Patriots Catch-22 4/25: First Round Predictions, Draft Over/Unders, Final Mock Drafts

This is the Patriots Catch twenty two podcasts with Evan Lazar and Alex Bart and Lazarre.

Hello, everybody nailed it. Joined us always by our bar.

Here is Evan Lazar and Alex Barts. When I hear people get all hot and bothered about Will Levis, what I hear is we look at him.

He's running around. Look he's running away for the defenders. Look how far he through the ball? Who caught it?

It's not important, Look how far the ball went.

You're gonna do this. I always love figuring out which which snippets where al is gonna take? That was spot on.

That was obvious.

That one was obvious. And uh, we'll get to Will Levis and Alex's favorite draft quarterback in a second.

We're gonna we're gonna we're talking about Holton Aylor.

We're gonna talk about it. What I don't want to do, Alex Bart, Evan Lazar along with you for the next hour and a half here on Patriots Catch twenty two. Super Bowl week for us, Alex, That's what I call it. This is draft week. It's super Bowl week. We were just talking about it on Patriots Unfiltered. Something about the draft just gets the fanboy Evan like, even more so than in season.

Yeah.

Just for some reason, I just love the draft. I love the prep work, I love the lead up to it. I love the actual draft itself. And I'm ready to be heard again. I am ready to be hurt again by by what the Patriots are going to do on Thursday night. Mostly what they do on Friday and Saturday. That's their you know, take it or leave it.

Evan famously considers the NFL Draft a thirty two pick event. Exactly, I guess thirty one this year. Are you going to care about the first pick in the second round?

Now? I care about the top fifty because the Patriots have two picks inside the top fifty. I'll give you the top fifty. Once we get past the top fifty, we're throwing darts. I like players, you like players outside the top. I'm not saying I don't have my guys that are later on in the draft, but whatever, I'm ready to be hurt again by the Patriots on Thursday night. And the main thing I just that's why I get

I'm not just for four months. So it's funny. When we first started the show, I had somebody when we first started doing the draft stuff on the show, somebody said to me like, oh, you know, it's funny. I remember you saying last year tackles in corners. And then I actually, I wish I had a way to play it. I went back and found the clip from our old show. Yeah, we said in February of twenty twenty two, tackle and corner gonna be the positions in the twenty twenty three

So those three positions, I think we're all in concert, are at the top of the list.

And the only by the way, the only reason we didn't say receiver at this time last year was we thought they were gonna take a receiver at this time last year.

So I'm ready to throw edge rusher into this conversation for two reasons one. They've met with every edge rusher in the first round under the sun, so at some

Well, there's also an old Patriots draft idiom and like all of them, I think there's a certain element of truth to it. I don't think it's one hundred percent true. But you draft four next year, right, so twenty twenty four, and if if we do project ahead, God, you said that edge tackles still probably the biggest need because all of these guys are in one of your contracts. But so are josh Ucha, so is Anthony Jennings. You're gonna

Yeah, and oh god, you said that, because I think that this is the biggest if I had to write up, the biggest indictment on the Patriots draft strategy of late is that they have been prisoners of their own moment over the last let's call it three or four drafts where yeah, they have either created holes or have viewed holes on their roster that they have picked at the

I don't think that philosophy works when you all.

But it all. It's a domino effect, right, because if you stay a year ahead, then when those holes come up on the roster, you're already a year ahead. When Richard Seymour starts to age out, you already have the next guy. When Matt Light starts to age out, maybe a better comparison, you already have Nate Soldier.

That is true, and look, I think it goes in lockstep with the you know, year two earlier versus year two late philosophy of free agency and resigning players. But the reality and maybe you can overcome one year. But that's a great philosophy to have when you know your roster is going to be stocked a key positions from year to year. When you have the drafts they did twenty seventeen to twenty nineteen, and that is the year that they only had the four picks, and it's Antonio

Corner, receiver, tackle, edge.

Okay, here are those picks, edge, tackle, tackle, running back, Corner, receiver, corner, edge, running back. They just missed on the positions that we are now talking heavily about.

Right.

That is why the draft a year ahead thing, I think rightfully has gone out the window the last couple of years because they're trying to They're still going back and trying to make up for the picks that they didn't hit the last couple of years.

Fair point. I think the biggest thing that I come away with this and this is why I want how I wanted to set this up. I And look, we've known that Aaron Rodgers was going to go to the Jets for a couple months now.

Yeah, I hate the people reacting to that.

I'm not being super reactionary to that necessarily, but I think I look at where this state, the state of the Patriots roster, and I actually felt this way about the Jets even before Aaron Rodgers got there, that they have a better roster right now than you on paper.

Yeah, they were a quarterback away, right.

The state of the Patriots roster right now tells me that as long as they're picking a player from one of those four positions that we've been naming consistently, I'm good with it. Because they just need top end of the roster talent. They need elite players, they need blue chip players. They need the high end starters, all pro caliber guys like whatever.

High floor players, guys who are gonna be that now.

They need elite, blue chip talent. So you gotta throw in this draft. To me, this is BPA, this is the best player available draft. In the caveats of the four positions. Okay, okay, because I am not real. This is not a draft that they can afford to reach on somebody just because they feel like that's the biggest need on the board for them. So which is what they did last year. They can't or to do that again.

That that is correct the caveat, that's an important caveat you give though, And I think it's not best player available, it's best player for the team.

Best player for the team, had four different premiums. I'm casting a pretty wide net.

Yeah, But the point is, like, look, let's be honest here, who's the best player on the board. Gonna be at fourteen, best best football player available, it's gonna be.

It could be. I think Jon might go ten to the Eagles.

But that's wow, that would be something. Did they have you know, I hadn't thought of it. I don't.

I don't just I don't entirely is that can just do it?

They can they can do whatever. Yeah, I kind of figured they. I think that they're gonna go in a different direction whatever. I think Jalen Carter is there, if it, we have all the margin in the world.

I agree. If he's there, then it would probably be so you have.

Carter going higher and tend okay, Okay, so you don't like Tyree Wilson, Okay, ye, I think.

Is going to be I think ty Wilson's going number two.

I would just I mean, he's Will Anderson's better. I don't care how much like Tyree. Okay to everybody saying Patriots should.

Take me, agreed. Finally, can you believe that there we go there and there's the clip for next week? Uh, put on a blindfold, take the best player available for the Patriots. I really think it's going to be Vjon Robinson sold No. But I'm saying if I for those who have the take of close your eyes, who's the best player who has the highest Madden rating, go, it's Bjon.

That's not what I'm exactly what this.

Is that I want the player use your analogy with the highest Madden rating at one of those four positions. What I don't want to do, what I do absolutely do not want to do, is I don't want to pass on Let's just use this as an example. I don't want to pass on Tyree Wilson to draft Darnell Wright just because they feel like tackle is a bigger need than edge because I personally feel like this team right now, okay, just needs the blue chip, right It

It's not a good class. It's not a good class.

It's a good depth class. It's not a good top of the of the draft class.

This is this is our sixth I don't even think it's that great of a depth class. This is our sixth year doing this, like intensely. Yeah, this is the worst class we've done.

It's one.

It's at the top in terms of depth. Look, if you need a corner, if you need a tight end, you're in great shape. If you need an edge, you're in pretty good shape. If you need a tackle, as long as you willing to spend a first round pick, you're okay. If you think you're waiting, you're not so much. Okay, Yeah, that's it. That it's a bad year to need a receiver. It's a bad year to need a safety. It's not a great year to need a line It's a really bad year to need a linebacker. Yeah, not a good

We disagree on that.

I guess running back, it's fine running back class.

It's a good running back class. Yeah, because Bijon and Jamier Gibbs are RB ones in a lot of classes.

Yeah, but like even further down, there's guys I like, we don't need to get into that. But I want to go back to something you said that, you know, just take the best player from those four positions, and you said you would rather them take Tyree Wilson than move back and take Darnault, right, no, or.

