NFL Draft Triple Take (Mock Draft 3.0), March 22, 2025

Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Triple Take, brought to you by up MC. I'm Mike Pursuita from Steelers dot Com and the Steelers Audio Network, joined us always by the tag team from the Drive on SNR and the Steelers Audio Network. You can also catch Dale Lawley's work and Matt Williamson's work on Steelers dot Com. Guys, how are we doing?

We're doing.

We're getting closer to the draft now, we're basically a two months out. I guess it's time.

Tight A wave a free agency has hit us and gone, and there's still some trickling effects. But it is about draft season, it is.

Indeed, that's why we're here to do another mock draft. I believe this is mock three. I think so, yes, where Matt Dale and myself go through our picks, and this is the time before we get into it, where I remind everyone that these are our picks, not Mike Tomlins, not Omar Khan's not, Sheldon White's not, Danny Colbert's not anybody who matters. It's what we think might happen.

We kind of matter.

Great scheme of things so much not in comparison to those guys. But just to remind everyone in case you're new to this type of programming here on the Steelers' social media outlets, we go through the first round of the draft basically one through ten. I know it's not exactly ten ten, ten, but we divide it up into thirds and kind of kick around what we think is significant in that portion of the first round. So Dale,

Yeah, I think armand Membo is starting to get some steam as maybe being the top offensive tackle in this draft. Arm length was a little bit longer than Will Campbell out of LSU. Moved really well down at at the combine and all the interview stuff. It's not a knock on Campbell at all, but he does have some shorter arms. Membo might be getting again some steam as that top offensive tackle in this draft.

And along those lines, you have Campbell sticking in the Bayou and they took a tackle in the first round last year, so that worked out quite well too. Mason Graham Will Johnson have some things to work out at their pro day, but I can see them in the top ten for sure.

Well let's let's see if you did, in fact put them in the top ten. As we switched it over to Matt Williamson's first round picks one through ten, and I'm not saying, uh, look at that Shor Sanders all the way down to number nine to number nine.

Yeah, and the last time the Saints used a first round pick on a quarterback Archie Manning, so.

It was exactly a while run our third generation.

His grandson might be their next one. But anyway, I wouldn't mind putting Chador at two or three because I really feel strongly that Campbell going to the Titans at one and they might not even be open for business, and that puts a lot of pressure on the Browns and Giants to take a quarterback, even if Carter or Hunter is a more highly ranked guy. And as Dale mentioned,

There.

Yeah, we're starting to hear at least you don't know what to believe at this time of year, but kind of the pecking order going into the process, the draft of others the process was Ward Sanders and then everybody else's the quarterback. Now we're starting to hear some buzz that maybe Sanders is potentially not in that club either.

It sure seems like Ward stands alone, and he does in my personal rankings too. I think he's in competition from the guys last year he may have been the third or fourth off the board, where Sanders to me is more like a Pennix or a McCarthy prospect, maybe even slightly behind. But we just know how this works. I mean, where else are the Browns, Giants, et cetera going to get their guy?

Yeah, I mean it's such a quarterback star of league. And you know, we have a number of teams out there as we tape this that still don't have a starter in place, really surprisingly enough, and so you know, but there are still what four teams that don't have one, and there just aren't enough free agent quarterbacks out there to get one. So somebody's going to be going to fish in these waters.

Yeah, that's kind of the theory I'm employing. In my one through ten. I've still got Ward one and Sanders three. I've got them in that order, and I've got them both going rapidly. Because of that, I don't know that Sanders is necessarily my second quarterback, but I think he's going to be the second one.

Where is he like the second or third best player in this draft? No, but the position value dictates.

I've got the two Georgia edge guys that are going in succession. It's any difference between those two A.

Lot of different style, but stylistically there are a lot different.

The quality of player, and it depends what you're looking for, projecting more at the NFL level than you got at the college level just because of the depth of rotation.

To add I look at Walker Moore as an inside linebacker who can play outside, whereas Michael Williams. I mean, he's six five, two sixty, He's an edge all day long.

The Saints have traditionally taken those huge edge guys too, the Cam Jordan's and those types.

If that fits pretty well.

Dale, If I'm remembering correctly, you had genty going to the Raiders as well, I believe, so, yeah, not too high for back if it's that.

Back right, right, I mean, if he's the guy and people were talking about him as being a top five talent in this draft, then you don't let him slide. You know, sayt Kwon Barkley was one of the top picks in his draft. Christian McCaffery was one of the top picks in his draft. Not saying genty is those guys, but in this particular draft, when you don't have clear cut top line talent, which this one doesn't.

