Welcome to Forties and free Agents.

I am Greg Rosenthal.

I am joined by the best draft analyst in the business.

But that's not all he does.

I saw him on Monday night walking out of the drunkest NFL game of the season, Chargers Eagles.

He's already been taping podcasts Move the Sticks today, and now he's here for the only job that really means anything to him, Forties and Free Agents, where we talk a little free agency and we talk some rookie class in this show.

Every time that music hits Forties and free Agents, the hair on my arm stands up a little bit.

Greg.

It's just it's hard to describe.

I'll put it that way.

You don't have to wait as long this time around, or I guess we got one month to go.

So if you've been listening, we're checking in during the season.

On today's show, we're going to do some rookie class check in who's been getting better throughout the course of the season.

I might hit some guys who maybe have been disappointing in terms of the rookie class.

And then when we reconvene and you hear that song again, DJ after the end of the regular season, and we'll be going weekly through the draft talking about the twenty twenty six draft.

I'm going to start building my big board.

I'm going to get inspired by you.

Get my free agency board, get all the positions ready.

But that's for next time.

For this time, we're going to do one last look back at this rookie class because one thing I love about it, it's a lot of times by this point in the season, you know, this week fifteen, like they look like different players than they were in Week six.

So we'll go through each position.

Why don't we start at quarterback and we're just going to kind of pick out a guy that we think is getting better as the season goes on.

I might throw out some guys a little disappointing.

Why don't you get us going?

Sure?

I mean, I'm actually gonna start with Tyler Shuck because nobody talks about him.

It's the Saints.

They're not really haven't been really a watchable product, but they've got a couple wins as of late.

And Tyler Schuck used the phrase like, who are the guys that are getting better?

Who's a sending?

And it's a I can't underscore it's it's just a massive development if he is able to prove over these last few games and continue doing what he's doing, making some plays with his legs, showing the athleticism still inconsistent, you know, with some of the decision making, some of the accuracy can kind of ebb and flow a little bit.

But you've got the size, you've got the athleticism.

He's got a big arm.

Sounds like by all accounts, you know good, you know good in the room, smart leadership, all the intangible stuff is there, and you're seeing the performance tick up.

If that takes them out of the quarterback market, it really frees this team up.

It solves a lot of issues for them, and they're going to have they'll have then eventually, once they get the cap all lined up, they're going to have some money to be able to fortify a very cheap quarterback and they're going to have draft capital to be able to help him instead of replace him.

That would be a massive development for this program.

Month is a long time in the NFL, But if he continues to play just how he's playing, I'd be stunned if they drafted a quarterback in Yeah, I'm with him.

It's a huge development.

I didn't expect it.

I had.

I had my doubts coming into this season.

His athleticism really shows up where he is making second reaction plays.

They had some design runs for him last week where he is making that Bucks defense look slow.

I think the decision making has been good.

That was the thing I was worried about.

He was also the guy I was going to talk about in terms of improving.

I thought he might struggle against pressure.

It has been perfect.

He holds onto the ball and takes some sacks, but for the most part, I don't think any issues he had maybe trying to avoid hits and everything in college, I haven't really seen that so far.

As in the pros, I think he's looked good.

Yeah, he's played better than what the box scores indicate too.

You know, it's not going to wow you with where he is on the stat sheet, but he's played well and he's making some plays in that.

All you want to see on young quarterbacks is that you're trending upward.

And I'll give you one more name here quickly, because I know everybody's going to be curious about it.

Sugar Sanders done a nice job since he's got the reins there was a pretty large gap between the Browns rookie quarterbacks on my list.

I'll go back through and pull it up if I went by a position.

Shador was my second quarterback.

He was my twentieth overall player, and Dylan Gabriel was my ninth quarterback, my one hundred and forty eighth overall player.

So it's a pretty significant gap coming through the draft process, and we all need to rehash how we ended up where we ended up.

But I think he's clearly shown that he is he's more likely try and push the ball down the field.

I know, the chunk of salt, not the grain of salt that people want to say.

The Raiders and the Titans, you know, put it in perspective here.

But some good things that I've seen in those games a very he's a very skilled thrower.

When he has a little bit of room and a little bit of space, he just throws a real, pretty catchable ball, and he's pushing the ball down the field, which I like seeing.

There's still other stuff that continue to grow.

We'll see as they come down the home stretch, they'll play some better quality of competition if he can keep it up.

But this is along the same lines of Shuck.

