Yeah. It is draft day. You're listening to a Thursday Drive? Right here on WSJS, News Talk Sports for the Triad, I'm Will Dalton, also known as the WD. And We just did our mock draft, the first 10 picks in the draft, but we didn't get to the Carolina Panthers.
We had to save a special segment for them because they have the number 19 overall pick. What are they going to be hearing? You got that right. Number 19 overall pick. And This man right here.
If you're watching on YouTube or X. You'll see this. That's Dan Morrigan. Wide-eyed Dan Morgan. Get to our YouTube stream if you want to see what I'm talking about here.
But that's the man right there. That's going to be... Moving the dials, moving the controls, making things happen, wheeling and dealing for the Carolina Panthers tonight. Dan Morgan In fact, there should be a drop somewhere in that computer right there. what Dan Morgan likes to do.
We we have fun. You darn right they do. They're going to have some fun tonight. That's the face of a a fun guy right there. That's right.
He's all fired up. Because of that guy, The Panthers are in one of the better spots that they've been. In the draft. in some years because like they're not They don't have like a glaring need that they got to go out and address. As Dan Morgan pointed out, Last week they gave our uh they gave their Pre-NFL draft press conference.
And one of the themes there was flexibility. Options because of what they did in free agency. They addressed the holes that they had. Edge rusher, linebacker, offensive tackle.
So they don't really have any big f holes to fill. They have most of their starters pretty much. if not all, in place? Everything that they do now on 336-777-1600 is number to call. If you have thoughts on the NFL draft tonight.
They don't really have any holes to fill. What they're doing now is they're just trying to probably add depth. add some layers to this thing. And that's a pretty great spot to be in.
Now it is a receiver heavy draft. Um And The one other thing that stood out that Dan Morgan did say, other than talking about flexibility and all that. is that They would not be opposed to they're not going to box themselves in and potentially not draft a third straight wide receiver. in the first round. They did it with Xavier Legette two years ago.
They did it with T-Mac last year. And there's going to be some available. This year. Don't know if that'll be Makai Lemon at a USC. What I would say to that is, if there is a receiver taken.
By the Panthers at number 19, I think it's Casey Concepcion out of Texas AM. NC State al uh NC State fans know about him as well. A lot of our local media. They're gonna be over at his draft party tonight.
So There'll be plenty of coverage of that. But that's That's an if the Panthers did go receiver. I think they get Casey Concepcion. Heard Steve Smith on his podcast breaking down some of his stuff. He really liked what he saw out of Concepcion.
Kenyon Sadiq at tight end. That'd be a nice pickup. You haven't really had an elite tight end since Greg Olson. All those years ago. No shade to JT Sanders, but You know, they could afford to upgrade it tight end.
I just don't know if Kenyon Sadiq out of Oregon is going to be available there at 19.
So My prediction for the pick Chimes, please. As Roger Goodell is getting booed. He will announce That with a number 19 overall pick In the NFL draft, The Carolina Panthers select Dylan Thienman. Out of organ. Safety.
I think that's going to be it.
So, his combine times, they really opened some eyes. 43540. And he's just ripped and wiry, muscular. He's got a good frame for that position at safety. And On tape, like if you watch him, he's really good at coming down to stop the run.
He gets downhill in a hurry, and he's not afraid to pop you. He's not afraid to hit you. And Chris Sims. A couple of weeks back, he was actually breaking down some of the tape of Dylan Thieman, and he had a very interesting comp of who it reminded him of. I think he's Cooper DeGene.
He's just less in coverage, but more in tackling. As in, Cooper would have been better in coverage and maybe a little less in the run game. Not to say he's bad in the run game either. I'm just saying there was a little variance there. I kind of had that kind of feel when I was watching him.
Cooper DeGene, that's not a bad comp to have at all. Super Bowl champion, Cooper DeGene. Not bad at all. Daniel Jeremiah. Who's somebody I really like to read of NFL Network?
He reported that early on in the offseason. He was told that the Panthers really wanted to address The pass rush position with a premier pass rusher. They did that in free agency, picking up Jalen Phillips from the Eagles. And they also wanted to find a center fielder that they could add to that defense out there. And Dylan Thienman was exactly that earlier on in his college career at Purdue.
He ended up transferring to Oregon. But He did do exactly what the Panthers would like him to do.
So that's what I think the pick's going to be. Dylan Thieneman, the safety out of Oregon. I think that's what the Panthers do at number 19. We'll find out in a couple hours if that is in fact the case. 336-777-1600 is the number to call.
David Clements has thoughts on the NFL draft. Dave, go right ahead. What's up, WD? Oh, real quick, new photos are servicing of Mike Brable and Diana Rossini. That dude is in big, big on to the NFL draft.
And I just got home. I put the Oregon Ducks bandana on my chocolate lab. And the reason why I'm mentioning that is. I'm hoping, I got my fingers crossed, that the Panthers end up landing the Oregon Ducks tight end, Kenyon Sadiq. I'm a Ducks fan.
And I've got a proposition for you. If we somehow get end up landing a Ducks tight end in Kenyon Sadiq, if I sent you some Oregon Ducks gear, would you be willing to wear that for me one day on the show? 100%. I would absolutely do that. Give me all the swag, Dave.
Nobody has better swag. Outside of Carolina Blue, then Oregon. See what I did there? I protected myself. I protected myself.
Like, when it comes to football gear, Nobody does it like the Oregon Ducks. Nobody.
