Speaker 1: Backfors Alpins, Patrick drawing high, Parker Textower. What a win
Speaker 1: for this Miami Dolphin team. Wow? What is up? Dolphins?
Speaker 1: And welcome to the Drivetime Podcast, part of the Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins official podcast network, covering your Miami Dolphins each and
Speaker 1: every day. I am your host, Travis Wingfield, and I'm
Speaker 1: here to bring you your daily dose of Miami Dolphins football.
Speaker 1: And on today's show, our final draft preview interview, we're
Speaker 1: getting back into the trenches on the defensive side of
Speaker 1: the ball. Miami beefed up it's line and linebacker positions
Speaker 1: in free agency, so we'll break that down and talk
Speaker 1: about this interior, edge and linebacker class for next week's
Speaker 1: NFL Draft. And we'll do that with Emery Hunt. All
Speaker 1: of that and more on this Wednesday, April fifteenth edition
Speaker 1: of the Drivetime Podcasts. And we're gonna start this show
Speaker 1: here real quick by giving you a lead into this
Speaker 1: interview with Emery Hunt. And I want to first start
Speaker 1: by telling you this guy is not going to be
Speaker 1: a cookie cutter draft analyst. He has his own rankings,
Speaker 1: his own big board, and it's gonna be different than
Speaker 1: what you've seen from the general consensus We talked a
Speaker 1: lot about different fits and different schemes. Versatile players, guys
Speaker 1: that can play inside, outside, linebackers that can rush, cover,
Speaker 1: defend the run. We talked about the fits for different schemes,
Speaker 1: how the length and athletic ability and fluid movement of
Speaker 1: these players can really help a front seven on the
Speaker 1: defensive side of the football. We also talked about Miami's
Speaker 1: big additions, not just to help the rushing the passer,
Speaker 1: but also setting that edge and giving the defense more
Speaker 1: rush opportunities with a stout run defense early in the
Speaker 1: down and distance. We'll talk about the versatile linebacker group
Speaker 1: with the Landon Roberts, Kyle van Noy, Kamu Gruge Hill.
Speaker 1: Plenty of good content in this podcast from Emery Hunt
Speaker 1: at f Ball game Plan on Twitter. Let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and get to that interview right now and joining the
Speaker 1: podcast now is the owner of foot Ball game Plan.
Speaker 1: He is an in studio analyst, a color commentator, and author.
Speaker 1: He kind of does it all. He's Emery Hunt. Emery,
Speaker 1: thanks for joining me, Man Well, I appreciate you had
Speaker 1: me on. Man always a pleasure. Yeah, we had you on.
Speaker 1: I think it was on Lockdown Dolphins once before, and
Speaker 1: then I had a chance to meet you at the
Speaker 1: Combine back in February, and that was right before things
Speaker 1: got crazy. And it's been about a month and a
Speaker 1: half since that time, Emory, and for me, it feels
Speaker 1: like about a year. How are you doing during the
Speaker 1: shelter employees, self quarantine, all this crazy stuff? Man? Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's been crazy because we also covered the XFL. So
Speaker 1: when you saw me at the Combine, we were doing
Speaker 1: our NFL draft stuff, our combined coverage. Got back on
Speaker 1: the plane to New York and went over to the
Speaker 1: XFL game that Friday or Saturday, um, the Guardians game,
Speaker 1: and that was the last XFL game in history, you know,
Speaker 1: so to speak, which which is unfortunate because now that's
Speaker 1: off the table. Then I looked at my calendar from
Speaker 1: March and it was filled with pro D visits and
Speaker 1: college visits. All of that is not wiped out. So
Speaker 1: it's just been kind of weird to not be out
Speaker 1: and about because I'm usually at somebody's campus, alright, someone's
Speaker 1: pro day, our covery, some sort of football throughout the spring.
Speaker 1: It's got you jumbled up, man, I feel the same way.
