Reacting to Daniel Jeremiah Mock Draft 2.0 and MJD's RB Rankings  - podcast episode cover

Reacting to Daniel Jeremiah Mock Draft 2.0 and MJD's RB Rankings

Feb 20, 202545 min
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Episode description

Marcas Grant, Michael F. Florio, and LaQuan Jones return with another episode of the podcast. They start the show by reacting to the news that the Saints are hiring Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier as their offensive coordinator. Then LaQuan Jones shares his thoughts on their February mock draft (6:11).

After that the guys discuss Daniel Jeremiah’s real-life mock draft and where they would want to see Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Shedeur Sanders end up (11:29).

Next they review Maurice Jones-Drew’s running back rankings (27:28). They wrap the show talking about Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary special and who the best athlete hosts have been (35:12).

The NFL Fantasy Football Podcast is part of the NFL Podcast Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

Wow. Wow, Hey everybody, It's Thursday, February twentieth, twenty twenty five. Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. We're wondering why isn't it called the NFL combined to me and your man named G. Marcus Grant, joined by Michael Florio and Laqwan Jones. LQ you were you were back in New Orleans. You were there in the STU What week or two ago? I mean it was not long ago, two weeks ago, right weeks ago? How much different is the city out of there? It was two weeks ago.

Speaker 2

It's a little bit colder actually, Like it was like thirty degrees this morning when I was walking to go get breakfast and the wind is like eighteen miles per hour.

Speaker 3

I'm like, Yo, where the heck am I at right now?

Speaker 1

Like?

Speaker 3

Am I really down south?

Speaker 1

This is crazy? Now, Florida. You're going to New Orleans sometime in the near future. Correct?

Speaker 4

Yeah, I have a bachelor party that I'm actually the one throwing.

Speaker 1

I haven't planned it.

Speaker 4

Out per se just yet, but I'm the one planning it. So I have some I need some recommendations. I'm gonna have to talk to you guys, and apparently Steve Weisch.

Speaker 1

Yeah, hey Weisch, Yes, Yeah, that's done there. Steve is like kind of the unofficial mayor of New Orleans. If you need to know where to go eat, what to go do, Steve's probably got to talk to you. I would also suggest talking to Greg Rosenthal, who is an alum of Two Lane University from right there in New Orleans. So nice, go go talk to Rosie too. He may have some I'm sure, some recommendations, some suggestions for you.

For this one, we are going to do kind of some more mock draft stuff, but this is more sort of NFL mock draft related. Daniel Jeremiah put out his mock draft two point zero. There are some interesting things in there. I think we want to dive into. Also, Maurice Jones Drew put together his rankings of the top seventy four running backs. I kind of looked at the top ten and we can kind of kick that around because we just did our own fantasy rankings justast week

on the show. Coming up starting I think next week or every week after. I got to check my dates again, but we'll start getting into free agency stuff too, because the new league year begins in very short order. So we will very soon start previewing the free agents what we think they should do or what we would like to see them do to help our own selfish fantasy purposes. So we'll do that in just a little bit. But I want to start with one quick news headline. Eagles

quarterback coach. That quarterback quarterback coach, Doug Messmeyer eyes heading down to New Orleans where you are right now, Lakwan, to join Kellen Moore. He will be the offensive coordinator, that is neus Meyer, with More as the head coach. I know we talked a little bit about it last week, with More taking the head coaching job down there, Lakwan, you were very much on the I still don't think I'm in on Chris o'lave. Does this make you anymore in on Chris o'lave?

Speaker 3

Well, two things real quick.

Speaker 2

It's kind of funny being in the Saints faculty yesterday and seeing some of the coaching staff, and then I guess the sports science guy that's going to be operations over there got hired, and he's like sitting at the table across from I'm like, what the heck here?

Speaker 1

See that news?

Speaker 2

To actually see him, so nog To launches eating and then it's been now in the last few weeks, I've seen in Rand into Chris o' lobby. I haven't spoken to him, I haven't said anything to him, just seeing him and it's like, wow, that uh Sachel of what do we call it?

Speaker 1

Discontent? Discontent? Yeah, yeah, it's starting to unravel.

Speaker 2

So I am kind of getting more on board with Chris o' lobby this season, not because I'm seeing him in person. It's more so of just the moves that they're dealing with Kellen Moore, the QB coach, and hopefully they bring in a competent quarterback to where you know, they can get this offense more on a scoring, you know, opportunity situation because chrysal Lobby needs more touchdowns. That's always

been my problem with chriso Lobby. It's like he doesn't have that quarterback that's going to be able to get him touchdown at the touchdown at the top down. We draft them as a wide receiver one, we don't get the wide receiver one return. We keep drafting them high and drafts every single summer, but we don't get that ADP, you know, for him to smash it. So I'm liking all the changes that they're doing right now. Everything seems to be on course.

Speaker 3

They just need.

Speaker 2

To make the button tight when they go get Jalen Moro in the second round.

Speaker 1

All right, So I mean Floria and the mock draft that we all did together a few days ago, Chrys o'lavey was the first pick in the fifth round. Is that okay with you? And is that gonna maybe start to move up a little bit with some of these changes?

