ANDREW HOWARD: All right, everyone. Thank you for joining us today for NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's conference call previewing the 2024 NFL scouting combine.
Before I turn it over to DJ, I wanted to provide some programming notes for next week in Indianapolis. NFL Network provides live coverage of the combine on-field drills starting Thursday, February 29th, at 3:00 p.m. eastern time with the defensive linemen and linebackers.
Coverage continues Friday, March 1st at 3:00 p.m. eastern time with the defensive backs and tight ends, followed by the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs on Saturday, March 2nd, starting at 1:00 p.m. eastern time.
Coverage concludes on Sunday, March 3rd at 1:00 p.m. eastern time with the offensive lineman.
DJ is joined by Rich Eisen, Chris Rose, Charles Davis, Peter Schrager, Ian Rappaport, Stacey Dales, and Jamie Erdahl for NFL Network's coverage.
In addition to NFL Network, NFL+ provides live coverage of the quarterback, wide receiver, running back positional drills on Saturday, March 2nd, beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern time with players-only combine.
NFL Network analysts Kurt Warner, Michael Irvin, Steve Smith, Sr., Maurice Jones-Drew, and Michael Robinson will anchor the coverage along with host Rett Lewis.
For additional information regarding NFL Network's coverage of the combine, please follow @NFLmedia on Twitter and Instagram.
Finally, for any media who will be onsite in Indianapolis next week, Daniel will be available for an additional media availability session on Friday, March 1st, around 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time at podium 6.
I will now turn it over to DJ for opening remarks. DJ.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Thanks, Andrew. Appreciate you guys all hopping on here. It almost feels like Christmas when we do this call every year because this is really happening. We're really getting into the thick of it. We're past the Super Bowl.
All the attention kind of goes to the offseason and all these teams trying to get better through free agency and the draft.
Excited about the combine coming up. It's going to be a fun draft. You've got quarterbacks. You've got receivers. You've got tackles, offensive tackles. That to me is kind of the highlight that we're working with here. A lot of depth at those positions.
We can jump into this thing and go wherever you want. Appreciate you taking the time to join me.
ANDREW HOWARD: Thank you. We will now begin the Q&A portion of today's call.
Q. Just going to ask, I obviously will start with the quarterbacks. Seems like Caleb is kind of the No. 1 guy regardless of who might take him, but just looking back at the past couple of years, just kind of wanted to get your thoughts on maybe him versus the field kind of given particularly how last year played out and some others.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah. It's a good question. It's a good quarterback draft. Caleb to me is a top guy, and when you look at him specifically and his evaluation trying to stack him up with guys from the past, I think just talent, if we're just looking at pure talent, you can put him up there with really any of the guys we've had just in terms of arm strength, athleticism, the creativity that he has, the play-making ability that he has.
Now, he is not as clean or as polished as some guys we have had over the last few years. Obviously Stroud was kind of ready-made and just came out there and hit the ground running.
I think there's still some more growth and some cleaning up to do with Caleb's game, but talent-wise it's pretty special.
I've made the comment about him, and you're going to have Patrick Mahomes' name come up. Look, you don't want to compare somebody to the best player on the planet, but just in terms of how he kind of plays with the creativity and a little flare, and in all the different types of throws he can make in terms of driving the ball, layering the ball, extending plays, all those things, there are some similarities there.
Pat needed some time to clean some things up and got a chance to sit for a year. Obviously I don't think Caleb is going to be afforded the same luxury in that department, but I think you can put a plan in place where you put more on his plate the longer that he goes.
Mahomes' situation at Texas Tech I thought was very similar to Caleb's situation at USC. I think people have to get it out of their head comparing Caleb and having in your mind that this is like the Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush USC days. Those days are long gone.
Pat's last year in Texas Tech they were 128th in scoring defense. This year USC was 121st. He was constantly chasing points. I thought that led to some of the bad habits that creeped in a little bit this year.
One of the numbers on him. The other one is he lost eight games at USC. They gave up an average of 43 points in those games. He was 12-0 when they managed to allow less than 34 points.
So it's tough to play quarterback when you are chasing points like that constantly.
Q. I wanted to get your thoughts on the possible edge market near the end of the first round in relation to Detroit. Lions obviously need someone to complement Hutchison with some pass-rush potential. Specifically with Darius Robinson in that spot, he has been a popular pick for the Lions in some of these early projections. Is there enough pass-rush ability with him to justify this first round buzz he's been getting since the Senior Bowl, or is this evaluation more on his floor than his ceiling?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: No, I think there's pass rush there. He was kind of in that tough spot where they were trying to figure out at Missouri is he going to be an inside guy or outside guy because he's bigger.
Cam Jordan is a name that you throw around there just from a body type-wise. I remember watching Cam Jordan at Cal work out with the skill guys and run with the skill guys because he was such an athlete.
You have a guy who is 286 pounds that can really move like that, and I thought he's just -- he's better as a fit on the outside standing up on the edge.
He can rush through your chest with power. He can really close from the back side. I just thought kind of the wider alignment with him really helped unlock him, and you saw that at the Senior Bowl.
He feels to me like somebody that's going to go somewhere in the 20s more than likely, and I think that's -- he's worthy. He has the ability to go in that range.
Q. What's your assessment on Brock Bowers? I listened to your podcast yesterday to get a feel for it, but where do you sense he may go as the top Georgia recruit this year?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: He is tough. He is easy to grade. I mean, when you watch him, he's super easy to grade. He is one of the best ten players in the draft.
Size-wise, speed-wise I think he is going to be very -- he's going to favor Kittle. When you look at him, once we get a chance to see him, I don't think we'll see him do much at the combine. I think he might being one that's waiting until the pro day. We'll have to wait and see on that one.
Similar size and speed. Plays with just tenacity, especially with the ball in his hands. That's where he is at his best. And the run game, when he can get into guys, he can finish them. He's not the tallest or longest guy so there are times he can't do that.
Everything he does, separate easy. He can go get it. He can climb the ladder and go and get the ball, and really the run after catch stuff is what makes him special.
The challenge is then figuring out where does he go in the draft, and I think when you look around the league and you see most of these top tight ends that have come on day two or even beyond that, teams are now saying, okay, we can find that other tight end. Maybe we don't get the top guy, but we can get a really, really good player who might end up being the top guy without having to pay that premium.
I also think that the Kyle Pitts thing, Kyle Pitts is as talented as any tight end that I have ever evaluated. You're still dependent on the position of the quarterback, so depending on what you can get out of him.
That coupled with the money difference, the savings you get by taking a premiere position in the top ten, it's tough to place him to know how high he is going to go.
Q. Wanted to ask Giants-specific. I know in your mocks you can't do -- you're not doing trades, but to get Jayden Daniels or one of the top quarterbacks, how likely is it that the Giants would trade up from six, and how urgent do you view them getting one of these top quarterbacks versus addressing the position later given the Daniel Jones' situation and what I have heard about maybe the 2025 quarterback class not being quite as strong as some. How do you view the Giants' quarterback situation and the need to trade up if they want a top guy?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I'm glad you mentioned next year because that's something when I talk to guys around the league that they've done their homework on next year's class. I haven't had a chance to watch many of those guys, but there doesn't seem to be as much excitement at this point in the process about next year's guys. I think that could lead to some action, spur some action for these teams to try and either take one where they are and maybe even be aggressive and go up and get one.
I pulled up the chart and kind of ran the numbers of what it might look like if they were going to go from six to three. Adding in the fact that there's a little bit of a premium you have to pay. So for the Giants to get up to the third pick, you're talking about the sixth overall pick this year. You're talking about second round pick 39 this year, your second round pick this year at 47, and next year is 2.
So it really would cost you three 2s, two this year and one next year. It's a steep price to pay. A little bit of a premium there. You could get up to three with the ammunition that they have and get that done.
I would not rule that out. I know you have one more year of Daniel Jones before they could kind of get out of that contract, but I think that would be something that would be very much in play.
Q. You mentioned the offensive tackles at the top. Jets-related question at number 10. How do the top few tackles separate in your eyes, and also, who do you think is their most likely option at 10?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, they're all different flavors. They're all really talented. When you look at that top group of guys, really I would say you're talking about Alt, Fashanu, Fuaga, Latham. I would think those are pretty unanimous, whatever order you have them, those are kind of the top four guys.
I don't think that Alt will be there because I think he is the cleanest of the bunch. He's huge. He's long. He just keeps getting better. He doesn't get beat. He is not the most dynamic athlete. He is not an elite, elite bender, but he doesn't get beat and just plays with outstanding awareness, and he can move people on the run game. I think he will be gone.
Then you start getting into the possibilities for the Jets. You have Fashanu from Penn State who is massive. He has the ideal frame, ideal length. The Ohio State game this year was kind of the one that people will point to where he got in some trouble where his eyes were kind of in the wrong place.
He gave up his chest and got bulled and moved around a little bit, but really on the whole I think his tape is pretty solid. He would be plug and play. I think he can play on the left and on the right.
Fuaga is a really, really clean player for me. He has played on the right side. I don't see really why you would want to move him. I think he is plug-and-play as a right tackle. He could play guard if you needed him to, but just really consistent. Quick feet. Really explosive and dynamic when he gets into guys. He has some nasty to him. Plays with good temperament.
That to me is like the plug and play. He has a home at right tackle, and off you go. I have him as the second lineman on my list.
Then JC Latham from Alabama was a big-time recruit. He has a lot in his body. He is huge. 330-plus pounds. He has torque and power, especially in the run game. He can anchor all day long. He had some issues more so than the other guys with just some of the games and stunts and twists that they saw.
I thought his eyes were a little bit late, and he got in a little bit of trouble with that. He would be the fourth guy for me in that mix.
I would say Alt is gone. Fashanu probably is gone. That's why I think it could come down to Fuaga versus Latham with that selection.
Q. Obviously with Washington at 2, a lot of questions about what quarterback they might be looking at. How do you factor in with Kliff Kingsbury as seeing one of the quarterbacks, including JJ McCarthy if you want, along with Caleb, since he knows him. Which of those guys do you think fits best for him? Does that matter really for what they're going to do here?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I think Kliff -- I think Kliff can use what he has and adjust a little bit with his offense. I don't think it's super, super rigid.
But I know over everything else you talk about guys that can get through things quickly and get the ball out and get it out accurately. So I think you can look at all these guys. I think all three of them would fit. I don't think that there's anybody you look at between those three and say Kliff couldn't work with them.
I think you get mobility with all three. You get guys that are all three of them by everything I've been told are really, really bright, really, really smart guys. To me it's more about kind of the ceiling of what you think they can be.
Drake Maye with just having a little more prototypical size and playing in a rugged division, I think that might be more of a decision-making point more so maybe than the offense would be. You know, the location and the division and playing outdoors in Washington. That to me would lean a little bit more towards Drake Maye.