Don't even talk about moving back, right? Just in general, Okay, all right, this is my biggest thing going into this draft. The Patriots have In my mind, the Patriots have plenty of B plus players. They have plenty of good players like red I like to call them red chips, right, Yeah, Guys like Kyle Dugger, Josh Ucha, Ramandre Stevenson. I would actually even say, you know, on the line, Mike on

That's fair, but I guess so here's my question though. Let's say that, like I would still like to see them positionally put a little thought positionally into what they're doing. And Darnolt Wright is a different kind of player than Tyree Wilson. I'll agree with you on that. But if it's Tyree Wilson or Broderick Jones or Tyree Wilson in Paris Johnson, sure they need to go with the tackle. If it's Tyree Wilson or Devin Witherspoon, they need to

Those tears are fair.

But like you, Mac Jones or whoever the quarterback is needs to be protected. You're not going to win games when your quarterback is constantly throwing with pass rushers in his lap like we saw last year. And the reality is, whether it's Mac, whether it's Bailey Zappi, where they take somebody. This team is going to have a young quarterback this year, and they're going to have a young quarterback for the foreseeable future. You need to set that guy up to succeed.

The way that they do that is you take a tackle because they're not going to take that right.

Well.

You know, my take on the fourteenth overall pick and helping the quarterbacks is you traded for Jerry Judy. But but my point being, yeah, if you can't cover the best receiver in your division right now, you can't do it. You struggle to do it for years. You need to get somebody who has a shot at doing that. You're doing it in the first round of fourteen. Look if all the blue chip corners and tackles are gone and the one blue chip receiver's gone as JSN, then yeah,

I also don't I would if that's the if that's the way the board falls, I still would take Tyre Wilson. Under that, we're kind of using him as the blue chip. Like example here, what if I'm not sure.

Tyriy Wilson's a blue chip prospect either, Are you sure he is? Yes, I think he's the play straight, he's the value blue chip. He's the value blue chip.

I think he's a chip.

I think he's right on.

The You just don't get a lot of guys that are that long and that athletic, Like you're talking about a guy with a ridiculous wingspan and power but also can stand up or put his hand in the dirt and be a versatile. I think that he's one of those guys. But regardless of all of that, my point is mainly the tears right that you were sort of getting at that. If we're starting to talk about would I rather a Tier two tackle or a Tier one

But I'm saying there all you need to leave room to go positionally within tier one. Sure, an edge should be the fourth position of that first tier.

Absolutely, And that segues into I think maybe where we differ maybe I think, well, besides Will Evis, I think maybe where we differed the most on this entire class is the wide receiver position. And I don't want to put words in your mouth, but we've talked about it off the air, and I think you hate this wide receiver class. I was just gonna say it.

You know, it's okay, No, I mean, there's some fun players in it. There's some fun players in it, but I think it's getting a lot of benefit of the doubt, all right. You know, like when when like Comedian, there's a comedy show, right and it's multiple comedians they talk about first Comedian, like warming the crowd up right, and the next guy does. So when comedians do shows, they want to go last because the the audience has been laughing the whole time, right, and they're just ready to

Is this a stick that he does?

They talk about this philosophy in comedy. Okay, the idea of being the crowd is so warmed up for wide receivers because we had maybe twenty nineteen in the moment, wasn't a great class, but people remember it for what those players have been, not necessarily what they were. But then in twenty twenty we talked about you had five receivers go in the first round, and we talked about

Orr.

I have the Patriots taking receivers kind of late, and people say, why aren't you just taking the play making wide receiver at forty six? The game breaking wide receiver at forty six? Who?

Who were you talking about? That guy doesn't exist in this draft. So I think that we do. So we disagree slightly on that point.

You you think that, all right, I'm gonna your guy Evan, your buddy Justin Jefferson went twenty first overall? Are you getting Justin? Are you getting Justin Jefferson twenty first over all? In the drift last year? For instance? Right, uh, Sky Moore, Alex Pierce, George Pickens, guys the Patriots wanted. Those guys are first round picks this year. It doesn't work that way. It's not the same class. There's a tweet from so I think that.

This is what I disagree with just a little bit, okay, and I I disagree with people that I respect. Yeah, a opinion on this, So maybe I'm on an island on it, and I'm willing to be on an island. The thing that I see with this wide receiver class is not necessarily the the justin Jefferson's being in the twenties or are ceedee Lamb, I think went like eighteen

But those you just said, you don't think those players are first round picks.

They are by they were drafted in the first round. I would I have a do I have a first true? I don't really do my point rankings by like ground, I don't really do it that way. But would I if I translated it, would I have a first round grade on Zay Flowers. No, I wouldn't have a first round.

Grade just JA said first round receiver.

But I would probably only have about fifteen first round grade. Okay, But the point is, so there's a whole other half of the round that we still have to pick for, right.

No, But but that's not the point. It It pushes when you have guys at the top right, when.

You cannot tell me that Johan Dotson was worthy of that pick last year and then tell me that Zay Flowers isn't worthy of first round pick, that they're definitely.

It's not even it's not even that. Look, I would rather, and it's gonna surprise you to hear this. I would rather take Zay Flowers in the first round than any of these projected Day two wide receivers outside of Marvin Mims on Day two. Okay, I would because here's what happens. You this draft doesn't have I just happen to have the twenty twenty one draft up here, Jamar Chase, Jalen Wattle, Toronta Smith. That group's not there, correct, So and I

I understand what you're saying, and so now then what happens. But that's that's That's not what I'm saying. What I am saying to you is is that if you are a team like let's use the Commanders the Commanders, and I know they're not going to take another receiver. I'm just saying, let's use it as an example. If they felt like Johan Dotson was worth that pick last year, there is no way their grading system tells you that Zay Flowers is weren't the same.

I know I don't disagree with you, but I'm saying are teams going to so so you see teams saying it like that, saying, Okay, Jahan Dotts was nineteen, Zay Flowers as nineteen.

I see them see they should be saying that those guys are in the same tier the same way that I would say. That's felt like Marvin Mims and Sky Moore should be viewed as the same.

But here's how I think some people, Here's how I know a lot of people on the outside see it. And here's how I wonder some NFL teams see it, just because of how important the wide receivers positions become in football. Do they see Zay Flowers, Jahan Dotts and comparable players, comparable picks, or do they see it as Zay Flowers is the best wide receiver in this class, Jamar Chase was the best receiver in his class. Jamar Chase was a top ten pick. Therefore, Zay Flowers must

Okay?

But because that's exactly that's exactly how we.

Do this is this really gets it for me. Okay, yeah, because in twenty twenty one, Yeah, the Patriots selected Christian Barmore at the top of the second round. They traded up, they did correct to select Christian Barber at the top of the second round. We spoke, I believe we spoke to Bill Yeah later that day, and he said, it's very rare that the top defensive tackle in the entire draft is available on the on the beginning of Day two, and we felt like it was too good to pass up.

Oh they will in some years.

Right, the top receiver next year, Marvin Harrison Juniors could be the number one pick in the freaking draft.

He'd be a number one picking this draft right.

He could be the number one pick in the draft. That's if the team that's picking number one overall has a quarterback already. He could be the number one pick in the draft. If he's not available right, then wide receiver one's not available right to us. But this year Jackson Smith the jig, but wide receiver one is available at fourteen right now. The other thing that I would just say, but okay, so I don't entirely disagree with that that.

But are the other teams going to see it that way? I don't know. My thing is more I think that they would so I JSN is legit wide receiver one and all that and right. But my concern so the Barmore things actually a perfect comp because the way I see it going is they say, all right, we have these guys grated in the second round, but it's good for this class. So we're gonna be able to get you know, Zay Flowers, the second best receiver early in

Fair that's a mistake. But I think the biggest the thing that I get on you about is that once we get to day two, if we are still sitting here on Friday, and you and I are are talking or texting back and Forth or whatever. And some of these guys are still there because the league guys, let's say, you know, Jordan Addison or Josh Downs and Quentin Johnston and like some of these guys that are maybe like three very different players. Mimsy, you know, my guy, Mingo.

I've said, Marvin Mims at forty six, that's that is my day too wide receiver pick.

But I live with all these guys. To me, whether it's because my know is that I don't like his Hyatt, right, So okay, So that's my point. Is everybody else I'm on board with on day two.

But when people do that with Jalen Hyatt, when people do that with Jonathan Mingo, when people do that with disagree on we Okay, fine, I shouldn't have tried to pick a fight. I should have brought that one up. Let me reset. When people do that with Jalen Hyatt, When people do that with Tyler Scott, when people do that with Tank Dell, when people do with A. T. Perry, and their logic is, well, he's a day two wide receiver.

