Mock This Way | Ryan's 1st 2025 mock draft, evaluating QBs after week CFB 0 and NFL preseason week 3

Intro [Music] today uh with the first pick we're talking mock drafts my first mock draft for the 2025 NFL draft Cycles live on cbssports.com and breaking news Rick has some thoughts we'll also take a look back at week zero college football specifically quarterback play from Florida State and SMU also hit on some week three of the preseason in the NFL take a look at how some of the young quarterbacks did in the final two I'm Ryan Wilson that's Rick Spielman and I'm pumped to have 247's National recruiting analyst Cooper protagon joining us got a chance to work with coup last spring in the runup to the 2024 NFL draft and Rick I'll just say this good luck finding someone who knows as much about these players we'll be talking about in the coming weeks and months because he's been following these dudes for two three four five years before they even get in our radar Coupe thanks for joining us buddy I appreciate it man the privilege is mine fired up uh I was telling you I couldn't sleep last night I I am fired up a lot of these guys coming out the 21 the 22 cycle so it it feels like uh a culmination of a lot of things finally bubbling up here in this draft it's going to be fun brick what do you think yeah CPE don't worry I slept fine last night because I don't get I'm fine it's like I wake up at three in the morning with a splitting headache because of Ryan's mock draft that he actually put out that was we'll have to correct uh but we got plenty of time speaking of that Ryan oh well done Rick all right this is episode 174 we do a little bit here uh Coupe before we get going Rick how many days for 2025 NFL draft did you know that there are 240 days until the 2025 NFL draft and 240 days to fix this mock draft that Ryan had to fortly put out there due to contractual obligations you know what's funny Rick uh CP texted me yesterday and he said this is a pretty good mock draft and then I talked to you all right we'll get to the mock draft but first let's talk about uh week zero D.J Uiagalelei Week 0 CFB performance in college football and then we'll hit some Young quarterback news around the NFL and then we'll spend the mo the majority of the time on the on the mock draft so let's get to this thing hit the like button subscribe five star review all those things to help Rick keep a ro over Rover's head because that is uh is very important so Rick I'll give you the honors let's start with you because uh DJ o young wasn't the problem at Florida State but our concerns are forward looking in terms of what it looks like in the NFL so what were your thoughts on the way he played in his first game for Florida State over in Dublin Ireland the game they ultimately lost in that last second field goal by George Tech yeah I I do love his size um what I don't like is is I don't think he's a great athlete I don't think he can make plays with his legs uh he does have enough arm talent but it seems like he has to put his body into the throws to make throws I thought his accuracy that times flashes other times it was inconsistent I do respect him taking him down in fourth quarter to tie the game at the end he let him on a drive down down there but I just can't get excited every time I've watched this kid at Clemson everywhere he's been we've watched him for talk about him last two years and still see the same holes and weaknesses in his game especially the mobility especially the processing espec especially the long release where I see NFL DBS are going to get a jump on these routes just because it takes him so long to get the ball out of his hands and the accuracy issues I just don't know when you watch some of these quarterbacks and we watched all these rookie quarterbacks this year in the preseason it looks like they have that it thing to them or they're on time they're in Rhythm I just don't know if this kid's footwork or anything else will ever get into that uh mode that we're seeing even your Spencer Rattler who actually looked halfway decent uh over through the preseason let me ask you this because I basically scribbled most of the notes that Rick's talking about there it said I felt like he struggles to see the whole field and he's felt like he predetermined his throws and Rick's talked about this last year he plays two robotic at times correct me if I'm wrong was he number one to CJ stles number two when they were coming out of high school does that sound I believe I believe so I still wouldn't with the network yet but yes I I think somebody screenshotted that uh the other day you know that that obviously always gets thrown back in your face but um no I mean I I I would agree with Rick I actually I I give Georgia Tech a ton of credit I thought they had an awesome game plan just in terms of the Interior pressure that he felt throughout the game but you know I think dju for uh a long time since his time in Clemson out Oregon State I think Jonathan Smith did actually a pretty good job with him he's been that same guy um but I do think you have to take in into the fact in consideration that right side of the offensive line really struggled and then losing Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson obviously not having those two guys on the perimeter uh it's not like Florida state has backfilled that position relatively well you know they bring over Malik Benson from Alabama they have guys like Jaylen Brown a young red red shirt freshman they brought over from LSU outside of Lawrence TOA uh they were missing some really kind of multi-dimensional pass catchers out there but yeah in terms of uh dju and FSU I mean I I put it on our our show last week is he a guy you win with or because of I I think he kind of Falls uh into that wiwi category and if you're Florida State going into the offseason I thought it was pretty interesting if you're trying to get back to the point where you're 13-0 competing for a college