Speaker 1: It's just everything's been thrown off, and our schedules are
Speaker 1: different now and we're doing everything this way now through zooming,
Speaker 1: through digital meetings. So it's good to hear that you're
Speaker 1: healthy and you're safe. And I wanted to ask you
Speaker 1: first before we get into the draft. Here we're talking
Speaker 1: about defensive line and linebackers, and I wanted to ask you, Emory,
Speaker 1: because this Dolphin's offseason really made the front seven a
Speaker 1: point of emphasis heading into the draft. Let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and start on the line and talk about the additions
Speaker 1: of Emanuel Ogball and Shack Lawson. What do you think
Speaker 1: of those two guys off the edge for this defensive line. Well,
Speaker 1: they give the Dolphins a lot of depth because those
Speaker 1: guys do a great job and playing rotational roles and
Speaker 1: it does give you a lot of more a lot
Speaker 1: more variety as far as what you can do as
Speaker 1: far as stopping and run or rushing the passer. And
Speaker 1: I like how they're approaching it, Becau, because you have
Speaker 1: a lot of guys um that just look at it. Okay,
Speaker 1: we're building this team this way, but you have to
Speaker 1: build a team to go up against the opponents you have,
Speaker 1: and a lot of times teams get caught in bad
Speaker 1: situations where they may be matched up well versus a
Speaker 1: team that does one thing, but when they face a
Speaker 1: team that does another thing, they can't defend. And so
Speaker 1: what I like about what the Dolphins have done it
Speaker 1: makes them much more versatile. So let's say they're playing
Speaker 1: a team that wants to run the football, well, they
Speaker 1: have defensive line depth that can really help bolsters the
Speaker 1: run stopping efforts. If they play a team that wants
Speaker 1: to air it out, they have guys now that can
Speaker 1: come in and kind of rotate as ed rushers to
Speaker 1: keep that pass for us fresh. So I love the
Speaker 1: approach they did this week, this um all season and
Speaker 1: addressing you know, the depth defensively with guys that can
Speaker 1: do more than one thing. And that was kind of
Speaker 1: the theme of the back half of last year when
Speaker 1: the Dolphins did start to win some games down the stretch,
Speaker 1: winning five of the final nine. They talked about how
Speaker 1: the game plan changes week to week and you can
Speaker 1: be one team one week and a completely other team
Speaker 1: the next week. And I see the same thing there
Speaker 1: where you talk about with a ball and losson and
Speaker 1: their ability both to get up fields pass rushers, but
Speaker 1: also to hold that edge in the running game in
Speaker 1: the area of the Dolphins had to improve, and they did.
Speaker 1: They add those two defensive linemen, but they also add
Speaker 1: three linebackers to that front seven and they can all
Speaker 1: do different things as well. What do you make of
Speaker 1: the collection of Kyle van Noy and the land and Roberts,
Speaker 1: but also Commu Gruge Hill who comes over from Philadelphia
Speaker 1: coverage and and that's big in this era of football.
Speaker 1: You have to be able to cover guys, not just
Speaker 1: it used to be just okay, well we have a
Speaker 1: secondary that can cover, we should be fine, and versus
Speaker 1: the past. Now your linebackers have to be able to cover.
Speaker 1: So the Calvanoi move makes sense. Eldon Landon Roberts makes sense.
Speaker 1: A gruge here is a guy that can they can
Speaker 1: get out there and cover as well. But he also
Speaker 1: helps boaster the special teams unit, which is the third
Speaker 1: aspect of a game. You can win games strictly all
Speaker 1: special teams and one of their facet of a game.
