experienced. This is a five year starter, three years at UNLV prior to going to Wazoo, spent the one year with cam Ward and then last year cam Woard obviously was off to Miami, but Williams had the incredible season, last year's best statistical season. Kyle Williams will be a Week one starter for New England. He will be out there one of the three wide receivers, so I'll be curious to see how they do it. I imagine it's going to be as a boundary receiver.
Although Kyle Williams has the versatility he played plenty in the slot as well. But I think that this is a boundary guy that might be the end for Matt Collins as a projected start there and then he can become the depth peats that he should be. But yeah, that's that's how I think that's going to shake out.
Yeah, and step Diggs is a total question mark at this point thought for sure. Let's just say, I mean between the ACL and the age, you know, we don't know what, if anything, that that step On Diggs has got left. So Kyle Williams a primo opportunity to, like you said, be a week one starter and you know,
potentially to have years together with Drake May. And if you like me like what you saw from Drake May last year, then you know, this could be somebody that ends up being styling your Dynasty team for years to come. Let's go over to the last of the players that we were going to discuss for good landing spots, and this is a good one, Tyler Shuck. Who ends up potentially talk about a guy who could be a week
one starter. Yeah, you know, right now we have no idea what Derek Carr's status is with his shoulder, and for that matter, if he even wants to play for the Saints, or the Saints even want they want him there anymore. There's there's this thing is so murky and they put, you know, a lot of draft equity into Tyler Shuck. So what do you think about his prospects for starting soon?
Yeah, that's the favorite outcome right now. It seems like Derek Carr is not going to be active at the beginning of the season. The weird stuff about the announcement of that injury and the timing of it, and maybe we'll get to the bottom of that over the next couple of months what exactly was going on there, But the fact that that happened and then immediately thereafter you spend the fortieth overall pick on a twenty six year old quarterback or a guy who's going to be twenty
six as a rookie. That was that was pretty telling about I think the future of Derek Carr with the Saints. And like I said, I think the odds are on. Favorite outcome right now is that Tyler Schuck will be the Week one starter. You know, Spencer Ratler and j Cayner are the other two quarterbacks. On that roster, Tyler Shuck, he is talented six foot five, two hundred twenty pounds ninety seven percentile size of justed athlete, and he's got arm talent.
My concern there, and I think we might have.
Hit on this in a past episode, but it's it's a guy who didn't break out until his seventh season in college. He had three consecutive seasons with it, were wrecked by injuries at Texas Tech, and he flamed out over three years at Oregon his last year. You get into this, this statistically advantageous system for this underrated quarterback, whisper Jeff Brom, who sends quarterbacks to the NFL almost every single year. I'm sorry, I've seen guys do that
over and over and over again. And Jeff Brom's system him inoculating them from their weaknesses at their game, you know, shine up shine. It off a little bit some of the statistical production. I don't believe it from Tyler Shuck, and I don't see what upside is there for me. That was a long term QB two. You keep them there too. You address the durability concern just by not having him out on the field. I think he's going
to be stretched as a starter. But that being said, he could not have asked for a better landing spot because he's probably going to be one of two qbs who was starting Week one this you know this come in September, all.
Right, So while we're on the Saints, let's just pivot for a second on Devin Neil. You and I broke down his game, like I said in that running Backs, running Backs episode that we did maybe six weeks ago, Let's talk Devin Neil for just a second. Because Alvin Kamara can't have too much juice left tread on that tire.
Kendry Miller is just not even a factor here. I don't think, you know, Devin Neil is he's got he's got a really well rounded game, and I felt like, you know, on the right landing spot, he'd have an opportunity to get some playing time. I liked him then. I still I'm still optimistic about his game. He went in around six, which I thought was maybe even a pretty good value there for me. What do you what do you think about this spot landings for Devin Neil with the Saints.
That crazy steal in my opinion, the price point that the Saints got Devin Neil, and we knew charge, you know, like with this again historically stacked running back class, we knew that there was gonna guys, guys that we're gonna gonna get shoved down the board, maybe a round and a half, two rounds later than they would have gone just the previous year.
That's the case with Devin Neil.