football playoff title then the environment around him in terms of the protection and The Playmakers uh had to be exactly right I don't think that's the case so it only kind of magnifies a lot of the weaknesses that we saw in week zero you make a good point uh and Rick I'm guessing you would agree but you can certainly speak for yourself guys weren't getting open um when you watch the the guys at the top of the route when he's at the top of his drop and I I looked this up DJ was blitzed 12 times 41% of his dropbacks he was seven- 10 for 87 yards only took one sack but only three of his 27 attempts were more than 20 air yards down the field I think part of that was where he was looking and part of that was he didn't have a ton of time he can improve but but Rick right now he feels like a if we're just being asked to be pinned down on this like a day three guy oh God yeah if a day three guy maybe late because even Joe Milton where'd he go a six round this guy has nowhere near the physical ability that like a Joe Milton has out of Tennessee so I just know for the guy that has played this much college football um Clemson Oregon State now Florida State it's not the same trajectory we've seen Michael penck Jr or the same trajectory we've seen uh bo Knicks those guys continued to elevate their game even when they went on but I still see the same guy that I saw at Clemson three years ago do you remember who our comp was former year ago uh I think I told him to move to tight end stop it all right I'll give you the comp Coupe and you tell us what you think about it uh because I actually agree with you and this is gonna make Rick angry because he doesn't like it when I agree with him about things and he steals my comps uh Felipe Frankish that was me wasn't it it was both of us but yes I'll give it to you yeah when if you ever came up with a comp that good what well let's see we'll see what do you think of the Felipe Frank area comp yeah I don't know if that's a compliment right Felipe Franks ended up uh moving to tight end obviously with the Falcons there you go uh yeah there there there you have it and look man DJ you and C you know better than us it's supposed to be a great dude and he he's saying all the right things but just in terms of what it looks like for him at the next level there's some some progress that needs to be made I think is what we're saying all right so he's not the reason they lost that game let's be clear about that and credit to Georgia Tech as CP noted because they they came ready to Preston Stone Week 0 CFB performance play uh let's turn our attention to presson Stone and I actually reached out to Amanda Gara or our colleague uh CBS Sports because she was working sideline that game because uh and C I'll come to you first I didn't know Preston Stone's backstory just because I didn't I wasn't watching him because he wasn't coming out uh he he broke his fibula in November I believe and I when I was watching the game live I was like why in the world is he coming off each and every series but but coach last made it clear that that was the plan uh he is their starter and my overall take on his game was he looked Rusty he looked a little I don't want to say nervous but but trying to find himself after not playing for a long time and and then he turned it on at the end there and he made some big boy throws down the field even that first interception the very first throw you could question whether the wide receiver did his best to to be in position to either uh knock the pass down or catch it I came away pretty impressed with way Preston Stone played in his first game back in in months yeah it was pretty interesting going back back in and watching I watch the game live and you know 17 of 30 254 yards one touchdown one int um you know first uh passing attempt of the game ends up getting intercepted but yeah you you go back you look at the story breaks his fibula in November third to last game of the season and this looked like a guy trying to figure it out he also looked like a quarterback that knew that they were favored by 24 points and they were struggling against Nevada I think in the second half uh he started to really kind of trust his legs a little bit more especially coming off that injury I like the way that he moved around the ball came out quicker I didn't really think he was anticipating well in the first half he threw four or five balls that you could argue should have been intercepted as well so the stat line comes out a little bit more unscathed uh than it was but the thing that really kind of stood out to me watching him is when they needed him he turned it on I thought the the Deep ball throw to RJ Maryland in the back of the end zone uh late in the second half of that game and then also the Deep with the go-ahead touchdown that kind of showed a little bit about what he's about his Moxy his ability to extend plays so I thought he did some good things he's a really good athlete uh that's the first time I've really gotten to seen him play but a little bit uh fast is kind of what I thought about him from the way he moves around the pocket extend plays uh to his eyes everything felt a little bit quick but uh certainly a fun game and and an intriguing one he's going to be a guy that I'm I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how NFL evaluators kind of of see him long term Rick you want to hear my comp now or after you talk uh God no wait till after I talk because I don't want to lose my concentration all right what do you got so I'll just be honest with you oh boy oh boy at first quarter I'm like why what am I doing with my life right now watching this guy because he's absolutely horrendous stop it I don't think he completed a pass in the first quarter the very first throw with the interception who do you blame on the interception I'm gonna blame him so okay just because I didn't like him in the first quarter so okay all right then what happened then he got better I