2025 NFL Draft Season Storylines: Jalen Milroe's Potential, Conner Weigman's Breakout

what's up everyone welcome back to the pfn scouting podcast I me cumings joined by my good friend and co-host Derek Tate and uh Hey Tater the countdown is rolling four days away from the college football season Florida State and Georgia Tech I believe is the first game leading off on the 24th of August it's going to be a fun one that is the precursor for so much action that we have previewed with you from every possible angle at Prof Network and our good friends over at college football network cam meler Ali hodkinson give those guys a pat on the backat give them a follow follow their work they do tremendous uh tremendous work for for that Network and it's only going to get better through the season so it's going to be fun but um you know from The Scouting perspective we've covered I think every possible angle we could this summer Derek I go back you know the positional rankings quarterback running back receiver offensive line defensive line tight end we got linebacker Corner safety we did the past two weeks we did all draft team on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball so listeners if you're out there and you miss something go back scroll through our previous podcast because we really put in the work to try and give you the best scouting info that we can so a lot of stuff on setp a lot of stuff in the re premir but now we are right on the doorstep of the action the season is almost here we're going to get into some storylines some story lines on the draft side and the CFB side that are really intriguing us but first off Derek how you doing my man we're almost there I know you're talking four days away knock knock who's there college football is there baby it's back you know I always say this uh whenever we get close to football returning uh football I love you I missed you don't ever leave me again so I'm I'm excited to say at the very least it's gonna be fun it's gonna be fun real quick though an NFL development have you done any fantasy drafts yet fantasy football I know that's that's a big part of your of your season right now too have you done any yeah how's how's your team absolutely yeah so I'm in a 14 Team league I picked at 14 um just real quick I'm not gonna it turned out pretty well went running back running back like it's like 2006 um with Kiron and saquin but I'm I'm a firm believer man in this rookie class and every time I kind of I've been getting in those middle rounds I've been you know seeing Brian Thomas Jr or Malik neighbors fall into my lap and I'm kind of like damn I'm having a hard time not investing in guys that we discussed at nauseum and did all kinds of tape study on because I believe in these guys as prospects uh and some of their Landing situations are are you know outstanding from a fan Outlook standpoint so uh it's always fun to kind of take a look back at all the work that we did leading through the draft process now it's kind of getting a glimpse you know we even saw Romo dun Malik neighbors and uh you know Brian Thomas Jr has finally started to show some of those flashes so Xavier worthy too by the way yeah that Kansas City offense that so I mean I've got I've got some shares of some really nice uh of this very deep 2024 wide receiver class you know that's kind of one of the storylines that I want to to keep an eye on is this position group uh to see if it's going to be able to rival in any way shape or form uh the immensely strong class that we saw last yeah because I feel like this year more than many other years that we've seen part of that is the transfer portal becoming more and more prevalent in the game but we were talking about it before the podcast like we don't know where anyone is because there so much movement is happening you know you've got guys like I was doing my Conference USA preview Cyrus Allen very productive player from Louisiana Tech last year he's with Texas A&M now so with Conor Wegman and we'll get to him with the story lines in a little bit but there's so much movement and it's almost like like you mentioned Dereck your analogy is it's it's like free agency but with a 100 over 120 teams you know it's it's chaos it is chaos but that's another fun element of it for sure so I I love D for the fantasy football side by the way like drafting rookies I do it impulsively now like I don't even think about it and it's like all of a sudden I look at my roster Ian you've got like six rookies on your bench like what are you doing man it's like I I'm scouting these guys I can't I can't help it I'm sorry I'm sorry but um it's going to be a fun one it's going to be a fun NFL season a fun fantasy season but especially a fun CFB season and that's what we've been previewing on The Scouting side within the scouting lens but now it's time to really look ahead what are we looking forward to and it sound it seems cliche to start with the quarterbacks but quarterbacks are such an important part of the game they're such an important part of The Scouting process and the draft really revolves around quarterbacks like we saw last year right if you have a very strong draft class at the quarterback position those guys are going to fly off the board Caleb Williams Jaden Daniels Drake May and then we had B niick Michael penck J junor JJ McCarthy right like if you have a strong class that is going to be the position that dictates everything else and the 2025 NFL draft class has gotten some flak early on because it doesn't have the certainty that the 2024 class did right you know you knew a lot of those guys were going to be Ballers like even Caleb Williams and Drake may even the summer before we knew yeah they're probably going to be in the top three discussion this class that that's coming up we don't really know who's going to be in that top five discussion like I'm pretty sure Carson backck will be there you like shadar Sanders a lot and he's got the upside but beyond that where do you start where do you end right like what is the group that we're working with so and it's it's tough because I don't want to start this conversation just with like what do we think about this but that you know that's kind of how broadly you have to approach this because there are so many potential contenders we talked about Jackson Dart over in Old Miss Donovan Smith in Houston is a guy that I like a lot Drew Aller Conor Wegman from Texas A&M the Young guns right and then even past that group there are a lot of sleepers Jaylen Daniels from Kansas is one that could emerge cam ward has a lot of fans he transferred over to Miami uh the list goes on and on so Derek talk to me what are your impressions on the qb1 battle entering the year now that we've had a few months to ruminate on it and what are you looking forward to the most yeah that's that's one of the top storylines is like