Tackle Tops Detroit’s To-Do List
Draft month opened with a narrow focus. The Detroit Lions Podcast zeroed in on offensive tackle as the biggest hole on a strong roster. Jeff Risdon and Chris agreed the priority is clear. Detroit would love more bendy edge Rodgers, but history says that is not a typical target. The path to improvement runs through the offensive line.
Manu Freeling at No. 2: Movement and Power
Chris has Manu Freeling as the number two overall player on his board. The traits drive the grade. Rare size to NFL caliber power. Nimble in space. Explosive off the ball. On screens and climbs to the second level, the movement pops. He does not wander and miss second-level targets. The issues are not physical. They are reps and time. Jeff summed it up. What is wrong is inexperience, not ability. In a class light on blue chip talent, Freeling’s package at left tackle stands out. That blend at a premium spot anchors the ranking.
Hatten Proctor’s Profile and the 17 Question
Chris stacked Hatten Proctor eighth overall. The sell is simple. He is a very large man around 350 pounds with supreme length. He is ready from a strength perspective. The anchor holds. He generates torque in the run game. He will not match Freeling or Maui Noah in speed to the second level, but his movement at that size is impressive. He is only 20 years old. The upside window is wide. Rushers need time to run the arc around him because the frame is so big. Three and a half seconds can pass before contact lands on the quarterback. That matters. Jeff asked if Proctor will last to 17. The answer may come fast on draft night. The panel agreed the range is tight for a tackle with that profile.
Inside the Draft Gradebook Tool
Chris also previewed his Draft Gradebook project. It is an archive of over 1,500 independent scouting reports from the 2021 class through 2026. It features an AI search and archetype searches. Type in “bendy edge Rodgers” and pull every match. He has around 170 prospects logged for 2026 and aims for about 250 by draft time. A free preview is live this week. Draft day mode adds best available, a draft tracker, biggest deals, and team hubs so fans can follow every pick in one place. For Detroit Lions fans, that means clearer context when the board starts moving at offensive tackle.
#detroitlions #lions #detroitlionspodcast #2026nfldraft #monroefreeling #kadynproctor #scoutingreports #blakemiller #lionsdraft
Full episode transcript
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Speaker 3: Hey, everyone. Jeff Risen here with your daily DLP, and we're gonna get right into it. I've got a guest here. Dear old friend of mine, we've known each other for a very long time. He's worked in a lot of different places, and he's got a fantastic new project working. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Topasso joining the Daily DLP. Chris, it's good to see you, my friend.
Speaker 4: Yes. Especially this time of year, Jeff. I feel like we've, over the years that I don't wanna say, like, multiple decades, but maybe fifteen or so years seeing it's the new bowl, combine. And you are one of the draft analysts that I have respected, looked up to, and I I've I would always check your big boards and your scouting reports, many of which have ultimately, proven to be right over the years. So it's great to talk on April 1 to start draft month with some prospect talk.
Speaker 3: Yeah. We all have our moments. You've had some good ones too. And, before we get into it, I want you to bring up, you have launched a new thing. It's not exactly brand new, but draft grade book. Tell people all about what you're what you've got for them because, I'm looking at it today. We're recording this on April 1, and you've you've got a free preview up for it. And it it's it's beautiful, Chris.
Speaker 4: Yeah. So first off, thank you for introing that. It's just my independent scouting evaluations. It's an archive. There's over 1,500 scouting reports in there from twenty twenty one's draft class all the way through 2026. I've tried to add as many features to draftgradebook.com as I can. There's an AI search. There are archetype searches where you can type in, say, bendy edge rushers, and it'll find all the edge rushers that I have listed as bendy, explosive, around the corner types. And, obviously, I'm trying to build out as many of those scouting reports for the 2026 class. I'm at, like, a 170 prospects. I just try to get as close to that two fifty round number as I can by the time the draft turns around. And if you go there today, I'm gonna probably have it for most of this week, what you, referenced. I'm in the draft day mode, just a preview now that will look like a normal draft weekend site with best available, a draft tracker, biggest deals, and then team hubs where you can see all of your team's draft picks.
