- 17 hours ago
Scott Abraham joins The Sports Junkies to preview the 2026 NFL Draft.
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00:00Morning, boys. Happy Draft Day.
00:02What's the buzz like in Pittsburgh?
00:05It's great, guys. It's been beautiful the last couple of days.
00:09The city's ready. It almost feels like Fort Knox around the stadium, just the security.
00:14Because this is a free event, so fans can hop on the app and get their mobile ticket and just
00:21roam wherever they want.
00:22So security is pretty beefed up here.
00:24But it's exciting because a year from tonight will be the draft in the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
00:32so exciting times.
00:34That's a good get to be able to speak to Goodell.
00:38How many one-on-one interviews was he doing yesterday, if any, other than you?
00:42He did the ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh and then myself, so just two on the stage.
00:51So it's a great situation where the NFL obviously knows it's on ESPN and ABC tonight, and where the ABC
00:59affiliate in D.C., and the draft is coming to D.C. next year.
01:03So it was a good kind of symbiotic relationship where they can kind of get their name out in a
01:08sense of, hey, pump up the draft, come to D.C. again.
01:11Yeah, this is a big deal.
01:12We were talking about this yesterday because we used to do shows up in New York.
01:17Because the draft was held in New York for about, I don't know, 50, 60 years, right?
01:24Consecutive.
01:24And then they went to Chicago, and they started building it up and out at these big venues and out
01:29in the streets and then eventually at stadiums.
01:32This is a big deal for Washington to be down at the National Mall.
01:36I think we were, okay, did you say they were expecting about a million people?
01:39I mean, that's what it said online.
01:40It would be like July 4th.
01:42I mean, it's going to be a huge deal next April here in D.C.
01:48Yeah, I actually spoke with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser last week just about that forecasting of, you know, the
01:56economic impact, the number of people.
02:00I mean, they think it's going to be just a massive amount of humans on the National Mall.
02:05We kind of made the joke of, you guys remember the movie Forrest Gump and that one scene where you
02:10have all these people on both sides of the reflecting pool.
02:13It's going to have that kind of a vibe of, and what a beautiful setting with, I think the stage
02:19is going to be where the Caps Parade was.
02:23The U.S. Capitol building will be in the background.
02:26That will be the stage.
02:27And then you're looking out, and the Washington Monument will be, you know, in front of Goodell and the prospects
02:32as they're on the stage.
02:33So, it's going to be spectacular.
02:35It's been fun to kind of see these host cities have a little competition with one another.
02:39I think the record was a couple of years ago in Detroit.
02:42I think they had about 680,000 people over the course of the draft.
02:46Pittsburgh is forecasting a little more than 700,000.
02:50And as you mentioned, D.C. is hoping and expecting to get over a million people this time next year
02:56on the National Mall.
02:57Yeah, so, Scott, for those of us that aren't in Pittsburgh, I'm following along on your Twitter.
03:02Just give a description of how big of a scope the operation is to put this on and the theater
03:08that's hosting.
03:09I mean, from the video on your Twitter, it looks like half of, like, an airplane hangar is hosting, you
03:16know,
03:16like, on the stage and where the seats are set up for the people that are representing each of the
03:20fan bases.
03:21Just give us a feel for the whole setup there.
03:23Kate, you nailed that comparison.
03:25That is a great comparison of an airplane hangar.
03:27It's almost like an Air Force One airplane hangar because it is massive.
03:33It is a massive structure.
03:34Obviously, they have to plan for weather.
03:37You don't know what's going to happen, so that's why they have to have a roof over the hangar.
03:41But then there's an outside part where tons of fans will be.
03:45And I was talking to my videographer yesterday.
03:47What I don't really like about the setup is it's really spread out.
03:51So you've got to get your walking shoes on if you want to go from, like, the NFL Draft Theater
03:56area
03:56to the NFL Experiences, which is across the river at Point State Park.
04:02That's where kind of like a fan fest is.
04:04You can kick field goals.
04:05You can do various type of things, meet and greets and whatnot.
04:09So it's a vast area that's spread out where I think the National Mall is going to be much more
04:15user-friendly
04:15where you don't have to take a ferry to cross the river or take a massive pedestrian bridge
04:20to cross the river to get over to the NFL Experiences.
04:24But this is a year-long planning event for the city of Pittsburgh in terms of security, transportation,
04:32locking down certain roads.
04:34But it's a beautiful city, No. 1, and it's a great sports town, as you know, a great football city.
