HR2: Positional Groups

Published Mar 26, 2025, 9:15 PM
The second half of the show consists of yet another mock draft, and a discussion of which positional group is the strongest compared to the others in this year's draft, and more conversation on news around the league.

This is the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the Black and Gold cast in Steelers Nation Radio.

Welcome back to our number two of the Drive here on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network. And it's Wednesday, which means it's our turn to do a little mock draft madness here. All right, all right, we're gonna use the Pro Footballnetwork dot com mockdrafter today. And we're up at pick twenty one and we have two trade offers. The first one is from the Rams. They're offering us they want twenty one and pick two twenty nine. Okay, they're offering us pick twenty six and next year's second.

I bet we could get more out of them. Could we get a fourth this year thrown in or something like that. Typically they don't do that on this one, but how the simulator works, they usually come to you with their best office. Oh really, it's not like okay.

Uh, The Vikings are offering pick twenty four and next year's fourth for pick twenty one that sign.

Off a playoff team's fourth round picks that move up in the first round. Come on, the guy's still available. Right now. Jalen Walker, linebacker out of Georgia, that might be the target of on these teams. Yeah, maybe not those two, particularly.

James Pierce, the edge rusher out of Tennessee. John Ay Barron, cornerback out of Texas, Chavon Ravelle, cornerback out of East Carolina, Josh Simmons, offensive tackle a lot of Ohio State. Colston Loveland the tight end out of Michigan. Nick Scourton, edge rusher out of Texas, A and m A. Mecca at BUCA wide receiver out of Ohio State. He ran a four to four eight today at.

Ohio Okay, notorious fast track or using at Ohio State, so automatic. I'm gonna add point zero five to that. So he's really a four mid four five. That's like how he plays too. Yeah.

Luther Burden the wide receiver out of Missouri. Ty Leek Williams, the defensive tackle out of Ohio State who apparently pulled a hamstring today while he was running his flow.

He's not gonna run forty yards.

I don't care if he was running forties. Gray's Abel Walter, Nolan, Donovan Azeriku, Kenneth Grant is there, Amarion Hampton running back out of North Carolina, Donovan Jackson. There's there's some targets there. If we wanted to move down with.

Grant and Nolan still available, I'm all for trading down. I don't know the sites. Are the simulators well enough. I'm not super interested in next year's fourth, sort of interested in next year second, but I would prefer this year. So yeah, because I know it's tough from where you sit too to make a move trading next year's third in the RAMS second so we can get the fiftieth pick in the draft this year, you know, and that's not always easy to pull off. And I don't know if teams want future picks, if they want to got out of the second, you know. Yeah, but we can't really counter.

RAMS don't have a second this year problem, So we could accept that, bump back five spots, and then try to trade.

I'm fine with it. I mean, we opened the show saying it's a fair deal. It's not a bad offer at all, right, I mean, I do think that's a late second most likely. I don't think they're gonna pick the top ten, which is something you have to think about. But you never know. Iford got hurt I didn't think Washington would be a final fourteen. Rather, you know, I'm for it, but it is going to be stressful on you if there's some kind of target of ours. That's hard to you know, because we really only have future picks to offer. Yeah, I don't really want to get rid of the third this year. Yeah, let me see what else. Well, but all this could end up landing your next Pat Mahomes, folks, your next with Ben Roethlisberger, Right, I mean, it's just a year down the road it takes. If you get the same guy at twenty six that you would have taken a twenty one, which to me is probably Grant or Nolan. Well, then I got a second round pick next year, all right, would you really accept it? Yeah? That's fun, all right, Actually happens right, all right, So.

I'm gonna move out of this year real quick. They did come up for Jalen Walker.

Okay, not really even a need for the Rams, but I'm sure he was high on everyone's board.

Then John ay Barron went James Pearce, Chavon Revel Nick Scourton to the Cowboys. Okay, great, we're up at twenty six and we do have again another trade offer.

We have two.

Actually, the Bears are offering pick thirty and next year's third for a twenty six.

Loaded with picks twenty six.

Now yeah, yeah, the Chargers are offering fifty five, eighty six, next year's two and next year's three for pick twenty six.

That's getting I mean, it's fair. But I'd like to make something a little crazy, right, What about do you want to do the the other one? The first one? Oh? Really, I want to make a pick. We only moved down. I mean we would be moving.

Down past Baltimore, Detroit, Washington, and Washington because it looks.

Like Washington twice.

Yeah, Buffalo traded up, No, just Washington. Once Buffalo traded up to go get Derek Carmen at twenty. They moved up ahead of us.

Oh okay, that doesn't mean if we move back, some of these other teams can, Like somebody at Kansas City could bump up ahead of us. They could. I'd rather just take the player, that's fine. I mean the future pick doesn't do us all that much good for today, honestly. But Nolan or Grant gone back and forth on that too, Like I.

Mean, we talked about it yesterday and I think Nolan is harder to find in this draft.

