Giants Huddle | RealGM’s Jeff Risdon

John Schmeelk sits down with RealGM’s NFL Draft Analyst, Jeff Risdon, to give an overall view of the 2023 NFL Draft class, talk about where the Giants can find value at their pick, and dig into the best players at each position group. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Apple | Spotify | Google | Stitcher | iHeartRadio 00:00 - Class overview 04:14 - Cornerback 06:54 - Wide Receiver  17:05 - Tight End 21:27 - Quarterback 28:05- Running Back 31:09 - Offensive Line 35:22 - Safety 50:22 - Defensive Tackle

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time to get inside the Giants Huttle on giants
dot com, part of the Giants Podcast Network. Welcome to
another edition of the Giant Subtle Podcast. I am John Schmulk.
The other man on your screen if you're watching this
is Jeff Risden. He covers the draft for real g M.
Thank you for being with us. It's all brought to
you by psc and G Energy Efficiency for game time

(00:22):
and any time, visit PSG dot com slash Giants for discounts,
rebates and home energy assessments. Now, for the folks out there,
if you haven't missiles listening to our Draft season podcast
with Tony Pauline, you probably don't have a great feel
for this draft class in general. Yet I do encourage
you go subscribe to Draft Season. But for those of
you that only listen to the Giant Tuttle, wanted to
bring in Jeff, who has been with us doing draft
stuff for years, to kind of give us an overview

(00:44):
of the class and what the John's to be looking for,
kind of at that end of the first round area
with that pick in round number one, Jeff, we were
just talking about the Senior Bowls with your fourteenth or
fifteen time down and you've been doing this a long time. Uh,
it's good to be back in the saddle here. This
is gonna be aired after the super Bowl and now
it's it's all about the off season. It is and

(01:06):
it will god less the off season. It's it's time.
And you know, normally when we're talking, we're talking about
the Giants being in the you know, picking in the
eight fifteen range. We're in the twenties this year. And
that that's That's a nice profession change for y'all. I'm
happy for you. Yeah. Absolutely, Um, a little tiring without
any break between you know, a second round playoff appearance
and the draft process, but we've gone through it. We're there,

(01:29):
and you're right, it is nice. We're not talking about
the Giants last year. They have two top ten picks, Jeff,
so a little bit different this year, which would be fun.
Of course, we'll probably catch up with Jeff again at
the Combine do some combine specific stuff, But for now,
let's talk about this class. Jeff, give me your twenty
thousand foot view of the class this year, you know, strengths,
weaknesses compared to pass classes. How do you see the

(01:49):
draft class? Yeah, sure. I think it's not as top
heavy as some of the classes. I think the talents
that are at the very top, Uh, it's shallow up there.
But I think the strength and John you and I
saw it when we were in Mobile. I think the
strength is Day two in the early day three. I
think the players in that middle core, specifically at some positions. Uh,

(02:11):
tight end sticks out, running back sticks out. I think
you're gonna see a lot of a ton of cornerbacks,
which I think is the best position in the draft. Um,
they're good up top, they're also good in the middle. Uh.
It's you know, got blessed teams that need quarterback help.
I think there. I like the quarterbacks at the at
the top in general, but there are very realistic questions

(02:32):
involving all of them. Uh. And I think at the
tail end of the draft, I don't think it's a
very good draft deep this year. The guys are gonna
be taken in the in the sixth and seventh rounds.
It's gonna be one of those where they got to
find the right place and the right fit. More than
it's a talent that that's you know, just waiting to
be on earth, it's kind of an interesting draft. From
that standpoint, it's different than than last year, where I

(02:54):
think we saw, you know, the top of the draft
was fantastic, and that's been the case in a few
of the last year is where you've seen, you know,
transcendent talents who are gonna fit in any team in
any scheme. Don't necessarily have that much this year, with
with a couple of notable exceptions, and that makes the
top of the draft that much tougher to predict this year.
All right, So then broadly speaking, and I think you

(03:15):
probably mentioned one of the positions you're gonna hit here,
but I'll ask it to you open ended. When the
Giants are picking at five, where are you going to
find value? Position wise? Cornerback absolutely, uh and uh man
there's there are so many good corners for all different
types of schemes, teams, um, inside outside, hybrid guys. Uh,

(03:38):
there's an incredible value there. I do think that you're
getting into that range. Offensive line is decent. I don't
see any top end prospects, but that that that cluster
of guys that includes UH, guys like Peter Scarronski, jump
Alschmidts at center, uh Osiris Torrance. I think that's the
sweet spot for those guys as well. So if you're

(04:00):
in need of offensive line help, either inside or outside,
you can probably get a pretty good value right there too,
because those guys, I'll have the potential to be significantly
better than those than that draft range. But I don't
really see more than one of those guys going before
then either. All right, so let's let's start digging into
positions here now. And you've mentioned cornerback, and I think

(04:20):
probably more cornerbacks will be taken in the first round,
JEF than maybe any other position. Maybe pass rusher will
be in that neighborhood as well. How many corners do
you think could go in the first round? And who
are some of the guys you like that would fit
that Wink Martindale scheme where he wants fast guys that
are long and can play price. Man, you just described
Christian Gazala's perfectly. I don't think I love this tape too. Man,

(04:43):
he can make plays on the ball. Yeah, there's so
many good corners this year, so you know, And so
the team that I cover, the Detroit Lions, happens to
eat a cornerback and they're picking at six and eighteen. Uh,
and it wouldn't be terribly shocking if they drafted two
of them. That that's that's how good this class is. Yeah,
guys like Devon and Witherspoon, Joey Porters Jr. Who would

(05:05):
fit very well with Wick Martin Dale and he's I
wouldn't rule out the fact that he could be there. Um,
it would be surprising but not completely unrealistic if he's
there for the Giants and he's Look when you when
your dad is Joey Porter and you play cornerback, there's
a certain style that precedes you. You better believe that's
something that Wick Martindale would like. Yeah, there's uh even

(05:28):
like the hybrid guess like a Brian Branch who's sort
of a safety slot corner type player out of Alabama.
I think you can see as many as seven, possibly
even eight. Another thing that's pushing it in the in
the first round. And man, they're all these guys are talented,
and there's day two guys that are gonna be taken.
I think a guy like Cam Smith out of out

(05:48):
of South Carolina. Um, not necessarily Wick Martin Dale fit,
but a guy who's you know, got a lot of
really impressive tape of his own guy that probably has
to play in a straight zone, but you know another
guy that's certainly talented and it could go in the
first round. There, there's it's a it's a great cornerback class.
Really is all types that you need. So you're telling

(06:09):
me giant fans are gonna be staring at that draft
board from picks ten of twenty four praying that some
of these corners that they want aren't getting drafted, is
basically what you're telling me. Yeah, and and that's where
you have to hope that there's a little bit of
an earlier run on offensive line than than what's gonna happen.
Maybe a couple of off ball linebackers thrown in there. Uh,
it's difficult to envision who those guys would be at

