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ESPN college football insider Adam Rittenberg joins the program to discuss his favorite sleeper prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft.
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00:00Excited to get on the Rude Guest Hotline and welcome in Adam Rittenberg to the program.
00:05Adam's a senior college football writer for ESPN.
00:07Adam, what's up, dude? Thanks for making time for us.
00:10You bet, guys. Thanks for having me on.
00:12So, appreciate you making time.
00:15And there was an article you wrote maybe earlier this week, maybe last week, I think earlier this week.
00:20So much attention in the draft is paid on the first round, top ten.
00:26Washington has the seventh overall pick, so that obviously is commanding a ton of our attention.
00:30But I loved the article you wrote where you spoke with a number of college football coaches about guys that
00:36are going to go Saturday.
00:37We're talking fifth, sixth, seventh round picks, guys that are going to make a big impact.
00:42Maybe it's Friday night, wherever these guys may be drafted.
00:45Tell us kind of what went into your process.
00:48Right. Yeah, it was a fun piece to put together because, you know, there's different ways you can come up
00:52with sleepers.
00:53And, you know, certainly some people say, well, these guys are all power for starters.
00:57How can they be sleepers?
00:58But in the draft context, they really are.
01:01These are picks that will have value, according to the college coaches, depending on where they go.
01:06And, you know, like you said, many of them will be day three guys, maybe even, you know, free agent
01:12types, possibly late day two.
01:15But, yeah, it's just, hey, you know, who's the guy on your team that wherever he gets picked, he's going
01:22to sort of outperform whatever value the team's put on that particular draft selection.
01:28And he'll try to get a mix of different positions.
01:30And there's some big names on this list.
01:33I mean, Diego Pavia was the Heisman Trophy runner-up and certainly a guy everybody knows about who follows college
01:39football.
01:40But some of these other names, other than the fan bases, I think are important to know because you might
01:45start to hear about them as we get closer to the draft.
01:48And certainly once they're drafted and then they get out and they have a chance to perform, we could be
01:53looking back and say, wow, you know, that coach was right about so-and-so.
01:56So, you know, he really was a great value for this particular NFL team that selected him.
02:02So, some of the guys that I found really interesting on the list, in Washington, they need to add at
02:07wideout.
02:08And you have a player on here that I had tagged just in scouts I talked to, Chris Bell out
02:15of Louisville.
02:15And I think he could end up going second, third round.
02:19He's obviously coming off a big-time injury, but what do we need to know about Bell?
02:24Well, yeah, he's one of those that, in terms of the range, I think you're right.
02:28He could certainly be a second-round pick, in large part because, you know, people can look at his size
02:35and the production that he had when healthy
02:36and say as soon as he does get over this knee injury, he can be a very, very valuable piece
02:43to our offense.
02:44And so, he obviously was with Jeff Fromm at Louisville, who was not the number one wide receiver throughout his
02:50career,
02:50but really worked his way into that position last year.
02:54And, you know, as the piece notes, another coach at the ACC said, you know, he was the best receiver
02:58in the entire conference.
03:00And when healthy, it's certainly a top, you know, 60, 70, 80 pick.
03:05And so, I think that's what really is going to be his evaluation.
03:08But in terms of a size standpoint, you know, he is an imposing figure at, you know, 6'2 and
03:14around 225 pounds.
03:15And, you know, again, just needed that opportunity to be the number one receiver and was really thriving in that
03:22role until his injury.
03:24But overall, a really productive player in an NFL-style offense who has worked with different quarterbacks
03:30and I think will be a valuable piece to whoever drafts him.
03:33All right.
03:33So, when it comes to trying to figure out who could be a sleeper this year, I always like to
03:38look backwards
03:40and say, okay, what happened on this guy, this guy, and this guy that turned out to be a really
03:47good player?
03:48You want to play the game of trying to go, okay, well, here's what they missed about so-and-so.
03:53Because some of these guys I had forgotten.
03:55Kittle, fifth-rounder.
03:57How do you miss on that?
03:59What was the thinking on him coming out?
04:02Max Crosby, fourth-rounder.
04:05How do you miss on that?
04:06Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant.
04:08Like, there are some big misses.
04:11Where do you think the misses come from?
04:13Are they baked-in biases against guys regarding size or their position they play
04:19or whether they're going to fit in a scheme?
04:23Yeah, it's really all of those things.
04:25You know, like an undersized receiver or, you know, right now there's so much value placed on length
04:31at the defensive back position.
04:33So, if you're an undersized corner or you're short safety, you know, how are you?
04:37I mean, it's kind of laughable to see people talk about Caleb Downs.
