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Speaker 3: What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to another episode of the Detroit Lions podcast here with Russ and Riz. He's Jeff Rizden. I'm Russ Brown. We are back for another episode of the Daily DLP. You guys are obviously very well familiar with Jeff on the Daily DLP. Every single day, he's bringing you something Lions related, draft related, football related. And, obviously, there's probably a little, metal music in there as well and and everything else that he likes. But, Jeff, my man, there see? See? Jeff, my man, how the hell are you?

Speaker 2: I'm great, man. We we are getting so close to the NFL draft. You and I were talking off the air before we started this about how excited we are just in general for this draft and the prospects for the lions, but also just, like, over like, we are draft people outside of being lions fans as well. And, you know, getting to talk about, you know, what other teams are looking at and players that might not interest the lions but interest us, is always fun too.

Speaker 3: Yeah. No. I I'm with you a 100%. You know, as everybody kinda knows as we've talked about here on the show, like, that's how you and I got talking the very first time and, obviously, the Pats led us to the Lions and and all that stuff. But, and and really the lions were just a bonus. It was just like, I love talking draft with this guy and talking lions is just kind of the the perk with the job. But, Yeah. We're six days out from day one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Six days out from day one of the twenty twenty six NFL draft, seven days out from day two, and eight days out from day three. Today's show, we're gonna talk, quite a bit about day three players to watch for, you know, the Detroit Lions. Sure. But also I think just day three guys that we like. I think it's always important to attach that as well because, you know, day three, it is really pick your flavor in my opinion. Similar to wide receivers, you pick your flavor and you have certain guys that you like on that day. And and as we know, like, day one is all sexy. It's all glamour. It's all lights. Day two, it's the meat and potatoes. And then day three, it's the dart throws, and it's the guys that you stand on the table for, and we'll do it through a lion's lens to a degree today. So I'll turn it over to you.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 3: Day three will be Saturday, rounds four through seven. The lions have a ton of capital on day three. I would assume they don't have all of this capital. By the time we get to day three, I would think they package something and move up somewhere to get a guy that they like. But day three Yeah. Who's a guy that you would, you know, maybe top guy you're pounding the table for or a player that you think might interest the lions

Speaker 2: Yeah. And, like, right now, they have two picks early in the fourth. And quite frankly, I'd be okay if that's the only picks they make on day three. Like, I know there there are a lot of other picks beyond that, but if if you look at the 53 man roster as it exists right now and you add a first round and a second round and two fourth rounders, nobody else is making the team. Yeah.

Speaker 3: There

Speaker 2: just aren't openings for it. Now they can compete for it and, you know, get on the practice squad, and there's certainly value in that. And if they push somebody to be better, like, that there's definite value in that. But as far as, like, needing a sixth round pick to make your roster and possibly contribute right away, they they don't need that. Yeah. So early on, presuming that they stick around, one of one of my guys, and we're just talking about this because I'm writing it. I'm interrupting my writing process to do this. It's Travis Bell, right tackle from the Memphis Tigers who used to be the left tackle for the Florida International. They're the Panthers. Right? No. They're the owls. They're they're the Panthers.

Speaker 3: And Florida Atlantic's the owls.

Speaker 2: Yes. They have yeah. They have the the thing on their helmet. I should know that. I was I was just down there not long ago. I love Travis Bell. And, like, this is a guy he is six foot eight. He's got long arms. He has the best grip strength of any tackle in this class, including Maumoto, including anybody you want in the first round, if he gets both hands on you, your play is fucking over, dude. It's done. And he doesn't mind playing the bouncer and throwing guys out the club, And I like that about him too. He's got that nasty disposition, but then you, like, you see interviews with him, and he's like he's he's, like, almost sweet in his interviews. You know? Like, he, like, he flips that switch on and gets the aggression. Taylor Decker's like that. A guy who, like, when you're talking to him, like, outside of a football context, you're like, oh, he's a pretty bright guy, like, a sensitive guy. And then, you know, get him on the field and just freaking rip your throat out and, you know, crap down your neck. Like, that's that's Travis Burke.

Speaker 3: Yeah. So that that was Darnell Wright. That that was him.

Speaker 2: Oh, yeah. Oh, a 100%.

Speaker 3: He was like, interview process, he was awesome. Super I don't want it sweet, but super nice guy. And then you watch him snatch trap techniques left and right and just putting dudes in the dirt. And I'm like, oh my god. This guy's an animal.

Speaker 2: Yeah. That worked out pretty well for Chicago too, unfortunately. Yeah. So even if they take a tackle at seventeen, and they very well could, whether it's Monroe Freeling or Blake Miller or maybe Spencer Fano. I don't think anybody else is really in play. I'm okay with them taking a guy like like Travis Burke because he could be your swing tackle. He could also, you know, apprentice and eventually take over for Larry Borom in that capacity. God forbid we have injury issues to our offensive line ever, but I I would I would love to have him in in Detroit. I just like him in general too. I am higher on him than most people. I believe he's in my I think I think he's number 80 overall for me, 82 overall for me. And I think in the consensus is he's usually around, like, one ten, one twenty. So so I'm a I'm a big Travis Burke fan. I would love to see the Lions. Even if it's doubling up, I'm good with that. What about you? What what you mean you mean a guy that you're you're high on?

Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, I mean, to to just kinda piggyback off of what you said on on Travis Burke, I I I love his skill set, as a day three option as well. I've only watched two games, but I'm with you. Bodyguard mentality, he's gonna throw you out the club. But one of the guys for me, he might be more Green Bay Packer ish than he is Detroit Lion ish, but, that's Daylan Everett from Georgia. I don't know if he'll go day three. I think he will, but there's a chance maybe he gets into that third round conversation. But you look at him just over the course of his career. I mean, he he's a 40 game player, you know, 40 plus game player. I believe he played 55 games and started 41 of them. And that's at Georgia. And he's only he's only 21 right now. He's gonna be 22 in May.

