Mock Draft Part 2! Who'll Go off the Board From Picks 11 to 21?

21:53And then Mekhi Lemon, if you're saying 30 or 60, I might lean towards 60. You're right. I actually think he could get the volume. And I think Sadiq, by year three, maybe he's getting 80 targets in the offense and you're starting to really figure out what it's going to be. But I just don't think they have that time. Stafford, he's 38 years old. I think they're really pushing the chips in. And then even if Sadiq starts to figure it out, you get in this Atlanta Falcon situation with Pitts where you're franchise tagging him. Do you want to commit long-term resource? You've only seen it a couple of times.

22:17I don't know. I don't think they're comparable, right? Sadiq and Bowers. Bowers was like one of the best college tight ends we've ever seen in our lives in terms of production. You just haven't seen that from Sadiq yet. Everything you're hoping for with Sadiq, we haven't seen yet.

22:29Austin Gayle:All right, Sadiq is still on the board. We'll see where he goes. The Rams take Makai Lemon. All right, let's take a break. We come back. We will get to the 14th pick and the Baltimore Ravens. This episode is brought to you by Mint Mobile. Like your money where you can see it? Ditch the overpriced, traditional, big wireless carriers and try premium wireless from Mint Mobile for 15 bucks a month. If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com slash ringer NFL. Upfront payment of$45. Three-month, five-gigabyte plan required. Equivalent to$15 per month. New customer offer for first three months only.

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23:50Austin Gayle:in a classroom of sodas most stay quiet then there's mr pib sweet cherry bold outburst the kind of flavor that gets attention bold kick of cherry hey yo mr pib all right we're back here on the ringer nfl show are you okay austin do you are a raiders fan we're gonna go the ravens pick at 14th this could have been your pick this should have been your pick are you going to be able to get through this segment? Do you need a breather? You need me to just do it. Well, the good news is that I think both teams would take the same player in this spot. And I think at 14, if the Raiders were there, it would be Vegas Ioane, the Penn State guard, and we'd immediately make the nickname and the jerseys would do a ton of sales.

24:31But instead, I think it's going to be Baltimore that ends up taking the Penn State offensive lineman, Vega Ioane, someone who I think right away is a disruptive, physical, mean, productive guard for them at a spot and like guard for the Baltimore Ravens over the last couple years now has been a lot of failed experiments, right? Andrew Voorhees has not been the guy that they wanted him to be. He's also battled injuries. Daniel Faale, he was the two-year starter for them. He's no longer with the team and I don't think that worked out. And then they lose Linderbaum, their center. I think that they need to beef up the interior of that offensive line.

25:00Could they consider Tyson here? Could they consider Sadiq here? Kenyon Sadiq here? I think they should go guard. If I told Ravens fans, you're getting the best guard prospect in this class by a country mile, not close. Are you feeling good if you're taking him at 14? I think yes. And like there's positional value element, sure, but at 14, knowing what I think Ioane is right away in the NFL and honestly having this belief that I think he can be a long-term starter, a long-term like plus starter for them. I think it's a sprint the card in situation for the Ravens. It's a clear need for them and arguably the best player available.

25:31Austin Gayle:Yeah, Ioane, 6 '4", 320, two-year starter at left guard. Some people think maybe he could play some center as well. I saw Brian Baldinger. I don't know if you saw this. Austin he said I love Baldy he said that Yohane is a better prospect than Tyler Booker who was a who was an excellent guard for the Dallas Cowboys definitely definitely and Gray Zabel who is a very good I think that's true that's definitely true you agree with that okay I thought you were going to say like Quentin Nelson or something I don't know chill out those guys are you know those guys are like just very good like above average pro bowl might have all pro ceiling type players in the NFL at guard so I thought that was pretty high praise but I guess comparing them as prospects is a little different.

26:14Austin Gayle:You know, we've seen those guys play in the NFL already. I like Juane a lot. I think he's better as a prospect than he is than Zabel or Booker. I don't, I don't, I'm not going all the way back to like Quentin Nelson. I don't even, I don't, I think it's unfair to even say like generational guard prospect, but I think every, every two drafts, there's an interior offensive lineman that you feel really confident being a plus starter for a long time in the league and a plus starter right away. And at 14, if the Ravens had solutions at guard and maybe kept Linderbaum, you're not really considering it.

26:42And maybe you're looking at a skill player or something on defense. But with where this roster is now, with Andrew Voorhees slated to start at left guard, if no changes are made, I think Juana is a slam dunk.

26:50Austin Gayle:You're not tempted at all to give them a playmaker to pair. They can't develop playmakers. Yeah, we know that, but they're not in there going, we can't develop playmakers, take all the wide receivers off the board. They can't operate like that. I was looking at their draft history. I'm like Rashad Bateman. I remember liking that and it hasn't really worked out. Zay Flowers, I think, has worked out for them, but you're still like, if that's your number one receiver, are you feeling all that good about it? I think that when they draft skilled players, it hasn't really panned out for them. I'd much rather prefer them go interior here and try and figure out the receiving court that they've already drafted and invested a ton of capital in.

27:24Like they still have Bateman and Zay on this team.

27:25Austin Gayle:I'm on board with that. Build up front, figure the other stuff out, take some flyers on wide receivers, tight ends, whatever, later in the draft, but kind of fill a hole and not just, you know, fill a 14th pick. Like you said, if you get the best interior lineman in the draft at 14, I think that's perfectly justifiable. So, okay, we'll give them... I always mess up. Venga Yohane, I think. Vega. Vega. Vega. Vega. Okay. I didn't think about that Raiders angle. You're right. That would have been nice. Come on. Vegas. Vegas Yohane was great. Maybe they trade up. Who knows? That dream we had for four days.