agree with that I still think he is whether he's a good athlete or not that's yet to be determined maybe I didn't know he is coming off a broken leg Yeah he do did move a lot better in the second half I do question his arm strength looked better in the second half but I was always trying to see does he throw any throws like out outside the numbers from the opposite hash and I understand the Collegiate hashes are wider but every one of his throws outside the numbers were to the same side hash which means it was on the same side so it was a lot shorter throw his accuracy did get better I thought his deep balls floated on him but then in the fourth quarter it looked like he knew what the hell he was doing to be honest with you so I give him credit for going into Nevada uh and it is a higher elevation so I don't know if that that has anything to do with it or not but when he was down when they were down in the fourth quarter and he brought them back from behind and then threw that touchdown pass with I think a minute some left in the fourth quarter uh to go up um I gave him credit for The Moxy and you can see that he has a little bit of good um stuff in his neck I can't say the sww on error but he does have some of that little bit of a Jake haer type to me in the second half is what you know if I'm going to make a pro comp something similar to that first half I wouldn't even put him in as a draftable guy the way he played so maybe you didn't know he had broken his leg either though right no I didn't know that either so well I think it's a kid worth monitoring I think the best he's a day three guy um on depending if he plays like he did in the second half if he's in the first half he's just a a a ble free agent to me yeah well hopefully he doesn't break his leg again so we don't worry about that by the way you've now stolen Felipe Franks and Jak oh God come on please C grade the grade the J ker comp what do you think about that I like it I had I had two guys in my mind uh because I figured this would come up in conversation Hanner was one of them who we had at Washington before he uh transferred to Fresno State and then the other one was kind of you know there's two inches apart here but a little bit of STS and benett but not as poised uh but just in terms of being able to extend the the play um you know guy that you have to respect in terms of legs maybe you don't have the game plan around him but you know he was he was active moving around um extending plays out there so th those two kind of came up I I think you guys would both agree that setson Bennett has some stuff in his neck yeah but he just has to remember that the defense wears the opposite color jersey that the offs stop it all right I'm sorry scoop I'm supposed to be the smart ARS on the uh on the podcast I think he got that I'm picking that up yeah he's he's picking up what you're laying down all right producer Harry tells me we got to take a break so take a quick break we'll come back and we'll turn our attention to the NFL before we get to this mock draft talk right after this America service acmy kick off their Seasons right here on CBS Sports Anthony Richardson Preseason Week 3 [Music] Network all right Rick we're talking to Anthony Richardson we're talking Bryce Young did something that was worth talking about and we'll talk a little Drake May so I'll come to Coupe first on these because he has the backstory in his kids and he can give us sort of the the buildup to what we'll talk about and what we saw on the field last week Rick so let's start with the Anthony Richardson in Cincinnati Coupe um I thought he looked pretty good uh he had the one interception I think it was a miscommunication between him and granson I don't know if it was an option route or pivot route or whatever but he threw behind him and it was a pick six to Jordan battle I believe but uh arm strength there he misses some throw easy throw he should make does this all sound familiar to his days in Florida and maybe even in high school yeah I would say so I mean he's uh I sent you the video last night which is pretty crazy of him in high school and just how far he's come uh really as a passor but I I think the biggest question mark is you know how anticipatory how instinctual is he as a passer as well he does some uh pretty ridiculous things I think the arm Talent just you know upper body uh obviously a guy that relies on that a lot the footwork uh kind of stands out not always in a positive way as well went back and watched the game uh from last from uh from this past weekend I think just reps reps reps with him but at some point as you know Rick has kind of pointed out you kind of are what you are so it's going to be interesting to kind of see the game plan that they put around him what he's going to be like this year with a full fort full year kind of healthy uh with some guys around him you know Pitman they bring in ad Mitchell from the draft as well so um he's always been a a freak of nature he was a guy that you could categorize as somewhat Raw coming out of high school uh but you know there's there's been some strides there just kind of eager to see kind of what that looks like on Sundays so Rick C CP mentioned that um he sent me a video so I saw some snaps when Anthony was in high school and he's made huge strides but I mean he's still incredibly raw so that's encouraging but are you expecting him to be where he needs to be for this team to win or are we still gotta wait for some things first of all I have to ask yeah boy you have these coup meetings without me all the time this little coup thing here C comes in and has a c meeting he's only been on the show one time is in the name before he went up to the ivy Tower and and Harry you guys all have these little side side gigs going on you want to hear why Rick come out here yeah because it was it was after 900 PM okay y then don't call me I'll send you the videos but it was after 900 PM you can watch uh watch fine