who's gonna so for me I I have it as the top two quarterbacks Carson Beck shidu or Sanders who who's going to emerge as the quarterback three who's going to see their draft stock rise significantly based on their performance whether it is you know the continuity of staying with one program or it's the plethora of talented uh signal callers that have transferred I mean like Dylan Gabriel's one that kind of stands out to me over at Oregon like um that that Oregon offense B knck has looked even though it's a funky offense B knck has look pretty darn good in the preseason so I'm paying attention to that uh to that Oregon Ducks offense as well I mean I like Drew Aller I think the physical the the arm Talent is just so immense with him but there's flashes of processing the ball placement has to get better and more consistent though like the the mechanics I really want to see more Conor Wegman is certainly somebody that kind of jumps out to me Jaylen milro like um you know the like the end of the Nick Sabin era that's actually one of my top storylines every single year for I don't know how many years I mean definitely 10 years plus that Nick Sabin was I think kind of the face of college football in a lot of ways because you always knew Alabama was going to be involved in some capacity in the college football playoff picture and now that's another talking storyline that we can get to it's expanding right to to to 12 teams which is chaos it feels like compared to you know two previously down a four and now it you know triples um to to 12 so it's there's so many talking points and so much Intrigue with this year uh but you even you mentioned this weekend Florida State DJ OU gele I believe I said it correctly thank close you close um yeah I uh OU like yeah I've heard it called like three different ways I'm getting on your case but like if you put me on the spot and tried to have me say it right now it would be we'd crash and burn so I'm I'm I'm I'm strategically avoiding that DJ what yeah you see there we go I didn't even get a s and it's tough DJ DJ U from Florida State he's another talented guy yeah he was a former five star and he's got the he's got a nuclear arm so he's he's in the mix too from Clemson goes to Oregon State now he transfers to Florida State after Jordan Travis goes to the uh to the National Football League and um you know Mike norell obviously had a lot of success there last year and it feels like it was a major Injustice to those Florida State seminal fans and that's kind of who I grew up loving so it was tough to watch them obviously be excluded from the top four college football playoff last year but you know watching some of these quarterbacks um who can have a rebirth in a new place I mean we saw it with Bo Nicks and Michael penck just last year you know a change of scenery scheme you know if you can find the right program that can really cultivate uh and and scheme what a quarterback does well sprinkling in some you know just natural growth and development at the position for these young kids it's always very interesting to see who draft stock could rise at that position to make this potentially a stronger class than it looks like at this very moment entering the 2024 college football season yeah you know it's one of those things where there's still a lot of football left to be played and people rush to have these conclusive you know opinions on the class in the summer right summer scouting becomes very popular but um you know at the same time if you're scouting these guys like you got to understand we are still working with an incomplete picture right now we got to wait for the season and like there's so like like in the summer last year no one knew Brian Thomas Jr would become a first round pick for the Jaguars right like you know the upside was there obviously but you know guys break out to to degrees that we never anticipate you know that the college football season always brings something unexpected and I think that's the lesson in there is just you got to be fluid you got to be adaptable and you got to understand that you're never going to know everything and you got to just kind of roll with the punes and see what happens but I think this QB class in particular is very emblematic of that and let's let's focus a little bit on Jaylen milro now because he was the one and I was he was the first one that I brought up when we were brainstorming this podcast and I'm sure you had him at the top of your mind too this is a guy who has the raw talent to be a top five pick like raw physical Talent if that's what we're talking about and you can say you know historically you can say that for a lot of QBs right and and how many of them have actually gone top five like you know 5% if that right because it takes a lot more than raw tal to play the QB position effectively but J D milro is a guy whose story thus far I think really compels you because he was a guy who got benched early on in the season last year that South Florida game Tyler Buckner came in for him and he got benched and then he came back and down the stretch for Alabama he became one of their most important players right won the iron ball with that really impressive throw to the corner of the end zone against Auburn right and then miracle miracle throw right there man that was that was just insane and then you know gets him to the college football playoff right they lost to Michigan but they were right in the mix after a lot of people were were penciling in Georgia for that right so you know Jaylen milroe really showed the type of resilience that you know if you're an NFL GM right you know there is some old school character Notions to it like you look at that and you see like this guy bounced back this guy didn't let that breaking and that's an very very impressive thing in its own right um from all the reports he's well regarded as a leader at Alabama so you look at that like he's got the toughness the resilience and then the the physical tools too 6'2 220 pounds electric athlete probably four four speed explosive moving up the field you can run the option game with them you can use design carries right and then you look at the arm as well the ball pops off his hand man he's got a rocket arm he's got great velocity generation very easy velocity generation and there are some flashes of angle Freedom too you know I think the biggest thing for him and this kind of stems from the issues that we see with him the mechanical control right the mechanics a lot of it is like you know sometimes he's a little more arm dominant kind of like Michael penx was at the beginning of his career and even even a little bit later in his career right you know I think penx was always a little arm dominant so it's going to take some time to activate that lower body you see that with Jaylen Mill Ro too you know he is a guy who can rely on those