NFL GM Rankings + Draft Questions with Eric Edholm

I like this. I like this, Greg. We had people gregging for you while you were gone, don't worry. Yeah, we had a whole pan of Greg Lets holding down the fort. I don't think Greg Lets is really capture. That's too demeaning for the quality of guests that you guys have that Greg Let's hey, just be chill, okay, remember oh yeah, let's get thirty seconds. Let's see what happened while you were gone. I feel like you were gone a long time. You weren't, but it feels that

way because you and I had overlapping vacations. Did you know the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson? I do know that. Um, I hope it works out well for them. I think he'll have a really fun year. Do you know we went to London a couple of times. Oh your wife moved out? That that has been my fear and I wake up in a in a cold sweat. I would not be a Hawaii in my mind if that happened. Yeah, very blessed. What a family, What a ride life has been for Greg Rosenthal. Mark Sessler not with us today,

he'll be back next week. And today's show, good one, Good one. Um, it's time to get back into some draft talk. So we have one of the very best on the subject, Eric ed Holme. He works for US. He's also our lead draft writer. Did you know that our lead draft analyst? I didn't know that was dot com. I was rein Eric at home back when he was at PF Weekly, like in the mid oughts. So he's been in the game a minute. He was at Yahoo

for a while, and yet now he's with US. I you know, I like that title because if Eric and you know, that's something that was either negotiated or at some point it was worked out. He asked for it, we'll ask him about it. That means Daniel Jeremiah is not the lead draft writer, so just think about that, which is nice. So right away bonus points for Ed Holme in a big spot. It's a good move by him because he's a writer. Um, he's now going to

be a podcaster. Because there are two mediums Jeremiah hasn't tried out, hasn't touched. It's twenty twenty three. You gotta do more. You would think Jeremiah, someone that is respected in the industry, he would touch those areas. But totally you know, just virgin Ip just writing and podcasting. He's he's all just about television. That's dinosaur thinking old Hollywood Jeremiah. For those chord cutters, look out all right. Also, you have Greg Apiece coming out any minute, any minute, probably

maybe even by the time this podcast is up. Ranking the general Managers. I always enjoy this exercise. In fact, I remember having I was disappointment that you kind of pushed this one through legislation and we didn't get to actually really talk about it last year. I was like, no, this is a good piece speaking of IP, I like

this ranking the gms. This was either yea at some point it was either last year or the year before you got on me for not mentioning, and that's why I have mentioned it multiple times to you, even before I went on vacations. This thing is dropping. When I get back, we're gonna hit that as well. But first let's start by doing just a little bit of news. So very stupid but fun. This is the quietest time of uh the league year, accepting of course, like post draft,

before training camps. Well except yeah, except post mini camps. I would say, like late mid June through mid July. It's a little uh yeah, I mean I yeah. Besides that, like it's a little under the radar because you think, oh, the draft is coming up. But yeah, it's been. It was quiet last week. It's been very quiet this week. But there was one big bit of news that just

broke as we were about to record. Um. This was reported by our guy Ian Rappaport that Josh Harris's group Josh Harris, who I believe owns the Sixers in the NBA, He's a co owner of the Philadelphia seventy six ers, a group led by Josh Harris and that includes billionaire Mitchell Rails and former NBA star and legend Magic Johnson are nearing a deal to buy the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder for just under six billion dollars. Greggy, Nothing is final according to Ian, or has been sent to

the League. The bid still needs to be submitted and improved and approved. But this is another major step and maybe finally the end of an era in Washington. Amazing news for Commandos fans, I mean amazing Anders in Washington, DC, and the Pentagon Commando somehow feels pejorative, so we'll give

them the commander's respect now that they're changing ownership. And for Ian, who does work for the League as well as us, to be able to report this tells me that yes, nothing is final, but they would not be reporting this. And there's other reporting out there that it's essentially an agreement and principle unless it was on like the six inch line. There's been reporting that Jeff Bezos was was not really in the mix and that this

bid was the best one. And I don't know if our producer Grave Digger kicked that U drop to start the show, um because of a long held opinion and thing I've said on this show, did you justin that was more about the GM rankings, where I thought listeners like, everyone's gonna be like, why is my GM ranked? I would have been surprising. Replace I didn't impressed. I didn't set that up. Well. The drop was that that we hate your team more than all the other teams, and

and here and there. Over the ten years of this show, I have often said every fan base like thinks I hate their team more than the rest, and only one of them is right. It's Washington's fans. It's because of their old owner. It's been a disaster. Like no one has treated an NFL franchise with more mistakes, I mean more. I mean, look at the lack of care for their fans and the players and the coaches frankly over the last twenty years plus the Dan Snyder and so it's

a great day. That's and listen, Washington football fans they know this better than anyone. But look at the last twenty years under Snyder. In the previous twenty years where they were a fixture, they were a beast in the NFC East. They won multiple Super Bowl titles. It was, you know, one of the more exciting, really like kind of franchises because of the fan base, which is to the credit of the fans in Washington. I know there have been times where the stadium hasn't been as packed,

but who could blame them? I mean, even the facility is not up to par. And you have a situation now where it's going to feel like, as long as everything goes to plan here, if this report turns into a reality like a total rebirth for the organization and the fans and an excitement level that they haven't had

in a long time. And I'm thinking about the the New York Mets in baseball that they went from an ownership that was really underwater and had gotten absolutely buried by the Bernie Madoff scandal, and we're not spending money. They sell to a billionaire who immediately who's the billionaires? Any many owner of the Mets, Cohen pumps in tons of money and resources into the organization, revitalizes things. Now football is not quite that easy. You can't just spend

in the same way. That's what Dan Snyder tried to do. He just was terrible at it for many years. But just the idea of getting new ownership and if as long as there's people in charge that know what they're doing, there's still things we need to learn Greg about the new ownership. You can't just assume new ownership is going to be better, but it's probably going to be better. I mean, the seventy six Ers I think have been a well run franchise. Magic Johnson I think has rings

in literally every sport other than the NFL. I think he mentioned that that was the four major US sports. That's a good sign. And and Snyder he tried to spend that was part of the reason why things didn't work. I mean, Albert Haynesworth, Dan Sanders, Donovan McNabb all that. But I think it does show that some of the things we've talked about in terms of workplace culture and harassment over the last number of years, just as a society like does, get people out of the paint eventually.

