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Making Monsters Draft Series: Miami's Akheem Mesidor & Keionte Scott · 2nd City Gridiron

• 0:08
  [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back to another episode of Making Monsters.
• 0:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm Taylor Doll joined now by Adam Lichtenstein you've heard him before on this podcast Adam always joins me one of time to talk to some my Miami football her can be right or for the sun sentennial obviously so thank you Adam for hopping on and chatting some Miami football and some of these guys that may be bears we will see.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: For sure, thanks for having me.
• 0:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Miami's got a loaded draft classes here.
• 0:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: So maybe one, maybe two, maybe three, end up in Chicago, who knows?
• 0:36
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you never know.
• 0:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so obviously there's a lot, as you mentioned, headed to the draft coming off a national championship and appearance, usually that kind of fits a lot of top coming out of the trenches of Miami is what I think the conversation, especially in Chicago is because on the defensive side of the ball, that's where a lot of the issues were.
• 0:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: You felt like you fixed the offensive line, but then one guys and Drew Domain suddenly retires and Aziz Chupillo gets hurt in the postseason, so you lose your left tackle and your center when you thought you had your online bill.
• 1:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: those trenches now back into question into progress.
• 1:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: So we'll get to some of those guys, but I do want to start with a dresser, a keen measured or first.
• 1:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: I guess more versatile defensive linemen will get to that a little bit.
• 1:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: But an interesting path for him.
• 1:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was reading a little bit.
• 1:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: So he grew up in Ottawa.
• 1:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: So started and started college at West Virginia first, but that Canadian football league was the, you know, you talk about the difference between the CFL and the American league and somehow the players they watch compared to,
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: maybe here and that path is interesting anyways, but then goes to West Virginia for a couple of years, right out of the gate to true freshman, as a true freshman, earned the true freshman all American for ESPN, sophomore season, 70 tackles, 14 and a half for a loss, nine and a half sacks, where then he transferred to Miami.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, so start about that at first, crystal ball of getting measured or down to Miami from West Virginia and especially coming off the season like that that he had.
• 2:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, a team came down to Miami before Martin of Crystal Ball's first year.
• 2:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's one of the first big, you know, transfer additions that Crystal Ball brought in, try to start rebuilding the Miami program.
• 2:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: And right away, you could tell, Masadore was very much like a culture fit.
• 2:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: And in his first year at UM, he had a very good year.
• 2:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: That team was not good.
• 2:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: That team went five and seven.
• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Did not have a ton of talent on it.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But Masadore was one of the standouts that year.
• 2:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: And like I said definitely a culture fit very very very smart guy.
• 2:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: Very hard working and over the course of the last couple of years He's dealt with his share of injuries just why he's like I played six years of college ball So that was his share injuries, but he's been healthy.
• 2:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: He has been just an excellent adressor for Miami and he was healthy this entire season and you know had his best year yet
• 2:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so you mentioned that he gets to Miami.
• 2:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: He had a good season first year there.
• 3:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: Then gets injured after that.
• 3:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so a different thing is a little bit that year.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: And then maybe the next year, not quite the season you wanted to have, just box course statistics wise.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: But then last year, obviously, you were able to see some of the things he was doing.
• 3:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: But talk about that a little bit, because I think a lot of it to when a player is going through injury and figuring all of that out, you really kind of see what type of teammate they are.
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_02]: What type of just person and that's something that's really big for Ryan Poles and Chicago was making sure you have the people that you know We're gonna put in the work in the effort and you know and injuries happen unfortunately, but how do you get through those?
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_02]: So what was the kind of mindset of him through having to deal with that in just his second season down at Miami?
• 3:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so he's dealing with some foot injuries that really limited him his second year at U.M.
• 3:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I remember when it came out, I think it was the following spring.
• 3:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was going through like spring practice and doing some drills, but all of them, and he was like literally waiting on like these like special cleats, like the specially designed or fitted cleats that would help them with these foot injuries to go through like all of practice.
• 4:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't mean that, like in a premedon way, I mean it was like literally four.
• 4:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: you know, a medical reasons.
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, a medical reasons to make sure his feet didn't get hurt again.
• 4:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then yeah, so he but he was with the team the whole time doing whatever he could.
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: I remember I think there's a photo and kind of which Spring game it was, but he was like on crutches.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: but you still with the team, you know, on the sidelines during the spring game.
• 4:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, just definitely, like I said, really big team guy, and yeah, then he comes back fully healthy again last in 2024, you mentioned like his, you know, numbers don't look as gotty, that season he was splitting his time between defensive end defensive tackle because Miami was short and didn't tackle.