Speaker 4

To me, this doesn't really move the needle all that much. I was excited for Kellen Moore because I think Kellen Moore is a good, smart, offensive minded coach. He and especially for fantasy, he likes to throw the ball down field. He likes to run an up tempo, paced offense, which usually needs more plays, which means more opportunities for yards and touchdowns.

Speaker 1

All of that.

Speaker 4

I do think Chrystal Lovey gets pulled especially. I think it depends on what they do a quarterback. If we come into next year and Derek Carr is the starting quarterback, I could see him going in that range still. If they make a more exciting move, Chris Alov is definitely getting pulled. Up because the fantasy community just absolutely loves him. But to me, this hire is just like it's someone that has rapport with Kellen Moore. They have chemistry, we

know they obviously work well together. So to me, I don't have they stated which one is going to be actually calling the plays yet.

Speaker 1

I don't know if that has been announced yet. I think we're still waiting.

Speaker 4

I feel like either way though, it's gonna be Kellen Moore's fingerprints all over this offense. So I to me, this doesn't really change anything. Although his son the new OC, his son is the quarterback for LSU, so that that's a pretty cool story.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Yeah, Garrett Nsmeyer, who you know? Okay, I mean I saw a little bit of him last year that he definitely need some development, a little more seasoning. But be the starting quarterback at LSU means you're not a total slouch. So very cue kind of how this this is going to work out?

Speaker 4

Louisi had to put all their eggs in this family's basket pretty much, because the whole state, the whole Bayou State's gone all in on the neus Meyers.

Speaker 1

So we'll see, we'll see how this turns out. We did do the mock draft recap on Tuesday show Lakwan you were in there on your way to the Crescent City. But we have questions. Yes, thankfully you landed safely, so congrats to you on that, but we do love questions about your mock draft because you did not get a chance to speak for yourself on this one. Mainly mainly

three things that are all ram related. Because you have been the chief flag bearer of the Puka Nakua maybe even at one one, but certainly in the top three. You had a chance to get Puka at four you passed on him. Please explain.

Speaker 2

So I wanted to, honestly see because like I saw the room, I read the room very well, like we were in a room with you know, some of the people that were really sharp about how they were gonna draft.

So I honestly just wanted to gauge how far Puka was gonna fall, and like he fell in the back and in that first round to where I'm like, hmm, interesting, if I do end up drawing a pick and I'm at that one oh six due to one twelve spot, I still have pookin nakool in my heart to be able to be on my team because honestly, I'm taking them at one on one. I'm gonna stamp that flag

that I'm going to be very aggressive with that. And this is all based on with the cap salary being moved up a couple more million dollars, so that's a low wiggle room for Matthew Stafford to get restructure in state. Now obviously Mattew Stafford's not there, then okay, then I'm not taking Pooka at one on one. But overall I just wanted to see where he was going to end up in that in that first round.

Speaker 1

There is some Matthew Stafford rumblings going on. We'll dive into that in just a little bit. That angers me that true. Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 4

I think me and you are now the Puka guys on the pod Marks apparently really actually the pukah stands here and was cosplaying as a Pukah stand for a while.

Speaker 1

I don't know the other parts of this. You were very hesitant when it came to the subject of Kyron Williams. You have been very I don't know how to describe it, sort of I would say out on Cooper Cup, I think you're just willing to sort of, you know, move on from Cooper Cup. Yet you drafted both of those guys. You took Kyroen in the second round, you took Cooper Cup in the sixth round. Your your thought processes on that.

Speaker 2

Well, Kyron based on on the wrap round in that second round where I got him, I didn't really like my choices at running back, and I didn't want to reach on Joe Mixon, who I ended up getting anyway in that fourth round. So it was more so looking at it as like, man, I have my questions about James Cook, who was still you.

Speaker 3

Know, on the board there. It was like either between those two.

Speaker 2

But I just felt more comfortable with Kyron just being that I know he's going to get the workhorse load or we're gonna get more versatility in this offense next year out of Sean mcvay's mouth saying that, you know, he wants to change sing things up. And when Micha la Flora there shot at the OC he's coming from the Jets. We've seen breist Hall catch over like seventy eight to ninety balls like it was crazy. You know, the running backs were heavily involved in that passing game.

And that's what I'm hoping for, you know, for Kien to get more involved in that passing because he can catch. My only issue with Kyraen is that keeps dropping the ball, So we limit his opportunities of carrying the rock and crucial moments. Maybe we give Blake Orum some run. Maybe we get him, you know, Marcus, you drafting him was kind of like a punch in the face to me because I was gonna wait late to drab him as a hand cut. But thankfully, these are monks. These are

Monck drafts. Thankfully, But that was just my thinking there with Kyroen. Now Cooper, I think Cooper still has football left in him. I think he's gonna be playing with a chip on the shoulder in no matter where he goes. I mean, honestly, I want him to stay, but I understand that it's time to move on. Like the mantle has been give into Pookah, like it's just clear's day. Cooper Cup is not the same wide receiver he was in twenty twenty one.