I agree with you there, So I think that's here. We're down a tier two.

So here's my I It's not that I don't think there's guys you can get on day two that are right to go in day two. I think the sheer volume of them is significantly less than it's been the last couple of years, and teams are going to realize that. I think Josh Downs is going to go before well before forty six. I had him going thirtieth.

I think I'll go well before forty six, but I'm really interested to see because I've always I keep comparing this to the nineteen draft right where only Hollywood and Nikhil Harry went in the first round. Everybody else, Aj Brown, Debo, the whole rest of them went on Day two. My really, and your whole adage of the positional value of the wide receivers now pushing everything upah is I think could potentially be spot on right, Like that could be exactly.

How the quarter what happens wide receiver quarterback.

It's just worth it to try the Bills picking at the end of the first round to take Josh Downs.

It's just they, oh God, that would be such a good pick, right. It just is worth it to them, even though they take Jalen Y instead. Even the Josh Downs might be more like a fortieth pick and a good receiver draft, the positional value is so high that it's worth it. I just look at it and say that I think that the league is going to view it and not prop.

Up the position quite that much. And that's why I feel so by forty six, whether it's the first round pick or it's your second round pick. One of those picks I really feel like should be a receiver, and I think that there's going to be a receiver worthy of that pick.

So okay, that last thing is what I'm worried about, because again, how much does it need to be propped up? Let's take JSN, Quentin Johnson, Jordan Adison say Flowers off the board, right, Let's assume that they're gone first round and whatever. Right, So who do you need to fall?

Like?

Who are the guys realistic that could fall to justify that pick. I'm just going to read off the board, Evan Jalen Hyatt Nor.

We just don't like were some people like him, but he's not.

He's not the guy that we're talking about, the guy that when we say they need to go get an impact receiver and they can do so on day two, if they get Jalen Hyatt, we would say they did not accomplish that, right, Josh Downs, I think we both agree, yes, But is he how far is he making it? I don't think he gets past thirty five. Cedric Tillman. I wouldn't hate if they draft Cedric Tillman, but like I

Small, No, Rashi Rice two doesn't separate.

Yeah, so you like Mingo, I don't. We'll call that a split.

What do you mean a split? And you got to talk about mingo for a second? No, no, no, let me make my point. Then we can talk about mingo. Okay, that's we'll call two and a half receivers. Mims downs mingo. Yeah, that's and you just around out the top one hundred, Jayden Reid, it would be a reach at that point at Perry, No, Kayshawn Boute over that one.

I missed on that, I admitted I missed. There you go, Mark to tape.

That's what that's what the combine is for.

And Michael Wilson, No, ye, that's two guys. That's two or three. That's two or three players. You either need to fall from thirty one to forty six. So are there going to be Is there gonna be one wide receiver taken in a span of fifteen picks on the top fifty or are you going to move up to get him. That's basically what if you can't do that, then you shouldn't take a receiver on Day two? This

Right.

What kills me is the and we're gonna get himing on a second, I promise. Yeah, is the just blind blinders on take a receiver on day two because it works, because every receiver in the NFL draft is good. It's honestly, it's the exact same thing as the Well, No, they don't need to take quarterback in the first round to replace Mac Jones. Just draft do what the Eagles did. Draft an athletic upside quarterback in the second round like Jalen Hurts and you're good. Yeah, I think honestly, and

That guy in this draft is head and hooker, but that's but he.

Doesn't have the upside that you know, because it's about upside and he's on the second right, you can't like. It bugs me if people do this in the draft. You don't get to describe a player without a name and then say draft them because that player might not be there. And I feel like a receiver. I feel like the receiver people want the Patriots to take. I need a name because I think a lot of people are describing a player without a name, and at that point, what are we doing?

Okay, so, uh, the two names that I keep coming back to, and we're talking about Day two receivers. Yeah, the most fascinating thing that I think about this draft is how exactly these receivers come off the board. Yeah, because you are correct that this draft, this draft should look like the twenty nineteen draft at receiver besides Jays.

But not with it's not that many, it's not that deep. There's not that many hits.

But but my point is, but I get, Okay, James saylers should be the second receiver picking off the board in the mid twenties, right where Hollywood breads.

You were three in the first round and then you get a big run in the second, right, is what you're okay? Yeah, I yes, that's probably what it's going to look like.

That's how it should look if your fear of positional value comes into play. Yeah, and then Zay Flower is going to be a top twenty pick in the draft. He's going to go at the end of the teams.

He's not getting out of the first round.

I don't think he's getting out of the I don't think he should.

No.

My point is is he's going to go five to ten picks higher than he probably should. So instead of at twenty five, we're now going to be talking about him at like sixteen.

Right.

You know, supposedly the reason the Packers wanted thirteen was to take Oh no, that was Chase said, okay, So that.

That it's really fast to see. How does the league because they did this a few years ago, not to go on a separate tangent, but it is a few years ago with quarterbacks. With that the Milik Willis class, right, there was no quarterback selected for I think Pickett last year, Yeah, Pickett was sixteen or something like that.

And it was that's true. OK, that's true.

Right, So they course corrected at quarterback last year. Let's see what they do at receiver this year. The one guy that I think, you know, we both agree on Mims. If MS is somebody that they can target on day two and we're both on board, I think Josh Downs would be like dream Mims is like like realistic.

So right, hang on a second, and I think Down is the better player?

Yeah?

Is Mims more what they need right now? I kind of think he is.

I think what I worry about with Mims is that is he a little bit too redundant to Taekwon? You know, like they're both straight down to Juju. No. I think I think Downs is like a true like Welker Edelman slot like a shifty right.

But you can't how are you getting them both on the field? Okay, redundant skill set?

But like but in eleven personnel, Like yeah, you would have to probably play a lot of like three by ones and stuff like that to have like two slots, yeah, and stuff like that.

Formationally, he's redundant, not skill set wise, I should play.

It would be I think you could do it, like if you're if you're in the three by one or you're in two by two or something like that, and you're going four, like you have two slots, right, like you have an inside slot and you have an outside.

And Thornton you just put speed out there.

Yeah, I think that there you can. I think that's fine. I would take Downs just because when with Mims, I think he separates more on a vertical plane. He's either coming across the field or he's going deep vertically up the field, Whereas with Downs, I think he's got that shifty gear, right, He's got that that jitterbug and I just see it that way. But that I think Downs is dream right, Yeah, Mims is realistic.

Yeah.

And then we disagree on Mingo, and I think the biggest thing.

Is, so you were you of Mingo? I have Cedric Tillman. Basically.

I like Cedric Tillman a lot too. I actually have him grated higher than Mingo. But I think Cedric I think with Cedric Tillman, you don't get that, you don't get the yak. I think Mingo has more yak potential.

Yeah, but I I don't mind to jump, all guy, I don't know. I don't mind to.

Jump Tillman's really good. I think his best asset to me is his ability to stop, Like he can get up the field vertically, push you vertical and then slam and and he killey Ringo could not cover him on those come back routes, so that that element of his skill set is interesting. I just think Mingo is a little bit more of a runaway train with the football, and I think that's valuable.

But I guess I'm more something like, wasn't that the whole point of why you signed Juju to get the yak right?

But I think Mingo is a little bit more of an outside guy than Juju is. And one of the other thing, I know what I'm saying, you got the yak guy. Yeah, but everybody can be a yak guy. I mean you look at San Francisco, you got like sixteen.

Okay, so why do you need why do you need whatever?

Because I think us but because I think the yack guy, I think that's how their offense is gonna is gonna function, right, Yeah, But I like Timer was yack guy, and so is Gronk. Like you have to have you know, you have to have both of that.

But i'd like for right, so they got the yak guy, I'd like to see them get a guy that can go up and get the football and win against bigger physical corners. Like so their offense for a couple of years has been all physical separators, no yak, right, and that wasn't great. I don't know that shifting to all yak is the answer either. I think you want to diversified skill sets. So if you have a yak guy and then you go out and get a guy like

I mean, Mingo's two hundred and twenty pounds, like, I think he can win physically too.

I just that's not my concern with Mingo.

