EPISODE 5 - Michigan NCAAB Champs, First Discussion on NFL Draft + Player Landing Spots

After a great March Madness tournament, the Michigan Wolverines are the final team standing...a very rewarding moment for one of the hosts of Right Read, and the worst case scenario for the other. We further discuss how this Michigan team will shape the way colleges build their rosters going forward and the stark contrast between the philosophies of Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Dusty May when it comes to the transfer portal and NIL roster building.

That's not all! As the NFL draft approaches, we highlight a few key offensive players and ideal (but realistic) landing spots for them from a fantasy perspective. There's one clear RB and one clear QB, but where do we want the large group of WR's to fall? What teams have the most exciting and least exciting situations for these players? We cover all that and more in this episode of the Right Read. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome sports fans, athletes, data nerds, and all others tuning in to the fifth episode of the Write Read Podcast. I am your host, Robert, alongside my lifelong friend, rival, and your other co-host Troy, who is probably still riding the high of the Wolverines national championship, which we both did predict in our most recent episode ahead of the final four matchups. But I know there's probably not too many others that are as excited or as hype as you are.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Yes. Um that game, uh, Yukon, Michigan. Now that was quite the game. I I had to say I coming out coming out of that game against Arizona, uh, dominating them the way we did. Um, I was like, you know, going in that UConn game, I was feeling really confident. Like, you know, this might be a similar type of game. Um, but then Yukon, you know, came out and kind of sucked us into playing their type of ball. Um, and that's kind of what scared me that whole game was okay, they want to limit possessions, you know, they're gonna take the full 30 seconds off of each shot clock on offense, which they did, and they're really good at doing that. They start their offense up at like 10 seconds and get to the rim or get a shot open, you know, with all the movement they have on offense. Um, so that kind of scared me a little bit, you know, just the way the game was going. It felt like Michigan couldn't get into a rhythm on offense. Um, it felt like UConn was playing the ball they wanted to play and was comfortable doing so, um keeping it low scoring, keeping, you know, staying in the game the whole first half. Um, and you know, with with Yaks being injured, um, being very limited, uh, he wasn't able to do to play the way he wanted to play, get to the rim. Um, even some of his shots. I mean, he, you know, airballed a three, like just wasn't playing the way he was playing. Um, so that scared me. Even coming into the game, um, and then kind of seeing the way he was playing in the game was also like, you know, we don't, he's our go-to. He's our go-to takeover guy if we need a bucket. Um, and we if you don't have that, what's this gonna look like? Um, but Michigan played their ball, you know, didn't didn't let that get in the way. Um, and they were more aggressive, getting to the hoop, um, drawing fouls, you know, getting to the free throw line. The biggest thing is, you know, they made 22 straight free free throws, which that's I would say free throws throughout the season watching Michigan has been their weak point. Um, so they that really them, you know, getting to the strike and hitting their free throws was huge. Um, so yeah, I I'm riding that high, feels great. Um, you know, to represent the Big Ten, represent the state of Michigan, um and just uh be, you know, win the national championship, uh, went out to the parade on Saturday. That was pretty cool. Uh seeing the players and you know, just celebrating. And right, you know, during that um parade and shortly after they um reach an agreement with Dusty May with a five-year extension. Um so he'll be he'll be coach of Michigan through 2031, um, which is great. So lock him up as much as some of the other schools wanted to knock on the door, or you know, NBA teams knocking at the door. Um, we got him got him locked up for you know five more seasons, which is phenomenal. Um, well deserved, you know, two years coming into a university and winning a championship after your second year is is phenomenal. Um, especially the turnaround that Dusty May had, um, taking over an 8 and 24 team, uh, a team that you know didn't even make the tournament, didn't even go to the NIT, nothing, nothing, just straight up eight wins for the whole season. Um, I think Michigan was like dead last in the Big Ten, if I'm not mistaken. Um, like that's just outrageous. And then you go the next year where you know we make a splash, win the Big Ten tournament, um, and then this year kind of just getting over the hump. Um, it's you know, 1989 was the last time we won the championship. So pretty big 37-year drought. I'm glad that's ended. Um, but yeah, that that was phenomenal. Um, I I think now kind of looking into it, you know, it's it's fun to enjoy it, but then you know, the side of me is like, okay, how's next year gonna look? Um, and as soon as they won the whole thing, it's like I was so excited, bought all my merch, um, did everything, and then I just thought in my head, what's next year gonna look like? Like, it's like you want to ride the high, but you also want to know, okay, how are we gonna look like next year? Like in my head, I was thinking, okay, Cheddar's gone for sure, got Gail's gone, Burnett's gone, Landaborg's gone, and then you kind of get to the two big, the two bigs that we have, um, Johnson and Mara. So what I'm hearing, sounds like Mara's probably gone for sure. Um, I would say 95% from what I'm hearing. Mara's gone. Um, Johnson's still 50-50, from what I'm hearing and reading. Um, it sounds like John, there's a pretty good shot Johnson comes back, actually. Um, I think he's a huge type where he's going to test the waters, um, get some feedback similar to what Fears is doing. Um, gonna, you know, test the NBA process, the draft process, get some feedback, and then bring that back to his game and be a part of the Wolverines next year. So um, I I think he'll be on the team. Michigan just picked up a transfer from Tennessee. Um, Estrella, um, he's a six, I think he's six eleven. Played the four um at Tennessee, um, averaged 10 points, five rebounds for them. Um, so that's you know, I think that was kind of more so Mara's replacement. Um, I think they just won't play as big as you know their seven three uh center that they did with Mara. Um they'll probably just play, you know, Johnson, Estrella, four and five spot, however you want to um interchange those two. But they're also um looking into it. We have you know the number number two, number one or number two uh recruiting crap class coming in. We just picked up you know a top 10 player a lot of high school. So reloading through the high school way, and then uh the transfer portal. I think we're right in there with Drew Karras uh from Wake Forest. He averaged you know 22 points a game at Wake Forest. Uh, I think it's between Michigan and North Carolina right now, um, on who's who's gonna bring him in. He'll be a he'd be a great replacement for Yaxel um at the three spot. So potential lineup for next year. We got Cadeau at the one. Um, we got McKenny at the two, and that three spot's kind of that question mark right now. Um, and then you know, just from what I'm guessing, it's gonna be Johnson at the four and Estrel at the five. Um, but I I think too, you know, it's great and all, you know, Michigan won it all, but what is Michigan State's team gonna look like next year? I I heard you know they're gonna be one of the contenders, you know, they got some returning pieces and they're gonna be you know solid. Um any any news on the Spartans end?