Speaker 2: So crazy, Russ. It's crazy.

Speaker 3: So, like, he's probably already, like, what he is is what you're gonna get type of player, but great length at six one one ninety six. He can play press man. I think he's pretty fluid with his man cover skills. I think he flips his hips with ease to run vertically, with receivers. And I think the press skills, the experience, that length to reroute and jam and press receivers, I think it's everything that Detroit's looking for. And with so much uncertainty in that room beyond this year, you know, we don't know what's gonna go on with Terry and Arnold. I think, you know, if there was something there, it would probably already would have happened with the, you know, the the the stuff off the field right now.

Speaker 2: But then we got the

Speaker 3: yeah. And and, I mean, again, I get it. The legal process can take time, but, you know, Enes Rake Strauss got the injury stuff. DJ Reed got banged up and only signed a three year deal. So and we all know the the one year deals that they signed. So I think Dalen Everett is definitely worth a dart throw. Again, I think he's probably more of a player like Green Bay Packer like, but I would love him here in Detroit. Tape in 20 I mean, we've we've done this a lot, not necessarily us, but national media draft analysts, they've all done this with other players. Dylan Thieneman, he doesn't play a lot of single high, go back to 2024 when he's at Purdue. I don't know what to make of Jermaine McCoy. Let me go back to 2024 or Oregon State. Let me, you know, let me do this, this, and that. You know, Max Claire, I don't think his Ohio State tape is very good, but you go to, you know, where he was previously. It's not as bad. So always hard to to kind of justify it. But when you do that with Dalen Everett, you go to you go to what he did in in Georgia in 2024, and it's like, this guy might be a top 50 pick. Like, he was that good for the Georgia Bulldogs. So little bit of a of a of a downgrade from this past year, but that that's a player for me that I have on the radar and I've got his name circled and I would love to see where he ends up falling, when we when we get to the draft. You turn it back to you. You I know you got more there. Who who who's another name for you?

Speaker 2: That's the guy I I profiled him on a recent daily, and he is like, the lions, they're set at their top three slash four receivers. But if you're looking for a guy who fits a role that they don't really have, Cam Doerner from North Texas, as a as an outside receiver who specializes in yak and and work in the middle of the field. Now he comes from a shotgun spread air raid offense. So he he hasn't been asked to run routes per se. But dude gets open quickly. He understands who he is. He is very difficult to tackle. I love how long his stride is. For I think he's six one. He runs like when you watch him run, it's like, wow. Like, his legs are super long and, like, he's tough. Like, he can take an arm tackle and and get off of it. So I like him as a weapon on that. From from what I understand from the North Texas folks, he's got that grit to him. You know? Again, you don't one of the other things with with their offense, their wide receivers, like, blocking for them is like, no. Don't block. Just get back to the line of scrimmage quicker so we can go fast and run another play. And, but he has actually shown a little bit of, like, you know, if he gets his hands on a defensive back, he can at least stay in the way. Yeah. They can work with that. So he's won and this is a seventh round slash undrafted free agent type of player. And, again, the Lions don't necessarily need a guy like that, but they might want a guy like that.

Speaker 3: Yeah. No. I mean, it makes sense. I I think getting a receiver is is definitely a possibility in this draft. I I think once you get past kind of the top three on the depth chart, there is that uncertainty and God forbid somebody goes down. You you gotta have, I think, a talented dude, to kind of fill the void because I I think J Mo or Saint Brown or or whoever the case may be with Tesla or or, you know, whatever the combination is, they can hold their own, but you gotta have that other guy. Yeah.

Speaker 2: And we don't know what Dominic Lovett is yet. And Yeah. Tom Kennedy's back, and I think Tom Kennedy will wind up being our, certainly, our punt returner, if not our kick returner, but I don't know how much I mean, this will be year, what, eight for him. I think he's never really cracked the rotation on much worse depth charts than this one. So I don't know. Yeah.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, I mean, there still is that, you know, the Greg Dortch signing. But at the end of the day, like I

Speaker 2: forgot dude, I forgot about it. I I oh, I like Greg Dortch. I like him a lot. I totally forgot. Thank you for reminding me.

Speaker 3: Yeah. But at the same time, it's like, you know, you you gotta make sure that you have depth and and bodies in that room to compete because as we said, we know there's gonna be injuries and we know that not everybody's gonna make the team. So, staying with that, I I think going back to the, you know, defensive side of the football for me, I I just love the idea of adding weapons to this defense. And I'm actually gonna go back to back here with two players just because I'm I'm on the linebacker tab of my board. And I think both of the I think both of these guys fit Detroit, but they're two different players. Stylistically, the way that they play. For starters, Harold Perkins, linebacker LSU, everybody that listens to Bischoff and Brown knows that that's one of my guys in this draft. He is a weapon. You go back to, you know, 2022, 2023. This guy was 17, 18 years old and wearing many hats in that LSU defense, which is rare. But I get it. There's size concerns. Six one, two twenty three. He had a torn ACL in 2024, but he did finish his career with 17 sacks, eight forced fumbles, 35, tackles for loss. He's got an explosive first step as a pass rusher. I think he can blitz from various alignments. So if you talk about big nickel defense and he's playing as that overhang, he can blitz right off the edge and kinda shoot out of a cannon and get better angles. And with that speed and burst, he's gonna force quarterbacks to maneuver different ways. And guess who's gonna be on the other side? Aidan Hutchinson or or whatever defensive end you might draft at 17 or 50. So I love the combinations that you can get with Harold Perkins. And with the defense talking with Calvin Shepherd and Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes of of changing and adapting and improving, defense a little bit. We don't know what that means. Could they be an even front defense forever? Maybe. Could they be an odd front? Could they be multiples? I I think there's gonna be a lot of variation. So to help with that variation, get yourself a weapon, get Harold Perkins, and let the rest sort out. I I think, you know, twenty twenty five tape, you're coming off the torn ACL. He probably played a little bit hesitant compared to previous years, but now he's got that full year underneath him similar to Hutch, similar to McNeil as we've seen this past year. So I love, Harold Perkins. And then real quick, just the other one that I think is, you know, potentially a player that that is gonna be a a day three pick. I would be a little surprised if he wasn't. That is that is Jack Kelly,

Speaker 2: BYU.