We'll get into my concern my my, my take on what they think about their receivers right now. Yeah, is I truly believe that they feel like Taekwon's going to be the separator that Taekwon that's okay under Bill O'Brien is gonna I think Tae Kwon. I don't think Taekwon's an X, right. I don't think you want to just put Taekwon on the boundary, have him go one on

Jamison Williams role specifically because DeVonta Smith was a little more like slot driven and stuff like that. Like what they did with Jamison Williams is to me the.

Role, right, Move him around a little bit, bring them in motion, have them run routes from stacks or trips alignment to try to get him away from physicality, right, just get him away from contact and just turn it into a game of tag coming across the field, going up the field, and allow Mac, which I think is probably Mac's best throw is those touchdeep balls, right that he throws a pretty deep ball. It's I'm not talking about the velocity throws. I'm not talking about fitting into

I know, I'm, I'm, and then we'll get the slot guy later.

Tomorrio Tuglas, I'm talking to a little bit out of both sides of my mouth because I've been anti Quentin Johnson, but I've been t Quintin Johnson because I don't want them to take Quentin Johnson at fourteen. We're talking about them taking a receiver at forty six.

Quint Johnson in the second round, right, Yeah, I mean he's better than like, he's better than Tillman.

Yeah. So yeah, he's better than both these guys.

But he's gonna go in the first round because some team's going to see the size. I so my issue on Mingo by the way, because he never got to it. My issue on Mingo it maybe this is dumb. I just see it as a red flag. That is the most skill position friendly offense right that lane Kiffen runs down there. You have to try to not put up numbers in that offense. I don't know, fifty one catches for eight hundred yards.

It was seventeen yards per catch Though'll be fair. Yeah, but big play guy, but that's it. Yeah.

And is it going to be a big play offense or is it going to be the Bill O'Brien death by a thousand paper cuts offense?

I think I think, ideally, I think it's going to be similar to. I think it's gonna be a little bit of both, like because I think it's more of like a hybrid between a death by a thousand paper cuts in the Alabama offense, right. I think that that's where they're ideally going with this, And my estimation is that the high volume area will be the middle of

But isn't that why Taekwon's here? Isn't that why my Kasiki's here? I just I s I you're very nord. I brought Kasiki up in that, aren't you.

No.

No, I just I think Ksiki is somebody that you hope is going to stretch the seam to get the safeties off of treachery.

I just think that I see a guy that's big. He's fast, but he's not fast, right.

A four to four six at two twenty is moving, yeah, but it's still it's and his game speed is really good.

I just I wish he ran the agility drills. Yeah, he's with it a little better.

He's not gonna be an agility guy.

That's but that's what I'm saying.

So, Okay, he's big, he's a big, fast, physical outside receiver. He's Nikhil Harry, but he's but he's a steper two faster.

All right, That's what I did. That's exactly what I didn't want to say.

But he's a stepper two faster. If Nikhil Harry had another gear, then he's a different prob.

But does a step er two faster fix all of the formational alignment assignment issues? That a guy that the guys like that, not just ni Keel, guys like that keep having here.

Asked me after I see what Bill O'Brien does. Okay, so Bill O'Brien is gonna be is going to be a wild card.

I do kind of have to keep reminding myself of that. And that's fair, And that's I'm not saying. I think one hundred last year would Mingo? Would you be as high on Mingo for them?

Uh?

I don't know. I liked Alec Pearce, and I think that Alec Pearce was a little bit better of a ball winner down the field, like he was a little bit more of that DeVante Parker contested catch guy than Mingo is. But I did really like his game for similar reasons. You know, a guy that that could get off press, I could get up the field and it was really good play speed. He was a little bit more. He had that above the rim mentality that I don't know if Mingo fully died. I think Mingo is a better yeat.

Guy, but I just I don't know. I see this guy and I just think, all right, they're gonna have him running quick slants and off coverage and hitches and like, I just don't want to do that. Again, that's not his game, right, So that that's my he's that's my issue with Jonathan.

He's like catching a screen or he's catching a vertical right, and there's.

Like they have not hit on one of those guys.

That's all right, let's take some of these calls and then we'll get to some of the other things on the agenda. Patty, what's up, Patty, what's up? Guys? Thanks for hanging on.

Great discussion as always, Alex, I got having a little fired up durned to you, and I'm not trying to fire you guys up, but I might do the same thing. I got a I got a couple of both predictions, one NFL draft related, one Patriots draft related, and I got a a question regarding me a prospect.

To hang on first, real quick, what did you how did you get him fired up? During pus He said you wanted to take Mozzie Smith in the first round. Oh that was a good one. Yeah, that's a good one going. Yeah, I would thank you, Patty.

Uh yeah, No, I didn't say I wanted I just said I could see them doing that like one hundred percent of heaven. What I've what I've been thinking is like, what's going to annoy the piss out of me more than anything? And that's generally what the Patriots do is gap.

Nothing moves the needle more.

He's pretty athletic.

But here's my bold prediction for the Patriots draft, and that is they will pick one tight end at pick number forty six, and it's going to be Luke spoon Maker who they're going to reach for. With Darnel Watson and still on the board. Ready for this, Alex, I know this is going to fire you up. Okay, my old NFL draft prediction is we will be drafted by the Arizona Cardinals and by the end of the year he will win the starting and they're gonna deal freaking Kyler Murray.

No, he said Stets and Bennett's gonna get drafted by the Cardinals. Murray.

Oh boy, okay, Patty, that's you said. It was bold, right? It is? He a ud F A like I don't know. I don't know if Stets and Bennett's getting drafted, Patty.

There were reports that teams have significant non football concerns about him. I also happened at football concerns.

About him very much, A lot of football concern.

Now, look, the Cardinals aren't very good at this. Well, I guess it's new. It's a new group running the show there, so who knows. But I I don't get Stets and Ben Stets and Bennett hype like Max dug In is a better version of the same player who will be on the board the same point, I would not. It's Stets and Bennett's like I think Stets Bennett's the same age as Mac. Yeah, I would not touch ST's and Bennet with a ten foot Thanks for the.

Call, Patty. We appreciate you real quick.

Real quickly.

Yeah, just if And here's another guy I'm intrig bye, Bryce ford Wheaton. If he hits the ceiling, how good can he be? And do you guys have a player tom for him? That's a guy.

Okay, thank you, Patty. Yeah, that's a So this is a good conversation too.

If Bryce ford Wheaton hits his ceiling, don't don't be ridiculous.

Well, no, I'm gonna use the one. It's not my comp Eric Galca told us Metcal. Oh my god, no, how's that not the ceiling? Because he doesn't move like DK Metcalf. Bryce Ford Wheton's forty and his whole combine blows my mind even more than Darnell Washington because when I watch Bryce Ford Wheaton, it looks like he's running in quick with freaking you know, ankle weights wrapped around his legs like what. He does not move like DK.

Why are there trains on Root one?

I don't know where did I don't know where I was going with that price for and I can't believe that he tested as well as I don't see that kind of speed with him on film. I don't think he plays to it at all. Like maybe he's a he's a good guy in spandex at the combine, But do you when you watch him on film, do you really see a four three eight guy?

No, but I don't think of him as slow.

He's not slow, but like his game is like back shoulders, high points like that, Like he wears coverage. He doesn't run away from anybody.

So it's it's kind of weird. You're gonna hate this even more now when I say this. Okay, I was watching him as a given. You probably when you watch him, you probably only watch him as a receiver. I'm not surprised he this Your minds is blown when you watch him cover punts, you see the four three eight.

So but that's so, But that that tells me that he's overthinking it as a receiver, right.

Right, So again we're talking about him hitting his ceiling. We're not talking about guaranteed who's gonna be Yeah, And this is kind of the comp with DK Metcalf, And this is what I think the Seahawks did really well with him they kind of put him out there and said, just go just run, right, if a team can simplify it for him and allow him to just go, yeah, he's going to look a lot, a lot fast, And he did it West Virginia. His route treat at West

Of Darnell Washington, just at a different position. Where Darnell Washington runs this ridiculous forty at six seven two sixty. But then when you watch him on film, he looks he's slow like he it takes he's leggy, like it just takes him a long time to get up to a top speed to the point where I don't know

But again, I would just say, if a team can figure out a way to true I think the physical tools are there, I do. I think they don't show up on tape because he's fighting himself a lot. But if he gets the right coaching and he gets an assystem where it's just sort of, hey, just go win physically, nobody's tested better physically than him at the wide receivers.

