ANDREW HOWARD: Thank you for joining us on today's conference call with NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah previewing the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City April 27-29.
Before I turn it over to D.J. for opening comments and then questions, here are some highlights regarding NFL Media's coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft.
NFL Network provides on-location coverage of the NFL Draft for the 17th time with more than 75 hours of draft week coverage. First round coverage on Thursday, April 27th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on NFL Network features 2023 Sports Emmy nominee and longest tenured draft host, Rich Eisen; NFL Network's lead draft analyst, Daniel Jeremiah; CBS's number two NFL team analyst, Charles Davis; Fox Sports' lead college football analyst, Joe Klatt; Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner; NFL Network Insider, Ian Rappaport; and 2023 Sports Emmy nominee, Melissa Stark.
Coverage continues on Friday, April 28th, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time with rounds two and three. Host of "Good Morning Football," Peter Schrager joins Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis, Klatt, Rappaport, and Stark for coverage.
Coverage concludes Saturday, April 29th, at Noon Eastern Time with rounds four through seven with Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis, Schrager, and Rappaport.
In addition to NFL Network's coverage of the draft, NFL Plus provides live coverage of the first round on Thursday, starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and the NFL Channel provides live coverage of all seven rounds of the NFL Draft.
Finally, Daniel Jeremiah reveals his final mock draft on Wednesday, April 26, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on NFL Network. I will now turn it over to Daniel for opening remarks. D.J.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Thanks, Andrew. Appreciate you hopping on here. Glad we finally made it to draft week. It feels like the combine sneaks up on us every year, and then the draft takes forever to get from the combine to the draft, so glad we all collectively made it.
Just big picture on this draft where we are right now, I have no feel on these quarterbacks where they end up going, which is going to make for a fun Thursday night. You know, we have five intriguing quarterbacks to kind of sort through, and there's all sorts of information out there. It's tough to try and decipher all that, but it's going to make for a fun night not knowing what's going to ultimately happen with these quarterbacks.
The other intriguing story lines that I think have carried through this process real quick would just be Bijan Robinson. We have this debate on the value of the running back every year. This is a pretty special player, and it's a unique draft that he is in. That is an interesting story line to me.
These edge rushers, there's a zillion of them, and talking to GMs and coaches around the league, there's a lot of different opinions. The order of these edge rushers come off the board is another one that's going to be pretty fun to follow.
I'm fired up. Appreciate you jumping on, and fire away. Let's get some questions.
ANDREW HOWARD: Thank you, D.J. We will now begin the Q&A portion of today's call.
Q. Before the Bears traded the No. 1 pick, you were a proponent of the deal they eventually made I think going down to 9 as opposed to 2 or 4.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah.
Q. In the five-plus weeks that have ensued, as this quarterback class has shaken out, is that pick any more available today? In other words, would Ryan Poles have been better off waiting? What's your analysis of the timing of it now?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, look, you never know how it's going to shake out once everybody does all their homework and gets to the finish line on the quarterback evaluations.
I would say that it feels like, and the teams I've talked to, there's a clear-cut No. 1. When that happens, you end up getting a pretty good price.
Even that being said, with the haul they got when you include the player that they got in D.J. Moore, I don't know that they would have been able to do better. I think that was smart on his part. He got a deal he liked. He was comfortable with it, and he wasn't going to wait to see if there was anything better out there and maybe miss out on that opportunity.
So I thought it was smart to go to 9. It made the most sense. I love the return they got, and the crazy thing about it is I think as we're a week out, I think never would have thought this when they made that trade, but they might be sitting there with more quarterbacks still on the board when they pick at 9 and might be faced with another opportunity to continue to add more picks.
I really thought that was the smart move that they made.
Q. I was curious your opinion. If the Texans were to pass on a quarterback at the No. 2 pick and take, say, Will Anderson, do you think that would be a mistake? Do you think there would still be opportunities to get a quality quarterback? Of course, they have that 12th pick. I just wanted your thoughts on that.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, I mean, Will Anderson is my second player. Bryce Young is my first player. We assume Bryce Young goes No. 1. Maybe taking best player available. From that standpoint, I couldn't argue.
I would just say that there has to be a plan in place to add a quarterback in this draft. They've got an opportunity where they're at 12. Maybe that's what they have in mind. I just have a hard time seeing them entering next season with the Mills-Keenum-Perry combo being it.
They have a chance to add to that room right now, and that's why I would be shocked in they left the first round with those two picks and one of them was not a quarterback.
I hope that kind of answers your question. I love Will Anderson as a player, but there's no guarantees you are going to be picking up here again, and you have an opportunity to take a quarterback.
I really like C.J. Stroud. He is my 7th overall player. To me, if it's me in that situation, I would take C.J. Stroud. I think he is better than anybody you have on your roster right now. It's an upgrade. You can look to next year all you want. There are absolutely no guarantees you're going to get one of those guys next year.
Q. If I could quickly ask, is there a reason C.J. Stroud has seemed to have gone out of favor in some people's eyes recently?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I don't know that he really has. I think sometimes everything gets taken with and ran with on the media side of things, and it could just simply be the Texans are the team we've long anticipated would take him, and that might be that the Texans just don't feel like he is a great fit for them.
So who is to say that that doesn't mean they trade that pick and somebody comes up and takes him, that is somebody comes up to 3 and takes him or the Colts take him at 4? I don't know that it's this narrative that he is dropping like a rock as much as it is that it seems to be out there that they're not in lockstep, unanimous in support of C.J. Stroud inside that one building in Houston. That's basically I think what everybody is getting.
Q. As you had mentioned earlier, you didn't have a great feel for where guys were going to go at QB, but it does feel like C.J. and Bryce were the conversation at 1. Where would you choose one over the other based on what you know about Frank and his offense?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think sometimes we get hung up on they all have a type and this is the player that they've had in the past. They've had a similar guy. He has not had a smaller quarterback. My pushback to that was, number one, I don't know that he was in the position to choose who their quarterbacks were, and they never had an opportunity to select an ultra-ultra-talented undersized quarterback.
The Bryce Youngs don't come around very often where you get somebody that doesn't fit all the specs but is supremely talented. To me I just thought he has the best tape of anybody in this class. I thought it was clear-cut. Just with everything he does on schedule, off schedule, accuracy, poise, ball placement, play-making ability, being great in those big clutch moments late in games, managing games. All that stuff is off the charts.
If it was like a blind taste test, if you just read the notes on Bryce Young and didn't look at how big he was and you read your notes on Joe Burrow, they would read almost identical.
I think he is that type of a player. I think he is that type of a talent. You're going to take the risk with him with the body type. It is what it is. It's not ideal, but the rest of it is really, really good.
Q. The last two times the Falcons -- well, it's the 27th time they've been in the top ten. Last two times they went with offensive --
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a lot, man.
