- 20 hours ago
Daniel Kelly joins The Sports Junkies to preview the 2026 NFL Draft.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00It's Daniel Kelly. Hey, Daniel.
00:03Hey, good morning. How's everybody doing?
00:06Are you pumped up for the draft like we are?
00:09Oh, yes, I am. As one person said to me, this is Christmas for you, and he was right.
00:15Yeah, for sure.
00:16What was it like being inside a war room?
00:20Intense.
00:21Yeah.
00:22Very intense, yeah. I mean, I stood at the doorway.
00:25I remember the first draft that was there with the Jets when Bill Parcells was there and Bill Bilicek and
00:31all those guys, and you could hear a pin drop in the room.
00:34I stood kind of in the doorway and just kind of watched.
00:37You couldn't hear anything. Scouts were ruffling a little bit of papers here and there.
00:41The draft was on TV at the front of the war room.
00:44Maybe a phone call came in.
00:46The decision makers are sitting at the back table, and, you know, Mike Cannebaum, who was our contract guy at
00:52the time,
00:52would give a thumbs up or thumbs down based on, you know, what trade was being proposed, and Bill Parcells
00:57would get up usually,
00:58and he would walk out of the room and come back, and he would say to the speakerphone, you know,
01:04he would say the name of the player he wanted
01:06and, you know, send him the card, and he would walk back out of the room.
01:09It was really intense. Nobody spoke unless they were spoken to.
01:12I remember reading this past weekend, you guys, I'm sure you saw the same story, where, I can't remember who
01:18it was.
01:19It was the Giants, somebody, but they would reward scouts if your player got picked and made the team.
01:26And so guys, I mean, they're lobbying for your guys.
01:29They're really lobbying, and you're really presumably getting the best from these guys because they're getting cash bonuses
01:36if their guy that they lobbied for and they got credit for made the team.
01:41Do you think that would work today in 2026?
01:45Yeah, I think it would. Absolutely.
01:47I know for us at the Jets, I mean, when the scouts really had their moments of shine was in
01:52the later rounds,
01:54and then especially for the undraftable free agents, that's when the scouts really shined,
01:59and that's when they listened to them, and that's when they really jumped on the table for their guys
02:03to bring them to camp and stuff.
02:04But, yeah, absolutely, every scout loves to be heard, and every scout works really hard
02:09and beats the pavement and travels the country and does a lot of work on his reports.
02:14So, yeah, they definitely wanted to add their contribution for sure.
02:17So, Daniel, here in Washington, there's a lot of excitement.
02:20They have the No. 7 pick.
02:21When you look at Washington's roster now after free agency, what are the holes that you see the most?
02:29Well, you know, I always listen to NFL.com because I feel like they're, you know,
02:34they really have their ear to the league, and as far as what they say Washington needs the most,
02:39on April 9th they came out, they said, you know, really upgrade the weapons for Jaden Daniels.
02:44This is a huge year for Jaden Daniels, as we all know, whether or not they're going to pick up
02:49the 50-year option,
02:50what they're going to do, the contract extension they can start talking about next year.
02:54So, to me, it's like, you know, you can go offense with that said, and you know what, receiver,
03:00there's a guy that I have targeted at that pick at 7 if they don't trade up.
03:05I mean, I love Jeremiah Love, which I've said on a previous show, if they can trade up to that
03:093 spot,
03:11absolutely, it'd be the best running back they've had in Washington since John Reagan.
03:15But if they stay, Pat, and he goes early, which he may, to the Titans or Giants at 3 or
03:195 or whatever,
03:20Carnell Tate is a guy that I've circled, he's number 5 on my first-round value board,
03:26the wide receiver of Ohio State, 6'2", and 1'4", 192 are his combine numbers,
03:31and he's a special player who produced very clean tape.
03:36He has the size and physicality of a big receiver, speed and quickness of a small receiver,
03:41and what that does is allows him to dominate the short to intermediate level of 0 to 19 yards,
03:47and that speed enables him also to take the top off a defense,
03:51and really creates a guessing game, guys, for the corners.
03:54Like, you know, what's he going to do?
03:55Is he going to sit underneath?
03:56Is he going to go deep?
03:57And really, I think for some Washington fans who remember back when Art Monk played,
04:02when I watched the film, there was reminders.
04:05He reminded me of an Art Monk-type player.
04:07He has great hands.
