Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.106: RIP (Rodgers.Insurance.Policy)

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Ep.106: RIP (Rodgers.Insurance.Policy) · Football Junkies podcast

0:00
Grades, grades, grades, grades, grades, grades,
0:02
grades, grades, grades, grades, grades. That's
0:03
right, folks. The draft is over, but we got some
0:05
grades that we have to give out to all 32 teams,
0:09
all right? But before we get to that point, we
0:11
have some other things that we have to talk about,
0:14
all right? Mike Tomlin speaks on his departure.
0:16
The Steelers have placed a UFA tender on Aaron
0:18
Rodgers and AFC North grades, all right? All
0:21
of this and more on the 106th episode of the
0:24
Football Junkies Podcast, all right? I am your
0:26
host with the most, all right? I'm your GM who
0:28
currently is not - a team right now, but don't
0:30
you worry about it, all right? Don't you worry
0:32
about it because guess what? I'm your hopium,
0:34
hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium dealer. That's
0:37
right. All the hopium that you need to make it
0:39
through this offseason, I am the guy to go to,
0:42
okay? I'm your chief bag roll dominance. That's
0:44
right. Chief, head of the table, anything and
0:46
everything related to the bag, rumors to the
0:48
bag, and more. Buy them all these things and
0:50
more, but most importantly, the most important
0:52
thing that you must remember is I am your host,
0:54
Kale. Buckle up. It's going to get crazy. So
0:56
guess what? On three. One, two, three. Let's
0:59
lock in. All right, folks, let's get into the
1:26
meat and potatoes of everything that is going
1:27
on in the league right now. So before we get
1:29
into the stuff that we were supposed to talk
1:31
about, we have some breaking news. So former
1:34
Jaguars, Ravens, and Cardinals defensive tackle
1:38
Calais Campbell is re -signing with the Ravens.
1:42
This is a great move simply because you're killing
1:44
two birds with one stone. You're bringing in
1:46
somebody that's going to teach the younger players
1:49
the Ravens culture, while at the same time, you're
1:52
bringing in a productive veteran. If you have
1:54
Calais Campbell take, I don't know, 15 to 20
1:57
snaps a game, who's really complaining? Nobody.
2:00
Because he's still really productive. And you
2:02
need somebody to reestablish that Ravens culture.
2:06
Now I understand he can't do it like how Ray
2:08
Lewis or Haloti Nada or Ed Reed can do it, but
2:12
he's the closest thing to it. And that's what
2:14
you need. He wants to win a ring. And the Ravens
2:18
is the best opportunity for him. So I don't hate
2:21
this move. Now let's talk about the other things
2:23
that we were supposed to talk about. So former
2:24
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has finally spoken
2:27
to the public. In a sit -down interview with
2:30
Maria Taylor, he finally gave his answer on why
2:33
he left the Steelers. And so this is what he
2:35
said in that quote. It's probably not an overnight
2:39
decision, but it's probably not something that
2:41
I could articulate or share with people. There's
2:44
a loneliness with leadership. I just thought
2:47
it was a good time for me personally, and by
2:49
that I mean just where I am in life, and I thought
2:52
it was a good time for the organization to be
2:54
quite honest with you. We didn't have a lot of
2:57
success in the playoffs in recent years, end
2:59
quote. As much as Mike Tomlin is celebrated for
3:02
all of his accolades and not having a losing
3:05
season, we need to be critical on his decision
3:08
making in the last few years. Because it's been
3:11
very questionable, and in some ways, it's some
3:14
of the reasons why the Steelers have not been
3:16
productive in the last few years. Let me just
3:19
read to you from 2016 to now, all of their outcomes
3:23
per season. So in 2016, they went 11 -5, they
3:28
were first in the AFC North, and they lost in
3:30
the AFC Championship. In 2017, they were 13 -3,
3:34
they were first in the AFC North, and they lost
3:36
in the Divisional Round. In 2018, they were 9
3:39
-6 -1, they were second in the AFC North, and
3:42
they didn't make the playoffs. 2019, they were
3:45
8 -8, they were second in the AFC North, and
3:48
they didn't make the playoffs. In 2020, they
3:50
were 12 -4, they were first in the AFC North,
3:53
and they lost in the Wild. card. In 2021, they
3:56
were 9 -7 -1. They were second in the AFC North
3:59
and they lost in the wild card again. In 2022,
4:02
they were 9 -8 and they were third in the AFC
4:05
North. In 2023, they were 10 -7. They were third
4:08
in the AFC North and they lost in the wild card.