So my I know that he's more athletic based off the combine. Yeah, but I just I just see like Devonte Parker. Okay, So again the question was if he totally hits his peak. I think Parker's a better comp I think it's I think Parker's his ceiling.

No, his ceiling's side, and I don't think it is no because he's he can be better after the catch. He was good after the catch at West Virginia. And that's again where you see that athleticism when he gets the ball in his hands in the open field that he can start just sort of running away from defenders. You see that athleticism hit the next level.

I guess if we're really talking about like blows it out of the water ceiling. But Devonte Parker had a thousand yard season, like on his resume, a Pro Bowl year, That's okay, that's fair I don't know if Prize Fortan is ever going to be that. I think you're really project a lot.

I don't know that he look. The teams that should be in on Brice Ford Wheaton are the Steelers, Chiefs, the Seahawks, these teams that maximize it because he's a long way away. Yeah, but it's it's it's like I said last year with Treequel, and it's like I'm saying with Dwan Jones. The size, the athleticism, there's something there and I don't know what it is or to what extent, but there's clearly some great natural ability there.

He looks really good at the combine. That's what's the no.

But he there's there's flashes too in these games.

But his flashes are like back shoulders and like in high points, like he's a good red zone target, Like you throw a back shoulder at that guy, he's freaking.

There's some flash of him running with the football too. They ran some screens to him that he.

There were a few that I saw that that were decent. But I'm not getting like all hot and bothered by him.

It's he's he's John. This to me sounds like how you were describing Jonathan Mingo.

I guess he's day three Jonathan.

Yeah, yeah, Mago's a little further along. He's a little more developed, but it's the same guy. I just again, I look at the physical testing. I look at the I look at the physical testing. I look at the measurements. I look at what he did in the flashes. Not saying I'd take him in the top one hundred, I wouldn't.

They have four six round picks. They want to take him in the sixth round, and if he's the only receiver that they take, then we have a problem.

Well, they're gonna like him. They're gonna really like him. It has nothing to do with the fact anything of him as a receiver, because he tested out the combine, he was on their team at the Shrine Bowl, and he's really good at covering punts.

If they take him, that's why. But it's a sixth round player, all right. Anyways.

But if he maxes out, if he maxes out, he's a thousand yard receiver.

Maybe.

If he maxes out, if a team finds the role and coaches him up, if he gets the Pittsburgh Steelers treatment like that, the A plus.

Receiver in one breakout season. He's not gonna be a consistent thousand yard receiver. It's not like he's gonna have five thousand yard seasons by the time.

That usually comes down to like health and stuff like that.

I don't know the tight end point that Patty made about Schoonmaker over Darnell Washington. I think he's onto something. And I know he's a Michigan guy because he's already mentioned Mozzie Smith. So he's a Michigan guy. He's onto something. But I think he's got the wrong Big ten tight end.

Oh you you like Laporta.

I I think it was. Schrager reported this on NFL Network that he knows teams have the Porta over Washington. I'm not saying every team. I'm saying some teams have. I would not be shocked if Sam Laporta is taken over Darnell Washington.

I so, I I can also see them drafting the tight end. We don't think they're gonna take ahead of tight ends. We think they're gonna take I think it's Tucker Craft.

Yeah, I agree with that.

Actually, I meant to tweet this out this morning.

I think Schoonmaker's on their board for suremaker because he's Shrine Bowl guy and he's a really really good blocker and some untapped potential as a receiver. His combine matches up to his play speed. Yeah, they just didn't throw them the ball.

So I so I meant to tweet this out this morning. I kind of just like jotted down some gut draft predictions. We can do all of them if you want, but one of them was they're the tight end they take is not gonna be one of the guys we've been talking about. We've been we've been not like talking talking.

I think we talked enough about Tucker Kraft to say that we talked about him.

He Yeah, he wouldn't be in the group. I'm thinking like Will Mallory, the kid from Penn State, Strange. I think his last name is actually Strange. Yeah, No, I was thinking more like Davis Allen from Clemson.

Yeah, I like, yeah, I watched all these guys recently just to like round out the tight ends. Yeah, and uh, they're gonna reach from Oklahoma is interesting. I do like him for that, like six or seventh round. Yeah, because he's underside.

But here's what I think. So those guys who just said, right, Mallory Allen. These are like, yeah, fifth, sixth round guys. Yeah, they're gonna take one of those guys at the end of the fourth round instead of the guys we've been talking. Mallory is one of my gut Mallory is interesting well because he had the best combine. Yeah, and they love the combine now.

And that speeded. He's not a route runner, like, he's not somebody that's gonna break you down at the top of the route and get open, but they use them a lot on like shallows and like crossing routes at different levels and things like that. And he's got he's got four or five speed like you can see that on film, and he's got some ability to pull away.

Uh.

He's an interesting player if they miss out on like the wave of tight ends that's gonna go on day two and they're kind of stuck, all right. Uh uh Eldred, Eldred, what's up? You ready for Quinton Johnson this weekend? In the truck? What's up? Good? Hey?

Yeah, Alex, how you're doing? Yeah? I want him, But like I said, I wrote the not mingo. Scuse me, h, Gazales if we need a corner, But all, your receiver is gonna be going by thirty man, Dave got Jonathan Mingo twenty fifth to the site, who has.

The same probably you No, I have him fifty.

Six pag.

NFL network did. Uh? Obviously did?

Oh?

And yes I saw that mock. They I think they had C. J. Stroud in like the twenties and they had Bejon to the Patriots at fourteen.

What a wild mock? What what else you got? Aldred?

Well? Just one three? About about about Kelly Ringo? Why ain't nobody talking much about my corner is.

Talking about?

Yeah? I'm glad you asked that, actually because I agree that not enough people are talking about Kelly Ringo. Who and thanks for the call, Aldred.

Uh, He's the consensus number one corner in this draft pretty much throughout the wall.

Yeah, until Marvin Harrison Junior did what he did. Booked that. But like every Marvin Harrison Junior cooked everybody.

I told you what the ultimate draft strategy is this year? Right, I don't know. You take Marvin Harrison and you tell Goodell the deal with Oh my god, Kelly's the best pick any team could make.

Kelly Ringo. I think he's interesting for two reasons. One, he's definitely one of those guys that fails outside before you move him inside or to safety. Some people, well that's what I'm saying, right, I think you let him fail at outside corner first, because his size and speed should translate to carrying most vertical route runners. The issue is when he gets those dynamic guys that can shift on him, he can't stick. So he's got tight hips,

Yeah, I think the other reason he doesn't get talked about a lot. If you ask five different people their opinions on him, you're gonna get five different answers because he's so inconsistent.

And yeah, I mean even Tilman gave him a tough time, yeah, in that game.

Basically, what it comes down to is like if he's playing, if he played the way he did his best consistently, he'd be the number one corner in the Shraft would be talking about him his top five pick. But when he's not on his game, the drop off is it's not like a little bit, it's significant. It completely changes the way you have to play defense. So I think that's the hesitancy with teams. How much of that is just he's young and he's learning. How much of that

I mean watching him against Tilman Center Tillman from Tennessee last year and watching Tillman just stop on a dime and Killey Ringo just bye bye, right, like just continues up the field and just accelerate and change directions. It's some rough film, and Marvin Harrison Junior basically did the

Well, the Kobe Dean was because of an injury.

Sure, I guess for a different reason. But at my point being, if he was on the board at forty six when the Patriots pick on Friday night, I wouldn't be shocked. Like I wouldn't be totally shocked.

He's one of those it's one of those things like if he's there at forty six, I almost wouldn't take him because if he's fallen that far probably reason, right, there's a reason. So I if he's the guy that he looks like at his best, he should be gone well before forty six. If he's still there, then maybe he's not really the guy he looks like. It is best catch twenty two.

There you go. He's the stiffness and the agility testing that backed up the stiffness that you see on film is concerning. All right, one more call here and then we're gonna do some draft over unders Manuel, it's up. Hey, Manuel, you're there, Yeah, I'm here.

Sorry, I was working.

I was sorry, No problem. Quick question.

I think that our pick is going to come down to two Georgia people, and I want to know what would be your pick on this? So to me, I think we're either going to get Nolan.

Smith or Broderick Jones right there at fourteen.

