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NFL Analyst on the Saints' Biggest Remaining Roster Need & Rookie Expectations · AFR Saints

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  Speaker 1: AFR on Demand is brought to you by Breck Golf.
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  Speaker 1: dot org, Golf dot Breck dot org. Josh Edwards, who
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  Speaker 1: we normally talk to from over at CBS, normally we
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  Speaker 1: talked to around draft time as a draft analyst, but
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  Speaker 1: he's got a piece out there about every NFC team
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  Speaker 1: and the biggest hole remaining in the roster that it
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  Speaker 1: was a good conversation to have. So we welcome Josh
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  Speaker 1: onto the show. Yo man, great the chat as always,
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  Speaker 1: how are you going well?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually enjoyed doing those type of pieces because
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  Speaker 2: covering the NFL Draft you kind of need to have
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  Speaker 2: a feel for what needs each team has at any
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  Speaker 2: given point in the years, so it's always good to
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  Speaker 2: kind of refresh the memory what moves were made this
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  Speaker 2: offseason and just get ready for this.
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  Speaker 1: So for the Saints. You say linebacker, why.
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  Speaker 2: There were a couple of positions that I considered and
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  Speaker 2: really working through the offense, I was like, Wow, they're
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  Speaker 2: in really good shape. You know, there's not really too
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  Speaker 2: much that I would do differently here. I like Oscar
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  Speaker 2: delp I like Travis a Chan, I like Jordan Tyson,
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  Speaker 2: I like Bryce Lance. I like how all of those
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  Speaker 2: pieces fit. So I look on the defense, you lose
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  Speaker 2: to Mario Davis, who has been a staple of that
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  Speaker 2: unit for so long, and just to remove his leadership
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  Speaker 2: is I think going to be a loss no matter
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  Speaker 2: how you look at it, because he coordinated the defense
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  Speaker 2: in addition to those game changing plays that he would
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  Speaker 2: make cornerback. You know, I think there's some young guys
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  Speaker 2: there that could come along, cool Aid McKinstry, Quincy Riley, safety,
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  Speaker 2: Jonas Sanker. You know, They've got some young players in
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  Speaker 2: the system that I'm optimistic about. I'm hopeful to watch
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  Speaker 2: this season and be couraged about their growth. Kristin Miller
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  Speaker 2: I thought was a good pick the defensive lineman out
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  Speaker 2: of Georgia in the second round. So I think they've
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  Speaker 2: got some good young players on that side of the ball.
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  Speaker 2: That lead me to believe that maybe the floor is
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  Speaker 2: or the ceiling is a little bit lower at linebacker
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  Speaker 2: than it may end up being at some of those
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  Speaker 2: other positions.
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  Speaker 1: So I'm a huge. I completely agree with you on
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  Speaker 1: to Mario Davis. We are a huge to Mario Davis
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  Speaker 1: show hard not to be. He's incredible performance on the field, leadership, everything,
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  Speaker 1: But they made a decision that they weren't going to
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  Speaker 1: invest a multi year contract into a thirty seven year
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  Speaker 1: old player. I think it was stupid that's what they did.
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  Speaker 1: But they went and added Kaden Ellis. What are your
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  Speaker 1: thoughts on what type of transition drop off transitioning from
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  Speaker 1: Davis to Ellis.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's going to be a little bit different.
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  Speaker 2: Obviously coming over from Atlanta, He's had some good moments
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  Speaker 2: in his career, it's been a little bit more volatile
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  Speaker 2: than I think what you would come to expect from
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  Speaker 2: Demorrio Davis. And you know, speaking to that point itself,
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  Speaker 2: it seems the organization has made an investment in youth.
