He still has CJ Stroud at #1…

Alright, speaking of other players, there are a bunch of players who are going to get drafted, and our friend Ryan Wilson, CBSSports.com, he's part of the Pick 6 Podcast, and with the first pick as well, he joins us.

Alright, at Ryan Wilson CBS, you still have CJ Stroud as number one. Tell me why you are solid in your convictions. I am not. I can't even argue now.

That's the thing. I've had Bryce going there back and forth. I talked to some people a few weeks ago that thought CJ might be the guy. I think I've talked to you since then, Adam, and we did the pro-date circuit, me and Rick Spielman, and we saw the quarterbacks, and obviously the Carolina Panthers were well-represented in all four of those big four quarterback pro-days, and I'd heard that CJ may be leaning that way, but it certainly feels like Bryce, and Bryce is my quarterback one, by the way. It's close, but the things that Bryce was able to do with fewer weapons around him, even at Alabama compared to Mack and Tua, I think speaks to how good he can be, and I don't care that he's 5'10".

The ball was really batted down. The only injury he suffered was when he was scrambling and trying to get extra yards. It wasn't like he took a hit and fell apart, and as his teammates pointed out when we talked to him at the combine, starting with Will Anderson, he said it wasn't like he was played up against a bunch of high school kids. Bryce Anderson, he was going up against SEC, defensive lineman, many of whom will end up playing on Sundays, and when he got hit in the mouth, not only did he get back up, but he got back up and usually made those teams pay for it, so he feels like the easy pick.

I know Frank Reich has sort of said both that he liked Russ Wilson coming out, but also don't read too much into that, but I think if you're just using common sense and what you can see, Bryce feels like the easy guy to take. Here's the way I look at it, and we actually are going to talk to his high school coach later on in the show. To me, he's the modern quarterback. He is the guy that thrives amid chaos. When everything breaks down, he doesn't. He's able to kind of keep his eyes down the field. He sees things develop. He just, I think he plays the position with his head as much as he does with every other body part, legs, arm, you know, his athletic ability. I think he thinks the game well.

It's just that's the way it looks to me because he never looks panicked. Exactly, and again, he's not thrown to the Jerry Judys of the world, not thrown to the Jameson Williams of the world this year, and the calm inside the pocket is something that you don't see necessarily out of the other quarterbacks that are going to go in the first round and have a chance to, and CJ Stroud included, and obviously it will love us to make Anthony Richardson as well, but some of the concerns with CJ is that once things start to break down and we saw he could run with the sleds in that Georgia game, but is he going to be able to consistently buy time in the pocket, make off platform throws? He certainly has that ability and you could argue he's the most accurate passer in this draft, but he also had offensive linemen.

They're going to get dragged in the first round head off the line and drafted last year that protects them, and then he's had a slew of wide receivers that could end up being among the best in the league in the next three or four years, and all those things have to be taken into consideration. And also, by the way, Bryce Young tested through the roof when he met with these teams in interviews. They were blown away with who he was as a football player. Great person too. We talked to him now three times over the course of the draft process, and each time he's somehow nicer than he was before, which is a big situation.

Nothing's too big. Look, he, you know, he could do whatever he wants to do as potentially the first overall pick, but he's as humble as they come. His teammates respect him. His coach loved him, and he was never rattled, and that's sort of the takeaway. Sometimes you see quarterbacks get rattled and understandable, so especially when you get pressure at the middle, for example, he finds ways, as you know, besides of that pressure, make an off platform throw that's incredibly accurate and somehow gets his team out of a pickle. Ryan Wilson, CBSSports.com um, mock draft expert in my eyes.

It's as good a way as any to, uh, to identify who you are. About the other quarterbacks, because this is the way I look at it, because to me, Bryce Young's the best passer. No, this is no disrespect at all to CJ Stroud, but if I was going to take anybody other than Bryce, I would be shooting for the absolute moon, and I just don't know how you could resist the athletic ability of Anthony Richardson. If he hits, what's his ceiling?

I don't know, Adam. That's what makes him so intriguing, because you can't even visualize what that might look like. So the best parts of Josh Allen, Cam Newton, and Michael Vick, if you hit an absolute home run. This is a game-winning, bottom of the ninth grand slam, the win the role series type thing to mix in my sports metaphors here, but he, oh, he has a chance to be special. So we talked to him in the combine and we had previously talked to Will Anderson. He is bigger and wider and faster than Will Anderson, edge rusher, who's going to be a top five pick.

