April 19, 2023 • 55 mins
A room filled with some heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, and Gregg Rosenthal recap all the latest news from around the league, starting with the report that several teams have called the 49ers to inquire about Trey Lance's availability (5:25). Allen Robinson was traded to the Steelers (14:53), and Damar Hamlin returned to practice (19:37). Then, The Ringer's Benjamin Solak joins the show (21:38) to discuss the biggest athletic freaks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including Florida QB Anthony Richardson (26:27), Georgia TE Darnell Washington (31:51), Georgia defenders Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter (34:03), Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn (37:57), and smaller wide receivers Zay Flowers and Josh Downs (41:46). Stay tuned to the end of the show for a BIG draft announcement (48:41).
Note: timecodes approximate.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
They Around the NFL podcast, What's not the oldest person
at Coachella? Londy was there too, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
From the Chris Leslie podcast studio. It's around the NFL.
I'm Dan Hansis, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler here, and yes,
the time has come. I liken this to the particularly
high profile Aaron Rodgers appearances on the Pat McAfee show,
(00:31):
when suddenly you're hosting a much larger audience than typical.
So we welcome music fans right now. And the time
has come now for Mark Sessler's review of Frank Ocean's
controversial weekend closing set at Coachella. Greg, I think the
right move here is for us to just kind of
get out of the way and let Mark monologue this
(00:51):
and take us through boots on the ground. Mark, there's
a huge global audience here right now. Pins and needles
for days, they waited on Monday Prize and disappointed. Now
they're back.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
I could give you a more comprehensive review of snail Mail,
which was occurring during the daytime. I had a very
atypical strange weekend. It was wonderful, but I didn't stay
for the latest stuff.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Uh night after night. Wait, but we've planned out the schedule.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
The way to actually set up a segment like this
would be to check with me on what I actually
witnessed and saw with my own eyes, because you knew that.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
On Monday and he really built this up.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
I was I thought Bad Bunny was amazing. Did you
see any of that? Like I didn't brought out post
malone and there was a massive technical glitch that caused
problems among the people there live.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
It was I don't know if you've been, but it
was fun.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I've never been.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
It was a like I one of my main goals
was to avoid like a dangerous sunburn, which I partially did.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I believe correct. And I'm a big snail mail fan,
so I like the shout out. I've seen them.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
They were a few times. So for the Frank Ocean audience.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yeah, we just don't we don't have I think it's
isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Isn't it like sort of on brand that I would
go to this and not come back with like the
You and I might have different goals when we'd go there,
and I maybe missed some of the things that would
have been high on your list.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
So did you go?
Speaker 5 (02:21):
It was late night. You were saying that they went
to one in the morning every night. You didn't think
got shut down oceans Uh late, It's.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Been a lot of recording since then.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
There was I want to be an ice skating rink,
all these people that they had hired, uh, and then
they didn't see an ice skating right now.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
He suffered an ankle injury on a bike on the
Coachello grounds. Did you catch that or any of that about? No?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
So what I did was like went around like ten
to eleven in the morning because it is so crowded
that if you go during the day, everything is wide open.
And so I do more like ten to eight, eight
or nine, and then went back and watched some of
the later stuff on.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
A live YouTube feed.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Would you go back, absolutely, because I think I next
time I'd know how to attack completely differently. I was,
you know, total new be early.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
What are your feelings on the youth of America? Is
the future bright?
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I think it's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Corporation people were great, There was not I was not
the oldest person, by the way. There are definitely other
people floating around of my age set. But you know,
I would say there's it would unquestionably in the older
rung of ages.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
All right, justin, did you have anything before we move on? Oh?
Speaker 6 (03:28):
Shoot, you caught me half guard. No, I hope Mark
had a great time.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
I mean, who is this even talking?
Speaker 4 (03:34):
I don't even know Mark?
Speaker 6 (03:39):
Did you have fun? That's all that really came.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
I had a time. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
I cannot give you a completest review on each of
the acts. You know you're you know, no, no, sweat No,
I mean I floated. We built it up.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
We got the audience. Yeah, and they learned a hard
lesson here.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
I think they did, so did I? Next time, I'll
I'm going to be more cautious on my return.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Coming up today on around the end of fell Oh
my god, Jesus, take the wheel, take us the draft night.
We're not there yet. We got more. We got more
draft talk coming up. But we're lucky to have someone
that's excellent in this realm and really the NFL overall
in terms of coverage, Ben Solak from The Ringer. We're
(04:20):
gonna have him on to talk about some of the
the kind of outliers and some of the oddities of
the twenty twenty three NFL Draft. It's kind of a
weird draft, especially in like the measurables department.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I think he also explains it really what what he
what he means by that, and what it means for
the future of the draft too, is intriguing.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
These are these are human beings.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
So we're gonna got it change the you know, we're
not gonna call it the freaks of the Draft, but
it's kind of like you know who, who's kind.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Of like that headline Okay, yeah, like that's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Sort of what they are specimens?
Speaker 5 (04:56):
Yeah, guys who stand out a little bit. Maybe we
haven't hit us hard and stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Physical specimens.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Yeah, you want just freaks. That sounds like it's something
Ana tests to the freak show.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
That is the twenty twenty three NFL Draft. Look Away freaks.
This is a showman right here, look away slammer. Freaks
of the twenty twenty twenty twenty three NFL Draft. Not bad.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I think it's you've got something to sing with there.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
They're hideous colon all right, Before that, let's hit some.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
News party back time Pump snagging a throw for the.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Episode Wide Open Gray that are you touchdown?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Sad Friend? Just go?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Are you?
Speaker 7 (05:40):
Are you his on fire, your foe is propped, Party Doo, monsters, Comma,
all of them.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Colon breaking down the twenty twenty three NFL draft.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
You're a storehouse of contents.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Rock Purdy, he took the league by storm late in
the most recent NFL season. Mister Irrelevant, as he's known,
the final pick in the draft, stepped in a quarterback
for the Niners after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy
Garoppolo and thrived and although he suffered a serious elbow
injury in the NFC playoffs, the Niners are very high
(06:24):
on Purty and see him as the future of the position,
which takes us to a report from NFL Networks Ian
Rapaport on Wednesday. He said that the Niners have fielded
calls from teams interested in trading for Trey Lance. Rapaport added,
the Niners have not actually picked up the phone themselves
(06:44):
to dial up any teams, but they have answered the
phone when teams have inquired about his availability. Ian added,
no trade is imminent, but you know those things can
change quickly, and they want to make sure Perdy's rehab
is going well. But there's interest in Lance from other teams. Mark,
You're back, so I'll tee you up. I know you
(07:06):
are a big, pretty guy, big forty nine ers guys,
big forty nine ers guy, and Trey Lance was once
the future. They traded up a huge amount of capital
to get him, and this is the first kind of
open sign that they might be looking to kind of
cut ties and move on.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
I wouldn't be surprised if something like this happened. I
think the big problem pr wise for a rather teflon
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, I mean extremely like they
haven't really needed Trey Lance over these past couple of
years they've still gotten deep into the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Is after you gave up so much on.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
A quarterback that has essentially barely been able to be
on the field, it looks like today as a big
of a quarterback with as you could find, and somehow
that stink doesn't really stick to Kyle Shanahan and company,
what do you get back for him? Because it's like
that there's no way for them to win that battle,
And it's like, yes, you're also you're at that point
gauging in hope, being that the small sample size you
(08:02):
got from brock Purty is who he really is because
just the league is gonna catch up. And it makes
me think of our friend Chris Wrestling when we got
that six game sample size from Jimmy G after they
traded for Jimmy G a couple of years ago, and
he looked like the second coming of Joe Montana, and
then we got the real version of him, which was
much more variable. Do you do all this and do
you go into next season after quarterback depth has been
(08:23):
their issue year after year? Do you possibly move on
Trey Lance? And then going to next season with that
quarterback position being like Rock Purty or Bust It's party?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And then right now, Sam Darnold, Greg, let me see
you up. Just by reminding people what they gave up
to get Trey Lance. They traded with the Dolphins right
before the twenty twenty one draft. They got the number
three pick in exchange for the number twelve pick that year,
the first and third round pick in twenty twenty two,
and the first round pick this year. So they paid
(08:52):
dearly to get this guy, right.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
It was essentially a similar trade to what the Panthers
just gave up to get number one one. Overall, that's
what it costs two extra first and then the extra
pick and you still gave up, you know, the trade
down in that draft, and we haven't seen him play.
He's had one hundred and thirty two snaps dropping back
to pass in the NFL, and half of them were
(09:16):
in them monsoon And so people like to throw out
Lance's numbers in that game.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I watched that game. It was just forget about it.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
It was a preposterous game.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
And the other times, though, he hasn't looked totally ready
to go in terms of his little regular season action,
made a couple of nice plays his preseason action. You know,
he's looked like a guy who needed development, which isn't
surprising for a guy who didn't play that much in
college and played at North Dakota State. I think you
don't worry about what you get back if it's like reasonable.
(09:45):
I mean, the Lions just traded Jeff Okuda, who was
the number three overall picking the draft, what just one
one draft after Lance or one draft before him, like
the exact same, you know level, and they got a
fifth round pick back and you move on. If they
could get like a second for Trey Lance, I think
they would take it. And I think the fact that
Ian is reporting this, and the way you framed it, Dan,
(10:06):
I think was was smart. The way Ian reported this
makes you think like this is very much like the
forty nine ers a year ago putting out similar reports
that they're getting offers about Jimmy g Now, maybe history
is instructive there nothing ever happened, but it really feels
like it's the forty nine ers who are putting up
a little bit of a for sale sign here on
(10:26):
Trey Lance, which would tend to make you think it
spells the end of him.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
This is this is fantasy, it's fugazy, it's but there
is like logic to that twenty twenty one NFL draft
which started with Trevor Lawrence and moved to Zach Wilson,
then to Trey Lance top three, mac Jones taking seven
or eight picks after that, God, Trey Lance for mac Jones.
(10:53):
Doesn't that make some sense? Trey Lance from Zach Wilson,
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
Like Field set Wait was fin O Fields was in
there too, and then mac n at fifteen, right, So.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
I mean that when you look at that, obviously Lawrence
is a hit, Zach Wilson is a bust. Right now,
Trey Lance is you know, trending toward bus, but he
still hasn't played enough justin fields. The Bears think that's
a big hit, and Mac Jones is this big question mark.
I just wonder what Trey Lance's market is because the
things he has working for him that, for instance, the
Jets don't have with Zach Wilson, who I'm sure they
(11:23):
would like to trade if they could, is Zach Wilson
played a fair amount and not only showed that he
was injury prone, he showed that he wasn't playing at
a high level and then handled some things poorly with
the media. Lance is still kind of a mystery on
some level.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Yeah, I mean, I think also the Mac Jones thing
is interesting is obviously there's some connective tissue to Kyle Shanahan.
I don't know how Zach Wilson would ever be involved
in a trade for Trey Lance. I think you can
still look at Trey Lance and say untapped potential. There's
a lot of teams think they probably could do with him.
There are tools there. He just had extremely light college
experience and has extremely late NFL experience, So it's an unknown.
(12:00):
I had a team that stands out though, to me
a little bit, because it keep feeling like we hear
hearing that the Texans are not interested in maybe taking
a quarterback at number two. You've got Demigo Ryans, who
knows Trey Lance. You got Bobby Slowick, their new offensive coordinator,
who was the passing game coordinator under Shanahan, who worked
closely with Lance. They'd at least know what they think
they're dealing with, and you could get them for cheap
(12:22):
and then use those first round picks to make your
team better.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
That could make some sense, like the Titans could make
some sense. I mean, I don't doubt in any way
Ian's reporting. So he's saying that they're fielding calls, and
he's clear to point out they're not making them. Now,
if you're Trey Lance reading this reporting, I don't know
if you are that invested in the parenthetical that they're
not making them. I think you see these reports and
(12:47):
you're not too excited about it if you're Trey Lance.
But I don't doubt that teams are making those calls,
and I'm sure those calls are like how low is
this price? Essentially because I'm sure a team like the
Titans would take on Trey Lance if the price was
like a compensatory third round pick, I doubt it's that low,
and it's figuring out during the draft how low will
(13:09):
the forty nine ers go. Like the Lions, for instance,
again with the number three pick, I know was a
cornerback and as one year older, they basically were just
ready to give away Jeff Okuda no matter what. They
had decided that Alan Robinson, who will talk about later,
the Rams were gonna give him away no matter what.
I don't think the forty nine ers are at that point.
I think they're closer to where they were with Jimmy
g a year ago, which is if they don't get
the right price, and I'm just gonna guess A two
(13:33):
sounds about right for them, then maybe they just hold
on to him one more year and see what happens
as a backup, because it's too late that his peak
value is gone. It reminds me a little of another
Tray with the Hawks, Tray Young right now, it's like
the value it's too late for to trade different sports.
I know it's you know, it's not the same as
(13:54):
the NFL, but in some ways.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
It's as completely different than basketball in that case.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
It may not be maybe maybe not.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
It really makes the like if you were better cool of.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Green Day, you know, his value was higher maybe in
two thousand and four. Now what are you gonna get?
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I've just say, six year old.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
You have all the possible mark drops the things he said,
it's kind of bizarre. That's the one that's been hammered
the most on this Pots got.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Legs, legs for days. Last thought before we move on,
because we got to move because we've got Sola coming up.