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Yeah, it's it's funny because they're from the same state, they play in the same conference, but their teams are completely different in how they're built, how they're structured. MSU doesn't have the transfers already committed to them. There's not a ton of scuttle butt around who they're targeting in the transfer portal. Are they going after some of these guys? In my opinion, they absolutely need to. Their biggest need in the transfer portal is a defender, rebounder, and scorer from the post. Just a really good post big because we're losing Jackson Cole and Carson Cooper, who honestly, for some of our games this year, just completely carried us and probably had some of the best four-year developments I've ever seen in college basketball. Coming on a campus as freshman, couldn't do much other than run a few minutes out there and just get used to the game speed. Their senior year, they absolutely took off. They deserved a better ending to it than what they got, but ultimately the team couldn't pull together for UConn. I think that's kind of that's one of the like the parodies of college sports now. Michigan just won the national title as the first team ever to start five transfers. So that was truly a team that Dusty May assembled from a various different pieces. He did that at Florida Atlantic, too, if you remember, I think 2023. He took them to the final four as kind of an underdog. That team was full of transfers, kind of as that era was starting. So he's very much been at the front of it. He's been the innovator in the space. He knows how to spot talent, he knows how to get that talent to work together. And I'm not surprised that you got Tennessee transfers coming in, you're you're eyeing up Wake Forest transfers. The recruits are the big story for me. I thought that was gonna be Michigan State's like bread and butter going forward. Izo's getting, I think, four or four stars coming in next year. I'm really excited about that. I know a lot of Michigan State fans are, but then Michigan goes ahead and signs, you know, a five-star from California, and they're getting other, you know, these transfer portal kids and everything, and they're gonna reload, you know. It's not even rebuild time, it's not, oh my gosh, we're losing three or four contributors to the NBA or to graduate graduating. They're just they're coming back and they're gonna they're gonna keep reloading. And I think if you win, you have the Michigan brand, you obviously have the Michigan money. Who doesn't want to go play for that? You know, and so I think that's a tough thing that Izo's competing against right now because he likes to do it old school. He wants to get kids in year one, build them up for three or four years, get them to really understand how he wants the team to play, how to handle themselves. And as much as I love that, it hasn't led to a championship in a while. It's led to plenty of Final Fours and plenty of great runs. Um, but it's it's gonna be tough because he's gonna be definitely on the the other side of the realm in terms of where college basketball is transitioning. So, in terms of individual players, we got the two bigs I mentioned that are leaving. Uh, that's gonna be the biggest need to address in the portal. We do have a uh a great four-star center coming in, uh, Ethan Taylor. I think he's gonna be okay, but freshmen big under Izo are historically not typically ready to play. Jaron Jackson Jr. was he obviously is has made a career in the NBA, um, but it's it's not easy to play for him at any position as a freshman. Jeremy Fears, you mentioned he's testing the waters in the draft. He's he declared for it, but it's my expectation amongst most others that he's just getting feedback. What does he need to work on the next year or two? Um, I think he's probably like 75th on team's draft board right now. So no chance that he's gonna get drafted, in my opinion. Uh, come back, work on a few things. Uh, I fully hope he is there for two more years, uh, playing out the rest of his eligibility. If he is, I think he has a decent shot at breaking Braden Smith's assist record in NCAA, just given the last two years and what he's done. Uh, hopefully they surround him with some better shooters. But it's gonna be pretty quiet from the Michigan State transfer side of things. They're gonna rely on the return of Fears, Carr, Jordan Scott, who was a freshman last year, and then kind of fill in the gaps with maybe some role-playing transfer portal guys, but none of the high-end like difference makers, I think, just because that's not his own style.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Yeah, I think when he tests the the draft waters, they're gonna be like, dude, you're playing the perfect game for the NBA with with looking for fouls similar to Shea, Alexander. You know, you're you're you're doing that right, dude. Now you just gotta get you get your mid-range, gotta get the jump shot down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's probably gonna be the biggest thing for him. But the biggest thing, you know, I want to go back and highlight just one thing real quick that I thought of. You know, everyone's so quick to just say that Michigan was paid for, and you know, a Dusty Mays is paying for all these players and lot, well, whatever, you know, like the way it is, you know, that's the only way that we're gonna win is if we, you know, pay and and get all these transfers. But like the biggest thing you got to think about. So I'm looking back at last year's roster. You have Mara, who was a bench player at UCLA, barely played. You have Johnson coming off the bench, barely played for Illinois, came in as like a six-man role. Like Landeborg was like the one player, you know, that was proven coming into the school.