28:02Austin Gayle:All right. 15th pick, the Tampa Bay bucks. And I found this Austin to be one of the most challenging teams to be like, I'm not totally sure what they should do. You know, could they use wide receiver? They could, they've got a Buka and Godwin. It's not like they have to draft someone. They've got Jalen McMillan pass rush. Certainly they could use off ball linebacker, Levante David retiring. They could use, but I'm like trying to zoom out and look at them as a franchise. And it just feels like they're turning into a stuck in the middle franchise, you know, like two years ago, it was kind of trendy.

28:37Austin Gayle:Like, oh man, even going into last year, some people thought, hey, watch out for the Bucs in a wide open NFC, maybe a sleeper. And now their team, it feels like, is not as good as it was last year. They lost guys in free agency. They kept Todd Bowles and they feel like a decent team with a limited ceiling. Like, I really can't get to a place where I see them, everything goes right for them next year. They're what, losing in the divisional round? I mean, I honestly don't see a higher ceiling for them. And I do think there's a floor if things go poorly, if that loss of talent really hurts them, where next year we're talking about, all right, Todd Bowles is out.

29:13Austin Gayle:Are they sticking with Baker Mayfield, a quarterback? What are they doing? So I didn't know what to do here with them. It was almost like a best, who's the best player available type scenario. And that even wasn't obvious to me who that should be. No, this was tough for me too. I think I look at defensive line and what edge players are available here. if Monroe Freeling is still on the board. I was like, dude, they just consider trenches and keep investing, but they still have, I think they have really good tackles. They've got a good offensive line. Maybe they don't need a project. They need someone who can win now.

29:43And part of me struggled, but one thing I think the Bucs have gotten right in terms of how they approach the draft is throwing the kitchen sink at secondary players and spending first and second round picks on guys that they think can pan out or even third round picks. Jamel Dean is now a stealer. They're going to have their second rounder from last year from Notre Dame. Benjamin Morrison may be starting. Zion McCollum, they signed to a pretty decent extension last March. He didn't really pan out, or it didn't really play all that well last year. Ended up getting an injury. Why not Jermaud McCoy here?

30:11The corner from Tennessee who, like I said before, his pro day is in like six days. We're going to get more confirmation on where he is athletically and health-wise. He suffered an ACL injury January 2025. He has done nothing football-related since January 2025. But when you turn on the 2024 tape, there are clear and easy arguments to make that this is the best or most talented corner on tape in this class. Now, the injury, it's not even injury concerns. It's like, I don't know what this guy's been up to. I haven't seen him do anything. And I think if they're... I don't know where he's going to come off the board.

30:43I think the Cowboys are going to strongly consider him at 12. I don't think he makes it outside the top 20, just on pure talent alone. And if he confirms some things with this pro day, I almost feel like there might be a floor spot at 16 or 17 in this draft. I gave them McCoy here. I know some people have said, Maybe it's Akeem Mesidor, the Miami edge, who can come in and play right away. He's 25 years old. You mentioned Keldrick Falk, who's not going to turn 21 until September. Akeem Mesidor is four years older than Keldrick Falk. And you're bringing him in. Yes, like, polished player, already ready to go.

31:11Part of me feels like they need to bet on, I think, a little bit more upside. And if McCoy is who he was in 2024, this is one of the steals of the draft.

31:19Austin Gayle:McCoy, one of the most intriguing players. And I mean, we have to repeat what you said, so that it sinks in. to be, he has not done anything like, like he didn't play in 2025. And the injury was only, I don't, I shouldn't say only it's easy for me to say, but he tore his ACL, you know, this way, it doesn't sound like, unless there was more to it that we don't know about. Um, this was an ACL tear at the end of 2024. He doesn't play at all in 2025, but then maybe more concerning, he doesn't do anything at the combine because that, you know, nothing at the senior bowl either. He was inviting at the senior bowl.

31:54He might participate. He didn't.

31:55Austin Gayle:Yeah. So it's like, I can kind of understand, Hey, don't rush it back. You're, you know, you're rushing back and now your tape's not as good. Like if I'm an agent or a family member, Hey, we want to go to the NFL next year. Your tape in 2024 was good. You're still working back. Maybe it didn't go as smoothly as you thought, but then to get to the senior bowl and then the combine, like if you're an organization, I said this with Deontay that if I were, you know, in a team building, I would have a bucket of like, let someone else find out players. And I don't, I'm not saying he definitely would fall in there for me because you're right.

32:27Austin Gayle:If you feel like we've got good intel, we got a great relationship with his agent. We know people really well with that Tennessee program. Our scout there is locked in. We love his 2024 tip. We have no concerns about that. Look how good he was. And then you go to his pro day and he, and he performs really well. Maybe you can talk yourself into it, but coming off an injury that took longer than expected to come back from. And all you're seeing is a pro day. I don't, I, now that I talked to myself, I don't think I would have the guts to be like, let's spend our 15th overall pick on a player like this when there are other options out there.

33:02Yeah, you're probably right. Maybe his floor is Dallas with their second pick right at night or at 20. I don't know. I think that this pro day, it's kind of crazy talking about him now before this pro day, because there's a chance that he just lights up the numbers and a lot of the reports out of the pro day that teams are excited. I know that the league stays really high on Jamad McCoy because the tape is very good. And I think the Bucs front office, I know Todd Bowles' status is kind of up in the air, but the Bucs front office, I think, has built up enough equity to where if McCoy doesn't work out, it's okay.

33:33They've drafted really well in recent years. I think that roster is good for the reason that being that the front office has got good talent evaluation and the developing player as well.

33:41Austin Gayle:All right, listen, I don't have another guy. Like even the spiel I just gave, I don't have another like, oh, they should definitely take this guy. Yeah. So let's give him a quick and let's see. Let's see how he does at the pro day. I don't think your thinking is wrong on that. Like, I think he's the type of player that they would absolutely like. He's going to be, you know, he's got a, he's six, one, he's competitive. He can play zone and he has very good tape from 2024. It's just the injury question mark, but let's go ahead and assume that they get some answers on that and they end up taking the quote.

34:10Austin Gayle:I'm good with that. because again, I don't really know what the Bucs should do or what they're going to do there. All right. We go to 16. The New York Jets. We gave them Arvel Reese with the number two overall pick with Deontay. Now they get another pick here at 16. I think you look at their roster. They're good at offensive tackle. We think they're good at offensive tackle. Hopefully things work out for those guys that they've drafted there. They could use help at other premium positions. Pass rush, wide receiver. cornerback? Should their approach Austin be, let's make sure we build an environment so that when we draft our quarterback in 2027, he's in a good spot and we spent one pick on edge rusher.

34:54Austin Gayle:Let's make sure maybe we add a wide receiver here so that we finally give Garrett Wilson a number two wide receiver and that that works out for us. Do they say, we still need a lot of help on that defensive side of the ball. We traded Quinn and Williams. We traded Saus Gardner. Let's add a corner here for Aaron Glenn. We're trying to find out if this guy gives us anything as a coach. I think those are the two positions I looked at most closely here, wide receiver and cornerback. I didn't see a pass rusher necessarily that I said, oh, they should go in that direction. What do you think here for the Jets at number 16?

35:28I don't know. I'm sure you guys gave them Arbel Reese at number two before you saw the Pro Day video that's making the rounds on Twitter where people are second-guessing his bend and how well he can turn around a bag. That's kind of the stage we're at in the pre-draft process where we're just reacting to any more. So people are comparing a different drill. Ruben Bain, the Miami edge, did his pro day to Arvel Reese. And is he a linebacker? The Reese conversation is going to be interesting. But I think what I'm willing to kind of concede things in this exercise. One thing I won't concede is the Jets cannot draft Arvel Reese and another defensive player.

36:01Here's why. Okay. Arvel Reese, right now, there's split decision-making on if he should play linebacker or edge. And we've seen these types before in the NFL draft. We're like, this guy's just too freaky of an athlete. I don't care if he plays edge or linebacker or a hybrid version. He's just that good. You have to take him in the top 10. Isaiah Simmons comes to mind. Zayven Collins comes to mind. Two guys that went to the Arizona Cardinals and absolutely failed with a bad organization. It has kind of a proven track record not being able to develop players. I don't think the Jets are all that different.

36:29Now, we don't know if Aaron Glenn is a part of the long-time solution. The first coaching staff he hired were definitely not a part of the long-term solution because they fired him immediately and kind of gave him this second chance with a brand new staff where he's calling defensive plays. He's going to need to figure out, if they take Arvel Reset 2, what they're doing with him. And that should be almost all of his attention in terms of developing players. Also giving him another defensive player here, a corner or a linebacker or whoever, where you also have to kind of have a plan for that. I think that's just putting too much on his plate.

36:57for someone that you don't even know if is going to be coaching the team in 2027. That's why I much like, especially if Jordan Tyson is still here, but I even think another receiver at 16, Omar Cooper Jr., the Indiana receiver, could be a really good compliment to Garrett Wilson. But please, if you give Aaron Glenn Arvel Reese, don't also stack him and you're like, you're saying, well, we've got to figure out what we have in Glenn. Maybe we give him another corner. The corners they're taking in this spot also have questions that I just don't know if this coaching staff already is there to answer.

37:23Like give, like take a breath, give them Reese, have them figure that out on a defense that still needs a lot of other talent and then offensively try and prepare whoever this quarterback you're going to take in 2027 is going to be with a receiver, you know, not opposite of Garrett Wilson, but maybe in the slot like Omar Cooper Jr.

37:37Austin Gayle:I'm a little concerned, Austin, that you think giving the head coach, you know, having to figure out what to do with two players is putting too much on his plate. It is. But I don't disagree with you. The defense didn't have an interception last year. The defense did not have an interception. That's never happened in the history of the league. And they got an extra game. He was a corner in the NFL and his defense didn't have an interception. It's a problem. I think that there's not a bigger lame duck coach in the NFL right now going into this season. I think everyone expects Aaron Glenn to be the first coach fired.

38:07I think that's where betting odds would be or polymarket or whatever. And the fact that you're going to already give him a player that no one's convinced where you should play him and then you're going to stack another defensive player on a coach, it just doesn't make sense to me. Prepare for the future. The offense needs help. Garrett Wilson needs help. And whoever this quarterback is going to be, I think is going to need more weapons as well.

38:24Austin Gayle:Well, as you were saying, we don't know if he's going to be the coach beyond. I'm like, I think I know whether he's going to be the coach beyond next year. All due respect. Hope it works out for him. Hope I'm wrong. But this feels very Brian Callahan-ish to me for the Jets. I've said it all along. Listen, their front office might not be bad. I don't mind some of the stuff they did this offseason. I like loading up on picks. I think they loaded up on picks and they're saying, we're not going to force a big quarterback move this offseason. Let's wait for 2027. It doesn't mean it's going to work out, but I see some semblance of a plan there where I say, I'm holding out a little bit of hope that the front office knows what they're doing.

38:59Austin Gayle:Now they signed some of these vets for Aaron Glenn in the off season. I think they said, if we're going to keep him, we'll give him one year deals short term. They're not going to be part of our future. Let's see if he can actually bring something to the table as a coach. If he does, we'll figure it out after the season. He's probably not going to show us anything with this roster in 2026. And we're probably moving on after the season. and we don't have long-term commitments, then now we say, oh my God, why did we make those deals? So I generally agree with you. Now, listen, if the front office says we have a corner, one of these corners just, you know, ranked really highly and man, we love them.

39:32Austin Gayle:We don't care if it's for Aaron Glenn or someone else. We just think they're a better player than Jordan Tyson or Omar Cooper Jr. Then go ahead and take them. I don't know that that's necessarily going to be the case. So I'm with you. You add a wide receiver. And now when you draft a quarterback next year, you hopefully can say, we have two very good wide receivers. We have two very good offensive tackles. Maybe we have a very good offensive line. We drafted a tight end last year. We still have Brees Hall. It'll be the type of situation where we can squint and say, if this quarterback is talented and if this new coach knows what they're doing, there's actually an infrastructure here to get this thing right.

40:09Austin Gayle:So I think that's where the Jets want to be at the end of this draft. So I'm good with Tyson or Cooper. Do you have a lean one way or the other? Tyson, we've obviously talked quite a bit about. Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana, 6 '1", 199, ran a 4-4-2, 69 catches for 937 yards last year. Run after the catch, strong, explosive. A lot of people, he really seems to have a high approval rating from a lot of people in this draft. So maybe less question marks, but maybe not as much of an upside as Tyson. Is that a fair way to describe those two when you're comparing them? It's hard with upside. I think that there's probably more inside.

40:49I'm telling myself for that.

40:51Austin Gayle:Cause JSN, we said, oh my God, he's reliable. And now he turned into the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. I just said that last spot. And yet I'm still falling into the trap. Thank you for calling me out. I think there's more inside outside versatility with Tyson. And, and maybe it's easier to kind of immediately see him being a kind of like every down receiver that like gets a ton of volume in the league than it is with Omar Cooper, who maybe is always a slot guy. I think it's dealer's choice here. If it were me, I'd probably lean Tyson even with the injury history. But I think Omar Cooper, even over Tyson at 16, isn't indefensible.

41:27The other thing, I kind of had this idea while you were talking. We should try maybe before the season to rank biggest, maybe by like an earthquake meter or something, the biggest shocks that would happen, would have to happen to like actually shock you to your core. Aaron Glenn and the Jets being good to where he like keeps his job is up there for me on the Richter scale in terms of like, it'd be like an eight or a nine out of 10. If we kind of with the Colts last year, if you told me how good the Colts were going to be through weeks one through eight, weeks one through nine, I would have been, that's a nine out of 10 or 10 out of 10 on the shock factor.

41:56If Aaron Glenn is coaching this team to success and Arvel Reese is this monster everyone wants him to be under Aaron Glenn by week 10, week 12, I would be completely floored.

42:04Austin Gayle:Yeah, I'm trying to think of the other things even in the like realm of possibilities. JJ McCarthy wins out the quarterback battle in Minnesota and is better than Kyler Murray. Or, you know, I think that there's a lot that can be happened. You're right. That's a full episode. Yeah, let's think about the other ones and do a full episode on that. All right, let's give him Jordan Tyson, wide receiver, Arizona State. He goes to the New York Jets at 16. So in our mock draft, they get Arvel Reese. They get Jordan Tyson. Listen, just take guys at premium positions. It might not work out, but kind of that's what they need to do in this draft.

42:39Austin Gayle:They need pass rush. They need wide receiver. they need cornerback as well. All right. We take one more break. Then we come back. A team that I feel like we've honestly barely talked about on the Ringer NFL show this offseason. That's the Detroit Lions. We'll get to them when we come back and then we'll finish out kind of this second part of our mock draft. All right. We're back on the Ringer NFL show. I was thinking about the Lions here and I'm like, intriguing team. Haven't done a lot this offseason. I still think their window's open I don't think they're, oh man, they missed it Really? Yeah, I think they got a shot to get to the Super Bowl.

43:16Austin Gayle:When you're comparing these teams and you're looking at rosters, I'm like this is still a very good roster now it doesn't mean it's definitely going to happen to them but happen for them, but I still see a lot of good players. Let's see how the Drew Petsig hire works out at OC. I'm on the fence with that one, but it at least has a chance I think here they could consider offensive line. You know, they've tried to remake that group over the last couple of years, aside from Penny Sewell. They've made some moves, but I think they could make some more moves there on the offensive line. And then defensively, I would love to add more pass rush some way to this defense to help out Aiden Hutchinson.

43:53Austin Gayle:So those were the two areas I was looking at here. Austin, what do you think for the Detroit Lions? I think if your guy, Monroe Freeling, is still on the board at 17, I think it's a slam, not a slam dunk, but it's a sprint the card in situation for Detroit. Their left tackle, left tackle for like the last 10 plus years, Taylor Decker, they parted ways right before, I think free agency broke, unable to agree on a new contract. He was getting a little bit older, injuries, et cetera. They're now considering moving Panay Sewell from right tackle to left tackle, and then having a recently signed for agent, Larry Borum, who just signed a one year, $5 million deal, I believe.

44:29And maybe he's the starter at right tackle. I think that plan is still on paper what they're considering, but if Freeling comes in, And you're able to say, okay, we know this guy's a little bit of a ball of clay, but he projects or could be this dominant all pro 10 year left tackle. Do we bring in Monroe Freeling, kind of deal with the lumps of his rookie season, which probably will be regardless of where he ends up, a little bit of a mixed bag, but then allow us to keep Panay Sewell at right tackle, have Borum as the swing or competitor or competition with Freeling or whatever. I like that plan a lot more than just going into the season without any kind of high draft capital invested along the offensive line.

45:07I really liked the Cade Mays signing, former Panther center. I thought that was a pretty discount deal and upgraded a position that they really struggled to upgrade. They tried to bring Frank Ragno out of retirement. And then like there was like a imaging of his knee or something that was like, actually, there's just no way this guy could play or was his back. I can't even remember. So then that Ragno dream died within like a week. So I know they upgraded there with Cade Mays. Borum, I think, is a good swing piece. moving Sewell to left. Like, I think they're, I'm a little concerned with that.

45:31And that's why I think the Monroe Freeling pick, if he's there at 17, it makes too much sense for Detroit.

45:35Austin Gayle:This might be my favorite team player makes too much sense not to do it when we've done so far. When I looked at this, I'm like, this would be a great scenario for the Lions. Because when you're at their stage of where they are, you would really love for someone to be able to come in and fill a hole right away, but not having to force it where you're saying, is this still best player available? and I think he fits all those things. Like you said, it might not work out. He might never be a great player, but it might work out. And we might look at it and go, how did he fall with his size and athleticism over the 90th percentile and a bunch of the athletic testing and just the measurables?

46:12Austin Gayle:He looks different than pretty much every offensive lineman in this class. So why would he fall this far? One year starter, that's one reason. And it's not like he was unbelievable with that one year. It's not like you watch his tape and go, oh my gosh, he was incredible. No-brainer, got to take him. So started 16 games, has played a little left tackle and a little right tackle. I felt like this is somebody who you just bet on the upside because if you hit, it's a big, big deal. It fills the hole in the short term and the long term. I love Monroe Freeling to the Lions. I think that's a no-brainer pick here for them.

46:49They also need cheap rookie contracts at premium positions. Because of their success in the draft, They've handed out a lot of big money contracts to players that they've drafted. Jamison Williams got a bag. Aline McNeil got a bag. Of course, Aiden Hutchinson. Even their safety, Kirby Joseph. Remember when Joseph broke the safety market? Like they have signed, Amon Ross St. Brown, they have signed a ton of talent to big, big contracts to where a Monroe Freeling, if by year two, year three, when he's on that rookie contract, is a starting caliber left tackle or maybe even a bit better than that, you're making so much more kind of like surplus return on that investment because a tackle of that caliber on the open market is making$25,$30 million a year.

47:27So I think they've had a lot of success drafting. And apparently Jameer Gibbs, their running back, is going to break the running back market. So they've had a lot of success drafting good players, maybe at lower value positions. Bring in now Monroe Freeling. Hope it kind of pans out. And all of a sudden, there's this surplus savings that you're getting of him on a rookie contract when you have a lot of other guys being paid a lot of money.

47:45Austin Gayle:All right. I have a who says no for you here, Austin, because I was looking at this. And I'm writing down, man, they could really use a pass rusher to help out Aiden Hutchinson. Lions call your boys in Vegas. Okay. Okay. And they say, we will give you this pick number 17 overall, and we will give you our 2027 third that bumps up to a second. If Max Crosby has 10 plus sacks this season, who is saying your one in year one, In 2026, Max Crosby has 10 plus sacks. Then you get a second round pick in 2027, loaded draft. You're a rebuilding team in the Raiders. So you end up maybe getting a first and a second versus two firsts after this debacle with the Ravens.

48:35Austin Gayle:At the very least, you get a first and a third for Max Crosby. The Lions look at it and say, we just aren't going to be able to find a pass rusher this good. Let's try to capitalize on it. Maybe our window is closing, but it's not closed all the way. let's go ahead and add Max Crosby and Hutchinson against these quarterbacks in the NFC. I'll take our chances with our defense. I like it for Detroit a lot, right? And if he gets 10 plus sacks, they're going to be excited to give that second round pick. I'd probably want something that's a conditional first, right? Something that's a second that becomes a first with playoff time or whatever.

49:11I think that the Raiders are going to rightfully so. Spy tech pilled over here. Gotta get that first or I'm not doing it. We need two firsts. I also think that if they're considering in this spot and it's something that's happening live in the draft and Omar Cooper Jr., the Indiana receiver, is available here at 17. So when you could reunite with Fernando Mendoza right away, they'll probably strongly consider it. That said, it feels like they have a team. They have a team of slot receivers right now. Trey Tucker, Jalen Naylor. I feel like they need to figure out who's going to be their big-bodied X type.

49:38But I think they'd consider it. I think a third becoming a second, they might hold pat, maybe look for a player from Detroit. But if you're Detroit, you know you need something better opposite of Aiden Hutchinson to maximize the defense. And I think they should be calling and offering that kind of deal for Max Crosby regardless.

49:53Austin Gayle:Yeah, those pass rushers passed the first round. It's not that you can't find them, but very difficult to find those guys when you just look at the history of the NFL. All right, we'll stick with Monroe Freeling. I think those would be both great outcomes that would have Lions fans really excited. Trade for Max Crosby or get Freeling. Those are both nice outcomes for the Detroit Lions. All right, number 18, the Minnesota Patriots. Vikings, the Kyler Murray-led Minnesota Vikings. You think about who's making this pick. If it's just Kevin O 'Connell being like, I run this place now, I will tell you who we pick.

50:29Austin Gayle:Is this Brian Flores? Did he have an issue with Crescia Delfa-Menta? Some of the reporting suggests that that was not a great relationship there. Do you say, hey, let's bring someone in to help Brian Flores' defense stay among the top five in the NFL for what would it be, like the third consecutive year here Austin, what do you think? Who are they looking at in this spot? Kenyon Sadiq still on the board. You have the wide receiver still on the board. You got some interesting defensive backs still on the board. What direction would the Vikings go here at 18? I think considering Sadiq or maybe a receiver, Concepcion or Cooper here, feels like the sexy, fun pick.

51:11But it's kind of chalk right now who's being mocked to them in this spot. it's been safety Dylan Thienemann from Oregon to replace Harrison Smith and be the free safety for them. And I think some Vikings fans might have immediate flashbacks to when they took Lewis Seen, the Georgia safety, in the first round. I think he was the 32nd overall pick. The big difference is Seen playing football at Georgia was never as good as what Thienemann is right now. He was great at Purdue. He was great at Oregon. Instinctual player, kind of like the cerebral, knows everything, is moving people around before snap.

51:41Like he is like the center of the defense and has this ability, I think, to play in the box and play up top. I don't know if it's like a steal, right? It's safety. You know, these players still have to pan out and he's immediately going to, I think, a defense though that I think could accentuate his skill set. Thienemann, to me, feels like someone who's going to be in strong consideration here if they don't like one of the receivers enough or the corners enough. I think they could always use trench work. But this is the other process of going through this exercise, like the 10 to 21 range. You're going to run out of the Vega Iones, the Mansour Delanes like pretty quickly where you're like I'm pretty confident this guy's a good football player right now and I can kind of bring him in I think Thienemann is a great football player right now and it's at a position of need they need to replace Harrison Smith I like this pick a lot for them

52:25Austin Gayle:yeah I hated to go chalk but I felt the way everyone else feels like oh yeah I could see that that would make a lot of sense he would be a monster in Brian Flores' defense so tested really well I think that was a surprise right you were at the combine that was a surprise it felt like that he ran 4-3-5 and had a vertical of 41 inches at the combine. I'm not just saying that because he's a white defensive back. I think people said on film, they might not have seen that level of athlete, but yes, they saw a very good football player. Yeah, I mean, straight line explosiveness, right? He didn't attest the agilities, but the jumps and the 40, you can feel that like straight line burst and speed and explosiveness from him.

53:05My favorite parts of his tape though are just the kind of football player he is, the instincts that he has. And at safety, I think it's one of the most important traits that you can have is that you kind of feel what's going to happen before it happens. And you have this natural flow to the football that I don't think seen ever had, right? Could keep bringing up like kind of the first round safety stuff. I think betting on athletic long projects at safety because that role and that like your assignment and alignment can vary so much defense to defense. I think that's tough with Thienemann. I feel like he's going to be good in any defense.

53:36And I think that's where the big difference is here. You're not betting on someone that needs to be better in the NFL for it to be worth this pick. You're betting on someone that even if he is as good as he is right now in the league, you're going to get a standout player.

53:45Austin Gayle:I'm with the safety and linebacker. I want the guy who could see it a half second before everyone else. That'll make up. It's like Levante David, right? Yeah. I mean, it's like almost every linebacker, honestly. Yeah. Some of them have that and they have the great athleticism and they rise to like Hall of Fame caliber, but it's hard to think of guys who are, you know, certain schemes, obviously. All right. Just, you know, don't, don't worry about it. Just see ball, get ball. But I think those types of instinctive, smart players, I want it both safety and linebacker. I'm with you. I prioritize that over athleticism.

54:17Austin Gayle:All right, that one I think makes a lot of sense. All right, we got three more picks here. We got the Carolina Panthers at number 19. I was looking at it. Wide receiver, center, tight end. Is this the Sadiq team? Finally, pass rush. you could look at what do you think for Carolina here at number 19? Omar Cooper Jr. I know I brought him up a handful of times. I had them in my mock in my brain trading up to go get Jordan Tyson or Makai Lemon if they wanted to go up with the Cowboys. I think sticking at this spot if Omar Cooper Jr. is still there I think he compliments T-Mac very well Terrell McMillan rookie sensation from last year.

54:55Could they look at pass rusher? Could they look elsewhere? I'm not sure. I mean they just invested a ton on defense and free agency. They've spent big money on Devin Lloyd and Jalen Phillips. I still think the offense is some talent away. And I still think that they know, right? I think they know in the building that they need, the best players on the offense need to be better than Bryce Young, right? They need to be someone who's elevating Bryce Young to this point where like, they don't feel Bryce Young is this elevator or ever going to be someone that's like even better than where Baker Mayfield is kind of max outcome.

55:27So the more that you can add pieces to the offense that makes things easier for him and creates margin of error for having a very small quarterback who's limited in a lot of ways. I think that's smart decision-making, especially as they're on the edge. Like last year, they made the playoffs, almost upset the Rams. As they're on the edge of competition, they don't know what their long-term future is at quarterback. Trying to just keep adding pieces to the offense where you know you need to get better, I think makes sense.

55:49Austin Gayle:It'll be the third year in a row, right? They take a wide receiver in the first round. Oh, wow. Yeah, right? Leggett, the year before, they took. but I like it. I would, I would say go ahead and do it. You know, you have more information on those guys. Now you can't say, well, we can't do this three years in a row. You can look at it and say, all right, maybe we didn't hit on that pick. Now we have McMillan. Now we have Cooper. I'm with you. It feels like, uh, that would fit really well. Those two skill sets would really compliment each other. Um, he's someone who is not just sort of a one trick pony.

56:22Austin Gayle:He can help you, uh, in the run game. He can do the dirty work as well. So I like that pick Omar Cooper, junior to the Panthers at 19. All right. The Cowboys. Who did we? We gave the Cowboys fall, right? Keldrick fall. The edge from Auburn with their first pick. Now they get this pick. This is courtesy of the Micah Parsons trade at number 20. They get to pick again. I still think I'm leaning best defensive player, but someone in the room should say, well, what if we added Sadiq to this skill group? because we don't know if George Pickens is going to be with us in 2027. Let's not make it all about this year.

57:02Austin Gayle:Let's look at it down the road. Now, maybe if we don't keep Pickens in 2027, well, we still have CeeDee Lamb and maybe Sadiq is our second receiving threat. Are we able to talk ourselves into that? Or is there maybe a defensive player? Maybe you're going in a different direction that would make more sense. Yeah, I still think I lean defense here. I mock them in this spot. I gave them Keldrick Falk and TJ Parker, the defensive end from Clemson. I think they offer completely different skill sets. Keldrick Falk is closer to Arik Armstead than he is a true defensive end. And I think some people have comped TJ Parker to a Bradley Chubb.

57:39I think that having Falk play more on the interior, and then I know they brought in Rashawn Gary, who was going to get caught. They traded a fourth-round pick for him. But Rashawn Gary and their second-round pick out of Kansas State, Donovan Ezraku, Ezraku hasn't really worked out. and I think you want, you still need to, I think, be tooling up that defensive front and honestly, the best player available in this spot might be trying to take one of these big guys like Parker or whoever, but maybe they like a corner enough to reach here, but again, you have Delane off the board, Jermon McCoy off the board.

58:09Do you want one of the small guys like Avion Terrell or D 'Angelo Pons? Probably not. I think you'd be dipping kind of deep into like the second round values to go corner here, so I think focusing defensive line might be the right idea.

58:20Austin Gayle:All right, That Parker wasn't even on my radar here. Probably should have been the edge from Clemson. Like you said, comps to Bradley Chubb, 21 years old, more of a sort of set the edge, physical butt kicker type edge than a just, hey, pin your ears back and go get after the quarterback. But that fits if they're bringing a fan to a scheme. That's the type of player he would like to have there, you would think, in Christian Parker. So if they doubled up, that would be really interesting. Now you added Quinn and Williams. You kept Kenny Clark. Now you got two edges here. You drafted an edge last year.