04:09He has a 78.5% catch rate this last year,
04:13and also he has that selfless component that, of course,
04:17Monk brought to Washington back in the day.
04:20Special player would be a great weapon.
04:23My favorite Ohio State receiver in the past, you know, five drafts have come out is Carnell Tate.
04:29I think he'd be a great weapon for Jaden Daniels.
04:31So that's interesting that you're so high on him because many people like him,
04:35but they think he, you know, their best guess is he tops out at like a very good number two
04:40because he never played one, and I don't know, that's crazy.
04:43Guys out of college are backups and come in and become studs at the next level.
04:47But that seems to be the kind of the consensus.
04:49Why do you like him so much and like him more than Bouquet and all these other guys
04:55that have come out of there in the last couple years?
04:57It's just something that, Bob, I think he kind of combines what all those guys do.
05:02And I loved Emeka Bouquet, and I loved Jackson Smith, but he has the element of everything.
05:08He can dominate at all three levels, and just how graceful and how nimble he looks when he runs.
05:15He's got the alpha demeanor.
05:17He's got a crisp change of direction.
05:20He wins at the break points.
05:21He comes back, helps all his quarterback when he's in trouble, and he's a blocker.
05:26I mean, he blocks like he means it.
05:28So this is a complete football player, number one, and number two, a great receiver.
05:33And, I mean, when I watch, I have a hard time.
05:36I mean, I'm probably the hardest grader.
05:37I mean, I feel I'm the hardest grader in America that does this.
05:40I mean, I look for weaknesses.
05:42I scowl with the tape for them.
05:44I evaluate every single game.
05:45I've looked at every game that Tate's played in the last two years,
05:49and really I had a really tough time finding weaknesses.
05:52This guy just produced that clean of tape where, you know, there's like maybe if I nitpicked,
05:58there was three times he didn't lay out for a pass, you know, something like that.
06:02He had a little tightness in his leg.
06:03He missed three games.
06:04But outside of that, I couldn't find any weaknesses.
06:06So I think he brings a lot to the table for Washington and a great weapon for Daniels.
06:12How much of a gap is there between Tate and Jordan Tyson on your board?
06:18Well, on my board, I have Tate at number five, and then I have Tyson at number 21.
06:24And what's the reason for that?
06:26The injury history?
06:28The injury history.
06:29Yeah, he missed over like I believe 40% of his games.
06:33It certainly has nothing to do with his playing style.
06:36I mean, Jordan Tyson is a guy that I really, really liked.
06:40You know, just big time receiving skills.
06:43You know, he wins at the break point.
06:45He's a guy that is a master at creating route windows.
06:49He can win at the break point in a number of different ways.
06:53He's good with the yak, you know, yards after the catch with the ball in his hands.
06:56I love Jordan Tyson.
06:58He would be a lot higher on my first round value board had it not been for the injury pass.
07:03But I have to take that consideration.
07:04I mean, when I watch Tyson, I mean, his body type and his body movements and his mannerisms, I mean,
07:11reminds me a lot of what I remember Larry Fitzgerald looking like.
07:15And also when he runs his route.
07:18So I love Tyson.
07:19The only reason I discounted him on the value board was because, again, because of the injuries.
07:24Talking to Daniel Kelly, former NFL scout with the Jets, you can follow him at FirstRoundMock on Twitter.
07:31You mentioned that Tate was number five on your board.
07:34Who were the four guys ahead of him?
07:36I have Carson Beck, the quarterback at number one overall.
07:42Jeremiah Love at number two.
07:45Mansour Delaney at number three.
07:48And then David Bailey, the edge rusher from Texas Tech at number four.
07:52All right, we're not in the market for quarterback, but I got to hear your 30 seconds on why you
07:56have Beck so high and especially over Mendoza, who seems to be the unanimous number one.
08:03I've looked at 43 games, every game that Carson Beck has played in his college career.
08:08I feel that he has the best NFL head on his shoulders.
08:12He's the most NFL ready quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft.
08:17He's a guy that can read, go through his progressions.
08:19He's a guy that's comfy from a cleaner, dirty pocket.
08:23And what he did down in Miami this year, I think is the most understated story in this draft, is
08:27how he went from Georgia to Miami and reinvented himself.
08:30He didn't just play a few games, actually pulled a whole locker room together, a whole new locker room, and
08:35took him all the way to the national championship game.
08:37That, to me, was a litmus test to show what was really inside Carson Beck.