Speaker 1

How about this, How about the Niners in rams just swap receivers. We get Debo, you get Debo. We'll take Cooper Cup. I don't think. I don't know if I really like that. I don't know if I want. I don't know if I want to have to deal with Deebo twice a year and McVeigh offense him might be interesting. Yeah, I mean, look to go from to go from Shanahan, To go from Shanahan to McVeigh, I think does the most to keep his value pretty stable.

Speaker 2

Right like in fantasy Yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah, in fantasy last yeah, right, like, going from Shanahan to McVay feels like a pretty even swap in terms of play calling and that sort of thing. So I know, I literally just thought about it just now. That's all.

Speaker 4

Did you see the report that, uh, if the Rams do trade Matthew Stafford, they might start forty nine ers legend Jimmy Garoppolo. Like we're in the year where reports are coming out they trust Jimmy G to be their starting quarterback.

Speaker 1

No they don't, No, they don't. No, I don't. That's that's what you say when you're trying to maybe engineer a trade, like oh, yeah, no we don't. We don't need Matthew Stafford. We got Jimmy G. Like, no one, no one believes.

Speaker 4

You even Jimmy jig is that meme of the dude like holding the beer like me?

Speaker 1

Seriously, No, he really is. He's like really, Oh, he's like I was just hanging out here and enjoying Los Angeles, like what I do work now? Who knows? Well, since we're talking about it. That kind of gets me into Daniel Jeremiah's mock draft two point zero, which came out recently. You can find it, of course over at NFL dot Com. Went through some of the notable selections that that DJ has here. A number two is his first quarterback off the board. He's got cam Ward going to the Cleveland Browns.

I mean Florya. I don't know if I remember. I think you you stated you're a cam Ward guy over Shudorg Sanders. Correct. Yeah, I like both of them.

Speaker 4

I think Sanders is a little bit more safer like to me when I watched him, he really reminded me a lot of like Alex Smith, like a guy who could run an offense who has good tools, not great tools.

Speaker 1

But cam Ward to me, has that, Like he's not.

Speaker 4

I wouldn't say as polished, maybe like day one could start as good as Sanders can, but those tools are absolutely elite man like he there's nothing he can't do on a football field, and I I have become a believer in like you you want to take a shoot for the moon to kind of approach. You take the tools and you hope that you can coach because to me, his one big negative when I watch him play is that I think he trusts his arm a little too much and he tries to force throws too often.

Speaker 1

But if you're a good coach, you can coach that out of a player.

Speaker 3

You should be familiar with that.

Speaker 1

You can't be able to throw eighty yards, you know, so like give me cam Ward Yeah, quin as a pull. You as a Bills fan, should be used to that sort of thing.

Speaker 2

Yeah, a lot of hero ball, Like you should be wanting that, like it gives you the throw of watching him play. I mean, I love Kim Wardy. I got him over Shador just based on there's stuff that he does you can't coach.

Speaker 3

Like you can't teach like.

Speaker 2

His pocket awareness and his evasiveness out of that pocket and being so elusive. It's Patrick Mahomes like, like there's no way you can coach that for any quarterback, Like you cannot like is either you have it or you don't.

Speaker 4

He is so good in the pocket, like I call it, like he trolls people on the field, like you knows I have enough time to get to the sideline, but I'm going to do it as slow as possible to let you get close to me, but you can't touch me. Like he's actively out there messing with people. And I've never seen a player.

Speaker 1

Do that before. It's like he's like the kid on the playground that when you play tag who kind of stands near your base and then you know, just waits and like when you start to get close and he puts his hand down, right, I'm a base like that. That kid that's cam Mood going to the sideline where he's just kind of cruising and he sees the defender get closed and he's like, I'm gonna step out of bounce. That's kind of it there.

Speaker 3

Now we're voting that get.

Speaker 1

Out, well, I vote that kid in just because I think that that needs something for Jerry, Judy, David and Joku and the rest of the pass catchers there. I think this offense is transitioning. I don't expect Nick Chubb back. I think we're gonna see this become more of a pass heavy offense as opposed to one that had been centered around a really strong running back, because I think that running back is done, at least in Cleveland in the near future.

Speaker 4

I have thoughts, man, I won if you're the Titans, why are you pet Like I'm not saying that Dukee Carter isn't the best player in this draft, like DJ knows way more than I do, but like, you need a quarterback and then two.

Speaker 1

For cam Ward's sake, don't put him on a team where he gets no.

Speaker 4

Benefit of being on a rookie contract because you're giving the most guaranteed money to a Please don't strap his future to Deshaun Watson's. I want no quarterback should want to end up in Cleveland.