I mean, he was suspended by the NFL for a toxic workplace in sexual harassment. That suspension was kind of vague when it was going to end. Tanya Snyder, his wife was still working as the active owner. But you can draw a pretty clear line between Hit that latest problem for Dan Snyder in him eventually agreeing to sell the team. Now it's it's America where he's not really getting punished. He just sold a thing for an NFL team for almost six billion dollars. Like nothing goes up

in value like NFL teams. It's an incredible, incredible investment. Already, the Broncos sale from a year ago looks like a bargain. They were they were bought for like a million a billion and a half less And so it's not like he's getting pushed out the door. But I think based on everything we know about Snyder, this was the thing he wanted to do most in the world, and he would love to keep owning the team. And are completely embarrassing how everything this isn't gonna end with yeah, Daniel

Snyder being destitute. But it is a billionaire boys club, and there's probably you could argue in America, there's no better toy to have for a billionaire in a way to flex your success. And if you if you love sports or even just love you know, finding success in very public venues in society owning a sports team like so that he loses that and and Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers also had um a scandal that involved inappropriate conduct that led swiftly to him uh losing the Panthers.

So yeah, maybe you are seeing progress in a way that twenty years ago would not have happened. In fact, I'm almost certain of it. Twenty years ago these things wouldn't have led to where they're leading now. Brought the team for seven hundred and fifty million, by the way, so that's a good it's good good ROI, And it's I don enough. You're into the whole lot return on UM and think about it that this group, if it goes through and they get six billion, it's like, oh

my god, they paid six billion. When they sell in twenty years, it's going to be like thirty seven billion dollars you want inflation bro in value. No. No one was their hug, now you mean you're absolutely right now, no one. No one was more like anti media and was worse handling the media, and and Um also was very vindictive against like his former coaches and stuff like that. We don't need to go through all that stuff, but what I mean to say, and also had enemies in

terms of politicians in Washington. The reason I bring all this up is I think that can all get better, like immediately, I don't know what it's going to mean for Ron Rivera. I think he'll have this year to kind of prove himself to the new ownership group. But in terms of their stadium deal, which has been an issue in part, I think because the politicians around Washington didn't want to do Dan Snyder any favors and it's

just been in gridlock. Now maybe that can be opened up too, and these new owners can get a nice new stadium. How about congrats, congrat If you have a Commanders fan in your life, do you have any? Do I have? No? Okay, I've got a couple, and they're huge football fans and they've every I've never seen a fan base love their teams so much and yet hate their team because of the owner so much and just been waiting for this day. They never gave up loyalty

of like wanting to love the team. They've just been waiting for this day. And so I know, at least my two friends that are both Commander's friends, like this is like Christmas. This is the best thing that's happened to them as sports fans for two decades. So I am happy for them. Yes, there is I now I'm thinking about it. In the early days of NFL media, we had a I wish Mark was here for this, but we had a colleague named Jason Feller, who sadly is no longer with us, and he was a diehard

Washington fan. And there was a bar down the street from our old office called Jockser's Daily in Culver City that was a crazy Washington sports bar and they would have sirens going off in there when they would be touchdown. This is like twelve years ago now and just the place packed with burgundy and gold. It's a good fan

base that deserves better, and hopefully they'll get it. In other news, speaking of fan bases that deserve better, the Jets are still trying to get Aaron Rodgers on their team. It's an ongoing process. It's um I wouldn't say as a Jets fan, I'm nervous about it. But at the same time, like the longer this goes on, the more it's just like, all right, come on, what's up? Is

there an issue? I don't think so. I mean, Joe Douglas was on some at some fan event or something last week and he publicly saying, oh, yeah, he's gonna be on the team Aaron Rodgers. But then you see a report from Yahoo's Sports NFL guy Charles Robinson, who was on the Wild and Taosh podcast. I hope I got that right. Well that's Mark Tauscher and Jason Wilde, I believe not wild. I always thought it was will

they double miss? Can you get on that one? Grave Digger, I'll look into another long time you know, a long time beat guy. He was in some ways the original McAfee because he had Aaron Rodgers doing a weekly spot on his radio show for years in Green Bay. So either Wild and Taosh or Wilde in Taoish Tasher Willdee I think ESPN Radio shared some insight into the trade talks on that program. He reported that the packers asking price for Rogers is a second round pick in twenty

twenty three. Jets have two of those and a straight first round pick in twenty twenty four. Green Bay wants a first round pick next year. No questions asked. Now I have a question. And there's a little follow up to this involving Jets ownership, which always makes me a little bit nervous. But didn't Mark Murphy come out and say to the media a couple of weeks ago at the owner's meetings that They're not looking for a first round pick necessarily, that's what he said. Doesn't that clash

with this report? Well, I think the word necessarily, and then maybe the difference between a twenty twenty four first round pick, maybe it's a conditional. It sounds like there's gonna be conditions on them sending a pick back if Rogers tires after a year. But it does clash a little bit. I'm trying to I'm trying to find where

the gray area would be. Yeah, and then you have a because I want Joe Douglas, the GM of the Jets, and we'll get into him a little bit later on the show, to be the guy drive in the boat.

But you always wonder where's Woody Johnson, the Jets owner and also Robins had said that the parties had the parameters of a deal in place initially, but after Rogers said the I'm ninety I was ninety percent retired thing on the Macavie show, Woody Johnson, here's I'm just this is a quote from a Yahoo right up of the interview. Got scared to spend high draft capital on him. That

would explain why the Packers don't want to take less. Okay, so I don't know if that's true, but if it's true, that gives a little insight into this, and yes, that would that would inject a little bit of nerves to me as a Jets fan that Woody is the one holding this up over football matters. I think he needs to be deferring to his general men. Well, it's also fascinating to me that the McAfee appearance would have had a material difference on the negotiations. Doesn't surprise you, but

it doesn't surprise me knowing the party's involved. Well, I mean it makes sense too when you hear that. I agree you need to have some conditions for if he's going to retire soon or maybe that would make you think a little differently than when you just sat down and face the face with him. No one's worried about this. It totally makes sense to me that the deal would happen during the draft, because that's that's when you get your absolute last case brass tacks offers, and it will

probably be day two of the draft. You'll have to even wait, I think Dan through day one because that's when the picks for this year's draft, where the Packers would actually have to take it. You have to wait till Friday. It's fine, it's fine. I actually appreciate the lack of news that's been on this story. I think everyone's being adults here. It's like, this is just how it goes every you know, we cover the NFL every day,

