Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / Football at Four: How The Eagles New WR Fits In and Expectations on Day Two
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: We're gonna break it all down Adam Kaplan from the
- 0:03Speaker 1: Inside the Birds Podcast. The Eagles select wide receiver Mackai Lemon.
- 0:09Speaker 1: They trade with the Dallas Cowboys two fourth round picks,
- 0:12Speaker 1: and they flopped their first rounder to take Lemon. This
- 0:16Speaker 1: is a very very interesting selection. We're gonna get Adam's
- 0:19Speaker 1: take on that, their plans for Day two and more.
- 0:22Speaker 1: Right now, it's football at four, Adam, they have a
- 0:25Speaker 1: new wide receiver.
- 0:27Speaker 2: Yeah, look, mkay Lemon. People had asked me, when do
- 0:30Speaker 2: you think Luttert a receiver? I said as early as
- 0:32Speaker 2: the second round. I didn't think first. Now, just a
- 0:35Speaker 2: couple of things and we'll explain to you why they
- 0:38Speaker 2: did this. Jeff and I have a lot of intel
- 0:40Speaker 2: on this. But how we talk about this in is
- 0:44Speaker 2: his post round one press conference. Just let the board
- 0:49Speaker 2: speak to you. I'm told they had it, absolutely had
- 0:52Speaker 2: a first round great on it. And it's not just that. Okay, well,
- 0:54Speaker 2: they know they weren't getting get a very good player.
- 0:56Speaker 2: They're gonna get a round two player at twenty three,
- 0:58Speaker 2: which excuse me, at twenty four, they that any team
- 1:01Speaker 2: pick in the twenties knew that any player they're going
- 1:03Speaker 2: to get will almost certainly have a second round grade.
- 1:05Speaker 2: So but they had a first round grade on Lemon
- 1:08Speaker 2: and talking to various coaches. You know, the good thing
- 1:12Speaker 2: about the draft is a lot of position coaches are
- 1:15Speaker 2: not in the draft room, so you could you could
- 1:17Speaker 2: text with them, and I know I'm saying, hey, where
- 1:19Speaker 2: do you have him? How did you grade them? And
- 1:22Speaker 2: I didn't get anyone with a second round grade on him?
- 1:25Speaker 2: Super competitive, we'll get in him in a skill set.
- 1:27Speaker 2: But look a J. Brown's going to be gone. We
- 1:30Speaker 2: know that. How he's got to say what he's got
- 1:32Speaker 2: to say because he's still part of the football team,
- 1:34Speaker 2: which he is now. Lemon and Lemon and Brown do
- 1:38Speaker 2: not play the same position, not even close. AJ's an
- 1:41Speaker 2: next receiver. Lemon is a inside receiver who could be
- 1:45Speaker 2: moved around. We'll talk about that as well, Mike, you know,
- 1:48Speaker 2: the next ten minutes. But I like to pick. I
- 1:50Speaker 2: was a little surprised with the first round. It doesn't
- 1:52Speaker 2: matter to me because it's still a good pick. I
- 1:54Speaker 2: get a good laugh of the it's a fait. There's
- 1:58Speaker 2: some eagle fans, Mike, I, I you know, I heard
- 2:01Speaker 2: you know you have your your event last night. I'm
- 2:03Speaker 2: curious about how people received it. But majority of social
- 2:07Speaker 2: media and on our also on our our YouTube comments
- 2:11Speaker 2: board like to pick. There's some people who don't like
- 2:16Speaker 2: that school They they oh Nelson Aglori definitely can play
- 2:19Speaker 2: the same way like you're never gonna make them happy
- 2:22Speaker 2: and there's nothing you can do about and that you
- 2:24Speaker 2: should just try to educate them to be a little
- 2:26Speaker 2: bit smarter about their analysis. This guy's a really good
- 2:29Speaker 2: football player. Okay, he's never played in the NFL before.
- 2:32Speaker 2: We'll see how he does. But this is a very
- 2:34Speaker 2: respected player here.
- 2:35Speaker 1: Yeah, I like to pick a lot. I'll give you
- 2:37Speaker 1: that information right off. But how does he fit a
- 2:40Speaker 1: lot of slot? He lines up in the slot over
- 2:42Speaker 1: sixty percent of the time. I mean a lot of
- 2:44Speaker 1: stuff short intermediate, not a throw that Jalen Hurts likes
- 2:48Speaker 1: to make.
