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00:00The offensive line is so important because it's not just about Shador Sanders.
00:05It's not just about, you know, that element and that aspect of it.
00:10But the Cleveland Browns have struggled to run the football the last few seasons.
00:16And we come from watching Nick Chubb since 2018, right?
00:21So seeing these struggles to be able to run the football effectively and consistently,
00:26that hit a little bit different for Browns fans.
00:28It's almost like being a fan of the Indians in the 90s when you knew we had a power hitting
00:33lineup
00:34just to watch this team in the early 2000s turn into a baseball team
00:38to where you can't even get one person to hit 25 home runs.
00:42And so for me, for you, for everybody who loves this football team,
00:46it is frustrating not being able to run the ball effectively on a consistent basis.
00:51And part of what Munkin wants to do is to be able to mirror that explosive pass game
00:58will play, action, run.
01:00And a lot of why he hired Travis Schweitzer, the Northeast Ohio native,
01:05former offensive lineman at Akron, to be his offensive coordinator was because his run schemes,
01:11his run style, you know, formations and just everything that comes with that element of the game.
01:18You've got George Warhop here, the offensive line coach who is one of the most intriguing
01:24and impactful hires that he's made.
01:26He's been the one coach that we hear a lot of players talk about.
01:29You know, he played a role in why I ended up on his team.
01:33I think that if Andrew Barry can do something that he has not been really good at doing,
01:38which is identify quality offensive linemen in his draft,
01:42you might have the right set of coaches that can get these guys coached up.
01:46Yeah.
01:46He just has to lean on his scouts and trust the information that he gets from his coaches.
01:53Because if this is not one of the areas that where you singularly, singularly is that good at,
02:00then that's why you have a team of people around you.
02:03Yeah, listen, just for what it's worth, I was looking this up while you were riffing there.
02:07Seattle, and this is PFF, which again, you can take PFF somewhat with a grain of salt,
02:12but I do think it does give us some context to how especially offensive line play was in any given
02:19season.
02:21And Seattle's offensive line was 15th.
02:23So right around like mid point of the league.
02:25But the thing that stands out to me, Earl, is like you look at some of the best O-lines
02:29in the game.
02:30The Denver Broncos were their highest graded offensive line.
02:33That offensive line is like three or four guys.
02:36I think it's three who are homegrown guys, guys that they drafted and developed.
02:40Garrett Bowles, Quinn Miner, like most of that group are guys that they drafted and developed.
02:46The Colts were two.
02:48This one's interesting.
02:49The Bears were three.
02:50And the Bears are kind of the blueprint that Andrew Barry tried to follow this year.
02:55Now they do have a couple guys that are homegrown.
02:56They also did add Joe Tooney, who's one of the best guards in the history of the game.
03:01Like he's awesome.
03:02So there's the difference there.
03:04Like the Browns didn't add a Joe Tooney guy, but they added some good pieces.
03:09So, but the thing that stands out to me and the reason why I'm always big on, you know,
03:15the Bills were six on this list, I think three, four, three-fifths of their offensive line
03:19are homegrown guys.
03:21That's why I'm big on taking an offensive lineman at six because Earl, and I think Chris said
03:29it best.
03:29Like, I think you can honestly add wide receiver last.
03:33The teams that add wide receiver first and they don't have the other stuff figured out.
03:37Yeah, that's great.
03:38But where does it really get you?
03:40Like even the Bengals are an example of this.
03:41I get it.
03:42I was just about to bring it up.
03:43The Bengals made it to a Super Bowl pretty early on in that time together with, you know,
03:46Tee Higgins and obviously Jamar Chase.
03:49But their offensive line has had issues and Joe Burrow's getting sacked a lot.
03:53He's getting hurt a lot.
03:55And their defense has had issues and that hasn't really helped them.
04:00Like you almost have to build in the trenches first.
04:03Well, I shouldn't say that because I'm always a big believer.
04:07And the Patriots did this.