And who do you guys think we would rather.

Have right there?

To me, I think it might be.

Yeah, like two good players. I mean, I don't really think you could go wrong with either. I wouldn't be upset with either guy.

This is what we did off the top of the show. Yeah, right, you got to get the tier one player. They're both tier one players. But so then you go to position. Tackle is a bigger need than edge. I just think it is.

Now.

Yeah, I think they might be. I think they're gonna have Nolan Smith ahead of Broderick Jones.

I mean, I have Nolan Smith ahead of Broderick Jones on mine. I think the one thing that's a little bit misunderstood about Broderick Jones is that this is not a ready made day one We are going to play him at left tackle, and I think he is and not touch it. I'm not saying that he can't play as a rookie. I think he will play as a rookie. I'm saying that I don't think that he is this flawless, like We're not gonna have to worry about that position. For ten years type of guy's he's somebody that has

But I think the funny thing is like he's the athletic profiles that of a pass blocker right more than so I think the better rid there right now. But he looks like he should be a better passbocker if you just look at the measureables you.

Will eventually be The one thing that I think really makes me feel good about him long term. He's got great body control, which means that I think that he can he can get his balance and his posture correct right and the other he can recover. And he's extremely long. Yeah, so he's got long arms, he carries his weight well. He has all of the physical abilities to be able to develop as a pass protector. He's just not there yet.

I just go back to it again. They're both very good, but they need to tackle more than they need an edge rusher. And at that point it's close enough that you should have that conversation.

Yeah, I'm fast. I wouldn't be upset with by where Rodrick Jones goes because I think that there is some conversations out there or on the league that the league might not be as high on Broderick Jones as the media and some media consensus boards i've seen have have him at in the teens at like eighteen or like fifteen eighteen range. Yeah, you know, he's not somebody that is locked into the top ten by any means. I think Paris Johnson and the Cardinals has become the worst

Yeah, so I it's not so much over unders. I kind of just wrote this this week. I decided to do some first round history draft research and we'll see if Evan can nail this. And we're gonna get an idea of what a good class or a bad class really means. Right, if we say it's a good year for a position, bad year for a position in the first round, how much does that generally play out? So basically we're gonna do I'm gonna give you the position.

I'm gonna go with six.

It's five. It's been done twice.

I thought it twenty one was five.

Twenty one was five, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Dustin Fields, Mac Jones. It was also done in twenty eighteen Baker, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Lamar Jackson.

Wow, so dose does classes have some whiffs and some really really big hits.

So quarterbacks maybe not quarterbacks its own thing. Maybe it's not a good way to be like, oh, we say, you know, we said it was a strong class, and it was. And then I'll also, I guess we'll we'll end each position like this, just have some fun. Does that record get broken this year? Yes?

Or no?

Tied or broken?

It's got a it's got a chance to be tied.

I think it does. Two.

I think it's a chance because of Hooker. Yeah, so I'm gonna say tied. Now my question back to you, Yeah, who's the second quarter I think we can all Sharpie and Bryce Young to the Carolina Panthers. Who's the second quarterback taken in this draft?

I still think it's c J. Strout. I do it's gonna be Will Levis, but I still think it's c J. Stroud. So well, it's it's funny you bring that up because if you look at you know the history of these and there's been this thing about the second pick, right Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, that the group you want to be in.

And I gotta be honest with you, I think that the Houston Texans are thinking that exact thing right now. Is I think they really I think they also were really trying to get Bryce Young.

Yeah, I think so too.

Adam Schefter had I think the Bears or the Panthers GM on a podcast and he said that the Texans were in on the number one pick for sure once they didn't get Bryce Young. I think they looked at it and said, we want Zach Wilson.

Like not that, I guess.

I just think, like thet the hottest trend in NFL team building right now is get a young quarterback and then get one of his college receivers to help him make the adjustment.

The Texans have that on a platter.

They do.

Maybe they don't believe in it, but it's almost like, just do it. I don't think anybody would fault them if it didn't work, right, like we fault the Jets for Zach Wilson because he wasn't the pick. We all knew he wasn't the second best quarterback in that track. I think if they take CJ. Stroud second and the right at JSN later on, Yeah, and he fails, that's more about c J. Stroud than the Texans, isn't it.

Yeah? Right, well no, no, the Texans are a dumpster fire.

So yeah, who knows?

All right?

All right, running back?

Oh so this is since two thousand and two, which is that we're not going back to the days right seventeen running in the first Uh, I'm gonna go three.

It's five, wow five. In two thousand and eight, Okay, So NFL team saw the Patriots record breaking offense and said, you know what.

We need running running backs? Milk the clock baby.

Darren McFadden fourth overall. Jonathan Stewart thirteenth, Felix Jones, Rashad So twenty two, twenty three, twenty four, Felix Jones, the Cowboys, Rashad Men in Hall of the Broncos, Chris Johnson and the Titans.

Wow. So Chris Johnson is really the only like, really good player. No, Jonathan Stewart was pretty good player, that's fair. But he was there with that that two headed moss.

Yeah, yeah, McFadden was pretty good. He got hurt.

He was overdrafted of that group.

Felix Jones, Rashd Mendenhall, Chris Johnson. It's a it's a bit of a whiff. Does it get broken this year out?

Not even close. But there's gonna be two running backs.

You think there's gonna be two, So all right, that was gonna be my follow up win or two. But hypothetically, if we were to break that record, just going off the big board, Zach Charbonay, Devin A chain Ty J Spears are going in the first round to tie it, to break it. You're getting Roshawn Johnson in the first round.

Do you think Jami or Gibbs goes ahead of Bijon Because I do think there's gonna be some teams that have it that way.

I think Gibbs is better, but I think the teams that love Beijeon really love Beijeon like they're gonna go up and get him. So I still have Gibbs as my RB one though I do.

I love the I actually really love the Eagles in Bjeon. That's just such a premium, like we don't actually need it over the Eagles and we have no one.

That's what you do when you're in that spot.

That's what you do, Michelle.

That's why I had them taking Josh Down's thirtieth overall in one of my mock drafts. Same thing.

They've been sniffing around JSN like kidding me playing then and aj BRA.

That's a complete group, all right. So we talked before about how the last couple of years wide receiver they're all getting pushed up and up the board. It's the most wide receivers taken in the first round six seven. You want to guess the year.

There's recent.

I'll give you an over under twenty fifteen. I gotta go under, so like since twenty fifteen or before twenty five since twenty fifteen. It was two thousand and four. What Larry Fitzgerald third, Roy Williams seventh, Reggie Williams ninth, the Detroit Lions, Lee Evans thirteenth, Michael Clayton fifteenth, Michael Jenkins twenty nine for Sean Woods thirty first.

That is a rough, rough run. Besides, it starts pretty good.

So well, it's funny because I actually did some research for this that year and granted the draft has covered totally different now than it was then. People were all hot and bothered about that class, talking about it being one of the greatest wide receiver class of all time?

Was it?

I don't know, I don't have the second round or whatever in front of me, but that, uh, that was not the greatest. No, it's not. So six has been done like a handful of time.

Right. But so the Chase class that Chase was that twenty one.

So I remember off the toime I had twenty twenty was five, twenty twenty one was six, and then last year was five.

So I think twenty twenty one, right, was the Chase class that was six. I think that class has a chance to go down as one of the best.

So they were. They were one shy and I don't know, maybe a receiver went to the receiver because CD was in that.

Class, right, Yeah, and Justin Jefferson was in that class.

No, Jefferson Chase weren't the same class. Oh they were, you're right, yeah, because Chase sat out the year.

Yeah. Yeah, it was Chase Wattle, DeVante Smith, ceed Lamb.

No, Jefferson wasn't in that class this year before. Yeah, So it's it's Chase Wattle, Smith, Cadarius Tony Rashad Bateman.

So that you're five, I combined twenty twenty and twenty.

Which would be the class, and then Elijah Moore went thirty fourth, so it almost had it. That is COVID seven. Uh does it top tire break this year?

No?

No?

Yeah, not in close? Tight ends four three in two with Jeremy Shockey, Daniel Graham and Jeremy Stevens.

That's not bad.

It's not a bad class, not bad. And in twenty seventeen with O. J. Howard, Evan Ingram and David Joku, that one was worse. This is worse. Ingram's come around.

