00:00I want to see if Daniel Yafusi agrees with me, Browns writer for ESPN.
00:04He's on the Make It Right, Call Kyle Wright hotline.
00:07Daniel, hello.
00:09Hey, good morning. How you doing?
00:10We're doing well. You heard what I just said.
00:12Is this draft as good as it is?
00:14Well, first off, did you think it was a good Browns draft?
00:18I thought it was a great Browns draft.
00:19I think we all went into this draft knowing what the Browns needed to do.
00:23We knew that they needed to attack offense heavily,
00:27and they did that with any of the 10 draft picks being there.
00:29But it really wasn't just them focusing heavily on offense.
00:32It's the fact that they were able to get value throughout
00:35and really add an influx of youth and talent to those big positions of need.
00:41So, I mean, again, we've talked about it the past couple of days.
00:44If you told Browns fans they were going to come away in their first four picks
00:48in the top two rounds with four guys who were heavily mocked to them in the first round,
00:53nobody would have believed you.
00:53That's kind of one of those PFF ESPN draft simulator things
00:56that you just kind of mess around with, and you get lucky.
01:00And as assistant GM Catherine Hickman said,
01:03you know, the draft is a bit of skill and luck,
01:04and I think that that really came to fruition for the Browns over the weekend.
01:08So you might agree with me that I thought, man, a first-year GM,
01:11had they had moved on from Andrew Barry this offseason,
01:13I don't think we're talking the same about this draft, about the Browns.
01:16Maybe we talked ourselves into a crazy mistake with one of the other players.
01:21I mean, perhaps, perhaps.
01:23You know, it definitely helps that, you know, Barry is, you know,
01:26he's not a first-year GM.
01:27He's had, you know, multiple years at this.
01:30Me personally, I think that some of the draft criticisms,
01:35the criticisms about Barry's draft history were a little bit overblown.
01:38I don't think it's a coincidence that the two years that he's had, you know,
01:44his most draft capital in a while, and really since the Deshaun Watson trade,
01:48you know, I don't think it's a coincidence that he's found great value.
01:51Now, we have to see what this 2026 draft class looks like on the field,
01:56but when you have more at-bats, when you have more picks,
01:58when you have more premium picks at the top of the draft,
02:02chances are you're going to be able to get more value.
02:04You're going to be able to get more highly-rated players,
02:05and again, 2026, we'll see what happens this fall when they get on the field,
02:10but it's tough to get those higher-end players when you're picking,
02:14your first pick is in the second and the third round.
02:16Like, it's just a lesser chance of getting guys who can contribute immediately
02:21and contribute at a high level.
02:22All right, Daniel, we're learning more every year about how the Browns operate.
02:27You know, it was legendary a few years ago about their guardrails,
02:31and they were widely mocked because they didn't lead to wins.
02:34But here we are, two drafts.
02:37Last year looked like they hit it out of the park,
02:38and this year it certainly seems like they are well on their way
02:41according to the projections.
02:42So with that said, the high-speed database that they're working with,
02:47and it looks like it's Wall Street in real time,
02:50giving them every advantage known to mankind.
02:54Do you feel like they do have a strategic advantage over some other teams in the NFL,
03:00say the Pittsburgh Steelers?
03:02Well, for years the Browns have been lauded as being one of the,
03:06well, I won't say lauded, but they've been noted as one of the,
03:09really the most analytically inclined organization in the NFL.
03:14Obviously we know about what Paul DiBodesta did in terms of, you know,
03:18bridging the gap between, you know, the analytics and the, you know,
03:22the on-field analysis and whatnot.
03:25But, you know, in years past they were kind of mocked for it,
03:29and I think that maybe a little undeservingly so because at the end of the day,
03:33like the analytics, maybe they were a little too leaning on the analytics,
03:38but there's nothing wrong with more information.
03:40You still have to make the right decisions based off the information presented to you.