Speaker 3: Love it. So you talked about big or, bendy edge rutgers. We don't really have those in Detroit. We don't really look for those, so we probably will talk about too many of those today, unfortunately. We'd like more. A lot of us would like more anyways, but, we we get what we get. We're we're we have a very good team. We're looking to augment it. Biggest hole on the team right now, in my opinion, I don't know if you agree with me, is offensive tackle and edge. So we will focus most of our energies on those things. So let let's start from the top, and I'm looking at your at your position rankings now. I wanna make sure that I got this right. I I do. Monroe Freeling is your number two overall player. I like him a lot as well. Our mutual friend, Russ Brown, who works with me here, is a huge fan as well. What makes him so special that he winds up being number two for you?
Speaker 4: I think he has that rare blend of size, close to NFL caliber power. And then some of the times where he was getting to the second level or out on screens, I was, like, blown away that at, like, six, seven, and he could probably be through 30 pretty easily in the NFL. He was pretty nimble in space, explosive off the ball, and wasn't sporadically trying to find linebackers and never contacting them at the second level. So I I do think that there is some development that needs to to occur in Freeling's game. But in a class and I know we're not gonna talk general, but just very quickly. In a class that I think is really lacking that premier blue chip talent, That's just how my grades came out where I was like, hey. I really like Rheeling, and, wow, he's the number over number two overall player in my board size, torque, and athleticism at that left tackle spot.
Speaker 3: I don't disagree. And my my pat line on him is that everything that's quote, unquote wrong with him is inexperience, not physical ability. Good point. He he needs reps. So, guys who watch the daily DLP every day know that I am not a huge Caden Procter fan. And I've had several guests on who have tried to sell me on him. Chris is your number eight player. Sell me on Kaden Proctor.
Speaker 4: I think there's a lot of Marcus Cannon or even a Marius Mims, maybe not quite the athlete that Mims was, but was pretty hard to to to put a comparison on Caden Procter given that he's, like, six foot seven, three hundred and fifty pounds. There just haven't been that many of those tackles with the type of athleticism that I think Procter has. I think he is ready to go from a strength perspective. I think in anchoring, generating torque in the run game, what I talked about with Freeling, getting to that second level. He's not gonna do it at the speed and with the fluidity of a Freeling or a Maui Noah, any of that. But I think at three fifty, he moves very, very well. And the fact that he's still relatively young, that's gonna be a theme here. Like, he's only 20 years old. Like, there is so much upside with someone that's not gonna be 21 for a couple more months in Caden Proctor. So in watching him, he kinda has, and I know that you've watched tons of these type of prospects in the past. The bigger body types that aren't the most fleet of foot, but the arc to get around them just takes so long because they're so big where the rep doesn't look like the Caden Proctor wins, but then you're like, oh, it took that edge rusher, like, three and a half seconds to get around him to get to the quarterback. I think that's built in to Caden Proctor's profile because he's so big and has that supreme length.
Speaker 3: He is definitely a a very large man. I don't I I happen to think he's not gonna last till 17. Do you buy that? Do you think he's gonna go before then?
Speaker 4: I think he's gonna go earlier because size, length, Alabama, youth, and that he did have a a pretty solid career with the Crimson Tide. And even at his age, he's reasonably experienced. This is not someone that was like a one year starter. So if he got to 17, the idea of the Lions pairing him and Penny Sewell together to me would be tremendous, but I do agree with you that I don't think he's gonna get all the way to the start of the second half of the first round.
Speaker 0: Yeah. I'm with you on that.
Speaker 3: Talking with Christopher Passover from draft grade book here. Chris, the number one player projected in mock drafts as of this week for the Detroit Lions of 17 is Clemson right tackle Blake Miller. And this sort of goes in hand with the idea that Dan Campbell talked about at the owners meetings of moving Panae Sewell from right tackle where he's the best in the world to the left tackle where he's probably still might be the best in the world Yeah. And opening up that spot. What are your thoughts on Blake Miller from Clemson? Because I, like, I see it. I like it.
Speaker 4: Yeah. He's my number 11 overall player. I I absolutely loved him when I turned on the film. He reminds me a lot of Coltray tackle Braden Smith, who would, like, quietly has had a really, really good career.