Speaker 3: Yeah. I I think he's a prototypical Sam backer, to be completely honest with you. But I I I know people think he can play off the ball because he's shown that he can be off the ball, but a really good athlete. But I I I like him as a Sam. I think the way that he

Speaker 2: I do too. Line

Speaker 3: yeah. And I think if you like, you think of Derek Barnes, is he gonna be the will? Is he gonna stay as that Sam backer? We don't know what that's gonna look like. So you might need to bring somebody in for that role. And I think Kelly fits like a glove. Like, the way he blitzes, the way he plays at the line of scrimmage, the physicality, there's gonna be times that he get washed because he doesn't have necessarily the arm length. But size is not gonna be a problem for him, you know, with with how he's built. And I I think, ultimately, you're looking at a guy that has the potential to develop into a three down linebacker, but, ultimately, he's probably a two down player with special teams ability to start his career, and that's okay for Detroit. That's perfectly fine.

Speaker 2: That as I was going through, I I put little marks in my I have a spreadsheet with it, and I have a little mark of he is in the column of players that Detroit will like more than other teams do.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: And it it's very easy to see. And, I'm I'm glad that Bischoff and his love of BYU defensive players is red rubbing off on you.

Speaker 3: Yeah. You could tell. Right? I mean, it's it's one of those things. Like, I think that's how our first ever conversation went. He was like, hey. Do you like BYU players? I was like, Ziggy Ansa? Yes. Jamal Williams? Yes. And then we just went from there, and the show has been the way it's been.

Speaker 2: But He's got a long history of that that goes way back in time. That's fun. I I I love I love doing Scott crap about that, and he Yeah. He takes it and throws it back at me from time to time. I wanna go with I'll I'll go with a safety that I like, Cole Wisniewski. Combine snob. Yeah. I I I still haven't gotten a good explanation from from NFL folks of why he wasn't there because the expectation is that he's he might not be there for the Lions fifth round pick. Like and and if you are a betting person and you can bet on the first player who wasn't at the combine to get drafted, Cole Wisniewski is probably a good good investment. Just saying. Okay. If if you can find that somewhere. I love the fact that he he's he's he could do anything that the lions want of their safeties. He can play as a hang. He can play the slot, although I don't really like him there as much as I like him playing back and apprenticing under whether it's Harper or Branch or Chuck Clark. But a guy who I do think he needs some, like you can tell that he gets a little too excited at times in coverage. Mhmm. I think he needs that discipline to him. But I think being around better supporting talent around him, not that he didn't have that at at tech because he did, but, like, I just think, like, him getting into a room where there's higher expectations for defense and higher talent level around him will allow him to thrive. And and right away, he's right away, he's great on special teams. He can be the player that I wanted Ian Kennelly to be a year ago, and he's he's not in football anymore. So that's that's sad to me. But, you know, and, like, it's like, the depth safety, we look. Both starters are question marks.

Speaker 3: Mhmm.

Speaker 2: It sounds like the Lions are pretty confident that Kirby will be able to be at least very close to being the old Kirby. We'll see.

Speaker 1: Okay.

Speaker 2: Yeah. But Branch, you know, he's out until realistically Thanksgiving. Okay? You know, you got Harper. You got Clark. You know, you've done some things with with Maddox that Isian can play in that roles too, but get somebody young in the pipeline. We don't know what Dan Jackson is from last year. He got hurt, missed Yeah. All of training camp. So I I would not mind having somebody like Cole Wisniewski, who has a high ceiling but a fairly low floor. Because I I can see why I can I can also see why the NFL wasn't super high on him getting into the combine because there are things I've missed to eight where it's like, don't do that anymore? Yeah. But I I like him. And I I gotta throw one bonus one in here. And I talked about him. I did a a spot with WOOD TV here in in Grand Rapids, checking out. With I brought up Max Lewellen. This is another guy that the edge from Iowa Iowa. Who made the column of the lions are gonna like this guy more than the NFL does. Speed to power can win inside, can win outside, has a wicked spin move. He finishes what he starts. He understands how to get off of a block pretty well. He might not ever make a tackle in the run game ever.

Speaker 3: Mhmm.

Speaker 2: But he will come in, and I envision him as a guy who when Aidan Hutchins comes off the field, hopefully, he comes off the field for more than five plays per game than he has been. Yeah. This is a guy who can fill in and and impact the the backfield, and he's a fifth or a sixth round player. And I I like him a lot for Detroit specifically.

Speaker 3: Yeah. No. I I love that. I I he was not a player that I watched in-depth, but, you know, I I caught glimpses of him, you know, watching other players and, you know, things like that, watching the Indiana offense, seeing him flash a little bit and in those types of things. So, he'll definitely be a player that if if they end up drafting, I will love to do a film breakdown on. So, I will definitely do that. But, moving for over to the offensive side for me, a day three player that I like, he might end up being a UDFA, but Donovan McCauley from Michigan. I I know the Lions have shown interest there. They've brought him in for a visit. They did. As we as we talked about earlier with the wide receiver position, just maybe adding a little bit of depth to that room. I think Macaulay, I'm surprised there's not been more love for him during the the pre draft process just watching his tape. Number one receiver, but for teams looking for that number three player, that Josh Reynolds type of player, I don't know how you don't look at him and go, Yeah, that can be that guy. I mean, dagger concepts, flood concepts, going vertical, comebacks, hitches. He's gonna be a factor there, and he catches the ball away from his body all of the time at six four and a half, two zero three. He's a willing blocker. Like, the way he gets in front of guys is impressive. More often than not, we see those wide receivers stray away from contact down the field, but he embraces it. And I love that. And I think the Lions will love that too. Again, he's not Amun Ra Saint Brown. He's not J Mo. But he's a guy that, as we've seen over the years, they've rolled the dice with those bigger receivers that can go over the middle of the field, and I think Macaulay can be that. And I would just love to to try to take advantage of that for a three to four year window. So take him in the sixth or seventh round and see what happens. And I I wonder if that's why they brought him in for a visit, but Macaulay out of out of Michigan's a fun one.