SPEAKER_00 11:35

But like when you're looking at the transfer board, he was proven at UAB, right? It's not like he was a Kentucky transfer or a Duke transfer coming in, like that everybody knew was going to be he dominated at a lower level at lower competition, so it's not like he was like that guy, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

And and that's the thing, too. It's like, I don't know, that's just the new way of college, and it's going to be that way. Like, regardless, if you go out and you get get a whole lineup of transfers, you as a coach still have to find a way to make it work. Like, it doesn't matter if you have you know all this talent coming, you have to find a way to have them all work in your system and play together as a team. So I I I saw that a lot on Twitter and and just read through it. It's like, yeah, you you can say what you want, but there's at the end of the day, you still have to win, you still have to compete against great teams. Um, and teams that have played together honestly have a better chemistry together, had years of playing together. So I I think really I think you know, Dusty deserves more credit than what he gets outside of the you know, the Michigan fans and kind of the you know, outside fans that just say, you know, he bought his team, you know, bought not built, all this crap that came up. You know, I think that overall now it's just like the you can't say that he he won a championship, he built that team up. They weren't star players at their respective universities. He they came in and found their role, found their spot, um, felt comfortable in the role, um, and flourished um under Dusty's system. So that's kind of a big thing I wanted to hit on because I I I do see Michigan State. I think they're making a splash um with Alabama center. He's from Detroit. Um, I think it's like Sherelle or something, um, where Michigan State's in the mix for him for the center spot. Um, but yeah, I could definitely see Michigan State. I think every school, and you know, your top schools, they're gonna grab a few transfer porters. It might not be your big top 10, you know, names that Louisville just picked up with their point guard and center spot, but um you you gotta find even some just key bench players. Like I even just like think about Michigan, like you know, they're they need they need like a cheddar, but like a cheddar that's gonna come in and actually score the ball and do a few things because this year the falloff was insane. But um, they you you gotta have depth, you gotta, you know, because injuries are kind of just given in basketball. You're gonna have who's gonna be the next man up, you gotta have a bench. I'd say you gotta at least have eight deep. You gotta have at least eight deep for camp. Yeah, you can't be rolling 35 minutes a game out of your people. You know, you get to that 30-minute mark, and I think you know, productivity kind of slows down a little bit for some of these players.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

But uh I think even like an underrated aspect of that of playing the same guys for so many times or for so much time in a given game, is the other team learns how to defend them and learns what they're gonna try to do. I think I noticed that a little bit with um Acuff and um the the man from uh VCU who is lighting it up, they played so many minutes that eventually they and fatigue obviously could have been a factor as well, but you start to learn how they're gonna play or even the certain sets, and like, okay, I know when they're setting up this particular way, they're gonna try to get this corner shot or they're gonna try to get them on a dribble drive. Um, and so when you can throw in, like to your point, eight guys out there, then the coach starts to have to think, okay, what this is Cheddar in here now. Oh, wait, no, it's McKinney in here. Okay, no, Burnett's actually in the corner now. Oh, wait, no, they got three big guys on the like it just changes the strategy, the game plan, and everything when you have so many guys to throw out there. And I think that's obviously one of their strengths Michigan had this year and Michigan State. Uh obviously not at the high end level that Michigan did, but they were running seven, eight guys out there on any given night that just gave them different looks. They all had different skill sets, they complemented each other in some ways. And and I think that's gonna be a big necessity going forward, especially with all the transfers, all the movement that you're gonna have. It's not always gonna be two guys that you can rely on to carry you into a final four. You're gonna need that full seven, eight kind of pack deep for sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Yeah, yeah. And I would say too, I think both Michigan and Michigan State, just the way that Michigan State's gonna be able to return a lot of their key pieces, and you know, with your recruiting class transfer and then Michigan getting a few of their key guys back. We might have to make a trip to Detroit next year. Um, we might have to, you and I have to go check out the Final Four. Hopefully, you know, a championship that'll be pretty cool because it is coming to Detroit next year. Um, but you know, just looking at the Big Ten, I would say Illinois look like they just rebuilt, they grabbed a good, you know, one of the top 15 transfer guys to replace um Waggler um going to the NBA um draft. But yeah, you know, all I can say is go blue. Uh I I'm still like it doesn't feel real. Um, you know, 2023 football, 2026 basketball. Now it's great, great time to be a Wolverine for sure. Um, but I think I'd transition us more into you know what's upcoming um with the NFL draft. Um, so that's right around the corner. I know you're you're going there. It's gonna be in Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Um, I will be attending. I'm looking forward to it. The draft's always something that I feel like it's for some reason it's extra special just because you're most of the time you know these guys in college, you watch some of them, they have successful careers, but then you also have the ones that might be on bad teams or might not have performed at the super high level. But for whatever reason, the scouts love them, the the front offices love them, and so they're given the the chance, you know, their first round pick. You're like, oh, is that a reach? Is that like is that did he fall too far? Uh so there's always those fun draft stories. Pittsburgh's one of my favorite cities, obviously huge football city. So I'm excited to see how they kind of put on for it. Um, hoping my Steelers make a splash in the draft, but ultimately they they are on rinse and repeat every year. They go, you know, nine and eight or whatever they need to go to like draft 20th overall every year, and then they're just kind of stuck in like that dungeon. So we'll see what they do. They do have enough picks later in the draft that they might be able to make something work, but we'll see. I'm excited for it for sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