• 4:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, and tackles not his natural position.
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's but much better as an edge rusher.
• 4:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: But again, that just kind of shows you, you know, his mentality, you know, the ill play where he's needed even if it doesn't, you know, best fit him.
• 4:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure if he had a phenomenal year last year, he might have gone to the draft last year, but because he didn't have that excellent season because he was playing in a position.
• 5:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: He stuck around for another year, but he was happy to do it, you know, to help the team defense.
• 5:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so when you read about them, they use that versatile defense of line men term for him.
• 5:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: I guess that's more so just because he has played obviously on the inside.
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: But you do think he projects better as an address or at the next level?
• 5:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, he's a capable tackle.
• 5:23
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if he would be maybe an NFL level tackle.
• 5:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: That's for, you know, that's for scouts and coaches to decide, but he's capable of doing it.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I just think is is skill profile and I just the way, you know, he's played over the last two years.
• 5:34
  [SPEAKER_01]: It shows that he is he's best at out on the edge.
• 5:38
  [SPEAKER_02]: So let's talk about specifically the Miami defense this last year, because when you talk about some of his numbers, it was incredible.
• 5:44
  [SPEAKER_02]: And obviously, a ribbon bane is somebody you're talking about at the top of this draft.
• 5:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: So those addresses the past Russian general in Miami, you saw a lot of it.
• 5:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: If you didn't watch the college football playoff, it felt like every single game you were like, man, like there's these offenses are getting tormented.
• 5:58
  [SPEAKER_02]: by Miami's Defense of Line, and there's several guys up there that can do it, but obviously mess is door being one of those guys.
• 6:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: So try to a little bit about that.
• 6:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: The defense and how crystal ball built this since, you know, mess is door being one of the first guys he brought in to building this product, that now was being talked about as one of the better defenses and college football.
• 6:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Mario Cristobal is a trench guy at Hart.
• 6:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's a former offensive lineman.
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he builds his teams in the trenches.
• 6:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's known as a great recruiter.
• 6:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: And you look at the players.
• 6:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's brought in, at least so far.
• 6:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: All the players, all the five star recruits he signed at Miami are offensive or defensive lineman.
• 6:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: dedicates himself to building those trenches.
• 6:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, you look at first guy at the Commesador, obviously talented.
• 6:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: The thing we were all waiting for, you know, once he was healthy was him and Ruben Bane being healthy and playing at the same time, because Ruben Bane's freshman year, Mezzardor was hurt for most of the year.
• 6:55
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then Mezzardor's, or Bane's sophomore year, Mezzardor was, um,
• 7:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sorry, I'm getting my players mixed up.
• 7:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, Baine's freshman year, when Baine had a great year, Mezzodore was hurt.
• 7:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: Then the next year, Baine sophomore year, Baine was banged up.
• 7:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: He missed part of the year and wasn't fully healthy all season, but Mezzodore was healthy.
• 7:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: This year, we got to see both of them playing it at the top of their games at the same time.
• 7:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: And like you said, especially in the playoffs, like the result was phenomenal.
• 7:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they were two of maybe the three or four best defensive edge wrestlers in the country.
• 7:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, really got you numbers, like their advanced metrics are fantastic.
• 7:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: They both add like 50, 60 plus quarterback pressures, like just it was like, it was a race to the quarterback on every passing play, just whoever could get their first.
• 7:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: And they got their frequently.
• 7:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: And we saw that, especially against, you know, especially against Annemino, Ohio State in the playoffs, where they were just, you know, they were in the backfield, almost every play.
• 7:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: If they're not getting to the quarterback, then they're making them, you know, make a mistake.
• 7:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's really, it was a sight to behold.
• 8:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: It was really fun to watch.
• 8:03
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it was and coming from somebody who is a Notre Dame fan.
• 8:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: It didn't technically want to cheer for Miami.
• 8:09
  [SPEAKER_02]: It was really hard not to in moments just because of how fun those defensive linemen were and those adressors.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: And when you see the what they just kind of the way they collapse the pocket, the way they could do a little bit of everything, even when it comes against the run.
• 8:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: So that's another part of it when you have these edge pressures and we talk every year about you know true past pressures, the guys that can set the edge, the guys that you know are go against the run and then there's the ones that have been able to do certain things.
• 8:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: I always go back to the draft a couple years ago when it was Jared verse and Dallas Turner and the the conversation going back and forth was Dallas Turner's a better past pressure.
