NFL Draft Day 1 Recap

looking in. Uh, but let's get into it. It's time for Hot or Not brought to you by Saby Hot Cloud Storage Yam or overall thoughts on the first round. I just got to get your take on.

I'll step back here. This is awesome. Look, you and I were doing mock draft live on NFL Network for a few weeks. So the fact that we get this first round and we get to actually see how it plays out and unfold, there wasn't a huge surprise. I think clearly the trades. I thought it was gonna be relatively quiet. I didn't think you could be a ton of splashes, and I do think in the scope when you compare it to previous years, like there weren't really

a ton of trades. But we saw aggressive moves, which I like the teams that decided to go and move up, like the Jacks, a team that you know really well because you're part of that radio broadcast. They said, look, we're gonna take a swing. We're gonna go and get Travis Hunter, and I know you love him. But then on top of that, the Giants and the Falcons ATL

was a little bit of a surprise. But I love what they did because they took two big swings on the defensive side and when they've had some issues, I love that try to get some dudes that can get after the quarterback. And then the Giants, you know, I yeah, you rock.

That was the way that they saw, like offensively, they wanted to add somebody with some splash, some bizazz to that offense for them to make the move to get Travis Hunter. One, it tells me that Liam Coin and James glaston are all in on trying to make this team better in a hurry. Two. They talked about James glastone and talked about having the intangible qualities if you get the players that the rite intangible to the culture in the locker room changes organically because you're bringing the

right people in and whatever. Well, we know Travis Hunter. He is about football, he's about fishing. He is all ball, all the time, terrific player and then a unique talent as a two way player. So I'm just curious on how that's going to work for them in terms of

what is the plan? But then the trades and the reason I'm gonna go to the Giants before we go to the Falcons is I'm looking at Abdull Carter at three and when they made the move to get Abdul cart I'm like, okay, well, that play to their identity when they've been at their best. The D line kind of sets the tone. We saw them knock off the Patriots twice because their D line was so dominant, like it worked. But then the question is why they can get a quarterback. If they do get a quarterback, who's

going to be the quarterback? So they trade back in they get into twenty five, they get Jackson Dart and look, Jackson Dart's name has been popping up as been a first round that debt was not a question, but Jackson dark going Overshowder Sanders as the preferred pick for the Giants. That is the conversation that we'll have over the next few years.

grade on all thirty two players. And I think what you just said about the Jacks is fascinating because you said, who's on the board that they really like, Like Travis Hunter was one of those guys to Max and then jenty right and whoever whatever that order is. I don't know if there's I don't know thirty one other teams that would have had it necessarily lay out like that. And the reality is, like, I just think it's really important to have and set that distinction because Teed McMillan's

a great example. I hadn't heard his name as one of these eleaite players, and yet you're telling me the Jags had him.

name was always dotted in the top ten. Then it kind of fell out, and then it was a conversation like, hey, he might not be wide receiver one because I wasn't including Travis Hunter's wide receiver one, so oh, maybe you know somebody else is there. And then law and behold, the Jaguars get their guy in Travis Hunter, asking jend comes off the board at six, and then Tied McMillan

comes off the board at eight. And so when we talk about the Jaguars having their board rank like that, look, I can't say they're wrong based on the way those guys came off the board.

Jackson State. But it's more the kid, the person, what he's bringing, how much he loves the game, all of those other things that really stood out to them. So we're doing the change over the transformation of the team. That is why they wanted him to spear hit the charge. I want to ask you, as a resident Giants fan, Abdul Carter, like, that's one thing I think you get excited about that He had posted a week or so ago the pitcher of Lawrence Taylor, So everyone kind of knew, like, oh, okay,

that's cool, But I gotta get your take, man. The Giants have kind of been in the desert looking for a franchise quarterback. Jackson Dart. What's the first thing that came to mind when you heard the name associated with the Giants.

Shador Sanders. This was the conversation who was going to be the first overall pick? And as the draft process unfolded, I said, oh, you know, maybe we're not talking about him.

and yet clearly that didn't happen. The Jackson Dart angle is intriguing to me because the first thing I think about is when I used to watch Jackson Dart at USC and then you transition to Ole Miss and he's playing for Lane Kiff him and I don't always know what to make of a quarterback that's played for Lane because the reality is like it's just and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but it's inflated numbers, you know, Like Lane's an offensive dude, and he figures

out brilliantly how to get the ball into his playmaker's hands. What I love about Jackson Dart. I remember watching a lot of games this year where he's got a little oomph too, right, Like we use the term swag on our show on Draft Night, and I think that's appropriate.