Speaker 1: So I think again, the way they were able to
Speaker 1: go out there and attack free agency just makes what
Speaker 1: they're gonna do in the draft a lot easier because
Speaker 1: they've answered a ton of questions with guys that can
Speaker 1: get out there, play all three dollars, be versatile um
Speaker 1: and also helped them in a situation where hey, we
Speaker 1: have to really, you know, pony up and stop the
Speaker 1: past today when they have backers that can do that
Speaker 1: in coverage. So that helps you not get out of
Speaker 1: your base personnel, so to speak. You can really still
Speaker 1: stay in base and play well there and be and
Speaker 1: be good on both friends. And they have guys that
Speaker 1: now can get up the field and consistently provide that
Speaker 1: pass for us. If you know, the starters get tired,
Speaker 1: that second wave comes in fresh, while the offensive line
Speaker 1: of the opposing team is gas. So I love what
Speaker 1: they've done defensively, and they have three first round picks
Speaker 1: to get even better, and we are going to get
Speaker 1: into this draft class and those three first round picks
Speaker 1: of the Dolphins. Well, I love that you mentioned the
Speaker 1: special teams perspect of it, because Kyle van Nois talked
Speaker 1: about this in the past too. Even though he's a
Speaker 1: guy that plays eight hundred, nine hundred, even up to
Speaker 1: a thousand snaps in a season, he's willing to go
Speaker 1: out there and contribute on special teams. A model of
Speaker 1: playing starters on special teams because, like you said, Emory,
Speaker 1: that's the way you can win and lose football games.
Speaker 1: So why not have your best guys out there and
Speaker 1: contribute when you can get them out there onto the field.
Speaker 1: So a great point there, But you mentioned the draft.
Speaker 1: I want to get into that now here, because this
Speaker 1: is the area you really excel in with all the
Speaker 1: crossover with professional football college ball. I didn't know you
Speaker 1: were doing XFL. Man, you you do it all. It's
Speaker 1: it's awesome to hear. I love seeing you kind of
Speaker 1: come up from where you were and get into this
Speaker 1: position now where you're one of the foremost opinions. And
Speaker 1: that's why I wanted to have you on this podcast,
Speaker 1: and you've been covering this draft since I knew you
Speaker 1: way back in the message board days. Let's go ahead
Speaker 1: and start up front here, Emory. First, when you look
Speaker 1: at the edge position, for you, how do you classify
Speaker 1: different guys off the edge, Like maybe one guy is
Speaker 1: a rush specialist, maybe one guy is more of a
Speaker 1: base run defender. How do you separate that and kind
Speaker 1: of differentiate the value between those two classifications. Well, I'm
Speaker 1: glad you asked that that way because That's how I
Speaker 1: break down my my draft analysis and my scouting because
Speaker 1: you can't, let's say, for instance, the receiver position. You
Speaker 1: can't just rank here my top ten receivers. Well, guys
Speaker 1: play different positions. Like you can't ask Cole Beasley, you
Speaker 1: can't read him against Calvin Johnson. They're playing two separate positions. Um,
Speaker 1: he's a slot and Johnson is on the outside. So
Speaker 1: with the defensive line, I do the same thing. I
Speaker 1: have four or three defensive ends that a greade defensive tackles,
Speaker 1: and those tackles five techniques or four eye defensive vents,
Speaker 1: guys that are probably a better fit inside but have
Speaker 1: a little bit of pass rushing presence, but you see
Speaker 1: could see them playing and and maybe a three or
Speaker 1: four defense. And your edge rushers, which are separate from
Speaker 1: your outside linebackers and your inside linebackers. To me, edge
Speaker 1: rushers are you know, I grew up in the arroway
Speaker 1: edge rushers. Essentially we're week side defensive ends. So I
Speaker 1: still look at him as week side defensive events. So
Speaker 1: guys that you can play with their hand on off
Speaker 1: the ground and the strictly in a rush situation. So
Speaker 1: that's how I differentiate between the talent that you see
Speaker 1: coming in instead of ranking defensive ends defensive tackles. Would
Speaker 1: you say that there are a strong split between those two.
Speaker 1: Let's let's talk about maybe the top fifty players are
Speaker 1: so on your big border edge distinctions. Do you say that?