• 8:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: But Jared, Jared versus better, you can set the edge, you can do some other things, and maybe he's not that true past rusher, but he's obviously, if you watch him in the NFL, has transferred very well, he's able to get to the quarterback, he's able to stop the run.
• 8:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: So we're one of those guys when you're talking about a room in vain or a measured or one of those, do you link them better against the run at all, or can they both do that side of things, too?
• 9:04
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think they both can.
• 9:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that was maybe the most impressive thing about their season.
• 9:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: They're both their seasons last year.
• 9:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's that not only are they both excellent past rushers, they're both very, very good against the run.
• 9:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think Ruben Bane was one of the top five graded run defending adructures.
• 9:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: a key method always right behind him.
• 9:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he has like an 80 something run defense grade from PFF.
• 9:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: So like both of them were really really good against against the run.
• 9:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like I think one of the plays that I'll remember from Ruben Bane season isn't a sack.
• 9:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's a play against Ohio State where he gets kind of pushed to the outside by the tackle and just gets around him and stops the rot, you know, a stretch run in the backfield.
• 9:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: like just the power that both of them really have to beat their man and get in the back field like it's gonna play against the past and against the run.
• 9:54
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and that's exactly what you want to hear.
• 9:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: The bears last year were one of the worst run defenses in the NFL and they also didn't get a whole lot of sacks of getting somebody who automatically can add to both of those categories.
• 10:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: And the reason I haven't, I didn't start with Ruben Bay and it would probably be the start.
• 10:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: If the bears were picking in the top 10, but thankfully they're not.
• 10:10
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's been a,
• 10:11
  [SPEAKER_02]: a lot of years we have and we're not this year and so you start to shift your focus a little bit but I think that and it came best to share your thoughts on this.
• 10:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think would be an instant starter on a team if he is getting drafted in that first round especially.
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, definitely.
• 10:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you combine the fact that if you're going to invest a top 10, 15 pic in him, you're going to want him to play.
• 10:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's also, and this has come up as a negative, but I don't think it's a negative, is it age?
• 10:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's older.
• 10:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's, you know, I think he's 25.
• 10:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: So he's been around college football for a while.
• 10:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he's got that experience.
• 10:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's got that intelligence.
• 10:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he'll be a kind of a plug-and-play guy for anyone who drafts him.
• 10:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: No, I think your dog thinks the same thing.
• 10:55
  [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
• 11:18
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I get the same thing like if you're going to take a guy that high in the draft, you're going to want them to make an instant impact, but I definitely think he's capable of it.
• 11:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, we watched a friend snow we know a develop over the last three years in college and like about a smooth as a king go, you know, five star prospect immediate starter day one.
• 11:36
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then this got better and better over the course of three years, you know, had freshman growing pains, you know, in his first year.
• 11:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: but just got better and better than in this career.
• 11:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's called a career as like an old American.
• 11:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: The thing about him that really,
• 11:50
  [SPEAKER_01]: really blows me away is he reminds me of my high school physics class and then in my high school physics class with one of the few things that stuck with me is force equals mass time acceleration and he's big he's 3040 pounds and he can move you know I don't think it's 40 times is like you know amazing I think he ran like a five one or something which is not like you know insane for you know
• 12:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: an athletic offensive tackle, but when he gets moving, like, you, people want to get out of his way.
• 12:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, there's one play that Santa Claus made, you know, from the Stanford game, where he was pulling on a run play, and I saw the Stanford line.
• 12:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: I couldn't tell you which one, and maybe I would, you know, protect him to protect his dignity.
• 12:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: But I saw this line.
• 12:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: Go, I don't know.
• 12:37
  [SPEAKER_01]: So he's a very powerful offensive tackle.
• 12:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he could be a guy who is a 10 year starter in the league.
• 12:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he's a very gay boy.
• 12:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: I have very high expectations for him in the league.
• 12:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he's one of those guys that you just see videos.
• 12:52
  [SPEAKER_02]: And sometimes videos don't do justice, but just the size of him.
• 12:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: Like, I remember seeing ones of them just kind of doing offensive line minerals in the end zone.
• 13:01
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I'm like, that is a massive human being.
• 13:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: And powerful to your point.
• 13:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: We live in this world now where it's really hard to find because we need more athletic offensive linemen a lot of times with the motions and all the movements and offences now.
• 13:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so to find a big guy that can also move is not the easiest thing to do.
