Discussion on Lance Zierlein's Mock Draft, Sam LaPorta Joins the Show, & The Colts moving up from #4

The NFL Now Podcast begins with the Lance Zierlein mock draft.
Host, Andrew Siciliano, welcomes Sam LaPorta to NFL Now for an interview. Plus, Stacey Dales and Andrew discuss the Colts possibly moving up from #4. 

The NFL Now Podcast is part of the NFL Podcast Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
NFL Now is a production of the NFL in partnership
with iHeartRadio. It might be the best tight end draft
in a decade coming up one of the fastest tight
ends in said class. Sam Laporta from Iowa. Is he

(00:26):
the next big tight end in that great Hawkeye tradition.
He will join us on this hour in the NFL
Now on NFL Network from our news room in Los Angeles.
Find names. Andrews ceciliotic. Great to have you again here,
Steve White, glad to be here. This Lanzerline mock draft.
I mean, that's the news of the debt. Have you
seen the Lancer Line mock draft. It is serious business.
We're leading with the mock draft because it is that

(00:48):
time of the year, That's why. And because Lance mock
draft is different than all the other kids. Yeah, he's
got bright Song at one, boring, just kidding. He has, however,
Tyree Wilson at two the Texans pass our quarterback, say
war or that later, and he has c. J. Stroud
at Wait, how did the Ravens get four? You ask?

(01:09):
Because Lance has the Cults signing Lamar Jackson giving up
the two ones, including four overall. Again Lamar Jackson of
the Colt CJ. Straut of the Ravens. Lance has taken
a lot of shrapnel because remember Lance lives in Houston everybody,
so he has the Texans not taking the quarterback at too.
Even his son doesn't like it. His eighteen year old

(01:33):
son his texting Dad saying, what kind of mock is that? Dad?
Lance right now is otherwise occupied defending his draft all
around Houston. So Jeff Jide is here as well, so
we're gonna try to make sense of it. Jeff. Starting
with the trade at four, The understated part of all

(01:53):
of this is that Lamar Jackson would be a cult
for this to all work. Yeah, it's crazy. I thought
angel reason Caitlyn Clark was the big controversy of the
last two days, and Lance just blew out of the
water with this, with this trade. It look I heard
Chris Ballard at the owner's meetings talking about how, yeah,
they'll look into the possibility of making a deal because

(02:17):
Lamar Jackson's a great player and he is available. But
it's hard for me to imagine one of the Houston
Texans passing on CJ. Stroud and two that this would
come down. This is still with Lamar Jackson a money situation,
and it's it's just I know the Coats have done
a lot of move with veteran quarterbacks for the last
few years. This would be way way outside the box.

(02:38):
I just Steve, I know it sounds sexy, but I
just can't imagine this. CJ. Stroud whinds up in Baltimore
and Lamar Jackson's playing for the Colts next year. Well,
the first part of what you said is, but I
can't imagine it's that the Texans pass on a quarterback,
whether it's probably Young or c J. Stroud at number two,
because land Zerline might not be the one need to
get property in Colorado. That might be Texans GM Nick

(03:00):
Casserio if he passes on one of those two prospects,
after which happened at quarterback for them the past couple
of years. I'm not I'm not so you know, crazy
thinking that maybe the Colts try to make a move
for Lamar at number four if they don't get their quarterback,
if they don't get the quarterback they like in the draft,
they may call it Baltimore and say, okay, let's try

(03:21):
to get something done here. I just don't see the
Ravens coming off of Lamar jack I just that's the
part I don't see happening. But again, the part is CJ.
Straw being available at four. That's not going to happen
because should he get by the Texans at two and
they make that mistake, that's where some other team comes
up to three, a team like Tennessee from eleven comes

(03:43):
up to three to get the Ravens getting away from
Lamar Jackson. A lot depends on if let's say the
Colts make and offer what that offer sheet looks like.
Do they want the fourth overall pick? Is it a
contract that they actually want to match and have to
live up to. There are a lot of variables here.
Lance again who lives in Houston. Has the Texans then
with their other first round pick, trading from twelve up