Speaker 1

I think Deshaun Watson's future, at least in Cleveland has done. It may be a rap in the NFL after the setback, but that money's on the books. Oh well, yeah, I mean ain't my money. But in the meantime, I think there's a roster spot that will be available in the very near future for sure. So the one that was really interesting to me Travis Hunter, who is right now

listed as wide receiver slash quarterback. I assume he'll be you know, athlete atch at the combine, but DJ has him going number three to the New York Football Giants. And one of the responses to DJ's tweet, someone asked, so, what changed with your Giants pick in two weeks? They're desperate for a quarterback, but go hunter? Are they out on Shoudoure? And DJ's response was a gift of Matthew Stafford waiving as if to say, I'm going to be the quarterback of the New York Giants. You said the

que that it makes you upset this whole thing. I'm sure it gives you a little bit of indigestion. Are you prepared for one James Richard Garoppolo to be your starting quarterback? Absolutely not.

Speaker 2

No, I will leave Los Angeles Los Angeles if Jimmy Garoppolo is our starting quarterback in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 1

There's no way that this logically makes sense.

Speaker 2

Like I don't think that people understand that he gives us our best shot to even sniff a playoff, Like he gives us our best opportunity to get back to the Big Dance. We have the young defense, we have the alpha wide receiver.

Speaker 1

We have a.

Speaker 2

Decent position in the draft in the back, and in that draft at twenty six, I believe we can get some studs. We can get some wide receivers. Wide receivers are deep in these prospects. I think we have the right tools, the right pieces, the.

Speaker 1

Running game, the O line.

Speaker 2

We need to resign Keith Matthew Stafford, Appy in La the dude thirty seven, great, he could be four.

Speaker 1

He's still going to ball.

Speaker 4

I agree with everything LQ said from a Rams standpoint, Like I think it's best for the Rams and for Stafford to stay together. But like I have a lot of friends who are Giant fans and they're like, we need to make a move. We need to we can't be like we were last year and Stafford helps us win. And I'm like, but isn't that desperation on the GM and the head coach's part, and like you're not probably at best, what are you making the playoffs with matt Stafford?

Speaker 1

Probably even if that, because that roster.

Speaker 4

Needs a lot of work, Like I don't know, to me, he just grabs Sanders if he's there at three and see if you could build on your future, because my argument to the whole, like the the head coach and GM need to save their job is I if you draft Sanders and Sanders looks the part, you save your job naturally there.

Speaker 1

So I don't get this thinking for either side. I think what it is is maybe an admission that neither cam Ward north Schuder Sanders. Look, if they were in last year's draft, they might be. They might be QB five or six.

Speaker 4

I was gonna ask you guys, if you have if you've decided where they would rank amongst last year's Yeah, I.

Speaker 1

Mean I think I think they're outside the top five probably, you know, I think they are where they are this year because they are the best of this group. But I don't know that it's the strongest group. I'll say this to Florida. Look, I know you were a big Molak Neighbors guy for good reason. He goes tenth in our mock draft. If Matthew Stafford's there, does that put him in the top five.

Speaker 4

I joked with my Giant Fans friends yesterday that if you give him League Neighbors a Matthew Stafford, he's winning the triple crown. Like he's gonna get he was already getting double digit targets per game. Now one, they're gonna be much higher quality. Two, he's gonna have a quarterback who could actually still throw down fields. And three some of the greatest wide receiver seasons ever, two of the greatest ever Cooper Cup his triple Crown year and Calvin

Johnson his record setting year. Would just Stafford being like, you're clearly my best option. I'm only going to you. So look, the Rams and Pooka would be losers. I don't I said, I don't get it from the Giants standpoint, but yeah, Melik Neighbors would absolutely shoot up and I would push him to. I don't know if he goes top five overall, because you probably have a couple of running backs potentially going in there, but I think he would be a top five wide receiver off the board.

Speaker 1

I mean, in no particular Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, I'm on Ross, Saint Brown, Ceedee, Lamb, Malik Neighbors.

Speaker 4

Would you take Puka or Neighbors if Stafford hadn't it, because I'm taking neighbors in that situation.

Speaker 1

If Stafford's in New York, excuse me, I'm taking neighbors over Puka.

Speaker 3

Yes, because who like, oh my god, I'm getting trader.

Speaker 2

I almost punched my.

Speaker 1

Like, it does not make sense. Nothing makes us to trade Matthew Stafford.

Speaker 2

There's nothing that makes sense for this to even happen like it can can.

Speaker 1

I We'll say, I mean again, this is a This is according to Daniel Jeremiah speculation. Obviously, it's February. There's a long way to go. It's if an interesting discussion. Point a couple others in the draft that I thought were interesting. Shadrew Sanders at six to the Raiders. I don't know. I don't know how I think is the best. I think he's the second best quarterback in this draft. I think the ceiling isn't necessarily high for him. My

comparison for Shudur Sanders has been Geno Smith. Outside of the big Geno Smith year, It's fine, it's not great. That's so like, I don't know how much that gets me. Rock Powers is going to be fine. I guess Jacobe Meyers would be all right. But I don't know that it does anything for me. I don't know if it does anything for either of you.

Speaker 2

I do want to say something I made that same cop with Gino Smith to my friends and they were ripped me in the group chat for hours. So I'm glad they're going to listen to this episode that here come from your mouth mark, because they're huge fans of you, so whatever you say. So it's like, hey, guys, Marcus said it.

