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00:00You can find his work, NFL Draft Analyst over at CBS Sports.
00:03It's our good friend, Josh Edwards, joining us now.
00:05Josh, what's going on?
00:07Not too much.
00:08Yeah, I have gotten some good feedback from Browns fans
00:12about the three-round mock draft last week.
00:14And my bosses loved it so much that they decided to put a seven-round mock draft
00:19here in the next couple of weeks.
00:20So looking forward to that.
00:22Yeah, definitely.
00:23I mean, listen, we're all interested.
00:25The thing about Browns fans is in the past,
00:28draft has been the highlight of our year.
00:29Right now, draft might be the highlight of our year.
00:32So you can probably get guys excited for fifth-round
00:34and seventh-round draft picks around here.
00:35It's not going to be tough.
00:37Yeah, without question.
00:38I mean, you know, coming off last year's draft class,
00:42you know, Cleveland was able to find some contributors into day three.
00:45So no reason to believe that that couldn't happen again this year.
00:50Josh, where do you stand?
00:51We're like five weeks out as of tomorrow from the start of the NFL draft.
00:54Where are you out on like a giddiness level?
00:56Because we're like getting to the point where it feels really close,
01:00but we still have over a month away and a lot of time to fill in between there.
01:04Yeah, I mean, that's exactly right.
01:06It feels like a lot of the hay is in the barn at this point.
01:09You kind of understand who the best players are.
01:13You understand most of what these teams need and hope to accomplish through the NFL draft.
01:19So, you know, at this point, most of the work is done.
01:22It's just kind of, you know, waiting patiently until draft night gets here.
01:26But I'm excited probably from a nerdy aspect because I think this is going to be a more interesting draft,
01:33even though it kind of lacks the, you know, star power, premium names,
01:38premium positions that we're accustomed to seeing at the top.
01:40I think there's going to be a lot of volatility in the sense of I don't think the draft is
01:46going to go pick by pick,
01:48as you might see on like consensus boards or your favorite draft analyst boards.
01:53I think picks are going to be all over the place because this year, you know,
01:57once you get beyond like the first eight or ten players,
02:00there's not a whole lot of discrepancy between, say, you know, 15 and 30 and, you know, 40 and 60.
02:06And so I think this is a draft you can find some really good depth.
02:11Joey, would you fight back on people?
02:13A lot of people have kind of tried to label this class as like a bad draft class,
02:16probably because of that lack of kind of talent in the premium positions at the top.
02:21Would you fight back on that?
02:22I would because last year, you know, the narrative was that it was a bad draft class as well.
02:28And it was one of the most productive rookie classes that we've seen in recent history.
02:33So, yeah, that's a little bit of self-reflection.
02:37Early in the process, I was one that was saying this isn't the best draft class.
02:41And then I just kind of sat back and reflected on this past year and, you know,
02:46what last year's rookie class was able to accomplish.
02:48Of course, the Browns having the best in the league, in my opinion.
02:53And I, you know, as much as you want to believe you know everything
02:58and how everything is going to play out, the truth is situation matters,
03:03scheme matters, support staff matters.
03:05There's so many other factors that determines whether or not a player is going to be successful.
03:10But it's fun to grade the picks on draft night,
03:13but we really don't know how it's going to pan out for, you know, three years down the road.
03:19There's no doubt.
03:20Now, obviously, this year rounds with some glaring holes to fix,
03:24especially offensively after what was just an abysmal last season offensively.
03:29And the two guys who I would say most commonly get mocked to the Browns at six
03:33have been Monroe Freeling and Carnell Tate.
03:37When you look at those two guys, the word that commonly gets attached is an overdraft.
03:42Which one of them do you think would be more of a reach at six?
03:46I personally think that Freeling would be more of a reach at six,
03:49even though I had him going at number six in my most recent mock draft.
03:53I think that Tate is a safer pick.
03:57You kind of know what you're getting with him.
03:59I have questions about whether he's going to be that number one wide receiver for a team,
04:03but I think he's proven a little bit more than what Freeling has shown at this point.
04:10So, you know, there's a lot to take into consideration, right?
04:13Because wide receiver, left tackle,
04:15we kind of assume that that's what the Browns are going to do in the first round in some order.
