00:00What's up, Ross? Big day, NFL Draft Day. How are you?
00:04Huge day. I am fantastic. I love the NFL Draft. It's like the NFL and college football having a baby.
00:13I don't know. Do you guys remember back in the day?
00:16It felt like we knew who most of the top picks were going to be.
00:19I remember the Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow draft that we already knew who the first seven picks were in order.
00:28I love the fact that it's not like that anymore. It's changed so much.
00:33We have a decent idea who might go at two, no idea at three. It makes it a lot more
00:39fun.
00:40Now, you were undrafted, but I wonder what was your draft day experience?
00:44Did you have an agent at the time? What happened with you?
00:49Oh, man. We haven't talked about this.
00:51I think we have. We might have, but I don't remember.
00:55Yeah, so I was a bottom-of-the-barrel prospect, meaning I knew for a fact I wasn't going to
01:03get drafted,
01:04and my agent had been pushing really hard, but he said it was 50-50 whether or not I would
01:12even get signed.
01:13You know, back then, there was only 80 guys, not 90, and also, there was no, like, rookie minicamp or
01:22rookie tryout.
01:23Like, when I got signed by the Skins, four days later, I was with Bruce Smith and Daryl Green and
01:29Stephen Davis and Jeff Jordan, all those guys, you know?
01:34So, that was back when we had just a Saturday-Sunday draft, which, by the way, was amazing, because I
01:42remember the first three years of college,
01:44we would have practice in the morning, then we would get, like, five 30-packs and just sit there and
01:49watch the draft all day Saturday.
01:52It was incredible.
01:54What was your go-to beer?
01:57Back before to my senior year, my parents had just gotten me, in March, for my birthday, my first cell
02:06phone.
02:07This is 2001.
02:09So, I'm sitting there in my dorm room.
02:12I have my new cell phone and my dorm number, and if you remember, the Bengals had gone, like, 10
02:20years in a row without a winning season.
02:23My friends, they called me during the first round.
02:27So, I answer the phone.
02:29I answer the phone.
02:30I'm like, I'm ready.
02:32I'm ready to be a baby.
02:33Let's do this.
02:34And they're like, yeah, Ross, we have you on our list as a possible undrafted free agent.
02:40We just want to let you know that.
02:41I'm like, oh, okay, thank you, but I'm ready now.
02:43I'm ready when you guys are.
02:45So, then, the crazy thing is my agent had told me, and it's funny we're talking about this because I
02:53just posted this on, like, Instagram and TikTok, at Ross Tucker NFL, but my agent said the longer it takes
03:02for us to call you, the worse of a sign that is.
03:07So, I sat there all day, and then it's 15 minutes, 30 minutes, it's an hour after the draft, no
03:15call.
03:16So, dude, I want everybody listening to picture this.
03:21I got up at 5 a.m. every day, second semester, senior year of college, to train for the draft,
03:30to try to get a shot at my dream.
03:32When I would get up at 5 a.m. to go train, that's when my roommates were coming in most
03:38of the time, second and a half, senior year, okay?
03:43So, I'm starving now.
03:45I have to walk out to the eating club, which is a long story, but it's a fraternity and sorority
03:50combined into one.
03:52Eat your meals there.
03:53It's unique to Princeton.
03:54I walk out there.
03:55Guys, they're having a cookout.
03:57All the guys are drinking beer, eating burgers and hot dogs.
04:01The girls are all, you know, and they're sundressing and the whole deal.
04:05I can't even look at them.
04:07I can't even make eye contact.
04:10My eyes are filling up because I think I just totally blew my second semester of college.
04:17I grab two burgers.
04:19I walk back to the dorm.
04:22As I get close to the dorm, I hear a phone ring.
04:26We were on the third floor.
04:28So, I'm sprinting up the stairs.
04:32I grab the phone and my agent, Joe Lentis, says, Ross.
04:37I said, yeah.
04:37He said, where were you?
04:39I said, well, you told me the longer it took, the worse of a sign it was.
04:43And I had to get dinner.
04:44He said, well, congratulations.
04:46Congratulations, you are the newest member of the Washington Redskins.
04:52Wow.
04:53And, guys, I immediately said thank you, hung up.
04:57I sprinted back out to the eating club.
05:01I bust open the doors to the courtyard where everybody is.
05:06And my friends turn around.
05:08They see me.
05:09And they can see my face has changed to 180.
05:11And I just said, Redskins.
05:15And they all run over.
05:16And we're all jumping up and down.
05:19It was amazing.
05:20Girls that had no interest before suddenly had interest.
05:23It was incredible.
05:24Nice.
05:24Fantastic.
05:25Very nice.
05:26Very nice.
05:27All right.
05:28So, what, John, I mean, obviously, as you mentioned, it is kind of a unique draft where,
05:33after one, kind of anything can happen, as it felt like that in a while.
05:39Well, I know here in Washington, there are quite a few guys.
05:42We have so many holes that almost anybody there would fit.
05:47Are any of the guys that are kind of being talked about in the top ten to you, like, potential
05:52busts?
05:54Like, did you just say, wow, this one I'm not sure about?
05:57Or any of them, when you look at it and you go, all I know is that guy's a star.
06:04Well, I think Caleb Downs is a star.
06:06Right.
06:07The safety from Ohio State.
06:09I think that that position is so much about natural instincts, football intelligence.
06:19And you go back and watch his high school video.
06:22I called a game against Ole Miss for CBS when he was a true freshman at Bama.
06:27He is just, he's like a prodigy.
06:31He really is.
06:32I would be stunned if he's not a really good starter and probably a perennial pro bowler.
06:40So he is the guy that I would have the most confidence in.
