Sports Krunch W/dkrom

1. Headed into the Combine, it was a mystery as to who would be the first corner off the board. But now, we just might have clarity. Cincinnati’s Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, who is the long, tall corner most teams covet, and never allowed a TD in college absolutely stole the show in Indy. He reportedly aced interviews (he’s widely regarded as a high-character guy) and shined in athletic testing where he ran a 4.41 40. Do you think it’s a virtual certainty that Sauce Gardner will be the first corner taken…and does he deserve to be? 2. One of the bigger wild cards in this draft is LSU’s Derek Stingley, Jr. Stingley had one very bad year in college, one injury-plagued year, and a first team All-America year. If that first team All America year was 2021, he would likely be the first corner taken off the board. Unfortunately, that season was his freshman year in 2019. And as Thor Nystrom said on this program weeks ago, the number of college players that were only great as freshmen in college yet subsequently became ver

1. Yesterday, one of the largest trades in NFL history went down as the Seahawks agreed to trade Russell Wilson to the Broncos for two firsts, two seconds, Drew Lock, Shelby Harris and Noah Fant. What are your overall thoughts on this trade? Does Russ alone make the Broncos a serious contender for a deep playoff run? How ideal is the fit for Russell Wilson in Nathaniel Hackett’s offense? Do you think Aaron Rodgers decision to remain in the NFC North can be beneficial to the long-term development of Justin Fields? 2. Why is Malik Willis your top-rated QB in this class at this time? What is his best attribute and what is his biggest, potentially fatal flaw? 3. How much should Kenny Pickett’s 8.5” hand size matter? 4. Just how difficult is it to project Matt Corral to an NFL offense? How high is his athletic ceiling compared to that of Andy Dalton and Baker Mayfield? 5. In your most recent mock draft, you had the Steelers selecting Desmond Ridder at 20. Aside from sheer QB desperation, why do you think a team wo

1. If you were in the Jaguars war room, and the debate was between whether to draft Evan Neal or Ickey Ekwonu, who would you pound the table for and why? 2. Another hot OT prospect expected to go pretty early is Charles Cross of Mississippi State. Renown NFL Draft guru Dane Brugler of The Athletic said that NFL evaluators are torn on Cross. Some see him as a top-15 pick because of his special pass protection skills, yet others see him as an Andre Dillard-level bust in waiting due to his lack of ideal power. That said, word has it the Panthers are considering taking him at 6 overall. What is your opinion on Charles Cross and is he worth a top-10 pick? 3. Charles Cross isn’t the only non-Neal/Ekwonu OT prospect receiving top-10 buzz coming out of Indy. Trevor Penning of Northern Iowa also reportedly has heavy interest from the Panthers as well. While his physical, “pissed off” playing style may be endearing to several teams, it is pretty clear that he is currently as raw as sushi so to speak. What specific deta

1. Super Bowl LVI Takeaways -DKrom: In a battle of fatal flaws (Bengals pass protection vs. Rams bare cupboard of pass catchers), the former won -Hal: Heartbreak for the Bengals, great players like Aaron Donald shined in the biggest moment 2. If Aaron Donald actually DID retire after the Super Bowl, would he be a locked in as a first ballot hall of famer?  3. Tag or No Tag -Davante Adams: TAG -Orlando Brown, Jr.: TAG -Chris Godwin: NO TAG -Mike Williams: TAG -Chandler Jones: NO TAG -Jessie Bates: TAG -Tyrann Mathieu: NO TAG -Harold Landry: TAG  4. QB CAROUSEL (Best landing spots for QB’s) -Jimmy Garoppolo: Colts -Deshaun Watson: Bucs, Steelers -Mitchell Trubisky: Commanders, Panthers, Saints -Jameis Winston: Saints -Marcus Mariota: Broncos, Panthers -Carson Wentz: Giants (as backup) 5. Were the Cardinals right or wrong to extend the contracts of Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim through 2027?  6. Cowboys weapons: Better to keep Cooper or let him go and re-sign Gallup and tag Dal

1. Why is Malik Willis your top-rated QB in this class? 2. Why do you think the NFL is apparently not as high on Kayvon Thibodeaux as we thought they’d be? 3. EDGE is arguably the deepest position group in this draft. After Thibodeaux and Aidan Hutchinson, who are your personal favorite EDGE’s in this class and why?  4. Another deep position group in this class is cornerback. For most of last fall, most thought Derek Stingley, Jr. of LSU would easily be the first corner off the board. Now, that is FAR from certain given the two underwhelming seasons Stingley had since his All-America freshman season in 2019. In your view, what other corners in this class have a solid case to be the first at the position off the board come April 28? 5. Outside of EDGE and CB, what other position groups in this class stand out to you depth-wise? 6. Who helped themselves the most at the Senior Bowl? Who hurt themselves the most? 7. Who has the most to gain at the Combine? Who has the most to lose? 8. Top-10 Mock -Jaguars:

