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April 22, 2025 • 12 mins
Lance Zierlein of the NFL Network joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the NFL Draft in two days, including the top two picks, offensive line narratives, his new mock draft coming out, the lack of first round trades, and the Shedeur Sanders hype.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
As part of our exclusive in depth coverage of the NFL.
Your home for the twelfth Man proudly presents NFL Network
Draft analyst Lendserline. Brought to you by Moss Bay Hall,
Queen Anne Beer Hall's sister location on the East Side
in Kirkland. Incredible food, local craft beers and fresh cocktails
with friends. Come check out Moss Bay Hall in the

(00:22):
heart of downtown Kirkland. Now with lanser Line. Here's Saftie
and Dick.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
All right, we're getting ready for the mock draft the
Queen Anne Beer Hall tomorrow. Six dollars smash burgers, fight
our stadium dog, six dollars beers, the whole spiel. Come
on by the mock draft, Humillon, Dick Fane, Dave, Softie Mouth,
Jackson Felt is gonna make a public appearance at the
beer hall. How about that? So swing on by the
beer hall tomorrow. Mock draft starts at three o'clock. Go

(00:48):
check out Mosspey Hall in Kirkland and the soon to
be open Occidental Hall near loomen Field. All right, here
he is for one final pre draft visit. He's got
to be relieved. You mean I only have to do
one more of these things after this week is over
with you dopes. Our friend from NFL dot com lent zerline,
how are you, man?

Speaker 3 (01:07):
I'm doing well. How you guys doing good?

Speaker 2 (01:09):
So I'll be I'll be honest. That Mike Florio is
with us about an hour and a half ago, and
I asked them the same question I want to ask you.
Do you believe on Thursday that the Browns and the
Giants will make their selections at number two and number three?
Or will they get out and somebody else will step in?

Speaker 4 (01:25):
Well, there are teams trying to step in, but I
don't think they'll trade out. It's it's clear there are
are there's a top quarterback, and there's you know, three
more top players, Ashton Genty, Travis Hunter, and Abdell Carter.
And Hunter and Carter are going to be the next
to go in what order we'll see, But no, I

(01:47):
just I think anybody that that once teams consider the
offer and they they realize who they're going to trade
back and take, they'll just say, you know what, it's
not gonna be worth it. We just we'd rather have
a little close to a sure thing. So I think
those teams will stay put.

Speaker 5 (02:03):
Lance, we're John Schneider do something yesterday I don't ever
remember him doing. And that's kind of bristle at media
and fan criticism over the offensive line narrative, he says
it's a lazy narrative that the Hawks have struggled getting
offensive lineman. He went on to say, it's a it's
a league problem that kids want to get sacks and

(02:23):
be pass rushers instead of wanting to be blockers. So
talk to me about that theory that it is a
lazy narrative and it's more just a dearth of offensive
linemen out there in general.

Speaker 4 (02:35):
Well, I think it can be a lazy narrative. I
don't necessarily know if that's you know, apropos what the
Hawks are going through, but it is often a lazy narrative.
I see it in Houston. My dad was an NFL
offensive line coaching. You know, It's just it gets very
frustrating for if you pay attention to it, If you
know this stuff behind the scenes, a lot of fans

(02:56):
don't really put the time. I think fans are smarter
than they ever been. Let me first say that I
think there's so many great resources and sources of information
and fans who want to get smarter and who have
become smarter. I do think that sometimes there's a blame
of the offensive line when you know, it can be
a quarterbacks issue, it could be a play callers issue,

(03:16):
it can be you know, it can be a tight
end or running back when it comes to sacks. So
I do think blaming the offensive line and blaming the
play caller are the two easiest things for fans to do.

Speaker 6 (03:27):
It's the play caller fault, it's.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
The offensive line's fault. And then you know, you just
think magic's going to ensue once you change you know,
once you change those things out.

Speaker 6 (03:35):
I think John's got a point, though.

Speaker 4 (03:37):
You know, most defense, and this has been going on
for a long time, you have guys in the trenches,
and there are certain players that are the more explosive
ones go on the defensive side of the ball because
they can be disruptive. And you know, sometimes the body
types that are a little bigger, thicker, maybe less explosive in.

Speaker 6 (03:59):
Twitchy, go on the offensive side.

Speaker 4 (04:01):
And if a team, if you give a high school
coach a chance to decide, you know, where do you
want to play this player? You want to play them
on defense or offensive line. A lot of them are
going to play them on on defense because that's the
easier mode you can you can go have an impact
on a team.

Speaker 6 (04:15):
Quicker in high school that way, if.

Speaker 4 (04:17):
You give the kid a chance, he's going to go
where he can start. And offensive line is really about
a unit. It's got to be a unit. They got
to play together. And so John's right, I mean, the
better talent goes to the defensive side of the ball.
There's less offensive lineman. And now with the way college
football has in the way that there is less practice

(04:37):
going on in the NFL, you don't have as much
time to teach technique, so players now don't develop nearly
the way that they used to do in college and
even in the pros.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Well, lan zerlines with us in lance your last mock draft,
which came out six months ago, I'm kidding, by the way,
it was April first, though, Is it April first? Was
it three weeks ago? Your last mock draft?

Speaker 6 (05:00):
So it was April first.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
My next one's gonna is.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Due tomorrow, Okay, So give us a little bit of
a of a preview. I know you haven't done it
yet all that stuff, but your your last mock you
had the Hawks taken tat McMillan, would you still think
that's a real possibility on Thursday.

Speaker 4 (05:16):
I think it's a possibility. I don't really know until
I go through and let the dominoes fall. I don't
really honestly know, you know, I'm I'm six picks into
it right now. And uh so, MIKEL Williams, I've already
got to find a new slot for him. I've got
to find a new slot for arm N Membo because
I'm not putting them at seven anymore. So that that

(05:38):
really changes a lot. Like every time I put a
new player in a new spot, it's a series of
it's a domino effect. And so I really can't like
until I get to take a look, and I like
to get this one as close to being as perfect
as possible. It's impossible, it's an impossible task, but it
requires me. It usually takes me about six to seven hours. So,

(05:59):
uh I go and look at I go and look
at contract situations on teams. It's really gets hard once
you get past the first ten picks, twelve picks, and
in this year it's more and that's in a general sense.
This year it's more difficult because there's such a wide
variety of opinions on picks, you know, on players like
twelve through through thirty four. So I think that I

(06:23):
think the Hawks I may still you know, it's I
always like to listen to what the general managers say.

Speaker 6 (06:30):
At these meetings.

Speaker 4 (06:31):
The fact that John Schneider is bristling about the offensive line,
you know, I'm going to go back and try to
pick up the video of that or even the transcript
and read and try to read between the lines about
whether or not, you know, it sounds like he wants
offensive line, or if it sounds like he wants wide receiver,
because I still think there's a really big needed wide receiver.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
You can't just have.

Speaker 4 (06:53):
Sam Darnold in there with a guy that runs fast
and a straight line. I mean Jackson Smith and Jigbis
is a very good wide receiver. But you don't know
how much you have left with Cooper cut probably a
one year deal. You know, the Valvez gantling is gonna be,
like I said, a field stretcher. You need another legitimate
pass catcher. Well, is that gonna be Colston Lovelin. I

(07:13):
gotta see if he's still on the board for me,
is that gonna be you know, is that gonna be
Golden or Ted McMillan.

Speaker 6 (07:19):
We'll see how that comes off.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
I'm not sure.

Speaker 4 (07:21):
I'm putting wide receiver at Dallas at twelve, and if
that's the case, then wide receivers may fall a little bit.
So I may have the choice of at least one
and if not, maybe even two of those wide receivers
they're at eighteen.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
For the Hawks.

Speaker 4 (07:33):
But I gotta also take a look at guard obviously,
and I'm also gonna make some phone calls see if
I can't get maybe some insight on a direction MBB
maybe headed.

Speaker 5 (07:43):
Why haven't we seen any pre draft trades? And do
you think that change changes Thursday? Do you think we'll
have a flurry in the first round.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
I think we well.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
The trades I think are gonna come with potentially possible players.
Trey Hendrickson with Cincinnati, Kavon Thibodeau.

Speaker 3 (08:00):
I if Abdul.

Speaker 4 (08:01):
Carter goes to the Giant, you could see Cavon Thibodeau moved.
If Ashton Genty goes to the Jaguars, you could see,
you know, Travis Etten moved. So that may be the
I think one of the reasons you're not seeing trades
before the draft is it's not a great draft to
move up, Like, who are you moving up for? There's

(08:22):
not quarterbacks that anyone really wants to move up for.
No matter what the narrative is created nationally where you're
trying to turn Shador Sanders.

Speaker 3 (08:28):
Into a thing.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
I don't know anyone that wants to move move up
and go take them.

Speaker 6 (08:32):
I'm not sure anyone wants to move up and.

Speaker 4 (08:33):
Go grab Jackson dart not not in the first fifteen picks.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
So I just don't think.

Speaker 6 (08:38):
I think it's the.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
The reason that's happening where there's no picks is it's
not a draft where you just say I've got to
have this guy.

Speaker 6 (08:46):
We cannot miss on that guy. Now, there's a couple spots.

