- 5 hours ago
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00But we're going to take a break here and kind of look at wide receivers.
00:03And obviously, today was a big day in the wide receiver world.
00:07Jalen Waddle getting moved for, I mean, a boatload of capital.
00:12I did not necessarily think that Jalen Waddle was going to be getting moved for, I mean, it ended up
00:17being the 30th overall pick, a third rounder.
00:19There's a fourth attached with Waddle.
00:21A bigger trade than I expected.
00:23And I didn't really know that Waddle was going anywhere because, quite frankly, you sign a quarterback to a three
00:28-year deal that's in a big prove-it year.
00:30I don't know that taking away wide receiver one from him and giving him, hey, you got Jalen Tolbert to
00:34throw the ball to.
00:35It's an interesting strategy from a roster management standpoint.
00:39I will say that.
00:40That would be like, I was going to, well, I mean, yeah, that'd be kind of like I'm going a
00:50few years back.
00:51But, like, you know, like the Browns signing Deshaun Watson or trading for him and then immediately trading Odell and
00:57Jarvis Landry if they were still here.
00:59Like, you know what I mean?
00:59Like, it'd be the same thing.
01:01Like, hey, we just signed our quarterback.
01:02Now let's take all the weapons away from him.
01:05He better be good quick on his own.
01:06You know what?
01:07You know what this is going to, you know what this sets up, though?
01:09This, and I know it's not going to be tonight.
01:12But this is going to be just as important a coach's breakdown of the quarterback class, the receiver class.
01:19Because something tells me, with Miami having the draft capital that they have, five teams, by the way, multiple first
01:27-round picks this year, including the Browns,
01:30me thinks the Dolphins might be shopping for a wide receiver as well in the first round of this draft.
01:37And there's lots of, you know, that's the, we'll get there when we get there.
01:40But the top three, everybody knows.
01:42But for me, there's not a ton of drop-off in the next six, seven guys.
01:46So it's a really good receiver class, in my opinion.
01:48I've heard that.
01:49And there's definitely, I mean, a ton of guys to be interested.
01:51Now, this does get interesting because this puts the Browns in a spot of like, okay, well, you just saw,
01:57obviously, we saw the DJ Moore trade,
01:59which I had immediately been like, that's got to be like the outlier of the year, right?
02:03I just feel like the wide receiver market this offseason's been wrecked.
02:06Yeah, I mean, it legitimately has.
02:09Like, we're trading DJ Moore, who, I mean, is on a decline probably more in his career than he's on
02:15the upswing.
02:15Jalen Waddell's not quite there, but also hasn't nearly had the production that the Dolphins have wanted him to have
02:21over the past couple of years,
02:23Tua or not Tua.
02:25And they're going for like legitimate capital.
02:28Like, I looked at like Marvin Harrison Jr.
02:29And I was like, I don't even know that you got to move 24 to go get a wide receiver
02:33that it has two years in the league
02:34and hasn't really produced.
02:36Jalen Waddell's last two years hasn't produced anything really.
02:39And I just watched him go for the 30th overall pick.
02:41I know.
02:41Okay, well, now if we're talking Marvin Harrison Jr., you're almost certainly talking the 24th overall pick instead of 39
02:47now.
02:47Yes.
02:48The way this market is playing out.
02:50So, it not only hurts them there, it's also just when you see wide receivers like Waddell getting moved for
02:56what they are,
02:57you don't see a ton of guys really moving around all that much.
03:00We have Brian Thomas Jr. not really in consideration as per a ton of the reports nationally.
03:06We have Marvin Harrison Jr.'s kind of a maybe.
03:09Olave's kind of the maybe.
03:11There's not that many options, which turns the Browns' attention then back to,
03:16oh, we're going to have to draft one of these guys in a year where, I mean,
03:20plenty of depth in the wide receiver room, but the way this class is overall,
03:24you just don't have a ton of the blue chip guys at the top, right?
