Welcome in to the New Orleans Saints Podcast, present a buy seatcake. You'll hear from players, coaches, broadcasters and writers that cover the NFL on a daily basis. The New Orleans Saints Podcast starts right now. Here's your host, Aaron Summers.
Welcome into the New Orleans Saints Podcast. Aaron Summers here, we are starting our Draft preview podcast leading up to the NFL Draft April twenty four through twenty six. We'll have three a week breaking down the prospects, what the other NFC South teams are looking to do, and of course, what could be in store for the Saints. With pro days wrapping up, we are focusing on LSU prospects today.
As the Tigers held their pro day last Wednesday, there was a lot of noise coming out of the combine about top offensive tackle Will Campbell and his arm length, his measurement Wednesday, silence that noise.
For two years, nobody had any measurements on me and nobody said anything about my play. So now all of a sudden, Armley decides if I'm a good player or not. I think it's bs, But you know, any decision makers in the NFL, they don't really care as all. You know, people who don't coach, and they don't coach for a reason.
Campbell measured thirty three inches, which is viewed as the threshold for NFL tackles. Tight End Mason Taylor participated in on field drills after opting out at the combine. Taylor said a lot of his time in Indie and when meeting with teams is on showing what teams are getting on and off the field.
Yeah, I mean, I just really try to pride myself in any meeting I talked to a team being that all around guy, all around player as a tight end, you know, doing whatever is asked of him, whatever's on my plate, and kind of being a guy that's an every down player as a tight end and doing everything in the run game past game. So that's really what I pride.
Myself on, what I try to sell myself on.
And then also just being myself in those meetings, you know, laughing, jogging around with the guys, you know, meeting new people and just being myself, showing my character and you know, things are things are bigger than an athlete from me just being a better person and you know, being that locker room guy and that great teammates also what I try to pride myself on and so myself to these teams.
For today's podcast guest, I'm bringing in longtime NFL running back, former Texas back, and current ESPN analyst Fozzie Whittaker. Whittaker was on hand covering LSU's Pro Day for SEC Network and had some great insight into the potential draftees. Fazzi, thank you so much for joining me on the New Orleans Saints podcast. I knew the minute I saw you at LSU Pro Day that you are going to be my guy to break down the LSU prospects for me, so I appreciate it. How are you.
I'm doing fantastic vins, Aaron, thank you for having me on. I'm excited to talk about the NFL drafted LSU Pro Day did not dis the point in the slightest. Yeah.
I mean last year there was so much hype around their pro day just because the class was so loaded with Jayden Daniels, Malik Neighbors. But there were quite a few people out there at this pro day as well. Six got drafted last year. How many LSU players do you think are going this year?
I think for sure. I have five on my mind, and it obviously starts off with standout tackle Will Campbell, who clocked in thirty three inches on the arm, so his arms actually grew since the last time he was at the NFL Combine when he was measured there. He'll be most likely a top ten NFL pick to one of the teams that likes him the best, and a
lot of different draft boards. I've seen him as the top tackle, I've seen him as the second tackle, and sometimes even as the third tackle, but regardless, I think he still will get drafted in that top ten range. He didn't participate at all in the Pro Day. He let his tape as well as as his performance at the Combine kind of do the speaking for him, and typically that's what we see of some of those big,
high caliber athletes like Will Campbell. But it was really cool getting to see him in person, comparing you know, different size and metrics, in particular Kelvin Banks. I was able to do Texas Pro Day the day prior, so on Tuesday I got to see Kelvin Banks work out, and then that following day I got to see Will Campbell in person as well and comparing them to two of the top tackles in the NFL Draft. This upcoming April, I thought was really neat and really cool and I
was just happy to be there. But definitely Will Campbell is the top prospect there. You look at Brayden Swinson, who I really love as an edge prospect, probably fits in a three four scheme as an outside linebacker. Really came on his senior year, his last year there at LSU, and the thing that impressed me the most was how much his past rush presence increased. And obviously the production speaks for self. Eight and a half stacks, double digit TFLs as well as just being a factor and a
leader on this football team. I believe he has the possibility and chances to really sneak into that second round and be a solidify a second round prospect, and somebody will be able to utilize him in year number one. In his rookie season, he also was in attendance there.
Did not do anything combine related to the measurements, but that was it didn't partake in any of the on field drills or exercises, and for the most part, I think the film also was speaking for itself in regards to Brayden Swinson the one that I was most intrigued to watch those with Mason Taylor another combine standout that brew proved how well and how soft he can track
and catch the ball at the combine. But some of the questions that needed to be answered was what was his top end speed, like, what was his blocking ability going to be like in comparison to what he's been able to do as you know, the more prolific tight end that has ever come through LSU doors. And I think he put a lot of those questions to rest
with his pro day performance. Didn't need to catch like I said, because he did so well at the combine, but he showcased how versatile he can be as an inline blocker and sometimes even whenever he's out on the perimeter.