08:41So, one guy I didn't hear in your top five, who a lot of people here in Washington want them
08:47to draft, is Sonny Stiles, the linebacker from Ohio State.
08:51Give us your read on Stiles, because I hear you're not as high on him as others.
08:57I'm not.
08:58I couldn't get into Sonny Stiles' film.
09:00I evaluate every game he's played the last two seasons, 30 games.
09:04I mean, hopefully, if anyone's listening out at the commander's headquarters, please stay away from selecting this guy, because I
09:10feel that he's going to be a bust in the 2026 NFL draft.
09:14He's one of these guys that has, you know, the raw athletic traits, the combined traits.
09:19But on film, he looks like an athlete.
09:21He's trying to learn to play linebacker.
09:24That's not a good, you know, look.
09:26I mean, he's awful versus the run.
09:29He looks awful blitzing.
09:30He tends to be an after-the-fact, damage-controlled pass defender, meaning he makes the tackle after the catch.
09:37Doesn't use his hands well.
09:38Zero pass rush move, Sean.
09:40And really, from the neck up, that's the thing.
09:42The game is one or one from the neck up.
09:43I feel he was an underachiever who lacks fight, has questionable instincts, lacks motivation.
09:48Sure, can he run around and make plays if he's left unblocked?
09:52Yes, he can.
09:53But who can't?
09:53He just was not a difference maker on his game film, and that's what he put on his film.
09:58I just wrote it down.
09:59So, the way you're describing it reminds me of a fairly recent Washington Redskins, now Commanders, draft pick, Jamin Davis,
10:08who was a guy who had great athleticism and all these scores, but just never worked out at linebacker.
10:15Do you remember Jamin Davis, and is there some sort of comp there?
10:19Yeah, I do.
10:20I like Davis better coming out than I like Styles.
10:25But, yeah, no, I could definitely see that when Davis was coming out, what, Kentucky, and, yeah, I just, there's
10:31just, you know, it just doesn't translate.
10:32The traits of the combine just don't translate to the film, and the production, you know, kind of backs it
10:38up, too.
10:38I mean, this is a guy in 2025, you know, Styles, two sacks, one quarterback hit, 12 hurries, so he's
10:44not really getting to the quarterback too much.
10:46And he gave up an 85.3% reception rate per PFF in his catches.
10:52So, I mean, he's, you know, he's not a guy that's out there making plays.
10:55It's not just what I'm saying, what I've seen on film, but also the numbers also back up what the
11:00film confirms.
11:01What about a guy like Caleb Downs, who doesn't necessarily have the world's greatest measurables, but everybody says he's so
11:09instinctive, he's a leader on the field right away, he's a step ahead of everybody else, but he doesn't have
11:16any particular attributes, maybe, that you would take him necessarily, like, with the top five pick or something, potentially.
11:22Yeah, I really love Caleb Downs, he's number seven on my first-round value board, I've watched all 30 games
11:29with him as well, he's a standout, 5'11", 5'8", 206, combine numbers, compact muscular frame, I mean, we've
11:37all heard of shutdown corners, you know, and this guy to me is a shutdown safety, he's a true difference
11:42maker, he's the fastest safety I've ever evaluated, and why that'd be important to Washington's defense if they were to
11:50get him,
11:50is because with that speed and desire that he shows on film, he can cut off explosives, and that's important
11:57in a league, where 26.8% of the games are decided by three points or less, I mean, he's
12:02an athletic, quick twitch defender, he's a heavy hitter, offers a lot of game plan flexibility, can move around to
12:08different spots, he has a high football IQ, dialed in, disciplined, I love his short area close, no problem covering
12:15backs or tight ends, knows where to hang out in zone coverage, he brings blitzing upside,
12:20he would, you know, Downs would be the best safety Washington has had since Sean Taylor.
12:26So, just out of curiosity, getting back to the quarterback position, you have Carson Beck as your number one overall,
12:33so you think the Raiders should take him number one overall, where do you have Mendoza in terms of what
12:39round he's projected in?
12:40I mean, he's going to go one, but where would you have him in what round?
12:44Fourth round, is the value I have on his film.
12:47Fourth rounder?
12:48Yeah, QB7, QB7, if you don't have him on my board.
12:51Because, explain.
12:53Well, what Fernando Mendoza, his film, I had a fifth round grade on him heading into this season when he
13:00played at Cal, I upgraded him to a fourth round grade.
