Charles Davis | CBS Sports Football Analyst

And now Charles Davis, the great NFL Network draft analyst.

And you could also catch him all throughout the NFL season, calling the games with Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn, NFL and CBS. Here he is, a man that has provided us a lot of talking points today, Charles Davis. CD, how you been, my friend? I've been great, Zach.

How are you doing? I'm providing great entertainment for the masses, that's for sure. Man, we appreciate it. You know, there's no doubt about it.

We thank you. So let's start off with this. Why should Dor Sanders over Cam Ward with the first overall pick, in your opinion? Yeah, I think it comes down to this for me. And obviously, first mock draft, we'll see where it goes in, because I'm going to do three. Okay, I always do three. So my last one will drop right before the draft itself.

It'll be that Wednesday, I'm sure. And one in the second one, obviously, somewhere halfway in between. There have been years where I've taken it and I've got to just give you the little context, okay, then I'll give you the answer. There have been years where that first quarterback I put down, I've kept throughout, like that's who it is, top of the board, he's that person, there's nothing changing it.

I don't know if that's the case this year, there's going to be a lot of twists and turns that go. And I've had it right, and then talk myself out of it. I remember I put Baker Mayfield down on my first mock draft, and then talk myself out of it, and then was kicking myself later, because I had it right from the beginning.

All that being said, here's the deal. We watched Tennessee play last year, Brian Callahan coming from Cincinnati, obviously had a hand in Joe Burrow and watched him play. I am not saying Chidora Sanders is Joe Burrow, but you remember Tennessee last year and how Will Levis played, there's a lot of off schedule things, and a lot of things that went off schedule and went really awry. The Chicago game to open the season, a game that they should have won, still can't understand what that throw was to the sideline that Chicago ran back for a touchdown.

Our crew, week two, at home against the Jets. You remember Brian Callahan handled that, okay, go right, you're my guy. All of a sudden he's going to the ground late in the first quarter in a really tight game, and all of a sudden this underhand scoop, shovel, Brian Callahan, he didn't handle quite the same on that one, did he?

All I'm saying is those two plays weren't the only two. There's a lot of off schedule stuff that went awry all year long. Chidora Sanders doesn't play off schedule, he plays on schedule. Joe Burrow doesn't play off schedule, he plays on schedule. Has Burrow increased his movement in and out of the pocket?

Yes, over time. Chidora Sanders has moved in and out of the pocket, despite what everyone's saying, he's not a statue back there, you can find him maneuvering and running, but he wants to go back, hit the back foot with a hitch, without a hitch, completed on time. That's why I put him there in my first one, because I can just see Brian Callahan looking at that tape from last year and doing this, like I can't have that again.

This is designed precisely to work a certain way, and when we get off schedule and out of platform all the time, it doesn't work. Now, I know he doesn't want him anchored to the pocket, but I don't think he wants people maneuvering and exiting the way that he saw last year. Sanders doesn't do that. Cam Ward, that's a different situation. Much more of the guy who's going to move and go. So in my initial mock draft, Chidora Sanders, Brian Callahan, felt like a match to me right out of the gate. So, something that really stuck with me, and I haven't seen it, you reflected this on your mock draft, but I haven't seen it with others, and everyone, right, is entitled to their own opinion, but before the combine, Adam Schefter said the thing he's most confident about in this NFL draft is that the Cleveland Browns are going to take a quarterback with their first round selection. And I see a lot of people, right, it's either Cam Ward won to Tennessee or the Giants move up to one, and then Cleveland at two takes either Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter. Can you see the Browns at two? You know, even if you're wrong and let's say, hey, Cam Ward's one and Chidora's there at two, can you see the Browns passing up on a quarterback? I'd be in shock. Like, I think I said it earlier today, Zach, that if I were on air and Cleveland took anything but a quarterback here, you would hear the thud of my body falling off of a chair, and then they'd just drag me off and continue on with the show.