- 2:49Speaker 2: Well. The big one is the in the mid interior
- 2:53Speaker 2: he roams. He will play majority of the time as
- 2:57Speaker 2: an instab receiver. That's what I'm told This Steelers, by
- 3:00Speaker 2: the way, will just mention it's not just the camera
- 3:03Speaker 2: on and they were going to draft him. I'm told
- 3:06Speaker 2: they see him a specific way. Though the Steelers saw
- 3:10Speaker 2: him Mike as a first inside but a move receiver.
- 3:14Speaker 2: They felt that because of the space that was hoping
- 3:18Speaker 2: college football, the spacing is much greater than it is
- 3:20Speaker 2: in the NFL. Mike McCarthy really wanted him because he
- 3:26Speaker 2: does not have two guys. He's two tall receivers. They
- 3:28Speaker 2: don't have one someone who can work the middle of
- 3:30Speaker 2: the field well. Deels like that ability that he has,
- 3:34Speaker 2: As Jeff Mosher said a hundred times the last three
- 3:36Speaker 2: or four years, they need, badly need a true slot receiver,
- 3:40Speaker 2: not someone who can line up and sell like Devonte Smith.
- 3:42Speaker 2: That's not what we're talking about. Someone who works almost
- 3:45Speaker 2: exclusively inside. That's what Lemon does. Super competitive, super tough,
- 3:51Speaker 2: really good hands, good route runner, physical run after the catch.
- 3:56Speaker 2: But he is zero juice downfield. He is not a
- 3:59Speaker 2: downfield threat. Talking to receivers coaches who really liked him,
- 4:03Speaker 2: there's not much you can do about it. He's not
- 4:04Speaker 2: going to all of a sudden run a four to three.
- 4:06Speaker 2: He doesn't run that well downfield. Test fifteen Yardsie loses steam.
- 4:10Speaker 2: But they don't need him to do that this season.
- 4:12Speaker 2: He's got Hollywood Brown, you got Devonte Smith. Maybe they'll
- 4:15Speaker 2: add another receiver who knows they'll have enough speed Micael
- 4:19Speaker 2: on the football team, and who's said, by the way,
- 4:21Speaker 2: they might get a vertical tight end here in this
- 4:24Speaker 2: round or later on.
- 4:26Speaker 1: His skill set as you kind of look at he's
- 4:27Speaker 1: kind of an inside guy, slot guy. You know, doesn't
- 4:31Speaker 1: drop the ball either. He catches everything one drop in
- 4:34Speaker 1: one hundred and ten targets last year for him, so
- 4:38Speaker 1: his skill set will fit. It seems this is a
- 4:40Speaker 1: clear indication that Sean Mannion's offense is taking over and
- 4:43Speaker 1: that anybody who had any concern that Nick Sirianni's offense
- 4:48Speaker 1: was gonna still be playing be around. This pick seems
- 4:51Speaker 1: to show you that they are committed to changing this.
- 4:54Speaker 2: Well, here's the thing, as we told you when Many
- 4:57Speaker 2: was hired, Like you could argue about what's happened in
- 5:01Speaker 2: the past when they wanted to give Kellimore a lot
- 5:03Speaker 2: of autonomy and it didn't happen. Well, they actually wanted
- 5:06Speaker 2: to do it. But because Hertz throw us a specific
- 5:10Speaker 2: way and doesn't like throwing the ball in the middlefield
- 5:12Speaker 2: or with good timing became a problem. Well, this offense
- 5:15Speaker 2: cannot function at all at all if a you don't
- 5:20Speaker 2: throw the ball in the middle field and if you
- 5:21Speaker 2: don't throw with good timing. Makay Lem's going to help
- 5:24Speaker 2: him do that. DeVonta Spift could help him do that.
- 5:27Speaker 2: Don Tavin Wicks, you know they this and I want
- 5:30Speaker 2: to get into the receiver cord in a second. It's
- 5:32Speaker 2: going to look so different Mike this year, plus the
- 5:34Speaker 2: tight ends are going to be involved. This is a
- 5:37Speaker 2: true West Coast offense. We told you this as soon
- 5:39Speaker 2: as the menu is. This was planned. This is not
- 5:43Speaker 2: about sending any kind of message. This is about moving forward.