• 13:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I think he's one of those guys that kind of fit fit that.
• 13:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: Another play I do want to talk to you about because when you look at the bears' picks they do have also obviously pick 25 in that first round, but then in the second round they have pick 57
• 13:32
  [SPEAKER_02]: pick 60 obviously that pick 60 comes from trading dj more to the buffalo bills but county skies another one he's a quarterback corner back I don't know how early the bears would plan on taking a corner in this draft just because they do have.
• 13:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: Jalen Johns and Tyler Gordon and Tyreek Stevenson.
• 13:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: So it does feel like they're starting three are pretty set, but they lost a couple guys and free agency this year and you have some contracts that you're going to be talking about it in a Tyreek Stevenson who also went to Miami coming up soon that they're going to have to make some decisions on.
• 14:04
  [SPEAKER_02]: So do you kind of start and build your own defensive scheme with Dennis Allen in the type of corner he likes, but I do believe as he's he is a nickel corner a slot guy lately, right?
• 14:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
• 14:16
  [SPEAKER_02]: So I was like 64 tackles 13 for last five sex last year for cornerback and obviously you see those nipple corners sometimes doing that in blitzes and things like that but try to little bit about him and his role to what Miami's defense.
• 14:28
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, he was an absolute demon for Miami this past year.
• 14:32
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm convinced that I think he's probably convinced too that if he didn't miss three games into the air of the foot injury, he might have been the Thorpe Award winner because he was phenomenal.
• 14:43
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he really wanted that Thorpe Award.
• 14:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, he, I mean, like you said, he was very good in coverage and he was fantastic around the line of scrimmage.
• 14:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like you said, five stacks, I think he had double-digit
• 14:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: just excellent around the world of scrimmage, so whenever they needed to bring like some kind of extra pressure, exotic blitzes, whatever, he was the guy and he had a great job at that.
• 15:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: I do think he is better suited for that nickel back roll, and if I remember correctly, when he was at Auburn in 2024.
• 15:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: he played outside a corner back and he struggled, so I don't know how good of the fit he would be outside corner back.
• 15:22
  [SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying he's incapable of it, but I just don't know.
• 15:25
  [SPEAKER_01]: We watched him this year, he played Nickelback and he did excellent at role.
• 15:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: So I think any team that would want hit or would take in like that high in the draft would want to play him in you know in position where that best suits his strength and I think that's definitely in that role.
• 15:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: He definitely, he showed out a little bit this offseason.
• 15:44
  [SPEAKER_01]: He ran, I think, like, a 433 at his pro day earlier this month, and I think that's what teams, he said that's what teams were kind of asking of him, like to show that kind of speed.
• 15:54
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he did it for pro days when I think battle, that will help maybe boost his draft stock a bit.
• 15:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: But definitely, you know, a very smart player, very, you know, talented, and I think when he's in position, and then the right defense, he could be a really, really solid player.
• 16:07
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, the nickel corner is becoming more and more important, especially in certain defenses, Denis Allen specifically.
• 16:12
  [SPEAKER_02]: Um, colored warden was injured a lot of last season.
• 16:15
  [SPEAKER_02]: So that's why I think some people may be like, you know, colored warden every single year that he's been in Chicago.
• 16:20
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think I think maybe every year he's dealt with injuries.
• 16:23
  [SPEAKER_02]: And so do they evaluate that as okay, you know, we've had this corner who's really good at this nickel corner.
• 16:28
  [SPEAKER_02]: but if you can't stay on the field then maybe do you start to address the next guy that can come in and fill the role and I do feel like this is someone that would fit a DA.
• 16:37
  [SPEAKER_02]: Defense really well with some of the things he does with those nickel corners and how important they fit into his defense but just a few more just sliding through no offense to Carson back but I don't think we're looking at a quarterback in Chicago but Mark Bell obviously a tackle I
• 16:58
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was a left tackle last year.
• 16:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
• 17:00
  [SPEAKER_02]: So we'll chat about him a little bit because the bears losing their left tackle, just looking at the PFF, he's about there 101, 101th ranked prospect on that on the big board when it comes to just total prospect.
• 17:13
  [SPEAKER_02]: So maybe there's a range in there that the bears feel like, but chat a little bit about him.
• 17:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Mark Kelbells are really, really interesting prospect, and there's one really standout reason for that.
• 17:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: You mentioned Francis Maui Noah being just a huge person.
• 17:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mark L. Bell, Mitch, him looks small.