so things pop up. But it's fine, it'll have I was I was proud of the media cycle when one of the Boomer and Carton I think it is no Carton is now on a different show. Evan Roberts on WFAN floated something about the Niners like getting in on Aaron Rodgers, and everybody's like, no, go away, that's not it. That's not an actual story, and at this point it's not Let's see if they can iron things out. Finally in the news real quick. Here Devin White, linebacker of

the Bucks. He has been on an All Pro team, second team, he's been a Pro Bowler, and now he wants out of Tampa Bay. Per Jeremy Fowler U of ESPN, he's frustrated with extension talk. So Greggy the Bucks, who some people thought we're gonna go in full teardown mode after Tom Brady walked away that a lot of their veteran corps is coming back. White was supposed to be among that group. This doesn't mean he's actually leaving, but

he's expressing displeasure with the contractor pieces fed up. According to Yes fans Jenna Lane, I am too grad beggar, They're not they're not going to do anything. By all accounts that they have no interest in trade him. They have him under contract this year on a fifth year option for eleven point seven million. You know, pretty good for an off ball winebager. He's a very difficult guy to evaluate. He was the same guy that dev that Todd Bowles was kind of burying publicly during last year

for freelancing a little bit. He's had the All Pro teams, But if if you trust the PF grading, he's a very boomer bust player who gives up a lot of big light. It makes a lot of big plays. But if they don't want to trade him, they're not going to trade him. And I don't think they're gonna trade him. Yes, he grades out poorly on PF despite the accolades. Have we got do we have any on the ESPN program? We're looking into it. Well, I'll get back to you. Yes,

it's not as easy as I expect. I mean, I feel reasonably confident this is a man, right Jason wildee Um, I used to read quite a bit when I was doing those brick by brick posts on Rhoda World. We have confirmation it is wildy yeah about and I believe I've I've been on the program, but way back in the day. Yeah, way back in the day. All right, well you should definitely know then, Greg. It was like

fifteen years is different show. I just blank that. Greg was just name checking like seventeen people and I just glazed over form a bit. There you know them. That's great, That's what I know. I'm back to glaze over and touch All right, here we go. That's what's happening in the news. Let's take a break and then talk to our new buddy, Eric Adholme. Welcome back, our guest joining us now. We established us at the top of the show, the lead NFL draft writer for NFL Media and it's

properties uh. He is Eric Edholm. Gentlemen, what's going on? How are you? Eric? I'm doing well? Yeah. I mean usually at this this point of the draft season, I'm pulling out my hair and then losing sleep and all that I've I've I've I've been more dialed in this year, more more ready for draft, the draft season, I guess, or the draft to come up. Then I can remember in recent years, why is that? Why is that? I don't know? Is it this class? There's something about the

class that makes you feel more at peace? Is it the lead Draft Analyst title that you somehow it's the title. Let's just get it out there. It really is. Before they put lead in there, I was just feeling a little off. What about I don't know about Jeremiah because you know, I call him the Wholesome Assassin because he presents himself as this good guy. But I wouldn't be surprised if there's a text in your phone or an email. They're a little bit like a back off type vibe

from M I have. I have some threatening text that I'm just storing just in case I need to use as collateral for anything. But I have a few of my own. I grew up in Boston, you know, I got a little little salt in my veins. So well, I want to start here, Eric as we get in

and look ahead. The draft is two weeks from tonight actually, and and I'm curious, what is the piece of let's start kind of like, in a broad sense, is what is the piece of draft board conventional wisdom that's kind of been driving your nuts during this process this year?

I think it's good question. I think it's probably more apropos this year because we have a running back who, you know, regardless of position, if you just ask people who their their favorite talents are overall, you know, Bijean Robinson deserves to be I think pretty high on that list.

But the whole question over where running backs should and shall never be drafted and all that stuff, and and and maybe it's an overreaction to a guy like sa Quon Barkley going second and still being a good player, and most of us recognizing that, okay, seconds pretty rich for that position. But there's a there's a there's a happy medium, I think, where players of that ilk can also be respected in and of themselves and deserve to go high in drafts or not, you know, high like

top five. But I think bypassing him just because he's plays a certain position is a little bit shortsighted. So I don't know that that that debate I don't know where you guys fall exactly on that spectrum, but good players tend to help football teams out. That's just my

bottom line. I hate to give Jeremiah pop, but I do agree with his theory that, especially if you're a team that feels like you're a piece away, you don't take a running back high if you're if you're a rebuilding team, but if you're a team that wants that final piece. I mean, as Robinson, is he like that? Dude? Is he at at Barkley's level coming out? Or I remember and Adrian Peterson came out years ago. Is this like one of those special type talents? I think so.

I mean I think him in the first then I know I'm I'm all for it. I mean, he's in my top five again regardless of position, but I recognize he's not going in the in the top five. I don't think, right it would be a shock. Um, Chris Bower already has a running back. No, I'm kidding, but yeah,

I mean it just right. I think you're right. I think if you are that team that feels like and yet, out of one corner of my mouth, I'll also argue I don't think the Eagles should draft him unless it's you know, lower than the tenth pick or something like that, because I think they can They can still do better with that pick and in certain ways as far as the immediate need, but because they have such a good in my opinion, running a run blocking group. You can

put a Boston Scott in there. You can put a Kenneth Gainwell in there and do pretty well for yourself. Uh. You know, Miles Sanders is a good player, but he's not I don't think he's a true difference maker or anything like that. So they let him go and you can find another guy of similar quality in my opinion, So maybe for a team that doesn't quite have the stout offensive lineup front, but is in that situation. I know that limits are our list a little, but maybe

that's the team you start pegging Robinson to. I don't think ten is too early. I mean, if he's a Hall of Fame type of player, and to me just watching him, my very amateur eyes feel like he's an even better prospect than say Quon coming out like in terms of his natural movement skills, I think he's just like a little bit smoother that he he could be up there with the greats, and then what are we talking about here? Of course that's worth drafting anywhere in

the top ten. And I'm not saying that you would want to take him too overall, but if you felt like confident and and you just didn't like the people around you, just just for sake of argument, here's some number two overall picks in the last decade alone, not like not like I think John Robinson should go too, but you have him too, So that's just the number I was thinking of. Zach Wilson, a quon. That's why, that's why it's on my mind. Mitchell Trubisky, Marcus Mariota,

