Hunters and Gardeners: X-Factors on Every AFC Team

27 May 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 19 chapters

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In short

The episode is a yearly AFC “X-factors” roster review on the Media Gimes show. Hosts define an X-factor as a non-QB, non-head-coach player whose performance/health could swing a team’s season.

Guests

Brentley Wiseman (co-host/analyst). Backgrounds mentioned: he’s a longtime NFL observer who discusses schemes and player fit; the hosts reference his football knowledge and offseason storyline focus.

Key claims and notable examples by team

  • Baltimore Ravens: Namdi Madubuike. He missed 2025 with a neck injury; when healthy he’s a disruptive interior pass rusher (11 sacks in 2024, 15 in 2023) and his return could restore a pass rush that was bottom-tier in pressure/sack metrics.
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: Talented offensive tackle rotation centered on Troy Fautanu. With Broderick Jones’ uncertain neck timetable, Fautanu moving left and Max Yatnchor/Yanchor on the right is framed as essential for protecting Aaron Rodgers and enabling downfield throws.
  • Cincinnati Bengals: Brian Cook (replacing Geno Stone). Claimed improvement via fewer missed tackles (Cook: 5 missed vs Stone: 17) to reduce explosive 20+ yard plays.
  • Kansas City Chiefs: Rashee Rice. Framed as “Rashee Rice or bust” due to limited receiver additions and his probation/jail situation affecting availability.
  • Los Angeles Chargers: Tyler Biotish (center). Claimed to fix a historically bad center season (Bradley Bozeman) to protect Justin Herbert and improve run blocking.
  • Denver Broncos: J.K. Dobbins. Claimed to restore balance; when healthy Denver ran better (7th in yards/carry early) and can reduce pressure on Bo Nix’s passing volume.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Hunter. Claimed to be pivotal as a corner, strengthening a secondary already strong in coverage metrics.
  • Indianapolis Colts: Sauce Gardner. Claimed to be the pass-defense swing factor after a trade and injury-limited 2025.
  • Houston Texans: Ari’ante Ursary (left tackle). Claimed to be key for improving left-side run blocking and making CJ Stroud’s third downs more manageable.
  • Tennessee Titans: Jeffrey Simmons. Claimed to be the defensive “engine” in a Robert Saleh 4-3 scheme, with elite pass-rush win rates and sack/pressure impact.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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AFC X-Factors Overview

0:46 to 3:56

Hosts discuss the concept of X factors for each AFC team.

“Today, we're doing something I do every year, which is we are going through every single team in the AFC.”

Baltimore Ravens X-Factor: Matabuke

3:57 to 6:39

A deep dive into Matabuke's impact on the Ravens' defense.

“before the injury, you might see one of the biggest leaps in the NFL in pass rush.”

Pittsburgh Steelers X-Factor: Fatano

6:40 to 9:49

Exploration of how Fatano can influence the Steelers' offense.

“All right, I gave you the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Cleveland Browns X-Factor: Fano

9:50 to 14:01

Discussion on Fano's role in the Browns' future and current roster.

“I think with Rodgers, the question is, even if the line plays better, will he push the ball downfield?”

Evaluating the Bengals' Defensive Changes

14:01 to 16:49

Discussing the impact of Brian Cook's addition to the Bengals' defense.

“Who do you have for the Cincinnati Bengals?”

The Challenges Facing the Chiefs' Offense

16:50 to 21:55

Analyzing Rasheed Rice's situation and the Chiefs' receiving corps challenges.

“Yeah, your point about the explosive runs is so important.”

Building a Stronger Chargers Offensive Line

21:56 to 27:00

Exploring the importance of Tyler Biotish and the Chargers' offensive line improvements.

“rasheed rice or bust and like that's the scary proposition you know and obviously kenneth rocker can help the running game but you still got to move the football through the air and that's just a challenging thing.”

The Raiders' Offensive Line Struggles

27:01 to 28:05

Discussing DJ Glaze's role in improving the Raiders' underperforming offensive line.

“You know, those are the ones, a lot of those kind of runs are off the center.”

Evaluating Offensive Line Challenges

28:05 to 31:00

Discussion focuses on the struggles of the offensive line and its impact on the team's performance.

“And they're kind of betting on Glaze taking another leap.”

The Importance of J.K. Dobbins in Denver

31:00 to 32:55

Analysis of J.K. Dobbins' efficiency and its significance for the Denver offense.

“Okay, we're going to wrap up here with this half with the Broncos, who you have.”
Show all 19 chapters

AFC South Overview and Travis Hunter's Impact

36:58 to 42:00

Exploration of the AFC South teams, focusing on Travis Hunter's role and potential.

“This could be one of the better secondaries in football.”

Assessing Sauce Gardner's Impact on the Colts Defense

42:00 to 44:30

Learn how Sauce Gardner's return can elevate the Colts' defensive performance.

“So certainly, adding a corner like Sauce Gardner should help with that.”

Ariante Ursary and the Texans' Offensive Line Challenges

44:30 to 47:30

Explore the Texans' offensive line improvements and the need for better run blocking.

“Back to my offensive linemen because I'm talking about the Texans and who can you choose other than an offensive lineman if you're talking about the Texans.”

Jeffrey Simmons: Key to the Titans' Defensive Success

47:30 to 50:10

Understand the pivotal role Jeffrey Simmons plays in the Titans' defensive strategy.

“I prefer their makeover this year to their makeover.”

David Bailey: The Jets' Defensive Cornerstone

53:26 to 56:01

Discuss David Bailey's significance and potential for the Jets' defense this season.

“All right, I'm going to go with Asala's old team, the Jets, and we're going to move to the AFC East to wrap here.”

Analyzing the Buffalo Bills' Offense with DJ Moore

56:01 to 1:00:08

Explore how DJ Moore's acquisition can transform the Bills' offense.

“because you actually saw him set a firmer edge in college than David Bailey did.”

Will Campbell: A Key Player for the Patriots' Future

1:00:09 to 1:03:29

Discuss the challenges and potential of Will Campbell for the Patriots.

“I know I picked like how many offensive linemen have I picked?”

Chop Robinson's Critical Role in the Dolphins' Rebuild

1:03:30 to 1:08:19

Examine the importance of Chop Robinson as the Dolphins rebuild their defense.

“they need him to play how he played early on in the year and take incremental steps in the right direction because you can't get worse than he was in the playoffs.”

Social Media and Upcoming Content with Brentley Weissman

1:08:20 to 1:10:00

Brentley shares his social media presence and details on upcoming projects.

“Can he kind of take that Nick Bonito type, you know, like trajectory, I think is what they're hoping for.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00So good, so good, so good. Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom Rack Stores now and up to 60 % off. Stock up and save on the brands you love like Vince, Sam Edelman, Frame and Free People. Join the Nordiclub to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack.

0:31Welcome back to the Media Gimes show featuring Lenny, only NFL podcast. One of the hosts thinks Garrett Bowles is sponsored by Food & Water. That's Lenny. I'm in a Gimes. Garrett Bowles plays for a team that we're going to be talking about today. I keep buggling the Lenny jokes, by the way, as I'm trying to get to them too quickly. That team is the Denver Broncos. The conference is the AFC. Today, we're doing something I do every year, which is we are going through every single team in the AFC. We will do the NFC next week, most likely. And we are picking an X factor for every team. Not a quarterback, not a head coach.

