March 30, 2023 • 30 mins
It's episode five of NFL Draft Preview Presented by Verizon. Host Ethan Greenberg and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler begin by talking about the Pro Day circuit (1:00) and what scouts are looking for during the prospects' workouts. Then they break down the edge rushers in the draft class starting with Georgia's Nolan Smith (8:33), Alabama's Will Anderson (17:10) and Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson (21:00). They wrap up the discussion talking about Iowa's Lukas Van Ness (24:55), LSU's B.J. Ojulari (28:00) and Iowa State's Will McDonald IV (29:30).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to another edition of NFL Draft Preview, presented by Verizon,
Ethan Greenberg, Dane Brugler, back in action, Dane It's Pro
day season. Cam Newton's throwing at Auburn's Pro Day. I
thought that was very newsworthy. I saw a tweet about
DJ Fluker, the former offensive tackle in the NFL or
the offensive tackle in the NFL and his body transformation.
But this is really a time to talk about the
(00:28):
current draft eligible players, not necessarily the Cam Newton and
Dj Flukers of the world. Before we dive into an
edge focused episode, I would say, because the Jets are
always looking for some pass rush choose, what is the
benefit from your eyes of a pro day and what
are you looking for? You know, the combine is in
the past. This is really one of the last times
(00:49):
that scouts can evaluate somebody in person. Yeah, and you
know the combine, it's a chance to see these guys
move around, and that's essentially what's happening at the Pro day.
But it's a little more relax environment. You're doing it
on your home turf. Uh, you probably slept in your
own bed the night before. You're around your guys, so
it should be a little bit more of a relaxed
(01:10):
atmosphere for these players. And then you know, it's just
a chance to see them go through the drills that
you sought. The combine both the testing and then the
positional drills. For quarterbacks, it's starting the football for receivers,
you know, you see how you run routes and catch
the ball. Uh you know, for you know, for linemen,
bag drills and uh for corners pedaling all that. It's
(01:30):
a really important part of the process just to get
a better sense for movement skills and uh it. You
also have a chance to meet with players UM and
a lot of teams will you know, show up the
day before, take a player out for dinner the night before,
or stay late, meet with some of the coaches, that
type of thing. So, and it's a chance to talk
with other people within the program, um, you know, whether
(01:53):
it's assistance, whether that's uh, you know, members of the administration,
to find out more about a player, to get some
more information. So there's a lot of benefits of a
pro day. And you know, I know a lot of
scouts that really enjoy the pro day circuit because it's
a chance to get you know, they were on the
road off all and then okay, a chance to go
home or go home to home base. Now at the
(02:13):
month of March, they're back on the road again, getting
a lot of work done, kind of the finishing touches
on all these players, making sure we have testing numbers,
verified measurables for all the players. And you know what
the biggest benefit I think is for some of the
lesser known players who weren't invited to the combine to
(02:34):
get a chance. A perfect example, Central Michigan had their
Pro day last week and it was well attended by
NFL teams, but there were also a few other team
or a few other players from area colleges coming to
the Central Michigan Pro Day to work out, one of
them being a little known offensive tackle from Northern Michigan
named Jacob White or excuse me, Jacob Witt. He goes
(02:56):
and has a phenomenal workout. I talked to him yesterday.
In the last week since the Pro day, he has
talked with twenty five teams. That's how good this Pro
day workout was. And without this Pro day workout, you know,
nobody really has a good feel for Jake Witt. He
was a high school basketball player, played basketball in college,
(03:17):
decided to give football another shot. He played football as
a junior in high school. Tries to give football another
shot at Northern Michigan and he was a tight end
as a junior. Halftime at a game late last year,
they are ravaged with injuries on the offensive line. Midway
through the game, they put him in a tackle and
so he's very very young at tackle, but you know what,
(03:38):
he's up to three hundred two pounds and his workout
was phenomenal at the Central Michigan Pro Day. So all
of a sudden, Jake Witt for Northern Michigan, remember that name.
He has a shot to be drafted in the later
rounds because of the pro day and being able to
go to a Central Michigan Pro day that was a
little more well attended than some other pro days. Shout
(03:59):
out to Jake wit is that is life wit. How
do you spell wit? W I T T w I
T T shout out did Jake went crushing it at
the Central Michigan Pro Day. Although he's a Northern Michigan guy.
And ash as I looked up as you were saying
that wildcat Willie the mascot in Northern Michigan. That's got
(04:20):
to be a one of it's gotta be a top
three mascot name itself, I think. I mean, you've gotta
be well versed in your mascots, right Dan, considering you
watch tape from like D one to D seven. Yeah,
there there are definitely some fun ones once you get
to Division two, Division three. Um, it's funny how many
logos look like, uh, very similar to NFL or like
(04:44):
the Power five logos, just the shading of the colors.
They're a little different. The mascot's a little different. Um.
You know. My favorite is when you're watching tape and
there's a bounce house just on the other side of
the end zone or you know, you u on the
other side of of you know, the goal post. It's
just uh, you know houses. You know, it looks like
(05:04):
a high school field, but you know what that's uh
that That's one of my favorite parts of the process
is I get tips from you know, scouts, but hey,
this D two player, he's got a shot. He's a
pretty good player, and so okay, it's fire up the tape.
See what we got here. And it could be difficult
at times going up against that competition. Um. And in
a case like Jake Whitt, he is brand new to
(05:26):
the offensive tackle position. And when I talked to him,
he he told me, look that some of the tape
is silly. So I mean he knows. I mean he's
he's realistic about it. But you know what, you want
to see progress. You want to see him getting better,
and he certainly did that. And with that type of
pro day, with the type of numbers. He had a
thirty seven in verse ten three broad the big time
numbers for a three hundred pounder. So all of a sudden,
(05:49):
he's on the potential draftable radar. Now, okay, so before
we move on to discuss this edge class, throughout all
your years of studying tape that includes if I recall
high school soccer tape, I think it was Jacob Harris.
Is that right? That Central Michigan good memory? Yeah? Okay,
(06:11):
Central Florida, Central Florida, Central Florida. Okay, So is Jacob
Harris's high school soccer tape like the strangest or most
unique tape that you've watched throughout your time doing this? Yeah?
That that that's guy? What a what a pool by you? Um? Yeah?
That that's uh, it's gotta be yeah, because that uh,
that's that's something that happens very often obviously, is uh
(06:33):
having to look at high school tape to get soccer
tape to get a better idea of how a player
could move and that type of speed and coordination that
he has. Um, but you know what, that's that's you know,
we just uh, you know, a Super Bowl with a
left tackle who had not played any football before he
was drafted by the Eagles and Jordan my Alatta, but
(06:55):
he had some pretty impressive rugby tape and his workouts
before the draft. We're just good enough that the Eagles said, hey,
let's throw a dart, let's see what we got here,
and a couple of years later, looking like a pre
smart pick. I'm getting Ted Lasso vibes. I've just started
Ted Lasso, so I'm getting like Lasso vibes between a
football guy watching soccer tape, just like Ted, a football
(07:19):
guy coaching soccer or football in London. So are you
a Ted Lasso guy? Have you watched it at all?