(06:30):
this point, but you never know. Wide receivers. Wide receiver
is the wild card position for me because I don't
know who the number one wide receiver is. I don't
know who's when when that person is going to be
coming off the board either, you know, is is it
is it Addison? Is it Johnston? Um? Do they go
at twelve, do they go at twenty? Like that that's

(06:51):
a wide open variable in this place, and I don't
think anybody has a really good feel for just yet.
All right, well, I think what a great transition, Jeff,
Because wide receivers another position that the Giants are gonna
want to add to this offseason. It's not a great
free agency class, so I think you might be looking
at wide receiver in the draft, you know, And I
want to start with Quentin Johnson. I want to dig
in a little bit more on details what the individual

(07:12):
players here. You know, I've seen Quinn Johnson be mocked
in the top ten. I've seen him mocked around fifteen.
I've seen seen him mocked at you know, what's the
conversation with him? Is it six four two fifteen? He
has the frame that you want. He's pretty good after
the catch. So your thoughts on him and what evaluators
are going to be questioning and looking at when they

(07:34):
decide how much how high you're gonna draft a guy
that that really has all the traits you're looking for. Yeah,
I think a couple of things that that he has
working against him are that he played in the Big twelve,
where past defense is not exactly notable. Uh. He also
played in TCU in a sunny Dike's system, which schemes

(07:55):
guys open pretty well and also schemes easier throws for
their quarterback, Max Duggan, Who's gonna get drafted at some
point too. I like him. I like Johnson a lot.
Actually he's he's he showed the ability to get open
on his own by changing speeds, by using his size
pretty well. He is good after the catch. Um. I
I see some comparisons out there to Kenny Golladay and

(08:17):
instantly Giants fans are you know he's I'm not saying
that he's like Kenny Golladay, but frame wise he is.
But as a receiver, he's much more lithe in space,
much more agile. And I think that the the ability
to work over the middle is something that he's gonna have.
Um that you don't necessarily see out of guy's his
size all that while you can line him up in

(08:38):
the slot and he can be your giant slot if
you want to use that in your offense. And uh
I I I struggle with where to project him. Like
you said, ten is realistic, is realistic? Anywhere in between
is realistic too, And and that's that's through a couple
of the wide receivers in this class. I like him
a lot. He's I dare say he will be the

(08:58):
number one wide receiver. I'm not going toll my evaluations yet,
but he right now, he's sitting on the top spot,
all right, Jeff, separate for me the Jordan Addison's the
Jackson Smith and Jigba's the z A Flowers. I'm gonna
throw Josh downs in that mix. I liked his tape
that much when I looked at it, And you don't
throw Jale hide and there with his speed too, you
can you know, you could you know where they ranked.

(09:20):
I guess sure, But when you look at the skill
sets between those guys, how do you kind of separate
and break him out in terms of what teams should
be looking for if they want that particular player. Yeah, Flowers,
I really like the Save Flowers tape. I wish he
was a little bit bigger, and I wish he was
just a smidge faster. But he's a guy that I
think he can start in the slot right away at
the NFL level. Smith and Jigba is uh Look, Ohio State.

(09:44):
One of the things that they do very well at
that program, is they churn out guys that are ready
to run routes in the NFL. Not every program does that. That.
That's actually one of the things that you have to
watch with with Johnston and with Addison even Uh, he's
gonna be ready. You know you saw Crystal Lobby, Sug
Garrett Wilson last year. Those guys come in understanding, you know,

(10:04):
spatial dynamics, understanding that Okay, when it's a nine yard out,
you've got to run it the same way every time,
same footwork every time. And uh that that that's something
that you know, if you don't have to wait on
that guy even your three months of training camp where
you're trying to drill that into his head. That's a
big asset for a team like the Giants that's ready

(10:25):
to win now and need somebody that can contribute right away.
I don't want to Jeff real quick, but he played
mostly slot Ohio State. Do you think he can work
outside in the NFL? I do, yes. Uh, it's gonna
be one of those cases where I think, um, I'll
hearken to uh, a guy that we have any trade
as Amon Ross Brown. Very different type of receiver, but
the concept that you can play inside but also flip

(10:47):
outside or work in a bunch of formation. Uh. Smith
and Jeb can absolutely do that. For you. You mentioned Addison,
You know, I think he's very polished, he's a ton
of production. He can run away from guys. You know.
To me, he's just really really solid. How do you
have him compared to you know, Smith and Jigmin And
you mentioned Flowers and how you think the rankings will

(11:08):
play out, and where are you think he's gonna get drafted?
Because I could easily see him being the first guy
off the board. I can see him being the third
guy or fourth guy off the board too. Yeah. And
I think when we meet in India in a few
weeks it's going to be very telling for him because
how how speedy is his speed? Um, it looks fantastic
on tape. Uh. And again his ability to change speeds
while he's sent a route to create a little bit

(11:30):
of separation, and his ability to play the ball in
the air I think is underappreciated for a guy that
has his level of production. He did it at two
different schools, across different quarterbacks, different offensive schemes. That's impressive
to me. Uh, He's he's got a lot to like.
There are times when you wonder, Um, when he's not
the designated number one receiver on a route, is he

(11:51):
really running it all that hard? And that is concerning. Uh,
that that's something that he's gonna have to answer for.
But he's a very talented guy. Uh. Look, if you
can bet um at LISTA, Michigan where I live, you
can bet on who's gonna be the number one wide receiver.
And right now he is the the odds on favorite
to be the number one wide receiver taken. But again,

(12:11):
we we got two and a half months before the draft,
yet those things change. But he's certainly a guy that
I expect to be gone before the Giants pick. Okay,
although two other guys actually at this position, and this
is one of the positions Giant fans really excited. But
then maybe I'll try to lock you down some of
those corners too, Um. Jalen highly he scares the hell
out of me. Jeff, I'm not gonna lie like you

(12:32):
watch him, and boy, he is fast. He runs away
from guys like he is better speed on tape than
any of the guys we just talked about. I mean,
he is a blazer but boy, you watch that Tennessee
offense and it looks nothing like when an NFL offense
is gonna look like he's not gonna be as he's
gonna be asked to do so much for in an
NFL offense, and what he did a Tennessee and look,

(12:52):
I think Early can use him as a field stretcher
and stuff like that. Absolutely, you know, he didn't make
a ton of contested catches even deep. He was just open.
And I worry about how quickly he's going to impact
the NFL game except as a deep diret right away,
because I do think the other aspects of his game
really need to be developed. Yeah, he's very good working
down the field, and like you said, you can line

(13:14):
him up right now on the outside with with a
slot inside and him on with the flex out tight
end and make it work and he's gonna be able
to create space. He's going to hold those safeties. He's
gonna draw that zone deeper and wider, which means that
if you've got a running back that can catch them
out of the backfield, there's gonna be a lot of
room for him. You've got a quarterback that can run,
He's gonna be able to take advantage of that. But

(13:35):
as far as his production, yeah, there's there's a lot
to look at. You know, he was very he was
schemed open um. It's not his fault. And and maybe
he can be a guy that gets open on his own,
but he's leggy for his speed, doesn't necessarily get off
the line as fast as some other guys like that.
He reminds me somewhat of Will Fuller coming out an

