Welcome into the NFL Report on a Thursday, James Palmer, Steve, whitch with you. I Am heading for vacation next week. Steve's gonna be heading to the owners meeting, so him and Judy Batista are gonna have a dynamite show on Monday. Check out the guest list for that one when Monday rolls around. But how about our guest list. You saw him right there, Kenny Moore. The Indiapolis Colts resigned their Starslock Corner to a massive new contract. We love to
talk about that position on this show, Steve. Also we have Brian Baldinger breaking down which three teams improved themselves the best through the trenches on the Lancer line. Speaking of the trenches, talks about the top edge rushers in this draft where they could potentially go off the board. We'll also have Alvin Rbie who in an inspire change initiative with the NFL.
Steve.
He is the founder of Barbershop was It Books, which is an incredible initiative to get kids to go out there and read. And I know, Steve, you spent some time in a higher institution. That was the University of Southern California at their pro day with Caleb Williams. I need to know what happened at that pro day when everybody knows he's going number one to the Bears.
Yeah, I mean, look a really interesting thing real quick. Kenny Moore, by the way, JP is the first repeat performer I think here.
Second time around. Yes, it is on the NFL report.
So Kenny Moore, right, I Caleb Ford to have I love for it, asould say either having you back on. Well, let's get to Caleb Williams because again we're all assuming safely that he's going to be the first overall pick on the Chicago Bears who have that pick. They came about eight d James. It's standing right behind Caleb during this workout was Matt e Reflus to head coach Ryan Poles, the assistant GM. You're seeing eb Reflus and Polls right there right behind him over his right shoulder, keeping a
close eye on. And there's a lot of communication between all the Bears, Brass and Caleb throughout the morning. So but the one with Caleb that we saw was that you know, he stayed in the pocket, right, nothing real flashy like this is how good I can be under calm circumstances, I said, is the case for most of his junior season at USC, even though the year before
he was absolutely fantastic and winning the Heisman. So after this workout, which is calm, Google actud fifty scripted throws, no tight ends is part of that workout.
I caught up with Caleb.
But here's what he had to say about some of the next moves coming up. Yeah, I'm sitting here with Caleb Williams and Caleb a nice a nice workout right there.
Just your assessment and also the fun.
You had because we saw you laughing with you guys, hugging up everybody after the workout.
Yeah, that's always one of the most important things.
Is to have fun.
I made sure my guys heard that a bunch of times, whether it was last night when I sent him a text, and then throughout this you know, this morning, in this day so far, making sure that was the first and first thing that I said to them in the text or when I'm talking to him. So I had to go out there and show that I was having fun and by example, and then obviously go out there and handle business.
Now we do.
The majority of your workout is gonna be from the pocket, just kind of assess how do you think things went?
Yeah, I missed a couple. I missed a couple of passes down the field deep ball, wise, vertical, and then I had I think one or two I think one behind my receiver. So you know, work on those things, right, It's all right.
It still was a very good workout.
Thank you.
Look, we know you're the presumpted number one pick yep.
The Bears had a large contingent here in fact, coach Matty Ebrafolus and GM mind Poles right behind you. Just the fact that they traded justin fields and they cleared some runway for you to land.
Is that your full expectation to be headed there?
It's a good question. I wouldn't say it's my full expectation. Obviously, things can happen, things can change throughout this time. I think it's around thirty three days or so, thirty days until you know April twenty fifth, and so you know a lot can change. You take it day by day, handle it and handle and control which you can control.
And with that is your head coach here at USC Lincoln Riley, and he said, expectations is something you've dealt with even coming out of high school today, all thirty two teams were here. How have you and how do you deal with everything that's going to be expected of you?
Yeah, first and foremost, I have a great mom and dad. It starts there, started there, from when I was born and them raising me to this twenty two year old now. And then you know, I took and I took my own road, and and and you know, as I got older, and then obviously I got coach Riley. I've had coaches in high school Coach Andy Driver's uh, Danny Schefter and and things like that.
So you know, help keep molding me. And I'm still molding.
I'm not gonna be the man I am, you know many years from now, twenty years from now when I retire hopefully and and can play ball hopefully for a really long time.
Great last question, just what what's next?
I mean, what's on your schedule in terms of visits things like that.
Yeah, so we're still.
Figuring the visits out. We'll have all of that solved pretty here, pretty soon. We wanted to make sure we came out here, put on a show for everybody, and and focusing on my training for you know, my first my first game and o t as of of the NFL.
I know it's the last question, but quickly Keenan Allen, Yeah, receiver was here. What about seeing him? It was right, you guys, hang it up for a minute.
Yeah, so I've known I've known Keenan for a little bit now hung out. He was at the he was at the Chargers of the time obviously, and then you know, now he's at the Bears for like I says, here for a fourth round pick, which is crazy last year.
You know, he's a beast, good guy, awesome dude to be around.
He can give you a lot of knowledge.
All right, Caleb, Hey, thanks for the time, man, Well done, Thank you, good luck, Thank you.
There'd be a couple of.
Things I just wanted to make sure to clarify coming out of that interview. First off, even though he failt, he's going to go on his visits after the workout, the Bears brass was there.
I was told by someone there.
They got there Monday, They had dinner with Caleb, they spent time with him.
