Joining us now to talk a little bit about those teams, a little college football chatter with our friend Demian Parsons from the Draft Network, and he is one of the best in the business. We're going to get him to promote that podcast of his that really kept Trey Falco in my life, Decent Spirits for a long time the off season. What's up, DP, How you been man? What's going on? Fellers? I'm doing good. I'm doing good. It's great, man. You know, I always tell people we're
football junkies. My brother had an old saying we were a little You get to the j months, you're okay, it's those bleak months where we're underwear and you know, they're out there at the combine and we're trying to measure these guys up and it's all a process. But when you get into July and now you get past the hot dog eating contest season and real football's on the horizon. Bro, we're here, and I think this college football game
for mea sports dropping today sort of brought it all home. I'm assuming you enjoy a little bit of video gaming like your boy John ellis here. Are you excited about this game? Oh? Absolutely, I got the advanced Coffee so download. I've downloaded mine on Saturday afternoon. Boy it was available. Yeah, just to go ahead and so I don't have to worry about Once it hit four, I was done with my reports. I was done with work. Get chillings. I talked to my guys over here. iHeartRadio,
so I was like, guy, just chilling's. I talked to them and test the game out. And it's a good game. It's a it's a fun game, something that you can really get behind, especially if you are a college football lover. Uh, it's a they did a good job. Now the headshot to the players, that's uh. Back to the drawing board. Yeah, I can see that. The beam of Will Muschamp, the
video of him punching the board in the locker room. That's probably one of the graphics developers when he found some of these tweets, because the Peter Woods one is hilarious. I'm sorry he is. His reactions like the hell is this some of the some of these kids are going to have that reaction because it's like, guys, you had all this time to get it right, time to get it right. I think got to get them. I get scan done well. I look, they'll clean that up. But the game
itself, it sounds great. I'll be home in an hour and a half playing it with my son Andrew. It's been a fun offseason. There's been a lot of cool storylines. We'll talk some NFL with you in a minute, but obviously there's two teams that are of high interest to our audience down here on the college circuit. Let's start with the Game Cocks. One of my favorite people on the planet for so many reasons. Xavier Legett, who
is just a deep ball threat and he can do anything. In terms of the return game, as we saw, the low volume is a bit of a concern there because he didn't have a lot of production until that last year. Your thoughts on Legett, and let's talk also after that about the game cox expectations. Is they lose a lot of guys off that roster. Yeah, I mean he was able to get you know, young man has you know, look into the story very you know try you know, test it
right and put through the fire. Leave lost both of his parents and you know, of course having a battle with COVID when COVID was around, So that kind of to the minute slowed down his progress right Finally year of high school coach said, hey, you're a great roide receiver, but man, we need you know, we've seen high school teams let's put the best athlete that quarterback and just let's run this thing best as possible. And that's what
they did with him as well. So talking about slowing down the development, he had a lot of hurdles he had to clear. But seeing him clear those hurdles in twenty twenty three becoming the number one target for Spencer Ratlew was awesome to see. This young man is strong, personable, explosive a lot of and he's a hard worker too, you know, really pay attention to
social media. He's working one of the best wide receiver personal wire receiver coaches, the Lafonte Diamond coach Diamond out there training him, Tangdell, a lot of these guys, you know, Ceedee Lamb, a lot of these guys elite neighbors as well, and just putting them through the ring or getting him more prepared to be able to run routes and cut and break and do the things that the little nuances, the little details, because when you're that explosive,
straight and out of the break. If you can hold that line, you hold it and once you create the separation, now maintaining. And I think that's what Delafonte, Diamond cos Dimons gonna be able to do for Exavier. And I'm excited to see him in this Dave Canalis offense because I think the opportunities are unlimited for him. Some people said, man, he could be the Mike Evans of this offense. Yeah, a little different body type, you know, Mike Evans being sixty three sixty four, long armed,
tall body guy. But I think you look at potential that to him playing the X, playing the Z. He could also fill that Chris Godwin power slot role with more juice and speed and explosiveness where you can think about getting that five yard slant out of Brice his hands to his behavior and matter of fact, it happened against Mississippi States almost twenty three miles per hour on the GPS, you know, on the shallow cross. So this young man that
