April 5, 2023 • 31 mins
The NFL Now Podcast begins with Marc Ross & Ian Rapoport on the latest press conference from the Ravens and their point of view on drafting QB's
Host, Andrew Siciliano, has a discussion about Devon Witherspoon's Pro Day. Stacey Dales & James Palmer join the show to discuss the NFC North draft needs.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
NFL Now is a production of the NFL in partnership
with iHeartRadio. There is no offseason today a friendly reminder
of that as we welcome you to another day, a
Wednesday edition of all of NFL Now on NFL Network
(00:29):
from our newsroom in Los Angeles. My name is andrews Ceciliano,
vet right there. Good to see you, sirs, all bar
weeks Andrew Ravens having their predraft press conference more than
three weeks before the draft, about as early as I
can remember a team having a pre draft. You know,
we're thinking about that today. I think this is the
first of the official pre draft press conferences. Now, general
(00:49):
rule of thumb about pre draft press conferences, you're not
going to get a lot of information, and that was
kind of the case today in Baltimore. John Harball is
on the press con was on the podium, Erica Costa,
the Ravens GM was on the podium as well. As
we sit here now eight days since Lamar Jackson tweeted
(01:11):
that he had requested a trade. What that really means
because he has a non exclusive franchise tank, he can
seek out a new deal and a new team. That's
open for conversation but if you thought you were getting
more details today from Da Costa or Harball about Jackson,
think again, I understand the need to ask those kind
(01:32):
of questions. I think just out of respect for the process.
This is a draft launching, and we're gonna try to
keep as much of this discussion as we can to
the draft to the coming weeks building the best football
team we can build. So I understand those questions. I
think We've spoken about this situation probably five different times
this spring, in various different press conferences and such. So
(01:54):
we're gonna try to just kind of defer to those
questions and move forward to the draft. Respect to the
listening about the draft and everything just with the Lamar
stuff that's going on looking at quarterbacks, This is about
are you looking at quarterbacks differently because of the situation's point? Yeah,
(02:17):
you know, I don't think we really are. I mean,
we go into every draft trying to take any kind
of bias, out, any kind of need based situation out
of the draft equation. We really do try to build
a board that's really best player available, and that process
involves really nine months starting in you know, the you know,
in early August, from our scouts go out on the
road and they generate the profile and the evaluation to
(02:40):
get as much information as possible. We then segue into
a set of meetings in December, and then we get
into the meetings in January and the All Star Games
and all those different things. Really trying to assess this
player versus a player, and it's really just comparisons and
how these players stack up. Who do we think has
the best chance to come in and make us the
best football team. And so if that's a quarterback, if
that's a receiver or corner, an offensive tackle, we're going
(03:02):
to look at that very strongly and make the best
decision we can, knowing that over time, we think building
a team best available player is the right way to go.
All Right, it's not a lot there either. A NFL
Network insider Ian Rappaport Da Costa did say he thought
there were four, maybe more quarterbacks that he called significant
quarterbacks in this draft that could be game changers for franchises.
But we're now twenty two days away. What if the
(03:26):
Ravens don't know, if they have no progress with Lamar Jackson,
how do they attack this first round? They're at twenty
two What if there's a quarterback there, Yeah, and that
is a very real possibility. Obviously, the Ravens have tried
several times, including within the last week or so week
or ten days, to try to get some tracks in
(03:47):
Lamar Jackson for a long term contract, try to get
that deal done. But as we've seen a lot of
times when the players on the franchise type, there isn't
any real traction until the middle of July when there's
a deadline. The Ravens are going to try to do that,
and they have continued to stay in contact with Lamar
Jackson despite his trade request, so we will see that. Yeah.
I would imagine if the right quarterback is there, they
(04:08):
would potentially take a look at that. Anthony Richardson does
have a pre draft visit scheduled with the Baltimore Ravens.
That is the only quarterback I know of the you know,
sort of high high end first round quarterbacks. I know
if it was a visit schedule with the Ravens, but
they also have an RFA as their backup quarterback, so
I wouldn't be surprised if one came, let's say, with great,
(04:29):
great value in the first round. Maybe take a look
at him maybe in the mid rounds if there's a
quarterback that is the highest player on their board. We've
seen plenty of teams takes flyers on mid round quarterbacks,
and that's a guy who makes your roster and sometimes
makes your team a lot better. Yeah. I would think
the Ravens take a look at it, honestly, regardless of
whether or not Lamar's long term deal or not. Yeah.
(04:50):
And in twenty eighteen, remember they traded back up into
the first round. That was Ozzie Newsome's tenure still and
they got Lamar Jackson at thirty two. Dacastro was asked today,
would you do that again this year? Possibly, and he
kind of said, well, sure, we have quarterbacks in our
top thirty one. If there's a player there that we
think is worthy of trading back in, yeah, then we
would do it. All right, Ian, stay right there, We'll
talk Austin Eckler coming up at a second. Let's get
(05:11):
a front office few on this now and bring Mark
Ross into it. It's an interesting dilemma, hair, Mark, because
you kind of have to make that decision before the
draft opens on the night of the twenty seventh. We
like these quarterbacks. We like them so much that if
one happened to be there at twenty two, we gotta
do it, don't you. No question, you game plan for
(05:35):
the draft knowing that you have strengths and weaknesses on
your team, and there's no bigger strength or weakness than
your franchise quarterback, and everything revolves around that, and you
game plan based off of how great your quarterback is. Well,
the Ravens got one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL,
and when you approached the draft, although Eric de Costa
had to say, we take the best player, bail, but
(05:55):
we look at it, you game plan completely different. In
nineteen ninety nine with the Philadelphia Eagles, we had the
second pick in the draft. We put every amount of
time and resources into exploring all those quarterbacks that came out.
We eventually took down on the McNabb. Okay, well, now
you have McNabb, you've got the foundation. You approach the
draft differently. Yes, you look at quarterbacks, but you don't
(06:16):
look at them as thoroughly dig as deep with the
Giants with Eli Manning. When you have that foundation. Every year,
yes we thoroughly poured over the quarterbacks, but it's different
when you have that guy and you just have to
find a backup or improvement in the future. So with
the Ravens, yes, they should know. They are having internal
discussions now and they probably have a good idea of
(06:39):
what the landscape is with Lamar and if he'll be back.
And when you have a stable quarterback situation one of
the best players in football, and by the way, a
really good backup situation with Tyler Huntley pro bowler by
the way, then you're saying, Wow, we're great at quarterback.
We can address the draft in a different sort of way. So, yes,
Eric Decastle will have to keep saying this Omar and
he'll never give anything away, but it definitely changes things
(07:02):
for the Ravens in their game plan going forward. Yeah,
he didn't want to answer any of those questions about
Lamar Jackson saying he's respecting the process. And you look
at the last year's big, big Kyler Murray negotiation. Part
of that process was the big public announcement from the
agent right before Steve Kim was going to take the
podium at the combine. That letter was addressed to fans.
(07:25):
This year, Lamar Jackson addressing the fans in his tweet
right before John Harbaugh was going to address reporters there
at the annual meeting. So that's part of the process.