Butterfly effect dog like Rock Party was the last pick
of the draft. They had no intentions of playing them.
And now you fast forward a few months, half a year,
and he is there, locked and loaded future right now
they think they let Jimmy g go. They're gonna trade
(14:39):
potentially number two three pick from a couple of years ago.
And then it's Sam Darnold who's backing up Rock Party.
It's like there's a lot invested in Party being the
real deal now in San Francisco, unless, unless there's something
else up San Francisco's sleeve. Let's move on. Yes, Alan Robinson,
he is on the move. I was a little surprised
that they found a taker the Los Angeles Rams. But
(15:00):
and you look at the trade terms and it's like, okay,
the Steelers acquire wide receiver Alan Robinson, who was really
pretty terrible, let's face it, with the Rams and his
one year there. So the Steelers get Robinson and a
seventh round pick from the Rams for a seventh round pick.
And this is important as well, Gregie. Los Angeles will
pay ten point two to five million of Robinson's fifteen
(15:22):
point twenty five million salary, and they get to move
up seventeen spots in the draft.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Still seventeen spots in the seventh round. There can be
a lower total. I mean that anyone can be traded.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Can I just say, let's say, you know, it's not
a big deal, but I feel like the Steelers lose
this trade. They move up seventeen picks in the seventh round.
Who gives an f and you're paying Alan Robinson five
million dollars this year. Alan Robinson's a five million dollar
player right now.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I don't think that's a crazy risk reward scenario.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
That has some pretty bad tape last year, and he's
pretty bad with Chicago's I.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Guess that's that's fair enough point, Like who else is
making around that much money this year Paris Campbell signed
in free agency. He's making around that Daria, Darius Slayton
for the Giants' those guys. But I see your point.
He's a third. He's gonna be their third receiver. They
were very thin after Deontay Johnson and George Pickens. He's
(16:21):
a little too similar to Pickens in me, like, there's
not that many of those guys out there, and so
there was a huge drop off after their top two.
So he would be their third receiver. It doesn't seem
like a crazy gamble, but you're right, it probably won't
really result in more than.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Wide receivers are still left me.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
He averaged thirty four yards per game over the last
two seasons, so you're right. That Chicago year felt like
he was a mailing job. And last year, I mean
we were, you know, going into the into September coming
out of rams camp with the most flowery reporting around
Alan Robinson possible, and he completely flatlined. And it now,
with what they've traded before, it looks like a completely care.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
If we're looking for depth for Pittsburgh, I'll use the Graybeards,
a team of thirty and over veterans, Odell Beckham off
the board, Jarvis Landry still out there, right, Yeah, would
you rather have Jarvis Landry, t Y Hilton still out there,
Julio Jones still out there, Randall Cobb, Robbie Chose, and
Anderson is off the market now, Sammy Watkins. Anyway, these
(17:17):
are other options. Probably you can get it at cheaper cost,
but I guess you can look. You could squint and
say maybe, and the Steelers are good with wide receivers.
They can unlock something in Robinson that wasn't there last
couple of years.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
I mean, you're not asking to be number one, So.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
I guess I'm just saying, like, I'm not gonna go
nuts slamming him when he's making like a little more
than Byron Pringle and Nelson Aguilar. That's sort of the
level they're at. But you're right the rams where I
guess just happy for anyone to pay any of his salary,
which is telling they just wanted to totally. They just
were paying to give him away, which is crazy. Appear
(17:52):
ten million to give him away appeared on our show
during Corona. Yeah, and his career went off completely off
the map very soon after. I'm not saying that they're
but it's just a warning to players in general if
you were to appear on the show like the Future
is a Mystery.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Pretty bad segment with a no in at the RAMS
camp as well, some a lot of noise being picked
up by Donald.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
Was right next door with our friend Mary Hollywood making
a lot of noise over the loudspeaker, and Alan Dudson
was disrupted.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
I'm not going to point fingers, and I know, especially
after the last show at Justin but Grave Digger, that
was a bit of a test for you at RAMS
Camp last summer when Ricky was alpha dogging that and
and doing this loud speaker interview with Aaron Donald, Like
you could have went over there and pulled the plug
on that interview so we could have gotten better. Alan
Robinson sounded the ship has sailed, but that's all.
Speaker 6 (18:49):
Sorry about that. I guess I really dropped the ball there.
But it was cool to see Ricky out there just
doing her thing talking to Aaron Donald.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
Do you do you think.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
That answered some great It's like a pr flag. But
Erica is a wonderful former colleague of mine and a friend.
It was good to see her.
Speaker 6 (19:07):
So you don't see like Daniel Jeremiah on her podcast
the other day. Put that on APN story, So, you know,
very good shouting her out.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
We love Ricky, We love Ricky.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Went to Australia.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
She did killed it. She tried out as a RAMS
cheerleader recently. I haven't heard the results of the tryout.
I'll check in with She saw Taylor Swift and Tampa.
I know that's an important thing for her. If Taylor
Swift closed Sunday night at Coachella or are you watching
absolutely in other news, this is cool, this is very cool.
(19:43):
Tomar Hamlin he plans on making a comeback in the NFL,
and he got into more detail in a press conference.
His quote, I'm here to announce that I plan I'm
making a comeback to the NFL. He told her reporter.
He's twenty five years old. Of course, he had that
really horrifying incident on January second, on Monday Night Football.
He explained the nature of the cardiac arrest. One of
(20:06):
those one in a million, one in a billion, whatever
it is, hit at the exact wrong time that messed
with his heart rate and it needed to be restarted obviously,
and it saved his life. The Bills announced the safety
was cleared for football activity, so the Bills are cooled it.
Hamlin's cooled it. This would be one of the great
comeback stories and really not since Mark Let's see, what
(20:29):
would it be Alex Smith. Would there be more of
a slam back slam dunk comeback. I know it's a
different sport slam dunk comeback player of the Year than tomorrow, Hamlin.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
I mean, we're months removed from wondering, like A if
he would survive, like b if he would live a
normal life, and now we're here, and I like it.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
It would be incredible just to see him on the field.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
And I think you're right that if you just pull
the comeback player of the Year odds off the table,
because there's literally there's no second place opportunity for anyone
to even survive in that contest.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
I think a guy kind of lost that he was
an important player for them, like a good, young, improving safety.
They did bring back Jordan Poyer this year, but like
he'll have a big role on the team. I mean,
I'm sure I'm not the only one that's gonna be
somehow like seeing him out there is gonna you'll have
mixed feelings like you almost you just you just hoping
for the best. You know, how can you not think
(21:21):
about what happened? But all power to him that he's
he wants to play, He's ready to play.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Absolutely. Best of luck to DeMar Hamlin. That's what's happening
in the news. Let's take a break and then welcome
in Ben Solek. Sexy asked our music department to pull
(21:47):
up some Frank Ocean like music. Now we're doing over
in the music department.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Well, I don't how much they had to pick from,
but they've they've made it a selection.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Joining us now is a man who knows his stuff.
We here. Here's the thing about our podcast. When we
have a draft person on or someone that knows the draft,
they are the real deal. So let's welcome in Ben
Zolac of The Ringer, who does excellent work covering the
(22:19):
league as a whole, but also just obviously a stud
when it comes to the draft season, and we're going
to get things going with Ben. How are you?
Speaker 8 (22:26):
But I'm doing well, Greg, You're looking vibrant today, just
right Orange.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Thank you?
Speaker 5 (22:33):
Yes, still Hawaii in my mind where it still still
a SWEATR. But thank you for pointing our listeners to
the YouTube channel. I know you're a big YouTube stor doing.
We're trying to grow it.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
That second, well, just how did Dan and I look?
But when you're you're in that front.
Speaker 8 (22:50):
Largely largely muted, largely.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
What is what is over your left shoulder? Right now?
What does that say? Ben? Before we get into the
outliers of the NFL draft up?
Speaker 8 (23:01):
Yeah, So that's that's my white board. It goes up
a lot. Like Greg said, I do a lot of
shows for the Ringer, and the white board always got
a bit on it, And for the past month it's
been Anthony Richardson no matter what which I wrote it.
I didn't realize that zoom was gonna cut off Anthony
Richardson most of the time. So I've been explaining this
a lot. It's obviously a call back to the great
Kevin Costner film Draft Day, and also my feelings on
(23:22):
a top of the quarterback class.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Okay, so we're going to get to the draft step,
but I want to start there because this continues to
pop up, and I think maybe Ben is someone who's
active on social media and has a following. You are
pushing this narrative that Draft Day is a good movie.
Why are we doing this? Why are we pretending like
if we go back and watch that film, I still
haven't seen it again, in which Jennifer Garner plays a capologist,
(23:47):
tell me that that is a good movie or just
a movie that has football in its narrative structure and
uses the real logos that to me, that's the only
thing that movie really had going for it. Are you
going to say that was a good film?
Speaker 8 (23:59):
Ben so, absolutely not not a good film by any
stretch of the imagination. For three hundred and fifty eight
days of the year. Now is it a nice centering
experience to hear them? Like, you know, make these like
all of all the memes, all of the tropes right
where it's like, ask me if anybody went to his
birthday party, Oh, I should see how far he's throwing
(24:21):
the ball. Like it just reminds you that, yeah, everything
we talk about in the NFL draft, if you were
to just put it, like get a third person view
on it, you realize how bananas this entire process is,
how all of this is contrived. It's all made up.
That's why Draft days fun to watch.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
All right, maybe I'll revisit it. Let's stop.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
Wait, but I want to know if Ben is a
wear because Ben was probably fourteen years old when it
came out that one of the three hosts heres had
a pull line used in the promotions of the movie.
And the line was full of Heart from start Zarnis
dash Mark Sessler, and it was literally in the trailer
(24:59):
of the movie.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
I literally just give a little bit of backstory to
this because I had gone to say history, I mean,
I had gone to see I learned a great lesson
and as a younger person yourself, like, I hope you
would not fall into this trap based on this this
parable but like I was at my parents' house in
South Carolina and it was well into the evening. I
had a couple of glasses of wine to me and
(25:20):
had at some point offered to give a review to
the pr team of Draft Day. In short, they called
me on the phone and I read something that I
had written which was a little too flowery and maybe
a little too like. They pulled one line out of
it and suddenly it goes national with me glowing over
Draft Day, and I've never lived it down.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
So don't follow in my.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
By the way too long. Didn't read Mark was drunk
when he gave that quote. No, I would say heading there, yeah,
and I'll set I've said it before. We're going to
get to it. But now we're on this draft day thing.
We were there at Radio City Music Hall when they
were shooting scenes for Draft Day, and I'll never forget
(26:01):
the panic when they were looking for Frank Langela, who
played I think the owner maybe of the team, and there,
Where's Where's Frank? Where's Frank? And Frank langel was wandering
down Broadway and they had to send a PA to
track him down so he can get the shot before
the draft started a little inside base.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
Imagine if they had not gotten that shot.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Imagine Flynn Langella.
Speaker 8 (26:22):
All right, enough lost the whole show.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Let's get to it, Ben, Should we start Richard's Yeah,
which is like the only He's the ultimate freak, Anthony
Richardson no matter what, the Florida quarterback and you are, obviously,
based on the whiteboard, a huge fan, one of the
heaviest qbs ever detested the combine and scored off the
charts on all the measurables. And do you say, Ben,
because of that because he's such an athletic freak outlier
(26:49):
that you got to take a chance on this unicorn.
Speaker 8 (26:51):
Yes, but also no. I think that the most important
thing to say in the Richardson evaluation you talk about
him is that while he is a project right, he
cousney to development. He's got rough edges, he needs work.
He is not nearly like the raw ball of play,
you know, a year away from being a year away.
He's not that caliber project. There's shades of gray. We
love to go like either a guy's a project or
(27:12):
is ready to play. And it would be nice if
the world were that binary, but it isn't. When I
look at when Trey Lance came out of North Dakota State,
he goes three overall. When Josh Allen comes out of Wyoming,
he goes seven overall. Those guys were doing fewer developed
things as pocket passers than Anthony Richardson. Was Richardson as
one of the lowest sack rate quarterbacks to come out
in recent years. He is unbelievable, like buying time in
(27:35):
the pocket, finding a checkdown, getting rid of football. This
isn't like a crazy scrambler, make it all up to
always backgard football he does legitimate two two, three oh
three level things in the football field. He's only started
twelve games, so he's not complete. There's inconsistency, there's easy mistakes,
but it is not challenging to see the final form
of this player in terms of the actual like you know,
(27:56):
professional top button button quarterback stuff, and he's a runs
a four to four and he's two hundred and forty pounds.
You can froll the ball sixty uys and so now
we're describing a truly elite ceiling, not saying he's gonna
make it, not saying he's gonna be Josh Allen, but
saying that that the idea that, oh, if you take
Anthony Richardson, you're gonna lose all your games in twenty
twenty three and then maybe by twenty twenty four he's ready.
I don't I don't subscribe to that. I see a
(28:17):
player that gonna need a little bit of time. The
first couple of starts are going to be rocky. But
I could see you getting a functional NFL offense out
of him very quickly.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
And you guested with Danny Kelly on the PFF mock draft,
and you had the number one overall pick for the Panthers,
and you you boldly just took Anthony richards and then mentioned.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
A lot of the stuff that you just did.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
I do wonder, though, because Bryce Young obviously is another
outlier in terms of his size, his weight, and how
you project that over the course of time in terms
of deliberate durability when you made that pick in that
situation that when your mindset, is it pro Anthony Richardson
or is it also mixed with concern as if in
that case the general manager a coach taking on the
(28:57):
Bryce Young project beyond the stuff you like about him.
