After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. The stars were out tonight! In the NBA, the stars were out to play.

A lot of fun to see some of the best athletes and sharpshooters in the game perform at the top levels when they have to or when a series is on the line. And boy did we see that with Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, with Nikola Jokic MVP candidate actually reigning MVP for a few weeks longer, I guess. Actually, a month and a half longer until we have a new MVP announced, but he's still part of that conversation.

And what in the world? Devin Booker. We have seen some kind of wonderful from Devin Booker in this first round, as much as Kevin Durant certainly helps, it forces defenses, and in this case the Clippers, who are down their top two defensive players, top two offensive players as well, but forcing the Clippers to make tough choices about who you guard. And this is exactly what the Suns need because they use such a short bench and because they're relying on their starters to play heavy minutes. Definitely getting this series over with against the Clippers, taking care of business, now having a couple of extra days off is a huge deal for the Phoenix Suns.

Age and wear and tear definitely come into play the deeper we get into the postseason. It's our hump show, middle show of the work week. I had to explain that to my Syracuse University students on Monday evening. What exactly is the hump show? We usher you forward into your hump day. We get you prepared. We try to mix in humor.

We definitely enjoy our hump show, even if sometimes I'm doing a face plant right into the hump. You don't even want to know my sleep schedule over the last three days. It's been, well, the schedule part has been non-existent.

The sleep has been spotty at best. So once again, I cannot be held responsible for the words I make up or the ridiculous things that might come out of my mouth. Snod and smile or laugh at me if you like. I have no problems with being the object of your derision.

Totally fine. Speaking of Aaron Rodgers, we weren't, but we are now. Joe Douglas, the general manager of the Jets, talking about the trade in which New York gave up quite a haul to get the future Hall of Fame quarterback in town. In addition to that, Brock Purdy, a guest with the Kelsey brothers on the new heights podcast.

This you got to hear. And as we count down to the NFL draft now mere hours away, there are some major questions being posed. Of course, we're wondering how will the QB dominoes drop at the top? The Panthers say they have a consensus about who the number one pick should be. Who is the best fit for the Panthers?

Where else will teams find value in this year's class of prospects? And a myriad of other questions and I will pose those to pose those to our analyst of Believe Network. He's also a podcast host. Joe Dillion will return to the show from Los Angeles. And actually, we're going to do that in 30 minutes from now. So I want to get you ready. NFL draft talk 30 minutes from now. In addition to the NBA, the NHL playoffs. And did anyone else forget that Justin Verlander played for the Mets?

I did. Actually, Jay and I are so funny, especially when we get tired. We'll have these conversations that, thank goodness, are not recorded where we have to get our brains to be fully functional. And so we're just talking about sports headlines. And as we were going over the various possibilities and topics for this edition of the show, I stumbled upon a line item about Justin Verlander and it dawned on me that I had forgotten even where he was playing or I hadn't thought about him in weeks. And Jay says out loud, I forgot all about him. I just slipped my mind. Just a little bit. And that's my favorite team.

Out of sight, out of mind, baby. Even you, Justin Verlander. That's Cy Young. It's already dusty. Get back to work, will you? It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

Thanks so much for hanging out with us. It is our middle show of the work week, which means... ask Amy anything. Sort of. We see that your questions are already coming in.

And I'm not looking at your specific questions because I'm not supposed to be doing that. But the bright orange thought box. Well, it's a thought bubble inside a thought box. The bubble itself is yellow.

And if you can't read, you don't really need to read. It does say ask Amy anything. But the box itself is orange as a nod to your host and her favorite color being bright orange. It's therapeutic, actually.

Between orange and yellow, there are so many pretty flowers this time of the year that are orange and yellow. So again, we've already got your questions coming in. So you can either find us on Twitter, After Hours, CBS, or on our Facebook page named after the show.