04:09If the quarterback you like is there, you take him.
04:12Like they had a chance to take Drake May, even though their offensive line wasn't very
04:15good, you figure it out.
04:16So I'm not saying you don't take a quarterback because your offensive line isn't there.
04:19But in the situation the Browns are in where there's not a great quarterback probably to
04:23be had at six and you're trying to fix this offensive line, you also do need receiver
04:27help.
04:28I think you wait on wide receiver and you go get your offensive lineman and finish this
04:32thing off and get yourself a left tackle.
04:34Because again, the best offensive lines in this sport have at least a couple guys that
04:38are homegrown talents.
04:40And oftentimes it is the tackle positions that are the homegrown talents.
04:42You need those spots to be filled by guys that you draft and you develop and you have control
04:47of for years to come because those guys just don't hit the open market.
04:50So I'm all in favor at this point of going tackle at six or trading back and going tackle.
04:56I think you can wait on wide receiver because Earl, the drop off from Carnell Tate, Jordan
05:01Tyson, who might honestly be slipping anyway because of his injury stuff, and Makai Lemon
05:06to the next group of receivers, which is probably, I don't know, Denzel Boston, Omar Cooper Jr.,
05:11who I love, maybe a Chris Bell.
05:14I know I'm missing somebody in there.
05:15You better be careful.
05:16There's not as big of a drop off between those guys as far as from the tackles.
05:20Because you're setting yourself up to get your feelings hurt.
05:22You are infatuated with Omar Cooper Jr.
05:25And I'm telling you.
05:27Is this becoming like a you and...
05:28This is...
05:32Why am I drawing a blank on his name now?
05:35Martin Emerson Jr.?
05:36I don't want to talk about it.
05:37I do not want to talk.
05:39I can't wait to talk to Daniel about that because I don't know if my boy is in the Cleveland
05:42Browns plans.
05:44But you brought up the Cincinnati Bengals, for example, right?
05:47Jamar Chase is great.
05:48One of the best, if not the best wide receiver in the NFL.
05:52But Joe Burrow already had Tee Higgins.
05:54And I wonder, looking back, not that he would give up Jamar Chase, but man, he's been hit
06:00a lot.
06:00Sacked a lot.
06:02They passed on Panay Sewell to draft Jamar Chase.
06:06And for as great as Jamar Chase is, the Cincinnati Bengals are not winning the Super Bowl.
06:11And I'll take it a step further.
06:13They also passed on Patrick Sertan.
06:15And they passed on Michael Parsons as well.
06:17They passed on Rashawn Slater as well.
06:20And so, these is one of those tricky situations because Jamar Chase is him.
06:26But, is that protecting your quarterback?
06:29Is that helping your overall team, is that helping your team reach their overall goal of
06:35winning the Super Bowl?
06:37And it's like, you got to get the playmakers when you can.
06:40But to your point, premier tackles, premier guards, don't really make it to the open market.
06:48Tackle especially.
06:50And so, you have to draft and develop those guys, right?
06:53Because think about it.
06:55What was his name?
06:55Rasheed Walker?
06:56Yeah.
06:57He was out there to be had at 26 years old.
06:59And it wasn't, he ended up signing with a one-year deal.
07:03Who was it with, Carolina?
07:04Yeah.
07:05One-year deal with Carolina.
07:06So, the fact that at 26 years old, a tackle was available, to me, it seemed like it was
07:12pause for cause for everybody.
07:14Because why in the hell is a 26-year-old tackle available?
07:17And that's a premier position.
07:18I mean, I actually watched him quite a bit this week.
07:21You know, he's got the size.
07:22He's almost 6'8".
07:23And he ran really, really well.
07:25He's on his feet at Georgia.
07:26He's just not very strong.
07:28I think he's only 21 years old.
07:30I mean, he's going to get a lot stronger.
07:31If you're willing to be patient with him, I think he has the chance to be really good.