Q. Going all the way back to Bruce Pickens and Aundray Bruce and all of that. Last two times they went with offensive weapons. Is that a tip that they may be going defense or take the big linemen that might be there for them at 8?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think it's pretty wide open for them when you look at the direction they could go. They did a nice job in free agency kind of locking their own guys in. So offensive line-wise they're okay. They can line up and play there. I just look at them on the defensive side of the ball, and when you are 31st in sacks and 31st in third down defense, I like the fact they brought in Calais Campbell. I like the fact they just brought in Bud Dupree. They have added some good pieces there.
Calais Campbell is not going to play much longer. They're going to need some more young guys, some talented guys to throw in that mix on that defensive front. Grady Jarrett has been awesome, but, again, you are getting a little older there.
I like the idea of adding some juice up front. I think there's two guys that come into play there. When you look at Lukas Van Ness, I have talked about him a bunch with them, I think that one is one that will be in the mix. I also think Nolan Smith from right down the street at Georgia.
To me, those two players make a lot of sense for their front. Get younger, get more athletic, get a little bit more dynamic and see if they can't groove on some of these god-awful numbers against the pass and on third down.
Q. The question is about the Cardinals and all the trade-down possibilities that might be presented. We don't know what Houston is going to do, obviously. Do you have a feeling that this is definitely a trade-down situation for the Cardinals, be it 4, 6, 7, 9, 11? That far down?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I would think it's a no-brainer that they would to do it. The question is whether there's a market for it. It's got to be a two-way street. I think they would love to get out. I don't want to be overly harsh, but in my opinion I think they have the worst roster in the league right now.
I think it makes a lot of sense for them to try and get as many assets as possible this year and next year, just accumulate as many picks as you possibly can. That makes all the sense in the world for them. It just comes to whether or not there's a market.
I would say the same thing about the Cardinals that I said about the Bears. If they have an opportunity to move back, don't get hung up on I can only go back one spot or two spots or three spots. I don't want to be out of range of a particular player. You are a lot more than a particular player away from being a good team, so get back as far as you can, get as much as you can. Again, I would be adding pieces in next year's draft as well as this year's draft if you could.
Q. I listened to the Peter Schrager podcast. You had the Titans going with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. You stuck with that. What did you think about that pick, and what do you think they're going to be faced with sitting there at 11 if they don't move up?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I just look at this offense and just say, you've got to get some more firepower. When you are 30th in passing yards -- and I like Treylon Burks. I think he is going to be a good player. I think they need more to compliment him and support him.
That's why Treylon Burks I thought would be a good fit there. I think he complements him quite well, and you have also got a couple of guys now that are really good with the ball in their hands after the catch. He kind of fits that physical identity that Coach Vrabel has always appreciated there. That's why I was kind of leaning in that direction with their pick.
If you are looking at other areas they could end up going, I think they'll be staring at some tackles. Petit-Frere is a third round pick, so it's not like they have a ton invested there, but I think you would be in a spot there where you could very well have your pick of any of the offensive linemen. I think that's possible.
I wouldn't totally rule that out either, but when you just look at it overall, they have to leave this draft with a little more juice, a little more firepower offensively.
Q. Had a couple of receivers in day two, maybe early day three I wanted to ask you about. Josh Downs and North Carolina, what do you think his fit is at the next level, and then Princeton -- I'll see if I can pronounce it right -- Andrei Iosivas, curious what you think.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: You nailed the pronunciation. Nicely done on that. Josh Downs is a good player, and talking to teams around the league, I think he has been a coaching favorite. You go through the different cycles of the process where you have personnel department kind of takes the ball and runs with it early throughout the fall, and then the coaches jump into the process in the spring.
Just talking to teams, it feels like this has been a coaching favorite who has kind of climbed a little bit as we've gone through the process here as the coaches have got involved.
He is not big. He is a little under 5'9". He is quicker than fast. Not super, super explosive, but when I watched him, you see him get in and out of breaks. These little whip routes, he is so quick. He kind of reminded me of, going back into the old school a little bit, Randle El, somebody who is a really good athlete who I think will be a nice slot receiver.
I think he is going to go in the second round, I really do, at some point in time in that mix. And then I would think you've got to probably go down a couple of rounds. I think Iosivas probably goes in the fourth round range. He has some size at 6'3". He is 205 pounds. He ran well, in the low 4.4s.
Obviously, he has a tremendous track background, so he can really run. He is a strider. He gains a lot of ground as he goes. He has a second gear when the ball goes up in the air. I didn't think he was a tremendous run-after-catch guy with make-miss and elusiveness, but a true over the top receiver.
And in a draft with so many small guys, he is one of the rare guys that's 6'3" and 200 plus. That will help him. I think he is probably in that fourth round range. Maybe he surprises us and sneaks into the third round, but I think that's where he comes off the board.
Q. What is the likelihood or unlikelihood that Bryce Young and Will Anderson could go off the board one-two? It's only happened at the same school that's done that three times in the history of the draft. The last time was 2000. So obviously, it would be pretty significant historically.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, first of all, before I answer that question, I'm going to ask you one real quick, Chase. How long after that were to happen before Alabama's football would tweet out the money that both those players are going to make in the NFL and the little nugget you just tossed out there?
Q. About half a second.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's what I figured. I think it's a legit possibility more this week than last week.
The thing with C.J. Stroud and the Texans, I didn't buy it early on with them not taking him. I thought, okay, I think Bryce will go 1. I think Stroud will end up going 2. It just makes a lot of sense. I think those were clearly the top two quarterbacks in my opinion. The Texans had the need.
Then all of a sudden the whispers started. My buddy Lance Zierlein is there in Houston, he is plugged in, and he was one of the first, if not the first, to say, hold up, they might go defense here. They might not go quarterback.
Then, those were kind of the whispers, and now I think that whisper has kind of turned into a roar. There's a lot of people around the league that believe that that's the case that they aren't going to take a quarterback.
Then it comes down to Will Anderson versus Tyree Wilson being the choice. I like Will Anderson over Tyree. I think they're both good players, but if they were to go defense there, I think at the end of the day that Will Anderson's body of work would be enough to get him over the hump in that scenario.
There you go, Alabama 1 and 2.
Q. Kind of a niche question, later round. How much do you think that Brock Purdy has changed the perception of Mr. Irrelevant? More broadly, how would you describe the difference in a team's draft strategy in the seventh round versus earlier rounds?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a great question. I think there's always been two different camps when it comes to seventh round picks to late round picks. There's, okay, we want guys with kind of established résumés who have been punished through the process for not being as big or fast as they need to be. They don't fit all the specs, but they're good football players.
We feel like high floor and maybe they've been devalued through the process because of that. Then there's others that are just trait hunting at that point in time, saying I don't care what level they played at, I don't care how much playing time they got. We're going to try to get the biggest, fastest guys we can, and we'll try to develop them with our system.
I think there's always been those two schools of thought in the seventh round.
With Brock Purdy, I think it's not only impacting what could happen late in the draft in terms of maybe, okay, this guy has played a lot of football. He is a good player. Maybe he is not the "wow" traits, but maybe that helps a player like that.