(04:05):
to seven with the Raiders and taking Will Levis, which
means Anthony Richardson Jeff falls out of the top ten
and with all this Mac Jones noise out there falls
to Bill Belichick at fourteen. Yeah, even harder to imagine.
And I know that Anthony Richardson is a very interesting
prospect with all the tools and mesterables, but some questions

(04:26):
about just what he can be with the limited amount
of starts at Florida. But again, like I just can't
see Tennessee passing on him. I can't see the Falcons,
who have Desmond Ritter but this would be a better
option passing on him, even the Raiders, you know, having
an opportunity to take him where they could take him.
I just can't see him ending up being in the
middle of the draft with so many teams eating quarterbacks

(04:48):
and having a chance to take a guy who really
is highly regarded in coming on strong Steve Ye's look.
I'm sure Will Belichick this is something he probably would explore,
but he's probably got to trade up to make a
move like this. He's not going to be there at
fourteen because even if Tennessee eleven were to pass on him,
which I just don't see happening, that's where team like
you know, Minnesota or Seattle with a twenty pick Minnesota

(05:09):
twenty three, tries to skydive in to get a quarterback
knowing and you know, they're in situations where maybe next
year a developmental player like Richardson could be their starter
for the next four years. So I just don't see
him getting the fourteen. But then again, I don't see
the Patriots maybe exploring that being a possibility. Yeah, I mean,
the quarterbacks are always the most intriguing part of the

(05:30):
shiny objects. If you will love this mock draft. Lancer
Line is going to chaos theory here in the first round,
which is as we stand here, twenty three days away,
chaos theory. By the way, a superb red wine from
Brown Vineyards up in Napa. It's very good stuff. Stevie Sr.
Drigging a lout of it right, vinter in making going

(05:50):
back to UC Davis to get a graduate degree. Here
he's going to grow his own grapes. Thank you, Steve. Jeff.
You can go to NFL dot com right now and
check out Lancerlines mock draft. He does not have interesting
Hendon Hooker in the first round. However, other mocks do.
DJ Brooks, for example, we were just talking about Hendon

(06:13):
Hooker and his rehab of it. He Andrew with Stacy Dales.
Mike Caripolo now with us for Insider Report. Hooker is
meeting Mike with teams that could be interesting first round pairings.
The Saints have twenty nine. The Saints do have twenty nine. Yes,
and Hendon Hooker is visiting the Saints, a team that
has their veteran quarterback for the short term at least

(06:35):
in Derek Carr after signing him as a free agent.
So Hooker is a guy coming off an aco obviously
will not be ready immediately, So no matter where he goes,
it's going to be a place where he is going
to sit and get healthy and learn while he's sitting
as well. But there is upside here for a guy
who seems to be pretty firm as a first round

(06:57):
possibility here. So the Saints there twenty nine could be
right where we're looking at Hendon Hooker to come off
the board. Now, they are a bunch of tea teams
that have interest in him that are going to bring
him in for a visit. The medical is going to
be a big part of that, and that's a big
reason why teams want to meet with him. So don't
be surprised if you see a bunch of teams either
late first round or even early second round, because we've

(07:19):
seen teams kind of jump into the first round to
get that extra year on a deal for a quarterback,
that fifth year. So Hendon Hooker looking to be a
late first round pick and meeting with teams that are
either again either picking there or could jump up into there.
The most notable example of the team trading up to
get that fifth year would be Ozzie knew some of
the Ravens in twenty eighteen. They traded up and got
Lamar Jackson with the thirty second overall pick, the bottom

(07:40):
of the first which means five year contracts. By the way,
Lance has CJ Strout going four to the Colts, which
would be I'm sorry to the Ravens, which would be fascinating.
CJ Strout today, Mike or in the near future is
meeting with the Texans who have two. I believe it's Wednesday.
I believe it is tomorrow. CJ Strout meeting with the
Houston Texans. The Texans did not have a large contingent

(08:03):
at any of the pro days. They're preferring to do
their homework on these guys on campus. So yes, that
is what's going to happen with CJ Strout as he
meets with Houston Texans. Were sitting there at number two,
and if Bryce Young goes one, you would think that CJ.
Strout would go to to Houston or vice versa. However,
it's going to Texans obviously need a long term quarterback