04:40Well, you know, he may fall out of the top ten.
04:43It's like, bro, are you watching Caleb Downs?
04:45I mean, that dude is absolutely one of the best defensive players that I've seen in college football
04:50in the last 20 years.
04:51So, yeah, you can talk your way into not taking him at three, four, five, or six
04:56and then watch him just really kick your butt for the next 15 years in the NFL.
05:01Like, that's what's going to happen.
05:01So, yeah, no, it's all those things.
05:03And I think it really speaks to, you know, the fact that there's different preferences
05:09in personnel departments and there's different authority that maybe a personnel guy has
05:16or a GM has rather than a coach's voice.
05:18One example, and I'm kind of a Bears guy here in Chicago, like when the Bears took Kyle
05:22Manungay, I'm like, that could be a great pick.
05:25Because I watched Kyle Manungay and covered him throughout his time at Rutgers as a really
05:32productive college running back.
05:34And lo and behold, he's a backup to DeAndre Swift and maybe will be starting one day.
05:39David Montgomery is another running back who, again, a lot of us thought at the college
05:44level once, you know, whoever got him, wherever they got him, they were going to have success.
05:49And that certainly was the case with the Bears and then the Lions now.
05:53And I know he's moving on.
05:54But, yeah, there's a number of guys, especially certain positions, safety, running back, you
06:00know, some of the linebacker positions that aren't valued as much as, say, pass rusher,
06:05quarterback, a wide receiver, defensive end.
06:09Right.
06:10See, if it was me, Adam, as a scout, I would always look for explosiveness at any position.
06:15Like in the case of Terry McLaurin, who was a third rounder, sleeper, partly because Ohio
06:20State overstocked a wide receiver, didn't get as many touches or looks as he might have
06:24otherwise got.
06:25That first game in Philly, when he was exploding past people, it was one of the most electric
06:31things.
06:32And my lasting thought was, who the hell missed on this explosiveness with this guy?
06:38Right.
06:38What am I, how do you feel about my explosiveness theory?
06:43Yeah, yeah.
06:43That's definitely a trait that I think I would also value.
06:47It also just depends on what type of team I have, you know, who's the quarterback that's
06:52throwing the ball to him?
06:53What type of offensive structure is in place?
06:56Who's the play caller?
06:58Are they going to feature the things that he does well in ways that maybe other teams
07:03won't?
07:03So I think once you get past the obvious players in this draft, and we all know who they are,
07:09they're getting talked about quite a bit in that, in that top 15, top 20 range, then
07:13it really becomes, you know, the fit.
07:16And then, and then the traits that certain teams, coaches, GMs, and others are going to
07:21value more than, more than some of their competitors.
07:24Talking with Adam Rittenberg here on the Rude Guest Hotline, Adam's a senior writer of
07:29college football for ESPN.
07:30You can give him a follow at ESPN Rittenberg.
07:33Earlier in the week, he wrote a really interesting piece about talking with college coaches about
07:37who some of the sleepers are going to be in this NFL draft.
07:40And Adam, just there, you mentioned David Montgomery and Kyle Menungay as running backs
07:44coming out of college that you thought really could burst on the scene.
07:48Both those players did.
07:49Menungay, I mean, was really good for Chicago this past season.
07:52Saw David Montgomery's been good in Detroit for a while.
07:54Just got traded to Houston.
07:57In Washington, I, I don't, I'm not speaking on behalf of fans.
08:01That's a dangerous order, right?
08:02But a lot of fans seem very enamored by Jeremiah Love with the seventh overall pick.
08:08Who are some running backs later in this draft you think could be highly productive
08:12that you don't have to spend a seventh overall pick on?
08:15Right.
08:16Well, I would just start off with Jeremiah's teammate, Dadarian Price, who, who may be the
08:20second running back off the board, but, but could also be like the third, fourth or fifth.
08:24And, you know, he, he's a guy that, you know, was an all-american kick returner, you know,
08:29came to Notre Dame with a lot of expectations, had an injury.
08:32And then obviously you're playing alongside Jeremiah Love.
08:35It's hard to get touches, but, you know, he, he, he comes in without a lot of tread.
08:40You know, he's a fresh player, which I think is important now, especially given how, how
08:45many teams are using running back tandem.
08:48So I think he's, you know, somebody who, who I would look at as well.
08:52And then there's some versatile players.
08:53And one guy that's in the sleepers list, you know, Jonah Coleman from Washington was
08:57able to follow his career at Arizona.
09:00And then he fought, he followed Jed, Jed Bishop to Washington.
09:04He's a guy that was productive, both as a runner and as a receiver.