Why I want to mention Shaduor is that if this takes them out of the quarterback business and all the draft capital that they accumulated from Jacksonville, like the and you look at just if they can duplicate eighty percent twenty percent of this next rookie class what they've got out of this class, because I'm going to talk about a whole lot of Browns as we go through this episode.

If they can have three quarters of the success in this next draft, we're gonna be talking about them like we're talking about New England of two year process and they could totally flip this thing.

That would be bold for Shador to take them out of the quarterback market.

Now, the next four games will tell us a lot.

I haven't gotten to that Titans Brown's tape yet.

I want I'm going to.

Yeah, I had to get in the traffic early to get to Sofi for that game.

I brought my son and everything.

But he's made pro throws and I think there's been a big difference between him and Gabriel.

If I was going to put put a folloer since we last, I think Gabriel just kind of proved just where he is.

Yeah, and when he played, I just think he showed he could be a long term backup for them.

Not terrible out of a third round pick.

And it doesn't seem that crazy for Shoudar to be a bridge type of quarterback to just give him another year to see when you think about how a lot of teams and evaluators like yourself, maybe it was just the evaluators that saw him closer to the Tyler Shuck range.

Okay, maybe that's a guy you give a chance on.

He has looked like a pro so far.

And yeah, that's a weird dynamic in that room if they went back to it for another year.

But that's a story for another day.

All right, let's go to the running back throughout mind.

First, how about last week?

And again, you got to be careful coming off these Raiders games.

It's like it's like playing you know, rower division school in college or something.

But R J.

Harvey good receiver, shorthanded, and I think he showed in that game he can handle the inside runs.

Overall, I think he's been solid, but he's just passing the eye test the last week or two where he's just running with a little more confidence.

Maybe the game is slowing down from and I'm seeing some of that juice that I remember had you had Brian Baldinger excited in the draft process where it's starting to pop on tape, and he really looks like a guy that you can help build a running game around.

Going into the playof.

Yeah, I pulled back up my notes pre draft, a mix of Tarik Cohen and Freeman, thinking about remember how good will old player Freeman was.

Runs low to the ground, burst, breakaway speed.

They used him in some wild guys, got great vision.

You hit him on a wheel for a touchdown, He's just got the speed shows up.

He's just a little small and pass pro and he was someone I thought, definitely you want to get him out as opposed to keep him in, which is fine, and Sean Payton's very comfortable doing that, getting him out and let him make plays out in space.

But a perfect a perfect player, fit for how they use him and what they do there as well.

DeVante Freeman, by the way, he's such an underrated player for those few years.

He was really good.

He was great.

I love a guy who just runs hard every single snap, and he was that guy.

Unfortunately, as a Patriots fan.

I do remember his maybe most famous play as a pro was in pass protection against Dante High Tower and it turned around the greatest company in history.

Kind of a big game.

Can I give you mine two guys, because there are four names that I wrote down that I've I think that have trend it up been you know if starting with the obvious ones, with Trevon Henderson being on that list, then had Woody Marx who's done some really good things and loved the way he caught the ball coming out of college, and he's run the ball well there with Houston, but the two to me that it would be up towards the top, I would say Judkins number two and Kyle Manungai number one in terms of guys, were just ascending as they go to the year, and it shouldn't be a surprise if I was going to say the you know, the through line with those two guys is power.

And as you get later on in the season and defenses get tired and the weather changes, like to me, that's where you start to see some of these power guys really start to take over.

And Judkins, I mean, shoot, just throw him in the wildcat once again.

Inside the ten yard line, he's going to be able to muscle his way into the end zone.

He's proven that he's just got to remember the play calls to.

Pitch the ball.

That's all not the best play call, but we probably need to pitch it.

He's awesome.

I would take him over Gent.

I don't think that's overreacting.

If you had to reach back.

Is incomplete.

I mean I've seen them twice.

I've seen genty twice and Greg, I mean they're awful.

Awful, they really are, so I hear you, and that's why I completely complete.

Yeah, but I feel like if he was Jean Robinson or Sakuon, I would just see.

Those guys though a little more.

We said.

He'd never said he was those guys.

That's fair.

I just love what I see out of Junkins and uh, that's just my take.

So he was my guy that I think he's good.

He's going to be a good pro ashing Genty have a good career.

But just in terms of a guy, maybe is it that next level ability time?

It was the wrong time to pick the running back.

Fair and that's that's the way we shake this.

If you've listened to our our forties and free agents pre draft stuff.

We've had this running back discussion, and it's we keep asking the wrong questions.

Do you take a running back in the top ten?

No, it's when is the right time with where you are and your bill to take a running back.

That's the question, and that was not the right time for their roster.

Was great point.

I love Woody Marks too.