(13:57):
owned name, except Will Fuller couldn't catch I think Jen High.
I don't have any I don't have any real questions
about his hands. I've not seen him block again. It's
not that I don't know that he can't, it's just
that we haven't seen that he can as a function
of their offense. So there are definitely some questions with him,
all right. The final receiver I'm gonna throw at you
is Josh Downs down in North Carolina, because I love

(14:17):
this guy. Um. I watched his tape, and I watched
him and A Flowers back to back, and and a
lot of people you know, and you included loves A Flowers.
I don't see much of a difference between the two guys,
So informing Why is A Flowers a much better pick
than Josh Downs, the guy you might be able to
get later. Yeah, And I think some of that is
is dealing with the quarterbacks that was throwing the ball

(14:39):
to him. You look at North Carolina, You've got the
potential number one pick in the draft throwing the ball
to him. You look at at say Flowers and usfl
Maybe maybe, Uh, there is a difference there. And I
think the consistency with which the ball was delivered two downs,
when and where he needed it, uh, sort of takes

(15:01):
away from his skills. I like Dallas quite a bit.
He has some very impressive tape, especially his good good programs.
I think he rose up when when the Tatary Hillis
had to play a good team and Uh that that
impresses me. I'd like to see that Smith and Jingua
did that, by the way to uh. And I said
Rodney Bell on a Michigan a guy who's gonna come
you know, probably fourth or fifth round that we saw

(15:22):
down in Mobile. Uh. Again, it depends on how highly
you want to prioritize that position, how much resources you
want to spend to it, and and what sort of
players you can get in lieu of him, you know,
are you are you choosing between one of those in
the first round verses one in the third round? And
how how much does your offense use that role? I
think for New York, I'm looking pretty prominently that. You know,

(15:45):
if if I can get a guy at that I want,
or you know, maybe bubble up, you know a little
bit in the second round, then uh, I'm gonna make
that call. But yeah, Dallas and Flowers, there's not a
lot of separation, and you will find some draft analysts
who will have Dallas Ray higher. And I wouldn't necessarily
quival with that all that hard. Where's the big drop
of a wide receiver? Jeff? But can the Giants wait

(16:07):
for pick I guess what would be fifty eight? I
guess it would be in round number two to get
a wide receiver. Or at that point, are you looking
at more developmental guys, guys that will be threes or
fours and not somebody that will help you right away? Yeah,
I think you're looking more than at a guy that's
not going to be a big time contributor for you.
You're you're looking at a guy that's gonna be your

(16:28):
wide receiver. Three Hu, I like the way you put that,
or a guy that's more one dimensional, a guy that's
going to do I'm going to be your slot receiver
that runs you know, eight yard eight yard routes, option
routes all day, or I'm going to be a big
receiver on the outside that's never gonna catch a pass
inside ten yards. Uh. That's sort of the choice that

(16:48):
you're making there. So there is a bit of a
drop off. Now, those guys are useful. There's a lot
of guys that can do either of those things that
you can get at fifty six or in the third
or fourth round h and will be good players, but
they're not going to necessarily be the guys that really
impact your coverage or or change the way that your
offense runs. All right, makes sense. Let's go to tight

(17:09):
end because I think a lot of Giant fans are thinking, oh,
you know, it's not the best wide receiver class, but
it's an awesome tight end class. And I think you
have three or four guys Jeff Frankly that I think
could go in the first round, maybe four or five
that are deserving to potentially go in the first round.
Give the fans a rundown on the top of this
tight end class. Who you like and kind of what
separates some of these really good players. Yeah, Michael Mayer

(17:31):
is the top guy from Notre Dame. He is. He
is very polished. He is certainly worthy of a first
round pick. Uh. He can do it all. Um. Notre
Dame has a pretty good history of putting out tight
ends that can block, that, that can catch the ball,
that can line up inside, outside motion, across. He can
do everything. Uh. He is certainly worthy of the number
twenty five overall pick. I wouldn't have stated that at all.

(17:55):
Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State is a great athlete,
pretty good blocker. Most of the time in Mobile he
couldn't catch the ball, which was very strange because that's rust.
That's gotta be rust, right, I think so. Yeah, because
he didn't play a lot, you know, miss basically the
entire season. Yeah, and working with different quarterbacks. I'm not
gonna hold that I guess him too much, but some

(18:17):
of them were like like, wow, Maad, have your hands
ready to catch the ball. Right? But yeah, there there's
a lot of very impressive tight ends. If you go
down a little bit deeper, we saw Paine Durham was
one of the big stars down there. How to Purdue
looks like I do it all Um, he might be
like a tight end one A. I'm not necessarily sure
that he's like your your alpha dog tight end. But

(18:38):
I got like Dalton Schultz out of the of Dallas
is very favorite with the Dalton Schultz and that's the
guy that I think. Uh, I think the Giants can
use a guy like that. I with a couple more
guys out to you that I know, I really like.
I watched Dalton Kincadia day out of Utah and I
oddly which we haven't gotten a lot of, Jeff, I
think we're getting a lot of two weight tight ends
in this draft that have the size and ability to

(18:59):
block and match. But I think if you're looking for
more that move tight end, that f guy, I think
Dalton Kincaide runs better routes than any other tight end.
He's natural catching the football, he separates. You know, if
you're looking for a receiver that's gonna bang right away
for you, I think I think I think Kincade your guy. Yeah,
he can. He can make things happen after the catch too. Uh.

(19:20):
And Utah's offense helps facilitate that. He's certainly a very
talented player. I like him a lot in that that
move role, and he can he can line up at
fullback for you as well if you want to load
up the backfield or going to Yeah, he's he's got
that ability for sure. How about Sam Laporta out of Iowa.
You know he he kind of has that Dalton Shultz

(19:41):
vibe to me too, Right, he doesn't have that top
end speed, but I thought his route running was really good.
He's quick in and out of the brakes. And you know,
Ilwa just doesn't throw the ball a tons, So you
don't know how good these guys are sometimes. Just look
at Charlie Jones, right, who had to go to Purdue,
and then he blows up and I think he's gonna
be a really good wide receiver. So your thoughts on
REPORTA And I even though Tucker raft At he had
the South Dakota State with a small school guy, but boy,

(20:03):
some of the stuff he does down the scene with
his athleticism, you wonder what his upside is. Yeah with him,
You're you're thinking, is this Dallas Goddard two point oh uh?
Coming from that that sort of division and that level
of play and being your number one receiver as a
tight end in college, you don't get a lot of that.
He's worn that crown pretty darn well. So he's certainly intriguing.

(20:24):
I want to see how his athleticism tests. I want
to see him standing next to the other guys in
Indie just, you know, how does he look because there's
a lot of there's a lot of football talent in
that guy Laporta. You know Iowa tight ends. Um, We've
dealt with a ton of them over the years. He's
different that He's not t J. Hawkins and he's not
fan you know, he's he's uh, he's a little bit

(20:47):
more of a an inline guy. Uh. I know they
do use him as a move and man, their passing
offense was stone age that they it was rough man.
So he's got more more of a jump to make
in terms of doing NFL tight end skills outside of
blocking than what you're gonna see from the other guys.