4:11
In 2024, they were 10 -7 again. They were second
4:14
in the AFC North and they lost in the wild card.
4:17
And this past season, they were 10 -7. They were
4:20
first in the AFC North and they lost in the wild
4:22
card. All this is that the Steelers have been
4:25
in a cycle of insanity that they can't find a
4:27
way out. And they have nobody to blame but themselves.
4:31
From waiting too long to find Ben's replacement,
4:34
to holding on to Matt Canada for too long. Those
4:37
type of decisions have pushed this team back
4:39
significantly. And they continue to sell the
4:42
lip salad to the fan base and to themselves every
4:46
single year saying, this is the year where we
4:48
can be truly competitive. And it never happens.
4:50
Every time that they face the top dogs in the
4:53
league, guess what happens? They lose. When they
4:56
face the Chiefs, they get crushed. When they
4:59
face the Eagles, they get crushed. When they
5:01
faced the Seahawks this past season, they got
5:03
crushed. When they faced the 49ers, they get
5:06
crushed. Because you know why? Mike Tomlin has
5:09
not changed. His approach to the game of football
5:12
is still in the early 2000s. And that is one
5:15
of the reasons why he hasn't seen success. Look
5:18
at all the coaches that didn't make changes to
5:21
their approach to the game of football. Where
5:22
are they now? Home. Bill Belichick, gone. Pete
5:26
Carroll, gone. Mike Tomlin, gone. Andy Reid had
5:30
to change. Kyle Shanahan had to change. Sean
5:33
McVay had to change. All of the great coaches
5:36
that we talk about and revere and love, what
5:39
did they all have to do? Change. Because if you
5:42
don't change, you're going to be stagnant and
5:44
you're not going to be successful. And that was
5:47
one of the major critiques that I had with Mike
5:49
Tomlin over the years. He never changed. When
5:53
it was time for him to change his defensive coordinators,
5:55
offensive coordinators, he was stuck with people
5:58
whose systems were very archaic or just downright
6:01
atrocious. You hire Arthur Smith when you know
6:04
that Arthur Smith's system has not been productive
6:07
since what, 2018, maybe 2019, when they were
6:11
with the Titans? And even then, that was because
6:13
the offense was loaded. You had a really good
6:16
offensive line. You had a future Hall of Famer
6:18
in Derrick Henry. You had A .J. Brown. You had
6:20
Corey Davis. You had Delaney Walker. Then you
6:22
promote Terrell Austin, the defensive coordinator,
6:24
thinking that that's going to work. And it was
6:26
okay at first. But as teams began to catch on
6:30
what they were doing, guess what? They counteracted.
6:33
and then the defense became stagnant, and then
6:35
they reached a point where the defense just wasn't
6:37
productive. And these are just some of the factors
6:39
on why the Steelers haven't been true contenders
6:41
in the last few years. It doesn't matter who
6:43
they sign, who they draft, or who they trade.
6:47
The Steelers will never be contenders until they
6:51
truly realize that we have an outdated approach
6:54
to the game of football, and we need to do something
6:57
different, and we need to do it now. And you
7:01
had the opportunity to do with this offseason
7:03
by hiring Chris Shula or Nate Shieldhouse. But
7:07
instead, you decide to go with Mike McCarthy.