Speaker 8 (29:00):
Yeah, it's it's a mix. It certainly is. The way
I like to talk about Bryce Young is this. I
love watching him play. Great player, awesome dude, He's an inspiration,
He's sick, He's so much fun. Can't wait to watch
him play for somebody else, so excited to root for
him when somebody else takes the swing on the five
ft ten, two hundred pound quarterback.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Do you feel awkward at all as a slighter, shorter
man to talk about a prospect that way?
Speaker 8 (29:27):
Extremely so. I did our Big Bryce Young Scouting Report
video for the Ringer of This Week and literally in
the top minute. I go. Now, I understand if people
are frustrated about a person my size complaining about Bryce
Young's size, because it really does feel like a very
small pot calling a larger kettle black. But that's the
reality of it is. I'm not trying to play the NFL.
He is right, and for Young, the size in terms
(29:51):
of shortness is a concern ability to see over the
middle of the field, the way affects his dropbacks. The
size in terms of slightness is a concern. The durability
the hits. He plays a style of ball that invites
a ton of contact, and you have to be concerned
about the body armor, the durability, how long he can
sustain his level of play five, six, seven years. I
think that like Young has already succeeded from an outlier
(30:14):
perspective and his size by playing as well as he
did in the sec Like he's already shown that he
can handle it, and he can he can get it,
he can get it done. He can he can achieve
at this lower size at the college level. Now he's
got to do it again at the pro level, where
everything gets raptured up a couple of notches. It's a
very very thin eye of the needle that you're trying
to thread. To me, I don't know if I want
(30:35):
to make the pick right.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
And it sounds like he's got to go first and
they're not gonna be that worried about it. And he
did take lots of hits in the SEC But to
stick with Richardson one one last thing is like, I
I don't think he's been over hyped like I've been.
I've been getting some grief on Twitter that I have
a type in terms of quarterback prospects. It's like there
is no other type that's like Anthony Richardson coming out
(30:56):
in the draft. Cam Newton is the only one that
could compare physically in terms of what he can be
as an athlete. But he might have the best pocket
presence in this class, and so that's why he doesn't
seem like he's that big of a risk. I think
he has a high floor. Maybe he doesn't have and
he has a high ceiling too, but maybe he doesn't
reach that. But is his like inaccuracy doesn't seem that
bad to me. They were just throwing down the field
(31:17):
and for the most part he was accurate enough and
My type is like athletes, but it's also pocket presence,
Like Philip Rivers is my favorite quarterback just about over
the last twenty years because he has insane pocket presence
and Richardson has that which is like you kind of
can't teach that. He moves around and makes time in
the pocket. So that's like two things to me. It's
(31:37):
hard to imagine having those two things and not succeeding.
And he's the ultimate freak. He would be the most
fun person.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
So Mark, absolutely I would agree with you.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Oh, I didn't know if you had.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Oh, I have someone that I have been fascinated with,
and I heard you talk about him a little bit.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
It's Darnel Washington.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
When we talk about a physical freak six seven two
sixty four, and just when to watch some of his tape,
just the way he appears next to other human beings,
even very large human beans on the field. I guess
the question is because there's there's no doubt that like
he would absolutely be a tantalizing idea for scouts, for coaches,
and what you might turn him into. Do you think
(32:16):
that he can come in and be highly productive as
a pass catcher after what you've seen of his college tape.
Speaker 8 (32:23):
Not in your one, because right now, Washington is a
guy in order to produce, you have to funnel him targets.
You have to choose to throw him the football. He's
really good yards after the catch, right He's really good
turning a shallow passing into a big long run. In
terms of his route trait, in terms of how he
addresses the ball downfield. He's in need of development. The
reasons because Georgia had him and Brock Bowers, who you
(32:43):
to watch college football, brock Man Bronx about as good
as it gets through a college tight end. He's unbelievable.
He's gonna go very, very high next year. And so
they let Brock be the receiving tight end, and then
Washington would stay in the block and occasionally they lead
him out using on play action and then he'd get
a catch here, catch there, because I'm a stampeding tyrannosaurce
rex after the catch. But he's not like he just
got a ton of reps and a ton of opportunity
(33:05):
to develop in terms of a true pass catcher. So
if you draft Washington early on to get him to
produce in the passing game, you have to decide, Okay,
we're running a Darnell Washington play. Hopefully, over the time
he plays in the NFL, leon a plus blocker for you.
He's a weapon in the running games. He can lead
block right, he can be impactful in space. And then
with those catches that he gets in the design game,
he starts to grow his route tree more downfield, more
(33:27):
mature route tree that you tend to see from NFL
tight ends. And now you got a stew going. I mean,
now you're you're cooking with about as complete of a
tight end as you can get. He's very, very exciting.
I'm increasingly becoming accustomed to the idea of him going
at the back end of round one. I think if
you're talking like two or three weeks ago, I would
have said, no, I don't think it's happening. The closer
we yet, the more it seems like there's a couple
(33:48):
of chances for him to go late round one. I
think by pick fifty he's gone.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Well, you brought up, you know, his playing time, and
you kind of have to look deeper when you look
at that Georgia roster, like why you're not getting them
any snaps and so when I think for or size outliers,
like they have two more in this draft that we
could talk about. Nolan Smith to me is like a
prototype that we really don't have in the NFL, Like
(34:12):
maybe it's a Son Reddick. Maybe the way that defenses
are now playing like five defensive linemen essentially like five
man fronts at the same time, and the fifth guys
like sort of defensive lineman but not really and that's
a Son Redick. That could be Nolan Smith, who just
seems like an insane pass rusher but it's just incredibly light.
And then also you have Jalen Carter as your number
one overall player, and he's a freak in terms of
(34:34):
his talent in terms of what he can do at
that size. And we haven't really talked about Carter that
much other than the off field stuff. So I guess
between those two, i'd love to hear, like why you
why you do have Carter first and kind of taking
away the off field stuff because he's also a guy
that hasn't ever played more than four hundred snaps in
a season, which is wild for a guy who was
(34:55):
the presumptive number one overall pick, Like why why would
he be that high without seeing him on the field
as much as you would want.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
In Georgia.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Yeah, I'm just like moving my hands around a lot.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
And there's no there's no way to talk without hands.
It's never done before.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Four year old Sicilian grandmother like in the kitchen, go ahead, now.
Speaker 8 (35:20):
My my family is is Russian, right, Russian immigrants and
just always everything. So all the time I'm on pods
and you're hearing snapping and clapping in the background because
it's me imitating my mother. Uh Carter and Nolan smith Man.
I don't know what they feed him in Georgia. It's unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
I like you.
Speaker 8 (35:36):
When you talk to college people who like like look
at recruiting, they say, the biggest difference between Kirby and
at Georgia, Nick Saban and Alabama is saving kind of
recruit skies, okay, a good high weight speed and then
we can add mass to them, we can develop them.
Kirby just drafts guys who just move differently than everybody
else moops. He just he just find scours the country,
finds the ten guys you can't teach it, and gets
them all in a bulldog's uniform. So with Nolan Smith.
(35:58):
This is the sort of body type and athletic profile
that years ago was going to be carrying two hundred
and thirty pounds. It was going to be playing wide receiver,
and said, now he's carry two hundred and forty pounds
and he's playing He's playing edge's playing pass rusher. The
enthusiasm that this young man has for defending the run
at this size is really sick. I mean, it's it's
awesome to see and he gives you hope that he's
(36:18):
gonna be able to hang on the edge of the
NFL level. You bring up a Son Reddick with Chennan
Nuwosu long time charging now with the Seahawks is another
example of he's going to stand up, He's going to
line up super wide away from the tackle. He's going
to be impactful pass rusher. Can he stay on the
field for all three downs? Can you put him on
the field in first and ten? That's the big question
with him, and with the way he plays the run
on the SEC. I think you can, but i'd be
(36:39):
hold him my breath. I mean, those first couple of
weeks watching him in training camp, you're really hoping that
that he's got that stuff. He's gonna be about a
eighty pound deficiency to the guys he's playing in the
running games. So it's scary, but he's got an encouraging
film with Carter. The rotation at Georgia is part of
is part of a result of how well they recruit.
(37:00):
It's also part of the recruiting process. They are willing
to get young players on the field. We're willing to
put really talented freshman retrot freshman sophomores on the field,
and accordingly you kind of get some of these low
snap counts. It doesn't bother me too much with him.
Carter's the sort of guy where you know, you watch
him for about five ten plays you go, oh yeah, no,
three hundred and ten pounders don't move like this. This
isn't real. This is a figment of this has been doctors.
(37:21):
This is ai footage. It's it's it's endominic and Sue esque.
In my opinion, I've heard Fletcher Cox. I think that's
a warranted comparison as well. This is a guy with
double digit sack potential from the interior. Yeah, conditioning is
going to be a question in year one, but if
I'm taking him top three, top five, top ten. I'm
trying to maximize his role in my defense.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Just that.
Speaker 8 (37:39):
Yeah, if he needs some time off in year one,
I'll give him that time off in year one to
ensure he's the force he can be on third down.
So I'm not too too concerned about the volume.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
Let's let's circle back does everything with this draft that
we talk about the outliers, the freaks of the draft.
This draft is small. It's like a it's going to
be a short number one pick. You got short r
you got smallish wide receivers. But let's talk Ben the
short King dou spawn running back here at Kansas State
(38:09):
five foot five GREGGI five to five Gregy. You got
him the shortest dude ever measured at the combine. MJD
one of the great running backs of the aughts. Also
NFL employee here now has him as his number fourth
ranth running back aspect. What do you think of MJD?
Speaker 5 (38:31):
Who they rounded up to five seven or so?
Speaker 2 (38:33):
So right, there's something there well Ben.
Speaker 5 (38:35):
And Ben, but also weighed about thirty more pounds coming out.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Ben's friend in Cooker, Tanny Kelly, called this player MJD
with a tapeworm, so there is some connective tissues.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Let's talk about our short king out of Kansas State.
Speaker 8 (38:49):
He is a delightful young player, as quick as a wink,
He's tough as nails. It's actually really good in pass
protection because he's naturally predisposed to chopping.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Oh, it's a.
Speaker 8 (39:00):
Great cup block player because it can't really be much
of anything else. So he's actually really good in pass protection.
I think there's a way that he's a special teams player.
I'm not sure that he's got runaway speed such that,
like you know, he's he's going to be like a
truly impactful returner, but he's not. He's physical and and
he can hang. You can definitely make guys miss. You
are very limited in terms of what you can run
(39:22):
with him as a true running back because he's just
not going to be able to break the number of
tackles that you need him to in the first levels.
Really hard to get him to run between the tackles
consistently at the NFL. So I'm sadly out on our
short kingdom span. I do find Ducebawn a delightful player.
He's very fun to watching. His college career fun Yeah, you.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Just just put another chip on his shoulder.
Speaker 5 (39:44):
It feels you looked in the mirror and just thought, like,
you know, you're you've been down on some of these shorter,
smaller guys. Is there something you need to work out?
You know, in terms of like is it is it
coming from the end, you know, the big guys.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
I'm trying to.
Speaker 5 (40:05):
Say toward be proud, like I love me some tankd
del I like some of these smaller receivers.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
I think we raised them up.
Speaker 5 (40:12):
Let's let's lift them up then instead of trying to
hold them down. Let's football is for big guys. Let's
bring this up on the screen here. And this was
a tweet that that you responded to the other day.
Someone explained this Ben, someone's coming at you, uh in
this time of year when you're obviously putting a ton
of work in about your actual playing history, and you
swatted them down.
Speaker 8 (40:32):
Yeah. The folks like to say all the times guys
never played a Snapple football in his life, which means
that they haven't watched fifth and sixth grade Strausburg High
School football exactly. I was the starting slot back, thank
you very much. I Uh. We were in a practice
in seventh grade before the season started and future first
round pick of the Colorado Rockies. Mikey Nickeract who was
our quarterback hit me in Oklahoma Drill. He's a quarterback now.
(40:54):
Hit me in Oklahoma drill and left an indent in
the turf where my body landed. I distinctly remember looking
up to the sky and going, yeah, marching band. I
think is probably that's where the marching band across.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
Yeah, no, good move, that's all good. Mark's Pop Warner
days have floated our show for years. We've always needed that,
Like what are our bona fides? Like? Mark played in.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
Pop Warner A play that played in the backfield, and
if I were not roughly twenty years older than Ben,
we might have faced each other on the field.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
I wanted one of those fields.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
But absolutely, yeah, it's I love the uh. I love
that you never played. It's like, yeah, man, like everyone knows, no, nobody,
nobody was watching my stuff going well, this guy definitely
played in college and they saw your tweet and they're like,
wait a minute, no he didn't. You're not breaking any news.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
You do you have a favorite of those small receivers?
Do you any of that you like? Because you mentioned that.
I think there's nine that are under one hundred and
eighty pounds in this draft, which is just crazy. And
there's guys like like Tank Tail, who's probably going to
be a Day two pick, but you know it's like
one sixty five, which is just another level.
Speaker 8 (42:02):
Yeah, if I can sneak Zay Flowers in there, the
young man in Boston College is one eighty two. Love
a Zay Flowers. That's a that's an explosive player with
a lot of deep potential. I think that I think
Zay's gonna go earlier than people think. I think Ay's
got a good chance to be wide receiver one, depending
on where Smith and Jamie goes. League likes him a lot.