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  Speaker 2: They're embracing the youth that they have added. It of
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  Speaker 2: course started with Tyler Schuck, but moving on from Tomrio
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  Speaker 2: Davis and nearly moving on from Camera Jordan this offseason.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Marshall Lattimore they moved on recently, so it's
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  Speaker 2: just kind of a changing of the guard on defense,
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  Speaker 2: and I think that's why they've kind of made some
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  Speaker 2: of those decisions. But you know, it probably will result
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  Speaker 2: in a net loss for them on the field. But
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  Speaker 2: I do think that Kaden Ellis and Pete Warner compliment
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  Speaker 2: each other. Well, I'm just a little bit hesitant about
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  Speaker 2: the type of turnover worthy plays they're going to be
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  Speaker 2: able to create in that spot.
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  Speaker 1: Josh Edwards is with us at Edwards CBS is where
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  Speaker 1: you can get them on X. I want to kind
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  Speaker 1: of tap into your some of you maybe like your
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  Speaker 1: your draft note because there are some young linebackers. So
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  Speaker 1: we know it's Ellis and Werner and this could very
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  Speaker 1: well be Pete Warner's last season New Orleans. We'll see,
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  Speaker 1: but they seem high on Danny Stutzman and Isaiah Stallberg
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  Speaker 1: and Jalen ford Is maybe guys that'll make the team
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  Speaker 1: and be groomed into the next you know, your real
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  Speaker 1: contributors there. Any of those three jump off the page?
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  Speaker 1: Do you use someone maybe worth keeping an eye on
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  Speaker 1: this year, Stutsman, Stallbird or Jalen Ford.
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  Speaker 2: I think Stutsman has the highest ceiling among that group,
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  Speaker 2: But at the same time, I was probably a little
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  Speaker 2: bit lower on him than the consensus coming out of Oklahoma.
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  Speaker 2: He's an incredibly talented player. I think his instincts at
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  Speaker 2: the linebacker position needed to develop a little bit more,
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  Speaker 2: and he is somebody that I think could lead to
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  Speaker 2: some of those turnover worthy plays. So he would be
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  Speaker 2: one that I would watch in how he grows this offseason.
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  Speaker 2: But it would not surprise me if any of those guys,
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  Speaker 2: you know, saw more playing time over the course of
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  Speaker 2: the season. And for the reasons that I already said,
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  Speaker 2: I think they're embracing youth and if they can find
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  Speaker 2: some of those off ramps to older players on the
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  Speaker 2: roster and build a bridge to the next generation of
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  Speaker 2: this Saints team, I think that's what they're looking to do.
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  Speaker 1: Justin there's a couple of other guys that want to
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  Speaker 1: ask you about and maybe this is tapping a little
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  Speaker 1: bit back into the sort that the draft analysis you
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  Speaker 1: did mention Christian Miller. But Miller and Lorenzo Styles were
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  Speaker 1: the two players on the defensive side that they drafted right.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe maybe if you could, if you if you remember
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  Speaker 1: your your your draft analysis or breakdown of those two guys.
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  Speaker 1: What do you think the Saints are getting there in
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  Speaker 1: Miller and styles.
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  Speaker 2: I think they are taking a very calculated risk on
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  Speaker 2: Kristan Miller because I think he may have been a
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  Speaker 2: year away from being that top half of the first
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  Speaker 2: round type draft pick, you know, had he had another
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  Speaker 2: year of seasoning. I think we may be talking about
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  Speaker 2: him a little bit different because he is still a
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  Speaker 2: relative young player. So I think taking the lottery ticket
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  Speaker 2: on them where they did was savvy, especially when you
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  Speaker 2: throw him into that group with Vernon Broughton and Brian
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  Speaker 2: Brezi and some of the other pieces that they've assembled
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  Speaker 2: along that unit. He's got great size, He obviously has
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  Speaker 2: great athleticism. I mean, Georgia doesn't recruit players that are
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  Speaker 2: limited in that regard, So I think that he is
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  Speaker 2: somebody that has a higher ceiling that we have not
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  Speaker 2: yet seen him reach. As it relates to Lorenzo's styles,
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  Speaker 2: He's somebody that has versatility. He can play safety, he
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  Speaker 2: can play the nickel incredibly fast, as we saw at
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  Speaker 2: the NFL Combine. So he can wear different hats for
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  Speaker 2: your defense. And I think when you kind of look
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  Speaker 2: at the group that they've assembled, Koolaid, McKinstry, Quincy Riley, Martin,
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  Speaker 2: Emerson Junior all three guys that I like, and I
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  Speaker 2: like TJ. Hall quite a bit as well. The seventh
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  Speaker 2: round pick out of Iowa. I thought they got great
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  Speaker 2: value there. There's length, there's size in that unit. So
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  Speaker 2: to now add a Lorenzo Styles who can step in
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  Speaker 2: and give you something a little bit different. You know,
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  Speaker 2: he obviously has the athleticism, so let's bring him in
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  Speaker 2: the building and see what we can get out of him.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think hauls the safety or a corner.