that speed is undeniable. The strength. I remember watching them up closing on the sidelines the Senior Bowl, and even when guys were like they thought they had him covered. He's one of those receivers when the ball's in the air, he's aggressive and it's I'm covered until I'm not. And that's the way I look at exavierler Get where I think that's the one thing with Bryce I
want to see is those trucks. I call it the trust ball, whereas like that back shoulder fade, that pass where it's like, listen, I know he's in your hip pocket. The receivers telling them about with Chad, which those single said, I have just an inch of separation, I'm open, Carson Palmer throw it. I want Bryce to have that same confidence and target exabuler Get because I think that's the guy that's going to going to be
able to give him a return on those types of investments. Damian Parson is our guests from the Draft Network. That is an excellent way that you just framed all of it. You and I sat in the stands at Wofford and watched the practice together with Bryce and a team that I think when you get around people like us, and I'm not saying we're elites, we're not. I'm just saying we look at the tape and we don't cover fluff. We
cover what we see. I think we kind of understood, whereas maybe some casuals didn't get the fact that the separation was going to be a major problem for this receiving corps. It got worse than I thought it could when Hayden Hurst did not pan out. And when you don't see guys develop as you would like, it's a symptom of many things that are going on inside an organization that aren't the quarterback's fault. But I will say this, you're right
about the trust ball. That is such a great phrase because right out of the gate he had Mingo on a shot play at Atlanta that could have ended it. And we saw Bryce time and time again in Alabama. Maybe not the best in the college circuit, but one of them hitting the go ball with precision, with a decent amount of catchability, and they were flat and they were long consistently, And that comes down in my mind to just overall confidence. But it leads back to footwork. And on that note, you
look at what else this team has done to bring in weapons. You bring in Deontay Johnson, you add Robert Hunt. Talk about those two guys in twoicular, because to me, if this thing gets turned around a bit, it's never just one guy, but that is two players in particular that I feel can thrive here and can be a core group with Bryce moving forward if
it goes well. One hundred percent. You know, one of the big things of them spending over one hundred million dollars on the anterior offensive line with Robert Hunt and Damian Lewis was big to me because with Bryce, you want to give him a a pocket, right, you know, I kind of that McDonald's arc, like, you want to give them that to where he could step up into it, not just because he did have an issue drifting
back a little bit in college year hundred percent. So I love doing that because now when with for that also helps the tackles, right, helps Ikey, I can run the guy around that arc and Bryce to have a comfortable pocket with these two massive physical powerhouses on the interior offensive line. To give him a wall, right, give him between the two guards and the Senate,
which I know Austin Corbett is just supposed to be the senter. So the center is a little bit of a question mark because he's coming back off of an injury, but they can get that solidified. You give him a great wall between those three. He can step up and make make plays. Then that's when the whole you know, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees comps that we throw around for the shorter style quarterbacks, that's when it becomes fitting.
When he can start find stepping up and finding throwing lanes and you can help your tackles out. So I think those two guards are going to be massive for Bryce right, especially with the run game too. Give them that play action pass. Dave Cannell's putting him more under center. Yeah, I'm last year's tape. I looked at every snap. I sound a little bit like Jaworski from twenty years ago. I looked at I literally did David and I'm going to tell you so many times at Bama there was a cool, calm
collectiveness about it. His footwork and posture in that pocket. It was pretty similar many times Surprice last year. But the movement game was not there. No pocket movement, no deep play action roll shots with Russ. They got him in some like what I call ultra deep drops to give him a little extra vision. I just can't make sense of what the hell they were doing with him, other than to say Frank and Thomas Brown and the entire brain
trust just couldn't figure out one way to do it. It was fifty ways to do one thing, and you can't do it that way. And we're gonna see what happens here for the Panthers, who won two games last year, certainly destined for hopefully better things this year. Trey Falco and he Steelers. Questions that you might have for our friend David Parsons, I know you've been chopping at the video a little bit. I do. I do have a couple of questions. First of all, our raft, our draft expert.