So they've done a tremendous amount of homework.
The communication going on to the Bears and Caleb really leaves no question as to what's going on and what I said, you expect to be the pick.
By the Bears.
He was like, well, I can't expect it. You wanted to say yes, but he says, look, you know they could trade the pick. They can do this or that. Add Some folks on social media like, well, he didn't sound too enthusiastic. You'll be just fine to be get drafted by the Chicago Bears.
Yeah, I completely agree. I love that Keenan Allen was there. I mean, I've never seen a player that is probably going to be the number one target of that quarterback that's going to go number one at the Pro Day. I've just never seen it. You see guys go back to the ra Alma mottern. Keenan Allen's a cow guy, so this is usc. He was there to see his
future quarterback, which I thought was really cool. The second part of it, Steve, is I love that you described this as the exact opposite of what we've seen from a lot of top quarterbacks and what can they do with wow throws? What can they do moving? I remember going to a variety of these, from Trevor Lawrence to Mac Jones to CJ. Stroud, what can you do athletically outside of the pocket. That's what we need to sell
these scouts on. That's not anything Kayleb Williams needs to sell anyone in the NFL on on what he can do with his legs outside of the pocket, creating scrambling, what he was able to do inside the body. And the big thing I hear as I throw this back to you around the league is his footwork staying within the pocket is maybe unmatched in this draft coming up, and that is extremely important with messy pockets in the NFL. And I love that that's the kind of the approach he had with this pro.
Dem and that's one of the things that a lot of people say give the comparison to Patrick Mahomes, not that he's Mahomes, but footwork and things like that. Somebody who knows a lot about Caleb Williams, head coach Lincoln Riley, brought him from Oklahoma to USC.
I caught it with him.
Here's some thoughts about Caleb's future as you go to the NFL.
Yeah, I think he probably will be just about as prepared as you could be to go into situation like that. And that's one of those things that you probably can't completely simulate it until you actually get in the middle and experience it. But you know, winning a Heisman Trophy at USC, you know, in the middle of Los Angeles is probably about as close.
As you can get.
And so he's used to being under the microscope, used to kind of having his game and everything he does and everything that he says dissected every which way. There's certainly some new challenges and I know he's going to have some ups and downs, just like every rookie that goes into that league.
But you know, he loves the game.
I think he's going to continue to improve and I think you know, whatever team he ends up with will be very happy with him coach.
Lastly, just when you look at the metrics of everything he's done for only fourteen interceptions in his three years as a starter, one that tells you he's accurate, but too he's a good decision maker. In coaching him and seeing all of that high touchdown to low interception ratio, how do you think that translates to the NFL, because we know those are two things that are significant at playing at that level.
Yeah, I think it's important. I mean, I think it shows that he values the ball. You know, sometimes I think people turn on a highlight and they think he's just this reckless player, that's this gunslinger, and honestly he's not. He's he's at times, even early in his career, was even maybe even more conservative than I wanted him to be. But he always valued taking care of the ball. He always had a patience that honestly was even better on game day than it was on the practice field, which
for a lot of young qbs it's the opposite. He always seemed to kind of calm down and settle down, even be a little bit more patient on game day even as a young player, which I loved and so so Yeah, it's going to be obviously very important as the windows tightened down in that league as you face the type of pass rushers that he's getting ready to face. But to show that he's already had that ability at a young age, I think bodes well for him.
What insight from Lincoln Riley with you there, Steve into the makeup of Caleb Williams, The main things that jump out at me. One is the way he maybe takes more risks in practice, which is probably where you should be with the football at the quarterback position a little more, you know, deliberate with the way he throws it during the games. When you have one thousand and ninety nine pass attempts in fourteen interceptions over three years, I think
is pretty good at protecting the football. Because the last three years with the Bears, they had fifteen interceptions, fifteen interceptions and twenty interceptions Kayleb Williams fourteen over his last three I look at the receiver group that he's going to walk into, Steve, and you look at Keenan Allen and Dj Moore and Cole Kament and Gerald Everett. All of these guys have high football IQs and they're where
they're supposed to be. And I think that's huge for the system that he's walking into and.
That's going to be perfect.
Look the one thing again, ninety three career touchdowns as a collegiate starter, fourteen interceptions. He has put the ball on the ground with fumbles. Okay, again the numbers are all over the place. Of what we've seen, he has put the ball on the ground, hasn't lost many, but that's something he is going to have to tighten up. But like you said, when he goes to Chicago, the situation is much better than what Justin Fields walked into a couple of years ago when he was the first
round pick. Well, coming up, we're talking about quarterbacks going into good situations. Ryan Baldinger is going to let us know which teams have moved in the trenches, including those teams that might be rafting a rookie quarterback. Next on the NFL Report, roll that tape, ELC.
Welcome back into the NFL Report, James Palmer, Steve Whitch, I have my popcorn. That means, Baldy, we're back in the thickest things. We're evaluating everything post free agency. Brian Baldinger joins us for Baldy's favorite films, and Baldy, we came to you with this question your three teams that during free agency improved themselves in the trenches. We'll start with number three, Carolina Panthers. Two massive guards come there
and Robert Hunt and Damian Lewis. What do you see out of what Carolina did I do like that those guys have blocked for shorter quarterbacks in their past. In Russell Wilson into a tongue of Iolo I'm not sure if that matters, but they have.