Tougher than I expected, and like DeVonta Freeman, I mean he runs hard.

I just love that the energy that he brings every week really fun.

Let me find my Let me find my Woody Marks notes here real quick, because I was curious to go back and look at that wood he marks.

Okay, he was five ten one two oh seven.

He ran four or five four.

Excellent pass catcher.

He's a patient runner, has those quick, little choppy steps.

He's elusive in space.

He can jump through low tackles.

He had a and I use this word because I'm a fan of the movie.

He had a plethora of one handed catches.

Uh efe, do you even know what a plethora?

Uh?

Free amigos.

If you haven't seen it, go watch It's a great movie.

That's incredible.

They were they were playing it in the theater over at the Ara here in Santa Monica.

Well, yeah, it's like it's like one of those theaters that plays a whole movies.

A lot of the times you go, I would have liked to.

I was like, I would go see that in the theater, but it was seven third on the male.

How can you tell I'll leave it?

Uh?

Yeah?

And what he marks.

They're trusted him to take some of those carries with Nick Chubb and when he's banged up, like the run into the line.

I like it.

All right, give me your wide receiver that you see rising.

Yeah, so we go through the wide receivers.

It's funny.

You're gonna laugh at this.

I have all my positions and I have all my notes here, and okay, I didn't put a wide receiver down.

I mean I can start you out because I got a few that I really like your wide receiver and this is where I like this exercise.

Yeah, Luther Burden and Jayden Higgins are two guys who to start the season, you're learning the playbook.

You got veterans in front of you just weren't a big part of the mix.

And as the season goes along, you're starting to see all the reasons you and other draft analysts have them ranked highly, and Burden especially, I find it interesting that he's kind of taking DJ morris production now, and I think he's going to take DJ Moore's role period next year.

I sort of don't expect DJ Moore to be on that team, But there was a play last week where he's just the outside receiver and he has a comeback and it's one of the best timing throws I've seen Caleb make all year, twenty yards down the field.

And Burden's doing a little bit of everything.

Four five, six targets and catches each week.

Good player, and it just shows you him.

Between him and Loveland, we could talk about him too, like it's a complicated offense and sometimes it's that second half of the rookie year you got to watch because Burden's really been coming out.

Yeah, I'm a fan of his game, and I'll pull up my notes on him before I get to the next guy that we're going to talk about here.

But Burden six foot, two hundred and six pounds.

He ran four four to one.

I compared him to Stefan Diggs coming out quick athletics slot a lot of quick hitter.

He's got strong hands, excellent body control, he shows real burst after the catch.

He can make you miss, and did not play with a good quarterback.

There were a lot of bad balls.

So yeah, I'm not taking a shot at Caleb here, but Caleb's not going to be pinpoint accurate.

So having somebody who's comfortable catching ball is away from your frame, off your frame, low balls, high balls like that's a that's a good thing to have somebody who's a little bit experienced that and the weather you're going to play as they played in Green Bay and they're going to be in Chicago, like, you've got to be able to adjust, and he's really really good at that.

So I'm excited about him.

The one I was going to mention is I haven't seen him in person.

I can't remember if we talked about on the last version of this thing, but you mere Dka just in terms of the return skills, and now you're seeing more as a receiver throughout this year, showing you some promise.

I always think about these young teams of who's going to be a part of the nucleus going forward, and I think he's proven to be a playmaker and can be a big asset the cam or going off into the future.

Yeah, I totally am with you on that they found something and he he might just make an All Pro team this year as a returner, which is a great, great thing.

Back by the way, I know, I know, you know we're talking about some of the disappointing things.

We haven't really jumped into that yet, but I will be honest.

I mean, and the timing for some of these players, it takes longer than this is not a death sentence by any stretch, but man, I expected a heck of a lot more out of Golden than what he's given.

Yeah, he was a tough one because he's not even getting on the field that much.

And it's not like they're scrubs that are playing it.

I mean, they have a deep room, they have a good room.

But I thought he had a chance to emerge as the best of their guys and he's not getting anything.

I would never call two way star bow melt In the scrub, but I found it interesting last week that bow Meltin played ahead of him.

He got more snaps ahead of him, So they don't think Golden's ready and he's always they always were just missing those big plays to him earlier in the season.

And I mentioned Jadan Higgins quickly.

He's just been a great third down target for CJ.

Stroud and Davis Mills.

He's really come up.

If you look at some of the biggest catches of the season, a lot of them have been Jayden Higgins in terms of declining just since when we last talked.

Look, Abuka is still in the mix for Rookie of the Year, but it just hasn't been efficient him and Baker.

