The Season with Peter Schrager is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio. What's Up Everybody in his Draft week? This is the Season with Peter Schrager. This is what we've been building towards. You've been listening to this podcast for several weeks and it's been just more draft content, more draft content, more draft content. We're finally here and I want to give you more draft content.
We got great response from last week's two episodes. One with Jim Naggy, the director of the Senior Bowl, who knows a lot of these players inside and out from his experience with them. And then I did a mock draft with Daniel Jeremiah moved the six from NFL Network and that went really well as far as listeners go. So there's one more person I needed before we get to the draft to do a mock draft with me.
It's a guy that I've been doing draft coverage with since twenty thirteen when Fox Bourn one first was launched. He's one of my favorite people in the world, a true friend. He's also the lead college football analyst for Fox Sports. You hear him on all of the Michigan Ohio State games. You hear them at the Big Ten Championship game every year, and I think he is as hard working and plugged in when it comes to college football as any one of the analysts you see on television.
His name is Joel Klatt. I'm gonna bring Joel in in one second. I just wanted to really quickly give you guys the layout of the programming schedule for the Draft. So for me personally, I'll be on Good Morning Football Monday and Tuesday. I will be off Good Morning Football Wednesday as I fly to Kansas City, and then Thursday morning. Good Morning Football is not only on NFL network, it is on ESPN two as well, which is cool for us. We do a simulcaska as we're kind of crossing over
content with them Friday morning Good Morning Football. Then Friday night I will be on the Draft Dais if you will. Joel will be on the main stage. I'll be on the secondary stage with Ian Rappaport, and hopefully we're gonna get a lot of airtime as the Aaron Rodgers trade might go down on Day two. But of course, you guys know, if you're listening, these NFL teams a lot of their rosters are built on Day two of the draft. Then Day three is my favorite day of the calendar
year for the NFL Draft. I will be on the main stage with Daniel Jeremiah, Charles Davis, and Rich Eisen and that'll be all day, sweltering in the sun in Kansas City, just sweating through a suit. And of course there's draft content all over the internet on Twitter and
all that. But I mentioned Joel's going to be joining us, and just got to say, when it comes to Saturday in those noon games, I am so proud of the work that my brothers at Fox Sports and sisters have put together to make that a marquee situation where you know you're getting a huge game, whether it's the Big ten or it's the Big twelve, and you know that it's going to be an A Plus broadcast. And one
of the reasons is this guy. He's longtime friend. He's played quarterback at Colorado and he has bounced around from being a studio host to doing stuff on the sidelines, to do a game analysts as a secondary team, and then finally got the call up a few years ago and has never looked back. He is now the lead college football analyst for Fox Sports, and I couldn't be happy to have him on the podcast. Joe Klatt, Welcome to the season with Peter scheger Man.
I love this. This is so good. Thank you for that introduction. You are a dear friend and unbelievable at your job. So I can't wait to do this today just to get a little draft content. And you know I've said this before, but the draft is it's really slow moving for a long time, and then right here at the end, like the bell lap of the draft process, the information starts flying around. You start hearing all sorts of new things. And so this week is one of
my favorite weeks of the year. Obviously, I love the fall, you love the fall, we all love that, right, But when it comes to the offseason, it's really hard to beat this week and draft on Thursday night. I can't wait to get out to Kansas City and see you.
Brother.
Yeah, so you're gonna be doing stuff for the NFL Network, and I know you put the work in. I think you come from it from a very different lens than any of the folks on our NFL network, and certainly from me. You called these guys games in colleges. And before we get to the mock draft, I asked you if you could just spend three minutes just empty the bag on CJ. Stroud. You called eight different CJ. Stroud games, which means you've played all these games out on film.
You've called them all on film, his biggest moments. You're on the call for most of them. And you've also gotten to know CJ. Stroud and you've also gotten to speak with his coaches about c J. Stroud. His stock isn't slipping, it's not plummeting as we record this on a Monday, but it is up in the air. He can gowhere from two to bottom of the top ten. And a few weeks ago it felt like it was a sure thing he would either go first or second. I say the name c J. Stroud, Joel Klatt, empty
the notebook. What do you got?
Okay, lots of different angles on this, so I'll try to go quickly. Let me first take the angle of the opposing defensive coordinators in those eight games and what they were saying. And you have to keep in mind I did his very first game, his very first start as a college quarterback against Minnesota on the road, It was a Thursday night, the opener in twenty twenty one, and I did his next to last start, a loss
to Michigan in his home stadium. I also saw him in his third practice in spring as the starter that spring before. Right, Like, I've been around this kid since he was a red shirt and now all the way through. Let me start with what the defensive coordinators have been saying ever since his first start, and they all say to him, man, elite arm will kill you. Kill you if he has any sniff of what coverage you're in, or Ryan Day has a sniff of what coverage.
You're in, You're dead. You're dead.
Because he plays on schedule and on time, and he's accurate with the football and he's obviously throwing to what has now become the best core of wide receivers in football over the last couple of years. Think of the core of wide receivers he had in twenty twenty one with Chris o'lave and Garrett Wilson the reigning rookie of the Year, and Jackson Smith and Jigbow who they all say was better than all of them and now available in this draft. This this is an elite passing game
in part due to what CJ. Stroud brings to the table. They also all say that, and now let's go to his coaching staff, they would all say he's very prepared, very intelligent, learns the system incredibly fast, and has a lot of control at the line of scrimmage. So maybe a departure from what you're hearing from, you know, the smoke that is being floated out here late in the draft process about the S two score and his cognitive ability and reaction time and everything that was never a
problem and never brought up. I've talked to to coaches in college football at the time and they will tell me, hey, like it, just it doesn't click right away. He has to see it first. It has to be, you know, black and white. He can't play in the gray area. That was never brought up with CJ. Stroud, which is
why all of this smoke is quite interesting. From my standpoint, Ryan Day has been higher on Stroud than he has up to this point than he was even with Dwayne Haskins, a first round quarterback, or even Justin Field's a first round quarterback, and talking about how he's more prepared for this moment than even those guys. All this to say, I don't know where this is coming from. And if Stroud slides, someone's going to get a hell of a player.
He's overcome a lot of adversity in his life, did not have his dad around for a very specific reason during the course of his upbringing, and overcame that. And this guy is a solid man and a solid leader in the locker room. If it sounds like I'm being overly au my praise, it's because I believe in the kid. I've been around him, I've been around his coaching staff, and I've seen him play at an elite level. Just ask Georgia the best defense in college football over the last two years how good CJ.