physical tools a lot but sometimes to a fault and then down the stretch in the in in the season too I think field Vision I think progression work I think that can be a little more consistent with him too I think we saw growth for sure but there were a lot of missed opportunities the Kentucky game was one example where yeah he made some really good throws but there was also some me left on the bone right you know even down the stretch in that Auburn game you know he came he he delivered at the very end of it but through every game you know you see opportunities where yeah if he was in the right spot with his eyes could have made that happen Germaine Burton was generating separation like second nature right yeah Isaiah Bond as well who's now at Texas so I know I know I was just about to mention him too are you concerned at all about the the the weapons uh because I mean traditionally Alabama's been a factory uh at the skill position um as far as putting a lot of talent into the into the league uh the the transfer of Isaiah Bond and the loss of Germaine Burton you know H how much does that potentially impact uh Jaylen milroe and his production uh this upcoming season that's a question that I have yeah for sure me too and I know I'm looking up their depth chart real quick just to because we mentioned the transfer portal like you gota you got to double check everything like oh who's here now but I remember they got Jeremy Bernard fromard Washington who's I think a 200 pound guy a little bigger but he he's he's pretty explosive pretty athletic I think a good rack threat but he can make plays on the ball too they got Kobe Prentice as well I think they still have a Mari NE black no he might have transferred to Texas actually I think he might have transferred but um you know they have Jer Jeremy Bernard the weapons core definitely took a step down from last year though you you are right Germaine Burton I think was very underrated we talked about him a couple times on the Pod like hey you know if it's only onfield stuff like he has Fringe first round tape at times because the explosion speed the route running flexibility very reliable hands too had a very low drop rate so he was a very good player Isaiah Bond was a very good player too we gave him some love in the wide receiver pot he's gonna go off for Quinn yers and Steve sarkees I think but yes Jaylen milro is working with kind of a not a empty cupboard but the cupboard some stuff has been removed for sure you know you you got to run the dishwasher there's not a lot in there anymore so I looking at you know the raw tailent it's definitely there but um you know he's going to have to elevate that roster because they don't quite have as much as they do on the offensive side and then they also don't have Nick Sav anymore right so there's the uncertainty of what is the Alabama program going to look like with kayin dor D'Or is proven that he can coach up quarterbacks scheme up Personnel but Jaylen milroe is kind of the defining piece of that he's a central piece and you can build the offense around his running ability but at a certain point if Alabama is gonna and here's the thing too 12 team playoff it does kind of reduce the margin of error for really talented teams like that like there's a good chance Alabama gets in even if they're not as El lead as they've been right agreed but at the same time if you want to compete for a championship which that's the Ultimate Prize for that kind of school um it's going to take a little bit more uh consistency on the operational side so I'm excited to see what he can do because you look at the flaws that panx had coming to Washington right very arm dominant you know the turnovers could be an issue at times the volatility as a passer both with with his precision and the field I think pennock's field Vision has always been a little better than milrose though that's the thing with me I think always picking out those windows the intermediate deep ranges being able to thread the ball into really tight spots so Milow that's where he stands to improve right now there were times where I was thinking to myself you know he is a little bit more of a seeit throw it type guy right anticipation timing those things are impr important and he'll have an opportunity to hone those things down but this is making a break of time now you know you've got kayen dor you've got the tools in Your Arsenal it's really time to take that next step and I think if he does I think he has the talent to do it he's got the mindset to do it he can be in first round pick he really can't so I look at him as the wild card in the QB class and you know I think the Raw Talent can be a big separator for him he's so much fun to watch um because of all those physical tools and the flashes of damn this kid can this kid can be a an issue because a problem you have an answer to he can be an issue if he when he puts it all together it's just that snapto snap consistency and you mentioned the some some similarities between him and Michael penx Jr I also believe that one place where I saw pennx really Elevate his game at Washington was in the pre- snap process um where I I felt like if if you gave him a single high look and he would confirm it uh right after the snap he knew exactly where he wanted to go with the ball in a lot of circumstances and oftentimes would have the arm talent to be able to you know thread the needle and and push the ball down the field into Tight Windows I I also saw a little bit more just a little bit more anticipation from penx not say that milro can't can't produce that right because he's again a young kid that the the growth year-over-year can be exponentially different uh for these young signal callers so milro with all those physical tools I'm very intrigued to see what he uh what he's able to put on tape in 2024 it's gonna be fun it really is uh now the other SEC guy Carson Beck is currently one of the favorites for the qb1 discussion shadur Sanders is your favorite and uh there's many other names in the conversation I think kind of On The Fringe that Conor Wegman we mentioned Texas A&M is going to be a big one let's touch on Wegman here because I think let's touch on Wegman and hour because I think those two guys are in their own category they're both third-year players right who are entering their first year of Eligibility and both of them you get a sense you're still looking for something more with Wegman we're just looking for more experience right a bit greater sample size because he got injured um you know last year he only played four games the year before that the sample size is very small with him now there's a lot of promising stuff on tape in what we have I think you know the talent the Raw Talent first of all I think I told you like he kind of reminds me of a more athletic Jared Goff just from the body type the stylistic