And as you mentioned, more than four quarterbacks. They said,
somebody that can make a significant impact in the NFL
with this quarterback draft class. And they also referenced the
(07:46):
fact that you can get a quarterback that can be
a significant player for you in the first round, the
third round, the fourth round. They referenced drafting Tyrod Taylor,
who was a development type of player, Derek Anderson a
development type of player. And certainly they're continuing to look
at the weapons to build around their quarterback, whether it's
Lamar Jackson or whoever that might be. Greg Lewis, their
(08:07):
wide receiver coach, was out working out Jalen Hyatt and
Cedric Tillman at the Tennessee Pro Day last week. Eric
da Costa continues to get questions about the receiver there,
so continuing to build that roster with quarterback in mind.
Like Mark said, they probably have a pretty good idea
what's going to happen. Now it's a matter of executing
it here in the next year. Da Costa did get
a wide receiver question again today and he pointed out
(08:29):
that he's been here twenty eight years. We're always talking
about the wide receivers. Let's talk about a running back now,
Let's talk about Austin Eckler, who has his own interesting
situation here. He's heading into the final year of his
deal after scoring thirty eight touchdowns thirty eight that's not
a typo the last two seasons. But he's going to
be twenty eight next year, and he would like either
(08:50):
a a new contract or be a trade. And he
doesn't get the sense that either has got to happen.
Kind of got punched in the face when the Chargers
basically saying, hey, we don't want to we don't want
to talk about extensions anymore. And you know, this is
the burg zation that I continue to rise and hit
new heights in and continue to add more value. Right,
(09:10):
scored the most touchdowns you know from scrimmage, you know,
in the past two years, and you know, so that's
that's how I felt. Right felt like wow, like this
is like the first time in my career with them
that felt like kind of like you disrespected by my
own organization, and it sucks, like I want to be
I want to be a Charger, right. I want to
be a Charger. I want to be there, and it
sucks because it's like, okay, let's get something done. Yes,
(09:32):
I do have one more year in my contract, absolutely,
but you know, for them to want to allow me
to go and be a free agent next year after
playing and you know, maybe we can get something done
throughout the year. Who knows how it's going to play out,
you know, But just that's how I'm feeling right now,
because we don't really have insight of what they're thinking.
Things like that that are just like, nah, we don't
want to talk anymore. I guess the worst case scenario
right now, out of all of this, I'll come back
and I'll have to play for the Chargers for a
(09:53):
year and bet on myself and then be a free
agent next year. Ian rapping for its kind of a
different tone. A couple of weeks ago, I thought Austin
Ekeler had the most like upbeat, happy, respectful trade request
I've ever heard, and then yeah, yesterday he's using phrases
like disrespected and punched in the face. Yeah, and this
can get personal, this can hurt. These kinds of things.
(10:16):
You know, players are human beings. With feelings. So I
imagine Austin Eckler's feelings are a little bit hurt when,
as he said, the Chargers said, you know, we don't
want to talk about an extension anymore. My understanding is
though the Chargers actually even went to him last year
to try to give him more money, and during parts
of this past season and then into the offseason to
try to do an extension, try to get something done
(10:38):
in some ways, just a raise because of what he
has done on the field, what he represents off the field,
just really how incredible productive he was as a football player.
So all this comes after several attempts by the Chargers
to try them either give him a raise and or
lock him up to a long term deal. So all
this trade request comes on the heels of that. It
(10:58):
is a tough market for running back. I mean, look
at free agency. You know the top running backs got
six million dollars a year. I believe that was Miles
Sanders a little more than that. That's basically what Austin
Ekeler is making. So he wants more than the top
running back gotten free into this year. I'm sure he
deserves that. He is a great player in his production,
no doubt, has outweighed his salary. I'm just saying it's
(11:21):
tough sledding when you want just a whole lot of
money as a late twenties running back at a time
when there's a lot of running backs in the draft
as well, and the franchise tag is only ten million
here and you have guys out there like Ezekiel Elliott
who is still a free agent. Granted much different player.
Kareem Hunt, a former rushing champion, is still a free agent.
(11:42):
It's tough out there for an older running back. Hunt,
like Eckler is twenty seven, right he and say, right there,
other news coming up in a little bit. Mark Ross
now back with us, Mark, what do you think here?
Because I totally get what Eckler is saying. I'm going
to be a free agent next year, and he knows
it's going to be hard to cash in. Even if
he has another big year. He'll get a deal, certainly,
but not the deal that he thinks he deserves. He
(12:03):
would like to have that deal now, but the Chargers
have a quarterback to pay, no question. Austin Eckler found
out that this is a business and emotions and feelings
don't get business deals done or contracts done. The Chargers
essentially said, hey, Austin, forget your feelings, man, and as
a front office you have to look at the health
(12:26):
of your salary cap, the future of your team, and
prioritize the players that you need to pay and the
players that are going to get to where you need
to go going forward. No doubt, it's wonderful what Austin
Eckler has done. The production can't deny it, but the
Chargers front office is looking at it as we cannot
pay Austin off of what he did before. He's twenty
eight years old. How much does he have left? How
(12:47):
much more can a twenty eight year old running back
give us? And that's the way they're looking at it.
They're not looking at it as we love this dude
and he's an amazing teammate. They have to look out
for the franchise and the help of the cap. So, unfortunately,
this is the nature of doing business in the NFL
with Austin. He's been very public about it, so it
looks sort of bad for him, But for the Charges,
(13:08):
they've kept it under wrapped gone business wise, which is
the best way to do a lot of running backs
out there. The value of the position has gone down.
His age, so all these factors, as he had talked about,
is really hurting him. But for the Chargers, this hey,
this is the cost of doing business. Yeah. Part of
that conversation Austin Eckler had with Sirius XM Radio yesterday
(13:28):
was an acknowledgement that that is probably not getting much
traction from other teams around the league, not willing to
pay what Chargers want in trade compensation and then pay
him on top of that. We talked about the market already.
He did acknowledge what Ian reference a contract extension last year,
Eckler saying that that was essentially discount more of the same,
(13:49):
something he was unwilling to do last year. And then
there was the acknowledgement that he might have to play
with the Chargers again in twenty twenty three and again
proved his worth bet on himself, just like he's been
doing his entire career. As far as how he's taken
this publicly, Let's remember that Austin Ekeler is a guy
that hosts a podcast during the season. He speaks publicly often.
He speaks well publicly often. That's something he enjoys doing so,
(14:13):
not necessarily negotiating in the media. This is a part
of Austin Eckler, who he is, his persona in the NFL.
But certainly being honest, I think when we saw that
change in tone a little bit more disappointment yesterday than
we heard last week when he initially asked for that trade.
He truly is a businessman. He's got real estate, he's
got this new app coming out, but he's also a
business man, and he would like that new contract. Thirty
(14:37):
eight touchdowns the last two years, gotcha? All right, Let's
get to some other news, gentlemen, to stay right there.
News out of Denver Ian Rappaport. This one isn't necessarily
a shocker. I think that John Elway is no longer
part of the Broncos front office, but when you look
back at how long he had been there, it is
(14:58):
really an official changing of the guard. Elway had been
there since twenty eleven in some capacity upstairs. It's not
a shocker that John Elway no longer works for the
Denver Broncos organization, but it is significant. I mean, this
is a guy who was, you know, even as a
really consultant, but mostly as the general manager. He was
one of the faces of the franchise. He got Peyton Manning,
(15:20):
got a Super Bowl victory, and really led one of
the most celebrated free agent classes that we've seen in
some time. And it was you know, if you do
a Broncos event, if you go to Broncos game, if
their presence at league meetings, and it was all about
John Elway, and he was the guy in charge. And
obviously it went downhill extremely fast. Several tough highers, several
(15:40):
tough quarterback situations kind of got bumped to the side
in a consultant role. So this was always coming. When
they hired general manager George Payton, it was really about,
all right, Elway is still employed, but wasn't really involved
in football decisions, kind of just let his contract run out.
