2026 NFL Draft - Day 2 Hour 5 Coverage

Ian Furness, Rob Rang and Hugh Millen react to the Seattle Seahawks taking Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal with the 99th pick, then hear and react to Neal's EPIC conference call with Seattle media including a legendary back-and-forth with Millen, then listen and react to the end of day two comments from Head Coach Mike Macdonald and General Manager John Schneider.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now back to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft, presented
by Frost Bruin COR's Luck Cold is the Rookies and
brought to you by Dino's Pelvin. Written on Sports Radio
ninety three point three kJ R FM.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
We are back at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center awaiting
the Seahawks pick. We're one, two, three, four picks away.
Rams on the clock right now, Rob real quick by anything,
no newsworthy take place while we're gonna break.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yeah, just a couple of selections here. Recently we've talked
a lot about Manuel pregnant On, the big guard from Oregon.
He went number eighty eight overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And then one of my favorite backs in this draft
that was not named Jo Diary price as came on
black from the the you know, national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
I this, this guy wasn't invited to the combine and

(00:53):
yet he was drafted number ninety overall. And when he
wasn't invited to the combine, I mean I almost lost it.
I mean, I don't get on Twitter and complain about things.
I mean, it's just there's too many people who do
that frankly, uh, you know, in the world now, but
I just could not believe that a guy who was
a star for the national champion team doesn't get invited
to the Combine. I just thought that that was ridiculous

(01:15):
and one of the biggest Combine snubs in twenty six
years of doing this. And so I do feel a
little vindicated here to see Kalein Black go ninetieth overall
to the San Francsco forty nine ers, which I'm not
a huge fan of that fact from a Sele perspective,
but there are very few people in the world who
I respect their opinion more when comes to running backs
than Kyle Shanahan, and clearly he thinks that Black is

(01:38):
a good player.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah, guy that didn't go to Combine, Shanahan says, that's cool, good,
thank you grabbing right here. It's like when you were
stacking your litt league teams as a kid, you tell
you as a parent to you know, remember this here.
Like not that I would have ever seen this happen
in Maple Valley, but like, you know what, just don't
go to trials for reck ball. Well you'll find your
way onto a team. I think of vacation talking to you,

(02:01):
Darren Bell, Morris uh Keith for just you guys, just
just we'll sit this one out. I mean that's almost
what it is. It's like, Okay, this kid sits it
out and cal Shanan's like, I'm pouncing, baby, I'm pouncing
right now. Okay, awesome. Uh yeah, the guard we didn't
talk about guards. I mean, so guard that was maybe
could have fit here is gone, right yep. Guard. I

(02:22):
mean this is the weird thing with the guard with
and we're just talking about one guard. We're talking about
the right guard. Yeah, And and we don't know really
unless we have the old humil and truser and fired
into their veins and they sat in front of a microphone.
What they really think of Anthony Bradford. Why all indications
they think more they the Seahawks think more of Anthony
Bradford than most, Right, Well.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
I don't know who most are. I think you just
take the facts. He's still the right guard. Yes, they
haven't replaced him this year.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
And there's been competition, right, you know, they haven't brought
in you know, high level uh free agents or draft
picks to you know, round pick. But I mean, yeah,
high high's relative term, right.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
All I can tell you is what my eyes tell
me that of the eleven guys on the offense, he's
the He's the guy that would need replacing the most.
And and if you want me to pull up I've
done it many times. But I can pull up the
Pro Football Focus grades for him year after year after

(03:30):
If I go to the last three grades, he's in
the bottom fifteen percent every year, you know.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
And I use them reluctantly, but they're.

Speaker 4 (03:41):
The only ones that that that have a grade that
we that I can reference, right, And so you know, they.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
There are their evaluation agrees with what I see, and
so now.

Speaker 4 (03:55):
I think that it's improved, you know. I mean Keith
Walker was able to function and Sam Darnold was able
to function right through the most critical games.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
Of the year. Well, I was shocked to know this, Rob,
that Anthony Bradford's name came up last night over a
couple of pops with a couple of people I was
sitting with. Shocking development, That was right, Yeah, and you
had agreements too. What are you seeing there on the tape? Well,
just some more observation.

Speaker 4 (04:25):
I told you, I'm looking at just the cover one
tape which cover one is man a man. This is
any football person you can just talk to cover one
and it and it means there's one free safety. Now,
there could be five guys rushing, or there can be
four guys rushing with a low hole player.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
But when they play cover one TCU and you.

Speaker 4 (04:51):
Say, okay, there's a uh at TCU, there's two safeties
and you might ask, well, when they cover one, is
either post safety or is he in man to man?
Every rep that I saw he has been assigned to cover.
He is not the post safety. So TCU's coaches are

(05:12):
telling you that if we want to play man and
I got a choice, I can either have Bud Clark.
I don't know the name of the other safety or
safety b.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
How do I want to do this?

Speaker 4 (05:24):
Do want to have Bud Clark play in the post
and let him roam and cover ground? Or do I
want to have Bud Clark manning up in the slot.
They always have him manning on the slot. What does
that tell you that they like his man and man
skills better or that they like the safety was in
the post. His reigns a lot more and they value

(05:45):
that more, far more likely to be the former far
more likely and certainly more charitable to Bud Clark. But
I think the truth is they think Bud Clark is
better in coverage.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Keegan Trust, offensive tackle from Missouri, just went to the
Los Angeles Rams of Inglewood. He is off the board.
So the Dolphins have a pick in the Patriots on
the clock. Then at Steelers Vikings and well, how about this,
the Seahawks are not picking. They're done. There's been a trade.
I don't know what it is, but they are not

(06:17):
on the clock anymore. Thirty second pick is now the
Pittsburgh Steelers, so that has been moved. So the seed
spots though, Yeah, so they're dropping down. Yeah, they'll have
the second to last pick in the third round, and
that's a compensatory pick, right that the Steelers just moved.

(06:37):
So the Seahawks aren't picking at thirty two. They're gonna pick,
as Rob said, at thirty nine, at thirty five in
the round ninety nine. Overall, Jess is gonna work on
finding what the trade was for. You would assume that
they would pick up in another pick in day three
if they're moving down three spots, right, yeah, Okay, so

(06:58):
the Seahawks Okay, that's the news. We don't know the details.
The Seahawks have moved down in the draft, so they're
not picking at thirty two anymore. They're picking it thirty
five in this round. That'll be the nine I got
details for real, and Jackson felt coming through in the
clutch fire away.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
But yeah, per Tom Pelisario, it's ninety nine and two
sixteen overall going to the Seahawks for number ninety six
two sixteen.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
Rob do the math for me. What what round is that?

Speaker 3 (07:23):
That's gotta be the seventh?

Speaker 2 (07:24):
Okay, so that what it'll be. Okay, all right, so
they'll go, they'll move. They add one pick tomorrow that
would be in the seventh round, roughly right, six move?
How far do moving down? Three spots? Three spots so
I can even tell you we.

Speaker 3 (07:41):
Actually it's the very last pick of the sixth round.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
Okay, So now they have two picks in the sixth
round tomorrow. Okay, that doesn't help those of us doing
a show at nine in the morning, he says, very
selfishly out loud. Was that on the radio? Yes? It
was so, Yeah, the Seahawks would have Yeah, the two
hundred and sixteenth pick is the thirty fifth pick in
round number six coming up tomorrow. Their other pick in

(08:04):
that round is the seventh pick in the sixth round
as well. So as it sounds right, now, move down
three spots at a pick two picks in the sixth round.
So two day three picks, both in the sixth round,
one early and one late. Hugh, you think I don't
know what their their plan is. I mean, let's see
who they pick and and uh feel confident someone's there

(08:25):
that they can still get it thirty five in this round,
I guess, or maybe they move again.

Speaker 4 (08:30):
We'll keep an eye on it, because who knows what
a seventh round pick is by anybody's measure, I don't
care how good you are, that's far less probable to
make an impact than.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Just you know, you know, than the thirty second pick. Right, Yeah,
I would think so, I would think so too. So, Uh,
it's an interesting move actually to move down three spots,
Like what what is their glut there?

Speaker 5 (08:54):
Of what?

Speaker 2 (08:54):
What you what are your what are your gut instincts?
Tell you there?

Speaker 3 (08:57):
Righter, Let's see. I still think that we talked about
these different corners and edge rushers. They're getting picked apart
pretty good but there's uh, there's still some names again,
Joshua Joseph. Uh that Jay Sean Barm we talked about
before from Michigan, that that was you know, five dollars
bet he went to the Dallas Cowboys a couple of
sections a go, so he is no longer available. And

(09:22):
then at those corners, you know, again, I I am
surprised that Malik Muhammad is not off the board. I
had him going in the second round and obviously here
we are in the late portion of the third. He's
got another slim frame, you know. But at the same time,
I just think that I see real cover skills with him.
And so again he is one that I personally like

(09:43):
as far as like the best best player is available.
I do think that, uh, you know, there's another interior
if we want to get into that guard conversation. James
Dunker from from Iowa is one that surprises me is
still available, uh and would make some sense for a
Seahawks just because of you know, coming from Iowa, we
know about this and Kirk Farentz is the head coach there.

