NFL Draft Triple Take (Mock Draft 4.0), April 10, 2025

Hello everyone, and welcome to yet another edition of NFL Draft Triple Take, brought to you by up MC.

I'm Mike Pursuda, joined as.

Always by the rest of our first line of draft coverage, Dale Lawley and Matt Williamson. You might recognize those two guys as the authors of the Drive every day on the.

Steelers Nation Radio.

You can also take advantage of the fine work that Dale and Matt do on the Steelers Audio Network and at Steelers dot Com.

You can find me there as well. But we are here today for I believe the fourth time to mock the first round. Absolutely.

You know, as we get closer and closer to the draft, things change, things adjust, and you know, you hear stuff.

It's also lying season. I always never know what quite to believe, but you read the tea leaves. Things starting to get a little bit well.

The goodness for us is this is not going to be the final edition, right But before we get to the fourth edition, I need to remind everyone that the opinions that are about to be expressed are those of the illustrious panel here and not the Pittsburgh Steelers. We're coming up with what we come up with, however, we come up with it, but the Steelers may differ. They may have some other ideas of mind and probably.

Do the way we do this.

If you're new to the program, we basically divide the third the first round, excuse me, into thirds and then kind of kick that around get each guy's thoughts ten or so picks at a time.

So Dale, let's start with you.

Anything shock or delight you about what you came up with this time to start things up.

Well, I've got Mike, I've got sheanor Sanders going getting past both the Browns and the Giants at the top of the round there and then falling down to the Saints at nine.

Could be a surprise, could be what happens.

I also have Mike Green, the edge rusher out of Marshall, going to the Raiders there, and Pete Carroll loves those speedballs off the edge, and Mike Green is a speedball off the edge, a lot of different pass rush moves, really good football player, a lot of production in college. And it just kind of made some sense to me.

I just threw that out there.

It stood out to me, the three edge guys going in the top eight, and it's you know, it's a really deep edge class.

But last year's this year's edge is last year's QB. Is that what we're saying in a way? Yeah?

Tackled, Yeah, I mean there are so many tackles and quarterbacks at the top of the draft, and edge is another premium position that could fly off the board, you know, quicker than people think.

Let's flip it over and see what Matt Williamson's got for us. Fixed one through ten in Mike Green showing up again in the top ten, Jalen Walker, Edge, Georgia.

The things that I kind of went out on a limb on was Gentee at five. I mean that's the earliest I've seen him. A lot of people have him go to the Raiders, a lot of people have him going to the Bears. I just think him and Hunter are the premier prospects, and I don't know that atn is going to be in Jacksonville much longer. Should Tank Bigsby, you know, prohibit you from taking a superstar player.

So that stood out to me.

And I'm also looking at the Jets going man other than Garrett Wilson who's catching passes there right now, so any kind of receiver. I thought that the Jets made sense.

As for my picks one through ten, just like Matt and Dale, I have cam Ward going first to the Titans are wet. So if that's the case I mentioned a moment ago, these are our opinions, not those are the Steelers, and they are also not the opinions of the Cleveland Browns. But if I'm the Cleveland Browns and if cam Ward goes one, I'm not walking the cart up with Abdul Carter. I am running it up and I'm lining up Abdul Carter on one side of my

I get it, and I did the same thing. But then again, Abdul Carter has done nothing in terms of workouts this offseason, finished last season with a shoulder issue, now has a foot issue, and you just wonder about some of that stuff. But you know, the tape is the tape, and he's a good football player.

I mean, that's a rare advantage to have him in Garrett. Yeah, that's just pretty shocking and bad.

You mentioned a lot of people have Genty going to the Raiders on one of them.

Yeah, it makes sense.

Pet Carroll speaks mode as much as the next guy.

Right, absolutely, I think that's a great fit. I just thought maybe he could even go earlier.

Maybe.

All right, let's stick with Matt as we go picks eleven through twenty.