If Devin Neil had been in the crappy running back class the year before round four and maybe he even touches the back half a round three, but in this stacked one, he ends up getting shoved down here. There is nothing else on that that run in that running back room outside of Alvin Kamara, Kendrey Miller. He'll be happy if he has a job by week one. I don't know if he makes it right camp. I agree, Clyde Edwards, z Laire. He's just trying to hang in
the NFL for as long as he can. Vias Jones, Junior, Jordan Mims, Xavian Valade.
What are we doing here? Devin Neil is the clear RB two on this team and he is going to get work this season.
You mentioned the Kamara thing. You can't use him as much as you sewer, he's gonna break down. And by the way, if he does break down, it's Devin Neil time. Devin Neil is your handcuff for for Alvin Kamara. Devin Neil is a ridiculous value right now. In dynasty drafts, yes, but even in redraft leads. I want Devin Neil on my roster because I think that there's a real shot this season that he gets bellcoll usage in a couple of games.
All it takes is a Kamara injury.
Couldn't agree more? Couldn't agree more? Okay, we're gonna take a break. We're gonna identify five guys with landing spots we didn't end up loving, including one the first guy we talked about, Thor. I think you and I are kind of on an island with this guy that we're more nervous about this landing spot than other people are. Find out who we're talking about when we return for segment number two of Fantasy Football Weekly. Welcome back, Paul Tarchie and Thorn Eistrom. You can check out all of
Thor's work at fantasylife dot com. What Thor, what kind of work have you done post draft? With Fantasy life so far.
I turned in eighteen thousand words the Saturday night the draft got done on my draft grades, and that wasn't even with my all my tables, with all my counts and stuff like that. But but but that's out there if you have not checked out my Warren piece NFL Draft grades.
Checked that out.
And then the current thing I'm working on that I hope people like is my UDFA class rankings, where this is I think my sixth or seventh year doing them.
That this is only for sikos, so only only sickles apply for this one.
But I laboriously go through it's UDFA class and then we end up ranking, and I have these metrics I've come up with it for over the years to try to quantify the UDFA classes and and in there I'll be talking about, of course, some skill guys that I think got into advantageous situations, have shot to crack the roster and need to be kept on the radar for Dynasty.
I'm about the only person I think left who still thinks Rimandre Stevenson's a good running back. I believe, I believe in him and feel like he has been squandered the last couple of years behind a terrible offensive line, bad quarterback play, lots of other things. Although you know last year with Drake May was better, but still, you know, the whole team was terrible. I still think Ramandra Stevenson's got some has got some good games left ahead of him.
But that ends up being the landing spot for Travion Henderson. Tell me what you tell me about how you feel about that landing spot in particular.
I think it's it's a really good landings for the team. It's good because I think Ramondre is a really good stylistic compliment to to Travion Henderson's game and vice versa. Ramandre's recalled the sixteen game run by the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National championship last year, Travion doing Travion things, quinch On drunkins, doing quinch On Drunkins things. Ramondre Stevenson will be playing the Quinchohn junkins as it were here. But you know, and that's going to help Trivion stay healthy.
You know, like we saw last year, over those sixteen games, you are going to get access to.
Those explosive plays. Because of that.
He last he was better on a person out basis than he had been the three previous years. I think the way that they used him and keeping them fresh in part told the story there. But that's what makes this landing spot difficult. Because with with it's gonna be a mediocre offense. Ramandri is gonna get that meat and potato stuff. There's gonna be games where Travion pops off because his game is hitting tingers. You get him into the open field and he starts a racing angles. He
has a couple of those plays in one game. He's gonna flip games. He's gonna be a DFS guy, a guy where if you choose right at the right price point one week, he could bring you home a big contest or help get you up there in the standings. With it, it's gonna be difficult to know when it for this guy. The streaming thing is gonna be even more important. There's a bunch of running backs now in this class that on a week two week basis, I
think I'm gonna prefer them over Travion. Travion is gonna be your up and down, more roller coaster guy, not because of his game, but again because of the usage. Because of the situation because you're in a bad offense, it's gonna be playing from from behind the whole bunch. But yeah, because that wasn't the most ideal landing spot, even though it's really good.
For the team.