Yeah, yeah. Do you um overall? So kind of what Rob and I are gonna do, we're gonna break it down more so offensively, um, just due to us, you know, jumping into fantasy for this year. Um, we'll so we'll give a breakdown of you know 10 to 15 different players offensively that you know we think are good fits with certain teams um that could also you know help them out with dynasty rankings, um, fantasy rankings, whatever it may be. So I'll let you go, Rob, first and kind of just breaking down, you know, you can go through a few of the players where you think they're gonna land at and kind of you know why they would be a good fit for that team.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

Yeah. Yeah, I like I said, I I love the NFL draft for the the greater thing that it is, but I also love it as the fantasy lover that I am, the fantasy player that I am. Uh, there's gonna be real implications here in a couple of weeks when those names are read off on that stage. You can we're gonna give you guys some of our ideas based on who the players are themselves and who the or what the team needs are. But wherever these players line up, that's gonna completely change something. So be sure you're tuning in in a couple more weeks after the draft is actually finished and finalized, and we start building out those depth charts and those rosters a little bit. First player I want to talk about is probably the consensus best player at his position. Uh, it is gonna be running back Jeremiah Love from Notre Dame, had an amazing season last year, amazing career at Notre Dame. Is built exactly how you would build a running back in Madden if you're creating a player, if you're creating that superstar player. I would love to see him, and and I'm also gonna give realistic, you know, uh scenarios. Like I'd love to see Jeremiah Love on the Steelers, you know, but like that's not realistic. It's not gonna happen. So I'm gonna try to keep it pretty realistic based on where the teams are drafting, what their team needs are. And I think him getting mocked pretty frequently to the Tennessee Titans, I would love that. I would love it for a couple reasons. First one is he's gonna get instant running back one volume. He deserves it from a talent perspective. But I think their best running back right now on roster is Tony Pollard, who has had some good moments and everything, but he's on the way out of his NFL career in terms of just the longevity and his effectiveness, efficiency. Uh, I think Cam Ward's development might take a step further next year, especially under Sayla, uh Robert Saylor, the new head coach for Tennessee. I think he's got a toughness to him. I think he's gonna want to run the ball. I think he's gonna want to establish that toughness to the game. Um, and I really do think that they have so they were so bad that they have so many draft picks later in the draft to bolster their offensive line that does need a little bit of help, specifically in the interior. Uh, so that's a first name that I'm gonna throw out there. Uh, Troy, I know you're pretty high on Jeremiah Love. You got any thoughts, any ideal scenarios or uh teams for him to land on in this draft?

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Yeah, yeah, Jeremiah Love. Um, I I think, you know, when I think about running backs, I think about Saquon coming out of college, um, Derek Henry coming out of college, some of these bigger names. Um, but I think Love's right up there, you know, with them. I think he's a great pass catcher, can see the hole pretty well, has a great burst. Um, you know, it's fast. Um, it will be great in the NFL. Um, you mentioned the Titans. I think that's you know a great you know shoutout for for team wise. I think if Titans go a different route, I could see them, I could see Love, you know, slip into pick seven um with the commanders. I I think the commanders have you know, they have um Daniels at quarterback, um they got a few wide receiver pieces, nothing crazy, but I think they don't have that go-to running back. Like they were going between Brian Robinson um and a few of their pass catching backs, but I think love would give them the overall package where they could just keep him in, you know, for first through third down. Um, and he's I think he'd be a great fit for the commanders at seven. Um, so I think if he makes a pass to Titans, I think the commanders would grab him at seven. If somehow the commanders are set with Robinson and happy with with how that's going, um, then the Saints at eight wouldn't would be realistic too. I mean, you have Kamara that is definitely uh seen as better days. Um, but I would say for sure Titans or Commanders would be definitely my two you know guesses on where love would go. And I think you know, I have the number one overall pick in my dynasty league, and that's definitely where I'm going um with the number one overall pick. And I would say a lot of leagues will go that route as well. Um, it's hard to pass up on you know a talent like love. Um, or if you if you need a quarterback, we we can get in there. You know who's going to be that second um possible pick as well. But I would say love for sure. Titans are commanders and he's going to have instant dynasty impact. He'll be a top top 10 dynasty running back out the gate. Even right now, just looking at it. He'll be a top 10 um overall dynasty player. And then going into that second pick, I mean, overall, you just it's it's a quarterback. It's um, you know, he's gonna go number one overall to the Raiders um with uh Fernando Mendoza. I I think it's just it's obvious. Um, you know, with him um winning Heisman, uh winning the championship, just his character, the way he carries himself. He's he's just very mature.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

