00:00You know him from The Beast. Dane Brugler joining us here today on The Fan. Hello, Dane. How are you
00:03doing today?
00:04I'm good. How are you?
00:05Good. Obviously, exciting times for you. The Beast available exclusively on The Athletic. Fans can head over to The Athletic
00:10website,
00:10access all 2,000-plus prospect rankings, 400-plus deep dive player profiles, as well as brand-new video analysis,
00:17enhanced sorting features, and the old-school 500-plus page print-ready PDF of The Beast. You must be exhausted,
00:23Dane.
00:24I was hoping our Northeast Ohio weather would be a little kinder and be a little warmer out there for
00:31me
00:31as I come out of my cave with the finished version of The Beast, but no, it's a lot of
00:38fun to share it with everybody.
00:40It's a year in the making, a lot of information, a lot of things go into it, and so pretty
00:45cool to share it with everybody today.
00:47All right, well, we'll start with the simple one then. With all that work put in, what exactly do you
00:50have the Browns doing at six overall?
00:53Well, I mean, I think obviously the phones will be open, and is there a deal that is enticing to
01:01them?
01:02You know, the Cowboys may be looking to move up.
01:06You know, would they entertain 12-20 for picks 6-39, something like that?
01:13I think that'd be a lot of fun.
01:14I think that obviously this is a team that has multiple needs, and they're going to be more than willing
01:20to move back in the right situation
01:23so they can address multiple needs, whether it's the wide receiver, the tackle.
01:28You know, I think edge rusher is a sneaky need on this team when you look at just what's on
01:34the roster, what's on the depth chart,
01:36and just wanting to get a little bit younger there as well.
01:39And so, you know, there's – but I think most people, you know, if they stay at 6 and 24,
01:46most believe it's going to be wide receiver, offensive lineman, but what's the order?
01:51You know, that's the big question.
01:52And I think it comes down to, you know, how much do you – how do you feel about the
01:59depth of both of those classes?
02:00We're going to see a lot of receivers and a lot of tackles go in the first round,
02:03probably 6, 7 at both positions, and, you know, I think it just comes down to the preference.
02:11And, you know, I'm a big fan of Spencer Fano out of Utah.
02:14I think he's the best offensive lineman in the draft.
02:17Do the Browns believe he can answer their needs?
02:21Obviously, just on paper, it looks like left tackle is one of the big needs for this team.
02:25But do they feel like adding Fano, who was a right tackle in college, and some teams even believe he's
02:30going to be better inside as a center or a guard,
02:33do they feel like he answers those questions?
02:35And then I think the idea of getting a Carnell Tate has to be appealing.
02:40Adding a weapon on the outside.
02:43I mean, right now, who's the best weapon on this offense?
02:45It's probably your second-year tight end, right?
02:48I mean, it's – and so you want to get more explosive on the outside, somebody that defenses have to
02:53worry about.
02:53And, you know, they could have had Ted Roa-McMillan last year.
02:57And they went with the higher-graded player on their board in Mason Graham.
03:02And we'll see how that works out in the long run.
03:04But I think it'd be awfully hard to pass on a Carnell Tate and what he brings to your offense,
03:09picking at six.
03:10Is Carnell Tate then your number one?
03:11It feels like there's a little bit of separation between Carnell and then Lemon and then Tyson.
03:17But is that where you firmly stand now?
03:19Yeah, I think so.
03:21And, I mean, it's – what Carnell Tate brings, just the vertical element, winning down the field.
03:27But he's also a really controlled route runner in the short-to-intermediate game as well.
03:32He's one of the best sideline receivers that I've scouted.
03:36And by that, I mean just the ability to work the sidelines, stay in bounds, use that length.
03:42So he's bringing in some of those balls back into play because he's so long and uses that catch radius.
03:48You know, he doesn't drop the football.
03:49I mean, last year, there were 168 players in college football that had at least 66 targets.