Some of the scouts had him doing specific blocking drills to gauge where his strength and his power is and not to mention the strength twenty eight reps on the bench press for Mason Taylor, so not only can he do it as a receiving threat, but also can do it whenever they need to put his hands in a dirt and a lot of people were referencing his style of play to George Kittle, and that's a great comp obviously, somebody that's done it at a very high level in
the NFL. If Mason Taylor can do some of the things that made George Kittle successful, then I think Mason Taylor has an opportunity to have a standout career in the NFL. So those are a couple of the top prospects that I was able to witness. Emery Jones will be another one. I think Miles Fraser also can be a late round draft pick that'll be getting attention. But
definitely some exciting athletes that showcase their abilities. Coward Lacy also receiver as well, that had a lot of scouts watching what he did, and I think I think he helped himself putting on you know, kind of receiving clinic and being able to showcase what he can do as a receiver as well.
Yeah, a couple of players I want to kind of go back and highlight here. You mentioned off the top, Will Campbell, because yes, everybody was obsessed with how quote unquote short his arms were, as thirty three supposed to be the threshold for the NFL tackle. He was really
interesting talking to him afterwards. I mean, he did not appreciate people's perspective on that and what people were saying, and rightfully so, he's very confident in his work on the field and what he does and said that the feedback that he got from a lot of people in the NFL was he could very much be a tackle at the next level. Did you think there was a little bit too much made about that because it really
wasn't a big difference. Thirty two and five eighths and thirty three doesn't seem like a huge difference.
I'm gonna tell you this, Aaron, just like any any time that football season is not in play, everything is blown out of proportion. And obviously it starts with the NFL combine, it starts in media have.
To find stories to talk.
About exactly and you and I both know, but from my perspective and just from an analyst perspective as well as a former football player, professionally.
If you can ball, that's what matters most. And I guarantee as the scouts that are scouting Will Campbell and anybody else that was perceived to have measurables that weren't ideal to the stereotypical type of tackle or the Joe Burrow hand incident more recently as well. Anybody that turns on the tape and says, hey, we're not going to draft this guy because he doesn't have thirty three inch arms, it is probably not in the right position to actually
make decisions for that NFL football team. If you turn on the tape for Will Campbell, I mentioned it earlier, speaks for itself. But the thing that stands out to me the most is how calm and patient he is in his set. He went up against guys that had long goarms in the SEC he went up against some of the best pass rushers in the country, and seeing the way he stayed patient, confident, and comfortable within the pocket, keeping it clean, letting Gared Nussmeyer do exactly what gart
Nussmeyer does, throwing for over four thousand yards. That's truly what NFL teams and scouts are clamoring about now. From a media perspective, yeah, we're gonna blow it out of proportion. That's our job, right to make sure the storylines are
rolling in the headlines. If something looks a little bit different, well we got to highlight that different because there's not too many other stories that are happening during this time for preparation of the NFL Draft, and so the arm reachs does get blown out of proportion quite a bit. But whenever you throw on the tape, you start to see how consistent of a player he is. And that's not just from this season, but you go back even to last year. You see the consistency play in and
play out. You see the consistency weekend week out, year in year out, and that's what made him a three year starter since he stepped foot in Baton Rouge, and that's what truly is going to separate him as being one of the most dependable guys in this NFL draft because of how many games he started consecutively since he stepped on the field. Then miss naps always was a staple whenever you're talking about protecting the blind side of the quarterback and then showcasing like it doesn't matter what
my metrics say. I'm a football player and I can play left tackle in an elite level, and I think and I believe he'll be able to do that at the next level as well in the NFL.
Yeah, I loved his attitude about it, and he was very confident and good for him. When you think about Mason Taylor, obviously everybody thinks about his father and knows that he comes from NFL pedigree, but he looks like an NFL player. He looks the part. And he said he didn't participate in the on field work at the
Combine because he still wanted to train for it. It's kind of weird to me that you have to train for these drills at a combine or a pro day differently than you actually would train to actually play the game that you're going to be drafted for. What is your take on the point the purpose of these pro days versus people participating or not? You know, how much do the measurements matter versus what you're seeing on film.