Um he's NFL ready, you know. Like you love hearing that term coming out of like the combine and everything. He's like NFL ready. He could step on a field. No, he's not gonna light it up like prime paint manning or Tom Brady, but he's gonna be able to carry himself and and run an NFL offense. So I I agree with that completely. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Mendoza, he, I mean, he'll be he'll be uh yeah, like you said, how good he's gonna be, I I don't really know. I I think he'll be he'll be he'll he's smart enough, he has he has great accuracy. Um, I think you'd have to work on his arm strength a little bit. Um, I think that might be something that might hinder you know the deep passes down the field, but his IQ for the game, um, how how he just holds himself. I think he's gonna gain a lot of respect out of the locker room really quick. Um you know, taking over. I mean, as a quarterback, you're you're just taking over the team, really, as a quarterback. You're the face face of that team, um, especially the offense. So how how fast you can build that respect goes a long way with you know with your uh players um that you have in the locker room. So that that's kind of where I would go to.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Um but they had the I love the the matter, not the matchup, the fit with Mendoza in Las Vegas. I obviously everyone listening to this podcast, if they're NFL fans, I don't need to tell you they got Ashton Jante last year in the draft, a very high-end, top-tier, top talent running back, didn't necessarily perform like it last year. I think that was more so just the function of the Raiders being the Raiders. That's why they got the number one overall pick. Brock Bowers, I was ready to say he was the best tight end in the league, but my boy Trey McBride helped me win a fantasy championship last year. He is solid number one tight end in fantasy. Brock Bowers is such a close second, though, and an amazing, amazing athlete. He missed time last year due to injury. He's gonna come back, assuming he's fully healthy. He's gonna have weapons and an underrated piece is Clint Kubiak's the new head coach over there in Las Vegas. He came from the championship team of the Seahawks last year, calling plays for them. Um, very much so being the lead of that offense because their head coach, uh Mike McDonald, which you're familiar for, a former Michigan guy. He's a defensive play caller, right? He's a defensive-minded guy. Yeah, so he Clint Kubiak was very much the offensive uh you know person at in Seattle and led them to a championship, worked well with Sam Darnold, kind of put him into different uh formations, different situations that really helped uh highlight his skill set. And I think he's gonna do the same in Las Vegas. I think he's got even more weapons, honestly, on Las Vegas than he did in Seattle from a skill set perspective. Offensive line definitely needs some work. Uh, but you get a quarterback that's able to kind of dissect the defense. And I think, you know, Raiders fans might not have a lot to look forward to, but they do have that pairing to look forward to for sure. Yes, yes. Who do you got after uh Mendoza that you want to highlight? Uh, someone I want to highlight just uh because you had mentioned the commanders uh for a potential landing spot for Jeremiah Love. Uh, and I would love to see Makai Lemon, the wide receiver out of USC, paired up with Jaden Daniels. And the reason for that is Jaden Daniels didn't have the best sophomore season. Uh, you know, he dealt with some injuries. He was a little bit more uh ineffective as he was compared to his his rookie year. And Lemon is polished, he can run the routes, he is quick, not fast. He is tough, he's got great hands when he gets him on the ball. He can position his body, he's already working on two foot toe taps at like on the boundary. He instantly becomes their wide receiver two. And they have still have Terry McLaurin, who is a decent wide receiver, but I think a hot take is if Mikhailman ends up on the commanders, by the end of the season, he could be their wide receiver one in terms of targets, uh, volume, targets being that, even touchdowns, just yards, because of how fast he can get open and the toughness that he plays with. He he truly, I don't want to make like the Puka Nakua comp because that just feels like it's a little bit too crazy, but he plays like him. He he's gonna get open quick, he's gonna catch the ball if he gets his hands on it, he's gonna be tough, he's gonna run block, which is a big thing. Uh, I would love to see him paired there. I don't necessarily think that means he's the best wide receiver in the draft. I think there's kind of uh it's up in the air. I think depending on where all these wide receivers go, that's what's gonna determine who I'm gonna target the heaviest in our fantasy drafts. Um, but I think Mikhail Lemon in Washington with the commanders, with Jaden Daniels, who is a proven quarterback, uh, might not be coming off the best season, but he can definitely run in an efficient, dynamic offense. Um, I would be excited to see that pairing. Where do you have Mikhail Lemon in terms of your rankings for uh some of these wide receivers in the draft?

SPEAKER_01 27:29

Yeah, so I think it's right now, I think it's Tate Lemon. I I think Tate is the best, and it's not like a far and clear cut best, but I would say Carnell Tate, um, a little over Lemon. So I, you know, kind of looking at the the draft board a little bit, um, you have the Chiefs at nine, um, where they still, I mean, Rasheed Rice is like their number one. Um, but if they can get a dynamic uh receiver at this spot, um, that would be huge. Um, because running backs off the table now. They sign Kenneth Walker that needs filled. Um, and just looking at some of these other teams, like I'm looking at the 11th overall pick with the Dolphins. Um, and I think this would be a good spot for either Tate or Lemon um to fall into as well.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