(08:24):
solution and are in the position to do that, as
are the Indianapolis Colts sort of sitting at number four,
and they worked out both Bryce Young and CJ. Strout
on Monday. Another team that said, no, don't worry about
that pro day stuff. We'd rather do our own work.
So they worked out both of those guys in southern California.
I'm told both of them through for them, both of
them happy to throw for them. Bryce Young through well

(08:45):
at his pro day, definitely impressed teams with his ability
to put the football in the air. So you would
think that the cults came away impressed with both of
those guys. Now the question is will either of them
be available at number four? If you ask Glands zero line,
you'll get one answer. If you ask everybody else, you'll
probably get a different answer. So about his son just
crushing him on what kind of mock was that? Dad?

(09:08):
I love that, But Lance is comfortable with his mock.
He's going to tweet that text from his son, right, yeah,
I mean taking trapped and leave him from inside his
own home. The Raiders might have been front and center
on this quarterback pro day circuit. Now they're bringing him
into Vegas, the latest being Anthony Richardson and front and

(09:29):
center when it came to Richardson after his Pro day workout,
when Dave Ziggler, the Raiders general manager, was the first
one to greet Richardson. So it's either some kind of
really intricate employ here to also bring him in for
a visit on Friday and to jump up there and
say hello to him, or it's a sign that there
is interest here, that there is a high ceiling we've
talked about earlier Hendon Hooker and Derek Carr. Well, how

(09:52):
about Anthony Richardson the possibility of not only Jimmy Garoppolo,
but also Brian Hoyer Hoyer agreeing to terms with the
Raiders according to his agent earlier today. So the Raiders
have two veteran quarterbacks potentially ahead of Anthony Richardson if
they wind up drafting him, or Will Levis or another
quarterback whoever it winds up being. So, yeah, look, Richardson

(10:13):
needs that fine tuning, finer seasoning on his game. No
matter where he goes. The expectation is he would probably
sit and learn a little bit more behind a veteran quarterback.
So if it's the Raiders, yeah, make a ton of sense,
would it. It would make a ton of sense. Jimmy
Garoppolo gets the contract and maybe he could be the
next guy up. Brian Hoyer, by the way, joining the page,

(10:34):
I'm sorry, joining the Raiders. If you were to start
a game for the Raiders this year, it would be
the eighth team for which he has started one shy
of the NFL record of nine held by that bearded
guy on the TNF pregame show at Amazon. Thank you,
Mike Carofolo. Lancer line. Has Quentin Johnson go to the
Cowboys at twenty sixth overall the TCU wide receiver. That

(11:00):
would be interesting, certainly as Jackson Smith and Jigboo the
Ohio state wide receiver as his first wide out off
the board. Starting to feel real today, Jane Slater annual
meeting was last week. Now we're like, I know, three
weeks away from the draft, but just Aaron Rodgers in
this Aaron Rodgers in the draft. So let's try to
make sense here. The Cowboys sitting a twenty six looking

(11:20):
at who they're bringing in on visits and try to
get some ideas to what they are doing. What are
you hearing? Well? If I may just real quick defend
my man Lance. I've known him for well over a
decade and he and myself and Peter Burns went to
New York Wants to find one of the best restaurants
and the experience involved pop rocks to clean our palettes.
It was a shocking experience at first, but memorable none

(11:43):
the least, and that's why I quit his mock draft
of being So there you go, Lance, Now let's get
into wide receivers. I love that he's got Quentin Johnston
up there for the Cowboys. The Cowboys were busy in
the offseason trying to address that position. They just weren't
getting enough out of that wide receiver room. Now, a
lot of people think that Michael Gallup is going to
come along a lot quicker here in a second year.