Speaker 2: Yeah. He reminds me of a another former Michigan player, Donovan Peoples Jones. I don't think he's he's not the athlete that DPJ was, but the same style and, like, deep it didn't work out for DPJ when he got to Detroit. But for for a handful of years in Cleveland, he was a solid number three receiver and did things like like like you just talked about. That's that's sort of what his role was. So I I'm with you on that. I also all the Michigan specifically the Michigan offensive players in this draft have not been blessed by good coaching the last couple of years. I'm not sure that their scheme was anything, honestly. Not to not to pile on them, but, like, there are more reasons than just his illicit affair that Sharon Moore isn't coaching there anymore. You know? Yeah.

Speaker 3: Yeah. No. A 100%. A 100%.

Speaker 2: Could could could a guy like Giovanni Elhadi, like, blossom suddenly in the NFL? I I don't think so, but I'm not gonna hold the fact that Michigan had no clue what to do with him against him. You know?

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. No. A 100%. And, I mean, as a guy that coaches with his cousin, I, I can understand exactly, what what you're talking about. And I I think that feeling might be a little bit mutual, not just here on the show, but, in the background, if you know what I'm saying. So Yeah. Before we turn it over to the NFL draft discussion on the NFC North, I I mean, because Yeah. To be honest, people, we Jeff and I, I think, could easily do a three hour show on day three players in itself. So, you know, any last couple thoughts here, a couple players that maybe come to mind for day three or or anything that you that you gotta get off your chest for day three?

Speaker 2: I brought up I brought him up a couple times, but I will continue to beat the drum for Jackson, linebacker Miami of Ohio, who, like, one year wonder. Like, complete like, could not get on the field at Ohio State. Couldn't really get on the field at Miami for, like, a year and a half. Yeah. He has ridiculous athletic twitch testing. He doesn't have long speed, but he's got instant speed. Shrine Bowl, he was, like, you he was everywhere. This is a guy who can come in and compete right away, and he's he's not gonna get drafted. He's just not. Yeah. If he is, it's it's on athletic promise, and it could be the Lions' seventh round pick. But and he is a little bit older. I think he's I think he is 24. But my god. Like, there are so many things that he does right away. And then I will go back to my I will hark upon my roots from when I lived in Petersburg, Virginia and taught there. We're, and you'll appreciate this. Quentin Spain, former NFL standout, his dad was the superintendent of the school system when I saw that happen. Oh, wow. Quentin so I taught seventh grade. Quentin was in sixth grade when I taught seventh grade, and I I we moved to Michigan, so I was dumb with that. But I I would have been his teacher. That would have been fun.

Speaker 3: Oh, wow.

Speaker 2: But I digress. I briefly attended Virginia State University. Go, Trojans. Yeah. And they have a offensive tackle there named Bruno Onwuazur, who is he's born in Nigeria, came to The United States, when he was, like, 10, came to play basketball and soccer, gets to high school, Prince George High School. It's like, oh, football. I can hit people. I like this. He's six foot eight and a half, has thirty six and a quarter inch arms, an eighty six inch wingspan, but he has the feet of a soccer player.

Speaker 3: Okay.

Speaker 2: Now he's he he's raw. Like, he he I will say, he comes into Allen Park, and he's already as skilled technically as Giovanni Manu is, but still needs a lot of work with it. But this is, like, this is the attitude that you wanna work with. This is a hungry guy. And he's another one. Like, you see interviews with him. And I I watched an interview with him recently, and he's, like, he's kinda soft spoken and fearful. And then you watch him, like, especially when they put so them and Virginia Union are, like that's like Michigan Michigan State, like, Hope Calvin on this side of the state. He's destroying people, like, letting them know it. And I'm like, damn. Now he he does get beat. Like, this is just not a guy who's gonna play in 2026. But for a guy who's not gonna get drafted

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: Give me him.

Speaker 3: Do you

Speaker 2: have anybody like that that's, like, off the national radar or just somebody that you really like that's caught your eye for the lions that, you know, probably won't get drafted? Or if they do, they might be mister irrelevant, but but you you have a feeling you they give you warm feelings inside, Russ.

Speaker 3: Man, I don't I don't have anybody that deep. The the player that I would have gone to next would have been linebacker Aiden Fisher from Indiana. Okay. That that would have been the the next player that I would have yeah. Yeah. I I think he's just, you know, that that mindset of, like, draft

Speaker 2: football player.

Speaker 3: Right. Draft good football players. And Brad always talks about the word conviction, and this is gonna be a guy that helps our football team. I don't see in any way, Aidan Fisher doesn't step into Detroit and just help them right away. I mean, he's got great leadership skills. He's got a good motor. He's got the ability to work through blocks, but I get it. It can be a little bit problematic at times. But I think special teams and just tackling machine at six one two thirty one, like, he's he's he's just a good football player. I think he can play as a Mike if needed. There will be limitations in space in how he gets off those blocks, but he just finds ways to get things done. And I think Brad, Dan, and that coaching staff will appreciate that. And as I've as I mentioned earlier with, like, Jack Kelly and Harold Perkins, I think linebacker is a sneaky need for this team. I don't think it's, like, one that, you know, is something you gotta do at maybe 17, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was potentially a pick at 50. Interesting if they go the offensive tackle and edge route like we've been talking or offensive tackle safety, whatever. So I think Fisher would be a great a great player there. And I probably do have somebody that's really off the radar down in my notes somewhere from over the summer, but I'm not gonna dig those up right now. I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna change gears. We're gonna go to the NFL draft discussion.