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Speaker 4: In Indianapolis that maybe has never been like an all pro, but it's just been rock solid. His game too is predicated on, I think, some of the strongest grip strength of any offensive lineman in the class. He is a you know, once he latches on, if he gets his hands on the edge rusher first, it's over. The rep is completely done. Run blocking and pass protection. Now he's not and this is why he's a little bit lower than Freeling and Procter for me, but not much. I don't think he's a tremendous mover. He doesn't have a lot of blocking range to second level on screens, on wide receiver screens, things like that, sliding laterally for, like, the zone, blocking scheme. But in power situations, head on hat, I think Blake Miller can be like and already is like NFL caliber strong. And I just can't even envision what he can be two or three years down the road once he's in an NFL strength and conditioning program. So he's someone that is truly I know we tell we tend to to put these high floor labels or safe labels on offensive linemen. But Blake Miller to me, he think he's plenty athletic enough, but his strength and his technique and his torque, I think, are the best in the class.
Speaker 0: I'm with you on that.
Speaker 3: I I love the fact that he got better in in his final season at Clemson at everything that he needed to get better at. It's like it just finally clicked for him.
Speaker 0: Mhmm.
Speaker 3: And, I I definitely like the upward ascension as well. I don't know how deep you've gotten into the tackle class, but let's say that the lions don't attack tackle until the fourth round where they have two picks where they package their two fourth rounders, move up into the third round. There are a lot of guys that fall into that range, and I love some and I hate some. And I wanna know if you love any of the guys in there, and I'm I'll just throw out a few names of of Sure. People that, this week, I did I did a profile on, Demetrius Crownover from Texas A and M, Travis Burke from Memphis, Markel Bell, the the giant from Miami. The the Caleb Tiernan probably fits into that range. Any of those guys resonate with you either really positively or really negatively?
Speaker 4: So I just finished watching Markel Bell. What I do at Draft Gradebook, I do, like, a prospect drop where I upload, like, 10 to 15 scouting reports twice a week. That will be, I guess, if if this is out Thursday, it'll be out today. That that report Bell is like, I I just talked about it earlier with Caden Proctor that, like, oh, man. Caden Proctor's huge. Markelle Bell is bigger and longer than Caden Proctor, which is really saying something. He's, like, six nine, can play probably in the three fifties easily.
Speaker 3: His arms are thirty seven inches long. Yeah.
Speaker 4: I was gonna say he is. I I don't remember. I mean, we've been at this a long time. I I don't know if I've seen an offensive lineman that has length like that, and he moves pretty well. Like, he is not super duper stiff. He's certainly lumbering once he gets to the second level, but is someone that I think can outplay that draft position being if he is, like, a third round pick. The one name that I will reference and you will be able to tell why, I I like Caleb Tiernan, and I actually have as my comparison on the site, the low end range comparison is Dan Skipper, and the upper level range for him is Rob Havenstein. I I feel like Okay. He is just that very he's very tall. He's somewhat sleek, but I think because he has shorter arms, that's probably what's gonna sink him to that day two or even day three range. But I think he's a really good athlete. I think at that size, you normally get those kinda awkward too tall for their body, like or I guess too tall for their position. I think with Tiernan, I think he's actually a pretty nimble athlete, and it just depends. Do the lions want more power? I mean, obviously, Penny Sewell would ultimately be the prototype that you're trying to look for. But do they want more power for the run game, or are they gonna prioritize more athleticism, maybe more than what Taylor Decker gave them later in his career? And I think Tiernan is one of those intriguing athletic but still tall offensive tackles that could really continue to grow into his frame and be a pretty good player that they could get as a starter later in the draft.
Speaker 3: Yeah. He's he's got his his he needs some work, but the the physical tools, my god. And and you watch some of the Miami tape and, like, when you're watching Mauna Loa, it's it's hard not to look across and, Oh, that that guy can play too.
Speaker 4: Yeah. So I just tweeted, yes, like, two days ago that when I watched Maui Noah, like, obviously watched him before Markelle Bell because I just watched Bell. And in watching that Miami offensive line, I tweeted like, oh, now I know why to me, Maui Noah looked small. Like, I was like, he looks like a scarred. I'm like, oh, yeah. Because the left tackle is six nine three fifty with thirty seven inch arms. Maui Noah is perfectly sized to play offensive tackle in the NFL. It's just his teammate is like, the summit peak in, you know, this mountain of men that we normally get entering the NFL every year.
