Sports Krunch W/dkrom

We are officially less than one month away from the 2018 NFL Draft, and next week, NFL clubs will start to finalize their draft boards. In that spirit, we are planning an absolute blitzkrieg of our Dash to the Draft series from now until draft day with as many as 3-4 episodes per week. And we kick off that final sprint tonight with a look at this very deep and talented class of linebackers. And just FYI: by “linebackers”, I don’t mean edge rushers who line up as outside ‘backers in a base 3-4 defense, I mean linebackers who play off the ball, which means their job is to either stop the run, blitz up the middle, or drop into coverage. Here to help give us a glimpse of this promising linebacker crop is our good friend Pete Smith, who covers the NFL Draft and the Cleveland Browns for nflspinzone.com. 1. The guy many expect to be the first linebacker off the board is Georgia’s Roquan Smith. Several have him as a top 5-10 prospect. Do you share that view? Do you think he’ll be selected in

Welcome to the 100th episode of Sports Krunch with DKrom. I’m your host David Kromelow. To commemorate this special occasion, we have decided to give you a glimpse inside the NFL scouting world. Scouts are the unsung heroes of NFL franchises. Behind every Super Bowl winning team, you will find the fingerprints of their scouts’ tireless work. Our special guest, Greg Gabriel, spent 30 years in NFL scouting, where he helped lay the bricks of Super Bowl teams including the 1987, 1991 and 2000 New York Giants and the 2006 Chicago Bears. Today, Greg is a contributor to Pro Football Weekly, 670 The Score in Chicago, and BuffaloSportsPage.com, where you can catch his coverage during football and NFL Draft season. But for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy this journey through the life and mind of an NFL scout with the one and only Greg Gabriel. Greg’s Twitter handle: @greggabe 1. Give us an insight of a typical day in the life of an NFL scout while he’s on the road evaluating prospects. (Miles

We are officially less than five weeks away from the 2018 NFL Draft, and the jockeying has already begun. These past five days, two trades that will likely effect what happens on the night of April 26 have gone down. Late last week, the Jets traded their two second-round picks this year plus their 2019 second-rounder to the Colts to move up to the third spot and select a QB. And earlier today, the Giants, who own the 2nd overall pick, traded away DE Jason Pierre-Paul and their 2018 fourth-round pick to the Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa’s 2018 third and fourth-round selections. I can’t remember seeing this much movement at such a point before a draft…and this is only the beginning. While we await the next trade, we shall continue with the fifth installment of our 2018 Dash To The Draft series. Today, we will be analyzing this year’s WR & TE classes with the help of Kevin Brown, who is an NFL Draft analyst for profootballdraftzone.com. Kevin’s Twitter handle: @nfldraftnik It has

The 2018 NFL free agency frenzy is mostly in the rear view mirror and that means the attention of the NFL universe now shifts to the 2018 draft, which is just over five weeks away. As a result, you can expect our Dash To The Draft series to kick into overdrive from now until draft day as we bring you the latest insight and analysis to keep you distracted from all the smoke and mirrors teams will throw at you over this next month. Tonight, we bring you the fourth edition of our 2018 draft series with a dive into this talented DB class. And joining us to break these DB prospects down is Jeff Barnes, the lead writer for Cover2Draft.com. Jeff’s Twitter handle: @Cover2Draft 1. Let’s begin with a prospect that is apparently viewed differently within the NFL as opposed to the media and Draft Twitter, and that is super-versatile Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick. While many on our side of the fence still see him as a top-five, can’t miss prospect, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein tweeted ou

In a so-called “NFL offseason” that has had more drama than any other, the intensity is only about to get crazier within the next 72 hours. On Monday at noon ET, the NFL free agency frenzy essentially begins as teams can start to negotiate with representatives of free agents. And from then until the 2018 League Year officially begins at 4 PM ET on Wednesday, expect many deals to be struck along with many unexpected twists and turns. And to give us all a preview of what to expect and anticipate these next few days is NFL insider extraordinaire Erick Trickel. Erick covers the NFL, the NFL Draft and the Denver Broncos for MileHighHuddle.com. Not only is he one of THE most wired-in people to the inner NFL world that I know, he is also an amazing friend and mentor.  Let’s start with what makes this year’s free agency period so unique and that is the amount of serviceable QB’s hitting the market. As you tweeted out last night, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the crown jewel of

Well, the Combine is over and the lying and smoke screening have begun in earnest. And in our third edition of our “Dash To The Draft” series, we have a very special guest that will do his best to help separate the signal from the noise coming out of the Combine. He is Eric Galko, one of the best and most well-connected figures in the NFL Draft industry. He is the owner, director (and founder) of Optimum Scouting, a consulting service that writes scouting reports for several professional football teams. He also hosts his own podcast called “Scanning the Field,” a podcast I would HIGHLY recommend to all of you, and he also writes for Sporting News. It was a pleasure meeting Eric down in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl, and it is a pleasure to welcome him to the program for the very first time. 1. Let’s begin with arguably the best overall prospect in this draft class, and that is Saquon Barkley. There was a lot of chatter coming out of Indy that he will be highly considered by the