Greg Robinson, Luke jokel. I mean, it's like, what are we talking about here? This whole like the process has to be a certain way because certain positions have to

be taken first. The whole reason why running backs stopped getting taken first, other than the fact that it was like Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams and who else was in that draft, in the top five of that draft where it just got a little out of control, is that positional value, you know, matters, but it doesn't like you should have to have exceptions for every rule, and you can't be that hard and fast. If he's a great player, he deserves to go in the top fifteen,

and I think he will. I think I think you might go as high as ten to the Eagles if he's Ladanian Tomlinson right? Right, what are we talking about? Why are we passing on him? Right? Just because he's a running back. I mean it's tricky with tight ends too, but yeah, I think running back has gotten got way more attention because of this this debate. So I was thinking, like what players make a marek Ed Holmes stay up at night? You know, like you're you're worried about the evaluation.

You're worried about where he's gonna go. You're worried if you're right or wrong about this player, even despite all the work that you've put in, Like which player? What are some players are? Give me one to start that keeps you up at night? Two? And and this is I'm expecting a lot of hate mail from from Tennessee folks, But I have my reservations with Jalen Hyatt and to a lesser degree, head and Hooker because of the offense in which they are used. Right, I mean Josh Hypel.

I'm not anti Josh Hypel, not anti Vall's been to a game there. It's a great place. You know, I love love Rocky Top right, but I think there's reasonable suspicion about that kind of offense and what those players are when they come into the league as far as their their mental preparedness and things like that, how it translates and everything else, you know. I mean, like I guess he gets credit for Sam Bradford at Oklahoma Andrew Jones. I mean, other than that, Drew Locke is the other

top quarterback that he's developed. So you know, you can see it's a little bit of a pattern there, and the same thing with the receivers as well. I mean, I think Gabe Davis would probably be you know, he had a couple years with him UCF. But Jamon Moore, you know, Trey Nixon, Villis Jones last year. I mean, you know, it's not the most illustrious group of all time in terms of you know, early in to mid round picks translating to the NFL. Plus with Hooker, you've

got the injury and the age. I mean, he's got an ACL He's twenty five years old, So as much as I like him, when I watch him, I think to myself, he's got a few strikes against them, and high at kind of a one trick pony. So he's a speed guy who reminds me way too much a

Will Fuller to be comfortable with. So with both guys, I had to kind of water it down a little bit to where I'll take the scrutiny for having them lower than where they're probably going to be drafted, because I just I think there are enough pitfalls with each of them. And you know, on jail and Harder's a big one. Quentin Johnston from TCU, I get a little nervous about because of the drops. And you know, he could be Mike Williams or he could be Kevin White,

you know. I mean that's that's kind of where I fallen on some of these guys. Man will Fuller, I forgot about will Fuller. Yeah, he just dropped out the radar um. Yeah. On the subject of the wide receivers, because another bit of conventional wisdom is like this is not the year to find a superstar wide receiver, right, and yet like nothing's money in the bank when it comes to drafting. But in the NFL in recent years, it feels like these wide receiver it's becoming safer and safer.

Bets that is there somebody that could actually be a superstar, And again, buck conventional wisdom and be that dude. I know you have jsn In from Ohio State there in your top ten, so I guess he would be sensible. You think he could be a guy that's like a

Pro Bowl year one talent year one. I don't know, But then again, I mean I think I when I saw him peak performance prior to last season, when he only you know, played like three games or whatever, you know, I would have said he's a better player than Garrett Wilson.

I mean I would have just said, if you if I have to choose between the two of them and I only get one, I think I'm taking Jackson Smith and Jigba a little bit longer, maybe not quite as fast, but he's got elite short area quickness, even compared to a guy like Garrett Wilson, who's you know, thrives in that area as well. So you know, I've heard the slot only argument. I mean I don't. I don't see it just because he you know, isn't a Blazer. I

think he can win on the outside. I mean he could be, you know, a beautiful Cooper Cup sort of guy. You know, that type of performer. Are we complaining about Cup speed? Now we're saying he's an elite route runner with great change of direction skills, outstanding hands. I think that's what he is. If there's a guy that I like, you know, not quite as much because of the size concerns, but I'm a bigger's a Flowers fan than other people

might be. I mean, you know, at five eighty two with short arms, I get the concerns, right, but it's a big name. I'm ready. I'm not scared. I see some Antonio Brown in his game. I really really think he has some of that in him. And as you guys know, Brown didn't test grade, he didn't produce at an elite level in college. He just had this skill set that wasn't fully you know, developed and put it

all together in Pittsburgh. Yeah, I think the receiver things strange in this draft that there's this idea, well, if you're looking for the top type of guys, this is not the draft for you. And yet I'm with you. Tom Smith and Jigba has incredible upside and ceiling if he Cooper Cup is the name that he reminds you of. And I look at Addison and I don't I don't see why he's in such a different tier of prospect

than Olave and Garrett Wilson going out. You have him a little lower, you have him down it at twenty eight, but just in terms of everything but his size, and yes, he's like a hunt He's a slight guy, but his movement and you can just see those routes working at the pro level. And then Quentin Johnson, who I have less of a feel on, but he he's a huge guy in his ceiling at least is high. And I like Cedric Tillman from Tennessee too. So receivers have come

into the league so so good lately. I don't see this. The top of this class is like miles different from a year ago. But that's why I don't get paid to be the draft analysts like big lead draft analysts. Eric at Home, Yeah, I mean that the lead park kind of kind of separates us a little bit. I guess what do you think of Schrager? Do you respect Schraeger in his draft right, because because he does other stuff throughout the year. But then he swoops in and

he's a draft guy. You have to respect to those guys. I've only been here a little while. Guys, I don't want to start trashing everybody in the company. Yeah, Jeremiah is safe. Yeah, have me on next week and Schreeger um, you know on Good Morning Football of course. Uh, the peacemaker swoops in. He put out his if you know you know list. Okay, you know about that, uh, and

you know take that as you as you will. But his his five if you know no list, Nolan Smith Edge, Georgia, uh Pit tackle, uh, Kalia Cancy h Tyreek, Stevenson corner at Miami, Christian Guy, Christian Gonzalez corner Oregon, and Emmanuel Forbes corner of Mississippi State. Stevenson is a guy at that list that really jumps out to you. Well, I have him, I don't know. I like him a lot, and I think he's being kind of undersold a little bit.