Not yet? Maybe maybe the summers what all finally get
to it? But yeah, all right, I highly suggest it. Okay, Okay, yeah,
I do it. It's a breeze. It's a breeze to
get through. It's easy to watch the thirty minute episodes
(07:39):
and it's just like it's heartwarming. It pulls out the
hard strings. It makes you laugh, Like I don't laugh
out loud at a lot of TV shows. I'm like
audibly laughing watching this show. And Matt Zikoff, our technical producer, says,
highly recommended all capitals like a thousand exclamation points. So
bring that. Let's bring that same energy to talk about
this edge group and headlined, I would say by Will Anderson,
(08:01):
probably not an option for the Jets at thirteen as
the Jets right now on the thirteenth overall pick. And
I want to use a mock draft of Daniel Jeremiah's
as a launching pad to discuss this edge crew. He
has the Jets not taking an offensive lineman in his
latest mock drafts he has him taking Nolan Smith, the
Georgia edge rusher, who I believe it was DJ said,
(08:22):
has like a similar body type to Hassan Reddick when
he came out of college. So what is your like,
what's your analysis, I guess Nolan Smith, And how do
you think he would fit the Jets at thirteen big fan.
Before the Combine, he was my number nineteen overall player,
so I thought he was a top twenty guy going
into the Combine. And that was him coming off an injury.
(08:45):
He had only played eight games as a senior and
then he had pictorial surgery. We'ren't sure what he was
gonna do at the Combine, and then he goes out
there and clocks a four, three nine and the forty
at two hundred thirty eight pounds, so you know, the
testing looks great. Rode, he did positional drills, didn't do
anything else, just stood on his combine numbers. But this
is a dynamic athlete. He's loose, he's flexible, really twitchy
(09:10):
with his redirect. They didn't ask him. A lot of
people will point to the production or lack thereof, as
you know, maybe a reason not to draft this player,
but you have to understand how he was used that
Georgia scheme. He's a three four linebacker and asked to
do a lot of reading, dropping, reacting to what the
quarterback is doing. So he wasn't a guy that just
(09:32):
pinned his ears back and got after the quarterback. So
they didn't. It wasn't allowed to do that. That's not
what he was asked in that scheme. So I think
that even though yes, he had I think only eleven
and a half career sacks in four seasons, there's a
lot more meat on the bone if you give him
more pass rushing responsibility. He has the athletic ability obviously
(09:54):
with those numbers. It's just a matter of coming up
with a more efficient rush. Lan Um. You know, he
tends to He's a very physical player, so he's very
good against a run, but he tends to rush guys
down the middle instead of setting them up. And you know,
talking to David Pollock, former Georgia Great, former NFL player
(10:14):
now on ESPN College Game Day, he has been a
close mentor for Nolan Smith and has talked about how,
you know, he all the things that he does great.
You know, he's an engaging human. He's all these things
are awesome. It's just he needs to be a little
bit better with the past rush sequencing and coming up
(10:35):
with that better plan to be more efficient. So as
long as he can do that and develop in that area,
he's got everything else you wants. Maybe not the ideal
size at six two and a quarter two hundred, right
around two hundred forty pounds, just under thirty three in charm.
So maybe you wish he was a little bit bigger,
But with that type of juice off the edge, I'll
take my chances with a guy like that who's that explosive,
(10:59):
has hour in his hands, all the diverse tools that
he has to offer. Yeah, I feel very comfortable with
drafting Nolan Smith anywhere in the top twenty picks. Okay,
So that you kind of led me to my next question,
the size, Like how much of a concern is that
for you for scouts that you've talked to, knowing that
(11:21):
he's an undersized rusher, but then also knowing that he
played in the SEC against theoretically the closest thing to
the NFL in college and was successful there, although didn't
put up quite the numbers that some other guys did. Yeah,
and I think that when you project a player like this, Okay,
can he play with his hand on the ground in
(11:43):
a more traditional forman front or does he have to
be off the ball as a three four backer or
a stand up edge rusher. I don't think he does,
but I think he's probably ideally suited for a three
four where it's not as easy to be reached. Can
operate in space a little bit better. But I think
he can play with his hand on the ground and
(12:05):
be close to the line of scrimmage because of the
power that he has in his hands. Not he's not
super long, and again that's a worry concern of his game,
but he does play very strong for a guy with
that size profile and with that athleticism, with the way
that you know, the agility, so he has the footwork,
he can cross the face of blockers. You know, he can.
(12:28):
You know, he has the power his upper half, so
he can hammer the run, game play through contact. The
energy is no questions there. And he also you know,
he's got a special team's background as well. So I
just think there's too many things with Nolan Smith that
would stop me from picking a player like this early. Look,
I'm not saying the Jets are in the edge market
at thirteen, but the Jets always like to add juice.
(12:50):
You look at the way that roster's constructed right now.
First of all, they want guys to pen the air.
Years back. They run two full rotations, so they basically
have eight starting defensive linemen when you look at it,
potentially even more than that. And right now the Jets
have in a sub package you have Carl Lawson, Quinnin
(13:12):
Williams right now, probably Solomon Thomas who just resigned, and
John Franklin actually know it would be John Franklin Myers
in the middle and Jermaine Johnson rushing. Then your other
rushers would be Bryce Huff and then whoever else you
have on the roster. And if there were ever somebody
for Nolan Smith to learn from in terms of being
an undersized pass rusher in the NFL, Carl Lawson's a
(13:33):
pretty dang good one. He's under contract right now. This
is the last year of his deal with the Jets.
And just for like a heightweight comparison, if you're listening
to this, Nolan Smith, Dane, you said six two in
a quarter or just one under sixty three about two
forty is that right? He was six two two two
thirty eight, so six two and a quarter two. Yeah, Okay,
(13:54):
Carl Lawson is six foot two, but he's also built
like a rock of a human and he's two hundred
sixty five pounds, so that that's a big discrepancy there,
but the thought process is still there that both undersized
edge rushers. Karl Lawson, obviously a very successful pass rusher
in the NFL, gets after the quarterbacks a decent amount.
(14:15):
So with that being said, Nolan Smith option for the
Jets at thirteen according to Daniel Jeremiah, Now let's move
up a little bit, real quick, real quick. The other
thing with Lawson two is he's a short armed guy.
He is not a I mean, he has power packed
I mean he was lifting weights at two years old
like that that you know, he's he's that type of guy.
But he's also a short armed guy. He thirty one
(14:36):
and a half inch arms, so you know, I mean,
Nolan Smith has a full inch on Carl Lawson when
it comes to the arm length, and that that matters
for pass rushers. So, and you know, to your point
about maybe you know edge isn't a glaring need at thirteen,
ending fancy to remember the first round is not where okay,
what's our top need. Okay, that's our first round pick.