7:10
And so now what's going to happen is that if
7:13
Mike McCarthy does not show the same type of
7:15
success that Mike Tomlin and Bill Coward showed,
7:19
everyone is going to hold him to the fire. Now,
7:22
depending on how you feel about that, it could
7:24
be the right approach. It could be the wrong
7:26
approach. But it is the approach that Mike McCarthy
7:28
has signed up for, and he believes that he can
7:30
do it. Now let's talk about the Steelers putting
7:32
a UFA tender on Aaron Rodgers because I know
7:35
there's a lot of people that are confused about
7:36
it. So let me give you some clarity on what it
7:39
is, all right? So the UFA tender preserves the
7:42
Steelers' right to receive a compensatory draft
7:44
pick in the event that Aaron Rodgers signs with
7:47
another team while also limiting his ability
7:50
to sign with another team once training camp
7:52
begins. Now the Steelers will have exclusive
7:55
negotiating rights with Rodgers if he does not
7:57
sign with another team by July 22nd, or the first
8:02
day of the Steelers training camp, whenever that
8:04
is. Now, another condition with this tender,
8:07
if Rodgers accepts it, is that he will get a
8:10
10 % raise off of last year's salary, meaning
8:13
he could get $15 million this year. Now, believe
8:16
it or not, this tender has actually been used
8:18
in recent years. So, nine years ago, the Patriots
8:21
tendered LeGarrette Blount. But then he eventually
8:24
signed with the Eagles and the Patriots received
8:27
a fourth round pick in 2018. The Chiefs used
8:30
this on Melvin Ingram in 2022. The Ravens used
8:34
this on James Houston in 2022. The Giants used
8:37
this on Marcus Golden in 2020. The Chargers used
8:40
this on J .K. Dobbins. And the Browns used this
8:43
on Elijah Moore. As much as everybody wants to
8:46
believe that Aaron Rodgers is really going to
8:48
join the Steelers, I'm not buying it. I believe
8:51
Aaron Rodgers is entertaining ideas of maybe
8:54
just waiting things out and see if a better opportunity
8:57
arises. Because really think about this for a
9:00
second. If the Steelers really believed that
9:03
they had Aaron Rodgers in their back pocket,
9:05
why would they tender him? Now, recently, Mike
9:09
Florio floated the idea that Aaron Rodgers may
9:11
go to the Broncos. Now immediately when that
9:14
was put out, everybody shut that down saying
9:16
it's not going to happen, Bo Nix is going to
9:19
be ready by training camp. But then a couple
9:21
days ago, a report came out that Bo Nix has to
9:24
have another surgery on his ankle. Now everybody
9:28
is saying that he's still going to be ready by
9:30
training camp, but me personally, I'm sore not
9:33
believing that. Now ask yourself this. Say for
9:37
instance, Bo Nix isn't ready by training camp.
9:40
And he may be ready by, I don't know, the second
9:42
half of the season. If you're the Broncos, would
9:46
you entertain the idea of getting Aaron Rodgers?
9:49
It's a low risk, high reward move. You're bringing
9:53
in a veteran quarterback who you know could possibly
9:56
elevate this offense a little bit. I'm not saying
9:59
that Aaron Rodgers can play like how Peyton Manning
10:02
did when they won the championship. But what
10:03
I am saying is this. I think he has just enough
10:07
juice left where he could do some things with
10:09
that Broncos offense. Despite the endless word
10:12
salad that Omar Khan, Art Rooney II, and Mike
10:15
McCarthy give out, the Steelers need to move
10:17
on from Aaron Rodgers. And the reason why I say
10:20
that is because the juice isn't worth the squeeze.
10:23
If Aaron Rodgers was playing at a level similar
10:26
to how Tom Brady was when he joined the Buccaneers,
10:29
I wouldn't be complaining. But in the last few
10:32
years, we have seen a steady decline in Aaron
10:35
Rodgers' play. And at this point, the wait isn't
10:37
worth the headache. How is it that Omar Khan
10:40
at the combine can say, oh, we're not going to
10:42
have a repeat of what we had last year, and then
10:45
Art Rooney say, I expect an answer at the draft,
10:48
to now all of a sudden everybody is being a little
10:51
bit more lenient with Aaron Rodgers? When asked
10:54
about Aaron Rodgers, this is what Art Rooney
10:56
II had to say last night on NFL Insiders, and
10:59
I quote, He's been keeping us up to date on his
11:01
plans. Even though I thought it probably would
11:04
have been concluded by now, I think we will come
11:06
to a conclusion here in the next few weeks, end
11:09
quote. So explain to me, how do we go from we
11:11
expected an answer by free agency to we expected
11:15
an answer by the draft to now all of a sudden,
11:17
we think we know what's going to happen. We're
11:20
just going to have to be a little bit more patient
11:22
because it's Aaron Rodgers. I'm sorry. I understand
11:24
he's going to be a first -battle Hall of Famer.