Q. I was just wondering, what has maybe changed your perspective on JJ McCarthy, and when you look at the 18 Michigan guys, is there anybody else that really intrigues you going into this combine?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I feel like I've been watching Michigan for the last two weeks. Just whatever position I go to, there's more and more Michigan guys to watch.
With JJ I have said he is an acquired taste. When I watched him -- first of all, you are watching TV, and you are like, gosh, they don't ask him to do much. They run the ball. They play great defense. He will manage the game and get them through it and make a couple of plays here and there.
When you dig into the tape and really watch it and watch on third downs where they to throw the ball and they do put the ball in his hands, you know, there's a lot to like with him.
He has a really, really quick mind. He has a quick release. Just everything he does is real smooth. I wrote in my notes that he never gets bored with completions. Some other guys in his class get in trouble big-play hunting. If you are going to get him check-downs or completions, he is just going to -- he is never going to get bored taking those.
He can rev it up and drive the ball in the seams. He can extend plays, keep his eyes up. I kind of -- when I finished up watching him, I was like, gosh, who does he remind me of? There's some elements of Alex Smith coming out of college where Alex Smith had a similar build, played the game from the shoulders up really well, and was pretty athletic to get out and make some plays. That was my comp there.
In terms of the other Michigan guys, I'll give you three that I really like. Junior Colson, a linebacker who I think is one of the best linebackers in this draft is a plug-and-play guy. Roman Wilson who reminds me of Jaden Reed from the Packers is just really dynamic and was awesome at the Senior Bowl.
Then Mike Sainristil, the nickel who just makes all kinds of plays, had six picks. Supposed to be a great leader from everything I've been told. Can really find and play the ball, and I think might be a little bit faster than people expect.
So those are three that I'm really high on.
Q. When we look at the Super Bowl this year, Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes had very different draft paths to that stage. More broadly, how do you think the evaluation of quarterbacks has changed over the last ten years or so for yourself and the industry, and if there's a quarterback or two in this year's class that speaks to that change?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a great question. I think I was talking to a general manager the other day and I said, I think maybe the only thing harder than playing quarterback in this league might be evaluating quarterback coming into this league, because every time you think you've got an answer or you've got some things figured out, you've got the formula, something -- somebody comes out and flips it on its head.
It's something you are always trying to learn. I think kind of it goes in little waves. Right now it seems to be there's a lot of talk and chatter about guys that have experience and have played a lot of games. Brock Purdy is kind of the poster child for that. Guys that have been in college for a while, you're not going to get the time to develop in the NFL that maybe you would previously because the financial commitment isn't as big.
It's easier for teams to cycle through guys, throw them out there for two years, it doesn't work, we can flush them and go on to the next one.
You want them once they get on the field and they have to get on the field early to have some more experience under their belt, and that's been something I think people have given more credence to the last couple of years is the guys who have some starts, which in this draft it's interesting because you've got Nix and Penix who have just played a ton of football.
People can talk about where the ceiling is for these guys or how much growth there is. These guys are ready to play. They're going to step in and have a chance to start right away, and it's not going to be too big for them because of all the experience that they have. That's kind of one of the trends I would say that's come up a lot lately.
Q. I wanted to ask about just the big group of University of Washington guys and specifically you've talked very highly about Rome and Fautanu being a first round guy are. You mentioned Penix, but anybody else in that group that's jumped out to you on tape?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I'm sure we'll get to Rome and some of the other receiver discussions later, but he is my favorite player in the draft. I'm a huge fan of his.
You talked about Fautanu. He is my 16th player. Penix we've mentioned. Polk would be the next one at nine for me. He has some inside-outside versatility. I thought he has excellent catch radius. He can go get the ball. He has some crazy acrobatic catches.
The 40 will be big for him. Just the top-end speed is maybe a little bit of a knock there. People are interested in seeing that, but just a playmaker. I'm a fan of his game.
Then the next two guys Trice is a real gifted edge rusher. I don't think he's the most dynamic or explosive, but just he's just a really, really skilled rusher who has been productive. He just knows how to play. He is really good with his hands. Not going to wow you with his bend at the top of his rush, but he can just kind of pry that outside shoulder and go win.
Then the one that was a little bit of a surprise to me who I didn't know much about before I watched him was Dominique Hampton, the safety. I know he is in his sixth year, a little bit older. This guy has really quick eyes from the middle of the field at safety. He is physical, will come down hill, shed blocks. He's a little bit late to find the ball man coverage, but zone coverage he sees it really, really well.
I think he will run pretty well too. I think he could be a fourth round pick, but those are the next guys for me.
Q. I cover the Broncos, and recently Sean Payton said the number one thing he is looking for is quick processing, both out of the huddle, at the line of scrimmage, and then, of course, when the play begins. He also added that it's the most difficult thing to evaluate. Why is that still the case even given the proliferation of scouting departments, cognition tests, and different abilities teams have? Why is that still an elusive thing to capture?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I mean, it's darn near impossible. You do your best to try and figure it out and you try and watch guys and you try and see and follow their eyes and how they're getting to one to two to three and how quickly they're doing that. Without knowing how they're coached and what the scheme calls for them to do, it still makes it a little bit difficult.
And in the college game you can win a lot of games on first read throws. They spread people from sea to shining sea. You know presnap where you are going with the ball and you deliver it, and you can win games and get a bunch of big plays that way. It's a little bit of a different game in that regard.
I think there's something to not expecting that immediately once they get to the NFL too. I think there is some room to improve there. You can bake in some easy completions for guys early in their careers as you are trying to put more on them in terms of the processing, but I'm with him. It's an essential part of the position, but it is something that's not always easy to find.
Q. The question is about the Cardinals at number 4 and the receiver situation. Obviously Marvin would be the guy if they're there. We think. If he is not, are you sold that Rome or Malik is a value pick at 4, or would you go with one of the tackles?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I would take one of the wideouts, personally. I think if you look purely off of grade and not positional value -- I tweeted this out the other day -- I think you could make a case those three highest graded players in this draft are the three receivers. They are outstanding. I think they're all going to be No. 1 guys where they go.
You get different flavors. With Marvin you kind of get the big power forward who has some really good quickness for a big guy and really tracks the ball extremely well.
Odunze will be close to 220 pounds. I think you're going to see him run in the low 4.4s, and he has unbelievable tracking skills to go up and get it and combat catches, physical. If you are in Arizona and you see him, I think you'll see similarities to Fitzgerald in terms of how he attacks the ball and goes and gets it.
And then Nabers is a stick of dynamite. He is super, super explosive. Just get the ball in his hands and let him go. I think there's more to him in terms of a route runner. I think he'll get more opportunities to show that at the next level, but he is ultra, ultra explosive.
To me I think you need some firepower if you are the Arizona Cardinals you need some guys who can go get and make plays. I was pulling up their numbers here. 26th in passing yards per game. 24th in points per game. Let's get some firepower. I would love any of those three guys.
Q. Kind of asking more broadly here, when you have scouted or talked with scouts who have evaluated left-handed quarterbacks, whether it's college level or in the NFL, is there anything that sticks out in those conversations that scouts have to do differently in the visual part of study, and is there anything you see offenses do to turn sort of that visual anomaly into a schematic advantage?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a great question. I've never been asked that question before. One of the things we've always said is that with left-handed quarterbacks, you have to be patient when you bring them in. You have to be patient with your receivers just because of the adjustment it's going to take just with the spin. You will have some drops. It's a little bit unusual for the wideouts to get used to it. But it doesn't take too long, and then you can be good there.
I would say from a schematic advantage I would say it just depends on some teams -- some quarterbacks are really, really comfortable booting to their natural hand, so to the right side. Most right-handed quarterbacks are going to be able to deliver the ball in more areas, more locations when they're going to their natural side as opposed to some guys going left you have to really crank your shoulders around. Then some guys actually aren't comfortable unless they flip.
I would imagine that if you have a left-handed quarterback, it just maybe opens up that other side of the field where most defenses are kind of accustomed to seeing that go one way. It can kind of mess with your eyes a little bit if you were going to be able to boot left a little bit more than you would to the right.
That would be off the top of my head. One of the things when you think about Penix this it year as a left-handed quarterback, he is unique because he's a little high cut, and he has a three-quarter arm slot delivery. So not only is he left-handed, but it looks a little bit different. Now where the ball is coming out and he kind of hangs on his back foot, it looks unusual, but it's really, really snappy and whippy, and the ball jumps out of his hand.
I think it kind of takes a while to adjust your eyes when you are watching it.
Q. This is a specific question to the Eagles. They need a linebacker, among other things, on defense, clearly. The people in Philadelphia are enamored with Jeremiah Trotter for obvious reasons, because his dad's dad obviously played here. Where do you project him? I saw your mock draft, and it doesn't have him in your first round. How good is he, and where do you project him, and what do you think the Eagles will do with that pick in the first round?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Does Mike Schmidt's kid have a kid coming to the baseball draft here, too? Can we just solve all the problems in the whole city here?
To me, look, he is a good player. I don't think he is a first round pick. I'm curious to see how fast he is going to run. His game is more about instincts, which obviously are very crucial and very important at the linebacker spot.
When I watched him, he is a little bit undersized. He has really good eyes. He sifts and sorts, and he will fill and be physical. He can thud off blocks, which you don't see a lot of guys take on.
I thought the speed and the range was just kind of so-so. If he runs well, yeah, then I think he can really help himself. I have him more in the third round personally. But, shoot, he goes out there and moves around really well and kind of aces the rest of the tests, I think he can find his way into potentially into the second round.
In the linebacker draft it's not a great off-the-ball linebacker draft.
Q. And the Eagles' first round pick as you project?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Oh, Eagles first round pick before free agency? I mean, I think when you look at what's going to be there, I think the value is probably going to be at the corner position. I think there will be some good corners there.
I think I have them taking Rakestraw from Missouri. To me I would love it if somehow you could get Quinyon Mitchell, but I think he is probably -- after the Senior Bowl and the tape that he has put out, he is probably going to be long gone.
Q. With the Chargers at 5, it seems like they could have some options there, but what's the scenario you see where they could actually trade down from that spot?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think if you are the Chargers and you want to trade down, you're praying that the fourth quarterback emerges from now to the draft. I think when it's all said and done, it feels like it to me that you're going to have the three quarterbacks go 1, 2, 3 when we get down to it, whether that's with New England taking one or either them or Washington trading out and somebody coming up. It just feels to me talking to people around the league that seems to be the expectation.
So if you are looking at who are you going to trade for, well, I don't think -- because there's those three top receivers, I don't know that anybody is coming up for one of those guys.
The tackle depth is really good, so even though you have players worthy of trading up for, there's so many of them that I don't think that would be the case. I think you're rooting for JJ McCarthy. You're looking for McCarthy, to me Bo Nix. You need another quarterback.
If another quarterback emerges through the process, then you're looking at kind of that sixth pick with the Giants to eighth pick with the Falcons, those viewed as quarterback potential teams. Then they would be sitting in a pretty good spot for somebody trying to come up, which would be pretty nuts if four of the first five picks were quarterbacks. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility.