So. Bring it on, Dave. I'm ready. Awesome, awesome. You like the yellow or the green, or you got a I'll surprise you, actually.
I love surprises. Yeah, I'll surprise you. It might be yellow, it might be green. But one other thing on the NFL draft, and it always goes with the NFL and the NBA draft, especially when you sit around and watch the draft. They always just say great things about these players and their top 10 picks.
And if you look back at the draft, half of these dudes end up being bust and they're never ever. Nobody calls out like when they're drafting the fourth player tonight and says, I just don't like this pick. This dude's not going to live up to the hype in the NFL. Nobody says that. I've got a guy, and I wanted to see if you had a guy maybe in the first round or top.
10 that you didn't like, that everybody else is going to end up loving because it's draft night. I don't like Fernando Mendoza. I am not cold. I am not. He had at Cal, he was average.
Let's be honest. He was okay. And I watched him play a game at Florida State two years ago. I can't get that game out of my head. He was absolutely terrible at a bad Florida State team.
Now, granted, last year he was great, he was good, but he is going to get drafted to the Raiders, a place where quarterbacks. Go to die. And their offensive line out there is atrocious.
So until they get that fixed, I'm not completely sold on Mendoza.
So I'm going to say Fernando Mendoza. Is never going to live up to the hype or be a first-round pick. And if he was in any type of good quarterback class, we would not be talking about him as the first overall pick.
So my question to you is, do you see any guy lurking that you just did in your top ten month draft that, yay, you put it down on paper that you like them, but deep down, you think they might be a bust? Dave, I appreciate the call. Um Oh You know what? I'll say Potentially David Bailey. Potentially.
He's going number two overall. But he's also going to the Jets. And It's the Jets. Or as Aaron Glenn said it, this is the freaking New York Jets, and we're built for this bleep.
So I'll just say that. I'm not going to do the cop-out thing and say, oh, it's Ruben Bain because of his arm size. Although a lot of people would do that. I'm like, no, I don't think that's going to be that much of a factor. And I think he's going to a good spot in the Chiefs.
I'll say it, yeah. David Bailey, number two at the Jets. I actually really like all I like all of these picks personally. That's why I made him. But yeah, I'll say David Bailey.
I'll say that. We talked yesterday about the moves that have been made in Chapel Hill. Terrence Brown coming over. You got Neo Abdallah from Virginia Tech, of course. He is the one.
Neo. If you know y y you you seen the matrix?
Okay. See, this is the way it used to be with Josh Graham in the seat and me over there at the beginning. He would make these movie references. I can't believe I'm making movie references. This is how we've come full circle, we've all grown.
Nia was the one. I think uh Henry Vessar. Is the one. He's the one that Carolina needs to be prioritizing. And I think they are.
But Here's where we're at with Henry Vessar. Because Him and Carolina and what he's gonna do. That's really one of the most consequential Decisions to me in all of college basketball. One of them, in terms of what Carolina could be or could look like if he comes back. as opposed to if he doesn't.
It's a big difference there.
So He Has not declared for the NBA draft yet. All signs point that he is going to do that. He is going to test the NBA draft waters.
However, If he wants to come back to Carolina, He has until May 28th, 1159 p.m. to take his name out. That's if he wants to come back to Carolina. NCAA rules.
So You're looking at a little over a month here. I don't know if Carolina's really going to give him a mutt. Not sure about that.
So Inside Carolina was reporting earlier today that there might be some kind of deadline. Uh behind the scenes there. And You know, just thinking about this. Like if Vassar, if he decides to go. The best case scenario for him is like late first round.
It's kind of what I've been saying. And in terms of the money, You're looking at about two point Three, four, 2.2-ish, depending if you're like right at the end of the first round, million dollars per year. That's about what you're looking at.
However, A lot of the reports are Saying that Around that $4 million number is what Carolina is offering him.
So To me, that would be pretty difficult to turn down, especially when you consider the fact that. This is a really good draft class this year.
Next year, it's not as strong. You're not having to deal with Caleb Wilson and Darren Peterson, A.J. DeBonce, he just declared for the draft today. Cameron Boozer, of course. But Next year, if you stay in Michael Malone's system.
And you're a part of what he's building there. Again, a guy with elite high-tier NBA experience, he's a champion. He's coached Jokic, helped develop Jokic, Jamal Murray. Like, if you stay there, if you're Henry Vassar and you're getting paid more to do it, $4 million in a year versus like 2. Seems like a pretty good deal, and you elevate your draft stock potentially next year.
Yeah, I I if I'm Vesar, I'm staying behind. Not for the money as much as the development. Yeah, the money's just a win-win. Like, best case scenario, you're a two-way player, or it sounds like he's going to be a two-way player if he gets drafted. That's going to be what it is.
You could see him in the top half of the NBA draft next year if he stays. I could see that. I could, which is why it feels like. When this is all said and done, I personally believe he's going to come back. Just a feeling I have based on some of these things we're discussing now.
Here was Rob Doster. on the field of 68. with Jeff Goodman. They were discussing some of the moves that Carolina had made two a couple of days ago. And Here he was on the Henry Vessar piece of this.
Like this dude, when I think of what Henry Vesar can do, and I think of Neo Abdallah, and I think of the way that you can kind of play, and the way that you can use Vesar's ability to be a shooter and be a spaceship to create. Space in the paint for Terrence Brown to drive. I think that he's worth whatever Louisville spent on Flori Bedunga is what. Henry Vesar is worth to North Carolina. I think that there's a real chance he's the one.