Stroud is.
Because he almost drug an injured and depleted Buckeye team past that Georgia team and probably would have won that national championship if they were able to finish off that game arm strength.
When you compare it to a Will Levis or an Anthony Richardson, if he has to throw the deep ball and it's cold weather and it's windy, can he get it done.
Absolutely? Yeah, there's no doubt in my mind. In fact, one of the things that he did best was play action pass and when they would get that rhythm going for Ohio State, his ability to attack down the field. Was remarkable. It's it's a It's maybe not as as prominent as a Will Levis just as far as pure
arm strength, but it's way smarter. And let me tell you what I'm saying, Like Levis can can can play a little bit like a relief pitcher with one pitch, like it's a fastball man and it's coming and here we go, and he's got that pitch, but he doesn't play the game like a starting pitcher who needs four pitches and needs to change speed and change location. CJ can change speed and change location and throw the deep ball.
So he's got a much better command over trajectory, throw style, velocity, all of those things than maybe a guy like Levis does, who has a better pure arm as far as strength goes.
Great stuff. I appreciate you doing that. I'll add our colleague at Fox, Brady Quinn, had a quote from a podcast that he was on with CBS that went viral and then there's more context to it, and I'm not questioning you know what Brady said because he said it, and there was a lot more that goes with it, and Brady's been very positive about CJ. Stroud. We'll say this, I have spoken around the league on the Manning thing at the Manning Passing Academy, which the story was that
he didn't appear. He did give a heads up. He stayed up there with Ohio State and his teammates there. The Manning Passing Academy continued on and was okay without c J. Stroud being there. There's no ill feelings from the Manning family from what I gather, and it certainly is not going to impact his draft stock in some great way. That said, the noise, it adds to the S two cognition test, it adds to you know whatever else negatives And this is just a shame of the
draft season. Some of these guys are going to have stories out there and for whatever reason, it's going to come out at the worst time, an immediate thing. But it's all washed away and fine when they get selected at the NFL Draft's going to be the greatest moment of his life. And I'm happy for him and I don't think he's going to fall out of the top ten by any means.
Yeah, we'll see, we'll see how it goes, because I think it's going to be as interesting a top five as we've had in a long time, because we've got quarterback drama and there's a lot of question about what can happen. I think there could be some trades. I think it could be wild. After that first pick, I think we all think, you know, we all agree Caroline is going to take Bryce Young and then it's like, let's all hold our breath.
What's Houston going to do?
I'm going to do this mock draft with you this way. So we had Daniel Jeremiah on. He was on the thing. So we flipped a coin. Aaron, do we have our coin?
Oh? Do I have a coin?
Aaron's got a coin?
Oh, Aaron Scott, Okay.
I got a coin through the magic of the Internet.
Is there like an internet coin toss apps? Oh?
Of course, of course you do cont yeah kids these days, so a coin? It is an ai coin? Yeah, Joel, you are the visiting team. See, do you want to pick heads or tails?
Tails? Always? You never pick heads?
All right?
And heads?
So, Peter, I get to kick off or defer, I will kick off. I will put you in the hot seat with those two and four picks, I'm gonna go number one Carolina Panthers, and I will take Bryce Young first overall, which leads to number two the Houston Texans. Joel, this is a combination of what you would do, what you think would happen. It doesn't. It's just an exercise. It's not you predicting what you think is gonna happen. We're gonna grade you against forty other mock draft experts
and get you a grade. It's just the Texans are on the clock. What do you think happens or what do you think should happen?
Okay, So I think that what's going to happen and what should happen are the same thing. I believe that at the end of the day, we're going to sit back and be like this was all smoke, and you know, let's let's give Houston some props for, you know, creating some value in the selection, creating some interest, and letting people know that maybe you know, it's not a done deal.
I think that they take CJ. Stroud.
I think it would be crazy if they didn't. They're desperate for a quarterback. He's clearly to me, the second best quarterback in this draft. Unless they're trying to wait for next year's class and think that they're also going to have one of the top two picks, then they've got to take CJ.
Stroud.
I love it on to number three, the Arizona Cardinals. Now, when I did this with Dana Jeremiah, we said no trades for the sake of it. But I will let it be known Arizona's trying to trade this. I don't think if you're gonna trade it for fifty cents on the dollar, but I think they might trade it for eighty cents on the dollar. They need, they need, they
need people, they need bodies, they need prospects. So I would look and I would call at this point, if I'm Monty asin for it, I would call one of my former teams at Tennessee Titans, and I'd say, please, if you need a quarterback, we're at three, you're at eleven. We're at a conference, Genessee, Jense, come on up, Come on up, Tennessee. Ran Carthon is the new GM there. He was with the Niners. They trained up to get Trey lanceson number three a few years ago. Anyway, let's
say at three Cardinals on the clock. Let's get a franchise pillar, a cornerstone. We are gonna draft Will Anderson third. Overall, Alabama can't go wrong someone. This sounds really really, I would say, almost as an insult, like a backhanded compliment. Someone said, yeah, Tyree Wilson might be a complete strikeout or a home run. Will Anderson is a solid double or a triple. So I'm gonna say with if the Arizona Cardinals that they keep it, let's go Will Anderson three.
And now, Joel, this is the money pick for the draft, the one that I have so much intriguing. I said today and Good Morning Football. I think it's the most interesting selection of the entire draft. The Indianapolis Colts at four. And when we have it, Bryce Young and c. J. Stroud are off the board. Who do you go with?
Okay, so I've heard the talk about that they like with Levis and Butt. I think that the better player and the better upside and the better fit for the Colts is going to be Anthony Richardson. And the reason that I'm going to take Anthony Richardson is that you're going to help Jonathan Taylor be more dominant for longer in his career because as soon as Richardson can get on the field, he's holding edges and creating within the
defense for the run game because of his athleticism. And you give Richardson what he needs, which is a dominant run game and the ability to throw play action pass and utilize that strong arm. So it it's a good fit. And I think that he is a better player than Will Levis. So I'm going to go with Anthony richards here at four.