Super easy peasy. 855-212-4CBS. That's 855-212-4227. And I am back at our CBS Sports Radio headquarters. One class left to teach at Syracuse University next Monday evening. And it's funny, as I was walking into the building a little while ago, I was actually considering whether I'd rather have a seven hour round trip every week to and from Syracuse. 460 miles or so, depending upon where I break for gas. Or would I rather drive in New York City every night? And I tell you tonight, I'd rather go back to Syracuse. But sometimes the traffic in New York City is, it's just, it's the bane of my existence. I never would have picked New York now that I've worked in this market.

Well, not in this market, but worked in the city for, gosh, nearly 11 years. I miss the commute I used to lament to my previous network. It was back roads, right? So a lot of times you couldn't make a ton of progress and I would get frustrated with a pickup truck that was going slowly or the fact that I couldn't pass on some of the back roads. Yeah, I thought that was a rough commute.

Be careful what you wish for. I know I'm not alone because many of you listen in big cities and you also have to deal with commutes. So thank you for feeling my pain and frustration.

The seven hour round trip drive to and from Syracuse is a lot, especially when I'm tired. But I'm thankful to the university for not only giving me a chance to be an adjunct professor for the first time in my life, but also giving me the opportunity to do it on campus. Right.

So I wouldn't have done a Zoom class because there's no way you can really connect with students the same way. And they do pay my expenses. Princess Leia is doing great. Don't worry about her, though. She's slightly yellow.

She's a yellow sheen to her because it's yellow season right now. Oh, and I forgot to tell you this, Jay. The last two Mondays, no, well, Tuesdays, the last two Tuesdays driving back from my Monday adventure on Syracuse on the on the hill at Syracuse. There's been snow on the way home. Snow as in snow. Yes, it was in the 30s when I left Syracuse around noon on Tuesday. And there was snow because I go up through the mountains for people who know the area between Binghamton and Interstate 84 between Binghamton and kind of coming south east into the New York City area. But back into Jersey, you go through a bunch of the Catskills in the mountains and there has been snow falling on my car. Wow. A little late April snow.

I mean, not impossible. On my graduation day at Syracuse, it snowed and that was a May graduation day when I was there. Yeah, our graduation is notorious for the fact that we had snow on that day. Well, you love snow, so I do. I do love snow. But at this point, with my peonies about to bloom, I do not want snow. Actually, right now it's in the 30s in my neighborhood, so I'm a little bit nervous about my peony plants. They've already got big giant buds on them, so the flowers should be opening any time now. You know, those are my beauties. My baby beauties.

I love to show those off. And do you remember what happened to them last year, Jay? It's fine if you don't.

Don't pretend like you do if you don't. When they all bloomed early and then kind of... Well, they didn't bloom real early, but they were blooming and we got a horrific thunder, lightning, and hailstorm and it destroyed them. They weren't even all completely open yet.

That's what I remember. They weren't all open yet. But it was early in their blooming cycle and they were pretty.

There were already a few of them, but they're relatively delicate and they could not withstand the fury of this storm. And I come out the morning after the storm and the plants are decimated. All the blooms are on the ground.

The buds that were remaining were destroyed. So I am just believing for a calm. A calm two, three weeks.

They'll all be open within three weeks and they only last for... The plant, well, it's bushes. The bushes only bloom for maybe two weeks. And so I really am just praying that they're left alone this year so they can be beautiful. They've earned it. They've earned the right to bloom in peace with a nice breeze and sunshine. A nice welcome into the world. Welcome. Thank you for making me happy. They are also the symbol, the annual symbol of my homeowner anniversary because the peonies were blooming when I purchased the house in May of 2020. All right. All that to say, yay flowers, I guess.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Let's talk about the two Western Conference Series that wrapped up on this Tuesday evening. Nothing easy for the Clippers in this first round, but why would anything ever be easy for the Clippers?

It's not. To not have Kawhi Leonard, to not have Paul George, what a disaster. And yet they were up 10 points at halftime, I believe, or 10 points early in the third quarter. It happened so fast.