The Patriots have like met Zay Flowers third cousins at
(42:22):
this point, Like the Patriots scouting staff has just lived
with Zay Flowers for the last month. It seems like
he's a legit option there in the teens. Uh. And
then if we go true under one eighty, Josh Downs
out of unc is really fun.
Speaker 4 (42:33):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (42:34):
It's always cool to see a smaller receiver be really
really effective in contested cash situations, which is what he is.
He's got a great knack, he's got a great eye
for the ball, very very shifty. He's just a slot.
There's just all slots at the NFL level, and the
slot position is moving away from small, speedy guys, and
it's moving towards big guys who can contribute in the
blocking game and can contribute in the running game. And
(42:55):
so it's just harder to find homes for these dudes
than it was five ten years ago.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
One little note on Zay Flower today, he is actually
working out with Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs brought him in
for that specific reason. I know they'd have to move
around again him, but that would be juicy.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Indeed.
Speaker 8 (43:10):
I love it well.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
And we'll end things with this a tweet from earlier
today from Benjamin Solac, where you could follow him on Twitter.
Day one of the twenty twenty three NFL Draft is
in eight days, and I think I could better predict
the first five picks of the twenty twenty four draft
than I could the twenty twenty three draft. I kind
of like that. Yeah, like I I the draft store,
(43:31):
you could kind of nail the top ten or get
close to it. Not as compelling to me as these
wide open years, so it will be fun, Ben to
see how it all plays out.
Speaker 8 (43:40):
That's the that's the sentiment of somebody who does not
attempt to bet on the NFL draft. Right there exactly
on my side on the line, I really like those ones
you can figure out on the top ten.
Speaker 5 (43:50):
I do like that, and I do like you said
to me, like we've now reached that point of the
draft process. You put a more moratorium on new draft takes.
No more draft takes. Everything has been said, and now
we just kind of ride right out the next nine days.
Speaker 4 (44:06):
Nothing new.
Speaker 8 (44:07):
Yeah, anybody who's dropping a I think X could y
on April fifteenth. You're just bored. You're just bored out
of stuff. Time to stop. We've done enough. Let's see what.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Happens, uh, Ben. Thank you for joining us, Buddy, and
everybody follow Ben on his NFL stuff, his draft stuff
at the Ringer of course and the Ringer NFL Show
on Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcast.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Ben, thank you very much, Bud appreciate it, fellas big,
sure you, Ben, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
There he goes. Good stuff from Benjamin Solak. All right,
one more break and then we'll finish up the show.
All right, we're back.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
You know, you know, we've been like doing this show
a while. When yeah, people we have on we're in
their teens when Draft Day came out, I don't really
know that, but that would be my guest.
Speaker 4 (44:53):
I don't know where he's at. He's twenty six, I believe.
Speaker 2 (44:56):
Let's just say Ben is most likely younger than us
and perhaps significantly so. But he knows his stuff. And yeah, yeah,
I don't. There are people that will. And speaking of which,
here's a plug. Mark, you have your mock draft coming up.
Justin Graver, our producer, kind of put his kind of
(45:19):
made his big arrival at the draft last year in
terms of our universe by competing with his own mock
draft that he really did well. Yes, and now what
we have here, Greggy and they are different sports, but
there's a bit of a Magic Bird thing going on
here now between Graver and Cessler in terms of the
mock draft coming up this next week. So I'm very excited.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
I don't know if if I'm Magic or Bird in
that scenario, but if Magic or if one of the
two were massively detached from the penning results.
Speaker 5 (45:51):
That this documentaries made, it's definitely missing, you know, kind
of one component which I think was a factor in
the whole magic thing, the racial given talent here but
you know or that any talent. Yeah, it could be it.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Yes, we're missing the racial component of this.
Speaker 4 (46:09):
Say to another level, yes.
Speaker 6 (46:14):
Justin I have been putting a lot of pressure on
myself to actually do well this year because I feel
like I did pretty well last year. You know, ten
team player matches would have tied for first according to
the Huddle Report that grades all the mock drafts. But
now I'm like, if I don't live up to those
expectations I've set for myself, I'm going to be very disappointed.
And it's an unpredictable draft.
Speaker 3 (46:34):
So as someone who I think nailed maybe one pick
last year, I will tell you that you'll wake up
the next day and life continues to force jah.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
You've said, Mark, I don't know if this is still
the case a few weeks later, that you've been reinvigorated
by the draft process this year, which makes me think
you might be ready to deliver your masterpiece.
Speaker 3 (46:52):
I will say that I think that, as Ben was saying,
this is the Ben Solock has done thousands of hours
of work and does not believe you could even do
a better mock than just simply guessing next year's draft.
I think that's an ominous roadmap for myself attempting the
same process. But I think that also says anyone can,
like my mom could do one of these and probably
(47:13):
get in the top five.
Speaker 4 (47:13):
Thing in this little idea, Yeah my mom, you get
your mom to do.
Speaker 5 (47:19):
Yeah, it would seem like the hard air thing, or
the more you think it's for my mom would be
would be would be knowing which players are going to
be good at football at the NFL level. But you
can't really do that immediately after the draft.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
You can't.
Speaker 2 (47:32):
Really.
Speaker 5 (47:32):
No one knows who is actually good at doing that.
They don't know.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
I'm gonna be kept up at night about the missing
racial component of the mock draft.
Speaker 5 (47:42):
I'm just saying, you're expecting it to take off. That's
sort of the unsaid Larry. You know bird magic thing, right,
I don't think it would have taken off in the
same way.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
Two whites takes away some sizzle here. Hey, speaking what
you've got a big announcement? What day?
Speaker 5 (47:55):
What day are we dropping your mock? By the way,
do we have a plan for that.
Speaker 4 (47:59):
I'd love to know.
Speaker 3 (47:59):
I'd also love to know the about next week, what
day next, later in the week, let's go later.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Obviously next next Monday, No, next late next Wednesday. That's
that's the latest week can go.
Speaker 3 (48:14):
I think went right up to the edges. When we
do it because there's new information coming.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
In, you do it like the Mayok version. It's like,
I'm not with all these the riff raft. I give
you one mock draft and that's all you get.
Speaker 3 (48:26):
There's no.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
We've done it on Wednesdays. Yeah, we'll do Wednesday, big announced.
I always remember draft Day. You're like, oh, things have
already changed. My mock's all messed up.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
He does care.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
I like that you do care about us, like a
little dog, like biting at your attempting to just do your.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Shut up big announcement on the draft. We've been teasing this,
and now here it is. Do we have the horns?
Do we have the medieval times or the height of
the English Empire? Yeah, some call it a fallen empire now,
but listen, we have a huge overseas fan base, so
(49:06):
we would never say.
Speaker 4 (49:07):
That we don't reference in that way.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
We will be doing a live stream of the twenty
twenty three first round NFL Draft from the NFL Media
Headquarters here live YouTube stream. We will be on camera.
This feels like a mistake. We'll be on camera for
all three plus hours of the first round, chopping it up,
(49:32):
discussing the different moves, the picks, the trades. We'll have obviously,
if you're familiar at all with the Friday Fun Show,
we'll have a comments section we'll have we'll interact interface
with our listener slash viewers, as well as other fun
things to come, which we should be planning post haste,
(49:53):
but that will be a component as well.
Speaker 5 (49:55):
Hopefully we'll be coming shopping by. I feel like a hang.
It's a hang where we still got every anyone who's
the audio only we're still doing the podcast afterwards, recapping
round one as we would always do, and if you
wanted to check out the YouTube, it's got to be
best live, but I think it'll be up there on
YouTube after the fact to just rewatch it over and over.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
Mark people say this is revolutionary. No one's ever done
this before live stream, and that's just what we are.
We're innovators.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
I hang it from a technological angle. We've always been aggressive,
and this is another example of it.
Speaker 5 (50:29):
It's like, have you ever wondered what it'd be like
to just hang out with us? As we watched the draft.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
They're just like regular guys. It's like hanging out with
guys at the bar right there. That's the show.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
Do we do the thing now where we uh we
brag about not going to the men's room the entire time.
Speaker 4 (50:44):
We just sit in the chairs for now.
Speaker 2 (50:46):
No, I'll be using the laboratory multiple times.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
Okay, so many coming, so many times as we please. See.
Speaker 5 (50:51):
That's one of the things about Dan when you're when
you watch games with him, you're just like, what.
Speaker 2 (50:56):
Is he missed the entire third quarter?
Speaker 4 (50:58):
Irish? Goodbye?
Speaker 2 (50:59):
He had time and he's still gone? Is he? Okay?
That's that's what separates our show. We're in the bathroom
all the time.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
It's very different. It would be. It would be a
lot of fun.
Speaker 5 (51:10):
It's like they're just buddy is It's like, that's the show.
It's too many drops at this point. I we haven't
done this though. It will be a fun, fun time
to hang I am looking forward to here.
Speaker 2 (51:22):
Here's my here's my picture of the audience, because we
really want you to join us the listeners. It could
be really good and fun. It could be really bad.
Speaker 4 (51:30):
Also, yeah, what.
Speaker 3 (51:32):
If we get like thirty eight minutes in and we
realized this is ishtar, this is a complete.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
It's what I mean, Like, if we're all of a
sudden doing our version of Draft Day, it's we're in
and you get to see that.
Speaker 5 (51:42):
Although it could be like Dan's surprise birthday party that
Emily through Dan could just be like, no, we're any
can we.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
Do deuces if we don't like the flow?
Speaker 4 (51:51):
And it's just I think so.
Speaker 2 (51:52):
I don't know if you get to do that a
pandemic you can call, you can parachute out.
Speaker 5 (51:57):
It's not on the NFL now or anything like or
NFL Plus or anything. So it's like we're we're running,
it's our call. That could be part of the dramatic tension.
Will we get to.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
Our doing like that? The Shadowy League figures seem somewhat
invested out. Here's a oh here it is. Look at
this from April eighth, twenty fourteen, Draft Day's official Twitter account.
I wonder if that still exists Draft Day Movie. I
guess it does. Mark Sessler, NFL Colon hashtag Draft Day
delivers on the great tension of the NFL.
Speaker 5 (52:27):
There's full of art, get your tics.
Speaker 4 (52:30):
What a what a disaster? Absolutely retweeting this with no content.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
And there it is as full of heart from.
Speaker 4 (52:36):
Start, do not grow to finish.
Speaker 2 (52:39):
Mark Sessler, Comma NFL dot com Comma around the League.
Speaker 4 (52:43):
I that was the beginning of my break with Twitter,
roughly a decade ago. When is it? Are you broken together?
Speaker 3 (52:52):
I lost interest in it and it was because of
that and the resulting So thanks for retweeting that, Greg, If.
Speaker 4 (52:59):
You're going to be finding that right now, appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (53:04):
Is it? What happens to these Twitter handles when the
movie's long gone? I guess it just oh man, Dennis
Leary was terrible in this movie. Got to still be there.
Speaker 5 (53:11):
They've got a retweet of rich who had.
Speaker 2 (53:15):
Garner the cap? They put p Diddy in it? What
a mess? Anyway? All right?
Speaker 4 (53:21):
It was meant to be the Bills before the Browns.
Speaker 2 (53:24):
Oh yeah. The other thing is, how could you ever
get behind as a sports fan any movie that opens
with the Seattle Seahawks defending Super Bowl champions have the
number one overall pick. Get out of here? Yeah? I will.
Speaker 4 (53:39):
I'm gonna find this.
Speaker 3 (53:40):
There is a column somewhere on NFL dot com where Dan,
you and I both gave our viewpoints on it, and
I know that you've you've recently come down so hard
on it. I I want to go back and see
what you wrote, because I thought you were a little
bit closer to the middle, and I will.
Speaker 4 (53:57):
I'll dump up my results.
Speaker 2 (53:58):
Perhaps perhaps a little closer NFL dot com fresh. I
remember our boss at the time was very pointed in, Hey,
you can't kill the movie. We haven't.
Speaker 3 (54:09):
It's sort of an absurd like written product. If we
can't give an at review.
Speaker 2 (54:12):
If if you if we could track that down, if
you read that back and forth, because you weren't over
the moon about the movie until Yeah, the Glasses of Wine.
Speaker 3 (54:20):
But it's been advertised as if I consider it to
be like Apocalypse now or something, which is not not
the case.
Speaker 2 (54:27):
No, Greg, the Seattle Seahawks and the film are the
defending Super Bowl champions, as I think they were in
real life at the time, and then they were like
they had the number one overall pick.
Speaker 5 (54:36):
I mean this, Yeah, the Seahawks have the number five
pick here after first.
Speaker 2 (54:40):
I'm just saying that I don't think that's ever happened
in the history of this sport anyway. All Right, that's it.
Anything else live stream next Thursday night, Huge Mega Mega
eight pm Eastern or something like that. Be there, seriously,
be there and heed. The car.
Speaker 1 (55:08):
Is never too old to rave in the desert with
black pink. Doesn't know what a black pink is, but
that's not gonna stop them. Baby, need someone to hold
this camera so we can get a good pick in
front of the giant ferris wheel. We'll be at the
(55:30):
Mojave stage if you need us.
They Around the NFL podcast, What's not the oldest person
at Coachella? Londy was there too, Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
From the Chris Leslie podcast studio. It's around the NFL.