His contract is now out. Is a whole new situation
in Denver with Sean Payton. So John Elway moves on,
(16:03):
all right, he moves on, and we moved back to
the draft. Here twenty two days away from Kansas City,
and tell me where Tyree Wilson is visiting. Tyree Wilson
is visiting the Chicago Bears today. This is the Texas
tech edge rushers almost certainly first top ten pick. I
should say him. He's basically meeting with all of the
(16:25):
top ten teams. That's where it seems he's primed to
go Chicago Bears today, Texans yesterday. And this is an
intrue one because obviously teams are gonna want to get
an update on his foot. Remember, broke his foot at
some point during the season. Recently had a procedure to
remove the hardware in his foot, which is why he
did not participate in Pro Day. It sounds like he's
doing really well. Did well at the Combine as well,
(16:47):
so he has been busy. Quinton Johnston, the TCU receiver,
also has been busy. He was with the Kansas City
Chiefs on Monday, Pushgar really surprise there digging deep in
deep potential receiver marketer during the draft. The Cowboys also
that has been an area focus for them. He was
there yesterday and then we met the Baltimore Ravens Church
church for a receiver. Eric de Costa has commented on
(17:10):
it many times. Johnson is with the Ravens tomorrow, who
again are picking twenty second on night number one. Thank you.
In Rappaport, NFL Network insider. It is still very much
Pro day season, kind of sort of like a second
pro day at Illinois, just for this guy who could
go in the top ten. Coming up next, how Devin
Witherspoon did today at his little pro day. Because this
(17:35):
is newsworthy, straight ahead. Now, I pass Blake Devin Witherspoon
at an interception that I mentioned something about Witherspoon. Yeah,
he's been having an All American year. He's a physical kid.
(17:55):
Now Weatherspoon passed nearly intercepted a tremendous corner. He's a
tremendous corner. He is a potential top ten pick here.
Devin Witherspoon really didn't do much in Indianapolis, had the
hamstring injury. He is still though, and this is a
brand new list in the top ten at number six,
Daniel Jeremiah's new Top fifty. It's version four point zero.
(18:18):
I strongly suggest you go to NFL dot com and
look at the entire thing. Today in Champaign, Urbana, it
was Devin Witherspoon's Pro day. Illinois already had a Pro Day,
but Witherspoon was nursing that sore hammy woe that kept
him out again. Of the combine, so we finally got
a chance to see him run. Do you have a
stopwatch at home? Can you actually can you time this? Anybody?
(18:42):
What do you got? What do you got? Did you
have a four four six? Do you have a four
four two? Anybody? Don't rewind your DVR? DJ texts with
his Scout buddies, Daniel Jeremiah says, four four two four
six got all work. Mark Ross for an undersized corner,
(19:05):
A guy that when he got there, high school kid
out of Florida, brief stop for five minutes at a Juco,
was like a hundred and forty pounds. But he hits
He really hits you. What do you like about Devin Witherspoon. No,
not only just he'll hit you, but he can cover. Andrew,
That's what corner has got to do. It's covered. That
(19:25):
looked like a four four five to me right there
the other forty he ran probably four four two. Seen
a lot of forties. But for Devin Witherspoon, look the weight,
he's got the weight up. That's what you do in college,
you get bigger. But this guy has unbelievably quick feet,
body control and looseness. When you watch a corner move.
You want to see that flexibility and looseness so they
can change directions instantly and mirror what we call mirror route.
(19:50):
And that's what Devin Witherspoon does really well there. I
did when I watch him on tape have some questions
about if he had that super explosive top end. But
this four four four four four two should really kind
of quell some of that for some scouts, and especially
since he's coming off the Hamstreet so he could say,
you know what, I wasn't one helping. I could even
run faster than that. So with Devin Witherspoon, is he
(20:13):
the top corner I got Christian guns allis right there,
but nonetheless so being the top ten mainly because of
his cover skills and for a more lean, wiry type
of player, you do see the toughness and run support.
You need to have a little bit of both now
the NFL, but the number one priority is especially for
a young guy, hey go out there and cover the guy.
You don't have to know with tons and tons of coverages,
(20:34):
but for a team that's invested in him, in the
top ten right away, if you just have those instant
cover skills with mira ability and ball skills and match
that's what makes Devin Witherspoon so intrigued. Now. A lot
of people call him feisty. It is a rarity, though,
that one of your smaller players on the field is really,
without an argument, your most physical player on the field,
(20:55):
because he certainly can bring it? Is he? In the
conversation at three? Maybe maybe not? Regardless, Dangle Jeremiah, Bucky
Brooks and Rhet Lewis can give you some options for
the Cardinals. Hey, what's up, friends, Welcome to the path
to the draft. Set Lewis, Buckey Brooks back here with you,
and we get to welcome Daniel Jeremiah to the party
today as we assess, gentlemen, what the Cardinals are gonna
(21:19):
do at number three. So obviously the Bears once they
moved out at number one, Cardinals became maybe a big
trade target there at three, DJ, what do you think
they should do? Yeah, I think that's where the draft starts,
and I think that's what they should do as trade.
When you look at the roster of the Arizona Cardinals
might be the worst in the entire league. They are
in rough shape. They are not one player away as
much as I love some of the options, they would
(21:40):
have their picking at number three. Assuming two quarterbacks go
one and two, they need a lot of help, and
I think if you can slide back, you'll be able
to get help on both sides of the ball. Especially
as you look at Kyler Murray's gonna be coming back
from injury. It's going to take a while to get
him back up and running. I want some more pieces
in front of him when he does come out. No,
and take the Kyler Murray conversation because you talk about
a team that needs a lot of help, and so
(22:02):
I just think of your money awesome for maybe you
have to consider a quarterback. Cool there not because Calin
Murray isn't a good player. But we talk about the
best way to build a Super Bowl team is with
a young quarterback on a cheap deal. So maybe you
have an opportunity to three to get a dynamic player.
Maybe you go for Anthony Richardson, find a way to
auction off Caylu Murray, and then you have an opportunity
(22:23):
to get some assets back to build up your team. Look,
it may seem far fetch it, maybe Pine Sky stuff,
But if you feel like Anthony Richardson is going to
be a special player. You can make the move now.
And remember Jonathan Gannon was a part of the Philadelphia
Eagles that benefited from having a quarterback in Jalen Hurts
who replaced Carson Wentz one year. If to sign, he
(22:43):
signed a big money seatbelt sign is already on at
the third overall pick. If that happens, gonna be some
turbulent water. I'm just saying in Kansas City on April
twenty seven. Look, I'm only hey, reset the whole day thing, mulray.
You know it's Bucky's voice goes up an octave when
he swings for the fences like this. Well he always
hits two, so it's not a strikeout guy over here.
(23:05):
That was good. Just a couple of quick teams, by
the way, that might trade up. If you're the Cardinals
looking to get out of there, what do you think?
I think five, seven, eleven. You look at Seattle, you
look at Vegas, then you look at Tennessee. Those are
the three teams you can make a strong argument to
get up and trying to get quarterback three, perhaps at
number three right there with the Arizona Cardinals. A lot
of options on the table for the Cardinals franchise. Be
(23:27):
sure to join us each and every weekday, six pm
Eastern time, right here on path to the draft. Twenty
two days away from the NFL Draft. Everybody get excited.