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Speaker 3: On the NFC North, unless you got more day three stuff you wanna

Speaker 2: the only other one I'll give, and it he just popped into my head. Youngstown State wide receiver, Max, son of Mike, Tomczak. Guy can play. Okay. Go Penguins.

Speaker 3: Go Penguins.

Speaker 2: Best logo with they have the best like, I'm a sucker for penguins, man. Oh, yeah. Like, over so over spring break, we went to the zoo. Yeah. And I I legitimately stayed in the penguin area for, like, an hour. My family just wandered around. Like, come back come back to me. I'll be here.

Speaker 3: Yeah. No. When we were in Chicago, we did the zoo as well, the free zoo, obviously, down there.

Speaker 2: Oh, the Lake Napart Zoo. Yeah.

Speaker 3: Yeah. But we walked around, dude, and I saw so many different animals. I'm like, man, I go to the Detroit Zoo. I don't see anything. I saw everything. So no. Love the zoo. I'm with you there. But let's sort through the, I guess, the zoo that is the NFC North of all the different animals, all the different teams there. I don't know what to make of of every single team in what direction they're gonna go. For example, like, I think Minnesota, they they need a lot of help. I I don't think that's a very good roster. I mean, there's there's some talent. Don't get me wrong. But there's a lot of uncertainty there. And then you got the Packers. They don't have a first round pick. And they're moving on guys from, like, Dontavian Wicks, and I I just don't know what direction they're going. And then you've got the Chicago Bears. And I think the Bears are well built. I think they've got the right coach. I think they're they're doing the right things, but they've got some needs too, offensive tackle. They could use a pass rusher. They lost a lot of secondary help. I know they tried to They did. They tried to improve it, but we can start with any of these teams. But what what directions do you see some of these teams going? And we can start with the Vikings to pick right after the lions if you'd like.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 3: What what do you think there?

Speaker 2: I I am with the consensus that it's Dylan Tiedemann, safety, Oregon. Like, that's everybody's first off, I really enjoy that a lot of the final mocks are coming out this week. That's something that I have tried to do for a long time. Mine will come out next Wednesday just because I'm I have too much other crap going on. But, like, I I have a pretty good idea of what it's gonna be already. And just seeing everybody from Vikings insiders to national people, all pegging Dylan Dunham in there, like, they need him. Yeah. It it makes too much sense. They they certainly do have other needs, but, man, he's he's a good player, Russ. I I I like the old team. I even as a Lions fan, I do like the fit too. Don't don't you like that?

Speaker 3: No. I do. I I he is an odd evaluation because of the role that he played at Oregon this past year, and it there in the way he tested is not the way he plays, but he does a lot of little things right that I think would catch the eye of the lions and certainly of other teams in the NFL. And that's why it makes so much sense for Brian Flores and his defense with Minnesota to just go that route at 18 if he's there. If he's not there, I do think Jermaine McCoy would be a player that they would have a lot of interest in. And I do know that there's been a lot of rumblings of Caden McDonald out of Ohio State as a first round pick. Whether I agree with that or not, that's a conversation for another day. I will be honest, though. I think Minnesota would make some sense there to to improve that interior part of their defensive line with Kate and McDonnell. I don't know if you've if you feel that same way or especially with McCoy. I mean, I think a lot of teams are waiting to see what the Lions do at 17 with McCoy, but I don't think

Speaker 2: he's on their radar to be quite honest. I I think the fact that his, the word degenerative with his knee is being thrown around with the current experience that we're going through with Kirby Joseph, I think really inhibits the lion's interest there in Jermaine McCoy. Whether it's valid or not, it almost doesn't matter. You know? Yeah. And and I thought doctor Liao had a very good piece about it, and his thought was, you know, so many other players at that position and and also JMo are, like, playing in NFL games nine, ten, eleven months after an ACL. He's still not cleared to run after over a year. Yeah. That's a problem. Mhmm.

Speaker 3: Big problem. Yes. And I think that's why this

Speaker 2: He did in fact he did in fact work out, fifteen months after fourteen months after, but that's that's still pushing it.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: I will say on on Caden McDonald, he will be the pick for the Houston Texans in my final mock draft, and I suspect that a lot of people in Houston will have that pick too.

Speaker 3: Take that for what it's worth, folks. I will go ahead and just go to my tab while, we're sitting here. We're gonna just go ahead, pick 28, Caden McDonald. Yeah. Alright. Pick 28 is in the books on my mock draft.

Speaker 2: There you go. Moving over to the yeah.

Speaker 3: And and again, I I I don't think we've gotta go into crazy detail on every single one of these teams because at the end of the at the end of the day, like, you know, it it it matters, but we're here for the lions. Right? But Yeah. We did wanna give kind of a big scheme scope of what we might be ready for next week.

Speaker 2: Yeah. I think with with with the Packers, I'll just segue to them because it's it's pretty straightforward. They traded away their first round pick for Micah Parsons, and the biggest need on the team is still edge.

Speaker 3: Yep. Yeah. No. It is. I mean, they yeah. They need And

Speaker 2: that's not that against Micah. Like, even if he's not hurt, like, they still need Edge more than any other position. They have other needs as well. But this is what happens when you miss on guys like Lucas Van Ness, who should be Rashawn

Speaker 3: Gary. Right?

Speaker 2: Rashawn Gary is well, he's gone now. Like

Speaker 3: Right.

Speaker 2: He was he was good enough, but he's not there anymore. And, like, I I I looked at Dave Berger's mock draft, and I actually just started looking through that just before we went on the air. Like, his first first pick for them, I think it's 52. Yep. Denaidda Sutton. Like, that is a Lions' spit. The Lions picked twice before the Packers pick. Then I Dennis Sutton is probably on the lions' board pretty prominently at number 50. He is another guy who I think that the lions will like more than the rest of the league does. I think he fits that can crushing edge opposite Hutch very nicely. Yeah. I wouldn't endorse that pick, but I get it. Yeah. But the fact that that the Packers are there and they're you know? Look. They've they've had a regime change. You know? Their their their defensive coordinator, then one of their assistant front office people, they're in Miami now. So maybe this is a time where they change things up. I don't know. But they also desperately need wide receiver, like, desperately.