They have thirty five targets over the last month Here at DJ he has fourteen catches on those thirty five targets for one hundred and twenty nine yards.

Doing a little math, that is under four yards per attempt when you're throwing to Abuka.

There's been about a drop a week.

It has just been misconnections.

It's obviously not on him exclusively.

Mike Evans hasn't been there.

He was coming off an injury, but it just has slowed down in terms of how great he was in the first half of the season.

Yeah, no, I think that's I think that's fair.

I still I am a buyer of his going forward into the future.

These so I don't try to put it on me and what I'm saying.

But Higgins thing is that my favorite part about him is going back through his stuff is my comp was Nico Collins, so it was his teammate and can accelerate, go get the ball fifty to fifty wins?

He went on verticals.

There's a lot of passing reference penalties that he's able to draw.

He's got stop and start quicks for a big guy, which is impressive.

And I made this.

I tried to make this stick, but then I realized that people I'm probably a combination of me being old and then also uh, people just not really respecting what were the Twin Towers and Ralph Samson in a cam Olage one.

I tried to get that like Twin Towers two point zero.

I couldn't get it the stick, but with him, and that's.

That's before that's before your time.

I know how old you are despite wearing yours in the Master's hat here that was the Yeah, but you were like five years.

Old or seventy seven, that's like eighty.

I'm like ten years old.

That's like primo, like NBA fan.

Me, okay, I I was in Doctor J my I go back.

To the San Diego Clippers.

Greg, my brother was the ball boy for the San Diego Clippers.

I mean, maybe you just love ball more than me.

And we're grinding Tapa eight years old.

You are two years older, so that makes difference.

But I feel like Ralph Samson was just like a little bit before my time, before I really knew, well.

Those were you know what those were?

For me?

Those were those were VHS taped games.

We would go to church.

The game would be in the morning, like finals, I remember, like Celtic's Rockets, and it was make sure that the VCR is set to record no TVO back, then record it so then we come back from church, we could actually watch the game and fast forward through the through the commercials.

So that and by the way, one quick story, because I know you're clamoring for a uh a stendi a Clipper story.

My brother was the ball boy, my dad was the chaplain.

Wow, our seats were right behind the hoop there, so it might we were like six eight rows back and they were just because of them both working there and playing the Celtics.

I'm a little tiny kid and Clippers are at the free throw line and as you can imagine the Celtics fans travel well as they you know, as they do, and so then it was, but it was kind of quiet Clippers at the free throw line, and I stand up because I'm just saying what I'd heard in the stands, and I just yelled at the top of my lungs as like a seven year old Celtics suck.

And my dad's the chaplain of the team, looks over at his little kid.

It's like, what is going on here?

No, no, I don't even know what that means.

As that kid, I just was repeating what I had heard in the in the stands.

That is incredible.

And that story on the review of that type of stories, why the bosses are like we need forties and free agents.

Even during the NFL season, after.

The games were over, Bill Walton would soak his feet because he had bad feet, would soak him in ice tub and me and his kids, they would lower the hoop down and we would play.

Those kids turned out to be like Luke Walton and his brother and all that stuff when I was just a little guy.

And who knows.

Yeah, those San Diego Clippers teams and they they're probably they're better than this Clippers team at the very least.

Yeah, I stopped watching the NBA a while ago.

Again, that's why my references like the twin Towers are all very dated.

But I think, yeah, I think more Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

They were kind of like a twin tower, So I don't know if they had that negation.

All right, let's wrap up these skill positions.

Awesome tight end class.

You you talked up this tight end class going into it, and so you got to feel good about where they're at.

Who stands out to you from that pig.

I'm gonna pull back up my list here, So the way I had these guys, I had Tyler Warren, Colston Lovelin, Mason Taylor, Elijah Royo, Harold Fann and Terence Ferguson, Gunner Helm Gavin, Bartholomew Ronde, Gadstan like that's.

And then Jackson Hall is just down below that, who's done a really nice job as a blocker like that's.

This class has been outstanding for me.

The ones I've seen kind of a send.

I mean, Harold Fan and JR.

Spent Since you've seen Shooter get in there, it's a favorite target and I love how they're used him.

He's like an old school Frank Whychek, like true h back where you'll see him in some fullback.

He's in the wing, he's winning down the field on corner routes, like he's using a variety of ways, but he's like it not like a hand in the ground, traditional white tight end.

He's like an old school h back.

And I don't know, I just I always liked, I always appreciated guys like Frank Whitechek.

I was like, that's just he he like plays his own positions, Like there's not many of those guys that played that spot and have that role, which he does.