I don't know if I want to say that. He'll be one of the five best big men in college basketball next year, if not the best big man, especially playing in that system. I think that he is the single biggest priority for anybody right now is making sure that if you're North Carolina, you get him back. Because I think he is the difference between that team being good and that team being like, Oh, you might have to talk about that. Top five team is what he said there, if you couldn't make that out.
Which I would agree with that. That's how significant of a piece this is. And if he does stay... or excuse me, if he does go to the NBA draft and stays there Then that's where Carolina's in an interesting spot because one, I don't know if you're going to find somebody of Henry Vesar's caliber first. And second, I don't know who you're, like, who are still going to be out there to get.
Like, you're probably going to have to go. you know, Euro ball and find somebody a European or overseas or something. If you're Mike Malo Michael Malone in UNC. How long are you willing to wait for Vesar to make a decision? It's so difficult just because, like, I don't.
Yeah. I'm probably giving him like maybe Two, three weeks? I don't know how long the NBA draft process takes. And how long it takes to go through all of those evaluations.
So I don't want to say. You know, a couple of weeks, and then it's like, well, he hasn't gotten to do everything he needs to do, but I will say this. That month. that it would take to get to the deadline feels Long. Maybe that's something we can ask David Glenn about.
When he joins us in about 15 minutes. From the stand to the studio. It's showtime. Put it on the line. Buckle up.
We are fired. This is The Drive, the Triad's longest-running live sports talk show. You know, I would probably say one of my better traits. is the fact that I'm not afraid to like Mess up. Or be wrong on something or just look like an idiot?
which I just did a few minutes ago in the break.
So For those of you that aren't watching on YouTube and X. First of all, what's wrong with you? Second of all, I I have like a main light here. Lighting big when it comes to video. And like it, I turned it on and nothing happened.
So I'm thinking, oh, I got to replace the light bulb.
So I get a new one. In the break, I put a new bulb in here and it didn't turn on again. And I'm like, what? I looked down, it wasn't plugged in. I didn't have it plugged in.
I'll wear that one. I'll I'll own it. I'll also wear it when I miss some of my bets, but I only had one. That missed last night. Let's talk about it.
Right now in Dalton's dollars. Stack it up, stack it, stack on it, stack it up Get the motor. Get the money on the time not. It's time to cash in. Welcome to Dalton's Dollars.
Show me the money. Breaking down the board and building the bankroll.
Okay, we had four bets. last night. Two NBA playoffs, two Major League Baseball. Let's take a look at all of it.
So On The baseball side of things. I took Yankees' money line against the Red Sox. Cash. SHOW ME THE MIT! Four to one winners and Finway won the series.
I also took Braves against the Nationals. It got a little dicey, but the Braves won that one 8-6. DROW ME DEVINE! This is where I start to get irritated. I finally bought in on the Orlando Magic.
They whooped up on the Hornets. They whooped up and on Detroit in game one. I'm like, all right. Let's do this. Orlando to cover plus eight and a half.
They lose 98-83. God Orlando, it's like they have a vendetta out on me. The Phoenix Suns, however. Took them to cover plus 17 and a half. I thought that number, I mean, I realized they got.
Just shellacked in game one over in Oklahoma City. I thought that number was a little too big for a game two where they would probably figure some things out, get back in it. Uh They covered that. 120-107 Thunder win it, but Phoenix covers. Strong Phoenix!
Now let's make some picks for tonight. Let's do that.
So starting with some baseball. Actually, no, let's start with NBA playoffs since we're already talking about that. Knicks at Atlanta, seven o'clock tonight. I like the Knicks as one and a half point favorites. You'll be divided!
Like that, keeping it moving along. Cleveland Cavaliers, my favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference and get to the finals. They're at the Toronto Raptors. I like the Cavs to cover two and a half point favorites. DROVING!
And lastly. We're going with three favorites tonight. Denver Nuggets. They're in Minnesota. I can get them at two and a half point favorites.
STROVEN! Three favorites tonight.
Now. Let's take a look at tonight. Tonight's baseball action. Let's do that.
So the Yankees Had a good one last night at Fenway. They play at 6.10 tonight. And Fenway again? I'm just going to take straight up money line. Yankees.
Go measure! I like that. I like it a lot. The Mets. They finally won a ball game last night.
They won't win another one tonight. Minnesota money line against the Mets. Drop me! Love that. Those are our two baseball bats for tonight.
It's been Dalton's dollars. A card. A five. But I'd like you to be a winner too. I'd like that.
So let's make that happen, why don't we? If you would like tickets, we've got tickets for Wake Forest Baseball.
Okay. Taking on Louisville. This or she this is in a week. In a week.
So you got plenty of time to plan for this, plan your day. Out at the couch, wake. And Louisville, we've got a pair of tickets with your name on it: 336-777-1600. Just call in and tell us who You want your team to take in the NFL draft tonight. You do that, you win a pair of tickets to go see Wake Forest take on Louisville out at the couch in a week.
That's courtesy of our friends over at Pancho Villas. Best Authentic Mexican food in the triad. Pancho Villas. Appreciate them. They also have seafood restaurants as well.
Big seafood guy over here. I love some seafood. Grilled some salmon the other night. Turned out pretty good. Before we get to David Glenn in five minutes, let's keep it on the NBA playoffs.
Because we were talking about that Thunder Phoenix game. The Thunder might have a bit of a problem on their hands. Just maybe.
So Jalen Williams. He left last night's game. In the third quarter, he had a hamstring injury. and did not return. He did have 19 points, but Did not come back after he left.