perspective he's got more than enough arm for sure I think he's definitely more mobile and you see that with him a little high cut but he can he can move he can throw off platform and I think the touch the accuracy you know in those little moments like he's really shown that he can attune passes to situational Precision throw receivers open and you love to see that from such a Young quarterback I think the pocket discipline and the spacing I think the progression work those things are still work in progress because those are things that you really nail down with experience right you can't just have it walking in some guys do but you know it's a pretty rare thing so you need more experience with Wegman and then with Drew all like you said you need more operational consistency when it comes to accuracy and precision I think the the processing capacity is there we saw the flashes of anticipation I really like the route break anticipation where he especially there were some intermediate comebacks where he's throwing in just as the receiver starts to plant and drive right you know it's not late it's not a see it throw it deal he's shown you can do that right and when you have the arm that he does you're getting the ball to the receiver right when that separation reaches his Peak that's a valuable thing so I think that is there with him but with Aller it's just you gotta learn to rain it in yeah consistency and you got to learn to rain it in right you know you not everything has to be a fast ball not everything has to be trying to drive it in learn to throw a touch and learn to layer that touch and pace to get the ball in the proper spot with the proper trajectory I think adding more to his Arsenal as a as a pitcher right is going to be a big thing for him so the arm tailing is there I think the processing is there the biggest thing that I'm looking forward to seeing with Drew Aller and um I have equal parts optimism and uncertainty kind of precariousness with this is Andy codal necki the offensive coordinator that they brought over from Kansas worked with Jaylen Daniels last year Jaylen Daniels stylistically is a much different quarterback than Drew Ard right like you you can't a just a little bit right like you can't run the option game the misdirection game you can't the the naked looks like the the the boot actions and rollouts right with defender in your face you you can't run those as much with Drew Aller he's just you know 65 two two close to two40 I think so he's a big dude Jaylen Daniels is 6 foot 220 and he's athleticism is a central part of his game not to say the hour is a bad athlete I think he's a pretty decent athlete for his size but he's not the threat on the ground and the off platform threat that Daniels is when you have the speed like Daniels to keep himself clean while surveying the field in the flats that's a pretty valuable thing and it's something that Ard doesn't have right now so does not right now like he's not gonna have it just from a body type standpoint so correct you know with cotal necki but the best but here's here's why I'm optimistic the best offensive coordinators can kind of adjust their their schematic look and adjust their approach based on the Personnel they have right and I think Jal gives him something unique with his arm like he can hit window that not a lot of guys can hit with that just pure velocity generation so that's going to be a fun thing to work with definitely going to have to reintegrate him in different ways but um you know the best offensive Minds have shown it's not because they have this set framework that they fit their players into it's that they have the creativity to get the most out of what they have so hopefully we can we can see that the receiving core is still kind of iffy but um you know I think Jal Julian Julian Fleming is from I'm a little yeah I'm a little intrigued by Julian Fleming in this in in this offense maybe as the potential leading receiver there for the nitty Lions but you know Tyler Warren's also I'm obviously very high on him as a as a movable uh kind of hybrid tight end uh HB type and then you know Singleton out of the back field too can give you a little bit of something Allen too right so they got a two tandem there absolutely so I mean I think that there are some intriguing pieces if CI can you know find the right roles and then of course put uh and put our in a position to allow that arm talent to really flourish and the processing ability to be able to it just needs it all but the mechanics and the ball placement uh like you said it it seems as he can't decide on what type of pitch he wants to throw sometimes like uh like you said I I he's got the ability to be able to get the ball up and down uh you know over the second level in front of the safety on seams I've seen it but but it just needs to be more consistent uh because I know we can throw the ball through a brick wall it's just that consistency uh from snap to snap kind of similar to that of jayen milro he's certainly a quarterback that really really intrigues me because of his like what I saw from a processing ability um and when his mechanics are dialed in kind of similar to that of Drake May the arm Talent just pops yeah he's got the velocity he's got the arm strength it's it's really effortless you know like my definition for arm strength is the ease of velocity generation that's how I like to word it because like some guys like no matter no matter who you are right to get proper to get maximum velocity you got to get your hips around right like there's a mechanical type of synergy that you always need as a passer but some guys are able to work not work around that but like when when you're working with different platforms maintain that velocity let Patrick Mahomes is is so famous for that but like a lot of NFL passers right you know they have that ability to maintain flexibility with their base and that in turn allows them to channel that through their arm and and get maximum velocity right so you know having that type of talent it's a very rare thing and I think a lot of these guys in this class do have that but it's just building around that and I think that goes for guys like Jackson Dart and Donovan Smith too you know I think a lot of these guys near the top are quarterbacks who are flawed but have a ton of potential that's very visible on the tape Donovan Smith can he cut down the turnover I know you're Donan I'm Donan Smith guy yeah I can't lie but the big 12 is is um you know would have been a bigger test with Oklahoma and Texas so seeing them move to the SEC that'll that'll detract a little bit but again I think the talent is definitely there with him and then Jackson dart playing for Old Miss in the SEC the stakes are really high for that Old Miss team because they have invested a lot into the transfer portal uh Trey Harris is coming back really