Yeah, that's kind of like Hawes, who you mentioned, Jackson Hawes, who's like a sixth offensive lineman.

But every once in a while they'll they'll throw it to him and he's out there.

Been awesome fan and I had written down he is not that far behind now the production in terms of yardage of Tyler Warren and Tyler Warren's having one of the best tight end rookie seasons we've seen.

Fannon is fourth in Fantasy points if you're into that thing.

Since since week ten he was my guy too.

And you can see him he can change direction.

They had him like on a on a fade last week in the red zone.

They have him on like a wheel route out of the backfield, like you mentioned.

Just really versatile.

But you could you could choose any of those guys, including Loveland, who there love a lot on his plate.

Right.

One of them a game, I mean, just that's one was at Cincinnati right where you call it the one down the scene, bounces off the tackle late in the game and takes it in.

So he's been a field stretcher, get big time, big playmaker, and you can see that.

That's Caleb's trust and confidence in him is just continues to grow.

That's gonna be.

That's it's my favorite offense right now.

I try and watch the Bears every week, and I know people are people lose their minds on both sides of Caleb.

I'm excited, you know what I see and kind of where it's headed and where it's going.

But just to like, in terms of watching like a pleasure watch for me, even if there's some misfires here and there, it's fun to watch that.

All those young guys.

Man.

Yeah, the run game, the path game, it's all been good, and so that's why it's hard to have a disappointment at tight end.

Maybe the disappointment is teams are letting these guys fall in the draft too far.

I mean, if you look how valuable some of these second round guys in this class are, maybe they're falling too far.

I guess Terrence Ferguson and Arroyo they're they're having the more usual trajectory where they're trying to get into the mix, but they have.

Veterans a lot of mouths in front of those offense.

Yes, Terrence Ferguson is a big, impressive athlete and has had a few really nice catches, but right now they have veterans in front of him.

Why don't we take a quick break and then we'll come back on the other side.

We'll do all the linemen and the defensive players on forties and free agents back on forties and free agents, looking at the development of this rookie class.

I know Daniel Jeremiah just loves to geek out talking about offensive lineman who has caught your eye in a draft where a lot of guys got taken high.

I guess that's every class lately, but especially this class.

Well, to me, I'm going to go right to the top of the interior offensive line list.

For me in the draft, it was Tyler Booker was my number one guy at seventeen.

Gray Zabel was my number two guy at twenty six, and I think both guys if you're going to say, who are the cleanest, safest players in the draft, even though greys Abel wasn't coming from a you know, traditional powerhouse power forlo program at North Dakota State, those guys, to me, I thought were the safest, highest floor players.

And not only have they you know, their bad moments been few and far between, but they're actually playing at a really really high consistent level for both their teams and two of the better offenses really when you get what they're able to do.

Yeah, and versatile at guard too.

You said you're watching the Bears every week.

I'm going to put you on the spot.

Yeah, I see Trapilo who if you just look at the numbers, I can't say I'm you know, breaking down his film.

He's only had three starts, which really didn't happen until injuries, but he's only given up seven pressures in those three starts against good pass rush teams.

No quarterback hits in, no sacks in those games.

So I don't know if you've seen anything out of him, but they got to be happy since he came into the lineup.

I'm going to pull up my notes on I want to see what pick was he here?

He was late second was a fifty six, fifty sixth overall, so he was fifty six overall, so he was my He was my seventy second player.

He was my sixth offensive tackle.

I compared him to having Stein though right tackle, lockout, control, stays attached balance, He's effective in combos, he can recover.

I wrote, function over fashion, not always the prettiest, but gets the job done by the way having Stein having Stein, I say it wrong every time.

What do we got Rob?

I think it's stein Steen.

I don't know.

I think I should have remembered.

Fifteen years with this team and been playing forever.

I shouldn't.

But that was my comparison to him, and that's someone who just gets the job done.

And Chapillo has done that.

He's in a nice job.

I also give a shout out to Kevin Banks.

I know the Saints fans are very happy with them.

He is out there on an island, just quietly getting the job done and left tackle for them each and every week.

If I was looking for a guy who's been struggling, it's not new but Jonah savanea for Miami has had his struggles this year.

I don't think it's really turned around during the season.

So that that was a high pick that they hoped to get me.

Yeah, pull up my notes on him.

He was my fifty is a forty seventh player.

He went a little higher than that.

The rumors were that the Patriots were eyeing him for the pick that went that ended up being Trevon Henderson.

That the Miami traded up in front of New England because they thought New England was going to take him.