03:26There's only, I mean, most people would tell you at most probably like five guys,
03:30and a lot of people would probably tell you more closer to like two or three of those guys,
03:33and then the drop-off happens to good quality starters, but maybe not the elite talents,
03:38the Jamar Chases, the Justin Jeffersons in the league, but much more you're like wide receiver two types,
03:43or like low-end wide receiver ones.
03:45But the Browns are almost, it feels like then being backed into the corner of,
03:49okay, now you have to draft a guy.
03:50Like, you're going to be turning, I don't have the chance to trade for one,
03:53now I have to go draft one, this team needs a wide receiver one desperately,
03:57and it almost feels like it doesn't exist, but your options are dwindling,
04:02which is never going to be a good thing.
04:03It's the same question that I asked about Ty Simpson,
04:08is what you have to do if you're Andrew Barry, you have to sit there,
04:11and you take, you know, let's say the 24th pick, right?
04:16Because Marvin Harrison Jr. would probably go for 24.
04:20Right.
04:20So you'd have to sit there and say, okay, here's Marvin Harrison Jr. here at 24.
04:25Now, here's a list of guys at 24 who I project are going to be available.
04:29And you just say, is that guy better, that guy better, that guy better, that guy better?
04:33And if the answer is no, and Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best player there,
04:39then you absolutely trade 24 for him.
04:43But if, you know, Lance's point about just how deep this class really feels like that,
04:49you know, we all talk about the big three, but there isn't a lot of,
04:53there isn't a tremendous separation between the top three and four through eight in this class, right?
05:01Then you sit there and say, well, I can get a player like Marvin Harrison Jr.
05:07for potentially less money without having to give up a draft asset as well,
05:12have more rookie contract control as well.
05:16Well, no, I'm better just standing pat and then going ahead and using my 24th pick in the draft
05:21on, you know, said wide receiver that I is the GM and projecting to be better.
05:25So, like, that's the fun thing about, like, that whole exercise of, like,
05:29okay, here's player A that, you know, we might want and covet and talk about, whatever,
05:34and then here's what you could have with these picks and do the compare and contrast between those,
05:41and then I think that's how you come to your decision.
05:43It's almost like sitting there doing the pro-con board, right?
05:45It's the same thing.
05:46Player A here, player, you know, the list of players on this side, okay, who's better, who's better,
05:52and then, you know, it helps inform your decision of what's better for your team building process.
05:57Go ahead, Josh.
05:58Okay, so my, you know, it's funny, I was thinking about that, having that,
06:02when you guys were talking Harrison and Olave and having that number one receiver
06:04and thinking about what Munkin does offensively, and this kind of popped into my head,
06:08what having, say, oh, Chris Olave is on this Browns team.
06:12Then all of a sudden, you know, this offense, one guy, even though it's a team game,
06:16one alpha receiver really makes this offense so much better because now Jerry Judy's a two.
06:21And when Jerry Judy's a two, he's not getting the best corner, and coverage is rotating away from him.
06:27Now you've got to cover Fannin with a linebacker, you know, safety.
06:31Well, we don't want to do that.
06:33We're going to go nickel.
06:34Now we take a linebacker out.
06:35Now we're running against a six-man box.
06:37So having this alpha receiver just kind of trickles down to the rest of this offense,
06:42which makes these guys even, you know, Jerry Judy having to be the one,
06:46maybe that's a stretch for him.
06:48Fannin having to be the number one guy, even from inside and outside,
06:52it kind of limits him, even though he was outstanding.
06:54You can go out and get that alpha.
06:55Now you've made your two and three in your run game that much better just by adding one guy.
07:00That's what an offense can do, especially an offense like Munkin's that's based on what guys do well.
07:05It's just a struggle for me when you get put into that situation
07:08because I think the wide receiver one is important for all the things you talk about.
07:11And I look at the draft class and I go,
07:13I don't know that you have that like alpha, you walk in day one and you're better.