• 17:30
  [SPEAKER_01]: Mark L. Bell is the maybe single largest couple of players I've ever seen in my life.
• 17:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's like six, eight, six, nine, three hundred, 45 pounds.
• 17:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: very powerful and like you it's just crazy because Miami has had this offensive line full of 646566 300 plus guys and when he stood next to them he made them all look small it was just it was like
• 17:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: like looking at the grand can you use your mind can't process it's looking at like it's looking at a person this big um you know he came to Miami out of a junior college uh kind of raw kind of thrust into things last year um when by any starting left tackle Jalen Rivers got hurt but after a bit of a rough start he he got up to speed um
• 18:15
  [SPEAKER_01]: to the point where Miami changed up how it was in the run it's offensive line they started up the year with Jalen Rivers at left tackle they actually moved Jalen Rivers inside to left guard so that they could keep playing Martell Bell more often at left tackle and then this year obviously was the full-time starter from the word go and had a really solid season I don't remember off to top my head like what is exact grade where how many like you know
• 18:38
  [SPEAKER_01]: pressures and sacks, he let up what those exact numbers are, but a really solid year.
• 18:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think the big thing with him, given his size, is that I think teams are a little concerned, maybe like it's a ability to bend and stop maybe that kind of, those addressers who can kind of get around him with your, you didn't like, and like, you know, their bend ability.
• 18:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think that's probably the biggest concern just like because he's so tall his arms are only so long He can't reach always always reach all the way down He didn't have a ton of issues with that in college, but I think once you get to the next level and you got these elite past rusher's That'll really challenge him.
• 19:13
  [SPEAKER_01]: I definitely think he's got I mean one he's obviously got the size He's got the strength It's just a question of making sure he's he's got the technique and got the ability to get low and stop guys trying to get around him
• 19:25
  [SPEAKER_02]: It's funny, it's similar with what the bear's dealt with this last year.
• 19:30
  [SPEAKER_02]: They drafted Aussie Trapillo out of Boston College and Aussie Trapillo was six, seven, like three, fifteen.
• 19:35
  [SPEAKER_02]: So he's also a really big guy and there was the same conversations like, is he going to be able to kind of get that leverage that you need to get down like you need to.
• 19:43
  [SPEAKER_02]: at that offensive line position, Aussie was fantastic this year, so hopefully for him we're seeing the same thing.
• 19:49
  [SPEAKER_02]: I'm just going to run through a few of these.
• 19:50
  [SPEAKER_02]: You don't have to go through all of them, but maybe guys that you feel like maybe people aren't talking about enough.
• 19:56
  [SPEAKER_02]: Obviously, Widersy received a day on yours.
• 19:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: You've got a garden and there's Cooper, and then a safety, Jacobie Thomas, Wesley, how do you say that?
• 20:05
  [SPEAKER_02]: the same the same linebacker there so any of those names really stand out to you that you feel like could make a play and kind of surprise some people.
• 20:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: Well the two guys out of those four that I I really am intrigued to see how they how they where they get drafted and how they do in the league first isn't as Cooper and part of that's because one he's a great guy he's got you know top graded trash talking ability very funny but he's also
• 20:31
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think kind of one of the unsung stories of like the first four years of Mario Christmas 10 year because Christmas, like I said earlier, he's known for being this great recruiter and maybe not a great developer, maybe not a great, you know, in-game coach and stuff like that.
• 20:45
  [SPEAKER_01]: But on this Cooper kind of...
• 20:47
  [SPEAKER_01]: strikes against that narrative, because the NES Cooper was not a highly rated prospect.
• 20:52
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was a fringy three-star guy outside the top 1,000, I think he played mostly defensive tackle in high school, and I think when they recruited him like he was still, he was like over 400 pounds, like this is massive guy, but they recruited him to play offense at a play offensive line.
• 21:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: And he comes in, Morgan, of course, the first year, I think it starts 2022, the team is not very good and starting right guard gets hurt and the insert and that's Cooper into lineup.
• 21:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: So he's a freshman, again, not even a highly talented freshman, just a guy and
• 21:24
  [SPEAKER_01]: He never gave up that spot in four years.
• 21:27
  [SPEAKER_01]: So just this guy who again, nobody was talking about gets inserted into the lineup and just gets consistently better over four years.
• 21:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: It's the point where now he's a likely draft pick where you would never really have pegged him as that four years ago.
• 21:41
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, a really good story and like a really a testament to Mario Christaball and the offensive line coach Alex Meriball, there ability to develop offensive line and stuff like that, because like for those who don't follow the cause game that closely, the hurricanes are losing like an entire offensive line this year.