Q. I wanted to get your take on what you think about how this quarterback class measures up in terms of depth for starting caliber guys. If you can't get Caleb Williams, and you're a team in that range of Commanders, Broncos, Raiders, and you have to supposedly settle, how confident can you be in finding a high-quality starter from the next level of guys from Maye down to maybe later options like Bo Nix and Michael Penix?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think -- I really think that Bo Nix is going to be a starter pretty early on. Gosh, I guy started 61 games, played really well last year. He's accurate. He makes good decision.
People can talk about the ceiling upside. I think his arm is a little bit liver than maybe you give him credit for. He just executed the offense as it was designed there. I know some people get hung up on what happened with him at Auburn.
It's, like, man, we've seen so many examples of quarterbacks shining at their second spot, and I actually think him and Penix, both those guys going through adversity in their first stop I think is good for them wherever they land.
I think there are those six guys. I think they have starting potential, so I think there's -- if you have a guy and you think he is the 28th player on your board, 27th player on your board and you are picking 12 or 14, and you need a quarterback, it's very easy to talk yourself into that.
Q. I know we're asking you a lot about evaluating players here, but I wonder if you could give a scouting report on an executive. Eliot Wolf taking over in New England. What do you know about what he values, what his process is like with the Green Bay background, and how do you see the Patriots' philosophy changing under his leadership?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I don't know him personally well. We were scouting on the West Coast together a million years ago. Gosh, it's probably been 20 years now.
You always watch people. Scouts, we know kind of who everybody is and you pay attention. He was always somebody that worked hard. Obviously when you have the family history that he does, it would have been easy to maybe try and coast or cruise. He never did that. He started at the bottom and worked his way up. He kind of grinded through it.
In terms of how it can change, I would say the Patriots were maybe one of the more niche drafting teams in the league where they would catch you off guard a little bit because it was so obsessed with fit that they might take a guy two are three rounds before anybody else in the league would take them, and they don't really care because they're just winning trophies every year.
They could be a little bit outside the lines, a little outside the norm with some of the stuff. I don't think Eliot will do that. I think you look at the Green Bay history and some of the track record there. You look at offensive linemen that are versatile. You look at wide receivers who have kick return backgrounds that are really, really good after the catch.
Those are some of the traits that just jump out to me from the Packers and the way they've done things forever and how he would have been trained up just from his dad.
I think those will be a couple of the changes.
Q. Thanks for doing this. I'm just curious, I know Drake Maye is your second quarterback and fourth overall prospect, but what can he do during this draft journey to maybe solidify that stance and potential --
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Sorry, you cut out on me a little bit there. In terms of Drake solidifying it or helping himself through the process, one of the things with him -- well, two things. I'll give you one thing physically and then another thing he can do.
But the one thing physically and I know in talking to his quarterback coach, David Morris, who does a really good job, I thought there were times this year compared to last year where he got a little elongated, a little long with his delivery. I know they've been working on that. That would be the physical thing I'm looking forward to seeing, whether that's at the combine or his pro day. Just seeing if he has been able to tighten that up a little bit.
Then the second thing is going to be just meeting with teams. I think it will be helpful for him to explain some things, because when I watch the tape I have questions of just, man, he gets a lot of unblocked pressures, and there doesn't seem to be answers. Whether that's a hot route, whether that's in terms of what they're doing protection-wise to help him out, that's something when you are watching tape.
I'm watching it going, man, I would love to sit down with him and go through this and say, did they give you the answers here? Is this something you could have done here? Is this something on the outside that wasn't corrected?
I feel like there's a lot of times when I'm watching him with pressure in his face, and I freeze it and say I don't know where the heck he is supposed to go with this thing. That will be something he can do to help himself to go through the tape and explain it to teams.
The ability, the size, the arm strength, the athleticism, the play-making stuff, it's all there.
Q. I ask this just because it's a copycat league, but the Lions were maybe a little bit unconventional last year going running back, linebacker, tight end, safety early, positions down the pecking order, and all of those guys had pretty good rookie years. What impact, if any, do you think that could have on other teams or decision makers, like will there be a Lions effect where teams say screw the positional value or traits, and what matters is what I'm getting now out of the draft?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I might surprise you with this answer. I don't think there's going to be any copycat here because I think we've focused so much on them taking those, quote, unquote, non-value positions, but we've ignored the fact that when you have already built the foundation, then you can go do that.
That draft was successful because of what they did, what Brad and those guys did previously to build up the line of scrimmage on both sides. They had the quarterback in place. They hit a home run on the wide receiver. The expensive premium positions, they had already built the foundations. That freed them up. It's a huge advantage over the rest of the league where you can take the running back.
Obviously a tight end hits a home run. You can take off the linebacker. You can do those things once the foundation is built. I still think personally the right thing to do is to build the foundation and then you can go do what the Lions did last year.
I'm not so certain that as great as those players were, it was awesome, that you would have seen them flourish and shine as much as they did if they didn't have the quarterback in place and the offense and the defensive line in place.
Q. Now that we've hit full throttle, so to speak, on the transfer portal in college, I'm curious, it used to be that if a player had multiple schools, multiple coaches, it was a red flag for the talent evaluators. I'm wondering, has that diminished entirely? Then, secondly, does the NIL sort of give talent evaluators another inflexion point? You can kind of see how a kid handles fame and fortune before they even get to the pros.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think there's good sides to it. I think you brought up a great point there at the end. One of the -- there's two things. If you look at players that you miss on, I know I always go back. There's always plenty to choose from of guys that I have missed on over the years and try and self-scout.
When you talk to teams and get information on maybe why it didn't work out, two things happen a lot. They don't know how to handle adversity, and then the other thing is sometimes they don't know how to handle money, fame, all that kind of stuff that goes along with it, all the distractions that money can bring.
So now you're getting a chance to see them in that situation basically be a professional before they even get to you and see how they handle themselves. I think that can be a plus.
The transfer things in terms of impacting guys and grades, no. I mean, that's not really an issue anymore. I know once upon a time you could say, oh, I didn't work out here or there, it would come up in draft meetings, but I'm getting to the point now where I'm old enough to remember when I first started in '03 that I remember discussions in the draft about a player having tattoos. Think about how silly that is when we fast forward 20 years ago.
Some things become less and less important, and nobody really cares about the transfer thing anymore.
Q. I wanted to get your perspective on a couple of the underclassmen for the Ducks who are in this draft in Troy Franklin and Jackson Powers-Johnson who obviously was terrific as a starter this year, but just had the one year as a starter. Saw that you had them in the top 50 for you. What do you see from those two guys?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: It's fun. Fun guys to study. With Franklin, look, I gave him a good grade. He is my 39th player. I liked him a lot. I think I'm going to end up coming up on him because I just finished going through all these guys for the combine, and I saw a lot of corners with a lot of blood on their hands courtesy of Franklin. He just runs by everybody.
So big-time juice. Tall, lean, explosive. He can beat press with his quickness. He is clean in and out of breaks for a taller guy. It's fun to watch him really track the ball and go get it. A big-time home run hitter.
I think he'll go 20s to 30s. He's going to go somewhere in there, and I expect he will probably run really fast in Indy.
We look at the center, Jackson Powers-Johnson. It's hard to find guys that big that can move like that. 334 pounds. You can't get through him. He just kind of catches guys and absorbs them. In pass pro he is quick to the second level and good on combo blocks. He has some nasty to him. He is a bulldog. Got some real snap and pop in his hands.
He was having a great week until he got nicked up at the Senior Bowl too. I think he's going to find his way into the bottom portion of the first round. He's too clean of a player, and it's just somebody that can anchor your offensive line for the next decade.
Q. The Eagles go into the offseason pretty sparse at running back. Who are some of the guys potentially on day two that you maybe think could at least come in as a featured role type of act?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think day two is going to be the running back day. I'm curious to see -- I have a little bit of a theory here. I have about six to eight running backs that are very closely graded. I don't have any of them up to where we had Bijan or Gibbs last year with those types of grades. Six to eight really solid players.
I wonder if we're going to see a game of chicken in the second round where teams are saying, well, we have the grade to take this guy here, but we don't want to be the first one in line. We just need to make sure we're not the last one in line.
Does that push the running backs down? Maybe we could get to the bottom of the second, maybe even the top of the third round, and then once the first one goes, I think you'll see all these guys come off the board.
Some of the names, Jonathan Brooks coming off injury from Texas, he's as talented as any of these guys. My two favorites are Jaylen Wright from Tennessee, who is just real springy and juicy, stop-start quickness, home run hitter, finishes runs. He can get skinny through the hole. Really, really quick feet. He is 210 pounds, so he has a little bit of size to him. Enough size to him. He is probably the fastest, the most explosive of all these guys.
Then MarShawn Lloyd from SC? 217 pounds. Reminded me ironically of DeAndre Smith. That was my comp for him. Patient. Explosive. I think he will run really well in Indianapolis as well. Kind of an aggressive attacking running style.
Those are two of my favorites, s along with a little undersized version there of Bucky Irving, who reminds me of Devin Singletary. Ultra quick. Full speed change of direction stuff. Very elusive. He caught 58 balls too, so good in the pass game.
Those are my three favorite guys just in terms of watching them.
Ray Davis from Kentucky, Estime from Notre Dame, Braelon Allen from Wisconsin, Trey Benson. Those guys are all in that mix together.
Q. I'm curious, as I'm sure you've talked to many people around the league, I'm curious why you felt like looking back so many people have Bryce young number one over CJ Stroud. I know there were a lot of factors in the years they were involved. What do you think of people being low on CJ Stroud, and do you think at all what happened will change the perspective of teams as they evaluate these quarterbacks?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: It's hard to figure it out every year. You can say some years it's the smaller guy that's better. Other guys the bigger guy. Some years it's the big school guy. It changes all the time.
But with CJ I knew he was a really gifted thrower. The combine last year I said it was as good a combine session as I have ever seen from a quarterback. Always on balance. Every type of throw. Always using the amount of pace on the ball that's necessary, not more, not less. He was outstanding as a thrower.
I thought with him prior to the Georgia game, okay, well, can he create? He is kind of a stationary guy. Can he create and use his athleticism? Then the Georgia game showed you in that game absolutely he could do that.
Then outside of that, to be able to play as fast as he has, I don't know that I have ever seen a rookie come in and see everything so clearly and play with just ultimate confidence. I've never -- I don't know that I have seen a rookie do that and trusting what he sees like that.
To me I don't know if anybody could predict that it would be that good that fast. So that was congrats to the Texans. They hit an absolute home run.
And then with Bryce, hey, let's be a little bit patient here. I know it didn't look good last year, but with quarterbacks you think about the things you would love to have in place. We always talk about the three Ps. You want protection, you want playmakers, and you want a playcaller.
