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NFL Network draft analyst Bucky Brooks discusses his latest NFL Mock Draft with the guys.
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00:00I've never been shy about this. As the draft gets closer, two of my favorite draft analysts are Daniel Jeremiah
00:07and Bucky Brooks.
00:08And together they do the Move the Sticks podcast, which I listen to pretty much every episode when I get
00:15to Indy until draft day.
00:17I'm really excited to get Bucky to join us right now on the Rude Guest Hotline.
00:21Bucky, how you doing, man? Thanks so much for making time for us.
00:24Hey, thanks so much for having me on, guys.
00:26Appreciate you, brother.
00:28So these pro days are starting to happen.
00:30Things are really starting to move.
00:32How are you feeling about this draft now as we're inside of a month from the first round?
00:38Look, I think with the pro days and stuff like that, I think in a way the pro days have
00:43been diminished just given all the attention we place on the combine,
00:48all the different technologies that we have when it comes to GPS and stuff, and also the changing climate.
00:53The players have so much power now that they're electing to do some things, not other things.
00:59So the playing field is as uneven as it's ever been when it comes to the scouting evaluation,
01:05because some guys are elected not to run 40s, not to work out, not to jump, not to test.
01:11And so there's a little more guessing involved than it used to be.
01:29You know, the thing is, if you are doing it the right way,
01:49a lot of times you should put the pin down before you get to the combine.
01:53If you look at it, if we go back and we kind of like kind of do the chart,
01:59most of the time the decisions that we mess up are the ones that are influencing, in fact, about workouts.
02:05The game is played in pads.
02:07The game is played between the lines 11 and 11.
02:10If we truly evaluate people on how they played the game,
02:14we're more likely to get right how they're going to play at the next level.
02:18It won't be 100%, but you lean into that.
02:20What happens is there's so much time from the end of the regular season to the draft
02:25that we allow ourselves to be influenced by how somebody works out in shorts and T-shirts
02:31as opposed to how do they play.
02:33Because ultimately, most guys play in college like they play in the pros
02:38if they're in a system that plays to their strengths like that.
02:41Look, I always, when I tell you with people, I say they wear a T-shirt and panties
02:48and people lose their mind.
02:51My thing is I try, as much as you pay attention to the pre-draft process, right,
02:57I try to freeze my brain from the end of college football season until the week of the draft.
03:03And what you saw for the four months those kids were playing
03:07is what they're going to do at the next level, by and large.
03:11You know, it's become this, you know it better than anyone, but it's just massive.
03:17I read a study that if it was its own sport, if you judged by ratings and interest
03:24and social media presence, the NFL draft would be the second most popular sport
03:30to the NFL in the United States.
03:33Absolutely.
03:34If you look at the TV ratings, the TV ratings, the NFL draft,
03:38exceeds what we see from the NBA playoffs.
03:42People are more willing to watch names come off the board,
03:47to watch highlights from a collegiate season that was played six months ago,
03:52than watch a live NBA game.
03:54That's how much interest it is.
03:56And so I'll say this about the NFL.
03:58The NFL has done the greatest job of growing the interest in the sport
04:03that we can get people to tune in to watch the draft.
04:06That's how much we love the sport, and we love the optimism that our team can go from
04:12worst to first by getting a couple players in the draft.
04:15Totally.
04:15Everybody should give Bucky a follow at Bucky Brooks.
04:19Make sure you check out the Move the Sticks podcast.
04:21All of his work on NFL.com.
04:23You can watch him on NFL Network.
04:26Let's start at the top of this draft, Bucky, because you had a tweet that I thought was
04:30really interesting.
04:33Orlovsky is – I don't know what's happening with Orlovsky, if he's enjoying kind of being
04:38the contrarian or if this is just his real read, whatever, right?
04:41But there is a fair conversation.
04:45Fernando Mendoza is the least, like, discussed number one overall pick kind of ever, and
04:52I recognize it's a relatively weak quarterback class, but it is remarkable that Mendoza's
04:58not going through the normal where people try to pick every little fault in this process,
05:03you know?
05:05Mm-hmm.
05:06I think there's this, right?
