Sports Krunch W/dkrom

1.  We are approaching the one-year anniversary of the NFLPA’s ratification of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. It was ratified by a very slim majority thanks in part due to COVID-19. I was STRONGLY opposed to it personally because I don’t think the players got nearly enough in return for the 17th regular season game. How did most of your clients view it then, and how do you view it now?  2. Due to the pandemic-related drop in the salary cap, this free agency period promises to be unlike any other. Outside of a few couple dozen big name free agents, we could see the VAST majority of players on the open market settle for one or two-year deals. If you had to make a guess, what percentage of free agents will sign one-year or two-year deals and how many game-changing market setting deals will we see? 3.  As many NFL fans sadly don’t know, such news headlines that say “Player X signs a five-year, $120 million contract,” are blatantly misleading. The way NFL contracts are constructed, the

1. When you look at this EDGE class, there are no sure-fire top-10 picks, yet it is ripe with sky-high potential. Two current budding EDGE stars (Brian Burns and Montez Sweat) were selected outside the top-10 in the 2019 draft (Burns at 16 overall, Sweat at 26 overall). Do you anticipate a similar eventual outcome from this year’s class? 2. The top EDGE on your board at the moment is Gregory Rousseau of Miami. What makes him such an interesting evaluation is that he only has a four-month sample of college tape since he got hurt after a few snaps in 2018 (his freshman year) and opted out due to COVID-19 this past year. But that four-month sample in 2019 is staggering as he posted 15.5 sacks and earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. What makes him the top EDGE on your board right now? How much of a fall down the board, if any, will he experience given his relatively minute sample of game tape? 3. You have two other EDGE prospects ranked just slightly behind Rousseau in Michigan’s Kwity Paye and Georgi

1. I am as guilty as charged for carelessly saying “this guy is the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck” in the past, which I’m not qualified to do so given my porous film-evaluation skills. However, to say that about Trevor Lawrence may not be hyperbole. What makes Trevor Lawrence such a special, generational prospect? Do you like his fit with Urban Meyer and the Jaguars? 2. Almost every year, a QB begins the season as a borderline Day 2/Day 3 selection and eventually skyrockets into the top-five. This year, that prospect is BYU’s Zach Wilson, who many expect to be selected by the New York Jets with the #2 overall pick provided they decide to trade Sam Darnold. Conventional wisdom has it that Wilson is a natural fit for the Shanahan-esque system that new Jets OC Mike LaFleur will be running, but Benjamin Solak strongly disputed that notion in a recent column for The Draft Network. Do you side with Solak or the CW? 3.  In terms of draft stock, if there’s a QB that is somewhat of an opposite to Zach W

1. Super Bowl LV Recap -Was this more of an awesome performance by the Bucs, just sheer luck given the circumstances Mahomes and the Chiefs were in, or a mixture of both? -Who do you think should have won SBLV MVP honors? 2.     Looking Ahead -Do you consider the Bucs favorites to win the NFC in 2021? -Only six QB’s have won a Super Bowl after losing one (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Roger Staubach, Bob Griese, and Len Dawson). With a gun to your head, does Patrick Mahomes eventually join that group? 3. QB Carousel -The second domino fell just last week as the Eagles agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that will become a first if Wentz either plays at least 75% of the snaps or plays at least 70% of the snaps and the Colts make the playoffs. Is Wentz beyond repair, or can you see Frank Reich fixing him? Which team got the better end of the trade? -Do you think the Jets get a similar haul for Sam Darnold

1. Given the fact there will be no traditional scouting combine this year, do you think there’s a rather good chance that what transpires on draft night is actually more different than ever before compared to what top analyst mocks say? 2. Based on all the film study and character/biographical background research y’all have done at the Draft Network so far, what position groups in this 2021 draft class are the strongest (in terms of depth and talent), and which are the weakest? 3. Mock Draft 1. Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence 2. Jets: Zach Wilson 3. Dolphins: Ja’Marr Chase 4. Falcons: Trey Lance 5. Bengals: Penei Sewell 6. Eagles: Devonta Smith 7. Lions: Justin Fields 8. Panthers: Rashawn Slater 9. Broncos: Caleb Farley 10. Cowboys: Kwity Paye 11. Giants: Kyle Pitts 12. 49ers: Jaycee Horn 13. Chargers: Christian Darrisaw 14. Vikings: Alijah Vera-Tucker 15. Patriots: Patrick Surtain II 16. Cardinals: Najee Harris 17. Raiders: Micah Parsons 18. Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle 19. Washin