It's funny you bring that up, because that was a question that I asked several of the LSU Pro Day participants. The common thing was like, Hey, now I get a chance to not train for the forty but actually train
for football, because that's the most important aspect, right. We sometimes can lose sighte as fans, as people that are on looking, even as media members, we can lose sight of what the real goal is during these opportunities and during this timeframe, right, we do get to see a glimpse of what your top end speed looks like in the forty yard dash, and I thought Mason Taylor really helped himself out. Unofficially we were able to clock them
at a four or five nine. That's what several scouts were able to clock in his pro day, And I thought, maamn, if you turn on the tape, you don't necessarily see four or five nine jump off the page. But it's because of how smooth he runs, how effortless he looks, and then the way that he runs his routes. It almost seems as though he's running the same speed the entire time, which makes it very difficult for linebackers and safeties to cover and try to find an edge on
defending a guy like Mason Taylor. But these scouts, whenever you get them all in a place and they get that clock out, they get their time four or five nine, they woe. Okay, we had this guy pigged. It's maybe a four to six eight four seventy one type of guy, and he comes out here he wows us with a four or five nine. That's what the combine and the
pro day is typically four right. It's just an additional data point to help prove what you've already analyzed from the on tape production, because ultimately, on field production is going to be the basis of where everyone is being perceived to be drafted at or what their draft grade is. And if you participated in the Senior Bowl or if you got an invite to the East West Shrine Game, any of these additional bowl games that you get a chance to meet with scouts and they get to see
you practice against some other top tier opponents. That's an early glimpse as well, and additional data points for some of these NFL teams to get hands on experience with a lot of these draft eligible guys. So, Mason Taylor, you already mentioned it, the family pedigree and the heritage
that he possesses. He's already been prepared for a moment like this, But seeing the way that he went out there and seized that moment last Wednesday, I thought was truly impressive and in the showcase how good of a
pro athlete he can be. He possesses the mindset and what it means to be an actual pro and then all the scouts, all the coaches, and even GM guys, those that sit in the office, those that were in attendance, can say, Hey, we know we're going to get out of this guy over thirteen hundred yards of production since
he was the tight end at LSU. Let's go ahead and see how we can continue to make our pick feel as though we are more confident in it by saying, hey, okay, whenever we need a one on one difference maker on third down, how does Mason Taylor become that guy for us? And they can reflect back on the four or five nine. They can reflect back on him being able to pass pro and then leak out into the flats if that's
something they need him to do. They can reflect on how his hands are soft, or whenever you need a big play e overtime as a true freshman against Alabama, we know the moment does not get too big for a guy like Mason Taylor. So they use a lot of the combine as well as the pro day type of setting to be able to re emphasize and reinforce some of the traits that they've already been able to witness them partake in whenever they play their previous seasons or in previ or in seasons prior.
I think somebody who maybe grabs some attention that he wasn't already having was running back Josh Williams with his numbers, I mean, a forty two and a half introvert is insane, and then he ran a four five point forty, which was obviously the fastest there, but again extremely quick. How do you think he helped himself out with his ability to showcase his speed its athleticism at the Pro Day?
Yeah, the number one thing. And so many people have already talked about the storyline of Josh Williams, but I have to start there before I even get into his performance at Pro Day. Is his performance whenever he first stepped on campus right originally as a walk on, overlooked, wanted the opportunity to play at the university that he grew up loving and supporting, and he finally got that opportunity.
And whenever that opportunity came for him to actually step onto the field, he sees every moment and advantage And that's the type of work ethic, that's the type of guy, that's the type of pro player that you're going to
get out of Josh Williams. And then it shows you the sign of respect that he has amongst his teammates, being awarded the number eighteen number in this previous year, of being the leader, of being what it means to be an LSU Tiger, not only on the field, but as well as off of the field, and being able to graduate with two degrees from LSU and he did
it with an NBA. We all know how hard that can be, as well as managing his time, being able to make it to practice, study for the proper things, and then now prepare for the NFL Draft and take part in LSU Pro Day. I thought he really made some money. So I say all of those things to give you a little backdrop about Josh Williams and how he's already been prepared to be a pro right his
start in college. He already was behind all of the other scholarship guys, and even this year, splitting carries was something that probably he didn't think he wanted to do or he didn't think was going to happen, But having the opportunity and ability to be prepared for the moment to show up and show out whenever the opportunity presented itself, whenever he need to do that, I thought was shrutly amazing, and that gives you an insight on the type of
preparation that he's had, not necessarily just for this past season at LSU, but also his preparation for the pro day enshowing you how the pro type of mentality and approach that he's been able to attake can help him be more of a draftable or even signed as a free agent type of guy. And I think him as
a physical specimen. I don't know if you've ever been able to see Josh Williams in person, but this guy looks like a Greek god and he is built like a just a fighting machine, built like a refrigerator on steroids. And he's not on steroids. I'm not saying that he is. I'm just saying this guy looks like he is in physical shape, and that's what you want to see right at pro day's. I've witnessed several in the past where guys show up, they're out of shape, they're tired after
going four or five reps. They don't look like they prepared for in the proper way of this being probably the most important job interview of their life, especially for their future career. If being and partaking in the NFL is what they ultimately want to achieve. That's not the case with Josh Williams. He showed up prepared, ready to go, and then whatever his number was called, he proved to a point that hey, I've been doubted my entire career.