(14:57):
That's not how it works, that's not how teams operate.
First round picks are for the next five years, and
especially when you're talking about premium positions, whether it's corner, edge, rusher, tackle,
a playmaking wide receiver you're looking for, Yes, you want
him to contribute right away, but you're looking at Okay,
what's our five year plan, what's our twenty twenty four
roster going to? Look? Like? You are making picks for
(15:20):
than now, but also more importantly the future. And so
I absolutely I would consider Edge a strong possibility there
at thirteen if the right guy is there. And as
Nolan Smith from everything that I've read, he seems like
an impeccable human, right, Like, he would be a great
locker room ad. The character's great. Yeah, he's can't remember
(15:42):
how the scout he called him a joyful extrovert. Yeah,
just a ton of energy, maybe too much at times,
but a type of guy that is is not going
to bring your locker room down, that's for sure. Okay.
So that is the book on Nolan Smith. And thirteen
would you say is about the ceiling of where you
(16:04):
would consider Nolan Smith? Like? No, I mean, if I mean,
look at the Eagles at ten. You know the Eagles
they love pass rushers. You think about a similar body type, right,
Brandon Graham, You know, like Brandon Graham's not a big
ed rusher, and so I don't think that they'd be
scared off by Nolan Smith's lack of elite size. I
(16:26):
think that anyway, somewhere in the top ten Nolan Smith
definitely possible. I think in my last mock draft they
had Nolan Smith going twelve to the Texans. So I think,
you know, once you get past the first seven or
eight picks, that's where I think it becomes realistic that
Nolan Smith could come off the board somewhere, you know,
between pick nine and then pick you know, eighteen or so. Okay, awesome,
(16:48):
There you have it, Nolan Smith in the books. Now
let's move up, like closer to the top of the draft.
You get talking about Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson, I mean,
Lucas van Ness I guess would be in that upper
echelon as well. Can you, in your own words just
take us through those three guys, how you rank them
and what their strengths are potentially in the NFL. With
(17:11):
Will Anderson, he's just an outstanding player all around. He's
the first true freshman linebacker to ever start under Nick Saban.
Think about this one, okay, in the history of college football.
So it's a lot a lot of players, right. There
have been only forty one players out of the entire
(17:33):
history of college football who have twice earned unanimous All
American honors. Will Anderson one of those guys. Uh second
in Alabama history in almost every category rushing the quarterback,
behind only Derek Thomas, the legendary player. He's got to
get off that you want. He's got bend, he's got dip.
(17:54):
He's a flexible player. His arsenal of rush moves is instinctive.
He has a good feel for when to use what move,
and then as good as he is a pass rusher,
he might actually be a better run defender. He's very
quick to diagnose, his handwork is advanced, he's got lateral agility.
So in my one area of my main area concerned
(18:17):
with him is he needs to be a better finisher.
They were just he left way too much production on
the field, especially in the backfield, where he'll get there,
he'll be disruptive, but then he just slipped off the
ball carrier or just missed the quarterback. Needs to get
better as a finisher. But still I'll take my chances
with the guy that knows how to get there and
blow things up getting because of those twitching movements, the
(18:39):
skilled hands, overall play speed. He has all pro potential
in the NFL. So Will Anderson, I think is the
real deal as a as a top five pick. And
in your answer there he said he's the second player
with unanimous All Americans twice. Is that what you said?
The forty first player in college football history? Yeah, injury
(19:01):
any team, any player, any level, um to ever do it.
So it's it's a rare, rare thing. Okay, So he's incredible.
Is he on the level of the bosses coming out
of college? I think they're a little bit different. But
if you're just gonna lump all these pass rushers together,
I think he's below them. Um. Not quite on the
bosses level, not quite on Chase Young's level when he
(19:23):
was coming out of Ohio State. UM, but just behind,
you know, I want, I don't want to make it selling.
There's a huge gap, but I would say he's just
behind those two. Clearly, it's they're they're not even. He's
right behind. Also correct me if I'm wrong. But I
feel like when the Boases were coming out of college,
(19:44):
Chase Young, everyone was talking about how advanced their hand
movements were, and that I think has something to do
with the program, not necessarily the player. So and also
Bosa comes from a line of football, So there you
have it. Anyway, So that's that's will Anderson Ti Wilson
I think is interesting because Texas Tech is like a
I don't feel like maybe I'm wrong here outside of
(20:06):
maybe you know, one guy in the NFL hasn't really
had like a first, like a top five pick in
a long time, right, Like who was the last Texas
Tech player to be drafted potentially top five? Crabtree Mahomes. Yeah,
but to your point though, uh, Texas Tech has never
(20:27):
had a defensive player drafted top twenty. So to your point,
you mean your spot on you think of Texas Tech,
you think offense, Um, they have never had a defensive
player drafted at top twenty picks. So Tyree Wilson about
to change that here in a couple of weeks, and
what do you think? First of all, Texas Tech love
(20:47):
the uniforms. They're just kind of like slick, They're just
kind of like they're just they're bad ass. So you know,
hopefully that doesn't have to get bleeped out. But anyway,
Tyree Wilson, what do you like about him? And why
is he considered a top ten pick in your eyes?
I mean he's the first one off the bus right.
The way he looks, I mean six to five, five
(21:09):
quarters or five a's five quarters, five eighths, two hundred
and seventy one pounds, thirty five almost thirty six inch arms.
The way I described him in the draft guide, it
looks like a yoked up Captain America. Uh. With he's
just he's so broad, so long, so muscular. Uh, and
then he boosts pretty well too. Um. Now, there are
(21:30):
times where he comes off the ball high. You know,
that leaves him open to be washed or uh. You know,
players or blockers can get their hands on him, but
he's so powerful that he's able to go right through them.
He's so long. So when you talk about a guy
with that type of initial speed, the you know, two
step speed, the raw power, the length, those are just
(21:54):
amazing foundational traits to build off of. Uh. Does he
need to be a more crafty pass rusher? Sure, yeah,
a little more strategic with how he gets to the
pocket and breaks down blockers. There's no doubt about it.
But he has a lot of gifts that a lot
of teams just don't have. So he is right for development,
(22:14):
the type of player you think can become a pro
bowler down the line. So that's why Tyree Wilson's being
talked about as a potential top ten, even a potential
top five player. Okay, so if he's somehow at thirteen,
you think the Jets are like running up that card,
no questions asked. I'd be pretty shocking if you made
the fourteen. Okay, that's a good way to put it. Yeah,
(22:38):
you said the first one off the bus the way
that you were describing Tyree Wilson, the Jets comparison is
Michael Clemens. Because Michael Clements is the first one off
the bus. He in my opinion, he is the closest
thing to yoked up Captain America. And if it were
Clemens and Wilson coming off the bus next together, I
(23:00):
think they they passed the test, the eye test there. Yeah,
I think the the opponents thinking about that when they
strap up and get ready for the game, because talk
about yeah freaky dudes, they definitely fit that the category.