All Right, I don't know if I'm breaking news here because at the last twenty four to fourty eight hours, I've heard a lot of Richardson too, the Colts talk too. Again, I've heard a lot of Levis to the Colts talk. I've heard love It to the Colts talks. It's the start of this whole draft thing started. But there are people in that building. I know for a fact that, like Richardson, whether it's people making the decision or not, is what needs to be seen. So that's not crazy.
Anthony Richardson at four, which would mean to recap for the listeners, as you're following along, and I watch you guys to all follow along. Bryce Young to Carolina Texan selects c J. Stroud A too, Will Anderson to the Cardinals at three, Anthony Richardson to the Colts at four, which leaves the Seahawks and they have a choice of quarterback Will Levis sitting right there, or Hendon Hooker or two really talented defensive players am Tyree Wilson and Jalen Carter.
If I am the Seahawks. Here I put the card in and it is Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech, the outside edge rusher as opposed to the inside guy, Tyrie Wilson, clean off the field, no red flags there. They go at the cleaner prospect, Tyree Wilson. Fit over all to the Seahawks.
Oh man, this is I thought you were going to take Jalen Carter. So I'm thrown off here a little bit because exercise is that I didn't think Jalen was going to be available for the Lions, and so now with the Lions, I'm a little stuck.
This is via the Rams.
Of course, they got the backstop later in the first round with the eighteenth pick. They've got four picks in the top fifty five. They need help on defense. I'm going to stick with what I had, and I'm going to leave Jalen on the board and take Christian Gonzales the corner from four again. Here's the thing is like without a Kuda, they need length on the outside, and
so I'm gonna take Christian Gonzales. And the reason is I have a couple of tackles that I like a lot that I could backstop this with at eighteen and or in the second round. I've got tackles that I like in both of those spots. So that's why I'm going to take Christian Gonzalez. I think there's a little gap between him and the other corners. Got to help my past defense.
Wow, Raiders at seven, I can't have Jalen Carter in Las Vegas? Can I can't. I can't. I don't know them. I mean this sounds like I'm being some like, you know, complete Neanderthal talking. Just put it. I just I just know Vegas. If there is any temptation to get into trouble, Vegas is the place, and I'm not going there. I will go with the hard hitting, one hundred and eighty pound new to football relatively speaking, big ten corner. We have two corners off in the first seven. I'm going
Devin Weatherspoon seven to the Raiders. We have two corners off the board six and seven. Let's quickly recap Panthers one Bryce Young Texans two C. J. Stroud Cardinals three Will Anderson Colt four, Anthony Richardson Seahawks, five, Tyree Wilson Lion six Christian Gonzales out of Oregon, Raiders seven, Devin Wetherspoon out of Illinois. Jalen Carter Will Levis still on the board. Falcons are on the clock.
Okay, so.
They will know Jalen Carter as well as anybody. I think they take him. I mean he's right down the street, right so I think I'm going to go Jalen right there.
So ask you philosophically speaking, because this is what the beauty of this mock draft is. We can poke a couple questions here and there and it's going to be rapid fire. Yes, he's right Athens is in his backyard. He got in trouble in Athens. That is that wise? Do you say or do you or do you say? He's the best player on the board and just wait till we get him in our building. It's not going to be an issue.
How do you if you have ways both ways, right, I think like if you're if you're convinced, if you're trying to convince yourself, you say that the setting is not a minus but a plus. If you're trying to say like, well we can't do that, then you say like, well, he can't be in this environment. It would have been better in Seattle as far away from from here as you can possibly get to remove him, you know, from
this environment. But the other part of this is when when I'm selecting here my board, the only other player that's remotely in the hemisphere of Jalen Carter is Vijon Robinson, and so like, I think they take the tackle here. I don't think Atlanta is going to go running back. So I'm gonna go with Jalen Carter more on value than anything.
All right. Number nine the Bears, I was planning on taking Weatherspoon or Gonzales. They're both gone. I would think they have to, huh. I think they like their offensive line. I was thinking you could go Paris Johnson here. Scar is nine too early for a guard because that's what I think Scarnsky probably ends up playing.
But he's a little speaking of down the road, right, I mean he's right there as well.
I know he's in the backyard. And then Vjon Robinson is floating there. If you want to just have a dynamic playmaker with fields, you know what, give me Peter Scarnsky out of the Northwestern Just give me a mauling. I'm not like doing flips or anything.
I'm all you know what that is? Now, that's like an Eagles esque pick.
Yeah, right, like kind of disciplined, stay in the trenches. But now the Eagles are up, they've got the best roster in football, at least that's my opinion. I don't know if you agree with that. And they've gotten there with those discipline picks, Like I was talking about the trenches, but now you've got the chance to give Jalen Hurts, the best offensive player in the draft, the biggest threat in the draft. Bijon to the Eagles. I've got it in my mock. You've got it in your mock. I'm
taking it in this mock as well. Bjon Robinson to the Eagles.
All right, that's that's awesome. Eleven the Titans. Will Levis is looking at me right in the eyes, just staring at you he's staring at me, but so is the hooker. And he's a local talent. And I get a year with Tannehill and we can kind of grow. Or do I go wide receiver and say just defensive Paris Johnson out of Ohio State. The Tennessee Titans take their future offensive tackle and they get him there, and they pass on both quarterbacks Texans on the board.
I means, okay, so they already got their quarterback because I've got them CJ. And I'm going to give them, like CJ's college teammate, the best wide receiver in the draft. I'm taking Jackson Smith and Jigba wide receiver from Ohio State. This might be a fool's errand to chase these guys on the outside, regardless of who takes Jackson Smith and Jigba, I just want to plant the flag.
Peter.
I think he's the best receiver in the draft. Okay, if you go back to twenty twenty one, I covered him extensively with Brian Hartline his position coach, Ryan Day, his offensive coordinators, last head coach with j Stroud, with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. To a man, they would have all said and did to me several times. Jackson Smith and Jigba is the best player on our offense. I think we forget that because he was out with
that hamstring injury. This is a guy that I do believe can based on his position and the volume that he can produce, he will lead the league in receptions at some point in his career. I think in the first five years.
Bold bold, clip that off, Aaron clip it off. That's going viral. I love that. That is a bold take. That entire spiel on JSN when I've been told Joel this might make you sick. There are no blue chip wide receivers in this draft.
That's why.
And he's not a pure outside guy, so I'm not I'm not going to push against that was Cooper cup of a blue chip wide receiver when he came out.
No, no he's not. But what is he a production machine?