11:26
I understand that he has a lot of accolades under
11:29
his belt. But let me tell you something. It's
11:31
not worth it. It's time for you to move on. It's
11:35
time for you to grow a spine. And it's time for
11:38
you to let it be known that, listen, Aaron Rodgers
11:41
is not bigger than everybody else. Aaron Rodgers
11:44
is not bigger than the program. And I understand
11:46
that he's worked with Mike McCarthy in the past.
11:48
But guess what? Even Aaron Rodgers has to go
11:51
through a process of relearning everything. He
11:55
has to relearn the cadences. He has to relearn
11:57
the playbook. He has to do it himself. And you
12:00
can't do that when you're not here. So at this
12:03
point, it's time for the Steelers to grow up
12:06
and move the hell on. Because how is it that
12:10
everybody else has already reported to the Steelers
12:13
facility? Joey Porter Jr. right now is trying
12:16
to get an extension, and he's there. TJ Watt
12:19
is there. Jalen Ramsey is there. Cam Hayward
12:21
is there. But the only person that's not here
12:23
is Aaron Rodgers. That's unacceptable in my book.
12:27
Now, this is what Darius Slay had to say last
12:29
year when he was at OTAs, and I quote, This is
12:32
where championship football starts. Everybody
12:35
has to buy in. And this is the time to buy in.
12:38
I know guys have family and stuff, and I've got
12:41
one as well. But if you want to be a champion,
12:43
there are some things you have to sacrifice.
12:45
I want to be here on time, be present, let guys
12:49
see my face, and show guys how important it is
12:51
to be here. I am here to win, end quote. You
12:55
know what? I'm going to read that one more time
12:57
just so you guys can really understand where
13:00
I'm coming from. Darius Slay said this on why
13:04
it's important to show up at OTAs. And I quote,
13:08
this is where championship football starts. Everybody
13:13
has to buy in, and this is the time to buy in.
13:16
I know guys have family and stuff, and I've got
13:19
one as well. But if you want to be a champion,
13:21
there are some things you have to sacrifice.
13:24
I want to be here on time, be present, let guys
13:27
see my face, and show guys it is important to
13:30
be here. I am here to win, end quote. As I said
13:35
last year, and I will continue to say it until
13:37
I can't say it no more, championships are not
13:39
built in the regular season. They are built in.
13:42
the offseason. They are built at a time where
13:44
everybody can do whatever they want, but instead
13:47
of them doing that, they are buying into the
13:50
process and they are all committed to trying
13:53
to do their best so that they can be ready for
13:55
the regular season so that they can try to win
13:57
a championship. Do you think the Chiefs are just
14:00
being lackadaisical? You think they're on a beach
14:02
somewhere drinking margaritas? No. They're in
14:05
Kansas City right now getting themselves prepared
14:07
because you know why? They want to be a champion
14:10
again. They want Travis Kelsey to ride off into
14:13
the sunset as a Super Bowl champion. And how
14:15
is it that you guys made a conceited effort to
14:18
eliminate all the players that you had on your
14:21
team that you consider toxic, that you consider
14:24
problematic, such as Deontay Johnson, George
14:27
Pickens, Chase Claypool, and others, but now
14:30
you're waiting for somebody that continues to
14:33
show you toxic behavior. At this point, you need
14:36
to pull a page from what Mike Tomlin said a couple
14:39
years ago. I want volunteers, not hostages. If
14:43
you're not in that building, oh well, move on.
14:46
Because again, like I just said earlier in this
14:49
episode, if this was any other team that needed
14:52
a quarterback, best believe they would have found
14:54
a way to band -aid the quarterback position.