Speaker 3: I wanna dive in on that just a little bit because there's all this talk about Maui Nuo's arms not being long enough, and I don't really buy it. And, like, I understand it, but I don't really buy it. But how much do you think, like because their perception is reality here. He does look small next to Markel Bell. Do you think that that, like like, on subconsciously weighs on people at all?
Speaker 4: I do. I think things like that ultimately matter. And what's ironic is Maui Noah's, overall big board rank for me is number 14 overall. So I think if if the draft of line perfectly with me, that that would be the pick for the lions. And I think it'd be a really good one. And I do think that the arm length maybe would have been a conversation anyway, but when you're watching that film, it looks like he's like a center when you're looking at the two offensive tackles on that Miami offensive line just because Bell is really that rare of a prospect in terms of his physical traits.
Speaker 3: I'm with you. Let's flip the defense. One of the other most popular picks or projections for the lions at 17, Auburn defensive end, Keldrick Falk. He is a guy that I have been fairly insistent. If he's there at 17, I don't care who else is on the board. The lines are running the card up. Tell me I'm right or tell me I'm wrong on that because I think he is straight out of central casting for what the lions want opposite what what the lions themselves want, not necessarily what the fans want, opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
Speaker 4: Okay. A few things. Number one, I just said number 14 overall. He is 14. The lions are picking 17. I don't know why I was thinking 14. But I still think Maui No would be a perfect selection there.
Speaker 3: I agree.
Speaker 4: Yes. If he gets there. In terms of Kendrick Falk, another really young player who's only gonna turn 21 in September. So that, like, whatever I'm saying, project immense upside. And that I think is important to bring that up in this day and age with all the NIL and transfer portal stuff that there's some, like, a key Mesidore is 25 years old. Like, you you can't to me, it's almost silly to compare where Kendrick Falk is today with Mesidore. They're four years apart. Like, that's an entire rookie deal in the NFL. The third thing would be that I have certainly a a very, probably, overly nerdy draft system or grading system. And I had not updated one athleticism metric for Kendrick Falk. I thought he was gonna do more at the Auburn Pro Day. He didn't. So I just went with what I already had for him, and he's my number three edge. So he's someone that to me is from the range of Michael Williams to Zach Allen. And I think the Zach Allen range, like, that as the ceiling comp, I don't think is crazy in that Zach Allen is awesome with his hands. He was at Boston College. He is with the Denver Broncos.
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Speaker 4: Keldrick Falk has my highest handwork grade of any edge rusher in this class. I think his arm over, his swipe, cross chop, it's all there at 21 years old, and he really played last season obviously at 20 at Auburn. But what you referenced, and I certainly know this because the Bills I'm a Bills guy. The Bills had been a similar four three type defense that love the bigger, longer power edge rusher, so I understand that prototype. At six six, two seventy four with over 34 inch arms and plenty of run game support because of how strong he is, I think Kendrick Falk could ultimately be one of the best edge rushers or best defenders in this class because of his age, pretty decent athleticism. He's not gonna win with extreme explosion, but the the finesse part of his game is already there. He doesn't try to win on athleticism alone.
Speaker 3: With you on that. So and and just for context, who's your number one player in the draft, Chris?
Speaker 4: David Bailey. I really like David Bailey. He's someone that where if the jets go Arbel Reese over David Bailey, I think it would be a pretty big mistake. Now Arbel Reese is another one who could be really good because he's super athletic and young, but David Bailey, I think, is ready to go off the bus. And it was one of the just true, like, elite blue chippers in this class.
Speaker 3: People overthink him because he picked up the stack and because, you know, like okay. He's not spectacular against the run. He got better. That's one of the things and I've tried to bring this up, and I'll I'll I'll rope into a conversation on this. Sure. I think one of the things that happens is that we get too caught up in what we saw in the past, and we keep like, Gabe Yacchas from Illinois is a great example. They used to yank him off the field for rundowns.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: And that has stuck with him, and most fans' reactions, well, he can't play the run at all. Well, he got better at it. Like, he improved, and it's tough to erase the fact that he didn't used to be good at it. And, like, now he got better at it. Mhmm. I wonder if you have do do those sorts of things like, does that factor into your evaluation at all? Like like, how much have they improved at something and, you know, can they keep improving at it versus, you know, are they who they are and they're not gonna get better?