good wide receiver for them offensive line is pretty strong um you know they got USC's Bentley coming in at running back losing quinan Judkins hurts but again they got Bentley coming back and then on the defensive side too I like juice Wells too I wanted to mention yes good I I forgot about him so thank you for mentioning him from South Carolina he's got the um explosiveness he's got the body control some rack ability being around 210 pounds that's that that's my favorite type too man I love those types of guys but he's him and Trey Harris will be a very fun combination and I I don't they might have Kaden prescor coming back at tight end I gotta double check that I don't I can't verify that but I believe they I believe they do but uh you know we we'll verify we'll verify again verifying all these offseason trans or uh transactions a tricky tricky Venture it's it's definitely a full-time job that is for sure uh and then on the defensive side princely uman from Florida great pickup Edge defensive tackle Walter Nolan as well and then they got some pretty good pieces in the secondary too um John Sanders might be coming back but they they added a few guys Yan Banks from South Alabama that dude is a baller at safety so I I like Old Miss but um yeah the pressure is on Jackson D's shoulders to lead that team to the playoffs everyone kind of expects it because of the talent that they have and and he's a talented passer he's got the arm Talent he's got the athleticism it's just again you know different components where consistency I think pocket navigation is a big thing for him he can drift around at times too I think the processing is there it's not quite Elite yet so get to that level where you're not relying on schemed passes and read and rpos like Matt caral was right so a lot of people are going to draw that distinction again I think they're very different prospects already but AB with the Miss offense it's something that people gravitate to so you got to answer for it um well I think Lane kein will Lane kein is someone who will mold an offense around what his quarterback can do and he just wasn't asking Matt carral to go through you know multiple layered reads on a consistent basis because I just don't think that he was very good at it so he simplified the offense ran a lot of RPO Concepts we saw a ton of RPO glances um but it it's a different offense because you have a different guy under Center which speaks to Lane kein whether you like lane kein or not I think as a coach he's certainly a very gifted offensive mind and and I with the talent that they have on that roster it does suck that they lost quinshon junkins because you know speaking of a storyline I want to see how that works in Ohio State but um you me I I do think that this team is set to make some noise and I would not be surprised whatsoever if they either outright win the SEC but certainly make the college football playoff in 2024 yep they are loaded on both sides of the ball it's going to be fun one real quick we we'll do a little bit more quarter back them can stem to others but let's preview this week one matchup because Connor Wegman we we talked about it Texas A&M is playing Notre Dame both teams are ranked it's one of the very few ranked matchups in this week one slate a lot of teams like to get their FCS matchups out of the way early so we're not seeing a ton of heavyweight match battles but this is one of them Conor Wegman and Texas A&M facing off against Riley Leonard and Notre Dame Leonard is another QB who could enter that wild card conversation he had some early round Buzz last summer and then the season did not go as plann for him injuries play to hand Duke's Supporting Cast wasn't always the best I think the receivers there there was some separation struggles at times but Gran Barton on the offensive line they had him they had solid blocking unit so you know there is work to do as a passer for Leonard too you know I think the consistency again it's a common theme for a lot of these guys a lot of these young guys and Leonard is not immune but um you know it's a fun matchup I think looking at Notre Dame's defense Benjamin Morrison lock down Corner they got Jordan Clark I believe from Temple who can be a really good Nickelback for them uh Xavier Xavier Xavier wat yes the ball Hawk seven interceptions uh so Notre Dame has a lot of talent in that secondary and that's even Howard cross right yeah Howard cross they got him at defensive tackle they also added RJ Obin Edge rusher from duke who's a pretty productive player High motor guy not the most explosive but High motor heavy hands so this Notre Dame defense has a lot to a lot of talent to kind of throw at Conor Wegman this young QB so week one right away we're going to get to gge a little bit of how Wegman has come how far Wegman has come right and again you know part of it part of it the equation is you do have to find your Rhythm during the season like you can't look at a week one game and expect a guy to be a finished product right usually it doesn't happen like that but this will be a good a good checkpoint for us like all right Conor Wegman what can you do because Notre Dame's defense is one of the better units in the league right Marcus Freeman as a coach they have stability there they have the talent and then you also have on the other side of the ball Riley Leonard if he can find his stride maybe make this a closer game maybe put some pressure on this young QB uh it'll be a fun one for sure and then on the flip side Riley Leonard looking at that Texas A&M defense they have Bryce Anderson at safety who's a ball Hawk with some really nice playmaking range they've got Shamar Turner still up front really good power rusher who can crunch the pocket um these two teams are going to challenge each other and I think the biggest thing is how these young QBs respond to it early on yeah well I mean we're going to see for Notre Dame Mitchell Evans I'm excited to see you know uh a tight end he's certainly in that tight end 2 conversation um you know as a kind of your traditional inline tight end that Notre zame seems to be pumping into the NFL on a regular basis um but you know out on the perimeter you know I'm I'm interested to see how it looks uh for Leonard with like Bo Collins I believe it is um and who else potentially emerges uh in that Notre Dame offense but then you're talking moose Muhammad for Connor wgan uh I know that they lost annias Smith this last year to the NFL draft so so you know think that obviously there's always moving Parts um but both of these teams have you know I think a handful of NFL prospects that really intrigue me and you know this is certainly a very interesting measuring stick for both of these teams who aren't taking the the cupcake route where they you know schedule an easy game to start the season I I I have to respect that like I tip the hat