I also think it's going to impact where that next tier of quarterbacks comes off the board. In other words, if you are looking at a quarterback, and you're looking at the third round group, and you start getting into the Jaren Halls and the Jake Haeners, the Tanner McKees, the DTRs from UCLA, the traits that made Purdy a hit, I think teams are going to place a lot more premium on the traits that he possessed in terms of accuracy, intelligence, decision-making, and more than anything else, I think the fact that he has played a lot of football.
Q. Let's talk Colts for a minute. Knowing what you know about Chris Ballard and this team's rocky road the last few years at quarterback, Levis or Richardson, or is this C.J. Stroud smoke real, and maybe they get a chance at him?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, again, I guess we'll find out on Thursday night about the Stroud stuff with Houston, whether or not that's real or not. We have to wait on that.
But, you know, there's a lot of people in the league that you talk to with, again, GMs and head coaches, that just feel like Will Levis is a good fit there with them. That, you know, the stuff that Will Levis can do athletically is intriguing with what -- you have a Coach in Shane Steichen who's been able to work with Jalen Hurts and even Herbert, his ability to move around a little bit, he fits that mold.
I'm always leery of marrying guys to what they've coached in the past. I think there's more to it than that. But I think with him and Richardson, if we just take those two, I think Will Levis is further along in his journey in his development. He might not have as much upside as Richardson, but I think tomorrow he is going to be ahead of Anthony Richardson, whereas Anthony Richardson has a little more distance to travel, but with a way bigger upside.
With this Colts roster where it is right now, there's some good veteran pieces in place. I think there's some expectation there that you want this guy to be up and running sooner than later.
If I was going to give you my guess, I would say at this point in time it would be the Stroud scenario. If Stroud got there, I would lean towards Stroud. Then I would say Levis, and then I would say Richardson would be my guess with the Colts.
As with all of us with this draft, I mean, it's nothing but an educated guess.
Q. I wanted to ask if the Giants' goal was to go receiver/corner or corner/receiver to get the two positions they need out of the first two rounds, what shapes up better in the second round, if that makes sense? Where is there more depth in the second round that you would have to -- does it make more sense to go receiver/corner or corner/receiver if you are trying to match up the two in the first two rounds?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I think that's a smart way to look at it, and I think that's what goes on in draft rooms, and that's maybe not what everybody understands, is that you don't make that one individual pick in a vacuum. You're kind of looking at your collective haul in terms of how you negotiate your strategy here.
This might be the first time that I can remember in a long time that I would advocate taking the wide receiver first because I actually like the group of corners in the second round that you would be staring at more than I like the receivers you would be staring at.
When you get in the second round at the corners, we'll see what happens with Emmanuel Forbes. I think he has a real shot to go in the first round even though he is 170 pounds currently. But with him, Ringo is intriguing from Georgia. Tyrique Stevenson from Miami. Riley Moss, I really like him, a lot of teams like him, from Iowa. Julius Brents, Kansas State. There's a long list. There's some teams that are Cam Smith teams. Others aren't quite as high.
There's a lot of depth at this corner position. Whereas the wide receiver position I feel like it's that kind of clump up there at the top. There's a handful of guys, and ideally I think you would want to leave with one of those guys already in the fold.
Q. I don't mean to suggest the Niners have figured out the draft in any way. They've certainly had their share of whiffs like any other team, but as you know, after the second round during the one Shanahan era they've had Kittle, Warner, Greenlaw, Hufanga, D.J. Jones, Purdy. I don't know, do you have any thoughts of why they've been able to hit on an inordinate amount of elite type players in later rounds? Is there something about what you know about their strategy or approach that would at least offer some level of explanation?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, it's interesting when you list all those names off in a row, to me I think there's some continuity there. You're talking about guys that are incredibly football-smart, and they're incredibly passionate. They were leaders at the places that they played.
In other words, what I'm getting to is I think they've figured out the makeup part of this whole thing. They have found it.
Hufanga, they raved about him at USC. He walked into that program and was a leader. He was incredibly productive. He just didn't run fast. So they were able to see past some of that stuff and see guys that are really, really smart, tough, and instinctive football players and plug them in.
Obviously, you get more athleticism with some of the other guys you mentioned, but all those guys off the field, like, work ethic, intangibles, like elite, elite, elite, elite.
Sometimes this thing is not evaluating these guys as players. It's evaluating them as people and competitors and all that. I've got to believe it helps having John there as somebody who kind of epitomizes what you would want in a football player. He knows what it looks like.
With him and Adam Peters, who I think is as good as anybody in the league at evaluating players, they've got a great personnel department. Kyle has a really good idea of what he wants at every position. So when you get a coaching staff that gives you a good menu and you get guys that know how to go find it, you get a lot of success.
Q. Just a question about the Ravens. Obviously, they have the uncertainty with Lamar. Do you think that could lead them to make some sort of move for a quarterback in this draft, whether it would be a big splash for a guy like Richardson or get a guy further down that maybe turns into a developmental guy for them?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I would say to me it looks more like -- this is just my opinion here, but to me it looks like more you get another receiver kind of on board without necessarily utilizing a lot of your resources or first round pick or trading up for a guy. It feels like to me let's put another guy in the room.
We have time. At least we know we've got this next year if you are going year-by-year with Lamar Jackson. He is going to be your guy. You know that going into this next season.
If you are looking at somebody you can bring into your room, and whether that's Dorian Thompson-Robinson, we've talked about, from UCLA who can run all the stuff that you currently run. Very athletic, strong arm. He is a little bit older as a 25-year-old. That would be kind of an intriguing mid-round pick. Jaren Hall from BYU can do a lot of those things, athletic and can move around. Stetson Bennett as well.
It feels like maybe one of those three guys. And then you have a decision to make if somehow Richardson were to fall all the way down into your lap, then now we have a conversation to make. I don't get the sense that this is a big, bold move for them to go up and get one.
Q. I'm just wondering about Jaxon Smith-Njigba. At Ohio State he was almost exclusively playing and lining up in the slot. Really all of his snaps pretty much came there. How does it affect the way he is viewed at the NFL level? Does it help or hurt? Does it help him that he showed the ability to play in slot, or does it hurt him as well that teams maybe haven't been able to evaluate him playing outside as much?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I also want to mention, it's totally different than the Justin Jefferson thing. I know there was some conversation when he was coming out that he is going to be a slot. He was a slot there at LSU. He had spent a lot more time outside there previously.
With Jefferson, I personally didn't have any of those concerns. I think with Jaxon, I think he can play outside, but I still think he is much better suited and situated to play inside where his quicker than fast play style works better in the slot.
His '21 tape is excellent, but I don't get totally on board with those saying, well, if you look at his numbers, they were better than the other two guys in Wilson and Olave; therefore, he is a better player than those guys. Those guys had a much more difficult assignment. Those guys were on the outside. Those guys drew coverage. They jump off the screen with their explosiveness.
Jaxon is a really good player. I think he will be a high volume slot receiver. There wasn't a time where I was watching him where I fell out of my chair like you did with those two other guys with how explosive and electric they are.