He's six, four, two 40 ran into the four fours. And it's every year you say guard against falling in love with these players that pro days. I went to that pro day and I saw him up close and personal. I felt I've been all over the Anthony Richardson. I'm not going to lie to you.

And you know, it's funny. So he was the fourth pro day. We saw the quarterback, the previous three, including we'll love this. He probably has a slightly better arm. They start those descriptive plays around their own 40 yard line, save about 70 yards, including the ends on the work with they started the Anthony Richardson scripted plays at his pro day at his own 20 yard line. And he was still running out of real estate with his ability to throw the ball deep. So the athleticism is what's so intriguing.

The lack of experience was so concerning. And he told us straight up at the pro day, excuse me, as a combine, my problem last year at Florida was that I try to do too much, too much hero ball because I've always been the biggest and the fastest on every team that I played. And that makes sense. But he understands that as you get further along in your journey and the players get better, you're going to have to start playing a little more focused football. And I think he has that ability.

It just has to be the right landing spot. The funny thing is we talked to his high school coach and or does he have no it was C.J. Strad who had coaches. We talked to his high school coach and he actually described him as a film rat that he he loves that Richardson loves the film study that he it was just it's he just has to grow into the position and get more comfortable playing it. But he said he likes to study.

He likes that. He likes the classroom part of football. I don't know what kind of chance he's got. I don't even know what kind of odds to put on it.

I just know that the the athleticism is I mean, it's eye opening. Let me ask you about another position. This is because the Panthers are going to pick in the second round, too, after after because they have a pick what like mid second round. I don't know if they're looking at wide receiver or tight end, but in terms of an offensive weapon, who might be there for them in the, you know, mid early part of the middle of the second round? Yeah, they have picked 39. There's only 31 picks in the first round because my heated.

So that means you're only what eight picks in into the round two. And there's going to be a ton of guys tied in, I think. And that might be right around the time there's a run on the tight end. So if you're actually thinking about a tight end there, wide receiver class isn't quite as deep.

And maybe you get a jail and high there if you're looking for a home run hitter. He had the five touchdowns at Alabama and absolutely electric rain in the four fours. After that, it might be a little rich to start going on these wide receivers. If the Jackson Smith and Jake McQuinn Johnson since a flowers are gone. If Jordan Addison's there, that's also a legitimate thought that you might want to get that guy. He balled out for USC last year.

Caleb Williams with Caleb Williams put a better number than you before pit with Kenny Pickett. And he's 173, but he plays bigger fashion, that return ability as well. But in terms of the tight end, there's a chance Michael Mayer's there at a Notre Dame. If you want to double up on some tight ends and get some depth there, Luke Musgrave is going to be a fantastic athlete. He's almost, he is a fantastic athlete, but he's six, six. He's going to be a really good player at the next level. And he was one of the fastest players, the senior bowl, huge catch radius, uh, don't Kincaid. I heard there were some engine concerns, but it sounds like they're, they've been cleared up by most NFL teams and he might sneak into the first round and then Darnell Washington, sort of a two for one Adam, and that he's six, six to 65 random four sixes. And he's the best blocking tight end in this class. And he's a long shredder, huge catch radius, and he's barely scratching the surface on what he does is tight in because he was tied into Georgia Brock Bowers. And he still has a chance to be a potential first round pick.

It was funny. I was watching, uh, watching the championship game. Uh, and I watched a handful of Georgia games this year and he is tight. He was tight at number two at Georgia, uh, but I guess Bowers is not eligible yet to come out, uh, who is a complete freak. And so I'm watching this and I'm thinking, and then I keep, I look at mock drafts and they they've got him like in the third round and I'm like, wow, that would be, that would be interesting if he lasts that long.

I don't know that a tight end, it looks like him who runs like him is going to last to the third round. And now I see him in the first round, the crackling flame, the piercing heat. We were all born with a fire burning deep within our bellies. For me, Gustavus Swift, I turned my fire into the creation of Swift foods back in 1855. For you, it might simply be to smoke a tastier rack of ribs than that blowhard Steve.