He had a bunch of different play callers. His protection wasn't very good. They don't have much in terms of playmakers.
Let's let some improvements take place in Carolina before we cast him off. I'm still bullish on him and excited to see him get a little bit better opportunity.
Q. I wanted to ask you about the Dolphins at 21. I see you have an edge rusher for them. What's your philosophy of picking in the 20s? You're not going to have obviously the cleanest prospects you would have earlier in the draft. Would you go with a solid just plug-and-play type, or would you look for up side in that range?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, to me, you're the Miami Dolphins. You're right smack dab in the middle of your window. To me you can look at up side, guys that are ready right now. I would probably look -- I always think about what Ozzie Newsome used to say: Let's hit doubles in the first round and not strike out.
I think I'm the Miami Dolphins. I want somebody to come in that can help me, that I feel is a rock solid player, ready to roll right now. That would be kind of the area that I would be leaning to. If you have a choice between player A or player B, I might be a little bit more conscious of the floor just personally where they are.
A lot of times those high floor picks end up being really, really good players.
Q. I wanted to ask you about the Jets and just kind of day two what they're looking at. Obviously they don't have a second round pick due to Aaron Rodgers, but just some targets you might see for them because they need wide receiver help, maybe some safety, defensive tackle and maybe some depth on the offensive line too.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, look, everybody is talking about the Jets. Do you go wideout? Do you go tackle with that first pick? I know one thing, if you can get the tackle, I feel a lot better about the third round wideouts than I do about the third round tackles, where that to me would make that -- I would lean more in that tackle direction early because in the third round you got some really, really interesting guys.
Malachi Corley from Western Kentucky has big-time juice, big-time run after catch stuff. He is a total stud.
You've got Roman Wilson from Michigan who can fly. Talked about him earlier. Ricky Pearsall from Florida, who is a real loose, fluid, excellent route runner. Got some insane catches. He might have the catch of the year of all these guys in the draft. His catch in Charlotte is ridiculous.
Real quick real fast and can make some things happen after the catch. I can go on. There's a bunch of wide receivers. Every year we do this and every year talk about this. It's a really, really intriguing mix of wideouts. In the tackle-wideout discussion, if it's close, you go tackle early. You can come back for the wideout safeties in that third round range.
You've got Javon Bullard from Georgia. Good player. We'll see what happens with Jaden Hicks from Washington State. If he runs well, he will probably be gone by then.
You also have Malik Mustapha from Wake Forest. Tykee Smith from Georgia. There are some interesting guys, some interesting safeties. I don't think it's a great safety class. I don't even think we have one -- maybe Nubin goes in the top 50 from Minnesota in the second round. But man, we might not have a safety in the top 50 picks. It's possible.
Q. Just going back to the tackles, what do you think makes a good day one starter at tackle, and with the Saints missing on maybe Trevor Penning with Latham, is there any concern there given what you mentioned earlier with kind of his eyes and stuff that he might not be a day one starter at tackle?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Gosh, in terms of Penning specifically, he was so overaggressive, and I think sometimes you struggle with guys like that where the overaggressiveness itself can get you in trouble and then you get inside your own head and you try to pull back and now you're late on things.
He was kind of a tricky one there. With offensive tackles, you start with the feet. Do you have the feet? Can you get yourself out of a bad situation? In other words, can you get beat? Can you recover enough to stay attached, whether that's inside, whether that's outside? That type of athleticism of footwork is kind of like the baseline.
If you can't do that, you probably can't play and can't hold up there.
The other thing is can you really sit and hold your own against power because in the NFL you're going to see power rushers every week, and then your eyes as you mentioned. Are you able to see things clearly? Especially now I think you're going to see even more of it with kind of the complexity in the college game of the Michigan defense, the complexity of the Ravens defense and the NFL. Everybody is copying those schemes, which challenges the eyes and the communication of the offensive line.
Those skills I think are probably going to be even more important this year than they've been in the past.
Q. When you look at Michael Penix's playoff games, against Texas he had so many beautiful throws, and then we saw him against Michigan. He was like a different guy. If you could break down those two evaluations from an NFL perspective and how it would affect you if you were one of those teams looking for a quarterback.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Look, the semifinal game was awesome. He moved around better in the pocket than I had seen him previously, which was good to see. I mean, he threw some seeds in that game. Just back-foot missiles where he just hangs on his back foot, and the ball jumps out of his hand.
But I think to me he's outstanding on over the top kind of those touch throws down the field, deep ball throw is beautiful. He can drive the ball especially to the perimeter. I thought that the thing that showed up in the championship game, number one, they hit the stuffing out of it.
They got to him. I thought that kind of rattled him a little bit from that standpoint. I didn't think the pocket movement was as good as we saw in the previous game. Then I think the throw that I want to see from him is just that kind of up and down throw. Can you get it up and over and get it down, which requires a lot of touch and a lot of feel. That's something that's not really his strength.
Those would be the different examples of those two games. From a scouting standpoint, I think you're looking at saying, if you are going to take him, how do we put an offense around him that makes sense and that fits him? Hey, I would want an offense with a lot of drive throws. You can get under center, play action, driving comebacks, pushing the ball vertically down the field. I think he goes to a team with a really good run game. I think off of play action in a vertical passing game it's probably going to be his best fit.
Q. Curious about the Patriots at number 3. Seems like a tricky decision because of the wealth of options that they have. If you are the Patriots, do you just take whichever quarterback falls to you, or do you really consider Marvin Harrison and one of the wide receivers?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think obviously they'll do their homework on all of the different options there. To me it would be tough to pass on a quarterback. You're not guaranteed to be up here again. There's no guarantee of what future years, what it looks like at the position.
I think you've got three guys that are worthy of consideration there. I go back to and I think we might have even talked about this personally, but just being in that stadium last year, it was kind of -- I didn't recognize it. Obviously the team wasn't good, but there has been so much energy and juice in that building every other time I've been in there, and it was just so flat, and it wasn't just a bad team. It was a boring team. There's just no juice, no excitement whatsoever.
I look at whether -- whichever one is there, if it's any of those top three quarterbacks, those guys that bring so much energy and life to your franchise. It just feels right. You have new leadership in place. They're 30th in points per game. Tied for last. I love Marvin.
Q. With that being said about the Patriots in there at number three, if they chose to trade back and a team that the Raiders are sitting there at 13 and trying to make that huge move all the way up there, what would that cost?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: This would be the Raiders. Let's see here. Yep, the Raiders go up to 3. Here's your cost for the Raiders to go up to 3. It would be the 13th overall pick. It would be your first round pick and third round pick in '25, and your first round pick in '26.
It's not cheap. A couple of 1s. Well, 13th this year and then two more, so three total 1s as well as a third round pick, which man, if you love a quarterback and he can be your guy for the next decade-plus, I could get behind that.
We'll talk about this at the combine on the coverage when we do some of these quarterback chats. The track record of the quarterbacks that good traded up for has not been good.
Usually there's a reason why teams are willing to move off that spot, and that hasn't traditionally boded well for teams that were aggressive coming up for guys. Man, if you love it and it's a bold move, but I don't know who their quarterback is right now. If they don't land somebody in free agency, maybe that even makes them more inclined to go do that.
You also have the Antonio Pierce connection with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, so I'm sure they'll know him extremely well.
Q. Just curious, what do you think of Caleb's two top targets, Brenden Rice and Taj Washington?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Let's start, first of all, with Taj. He was a pleasant surprise when I watched him because I didn't know what to expect there. He is not the biggest guy in the world, but super, super quick. Ultra tough. He went off on their bowl game too. Had a great bowl game.
A little quicker than fast. He has instincts on broken plays. When you are playing with Caleb, there's going to be a lot of scrambles and crazy stuff happening. He has a really good feel on that and made a bunch of plays. I think he is better on the move than he was kind of gearing down and working back downhill. Somebody should get the ball in his hands and let him go.
All accounts by folks at the school as well as where he has been working out, I've heard he is a great kid. Liked him a lot. I think he is probably in that fourth round range.
Brenden Rice, I think there's some second round love for him. He is big. He is going to run fast. He did a better job catching the ball. I think he cut his drop rate in half from last year to this year. Last year he had some issues catching the ball.
But real tough. Draws a ton of pass interference penalties when you are watching him. Has that vertical speed. He is a real violent runner. He is kind of a ground pounder, but a lot of times guys that do that aren't fast. He is kind of unique that everything he does is real deliberate and violent, but he can run.
He had a good week at the Senior Bowl. I think he is probably in that border line of the late second into maybe the middle of the third round. That's probably the range of where he will go.
Q. I was wondering, as far as what should a typical fan who wants to watch the combine -- what are some of the things they should be looking for that would make it an enjoyable and learning experience for them? What should they be watching out for? Number two, is there anything you would change about draft coverage that would be beneficial for fans?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Good questions. I think you just come for Rich Eisen's wit. When you are on TV that long, I think that's our number one starter there. That's why you keep it entertaining there. A lot of pop culture references.
In terms of what to look for, look, the 40s are the highlight for everybody because you have history and you can compare what this guy ran this year to what Hall of Famer, said Hall of Famer ran in years past. There's context to it. I think context is very key to the combine and just being able to relate what you are seeing now versus not only what you are going to see on the field in games, but in reference to what we've seen previous guys do at the same event, same surface, all that stuff. It's an apples-to-apples comparison. That's something I think that is good to watch.
I think the by-position stuff changes in terms of where the importance lies. With where a pass rusher, the edge rusher, the vertical and broad jump are probably going to be -- we're going to care more about that. It's an explosive movement, and it correlates pretty well.
Offensive linemen, you look at the ten, how quickly they get out. Then when you get out to the fieldwork -- one of the things to keep an eye on, you can find out who is really in shape, whose hands are on their hips, who is bending over, who has a really big gas tank and has been putting in work and is ready to go.
Lots of different things you can look at there. What I would change -- well, I mean, the changes I would like to see we'll never see. I would like to see competition. You're never going to see competition. The agents and players association would never go on for it.
Man, it would be fun to be sitting up there with Rich watching with Terrion Arnold go out there and cover Marvin Harrison, Jr. That would be a heck of a lot of fun. I say that knowing it will never happen.
Q. It seems like a decade ago the NFL was trying to find ways to limit the number of underclassmen headed to the draft every year, and now it seems like we're almost at the other end of the spectrum. What are GMs saying about it? Are they okay with it? How do you think it changes their approach to this draft?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think they're okay with it and excited about the future of it. I think we're in the middle year now where we have -- we don't have that influx of juniors, but we don't have some of the top guys from the previous year because it's just this new phenomenon. I think it's made this year's group a little light.
I think next year what we're going to end up doing is having a more experienced draft class, which is good for -- I think it's good for everybody. It's good for the player. He gets more development there. He finishes college. That's great for them. It's great for the college coaches. They have older, more mature players that are experienced.
It works for evaluators, where it's just more -- there's more canvas to look at there. There's more to evaluate. There's more of a track record, good or bad. That makes it easier for them.