07:16No, there's a lot of Bs, right?
07:17There's not a lot of A pluses, but there is a boatload of A minuses and Bs in this draft.
07:21A boatload.
07:22So if you're not getting the A plus guy though, like you don't know that it has that effect.
07:26Jerry Judy still might be, you know, the most talented wide receiver
07:28the day that guy walks in the building when you get to week one.
07:31And it doesn't necessarily change your offense for the better.
07:35And it feels a lot with where the Browns are at.
07:37They have almost put them in a spot in left tackle too,
07:39where you're almost getting down to the first round.
07:41And I know like we look at it and we're like, oh, first round, like tackle wide receiver.
07:45It makes so much sense.
07:46But I would imagine from a GM's perspective, that's like worst case scenario, right?
07:50Is that you're sitting there and I have six and 24 and I have two clear needs
07:54and I got to go get them.
07:55Especially when sure wide receiver might be plentiful.
07:58If I need a left tackle that bad, this is not the draft class to be going.
08:02I have two positions to take one and I'm dead set on needing a left tackle.
08:06You're probably going to have to use number six to get the best left tackle in the draft.
08:12Otherwise, if you wait till 24 or you wait till a little later, whether it's the second round or the
08:17third round,
08:19you're really rolling the dice there.
08:22And we know what happened the last time Andrew Barry took a left tackle in the first round of the
08:27draft.
08:27It didn't work out so well.
08:28Well, you know, and you worry because is it filling a hole?
08:31Which we know they have to.
08:33And I agree with that.
08:33And I'm never, and I don't want to talk out both sides of my mouth here, but it's like, once
08:39again,
08:39so are you taking as talented as I think Monroe Freeling is, are you taking that six over Caleb Downs?
08:45Are you taking that six over Sonny Stiles?
08:48You know what I'm saying?
08:49Guys that you think really change the dynamic of your team because you're such in need.
08:54That's an interest.
08:55That would be, even though I like Monroe Freeling a lot, and I think he can be really, really good.
08:59Are you passing on those guys on what you hope will be really good?
09:03And the more, like, we had this conversation a couple of weeks ago about the Browns potentially going defense at
09:09six
09:10because that potentially could be, like, the best player that's available on the board.
09:14And now that the draft picks have been announced by the league, we know where all the selections fall.
09:22And you look at, you know, the Browns have three of the top 40, four of the top 70, and
09:28five of the top 110 picks.
09:32That's a great spot to be in.
09:35And, you know, I do feel like there is some flexibility.
09:41If it's not a great left tackle class, then you're just taking a guy like Freeling just for the sake
09:48of taking him, right?
09:49And you're passing up better players to do that, that potentially gets you fired as a general manager.
09:56A hundred percent, right?
09:58But waiting to 24 to take that left tackle might not be smart.
10:01So at 24, you absolutely got to take that receiver.
10:04To your point, right, there's, like, eight guys in this class that are really, really good.
10:08You know, by the way, those eight guys may not even last to 24.
10:12You might get a run on receivers.
10:15You see that in the first round all the time.
10:18You know, you'll see a run on quarterbacks.
10:20You'll see a run on receivers.
10:21You'll see a run on corners, right?
10:23Or defensive ends or tackles.
10:25You know, just whatever class is deep.
10:29Like, we always seem to get those first round runs.
10:33So that's another part of this where Andrew has to kind of think three-dimensionally as well.
10:39It's not just about six and 24.
10:41It's about what the other 23, 22 teams are going to be doing around you, okay, while you're, you know,
10:51trying to map this whole thing out.
10:52But I do think that Andrew Barry is in a great position.
10:56Last year he got four starters out of his top picks in the draft.
11:00That's beyond outstanding.
11:02Like, that is an absolute home run.
11:05Now, I say if you can get three starters out of your top five picks, that's another home run.
11:11And you really then set your team up going forward and seeing where the Browns were both financially as well
11:18as roster-wise.