(21:08):
But if you're in need a big guy in the
I'm gonna guess he's gonna go probably in the third
or fourth round, depending on his athletic testing. He could
bubble up a little bit. He actually could fall a
little bit from that too. If you need a guy
that can come in and be your inline blocking tight
end right away, fine give me that. If you're if
you need a guy that's gonna, you know, go out
and catch you forty passes as a rookie, it's probably
not your guy. All right, Let's go over to a quarterback.

(21:31):
You mentioned it earlier. Then we've had offensive line and
running back here. Uh, Giants aren't really in this market,
so I don't spend too much time on a Jeff.
But if you could just like combine Bryce Young's ability
to play quarterback and then just like put him in
Will Levis's or c. J. Stroud's body, I mean you
basically have Trevor like Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck. I
mean you'd have an elite quarterback. Is Bryce young size

(21:52):
the only thing that you worry about when you watch him?
Because that's the only thing I worry about. That dude
looks like you know, Drew brees out there. The way
he moves and finds angles and steps up in the pocket,
creates space. He I mean, he just bleeds special to me.
As long as his body can hold up. He's a
very talented player, There's no doubt about it. His size
is certainly the biggest worry. I do worry. He had

(22:14):
some struggles in the Tennessee game this year, um in
the Cincinnati game a year prior, and also in the
LSU games both years when when he's pressured up the gut,
he doesn't make the best decisions and he can be
late to see some routes as well. Now, now, some
of that is the fact that we were so used
to Alabama having absolutely loaded offenses where everybody on the

(22:36):
team gets drafted. This is probably their weakest supporting cast
for a quarterback in a long time, and you do
have to take that into account. But he wasn't always
the sharpest at making the right decision quickly when under
the pressure. Again that that's sort of nitpicking with him.
I was certainly take him over, will love us, even
at his size. But yeah, that he's he's he's really

(22:59):
good at and it's fun to watch him play. Uh.
And and you see him in the commercials. You see him,
you know, interacting with with the players. Uh. He's got
the leadership, he's got the chrisma, he's got everything. It's
just he's maybe five nine and a half, maybe five
pounds is a playing weight. Um when I my suspicion

(23:19):
is he's gonna show up an India two pounds and
not do anything, just to show that he said pick
and you got to weigh that into you know. It's
it's a tough one for the right team with a
very good offensive wine that can protect him. He's I
like his chances, I really do. So do I help
be one of those guys in Indie walking around with

(23:40):
gallons of water every where he goes, making sure he
maximizes his hydration so he maximizes his way, and noe
doubt about that. All right, par Stroud and Levice for me,
throw Nentest Anthony Richardson in the mix if you want.
I think, when all of a sudden done, Levis is
gonna go ahead of Stroud. I think people probably just
like the armed talent and the athleticism combination a little

(24:02):
bit better for me, And I hate the scott helmets
and I don't like doing it. But the tough adjustment
for Haskins and Fields going from the Ohio state passing
scheme to the NFL does worry me. To be honest
with you, you have such good wide receivers there, and
you know it's just not you know, the things they
do in the house you can't do in the NFL
because they're just so much more talent than everybody else.

(24:23):
So your thoughts on kind of those two guys, and
then Richardson who I mean, I could see him go
in tent, I could see him going thirty five. I mean, who,
who the hell knows? Yeah. I like Stroude quite a
bit more that I like left Us. And some of
that is the fact that you know, I, you know,
being in Big ten country. Uh, And I went to
high school Columbus. I'm not an Ohio State. I'm an
Ohio popcat. Cook gotta throw that in. UM. I like

(24:47):
what Stroud did. I think he was a guy more
than even Fields that was more constrained by Ohio State's offense.
I think he can transcend what he was asked to
do in Columbus. I really do. The physical talent is there.
He's a very bright guy. Uh. We saw in the
Michigan game, but we saw it a little bit in
their bowl game. He could run. He has the athleticism

(25:09):
they asked him not to do it. We've seen Justin
Fields was the same way. Um, and he he's gonna
be and fifty yard rusher next season in Chicago with
their brutal offensive line and terrifyingly inept wide receiving corps.
I like Stroud. I'm gonna bet on him, but I
do think that Levis is gonna wind up going before him.

(25:32):
For like you said, he comes from a more pro
style ready offense. He does have the physical gifts. I
just worry it seems like he's just sort of painting
by numbers at times in that offense. Oh my god, Jeff,
I can't believe he just used that words on our
draft season podcast. I call him a paint by numbers
quarterback all the time. He go, yeah, there's a lot

(25:55):
of that, And I think he I think he can
be a good quarterback. But I'm I actually I like Cherson.
Uh and certainly Richardson's upside more uh. And I was
on another podcast recently where I talked about his development.
If you just watched Anthony Richardson in September, you're gonna
think that guy, Why in the world with my team
draft him at all, let alone in the first round.

(26:15):
If you watched him at the end of the season
like it wasn't a straight uphill. He had some valleys
in that in there. But man, for a guy making
his first career starts um at a Florida program that
isn't what Florida used to be um in in in
an offense that didn't always necessarily play to his strengths. Man,
the development that I saw from week one to week

(26:36):
whatever was really impressive, and his athletic ability, his release,
his ability to adapt to what was around him. I
really like him. I'm gonna bet on him as well.
I don't think he's gonna be there for the Giants.
Stat that the Giants are in the market for a quarterback,
but I I don't think he's gonna be there. I think
he's gonna be gone. And I will throw hand and
hooker into this mix as well. He's probably not gonna

(26:58):
play in three um, which you know obviously, you know
rules out a lot of things. Fifty eight touchdowns to
five interceptions in the STC over the last two seasons.
That's not an accident. That doesn't happen by a flute.
That guy is a very good precision passer. Now again,
their offense, schemed a lot of things up for him.

(27:22):
Uh and he is older. He's is gonna be twenty
six by the time he plays in the NFL more
than likely. That's a tough sell. But man, that's a
really really good football player. Another a smart guy who
can run, who can create, who can do things beyond
what the structure of what he was asked to do
in college. At least, I believe that. I think he's
a top fifty prospect in this draft, and I hope

(27:43):
that he gets drafted that way. And by the way,
I think, I do think Strouds is safer draft pick
than than both Levis or Richardson. For sure. I think
he just accurate. He's really accurate player. And the other
the descript I used for Levis, it looks like you
took a football player that's not a quarterback and told
him to play quarterback. He just doesn't. He doesn't look natural.
They're doing it a lot of the time. But I'm

(28:04):
with you, Um, I think it'll be interesting to see
where those guys go. All right, let's go to running
back here quick. You know, Jon and probably the best
running back coming out since ku Um. Agree, If you're
just going by grades, he's probably a top five pick,
the top three pick in this draft. That good. But then, man,
I mean just at the Senior Bowl watching these guys,
I mean you're looking at probably six or eight guys

(28:28):
that could go on Day two. I mean, this is
rich and these are guys that I think can step
in and start in the NFL right away. Jeff, We're
gonna have the running back corps around the league just
really bolstered this year with a really deep class. Who
are some of the guys you like? And his richest
is back of Roshan Johnson is a guy, uh was
very good at the Senior Bowl before he broke his

(28:48):
hand and kept playing by the way for the rest
of the game. Um, he's much more of your rumbler.
But yeah, ty j spears down there, my goodness, electrifying
open field speed and abley to catch the out of
the backfield. Oh man, my head is just like a
wash with all the guys that are out there. There
are so many good running backs, uh a million. Yeah. Yeah.

