00:00As far as the Falcons are concerned, big day today.
00:03Off-season program begin today.
00:05And look, we're not telling you they're out on the field and they're running plays,
00:08but this is going to start to set the tone for what Kevin Stefanski wants to do
00:14with this team and how this is going to feel.
00:16And I think the bigger thing is, you know, again, this is voluntary,
00:19so I'm not expecting everybody to be there.
00:21But the one guy who did sign his contract and is there is Kyle Pitts.
00:26And I think some people were surprised to hear that Pitts signed his tender
00:29or his offer was a franchise tag.
00:32He had until July 15th.
00:34And the reason why we bring this up is because usually guys wait,
00:38allow their agents to try to work out a long-term deal, right?
00:42Because even though you've been franchised, it doesn't mean you can't get a long-term deal.
00:44And then you get closer to camp, Mike, and they go, well, we didn't get a deal.
00:48We'll go ahead and sign.
00:49He said, I'm going to go ahead and sign, and I'm going to be at voluntary workouts,
00:52which tells me, and I don't know if he'll be at all the programs in the offseason,
00:55but it tells me maybe Kyle is all in, Mike.
00:58Well, he was never going to get a multi-year deal here.
01:02I mean, he's going to make more money here with us.
01:03Now, certainly in the open market, I'd be curious.
01:06I think there's a lot of folks around the NFL wanting to see what this proven year is going to
01:09be.
01:10Some of it's been in his control, the balls he's dropped, the routes he hasn't run,
01:14the blocks he's missed, and then there's been some awful quarterback play.
01:17And then there's moments where he looks like the guy that deserves to be the top four pick that draft.
01:21So, to me, it makes perfect sense for him.
01:23As you said, this isn't like, you know, where if Drake May, you know, is coming up to his contract
01:28and then we tag him, like, whoa, what's going on there?
01:31That'd be next year.
01:32There are certainly situations, well, any Jerry Jones and the Cowboys situation, right?
01:37Yeah, he's dead, yes.
01:38Where you tag him so nobody else can talk to him, and then you go to the mattresses,
01:41and eventually you figure it out.
01:42This was never going to be that issue.
01:43We know that here in Atlanta, but you're right.
01:45It was kind of surprising for whatever reason to some folks outside of Atlanta.
01:47Yeah, just the timing, guys, because he's got plenty of time.
01:50He didn't have to do that.
01:50He could have said, by the way.
01:51But it's not going to go anywhere.
01:52This is the deal.
01:53But he could have said, I'm not going to be at voluntary workouts.
01:57Wouldn't have been a big deal, because he knows he's got tagged.
02:00But the fact that he chose to do the other thing, maybe we should be looking at this differently.
02:04I hope that's the case.
02:05Yes, and I do, too.
02:06I hope that they are saying to him, and I'm talking about Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Reese, the OC,
02:10we're going to use you.
02:11You're going to be a big part of this offense, and let's hope that's the case.
02:14With that said, though, the other thing that we're focused on is Ian Cuttingham, our general manager,
02:18and this upcoming draft.
02:21What are the priorities?
02:22As we've been talking about this, and we'll continue to break it down, and I know you've
02:25been doing some mock drafts.
02:27And it's funny, because we talked about defensive tackles, and I said, look, if I'm the Falcons,
02:31I'm going DT with that first pick in the second round.
02:34We don't have a first-round pick.
02:35But some guys have hit us up, Mike, and said, wait a minute, Duke.
02:38You happy with the wide receiver room?
02:39You're not going to go get one of these dynamic wide receivers in this draft?
02:43Well, you've got to get them early, because all the mock drafts I'm doing, it's all a matter of
02:47right now, we're at 48 and 79, and then 122.
02:51Then we don't pick again, guys, until 215.
02:53We don't have a fifth-rounder.
02:54So basically, you've got three picks between 48 and 122.
02:59What can you do there?
03:00Well, I just did a mock draft where Lee Hunter was still available.