I think those guys made his life a lot easier on the inside, and he is a wonderful slot receiver. I don't think he gets -- I don't think he gets totally dinged by teams saying he is an outside guy. You just draft him knowing this is how we're going to use him, and he is going to get a chance to catch close to 100 balls or around there in your offense. There's nothing wrong with that.
Q. The Dolphins don't have a round one pick, and they don't really have a lot of picks at all. Just four. On day two at 51 and 84, can they find a difference-maker. Maybe not a plug-in starter, but somebody that can contribute in year one as a rookie.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think absolutely. I think if you just look at the tight end position, I think you get a darn good player. So where they're picking in the second round, picking 51, I think you could get a tight end that in some years might have been a first round pick.
Sam LaPorta from Iowa I love. I think he has a good chance of being there. I think there's a very good chance that the top guys are gone. Kincaid is gone. Mayer is gone. Darnell Washington is potentially there, but I think he is more than likely gone, even if Musgrave is gone from Oregon State. If you are picking between Sam LaPorta, Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State or Schoonmaker from Michigan, I think all of those guys are plug-and-play and impactful right away.
I think, absolutely, they can find somebody there that can come in and really help their ball club. That would be the position if you are looking for immediate impact, that would be the spot I would be looking.
Q. The question I have was in regards to the Colts piggybacking off of what my buddy Zak Keefer asked. If the Texans go, Will Anderson at two and the first two guys are Bryce Young and Will Anderson, do you think that there's a big enough gap between C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson and Will Levis for the Colts to say, hey, we should move up to No. 3 if we can to go get the Ohio State quarterback?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, from my tape study and the homework I've done watching these guys, I think there is a gap between C.J. Stroud and then that next group with Richardson and Levis. Chris Ballard has access to a lot more information than I do. They've got a chance to really visit with these guys and really figure out how they fit them and their coaching staff.
For my job and my role and what I do watching these guys on tape and studying them, I thought there was a gap between Stroud and the next. If I'm in an organization where we've been on the quarterback carousel, the veteran carousel, and this is the draft we have identified as the one where we're going to try and take our swing, I want to guarantee that I get the guy that I really, really like.
Yeah, for me it would be worth it to move up a spot and give up whatever you have to give up. I don't think it would be too costly just to guarantee you don't get somebody leaping over the top of you to get your guy.
But, again, I hear a lot of stuff with Levis and them, and maybe that's their guy. Maybe they're comfortable, and maybe that's why they've been so content that they're comfortable with a couple of different options.
Q. Peter Skoronski has been mentioned as a potential place for the Eagles to pick him at 10th, but in case he goes or they go with defense, who would be a Jeff Stoutland type of guy that they could pick in the second or third round to fill the position of right guard?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, there's some good options. There's some intriguing players. To me, I could go in a couple of different areas for Stout. I would say Matthew Bergeron from Syracuse is one. He is big. He is 6'5", 318 pounds. He's played left tackle. You've seen what they've been able to do there, and they've been able to take tackles and make them guards. He is going to be ahead the game in terms of the pass protection.
He can move. I think he is a really, really good player. That would be one I would keep an eye on as somebody in the second round that could kick in.
I also -- if we're looking for a surprise first rounder, I wouldn't be shocked if he was one of those guys that snuck into the bottom of the first round. He is an interesting player.
Another guy you could say to fit Stout, you know, I'm always looking for bigger guys that kind of beat people up a little bit. I think Steve Avila will be gone from TCU, but he would be one that would make some sense there.
Then, I would say the last one, give you one more bonus one, maybe a guy like Sidy Sow from Eastern Michigan. Not in the second round, but maybe a little later. I think he strikes me as a Stoutland type guy. 6'5", 320 pounds. He has some length. He can move. He has some torque. He has some power. Those seem to be the kind of traits that Stout has appreciated over the years.
Q. Mine is more of a big picture. When you look at a draft and back on recent years, how would you define whether a draftee was a success, and based on that criteria, what kind of grade would you give the Saints?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a good question. I always look back at it and try and say, okay, a great draft to me -- a good draft, like the goal should be to get three starters. If you can get three starters out of your draft, to me you feel pretty good about your haul.
If you get four, it's an unbelievable draft. One thing the Saints have been able to do is they've been able to on occasion just knock it completely out of the park. So you go back and look what they were able to do when, what was it, 2017, when you get Lattimore, Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Kamara, Hendrickson, that's an all-time excellent draft.
They've been able to have drafts like that one where they've knocked it out of the park.
Over the last few years they've gotten solid players, but they haven't been able to maybe get as many difference-makers until last year with what you saw from Olave and what you are opening Trevor Penning is going to be.
That 2017 draft is definitely the gold standard in that organization.
Q. I had a question about Adetomiwa Adebawore. We all saw what he did during the combine. What does his film look like, and where do you see him going in the draft?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, he is a fascinating player. Coming out of the fall, I would say teams weren't sky-high on him, and they all knew he was going to test like crazy. So you had people saying, okay, well, I think he is more of a third, fourth round player, but wait until you see him test. He is going to test like crazy.
Then you talk to some of those same people after he works out and puts on a show, and they go, oh, man, he is unbelievable. I mean, I think he is going to go in the second round.
I say, well, wait a second, what's changed? You didn't necessarily love him on the tape. You knew he was going to blow it out. He blows it out, and now you're saying that he is moving up. So he has been a fascinating case study from that standpoint.
I like him. To me I think -- for me personally he is going to be in my late second round range as a player, but the athleticism is off the charts and the testing side of things. I think on the field he shows you some of that inside-outside versatility. He knows how to use his long arms to set the edge.
I didn't think he was a real polished pass rusher. I didn't think he had a great game plan as a rusher, but when you have the combination of explosiveness and length that he has, he is an intriguing guy. I know there's some buzz about him going into the first round. That would be a little early for me.
Q. Every year I hope that you have some post-draft vacation plans in the works. Just --
DANIEL JEREMIAH: First of all, hey, schedule release show. Come on. There's no break after the draft.
Q. How can I forget? There's truly no offseason. You guys are amazing, though. I know we're running tight on time, but just quickly wanted to get your high-level thoughts on a couple of the top Pac-12 prospects -- Dalton Kincaid and Clark Phillips out of Utah, Jordan Addison out of USC, maybe Charbonnet and Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Sure. I'll start with Kincaid. I have been -- I don't know if I'm the captain of the fan club, but I know I'm in the running.
When my final list comes out at the end of the process -- that will come out Monday. He entered the process as my ninth overall player. Had him as a top tight end. I think he is a special, special talent.
He had the back, so he couldn't work out in the spring. I think if he had been able to work out, I think he would have cemented himself as a top 15 pick. He is a stud. He is awesome.
Off the line he is awesome at the top of his routes. He can separate. He has great hands. He is competitive after the catch. He can make you miss.