Yeah, let's ride, let's ride. I ask the US is, how the hell did we end up with Troy Faltanu where he fell where he fell in the draft? That is a great pickup. And then following that, yeah, following that, what do you make could this twenty twenty four draft class for the Steelers and how do you see them adjusting? I guess to the NFL, oh Man, I love what the Steelers did right, getting Tory Fautanu, who can play tackle or guard. I'm gonna be interested
to see how they handle this offensive line. Adding Zach Fraser, remember talking to you know, talking to one of our guys who lives in the Pittsburgh area, you know, former scout in the NFL. He's telling us over at locked On, He's like, listen, man. Like the Steelers fans have been clamoring for a loose for a center, cornerstone center since the Pounty Oh yes, County brother right. So getting Zack Fraser, I think that was a great, great grab, be able to get him in the second
round. Getting Mason McCormick, a developmental guard, just becoming more physical whether and for me, what this signifies is no matter who's that quarterback, whether it's Russ, whether it's justin fields, We're going to run this football like you're gonna have to the phrase of Black and Blue days. It's gonna be a hard hat, lunch paal type of game. This is bringing back AFC North prime Steeler football. In my opinion, the midfield logo should be towers
faced with spittle coming out. That's how much they're gonna run it. I totally agree with you for one hundred percent. And I love the addition of Rome and Wilson. I remember listening to I Think it was George Pickens from I Think O Ta is a mini camp saying he expects to see more slot snap, which is very good because now you get to move them away from the boundary now a lot of no matter if it's a top outside corner or not, a lot of these guys not like walking down into the nickel because
that's a total different challenge having a two way go. He has to defend outside of being on the you know, regardless of being on the outside, we have the sideline, So putting him in the nickel. I'm looking forward to seeing if Darnell Washington can take a step. I love what they were doing, what they were done in this draft and Peyton Wilson that that that pick. I love Peyton Wilson as a prospect athletic. He's physical, can
cut, blitz, he does so many bits. And when you add him to a front seven with Keanu Benton and cam Cam Hayward, Alex high Smith, CJ. Watt and this defense, I think that's what you're looking forward to as well, getting back to playing not the Steeler offensive football, but Steeler defensive football. Joey Porter Junior taking the next step, having Maker Fitzpatrick believe they believe you got added Geno Stone from the Ravens. Yes, that's
like nine picks a couple of years ago. That's a big one. So I'm looking forward to just this team and how they messed together. But what they they to me? This is one of my face one of my phrases that when I pay attition to hot teams, moves comes draft times. Draft for a plan, like, have an idea. Yes you can pivot, but have an idea. What do you want to do? What's going to be our identity? How are we going to improve this team? The Pittsburgh
Steelers walked into the twenty twenty four in the thold draft class. What's a plan and the executed it to a team. I love that draft class. You know why they typically win nine, ten eleven games and they don't look like idiots at the podium because they don't chat it up with their wives or friends in the sixth round and say, you know what, let's take that long snapper. When Trey Smith is on the board, Trey Falco, go ahead, all right, now, I want to pivot a little bit to
this Steelers defense. Obviously, people are talking about another hole to kind of fill for the Steelers, and we've been trying to fill this hole for quite a while now as cornerback. Obviously we've got Joey Porter Junior, and hopefully he makes more leaps and strides the second year, because I think he had a phenomenal first year. But here's a name that you probably probably don't remember from last year. Maybe you do, Corey Trice Junior. What are your