It's yeah, second contract type thing.

Does tider broken this one? I think as a shot it does.

It is four three three, So I think Mayor and Kincaid are both going in the first round. Right still, I think the rest of those guys are top of the second round.

Okay, so you have it coming up short.

I have it coming up short, but it could I think it could tie, Like could Darte Washington or Sam Laporta one of those guys sneak in, like yeah, thirty first pick, Like maybe it.

Is a good shot to tie. I don't think it breaks. It's not gonna break, but a good tie offensive tackle, oh boy. And by the way, so for clarification here, I'm going the position they were listed when they were drafted. So when we get into like edge and stuff, it's how they were listed at the combine. Tackles and guards moved around, it's when they were drafted.

I'm gonna say eight.

It is eight. So two thousand and eight got on and it was two thousand and eight. It was same year as the running backs the O seven Patriots. Then running backs in linemen. Running backs in linemen Jake Long, Ryan Clady, Chris Williams, Brandon Albert, Gausder, Churlis.

Oh yeah, big, big time bust.

Jeff OTAs, Sam Baker, Dwayne Brown.

Oh dang, they had some busts in that class. Yep, big time. You've kind of seen a theme here, yeah, uh, tire break this year, Paris Johnson, Broder Jones, what do we count Are we counting Scaransky as a tackle?

He was so he's listed to the Combine as a tackle. That's the that's the right your I U.

Yeah, Darnel Wright. I think it's gonna go in the first Yeah. I think Anton Harrison has a chance to go in the five. Even if you want to put Dawan Jones in there. Right now, it's six, you still need two tackles just to tie yea.

So all right? Interior offensive lineman.

Oh my god, my favorite position four?

It is four. It's happened twice. I bet you think this is back with the running backs, right. One was in twenty thirteen Jonathan Cooper.

Chanyle Long, Travis Frederick and the other one twenty twenty two, Key Kenyan Green, Zion Johnson, Tyler Linderbaum. And to tie the record with the twenty ninth overall pick was Col Strange. How did that work out?

Do any.

So?

Technically the guard record was in twenty thirteen, because there's a center mixed in there. Do any interior offensive linean go in the first round this year?

Yeah? I think so. I think Osias Torrence from Florida has a really good chance. I think Avila from TSU has a really good chance. I wouldn't I wouldn't roll out a center like this is a good center class. Yeah, So the Giants don't have a center on their roster right now, like period period, So they might take a sentence like Michael Schmidz or John Michael John Michael Schmidz.

Yeah, and Whippler from Ohio State.

Yeah, Timman's good too, Wisconsin.

All right, defensive tackles, uh six? It is six? You know they are? You know they're all.

Oh, I think I might know this is recent. I think I might know the class more than who's all right?

Give me give me names. I'd be more impressive.

I don't know if I know it.

Give me a name that you think is in the class.

Do you know Atkins?

No, not that recent, than that much more recent? Okay, twenty sixteen nineteen Quentin Williams, at Oliver, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Jeffrey Simmons, Jerry Tillery.

Oh, that's a good class.

That's a good class.

Hillary is really the only guy that hasn't like, really hit out of that.

And he's still like a serviceable player. It is funny that Jeffrey Simmons when his lazy though he's probably the best player nineteenth. Not only that and only six five in the top twenty. Yeah, God, Jeffrey Simmons went nineteenth. Doesn't get broken this year?

I don't think. I think Jaalen Carter might be the only one.

College Cancy might sneak in there.

Yeah. I don't even know what to call him.

He's he's Brian Breze. Could get in there too, maybe, but you're.

If you're talking, Yeah, he's like a defensive end.

All right. Edge rushers nine eight, So this is tied with tackle for the most of a position ever twenty seventeen. Solomon Thomas Asan Reddick, Derek Barnett, Jonathan Allen, Charles Harris, Tac McKinley, Taco Charlton.

T J. Watt not great besides t J. Watt.

Yeah, well, uh oh yeah, you're right now. Jonathan Allen's pretty good.

The other yeah, oh yeah. I think of him more as a defense.

I do too. I guess he tested as an edge I was kind of in robot doing this. Yeah, okay, all right, this year we're gonna see eight edge guys. You keep talking about this edge class E possible, all right, So Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson, Yeah, Miles Nolan Smith, Lucas van Ness. You gotta find three more to tie it. Keon White.

Kean White I think could sneak in.

Okay, uh Uzoma from Kansas State at a bar a Will McDonald, Will McDonald I think could get in, all right, So that's seven. So you're one short.

I don't think. I don't think Haller, Fosky or any of those guys gonna So I'm gonna say one. It's gonna be one or two short, but it's gonna.

Push it it is. Yeah. The linebacker one's stupid. I'll just tell you it's five. But like DeMarcus Ware counted as a linebacker, ies, he's an edge guy, right, But that's why edge was created. Right, It's imperfect. It was two thousand and five and two thousand and nine, and there's not gonna be any in the first round this year. Okay, So here's the here's the really interesting in cornerbacks, I'm gonna go with six. It is six. It was in

Yeah.

CJ. Henderson got traded for backup tight end. AJ Terrell isn't all pro, and Damon Arnette and Jeff Gladney were cut for legal reasons. And uh Noah I in Miami has been a healthy.

Scratch for the last two years. Uh. I think a Kudah just in general, is a really good like lesson that we actually don't know anything about the draft.

I think a Couda's more a lesson that the Lions aren't good at player development. I'm interested to see him in Atlanta this year.

Yeah. I just that was he was in that category of Witherspoon Gonzales.

I think it was a category above that can't.

Miss, you know, maybe like more like a Denzel Ward just from the end, can't miss prospect, and it just fell flat on their faces with.

All right, so here we go this year because this one I think, I said, I think tight end might tie, quarterback might tie, this one might break.

This is six, said six.

So we've got Gonzales, Witherspoon, Porter in Banks. Those are the four locks to go in the first. The rest of these guys all of a shot to go in the first, but not all of them will Forbes. Yeah, I think Forbes going the Forbes in the first. It gets us to five. Keeley Ringo no, okay, Cam Smith, yes, that gets us to six. Clark Phillips, no, DJ Turner.

Maybe Pellis Arrow said he's kind of like a sneaky first round.

With the combines. So basically the guys we think are locks, then all you need is Clark Phillips, DJ Turner, Keilley Ringo will go in the first and so I think.

Killy Ringo has too many flags with his physical you know, his stiffness and things like that. Clark Phillips is like five to nine.

But if a team really wants a slock corner.

That's like that'd be like if Marcus Jones went in the first round. But it's like a pack twelve plays.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

Uh, I'm gonna say ties.

Okay, I'm gonna say ties. I think it's gonna break. I think teams are gonna get all hot and bothered about these corners.

Just a great class, all right, safety whatever it is, it's not breaking this year. Five four Yeah, so it was uh seven, Lauran Landry, Michael Griffin, Reggie Nelson, Brandon Merriweather. And then in twenty fourteen, listen, I know it didn't necessarily like hit hit, but I loved Brandon. I love Brandon Merriweather. Brandon Merriweather in London is an all time press con and by the way, it will never be taught.

You talk about Laura in the boom, him and laurn Landry. I hope they were on the same senior ball team that year, Big bangkock, big bank clock. Yeah, come on in twenty fourteen, Calvin Pryor, ha Clinton Dix, Deon Buchanan, Jimmy Ward.

Oh, I thought, haha, Clinton Dix was gonna be like all.

Pro I did too forever. Yeah, so it doesn't break this year, it's just Brian. Brian Branch might be the only one that goes in the top fifty.

Yeah, specialists, Oh my god, two zero, didn't s Sebastian Janakowski go in the first.

Like nineteen ninety six, Sorr, he's two thousand, but still so yeah, Yeah, you thought that. You don't think in the last twenty years we would remember that kicker and thunder Webb in the same round.

I thought Janikowski was a little bit older than so. I thought Janikowski when I first put this together, you said, two, I don't know, you don't think we would.

Have remembered a kicker. I don't, all right, I got one, Morphy. I just want to get your temptrono and we'll wrap it up. If that works for you. I said, I have these these like gut call predictions. I just buy or sell. Okay, and I haven't gotten to put this out yet. My take for the first round pick, I'm on all these shows, when do you think of this player? That player? Nobody's asked me what I think they're gonna do? What I think? Yeah, it's true. Okay, so we'll do the debut.

