00:00Now, let's get into Dallas Cowboys stuff and a couple of things we didn't get a chance to throw out
00:07during Gridiron.
00:08What do you think about the fact that Brian Schottenheimer said he has no plans to discuss the decision to
00:15accept the franchise tender with George Pickens?
00:19Like, he signed it, it's a done deal. Do you think that matters whatsoever?
00:23Because Schottenheimer said, I don't think there's any real reason for us to have that conversation.
00:27With us in the public or with Pickens?
00:30No, I'm saying with him and Pickens. Just him and Pickens.
00:32So based on everything that I heard from him over the weekend, it was just like, I've been in constant
00:36contact with this dude.
00:37Why would I even, like, we already were on the same page. He's made it sound that way the entire
00:42time.
00:43So if that's the way that he's approaching it, then I'm perfectly fine with it.
00:50He's looking at it as, I had a player that was in a contract situation. I don't get in the
00:54way of that.
00:54I treat them the same way because they are my players.
00:58And honestly, Kevin, you don't want a coach to get involved in that unless they're coach GM.
01:02Okay.
01:03Because that can change a relationship. And Shottie doesn't want the relationship to change.
01:08He just wants to be like, I'm a coach, you're a football player, let's go do our thing and let's
01:12go win a Super Bowl.
01:12That's what they want ultimately, so perfectly okay with that.
01:16Okay, now.
01:17Let the business people do the business talking.
01:19I hear you. Now, Fanatics announced the 10 best-selling rookie jerseys in the wake of the 2026 NFL Draft.
01:31Some of these were fairly surprising to me.
01:34Like, I would have assumed Fernando Mendoza would have been higher.
01:38But No. 10, David Bailey.
01:40Then Dylan Thienemann, Caleb Lomu, so some love for the offensive line there.
01:45Jeremiah Love is 7, Chris Johnson 6, Fernando Mendoza only 5, and Drew Aller No. 4.
01:55So the top three, Malachi Lawrence, No. 3.
02:01Whoa!
02:02The 20th pick.
02:03That's your 23rd?
02:05Oh, he would have been the 20th. 23rd pick.
02:07That's true. He would have been the 20th pick, 23rd pick, 24th pick.
02:10They would have made that other deal.
02:12Yeah.
02:12Jacob Rodriguez is 2nd, and Caleb Downs is No. 1 on the list.
02:17So I just want to point out, two Dallas Cowboys defensive players in the top three,
02:25pushing quarterbacks back, including the No. 1 overall pick, pushing Jeremiah Love back to 7,
02:30in case you ever wondered.
02:32Now, if we can only win football games.
02:34Okay.
02:35I think that's on the way.
02:36All right?
02:37Oh, yes.
02:37Okay, I really do.
02:39Obviously, confidence is high after the draft, but I think it's on the way.
02:42I hope.
02:42I got a lot of hope.
02:44I think when you get people like Caleb Downs in the building, that's a good thing for your team.
02:49It can only be good for you, is what I think.
02:54But it shows the continued power of the Cowboys, right, in that their guy got drafted.
02:59But, Kevin, it wasn't just us locally here talking about how good Caleb Downs was.
03:05How many people across the country were just like, this is my top player, or one of my top three
03:10players?
03:11Like, he's that good.
03:12It is very rare that the Cowboys are universally praised for, honestly, anything outside of TV ratings and value.
03:19But it does feel like pretty much everybody was on board with this pick.
03:24Even pre-draft.
03:25Yes.
03:26Like, pre-draft, people were just like, this guy, this is a dude you're going to love.
03:30And all the things carried straight from draft to after draft, so that was a positive thing.
03:35But then, I wonder also how often an Ohio State student or an Ohio State person is like, I've got
03:42to get him.
03:43I've got to get one of those Cowboy jerseys.
03:45Now, I do also have the question.
03:46I can see that.
03:47Yeah, being at a big school like that, it helps.
03:49But then I think about Lawrence.
03:50He's not from a school like that.
03:52He's power of the Cowboys.
03:53Now, did he order, did all these people order the number 18, or is it the number one, like the
04:00number pick or the year?
04:02Because if they ordered 18, Caleb Downs said in conversation about, will you be wearing number two at training camp?
04:09He said, let's just wait and see.
04:12That's all I'm going to say about that.
04:13Oh, okay.
04:15Because I don't think he wants, dude, 18 looks like a fifth receiver.