Appointment viewing April twenty seven. Let's focus on the NFC
North here on NFL now, the Lions are still are
still still rape the benefits of the Jared Goff Matthew
(23:50):
Stafford trade. They have six and they have eighteen. You know,
the Bears could have had one they traded out. Who
knows if the Packers get an extra first round pick,
You never know. Vikings sitting there at twenty three. We
have Dacy Dales. We have James Palmer with us now,
Hellodia both to talk a little NFC North. James, let's
start with you. Let's go with the Lions at six
(24:11):
and eighteen. What do we know? Let's start with number six,
Andrew And I keep thinking about something Dan Campbell said
back at the combine to all of us that we're
standing at his podium, and it was sometimes there is
just talent that is too good to pass up. And
I'm gonna look at Jalen Carter if He's sitting there
at number six because many people believe Daniel Jeremiah draft
(24:31):
guru included that he is the best football player in
this draft. There's plenty of draft experts around that believe
in the twenty twenty one season that Georgia defense that
had five guys go in the first round, that he
was the best player as a sophomore in that group.
The size and athleticism that Jalen Carter has is just
not normal when you talk to scouts. His ability to
play up and down the entire defensive line would help
(24:54):
out a defense that obviously was near the bottom of
the league in almost every category statistically. Now there is
the other caveat, obviously the character concerns, obviously the arrest,
all of those things that every team in the top
ten is doing their due diligence on and trying to
dissect everything about Jillen Carter. What I do think about
is how Dan Campbell believes he's built a tremendous locker
(25:14):
room in terms of culture. Does he believe any question
marks they have with Jalen Carter could be corrected in
the locker room that he has constructed. He could go
other ways if Jalen Carter doesn't check that box specifically
for him, and they could still look on the defensive
line because there will be edge rushers available there or
potentially a corner. But this would be my pick if
he does check the boxes for Dan Camp and both
(25:37):
of those could be needs as well. Stacy Dale's for
the Bears sitting at nine. It's interesting when they were
sitting at one and you're like, oh, I gotta go
defense here. Now they trade out of one, they get
DJ Moore. Nine's a different conversation. Yeah, nine is a
different conversation. That was a great breakdown by James on
the Lions, who could just continue to get better. But
(25:57):
the Chicago Bears are going to get better too because
they have ten picks in this draft. They start at nine.
Ryan Pulls, the general manager, has done an outstanding job
this off season. I really think it's not just because
he was a no lineman. I think they're going to
target that offensive line because justin fields, you guys, was
sacked a league high fifty five times alongside Russell Wilson
last season for a loss of almost three hundred and
(26:19):
sixty yards. It has to improve. We know he loves
to move, But they want nimble, efficient offensive lineman that
can move with justin fields, and I think Peter Scronsky
would be an outstanding edition because of his versatility. Forget
about that thirty two and a quarter inch arm length, people,
He is a technician. I just used that word on
(26:40):
the offensive line. Pat Fitzgerald, his head coach I was
at their prota at Northwestern, told me he is a
mark of consistency. And he grew up right here in Illinois,
the same town that I actually live in, in park Ridge, Illinois.
So he's going to bring that and bleed that blood
for the Chicago Bears. If it's not him, I know
you guys are going to love this because James Palmer
(27:00):
went to Ohio State. But Paris Johnson, he is a
massive guy who would be such a great addition to
their offensive line. Six six, three thirteen and eighty five
and one eighth wingspan. They have a guy who could
be versatile inside or outside. But certainly you could bump
Tevin Jenkins in with either one of these players and
(27:23):
really protect on that right side or the left side.
They love Braxton Jones, of course, who looks to be
the starter at left tackle, but I really think the
versatility and the speed. I remember being at the combine
with Paris Johnson and he talked about his feet. He
grew up in church dancing. He played multiple sports, I mean,
you name it, hockey, he was involved in gymnastics. For
(27:44):
heaven's sakes, this is going to be an athletic addition
if they target him or Peter Scronsky at number nine
overall in the local kid Peter Skerronsky there, yes, grandson
of the Packers legend. All right, James, let's get to
the Packers now, because they're picking fifteen. And I realized
that a lot can change between now and the draft.
I mean, hypothetically, the Jets could throw in thirteen for
(28:07):
Aaron Rodgers, even though that does seem for now unlikely,
and they could have two out of three picks in
the first round. But let's for now just stick with
the Packers and Jordan Love and pick fifteen. Well, you
mentioned in Jordan Love Andrew, and this is a different
situation as opposed to the one they've been in with
Aaron Rodgers, where he just makes everybody around him better.
No slight to Jordan Love, but that's just not the
(28:29):
same with him coming in as his first year as
a starter. So Matlafloor has said it that he wanted
to put as much talent around him as possible to
have him play at the highest ability of himself. They
bring back David back tier to make that offensive line
what they believe when he's playing in that group different
in front of him. You could go wide receiver here,
but I'm gonna go tight end, a spot that is
desperately needed for some help for Jordan Love. And I
(28:51):
look at Dalton Kincaide out of Utah, a guy that
is a vertical threat, that is a great guy with
ball skills fifty fifty balls if you look at his
scouttering report or just something that is not really fifty
fifty balls with him, and that's a big help for
Jordan Love. When you look at the other tight ends
on this roster, between the top two of the Manadrew
and they're six seasons combined in the NFL, they have
forty seven total catches, I think this is a big
(29:13):
need for the Green Bay Packers. But I mentioned receiver.
You do have Romeo Dobbs, who Lafour did say has
some Davante Adams like tendencies to him that he sees
thinks he can run every route, and Christian Watson was
their best playmaking skill guy after week ten. They're young,
but there's more talent there than there is at the
tight end spot. All right, Stacy, Now the defending NFC
(29:34):
North champions, your Minnesota Vikings are picking twenty third. Yeah,
they're picking twenty third. They only have five picks guys
in this draft, so they've really got to land a
good player at number twenty three. We'll see what they do,
and we know they've targeted their defense through free agency.
I really think with the loss of Adam Thielen, who's
now a Carolina Panther and hit all of his great
(29:58):
success over nine seasons, his fifty five touchdowns, whatever, sixty
six almost sixty seven hundred receiving yards, they got to
go there and help Justin Jefferson. I'm looking at receivers
people because there are some good ones in this draft
that Jordan Addison would be an outstanding addition because of
his versatility. We know he can take the top off
of the defense, he can play underneath, he can work
(30:19):
in the slot. He really prides himself as I spent
time with him at the combine on his ability to
control his speed. Imagine that pairing. I also look at
another Ohio State player, Jackson Smith and Jigba who works
so well in the slot and bring so much physicality
to the position. Another guy that would I think, really
playoff of a Justin Jefferson who's just still shocking to me,
(30:41):
guys in three seasons, he's got forty eight twenty five
receiving yards, just crazy. And then you know, don't forget
about TCUs Quentin Johnson right his six three to ten
frame and big playability down the field to stretch that field.
Kirk Cousins isn't getting any younger. This was a good
offense last season, and I expect anticipate they would put
(31:02):
a little more emphasis in the run game. But any
one of the those guys at twenty three to me,
would seem like a slam dunk for Kirk Cousins and company.