Speaker 1

Not me, I will, I will. I will double down on that because I made that comparison to our friend and wide receiver whisper Matt Harmon, and he also thought it was spot on. So there. I wrote two.

Speaker 4

Smith's when I was watching him play Gino and Alex like I, which both to me kind of feel like what Sanders is. I think like if you put the right offense around him, he could he could manage that thing and get you.

Speaker 1

To the playoffs and stuff.

Speaker 4

But if you put him on a team baron of weapons and stuff, I don't think he I don't think he can elevate you, like put the team on his back something like the top quarterbacks do. And that's why I think Ward has that capability if he can get to that point.

Speaker 1

So that's why I just prefer Ward. Yeah, no, I'm sort of with you on that one. DJ has Ashton Johns to the Steelers at number twenty one. If that happens, Laquon, is that rip Najee Harris and what does that? What does it mean for the backfield? Then?

Speaker 2

I mean they already reported they're unlikely to franchise tag them, So I don't know if they got in the best product at in Naji. Like there's plenty of games that you know, people in Steely Frans that can pull up with Naji look great, but as an overall like workers running back of what you're trying to get at him, he's not Ashon Genty, He's not that if you have If you have Ashton Genty, say goodbye to Jalen Warm, say goodbye to Najie Harris, you put the crown on him,

and he is your Steelers running back. And that's definitely gonna pull him up even further in that early second round, Like he might end up being like a one to twelve pick if he goes somewhere where you have Arthur Smith still calling the shots to have the run game be as strong as we've seen it in the past, So it's like, yeah, that's gonna be major.

Speaker 3

If he goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaker 4

I went on Insiders yesterday and was like, Jalen Warren could be a huge winner of free agency. If naj Harris walks and this would this would be worse than I najee.

Speaker 1

Yeah, No, it would absolutely would tank Warren. It would also, I think, at least in the short term, sort of put a lid on Johnsy as well. They're not They're not going to not use Jalen Warren. You know, He's still gonna be a part of the offense. And I think we're hoping to see Johnsy somewhere where he can get a large rule. I mean, that's why everybody keeps thinking Dallas, right, because they move on from Rico Dawdle, they bring it Ashton Johnsy. There's a whole lot of

opportunity there, Pittsburgh. Imagine there's opportunity, there's a chance, but kind of a little bit.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I don't think Dallas takes a running back in the first round as they now to run.

Speaker 3

They can go Ali Gordon, He's another.

Speaker 2

Guy Oklahoma State or Oose or Oklahoma State.

Speaker 4

So it's like, but you're expecting Jerry to be logical, so the logical move is not today.

Speaker 1

Yeah, the little quand for you guys listening to the audio, pot he's wearing a shirt that says nothing makes sense, and you know that's very true in Dallas especially. Yeah. Look, I think I think Jerry would like to take a running back in the first round, and I think everybody around him will tackle him and hold him down and keep him away from the phone to make that call. No, I think the last time something like that happened was when the Cowboys run the clock and Johnny manziel was

still available. I will tell you I was in the newsroom and NFL media when that happened. I have never experienced ten more minutes of anticipation. I mean there was an electricity and and anticipation and excitement going through the newsroom because we all expected the Cowboys were going to draft Johnny manziel And I think what happened is they tied Jerry to a chair and prevented him from making the call drafting Manzielo. Yeah, you know, just just like

we can't we can't do we can't do it. A couple others, I meta Abuka wide receiver from Ohio State number twenty five to the Houston Texans, which Paris him back up with his old college teammate CJ. Stroud. You know, the Texans have said they are interested in bringing back Stefan Diggs, so we'll see what happens with Tank Dell. Obviously, that gruesome injury means he may not be ready for the start of the season, so the Texans could be

loading up at at wide receiver a little bit. And then Florida want to ask you, Matthew Golden wide receiver from Texas. DJ's got him going number thirty to the Bills. I don't know if you've had a chance to watch Golden, but at least your thoughts on adding more wide receiver help.

Speaker 4

I haven't dove into his tape as much as I want, but what I have seen I do like and I think he would be a good fit for the Bills. And I love adding one more weapon to this offense because I think you saw it times last year, like the spread the ball out thing works until like you kind of need someone to step up in a big moment and that's where you need someone who maybe and Golden could potentially.

Speaker 3

Be that guy.

Speaker 4

But look, as long as Miles Garrett is still on the market, I'm saying that is the best use of that thirtieth overall pick. Bring Miles Garrett to Buffalo Bider wide receiver free agency or the draft or something.

Speaker 1

But if it goes this way, I will be happy. So either way, MG. Matthew Golden, MG Miles Garrett, that's 's what you're looking at right there in the first round for sure. Definitely not MG. Marcus Grant because I I'm slow getting off the line, my agility is suffering, and my hands are questionable. But other than that, I'm great.

Speaker 4

I would pay money, though, to watch you play wide receiver for the Bills for a game.

Speaker 1

Oh, it wouldn't last. It wouldn't last long. I did get under like five and a half. I'd like to believe, not that slow. He would run four seven. You're running four seven today. You understand how fast four to seven is like in actual human terms. I've done it in jeans.