Speaker 3: And Yeah.

Speaker 2: You know, even, like I I tend I tend to like Christian Watson. I do. But you never know if he's gonna catch the ball or not, and that concerns me. And he's hurt a lot, and he's their best. Yep. Like

Speaker 3: Yep.

Speaker 2: So they are they are on the precipice of being a team that falls off radically, in my opinion. But if they have a good draft and they're certainly capable of doing that, I can see them, again, being right around where they were a year ago and competing for second place in the division. And that wouldn't surprise me at all.

Speaker 3: No. A 100%. I I and, like, you know, before Packers fans get in here and be like, how dare you guys? You know? I I'm on the radio in Green Bay, once a week, pretty much six weeks leading up to the draft and and even sometimes more than that, with different outlets. And I I always have this thing with Packers radio hosts and some of their fans and and things like that. Like, I'm not saying I'm a Packers fan by any mean. I'm not. But I I have a pretty good sense, and I think you do as well, of kind of where they're headed and what they need to do to get better. And I'd obviously, they do as well. I I don't know how they they don't draft an offensive lineman at pick 52 or 84. Like, the drop off of offensive line talent starts to really, go away. And especially once the run of offensive tackles go, I mean, we're gonna see seven of those guys go in the top for sure the top 50. So they pick at 52. That that leaves them with, like, Markelle Bell at 52, Caleb Tiernan out of Northwestern, Jude Bowery, Demetrius Crownover, who we've talked about. So, like, I like that. Caleb yeah. And Caleb Tiernan, like, I like, and he screams Green Bay Packer, but everybody's like, well, he's six foot eight. He doesn't fit the mold. Sometimes you gotta go away from that. And with diff you know, changes going on, I think Caleb Tiernan would be a player that they'd be really interested in because they need offensive line help. Like, they they didn't get Rashid Walker back, and I just I think there's a lot of question marks there, and I don't know if I feel confident in Jordan Morgan being my left tackle. I'm gonna be honest with with Packers fans out there. I don't know how I feel about that.

Speaker 2: So Yeah. He's I liked him a lot. And Chris and I actually interviewed him at the senior ball. We liked him. Mhmm. He's got some he's got some killer tattoos, by the way. Mhmm. But it doesn't matter to his football game. But, like, I always thought that he'd be, like, a really good left guard and maybe right tackle. But I Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm curious what their vision is with him and then how he will execute it as well. But, yeah, they are a team that, you can't go wrong if you draft offensive line with them either. But, again, like, they don't have any wide receiver that's better than J Mo, and J Mo's our number two. They don't have any wide receiver that's better than Chicago's number three right now. They just don't. You know? Yep. Minnesota's pretty good at wide receiver. If you look around if you're trying if you're playing the game where you're trying to, like, well, where do we have to get better in relation to our division? Wide receiver just jumps off, but so does Edge, opposite Micah Parsons. Like Yep. Yep. They they don't have they don't have anybody as good as DJ Wonnum to line up opposite Micah Parsons. And, oh, by the way, Micah Parsons will be there week one. Like, they Yeah.

Speaker 3: It's it's just they

Speaker 2: they are a they're a perilous team right now.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. No. They are a 100%. And I and I will just add, every year, they draft one of my guys. They they do it every year, you know. From from Jason Spriggs to Jevon Bullard, you go down the list.

Speaker 2: Like, Jason Spriggs. I remember him. Indiana offensive tackle. Yeah. He he and a punch.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Exactly. He's, he he was a big swing and a miss for me. But I I could see them taking one of my guys for sure, whether that's Keontay Scott, Daylan Everett, as I mentioned earlier. I could see Brian Parker being a a potential center prospect for them. He just screams Green Bay Packers. So it shakes out for Green Bay.

Speaker 2: What do you say, Brian Parker? My my comp for Brian Parker is Zach Tom, who's who's their tackle. Like, there you go.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. No. Exactly. So I I think that's exactly the type of guy that that would make sense for them at, like, pick 84. But, we'll see obviously where they go. Edge receiver in in fixing up that offensive line, and they've gotta add a corner. So it's gonna be interesting. But I I think I think Green Bay is a team that, I don't know, things might catch up with them. But a team that we have to definitely keep an eye on is the Chicago Bears. They've got the twenty fifth pick. They've got three picks in the top 64 picks in the top 90. They're sitting pretty with draft capital, and they got a pretty decent roster there as it is, but they do have some holes to fill. They need a left tackle. They they need another pass rusher. They need some secondary help. They could probably use another pass catcher as well. They're definitely sitting better than than the first two teams we talked about. But Bears at 25, what direction do you think they go, and what what do you agree with what I'm saying as far as needs and and those types of things?

Speaker 2: Yeah. I do. I also think they could use a defensive tackle, but they probably don't need one of those very early. But somebody to to take reps as their as their third tackle, who can maybe play as their second tackle as well. Right so I I pulled Chicago people that I know. Got four different answers back for who their thing is gonna be their pick at twenty five. So, like, thanks, guys. Thanks for telling me that nobody knows what's going on in Chicago either. Yeah. I don't think that's a mistake, by the way. Like, Russ, do you know what do you know what the lines are gonna do with seventeen? No. Because I don't either.

Speaker 3: And, like, it's an idea.

Speaker 2: I I have yeah. I I have ideas. I I I'm fairly confident in my ideas, but they're plural. You know? Like, it's a or b or c, maybe d.

Speaker 3: Like Yeah. No. A 100%.

Speaker 2: But we don't know. Yeah.

Speaker 3: And that's the thing with the bears. It's like, you know

Speaker 2: Right. Same thing.