Speaker 1: Would you say there's a big difference between those two
Speaker 1: classifications this year, like which guys fall into the pass
Speaker 1: rush group and which guys fall into the more base
Speaker 1: rundown defensive end. Cha Chung is the number one four
Speaker 1: three defensive end. I don't even see see him as
Speaker 1: an address. I see him as your standard for three
Speaker 1: defensive end that can really just play down and down
Speaker 1: with his hand in the ground. As far as edge
Speaker 1: rushes are concerned, to answer your question, I think a
Speaker 1: lot of it is closer to the top. So whoever
Speaker 1: I have is number one, it's probably a point to
Speaker 1: have different than who I have at number ten. So
Speaker 1: I think the add rush group for me at least
Speaker 1: is a lot closer than the defensive end group. With
Speaker 1: Chase Young, Jabari Zunigata Florida, those guys or are your
Speaker 1: defensive ends, while other guys I tend to view as
Speaker 1: more ed rushes. I know a lot of times you're here,
Speaker 1: folks kind of blend the two. Um. They may look
Speaker 1: at a guy, let's say you tour Gross Mottoes as
Speaker 1: a d rusher. I see him as a defensive end,
Speaker 1: you know. I see him as a guy that can play,
Speaker 1: play the run with his hand in the ground, down
Speaker 1: and down out, hold the edge, and do those things
Speaker 1: that you would ask the defensive in a dude. Just
Speaker 1: supposed to a guy like Bradley an out of Utah
Speaker 1: who I see as a straight edge rusher, guy that
Speaker 1: can really get up the field and get after the quarterback.
Speaker 1: You mentioned Bradley and either Bradley in a from Utah
Speaker 1: and kind of the differentiating between he and Chase Young.
Speaker 1: But there are some guys maybe on day three that
Speaker 1: can maybe do a little bit more in terms of versatility,
Speaker 1: but maybe they don't have the background of the makeup,
Speaker 1: with the small school pedigree, whatever it might be guys
Speaker 1: to fall into that day three group. Can you talk
Speaker 1: about some players in that range that might be able
Speaker 1: to come onto a roster and maybe they don't have
Speaker 1: immediate impacts, they can develop into a guy that can
Speaker 1: do multiple roles like you mentioned and play all over
Speaker 1: the defensive line. I like Aaron Patrick out of Eastern
Speaker 1: Kentucky watching him, you know, we cover a lot of
Speaker 1: FCS football and football game plan and just watching him
Speaker 1: develop into one of the best pass rushers at the
Speaker 1: FCS level. He's a long, tightly you know, compacted athlete
Speaker 1: six four about two fifty, but built more like um
Speaker 1: Barkavis Mingo. Patrick is a guy that can really turn
Speaker 1: the corner and flatten that line between he and the
Speaker 1: quarterback and get after the quarterback. He was very disruptive
Speaker 1: for the Colonels and Austin Edwards out of Ferres State
Speaker 1: played well down at the East West Shrine Bowl. And
Speaker 1: he's one that can play on the edge. You saw
Speaker 1: him sometimes play inside like a five, and he can
Speaker 1: really pressure up quarterback real strong at the point of attack.
Speaker 1: Big fan of what Bright Stirk does as well too,
Speaker 1: out of Montana State, another East West Shrine Bowl participant
Speaker 1: that can really get after the quarterback. He was another
Speaker 1: one of those guys I thought this year, you know
Speaker 1: they have the Bucket Buchanan, a ward which is given
Speaker 1: to the top defensive lineman at the FCS level. I
Speaker 1: thought he should have won that war. He actually voted
Speaker 1: for him to win the award. Um it went to
Speaker 1: Dante Olsen, who's another tremendous player at linebacker. I played
Speaker 1: the Shrine Bowl, so it was splitting the hairs between
Speaker 1: one and two. But Stirk was one that really was
Speaker 1: a disruptive force for the Bobcats on that defense. I
Speaker 1: want to talk to you about three guys here. I
Speaker 1: have a potential swing players that can play inside, outside,
Speaker 1: maybe even go off ball and play linebacker. And they
Speaker 1: are Alex Highsmith of Charlotte. They are Trevis Gibson of Tulsa,
Speaker 1: and my last one is Jason Strowbridge from North Carolina.