DJ Giddons is somebody that that we broke down again when we talked running backs. I comped him to Robert Smith. You comped him to Zach Sharbone. Upright, tall runner with long loping strides, and those strides can just gobble up yards really effective when when he's when he can get up to speed and and especially north south. I thought there was a lot to like of his game, but then he drops in Indianapolis and this is not a great fantasy landing spot. When you're behind Jonathan Taylor.
This is this is a nightmare landing spot for DJ giins. I. I like DJ Giddens's game a lot, and the situation that I wanted to see him get in was with a team that had a good receiving back but needed more of the early down stuff, or or an aging guy that's a good receiver, and maybe then Giddens could
take some of his early down work. The Saints would have been a great situation for him, right, like something like that, this is the horrible one because you have one of the NFL's best early downbacks that you're stuck behind the one spot that Colts could use. And this is why this selection. At a value standpoint, this was a smash. So I tip my hat to the Colts
on that. But the stylistic thing, that's where I sort of scratched my head because the Colts needed a pass down back and DJ Giddens is not that at this point. He's one of the worst pass blocking running backs in this in this past class was horrible at it. And then the receiving is it's very inconsistent. I've seen some
flashes from him that I really like. I have also seen him flub way more easy balls than analogous running backs, and so it's one of those things that he needs polish on that to be on the field when he's getting thrown to, and you cannot have him on the field when he is protecting your quarterback because someone's going to get decapitated.
Right. So it's that's why I as long as Jonathan Taylor is on, Jonathan Taylor is just a better version of this. So for DJ Giddens.
This was just a bad spot, Like you're going to be stuck behind him as the backup, sort of early down guy for the next several years.
All right, let's go to your next guy that with the landing spot. You do not love thor that's Jayalen Noel, who is a player we both liked a lot, and I was really excited to see where he could drop in and as especially as a as a as a mostly slot receiver. I was looking for a spot for a team that needed slot help. He lands with Houston, but they just acquired Christian Kirk, So it feels like, at least in the short term, Jaylen Nowell's a little bit log jammed with the Texans.
Yeah.
I did find it funny that the Texans took Jayden Higgins and Noel, of course, the dominant teammates from the Iowa State Cyclones, when they already had Xavier Hutchinson in the receiving room. Who was the last really good receiver for that they need to go out and trade for Allen Wizard.
Now, let's just construct the whole thing out of Iowa State Cyclists. Maybe they could sign Hockey Butler. I think he's still a three free agent, so we can get the BAM bag together.
Well, it is playing last scene playing tight end.
I think I still believe charge.
You know, I'm Scully and Moulder from the X Files with Hockey Butler.
Yeah, so you're not the only one. I was when when when he came out, I saw this, this big lanky receiver who won all these contested catches downfield, and I'm like, oh man, this this looks really promising. And I was excited for that guy. And then in the draft he got punished and he went way. I'm trying to remember which team drafted.
Him, but never day three, I believe Clifton.
Yeah, yep, that's exactly right. And then basically just never hit the field, and I think he got hurt and then converted to tight end and it was all over.
Experience is our is our best teacher, church, and mistakes even even more so. And Johnny Wilson in the last class was the pointing spider Man gift of Hockey Butler.
Back in the day, I.
Would have been I would have been all about Johnny Wilson, but I ended up ranking him around where he went in that draft class. But this we're sort we're sort of having fun with the Houston Texans' wide receiver room, but in all honesty, it is a mess. It's this this quagmire, and that's why Noel here. It could have either been Noel or Higgins. I just don't know how it's gonna shake out. The for sure thing we know, of course, one of the boundaries we got Nico Collins
Christian Kirk, is he gonna play in the slot. That's what I'm guessing as well. And that's why my supposition is that Noel's college teammate Higgins is going to be the other starting boundary, and then you're you're stuck behind that in year one. Then Tank Dell comes back from injury. Now your long term situation for jaln Noel is complicated as well, getting Tank Dell in the slot.
So I didn't love that. Like Noel, there was a.
Whole bunch of situations around the NFL. I thought, if he went there, you're an immediate starter and you will be for a long time. Like the Raiders are a good example, Jack besh Right.
They took Jack.