Ian Rappaport says, Quinton Johnston set to meet with the
Ravens who are picking twenty two right ahead john potentially
of the Vikings at twenty three. Stacy Dale's James Palmer
nc NFL now is a production of the NFL in
(31:27):
partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
NFL Now is a production of the NFL in partnership
with iHeartRadio. There is no offseason today a friendly reminder
of that as we welcome you to another day, a
Wednesday edition of all of NFL Now on NFL Network
(00:29):
from our newsroom in Los Angeles. My name is andrews Ceciliano,
vet right there. Good to see you, sirs, all bar
weeks Andrew Ravens having their predraft press conference more than
three weeks before the draft, about as early as I
can remember a team having a pre draft. You know,
we're thinking about that today. I think this is the
first of the official pre draft press conferences. Now, general
(00:49):
rule of thumb about pre draft press conferences, you're not
going to get a lot of information, and that was
kind of the case today in Baltimore. John Harball is
on the press con was on the podium, Erica Costa,
the Ravens GM was on the podium as well. As
we sit here now eight days since Lamar Jackson tweeted
(01:11):
that he had requested a trade. What that really means
because he has a non exclusive franchise tank, he can
seek out a new deal and a new team. That's
open for conversation but if you thought you were getting
more details today from Da Costa or Harball about Jackson,
think again, I understand the need to ask those kind
(01:32):
of questions. I think just out of respect for the process.
This is a draft launching, and we're gonna try to
keep as much of this discussion as we can to
the draft to the coming weeks building the best football
team we can build. So I understand those questions. I
think We've spoken about this situation probably five different times
this spring, in various different press conferences and such. So
(01:54):
we're gonna try to just kind of defer to those
questions and move forward to the draft. Respect to the
listening about the draft and everything just with the Lamar
stuff that's going on looking at quarterbacks, This is about
are you looking at quarterbacks differently because of the situation's point? Yeah,
(02:17):
you know, I don't think we really are. I mean,
we go into every draft trying to take any kind
of bias, out, any kind of need based situation out
of the draft equation. We really do try to build
a board that's really best player available, and that process
involves really nine months starting in you know, the you know,
in early August, from our scouts go out on the
road and they generate the profile and the evaluation to
(02:40):
get as much information as possible. We then segue into
a set of meetings in December, and then we get
into the meetings in January and the All Star Games
and all those different things. Really trying to assess this
player versus a player, and it's really just comparisons and
how these players stack up. Who do we think has
the best chance to come in and make us the
best football team. And so if that's a quarterback, if
that's a receiver or corner, an offensive tackle, we're going
(03:02):
to look at that very strongly and make the best
decision we can, knowing that over time, we think building
a team best available player is the right way to go.
All Right, it's not a lot there either. A NFL
Network insider Ian Rappaport Da Costa did say he thought
there were four, maybe more quarterbacks that he called significant
quarterbacks in this draft that could be game changers for franchises.
But we're now twenty two days away. What if the
(03:26):
Ravens don't know, if they have no progress with Lamar Jackson,
how do they attack this first round? They're at twenty
two What if there's a quarterback there, Yeah, and that
is a very real possibility. Obviously, the Ravens have tried
several times, including within the last week or so week
or ten days, to try to get some tracks in
(03:47):
Lamar Jackson for a long term contract, try to get
that deal done. But as we've seen a lot of
times when the players on the franchise type, there isn't
any real traction until the middle of July when there's
a deadline. The Ravens are going to try to do that,
and they have continued to stay in contact with Lamar
Jackson despite his trade request, so we will see that. Yeah.
I would imagine if the right quarterback is there, they
(04:08):
would potentially take a look at that. Anthony Richardson does
have a pre draft visit scheduled with the Baltimore Ravens.
That is the only quarterback I know of the you know,
sort of high high end first round quarterbacks. I know
if it was a visit schedule with the Ravens, but
they also have an RFA as their backup quarterback, so
I wouldn't be surprised if one came, let's say, with great,
(04:29):
great value in the first round. Maybe take a look
at him maybe in the mid rounds if there's a
quarterback that is the highest player on their board. We've
seen plenty of teams takes flyers on mid round quarterbacks,
and that's a guy who makes your roster and sometimes
makes your team a lot better. Yeah. I would think
the Ravens take a look at it, honestly, regardless of
whether or not Lamar's long term deal or not. Yeah.
(04:50):
And in twenty eighteen, remember they traded back up into
the first round. That was Ozzie Newsome's tenure still and
they got Lamar Jackson at thirty two. Dacastro was asked today,
would you do that again this year? Possibly, and he
kind of said, well, sure, we have quarterbacks in our
top thirty one. If there's a player there that we
think is worthy of trading back in, yeah, then we
would do it. All right, Ian, stay right there, We'll
talk Austin Eckler coming up at a second. Let's get
(05:11):
a front office few on this now and bring Mark
Ross into it. It's an interesting dilemma, hair, Mark, because
you kind of have to make that decision before the
draft opens on the night of the twenty seventh. We
like these quarterbacks. We like them so much that if
one happened to be there at twenty two, we gotta
do it, don't you. No question, you game plan for
(05:35):
the draft knowing that you have strengths and weaknesses on
your team, and there's no bigger strength or weakness than
your franchise quarterback, and everything revolves around that, and you
game plan based off of how great your quarterback is. Well,
the Ravens got one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL,
and when you approached the draft, although Eric de Costa
had to say, we take the best player, bail, but
(05:55):
we look at it, you game plan completely different. In
nineteen ninety nine with the Philadelphia Eagles, we had the
second pick in the draft. We put every amount of
time and resources into exploring all those quarterbacks that came out.
We eventually took down on the McNabb. Okay, well, now
you have McNabb, you've got the foundation. You approach the
draft differently. Yes, you look at quarterbacks, but you don't
(06:16):
look at them as thoroughly dig as deep with the
Giants with Eli Manning. When you have that foundation. Every year,
yes we thoroughly poured over the quarterbacks, but it's different
when you have that guy and you just have to
find a backup or improvement in the future. So with
the Ravens, yes, they should know. They are having internal
discussions now and they probably have a good idea of
(06:39):
what the landscape is with Lamar and if he'll be back.
And when you have a stable quarterback situation one of
the best players in football, and by the way, a
really good backup situation with Tyler Huntley pro bowler by
the way, then you're saying, Wow, we're great at quarterback.
We can address the draft in a different sort of way. So, yes,
Eric Decastle will have to keep saying this Omar and
he'll never give anything away, but it definitely changes things
(07:02):
for the Ravens in their game plan going forward. Yeah,
he didn't want to answer any of those questions about
Lamar Jackson saying he's respecting the process. And you look
at the last year's big, big Kyler Murray negotiation. Part
of that process was the big public announcement from the
agent right before Steve Kim was going to take the
podium at the combine. That letter was addressed to fans.
(07:25):
This year, Lamar Jackson addressing the fans in his tweet
right before John Harbaugh was going to address reporters there
at the annual meeting. So that's part of the process.
And as you mentioned, more than four quarterbacks. They said,
somebody that can make a significant impact in the NFL
with this quarterback draft class. And they also referenced the
(07:46):
fact that you can get a quarterback that can be
a significant player for you in the first round, the
third round, the fourth round. They referenced drafting Tyrod Taylor,
who was a development type of player, Derek Anderson a
development type of player. And certainly they're continuing to look
at the weapons to build around their quarterback, whether it's
Lamar Jackson or whoever that might be. Greg Lewis, their
(08:07):
wide receiver coach, was out working out Jalen Hyatt and
Cedric Tillman at the Tennessee Pro Day last week. Eric
da Costa continues to get questions about the receiver there,
so continuing to build that roster with quarterback in mind.