Well, you know, Bryce Sengi is the biggest guy, but he needs better protection than what we saw last year. You're gonna take Bryce number one like they did, and there was this struggle by everybody in that organization. Coaches fired, gms fired, everything changed. You got to do your very best to support your franchise quarterback and give them every opportunity be successful. And I think Robert Hunt played very good for the Miami Dolphins. They ran the ball very strong.
Tua had a good season, back to back good years there, especially when healthy, and Damian Lewis has been doing that you know in Seattle. So I think they got two really good guards. I think they got to figure out the center position still, but it's a good draft for centers. I would expect them to draft one. You know, Austin Corbett got hurt last year and it just kind of crumbled. But I think Carolina they look better inside right now.
With Hunt and Lewis than they did at any point last year.
And Baldy.
You know, when you look at Carolina right now, the way they're you know, they're trying, I guess, to remake their team Is this the best way to for them to kind of start. We keep talking about how they didn't have any why receivers, but to fortify that interior, Is this the best first step, so to speak.
Yeah. And I always think that it's like everybody's going.
To pay attention to the tackles, especially in this draft, and it's a good class for tackles. But I mean, if your interior, if your center isn't strong, if your guards can't just keep the pocket flat. I don't care if you're Bryce Young or if you're Joe Burrow or if you're Mahomes. I mean, you've got to get those positions fixed so that your quarterback has a chance to deliver the ball short yards goal line.
You got to get a yard.
You better be able to move people up front and be able to retain possession, finished strives in the end zone. All those kind of things are really important to the success of any offense, but especially in offense that's trying to be rebuilt and try to you know, compete right now this year, I think it starts up front and in the trenches.
I think they got two you know, guys that are still young.
You have the best football right in front of them on their second contracts.
You can build with those guys and around those guys.
Your quarterback sack sixty two times, protecting him up the middle obviously extremely important. I just want them to change their identity as well. I want the Panthers to kind of have that, you know, in your face identity. I love that Damian Lewis said that when he was you know, at his press conference, I'm going to be the type of guy that puts your face in the ground. They need that in Carolina. Let's go to your second team.
In terms of the trenches. In the Houston Texans, Nikosara not a big spender in free agency usually, but he went out and made a number of moves to help, especially this defensive line. We know the way Demiko Ryans thinks that if you need an elite defense, the D line's a big part of it. And if you want to be a contender in the AFC Baldy, you got to go after these AFC quarterbacks. No question.
That's how Nick's thinking, That's how Demico's thinking, James, and so you know, Demiko comes from, you know, a franchise in San Francisco where they wanted to be eight deep on the defensive line, and so look Malik Collins, Sheldon Rankins.
They were good last year, but they.
Have now added you know, obviously Daniel high Turn after Chris Jones was signed re signed by Kansas City and giving that big, huge signing bonus. I thought Danil Hunter was the next best free agent and all free agency, coming off his best season playing opposite of Will Anderson right now. Then you add Deniko Autrey and I know this, I know Deniko got Nick Casario excited. This guy is just one heck of a football player wherever you play in Tennessee. Yeah, I thought he was part of the
best defensive line of football three years ago. He can rush inside, outside, he's got counting the playoffs, James, He's got thirty sacks the last three years with the Titans. He's used to being in a dominant front four defensive team. That's what this looks like. Then you add fully Fooicosi and Mario you know, Williams, and you add some of
those guys in front. You know, fully you know, can really be that that guy that can eat up the double teams, the free up Aziz al Shai here and you know, all the linebackers Christian Harris that they have there. I think this is quickly being built into one of the better defensive fronts and all the football.
They were already great last year against the run.
At one point last year they were number one in the NFL against the run. I think they finished number two. So they already kind of have that mindset that we're gonna stop the run. That's the first phase of getting after Mahomes and Josh Allen and Lamar and some of these teams that you got to get pasted in the AFC. They're on the way right now. I thought this front
really took a step up in I life. I love Jonathan greenerd but when he's left to sign of Minnesota and they went after and got to Neil Hunter, I said, they just upgraded that position.
Which is crazy because I mean, you're talking about how Grenard was just so good down there. But Hunters of guys continues to win, right He can win those individual and those double teams, and you got to consistently have that guy, but you also have to have tackles to keep those guys off your quarterbacks. This leads us to your number one team that is upgraded in the trenches. Who you got, Baldy, because I do think these moves
are actually more hit or miss. You hit big or you miss big with these moves.
Well, the New York Jets and so you know, obviously the Jets were a mess last year.
Aaron Rodgers four plays. I mean, we know the story.
But you know they have to get this thing right that nobody has been a more fractured injured offensive line than the New York Jets. They've just missed on players. And so Tyron Smith comes in. Look, he has protected the backside of Tony Romo and Dak Prescott over the last eleven years. He's been excellent, but he has miss time. You know, he did play fifteen games last year, So that's if they could get thirteen to fifteen games out of Tyrant.
That's a win.
Three years ago, the ahead Morgan Moses and he played great for him, and then they let him walk.
To the Baltimore Ravens, where you literally, you.