1:07Everyone else is fair game on the roster. Joining me to do so is my friend, Brentley Wiseman. Brentley. Mina, thanks for having me. Excited to talk about this AFC X factors. Really excited. And only three months away from the season. So I feel like we're getting closer. Thank goodness. Crazy. uh this was i i like doing this every year because it really makes you kind of sit down with a roster and and to be clear what the way i'm defining x factor is a player who could be the hinge upon which this team season swings and that could be their performance it could be their health it could be a lot of things um but you know i generally try not to choose like i said know quarterbacks i try not to choose i often don't choose the best player because the best player you kind of know what you're going to get although there's a few very good players on my list including the one that i have at the top i'll start first brentley um i'm going to do the baltimore ravens and the point i want to make is that this player is not only an x factor for the ravens i think he is arguably an x factor for this coming nfl season and that's namdi metabuike who is to me one of the more interesting offseason storylines in the NFL in terms of whether he comes back, when he comes back, how he looks.

2:30So for those who have forgotten, Matabuke missed almost all of last season, had a neck injury, seemed honestly like his football career might be over and was a huge reason why his loss was a huge reason why the Ravens pass rush was pretty abysmal last season. 30th in pressure rate, 31st in sack rate, 28th in pass rush win, 30th in pass rush win with a four-man rush. Very bad. So Maruike makes a ton of money. He was kind of the Ravens defensive lineman who they chose to reward with the big contract after he put up 11 sacks in 2024 and 15 sacks in 2023. In 2023 and 2024, his final two seasons, he led all defensive tackles in quarterback hits as well with 50.

3:19If he comes back, you are looking at a Ravens defensive line that has Maduike, Travis Jones, who I really like as a player. I like him more with Maduike in the mix. Brodick Washington. They brought back Calais Campbell. Unreal. It makes no sense. Doug will give you those. Yeah, I know. I love it. I love him. One of my all-time faves. And then they added, in terms of pass rushers, they added Trey Hendrickson, of course. They drafted Zion Young. You have Tavius Robinson and Mike Green from last year. So you're looking, you know, the Hedrickson addition is a big deal, obviously, as well, especially for the pass rush.

3:53But I would argue if you put Matt Obike into that mix and he looks anything like he did before the injury, you might see one of the biggest leaps in the NFL in pass rush. I think you will see, given how bad they were last year from last season. 100%. I mean, for me, you thought there was a chance he might never play football again, you know? And so if he comes back in 2026, there's a huge chance this defense can kind of look and go back to what they were in 2024 when they were one of the best defenses in the entire NFL. And he was a huge part of that, obviously, with his ability to cause pressure, cause disruption from the interior of the defensive line.

4:34I think definitely the Ravens defense missed that last year. and his presence along that defensive front opens up one-on-ones opportunity for Travis Jones. You mentioned having Calais Campbell back. I think Matabuke, he's such a key point and figure for this defense, but also keeping the linebackers clear in the second level. He's so good at holding gaps and keeping people free and being able to flow and plug holes. his role to me is one of the most important in that defense. So getting him back would be massive, especially with the new head coach. Yeah. Well, that's another great point. Jesse mentor comes in and Jesse mentor, you know, it's a return right from Baltimore, but last year, the defense had to change a lot of their DNA because I would say born of desperation.

5:25I mean, for example, the chargers under Jesse mentor had the fourth highest light box rate in football. that's a signature of the Mike McDonald defenses. The Ravens last year were 31st in light box rate. So they had to put extra bodies in the box to stop the run. And you talk about Matubike and the defensive lineman potentially keeping those linebackers a little bit clean. There's just a trickle-down effect from his presence that makes everything else a little bit easier. I will say, too, the light box thing is going to be interesting with Hendrickson, who is an exceptional pass rusher and a below-average to worst run defender.

5:58So, you know, they got to figure out ways to kind of compensate for that to, you know, while they're having him on the field. If you want to play. No, 100 percent. I think for me, like Cal Hampton coming back healthy, Matabuke. I mean, this defense could take a massive step back in the right direction. All depends on health and obviously injury and things like that. But I love the moves they made this offseason. Matabuke to me would be the icing on the cake. because, again, I don't know how much you can count on him coming back and being the player he was in 2024 and earlier, but if he's anything like that, this defense, this team, is going to be back in it, and I fully expect them to compete for the AFC North if he can kind of be back to that level we saw him last.

6:45All right, I gave you the Pittsburgh Steelers. I had no idea what you were going to do with this. This one was challenging, I would admit. thought maybe we went DK, but I was like, I don't want to go DK. I ended up going with Washington Husky, Choi Futano, the offensive tackle. He started every game last year at right tackle. He's entering his third year in the NFL. I thought the jump he made, Mina, from his rookie year to his second season was phenomenal. He was 17th last year in the NFL out of all tackles and pass block win rate. And I think his ceiling is sky high. I loved him coming out of UW.

7:23I think he's a really, really talented player. And for the Steelers, they are currently trying to figure out if Broderick Jones is going to play this year. He has a massive neck injury. They have no timetable for his return. So I think the plan is they're going to move Fatano to left tackle, a position he played in college. And then they obviously drafted Max Iona Chor out of Arizona State to be their right tackle. So having two young, talented, physically gifted tackles with Vatano at left, with Iona Chor at right, will give Aaron Rodgers, who's 42 years old, right, where he's going to need that pass protection.

8:03because for me, the offense for the Steelers has to evolve. 30 % of Aaron Rodgers' passes were at or behind the line of scrimmage. That is not a sustainable way to win in the NFL. You can't be dinking and dunking your way to 15-plus play drives and think you're going to compete. They have to get more explosive. You've got to throw the ball down the field. How you do that is you need pass protection. You need time to allow the receivers to run down the field. You need time for Aaron Rodgers to be able to sit back and find the open receiver. So Fatano going to the left side, I think, really solidifies offensive line.

8:39Still got some questions inside, but I like some of those players. But Fatano at left, Iona Shaw at right, I think you have a foundation to give Rodgers more pass protection. So for me, X factor is Fatano. He plays well. I think the offense can kind of look and take the next step in its evolution. Yeah, I think that moving him to the left and having Max Yanchor on the right side is the optimal case for Pittsburgh. Of course, Yanchor played right tackle at ASU. He's coming to the league a little bit raw. You know, ideally, he would have been in a situation where he doesn't have to play right away.

9:18But, you know, I do think he's capable of it. And I do think Fautanu's arrow is pointing up, you know, and I feel like I'm going to say his name right. But I loved him as a possibility. which I loved him at UW. I think, you know, we talked about, you talked about the pass protection, but the run blocking too. I think, you know, the world in which the Steelers offense improves upon what we saw last season is one where they continue to run. They actually ran the ball fine last year, but I would say you want to continue to be a run first offense for the most part. I think with Rodgers, the question is, even if the line plays better, will he push the ball downfield?