Um, the Dolphins are you excited about a wide receiver in Miami right now, though? I mean, like they don't have anything going for them on the offensive side of the ball. They got a defensive, the defensive coordinator from the Packers is their new head coach. So uh, you know, and maybe it's gonna happen. It can definitely work. I just think of it might be the most realistic fit for some of these guys, but it's not exciting from a fantasy perspective. I don't get excited about that.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Yeah, no, no, I see, and that's the thing too. You know, I got I gotta be realistic on where I think they're gonna go, and that's you know, gonna hinder, you know, fantasy-wise, their potential. So if you either have a Tate or Lemon going to the Dolphins, yeah, I'm I'm definitely not going to be overly thrilled or having to be like, I have to have this guy, but let's say one of those two go to the Chiefs. Um, then it kind of just shifts into like, okay, you know, I gotta get a grab of one of these guys late in a redraft league or early, you know, it's gonna be early regardless in a dynasty league. So in dynasty, you look at these players, these top receivers, you got Tate, Lemon, uh Tyson, uh, Omar Cooper, um, Boston, some of these receivers that it doesn't matter um because it is dynasty. But if we're talking redraft, yeah, you you gotta kind of look at these receivers and see what team they're gonna be going to. So I would say I could see Tate going to one of those. Um, I know the Giants as well, um, with neighbors. You know, he's coming off an injury. That's are definitely their number one um receiver, but after that, you have Wandale Robinson, who's more of like a PPR merchant.

SPEAKER_00 29:49

Um, so I I would say having Wandale actually left, he's with the Titans this year. He's on the Titans team, yeah. So they they lost Juandale. Um, I feel like they they still got Sterling Shepard, who is kind of fills that role as like a wide receiver three type of guy, you know. Or um, and I I would like Carnell Tate in New York, you know, selfishly as a fantasy player. You know, I I care less about the Giants as a team or if it leads to team success. But Jackson Dart's proven, Malik Neighbors is proven. Uh hopefully Cam Scatabo can rehab. That was one of the worst injuries I've ever seen in the NFL. Hopefully he can rehab bounce back. He's proven. Uh, put Carnell Tate out there, who I think actually is a nice compliment to how Malik Neighbors plays in terms of his style. Uh, I would love to see that. Right now, I think Carnell Tate's getting mocked to the Cleveland Browns. I couldn't be less excited about a pairing because Shadur Sanders is not the guy. Dylan Gabriel is not the guy. They can re-sign Joe Flag again. He's not the guy. I think they got Deshaun Watson. I don't know if he's ever gonna play again or if he's even gonna be good. I don't know what that situation's like, but it's not gonna be good. And so Cardinal Tate's gonna be a generational talent. He's great, you know, whatever. If he goes to Cleveland, throw it all out the window because it's he's gonna just turn into someone who you maybe take in like the last round of your fantasy drafts because you liked him at Ohio State or something. So I wouldn't be excited about it. That's kind of how I'm I'm feeling things will go. He's gonna get the he's gonna stay in Ohio, I guess. Doesn't have to move too far from home, but uh it's gonna be unfortunate if that's where he lands or any offensive player for that matter.

SPEAKER_01 31:26

Yeah, I and that's the biggest thing you look at it. I I think when we're talking top offensive prospects to go high in that first round. Um, you'd have you know love, Mendoza, Tate, and Lemon. Um, and yeah, from a fantasy perspective, it really just depends on what team they're going to. Um, so you know, I I think Tyson um would be that third receiver uh off of um the draft board. I think it's gonna go your top three, Tate, Lemon, Tyson, and it all depends on how the teams evaluate them too. Um, you know, because you could think Tate's going one and then you know Tyson's off the board board first. Um so it just really just depends. Um, but yeah, the intriguing teams are definitely, you know, the Chiefs at that top. I mean, having a ninth overall pick is the the commanders having the seventh pick. Um, but like the rest of the teams, it's like from a receiver standpoint, I wouldn't be too thrilled on them going there. So jumping into Tyson, I for some reason I think he drops a little bit just based on you know injuries, um, and you know, can he stay healthy? Um, and that's just for each team to evaluate. Um, so if you go further down the you know the draft board, um I know the Rams, they have Puka and Devante, um, but how much longer will Devontae play? Do they want somebody to kind of just you know go under their wings and kind of develop them? Devonta would be a perfect mentor to develop a young receiver uh if they go that route. But um I I think with Tyson, um it would that would be a good fit. It just really just depends on how far some of these um players fall um because it is wide receiver heavy um compared to running backs. I mean, you look at Jeremiah Love, and you know, after that, there's a pretty big gap after after Jeremiah Love. Um and the receivers are kind of you can kind of grade them and critique them on kind of their fit and how they play into your offense. Um, so after Tate and Lemon, um, what what's your kind of mindset uh with Tyson or Cooper or Boston on kind of some good fits for them?