(10:04):
He just churns out NFL caliber offensive lineman year in Euroupe.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yeah, they picked one last year as well. Let's take
a quick twelve seconds here for station identification. As you're
listening to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft on your
home for the twelfth Man and the Twelves sports Radio
nine three point three kJ FM.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
You're home for the Crackton, the Huskies and the twelfth Man.
Sports Radio ninety three point three KJR FM.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
C I heard radio station guaranteed human all right, Eli
reridan tied ind from Notre Dame just went to the
New England Patriots. Things are nice and calm there. He'll
have a good time rolling in there. It's just like
pointed Notre Dame Steelers. Steelers pick is in, which would

(10:48):
have been Seattle's at thirty two. Then the Vikings have
back to back picks at thirty three and thirty four
before Seattle picks, and then the Jags right now are
scheduled to have the last pick of this the third
round wrap up day number two.

Speaker 4 (10:58):
Let's pull up the ram in the forty nine Ers
and just kind of maybe talk about what they've done
to help their football team.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
Our neighbors in the NSS.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Yeah, uh, what are we overlooking the Cardinals?

Speaker 3 (11:11):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (11:11):
Uh yeah, I think I think that's Listen, it's bad
enough you're dealing with two. You don't need to deal
with all three right now? Who do you want to
look at? Force?

Speaker 4 (11:20):
At first? San Francisco, that's fine. That looked like that
was embarrassed one to you. Okay, San Francisco, it is.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Uh. So the San Francisco forty nine has made multiple
Day one trades, trading out of the first round. Uh.
They pick up Deshaun's Strippling from Mississippi in round.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (11:41):
In round two, he was the first pick in the
second round, thirty third overall. I thought that was a reach. Okay,
I'm no scout, but I watched him play a lot stribbling.
Your MIC's down there, Fella, have you ever done radio
before Chester? First day? What's going on? Come on, Ricky
strip rookie year was sixteen years ago. Uh, Stribling goes

(12:04):
as to be Uh. Romelo Height, the edge rusher from
Texas Tech, was the second pick by the forty nine ers.
He was a third rounder, seventieth overall. And we just
talked about Black, the running back out of Indiana, twenty
six pick in the third round. So that's what they've done.
So nothing yet that that makes you.

Speaker 4 (12:21):
Yeah, like stribbling, you know, I like you have a
deeper knowledge of these guys.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
Good blocking wide receive.

Speaker 4 (12:27):
About the first round, I start to fizz out. So yeah,
you know you have a recall on these guys.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
Yeah, I mean, well, and thank you. I like stribbling.
I just thirty three overall. I mean I had him
more in the sixties.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Yeah, that was that was rich for I. Again, I'm
not a scalp, but I know he's a good blocking
wide receiver, like very physical like and that was he
didn't have the best hands, like honestly, right am I
right there? Ye Abso yeah, it's like, yeah, he doesn't
make plays, he drops balls, but he can block. Yeah,
he can block.

Speaker 3 (12:57):
Yeah, I mean yeah, he makes it plays over the top.
He's just one of those guys that.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
He plays bigger than he's listed too.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
Yeah, he just is a little in terms of like
the change of direction like a lot of big guys.
You know that he's he's more straight lineash, He's not
quite as flexible change the direction quick.

Speaker 2 (13:13):
All right, let's go to the Los Angeles rams of Inglewood, California. Yeah,
Ty Simps before you.

Speaker 4 (13:18):
Mentioned him, Yeah, I mean, you gotta talk about Trent McDuffie, right, So.

Speaker 2 (13:23):
So McDuffie had Watson, Yeah, pickup starting corners. So that's second.
Like I know there was money involved, Like you're the
Kansas City Chiefs and you lost both of your starting corners. Yeah,
too odd one team anyway. Yeah, So Trent McDuffie and
Jalen Watson get added in the offseason as free agents.
That was the weakness for the Rams, so they do
do that. Then they had Tye Simpson the quarterback at thirteenth.

(13:45):
We talked a lot about that. Is it Claire the
tight end? How you said, Max Claire? Max Claire the
tight end out of Ohio State, twenty ninth pick in
the second round, sixty first overall. And then Kegan trust
a offensive tackle from Missouri third round or ninety third
over twenty nineteen.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:00):
I don't know anything about Max Claire, but I do
know that Sean McVay that use of the thirteen personnel,
the one running back, three tight end set was almost
kind of the rage. I don't think any team in
the NFL history has ever done as much out of
thirteen personnel as him, So it's not surprising that he'd

(14:21):
want to pick up another tight end.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
Well, it's not because of how often they use them,
but my goodness, they picked a tight end early, like
year after year after year. Now, I mean it's just
like what you know, it's almost like they have and
selective annesia or something. They're forgetting that they have a
lot of tight ends are really on their roster. So
that part does surprise me that they just keep going
that to that. Well, uh, you know, but they I mean,

(14:45):
you do you I guess. I mean, but they they're
the only team in the league that I know of
that when I look at their like the our lads
you know depth chart, that they've got a right tight
end and a left tight end and they have three
at each spot. I mean, six tight ends on you roster.
That's pretty unusual.

Speaker 4 (15:01):
But the thing, the point I'm trying to make is
that there's some teams that have really helped themselves in
the draft, right with two picks. You know, the Giants,
the Giants in theory, the Cowboys in theory, and right
now are competitors in this division. For all I know,
they're all going to make the Hall of Fame. But

(15:23):
but on paper, from what we know now that there's
nothing to be terribly concerned about.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
Is that a fair way to ye, I think, except
for I think what you mentioned initially though with the Rams,
you do have to include the two corners. Yeah, like
in terms of what they've done the offseason. Like if
you're looking at like and I think you just start
there Seattle and the Rams model. I mean, they're they're
a play a pat they're a play apart. They've done
more than right. And but you know Seattle only I

(15:49):
say only they lost one starter. They've replaced that starter
on offense, one offensive starter that would be Ken Walker
at the same level yet to be seen. But they
replaced the one starter on offense. They still have some
starters on defense they've got to replace. Obviously. Maybe they
think they addressed that with Kobe Bryant with with the
pick of of Bud, but who knows. We'll see and
then we'll see what they do with this last pick.

(16:11):
But then needs to tell boy Mafey yeah, and Reek
Wollen correct, correct, and and you not you did note.

Speaker 4 (16:17):
The way I have been portraying it is minus too.
Imagine if those guys had got hurt. Remember when we
thought Emon worry wasn't going to play in the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, yeah, because he twisted his ankle and practice practice
that week.

Speaker 4 (16:31):
Just imagine if going to the Super Bowl, if Kobe
Bryant and Reek Wollen and Boy Mafey all turned their
ankles and they were scratches.

Speaker 2 (16:42):
Yeah, I would say in an in that order, read
it off again to me, Kobe Bryant, Reek Wallen, and
Boy Mafay. I think if we were going through that
in that in that order that day, I would have
been most concerned about Kobe Bryant and probably number two
Reek Wallan.

Speaker 4 (16:56):
I think I would have been walling number yeh, because
I think Ocatta could have Ocatta could have filled in
because even when when the Seahorks were getting healthy.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
What was a snapcout? There was a year? How close
were they snapcount wise? Job and not sure I'll look
that up. I'm just drum because it doesn't feel like
they made a decision between the two, like like, are
we going to spend more to keep Reeg because they
were both free agents they resigned Joe, Yeah, well but
job was what eight million? That's what I'm saying, Like

(17:27):
one was way cheaper. I get that they made a
decision based on both economics and the point.

Speaker 4 (17:31):
I just think they had they had every a whole
locker room full of Seahawks and the guy that was
you remember when you were a kid like which one
is not like the other? You know, yeahed Orange, I
know what you're saying, Banana sofa, right like, he was
the one guy that that that it just didn't fit

(17:51):
their profile. And so but remember when Seattle got health
finally got healthy, was a game against the forty nine ers.
I'm not sure if it was the Week eighteen regular
season game or the first playoff game, because they were
essentially back to back right.

Speaker 3 (18:12):
That.

Speaker 4 (18:13):
There was only one guy on the whole team, that
starter that didn't play, and that was Kobe Bryant, and
they were fine because he had they had Taya Kata.
So I think Greek Woolan was more important because of
their use of the dime personnel and the dime you

(18:33):
had to have Greek Wolan as an outside So.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
In your mind right now, corner is priority number one.
It is it is what I'm reading, Okay, Yeah, corner
is priority number one now. And you know I'm always
going to say offensive guard is you know, well, I
lived with somebody that says the same damn thing. Yeah,

(18:57):
I know what you're saying.

Speaker 4 (18:58):
I offensive guard is I know, but you know the
dude at the deep end of the pool who's splashing around.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
My job here is to translate. My job here is
to translate. Bud Clark. We just talked about it, man
a few words, Hugh Millan, I'm translating for everybody else.
What he was telling you is this, he wants to
see them take a cornerback, that's what. And if not
a quarnerback, a guy that's gonna come in and play
right guard. It's not named Anthony Bradfords U University. Right,

(19:28):
this is not hard. I figure that out. Could be
a translator. Huh, Rob radio is not hard. It's corner guard. Please.
How long we've been here at the drive through? Here?
Oh god, all right, the Seahawks are listen, just double check. Yeah,
this corner extra fast and my guard the Seahawks around

(19:48):
the clock, and the pick is in. So we're just
gonna wait for our good friend Cliff Avril to step
to the podium here. In just a couple of seconds,
Miami safety Jacobe Thomas just went to the Vikings u
Vikings head back to back picks. Caleb Tiernan, offensive tackle
from Northwestern, went before that. Now the Seahawks pick is in,
and we'll see. I believe that's Cliff Son with him tonight.