Know, was the starting right tackle a team that led the league in rushing, was a dominant player there. He's going into his eleventh season. He did miss a couple of games last year with an arm injury, but for the most part he's been healthy. They get Morgan Moses back, and then they went and signed John Simpson was a big fan of he came out of Clemson. He started every game last year for the Baltimore Ravens. They led the league in rushing. But it's it's not just that,
it's the way that he plays. Steve like he's a puller, you know. They run traps, they run powers, they run counters like he's used to, getting in space and clearing bodies out of the way. And I can see an offensive line right now with John Simpson on one side, Ali Vera Tucker on the other side, where they get that power game going with Breeze Hall. They drafted Joe pitt Tipman last year to be their center. He became
their center last year. I can see for the first time the Jets can put a starting five out there. I don't think they're finished yet. They're picking number ten. It's an offensive tackle draft, but I can't see them taking number ten right now with an offensive tackle.
After what they've just done.
They can start address the receiver position, the tight end position, some other things that could help Aaron Rodgers.
Oh my god, Baal Jay bald these givens yet fans hope, Oh my gosh, they're gonna lose their minds.
I love it because this is what I wanted to get to, though, Baldi, with the players that they signed, and you mentioned the number tenth overall pick, and this is what I want your take on, because you're right, they can get another offensive lineman with ten and they could totally go that route and that guy is not plugged in to be an immediate need type of player in their rookie season maybe, But also you mentioned the
other ways that they can go. I also look at the ability now if you're not forced into that, but yeah, you can go go brought Bowers, you could go to the tight end spot. You could go with rideyways you get an edge rusher to replace Huff. But also you could maybe maybe move back because they only have picks ten in seventy two in the top one hundred. That's it, so you could potentially if somebody wants a quarterback right, you could make a move to even get yourself a little bit deeper.
No question.
Joe Douglas from Baltimore and Philadelphia, where you know whether.
It's Ozzie Newsom or Howie Roseman.
The guys that he has worked for are used to dancing up and down that draft board and really recuperating value, and so that's certainly a possibility right now. Both tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses. They're both thirty three years old. You know, you got to you gotta think about the future.
But Aaron Rodgers, I don't know what, you know, what is his time frame here, two years at the most, like you should probably give him every chance to be successful and to see just you know, the talent that he is. Give him every chance right now. Obviously, signing Mike Williams might take him away from wide receiver, maybe brock Bauers, you know, you know, maybe other you know,
a franchise type player. But at the same time, it's not a bad idea to kind of look to the future because Aaron Rodgers isn't going to be there forever.
True.
So they have a lot of flexibility at number ten to go up, to go down to draft the future, or to get themselves to start player where they can plug them and just say, you.
Know what, we're going for it all. We're in this thing to win it. Let's go for it.
This year and if it doesn't work out, yeah, we'll be back in the market again.
They're going for it all Baldy.
They got their hands up on the roller coaster.
There is no planning for the future on this with Hey, so boal, let me get so we know at the top of the draft, the first three picks likely are going to be quarterbacks, right we also you got that cluster. You got the Vikings, Raiders, and Broncos. They also need quarterbacks. Which team, speaking of the trenches, is kind of best set up to help a rookie quarterback succeed in terms of an offensive line.
Well, you know if the offensive lines also a function of you know, how your receivers win on the outside. And so if you're the Minnesota Vikings right now, and I know Sam Darnold is there but at eleven or if they you know, stay there and move whatever, if they're looking at a quarterback, I mean, you hand it off to Aaron Jones, It's going to be nice to throw to Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison's or TJ.
Hockinson's gonna be nice for anybody.
But I feel like they've got a pretty good offensive line as it is they have protected Kirk Cousins. And you know, you think about last week's last year's big win from Minnesota when they beat the forty nine ers and Kirk Cousins dropped back forty five times in that game, Steve, he wasn't sacked one time. You know, they did a pretty good job of protecting a variety of quarterbacks last
year after Kirk got hurt. And so I feel like the Vikings are the best set up right now to handle a young quarterback coming in and possibly potentially playing right away.
Man, this is such great soft Baldy JP. This is such good stuff, Like this is what we love to do on the show, Baldy, have you on and just let's talk to real football stuff, not just the Hyperboley and all that, so real good stuff.
But Baldi, we know you're ready on vacation. We're gonna be looking for.
More of your breakdowns from underwater, So save travels, my friend bon voyage.
Yeah all right, thank you, Steve. I did a crash course and I studied. All okay, I'll see you next week, guys.
Coming on after the break Oh, we are talking edge rushers with more specifically Lance Zerline.
Our draft analyst, and.
Man, is he got it loaded up for you? Stick around and come back to the NFL Report. Pull the tape.
Elsie back at the NFL Report and you look at Mike McCarthy, Tarol Austin, a Steelers defensive coordinator there at the Alabama Pro Day. Mike Tomlin was in the house, and they're probably keeping their eye on edge rusher Dallas Turner. Well, the top players in the country's supposed to be a very high pick. We're going talk about that in a minute, but before we get to that, let's go to our Tom pellisera who is at the pro day. We caught a spot with Dallas Turner.
I feel that I should be the first defensive player off the board because of the tnasty I bring to the game, my IQ, how fast I play, you know, just being the most versatile agent and draft as well, you know, being able to pass, rush and drop me and you know, and just help my teammates and be the best team out can possibly be.