04:41So these guys are ready to have a party tonight.
04:44So you're at Commander's Park all the time.
04:46You see Adam Peters and Dan Quinn.
04:48Do you have a read?
04:50Do you have a read at all on what they might be thinking for that No. 7 pick?
04:54Reports, I guess yesterday, that Todd McShay says he's here,
04:57and the Commanders have a mandate to make a defensive pick.
05:01Do you have a read at all?
05:03I'm sure you're with me, boys.
05:05I'm over this.
05:06I'm over the talk.
05:07I'm over the guessing.
05:08I'm over the mock draft.
05:10I'm excited it ends tonight at around probably 8.56.
05:13They're going to be on the clock if everything goes according to plan.
05:17But there's so much buzz with Jeremiah Love,
05:20and I've been kind of ringing that drum really early on that I don't think,
05:25even if Love is there, you don't necessarily go there.
05:31Like, I still think the defense has a lot of holes and needs a lot of fixing.
05:37So I'm in that court of what people are saying in terms of still upgrading that defense.
05:42They did a great job in free agency.
05:45And if a defensive player is there, like a Sonny Stiles, you pounce on that.
05:51So that's where I'm going with, guys.
05:53I think if Sonny Stiles is there, that's the pick,
05:56and that's the guy you can just insert immediately where you put the green dot on him.
06:01He can be that Bobby Wagner-type guy that the foundation for Dan Quinn in the middle of that defense.
06:10But, again, anything can happen.
06:11It's just a weird draft where you don't really know what's going to happen 2 through 10.
06:16It can go in so many different directions that it changes the course of how the picks fall.
06:21So that's going to be something to monitor as you get closer and closer to the 7th pick.
06:26But I still think defense is the way to go.
06:29And I know wide receiver is still a huge void,
06:31so I don't know what they're going to do trying to find that wide receiver 2 as well.
06:35So, yeah, I mean, I guess if they see one they really like in the third round.
06:56They've got holes at receiver.
06:58Unless they just feel like, yeah, we got depth.
07:01We signed a couple guys.
07:02Terry is going to be back and healthy and won't miss any time.
07:05Because of the contract situation.
07:07But I still think there's a huge hole.
07:09There's a massive hole.
07:11Because you can't count on a Luke McCaffrey or a Jalen Lane or a Deami Brown
07:16to kind of take that huge step to be that perfect complement to Terry McLaurin
07:22at that wide receiver 2 slot.
07:24And then the other layer, guys, and I'm sure you've talked about it, is Brandon Iyuk.
07:29I don't trust that dude in terms of I wouldn't put all my eggs in the Iyuk basket
07:35knowing the certain baggage he might be bringing to Washington.
07:39He hasn't played football in a long time.
07:42So that's another thing you have to consider.
07:44And he may not be in Washington until August, September,
07:48because the Niners are probably going to play this out as long as they can.
07:51So they're in a pickle, per se, because you have to try to find a trade partner
07:58to trade back.
08:00And I don't know if this is a draft where it's not a quarterback-heavy draft
08:04where there's going to be a lot of teams that are salivating
08:06to try to trade up and get somebody.
08:09So I feel pretty confident with what Adam Peters said last week,
08:13that they're most likely going to stick at 7 and make a selection
08:17instead of trading back.
08:18That's my mantra, stick and pick, stick and pick, stick and pick.
08:22What's a big head-scratcher pick for you?
08:24If you hear this name called out at No. 7, you're just going to be like,
08:27I can't believe Peters and company went in that direction.
08:32I think I would go with the safety Caleb Downs
08:37or Mansoor Delane, the cornerback from LSU.
08:41Now, they're both very good players, but I think a safety off the board that high
08:47might be a little bit of a reach.
08:48Now, I'm more on board with the Mansoor Delane, the cornerback,
08:52who's actually a local kid from Silver Spring.
08:54If you trade back and you get in that maybe 12 to 15 range in the first round,
09:01then I'd feel more, I'd feel better about getting Delane there.
09:06But I would go with those two players.
09:08I think it might be too high to get a safety in Downs,
09:10and then I know there's some fire there with Delane maybe going at 7.
09:14So those are two guys.
09:15And again, if Jeremiah Love is there, I don't think he is, guys.
09:19I get it.
09:20He's a game-breaker, and he's a type of running back that doesn't come around too often.
09:25But I look at what they have on that roster in terms of running back.
09:29I'm okay with it.