Speaker 4 (08:49):
You know, like there's a couple of very desperate spots.
The Dolphins are desperate for a defensive line. The New
England Patriots are desperate for a left tackle. But there
are positions where they can sit tight and get guys
they want. So you know, if you're gonna see a
trade up, it's going to be Dallas trying to move
up and get Ashton Gent It's gonna be maybe the
Denver Broncos moving up and making sure they.

Speaker 6 (09:11):
Secure O'maron Hampton.

Speaker 4 (09:12):
Maybe the Chargers moving up and getting their hands on
Colston Loveland.

Speaker 3 (09:16):
It's gonna be something like that.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
Well, uh land zerline with us NFL dot Com courtesy
of our friends at Queen Annber. I'll be there tomorrow
for the annual mock draft, and I hate to pick
on one of your co workers over there by the way. Actually,
I don't even know if James does. James Palmer still
work for NFL dot Com as he's still with you guys.

Speaker 6 (09:35):
A friend of mine though.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Okay, so I'll tread lightly, all right, I'll tread lightly,
but just and I'm just kind of busting his balls
a little. But I saw him to out that you
know that there's a team that would love to move
up in the top ten and grab Travis Hunter. Well,
no kidding, I mean, the guy's a dual threat players.
Of course teams would love to move But you just
mentioned something there though about Schudor Sanders that you don't
hear a lot of rumblings about teams looking to move up,

(09:58):
because my dream scenario is him being there eighteen and
a team like Pittsburgh moves up a couple spots and
maybe tries to make a move for him. So how
much willingness do you think there really is to move
up and get shad Door Sanders.

Speaker 4 (10:10):
Well, so here's the thing I said first fifteen picks,
and the reason I stopped there is because and that's
kind of a generic, you know, stopping point. But right
now it's starting to feel like Shadoor Sanders is, you know,
Mike Comlins making comments about shut shud or Sanders.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
You're starting to see.

Speaker 4 (10:25):
Him mock more and more at twenty one.

Speaker 3 (10:27):
When that happens. And I think this is why.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
A lot of teams are very careful about making sure
people don't lock in on their picks.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
You know, football teams look at a lot of these mocks.
They look at certain mocks.

Speaker 4 (10:40):
And they want to try to get a feel for
where a player may go.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
And they know that some of the mocks, some of.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
The people just do good work and some of them
may have a connection here or there. They use it
as a chance, you know, to kind of run some
some scenarios. And if Pittsburgh starts getting Shoudre Sanders locked
in too much. Then if there is someone who wants
Youd or Sanders, they just say, hmm, let's start calling eighteen.

(11:08):
Let's start calling nineteen, let's start calling twenty. Let's start
calling these positions and see if we can move out
of twenty one, because if you've become too predictable, then
it becomes too easy to move ahead of you if.

Speaker 3 (11:22):
Someone wants the player.

Speaker 4 (11:23):
I'm just not sure anyone's going to move up out
of the Steelers and take Shador Sanders.

Speaker 3 (11:27):
Because I just don't think there's that buzz on him.
I really don't.

Speaker 4 (11:30):
I haven't mock drafts, have hadn't gone twenty four, twenty
nine and my last two, and people got all mad
at me, like I didn't.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
Know what I was talking about. But I do know
at the top, guys like that don't go and like
he doesn't have top ten stuff. And I watched all
the tape and I've talked to him. I fel people
and he's you know, he's gonna fall.

Speaker 4 (11:48):
I think he's the second best quarterback in the draft, right.
I don't think he's going three to the Giants. I
don't think he's going nine to the Saints. And once
you get past that, the slide probably.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
Continues until this dealers potentially take him. If they don't
take him, then then Katie bar the door.

Speaker 2 (12:04):
Well, you're not doing a good mock unless people are
pissed off at you, man, So congratulations got being successful,
all right with me? Great stuff, all right, dude, great stuff.
Enjoy the week and uh we'll do it next week
one more time and wrapping all up.

Speaker 6 (12:16):
All right, Lance, that sounds good.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
Thanks guys, all right, Bud Lance zerline NFL dot com.
He's gonna have his latest mock. I believe he said
it comes out tomorrow night. If I'm not mistaken. Yeah,
midnight tomorrow. You gotta have it in So, I don't
know when they're gonna publish it. They may wait until
Thursday morning. But good stuff with Lance, and big thanks
to the Queen Anne Beer Hall, Moss Bey Hall, and
they soon to be open Occidental Hall for sponsoring that.

(12:39):
All right, we're gonna break textimonials next four nine four
five one. John Wilner joins a five Brian Schmitzer five
forty five on a busy day from you, dub Denzel
Boss is gonna pop by and say hi as well.
Coming up around six oh five on ninety three three KJRFM,
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