I just don't see it otherwise. They had to make the adjustment and contract with Deshaun Watson, so now he's almost our football's version of Bobby Bonilla day, right, because they had to kick it down and down the road. They were supposed to be done with this in 2025 or six, now we're already at 2029 because they can't just do what Denver did, which was really bite the bullet and cut Russell Wilson's contract and just eat it and have to deal with the ramifications.

This was so massive. If you did that, it's like you set off a tsunami amongst your salary cap, so they had to make these modifications, yet he's still there. I don't think he'll ever take another snap in a Cleveland uniform.

I think I think we'd all be shocked if he did. So now you're saying Bailey Zappi's in camp and Dorian Thompson Robinson. That's what you have right now. Unless there's another big move made, a Sam Darnold or whatever, I just don't see how you can pass on one of these quarterbacks because you're sitting at two, and as you said, even if someone jumps you at one, there are quarterbacks there to be taken. I think it's going to be a quarterback. I don't think Tennessee can go Abdul Carter. Tennessee can go Travis. So now you're saying Bailey Zappi's in camp and Dorian Thompson Robinson.

That's what you have right now. Unless there's another big move made, a Sam Darnold or whatever, I just don't see how you can pass on one of these quarterbacks because you're sitting at two. And as you said, even if someone jumps you at one, there are quarterbacks there to be taken. I think it's going to be a quarterback. I don't think Tennessee can go Abdul Carter. Tennessee can go Travis Hunter. Tennessee can do those things. Tennessee can trade out.

I don't think Cleveland can do that. I think they've got to figure out which quarterbacks they like and hope one of those guys is there. The other thing, too, is, and I'm glad that you brought up the other options on the market outside of the draft. It's like I look at Tennessee and Cleveland. I know some people said Aaron Rodgers going to Tennessee.

I just don't see it. I don't think either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields prevents you from taking a quarterback. And if Kirk Cousins was available, which right now he's still in their contract with the Falcons, so he's not available yet, then maybe I could see Cleveland. That's why I do feel like it's going to be quarterbacks one, two is because there's not really an option out there in free agency right now outside of Sam Darnold. But I don't think Sam's going out of these places or they're going to pursue Sam either where I go, OK, that takes either Tennessee or Cleveland out of the QB market.

I agree with you and I'll put it to you this way. I'll try and be succinct for the first time in my life, even if they sign a sign in Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins, either one of these teams, Cleveland or Tennessee, it does not preclude them from taking a quarterback as well, because whoever you're signing is truly a bridge. It's truly a bridge.

We're not talking about anything beyond your hope in two years, maybe one. It's a bridge. And by the way, that allows these quarterbacks to settle in, doesn't it? They don't have to play right away.

They don't have to go through all this stuff. And, you know, that's the never ending debate, because Zach, you and I have talked about this for years and I've said the same thing consistently. A first round quarterback is going to play as a rookie. It's almost possible for them not to.

And I know I can hear it now. Mahomes. OK, that's that's an outlier. OK, give me another outlier. They're out there. There's a couple of others.

But for the most part, the ownership is going to come down. Hey, coach, that guy we drafted when, when, when Eli Manning was it 10 games before they bench Kurt? Yeah, you're right. Josh Freeman, somewhere around nine or 10 in Tampa Bay way back when. And this isn't an Aaron Rodgers Jordan love situation. Like, that's a thing with these two spots.

That's an outlier. They don't have a quarterback, like even Alex Smith, who's a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. He was good enough to hold the job for the rest of the for the entirety of the season.

But Tennessee and Cleveland has right now, no offense to them. There's nothing that prevents you from saying, OK, after five, six games with the team struggling and the fans are breathing down the coach's neck to put the new quarterback in, there's nothing that you could hold on to and say, this is why I can't play the youngster. And I've often said, when you have those situations to with the rookie quarterback, if you play him in week two or week three, why didn't you just start it from the beginning?