1. QB Carousel -Are the Rams a legitimate Super Bowl contender with Matthew Stafford at QB? -Even with Jared Goff and the support for him in the building, should the Lions still highly consider trading up for a QB in the first round? -The Philadelphia Inquirer reported yesterday that the Eagles are getting close to trading Carson Wentz. But if they do trade Wentz, they will have to swallow an historic $33.8 million dead cap charge. Should they avoid trading him if the best offer they receive is less than a first-round pick? -Thoughts on Niners/Kirk Cousins buzz? Should the Niners go all-in to acquire Deshaun Watson instead? -At least at the moment, the Texans are not showing any interest in trading Deshaun Watson. A team executive for an AFC club told Josina Anderson that Watson may have to sit out the entire 2021 season in order to force a trade. While I personally don’t think it will take that long for a trade to materialize, I can definitely see this thing lasting until late August before a deal comes to f

1. Initial head coach hiring grades -Jaguars: Urban Meyer -Jets: Robert Saleh -Falcons: Arthur Smith -Chargers: Brandon Staley -Lions: Dan Campbell -Eagles: Nick Sirianni 2. Initial GM hiring grades -Broncos: George Paton -Texans: Nick Caserio -Falcons: Terry Fontenot -Lions: Brad Holmes -Panthers: Scott Fitterer -Jaguars: Trent Baalke -Washington: Martin Mayhew 3. Truth/Exaggeration -If the Texans don’t hire Eric Bieniemy as their new head coach, it will officially be the point of no return for Deshaun Watson and his relationship with the Texans -Long-term, the Jets may be a better trade destination for Deshaun Watson and he should HIGHLY consider going there (as Richard Sherman suggested) -IF the Lions decide to part ways with Matthew Stafford, the Colts and 49ers will be the top two teams in contention for his services -The Broncos should release Von Miller regardless of what the criminal investigation into his conduct reveals -The Bears made an egregious mistake by retaining both Matt Nagy and Ryan Pac

1. Today, the Electoral College ratified President-Elect Biden’s victory, but the overall election wasn’t anywhere close to as rosy for the Democratic Party. Democrats lost at least a dozen seats in the House and the GOP is highly likely to retain control of the Senate barring a total catastrophe in Georgia on January 5. In an era of very few “ticket-splitting” voters, this initially came as a shock to many. That said, Public Opinion Strategies studied a lot of suburban voters this cycle, and they found while many of them couldn’t stomach voting to re-elect Trump, they also were lukewarm to the policies of the current Democratic party. Is it fair to say that the growing influence of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and AOC on the Dems cost them dearly down-ballot?  2. Another VERY promising sign for the GOP going forward is the historic amount of minority support President Trump was able to attract. He received nearly 1/3 of the Hispanic vote (a similar number your former boss George W. Bush posted), 12%

1. Four years ago around this time, many (if not most) in the news media touted Hillary Clinton as a solid favorite to win...and we know how that ended. Today, several are describing Joe Biden in the same light. As I mentioned in the intro, we had Austin, Texas-based GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak on the program. He said he expects this to be a VERY, VERY close election and is convinced that whoever wins the presidency is going to win it by a narrower Electoral College margin than 2016. Do you share that view and do you think the media is making the same mistake they did four years ago by GROSSLY underestimating President Trump’s chances of winning? 2. Speaking of the Electoral College, you live out west in Colorado near another pivotal state that needs just as much attention as Florida and the four major Midwestern states (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota). That state is Arizona. For well over a year, Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report has remained unwavering in his belief that Arizona

1. Season Headlines Me:  -In the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor and others at the hands of police violence, NFL players have made it clear they will NOT be silent and will kneel during the playing of the National Anthem in protest. Even owners who are passionate supporters of the President (such as Jerry Jones), have given their players the green light to do so. Upon hearing the news, Eric Trump, the second of the President’s three sons, tweeted that the NFL was over. And there is no doubt that the President will try to make kneeling for the national anthem a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. If ratings show a sizeable drop, the NFL will be caught between a rock and a hard place and have to walk the tightest of lines in an attempt to avoid alienating significant chunks of the fan-base  Matt: COVID…can they finish the season? 2. Truth/Exaggeration -The NFL will decide to conduct the 2020 playoffs and Super Bowl in a bubble environment, especially if the pandemic worsens