But there's a little moxie attitude leadership thing. And I think back to Brian Dable and more specifically, and I'm going to relate this to Giants fans or just fans in general of the NFL when you watch Hard Knocks and you see how Brian Dable is peppering the quarterbacks where they're considering who to draft, and Bron's got a little bit of that tude, a little bit of that attitude, and in a good way, right, like you can try to coach up his guys. I think Jackson Dart's going

to respond really well to that. But I don't. I candidly thought there was a world that existed where the Giants and Jalen mil Row was going to be that marriage. I watched Jalen. I see those traits physically, and I see so much damn upside. And if you're telling me that Russ is going to be your week one starter, jamis is in the fold of security. There's a part of me that thinks that that Jalen mill Roll might

have been a better fit. Now, once again, that wasn't the case for the Giants and Jackson Darts their guy, but they have been able to now check the box and say, we got arguably the best player in this draft in an Abdul Carter, which is going to help that defense, and we have the quarterback of the future.

looking at this piece that I wrote. Not it didn't appear on NFL dot com, but look, I wrote about athletic gunslinger developing one or more efficient explosive playmakers of college football on a three year run at Old Miss, big play mentality, spartaner offense lit up scoreboys back to back seasons with ten wins six two, two thirty three, two twenty three all the traits that you look for quarterback deep ball proficiency, hits the strike zone, works the

entire feel, and then the scheme produces easy completions. But his arm talent squeezes ball in the tight windows, velocity, touch, timing, anticipation gets it done. Has enough athleticism to pick up first downs on designed quarterback runs and scrambles. NFL coaches can feature a wide variety of schemes to maximize its talents as a QB one and at the bottom of it are approximated round value. Oh, bottom of.

with Joe Shane or Brian Daball. That didn't happen. But Marrack comes out and says, we need to win right now. I don't know if there's another team in the NFL in this situation right like the teams that struggle, they already have their new head coaches. I don't know if there's another organization right now that says their general manager and head coach are on the hot seat like the

Giants are. That's not the best way to approach the draft because you're thinking, I'm not worried about two seasons from now, and most people will tell you that's probably the case for every team, But it does feel different for this squad. Was there a different move to be made at trading in at twenty five instead and just maybe sitting tight or just going in a different direction because of the thought process that comes with having to win the season.

Wilson and Jameis Winston. They felt like if they had to put the ball down today, they could play with the starting quarterback and have enough talent in the quarterback room to win. That freed them up to take the

best player available at three and Abdual Carter. And then when they made that move at three, I am sure as soon as they handed it in the cord, they started making sure they worked the phones to see when could we potentially get back in and if we are getting back in, what are the names that we would get back into the first round with? Because it couldn't just be Jackson Dart as the only quarterback that they would move in, because look, he could have been gone

at any spot. Were they multiple names and what were those? Was it Jackson Dart, Shoulder Sanders An Tyler shut was a Jackson dor Tyler Shut. They had to be comfortable with multiple quarterbacks to be able to get back in the first round to say, hey, we're good. We gonna get our quarterback of the future at the bottom of round one.

really well. So after Carter is the one who has the i'll say the most pressure because he's the top five pick. He has to play like that right away. You think about Cavon Tippeau, who's number five overall pick. He hasn't necessarily played like that. They need both of their top five picks to play like that because you have a level of expectation. And Jackson Dart fans will have an expectation of what the quarterback should be. But he was taking at the bottom of the first round.

There should be time given and grace given to him before he becomes a starting quarterback. And look, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, they're there to really kind of hold it down until Jackson Dart is ready to be able to do it.

to the Raiders at six. I'm on Membo to the Justin seven, Ted McMillan at eight, Kelvin Banks Junior to the Saints at nine, and then Coaston Loveland at ten. Of the picks, and I'll let you go after me. Sure, number six asking genty to the Raiders was the one that stood out. And to sit out because we know Pete Carroll. You were on the West Coast and Peek Carroll was doing his thing. He's always had running backs

when his programs have operated at their best. And go back to like sc Lindelle White and Reggie Bush, Seattle Sea Yawks. It was about Marshawn Lynch. You just had to know that the Raiders under Pete Carroll. They're going to have a blue chip running back, so I knew that was coming, but it still stood out that they were able to get them totally.

historic type numbers from Genty. You know, for me, Carolina at eight, I talked to a buddy of mine who's around that team a whole lot, and I said, hey, what direction do they go? Because I felt like there was going to be a team that looked at the eighth position and said, that's the trade spot. I want to get ahead of it. I want to get ahead of what the New Orleans Saints might do at number nine, which clearly wasn't the case because they took Kelvin Banks.