05:09As some of it is our fault on our side, right, there is such a fascination with quarterbacks
05:14that we have created this myth that quarterbacks are John Wayne, right?
05:19They come and save the day all the time.
05:21Now, the quarterback is very valuable.
05:22It is the most important position on the field, but like Brian will tell you, hey, man,
05:27it takes a great team to win a Super Bowl.
05:29It takes a great team to play at a championship level.
05:32The quarterback is a big part of that, but it takes the other guys on the team to do
05:36it.
05:37So, naturally, we assume the number one pick needs to be a quarterback because we've been
05:42taught of late that the quarterback is everything.
05:45But Fernando Mendoza is not the best college football player in this draft.
05:49He's not.
05:49If you really, if we were playing pickup outside, we wouldn't kick Fernando Mendoza first with
05:55Jeremiah Love and Arville Reese and David Bailey and some of those guys.
05:59He may be fourth or fifth or maybe sixth, but he wouldn't be first.
06:03But we've just been conditioned because TV tells us that the quarterback is the end-all
06:08be-all, that he has to be the number one, and there's no disputing his value as number
06:14one.
06:14It just so happens that it lines up that the Raiders need a quarterback, and he's going
06:18to go number one, but he's not the best player in the draft.
06:22Yeah, normally that pick is a need thing.
06:24It's not necessarily best.
06:25And I think we get confused just because you would go number one, you might be the person
06:30they need the most, but you're not the best.
06:32Most quarterbacks aren't the best athletes on the field, to be honest with you.
06:35Right.
06:38So, they're not.
06:39And here's the thing that we also need to be honest, and this is part of the Mendoza
06:42conversation.
06:43If we stack Mendoza up against some of the other great quarterbacks that have come out
06:48the last few years, Mendoza wouldn't go ahead of Jaden Daniels.
06:52Nope.
06:52Mendoza wouldn't go ahead of Caleb Williams or Drake May.
06:56Like, Mendoza's not transcendent like those guys are.
06:59And that's okay because there have been other number one picks that have his skill set, like
07:04a Jared Goff.
07:05But you have to understand what you're getting, and you've got to build a team around who he
07:10is.
07:11But you just can't drop him on any team and say, hey, we got Mendoza, we're going to win.
07:15Like, that's not what he brings to the table.
07:18He's different than some of those other guys.
07:20So, I always use an example.
07:21I say the quarterback is the most dependent position in all of sports.
07:26They can't do nothing by themselves.
07:28They need help.
07:30They do.
07:31And people get mad when we talk about the difference between a game manager and a game changer.
07:36Yeah.
07:36There's some guys who come in and they manage game, manage circumstances, manage situations,
07:42and they are great because the team around them is good.
07:45The coach is great, and those things.
07:47There are other guys that, he changes the game.
07:51We need to give him some other things to allow him to go.
07:55Jaden Daniels in Washington strikes me as more of a game changer because he jumps in and immediately
08:01the commanders look completely different than they looked the years before because his talent
08:06is that good.
08:07I don't think Fernando possesses that kind of talent.
08:10Talking with our friend Bucky Brooks here on the Rude Guest Hotline.
08:13Rude makes the most reliable HVAC equipment in the DMV, R-U-U-D.
08:17Check him out.
08:18You can follow Bucky at Bucky Brooks.
08:20Check out all of his work on NFL Network, co-host of the Move the Sticks podcast.
08:24So, Bucky, in your latest mock draft, which is available now on NFL.com, really, in a lot
08:31of ways, the draft kind of starts at two.
08:33And you think that'll be David Bailey coming out of Texas Tech going to the Jets.
08:37I mean, a pure pass rusher that's going to help a team immediately.
08:41Yeah, no, he's terrific in terms of his first step quickness, his burst, his ability to win
08:48with a few different power and finesse moves.
08:51Motor runs hot all the time.
08:53You love that.
08:55The tricky thing at the top of the board when it comes to those pass rushers, the guys that
08:59come off.
09:00Between him, Arville Reese, people talk about Sonny Stiles.
09:03All of them are tremendous athletes.
09:06All of them are really explosive.
09:08But all of them need to be placed in the right situation that allows them to play to their
09:13strengths.