14:57
If it means they have to make a trade for a backup
14:59
quarterback, if it means they have to sign, I
15:02
don't know, Jimmy Garoppolo or somebody else,
15:05
they're going to do it. Because at the end of
15:07
the day, they're serious about winning. The Steelers
15:10
continue to say that they're serious about winning,
15:12
but they're not doing the necessary things to
15:14
show that they are serious about winning. Because
15:17
you need to send a message to everybody else
15:19
in that locker room that, listen, no matter who
15:22
you are, no matter what your accolades are, you
15:25
are not bigger than the program. You are not
15:27
bigger than the organization. You are not bigger
15:29
than the process, regardless if you're a first
15:32
ballot Hall of Famer or not. And understand this,
15:35
and this is going to be the last thing I'm going
15:36
to talk about this, and I'm going to move on
15:38
with the grades. If the Colts can move off of
15:41
Peyton Manning, if the Cowboys can move off of
15:43
Emmitt Smith, if the Patriots can move off of
15:46
Tom Brady, best believe Aaron Rodgers can be
15:49
moved off of. You're not that important. You're
15:52
not that important. Now that we got that out
15:54
the way, let's talk about these grades. So this
15:56
time we're going to do something a little bit
15:57
different. So we're going to go by division instead
16:00
of by individual team. And then we're also going
16:03
to talk about the winners and losers of that
16:05
division, all right? So we're starting off with
16:07
the AFC North, of course, and we're going to
16:09
start off with the Browns. So we all know they
16:11
traded with the Chiefs, and with the ninth pick,
16:14
they drafted Spencer Fano, tackle from Utah.
16:16
And then with their second first round pick,
16:18
they drafted Casey Concepcion, wide receiver
16:21
from Texas A &M. And then in the second round,
16:24
they drafted Denzel Boston, wide receiver from
16:26
Washington. And then they drafted Emmanuel McNeil
16:29
-Warren, safety from Toledo. And then in the
16:31
third round, they drafted Austin Barber, tackle
16:33
from Florida. And then in the fifth round, they
16:36
drafted Parker Brailsford, center from Alabama.
16:39
Justin Jefferson, the linebacker, not the wide
16:41
receiver, the linebacker from Alabama. Joy Royer,
16:45
tight end from Cincinnati. And then in the sixth
16:47
round, they drafted Taylin Green, quarterback
16:49
from Arkansas. And then in the seventh... round,
16:52
they drafted Carson Ryan, tied in from BYU. Now
16:55
this draft class by far is one of the 10 best
16:58
draft classes in the entire league. And the reason
17:01
why I say that is because not only did the Browns
17:03
draft Spencer Fano and Casey Concepcion, but
17:06
then you drafted Denzel Boston and Emile McNair
17:08
-Warren. Those two should have been first rounders.
17:11
So when we look at things from a value standpoint,
17:13
the Browns got their value and more. Because
17:16
when you look at the talent that they have acquired,
17:19
that's great talent. And then not to mention
17:21
by getting someone like Spencer Fondo who could
17:23
essentially play anywhere on the offensive line
17:26
I think that's great if you want him to be a
17:28
left tackle he probably could do it if you want
17:30
him to be a right tackle he could do it if you
17:33
want him to be a center or guard that is also
17:35
an option as well and by double dipping at wide
17:38
receiver you have now completed this receiving
17:40
core because now you have Isaiah Bond, Jerry
17:43
Judy, Casey Concepcion, and Denzel Boston that's
17:47
a really good core right there Because Denzel
17:49
Boston will most likely be the red zone threat.
17:52
Casey Concepcion is a really good route runner,
17:54
as well as Jerry Judy. And you have the speedster
17:56
in Isaiah Bond who could probably do everything.
17:59
And then we look at the later picks that they
18:01
made. Those were good as well. You got Justin
18:03
Jefferson, who is a sleeper at linebacker. You
18:06
have Talon Green, who has the prototypical size
18:08
of what every GM wants in their quarterback,
18:10
not to mention he's also fast. So if the Browns
18:14
really wanted to, they could probably use him
18:16
like how the Saints use Taysom Hill. Because
18:18
he's that athletic, he's that fast, he's... that
18:21
big he's that strong overall i would give them
18:24
an a plus and the reason why i say that is because
18:27
not only did they maximize their value with all
18:30
of their draft picks and addressing all of your
18:32
needs with high quality players players that
18:34
if we're being real here could start week one
18:37
there's a good chance that spencer fondue casey
18:40
concepcion denzel boston and maywell mcneil warren
18:43
justin javison and maybe even taylor green could
18:46
all start within the first week of the season
18:48
That is a realistic possibility, folks. Now let's
18:51
talk about the Bengals because I didn't cover
18:53
the whole Dexter Lawrence situation, okay? I
18:56
understand why they made the move, but I wouldn't
18:59
have given up my first round pick. And the reason
19:01
why I say that is because why would you give
19:04
up your first round pick for somebody who's coming
19:06
off of a down year? At best, I would have gave
19:09
the Giants either a conditional third that turns
19:12
into a second or maybe a second round pick. I'm
19:14
not giving them a top 10 pick because with that
19:17
top 10 pick, you could have drafted Ruben Bain.