because I already have my opinion on Anthony you just want to get that out there by the way Anthony in high school was was uh 63 233 so he he grew about an inch and gained about 11 pounds in Florida just so you know but anyway go ahead okay thanks bu that that that make me sleep better at night too there you go now you now you're fully informed on your on your scouting opinion what do you got I thought the first series I would have put this guy at a pro bowl level the way he played I loved his arm talent I understand his footwork but boy can he torque his body and make some off schedule and different plantform throws that a lot of NFL uh quarterbacks can't make but then there's as Paul Harvey said the great famous and then there's the rest of the story so uh after that he missed some throws especially on the Deep Crossing route because of his footwork in the pocket uh he tries to improvise too much it's um the the interception I'm going to blame the receiver because it looked like it was an option route and he turned out but the ball was already out of his hand as a receiver was turned burning out receiver should have just settled there so I'm not I'm giving credit to Anthony because he got the ball out of his hands on time and sorry to interrupt but if you watch the play after as soon as the ball leaves his hands Anthony puts his hands on his head right so it wasn't like he was surprised by he was surprised by the the the wide receivers reaction it felt like yeah no it was a train wreck it was like you're watching a train and wreck getting ready to happen and he knew it was going to happen and resulted in a pick six um but it's just like you saw in college some games you watch that first game against was it Utah this guy is unique talent-wise and then you see some other games and it's like you scratch your head and how can he miss that throw or why is he doing that so I think he had gotten better I think they're going to do a lot of rpos a lot of pass Concepts to get the ball of his hands quickly with Slants things like that I think they'll utilize his unique athletic ability hopefully learn how to take a slide I still think this kid has tremendous upside I think stiking is the right coach for him that will he did tremendous job with Jaylen Herz because Jaylen Herz had some same issues coming out uh and Jaylen Herz got better uh as St can coach them so I think that he is with the right coach in the right system and will continue to ascend he just got to not be as inconsistent which we've seen in college and now we've seen so far in his very short I mean technically he's a rookie this year is what he is so you're encouraged by what you've seen right oh yeah yeah that first series I like this guy is is the real deal now uh but then then it come then the rest of the story comes in the longer replace all right quick Dollar Bet if you wanna if you want it you don't have to take it who has a better season Anthony or will Lis Anthony oh boy just out of principal our colleague Pete prisco has been beating the will Levis drum Coupe for for what it feels like 10 years now so I think that's right Rick's Bryce Young Preseason Week 3 incredibly stubborn about that uh all right so let's talk Bryce young and I'll just say this off the top his footwork looked night and day from last year and I think that's a good starting point made a ton of off platform throws uh he was six of eight by the time was all said and done the ball came out on time uh for the most part he did hold the ball one time I thought too long on the scramble to his left and he threw the to Deontay Johnson I I love that play I thought the the bills had done a good job initially of shutting down what what was mesh and I think rail uh but let me ask you this Coupe and um if you don't mind give me the story that you were telling us before just before we started the podcast about Bryce young and and the overlap and intersection with with Drake May in terms of their college choices yeah it's pretty interesting so Bryce young signed with Alabama 20120 that was Nick Sabin and and Steve sarkeesian uh but before that time Drake May was committed to Al Alabama at that same time May came out in 2021 later decommitted from Alabama goes to North Carolina that opens up the quarterback spot in that 2021 cycle which ends up being Jaylen milro so all these guys you know I feel like are kind of interwoven uh at some point in Cross pass but uh yeah just interesting to go back and kind of see what could have been it's crazy looking at these videos because everybody knows about these players Rick except us so maybe we should start doing High School evaluation as well since we got nothing else I'm not talented enough to figure that out I I don't know how they do it yeah absolutely we can't figure it out either don't worry uh so Rick tell me about Bryce and then just followed up with Drake so we can we can um get through these and get on to the more more important matter at hand but I want to get your thoughts on Bryce and Drake because obviously Bryce is a year further along but positive things for both it felt like yeah no I thought Bryce I was like very frustrated why he didn't play in the first two preseason Gam I was very excited that he played a third preseason game so Dave Canales knows what he's doing he turned he turned around Gino Smith he had a lot of success with Baker Mayfield and Tampa and it looks like maybe this will go along uh his Success track record with these quarterbacks that have struggled uh maybe this will be Bryce I looked like the system fit him a lot better lot more decisive the one thing I will say is I watched Anthony Richardson first and then I watched br and there's a difference in arm Talent now you think yeah yeah there's a little bit more uh rpos or RPMs whatever the hell the thing's called miles per hour whatever coming off of uh Anthony's hand and Bryce's hand but he was on time he was in Rhythm it looked like this offense fitting