Speaker 4: Well, I think what you referenced with Yakis and with David Bailey makes sense. And I think it is something that goes wrong with evaluations where it's hard to get off what a player did in this third to last season or second to last season. And actually to see that improvement, we mentioned Blake Miller got better over the years. Even if that player ultimately finishes his college career and is not a complete finished product, man, there's no weaknesses to his game, to see that improvement throughout a collegiate career, I think that's a great sign to say, hey, you started at a average level as a run defender, and now you're respectable. That shows that the arrow is still pointing up once you get to the NFL. I do think that players don't change a ton once they're in the NFL. Like, I don't think David Bailey is ever gonna be the best run defending edge rusher in football. But the fact that they showed improvement is a sign that they are still growing as players, and you assume they can still continue to grow a little bit once they're in the NFL.
Speaker 3: With you there. So, give me let's say they take Blake Miller at 17 in Detroit, and now they need a a day two edge.
Speaker 0: Who are some of the guys that you'd be looking
Speaker 3: at there? And I'll just throw out some names that are popular with Lions fans. Malachi Lawrence, Derek Moore, Zion Young. We'll just start with those three and see if there are any others coming to mind while while we're talking here.
Speaker 4: That's music to my ears because those three, I I really like them. I have so I have on draft grade book, I have a round one grade on my horizontal board that's just like elite would be a first rounder in any draft. And then I have, like, a ra late round one, early round two. So anywhere if you wanna sort some of the the top players at at that at, like, in that category as first rounders, that's fine. Malachi Lawrence, I have in that range. I have Zion Young and Derek Moore. I think Malachi Lawrence is like a lite, l I t e, version of Josh Sweat. He's not quite as long as Sweat was coming out of Florida State, but very, very similar explosion, pass rush moves. Maybe it would be a little bit smaller typically than what the lion seemingly want. And Zion Young, tell me what you think about this one, Jeff. I think Zion Young is very similar to Chase Young when he was coming out of Ohio state. Chase Young was probably more of a finished product, but I think Zion Young for lack of buzz, might be the most underrated defender in the class. There's a zero buzz for him, I guess, after the senior bowl when I think he got MVP that week. But at, like, six five two seventy, super long, similar to Kendrick Faulk with his hands and just a 100% effort and energy on every single play, he would be someone that day two at that pick 50 would make a lot of sense. And I think his instant starter with a lot of upside too.
Speaker 3: I think some of it with him. He was, integrally involved in the tunnel brouhaha at Michigan versus Michigan State before he transferred to Missouri. Yeah. Then he got a DUI in December, which doesn't exactly but I think that's one of the reasons why folks maybe don't see him in that light. Okay. But I will just remind everyone, Dak Prescott got a DUI, like, two weeks before the combine. It did drop his draft, but Dak Prescott's a pretty good football player. Yeah. You gotta you gotta watch out for those guys. Anybody late that you like. At Edge? Yeah. Like like day three sleeper types. I'll I'll just throw out one name that that we have talked about here. Max Lewellen from Iowa. Mhmm. Master of the spin move, to sometimes his detriment, because there are times where you see him do a spin move and the guy's just waiting for him and shoves him down. But he can also win with that a lot. Are there, anybody that strikes you as, like, maybe a pass or a specialist who could come in and give the lions what James Houston did once upon a time?
Speaker 4: Yeah. So I will, yes. I like Max Llewellyn, and I agree on the spin move stuff. It got a little excessive. It worked, but then he, like, it was like the offensive tackles almost knew he was gonna do it, like, every third rush. But pretty good player. I'll go with another, big 10 player. I think Mason Rieger from Wisconsin is a really fun player. I I don't think he's he's not to the level of some of the other Wisconsin types, but we've seen, like, from the Andrew Van Ginkel's and the Nick Herbig's. Like, that is a program that I think coaches them really well at Edge. They're versatile. They drop into coverage. They play the run well. They have good pass rush moves. So Mason Reagor, and then I'll go way late or Reagor. I'll go way late. And I feel like this might be a guy that you would like from the Mac. Michael Heldman, have you watched him from Central Michigan?