09:30They're not world beaters, but I think they're sufficient,
09:34and I think Bill did just a fine job in his rookie year,
09:38and I think he could be even better in year two.
09:40So I'm confident with what they have in that running back room now
09:44and what they did in free agency to upgrade that room
09:47that if they pass on Jeremiah Love, I'm okay with it.
09:50I know that you and Bickle, we want to stick and pick.
09:53I get it, and I'm sure a lot of Commanders fans do.
09:55But what percentage do you put on the chances of them trading back?
09:5810%?
10:00Yeah, I mean, I'd go under 20, 25%.
10:05That's where my head is.
10:07Again, because there's just not a lot of quarterbacks, right?
10:10If it's a situation where there are three or four quarterbacks during Jaden's year,
10:17that's a situation where there's a lot of quarterback-needy teams
10:20that would want to trade up into that top 10, top 7.
10:24But that's just not the case.
10:25This is a strong defensive class, especially the first 1 through 12 picks.
10:31So I think that's a situation where the picks are going to fall how they're going to fall,
10:36and they're going to have to hit on it.
10:39They've got to find an impact player.
10:40Regardless who they pick, guys, whoever they draft,
10:43they've got to come in and be that impact player where you just put them in wherever they've got to
10:48go,
10:48and they're going to play well year number one.
10:51Let me give you this scenario.
10:52What if the Cowboys, division rival, really love, let's just say they love Reuben Bain.
10:57Love him.
10:58And they're at 12, and they want him so bad, but they're willing to trade up.
11:03Would you trade with a division rival to give them the player they want
11:08if you could get an extra pick from Dallas?
11:10I was thinking about that the other day because I'm going to throw another example at you, Bish.
11:15Let's say Jeremiah Love falls to the Giants at number 5, and the Giants realize that the commanders are there
11:26at number 7.
11:27Do they allow Jeremiah Love to slide into the laps of the commanders at 7?
11:33I don't think so.
11:34So I think that's a situation.
11:36If Love's there at 5, the Giants scoop him up knowing partly, again, he's a great running back,
11:41but they also don't want Jeremiah Love to be going to a division rival,
11:45and he has to deal with him for 10 years down the road.
11:48So with that being said, to your question, I think they would give, yes,
11:52they traded with the Eagles a couple of years ago.
11:54I think that was the Cooper-Dijon trade, but that was not in the first round.
11:58So I don't think they would do that with the Cowboys in a first-round situation
12:03where they trade up to get a number 7 overall pick, a defensive wrecking ball,
12:09maybe like a Reuben Bain that they would have to deal with for 10 years,
12:12and Adam Peters and this team would not hear the end of it
12:16if it's a Pro Bowl Hall of Fame-type player and they traded back.
12:20I don't think they would do that with a division rival.
12:23Scott, no more mocks.
12:25The real thing happens tonight.
12:26Actually, we're doing our mock at 9, so there is one more that you have to get through,
12:29and then the real thing happens tonight.
12:31But we're only doing a 7-pick mock.
12:33Yeah, we're not doing the whole first round.
12:34Thanks for the time, Scott.
12:35We know you're busy.
12:36Enjoy the rest of your time in Pittsburgh.
12:38Hey, EB, I want some questions next time.
12:40I've been on a couple times in a row.
12:42You haven't asked any questions of me, EB.
12:43Wow, he's keeping track.
12:45He's calling you out.
12:46Is that true?
12:47Let's go.
12:47What's going on, EB?
12:48He's sleeping.
12:49You just zone out?
12:50All right.
12:50All right.
12:50I got you.
12:50I got one for you.
12:52I'll put your balls on a line.
12:54Which of the potential top 10 picks is the most likely bust?
13:00Most likely bust?
13:02That's a great one.
13:04You think it's Mendoza?
13:05I'm going to go with Tyson from Arizona State.
13:10I think the injury concerns are real, and I think his body type, not necessarily a bigger
13:18bodied receiver.
13:19I think he may have some problems at this NFL level, and eventually maybe those injuries
13:25will catch up on him.
13:26So I'm going to go with Tyson, Arizona State wide receiver.
13:29There you go.
13:30Good pick.
13:30And watch the Commanders pick Tyson somehow.
13:34Scott, thanks as always, man.
13:36Appreciate the time.
13:36All right.
13:37Thank you, buddy.
13:37See you, fellas.
13:38Bye, guys.
13:39Yep.
13:39That's Scott Abraham, news director for ABC7.
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