09:13But Bailey certainly is worthy of being one of those top five selections.
09:18So, everybody in Washington, it seems, among the fan base, has become just consumed by Jeremiah
09:25Love.
09:25It seems like that might be happening with NFL GMs across the country as well.
09:29In your mock, you have Love going number four to Tennessee.
09:34What kind of prospect as a running back is Love compared to some of these other really
09:39high-level backs we've seen go in the top ten?
09:42How much do you feel like he's going to be gone top five?
09:47Yeah, I think he's a top five pick.
09:49I actually think he's the best player in the draft.
09:51And I think when we're looking at running backs in today's game, you have to be able to
09:55impact the game in a few different ways.
09:57You've got to be able to run with power and finesse.
10:00You've got to be able to take it the distance when you hit a crack.
10:02You have to be a factor in the passing game.
10:05And you have to have the competitive stamina to carry a heavy workload, meaning you can touch
10:12it 20 to 25 times over the course of the season and not wear down.
10:17That's what the old expectation used to be with RB1.
10:20He has that.
10:21Now, as he compares to B. John Robinson and those guys, he's in that like the last handful
10:27of guys that were in the top ten.
10:29He's there.
10:29Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey.
10:32You think about B. John going, Ty Gurley was in the top ten, Zekiel Elliott.
10:36He's right there.
10:38Now, Stout kind of depends on what flavor you would want and how you would stack them.
10:43But he is worthy of being a top ten pick.
10:46And I'm going to say this.
10:47I don't think there's any way he gets to the commanders of seven.
10:49I just don't.
10:51Maybe it changes.
10:52Unless they go up, I think it's going to be hard for two teams like the Titans and the
10:57Giants to bypass the guys that could change what they do offensively.
11:01Are there any more guys?
11:02I know they don't come a dime a dozen, but like him coming in the, you know, as the years
11:07go because, you know, they tried to dismiss the running backs for a long time.
11:12But you saw B. John come out a couple years ago.
11:15Now love is coming out.
11:16You start seeing more guys like this, the running backs, the value go back up.
11:20Yeah, I think people are placing an increased value on the running game.
11:24Now, the difference is, back in our day, like Brian, it was one back that did it all up,
11:29right?
11:29And then there'd be a third down back that would come in and get a change of pace.
11:32What they're doing now is they're sharing the workload.
11:34Think about Detroit, how Detroit was sharing it with Jameer Gibbs and David Montgomery.
11:39Even in Chicago, Montague and Swift, you're seeing more teams use two backs and just share
11:46the workload so they both can get to the end of the season without being beat up.
11:49I think the running back is coming back.
11:52I think what we have to do is get people to understand the difference between special and
11:57really good.
11:58We have been tricked because of Mike Shanahan's success, having the system that, oh, we can
12:04get by with good.
12:05But running backs will tell you, there's a difference in a 1,500-yard back and a 1,000-yard
12:11back.
12:12And a lot of times, it's the specialness between the two that separates them.
12:18Yeah, that 1,500-yard back, like you said, that competitive stamina, those guys in the
12:24fourth quarter look like they're just starting the game.
12:27The guys that do the 1,000-yard in the fourth quarter, they don't know if they want the ball
12:32anymore.
12:34There are levels to it.
12:35Yes.
12:37There are levels to the running back game.
12:39And it doesn't sound like much, but the great ones, you feel them and you fear them,
12:44so you have to prepare for them.
12:46And a great running back changes the way you have to defend the rest of the offense.
12:51And the reason why we're seeing the running game come back is because the explosive plays
12:55are going down in the passing game.
12:57Why?
12:57Because people are putting two safeties back deep.
13:00They're daring quarterbacks to dink and dunk down the field.
13:02And most quarterbacks don't have the patience or discipline to do it.
13:05Well, when you put a running back, a legitimate running back that you have to respect, they'll
13:11carve you up all day.
13:12They'll run for 150 yards.
13:14And you have to put the other guy in the box.
13:16And then the explosive plays happen in the passing game.
13:20The running game is coming back.
13:21That's why you're seeing more teams go back to it because you can't score just leaning
13:25on the passing game expensively.