thoughts on Corey trist Junior. I think we picked him up the seventh round maybe somewhere around there. He might have been our last pick. Obviously, he got injured in mini camp last year, so we didn't really get to see what he could become. And so this is kind of like almost like Calvin Austin, where this is going to be like his rookie year on his second year because he was injured before the season even started. What are your
thoughts on Corey trust Junior? Do you think he could make an impact? Maybe he's a follow up. It seems like our cornerback two is gonna be probably Dante Jackson, but who knows. What do you think of Corey trust Junior? I like Corey. I got that believe. I gave him a fourth round grade when he came out, So if I've never correctly like big athletic kids. Physical, I know how to play press coverage. You can
play his own spots. That'll bail technique, get to a spots, reading route coverage, it route concepts, being in the right place at the right time. Type of guy. Wasn't afraid to tackle either. And I think you for one being on the being on the sighland as the Senior Bowl, being able to watch I believe it was last year, being able to watch Mike Tomlin coach. Yeah, you better be ready to tackle. Coach Tomlin
is not going to have it any other way. So I think this was and I was excited for him, especially you know adding you know, when you guys drafted Joey Porter earlier, I said, man, like, I really like pairing him with Corey. But now now you get yourself two big athletic corners. And also they picked up Darius Rush, who was a guy who stood out at the Senior Bowl last year South Carolina. Yes, tall athletics, super athletic. I just don't think. I didn't think he was
a good fit for that Gus Bradley pure zone scheme to see. To me, he was more of a man to man corner and that's why I don't think he really fit into that into that system. And I also got it wrong. You know, someone went to the Cincinnati you guys have Patrick quin thought, Yeah, Patrick Quinn, Elliott doc J Jackson. So this this secondary overall, I like what what what they've done to it and what they've
done with it. And they got a lot of versatile pieces in that secondary, especially at safety, Guys that can play strong, play free, be a big nickel if you want to. Look if he needed to pull a linebacker off, you could, but you probably don't need to. With Patrick Queen and Peyton Wilson. Well, the life is going to eventually be your two starters and nickel package is two really ask of the players. So this defense to me, and I'm gonna tell you right now, I love Keanu
Bitton. I spent time would Sea bowl off the field, you know, just trying to talk with n one on one and everything. This jo has a wrestling background. I think he was a runner up state champion if I remember correctly, physical, great body control, and he's so self aware in terms of his game. So this young man is going to consistently work to be better. I love it. So I've got one final question. This is a standout guy for me. I picked him out kind of in the
preseason of last year and I've just I've loved what he's done. I would love to see a little bit more playtime. I think he's gonna be back up to probably TJ. Watt, Alex high Smith, but Nick Herbig. When we drafted Nick Herbig, did you see him kind of making I guess the impact that he did, I don't know. The guy has a motor on him. He is incredible and he's a wonderful backup there, and I think, yeah, yeah, basically, yeah, I just love watching him
play. Man. He really is. Honestly, though I saw the preseason, I was like, this guy's got something. Yeah. I've been yeah, I've been tweaking about him since like twenty twenty two. I'm a big fan of his. This dude was like he's on. He was underside of two twenty eight in college and everything. But you know, I remember watching him and I was like, man, he reminds me so much of TJ. Watt in terms of understanding how to reduce uh surface hitting area, how
to attack angles. He was quick, he had you know, fluid hits. He can dip and bend. You have to always talk about being a two lanes rusher as a defensive player, being able to rush outside, create and put pressure on the outside edges and the outside shoulder of a tackle, make them over set because they're expecting that speed rush, and then be able to kind of basketball move a eurostep your way across face into the inside pass.