Okay, we're gonna do that. Let's go.

There's too much smoke around Zay Flowers to me to write off Zave Flowers. Okay, if that's all just smoke, Yeah, I think they go. Corner, So okay, corner if not save Flowers. You said, nobody asked you what you're gonna do, and then you caveat it with no. That's my take.

Direction. My take is corner the player. If there's corner. If not save Flowers, Alex Barth are betting your bank savings on who.

Is Banks Deonta Banks? But corner, okay, corner, if not say Flowers by or sell? Now what you would do? What you think they'll do?

That's my I guess I'll play the odds and I'll say sell. Okay, because there's just too many other players still, you know, it's it's really focused.

Multiple offensive tackles drafted in the top one.

Fifty by the Patriots.

Yeah, these are like Patriots specific predictions. Bye bye. Yeah.

But I think that they will draft somebody like a Tyler Steam that might break card or tackle over in the league. But I think that they're gonna that counts. Yeah.

Uh, edge and top one hundred. We've discussed this. Yeah, edge and top fifty.

I think it's it's tough because I think it's either going to be it's gonna be way earlier than we all expect, or it's gonna be like right where we expect. And if it is right where, then it's not top fifty.

Yeah.

Like I you know, I said by on top one hundred, I still think that there's a chance that they take a guy like Tyres Wheat in the fourth round, you know, just like one of their type of guys that they worked with at the Shrine Bowl. I'm gonna say, but sell on top fifty, I think we're I've kind of jazzed up just because I love this edge class and if a guy like Tyree Wilson slips or even if a Nolan Smith, if they if they can convince themselves

All Right, we already talked about the tight end one. I think they're gonna take a tight end later than we expect, and it's gonna be somebody we haven't been talking about. Okay, these are the so then I did. These are the three positions I think they're gonna take higher than we're all talking about. Okay, get ready to roll your eyes. Quarterback, higher, higher than we expect quarterback.

Okay. So the expectation right now is like those one eighty picks. I think they're gonna take quarterback and fourth round like they always do. I think that they might take dtr in the fourth Yeah.

Running back, and they're gonna take a running back.

Same thing.

I think you're gona take a running back in the fourth round.

There.

Fourth rounds fine, but by yourself that they're for running. I'm buying it. But the fourth round for running is exactly when you should take a running Okay, So let me put it this way, hundred percent, like where I know they took Damien Harris in the third round, but Damien Harris in the third, Remondre in the fourth, Pierre Strong in the fourth.

Yeah. Perfect, So exactly they have one oh seven one seventeen, one thirty five and then it jumps like one to eighty one.

Yeah.

I'm saying by the end of pick one thirty five, they will have taken a running back by yourself, uh, defensive lineman, defensive tackle, I think higher and expected, you think higher than expect? Yeah, I think that they they go for one of these top tier defensive tackles. I'm gonna sell that, Sell that, okay, Yeah, and then the ones I think lower and expected offensive tackle.

I'm gonna I'm gonna buy that.

Okay. I think they could wait till seventy six.

I like that third fourth round double dip like they did with the corners last year. Safety higher lower lower, Yeah. Yeah, okay, tight end all right, we're already kind of discuss that. And if they don't take Zay Flowers wide receiver, oh, take za Flowers are taking a wide receiver until the sixth round.

Yep. That's that's what I've been trying to tell you people.

Okay, yeah, if they do that, can it be Tomorrio Douglas because at least it's a fun six.

You need to Mario Douglas or Justin Shorter to whatever kind of receiver they want.

So your your mortgage, your your life savings is on Deontay Banks.

No, but that's the guy I think is most likely.

I just said, what's what's your life savings on it? You have to put your life saving break down?

No, you can't say that. I think you're a trade down name. I feel more confident that they're going to take a trade down the name play all right.

Name a player that is you're most likely to take. Take it with their first pick in the draft. Life savings is on it, It's all right.

I think it's Deontay Banks. But I'm like ten percent sure of that. But that's more percent sure than I am of any other player.

We're all ten percent sure of any of this.

All right, Deontay Banks.

If I had to put my life savings on it, which is not much, let me tell you. But if I had to put my life savings on it, I'm gonna say, Zay, Yeah, I mean I I life savings on it. There's just there's just enough smoke. Yeah, they worked with him at the Shrine Bowl. I think they wanted to work with him at the Shrine Bowl. They brought him in for the extended visit with Bill O'Brien that I don't know if there's a single first round caliber player that they know more about right than Zay Flowers.

I was between Banks and Flowers. So now I'm glad I said Banks, as we there you go, who would you take? Let's close it out like this, because we do the whole thing about my whole thing right about. Nobody cares what we would do. It's what they're gonna do. Who would you take? Forget their trends, they forget their say Flowers, Yeah, I think i'd take what I think I'd still take one of the corners. I I think the corners are they I'm sick of watching them get

That's very fair, and I think there's definitely something to be said for that. We all understand what it's deefon Gilmour, what a Darrell Reeve is a ty lock? And do for their defense?

I well, wait, is Paris? Are we considering Paris Johnson? No shot on the board?

I think the Cardinals are taking him somewhere.

Okay, so three eight, I would say Paris Johnson if he was there. I really like Paris Johnson.

I do.

I'm sprinting, I have to wrap. Yeah, But I think the Cardinals are trapped at three. I kind of feel that way too in the last couple of days, started to feel that.

Way because nobody is dying to trade up for one of these quarterbacks right now. And I think they're trapped at three, and I think they end up just taking Paris Johnson at three.

Will Anderson so good, and it's it's john and Gann is a defensive coach. I know you don't have a quarterback this year to protect anyway, right Kyler. I'm not complain it's hurt.

How long are we giving Jonathan Cannon, Well.

He's got to pick, assuming he's gonna have the Ye. It's like Kevin kneeling and in Happy Gilmore. Remember it's like focus clarity. Hey, whatever, it's bad, it's so bad it teams that you. Will Anderson should be the first non quarterback off the board. Yeah, Willy Anderson should be. And by the way, Christian Gonzales should be the second defensive player taken.

Okay over Jailing Carter.

Yeah, should be.

Not will be is gonna take Weatherspoon first in the corner.

That would be hilarious to think they are get like gonzoals fall the fourteen.

So this is what I'm gonna wrap it on. I've workshop this with you a little bit, and I really feel this way. I do not think the Patriots football personnel department cares one iota about what I am about to say. Okay, but I think and I'm just talking for me. I I'm not saying that I've heard this or anything like that. Strictly talking from my gut feeling about things. I think that there is a general sentiment

Yeah, like they got cold.

Strange and they got the corners that they want and they got Taekwon like they got their draft last year. This draft, to me feels a lot like the twenty one draft where whoever mister Craft walks onto the field on Friday with to present to the media and do the whole you know, ceremonial jersey on the on Ngele Stadium field. That has to be somebody that the fan base can go out tomorrow and buy their jersey at

I think it does.

It's fun to watch. I think as we look at the teams these people grew up watching, it makes a lot of sense.

We've all seen it.

But I think that the as much as the Patriots picking high in the first round at fourteen, as much as it makes it feel like a trench pick, I just don't think that even if it's like a big name tackle, even if it's Broderick Jones, no one's buying a Broderick Jones jersey, no offense to Broderick Jones. It's

I think Ed Nelman and that twenty twenty one, we saw firsthand how excited those guys were for Mac Jones, right for the journey he was on as a rookie and kind of stepping in the spotlight and becoming the NFL player. I'm not saying that they weren't like that with Cole Strange. I think a lot of the linemen really were. But it's it's different that just the nature

Absolutely. So that's why I I as much as I don't absolutely love this receiver class either, that's why I can't. I can't rule out receiver by any means, because that's just that's the pick that brings some excitement back to the team both internally and externally, which I think is more a factor for full ball obviously internally. So Alex and I are we unfortunately are gonna have to go our separate ways for the actual draft itself this year, which is which is bumming me out a little bit.

I we got to see what happens with the Celtics, but at real Alex Barth on Twitter, I'll have updates there.

Awesome. So we'll see you guys next week. We'll actually see you. Today was just audio, but we'll see you guys next week and happy Draft. Thanks for listening, everybody.

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