- 2 days ago
The Atlanta Falcons will be hamstrung for picks this weekend during the NFL Draft, but who could they potentially target? NFL insider Emory Hunt joined Andy & Randy to discuss some of their potential options.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00We're getting everybody caught up in everything that happened yesterday.
00:02Now Emory Hunt joins the show from CBS Sports and Football Game Plan.
00:06NFL draft analyst, one of our favorite guys to talk to this time of year.
00:10Emory, how are you?
00:10What up, Em?
00:11We're good, guys. I'm doing fine. I appreciate y'all bringing me on the show.
00:14Yeah, thanks for joining us.
00:16I know it's a very busy time of year for you as the draft is 48 hours away.
00:21Falcons don't have a first-round draft pick.
00:23So if you're a team that doesn't have a first-round draft pick
00:26and you're not picking until 48, where do you see the most depth of talent being at 48?
00:34Well, you know, because I go deep into the draft, I kind of see depth everywhere.
00:38But in terms of where the Falcons can still come away with something relatively
00:44in terms of being a starter, I would say interior offensive line
00:49and defensive line is where they can obviously go.
00:52Because when you look at this guard class and this center class,
00:55you're finding depth across the board from start to finish
00:57and guys that can really step in and start.
01:00So I would say the interior point of attack play on both sides of the ball
01:04is where you have a lot of depth.
01:06And on top of that, obviously, wide receiver and cornerback
01:09just by the nature of how the game is at a collegiate level.
01:13Em, tell me about Monroe Freeland because I'm curious
01:16because obviously he's a dog and everything like that.
01:17Where do you rank him as – I mean, he's going to be a first-rounder,
01:20but where do you put him in the – what level with these first-round tackles,
01:24where do you put Monroe Freeland?
01:25You know what's fascinating?
01:27I was on a show before the Combine started, and, you know,
01:31I told this take to the host.
01:33I was like, you know, Monroe Freeland is my number one tackle in this draft class.
01:38And you kind of jump back, and then we saw the Combine play out the next one.
01:41All the fly-in February folks started to see, like, oh, wow,
01:43he's the number one tackle.
01:45He measures in well and all this, blah, blah, blah.
01:46Well, I think he's a top tackle, man.
01:48I love his technique.
01:50I love his footwork.
01:51I love his consistency.
01:52You don't see someone that's, you know, that's 6'7", with that type of knee bend.
01:57And so, for me, him playing left tackle, him having all of the athletic traits,
02:01him having the technical skill on both ends of offense, I was like, wow,
02:05I couldn't deny the tape I was watching on him throughout the course of, you know,
02:10my evaluations, and I've held firm on that.
02:13That's my number one tackle in the class.
02:15As for some of the interior defensive linemen, like you mentioned,
02:20the depth at that position potentially be in there mid-second round for the
02:23Falcons, maybe even in the third round when they come back around.
02:26Give me a name or two that you could see at 48 that you think could come in
02:30and really be, like, a day-one difference maker for the Falcons.
02:34Grayson Holson out of Oklahoma is phenomenal.
02:37And you watch him in his quickness off the ball.
02:40He's always in the backfield right away.
02:42And that puts a lot of strain on the offensive line and how they're able to,
02:46you know, block and what their scheme is.
02:50He kind of blows that up by being quick off the ball and disruptive.
02:53So, he is someone right off the bat that would make a ton of sense.
02:57And I don't know if this guy is still going to be there, but, man,
02:59I'm a big, you know, Dominique Orange fan.
03:03I just love his consistency and how he plays with leverage.
03:06His hands are strong.
03:07He's constantly being able to shock and disengage all of those technical terms
03:11you talk about.
03:12He is outstanding in that approach.
03:14What about Christian Miller?
03:16Because, obviously, we're talking dogs and everything.
03:18I don't think he's going to be there, but there's other people and there's other
03:22things you see that he's a possibility for the Falcons at that 48 slot.
03:27He's my number two nose tackle.