(20:09):
One of his one of his sons is with him tonight,
the younger one. So let's uh, you just yell at
me Jackson. We're ready to rock and roll with former
k j R employee Cliff Abril as he's making his
way up to the podium right now here he is.

Speaker 3 (20:32):
That would have been oh bad.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
With the ninety ninth pig.

Speaker 6 (20:35):
In the twenty twenty six NFL Draft, the world champs
Seattle Seahawks select Julian neal dB Arkansas.

Speaker 2 (20:44):
Let's go twelves. Okay, okay, all right, okay, So well
you listen Cliffs. Cliff said, I heard Hugh. I heard
Hugh all the way back in rented. Well, I heard him.

Speaker 4 (20:57):
Yeah, there's more voices shouting. What do you think I
don't know the player?

Speaker 3 (21:02):
Yeah, well, and this is one of the players we
talked about just a couple of moments ago, as far
as a guy that has some traits that are worth
gambling on. Julian' neil was at Fresno State and frankly
didn't see the field all that much. And then he
you know, I think they just need a change of
you know, different opportunities somewhere else, goes to Arkansas, plays

(21:22):
in the SEC, and Pops was absolutely one of the
biggest breakout players of this year's draft. You know, start
every game, goes to the Senior Bowl, has a strong
performance there, and you know, once up going to the Combine,
has a terrific workout at the Combine as well. So
he's a player that you know, again, he's six foot

(21:44):
I believe he was six foot two. Two hundred pounds
is roughly what he measured in at So he's got
those seaaky kind of traits and he is a guy
that I think his best football is still ahead of him.
He had struggled to get onto the field and play
at any type of consistency at Fresno State, and when
he made the transfer to Arkansas, I was kind of
stunned by that, Frankly, but he wasn't surrounded by a

(22:06):
lot of talent and you know in Arkansas or excuse me,
at Fresco State, and then he gets to Arkansas and
splash when he needed his opportunity. My Beddy Corbyn Smith
and Locked on Seahawks Podcast correctly predicted this selection on
one of our shows. And so he's walking around doing
a victory tour at the moment, relaxed there, but he

(22:27):
deserves it. It was a heck of a.

Speaker 2 (22:28):
Call, Hughes looking up some tape and we'll get to
that here in a second. Let's do this, Jackson. Can
we squeez a two minute break in here? Real quick? Okay,
let's do that. We'll take you a quick two minute break.
We'll have few, give him a quick second to look
at some tape and we'll hear from Julian Neal coming
up next.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
Now back to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft, presented
by Frost Bruin Corslot Cold is the Rookies and brought
to you by Dino's pulb been written on Sports Radio
ninety three point three kjr FM.

Speaker 6 (23:01):
With the ninety ninth pick in the twenty twenty six
NFL Draft, the world champs Seattle Seahawks.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
Select Julian Neal dB Arkansas. Let's go twelves, go get them.
Cliff Cliff Averrol, one of the greats on Seahawk history,
one of our favorite people in Seahawk history making the announcement.
His son up there as well, and you heard it here.
So Julian Neil the third draft pick for the Seahawks
for the first two days. By the way, Jalen Husky
from Maryland, a safety, just went as the last pick

(23:30):
in the third round. So day two is in the
books as far as the NFL Draft is concerned. Jal
Julian Neil. Will hear from him in a second when
he calls in. We'll go up to the to the
speaker phone and listen to him in just a couple
of seconds. Hugh, go ahead, Well.

Speaker 4 (23:44):
I just saw a little bit of tape from him,
and let me put some things into perspective. His height
at six to two is ninety second percentile for corners
at two O three's eighty seven percent remember now percentile
hire the better, Okay, arm length eighty ninth percentile, hand
size for what it's worth, seventy six percentile.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Hold that he's in right now, we're gonna go up
to do you want to go talk? Won't you go
talk to him? Go say hi to you and be
half a kjr. These guys gotta cover with the pr
staff man. I got the media here.

Speaker 7 (24:17):
They're gonna fire up a few questions and get to
know you a little bit.

Speaker 8 (24:20):
Okay, welcome Seattle, Julian.

Speaker 2 (24:25):
Congratulations. How's it feel? Did you join the defending.

Speaker 5 (24:28):
Super Bowl champions? Sure? So good? It sure so good.
It's so good.

Speaker 3 (24:38):
Did you have any conversations with them in the pre
draft process?

Speaker 4 (24:41):
How?

Speaker 3 (24:42):
How surprised were you to get selected by them?

Speaker 2 (24:44):
At this point?

Speaker 5 (24:46):
It wasn't It wasn't a surprise at all. After that
meeting at the combine, hlarious and then since they share
coach told me you most like you can go get
picked by the Seahawks. Julian neal. He told me that
till my face. I believe in them, and they believed
in me, and they believed in me. We're going we
go out back to back this year.

Speaker 2 (25:06):
Come on, which coach was that that said that to you?

Speaker 5 (25:10):
Because there the assistant head coach.

Speaker 8 (25:17):
Yeah, a little game, Julian.

Speaker 2 (25:21):
What kind of player are you?

Speaker 5 (25:23):
I'm I'm the most princical corner in this drought class.
I used my arms to my advantace, I used my
left I use my availability, never gotten hurt, I've never
missed a game of college from being hurt. I cut down,
I hit something. I'm gonna go up and go get
the ball. I'm getting interceptions. I'm pretting dudes at the line.
I'm locking dudes up at the line. There's box time.

Speaker 3 (25:44):
How did you it take us through?

Speaker 2 (25:46):
You go to President State and how to get up
at Arkansas?

Speaker 5 (25:48):
All So, I started out at President State, I played safety,
got moved the corner. In twenty twenty three, played a
little bit. I had a breakout season in twenty four.
We just felt like it was time to just show
the world and I could play at the highest level
of football. Answered the portal, got to Arkansas. Now I'm
here top one hundred. Julian.

Speaker 1 (26:12):
You see to excel and zone and in off coverage
you talk about how you how you like playing in
those defenses.

Speaker 5 (26:21):
Uh wa pee repeat that. Yeah, you see to.

Speaker 2 (26:23):
Excel in off coverage and in some zone books you
can talk about that part of your game.

Speaker 5 (26:29):
Yeah, it's all. I remember to read offensive line, I
remember to read the QB. Watching the film really helps
me a lot with learning the tendencies of receivers, especially
being off at seven yards. I could read the steps
to me being big. I know they have to run
around me. They can't run through me. I know, I know.
I could I protect the top of the lot of

(26:50):
that first come down, go get the interception. I could read,
I could just I could read it. I could read.
I can read when to go run, I can read
when to go tennis. I know how concepts And I watched.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
Film the Seahawks. Did they talk to you, Coach Fraser
talked to you about a safety or or a corner
or with both.

Speaker 5 (27:11):
They like my versatility. They liked me there. They like
my versatility. They want me at corner. Yeah, I want
me at corner.

Speaker 2 (27:24):
Where are you talking to, sir?

Speaker 5 (27:27):
I'm I'm in San Francisco right now? Oh, Born OLiS?

Speaker 9 (27:32):
What high school there again?

Speaker 5 (27:34):
Mission High School?

Speaker 10 (27:37):
I read you had an offer from Eastern Washington as.

Speaker 5 (27:39):
A receiver ato. Yeah, yeah, obviously.

Speaker 2 (27:43):
You've been to the state.

Speaker 3 (27:44):
Of Washington before. I take it.

Speaker 5 (27:47):
That was Darren colvicause I didn't get the visit, but yeah,
I get them. It met with me.

Speaker 3 (27:51):
Man Julian.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
You have less than five miss tackles last year.

Speaker 3 (27:55):
How much pride do you take in getting guys to
the ground and being in all around the corner that
he defends the run.

Speaker 5 (28:03):
Man. I take that very seriously in the game of football,
and you have to take down the man sending that that.
That takes a very big part in my game. And
if you want to be if you want to master
something in football, master it. I feel like I wanted
to matter my tackle league because that's that's something that
a lot of corner now are missing in this game.
I want to bring it back. I want to bring

(28:24):
back being physical. I want to bring back again to
being active in the run game. That's that's that's my
mind ship, that's what I want.

Speaker 11 (28:31):
Did you watch the defense last year and if you did,
what were your impressions?

Speaker 5 (28:38):
Yeah, my plasdo. I went to the combine. They had
a guy Teddy Muchinnon that's lected in the fourth front.
I think one hundred and twenty sixth overall on one
hundred and twenty four. But yeah, the draft last I
mean like yeah, I mean, I mean, yeah, I was
last year. You know, I felt like I wanted to

(28:58):
be there this year and I was able to to
give him that top.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
Why aren't it?

Speaker 10 (29:03):
Did you watch the Seahawks play defense last year?