I'm Dan Hansis, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler here, and yes,
the time has come. I liken this to the particularly
high profile Aaron Rodgers appearances on the Pat McAfee show,
(00:31):
when suddenly you're hosting a much larger audience than typical.
So we welcome music fans right now. And the time
has come now for Mark Sessler's review of Frank Ocean's
controversial weekend closing set at Coachella. Greg, I think the
right move here is for us to just kind of
get out of the way and let Mark monologue this
(00:51):
and take us through boots on the ground. Mark, there's
a huge global audience here right now. Pins and needles
for days, they waited on Monday Prize and disappointed. Now
they're back.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
I could give you a more comprehensive review of snail Mail,
which was occurring during the daytime. I had a very
atypical strange weekend. It was wonderful, but I didn't stay
for the latest stuff.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Uh night after night. Wait, but we've planned out the schedule.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
The way to actually set up a segment like this
would be to check with me on what I actually
witnessed and saw with my own eyes, because you knew that.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
On Monday and he really built this up.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
I was I thought Bad Bunny was amazing. Did you
see any of that? Like I didn't brought out post
malone and there was a massive technical glitch that caused
problems among the people there live.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
It was I don't know if you've been, but it
was fun.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
I've never been.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
It was a like I one of my main goals
was to avoid like a dangerous sunburn, which I partially did.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I believe correct. And I'm a big snail mail fan,
so I like the shout out. I've seen them.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
They were a few times. So for the Frank Ocean audience.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yeah, we just don't we don't have I think it's
isn't it.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Isn't it like sort of on brand that I would
go to this and not come back with like the
You and I might have different goals when we'd go there,
and I maybe missed some of the things that would
have been high on your list.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
So did you go?
Speaker 5 (02:21):
It was late night. You were saying that they went
to one in the morning every night. You didn't think
got shut down oceans Uh late, It's.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Been a lot of recording since then.
Speaker 5 (02:29):
There was I want to be an ice skating rink,
all these people that they had hired, uh, and then
they didn't see an ice skating right now.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
He suffered an ankle injury on a bike on the
Coachello grounds. Did you catch that or any of that about? No?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
So what I did was like went around like ten
to eleven in the morning because it is so crowded
that if you go during the day, everything is wide open.
And so I do more like ten to eight, eight
or nine, and then went back and watched some of
the later stuff on.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
A live YouTube feed.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Would you go back, absolutely, because I think I next
time I'd know how to attack completely differently. I was,
you know, total new be early.
Speaker 5 (03:03):
What are your feelings on the youth of America? Is
the future bright?
Speaker 4 (03:08):
I think it's fantastic.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Corporation people were great, There was not I was not
the oldest person, by the way. There are definitely other
people floating around of my age set. But you know,
I would say there's it would unquestionably in the older
rung of ages.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
All right, justin, did you have anything before we move on? Oh?
Speaker 6 (03:28):
Shoot, you caught me half guard. No, I hope Mark
had a great time.
Speaker 5 (03:32):
I mean, who is this even talking?
Speaker 4 (03:34):
I don't even know Mark?
Speaker 6 (03:39):
Did you have fun? That's all that really came.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
I had a time. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
I cannot give you a completest review on each of
the acts. You know you're you know, no, no, sweat No,
I mean I floated. We built it up.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
We got the audience. Yeah, and they learned a hard
lesson here.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
I think they did, so did I? Next time, I'll
I'm going to be more cautious on my return.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Coming up today on around the end of fell Oh
my god, Jesus, take the wheel, take us the draft night.
We're not there yet. We got more. We got more
draft talk coming up. But we're lucky to have someone
that's excellent in this realm and really the NFL overall
in terms of coverage, Ben Solak from The Ringer. We're
(04:20):
gonna have him on to talk about some of the
the kind of outliers and some of the oddities of
the twenty twenty three NFL Draft. It's kind of a
weird draft, especially in like the measurables department.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
I think he also explains it really what what he
what he means by that, and what it means for
the future of the draft too, is intriguing.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
These are these are human beings.
Speaker 5 (04:44):
So we're gonna got it change the you know, we're
not gonna call it the freaks of the Draft, but
it's kind of like you know who, who's kind.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Of like that headline Okay, yeah, like that's pretty good.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
Sort of what they are specimens?
Speaker 5 (04:56):
Yeah, guys who stand out a little bit. Maybe we
haven't hit us hard and stuff.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Physical specimens.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Yeah, you want just freaks. That sounds like it's something
Ana tests to the freak show.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
That is the twenty twenty three NFL Draft. Look Away freaks.
This is a showman right here, look away slammer. Freaks
of the twenty twenty twenty twenty three NFL Draft. Not bad.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I think it's you've got something to sing with there.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
They're hideous colon all right, Before that, let's hit some.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
News party back time Pump snagging a throw for the.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Episode Wide Open Gray that are you touchdown?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
Sad Friend? Just go?
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Are you?
Speaker 7 (05:40):
Are you his on fire, your foe is propped, Party Doo, monsters, Comma,
all of them.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Colon breaking down the twenty twenty three NFL draft.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
You're a storehouse of contents.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Rock Purdy, he took the league by storm late in
the most recent NFL season. Mister Irrelevant, as he's known,
the final pick in the draft, stepped in a quarterback
for the Niners after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy
Garoppolo and thrived and although he suffered a serious elbow
injury in the NFC playoffs, the Niners are very high
(06:24):
on Purty and see him as the future of the position,
which takes us to a report from NFL Networks Ian
Rapaport on Wednesday. He said that the Niners have fielded
calls from teams interested in trading for Trey Lance. Rapaport added,
the Niners have not actually picked up the phone themselves
(06:44):
to dial up any teams, but they have answered the
phone when teams have inquired about his availability. Ian added,
no trade is imminent, but you know those things can
change quickly, and they want to make sure Perdy's rehab
is going well. But there's interest in Lance from other teams. Mark,
You're back, so I'll tee you up. I know you
(07:06):
are a big, pretty guy, big forty nine ers guys,
big forty nine ers guy, and Trey Lance was once
the future. They traded up a huge amount of capital
to get him, and this is the first kind of
open sign that they might be looking to kind of
cut ties and move on.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
I wouldn't be surprised if something like this happened. I
think the big problem pr wise for a rather teflon
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, I mean extremely like they
haven't really needed Trey Lance over these past couple of
years they've still gotten deep into the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
Is after you gave up so much on.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
A quarterback that has essentially barely been able to be
on the field, it looks like today as a big
of a quarterback with as you could find, and somehow
that stink doesn't really stick to Kyle Shanahan and company,
what do you get back for him? Because it's like
that there's no way for them to win that battle,
And it's like, yes, you're also you're at that point
gauging in hope, being that the small sample size you
(08:02):
got from brock Purty is who he really is because
just the league is gonna catch up. And it makes
me think of our friend Chris Wrestling when we got
that six game sample size from Jimmy G after they
traded for Jimmy G a couple of years ago, and
he looked like the second coming of Joe Montana, and
then we got the real version of him, which was
much more variable. Do you do all this and do
you go into next season after quarterback depth has been
(08:23):
their issue year after year? Do you possibly move on
Trey Lance? And then going to next season with that
quarterback position being like Rock Purty or Bust It's party?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And then right now, Sam Darnold, Greg, let me see
you up. Just by reminding people what they gave up
to get Trey Lance. They traded with the Dolphins right
before the twenty twenty one draft. They got the number
three pick in exchange for the number twelve pick that year,
the first and third round pick in twenty twenty two,
and the first round pick this year. So they paid
(08:52):
dearly to get this guy, right.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
It was essentially a similar trade to what the Panthers
just gave up to get number one one. Overall, that's
what it costs two extra first and then the extra
pick and you still gave up, you know, the trade
down in that draft, and we haven't seen him play.
He's had one hundred and thirty two snaps dropping back
to pass in the NFL, and half of them were
(09:16):
in them monsoon And so people like to throw out
Lance's numbers in that game.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
I watched that game. It was just forget about it.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
It was a preposterous game.
Speaker 5 (09:23):
And the other times, though, he hasn't looked totally ready
to go in terms of his little regular season action,
made a couple of nice plays his preseason action. You know,
he's looked like a guy who needed development, which isn't
surprising for a guy who didn't play that much in
college and played at North Dakota State. I think you
don't worry about what you get back if it's like reasonable.
(09:45):
I mean, the Lions just traded Jeff Okuda, who was
the number three overall picking the draft, what just one
one draft after Lance or one draft before him, like
the exact same, you know level, and they got a
fifth round pick back and you move on. If they
could get like a second for Trey Lance, I think
they would take it. And I think the fact that
Ian is reporting this, and the way you framed it, Dan,
(10:06):
I think was was smart. The way Ian reported this
makes you think like this is very much like the
forty nine ers a year ago putting out similar reports
that they're getting offers about Jimmy g Now, maybe history
is instructive there nothing ever happened, but it really feels
like it's the forty nine ers who are putting up
a little bit of a for sale sign here on
(10:26):
Trey Lance, which would tend to make you think it
spells the end of him.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
This is this is fantasy, it's fugazy, it's but there
is like logic to that twenty twenty one NFL draft
which started with Trevor Lawrence and moved to Zach Wilson,
then to Trey Lance top three, mac Jones taking seven
or eight picks after that, God, Trey Lance for mac Jones.
(10:53):
Doesn't that make some sense? Trey Lance from Zach Wilson,
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (10:56):
Like Field set Wait was fin O Fields was in
there too, and then mac n at fifteen, right, So.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
I mean that when you look at that, obviously Lawrence
is a hit, Zach Wilson is a bust. Right now,
Trey Lance is you know, trending toward bus, but he
still hasn't played enough justin fields. The Bears think that's
a big hit, and Mac Jones is this big question mark.
I just wonder what Trey Lance's market is because the
things he has working for him that, for instance, the
Jets don't have with Zach Wilson, who I'm sure they
(11:23):
would like to trade if they could, is Zach Wilson
played a fair amount and not only showed that he
was injury prone, he showed that he wasn't playing at
a high level and then handled some things poorly with
the media. Lance is still kind of a mystery on
some level.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
Yeah, I mean, I think also the Mac Jones thing
is interesting is obviously there's some connective tissue to Kyle Shanahan.
I don't know how Zach Wilson would ever be involved
in a trade for Trey Lance. I think you can
still look at Trey Lance and say untapped potential. There's
a lot of teams think they probably could do with him.
There are tools there. He just had extremely light college
experience and has extremely late NFL experience, So it's an unknown.
(12:00):
I had a team that stands out though, to me
a little bit, because it keep feeling like we hear
hearing that the Texans are not interested in maybe taking
a quarterback at number two. You've got Demigo Ryans, who
knows Trey Lance. You got Bobby Slowick, their new offensive coordinator,
who was the passing game coordinator under Shanahan, who worked
closely with Lance. They'd at least know what they think
they're dealing with, and you could get them for cheap
(12:22):
and then use those first round picks to make your
team better.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
That could make some sense, like the Titans could make
some sense. I mean, I don't doubt in any way
Ian's reporting. So he's saying that they're fielding calls, and
he's clear to point out they're not making them. Now,
if you're Trey Lance reading this reporting, I don't know
if you are that invested in the parenthetical that they're
not making them. I think you see these reports and
(12:47):
you're not too excited about it if you're Trey Lance.
But I don't doubt that teams are making those calls,
and I'm sure those calls are like how low is
this price? Essentially because I'm sure a team like the
Titans would take on Trey Lance if the price was
like a compensatory third round pick, I doubt it's that low,
and it's figuring out during the draft how low will
(13:09):
the forty nine ers go. Like the Lions, for instance,
again with the number three pick, I know was a
cornerback and as one year older, they basically were just
ready to give away Jeff Okuda no matter what. They
had decided that Alan Robinson, who will talk about later,
the Rams were gonna give him away no matter what.
I don't think the forty nine ers are at that point.
I think they're closer to where they were with Jimmy
g a year ago, which is if they don't get
the right price, and I'm just gonna guess A two
(13:33):
sounds about right for them, then maybe they just hold
on to him one more year and see what happens
as a backup, because it's too late that his peak
value is gone. It reminds me a little of another
Tray with the Hawks, Tray Young right now, it's like
the value it's too late for to trade different sports.
I know it's you know, it's not the same as
(13:54):
the NFL, but in some ways.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
It's as completely different than basketball in that case.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
It may not be maybe maybe not.
Speaker 5 (14:00):
It really makes the like if you were better cool of.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Green Day, you know, his value was higher maybe in
two thousand and four. Now what are you gonna get?
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I've just say, six year old.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
You have all the possible mark drops the things he said,
it's kind of bizarre. That's the one that's been hammered
the most on this Pots got.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Legs, legs for days. Last thought before we move on,
because we got to move because we've got Sola coming up.
Butterfly effect dog like Rock Party was the last pick
of the draft. They had no intentions of playing them.
And now you fast forward a few months, half a year,
and he is there, locked and loaded future right now
they think they let Jimmy g go. They're gonna trade
(14:39):
potentially number two three pick from a couple of years ago.
And then it's Sam Darnold who's backing up Rock Party.
It's like there's a lot invested in Party being the
real deal now in San Francisco, unless, unless there's something
else up San Francisco's sleeve. Let's move on. Yes, Alan Robinson,
he is on the move. I was a little surprised
that they found a taker the Los Angeles Rams. But
(15:00):
and you look at the trade terms and it's like, okay,
the Steelers acquire wide receiver Alan Robinson, who was really
pretty terrible, let's face it, with the Rams and his
one year there. So the Steelers get Robinson and a
seventh round pick from the Rams for a seventh round pick.