I think it's great all the way around. We're just in that in-between year this year where I think at certain positions specifically it really falls off earlier than it has in the past, and I don't think the draft is quite as deep because we don't have the underclassmen, but yet, we don't have the -- all those experienced guys that we'll get next year.
I think it's kind of a weird year that way.
Q. Looking more at the later second round and kind of in context of the Browns, who is I guess in a really intriguing prospect or two that stands out in grouping that maybe isn't talked about as much?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: If we're looking at the Cleveland Browns, you're looking at some D-tackles and maybe some linebackers. So if I look in that range, second round defensive tackle, Braden Fiske is one that I really, really like from Florida State who transferred out of the MAC. He is a really, really good player.
He is going to test like a freak too. He will test well at the combine. Real quick, shoots gap, efforts, chase. He can play every position. He finds the ball. He has really good instincts. Not real long, but a good player and a great week at the Senior Bowl, so he is one in that mix.
You look at an intriguing guy with Mason Smith from LSU who doesn't have a ton of production, but he is 6'6", 310 pounds. Really good as a freshman. Really good his first year. Coming off an ACL last year and didn't quite see the same player, but has some quickness, has some traits. Just get him fully healthy. I think there's kind of an up side play there with a guy like that. Those are a couple of D-tackles.
The linebackers in that second round range, I think Colson who we talked about from Michigan probably in there, who is just real instinctive, plays downhill, can cover tight ends. He was hurt and beat up a lot this year and played through it at Michigan. Kind of show you the toughness and the leadership that you want there from that position.
And Payton Wilson from NC State kind of reminded me of Kiko Alonso coming out of college. Wrestling background. Has had some injuries, but really, really instinctive. A ton of speed, a ton of range. Just a really good player.
Those two positions in the second round range, that's some intriguing names for me.
Q. I know cornerback has been a popular position for the Eagles at 22. How do you see the value lining up there? Then when you kind of look at the depth at corner in this draft, is it worth it to get one in the first round?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think it's worth it. I think it's a good group of corners. I go about -- I think I have about 14, 15 kind of with that top three round grade range there, which is a good number.
No, I think there's guys worthy of picking there, and I think once you get through that top group, I think there's a lot -- that second third round range, a good number of those guys are going to be nickels. In terms of guys that can play outside with the versatility to play inside, I think they'll be good options for them there where they're picking.
Wiggins is one I'm curious about, keep a eye on from Clemson. He is big and ultra, ultra fast. A really, really fluid kid. I think you'll see him kind of rise up as we're going through the process.
Cooper DeJean from Iowa is intriguing as well. Those guys are kind of in that range for me.
I think I had them taking Rakestraw from Missouri. He is my third corner. Kind of has some Slay to him. Kind of built a little similarly to Slay. Tough, feisty, can press you. Plays with a ton of energy, which I love. I think they would get a kick out of there in Philly. Just passionate, energetic dude. Real fluid, real fast, real tough.
Q. In terms of the Ravens, I know in your first mock you have them going offensive tackle in the first round. I'm curious if you would like the options for the Ravens that could be available at the end of the first round at the tackle position, and just kind of what you make of this tackle class.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: It's a loaded tackle class. Just in terms of that top group, there's 10, 11 guys that are really interesting. I think we'll see a bunch of starters, a bunch of day one starters out of that tackle group. In terms of trying to guess especially pre-free agency in terms of what the Ravens will do. One of the reasons they've been so good is they've been a best-available team. Everybody says that, but what it usually means is best available at the position we need.
The Ravens truly will use best available. They'll take the best guy that's there. If it happens to be a tackle, they'll do it. If it's another position, they won't pass up talent.
I think in that one I had Mims falling down there. Unlikely probably he makes it that far. Huge, mammoth tackle from Georgia. But you've got Tyler Guyton and Mims as these two big freaks, like just big physical, athletic kind of rare guys. They're a little bit raw, but there's a huge up side there. If one of those guys were to fall to them, I think that would be a home run pick.
Q. I think you just referred to Cooper DeJean as an intriguing prospect. What stands out to you when you are evaluating him, and which secondary spot do you see him gravitating towards in the NFL?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, I think he can play anywhere. That's one of the things I love about him. You are drafting a big-time athlete who has just got -- he has football instincts. He has ball skills.
At corner there's one -- just one little thing that bothered me a little bit. I just think there's a little bit of a pause in his transition, but I'm probably nitpicking a little bit there. To me I like the fact of having a guy that you could play -- he could play nickel and be a big, physical nickel. You could play him as a high safety, let him do that.
I think you kind of sort it out. I hate saying it this way, but you almost sort it out when you get him there and see who you have got. He allows you, almost like an offensive lineman that is versatile, to get your best five DBs on the field because of his versatility and athleticism to be able to play in any spot.
I wouldn't pigeon-hole him into corner or nickel or safety at this point in time. I would say, hey, get him in there. I think he is somebody that's going to be able to learn everything and evaluate the rest of your roster and use him where you need to use him.
Q. Just wanted to pick your brain. We obviously top three quarterbacks with Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels. The Vikings are sitting at 11. We're looking at the next group if they don't trade up of Bo Nix, JJ McCarthy, and Michael Penix. Who do you think is the best fit of that next QBs for the potential next QB of the Minnesota Vikings?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a good one. I would say -- man, I would probably lean more towards McCarthy on that one. I just think everything he does in terms of accurately delivering the football, his ability to move around a little bit, I think the way he sees everything and kind of plays under control, I think Kevin O'Connell would like him. And he can still use his legs to get out and get going a little bit. That would be the one off the top of my head that would make some sense there.
If you are looking at -- if they wanted to trade up, if we put them into that formula we were talking about to get up to number three, you're talking about the 11th pick, the first round pick in '25 and a first round pick in '26. That would be the cost for them to get up to number 3 if you are the Minnesota Vikings if they wanted to get one of the top three guys.
Q. I cover Notre Dame football, and I know they had three defenders that seemed to do fairly well at the Senior Bowl. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on any of them and if any of them seem to stand out to you that week?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I liked Bertrand as a player. I don't think it's a great linebacker class. I think that helps him. He kind of plays downhill. He is aggressive. He has some range. Not a lot of finesse to his game. He is a little bit tight as well. Just sees the field really, really well.
Cam Hart I thought -- the last thing I wrote on him was just there's up side. I don't think he's got it all yet. I don't think he's got it all figured out just yet in terms of finding and playing the ball consistently, but he's big. He's fast. He's got some fluidity to him. He's tough. The way he'll go hit you and support.
I think there's still some development there, but I thought he took a good step at the Senior Bowl, and I think there's -- I really think there's something to work with there, and there's some up side. Those would be the two to me that stood out the most.
Q. I have a question in regards to the Jags here. One thing when you look at the team that they need even if they keep Calvin Ridley, they need a receiver, split-end type. Obviously there are some guys you mentioned in the first round of your mock draft. If you would, can you talk about some that fit that mold of what they need there, even when you look inside the first round and maybe even a little bit outside of the first round?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: You've got a couple of them. You look at Adonai Mitchell from Texas would be one that I think would factor in there. He is going to -- by the way, buckle up for his combine. He'll put on a show. He is going to fly and he is going to jump out of the gym. Both the Texas kids are going to do really well.
Anyway, he would be one that could fit that role. Keon Coleman from Florida State is another one. I have those guys pretty close together, so those would be two. A little bit different style. Mitchell can be much faster than Coleman. Coleman has kind of some freaky ball skills. He can really contort himself and adjust down the field. Kind of a physical guy.
Those would be two off the top of my head. If you want to go down into that next tier, you could start getting Xavier Legette from South Carolina could be one of those guys. There's a bunch of them. There's a bunch of wideouts in this draft. Those would be a couple off the top of my head.
Brian Thomas is -- he is somebody I think could play anywhere from LSU. Big-time, big-time speed. I wrote on my notes on him "death by slot fade." Jayden Daniels hit him on a bunch of those. He is somebody that can play inside, outside, and play on the ball, off the ball. You name it, he can do everything.
Q. We saw both Shanahan and McVay this year pivot to a little more man and gap running schemes and some more true drop-back passes in addition to their wide zone and play action games. I'm curious which players in this year's O-line class have the traits required to be part of an offense that really wants to be that versatile?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: It's good. To me I always look at interior guys that have some tackle ability, but can also move people. So, in other words, like a guy like Dominik Puni from Kansas who has played left tackle and goes inside at the Senior Bowl and was excellent there. He is 323 pounds, so he can move people, but he can still move.
I think a guy like that gives you versatility. Another one a guy like Brandon Coleman from TCU, probably like in that third round range. He has played left tackle and can kick inside and play guard. He is 316 pounds, so he kind of has that skill set as well that they can do anything.
I really think the top three centers are guys that fit that mold as well with Jackson Powers-Johnson, Graham Barton from Duke, Zach Frazier from West Virginia. All of those guys can move you at the point of attack and are all over 310 pounds and they're athletic.
Those guys, that's a group of interior guys to me that I think would fit there. Then tackle-wise, this draft just has a ton of them that should be able to do a lot of that stuff.
One guy we haven't mentioned who I really liked is a guy Blake Fisher from Notre Dame. He is a good one. He is a right tackle. He has good foot speed. He can get out and do some of the things in space, but he has some power to him as well. Those are just a names there that would kind of fit that versatile type guy you are looking for.
Q. Michigan State has only one guy invited to the combine in Nick Samac on the offensive line. I wondering if you have a draftable grade on him or any Michigan State player?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: He is the only one I've done so far, so I kind of work with this combine list. Once I swallow all these names and get these guys watched, then I'll go outside that and go to other guys that I hear about that have a chance to get drafted to make sure I've got all my ducks in a row by the time we get to Detroit.
For him, he is a center. He is under control. He has a wide base and will drop back and have power, but can settle late. I thought in space just kind of average with some of the change-of-direction stuff. Some of the agility I didn't think was great.
He was a late draftable grade for me. A little bit later on for me.
Q. We've seen mock drafters go all over the place where the Colts can go at 15. Chris Ballard said he wanted to get more explosive for next season. What are your thoughts on what the Colts could go at 15?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, if you want to get more explosive, and there's a reason he's saying that, when you are 26th in third down offense. Hopefully they can get Pittman back in the fold because I think he's a really good piece for them moving forward.
If you want to get more explosive and you are looking potentially at wide receivers that could be there at that point in time, you know, Brian Thomas who we just mentioned would probably be at the top of my list from LSU. He would give them that and somebody who can really, really get vertical.
I wouldn't sleep on -- I have him a little lower, but I think there's a chance you see Adonai Mitchell and Troy Franklin kind of climb up into potentially into that realm. Those are some wide receivers.