Speaker 2

Advance when I was nineteen years old at my high school.

Speaker 1

Nineteen fourteen, thirty fourteen. Here's ago. It's a whole NFL career ago. Okay, the Rams are still in Saint Louis at that Seriously, the Rams are still in a different city than all Right, speaking of speaking of running we're gonn take a break, come back talk about MJD's top seventy four running backs list. We're not gonna go through all seventy four. We'll probably stop at the top ten and decide how much we agree or disagree with what

Maurice Joan Shrew has to say. That's coming up next on the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast over at NFL dot com. Our friend in colleigue, Maurice Jones Drew. You'll be surprised to know wrote a piece about running backs. He put together his top NFL running backs of twenty twenty four, from number one through number seventy four. So this is based on what they did last season. Kind of curious your thoughts on whether or not he got his rankings right.

I think in fantasy it sort of tracks a little bit and whether or not maybe you shuffle some things around for twenty twenty five. So we go through his top ten. Number one, no surprise, Sakwon Barkley. Number two is Derrick Henry, Jamir Gibbs is at number three, Jon at four, Josh Jacobs at five, Jonathan Taylor at six, Kyron Williams at seven, James Cook at eight, Joe Mixon at nine, Aaron Jones at ten, Florio anything that jumps out his shoe that you think is a little bit sideways there.

Speaker 4

No, I think the top two makes sense after the year they just had, Like Saquon had the greatest year a running back had Derrick Henry had the best running back season in any regular year. I do think the three and four, though, in my humble opinion, are quickly going to become one and two in the league. But I do want to give a shout out to a friend of the show, Emery Hunt, because a couple of years ago when we had him on during draft season, Jamir Gibbs was his RB one and he was telling us.

Speaker 1

That he was in a lot of hot.

Speaker 4

Water for that and people were like, Oh, you're a hot take artist and blah blah blah.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Two years late, everyone is like, yeah, he's at the top, clearly the blah blah. So shout out to Emery hump Man. Yeah, I mean he did. He hadn't over over b Jean. What's funny? And we have Imrie on every year. I'm sure we'll get him on a game this year before the draft. Is that he always has one or two guys rated either way higher or way lower than the consensus. And every year he gets the same criticism that he's a hot take artist. He's just doing it for clicks, and more often than not,

what Emory has projected sort of pans out. I mean, let's premer Imrio was the first place I heard Tarik Cohen's name a few years ago. So at this point we got to stop thinking. If if you follow emriy, if you if you read his stuff, you got to stop thinking he's a hot take artist. He is watching all these guys.

Speaker 4

He had Lamar as his QB one in that stacked quarterback class.

Speaker 1

Like, yeah, he's watching it. He's doing the work. He's got definitely strong opinions, but he backs them up and more often than that this to pan out. So I jim your gibbs to that list. There.

Speaker 2

He's down here now watching the HBCU combine the Legacy Bowl and Jada Buyers. Oh my god, watch out for him.

Speaker 1

Man.

Speaker 2

He is from the Union. He's a guy that is from Jersey. So you know, I got to put it on from my folks. But he's going to be a problem.

Speaker 3

He's definitely one of those.

Speaker 1

Guys I see has a strong opportunity.

Speaker 3

To be drafted this year.

Speaker 1

All right, Jada Buyers making a note of that pork roll guy. Yeah, see yeah, Taylor Ham pork Roll.

Speaker 3

You gotta ask him.

Speaker 2

I got to ask him today that Actually, thank you, Floria Flora be knowing me.

Speaker 1

Man, You're giving me all honest with that.

Speaker 4

I think that should be anytime you meet someone from Jersey like that should be your confidence first question.

Speaker 1

Also, will that answer move him up or down your draft board? Yes, it would.

Speaker 2

Actually you get demoted if Taylor Ham comes out of your mouth.

Speaker 1

So totally all right, all right, good luck, good luck Jada, Good luck Jada Buyers. Anything there you saw in MJD's top ten that maybe you would shuffle around hel Q.

Speaker 2

Yes, I would shuffle around Joe Mixon over I would say James Cook and Kiren And I think Joe Mixon gets a little bit disrespected because again, this is a running back that can get it done on the ground and also be a threat in the passing game because he can navigate well in the open space. He's hard to bring down.

Speaker 1

He still has the quick fee.

Speaker 2

I feel like we're always down on Joe Mixon and he always just surpasses our expectations.

Speaker 1

Joe Mixon, at least in fantasy before this year, was one of those guys where you really have to look at the week to week versus the overall, right, because you look at him overall and he always like lands as an RB one, and the numbers, the final totals seem good, and then you go back and you look at the week to week and you remember that the forty point weeks are great, these seven point weeks not so much, right, And it's that's not on him. That's

not on him, that's not all on him. I remember that season two years ago.