It's deep, but it doesn't have the blue chippers. If he's the best player, you take the best player.

I think you make the argument he is the best player in the draft. He's not my number one, but he's right there with Carter and Hunter and Ward's.

Obviously a different beast.

But at Dale's point, I don't see a lot of sure fire blue chip no matter when they come out. Top five picks in this draft.

You know, we're all listing Travis Hunter as quarterback slash wide receiver.

If anyway he lands.

Yeah, I think he's cornerback first because I think that's the tougher position to find.

Whereas wide receivers.

You know, you can find those guys, and it's more difficult in my opinion, to play out of the gate at cornerback, and then you can also then do some wide receiver stuff. You only have so many cornerbacks you can suit up on game day. You can suit up five or six wide receivers.

You may not have that many cornerbacks.

The only caveat to me is if he lands with New England because they're corners.

They have two really good.

Corners now and they're really lacking a receiver. I would think if he ends up at FOURD in New England, why don't you start running routes Travis?

Yeah, could you see him becoming a gu Not that he's going to go both ways as he did at Colorado, but situationally played the other position.

Yeah, I absolutely could.

Either in a package type of deal or out of necessity.

Yes, that being said to me, he's the best corner in the draft and the best receiver in the draft. If he can do some of both, he could be special.

But let's stick with you as we move it along and check out picks eleven through twenty. You got a little Texas thing going on here early.

Yeah, the Dolphins signed James Daniels, who were all familiar with, but they could use Moro line help, that's for sure. One thing you'll notice in mind, which I didn't do on purpose is I only had two receivers going in the entire first round, and this is the first one golden one to be named later here. Didn't do it on purpose, but just kind of worked that way. Josh Simmons at eleven, and I don't know what to do

And that's the thing too with this tackle class. You know a lot of these guys, you look.

At them, well, he might be a tackle, but his future might be at guard. And Simmons is a tackle like He's got the arm link, he's got the height, the weight, and the experience in the movement.

You know, some of these other guys they're alone the shorter side or they get some shorter arms.

They're gonna try him at tackle first and then decide whether they can stick there or not. Whereas a guy like Simmons, he's gonna play tackle.

And from what I heard, you guys were at the combine, I was watching it on the NFL network. With the reports about his medical were highly encouraging it. Yeah, I had his schedule and availability is not going to be a problem, and he's doing apparently very well.

Yeah, and that's the only thing that you wonder where he falls in at on.

You know, one.

Team's medical is not the next team's medicals, and so you know, he's kind of one of the wild guards.

There's a lot of them in this year's draft.

A lot of the cornerbacks have some kind of injury that they're fighting through. And where do those guys go.

Let's take a look now at Dale's picks eleven through twenty.

Yeah, you know, to me, the Golden versus Tech McMillan conversation is one that you know, we know Golden's fast. He ran a four two nine forty. He's he's got size. McMillan ran a four to four eight at his pro day. He didn't run, you know, at the combine, and typically those pro day times are faster than what you see at the combine. So I just think he's an explosive player. I think he's the first receiver drafted this year.

You've also got derk Harmon maybe a little higher than I've seen him mocked most places.

He's a good player, and you know, the Seahawks should know all about him.

He played last year at Oregon.

I just think that, you know, when you need big guys that can move like him, who you know, play with a certain style.

I don't know where he learned that at because of Michigan State initially.

Yeah, but yeah, you know, I think he's a good player and we'll see where that balls at.

The defensive tackle class this year is deep. I'm not sure exactly how they'll fall though.

Yeah, I'm not sure exactly. It's going to depend on what you're looking for. I think it's like that.

At a lot of positions. I mean, the word I heard going into this at the very beginning of the process was it's not necessarily star studded, right, But there's a lot of depth and a lot of quality. And I think we're seeing this in a lot of these positions. How do you stack them a receiver, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, edge rusher, all kind of depends on what you appreciate and what style do you plaint.

Yeah, and this exercise that we do, we put thirty two in the first round three different times. Now, I bet there's been a lot of names cumulively between the three of us, you know, nine different mock drafts, and that makes sense because a lot of them are kind of similar.

It's more about fit necessarily maybe than can you do it or not.

I believe that's so be So yeah, let's.