Speaker 1: How do you separate those three guys and about where
Speaker 1: do you see their value in this year's draft? Well,
Speaker 1: you mentioned three guys, and for me, they played three
Speaker 1: different positions. You talked about Hi Smith, he plays the edge,
Speaker 1: UM Strowbridge plays the five tech I look at it,
Speaker 1: and Gibson plays the four three defensive end. So looking
Speaker 1: at Gibson, I thought he stood out to me at
Speaker 1: the Senior Bowl. UM, and my draft process genuinely starts
Speaker 1: are generally starts at the Senior Bowl. Then I go
Speaker 1: back and watch the film and then I great because
Speaker 1: I don't want that All Star Game exposure to be
Speaker 1: the only exposure I get to a prospect. So you
Speaker 1: go back and watch the film and you love it
Speaker 1: when you see what you saw at the Senior Bowl
Speaker 1: consistently over the course of four games, when you break
Speaker 1: down a prospect, and you saw that with Gibson, who
Speaker 1: was tremendous for Tulsa. I thought Tulsas defensively, our defense
Speaker 1: was probably under it. There's four guys from Tulsa that
Speaker 1: should be getting looks at at the NFL Draft and
Speaker 1: may even end up getting drafted. So they were really
Speaker 1: good individually defensively this past season. Strowbridge, I was at
Speaker 1: that pit U n C game and he saw him
Speaker 1: moved all around the formation and we saw him drop
Speaker 1: in coverage at times. So he has the versatility to
Speaker 1: play any position or any technique up front. So you
Speaker 1: like that versatility. He also had a solid week at
Speaker 1: the Senior Bowl as well. And everyone is high on
Speaker 1: Alex Heisman rightfully so, because he's a guy that was
Speaker 1: very productive, self made man. You'd like to say he
Speaker 1: was a walk on that Earnder scholarship, became a premier
Speaker 1: player for the four Niners, And what was great about
Speaker 1: his tape was that teams came in knowing they had
Speaker 1: to find a way to stop him. He was their
Speaker 1: best defensive player, and knowing that and still being able
Speaker 1: to dominate and be disruptive tells you a lot about
Speaker 1: what he brings to the table. I think he is
Speaker 1: a guy that just was excellent, and I also feel
Speaker 1: as though he would be a fantastic core special teamer,
Speaker 1: and that's always the key. Can guys excel on special
Speaker 1: teams earned there, keep there while being a sub package
Speaker 1: player before jumping into a starting role. Yeah, explosive, twitched up,
Speaker 1: and he has the fire and the and the the
Speaker 1: motor that really helps him play on a special teams
Speaker 1: level as well too. So I love that note. And
Speaker 1: this is why I love having you on Emery, because
Speaker 1: you can go so deep into your into your draft
Speaker 1: notes here and give us prospects late and Day three,
Speaker 1: maybe even U d f as at some point. But
Speaker 1: I do want to go back to the top of
Speaker 1: the draft class with this particular position group off that
Speaker 1: edge and just kind of ask you to go over
Speaker 1: your top five or six guys and let me tell
Speaker 1: me one trade about these guys you think really makes
Speaker 1: them stand out. You told us Chase Young already, what
Speaker 1: about beyond Chase Young? Well as the defensive end, youngest
Speaker 1: is number one. At number two, I have Jabari zunigauta Florida.
Speaker 1: I thought he was another one that really had bird's
Speaker 1: coming off the edge and could close on the quarterback.
Speaker 1: At three, I have Ladarius hamilt And out of North Texas.