SPEAKER_00 33:36

Yeah, I I think just based on some of the the stuff I have seen from Tyson, I I like him as much as Lemon. Like just in terms of if you got it to have one guy on your team, who do you want? I I think I would put them pretty equally. Uh I think even honestly, Denzel Boston, uh, I would put in that conversation, kind of like you mentioned. They're a little bit on the even playing field after after Tate, but even Tate, I mean, he was overshadowed at Ohio State by Jeremiah Smith. And I know Jeremiah Smith's gonna be the number one wide receiver taken next year, and definitely a generational talent, but it he's not exactly Marvin Harrison coming out, and he didn't even hasn't, I should say, hasn't panned out yet. Um, you know, Nikhil Harry was a really big, fast, strong wide receiver a few years ago. He didn't pan out so much, so it just it's giving me these feelings of like there's not that super high-end Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson type of guy who's coming out that you absolutely need to get your hands on. I would love Jordan Tyson in the Rams offense because Sean McVeigh is an offensive guru, right? That's well established. Stafford as a quarterback is the best quarterback to have for wide receivers, period, in fantasy. You know, he's led Megatron to his super uh record setting season. He led Cooper Cup to his, he's now led Puka Nakua to whatever he's done the last three or four years. Devante had a stellar season last year compared to what people thought he was kind of on the downward trajectory of his career. And I think even though they have those two players, that will actually force Jordan Tyson's fantasy value down pretty far. And that's why I would like that. You could then get him in redraft or dynasty later because he's not gonna, no, he's not gonna outshine those two guys this year. It's just not gonna happen. Those are two of the most polished wide receivers the game has, but he can have the value, and it only takes one injury or one breakout game to really, you know, get trade value for Tyson if you want him, or be able to put him in a flex, or be able to keep him in dynasty for next year and the year after. So I would like him on that team for that same reason. I would like any of the wide receivers, honestly, in the Los Angeles Rams uh offensive scheme. That's like a selfish way to put it as a fantasy fan, but I really like that. And another player team pairing uh that might go a little bit under the radar because tight ends aren't the sexy position all the time, and the Carolina Panthers definitely haven't been the sexy NFL team since Cam Newton didn't fall in the fumble in the Super Bowl, however many years ago. Um, so I think it's pretty consensus at this point from some of the mock drafts I've read and some of the experts that the tight end out of Oregon, Kenyan Sadiq, is going to be a Carolina Panther. I think it's a great fit. The Panthers don't have a good tight end. They do have decent wide receiver depth, uh, with the top being obviously Tetaroa McMillan. Uh, they still got Chuba Hubbard to kind of tote the rock down there. Rico Doddle is now gone and officially a Pittsburgh Steeler. So they might have to fill in that gap too, but definitely not in the first round. I like Kenyon Sadiq in Carolina. He's an explosive athlete. He is honestly testing better than some of these wide receivers in terms of speed, explosiveness. Um, he really has great measurables. He's been in a good organ system program that just knows how to coach guys ready to get them, uh, getting them ready for the NFL. And I think they'll they'll have enough support at the wide receiver position to kind of let him get the mismatches on the field that you're gonna look for for some tight ends, especially rookie tight ends. He's going to blow by any linebacker that tries to match up one-on-one with him. And if you try to put ring of safety on him, he's gonna big body him. He he's just that kind of guy. He's a matchup nightmare, especially when you got enough talent in the outside wide receiver spots to kind of divert the attention away from him. I really like that pairing. I think that's one that if we just pencil it in right now, um, I would certainly look at him towards the later end of redrafts. And, you know, if you absolutely need to in the second round of a dynasty league take him, or maybe even in that first round, if you don't have a tight end and you don't know where you're gonna go for one. I would like that pairing. I think he's gonna have a solid chance at being a super big playmaker for Carolina, or honestly, wherever he goes, I just think Carolina gives him the best opportunity that first year.

SPEAKER_01 38:00

Yeah, yeah. I think Sadiq is one of those, yeah, tight generational tight ends. Uh, he ran like a 4-3-9 at the combine, which is insane. Pretty much a 4-4 for a tight end. Um he's caught he caught a lot of balls at Oregon, too. I mean, he was a pretty big focal point of that offense. Um, caught 51 passes last season. Um, I I think you know, the the Ravens have pick 14. Um I know they have likely Isaiah likely. I just don't think he's panning out how they expected him to pan out um behind um Andrews. Andrews got a year or two left. Um, he's definitely you know going down a little bit um health-wise. So I think Ravens um jump on him at 14, but if he falls to the Panthers, I think that's a great fit as well. Just you know, they have Peter up McMillan. Um, and then outside of him, they don't really have anybody else. Um, and I would say that's you know, they're they're lacking that playmaky playmaker side of things.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Yeah, to your point, sorry to cut you off, Isaiah likely is with the New York Giants now. So he is not even on the date on it, but you make a good point because other than Mark Andrews, who I agree, he's on a downward decline, he's not even a very reliable fantasy player because he has gotten, and I know for sure, there's at least four games where he's played a lot of snaps and he has logged a donut, zero points, zero catches, zero anything. Um, and so he's he's inconsistent at best. After him, do you know who Durham Smythe is?

SPEAKER_01 39:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:32

I don't, I have no clue who he is. Sorry to any of his family watching or any fans of the Ravens. I have no clue who he is.

SPEAKER_01 39:37

A key bench player for sure. Um, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:40

But they need they need to booster that that spot, especially they're they're riding with Lamar, you know, they got Zay Flowers out there, they got King Henry in the backfield, so they're gonna they're gonna figure that stuff out. I I I kind of like it actually. Now that I'm looking into it, I like the pairing of Kenyon Sadiq in Baltimore. Hate it as a Steelers fan because they don't need any more good. I it can be bad, and I would be great. I want them to be like the Browns, but that's a good good shout-out for for him to land in Baltimore.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

Yeah, yeah. No, I I think it'll be a great fit. Um, especially now more knowing that you know, likely is you know not even with them anymore. They need did do need a replacement for Andrews and someone that you know, I mean Sadiq would have a good year to learn behind Mark Andrews. You know, he wouldn't have to be thrusted into the starting tight end position. Maybe when they run two set tight ends, um he could be out there. But yeah, I think that would be a great pick for the Ravens. Um, we won't break down you know some of these other um receivers.