Take a look at what I came up with eleven through twenty. Now, there you see, i've got McMillan going twelve. That's my first receiver. Assuming Hunters a quarter, you never really know. I really like these edge guys, all of them. I don't really I'm differentiating because I have to r Green, Pierce, Stewart. They're all players of great potential. They have great skill sets. Hampton running back at twenty, that just feels like a Denver position.

I think I did the same thing, and they do have a need there. Now they signed Ingram, so I think they're out of the tight end market. And I wanted to mention the tight end Warren too. I think two of us had Warren lasting to fourteen. I just don't know where tight ends are going to go. I think he's one of the best players in this draft. I think that's about as low as he could go. I think I have just a well right, he's a really good football.

Do you see him as do a lot of stuff as he did at ped State or yea, even the wildcat quarterback.

And anywhere an occasional pass and he could be the toush push guy and do those things too. And he has a quarterback background, and when he does go really high, he probably should send brock Bowers of fruit basket too, you know.

And then just getting back to Membo in general or in particular in tackle in general, Matt, the armle like thing. Thirty four is ideal. Thirty three you could live with thirty two and you might be thinking about guard.

Yeah, there are works exactly. Thirty four is what you're looking for when you draw it up in the draft room. Boy, won our tackles have thirty four inch arms, and last year's class they pretty much all did across the board, including who the Steelers took. There's a lot of examples of between thirty three and thirty four where you know, Penney Seoul, Joe Thomas have had great careers, but it's a little more difficult. Under thirty three.

There's like zero examples of tackles doing well.

It's crazy, that's amazing.

It's amazing. I mean it's an inch.

Right, right, But these guys that they'd have to block with the long arms, I mean, they get the first and you're kind of sitting there swimming without any you know, contact, amazing difference.

You have to be an extreme athlete to get by, you know, in that situation, technician, all that stuff.

And if you you could say it is a game of inches.

And you know, if Troy Filotano was in this draft, he'd be the number one tackle. I mean that that's just how deep that that tackle class was last year.

All right, let's move on to the bottom third and uh well, let's let's get right to it.

I went there, You went there, elect the player a lot, and I.

Think for the team that's making the selection, it's time.

I don't disagree that it's time, and it's been that way for several years now.

I just don't know that that's the guy now. I say that.

And we talked about this draft not being top heavy at all, but deep, and so what's going to happen in this particular draft.

Like year, we'll we get.

Twenty six in our final mock draft, twenty six players who went in the first round.

We got right, it might be twenty.

This year because because you know, the difference between player number twelve and player number sixty in this particular year's draft might not be all that different on team boards.

So I get it.

You know, Dart being somewhere in the first round, he may have the same grade as a guy who went fifteenth.

But I don't know. I don't know that I like him that much.

Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL network, very very plugged in. His mock came out the morning we recorded this, twenty one Jackson Dart.

To the Steelers. I actually gave the better information.

I figured I got it from I think I think Tiper's draft that came out today had him ninth.

They really yeah, okay, And they both do the most plugged in guys out there, So I mean, when in Dal take a quarterback, I understand it.

You know, one of the things I can't remember if I've mentioned this sold of these shows before, but I heard an interview with Jackson Dart around the Senior Bowl before or during or after, and he talked about his opinion of playing at Old Miss and it's a very sophisticated position. It's not as easy as people think, and he talked about the coaching incredibly difficult. The coaching, Yeah,

I mean, he's been around big time quarterback developers that have a lot of NFL experience and there's no question about that, and he's got traits. So, as we mentioned ten minutes ago, there's a lot of teams in the quarterbacks, including the team picking at twenty one.

Where are you gonna get him?

Yeah, you guys are talking about receiver earlier. I've got a couple going late. You see, I love a book. I've mucked into the Steelers before, can't do that this time. I love Walter Nolan, I've mucked into the Steelers before, but hate to see him go to Baltimore because I like that guy a lot too.

Yeah, And that's the you know the problem with some of this stuff, like guys who again, once you get past those first eleven, ten, eleven, twelve guys. Is like, all right, now, what does that particular team need, and that has changed and continues to change throughout free agency.

It's take a look at mister Williamson's twenty one through thirty two and defensive tackle. Can't argue that's a need.

No.

I mean, he's a remarkable specimen that would be more nos than he would three four end, but that you can move him all over the line of scrimmage. He has immense upside. I wanted to mention Maxwell Harriston as well. It's the first time I put him in the first round. Interrest the big need for the rams at corner. He had a phenomenal testing he takes the ball away.