Speaker 1: He was one that despite him being six two sixty,
Speaker 1: he is a guy that can play with his hand
Speaker 1: in the ground. You think about Robert Matthis, you think
Speaker 1: about those type of players. He was explosive. He has
Speaker 1: a lot of different ways to get to the quarterback. Four,
Speaker 1: I have your tour Gross Spontos out of Penn State.
Speaker 1: Was able to see him live at the against Maryland.
Speaker 1: Like what he was able to do against that spread offense.
Speaker 1: They really love to, you know, spread you out, push
Speaker 1: the tempo. He was very disruptive there. And five I
Speaker 1: have Darryl Taylor out of Tennessee another one of these bigger,
Speaker 1: burrely guys that can that You know that on paper
Speaker 1: looks six. You think, well he maybe he's an edge guy.
Speaker 1: Now he can hold his own at the point of attack,
Speaker 1: very strong run defender and can collapse a pocket with
Speaker 1: that strength. So outside the top five. Rondelle Carter out
Speaker 1: of James Madison. You watch him and John Dodca the
Speaker 1: two ends for James Madison. They were always in the
Speaker 1: opposing backfield. Doctors worl of an outside linebacker and Rondelle Carter.
Speaker 1: It's your standard defenseman. He was at Rutgers then transferred
Speaker 1: to j m U. We saw him get the championship game.
Speaker 1: You're looking at five text A. J Epiness is another one.
Speaker 1: I think he would be one of those type of
Speaker 1: guys that Miami would love because he's versatile. He has
Speaker 1: a multiple a multi step approach to where he can
Speaker 1: play the run, he can rush the past. He's not
Speaker 1: a speed guy off the edge per se, but he
Speaker 1: wins with the ability to turn the corner. He uses
Speaker 1: his hands very well. It can get to the quarterback
Speaker 1: that way. I like his game. At number two, I
Speaker 1: have Joe Gaziano out of Northwestern. Was surprised that not
Speaker 1: a lot of talk was coming from his his direction
Speaker 1: because he was impressive off off the film and you
Speaker 1: watch him compete down and down out. Another one of
Speaker 1: these guys that draws double teams. Third Darius Moraine out
Speaker 1: of Kansas. And and here's a situation where you really
Speaker 1: have to put your scouting hat on because Morange was
Speaker 1: playing you know, he was playing a five tech at
Speaker 1: Kansas six six to nineties seven. But I was down
Speaker 1: at the Tropical Bowl this year, which is I was
Speaker 1: a color analyst on the Tropical Bowl broadcast, which is
Speaker 1: another All Star game prior to the East West Shrine Bowl,
Speaker 1: and we saw him play more of a seven and
Speaker 1: in one on one, you're like, man, they had him
Speaker 1: just pretty much occupying a gap at Kansas, but here
Speaker 1: in the All Star Game, he really can rush the past,
Speaker 1: so he can play defensive end. He's just a bigger
Speaker 1: body defensive end, which is great because it gives you
Speaker 1: that versatility. And and four have Mardin Davidson out of
Speaker 1: Auburn versatility. I knew Auburn had him playing out there
Speaker 1: on the edge, but he's another one of these players
Speaker 1: that can play anywhere up front and be successful. In
Speaker 1: five Strowbridge we talked about earlier and Rousing out of
Speaker 1: my edge rushers Bradley and a we talked about nine
Speaker 1: out of Utah. You know, just hustle player, typical Utah player,
Speaker 1: you know, the guy that just constantly is in the
Speaker 1: backfield and and hair on fire, brights off of the
Speaker 1: number two out of Memphis. I thought Memphisis defense had
Speaker 1: some studs on it as well. He reminds me a
Speaker 1: lot of Ladarius Hamilton's Aaron Patrick. We talked about that
Speaker 1: number three, high smooth, We talked about it, number four
Speaker 1: and the number five. I do have Chauncey Rivers out
Speaker 1: of Mississippi State, and he's different than he's built like
Speaker 1: what we talked about who at Ladarius Hamilton's. They're about
Speaker 1: the same size. But I like his fluidity as far