(12:05):
But it seems like they're looking for insurance and they
got that via trade with Brandon Cooks, and they of
course have ceedee Lamb, but that's not preventing them from
bringing in guys. We've heard that they brought in zay
flowers this week as well as Jalen Hyatt, two guys
that could be there at twenty six, but certainly an
area that they seem to want to address. Now. If
you look at some of their rumored thirty visits, we're

(12:25):
hearing a lot of them pop up. I talked about
Steve Avula earlier. He's now tweeting that he's up there
at the Star. So there, Ego confirmed getting some extra
time with the Cowboys. They seem to be putting a
wide net out. In other words, they're doing their due
diligence at all the positions. And they can do that
when they've addressed a lot of these positions of needs,
like that wide receiver spot as well as the cornerback

(12:46):
spot with Stephan Gilmour. Okay, so if it is a
wide receiver here just playing a long knowing we're twenty
three days away, where else could the Cowboys potentially go
on Night one? I think if Bjean Robinson there is
at running back, they would absolutely go that direction. I
just don't think he will be Andrew, So we've got
to start looking at some other positions. I think this
one's a grab bag this year. I mean we've talked

(13:07):
about in years past, we've sort of had an idea
where they were headed. They haven't been as active again
in free agency as they were this year. So with
that being said, we talked about offensive line being an
area they could address. How about Titan Dalton Schultz was
a guy they felt very high on last year. They
gave him the franchise tag. This year, didn't even give
him an offer. He ended up signing with the Houston Texas.

(13:27):
Now they feel good about the young guys Jake Ferguson
and Peyton hender Shot, But how about guys like Mike
Meyer or You've got Dalton Kincaid. Two very different tight ends,
but two guys that address their need there. Although I
tend to think that this tight end draft is very deep,
I don't know if they necessarily need to go get
their guy at that position. They could probably find one later,

(13:48):
but that's also an area of one of those guys
is there. I could absolutely see them point the trigger line.
All right, Dallas Cowboys picking twenty sixth overall at least
for now, Night number one of the twenty twenty three
NFL Draft. Jane Slater covering the Cowboys as she always
does well for us. Thank you, Jane in Dallas, Iowa

(14:09):
in Kentucky Territory, looked for the screen back over the
middle to Sam Laporta. Good played design, can't have Laporta
do this to go down? Sam Porta patrons fires this
one's low over the middle to Laporta. Touchdown, and here
goes Sama Porta, Hello, how do you do all the

(14:33):
way down to the twenty two play? Fake left, goes
back to the middle, touchdown, touchdown, Sham Laporta, touchdown Isla.
There's a long tradition of tight ends coming out of Iowa,
whether it's Noah Fant or t J. Hawkinson or some
guy that was doing wrestling stuff at so far over

(14:54):
the weekend, or the next guy. Let's get to know
the next guy name is Sam Laporta. You're gonna have
to know his name when we get ready for the
draft in twenty three days. He joins us live from
that Phil he joins us after it. Guy George Kittle
was able to set up the WiFi and get you
Sam on television. Welcome to NFL now, thank you for

(15:17):
having me. And so so, George Kittle is back from
wrestling and he actually was just in the room and
he truly did help you get on the air. He
was he was helping me out with the password and everything.
Is the password something to do with the WWE, It's not.
It was a bunch of letters and numbers. So so
it just sounds like the factory thing on the back

(15:37):
of the router. Okay, yeah, gotcha, Sam. Would you see
those names? Joking aside on that list? What does it
mean to you to be the next guy up out
of Iowa your position? Yeah, it's really cool. Um, there's
a long list of tight ends that came from the
fraternity of University of Iowa, and it's really cool to
be associated with those guys. And it's even cooler that

(15:57):
I get to come out here and do, you know,
training stuff with them and learn from the best. So
it's been really great. It's been awesome, and it's been
awesome to see a come back from d surgery on
this path to the draft. Go to Indie run of
four or five nine, which was the third fastest among
the tight ends there at the combine. And when you
sit down and do the interviews, I'm sure you get
asked lots of silly questions. I'm also sure that you

(16:18):
get asked about a play. Actually down the road from
where you are now at the Music City Bowl. We
played it moments ago in your highlights. Can we get
that up again where Sam? I think you broke how
many tackles here? Six? I don't know, let's count them off, one, two, three, four, five,