more now I'm gonna say this statement okay I think Dave Canales will be as good for Bryce young as Mike McDaniel was for Tua holy Moses that's that's by the way I want to know that's impressive I I I meant to mention this earlier guys were getting open too that helps if you're a quarterback it helps when you have Deontay uh Johnson and you have th opening up and you know I think mingo's going to be better this year so Sanders caught a pass yeah so they got guys that a little bit more athletic to at least can get some separation but they're doing things that Bryce does best they got him outside to pocket some they ran some pistol and some play action all don't ask him to sit in a pocket like Dan Marino that's 6'5 and try to throw you know through the trees up front even though I do think he he can find the open Windows uh but they're doing a lot of things that I think he looked a lot more comfortable at least in this brief showing and we'll see when the uh when the varsity starts playing in a couple weeks here but it looked a lot more encouraging than we saw last year during the preseason here I'll ask you this specific question um knowing how bad this offensive line is in New England especially The Tackle position and despite the fact that Drake May Drake Maye Preseason Week 3 played well the last few preseason games would you start him in week one no I would start jacobe brassette because if you start Drake may you can't go back right if you start jacobe brassette and they struggling then bring in Drake may I still think the one thing about I understand he even looked better this week than he did last week but he has so many hitches in the pocket by that I mean he's stepping up but he's hitch hitch hitch he's almost walking into the pressure so I think that he showed improvement from week preseason week two to pre all through the preseason he's he got better but I would not start him especially with the offensive line and with the receiver Talent around him I would wait and let jacobe brassette start and then when it's the right time then bring him in but if you go with him early and he struggles then you can't turn back and then it's going to be de you ruin this kid because he is I don't know the mental power or how psychologically because if he struggles the social media the fans calling him a bust right off the bat can he just mentally handle all that where if you do it the right way because they don't have a lot of talent around them like we saw with Bryce young last year which was Bryce young was labeled the biggest bust in NFL history according to some of our colleagues so I would make sure that I would start jacobe brassette first I actually tend to agree with that um all right Harry Build a Dynasty Team with $10 let's slap that graphic I got a little surprise for you C I want to get your thoughts on this so this is from uh 32 beat Riders on Twitter and this is actually pretty interesting uh I gave to Rick early because if I don't give homework to Rick early he he he HS and Haws on the show so Rick you can uh have your thoughts here but uh Coupe you got to build a team for folks listening we have a rookie grid of quarterbacks wide receivers running backs and tight ends and you got 10 bucks Coupe you got to build a team of all four positions and uh if you want me to go first or Rick to go first while you think through it or if you want to do it on the Fly I'll let you do it but I want to get your thoughts on on how you you sorting these guys out because you know all these guys better than we do probably yeah this is pretty interesting you know the the question that I was G to ask you guys first is kind of out of those three guys Richardson Bryce young and and Drake May who was the one that you came away the most encouraged with you know after after watching last week I I think I know what Rick's goingon to say I'm going to say Bryce Rick I'm gonna say Anthony Richardson oh okay good good yeah uh I mean Rick makes a good point about Shane stti and that marriage because it feels like a good one and we Dave Canal's track record is a good one but Bryce felt like to Rick's Point took so many steps back last year that you almost felt like they should have stuck with Andy Dalton when they when they started him just to give him a break and when you talk to people that are no longer with the the organization they said there were too many cooks in the kitchen basically so all right AR five for you or 15 whatever number he is now and I'm taking Bryce I honestly I like may I didn't know what to expect but I I I kind of like the way that he was moving in the pocket I like the command he's a big physical kid I I kind of like the background on the kid too with the brothers that played at a high level North Carolina and the dad that that's what I find interesting I agree with everything you guys said about all right can you throw him out there what that's going to do to his mental makeup and that type of stuff especially if you can't protect him I agree with that but I I am kind of in red with this kid and kind of the way that he's wired between the years and I I love the physical makeup so him last night uh or excuse me over the weekend what he showed against the commanders I was kind of I was kind of Pumped up out of the three I'm like all right you know there's some stuff here that's kind of coming together maybe a little bit sooner than I thought I know it's a preseason game but I am I am fired up to see him this season um I will give you the first I I guess I I'll go first crack here I'll go I'll keep the LSU guys together I'll go Daniel's neighbors uh that gives me four bucks left uh give me give me Marshon Loyd and uh how much what do I have $3 yeah I don't even know this kid the third one the tight end that I would that's Rick's favorite player on me I'm sorry Rick I'll go with Sate yeah how could you not know him my God what you yeah exactly there you go Rick Rick's turn 10,000 guys to know coming