03:44But, you know, having measures in place that give you more information,
03:48like there's nothing wrong with that.
03:49At the end of the day, you know, the GM still has to pick the players,
03:51the right players, the coaches have to develop the players properly.
03:55They have to make the right play calls on game day.
03:58But, yeah,
03:59there's no doubt that having more information can help you and make you a more
04:04informed decision maker.
04:05But at the end of the day, you have to make the right decisions.
04:07And that was really what was the problem for the Browns over, you know,
04:10in years past.
04:11They had all this information, but they were still coming to faulty results.
04:15And I think the process was rooted in the right mindset,
04:19but the decision making at the end of the day was not.
04:22Daniel Fousey joining us here on the Make It Right Call Call Right hotline.
04:26So what was your, if you had, if you didn't have one, forgive me,
04:29but what was your win total before the draft?
04:31What's your win total for the season after the draft?
04:33How much better did they get?
04:35I think before the draft, I had them at, I think, I mean,
04:38the win total right now is like six and a half.
04:39I think I had them at like seven wins.
04:41And I've been saying all along,
04:43I think that there's a pathway to eight, nine wins contending for a wild
04:47card spot, but it's really dependent on one,
04:50them really heavily attacking the draft and on the opposite side of the ball,
04:56which they did.
04:56And then you're also really kind of banking and trusting Todd Munkin to get
05:01the most out of this quarterback situation, whoever, whomever starts.
05:06And yeah, I think I feel a little bit better about that, you know,
05:09going over the wins holder right now.
05:10We'll see what the schedule looks like in a couple of weeks, but you know,
05:15I feel a lot better about this offensive personnel certainly than I did,
05:20you know, a couple of weeks ago,
05:21I'll say when we went out to voluntary veteran minicamp and we saw what they
05:24had on the field, you know, that day,
05:25I felt a lot better a week later after the draft.
05:28Were they never taking Carnell Tate?
05:32If you read Jory Epstein's story,
05:34and I'm sure you guys did,
05:35she wrote a wonderful story inside the war room on round one.
05:38It definitely leads you to believe that that really wasn't in their plan.
05:43And let me just kind of like,
05:44like also kind of add to the process and the decision-making.
05:48Like, like the Browns,
05:50obviously they went through these different, you know,
05:52simulations and permutations and whatnot.
05:55And it was clear that it was very clear that Andrew Berry went to target and
05:59all put the tackle with their first pick.
06:01You know,
06:02if Spencer Fano was surprisingly taken off the board and you know,
06:06the first round, the top of the first round kind of went awry,
06:09maybe Berry would have been open to Carnell Tate,
06:11but it really seems like that wasn't their focus with the first pick,
06:16with their first, first round pick.
06:18Like they wanted to get an offensive lineman and then maybe maneuver around to
06:21get a wide receiver later on.
06:23Like they were impressed with Carnell Tate.
06:25I don't know that he,
06:26I don't still don't know to this day that he was the number one receiver on
06:29their board.
06:29I don't know where they had him on their big board,
06:32but it was very clear that they were not as, you know,
06:36you know,
06:37as captivated by the prospects of drafting him as maybe a lot of Browns
06:40faithful were.
06:43Daniel Fusi joining us here on the show.
06:45So quarterback situation, you got a lot of weapons.
06:48Now you got some protection as well.
06:50I enjoyed the draft greatly.
06:52I want to ask you about Taylor Greene here in a moment,
06:54but when it comes to these QBs, you know,
06:56what's the sense you're picking up?
06:57I know it's early,
06:58but what's the sense you're picking up as who could be the leader in the
07:00clubhouse here once they get to training camp?
07:03Cause Todd Munkin had said he really wants to have his number one or who he
07:07really thinks is going to be the number one being the number one by the time
07:10training camp gets here.
07:12Yeah.
07:13Well, first off,
07:13I'm still a little bit skeptical on if that will definitely be the case.