1. Last week, the sports world briefly hit the pause button in wake of the Jacob Blake shooting, starting with the NBA. As a result, it was announced that all NBA clubs intend to use their arenas as voting locations for the general election, whether it be for voter registration drives, in-person early voting, and/or having county officials there to collect completed absentee ballots. Given all the issues and red tape with voting by mail (not just USPS), isn’t voting in person at a sports arena one of the best ways of voting imaginable, especially during a pandemic?   2. One of the President’s last remaining hurdles to overcome on the path to reelection is his handling of Covid-19. From a policy perspective, what MUST he do between now and November to prepare the country for the expected uptick of cases in the fall/winter? 3. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s unconscionable murder, we have seen America at its best and at its worst. I personally have witnessed both Biden and Trump voters alike saying we n

1. What we have seen with Major League Baseball (with the COVID-19 outbreaks within the Marlins and Cardinals causing games to be postponed) thus far is likely a preview of what to expect in the NFL this season. Peter King a few weeks ago wrote he is convinced that at some point the league will likely have to suspend play like the NBA did in March when the pandemic first hit. However, Richard Sherman countered that he only sees that happening if things get REALLY REALLY bad. Under what circumstances should the NFL suspend play? 2. Biggest Training Camp Storylines for Each Team -NFC West: 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals -AFC West: Chiefs, Broncos, Raiders, Chargers -NFC North: Packers, Vikings, Bears, Lions -AFC North: Ravens, Steelers, Browns, Bengals -NFC East: Eagles, Cowboys, Giants, Washington -AFC East: Patriots, Bills, Jets, Dolphins -NFC South: Saints, Bucs, Falcons, Panthers -AFC South: Texans, Titans, Colts, Jaguars

A. Latest Buzz (Buy Or Sell) -Chris Mortensen said today of all the teams that are being discussed as strong candidates to trade up, the Falcons are expected to be the most aggressive and could move up all the way to the top five. So buy or sell: the Falcons will trade up to the top five and take Jeffrey Okudah if the Lions pass on him at 3, or move down to 6.  -The run on WR’s will begin earlier than most expect with two WR-needy teams trading up to the 8-10 range to get their guy -If the Dolphins want Tua Tagovailoa, they’ll take one of the four OT’s at five, and will be able to stand pat at 18 where he’ll fall into their lap -If the Dolphins do NOT want Tua, they will wait until 26 overall to take a QB…and that QB will be Jordan Love as opposed to Justin Herbert -There will be no more than five trades in the first round due to the complex logistics of conducting the draft virtually -The first round will last an hour longer than expected due to technical glitches -The 49ers will move back from b

1. Chase Young is clearly the best prospect in this draft class. This past decade, we have seen pass rushers of Young’s ilk get drafted high and go on to have productive careers: Von Miller, Khalil Mack, Joey and Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, etc. How does he compare to those aforementioned players as a prospect and would it surprise you if he ended up having the best career out of all of them? 2. There is quite a sizeable drop-off after Young as far as this EDGE class goes. The player widely expected to be the second EDGE off the board is LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson is an extremely versatile player, who is able to rush the QB from the edge and inside on sub-packages, plus drop into coverage and cover RB’s and TE’s as well. He is also a freakish athlete. However, there was a similar prospect taken in the top-15 three years ago in Haason Reddick, and he’s pretty much been a bust thus far. Do you get Haason Reddick vibes from Chaisson? 3. In August, many (if not most) people were talking about Iowa DE A.J. E

1. CIN: Joe Burrow 2. WAS: Chase Young 3. LAC (via DET): Tua Tagovailoa 4. NYG: Isaiah Simmons 5. MIA: Justin Herbert 6. DET (via LAC): Jeffrey Okudah 7. CAR: Andrew Thomas 8. AZ: Tristan Wirfs 9. DEN (via JAX): Henry Ruggs 10. CLE: Mekhi Becton 11. NYJ: Jedrick Wills 12. LVR: CeeDee Lamb 13. SF: Jerry Jeudy 14. TB: Javon Kinlaw 15. JAX (via DEN): Derrick Brown 16. ATL: K’Lavon Chaisson 17. DAL: Xavier McKinney 18. MIA: Justin Jefferson 19. LVR: C.J. Henderson 20. JAX: Kristian Fulton 21. PHI: Denzel Mims 22. MIN: Jeff Gladney 23. NE: Cesar Ruiz 24. NO: Patrick Queen 25. MIN: Jalen Reagor 26. MIA: Josh Jones 27. SEA: Yetur Gross-Matos 28. BAL: Zack Baun 29. TEN: Isaiah Wilson 30. GB: Brandon Aiyuk 31. IND (via SF): Jordan Love 32. KC: A.J. Terrell