1. Conference Championship Takeaways -DKrom: Bengals making it to the Super Bowl a fitting conclusion of the most unpredictable NFL season in recent memory…and OT rules are fine!!! -Hal: The end of the Jimmy Garoppolo era in San Francisco (third time Kyle Shanahan has blown a double-digit lead in the playoffs), Chiefs offense with an uncharacteristic performance 2. Coaching Carousel (Grading The Hires) -Giants: Brian Daboll -Raiders: Josh McDaniels/Dave Ziegler -Vikings: Kevin O’Connell -Jaguars: Doug Pederson -Dolphins: Mike McDaniel -Texans: Lovie Smith -Saints: Dennis Allen 3. Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022                 -DKrom’s Picks: DeMarcus Ware, Devin Hester, Tony Boselli, Richard Seymour, Reggie Wayne                 -Hal’s Picks: DeMarcus Ware, Devin Hester, Richard Seymour, Bryant Young, Jared Allen  4. Super

Steelers beat reporter Dale Lolley (DK Pittsburgh Sports) joined me at the Senior Bowl to discuss how he thinks the Steelers will try to find a long-term replacement for Ben Roethlisberger these next few months, the other areas of concern they must address via the draft and why he believes a certain offensive playmaker will be getting a contract extension to stay in Pittsburgh

Bills beat writer Mark Gaughan (Buffalo News) joined me at the Senior Bowl to discuss what he believes the Bills should do in the draft, why they were able to retain QB coach Ken Dorsey and promote him to offensive coordinator, and which young players still on rookie deals are likely to receive contract extensions

Eagles beat reporter Mike Kaye (NJ Advance Media) joined me at the Senior Bowl to discuss why the Eagles would go all in to acquire Russell Wilson if he becomes available via trade, the team's plans for free agency and the draft, Jason Kelce's future and his potential successor...and more

Broncos beat reporter Brandon Krisztal (850 KOA Radio) joined me at the Senior Bowl to share his thoughts on what the Broncos could do with the #9 overall pick in the draft (assuming Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson do not come to Denver), the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett as head coach, the sale of the team, and which young players may receive contract extensions at some point this year 

Colts beat writer Stephen Holder (The Athletic) joined me at the Senior Bowl to share how he thinks the Colts will try their hardest to upgrade the QB position this offseason, how different the defense will be with the departure of Matt Eberflus (and what kind of guy the Bears are getting in him), positions of need the Colts should address in the draft (there aren't many outside of QB), and whether Quenton Nelson will receive a contract extension before September

I caught up with NFL Draft analyst Chris Burke (The Athletic) at the Senior Bowl. He discussed who stood out (in a good way) on the first day of practices, gave his opinion on what the Jaguars should do with the first pick in the draft, and provided a brief compare/contrast on the top-two OT prospects in the class, Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu

Bears beat writer Patrick Finley (Chicago Sun-Times) joined me at the Senior Bowl to share his thoughts on the Bears hiring Ryan Poles as GM and Matt Eberflus as head coach, the scheme new OC Luke Getsy is bringing with him and why it suits Justin Fields well, the top priorities for the Bears to address in free agency and the draft, and whether the Bears are the team to beat in the NFC North IF Aaron Rodgers leaves Green Bay

OT Max Mitchell (Lousiana-Lafayette) is one of the hottest OT prospects at the Senior Bowl (currently #50 on Daniel Jeremiah's 2022 NFL Draft Top 50 list). He told me what he thinks sets him apart from the rest of the OT's in this year's draft, whether he likes to run block or pass protect more, what NFL OT's he admires most, and how much he's leaning on his fellow Rajin Cajun (and current 49ers RB) Elijah Mitchell during the pre-draft process

USA Today NFL columnist Mike Jones joined me at the Senior Bowl to give me his thoughts on the NFL head coaching hires so far this cycle, Brian Flores' bombshell lawsuit against the NFL and its potential implications for future minority HC candidates, his guess on how many QB's will get selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and why he thinks the Rams win Super Bowl LVI

NFL and Lions beat reporter Dave Birkett (Detroit Free Press) joined me at the Senior Bowl to discuss the Lions top priorities in the 2022 NFL Draft, what comes next for their exciting 2021 draft class, the team's plans at QB for 2022 and whether the candidacy of Devin Hester for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 could speed up the process for getting specialists enshrined in Canton

Bucs beat reporter Jon Ledyard (Pewter Report) joined me at the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl to discuss the retirement of Tom Brady, who will likely succeed him at QB in Tampa next season, which of the Bucs' impending free agents are likely to stay or go, and what their plans should be for the draft

Billy Riccette (USA Today Bengals Wire) joined me to discuss which players he has his eyes on the most at the Senior Bowl, give an overall sumary of the 2022 NFL Draft class, and provide his thoughts on the Bengals and their chances in Super Bowl LVI

Dolphins beat reporters Joe Schad (Palm Beach Post) and David Furones (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) joined me at the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl to give me the latest on the Dolphins head coaching search and how the team should approach the 2022 NFL Draft

ESPN Falcons reporter Michael Rothstein joined us at the 2022 Reese's Senior Bowl to discuss what direction the Falcons could go in the 2022 NFL Draft, the team's salary cap situation, Matt Ryan and the future of the team at QB