03:57Tate was one of four that didn't have a drop.
03:59And you look at what he does in contested situations.
04:02You look at what he does at every level of the field.
04:04And, yeah, I mean, I get it.
04:06He ran a 4-5-3 in the 40-yard dash.
04:08And that was the only athletic testing we have for him.
04:10But when you watch the tape and you see just the different elements he brings to your team and a
04:17guy that took a big step from 2024 tape, you feel like he's due for even bigger stuff once he
04:22gets to the NFL.
04:23So, yeah, I do think he's wide receiver one.
04:25And there's a chance he might not even be on the board at six.
04:29If, you know, you look at the Titans at four, maybe even a team moving up to go get him.
04:34So, Tate is a really well-liked prospect.
04:36Dane Brugler of The Beast joining us here on 92.3 The Fan.
04:39The Beast available exclusively on The Athletic.
04:42All right, so let me ask you about Ty Simpson because I know last year you were hard on Shador
04:46in the draft evaluation process.
04:48But you were right on Shador ultimately.
04:50Ty Simpson, I feel like, falls in that same bucket for people.
04:53They just don't want to put him into that first-round category.
04:55They kind of want to let this see how it plays out.
04:57If the Browns went Ty Simpson at 24, would that be good enough value for you or would that be
05:03two out of left field still?
05:05I mean, me personally, I would not do that.
05:07I mean, I don't see Ty quite that high.
05:10I think once you get to 39, then it becomes more of a discussion point as you just try to
05:17add more competition to the room.
05:19But to me, especially where the Browns are at, where they have needs across this roster,
05:25and, of course, quarterback, until they get it figured out, quarterback should still be considered a need
05:32regardless of what you think of Shador and Deshaun Watson and, you know, Dylan Gabriel,
05:37regardless, until there's a quarterback that you can point to on this roster that's a clear-cut starter for the
05:43long term,
05:44it's something that you need to at least discuss.
05:46But with Ty Simpson, it's just too much of a gamble because he's a one-year starter, 15 starts.
05:52I mean, you look at the track record of former first-round quarterbacks who had 15 or fewer starts,
05:59and we're talking about Mitchell Trubisky, Dwayne Haskin, Anthony Richardson, guys that, you know, flash talent,
06:05but just there's no substitute for experience.
06:08And for Ty Simpson, you want him on the field.
06:11I don't think, you know, sitting him is not going to help that experience.
06:14You want him on the field just gaining that experience.
06:18And to me, that's just not something I'd be willing to do at that point,
06:22especially with tackles on the board or wide receivers on the board.
06:26But, you know, ultimately, maybe the Browns feel differently,
06:29but I'd be pretty surprised if we saw Ty Simpson as a pick at 24.
06:32How surprised would you be if it ended up being at six overall, excuse me, Jeremiah Love?
06:39That would be very surprising as well.
06:40And it's not that Love's not a good player.
06:43And obviously, the Judkins injury complicates, you know, your running back depth chart a little bit,
06:49just in terms of timeline and what it looks like moving forward.
06:52And there's something to be said about, look, just take the good players, right?
06:56And Jeremiah Love is, I don't know anybody that doesn't think he's a top five player in this class.
07:01And so I get it from that perspective.
07:03But I think that the grades on the other players available will be close enough where I'm just,
07:10I'm not taking a running back at that point when my offensive line is unsettled,
07:15my passing game is unsettled.
07:17You know, we saw Ashton Gentty go, what, six overall last year.
07:21And he struggled with that Raiders offense because they couldn't get things going.
07:25There was no consistency from the blocking, the passing game.
07:29And so, you know, I understand wanting to add good players and Love, absolutely.
07:36If he's on the board, could be the best player available at that point.
07:39But I think the grades will be close enough where I would lean wide receiver, tackle,
07:43or even a trade in that situation because I don't think Jeremiah Love's getting past seven
07:50in the commanders.