9:54Will he hold on to it? I generally don't know. It probably won't be as much as folks would like, but will it hold up enough to where if they're in third and long, he can take a shot, or he'll mix in a few opportunistic explosive passes? Because if not, it's just going to look exactly like last year. The receiver additions helped too. Pittman Jr., who's very steady and stable at the short intermediate. Bernard as well. But yeah, I think – and I would say Troy is not important not just for this year, but also next year, right? Like we're talking about X factors for this season, but success for this season for Pittsburgh is also about setting up their next quarterback.

10:34Cause we know Aaron Rogers says he's going to retire after the season. All right. Shocker. But I like that pick player. I like the general direction of the Steelers offensive line. They have drafted well on the inside as well, as you alluded to similar pick for me with the Browns, although I'm going to go with their first rounder this year and Spencer Fado. So, and, and, and similar logic to what I just said, which is, this is about this year, but it's also about the future for the Browns. And like, when we think about X factors, you know, you think about different teams needs, like with the Ravens, the need is to have a, like a legit pass rush this season, which they should be contending.

11:11Nobody thinks the Browns are going to contend. So for me, success and like the hinging, the X factor for success is also about like, are we setting up this roster for 2027, which is obviously priority for them. And I think Fano is just massive in that regard, right? He is their first round draft pick. He's going to play left tackle for them out of Utah. So, you know, he played left and then he switched to right to accommodate Caleb Lomu, but he's going to play on the left side. So you're looking at Fano, Zion Johnson, Elton Jenkins, who I also considered taking, by the way, because he's just a constant fascinating player to me because of all the different positions he's been asked to play.

11:50Tevin Jenkins and then Titus Howard. So, really, theoretically, this could be one of the most improved lines in football. But I think for that theory to manifest itself, Fano has to be good for them. And I guess, what do you think of him as a player? I know you watch a lot of West Coast. I don't even know what to call it anymore. West Coast football. What do you think about him, like them taking here? What do you think about them starting? I mean, I love Fano. He was my offensive tackle one coming out of Utah. I mean, the feet, the athleticism, the length, like all of it you love. I do think he needs to get stronger, I think, which that will come naturally.

12:28I don't think he's a road grader in the run game by any means, but the potential he has a pass protector is sky high. So I love that pick when they drafted him. this offense is fascinating right because they have so many pieces that I love the receivers Casey Concepcion Denzel Boston you still have Jerry Judy Harold Fannin I think is going to go crazy this year so they have a lot of young pieces the quarterback obviously is a conversation you know we don't have to have but they're going to need to find one eventually getting a cornerstone left tackle to go along with those skill positions not just for this year but for next as you allude to, was so important.

13:09So massive because, yeah, you can have all the receivers in the world for the next quarterback. If he doesn't have time, it doesn't matter. So being aggressive, getting Fano this year in the top 10, to me was a great move. I think he's a really good player. I like the other offensive line moons. I think they paid Zion Johnson a little too much, but that's free agency. Yeah, that's what I'm looking at. like, that's the one I probably like the least that they made. And you know, well, at the end of the day, I think they did well addressing the offensive line. And I think Fano is going to be a potential really good cornerstone type of player.

13:50And yeah, I'm a big fan of the pick a big fan of the player. I mean, full offensive line makeovers like this are always interesting, right? Like four of the five, you know, it is really interesting. And I think you don't need all of them to hit but if a couple of them hit, that's a good foundation like I said, Jenkins is also interesting because he's playing center he's playing literally every position I think I'm not sure center is his best position so that's something I also considered him because I think they're going to have to figure out whether he should play center or guard or whatnot if either the tackles get hurt he could easily play tackles so he's like your jack of all trades but Fano I think is the most pivotal player of the class, which is the first pick.

14:33Player take is not exactly a bold take. All right. Who do you have for the Cincinnati Bengals? Yeah, this was interesting. Obviously, the low-hanging fruit was Dexter Lawrence, but I decided to go with another acquisition they made this offseason, which is Brian Cook. The safety. Yeah, yeah. Coming from Kansas City. Okay. I like this one. For me, this is all, like, I love Brian Cook as a player, but it's also more about who he's replacing. Geno Stone was awful last season. I mean, truly terrible. The Bengals allowed the most explosive 20-plus yard plays on defense in the NFL. A lot of those plays were long-run plays, and that was directly because of Geno Stone's missed tackles.

15:19Last year in 2025, he missed 17 tackles, 17 % of his attempts he missed. That's unacceptable. Took poor angles to the football. just really not a good player as your last line of defense. Brian Cook coming in, look, he's not Kyle Hamilton or anything like that, but what he provides his defense is a good, reliable player in both coverage and run support. Takes good angles of the football, good open field tackler. And for me, that improvement over Stone is going to yield major differences in this defense. He had just five missed tackles all of last season compared to Stone's 17. That's pretty crazy.

16:04So I think Brian Cook playing and being a serviceable, stable presence in the back end is going to really help this unit. Because the front four is fantastically better, dramatically improved. Boye Malfe, Cassius Howell, Dexter Lawrence. I think that unit is going to hold its own. The question that remained for me was the back end. but with yeah and my young guys but with brian cook being that guy that he would play in the box as well as a as a force player and rent support to me is going to go a long way in this defense taking a few steps in the right direction because that's all they need i mean you know offensively what the team is so if the defense can kind of hold its end of the bargain they can compete for the division so i think brian cook to me is really important to the success of this team Yeah, your point about the explosive runs is so important.

16:58I mean, the FTN Fantasy does run defense by different levels, and it had the Bengals as 29th both at the second level and in the open field, which honestly is better than I would suggest. If not for the New York Giants and Bills. Yeah, the thing about the Bengals too is a lot of their improvement last year I think came from cornerback play, but the safeties were still such an issue. I loved the signing. And I think, like you said, the first level is going to be better. I think the third level is going to be better. My biggest question is about those young linebackers, but I thought this was a very, like, smart, just bring in the capable veteran.

17:36And, like, you know, with Cincinnati, I keep saying all they have to be is average, but, like, you know, bringing in someone like this is kind of one of those pieces when you look back and you ask how did this defense go from being a bottom five unit over the course of the season to average, it's through signings like this. Yeah, I mean, Brian Cook, look, he's not – This is how I explain it. He's not a ceiling raiser, but he's a floor raiser for the unit. And I think, to me, that's really what they needed. No one's asking the Bengals to be the 85 Bears, but can we just be closer to league average?

18:07Because if you are, maybe they can. I think this team can be really competitive. So Brian Cook, big fan of him and big fan of this fit. Good call. All right, let's go to his old team, AFC West, because I have the Chiefs. I just feel like the only player to pick here is Rishi Rice, who Adam Schefter posted. I'll just read it. So Rishi Rice violated his probation. I think it was a weed situation. Schefter posted, Rishi Rice did not know that he was going to be in jail for 30 days. If he did, there's no way he would have had knee surgery last week. He is currently in a jail cell. Just that sentence alone, I feel like captures how messed up things have gotten for this young man who at one point looked like he was going to be like a top 15 receiver in the NFL.