07:17Cause I just think that deciding or really like kind of naming and moving
07:22forward with one guy,
07:23getting all the first team reps in training camp without really seeing those
07:27guys in preseason.
07:28I don't know if that's really best for,
07:32for,
07:32for the team.
07:33I think that you've got to see both of these guys and especially Deshaun in a
07:36real game format before you make that decision.
07:39But no,
07:40regardless besides that,
07:42I mean,
07:42I think that in phase two,
07:44which,
07:44you know,
07:44they're getting into a phase three,
07:45I should say,
07:46which they're getting into where we're going to have OTA.
07:48I think that that's where really where we're going to see who maybe
07:52separates from them,
07:53separates from the pack.
07:54And I guess,
07:55you know,
07:55separates between Deshaun and Shadour.
07:57Cause they're going to be consistently doing,
07:59you know,
07:59seven on sevens,
08:0011 on 11s and really,
08:01really getting consistent on field on field practices.
08:06And it's really up in the air.
08:08Cause you know,
08:08when we saw them at voluntary veteran veteran mini camp the other week,
08:11that was like their first time really getting on the field and running
08:14any of these plays.
08:15You know,
08:15it was a little sloppy here and there.
08:16They were kind of working things out.
08:18So I don't think I don't,
08:19I'm not leaving one practice and saying this guy's ahead of them,
08:21ahead of the other when we get to OTA and we're seeing them a little more
08:26consistently.
08:26And especially when we get to a mandatory mini camp,
08:29I think that we'll really start to see who's grasping this offense a little
08:33bit better.
08:34Daniel,
08:34they've said some very enticing things about Taylor and green.
08:38Has he,
08:39he's a six round pick,
08:40but man,
08:41he's got a lot of tools.
08:42Has he already made this 53 man roster?
08:47I mean,
08:48I don't want to like,
08:49like put him,
08:50like put his name in pen on the 53 man roster.
08:53But certainly like they,
08:54they drafted him with the idea that he is a developmental prospect and they
08:58want to give him some time.
08:59Like it might not be this year.
09:02Maybe it's next year where you really get to get to see him and what,
09:05what he can do.
09:06But yeah,
09:07I mean,
09:07when you get that late in the draft and a lot of people are saying like,
09:10why,
09:10why draft another quarterback?
09:11And it's like,
09:12well,
09:12if you draft a tight end in the sixth round,
09:14do you feel that much better if you,
09:15if you draft an off ball linebacker in the,
09:17in the sixth round,
09:18do you feel that much better at that point?
09:20Like they said,
09:20they're looking for athletic traits and look for something that they can work
09:23with mold and develop.
09:24And obviously I'm a guy who had the best combine performance for a
09:28quarterback in 2003 certainly fits that bill.
09:32So Daniel had Deshaun Watson never have had the surgeries,
09:36you know,
09:37that he's already had since being a Cleveland Brown over the last three plus
09:40years on paper.
09:42I don't know how should or would possibly stack up just the physical
09:47advantages that Deshaun had would make it notable.
09:50Not to mention,
09:51obviously we know he had played at a very high level,
09:53but now that's,
09:54that's,
09:55that's like six years ago,
09:56but you got a chance to see him and granted it wasn't against like big
10:00time defense or anything,
10:01but what did you think of him athletically now that you've seen him on the
10:05field after all the surgeries?
10:08Yeah.
10:08I mean,
10:08obviously,
10:09you know,
10:09you want to look at the mobility kind of fluidity of his movements.
10:13I thought he looked good.
10:14Like a lot of people were saying,
10:14you would have never even able to tell that he,
10:16he had the Achilles surgery.
10:19I agree.
10:20But practice is one thing.
10:21The games are another.
10:23He,
10:23he looks fine.
10:25He looks fine in training camp.
10:26When I first got here,
10:28you know,
10:292024.
10:30And then when he got to the games,
10:32you saw that he was just a little step behind when the bullets started
10:36flying.