Speaker 3: All they're kinda following that same blueprint of the lions keeping things close to the vest and kinda retooling some of the roster as well. Like, they moved down from DJ more. They didn't have to do that, but they felt like it was time. Get some compensation for him, and they did. So it makes for a very interesting draft for them, and they can certainly get better. You know, the way that I look at things for them at pick twenty five, I I do kind of like the idea of a safety with Emmanuel McNeil Warren, but through some of the tea leaves that I've gathered and asking around, that's not necessarily an option for them. Doesn't you know, somebody had told me that they don't see that at all. So I don't know what direction they're gonna go. I think Yeah. Kate and McDonald could make some sense for them if they wanted to kinda throw a wrench in the plans of Houston. But I I think a

Speaker 2: key bigger than what they they tend to want for a defensive tackle, even though they have, you know, Jermab Dexter there. So one of the names that I got back was TJ Parker, and he makes some sense as a guy. And and I I I would by the way, I cannot rule him out at 17. I do think that the lions are gonna have some interest in TJ Parker and what he offers. And I think the Bears will see the same sorts of things and that this was Russ go back to preseason mock drafts. He was the first defensive player off the board in every freaking one of them. Yep. That guy's still there somewhere. Right? Yeah. I refuse to believe that that's gone away, and I kinda bet that both the Lions and the Bears and the organization structures that they have, they're gonna believe that too. So Yeah. He makes a lot of sense. I I got Dylan Thieneman back as one of the answers. So, like, okay. Do you not have the Vikings taking him? Right.

Speaker 3: I

Speaker 2: didn't ask that, but maybe I should have. So, you know, the and they're they're largely thinking the same ways that you are. And then Caleb Blomu came up.

Speaker 3: I could see

Speaker 2: him. Where you're at with Blomu, but I like him a lot. He's my number 12 overall player. I don't necessarily like him for the lions and what what we do, but I like him, like, for the bears, I think he's a little bit better of a fit because they're not as power centric with their run game. Yeah. But I'm seeing, like, a a lot of folks are thinking that he's not even gonna be in the top 40. Like, do you buy that at all, man?

Speaker 3: No way. No. He's a first round pick all day. Like, when you think of

Speaker 2: checking boxes

Speaker 3: yeah. No. And I'm not I'm not saying anything bad to you, but, like, when you when when when I, like, put a prospect down, I let's say I put them on, like, a little notebook card, I don't know, for a four by four note card or whatever, and I'm checking boxes. Length, lower body and frame, check. Character, check. Age, 21 years of age, check. Premium position, check. You know what I mean? Like, all of those things, he checks the boxes. You talk bend and flexibility in his lower half, great. Anchor might get tested. There are times that he doesn't always finish. I get all of that, but we're talking about a 21 year old that everything kind of locked up and squared away. Good kid off the field. Like, I don't know, man. I think he is a top 20 player all day long. He's nineteenth on my board, and I think he would make tons of sense for, you know, a lot of teams in the top 20, top 21 even, like, Pittsburgh might make some sense. Los Angeles, chargers might make some sense if they wanna move him to guard. So I and they visited with him, so I don't know. I I I think he's really intriguing. And if if like, I always when I get a mock draft and I get to, you know, pick 25, I'm like, oh, Caleb Lomu's here. Bang. And that's normally what I do. It's either him or Akin Masador. That's normally what I do.

Speaker 2: Yeah. And Lomu Lomu does make a lot of sense to the Bears at 25. So Yeah.

Speaker 3: I will I will ask this. I know there's been a lot of rumors, and I and I know we can kinda wrap it up. But,

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 3: There's been a lot of rumors about Ty Simpson, the Arizona Cardinals potentially moving back into the first round. Whether we agree or disagree, that's fine. But I do think Chicago is an interesting spot for Arizona to get from 34 to pick 25. I I I haven't done necessarily the math on that through the trade value, but I think Chicago is all about getting picks. And I think that if, let's say, Lomu is gone, let's say Thieneman is gone, maybe there's a pass rusher like Parker, maybe he's gone, that could easily trigger the, hey. Let's trade down. So that could be the Ty Simpson spot. What do you think of that? Am I wrong in thinking that?

Speaker 2: No. I think that's a very irrational idea, and I I do buy that the the cardinals would be interested in Tye Simpson. My only question with them is they're 34. Is anybody between 25 and 34 really gonna take him? Or are you doing it preemptively to keep another team from 38 or 44 from trading up to get him? Yeah. I I I don't have a feel for that yet. Yeah. Maybe I won't get that. I don't know. But he he makes a lot of sense because, like, they're in the division they're in, this is a great year for them to take a Mulligan year and and reset. Yep. Because they are they are clearly the fourth best team. Like Mhmm. No question about that. Yep. And even if they nail the draft, they're still the fourth best team. So why not look longer term instead of immediate needs? And, like, I don't think either of us are super high on Ty Simpson, but we're not gonna crap on his chances. Like, that I I would probably be be more prone to wait around and take care of, but that's just

Speaker 3: me. I'm I'm with you a 100% there. I would I would wait for Garrett Nussmeyer. I would probably even wait for Drew Aller a little bit. And worst case scenario, I'm rolling the dice and and swinging for a Cole Payton or even a Kate Klubnick, and trying to squeeze whatever's left out of that lemon, so to speak. But

Speaker 2: Hey. Okay. Real quick. Before we wrap it up, day three quarterback, if the lions want one, who's your guy? Not saying that they are that they want one or that they even necessarily need one, although I would argue that they do need one. But who who who strikes your fancy as being somebody that could fit in with this offense?