Like Mark said, they probably have a pretty good idea
what's going to happen. Now it's a matter of executing
it here in the next year. Da Costa did get
a wide receiver question again today and he pointed out
(08:29):
that he's been here twenty eight years. We're always talking
about the wide receivers. Let's talk about a running back now,
Let's talk about Austin Eckler, who has his own interesting
situation here. He's heading into the final year of his
deal after scoring thirty eight touchdowns thirty eight that's not
a typo the last two seasons. But he's going to
be twenty eight next year, and he would like either
(08:50):
a a new contract or be a trade. And he
doesn't get the sense that either has got to happen.
Kind of got punched in the face when the Chargers
basically saying, hey, we don't want to we don't want
to talk about extensions anymore. And you know, this is
the burg zation that I continue to rise and hit
new heights in and continue to add more value. Right,
(09:10):
scored the most touchdowns you know from scrimmage, you know,
in the past two years, and you know, so that's
that's how I felt. Right felt like wow, like this
is like the first time in my career with them
that felt like kind of like you disrespected by my
own organization, and it sucks, like I want to be
I want to be a Charger, right. I want to
be a Charger. I want to be there, and it
sucks because it's like, okay, let's get something done. Yes,
(09:32):
I do have one more year in my contract, absolutely,
but you know, for them to want to allow me
to go and be a free agent next year after
playing and you know, maybe we can get something done
throughout the year. Who knows how it's going to play out,
you know, But just that's how I'm feeling right now,
because we don't really have insight of what they're thinking.
Things like that that are just like, nah, we don't
want to talk anymore. I guess the worst case scenario
right now, out of all of this, I'll come back
and I'll have to play for the Chargers for a
(09:53):
year and bet on myself and then be a free
agent next year. Ian rapping for its kind of a
different tone. A couple of weeks ago, I thought Austin
Ekeler had the most like upbeat, happy, respectful trade request
I've ever heard, and then yeah, yesterday he's using phrases
like disrespected and punched in the face. Yeah, and this
can get personal, this can hurt. These kinds of things.
(10:16):
You know, players are human beings. With feelings. So I
imagine Austin Eckler's feelings are a little bit hurt when,
as he said, the Chargers said, you know, we don't
want to talk about an extension anymore. My understanding is
though the Chargers actually even went to him last year
to try to give him more money, and during parts
of this past season and then into the offseason to
try to do an extension, try to get something done
(10:38):
in some ways, just a raise because of what he
has done on the field, what he represents off the field,
just really how incredible productive he was as a football player.
So all this comes after several attempts by the Chargers
to try them either give him a raise and or
lock him up to a long term deal. So all
this trade request comes on the heels of that. It
(10:58):
is a tough market for running back. I mean, look
at free agency. You know the top running backs got
six million dollars a year. I believe that was Miles
Sanders a little more than that. That's basically what Austin
Ekeler is making. So he wants more than the top
running back gotten free into this year. I'm sure he
deserves that. He is a great player in his production,
no doubt, has outweighed his salary. I'm just saying it's
(11:21):
tough sledding when you want just a whole lot of
money as a late twenties running back at a time
when there's a lot of running backs in the draft
as well, and the franchise tag is only ten million
here and you have guys out there like Ezekiel Elliott
who is still a free agent. Granted much different player.
Kareem Hunt, a former rushing champion, is still a free agent.
(11:42):
It's tough out there for an older running back. Hunt,
like Eckler is twenty seven, right he and say, right there,
other news coming up in a little bit. Mark Ross
now back with us, Mark, what do you think here?
Because I totally get what Eckler is saying. I'm going
to be a free agent next year, and he knows
it's going to be hard to cash in. Even if
he has another big year. He'll get a deal, certainly,
but not the deal that he thinks he deserves. He
(12:03):
would like to have that deal now, but the Chargers
have a quarterback to pay, no question. Austin Eckler found
out that this is a business and emotions and feelings
don't get business deals done or contracts done. The Chargers
essentially said, hey, Austin, forget your feelings, man, and as
a front office you have to look at the health
(12:26):
of your salary cap, the future of your team, and
prioritize the players that you need to pay and the
players that are going to get to where you need
to go going forward. No doubt, it's wonderful what Austin
Eckler has done. The production can't deny it, but the
Chargers front office is looking at it as we cannot
pay Austin off of what he did before. He's twenty
eight years old. How much does he have left? How
(12:47):
much more can a twenty eight year old running back
give us? And that's the way they're looking at it.
They're not looking at it as we love this dude
and he's an amazing teammate. They have to look out
for the franchise and the help of the cap. So, unfortunately,
this is the nature of doing business in the NFL
with Austin. He's been very public about it, so it
looks sort of bad for him, But for the Charges,
(13:08):
they've kept it under wrapped gone business wise, which is
the best way to do a lot of running backs
out there. The value of the position has gone down.
His age, so all these factors, as he had talked about,
is really hurting him. But for the Chargers, this hey,
this is the cost of doing business. Yeah. Part of
that conversation Austin Eckler had with Sirius XM Radio yesterday
(13:28):
was an acknowledgement that that is probably not getting much
traction from other teams around the league, not willing to
pay what Chargers want in trade compensation and then pay
him on top of that. We talked about the market already.
He did acknowledge what Ian reference a contract extension last year,
Eckler saying that that was essentially discount more of the same,
(13:49):
something he was unwilling to do last year. And then
there was the acknowledgement that he might have to play
with the Chargers again in twenty twenty three and again
proved his worth bet on himself, just like he's been
doing his entire career. As far as how he's taken
this publicly, Let's remember that Austin Ekeler is a guy
that hosts a podcast during the season. He speaks publicly often.
He speaks well publicly often. That's something he enjoys doing so,
(14:13):
not necessarily negotiating in the media. This is a part
of Austin Eckler, who he is, his persona in the NFL.
But certainly being honest, I think when we saw that
change in tone a little bit more disappointment yesterday than
we heard last week when he initially asked for that trade.
He truly is a businessman. He's got real estate, he's
got this new app coming out, but he's also a
business man, and he would like that new contract. Thirty
(14:37):
eight touchdowns the last two years, gotcha? All right, Let's
get to some other news, gentlemen, to stay right there.
News out of Denver Ian Rappaport. This one isn't necessarily
a shocker. I think that John Elway is no longer
part of the Broncos front office, but when you look
back at how long he had been there, it is
(14:58):
really an official changing of the guard. Elway had been
there since twenty eleven in some capacity upstairs. It's not
a shocker that John Elway no longer works for the
Denver Broncos organization, but it is significant. I mean, this
is a guy who was, you know, even as a
really consultant, but mostly as the general manager. He was
one of the faces of the franchise. He got Peyton Manning,
(15:20):
got a Super Bowl victory, and really led one of
the most celebrated free agent classes that we've seen in
some time. And it was you know, if you do
a Broncos event, if you go to Broncos game, if
their presence at league meetings, and it was all about
John Elway, and he was the guy in charge. And
obviously it went downhill extremely fast. Several tough highers, several
(15:40):
tough quarterback situations kind of got bumped to the side
in a consultant role. So this was always coming. When
they hired general manager George Payton, it was really about,
all right, Elway is still employed, but wasn't really involved
in football decisions, kind of just let his contract run out.
