WEBVTT - 4/20/22 Segment 1: Finalizing Draft Boards 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:08.920 He's the Drive with Dale Lolly and Matt Williamson, home 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:14.160 of the Black and Gold Steelers Nation Radio. Welcome to 0:00:14.200 --> 0:00:17.239 the Drive. I'm Dale Lollly here with Matt Williamson and 0:00:17.320 --> 0:00:21.720 Matt We are a week away from draft eve. I 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:27.080 know draft eves harder to sleep than Christmas. Got a 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:29.480 little better in my old age, get into my forties. 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:32.920 It took me a good visions of edge rushers dancing 0:00:32.920 --> 0:00:37.800 in his head. That's right. But now we're getting down 0:00:37.800 --> 0:00:40.720 the home stretch here. This is always a tough week 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:45.080 or so because everything you read and here is bs. 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:47.040 To be honest with, I don't believe any of it. 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:50.120 Maybe we'll get a trade or a signing or something 0:00:50.159 --> 0:00:52.480 like that, but mostly these teams are buckled down. So 0:00:52.920 --> 0:00:55.680 it's just a lot of anticipation. Yeah, today was the 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:59.800 last day for for college visits. UM. The Steelers having 0:00:59.840 --> 0:01:03.800 the que Willison today. Uh. Then they'll they'll hunker down 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:08.039 um and and finalize their draft board and they'll talk 0:01:08.080 --> 0:01:10.440 about you know, where they have they will have every 0:01:10.440 --> 0:01:12.360 player right. Well, he had Bob Labriol on a couple 0:01:12.360 --> 0:01:15.560 of weeks ago. I thought he explained as well, like 0:01:15.880 --> 0:01:19.920 there's never a quote unquote tie when it comes to 0:01:19.959 --> 0:01:22.560 these pas, No, they will have them. They will have 0:01:22.640 --> 0:01:26.200 them ranked and slotted in their spots. Now you may 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:31.400 get to the pick or the fifty second pick and say, okay, 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:35.320 here's who's available. We have this guy rated slightly ahead 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:37.440 of that guy, but this guy's at a more of 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:40.720 a need position, so we're gonna take him. But they're 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:43.560 not fighting about it three minutes before the pain. No. No, 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:48.320 that's why. So often, as we've seen in the draft process, 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:50.160 and you and I have covered a bunch of these 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.680 together now on the radio, how many times do you 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.520 see Steelers around the clock and then boom it goes 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.440 to the pick is in. They're always quick about it. Yes, 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:01.480 they know, they've already they've already had the conversations. Yeah, 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:04.040 they've done their homework, They've done down this road many times. 0:02:04.120 --> 0:02:06.800 They don't need all the time, real quick, I mean 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:09.440 from my experience, and I'm sure the stealers do this 0:02:09.520 --> 0:02:12.959 the same way, because every team does. What you need 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:17.120 to know is the first steps of building the board 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:22.040 are position rankings. You rank all your quarterbacks one till 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:25.160 not draftable anymore. Basically, So, okay, I got a list 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.280 of twelve of them. You do that with every spot. 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:30.040 You know, however you want to make your positions. There 0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:32.080 are the guys who aren't on there because of medicals, 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:35.160 are because of off field stuff. Those guys off the board. Yeah, 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:39.320 and there won't be thirty two times seven rounds plus 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:41.799 comp picked names on your front board. They're probably half 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:44.320 that they'll have. They'll have, you know, a hundred and 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.919 fifty names on their board. Yeah, and the Patriots historically 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:49.480 have like a hundred, you know, and they pick some 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:54.000 weird dudes. But anyway, and then your sideboard that if 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:56.200 you have to go to it, that's not ideal. Usually 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:58.560 those are your priority free agents that type of thing. 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:02.200 But more importantly or the thing that people might not realize, 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.800 like hey, Williams and I realized they ranked their tackles. 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:06.600 I get that, you know, everyone does, just like you 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.720 do on your fantasy drafts. But what's important is the 0:03:09.760 --> 0:03:16.000 horizontal board is is my fifth running back better than 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:18.560 my eight tackle? You know what I mean by the 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:21.560 horizonal board is just look at an Excel spreadsheet and 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:23.679 at the top it has all the position groups and 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:26.520 again you just rank your you're you're running backs all 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:29.120 the way down one to twenty whatever. But there might 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.519 be a huge gap between running back eight and running 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:35.400 back nine. You know, that doesn't mean running back eight 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:37.560 might be my big guy you've taken the third round. 