I thought maybe the Steelers might be one of those teams that didn't happen, And I asked him to say, hey, what direction he goes. Look, there's some needs that are here, but I would be if there's not another piece around Bryce Young because the reclamation process that we saw even in one year for Bryce was pretty pretty spectacular. And look, they drafted Lagette that's been okay for them. I don't know. I think it became abundantly clear it was going to

be wide receiver. We just didn't know which one it was. And the fact that it was an explosive guy like t Mac who once again was terrific playing at Arizona not a huge surprise for me.

Booker going to the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys the offensive line. They lose Zach Martin last couple of years. They're trying to kind of piecemeal this offensive line, kind of get it back and going. They've really invested in that, and to me, Taler Booker is the final piece of the puzzle on the offensive line. Replacing a legend in

Zach Martin is going to be tough. But when we think about what this team wants to be under Brian Schottenheimer, a rough and rugged, a physical team that can run the football, Tyler Booker fits the bill. I mean he moves people off the ball. He is physical, he's nasty, he's a tempo center, and I just think he fits

in with how they want to play. I would expect them to be a very physical team at the point of attack, and that's going to not only help them find their running game, it's going to take a lot of pressure off Dak Prescott.

do the damage that he's done. We have talked about the issues that they've had on offensive line for a few seasons now, Tyler Geiton, Tyler Smith, now Tyler Booker. It's three consecutive years of three first round offensive linemen. No more excuses. This has got to be the year for this team to thrive. And I wasn't surprised that they went there. I thought it could be running back. In fact, I thought Hampton could be the guy, the player that I know you kept close eyes on because

of your North Carolina ties. There the only other team that I would throw and maybe Sandwich this year. Jaalen Walker, who would land of Falcons at fifteen. I thought was a spectacular pick because it's a really good player and a position of need for it. And they obviously double down, which we can talk about coming up in just a

couple minutes. But Tampa Bay, I loved your assessment of Abuka because I don't know what you do in that wide receiver room, but you highlight this, you know pretty well. Got another year for Mike Evans and then who kind of knows what happens, But it's an embarrassment of riches in that wide receiver room.

undersized quarterback, it expands the strike zone. It makes it easy, but it also creates a succession plan in case Mike Evan moves on after this year and if he stays man, who I mean, who better to learn from than a guy who's been a perennial pro bowler, another guy who's an outstanding playmaker and Chris gott I just think it makes so much sense. And when I look at him, Mecca book, he's a pro man. He is a pro you see it. He is polished, he's seasoned, he has it.

To me, it's just a nice fit for what they want offensively to do and how they want to do it. And then twentieth pig Ver Bronco's taking Jedi Baron. We talked about running back, I mean, Sean Bayton talked about running backs that we all were kind of waiting for the running back to go, but them taking look Man one of the best defensive players that we've seen in the class and arguably, like people say, like the best corner because he can do so much jim Thorpe, w Wardwick,

versatile instincts, awareness, toughness. I just like putting him beside Pat Sortan and being able to do so many things in a secondary.

talk about oh Li. Told me a lot about Zabel and why he was going to be a next level player. I do think a little bit about Trevor Penning as another one that maybe hasn't lived up to the hype. How do you go to the mat on a guy that you've scouted when it's not power for football, it's not the SEC. And yet clearly that didn't scare Seattle.

to transition very quickly into the National Football League. But when you do take a small school standard And I remember having this conversation with Ron I called him and it was when I was scouting Vincent Jackson who was at Northern Colorado, and I asked him what did he see from Terall Lawns when Tera Lawns was at UT Chattanooga, he said, when you're looking at small school standouts, do

they dominate their level of competition? And when they have opportunities to play or level up, how do they perform? The thing that probably convinced the Seattle Seahawks on Gray Zabel his performance at the Seniu Bowl. On top of his tape at North Dakota State, he held his own and dominated the time in the singable, which gave them confidence that it may take some time, but he has the stuff to be able to be a successful pro at the level.

out of place? If they don't look out of place, well, man, how competitive are they with some of the best of the best and the thing that you saw in the tape on Gray Zabel at the game, he not only held his own but he won plenty of reps against

top competition, which made it a figure. When you take someone in the middle of the first round for almost small school, you're saying, oh, no, no, this guy's gonna come in and play play right well, play well right away, and his position flexibility gives you a few options in terms of trying to put him in a place where he can be most successful that should help him succeed.