(16:41):
stiff arm I count six there, Sam. Yeah, that's not
too bad. Not too bad. Yeah, that was right there. Yeah, yeah,
I mean it's absurd, and it's it's it's not too bad.
Taking into account the fact that you had a knee
injury and you came back specifically to play in that game,
a lot of guys Sam would have packed it up

(17:02):
and said, I'm getting ready for the draft. Why did
you want to come back and play? You know, I
just wanted to play one more time with my boys.
You know, football's a really special game to me, and
we were have a great year and the chance to
compete one more time with all my buddies. I started
the year with them and my intent was to finish it.
And I was out there for that last game and
you know, created a lot of fond memories and one

(17:24):
cool highlights. So yeah, a cool highlight. Joking aside, You
do get asked about that in your meetings, right, yeah,
I do. I do? And what do you tell them
if the highlight or the game why I came back?
Oh yeah, I mean you just didn't want to go doubt?
Is that like Kirk Parren says, don't underestimate you, right,
that some people underestimated you out of high school? I

(17:44):
think that play tells that story pretty well. Yeah, I
kind of agree. My mentality when I got the ball
in my hands is don't let the first guy bring
you down, or you know, two, three, four, or five
maybe even six guys after that. So just being a
tenacious and tough football player, and that's what University of
Iowa produces when you see, you know, the long list

(18:06):
of tight ends and plenty of other guys as well.
What has this path to the draft been like for
you and how badly do you want it over? Sam?
We're twenty three days away. It's been a really long path.
I think if you ask any of the guys involved
in this process, it just takes a really long time.
And you're anxious because you're looking for your helps home,

(18:29):
and you know, you're just excited to start that next
chapter in your life. So you know, I'm anxious, but
I'm ready for the next step. We've heard a lot
of cool and interesting I think Sam stories from pro
days about like guys meeting with two teams the night
before their workout, like two different dinners, some of the
same restaurant. Your story is different here as well. You

(18:49):
got a parking ticket, Sam, actually got a warning and
a parking ticket, So two things on your windshield when
you were working out. Yeah, that was That was the
day of the pro day. I gave my roommate parking
tag for the rest of the semester. So when I
parked my car there for eight hours, I got that

(19:09):
warning and I got that ticket as well. So fifteen
dollars later to the University of Iowa parking and Transportation staff.
You know, that's all. It was fifteen bucks. Yeah, the
first one was a warning, so it was no payment necessary,
But the second one was fifteen bucks they got me,
so full disclosure, Sam, I went to Syracuse when I graduated.

(19:33):
Before I graduated, before I was allowed to graduate, I
got a letter that said I owed like three hundred
bucks in unpaid parking tickets because I just never paid them.
I figured I'm just leaving anyway I can get away
with them. These university tickets, they don't really count, right,
It's not like a city parking ticket. And they sent
me a letter that said I cannot graduate until I

(19:56):
pay my parking tickets. Yeah, I wasn't in that situation
supposed to graduating me. Maybe I would get a big
list of tickets and I haven't paid yet, But I
think I'm aware of every every ticket that I've paid
so far. You think a good situational awareness here. One
last thing, Sam, do you have any feel at all

(20:16):
for where you're going? Not really. I think there's a
lot of teams across the league right now and need
of a tight end, and you know, it's kind of
becoming the popular position again. You know, we're asked to
do so many things on the field, a variety of
things from running a receiver route tree, but also sticking
our hand in the ground and blocking you know, defensive

(20:39):
ends and things like that. So being involved in so
many aspects of the offense is really cool. And I
think every offense can use a great tight end. So
hopefully I step into that role for the team that
I go to. Yeah, and every tight end could use
a great it guy, Sam, We do have a picture
just just to prove that I'm not making this up here?
Can we put it up on the screen here w
W Superstar and noted it professional the areas George Kittle

(21:03):
in the background is yeah, just chilling. After figuring out
that the back of the router is the Wi Fi password.
Sam Laporta working out in Nashville. Best to Lucktia, Sam
twenty three days away. Awesome, thanks for having me. Washington
and Fronalys. Turned back to the NFL draft. The Colts
are picking fourth overall. Land Zeroline in his latest mock,