I'm on rass Saint Brown, same thing, yes, the same.
Thing, Like this guy can get you one hundred and twenty catches. He just so, I didn't say he's the best receiver, I know. I said I think he can lead the league in receptions. You know, pretty much in the vein of Cup and I'm on Ross Saint Brown. That's that's the style. The slot specialist really understands space, really quick, lateral quickness, smooth through the catch point.
Really love his game.
If the Texans were to come out of the top twelve picks and said they got C. J. Stroud and Jackson Smith Najigbo, would you say that's an a draft in the first round.
I don't know, and I made the picks.
Yeah, I don't know either, I think so, I don't know. They would be their starting quarterback and their number one wide receiver right out of the gates.
Yeah, you know that, and I think it would be an a draft, but I think, you know, truth be told, it would it would take some time. Smith and Jigbo would reach his potential faster with a veteran and a solid offense.
But we'll see.
Jets at thirteen. They're going to go offensive line here. I'm going to go with Broderick Jones out of Joe the big tackle, safe ish pick. I think he's considered one of the top tackle prospects, and you're protecting whoever the asset is at quarterback, most likely Aaron Rodgers Patriots fourteen, who do you got.
Don't love.
I don't love this part of the draft for these teams, you know, I feel like they have too many needs for the players available. I wanted to go offensive tackle as well. There for the Patriots, it's a couple there. I think I'll stay I'll stay offensive tackle. This is probably a little high for him, but I'm gonna go Darnell right the tackle from Tennessee.
Okay, all right, Darnell write to the Patriots tackle out of Tennessee, which gives me the Packers. It's it's time for the Packers to do something they've never done when Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback. That's take a wide receiver tight end the first round. I'm actually gonna surprise you. I think I'm gonna go tight end, and please empty the bag on what you got from this guy. Dalton Kincaid at a Utah. I had never heard of him until I watched him in a college game and I
was like, who's this. I think I texted you about him. You covered a bunch of his games, Dalton Kincaid, what's the story on him?
Okay?
So, really good basketball player in his youth, and admittedly wanted to focus on basketball told recruiters that early in his high school days, which is why he was Peter. I would just call it like lightly recruited. So he's got to start his college career not at San Diego State, but San Diego of old you know Jim Harball.
Or from Waybreros.
Yeah, that's right.
So then he transfers to Utah and eventually develops he's got that basketball on grass type of mentality where he can flex out and be a real weapon for your offense. Led the FBS in terms of tight end production with about eight hundred and ninety almost nine hundred yards, and he didn't really even become the focal point of their offense at Utah until Brent Keithy went down another player on their offense. But I will say Kincaid and Cam Rising had a an amazing rapport between the two of them.
And this is a team that just went to back to back Rose Bowls, by the way, and you know, I'm a big fan of Kincaid. I could easily see him being the best tight end in this draft. He's not quite as versatile as a guy like Michael Maher the tight end at your game, but only because Mayor
is an excellent blocker. Excellent blocker, Kincaid, probably a better receiver mayor probably better all around if you're looking for someone to also be kind of a sixth offensive lineman and flex out and give you something in space.
Got it all right? I like that we're fifteen and sixteen is the Washington Commanders. What do you got, Joe?
Okay?
So, buddy, I think this is a weird pick. Again again, I don't love them. I love the lad the first it's a weird draft, and so the middle from from from the Titans, really the Texans at twelve until we get to really like the Seahawks at twenty. You get a bunch of teams that need a lot of things and players in those areas that are kind of like, uh, are we gonna take him? I think there's gonna be a lot of waiting until the end of the clock
trying to trade out. So it's gonna be a long night, in particular in the middle of the draft, and they're gonna be waiting, waiting, waiting, and then they'll just kind of run up and the like, well, he's kind of the best player at our position of need. That being said, I think Washington one pick before where he would probably want to go. Is gonna take Joey Porter Jick corner from Penn State.
Okay, take it. I think I read the stat he had one interception at Penn State, but he's only thrown at thirty times last year.
So make what you do with that aggressive.
I'm gonna stick at corner. You go sixteen, you go corner, I go seventeen at corner. That means four corners, which has become a premium position in the league. I'm gonna go corner for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Deontay Banks at.
A Maryland man. Okay, wow, see this is you know what's happening right now, and it always happens.
When you guys go quicker than you thought.
Right, It's exactly right because it creates a run. And this is what happens in the draft, right, it creates a run on absolutely, So we've already had now a run on two different positions. Right, offensive line and corner have come off maybe faster than we anticipated if we were doing this on our own.
I'm looking at it right now. Just for the listeners, We'll go from eleven on. So eleven was Paris Johnson which is a shock to everyone that they would go oh line instead of quarterback. I just don't know if Levis or Hooker is what they're looking to do. Texans twelve wide receiver Jackson Smith NIJIGBA Jets thirteen, Broderick Jones offensive tackle, fourteen Patriots Darnel Wright offensive tackle, Packers, Dalton Kincaid tight end, Commander's Joey Porter junior corner, Steelers at seventeen,
Deontay Banks corner. Now we are up to the Lions at eighteen. Joel, you're on the.
Clock, all right, little bit of a free pick here, right, because I think that they got I like what they got with Gonzales, and think about this, adding a really disruptive interior lineman. And now all of a sudden you've got Hutchinson, which you really like, I would, you know, excellent player, and then you pair him with a pass rushing tackle Elijah Kntsey from Pitt, Okay. The guy had huge production. By the way you look at his career. He played in thirty six games at Pitt, thirty seven
tackles for loss. That's a tackle for loss per game, which is unheard of.
Two and eighty pound defensive tackle. Are we a little worried about that? Are we okay with that?
When you're producing like that? And he's the first unanimous All American at PITT since Aaron Donald, the guy that we all love. Maybe in the same type of mold quickness and power both. He's not three hundred pounds, but from the three tech position on the outside shade of the guard, he can produce a lot of numbers in the backfield.
All right, nineteen Will Levis is still on the board and the Buccaneers are there, But gosh, they've invested in Kyle Trask. They I'm really having a hard time here. Do they really want to take a quarterback and then put themselves in this bind where they got the fourth quarterback and they did it at nineteen? Where do they want to go? I mean, it's like, this is the questions you're asking. You're like, is it so good of a value?
I think this is the worst pick in the draft. I said that every time I did the mock for myself. I got the nineteen and I.