13:26And you're seeing more teams pay for backs and free agency.
13:29Talking with Bucky Brooks here, one of the elite NFL draft analysts.
13:33Never a hot taker.
13:34Never in it for the clicks.
13:35Bucky, one of the things I heard a lot when I was in Indy for the Combine was that Sonny
13:41Styles to the Giants just felt like a really good fit.
13:43That you have Styles going to New York in your latest mock.
13:47Does that seem like a mock drafts are a really, really difficult task.
13:51But does that seem like something that there's a lot of momentum behind?
13:56Well, it seems like it's sensible.
13:57And you're right.
13:58Like, mock drafts are the one thing that we do that are clickbait.
14:01You can put a mock draft every day.
14:02People are going to read it just because we're so fascinated in the guessing game.
14:07Sonny Styles is popular to New York because when you look at the Giants, one, they've underachieved.
14:12Two, they bring in a coach who has a reputation for being a really good coach in John Harbaugh.
14:16Super Bowl rings.
14:17The Ravens were always very, very competitive.
14:19When you look at the easiest path for the Giants to get back to being competitive and elite,
14:25man, if they get their defense right, that'll get them to the middle of the pack.
14:28Then whatever they do offensively is kind of the icing on the cake.
14:32When I look at their front line with Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns and Abdul Carter,
14:36even Kayvon Thibodeau, they can rush the passer.
14:38They bring in Tremont Edmonds to help them in the middle.
14:41Then you get an athlete and a playmaker like Sonny Styles.
14:44That front seven is loaded, and you can control the game with your front seven regardless of what you have
14:50behind it.
14:51That is the reason why he's so popular.
14:54The other guy that could be popular with that pick is Caleb Downs.
14:57And the reason why is when you think about John Harbaugh and the success that they had with the Ravens,
15:01it always coincided with a dominant safety being in the building.
15:05From Ed Reed, they briefly had Earl Thomas.
15:08You think about Kyle Hamilton.
15:09They always have someone in the middle of the field that can impact it.
15:13That's why I wouldn't be surprised to see Caleb Downs also get some play.
15:17It's funny.
15:18I had an AFC director of scouting at the Combine tell me that on the defensive side of the ball,
15:24Styles and Downs had the cleanest tape of anybody in this draft.
15:28Just not making mistakes, just really brilliant football players too.
15:33And here's the difference between sometimes like coaches and scouts.
15:37Like scouts are always looking for like the dynamic athlete that is wowing you with the way they jump over
15:43tall buildings in a single bound.
15:45However, coaches want football players.
15:48And in that debate, when we talk about Sonny Stiles and Caleb Downs, if you ask the Ohio State people,
15:54they would tell you that Downs was the engine.
15:55He was the brains behind the operation.
15:58Gave them a lot of information.
16:00Controlled the game.
16:01Could be versatile enough to play in the box and play in the deep end.
16:04And he not only did it at Ohio State.
16:06I think it's important to remember he did it at Alabama when Nick Saban was there.
16:10And we know the reputation that Nick Saban has for producing pros.
16:14To me, he is unique because he is so good that I know exactly what I'm getting.
16:19And if we talk about it in baseball terms, you can win a lot of games hitting doubles in the
16:24first round.
16:25He may not be the home run in terms of splashy, but man, he is going to be really good
16:30for a decade
16:32because he's so good from the IQ standpoint and just playing the game.
16:35Yeah, for sure.
16:36Now, for Commanders fans, they seem fixated on adding to the offense, adding a weapon for Jaden.
16:42And if Love's off the board, I think a lot of the folks here in D.C. want Carnell Tate,
16:47the junior Ohio State wide receiver.
16:49You have him going sixth to the Cleveland Browns.
16:53How important is this pro day going to be for Tate?
16:56And what do you think of Tate's game on the NFL level?
16:59Tate is terrific.
17:01The thing is, and this is what's so hard to project,
17:04Tate at Ohio State was not the number one guy.
17:08The young guy that they have in place, Jeremiah Smith, he was the number one.
17:12Tate was the complement.
17:14Can you go from being a number two in college to a number one in the pros?