Like you got you kind of wasted two games. If you have a real plan and you can execute it and we get deep into the season, remember, Mahomes made the last star of the regular season. But the Mahomes Alex Smith thing was such an acknowledgment.

Alex Smith knew the moment that he was drafted. I get one more year and then it's over. Like, unless we win the Super Bowl, it's done. It's done. By the way, they went to the playoffs that year. They were a good football team, but it was done. Rarely do you have that that that first round guy is going to play.

All righty. Jackson Dart at three. Charles Davis at the end of the college football season. If you would have told me he'd be a first round pick, I'd be like, I don't really see it. The third overall pick in the draft.

I know sometimes teams reach on quarterbacks because the most important position in the NFL, but sports. But go take me through your thought up of this one for the Giants at three. Well, first of all, as soon as this thing got released yesterday, the first text I got was from my son. What do you say, Dad?

What the heck are you doing now? He didn't even go that far. Just said, Darted three question mark, question mark, question mark, question mark, question. He was wondering if the old man had slipped a cog, then it started to come in from other people. Darted three and no one said, wow, that's a bold choice. Everyone was like, what is, what are you thinking?

Even people that like Jackson Dart came in and said way too high. And I get, okay, I get all of that. I said, what if the Jets take him as seven? You more comfortable there because people have talked about that. That's been discussed.

That's out there already. I said, what's there between three and seven? When you really get down to it, if you like a player, you go get him. Now, the reason I brought this up and let's be honest, you know, that when you do a mock draft, especially your first one, it is not necessarily.

This is exactly what I believe, but you want to have something that's somewhat plausible and thought provoking. Now, a lot of people would question the plausible part, but I do not. Why? Because last year, if I'm not mistaken, Zach, when the Giants had an opportunity to draft a quarterback in a tough discussion of maybe you should get a quarterback who was still left on the board, Michael Pennix, JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix, they passed on all of them. How'd that work out? Not so well.

Could this be the year where they go? We're not passing. All right. I just not doing it. Plus you and I both know that when I do a mock draft, I don't do trades.

I don't change where their number is. I go with it. We have gotten to the point where if you'd like a player, you go get him and you don't worry about, is this too rich? Is this not remember when everybody said Detroit was crazy for jumping up and getting Jameer Gibbs at 12?

Sure. I was one of them. You remember, you remember when Dallas took Travis Frederick in the first round, everybody said he's a third round guy. If you have conviction on a guy, you probably should go ahead and get it. Now I get it. The argument can be made and I totally understand it, but let the debate begin because if I can put him at three and get clobbered and understandably so, and I see my brother and put him at seven, everybody goes, Oh, well, maybe, you know, possibly three and seven. This is that much of a difference.

I don't think so. What would you say to people? Cause all right, I live in New York and I could, if I was hosted on the fan right now, I could hear the calls. If we did this as a topic, it would be a little pound. I get it.

I grew up in New York state. So I would just ask you this then. Would you rather have, let's say Aaron Rogers and Travis Hunter, or would you rather just have Jackson Dart? Like w w would you rather have Rogers in New York with, with Travis Hunter and Malik neighbors?

Or would you say, you know what? Don't go out Rogers and you take Darnett three. I'd go Rogers with Travis Hunter.

Absolutely. Because I'm pairing them with, with Malik neighbors. And I kicked that decision down the road. And maybe I come back in the second round and get a Tyler shock.

Look at Jackson, dark could easily end up in the second round. We've we've been through this. You remember we'll love it. So I was just talking about it, right? Do you remember the momentum that built the night of the graph that all of a sudden one overall pick?

I never got it. It was crazy. You remember that? And it didn't happen. Do you remember the year when Malik Willis was coming out and everybody first round, he goes into third.

So these things happen a lot, right? And I get it. I totally get it. But Dart is accurate. Dart is Dart is one, a bunch of ball games in, in, in places, you know, at old miss where he's elevated.