They go from up 10 to down 8 in the span of a couple of minutes. And yet the old adage is that a team with its backs against the wall or a team on the ropes is the toughest out in sports and the Clippers gave it the best they had. They trailed by 20 in this fourth quarter and with a minute 58 to play, all they've done is given themselves a chance.

8, kick it out. Paul on the right wing 3, miss it off the heel, rebound a man and the Clippers can tire, take the lead with 90 seconds left. Right to left, here comes Mann, hands it off for Westbrook right wing. Westbrook working on Durant.

Westbrook wants to go to work. Westbrook's going to drive middle, get it inside, kick it back out. Batum left wing 3, short, rebound, up for grabs, Booker's got it. 15 to play, Booker into the front court, bounce it, behind Sammit and out of bounds, turns it over with a minute 10 remaining. In the corner it goes to Okogie, he drives the baseline out to Booker, straightaway 3. Josh Okogie continues to make great plays, dribble drive into the lane, get the Clippers to collapse and then find someone on the perimeter at your hottest player right now, Devin Booker. 44 points for a book and now coming up with a basketball, Westbrook lets it roll, picks it up in backcourt, brings it into the front court now.

Off it goes to Norm Powell, it was knocked away by Okogie, picked up by Chris Paul. Paul has grabbed, goes underneath to Kevin Durant, he lays it in with 58 seconds to go. The Clippers will take a timeout, we're going to keep it right here, 1.34, 1.30, the Suns with the lead, big hoop for Durant who now has 29. 3 seconds, 2 seconds, 1 second, Suns win, 9 tenths of a second showing but this one is history, the Suns will win, they'll eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers. Suns will move on, the Suns win, oh brothers. The great Al McCoy on Suns radio as they do hang on for dear life and eliminate the Clippers.

Noah Eagle with the calls on the Clippers radio network. If you're the Suns do you feel good about this? I think if you're the Suns you're thankful that you have moved on and as I say you have a couple of extra days because you do have older starters playing heavy minutes. Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, alright so you've got guys that could use a couple extra days off but this particular performance, fairly prototypical where a team will take its foot off the gas believing that they've got the whole thing in the bag and then the team with its back against the wall with no pressure finally starts to play extremely well.

The Clippers too little too late, that part we know. But for heaven's sakes you go from being up 20 and scoring, get this, 50 points in the third quarter. The Suns scored 50 bleeping points in the third quarter alone and yet gave up a 31-14 run in the fourth quarter.

Come on bro. Sure this is partly about the Clippers, it's partly about them not having enough firepower, always being without their top stars though. Welcome back to Russell Westbrook. Man what a resurgent Russ we have seen in the playoffs with his future on the line. But if you're the Suns you should be ashamed of yourselves.

You're supposed to be a veteran team. Chris Paul where's your leadership? Chris Paul is probably on the bench. Chris Paul I don't understand how you and Kevin Durant and others could allow this to happen. Now KD did have the Suns last six points. In the final minute they seal the win so you don't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

It's just an awful phrase I don't know why anyone ever uses it but I do every now and then. And Devin Booker has 30, no, has 47 points. I was thinking about the 38 he had the other night. Has 47 points, his playoff career high for the second time. Yes they won but gosh, bad taste, a bit of a bad taste until they can get back on the court, until they can look forward, flush it if you will.

You're up 20 in the fourth quarter and you barely survive. Ew, for a veteran team just ew. But it is good to see the potential of KD and Devin Booker.

We know they are part of a mutual admiration society. And considering the changes that they had on their roster at the trade deadline and the fact that KD was not available really for what the first six weeks-ish. It's good for them to get this one under their belts. And to get this Devin Booker now, I absolutely love it. Because this Devin Booker has the killer instinct. And my apologies to KD, right now I think I'd rather have the ball in Booker's hands at the end of a game than Durant's. Just being from a young team to an established team now is just something totally different.

But I wouldn't change my journey for anybody else's. There's not many young players in the league that just get thrown into the fire and play through mistakes and learn through mistakes. He was doing what Booker does. There were times where he was taking what the defense gave him and then there were times where he just went and it didn't matter. And when he's going like that, we're not calling any plays.