06:45He and probably Jeremiah Love.
06:47Right.
06:48From Notre Dame, the running backs.
06:50Interestingly, you know, they both play positions where the top of the financial market is like $19, $20 million a
07:01year.
07:01So why that matters is because if you're like the Arizona Cardinals at number three, you can get either David
07:10Bailey or Arvel Reese.
07:13And they're going to get like $10 to $12 million a year with a third pick, okay?
07:18If they end up being what you think they are, you're essentially saving almost $40 million.
07:26Will Anderson for the Texans just got $50 million a year.
07:31Micah Parsons $42 million a year.
07:33So you're saving a ton of money.
07:36Whereas if you're the Cardinals and you take love, you know, he's already near the top of the running back
07:43pay scale.
07:44Meaning, you know, you're not really getting any salary cap savings.
07:48And we can have a long discussion as to how valuable that is or how much people should discuss it.
07:55But I do think that that is something the teams take into account.
07:59The other thing I would say, the guy I have a little bit more reservation about than others is Arvel
08:05Reese from Ohio State.
08:08A lot of people will tell you that he's the best player.
08:12You know, he's the best overall player, all those things.
08:15But he was kind of primarily an off-ball linebacker at Ohio State.
08:21They rushed him sometimes, and he has unique, unique physical ability.
08:25I would just say, at the NFL level, a lot of guys have unique physical ability.
08:32If you actually watch the best guys, a lot of times it's the technique of Miles Garrett or Hendrickson
08:42or even Micah, who he's compared to, Micah has some really good hand moves and technique.
08:49You know, there's a risk that that stuff never comes naturally for Reese
08:54and that he never really becomes what his physical ability suggests he should
09:01because at the NFL level, it still is about, like any other job, skill, technique, and refinement.
09:09So, who do you think would be the better pick at that position, Reese or Reuben Bain?
09:18Well, I think I would take, like if I were the Jets, I think I would take David Bailey from
09:25Texas Tech
09:26because he is really polished, and I think he has significant upside.
09:33I think between Reese and Bain, I'd probably take Reese, even with the concerns I have,
09:42because of how much higher I think his upside is than Bain.
09:47So, if I had to peg him, like for me, it would be Bailey one, Reese two, Bain three.
09:56I think Bain's a more accomplished edge rusher than Reese now, but I don't think the ceiling is quite as
10:03high.
10:03I will say, I think Bain would be an excellent pick for Washington.
10:08I think his floor is super high.
10:11Listen, he plays his you-know-what off, and he's very physical.
10:16The way I look at it, guys, is those guys make it, and those guys feel like at worst-case
10:23scenario,
10:24they're like five to seven-and-a-half sack guys that you can count on to give you an honest
10:31day's work every Sunday.
10:33Now, you know, maybe he's not a 20-sack guy, or maybe he doesn't become the elite guy,
10:40but the floor is pretty high for Bain.
10:44And he kind of reminds me of like a Brandon Graham type in Philly.
10:49I don't know if that excites people or not, but it should, because Graham's going in like year 17.
10:54He's been a really good player for the Eagles for a long time.
10:57Maybe he's only made a Pro Bowl or two, but I think the Eagles are very happy they took him
11:01at 12 or whatever.
11:02All right, so with the number seven pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders select...
11:17I put you on the spot.
11:18I'm going to say, by the way, it's insane how much different information is out there.
11:24Right, like they really want Jeremiah Love.
11:27Then I just read, I guarantee it's a defensive player.
11:31Then I read, they really want a receiver for Jaden.
11:35It's kind of funny.
11:37I actually think if they could, they would maybe trade down a couple spots to try to pick up a
11:45two.
11:45I bet you it really bothers Peters that they don't have very many picks and don't have a second-round
11:51pick in a draft like this.
11:53So they're probably hoping someone falls to them that they would enable them to move down.
11:59I think I'd probably go with Cornell Tate from Ohio State.
12:04I think, you know, I really want Jaden Daniels, if I'm the Commanders, to not only have an excellent number
12:12two, but to have a guy to grow with and build with.
12:17You know, I thought Terry, you know, I called that Week 18 game on CBS, and the Eagles still couldn't
12:23cover Terry McClurin.
12:24They never have been able to.
12:25And so I think Terry can still play at a high level, but you don't know when that's going to
12:31drop off.
12:32You don't know when Terry's no longer going to be worth the money that he's getting.
12:37I like the idea of having a really good number two who could grow into being number one, sort of
12:45like, and this is the guy everybody compares him to, sort of like Devontae Smith for the Eagles.
12:50Devontae's had three out of his four years at over 1,000 yards.
12:54He's been a really good player, and the Eagles feel good enough about him that it sounds like they're going
13:00to trade A.J. Brown,
13:01and Devontae's going to be the number one.
13:03That's kind of what I envision for Carnell Tate if he gets to Washington.
13:07Ross, enjoy NFL Draft Night.
13:08It's always a great night.
13:09We know you're going to be out and about in the great state of PA where the draft's being held,
13:13so we appreciate your time, man.
13:15Thank you, Ross.
13:16Yeah, what a scam, right?
13:18Like, a draft watch party?
13:21Right.
13:21Hey, Ross, can we pay you to come over to our bar, eat pizza, drink beer, and watch the draft?
13:26Like, wait, is this a scam?
13:27No, no, it's real.
13:28Okay, yes, I will do that.
13:30We're doing the same sort of deal.
13:31Ross, thanks, man.
13:32We appreciate the time, man.
13:33Have fun.
13:34See you guys.
13:35That's Ross Tucker, host of the Ross Tucker Podcast.
13:37You can follow him on social media at RossTuckerNFL.
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