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:39.400 Running Back nine is a guy you take in the 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:43.160 sixth round. Right, And there's ten offensive linemen in between them, 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:45.600 you know, So it's not just one after another. There's 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:48.440 all these gaps there. So you when I say positional 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:52.280 or the horizontal board, look at it from left to right. 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:54.640 And that's where a lot of fights are happening now, 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:57.600 you know, like, if we already have a receiver, do 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.640 we like this corner better than this center, Well, that's 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:04.120 a hard conversation, right, and then need comes into play. 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:09.520 And and that's where you know when when people talk about, um, 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.200 the best available guy, the best available guy is always 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:21.520 at a position of need, always right. Rarely, really do 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:24.599 you see a team, yeah, you really see a team 0:04:24.640 --> 0:04:27.840 with we've like the Bengals this year. Do you think 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.640 the Bengals are taking a wide receiver in the first 0:04:30.640 --> 0:04:33.960 three rounds of this draft? Probably not, you know, they 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:35.839 don't think the first round great on them or something. 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.080 Let's you know, unless Jamison Williams is available in the 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:41.960 third round, then you're talking best available player. But in 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:45.240 the first, first couple of rounds, nobody's taken. Oh, he 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:47.920 was the best guy available. Well, no kidding, he was 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:49.880 the best guy avail because because you looked at those 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:53.600 guys through the prism of what you needed, right, because 0:04:54.000 --> 0:04:56.279 you need rookies to play, you know, that's the first 0:04:56.360 --> 0:05:01.000 round picks. They don't sit around. And boy, there's nothing 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.280 worse than than than having to the answer to fans constantly, 0:05:04.320 --> 0:05:07.640 but well, why isn't Lawrence Timmins playing this year? Right? 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:10.159 And I get it because you know, the Steelers didn't 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:13.239 meet him to play right away. But there's still luxury 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:16.560 the teams rarely have. There's still those questions. Yeah. Now 0:05:17.040 --> 0:05:19.440 because of the way the contracts are structured in that 0:05:19.560 --> 0:05:22.400 fift yeer option, Yeah you have the fifty year option. 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:25.600 But the fift yeer option is expensive. Oh yeah, that's 0:05:25.600 --> 0:05:28.040 on a slam dont no brainer, and it's fully and 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:30.480 it's fully guaranteed. So you want to have you want 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:33.200 to know what that guy is by year three because 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:36.800 you gotta make a decision after year three. So much 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:39.200 of this is financial, it's not is the player good 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.479 or not? It's is it worth the money? Yeah? Yeah, 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:45.760 So anyway, I mean that's what's going on now. Though 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:50.440 there's fights of is running back six better than safety three? 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:52.920 You know, maybe it is? You know, I mean that 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:55.160 that's the kind of thing that is hard for the 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:57.919 GM or the final decision maker. Yeah, I have a 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:00.680 hard time. But like when people talk about uh, you know, 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:03.080 they'll talk about the drink away he was pounding the 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.320 table on draft day, nobody's pounding the table on draft 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:08.839 day about this stuff. Stuff's already decided if you know 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:11.480 what you're doing. Yeah, I mean, you don't know how 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.560 the board's gonna fall, and there's gonna be some unexpected 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:18.440 surprises or hurdles. But the well prepared teams, which all 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:22.200 of them are well prepared, understand that, well, this is 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:24.719 a sweet spot for how how often have we talked 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:28.000 about there's what six or seven safeties and after that? 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:31.080 I don't really have one that, you know, that I 0:06:31.080 --> 0:06:33.120 think can do what the Steelers need him to do. 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.400 You know, So if we don't get one here, we're 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:37.359 out of luck. You know. Then you then you're developing one. 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:39.400 He's gonna be on your bench for a couple of years. Yeah, 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:41.880 or you're calling a free agent. You know, like there's 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.280 a pocket here that we have to hit or we're 0:06:44.320 --> 0:06:47.279 not getting that position. So for us to go away 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:50.159 from a safety has to be a player that maybe 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:53.160 has a noticeably better grade on them, just for example, 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:55.760 you know, right right, you know, for example of pet 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:58.719 Friar Moose last season, Steelers had a first round grade 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:00.960 on him. He was there in the middle of the 0:07:01.040 --> 0:07:04.440 second round. You take him. It's a position, yes, it's 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:07.520 a position of of somewhat of need. Yet but they 0:07:07.640 --> 0:07:10.600 you know, they didn't necessarily have to have Pat Frere 0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:12.600 Moves coming and play right away. They had Eric Keybron. 