03:30I have him slightly behind Caden McDonald of Ohio State.
03:34And what was interesting about watching Miller on tape was how, at times,
03:39he just destroyed centers and guards.
03:42And it's just like, man, this dude is legitimately stronger than the guy he's
03:45going up against.
03:45We're not talking about, you know, Montana Baptists.
03:48We're talking about SEC teams.
03:49He's just, like, destroying dudes, right?
03:51And it's like, wow, and that made C.J. Allen's job a hell of a lot easier at
03:57the second level.
03:57So, I think, and I threw this out there, if you were the Giants, right, and you
04:02just traded away one of the best, the best nose tackle in the league in Dexter
04:07Lawrence, and let's say you come away with styles and downs at 5 and 10, Miller
04:12would be a nice consolation prize or Caden McDonald.
04:16So, I'm a big fan of Miller.
04:17Emory Hunt joining us here on the Midday Show with Andy and Randy, CBS Sports.
04:21Football game plan draft analysts getting us ready for the NFL draft later on
04:26this week.
04:27Let's talk about some of the wide receivers.
04:29There's a handful of different positions that I think we expect the Falcons to
04:34address with their picks.
04:36Like you mentioned, wide receiver depth is always there, the way that the college
04:40game is played right now.
04:41Who are some of the guys that you could see going in the second round or even
04:45third round that we should keep an eye on?
04:48Two guys in particular, one locally and Ted Hirsch.
04:52I think he has that George Pickens type mentality where it's just the ball is his.
04:57No matter who's around him, how many guys are draped on him or whatever, he's going
05:00to go get the football and he's going to break a tackle and he has the speed to really
05:04outrun the defense to the end zone.
05:06And I thought he did a great job, not only in the Sun Best Conference, but also went
05:11down there to the Senior Bowl and did his thing too.
05:16And also, Bryce Lance.
05:18Now, I know he's 25 years old, but everybody in his draft class is 25 years old.
05:23So, outside of that, you talk about someone that's 6'3", 205, he can do all the big dog
05:29things that you want to see, but also, he's a catch and run guy.
05:32A lot of times at North Dakota State, they just threw him a little stop route, he turned
05:36up here and he was, you know, gone.
05:38He's 88 out of the gate.
05:39And I would also say Malachi Fields, two out of Notre Dame.
05:41Big body guy, can play over the middle of the field, goes up and gets the football at
05:45his highest point.
05:46What about Zachariah?
05:47Because, I mean, obviously we understand what happened to Apsley.
05:49I don't think that's going to have anything to do with his draft stock.
05:52But, I mean, he's a smaller guy, but he has his Zuzus and all those other different,
05:55they start to stop, whatever you want to do.
05:57Do you see him anywhere in the mid-round?
05:59Or can he maybe sneak into the back end of that first thing?
06:03I think he could kind of, we're talking probably, if I'm evaluating, if I'm picking
06:08for a team, I'm taking him around, too.
06:10Because I just can't, a lot of people have short memories.
06:13Like, they forget he was a dog at Punnington, he was a dog at USC.
06:17Right.
06:18You know, and so, not only can he help you in all of the wide receiver run game and
06:23the quick stuff, but almost immediately he helps you in the returning game.
06:27That in and of itself is going to get him on the field right away and make an impact.
06:31But also, you talk about someone that can truly take a short pass a long way.
06:36And I like how, toward the middle part of the season, you start to see him go over the
06:40middle of the field, make these big plays for Georgia, and show that toughness and not
06:43just be, you know, a speed guy that gets to the outside and try to hit the sideline and
06:47get out of bounds.
06:48Like, now he was doing some tough stuff, and I like that about him.
06:51I think he's going to actually be a better pro than he was in college.
06:54I would even say that for a guy like Dylan Bell, too, you know, out of Georgia, that
06:59we saw him in the backfield, we saw him do a lot of things.
07:02I just think his physical skill set yields itself to the pro game more so than what, you
07:07know, guys are trying to do at the collegiate level.