There's only one tight end that fits that bill, and that's somehow if Brock Bowers gets there. As we've gone over the positional stuff, the financial aspect of it, the history, the draft history, even though he's a top ten player in this draft, I would not be -- I would not rule it out that somehow Brock Bowers gets there, and that would be ironic because I compared him to Kittle, but he reminds me of Kittle like in a Dallas Clark body a little bit. Similar in terms of how you would use Dallas Clark and move him and do all those different things. Kind of like if Kittle and Dallas Clark had a baby, it would be Brock Bowers. It would be a fun there with the Colts.
Q. Your son is a better student than me (laughing). Two, along the same lines of Brock Bowers, do you think the tightrope surgery has any factor in where he could get chosen?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think my other factor of whether we see him do anything at the combine, but I think he's got time. By all accounts I think he'll be ready to rock and roll at his pro day.
I mean, that's something that we've seen a little bit more of over the last few years. I want to say was Tua one of the first ones I remember hearing about that for the first time I think with Tua. Yeah, you're seeing that a little more often now.
I don't think that will impact too much where he ends up playing. He should be fine.
Q. You talked earlier about building a foundation. Last year for the Steelers in their first draft together, Andy Weidl, Omar Khan went offensive line, big corner, defensive tackle. Do you kind of foresee them still building that foundation this year, and what areas -- I saw you have them taking a tackle. What other areas do you think they could go?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I don't think they're done. I think they have a clear vision of what they want that team to look like, and I thought the way they executed it last draft was perfect. I thought they had a great draft. They just got big. They became a big, big team.
That's why I could see them going with another offensive lineman, whether it's a tackle for the other side of Broderick Jones, whether that's a guard, center type. I think that's very much in play.
I would not rule that out. I also think that adding another corner is something that they need to look at, and they need to get accomplished. Where they're picking, they're picking 20. We've kind of talked about that corner list a little bit earlier, but those are -- man, to me if you want to say what's a home run pick, like if you could write it in right now and turn it in and somehow guarantee it would happen, putting Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo on the opposite side of who you took last year with Joey Porter, Jr. I think would be -- man, that would be a heck of a young secondary with Minkah at the top of the Christmas tree there. That would be a fun defense to watch.
Q. I'm curious how your opinion of Penn State cornerback Kalen King has changed over the last year, and then if there's any Penn State players that you are especially interested in watching at the combine this year?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Look, I don't think Kalen had the year that he would want. Part of it is -- the tough thing is when you have marquee players in your conference at a position that you're going to go up against, that's the first tape everybody is going to watch.
So when you are watching Penn State and you've got a corner, you are going to pop on the Ohio State game. That's the first game you're going to watch, and Marvin Harrison got after him a little bit in that game. That's the first impression that's hard to shake.
He has good quickness. I'm curious to see the top end speed, how he runs. He's good working downhill, and he can play top-down. I think he is a little more comfortable, a little more natural. I just thought there were too many times where he struggled to stay in phase and find and play the ball down the field with his back to the quarterback.
That was a little bit of the issue there. I have him -- the grade that I have him right now puts him kind of in that fourth round range. I'm sure some others might have him a little bit higher, but that's where I have him positioned at this point in time.
It's interesting. On the Penn State side of things, if I was watching an offensive lineman in the Big Ten, Penn State was the first game that I popped on because I wanted to watch him against that front because want only are they really talented with Chop and with Adisa Isaac, but those guys play hard, man.
I don't know off the top of my head the D-line coach there. I know obviously the history there of having great defensive line coaches, but those guys play really, really hard, and they're great to evaluate other players against. That was something that stood out watching those Penn State guys.
Q. Looking at the Broncos sitting there at 12, with them dealing with a potential huge dead money hit and not having -- still not having full draft capital in the wake of recent trades, is trading up for a quarterback viable for them, especially with some of the other talent available at 12, like you've got them with Jared Verse in your mock?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, it would be tough. You have no second round pick. There's other holes on the roster. I would say Sean is going to have what he is looking for at the position. To me it's if you 100% fall in love and he is your -- it's the best guy. Just because somebody might be the No. 1 pick or No. 1 on the board, doesn't mean he is No. 1 on your board.
If you have a guy that you think is the best one, that you think is a cornerstone at the most important position for the next decade-plus, and you have conviction, I know I don't have any problem with it. Even though you might have some other holes to fill, I think that's what it comes down to.
You don't make that type of a move for a guy you like. You make that type of a move for a guy you think has a chance to be really special. That would be my thought process there. That would be the hurdle that would have to clear to make something like that happen.
We'll see how this all shakes out. I think when you look at the draft and you look at picks 6 and 8, if they are sitting there in and the top three quarterbacks go, and somehow you get past the Giants and you get past the Atlanta Falcons, now, if you -- if that fourth quarterback is still there, now the cost isn't quite as great to maybe if you get a little bit nervous and want to maybe just move up ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, you can do that. That would be the other thing for them to keep an eye on.
Q. Look, this is a historic NFL combine for Ireland and for the U.K. and Europe with the International Player Pathway program. Next Sunday we have four guys either kicking or punting from the amateur sport of Gaelic football and also rugby. I'm not sure if you have had a chance to see them play, but just generally wondering your thoughts on the IPP and just seeing guys from Ireland, the U.K., Europe, Australia transfer their skills.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I'll be totally candid. To be honest, I have not seen it, but I think it's great for the game. I love the fact that it's becoming more global. I think when you watch guys like Jordan Mailata play at an extremely high level, it shows you what's possible here.
There's talent all over the place, and I think the fact that the NFL is playing these games not only in London anymore, but now you're in Germany and now Spain is in the next mix, Brazil is in the mix. It's just going to continue to grow.
I've got a friend of mine who coached at my high school. He went over and was coaching football in Italy. I know Joe Thomas is now coaching overseas.
It's just the tip of the iceberg. It's just getting started. I'm super excited to see more guys get their opportunities, but I have not seen any of those players individually. But if you would like to lobby my bosses for me to go take a trip, I will sign up for it yesterday.
Q. I know you had the question from Garrett earlier about the Ravens and the tackle situation, but there's obviously also a need for the interior guys and maybe a succession plan at left tackle, right tackle. I guess day one, day two, how many guys could credibly step in at either spot or maybe kind of start that first year as a rookie inside and then swing over to the left or right tackle and be a part of that long-term solution there?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, I think there's a lot of guys, depending on where you are and where you want to take them, but in terms of guys that can could start inside, Fuaga is not going to be there, but he would be one that could play inside if you want to before eventually taking over outside.
Jordan Morgan is a little bit of a tricky evaluation. He is a little bit up and down. He is coming off of an ACL from Arizona, but there's a lot of ability there. He's someone who I think teams feel like has that type of versatility to be able to start inside before eventually kicking back out. He played left tackle at Arizona. Maybe he could find his home back out there.
I mentioned Blake Fisher who I liked who I think has that type of ability. Christian Jones from Texas. Now we're getting -- this is outside. We're getting down outside of the first round, but those are some guys that slide into that mix as well.
For the Ravens, as I said earlier, the home run picks with Guyton and Mims would be home runs and somehow Fautanu from Washington, if he were to get down there, he is one of who is a little undersized and a little over 319 pounds. He is a left tackle at Washington. A lot of teams have him as a guard. I think he could hold up as tackle.
He is my 16th player. I don't think he will be there, but that would be a great pick.
Q. It's great to see you. Hey, Drake Maye, talk me off the ledge because I've done a lot of watching of his videos. I'll just cut to the chase. I can't see him as a high pick as anything other than a bust. Also, do the Raiders and Saints really need to draft quarterbacks because they have new offensive coaches?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, look there's no perfect prospects. I wish it was always easy on that where you can see the talent and the performance and it all came together. It makes for an easy evaluation.
With Drake it's a little more complex than that, and you look at some of the challenges that he faced. I mentioned earlier some things he does. He has his things he needs to work on, including tightening some things up from a delivery standpoint, but I think the kid is really, really talented. I have seen him play at a high level. I've seen him make big plays in two-minute situations using his legs.
I think it's all there. So you might not have seen it all consistently. I don't think they're great in front of him in terms of who he is playing with. I'm not going to get on here and trash his teammates, but to me he has all the ability. You haven't seen it all yet. None of us have. There's risk involved. He is not a perfect player, but I think you can fill in the gaps when you have somebody who has size who has a live arm, who is a good athlete, who is by all accounts an incredibly bright, great leader. All the intangible stuff is there. All that stuff is there.
I think you just have to kind of have to have faith that it's going to come together. I hear what you are saying in terms of the tape. It's not a clean watch there. There's stuff to work on, and some of it was outside of his control.
Q. When you take into account the talent level with Caleb Williams that you already mentioned and then also factoring in the Bears' somewhat unique situation with Fields on the roster, in your mind is there a clear-cut right or wrong thing there? Is that a tradeable pick? Is that not a tradeable pick because of the talent level of Caleb Williams? How does that sort of play out in your mind?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, I'll be careful with my words. I think I used the phrase "no-brainer" at one point in time, which maybe that was too strong.
I lean heavily in favor of taking Caleb Williams. Unless you have got the offer of all offers, which is a combination of picks and players that it's literally too good to turn down. It would have to blow me away to move off of that pick.
Again, same thing I said a minute ago. There aren't perfect players. Caleb is not a perfect player. Caleb is going to require some patience and assembly there, but the ability is off the charts and what he can be is something that's extremely exciting.
I was talking to Orlovsky about this the other day. You see some of these young quarterbacks have a chance to transition and be successful, and part of the formula seems to be, hey, we're not asking you to play quarterback every snap. In other words, let's give you -- we're going to give you ten completions in the game where we're going to get smoke screens. We're going to get some regular screens, some shallow crosses, some stick routes. We're going to bake in ten completions for you that's going to be easy for you.
You're not going to have to sit back there and really go deep and sort through things. Then I'm going to ask you to make five or so -- four or five plays with just your ability. Go out there and create and make some things happen. Go run for a first down. Then you're talking about seven or eight plays where you have to sit back there and really play quarterback and see coverage, work the progression, be on time, all those things. I think sometimes you look at the quarterbacks who failed. I think they've been thrown out there and like, hey, let's throw the ball 40 times a game, and here's you having to do that on a down in and down out basis.
I think you have to be smart of how you get him going and get him up and running, but I think the up side there, the tools there are pretty dang elite. While I hear the argument of build up the whole roster and think about the whole team.
I'm, like, yeah, I know one or two Super Bowls every ten years you'll get a Nick Foles magic carpet ride with an unbelievable team. The rest of them seem to be won by Patrick Mahomes and Tom Bradys of the world, the elite, elite guys.
If you have a chance to go out there and get one of these guys who can be elite, I think you have to take your shot if you are the Bears.
Q. I know you spoke on Rakestraw earlier, but what's your evaluation of how he might fit into an Aaron Glenn's defense in Detroit and in this organization under Dan Campbell with the ethos that he has kind of instilled here? Is 29 or late first round a realistic landing spot for him, do you think?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think he is in that range, yeah. I have him a little bit higher than that. I know in talking to teams I'm a little bit higher on him than some of the teams are.