- 5:47Speaker 2: Anyone could receive the message that they want to move forward.
- 5:50Speaker 2: You could take it any way you want. You guys
- 5:51Speaker 2: don't care about that. They want to move this offense along,
- 5:54Speaker 2: and that's what they're going to do.
- 5:56Speaker 1: How does this group now come do into sheep after
- 6:00Speaker 1: this pick?
- 6:01Speaker 2: That's the question. All right, here's a way it looks
- 6:03Speaker 2: as of now. We'll see if they add anyone else
- 6:06Speaker 2: through the draft with Brown on his way out when
- 6:10Speaker 2: they go twelve personnel. Now, it depends when Lemon Mike
- 6:13Speaker 2: is ready. Lemon Mike is not a big guy. Yes,
- 6:17Speaker 2: he's strong. He plays bigger than his listed size. He's
- 6:21Speaker 2: very physical, but he's not. He's not six two and
- 6:24Speaker 2: two hundred and ten pounds. You just there's certain things
- 6:28Speaker 2: he is Mike. He's a size limitation. You just have
- 6:31Speaker 2: to live with that. But when they go twelve personnel,
- 6:35Speaker 2: which is two tight ends and two receivers, it's Goddard,
- 6:38Speaker 2: it's Shohinny monk Cake. They have enough tight ends. Calcuterra
- 6:43Speaker 2: will be their move tight end with munt as the
- 6:46Speaker 2: why as the inside tight end. Now with Makai Lemon,
- 6:52Speaker 2: it's interesting because he could be a Z receiver. This
- 6:55Speaker 2: is what several coaches told me. I texted with last night.
- 6:58Speaker 2: But he's way better inside. But the thing about Lemon
- 7:01Speaker 2: is Mike. He's a willing learner. I'm told he is physical.
- 7:06Speaker 2: You love that. But he's not a speed demon. And
- 7:10Speaker 2: that's where that's where Hollywood Brown comes in. Who I
- 7:13Speaker 2: want to mention, Hollywood Brown will make five million full
- 7:16Speaker 2: of guarantee the season. When they go eleven personnel, it's Smith,
- 7:19Speaker 2: it's Lemon inside, it's Brown and Smith on the outside.
- 7:24Speaker 2: And Wis by the way, when they go eleven personnel,
- 7:27Speaker 2: they'll be able to have him outside with Smith outside
- 7:30Speaker 2: and Lemon inside and an eleven personnel. You could, you
- 7:34Speaker 2: could have Wis, you could you could go for and well,
- 7:38Speaker 2: again we'll see. He's really the only big receiver they
- 7:40Speaker 2: have right now. Johnny Wilson doesn't count. He's coming back
- 7:43Speaker 2: from major knee injury. We have to see if he
- 7:45Speaker 2: could run. But there's so many things and Daris Cooper,
- 7:48Speaker 2: who was a great story. So Mike, they don't really
- 7:50Speaker 2: need to do anything this year now after the season
- 7:53Speaker 2: is over, Hollywood, Brown is a one year deal. You've
- 7:59Speaker 2: got Davantae or probably within the next year, they're gonna
- 8:02Speaker 2: have to redo his deal. They're not gonna have a choice.
- 8:04Speaker 2: His deals outdated. But the future I want to mention this, Mike.
- 8:07Speaker 2: The future at the receiver position is DeVante Smith, McKay lemon,
- 8:12Speaker 2: and Wicks. Remember he signed through twenty twenty seven, so
- 8:15Speaker 2: Wis is going to have a big role this season
- 8:18Speaker 2: as is right now.
- 8:19Speaker 1: So how did other teams feel about him? Because a
- 8:21Speaker 1: lot of people were surprised that he was on the
- 8:23Speaker 1: board at twenty and then the Eagles were as well,
- 8:25Speaker 1: and that's why they made the move to say, hey,
- 8:28Speaker 1: this guy's drove fall into a spot where we feel
- 8:31Speaker 1: like we have to go get this.