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  Speaker 2: That's tough. I think because of the long speed, he
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  Speaker 2: may ultimately have to make a move to safety. But
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  Speaker 2: when you watch him play, he's just so confident at
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  Speaker 2: the line of scrimmage. You don't really see him sacrifice
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  Speaker 2: a whole lot in terms of staying in phase at
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  Speaker 2: the boundary. So it's kind of unique watching him because
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  Speaker 2: I didn't necessarily see those speed concerns play out on
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  Speaker 2: film consistently, and then to show it at the combine,
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  Speaker 2: you know, it was a little concerning. But if I
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  Speaker 2: had to guess he's probably going to be used, you know,
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  Speaker 2: big nickel slot type in the long run. But I
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  Speaker 2: think he's an incredibly smart, stavvy player that's just going
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  Speaker 2: to find his way onto the football field somehow.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, Josh Laska, I want to ask you about, and
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  Speaker 1: I know we've straight you really read the piece over
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  Speaker 1: at cbssports dot com, the biggest raining hole for every team.
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  Speaker 1: For the Saints he has is linebacker. I want to
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  Speaker 1: ask about Zavion Harris because it seems like, but for
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  Speaker 1: the off the field stuff, that this might have been
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  Speaker 1: a high draft pick six seven, three twenty out of
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  Speaker 1: Old Miss if he's on the straight and narrow. Did
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  Speaker 1: the Saints get a steal here with an undrafted player?
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  Speaker 2: Potentially? He definitely is going to have to be more disciplined,
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  Speaker 2: especially with his pad level. I thought he played too
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  Speaker 2: high at times, which you know, as you stated, being
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  Speaker 2: as tall as he is, you know, there's some of
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  Speaker 2: those natural limitations when you're that tall. But he's somebody
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  Speaker 2: that's incredibly physical when he wants to be. He can
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  Speaker 2: dominate multiple gaps, takeover games. So if you're talking about
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  Speaker 2: like a Dion Walker type player that Buffalo has gotten
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  Speaker 2: or some of these other bigger defensive tackles that are
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  Speaker 2: just going to occupy a space. I think that frees
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  Speaker 2: some of those other guys up to do other things.
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  Speaker 2: Chase Young Carl Granderson are now going to have more
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  Speaker 2: one on one opportunities. So if you're able to keep
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  Speaker 2: him focused on the goal and developing a professional career,
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  Speaker 2: he is somebody that could absolutely outplay where he was
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  Speaker 2: at it, you know, obviously setting the bar pretty low
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  Speaker 2: as an undrafted free agent, but he is somebody that
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  Speaker 2: has I think higher potential than where he was he
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  Speaker 2: was still available, So that would be one that's fun
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  Speaker 2: to watch. Another one of those kind of lottery tickets.
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  Speaker 2: You know, the Saints have a couple of defensive tackles
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  Speaker 2: that are going to be fun to watch, and ultimately,
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  Speaker 2: I think the growth of this defense is ultimately going
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  Speaker 2: to tell the tale of how the season plays out.
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  Speaker 1: At Edwards CBS Josh Edwards read him over at cbssports
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  Speaker 1: dot com. Always appreciate you man, Thank you yeah anytime.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks for having me