We'll see if that.

I mean, there's no way to know if that's true.

Right tackle wide bass clamps his hands, he's stiff, pull can't adjust, he can wash DT's down line of scrimmage.

Not a lot of Polish strong hands.

Doesn't roll his hips.

So I thought he was a little bit stiff and just a little little raw there.

So it sounds like that's I haven't studied him, so I'll take your word on it.

And he's playing inside and you just see a lot of a lot of blown blocks.

So that running game is is fun to watch.

Let's flip it while we're on the Dolphins.

I'm going to go off the board.

I'm throwing my my defensive lineman picks right at you, and it's this guy, Jordan Phillips for the Dolphins.

He's showing up fifth round pick.

One of those drafts where the guy you took later is out playing your first round pick in Kenneth Grant and he's just a guy that pops.

It's not a good defensive line class.

That was my takeaway going through this exercise trying to pick someone.

Overall, it hasn't been great, but he looks like a guy who's going to contribute to the Dolphins down line.

Jordan Phillips, you know who My comparison was for him, hardgrave body type wise, kind of remind me a hardgrave, wide four point stance, a little laid off the ball.

He's violent, club swim, He's got some real shock in his hands, pure bowl, not a lot of polish.

But you'll see him like Forkliff guys like just a real strong power player, a good player.

So maybe that's why he's popped enough for me to just write him down a few times.

It's just like he looks stronger than the pro competition, which is impressive to do, you know, as a rookie.

All that's good stuff to me.

The name that I wanted to highlight was Josias Stewart, which is another draft, a coup for the Rams and less sneed.

He's got a thirteen point four percent pressure percentage, which is extremely high.

And I was thinking about what's the through line with all these successful defensive linemen that the Rams have, and you know, you talk about all different shapes and sizes.

You can even look at some of this the speed and can be a little bit.

I mean, they want guys who are explosive, but speed can be a little bit up and down, a little different there.

All of their players will play with tremendous leverage and whether or not they're shorter, or whether or not they can really roll their hips and bend like they they are going to challenge your breaks.

I call them like it's like an Amco pass rush.

They are going to test the breaks of every single offensive lineman.

They're going to leverage them and they're going to go through them, and Josiah Stewart was penalized a little bit because he was undersized.

If I remember correctly, he did not or he ran poorly at his at his pro day, he was in my top fifty at one point in time.

Let me see where he ended up on mine because I had dropped him through the process.

I think there might have been some medical stuff as well, but he ended up one eleven on my list at one point time.

Again, he was like forty nine to fifty range, undersize both of lightning.

He plays balls to the wall, has a shake bowl dip rip, he plays much bigger than he is at the point of attack.

He at tax blocks, he plays with big energy.

So again that's always a lesson.

This happens every year, and you tell yourself, don't do it.

Trust trust what you saw on you know, first look, first glance, don't let the fog of confusion.

And Phil Savage just to always say that about the spring, it's like the fog of confusion.

Just put your grades and cement after the season's over.

But man, the guy I dropped him fifty slots and clearly he should not have been dropped that far.

Well, you know, Phil Savage didn't have to come up with weekly rankings with your your editor, Ali Bonte down your throat.

He's like, we got to move him around a little bit and cement, what are we doing here, Dan.

Park content machine.

We're just trying to keep that thing running.

Man.

A couple disappointing defensive playing and by the way, the Falcons edges have both played pretty well.

Piers fourteen point pressure rate, which is very good.

And I think Jalen Walker looks like he's going to good.

The problem is that the coach might not be there next year.

It's going to be a different scheme, and that's that's always the risk with these teams that are changing coaches.

Abdull Carter, I wouldn't say he's been bad, but he hasn't been consistent.

And when you get suspended or at least benched twice in the span of three weeks, that's not great.

And Mike Green for the Ravens man, they could have really used him.

It's a lot to ask in a rookie edge rusher, second round pick to just pop right off the bat, but they could have really used him and hasn't been great, hasn't been making a huge impact.

I think he was the guy that was at fault for that Jalen Warren touchdown that long play last week.

And so those are a couple guys higher that haven't really done too much.

Yeah, Abdul Carter's pressure percentage better than his production.

He's got a twelve point eight percent pressure percentage, which is solid.

Only one and a half sacks.

But where you're picked, and as somebody who is as talented as anybody in the entire draft class, you expected a lot more production, even in a crowded room, even in a team that's not playing with the lead very often.

He should be more impactful than he's been.

And the one thing I would say about this kind of collection of guys I think on the whole, I would say maybe a little underwhelming in terms of the number of guys that were picked high, and the production is not necessarily matched that at this point in time.