07:35But if you're saying, we're going to take him number 6 and play him right away, I think
07:39Myles Garrett might destroy his confidence.
07:41But I mean, I do like him.
07:43It seems awfully rich, though, at 6.
07:46Take the fan with you wherever you go.
07:48Listen to us on the Odyssey app, iHeartRadio, or TuneIn Apps.
07:52That was Brian Baldinger earlier this week on with Ken and Lima.
07:58I think it was actually Ken and Daryl that day.
08:01I love Baldy, man.
08:02He's always got some great stuff to say.
08:04Baldy's dope.
08:05I love his breakdowns.
08:06Yeah.
08:07I think, too, in relation to the conversation he was having when it comes to the offensive
08:11line, he was talking specifically about Monroe Freeling.
08:14That's another reason for me.
08:15That's a boy.
08:16I do like him.
08:18And listen, I'm comfortable because I've watched him enough to feel like if I like him enough
08:24where I would take him at 6 if that's what it has to be.
08:28But, and I'd be okay with it, but if the Browns feel like he's a little lower on their board,
08:33that's just more reason to trade back.
08:34Because if you get to those early teen picks, if you're at like 12 or 13, then maybe that's
08:40the perfect place to draft Monroe Freeling.
08:43But I'll tell you this.
08:44I actually think, I actually think this week, I've sort of wondered if Spencer Feneau is
08:51kind of coming into the focus here as an option at 6 if they were to stay put.
08:55See, I like his running mate.
08:57I like his running mate.
08:59Lemieux?
09:00Am I saying that right?
09:01Oh, Caleb Lomu?
09:04I just say Lomu.
09:05I don't know.
09:05I could be wrong.
09:06To me, correct me if I'm wrong, Lomu is the natural left tackle, right?
09:11Yes, but Feneau started as a left tackle at Utah, so he knows it, and then he moved to
09:18right tackle, and he's openly said, like, I'm good playing either.
09:21So here's the catch, though.
09:22Yeah.
09:22If he started at left and he moved to right, somebody within that university looked at Lomu
09:31and said, okay, he's a damn good left tackle.
09:34You have to move to right.
09:35You see what I'm saying?
09:37Yeah, that's fair.
09:37Lomu was so good that he moved to right.
09:40I'm a Blake Miller guy.
09:42I think second on my list would be Lomu, and based on what I've seen mock draft-wise,
09:47you can get Lomu in the 20s probably as early as early second round.
09:52Yeah, potentially, yeah.
09:53Potentially early second round.
09:54And so if that's the case, I don't think I feel comfortable sitting at six taking any
10:01of these wide receivers where my bias is Cardinal Tate.
10:06He's an Ohio State bud guy.
10:07Yeah, I got you.
10:07But when you look at the numbers and you watch the film, Jordan Tyson is a freak athlete.
10:13He just has the injuries, right?
10:15And so to me, it's about maximizing as much as you can in 2026 while possibly adding draft
10:23capital for 2027.
10:24And as we just talked about last segment, there are going to be so many premier players available
10:31at six that is going to spark an intrigue from other teams that are in a position more
10:38than the Cleveland Browns to win right now.
10:40And I think that the Cleveland Browns will still get a quality football player somewhere
10:44between 12 and 15, probably add either a second round pick or a first round pick next year,
10:52either or, and you still get a quality football player at 24 and probably again at 39.
10:58And so it depends on how Andrew Barry is able to play this.
11:02But to me, I wouldn't force anything at six.
11:07I don't just, I don't think that's the right way to go about it.
11:11Mauro Freeland rolls up draft boards after the combine.
11:15Was one of those guys who had a great combine.
11:18And now you're starting to hear people push back.
11:20Late first round or now he's like maybe a early to mid first.
11:24And now you're hearing guys like Baldy, who we both respect says, you know, right now
11:27he's just not strong enough.
11:29And the last part of what he said, that's a real thing because we talked about last week.