to these programs that you know want to get right down to business and try to make a statement early in the season for sure and uh two other wide receiver moves for these two teams Texas A&M I think we mentioned it earlier but Evan Stewart transferred to Oregon so he'll be with Tess Johnson and Dylan Gabriel actually so that'll be a really fun a little Duo there but then also Notre Dame they another player that they added I just did my Conference USA preview so this was kind of my head Florida Internationals Chris Mitchell big play threat really high average yards per catch um he's got the explosiveness he's got the size I would be I I'm very intrigued to see what he can do because they got Bo Collins they got Riley Leonard I think Chris Mitchell with that field stretching ability could be another wild card for them in Texas A&M's defense like we look at it that unit has had some the secondary has had some turnover to a corner right a you guys they lost so very intrigued to see how they face up there but um it'll be fun this is week one it's just the kind of the calibration period right not a ton of high stakes games yet but um you know some action that can ease us into the season let's pivot away from quarterback real quick we got a few story lines that we mentioned and then all you know we can open the floor maybe break out candidates or if there's some other ones that that that come to your mind but uh let's talk about Michigan that defense man we the the reigning Champions we know the offense there's going to be a little bit of a grace period for them the receiving core they lost Cornelius Johnson um they have a few other they have a what's shoot I'm trying to remember they're young receiver's name they have a a smaller guy a shiftier guy who who's who's pretty pretty nice as a route Runner I gotta look up samaj Morgan that's right I remembered it he's got some juice to him for sure so I'm excited to see what S Morgan can do they got Coulson Loveland at tight end who is our tight end one here at pfn uh you can listen to us wax lyrical on him during the tight end pod a couple weeks ago he's a baller the route running skills the body control the athleticism all that top tier but um who's going to be their quarterback that's the biggest thing uh for them Jack Tuttle is a veteran that they got um orgy as well Anthony orgy who's a very athletic player he's he's got the running ability but just the passing consistency again you know is he going to be able to Anchor that passing attack so the quarterback position with JJ McCarthy leaving is a major question mark for Michigan also the offensive line they lost a lot of tailing on the offensive line Trevor Keegan Zack Zer Drake Nan and then I think one of their tackles too Carson barnhard so they got miles Hinton coming back they also lost larius Henderson so they lost pretty much their entire blocking front so that's going to be a tough one as well they got Donan Edwards coming back some uncertainty on the offense but that defense Derek that defense is going to be a legendary unit Kenneth Grant Mason Graham up front Derek Mo Josiah Stewart at Edge very competent Duo for that for sure they got jaon Barham from Maryland who's my lb1 entering the Year love his ability to play Gap discipline stack and shed explosive pass rushing threat got the athleticism to thriving coverage too and then in the secondary will Johnson rcb1 here at pfn he's he's got the man ability Zone ability really scheme verstile playmaking two they got Amir Hall from Albany who I think had I can't even remember the numbers but he had some insane ball production last year 61 over 200 keep an eye on air hall because I think he could be another breakout star for them uh hopefully that's without Rod Moore right rod Moore it's gonna be without Rod Moore who I also think is a potential you know day a fringe day one if not day two player um you know assuming that he gets back up to full speed after his injury but I mean gosh they are loaded on the defensive side of the football it's crazy and you know we'll see what happens with Moore I know he tore his ACL during spring spring camp which is terrible for such a good player but then also just a college kid like it's never you never want to see them go through that but you know hopefully he can get back to 100% And you know hey if if he does get back to speed quicker than anticipated maybe we see him toward the end of the year you know obviously with your draft stock at stake there's some risks there like it might be more feasible to just sit out prepare for the draft if you want to but you know hey if Michigan is in the playoff hunt again maybe there's some we we saw Brock Bowers do it when he had tight RPP surgery like he came back really quickly and he wasn't going to sit out he had every reason to sit out because you're going to be a top 15 pick anyway but he chose to come back so every player's conversation is different so Rod Moore whether he sits out whether he returns no one will fault him but you know talented player and then even without him they got mcari pagee who's a really good strong safety too so uh that unit is very fun very fun you could have almost a dozen draft picks from that unit that's one of the better ones are there any other units Derek in in foot ball that rival that one I Ohio State's offense is really fun you know it depends on what you get from will Howard but again that two-headed tandem that you mentioned earlier how is that gonna play out Quin Shan Judkins and trayon Henderson they got a mechaa coming back they got Jeremiah Smith offensive line is is pretty strong you know a few a few holes there but then the defense too I mean they have a lot of players returning Ty Lake Williams could have been a round a fringe round one guy on my board cornerback the cornerback Duo is also pretty D good Denzel the trio honestly Denzel Burke and then Jordan Hancock at the Nickel D Davidson and igbinosun at at the other boundary spot lean Ransom at a safety comeback they they have a lot of talent they do uh but any other units that would rival Michigan and I mean we can leave it with the big 10 to here like I mean who who comes out of that that whole cluster on top because I think Oregon coming to the league definitely adds a bit of a wild card there like Oregon I think could challenge for the Big 10 Crown right away because of what they have on you mentioned the offense Dylan Gabriel is a very reliable College QB with the weaponry and then the defense too I think Dan Lanning has a really good unit Jordan Burch coming back among other players Justin Jacobs Jabar Muhammad coming from Washington I believe uh Jeffrey basa they got some Talent too so um you know what do you make of these stacked units who's got the best one ah I mean I I'm definitely going Michigan then Ohio State and then I just love Iowa defense I mean