But of all the positions, defensive linemen can take a minute and some of the best defensive linemen in the league go look at their first second year statue won't be blown away, and you see guys get better and better.

It's a major adjustment at that position in the NFL.

Yeah, especially on the interior that can be true, but really everywhere.

I mean, that's that's true of the linebackers.

At least that's what you know, we think.

But we might have a Rookie of the Year.

I kind of expect that I wrote one name Dallas once a one man, it's Carson Seweesssinger, and that's and then there's a golf and then there's everybody else.

And I could come up and I could talk about Teddy Buchanan and talk about some of these other guys.

But I'm like, it's almost as a disservice to Sweationnger to not just constantly give him his flowers every time we do one of these episodes, because he's not just the best rookie linebacker, he's playing like one of the best linebackers in the NFL.

What a great pick and what a great story he is, and what a great evaluation not just by the Browns, but but yourself and a lot of people who had had him so high with such a small sample size and not like a traditional five star background or anything.

But he's the man.

It's reminded me of I feel like back in the day.

Every year it was a linebacker like him popping up, but would win Defensive Rookie of the Year is like Patrick Willis or gerro Mayo Jackson, right, well Jackson.

The Patriots actually had another one, who am I forgetting?

That wasn't Mayo, but either way it was.

It was someone every year and like, Okay, I'm going to watch that guy for seven eight years, and I feel like we haven't.

Darius Leonard was another one, changed his name to shak and I think Schwessinger is one of those dudes.

We're just going to be watching him for a decade.

Yeah, he's a fun player, he's a great player.

Let's get to the secondary.

Greg, I'm gonna I'm gonna give you two and I grouped him together.

Now I want to say this.

Will Johnson's coming off the worst game ahead of the whole year.

The Rams target him.

I think even from a statistical standpoint, I don't think he'd given up a first down catch and like the previous handful of games, four or five games, and gave up five in this game, including two touchdowns.

It was his worst game of the year.

Prior to that, he's played pretty good.

He's he's been a really solid player.

So I wanted to group him Will Johnson with Nick Amm and Warri, who were two guys that were fallers in the draft who were viewed as first round picks through the vast majority of the entire process.

If I was going to pull up war I had them rated.

Let me see where I had them in that last one here, So safety wise, Emon Worri, let's start there.

Emon Worre was my fifteenth overall play and he fell to the second round, and then we go to the corners.

Will Johnson was my sixteenth player, so I had him at fifteen and sixteen for various reasons.

One with you know, injuries was a part of it.

With Will Johnson, people worried about I believe it was this knee if I can remember correctly, didn't run, so there's some questions about his speed.

But he's played well for Arizona Cardinals.

Seem that's had a rough year, so I think that's been great.

And then even warr it's been fun Like there's some you'll see a little blood on his hands every week where he might you know, get beaten coverage here there, but he's been dynamic near the line of scrimmage.

He makes splash plays and he can tell he's going to be really really good.

So both those guys first round players didn't go in the first round.

So I like the big pat on the back that that was for yourself of highly he ranked them.

Yeah, No, I just like I was right, gms don't know what they're doing.

No, you want to know what's you want to know what's this is the this that's not the pat.

This is the the pat on the back is.

I didn't have either one of them in my final mock draft.

That's the two different jobs.

Greg.

It's the what I see of him.

But then also so they're not going to go in the first round because usually we only get one safety.

There's usually not a room for a lot of safeties in there.

So even Wai's going to get punished.

And then with Will Johnson with some medical could fall.

Out for a couple of nights every year.

You you are the pre eminent insider.

Forget Ian Rappaport.

He tries to get in on doing stuff during the draft.

You know what, you know what's going on.

But yeah, that's why I get anywhere from four to six of those thirty two picks right in a mock draft.

You're not above yourself very back, I hear a.

Great is that?

What's a great percentage?

That would be?

Well?

Now, but I know it used to be an academic school.

So can you do the math on that or no?

I mean we've we've long been a football school.

I was the two Lane King, an announcer for Sean King.

Let's go everyone honking about Oh two lane doesn't deserve to be in there compared to these big teams.

Hey, how about not like lou how about about taking accountability?

All these adults who oh take accountability leadership in the second something doesn't go against that goes against them and it totally arbitrary, like opinion process where you lost your biggest games of this season.

Do they take any responsibility for that at all?

Like a quarterback would like they would want a leader to No, they just whine and cry and that's loser behavior too.

Lane would never.

Does Mewelde Moore lead you guys out of the tunnel in this playoff game?