19:02Look, the NFL decided not to punish him. But this is a new thing. I don't know. I have no idea. I don't understand the NFL's disciplinary process, quite frankly. So I don't know if this will introduce any. I think no. I don't know. I really don't know. But he obviously I think the other thing is like okay we just to actually opine about what he did here like I'm not going to get worked up about a player smoking weed I think it's more just about the judgment here when he's already under such scrutiny that has his future in question with the Chiefs because he's been accused of more serious things than that but he's the next factor because they desperately need him I mean the Chiefs did not address the receiver position in free agency barely in the draft.

19:52They drafted Cyrus Allen in the fifth round. So you're looking at Rasheed Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton. And it's really, really dubious what this passing attack looks like without him. I mean, last year, Rasheed Rice was the only receiver, so Kelsey was first, on the Chiefs with over 50 catches, and he only played in eight games. That's crazy. Yeah. That's crazy. So, you know, I actually think he didn't look – it was obviously a step back from his rookie season, but I didn't think he looked – like he had some pretty bad drops. I don't think he looked, like, athletically that much worse or anything.

20:36I think the whole thing was – the whole offense was just kind of, you know, hit a wall. But, like, really, like, they – honestly, this is such an indictment on the organization that they put themselves in this situation where they desperately need him because they desperately need him. A thousand percent. I mean, first off, can you just imagine rehabbing your knee in a jail cell? I mean, that's just insane. But the Chiefs not being smart to have Rasheed Rice insurance because he's shown the Chiefs who he is. Let's be honest. The lack of judgment, you know, when someone tells you who you are, you should just listen.

21:10And the Chiefs should know that you can't rely on him on or off the field. and the fact that they never added any sort of insurance to that position group to me is crazy. When he's on the field, he's a talented player. He has great chemistry with Mahomes, good after the catch, can get open, can make tough catches, but you can't count on him. And he's got to miss games, whether it's injury, whether it's disciplinary issues. He's missed games every single season. And the Chiefs, this passing attack, Kelsey's only older. um what are you gonna rely on a fifth round rookie probably not you need mahomes to have trusted weapons coming off an injury and they didn't do it and you know i heard a rumor potentially they might still revisit aj brown i mean who knows with that but as it stands it's rasheed rice or bust and like that's the scary proposition you know and obviously kenneth rocker can help the running game but you still got to move the football through the air and that's just a challenging thing.

22:12So the investment was in the run game and I like the Walker signing. I think they brought Eric BNB back and if there's going to be a schematic transformation or evolution in the run game where they're less RPO-centric and it's more under center play action like Chicago, I actually think Rice is still extremely important because he would be the primary short to intermediate beneficiary, intermediate in particular, working over the middle of the field from those concepts. No one like David Worthy ain't running digs. Like I, I just, it's just, yeah. I mean, I, AJ Brown, I can't see, I think he's locked and loaded.

22:49Patriot. Um, Stefan Diggs is still out there. Maybe by the day it's entirely possible by that. We're taking this a little bit in advance by the time you're listening to this. Uh, even though the chiefs at this moment are in the red, um, they could certainly use him. Uh, but I, that would take some financial maneuvering. I'm not sure it's possible, but we'll see again. Maybe you're listening to this. If Stephon Diggs is a Chief, somehow I would feel a lot better. So he would still be an important player. Diggs is obviously getting up in the years. But yeah, this pass-catching group right now is kind of crazy.

23:25I like a lot of what the Chiefs did on defense. I'm not talking about that for a reason. But offensively, I have some concerns about this passing game. All right, you have the Chargers. Chargers. So, you know, obviously consider going Rashawn Slater or Joe Alth. I think both of those players are going to be vital coming back from massive injuries. But I decided to go with Tyler Biotish, the center they signed from the commanders. And for me, I just don't think people realize how bad Bradley Bozeman was last year. we're talking one of the worst center seasons in the past 10 years of football like scouts grant him as a reject like it was brutal um justin herbert you know nfl leading hit 129 times but 109 quick pressures mina which means it's like off the snap which can carry your pressure it was like jailbreak through the middle i i think this is so important when we talk about justin herbert because there's different kinds of quarterback pressures.

24:29There's time to pressure. There's where is the pressure coming from? I'm telling you, on so many Chargers games, it was like immediate pressure. He has no shot. He has no shot. Bradley Bozeman is letting free rushers in from the interior. Look, Biondish is not going to be Jason Kelsey, but he doesn't need to be. Can he just be an above-average starter inside? And if he is, this offense is going to be 10 times better. they were 31st in a run blocking of a win rate for me mike mcdaniel coming over is gonna have such a huge just emphasis on the run game you saw what he did in miami with devon a chain or he most are like i think this offensive run game with scheme is gonna be a key component to the offense and kind of taking some pressure off herbert but y 'all is just an excellent zone blocking center moves really well laterally can climb to second level can land on moving targets i think he's going to help this run game drastically and really kind of elevate omari and hampton to what i think is going to be a really productive season but and again if he can just be serviceable pass blocker he has a good anchor to hold against bull rush and he's not going to have the just complete utter whiffs that we saw from bradley Bozeman compare him, you know, put him together with Joe all Rashawn Slater at left and right tackle.

25:50This offensive line could be one of the most improved units in the league. Now guards still don't feel, don't feel great about. That's why he's even more important, right? Because I think part is a question mark. Cole strange don't, you know, not, not super thrilled there. Jake slaughter. I did like as a zone blocking center, but like, you know, he's going to play guard for them. And so I think schematically that made a lot of sense to me. And also you get, maybe he'll play center at some point. We'll see. But yeah, this whole thing I think really does, and this is why it's a great pick by you, hinge on Biotish at least giving them competent center play.

26:25And if he does, I share your enthusiasm about the run game with Mike McDaniel. Morgan Hampton was good, man. I know he was in awful situations last year a lot of the time. But now you've got improved offensive line, Charlie Kolar, Alec Ingold, you got Keaton Mitchell as a change of pace. This could be a very improved run game. And I'm really just excited to see it with Mike McDaniel, largely because of the coach, but also I think they added the right players to execute his vision in LA. So that's a great pick. No one understands how much important centers have to the run game. You know, those are the ones, a lot of those kind of runs are off the center.

27:10So the odd is even just being a marginal improvement over Bradley Bozeman, let alone a drastic improvement, which I think he is, is going to take this round game to the next level. So I'm excited to watch the Chargers this year. And I think this offense, in particular, the round game is going to be drastically improved. All right. So unfortunately, another offensive lineman, I think I've got more, but I'm sorry. offensive linemen are really important uh for the raiders i went with dj glaze one of my favorite names to say in the nfl dj glaze the right tackle um the raiders offensive line was absolutely abysmal last season they didn't have colton miller who you could argue is also extremely important i just assume he's going to be good because he's a good player um and they signed tyler linderbaum we talked about the importance of center this is a similar by the way it's going to be a zone blocking offense right with Clint Kubiak but I feel like if Glaze can't take a little bit of a step forward both Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza will be in trouble I mean last season this team ranked 32nd in yards before contact per carry 32nd in adjusted line yards which is the FTA metric that basically they give responsibility to the offensive line for different runs based on like if it's an explosive run the offensive line doesn't get quite as much credit as if it's like successful power run to just kind of uh and glaze was not great um he was tied for the third most pressures allowed in football and it wasn't like you know i know everyone hates geno smith now but he won't draw horn on the ball let me tell you uh 10 sacks allowed second most behind stone forsyth never a player who you want to put that your name in a sentence so anyways point is it was a rough season, but I think the hope is with Miller back, with Linderbaum, everybody is going to be better.