It just missed the college football playoff. He's a kid who can run the ball better. He gets credit for, I like the Moxie about the young man.

I like the makeup to him. He would be my third quarterback as reflected by that, by, by where I put him. Now, is he going to go there? That's going to be, that remains to be seen, but everyone's holding their hand up now saying, Hey, Tyler Shuck is now all of a sudden jumped into the conversation. Do you believe in Jalen Milro?

I think Anthony Richardson would be the easiest comparison. And right now that's really hurting Jalen because Anthony's accuracy wasn't there. And then we saw Jalen have a tough time at the senior bowl, right?

And right on down the line. So you got to believe in him and wonder if you're going to go in that direction. Quinn Ewers, I thought he threw the ball well at the combine, but you go back during the season. Now the word is he was hurt the entire season and played through it. Got to give him extra points if that's really true, but it got to change your evaluation about what you saw on tape. And I'm going to give you one that threw the heck out of the ball, the combine, and no one was talking about prior to, and all said his accuracy issues were a big problem in Missouri. That's Brady cook who threw the heck out of it to combine. Now you're going to take that versus what you saw on tape. I will say this, the way he tested as an athlete will make you go back to the tape and say, Hey, this kid's an Uber competitor won a bunch of games elevated to Missouri program.

Is there something there that I can work with? Not in the first round, but down the road. But Zach, Zach, did anyone mention Brady cook even go into the combine?

No, no. And by the way, Kyle McCord threw the heck out of it this year up at Syracuse, did a great job. Give will Howard a ton of credit winning the Nash and Natty at Ohio state deservedly. So kid played as, you know, what off made some big plays along the way, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I am of the opinion that Kyle McCord would have won a Natty this year at Ohio state too.

Interesting. Let me ask you this before we let you run. When we get to free agency Rogers and Darnold, how do you kind of handicap that right now in their next destinations? Listen, I think that Rogers wants to play football again. I spent no time with Aaron.

So I'm talking as a true outsider, just observing. He seems to me like he still loves football and wants to play. I'm not hearing any of that waffling about it's just more situation where he wants to go, et cetera, and he can afford to be choosy. We know that because of he's got all the skins on the wall, Darnold, if I'm Sam Darnold and Minnesota still wants me, I think it hard about cutting a deal there. I really am because that's the best football he's played in his career. Best coaching for him. Offensive unit is really good. You're going to get Darrow saw back at left tackle. They just picked up cam Robinson to make the run last year.

Look at the receiving core. You got a runner and Aaron Jones. Kevin O'Connell can make like you and I can get through about a quarter of an NFL game. Now, if Kevin O'Connell is our head coach and quarter, I don't know about that. Maybe you, not me.

I don't know about this. You realize that two years ago he won how many games, how many different quarterbacks, including my man, Josh Dobbs showing up on like a Tuesday and getting it done. All I'm saying is if I'm Sam Darnold, I realized money's money and I don't mess with anyone's money.

I don't do that. But I have to figure if you're Sam career wise, this might be the spot because remember JJ McCarthy didn't do anything last year because he was hurt. So I'm not sure he's coming back. Like Patrick Mahone sat out an entire year practiced every day. JJ McCarthy was rehabbing coming back.

I'm not sure you just said, well, I just go right. JJ McCarthy. If I'm the Vikings, I want Darnold to come back. And if I'm Sam Darnold, this is where I played the best in my NFL career.

Anywhere else I go is another restart reset. Am I ready for that? And will I play to that same level? I knew we were only going to talk quarterbacks, so we'll bring you on again as we get closer to the draft because there's so many things that fascinate me. He's Charles Davis is great job. NFL network, CBS sports. We appreciate it as always. Thanks, Zach. Always great to see you take care of yourself and I'll give you what I think is going to be the first four picks and who's going to be the first four picks of the draft when we do return.