04:18And we don't want that dude to be looking like a fifth receiver out there.
04:22Yeah, because Caleb Downs, yeah, did have 18 at the OTAs.
04:28And doesn't it look like a fifth receiver?
04:30Yeah, when he said, we'll see how it goes, I guess that's not the most encouraging thing.
04:36But, you know, and if you care, by the way, numbers for the new Cowboys rookies, at least initially, Camden
04:45Brown is six, Jordan Hudson, 16, already mentioned Downs, 18, Devin Moore, 29, Dominic Richardson, 43, Michael Trigg, 46, Langston
04:55Patterson, 47, DJ Rogers, 49.
04:59I'll give you the other half in just a minute, because I don't want to just be reading off numbers,
05:03because that feels kind of insane.
05:05There's some numbers are cool, though.
05:06That's true.
05:07So, rookie minicamp over the weekend, you want to start Malachi Lawrence.
05:13Malachi Lawrence did some one-on-one work with the Cowboys pass rush specialist, BT Jordan, over the weekend.
05:22And those two are working to make his pass rushes more efficient.
05:27And I know one of the things that Jordan said straight away, and I do like this, is that Malachi
05:32Lawrence is very technical.
05:35Good.
05:35And then Lawrence said, or Lawrence, excuse me, said that of Jordan, and he said, when it comes to my
05:40steps, I don't want to be taking false steps.
05:42No, no, you wanted everything to be with purpose, to be intentional.
05:46This is Christian Parker, Kevin, talking about Malachi Lawrence.
05:50We had him in the formal process at the Combine.
05:53I think you see just a natural rusher on tape.
05:55He has natural instincts.
05:56He could turn his toe at the top of the rush.
05:57He plays with power.
05:59He plays with urgent effort.
06:01You see him just, you know, running down quarterbacks.
06:03And that's one thing we talk about.
06:04The three quarterbacks in our division are all athletic.
06:06So, anybody we deploy on the edge has to be able to run sideline to sideline with him, and he
06:10had that.
06:11We had him in the room, very smart, very thorough, very just, you know, detailed and everything that he talked
06:16about from run pass,
06:17how we studied our linemen, just the whole nine yards.
06:20So, had really good exposure to him in that process.
06:23That's been consistent the way that he talks about him, but that section right there, Kevin, about the division.
06:28And having Jackson Dart, having Jalen Hurts, having Jaden Daniels.
06:32What do you know about all three of those guys on third down and pass situations?
06:36He can break out.
06:38Right.
06:38Now, he is working a little more as like one of those outside DeMarcus Ware type dudes,
06:42where he's going to be standing up doing a little bit of something different.
06:44He'll still use his pass rush moves to get there, but to be able to chase down with his speed,
06:49to be able to chase down those quarterbacks on third downs and not get an extra set of downs because
06:55of that,
06:56is going to be really important.
06:57This is where it all starts in these minicamps, which you love.
07:00Now, look, for the rookies, I think it's really important.
07:05Otherwise, I think it is a giant waste of time to talk about them for a lot.
07:12So, let's go to Jay Sean Barham, the third round pick.
07:16Sean Heimer said he was going to start at inside linebacker.
07:19On Friday, Christian Parker said he was going to be getting work at Mike linebacker,
07:24obviously an area of need for Dallas.
07:27On Saturday, Parker pulled Barham aside during the linebacker positional drills
07:32and did one-on-one at work with him.
07:35One of the things Barham said afterwards is,
07:37I feel like my ability to run sideline to sideline, take a hit, take on blocks,
07:42get off blocks, being able to cover tight ends, running backs, whatever,
07:45I feel like I'm a football player.
07:48So, whatever it is, DN, linebacker, I play football so I can do it.
07:52Yeah, you want the flexibility from the position,
07:57or from the player more than anything else.
08:00Like, Kevin, we talked about Micah in such a way that he never was.
08:05And I'm not trying to take a shot at Micah here.
08:07Micah became an edge rusher.
08:11And it was, like, every single down, he could do it.
08:14But when we looked at Micah, what was the first thing we heard those first couple years?
08:17Chess piece.
08:18Right.
08:19But he wasn't.
08:20They didn't use him that way.
08:22And I think that's ultimately, you get these guys that they can do these things,
08:25but you make them do the difficult things and learn those,
08:27those should be able to make him a more flexible player for this team.
08:31I don't think this will surprise you to hear,
08:33and this is definitely not just for the Cowboys,
08:35but Brian Schottenheimer talking about the rookie class,
08:38he said, none of these guys are in great shape right now.