Speaker 1: as being able to drop in coverage, being able to
Speaker 1: really play with his hand off the ground. He's not
Speaker 1: awkward in space and he's also very productive. Do you
Speaker 1: think that that you mentioned the fluidity of the kind
Speaker 1: of ability drop into coverage, do you think that also
Speaker 1: translates to a guy that can run games and kind
Speaker 1: of slant off the defensive line and run the looper
Speaker 1: and stunts and that type of thing. Yeah, because you
Speaker 1: want guys that have the ability to close space quickly,
Speaker 1: and if you're stiff athletically, you can't do that, So
Speaker 1: you're if you're fluid enough to where you can, you know,
Speaker 1: go from a drop back and planting acceleray to the
Speaker 1: quarterback or running run around blocks, or come from a
Speaker 1: seven and then crashed into a five technique. You want
Speaker 1: guys that have the ability to move, because if you can't,
Speaker 1: you're better off just putting your hand in the dirt
Speaker 1: and just going up field. Let's go ahead and move
Speaker 1: inside here he has Emery Hunt of football game plan
Speaker 1: here on the Drivetime podcast, the official Miami Dolphins podcast network.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Travis Wingfield, and Emery. I want to
Speaker 1: get to these big guys inside because there are some
Speaker 1: players that I think a lot of folks like on
Speaker 1: the interior of this defensive line. And whether or not
Speaker 1: you want to call them true noses or guys that
Speaker 1: can play anywhere from the zero technique head up over
Speaker 1: the center all the way out to the three technique.
Speaker 1: You know, maybe there's some different opinions on what guys
Speaker 1: can do that, but can you just kind of walk
Speaker 1: us through guys that play really more inside the tackles
Speaker 1: on the interior defensive line? Sure, and um Darry Brown
Speaker 1: is one of them. Obviously, he's my number one defensive
Speaker 1: tackle out of Auburn h arguably one of the top
Speaker 1: defensive players in the draft. And kin Law out of
Speaker 1: South Carolina. Javon kin Law is another one that you
Speaker 1: watch and you like that he can play inside and
Speaker 1: he's another one that you could probably see as a
Speaker 1: five tech in a three or four defense, but he
Speaker 1: can also hold his own as a one or three
Speaker 1: and really as a tilted knows I think he could
Speaker 1: really do some damage. Roderick Washington is number three out
Speaker 1: of Texas Tech. Watching Texas Texas defense, I think he
Speaker 1: was criminally underrated and what he was able to do
Speaker 1: from a ball get off standpoint, how he's able to
Speaker 1: rush the passer despite playing the notes. He was a
Speaker 1: pocket collapser, and I thought he did a great job
Speaker 1: in getting off blocks. Um and number four Rolls Blacklock
Speaker 1: out of TCU. I know he had the injury concerns,
Speaker 1: but outside of that, his tape was I love how
Speaker 1: he was just quick off the ball and disruptive and
Speaker 1: those types of guys you want up front on the
Speaker 1: interior because it makes things hard for the running back
Speaker 1: and also for the quarterback if you're getting that quick
Speaker 1: interior pressure. And number five is Garrett Marino. Have you
Speaker 1: a bat? He was another one of these players that
Speaker 1: you watched and you just you you kind of start
Speaker 1: to root for because he was he played with almost
Speaker 1: like a youthful exuberance out there on the field, but
Speaker 1: he was so disruptive, so dominant um from his defensive
Speaker 1: tackle position. And he's another he's more of your three
Speaker 1: tech and a guy that it can really just whip
Speaker 1: a guard day in day out um on the inside
Speaker 1: because of his quickness those tackles. If you're looking for guys,
Speaker 1: I'm a big fan of ray Kwon Davis out of Alabama,
Speaker 1: And this is the difference between, you know, guys doing
Speaker 1: what they were asked to do versus what they can do.