So and yeah, he's he's got an interesting you know
journey at this point, He's born in Alaska, still has
(23:22):
family there. Uh, moved to East Texas, discovered this game
of football, and it's he started out at A and
m goes at Texas Tech and it's just blossom from there.
And so, uh, you know, he's a guy that again
he's still you know, he's still on his way. He's
not a finished product by any means, but you just
don't see the level of traits that he offers very often.
(23:46):
So what you're telling me is that Michael Clemens and
Tyree Wilson overlapped at I and m is that is
that right? I think so because Wilson was there in
two as an eighteen and two as a nineteen. Yeah,
Clemens has was in college from seventeen to twenty one.
There you good, Oh wow wow, a little reuniting in
(24:07):
green and white. I think Jets fans would be very
excited about that. So, well, another guy I want to well,
I just want to briefly talk about this guy before
I ask about like maybe day two, day three players
at the Jets go in that direction. Lucas van Ness,
so freaky athlete out of Iowa. I feel like when
I think of Iowa, and I think of recent memory,
(24:27):
like the first guy that comes to mind for no
reason is aj Epinessa, probably because he plays for the
Buffalo Bills. So Epinessa went in the second round. Van
Ness projected in DJ's mock draft, just using this as
an example, he's number ten to the Eagles right now.
So what do you think about the way Lucas van
(24:49):
Ness plays football? And is it the standard Iowa brand
or is it something a little different where he can
offer a little more on the on the next level.
H Well, you know, I back in the November when
I came out with my Top one hundred updated Top
one hundred board, I had Lucas vanes as a top
twenty five player, and I heard from a lot of
Iowa fans saying, what do you He's not even a
(25:11):
starter for us. What are you talking about? And I
just I'm telling you, guys, the traits, the traits, the traits.
Van nest Declas goes to the combine and for a
guy that's sixty five, two hundred seventy five pounds runs
in the four fives. You know, his three cone was
right around seven seconds, which is remarkable for that size
one five seven ten yards split. This is a guy
(25:33):
that has a lot of power. He's explosive, and even
though he didn't start technically for Iowa, he played starter
level snaps, so you know he was he was on
the field just as much, if not more than the
guys that were out there. And that's just the way
Iowa operates, you know, they seniority type of thing. Lucas
van Ness only a red shirt sophomore, so a young player.
(25:56):
But again the power and explosion that he brings as
an outside player as an edge rusher and then also
when he reduced inside as a defensive tackle. Uh, you know,
it's it's something that he can really create, that disruption
from different angles, from different gaps. He can make plays
versus the run, and he faced some pretty good, uh
(26:16):
offensive tackles in the Big Ten, talking about Peter Scarronsky
at Northwestern, talking about Ohio States tackles with Dwan Jones
and Paris Johnson. So you know it's ah, this is
an ascending player. I think the way I described him was,
if you draft Lucas van Nest, you're getting Leo DiCaprio
right after growing pains, right has a hit Titanic. Yet Okay,
he's not a global sensation. So he's he's on the
(26:39):
upward trajectory and you see growing pains. You're like, oh,
this is this is a pretty good actor, and he's, ah,
this is a pretty good addition to the show. And
so you're you're you're buying low, expecting the ceiling to
be really, really high. And I think that's what you
get with Lucas van Ness. So if Leo had a
tough time winning an oscar, what's the NFL equivalent for
van Ness? Uh? Well, I mean he's he's just gonna
(27:02):
keep stacking good seasons. I mean, dada did Iowa, He's
gonna do it in the NFL, and sooner or later,
you stack enough good seasons. So it's like you make
a good enough good movies, it's gonna come for you.
So it just a matter of time for Lucas Vanessa.
He's he's too good. Uh. And that's what we're talking
about him as a top ten pick, as a guy
that has zero career starts to his name, and yet uh,
(27:24):
you know, has a good chance to be drafted in
at top ten to twelve. Okay, maybe not thirteen, but
maybe maybe not. Maybe all right, we'll see what happens
before we let you go here on this episode, I
just want you to have the floor and kind of
talk about some guys that you like, whether that be
traite wise, whether that be fits for the Jets at
edge day two, day three, like anybody that you think
(27:47):
could be a fit, anybody that catches your eye, and
anybody that you think, you know what, maybe you should
just keep an eye on this guy similar to your
Northern Michigan guy. Uh. Well, he's a little more well
known than than Jake. But bj Auguilarry from LSU. Uh.
You know his older brothers playing in New York for
that other team. Uh, bring bj to h to the Jets.
(28:10):
Know he's like his older brother, a little under size
six two and a half two hundred and fifty pounds,
but really long. He's got those long arms and you know,
talking to a scout Southeast scout um, I asked him
if Nolan Smith is probably the best character guy in
his region, because that's fully what I expected him to say,
and he said Nolan Smith would be number two, right
(28:30):
behind Audularry. So this is another guy that checked the
box for the football character the personal character. You know,
he's just got a really intriguing combination of get off quickness,
closing burst. He can win with his hands, he'll throw
out a ghost move, you know. He just he likes
to get after the quarterback. And maybe it's because he
didn't do a full workout at the combine, but I'm
(28:51):
a little surprised he doesn't have more buzz because I
know teams like him and I know, uh, you know,
he's a guy that even if he doesn't sneak into
that late first day two, he's gonna be a pretty
popular guy. And uh you know, could be a end
up being a steel kind of like his brother was
as a as a second round pick for the Giants.
So and I think that this edge class one of
the stronger groups we have this year. So we just
(29:13):
went through a lot of guys that are going to
go in the top half a round one, but in
the second round, third round, there are a lot of
names and teams stack these guys differently based off of
what they're looking for. You know, a guy like Will
McDonald from Iowa state six three and a half two
hundred forty pounds, so he's under size, but a freaky
freaky athlete, really long thirty five inch arms. You know,
(29:35):
he's he's got that stretched out range frame, but has
a lot of agility, has a lot of joint flexibility
so he can win different ways, which you worry about him.
Okay as a run defender, can he hold up so
we can keep him on the field or is he
going to be a pass rush specialist for us? That's
why we're talking about Will McDonald is probably more of
a Day two guy, you know, and we could you know,
(29:56):
there's literally probably ten pass rushers that are gonna go
in the top eighty picks, top one hundred picks because
it's just a really it's a premium position first and foremost.
And then this draft class has a lot to offer
in terms of depth at those at those key positions.