07:08I think we all know who's going to go number one, and we get it, quarterback and all that,
07:12but who do you think is the best player in the draft?
07:14Like, who's the number one most talented guy to you?
07:18Mansour Delaney out of LSU.
07:21One of my pet peeves, when I was a great cornerback, is how they always fail trying
07:27to do bell technique.
07:28Like, they stink at it, but Mansour Delaney excels at it.
07:33Like, he can play off, and then he's able to plant and get right back to the ball, not
07:37just to make the tackle, but to turn the ball over, and he can travel.
07:40He can play inside.
07:41He can play outside.
07:42You know, he can play to the tight side of the formation, the field side of the
07:45formation.
07:45Like, he can do it all, and I love the fact that, you know, he has the athletic
07:50traits, the speed, the attitude, the want to.
07:53I think he is the best overall player in the class.
07:57I know, you know, some people would say Arville, Reese, or Bain, that barely, you
08:00won't get much pushback from me, but if I had my choice, I'm taking Mansour Delaney.
08:04Who's the third quarterback?
08:06And I think, for consensus, people are saying that Ty Simpson is going to be the
08:08second quarterback.
08:09Who's your third guy?
08:10Is it Nesmeier?
08:10Is it Carson?
08:11Or is it somebody else?
08:12If teams are, this is the part I'd be struggling with, because every time I watch
08:17Taylor Greene, I see Randall Cunningham.
08:20I see Colin Kaepernick, and I'm like, okay, those were second-round picks.
08:25Why can't Greene, with that athletic skill set, be that guy for some team that has a
08:30veteran right now that can take the time and give him a little bit of a longer
08:34runway to get to where he needs to be from a footwork perspective?
08:38Because at 6'6", 230, running 4'3", and he's covering those 4'3", that 4'3",
08:43in like 10 steps.
08:45Like, that's the type of athlete you want.
08:47And I love the mental makeup of him.
08:49You know, I taught him at the combine, and he said his dad even brought up Randall
08:53Cunningham.
08:54So now he had to go YouTube what that dude looked like and how he played.
08:57And so he saw it.
08:58He was like, oh, wow, I can see it.
09:00Like, and I think he's right there on the cusp of having that ability that can
09:06transcend, you know, his game.
09:08And I just hope he goes somewhere.
09:10Like, if I'm the Cardinals, I'm not trying to reach for a Ty Simpson.
09:14Because you can get a Ty Simpson in every draft in the fourth round.
09:18Because they all built the same.
09:19They all play the same.
09:19They all look the same.
09:20But a guy like Taylor Greene, you take that chance.
09:23You have suburban Jameis Winston already on the roster in Jacoby Brissett.
09:29Now you develop him behind Taylor with Taylor Greene, and you cook it with gas.
09:39There were so many little things in there.
09:44I wanted to react to, like, six different things, but we'll just laugh and move on.
09:48Give me a day three guy, Emery, and I know that there's a number of them that are going
09:53to get drafted and have impact.
09:54And, you know, hopefully, you know, the Falcons are a team that's able to find one of the two
09:58of these guys.
09:59But give me a day three guy that you see kind of as a sleeper who's going to really impress
10:04their team.
10:06I'll give you an offensive guy.
10:08Offensively, Jimmy Kibble out of Georgetown.
10:12His dad was a kicker in the NFL.
10:15And I know his dad, for a long time, his dad wanted him to go to an FBS school to
10:19be a
10:20kicker, but he wanted to play receiver.
10:21So he goes to Georgetown, and he balls out.
10:24He had 4'4 speed, 6'1", 200 pounds.
10:26He had a viral moment this year where he had a game-winning touchdown against Morgan State.
10:31And that got him on a Jimmy Kimmel show that Monday because of his name.
10:36Exactly, right?
10:36So he's a legit athlete, core special teamer that can also fly.
10:40And in that same Morgan State game, and I called a lot of Morgan State games over the
10:44course of this guy's career, and that's Eric Hunter, the linebacker.
10:486'3", 230.