29:02And they're kind of betting on Glaze taking another leap. So, for me, going offensive line here, a lot of it was just about how bad it was last year, but I do think for a rookie quarterback, it can't be. If it's as bad as it was last season, it's going to be DOA. Yeah, I think that's a great pick, Mina. I mean, you know, what Kubiak can do with the lack of skill players, I think his scheme can kind of come around to that. You can fix that. But you can't really fix a right tackle whiffing on pass blocks or not being able to sustain in the run game. That's man-on-man. A coach can't hide you. And so I think his development is massive for the Raiders because, to your point, Mendoza, yeah, he's a good athlete, but he may not play.

29:48Kirk Cousins is a statue. And so if he doesn't have any time, it doesn't matter if Brock Bowers is going to be a phenomenal player this year, which I think he is. He's not going to have time to get the football. But then Ashton Gentry, you drafted running back six overall, and you give him no. Poor guy. I don't know if there's ever been a running back who had a worse time coming into the NFL last season. Literally none. And so you need better run blocking to give him even a semblance of opportunity to get up fielding and hit a hole. So I think Glaze taking that next step is huge for this offense.

Read the full transcript

30:24Yeah. One thing I'll say to you about Clint Kubiak, the scheme helps, but I think something that maybe we don't talk enough about with the Seattle Super Bowl run was Abe Lucas played the entire season, and he was excellent, their right tackle. And arguably the biggest difference between the offensive line versus the previous two years was his health and presence. So, you know, Glaze, you can't cover up some of the offensive line. You can't cover up all of it. By the way, the Raiders, if you're listening to this now, to go back to Diggs, that's a team. They need somebody. They can't go into the year with Jalen Naylor as the wide receiver one.

30:58I mean, that's just malpractice. Yeah. A reliable vet would be huge for them. Okay, we're going to wrap up here with this half with the Broncos, who you have. So Broncos was debating Jalen Waddell, but I ended up going with J.K. Dobbins. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm a big J.K. Dobbins guy. They obviously re-signed him in free agency, two-year,$16 million deal. So they obviously value him. and for me, J.K. Dobbins was actually the ninth most efficient running back in the NFL last year in terms of yards over expected and over the past two seasons, Mina, he's one of three running backs to be positive EPA.

31:38The other two were James Cook and Derrick Henry. So when you think of a top 10 running back, you don't really think of J.K. Dobbins but when he's on the field, he's very much a top 10 level running back. And this offense from weeks one through 10, when he was healthy, they were seventh in the league at 4.8 yards per carry. When he was out weeks 11 through 17, they were 21st. And like, I like RJ Harvey, but he's not going to be a bell cow between the tackles runner. He's best used as a receiving back. A lot of his production was from the receiving game. And so that's why they also did drop to Jonah Coleman.

32:17And so J.K. Dobbins coming back healthy, adding a level of balance to this offense because I'm an Oregon guy. I love Bo Nix. They can't ask Bo Nix to throw 35 to 40 times a game. Like Sean Payton just gets two pass happy. So having a reliable bell cow running back to handle the early down carries, allow Bo Nix to throw more off play action, to me, is what they need to get back to doing. And I think J.K. Dobbins, if he's healthy, can come back and be that player for this offense. I really slept on how big of a deal his loss was when it happened. I was like, yeah, you know, they can run the ball.

32:58His offensive line is so good at run blocking. And it really was felt, to your point, you know, you mentioned some of the stats. This is also an offense, too, that the passing game didn't really scare defenses. They faced the six most stacked boxes in the NFL last season. and one would think that adding waddle will open up opportunities for the run game which was i i love the waddle trade for denver it's awesome um so yeah i think the question is and this has kind of like been the question in denver okay if the opportunities are there who's going to take advantage of it because we know they have a good road blocking offensive line and if there's lighter boxes that should it should be a top 10 absolutely rushing attack this just there's no reason why this can't be um but yeah Dobbins has to be healthy for that to happen I did like the Coleman pick as insurance and short yardage and and he I think is a very efficient backing catch passes so now you got like a nice little group there um but yeah that was it was interesting there because I think that was a team where folks thought they might do like a big signing in free agency at running back and they didn't and that was really 100 % I mean I thought they could be a Kenneth Walker destination that would have been a great fit but they clearly valued and targeted Dobbins resigning him early on, which just shows what they think of him, even after the injury.

34:16And I think a lot of NFL fans don't look at Dobbins and think, oh, he's a top X running back. But clearly people at the Broncos and the stats even say he's good when he's healthy. So I think him coming back will be huge for this offense. Good pick. I love it. All right, let's take a quick break. Come back and do the AFC South. Most protein drinks ask you to choose between results and taste. Bucked Up decided that's a ridiculous trade-off. Bucked Up makes lightly carbonated protein drinks, 25 grams of protein per can, clear protein, not milky or thick, and they taste so good that 25 grams of protein almost feels like a bonus.

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36:58Shopify.com slash network. All right, we're back. The AFC South. uh i will go first here i will do the jags it's gotta be true yeah um for litany of reasons i mean this was the player they gave so much to get there was so much hype there was questions about what he should do and his rookie season he got really injured before he got injured i think there were still debates about are they using him correctly now it seems like he's going to primarily play corner and i think that's the correct decision for him personally and for the team and they're one of the reasons why i'm this is important because of again the investment the draft capital he has to be worth it for them situationally they can still use him at receiver but i also think brentley that if travis hunter is above average to better corner which I think he's capable of.

37:59I'll get to in a second. This could be one of the better secondaries in football. This could be, this is a Jags defense that was seventh in past DBA already, despite losing, you know, I mean, he didn't play corner that much, but they, they really found some gems. I mean, Monteric Brown, who they brought back played really well for them. He was actually seventh in a DPA per plan passer rating as the nearest defender last year. Antonio Johnson was very good. Jordan Lewis is good at nickel before he got hurt. So then you have Hunter in the mix. And suddenly, like, this is a very good group. They kept their, you know, defensive coordinator.

38:33They, they, uh, with Campanile. And, and, and, you know, I think suddenly this team just feels so balanced and like they don't have significant weaknesses. So I want to say Hunter, I went back cause he didn't play a ton of corner, but I went back and watched, uh, two of his games, his reps against Houston and the Rams. And Houston was the team that gave him the most trouble. uh nico collins it's a tough matchup for him there yeah uh yeah and i think that's kind of if i think okay what does travis under need to work on you saw him get pushed around a little bit at the line of scrimmage he's still very slim he's a good tackler though but you also saw and this was very apparent in the rams game when he got to he played press against davante like he has all of the other attributes to me he's got the footwork he's got the recovery he's got the ball skills.