Xavier Wonka I mean I love Jay Higgins there we go we we said it the same exact time I was thinking like hey who's that slot guy who's always coming in a mile a minute like dude Sebastian Castro is a very fun player he's attacking downhill he's got the physicality but he can play an Offman too so a lot of Versatility a lot of intelligent players on that defense uh fully with you there I think Iowa's defense is right up there yeah I mean they're they're they're solid every single damn season so I mean I like the talent I think won Buzz um certainly in the conversation for the safety to overall behind Malachi Starks uh I I you know I had a little bit different I have Winston there but you know certainly um has a ton of of physical ability and tools uh that really intrigued me so I I mean Big 10 plays defense they know how to play defense it's a physical brand of football uh you know you know Wisconsin Michigan state they're also no joke but uh certainly Michigan and Ohio State uh the the the mass amount of you know NFL caliber Talent on the defensive side of the football is always what intrigues me uh and certainly this season is no different yeah it's going to be a lot of fun to to see those units and you know how they come together also I was thinking about Big 10 Defenders and I forgot to mention like when we were talking about the Texas A&M defense I completely forgot to mention Nick scorton is there now he was at Purdue last year scon at Texas so we're gonna see Nick scorton against Notre Dame as well it would be a lot funner if Joe Al was still there that would be a heavyweight matchup right out of the gate but um Nick Gordon is a potential first round pick he is a very good pass I'll sure 64 280 he can win with power or finesse so that'll be another test for Riley Leonard at Notre Dame in week one it's going to be fun one uh before we we'll use the last little segment here any breakout candidates that you're looking at that you've kind of circled because I I want to I I I'll talk about mine a little more but Chris Belle the second from he was from tlane he transferred to Tennessee I look at that Tennessee offense Nico I the five-star recruit quarterback who's replacing Joe Milton he's got all the Talent a lot of promise with him he's shown a lot of upside and a limited sample size I think and you know we can we can have this circle back to our conversation about the wide receiver class which is you know past that that group of three at the top Luther Burton Travis Hunter TM tedar Ro McMillan you know who's going to break out Chris brazelle the second is my pick uh he he at two lane a lot of high quality tape 65 200 but very fluid for his size I I was not expecting to see a guy who could sync and redirect W that freely and then I don't think he's an Elite Speed threat but he's got enough vertical speed for sure the long Strider range really helps with that and he's explosive out of breaks too so all the movement functionality that you want is there with a six5 receiver and then he can box guys out he can adjust for really tough catches he's got strong hands as well uh to me I look at him and I see that Tennessee offense they got Brew McCoy they got squirrel white but I think Chris brazelle can be that wide receiver one who really takes advantage of the situation and becomes that kind of Fringe first round guy that not a lot of people were talking about before the season Chris brazelle is my pick any guys that you're kind of looking at as breakout candidates going be a running back receiver tight end whatever position you want H so I've got one wide receiver that he he just intrigues to living hell out of me it's Tory Horton I know he's been he's been he's been a guy that's maybe not a breakout candidate right because he's uh you know he's been very productive during his entire career over at Colorado State um but there's a guy that I want you to keep an eye on uh a Delaware running back and that's Marcus Yarns um look this this kid ran for 940 yards and 15 touchdowns last season and when we're talking about the running back landscape I feel like there's a handful of guys you know whether it's olly Gordon quinon Judkins Ashton Jey uh that you know are vying for that kind of running back one you know overall spot uh for the 2020 25 class this Marcus Yarns kid popped on tape for me and I know he's an older back you know going to be a senior um 511 190 so maybe doesn't have that traditional um you know Bell cow um so he's he's a kid worth keeping an eye on uh that I think is going to elevate his draft stock assuming he stays healthy and and builds off of what was a very successful 2023 campaign you know you can you can count on Derek to to bring up a Delware running back he's he's turned every stone turn over every stone I love that I love that but uh I was looking at his production because because you were the one who turned me on him this morning and I was like oh shoot you know I I think he scored a touchdown on over 10% of his carries looks like a big play threat for sure excited to see what he can do and I think that in itself is another storyline to follow this running back class man like it it has the topend talent it has the depth um you know I think my rb1 is Ashton Jey right now from Boise of state but you got Gordon like you said you got quinon Judkins trayon Henderson Damen Martinez Omarian Hampton Jaden a Trevor etn Nicholas Singleton Devin Neil I mean the list goes on and on and on and even even going further down like I think the depth is there too I was doing my my Mac preview as well well the Mac has a few guys who are who are worth keeping an eye on tyon Stewart from Bowling Green antario Brown from Northern Illinois Marian Luke's from Central Michigan uh there is a lot of top in talent and depth too which is gonna be really intriguing when the NFL draft actually comes around how many teams are GNA say this is a guy that we can't let fall this is a guy like bejon Robinson we got to take him when we can get him and how many teams are going to be like I might be able to make do with one of these value deals in in day three and even as a PFA right that's gonna be a fun one the valuation of the running back position never ceases to amaze me and we'll get another opportunity to see that as TOS Brooks is another guy sir yeah yeah I know he's he's somebody else that kind of caught my eye at the couple times I've gotten to take a look at him so it's a it's I mean we just rattled off you know what 10 guys plus I mean that's yeah no it's a certainly in comparison to last year which I thought had a a nice handful of guys that I think can can contribute this one it feels a little bit deeper and a little bit more top and talent so I'm really excited to see what uh in in particular I mean trayon Henderson and quinon Judkins have a case to be the running back one overall and they're in the