This is part two of our “Dash To The Draft” series for 2018. When it comes to evaluating prospective NFL quarterbacks in this day and age, I’m often reminded of what Winston Churchill once said of the then-Soviet Union: “It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”  It has always been difficult to find that safe, sure-fire QB prospect a la Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. And the proliferation of spread, option-based offenses in college football has made that task even harder, thus the riddle even more puzzling. While the 2018 QB draft class is sizzling with potential, it lacks that sure thing. And as noted NFL draft analyst Matt Miller (Bleacher Report) suggested a few weeks back, he doesn’t remember a quarterback class with such a high ceiling that has also had such serious flaws. And joining us tonight to address these quarterbacks and the intrigue, shortfalls, and mystery surrounding them is one of THE best quarterback analysts in the business. He is Mark Schofield of In

While the official beginning of NFL free agency is March 14 at 4 PM ET, free agency really begins on March 12 when teams can contact the representatives of impending free agents to negotiate potential deals. In other words, we are exactly two weeks away from NFL free agency. Above all, this promises to be one of THE most dramatic free agent periods we’ve ever seen given the rather unprecedented game of quarterback musical chairs that’s about to commence. A team squarely in the center of that game is the Minnesota Vikings. With one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the NFL, the Vikings are widely viewed as a legitimate franchise QB away from winning their first ever Lombardi Trophy. But what exactly are their options at QB and why is this looming decision more complicated for the Vikings brass than many may initially think? Joining us to discuss the Vikings QB situation plus their plans elsewhere in free agency and the draft is Jordan Reid. Jordan is a big Vikings fan, a world

Welcome back to Sports Krunch with DKrom ladies and gentlemen, I’m your host David Kromelow. And welcome to the first ever episode of “The Weekly Krunch”, a once-a-week segment in which I break down the top NFL stories of the week and my take on them. The week of February 19, 2018 in the NFL can be summed up in three simple words: tags, trades, and quarterbacks. Tags. While the deadline for teams to administer franchise or transition tags is March 6 at 4 PM ET, the window for doing so opened this past Tuesday February 20. And in stark contrast to traditional tagging practices, the Miami Dolphins placed the franchise tag on WR Jarvis Landry on Tuesday. Most teams wait until closer to the deadline to apply tags, so why did the Dolphins do so right off the hop? According to Dolphins beat writer Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, while the Fins remain “open” to signing Landry to a long-term deal, the “likeliest outcome” is that they trade him. Potential suitors for Landry could be the Bal

With the combine and free agency right around the corner, all 32 teams in the NFL have a golden opportunity to get better…and get better fast. A team that, in my opinion, can quietly enter playoff contention in 2018 with a good haul in both free agency and the draft is the Chicago Bears. With a promising young QB entering his second season in Mitchell Trubisky, a bright, young and innovative offensive mind in Matt Nagy taking over as head coach, and some underrated talent on both sides of the ball, the Bears have the potential to take a giant leap forward this year. Joining us to talk about the Bears and their “offseason” priorities is our good friend Chris Shanafelt, a big Bears fan himself, who writes for nfldraftbible.com and hosts his own podcast “The Chris and D.J. Show” with former Bears CB D.J. Moore. 1. As I have said many times on this program, I am very impressed with the new coaching staff the Bears have assembled. What are your thoughts on Matt Nagy and the new coaches?

We are just one week away from the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine and in that spirit, we kick off our 2018 Dash To The Draft series here on Sports Krunch. This weekly series will give you a look at each position group in this draft class, plus team needs on a division-by-division basis. But today, as I alluded to earlier, we will discuss what to watch out for at the combine. Next week, the entire NFL descends on Indianapolis along with 336 individual prospects. These prospects will undergo medical evaluations, have personal interviews with teams, and of course participate the proverbial “Underwear Olympics.” Joining us today to discuss all of that is a good friend who I met down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, he is Cole Thompson of draftwire.com. What is the bigger red flag for Josh Rosen to address in Indy: His medical history or his character/personality? What would be an ideal result in arm length measurement for Connor Williams? Can his other strengths overcome his short arm-length or

The saying that there is no “offseason” in the NFL was proven once again this week. Just days after Super Bowl LII, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels shockingly backed away from an agreement to become the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. That agreement had been in place for weeks. Still, the Colts and GM Chris Ballard did not panic and immediately resumed their search. That search came to a swift end today as they reached an agreement with now former Eagles OC Frank Reich on a five-year deal to become their new head coach. Some of you may know Reich mostly as the engineer of the largest comeback in NFL playoff history when he was Jim Kelly’s backup in Buffalo, but last week he helped engineer one of the best offensive game plans in Super Bowl history which helped the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl championship. Joining us now to break down this hire and the challenges facing the Colts over the next few months is our good friend Jake Arthur, who covers the Co