04:20And you look at the back end of the first round,
04:23and it's easier to find the possible wide receiver targets as opposed to the possible left tackle targets.
04:30Because if Caden Proctor and Caleb Lomu were taken earlier than Cleveland's pick at number 24,
04:36you're, you know, kind of left in no man's land without really an option at the position.
04:40So you kind of feel better about the options that would be available at the wide receiver position.
04:44So I think that fuels a lot of the Freeling to the Browns at number six.
04:49However, in an ideal world, I think they would like to trade back if possible.
04:54Dallas has been, you know, a common team linked in a possible trade back scenario.
04:58If Cleveland were able to get back to number 12 and still get one of those players or, you know,
05:04a comparable player at left tackle or wide receiver,
05:08come away with additional draft assets and still have the flexibility
05:11to make another move there in the first round.
05:14I think that's probably the ideal outcome if you're talking to Andrew Barry.
05:19But when you consider what Andrew Barry looks for, he looks for youth.
05:23He looks for athletic traits.
05:25And it's difficult to find those left tackles.
05:27So I think that's why you're seeing the association between Freeling and the Browns at number six right now.
05:33And Josh Edwards with us here on the hotline.
05:35So talk to me about the trade back a little bit,
05:36because I've heard some differing things about a sort of would the Browns be able to?
05:41Are there teams in this class that you think are wanting to come up to six and grab, you know,
05:46maybe one of the better defensive players that falls through the top five?
05:49Are teams, is the feeling that they're going to be content kind of drafting where they are
05:53and not wanting to jump up the board?
05:56I think it varies on a team-by-team basis.
05:58If you look at, you know, the overall talent that's available in this draft class,
06:02on the surface you would think teams are not going to move up for a specific player
06:07unless somebody just really falls in love with a Reuben Bain, you know,
06:12or if David Bailey or Arvell Reese were to be available at that point.
06:15That's a scenario where I could see a team move up to board.
06:18But I do think that there are some teams, Dallas being one of them,
06:23possibly the Rams, that could be more aggressive.
06:26You know, they feel a little bit more pressure to compete this season, you know, to contend.
06:32And whenever you have that kind of urgency,
06:35it might lead you to make a move that is not always reasonably sound.
06:41So I could see that being the move, even if it's not as great of a scale.
06:47Like, I don't know if Cleveland would get a future first-round pick in return,
06:51but, you know, if it's a couple of day-two picks,
06:53is that going to be enough to get Andrew Barry out of his number-six spot?
06:57I don't know.
06:58So it's probably not going to be quite as much of a haul to move out of that number-six
07:02pick.
07:03But I do think that there are going to be trades in the first round.
07:08It just may not be to the magnitude that, you know,
07:12we're accustomed to seeing when those quarterbacks are available.
07:15Josh, you talked about, you know,
07:16obviously the parity between players like 15 to 30 kind of being really similar.
07:20If you look at a trade-down scenario for the Browns and you're sitting at six,
07:24is there a mark in that first round where you kind of go,
07:26if you're still looking for one of the top tackles
07:29or one of the top wide receivers at that point,
07:31you really can't fall any lower than pick X?
07:35I would say right around Cleveland's second pick in the first round,
07:40number 24, is kind of where I would expect the run on left tackle to kind of end
07:46because the Lions are thought to be in the mix for a left tackle.
07:50There's always a mystery team that, you know, invests in the position
07:54even though you think that they may be set.
07:57So I kind of look at 24 as kind of being the floor for one of those left tackle prospects.
08:02Wide receiver, I think in the teens, is probably where, you know,
08:06I could see a couple more guys coming off the board.
08:09Arizona State's Jordan Tyson, USC's Makai Lemon, Washington's Denzel Boston,
08:14Omar Cooper from Indiana.
08:16I do think a lot of those guys are clustered so closely
08:19that the order may not necessarily matter,
08:22but once you start getting to the early to mid-teens,
08:26that's where the range is expected to start.
08:29And then I think all the way to the first round,
08:31I think you can still get a really quality player at that position.
08:36And honestly, throughout this entire draft,
08:38whatever skill set you're looking for,
08:40there's kind of a player there that kind of fits what you may need.