And this is a player. That You know, if you follow the NBA very closely. And we just learned an hour ago via Shams that it is a grade one. Left. Hamstring strain, it's going to be re-evaluated on a weekly basis.
So that's good news because. There was a chance. Like, I was looking into this. Dr. Evan Jeffries.
He covers these types of injuries. I'm always fascinated by this type of stuff from actual medical experts.
So, if it was just tightness, it's day to day. If it's a grade one, it's one to two weeks. If it's a grade two, it's three to six weeks. That's the one you don't want. If you're the thunder, because I don't know if you're beating the Spurs without Jalen Williams.
Don't know. Did decent with him in the regular season, or did decent without him in the regular season. But these are the playoffs as a different animal. And he's had a bit of a history with injuries this year. Missed 19 games with a wrist injury, 17 games with a hamstring injury, 11 games with a thigh injury, and 2 games with injury management.
So he's missed a good number of games.
So. It'll be a week-to-week evaluation for him, but that is. A potential issue. For OKC, if they have to play without him for any extended period of time, which they will be, you know, at least over the next week or so.
So we'll keep you posted on that.
Alright, I think all the levels are set. Showtime.
Now, welcome to the drive, setting the sports agenda before dinner. Back at it on a Thursday drive right here on WSJS. And we haven't had a chance to talk to this guy in a few weeks because I think. Our guy David Glenn of the NC Sports Network, I think you've been on vacation. Do I have that right?
That is correct, Will. It's great to be with you as always. You know, revisited my northern roots.
So a little Philadelphia area, caught a Phillies baseball game with some of my childhood buddies. Also, some New York City where my daughter now lives, and my wife's family is scattered. Uh and New Jersey on the way back to hit some other buddies and fun.
So uh Yeah, it's an annual trip for us at the Glenn family, and it was a lot of fun. DG with us here on WSJS. We'll get to some ACC basketball items of note here in just a few minutes, but it is the NFL draft tonight. And there are a good number of ACC players that are in this draft looking to get to the next level. Of all of.
The stars that are from the ACC in this NFL draft tonight, you got Ruben Bain out there. Who are some of the names that fascinate you the most?
Well, linemen tend to be boring, but I think the Miami tackle, Francis Mauigoa, is an even more. More of a sure thing for the next level than a Ruben Bain Jr. is, who's a heck of a wrecking ball defensive end, but a little bit undersized and has had some off-the-field issues at times. The big guys from Clemson, I think, are intriguing. TJ Parker on the edge and Peter Woods at tackle.
You know, they got a lot of criticism when the Tigers season swirled down the drain last year. More for offensive issues than defensive issues, but they have a point to prove at the next level. And then this guy doesn't get quite as much love, but there's a Louisville wide receiver named Chris Bell. Who probably will not be a first rounder, but man, every time Louisville needed. A play offensively last year.
That guy seemed to deliver it.
So, those are three from beyond our state, but obviously, all of our major schools here in North Carolina have at least one or more. Prospects who are going to end up somewhere in those seven-round draft over these next three days. I want to ask you about one that I'm kind of fascinated by, and that's Cade Klubnik out of Clemson because. You know, a couple of years ago, there was a time, like, when he was taken over from, uh, for DJ Uyungale. He was a Heisman candidate at one point, or he was supposed to be a Heisman candidate at one point, like preseason.
And I don't know, it just it never quite worked out for him the way it was projected to. And as a result, obviously, his draft stock shows that as well. Where do you expect Cade Klubnik to wind up? I do not think he'll be a first or second day pick. I think he's going to slide down the draft.
I think he's the uncommon example of Dabo Sweeney and his staff misevaluating talent. I mean, you can't argue with. Two national championships and all those ACC titles. I am a huge believer in Dabo Sweeney overall. But I never thought Cade Klubnik lived up to the prep All American hype, the let's hitch the Clemson Wagon to Cade Klebnik for multiple years.
I mean, he was a nice college quarterback who at times was a really good college quarterback. I've never seen him as an NFL caliber guy. And when Clemson was winning big, he was often sort of the game manager, taking advantage of a great defense and some great skill players. I'm not saying he was dirt. He was a contributing quality college player.
But compared to his name being in the headlines for so long and so brightly, during his time in the Clemson Orange. I wouldn't be surprised if he does not stick in the long term. on an NFL roster. We'll see. David Glenn of the NC Sports Network with us here on WSJS.
Now let's transition to some college basketball because. Michael Malone. There was a bit of panic among Carolina fans a week or so ago because they had only made the one transfer portal signing in Neo Abdallah's out of Virginia Tech. But when you looked around at some of the other Blue Bloods, they only had one, two.
Sometimes these things take a bit of time, players weighing options.
Now you got this fifth year thing that might happen. Coaches have to figure out what they're going to do. But there was a nice flurry of activity the other day out of Chapel Hill with the Terrence Brown edition, the Matt Abel edition. What did you make and how did you like the signing for Michael Malone this week? Yeah, real quickly, let's just offer some perspective.
Whereas Duke coach John Shire already has 10 or more of his roster players set for next year. That's unusual. All right. Like Pat Kelsey is a pretty good coach at Louisville. He only knows what six of his guys are going to be next year as we speak.