58:53Austin Gayle:You're building it up front. I like Terrell, I think, maybe a little bit more than you do. I would kind of be intrigued with Terrell at this spot. The corner from Clemson, little undersized, 5 '11", 186, two and a half year starter. Did play outside in college, can play press, can play zone. Just looking at it, I was like, is he Trent McDuffie-ish here? Avion Terrell. And you look at those Eagles defenses, Cooper DeGene, what a big pick that was for them, a difference-making nickel for them in that Fangio scheme. So I think those are the two guys, as I'm looking at it, who would probably come to...

59:31Austin Gayle:Actually, I would add Sadiq in there. Sadiq, you could... Maybe you're just saying, man, we didn't think he'd still be available. He's one of the best 15 players in the draft by our board. Let's not overthink it and let's take him. So Sadiq, Terrell, or TJ Parker, man, that's a pretty spicy choice there for the Dallas Cowboys, Austin. Which way do we go here? I think I'd rank them if it were between those three. I think I'd go Parker, then Sadiq, then Terrell. I'll multiply a little bit. I don't see the McDuffie comments with Terrell. I think he's a little bit too thin for that. Maybe not as physical, not as much of a tackler.

1:00:06I think with Parker and Falk, right? Who we've obviously mocked them as well. I think both of them need to play their best football in the NFL to be really worth the first round talents that they are. But I still think athletically and just overall, the prospect of what they could be is still very exciting. with Sadiq. The questions I'd have are, you know, how much do they like Ryan Flowernoy? Do they want him on the field more? Do they want to run more? That's true. With Pickens and Seedy and Flowernoy? Because I think Jake Ferguson has to be on the football field for them. And do they want to play a ton of 12 personnel to make the Sadiq thing work?

1:00:35I don't know. Like that's why Sadiq is so hard to mock, right? Because you immediately have to say like, hey, what's our plan for him? I don't think he can be a tight end one right away where he's on the field every play and he's, you know, run blocking all those types of things. I think he has to come in almost in like an Isaiah likely role out of the gate where you're kind of, okay, where is he? What is he best? He's doing these different skill things. But no, I think I'd go Parker, then Sadiq just for the chance that he is what everyone thinks he could be. And then probably Terrell.

1:00:59Austin Gayle:All right, you can never go wrong just building on the lines of scrimmage. Let's put our football guy hats on and say that's how games are won in the NFL. It is true. I think it's smart to build those areas. You talked me into it. I wasn't thinking TJ Parker for them in this spot, but they double up. They go Falk. They go Parker. People are looking at this D-line. People are looking at this offense. People are looking at this new defensive coordinator and saying, are they the favorites in the NFC East going into 2026? So, all right. He talked me into it there with TJ Parker to the Cowboys. And the last pick we will do today, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

1:01:42Austin Gayle:I got to say, I looked at this roster for this exercise. I'm like, not a bad roster. I think they got some talent. You know, I'm like talented front seven. You know, some players in the secondary, O-line's not bad, could go best player available, could go interior offensive line or offensive line overall. Obviously, I don't think you're drafting a quarterback here unless you have a Ty Simpson take for me and a big surprise. Or you could just kind of take the best defensive player. I actually thought TJ Parker, I was like, oh, that fits. He's a Pittsburgh Steeler. Put him down. But we have Parker off the board here.

1:02:19Austin Gayle:So what direction do the Steelers go in? I mean, it's a tough spot. I think that with the offensive line, I still think you can throw resources at that. And maybe it's Blake Miller, the Clemson offensive lineman. Do you go Caden Proctor, the Alabama offensive tackle? Both those guys like projects still need to figure out what they're going to be. Do you go Caleb Lomu, the Utah offensive tackle who's more like a traditional tackle than Spencer Fanu, who's maybe could kick in the guard, maybe center. I think investing in the offensive line makes sense. They haven't, all their picks there haven't completely panned out.

1:02:49Best defensive player available. You're kind of looking in the secondary, right? Do you go Terrell? Do you go with the Toledo safety, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren? I don't know where to go here, honestly. I think Pittsburgh has a lot of needs everywhere. And I think part of this too, is I just don't really understand what their plan is. What are they trying to do? Yeah. Is Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers going to win nine, maybe 10 games and losing the wildcard round? Probably. What is this team after that? It's one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. It's kind of like pick someone who you think is going to be good, even if they're not going to contribute right away, probably, because I don't think that it's not like we're maximizing this window.

1:03:25We're going all in. I don't think there is a ceiling chance that McCarthy and Rogers are playing in the AFC championship, right? I think the ceiling chance for this team is they need to get younger. They need to get cheaper at certain positions. They need to get smarter and overall, like kind of switch into this post Tomlin era. We've kind of moved on very quickly, kind of like the Ravens moving on from mentor. That's been easier to grasp because mentor previously worked for them. I think they're ready for that change. There's a lot of talent on that football team. There's a two-time MVP at quarterback, more recent than Aaron Rogers.

1:03:51And with the Steelers, old roster, Mike McCarthy, who hasn't really panned out in recent years. I don't know. Like, I think the Steelers are kind of in this no man's land, making it to where like, just throw a dart at the dartboard. And you're still kind of looking at 2027 saying, who's our quarterback going to be? What are we building toward? what could you get for pat fryer moose in a tree would someone be interested i mean a swap at some point i think some people would be interested it's a reasonable contract i'm looking at anything anything over a third and i'm laughing like i don't i don't think trading a second round pick for fryer moose i think that'd be insane now maybe it's like a third and a fourth but you're getting something back i don't know i think a fourth it's a lot yeah Yeah.