07:51And so if there's somebody that really has their eye on the running back,
07:54maybe they'll look at six to possibly make a trade up.
07:56Dan, you mentioned Spencer Fennell earlier, and I think it's interesting because a lot of people here,
08:02and obviously we understand, like, Spencer could become Joe Batonio,
08:05who was a right tackle in college, pushed inside, all pro, all everything.
08:09But the people I talk to on a daily basis, they've fallen in love with Monroe Freeling
08:14because he's more traditional left tackle, and you can just kind of fill that spot and go,
08:19or at least hopefully you fill that spot and go.
08:21So what is your read between Maui Noah, between Fennell, between Freeling,
08:26as far as the offensive line at six for the Browns?
08:29What's too high?
08:29What's too low?
08:30We're doing a Goldilocks thing.
08:32But, like, what's right for the Browns?
08:34Yeah, and that's the big question because, obviously, yeah, you look at the roster
08:38and left tackle is the one position that they haven't theoretically addressed to this point.
08:44I give Andrew Barry credit for the different ways he has added to this offensive line
08:49the last few months in the offseason.
08:52But what is the answer at left tackle?
08:55And, you know, obviously, DeJuan Jones coming back from injury.
08:58You know, I think in this draft they're hopeful to that can compete for that spot.
09:03Monroe Freeling, I just – and I like Monroe Freeling.
09:06I mean, going back to my first mock draft at Thanksgiving,
09:09I threw Monroe Freeling in there before anybody was talking about him as a first-rounder,
09:14and I got a lot of who, what?
09:16And now it's all of a sudden he's – you know, people want him at six.
09:19And I get it.
09:20But just going back to the combine, for example, Monroe Freeling, he struggled.
09:26And it's a matter of just a young player who I think will eventually get there.
09:31And if I had a pick in the mid-first round, I'd be just fine taking a bet on Monroe
09:37Freeling
09:38and developing him, bringing him along.
09:40But Spencer Fano on the flip side at the combine was sensational.
09:44I mean, that was the buzz after offensive line day, just talking to teams that were around the stadium
09:50was just how good Spencer Fano looked.
09:52And, you know, I think there are some comparisons to Will Campbell last year
09:56in terms of the lack of length, the body type.
09:59But, you know, Spencer Fano, he has a wingspan that's three inches longer than Will Campbell,
10:04who went fourth overall last year, and that played pretty well before he got injured.
10:09And then, obviously, we know how the Super Bowl and the playoffs played out.
10:12But, yeah, I think that there's no, like, set answer.
10:16Like, you get different opinions depending on who you talk to.
10:19But I personally, if they draft an offensive lineman at six, I would be –
10:24I would bet it would be Spencer Fano over Monroe Freeling.
10:29Dan, in like 20 seconds, can you give me a couple names for people to watch?
10:31Around 39 in that early second round for people?
10:36Yeah, I mean, I think if they – obviously, if they don't go wide receiver early,
10:40then, you know, who's going to still be there for them?
10:42Could it be a Jeremy Bernard, a Malachi Fields?
10:46I think that makes sense.
10:48Offensive line, you know, I think that they might get wiped out at that position.
10:52But if they could pivot to edge in talking about Cassius Howell, Gabe Ackis,
10:57R. Mason Thomas, so that might be the sweet spot to add your pass rusher.
11:00Dane Bruegler, fantastic insight as always.
11:03We appreciate you giving us a few minutes, and obviously, we're checking out The Beast.
11:05Thank you so much.
11:07Anytime. Thank you.
11:08That was Dane Bruegler, The Beast, available exclusively on The Athletic.
11:12Fans can head over to The Athletic website, access all 2,000-plus prospect rankings,
11:16400-plus deep dive player profiles, as well as brand-new video analysis,
11:20enhanced sorting features, and the old-school 500-plus page print-ready PDF of The Beast.
11:25That's what we're going to do.
11:25That's what we're going to do.
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