You know, he's he plays zone offman, press man. I mean, you know, he's not perfect, but I think athletically and just mental toughness wise, he's gonna gonna fit in really well, just a little surprise. It's a deep corner class. I mean there's some good names. You mentioned Gonzalez on Peter's list there, he's gonna go hi, Devin Witherspoon ran well the other day, he's gonna go hi, Joey Porter Junior. We have the name value and the athlete, so it's

a loaded position. In fact, Manuel Forbes also on that list too. Fascinating debate because he's a one hundred and sixty six pound you know, over six foot two. This is not just like a slot corner. I mean, this is a guy who line up outside six pick sixes in his career, fearless out there. I think if you like Sauce Gardner's tape, you're gonna like his stay too. You know, there's a little freelancing, but boy, he does the job for me. The question is you have toothpick

ankles and that smaller frame. Are you gonna survive in the NFL. He's unprecedented. He's on my life. I tried to guess who would be on your make at home, stay up at night or maybe who would make me stay up at night less, and Forbes was at the top one hundred and sixty six pounds as like a cornerback.

If you look at you know, how they have the you know percentage in terms of other prospects, and they show the three cone rights in the eighty seven percent out and you know, arm length, he's in the fiftieth percent down this and that for wait, he's in the one percent own, and that's only because they can't put zero mathematically. There's literally never been a cornerback that tall

and that light. And yet when you watch him, if you if you ignored that, and you shouldn't because he probably will get overpowered in certain but you're gonna have to have some guys to cover these other lightweight wide receivers. So it kind of makes sense to me that the whole game is getting lighter and he would keep me up at night. But he seems like he's like an incredibly high ceiling guy. It's just everyone's going to be afraid that he's one hundred and sixty six pounds. That

you boiled it down perfectly there. I mean, that's exactly kind of how you the production is off the charts good. It really is that that exciting. You know, he's a little on the older side, he'll be twenty three, I want to say, by the end of the season. So you know, there's there's a little bit of you know, limitation as far as how much more you know, upside and growth and development he has. But still, I mean, I I see a guy who's got rare instincts. I

think he's a first round pick. Now I think, you know, I was sort of putt him in that early second round range, but I think he's going to go in the first I think Tyreek Stevenson should be a second round pick, but we'll see. I don't know exactly where he's gonna go. But Forbes is the one who I think is causing people to kind of have some serious debates. We had Cordell flot last year ago in the third round.

He's abuse like six foot one seventy five. So statistically, I want to say, height and weight wise, that's the closest comp we've had in recent years. Otherwise you got to go back a long ways to find somebody with, you know, these Spinley dimensions like he has. All right, last thing I have for Yericum connor Or was on our program earlier this week and he had done some digging. Now he said, it's an exclusive that is dropping on SI dot com later this week. It's up, It's there,

it's up. Okay, go check it out everyone. All Right, I'm gonna ask me. We're just gonna say, as the lead writer, if he knows like he uh, Connor, using ancestry dot com, had identified a draft prospect that actually had Norse god blood, which feels like a nice um attribute that you would put in as a bullet in the draft profile. Do you know who that might be? Trying to think of? There any like Scandinavians Cody Mock No,

I mean, I mean that's too on the nose. I think, yeah, yeah, that would be like the obvious answer that makes it. Ah jeez. Tyler van Ness, he has got that kind of square jaw and like the you know, the the ice man from Top Gun haircut. Tyler S final answer, all right, it's all I got. All Right, what do you got? Justin? Should I spoil it? I feel like our listeners should do Connor a favoring. They're gonna go read it, they will trust me. It's Tyler Vaness, Lucas Vaness, Sorry,

I'm Lucas Vanes. Yeah, yeah, that's all I got it is Holton Hollurs oh, a literal of Viking legend Ragnar Lothbrock. And that's not Minnesota Vikings legend Ragnar, real Vikings, that's the that's the Ragnar. It's the Vikings that have titles. It's the original Ragner. I mean those those Vikings had rings. This is you, you know where it's a tough world

back then. You know, you don't want to judge by today's standards, but you know, not someone you want to bring home to your to your just keep him away from the yeah, the women and children in general. Anyway, we talk about NFL bloodlines, I mean I'd rather have the you know, the Norse god bloodlines. Myself, I don't know. I'd rather have Joey Porter probably true. Yes, anything else, I'm gonna give you just a very quick rapid fire. Give me like a yeah on the other players that

I think would that would keep me up at night? Okay, okay, rapid fire here Brian Branch is he closer to Derwin James or is he closer to like the do it all thing that NFL teams fall in love with and then doesn't work out when you draft him really high closer to the ladder. The athletic testing, you know, put a limit on his appeal. But he's so smart, so I think it's more to the ladder, the do it all guy who's you know, jack of all trades and you're glad you have him, but he's not. I don't

think he's special athletically. Will Where are you on the Will Levis discourse? I feel like now he's been pushed down so far and you know, incredible body by the media that now it's actually the backlash of the backlashes here and everyone's now like, actually Will Levis to settle it at home. Yeah, yeah, no, I'm on the I'm pro Levis to a degree. Right, He's got his warts and last year didn't do him any favors in a

lot of ways. But man, you look what he did with Liam Cohen twenty twenty one, who they brought back a zoc. I mean, that's a that's a strange but but I think good move for Kentucky. They just didn't have any talent last year. He had two injuries he played through. You watch the twenty twenty one tape, there's a lot of appealing stuff. I also hear from a lot of Penn State fans who are like, no way that dude should be in the draft, you know, or in the in the first one hundred and fifty picks.