And this is important as well, Gregie. Los Angeles will
pay ten point two to five million of Robinson's fifteen
(15:22):
point twenty five million salary, and they get to move
up seventeen spots in the draft.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
Still seventeen spots in the seventh round. There can be
a lower total. I mean that anyone can be traded.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Can I just say, let's say, you know, it's not
a big deal, but I feel like the Steelers lose
this trade. They move up seventeen picks in the seventh round.
Who gives an f and you're paying Alan Robinson five
million dollars this year. Alan Robinson's a five million dollar
player right now.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I don't think that's a crazy risk reward scenario.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
That has some pretty bad tape last year, and he's
pretty bad with Chicago's I.
Speaker 5 (15:59):
Guess that's that's fair enough point, Like who else is
making around that much money this year Paris Campbell signed
in free agency. He's making around that Daria, Darius Slayton
for the Giants' those guys. But I see your point.
He's a third. He's gonna be their third receiver. They
were very thin after Deontay Johnson and George Pickens. He's
(16:21):
a little too similar to Pickens in me, like, there's
not that many of those guys out there, and so
there was a huge drop off after their top two.
So he would be their third receiver. It doesn't seem
like a crazy gamble, but you're right, it probably won't
really result in more than.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Wide receivers are still left me.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
He averaged thirty four yards per game over the last
two seasons, so you're right. That Chicago year felt like
he was a mailing job. And last year, I mean
we were, you know, going into the into September coming
out of rams camp with the most flowery reporting around
Alan Robinson possible, and he completely flatlined. And it now,
with what they've traded before, it looks like a completely care.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
If we're looking for depth for Pittsburgh, I'll use the Graybeards,
a team of thirty and over veterans, Odell Beckham off
the board, Jarvis Landry still out there, right, Yeah, would
you rather have Jarvis Landry, t Y Hilton still out there,
Julio Jones still out there, Randall Cobb, Robbie Chose, and
Anderson is off the market now, Sammy Watkins. Anyway, these
(17:17):
are other options. Probably you can get it at cheaper cost,
but I guess you can look. You could squint and
say maybe, and the Steelers are good with wide receivers.
They can unlock something in Robinson that wasn't there last
couple of years.
Speaker 4 (17:29):
I mean, you're not asking to be number one, So.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
I guess I'm just saying, like, I'm not gonna go
nuts slamming him when he's making like a little more
than Byron Pringle and Nelson Aguilar. That's sort of the
level they're at. But you're right the rams where I
guess just happy for anyone to pay any of his salary,
which is telling they just wanted to totally. They just
were paying to give him away, which is crazy. Appear
(17:52):
ten million to give him away appeared on our show
during Corona. Yeah, and his career went off completely off
the map very soon after. I'm not saying that they're
but it's just a warning to players in general if
you were to appear on the show like the Future
is a Mystery.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Pretty bad segment with a no in at the RAMS
camp as well, some a lot of noise being picked
up by Donald.
Speaker 5 (18:16):
Was right next door with our friend Mary Hollywood making
a lot of noise over the loudspeaker, and Alan Dudson
was disrupted.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
I'm not going to point fingers, and I know, especially
after the last show at Justin but Grave Digger, that
was a bit of a test for you at RAMS
Camp last summer when Ricky was alpha dogging that and
and doing this loud speaker interview with Aaron Donald, Like
you could have went over there and pulled the plug
on that interview so we could have gotten better. Alan
Robinson sounded the ship has sailed, but that's all.
Speaker 6 (18:49):
Sorry about that. I guess I really dropped the ball there.
But it was cool to see Ricky out there just
doing her thing talking to Aaron Donald.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
Do you do you think.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
That answered some great It's like a pr flag. But
Erica is a wonderful former colleague of mine and a friend.
It was good to see her.
Speaker 6 (19:07):
So you don't see like Daniel Jeremiah on her podcast
the other day. Put that on APN story, So, you know,
very good shouting her out.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
We love Ricky, We love Ricky.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
Went to Australia.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
She did killed it. She tried out as a RAMS
cheerleader recently. I haven't heard the results of the tryout.
I'll check in with She saw Taylor Swift and Tampa.
I know that's an important thing for her. If Taylor
Swift closed Sunday night at Coachella or are you watching
absolutely in other news, this is cool, this is very cool.
(19:43):
Tomar Hamlin he plans on making a comeback in the NFL,
and he got into more detail in a press conference.
His quote, I'm here to announce that I plan I'm
making a comeback to the NFL. He told her reporter.
He's twenty five years old. Of course, he had that
really horrifying incident on January second, on Monday Night Football.
He explained the nature of the cardiac arrest. One of
(20:06):
those one in a million, one in a billion, whatever
it is, hit at the exact wrong time that messed
with his heart rate and it needed to be restarted obviously,
and it saved his life. The Bills announced the safety
was cleared for football activity, so the Bills are cooled it.
Hamlin's cooled it. This would be one of the great
comeback stories and really not since Mark Let's see, what
(20:29):
would it be Alex Smith. Would there be more of
a slam back slam dunk comeback. I know it's a
different sport slam dunk comeback player of the Year than tomorrow, Hamlin.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
I mean, we're months removed from wondering, like A if
he would survive, like b if he would live a
normal life, and now we're here, and I like it.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
It would be incredible just to see him on the field.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
And I think you're right that if you just pull
the comeback player of the Year odds off the table,
because there's literally there's no second place opportunity for anyone
to even survive in that contest.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
I think a guy kind of lost that he was
an important player for them, like a good, young, improving safety.
They did bring back Jordan Poyer this year, but like
he'll have a big role on the team. I mean,
I'm sure I'm not the only one that's gonna be
somehow like seeing him out there is gonna you'll have
mixed feelings like you almost you just you just hoping
for the best. You know, how can you not think
(21:21):
about what happened? But all power to him that he's
he wants to play, He's ready to play.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Absolutely. Best of luck to DeMar Hamlin. That's what's happening
in the news. Let's take a break and then welcome
in Ben Solek. Sexy asked our music department to pull
(21:47):
up some Frank Ocean like music. Now we're doing over
in the music department.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Well, I don't how much they had to pick from,
but they've they've made it a selection.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Joining us now is a man who knows his stuff.
We here. Here's the thing about our podcast. When we
have a draft person on or someone that knows the draft,
they are the real deal. So let's welcome in Ben
Zolac of The Ringer, who does excellent work covering the
(22:19):
league as a whole, but also just obviously a stud
when it comes to the draft season, and we're going
to get things going with Ben. How are you?
Speaker 8 (22:26):
But I'm doing well, Greg, You're looking vibrant today, just
right Orange.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Thank you?
Speaker 5 (22:33):
Yes, still Hawaii in my mind where it still still
a SWEATR. But thank you for pointing our listeners to
the YouTube channel. I know you're a big YouTube stor doing.
We're trying to grow it.
Speaker 4 (22:43):
That second, well, just how did Dan and I look?
But when you're you're in that front.
Speaker 8 (22:50):
Largely largely muted, largely.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
What is what is over your left shoulder? Right now?
What does that say? Ben? Before we get into the
outliers of the NFL draft up?
Speaker 8 (23:01):
Yeah, So that's that's my white board. It goes up
a lot. Like Greg said, I do a lot of
shows for the Ringer, and the white board always got
a bit on it, And for the past month it's
been Anthony Richardson no matter what which I wrote it.
I didn't realize that zoom was gonna cut off Anthony
Richardson most of the time. So I've been explaining this
a lot. It's obviously a call back to the great
Kevin Costner film Draft Day, and also my feelings on
(23:22):
a top of the quarterback class.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
Okay, so we're going to get to the draft step,
but I want to start there because this continues to
pop up, and I think maybe Ben is someone who's
active on social media and has a following. You are
pushing this narrative that Draft Day is a good movie.
Why are we doing this? Why are we pretending like
if we go back and watch that film, I still
haven't seen it again, in which Jennifer Garner plays a capologist,
(23:47):
tell me that that is a good movie or just
a movie that has football in its narrative structure and
uses the real logos that to me, that's the only
thing that movie really had going for it. Are you
going to say that was a good film?
Speaker 8 (23:59):
Ben so, absolutely not not a good film by any
stretch of the imagination. For three hundred and fifty eight
days of the year. Now is it a nice centering
experience to hear them? Like, you know, make these like
all of all the memes, all of the tropes right
where it's like, ask me if anybody went to his
birthday party, Oh, I should see how far he's throwing
(24:21):
the ball. Like it just reminds you that, yeah, everything
we talk about in the NFL draft, if you were
to just put it, like get a third person view
on it, you realize how bananas this entire process is,
how all of this is contrived. It's all made up.
That's why Draft days fun to watch.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
All right, maybe I'll revisit it. Let's stop.
Speaker 5 (24:37):
Wait, but I want to know if Ben is a
wear because Ben was probably fourteen years old when it
came out that one of the three hosts heres had
a pull line used in the promotions of the movie.
And the line was full of Heart from start Zarnis
dash Mark Sessler, and it was literally in the trailer
(24:59):
of the movie.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
I literally just give a little bit of backstory to
this because I had gone to say history, I mean,
I had gone to see I learned a great lesson
and as a younger person yourself, like, I hope you
would not fall into this trap based on this this
parable but like I was at my parents' house in
South Carolina and it was well into the evening. I
had a couple of glasses of wine to me and
(25:20):
had at some point offered to give a review to
the pr team of Draft Day. In short, they called
me on the phone and I read something that I
had written which was a little too flowery and maybe
a little too like. They pulled one line out of
it and suddenly it goes national with me glowing over
Draft Day, and I've never lived it down.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
So don't follow in my.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
By the way too long. Didn't read Mark was drunk
when he gave that quote. No, I would say heading there, yeah,
and I'll set I've said it before. We're going to
get to it. But now we're on this draft day thing.
We were there at Radio City Music Hall when they
were shooting scenes for Draft Day, and I'll never forget
(26:01):
the panic when they were looking for Frank Langela, who
played I think the owner maybe of the team, and there,
Where's Where's Frank? Where's Frank? And Frank langel was wandering
down Broadway and they had to send a PA to
track him down so he can get the shot before
the draft started a little inside base.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
Imagine if they had not gotten that shot.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Imagine Flynn Langella.
Speaker 8 (26:22):
All right, enough lost the whole show.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Let's get to it, Ben, Should we start Richard's Yeah,
which is like the only He's the ultimate freak, Anthony
Richardson no matter what, the Florida quarterback and you are, obviously,
based on the whiteboard, a huge fan, one of the
heaviest qbs ever detested the combine and scored off the
charts on all the measurables. And do you say, Ben,
because of that because he's such an athletic freak outlier
(26:49):
that you got to take a chance on this unicorn.
Speaker 8 (26:51):
Yes, but also no. I think that the most important
thing to say in the Richardson evaluation you talk about
him is that while he is a project right, he
cousney to development. He's got rough edges, he needs work.
He is not nearly like the raw ball of play,
you know, a year away from being a year away.
He's not that caliber project. There's shades of gray. We
love to go like either a guy's a project or
(27:12):
is ready to play. And it would be nice if
the world were that binary, but it isn't. When I
look at when Trey Lance came out of North Dakota State,
he goes three overall. When Josh Allen comes out of Wyoming,
he goes seven overall. Those guys were doing fewer developed
things as pocket passers than Anthony Richardson. Was Richardson as
one of the lowest sack rate quarterbacks to come out
in recent years. He is unbelievable, like buying time in
(27:35):
the pocket, finding a checkdown, getting rid of football. This
isn't like a crazy scrambler, make it all up to
always backgard football he does legitimate two two, three oh
three level things in the football field. He's only started
twelve games, so he's not complete. There's inconsistency, there's easy mistakes,
but it is not challenging to see the final form
of this player in terms of the actual like you know,
(27:56):
professional top button button quarterback stuff, and he's a runs
a four to four and he's two hundred and forty pounds.
You can froll the ball sixty uys and so now
we're describing a truly elite ceiling, not saying he's gonna
make it, not saying he's gonna be Josh Allen, but
saying that that the idea that, oh, if you take
Anthony Richardson, you're gonna lose all your games in twenty
twenty three and then maybe by twenty twenty four he's ready.
I don't I don't subscribe to that. I see a
(28:17):
player that gonna need a little bit of time. The
first couple of starts are going to be rocky. But
I could see you getting a functional NFL offense out
of him very quickly.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
And you guested with Danny Kelly on the PFF mock draft,
and you had the number one overall pick for the Panthers,
and you you boldly just took Anthony richards and then mentioned.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
A lot of the stuff that you just did.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
I do wonder, though, because Bryce Young obviously is another
outlier in terms of his size, his weight, and how
you project that over the course of time in terms
of deliberate durability when you made that pick in that
situation that when your mindset, is it pro Anthony Richardson
or is it also mixed with concern as if in
that case the general manager a coach taking on the
(28:57):
Bryce Young project beyond the stuff you like about him.
Speaker 8 (29:00):
Yeah, it's it's a mix. It certainly is. The way
I like to talk about Bryce Young is this. I
love watching him play. Great player, awesome dude, He's an inspiration,
He's sick, He's so much fun. Can't wait to watch
him play for somebody else, so excited to root for
him when somebody else takes the swing on the five
ft ten, two hundred pound quarterback.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Do you feel awkward at all as a slighter, shorter
man to talk about a prospect that way?