Ryan Odom, who had a great first year at Virginia, he only knows who about eight of his guys will be. And remember, it's a 15-man roster nowadays. I understand why fans kind of reach for the panic button, but to answer the question beyond that perspective, Terrence Brown was an honorable mention all Big 12 guy. He played on a losing team at Utah, but there were only about a dozen guys in all of college basketball, Will, who played in the Power Five conferences and averaged about 20 points or more. And Terrence Brown was one of those dozen or so.
He is a bucket getter. He is not a pure point guard at 6'3. He is not a pure shooter at 6'3. But he can beat you off the bounce. Everybody needs somebody to create something late in the shot clock.
He's a good free throw shooter. He gets fouled a lot, and he's not a ball hog. He keeps his eyes open on the bounce, and he finds teammates.
So Terrence Brown was a quality addition. Neo of Dallas, the Virginia Tech transfer, to me is going to be the most fascinating piece of Michael Malone's puzzle in year one at UNC. He is an NBA prospect. He played point guard for the Hokies at 6'9, 215 pounds. That is an extraordinary size for a point guard, but not everybody is sold on him as a true point guard.
And he did not have a great year efficiency-wise at Virginia Tech.
So, if you're a coach, you either have to look at him beyond the obvious talent and say, did the hookies use him in a different way than I might use him at a different school? Did he not have enough talented teammates? Maybe that depressed his numbers a little bit. Again, he was a good player at Virginia Tech. But he did not live up to that NBA draft hype that he had coming in.
He's from Greece. And then I think Matt Abel was one of the NC State transfer headed to Carolina. If we made a list of the dozen best freshmen in the ACC last year, you know, you could argue on the order after guys like Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson, et cetera. But Matt Abel would have been somewhere in that top dozen. He was a.
Consensus five-star guy coming out of high school. He's viewed as a future NBA prospect. He's an efficient player on the wing at six foot six.
So those are three hugely important pieces. As is Jaron Stevenson staying with the Tar Eels. And, you know, now they got to hope Henry Vessar doesn't leave for the NBA draft. That's an enormous piece, literally and figuratively. But those are he doesn't have his whole rotation set, I don't think, Michael Malone, but he probably has about two thirds of it set right now.
And compared to everybody else, that's not a bad percentage. here in the latter part of April.
So, the last part of that, Henry Vessar, that's something I actually wanted to ask you about because we were talking about that just a little while ago.
So, He's going to probably declare for the NBA draft. And via the rules, if he's going to come back to college, he has to withdraw by May 28th at 11.59 p.m. That's a little over a month from now, and players are already getting gone.
So if you're Michael Malone. Do you Set some type of deadline that you need to know this stuff, this stuff by, or do you give him the full runway and say, Hey, we'll see if we see you. Take your time and all of it if you need it. I mean, what do you do, DG? I'll tell you what, man.
I've been a lawyer, I've been a negotiator, I've been a mediator, and Henry Vesar has an awful lot of leverage right now because. Obviously, because Carolina had a coaching change. Those players actually still have a couple of extra days if they wanted to put their name in the portal. For most players, the portal, you know, you're putting your name in deadline was the 21st. If your school had a coaching change, you get some extra time to make that decision.
So I know that he's getting bucket loads of money thrown at him from other universities if he wanted to stay at the college level. Obviously, Michael Malone Saw that he was a second-team all-ACC player, and I would imagine is a good fit for the system that Michael Malone wants to run. And Will, we're living in a world where, if, as crazy as this sounds, if Henry Vessar were told, Hey, you're either going to be very end of the first round in the NBA draft or maybe a second rounder. In 2026, you make more money by staying in college. If you're projected that late in the NBA draft.
I mean, I've covered college sports for 39 years. It's only in the last few that we've been able to say you can make more money by staying in school than by jumping to the NBA or somewhere else.
So, um, There is no easy answer to your question. I'm sure Michael Malone is in contact with Vessar and his agent and his family. And the way these things usually go, a coaching staff has a gut feeling. I don't know what that gut feeling is.
Sometimes it's 99% sure a guy is going to stay.
Sometimes it's only 25% sure a guy's going to stay. If it's the latter, you gotta come up with another plan. Because whereas they did get the Florida Atlantic big man transfer, he was only a backup at Florida Atlantic. That's not an ACC caliber starting center.
So, and by the way, the top-ranked prospects in the portal. There's not a lot of them left right now.
So You can have, you know, the international prospects. You can sign them all the way into the summer months. And Michael Malone has a lot of international contacts, as does his staff. But it's a nerve-wracking time for Carolina because if we knew Vessar was staying, you could rock solid call the tar heels. A top-tier team in the ACC next year.
If Vessar is somewhere else, Carolina's an intriguing rotation right now, but they better add some. high quality parts. Or they're just a good-looking Carolina team by ACC standards, not a great-looking one. David Glenn of the NC Sports Network here with us on WSJS. Let me ask you about Duke very quickly on the way out because.
They had Some surprise pieces come back. I think the big surprise was maybe Pat Gamba. Coming back. I think it was probably understood Caleb Foster was going to come back for his senior year. I don't think we know yet what Dame Saar is going to do, but.
You have all of that, then you have all the things coming in, and then you add. John Blackwell out of Wisconsin, 19-point a game guy last year over there. With everything coming in, and then. If you add Blackwell to the mix, what are you liking about Duke's roster so far? Duke is the only ACC team that already we can say that's a top 10 team nationally, and that's a top-tier team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It's because of your breakdown, right? We know Caden Boozer's back at point guard. We know Caleb Foster is back for his senior year. We know Patrick Gongba is back in the post, and we know John Shire has one of the best recruiting classes in the entire country with a big man Cameron Williams, who's the number two player in the high school senior class. Deron Rippey Jr.
is another fantastic guard on his way in for the Blue Devils.