SPEAKER_00 40:36

I think we broke down you know the top three receivers, running back, we'll do more of the breakdowns, you know, after they get drafted, after we see some of the some of the their landing spots, we'll be able to kind of map out what that more realistic draft is gonna look like, both dynasty and redraft. Uh, because like it we've been mentioning throughout this episode, it's gonna it's gonna depend a lot on their landing spots. And yeah, we might find out more information on draft night or in the next couple weeks that we don't know now if someone's coming in with an injury or someone's coming in, you know, even bigger than the, you know, just all these random things that are gonna have an effect on some of it. So uh that's just for the listeners out there. We will do more of a full in-depth breakdown on a lot of these guys and how to strategize your leagues, your drafts, and everything as the year goes on. We're still months and months away. It's kind of sad to say it out loud, but still months and months away from even worrying about redraft fantasy leagues. Uh, typically those happen obviously end of summer, early into fall. So um just kind of throwing that preface out there as well.

SPEAKER_01 41:35

Yeah, yeah. Fantasy can't come soon enough. I'm excited to give the fans a little breakdown of some rankings we got, especially you know, lean into the later half of the summer to get everyone prepared for uh fantasy. Um, but yeah, on our on our next episode too, we'll be able to fully recap recap the draft a little bit more for you guys on exactly you know where each player went, kind of some dynasty implications, especially to get you ready for your uh dynasty drafts, your rookie drafts. Um, that should be coming up shortly after the NFL draft that takes place. Um, but I'll kick it over to Robert to kind of finish finish this episode up for you guys.

SPEAKER_00 42:12

Yeah, one more player and team that I gotta go with. My Pittsburgh Steelers. We don't really have a quarterback right now. Aaron Rodgers is playing us like a puppet. We don't know if he's coming back, we don't know if he's off into the forest doing his little relaxation trip that he's gotta do. We got Mason Rudolph on on our roster. He can be a good backup.

SPEAKER_01 42:32

I don't want him starting games, but I think the only thing I can think of with Mason Rudolph, I'm sorry I had to interrupt real quick, is when he got that fight with against the Browns. That was the only time I remember um Mason Rudolph, like that guy, he I can't believe he's still on a roster. So yeah, like go into what you what you got for us.

SPEAKER_00 42:54

I mean, but like, come on. The fact I remember watching that game was a Thursday night football game, and this man just took off his helmet and hit him over the head with it, and I was sitting there just like jaw-dropped on the floor, speechless. I'd never seen anything like that before. I I still haven't, other than that moment, and then like I don't know. I'm obviously it happened years and years ago, but I'm still in disbelief that Miles Garrett didn't get suspended and press charges. Like that dude literally assaulted a man on live television with his own helmet. Yeah, and I don't know what was said or what caused it, but man, that was just one of the most unbelievable moments in my life. Sports history watching that unfold. I'm like, they gave Rudolph, they gave Rudolph a lifetime contract. They're like, dude, you're staying here, you got that grid. I mean, yeah, like I guess you can get under the brown skin like that. I guess you got a spot in Pittsburgh forever. But to your point, he's there's not a ton in his play that you're gonna get super excited about. I think he's he's okay. I think he's good. I would love him as a quarterback too on my team any day of the week. Um But if we got to take a quarterback, realistically, we're not getting Mendoza. Would love that. But Ty Simpson out of Alabama, he's an Alabama kid. He didn't have that great of a year. But McCarthy, Mike McCarthy, the new head coach for the Steelers, sad to say, Mike Tomlin stepped down after never having a losing season, one of the greatest feats in the sport. But I think that became a little old and outdated for a while because he didn't win a Super Bowl. He didn't, you know, go far in the playoffs. Mike McCarthy's an offensive guy, right? He should run a better offense. There's two strong wide receiver options they got now. DK Metcalf. They traded for Michael Pittman from the Colts. And they got two really good running backs who kind of complement each other. They got Dowdle and Jalen Warren coming back. And I think those running backs are going to help with the receiving end of things too. So Ty Simpson, young quarterback, if he has to go somewhere, I wouldn't be mad if he fell in Pittsburgh's lap. I don't know if I would love the first round pick on him, but maybe they can make something happen. That's what I'm going to close out my player, you know, landing ideal landing spots with. I don't think he would be a fantasy play in that regard. That's just me being a Steelers fan and wanting to see something to get excited about because 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers and 64-year-old Mike McCarthy hasn't quite moved the needle for me in terms of like fan excitement. So I need something. I'm trying to grasp at straws here, but we'll we'll see how it plays out. I'm excited to go to Pittsburgh and see the draft um unfold and all the things that they got there. So that's going to do it for this episode. Hope you guys enjoyed kind of uh our breakdowns of March Madness throughout that tournament. Uh, congrats to Troy and the Michigan Wolverine on being able to enjoy the tournament more than anybody else and never having to deal with the loss and the agony of defeat in that tournament. Um, and then this is kind of our our kickoff to you know fantasy and some other topics that won't always be fantasy related, but that's definitely something we're gonna get you guys the right reads on consistently. Uh so thank you for tuning in. As Troy mentioned, in a couple weeks we'll break down the the actual landing spots of some of these players, specifically the fit with the fantasy implications, where we might take them, how you should strategize some of your drafts and everything. So be sure to keep liking, subscribing, tuning in every single uh episode, and we'll see you guys next time.