10:37So practice is one thing.
10:39Practice is cool,
10:39but it goes back to the point of what I'm saying.
10:42Like,
10:42I don't know how you can make a decision on quarterback on the starting
10:44quarterback without seeing these guys,
10:46and especially seeing Deshaun in a real live game format where it's a
10:50completely different beast from the practice.
10:51Like he's going to look fine in the practice because all these practices are
10:55doctored up and they're,
10:56and you know,
10:57they're set up to try to get,
10:59you know,
11:00some,
11:00some good work in,
11:01but I want to see you in a preseason game when you don't know what the
11:04defense is calling and they're throwing live bullets at you and things
11:07go awry.
11:08And then you got to,
11:09you know,
11:09move on that surgically repaired Achilles and make movements on the fly.
11:13Like I want to see that then like practice is fine.
11:16Like you're going to look good in practice for the most part.
11:18But the games are a different thing.
11:19And that's really where it's been the issue for Deshaun.
11:22How loud is the music really?
11:24I mean,
11:24do people need to move or are they going to get more complaints from?
11:27I've never thought it's that loud to be honest with you.
11:30I didn't think it was that loud either.
11:32And you know,
11:32I like when the music,
11:33you know,
11:33I like when the music bland,
11:34like if you see me out there,
11:35I got my head bobbing.
11:36I'm doing the dances and everything.
11:38So if the music loud,
11:40man,
11:40I couldn't tell.
11:41I couldn't tell.
11:42I got to tell you,
11:43I don't think,
11:44especially when the fans are there,
11:45I don't think they play like cussing versions.
11:47Like I remember one time they left Fetty Watt playing.
11:50He was saying everything.
11:52And there were people going,
11:52Oh,
11:52Oh,
11:53like somebody didn't hit the edited version.
11:55Sometimes,
11:56sometimes the explicit version will kind of slip out and they'll quickly make
12:00sure,
12:00you know,
12:00they get back to,
12:01to,
12:02to the clean version.
12:04It's not usually that loud.
12:05It's not usually that loud.
12:06Who's job is that?
12:08I want to know who has that job.
12:09There's a lot of jobs in an NFL building.
12:11There,
12:11there,
12:12there is somebody on the staff who you job is,
12:14you know,
12:14control the music,
12:15control the arts.
12:16And I think that they got a little playlist beforehand.
12:18So sometimes,
12:18you know,
12:19exactly.
12:19Like,
12:19you know,
12:20sometimes you accidentally click on the explicit version when your parents and
12:23your family in the car and you like,
12:24I got to change it.
12:25Like,
12:28you play your cards,
12:29right?
12:29That'll be Mason Lima someday being the slappy for this football team.
12:33Put that on LinkedIn,
12:33Daniel.
12:34I'm applying.
12:35Let's go.
12:36There we go.
12:37There we go.
12:37I hope we got some tunes,
12:39man.
12:39Daniel.
12:40Thank you so much for the time.
12:41We'll talk to you again very soon.
12:42You take care.
12:44You guys take care too.
12:45Daniel Yafusi on the make it right.
12:47Call Kyle,
12:48right.
12:48Hotline strong stuff.
12:49I'll ask Mary Kay later in the week,
12:51the exact same question.
12:52Why wouldn't you?
12:53I've never thought it was that loud in all the years.
12:56And they usually try to hit a clean version on all the songs,
13:00especially,
13:00especially like,
13:01I don't know if like on a Thursday during regular season,
13:06maybe some get a little bit in there,
13:08but well,
13:09Kenny,
13:09I would train to camp.
13:10I know to these max stadiums and I'm there early and two hours before
13:14kickoff.
13:14Boom.
13:15Here's the music.
13:15The difference is not a lot of fans in the stands.
13:18So that music overwhelms.
13:19And I'm like,
13:20did they not have a clean version of this?
13:23Does the family start to get in here?
13:25Usually they try to hit the clean on that.
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