The Raiders had zero at slot receiver before the draft, and so but there was a whole bunch of teams like this, Noel finds himself in this quagmire of a situation again, really like his game, and hilariously enough charts you know, on my five hundred player board, as you know, I compote all.
Five all five hundred.
My comfort, Jalen Noel, this is art imitating life. Was Christian Kirk?
Shut up?
It was starting God.
Oh that's fantastic, that's fantastic, tricky landing spot. But if you ask me, is Christian Kirk on this roster next year? The answer is no. Noel is the starter in the slot. And that is a you know, I think long after this year, Jalen Noel will be a starter in what's you know with obviously a in a very potentially very good offense with a very good charge.
In that case, what happens to Tank Dell? Right, because you have Higgs took top of this.
I don't think Tank plays again. Oh wow, Okay, I hope I'm wrong. I mean, obviously I hope I'm wrong. I mean this is you know, the the series of cascading injuries that he suffered, all all in one play are about as severe as anything that we've seen before. So in my mind. If Tank Dell ever plays again, it's all just a bonus. I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. Let's go to your Let's go to your next player that has a landing spot that you
do not like. But I don't see the problems. So I'm really interested in talking through Trey Harris with you. He goes in round two. He goes to the Chargers,
a team that does need outside receiver help. And when we talked through Trey Harris, you you had some concerns that a lot of his production may have just been a byproduct by a first read passing scheme from Jackson Dart at ole Miss. But you also talked lovingly about, you know, some of his deep pass connections, some of some of his uh, some of his contested catches there, or things about Trey Harris that I remember you liking. So what is it about this that isn't clicking for you?
Yeah, I it seems like I you know, I'm I'm sort of on Nyland with this take, But I don't love the landing spot here. You're on a team they have the couple projected starting boundary guys in Johnson and Mike Williams and I get that are not great, But first of all, you need to be beat out one of those two guys, which is no guarantee at the start, especially Trey Harris, when you came from that cotton cotton candy system with Lane Kiffen, where everything was was sort
of manufactured for you and all the schematic garnish. It was done in order to free you for advantageous looks that that Jackson Dart would lock onto. All I could, I kid, I could, But Trey Harris, you have to beat out one of those guys. And if you do, now you're in an offense that is not a pass first offense. It's not a great aerial offense as is, and they don't do a bunch of cool stuff with
their receivers. I do the downtown ability for Trey Harris, I do like that, and so if he can win a spot, you know, I think he's gonna get a couple of those downtown looks per game. But the rest of it, the volume just being in this Chargers offense, and and and Lad McConkie's is going to.
Be your volume guy going forward. So those are my concerns.
All right, that's that may end up proving to be fair. Mike Williams. I don't think this doesn't do it for me. I think I think getting past Mike Williams won't be that tough tough of an ask for Trey Harris. But I agree with you that opportunities are going to be going to be sparse, and that's that's going to be tricky at least at least in the near term for
Trey Harris. Let's go to your last bad landing spot, guy tight end Mason Taylor who goes to the Jets, And this is another one where at first blush, you're like, well, okay, he's clearly looks like the best tight end on this team. This you know, there's Jeremy rutgert Stone smart landed there in free agency. But you don't love this landing spot? Is it because Justin Fields is the quarterback?
What?
What is it that you don't love here?
Yeah? Mostly? Yeah.
You know, there was a bunch of scenarios that Mason Taylor, the team drafting him, he's going to immediately step in and is going to be the unchallenged starter.
This this was one of them.
So you know, I grant you he will be your your week one tight end that he's going to start as many games as he can stay healthy for. But the game of Mason Taylor, the thing that we saw at LSU with him as a receiver, and Mason Taylor, you know, part of the reason the NFL liked him. It's in addition to the bloodlines, of course, Jason Taylor son Zach Thomas's nephew, but it was he was a
true inline guy. You can play him in line, but the passing element, the receiving element for him, a lot of timing concepts off of play action where it was these sort of timing routes and very short. Most of his collegiate touches. Most of his collegiate targets came within five yards of the line of scrimmage. They very rarely threw it to him down the field. And for a guy who got all these manufactured touches, Mason Taylor didn't break tackles.
You didn't get a lot of yak out of him.