out of high school how could you not know rookie move on my end man Rick has turned on you it only took 20 minutes uh welcome to the club all right Rick who' you come up with for your homework assignment yeah 10 bucks 10 bucks okay I'm gonna do this for less than 10 true general manager speak all right the owner doesn't want to spend 10 bucks what are you doing I'm going Daniels worthy that's $4 I'm going Danel and Xavier worthy wide receiver okay that's uh then I'm going Blake Corum Blake Corum is $2 for the running back and what else you got so what wait let's see the math here so you you've done four six bucks you got four bucks left okay and then since uh coup here took my tight end Senate who he doesn't even hell know he went to Kansas state by the way played very well the first preseason game was excellent at the Senior Bowl he's a huge C fan uh since I I still have $4 left I'm gonna cash it in on Bowers and say I can use I'll go I'll spend my cap yeah there you go you can spend your cap you have Brock B staring in the face you come back with Theo Johnson that's you got some explaining to do oh God I I didn't like him or Sanders I I would never do that all right yeah I love Theo Johnson I like your tavan too my my team actually was the same one that that Coupe came up with uh but I can mix it up let's let's go no one took Caleb right Caleb I'm going to take Caleb I'm going to take uh oh boy all right I'll do Caleb I'll do Rome oh boy I'll do Blake I already used Blake but go ahead and then uh all right I'll do I'll do s then I mean s I called him Cedric Benson excuse me uh I'll do uh uh Trey Benson rest in peace said Benson I'll do Trey Benson I'll do jatavian Sanders so Caleb adun Trey Benson jatavian Sanders just to mix it up okay at least you didn't go over the cap I didn't go over the cap producer Harry will keep us updated throughout the season about who has the best fantasy numbers and then Rick you can win your dollar at the end of the year how's that oh my God that's a given all right let's take a quick break and then we'll spend the last 15 minutes of Rick yelling at me about my M draft right after this Saturday is Big Time on CBS number two Ohio State welcomes akan into the Horseshoe then more college football in prime time with UCLA taking on Hawaii Saturday on CBS and streaming Ryan's first 2025 Mock Draft | Good Pick on Paramount plus all right my draft time and Co I'm gonna let you start because you have only nice things to say and even the things that aren't so nice will be nice compared to whatever Rick's about to say so you can go with a player you like the player you thought was too high uh one that's on not on the list it should be or any direction you want the floor is yours my friend I'll go with a pick that I liked I'm going to go with Luther Burton at 18 to Los Angeles Chargers with Jim Harbaugh you know we like this kid coming out I think he was a number two receiver in 2022 uh behind Evan Stewart now with Oregon and you know the way that he plays the way that Eli drinkwitz kind of utilizes him this was kind of like the big first n victory for Missouri and it's kind of helped kind of like catapult that program uh to recruiting at a high level um but I like this kid I like the de at the catch point I like the demeanor as a run after catch receiver that utilize him primarily out of the slot I think you can do a lot of different things with him pair him up with a guy like lad makoni I think they've been trying to get the temperament of that room right for a while they haven't been able to do that uh but I like this kid I like everything he's about I like the way he's wired he's really like you talk about a guy with some stuff in his neck that is Luther Burton um so him at 18 is is a pick that I like a lot so I've had uh tedo McMillan as my wide receiver one coming out of the summer and Luther's number two how do you feel about that do you like Luther a little better than T-Mac no I think you're on it there you know what was funny about T-Mac coming out of Servite where he played with Noah faf his quarterback uh was this guy was a two-way player playing in a very competitive league there in California maybe one of the best in the country uh was also a very skilled volleyball player as well and those two were attached at the hip the ball skills uh the ability to adjust uh the ability to win 5050 balls consistently I mean he turned those into 9010 balls at the high school level the only really question we had about him was the speed uh he was a long fluid athlete uh and the body type uh was a little bit slender now you watch him uh his first two years at Arizona he's kind of answered all those questions so I think for me yeah personally uh maybe we had some questions about the speed we probably overvalued that in the evaluation process a little bit Luther was a guy that checked all those boxes but uh taroa is the guy ultimately at the end of the day that I I I probably feel more comfortable with um you know but no I don't I don't think you're off base there at all I had tedo going 15th to the Steelers Rick if you can believe that I should also note that I had six quart five quarterbacks going uh which is on the high side I think the over under I think you said three is the over under and I think that's closer to the truth but I wanted to get some names in there so I get ahead of the curve cam Ward and uh your guy Connor Wegman I think like him a little more than I do but um what do you want to talk about first Rick what's what's on your mind I'll just say the guy that the pick I like the most let we're all rainbows and butterflies and unicorns on this show yeah I'm going with Will Johnson because you took him to the commanders and I think he's the most complete quarter that I've seen in a while come out in this draft and I understand we're talking about today and team needs can change but the commanders in order for Dan Quinn's defense to go he needs some shut down Corners like