08:44So it's a great draft to need wide receivers,
08:47which going back to the whole left tackle versus wide receiver conversation,
08:51if you feel more confident that you're going to be able to get a wide receiver
08:54or two later in the draft, you know,
08:57that could spur some of the decision-making to take a left tackle,
09:00even if it is viewed as a reach by some.
09:03Because Freeland, you know, he's got his supporters,
09:06but he's definitely one of the more polarizing prospects, I think, at this stage.
09:11And so, yeah, you look at the left tackles,
09:13and talk to me about, like, where you kind of see the difference.
09:15Like, if Freeland's going to be up there at six,
09:17what really is the gap between him and, like, a Caleb Lomo?
09:22I don't think it's that much at all, you know,
09:25which kind of informs what Cleveland could do.
09:29I know everybody is, you know,
09:31intrigued with the youth and the athleticism of Monroe Freeland.
09:35And he's got a history with Todd Munkin.
09:38I think Munkin was, you know,
09:39part of the group that recruited him to Georgia initially.
09:43But I think Lomo is incredibly talented as well.
09:46I think he's got a high ceiling or high floor, rather,
09:50as this, you know, technical left tackle.
09:52I think he's got good athleticism as well.
09:54The play strength needs to improve,
09:57which, you know, would be the reason that he would be available
09:59at that stage of the first round or possibly even a little bit later.
10:03But I don't see a big gap between the two of them, honestly,
10:07which is why, you know, spoiler alert, in this week's mock draft,
10:12I kind of had it flipped where I've got Cleveland taking the wide receiver
10:15at six and then taking Lomo with their second pick in the first round.
10:20So in back-to-back weeks,
10:22you kind of get a look at what those possibilities might be for Cleveland.
10:27I like it.
10:28And Josh Edwards with us here on the hotline.
10:30I mean, let's talk about wide receiver a little bit then.
10:33Talk to me kind of about this group of the big three, right?
10:36We've gone through every possible scenario.
10:38You have Carnell Tate, Jordan Tyson, Makai Lemon,
10:41and it feels like maybe outside of Carnell for a lot of people being at the top,
10:46especially those last two kind of flip,
10:49what is the major concern that one of those guys falls down the board
10:52versus, you know, some of the other guys that might go a little bit earlier?
10:57Well, I think, first of all, if Jordan Tyson, if he had a clean bill of health,
11:02he would be wide receiver one for me in this draft class
11:05because he has some of that inside-outside versatility that you look for
11:09from a potential number one wide receiver in the NFL.
11:12He's got good size at the position.
11:16Carnell Tate, I think he's distanced himself a little bit
11:18just because there aren't as many questions with him.
11:21You, you know, feel a little bit more confident in what you're going to get,
11:25you know, like I touched on earlier.
11:27Makai Lemon, you know, I think beyond Tate,
11:31there really is a cluster that, yes, includes Lemon and Tyson,
11:35but I think Omar Cooper Jr., I think Casey Concepcion, Denzel Boston,
11:40all five of those guys are kind of right there.
11:43And, again, Tyson would be, you know, up there with Tate for me
11:46if he were, you know, to have a total clean bill of health.
11:50But the order of which those guys come off the board,
11:53I think just depends on the specific team
11:56and what that team may want to accomplish in this draft class,
12:00what their appetite is for taking a player with an injury history like Jordan Tyson.
12:05I know that's going to scare a lot of teams off.
12:08So I think it's going to be interesting because, you know,
12:11I would not be totally surprised if it were Makai Lemon that was sitting there at 24.
12:15I would not be surprised if it was Jordan Tyson sitting there at 24,
12:19you know, both of those guys could be gone.
12:21I don't know.
12:23But I think coming away with any one of those players,
12:27if you already have your left tackle in tow,
12:30you'd have to be pretty happy if you're Cleveland.
12:32So if we're sitting there, you kind of mentioned that cluster of wide receivers.
12:37Do you think there's a chance that we get to this in, you know,
12:39the early predictions that those guys are the top three,
12:42the draft doesn't necessarily play out that way,
12:44and we could have a shakeup where, you know,
12:46a guy like Denzel Boston, Omar Cooper, Jr.,
12:48Casey Concepcion kind of, you know,
12:50ends up jumping one of them and climbing into that top three actually drafted guys?
12:54Yeah, absolutely.