1. As of right now, you have CeeDee Lamb as your top receiver. Why is that? 2. There has been buzz building for quite a while now that Henry Ruggs will be the first receiver off the board on April 23. And it makes a ton of sense since Ruggs appears to be the new WR archetype NFL teams prefer after witnessing the success of similarly skilled players like Tyreek Hill and their ability to dictate coverages, which gives defensive coordinators headaches. However, you have another speedster, TCU’s Jalen Reagor ranked one spot ahead of Ruggs at the present time. Why you are slightly higher on Reagor than Ruggs?    3. I’ve been hearing buzz that some teams view Jerry Jeudy as a slot-only wide receiver. Do you share that view and if so, is that a big reason you could see him sliding out of the top 15? 4. One of the biggest winners at the Combine was LSU’s Justin Jefferson, who ran a 4.43 40. Jefferson was obviously one of CFB’s most accomplished receivers last year as he was one of Joe Burrow’s most trust

1. While there has been smoke to suggest otherwise, most all signs still point to the Bengals making Joe Burrow being the first overall pick in the draft. Some believe him to be the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. Regardless of whether or not you share that view, what makes Burrow such a special prospect? 2. Health aside, the main concern some people have about Tua Tagovailoa is that he was more of the product of the weapons around him and not the other way around. Why or why not is that a reasonable concern? 3. There is still some people who believe that Justin Herbert will be the second QB off the board as opposed to Tua. However, he didn’t show the growth most wanted to see during his senior year at Oregon. That said, Jordan Reid of The Draft Network, a friend of the pod and one of THE brightest football minds out there believes that the offensive system the Ducks ran last year wasn’t designed to feature some of the main components of Herbert’s athletic toolkit. If Herbert can land in the right place

1. Last night, Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini reported that despite a unamious recommendation from GM’s to delay the draft due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the NFL held firm in its plans to hold the draft April 23-25 as originally scheduled. One of the main concerns GM’s had was the disadvantage of some teams in areas that are currently hotbeds for Covid-19 (i.e.: NY/NJ area) having to draft from home with others still being able to use their team facilities. That said, the league is also ordering all team facilities to be closed from tonight through April 8 at the very least, which could signal that all 32 clubs might have to conduct the draft from home. Do you think that’s the case? If yes, would you say the draft occurs as scheduled and if not, how much does that increase the odds of the draft being pushed back? 2. As you and others have reported recently, arguably the biggest prospect whose stock is in limbo due to Covid-19 is Tua Tagovailoa. Since there will be no med re-checks, many QB-needy teams mi

1. Amidst an atmosphere of economic uncertainty for the NFL and the country in general due to Covid-19, NFL owners and 51% of dues-paying players breathed a sigh of relief a little over a week ago as the NFLPA ratified the new CBA, albeit by a very narrow 60-vote margin. Matt and I are ardent critics of this deal, but now that it’s done, what does the NFLPA have to do next? 2. The New League Year began with a flurry of trades beginning with the Houston Texans trading DeAndre Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-rounder to the Cardinals for a 2020 second-rounder and a 2021 fourth-rounder. Do you ever remember such a big trade being more one-sided than this one? If you’re Deshaun Watson, do you tell the McNair family that either Bill O’Brien leaves or I leave? 3. Another big blockbuster trade that occurred involved your San Francisco 49ers as they traded Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner to the Colts for Indy’s 2020 first-round pick at 13 overall. Buckner also got a mega-contract extension from the Colts that will average $2

1. Tristan Wirfs is an EXTREMELY athletic, versatile lineman from Iowa, which is arguably college football’s main offensive line factory for the NFL. He has experience at both left and right tackle, and many also believe he has the skill-set to be a good guard as well. Also, he delivered an historic performance in the vertical jump and broad jump. In your view (and your Hawkeye bias aside), what makes Tristan Wirfs the best OL prospect in this draft class? 2. The other prospect neck-and-neck with Wirfs to be the first OT off the board is Mekhi Becton of Louisville. A mountain of a man at 364 pounds, he moves incredibly light on his feet and ran a jaw-dropping 5.10 40 at the Combine. Why do you think many analysts and teams view Becton as the best OL in this class? 3. Alabama’s Jedrick Wills rounds out the first tier of offensive tackles. However, there were rumors coming out of the Combine that his stock may be falling a bit. Tony Pauline, respected draft analyst and NFL insider, reported that teams think W