It's all about concepts and looking at the environments to create space for him. He's one of those guys that works on his game. He produces every year and he shows up in big moments. So he carried us, man. He made sure that we wasn't going to lose his game. So his shot making was incredible. His play making was incredible. We fed off his energy tonight and also the crowd fed off his energy. So he's a special, special human being, special player. I'm just grateful I get a chance to play with him. Kevin Durant on Bally Sports Arizona.

Are you ready for this nerd alert before we take a break? Devin Booker, Kevin Durant combined for 328 points in the five games of the series. 328 points between the two of them. 47 for Booker tonight. And Durant we know, regardless of what position you put him in, who you put him alongside, he's a bit of an amoeba in that he can morph and change and adapt. And we're seeing that. Second duo in NBA history to have at least 25 points each in every game of a best of seven series.

I'm one of the best players to ever play the game. Uh huh. That comes from Elias. That nerd alert comes from Elias.

And Monty Williams too. Gotta be thrilled with how his star guard is playing. Battle tested. He's been through the fire and now has that mental toughness as well as that leadership that comes from not having instant success but having to work hard for it. So congratulations to the Suns. We'll let you hear from the Clippers, including Russell Westbrook, about his future. And then we've got the Denver Nuggets, who probably put themselves in a double figure hole in game five against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nothing easy. The Nuggets never do it easily. Ever.

That would be no fun. On Twitter, ALawRadio, also on our Facebook page. Glad to have you with us on this hump show. Send your questions for Ask Amy anything.

That's coming up a little bit later in the show. Bottom of the hour. We're going to head to Los Angeles and talk draft. Last year, you may have made some smart decisions and you may have made some not so smart decisions, like maybe putting too much trust in those friends you met at the hotel in Sicily. The good news is making smart financial decisions is easier than you think. Nerd Wallets Smart Money podcast has the weekly know how you need to get ahead.

Sean and Sarah, the hosts of Smart Money, break down the latest financial news and give you honest, objective money advice. Subscribe to Nerd Wallets Smart Money podcast. Hey, football fans, Baldy here, and I'm doing something special for the year's NFL draft. Jason Lockett and I are hosting the 2023 Odyssey NFL Draft show. So join us on the first night of the draft talking with local experts from our Odyssey podcast from across the country. And leading up to the draft, check out our podcast in the huddle.

I'm going to give you the inside scoop on the best prospects for your favorite team. It all starts tomorrow at 7 p.m. Eastern on the free Odyssey app. Help save lives.

Donate today at your local CSL plasma center and be rewarded for your generosity. Quarterback dominoes at the top, among other things. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours podcast. Back over to Jamal, top of the key over to Jokic. Jokic started by Gobert, back to Murray. Murray right side over to Porter. Now at the nail, Jokic drives in, jump shot won't go. Got his own board, put it back up and in. Conley looks in, throws it off over to Edwards for three.

Missed it at the hard. Denver takes care of the Minnesota Timberwolves. They win game number five by a final of 112 to 109.

And Denver moves on to the next round. What I loved is that this 40 percent from the field didn't detract us from staying aggressive. Thirty six free throw attempts. Everybody's tired of me here.

Me saying it. But when we win the rebounding battle, we win plus seven, 20 fast break points. And we got contributions from a lot of guys tonight.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I could go in and out all of the various nuances of this particular game. Most importantly, the Nuggets started out in a 10 point hole. It didn't take long for the Timberwolves to go up by double figures.

They did fight Scratch Claw. They got back in. Anthony Edwards had another big game, 29 points with some critical shots down the stretch. Carl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert both fouled out, so neither one of them was on the court at the end, which definitely hurt. They only got a handful of points off the bench, so the Nuggets were able to not just take the lead, but to fight off the last remaining hope and the last remaining attempts by the Timberwolves to extend the series.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Jamal Murray, like Devin Booker, we're seeing these two guys flex their muscles again on the game's biggest stage. And actually, Jamal says that it was the Timberwolves that lit the spark under their rear ends with a little bit of too much yep, yep, yeping. We had a slow start and, you know, once they started talking, they woke us up. We locked in. We fought back in the second quarter. And then I thought we did a good job of executing down the stretch even when they made a run.