Josh Connelly twenty nine to the Commander's, max Or Harriston going to the Buffalo Bills at thirty and then we're finished off. John Campbell going to the Eagles at thirty one, and Josh Simmons at thirty two to the Kansite Chiefs. And I'm gonna say this because I had a little egg on my face. Matthew Gold and breaking the streak. The Green Bay Packers took a wide receiver twenty three overall, first time since two thousand and two that they have

taken a wide receiver in the first round. You already had the end deal, you baiting me into it, so right there and look he goes. I am surprised, but then I'm not only because when you paid Jordan Love the kind of money that they paid him, you want to make sure that he has success. Josh Jacobs said, man, we need a number one receiver. We need a guy, and for your starting running back. We ran for over thirteen hundred yards to say that we need a number

one receiver. It means that he feels the impact of not having that. Either the box is clouded, the offense doesn't go. It's just a little different. He needs more room and he know what and number one receiver would do for him. And so him calling out for a number one receiver maybe the front off his listen. And they decided that Matthew Golden was going to be a guy.

and second year of players that were their contributors. They go again in round number one and they take a wide, but not again. They do it for the first time to two thousand and two, but they double down in terms of trying to add some weapons there. I said, DC, like, what do they need? And he said, the one thing that I would point to is is a guy that could take it over the top, Like who's that speedzer, who can stretch the defenses, who can get you really

those big explosive plays. And Matthew Golden seems to be able to check that box just based off of the speed level. And I know, obviously you got to watch a ton of him at Texas. It did feel like when they needed a big play, he was the obvious target and.

Pierce at twenty six. You talked about the Falcons liking their moves. What was it about these power moves?

and yet it didn't get better last season. And I think what's fascinating is they took a page out of what the Eagles did a year ago and say, hey, we got some questions on that secondary. We're gonna double dip. We're going to take two guys in round number one. I think the Falcons were ridiculously aggressive. I love that they were aggressive last year in a different regard by taking Michael Pennix when they did, and then this year they said, you know what, We're not going to have

that excuse and in division that is gettable. Right now. They gotta feel Pennix can ball. We feel good about him being a missing piece and if we're remotely better on the defensive side. Maybe that's enough to really push a Tampa Bay squad.

albeit in different ways. Jalen Walker, being a hybrid linebacker, can play inside off ball but then down and come off the edge, which should make him a really intriguing and impressive blitzer. And then James Spears, who can line up, come off the edge and win with speed and just explosiveness. It is gon'na be fun to watch this Atlanta Falcon team kind of get it together. And one thing that you have to understand when you're a team builder, you're

building your team to also play in your stadium. So these two fast guys playing on a turf, it's the Mercedes Benz Dome, whatever we call it. But being able to get off that that should certainly helped them. And I want to go to pick right after Pierce comes off the boards, Malachot starts going to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens for years have traditionally drafted just really good footballs at football players at all levels of the draft, and Starts been a high IQ player, a guy that's a combo safety mining he can play in the box and play in the deep middle, a guy who really compliments Kyle Hamilton will and man, look, I know they had gotten good player from a Darius Washington, but for two first round safeties, that secondary is going to get back to playing the way that they played when they

played really good defense in the past.

pencils down before they get to the combine. Their grades and stuff are all in. They're done with the process before they get to the combine, so they're not swayed by the workouts. Their grades and their things are done off the tape and off the tape. Malachis Starks was an impressive player, not only last season, but a season before. You saw a ton of plays, a ton of reactions and instincts and big plays. And that's why at twenty seven he was the right fit for them.

aboard and they're they're rolling. Save Flowers has a breakout season and yet once again falling just short. I just wonder if a piece like this gets them this much closer, because I still think it comes down to how do you learn from some of your losses because you can't even can't point at the roster buck like.

And you gotta remember, the Eagles never go after the linebackers. It was a position that they didn't value in their model, whether it's their analytics or just a philosophical standpoint, they didn't really see a lot of value in getting linebackers high. But lo and behold, joh Campbell is the pick. And maybe I'll say this. He was the pick for them because not only is the off ball linebacker, but because

he's so effective coming off the edge. That is the only way they could have said Vic Fangio had to be And Howie Roseman's saying no, no, I'm telling you, if we get him in we can do these things with him. He can be effective, really intriguing, anticing pick for the philadelp.

Jerry Goff or Gino Smith. And so if you get him and you put him behind it, and look, I know people were like, well they got a backup quarterback, and ain't O'Connell in those things. I hear that, But I just think the relationship tom Brady looking look, it's overblown a little bit, even if Shaduer told me that, but Tom Brady being there, tom Brady kind of knowing what he's about, being able to learn that, to me,

it would fit. I'm not saying that Cleveland wouldn't be fit, but man, if I could pick it for him, I would pick the Raiders.

this dude is just he's so different out there. And that's where I start to hedge a little bit and go, Hey, which guy, which quarterback is it going to be? That's gonna hear his name called next, and maybe it's Sanders or maybe it's one of those other players.