19:19
You could have went after Caleb Downs. You could
19:22
have went after an impactful player. Now, with
19:25
that being said, with that move, in the second
19:27
round, they drafted Cassius Howell, edge from
19:30
Texas A &M. In the third round, they drafted
19:32
Takario Davis, cornerback from Washington. In
19:35
the fourth round, they drafted Connor Liu, center
19:37
from Auburn, Colby Young, wide receiver from
19:40
Georgia. In the sixth round, they drafted Brian
19:42
Parker II, center from Duke. In the seventh round,
19:45
they drafted Jack Andres, tight end from Texas,
19:48
and Landon Robertson, defensive tackle from Navy.
19:51
When we look at the positional needs that the
19:53
Bengals needed, I don't think they really addressed
19:56
their needs. Instead, I think they just tried
19:59
to go after who they really wanted. And sometimes
20:01
that's good, but when you don't have a first
20:03
round pick, that adds more pressure on you to
20:06
make sure that you maximize every single draft
20:08
pick with the best player available. And sure,
20:11
Cassius Howell is a good move. Dakario Davis
20:13
is a developmental corner. Sure, Colby Young
20:16
could be a productive wide receiver three, maybe
20:18
four, depending on how they want to use him and
20:20
whatnot. But outside of him, oh. I'm forgetting
20:23
Landon Robinson as well. He's also a sleeper
20:25
of a defensive tackle, which I think that's a
20:27
good move as well. But outside of those guys
20:29
that I just listed, everybody else is questionable.
20:32
And I'm sorry, the Bengals don't need any more
20:35
questionable picks because right now you're entering
20:38
in the most important season of their entire
20:40
tenure. Because for all intents purposes, this
20:44
could be Joe Burrow's last year as a Bengal.
20:46
So you needed to maximize every single pick.
20:50
And these picks look like they really didn't
20:52
do it. Now I understand why they went after Cassius
20:55
Howe, but wouldn't it be better to get Reuben
20:57
Bain, who probably would have been a better replacement
20:59
for Trey Hendrickson? Because understand this,
21:02
the reason why they made this move is because
21:05
they want more production from the defensive
21:07
line. A defensive line that now has Miles Murphy,
21:10
Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Shamar Stewart,
21:14
and now Cassius Howe. Now you would think that's
21:16
probably a really good defensive line, and there's
21:18
probably high expectations for that defensive
21:20
line. But let's be real here. Do you think all
21:23
of them as a whole will be just as productive
21:26
as how Trey Hendrickson was during his entire
21:29
time with the Bengals? Me personally, I don't
21:32
think so, but only time will tell. Now I gave
21:34
the Bengals a D and the reason why I say that
21:37
is because they didn't address all their positional
21:39
needs. The players that they did draft, most
21:42
of them will not be week one starters and you
21:43
traded away the 10th pick for Dexter Lawrence.
21:46
I'm sorry, that's not good value because that
21:48
10th pick for all the 10th purposes could have
21:51
been a great player. But instead, you traded
21:54
for Dexter Lawrence thinking that he's the missing
21:55
piece to the puzzle, and he isn't. Now on to
21:58
the Ravens. So with the 14th pick, they drafted
22:00
Vega Iwane, guard from Penn State. In the second
22:03
round, they drafted Zion Young, edge from Missouri.
22:05
In the third round, they drafted Jacoby Lane,
22:08
wide receiver from USC. In the fourth round,
22:10
they drafted Elijah Surratt, wide receiver from
22:12
Indiana, and Matthew Hebner, tight end from SMU.