And he brought every bit of that. He had such right and I was going to say, that's been like a Steeler's template of scouting since the sixties. I mean, it's amazing because the scheme changes a little bit, but it's you got your two edge rushers in a two point stance. It's thirty four variations and they get these guys that's comeing off the assembly line every single year. I think at some point we have to acknowledge the fact that
organizational structure and competency leads to some of that. Yeah, it's not the fact they're just drafting studs and they just go out and do it. You've got the right people in the building to develop them too. And it's just a it's a loaded unit. And I'm hoping for my boy Tray here. Although they have what multiple championships and Panthers have not done that yet. I'm wishing for good things for them. I will say this that the Cowboys,
look, I think you'll first take has warned that one out. But I am interested about this team. This feels like the kind of year and look, I could be completely wrong. Usually I am, but here's just take a stab at it. They have a lot of good pieces on that team. But the check comes due, it has already and it looks like he just fall off a cliff, especially at quarterback. What is the plan post
Dak? Just prayed the draft works out, Trey Lance, because it looks like Dak is gone barring some type of deal that would be done in a time frame time span that is way out of whack. What do you think about the Dak situation. I think that they overplayed their hands Dallas understanding that I think one of the biggest things that mean Keith talk about this a lot, the Dallas Cowboys. They have championship or aspirations, whatever whatever way you
want to describe it. But then for a while, for the past couple of years, they've lacked the championship roster. And so when you get to the playoffs, like you win ten eleven games. When you get to the playoffs, that's when the energy, the game plans, the schemes, they're racketed up, they go up another level. Wait a minute, gp DP, I was under the impression that it was all on Dak Prescott. It wasn't like a collective team thing. That's amazing. There's nuance to this business.
I'm glad you're here. Trust me. People are just idiots. When you trade you're at the time, You're best receiver Amari Cooper for a fifth round pickoff of because of emotions, you know what I mean. And Jerry Jones's emotion that's a bad that's a recipe for disaster. So yeah, ceedee Lamb took a step and became an elite wide receiver last year, but you're
still hoping that. Okay, second year with Brandon Cooks in the system, you're hoping Jalen Tolbert out of South Alabama can take a step going into year three. Year two, year three, I think it's year three for him, Like you, Cavansee Turfin, who's been more of a special teams guy, like you don't have enough talented wide receiver to help Dak. I love with the tight end situation with Jake Ferguson taking that step. Love loose schoonmaker
from Michigan that they drafted last year. I think they should run a lot of twelve. Love the fact that they addressed the offensive line the way that they did, getting Cooper BB, getting Tyler Dydon right adding to this offensive line. Absolutely love it. But at the same time, you don't have you still lacking some pieces, so I think they overplayed their hands. Yes, you go ahead. You should have went ahead and paid Dak when you
had the opportunity. Yes, they're letting him take the blame or playoff losses and everything else. That's bad management in my opinion. So yes, you're gonna in my opinion, you're gonna want to I'm not you look at the roster. You got what Cooper Rush. Cooper Rush is playing the fourth the fourth quarter of every preseason game, because I need to see what I got
in Trey Lance. You're starting and finishing every play every preseason game. Trade I need to see you develop game the game, quarter to quarter within this offense because if we lose Dak, you might be our quarterback next year, which right now we don't know what Trey Lance is and he hasn't had the chance to play enough. So the Dallas Cowboys put themselves in a very tough spot. They did in terms of how to navigate this thing because you also
got to pay Michael Park. Yes, yeah, get young guys on that team everywhere that are second third year guys that are key to what they do. They've lost to be hottish, but they've rebuilt a tackle and I think Dan Quinn for Mike Zimmer is going to be a culture shock for this defense DP. I'm just telling you right now. Mike I like him, but Dan is a player's guy and he relates and he had them fre flowing. Now they play a speed type of defensive front and the middle can be exposed.