39:24He's got the instinct. So I really, I am buying Travis Hunter as a corner. And I think for the Jags, that could be a pivotal, pivotal story. I agree a hundred percent on everything you said. I think the emergence of Jacoby Myers and Parker Washington last year really allows this move to happen. They don't need Travis Hunter to be the unicorn dual threat player they drafted him to be, and this will allow him to really get settled in at one position at corner, which I think the consensus, and I am a part of this, thought he was better at in college was at corner, and certainly the more valued position.

40:03So I think allowing him to be that number one lockdown corner and have all the reps in camp and have him be that focus is going to pay dividends for this defense. As you mentioned, they have really talented young players in the secondary, but none of them have the upside of a Travis Hunter. Certainly getting stronger at the line of scrimmage is important for Hunter. You don't want to see him just get bullied when he's trying to press. That's never a good thing. It could be fair. Nico Collins bullies a lot of people. To your point, the athleticism, the quickness, just the change of direction he has to be in coverage is just outstanding.

40:47And then the ball skills and playmaking ability, he'll be able to take away of the football, and then once the ball's in his hands, look for some pick sixes. I think he has a really good chance to be a Pro Bowl type of corner this season in that his defense was great last year. I mean, it was phenomenal. And having a corner with that potential impact, they could be a really fun team to watch this season. Very balanced squad, man. I was looking at the depth chart, and I know folks have mixed feelings about the drafts, the free agency, and whatnot. But like part of the reason why I can't get too worked up about it is this is already a good football team.

41:22And I think you really saw that in the second half of last season. Okay, you have the Colts. I'm interested in seeing where you go. This is one of the hardest teams for me to get my arms out. Yeah, I feel like I was obligated to go Sauce Gardner. I mean, the team traded two first-round picks for him. I feel like I have no choice but to call him the X Factor for 2026. You know, I wasn't a fan of the trade. I thought that was kind of rich for a corner, and I didn't think the Colts were a corner away. Clearly, they ended up losing, I think, seven of their last eight games or whatever it was. But the pass defense for the Colts last year was the weak link.

41:58They were 30th in the NFL in pass yards allowed. So certainly, adding a corner like Sauce Gardner should help with that. He only played four games with the Colts since being traded. He had an annoying calf injury that kind of knocked him out the last half of the season. But him coming back healthy and playing like he played his rookie in second year when he was an all-pro is what's going to be the key to help this defense take the next step. When Sauce is healthy and on the field, he's outstanding. I think he's allowed under 35 yards in 80 % of his career game. So like he may never be the Antonio Cromartie type of ball production, but in terms of the length, the movement skills, the instincts to blanket opposing number one receivers, he has that.

42:50And if he comes in in 2026 and provides that level of playmaking ability to be a lockdown corner, and then you have Tavarius Ward coming back from his concussions, which hopefully knock on wood he's able to, this Coles defense, specifically his pass defense, is going to be significantly better. The pass rush is improving. Layatu Latu continues to take that next step. I like some of the moves they've made at the second level with CJ Allen from Georgia, the second round pick. To me, Sauce Gardner being that lockdown corner can change the numbers for this defense and really help this team compete in the AFC South.

43:29Defense that was dead average last year in most metrics. And so it kind of feels like could go in either, you know, could this is one of the more interesting like units in the NFL coached by Louie Ann Arumau, who's obviously very inventive. I think also just having the corners be sort of the foundation of this, or like the thing you trust as being very good, makes you feel better about potentially having two rookies in the spine of the defense. If C.J. Allen and A.J. Halsey start right away, you feel a lot better about that if you feel like, okay, well, at least we've got lockdown corners and teams are afraid to throw outside the numbers a little bit.

44:08And yeah, like, you know, mixed trade, obviously, especially with the Daniel Jones injury. It's tough. It's kind of like the trade in some ways, right? Worse than the actual player. And I have no idea what we're going to get out of the quarterback position from the Colts this year. Truly a mystery to me. So that's the other reason why I think there's going to be greater onus on this defense to improve above 15th or so. So that makes a ton of sense. All right. Back to my offensive linemen because I'm talking about the Texans and who can you choose other than an offensive lineman if you're talking about the Texans.

44:39I'm going to go with their onto nursery, who's their left tackle. They remade the offensive line yet again, right? Bringing in Braden Smith from the Colts. They drafted Keelan Rutledge, who I guess could play guard or center. We'll see how that shakes out. But the continuity will be on the left side with Ursary,

45:01who had his ups and downs last season. I think it wasn't flashes. It wasn't awful in the pass protection. but you know and i think he's a developing player but the thing i think really needs to improve is the run blocking i mean it just felt like every run to the left side of the texans line was a waste of time frankly uh and that's not entirely on him i actually looked this up because i was like this feels so the texans offensive line averaged a full half yard per carry worse rushing to the left side than the right last year titus howard is now he's a brown that has to improve because i mean we talked about it last week with the quarterbacks prod cj stroud was constantly in third and long it's been the story of his career the run game was as bad as it was the previous season and you bring in david montgomery you know sure we'll see but but to really improve the blocking has to be better no i mean i watched a ton of texans last year and woody marks in that run game specifically offensive line they had no chance you know it was just a brutal watch and CJ Straub gets a lot of the blame and obviously the playoff game wasn't good but he's put in these ridiculous situations time and time again so Ariante Urseri being that presence on the left tackle to actually make room for the running backs Montgomery Woody Marks whoever it is is vital because to your point the Texans can't live in 39 anymore they need to be in more third and fours more manageable situations to open up um the playbook because he's a strategist getting under duress and i thought ursory to me like he showed enough last year to warrant some positive thinking some optimism coming in his second year in the nfl i liked him coming out of minnesota big massive player with who i think has above average foot quickness for a man his size.

46:57And so I think taking that next step specifically in the running game, to your point, is just so important for this run game offense because yeah, I, they, they just couldn't run the ball at all last season, no matter who was toting the rock, whether it was Nick Chubb, Woody Marks. So Ursary, the addition of Keelan Rutledge, who's an outstanding run blocker, Braden Smith is reliable. This unit could take a huge step in the right direction, which I think again will allow CJ Stroud to be the player we saw his rookie year. I prefer their makeover this year to their makeover. But yeah, but, but Earth three to me is like the one where I'm like, all right, this, he has to, you're betting on development here.

47:39We'll see how that goes. Okay. Titans, you could have picked a million players. So I genuinely, I know you mentioned, you know, you tried to avoid picking the team's best player, but it was, it was unavoidable for the Titans. I had to go with Jeffrey Simmons. I did think about, you know, John Franklin Myers, coming over from Denver or Jermaine Johnson, who they traded for from the Jets. But to me, this defense starts and ends with Jeffrey Simmons. He's the best player on the team. And last year, he led the team of 11 sacks, first in the NFL out of interior defensive linemen with a 19.4 pass rush win rate.

48:16So he was just outstanding last year. But I think Mina playing in this Robert Sala 4-3 scheme that asks the three tech to get upfield and penetrate more than what his 3-4 hybrid scheme last year did with Simmons. I think Simmons could be just another level this year. I think he could go for 13-14 type of sack season and really allow the players I mentioned, John Franklin Myers, Jermaine Johnson, to eat on one-on-ones. I think this front four is drastically improved since last season. And when you think about Robert Sala scheme and the players he's coached at that three tech spot, DeForest Buckner, Eric Armstead, Quinn and Williams, all three of those players had their best year under Robert Sala.