So I know you're sticking around Tuscalos.
After this, we got some team visits where all you headed.
I'm headed to I know, I gotta go to Atlanta, Minnesota. I gotta go to Chicago and Arizona.
Right doubtas Turner naming three teams that could use an edge rusher. But you look at this board right here, there's an awful lot you've got.
The Bears will probably use a ninth pick on one if they use it.
Atlanta, the Jack the Vikings, the Broncos, Seahawks, Rams, Dolphins, Buffalo, Bills, Lions. Who doesn't need an edge rusher? But James Palmer. We're back here on the NFL Report. We're gonna bring in our draft expert, Lanzer Lion who knows there is edge rusher as well. And Lance, you just saw Dallas Turner there with Tom Pellis hero say he should be the first defensive player off the board. First off, just your thoughts on Turner.
Well, so, Dallas Turner, you know I first noticed him when he was really giving Charles crosswork at Mississippi State. When I was studying Charles Cross a couple of years ago, and I had to go to the roster because if you're not draft eligible, I have time to look at you right now. But I got five hundred players to write up. But I made note of who's number fifteen. Dallas Turner. Wow, I'm gonna remember this kid, and here we are two years later, and you know, I think
he's a similar player. He's a little bit gangly looking on the hook, but he was over two hundred and fifty pounds at his pro day, which was heavier than at the Combine. I think that's great. Twenty reps in the bench, which I thought was nice. But really, Steve, what kind of separates Dallas Turner is? Yes, he comes from the Alabama pedigree of rushers, but he is a
really elite athlete. I mean from an explosion standpoint. At the Combine, his speed numbers, his ability to bend and make things happen once he's inside the pocket, change direction in Hound quarterbacks were trying to get away from him. I think if you want a guy who has that the rush talent that's typical of Alabama rushers, and then you want to look at the athletic profile that it's an elite profile, including extraordinarily long arms and wingspan das
Dallas gives you. Dallas Turner gives you a very unique set of skills, so to speak. When it comes to the pass rush. There's four key rushers in the first round but he's a guy that kind of blends all of them together.
I love that he's a Liam Neesen. He blends it all together. Lance. I love you mentioned the speed, I mean four four seven at the combine that was about its fluid crist you could see a big man run in the forty as smooth as he looked. And you mentioned the athletic ability a fantastic basketball player in high school. I know everybody always kind of looks at those traits as well when they're evaluating some of these guys. To spread that out, you mentioned these edge rushers, and there's
about four of them you mentioned. But where do we see I know you have another mock draft coming out soon and it's not out yet, but where would we see, as we hinted at it, the first defensive player go off the board. And will it be Dallas Turner?
I think it could be Turner. I think it's going to be between Turner and Verse, Jared Verse, and I'll get into Jared Vers in a second. But you know, Chop Robinson from Penn State is a huge projection player, great traits, but he's not there yet, so I think he will probably be fourth. A lot to his draft standing is going to be, you know, determined by his medicals.
But I think when you start looking at you guys talk to Balding, and you started looking at the way some of these teams are coming together from a free agency standpoint, and now it may change. You know, the Jets may look at a pass rusher, for example, with
their selection. I think that you know, Minnesota obviously, if they ended up staying there and not making a move for quarterback, which we anticipate, I think they need rush and so I think probably the earliest you're going to see a pass rusher would be maybe the Falcons could be the absolute earliest at eight, but you could make a point for going even earlier than that, because these are really i think, high ceiling, high floor players at
this particular position at the edge, and especially Jared. Let's start talking about Jared verse for a second. I mean, Jared Versus is a powerhouse. He is as explosive as it gets into the blockers, very heavy with his hands. He's good against the run in the past. You know, Dallas Turner is not going to be as good against the run as Jared Versus. He has become a real issue for tackles to handle the same way Aaron Donald
was this unusually powerful guy inside for his size. Jared versus unusually powerful and twitchy with his upper body strength against tackles who are much heavier than him. He's got a great bull rush. He improved some of his rush technique and rush moves headed into this year. So I think going back to school, he really made himself a more complete player. But I don't think you know, we look how many of these things that we're showing you
or run plays. That's one of the things that separates him, I think, from the other and why I think he's going to be the first guy off the board personally is that he is a two way defensive end with tremendous toughness.
You know, I love hearing stuff like this because you talk about Atlanta there at eight. We know Raheem Morris kind of plays at hybrid thirty four. You know he's gonna give you that that even look. But you want to have somebody who can play the run in the past like him, And you've got a Grady jer and you've got David on Jamadi. You've got tackles who can make plays. So somebody like him might be a perfect fit right there.
And you talk about a.
Hybrid guy and this is a guy we both love lands out of the University of Missouri, Jarius Robinson, and this is everybody. But this is where I want you to educate people, because he's listed in some places as an edge, other places as a d tackle. A few years ago we'd say he's a thirty four or five tech team, but he's shown a little bit more than that though, Like when you're evaluating a combo big man like him, he's a big freaking guy, like two eighty five.
How do you kind of put him in there when you're talking about the turners and the verses and chop Robinson.