(29:13):
Macintosh is a great one out of Georgia. Gibbs. I
mean there's so many, yeah, Syracuse. Um, and his name's
slip in mind is the guy that I really like.
Uh that there there there are so many running backs
that can do whatever you want them to do, even
even some of the like the guys that were at
at the Shrine Bowl and the nflp A Collegiate Bowl, Like,

(29:34):
there's some very real talent that's gonna have an impact
in this league right away. It's a great year to
take one. Um, if you're the Giant slip, let's assume
that se Quon is back to take a guy in
the fourth, fifth round. That's gonna be, you know, a
complimentary back and not necessarily that the Giants even need that.
But man, this is a year where there are more

(29:54):
running backs. And by the way, the free agent classes
also loaded. It's a it's a buyer is market for
running backs, and uh, it's a great time to need
running backs. Unfortunately, on the other end of it, you know,
no country for old running backs. The running back market.
These guys are gonna get paid what they're probably worth
or drafted as high as you would think they would.

(30:15):
Like you said, I'm fully with you. I think the
gen Robinson is the best running back prospects at St.
Quon Barkley. He might not even be a first rounder, Like,
as crazy as that sounds, he's gonna be on on
the top five overall for a lot of draft boards
and could be there for mine. And it's tough to
project him as the top twenty pick because there's just

(30:36):
so little, like like what does he give? You use
the analogy like he's a Mercedes S class, but you
can least a BMW seven series or an Audi A
seven or the top of the line Genesis, you know,
you know, two two picks later or in free agency
for much cheaper than what you can get for him.

(30:57):
Is it really that big of a difference, which we
what you're getting with what you're getting with you guys
down the line, and it's it's such a loaded class, Yeah,
it really is. If you want to running back, this
is a good year to to be in the market
for one for sure. All Right. You mentioned old line earlier,
and I think the Giants they're pretty set of tackle
right now, Jeff, so I don't spend too much time
there with Evan Neil and of course Andrew Thomas out there,

(31:20):
but they could use some help inside. You mentioned those
cirus torns, and I think we saw a bunch of
potential plug and play inside guys at the Senior Bowl.
You can talk about those guys any other guys that
you think you know are worth mentioning inside and you
know where you think the sweet spot is for for
bringing in one of those into your offensive lineman. Yeah,
there's a lot of Day three guys and we have
the same need in Detroit, we needed starting right guard. Um.

(31:42):
Former giant Evan Brown is going to be priced out
of our market. Uh. And and good for him, by
the way, very very good, scrappy fight. If you need
to start et center, he's gonna be a good one.
That's that's gonna get paid in frenzy guys like uh
Broker out of Mississippi. Uh, Jared Patterson out of Notreed game. Uh.
We saw Darnell Wright from Tennessee. I think he's gonna

(32:05):
I think he's gonna want to playing tackle. But that's
the guy that I would love as a guard. You know,
we saw several of these guys down in in Mobile. Um.
McLennon Curtis from Chattanooga was the guy who really opened
my eyes. I hadn't seen him play at all. I
see him out of Mobile and like, my goodness, that's true.
He's like an NFL starting guards you can get you know,
in the ninety one twenty range. That's that's a great

(32:27):
spot to need a You don't need a premium pick
on a guard. If if you have one to spend,
that's fantastic. You don't necessarily need it, especially when you've
got a guard when when you when your tackles are
set and you know you don't have to worry about
their outside shoulders so much. That that's the nice luxury.
So I would love for the Giants to tap into
that mid mid tier market. There's pquite a few guys
in there in there as well. Uh, there's Ohio State

(32:50):
has one, Michigan has one. Uh and we Tumbly probably
pegged primarily as a center and that's where he wants it.
But if you need to play him at or he
could playim in a pension. He's a Day two guy,
so great year need a you know that that middle
tier into your offensive line. Yeah, Whippler, the highest States
center I think is the guy you're referring to. He's

(33:10):
very good. Here's the question, do you think there's a
chance not one guard center goes in the first round?
Do you think either Torrens or John Michael Schmidt's might
kind of slide their way in there. I think Schmitz
played his way into that and solidified, and he will
slip fight with his weight room numbers down in Indianapolis.
He's really really good. I compare him to Alex mac um.
He's not quite that top end of an athlete. I

(33:33):
remember going to my first Senior Bowl and Alex mack
in warm ups on the first day did a full
splits a pounds and got up without using his hands.
I'm like, holy crow, this is a different world. Uh.
And he's he's got a shot at at being in
the Hall of Fame someday. I'm not putting that on Schmidts,
but there's a lot of stylistic similarities between those two.

(33:56):
So I think he's gonna go pretty high. Actually think
he could go higher than what's expected. He could be
a top fifteen pick. Wow, that you know, Torrance. Torrance
is really good. I think we saw right being really good.
But that I don't think those guys they could go
in the twenties. They could also go in the in
the thirties, in the early forties. Again, because there's such

(34:16):
a glut of guys in that next tier below it.
And again, the difference between having a premium starting right
guard or center and having a like B plus level
um isn't that great on your football team. Like, that's
not where you want your difference makers necessarily to be so.
And I think the NFL is catching onto that. You know,

(34:38):
it's great to have them if you can get them,
but you don't necessarily need them to be an effective offense.
Scronski a guard in the NFL, And is there any
the Giant. Uh, he's got a shot at his arms
are small? No, I know they're short. There are a
guy at that height that that you know you're looking at.

(35:01):
You know the it's not a t rex, but it's
not exactly a pterodactyl either baring diitos or arms. He's
really really skilled and well coached. And I think that's
gonna get him out of I think he's gonna be
off the board before the Giants picked. And I do
think that the team is gonna try him at tackle
um and and make him prove that he can't play

(35:22):
tackle before they move him inside. No question about it.
All right, that's the offense, Jeff, Unless there's anything else
you want to put out there about the offensive side
of the ball before I shift over to D here. No,
we're good. All right, let's let's let's go over the defense.
Let's start the outside and we really get cornerback. So
how about the safety class? You know, I think we
got a good mix of guys here. We kind of
see some of those safety swat combo guys, um a

(35:44):
little bit. So your idea on the class, and you
know they come in so many shapes and sizes and rolls. Now,
how you kind of separate the guys out that way? Yeah?
I like Brian Branch quite a bit as your hybrid guy,
your guy that can play as your slot cornerback as
well as an off ball free safety. UM. Probably don't
want to play a single high Um. We saw a

(36:05):
few guys down uh in Mobile that I thought showed
out pretty well. Brown from from Illinois as a guy,
he's much more of your Jabriel Pepper's edge safety type
of guy. UM. Not that they used Jabrill like that
in Cleveland, but you know, I think you get the
idea of New York of where he's used and and
Brown reminds me of quite a bit of him. Uh,

(36:27):
the ball Hawks safety doesn't necessarily exist in this class,
which is kind of weird. Um. And if they do,
it's the lower tier guys and more developmental guys that Okay,
I know he's gonna get four interceptions for me, but
is he gonna give up eight touchdowns? Can you tackle
a tight end in space at all? Um? And there's
a lot of guys that are in that boat. And

(36:47):
I'm still sorting through those guys. Uh, but there's it's
a good I think class to need a developmental guy
that you want to bring up in a specific role. Um.
You know, the top and safety Kyle Hamilton isn't in
this last but I'll refer to my Lions again here.
They got Kirby Joseph in the third round last year. Uh.
That guy is a future standout starter and you're looking

(37:10):
for that guy. And again it's gonna be about Kenny
fit into your scheme. What do you need your safety
to do? Um? If you need a box safety, I'm
not sure this is a great box safety class beyond
Brown and and a couple other guys. But uh no,
as far as like roaming safeties, that's what we're gonna
have to find the right guy for your scheme, your

(37:30):
coach specifically, and and his mentality and this fit and
exactly what you needed to do. Um I saw. I'm
just getting into the safety class right now. As an evaluator,
I will tell you the missed tackles from this class
for fairly alarm me. Yeah, and that's what you don't
want out of a safety, right your last line defense
and he can't be missing. Yes, safety means something, Yes,

(37:53):
that does all right? Uh? Inside linebacker off ball, This
is kind of jeff one of those positions. I think
the Giants could really targeting here. Uh. They kind of
are mixing guys in and out. I mean they brought
Jared Davis over from the Lions at the end of
the year, and I think around Christmas Eve he started
there two playoff games. That's how desperate they wore for
inside linebackers. So take us to the class. Is there

(38:15):
going to be someone worth the bank for the bucket
twenty five or is that something you're gonna have to
tackle later. Brew Sanders is a very interesting one to be.
I like him a lot coming out of Arkansas. He's
a player that has a lot of upside For me,
as a guy who can pass rush and a gap blitz. Uh.
He's he's certainly interesting. Jack Campbell is interesting out of Iowa.

(38:36):
I like the day, day to day three hybrid guys.
Diane Henley out of Washington State is the guy that
interests me. Uh. There's I'm blanking on a couple of
the other guys, but there there are functional guys. It's
a smaller class to toa overshown Over is another guy. Um,
I think he's probably a great run and chase linebacker.

(38:58):
Not necessarily you're not getting You're not kidding, Mike Singletary
in this class. You're not getting uh uh, Patrick Willis.
The bigger guys aren't really in this past. There's a
lot of the hybrid safety court or safety linebacker guys
that that can turn run cover a little bit. Um,

(39:18):
that's where this class is strong. You're not probably not
getting the three down linebacker. I'm not sure that it
exists a lot in the NFL to begin with anymore.
And I don't think you know that there there's a
preponderance of guys in this class that will do that
for you either. You mentioned Campbell, who I think is interesting.
Is he one of the guys that you think can
be one of the few guys that can be a

(39:39):
two way tight enday tight end, two way linebacker in
this class. Yeah, because in part because he can go
out and cover a tight end, but he can also
stay in the box and be an asset and run defense.
The big thing with him is Iowa protected him a
old tongue with a very good defensive line. Um, if
you're NFL team can't do that, how well does he
fit that for you? And there's a few guys that
fall into that that box this you're the you know, Okay,

(40:02):
the defensive line that was in front of them was great,
kept them clean and they were free to run around
overshowing somewhat of that. And Trent Simpsons probably in that
category to right at a Clemson Yeah, definitely. Trent Simpson
is a guy. He there's some mistackles on film for him.
There's some misassignments on film for him. Uh. I think
he's gonna go higher than I will probably rank him.

(40:25):
He's a very heavy player. Um. But he he also
one of the big things that I watched when I'm
watching linebackers his body control. Um. And Jared Davis relates
to this. He can get from point A to point
be really fast, but if he's got to go from
point B to point ce quickly, can he get there?
I don't necessarily see that. With Trent and Simpson. I
see a lot of overshot angles. Uh, and those worry me. Um,

(40:47):
as a guy that you know watches linebackers um in Detroit, Cleveland,
and Houston do that very consistently over the last few years.
Can you stop yourself? Do you have the body control
where the running back's gonna make a cut, can get
him on the ground. From where I'm at, Do I
fire too early? That's something that you see. Um, I'm

(41:08):
looking at the linebacker. I can see him. He's coming
out of Penny Soul's brother does that all the time.
He triggers early and gets beaten because of it. That's
the guy that's probably gonna get overhyped by I think
a lot of the draft class. If he was if
his name wasn't Sewell, I'm not sure that he's the
top prospect, but I think that you're still gonna see

(41:28):
a lot of people projecting him in the late first,
early second round. That this game doesn't have that. It
just doesn't for me. All right. One of the linebacker
is the Alabama on Henry to Ata, a guy we
haven't talked about much breaking that for me. Very smart
guy and he his play in space got better. Another
guy that's very well protected by his defensive line. I

(41:50):
did see things from him that I like that. I
think he started to see the field better in his
final season, and we didn't get to see him done
in mobile that was a little bit disappointing. He's a
perfectly capable starting linebacker. I'm not sure there's ever gonna
be more than that though, Like, do you do you
want a guy who's going to be an impact player?
That's probably not him, But do you need a guy

(42:11):
that can come in reliably cover a tight end or
you know, pick up a running back on a Texas
route and terminate the player right away. I think he's
gonna be very good at doing that, very good. All right,
let's jump to the edge players, and you know you're
gonna have some hybrid guys in this group too. Is
will Anderson like if he was in last year's class,
is he going before Hutchinson? Is he going before Thibodeau?

(42:32):
As Hes going before Trayvon Walker? Based on his tape
this year and obvious you can look at one tape too, obviously,
and then after that, who are some of the edge
guys you like if the Giants want to try to
supplement what they have with Cavon, Thibodeau and ziz Ojilari, Yeah,
you're Anderson for me is a he's not a cut
and driving evaluation. He's not a sure fire top five

(42:53):
prospect for me. Uh, there are gaps in his production.
There are times where he looks like he's going through
the motions. Um, where he's a little bit too content
to be blocked for a guy with his ridiculous athleticism
or what we're led to believe, this is ridiculous, ridiculous athleticism. Well,
he's gonna be one of the top five picks in

(43:13):
the draft. I have very little doubt about that. Um.
There's he's not the slam dunk that I think a
lot of people think he is. Now when when you're
getting you're getting to that next year, Um, and guys
that that could possibly interest the Giants later on? You
know again, do you want a guy this more like oh,
jul aari as sort of a I don't want to

(43:33):
call him one note, because I think that's that's under
selling him. But a speed rusher, a guy who's gonna
win primarily outside or working you know, off of a
guy that's inside him in a tandem type of combination.
Or or you're gonna get a guy like Thibodeau that
you know is hopefully the alpha rusher that you need,
a guy that you know dictates. Okay, I gotta have