- 8:32Speaker 2: Guy all right, So Lemon, according to six teams I
- 8:35Speaker 2: checked in with last night, either had him as their
- 8:38Speaker 2: second or third receiver. One team had him as their
- 8:40Speaker 2: sixth where they like his competitiveness. They don't look that
- 8:45Speaker 2: he can't get downfield. That team thought he could only
- 8:48Speaker 2: play inside. They don't think you'd be as functional at
- 8:51Speaker 2: the NFL level where space is more condensed. And that's
- 8:54Speaker 2: the other thing with him. You're gonna have to free
- 8:55Speaker 2: him up if you line him up on outside, it's
- 8:59Speaker 2: called condensed splits where it's like what the Rams do
- 9:02Speaker 2: it you start them out as a true receiver before
- 9:06Speaker 2: the snappy motions inside. That is the only way that
- 9:09Speaker 2: it's gonna work for him on mckaye Lemon. Most likely
- 9:11Speaker 2: on the outside it won't work. You're gonna you're gonna
- 9:14Speaker 2: have to move him aside a little bit, but they'll
- 9:18Speaker 2: help him out. Very well respected receiver. Nobody hate like
- 9:21Speaker 2: no game or third round grade. There's some teams had
- 9:23Speaker 2: a second on him, but a lot had a one
- 9:25Speaker 2: on them. It's just a matter of is it late
- 9:27Speaker 2: is the middle of the first round. Eagles had a
- 9:29Speaker 2: true one on him. I don't honestly my senses, based
- 9:33Speaker 2: on what I heard this morning, they would have had
- 9:36Speaker 2: a true one on him. Even if this is a
- 9:37Speaker 2: great draft where there were twenty three to twenty five
- 9:40Speaker 2: first round grades, which is historical, you don't usually have
- 9:42Speaker 2: that mic. So this is very to finish this off mic,
- 9:47Speaker 2: this part about it. Very well respected player.
- 9:50Speaker 1: I like it for a lot, for whatever that's worth.
- 9:52Speaker 1: But a big fan of him. I love this spot
- 9:55Speaker 1: here for him. I think it's Jeff said, I've said
- 9:57Speaker 1: the same thing Adham. They have lacked that in slot,
- 10:01Speaker 1: true slot guy. Really, I mean Agalar in seventeen had
- 10:05Speaker 1: a good year in the slot.
- 10:06Speaker 2: Other than that, real quick, I joked Jason, Jason Levant
- 10:10Speaker 2: the real number eighty one no offense at too vont
- 10:14Speaker 2: was a true possession receiver. Where Aglar, by the way,
- 10:17Speaker 2: could you could run him deep, you could run him short?
- 10:20Speaker 2: You know he was he was not a bust.
- 10:22Speaker 1: Aglar had problems tracking the ball.
- 10:25Speaker 2: He's dropping he had, yes, he remember early in his
- 10:28Speaker 2: career he the off the field issue at a confidence issue,
- 10:31Speaker 2: had dropped issue. I think up correctly issue. Mike Rowe
- 10:34Speaker 2: did a phenomenal job of rebuilding this confidence. Who was
- 10:37Speaker 2: the receivers coach then, as you know, he got promoted
- 10:39Speaker 2: to see that didn't work out, but he did a
- 10:40Speaker 2: great job as a receivers coach. Now he was slightly
- 10:44Speaker 2: disappointed he went and not even close to it.
- 10:46Speaker 1: Well, he was great in the in the Super Bowl
- 10:49Speaker 1: year because he was able to work out of the
- 10:50Speaker 1: slot prim pretty much exclusive.
- 10:54Speaker 2: Yeah you give you give grow credit. Yeah, you definitely
- 10:58Speaker 2: do that. And now now today, let's go to date.
- 11:00Speaker 1: Let's look at tonight. They got fifty four uh and
- 11:04Speaker 1: two third rounders. What's at sixty eight and ninety eight?