13:03His skill set does not translate well to the National Football League.
13:08What he did in college, he did in college, I feel Indiana built everything they did around his limited strengths
13:13and did everything possible to expose his weaknesses from being shown and illustrated.
13:19I mean, this guy is so limited in what he does.
13:22He stands there, he claps, he takes a snap.
13:24He does one about a few different things.
13:26He either hands the ball off most of the time, it's a very run-heavy offense.
13:31They were his second-most run-heavy offense in college football.
13:34Or, you know, he basically loves to throw outside.
13:38He tries to throw to the outside.
13:39He tries to throw outside the numbers.
13:41He tries to throw deep.
13:42He tries to avoid coverage.
13:44He tries to throw throwing inside the numbers.
13:46And like the plague, he tries to just throw passes that offer him the most possible throwing leverage.
13:52And to me, that's so limited.
13:54And the thing that's really going to get Mendoza in trouble is his throwing mechanics.
13:57Because he stands there, he has to align his body perfectly with the trajectory of throw.
14:02There's a hard set that he always does as he's staring where he's looking, he's going to throw.
14:07And he stands there and has to perfectly align his body with the trajectory of throw.
14:12And then he pats the ball on top of it to the further telegraph where he's going to throw.
14:15And then he has below average to average anticipation.
14:18I think this guy's an NFL cornerback's dream.
14:22That'll be interesting.
14:23I tell you, what he says, though, I think there's some validity to it.
14:27It rings true with me.
14:28I'm not sure that Mendoza should be the universal number one overall pick.
14:32Isn't throwing to the outside?
14:34You could say smart.
14:35Hard.
14:39Are you asking him or are you asking him?
14:42I think it's throwing it down and out.
14:43The scout is a long throw compared to throwing some of the stuff over the middle.
14:47Yeah, but you've got to read to make over the middle.
14:50You've got to have the confidence, right, to needle those throws in there.
14:53You've got to hit the small windows.
14:55Have you talked to any other former scout or scouts that agree with you on Mendoza that
15:00he would be like a mid-round pick or should be a mid-round pick versus number one overall?
15:07No.
15:08Okay.
15:08So you're the only guy.
15:09You're on the island.
15:10He likes being on the island.
15:11Yeah.
15:12I kind of like him.
15:13Well, he had Spencer Rattler ahead of Caleb, Drake May, J.D.
15:18Where'd you have Rattler?
15:19Number one overall, right?
15:21I did, absolutely.
15:22And last year, I mean, he was top 10 completion percentage in the league, and he had the fifth
15:26fastest time to throw.
15:27I just feel he's in a bad situation with the Saints right now.
15:30But I mean, outside me, he's got the second highest completion percentage on the 2024 draft
15:34class next to Drake May out of all the guys.
15:37Do you think Jaden will ultimately be successful here?
15:42No.
15:43Because?
15:44Because of injury or performance?
15:47Both.
15:48Okay.
15:49Interesting.
15:49The thing that concerns me the most about what I saw at Jaden Daniels last year wasn't
15:54the injuries, I mean, yeah, he loves to run like he's Derrick Henry.
15:58He doesn't have the bill for it.
16:00And his completion percentage plummeted last year in terms of his accuracy.
16:04But the thing that concerns me the most about Jaden Daniels is I didn't see the same confidence
16:09or swag that he showed in his rookie season.
16:13That didn't show up at all.
16:14And that's the thing that concerns me.
16:16One last one for you.
16:17A lot of Commanders fans would love Jeremiah Love to be there at number seven to draft him.
16:23How does he compare to other top running backs drafted recently, whether it's like a Bijan
16:29Robinson or some of the other top guys, Jameer Gibbs, who's Jeremiah Love in your eyes?
16:36The best out of all of them.
16:39Yeah, he's the best of all of them.
16:41I mean, my comp for him is Saquon Barkley.
16:43I mean, this is a guy that is an explosive cutback home run hitter.
16:49He's a guy that's a space architect is what I call him.
16:53He squeezes space better than any running back I've ever evaluated.
16:57He's a guy that's very calculated as a runner.
16:59He optimizes the angles as a runner.
17:02He's a legit receiver on the backfield.
17:04He's a guy that's as selfless as they come.
17:07I mean, he blocks with the same passion as he runs with.
17:10And he's a guy that's very durable.
17:12He's never missed a game because of injury.
17:14And he's a guy that doesn't fumble.