I think he is one of the best players in the draft, and everything I was told physically from teams, he came out of that fine. Teams are comfortable with him medically. I don't envision him dropping for that reason at all. I think he is an elite player, one of the best in the draft.
Clark Phillips, his teammate, he is going to be a nickel, he's undersized, but he has incredible ball production and toughness and quickness. I think he would struggle holding up outside consistently, but he is somebody I think you're probably going to see him in that third round range when he starts coming into the conversation, but a really, really good nickel. In a deep class, he will be my 11th or 12th guy. It'll be interesting to see between him and Jartavius Martin from Illinois who goes off the board first. Two really good nickels.
Addison, end of the process, as he started it for me, is my top receiver. I wish he was heavier. I don't love the 173 pound aspect, but this guy made more big plays down the field in '21 than anybody in the country. I know he can make big plays. He can get over the top. He is a talented guy. After the catch he is not going to be able to break many tackles. Not real physical, but he can make you miss and run away from you. I think he plays fast.
So smooth, fast, fluid guy. I've dropped him down a little bit from where I initially had him overall. He ended the process as my 15th player. I think he is somebody that's going to go off the board.
He might be the second one to go. There seems to be more support for Smith-Njigba around the league as a top receiver with more teams. Some have Addison, but I would say more than likely that Smith-Njigba is the first one, and he is the second one.
Then you go to Charbonnet. Charbonnet to me is a mid to late second round. Maybe gets into the third round. Running back. Some teams were worried that he runs a little bit too high, but I think he can drop levels on contact. He is real physical. He is tough.
Showed last year what he could do catching the ball. He stays square. Does a nice job in pass protection. I think he is one of these guys that can finish a game as well as he starts it. He can put a four-minute back and put the game away. He is my fourth back in this class.
Lastly, Gonzalez. He is in the mix. It's pretty much a coin flip to see who goes first between him and Witherspoon from Illinois. With Witherspoon you get a little bit more playmaking, a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more urgent, whereas with Gonzalez you obviously get the size and the speed that's pretty elite, and he is a real fluid, smooth athlete.
I think there's a high likelihood that both those corners come off the board in the top ten picks. It's a good year for the Pac-12 when you have a chance to have -- for me you have my top tight end. It's my top wide receiver and my number two corner and number three running back. That's a pretty good year.
Q. As a follow-up to what was asked about Lamar earlier, it seems like there's optimism around him being back in Baltimore for the season, but if there were uncertainty about whether you kind of bring him back for 2024, is there a way that you would approach a draft like this to maybe have that kind of insurance plan or to put yourself in a better spot to be agile for that next draft? I know obviously if you trade Lamar, you get a lot of draft capital that way. Is there a way to split the difference if you are unsure about what might next year hold for you in that quarterback position?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think it's just good business and being smart to bring in another option. It's just a matter of where you want to do it.
I don't think it makes as much sense to do it early. I don't think you need to go -- like, that's almost -- I don't want to say a panic pick, but if you are taking a quarterback, or you're trading up for a quarterback, you're all but kicking Lamar Jackson out the door.
I think to me there's a way to kind of have your cake and eat it too where you identify one of these guys in the third, fourth round that's got some ability, that's got some talent, somebody you want to work with so it gives you another guy in the quarterback room, but that doesn't do anything to hurt you in your negotiations with Lamar to try and do what is best for everybody, and that would be getting a long-term deal done.
I think that allows you to kind of serve both those goals. So that to me just from the outside looking in, to me that is a good compromise that I think keeps from upsetting Lamar Jackson, doesn't mess with your negotiations, but also gives you another guy to take a look at in your building.
Q. Just a follow-up quickly on that. Do you think it would make more sense in that case to not take a quarterback in the third or fourth round this year and maybe trade into next year's draft so you have that capital available if you need to make a deal for the move up?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think you have to understand what that entails is that you are going to have a chance to maybe get a quarterback next year, but there's no guarantees of that taking place. If you take one now in the third round, at least you get one in the building versus the danger with next year when we have a couple of high-profile guys.
And I think it's actually a chance to be a pretty deep draft at quarterback next year, but the two guys that everybody is kind of pointing to and everybody is talking about and the whole thought process of I have a bunch of picks next year, and I can trade up and get one of those two guys, well, when you get special quarterbacks, no one is trading out of those spots.
You can have all the first round picks that you want, if you are not going to pick one or two, you aren't going to sniff either one of those guys. That to me is a danger of putting all your eggs in that basket.
Q. As we enter the homestretch here, I'm just wondering, is there a percent chance that you could put on the likelihood of more than two QBs going in the top five? And if it's only the two in Stroud and Young, how does that alter the value of the Lions' pick at six? Is there a best case scenario for how the board can fall in front of them?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I think the best-case scenario for the Lions is the opposite. I think if I'm the Lions, I want all four of those quarterbacks to go.
If that happens, you're going to get one of the premier players in the draft, one of these defensive players specifically. That's what I would be rooting for if I was Brad Holmes there in Detroit.
It's tough and hard at this point in time to put any type of percentage on it without knowing what the heck Houston is going to do. I have no idea. There's a lot of smoke out there about them not taking one. If they don't take one and all of a sudden Arizona can't get out, then we're looking at two quarterbacks going potentially in the top fewer or top five, and that means more than likely that one of those quarterbacks is going to get down the board even further. You are talking about nine or ten. At that point in time I think we start seeing some action take place.
To me, if they're not good enough to go up there in the top five, they get to ten. Now you bring in a whole new wave of teams that could be in the quarterback market and can trade up. We've seen that in years past. We saw it in, gosh, what was it, the Mahomes draft with him and Watson. Those 10, 12, that area. There seems to be kind of that new sweet spot of quarterbacks.
You saw Justin Fields go in that range. You saw Mac Jones go in that range. I think a lot of times we assume these quarterbacks are all going to roll and go off the board in the top five, but there's a lot of history over the last handful of years where that 9, 10 to 15 range has been a spot where you could see teams go get one.
Q. With the Chargers at 21, what's the ideal scenario with a trade-down still in the first round but still get a player they like in the late 20s, early 30s?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, I think that's a real possibility, and I think as you're getting ready to pay Justin, having more cheap starters is going to be the way to go. I think look no further than the Chiefs and what they were able to do. The Tyreek trade and playing so many rookies and getting so many cheap starters through the draft.
I think trading down makes a lot of sense. If they were to trade down, now you start looking at edge rushers and receivers. I think there's value down there at the bottom of the first round. We'll see where some of these edge rushers go, like Myles Murphy, Will McDonald would be another one that I think is interesting. Felix Anudike-Uzomah from Kansas State. I think you'll get one of those guys. Maybe BJ Ojulari would be one you could consider. I think there's a good group of edge rushers you could be picking from. Even if you traded to the top of the second round if you were to trade all the way out, I think there's some guys that would fit.