- 11:07Speaker 2: Yeah, ninety eight, Mili, It's funny. Milt Williams is ninety
- 11:09Speaker 2: eight and that's the one they got for Milt Williams
- 11:11Speaker 2: at the contixt. So all right, Mike. There remaining needs
- 11:15Speaker 2: are right tackle, tight end, edge upgrade, which could come
- 11:17Speaker 2: into trade for Jonathan Grenard. We'll see what happens one
- 11:21Speaker 2: of the one the other. They like to get an
- 11:22Speaker 2: upgrade at edge safety corner for that. They don't have
- 11:25Speaker 2: to do corner this year. But remember Reek Walls on
- 11:29Speaker 2: a one year deal. He's still a future need. Offensive
- 11:31Speaker 2: line depths still a big kneed, mic, So those are
- 11:35Speaker 2: be the needs right now. So the way he's explain
- 11:38Speaker 2: to me is this, there are very few offensive linemen
- 11:41Speaker 2: right now. It got picked over big time. The guard position,
- 11:46Speaker 2: Mike is one the Eagles could look. You know, obviously
- 11:48Speaker 2: you would love, if you're the Eagles, to get a
- 11:50Speaker 2: guard who could play also play center though, Mike. They
- 11:55Speaker 2: like Drew Kendall a lot. I'm told right now, looked
- 12:01Speaker 2: at the best available offensive lineman for the Eagles who
- 12:04Speaker 2: would fit here. They are Chase Besontis will go in
- 12:08Speaker 2: the second round. He's had a text A and m pregnant.
- 12:10Speaker 2: Another guard out of Argon, a school that they know
- 12:13Speaker 2: very very well. Not much else after that. Tackle wise
- 12:20Speaker 2: dunker from Iowa teering in is really well respected, Mike.
- 12:24Speaker 2: I'll be honest with you. I know Drew Shelton locally
- 12:28Speaker 2: with a tight end in high school who went to
- 12:30Speaker 2: Penn State and he got moved. He could play guarter tackle.
- 12:33Speaker 2: He's going to go later. It's just not a good
- 12:37Speaker 2: what's left in the second round, Mike. The boy's explaining
- 12:40Speaker 2: to me this morning is that you're going to have
- 12:42Speaker 2: to take a leap of faith. It's been picked over
- 12:45Speaker 2: a lot that you're getting mid to lower level starters
- 12:48Speaker 2: at best in the second round. To me, you look
- 12:53Speaker 2: at tight end where Eli Stowers who visit with the Eagles,
- 12:56Speaker 2: Claire's really good. Those are two tight ends to look
- 12:59Speaker 2: at again, that's to knee position for them. Edge wise,
- 13:02Speaker 2: guys who would be great. T T. Parker, I'm told
- 13:05Speaker 2: he probably won't make it to them, they do like him.
- 13:07Speaker 2: Culton Howe will be a good one, and Zion Young
- 13:11Speaker 2: late to early three. Those will be some of the edges.
- 13:14Speaker 2: Other than that my cornerback wise, if they if they
- 13:17Speaker 2: want to look at McCoy's got the knee problem. Avion
- 13:20Speaker 2: Terrol be a great pick. He won't get make it there,
- 13:22Speaker 2: Colton Hood, Brandon Cis. These are all good football players
- 13:27Speaker 2: at positions of need for the future for the Eagles.
- 13:29Speaker 1: All right, That all starts tonight. You can listen to
- 13:32Speaker 1: the draft. The draft coverage begins at seven o'clock on
- 13:35Speaker 1: Rock one oh four to one. We will pick up
- 13:37Speaker 1: the draft coverage on ninety seven to three ESPN after
- 13:41Speaker 1: six Ers Celtics game three. Now, Adam, what are you
- 13:44Speaker 1: going to be locked in on tonight? Sixers or draft?
- 13:47Speaker 2: Well, you're gonna laugh. So I told my what I said,
- 13:49Speaker 2: could you fix our TV with Amazon Prime? Because I
- 13:51Speaker 2: just can't get it the way And then you know,
- 13:53Speaker 2: I don't have Peacock, so I couldn't. You know, I
- 13:56Speaker 2: had to NBA TV. The good thing about NBA TV
- 13:59Speaker 2: is it's turner doesn't run it anymore. So the league
- 14:02Speaker 2: is running in and it's kind of on bare bones,
- 14:04Speaker 2: but they do. They replay every game in the playoffs
- 14:08Speaker 2: just about so he's able to tape it. You know,
- 14:10Speaker 2: I taped it and I was able to watch it
- 14:12Speaker 2: the next day, and I'm stun Mike. I can't believe
- 14:16Speaker 2: that they won that game. I'm just I'm gonna say,
- 14:19Speaker 2: I'm gonna make this prediction, Mike, if they somehow win
- 14:23Speaker 2: this game, it's gonna go seven.