Both guys that are maybe more base ends, uh, you know,
whether it's a Dylan Horton from TCU or a key
(30:17):
on Weight from Georgia Tech, or if you want your
undersized edge rushers like a Bgrdillarry or even like a
Derek Call from Auburn. So I think this draft of
pass rushers has a little bit of everything for you know,
each scheme and depending on what you want. That's a
great way to put a bow on the edge. Episode
here on NFL Draft Preview presented by Verizon. Dane, thanks
(30:39):
a lot as always, and we'll talk to you next week,
all right, Thanks Athan,
Welcome to another edition of NFL Draft Preview, presented by Verizon,
Ethan Greenberg, Dane Brugler, back in action, Dane It's Pro
day season. Cam Newton's throwing at Auburn's Pro Day. I
thought that was very newsworthy. I saw a tweet about
DJ Fluker, the former offensive tackle in the NFL or
the offensive tackle in the NFL and his body transformation.
But this is really a time to talk about the
(00:28):
current draft eligible players, not necessarily the Cam Newton and
Dj Flukers of the world. Before we dive into an
edge focused episode, I would say, because the Jets are
always looking for some pass rush choose, what is the
benefit from your eyes of a pro day and what
are you looking for? You know, the combine is in
the past. This is really one of the last times
(00:49):
that scouts can evaluate somebody in person. Yeah, and you
know the combine, it's a chance to see these guys
move around, and that's essentially what's happening at the Pro day.
But it's a little more relax environment. You're doing it
on your home turf. Uh, you probably slept in your
own bed the night before. You're around your guys, so
it should be a little bit more of a relaxed
(01:10):
atmosphere for these players. And then you know, it's just
a chance to see them go through the drills that
you sought. The combine both the testing and then the
positional drills. For quarterbacks, it's starting the football for receivers,
you know, you see how you run routes and catch
the ball. Uh you know, for you know, for linemen,
bag drills and uh for corners pedaling all that. It's
(01:30):
a really important part of the process just to get
a better sense for movement skills and uh it. You
also have a chance to meet with players UM and
a lot of teams will you know, show up the
day before, take a player out for dinner the night before,
or stay late, meet with some of the coaches, that
type of thing. So, and it's a chance to talk
with other people within the program, um, you know, whether
(01:53):
it's assistance, whether that's uh, you know, members of the administration,
to find out more about a player, to get some
more information. So there's a lot of benefits of a
pro day. And you know, I know a lot of
scouts that really enjoy the pro day circuit because it's
a chance to get you know, they were on the
road off all and then okay, a chance to go
home or go home to home base. Now at the
(02:13):
month of March, they're back on the road again, getting
a lot of work done, kind of the finishing touches
on all these players, making sure we have testing numbers,
verified measurables for all the players. And you know what
the biggest benefit I think is for some of the
lesser known players who weren't invited to the combine to
(02:34):
get a chance. A perfect example, Central Michigan had their
Pro day last week and it was well attended by
NFL teams, but there were also a few other team
or a few other players from area colleges coming to
the Central Michigan Pro Day to work out, one of
them being a little known offensive tackle from Northern Michigan
named Jacob White or excuse me, Jacob Witt. He goes
(02:56):
and has a phenomenal workout. I talked to him yesterday.
In the last week since the Pro day, he has
talked with twenty five teams. That's how good this Pro
day workout was. And without this Pro day workout, you know,
nobody really has a good feel for Jake Witt. He
was a high school basketball player, played basketball in college,
(03:17):
decided to give football another shot. He played football as
a junior in high school. Tries to give football another
shot at Northern Michigan and he was a tight end
as a junior. Halftime at a game late last year,
they are ravaged with injuries on the offensive line. Midway
through the game, they put him in a tackle and
so he's very very young at tackle, but you know what,
(03:38):
he's up to three hundred two pounds and his workout
was phenomenal at the Central Michigan Pro Day. So all
of a sudden, Jake Witt for Northern Michigan, remember that name.
He has a shot to be drafted in the later
rounds because of the pro day and being able to
go to a Central Michigan Pro day that was a
little more well attended than some other pro days. Shout
(03:59):
out to Jake wit is that is life wit. How
do you spell wit? W I T T w I
T T shout out did Jake went crushing it at
the Central Michigan Pro Day. Although he's a Northern Michigan guy.
And ash as I looked up as you were saying
that wildcat Willie the mascot in Northern Michigan. That's got
(04:20):
to be a one of it's gotta be a top
three mascot name itself, I think. I mean, you've gotta
be well versed in your mascots, right Dan, considering you
watch tape from like D one to D seven. Yeah,
there there are definitely some fun ones once you get
to Division two, Division three. Um, it's funny how many
logos look like, uh, very similar to NFL or like
(04:44):
the Power five logos, just the shading of the colors.
They're a little different. The mascot's a little different. Um.
You know. My favorite is when you're watching tape and
there's a bounce house just on the other side of
the end zone or you know, you u on the
other side of of you know, the goal post. It's
just uh, you know houses. You know, it looks like
(05:04):
a high school field, but you know what that's uh
that That's one of my favorite parts of the process
is I get tips from you know, scouts, but hey,
this D two player, he's got a shot. He's a
pretty good player, and so okay, it's fire up the tape.
See what we got here. And it could be difficult
at times going up against that competition. Um. And in
a case like Jake Whitt, he is brand new to
(05:26):
the offensive tackle position. And when I talked to him,
he he told me, look that some of the tape
is silly. So I mean he knows. I mean he's
he's realistic about it. But you know what, you want
to see progress. You want to see him getting better,
and he certainly did that. And with that type of
pro day, with the type of numbers. He had a
thirty seven in verse ten three broad the big time
numbers for a three hundred pounder. So all of a sudden,
(05:49):
he's on the potential draftable radar. Now, okay, so before
we move on to discuss this edge class, throughout all
your years of studying tape that includes if I recall
high school soccer tape, I think it was Jacob Harris.
Is that right? That Central Michigan good memory? Yeah? Okay,
(06:11):
Central Florida, Central Florida, Central Florida. Okay, So is Jacob
Harris's high school soccer tape like the strangest or most
unique tape that you've watched throughout your time doing this? Yeah?
That that that's guy? What a what a pool by you? Um? Yeah?
That that's uh, it's gotta be yeah, because that uh,
that's that's something that happens very often obviously, is uh
(06:33):
having to look at high school tape to get soccer
tape to get a better idea of how a player
could move and that type of speed and coordination that
he has. Um, but you know what, that's that's you know,
we just uh, you know, a Super Bowl with a
left tackle who had not played any football before he
was drafted by the Eagles and Jordan my Alatta, but
(06:55):
he had some pretty impressive rugby tape and his workouts
before the draft. We're just good enough that the Eagles said, hey,
let's throw a dart, let's see what we got here,
and a couple of years later, looking like a pre
smart pick. I'm getting Ted Lasso vibes. I've just started
Ted Lasso, so I'm getting like Lasso vibes between a
football guy watching soccer tape, just like Ted, a football
(07:19):
guy coaching soccer or football in London. So are you
a Ted Lasso guy? Have you watched it at all?