The feistiness and toughness, the aggressiveness that he plays with, the energy, the passion that he plays with, yeah, he fits 100% with Detroit. I was giving him Frazier for almost the exact same reason when you look at the center from West Virginia because the guy is a four-time state champ wrestler. He is super, super physical. He finishes guys. He plays kind of that nasty style.
That's the great thing that they've done in Detroit. All the talent that they've brought in there, I think the biggest thing they've done is they've got a true identity of who they are and what they're about. They set that vision from the beginning, and they went out and found guys that fit.
There are certain guys when we were in Baltimore where we used to say, play like a Raven and we could put red stars on players that we felt were our type of guys. You just mentioned Rakestraw. I would say Frazier. Both those guys are Detroit Lion type players.
Q. For the Super Bowl champions picking last, everybody around Kansas City is looking. Everybody around the NFL has seen that the receivers had trouble at the beginning of this year. I know you have them selecting Franklin there, but I'm thinking Thomas, Jr. is the best receiver in this draft as from my eyes, for what I have seen over Marvin Harrison, Jr. and all those guys. Where do you see those guys picking there, or do you see them trading back or trading that pick to go get a Kyle Pitts or somebody like that?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Gosh, if that's -- I haven't read that article. If it's possible to go get Kyle Pitts, sign me up for that. Goodness gracious, that would be -- that would not be fair if that were to happen.
Brian Thomas, Jr., look, I am really high on him. He's a top-15 player in the draft for me. I didn't have him going to the Chiefs because he was off the board by the time they were picking. So I had them taking Franklin who I really like as well.
I wouldn't be surprised if you saw them even move back. They just continue -- they've done such a good job drafting. I think if you are going to take a receiver, there's a bunch of them. They could easily slide back from where they're picking and go get another one. You just got my head spinning with this Kyle Pitts thing. Is that out there? I have not read that. That would be -- as someone who calls Charger games, I'm sure a lot of people would not be happy with that trade. Holy crap.
Q. Back to the Broncos at 12. I know you talked about the quarterback element there. If they don't go, is there value in thinking about going back from there since they don't have a two or do you risk taking yourself out of the conversation for a guy that maybe has a true first round grade?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think you kind of look and see what direction that they're interested in going. When you look at their team -- and I'm pulling up their needs here -- when you look at getting another corner, go edge, to me, yeah, if you are going to look at those positions, if you're not going to get the quarterback that you like there, I think you could make a strong case if you are, like, hey, we want to get another corner, and we like the corners in this draft, there's a good number of them.
Maybe you can trade back and recoup that pick, that second round pick. I think that's a good thought, actually. I kind of like that idea if you are looking in that direction.
I think there's also some interesting edge players that you could slide down a little bit depending on what happens. I think there's kind of the top three guys with Turner, with Verse, with Latu. I think if two of the three are still there, that might embolden you to make that move as well.
You need to come out of that thing with a really good corner or edge rusher if you slide back a handful of picks.
Q. You talked about the Eagles a couple of times on this call, and the Eagles definitely have plenty of opportunities for rookies to shine in the defensive secondary. What would you be looking for in either Rakestraw or somebody else to make an immediate impact in the Vic Fangio scheme?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: That's a good question. Look, eyes are going to be big with Vic, so I look at Rakestraw I think has really, really good eyes. He can play the ball. They're going to get pressure. I know they kind of -- their numbers fell off a little bit last year, and I know they have some new faces, some young guys that will get opportunities up front, and they need some of those guys to step up.
I look at guys that have those eyes and can find and play the ball. Another one that I think is kind of interesting is -- we haven't talked about this corner, but it's Kamari Lassiter from Georgia. That might be a little bit early for him, but he is somebody that I think kind of fits what they look for and what they like. He's a good player. I think he has some inside-outside versatility, can play the nickel, can play outside if he wanted to as well.
Q. You made a comment that Rome Odunze was your favorite player in the draft. I've seen your breakdown on him, but could you elaborate a little more on why you like him so much?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Sure. I like big, fast, physical, smart, tough guys who can go play above the rim and who have some route polish to them. As a player I love what he has from a skill set standpoint. I think all of it translates.
I think when you look at big games I games in the NFL, especially going to the postseason, I think some of that space disappears. You have to have guys who can win with bodies around them. He can do that.
That's not to say he can't run. You'll see it when he gets to the combine, he can run too. There's that side of it.
I love there's a bounce and an energy to him that I love. I love the fact that even though you might have to coach some of this out of him, he hates running out of bounds. You'll see the competitiveness in him. When he is on the sideline, he tries to get everything he can get. He is a real, real competitive football player.
Some of the stuff that I hear talking to sources and connections up there is that the guy is incredibly bright. He is a great leader. He knows every spot on the -- in the receiving room. He can play anywhere. He has been training with Ricky Proehl, and Proehl said he is as smart of a receiver as he has ever been around. Those things are great.
Even a little story from my buddy Brock up there, he told me that he is such a good kid. They had an event where they had a fishing tournament fundraiser thing that they did.
So he met this fishing captain. Never fished a day in his life. He goes out there with this guy and has a good time and asked the fishing captain for his number afterwards. The fishing captain didn't think anything of it. Whatever, this guy is never going to call me.
Brock said that he ran into him months later, this fishing captain, and he said that Rome Odunze and him go out fishing all the time, and he is the nicest guy in the world, just a great dude. It's almost too good to be true with everything I hear about this kid. I love the way that he plays.
Q. It feels like the Saints have routinely missed on edge rushers in the draft. Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner and still seeing Isaiah Foskey. A lot of mocks have them being pegged there. I love him as a prospect. Is he someone that can buck the trend and be a hit for them in the high selection at this position? Then just the second little one, there's buzz that Marshon Lattimore potentially may be on the market in terms of being traded from the Saints. What is his value if the Saints are open to trading him?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Look, with Latu, he is totally different than those guys you just mentioned. So their formula that they had been chasing is more traits-based. All those guys you mentioned were kind of more raw, not technical pass rushers, but big, physical, explosive guys who weren't technicians.
Lat your is a technician, man. I compare him to Trey Hendrickson. He is really good with his hands. He can win a variety of ways. He has a natural feel for pass rush. Some parts of the pass rush remind me of wide receivers. There's route runners. There's an artistry to it. Latu is an artist.
He is really, really gifted that way. So a totally different style than the guys that you mentioned that maybe they haven't hit on in the past.
With Lattimore, I have to go back through. I have not looked at his contract stuff lately. I would have to go back and see what that looks like from a trade standpoint, what his value would be. I wouldn't even -- I wouldn't want to venture a guess there on his value what that might look like unless I do a little bit more homework for you on that one. I'll work on it.
Q. I was wondering what's your assessment of Michigan as a developmental program? Obviously with 18 players at the combine and also where do you see that going in the future now that Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Well, they've done a good job. I don't know. I don't think we're going to have a zillion first round picks from Michigan this year, but you mentioned the raw number of guys. It's just so many of them.
When you go through and look at them, there are things that you can start with when you are doing the evaluation. Well, he is probably going to be tough, and that's pretty much almost every single guy on that list. They're all tough. They're smart.
It's nice as a scout when you can kind of put some of those things to bed in the evaluation and focus on the tape and what you see. It's almost become kind of a given that you get a Michigan guy, you're going to get somebody who has been well-coached, can take hard coaching. He's smart and he is tough. Now let's go about figuring out if he can play.
That's something that they've developed there. They've developed in that toughness. They've developed in that kind of smart football player with a good knowledge of the game. I would imagine that's a foundation that Harbaugh has put in place there and built there.
I've seen it with what happened at Stanford that when he left, David Shaw did an awesome job taking that over, and that run continued for many, many years. I think that what they built there is they've built something that lasts and that Harbaugh -- that that will follow him there. Even though he is no longer there, I think you'll still see those major tenets in place.
Q. How do you see that particularly with the offensive line and the players that they produce out of that position in particular?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: There's a ton of them this year. I don't think there's a great player in the bunch in terms of what I expect from them at the next level or necessarily how high they're going to get picked, but they're all going to find their way on a roster. You have value in guys that have some positional flexibility. They moved guys around quite a bit. There's a lot of guys that have played in different spots.
I think that's helpful, especially when you are talking about backups and guys that are kind of filling out your last couple of spots there in that room.
Q. Just wondering, are there any receivers? Eric DeCosta's picked a receiver in the first round three of the past four years. I would probably expect that doesn't continue, but are there some receivers that you think might complement what the Ravens already have in the room moving forward? Then, secondly, George Kokinis, I know you worked with him. He is kind of stepping in with Joe Ortiz leaving. What makes Joe a special talent evaluator? I'm sorry, George. What makes George a special talent evaluator.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: We'll start, first of all, with the wideouts to complement what they have. I think with Zay Flowers I think he is going to be a No. 1 if he isn't a No. 1 already. That would be the person I would be looking to complement. I'm going to go look for some size.
That to me is a guy like Adonai Mitchell who would be the perfect example there. Troy Franklin from Oregon would be another one. Those would be the two guys to me that complement kind of what you have in place there.
You can throw Keon Coleman in, but those three guys would kind of fill out that basketball team so to speak for the Ravens. George has been there for a long time. George knows what the Ravens are about at their core in terms of evaluating players. He's going to value the same things that Ortiz valued. I don't think you'll see any noticeable change there. Those guys have been together forever.
If you see -- if you go to the combine and run into Eric, you'll see George. You run into George, you'll see Eric. No, I think that will be a smooth transition. It's one of the things the Ravens have had such an advantage.
I think Ortiz had been there for 25 years, 26 years. So that consistency there, you know what you like in players. I think they'll just keep on rolling.
Q. The Lions are in that range where it feels like they could miss out on maybe that top tier prospect at a couple of different positions of need, like corner and edge. Just given Brad Holmes' penchant for drafting up, do you see them as one of the teams that could move up in that first round?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Oh, yeah, that's entirely possible. I wouldn't rule that out. When you think about corners and edges, I mean, I would think if they can get one of those top three guys, that would make some sense.
I think if they stick and pick, I think you're probably -- like Chop Robinson that comes into discussion there from Penn State. If you are moving up for a corner, I love Terrion Arnold. If Rome Odunze is my favorite player in the draft, Terrion Arnold is a close second.
I have him way up there. If he started to drift a little bit, as big and fast and instinctive and productive as he is, he is fluid. He just is a really, really good player who is a combination of physical, athletic, reliable. Great kid. Had a chance to visit with him a little bit.
He's one to me that would be -- he would be worth going up and getting if he started to drift a little bit and maybe be aggressive on that one. He would fit with them as well as I've already mentioned with Rakestraw, Quinyon Mitchell. Those three guys would be -- they would be trade targets for me in terms of what fits Detroit.
