00:00ESPN, they do their position groups every year where Jeremy Fowler talks to
00:07executives, coaches, scouts, and they rank the top ten.
00:10They give honorable mentions and other guys that those different people brought
00:17up in terms of top ten potential players at these positions.
00:22And today was Edge Rushers, and this is arguably, I don't think it's an argument,
00:27this is the strongest part of the Houston Texans.
00:30They had two in the top six, Will Anderson, number three, behind Miles Garrett,
00:36who went to Texas A&M, and behind Micah Parsons.
00:41And then there was Will Anderson right behind him, and then Daniil Hunter was sixth on the list.
00:47They said, Will Anderson, combination of speed and power, then his strength and effort.
00:53A separate NFC scout said that he is better than I expected, to be honest.
00:58Daniil Hunter took a look at this guy's career production.
01:02An NFL coordinator said, there can't be a more underrated, dominant player since I've been in the NFL.
01:08His silent tape was unreal.
01:10He's a total force.
01:12At the top two in the top six, there was no other team that had two in the top 13,
01:17right,
01:18two different players of the top ten list and then the honorable mention.
01:23So there was a – there's clearly they have the best tandem in the NFL from a pass rushing perspective.
01:31And I look at this, Clint, when you look at today's list, which was the defensive ends,
01:38you look at yesterday's list, which was the corners, and the Texans had two in the top 11.
01:44Kamari Lassner, who went to Georgia, they have two in the top 11 with Stingley and Lassner
01:51and then obviously Hunter and Will Anderson.
01:54This, to me, it almost puts you in a position, Clint, to look at this and say, boy, there is
02:00pressure for this team
02:02to be able to win big and get past where they've been trying to get past
02:09because the likelihood that they have these four for much longer all together right now in their prime
02:16is really, really low, and they've got to do what, like, the Legion of Boom did.
02:22The Legion of Boom had those four guys together, and they were able to get to two Super Bowls
02:26and win one before it broke up in, like, three or four years.
02:29They have got to really take advantage of having that group of corners
02:37and defensive end edge rushers like this.
02:39Well, I think it's twofold, Ron. I love the point you're making.
02:42I think it's twofold. I think you – how rare it is for it all – for the formula to
02:47work out the way it has
02:48where you've got three guys that you've paid big money to get them,
02:52and then you've got one young player that's still playing at the top of his game in Kamari Lassiter
02:57that you're going to have to eventually pay.
03:00So whether you look at it as a, boy, they're not going to have this group together much longer
03:06because of the contracts that are going to come Kamari Lassiter's way, probably Bullock's way,
03:11C.J. Stroud's way.
03:13You know, there's – you're probably going to have to end up paying some guys
03:17and going to have to bust this thing up.
03:19So whether you look at it from a contract perspective
03:21or just the fact that they hit on these guys
03:22and these guys are playing at the level that they're playing on is crazy.
03:26But, yeah, this is – I mean, how often, how many teams in history have had two edge rushers
03:31in two corners in the top 11 at their position in the NFL all at one time?
03:36Look, where you and I, I think, differ is I think D'Amico Rhines moves mountains to keep Kamari Lassiter.
03:42You are serious.
03:43I do.
03:43You think the four – these four players who I think obviously we know what Will got
03:50and we know what Stingley got and obviously we know what Hunter has,
03:55but you think they're going to be able to keep all four of them?
03:59Are they going to try – I mean, I'm sure he would love it.
04:02You think they're going to be able to keep all four of them?
04:04Like, I feel like there's a strong possibility this is the last year
04:08that all four of those guys are here.
04:10Well, I mean, that means they're going to part ways with, obviously, Daniil Hunter,
04:14the older one at some point in time.
04:16And I could see that happening and then developing a young defensive edge rusher
04:20or going out and getting a cheaper veteran edge rusher.
04:24I could see that happening.
04:26But the question for me is because I believe Daniil Hunter's got two years left on his contract.
04:31I believe they just gave him a memory surgery.
04:33But they can get out.
04:35But, yeah.
04:35But that's the thing.
04:36I don't think they ever get out.
04:38I think they signed Kamari Lasseter to an extension,
04:42and I think those four guys play two more years together.
04:47Eventually, I think they move off Daniil Hunter just from an age standpoint,
04:49and I do think it's going to be easier to find a younger productive player
04:55at that other edge rusher position.
04:57But I'm telling you, man, D'Amico Ryans has made it blatantly obvious how impactful it is
05:05when you've got your edges taken care of.
05:08And when he says edges, he means both edge rushers and the outside edges at that corner position.
05:14I think he's going to move mountains to keep that group together as long as they possibly can.
05:18And if I had to wager on it, I would think that it comes at the expense of your quarterback
05:23getting the extension.
05:24Well, okay.
05:25So someone texted and said they will keep the four defensive players because they're not going to sign Stroud.
05:30That would be the only way they would do that.
05:34And again, to me, we still know that that position over there is really important, the quarterback position.
05:41And the likelihood, to me, of them being able to have those four
05:48and a quarterback that is as talented as C.J. Stroud is probably low.
05:54So let's say they do that.
05:56Let's say they are – I would advise not.
05:58But let's say that they say, all right, we're going to keep – come hell or high water,
06:03we're going to keep all four of them.
06:04We're going to – the next couple of years, we're going to keep all four of them.
06:08It's probably going to be difficult for them, a quarterback that is anywhere close,
06:15at least at that time to be ready, anywhere close to the level of C.J. Stroud.
06:20Potential, yeah.
06:20The C.J. Stroud potential, I mean, unless they do so in the draft.