Was just like, I I don't know, yeah, and I don't think there's any Let me ask you this, Yeah, what do you think the Bucks need the most offensive line, and.
They've already had a run of offensive linemen. This happened in my own mock right, like, I think you're reaching at offensive line if you take one right here, shregs, because you've already had the run on the top offensive lineman.
I know, I know. And now, like the clock is like up right now. And oh and I'm literally on the internet like googling, like you know, a top offensive lineman, like this is an embarrassing.
You're looking at something like Osiris Torrance at nineteen.
I can't do that. I'm actually I mean, is this what happens in the front offices? They start googling when they're on the clock.
Isn't this one?
They just take the best player available. They just look at their board and they're just like take him.
Yeah, all right, So let's just go through it.
Here.
You got Michael Mayer, You've got Nolan Smith, who's kind of slipped here in our draft. You've got Will Levis, give me Michael Mayer. Tight end, tight end, I mean, they've really taking a tight tight end to the bucks. Did not see that happening before we started this, But tight end to the bucks. Michael Mayer at a Notre Dame goes nineteenth overall, did not see that.
Dude, wouldn't Seattle so excited if this happened, because.
Levis is sitting there if they want them or Hooker.
And that's I did not see that happening. I thought that they were going to go edge here. But that's because I didn't give them edge at five. You gave them edge here. So to recap at five, Peter, you gave them Tyree Wilson. Correct, Yeah, okay, so Tyree's at five. I would have gone like a Nolan Smith or a Miles Murphy there, but they already got like they're not going to take two edge rushers. I think Seattle goes quarterback there, So which one? Now, it's what I would
do versus what I think they'll do. I would take hindon Hooker.
Really, I'll make that argument because I think a lot of people are in the league are saying that more and more and Hooker over Levis is. Hooker's twenty six years old with a torn up ACL. It's tough to swallow.
Hooker also just set the completion percentage record at Tennessee in a downfield passing offense. You know, this was not just a bunch of of flip screens and like so the offense that he ran at Tennessee is very similar to the Baylor offense under Art Briles back from the you know, the early teens and then two thousand, Yeah, the Bryce Petty days, the RG three days, and it's predicated on half field reads, which isn't great, but half field reads and then post snap wide receiver read routes,
deep read routes. Okay, so they run kind of from a two receiver set, and Jalen Hyatt in this case, who had a phenomenal year Blittankough Award winner, he would read the coverage and he could take it vertical or hook it up and run it kind of a ten yard hook and hooker. His whole job was to not retreat in the pocket, wait and have patients and then be on the same page with the wide receiver and then from that what I would call the short area
in the pocket. He had to have great accuracy down the field and anticipation in this post snap read route really hard to be efficient in and he threw for over seventy percent. So I think NFL of evaluators are going to look at this and be like, man, this guy is not intimidated to push the ball down the field. He threw it very accurately. He's very mature. He got better every single year, and he was the reason that this program in Tennessee was able to get over the
hump and actually beat Alabama. So he was great in big games, in particular in that Alabama game. And when you measure that against Will Levis, and you look at the turnovers for Levis, you look at Levis's history being maybe not even a dominant high school player, losing a job to Sean Clifford, not really being dominated at Kentucky. Those turnovers, like I said, and some boneheaded mistakes on the field not off because Levis is a terrific person.
I think they go hendon Hooker, So a long dissertation there to land on Hooker.
Twenty one's the Chargers, and I think they'd be really happy with how this worked out. They don't need a quarterback, and I'm looking at three names. I'm looking at Lucas van Ness, who has now slipped all the way here. I'm looking at Nolan Smith, who has slipped all the way here. But I think they might give their guy, another pass catcher. I'm gonna go Jordan Addison out of USC to the LA Chargers. He stays close to home. And another pass catcher for Justin Herbert.
I thought you were gonna go Quinton Johnston there, just to give him an outside target.
That's interesting.
You are up with the Ravens at twenty two and we have a quarterback still on the board.
Oh my gosh. If this happens, the ratings are going to be through the roof right on the board.
But does levis I feel like there are more guys.
There are guys that fit the Ravens, and they are such Ravens picks. Okay, I'm going Nolan Smith, edge player from Georgia, and everyone's going to be like, of course, Baltimore got Nolan Smith. Everyone loves Nolan Smith in this draft. He's productive anchor alpha of the best defense in college
football over the last two years. And I think he's a good scheme fit for what Mike McDonald does at Baltimore because of what Georgia does and kind of an odd defense, and he can play the edge as a stand up player.
I'm going Nolan Smith.
Which gives me the vikings. I don't think Will Levis is what the Vikings are doing. But we need to get Bill Levis off the board in the first round.
I mean this is where if Levis is there, you would be thinking about like someone's trading.
Someone's trading back up to Lucas van Ness is like a Iowa Minnesota, like on the carpet. Give me Will Levis here at twenty three. Wow, with an asterisk in that this pick will be swapped to somebody else.
Yeah, that's a good asterisk.
We got him off the board.
That was more about getting him off the board.
I can't go a whole round without him being drafted. So there you go, Levis, Your night is over.
All, Right, Jags, Let's see what we got available here? M what do we think that, what do we love? What do we think the Jags need? I'm looking here.
Surprisingly, the Jaguars are pretty much well loaded at each position, and they're set up for the future, So you could really go best player available here.
If if that's the case. In my mock, I had him taking Brian Branch, you know, but I'm not going to do that here. Okay, I do like Brian Branch, Though's really good. I'm going to stay there. I'll stay there. I'll go Brian Branch. He's one of the names that I'm hearing. I'm sure you're hearing, like I think he's He's a first round guy. He can kind of play Nickel played the kind of that that hybrid safety position
that Minka Fitzpatrick played at Alabama. Their smartest player, They've told me, by the way, like Brian's going to know the defense better than some of the veterans in camp. Like that's how smart he is. So I'll go Brian Branch.
Okay, Giants, I'm here in this backyard. The Saquon thing is at a standstill. Jamir Gibbs is sitting right there. But I also know they want to get Can you imagine Daniel Jones another wide receiver. Let's have fun, Jamir Gibbs, Alabama goes to the Giants at twenty five, have your franchise tag and enjoy.
It, buddy. Can you imagine.
Yeah, that's how the NFL works. It's a brutal business, it is.
By the way, I love Gibbs. I love his game. He's not quite Saquon, but boy's versaally can catch it. I like.