Q. Specifically with the offensive tackles in this draft class, do you necessarily see a tier drop-off from round one to two at all? And specifically with New England at number 34, what could be the price of trading back into the 20s range for a tackle be?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I do think there's a little bit of a dropoff. To me I'd get to Mims, so that's Alt, Fuaga, Fashanu, Latham, Fautanu from Washington, Guyton, Mims. That's the collection from me. I have all those guys in my top 20 players.
Maybe you get one of those guys to drift down there. If you are talking about trading back up in, gosh, I don't know. I would have to pull up the chart. I don't have the chart in front of me in terms of what that cost would be, but you're talking about a mid-round pick more than likely. Probably talking about a three.
Q. This is for the Broncos in particular. When you look at the quarterback class, what quarterback do you think has -- fits with what Sean Peyton wants to do the best, and what are some left tackle options that they could consider possibly like later in the draft?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think to me with the Broncos, McCarthy and Nix would be the two that make a lot of sense if they were going to stick and pick one there.
I think for Sean Peyton, as we talked about a little bit earlier on the call being obsessed with processing, I think both those guys do that really, really well. I think that's a strength for them. As hard as it is to tell when you are watching tape and how these guys process, not knowing what the play calls, the reads, and all those things are all the time. I think those guys operate efficiently, and I think they're both very accurate and protect the football, which seem to be pretty core things there for Sean Payton.
In terms of a left tackle, kind of a project or a prospect, look, the kid from Yale is interesting. I won't attempt to say his last name yet because I don't have the pronunciation in front of me, but he's huge. He is 6'5", 318 pounds. A little bit of a project. A little top-heavy at times.
He can really collapse people in the run game, and there's really something to work with there. So he is somebody like that. To me Patrick Paul from Houston is very raw. He probably is going to go -- he will probably go somewhere on day two at some point in time in day two, maybe in the third round. Maybe he gets into the second round, but he is 6'7", 333 pounds, and he has incredible length.
He's one that's interesting. Probably goes a little earlier. Other down-the-line projects, you know, not really. I don't see anybody that I love in terms of -- I really love a down-the-line prospect at that position.
Q. I cover University of Virginia, and I'm wondering with Malik Washington how did his big jump in production from what he did at Northwestern and what he did at UVA this past fall kind of impact and create some buzz for him and what do you think of his skill set?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: He is one of my favorite players. He is a little over 5'8", 192 pounds. When you are watching as I'm doing, I go by position. You're just watching guy after guy. After a while they start to blend in. I watched this dude and was, like, man, this is a sturdy tough football player who is ready-made in the slot. He makes a ton of plays in traffic. He doesn't play with fear. He can adjust. He has a good feel for routes. He knows how to attack leverage, create separation.
I'm curious to see just the pure top speed what that looks like, but I had fun. I had fun watching his tape. I gave him what equates to a third round grade, and maybe I end up being a little bit high there in terms of where he ends up going.
It's not -- I wish he was a little bit bigger, a little taller. I had a blast watching him. I'm a Malik Washington fan.
Q. The Cardinals number 4 pick will impact what they do at number 27. Can you talk about the philosophy of what the team might do, players they might target, and do you think there's a possibility they might trade out maybe looking to pick up a fifth year option from early second round trying to move? What do you think they would do if you are the Cardinals?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I think they're in a great spot with both these picks because I think they're in a chance at pick number four. They're going to have elite players to pick right there at four. Everybody has been connecting them to the wideouts. I think there's a really good chance they have their choice of any of them.
If we're going to go off that that they're going to stick and pick and take the wideout at 4, then you look at where they're picking at the bottom of the first round. Yeah, I mean, I think there's a chance. You are picking 27. You want to slide out. Somebody wants to come back up. Maybe it's for that fifth or sixth quarterback. If for some reason we go on this quarterback run and somebody wants to come up to get the extra year.
I know every year we talk about that, and it doesn't really happen very often where teams come back up for that guy. Maybe it's not as realistic, but if that opportunity were to present itself, knowing you want to grab some material offensive linemen, corners, guys like that, yeah, I think there's -- interior offensive line and corners at the top of the second round, you're going to have starting level players there.
I would definitely entertain the phone call if you were to get it there at 27, knowing that you already have the playmaker in the bag there at pick number 4.
Q. I was looking at your latest mock, and obviously the San Francisco 49ers have offensive line issues. You have Graham Barton who started at left tackle at Duke moving over to guard. Do you feel it's a little too rich early on, because the 49ers, even when they took Aaron Banks I felt like it was a little too high in the draft. I wanted to know your thought process on that.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I don't necessarily think that's too high. He started a ton of games. He's played center. I think that's where his ultimate best position is going to be is at center. He can play anywhere. Obviously recently having played left tackle.
I had a higher grade on him just to compare the two players you're talking about with him and Banks. I had a higher grade on him. I don't think that's crazy. I would say when you look at the interior guys in this draft, there's other options too. I have done more work since my initial top 50 list came out. I'll end up having Jackson Powers-Johnson over Graham Barton, but I really like Graham Barton too and I like Zach Frazier. I think all three of those guys would be plug and play guys.
I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but they're win now, let's go mode, and I think these guys -- those three interior guys are plug and play for me.
Q. Another Michigan question for you. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, I know he has moved around a little bit at Michigan over his time. What do you think about him that maybe translates to the next level?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: He's kind of tricky to evaluate because, first of all, he has the great nickname. I would love to have the nickname The Mutant because he is such a physical freak. He is 293 pounds. You can watch all the weight room stuff he does out there. It's off the charts. He will put on a show at the combine as well.
The way that he plays there, he doesn't make a ton of plays, but it's not really what's asked of him quite as much. He doesn't get a chance to penetrate. It's more play at the point of attack, stack blocks, kind of hold the point there.
I want to see just more of him getting in gaps, getting up field, playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage. I know he has the rare strength and power, and I know obviously the genes are great when you think about his dad and what a great player he was. By all accounts, great worker, great kid. All that stuff is off the charts. It's just a little tricky because of the play-making that doesn't pop when you watch him on tape.
That being said, I still think he goes somewhere on day number two. I think probably more than likely finds his way into the bottom portion of the second round would be my guess.
Q. I was hoping you could put the South Dakota State draft class in perspective. The size of it, not just the players that will be drafted, but the ones who will sign after the draft. It's an unusual size for the FCS level, even in comparison to some of the recent North Dakota State groups. Can you put this Jack Rabbits class into perspective?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: It's not often you see it. Look, the Dakotas have had a pretty good run there in terms of both those schools putting out a lot of wins and a lot of good players.
To me the interesting thing is when you look at guys like McCormick and Greenfield, McCormick started 57 games at left guard. 57. You get these sixth year guys, 55 for Greenfield. That's in and of itself pretty rare. These guys have played so much football.
McCormick is a fun one. Just plays real nasty. He is really good at the run game, combo blocks. He is aware, which shouldn't be a surprise when you have played that much football.
You've got Isaiah Davis, again, running back. He has really good quickness. Plays some wildcat quarterback. Runs a little high, but he will step through tackles. Smooth runner. Greenfield, who I mentioned.
It's a good group. These are good players, and they've played a lot of ball, and they've won a lot of games. When we talk about some teams value guys that are captains. Other teams love to bring in players from winning programs. That's a heck of a class, especially from that level, no doubt.
Q. There are four Canadians going into the combine. I wonder if I could throw names at you and get a synopsis.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I have my Canadians ready to go here.
Q. I knew you would.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I only have three. I have Theo Johnson who will be one of the top three or four tight ends. I think he will show well. From Penn State. He's a good player. He had a good week down at the Senior Bowl. Big catch radius. There's a play watching him this year where I saw him backpack a defensive back for ten yards, just carried him. He is big, physical, intriguing player there.
I will say off topic, tight end No. 44, for Penn State who came back to school, he is a really good player. I don't know his name yet.
Tanner McLachlan from Arizona State, he was one of my -- I thought it was a find, and then I called around to a bunch of schools and then everybody -- I wasn't telling them anything they didn't know. He is a really, really good player. One of my favorite tight ends in the class. I can tell you exactly, he is like my fourth tight end right now. A little undersized. Clean releases. He can work in the middle of the field. He has big-time burst after the catch. He can go get it and high-point the ball.
Once he catches it, he can transition in a hurry. One of the things I love from him is he just plays the game with a ton of effort. You watch the UCLA game. There's a pick, and you see his effort to go make the tackle. I thought that spoke to his competitiveness and character.
Dankwah from Howard, the big tackle, he is somebody who is going to be a little bit of a work in progress there. I don't think he's ready to get out there and play. He might need some time on a practice squad when I watched him, but he is enormous. 362 pounds. He just is going to have some issues with some of the speed that he is going to see.
He is kind of more of an absorb power guy than someone who is going to be able to kick out and cover up speed rushers. A little bit more of a project, but enormous guy out of Howard.
Who did I miss? Those are the three that I had.
Q. Isaiah Adams from Illinois.
DANIEL JEREMIAH: Isaiah Adams from Illinois. I'll give that to you here. I missed that one. I'll do better next year. Isaiah Adams, 25 starts. Played guard. Played tackle. He's got some power. I thought he set a little bit too deep in pass pro. That got him in some trouble, especially against Penn State when he was playing right tackle.
He was a down the line guy for me. I wasn't quite as high. I know some teams like him a little more than I do, but to me I thought he was more of a late round pick for me.
That's your Canadian report for the year.
Q. If I may throw another name at you --
ANDREW HOWARD: We have to move on. We have one final question that we have to go to.
Q. Just had a question about Payton Wilson from NC State. What are you looking forward to seeing from him next week at the combine after what he did at the Senior Bowl, and how does he battle that question about durability that he has got?
DANIEL JEREMIAH: I love him as a player. That's going to be everything with him with the evaluation. It's just going to come down to what does that look like from a health standpoint because the tape is really, really good. I love the background stuff. I mentioned it a little bit earlier, that he reminded me of Kiko Alonso coming out of college.
Look, he's had the knees and the shoulders. He has to get that cleared up from the doctors and get the okay from teams, but at the Senior Bowl he was -- what I saw on tape, just a ton of speed and range. He can cover. He's got some physicality to him. You kind of see him take control out there. He's 6'4", 234 pound off the ball linebacker that can really, really run and hit cover. He's kind of what you are looking for at the position. That's the combine for him. I know he is fast. I don't need to see him run. I know he can cover and move in space.
Really to me it's going to be what do you get out of the medicals there and do you get the okay from those people? If you get the okay from those people, I think he is a second round pick. I think he is that type of player.
ANDREW HOWARD: That concludes today's call. Thank you, DJ, for the time, and thank you for joining. The link to the transcript and audio of today's call will be made available later today. Please visit @NFLmedia on Twitter and Instagram for more information.
To confirm, Daniel will be available next week on Friday, March 1st, around 11:15 a.m. Eastern Time at podium 6 in the media center in Indianapolis. Thank you again.
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