03:03Go get him.
03:03Yes.
03:04Mountain of a Man from Texas Tech.
03:06And we get Julian Neal, a 6-2 corner from Arkansas in the 79th pick.
03:11But then, if you're talking about getting a wide receiver, now I'm picking up table scraps
03:14by the time I get to the 122nd pick.
03:16Has that been your strategy, by the way?
03:18Yes.
03:18I've not gone with wide receiver.
03:20I mean, look, I get it.
03:21If Zachariah Branch, I love him, too.
03:23But this gets back to the quote from Ian Cunningham, saying that he's looking at different
03:27ways to potentially manufacture some more picks.
03:30And that's interesting.
03:31Now, again, if they say, but we'll be complacent if it doesn't work out, Falcons look to acquire
03:37additional picks.
03:38What would it look like?
03:39Day-Day was asking in our notes today.
03:40How can you move down from 48 or move down from 79?
03:44See, that's the thing.
03:45The first-rounder is always the key.
03:47That's where you get the juice.
03:48Now, but you can move down and maybe get lucky at 48, move down and get somebody throws
03:54you a third or extra third-rounder or something.
03:56Not much.
03:57I mean, maybe you get two, what, two third-rounders for a second?
04:00Is that worth it?
04:01Knowing the talent that's still available, presumably in that top 50?
04:05Yeah, see, that's the question.
04:06If you have targeted, and let's just say five guys, right, and there'll be more, in that
04:12top 50, Mike, and you feel like they will be available, and that is more valuable in
04:16this particular draft.
04:17Next year, we know it's a different deal.
04:18We got plenty of picks.
04:19We got compensatory picks coming.
04:21We're going to have potentially 10 or more picks next year.
04:25But this year, what should the focus be?
04:28And if you think those three picks in the top 50 could help your team immediately, which
04:33is how this team should be thinking, then I got to stay put.
04:36I can't just do it because I know Ian's not going to do this.
04:40Do it, Mike, to just get more picks to say, well, we got more picks.
04:43Did you get quality?
04:45I need quality.
04:46I don't care if we don't have more picks necessarily this year.
04:49If you give me three guys that can flat out play, Mike, and come in and can contribute,
04:53and you say, you know what?
04:54This is going to be our focus.
04:56So what if we get three more picks, but they're bums?
04:59Right.
04:59Just some names that we've been throwing around.
05:01D'Angelo Pons, corner from Indiana, who did a really good 40 time.
05:04Everybody was watching Mendoza, and there's more on Mendoza coming up.
05:08Chris Johnson, a corner from San Diego State.
05:11These guys are right around where we're picking, if they think corner is a thing.
05:14At 48?
05:15At 48.
05:15But then there's Lee Hunter.
05:17In this draft that I looked at, again, guys, I apologize.
05:20I know somebody's in his car who's a nerd going, nerd!
05:22That's not possible.
05:23What site are you using?
05:25What?
05:25Well, again, I'm...
05:26What's not possible?
05:27He wouldn't be there.
05:29Well, again, I'm just, guys, I'm doing the best I can.
05:32And in this case, the consensus.
05:34I was using the consensus of media people.
05:36Okay, that's what the...
05:37So this is where we're at.
05:39But, you know, Banks, the big kid from Florida.
05:41We've talked about him before.
05:42And would you be interested in him?
05:43There's a bunch of defensive tackles there at 48.
05:45If I think they've got to get a tackle.
05:47Me too.
05:48I don't believe in Rook, and I still think Rook needs help regardless with what you've got in that
05:51defensive tackle room.
05:52Yeah, I just don't feel like we've got enough to stop the run with what we currently have.
05:56We didn't last year, and I think we've just got to continue to try to upgrade there.
06:00And look, remember where our general manager came from.
06:03The belief in defensive lines is real.
06:07Ravens?
06:09Eagles?
06:10Mm-hmm.
06:10That's how you win.