Yeah. I think it's one of those guys you guys were referencing a moment ago about the first round could not work out the way we think it's gonna cause there are a number of those guys that are maybes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And the last guy I wanted to mention too is the Chiefs. Because they traded Joe Toney all of a sudden, they got a gaping hole at left guard. Jackson was forced to play left tackle. Because of the Simmons injury. But he's really a guard. I think they'd be thrilled with him.

There what an advantage, So you know he can do it, do both, right, I mean, because.

Those was a problem for him.

Lest guys have to be positioned flexible. Yeah maybe this year.

Yeah, it would have been least tuney to go from left guard to left tackle and the Super Bowl and playoffs and.

Well he can do that too.

He just kind of tried. Dale. Let's see what you've got twenty one through thirty two.

I also have Kenneth Grant. You haven't killed the Kenneth Grant pick. And he's a Michigan guy.

No, Hey, I'm you know, I take them as they come. I was a pretty big fan of Devin Bush, and I still wonder how his crew would have worked out had he not gotten injured when he did, and how he did. But Grant, to me, he's kind of the new age into your defensive line. He gets push. He doesn't get a lot of sacks, but he gets pressure.

Reminds me like a Hilodinada or a Vita Vea. Those guys you don't have to take them off. They don't they're not just a stump in the middle, and they're taller and bigger and disrupt passing lanes and they push people around.

Yeah, and he definitely pushes people around. The other guys. I want to talk about their great Zabel going to the Ravens there.

The other guys may first round.

I hated leaving them out of my first round. Ye, I think he is going to end up in the top thirty.

Two and landon Jackson to the Eagles, to me just made a lot of sense, just in the fact.

That he is a freak, a physical freak like six seven to seventy two, sixty five to seventy and tested like crazy. They'll figure out what to do with them there though. Pretty good, just add to the track record developing hits.

Yeah, they've lost some guys there, and he would certainly be the next guy to kind of step into that role and maybe and maybe flourish in that kind of system.

My only problem, no, I know, we didn't do trades in this, but if this is going to play out this way, they're going to in your circumstance, they're going to trade up to twenty six and get Jayla Walker because he went to Georgia.

Well there's that. Yeah, good point, Georgia.

Guy gotta go to Philly.

Right, This is the first time, like since the draft in the modern era, that were at this point in the season and none of the first round picks have been traded.

Yeah, it's crazy. Now. I don't expect that to happen day. I don't.

I think there'll be some teams moving around to get those players that they really.

Have a higher grade on, maybe than some other teams do.

And I think that could you know, maybe push some of the offensive tackles up. Maybe it's the cornerbacks or the receivers that get that kind of motion.

Maybe it's the defensive lineman. Who knows.

I wouldn't be shocked if we get two Draft day and they're still was all thirty two where they're sitting. You know, it might take trades during the draft to make that happen.

Because nobody Typically when you see those trade ups ahead of time, people are moving.

Up for a course or specific guy and you don't know.

And this is maybe a less specific, more team need Well we got to get this guy or this guy at age we didn't get Yeah, we didn't get this or this receiver. But it doesn't have to be. Yeah, maybe it'll be less movie before we get out of here. Deal lug retreat to number twenty three because that's the name. I don't know if we've talked about yet, but certainly a possibility.

Yeah.

You know, he went from Purdue to Texas A and M.

Last year in A and M.

Asked him to put on about fifteen pounds and play on the edge, and it wasn't as good as it had been at Purdue. Then he showed up at the combine back down to two sixty.

Five and moved really well.

And you start looking at that tape going from put the Purdue tape when he played at that weight, and you're going, Okay, this is a really good football player.

I don't know what it is about the Texas A and M guys. You know, they all are highly recruited guys.

They're all, you know, extreme athletes, and then they get to Texas A and M and you look at them.

Where's the production at.

I don't know what they you know, how they play their defense down there. But I think Scowerton's kind of a wild card in this.

Draft as well.

If you look at the Packers to last year in Jordan Love are the only times they've used first round picks in like the last fourteen years.

Oh, they just draft defense, defense. Defense. Probably not gonna be a receiver, right, wouldn't they.

That's gonna do it for this edition of the Triple Take, I want to remind everybody what you just heard. Those are our opinions, not the opinions of the Steelers. Uh. These aren't predictions regarding what's going to happen. This is just kind of how we're feeling it. Uh here on Mock three point zero. The next time we talked to you, it's gonna be a little different. We're gonna do a