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:15.760 Now he brought ended up getting hurt, but you know, 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:19.080 it kind of speeded up the process a little bit. 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:22.600 They knew they probably were going to resign eric Hebron. Right, alright, 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:25.560 I'm a big picture thinking. I'm sure they wanted to 0:07:25.640 --> 0:07:28.000 draft a tight end at some point. I'm sure he 0:07:28.120 --> 0:07:31.000 was their second ranked tight end. What you know, Pitts 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:33.200 is a different animal obviously, and they knew they weren't 0:07:33.200 --> 0:07:36.360 going in the pits market. So wow, I mean, if 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.880 if he's our thirtieth best player on the horizontal board 0:07:40.320 --> 0:07:42.000 and he's sitting there in the middle of the the second round. 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:45.760 We're gonna gram yeah um. And so you know, I 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:48.920 think I've gotten a lot of second guessing on that one, because, well, 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.640 they could have taken Creede Humphrey there, Yeah, they could have, 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:54.880 but then they would they wouldn't have had fire mouth, 0:07:55.320 --> 0:07:57.800 you know. And that's a great example though, Like remember 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:00.760 last year there was like five centers probab we let 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:04.800 By Humphrey down to Kendrick Green and guys in between that. 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:08.560 I'm sure they're head conversations three sixty five days ago, 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.000 a week before the draft. Well, what if all the 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:13.560 centers are there and Friar moves, what are we gonna do? 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:16.320 We can have our pick of the centers or but 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.120 there's there's good Yeah, there's no tight end that we 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.000 have ranked this high exactly. The rest of these tight ends, 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:25.240 the rest of the tight ends are like fourth round guys, Okay, 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:28.240 then we then we take the tight end. That's you know, 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:30.960 that's that That's how the conversation goes. Yeah, you end 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:33.720 up now you end up passing on Creed Humphrey, But 0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:38.360 nobody Creed Humphrey was not a slam dunk. Oh, he's 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:40.680 gonna be a star pick. Otherwise he would have been 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:43.800 the first rounder. He's a really good prospect, but he 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:46.800 wasn't noticeably be better than the other four or five 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:49.880 this time last year. The Chiefs passed on him in 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:53.280 the second round last year to take Nick Bolton like 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.319 they didn't. If they would have thought he, well, he's 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:58.520 gonna be he's gonna be a potential Pro Bowl center 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:01.080 in his rookie year, they would have taken him with 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.040 their first second round pick. They wouldn't have waited to 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.840 the second second round pick, right. I mean, I do 0:09:06.000 --> 0:09:08.360 remember all the mocks we did last year. We ended 0:09:08.400 --> 0:09:10.520 up with Creed Humphrey in the second round quite often. 0:09:10.720 --> 0:09:13.800 Or I remember being on the air live when the 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:17.360 Steelers second round pick was you know what it came 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:20.160 up and I thought, and I'm sure I said, Creed 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:24.560 Humphrey seems like the logical player here. But I didn't 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:29.640 do as much homework on the Steelers horizontal board versus 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:33.160 the vertical board, where there's only one tight end worth grabbing. 0:09:33.480 --> 0:09:36.319 And if you get him now, great, And I'm sure 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:38.520 they felt pretty comfortable. And I know Kennrick Green didn't 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:42.000 play great in his rookie year. That there's only four 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:44.839 teams in the center market. One of these five will 0:09:44.880 --> 0:09:47.680 be there in round three. We'll get one of these guys. Yeah, 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:51.800 especially at center, because you know the teams that need centers, 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.440 right right. I mean that's that's very obvious, pretty obvious. Yeah, 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:58.000 it's it's you know, that's why your personnel, your pro 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:02.680 personnel department plays a BA factor in draft day because 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:07.640 they're like, right now, I think Dallas is a center 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:09.959 needy team. I'm just picking one out of the blue. Well, 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:12.480 they're looking around, going, but the Steelers aren't gonna take one, 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:15.360 you know, right, Yeah, That's that's what's going on right now. 