Kicking it around because I really like the draft too, and it's much easier to do if you take Nolan now verse Grant. But I also think Grant could be bent and be nose or end or you know what I mean. Like he's he could kill only one, he can handle both spots. Yeah, throw one in late. It's a really developmental guy. Let's say Nolan. Okay, Walter Nolan, it is. I love the fourth round. Nose tackles is basically where we come from.

I'm gonna pause this thing in the middle two of round two and see if we can maybe what's an angle something to get up back up in there. All right, we're at forty eight now, Kenneth Grant still available, crazy, I'd be interested. Well, in that case, that might be a target if we're trying to get give up a lot for him right now. So Miami is up. Let's see if Miami would be interested, we would give up the Rams two. They're gonna want this year's third though, that's what makes it. Harry, I'm going to offer what about the Steelers. I'm gonna offer our second next year's third that's.

Really our bargaining chips. That's what makes it tough for pick forty eight. Yeah, they might accept that, they might not. I mean it's a fair offer, right, right, right, they just don't get the pictus. They declined it. Okay, you're gonna let it go. Three or four more picks.

Yeah, we'll see if somebody else, I mean, if Grant stays on, the stays available, I'm gonna try again. Okay, we're at fifty two a Seahawks. With the Seahawks, this is where.

We would have picked original I'm going to but I would definitely give up the Steelers third in the Rams second next year for Kenneth Grant, even without a doubt. Yeah, without a doubt, without matter. If you've got no one and Grant, right, I mean, I'd forget it. It might be done.

I mean, I don't care what else I get strapped. All right, So Seattle, I'm going to offer them the two and a three for the fifty second pick. They rejected it.

It's gonna be tough because I mean, I know this is computer, this isn't real people. But if you want picks this year, if you want to pick this year, we're not helping you, right, And I don't really want to get rid of the third. No, and he just went okay, he goes Green Bay took him. Good for them.

Sure, yeah, all right, we're gonna resume here. I'm gonna pause again here it's top A round three.

Okay, so the second round went by.

Yeah, Judkins is still there, okay. Uh Brayden Swinson address red of Velashue, Darius Alexander is still there, Treveon Henderson is still there. Jalen Nowell, Alfred.

Collins, Collins is interesting, guy is interesting.

Yeah, if I could try to get up here, Kansas City is the team who's on the clock here.

Probably with the Titaness pig. Now I think about it. Yeah, so I'm gonna real quick, would you give up this year's third and next year's third for Judkins? That's what we're gonna try. Well, I don't know, We're not gonna. I don't want to give up. It's a different conversation.

Well, yeah, because you're at eighty three? Now, would I give up next year's third? Then becomes the question, knowing that I have a compensatory pick.

I mean, I would definitely give up the third and next year's fourth. We also now have an extra second next year. That's I mean, you're sitting on a one, two, two's, maybe three threes, probably two threes and a bunch of four's.

Would I be happy, though, just getting out of this draft Nolan and Judkins.

And be loaded for next year? Yeah? I mean, and you get some spare pieces. But right, that's my question. Would you give up next year's third in this third? I would offer this year's third and next year's fourth.

That's I think going to be I'm going to offer. I'm gonna offer our pick one twenty three.

And Judkins is our target? Is that what we agree with? I think so? Yeah? I mean I'm interested in Collins too.

I'm gonna offer pick one twenty three in next year's third one, that's our fourth round pick. I would draft that and next year's third, and would keep.

Our third for this year. Yeah. Oh, I would do that in heartbeat. I don't think they're going to say yes. Find out yeah for pick sixty six. No, they rejected that. Okay, I can sweeten it a little bit. Would you do.

Where they at? Kansas City? Where are you at?

How about this year's you offered this year's fourth and next year's third. Would you give up the Rams second straight up for Judkins?

I think I would, yeah, because it's about it's going to be in the similar area and next year's draft to get back get Judkins right now.

I think I would. Yeah, I'll give you next year's two hours or the Rams.

I'll even throw in a sweet I'll give you like a six next year because we got two of those.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean they'd have to get out of this draft. But that was rejected. Okay, turning down at two for next year, you're gonna let it roll three or four picks we can miss is an early three and you're offering a late two a year from now. Well, he's gone, okay and our pick is almost up. It went very fast. Took him, We took him. Oh, the Chiefs took him. So there you go.

They were on the dude, sat on their guy, all right, So we're back. What's sitting there, Trevon Henderson, I'm interested?

Yeah. Jalen Noel interested.

Wide receiver out of Iowa State, Mason Taylor, tight end out of LSU Xavier or Strepo. Wide receiver from Miami. Denzel Burke cornerback out of Ohio State, Barrett Carter, linebacker at Clemson, Chris Paul, linebacker at of Ole Miss Omar Norman Lott, defensive tackle to Tennessee. Ashton Gillette at dresser out of Louisville. DJ Giddons running back out of k State, Elijah Rojo quinn Ewers is there at the quarterback position. Cam Scattabo running back out of Arizona State.

I think it was on Noel and Henderson.

Well, Howard is there, quarterback out of Ohio State. Josh Farmer still there.

I bet there's a couple noses around from now though. Do you have to take Henderson? I think you do. I mean that's a nice value getting him that late. Yeah, I'm a Noel fan. I hate kind of walking away from him because it's kind of a gift. But where you sit right now, someone's got k ball.

Somebody's got to carry the ball. Henderson's very good in past.

Protection, which is really rare in this running back, really rare. Yeah, two things I've really noticed lately. None of the wide receiver's block and none of the running backs for good and protection. And I think it's just Nil. I got millions in the bank. I'm a ball. They're just acting like they're professionals. Big man on campus nowadays, they don't people to do the dirty working.

And I know Travon Henderson showed up at the combine.

At two oh two bigger than that. He plays about two ten. He's not a he's not a small back, right right, right? No, I got no problem. I mean, and again he is willing to get his nose dirty. I mean, if you told me today the genie comes out of the bottle, you trade your third round pick for Henderson.

Yeah, he was the number one running back recruit in the country and we got the number one overall recruit in the country.

Oh right, right, right, Okay, guys are high pedigree dudes that Oh yeah, yeah, I could take Henderson. I think he's just fine with it. Yeah.

Then the question becomes, you want to try to trade back up again, can we?

I would consider Noel or a d tackle or Noel is still there at pick ninety the Rams are up, Would the Rams take him? Would they take there? Would you offer your second round or straight up for him? Give it back to them, yeah yeah, or give them our second round pick, not a two for a pick ninety. I don't. I'd say, I think that's as rich as I would even consider.

So I'm gonna rams we already did business ones, let's see if we can do it again here, because they have pick one oh one coming up too, they could be willing to now they haven't made a pick since the first round.

Doubt it would get it done. But with our fourth this year and our fourth next year, get you a no L no h, it's coming in kind of cheap there. Yeah, how about your fourth this year and a third next year? And is that worth it to us? It's probably a nose at four.

I would want to get something back from them later in this draft too. They've got a bunch of They've got a bunch of picks coming up. If I'm trading, if you get a five, or even if I'm trading a three next year, which I've already bumped up from my two that they already gave me, it's like having that extra third already.

But I just moved it ahead of a full.

Round, more than a full round really, because that's a compensate a compensatory pick.

And now we're.

So I give them one twenty three if I offer them one twenty three in next year's.

Third for this pick and question mark, let's say pick one ninety. It's fair.

They accepted it, okay, all right, so now we can you want to take Jalen Noel here? Yeah, yeah, wait a second, it accepted it, and then we didn't get to make the pick, and we didn't and we didn't have our four.

They took our picks and didn't give us a player.

What the heck's going on here with this? Unless unless it did give me Noel and I missed.

Well, we can pretend that on our screen it says we has no L. Even the people watching don't know.

Instead, the Carolina Panthers made that pick. How did that work? Then we lost our pick and we lost our pick. Well, if the tree he went through, let's say we got no L. We got no L, but we should have had a picket. Well, now we traded that one. Yeah, they took Ollie Gordon. That's some bs anyway. So yeah, we got Jalen Noel. We're back. We're back up now one fifty six. This fifth round, Yeah, this fifth round. Best players available. Dylan Gabriel, quarterback out of Oregon, JJ Piggies nose tackle out of Ole Miss. Kyle Williams, wide receiver aut of Washington State. Well, we don't need another one of those.

I was watching him. He's better than I thought too. He's good. Yeah. I like it a lot. Yeah, some drop issues, but yeah, yeah he gets open.

Uh he who shall not be named year back, Riley Leonard quarterback out of Notre Dame, Tommy Hill cornerback out of Nebraska, Elijah Roberts defensive tackle out of SMU, And he's a little light. It would be more of an end in this defense. Jalen Rivers all defensive tackle out of Miami. Jalen Lane, wide receiver, Virginia Tech.

I'm a big Jayalen Lane fan, but we just took one. Yeah.

Joonah Mannheim center from USC.

I'm not going to go too deep. Iness. I think you take Peggy's pegeese. Yeah, yeah, I was. I was taking exactly thing. Yep. Yeah, that's a nice pick in the fifth. So where do we have left? I'm real confused.

We have one eighty five and one ninety two picks left.

And next year the only change is we traded our third for the Rams second. Yes, basically get it right? Yeah, Okay, which is a good deal. Yeah, that's wonderful, right, and we got the guy. We still still got the guy. We wanted to make that exactly and we got Judkins huge. Yeah.

Uh so one one eighty five. Elijah Roberts still there, defensive tackle out of SMU, Jake my Majors the center out of Texas. Anias Peebles defensive tackle out of Virginia Tech. Ty Robinson defensive tax kind of.

Like the shock Cheek code almost too.

He should not be yea, it should not be down there.

Uh.

Corey Kiner running back out of Cincinnati. Mitchell Evans tight end out of Notre Dame like that, good player, Yeah, Jay Higgins linebacker out of Iowa, Marcus Tate guard out of Clemson, Jordan James running back out of Oregon, Tim Smith defensive.

Tackle out of Alabama. We just did that, though.

Connor Colby guard out of Iowa, Tyler Cooper guard out of Minnesota.

Is the a position that.

You want to hit here? Lin Josh Gray is there.

That's not bad. The tight end from Notre Dame is interesting. Yeah, I mean just he seems like best player on the board to me. But I'd love to get an offensive lineman here.

Dalton Cooper, the offensive tackle out of Oklahoma State, is the top rated offensive tackle. Jackson Hawes is there. If you're looking for a blocking tight end.

Would you rather go with the athletic tight end or the blocking tight end? Could you use Jackson Hawes? Could you switch him to full back? Yeah, I mean I think he could. I mean, I don't switch. I would think we're.

Just flying him in the back. He is a nasty, nasty blocker.

We just drafted Vegas.

Yeah, but he's been a running full back, which is crazy. But yeah, I mean you could do some things there. Curtis Rourke is there.

That's intriguing. Just let's let's take a look at positions, because that's what you do at this point. Best player available, not quarterback.

You're looking at Curtis Rourke, Ma, Max Brosmer, Brady Cook.

Those are the top.

Taylor Elvers was there, but offensive tackle Dalton Cooper, Brandon Crenshaw Dixon from Florida, Jaylen Travis from Iowa State, Gerard Christian Lichton lichten Hand from Oregon State, Caleb Rogers from Texas Tech.

I don't know enough about any of those guys.

The table for him the guards, Marcus Tate from Clemson, Colby Connor Colby from Iowa, Tyler Cooper from Minnesota, Josh Gray from Morgan State, Willie Lampkin from North Carolina.

Ray's interesting. We draft them the other day, Javior Truss, what about a corner. If we're gonna find a corner?

Help this late No No Williams at a cal Justin Whaley out of Minnesota, Jayaln Smith at the USC. I'm just looking here to see if the yeah.

It's he's Williams would be interesting. Ma'd be pretty buried on the depth charge in the corner. And I don't know that he's like slaves replacement, you know. Edge.

You got Quay Robinson out of Alabama, Tyler Battie out of b Yu, Elijah Williams out of Morgan State, Johnny Walker at a Missouri put him in red Baron Sorrel out of Texas. R j Oben out of a Notre Dame, Ahmad Hassein Hassani at a Boise State.

We rarely do it, and you brought up the other day, but a late round edge shouldn't be You shouldn't turn your nose up at it. Now you could do that yeah, there's a roster spot for that guy. Possibly. Yeah, absolutely, I consider one of the tight ends. None of the names really jumped out at me. I like Gray, the guard slash center from Oregon State.

I mean, if we're taking a tight end here, I want, I want Jackson Haws.

Okay, I just I mean they certainly have that player profile on the team. You know, the big hard to play against, nasty blocker. He is nasty. Not every team uses it, but the Steelers sure do. He is good, amazingly nasty. Yeah. I got no problem with that at all. And now we're up at one ninety, so you're gonna look at a lot of it is popular around here.

Oh yeah, a lot of the same players available here at one ninety. Take a look at those edge guys again, seeing if anybody else jumps out at me here, that's getting pretty low in there. Robinson six four two forty three out of Alabama. So yeah, Baddie, I mean this is a deep edge draft. Baddie's a bigger six five two seventy one.

I haven't done a lot of homework on six or seventh round here. Yeah. Elijah Williams, Elijah Williams six ninety four is an edge looks like a walker sixty nine. Baron Soorrel looked at him a little bit fifty six. I consider him.

Yeah, these guys have to make much of a run stuff, but get size.

There's some athletics is in there. And I think you just take away Robinson and that's fine. Be happy with it. Alabama edge rusher, Okay, yeah, probably as I would think. Yeah, our last pick. That was our last pick. So we're letting this run out here. And we did move up around in next year.

I can't believe they screwed us on the I don't understand that at all. It's never done that before. So we ended up with that pick twenty six. After moving back with Walter Nolan. We also got the Rams second round pick next year, Traveon Henderson at picked eighty three.

That was a gift.

We then traded back in to get Jalen Noel, moving our third round pick next year at one fifty six. We took jj Peageese, the defensive tackle out of Ole miss Fu. One eight five was Jackson Hawes, tight end out of Georgia Tech, and at one ninety Kway Robinson, edge rusher out of Alabama. We didn't take a quarterback.

Right, but planning on it next year. Now we got two second round picks, we got our first. I mean, we got the feel confident that you're going to have four second day picks next year as well as multiple fours. Yeah, it's a lot of firepower.

A lot of firepower to make that move to go get a quarterback, whoever that may.

Be, and who knows. I mean, we're really getting ahead of ourselves. But in that instance, if we're sitting here three or sixty five days from now, I would give you next year's first to move up in the first round, maybe the following years first, and sitting there with my two two's, someone might offer me next year's first for one of my two's. You know, when that time comes around. That's kind of how that works. You might be able to recoup your one.

If I told you right now the first three rounds of the Steelers draft was Nolan Henderson and Noel That's what they got out of the first three rounds.

I'd probably take it. I would. I mean considering that on a second round pick as we speak, Yeah, I mean I guess that part you need the factor in.

You do have the factor that in and oh, by the way, you get n dk Metcalf, then yes, you've made your offense better. I think Nolan makes your defense better. You also got Pegese as a developmental nose tackle.

I've heard some people mentioned to me on Twitter, like you brought up Noel a few times. You and Dale. Isn't he too small? He's really thick. He's like five to eleven and two hundred pounds, right, I mean he's not just a little player that plays little either. I mean he's not as big as Georgian d k right, but he's not a little received. He's not Austin no by any stretch. No, he's somebody exactly right in between where you want. He's thirty pounds heavier than Calvin lost yew And so I just think there's a misconception. You guys keep talking about this little receiver. Now he's little.

No, No, that that has changed so much that perception is changing. He's bigger than Antonio Brown was.

I actually thought the same thing to me. An, Tonio Brown was five ten and you know, one hundred and eighty five pounds. Yeah, they're not even really closed no, right, right, right, So anyway, just to feel people went on the prospect a little bit more. Yeah, he's pretty thickly built guy.

Yeah, and a return guy and fast.

I'm trying to think who else you Bilt like.

But yeah, let's get to a break. He is the Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to the Drive here on the Steelers Audio Network, Matt and I'll be back with more right after this.

At least.

He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and Gold cast in Steelers Nation Radio.

And we are back. I'm Dale LOLLI.

He is the Matt Williamson and this is the Drive on the Steelers Audio Network. And of course you can hear the Drive every Monday through Friday right here on these very airways from four to six pm.

You can also download the Steelers.

Mobile app get the show there, and you can watch along on YouTube. Give us the thumbs up there. It helps the algorithms and everything. You can leave us some questions and comments on there as well. Of course, Sunday through Tuesday of next week will have a bonus three hour show.

Yeah.

Yeah, so he starts to join us for an hour sounds get the more starks.

People like that from the combine. I got a lot of good responses, rightfully, so Max brings a new perspective and you know, really smart.

You don't have to listen to us drone on right.

And some of his O line insights are really really strong too.

Yeah, speaking of insights and strong insights on NFL dot com today, Lance zier Line, who does all their analysts on the draft or analysis on the draft, I should say, ranks the position groups in the show's draft. He does this every year and we go over this.

And start weakest the strongest.

It's not all that surprising, but he does. So what he the way he does this here is he he pulled. He rated each group where prospects will be drafted in rounds one through five. He waited star players a little bit more or twice as heavily as over all depth and gave them meet you, sir Worth between ten and thirty. A score of twenty points or higher for position group is considered strong.

Okay, I hadn't seen that way of doing it. People just usually say running back better than line. This just gives you a little different respective line. Okay, cool, So safety is his number eleven position thirteen and a half points. We just previewed safeties on Steelers Dot Calm today, and I would conmpletely agree with this. We all linebackers for me too.

The three of us met you and Mike pursuita to do that had the same exact top five, because that's the top five or safe.

A whole lot else, and I had a hard time digging up a sleeper that I was super excited about either. Off of all, linebacker wasn't real rip roaring fun either, though.

Yeah, I like that position better than safety.

Do I do? So they would be my two tenders. The side note, does he break down interior line and tackle or just line? I don't. We'll come up you'll find out.

Yea his number ten position, quarterback fourteen points.

I think it's a little harsh. I think Ward's a really good prospect, and I like the day. I like the third fourth round neighborhood.

Wards a good prospect, but he's not a generational talent. I think he could be a good quarterback, I don't think he can be necessarily a top ten quarterback.

Okay, I like him better than that.

I think I think he could be in that eleven twelve thirteen range if things work out for him.

Okay, I like him better than that. I'm not saying he's the next Mahomes or.

Allen, Like, is he going to be better than Who's who's number ten right now?

Who's I think he could be better than Hurtz or Dak or Shroud. I had a love good correcting it. Yeah, that's who those guys are right now. Yeah. Yeah, it's a neighborhood.

And the landing spot isn't going to be great for him to work out that way.

Yeah, that's not his fault though, but yeah, it's not gonna it's me uphill climb.

And you know, again, I think Sanders is a fine prospect, but if he's your number two prospect for that part, I don't like. Yeah, right, and then there's some mid round guys that I like, but I.

Don't still love the misnomer of this is a terrible quarterback draft, like as last year. That's for sure, but that's horrendous. It's not ritter And how.

Like Ward's gonna go number one overall more than likely. Yeah, And I don't know that anybody's saying he shouldn't go number one overall. No, even though he's you know, maybe he's a top twelve to fifteen guy in this particular draft, but just because the top of this draft there aren't stars.

No, No, I mean I love Hunter. I think Carter's even a little overrated. I mean I think rams overrated. Whoever O line wone.

Campbell by the way, thirty three ins arms today at the LSU pro I'm.

Glad you brought that up. I think that's kind of funny too. Yeah, we were talking about.

That, and that was measured by an NFL scout, not somebody at LSU.

Well who did it at the Senior Bowl or whatever? Though, well, you know how that goes, right, he was he was this close to having thirty three inch arms. Yeah, so maybe it's like the Milroe hand thing.

Though, stretched his arms out a little bit more today and he's got the thing about Campbell.

I didn't mean to go down this street.

He was a freshman, true freshman starter at LSU at left tackle in the SEC that matters to me. Walked off his high school campus. He graduated through his cap in here and walked into LSU and became a starting left tackle in the SEC.

He's a tackle and black blocked Will Anderson. Yeah, he is an offensive tackle. I don't care how long his arms are. I definitely would start him there. Yeah, with the trampoline or the parachute.

Whether his arm is thirty two and five eighths, which is I think what it was, or thirty three inches. You're talking about this much three ace of inch.

However, the one thing I'll dispute you on is at the Combine it was under and its pro day it was at thirty three. I mean, it's like, who's doing these measurements. There's a couple of arm links like that and the Milroe hand thing. I saw something somebody said all of the arm links at the Combine this year were shorter. There's more to this story. That's were they were shorter than they had been to Senior Bowl.

They were shorter than they had been at the.

There's something going on with it. He's not the only one. But if I'm picking Frankly as high as four and as late as maybe like eleven, I'm gonna have him in for a visit and I'm gonna put him ruler on.

That's fine, right right, But I know he can play offensive line. In the NFL, and it'd be really good at it.

It's funny. I'm a big duke Manny Weather fan who's like the O line guru, and I happened to listen. I say this every day. I feel like I was listening to a podcasts to do Anywhere on It and he's like, yes, under thirty three is bad, but if you have super light feet, you have to have super life and he does you have to and yeah, you have to have super light feet, and he's like, Campbell does yeah, and I agree with that.

Yeah at nine is linebacker at sixteen and a half points, Well, I think that's true. I do like some of those mid round linebackers sweasing your Demetrius Knight. He's a little bit older, but that's fine. Yeah, you know, g Hud Campbell, Jalen Walker. I think both could be first round picks, and I think both are off ball linebackers.

I don't think Walker is That's why I didn't include. That's why I was lower on the linebackers. I think Campbell will be drafted as off the ball linebacker that can rush the passer. I think Walker is going to be an edge that can drop, which I'm not sure if either is great, but full discrepancy linebacker is definitely the position I've done the least work on. Yeah, I don't think Steelers are involved.

Seven tied for seventh is interior offensive line. Yeah, I think seventeen points.

There might not be a starting center in the group. If so, there's one or two. If Zabel's one of them, says in here, this could change if armand Membo, Will Campbell, Kelvin Banks moved the guard, and that become realtrong. It becomes again. Now you've got three first round guards and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but then tackle would be horrible. Yeah. Uh. Seven tied for seventh at seventeen points. His cornerback, Okay, only who I'd pick ahead of him. I'm starting to think I agree with that because I think there's a lot of red flags.

There are a lot of red flags on a lot of these different guys. Like the Florida State kid ran a four to five.

Seven, Like I love Revel, but he's not healthy.

He's not healthy. Will Johnson hasn't run yet and he's not expected to be a burner either. Yeah, there's again a lot of that. Well, this guy has a he's coming off of an ACL injury. That guy's coming off of foot injury. This guy's got this, that guy's got that. Now Travis Hunter, I say, where.

Are we counting him? Yeah? He sways things a lot for me.

Yeah, he's considering him a cornerback in this one. So there gives that gives you your star power there, and I do think there are there are some corners in this draft that could turn out to be good players, but there are a lot of question marks with this group.

Wide. Receiver is the other one I would consider for this spot off the top of my head. Well, maybe tackle, because I think the other positions are strong. Yeah, you know, running back, d line, edge, tight end. I mean, I don't think receiver is strong. But if I'm treating Hunter as a receiver and not a corner, that might be enough for me to go receiver over corner.

Well, receiver gets is six at seventeen and a half points. But you have to also look at it. Okay, you got Golden Burden McMillan, and there'll be some other guys in that group that go in the second round, the third you.

Know, sure, sure that's true. A corner though, too. I mean, there's not gonna be devoid.

Of first, I don't know that there aren't as many question marks in terms of injury stuff, and I don't.

Know how much this should count, But just compared to most receiver class, this.

Is it's a bad Yeah, yes, that's why it's sixed here. Now we're starting to get into again. If it's twenty or more points, then it's a really good group. Offensive tackle is fifth with eighteen points, So I would not consider that a really good It's about an average group. And I assume they're counting all the potential guards as tackles for now as I would. Yeah, okay, that's fine. Tight End is eighteen and a half points.

That's fourth. All these other ones I think are good.

Yeah, you got two, you got two stars there. You got some depth at the position. I think it's a good one. He mentions Thomas Fedon is an underrated third day pick, as is Jackson Hass a later run blocker. Yeah, yeah, yeah, take them put them at full back.

I like the Georgia kid. I mean, I think there's a couple of dudes in the mid rounds. It would be yeah, decent. I'm not big on Fannin. I don't quite buy that one, but I think are going to go pretty high.

Number three on here is interior defensive line twenty two points, so that's above average. He said this There hasn't been a draft with more than eleven defensive tackles taken in the first one hundred picks since twenty sixteen.

He said, we could get to eleven.

There were fourteen that year. He said this year could match that total.

Wow, so he thinks it's clearly over eleven. I'm not ye add them up in my mind, but that seems to add up to He said.

There should be four first rounders who could all become stars, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Derek Harmon, Walter Nolan. We know all about those guys, he said, but the most impressive part of this group is how many quality starters it's likely to produce.

TJ.

Sanders, Josh Farmer, Tyleek Williams could all go in the second round. The run on tackle should be heavy throughout the Day two of this draft. The position is not only deep, but filled with more pass rush potential than we usually see.

I mean, our regular listeners probably don't even need to hear this again, but I think you're going to get fourth round noses and fifth round noses too because of the pass rush potential. Yeah, one hundred percent. They're valuable guys, not splitting hairs. But I do think, yes, there's a really good chance there's four defensive tackles in the first round, but maybe only one when the Steelers are on the clock.

Right, which is typically what's been happening with our mock drafts.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they might all go to playoff teams. Yeah, two is running back twenty four points really good? Yeah, if Hampton's your number two and you have the depth there, that's pretty strong.

Yeah, it's Raveon Henderson, Quinn, Shawn Judkins, you know, and then you're looking at even guys like Baychelle Touton, Dylan Samson, trevoriy TN, Jayden Blue. I mean, these guys are going to be contributors.

I was, I wasn't a huge Bucky Irving fan or Yeah, this kind of discredited him a little bit last year. Then he went and what the fourth round? The fifth round? Fourth round guy, there'll be two of them this year too. Oh yeah, you know that are mid round picks that have a thousand yards out of nowhere you know, yeah, that's gonna happen. Again.

That leaves as number one edge defender at twenty six and a half points. And again when we do a mock drafts, I mean there's like eight of these guys that might go in the first round.

From two hundred and eighty five pounds to two hundred and forty pounds too. Yeah, but they're all lining up on the edge two point three point stance. But there's a wide variety. I'm glad the Steelers aren't in that market. And I think that's the position that our fans, Steeler fans want to draft the other edge draft, other ridge draft on other edge. You want them to fly off the board. Yeah, but it would be nice to dip your toe in that water.

It's gonna and again, you know, as we just did in our mock draft, that that that edge defender who's going to be available in the sixth round, like what we just did.

In most years probably goes in the third or fourth one. Say, if that's a fourth round player in the sixth then I'm interested. Yeah, I mean, there's always a ripple effect. But because it's such a good position this year, it is it is inegri it's number one, I think. So, yeah, just because of the volume, there's gonna be six first rounders.

And Carter's going to go early, and you know there're so he gets some a little bit of star power there. But there might be six of those guys who go into top twenty, if not more.

And it's not just because the Eagles won the Super Bowl, but I mean, I think people are going to be looking at developmental edge. Okay, yeah, guys, tiebreaker.

He's got the speed he bends off the edge.

Like.

There's just a lot of those guys this year, and it's it's interesting that the Steelers needs going into this draft running back into your defensive line, two of the top three positions.

It's not an accident to set yourself up to swim in the deepest waters. Absolutely doesn't mean you trade T. J. Watts so you can go in the edge in the edge waters.

Yeah right, No, that's not how you want to do that, but certainly works.

Out well m hm no, it's good, good situation.

Those were Lance zero lines rankings. We talk about Lance a lot on here because he does the draft analysis for NFL dot com. You can check that out on NFL dot com. But he is Matt Williamson. I am Dale Lolly. You're listening to the Drive here on the Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network, Matt, and now I'll be back to finish up the show right after this.

At least, he's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson on your twenty four to seven home of the Black and Gold in Steelers Nation Radio.

Welcome back. I am Dale Lolly. He is the Matt Williamson and Matt.

That break took a turn of events. I was expecting inside joke.

Well, just don't show up wearing your screen mask.