22:15
And in the fifth round, they drafted Chandler
22:17
Rivers, cornerback from Duke, Josh Quavis, tight
22:20
end from Alabama. and Adam Randall, running back
22:23
from Clemson. In the sixth round, they drafted
22:25
Ryan Eakley, punter from Michigan State. In the
22:28
seventh round, they drafted Rashawn Binney, defensive
22:30
tackle from Michigan, and Evan Berestin, guard
22:32
from Northwestern. Now, this draft class is the
22:35
1B to the Browns, and the reason why I say that
22:37
is because not only did the Ravens address their
22:40
positional needs, but they also added depth.
22:43
The Ravens realized that their corners go down
22:45
pretty quickly, so what did they do? They bring
22:47
in Chandler Rivers. They realized that they lost
22:49
Isaiah Likes, and Charlie Kohler via free agency.
22:52
So what do they do? They bring in two tight ends.
22:55
They realize that sometimes their wide receivers
22:57
get banged up. So what do they do? They draft
22:59
Jacoby Lane and Elijah Surratt. It's those type
23:02
of moves that keeps a competitive team in it,
23:05
regardless if they lose somebody for two or three
23:07
weeks, or if they lose somebody for the rest
23:10
of the year. Now, with that being said, I have
23:12
to give the Ravens an A. And the reason why I
23:14
say that is because not only did you address
23:16
your positional needs, but you have multiple
23:19
players that - week one starters impactful week
23:22
one starters you just drafted one of the most
23:24
polished offensive linemen in this draft class
23:27
in vega iwane you have a red zone threat in jacoby
23:30
lane you drafted evan bierstrom who could possibly
23:34
play guard or center depending on how things
23:36
go in training camp you brought in two really
23:39
productive tight ends and you drafted zion young
23:41
who has a lot of upside to his game who's going
23:44
to be effective in the run game and can make
23:46
up for whatever trey hendrickson can't do It's
23:49
those type of moves that can separate you from
23:52
the pack. It's those type of moves that can make
23:55
you go toe -to -toe against the Chiefs, against
23:57
the Texans, or the Broncos, or any AFC contender.
24:01
Now let's talk about the Steelers. So with the
24:03
21st pick, they drafted Max Ehanachor, tackle
24:06
from Arizona State. In the second round, they
24:08
drafted Jermaine Bernard, wide receiver from
24:10
Alabama. In the third round, they drafted Drew
24:12
Adler, quarterback from Penn State, and Daylon
24:15
Everett, cornerback from Georgia, as well as
24:18
Jen... Jennings dunker tackle from Iowa. In the
24:20
fourth round, they drafted Caden Weegent, wide
24:23
receiver from Iowa. In the fifth round, they
24:25
drafted Riley Nowakowski, tight end from Indiana.
24:28
In the sixth round, they drafted Gabriel Rubio,
24:31
defensive tackle from Notre Dame. In the seventh
24:33
round, they drafted Robert Spears Jennings, safety
24:36
from Oklahoma, and Eli Heidenreich, running back
24:39
from Navy. Going into this draft class, I was
24:41
expecting the Steelers to take a wide receiver
24:43
in the first round. And the reason why I say
24:46
that is because that was the position they did
24:48
the most homework on at the combine with formal
24:51
and informal interviews, as well as top 30 visits.
24:55
So how in the world do we go from doing all this
24:57
research on some of the top wide receiver prospects
25:00
to now all of a sudden we're taking a tackle?
25:02
How is it that the Steelers can continue to invest
25:05
first round picks into tackle but won't do the
25:07
same for wide receiver, especially when everybody
25:10
knew that they were going after a wide receiver
25:13
and there were still wide receivers on the board?
25:16
Even if you wanted Makai Lemon, you still had
25:19
Casey Concepcion. You still had Omar Cooper.
25:21
You still had Denzel Boston. None of this makes
25:24
any sense, especially when we knew that there
25:26
was going to be a competition between Broderick
25:28
Jones and Dylan Cook for the left tackle spot.
25:31
So explain to me, how do we go from we're going
25:33
to have a competition in left tackle to all of
25:36
a sudden we're going to take a tackle in the
25:37
first round again? The only highlights from this
25:40
draft class is Jennings Dunker, Jermaine Bernard,
25:43
and Eli Heidenreich. Outside of that? I can talk
25:46
myself in or out of all the other draft picks.