(43:55):
my tight end come over here. It's not a great
year for the past trussures, to be honest with you,
of uh. And and you know, you see Miles Murphy
as a guy that's listed. I'm not his biggest fan. Uh,
it's it's just not that exciting. But of a rush class,
you know down in and we saw Derek Hall out
of Auburn. Pretty intriguing guy. If that guy ever figures

(44:15):
out to turn the bluetooth off and actually use his
hands in his pass rush, he's gonna be good. But
he's not there yet, you know. Uh, there's a few
of those guys that Okay, let's let's let's see you
cover up your fatal flaw as a pass rusher right now. Uh.
And maybe Isaiah Fosky, another guy out of Notre Dame.
Physical guy can win over either shoulder, but he he

(44:40):
loves to spin, move and stop, and I don't like that,
but it showed up. I live close enough to the
other name, but I get to go to their games.
I saw him at standard the Stanford game. He did
that twice where he's got the guy beat, but he
he wastes to feel where the where the which way
to spin out of it, just turning his back into
the blocker. He doesn't always make the right decision. It

(45:01):
doesnt always come out of with the birthday you need.
So it's there's a lot of Day two guys that
are going to be, like Ogilori, a complimentary rusher. I
don't think you're finding many alpha dogs in this class.
One of the two guys I want to throw at
you is is Tyree Wilson and Lucas van nest So.
I think people love their athleticism, but just haven't. There's
so many guys where you see potential, Jeff, but the

(45:24):
production isn't quite there yet. And the one thing that
tends to carry over from from college to pros his
pass rush production. And I just don't think we have
that elite production even if we do have some guys
like you mentioned Miles Morphy's got tools, right, why do
you guys have tools? And I want you to talk
about Wilson and Vanes specifically, but we just haven't seen
it turn into you know, this guy's a really good
pass rusher. Yeah. And Wilson again the thirties, six plus

(45:47):
inch arms. Uh. Here, he's he just have a great
deal of twitch to him. I'm not gonna say that
he's stiff, because he's not that that's that's not right.
But is this guy, you know, dripping with the athleticism
to win consistently on the outside. He's the guy that
I would love in a role where you're playing an

(46:08):
odd man front or you're playing him as your fourth
lineman and you play him over the tackle. I don't
want him. I don't want him outside because if you're
playing an offensive tackle with quick hands, he's gonna be
able to neutralize him. Uh. And his length is almost
it's almost too long. Um. As weird as it is
to say that, you know, coming from it, I'm a

(46:29):
volleyball player by trade. That's that's what I did when
I before my body quit. Um. And there's a point
of diminishing returns with height and length in volleyball, and
I think you see that with defensive ends as well,
um and offensive tackles by the way, but less more
so with the super long guys like it just takes
so long to get your arm in hand out there,

(46:49):
and if you miss or you don't win that initial battle,
what do you have left? And that's the question that
I have with Wilson. Van Ness is a guy. Look Iowa,
we're talking about Iowa and their weird program. Again. I
think some of what he does does translate very well,
and you're gonna see athleticism out of him. But I

(47:10):
have hard time not seeing um the guy, and it's
killing me because he's from my hometown of zeal In, Michigan.
He was in last year's Zack Vane Balkenberg. He's he's
a much better athlete than Zach was. But does he
have that transcending athleticism. Does he have the the technical
prowess to go make an impact of the NFL? Right now?

(47:31):
I think NFL draft anists are writting a lot of
checks and I don't think van Neesse can cash just yet. Now.
Maybe he will once he gets his feet with but
I don't see that top end prospect that a lot
of people are writting him up to be, like in
the top twelve in some of these mon drafts, And
I don't think that a starter. He played inside a lot, Jeff,

(47:53):
I'm I'm with you on that. Yeah, he could very
well be a good football player, but I'm not getting
hype on it. He's he's in that fifty to eighty
overall range for me right now. And I have I
have seen him play in person. Um what little he
did play, I don't. I don't get it, man, I
just don't. All right, let's go to defensive tackle. Will
wrap up here, and I guess it's fitting that we

(48:15):
saved this one for last because I think maybe the
best player in the class might be at defensive tackle,
and amazingly, maybe the best player on the Georgia defense
the last two years, which has been one of the
you know, best defenses and in the history of college football.
Will be quite frank with you, Jalen Carter is phenomenal.
You could you know, give me your little view on him,
and then how does the rest of this group kind

(48:35):
of play out? Because there I don't know, Ye, I'm
just not sure about it. Yeah, Jalen Carter's number one
for me. Uh, number one overall for me. And that
doesn't mean you take him number one overall because there's
some positional value there. Uh. Look, I I watched Indomican
suit Nebraska. I watched him come up with the Lions.

(48:57):
He's as close to Endominican suit as I a scene
from a prospect and that's certainly worthy of a premium pick.
He's got the attitude, he's got the strength, he's got
the the agility, he's got the football. I q pretty
much a complete package. It's you're gonna be nitpicking if
you're looking for faults with Jalen Carter. Uh That next
year though, Brian Breecy a guy, a guy that like goodness.

(49:20):
He's been mocked us to the Detroit Lions at six
and in eighteen, he's not there for me. He's a
guy that Jeff I don't know. I didn't watch the
tape from last year, and I know people tell me
that is better, and I gotta go back and look,
I know he went through a lot of personal tragedy
this year and everything like that, But this year the tape,
I just don't see it. Clemson took him off the

(49:43):
field in obvious running situations, and when you watch the tape,
is pretty clear why he doesn't anchor he's got this
is gonna be a this will go over. Weall, he's
got a lot of Taven Brian to him and a
guy that's trying to rush the passer even on third
and short when when they when the opponents in a
jumbo package. He just doesn't have that sort of great

(50:06):
game to him. Now, look, he's a really good interior
pocket collapser, but I'm not there with him. I pray
my line as will take him in the first round,
to be honest with you, and I hope for the
Giant's sake that they wouldn't take him at twenty five either.
That's still too high for me for what I've seen
from him. Interesting, all right, how about that about the
rest of this group? When do you think those guys

(50:27):
start kicking in here round three or late round two?
You know, there's a lot of guys that I like.
Later in day three we saw a couple of them.
Donomobile camera Young out of Mississippi State is one. Uh,
there's a lot of immovable object type nose tackles. This
This is a good year to need them young being
one of them. Uh. There, there's several, and they don't

(50:50):
necessarily look that Beefy. The The one guy I want
to bring up is Cancy out of Pittsburgh. At two
eight pounds. He's gonna get compared to Aaron don Old
and I hate that for him because he's nobody's Aaron Donald.
He's a really really good guy at winning off the
snap and winning the first combat. He does it consistently.

(51:11):
He does it with his feet, he does it with
his hands, he does it with his shoulders. He's he's
a very intriguing guy. But I'm not sure you're gonna
get him at more than two in five pounds where
he's going to be successful in the NFL. Where do
you play that in the NFL? I don't know, but
that that that's a good football player right there, And Jeff,
you mentioned it a couple of times. The lines have
two picks here just to give an idea for giant fans.