Speaker 8 (29:27):
Extremely so. I did our Big Bryce Young Scouting Report
video for the Ringer of This Week and literally in
the top minute. I go. Now, I understand if people
are frustrated about a person my size complaining about Bryce
Young's size, because it really does feel like a very
small pot calling a larger kettle black. But that's the
reality of it is. I'm not trying to play the NFL.
He is right, and for Young, the size in terms
(29:51):
of shortness is a concern ability to see over the
middle of the field, the way affects his dropbacks. The
size in terms of slightness is a concern. The durability
the hits. He plays a style of ball that invites
a ton of contact, and you have to be concerned
about the body armor, the durability, how long he can
sustain his level of play five, six, seven years. I
think that like Young has already succeeded from an outlier
(30:14):
perspective and his size by playing as well as he
did in the sec Like he's already shown that he
can handle it, and he can he can get it,
he can get it done. He can he can achieve
at this lower size at the college level. Now he's
got to do it again at the pro level, where
everything gets raptured up a couple of notches. It's a
very very thin eye of the needle that you're trying
to thread. To me, I don't know if I want
(30:35):
to make the pick right.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
And it sounds like he's got to go first and
they're not gonna be that worried about it. And he
did take lots of hits in the SEC But to
stick with Richardson one one last thing is like, I
I don't think he's been over hyped like I've been.
I've been getting some grief on Twitter that I have
a type in terms of quarterback prospects. It's like there
is no other type that's like Anthony Richardson coming out
(30:56):
in the draft. Cam Newton is the only one that
could compare physically in terms of what he can be
as an athlete. But he might have the best pocket
presence in this class, and so that's why he doesn't
seem like he's that big of a risk. I think
he has a high floor. Maybe he doesn't have and
he has a high ceiling too, but maybe he doesn't
reach that. But is his like inaccuracy doesn't seem that
bad to me. They were just throwing down the field
(31:17):
and for the most part he was accurate enough and
My type is like athletes, but it's also pocket presence,
Like Philip Rivers is my favorite quarterback just about over
the last twenty years because he has insane pocket presence
and Richardson has that which is like you kind of
can't teach that. He moves around and makes time in
the pocket. So that's like two things to me. It's
(31:37):
hard to imagine having those two things and not succeeding.
And he's the ultimate freak. He would be the most
fun person.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
So Mark, absolutely I would agree with you.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Oh, I didn't know if you had.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Oh, I have someone that I have been fascinated with,
and I heard you talk about him a little bit.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
It's Darnel Washington.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
When we talk about a physical freak six seven two
sixty four, and just when to watch some of his tape,
just the way he appears next to other human beings,
even very large human beans on the field. I guess
the question is because there's there's no doubt that like
he would absolutely be a tantalizing idea for scouts, for coaches,
and what you might turn him into. Do you think
(32:16):
that he can come in and be highly productive as
a pass catcher after what you've seen of his college tape.
Speaker 8 (32:23):
Not in your one, because right now, Washington is a
guy in order to produce, you have to funnel him targets.
You have to choose to throw him the football. He's
really good yards after the catch, right He's really good
turning a shallow passing into a big long run. In
terms of his route trait, in terms of how he
addresses the ball downfield. He's in need of development. The
reasons because Georgia had him and Brock Bowers, who you
(32:43):
to watch college football, brock Man Bronx about as good
as it gets through a college tight end. He's unbelievable.
He's gonna go very, very high next year. And so
they let Brock be the receiving tight end, and then
Washington would stay in the block and occasionally they lead
him out using on play action and then he'd get
a catch here, catch there, because I'm a stampeding tyrannosaurce
rex after the catch. But he's not like he just
got a ton of reps and a ton of opportunity
(33:05):
to develop in terms of a true pass catcher. So
if you draft Washington early on to get him to
produce in the passing game, you have to decide, Okay,
we're running a Darnell Washington play. Hopefully, over the time
he plays in the NFL, leon a plus blocker for you.
He's a weapon in the running games. He can lead
block right, he can be impactful in space. And then
with those catches that he gets in the design game,
he starts to grow his route tree more downfield, more
(33:27):
mature route tree that you tend to see from NFL
tight ends. And now you got a stew going. I mean,
now you're you're cooking with about as complete of a
tight end as you can get. He's very, very exciting.
I'm increasingly becoming accustomed to the idea of him going
at the back end of round one. I think if
you're talking like two or three weeks ago, I would
have said, no, I don't think it's happening. The closer
we yet, the more it seems like there's a couple
(33:48):
of chances for him to go late round one. I
think by pick fifty he's gone.
Speaker 5 (33:51):
Well, you brought up, you know, his playing time, and
you kind of have to look deeper when you look
at that Georgia roster, like why you're not getting them
any snaps and so when I think for or size outliers,
like they have two more in this draft that we
could talk about. Nolan Smith to me is like a
prototype that we really don't have in the NFL, Like
(34:12):
maybe it's a Son Reddick. Maybe the way that defenses
are now playing like five defensive linemen essentially like five
man fronts at the same time, and the fifth guys
like sort of defensive lineman but not really and that's
a Son Redick. That could be Nolan Smith, who just
seems like an insane pass rusher but it's just incredibly light.
And then also you have Jalen Carter as your number
one overall player, and he's a freak in terms of
(34:34):
his talent in terms of what he can do at
that size. And we haven't really talked about Carter that
much other than the off field stuff. So I guess
between those two, i'd love to hear, like why you
why you do have Carter first and kind of taking
away the off field stuff because he's also a guy
that hasn't ever played more than four hundred snaps in
a season, which is wild for a guy who was
(34:55):
the presumptive number one overall pick, Like why why would
he be that high without seeing him on the field
as much as you would want.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
In Georgia.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
Yeah, I'm just like moving my hands around a lot.
Speaker 8 (35:09):
And there's no there's no way to talk without hands.
It's never done before.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Four year old Sicilian grandmother like in the kitchen, go ahead, now.
Speaker 8 (35:20):
My my family is is Russian, right, Russian immigrants and
just always everything. So all the time I'm on pods
and you're hearing snapping and clapping in the background because
it's me imitating my mother. Uh Carter and Nolan smith Man.
I don't know what they feed him in Georgia. It's unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (35:35):
I like you.
Speaker 8 (35:36):
When you talk to college people who like like look
at recruiting, they say, the biggest difference between Kirby and
at Georgia, Nick Saban and Alabama is saving kind of
recruit skies, okay, a good high weight speed and then
we can add mass to them, we can develop them.
Kirby just drafts guys who just move differently than everybody
else moops. He just he just find scours the country,
finds the ten guys you can't teach it, and gets
them all in a bulldog's uniform. So with Nolan Smith.
(35:58):
This is the sort of body type and athletic profile
that years ago was going to be carrying two hundred
and thirty pounds. It was going to be playing wide receiver,
and said, now he's carry two hundred and forty pounds
and he's playing He's playing edge's playing pass rusher. The
enthusiasm that this young man has for defending the run
at this size is really sick. I mean, it's it's
awesome to see and he gives you hope that he's
(36:18):
gonna be able to hang on the edge of the
NFL level. You bring up a Son Reddick with Chennan
Nuwosu long time charging now with the Seahawks is another
example of he's going to stand up, He's going to
line up super wide away from the tackle. He's going
to be impactful pass rusher. Can he stay on the
field for all three downs? Can you put him on
the field in first and ten? That's the big question
with him, and with the way he plays the run
on the SEC. I think you can, but i'd be
(36:39):
hold him my breath. I mean, those first couple of
weeks watching him in training camp, you're really hoping that
that he's got that stuff. He's gonna be about a
eighty pound deficiency to the guys he's playing in the
running games. So it's scary, but he's got an encouraging
film with Carter. The rotation at Georgia is part of
is part of a result of how well they recruit.
(37:00):
It's also part of the recruiting process. They are willing
to get young players on the field. We're willing to
put really talented freshman retrot freshman sophomores on the field,
and accordingly you kind of get some of these low
snap counts. It doesn't bother me too much with him.
Carter's the sort of guy where you know, you watch
him for about five ten plays you go, oh yeah, no,
three hundred and ten pounders don't move like this. This
isn't real. This is a figment of this has been doctors.
(37:21):
This is ai footage. It's it's it's endominic and Sue esque.
In my opinion, I've heard Fletcher Cox. I think that's
a warranted comparison as well. This is a guy with
double digit sack potential from the interior. Yeah, conditioning is
going to be a question in year one, but if
I'm taking him top three, top five, top ten. I'm
trying to maximize his role in my defense.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Just that.
Speaker 8 (37:39):
Yeah, if he needs some time off in year one,
I'll give him that time off in year one to
ensure he's the force he can be on third down.
So I'm not too too concerned about the volume.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
Let's let's circle back does everything with this draft that
we talk about the outliers, the freaks of the draft.
This draft is small. It's like a it's going to
be a short number one pick. You got short r
you got smallish wide receivers. But let's talk Ben the
short King dou spawn running back here at Kansas State
(38:09):
five foot five GREGGI five to five Gregy. You got
him the shortest dude ever measured at the combine. MJD
one of the great running backs of the aughts. Also
NFL employee here now has him as his number fourth
ranth running back aspect. What do you think of MJD?
Speaker 5 (38:31):
Who they rounded up to five seven or so?
Speaker 2 (38:33):
So right, there's something there well Ben.
Speaker 5 (38:35):
And Ben, but also weighed about thirty more pounds coming out.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Ben's friend in Cooker, Tanny Kelly, called this player MJD
with a tapeworm, so there is some connective tissues.
Speaker 2 (38:46):
Let's talk about our short king out of Kansas State.
Speaker 8 (38:49):
He is a delightful young player, as quick as a wink,
He's tough as nails. It's actually really good in pass
protection because he's naturally predisposed to chopping.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
Oh, it's a.
Speaker 8 (39:00):
Great cup block player because it can't really be much
of anything else. So he's actually really good in pass protection.
I think there's a way that he's a special teams player.
I'm not sure that he's got runaway speed such that,
like you know, he's he's going to be like a
truly impactful returner, but he's not. He's physical and and
he can hang. You can definitely make guys miss. You
are very limited in terms of what you can run
(39:22):
with him as a true running back because he's just
not going to be able to break the number of
tackles that you need him to in the first levels.
Really hard to get him to run between the tackles
consistently at the NFL. So I'm sadly out on our
short kingdom span. I do find Ducebawn a delightful player.
He's very fun to watching. His college career fun Yeah, you.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Just just put another chip on his shoulder.
Speaker 5 (39:44):
It feels you looked in the mirror and just thought, like,
you know, you're you've been down on some of these shorter,
smaller guys. Is there something you need to work out?
You know, in terms of like is it is it
coming from the end, you know, the big guys.
Speaker 4 (40:04):
I'm trying to.
Speaker 5 (40:05):
Say toward be proud, like I love me some tankd
del I like some of these smaller receivers.
Speaker 4 (40:10):
I think we raised them up.
Speaker 5 (40:12):
Let's let's lift them up then instead of trying to
hold them down. Let's football is for big guys. Let's
bring this up on the screen here. And this was
a tweet that that you responded to the other day.
Someone explained this Ben, someone's coming at you, uh in
this time of year when you're obviously putting a ton
of work in about your actual playing history, and you
swatted them down.
Speaker 8 (40:32):
Yeah. The folks like to say all the times guys
never played a Snapple football in his life, which means
that they haven't watched fifth and sixth grade Strausburg High
School football exactly. I was the starting slot back, thank
you very much. I Uh. We were in a practice
in seventh grade before the season started and future first
round pick of the Colorado Rockies. Mikey Nickeract who was
our quarterback hit me in Oklahoma Drill. He's a quarterback now.
(40:54):
Hit me in Oklahoma drill and left an indent in
the turf where my body landed. I distinctly remember looking
up to the sky and going, yeah, marching band. I
think is probably that's where the marching band across.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
Yeah, no, good move, that's all good. Mark's Pop Warner
days have floated our show for years. We've always needed that,
Like what are our bona fides? Like? Mark played in.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
Pop Warner A play that played in the backfield, and
if I were not roughly twenty years older than Ben,
we might have faced each other on the field.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
I wanted one of those fields.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
But absolutely, yeah, it's I love the uh. I love
that you never played. It's like, yeah, man, like everyone knows, no, nobody,
nobody was watching my stuff going well, this guy definitely
played in college and they saw your tweet and they're like,
wait a minute, no he didn't. You're not breaking any news.
Speaker 5 (41:44):
You do you have a favorite of those small receivers?
Do you any of that you like? Because you mentioned that.
I think there's nine that are under one hundred and
eighty pounds in this draft, which is just crazy. And
there's guys like like Tank Tail, who's probably going to
be a Day two pick, but you know it's like
one sixty five, which is just another level.
Speaker 8 (42:02):
Yeah, if I can sneak Zay Flowers in there, the
young man in Boston College is one eighty two. Love
a Zay Flowers. That's a that's an explosive player with
a lot of deep potential. I think that I think
Zay's gonna go earlier than people think. I think Ay's
got a good chance to be wide receiver one, depending
on where Smith and Jamie goes. League likes him a lot.