Speaker 3: I mean, I I do think I don't know. Again, I don't know if he's gonna be there. I think Drew Aller would be the guy that I'm swinging for. I think they they could have some liking to the way Cole Payton plays, but but he doesn't necessarily fit schematically maybe. But, again, at the same time, I don't know exactly what Petzing's looking for with a quarterback because he's going from Kyler Murray to Jared Goff. So it's kinda two different ends of the spectrum there. And outside of that, I mean, like, I I don't think Carson Beck fits at all. I I guess, really, the the swing for me, true day three would be Talen Green out of Arkansas. But that's just simply because he's a great athlete. He the ball does really, you know, pop out of his hand, but there's a lot of little things that he's gotta get corrected with processing speeds and rushing his mechanics. And I didn't do a full evaluation on him. But I've been willing to

Speaker 2: too close together, throwing his feet too far apart, throwing with his all arm, throwing where he over Yes. Like, he needs he needs a quarterback coach something fierce.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Mark Brunell, I think, could do some wonders with him. But, at the same time, I think, like, that's where Cole Payton kinda comes in. Mark Brunell, left handed quarterback. Let's go, baby. Bring in the lefties. I can I can join the room? I can get warmed up. You know? But as Are you are you a lefty? I am a lefty. I'm I'm an odd guy. I write with my right hand, and I do all sports left handed. It's very weird.

Speaker 2: So my brother is the opposite of that. He is left handed and everything, but he does sports right handed.

Speaker 3: That's crazy. See, I could never I can't write with my left hand to say I could figure it out. I there's a little bit of comfort level there, but it looks so messed up. As we were talking bear, yeah, as we were talking bears, one thing came in my head, and we don't have to go into great detail about this because me and Scott talked about it earlier in the week, and that episode dropped today, Bischoff and Brown. And I know you and, Chris talked about it, on your guys' livestream the other night with Ruben Bain. But Mhmm.

Speaker 2: I I

Speaker 3: think we are probably in agreement that we think he's still gonna be a first round pick. We don't necessarily know where that's gonna be, but pick 25 Chicago. Do you think that's a possibility? Also, pick 18 Minnesota. Do you think that's a possibility? Also, pick 18 Minnesota. Do you think that's a possibility? And I and I say that because I think of, like, speed to power, thick thick frame. I remember watching Brian Flores kinda salivate watching Derek Hall, who's not even close to being Ruben Bane. And I just wonder if that guy falls to him at 18 with some of the Jonathan Grenard stuff. Do you maybe pivot to a player like Ruben Bayne? Do you think he's an option at all for Minnesota or Chicago?

Speaker 2: I I do. The Brian Flores fit. Absolutely. He's look. Ruben Baity will not hear me criticize him as a football player. There are there are things to nitpick. He's a damn good football player and a very high end prospect. Yes. I don't want him in Minnesota. Yeah. Look.

Speaker 3: Damn it. Yeah. No.

Speaker 2: You've planted the seed now, Ross. Thank you.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, it's something to ponder on as you as you head to the weekend. It's something to think about because that's gonna be in my brain now, and I'm gonna get back to my final mock draft. And my my big board's already put together. I just gotta create the graphic and post it over at my my substack, the draftreport.substack.com. But doing final mock for next week, and I'm like, I don't know where to put Ruben Bayne because I don't know who's gonna who's gonna take the cheese. You know? I don't know who it's gonna be because it's Jalen Carter situation all, you know, two point o, maybe a little bit more severe, maybe less severe. I don't know. But, it's interesting. And I think there's a lot more there to that's still being kinda uncovered and and unpacked.

Speaker 2: Yeah. And we won't and that that's one of those where it would not surprise me if he still goes number three overall. It also wouldn't surprise me if he's Chicago's pick at 25. You know? Yeah. Either way. I don't Yeah. And that's what that's part of why the mock draft is a lot of times, it's just a bunch of drunk dudes throwing darts. You know?

Speaker 3: I am not drunk when I do a mock draft. What are you talking about?

Speaker 2: I will take you back to the combine. What was that? 2015? 2016. Yeah. And, a a group of us, well known draft nicks, wound up going out, and we went to a bar. It's the it's a it was a brewery. It's not even it's called Towyard. It's not even there anymore. And we got drunk, and we're, like, throwing darts at the board, and that's gonna be our mock draft. And of all people, Jim Nagy was there, and this was before he was running the senior hall, and he joined in with us. And that that that has always stuck with me because we wound up, like, getting three or four of them right just by throwing darts while we're drunk.

Speaker 3: That is awesome. That is awesome.

Speaker 2: Fun things with with Draft Source. Kyle Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino were both there that can verify that story.

Speaker 3: That is awesome. I miss those guys, Ben. I, I miss being down at Senior Bowl, having barbecue and beers with those guys and talking prospects and and sitting in on their on their podcast. Great times great times. But I had a great time here with you. Likewise. Russ Russ and Riz here on the, daily DLP of the Detroit Lions podcast. Do you have anything else to add as we close-up shop?

Speaker 2: No, man. Just everybody enjoy your weekend. And if you're impacted by the floods that are here in Michigan and especially on my side, it's really bad. Like Yeah. My my my thoughts and prayers are out to you, man. Because that like, my basement did flood a few years ago, and it is awful. It there it is helpless, man. So, you know, again, thoughts and prayers for all the people that are getting impacted by it. And it's, allegedly, supposed to rain again today, which just sucks. But I know. That that that's all I got for the week, Russ. What about you?

Speaker 3: No. Likewise, man. Thoughts to everybody out there, especially, like, up in Traverse City where the the dams are backing up and, a lot of crazy stuff happening here in the state. I I don't know if, like, we've become tornado central, but I feel like, you know, the other night I was sleeping and 02:00 in the morning, I'm having a heart attack because my amber alert goes off for a tornado warning. So, yeah, crazy crazy crazy stuff, but we are a week away from the draft. So, just head head down, grinding away here, getting to the finish line, putting the hay bales in the barn, so to speak. So looking forward to it. But, you guys can rate, review, and subscribe to the Detroit Lions podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and all other, podcast platforms. And, of course, you can find us over at x at Russell NFL Draft and at Jeff Rizden. He's Jeff Rizden. I'm Russ Brown. This has been Russ and Riz on the daily DLP of the Detroit Lions podcast.