Diggs like Bland turned out to be they had Gilmore last year so to me this is a no-brainer they lost Kendall Fuller they drafted Mike sandr still uh from Michigan last year but he's just a Nick and right now their starting Corners are St juice Michael Davis who they signed from the Chargers and Emanuel Forbes who has had his struggles because he weighs 135 pounds he gained 10 pounds he's a 145 now Okay so favorite pick that you made in this mock which was very hard spent hours and hours studying this thank you was Will Johnson when you when you send him to the commanders hey Co let me ask you about will Johnson because I had him number one on my big board and I think Rick likes Mason Graham If he if I you know H held the gun to his head and made him pick he would take Mason Graham first on on his big board that doesn't exist a quarterback's never gone first overall uh where are you and will Johnson in terms of the athleticism in terms of the athlete and how he sort of ranks in this class he was a really tough eval coming out um because we didn't have a ton of information on him and you know when we're projecting players four to five years down the line it's information game so everything that you can collect from a a multisport participation standpoint from what they do in track and field will Johnson was not one of those guys and he was a really highly touted recruit coming out that's one of those things where you got to balance kind of where everybody else sees them and kind of sort through that and uh try to figure it out the two biggest misses that we'll end up having in this class if you want to call it uh that would be uh McMillan uh who we just talked about and will be will Johnson we have both those guys at 38 and 40 so the the top first 10 picks outside of the first round so we weren't that far off but those were guys that uh we didn't have all the information on especially when it came to speed trying to figure that out um but he was always a super instinctive uh player that we really really liked a lot and watching the tape on him I mean if there's if there's one knock and Rick you might roll your eyes here but uh maybe a little bit of the burst to close uh and the recover Speed playing uh you know the the Deep third of the field turn on the tape against Marvin Harrison I mean I think this guy's done some extraordinary things go back uh watch it against ad dun uh one of the best in the country so um I think technically sound maybe in my mind like when I think about all right who to compare him to just in terms of high floor ceiling players guys that you would kind of put in that safe category would maybe be somebody like Pat certan um you know is kind of what I think about a little bit so no incredible player and he's been very very well coached in Michigan as well uh Rick Patrick Shan was my comp what you what do you think what's going on here well you and Coupe had a private meeting who meeting without me in there mine was Christian Gonzalez because of the length and the movement skills yeah and actually I think I I told you you don't care but I'll let I'll let CP know I I talked to some Scouts that thought that Christian moved a little better than will did um in terms of the the shorter Ryan's first 2025 Mock Draft | Too High quickness stuff in the fluid hips or whatever we calling it these days all right uh Rick loves when I say fluid hips give me a pick that you thought was was too high c yeah I'm gonna I'm gonna regret this the more tape I watch I already regret it uh you know I went with Kelvin Banks and Banks was a guy that we had as a festar he actually got the second to last spot coming out and there was some conversation about making him the number one offensive tackle in the country that year was actually Josh connly JR out of Washington now Oregon um and a guy that you know probably needs another year I'm be pretty interested to kind of see where he's sitting uh at the end of the season but Banks uh you know was a guy that we always loved in the Run game and you can turn on the tape now at the Collegiate level that has not changed I mean he is an absolute Terror I think the only thing and I am nitpicking here the only question I had is maybe a little bit of the past prote stuff I think sometimes uh can get a little over over himself overextend a little bit but outside of that I mean this kid as clean as they come he's started every game since he's been at Texas you know for the category of what we're talking about here it doesn't make much sense because I can definitely see him going top five uh the other guy that I was actually thinking about was Will Campbell uh and was a guy that we really liked ended up moving to I think he ended up 66 for us thing I got hung up on was I thought he was a good athlete I didn't think he was an elite athlete I thought he was a super clean player he had 33in arms coming out he really struggled against some guys like Walter Nolan when we got to see him live throughout the combine circuit you don't hold that over his head uh but that's always something that kind of stuck in the back of my mind is this guy going to be a left tackle at the next level he's proved that uh in the SEC um and you know I think the way that he's wired you can't really go wrong with a kid like him I am kind of interested to see where he Stacks up at the end of the day with the rest of these tackles yeah I didn't Love Will Campbell as much as I don't know if Rick I think Rick liked him a little bit more than I did but Rick I was when when C was talking I was like Josh connly I've heard that name somewhere before that was you yeah I like Josh connley yeah so you were on to him you you get uh with the first pick props for getting him first uh Rick any thoughts on uh one guy you might have five guys who are too high five I wish I only had five all right who you got let's go let's do it I gotta go with Cam uh one you have him going number 13 the Raiders and I know Tom Tesco