His contract is now out. Is a whole new situation
in Denver with Sean Payton. So John Elway moves on,
(16:03):
all right, he moves on, and we moved back to
the draft. Here twenty two days away from Kansas City,
and tell me where Tyree Wilson is visiting. Tyree Wilson
is visiting the Chicago Bears today. This is the Texas
tech edge rushers almost certainly first top ten pick. I
should say him. He's basically meeting with all of the
(16:25):
top ten teams. That's where it seems he's primed to
go Chicago Bears today, Texans yesterday. And this is an
intrue one because obviously teams are gonna want to get
an update on his foot. Remember, broke his foot at
some point during the season. Recently had a procedure to
remove the hardware in his foot, which is why he
did not participate in Pro Day. It sounds like he's
doing really well. Did well at the Combine as well,
(16:47):
so he has been busy. Quinton Johnston, the TCU receiver,
also has been busy. He was with the Kansas City
Chiefs on Monday, Pushgar really surprise there digging deep in
deep potential receiver marketer during the draft. The Cowboys also
that has been an area focus for them. He was
there yesterday and then we met the Baltimore Ravens Church
church for a receiver. Eric de Costa has commented on
(17:10):
it many times. Johnson is with the Ravens tomorrow, who
again are picking twenty second on night number one. Thank you.
In Rappaport, NFL Network insider. It is still very much
Pro day season, kind of sort of like a second
pro day at Illinois, just for this guy who could
go in the top ten. Coming up next, how Devin
Witherspoon did today at his little pro day. Because this
(17:35):
is newsworthy, straight ahead. Now, I pass Blake Devin Witherspoon
at an interception that I mentioned something about Witherspoon. Yeah,
he's been having an All American year. He's a physical kid.
(17:55):
Now Weatherspoon passed nearly intercepted a tremendous corner. He's a
tremendous corner. He is a potential top ten pick here.
Devin Witherspoon really didn't do much in Indianapolis, had the
hamstring injury. He is still though, and this is a
brand new list in the top ten at number six,
Daniel Jeremiah's new Top fifty. It's version four point zero.
(18:18):
I strongly suggest you go to NFL dot com and
look at the entire thing. Today in Champaign, Urbana, it
was Devin Witherspoon's Pro day. Illinois already had a Pro Day,
but Witherspoon was nursing that sore hammy woe that kept
him out again. Of the combine, so we finally got
a chance to see him run. Do you have a
stopwatch at home? Can you actually can you time this? Anybody?
(18:42):
What do you got? What do you got? Did you
have a four four six? Do you have a four
four two? Anybody? Don't rewind your DVR? DJ texts with
his Scout buddies, Daniel Jeremiah says, four four two four
six got all work. Mark Ross for an undersized corner,
(19:05):
A guy that when he got there, high school kid
out of Florida, brief stop for five minutes at a Juco,
was like a hundred and forty pounds. But he hits
He really hits you. What do you like about Devin Witherspoon. No,
not only just he'll hit you, but he can cover. Andrew,
That's what corner has got to do. It's covered. That
(19:25):
looked like a four four five to me right there
the other forty he ran probably four four two. Seen
a lot of forties. But for Devin Witherspoon, look the weight,
he's got the weight up. That's what you do in college,
you get bigger. But this guy has unbelievably quick feet,
body control and looseness. When you watch a corner move.
You want to see that flexibility and looseness so they
can change directions instantly and mirror what we call mirror route.
(19:50):
And that's what Devin Witherspoon does really well there. I
did when I watch him on tape have some questions
about if he had that super explosive top end. But
this four four four four four two should really kind
of quell some of that for some scouts, and especially
since he's coming off the Hamstreet so he could say,
you know what, I wasn't one helping. I could even
run faster than that. So with Devin Witherspoon, is he
(20:13):
the top corner I got Christian guns allis right there,
but nonetheless so being the top ten mainly because of
his cover skills and for a more lean, wiry type
of player, you do see the toughness and run support.
You need to have a little bit of both now
the NFL, but the number one priority is especially for
a young guy, hey go out there and cover the guy.
You don't have to know with tons and tons of coverages,
(20:34):
but for a team that's invested in him, in the
top ten right away, if you just have those instant
cover skills with mira ability and ball skills and match
that's what makes Devin Witherspoon so intrigued. Now. A lot
of people call him feisty. It is a rarity, though,
that one of your smaller players on the field is really,
without an argument, your most physical player on the field,
(20:55):
because he certainly can bring it? Is he? In the
conversation at three? Maybe maybe not? Regardless, Dangle Jeremiah, Bucky
Brooks and Rhet Lewis can give you some options for
the Cardinals. Hey, what's up, friends, Welcome to the path
to the draft. Set Lewis, Buckey Brooks back here with you,
and we get to welcome Daniel Jeremiah to the party
today as we assess, gentlemen, what the Cardinals are gonna
(21:19):
do at number three. So obviously the Bears once they
moved out at number one, Cardinals became maybe a big
trade target there at three, DJ, what do you think
they should do? Yeah, I think that's where the draft starts,
and I think that's what they should do as trade.
When you look at the roster of the Arizona Cardinals
might be the worst in the entire league. They are
in rough shape. They are not one player away as
much as I love some of the options, they would
(21:40):
have their picking at number three. Assuming two quarterbacks go
one and two, they need a lot of help, and
I think if you can slide back, you'll be able
to get help on both sides of the ball. Especially
as you look at Kyler Murray's gonna be coming back
from injury. It's going to take a while to get
him back up and running. I want some more pieces
in front of him when he does come out. No,
and take the Kyler Murray conversation because you talk about
a team that needs a lot of help, and so
(22:02):
I just think of your money awesome for maybe you
have to consider a quarterback. Cool there not because Calin
Murray isn't a good player. But we talk about the
best way to build a Super Bowl team is with
a young quarterback on a cheap deal. So maybe you
have an opportunity to three to get a dynamic player.
Maybe you go for Anthony Richardson, find a way to
auction off Caylu Murray, and then you have an opportunity
(22:23):
to get some assets back to build up your team. Look,
it may seem far fetch it, maybe Pine Sky stuff,
But if you feel like Anthony Richardson is going to
be a special player. You can make the move now.
And remember Jonathan Gannon was a part of the Philadelphia
Eagles that benefited from having a quarterback in Jalen Hurts
who replaced Carson Wentz one year. If to sign, he
(22:43):
signed a big money seatbelt sign is already on at
the third overall pick. If that happens, gonna be some
turbulent water. I'm just saying in Kansas City on April
twenty seven. Look, I'm only hey, reset the whole day thing, mulray.
You know it's Bucky's voice goes up an octave when
he swings for the fences like this. Well he always
hits two, so it's not a strikeout guy over here.
(23:05):
That was good. Just a couple of quick teams, by
the way, that might trade up. If you're the Cardinals
looking to get out of there, what do you think?
I think five, seven, eleven. You look at Seattle, you
look at Vegas, then you look at Tennessee. Those are
the three teams you can make a strong argument to
get up and trying to get quarterback three, perhaps at
number three right there with the Arizona Cardinals. A lot
of options on the table for the Cardinals franchise. Be
(23:27):
sure to join us each and every weekday, six pm
Eastern time, right here on path to the draft. Twenty
two days away from the NFL Draft. Everybody get excited.