Not yet? Maybe maybe the summers what all finally get
to it? But yeah, all right, I highly suggest it. Okay, Okay, yeah,
I do it. It's a breeze. It's a breeze to
get through. It's easy to watch the thirty minute episodes
(07:39):
and it's just like it's heartwarming. It pulls out the
hard strings. It makes you laugh, Like I don't laugh
out loud at a lot of TV shows. I'm like
audibly laughing watching this show. And Matt Zikoff, our technical producer, says,
highly recommended all capitals like a thousand exclamation points. So
bring that. Let's bring that same energy to talk about
this edge group and headlined, I would say by Will Anderson,
(08:01):
probably not an option for the Jets at thirteen as
the Jets right now on the thirteenth overall pick. And
I want to use a mock draft of Daniel Jeremiah's
as a launching pad to discuss this edge crew. He
has the Jets not taking an offensive lineman in his
latest mock drafts he has him taking Nolan Smith, the
Georgia edge rusher, who I believe it was DJ said,
(08:22):
has like a similar body type to Hassan Reddick when
he came out of college. So what is your like,
what's your analysis, I guess Nolan Smith, And how do
you think he would fit the Jets at thirteen big fan.
Before the Combine, he was my number nineteen overall player,
so I thought he was a top twenty guy going
into the Combine. And that was him coming off an injury.
(08:45):
He had only played eight games as a senior and
then he had pictorial surgery. We'ren't sure what he was
gonna do at the Combine, and then he goes out
there and clocks a four, three nine and the forty
at two hundred thirty eight pounds, so you know, the
testing looks great. Rode, he did positional drills, didn't do
anything else, just stood on his combine numbers. But this
is a dynamic athlete. He's loose, he's flexible, really twitchy
(09:10):
with his redirect. They didn't ask him. A lot of
people will point to the production or lack thereof, as
you know, maybe a reason not to draft this player,
but you have to understand how he was used that
Georgia scheme. He's a three four linebacker and asked to
do a lot of reading, dropping, reacting to what the
quarterback is doing. So he wasn't a guy that just
(09:32):
pinned his ears back and got after the quarterback. So
they didn't. It wasn't allowed to do that. That's not
what he was asked in that scheme. So I think
that even though yes, he had I think only eleven
and a half career sacks in four seasons, there's a
lot more meat on the bone if you give him
more pass rushing responsibility. He has the athletic ability obviously
(09:54):
with those numbers. It's just a matter of coming up
with a more efficient rush. Lan Um. You know, he
tends to He's a very physical player, so he's very
good against a run, but he tends to rush guys
down the middle instead of setting them up. And you know,
talking to David Pollock, former Georgia Great, former NFL player
(10:14):
now on ESPN College Game Day, he has been a
close mentor for Nolan Smith and has talked about how,
you know, he all the things that he does great.
You know, he's an engaging human. He's all these things
are awesome. It's just he needs to be a little
bit better with the past rush sequencing and coming up
(10:35):
with that better plan to be more efficient. So as
long as he can do that and develop in that area,
he's got everything else you wants. Maybe not the ideal
size at six two and a quarter two hundred, right
around two hundred forty pounds, just under thirty three in charm.
So maybe you wish he was a little bit bigger,
But with that type of juice off the edge, I'll
take my chances with a guy like that who's that explosive,
(10:59):
has hour in his hands, all the diverse tools that
he has to offer. Yeah, I feel very comfortable with
drafting Nolan Smith anywhere in the top twenty picks. Okay,
So that you kind of led me to my next question,
the size, Like how much of a concern is that
for you for scouts that you've talked to, knowing that
(11:21):
he's an undersized rusher, but then also knowing that he
played in the SEC against theoretically the closest thing to
the NFL in college and was successful there, although didn't
put up quite the numbers that some other guys did. Yeah,
and I think that when you project a player like this, Okay,
can he play with his hand on the ground in
(11:43):
a more traditional forman front or does he have to
be off the ball as a three four backer or
a stand up edge rusher. I don't think he does,
but I think he's probably ideally suited for a three
four where it's not as easy to be reached. Can
operate in space a little bit better. But I think
he can play with his hand on the ground and
(12:05):
be close to the line of scrimmage because of the
power that he has in his hands. Not he's not
super long, and again that's a worry concern of his game,
but he does play very strong for a guy with
that size profile and with that athleticism, with the way
that you know, the agility, so he has the footwork,
he can cross the face of blockers. You know, he can.
(12:28):
You know, he has the power his upper half, so
he can hammer the run, game play through contact. The
energy is no questions there. And he also you know,
he's got a special team's background as well. So I
just think there's too many things with Nolan Smith that
would stop me from picking a player like this early. Look,
I'm not saying the Jets are in the edge market
at thirteen, but the Jets always like to add juice.
(12:50):
You look at the way that roster's constructed right now.
First of all, they want guys to pen the air.
Years back. They run two full rotations, so they basically
have eight starting defensive linemen when you look at it,
potentially even more than that. And right now the Jets
have in a sub package you have Carl Lawson, Quinnin
(13:12):
Williams right now, probably Solomon Thomas who just resigned, and
John Franklin actually know it would be John Franklin Myers
in the middle and Jermaine Johnson rushing. Then your other
rushers would be Bryce Huff and then whoever else you
have on the roster. And if there were ever somebody
for Nolan Smith to learn from in terms of being
an undersized pass rusher in the NFL, Carl Lawson's a
(13:33):
pretty dang good one. He's under contract right now. This
is the last year of his deal with the Jets.
And just for like a heightweight comparison, if you're listening
to this, Nolan Smith, Dane, you said six two in
a quarter or just one under sixty three about two
forty is that right? He was six two two two
thirty eight, so six two and a quarter two. Yeah, Okay,
(13:54):
Carl Lawson is six foot two, but he's also built
like a rock of a human and he's two hundred
sixty five pounds, so that that's a big discrepancy there,
but the thought process is still there that both undersized
edge rushers. Karl Lawson, obviously a very successful pass rusher
in the NFL, gets after the quarterbacks a decent amount.
(14:15):
So with that being said, Nolan Smith option for the
Jets at thirteen according to Daniel Jeremiah, Now let's move
up a little bit, real quick, real quick. The other
thing with Lawson two is he's a short armed guy.
He is not a I mean, he has power packed
I mean he was lifting weights at two years old
like that that you know, he's he's that type of guy.
But he's also a short armed guy. He thirty one
(14:36):
and a half inch arms, so you know, I mean,
Nolan Smith has a full inch on Carl Lawson when
it comes to the arm length, and that that matters
for pass rushers. So, and you know, to your point
about maybe you know edge isn't a glaring need at thirteen,
ending fancy to remember the first round is not where okay,
what's our top need. Okay, that's our first round pick.
(14:57):
That's not how it works, that's not how teams operate.