So we'll see, as you said, about Dome Saar, but you know. There's no doubt that John Shire is going to have a top eight or so that he likes a lot. And I'm sure the Blue Devils are going to tweak something in the transfer portal, especially depending on what SAR announces. But if you looked at all eighteen rosters in the ACC right now, with what we know, Long way to go, obviously, because of the portal and the international scene. But Duke is in as strong a position as anybody in the ACC and among the best positions nationally.
I saw your Phillies had lost eight straight. What's going on over there? Are we looking at the Mets again? What is this? I was there for one of those games.
I mean, my buddies and I were like, what are you, you know, we do have this annual celebration where halfway through it was pretty clear we're celebrating friendship a whole lot more than we're celebrating baseball. We may need an extra round or two, if you know what I'm saying, just to get through this baseball game. Um it's complicated, but chemistry matters, right? And They I played baseball. It's the sport that I know the best as a participant.
And man. When you're winning, things just seem to go easy. And when you're losing, Every bad break seems to go against you. And that's where the Phillies are living right now. I don't think they're as good as a roster as they've been in recent years, but I certainly didn't expect them to be down there with the New York Mets and the other teams that are drowning in the MLB ranks right now.
Well, they're currently tied seven apiece in the top of the ninth with the Cobbs. They came back.
So they came here. Hey, update, Will. You're welcome. That's what I'm here for. Maybe it's about to break their way, DG.
Maybe. That's what I like to hear, my friend. Glass half full. I love it, man. I love it.
We appreciate you as always. It's always glass, just glass full when DG is here. And we appreciate the time as always. Appreciate you, my friend. Take care.
Your attention, please. You're on the drive, built for fans who never changed the station. All right. If you want to find us on social, If you want to listen to our podcast, like if you missed David Glenn just then, The Drive with Will Dalton on Spotify, Apple Podcasts. Find our YouTube channel.
You might be here now. The Drive with Will Dalton there. Or find us on Instagram, Twitter, TwitterX, and Facebook at WSJS Radio. We have a special. NFL Draft Edition Of things you didn't know you need to know.
Um Things you want to know, you should know, but you don't know. What? What? Oh my. The game within the game.
What do you mean by that? Let me give you an example. Time for stuff you didn't know, you needed to know. Really? Oh, yeah.
What we got? In the year 2000. The Oakland Raiders. Selected kicker Sebastian Janikowski. In the first round.
with the seventeenth pick of the draft. A kicker in the first round. Oh yeah. It's not out of the question.
Now, I wouldn't do that with the number one overall pick, but um. I listen, if you got a boot. Hmm. You might need that. Chicago, several years back, all the missed field goals and crucial spots.
Maybe they could have used a first-round pick on a kicker. It's not terrible. The first The first overall pick tonight. Pretty much sold on Fernando Mendoza.
So they say. But the last time no quarterbacks were taken in the entire first round, 1996. The year I was born. That's how long ago that was. 30 years ago.
Bunk. Whatever. I'm not unk, but yeah, go ahead, what? The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Norm Michael of Syracuse in 1944. but could not reach him as he had already enlisted in the army.
Michael only learned what happened in 99 when he was reading about other Syracuse NFL players.
So he got drafted and he also got drafted. He enlisted. Oh, he enlisted, that's right. That's That's a crazy I wonder how he felt about that. I wonder if he was like, oh, yeah, I made the right decision.
I'm serving my country. Or it's like, man, I could have played in the NFL. Most players back then actually didn't Play in the NFL, they declined.
So that was actually a very common occurrence back then. Didn't know that. Guess that's the point of the segment. On this day in 1999, the Cardinals Fernando Tati Sr. became the only player in MLB history.
To hit two grand slams in the same inning for an 11-run third inning. That is insane. See, I thought you were going to hit me with a. Oh, it happened in the same game. Inning 11 runs and I would feel like Superman.
If I did that. That is insane, man. Yellow, green, red, black, and blue. Those are the five colors that appear on every flag in the world. They are also the colors that are on the Olympic rings.
Okay, I did know that one. I d I think I did know that one. I didn't really know the significance of those colors, but Do you know the significance of those colors?
Now I do. You just pulled the fact. That's all you did. And the last one, also an Olympic fun fact from the year 1900 to 1920, tug of war was an official Olympic event.
Okay, I get I could see that. I mean, they do it at the skills competition for the Pro Bowl. Derek Brown was in that a few years back. It's a yeah, it's version of it. You know, they're gonna have flag football this year.
So, got that. Kind of excited to see what that looks like. That's been things you didn't know. You needed to know. Still can't get over two grand slams in one inning.
That's insane. Like, I was a baseball player, I was a college baseball player. And You just don't see that. Major leaguers don't do that. Like, that's just.
Yeah. Just crushing it. Seriously. Mike Frabel. What are we doing, my guy?
So he's going to miss day three of the draft. As he begins to seek counseling. Vrabel Russini gate, that's what I'm calling this. It's not great on either side. Mike Vrabel's not going to lose his job over this.
I don't think it's controversial to say that. There are those who will say that's controversial. But you can't really weigh in on these types of issues without somebody getting upset.
So whatever. Um He's not going to lose his job because one The Patriots just went to like, I was having this conversation with earlier today with my dad. Because he was like, you think he's going to lose his job? I'm like, no, I don't. Yeah.