(21:24):
which is taken the Twitter by storm, has the Colts
getting Lamar Jackson giving up that four to Baltimore. Okay,
Stacy Dales. That's interesting. Also interesting the fact that Arizona
is sitting there at three one ahead of the Colts,
and a lot of people think, you want a quarterback,
you've got to get ahead of Indianapolis. My Chris Ballard

(21:46):
get aggressive and just go four to three himself. Well
that's a great question, Andrew, because he wasn't aggressive several
weeks ago and jumping up to the number one spot.
And the Colts love to do these private workouts which
they are engaged with this week CJ. Stroud, will Levis
is coming up by Bryce Young and CG. I think
we're yesterday or today, and I know that he has

(22:08):
met with Hendon Hooker and their staff have met with
Hendon Hooker and Anthony Richardson. So they're doing their due diligence.
They just love the intimacy of meeting with these guys exclusively.
So maybe that's why a few weeks ago they didn't
move to one. But your question is well put, Andrew,
because now they may be forced to given some of
the rumors that were twenty three days away from the
NFL Draft here in a couple of weeks that teams

(22:33):
that need quarterbacks are willing to move up. We know
the Raiders have a ton of draft capital as they
sit here in this draft right now, at what are
they number seven? Obviously the Tennessee Titans that you just
mentioned are there at eleven. So if they covet one
of these guys, you would think they would have to
consider maybe giving up something next year in order to

(22:54):
do so, and obviously look at what they have in
this year's draft. But for these Indianapolis Colts, Chris Ballard
has never had a draft pick this high. This is
the h they've drafted since Andrew Luck in twenty twelve.
They're sitting at number four. Do they move up or
will they land their guy right there? And what guy
is it? Because he loves accurate quarterbacks. He knows they're

(23:15):
more athletic right now in terms of what the skill
set is has become at the position. But they don't
want to give the football away. And he can't miss
because he has missed on a number of veterans, the
most recent being Matt Ryan. This has to be a
sure pick if it's a quarterback, which it should be.
I want to go back to the Titans. You mentioned them.
Daniel Jeremiah has mentioned on The Move the Sixth podcast,

(23:39):
keep an eye on them. They could move up. They
are sitting there at eleven with a brand new GM
and Ran Carthon, but Stacy, they also do have Ryan Tannehill.
They do for another year under contract, and they have
vowed Mike frabledhead coach. Ran Carthon, as you just mentioned,
has vowed that this will be their quarterback moving forward.

(24:00):
But you know, as the rumors continue, maybe they'll move up.
They've been reported to have met locally. Obviously, with Hendon
Hooker there in Tennessee. Will Levis, I saw them at
his pro day Anthony Richardson, I believe a private meeting
with them. But the reality is, if it is Ryan Tannehill,
what do they need from Tanny and this offense? They

(24:22):
need playmakers. I've talked to a couple of people with
this franchise Andrew, and they've got to add more perimeter power,
star power, and they've got to get him moving, play pass,
play action, get him moving, get an intermediate game. Obviously
you have Derreck Henry who's a factor in all of this.
But they think that if they can do those things
with Tannehill and add some power to the perimeter game

(24:44):
and stretch the field a little bit, they can be better.
Because the reality is bottom five scoring total passing offense.
And by the way, they gave up forty nine sacks.
If you look at the players that they have visited
with in this process, Andrew a number of offensive linemen
outside of the quarterbacks. I mentioned a number of receivers.

(25:04):
One Quentin Johnson, the TCU big play receiver, and I
mentioned those alignment Oh Cyrus, Torrence Darnel, right, Roderick Jones.
What if they strike there at an offensive line that
needs much improvement. If they are going with Ryan Tannehill,
it'll be interesting. Do they move up for a quarterback,
do they stay put, do they draft an offensive lineman

(25:26):
to better this offense, or do they get another playmaker,
which to me is what they need most. Darnell writes
an interesting one because he played down the road in Knoxville.
Thank you, Stacy Dale's the latest on the Titans. NFL
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(25:51):
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