I've been doubted since I stepped foot in Baton Rouge on campus. I've been doubted by other people that have said, hey, you're not a number one starting running back type of caliber player at a university like LSU. Well, let me show you all the type of work that I put in, and let me show you why you couldn't be more far from the truth, because this is who he is. That's what he's been since he stepped foot on campus.
So from an NFL perspective, from a scout perspective, they know exactly what they're going to get with Josh Williams. They know exactly the type of guy that's wanting to show up, go to work, stay extra, to be able to do the things that a lot of rookies may not want to do. It's just unfortunate his start happening a little bit slower in his progression of being one
of the top backs at LSU. It just took a little bit longer to get there, and that may hurt him from a draftable position perspective, But at the end of the day, I do truly believe he'll get an invite to somebody's camp or have an opportunity to be a free agent deal. And that's whenever he gets a chance to make the biggest impression and showcase why he is one of the type of pros that NFL scouts and coaches always clamor about having in a locker room.
You could almost see the emotion come out of him when he ran the forty. You know, all the work that he's put in his journey from being a walk on to getting a spot on the squad, and then the performance that he was put on. I mean, he let out a scream and pounded his chest and he was completely fired up and rightfully so after his forty,
and you couldn't help but be happy for him. After his performance for Pro Day, there was somebody there that obviously got to display some of their skills in front of the scouts that isn't draft eligible, with quarterback Garrett Nesmeier, somebody who now with his dad on the Saints staff is gonna be close to our area, a lot of LSU fans here as well. What do you think that we're gonna see from him once Draft Day comes? He's
got another year at LSU. Do you like how he's rowing though there at the Pro Day?
Absolutely, And got a chance to speak with him as well once Pro Day finished up, and Garrett was gracious enough to share some of his time with us, and I asked him straight up, Hey, your dad has taken part in a probably countless number of workouts, whether it's as a coach, whether it's as a scout, whether it was as a player, the combine, Pro Day's across the board. He knows exactly what happens. He knows what it's supposed
to look like. He knows the guys that have prepared well for the moment, and he knows the guys that haven't necessarily prepared well for the moment. I can say Garrettnusmeyer was adequately prepared for trying to put his players and his teammates in the best life. And I thought he did a phenomenal job slinging the rock I mentioned earlier. I got to see the kind of transition of Kelvin
Banks the day prior at Texas pro Da. So Will Campbell obviously just from a size perspective, Well, I go from quinn Ewers on the prior on Tuesday, and then I get to see Garrett Nuttsmeyer and I got to see them actually in person throwing the same type of routes in the balls that I see. And I can
say Garrett Nutsmeyer absolutely looks the part. And quin viewers had a really good pro day, and I thought Garrett Nussmeyer had an excellent pro day the way he was able to place the ball in the bucket, throwing to Colin Lacy, throwing to Josh Williams, just having that opportunity
to showcase how talented he is. And we've got to remember he was only a first year starter last year, right, that was his first time actually actually stepping foot on the field as the true kind of leader, following in the footsteps of what Jane Dames was able to do. And so now you look at year number two and the expectations of what they're going through currently and spring ball. So having the opportunity to let obviously to have coach say, hey,
it is fine for you to do this. We had Pratt this yesterday, and you know we're in the midst of preparing for season twenty twenty five, but hey, this is a great chance for you to showcase your skills. And I tried to frame the question in that light. It was like, hey, what do you want to showcase for your teammates? What do you want to showcase for your spell And the ultimate respect that a guy like Gary Nussmi, the leader of this twenty twenty five LSU
football team, said, was I'm not here for me. I'm here to help my brothers. I'm here to throw to them one last time in preparation and help improve their draft stock. Whatever scouts think of me, I could care less. Right now, I'll get my moment. He didn't say those words, but that's how I perceived it. It's like my time is coming. I'll get a chance to do this next
year if Lord says the same. But right now, it's about all of the guys around being Not only was he able to throw to Kyraen Lacy and Josh Williams, but he even has some of his current LSU receivers and tight ends take part in prote to help give those other guys a breathe, but at the same time, we all know it's an open interview. And the way he was able to execute the passes, the way the chemistry flowed between all of those guys within that room
that were getting ready to run the next route. That's the type of leader that Garrett Nasmyer is. He's not only a ball player, but he elevates the game of the people around him. And you saw that with the offensive line. You saw that with the running backs with Josh William, even Kaden Durham, the standout freshman that was
able to get some carries. And then obviously the receivers Mason Taylor, Kward and Lacy, all the guys around him in the new additions finding out what it's like to be in the locker room with a guy like Garrett Nesmyer. I thought he really proved he can be a valuable asset. He can be one of the top quarterbacks coming back in this upcoming draft for next year, and I thought
he performed admirably. Prepared for the moment. Obviously, some of that comes from his father in the same way we talked about Mathan Taylor being prepared for the moment, but At the end of the day, you can only lead a horse to the water, you can't force them to drink it. And that's what Mason Taylor and Garrett Nessmeyer we're able to do is I can say they drank the entire well dry improved in showcase why the talent pool is rich within that family name.
Yeah, LSU has had a rich talent pool for a while. And the quarterbacks, I don't know, they seem to get better the more time they spend there. Jayden Daniels came on, Joe Burrow came on. So maybe Garrettnsmeyer is just going to have a breakout season next year and we're going to be talking a lot more about him leading into the twenty twenty six draft. But looking at this twenty twenty five draft, what are you looking forward to the most or storylines?
Yeah, overall, outside of LSU perspective and outside of Texas perspective, the two pro days that I was able to attend, my biggest question mark is where is Travis Hunter going to get drafted and where will he start his NFL career. Will it be at wide receiver on the offensive side of the ball, it will it be as a cornerback on the defensive side of the ball. And then how will these teams use him in special teams? Being as dynamic of a punt returner as he is, will that
be on display for that NFL team? And obviously so many different question marks thwill around the draft order. There's been so many different mock drafts I can tell you right now probably within the history of drafts, has there ever been one correctly mocked prior to the draft, actually, because we can't tell what trades are going to go down and what one team is willing to give up in order to move up a few spots to get the cornerstone piece that they believe will be their franchise player.
I believe Travis Hunter has that type of ability to be able to warrant being a franchise player and building around him is extremely important for whatever team goes and gets him. But will that be at the number two spot, will that be at the number three spot, maybe it's even at the number one spot. Does he fall back outside of the top five? Like those are all question marks that intrigue me because we haven't quite seen a player like him since maybe Champ Bailey did it at Georgia.
But even then it's still slightly different from the impact that Travis Hunter was able to provide as the reigning Heisman Trophy winner as well. And just seeing what team values the skill set that he possesses and how they may utilize him. I think that's my biggest, kind of most intriguing storyline that I want to see unfold in this twenty twenty five NFL Draft.
Yeah, that's definitely going to be a really interesting one for sure. There's a lot to look forward to as we approach the draft. April twenty fourth. Thank you so much for breaking some stuff down for me. I appreciate it. Great insight.
Absolutely, thank you, And hopefully I don't have any more allergies of coughing attacks take me out while I'm trying to talk about some of the NFL draft prospects.
Hey, I'm just glad that that LSU tight end didn't take you out when he was flying into this set over there during the pro day, because I was dicey for a little bit.
It was very dicey. I had a moment in myself, do I step in front of him to be able to kind of break his fall, or would he in turn break me and I ultimately went with self preservation. So sorry if I wasn't able to catch you with tome I had on my snoup. I didn't want to get dirty, I didn't want to get hurt, so I took the self preservation rat.
Hey fair enough and he was fine. He didn't end up running into any of the equipment, so everybody can walk away, you know, okay with that, But again I appreciate it, Thank you so.
Much, Thank you, Aaron. I appreciate you.
Okay. So for some clarity on the whole running out of bounds saving yourself incident, there was an LSU tight end that was catching in between reps for the prospects. He dove for a ball, continued his momentum out of bounds right towards where the SEC network setup was. He took out a stansion, but as I said, no one was hurt. He ended up falling short of the camera equipment, the lighting, everything that was set up, so nothing was
damaged and he got up just fine. For Wednesday's episode, we'll be bringing in former Saints quarterback Luke McCown who will break down the quarterback prospects in the draft and Friday it's John Stinchcum who joins me to talk offensive lineman. We are less than a month away, so get your draft boards ready.
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Saints Podcast. Preciently buy seat geeke join us three times per week on New Orleans Saints dot com, the Saints Mobile app, or you can download the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you next time right here on the New Orleans Saints Podcast, presented by seat Geek