17:18That would be the challenge.
17:20When you look at his game, really good route runner,
17:23outstanding ball skills, makes acrobatic catches easy,
17:26really improved over his time at Ohio State.
17:29They are a football factory at Wild Out where they produce really good players.
17:33The trick will be, Terry McLaurin is already there, so he's the number one.
17:37Can Carnell Tate come in as the number two and grow to be the number one when McLaurin moves on?
17:44That is what you have to assess.
17:46And so he would be terrific for the commanders right there.
17:49It's just a matter of can he handle the weight of being the number one?
17:53And the difference, just so people know, between a number one and a number two,
17:57when you are the number one, everyone in the building knows that you're getting the ball.
18:02The defense is catered to stop you, and you still do it anyway.
18:07Most guys do not have the ability to beat double teams,
18:11nor do they have the mental stamina and competitiveness to know,
18:16every game I'm getting everybody's best shot, and I still got to show up.
18:20But it's a different mentality that you have to have when you're the number one
18:24compared to being the number two on the backside who's taking advantage of the
18:28free access and open coverage going against the number two corner
18:32or being, I guess, a dominant running game where they've created space for you
18:39and you don't have to earn it on your own each and every now.
18:42There's a difference when it comes to your mentality.
18:44Yeah, absolutely.
18:45So in your latest mock came out this week.
18:47You can check it out at NFL.com.
18:49You have Washington-selected Caleb Downs.
18:52You spoke on him and what a player he is, the IQ, all of it.
18:56I'm curious if at all the way Mansoor Delane ran at the LSU Pro Day,
19:02do you think that makes him a realistic option,
19:05or do you think there seems to be kind of this top tier of players available,
19:11and Downs might be the last one of these instant impact,
19:15absolute stud, blue-chip guys?
19:18Yeah, that's a fascinating discussion if you're the commander,
19:21is because you're trying to figure out who is going to impact me the most.
19:25And a lot of times we always think about the corner being a shutdown corner
19:28and impacting the game and those things.
19:30I'll say this.
19:31Mansoor Delane is a terrific player.
19:33He's a high-level player.
19:34He's an A player on the board.
19:37You can take him and put him on the outside,
19:39but I don't know if he's going to impact the game more than a guy that is doing it
19:43in the middle of the field.
19:44And for the longest time, safeties have been undervalued,
19:47much like running backs in terms of what they bring to the table.
19:51But if you have a dominant player, let's just go back to Sean Taylor
19:54and the brief impact that he had on the Washington franchise when he was there.
19:58When you have an A-level safety, it changes everything
20:02because they can go in the box and act as an additional linebacker.
20:06They play in the deep middle and be the center fielder that you want.
20:10They just have the ability to do so much.
20:13I would lean towards Caleb Downs versus Delane in that scenario,
20:16but I would understand if the commanders are like,
20:19man, we didn't get it from Lattimore.
20:21We haven't gotten an elite corner on that spot in a long time.
20:25We need one to be able to match up, particularly against our division.
20:29A.J. Brown, Devontae Smith, C.D. Lamb, George Pickens.
20:33You need one.
20:34So it comes down to who can we get the greatest impact.
20:38I like Downs better as a player, but I would understand if Delane is the choice.
20:42Yeah, I think like we're looking at Downs,
20:45he makes people think about going across the middle too,
20:47just like Sean Taylor did.
20:49Absolutely.
20:50Bucky, thank you so much for the time, man.
20:52I know how busy you are this time of year, and we really appreciate it.
20:54Appreciate you, man.
20:55Hey, man, call any time.
20:57All right.
20:58Bucky Brooks, give him a follow, at Bucky Brooks.
21:00How many people drop balls because their arms got short
21:02when someone was standing back there?
21:03A lot.
21:04A lot.
21:05All right, you're listening to me, Mr. Finley.
21:07I want to open the phone lines up.
21:08Bucky Brooks says they're going to take Caleb Downs,
21:11says Jeremiah Love's not going to be there.
21:13They got to go safety over corner just because of the value he brings
21:17to every level of the field.
21:19We're getting close.
21:20NFL Draft Time.
21:21It's me, Mr. Finley.
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