• 21:57
  [SPEAKER_01]: And I've just been like, well, they'll develop new ones.
• 22:01
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.
• 22:02
  [SPEAKER_01]: I don't figure it out.
• 22:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'm very intrigued to see how he does.
• 22:05
  [SPEAKER_01]: I really, really, a good guy to cover.
• 22:08
  [SPEAKER_01]: So, hopefully he goes, you know, Chicago, you guys can talk about him.
• 22:12
  [SPEAKER_01]: And then Jacobi Thomas really interests me too.
• 22:14
  [SPEAKER_01]: He only spent one year in Miami.
• 22:16
  [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
• 22:17
  [SPEAKER_01]: Bounce around a little bit.
• 22:19
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think started at, um,
• 22:21
  [SPEAKER_01]: middle Tennessee, and then went to Tennessee for a season where he was a rotational safety came to Miami and an excellent season.
• 22:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: Like, Kiana Tay Scott got a lot of the attention because how good of a season he had.
• 22:33
  [SPEAKER_01]: To Kobe Thomas was right there with him.
• 22:35
  [SPEAKER_01]: He, you know, kind of a, you know, make, I wouldn't call him a straight ball hawk or like a straight up, um,
• 22:40
  [SPEAKER_01]: You know, like, like, rush like pass rushing safety or run stopping safety, but he can do both very well.
• 22:46
  [SPEAKER_01]: He was second on the team to five interceptions.
• 22:48
  [SPEAKER_01]: I had some big ones.
• 22:49
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think he had the game ceiling one against Ohio state and he was also like he on tastes got.
• 22:56
  [SPEAKER_01]: really good around the one in the line of my image.
• 22:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: I've got a lot of good run stops.
• 23:00
  [SPEAKER_01]: I think at a few sex last year, I was really intriguing player.
• 23:03
  [SPEAKER_01]: He's not getting the kind of attention that even like I think it's got to getting, but I think he could be an interesting guy.
• 23:09
  [SPEAKER_01]: I wouldn't guarantee a bunch of success for him in the NFL, but I think it's possible.
• 23:14
  [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I felt like at certain points, I think, especially during the college football playoff, it felt like
• 23:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Jacobi was just in the right spot a lot and I feel like I said that a lot about Xavier Watts the year before you feel like they have said they have this vision and this feel for where the ball's going and things like that and it felt like whether it's against the run or you know up in the air and it did feel like especially in the college football play up because that's obviously where I watched him the most and except when they were playing Notre Dame but
• 23:41
  [SPEAKER_02]: I think that you have that conversation sometimes where you're like, they just have a feel for the field.
• 23:46
  [SPEAKER_02]: And I do remember kind of having those thoughts about him.
• 23:48
  [SPEAKER_02]: You talked about the one pick he had in the college football playoff.
• 23:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: But yeah, if people don't know, he had 76 tackles for for lost three and a half sacks and five and receptions last year.
• 23:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: So great year.
• 23:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: for him and Miami.
• 23:59
  [SPEAKER_02]: The bears, I'm not saying they won't go safety if they do.
• 24:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: I do think it will be a little later maybe honestly in this range.
• 24:06
  [SPEAKER_02]: They did lose to Quambersker and Kevin Byrd, but they replaced that with the Kobe Bryant and a Cam Luis, so they did kind of just, you know, get right up to get two new ones and so we'll see what how.
• 24:17
  [SPEAKER_02]: How dire they feel like that need is, but I think the safety, the safety room can always improve and a leak and the leak where you, I feel like I mentioned the nickel corner being an important in the Dennis Island defense.
• 24:29
  [SPEAKER_02]: I was one of the things this last year that you noticed really quickly in Chicago is when because Brisker was on the field and that's great, but Kyler wasn't the moment that Kyler Gordon and Juan Brisker were on the field together.
• 24:40
  [SPEAKER_02]: That was the best that Dennis Island's defense looked.
• 24:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: So
• 24:42
  [SPEAKER_02]: having that nickel corner and that safety that can kind of play off of each other is really important and not areas so we'll see but out of my appreciated as always we went a little longer than I told you we would but thanks for chatting all of this we'll see if any of them end up in Chicago but I know there's a lot of like you said the trenches are gonna be then a fell trenches are gonna be filled with Miami hurricanes pretty soon so we'll see those but thank you again and I hope you have a good rest of your week for sure thank you for having me thank you no problem