Receiver-wise, if you are looking for guys that can really stretch the field vertically, I think there's a chance you see one of those top wide receivers, one of that top five or six guys. Zay Flowers would be in that mix at this point in time. I think Addison will be gone. Smith-Njigba will be gone. There seems to be some late push and buzz around the league for Quentin Johnston who is getting a lot of attention. I think he is gone. When you are looking at Jalin Hyatt from Tennessee and Zay Flowers, those would be the two guys that would be interesting fits if they were to trade back.
Q. I just have a quick question regarding the Broncos. With them picking in the third round, what direction do you think the Broncos should go in this draft, and what are some players particularly in the third round you think they should target?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: There's a couple of ways they can go. I think with Sean Payton, he is always going to be obsessed with the trenches even though they are very active on both sides of the line of scrimmage in free agency, I wouldn't rule that out of them continuing to fortify that group.
Offensive line, defensive line would make some sense. You look at the linebacker position continuing to add guys in the mix there. That wouldn't be a surprise. You also have the corner position where they could continue to invest.
So when you are looking at where they're picking, they pick 67, they pick 68. I think there's some intriguing defensive linemen. You look at a guy like Zacch Pickens from South Carolina, who is 290-plus pounds. He has got some juice. I like him a lot. You are going to see Gervon Dexter from Florida. He is going to start getting mentioned in that range of the draft.
One of the guys who is a sleeper for me who I think could factor into that third round is a guy named Scott Matlock from Boise State who was not invited to the combine. A little bit under the radar, but he is a really good player, and teams like him a lot.
Those are some defensive linemen I think that could make some sense there. Then when you look at the linebackers, I don't love this linebacker class, but there are some intriguing names. To me a guy like Marte Mapu from Sac State, he is another one that didn't get invited to the combine, and I think he is a third round player every day of the week. He got a pec injury, so he couldn't work out in the spring, but he was awesome at the Senior Bowl. He is rangy. He can really, really cover.
Having linebackers that can cover, especially in the AFC West, is a big deal. I think he would be a nice one to add to their mix.
Q. I'm curious of your thoughts on some of the Pitt players. Maybe Calijah Kancey, Izzy Abanikanda, SirVocea Dennis, Jared Wayne, and also what does the NFL think of Pitt as a proving ground for NFL prospects?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: They've done a really nice job. They produced quality NFL players. To me they have a degree of toughness that they all seem to possess, which is always going to be well received and positive. To me that's a pretty good spot to be in.
When I look at some of their guys, Calijah Kancey, I'm curious to see where he ends up going. On my final list, he ended up being my 26th overall player. Ed Oliver was my comparison for him, who went much higher than that, but somebody, obviously, the twitch, the quickness, the ability to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
I do think he needs to win early. He doesn't have real long arms. I think he is a 25 to 35 type. I think that's probably where he ends up going off the board, somewhere in the late portion of the first round, maybe into the second round.
Abanikanda, the running back, he has big-time juice. He wasn't a huge asset in the passing game, but I think there's more there. He is real slippery, makes you miss. He has good vision, and he is really, really explosive.
I thought he did a nice job as a route runner. Just didn't get as many opportunities there.
SirVocea Dennis, not only one of the all-time names in this draft, but a really good player who when you talk to the guys there, they rave about how smart he is. He rushed the passer. Does a lot of different things. He is going to have to play primarily off the ball at the next level, but, man, his off-the-ball timing as a blitzer and his ability to kind of just slither through blocks and make plays is impressive.
He is intriguing. I would say you are talking about him in the fourth round range, somewhere around there. It's a good group. Brandon Hill, the safety is intriguing as well. Somebody in a safety class that's not that great. He is my seventh safety. I think he will factor in somewhere on day three.
Q. You talked about having Bryce and Will as the top two players. You have two other guys from Alabama in your top 31. Just beyond those possible day one picks, who is your next Alabama player? Maybe a couple of guys that stand out to you.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: To me it's Bryce, it's Will, and then Gibbs and Branch would be the next two. I think in a draft like this when you talk about running backs and kind of go all-in on that and whether you take them, whether you don't take them.
There's not 31 players better than Jahmyr Gibbs in this draft. I think teams at the bottom of the first round give him serious consideration.
Branch, I wish he ran a little faster than he did, but the versatility. I think he is the best nickel in the draft. You can play him all over, though. So I think he is going to go mid to late one to early two, in that range. He would be the next one for me.
After that it would be Jordan Battle. Jordan Battle is my third safety. I love the anticipation. I love his eyes. I wish he had a little bit more twitch, but he is somebody that I think especially immediately he is going to get on the field and be really good on special teams as well. Something he did well there.
Those would be my next guys in order. Then you've got Tyler Steen and Emil Ekiyor who would be next as the offensive linemen. Same grade I have on Henry To'oTo'o. I think they'll all go in the third round range would be my guess for those three.
Q. Coming into the season last year it seemed like Kayshon Boutte was going to maybe be a first round pick, and obviously his stock seems to have plummeted. How did we get to this point with him, and what do you make of him as a prospect at this point?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, it was somebody that when he was younger, you paid attention to him. He kind of jumped off the tape a little bit and got you excited.
I didn't really see him take that next step going forward. So, you know, there are some teams that still really like him and they're holding on to what they saw earlier, but I didn't think he was just real crisp as a route runner.
I think he is a smooth athlete. He ran fast enough at 4.5 flat, but I thought he was -- he drafted a little bit on routes. I didn't think he was real clean or crisp. I didn't think he was super physical at the catch point.
A lot of times in the NFL the space disappears. You have to be strong in the midst of some other bodies, and I thought at times he just wasn't real physical at the catch point. That was my personal hang-up.
But in terms of where he goes, we see this every year with guys that have maybe not been as good later in their careers that some teams -- they're going to believe in what they saw earlier and stick to that, and that's the type of team he is going to need in this draft to bring him in.
I think he is probably in that -- if you are going to ask me right now, I would say he is a fourth round type pick, but the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if you get a team that's more attached to what he showed earlier in his career, maybe he goes a little bit higher.
Q. As a follow-up to that, are there any other LSU guys that are rising for you, or what do you make of the group coming from them this season?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Ojulari seems to be getting bit of buzz here late. He is my 35th overall player. He is a good player. Jay Ward is intriguing. Again, when you look at this safety class, he is somebody that could play some corner, play some nickel, and play safety. He didn't run super fast, but I think he is fast enough. He is an intriguing guy as a mid-round pick.
Those would be the guys that jump out to me. You look at Roy, Jaquelin Roy. I might be pronouncing his first name wrong. He is a good player. He is down the line a little bit for me as a defensive tackle, but somebody who has the size you're looking for for sure. I think he is more of a day three guy.
Q. I'm still marveling at what the Chiefs did last year. I think they got three defensive backs, an edge rusher, and a running back who all helped them win a Super Bowl as a rookie. This time of year a year ago after their draft did you think that was a potential outcome, and how did they do it? Who could do something like that this year where most of us don't even know who the guys are they draft, but then we turn around and it's a heck of a class just one year later?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I felt pretty great about their draft last year. Now, if you had given me truth serum, I would not have predicted Isiah Pacheco had the role he had on a Super Bowl-winning team as a rookie. That was the one exception.