06:26And even still, the likelihood of that player being – like that still may even take a couple of years.
06:32Like that player to be at that level.
06:32Oh, yeah, yeah.
06:33Hitting on that guy is a long shot.
06:37But, you know, again, we've talked about this organization multiple times.
06:40I think they feel like they can win with Davis Mills.
06:42And so to think that they could go out and get a – you know, somebody that's –
06:46the crazy thing about the NFL to me is every year there's somebody on the market.
06:50Like right now – and I'm not a huge Kyler Murray guy.
06:53I think he's entertaining.
06:54I don't know that I want my organization, you know, pay any money to come be at the court.
06:59But he's paying for a million dollars this year.
07:02I mean, you got – like those kind of guys, I do wonder as D'Amico sees like this –
07:08and maybe the NFL has always been like this.
07:09I just hadn't covered it, you know, as deeply as we do now.
07:13But, like, D'Amico Ryan's got to look around and go –
07:16last year's Super Bowl winner went out there and got Sam Darnold, right?
07:20And every year there's guys that are bouncing around the league
07:23that are serviceable quarterbacks.
07:25And they look at it like, hey, man, they don't necessarily need to have a guy
07:28that is much better than serviceable in order to give themselves a chance to win.
07:33So I just think – my whole point in saying all that, Ron, was only –
07:37like I think you and I – where you and I differ – I agree with everything.
07:39Where you and I differ is I think they're going to move mountains
07:41and try to keep these guys together.
07:45Before they do what a lot of teams do and secure a quarterback
07:50that they be, you know, a franchise-type guy.
07:55Yeah.
07:56And for them to do that, the likelihood is they would be looking at a –
08:05either a project quarterback situation where it's a couple of years
08:10or trying to win with a much lesser-than quarterback.
08:15Because if you pay all four of them, you know, you would have to try to go after,
08:21like you said, the deal of a Kyler Murray.
08:24Because if you pay all four of them the money that they will, I think,
08:27command at those positions, we already see what Will has commanded.
08:31If you want to keep the band together to pay that, you know, that makes it harder
08:35to even go and get what a Sam Darnold got.
08:39Yep.
08:40That makes it even harder to get a quarterback at the 40s
08:44or to get what Daniel Jones got to piece together with all of those guys.
08:48So I don't know.
08:49I mean, we'll see.
08:50I just – I think it's interesting business to go about and saying,
08:55we'll ditch the quarterback to keep those four.
08:58It's definitely not the thing that most organizations do.
09:02But given the situation here and who's running the show,
09:05I think it is a possibility.
09:07By the way, a texter real quick.
09:09Lassiter and Bullock have two years left on their deal.
09:11Yes, they both do, but neither one of them are first-round picks.
09:13So that means that they don't have the fifth-year option.
09:15So next offseason would be the year that you would re-up them
09:19or you risk them playing and hitting free agency
09:22and then you never have a – you lose them for nothing, right?
09:26You either re-up them next year or trade them next year
09:28to take advantage of the value that they've created.
09:30You don't let them run through free agency.
09:33Typically, I wouldn't think that would be the idea.
09:35But Lassiter, I would think that if they could,
09:38I think they'd re-up Lassiter right now.
09:42Yeah, yeah.
09:43The point of the story, though,
09:44the point of the conversation, Ron,
09:45I think that they have all four of those edge guys,
09:50both corners and both edge rushers,
09:51I think play the 2027 season with a second contract.
09:55Well, I guess with –
09:57So you think they're all there?
09:59I think they play one season all there with monster deals.
10:03Right now they're all going to be there,
10:04but one of them is going to be on a rookie contract.
10:05Actually, two of them really with Will Anderson's contract
10:07not kicking in yet.
10:08But I think they are all –
10:10they all play one year together in 27 with monster contracts
10:15or monster extensions that we'll kick in at some point.
10:17We'll see.
10:18I just think we are getting close to the point
10:21where Will Anderson is going to be handled differently by offenses.
10:30Because whenever – like right now,
10:32Daniil Hunter allows Will Anderson to be played much more straight up.
10:38And Will Anderson allows Daniil Hunter to be played much more straight up.
10:42You just can't out flat say,
10:44all right, man, we're just going to double team Will.
10:47In a couple of years or in a – to me, maybe potentially a year,
10:51whenever this Daniil Hunter situation comes to an end,
10:54and someone's talking about father time with Daniil Hunter,
10:56maybe, he's 31, he does not seem to have like slowed this thing completely down.
11:02Well, he is – I mean, stranger things have happened, I guess,
11:05but, boy, when you talk about a guy that clearly takes care of his body,
11:08you talk about a guy that's mature beyond his years
11:10and his father time as well as any athlete you're going to find.
11:15Now, that doesn't mean – I mean, father time's undefeated.
11:18It can jump on your back at any point in time.
11:19But I'm going to tell you, man, it sure seems like he's a guy
11:23that's got this thing figured out to be in tip-top shape
11:25and how to take care of himself and his body throughout seasons and off-seasons.
11:29Yeah.
11:29Yeah, because at some point we're going to see teams just say,
11:31I mean, we're going to throw two, three people.
11:33Like, he's going to start getting that, like Max Crosby.
11:37And I just think for now, man, you got, to me,
11:39a guaranteed another good year with those corners in tandem with that.
11:43And I'm going to throw two people in the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of
11:43the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle
11:43of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the
11:43middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of
11:43the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle
11:43of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the
11:43middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of
11:43the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle
11:43of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the
11:43middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of
11:43the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle of the middle
11:43I don't know.
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