Speaker 2 (29:06):
You watched the Super Bowl?

Speaker 11 (29:07):
Any impressions of the Seahawks.

Speaker 5 (29:10):
Yeah, yeah, they're they're a new team. They like big corners.
I feel like I fit well with that. I could
fit in those teams. The head coach, my corners coach
that coached at Arkansas was the assistant corners coach at
the Seahawks two years ago. So he he it wasn't

(29:31):
meant to be.

Speaker 9 (29:32):
He talked, Man, Yeah, Julian, I'm gonna paint a scenario
for you. It's it's in the fourth quarter, it's a
critical time. You get the huddle call or from the sideline.
What's the coverage, what's the defense that that you like
the most that you say, yeah, that's the one I
want to be in.

Speaker 2 (29:52):
And what's your role in that?

Speaker 5 (29:56):
So, so we're in a front two far uh country
country cover three basically a true zone. Wait, he said,
you said we're in a fourth.

Speaker 9 (30:06):
Quarter, Yeah, fourth quarter, any important situation. What's your favorite
what's your favorite defensive call? And and you're rolling it.
So you're saying you're playing country cover three.

Speaker 5 (30:15):
Ye oh no, no, no, no, no, no, we're playing Man,
I'm gonna I'm gonna touch them, I'm gonna go, I'm
gonna go touch them.

Speaker 12 (30:23):
I'm gonna go tounch on somebody. I'm gonna go punch
on somebody.

Speaker 5 (30:26):
They're not getting gassed. And if you get passed, I'm
gonna look back for the ball and I'm.

Speaker 12 (30:31):
Gonna get that.

Speaker 5 (30:32):
It's simple and you're gonna putch somebody like the line.

Speaker 2 (30:37):
Love it.

Speaker 9 (30:37):
Now, are you in off coverage or impress in this situation?

Speaker 5 (30:41):
I'm in premiss. I'm all up in your face. I'm
gonna get down and dirty with it.

Speaker 11 (30:49):
Julian, how many different positions did you have you played
on defense right your career?

Speaker 5 (30:53):
The different safety positions make all those sorts of things. Yeah,
I playing nickel corner safety, my little bit of linebacker
in the package and the dying package. You know, it's
just it just helped me over years to be able
to be to have my versatility and be able to
move and and just learn defenses. And man, that's why

(31:14):
I'm here today.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Who is the getting as a person, not just as a.

Speaker 5 (31:18):
Player, Ligeon Man, Ligion a great person, But for that angry,
angry bird on the field, I can tell you that much.
Now I'm a great person off the field. They're gonna
get a great a great player in the locker room.
They're gonna get a hikey guy. They're gonna get somebody
who's gonna bring an energy but also be serious when
it's time to go.

Speaker 2 (31:39):
What's your why, Julian, my grandfa My grandpa.

Speaker 5 (31:43):
He's died in twenty twenty two cancer. He died in
the game. He died on the game will be played.
Uh Whyomi? He died that day before my game. He
died twenty twenty two. Now I'll do it for my grandpa.
Man Russell Peter's john to do it.

Speaker 9 (32:04):
Thank you, thank you, congratulations.

Speaker 8 (32:09):
All right.

Speaker 2 (32:11):
Wow, we've been doing this for a while. He was
making his way back here. We've been doing this for
a while, many years. We've been doing this. I don't
think sum was that way. I don't, I don't. I
got that guy. He's ready to go right now. Rob.

Speaker 3 (32:30):
Yeah, I can understand why the Seahawks are in love
with this kid's personality. I mean, just because he is, uh,
he's passionate. I mean there's a little bit of I
immediately thought of Richard Truman just because of just the bravado,
you know, and that he wants that smoke. Did you
kind of talk about like with you know, a Mariner's
reference there something we've heard, uh, you know Josh Naylor

(32:53):
kind of talked about in the past. And I just
think that, you know, the thing is, it's easy to
say these types of things when you're an emotional situation,
like being drafted, uh, you know, in among the top
one hundred after playing at Fresno States. Again, he didn't
become a starter until his senior season and then took
an opportunity to transfer to Arkansas and you know, and

(33:16):
that's really really where he kind of changed his whole
storyline here, So you can understand all of that. But
when you watch him on on tape, that's the thing is,
like it's not just all you know, empty talk. I mean,
this is a guy that does play with physicality. He
does have the the size, the length. He mentioned the
fact that he was coached by a former Seahawks coach.

(33:38):
That that former seas coach is Nick Perry, who spent
the twenty twenty four season with the Seahawks as a
defensive assistant, so he he does have some familiarity there.
And then he referenced the fact that he the conversation
with Leslie Frasier at the combine where the Seahawks had
already shown interest. So clearly, you know there there has

(33:59):
been some ties here that that he felt comfortable with
and the Seahawks felt comfortable with. So I'm Intrigued's to
me one of the interesting storylines here, and this is
something I should have thought about a little bit more.
As I said, I get angry when I don't, you know,
see these things coming. The Seahawks have not dedicated early

(34:20):
draft picks on corners, with the obvious exception of Devil Witherspoon,
but otherwise with John Schneider Air, it's generally been third
round or later in draft picks. They'd like to develop players,
and clearly there's some talent here with Julian neild as
work development.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
All right, I got it. If we got to, I
want you to comment on something, but Jackson's got it ready,
and Jackson, I agree with you. I'm getting a text.
We've been doing this for a long time. Jackson says,
oh my god, that was incredible, the best audio ever,
especially on one of those settings with the speaker phone.
Usually it's and there was a lot going on there. Jackson,
play the tape.

Speaker 5 (34:55):
I'm the most physical corner and then Jack class. I
use my arness to my bands, I use my I
lose my availability, never gotten hurt. I've never missed a
game of college from being hurt. I cut down, I
hit some I'm gonna go up and go and get
the ball. I'm getting interceptions, I'm cutching doing at the line.
I'm locking dudes out that the line is box.

Speaker 2 (35:13):
Time, Hugh. Hugh then pulled off. You know radio one
oh one, and you knew what you were gonna get.
You knew what you were doing. I saw it. I
saw it from all the way back of the room.
Take a listen, Julian.

Speaker 9 (35:29):
I'm gonna paint a scenario for you. It's it's in
the fourth quarter. It's a critical time.

Speaker 5 (35:35):
You get the.

Speaker 9 (35:35):
Huddle call or from the sideline. What's the coverage, what's
the defense that that you like the most, that you say, yeah,
that's the one I want to be in, And what's
your role in that?

Speaker 5 (35:49):
So, so we're in a front two five country, a
country cover three, basically a true zone. Wait, he said,
you said we're in a fourth quarter?

Speaker 9 (36:01):
Yeah, fourth quarter, any important situation. What's your favorite what's
your favorite defensive call? And you're rolling it. So you're
saying you're playing country cover throughout.

Speaker 5 (36:09):
Oh no, no, no, no, no no, we're playing man,
I'm gonna touch them.

Speaker 12 (36:15):
I'm gonna go I'm gonna go touch them. I'm gonna
go touch on somebody. I'm gonna go touch on somebody.
They're not getting gassed me. And if you get passed.

Speaker 5 (36:22):
I'm gonna look back for the ball and I'm gonna
get that.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
It's simple.

Speaker 5 (36:26):
And are you gonna put somebody left the line? Love it?

Speaker 3 (36:30):
Now?

Speaker 9 (36:31):
Are you in off coverage or impress in this situation?

Speaker 5 (36:34):
I'm in preiss. I'm all up in your face. I'm
gonna get down and dirty with it.

Speaker 2 (36:42):
Oh radio on you you you teat him up for that.
I knew what you were doing, and I'm there for
all day. But that was perfect. That was perfect. Well,
he's got a great spirit.

Speaker 4 (36:55):
Earlier in the interview, he had talked about all the
attributes when he plays off.

Speaker 2 (36:59):
He had been asked about, hey, I can see I
read the.

Speaker 4 (37:01):
Offensive line, and you know, so he had he had
made it sound like he he he relishes being in
off coverage, or at least that there's a component to that,
and so I just sho okay.

Speaker 2 (37:14):
Like, so they've drafted two guys today that have that attitude. Yes,
like like there's a there's a there's a theme.

Speaker 4 (37:21):
So you know, well, yes, but here's the thing. They
they are more dialed in than they've ever been. I'm
gonna just tell you this. This isn't just me speculating,
this is this is just trust me on this. They
are more dialed in now than they've ever been in

(37:45):
the John Schneider era and probably in the history of
the Seahawks, more dialed into. Hey, we have these attributes
that we need to see in terms of intelligence, love ball,
how you fit in, you're you're are you competing.

Speaker 3 (38:02):
All all like?

Speaker 4 (38:03):
And and they will not waiver no exceptions if you're
not elite in in a in a in a carder
of these questions. If you don't come out elite, you're
off their board. So when you hear this every time
and you hear and you go, WHOA, that dude loves ball,

(38:24):
that dude wants to he's ready to battle, or he's.

Speaker 2 (38:28):
And he's selfless.