So Dallas is another team as well as Miami that just could go so many different directions. I actually turned this in before Armstead retired their left tackle for Miami, and now it even makes even more sense with Banks going there. Two receivers in this neighborhood. Golden would really compliment Lamb. Well, McMillan could sort of be their DK metcalf replacement.

At a eighteen.

That was my thinking there.

Okay, let's switch it over and see what Dale Lawley came up with. And again, Dale, I think we're seeing as we have the first three times we did this. We've all got pretty much the same names, but they're invariably in different spots.

YE think, Yeah, a lot of neigh we're gonna view these guys.

One man's picked thirteen overall might be another man's twenty.

And that's really this draft in a nutshell. I mean, if you look at it, you know, depending on what mark draft you look at you could you could find forty five different names of guys going in the first round at some point during this whole draft process, because it's just it doesn't have the high end prospects, but it does have some depth to it, so you know it's gonna be a beauty. Is gonna be in the

That makes a lot of sense.

The Dolphins, again, I didn't know Armstead was going to retire, but they could also use Kenneth Grant to The defense is really rough right now. They got hit pretty hard this offseason, so it's going to be.

Interesting to see how this goes.

And I think Jihad Campbell to Tampa, I think.

That's starting to line up. That's just that's starting to line up.

Now they need somebody long term for Levonte David.

Campbell to Tampa, Hampton to Denver. It's late in the draft, but that's a little choky. How much sure how either team passes on those guys.

I'll give you one more if we switch it over to what I've got eleven to twenty. I've also got Hampton going to Denver. That feels like a natural based on the development of that team and the kind.

Of player they need.

A young quarterback.

You get that quarterback back.

You know, they've kind of done it by committee and the running game was kind of secondary there.

This kid can change that theoretically.

Yeah, they've drafted line help quite a bit, and now it's time to add that last piece and that could make them a contender in the AFC.

I've also got warned going to Indianapolis. Don't they last that long? But I bet he doesn't get past fourteen.

If he's there, I would think that's just floor.

Yeah, and he's you know people worked at well.

He is a tight end. No, he's a pass catcher. He's an offensive weapon.

You can't just look at the T next to his name and.

Say, oh, that's you know, No, you'll find ways to use that guy.

Did you buy the uh wildcat stuff with him? Or is that just a college thing that that kind of go away?

They could mix it in. I mean, he could be a push push guy. I bet he throws a couple passes. In his career, maybe two or three year or something like that. But he's going to be someone who's wanted to get the ball in his hands.

All right now, the pick everyone's been waiting for.

Twenty first overall, we'll go back to Dale and uh, there you go. Defensive tackle Derek Harmon, Oregon via Michigan State.

You had to get that in there, is Yeah, I mean I had the two other two defensive tackles, actually three defensive tackles going earlier than this. I don't know that that Harmon wouldn't be maybe higher on the Steelers board in terms of what you're looking for. You know, the thirty five inch arms, the you know, the height, every thing matches up well for him as a three

A lot of corners on your end of the first round here. Always use those guys go into playoff teams. And I also like Lovelan going to the Rams. I mean, you had DeVante Adams along with Puka and love One. That's a serious firepower.

I gave some serious thought to Jackson Dark going at twenty six.

Yeah, I think I ended up doing that too, you know.

I think that would make a lot of sense. They don't have a long term quarterback in place behind Matthew Stafford and could certainly use he could use a year or two behind Stafford and just make that trans a good landing spot.

Yeah, they'll talk about Revel a little bit of the East Carolina corner who is interesting for a.

Couple of reasons. Yeah, I mean a lot of traits.

But you know, an ACL injury that you know he's recovering from. Maybe he misses the first few games of the season, but man, the.

Traits are off the charts.

He's he's six two plus, he's you know, two hundred pounds, he runs well, does everything well. He's just coming off in ACL. There's a lot of guys at that cornerback position this year that are that, you know, they just got something that they're that's been nagging him.

And considering the level of productive and playing at East Carolina, you would have loved to see him at the Senior Bowl and you don't get that, you know.

So flipping over to Matt Williamson picks twenty one, through thirty two, and we've also got a defensive tackle.