Now you're going to play with Justin Fields who you know his time going back, he has not used tight ends very well and one of the one of the things that he struggles with it's those timing concepts short intermediate that Mason Taylor, that's the one thing he's shown us that he can do. So just as far as the receiving connection there, I just do not think that this was a good landing spuff for Mason.
Taylor, working in his favor the dearth of other legitimate targets. They got no Wilson and nobody else, and and so you know, maybe Mason Taylor, just out of desperation finds his way to a few more a few more catches, but doesn't, like you said, in college, not necessarily an explosive player, and so you know that might ultimately cap his upside in the NFL.
Yeah, totally agree with that, And maybe we could free some even more targets. We trade out on Lazard to Houston. They're looking for Iowa State psycholone receivers, so.
We got to start that rumor of and.
I love it. I love it. They drafted Arian Smith, who I really don't know very much about. Should I should I care about that Arian Smith?
This is Aaron Smith is like their answer to their Devin Smith pick back in the day. You remember that the one out speed guy out of Ohio State that Jets took a white back guy was a first rounder, wasn't it. I think he was second, but yeah, they took him high. That's Arion Smith. It is a it's a one trick pony burner, but he has world class speed. He's ran in the four twos in the past. He had a lot of injuries in college. H during the pre draft process, it was in the four threes what
he ran. But just a just an absolute burner. The thing that he needs to work on and he really needs to work on it. But there are skills there. It's it's the ball skills thing. He had too many flubs in college. If they can figure that out, you have something there. Because obviously the the athleticism is there. But a guy who was just crazy snake bitten throughout his Georgia career with injuries. Last year he finally stayed healthy. He was at the Senior Ball. He showed some stuff
down the field at the Senior Bowl. But he needs to be more consistent with the ball skills. If he can be, then you can get on the field with your world class speed. But obviously, if they can't trust him to catch the ball, that's where that's going to fall off. But you mentioned that dearth of what there we got a boy, Allen Lazard is one of the
projected starters, you know, battling with Josh Reynolds. I suppose maybe you kick one of those guys inside because Malachi Corley is there's no road going forward with Malachai Corps. I tried to warn everybody last year. I hope everyone out there listening to me. But Malachai Corley is not going to be doing stuff.
For you're going forward.
So you if you are airing Smith and you can clean up those bass skills, you could get on the field real quick here, But that is a bigger you know, if then it's not a minor thing.
Yeah, you and I have been in lockstep on this since since I've known you. Guys whose college game was just really predicated on running fast vertical routes almost never pan out in the NFL. They can make those splash big plays you can get away with in college, but unless until you refine your route, tree, your footwork, and all the other fundamentals that come with the position. Just because you can run straight and run fast doesn't get it done in the NFL. Nine times out of ten that's right.
It's like your college pitcher and you can throw one hundred two miles an hour and you strike everyone out.
But now all of a sudden you get to double a ball.
You have to know how to throw a change up, and you have to have at least to get me by breaking ball, because if you can only throw really fast, all of a sudden, people know what's coming.
They're going to start hitting dinger after dinger on you, or.
In this case here at NFL defensive backs just sitting dead red knowing you're going to go deep. Yeah, you have to be able to throw more things at them, even if it's just pass the ball, just to keep them off of Oh, he's going.
To throw the heat again.
Thorie, you have been an amazing workhorse for this show for the last two plus months. I think we're gonna give you a little time off. We're going to go back to our regular crew. Plus we're going to work in a new contributor, Kent Weirok, who is on the show one time, either a year ago maybe a little bit more than a year ago. He's a data scientist in real life, and he loves grinding up NFL data, and I think he's going to bring some fun new stuff to the show. We're going to start working and
Kent and some other people and Thor. You, my man, you get to you get to relax. I mean, you're not already working like I don't. I don't want to see any like twenty twenty six projections out of you for a long time.
That that's a deal. You might have to talk to our bosses.
But that's a deal on my end. You've been fantastic. I hope everybody's enjoyed listening to the show. I know I haven't. We've learned so much about you and gotten us ready for this draft and super super excited about what's about how seeing how these rookies shake out and Thor we'll talk more down the road.
My man, my man appreciates your charge.
Thank you. Bye bye,