Speaker 2

I know exact season because I had the biggest headache whim of starting him good. This week, I had him on the bench and he blew up put him in three points. I remember that season very vividly. But he fits very well with the Texan. It's like last season he got hurt, he got banged up, and still ended up to be more efficient than he ever was in

the Bengals Jersey. So I really look at Joe Mixon as a guy we constantly just put down and then just put guys above him just because of their names, and obviously they're good at football as well too, But Joe Mixon is a guy that needs to be in that mix. I will only change him over Kiren and James Cook. Other than that, I agree with JT, with Josh Jacobs, Bijon, etcetera, etcetera. All the way up to the board, I.

Speaker 1

Saw a couple of names not in the top ten that jumped out of me. What's that? Who's that? Like?

Speaker 4

David Montgomery's twentieth, Dace Hall is twenty second, and then Kenneth Williams is thirty first.

Speaker 1

Brice Hall, I think is a tough evaluation because obviously the talent and the production didn't match this past year, and we talked about for our fantasy rankings. There's just so much unknown with the Jets right now that it's really hard to truly, I think, evaluate Breece Hall. I think it's hard to evaluate what his twenty twenty four season was. I think it's hard to project what twenty

twenty five is going to be. For what it's worth, he went eleventh overall in our mock draft earlier this week, so obviously there's still people who believe in Breece Hall. I think on talent alone. Yeah, I put him and we put him behind Jonathan Taylor. I mean, if we're just talking just straight talent, straight ability. But I think within the context of the offense and what it is in New York, I think that makes it hard to try to figure out a little bit. Truly, I would

probably move James Cook down a couple of spots. I'm certainly behind mixing, maybe behind. I don't think I could put him behind Aaron Jones. I don't think I can do that, but I think I would drop him maybe a spot that's minor.

Speaker 3

Isn't Aaron Jones a free agent?

Speaker 1

Hold on? Yeah, he is. He has said he wants to come back. I think the I think the Vikings want to bring him back, So I would expect that that. I would expect that that relationship is going to continue. You know. I thought he gave them everything they could have asked for this past year, So I would not be surprised if we see them agree to a deal and keep that thing going for another couple of years.

So I think he certainly earned that for sure. So yeah, I don't know if you want to go check it out, though, you can go check out on NFL dot Com. I'm Maurice Jones Drew's list of the top seventy four running backs of this past year. So yeah, we'll give it a look for sure. Take a break, come back, and we'll talk a little bit of SNL Saturday Line. I've had their fiftieth anniversary special and what that means for sports because usually there are a lot of athletes involved

in this as well. Stick around for that coming up on the NFL Fantasy Football Show. So on Sunday night, there were two big televised events going head to head against each other. There was the NBA All Star Game games since they played a round robin tournament, and then there was the Saturday Night Live fiftieth Anniversary Special. Foio, I think you said you and I were sort of the same where we both watched SNL over the NBA

All Star Game lakwan, which did you? Did you choose one over the other or was it none of the above? None of the above?

Speaker 2

I'm actually never I've never watched SNL to be honest.

Speaker 1

Really really yeah, you never seem like clips or anything of.

Speaker 2

I saw clips, but if I seen the clip, I wouldn't know that was the show, Like when I was watching Eddie Murphy, Eddie Murphy do Tracy Morgan, I did not know that was that.

Speaker 1

Oh yeah, that was hilarious, by the way, it was hilarious whole I wish I but I was just like, oh, this is funny. Well, I mean, look, you have time, you gonna have a flight back. I'm sure it's I know it's streaming. You can go back and watch it and you know, get your laugh on a little bit because I want to.

Speaker 2

When I seen the Rundown doc, I did go.

Speaker 1

Through some of the stuff that was in there.

Speaker 2

Like I seen Michael Jordan, he was kind of like, okay, funny, you know, but that was ninety one. I was in board.

Speaker 1

Well, I see, that's the things like because look SNL has a long history of having athletes as hosts as guests, two varying degrees of success, right, Like Michael Jordan not a great actor, I think, you know, like some of the funnier Michael Jordan's skits were because the people around

him were very funny. You know. Peyton Manning has a couple of really classic skits, including him, uh the United Ways skit where he's mentoring kids and it's basically just pegging kids with a football and stuffing them in porta potties. Comedy gold Florio, any favorite athlete moments of SNL, so I can sit here for a while to go through a bunch of them.

Speaker 4

I think Peyton Manning is the funniest athlete that I've I'm trying to think of more recent ones because I don't feel like they've had a ton of athletes as a lete.

Speaker 1

Now there's a lot more comedians, mostly in actors.

Speaker 4

SNL is always at its best. I think when you have a comedian, like when Dave Chappelle is the guest host, Sir John Mulaney, like, I will be like, I don't care what I'm doing tonight, I'm watching their monologue because I know it's going to be amazing.

Speaker 1

Yeah.

Speaker 4

Sometimes I feel like when you get people who aren't in that realm, it can be a struggle at times. What I did love they did on the SNL fifty was when they went back and they had like all of their controversial hosts and there's one big athlete who is very controversial.

Speaker 1

One big athlete, Yes, just didn't run from it. I like that. James Simpson was, Yeah, he appeared on SNL at least once, maybe more than once. Well, so you have to understand because Lukwan, you I don't know were you were you around in nineteen ninety four ninety five for like the age Q, you definitely grew up knowing oj As what he is now known for, like letting to learn he was a Bills player to way later in my life.