very well he's not going to reach on a quarterback uh just uh sum up he hold on sorry to interrupt you would he have reached on a quarterback at 13 had W of the penck Jr or B Nicks been there though I've heard rumors that they liked really liked uh penck Jr okay okay all right go ahead um they would have taken penx Jr I don't know about Bo Knicks I didn't hear anything but I know penx Jr was a guy they were hoping felt to them okay so I'm going with Cam Ward understand at Washington State he does have unique athletic ability he's got a strong enough arm I don't think he processes very well to me my comp was a little bit Tyrod Taylor a little bit Malik Willis when he came out of Liberty I didn't think this guy is worthy of a first round pick at this point and I know Tom Tesco knowing him very well uh would not reach a 13 to take a cam Ward it was just Bizarro land to me that you would land him there they got to do something I mean unless one of these guys is going to turn to a Hall of Famer Zak Prescott Zak Prescott Dak Prescot okay well look I can you can talk me into that all right what else you got uh and then I went players left that Ryan's first 2025 Mock Draft | Player Left Off the Mock deserve first round first round consideration okay I thought you had more on this list go ahead now uh I just wanted to get to two guys I was kind of excited about when back and watch some of the tape on Patrick pton a big defensive end from okay Florida State who was opposite of verse last year and I thought this guy had a chance long and athletic could maybe pop into the lower first round and then I watched that Georgia Tech game and to be honest with he about threw up couldn't I watched I watched him too it was anywhere near the quarterback that was a major disappointment so I took him off the list pretty quick that's okay he was in Ireland he doesn't play any more games in Ireland he'll get back to the States he'll be fine God if we're have a team in Ireland do not pick this kid at all all right who else you got uh I'm gonna go with uh Kenneth Grant the Big D tackle from Michigan I think they could have four first rounders this year wow big body um athletic you know they were in a ro if Jenkins can go in a top 50 last year I think this kid is higher cealing to Jenkins because I think he's a little better in line pass rusher he's 335 pounds uh big guys like this that could move even though he was and I went back and read you know we did on a previous podcast I think I had him in the second round second or third round yeah but the more I thought about it uh and I I really think this kid could be a kid that could jump in in the first round because of his size and his athleticism and he's not going to be in a rotation I think he's going to be a little bit uh getting a lot more play time and I probably undervalued him now he's not going to be Aaron Donald 82 sack year guy but he can get pressure on a quarterback for 335 pounds and to me he is more athletic and a better pass rusher than sweat was when he came out of Texas last year oh right gotcha gotcha I was doing the math on sweat yeah okay um all right you got a guy too Coop and I'm I'm actually we talked about this guy in summer scouting and and I liked him a lot I didn't have him as a top 32 guy but but you think he has a chance yeah I think he has a chance Walter Nolan he was was the number two player in 22 behind Travis Hunter uh so a guy that we liked a lot coming out um you know what I thought was interesting about him going back and and watching some of his snaps you know I thought he really struggled in the Alabama game I thought he did some good things against Tennessee uh and Old Miss they played him all over the place DJ Durkin moved him around I love his versatility they played him the one the three the five I think the biggest thing for him is he can find a home at the three technique he's quick twitch explosive he's got heavy hands uh I think gets washed out too consistently in the Run game but I like his ability as interior pass rusher he's got some stuff to him and I like the way he plays he's got a motor so uh that combination of physical ability uh with that type of play- to-play consistent consistency uh is something that I look for I like that with Walter Nolan I think the biggest thing with him staying healthy staying on the field he's got a big opportunity all eyes on oh miss this year uh and that's kind of been their Crux in the past has been the point of attack especially defensively can they be good enough he's going to have to be good enough so I think he's got a chance you know he's probably in that that top 64 range Loosely but got a chance to kind of creep up into that that back half of the top 32 maybe into the top 40 absolutely I mean it's late August as we sit here he's unofficially 64290 defensive lineman uh if you're listening and not watching all right Rick that's it you got some stuff to do episode thanks for adding to this podcast breath of fresh air to be honest sorry about not sorry about not knowing who that tight end is I'm very embarrassed but uh we'll get it cleaned up next time hey we we found one that he didn't know Rick one of your favorite players in Ben Cent that's okay uh I was in I was in autodraft mode there at the end with my $1 yeah that's right uh that's it episode 174 in the books uh special thanks to KO pagon for joining us we're gonna have him on again Rick because uh he BR was fun he brings some smartness to the show that that's much needed so uh you as arsis that's what you're for I don't know I don't know what my role is but uh you can check CP out at uh 247 he does a podcast um with Andrew rvan that's fantastic uh in the meantime thanks to my guy Rick thanks to CP for joining us thanks to producer Harry for producing and thanks to all you guys who watch and listen we'll see you later in the week uh Thursday Rick Jim naggie Senior Bowl is going to join us so look out for that we'll see you guys then