If this was like Well, I don't even know if he fired if this was Cleveland. If this was just like a. A bleep show? And things were just amok. Then they might just say, all right, get out of here.
This is the last straw. But the Patriots. They've had their fair share of scandals. Needless to say, Boston teams have a knack for it. And They just went to the Super Bowl.
And it's a scummy thing that he did, because he is married with kids. But He's not gonna lose his job over this. Facts, feelings, and the occasional bad idea. I'm a kid, I'm a kid, I'm a kid. I'm locked in.
Welcome to The Drive, the Triad's longest-running live sports talk show. Give me all the Michael Jackson stuff. Give me all of that. I think we're going to rank our top five Michael Jackson songs tomorrow in the No Rolls top five. Because the Michael Jackson biopic drops tomorrow night.
Your boy is going to be seated. in IMAX for that. But now we gotta go to Garrett. What does Garrett want in on here? Does he want in on the mock draft?
Okay, Garrett, who's your team? What are they going to do? My team is the Green Bay Packers. Nice. I think It would be great for us to get like a astounding wide receiver one, but I don't know if we get that late in the draft, you know?
Like Not in not late in the draft, but late in the first round. I feel that. There's going to be a lot of receivers going in the first round, that's for sure. How do you like the Packers' chances this year? Jordan Love, another year under his belt, what do you think?
Well Jordan Love, it really just depends Uh how he feels and how good his Toyota-thon is, because that's always really good. Garrett, thank you so much for the call, and good luck to your Packers tonight in. The draft. Speaking of the draft, It's time we do a mock draft. It's time we do that.
And we get to it right now. Yeah. We're the first pick in the NFL draft. Did I hear some booze in the background there? Yeah.
Again, it's It never fails, it's a traditional unlike any other things guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and booing Roger Goodell. Got that right.
So let's get to that because with that number one pick. You're going to be shocked to learn. That the Raiders Are actually taking Jeremiah Love. No, I'm just kidding. No, they're going Fernando Mendoza.
Uh Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana. It's Wouldn't that be the wildest thing in the world? The biggest smokescreen of all time, where like literally everybody and their mom that doesn't even watch the NFL knows that Fernando Mendoza, that nice kid out of Indiana. Is That he's going to Vegas to be a Raider. And then even Kirk Cousins was in on it, like the way he was talking about, yeah, when Fernando comes in here, and then they go off the rails.
Imagine a backfield with Ashton Genti and Jeremiah Love running the wishbone. See, that just would never work. Like, there's only one ball, and those two guys are elite. No. Fernando Mendoza is going to be the pick.
I think personally that he is going to be. a big part of a culture change in Vegas. I really believe that. We We remember him when he was at Cal. When Josh Graham was the host of this show, he joined us two ACC kickoffs ago when he was at Cal.
Dude was great. Just had the the best I remember We We got done with him, and I just said in the break to those B Dot was there, Six Man Editorials, too, and I was like, that dude has a terrific personality. And little did we know, he'd go on to be the national champion the whole nine yards, number one pick in the draft, going to be tonight. And he, Ashton Genty, Brock Bowers, Kirk Cousins mentoring him, Tom Brady mentoring him. I like what I'm seeing.
Raiders, they got something cooking. It's coming. I'll go David Bailey here, the edge out of Texas Tech. I'm not going to overthink this. I know the Jets last week they canceled the pre-draft interview or meeting they had with him, but the report said they felt like they'd seen all they needed to see.
That could be a good or a bad thing. It could be like, yeah, we've seen it all, or we know what we like, we like this. We already know what we like. I think they're gonna. Keep it simple.
I think Aaron Glenn wants somebody he can plug and play right now. And Somebody that can get to the Get to the quarterback. Aaron Glenn's got that type of personality, and I think David Bailey out of Texas Tech fits it. Cardinals Are going to take RVL Reese, the edge out of Ohio State. Going to be a lot of Buckeyes taken in this draft.
Especially the first round.
Sorry about that Michigan fan Morgan over there. But I do think I think that's the pick.
Now, I will say. A lot of the reporting sounds like things are a little split. in the building there in Arizona because you're starting to see a little steam pickup. Jeremiah Love. Perhaps he goes to Arizona.
Have you seen this? I have seen that, and I've also seen that they might be interested in trading that. Mm. Yeah, that's true. Like, I've seen a potential trade with New Orleans.
Who has the eight pick? I've seen that. Daniel Jeremiah had that in one of his mock drafts. In fact, I think the most recent mock draft. Um I I don't know.
I don't have any trades happening in this top 10. I'm just going to keep it simple here. If trades happen, they happen. This is strictly. 10 as they are right now.
I got Arizona at three still. I got them taking R. Vel Rees. The reports say that the GM and scouts in the building want R. Vel Reese.
The owner wants Jeremiah Love. I think The GM and the scouts are going to win out and do the right thing, taking R. Val Reese out of Ohio State. This Is where we find the Tennessee Titans at number four, taking Jeremiah Love out of Notre Dame. I love this pick.
Is this what you got? This is what I have. We're the same all the way through this. I love this for the Titans. They beefed up.
In the offseason, I think they had 13 signings. They splashed for sure. I haven't, just like you, haven't sold my Cam Ward stock yet. I think they're rebuilding for the future, and that future starts now. I don't think they get a lot of big wins this year, but I think they're definitely going to be better.
And this is something that's going to help take the pressure off of Cam Ward's back to make all the plays this season. I'd have to agree with that. And I've felt ever since Kenneth Walker went to the Chiefs. Because there was a time where I thought the Chiefs would take him at 9. But, you know.