I thought he was a good player, but I did not know he would do that and turn into an unbelievable bargain there in the seventh round.
Trent McDuffie I was a big fan of. Karlaftis I was a big fan of. Skyy Moore I was a big fan of. Brian Cook I liked. Leo Chenal. You go all the way down the list. They had a lot of resources.
So when you have, what, one, two, three, four picks in the top 62, that's a good haul. Brett Veach did a wonderful job of bringing guys in that were smart, athletic, and coachable.
I give their staff credit because sometimes it's not just your scouting staff being able to identify talent. It's your coaching staff being able to develop that talent. I think the Chiefs coaching staff is one of the best teaching staffs in the NFL, and that was evident by the way they were able to get these young guys on the field early and get them up and running. They just got better and better as the year went along.
I think they've kind of laid out the blueprint for teams that have paid their quarterback. This is how you have to do it. You've got to go out there, get extra picks. You're not going to be able to pay everybody, but you need to hit on draft picks.
So if you can get more of them and increase your odds, those are the cheap starters you need to round out your team.
Q. Do you think there's a team this year that can sort of do something like that?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I'm intrigued to see what happens with the Detroit Lions because they're right on the cusp. They are a really good team. We saw within a whisker of making the playoffs last year.
When you look are they're picking, they have four of the top 55 picks. They have another one there at 81. So they've got a chance to add some real, real help to their roster and the way that their lineup is set up right now, you don't look like they can't line up and play tomorrow at a certain spot. So that allows them to take the best available player.
Brad Holmes, I give him a lot of credit. He took a lot of grief after the Stafford trade, and they went on and won the Super Bowl with the Rams. He knew the timing, and he nailed it because they weren't ready to win yet, and he was able to still get a quality quarterback in return and load up with all these assets, and now they're in great shape.
I don't know that there's many teams you would rather be than them right now request where they are as an organization and the assets they have to go ahead and take that next step.
By the way, I didn't say this at the top. I probably should have. Happy Fernando Tatis Day to everybody. I hope you're celebrating as much as I am.
Q. Turning to the Steelers and the moves they made in free agency addressing a lot of the offensive line and defensive line in particular, do you still think cornerback and offensive tackle are the positions they might go early, but also, where do you think edge rusher might fit into that mix?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think those are the three spots. I think you've got to see how it kind of falls, how the draft falls. I would just say, if you are looking at those three, to me where they're picking at 17, it makes more sense to go offensive tackle first. I think there's a bigger dropoff at that position if you don't get one there with your first pick.
Now, they come right back at it and pick at 32. So they'll have a chance to address those other needs, but to me it makes the most sense if one of those top tackles is there, take a tackle at 17. Then you turn around at 32, and I think you can afford to just say, hey, highest-rated player between a corner and an edge rusher. I think there's going to be some really good options at both those spots.
So I think they're in a pretty good position in this draft. Coming on the heels of what they already accomplished. Then, again, you are picking at 49. So 17, 32, 49, you talked about those three positions. I don't see why they couldn't come out of those first three picks with three starters between a tackle, a corner, and an edge rusher.
Q. I heard you mention Stetson Bennett's name earlier. What do you see as his ceiling in the NFL, and what would be a good comparison to him? Then, Kenny McIntosh, the running back from Georgia, where does he fit into what is a deep class of running backs?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: With Stetson it's interesting. To me he is a different body type, but if you are looking at maybe a little skinnier, faster version of Colt McCoy would be a comparison for me. Colt won in college. Colt could run. He could move. He just found a way to make winning plays even though he didn't necessarily fit all the specs you were looking for. Coming from a true blue blood program as well.
I would say that would be my vision for him is somebody that can start games here or there, but is going to give you a really, really athletic and a good solid backup that if you need to get through three or four games, you wouldn't feel bad about giving him the keys. That's where I would have Stetson Bennett in terms of a comparison.
When you are looking at the running back position, it's interesting. I wish Kenny would have ran faster. He ran in the 4.6s. He is a similar type of player to Tony Pollard coming out. He just doesn't have the juice that Tony Pollard had.
He is one of the best pass-catching backs. I think he is going to be a day three guy. I think in this group where we have so many backs it's a pretty deep and talented group. I would say I would put that mark probably around the fifth round is about the range of where he hears his name called. Again, really good with the ball in his hands and excellent in the passing game.
Q. The Bears have pretty much had every top tackle in for a visit. Darnell Wright is a name that's kind of been percolating here in Chicago. I wanted to know your thoughts on his fit at nine with the Bears and how he compares to Skoronski and Paris Johnson.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think if you are just saying as a pure tackle, his tape is really, really good. And playing on the right side this year, everybody has talked about the fact that he took a big leap in this year, but it's hard to find guys that are 330 pounds that move like him and are as strong as he is at right tackle. I think he is plug-and-play. I think he is ready to go.
I have a higher grade on Skoronski. I think Skoronski can play tackle. I think Skoronski can be a good tackle, but I think Skoronski can be an unbelievable guard.
My order there would be Skoronski and then Wright, but I have in my final ranking I have Paris Johnson, Darnell Wright, Broderick Jones. They're literally 16, 17, 18 on my list.
I'm a little higher on Skoronski, but I think all four of those guys are going to be starters. I think if you had to play a game tomorrow and know you were going to line up and play tackle, I think Darnell Wright might be your best option as a right tackle right away who could plug in there and get going.
So I don't think there's a wrong answer there, but for me personally I just think Skoronski is the best overall football player.
Q. I was wondering what your thoughts and outlook per the draft in Michigan State's Jayden Reed and Bryce Baringer. And aside from those two, do you see there being the potential for any other Michigan State players to come off the board?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Sure. Reed is a really good player. My buddy, Jim Nagy, I think is making it his personal campaign to make sure that he does not get overlooked through this process. Jim, running the Senior Bowl, has seen a lot of him, and he is a big fan.
He is a good player. I put him in the third round range. The punt return, kick return background shows up. He is quick. He can make people miss. He gets separation. He is really tough. He is an outstanding blocker. He is a really good player.
So Jim has been advocating for him to go in the second round. I wouldn't be shocked if he did. I have him as a third round player, but he is a really good player. That's an interesting one.
Then, you know, we look at Baringer. Everybody has him that I have talked to. I'll be honest. I don't spend a ton of my time pouring over the punting tape and doing touch-to-toe. That's one of the beautiful things about moving from working for a team to this side of it is I get to put my stopwatch down when it comes to special teams.
But in talking to teams around the league, everybody was unanimous and saying he is the best one. He is the best punter in the draft. It will be interesting to see when he goes, where he goes, but that's where teams are with him.
Then I would also add VanSumeren, the linebacker, who did not go to the combine. He had an unbelievable all-time pro day jumping over 42 inches, broad jump 10'11". He ran 4.45 at 231 pounds. He is very much going to get drafted. He will go somewhere late on day three. But his workout was enough to get him picked.