Speaker 4 (38:29):
And you know, like, if you come away impressed every
time that you hear the guy these guys, it's because
If you aren't that type, you're you might as well
have had a degenerative knee on both sides, degenittive hip
and a degenitive bad back. You're just as useless to
them if you don't come out of that filter at

(38:51):
an elite level. So we hear that, and you know what,
they got a freaking Lombardi. So it's it's it's beautiful.
It's like, wait a minute, Well they're getting great dudes,
and they're they're bringing home hardware, like like.

Speaker 2 (39:05):
What else could you want? Well, there's the hunger coming
into a locker room that's already won it twice, you know,
Like I mean, obviously the first iteration these guys aren't
here anymore, but that you come into a locker room
that everything's raised up, the level has been raised up. Yeah,
rob would you agree with what he was saying there?

Speaker 3 (39:20):
Oh, very much, though, I mean I think that they
just have He uses these words that I don't know
how to use, but I just used filter as my
way of kind of articulating A similar point is that
they just have certain filters that they use, and that
there's at the end of it, there's only certain players
that actually are the Seahawks the kind of guys that

(39:40):
they want. And you know, one of the points I
was trying to make is that they're that bravado that
reminded me of Richard Sherman. I mean, tell me if
this doesn't remind you of Richard Sherman. This is a
kid who played primarily at the wide receiver position throughout
high school. When he did sign with Fresno State, he
was a wide receiver. He made the switch to cornerback
when he decided it was Cavin more by the way,

(40:00):
who is the president State at that point. But that's
the whole other storyline. When he decides to transfer and
it goes into the portal, he initially agrees to go
to Stanford and oh, of course where Richard Truman played,
and then wound up instead going to Arkansas because that's
the higher level of competition than Stanford, Let's be real,
you know. And so it goes the SEC and then
again balls out.

Speaker 8 (40:21):
You know.

Speaker 3 (40:22):
So I just think that it's it's exactly the type
of storyline that you're looking for because you want players
who are on the upswing and if you're going to
be gambling in the third round, Number ninety nine overall,
then get guys who who have that, you know, you
filter down to play at the physicality that you're looking for,
that have the length that you're looking for, and then
just have the bravado the intelligence. You know that that

(40:46):
has translated into success for the Seahawks in the past.

Speaker 2 (40:50):
I wish. I mean, it's it's so long ago, and
and you know, different systems and computers and stuff. I
don't even remember because it was a day three pick,
we would have been here. I don't remember what the
Sherman conference call was like. I don't remember anything ever
being like this before. If anything was going to be
like that, it would have been Shrm, right, it would
have been Shrem. Although you know, Sherm was an interesting

(41:14):
one too. He he picked and choosed his times to
do that stuff. And I mean he's obviously famously after
the NC Championship game, but when you know, when I
interviewed him so many times after games went in his
career for Fox, and there were times you'd get that,
and there was times you would just get kind of
even keel, this was this was different level, Like this

(41:35):
was just absolutely different level. But I can see him
walking into a room with the super Bowl champions. You're
gonna go one of two ways. Like I'm looking across
at a guy at GM that's built two Super Bowl
champions and the head coach that everyone in football knows
is is the biggest brain on Bob right and and
and you're and just and has a ring now to
prove it, You're gonna go in there either intimidated or

(41:56):
you gonna go in there with that. Yeah, and he
went there with that. Well, I didn't find that. I thought.
That's the takeaway is that that it.

Speaker 4 (42:05):
You know, every team considers character, but like mackay Lemon,
you know, like a punk even if the if JSN,
I don't even want to speak it into existence, but
you know, if they had a need, if they had
a need there, MacKaye Lemon would never ever be drafted

(42:28):
because he he is just not a Sea owk right
and and so that that's just my takeaway is that
they have they have taken something that they are were
all ready was already more important to the Sea Haawks
than most teams. And again I'm not saying that that
all thirty two teams wouldn't rather have good dudes, but

(42:51):
but how many are some of them say well, yeah,
maybe our cultural you know, maybe he won't be that bad,
you know, that type of thing. And you know, because
look at that tantalizing potential and right like they're willing
to take turds, you know. And Seattle has always been
like you know, at the top of filthy out.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
No.

Speaker 4 (43:11):
No, now they're even going more. They're doubling down on that. Yeah,
because they believe it. They just won a Super Bowl
with a team that in the offseason had one hundred
percent buy in on the non mandatory every single.

Speaker 2 (43:24):
Dude, Yeah, I think. I think yeah, because you know,
there might be people driving around or listening right now saying, well,
a lot of teams have that. I think it just
goes back. It's it's a word I'm just going to bring.
I'll bring the team I work for into it. The
Kraken for a second. And this word was used the
final two months of the month and a half of
the season when they went from solidly a playoff team
to not a playoff team. And they said, I heard

(43:45):
this a zillion times, mostly from the coach. We got
to change the culture. We got change the culture. Hard
to do in season. We got to change the culture.
The culture isn't right. The culture here is a standard
that was set when they made a coaching change after
fourteen fifteen years with after fourteen years with Pete Carroll,
they made a change a guy that won a Super Bowl.

(44:06):
It's almost unheard of a guy like I mean, Baltimore
got rid of Harbaugh, see All got rid of Carroll,
two long tenured coaches. That doesn't happen in the NFL,
especially in Peach case. That won a Super Bowl. And
they did so because I was in that locker room
in Phoenix that last game and it was it wasn't
it wasn't right, It wasn't what it used to be.

(44:27):
And they went out and got a guy that it
took a year, got made some moves, you know, not
three hundred and fifty like they did the first two years,
but they made some moves. And you mentioned it, and
I go back to a year ago in May, a
year ago when I was sitting downstairs and they're having
their OTAs and our first chance to talk to guys,
and Jared Reid. I said, they said, who do you
want to talk to? I said, I want to talk

(44:47):
to Jared Reid, Like like, Jared Reid's here, in twelve
year veteran, What the hell's he doing here? Jared Read's here.
He comes in and I asked him, I said, what's
going on? He goes, this is this is this is
how you do it. And I said, you're here. He goes,
we're all here. He says, we're all here. That's how work.
That was a year ago. They win the super Bowl
last Monday, Mike McDonald, they're all here. Yeah, like this

(45:09):
is a year not to be here. You played until February.
They've changed everything and the Malik McDowall is a blip
on the radar screen now right Like that was the
one that you kind of go, okay, they took a chance.
Maybe we're a little cocky, like hey, like we've built
this thing up and we were good. We can we
can bring them in and we can change things that
ain't the case. But you know, like a Jenga tower,

(45:32):
you are, aren't you. I don't do that. I just
referenced it on radio.

Speaker 4 (45:36):
But like a Jenga tower, if uh, if that, if
you could go back and think about how pissed we
were that you know, you got the second rounders, got
all this talent and what have you and then and then.

Speaker 2 (45:52):
I wouldn't I would leave.

Speaker 4 (45:54):
I wouldn't undo that now, no one would. I know
now what you just said Ian about how all that engendered,
you know, inspired a change, right Rob that that okay,
sometimes you need to you know, the coldest water wakes
you up the most, you know, And that was just
a splash like like this is you've got to change.

(46:17):
And and so so they they pivoted and they said,
we're not We're not ever going to get burned by that.
Had that happened with a seventh rounder, if a seventh
rounder had hit a tree rut would have would have
had the same impact. No, but you know, it was
a second rounder that they really felt like at the time,

(46:37):
remember they needed three techs like he was that that
was a vital part of their vision. And so in
any event, I think that you know, they kind of
found themselves in the depth of that decision.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
So I wouldn't. I wouldn't undo that.

Speaker 4 (46:53):
From history, the Seahawk history, because I wouldn't want to
undo the lesson.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
Well, I think even Robert goes back when you know,
when whatever happened behind closed doors, the insistence to go
out and get a Jamal Adams right, and him too,
and and yeah, I mean I think because I'll go back,
let's reference that that that day in January three years
ago in in in in Glendale, Arizona. And I mean,

(47:22):
I love Julian love. You can say all you want.
Jamal adams influence was too strong and not a good way.
And they've changed that. They've changed that. He was smoking scars.
Here's John Schneider and Michael Donald's head up to the
podium today.

Speaker 13 (47:40):
It's system not so subtle flex right, Okay, I'll buy
a couple of books.

Speaker 8 (47:46):
Can you bring some books, Tom, We're gonna We're plenty
of time.

Speaker 5 (47:49):
Ah.

Speaker 14 (47:55):
A great day added to Seahawks like through and through
guys like competitors, athletes, tough.

Speaker 8 (48:06):
Uh. Just great job by Josh and Ryan, like really
getting to know.

Speaker 14 (48:10):
The the the uh the people, the competitors and and.

Speaker 8 (48:15):
Yeah, it was it was a it was a it
was a fun day and and and we were able
to make a trade.

Speaker 14 (48:21):
So give Pittsburgh a lot of credit for doing a
great job and working with us.

Speaker 8 (48:25):
We had a number of can't wait to get these
guys crowd.

Speaker 14 (48:30):
We had an other teams like you know, kind of
go away on us, but uh, anyway.

Speaker 3 (48:34):
Yeah, I know, it was, it was, it was.

Speaker 8 (48:35):
It was a great day.

Speaker 10 (48:37):
You heard you talk about wanting to get graphics that
we're gonna come in and probably.