- 14:24Speaker 1: Wow.
- 14:25Speaker 2: Yeah it See they found so much space on the floor.
- 14:29Speaker 2: I know Boston's gonna watch. They watch the tape, they
- 14:31Speaker 2: see that. But because Edgecombe did what he did, and
- 14:36Speaker 2: now he's got that confidence, you know, to do what
- 14:39Speaker 2: they did in that building, Mic, and on the road
- 14:41Speaker 2: against that team, one of the top three teams in
- 14:43Speaker 2: the NBA. Now that Tatum's back, I'm not Eagles. I'm Eaglesholme,
- 14:47Speaker 2: I'm not a six or so.
- 14:48Speaker 1: Well.
- 14:48Speaker 2: I am a six Ers homer, but I'm a you know,
- 14:50Speaker 2: I'm a realist. I know they're not as talented. Boston's better,
- 14:54Speaker 2: but you could play over your ski sometimes when you're confident.
- 14:58Speaker 1: Well, twenty twenty and twenty uh twelve, I guess it was.
- 15:02Speaker 1: They took Boston seven games, and that Boston team was
- 15:04Speaker 1: clearly better than that was the Dollar team. So they
- 15:07Speaker 1: fought hard, they stole games here and there, and they
- 15:10Speaker 1: kind of stuck.
- 15:11Speaker 2: You never know, Mike right, and also, look if MB
- 15:13Speaker 2: kept getting this set, it doesn't look like he's still doubtful,
- 15:15Speaker 2: but he could help them. And then look the Flyers.
- 15:18Speaker 2: I'm CAF fan. People have listened to me before. I
- 15:20Speaker 2: know this, but I'm rooting like hell for the Flyers.
- 15:23Speaker 2: I think it's just awesome. You know what I was saying.
- 15:25Speaker 2: I was getting a haircut today. I was talking to
- 15:27Speaker 2: the barber. I said, I don't think these kids know
- 15:29Speaker 2: any better. They're like, they're just going out there and playing.
- 15:32Speaker 2: Isn't it great when you play free, you're not worried
- 15:34Speaker 2: about anything else. And gotta even ricktocket credit former Flyer,
- 15:38Speaker 2: obviously great and they've been so much fun. Man, if
- 15:41Speaker 2: these damn entitled Phillies could get their act together, I'm
- 15:44Speaker 2: so frust I cannot tell I can't take it.
- 15:47Speaker 1: By the way, Phillies lineup just dropped. I get to you, Adam, Turner, Schwarber, Harper, Garcia,
- 15:53Speaker 1: no more reis. He is out of the lineup today.
- 15:55Speaker 1: Marsh five, Stott, six, Boem, Crawford and Garret. It's Stubbs.
- 16:01Speaker 2: I called Josh real quick. I told our Josh here,
- 16:04Speaker 2: Josh Hanning. I said, to start the season, give it
- 16:06Speaker 2: two weeks. Top are remitted his mistake and take Bom
- 16:09Speaker 2: out of four and start out of five. Well, it
- 16:11Speaker 2: took like four weeks. Scott is not a five hitter.
- 16:15Speaker 2: It's it's embarrassing. I know, I know he had a
- 16:19Speaker 2: great spring.
- 16:20Speaker 1: You know what.
- 16:20Speaker 2: It's you know what, you know what spring training is for,
- 16:23Speaker 2: for good, good, good output. It's the same as OTAs
- 16:28Speaker 2: in the NFL. I mean's absolutely no.
- 16:30Speaker 1: I agree that.
- 16:31Speaker 2: You know. Good luck Philly. Let's let's get it going here.
- 16:33Speaker 1: Huh All right, Adam, Well, good stuff man. The Draft
- 16:36Speaker 1: Recap will talk to Adam on Tuesday to see what
- 16:38Speaker 1: he thinks about rounds two through seven. Thanks man, good
- 16:42Speaker 1: Thanks Adam Kapel, everybody you're on the Sports bast Live
- 16:45Speaker 1: ninety seven three, ESPN,