I like that okay, all right, cowboys, Oh cowboys, did.
You take vanes s?
I did not. He's still on the board.
Do you just go defense here and like load up and you've got like Micah rushing and Vaness rushing and then you just create, like, hey, how do you beat Jalen Hurts?
You just follow him up. That's a lot of sense. That's where Lucas van Ness from from Iowa.
I had van Ness and the top ten pick when we started this whole thing, and I he said nothing wrong from now to that. But to go to twenty six, it's like just how the draft shuck out? Just what it is. Uh, Bill's give me Quintin Johnson. Give me a big outside receiver to go at digs and those guys.
Quentin Johnson, he's a downfield like uh I would call him like a combat catch specialist.
Who's a good comp in the NFL for him.
I'm really bad at that trip.
Yeah, So what's like, He's just he's sixteen.
Lengthy, six to two, can jump. Not the cleanest route runner.
And Mike Williams there is not that's all like not.
Quite that tall.
He can make the easy catch look hard and then the hard catch look really easy hockey Nicks.
How about that?
Yeah, that's I'm not bad. I wouldn't complain about that. Johnston would be perfect for Josh Allen though. You talk about like give Josh one of those players that he can just be like, I'm gonna throw it up as as far as I can and this guy's gonna come down with it.
That would be Johnston. All right? Where am I now? Bengals?
I mean, do we do we protect him or do we give him a threat? The age old question, right, protect him or do we give him a threat? I don't love the offensive lineman there, so it's it's probably threat or defense.
I love bit noise. We both made it.
Yeah, it's to.
Me, it's either Zay or Darnell Washington. It's either Zay Flowers or Darnell Washington. And I don't think that they need a wide receiver. And Darnell can help in the run game because he can act as a sixth offensive lineman dominant blocker. I'll go Darnell Washington, the tight end from Georgia.
Okay, Okay, Darnell Washington over Sam Laporta out of Iowa. Do you know Laporta's game at all I do.
I know it.
Well, he's Washington's a better blocker, so you can help a run game out with Washington as well as get some of the production Laporta. I like Laporta, but he's not as dominant at the point of attack. Is that a name that you're hearing as like the first rounder?
Potentially the tight end group is like Kincaid and Mayer, and you can flip those and it's Washington, Laporta and Musgrave is getting a lot of lovely.
Luke Muskrave from Oregon State, by the way, you know what, Luke Musgrave great skier as a kid, great skier in Oregon.
You wouldn't think about that. But he went up to Mount Hood. He was on like a junior ski team. And then his uncle is is Bill.
Yeah, great offensive coordinator for many years in the league. Okay, I love this mock draft so far. Let me recap real quick from twenty on.
So Buck, this is a tandem is hard.
It's great, isn't it? Because it's like it doesn't fit your own puzzle. You have to adjust. Nineteen the Buccaneers in a bind where I literally was googling top one hundred players in draft because I didn't know what the hell to do. Michael Mayer tight end Notre Dame. That was nineteen twenty Seahawks Hendon Hooker, quarterback Tennessee.
Oh that would explode the draft.
Chargers twenty one. Jordan Addison wide receiver, USC Ravens twenty two. Nolan Smith goes with fellow Georgia Bulldog Rokwan Smith to the Ravens. Twenty two. Will Levis twenty three to the Vikings with a giant asterisk likely traded. Twenty four Jaguars Brian Branch, twenty five, Giants, Jamiir Gibs out of Alabama, twenty six Cowboys Lucas van Ness out of Iowa, twenty seven, Bills, Quinton Johnson twenty eight Darnell Washington Saints at twenty nine.
I will go Say Flowers out of Boston College. Just a playmaker, and I feel like he has done really well in the pre draft process. I don't want to get the number wrong. I think he's one of eight siblings. It could be more than.
That, and it is it is more. I've got it's fourteen fourteen siblings.
I think he's the.
Eleventh of eleventh, ten boys, four girls, his mom actually passed away in two thousand and five.
Was he was raised primarily by his father.
Wow, what a family story for him to make it to the NFL first round pick and gosh, the Saints obviously have talent all over the field, but they are always looking for another weapon. Derek Carr would be more than happy to get Save Flowers. We have two picks left in the first round and several guys who have been mocked to first rounds throughout everyone else's mock draft. But we're gonna go Eagles at thirty. Joe Klatt, you're on the board.
So this you would have to tell me? Would they go tackle defensive tackle?
Defense? They got Jordan Davis last year. Jalen Carter would be one, but I don't know if they would go for like a third tier defensive tackle in the first round they get, you know.
What, I like a guy.
You know I'm gonna go this is this is actually a good fit here because you could argue that, like, yeah, they could take edge right, a little pass rush, and my best available on the board is Miles Murphy from Clemson. Take them, So I'm gonna take Miles Murphy from Clemson.
Miles Murphy from Clemson. All right, weird year because of the Dolphins losing a pick. We now just have one final pick and it's at thirty one, and it's the Kansas City Chiefs. Can go anywhere here, I've already got.
Now.
My sneaky thing is I like the running back to them. But I just took him to the Giants at twenty five at Gibbs.
Yeah see, I kept thinking like a Gibbs or is a Flowers here?
Yeah? Yeah?
But they're both gone.
They're both gone. And gosh, wow, a little early for my guy Mingo, who I've been pumping up a little early for my guy Marvin Mims, a little early for Josh Downs. I'm looking at the wide receivers here.
What about a Jalen Hyatt.
Jalen Hyatt? How about this one last pick of the first round defensive tackle at a Michigan Mazzie Smith. Wow, he called all those Michigan games. Yeah, can you give us a little something? He is in no first rounds anywhere, and yet there's been some late buzz that he might be top forty maybe who knows? Thirty one? What's Mozzi Smith's deal?
So in order to know about Mazi, you got to know the intent behind their defensive structure change over the last two years. So Jim can't get over the hump of Ohio State, right, and he went to his brother John and he's like, I got to change defenses. I need a coordinator. So John gave him two names. These two young coaches who have both worked with John, been in the Ravens system. They want to incorporate the Ravens system.
He gives them these two names, Mike McDonald and Jesse Minter, and so Jim interviews them both and says, I like them both. And Jim says, well, you got to pick one. So he picks Mike and they go on to have a great year, go to the playoff, win the Big Ten, beat Ohio State, right, and.
Hes to Baltimore.
And then Mike goes back to Baltimore to be the defensive coordinator.
So what did Jim do.
He said, well, I want the other guy. So Jesse Mintor comes in after spending one year I believe at Vanderbilt, and Jesse Mintter comes in. Doesn't change the scheme because the whole thing was to run the Baltimore defense, all right, So the Baltimore defense is predicated on, at least at the college level. The way Michigan incorporates it is that the first thing that you have to do is build a run wall. You do that with your defensive tackles.
You build these guys that you're not asking for production. All you're doing is asking for stalemates, big, heavy, thick, aggressive guys that you're just gonna You're just gonna steimy the offensive line and then let your hybrid players run.
So then you build hard edges on the outside, guys like Aiden Hutchinson, right, Mike Morris from this last year that can rush the quarterback, hybrid linebackers, good cover corners like DJ Turner, who we're going to hear in this draft as a corner for Michigan, and then safeties that can run and cover as well. That's kind of the Baltimore defense as Michigan incorporates it. So the number one thing that they had to find first and foremost was
a defensive tackle. Mike McDonald and Jesse Mintter walk in, and the first thing that they see and notice is this defense is gonna work. Not because of Aiden Hutchinson, not because of DJ Turner, not because of any of these guys, but because of Mazzy Smith over the last couple of years, and so Mazi was the anchor of this defense to allow everybody else to produce around him
because of what they asked him to do. He's a hard worker, great in the locker room, and all the coaches rave about what he is and what he provided for them. There's a little backstory about Mazie and the Michigan Wolverines.
Isn't that fun for the listeners? You press a button and Joel can just go. And that is why I love him, and especially with the big ten guys, because when you do a dozen Michigan games over the past two years, when you do a dozen Ohio State games, you're gonna know stories that no one else does. They're gonna have insights no one else does. Now, Aaron, I'm gonna let you get back on the mic if you're willing to. Can you give us one to thirty one
recap this thing. I don't want any analysis in between. Just give us pick team name, selection and let's let it sink in and then Joel will say goodbye afterwards. All right?
To start number one, The Panthers have bryce young quarterback two, the Texans take quarterback CJ. Stroud. Cardinals at three, take Will Anderson edge. Colts at four, take Anthony Richardson quarterback. Seahawks at five, edge rusher Tyree Wilson. Lions at six, take Christian Gonzales quarter cornerback. Raiders at seven, take Devin Weatherspoon, also a cornerback. Falcons at eight. Take Jalen Carter the defensive tackle. The Bears at nine, take Peter Scarnsky offensive line.
Eagles at ten take Bjeon Robinson the running back. Titans at eleven, take Paris Johnson offensive line. Texans at twelve take Jackson Smith and jigbu to pair him up with Stroud. Jets at thirteen, take Broderick Jones ot. Patriots at fourteen take an ot. They take Darnell Wright Packers at fifteen, take Dalton Kincaid tight end, Commanders at sixteen, Joey Porter
junior cornerback. Steelers at seventeen, missing out on Porter junior, take Deontay Banks cornerback Lions at eighteen, Elijah Cansey defensive tackle nineteen Buccaneers, Michael Meyer tight end Seahawks at twenty, Hendon Hooker quarterback Chargers twenty one. Jordan Addison wide receiver, Ravens at twenty two. Take Nolan Smith edge rusher Vikings at twenty three. Most likely trade the pick away and take someone takes Will Levis quarterback. I can get him
off the board Jaguars at twenty four. Take Brian Branch cornerback, Giants at twenty five. Take Jamior Gibbs running back, Cowboys at twenty six. Take Lucas van Ness edge rusher, the Bills at twenty seven. Take Quenton Johnson wide receiver, Bengals at twenty eight. Take Darnell Washington tight end, Saints at twenty nine. Take Zay Flowers wide receiver, Eagles at thirty take Miles Murphy edge, and the Chiefs close it out at thirty one with Mazzy Smith defensive tackle.
Nicely Don nicely, Don, Joe, I'm exhausted, buddy, that was come on, I want to get a burger or something, Joel, Where can we find your content online? As we head towards the draft and then empty the daily planner? Where can we see you draft weekend?
There we go.
Okay, so first off, you can follow so everything that I do, you know on a weekly basis at the Joel Clatt Show and you can find that on any of the social media's at Joel Clatt Show or go download it wherever you get your podcasts. So that usually drops at least every Monday. And I've got to by the way, I'm gonna pub right now for the first time. I've got a summer series coming on the podcast that I am really excited about.
We're sitting down.
Are you going on the road.
We're going on the road, and we're sitting down face to face with the most influential voices, powerful voices in all of college football. Nick Saban, Ryan Day, Greg Sankei, the commissioner of the SEC, new Big Ten commissioner, Tony Pettiti, Big Twelve Commissioner, Brett Yormark, Lincoln Riley, Dion Sanders.
We're sitting down with all of them.
They'll be released every Monday during the course of the summer, starting probably June fifth.
I love this, so excited to have we started filming them already.
Yes, we've got four or three of them done already.
So you've been on the road, yep.
April's been a busy month, so we've got that. Okay, So that's the podcast. This week, I'll be on with you on the NFL Network Thursday night on the Main Desk with Rich and DJ and CD, as well as Friday night. So that's where I'm at there. You can find me in the fall doing the big noon game with Gus. And I got to tell you, man, it's Peter and I got to know each other when we were both just pumping it man, like at Fox, we were grinding, we were going to mobile and we're covering
everything that we could possibly cover. And we're sitting backstage next to Vander Holyfield at a Snoop concert at a super Bowl in Phoenix and looking at each other like how did we get invited?
And then Randy Moss is like I invited.
You and like weird stories like that, right, And I could not be more proud and more happy for Peter and what he's done in his career, And obviously I feel it super fortunate for what's happened over the last eight ten years in mine as well.
So I appreciate being on this show.