I think there's a too much of that bias going on out there too. But I like the guy to a degree for sure. Okay, I do have one more than the Panthers regret it forever if they passed on CJ. Strout regret it forever. No, because Bryce Young could be special. I just man, he just has so how many the margin for air is small with that arm, that size and everything else. I just feel like he's he's gonna be great. But we play seventeen games every year. That's

my biggest worry. We'll we'll get into all these questions. We still got We still got about a week and a half of draft build up to go. But I as we get closer, I can't I can't quite buy that Jalen Carter, who everyone sort of recognizes the best player in the draft, is gonna go anywhere but very close to the top. That's all we'll see. Mike require ownership approval. But I but I hear you don't they all don't They all at that point, I guess quarterbacks

in like situation. Uh, Eric, You've said it all. Thank you very much. Continue to track everything Eric does on NFL dot com. And Buddy, Uh, we enjoyed having you. Thank you. And put Dale Murphy in the hall. And how about this, Don Mattingley and Dale Murphy going in the same class and you and I go to Cooper's down together. Absolutely you kidd may I'm down man. You let me know. All right, it's like, sorry, honey, I'm

going with Dan hands this to uh Cooper. I'll just going with a fellow, like middle aged guy on a private trip to upstate New York. Don't worry that I don't know I'll be able to make it. Sorry, man, damn it. You see Greg, you wrote everything all right? Go ahead, Eric, Kevin, go take it easy. Um uh did good stuff like at home? I like at home. I also two things two takeaways, Um the Texans, who we made so much of it, and rightfully so, winning that stupid game at the end of the season that

allowed the Bears to take number one pick. In some ways, like if they are indeed going to take a quarterback, which I think they will, they're kind of like chill. They're like, we don't have to freak out about this. If they're like caught in between on the quarterbacks, we'll take the other guy. And it's like, no stress on us. Well,

we'll never know, we'll never know. I'm saying it's that's potentially be the opposite of like, right, we want to trade out, or we're not even gonna take a quarterback because we like Bryce Young so much more than Stroud.

There there has been that that thought bubbling up, although it's hard to say it's just other personnel that like the Texans might take someone else number two, like Will Anderson or Jalen Carter and then trade back up to take like a Will Levis or Richardson or something who knows. And my other thought out of that conversation, Uh, were you attempting to retroactively cancel vikings there like the old ones? No?

I was saying, you know, you can't judge them by today's standards and whatnot, right, um, But also like you you probably you know, wouldn't want to have cross passed with Ragnar loth Brock, that's all. No, probably not. You wouldn't want your daughter meeting Ragnar. No, no, no, no, certainly not. All right, let's take a break and do some GM talk. Keep him away from my girl. All right, we are back. Lets get into Greg. You have a article going up on NFL dot com ranking the gms.

I like this because you know the gms. Everybody, Oh, let's rank coaches, let's rank teams, rank gms. It just feels more personal. It feels like I feel like the gms. Especially when it's going up on NFL dot com. I feel like the gms are checking this one out. Yeah. I've gotten some response over the years, and it's and everyone is trying to keep relationships with front offices and whatnotum, But luckily that's not a concern for me. I'm a jerk and don't really have relationships to them. So there

you go. You can call it as you see it, because they have. Why does it feel more relationship? I think it's because they seem more like you could almost imagine being one of them. Whereas you know they they should have the tables turned on them. All they're doing is making up big boards of players and ranking them and talking about their butts and stuff. Let's turn the

table out them. Did you ever think like we never know, you're still a relatively young man, Like, who knows what if you did want to at some point your career transitioned into getting a front office opportunity. I'm good, just I mean, listen, you were ready to walk and become Lamar Agents, Lamar Jackson's personal assistant. You you proposed that the drop of a dime. You're like, yes, I'll take the job. I mean that seemed more rewarding th the hours.

You know, I've got a young family, we're really in our prime. I was thinking of that, you know, in Hawaii, like we got to appreciate these times. These kids, they're not too young, they're not too old. We're a nice unit. You got to appreciate that. Yeah, can I do that while um being a Jason Light's assistant for twenty three hours a day? I don't think so. All right, So you're you're just saying the Lamar Jackson gig would be very kind of low stakes and low effort necessary for

a nice paycheck. Potentially, I don't know. Yeah, that could that could do it. He could be a tyrant. You know, I'm happy we have we have a podcast. We've built this into something We're not gonna build an NFL team as successful as this body. All right, I like I like that. I like that. Let's get to it. UM. I overall think you did strong to quite strong work on this UM I have. Unfortunately, I don't have too many uh quibbles, which is a testament to the effort.

So let's go through it. Which did I mention? I thought was strong? Okay, too quite strong. I don't deal well with praise. I feel better when you here is the top ten. I'm not perfectly on board, but here we go. Howie Roseman won Bret Bret Beach to Duke Tobin of the Bengals through let me just in case there's some people that aren't as die hard in terms of knowing the personnel the front office. Bret Veach, chiefs general manager. Who what a ride? What a rocket ride?

Greggy from being my by Greg Rosenthal himself a few years back to number two on the GM rankings. The Chiefs winning of Super Bowls many years back. Yes, two super Bowls and four years will do that. Duke Tobin of the Mangals three, Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott. Interesting you give him the co power title? How do you decide who gets that co slash? Well, the Bills got it at four. Lynch and Shanahan same deal. Five, but you have yeah, you have the GM first there good

U six, less sneed Sean McVay slash again. Interesting, Brad Holmes h Dan Campbell, No slash, just Brad Holmes. Seven Detroit Lions. Goody, now, goody. I would think there would be a slash. Mark Murphy there, but no, he's not making the big person out. Okay, okay. Eight. John Schneider Seahawks. He probably should have a slash. They had a slash in previous years. Pete Carroll Yeah, yeah, good slash and

Jarrah at ten again. I I liked the placement. Which one was the most difficult for you to place of this group, well, the Rams, because of how do you evaluate what's happened to them. I didn't want to punish them too much before seeing how this season's goes. I didn't want to pre punish, but you look at what's happened over the last year. I think the biggest problem was those contracts they gave out, which didn't give them a lot of flexibility immediately to Donald, Stafford and Cup

and how many guarantees were in that. I also wanted to recognize it was a five year run of the most wins in the league other than Kansas City for the Rams. So it wasn't just this tiny little windows six year run before last year, and so I didn't want to kill them too hard, but it was tough. There was a big drop off after the top five. I also was, you know, wondering, is that is that

too high for for Duke Tobin the Bengals. But I give them a little extra credit for as our friend Solomon Wilcots, not really a friend, but someone I respect, he said about Marvin Lewis raising the Titanic, And since I appreciate the hyperlank here, I appreciate I give Duke Tobin a little bit of extra credit for doing it

in Cincinnati, maybe without as many resources. And if you look at his hit rate on the free agents that they brought in, like DJ Reader and A Woozy and Trey Hendrickson and then the draft, and I liked the Orlando Brown move. And they have a number that they go to and they stick with it. I think they've done a great job. Yeah this is where and trust me, as somebody does the power rankings. This is not a

shot out against the exercise. Sometimes it's all a little bit silly because it's like Duke Tobin, Yeah, he's done a good job, but the fact they got Joe Burrow, who was a no brainer number one overall pick at QB, who changed the organization, so you don't really and they got the number one pick because they were dreadful the year before. It's Burrow who reset the organization more than Duke Tobin. But at the same time he did have to turn in the draft card. Well, he also made

lots of those around him. He gets a little extra pop for doing it two different times. He had a very talented team under Andy Dalton. I said at the top, I'm ranking this mostly on what position they're in now, but you get some credit of what you've done overtime and just all the moves are smart sensive sense, like like Brent Veach, like he gets credit for drafting Mahomes, but he also gets credit for not being afraid to move on from big names like Orlando Brown, Matthew and

Frank Clark. And the offensive line overhaul kind of it's gotten overlooked. Remember their offensive line stinks. Their offensive line stinks. He does that overall in twenty one, especially on the interior, it leads to a title the very next year. The other one I wasn't sure what to do with was John Schneider, who was like at an all time low a year ago right now, and maybe he should even be higher. I don't know if a GM's ever had

a better month and a half than John Schneider. Trading Russell Wilson for all those draft picks at the exact perfect time into one of the best draft classes of the last five or six years. Two starting tackles Trek will and the runner up for Rookie of the Year Ken Walker, who could have been in the mix for Rookie of the Year. And then two other pretty good players, boy A Maffe and Kobe Bryant. That's six players in

one draft. That reminds me of that Saints draft back in twenty seventeen or eighteen, which they lived off for years. I mean, the Jets in Joe Douglass and we can get to them, they drafted two rookies of the year, but I didn't even take the Seahawks draft maybe over them. They're they're close, They're well, I mean, yeah, they nailed the draft, and like you said, the Wilson trade was the move of the decade potentially. Just real quick before we go, I will actually take a quibble. I think

Beach should be number one. Yeah, because and you didn't make note of it, and you're right up that they they won the Super Bowl last year and Mahomes Yeah, oh yeah, they have Mahomes. So how much credit? Well, yeah, he wasn't the no brainer number one pick. They went and they targeted Mahomes and got him win another Each was the key guy in that by each, So Beach

will get forever credit for that. Like the idea Tyreek Hill is maybe the greatest playmaker at wide receiver of the last you know, ten twenty years, Like he is that level to trade him and kind of retool the roster and then also win the Super Bowl, I think, and you know, beating Hollie Roseman's Eagles to do it. I believe he should be number one for that reason. But I think Roseman deserves a top two spot for sure.

No one brings in veterans like Roseman. I mean Hassan, Reddick, Bradberry, Gardner, Johnson. None of those guys were on the team a year ago, even Darius Slay a couple of years ago that trade. They do a nice job in the draft planning ahead. They have all these starters that are set up, Jordan Davis and Jurgens and the Kobe Dean that are going to fill in spots this year. There they're always good playing now and later. But yeah, there's a big gap

between those two. You asked you I struggled the most. It was actually Brad Holmes. I wasn't sure how to hide put the Lions because he's done everything absolutely perfect. It's it's hard to make the Lions into such a fun, relevant, talented team in two years. So he's like Relding one to one. That said, if you go back and look at like Executives of the Year previously, like Sporting News

hounds a award. Here's some winners over the last decade, Ryan Pace, go, Dave Gettlman with the Panthers, you go. Reggie McKenzie won the award once the Raiders, Ryan Grigson. So like the Mike mcagnet one. My point there is kind of like the easy part is getting from the two wins to the like eight wins and now you're frisky and then everyone gives you a lot of pop.

Do you see? Do you see? So that's sort of where Brad Helms is that now, but uh yeah, because you need to kind of build off that initial making moves that are kind of makes sense. Goody's two high, Yes, two high. I think Goody and on some level, Um

squandered the end of the Aaron Rodgers era. He's number eight, right, Yeah, you have him at eight here, Um because I do think that he kind of he didn't give Rogers the roster um in terms of play makers that he needed last year, and I just can't I can't look past that. I think he'd really ding him now. Watson was a hit, but you know he was a rookie who developed late in the year. You know, the move to move on from Adams to not be able to land Darren Waller.

Although I don't know where Waller is at head wise, whether he would have made a difference with the Packers. I just think him for last year's disappointment to the point where maybe would take him out of the top ten, but not like a major free falls so I don't have a major. Always rated him higher and get pushed back on that, especially from Packers fans who don't like him as much as I seem too. His drafts have

been good. They haven't spent any in free agency this year, but previously they're targeted free agents have been really good. I guess I I think it's the GM's job to just keep him in the mix, get him close every year. He did a good job at the Lafleur higher Like, yeah, I hear you, though, Jared ten I'm cool with Belichick. I see, I know it was difficult for you, and you feel like this is an This is enough of a punishment to drop him out of the top ten. I think you've had him at number one in the

past and always high up in the rankings. But they're just such, they're amid, they're they're there mid. What why is he not lower than eleven at this point? Did you watch the game on Monday like he did? You watch the games the last three years? Now? What what keeps him uh knocking on the door of the top ten? Other than name value? Uh? You know their drafts haven't been bad the last two years. They've gotten three good starters. I would say out of both if you count Mac

Jones as a good starter. We'll see something pretty good. Pick uh. They're spending. It's hard to know how to separate Belichick the coach from the front office, but they, like you know, their defense, they make a lot of production out of questionable players. So do you give that credit to Belichick the coach or do you give that credit to Belichick the guy who's bringing in these low

cost players. They're very middle of the pack. Eleven feels middle of the pack, But I guess you could you could knock them below like to LESCo and Da Costa. This group is is all close to me. But it's not like they've been bad. They're just mediocre. Yeah, yeah, I mean I feel like, yeah, they've made the playoff

once in the three post Brady years. The year they did make it, they got just that defense got absolutely bombed out by the Bills late in the season and then in the playoffs, and then you know, last year was kind of, let's face it, a disaster. But you know, do you the g that the head or the coaching staff decisions that he made. That's more bell Check the coach than the GM. So you got to kind of separate that. So now I was telling it, but I would maybe put him around thirteen or so, Okay, no

big deal. You got Mickey Loomis. Let's see, is this fourteen, he's fourteen, he's fourteen. Let me just go through the next the rest of the ones that are eligible here, because you some guys aren't eligible until they have a couple of years under their belt. You got to LESCo at twelve of the Chargers, DA Costa, the Ravens at thirteen. That's kind of a tough one to judge right now. Loomis of the Saints at fourteen, Chris Greer the Dolphins

at fifteen, Joe d of the Jets at sixteen. He was one of the toughest, tough They're thirteen and thirty seven in his first three seasons. It's not good. It's pretty good at all, just to look at that. But on paper they seem amazing. Other than his quarterback decision, which was a fiasco, right, maybe other teams would have made it. Supposedly the Eagles were trying to trade up for Zach Wilson's like, sometimes you just get lucky or unlucky.

But this I couldn't give coming season will define I couldn't give him too much credit I thought that was I think that's fair. I think sixteen is totally fair. As I've said multiple times on this show, he has a been a two thirty five hitter with forty four home runs, like and if you could deal with the batting average being low but the hits being meaningful and important,

then it works. But like I said, if if the Rogers deal doesn't turn into what Jets fans hope it will turn into, he's going to be gone, Like I think Douglas will be gone, and I think Salo will be gone. There's so much riding on this year because thirteen to thirty seven, he inherited rec yes and and really has built up this roster, as we've talked about pretty good. I was tempted to put him higher than that, but then you're getting with guys he's gone it before.

Now if they go, if they go eleven and six or have a win a playoff game, I think he would deserve to be a top ten guy because he did. He showed that he built it into something tangible, and they're a playoff team again, but they're not there yet. They have to do it. So I think that's fair. You have Jason light of the Bucks at seventeen, Chris Ballard the Colts at eighteen interesting, Andrew Barry of the Browns at nineteen. This one I would I would have

a little pushback on as well. Now I know that Deshaun Watson trade you're not a fan of. Nobody was really a fan of it, and the subsequent contract that Barry was involved with handing to Watson had turned the league upside down and mess things up for a lot of people. But Barry, I think, I think the I think the Browns have um although they had a down year last year. I think he continues to make overall strong moves and if the quarterback move hits, I think

or a power player in the AFC. So I think maybe Barry, based on his track record of the last three or four years, should be higher. Look, he's been in the job officially for three years. The third year is when you're supposed to really make a move. In years two and three of his ten yere they were eight and nine and seven and ten. The one year that they had a lot of success when he was the GM was mostly with the players that were already there,

so they've their record as mediocre. The Watson trade. If you take out all the off field stuff, has was a fiasco. Last year he was a disaster. I mean that that was You can keep saying like, Okay, we gotta wait till next year. It's like, okay, but you gave all that up. It's a fiasco because of the off the field stuff. But it was a fiasco because of the on the field stuff that he was so bad. He was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.

Struggled in like five starts, right, six starts, that's a third of the season. He was one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. And you gave up all that for him, and you went seven and ten. In your defense, I just think when you're connecting the other stuff when you say that, but he's year three in your defense, which he's responsible for, was terrible. Uh. You know, like year three is kind of the move year, and they were in a worse position in year three than they

were in their first year. So that doesn't it doesn't reflect great. Yeah, but I agree when you look at the move to move to move, it looks a little bit better. I was deplorable the way it all played out, but that his year three is different than other year three is because the centerpiece of the organization, whether you like it or not, that they traded for was suspended

for most of the season. So it made his year three kind of like almost hitting pause on it and be like my real year three quote unquote is when Watson is my week one starter, and I think, like with the guy a little bit above him, Joe Douglass, like yeah, Deshaun Watson has to play well and they need to be a team this year or that ownership, like in New year work is a little temperamental. That might everybody might be out of that building as well if Watson falls on his face this year. A lot

of pressure, I agree, a lot of pressure. Terry Fatno from Atlanta at twenty kind of like what he's done. He didn't really have a choice to do much the first two years quarterback I don't love, but these are the guys just like it's kind of like, man, it's hard to have a hard take. Ronderver and Martin Mayhew of Washington at twenty one. Scott Fitterer Carolina rounds out the list. And these guys not Cassio and George Peyton are second to last and last. Oh Okay, I missed that.

Nickossario twenty three, George Paytonto, I mean, just get buried for Russell Wilson. And now, like, when you do this list next year, it's gonna be George Peyton slash Sean. It might just be Sean Payton. I don't even know, but yeah, you gotta give George the credit. I don't know if George will be there next year. We'll see too early to rank t Trent Balki, Ran Carthon, Omar con Quessi, Adolpho Mensa, Monte Assa for it. Can I

you didn't get to hear this? Uh? I love Jonathan Gannon's uh on Aussie like wondering what they're gonna do with the third pick. I just want to hear this again. I'm into this Jonathan Gannon era. Every day I ask Monnie. I'm like, Monie, what you're doing with that pick? What you're doing with that pick? He's like, you know what I'm doing with that pick? I don't know what you're doing with that pick? Where is that from? Said an NFL network? One's good? Yeah. At the owners meetings, that's funny.

Ryan Poles, Joe Shane and David Zigler. Yeah, that's about the ranking more. You know, check out the analysis way too much, four thousand words too many, NFL dot com slash Rosenthal. Good work, Greggy, Uh okay, anything else. We've done it. I think we've done it. We're back to three shows a week next week, yes, and then the week after that is the Draft, which will the coverage will be. We're gonna tell again we're gonna do something little different with the draft this year. Um, we're gonna

share details of that next week. We can't. We can't have the conversation without Mark. I don't even know the details. So I'm looking forward to. This is unbelievable. Greg's been out. He doesn't even know where it was, Greg. He was in Hawaii. It's the new Greg. This Greg was very similar to the old Greg. I gotta say not. That's not a takedown. That's just like felt verries after. Other than the first thirty four seconds when you were saying that there's gonna be a new Greg, this felt like

the same Greg. Well maybe on air, you know you, I'm not going to change who I am, um, but hopefully in my Oh okay, so I treat people's right. Did you find like an ancient medallion or something in Hawaii. I feel like there's something about that trip that changed you. Yeah. I think it was cranking through Love Is Blind season four and just seeing what matters in life. You know, I hear you on that. All right, that's it, that is it will be in Taosh. Well the in Toush

got it. That's my big takeaway from today's episode. Until next week. Read the Call