Who's gonna?

I hope?

So?

I hope.

So any secondary players you want to out there?

Do you want to contribute to this podcast at all?

Are you good?

I?

Well, I didn't get to you know, bag on the Bengals linebackers.

By the way they were down.

That has an experiment gone horribly wrong.

And yes, I do have a couple guys in the secondary.

I'm going deeper, not not the obvious guys like you.

How about Noel Williams of the Chiefs.

Otherwise no, no.

No, n o h L.

I think they found another one.

They just find these guys no one's heard of, and then they're out there and you're like, oh, that guy's a pretty good player.

What pick was?

He tell me?

I don't know, do some homework on this thing at all.

I think it was like a fourth rounder was.

Can we pull that up?

Let me see eighty fifth overall?

Okay, it was a little higher than I expect.

He did eighty fifth over and you're saying he's playing well, yeah, would you say he's playing like maybe the my fifty fourth overall player.

He's playing that well?

I mean good, and it's gracious.

I mean I put out a list greg six three, one, nine, four five flat seven picks, got three picks against Auburn, had a pick six against cam Ward Press.

Feisty, a little quicker than fast and undercut, has got great ball skills.

He's my fifty fourth player.

You get you act like you just found him on the moon.

Just saying he's playing well.

If you can get a guy who's contributing right off the bat, looking good in the third round the Chiefs, they've had their problems this year, but that's been good.

And then I'm going to go really deep here.

Safety for the Titans, Kevin Winston.

I just noticed they're using him as a blitzer.

He's making some plays in front of the.

Thirtiest safeties you'll ever.

I saw him in person again this year.

You know, I saw him this year.

I haven't had done him in the draft, but I'm like, he is That's what you want your safety to look like.

When he gets off the bus.

They might have found someone.

He he looks like a player.

He's what pick I'll check, well, at least probably what third round wherever you have him?

U S great podcast.

Yeah, No, I want to know what it is.

What he was.

He was drafted in the third round, eighty second, eighty he put.

It in there, eighty second pick.

Okay, Kevin Winston, he was my third safety, was my fifty ninth overall player.

Another w common w D games.

He only played two games, but he's six oh one four six one and a half two hundred and fifteen pounds.

He ran four or five to one in his pro day and he is only two games.

Aggressive versus the run, quick reads, he was beat by fannin and coverage.

Hey, we've already established fan a good player, has man skills, excellent to the alley in twenty three and twenty three, played really really well.

But he is He's a talented player.

Big, physical, good looking.

I think a little like any of who's working harder on this podcast than you are.

By the way, any a little Kenny Baccaro, right, like, how about that he's not bringing that com to the table like that.

I like Kenny bacarl That was forties and free agents.

In terms of the offseason, the next time we talked to you, DJ, you have a lot of work in the meantime.

You might have a playoff run to be announcing for the Chargers.

In fact, you better or else it'd be a disappointing end to the season.

Definitely, one maybe two more wins.

I think one more probably does it, but two would would pretty much lock him in it.

I think.

I think they'll get there too, and during that playoff run, we will already be talking.

So we got forties and free agents coming out weekly, starting to look ahead to the twenty twenty six NFL Draft, and even more important, the twenty twenty six free agent crop.

I'm doing my homework on it.

That happens faster.

We don't have to draw it out for four months, and we do it in like three days in March.

I don't want to.

I don't want to ran in your parade here, but and talking to teams, there's not an underwhelming free agent class, man.

I hear that every year.

And it's what's your list?

How many undred, one hundred and one?

Because we work one one slot harder than the rest.

M'd be Greg's top thirty free agents this year.

You always there's always players out there.

There's always a Dante Jackson.

People weren't talking about that one DJ And.

This is going to be a scrollless article.

You do not need to scroll.

You can get all those names in one view on it.

Oh, don't hurt the brand.

We're going to be talking about this on the show too.

There's always players out there.

But you're right, I think teams because of the salary cap going up and up and up in the way they do the accounting, good players rarely get loose.

But there's some of the.

Fastest five minutes in podcasts sports.

As we preview the twenty twenty six NFL free agency with Greg rosmenthal.

Alec Pierce signs a five year, two hundred and fifty million dollar contract.

As he by the way, I'll tell you right now, you can't have you cannot have Jalen Phillips high enough on your list.

There you go.

Okay, that's a.

Person really, really good.

We'll see if I take that into advisement in January when we will be back after week eighteen.

Until then, uh yeah, just check out Move the sticks And I thought daily you see you later.

I gotta gotta gotta get the pop before we go