I think we both have a lot of great feelings for each other. I think we're both very grateful for the bosses that Fox for letting us be us too. Back then, Fox Sports Won was this burgeoning network. It was before all the debate shows became the daily schedule. There was a couple of shows called America's Pregame Fox,
Fox Football Daily and Fox Sport Live. These were shows that you probably didn't see much of, but when you talk about Malcolm Gladwell, in the ten thousand Hours, Joel and I got to get all the reps we ever needed so that when the big call up came, we were ready. And gosh, Joel and I went to a Marcus Mariota pro day in Oregon. We went to a Jamis Winston pro day at Florida State. We have been
to multiple Senior Bowls. You and me sitting on those bleachers, you know, just introducing ourselves to as many people as we could around the league and say what you want about us online and hate on us while you call it game, or hate on me while eero good Morning football. Two of us busted our asses. And I'm so happy to see that you've had all the success you have because there's no better guy, and there's no better family man.
And I'm I'm getting sentimental because it's now we're ten years from those days.
All right, He's like, what's going on here? This is turning into a big emotional fest. How's by the way, how's everything going with the new family member?
And great? We got a baby girl name named Betty Erica. My wife is holding it down as I'm kind of doing my thing. But I am happy to say that my son, mel who is six and a half years oldest really been great and Julia like this playing flag football for the first time. He's playing with older kids. He's on a team with seven and eight year olds. Bro, He's like Barry freaking Sanders, Yes, let's go. I don't know where he has twitchiness. I don't know where the
twitchiness comes from. This dude is stuck. I know, I know it's not me.
There.
They are the Bengals. They had a big win against the Eagles yesterday, and I'm there. I'm so proud, so happy. But I'm like already critiquing some of his things. All right, I got to stop being that dad. I'm just happy for him. I'm the guy who's got the kid playing with the older kids, So I love it.
Dude, that's so good.
I'm coaching one of my boys in flag football right now in spring flag football. The youngest one, middle one is also playing. My youngest is six, Theodore, and he plays a little quarterback for us. And their team allowed like a lower division team to score a touchdown. And I brought them all together and I was like, guys, boys, I just want you to know that was totally unacceptable.
You and me.
Can you get me a okay, So listen real quick, because I think everyone listening is in the draft, but you also might have kids. All right, So my kids six and a half. I live in Brooklyn, New York. There is on one hand the amount of kids who have gone on to play in the NFL who live in Brooklyn, New York.
I think it's like.
Curtis Samuel and maybe like you know, like Ernie Garfing goal from the nineteen forties, you know, and they play in a park and it's there's it's a couple of reps. But you're in Orange County, California, where I have to imagine it is just a slew Like Bryce Young probably came out of your flag football league. So who are some of the other dads in this league? If you can, My.
Gosh, that's a that's a good one. Okay, So I'll give you my next door neighbor. He's got I'll just talk about his his he's got three daughters, played in the league for seven years.
Not going to say his name just yet, but he has bezos okay, no go one, no, no, no no.
He he has three daughters and on one of his daughter's soccer team. The starting lineup of dads on that soccer team is Corey mcghetty.
Okay, from the NFL, from the NBA.
I love them, Nick folesh and Evan Moore, who is my neighbor seven years. And by the way, Evans brother played international professional basketball. Yes, And so these these little girls roll out there and they are throttling all these other teams in this soccer league, and the dads are standing over there and it's like six ' five minimum. It's like Nick Foles is the smallest guy on the dad's sideline and he's enormous, right, So they're holding it down.
Okay, And I know that I think your kid was in Matt Liner's kids league.
Who's not the Matt Liner league. And this is where like the high school that all the really good players go to from where I live I'll go to modern day and this is Bryce, This is Matt Lioner, this is Matt Barkley.
This is that whole lineage.
Are your kids going to modern day or is it too?
Probably not, We'll see last one.
You're a Colorado guy, Can I be Can I be the one to put some dampening of water on this stuff?
Or don't you dare don't you dare? Well? We're in a honeymoon face right?
He has Twitter. I go on Twitter Saturday. The amount of dorks who come out of the world are like, that's why you get you know, you get Dean to win games. This was fun. But Joe, slow down, Colorado football, slow down? This is Look, do you understand the impact he's making? No, I want to see Dion coach in a big game, and then I'm excited for them too. But I'm just trying to manage expectations.
Bro Well, let me let me listen, let me push back on that.
All right, I'm going to take your water on the throat out because look at Alabama as a great example in two thousand and seven. You know when they hired Nick Saban, they had around I think it's like I want to say, it was like eighteen thousand students and they're at Alabama, and now I think it's somewhere in the thirty one thirty two there's.
A David Shula guy. I think they should have stayed with him.
All right, Well they didn't because now they've got thirteen thousand more students at the University of Alabama. And if you just give a low estimate to what those thirteen thousand students are paying intuition to the University of Alabama, do you know what Nick Saban means to Alabama? Yeah, about a mile of a billion dollars annually, right, And so that's gonna happen at Colorado. The just from an academic standpoint, Also, I would say this, they just sold
out the spring game ten bucks a ticket. They couldn't they couldn't give away a thousand tickets for like the ridings on Ralfie before it was pleak. And they just sold out their season ticket a lot man for the next fall. So they're gonna they're gonna make From an athletic department standpoint, they're already plus twenty million dollars in margin just on ticket sales year over year from last year to this year, so he he this is why
you get Dean. There is a business element to this, but it is going to have to go win games. And by the way, gust and I might call came their first couple of games.
I'll tell you I was being sarcastic. I am so excited that Deon stuff because honestly, I worked with an NFL network and I grew up like you did, I'm sure, with Deon posters and wanted to be Deon Sanders. Here. I am this white Jewish kid from New Jersey with like Dion Sanders twenty one Falcons channel. So then I get to work with him an NFL network and you might have your own expectations on like who do has me?
There isn't a nicer, cooler, more down to earth like good intentions, doesn't drink, doesn't like do anything.
Dion is the man.
So I I was so excited to see him come to Colorado. My only question was, and you're gonna have to report it here not Now you're the lead analyst at Fox, did you get approached to be the offensive coordinator? Was there any conversations? Now? No, no, no, no, no, no no no, no, okay, I would have liked that it would have been fun. Joe Klatt awesome. We'll see you this week.
I can't wait to see you in Kansas City.
Very cool guys. So who everyone's listening? Thanks listening. We're going to have one more podcasts this week, either right before the draft or after the first round. I got to decide. Me and Aaron are figuring that out. Uh to everyone at iHeartRadio, Jason English, and Devrone at the NFL network at NFL dot com, thank you for helping me put this together. For Aaron, Wan Kaufman, for Joel Klatt, for my man Jack Rudd on the one Tuesday Till Next Time. The Season with Peter Schrager is a production
of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts.