On the Clock, 2026 NFL Draft picks one through six: Certainty at the very top, and then...

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1:22Robert Mays: Welcome to The Athletic Football Show. I'm Robert Mays. Very excited to be bringing back our On the Clock series this year. We did this last year, broke it up into five different shows. I had five different draft analysts on over the course of the month leading up to the draft. And I presented them with three different options for every pick in the first round. And they got to pick what they would do if they were on the clock. So this isn't necessarily what they think these teams will do or what they think these teams should do. It's if they were on in the seat. if you're Trevor Sykema, who is our guest today from the NFL Stock Exchange and PFF, and you are John Spitek with the number one overall pick if you're the Raiders, who are you picking when you were on the clock in that scenario?

2:06Robert Mays: So that's going to lead to some surprises here and maybe some wrinkles thrown into what a traditional mock draft might look like. But the entire point here is to talk about what these teams should be looking for and the thought process they might be going through when it is their time to pick in the first round. So very excited to have Trevor joining us to kick off this series yet again this year. Let's get to it right now.

2:36Robert Mays: Kicking off our On the Clock series for the 2026 NFL Draft. I had a blast doing these last year. I think it's just a really fun exercise that helps us both talk about the prospects in the draft and the teams in the draft in a slightly different way. And because we had such a good time, we are running it back this year. Trev's moving up in the world. I want to say last year you were like picks 19 through 26 or something like that. So this year you graduated to the top five. Congratulations, my friend.

3:04Trevor Sikkema: I'm batting leadoff, baby. We're getting base hits. We're getting on base. We're stealing bases, runs batted in, every word you could think of for a baseball analogy here on a football show. But dude, I appreciate you having me back. I had a lot of fun with this last year. So I appreciate it, man. It's exciting.

3:19Robert Mays: I talked about it in the intro, but just kind of laying it out one more time for people watching and maybe on the YouTube version of this. Here's how the exercise works. Okay. I'm going to give our guests, all draft analysts that think about this stuff all the time, three different options while this NFL team is on the clock. And then they will make the decision based on what they would do. This isn't necessarily what they think the NFL team should do or what they think the NFL team will do. This is if you had these options presented to you while you were on the clock, who is the player or choice that you would make?

3:52Robert Mays: Obviously, the top of the draft is very easy because everyone is available to everyone. And so we're not going to be pigeonholed here into, well, you know, the guy I would have taken isn't left on the board here. This is one of those moments where this might be the purest expression of what these teams might be able to do because every single player is going to be available to you, even like when the Jets are on the clock here at two.

4:14Trevor Sikkema: And it's fun, right? Because this is after free agency. So, look, I love covering the draft year round, but I get really sick of saying the phrase, well, you know, they need this guy right now, but maybe free agency will change. Like, I just, I hate the, you know, the phrase of just throwing that in there is the ultimate caveat every single time. So, it's really great that we're doing this after free agency. we have a much more solidified view of what the team needs are, where this team can get better. And a lot of times it's not just about the additions of certain players. The way the teams go about free agency sort of tells you where they think they are in their winning window.

4:48Trevor Sikkema: So are they more aggressive? Do they want to take a player who can hit right away for them? Are they in more of a long-term plan? So all that leads to this exercise being at the right time, and I'm excited to do it with you.

4:59Robert Mays: There are a couple teams in here where I think the answers would have been completely different if we had done this before free agency just based on the holes that were there, you know, kind of what we had heard whispers about what positions they might be interested in. You know, we'll get to a couple of those, but the Titans and the Giants, I mean, the Giants are one of those teams that are they a Kenneth Walker team? The fact that they're not, I think changes the discussion a little bit. And so a lot of different elements to weigh here, but let's get into the teams and let's start with the team picking at number one overall, the Las Vegas Raiders.

5:26Robert Mays: Here are your three options with the Raiders, even though I think this one is a slightly different kind of consideration than the other ones are going to be. option number one is draft Fernando Mendoza the quarterback from Indiana option number two trade that pick to the Jets for number two number 44 and a 2027 second round pick okay okay now option three is draft Arvel Reese so that's really just I had to pick a player and I think he's right number two on Dane's board I'm pretty sure he's number two on the PFF draft big board and so that was the next guy in line if it was not going to be Fernando Mendoza.

6:04Trevor Sikkema: I'm actually surprised that the three options here weren't Fernando Mendoza, Mendoza comma Fernando, and then also the Indiana Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. I'm surprised that those weren't the three options. The trade scenario is obviously interesting, right? Because it kind of depends on how you view this quarterback class overall. But everything that I feel like the Raiders have done this offseason, with all of the resources that they have thrown into the defensive side of the ball, not even kind of taking into sort of what was and then what wasn't the Max Crosby trade, but specifically signing a veteran center, one of the best in the NFL, and Tyler Linderbaum, it all sets them up perfectly to draft Fernando Mendoza at number one.

6:46Trevor Sikkema: That's going to be the choice I'm going to make. I'm not going to overthink this one here because it's not like, oh, let me trade with the Jets and then maybe we'll get Fernando at two. you're not getting Fernando a two if the Jets are trading up to number one they are taking him so then you just be in a situation where especially after the Geno Smith trade they just have Aiden O 'Connell right now I mean they have they have no quarterback options um to be seen and so I just think every move that they have made and I agree with the moves that Spitek has made has led them to this point to take Mendoza at number one overall and that's what I would do as well and

7:16Robert Mays: even on the other side of that deal if you're the Raiders do you think okay you know we're probably going to be bad again next year if Aiden O 'Connell and Kirk Cousins is our quarterback room. If we have a couple more extra picks, are we far enough away? I've gotten to a point now where it'll depend on the quality of the quarterback prospect. But if you're in a position to draft a guy that you think clears a certain bar in this specific draft, it's a burden of hand thing. I don't want to say, oh, I can accumulate picks and next year, maybe I'll be in a position to draft a guy at a better quarterback class.

7:44Robert Mays: I'm already so excited that we're having the, it's such a great quarterback class in 2027, then there's going to be one guy again. Like, I can't wait until that happens. And because there's always that cloud of uncertainty, if you're in a position like the Raiders and you're talking about a quarterback prospect in Fernando Mendoza, and we'll talk more about this, that is worth taking number one overall. I think you just do it. You don't even think about it. And you just start whatever the next chapter of your franchise looks like. On top of what you were saying, like, I'd take Mendoza over Cam Ward.

8:14Robert Mays: I was going to ask you, like, what level of quarterback prospect in a vacuum do you think Mendoza is? And in your mind, he is worthy of the number one pick in most drafts, not just one that we think is a little bit watered down at both quarterback and overall.

8:27Trevor Sikkema: Right. I feel as though, and this always happens, this always happens with every draft. If there's a guy that you know is going to go number one overall, like even Burrow a little bit, right? I remember the combine was like, oh, Burrow's got small hands. It's like, OK, brother, watch, just do not talk to me again until the end of April, please. and it's sort of, I'm not saying that Fernando Mendoza is Joe Burrow, I'm not quite saying that, but I do believe that what was asked of Fernando Mendoza, the way that he got better from what he was at Cal to this year at Indiana, I mean, he had more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws last year at Cal, not this past year, obviously the year before at Cal.

9:02Trevor Sikkema: This year, it was so different, and the ratio of big-time throws to turnover-worthy plays was so different this year, And what I noticed, though, is that a lot of times that can happen when quarterbacks dial it back, when they go, OK, OK, I don't want to push the ball deep down the field. Let me make my numbers good. Let's increase the completion percentage. Let's limit the turnover of the place. But they're not pushing the ball. That was not Fernando Mendoza. Fernando Mendoza still looked at every game and said, there are a number of difficult throws that I have to make in order for us to win this game.

9:34Trevor Sikkema: And I think that's the important part of evaluating guys who have high completion percentages and low average depth of targets. You could still be a West Coast style efficient quarterback if you are willing to throw it down the field when the opportunity presents itself. It's those quarterbacks that aren't willing to do so that you get really worried about. So for Mendoza, I like him more than I like Cam Ward. I have less worries about Mendoza than I did Ward. They're similar when it comes to, you know, the arm talent. Obviously, Ward's a little bit more of a magician who can make crazy stuff happen outside of structure.

10:06Trevor Sikkema: Like, Ward obviously clears him in that department. But playing from the pocket, the arm strength, really being able to unlock the entire field with the arm strength that you have, I think all of that is there for them. And I just think that Mendoza has been more consistent throughout his career, specifically this past season. And Ward, the turnover-worthy plays were something that was an issue for him throughout his college career. Miami, a little bit less. Yes, he was certainly more comfortable in Miami, and there were more good than there was bad. But, man, you think about the fumble problems that he had at Miami?

10:36Trevor Sikkema: Those followed him immediately to the NFL. So turnovers aren't just about bad throws. It's truly putting the ball in harm's way. Mendoza just doesn't do that a lot. And instead, this past year, we saw so much of the good from him. He attacks the middle of the field. He attacks deep down the field. He has more. I know this is circulated around social media a lot. He has more opposite hash sideline throws than any quarterback in this class. That's NFL-level stuff. And I just don't see that a lot of times with a lot of quarterbacks that are coming out because college coaches normally just don't ask him to do it.

11:12Trevor Sikkema: Mendoza's coach and Kurt Cignetti did, and I think he is a worthwhile investment to make at number one overall.

11:17Robert Mays: So you would take him ahead of Cam Ward, which I think is totally reasonable based on everything I've looked at so far. and I have yet to really study him and plan on doing that in the next week or so, but I don't think that's completely out of line based on everything I understand about this. The draft before that, we have those three guys go at the top. I assume you have him, Fernando Mendoza, like a step down as a prospect compared to like what Drake May would have been in your eyes.

11:39Trevor Sikkema: Yes, so I feel as though it would have been like Caleb and Drake were right there in my top three last year. I'm trying to think of who would have been next. And Jaden Daniels. Jaden Daniels is in that class as well, But like, yeah, I mean, I was worried about like I had my worries about Jaden. But when you think about the overall talent ceiling, yeah, I think that Jaden would have been ahead of Fernando Mendoza. And then you sort of get into the conversation of like Penix and Bo Nix and J.J. McCarthy. And like, I think he's he's much more in that tier than he was the the tier of guys of Drake May and Caleb Williams and Jaden Daniels.

12:17Trevor Sikkema: even as somebody who is a little bit lower on Jaden Daniels, I can totally see that from him being in that first tier instead of being where Mendoza would be with that next crop of guys.

12:25Robert Mays: What about the 2023 draft? Like, how would you compare Mendoza as a prospect to somebody like C.J. Stroud?

12:30Trevor Sikkema: So I would have had Stroud ahead of Mendoza. Okay. I can't go too revisionist history on this one. I had Bryce Young as my number one overall player. So as prospects, I would have had Bryce Young above Fernando Mendoza as well. And then 2023, wasn't there somebody else, right? It was those two. Will Levis and Anthony Richardson. I would have very clearly had Fernando Mendoza above Will Levis and Anthony Richardson in that draft. Yeah, but I wouldn't have had him above Young and Strat.

13:00Robert Mays: This is mostly just for context. And again, I think that it's important when we have drafts like this, where Mendoza, I think in a lot of ways, has been painted kind of as a by default number one pick and a by default number one quarterback. And so using previous drafts to actually measure him as a prospect, because we can't really measure him as a prospect in this draft specifically, I think is a useful exercise. And so I think that's context that people would appreciate when it comes to actually figuring out, okay, what is Fernando Mendoza as a prospect? How should I view him? Let's get to the New York Jets at number two overall.

13:33Robert Mays: So we got everybody else on the board right now. I didn't really know which way to go with this. I think a lot of people have mocked a lot of the edge rushers and defensive players to the Jets simply because those are the next best prospects in the draft. And so I pigeonhole these choices on one side of the ball specifically, but that has more to do with the way a lot of big boards look. So your three options for the New York Jets currently on the clock. Option one, draft Arvel Reese from Ohio State. Option two, draft Reuben Bain from Miami. Option three, draft Sonny Stiles from Ohio State. I'll say with Bain, that could include, if you prefer David Bailey in that spot, draft your favorite pure edge rusher in the draft could be that second option.

14:15Robert Mays: I don't want to kind of box you in too much there. But Reese, your favorite edge rusher or Sonny Stiles are probably the three names that I would throw out to you.

14:23Trevor Sikkema: Yeah, I think when it comes to what I feel like will happen, feels as though the Ohio State boys have a little bit more momentum, just feels as though the NFL looks at Arville Reese sort of as this apex predator ball of clay, can kind of just, this elite athlete at the second level, but I'm going to be honest, you know, when I watch him, I like Arville Reese a lot more as an off-ball linebacker than I do a true edge rusher. He said at the Combine he wants to play as an edge rusher, which, well done by his agent doing that because edge rushers get paid a lot more money, but when it comes to what he is kind of going into the NFL, He didn't have a lot of true experience as an edge rusher, but I think his off-ball linebacker stuff is really good.

15:02Trevor Sikkema: Sonny Stiles, I think his resume speaks for itself in how great of an off-ball linebacker he is. I think he is a do-it-all, change-the-math type of a player for your defense. All of that to say, I would go Reuben Bain Jr. here. Wow, all right. This would be the player that I would pick here at number two overall. And the reason why is because what's not to like about him other than the arms are a little short? which, hey, you know, at this point, I think big combine measurement might be a conspiracy theory. I don't know about this. You know, like, hey, we're getting different measurements of the All-Star Games, a little different of the Pro Day.

15:35Trevor Sikkema: So, look, I'm not too worried about it because I've seen the tape of him be able to dominate with the arm length that he has. And here's the thing that I would say about Reuben Bain, who, by the way, elite pass rush grade, above 23 % pass rush win percentage, an absolute monster when it comes to strength, built the way that you want somebody who is truly versatile on the defensive line to be built. Elite run defender as well. He has been coached by Jason Taylor, the Hall of Famer down in Miami for the last three seasons. And because of that, there's no fat on his pass rush reps to trim. I mean, the first step explosiveness, the way he uses his hands, the timing, the plan, the counters, the effort, it's all there for him.

16:12Trevor Sikkema: The thing with Reuben Bain is the arm length, right? Where people go, ah, he's got shorter arms. What I would say is this. if Bain used arm length as a main weapon of choice, then I'd be concerned because I go, okay, well, you're not going to be able to do this as well at the NFL level. He doesn't. That's not what, I mean, he'll give you a long arm. If you're not, if you're not protecting the chest, he'll throw his hand into your chest and he'll give you a one arm bull rush or whatever it is like, he'll do that. No question about it, but it's much less of a, this is how this guy wins. And instead I look at him being a little bit shorter, a little bit stockier, so much weight and strength in the lower half that when a lot of times, when a lot of these longer offensive tackles actually get their hands on him early, he'll give you a little bit of that like Reggie White hump move to get you off of him.

17:02Trevor Sikkema: And honestly, having shorter arms and lower leverage helps to be able to do that. So when we talk about measurables and sort of disadvantages when you go to the pro, obviously being bigger is better when it comes to dominating at the pro level. However, when you really watch a guy and how he wins and where he might be strong or deficient, I'm not really worried about Reuben Bain Jr. And instead, I just think he's one of the best players overall in this class.

17:25Robert Mays: So in your mind, it's the quality of the player, but it's also, if you have questions about Arvel Reese as an actual pass rusher, then we're talking about positional value to an extent here too, right? Even if Arvel Reese and Sonny Stiles are really good prospects, if you consider both of them off-ball linebackers, then drafting them at two. Not only are we talking about the gap between the value of an edge rusher and off-ball linebacker, drafting an off-ball linebacker second overall, if that's what you think Arvell Reese is, Devin White is the most highly drafted off-ball linebacker in the last however long.

17:56Robert Mays: He was the fourth overall pick, correct? Fifth? Right, fourth, yeah. Fourth, yeah. The fourth overall pick. And so the idea of drafting an off-ball linebacker second, I can't even remember the last time that would have happened.

18:07Trevor Sikkema: When was that? By the way, it was fifth. I said fourth, it came out of my mouth and I was like, wait a second, I should know this. No, no, no, this is fifth. That didn't sound right. So you're right, you were right. It was fifth overall. When was the last time? There was, I actually went back and I looked at it of who was the highest drafted off-ball linebacker and I believe there were two that were drafted at number two overall, but you gotta go back to like when football was a different game. Exactly, yes. It was different when that happened. Like turn of the century, like around the year 2000, I think we might've had one.

18:37Trevor Sikkema: I think LeVar Arrington, I believe, went number two overall. And even he was kind of a hybrid pass rusher. A little bit, yeah. And then the other one, I cannot remember his name. It was somebody in the 90s. But again, that's a different game. Like, that is a different game of football for guys to be drafted that high. Now, I'll be honest with you. Sonny Stiles would have been my number two choice here. Like, if I wasn't going Ruben Bain, I would have actually gone Sonny Stiles because I think that what he does as an off-ball linebacker gives you more of that home base and plus versatility. The issue that I have with Arvel Reese is not that he is not an incredible football player.

19:15Trevor Sikkema: It's not that he's not athletic. It's not that the potential isn't all there for him. It's sometimes we have these situations where you look at guys who are praised for being so versatile and you go, OK, are you versatile or are you homeless? Do you have a home base position that when things start to struggle for you as a rookie, can we lean back on putting you in this spot to give you confidence, to make you better? and with Reese that is I'm not saying that it's impossible I'm not saying that at all it's it it's more cloudy than it is for a guy like Stiles who I go okay I know you're a damn good Mike linebacker and now sometimes I can rush you off the edge I can drop you back into coverage he plays a pseudo nickel defender sometimes with how athletic you are so I just like that scenario with him as a

20:01Robert Mays: prospect a little bit more than Reese I think the development curve at off-ball linebacker also plays into that line of thinking, right? Because very few guys are comfortable playing off-ball linebackers, rookies, period, even if that's where they come from. And so the fact that even if you like him more as an off-ball linebacker, that's not a place where the water would be warm for him as a young player. I think that only adds to the discussion. The only thing I'd push back on just a tiny bit and more so just, I'm curious if this clouds your thinking at all is what the Jets did in free agency, right?

20:31Robert Mays: So they go give Joseph Osai$11 million a year. They bring in Kingsley Anikbare on a one-year deal. And so now you look at the depth chart as it currently stands, you have Joseph Osai, you still have Juan McDonald there, and you have Anikbare. But in your mind, that collection of signings, just the way they approach free agency, that wouldn't push you off someone you like as much as Ruben Bay.

20:50Trevor Sikkema: No, it wouldn't. And I think that what you're saying leans more toward if I were doing a predictive mock draft, I think Arvel Reese might have been the selection here because it makes the most sense of sort of where and how they're building, especially in an odd front defense. But Ruben Bain Jr. to me is the most talented front seven player on the Jets when he gets drafted. And anytime you have the ability to say that about someone, I don't really let how the rest of the roster is currently in the short term constructed get in the way of me taking a player who I think could be a long term major difference maker for you.

21:23Trevor Sikkema: I think that Ruben Bain has shown throughout the last three years of his career, he can line up as a three technique, he can line up as a four eye, a five tech, he can even stand up as a wide six or seven outside linebacker type. He truly does it all. And I think he's very much a change the math type of a player. I mean, I watched Miami do this. I've talked about this on our show a little bit where Miami would align itself in an under front where you've got three defensive linemen to the left of the center. And then Ruben Bain's the only one on the right side of the center, sort of in that four I five technique, wherever you want to necessarily put him.

21:53Trevor Sikkema: They'd put Keontae Scott, the slot defender, who was also an incredible run defender on Reuben Bain's side as well. And they'd essentially dare offenses to go, hey, you got numbers to the right. Go ahead, see what happens. And a lot of times it wouldn't go very well for them. I think Ohio State learned that the hard way in the college football playoff. And so, no, to answer your question, a long way around your question, I wouldn't let some shorter term free agency moves get in the way of me drafting the player who I think is the most talented. And just if you look at, I mean,

22:24Robert Mays: I don't want to be too reactionary to what the Seahawks were this year, But if you just look at the construction of that room, DeMarcus Lawrence last year in free agency, $10.8 million a year. It was the 35th highest AAV among all edge rushers to be, I say their fourth edge rusher, one of four, right? Let's say it that way. One of four guys on the edge. The contract that Joseph Osai just signed is 11 and a half million. That's 30th. And that's three spots behind Oshina Nwosu. And so they had two guys, the Seahawks did, on top of the two guys they drafted in the second round in that edge room. And so I don't think paying Joseph Osai$11 million a year and having Kingsley and Ibarre on a one-year deal should prevent you from drafting Ruben Bain for a four-man rotation on your 2026 team, let alone what this looks like moving forward for a team that is as close to square one as the Jets happen to be.

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26:14Robert Mays: let's get to the arizona cardinals here picking third overall we have ruben bayne off the board here so i was going to say draft he was going to be one of the options along with a couple of the other edge rushers he's gone now so let's say option one you're picking between arvel reese and david bailey okay just think i wanted to give you just another edge guy particular in particular especially if you think their reese is not necessarily an edge rusher right number two draft Francis Maunea offensive tackle from Miami number three is draft off-ball linebacker Sonny Stiles from Miami

26:49Trevor Sikkema: which one are you doing if you're the Arizona Cardinals? the reason why I have that reaction is because I think the Cardinals would love to go offensive tackle right when you look at the way that their offensive line is currently constructed you have Paris Johnson Jr. at the left tackle spot you signed Isaac Suomelo to play that left guard. You're okay with Yalda Froldhold at center. Isaiah Adams was the better of him and Evan Brown at that right guard spot. So at least you've got him. You signed Matt Pryor as well. Right tackle is completely open. Like right tackle, you need somebody in there.

27:20Trevor Sikkema: And I've said before, as a team building strategy type of approach, if you can tell me that I've got Paris Johnson Jr. on one side and I've got Francis Maui Noah at right, it's a lot easier to upgrade the interior offensive line. You could do that every single off season, whether drafting one or signing one in free agents. But you've got to be able to get the tackles that you want. So I think that, oh my gosh, the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals. Manny Austin Ford. Manny Austin Ford, yes. He's already done this wheeling and dealing. That's how they got Parrish Johnson, right? They were at number three, and then they moved outside of the top ten, and then they popped back up.

27:52Trevor Sikkema: Ideally, I think he'd love to run that back and get an offensive tackle. However, you putting Sonny Stiles on the board, me picking here at number three, I'm going to take Sonny Stiles. Wow, all right. Yeah, I'm going to take Sonny Stiles here because I think he's going to be one of my top three players when it's all said and done. Funny enough, I think there's a good chance that the top three players on my big board are all players of non-premium positions in Caleb Downs, Jeremiah Love, and Sonny Stiles. But I already talked a little bit about Stiles and how I feel like he changes things. You watched how Caleb Downs was able to play free safety and strong safety and nickel defender and sometimes a pseudo linebacker.

28:28Trevor Sikkema: Yes, it's his own talent that gives him the ability to do that. But I also think that you have that sort of freedom because you have number zero in the middle of your defense to be able to clean it up if something doesn't work. And if he's freelancing in a way where he sees something, all right, all of a sudden this gap gets vacated or this coverage spot gets vacated, Sonny Stiles is right there. I think the same thing with Arville Reese. Arville Reese gets to be this on-off-ball type of hybrid player. And the reason why you're able to do that is because you know that number zero is in the middle and he's going to fit the gap the way that he needs to.

28:56Trevor Sikkema: It means his instincts in the run game are unbelievable. and I think that when you look at the Cardinals, yes, they've devoted a lot of draft picks and a lot of salary cap on the defensive side of the ball, and of course, they would love to get better at quarterback long-term and offensive line, but if you are sticking at number three and you can't find a dance partner to trade out, him in the middle of this defense, to me, truly unlocks the potential of what the Cardinals can be moving forward, and if you're gonna talk about, hey, we're gonna get our franchise quarterback eventually, you know you already have Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, and Michael Wilson for him to be able to throw the ball to, give him an elite defense as well.

29:30Trevor Sikkema: Make him think that he doesn't have to score, you know, 40 points a game, 30 points a game, whatever it is to win. Let him know that he might have one of the most talented defenses in the NFL, which Cardinals have a potential to be in a couple of years. And the way that you do that is you get better at inside linebacker with Sonny Stiles.

29:45Robert Mays: Counterpoint. I understand where having an elite defense might be a calming presence for a quarterback who's not trying to do too much. I think a better calming presence might be having a right tackle that he doesn't think is going to get him killed. That's just my view on it.

30:00Trevor Sikkema: For sure. It's a good view. It's a good view. It is a good view to have. But I will say this as well. The reason why I have so much confidence in being able to draft Sonny Stiles in number three if I can't trade down is because I like the idea of still being able to get an offensive tackle in this class at 34 at the top of the second round where they pick or even getting aggressive to trade back up into the first round. Because you've got guys like Maxi Onacher from Arizona State, the offensive tackle there. Blake Miller, the right tackle, who started 54 games at right tackle for Clemson, who you could probably put in right away and feel pretty decent about, right?

30:33Trevor Sikkema: Caleb Lomu as well, the offensive tackle from Utah. There are more offensive tackle options that I like to, when I think about overall draft strategies, get the elite defensive player at three, whether it's Reese, whether it's Sonny Stiles, whoever it is, David Bailey, and then you can still have the flexibility to either wait at 34 or get aggressive from 34 and still get a right tackle that in my opinion, you're going to feel pretty good about. So that would sort of be my counter to the counter, if you will, is when you look at draft strategies, I think that it behooves them to go the elite defensive player at three and wait a little bit on offensive line, which I almost never say just out of principle.

31:15Trevor Sikkema: But I think Arizona's got that situation for them.

31:17Robert Mays: What do you think of Maui Noah as a prospect? I mean, do you think that he is somebody that would be typically worth the third overall pick? Do you feel like that's more about the options available at offensive tackle in this class? Like if they were to do that, if they were to walk away from the top five with Maui Noah, the Cardinals, how would you feel about that just in terms of optimization?

31:36Trevor Sikkema: I get it. I get it in this class specifically. But, you know, I gave Maui Noah a second round grade, right? I think it was sort of teetering close to like a late first, early second or just a solidified second round grade. I think he's a really solid offensive tackle prospect. And I want to be clear, that's also sort of a film grade. And offensive tackles, not quite as much as quarterbacks, but they play a premium position. So you pay a little bit of a tax. You're going to, okay, if this guy's got a second round grade, you're probably going to have to take him at the back end of the first round, right?

32:04Trevor Sikkema: If he's got a late first round grade, you're probably going to have to take him a little closer to the top 10. That's just how the league operates when it comes to the scarcities of offensive tackles. But now we know he's battle tested. He started at right tackle for the last three years, which would be a really good fit, obviously, in Arizona with them needing a right tackle. He's more of that powerful, sort of like man-in-gap scheme, run-blocking concept type of a player. So if you want to lean a little bit more into that, he's definitely your guy to be able to do that. The foot speed forums, a little bit slower, and he doesn't have the longest arms in the world, but he makes it work.

32:35Trevor Sikkema: I think this is a second contract type of an offensive tackle. And with that, again, if Arizona can trade a little bit down from three, I'd be okay with it. If they take him at number three, I'd understand, especially in this class, wanting to get better on the offensive line. but independently i would be much more comfortable drafting francis maoenoa you know just out around or outside of the top 10 than i would at number three overall in a vacuum well now i regret not

33:00Robert Mays: giving you a trade option for the cardinals at three but that ship has sailed and we've already

33:03Trevor Sikkema: moved on we might have been here for three hours if that's the case that's the problem i would have

33:07Robert Mays: been the trades then it's like things just get completely off the rails i understand there are trades and drafts but like this can't be like a 12 hour process so it's like it's it's it's always

33:17Trevor Sikkema: Sonny meme where I'm just, I start just like drawing on a whiteboard behind me of like,

33:21Robert Mays: you know, value this chart, you know? So I'm curious though, let's just play this out. The hypothetical just briefly here. If there was a team and a player that you think, let's say we're watching the draft on night one, Cardinals are on the clock, trade is in. We're waiting for that logo to pop up at number three. Who do you think is the team that you'd have your eye on to trade up to number three and why might they be doing that yeah I feel like Washington is the easy

33:48Trevor Sikkema: answer here when it comes to being able to trade up and get Jeremiah Love if that's what they really want because they're jumping the Titans and the Giants who have both you know it's been rumored that they're kind of in on him there but the problem with Washington is they don't have any picks they pick at seven then they pick at 71 in the third round and then they pick at 147 in the fifth so they're sort of maybe my answer there um you know would the rams get insanely aggressive as well to move up all the way up there but obviously you know you're trading in division division as well it's kind of murky in that regard but to me it'd be washington but that's why i i think we'd see so many more trade scenarios for the cardinals at three if there was an obvious team for them to be able to move up and go get this player.

34:34Trevor Sikkema: You know, like maybe the Chiefs think packaging nine and 29 and getting three and maybe something back. I don't know the value off the top of my head. Like maybe something crazy like that happens. But there's just there's not an easy fit for that. But Washington's obviously where my mind goes first if they want Jeremiah Love, because that's the player I think has the highest risk of going over the next couple of picks.

34:54Robert Mays: All right. Let me let me lay something out for you that maybe it was a little bit less likely a couple of weeks ago before they got a little bit more ammunition. The Cowboys now have the 92nd pick because of the Oso Doogizu trade. It's true. They were a team that I was like, I don't know about them trading up. There's light on draft capital in the middle rounds, but they have a pick in every round. Now they have an extra fifth round pick and it would obviously take more than that. But if we think that there is like a real drop off between guys like Sonny Stiles, Reuben Bain at the top, Caleb Downs, if he's not going to be there at 12.

35:30Robert Mays: And the Cowboys are sitting there looking at what they did in free agency and thinking, man, if we can get one like true defensive difference maker out of this group, and we don't think Sonny Stiles is going to get to us, are they a team that actually might benefit from thinking about a move like this?

35:45Trevor Sikkema: I think so. Yeah, I think that that's a really good call out with them getting that extra third round pick for Osa, because I think you look at this team, they desperately need safety, they desperately need linebacker and you look at having the opportunity to go up and get Caleb Downs or Sonny Stiles if they were to make this move I feel like it would be for Sonny Stiles because I think if they're honing in on safety Dylan Thienemann is also somebody who I think is so talented that you probably sit here and you go okay we're gonna wait until one of them goes off the board and then we'll start calling teams to trade up to make sure that you know maybe we can get one because the dallas picks 12 you know kansas city could use a safety uh cincinnati could use a safety right miami depending on how they want to build i think they're going to go

36:35Robert Mays: trenches but like those teams do anything they have no players on the roster that is boy

36:44Trevor Sikkema: that's the worst roster on paper going into next year that is the worst roster on paper going into next season. And I think that they'll have the opportunity, obviously, to reset their franchise in a big way in the 2027 draft, but that might be ugly for him in Jeff Halfley's first year.

36:59Robert Mays: Yeah, that's the team. And I'm sure we'll talk a lot more about this as we get a little bit closer, but Dallas being a little bit of a wild card now with having that full cache of picks when they just have that clear blinking need at linebacker. That's the one that I'd be thinking about. All right, let's get to the Jeremiah Love corridor here. The Tennessee Titans picking fourth overall. Here are your three options for the Tennessee Titans. Okay. Option one, draft Arvel Reese, who is still on the board. Titans still need defensive help, even with some of the things they did in free agency. Two, draft Jeremiah Love, running back from Notre Dame.

37:31Robert Mays: Three, I didn't really know where to go with this. Like the Titans did so much work in free agency. Calvin Ridley just took a pay cut. I don't know how much longer he'll be there. Wando Robinson is a very specific type of receiver? Like did Iron Manor do enough to where you want to see more from him? Or do we still think receiver is a need? And so I had draft Carnell Tate as my third option here, but I, cause I didn't really, couldn't really think of a better one. If, if Arvo Reese is an option number one, Jeremiah Love is option number two. Is there a player you want as option number three to like really make this a difficult choice?

38:04Robert Mays: I'll give that to you. Um, I mean, I think

38:07Trevor Sikkema: about Caleb Downs because I mean he might he I mean he might be my number one overall player but I just do that then I don't think the Titans are going to do it but he probably would be the third player option just from a talent perspective this is tough this is really tough because Jeremiah Love's going to be higher on my board and I think it's a really good fit but from a positional value standpoint do you pass up on reese i'll have i'll have reese go here at four i'll i'll take arville reese for i think the positional value sake of conversation because they do have family femi oladejo who you know you could slot into maybe one of these edge spots but this is also not the coaching staff that drafted Femi.

39:01Trevor Sikkema: It's the front office that drafted him, but it's not the coaching staff. And I think the way that they want to run things is a little different. And even when you take a further step back, if Arville Reese is sort of this on-ball, off-ball hybrid defender, he has so much more juice and athleticism than both Cedric Gray and Cody Barton. Even if you feel okay about those guys at the inside linebacker spots, Reese gives you more juice than either of those guys and you're not even really having the same conversation so I'll go with Reese who is is going to be lower on my board just because of what we talked about some sort of some of the clouded uncertainty with you know exactly where his home base position is he's going to be lower on my board than Jeremiah Love is but I just I love Jeremiah Love I really do there's so many years where you can get a good running back prospect There really is.

39:53Trevor Sikkema: And next year's running back class, I hate being the guy to do this, but next year's running back class also looks sick. And it looks deep. And there's a chance that you could get a really good starter even if you're not picking in the top eight, which I'm sure the Titans don't want to be. I'm going to go with Arville Reese here at number four for the Titans.

40:09Robert Mays: I think there's so many different considerations with this. One, the guys you just talked about on defense. I think Femi Odejo absolutely was driven by what that staff in particular was looking for defensively. And even talk about hybrid players. He was a hybrid player in college and could play a little bit off ball. And so there is like a little bit of redundancy there, but I do think that is again, driven by what the previous staff wanted. I think you'd say the same thing about Cody Burton. I think both Ola Dejo and Cody Burton are moves that were made with the previous staff's interests in mind.

40:39Robert Mays: And so I wouldn't necessarily be overly attached to those players just because they were drafted by this front office. So I think that's a good way of thinking about it. The running back part of this, And we'll have this discussion a million different times between now and the draft. And we've talked about the positional value aspects of this a lot over the last several years. The contract part of this, I think, is absolutely worth mentioning over and over and over again. Like this, obviously, we're not picking between running backs and receivers. But when you think about premium positions versus non-premium positions, and you look at Kenneth Walker getting$14 million a year in free agency and JSN just getting$42 million a year.

41:17Robert Mays: That's why you want to draft premium positions high in the draft. Like there is so much value that can come along with that. And I know we beat that to death, but it's worth bringing up consistently because it is a very real thing. I haven't done the deep dive on the actual historical data on this yet, but I will start chipping away at it as we, again, we're going to zero in on this in a couple of specific shows that we're doing. I would love to look back at the last 10 years. So let's just say, let's say 15 years. let's say since the modern CBA was kind of put into place, and look at how quickly and how efficiently drafting a running back in the top 10 or top 15 in the draft dramatically changed the quality of the offense that he was being dropped into.

42:02Robert Mays: And part of why I keep coming back to this is that if you're drafting in the top 10, and especially if you're drafting in the top five, it is almost a guarantee that your team is shitty, that you don't have a lot of other things where you're dropping that guy into a really good situation. And I just think that running backs are such an accelerant for good situations, but often can't overcome bad situations that if you're putting a good running back onto a bad team, how often is that going to move the needle in making you a significantly better team? I mean, Ashton Denty got drafted in the top 10 last year and his team is picking number one overall.

42:39Robert Mays: It has nothing to do with the quality of prospect that Ashton Gentry or Jeremiah Love are. I just think it speaks to the sequencing of how that position should fit into your team building plan and what history, especially recent history, would tell us. And I assume that it's not that good of a recent history.

42:57Trevor Sikkema: Yeah, no, I think that you're totally right because in order to have a running back that can really hit the ground running, and I love the way that you said that, running backs can be an accelerator for teams that are already going in the right direction, but they're not really a team, they're not really a position to like stop the skid or to take teams that would be a net negative below average of what the league is and really bring them up and be able to carry the anchor. That just doesn't really happen. And I can't remember who first said this phrase to me, but they're like, you know what? NFL teams, because I heard this when it was around this time of year and there's like, oh, you know, they're thinking about picking this guy or this guy or whatever.

43:34Trevor Sikkema: And they'll go, NFL teams will lie with their words all the time. They will not lie with their money, right? Like that's they won't they're not going to sign somebody to a big deal to get you off the trail. Right. Like that's not what they're doing. So when you look at the gap of how much these guys are getting paid per year at the top of both markets running back an edge rusher, it tells you exactly what these teams think of these positions. And if all things are equal, if you're really having a debate between one of these two guys, it's probably going to be the premium position in the edge rusher that wins out.

44:04Trevor Sikkema: And for this specific situation, you know, it's interesting because I think the main driver of Jeremiah Love to the Tennessee Titans comes from the fact that they want to give Cam Ward as much help as possible, right? They want to try to make sure that their investment in the franchise quarterback, they are building upon that. But the counterpoint that I would have is you still don't have a good offensive line, right?

44:28Robert Mays: That's the other issue here, is that there are two spots on the interior that they just haven't, I mean, they've addressed them. They've signed guys, but they're not guys that you want as starters right now. And even beyond that, what's the answer to the J.C.

44:40Trevor Sikkema: Latham conversation? Is he a tackle or is he a guard? The only position, the only player right now on the Titans roster at offensive line that I can guarantee you is playing that spot three years from now is Peter Skrotsky. That's it. You don't have a long-term answer at left tackle. You have J.C. Latham, but is he your long-term answer at right tackle? I think Latham's a starting caliber guard, if not a tackle. So it's not like I'm saying he won't be on the team, but you got to answer that conversation. And I didn't think, I did not think that we were talking about the Titans offensive line situation enough.

45:14Trevor Sikkema: And I guess still, I don't think that we're talking about the Titans offensive line situation enough going into next season. It's much more of an issue than people are given a credit for. And to be honest with you, I like the idea of them drafting, you know, depending on, you know, what style of offense they want to run, like Spencer Fano or Francis Maui Noah at four over some of these other choices that I think, you know, people of course sort of talked about as mock draft options for them. So yeah, that's kind of where I'm at with the Titans.

45:39Robert Mays: I was going to ask you, if you were going to slot JC Latham inside, is there a world where they draft Maui Noah at four? Or if you think Spencer Fano is a guard, is there a world where they draft him at four?

45:50Trevor Sikkema: It doesn't feel like they would do it. But again, like I think it's a conversation that is so much more worth having than we are having right now for the Titans. It just feels like it's this foregone conclusion that everybody goes, nope, not taking off and not thinking about offensive line, not talking about offensive line at all whatsoever. When throughout the course of this off season, since the non-playoff draft order has been solidified, we've talked about offensive line for the Cardinals at three. We've talked about offensive line for the New York Giants at five. We talk about offensive line still for the Cleveland Browns at six.

46:21Trevor Sikkema: But for some reason, the Titans at four completely avoid that conversation when their offensive line's really much more skeptical than I think that conversation gives it credit for.

46:31Robert Mays: All right, before we get to the Giants pick at five, let's take another quick break. Over 90 of the top 100 U.S. accounting firms trust Bill to simplify and secure BillPay. That's proven financial infrastructure built on over a trillion dollars of secure payments. Visit Bill.com slash proven for a special offer. Chicago, 2011. A cop is murdered. Police and prosecutors swear they have the trigger man.

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48:08Robert Mays: All right, let's move on to the New York Giants at number five. Your three options for the New York Giants. Option one, draft Jeremiah Love. Option two, draft Carnell Tate. Okay, O'Donnell Mooney's on a one-year deal, $3 million in dead money on Darius Slayton's deal if they move on after this year. And so I don't think their wide receiver is, even with the Mooney contract and Mooney addition, solved for the Giants by any stretch. Option three, draft Spencer Fano or Francis Mauino, one of the two. You could put them at guard for one year with Jermaine Illuminor. You could keep them at guard. But I still think offensive line, especially interior offensive line, is a need for this team still.

48:48Robert Mays: They brought in Aaron Stinney on like a one-year$1.5 million deal. So those are your three options. Draft Jeremiah Love, draft Carnell Tate, draft an offensive lineman, and I think we could probably have a Caleb Downs conversation here as well if you wanted to at least consider him because I know you love him.

49:06Trevor Sikkema: I do love him. I wonder if they would go that direction at five. I think he'd be a great man. It kind of depends on what the staff thinks of Tyler Newbin and Javon Holland overall. If they think that they're all right and they could win with them, I don't think they'd think about Caleb Downs here.

49:26Trevor Sikkema: The O-line proposition is the one that's giving me the most hang-up right now because I really do wonder if that's the best situation for them because, again, this is another team where the offensive line has areas where it can absolutely address even right now. Now, I mean, they brought Evan Neal back who, Evan Neal was a failure for them, and they still brought him back. I think that that goes to show you sort of what they think about the offensive line and the depth as is. Like, they needed bodies still on that offensive line. So I do think the O-line is a little bit more of an issue than people are willing to admit.

50:07Trevor Sikkema: I will go Maui Noah. Let's get Maui Noah off the board. Let me take him here at number five. It was between him and Tate, because I think that Tate is the perfect player for the Giants because he wins consistently vertically. He's great in contested catch situations. He's got the nuance of being able to get open deep. He's exactly what Jackson Dart wants, and he's such an ideal one-two combination with Malik Nabors. Malik can do it all, but he can do a lot of the intermediate and short stuff where, you know, Carnell Tate can be a vertical threat at all times for you, and that's exactly what Jackson Dart wants.

50:38Trevor Sikkema: When he was at his best, when he was at Ole Miss, he always had those vertical threats. That's a Lane Kiffin offense type of a staple, being able to stretch the ball deep down the field. And he just doesn't have those options at a high level right now in New York. But all that to say, yeah, I mean, this is a situation where I don't think that we're talking about offensive line enough. And sure, we could sit here in free agency and say, oh, they brought back Jermaine Illuminor. Oh, they signed Aaron Stinney. Like, they made moves there. But just to make moves in a certain spot doesn't mean that you can't get better at a really premium position like offensive line.

51:07Trevor Sikkema: And I think for Francis Maui Noah, you start him at right guard immediately. and then Jermaine Luminor signed a two-year deal with them? It's a three-year deal.

51:15Robert Mays: It's a three-year deal, but I think, I believe this is his age 32 season.

51:19Trevor Sikkema: Okay, okay. So I bet if we pull up the contract details, it's essentially like almost even like a one and a half, I would think, for a guy who's 32 years old.

51:28Robert Mays: It's$26 million guaranteed. So he has guarantees. Yeah, so if you look at it right now, $12 million of his$12.4 million base salary in 2027 is guaranteed. So the first two years are pretty much guaranteed on the Illuminor deal.

51:42Trevor Sikkema: Right. So that's pretty much like what I figured it would be is like, hey, this is effectively a two-year deal where you're starting Maui Noah at guard next season. And then there's a good chance you're starting him at right tackle the following year. And you've got a guy who's already, you know, experienced NFL life. He gets it. He's played on the line before. Now you're just kicking him back out to tackle. And like I said, once you have tackles figured out the way that we talked about this with Arizona, it's so much easier to upgrade the interior offensive line. So to me, I do think the offensive line long-term and short-term even is more of an issue for the Giants.

52:14Trevor Sikkema: And, you know, when you have that young quarterback, sort of like what we talked about with previous teams, it's pretty good when you can keep them upright. And I do think that Francis Malinoa is a good, I think he's a good player, but he'll probably be around the same area on the big board that Carnell Tate. And again, anytime it's like a trench need or this, I just lean much more towards the trench need. So I'll go Maui-Noah here.

52:39Robert Mays: Any thought about Jeremiah Love? Or in your mind, is it just the position of value gap is enough where you'd rather pick the trench player even if you love Love as a prospect?

52:48Trevor Sikkema: Yeah, I love Love as a prospect. But, like, I'm the wrong guy to ask because I had Scadaboo RB3 last year. Like, I fully believed that Scadaboo was going to be starting running back in the NFL. Like, when I watched him at Arizona State, people were like, oh, you know, he's too slow. He's not going to break off the big runs for you. how often do you have to break a 40, 50, 60-yard run in the NFL anyways? Like four times a season? Like it just, it never happens. I'd much rather have the player that's turned a 2.5-yard run into a 4-yard run, a 4.5-yard run into a 6-yard run, a 6-yard run into a 9, 10-yard run because of what they can do, making you miss in a phone booth, and specifically yards after contact per attempt averages, things that Kim Skadaboo was both really good at when he was at Arizona State, and obviously we saw that from him at the NFL level as well.

53:33Trevor Sikkema: So yeah, of course, like his injury last year sort of goes into play here, but I'd much rather figure out what I have in Scadaboo and then address running back heavily next year. If I need to, then, then over like overdrafting Jeremiah Love for my situation is probably the way that I would say it.

53:51Robert Mays: That's the other thing I'd mentioned about the Titans. Like Tony Pollard's not a great player and he's definitely getting older, but like Tony Pollard's still on the roster. Like it's not like they don't have somebody they can turn around and hand the ball to this year if they need to. And so I think that's the other thing I throw out about Tennessee when you think about them being a love destination. Like if they had cut Pollard and you're sitting there and it's TyJ Spears and nothing, maybe it's a little bit clearer of a marriage. But Pollard is still there. And he did fine last year in a pretty horrific situation.

54:18Robert Mays: All right. Cleveland Browns at six. Okay. This is interesting because Francis Maui Noah, if available, was one of my notes. And the answer is he's not. So. Okay. Our three options for the Cleveland Browns. One. Draft Carnell Tate. Two, draft Monroe Freeling. Three, draft Caleb Downs. Freeling, obviously, he accelerates here because left tackle is such a need as you're sitting here and looking at this Cleveland situation. It really is. Even as they've added to their offensive line, picking as high as they are, finding a left tackle or receiver feels like a priority for them. And this is one of those weird teams where a lot of the other teams picking in the top 10, edge rusher is going to be at or near the top of their needs other than the Giants.

55:01Robert Mays: The Browns, that's one spot where they do have a lot of bodies on the roster. So Tate, Freeling, Downs are the three guys that I would throw out. Between those three, which direction are you going?

55:12Trevor Sikkema: So with the offensive line thought there, I think a lot of people are looking at penciling Monroe Freeling here at number six. I'm a little bit lower on Freeling. I think his tape is more inconsistent than people are willing to admit with it. Now, I see the athleticism, right? I mean, like I see the great stuff from him. I mean, this guy can really get out of his stance and run. great athlete younger player as well still growing into his body sometimes I feel like you know he doesn't handle power and anchor as well as I would like for him to again I think he plays off balance a lot more than I want my offensive tackle on an island to play but there's reason to believe that you know he is absolutely not a finished product and he's going to get better Francis Mauinoa would have been a really really strong candidate here for me specifically because Todd Munkin he's been all over the spectrum when it comes to zone blocking versus like power scheme blocking, right?

56:03Trevor Sikkema: Because three years ago when he was the offensive coordinator for his first year with the Ravens, they were 27th in the NFL in outside zone run percentage. The next year they were 17th. And then this past year they were 7th. So he just fully formed into an outside zone type of rushing team. But the offensive tackles that they've acquired, Zion Johnson, Elton Jenkins, Titus Howard, that tells me they're going much more towards a power run scheme. So Maui Noah would have fit that better than Fano, who I would have thought about here. Freeling, to me, is maybe a little bit more of that. Okay, he could play a little bit more power as well.

56:37Robert Mays: Well, let's throw Fano out as well. If Fano is not your guy, and you think that Fano can play tackle, or you think Titus Howard might play guard for them, let's throw Fano out just as an option as well. We could skip Freeling if you think that's fair.

56:51Trevor Sikkema: All I have to say, I'm going to take Carnell Tate. I am going to take Carnel Tate here at number six. A little bit towards the conversation of kind of what we had for the Cardinals when we talked about taking the top defensive player at three and then waiting to 34 for offensive line. It's even easier for Cleveland. You get to address offensive playmaker and really just take the best player available at six, the guy that you think really is a difference maker for you there. And you can basically get offensive linemen at 24 where they're picking. Again, like some of the guys that I talked about, Caleb Lomu, Maxi Onicher, Caden Proctor, Blake Miller.

57:22Trevor Sikkema: Like these guys, you're going to have options at 24 that I think that you'll be decently happy with. So if Maui Noah was here, I really would have thought about him because I think he fits that power run game where Cleveland seems to be going. But instead, they need a wide receiver one. And Carnell Tate, I think, is immediately the most talented wide receiver on this team and probably the most reliable receiver on this team. So quarterback, obviously, is still a massive question mark for them in the short term. but they have to, have to, have to, have to get better at wide receiver this draft.

57:52Trevor Sikkema: And I think that Carnell Tate's a good way to do that.

57:54Robert Mays: Let's play the same game we did with Carnell Tate that we did with Fernando Mendoza a little bit earlier. So if you're looking at last year's draft class, for example, and you're stacking up Carnell Tate to Tedrow and McMillan, and then one step down from that, the guys, Matthew Golden, the other one's kind of bunched in the back half of the first round. Where would you slot in Carnell Tate? And between those two guys, would you say he's close? if it's behind McMillan, would you say he's closer to McMillan or closer to Golden, just in terms of the quality of prospect that we're talking about?

58:22Trevor Sikkema: He would be behind McMillan. McMillan would be my wide receiver one. McMillan was my wide receiver one last year, and he would have been this year over all of these guys. Travis Hunter is sort of the wild card there because I was just so enamored with who he was as a football player. I probably would have had Travis Hunter over Carnell Tate, to be honest with you, even at wide receiver. But then, yeah, I think Tate, Tyson, Lemon, like those guys are next in sort of that next tier that Matthew Golden would have been in. So I think I would have had, well, no, actually, I definitely would have had Carnell Tate above Matthew Golden.

58:56Trevor Sikkema: I think I would have had Tyson above Golden as well, and I think I would have had Lemon above Golden too. So to me, those big three that we talk about at the receiver spots this year, Tett would have been the only one that I would have for sure had above those three that we have this year.

59:13Robert Mays: it's funny I was trying to think back on this just like the last five six drafts and where the receivers have typically gone because there haven't been that many receivers taken I think Brian Thomas Jr. was really the only one that was taken in the teens because for the most part guys are either pushed up toward the top 10 sure they're going in the 20s like that that's been the two clusters that we've seen because two years ago you had the Odunze Malik neighbors Marvin Harrison draft where all three of those guys go in the top 10. Before that, the last really receiver-heavy top half of the first round that we saw, I think Olave won 11, right?

59:51Robert Mays: It was London, Wilson, and then Olave. They were all gone by the 11th or 12th pick. And then the draft before that, that's when all those guys went in the 20s. And so for the most part, there just haven't been a ton of receivers in the first round drafted between pick 10 and pick 20 in the last five or so years. And it feels like this year, there might be several of those guys drafted in that range.

1:00:15Trevor Sikkema: Yeah, to your point, that draft in 2022 was really the big draft where that was the case because London goes eight. And then Burks. Burks was in the teens. Garrett Wilson goes 10. Olave goes 11. Jameson Williams went 12 that year. That's right. And then John Dotson went 16. and Traylon Burks then went 18 after that.

1:00:38Robert Mays: You think it's telling that I forgot about Jahan Dotson and Traylon Burks and how these guys ended up playing out? I'm telling you the goal is off the top of my head. But yes, I forgot that those guys went in the teens. So that was really the last time that happened.

1:00:48Trevor Sikkema: Right. And I do agree with sort of the sentiment of what you're saying here. When you're a wide receiver, if a team believes that you are, no question about it, like a wide receiver one, they have no reservations about taking you in the top 10. But after that, like if it sort of becomes this, like, yeah, I mean, and maybe he's a one, maybe he's a two kind of a guy. You see teams wait or they're less compelled to make those selections for sure.

1:01:12Robert Mays: It might just be at this point, I'm not sure we have enough data to make any like sweeping generalizations about it. But I do think it's interesting that there's having that many over the last five years, guys drafted in the teens at that position specifically. But Carnell Tate for you is the sixth overall pick going to the Cleveland Browns. So just to quickly recap here, Las Vegas Raiders in your mind Draft area for you drafting Fernando Mendoza Number one overall New York Jets taking Reuben Bain Second in a little bit of a surprise And an even bigger surprise Sonny Stiles going to the Arizona Cardinals with the third overall pick Tennessee Titans drafting Arvel Reese fourth overall The Giants drafting Francis Maui Noah Fifth overall moving him to guard for our Purposes here at least in the short term And then Carnell Tate going to the Cleveland Browns sixth overall.

1:02:02Robert Mays: Yep. Let me ask you this for all these six teams. Mm-hmm. Do you think, so I think we can start even this at two, but I think three and five are probably the ones that are most interested in here. Mm-hmm. We assume that if you're Monte Austin forward, you're drafting Francis Maui No with a third overall pick. So your prediction for what is going to happen is not what you would have done at three.

1:02:26Trevor Sikkema: Mm-hmm.

1:02:27Robert Mays: Yeah, correct. And then at five, would you say the same thing when it comes to Jeremiah Love versus a guy like Francis Maui Noah, or are you less confident in what the Giants might do?

1:02:36Trevor Sikkema: No, well, obviously a lot of changes in New York, right? So Joe Shane remains as the general manager, but I mean, let's face it, John Harbaugh is calling the shots there. And so you don't really have a great beat on exactly what's going to happen there because Harbaugh has been so much as a win now, win now, win now with Lamar and the Ravens for so many years, it's a little bit different for him. But much like the Titans conversation, I don't think people are talking about the offensive line situation with the Giants enough. And so, yes, I feel less confident that what I would do at three and then at five is actually going to happen.

1:03:13Trevor Sikkema: It just I haven't heard a lot of that. Not that those would be bad selections. Obviously, I don't think that they would because I made them. But it's one of those where I just haven't heard a lot of buzz for specifically the Giants. when Sonny Stiles at three a little bit more just because of how good he was in the crazy combine performance that he had. But yeah, for the Giants, I just don't hear a lot about offensive line at number five still. And I think that it should be on the table for them.

1:03:35Robert Mays: All right, who do you feel best about here? Like which pick is your, if you're making it in the moment for one of these teams, do you feel the best about walking away from the draft?

1:03:43Trevor Sikkema: Yeah, I think the answer to that is Reuben Bain. I think that, I know that that was a sort of a shocker at this point because nobody really talks about him going number two overall. But to be honest with you, man, like since the national championship ended and since that run that Miami had and just watching him just continue to dominate as well as he had at the beginning of the year throughout the entire long college football season. I mean, I just think this guy's an absolute stud. Like if the Jets draft him, he's the most talented player on their defense. That's that's what I believe about that.

1:04:13Trevor Sikkema: And I love that he's joining a room that's got more veterans involved. Right. Like for the Jets, very clearly last year, like they didn't have it. they didn't even have the veteran leadership that they needed to. Now they've got Mika Fitzpatrick. They've got Demario Davis, right? They've got these guys that have been around and had success in this league and have played at a really high level. And I just love the idea of adding a player as talented as Reuben Bain to a roster like that with guys like that in his locker room. And I think this dude's destined to be an all-pro. I really do.

1:04:41Robert Mays: All right. Those are our first six picks of our 2026 version of On The Clock. Trevor Sikima, please tell the people where they can check out all of the wonderful work that you were doing when you're not donating your time to this podcast.

1:04:54Trevor Sikkema: Yes, covering the draft 365 with my good friend Connor Rogers over at the NFL Stock Exchange YouTube channel, doing all the player rankings, the mock drafts, the big boards, all that good stuff. And of course, all my big board, the MDS, everything over at pff.com as well.

1:05:10Robert Mays: Awesome, appreciate the time, sir. Always great to chat with you. We'll do it again very soon. Appreciate it, brother, anytime. All right, guys, that's all we got for today. Thank you so much to Trevor. If it wasn't clear, we're going to be doing one of these a week all the way through the draft. We're going to be doing them in five different chunks. We're going to have five different shows. So I think it's 66677. That's what we did last year. Really enjoyed the exercise. Excited to be bringing it back again. Got some fun guests on tap for our On the Clock series. We will be back tomorrow with another edition of Building the Beast with Dave and Dane.

1:05:44Robert Mays: Please be on the lookout for that. For now, that's all we got. Appreciate you guys listening. We'll talk to you very soon.

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