06:12And if you don't believe that, then I'm not sure what to tell you.
06:16We can get the shiny pieces, and I think they tried to address that.
06:18But, Mike, I think the reason we were so active in free agency is because of the lack of picks.
06:24We didn't spend a lot on any particular player.
06:27Right.
06:27But we were very active, only because you're trying to fill the void.
06:32You know what?
06:32I need two of those.
06:33Three of those.
06:34Two more of those.
06:36And then you get down to the nitty-gritty of the picks, and you're like, okay, we've got five picks.
06:39But you've got depth now.
06:41You've got a bunch of guys you're going to bring in, and they'll be competing.
06:44But to your point about it.
06:45But it's short-term.
06:46To your point, it's all short-term.
06:47It's short-term.
06:47But this idea like, well, I think Ian should go get this particular player.
06:52He came from places they believed in winning with big defensive linemen and key pieces up front.
06:58I don't think he goes away from that.
07:00I think we've got to beef up.
07:01It's funny, because how many years have you and I been doing this together?
07:03We have our theory, and then what?
07:05They go a different way.
07:06And certainly, Terry was really good at zagging instead of zinging.
07:09Either way.
07:10But, yeah, just food for thought.
07:12But if we go defensive tackle with 48, then there's basically a run on the second level of wide receivers
07:17and corners.
07:18Yes.
07:19So that's just some food for thought if you feel that the wide receiver needs to be addressed as well.
07:23The only guy that really got me over the last 10 years was DQ.
07:29When DQ drafted the safety, and it wasn't a priority for us,
07:35but we didn't understand how big that position was in the defense that he ran at the time,
07:40which is that cover three, that Seattle defense, Mike, that took him to –
07:43he went to a Super Bowl there, and then he took us to a Super Bowl.
07:46When he did that, everybody's like, what are we doing?
07:50But that was the one, Mike, where I went, okay, specific need,
07:54and he knew exactly what he wanted when he went and got Ken O'Neal, and it worked.
07:59That was like the – everything else has been like, we had a coach here in Arthur Smith who went,
08:03look, I'm an offensive guy, I need offensive pieces.
08:05He went Pitts.
08:06He went Bijon.
08:07He tried to get a quarterback.
08:09It didn't work.
08:10Like, he went Drake.
08:11You think about – that all makes sense.
08:13What's the new guy going to do?
08:14Right.
08:15And that's the thing.
08:15We know on record now some of this is to communicate to,
08:19because other general managers may know of a reputation, but how is he going to operate?
08:22He's making a case for the best athlete available.
08:24I went and got us Lee Hunter, Julian Neal, a corner.
08:27Then I went, and I went to a wide receiver at 122,
08:29and I was great at a reach, a C+, grabbing Malik Benson.
08:34So to take – I'm taking Ian Cunningham's strategy.
08:37He's right.
08:37He's great.
08:37He's a reach.
08:38It's a reach.
08:39I went and got Malik Benson from Oregon,
08:41and that's why sometimes you just go for, you know, the best athlete available.
08:44The Eagles go for the best athlete available,
08:46and it works out for them even when they've got, as you said, that depth and the D-line.
08:49Stack it, man.
08:50Like – and when you get really good, guys, it feels weird,
08:54because you're like, well, we don't need that.
08:55Doesn't matter.
08:56Injuries happen, and you need more bodies.
08:59But, you know, maybe we're going to find out that Ian Cunningham
09:02brought his buddy in to run scouting.
09:03Again, new guys coming in.
09:05Maybe they've got a better handle on it than Fontenot.
09:07Fontenot's forte was always developing free agents
09:10and finding diamonds in the rough that way.
09:12Maybe they'll have a better handle in finding us another Grady Jarrett
09:15or finding us the next Puka Nakua.
09:17You know, we're talking about fifth-round steals.
09:18We don't have a – see, that's a problem.
09:20We don't have a fifth-rounder.
09:21But in the sixth round or the fourth round.
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