Speaker 2 (48:41):
With the mindset of wanting to commut with guys and
just raise that level of from.

Speaker 10 (48:45):
Talking to these guys for five minutes on a conference calls,
things sound like they're gonna bring.

Speaker 5 (48:49):
Some of that.

Speaker 14 (48:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's interesting.

Speaker 8 (48:53):
Uh.

Speaker 14 (48:53):
Dave told us that, uh, Julian was like that with
you guys too. In reputation wise, he's just been a
fairly quiet guy, but like he's just really confident athlete,
and you know he's been through a lot. Uh the
the young hip or scouts, you know, they have a
thing for uh leveling up, and this guy's done. You know,

(49:15):
we went to Fresno and rolled it stand for a
minute and then you know, want.

Speaker 8 (49:20):
To challenge himself in the sec and he did it.

Speaker 14 (49:23):
Performed at a high level and uh yeah, no, they're
they're both really confident guys. Bud, Bud's gonna be you
guys are gonna Bud's gonna be fun too.

Speaker 8 (49:32):
He's he's uh, he's a blast.

Speaker 14 (49:35):
We were talking Mike and I were talking about like
the personalities like throughout the process, Like, man, if we
put Bud and Spoon in the same room, Like, what's
gonna happen Nick in the second year?

Speaker 9 (49:44):
You know, so he probabitize how much how much more big?

Speaker 5 (49:49):
Didn't do you have to be to find davis qualities
to decide your after.

Speaker 14 (49:54):
That a deep dive if you minutes, yeah, deep dive, yes, yeah,
go back and do a no.

Speaker 8 (50:01):
Uh. Our guys just do a great.

Speaker 14 (50:04):
Job of getting to know the people, and we have
a great cohesion in our in our room. You know,
all the guys that go you know over the top
of the schools too New Aaron and uh JB and
Jason Barnes and you know Matt Berry and Trent and
all the cross checking that goes on, and and then
all the interviews we have with the guys, you know,

(50:27):
at the All Star Games throughout the spring with the scouts,
and then when the coaches come in, all those zoom
meetings are.

Speaker 8 (50:34):
Just so important.

Speaker 14 (50:35):
And and then having the guys in here as well.
Bud came in on a thirty and ever we had
a blast with them.

Speaker 9 (50:41):
You Julian told us that if the Columbine had left you.

Speaker 5 (50:46):
I guess what if the comm mind in that interview
stot down the lovely old than that?

Speaker 7 (50:51):
Well, I I think.

Speaker 13 (50:54):
I think there's a com there's a clearly like a
competitor and a confidence in there. Takes lot of pride
And how physically is you know it's at the corner
position and he's played safety as well.

Speaker 7 (51:04):
But yeah, it looks like.

Speaker 8 (51:07):
A pretty smart guy.

Speaker 7 (51:08):
It's pretty cool. Turns out Leslie's pretty that's what he's doing.

Speaker 10 (51:13):
Regarding But how important was it to well place cope
and say, oh, like let's have similar attributes in that
regard or did that hot spare your your thinking with
him at all?

Speaker 7 (51:27):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (51:28):
I don't.

Speaker 8 (51:28):
I don't.

Speaker 13 (51:29):
I don't think we think through like in those terms
that were like we're not trying to replace anybody.

Speaker 7 (51:34):
We're just trying to find like the best people for us.

Speaker 13 (51:38):
And uh and but has like a really great cool,
like exciting skill set and personality, competitive spirit to him.
I mean, but like the thing you know, we're gonna
we're not just gonna play with safety. You can play
Nickel could probably play.

Speaker 7 (51:52):
Corner for us.

Speaker 13 (51:53):
We'll figure that out kind of as we go and
how how the how the team kind of you know,
shapes out. But we got we had some some really
great players at safety two that are gonna compete to me.
Tay Cota won a lot of games, helped win us
a lot of games last year. Rodney Thomas is a
guy that we're really high on a lot of guys.
So you know, it's a lot of going me a

(52:13):
lot of great competition. But Bud has the skill sets
that we're looking for in our secondary play with the competitiveness,
the ball skills, uh, the mand a mandability that that's
that type of stuff.

Speaker 11 (52:24):
You go and obviously didn't know at the end of
day one who you're gonna be able to get on.
Now that you have that behind you, like, how did
the draft ball relative.

Speaker 7 (52:33):
To how you're hoping the ball through the days?

Speaker 14 (52:36):
Yeah, Matt Perry sent me a text on Friday morning
with these three guys names.

Speaker 8 (52:43):
It's like, okay, so.

Speaker 14 (52:45):
And we did we did like kind of like you know,
like just kind of scrimmage us out a lot, like
you know through Okay, is it a runner or corner?

Speaker 8 (52:55):
Corner or runner? You know what I mean? All the
way through it like that, And no we're just we're
we're really excited.

Speaker 14 (53:04):
Yeah, just to be able to you know, that balance
of you know, best player team need really really helped.

Speaker 2 (53:11):
True.

Speaker 8 (53:11):
So yeah, it was exciting.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
Is that last Friday?

Speaker 3 (53:16):
Did you text you that? Or is that?

Speaker 8 (53:18):
Sorry?

Speaker 14 (53:18):
Apologize Thursday morning? Yesterday morning?

Speaker 2 (53:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 14 (53:29):
We always I had another one too, but we uh
we decided to stay in in in and pick.

Speaker 3 (53:33):
So oh which pick was?

Speaker 5 (53:34):
Uh?

Speaker 8 (53:35):
Sorry?

Speaker 3 (53:36):
Which which was?

Speaker 2 (53:37):
Which? That was a the third third picks grow.

Speaker 14 (53:40):
Almost Oh no, no, well I'm not gonna tell you. Yeah,
I mean it's a great tribe.

Speaker 8 (53:46):
You know.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
Why did it have to.

Speaker 5 (53:48):
Your cult pack twenty towards twenty two?

Speaker 8 (53:52):
I'll tell you later.

Speaker 5 (53:54):
What about different program across the country?

Speaker 14 (53:56):
How they were good?

Speaker 2 (53:56):
One?

Speaker 3 (53:57):
What do you consider your study more than you could think?

Speaker 7 (54:02):
Uh? I mean, I I know, I don't know. Actually,
I don't know how much it's changed, you know.

Speaker 13 (54:08):
I mean, like I think, I think, uh, I think
the way that we've been able to like bring our
coaching staff like kind of in concert with the way
that we've done it here for a long time and
our personnel people. And it's not like we came in
and said this is what we want it was like
we came together and we both sides said, like this

(54:30):
is kind of how we want to build it.

Speaker 7 (54:31):
And that's grown.

Speaker 13 (54:32):
I think it's evolved since we since we got here,
and uh, it's just like that makes it a really
fun process, and so it's easy to trust when when
guys like Ryan Florence is saying that, you know, being
believes a certain guy or our.

Speaker 7 (54:46):
Scouts and stuff. So like that, it's a really fun process.

Speaker 13 (54:49):
You know that we can get aligned and have have
buy in kind of across all levels, which is really cool.

Speaker 5 (54:55):
So what some guys take your cut?

Speaker 13 (54:58):
How do the excess Well, I think this is a
great example of that. It's like he asked yesterday about
about JD, Like his personality is way different than Julian's,
which is way different than Buds. But they're all like
we all believe that they're i mean spoons different personality
than Leah. I mean, it's just but they have those
core like competitive fund that they got swagged, they got confidence,

(55:21):
they but they have humility. I mean they play an
exciting brand of football, you know, which we feel like
we're excited to work with.

Speaker 7 (55:28):
So I think that's the common denominator.

Speaker 14 (55:32):
And they understand it's the ultimate team sport. They have
that like self awareness, self sacrifice. Like like all the
lessons ever every's whoever in the room has played football
was learned from the game.

Speaker 2 (55:44):
Yeah, like we haven't been playing corner that well until
they was over there to stay.

Speaker 10 (55:48):
Yeah, where do you see him at Trump the get
vultures and where do the profeta with him playing?

Speaker 7 (55:52):
Now? Yeah, we see him playing corner.

Speaker 13 (55:55):
And I think that's one of the exciting parts about
where he is is like there's so much room for growth.
He's already playing a really good brand of football. His
great traits, got a great work ethic, super competitive, he smart.
I mean, those are all the ingredients that we believe
can add up to, you know, playing even better football.

Speaker 7 (56:12):
As his as his career grows. So it's it's pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (56:14):
When you guys talked about the attributes. What's the sea
off YouTube? Won a Super Bowl together?

Speaker 10 (56:20):
Does that in any way leaving more convicted about this?

Speaker 4 (56:24):
Like double down on this because it worked?

Speaker 10 (56:26):
Was there some stamp with certainty that that winning the
Super Bowl gives you with regards to your.

Speaker 13 (56:32):
Your not to like go all like wax pudding, but
like whether or not we won, how the game, like
what the super happened in the Super Bowl last year.

Speaker 7 (56:47):
I think we all felt that our process was.

Speaker 13 (56:53):
Like worth chasing and like and like and preserving honestly,
you know, and and uh like, we're really proud of
the team that we were able to build last year
and how we did it and the people on the team.
And I say team, I'm saying like everybody in the building,
all seventy guys, coaches, staff. So I think it's more

(57:13):
of a product of just kind of tacking the like
what we want to like the vision of who we
want to become over the course of two years.