Q. Hey, I've got two things for you. Just the first one, since you mentioned the Lions as being an intriguing team, what's your sort of ideal draft scenario, I guess, for them? How do they use those picks, all that capital they have?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: So I just got this from our social media department because they were asking me for different things, and one of which was the ideal draft for the Detroit Lions.
So you just reminded me, I forgot to post it. I just hit send on it, but I guess I can read it off as well. But for me, my ideal scenario for them was Witherspoon, who I love. One of my favorite players. He is plug-and-play. I think he will fit with their culture and their grittiness that they've installed there in that organization.
I say Bijan Robinson. You passed him once. If he is there the second time, it's almost like this is a gift. I can't turn this away. That would just be fun to watch him run behind that offensive line and see what he can do. That would be my second one.
Then I came back in the next two picks I had him with Tyrique Stevenson, the corner from Miami, who is really good. Has some history playing in the slot as well. Man, you talk about upgrading your secondary. The pieces you would have in place there would be pretty dynamic.
Then I have Schoonmaker. You have to go with a popular pick, get the guy from Michigan and throw him in there as well.
Q. Witherspoon ties with what I wanted to ask you, and that's about the cornerbacks. It's seemed for a while that taking one high was a crap-shoot or maybe not recommended at the very least, but we had Sauce last year and Surtain the year before. Has the game changed, I don't know, to make it easier for college corners coming in, or how safe is that position now with guys like Witherspoon and Gonzalez, potential top ten picks?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I love Witherspoon, and to me he is the best one in the bunch. He is not either one of those guys. Those guys were rare in terms of the size, length combination that you had with Surtain and with Sauce. He is a notch below them. I think those are great examples of guys that had pretty clean tape. They didn't beat up or give up plays.
You had all the -- they checked all the boxes in terms of being fast enough. That wasn't a question. Then, the preparedness. I think that's one of the more underrated aspects of playing corner right now.
You can't just go out there on pure athleticism and survive. You do your homework on those guys we just talked about, those guys were film junkies and study like crazy, and that marries up well with their skill set. Everything I have heard from Witherspoon is that it's off the charts with the football intelligence, the work ethic, the passion. All that stuff is elite, elite, elite.
That's why I think you have a little bit of a higher hit rate there. When you have the ability and then you marry that up with guys that are pretty obsessed, for lack of a better word, the hit rate is pretty high.
Q. This is a little bit in the weeds maybe, but I wonder how much, if at all, you think about a player and a position coach fit when you are thinking about where guys will fit and flourish.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, I think it's interesting to put that into the mix. I would just say that the cautionary tale there is coaches change all the time. Especially when you are talking about position coaches.
You go from being a secondary coach to defensive coordinator with another team. You get fired. You know, you go be a college head coach. So to me you've got to be a little bit careful on being too married to a position coach with a specific player.
I do think it's important that you get their input. I do think it's important that you lay out a collective vision for the player with the coaching staff, with the assistants. I think you've got to be real careful if you tailor it too much to that specific coach.
Q. You talked a little bit about the Chiefs earlier, and I was just curious what you thought about this year. They've got the 31st pick. Do you think that they should try and find an impact guy there or go with the strategy that worked before and find guys later rounds too?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I wouldn't be surprised if they traded back again. That wouldn't shock me. They're picking 31, 63, and 95 right now. I also think that playmakers is a way they could end up going. I know they've been doing a ton of work on wideouts. I know they've looked at the top-end guys and some of those third round type players.
So I would be very surprised if one of those three picks is not a receiver just based off the work that they're doing. Adding another guy into that mix.
I think you also probably look at grabbing a tackle at some point in time with one of these picks. With that in mind, I would not be shocked at all the way you describe what they did last year having more shots at it. To me trading back from 31, you know, that would make sense to me.
If they did stick, I think you look at the wide receivers. I think you look at Quentin Johnston and at Zay Flowers if he was potentially still in the mix. I think they'll come out with the first three picks with a receiver and tackle as two of the three spots.
Q. Question about a few Clemson guys. First, what was sort of the buzz around the league maybe about the private workout that Myles Murphy did earlier this month back in Clemson and how it may have impacted his draft stock? Then, two, where do you ultimately believe Bryan Bresee and Trenton Simpson go as far as range or round?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Murphy did a great job running the low 4.5s. He is almost 270 pounds. The interesting thing with him is it seems like everybody likes him, but I haven't been able to pin down a team and saying, okay, he is not getting past this team. They absolutely love him.
I think based as player, he is my 22nd overall player, which will come out in my final ranking. I think that's about where he goes. I think late teens.
If you were going to say 15 to 25 would probably be the sweet spot for him where he ends up coming off the board. I think he has a lot more in his body than what we've even seen. I think he can bull rush. He is powerful. He is long. I think he is only going to get better as he adds more tools as a rusher.
I like him. Bresee and Trenton Simpson I have as my 36th and 44th overall players. I think both those guys are early second round picks. I would say Bresee still has a chance to go in one. He can still very much be in that mix. I would say all three of those guys should be gone by the 50th pick.
Q. One quick follow-up. Just in terms of the Clemson program big picture-wise, where is the perception around the league just about their player development and maybe guys coming in, being able to be immediate contributors maybe compared to where it was eight, nine, ten years ago?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: There's volume now. They've got a lot of guys. Especially when you just look at the receiver position and what they've been able to crank out there, the talent that they have there.
No, I think they've got a good reputation. I think there's impact guys at darn near every position over the last few years. You don't play in the national championship game as many times as they have and go to the playoffs as many times as they have without doing something right not only recruiting but in developing your players. I have a lot of respect for them and their staff.
Until recently they had a lot of continuity too, which I think had really helped them. Dabo does a good job, and this will be another year where you'll see a good number of Clemson guys hear their name called.
Q. One more follow-up about the Colts and possibly moving up to three. The question I have is because I get yelled at all the time by Colts fans when I throw out suggestions for moving up to three and what it would cost. What do you think it would cost? Maybe how would that price be affected by trying to box out other teams from getting there as well?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I don't think it would be terribly expensive. If Arizona just wanted to go back one spot, you know, you feel pretty good about the fact they're going to take a quarterback. So the player you're going to get at three, you're going to get the same exact player if you go to four.
So it makes sense to me. Don't be greedy. If they want to give you a second round pick to get the exact same player, why would you not take it?
To be honest with you, I would do it for a third round pick. If the Colts offered a third round pick to move up one spot, if you don't have any other offers, if that's the only offer that you had and you're Arizona, you would be a fool not to take it. You're going to get the same player you're going to take at three. You're going to get the same exact guy at four.
It will come down to me whether or not they have other offers in the mix. The Colts, I think they have proven that they're kind of willing to play the slow game here, and maybe they wait until the very end, and maybe that's just to guarantee you get your guys and you sleep a little better at night if you do that deal.
ANDREW HOWARD: That concludes today's call. Thank you, Daniel, for the time, and thank you, media, for joining.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports