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Transcript
You don't have as many premium prospects at premium positions.
All right.
Welcome in the Brew Report for Friday, April 17th.
We are now 6 days away from the NFL draft.
So what I thought we'd do to wrap up this week is give you a show where I run through the teams picking in the top 10, kind of where I think they're at, what I think they're looking at to give you a primer going into draft week.
And so, we will go from 1 through 10, and I will give you a little bit of what I'm hearing on each of those teams and That, of course, starts with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Um, this may seem like a coronation that Fernando Mendoza is going there and certainly, they've been locked in on him for a while, but as we detailed over the last few weeks, this has been a very thorough process that they've gone through, going back to the fall and lots of boots on the ground at, at, at the quarterbacks games, not just Mendoza, but other quarterbacks like Brendan Soresby, Dante Moore, who didn't even come out, John Retier.
Um, you know, and, and getting a look at, at, at, at all the guys that could potentially be available to them.
And then, of course, you know, they go through the pre-draft process.
You have the combine, you have the pro day, you have the 30 visit, you have the 3 allowable Zooms.
Uh, they're at a point now where it's, you know, a de facto install with him and getting him ready to go.
Um, so I don't foresee any surprises at all.
Um, Fernando Mendoza will be the first overall pick.
He will be a Las Vegas Raider in 6 days.
Um, at number 2, I don't think we're quite as certain on the Jets yet, but it does feel like things have been trending in a certain direction, direction, and that's to David Bailey from Texas Tech, um, being the pick.
And I think one of the primary reasons why Um, and just looking at it is there are very few premium prospects at premium positions.
David Bailey is not, just to be clear, a Miles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Julius Peppers type of guy at the top of the draft.
But what he is, is a really high-end pass rusher.
All the analytics check out on that.
He's very, very high-end in that area.
Um, he projects the comp I've heard to, to, to have an impact like Nick Bonito.
Um, who, of course, has become an all-pro, um, with the Broncos.
There are some questions about his run defense, but overall, this is a guy who can feel a very real need right now at a premium position for the Jets.
And I think an important thing to look at now is the impact he'll have in the here and the now.
And I don't think the Jets can sit around and wait for the 2nd overall pick.
To develop over the next 3 or 4 years, which I think is what they would be looking at with Arvel Reese , who I think would be the other contender to be the 2nd overall pick.
Uh, you know, there's obviously been a lot of conjecture over Aaron Glenn's job security.
They fired 12 assistants in the offseason.
And there is a need here to create light at the end of the tunnel, not just for ownership, but also for the players in that locker room.
And, you know, you can only lose games for so long.
3 and 14 last year, 5 straight losses to end the season, um, a blowout loss to the Bills backups at the end of the year, um, you know, and then, of course, you go through a January in which coaches are being filtered off the staff.
They gotta do something to create more hope in that building.
And again, if you bring in a project as a 2nd overall pick, it's gonna be harder to do that.
David Bailey is a guy who can have an impact right away, and I think he will come in and have an impact right away.
They, they've, they've offloaded guys from the defensive front that Joe Douglas and Robert Salah put together there in, in trading Quinnell Williams, trading Jermaine Johnson, and so they do need help in that area, and David Bailey would give them that help and again, maybe provide that light at the end of the tunnel.
At number 3, Uh, the Cardinals are at the top of a stretch of teams that I think would very much like to trade down.
The Cardinals at 3, the Titans at 4, the Giants at 5, the Browns at 6, the Commanders at 7.
would all like to trade down.
Why would they want to trade down?
Well, it's like I said, you don't have as many premium prospects at premium positions.
You don't have the prototypes.
You don't have the Julio Jones at receiver.
You don't have the, the, the Miles Garrett at defensive end.
You don't have the Joe Walt at left tackle.
You don't have the Patrick Certan at corner.
So lacking that sort of prospect.
At the very top of the draft, you're looking at it and you're saying, OK, like, well, what about the non-premium positions?
You do have some really good players at those spots.
You have Sonny Styles, you have Caleb Downs, you have Jeremiah Love, um, but are you comfortable taking one of those positions, a safety, a running back, an off-ball linebacker that high?
So, like, I think most teams look at it that are drafting up there and say, I really like this player, but I like him a lot more, 2 or 3 or 4 picks from now than I would where I'm sitting.
So, um, there could be a bit of a buyer's market with the amount of teams that are, that are sitting there and trying to trade out.
I think the Cardinals' hope would be somebody who wants to come up and try to get Arvel Reese.
If they stick, I think Reese is in the equation for them.