11:35I think it was that Jed Wills of his entire tenure in Cleveland, his best year was his rookie
11:40year.
11:41You know, what if Miles Garrett really comes in and wrecks a young man confidence so, so early
11:47on that he never gets that back, right?
11:50Yeah.
11:50I don't, I don't know that I worry about that a ton though.
11:52Cause like miles is also really good about working with those guys and walking them through
11:57like, Hey, here's what I'm going to show you.
11:58And I think that's like, it's about that.
12:01That's the one thing I disagree with, uh, with, with Baldy on with that take is working
12:07against miles Garrett every day.
12:08Isn't something that I think is going to ruin a guy's confidence is built like that.
12:13Well, but that's, and that's the problem is I don't think Jed Wills is built like that,
12:16but I can't speak to like Monroe feelings, makeup.
12:18I haven't had a chance to like talk to him like that.
12:20But I think that's the difference is Jed.
12:22There's always been questions about Jed Wills, like desire, but like, and that's, that's,
12:26I think the big question you got to sort of figure out when you're, when you're assessing
12:29these guys is, are they built to handle that?
12:32Are they built to, if they have to make the switch, make the switch that honestly, I'm going to be
12:37honest, the only tackle, I think I, if you were just, if you were to stay at six and take
12:42a guy,
12:44I think the one tackle that I'd say no on or not be as high on is Maui Noah, even
12:49though he's
12:49considered maybe the best lineman in the group, because for me, and I understand talented kid,
12:55eraser phrase, I get it, but he's only ever been a right tackle in college.
13:00So you're moving him to left.
13:01He's got to learn on the fly, how to play this, this level and change all his footwork
13:07and all that.
13:08And we saw that word with Joe Willis.
13:10Granted, Joe Willis is a different person.
13:11I get that.
13:12And then the other part of it for me is there's all this chatter that he might have to move
13:15to guard at some point.
13:16I can't take a maybe tackle at six.
13:19Like if the, if the Browns are deep in their convictions that they love Monroe Freeling and
13:22that's the pick, I'm happy with that.
13:24Cause I'm like, okay, you feel good about it.
13:26He's a left tackle.
13:27Same thing with even Spencer for no, who's at least played left tackle before.
13:30So they feel like he can maybe make that switch a little bit easier, but he's going to be a
13:34tackle.
13:34And I think the same thing applies to, to Lomu who you mentioned, like, I'd be fine with
13:38they waited and took Lomu as well, but I'm not, I'm not taking a maybe tackle at six.
13:43That's the one guy I'm out on.
13:45And that's another reason why I'm kind of like, I'd rather trade back and then get more
13:49picks, which I guess going back to that question, like, would you rather get the picks this year
13:52and know you have three first this year?
13:55Like they did in 2017 when they really, when they got Njoku and, and miles and at the time
14:00Jabril Peppers, or would you rather get the pick in 2027?
14:03Think about it like this, right?
14:05You could trade back right now.
14:08Say if you trade back somewhere between 12 and 15.
14:15You very well can still some, somehow, some way walk away.
14:20And I'm just throwing names out here at this point with the Lomu with a Omar Cooper
14:26Jr. You could possibly take D'Angelo Pons in the second round and Chris Brazel from Tennessee
14:34in round three, because see, to me, I'm trying to address as many needs while putting myself
14:42in a position to take the best player available while also not overcrowding certain position
14:51groups if you follow me.
14:53And the reason why I say it that way is because everybody at this point, if you've done mock
14:57drafts, if you're watching free agency play out, and if you're just assuming what teams
15:04draft boards look like, it seems like to me that anytime that the Cleveland Browns will
15:10be up on a clock, the best player available is a defensive player that plays a position to
15:17where if the Browns was to draft him, it'll be a while before he see the football field.
15:22And so in order to make sure you're not overcrowding an already overcrowded room, Andrew
15:31Berry is going to have to earn his keep and make sure that he's putting the Cleveland Browns
15:35in a position to where, okay, I can do three or four things at once.