08:41You might have saw a few guys getting sick yesterday,
08:43a little bit of vomiting going on.
08:45But I think that's the thing.
08:46It's like every time you level up, you think you're in shape,
08:49you're in great football shape, but you're not in NFL shape.
08:52And I think that's one of the points of this rookie camp is just to show you,
08:56hey, I know you think you're in great shape, but this is what we do.
08:59And you're like, holy crap.
09:00Welcome to the level up stage of life.
09:02Exactly.
09:03Exactly.
09:03So, I mean, that makes a lot of sense.
09:05I wanted to point out a couple of players that were part of this mini camp.
09:10So, first of all, we have Shiazak Pete.
09:14He is looking to make history.
09:18So, he is a giant, giant man.
09:22And his parents weren't like super duper tall.
09:26He's 6'8", offensive tackle, undrafted free agent out of Kentucky.
09:30His dad is 6'1".
09:31His mom is 5'5".
09:33And Pete pointed out that he is from the Navajo Nation.
09:38He pointed out that the average man in the Navajo Nation is roughly 5'6".
09:43Huh.
09:44Which is more than a foot shorter than he is.
09:47So, obviously, he's got his dad's height.
09:49Ah, I see even that.
09:51I don't know about that.
09:52He's plenty used to standing out.
09:55If he makes it, he would be the first player, specifically from the Navajo Nation, to be in the NFL.
10:04So, I think that's pretty neat.
10:05That is a really cool story.
10:06And then I take you to Zach Switzer, the running back from Presbyterian, who is the grandson of Barry Switzer.
10:16That is correct.
10:17He talked about the impact that his grandfather had on his football career when he was at his locker on
10:24Saturday.
10:24And he goes, this.
10:26This, for sure.
10:271,000%.
10:28I don't know what his future holds.
10:31Well, either him or Pete.
10:32But I think it's really cool that somebody who won a Super Bowl as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys,
10:38regardless of what you think of roster construction and everything like that.
10:41His grandson is here trying to make the team.
10:44And they're trying to make other history.
10:46Oh, just like the E.J. Johnson or E.J. Smith conversation.
10:51That would have been cool if that would have been something to sue.
10:54Yeah.
10:54Like, even if that player maybe is not going to make the team, not going to make a big impact,
10:58I think the fact that they're here, giving it a shot, I think that is really cool.
11:03Now, next up, you're going to have more, another minicamp this weekend.
11:07And then you move into the OTAs.
11:09June 1st and 2nd, June 4th, June 8th and 9th, and June 11th.
11:14All right?
11:14So that's what you're looking at after that.
11:17The veterans will be joining these workouts on June the 1st.
11:21Mandatory minicamp, June 6th through June 18th.
11:24And then, of course, training camp will get going in late July.
11:28So I know we went through a whole bunch of news, but how much are you guys usually locked in
11:33on these minicamps anyway?
11:35Oh, it's fun.
11:35It's fun to know, you know, to hear the things coming out of it.
11:38Definitely fun to hear, like, see that they're out there.
11:41Obviously, what's the one thing we always say?
11:43Health.
11:44Just come out of it healthy.
11:45Yes.
11:46Let them get their work in, get excited.
11:48But, Kevin, you know, those real things start to play out more at the games and preseason.
11:55But then the next minicamps, you start to get a little more of an idea of the structure of where
12:01guys will be.
12:02Like, who are they getting reps with?
12:04Why are they getting those reps?
12:05Those are the questions we'll be asking.
12:06But seeing kind of – I do love hearing downs from Devin Moore.
12:11He already knows the whole playbook.
12:13It's amazing.
12:14He already knows the whole playbook.
12:16And guess what?
12:16He's going to know your playbook too soon.
12:18So get ready.
12:19Pete was rocking with Jersey 75, Barham 55, Lawrence 57, DJ Withers 59, Drew Shelton 67, Sydney Fugar 69, and
12:31then the last four for you.
12:33Anthony Smith, Stoff at 83, Kevin Gilliam 94, Tommy Dunn 95, and L.T. Overton 99.
12:41Good number.
12:42I like that number for him.
12:44Okay.
12:44Yeah, let's go.
12:45Do you like 99 better than zero?
12:46I like 99 on somebody that's big and plays on the outside like that, you know, on the defensive line.
12:53I'm okay with that.
12:54Okay.
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