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:19.680 That's you know, and I keep seeing again mock drafts 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.079 come out with the Steelers that have the Steelers taking 0:10:22.080 --> 0:10:25.960 in the interior offensive linemen. Continued. Now we're we're a 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:28.080 week out from the draft, and I and I still 0:10:28.080 --> 0:10:30.640 see that. I'm like, no, they're not going to take 0:10:30.640 --> 0:10:33.520 an interior offensive line. They're not taking Kendrick Green or 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:38.880 not Kendrick Green, uh uh, the Kenyan Yeah, Kenyan Green, 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:43.199 Linder Bomb and I Zion Johnson. I just the Steelers 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.000 aren't taking those guys in the first round because they've 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:51.200 got four starter caliber interior offensive linemen on the roster 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:55.079 right now, and that doesn't even include Hassin our Blue. 0:10:55.600 --> 0:10:57.640 You know, I think those guys are making the team, 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:00.920 those guys. Yeah, so that's six eyes on the interior 0:11:00.960 --> 0:11:05.520 offensive line you're not keeping. You know, six will be 0:11:05.520 --> 0:11:09.760 the most you would keep. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Maybe it's 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:13.360 a late Day three guy, or maybe there's a third 0:11:13.440 --> 0:11:18.440 round pick of a player that is six four you 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:21.640 know that is maybe a guard guard tackle. Yeah, yeah, 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:23.920 but you start him at tackle and if he fails, 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:26.880 he bumps inside in the year. Maybe, but you don't 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.719 have to have a high grade on that player. Yeah. Absolutely, 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:34.760 switching gears up real quickly. Um. Steelers announcing today, not surprisingly, 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:38.560 that they're going back to Saint Vincent College. Um, that's awesome, 0:11:38.960 --> 0:11:42.720 fantastic news. I know Mike Tomlin very happy, but that 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.640 I'm sure aren't Rooney happy about that as well? As 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.560 are we? I would say we are quite happy. A 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:51.560 little conversation and I think, yeah, it's happy. I think 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:54.120 fans will be happy about that as well. I mean, 0:11:54.760 --> 0:11:59.679 they could go to the practices at Hines Field, but 0:11:59.840 --> 0:12:03.080 it wasn't the same, and it just wasn't. Um you 0:12:03.080 --> 0:12:05.080 had to sit in the stands. You couldn't. They couldn't 0:12:05.080 --> 0:12:08.120 sign autographs. Uh, you know all the stuff that that 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:09.840 that you like to do and take the kids out 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.040 and watch a practice and go to to what I 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:15.000 always call Rooney World where they kids can do the 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:18.120 forty yard dash and all that kind of stuff. I mean, 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:20.760 there's just so much there, you know, that's it's all. 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:22.720 Lock it up the Hill was so cool to me, 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:26.880 you know, signing autographs all sweaty or before practice you're 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.120 right next to them in their pads and they're walking. 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:31.320 For a lot of those guys, Matt, that's what that. 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:34.439 That's all they've got. Like if you're you know, you're 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:37.679 an undrafted free agent or whatever, and you know this, 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:41.160 I would drink that in like it was the golden 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:43.920 nectar of the gods. Like I would. I would stand 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:48.040 there and sign autographs for three hours because you're not 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:50.720 what are you ever gonna get that chance again? Like 0:12:50.760 --> 0:12:53.320 you've got thousands of kids are and maybe you make it, 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:55.120 maybe you don't. I'm sure they all believe they have 0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:57.800 a chance to make it. Oh my god, that's that's 0:12:58.520 --> 0:13:00.520 it's a chance of a lifetime, Like, oh my god, 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:02.920 all these key people are here and they want my autograph. 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:07.040 Are you kidding me? This is great. It's a great environment. 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:09.720 If if you guys have never come sat in the bleachers, 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:11.840 round the hill, whatever, you should definitely do it. And 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:14.439 especially if it's not a crazy ride for you. It's 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:19.000 a cool day. Um, not the knock any of the 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:21.719 wind out of your balloon here. But if you've never 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:24.600 watched an NFL football practice, it's not quite as exciting 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:28.080 as you might think, right right, But it's more about 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.880 the being there. Yeah, and then you know what happens 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.640 before and after practice that that really makes it special. 