10:49He ran a 4'4 at the HBCU showcase at the commander's facility about three weeks ago.
10:56And then he also played in the American Bowl, played in the HBCU Legacy Bowl, balled out
10:59there, matches up athletically, has the range to cover in the passing game, but also can
11:05get downhill and thunk.
11:06So that's someone on day three, I think.
11:08He's a top HBCU player in this year's draft class.
11:11Last one for me, Em.
11:12And it's always one of those prospects that you think about, like, just take him.
11:15And some people overthink it, like, can he do this, can he do it?
11:18But he's just a damn good football player.
11:20I'm talking about Caleb Downs.
11:21I hear a lot more about people thinking he's going to drop.
11:23I mean, this dude is definitely, in my opinion, one of the best players in this draft.
11:28Yeah, and again, fly in February folks come in and throw off the whole draft because
11:33we've been talking football from August to January, and it's always been, Downs is awesome,
11:38Downs is outstanding.
11:39He can play all three spots.
11:40He's a combo safety in my eyes that can play down the box.
11:44He can play nickel.
11:44He can thump.
11:45He can also turn the ball over.
11:46In breaking cases of emergency, he can return kicks.
11:49So I think he is one of the top players overall, obviously, and is the top defensive safety
11:55because he can play all three spots.
11:57So I would be shocked if he got past six.
12:01Well, Emery, we appreciate it, man.
12:03As always, great info.
12:04Appreciate you, my boy.
12:06Appreciate you guys.
12:07Emery Hunt there, CBS Sports Football Game Plan, joined us on the Sweet James Accident
12:11Attorneys Hotline.
12:12And, I mean, I think probably by the nature of the Falcons not having a first-round draft
12:16pick, we've done a little bit less draft interview stuff than we normally do.
12:20The two guys we've talked to in the last week have both told us about Ted Hurst in the
12:23second round.
12:23The kid out of Georgia State.
12:24The kid out of Georgia State.
12:25Yeah, man.
12:25And the Falcons are picking right there.
12:27Like, I don't know, maybe too early for them with all the needs that they have to go wide
12:30receiver, but who knows?
12:31I mean, if he's everything Emery Hunt just said he was, how do you not take him?
12:35But it's amazing that we've had the two guys that we usually always have on both say the
12:39same player.
12:40Without even being prodded at all.
12:42Yes.
12:42Like, they both brought up Ted.
12:43And, I mean, and Emery's talking about, I mean, he was like lauding praise on him in
12:47terms of what he was comparing him to.
12:49So, who knows?
12:50Who knows?
12:51A name to keep an eye on for sure on Friday.
12:52Yeah, I mean, and we know it's a different feel, different vibe when your team doesn't have
12:57a first round.
12:57But, yeah, you can still get a lot of good players talking about the Falcons.
13:00And, you know what, Andy?
13:01If they do, and I said this, what's the day?
13:04Wednesday, so I probably said Monday, like, they're not going to get any higher than 48
13:07unless they move somebody.
13:09Somebody this year or an asset next year.
13:13You don't want to do that if you're telling yourself, if you're telling all of us in Cunningham
13:18how much you value pick.
13:19Because the only thing that can get you above 48 is Kyle Pitts.
13:22Yeah, that's right.
13:22Yeah.
13:23And how high would that get you, do you think?
13:26I don't know.
13:26You're probably not getting a first round.
13:27No, you're not going to get it.
13:28You probably won't get a first, but you'll get an early second.
13:30You'll get an early second for Kyle.
13:32Yeah.
13:33Interesting.
13:33So, you think about who's a Kyle Pitts away.
13:36Because the Falcons aren't a Kyle Pitts away.
13:38No, they have Kyle Pitts.
13:38They have Kyle Pitts.
13:39And there's many other things away.
13:41Yeah, that's interesting.
13:42Who is a Kyle Pitts away?
13:44That's in that area.
13:45I know.
13:46In the right spot, man.
13:47He would be so effective.
13:48Yes, he would be.
Comments