The defense, we all came together and knew what we had to do. Yeah, it was a really tight game most of the way through once the Nuggets found their footing. And Jamal said it's because the Nuggets were yep, yep, yeping. Jamal with 35 points. I forgot about that for Kat.

He was so happy to be back. But can someone explain to me why the Timberwolves, and I guess we'll talk about the Grizzlies this way too, why they failed to capitalize on opportunities? Why aren't they getting any better? Doesn't it feel like the Timberwolves have been the exact same team now for years? And they finally are back in the playoffs, but they're just middle of the road. They're mediocre. Even after all they traded away to get Rudy Gobert, they're still mediocre. And not having five first round draft picks is really going to hurt you at some point.

I don't think we're going to see their GM wearing a t-shirt that says, F them picks. So they're just, they're stuck. That's how it is. And I want them to get better. I want them to see some upward momentum, but it's not happening with them yet. I don't know if it's leadership.

I'm not exactly sure. I know they had some injuries which really hurt them, but every team is dealing with injuries. As for the Nuggets, this is a big deal to advance in five games because, remember, they finished the regular season on quite the downslope. Nikola Jokic, 42 minutes, not a great shooting night. Okay, so he only goes eight of 29 from the floor.

But on an off shooting night, the reigning MVP with 28 points, 17 rebounds, and a dozen assists. They are a tough team, you know. They didn't quit. They came here and fight. I think we had opportunity in Minnesota to finish, but they fight even there. So, I mean, we won the game. That's the most important.

So now we're getting to the next round. Unrelenting. You know, that guy is just a, he's a worker.

That guy is every single day. You never have to worry about Nikola Jokic showing up, doing his job. His consistency, I think, is just, I marvel at that sometimes. He's able to play at this level as consistently as he does. Good for the Nuggets.

It's so true. I don't know if the Nuggets are the best team in the West. I still don't love their defense.

Timber Wolves, ultimately not a great matchup for them. But I think they can get better over the course of the playoffs. And I do believe that Jokic is a problem for really any team that they face.

And if Jamal Murray is going to continue to shoot the way that he has, that also becomes a major problem. So two series that we know are done now in the Western Conference. And meanwhile, the 76ers are kicking back Maxson and Relaxson.

They've been done for a while. And the Celtics still have some business to take care of as the Hawks rally against them and extend their series. Coming up on Wednesday, we've got the other two Western Conference series. Finally, we see the Warriors and the Kings back on the court. The Grizzlies trying to stave off elimination.

I think we had this discussion once before. We only use the word stave when it comes to elimination in the playoffs. The Lakers lead that series three games to one. But the Nuggets, they take care of business. They find some footing first round of the postseason. And we'll see how they can build on that moving forward. So yeah, still potential for some game sevens, but I'm not feeling too strong about this first round and multiple game sevens. Okay, find us on Twitter, After Hours, CBS, also on our Facebook page.

Send your questions for Ask Amy Anything, which comes up a couple hours from now. Straight ahead, NBA, nope. The NBA draft is not till the summer.

NFL draft chatter with the first round on Thursday night in primetime from. Surgeons keep our hearts beating. They do the amazing, help save lives.

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Donate today at your local CSL plasma center and be rewarded for your generosity. You are listening to the After Hours podcast. With the first pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars select. Trayvon Walker, linebacker, Georgia.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. It's nearly come full circle. We will soon find out who the 2023 top NFL draft pick will be. That pick goes to the Carolina Panthers.

Remember, they gave up a haul to get it from the Chicago Bears. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Really excited to welcome Joe De Leon to the show from the Believe Network. He hosts a podcast and is an NFL draft analyst and a college football analyst. And this is the time of the year where it's his Super Bowl, right?