Speaker 7 (57:20):
I think we're more calm, you know. I think it's
having their results for it definitely helps.

Speaker 8 (57:24):
But I don't think.

Speaker 13 (57:25):
I don't think if we won the game or loss
the game, we would have we would have changed anything.

Speaker 8 (57:29):
It stops, it stops, and it all starts again.

Speaker 14 (57:33):
You know, it's like this, Okay, well that's the last game,
no matter if you made the playoffs, they made the playoffs, whatever,
and now okay, here you go, like, here's.

Speaker 8 (57:42):
Our next round of the process.

Speaker 11 (57:45):
Mike, you talk about how having the same guys in
the field I can get into different structures is an
important like evolution and these two guys you drafted, they
have experienced.

Speaker 2 (57:55):
A different positions.

Speaker 11 (57:56):
How much did that versatility play into how do you.

Speaker 13 (57:59):
Expect you think, Uh, it's really important. It's really important,
I think when you gotta be careful when you say versatility,
because to be like a jack all trades, master and
none is not really our brand of ball. Like, so
we got to be intentional on how we play our players.
But uh, but as we've seen like last year, like

(58:20):
we you need guys to be able to do different things,
whether it's like attrition you know, over the course of
the season or you know, as you build out your
systems on like the things you need to be able
to do housely, being able to do more is better,
you know. But it's our responsibility as coaches to make
sure it's you know, refined and focused enough that it's
still in like our guys wheelhouse, so they can go,

(58:41):
you know, they can go play their best their.

Speaker 7 (58:43):
Best ball and let their talents shine.

Speaker 13 (58:45):
So that but that's why you go through the process,
you know, that's why you do your tech phase one
like crazy, and you know you just respect those all
those the importance of each day because that'll that'll kind
of bring everything to focus.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
Clark Clark at fifteen receptions at TCU. Help is kind
of his playmaking of Villa.

Speaker 7 (59:01):
Is that good?

Speaker 8 (59:04):
It's pretty good. We'll give him crowd when he's here.
But he probably should have had thirty. Yeah, he like,
you know, he dropped. He dropped like he's got to
get his hands in a lot of balls. Let's put
that way.

Speaker 2 (59:15):
Telling you played really well. But Senior Bowl too, just
kind of is his pace there?

Speaker 8 (59:19):
Did it kind of stay out to him? Yeah?

Speaker 13 (59:22):
I thought the coolest part about the Senior Bowl was
like he just took a ton of one on one
set or a ton of one on one reps. You know,
I don't know how they do it, but it seems
like he was a guy and every other every other
rep and he's you know, he's covering people and so
that that was for me.

Speaker 7 (59:38):
That was that was really cool.

Speaker 3 (59:39):
That was that was awesome.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
The opportunities to get his hand in the football.

Speaker 4 (59:43):
He really aggressive jumping routes.

Speaker 10 (59:45):
Is there is there how much of a balance he
act is there when you're doing an NFL quarterbacks in
the offense, is with you wanted to play aggressive.

Speaker 2 (59:53):
But you also.

Speaker 7 (59:55):
Yeah, it's a good point.

Speaker 13 (59:56):
It's it's a balance, right, It's I mean, we we
want to train him the way we we train our
our people and play within the system. But you can't
can't coach the player out of the player. So I
think that's gonna come again. You gotta go through the process.
You gotta get a good feeling for the things that
he's seeing, and and uh, you know, and then like
that's why you practice, you know, just you know, go

(01:00:17):
make those decisive decisions and practice and and then kind
of go through the process that way and and coach
him up and go you know, there's one play.

Speaker 7 (01:00:24):
At a time, you know. But the thing.

Speaker 13 (01:00:26):
You can't coach is his ability to go get it,
you know, so that you don't you don't want to
take that away from him.

Speaker 10 (01:00:31):
Obviously there's attempts earlier on here trying to move down
as work out but saying where you work for the
most smart and still getting these guys bullion, saying now
we're gonna go back to back like get ain't those
kind of guys.

Speaker 13 (01:00:46):
We'll talk to him about maybe it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:50):
Was the wrong scouting for.

Speaker 8 (01:00:53):
He's a confident sucker. That was there a question, you know,
how moved out here to work out.

Speaker 10 (01:01:02):
Had the story there?

Speaker 5 (01:01:02):
We get these guys to see ours that confidence, this
kind of way, how special this that?

Speaker 8 (01:01:07):
Yeah, that's great. I mean it's like, uh, Brian Fleury
would say, it's very enjoyable, enjoyable, enjoyable tape to watch.

Speaker 14 (01:01:15):
Yeah, he has a funny thing. He's like, yeah, I
really enjoyed watching this guy's tape. It's very enjoyable. That's
not we're getting to learn, Brian, it's fun. I think
it's I think it just speaks to the prod like
trust the process, you know, like I think, and not
cause he's sitting here, but like.

Speaker 13 (01:01:30):
Just to see how John operates the old draft and
with all with the rest of our our staff and
just how well they work together, and it's, uh, it's
really really cool to see it happen in real time.

Speaker 11 (01:01:41):
John, Maybe just what how do you balance that self
confidence and then or awareness of the team.

Speaker 8 (01:01:49):
What is it in your evaluation homeportant that how has that.

Speaker 5 (01:01:53):
Changed over the years?

Speaker 3 (01:01:54):
The heart plays have to be confident, right.

Speaker 8 (01:01:56):
But yeah, yeah instead of yeah you're self awareness? Yeah
get it?

Speaker 14 (01:02:00):
Yeah, I know We've learned a lot over the years,
you know, uh, and.

Speaker 7 (01:02:04):
That's our that's our our character process.

Speaker 14 (01:02:07):
Our are evaluating the the person and uh the connections
that everybody has to let our scouts work their tails
off to reach out to uh.

Speaker 8 (01:02:20):
You know, have their connections and spend the extra time to.

Speaker 14 (01:02:22):
Figure out true who that person truly is, you know,
the competitor of the swag but yet having like a
a uh unawares of not you know, putting yourself in
front of the team, John you far more.

Speaker 8 (01:02:40):
Yeah, we said we had plenty of time to get
ready for rookie free agency. We could have had our
meetings tomorrow.

Speaker 14 (01:02:46):
You know, I think that are estimated our estimated time
to pick at one eighty eight is like twelve o
three or something like that. So that's gonna freaking blast.
Sit there and watch all these names come off.

Speaker 8 (01:02:58):
It's really fun.

Speaker 10 (01:03:00):
And then you on Julian's physical and he told himself
for the most physical corner in his draft.

Speaker 2 (01:03:04):
You just talked about that part of his day.

Speaker 8 (01:03:05):
Yeah, that's actually that's cool that he said that's actually the.

Speaker 14 (01:03:07):
Number one thing that stood out to me when uh
when I first like when when when the gays were
presenting we s first started studying, it was like this
guy like he brings it, it's important to him, and
he wants Yeah, he wants he wants to be physical. Uh,
if you're into up, you know six two corners that
have length and last I want to tackle.

Speaker 9 (01:03:30):
Is there any adjustment in any way that you make
going through a drop with Mike as approached it.

Speaker 8 (01:03:35):
With these any adjustments.

Speaker 10 (01:03:38):
It, We'll just kind of approach like, you know, obviously
there must be some different in their personality.

Speaker 8 (01:03:42):
I might try to No, No, it's not.

Speaker 14 (01:03:48):
No, it's it's it's getting to know the it's getting
to know obviously the head coach, but getting to know
the the guys are gonna be spending time. You know
that the position coach is I guess be spending time
and you know what kind of buying are they gonna have,
and and they want.

Speaker 8 (01:04:01):
To coach the player and.

Speaker 14 (01:04:04):
Yeah, I mean I know the mistakes that I've made
personally in the past and what that looks like. And
so we've we've learned from those things, and you know,
we don't want to repeat it. I mean, so, but no,
it's a it's it's it's not it's it's different with
all the assistant coaches, I would say more than because

(01:04:25):
you're always going to have those private conversations like okay,
you're good, you're good.

Speaker 8 (01:04:30):
You know so except in pregame Mike doesn't want to
talk to me the pre game, Pete want to talk
to me all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:04:37):
All right, yeah, all right, there you go. That is uh,
Mike McDonald and John Schneider will take a final break
and come back and put a bow on things and
wrap things up with you. Millan and Rob Brian coming
up next.

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
Now, back to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft, presented
by Frost Bruin Core's Luck Gold is the Rockies and
brought to you by Dino's pub beIN written on Sports
Radio ninety three point three kjr FM.

Speaker 8 (01:05:06):
Got a great date added too.

Speaker 14 (01:05:08):
Seahawks like through and through, guys like competitors, athletes, tough.

Speaker 8 (01:05:16):
It was a fun day and we were able to
make a trade.

Speaker 14 (01:05:20):
So give Pittsburgh a lot of credit for doing a
great job of working with us.

Speaker 8 (01:05:24):
Yeah, I know it. It was. It was a great day.