Appointment viewing April twenty seven. Let's focus on the NFC
North here on NFL now, the Lions are still are
still still rape the benefits of the Jared Goff Matthew
(23:50):
Stafford trade. They have six and they have eighteen. You know,
the Bears could have had one they traded out. Who
knows if the Packers get an extra first round pick,
You never know. Vikings sitting there at twenty three. We
have Dacy Dales. We have James Palmer with us now,
Hellodia both to talk a little NFC North. James, let's
start with you. Let's go with the Lions at six
(24:11):
and eighteen. What do we know? Let's start with number six,
Andrew And I keep thinking about something Dan Campbell said
back at the combine to all of us that we're
standing at his podium, and it was sometimes there is
just talent that is too good to pass up. And
I'm gonna look at Jalen Carter if He's sitting there
at number six because many people believe Daniel Jeremiah draft
(24:31):
guru included that he is the best football player in
this draft. There's plenty of draft experts around that believe
in the twenty twenty one season that Georgia defense that
had five guys go in the first round, that he
was the best player as a sophomore in that group.
The size and athleticism that Jalen Carter has is just
not normal when you talk to scouts. His ability to
play up and down the entire defensive line would help
(24:54):
out a defense that obviously was near the bottom of
the league in almost every category statistically. Now there is
the other caveat, obviously the character concerns, obviously the arrest,
all of those things that every team in the top
ten is doing their due diligence on and trying to
dissect everything about Jillen Carter. What I do think about
is how Dan Campbell believes he's built a tremendous locker
(25:14):
room in terms of culture. Does he believe any question
marks they have with Jalen Carter could be corrected in
the locker room that he has constructed. He could go
other ways if Jalen Carter doesn't check that box specifically
for him, and they could still look on the defensive
line because there will be edge rushers available there or
potentially a corner. But this would be my pick if
he does check the boxes for Dan Camp and both
(25:37):
of those could be needs as well. Stacy Dale's for
the Bears sitting at nine. It's interesting when they were
sitting at one and you're like, oh, I gotta go
defense here. Now they trade out of one, they get
DJ Moore. Nine's a different conversation. Yeah, nine is a
different conversation. That was a great breakdown by James on
the Lions, who could just continue to get better. But
(25:57):
the Chicago Bears are going to get better too because
they have ten picks in this draft. They start at nine.
Ryan Pulls, the general manager, has done an outstanding job
this off season. I really think it's not just because
he was a no lineman. I think they're going to
target that offensive line because justin fields, you guys, was
sacked a league high fifty five times alongside Russell Wilson
last season for a loss of almost three hundred and
(26:19):
sixty yards. It has to improve. We know he loves
to move, But they want nimble, efficient offensive lineman that
can move with justin fields, and I think Peter Scronsky
would be an outstanding edition because of his versatility. Forget
about that thirty two and a quarter inch arm length, people,
He is a technician. I just used that word on
(26:40):
the offensive line. Pat Fitzgerald, his head coach I was
at their prota at Northwestern, told me he is a
mark of consistency. And he grew up right here in Illinois,
the same town that I actually live in, in park Ridge, Illinois.
So he's going to bring that and bleed that blood
for the Chicago Bears. If it's not him, I know
you guys are going to love this because James Palmer
(27:00):
went to Ohio State. But Paris Johnson, he is a
massive guy who would be such a great addition to
their offensive line. Six six, three thirteen and eighty five
and one eighth wingspan. They have a guy who could
be versatile inside or outside. But certainly you could bump
Tevin Jenkins in with either one of these players and
(27:23):
really protect on that right side or the left side.
They love Braxton Jones, of course, who looks to be
the starter at left tackle, but I really think the
versatility and the speed. I remember being at the combine
with Paris Johnson and he talked about his feet. He
grew up in church dancing. He played multiple sports, I mean,
you name it, hockey, he was involved in gymnastics. For
(27:44):
heaven's sakes, this is going to be an athletic addition
if they target him or Peter Scronsky at number nine
overall in the local kid Peter Skerronsky there, yes, grandson
of the Packers legend. All right, James, let's get to
the Packers now, because they're picking fifteen. And I realized
that a lot can change between now and the draft.
I mean, hypothetically, the Jets could throw in thirteen for
(28:07):
Aaron Rodgers, even though that does seem for now unlikely,
and they could have two out of three picks in
the first round. But let's for now just stick with
the Packers and Jordan Love and pick fifteen. Well, you
mentioned in Jordan Love Andrew, and this is a different
situation as opposed to the one they've been in with
Aaron Rodgers, where he just makes everybody around him better.
No slight to Jordan Love, but that's just not the
(28:29):
same with him coming in as his first year as
a starter. So Matlafloor has said it that he wanted
to put as much talent around him as possible to
have him play at the highest ability of himself. They
bring back David back tier to make that offensive line
what they believe when he's playing in that group different
in front of him. You could go wide receiver here,
but I'm gonna go tight end, a spot that is
desperately needed for some help for Jordan Love. And I
(28:51):
look at Dalton Kincaide out of Utah, a guy that
is a vertical threat, that is a great guy with
ball skills fifty fifty balls if you look at his
scouttering report or just something that is not really fifty
fifty balls with him, and that's a big help for
Jordan Love. When you look at the other tight ends
on this roster, between the top two of the Manadrew
and they're six seasons combined in the NFL, they have
forty seven total catches, I think this is a big
(29:13):
need for the Green Bay Packers. But I mentioned receiver.
You do have Romeo Dobbs, who Lafour did say has
some Davante Adams like tendencies to him that he sees
thinks he can run every route, and Christian Watson was
their best playmaking skill guy after week ten. They're young,
but there's more talent there than there is at the
tight end spot. All right, Stacy, Now the defending NFC
(29:34):
North champions, your Minnesota Vikings are picking twenty third. Yeah,
they're picking twenty third. They only have five picks guys
in this draft, so they've really got to land a
good player at number twenty three. We'll see what they do,
and we know they've targeted their defense through free agency.
I really think with the loss of Adam Thielen, who's
now a Carolina Panther and hit all of his great
(29:58):
success over nine seasons, his fifty five touchdowns, whatever, sixty
six almost sixty seven hundred receiving yards, they got to
go there and help Justin Jefferson. I'm looking at receivers
people because there are some good ones in this draft
that Jordan Addison would be an outstanding addition because of
his versatility. We know he can take the top off
of the defense, he can play underneath, he can work
(30:19):
in the slot. He really prides himself as I spent
time with him at the combine on his ability to
control his speed. Imagine that pairing. I also look at
another Ohio State player, Jackson Smith and Jigba who works
so well in the slot and bring so much physicality
to the position. Another guy that would I think, really
playoff of a Justin Jefferson who's just still shocking to me,
(30:41):
guys in three seasons, he's got forty eight twenty five
receiving yards, just crazy. And then you know, don't forget
about TCUs Quentin Johnson right his six three to ten
frame and big playability down the field to stretch that field.
Kirk Cousins isn't getting any younger. This was a good
offense last season, and I expect anticipate they would put
(31:02):
a little more emphasis in the run game. But any
one of the those guys at twenty three to me,
would seem like a slam dunk for Kirk Cousins and company.
Ian Rappaport says, Quinton Johnston set to meet with the
Ravens who are picking twenty two right ahead john potentially
of the Vikings at twenty three. Stacy Dale's James Palmer
nc NFL now is a production of the NFL in
(31:27):
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