Go on, find your spark Swift foods, inspiring extraordinary meals since 1855. Yeah, it would be shy. Some of the, some of them would have to have happened for him to fall to ground three that we don't know about medical wise or otherwise, but the upside in this guy is just, it's through the roof and he's drawn comparisons to Martell's Bennett, uh, back in the day, six a and M um, Mercedes Lewis was the Compton he gave us, but only because there are very few tight ends that are his side and his weight. The difference is Mercedes wasn't even that good of a blocker coming out. He's more receiver.

Now he's obviously really, really good. And one of the best items, uh, when it comes to blocking, but Darnell gives you that versatility. And when you think about it, it seemed like the Panthers, it certainly makes sense.

And the easy sort of match is Kansas city. You can put anyone in Kansas city and it feels like you did a grand slam, but he does offer something as a blocker, which helps. And then again, you can assume the, the Travis Kelce has Brock Bowers role, and he can be your number two and do his damage in the middle of the field, but red zone target from day one, even if he's not as a finished product, which maybe takes a year or two.

All right. Final thing for Ryan Wilson. I think you already referenced his name, but I'm, I am curious position aside, who is the best player in this draft? Jaylin Carter. Like if Jaylin Carter is locked in focused on football, he is the best player and there could be a case. Uh, you know, you could make a case for me, John Robinson for talking about non-quarterback guys that come in and impact the game immediately. Uh, both Jaylin Carter and Bijan and opposite sides of the ball could certainly do that. Jaylin Carter, he's not an edge rusher. So it may be a little more difficult for him to get, to be disruptive coming off the edge because he's playing inside, but he can certainly be disruptive. But Bijan is a home run hitter. Uh, he is great in terms of being receiver out of the backfield. Uh, he will block you into the stand.

So he takes that part of his job very seriously. So he's a three-down player in every sense of the word. And I think if you take him at 10 and you're the Eagles, I don't hate it. Is it high typically, you know, recent history for running back?

Sure. But it's not like the Eagles have a ton of needs to have another pick at pick 30 in round one and they have their quarterback of the future. Why not give him another piece in that backfield, uh, as they make, uh, try to make another run back to the Super Bowl. And he can play right away and, uh, it's not a high cost running back at this stage. So yeah, would make, it's sort of like having your quarterback on a low contract for a certain period of time.

If you can get your running back on a low contract before you have to pay him, it really is the same thing. Um, he's, he's an incredible, incredible football player. If Hendon Hooker looked like Will Levis, I think you know where I'm going. Where would he get drafted?

I'll go even a step further. If Hendon Hooker hadn't torn his ACL late in the season, there, there would be conversations about whether he's QB for, if we'll love us happens to be your QB for, uh, I think that's certainly fair. The way he played versus the way we'll love this play.

Yes. The Tennessee offense is a quirky one and maybe it doesn't necessarily translate because basically you just have happy old reads if you're in and hooker, but he interviewed incredibly well. He is one of the smartest players you ever come across. Uh, he takes his job as a quarterback very seriously.

We talked to Jay on high and Darnell, right. The right tackle, both guys have a chance to be drafted pretty early and they, to a person in separate conversations that he's always the first one to practice. He's a leader. He makes sure we're where we need to be pre-snap. He understands changing, uh, the protections. He understands pre-snap reads all the things that you want to hear about a quarterback.

Yeah, he'll be 25, but in today's NFL, you can play till you're 35 as a quarterback. And, um, even if your athleticism is Wayne's, he has the arm shrink to make play. So I would argue if you were healthy, I would, I might take him before we'll love us and I might not even meditate.

Uh, I would do it anyway. Uh, so teams, no teams in the second round, cause I know he's accurate to, uh, his inner intermediate throws are really accurate. Uh, he's super smart and he's a mature guy. I mean, I look, I'm not, not, this is not a knock on we'll let us, uh, I think hooker has all the qualities you want as a developmental quarterback. Uh, and you don't have to play him. You don't, you're not going to play him for a, for a year. So draft him, develop him like, no offense. If you're the jets and he's there in the middle of the second round, I think you take it. Even if you have Aaron Rogers, you can, you need the next guy. Rogers may only give you one year. Uh, right.

Just my thought, Ryan Wilson, cbssports.com at Ryan Wilson, CBS. I appreciate your time, man. Uh, I don't know if you know this, but one week from today, you're on the clock. Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh boy. Okay. No, thanks for the heads up. I gotta go do some work. Thank you, Adam. Ryan Wilson is awesome.