So you can catch his show. It's called The First Team and now joining us from L.A. Joe, maybe it's me because there's so much going on in the spring. And because there's been so much NFL veteran movement, right? Aaron Rodgers being the latest big deal to drop. What is the buzz, though, around the draft itself as we get set for Thursday's first round? Well, I think the buzz right now is separate from who's going to be the first overall pick. But who is going to take Will Levitz? And we had this morning a Reddit post drove the market up for Will Levitz maybe going first overall.

First of all, I just want to dispel those possibilities. It's not going to happen. He's not going to be the first overall pick. But it seems like there's a strong possibility right now that maybe a team trades up to three with the Arizona Cardinals to take Will Levitz. And I think right now that's something to pay attention to, that Will Levitz could be the second quarterback selected in this year's draft.

Why? What makes him that valuable? Well, in my opinion, I don't think he's that valuable to go number two as the second quarterback. I actually have him as my fourth quarterback, but I think what the NFL sees is a big, strong arm, a big, strong kid who's a quality athlete, can move pretty well. But on top of that, high character. And he's really tough.

He's a really, really tough kid. I think with all that, the NFL, it checks every box that they're looking for in the NFL quarterback and to eventually be a high level starter. And he has the ceiling to be a high level starter because of all those traits.

Now, the concern for a guy like Will Levitz for me is the decision making. He's been a starter for two years. He's an older prospect. And there's a lot of times on tape where he makes really head scratching decisions with the football.

If he can overcome those issues, I think he can certainly hit that very high ceiling and expectation for him. But right now, I'm a little careful on on wanting him to be that second overall pick. But the NFL thinks differently. So, Joe, we know that the Carolina Panthers have indicated there's a consensus in their organization for the quarterback.

They want to take number one overall. Who do you believe is the best fit for the Panthers? Yeah, I think Bryce Young, without a doubt, is that best fit. And if you look at the Panthers situation, their roster compared to the rest of the NFC might not be win now, go to the Super Bowl. But if you look at their division, the NFC South is pretty bad. So with that in mind, you throw Bryce Young into the mix, who's the most ready to play right now.

There are size limitations. There's concerns about his frame and him being under six foot and being under 215 pounds. But he is just such a reactive decision maker. He is the best decision maker out of all of the quarterbacks, almost like he's thinking a whole step ahead of all these other guys. And I think that that ability to think decisively, to always find his playmakers in space to set them up perfectly is going to make him the best rookie quarterback. And I honestly believe that in his first year or by his second year, rather, it could be like what happened with the Jacksonville Jaguars where Trevor Lawrence first year struggles a little bit. And then by year two, they hit a hot run to go to the playoffs and then they upset someone.

They have that potential. And I think Bryce Young is definitely that guy. If you consider the coaching aspect of that in Trevor Lawrence's first season, he had Urban Meyer. But once Doug Peterson got there, there was some real value in having a quarterback who spoke the language of the head coach. Right. And of course, we know Frank Reich also played the quarterback position and is a coach that comes from that same tree.

So that's an interesting point. Joe Dillion is with us here after our CBS Sports Radio host on Believe Network, the first team, and then also an NFL draft analyst. The talk about C.J.

Strad, excuse me, this leaked test score left him with a low score in terms of his ability to read defenses and in terms of his ability to process what's happening on the fly behind the line of scrimmage. What do you make of that? I'll even call it a rumor.

I'm not even sure it's real. A rumor, Joe. Well, the rumored number is historically low. Eighteen percent is well below what everyone else tested. Frankly, in my opinion, I think it's more telling that Bryce Young tested as high as he did. He had the best number.

I think his number was like ninety six percent or something along those lines. That to me is more telling of his mental capacity. But I'm not surprised that a guy like C.J. Strad has issues with his cognitive ability.

And I'm not saying that he's a dumb player, but you watch him on tape. He's great on his first read. But once that first read doesn't open up, he's very indecisive. I almost wonder if he's overthinking or he just doesn't know what to do with the football. He also, for some reason, doesn't want to rely on his legs, even though he's a very good athlete.