Hey, yikes. Anyways, so Queasi Adolpho Mensa had a press conference and he is the general manager of the Minnesota Vikings, and he said that JJ McCarthy being their starting quarterback this year is the outcome we want and the outcome we're heading towards. Okay, I mean what you did the trade up to get him and investigate a bit, and I assume he's healthy. I'm sure, he said.

Earlier this week he talked with somebody said yeah, I'm I'm read to the schedule, I'm ready to go.

And I understand that, Hey, we really outkicked our coverage without him last year? Could we be could we win the Super Bowl with a non rookie ish quarterback? But this was the plan all along. It was the plan. The plan was to starting last year right right right, and operate the big picture on a rookie quarterback salary. Yeah, it allows you to allow them to go out and spend three hundred million dollars this officer and a super expensive wide receiver and other things.

You know.

So that's that's the plan. To stick with it, and I don't know why you'd really deviate. Yeah.

He was the number ten overall pick in the twenty twenty four draft, and he said he was asked about Aaron Rodgers, and he says, for me to sit here and say that anything's one hundred percent forever, that's not the job. We're responding to the scenarios with different information as it comes. So obviously things can change. But right now, we're really happy with our quarterback room and we're going to look to upgrade it in different ways.

Okay, they don't have a clear backup at the moment, though, right.

They have somebody on Yeah, I mean they have like a three that's where Joe Flacco is going to end up somewhere something like somebody could be a mentor.

To right, right, right, And that makes all the sense in the world. It's still a pretty cheap room. He's non threatening. He could do well with thrust into action or whatever. You know. No, I think that's a good move. Yeah, but it's not Aaron Rodgers. No, I don't.

That's not going to happen. Then there's one destination now for Aaron Rodgers, and it's Pittsburgh.

Yeah, or retirement, which I don't think is.

And as I said, come here, as I said when the show opened today, Russell Wilson does not sign with the Giants unless the Steelers tell him. Right, okay, Russ, we're moving on.

Yeah, because Russell Wilson wanted to return to Pittsburgh, that was his ideal outcome. I mean, even with Rudolph in place, I know Rudolph and Winston are making similar money. He would clearly be the one here. I'm not sure he's clear really the one in New York. I think they're paying they're paying more, don't get me wrong. I mean I'm.

Aware, But that's a tight rope to walk with jamis I know, like, say what you want about Russ, but Russ protects the football a hundred times percent better than.

That's just a weird quarterback room already if you throw.

In imagine, imagine those quarterback room meetings. By the way, russitting back here talking to himself, which he does.

But I got no problem with that.

Yeah, right, he's he's a big mental preparation guy. And you got Jamis over there eating W's.

Yeah, and it seems I mean, I think, you know, it's better than I do. But I don't think russ Is not coming back had anything to do with his personality or anything. And I think he was great with all those arts, right, I got. I have nothing but good things to say about Russell Wilson in terms of his personality.

He yeah, his he was nothing but good to me. We we you know, every time I dealt with him, was always available, was good with his teammates. There was nobody in that locker room that disliked Russell. You had to if you dislike Russell Wilson the person, you gotta work really hard. You get there's you gotta take a look in the mirror and say, what what am I doing wrong?

I didn't understand. I wasn't close to it. But you know, he's a bad fit in Denver blah blah. I mean he's a diva and then he got here. I'm like, where'd that come from? I mean, unless he I can have to say year as he did there, I don't.

Know if you were the kind of person that looks at somebody who always has a positive outcome on it or a positive outlook of everything, and say nobody can be that positive. All everyone seems to think he is extremely generated.

That's just who he is. Who he is, right. I meant to ask Labs this, and if he is just a mediocre year in New York and rides off in the sunset or gives way to a rookie, is he get in the Hall of Fame? I think so it's pretty close.

I mean he's he's like top fifteen, closing in on top ten and everything.

I mean the day he got traded the Denver I was asked that and I said, yes, that even if he doesn't play again. But his case didn't get stronger since Seattle. Yeah, obviously, I think he's real close, and I would bet he gets.

Some of the things that did get stronger though, are the the Cumultuve stats.

Yeah he has those numbers now, I mean he has such as Rogers by the way, but one of the best td'ed interception ratios of all time, you know, it's top three. Yeah, absolutely, But yeah, I'm really formed. I wish him nothing but the best.

Again, I would have you know, if you were the Steelers quarterback this year, I would have been perfectly happy with that.

It is what it is. Yeah, that's the way it works.

That's going to do it for our show today. So for my partner Matt Williamson, for Justin Miller here running the Justin Miller hotline. And we want to thank Bob Labriola, the editor of Steelers Digest and Steelers dot Com, for dropping buys he does every Wednesday for Tyler Viittmeyer making sure our video gets out there onto YouTube.

I am Dale Lolly. Thank you for listening to this edition of The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

SNR Drive with Matt & Dale (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Dale Lolley and Matt Williamson tackle the days topics regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers each aftern 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 1,973 clip(s)