It's a it's a great question. It's what I had to do last year with Keon White, who ended up going to New England out of Georgia Tech. Very similar body type, similar gameplay. The Texas just signed Denico Autry in every The talk in Houston on my sports talk show is, well, wait a minute, is he gonna play edge? Is he gonna play defensive tackle? He's a little small, Dimico doesn't play a traditional odd front, So what are you gonna do? You want to put good football players
on your team. Listen whether they're rushing or playing bass off the edge. I think the way I envisioned it Steve Is, I think he's gonna play bass edge on first down and second down. On the rundowns. You want that power off the edge. But then when it comes down to pure sub package rushing, when we're in third and six and you know they're gonna throw, we're gonna bump them inside and use his quickness and that lean mass to really overwhelm and out quick some of the guards.
So I think, you know, for me, it used to be a bigger concern when you when you had players and they didn't fit neatly into a bucket. Now they're called hybrids. Now they're good. Before we used to call them tweeners, tweeters, no good, hybrids great. So you know, for me, Darius Robbins, whatever you want to do with them, Can he play defense tackle? Sure, he can gain ten more pounds and play there. He lost weight to play d end and he's in great physical shape right now.
So I think it's a matter of what you wanted to do, And that's why I think it's such a good fit for the Lions. I keep plugging them in with the lions of my monographing. I just think it really fits when Aaron Glenn and Dan Campbell won up there, and I think he fits into that front that they're looking.
For from Detroit too, So that would be huge.
Anybody to help Aiden Hutchinson Man, you get him somebody else it is. It is going to be something to see. Lance. I love that and I love that that's the way you finished it because I was already thinking here and this is what I wanted to follow up with. You mentioned tweeers, and you mentioned those guys that you always kind of go, well, do they if they don't have a position, does that mean they they are a knock?
But then when we see people play it at the highest level, say, I'm not making the comparison, but a Chris Jones that can move inside and outside, a different type of players that can do it. But if you can't do it at that type of level, is it a knock still? But if you if you don't get into that elite category to where you can do multiple things, I.
Think it's tough. I mean, it really depends on who's drafting him. And I always when I put grades on players. My assumption is always that the team that views him as the best particular fit with the scheme is who's going to draft him. So if you have a zone scheme running back or a gap scheme running back, I'm assuming the offensive coordinator and the offensive play caller is going to get with the general manager and say this is the guy who fits, this is the guy who doesn't.
So it's going to make sense if they're going to be on your board, if you have a game plan for them. And I think there's something also to be said for I think the best coaches understand how to get talent acclimated and how to work around as special players strengths and weaknesses COLLIDEJAKANTSI undersized defensive tackle, but he's already showing flashes over there with the Bengals, And I think, you know, is he small for a defensive tackle in
the first round? Absolutely? But can he do something that makes the Bengals a good football team? Yes, he can keep him out of the instances where he's going to be double team by guards and centers and driven off the ball and put him in positions to be a pin trader. And the disruptor. So it's up to the team to put the player in the right type of scheme, in the right situation, and then for coaches to work around the weaknesses and accentuate the strengths.
So let's let's stay here, let's stay in this pocket.
When we look at the number of quarterbacks, look, Minnesota made to move you know, give us that second first round draft pick to probably move up. So let's say there's gonna be four to five quarterbacks.
We're talking about these edge rushers.
We also there's some elite wide receivers at the top end. How is that going to affect the stacking of the draft in terms of pushing talented players like maybe a Darius Robinson or top Robinson to the back part of the draft or some teams sitting there in their twenties could be like Merry Christmas.
Yeah, So it's tricky. This draft seems to have a flow now. Free agency has kind of tricked it out a little bit. But it's gonna be an early you know, it's gonna be early quarterbacks, right, and then I think the next thing is going to be wide receivers. As start to go, we'll see the top three yride. Receivers come off the board with sprinklings of offensive tackles, so it's gonna be quarterback followed by wide receiver. Then comes offensive tackle with the chance of one rusher and Brock
Bowers being considered there. Now Brock is the wild card. I don't know where Brock goes. I thought the point that you know, Baldy made the point about maybe Rock Bowers could go the Jets all of a sudden. That makes a lot of sense when you think about what they're trying to do with the all in approach for Aaron Rodgers. But you know, but then it's going to go. It's going to take on an offensive tackle followed by cornerbacks, and then here come the wide receivers led by Brian
Thomas again and Chop Robinson. The wild cards in this one who could fall I think are a lot too due to health, Chop Robinson due to inexperience, and then Bowers just because tight ends are hard to slot in the top ten, top twelve pix of the draft, and I think Terry and Arnold versus Quinnon Mitchell is a real wild card in terms of who's going to be first corner off the board. I'm starting to think it's going to be Mitchell one, Terry and Arnold two.
Man, Lance, we're going to get to these corners with you on another show because we had a plan for it, but man, we love these edge rusher so we had to stick with that. We will get you to the corners, I prom always. And I also like that you stole my idea of rock Bowers to the Jets and gave it to Baldy, so I appreciate that as well. But Lance, thank you so much for the insight on all of these guys. I like Dallas Derner, you like Jared Verst.
I love the way we're going because these two right here, it might be the first defensive player off the board. It's gonna be really, really, really fun to watch. We're gonna have you back to talk corners.
Looking forward to it.