His worst game was against Michigan. I think that's a lot of proof of what the floor can be with a guy like that and his inability to make decisions. I'm not super worried about that test score. I'm just more worried about how can he progress?

Is there even any room for progression in that decision making? And I think if you're the team that's picking him, you really have to hope so. So you believe, then, the leak about C.J.? Yeah, I mean, that number makes a lot of sense. I mean, even if it was slightly higher, I still believe that his score was the lowest amongst all of them. And I think it made a lot of sense if you just look at the ranking of all those scores.

If that test is supposed to tell us who thinks the quickest and who's got the best decision making, just in general, who's a quick thinker, it makes sense. C.J. 's one of the slowest to make decisions. And I think right after him would be Will Levitt. Okay, thinking about the Bryce Young piece at the top, if that's where the Panthers go, how do you expect the Dominoes to drop at quarterback after Bryce? Yeah, I think that the Houston Texans are not going to be taking a quarterback. It seems like they haven't been very excited about any of the prospects in the class.

And I think with that situationally, they don't want to take somebody that they're not in love with. So if somebody then trades up, if that's the Tennessee Titans moving up, if it's maybe a team like the Atlanta Falcons moving up to go get the next quarterback, I do think that Will Levitt, as of right now, is going to be the second quarterback taken. The Colts are going to stay where they are at four, and they're probably going to take Anthony Richardson or C.J.

Stroud. And then whoever's the best remaining available, I don't see the last guy falling outside of the top eight. I know that it's certainly possible, and I think this time last year we were all saying, well, there's no way only one guy goes in the first round.

And that's what happened. A certain possibility that one guy slides out of the top 15. But I just think with this year having quality quarterbacks, not elite quarterbacks, and last year being so devoid of quarterback talent, that a lot more teams are much needier than we're used to them being. Joe De Leon is with us from Believe Network, an NFL draft analyst, as we get close to the primetime event that is now held on Thursday nights and has really become a ratings bonanza for the league itself. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio. How do you like that spectacle and the way that the NFL has turned this into a primetime must-see first round? Oh, man, it is so, so fun to watch, and it's what got me into becoming an NFL draft analyst. I bore through watching all the tape. I grew up watching the NFL draft when I was a little kid, and every year it gets bigger and bigger. My boss, who worked at NFL Network, was the person who kind of put on the first spectacle.

So kind of hearing those stories from him, I geek out every single day hearing him talk about it. No, it's my favorite time of year. It gets me more excited than the Super Bowl sometimes, which I know sounds a little nerdy, but definitely one of my favorite events out of the year. Beyond the quarterbacks, which we expect to steal the show at least initially, where is the next position with a ton of value in this draft? Yeah, I think there's going to be a lot of edge players that fly off the board in the top 10. I think as soon as that first pick is in, if the Texans stay where they are, I think it's going to be Tyree Wilson or Will Anderson.

Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech or Will Anderson from Alabama at number two. And then once we get past the Colts, if nobody moves up, the Seattle Seahawks right now are in a win now mode. They're in a spot where they want to progress and be able to knock off the San Francisco 49ers.

And the only way you're going to do that is by adding defensive weapons. I think adding a Lucas Van Ness or a Miles Murphy for the Seahawks is going to be a big boost for them. And then in addition to that, the Lions are probably also going to be seeking an edge prospect as well. Will McDonald, the fourth, is another first round prospect to pay attention to. And then Nolan Smith from Georgia. There are going to be a lot of edge rushers that come off in the first round.

This might really be a historic year for edge rusher talent. While we're talking about defensive linemen, any pause around Jalen Carter, considering what happened with the car accident and his possible role? Yeah, I think that there's been enough time for NFL teams to do their due diligence. I really thought that the timing would have really disrupted his ability to answer any questions.