09:08He was durable, didn't have a lot of injury issues really throughout his career.
09:12So I think that that's an interesting, interesting one.
09:15And then Emmett Johnson from Nebraska was a little bit more of that traditional feature
09:19back for a Nebraska team that was really trying to emphasize the run, you know, it worked at
09:24times.
09:25And I think he, he did everything he could with some of the limitations around him to
09:29be a productive player at running back in college.
09:32So those are some of the guys you look at, but again, I wrote a piece about this a few
09:36weeks ago, guys, so many NFL teams are looking at that position through the prism of, we need
09:42a tandem, you know, the, the, the, the Saquons and the, and the, and the Derrick Henry types.
09:47I think those guys are going to be eventually fading out because you're seeing so much more
09:52value and Hey, so we have two guys that we have ready.
09:56And if one of them falls off or gets injured, we still have somebody else that we can trust
10:00in to get it done in big moments.
10:03Interestingly, Washington kind of hit on, on a guy last year in the seventh round in
10:08Bill Krosky merit.
10:09I, I forgive me.
10:10I don't know if this is a story you've written every year, but like, what would you have thought
10:14of bill this time last year?
10:17I, you know, yeah, I, I, I don't think he was in my list, um, uh, last year.
10:22Um, and it, you know, wasn't a guy that, that, that I, I looked at it in depth, but, but
10:27certainly
10:28that's a great point, right?
10:29He's coming from, um, you know, he's obviously with, with Arizona a little bit in his career,
10:34but, but he, he was really coming from, you know, different, a different level, uh, and
10:39was off the radar with maybe more of that true traditional sleeper, um, uh, type type of
10:45player, but what, what a find, right.
10:47Um, and like, that's really what the draft is about.
10:50I mean, that, that's why certain teams, you know, make the playoffs every year is that
10:54they're really, really good at this part of the draft.
10:57Um, you know, you, you certainly have to hit on your first round picks and your top 10 picks
11:01because of the value that's placed on those positions and rightfully so, but you also have
11:06to be really good and elite in that Leo late day two into day three and, and, and being
11:12able to find some of these value guys that end up being starters because yeah, most fourth
11:17round draft picks do not have starter grades on them.
11:19But as you noted at the first question today, so many NFL starters were fourth and fifth
11:25and sixth round picks.
11:26And so that's who you have to find.
11:28If you want to be a good franchise, I'm curious talking with some scouts that I know I've heard
11:34repeatedly about the depth at the corner position, specifically in this draft, who were some
11:39of the DBs that made your list?
11:42Yeah, I mean, that, that's such a, uh, important position.
11:45Um, uh, you know, every year, uh, you know, especially, especially the corners, but the
11:50nickel corners and, and, and I had, I had quite a few safeties on this list as well.
11:55Um, let's see.
11:56So, so Cole was new ski from Texas, Texas tech is a name that, uh, you know, Joey McGuire,
12:02you know, who has a lot of the top, uh, defenders on the board, including David Bailey, who should
12:07be the first defender defender off the board at defensive end, but also, um, really that
12:12entire defensive line and Jacob Rodriguez, the linebacker.
12:14But he, but he, he identified Cole as someone who, um, you know, really will be a good value
12:20wherever he goes.
12:21The key Wheatley, who is at Penn state, who was kind of a big name during the playoff run
12:25in 2024, just has a knack for the ball.
12:29It was always, you know, either forcing takeaways or involved in takeaways.
12:33And so I think he's someone with pretty good size who, who, who would be of interest.
12:38Um, and, and there's obviously some corners and some nickels as well, but, uh, you know,
12:42Jaden Kennedy from, from Oregon, um, was someone who, who Dan Lanning identified their head
12:48coach.
12:48Um, he was kind of a nickel corner for Oregon, a little bit, uh, you know, shorter of a player
12:52five foot 10, but has a couple of years of starting experience was at all Oregon and
12:57then Ole Miss before was at Tulane to begin his career.
13:00So, um, he, he's somebody who, uh, I know Dan pretty good endorsement there.
13:04If he's telling you that he's going to be a good value in the draft.
13:07All right.
13:08Do you believe in shopping at the brand name stores when all things are equal Alabama?
13:12Georgia, Michigan, you know, and the right, in the right years I do.
13:17Um, but, but, but I also think again, in this context, you know, we're talking about sleepers.
13:22We're talking about the guys that aren't obvious.
13:24Your two programs that overperform in the NFL draft every single year, uh, are, are Utah
13:29and Iowa.
13:30And that's why scouts, Utah and Iowa.
13:34Yeah.