Speaker 2

I didn't know he'd I did not know he played football, right, not know he played football.

Speaker 3

Ran for like two thousand yards.

Speaker 1

Yeah, there is definitely a line of demarcation in American culture about what you know oj For people born after a certain time only know him as the guy who's accused of murder and went through a trial. I am now. I didn't see him play. I was born after his playing career ended, But I knew he was a football player. I knew he played for the forty nine ers at the end of his career because he grew up in

San Francisco. It was a homecoming. But I knew oj As like being a sideline reporter, being a sports commentator, and also for him being an actor.

Speaker 3

And for oj to.

Speaker 1

Have been accused of murder at that point, I think I don't know I was on this show or somebody was talking to We were trying to equate it to like somebody today, And the closest we care abouth was was if the Rock said they had been no literally, like if the Rock, if the Rock was accused, if Dwayne Johnson was accused of murder, right, like a guy who had an athletic career who has gone on to become a huge star in TV and movies, like that was sort of the That was kind of OJ, Like

he had that sort of presence about him in a American pop culture.

Speaker 4

He was a USC legend too, write and you're a USC guy, so like.

Speaker 1

Yep, wow, So yeah it was. I mean it was a huge, huge deal. But yeah, like when he hosted SNL, like it made sense. Like OJ was a star and he had a great personality and a great smile, Like all of it made sense back then, and like now you look back on and you're like, yeah, but like that it you know it fit if are you at USC when it happened, Marcus? I know, So when when the murders happened, I was a senior in high school.

I was still in the Bay Area, and in fact, I remember, uh, like the day of the news broke, going to like my second period math class or something, and this kid who I kind of thought was annoying I didn't really enjoy talking to, he came up to me and he said, so, do you think OJ did it? And I was like, what are you talking about? He said, do you think OJ murdered his wife? And my response was, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Get away from me.

The legend like that. I like, I didn't I think I don't even think I had really committed to going to USC. It was just like it was like OJ Simpson, like, what do you mean accused of murdering? It? Just it did not compute like at all.

Speaker 4

It must have been hard on campus because like I'm sure they had a lot.

Speaker 1

Of stuff dedicated to you. Yeah, it was interesting because at the time, like you could still go to what they call Heritage Hall, which is where all the u you know, where the athletic department is located, and all, like his Heisman trophy was still there. It wasn't like we had people just roaming campus looking for OJ stuff.

Like the campus itself was still pretty insulated from the outside world, like maybe like Good Morning America or the Today Show and at the height of the trial might have shown up on campus, but it wasn't like it wasn't like it was OJ Central during the trial at all. So I was like, the trial happened during my freshman and sophomore years. It took place over a good year and a half, so it went through the firstuple of years of my college career there. But yeah, oj OJ

was on SNL once upon a time, I'll say. Some of the other great athlete skits, Yeah, Charles Barkley did a couple of good wines. Tom Brady did one, and you know the meme where the handsome guy says something to a woman and she's like hey, and she's all like, you know whatever, and then the overweight, kind of nerdy,

pimply guy says something and it's like hello, HR. Tom Brady basically did a skit like that where he was obviously the handsome guy, you know, and so when he went and approached his female co workers about going out, it was not sexual harassment. But when Fred Armison asked for something, immediately HR was called on him. So that was good. Joe Montana had a very good win where he was a roommate who said immediately everything that was on his mind. The kicker to the skit was a

line that I cannot say here. I'll tell you guys once the show's over. I like this. It's hilarious. So but yeah, I thought overall was really well done. Special LaQuan. I know you've never watched the show. I would say that it's a good way on your fly back. Maybe if you can download it and watch it on the flight.

Speaker 2

You know what will get me to start watching the show. But James Winston on there, Get on there, and.

Speaker 1

I will be locked in for this James. I think it would be fun. Like I don't know if he's a big enough name outside of football, Yeah, to make it worth one in the shot, give him the opportunity he is, you know for TV the clip.

Speaker 4

That Marcus sent us of Will Ferrell playing the piano and singing out like us that that's from CNL.

Speaker 1

Yes, oh that is beautiful. There it is beautiful. Yep. So there we go. That's a that's our new goal is to get to get Lakwan to watch at least some you know, to watch a whole episode, but at least you know, watch some SNL. It's good for your soul. I kind of want to watch the old ones.

Speaker 2

If I could watch like the old ones from Like the Peacock, I'm pretty sure you can.

Speaker 1

Yeah, Peacock has I can dig through fifty seasons. It shouldn't take you too long to get caught up. Yeah, there is. We'll send you some clips so you can dive in and uh and and check out a few of them. So all right, we have gone way way off topic here to end this show, so maybe we should just pull this. I was I was, I was involved to so I can't blame anybody but myself. So there you go. I'll do it for this edition of the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Stay happy, same and healthy,

do good and live well. Eat something delicious, la Quan, be safe and enjoy New Orleans. For the rest of you, we would talk to you all next week.

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