49:07Jeffrey Simmons. Yeah. Jeffrey Simmons is more talented than all three of those players. And so I think he's just going to be a monster this year. and we saw Robert Sala. He doesn't need a secondary to coach a good defense on the field. The secondary isn't very good, but the front four has a chance to be really good. Reminiscent of the Niners in 2019, where the front four was phenomenal and they made the Super Bowl, secondary was kind of average. And so I think with Jeffrey Simmons plays to the level I think he's capable of playing, the Titans defense could actually be really competitive. yeah like i like i actually like jermaine johnson i don't think he's you know a star but i think he gives you competent edge play cauldric fock i think is an interesting young player who they got at 26 which i thought was good value but simmons is the straw and jonathan frinkle meyer is like is he good but he's kind of always you know but simmons is the straw that serves the drink i was looking at pulling up some of his stats from last year i mean they're pretty astounding You talked about sacks and pressures.

50:18He was second to only Chris Jones in pass rush win. And when he got pressure, the Titans defense allowed a QBR of 0.8. Yeah. It's not a typo. Zero point eight. That's insane. So he was not only incredibly good at winning, but when he did win, he was able to affect the quarterback in a way that killed place. And so I agree. Like, I love your point about Salah and the three techs. And I think, you know, if this team can just be more competitive, you could get probably more of a national spotlight for what he's doing. Save$2 when you buy two cans of Superior Products Coverall tire dressing. Plus receive four times O rewards points now at O 'Reilly Auto Parts.

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53:42Really because, you know, like offensively similar to what we were saying about the Browns, you know, you're setting the table for next year. I think you could pick a litany of players, you know, who will be important for next season. But I think we all agree, like it seems to be trending in the right direction. but defensively there's still so many holes on this defense. The secondary is still really like a problem. Defensive tackle and they kind of need Bailey to give them pretty quickly. This is a team that was 30th in Sackrate last year. They did add some players after trading Quinton Williams they added Joseph Asai from Cincinnati Kingsley Edigbara I do think Will McDonald's a good player but they don't have one, they don't have a true game-changing pass rusher and I think for Bailey it's not only important that he gives him double-digit sacks but they need to figure out pretty quickly if he can stay on the field on early downs which is kind of the big mark around him so I think he's a pivotal player not only for the defense this year but But for the franchise, the decision to take him second overall over Arville Reese and then ultimately Ruben Bain Jr.

55:02went a lot later, I think is something that could play a big role in determining, is the Darren Moussey regime in New York a success? So yeah, to me, there's no more important player on this team this year is coming. Totally agree. I think that David Bailey, to your point, in terms of this year, you just want to see steady improvement from the beginning of the season to the end of the season and I I think yeah his ability to get home to the quarterback at least early on is going to be what's keep what keeps him on the field because I don't have too many questions about him as a pass rusher I do think his speed his lateral agility his power is going to be able to allow him to get some pressure but can they get firmer at the point of attack can he get stronger in the run game, that's going to be the key to him really living up to that second overall billing because that is part of the reason why I thought Arville Reese maybe made a little more sense because you actually saw him set a firmer edge in college than David Bailey did.

56:05But David Bailey's pass rush upside obviously won out. But yeah, they need him to be a cornerstone of this defense. so that way next year when they're looking for the quarterback, they can at least say, hey, we had David Bailey. We'll figure it out on that side of the ball. Let us get the quarterback in place for 2027. That's massive. They need him to be a guy. They need him to be a star. Who did you pick for the Buffalo Bills? Yeah, the Bills. It was tough. I kind of wanted to go defense, but I just decided going DJ Moore. I'm going DJ Moore. and yeah, and look, I didn't like the trade in terms of the value they got.

56:48I think Ryan Poles fleeced them. I don't know what Brandon Bean was thinking with the actual value of trading the second round pick, but to me, DJ Moore in terms of his skill set and the scheme fit, great addition to this offense. Joe Brady, who coached him in Carolina Panthers, was quoted saying, we needed a player who can win outside and get down the field vertically because Khalil Sikor and Dalton Kincaid, they do most of their damage short to intermediate areas of the field and also over the middle. They have no one to win down the field and stress the actual vertical parts of the field. Josh Allen, who throws one of the best deep balls in the NFL, was 25th in the NFL in air yards past attempts.

57:43Like he was a dink and dunk quarterback. And it's not because he can't throw deep. It's because they didn't have the personnel. And DJ Moore, you know, his areas per target was 11.4 last year, which was above average. Khalil Shakur's was 3.4. So it's just like drastic. And you really see the role DJ Moore is going to have. And, you know, people say he had a down year last year in Chicago, and he did. But I don't think that's because he's washed by any means. I think he's still a good player. I think he still has the ability to win deep and stress the defense vertically. And if he's able to do that, it opens up this offense so much more.

58:28It's going to allow James Cook to have more room running the ball because now defenses aren't going to play tighter boxes because they're going to have to respect the vertical speed of DJ Moore. And so adding an element of explosiveness to this offense, to me, is just going to open things up and really change the way defenses can attack this offense. The Bills offense just felt so congested. Yeah, it was. I've talked about this a bit, but like the face most man coverage in football because defenses did not, they knew that the bills offense was significantly worse against man than zone. They knew that Dalton Kincaid was by far their best weapon against man coverage that they didn't, they didn't fear the bills receivers and whether like DJ more, I would argue doesn't even have to be, you know, a top 15 receiver to be impactful in terms of just kind of loosening that up a little bit.

59:25And like you said, creating some room underneath, I think we'll see, you know, His chemistry with Allen is something I'll be watching because I agree with you. He's such an interesting player because I do think he's gotten a little bit underrated. But I also do think that his effort level in individual games oscillated a bit in Chicago. So I think what version of DJ Moore we see could go a long way towards determining whether or not he does or improves upon some of the things we've been discussing in terms of just like creating some air in this, like just creating some space. It's very much needed.

1:00:05Very much needed. All right. I've got the Patriots. I'm sorry. I know I picked like how many offensive linemen have I picked? Let me scroll back. It's important. Like they're X factors. One, Fano, Glaze, two, only three. Well, I guess that's of eight. So that's a lot. Okay. so half my picks are offensive linemen it's gotta be though right i mean will campbell is arguably the biggest reason there's a plenty of reasons why the patriots lost super bowl they were the worst team in many you know just obviously but like when you look at the patriots playoff run and the offensive struggles will campbell deservedly took a lot of the heat and i think there's just so many questions around him his future there not not as a player like obviously He can be a Patriot, but like what position he plays and how good he is.

1:00:56And also I think how, how impacted he was by the injury coming back. So I looked this up weeks one through 12 before his injury, Will Campbell allowed 20 pressures, which was 19th. So that's pretty good. And 12 quarterback hurries, which was 29th in the, that's 12 games in the post season alone. he allowed 19 pressures in 13 hurries. So as many as he did over the course of the entire season. Now, he played more difficult competition in the postseason, I think. And I think, you know, some guys particularly gave him a hard time. But, like, I do think the optimistic case for Will Campbell is that he was not himself after coming back.