Speaker 3: From Central Michigan? Yes. I have. He is. Good football player.
Speaker 4: He is a really good football player. I compare him to Michael Hoyt, previously of the Rams, now of the Bills. In that
Speaker 3: I can see that.
Speaker 4: It it was like, man, this guy is polished. He knows how to like, he sets up offensive tackles really well with a variety of moves. He's pretty good against the run. Wanted to see how he worked out, and then he tested very well at the Central Michigan Pro Day, three cone right around seven seconds. I think he had, like, a forty forty inch vertical or high thirties in the vertical over a 10 foot broad jump. So he's an NFL caliber athlete. And if you're talking James Houston thinking sixth round, I think Michael Heldman from Central Michigan would be a really fun add, to the Lions defense. He's not crazy long, doesn't have a huge body type, but he's not, like, six two two thirty. He has an NFL caliber frame to play on the edge and would, I think, be a great pick late in the draft.
Speaker 3: I'm with you on that. I I like him a lot. I need to get him in as one of the I I do a prospect of the day. Okay. I need to add him to the list because
Speaker 4: he's he's
Speaker 3: a good one. And as you know, I'm a Mac shill. So
Speaker 4: That's why I figured you would probably have watched him.
Speaker 3: So stick with the Mac stick with my Deck of the Woods. I live near Kalamazoo. Do you have any thoughts at all on Nadame Tucker?
Speaker 4: So I really like him. My comp is low end D'Angelo Malone, high end Travis Gibson.
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Speaker 4: I like the sleekness to his game and his his bend at that Dude,
Speaker 3: I see the Gibson totally. Yeah. I I hadn't thought that, but yeah.
Speaker 4: He's Gibson to a 100%, that the pass rush move, I think his cross chop, his swim move, like, he he is a pass rush move specialist. I just don't love how old he is. Isn't he 25 years old or 20 he's one of
Speaker 3: the 26 as a rookie.
Speaker 4: 26 as a rookie. So that's where when I was grading him, I was like, oh, he could be like a third or a fourth rounder. But then I'm like, I don't really have, like, an age consideration, but I had to kinda sink a few of my skill and talent categories for him because I'm like, he is someone that should be nearing the end of his rookie deal in the NFL, but will just be a rookie next season.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I wanna shift. We have a need. The Lions haven't really replaced Alex Anceloni as their, quote, unquote, coverage linebacker. That that's that's diminishing what Alex Anceloni offered to the Lions. Aside from his leadership, the guy was a very good, solid all around football player. And I was looking at your rankings, and this one jumped out at me. And I like this player, but you really, really like him. Talk to me about Caleb Elam Zohr from TCU because you were very high on him.
Speaker 4: I am very high on him. He is in that late first early round bucket for me. I know he's not gonna go there, but that's obviously just where I have him graded. He reminds me a lot of Quincy Williams. And Quincy Williams to me being a Bills guy with the Jets, like, he was always someone that I would watch and was, like, man, this guy plays truly with his hair on fire. Like, the closing burst, Even if he's not getting home on a blitz, he's gonna make that running back feel it in pass protection. With Alarms Oar, it's like he's a great tackler. I think he's pretty comfortable in space, and he's not the best block shedder. But I think in today's NFL, it's so spaced out. It's not as big of a need to play between the tackles down that tunnel, like, ten to fifteen years ago. He's just someone that tested well, has good size, and I think can be that off the bus, three down, in space, run and chase, and still be pretty adequate between the tackles type off ball linebacker that frankly, I think almost every team in today's NFL needs.
Speaker 0: Wanna add get you out of
Speaker 3: here on two Bills related questions. Since you're a Bills guy, I'm not gonna take not take advantage of this. AJ Epanessa is back on the market. He failed his physical in Cleveland. Can he still play, and what would his approximate value be right now?
Speaker 4: I mean, at this stage and I think he originally was set to sign a one year up to $5,000,000 deal with the Browns, so it would probably be less than that. What I'll tell you about Ebanesa is he he is a good edge rusher to set a respectable floor for your edge rusher group. He is never going to be a sixty, seventy pressure a season edge, but he does come from that. What I think the lions still want in their edge rushers. He's big. He's gonna set a sturdy edge, knock down a few, you know, five to six passes this season. He's actually had a a bunch of interceptions on those screens where he just uses his length to get in the way of the pass. And occasionally against lesser offensive tackles can win with some speed and pass rush moves, but it just never really developed in that regard. And the the power element to his game is not crazy, But he was always someone that as, like, the third or the fourth defensive end, you can do a lot worse than AJ Abenesa.