What does Zimmer do in terms of scheme? But more so, we saw what happened last year with one of the old heads out there, the good ones down in Miami, and they hated him, Fangio, and they ran them out of town even though they were inked top ten. So a lot of moving parts and it just seems like they could win ten games and then kind of fall off a cliff for a year or two because it's not galaxy brain stuff that Jerry Jones is doing here. He prides himself on building
an empire. It's great, You've got a great quarterback who just needs to find a way to punch through in the playoffs. People, I don't understand why they don't remember for years and years and years, only one or two quarterbacks was winning this damn thing every year. It's just ridiculous. Well see what happens. There's my Dallas rant. Did you watch the Receiver Show on Netflix? Shit, if you had a chance to see it, Yes, I have two more episodes to finish. I think this right here is a
goal mine. Starting with last year with the quarterback, I'm lobbying that we get either corner like dB E line with edge and some edge guys, some of the top edge guys, Miles Garrett, TJ. Watt, Michah Parsons, Chris Jones on the interior, something like that. I need a defensive this. Don't get me wrong, guys. I love the quarterbacks and dig get all the money and everything, but some of the most intelligent football players
in the game are defenders. I love listening to defensive players break down the game, the coverage, just the way that they beat one on one, whether it's a defensive line, and how they study different things of that nature. I love listening to that Noga Merong. I love hearing, you know, Tom Brady or Peyton break down this what they're seeing from quarterbacks. But I love to hear a corner sitting out there on the island. Okay,
I have to study what this receiver does. Then I transition to studying what does the quarterback do when he wants to go to that side of the field, and different things of that nature. So I'm hoping we get a deepen
the side of the ball with different positions with this series. But this series is outstanding, great production, just the inside detail to what makes these players tick, what motivates them, Like justin Jefferson talking about how he's such a calm, cool, collected person off the field, but when he puts the helmet on, he becomes jets and it's like, yes, you have a flip twitch. And then you see how dominant of a player. Oh my god, how the lungs coughing up blood and he can't see any cuts in
his mouth. How frightening. And he's back in a couple of weeks catching one hundred yards worth of passes, and these guys are in every penny based on market value. That people don't understand. You do, I do. We've been around it, how hard it is to be an NFL player. The next show, obviously, is gonna be just called bastards, and it's the bastard coaches like Dan Campbell. We're gonna have four, just Brian Dabole, just salty. I'll take it out. I love give me some Dan.
Get an inside look at his meetings and just as his speech is consistently you know, wins, losses, doesn't matter. I love that man. We have the full sound banking. Remember his press conference. This is what people need to learn. Everybody laughed at him, bite knee catch all that whoa? This guy is crazy. Man. I don't know what's going on here, but he would get me and my entire family if he wants to. Now, Yeah, Daddy, Dan, come pick me up and take
me home. David Parson's our guest man. And you've made a real effort here to spend more time than we even asked you to today. Can you help us understand in our whole listening audience where to find your work I know where to find it, but helped understand exactly what's going on this time of year. For It's a great podcast as well. Let's promote that of course. Of course, you know, five days a week locked on NFL Draft.
Right now, we're going through we were finishing up going through summer scouting, so we're still talking about prospects for the twenty twenty five NFL Draft class, but also now we're transitioning into talking about some of the rookies from twenty twenty four. As rookies are reporting to camp, we'll get into discussions about quarterbacks getting off to fast starts in training camp and what type of impacts that
momentum will do for them. So they're five days a week locked the NFL Draft Podcast on Apples, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts, go download it, hit automatic downloads, check and tap in with us. Of course always at the Draft Network Scouting Reports, Draft Network YouTube channel we have I'll be doing film breakdowns collegiate film breakdowns on prospects there in the next couple of weeks, and then I have my own YouTube channel called the Scouting Room.
Well, I'll be doing more NFL based breakdowns of NFL players, some schemes, run games, stuff like that. I really really enjoyed doing so. Just happened with you. Go up boy, and of course on Twitter, dpn s great NFL, come holler at me the quote Bark Scott can't wait. Can't wait, my friend. You're one of the best, dude, and it's been way too long. Let's make this a regular thing, bro, and we'll we'll be talking real live football here in a matter of weeks.
Damon Partsons, thanks for coming by, but thanks Fellers.