13:34Yeah.
13:35Iowa offensive program.
13:36I mean, and they're a lot of linemen.
13:39Iowa corners are good too.
13:41Yeah.
13:41Um, yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:43But both, obviously you mentioned George Kittle.
13:45I mean, total sleeper from Iowa in hindsight was clearly underused by, by the Hawkeyes at
13:50the college level.
13:51Cause they don't throw the football.
13:52They've had a number of those guys.
13:53I mean, Sam Laporta probably wasn't used well enough at Iowa.
13:56Look at what he's doing in the NFL, Utah, the number of, of, of, of, uh, offensive and
14:01defensive linemen.
14:02They've had a number of running backs that have had success in the NFL was just there earlier
14:07this week with, with their new coach, Morgan Scali.
14:09They had, but watching their practice, it's like, okay, they're going to have dudes every
14:13year in the draft that might not be talked about as high school recruits, but are going
14:17to be talked about entering the draft.
14:19So yeah, you're, you're, you're, you certainly can't ignore Ohio state and Georgia and, uh, and
14:24Texas and Oklahoma and some of these traditional places that produce a lot of NFL players, Clemson.
14:30Uh, but you also have to look at like, like, where are the places that are, are, are, are
14:35sending guys that get in the fourth, fifth, sixth round.
14:38And all of a sudden we're talking about them as pro bowl, pro bowl type players.
14:42I love it.
14:43Utah and Iowa are like the outlet malls of NFL talent.
14:46Yeah.
14:47Costco high, high quality merch.
14:49Right.
14:50With a lot less price on them.
14:51Um, Adam, I wanted to sneak one in here and I'll let you go after this.
14:56Um, I've watched a lot of Texas tech.
14:58So I actually really liked that kid was new ski.
15:00You included in your article.
15:01And I think Bailey's going to go number two.
15:03I think he should go number two.
15:05If I, if I was a GM, he'd be the first dude I drafted this in this draft.
15:08I think he's going to be a double digit sack guy for a decade, but the player I loved most
15:12on that Texas tech defense was Jacob Rodriguez, the linebacker in the center of all of it.
15:17Is he a Friday night guy?
15:19Probably like, where does Rodriguez go?
15:22Yeah, I think it'll be really interesting because yeah, production wise he's, he's off
15:26the chart.
15:27And if he does end up get slipping into Saturday, you really have to look at the position and
15:33say, Hey, this is just not a valued enough position to use a third round pick.
15:39And enough people felt that he just did what wasn't, you know, you obviously were, were
15:43sunny styles and the performance that he had at the combine.
15:46It's a different type of trade sky than a Jacob Rodriguez, even though, even though Jacob
15:51Rodriguez, you know, did a whole lot more from a production standpoint and, and, you
15:56know, certainly last couple of years at Texas tech.
15:58So, um, I I'm fascinated to see where he ends up because, um, you know, again, you can, you
16:04can, you want, you watch the games, you watch what he did for that defense, even when they
16:08weren't a big 12 title contender.
16:10And it was, it was really impressive, but you know, he, he's not a elite pass rusher.
16:16He's not a cover corner.
16:17He's not a guy that's going to, you know, make, make, make catches for you in the red
16:20zone to score touchdowns.
16:22Like some of these wide receivers are going to do.
16:24And so I, I would think he'll be a Friday guy, but you know, again, because of the position,
16:30it's a little bit harder to predict.
16:31It's funny.
16:32I remember when the skins drafted John Bates and I watched the first week of training
16:35camp.
16:35And I said, that dude's going to have a 10 year NFL career.
16:38And I feel like wherever Rodriguez ends up, he's going to be the same dude.
16:41That dude's going to be a monster on specials.
16:43He's going to be first in last out.
16:45I don't know what we'll see how that goes.
16:47Adam really appreciate you making time, dude.
16:49What I'd like to do is if you're cool with it, maybe we follow up with you the week after
16:53the draft and see what you think of the guys Washington got.
16:56Absolutely.
16:57Let's do it.
16:58Looking forward to it.
16:59Thanks so much, man.
16:59Appreciate the time.
17:01All right, guys.
17:01Thanks.
17:02All right.
17:02That is Adam Rittenberg, senior college football writer for ESPN.
17:06You can give him a follow at ESPN Rittenberg.
17:08Really cool article about some sleeper picks available later in this draft, talking to college
17:12coaches.
17:12I'm going to tweet that out if anybody's looking for it.
17:15Good stuff right there.
17:16Good stuff right there.
17:16Good stuff right there.
17:16Good stuff right there.
17:16Good stuff right there.
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