15:39I can address a position they need while still taking the best player available while giving
15:45this person an opportunity to play immediately.
15:47And so moving around in a draft, I think it makes a lot of sense for the Cleveland Browns,
15:53but I'm also looking at how can I pair certain draft picks to get the most out of my overall
16:00office.
16:01And that's why I said like me and you both like a Omar Cooper Jr., right?
16:05We both like a Makai Lemon.
16:07Now, Lance Reisland has done a great job of breaking down every position group.
16:11And Lance has already said he sees Makai as more of a slot guy, right?
16:16Yeah.
16:16So hypothetically, since we're doing hypotheticals on 92.3 to fan, if we was to trade from six
16:23to like 12 or 13, right?
16:25And we was to draft Makai Lemon.
16:27Okay.
16:28Then you could take Lomo at 24.
16:30I might take D'Angelo Pons at 39.
16:34But I also might come right back or I might take Surratt or I might take Bale or I might
16:39take Brazel with that third round pick because now I can pair him with the Makai Lemon or
16:46Omar Cooper Jr.
16:48to go with Jerry, Judy and whatever else is here.
16:50And now it's not players stepping on each other's toes.
16:53Now it's making a little bit more sense.
16:55I hope I'm making sense, but that's just how I see it.
16:58Well, that's the thing, man.
16:59Like trading back, there's all kinds of different possibilities of what you could do.
17:02Because then, like I said, I think maybe for somebody like Baldy, Monroe Frilling at six
17:07is too high.
17:08Okay.
17:08Well, now if you're at 12, maybe it makes a little more sense.
17:11So then you can still go tackle there and then still get wide receiver later.
17:13Or you could go wide receiver and then worry about tackle later.
17:15I think they have a lot of options.
17:17I will say this, though, Earl.
17:18Like as we talk about best player available, it's starting to feel like that's going to
17:23be less likely at six because if the best player available at six is like David Bailey or
17:29like I said, if Arvell Reese slips or something, guys, like look what they've done with a lot
17:34of their signings so far in free agency.
17:36They signed AJ Epinesa this week.
17:38They signed Kalia Davis this week.
17:41They signed Julian Okora back to the roster.
17:44They re-signed Sam Kamara back.
17:45Like they've pretty much replenished their defensive line.
17:49Like that, that kind of tells me they're not necessarily focused on taking one of those
17:54guys early and that maybe they are really looking to trade back because they want to
17:58get a tackle or a wide receiver and maybe get better value on them.
18:03So it, to me, those, those signs are sort of telling that best player available probably
18:07isn't in the car unless, unless best player available isn't a lineman or a wide receiver.
18:11Like it seems like they're sort of strategically setting themselves up to address their needs
18:15at the right spots in the draft with the right value and all those different things.
18:20I don't disagree with that whatsoever.
18:22And I think that, you know, when we talked to Mary Kay Cabot two weeks ago, she said that,
18:26that Andrew Barry is one of those people to where he wants to put himself in a position
18:31come draft time to where he can make whatever move he wants to make.
18:34He don't want to be in a position to where you have to quote unquote, take a position of
18:40need, especially if your draft board says otherwise at said time.
18:45You always want to put blue chip players and dogs on this football team, no matter where
18:51you add that at the goal is to build out a strong and sound football team overall.
18:57And I don't think it's, I don't look at this draft and I don't see too many guys that
19:04like come in as like that dude, like, you know, we've seen drafts in the past and these guys
19:10are just touted to be that next best thing, future hall of famer right now.
19:15I don't see that.
19:16But what I do see is a lot of damn good football players that are going to be good, all
19:23pros for
19:24a long time, right?
19:26And it's going to be hard if he fall to pass on Arvell Reese, because you know, I'm biased.
19:34I'm biased.
19:35But if this came down to it and that's what we had to do, it is what it is.
19:40I'm biased.
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