Speaker 2 (01:05:27):
That is General manager John Schneider from the Seahawks just
moments ago, wrapping up Day two of the NFL Draft.
Welcome back to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center again, Froness,
Hugh Millen and Rob rang As one final segment, final
few minutes here to put a bowl on things. After
the first two of three days of the twenty twenty
six NFL Draft, Seahawks yesterday taking Jadarian Price, running back

(01:05:49):
out of Notre Dame in the first round, thirty second
overall pick. Today two selections, Bud Clark, a safety, he
comes out and he's the thirty second pick, six fourth
overall in the second round, and then Julie and Neal
a cornerback out of Arkansas. He is the thirty fifth
pick of round number three, ninety ninth overall, second to

(01:06:10):
last pick in the third round. The Seahawks did make
a move there in the third round, trading down three spots.
They gain an additional sixth round pick, so they enter
Saturday with two draft picks, both of the sixth round.
Seohn Schneider telling us probably around twelve oh three PM
is when that first of the two picks in the
sixth round is scheduled to take place. All right, we

(01:06:33):
heard from John Schneider. We heard from Mike McDonald before
we kind of just put a total bowl on everything. Really,
the biggest question we, I think all had heading into
their conversation was who and what is defensive back at
a TCU Bud Clark would you get?

Speaker 4 (01:06:49):
Well, I think that the versatility, the fact that he
can cover man and man kind of some of the
things we talked about, the fact that he mentioned nickel
look for this instead of on a nickel, not always
bringing Devin Witherspoon inside and having Rick Woolen outside. Think
about maybe this guy coming down and be taking Witherspoon

(01:07:12):
spot and let Witherspoon stay to the outside. So I
think that, you know, we're gonna see some back end
uh safety like like Kobe Bryant. But when you when
you can place a manna man where that that's that
forty yard dash comes into play.

Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:07:33):
You know, he's he's slight by safety standards, but he's
fast by safety standards. So I think that that that
athleticism he Mike McDonald is willing to trade thumper violence
uh uh for the speed in the versatility.

Speaker 2 (01:07:50):
He'll get his violence from somebody else. And uh.

Speaker 4 (01:07:54):
And so look, Mike McDonald's vision of how pro football
should look on defas events.

Speaker 2 (01:08:01):
Is the best.

Speaker 4 (01:08:02):
So when you when you you know, even things like
when he says, hey, yeah, we want versatility, but you
gotta be careful because you don't want to be a
jack of all trades master of none, like he knows
exactly on the all of these are on a scale
like I want a little bit of versatility, you know,

(01:08:23):
but I'm gonna fine tune it. I don't want too
much versatility because I don't have enough expertise. Like he
just has this vision and everything he does is to
fit that vision, and I just sit back and marvel
at the guy's brilliance.

Speaker 2 (01:08:39):
Rob Julian Neil comes in and competes with Josh Job.

Speaker 3 (01:08:44):
I think he does. I think he certainly is going
to be competing with Eami Purtchett, you know, to be
the guy behind you know, Josh Job, and certainly Devil
Witherspoon on the outside corner spot. I mean he's you know,
six one two anred pounds, so to me that that
screams kind of outside corner. And so I personally think
that Josh Job is a is a quality starter, and

(01:09:06):
the Seahawks thinks so, and the eight million dollars, says though,
but it was only what I think, it was a
one year deal, you know. And so I think that
they they see Julian Neil, they said as much. They
see him as a guy who's, uh, you know, who's
got a bright future ahead of him. And I just
that was one of my kind of takeaways specifically about Neil,
but just overall. I mean, Julian and Neil start a

(01:09:28):
total of sixteen games, only twelve of them at the
you know, at the power forward level, you know, those
other four games at Fresno State. Just the confidence in
Mike McDonald and his system and the Seahawks scouts to
draft the player in the top one hundred that has
that level of starts. And you go back to Jadarian Price,

(01:09:48):
I mean, he had zero starts the college level. So
again it kind of goes back to what we've been
talking about that they have their filter and starts are
not one of them. I mean, it's toughness, it's it's
that they give a damn factor. It's just aggression and
confidence in who you are and just being like a
quality human being. All those things are I think are
more important than you know, checking the box score, kind

(01:10:09):
of thing.

Speaker 4 (01:10:10):
An alpha male that's bought in you know, some sometimes
attribute to uh, you know, the alpha male can tend
to be kind of a selfish worldview, right, So so
you gotta somehow feel, you know, be you're drawing to both,
but recognizing that sometimes those two attributes repel uh.

Speaker 2 (01:10:27):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:10:28):
Another point, you've heard the talk about the oh that
they're gonna go best athlete available, best athlete available.

Speaker 2 (01:10:38):
They had three picks.

Speaker 4 (01:10:39):
What did everybody say going into the the draft? Was
there their number one needs running.

Speaker 2 (01:10:45):
Back, running back, corner, corner, safety and edge and edge. Yeah,
but but they haven't been able to and they've only
had three I mean they're three for three yeah yeah, right,
yeah and edge yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:10:59):
But so the but in terms of the replacing and
what have you. So look, I'm not saying that this
that there's not other other as we're pausing.

Speaker 2 (01:11:11):
To take a team pick. You have never had a
team pick, and the three of us have done this
at seven to nine for a while.

Speaker 4 (01:11:17):
Ers, right, But I'm inclined, tongue in cheek, I'm inclined
to go eleven to the third power, Okay, because there's
eleven position groups. Sure, what the odds. By the way,
the answer is one thousand and three and thirty one.
So the odds that that you're gonna sit there out
of eleven position groups, and and and you can you

(01:11:38):
tell me that you never that it's always the uh,
the best available player. You're telling me the odds that
it just happened to have landed on all the positions,
you know, three positions of their primary age. You make
a point on edge. So I'll just say this, this
is an example to me, rob that it's the best players,

(01:12:02):
the best available player.

Speaker 2 (01:12:04):
In the positions you really need.

Speaker 4 (01:12:07):
That's what the conclusion that I draw from from what
we see, not just this year, but I think just
through the years.

Speaker 3 (01:12:14):
Well, and that's they've always said. It is like they
are based in their evaluations on their team, not for
the league. And so I've always looked at that as like, well,
it's just another way of saying that we have needs
and we want to draft the best player at those needs,
rather than taking that true best player available approach everybody
talks about and on the edge point, you know, I

(01:12:35):
have been one of those who has very much been
arguing the edge is a potential area of concern However,
if DeMarcus Lawrence is for sure coming back, and I
don't know that, but certainly the way that they're drafting
suggests that he is coming back, that they are confident
that you Channon Nuos, who is going to be fine.
That boy Mafe's skills set. I mean, he was their
speed rusher, but that is a trait that I think

(01:12:58):
that you can replace. Yeah, you know, Mike mcgallis talked
about the fact that this is there's gonna be some
opportunities here for a Jared Ivy, uh, you know, and
some of the other edge rushers that they had. Jared
Ivy is far from a speed rusher, but they have
some guys already on their roster that I think that
they are looking to develop and that maybe edge rusher
is not quite as much of a concern for them

(01:13:19):
as it has been for myself and for others in
the media.

Speaker 4 (01:13:22):
Yeah, let me, because you brought up edge rusher, let
me clean up the semantics so that the point holds.
If you take the starting lineup of the Super Bowl
and you say the lineup on each side with the
most frequency, that's eleven personnel on offense, and that's nickel

(01:13:43):
on defense. The Seahawks lost three starters off of both
sides out of twenty two players. They lost three starters
off their most frequently used position group, and they and they,
they replaced they, they replaced starters on all.

Speaker 2 (01:14:03):
Yeah, running back in the in the TVBS, all right,
we were out of here in about a minute, in
thirty seconds or so. Uh, quick final thought from you,
because you're heading out.

Speaker 4 (01:14:13):
I was thinking about, well, I'm disappointed that they with
the second round pick. And you know what, I have
company in that, and it's it's certainly John Schneider and
probably Mike McDonald. He had a little bit more of
a poker face. But but I can say with the.

Speaker 2 (01:14:27):
Second most second round pick, the first the first the first.

Speaker 4 (01:14:32):
Round pick, not to be able to get out, I'm sorry, Yeah,
to not be able to move down the second round,
I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:14:36):
Let me let me let me say it again. I'm
disappointed in the first round pick that you weren't able
to move down to the second round. Yeah, and yeah,
you still got.

Speaker 4 (01:14:47):
A position of need and uh and and so from
that regard, there's a little bit of a disappointment. But
I think the players, rob the players, they got absolutely
position needs their Seahawks. They seem like dogs. I'm excited
to watch him play, and most importantly, they're the Super

(01:15:07):
Bowl champions. John Schneider is the only GM in the
NFL that has won two Super Bowl trophies with two
totally different coaching staffs and rosters. Entirely, Mike McDonald has
is like Mozart, Like he's just a kid who's a
savant on defense, Like like who's never missed a note

(01:15:29):
on a harpsichord. Right, And so we're surrounded by, if
not genius, we're at least surrounded by brilliants with the
people that are running this damn thing. And so I
tip my hat on every not like, Hey, if that's
what you think we got to do, you've earned the
right to do that without criticism.

Speaker 2 (01:15:49):
Great job by you and you and you robbed, Thank you,
Rob and I are back at nine am. Yep, we'll
see you then. Good night,