11:19Yeah, you have to do it.
11:21Like, you have to hit on those picks.
11:22And when you have, and this is part of the problem that the Browns have had over the years,
11:26where they have assembled this type of draft capital, and they have squandered it,
11:32they have not made great decisions, or they have not then developed the talent that they've drafted.
11:38So this is a very good spot for Andrew Barry to be in.
11:42I'm not going to say he can't lose at six, because obviously you can always lose with a pick,
11:47but he's got a lot of options.
11:50He really does.
11:51He can go best pure player, difference maker available.
11:57He can draft by a need.
11:59And again, to your point, Coach, yeah, sometimes when you go for need,
12:02you paint yourself into a little bit of a corner, and you miss out on other great players.
12:07But I really do like the position that Barry's in.
12:10I mean, I love the fact you have two first-round picks and where you have them this year,
12:14although six is an awkward spot for this team unless you're going best player available.
12:19It's just a moment of like, I like that Andrew Barry looks at last year,
12:23and you could have said the Browns needed 65 different things going into last season,
12:27especially offensively.
12:28And he went, I'm getting what is not a highly valued position at running back, tight end, and linebacker,
12:33but I got great ones, especially for where I drafted them.
12:36This year, it's like, I don't know that a great tackle exists at six,
12:40and at 24, especially if we're talking left tackle, if Freeland and Lama are both gone,
12:45you're probably not saying I have a great left tackle to draft at 24.
12:48You're almost backed into the corner.
12:49If I don't get another left tackle, which I don't have a ton of money to in free agency, right?
12:53Like, you could bring up Taylor Decker.
12:55That dude's set for like a $20 million, $18 million contract.
12:58I don't know the Browns have the money to give him even on a one-year deal.
13:01You're sitting there going, I can't get past that.
13:03I can't go out there.
13:04I have to start a third-round left tackle in a not-deep offensive tackle class?
13:07Like, I can't.
13:08I have to take this kid.
13:09If Lama's going to go before 24, and I don't take Freeland or somebody else at six or later,
13:14do I have to now trade up to go into the first round and make sure I get this kid?
13:17That might be on the table for you.
13:19Like, that might be the reality.
13:20In as great as the position he's in, from left tackle and then having to factor wide receiver in,
13:26you're also almost handcuffing yourself based on positional need that you have not addressed.
13:31Unless you're getting a – because of the great positioning that they already have,
13:37unless you're getting a 20-27 first-rounder, I'm all for staying at six and just picking a player.
13:42I'm not interested in getting cute and all that.
13:46And I realize that he's the master – Barry's the master of the salary cap
13:50and maneuvering up and down the board and all that.
13:52I get that.
13:52I respect that.
13:54But, like, me, I'm a little conservative this year.
13:57Coming off a really good draft, let's have another good one.
13:59Like, go ahead and take the player at six unless you're getting something that helps you in 20-27.
14:06Go ahead.
14:06No, I thought they did a great job with getting production last year, right?
14:10So even though, like, if you look at, you know, all the guys they took,
14:14Graham, Swessinger, Junkins, Fannin, Gabriel, Samson, Sanders,
14:18regardless of how they all played, they all produced in college.
14:20And I thought that was really important that they did that.
14:22They got to – maybe hopefully they do that.
14:24And one name I want to throw out there as we're talking left tackle,
14:27as I broke down his film over the last couple weeks, Elton Jenkins can play tackle too.
14:33So – and play it well.
14:35And what I always like about him is I've been – I really have a generic answer for him.
14:38He's a really good football player.
14:40And most guys can't rotate.
14:41I think he's a guy that can.
14:43So if they're in a pinch, I think he's better than, like you're saying,
14:46I think that's a really good point you made about a third-round tackle being your –
14:49it would be him because I think you've built enough depth inside that maybe, hey,
14:53in a pinch you move him outside and then you can go get a playmaker at six.
Comments