At twenty first overall, although not Dale's defensive tech. Yeah.

I'm a big Walder Nolan fan. I think defensive line is a major need for the Steelers at the moment. A young guy like that to kind of learn from Cam Hayward seems perfect timing his teammate. I did put Dart to the Rams. It'd be another good landing spot for him. And I don't know how the Texans could pass on Josh Simmons. He has some injury stuff too, but they've totally revamped their offensive line and trading, including trading Laramie Tunsel to Washington.

Okay, so it's interesting you have Dart six. Yeah, so you consider him a first round quarterback at least twenty six overall worthy.

I think he will go in the first round. I'm not the biggest fan, to be honest with you.

Does that explain why you didn't select him twenty first overall?

Yes?

Okay, curious because if we flip it over to Mike Pursuon, is twenty one there there he is again. I'm telling you, this guy's growing on me. A lot of the things that I'm hearing about him, are impressing me as much as when I go back and watch the tape. Now, I did have some stinker stuff on tape, including the end of the Florida game, which is rather inexplicable.

But don't they all have moments where it got away.

Maybe I'm just jaded by that because I watched that one live and I'm just like, so, what is he doing?

I kind of wrote him off mentally right at that point, and then when you start doing the deep dive. I like his game, I like his from what I can tell of his personality, and we should add these exercises. We don't have medical We're not sitting down with these guys and talk to them. We're not interviewing the strength coach and finding out all that stuff.

Three of us didn't put Jackson Dart on the whiteboard and you drill him about.

Yeah.

I like his style, and I like his numbers, and I like where he's coming from. The SEC in the Big Ten. I can't remember if I mentioned this on a previous show or not, but Daniel Jeremiah from the NFL Network has promoted the theory that the SEC in the Big Ten because of the NIL now and the way the college game is changing, they're pro leagues that are as close to the NFL as you're gonna get now.

I know, technically they're all pro leagues now because everybody's getting paid, but.

I mean they're up there.

I know guys come from other leagues and will, but there's a lot of consistent You're going against guys who you're gonna play against on Sundays, and you're playing with guys who you're gonna play with on Sundays, and I think there's way.

More to like than none.

I think that's a great point. And even a conference like the ACC, all of a sudden, you can be like, man, his level competition wasn't great. You know, if you didn't go into the playoffs or whatever. I mean, what kind of pro style defenses did you fake?

Yeah, I mean I understand it, Mike, and I would understand it if the Steelers did that went that direction. But you know, they don't have a second round pick, and are you going to just push away that defensive tackle need.

Assuming that you make some kind of signing.

A quarterback in theory, In theory, I could drop down and maybe get back in the second round.

They starts still there.

If Williamson thinks he's twenty six, maybe I get him at twenty six or twenty seven.

You mentioned Mike Green earlier, you have him twenty eight. Dale had him going on the first screen. It's in the top ten. You did as well. And I think although the above could happen, you know what I mean, I think samouth Walker, all these edge they could go anywhere.

It's so racist thin to me to seate these judge guys, some of the de tackles right, even some of the offensive tackles. What I've heard about this draft is maybe not great, great at the top, but very good throughout.

I'm definitely buying the latter part of it.

And there's a lot of good football players. We didn't have one in our top thirty two right day two is gonna be strong.

Well, stay tuned because we might do this again, and they may they may find themselves working their way in.

That's gonna do it. For this version.

I want to remind everyone the opinions expressed her or ours, not the Steelers. Also want to remind everyone that you can find all this stuff on the Steelers' social media platforms. We're gonna be continuing to generate content such as this leading up to right.

Up till Draft Day, right I mean, including Draft Day, including Draft Day.

We've got a lot of stuff still on the schedule, so make sure you keep finding us if you like what you're seeing until then.

Thanks for finding us this time, however, and wherever you found us.

For Matt Williamson and Dale Lawley, Mike Persuda, this has been another edition of the NFL Draft Triple Take, brought to you by upmc. No, you won't