First round picks are for the next five years, and
especially when you're talking about premium positions, whether it's corner, edge, rusher, tackle,
a playmaking wide receiver you're looking for, Yes, you want
him to contribute right away, but you're looking at Okay,
what's our five year plan, what's our twenty twenty four
roster going to? Look? Like? You are making picks for
(15:20):
than now, but also more importantly the future. And so
I absolutely I would consider Edge a strong possibility there
at thirteen if the right guy is there. And as
Nolan Smith from everything that I've read, he seems like
an impeccable human, right, Like, he would be a great
locker room ad. The character's great. Yeah, he's can't remember
(15:42):
how the scout he called him a joyful extrovert. Yeah,
just a ton of energy, maybe too much at times,
but a type of guy that is is not going
to bring your locker room down, that's for sure. Okay.
So that is the book on Nolan Smith. And thirteen
would you say is about the ceiling of where you
(16:04):
would consider Nolan Smith? Like? No, I mean, if I mean,
look at the Eagles at ten. You know the Eagles
they love pass rushers. You think about a similar body type, right,
Brandon Graham, You know, like Brandon Graham's not a big
ed rusher, and so I don't think that they'd be
scared off by Nolan Smith's lack of elite size. I
(16:26):
think that anyway, somewhere in the top ten Nolan Smith
definitely possible. I think in my last mock draft they
had Nolan Smith going twelve to the Texans. So I think,
you know, once you get past the first seven or
eight picks, that's where I think it becomes realistic that
Nolan Smith could come off the board somewhere, you know,
between pick nine and then pick you know, eighteen or so. Okay, awesome,
(16:48):
There you have it, Nolan Smith in the books. Now
let's move up, like closer to the top of the draft.
You get talking about Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson, I mean,
Lucas van Ness I guess would be in that upper
echelon as well. Can you, in your own words just
take us through those three guys, how you rank them
and what their strengths are potentially in the NFL. With
(17:11):
Will Anderson, he's just an outstanding player all around. He's
the first true freshman linebacker to ever start under Nick Saban.
Think about this one, okay, in the history of college football.
So it's a lot a lot of players, right. There
have been only forty one players out of the entire
(17:33):
history of college football who have twice earned unanimous All
American honors. Will Anderson one of those guys. Uh second
in Alabama history in almost every category rushing the quarterback,
behind only Derek Thomas, the legendary player. He's got to
get off that you want. He's got bend, he's got dip.
(17:54):
He's a flexible player. His arsenal of rush moves is instinctive.
He has a good feel for when to use what move,
and then as good as he is a pass rusher,
he might actually be a better run defender. He's very
quick to diagnose, his handwork is advanced, he's got lateral agility.
So in my one area of my main area concerned
(18:17):
with him is he needs to be a better finisher.
They were just he left way too much production on
the field, especially in the backfield, where he'll get there,
he'll be disruptive, but then he just slipped off the
ball carrier or just missed the quarterback. Needs to get
better as a finisher. But still I'll take my chances
with the guy that knows how to get there and
blow things up getting because of those twitching movements, the
(18:39):
skilled hands, overall play speed. He has all pro potential
in the NFL. So Will Anderson, I think is the
real deal as a as a top five pick. And
in your answer there he said he's the second player
with unanimous All Americans twice. Is that what you said?
The forty first player in college football history? Yeah, injury
(19:01):
any team, any player, any level, um to ever do it.
So it's it's a rare, rare thing. Okay, So he's incredible.
Is he on the level of the bosses coming out
of college? I think they're a little bit different. But
if you're just gonna lump all these pass rushers together,
I think he's below them. Um. Not quite on the
bosses level, not quite on Chase Young's level when he
(19:23):
was coming out of Ohio State. UM, but just behind,
you know, I want, I don't want to make it selling.
There's a huge gap, but I would say he's just
behind those two. Clearly, it's they're they're not even. He's
right behind. Also correct me if I'm wrong. But I
feel like when the Boases were coming out of college,
(19:44):
Chase Young, everyone was talking about how advanced their hand
movements were, and that I think has something to do
with the program, not necessarily the player. So and also
Bosa comes from a line of football, So there you
have it. Anyway, So that's that's will Anderson Ti Wilson
I think is interesting because Texas Tech is like a
I don't feel like maybe I'm wrong here outside of
(20:06):
maybe you know, one guy in the NFL hasn't really
had like a first, like a top five pick in
a long time, right, Like who was the last Texas
Tech player to be drafted potentially top five? Crabtree Mahomes. Yeah,
but to your point though, uh, Texas Tech has never
(20:27):
had a defensive player drafted top twenty. So to your point,
you mean your spot on you think of Texas Tech,
you think offense, Um, they have never had a defensive
player drafted at top twenty picks. So Tyree Wilson about
to change that here in a couple of weeks, and
what do you think? First of all, Texas Tech love
(20:47):
the uniforms. They're just kind of like slick, They're just
kind of like they're just they're bad ass. So you know,
hopefully that doesn't have to get bleeped out. But anyway,
Tyree Wilson, what do you like about him? And why
is he considered a top ten pick in your eyes?
I mean he's the first one off the bus right.
The way he looks, I mean six to five, five
(21:09):
quarters or five a's five quarters, five eighths, two hundred
and seventy one pounds, thirty five almost thirty six inch arms.
The way I described him in the draft guide, it
looks like a yoked up Captain America. Uh. With he's
just he's so broad, so long, so muscular. Uh, and
then he boosts pretty well too. Um. Now, there are
(21:30):
times where he comes off the ball high. You know,
that leaves him open to be washed or uh. You know,
players or blockers can get their hands on him, but
he's so powerful that he's able to go right through them.
He's so long. So when you talk about a guy
with that type of initial speed, the you know, two
step speed, the raw power, the length, those are just
(21:54):
amazing foundational traits to build off of. Uh. Does he
need to be a more crafty pass rusher? Sure, yeah,
a little more strategic with how he gets to the
pocket and breaks down blockers. There's no doubt about it.
But he has a lot of gifts that a lot
of teams just don't have. So he is right for development,
(22:14):
the type of player you think can become a pro
bowler down the line. So that's why Tyree Wilson's being
talked about as a potential top ten, even a potential
top five player. Okay, so if he's somehow at thirteen,
you think the Jets are like running up that card,
no questions asked. I'd be pretty shocking if you made
the fourteen. Okay, that's a good way to put it. Yeah,
(22:38):
you said the first one off the bus the way
that you were describing Tyree Wilson, the Jets comparison is
Michael Clemens. Because Michael Clements is the first one off
the bus. He in my opinion, he is the closest
thing to yoked up Captain America. And if it were
Clemens and Wilson coming off the bus next together, I
(23:00):
think they they passed the test, the eye test there. Yeah,
I think the the opponents thinking about that when they
strap up and get ready for the game, because talk
about yeah freaky dudes, they definitely fit that the category.