Thanks, guys, appreciate it. Coming up on the NFL Report, Speaking of corners, how about Kenny Moore just got himself a handsome bag to return to the Indianapolis Colts and manned that nickel position. Steve, we love that spot. Love on the defensive side of the ball. We're gonna talk to Kenny Moore after this on the NFL Report. Welcome back to the NFL Report. James Palmer, Steve Witch with you, and Steve Weird joined by our first repeat guests. Let's go.
And it's only fitting that Kenny Moore of the Indianapolis Colts joins us as our first repeats team because Kenny, you know what we think of your position on this show, how much we love talking about the slock corner spot, and how much we love to break down what you do in the middle of the field. First though, I have to say thank you for joining us, and secondly, congratulations on the contract. What's the first thing that goes through your mind once you know that is sign sealed,
delivered and you know that you're locked in. What goes through Kenny Moore's mind?
First off, is great to be bat with you guys, to be the first repeat that's pretty awesome. First of that went through my mind whenever we got the contract, you know, signs student to deliver. I was just thinking about, you know, I'm ready to go work again because I know I know where I'll be at, I know the people that I'll be with. You know, I get to see all my friends again. So from here we just got to you know, put some banners up and go back to work. So I'm fully excited to be with
the organization again. And then, like I said, just to know you know where I'll be.
I love that you're excited to do with the organization again. But yeah, I mean there was a lot of reports at least that nobody was really certain that was going to be the case. Were you Were you close with any other teams?
I mean, yeah, there were negotiations and talks with you know, quite a few teams. But the coach, they were in it the entire way. They never pulled out. They never uh you know, came into the talks you know later later on in the h the process, but.
They stuck it out the entire way.
And you know, they believed in me and they wanted me back now in the organization.
I'm glad to be back.
So so with that, I mean, they want you back in the organization. What does it feel like as a player though, to know you've had an impact on a community and on a club as to where they invested with you the way they did in three more years?
Oh man, that's a great question. They just know what I give at this point.
You know, one thing of knowing you know, I guess what a player does and knowing what he gives. I think you know the world of that you know they value and appreciate. You know, not only the player that I am, but the person I am throughout a community and how I'm able to make an impact and just being the kind of guy that wants, you know, everybody to be included. So yeah, it's a great image to have on such a prestige and organization.
I love that.
And Kenny, you sign this contract three years, thirty million dollars, yet you're the highest paid guy for about I don't know a day, couple of days, and Daron Johnson gets paid too, and it's right up there with yours. Well, I won't know, does that.
Bug you at all?
But also, what is it like seeing you guys in this role when I talk to defensive coordinators and how important it is that you guys are getting your due playing this position.
I like to say, you know, we're just pioneers of the position. You know, we wear the heavy.
Hat and a hard hat.
We do a lot of things that made a lot of things come together, and uh, you know, for this position to be rotating that safety to be able to blitch, to be able to cover, and to be able to you know, read zones and read the quarterback. And it's a lot of things that we got to be able to do to be able to be uh inside quarterback or a slot cornerback, you know, the outside corners. Everybody can't do it. And so you know, to run whenever he whenever he made.
The jump to be the next highest paid it was really great for him. It was great for the position.
And I think he and I and many more to come, you know, we got to walk for you know, the others to run you know later in the day, later and later in football. So I think we're just making history here and you know we're all just trying to play the position at the at the highest level.
We just need you know, more Nichols to do the same thing.
Yeah, this is music car eers because like James said, we we love that slot dB position, especially the time when you seeing like you know, the regular safeties are are floating out there on the market like they are, so teams are reprioritized. Well, you talked earlier, Kenny about saying you're back in Indianapolis with your friends.
The Colts have re signed.
So many players that were free agents there, going from Zaia Franklin to some of the players like that, to Michael Pittman, the wide receiver. And what about you know, bringing back so many players, especially a guy like Pittman who you probably bang with a lot in practice.
He said, what is it like?
Yeah, bringing back so many guys who you know, who've been there before.
Yeah, just having a continuity.
Uh.
You know, I was there a couple of years in before Michael Pittman Junior came into the Coast facility, and you.
Know, I'm able to watch him grow over the years.
You know, I was there when zay Yere was on the brink of going to another team, you know, getting cut his rookie year. To now he's been extended. It's been great, and his role has been, you know, the leader of the defense. He's been you know, with myself and Buck, you know, we're all just trying to do this thing together, and if we're gonna win, we want to win together. So we don't want to see anybody leave.
We want to make sure that, you know, we stay accountable to each other and make sure we put the hard work in you know, day in and day out.
And we can go out here and win some games together.
You know, the guys that I'm actually proud of, you know, as the people that they are to you know, seeing them grow.
You guys won some games. I'll say right here on this show, Kenny, I thought your head coach should have been Coach of the Year and what Shane Stikeen was able to do in his first year in Indianapolis. Now, Gardner Minshew is out of the building, even though he played great subbing in for Anthony Richardson throughout the course of the season. Now this is Ars team. What have you seen or heard or talked to your quarterback about moving forward with him being the guy and the face
of your franchise. If you're going to win more of these games in year two with your head coach and your quarterback.
I think he has enough people in his ear, you know, telling him of what we need. And I'm pretty sure he knows exactly, you know, the position that he's in. They've given him an incredible position to be in, to lead the coach, to lead the.