Thank you football gods for answering our prayers!!! The 2017 NFL season concluded with one of the most memorable playoffs and Super Bowls I have ever seen. It all culminated over the weekend with Super Bowl LII, a game that set the record for most combined total yards (1,151) and went back and forth until the final minutes, resulting in the first ever Super Bowl championship for the Philadelphia Eagles, as they upset the New England Patriots 41-33. Joining us to recap this classic Super Bowl plus what lies ahead on the NFL calendar is our good friend Hal Bent, who covers the NFL and Patriots for FullPressCoverage.com. 1. Super Bowl Game Recap a. Can you name another coach in recent NFL history not named Bill Belichick that did such a masterful, championship-winning job as the one Doug Pederson just did? b. Do you think the Patriots would have won SB LII had Malcolm Butler played?? Or is it unfair to blame the Patriots loss solely on this one variable? c. Aside from Nick Foles, wh

Well, this is it. In just six days, the 2017 NFL season will culminate in Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. This is a week to not only anticipate this fascinating matchup of this century’s NFL dynasty against a promising insurgent, but to celebrate this game of football that we all love. And joining us once again to discuss all things Super Bowl LII is our good friend Hal Bent, who covers the NFL and Patriots for FullPressCoverage.com. 1. If you were on the Pro Football HOF Board of Selectors, which five modern-era nominees would you vote for and why? 2. Patriots Questions a. The last time the Patriots faced the Eagles in a Super Bowl, both OC Charlie Weis and DC Romeo Crennel left the team for head coaching jobs. Fast forward 13 years later, and the Patriots find themselves in the exact same situation, poised to lose both offensive and defensive coordinators to head coaching jobs after a rendezvous with the Eagles in a Supe

Jeremy Reaves: One of the stars of Senior Bowl Saturday was South Alabama safety Jeremy Reaves. I caught up with him after the game and asked him how it felt to deliver a spectacular performance in his final game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium (where he played his college ball). He also broke down the 4th-and-1 okay where he swallowed up Arizona State RB Kalen Ballage before Ballage could make it past the sticks. We also discussed his favorite NFL safeties and the best trait he’ll bring to an NFL team. (Disclaimer: Friend of the show Jonah Tuls LOVES this kid and expects his draft stock to skyrocket) Will Hernandez: A player who made himself a lot of money this week was UTEP guard Will Hernandez. I got a chance to talk to him again after the game. We discussed the scouting report on him posted on NFL.com this week that compared him to one of his heroes, Bills Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito. Will also talked about the increasing importance of the guard position and his plans for the upcoming

Cecil Lammey (FootballGuys.com and 104.3 THE FAN in Denver) joined me on Day 5 of the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl. We discussed why the stellar performance of Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield during the week of practice should make the Broncos reconsider how hard they go after Kirk Cousins in free agency. Cecil also told us why it’s unlikely 3+ interior OL go in the first round, despite one of the best classes at the position in years. Finally, Cecil explained why we shouldn’t take the Combine as seriously as the Senior Bowl and why the Patriots will win their sixth Super Bowl title next Sunday Twitter: @CecilLammey

Day 4 from The Reese’s Senior Bowl with Iowa State WR Allen Lazard, Penn State WR DaeSean Hamilton and Penn State TE Mike Gesicki after the final North Team practice during Senior Bowl week. They talked about the NFL players at their position they look up to the most, the traits that would make them indispensable to an NFL team, and a whole lot more!!! Twitter: Lazard: @AllenLazard Hamilton: @SkeeterMills_ Gesicki is not on Twitter

Day 4 from The Reese’s Senior Bowl with Nevada OL Austin Corbett, Oklahoma State WR Marcell Ateman and LSU WR D.J. Chark after the conclusion of the final South Team practice. Corbett discussed the rising importance of the guard and center positions in the NFL. Ateman discussed which CB’s stood out to him during the week and Chark talked up his college teammate Derrius Guice, one of the top three RB prospects in this draft class. They also talked about the NFL players at their position they look up to the most and the best contribution they would make to an NFL franchise. Twitter: Austin: @BigCorbs73 Ateman: @ItsMarcell Chark: @DJChark82

Before he had to catch a flight home, Cole Thompson (draftwire.com) joined us once again and discussed whose draft stock rose and whose draft stock fell during Senior Bowl week. @MrColeThompson

Josh Norris of Rotoworld.com discusses two small-school prospects that could rise up draft boards due to their Senior Bowl performances, who “won” the QB duel between Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield, and a Senior Bowl WR that could provide value in your fantasy league in 2018. @JoshNorris