So and yeah, he's he's got an interesting you know
journey at this point, He's born in Alaska, still has
(23:22):
family there. Uh, moved to East Texas, discovered this game
of football, and it's he started out at A and
m goes at Texas Tech and it's just blossom from there.
And so, uh, you know, he's a guy that again
he's still you know, he's still on his way. He's
not a finished product by any means, but you just
don't see the level of traits that he offers very often.
(23:46):
So what you're telling me is that Michael Clemens and
Tyree Wilson overlapped at I and m is that is
that right? I think so because Wilson was there in
two as an eighteen and two as a nineteen. Yeah,
Clemens has was in college from seventeen to twenty one.
There you good, Oh wow wow, a little reuniting in
(24:07):
green and white. I think Jets fans would be very
excited about that. So, well, another guy I want to well,
I just want to briefly talk about this guy before
I ask about like maybe day two, day three players
at the Jets go in that direction. Lucas van Ness,
so freaky athlete out of Iowa. I feel like when
I think of Iowa, and I think of recent memory,
(24:27):
like the first guy that comes to mind for no
reason is aj Epinessa, probably because he plays for the
Buffalo Bills. So Epinessa went in the second round. Van
Ness projected in DJ's mock draft, just using this as
an example, he's number ten to the Eagles right now.
So what do you think about the way Lucas van
(24:49):
Ness plays football? And is it the standard Iowa brand
or is it something a little different where he can
offer a little more on the on the next level.
H Well, you know, I back in the November when
I came out with my Top one hundred updated Top
one hundred board, I had Lucas vanes as a top
twenty five player, and I heard from a lot of
Iowa fans saying, what do you He's not even a
(25:11):
starter for us. What are you talking about? And I
just I'm telling you, guys, the traits, the traits, the traits.
Van nest Declas goes to the combine and for a
guy that's sixty five, two hundred seventy five pounds runs
in the four fives. You know, his three cone was
right around seven seconds, which is remarkable for that size
one five seven ten yards split. This is a guy
(25:33):
that has a lot of power. He's explosive, and even
though he didn't start technically for Iowa, he played starter
level snaps, so you know he was he was on
the field just as much, if not more than the
guys that were out there. And that's just the way
Iowa operates, you know, they seniority type of thing. Lucas
van Ness only a red shirt sophomore, so a young player.
(25:56):
But again the power and explosion that he brings as
an outside player as an edge rusher and then also
when he reduced inside as a defensive tackle. Uh, you know,
it's it's something that he can really create, that disruption
from different angles, from different gaps. He can make plays
versus the run, and he faced some pretty good, uh
(26:16):
offensive tackles in the Big Ten, talking about Peter Scarronsky
at Northwestern, talking about Ohio States tackles with Dwan Jones
and Paris Johnson. So you know it's ah, this is
an ascending player. I think the way I described him was,
if you draft Lucas van Nest, you're getting Leo DiCaprio
right after growing pains, right has a hit Titanic. Yet Okay,
he's not a global sensation. So he's he's on the
(26:39):
upward trajectory and you see growing pains. You're like, oh,
this is this is a pretty good actor, and he's, ah,
this is a pretty good addition to the show. And
so you're you're you're buying low, expecting the ceiling to
be really, really high. And I think that's what you
get with Lucas van Ness. So if Leo had a
tough time winning an oscar, what's the NFL equivalent for
van Ness? Uh? Well, I mean he's he's just gonna
(27:02):
keep stacking good seasons. I mean, dada did Iowa, He's
gonna do it in the NFL, and sooner or later,
you stack enough good seasons. So it's like you make
a good enough good movies, it's gonna come for you.
So it just a matter of time for Lucas Vanessa.
He's he's too good. Uh. And that's what we're talking
about him as a top ten pick, as a guy
that has zero career starts to his name, and yet uh,
(27:24):
you know, has a good chance to be drafted in
at top ten to twelve. Okay, maybe not thirteen, but
maybe maybe not. Maybe all right, we'll see what happens
before we let you go here on this episode, I
just want you to have the floor and kind of
talk about some guys that you like, whether that be
traite wise, whether that be fits for the Jets at
edge day two, day three, like anybody that you think
(27:47):
could be a fit, anybody that catches your eye, and
anybody that you think, you know what, maybe you should
just keep an eye on this guy similar to your
Northern Michigan guy. Uh. Well, he's a little more well
known than than Jake. But bj Auguilarry from LSU. Uh.
You know his older brothers playing in New York for
that other team. Uh, bring bj to h to the Jets.
(28:10):
Know he's like his older brother, a little under size
six two and a half two hundred and fifty pounds,
but really long. He's got those long arms and you know,
talking to a scout Southeast scout um, I asked him
if Nolan Smith is probably the best character guy in
his region, because that's fully what I expected him to say,
and he said Nolan Smith would be number two, right
(28:30):
behind Audularry. So this is another guy that checked the
box for the football character the personal character. You know,
he's just got a really intriguing combination of get off quickness,
closing burst. He can win with his hands, he'll throw
out a ghost move, you know. He just he likes
to get after the quarterback. And maybe it's because he
didn't do a full workout at the combine, but I'm
(28:51):
a little surprised he doesn't have more buzz because I
know teams like him and I know, uh, you know,
he's a guy that even if he doesn't sneak into
that late first day two, he's gonna be a pretty
popular guy. And uh you know, could be a end
up being a steel kind of like his brother was
as a as a second round pick for the Giants.
So and I think that this edge class one of
the stronger groups we have this year. So we just
(29:13):
went through a lot of guys that are going to
go in the top half a round one, but in
the second round, third round, there are a lot of
names and teams stack these guys differently based off of
what they're looking for. You know, a guy like Will
McDonald from Iowa state six three and a half two
hundred forty pounds, so he's under size, but a freaky
freaky athlete, really long thirty five inch arms. You know,
(29:35):
he's he's got that stretched out range frame, but has
a lot of agility, has a lot of joint flexibility
so he can win different ways, which you worry about him.
Okay as a run defender, can he hold up so
we can keep him on the field or is he
going to be a pass rush specialist for us? That's
why we're talking about Will McDonald is probably more of
a Day two guy, you know, and we could you know,
(29:56):
there's literally probably ten pass rushers that are gonna go
in the top eighty picks, top one hundred picks because
it's just a really it's a premium position first and foremost.
And then this draft class has a lot to offer
in terms of depth at those at those key positions.
Both guys that are maybe more base ends, uh, you know,
whether it's a Dylan Horton from TCU or a key
(30:17):
on Weight from Georgia Tech, or if you want your
undersized edge rushers like a Bgrdillarry or even like a
Derek Call from Auburn. So I think this draft of
pass rushers has a little bit of everything for you know,
each scheme and depending on what you want. That's a
great way to put a bow on the edge. Episode
here on NFL Draft Preview presented by Verizon. Dane, thanks
(30:39):
a lot as always, and we'll talk to you next week,
all right, Thanks Athan,
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