1:04:30Austin Gayle:So would you trade Friermuth for a fourth and take, and you just say, Sadiq's the bet easily the best player? I mean, if Rodgers wants it, if McCarthy wants it, sure. Like I kind of, you're kind of, you got all your, you know, ducks in the McCarthy-Rodgers thing working out. When you look at the staff that McCarthy put together, it's like a half of it is guys that he's worked with before. It's very much like we're bringing the guys back together and we're going to see what ends up happening. And if like, if you're getting the band back together and the most important decision makers on the team are Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers, probably should align on, with what they need, right?

1:05:00And I think if you are trying to, I guess, like keep competing and stay in this window of what has been mediocrity, absolutely. But maybe in their case, they see it as winning football.

1:05:10Austin Gayle:Yards after the catch with Sadiq, Rodgers can throw those, you know, two-yard passes. I do not trust McCarthy to figure out Sadiq. And I think Aaron Rodgers could be frustrated with Sadiq by like week four, right? And they're playing like someone else in that spot. I think it probably makes more sense for them to play someone that can like play right away. Maybe it's a key Mesidor here, a little bit older, but fits right into that older group, can play opposite of TJ Watt, be that swing player when they have guys missing time. This is tough. Watt has missed time. It's tough. I don't know who to go with.

1:05:36Austin Gayle:Proctor, do you say, Caden Proctor, do you take him, the tackle, from Alabama and just say, let's not overthink it? We just really like him and we'll figure it all out. We'll figure a way to get the best five out there. You mentioned Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, the safety from Toledo. So that's one that you could, I guess, kind of see for the Steelers. I like it. Yeah, Terrell, you could see maybe Terrell there for them. Man, what about Peter Woods? We haven't talked about him. Are you not a Peter Woods guy? Defensive tackle from Clemson. It felt like going into last year, you know, if you would have told the Steelers you would have got Peter Woods with the 21st pick, they would have been like, awesome.

1:06:16Austin Gayle:But he did not have a good year last year. And now it looks like his stock has fallen quite a bit. Do they look at that and say, hey, people are overthinking it. This guy still has a lot of talent. He's only 21 years old. Let's build on the lines of scrimmage. I'm too indecisive, Austin. I don't pick restaurants. When I get to a place like this, I can't pick. So you're going to have to make the pick for us. I just am throwing out names in your direction. Honestly, maybe it's Avion Terrell. And maybe I'm just too low on him. I could see him in the uniform. I think taking Peter Woods, just to hit on the Peter Woods, I like McDonald a lot more, the Ohio State defensive tackle.

1:06:51If I'm going to take a big guy in the middle, Caden McDonald, is who I'm thinking about here over Peter Woods. And then the edges, right? You're taking a bit maybe of an older edge, Nikkei Mesidor. Does that really feel a need? Is that what they're looking for? I don't know. I'd rather probably say, I think Avion Terrell or one of these tackles, pick your favorite, Lomu, Miller from Clemson, Proctor from Alabama, just because you need to keep throwing resources at the offensive line. But yeah, I think that's where I'm at. Maybe Terrell or one of these tackles.

1:07:15Austin Gayle:All right. We're taking Terrell. So that would give them a corner group of Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, and Terrell. I mean, so yeah, it's a talented group there. So all right, we're going to give them Avion, Terrell. All right, that was a fun exercise. I feel like I've just been cramming over the last week. I've just been like, man, I'm behind on the draft. I got to get ready. And now I just got all these takes built up and now we're doing this mock exercise. So that takes us through the 21st pick. And I think in the next show we do, we'll just go ahead and do 22 to 32. See, we don't need to fit in a whole mock draft in one show, Austin.

1:07:56Austin Gayle:We like to spend our time, talk it out, give each team their due. That way, no fan base is mad at us. So I think it worked out well. I do think doing this exercise and kind of like just considering you're not going to get any of these top 10 players. Because when you look at who you guys drafted in the first 10, it was actually exactly the top 10 players on the latest consensus board. So you're getting kind of like the 10 best available prospects in the top 10. When you go into the second 10, you're dealing with a couple guys that you feel like could be good right away maybe it's the thenaman maybe it's vega juane maybe it's man sort of lane i think after that it's like i don't know if this guy's going to be good i don't know if this guy's going to be healthy i don't know what position this guy's going to play but he's the best player available he's the most whatever the athlete whatever and i think that's kind of why everyone has kind of talked about this draft class is maybe not being a good one it's because the blue chips run out quick and then when you get into some of these valuable positions in the middle of the first round we're like i know i need to be taking a pass rusher.

1:08:48I know I need to be taking a tackle or a corner. It's like, buddy, it's not that deep in the first round. After McCoy, after Delaney, you're starting to scrape a little bit. After Fanu is already off the board, you're starting to scrape a little bit of tackle right away into your offensive line. It's Vega. So I do think that this draft in the middle parts, that's why I think there are going to be teams kind of clamoring maybe to trade down. If there's a team lower that's maybe overconfident in their own evaluation of one of the top receivers in this class or one of the top corners, whoever it is.

1:09:13Austin Gayle:And even the blue chippers you mentioned in the top 10. We're talking a running back. We're talking a safety, at least one off ball linebacker, maybe two. Let's see where we are with Arvel Reese by the time the draft rolls around. So yeah, it's like, you know, you typically would want premium positions and you just feel, it doesn't mean you're going to be right, but you feel really good about it. Hey, this is a clean prospect who we think is going to be good. And it's tough to find those guys. And then you get past those and it's the questions like you just mentioned there with a lot of these guys.

1:09:42Austin Gayle:So yeah, it feels like every prospect in the first round almost has a question about him and more so than usual. But you know what? That'll make fun. That'll make for fun content here as we look ahead to next month's draft. All right, his name is Austin Gale. That was a lot of fun. Thank you to Austin. Thank you to Christopher Sutton for producing. Thank you to Stefano Sanchez for video additional production supervision by Connor Nevins and Arjuna Ramgopal. I'm Shil Kapadia. We'll talk to you next time on the Ringer NFL Show.

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