But by him putting his plea in early and getting ahead of it and getting his sentencing and everything, he's not going to jail. But for him to get ahead of that is going to help him, because it allows NFL teams to do their research and do their really deep digging to figure out what is going on with that and what that full situation was and probably no more than what the general public does. I think what helps Jalen Carter especially, it's just in general a lack of maturity. But what is going to help them stay within the top 10 is a lot of the teams that are picking are teams that are in a playoff win now mode. I look at the Eagles, I look at the Lions, I look at the Seahawks. All of those teams got extra picks because of trades that they made in the past.

And they're loaded. And they can take a risk on a guy like Jalen Carter and then also benefit from that risk by adding the best player in the class to their team. And I also think for Jalen Carter, it's going to benefit him going to a veteran team, a team with a coaching staff that's been around for a little bit that can help him mature and keep him out of making dumb decisions. And hopefully he can succeed because he is just so, so talented. Definitely like the idea of him being surrounded by not just veteran players, but also a structure that he can really sink into and become a professional football player.

Jalen, kind of pivot a little bit here. We've seen in recent years some pretty incredible wide receiver talent that has burst onto the scene initially. Like the second they get on the field, they're already making a difference. So thinking of skill positions outside of quarterback, who are a couple of players that you're excited to see at the next level? Yeah, this year's receiver class is not as exciting as we've gotten in the past. And I think we've been really spoiled by guys like Jamar Chase and Jalen Waddle and Justin Jefferson. This class, there's a really good shot that we only have like two guys go, maybe even one possibly, depending on what the priorities are for some of these teams. But I do like Jackson Smith and Jiggler from Ohio State.

I think that his injury situation has been cleared up enough in figuring out why he spent that time away. I think Zay Flowers from Boston College is very shifty and explosive. And then Josh Downs from UNC is another underrated player who can sneak into the first round. But the real talent here for playmakers is tight end.

This is going to be another another historic position group is this tight end group, because Michael Mayer is a first round pick and going to be a top 15 pick in my eyes and is going to be so consistent from day one. But we also have Dalton Kincaid from Utah. We have Darnell Washington, who's massive from Georgia. Luke Musgrave from Oregon State, who's a great vertical threat. And then one of my favorite sleepers in the class, who I think is going to be a day two pick.

Tucker Crafts from South Dakota State is very well rounded and not getting enough love right now, in my opinion. But there are a lot of good tight ends. So I think that we're going to get more production from these tight ends than these receivers. We know the draft is landing in Kansas City this year as the NFL continues to pick these spots where it believes the draft can attract a lot of fans and also the bright lights, the big city. What do you think about Kansas City and the draft as a partnership? I think barbecue, actually.

That's what I think. But I mean, considering I know it's kind of like a random thought in my mind, but like the Tennessee draft when that was in Tennessee was great. So I think that we're in these hotbeds for football to just love football. It's great for it. But the barbecue aspect, I'm sure that anyone who's traveling, I wish I could be there for for the event just so I could get a taste of some of that barbecue. Yes, absolutely. A good idea. It's worth going through Kansas City or really any of the Midwest if you're talking about barbecue.

I remember when I lived in Oklahoma, I realized that as the New Englander growing up as a kid, we had no idea what barbecue and real beef tasted like. All right. You can find Joe on Twitter at Joe De Leon.

And not only does he host the first team on Believe Network, an NFL draft analyst. I hope you enjoy it, Joe. Thank you so much for a few minutes. Of course. Thanks for having me.

That's all you need. OK, maybe not all you need, but a great primer from Joe thinking about the first round specifically, but where the value is, how the quarterback dominoes may drop at the top. And we're not going to see, say, a Justin Jefferson likely to come out of this draft, though there's always a possibility we could get a dark horse skill player. But in a position where we are not completely devoid of superstars in the NFL. But have you noticed there are fewer and fewer superstar tight ends? It's not the same anymore. The tight end position is really heavy with Travis Kelsey and George Kittle and Mark Andrews. Am I missing? I mean, those three are amazing players, but we need others to fill out that position.

So if we can get some stars out of this draft at the tight end spot, it would be a boost for fantasy. I'll tell you that much. One hour down, it's the home show.

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