But I have heard another name there, and I think this is an interesting one.
So, you know, Reese is one name.
Jeremiah Love, the Notre Dame running back is another one that I, that, that, that, that I would say is very much under consideration.
For this pick.
Um, look, I mean, I think for ownership, this is obviously a guy who can create some sizzle for you.
I also think for Bonnie Austin for, this is one he's got to get right.
And taking Jeremiah Love, despite the position is parking one in the middle of the fairway.
You've got a good idea of what he's gonna be as an NFL player.
Uh, you don't have to create a role for him.
You know where he's gonna be.
And so, like I, I would say either Love or Reese goes 3 to the Cardinals.
Number 4, you have the Tennessee Titans, and I think that they are in a similar sort of spot as the Cardinals.
I think it's either a player for their defensive front 7, for Robert Salace front 7, or Jeremiah Love.
Now, the case for taking Love here, and this is a guy who is very much under consideration for Tennessee, is he can do for you, um, and he can do for Cam Ward what Zeke Elliott did for Dak Prescott, what Todd Gurley did for, for Jared Goff.
A great running back can change the equation for a young quarterback in that he can create more 2nd and 6s, he can create more 3rd and 2s.
He gives you easy completions as an outlet.
And so, I think for that reason, Love is very much under consideration with the Titans.
But there are two guys that I think are worth looking at here beyond those two.
Assuming Bailey's gone, Reese would be one.
As somebody who could definitely give you some juice as a pass rusher.
And, you know, Robert Salah, of course, same defense as Dan Quinn.
Dan Quinn adjusted his defense to work for Micah Parsons, um, and Arvel Reese is that same sort of player.
Sonny Stiles is another one to consider here at, at, at 4.
to me, looking at Sonny Stiles as a player, He very much mirrors what you could be looking at with , you know, Fred Warner in San Francisco, the bigger, longer, more athletic linebackers that , that clog the passing lanes over the middle of the field that are able to get in there and do a lot of different things for you.
So, uh, Styles, Reese, Love, I think that's what you're looking at with the Titans.
Outside chance of Carnell Tate, maybe we'll get to that, um, as we go on here cause I think this is right in the area where Carnell Tate goes as well.
At number 5, You know, the Giants, I, the name I've heard for the Giants defensively is Sonny Styles.
I haven't heard this as much.
Caleb Downs would make sense based on what John Harbaugh had in Baltimore, but I also think they want to help Jackson Dart.
So how do they help Jackson Dart?
Maui Noah, um, Francis Mauinoah, the offensive tackle from Miami, would be a consideration here.
Carnell Tate would be a consideration here.
And I think Jordan Tyson would be a consideration here as well.
So those three guys, I think are guys to circle and look at as guys that maybe could help, um, help Jackson Dart.
Tyson's an interesting one because I think with, with Tate, you've got the, the smooth route-running downfield guy, big, long, long, all of that.
Um, you know, with Tyson, you've got the big guy who moves like a little guy.
And so, um, just some interesting opinions on those two, I think over the, uh, that I've been able to gather over the last week, but I think that that's where you're looking if you're the Giants.
It's either Styles, if Styles falls to them, or one of those three offensive players.
Um, in 6, the Browns, again, this could be a receiver or an offensive lineman, that's where I would be focused.
Francis Mauinoa, this could be the floor for him.
Would they take Spencer Fanno?
Spencer Fanno has shorter arms.
This is an analytically-driven organization.
Would they prefer Caden Proctor from Alabama over Spencer Fo?
That'd be an interesting thing to see, especially because they struck out on an Alabama left tackle before in trying to take Jedrick Wills from right tackle, move him to left tackle six years ago.
Um, but I think Tate, Tyson, Noah, Proctor, that's what you're looking at for the Browns at 6, at 7, the Commanders.
Um, I think this could be the floor for Jeremiah Love.
For the same reasons, if you're the Titans, you take Love and pair him with Ward.
Um, I think Love would make sense to pair with Jaden Daniels, take some of the pressure off of him.
Maybe it lessens the need to involve Jaden Daniels in the run game, so you're Um, you're, you're taking some of the miles off of his body over the course of a year.
And then the other name here is Sonny Stiles, and this may be the floor for Styles.
A lot of love for Sonny Stiles out there.
Um, very much, I think he would be in the equation for the commanders.
At number 7.
Again, we talked about the crossover, the, the Salah, Dan Quinn crossover there, um, both of them having the Pete Carroll, Seattle roots.