12:55I think, you know,
12:57Cooper would probably have the best chance followed by Denzel Boston,
13:01just because his skill set is a little bit more unique.
13:04You know,
13:05in the case of Concepcion and Lemon and Cooper,
13:08you know,
13:08a lot of those guys are,
13:10you know,
13:10slot dominant that are going to create yards after the catch just by,
13:14you know,
13:15getting the ball and short the intermediate and making guys miss.
13:18Whereas Denzel Boston's a little bit bigger.
13:20He can,
13:21you know,
13:22control his body and make contested catches down the field.
13:26I do like the fact that he's played in a Washington offense that,
13:29you know,
13:30requires their wide receivers to do a little bit of the dirty work and block for
13:33your teammates on plays where you're not involved in the past game.
13:36So I think,
13:38you know,
13:38there's going to be fans of each of these wide receivers in the league,
13:41and it would not surprise me at all.
13:43If Cooper was the second wide receiver off the board,
13:46it would not surprise me if Boston was the second wide receiver off the
13:48board.
13:48It wouldn't surprise me if Lemon was the fifth wide receiver off the board.
13:52I truly think that,
13:54you know,
13:55the consensus that we've seen for so long is probably destined for a shakeup on
14:00draft night.
14:02Josh,
14:02let's turn the page a little bit.
14:04A quarterback has been an interesting conversation.
14:06Uh,
14:07it just in Cleveland in general,
14:09obviously it's your door and to Sean right now.
14:11So the draft immediately becomes a conversation that you look at Ty Simpson.
14:16Is that a guy the Browns should be considering if anywhere in the first round or even down
14:20to 39,
14:20if we were to fall there?
14:23Yeah,
14:23that's complicated.
14:25Um,
14:26I,
14:26I do like the flashes that I've seen,
14:29but I think with Cleveland in being an,
14:31an older prospect,
14:33um,
14:34just where they are with this current team,
14:36I think that they're looking ahead to 2027.
14:40I could be totally wrong in this,
14:42but I think it would be,
14:44be better for them to add to the support staff around that potential quarterback,
14:49you know,
14:49get a wide receiver to get,
14:51uh,
14:52a left tackle and potentially another interior offensive lineman.
14:55Um,
14:56I think tight end is probably a position that they'll look to add to in,
15:00you know,
15:01either late day two or early day three.
15:03Um,
15:04so I would think that that's the route that they would go,
15:06but,
15:07you know,
15:07Todd Munkin,
15:08I think if he sits down in a room with Ty,
15:11Ty Simpson or Garrett Nussmeyer,
15:13um,
15:14both of those being coaches,
15:15kids that,
15:16you know,
15:16know how to spit the lingo and,
15:19you know,
15:19draw plays on the whiteboard and everything that would endear a quarterback to an
15:24offensive minded head coach.
15:26Uh,
15:26I think there's a possibility to kind of sway that decision making and for Munkin
15:30to have a little bit more pull and saying,
15:32Hey,
15:32let's,
15:32uh,
15:33take this guy.
15:34I feel,
15:34you know,
15:34totally convicted much in a way that,
15:36uh,
15:37Brian Dable had with Jackson Dart this past year.
15:40Uh,
15:40and obviously that worked out for,
15:42you know,
15:43New York and Dart,
15:44but not necessarily for Dable.
15:46So it's,
15:46it's an interesting conversation,
15:48but I would certainly have my concerns with,
15:51with Simpson because he's got one year body of work.
15:55And I can't sit here and say that it was perfect from start to finish,
15:59but you start talking about the injuries that he,
16:02you know,
16:02accrued throughout the season and how much that impacted his play.
16:05And it's just not a clean evaluation in any sense,
16:09but,
16:09um,
16:10that's why I think those conversations that he's having with coaches are going
16:13to be so important.
16:15Josh,
16:15I know you're busy this time of year.
16:16I appreciate you setting aside the time.
16:18Always good to catch up with you.
16:20And,
16:20uh,
16:20we'll definitely see how this draft plays out as we get into April.
16:24Sounds good.
16:25Thank you for having me.
16:25Yep.
16:26Absolutely.
16:27Josh Edwards,
16:27NFL draft analyst over at CBS sports.
16:30Um,
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