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:37.480 Stop by radio booth and say hello, and say hello, 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:39.960 we're out there. We're broadcasting. There'll be somebody from Steelers 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:43.520 Nation Radio broadcasting pretty much all day from training camp, 0:13:43.800 --> 0:13:48.240 including ourselves. So it's it's very exciting time. And for 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:51.000 for me as a journalist, I love it because I 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:55.720 get an opportunity to have one on one conversations with 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.600 these guys, um, you know, top of the top of 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.679 the roster, all the way to the bottom, you know, 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:03.040 I you know, I try to talk to fifty or 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:06.439 sixty guys throughout the course of training camp. Uh yeah, 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:09.200 just because you can. You can get them one on 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:10.840 one and you can you can learn a little bit 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:13.560 more about them. Same thing with the coaching staff. You know, 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:15.880 they're there are coaches on the Steelers coaching staff that 0:14:15.920 --> 0:14:18.520 have been here for a couple of years that outside 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.320 of maybe one zoom call or something like that, I 0:14:21.320 --> 0:14:25.480 haven't talked to and a zoom calls a much different. 0:14:25.640 --> 0:14:29.760 It's completely different. People ask me questions about Matt Canada's 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:32.920 you know, what's what's Matt Canada's philosophy. I'll be honest 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:35.040 with you, I don't know, because I haven't had a 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:36.880 one on one conversation with the man. They have to 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:39.080 asked that question. Hey, because I don't want to give 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:43.880 it to everybody else. I'm not gonna ask questions, the 0:14:44.080 --> 0:14:46.000 probing questions like that in front of all the other 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.520 writers because then they're gonna have it too. They want 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:50.080 to ask if they're gonna have to ask it then 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:53.000 privately themselves. So I think I think it's a huge 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:55.960 I think, you know, it will provide much more insight 0:14:56.080 --> 0:14:59.320 into the team. Uh for you know, for a fan perspective, 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:01.920 because they'll be ab the reporters will be able to 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.840 do it to find that stuff out. Uh, it's just 0:15:04.880 --> 0:15:07.480 so much more that you can you can glean from 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.600 being at those practices, and also we can report what 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:13.880 we see. That's huge. That's huge, right, you know that 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:16.640 that's what you talk about it, Yeah, that's absolutely big. 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:18.440 A couple of notes. There are some things you said 0:15:18.720 --> 0:15:22.760 is you will often reference throughout the season or a 0:15:22.840 --> 0:15:26.880 year or two later. Boy, I remember talking to Raider 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.480 at his first from training camp or whatever. You know, 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:31.640 some of these guys that aren't huge names and everyone 0:15:31.640 --> 0:15:33.080 has a mic in their face, you know, the first 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.120 round pick, everyone's talks too. But that that you have 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:39.000 a good knack for picking out the undrafted free agent 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:41.400 that's catching the eyes of coaches or maybe a coach 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:43.360 told you, and that's just that's just kind of Those 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:45.040 are the kind of conversation you know you talked to. 0:15:45.120 --> 0:15:47.120 I make it a point to talk to every position 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:51.160 coach at training camp at least once, sometimes twice, and 0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:53.560 you do that because you want to find out about 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:55.600 these always like, hey, this guy's flashed a little bit. 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:57.800 I've been watching him in my off base there you know, 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:00.800 where's this guy got a chance? And nothing? They might 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:02.760 tell you privately, they're not going to say it publicly. 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:07.920 I don't know the tricks of the trade. I'm not 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:12.200 a reporter, but if a position coach were too unsolicited 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:15.840 mention a name to me, that's not an obvious one, boy, 0:16:15.920 --> 0:16:18.840 I mean, radars go remember, no, no, I'm gonna watch 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:20.600 that guy a little a little more closely and see 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:22.720 what's there. You know, by the same token, I can 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:26.400 remember seeing, you know, James Harrison's first training camp and 0:16:26.440 --> 0:16:28.760 you see James Harrison winning is one on ones like 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.720 crazy and just beating people up, and then you asked 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:33.920 a position coach about it, or one of the coaches 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:37.200 about him, like, yeah, but he doesn't know what he's doing. Yeah, 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:40.480 I don't think that these players know what they're doing. 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:44.440 But you know, like does he aligne right before the snap? 0:16:44.560 --> 0:16:46.640 You know, does he read the play? I mean, they're 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:50.720 so it's mind boggling to me. Whenever you get a 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:53.200 chance to go in a position room or a coach 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:56.680 is only meeting at defensive staff meeting and they're talking 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.040 about the finer, finer points of the game. That's what 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:03.680 they're looking for and you know, I'm not bashing leak Willis. 