Speaker 3: Okay. And now 26 overall, what are the Bills looking at and who like, in your dream world, realistic dream world, because we have we have weird dreams, Chris. I know you need to. What who who are the Bills, announcing when they when they make their pick?
Speaker 4: I think it's gonna be an edge rusher. I think Cassius Howell from Texas A and M, even with the super duper short arm, shorter than Ruben Baines arms.
Speaker 3: They're they're t rex arms. He's he's six foot four with twenty nine inch arms.
Speaker 4: Yeah. It's like in the zero percentile. Like Ruben Baines in the first percentile, Cassius Howell's in this in this zero percentile, like the the lowest one. Everything else about his game is really fun. And I mean, a year ago, if I came on this show, we could have talked about, hey, the Bills and the Lions want the same type of edge rushers. But now with the Jim Leonard scheme, they I think there isn't there is a need. And like you said at the outset that Lions fans have wanted these smaller, bendy, or edge rushers forever. That's been something that Bills fans and Bills media have been pining for for a long time. Now I think that they would be more apt with the Jim Leonard three four to have that stand up three four rush linebacker. So I think either Cassius Howell or my dream on the other side of the ball would be his teammate, Casey Concepcion from Texas A and M. Because even after the DJ Moore trade, the Bills have a big need, I sit, I think, at wide receiver. And he's a three level winner. Like, he's someone that can win underneath after the catch, intermediate level, and down the field. There's some drops, which could be the reason why he falls to 26. But if both of those Texas A and M, players are on the board, I think the Bills will be in really good shape.
Speaker 3: I'm with you. I I like Concepcion. I I know that people dog him on the drops, but this is another player like we talked about with Blake Miller. He got so much better in 2025 at the things other than catching the ball, really, that you needed to see it. His footwork got better. His release got better. His blocking got better. Yeah. Like
Speaker 4: Arrow pointing out. Up, Chris.
Speaker 3: It's going up. For sure. So you don't have to do a mock draft. Do you you posted this on Twitter this weekend? I'm jealous and I'm proud of you, but if you had to do a mock,
Speaker 0: who who do you projecting
Speaker 3: to the lions at 17? I'll and that'll be the last question that we'll let you get on with your day.
Speaker 4: Okay. No. It's fine. No. This has been great. So we both agreed that we don't think Caden Proctor will be there. Right. I'm I I wanted to say that I think it would be Maui Noah. I I'm not sure if he will be there. Okay. So this, like I said, I'm, I'm a little rusty with, because I have not done a lot of mock drafts or have not done any this, this, this draft cycle. How about I'll go Blake Miller? Because I think the lions are unafraid to make a pick that people are like, kind of raise their eyebrows at. And that even dates back to Jameer Gibbs. We're like, oh man, another running back in the first round that's worked out really well. And I think he's someone that is just fits the Dan Campbell mold to a tee and that they know. This is a good like you said at the outset, this is a good football team that is not looking for projections two to three years down the road. I think Kendrick Faulk could ultimately be a lot of fun. But Blake Miller is plug him in at right tackle, kick Penny Sewell over to the left side, and then you maintain one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
Speaker 3: That's a good answer, Chris. That's why I have you on because you're a smart guy. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Topaso from Draft Gradebook. Tell people one last time where they can find your stuff and and what they can expect there.
Speaker 4: Yeah. I'm just on Twitter at Chris Topaso. You can tweet at me, and I will nerd out about the draft any any point through the month of April and into early May. And then all of my scouting, evaluations, grades, all of that on draftgradebook.com.
Speaker 3: My man. Thanks for thanks so much for joining us. I really appreciate you have having you on, man. Thanks.
Speaker 4: It was really fun. Thanks, Jeff.
Speaker 3: Chris Depasso. We're gonna call it a day on that one. I'd like to thank Chris so much for coming in. We'll be back with another daily, tomorrow. Until then, Jeff Rizzo signing up. Be good to one another, everybody.