The Patriots have like met Zay Flowers third cousins at
(42:22):
this point, Like the Patriots scouting staff has just lived
with Zay Flowers for the last month. It seems like
he's a legit option there in the teens. Uh. And
then if we go true under one eighty, Josh Downs
out of unc is really fun.
Speaker 4 (42:33):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (42:34):
It's always cool to see a smaller receiver be really
really effective in contested cash situations, which is what he is.
He's got a great knack, he's got a great eye
for the ball, very very shifty. He's just a slot.
There's just all slots at the NFL level, and the
slot position is moving away from small, speedy guys, and
it's moving towards big guys who can contribute in the
blocking game and can contribute in the running game. And
(42:55):
so it's just harder to find homes for these dudes
than it was five ten years ago.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
One little note on Zay Flower today, he is actually
working out with Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs brought him in
for that specific reason. I know they'd have to move
around again him, but that would be juicy.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
Indeed.
Speaker 8 (43:10):
I love it well.
Speaker 2 (43:11):
And we'll end things with this a tweet from earlier
today from Benjamin Solac, where you could follow him on Twitter.
Day one of the twenty twenty three NFL Draft is
in eight days, and I think I could better predict
the first five picks of the twenty twenty four draft
than I could the twenty twenty three draft. I kind
of like that. Yeah, like I I the draft store,
(43:31):
you could kind of nail the top ten or get
close to it. Not as compelling to me as these
wide open years, so it will be fun, Ben to
see how it all plays out.
Speaker 8 (43:40):
That's the that's the sentiment of somebody who does not
attempt to bet on the NFL draft. Right there exactly
on my side on the line, I really like those ones
you can figure out on the top ten.
Speaker 5 (43:50):
I do like that, and I do like you said
to me, like we've now reached that point of the
draft process. You put a more moratorium on new draft takes.
No more draft takes. Everything has been said, and now
we just kind of ride right out the next nine days.
Speaker 4 (44:06):
Nothing new.
Speaker 8 (44:07):
Yeah, anybody who's dropping a I think X could y
on April fifteenth. You're just bored. You're just bored out
of stuff. Time to stop. We've done enough. Let's see what.
Speaker 2 (44:16):
Happens, uh, Ben. Thank you for joining us, Buddy, and
everybody follow Ben on his NFL stuff, his draft stuff
at the Ringer of course and the Ringer NFL Show
on Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcast.
Speaker 4 (44:30):
Ben, thank you very much, Bud appreciate it, fellas big,
sure you, Ben, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
There he goes. Good stuff from Benjamin Solak. All right,
one more break and then we'll finish up the show.
All right, we're back.
Speaker 5 (44:45):
You know, you know, we've been like doing this show
a while. When yeah, people we have on we're in
their teens when Draft Day came out, I don't really
know that, but that would be my guest.
Speaker 4 (44:53):
I don't know where he's at. He's twenty six, I believe.
Speaker 2 (44:56):
Let's just say Ben is most likely younger than us
and perhaps significantly so. But he knows his stuff. And yeah, yeah,
I don't. There are people that will. And speaking of which,
here's a plug. Mark, you have your mock draft coming up.
Justin Graver, our producer, kind of put his kind of
(45:19):
made his big arrival at the draft last year in
terms of our universe by competing with his own mock
draft that he really did well. Yes, and now what
we have here, Greggy and they are different sports, but
there's a bit of a Magic Bird thing going on
here now between Graver and Cessler in terms of the
mock draft coming up this next week. So I'm very excited.
Speaker 3 (45:43):
I don't know if if I'm Magic or Bird in
that scenario, but if Magic or if one of the
two were massively detached from the penning results.
Speaker 5 (45:51):
That this documentaries made, it's definitely missing, you know, kind
of one component which I think was a factor in
the whole magic thing, the racial given talent here but
you know or that any talent. Yeah, it could be it.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Yes, we're missing the racial component of this.
Speaker 4 (46:09):
Say to another level, yes.
Speaker 6 (46:14):
Justin I have been putting a lot of pressure on
myself to actually do well this year because I feel
like I did pretty well last year. You know, ten
team player matches would have tied for first according to
the Huddle Report that grades all the mock drafts. But
now I'm like, if I don't live up to those
expectations I've set for myself, I'm going to be very disappointed.
And it's an unpredictable draft.
Speaker 3 (46:34):
So as someone who I think nailed maybe one pick
last year, I will tell you that you'll wake up
the next day and life continues to force jah.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
You've said, Mark, I don't know if this is still
the case a few weeks later, that you've been reinvigorated
by the draft process this year, which makes me think
you might be ready to deliver your masterpiece.
Speaker 3 (46:52):
I will say that I think that, as Ben was saying,
this is the Ben Solock has done thousands of hours
of work and does not believe you could even do
a better mock than just simply guessing next year's draft.
I think that's an ominous roadmap for myself attempting the
same process. But I think that also says anyone can,
like my mom could do one of these and probably
(47:13):
get in the top five.
Speaker 4 (47:13):
Thing in this little idea, Yeah my mom, you get
your mom to do.
Speaker 5 (47:19):
Yeah, it would seem like the hard air thing, or
the more you think it's for my mom would be
would be would be knowing which players are going to
be good at football at the NFL level. But you
can't really do that immediately after the draft.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
You can't.
Speaker 2 (47:32):
Really.
Speaker 5 (47:32):
No one knows who is actually good at doing that.
They don't know.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
I'm gonna be kept up at night about the missing
racial component of the mock draft.
Speaker 5 (47:42):
I'm just saying, you're expecting it to take off. That's
sort of the unsaid Larry. You know bird magic thing, right,
I don't think it would have taken off in the
same way.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
Two whites takes away some sizzle here. Hey, speaking what
you've got a big announcement? What day?
Speaker 5 (47:55):
What day are we dropping your mock? By the way,
do we have a plan for that.
Speaker 4 (47:59):
I'd love to know.
Speaker 3 (47:59):
I'd also love to know the about next week, what
day next, later in the week, let's go later.
Speaker 2 (48:05):
Obviously next next Monday, No, next late next Wednesday. That's
that's the latest week can go.
Speaker 3 (48:14):
I think went right up to the edges. When we
do it because there's new information coming.
Speaker 2 (48:17):
In, you do it like the Mayok version. It's like,
I'm not with all these the riff raft. I give
you one mock draft and that's all you get.
Speaker 3 (48:26):
There's no.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
We've done it on Wednesdays. Yeah, we'll do Wednesday, big announced.
I always remember draft Day. You're like, oh, things have
already changed. My mock's all messed up.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
He does care.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
I like that you do care about us, like a
little dog, like biting at your attempting to just do your.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Shut up big announcement on the draft. We've been teasing this,
and now here it is. Do we have the horns?
Do we have the medieval times or the height of
the English Empire? Yeah, some call it a fallen empire now,
but listen, we have a huge overseas fan base, so
(49:06):
we would never say.
Speaker 4 (49:07):
That we don't reference in that way.
Speaker 2 (49:11):
We will be doing a live stream of the twenty
twenty three first round NFL Draft from the NFL Media
Headquarters here live YouTube stream. We will be on camera.
This feels like a mistake. We'll be on camera for
all three plus hours of the first round, chopping it up,
(49:32):
discussing the different moves, the picks, the trades. We'll have obviously,
if you're familiar at all with the Friday Fun Show,
we'll have a comments section we'll have we'll interact interface
with our listener slash viewers, as well as other fun
things to come, which we should be planning post haste,
(49:53):
but that will be a component as well.
Speaker 5 (49:55):
Hopefully we'll be coming shopping by. I feel like a hang.
It's a hang where we still got every anyone who's
the audio only we're still doing the podcast afterwards, recapping
round one as we would always do, and if you
wanted to check out the YouTube, it's got to be
best live, but I think it'll be up there on
YouTube after the fact to just rewatch it over and over.
Speaker 2 (50:16):
Mark people say this is revolutionary. No one's ever done
this before live stream, and that's just what we are.
We're innovators.
Speaker 3 (50:25):
I hang it from a technological angle. We've always been aggressive,
and this is another example of it.
Speaker 5 (50:29):
It's like, have you ever wondered what it'd be like
to just hang out with us? As we watched the draft.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
They're just like regular guys. It's like hanging out with
guys at the bar right there. That's the show.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
Do we do the thing now where we uh we
brag about not going to the men's room the entire time.
Speaker 4 (50:44):
We just sit in the chairs for now.
Speaker 2 (50:46):
No, I'll be using the laboratory multiple times.
Speaker 4 (50:49):
Okay, so many coming, so many times as we please. See.
Speaker 5 (50:51):
That's one of the things about Dan when you're when
you watch games with him, you're just like, what.
Speaker 2 (50:56):
Is he missed the entire third quarter?
Speaker 4 (50:58):
Irish? Goodbye?
Speaker 2 (50:59):
He had time and he's still gone? Is he? Okay?
That's that's what separates our show. We're in the bathroom
all the time.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
It's very different. It would be. It would be a
lot of fun.
Speaker 5 (51:10):
It's like they're just buddy is It's like, that's the show.
It's too many drops at this point. I we haven't
done this though. It will be a fun, fun time
to hang I am looking forward to here.
Speaker 2 (51:22):
Here's my here's my picture of the audience, because we
really want you to join us the listeners. It could
be really good and fun. It could be really bad.
Speaker 4 (51:30):
Also, yeah, what.
Speaker 3 (51:32):
If we get like thirty eight minutes in and we
realized this is ishtar, this is a complete.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
It's what I mean, Like, if we're all of a
sudden doing our version of Draft Day, it's we're in
and you get to see that.
Speaker 5 (51:42):
Although it could be like Dan's surprise birthday party that
Emily through Dan could just be like, no, we're any
can we.
Speaker 2 (51:49):
Do deuces if we don't like the flow?
Speaker 4 (51:51):
And it's just I think so.
Speaker 2 (51:52):
I don't know if you get to do that a
pandemic you can call, you can parachute out.
Speaker 5 (51:57):
It's not on the NFL now or anything like or
NFL Plus or anything. So it's like we're we're running,
it's our call. That could be part of the dramatic tension.
Will we get to.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
Our doing like that? The Shadowy League figures seem somewhat
invested out. Here's a oh here it is. Look at
this from April eighth, twenty fourteen, Draft Day's official Twitter account.
I wonder if that still exists Draft Day Movie. I
guess it does. Mark Sessler, NFL Colon hashtag Draft Day
delivers on the great tension of the NFL.
Speaker 5 (52:27):
There's full of art, get your tics.
Speaker 4 (52:30):
What a what a disaster? Absolutely retweeting this with no content.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
And there it is as full of heart from.
Speaker 4 (52:36):
Start, do not grow to finish.
Speaker 2 (52:39):
Mark Sessler, Comma NFL dot com Comma around the League.
Speaker 4 (52:43):
I that was the beginning of my break with Twitter,
roughly a decade ago. When is it? Are you broken together?
Speaker 3 (52:52):
I lost interest in it and it was because of
that and the resulting So thanks for retweeting that, Greg, If.
Speaker 4 (52:59):
You're going to be finding that right now, appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (53:04):
Is it? What happens to these Twitter handles when the
movie's long gone? I guess it just oh man, Dennis
Leary was terrible in this movie. Got to still be there.
Speaker 5 (53:11):
They've got a retweet of rich who had.
Speaker 2 (53:15):
Garner the cap? They put p Diddy in it? What
a mess? Anyway? All right?
Speaker 4 (53:21):
It was meant to be the Bills before the Browns.
Speaker 2 (53:24):
Oh yeah. The other thing is, how could you ever
get behind as a sports fan any movie that opens
with the Seattle Seahawks defending Super Bowl champions have the
number one overall pick. Get out of here? Yeah? I will.
Speaker 4 (53:39):
I'm gonna find this.
Speaker 3 (53:40):
There is a column somewhere on NFL dot com where Dan,
you and I both gave our viewpoints on it, and
I know that you've you've recently come down so hard
on it. I I want to go back and see
what you wrote, because I thought you were a little
bit closer to the middle, and I will.
Speaker 4 (53:57):
I'll dump up my results.
Speaker 2 (53:58):
Perhaps perhaps a little closer NFL dot com fresh. I
remember our boss at the time was very pointed in, Hey,
you can't kill the movie. We haven't.
Speaker 3 (54:09):
It's sort of an absurd like written product. If we
can't give an at review.
Speaker 2 (54:12):
If if you if we could track that down, if
you read that back and forth, because you weren't over
the moon about the movie until Yeah, the Glasses of Wine.
Speaker 3 (54:20):
But it's been advertised as if I consider it to
be like Apocalypse now or something, which is not not
the case.
Speaker 2 (54:27):
No, Greg, the Seattle Seahawks and the film are the
defending Super Bowl champions, as I think they were in
real life at the time, and then they were like
they had the number one overall pick.
Speaker 5 (54:36):
I mean this, Yeah, the Seahawks have the number five
pick here after first.
Speaker 2 (54:40):
I'm just saying that I don't think that's ever happened
in the history of this sport anyway. All Right, that's it.
Anything else live stream next Thursday night, Huge Mega Mega
eight pm Eastern or something like that. Be there, seriously,
be there and heed. The car.
Speaker 1 (55:08):
Is never too old to rave in the desert with
black pink. Doesn't know what a black pink is, but
that's not gonna stop them. Baby, need someone to hold
this camera so we can get a good pick in
front of the giant ferris wheel. We'll be at the
(55:30):
Mojave stage if you need us.
Host
Gregg Rosenthal
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.