Styles would very much be a stylistic fit for the Washington Commanders.
At number 8, the New Orleans Saints.
I, I, I, I think this is a corner or receiver, that would be my guess right now.
Um, you're looking at potentially this being the floor for Carnell Tate.
You know, I think the other name to watch here would be LSU corner, Mansoor Delane.
Um, and this may be the ceiling for Delaine.
And my guess is Delaine is gonna go in front of Jermaud McCoy and maybe significantly in front of Jerma McCoy.
We'll get to why here in a second, but Tate Delane makes sense for the Saints.
At 9, the Chiefs, I think, because they've got 3 picks in the top 40, have a chance to just Press the right knee, whatever that is.
I think they're gonna take an offensive tackle at some point and put a young offensive tackle in the pipeline, maybe not at 9, but at some point, I think they take an offensive tackle and put him in the pipeline.
Um, I think if Tyson or Tate were there for them, I think both those guys would be possibilities.
Um, the corners, certainly with what they've lost this offseason with McDuffie and Watson being out the door.
Um, I, I think, you know, a, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, a Delane would be a, a possibility for him.
And one wild card name that I think is interesting here, Kenyon Siddiq.
I know he's at least in the conversation here, and it's an interesting guy to consider cause if you look at the receiver class and you see a lot of good but not great, maybe you say Kenyon Siddiq has a better chance to be the focal point of a passing game.
than any of the receivers do because he is such a physical outlier, a guy who can move all over the formation, you can split them out wide, you can play him in the slot, you can play him in line.
Um, there's a million different things you can do with him, and he's a matchup problem everywhere.
And so, Siddiq would be an interesting name.
I think he probably Go somewhere between 9 and 15 or so.
Uh, this would be the ceiling for Siddiq, but he'd be an interesting fit, um, going into maybe that Travis Kelsey role or if the Chiefs can trade down a few spots, maybe that'd be somebody they consider there in the, uh, in the, in the middle of the first round.
And finally, at number 10, The Bengals, I think everybody's focused on them adding a defensive player.
One name I did hear, um, here, which, again, I'm not saying they're taking him, but one name I did hear here was Caden Proctor, whose name has gained some steam over the course of the last few weeks.
The reason he's gaining some steam is because I think he's got the high-end potential and he's a left tackle.
Spencer Fo was a right tackle.
Francis Mauinoa was a right tackle.
Uh, it just feels to me like you look at Proctor and it's like, If you feel like you can work with him and maybe there's a little bit of an entitlement issue, a discipline issue that you got to cut through there, but if you can cut through that, the talent is off the charts.
Uh, defensively, this could be the floor for Caleb Downs.
I'd be interested to see if Downs would get past them.
I think corner would be a consideration too.
This is where we'll get to McCoy.
Delane, if he gets there, I think very well could be the pick.
Jermaud McCoy's knee is very much an issue.
Um, this has come back to teams and, and, and, and a bunch of different teams have told me that this is a longevity issue similar to the, the longevity issue or the longevity question teams have with Will Johnson last year who was seen as a first-round pick, wound up falling to the 2nd round.
I don't think McCoy falls that far, but it's definitely something um to consider when looking at all of these guys.
Um, You know, and, and, and, and, and obviously, injury issues do come up and injury questions do come up over the course of the draft process.
In fact, Francis Mauinoa has one, and this is something that we addressed in our Monday column where he's probably gonna need to have a cleanup surgery on his back at some point.
Some teams believe sooner rather than later, he should have that surgery.
It doesn't, that one's not debilitating.
That one's less of a big deal, but it's something that teams are considering.
And looking at the offensive linemen in the 2026 class.
So, that's an early look at it.
We'll be doing a couple more of these next week.
Looking forward to all of that.
And we got a ton of draft coverage coming from, for you at the MMQB.
com.
So you guys heard my phone dinging.
My phone, my phone's gonna be digging all weekend.
Um, and we are gonna kind of keep coming with this information over the course of the next 6 days.
I can't wait to cover all of it with you.
We will have a needs column, my annual needs column on Monday.
We'll have my annual mock draft.
I think that's Wednesday or Thursday.
We'll have what I'm hearing columns in between there, more podcasts, all of it.
Be sure to keep it locked in with us at the at the MMQB.
com and on our YouTube page.
You can see all this stuff.
You can also leave your comments and your feedback down below here, or you can get to me on my social media.
That's at Albert Breer on Twitter, at Albert R Breer on Facebook, at Albert_Breer on Instagram.
Appreciate you guys checking in and we will see you next week.