(51:33):
I gonna try to figure out who's gonna go ahead
of them in this traft here. Uh, you guys had
a hell of a year, man, You really close strong
one more win a lit earlier in the year, you're
in the playoffs, and you know who knows the way
the NFC went. So what are the lines looking for here?
And and what are they gonna be thinking when the
draft comes in? Frankly for agency comes as well. Bus
you know, I'm sure next year the Giants in Detroit
could be battling four of those playoffs spots. Again, I

(51:57):
absolutely anticipate that. What you just said, By the way,
I think the Lions the Giants, Uh, they're right in
that same year of emerging NFC powers, young cores, exciting,
young dynamic. Coaches wouldn't called Brian the dynamic, but he's good.
He's very good at what he does. Um, Lions need
a starting outside cornerback. They need to replace and upgrade

(52:20):
the hybrid nickel role. Um, it's a safety position or
Aaron Glenn would love it to be a safety. Last
year was Will Harris, who couldn't play safety at all.
They put him in the slot. Um, he might be back,
but they need somebody better than that. They need a
starting right guard. They need a quarterback, not replacing Jared Goff,
but Jared Goff is literally the only quarterback in Detroit

(52:41):
right now, they don't. They don't even have one on
the futures contract. They need a developmental guy that can
possibly take over if Jared Golf prices himself out of Detroit,
is it after this year's contract? This up after after
next year, after next year? Yeah, But if he plays
the way he did in two in twenty twenty three,
Jared Golf is going to need to get paid after

(53:03):
three and deservedly so. He earned that Pro Bowl spot.
He was very very good down the stretch. He hasn't
thrown interception since week nine, uh and and played every
snap since then. Very impressive Jared Golf. But again you're
getting in the if he gets hurt, who's taken over
for him? Uh? They need at least somebody can come
in and guide. This is the line seems. This line

(53:26):
seems expects to win the NFC North next year. Maybe
that's crazy, but they're not gonna do it. If Jaried
Golf goes out and they're filling in X player off
the street. They need a developmental guy and they probably
also need a veteran that can come in and go too.
And two, if Golf misses a month with you know,
breaking his finger on a helmet or something like that.
So that's a need. They do quietly need offensive line depth.

(53:49):
They use a sixth lineman more than any other team.
It is their de factove blocking tight end. They would
probably like somebody that can also fill in as your
backup tackle. The guys that they have aren't all that
great at it right now. Uh, you're looking at a
defensive tackle. They need a nose tackle like nobody's business. Uh.
They figured out that to leave McNeil is a really

(54:10):
good three technique, but he's not a nose tackle. Uh,
so that they're in need there off ball linebacker whyans
Fans will tell you it's probably the biggest feed on
the defense. I will tell you it's third or fourth.
But it is something that they absolutely need, especially if
Alex and Seloni leaves in free agency. And by the way,
Alex Anzeloni would look great in the middle of that
New York defense. The way he played at the end

(54:32):
of the season. He's exactly the type of guy that
they're looking for. He's much better than his old college
are made and best friend Jared Davis um I don't
I don't want, I don't wish. Jared Davis. Look, I've
loved JR. Davis. Great dude, I don't want to play
on my football team. And bottle Way, I thought it
was huge. You guys got your offensive coordinator back. I thought,
I think he's literally one of the best play callers
in the whole league one war year. Um, and we're

(54:54):
very happy to have Ben Johnson, Becky, his his creativity. Um.
We have the Chicken versus conversation all the time of
how important he is for Jared Goff and Jeredoff. They
have a lot of weapons in Detroit. And I wrote
it this morning at Lions Wire for whenever you read it,
please check this out. Do not mock a first round
tight under Detroit Lions just because they traded t J.

(55:15):
Hockenson in the year they traded t J. Hockenson because
they don't need a great tight end in Ben Johnson's offense,
and they certainly working to pay t J. Hackinson to
beat it. It is a need, it's a much lesser
need than what's being ballyhood nationally. And by the way,
two first round picks and you almost have a third
one because Jamison Williams is going to be a full
time player next year. You know, he barely played for

(55:35):
you guys last year, and when he did, he look great.
One catch, one catch, and he I mean, he is
the perfect compliment to you know, kind of your possession receiver.
And I'm on Ross Brown, so you know the lines
are gonna be good. Man. I'm very happy for you.
Much like with the Giants, It's been a long time coming.
Cheff it is it's been a very long time coming. Uh.
I'm fifty years old and they have won one playoff

(55:57):
game in my lifetime. I'm reading for Law and I
I dare say it, I'm very optimistic about where this
team is going. With the young cores, love Dan Campbell,
loved the coaching staff that he's assembled around him. It
was the youngest team in the NFL. They started four
rookies on defense last year. It's obviously got to get better.
Their defense was absolutely train wreck abysmal early in the season.

(56:22):
Second half of the year, I don't think people caught
onto this. They were quietly a top ten defense in
the last eight weeks. And that includes the abismal game
that cost him the playoff worth Um where Carolina ran
for three and some odd yards and and did it
with Sam Donald running read option. That one still kills me.

(56:43):
Those those kind of games can't happen again. But yeah,
it's a good time to be Detroit Lions fan, as
it's a good time to be a New York Giants fan,
Arrows pointing up for both these franchises. Fan. I would
love nothing more than to be in New York or
Detroit next year, and we're talking about an NFC playoff
game between these two teams. A lot of really think
that could happen. Absolutely all right, Jeff, tell the folks
where they get now that you've kissed the death bull franchises.

(57:06):
Thank you for that. Um, can tell the folks where
they can find all your stuff, man, Yeah, my Lions
related stuff is that Lions Y're at USA Today dot com.
You can find my draft in general NFL stuff at
Real GM Football Real GM dot com. Um. They also
have a very vibrant Nicks discussion there. Uh if you're
a basketball guy, uh, please check that out. And you

(57:27):
can also find me on the the The Detroit Lions Podcast.
Easy for me to say, we talk a lot of Lions.
We also talk a great deal of draft and we
have some great draft video prospect shorts that are going
on there, myself and Scott bisch Offer running. Uh so
check those out. And uh if you ever happen to
be in the Michigan areas who are not on your
radios to the Huge Show, I am on there very

(57:49):
regularly in the Huge Show across Michigan based on the
one in Great Rapids. Awesome, Jeff. Good to talk to
you man, And when was he in in the for
the combine? We'll talk some combine, all right. I can't
wait to drive down there. It's it's it's a three. Literally,
I'm looking out my window right now, I turn left,
I turn left again, and i go two hundred miles
south and I'm at the combine. I can't wait to

(58:09):
see you down there. John Settle Podcast is brought to
you by psc and G Energy Efficiency. For game time
and anytime, visit PSCG dot com, slash johnts for discounts,
rebas and home energy assessments. Great draft primer from Jeff Risden.
We'll see him in Indie. Jeff, good stuff. We'll talk
to you then, folks will see you next time on
the John Settle Podcast