same backfield it's insane like if some if you had Henderson as your rb1 like I wouldn't like I would I I don't I don't believe that with this class I would have with last year's he would have been in the rb1 discussion for me had he declared but even if even if you have him here in this class like I wouldn't I I would I would accept that like I could see a realm where that is possible and then him and quinan are right there both of them in the same like how are they going to use them that's what I'm intrigued to see because I think Henderson has more receiving versatility but quinan Judkins the analogy that I will always use every time he's just a carving knife man he will carve through the first and second level with that explosiveness and that vision and then he he's a physical finisher too so you know two guys who compliment each other very well I'm excited to see what they do uh but yeah you mentioned that this RB class literally has everything the wide receiver class has a lot of potential energy along with the QB class and then on the defensive side there's some really stacked units that could turn over a lot of Talent come draft time so that's a good place to end it off I think real quick Derek anything else that you want to leave off our listeners on before the college football season starts less than a week from now no just sit back and enjoy uh I mean enjoy the ride and keeping I don't want to like you know call my shot with any of these teams because it's now it's 12 team college football hey you know this is a preview pod for the season call your shot come on call your shot I'm putting the pressure on you now I really I really hope hope that Graham MZ uh there at the University of Florida can make the Florida offense watchable again um because it was rough last season it was it was it was tough to watch so uh that speaking of a kid that has some talent I think grah Merz has has some uh physical tools and ability that really intrigue me uh so I'm I'm interested to see what this uh kind of Forgotten Florida Gator offense can can if they can make any no in the SEC this upcoming yeah and they actually have a it's funny story I think Ricky Piera started at Arizona State and then he came to Florida they've dipped into that pool again they brought over Elijah Badger from Arizona State another big play threaded receiver who could kind of uh who could grow as a wide receiver once so gram Mer's another talented player but yeah you know there there are a lot of teams that could be in The Fringe of the conversation it's just finding those teams if I had to call my shot right now I would say I don't know I feel really good about I feel good about Georgia man I mean Carson Beck they got the defense they got Carson Beck that that to me is a very good combination to have but did we ever talk about real quick okay before we before we go Colorado shadar Sanders Travis Hunter how we feeling about that I'm we knew last year that they were going to have issues up front um I know that that was something that was probably a major sticking point uh and a position that they needed to address heading into this upcoming season for Coach Prime and and the and the the rest of the roster so um I I think that shadur Sanders is uh I think he's going to have a lot of success this year um I just do they have enough Talent built up or that they acquired via the transfer portal that's going to elevate them into the college football playoff picture I I don't see it this upcoming season but if shador Sanders is as good as I think is I think he is it certainly gives him a fighting chance so I I I'm hoping that the hot start that they got off to last year that they can you know find a way to sustain that success and consistency from from week to week uh and you know certainly having a a quarterback that I have at the top of my board and I have him as the best one in the country uh certainly believe that he gives him a flighting chance for sure shadar Sanders has the talent he's got the arm for sure he's got the distribution ability the accuracy the Precision I think the biggest thing for him is going to be learning to you know ly playing with that offensive line last year was not a great unit and I think that kind of built in some bad habits into his game when it comes to pocket management drifting back a little too early right so refining that rediscovering that Poise is going to be big for him I think that'll allow him to take the next step they got Travis Hunter they brought over will Shepard from uh Co from Vanderbilt as well who's a very good player I think he could emerge and people will start to learn about him more because he's in this high-profile offense but they have more weapons than they did they got leonte Wester from Florida Atlantic as well who's a very explosive electric playmaker so it'll be fun to see what that team can do you know I think shadar Sanders the storyline for him is rediscovering that Poise proving himself at that level and that might be able to lock him into that conversation I was while we were talking about this I was thinking about my shots to call so these aren't playoff inclusions but before we get out here my two shots my two teams that I think will be a lot better than people think Arizona they got Noah faf they got T-Mac they got Jonas saah they've got a lot of good defensive players in the secondary tryan stooks as well tario Davis is there I think Arizona could compete for a French playoff spot I think they are that good as a roster and they got the QB play and then Iowa State over in the uh Big 12 still they got Roco Beck who really turned it on last year down the stretch Jaylen Travis solidifying that offensive line uh from Princeton they got Jaden Higgins and Jaylen Noel a wide receiver a very good one-two punch and then on the defensive side man Tyler onam on the def defensive line they got Jeremiah Cooper as the ball hawk in the secondary miles purchase Malik Verdon that defense could be could be stifling for opposing offenses and they've got the talent to produce on the offensive side too Iowa State Arizona th those are my two shots I don't know if they'll make the playoffs but I think they're going to be a lot better than people think so with that let's head out let's see for ourselves and let's send you the listener off to the 2024 college football regular season a lot of fun stuff a lot of fun games on the horizon but for now uh we will leave you to uh reminisce and kind of fantasize about the games to come thank you as always for listening through the entire summer it's been a fun one you know it gets a little slow sometimes but we hope that we gave you the scouting Insight that you needed to get into the season with the uh information that you want so with that I'm me in Cummings Derek Tate thank you as always for listening peace out have a good one [Music] m [Music]