City and Indianapolis to win.
So I talked to him on the day that I I'm back, and he was fired up to have me back, and I was just saying, way, just having him as my partner back and him there, you know, being supportive. But I'm ready to go and I'm ready to be supportive of him this spring as he gets back on the field and see what we can do together.
Yeah.
Look, you've made some more fans in Indianapolis with a good Samaritan act the other day taking somebody whose car broke down to the shop and give me some money to buy some tools to change his tire. So good for him. Kenny Moore, thank you so much. I wish you had more time, but again thanks for joining us.
Again.
Congratulations on everything.
First repeat so much, absolutely so.
When we come back on the NFL Report, you know you want to take your son and get.
His haircut like Patrick Mahomes.
Well, coming up, we'll be joined by someone who can tell you how you can get that type of crispy cut and enjoy reading.
Books at the same time. Interesting stuff on.
The NFL Report. Welcome back to the NFL Report.
One of the many highlights of Super Bowl Week in Las Vegas was an event that had nothing to do with the outcome of the Chiefs forty nine ers Matchup. NFL Inspired Change, in conjunction with the Clark County Library District, hosted a grand opening to celebrate the launch of Barbershop Books.
Now.
This is a nonprofit organization that focuses on creating child friendly reading spaces for boys in barbershops.
Let's take a look.
We are here today because the NFL and partnership with the NFL Foundation have helped Barbershop Books come to Las Vegas.
Welcome, Welcome to the Las Vegas Park County Library. This is a great day and it's an incredible honor to be hosting the kickoff of Barbershop Books to our Las Vegas community today. The Barbershop Books literacy program is just another stellar example of bringing the library to more places where people gather.
We're partnering with the Las Vegas Clark County Library District to create.
Child family reading spaces and ten.
Barbershops right here in Las Vegas.
We're going to be bringing together one hundred and fifty kids.
That's a lot of kids.
We'll have some reading stations, and then we're also going to be given away free haircuts and three books.
To read.
That one I've been in the education library sector for almost thirty years. Which has driven me in education and libraries and children has been just the impact and the change that literacy can have on kids.
Are there, we go, what a great project, JP, And now we are joined by the founder of barbershop Books, that is Alvin Erbie. Alvin Banks are joining us here from New York and just tell us this concept of barbershop books.
Where did it start?
So?
I was teaching first grade in the Bronx and there was a barber shop across the street from my school. So one day after school, I'm getting a haircut in one of my students, you know, comes into the shop, plops down on a sofa.
And he's just kind of you know, auntsy, looking bored.
And all I can keep thinking is like, he should be practicing his.
Reading right now.
And I wish I had a children's book, but I didn't. So it was really that chance encounter with one of my students, Alvin.
I love the piece that we watched, I said, I have an eleven year old. I think I saw a couple of Captain Underpants books, a lot of different books that he reads at home as well. As we were looking through all this different stuff featured there. You do a lot of different things, and you have taken this to a grand scale. I mean, you've done Ted talks, You've been in the New York Times, You've been on you know, Oprah's type stuff. Where do you want this
to go? Because you do have grand aspirations, So how far in your mind do you think this could go?
I wanted in every barbershop where their children. You know, I think that over the next five years, we'd like to get to twenty five hundred barber shops.
But I think that that's.
Really just the beginning.
I think there's there's so many opportunities with partners to create spaces in the community that inspire children to read for fun.
Well, Alan, you know, look part of this, you know you're you're here on the show because your partners with the NFL and trying to get this done, and you just talked about getting in twenty five hundred barber shops. What does kind of the sponsorship and then being partners with a huge brand like the NFL do in terms of making headway for you to reach your goal.
It's really important.
I think that you know, it signals to other you know, organizations and entities that this is is work worth investing in. And I think that.
What it did is it created a model.
Right many of our cities have of local football teams, and so I think that, you know, it creates an opportunity for us to say, hey, look at this really great example of what's possible right when you come together with Barbershop Books and with amazing partners like the local library.
I love that Altu real quick were tight on time. When Roger Goodell shows up in Las Vegas with you guys to read with kids, what impact does that make and what did you see from Roger Well?
I mean one I was was.
A little surprised, but also excited that he took the time.
I think it signals again that this was.
Something that really was important to the NFL and.
To him for him to take time out and I saw him he was having a good time, you know. So I think it was just an impactful event all around the kids, the adults, everybody out whatever.
The founder of Barbershop Books with a fantastic project. I was just in an inglewood in Ingwood, California to get my fade tied up. I'm a little crispy right now. The other day, and then we know books there the kids in the shop, so we got to get some books. Alvin, it's my barbershop. Thank you so much for let's go. Let's go all you love it all right? Coming up
one day here on the NFL Report JP. You know that handsome guy in the great suit, he's gonna be on vacation, so that ugly guy in the blue shuit. I'm gonna be joined by Judy Mattista from the league meetings down in Orlando seven pm Eastern. Also, remember it's the podcast. And by the way, people, that guy right there, Jay Palmer, he just jumped out of an airplane.
I did. I did jump out of an airplane. You'll see that coming up soon, Steeve, have him blast in Orlando with Judy. You're gonna have him dynamite lineup excited to listen while I'm on vacation