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:05.160 I love the leak Wills. I hope he's a Steeler, 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:06.919 don't come wrong, but like he knows none of that 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:13.920 stuff yet. Snow, you know, exactly right, right right, totally 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:17.200 multiple clay that could go good or bad, you know. Yeah, 0:17:17.240 --> 0:17:20.080 one last thing I wanted to touch on here. Report 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:23.680 coming out today that Deebo Samuel was asked Tots for 0:17:23.760 --> 0:17:29.119 a trade. Um, people get well the Steelers with the 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:34.919 Steelers trade for Deebo Samuel. Ye, would they be a 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:38.000 whole segment? Yeah, but it would they'd be interested in 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:40.359 Deebo Samuel. Sure, I'm sure they would be interested in 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:44.240 Deebo Samuel. But then you got to pay him. Yes, 0:17:44.680 --> 0:17:47.640 I mean again without going twenty minutes on a diet 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:50.239 tribe about this first off. Two, the Steelers picked up 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:52.840 myleth Boy Catt today. But I think it's a little 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:57.000 bit noteworthy to big strong fast didn't work work with 0:17:57.040 --> 0:18:00.480 the Ravens at all. But it's you mentioned last week 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:02.280 you thought there was more of a need for a 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:04.520 big outside guy than there are. It's an interior and 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:09.880 that fills it, and that it doesn't fill it fill it. 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:12.159 It provides you with a guy who has played NFL 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:16.040 snaps right to fill. At worst, he's your he's your 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:19.600 fifth receiver because he could play special teams right right, 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:23.399 right exactly, you know, so a limit, it lessens the 0:18:23.480 --> 0:18:26.480 need on draft day. But again, this is a huge 0:18:26.480 --> 0:18:28.440 conversation because I think there's a lot going on to 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:31.320 the receiver position in the NFL right now. But Debo 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:34.840 is not alone. He's just the one in in the news. 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:41.800 Metcalf A, J Brown, McLaurin, Deebo and Frankly Deante Johnson 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:44.840 who hasn't made any stink. But all those guys were 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:48.840 drafted on Day two the same year and have been 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:52.399 phenomenal football players. They're heading into year four and heading 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:54.679 into year four and haven't made any money, you know, 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:59.479 like they're frustrated. I mean, and there's massive wide receiver 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:03.520 played iconics, changing moving around the NFL right now. You 0:19:03.600 --> 0:19:06.800 mentioned mc Canada. I think he would adore Deebo Samuel, 0:19:07.320 --> 0:19:09.840 but you gotta pay him a year from now two. 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:12.280 I mean him and Deonte are in the same boat. Yeah, 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:14.000 if you trade for him, then you gotta pay him, 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:17.120 and you what you're gonna have to pay him there's 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:19.639 a reason he wants out of San Francisco because they 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.920 don't want to pay him. Or yeah, I'm not sure 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.760 how all these things are going, you know, because would 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:29.399 you rather And again, seel is gonna face this with 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:31.840 Deante Johnson because it might be a situation too with 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:34.480 with the Deebo Samuel that he doesn't like how they're 0:19:34.520 --> 0:19:37.040 using him. It's possible. I was thinking he's a little 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.560 bit different than everybody else. He maybe look at Disco. 0:19:39.800 --> 0:19:44.160 If if I'm gonna be part running back, part wide receiver, 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:48.240 my career is gonna get shortened. And it will and 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:50.520 it will absolutely know if I'm carrying the balls, if 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:52.520 I'm carrying the ball six to ten times, and there 0:19:52.520 --> 0:19:54.959 were games last year where he had double digit carries 0:19:55.200 --> 0:20:00.320 and these are in the round carries. These are they say, 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:03.679 running back carry's, which makes which makes no sense to me, 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:07.479 because one thing if forts have had left and right 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:12.200 is running backs. Oh yeah, and they've proven for thirty years, 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:14.840 going back to Daddy Shanny, that you can win with 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:18.040 okay running backs. You know, they're better with good ones. 0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:20.920 I think the beating they gave they gave Debo was 0:20:20.960 --> 0:20:23.480 a little foolish but they were Final four team and 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:25.760 they were winning. And it's hard to you know, tell 0:20:25.920 --> 0:20:27.960 a coach that stop doing what you're doing when you're 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:29.919 winning playoff games left and right. But yeah, I mean 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.560 the idea is to win. But right, right, right, you know, 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:35.119 it's not good for debo, not good for debo. But 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.360 I don't I don't see the Steelers getting into that conversation. 0:20:38.680 --> 0:20:40.840 We're gonna take a break. He is Matt Williams and 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:42.800 I am Dale Lally. You're listening to the Drive here 0:20:42.800 --> 0:20:46.280 on Steelers Nation Radio. When we come back. Well, Tom 0:20:46.359 --> 0:20:52.160 mcshae and uh uh right, mel Kiper have put together there. 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:57.600