That just Uh Kid of the Walker, much better option, I would say, than Jeremy. I love it. Super Bowl MVP. And. Tennessee, I'm a believer in what they're doing here.
Like, I think Vegas. And I think Tennessee are the two teams that stink right now. that while they're not gonna be like really really good right now I'm a believer in what they're starting to cook up here. Tennessee, Robert Sala, Brian Dables over there. I like what they're putting together.
I have not sold my Cam Wardstock. I really like him. And you give him a star running back in the backfield, plus some of the things they've done in free agency already. Tennessee. They're starting to lay the foundation and I like it.
Ooh. The New York Giants. John Harbaugh, Jackson Dart, Cam Scataboo saw him out at practice today. He was going nuts on. Like, he just looked into the camera and went.
He didn't even say anything. He just went. Woo! I love Gamp's Cataboo. And I love what they're probably going to do at number five, taking.
Arizona State wide receiver Jordan Tyson. You don't have that. I do not. I don't think they need to beat the offense up. The offense was really good last year when they had their pieces.
I think they're gonna go linebacker Sonny Styles. I think that he's like a field general. I feel like they could use A somebody, not like a veteran presence, but someone that could feel out the defense for them and kind of be that general for them in a place that they're sort of lacking in a new regime. Sunny styles, you say.
Okay. Okay, I don't I don't hate that. I'm just thinking of the possibility of pairing Malik Neighbors with Jordan Tyson as your weapons there. Maybe Odell Beckham Jr. comes back to add to that.
I don't know. I think the Giants go Jordan Tyson at five. Yeah. The Cleveland Browns. Spencer Fano.
The offensive tackle. I like that. So Shador Sanders. He needs protection. And It's something that we have to hear about all the time in this office.
'Cause our our boss, Michael Carbone, He's a big Big Cleveland Brown fan for for better or for worse. Uh And he always talks about they need some protection for Shador. They need it.
So I like Spencer Fano to be that. Did you have any thoughts on the Cleveland pick? I have a different tackle. I have Monroe Fielding from Georgia. Oh, okay.
What do you like about him better? Honestly, not too much. I feel like they're pretty equivalent in. Playing style: if I had to sit down and watch both of them, they're both dominant, but I just liked him higher on the board, so I picked him. If I'm being honest, here just fair enough.
There you go. Uh commanders. Pick number seven, they need a wide receiver. That's a screaming need that they have. You add somebody to McLaurin.
And I think they add Cornell Tate. Wide receiver out of Ohio State. I hate to say this. He's the dog. You would know.
You would know as a Michigan fan. Our defense last year. He's so good. This is such a big. To put him with.
A veteran presence and have them to learn from him. Scary Terry takes some of the pressure off his back because he hasn't had any other receivers, really.
So, this is a great pickup, Carnell Tate. Love that. Carnell Tate goes to the Commanders at number seven. The Saints. Number eight.
This is where I have Sonny Styles. This is where I have him. Yep. Saints get themselves a nice linebacker. They do.
Another Buckeye. 6'5, 244 pounds. They do need.
some long-term solution at Linebacker. Demario Davis, him departing in free agency, so this could help fill that. And this could be an ideal replacement for that.
So I got Sonny Styles going to the Saints. I see the saints picking up Caleb Downs, here in a conference. Or the vision, where you have Bryce Young getting more receivers and Baker Mayfield. You're gonna need someone to help anchor that secondary. Not a bad pick, not a bad pick.
Um The Chiefs I think they're going to take Ruben Bain. The edge out of Miami. Hashtag goac. I don't care about the short arms. I'm not so worried about that, but I think regardless of how you slice it.
The Chiefs were gonna get a star. A future star with this number nine pick. They could have gone a lot of different ways. Safety, secondary, could have done that. I like them to take an edge.
out of Miami in Reuben Bain. I have them taking the LSU cornerback. Mansur, Delane. I think they need someone to help anchor that defense down again. Just someone to help with the pass protection.
Bo Nix was absolutely slinging it, and they kind of struggled against them a lot. A lot of heavy passing teams. This could definitely help them with that. Yes it could. And lastly, The Giants Courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals, the number 10 pick.
They've already taken a receiver, Jordan Tyson, the Arizona statewide receiver.
Now, what could they do? Who's missing? Who have we not seen or heard from yet in my mock draft? Another Buckeye. Caleb Downs, come on down.
He's going. To the New York Giants at number 10. This dude is a stud at safety. And This is a pick that could really help the Giants out on defense.
So they get. Offense and defense addressed in the top 10 here: Jordan Tyson at five, Caleb Downs at 10. Yeah, I have Jordan Tyson at 10 for them.
So you have it eventually. Eventually, yeah. But I Great receiver. Absolutely.
So that's my top 10 right there. Raiders get Fernando Mendoza. Jets take David Bailey. Cardinals Arvell Rees. The Titans get Jeremiah Love.
Giants at five get Jordan Tyson the wide receiver out of Arizona State. The Browns take the offensive tackle, Spencer Fano. The Commanders get wide receiver Carnell Tate out of Ohio State. The Saints pick up Sonny Stiles. The Chiefs get Reuben Bain out of Miami.
And the Giants get Caleb Downs the safety out of Ohio State. 336 777 1600. If you have thoughts on my mock draft, if you have thoughts of your own mock draft, heard from Garrett talking about what he'd like to see the Packers do a little later on in the first round.