1:01:45I think my question, Brentley, is, like, is he – because they immediately after the Super Bowl, there were questions, are you going to keep him at left cap? or tackling movement side, they have been saying he is playing on the left side, whatnot. Exactly. They drafted Caleb Lomu in the first round who played on the left side at Utah. So I guess there's questions now about like, how is he going to be used and what capacity maybe Lomu plays the right side or eventually after Morgan Moses. But he's just, to me, like a very interesting player for New England. A hundred percent. I think Will Campbell isn't as bad as he looked in the playoffs.

1:02:20I think that's very fair to say. Um, obviously the injury was bothering him and the whole offensive line was bad in the playoffs. It wasn't just Will Campbell, by the way, the whole unit was terrible. Um, but I also don't think he has the physical upside to ever be a top five left tackle in the league when they drafted him for overall. So I think that's always going to be the push and pull where fans and analysts are going to want a lot more than Will Campbell will ever be able to give them. And I think his kind of ceiling is top 12 tackle in the NFL. I think that's kind of where he's going to fit.

1:03:02The question is for the Patriots, could he be a top five guard? And that's where I think he probably could. and they drafted Caleb Lomu, whose natural position is left tackle, I don't think that's by accident. I think they're giving themselves some insurance to where in order to get the best five on the field, that may be a move they eventually do. It may not be this year, but it may be in future years. But I think in terms of this year and what they need him to do, they need him to play how he played early on in the year and take incremental steps in the right direction because you can't get worse than he was in the playoffs.

1:03:41That was brutal. Drake May, obviously, is going to continue to be one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. So having a left tackle that you feel comfortable about is vital. And him improving game by game is just so important for this offense and more importantly for this team and this quarterback in 2026. Final team. Best for last. Miami Dolphins. I gave you the last who buddy this team. I mean, where do you even go? Great, great, greatly on this, on this one, admittedly. So obviously the golf ins are entering a full scale rebuild, tearing things to the, to the seams here. I went with chop Robinson as, as, as the, as a good pick.

1:04:31I mean, obviously, you know, the pass rush was okay. last year. They were 23rd in the NFL with 39 sacks, but Bradley Chubb, who loved the team in sacks, is gone. He signed with the Bills in free agency. They obviously traded Jalen Phillips midseason to the Eagles last year, and even with that trade of Phillips, Chop Robinson never was a factor last season. He only played 399 snaps in his second season. That's down from his rookie year, where he had 534, and it wasn't really injury-related. Last year, he had 19 total pressures, only four sacks. So the hype he had coming off of the end of his rookie season where he was really productive and people got really excited, that died last season.

1:05:21And now, I mean, it's a question, could he get traded mid-year if he doesn't turn it around? I think that's going to be something we hear about. but I think the opportunity for chop is massive. It's in front of him. There's not a ton of other players in this pass rush room. They signed John Uche who's average, you know, but I think the team's probably hoping chop Robinson takes that step because he was a first round pick in 2024. And with Jeff Hatley coming over, I do think this defensive scheme fits chop a lot better than what he was in last year. Obviously, Halfley had Micah Parsons before the injury last season, and that was a great, great fit.

1:06:03He was probably on pace to win defensive player the year before he got hurt. You got to imagine Halfley sees some similarities in Chop's game. Certainly the Penn State thing, but more importantly, how he plays with speed and power off the edge in that wide 9-4-3 type of defense that is really kind of attacking, penetrating, you've got to hope and think Halfley can unlock something out of Chop Robinson. Because if he doesn't, they're probably going to cut him or trade him at the end of the season. Went from 11th in pass rush win 2024 to not even ranking in the top 50 last year. And I think he's a really good pick because we talk about these teams and what's the point of the season.

1:06:51and the point for the Bills is very different from the point for the Dolphins or the Patriots. You know what I mean? Like the Dolphins, it is about, okay, who are our guys? We traded away a bunch of people and we let folks walk. We're rebuilding, but when you rebuild, you have to start establishing your foundation. Clearly, they feel the offensive line is their foundation. I think they've really started, continued to invest in that, including in the first round this year. A-Chan is part of the foundation. defensively, there just aren't a lot of foundational players. So I think outside of Robinson, when you look at you, you highlight this, when you look at the pass rush, I mean, you know, Seeler's a good player, but like they need Robinson to be that first round pick because there's really not many alternatives and they need him to bounce back.

1:07:41I would say offensively in the receiver group, I think you could also, Chris Bell is an interesting one to me because I thought he was such an eye upside draft pick and the receiver room is so bad that if he ends up being anything for them, that's a big deal. But Robinson is, like you said, the one where you're looking at him and asking, can you get back to the player that we saw at the end of that rookie season? Yeah, 100%. I think it's in there. It's in there, but can he do it on the field? I like your point. Finding out which players you want to build around is the priority for the Dolphins.

1:08:17Robinson, they're going to know either way. at the end of the year, they'll know. So it's a big year for him. Can he kind of take that Nick Bonito type, you know, like trajectory, I think is what they're hoping for. All right, that's it for the AFC. Brentley, where can folks find you on socials and whatnot for more takes? Yeah, they can find me on X at Brentley12. And then on TikTok, I'm trying to grow my channel actually. So it's, yeah, yeah. We're making some TikToks here, Mina. You know, we're grinding. And at Brent knows ball is my at. And yeah, I definitely appreciate it. It's easy to remember.

1:08:54All right. I need to get better by posting. You guys can also check out of your discretion. My TV pod with David Dennis, Jr. It's out now. We recap the finale of the boys as well as perfect match. If you want to check that out. What did you, what did you think of the ending? I'm a big, the boys fan. So next feelings about the finale loved the final Homelander scene. I thought Anthony's star was incredible. But you can listen to the pod. There's mixed feelings. Some of it I liked. You know, it's tough. I don't know. Landing on the plane is always hard. I do think they landed it, though. I think my one takeaway is they landed it.

1:09:32Yeah. Maybe bumpy, but they landed it. A little bumpy, a little rushed, but I do think the way it finished made a lot of sense. And again, the whole thing. I agree. Just that good stuff. So go check that out. You can check it out on YouTube.com slash at Mina Kimes or viewer discretion, wherever you get your pods. Of course, we are going to do the NFC. If you're an NFC fan listening to this and you want to hear us talk about that, maybe by the time we do that, AJ Brown will be on. We'll be gotten so hot enough. So anyways, check that out. We'll be back next week. And thank you, as always, to everyone at Omaha Productions, Kirsten Specky, Owen Saylor, Jack Foster, and Tucker Taschen.

1:10:07We out.

1:10:21This is what everyone's talking about. Everything's on the table. This is what champions come to take. This is what everyone came to see. No do-overs. No second chances. No more Mr. Nice Guy. This is winner take all. and it's all happening now on the home of the NBA Finals. Don't miss it. June 3rd on ABC and the ESPN app.

From the publisher

Brentley Weissman joins the pod to give their X-factors for every AFC team heading into the season.

No quarterbacks. No coaches.

Just the players we think could have the biggest impact on their teams in 2026.
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