25:50
And why is it that you would take Drew Allard
25:52
that high? You could have taken him at the end
25:55
of the third round going into the fourth round
25:57
if you wanted to take a quarterback. And now
25:59
you have a major decision that you have to make
26:01
at quarterback because how are you going to be
26:03
able to properly assess the quarterback position
26:06
if you're going to go after a 42 -year -old?
26:09
Make it make sense. This was supposed to be the
26:12
year where they address all of their needs so
26:14
that next year they can use a lot of their resources
26:17
to get the franchise quarterback. But you can't
26:20
do that because you have to properly assess what
26:23
you have between Drew Aller and Will Howard.
26:26
Now, with that being said, I'm going to give
26:28
the Steelers a C - due to the lack of value from
26:30
their draft picks. You drafted Caden Weegin in
26:33
the fourth round when he's only going to be a
26:35
kick returner and punt returner. You drafted
26:38
Riley Nowakowski when he's going to be used like
26:40
Connor Hayward. It's those type of moves that
26:42
can leave you wondering, what were they doing?
26:45
Because there were a lot of productive players
26:47
that were still on the board. And the fact that...
26:49
That you were one of the teams that had the most
26:51
draft capital, yet you were the least aggressive
26:53
in addressing your needs with high quality talent
26:56
explains why this draft was a bust for the Pittsburgh
26:59
Steelers. And unfortunately, there's nothing
27:01
the Steelers can do to alleviate the nasty taste
27:04
that's left in their mouth from this draft. but
27:06
hopefully they can learn from their mistakes
27:08
and apply it to next year's draft class and get
27:11
their franchise quarterback. Now the Browns are
27:13
winners in the AFC North because they were aggressive
27:16
in addressing their needs while at the same time
27:19
drafting value players. They have multiple players
27:22
that will be week one starters. Not to mention,
27:26
the way that they acquired their players was
27:28
great. They didn't have to give up a whole lot.
27:31
Instead, they just traded down just a little
27:33
bit and they were still able to get every single
27:36
person that they wanted. Not only did they address
27:38
their defensive needs, but they also addressed
27:40
their offensive needs by adding more protection
27:43
for whoever the quarterback is going to be week
27:45
one and at the same time surrounding them with
27:48
high quality weapons. That is how you build a
27:51
contending team. Not saying that the Browns are
27:54
going to be contenders this upcoming season,
27:55
but they have positioned themselves where they
27:58
can make some noise this upcoming season. Now
28:00
the Bengals are losers in the AFC North because
28:02
of the lack of value that they had in their draft
28:05
class and the fact that they gave up their first
28:07
round pick to acquire Dexter Lawrence. Now I
28:10
understand people are going to argue with me
28:13
and say oh Dexter Lawrence is a good player and
28:15
he is a good player but at the same time he's
28:17
not worth the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL
28:21
draft. How rare is it that the Bengals have the
28:24
10th pick in the first round? That 10th pick
28:28
could be used to address something on the offense
28:30
or on the defense. But instead, you trade it
28:33
for Dexter Lawrence. And then when you look at
28:35
their draft class, there's not a lot of value
28:38
in their class right now. How many players in
28:41
that draft class can you say right now that are
28:44
week one starters? Ask yourself that. Somebody
28:46
let me know in our YouTube page at Football Junkies
28:49
Pod. Somebody let me know in our comments. How
28:52
many players do you think in their draft class
28:54
are week one starters? Because the Bengals didn't
28:57
maximize the value of their draft class. Instead,
29:00
it looked like they just hit auto draft and just
29:02
walked away. And this is no shot at none of these
29:06
prospects. For all intents and purposes, some
29:08
of these prospects can be all pros, future pro
29:10
bowlers and whatnot. But when you look at it
29:13
right now, this is not the draft class that they
29:15
need in order to get over the hump so that they
29:18
can be Super Bowl contenders again. Instead,
29:20
your draft class is full of practice squad, fringy,
29:23
maybe -ish starters. And that's only if somebody
29:27
gets hurt. That's not what you want. You want
29:30
at least three to five, maybe even more starters
29:33
in your draft class. If you can accomplish that,
29:36
you had a great draft class. The Bengals did
29:39
not have a great draft class this year and they
29:41
needed it, but. It's the Bengals. I'm not surprised.
29:44
But I'm going to end this episode here. If you
29:46
guys like what you're listening, please, please,
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32:00
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