17:16No fumbles lost, according to ESPN, the last three seasons.
17:19This guy would be a true difference maker in Washington.
17:22Would be the best running back Washington's had since, like I said, since John Riggins.
17:26So I feel like he's the best to answer your question of all the running backs that have
17:30come on the past few drafts.
17:31Hey, real quick, before I let you go, would you be opposed to if the Commanders were at
17:36seven and Tate was gone and, you know, some of these loves gone, but they still wanted
17:41to stay in offense and they dropped down a few spots to take Kenyon Sadiq tight end
17:45out of Oregon who ran a 4-3?
17:48Yeah, I would be all for that.
17:50I love the idea.
17:51Even though they did sign a tight, they signed a tight end, obviously, in free agency.
17:55Yeah, absolutely.
17:56I think what it does is it creates a different kind of component for Jaden Daniels that isn't
18:01available to a lot of teams.
18:03And now, all of a sudden, Washington has two good tight ends that can run different packages
18:06because a lot of times these tight ends are matching up against linebackers and safeties
18:10who are stiffer athletes and these good tight ends basically can change direction faster
18:14and they can get to the break points faster and the catch windows and the catch points
18:18because Kenyon Sadiq, yeah, I mean, he's a special player.
18:21He's the best blocking tight end I've ever evaluated.
18:24He also has great hands.
18:26I really love how he matured on his Oregon tape in 2025.
18:31He ran about 18 routes that really sold me.
18:34I had a third-round grade on his 2024 field, but when I saw those 18 routes, I was like,
18:38okay, yeah, he's running sophisticated routes now.
18:41His route running has gotten a lot better.
18:42I feel like he'd be a tremendous weapon for Washington on offense.
18:45If he's there, somehow they fall into him.
18:48I would love that pick.
18:50Daniel, always enjoy having you on.
18:52That's Daniel Kelly, former NFL scout with the Jets.
18:55You can follow him on Twitter at FirstRoundMock.
18:58Thanks, pal.
18:59Thanks, buddy.
18:59Thank you, man.
19:00Hey, thank you, guys.
19:01Enjoy the draft, everybody.
19:02All right, we will.
19:03I tell you, I think there's something to the Mendoza.
19:07He doesn't have necessarily the physical traits that you would think historically at one overall.
19:12I think that could be something there.
19:14And then Styles, I worry he could be a combine freak too.
19:17He doesn't have huge numbers at Ohio State.
19:1950% of the, basically 50% of the first-round picks bust, right?
19:23Yeah.
19:23I think he might be on some with those two.
19:25Look, Peters might look at Styles and go, we're not touching him with seven.
19:29The thing is, we watched.
19:30We don't know.
19:30What, did he have one sack last year?
19:32We watched Mendoza take on Carson Beck.
19:34And who looked like the better quarterback in that game?
19:38Well, Mendoza.
19:39To me, it wasn't even close.
19:40Mendoza.
19:40Yeah.
19:41Every time he needed to make a big throw, maybe it was on the outside, he made the big throw.
19:45I'm not saying that.
19:46And then he made the big scramble into the end zone.
19:48Beck is as quick as me outside the pocket.
19:51And then he under-threw, when he had a big throw, on a chance he under-threw it.
19:55I'm not saying I agree with his evaluation of Beck, but I might agree with it on Mendoza.
20:02Yeah, but you wouldn't slip him down to the fourth round.
20:05Maybe I had Spencer Rattler ahead of Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams and Drake May.
20:10Yeah.
20:11I mean, every...
20:12And the other guy beat out Spencer Rattler.
20:15Every scout...
20:15I'm forgetting his name.
20:16The New Orleans quarterback that was drafted.
20:18Oh, yeah, yeah.
20:19Every scout that I've listened to to kind of evaluate Mendoza has him number one overall
20:25and a good fit.
20:26I know.
20:27None of them have said Carson Beck.
20:28I don't want to say that.
20:29I officially do want to say I'm not convinced he's going to be a star.
20:32I'm not convinced.
20:33I don't know if he's going to be a star.
20:34I'm just saying in terms of the evaluation, people don't have Carson Beck above Mendoza.
20:39Yeah, I know.
20:40Besides Daniel.
20:41I don't.
20:41Yeah.
20:41But I just...
20:42Clickbait.
20:431-800-636-10670 if you want to chime in.
20:46We're the Junkies.
20:47Coming right back.
Comments