Speaker 1: So you look at ree Kwon Davis and ray Kwan
Speaker 1: Williams from Michigan Michigan State. They were asked to play nose.
Speaker 1: But when you talk to them or when you watch
Speaker 1: them play individually, like Yo, these dudes have quickness. They
Speaker 1: also use their hands very well. They can penetrate. So
Speaker 1: they are playing the nose because it's required within this defense.
Speaker 1: But there are guys that can also probably kick out
Speaker 1: and play one three or even a five, so they
Speaker 1: give you some versatility and lucky foltwo out of Utah.
Speaker 1: I was a big fan of his game on tape.
Speaker 1: You know again, typical Utah defensive player. Um, guys, that's
Speaker 1: just stout aggressive but football aware, smart. It finds a
Speaker 1: way to be disruptive. Every single one of those Utah
Speaker 1: kids I talked you with the combine, they are more
Speaker 1: impressive than the last. So I'm glad you mentioned leaky
Speaker 1: there towards the end of that and you talk about
Speaker 1: you know, it's kind of like a good way to
Speaker 1: dispel a trope that you just did there, And I
Speaker 1: really appreciate that because a lot of times it's like
Speaker 1: it's like running backs. Right running back gets ten or
Speaker 1: twelve catches a senior year. He can't he can't catch football,
Speaker 1: he can't run pass routs. But it's because he wasn't
Speaker 1: asked to, it wasn't part of the system. So you've
Speaker 1: got to look more for the projection there when it
Speaker 1: comes to projecting the next level and what they might
Speaker 1: be able to do with that spot. So Emory, if
Speaker 1: I had to ask you if I was shopping for
Speaker 1: a let's say two hundred three hundred snap nose tackle
Speaker 1: on day three, A big, beefy guy that would get
Speaker 1: in there on day three and contribute with a few
Speaker 1: reps in the you know, even his rookie year. Who
Speaker 1: would that guy be? It will probably be Phoe Too
Speaker 1: out of Utah because if you if you're looking for
Speaker 1: a traditional nose tackle, I got to and getting there
Speaker 1: and you know, be a run defender right away. Photo
Speaker 1: would be that guy. If you're looking for a little
Speaker 1: bit more versatility, you're looking at both the re Kwins,
Speaker 1: Kwan william At Williamson, also Rekwon Davis. So plenty of
Speaker 1: options up front there for your Miami Dolphins fourteen draft picks.
Speaker 1: We have one more position I want to hit for
Speaker 1: you here, Emery, and that's the linebackers, the off ball guys.
Speaker 1: This Dolphins linebacker group has some depth to it now,
Speaker 1: Ray Kwa, McMillan, Jerome Baker, whether you classify Kyle Van
Speaker 1: Noise and off ball on ball guy Andrew Van Ginkle,
Speaker 1: Vince Bagle. It's deep here. But who are some guys
Speaker 1: in this draft at the top that you like that
Speaker 1: could come into a defense and give you that sideline
Speaker 1: to sideline range and really kind of be a mainstay
Speaker 1: at the middle linebacker spot. One guy that I would
Speaker 1: hate to and I play running back in college, so
Speaker 1: this is, you know, one guy that I would hate
Speaker 1: to have faced would be a Keem David's gate there,
Speaker 1: uh from app State, because he's so instinctive, he's so fast,
Speaker 1: and he's just a nuisance, like he beat you to
Speaker 1: the spot. He's a guy that that seems like he's
Speaker 1: in the offensive huddle and when you're looking at someone
Speaker 1: that's that football aware that's smart, but also that athletic
Speaker 1: um can play both the run and also in coverage.
Speaker 1: He reminds me a lot of Telvin Smith that played
Speaker 1: for Florida State that you know ended up playing a
Speaker 1: little bit in the NFL as well for a recently retire.
Speaker 1: But David's gaither is one of those guys that you
Speaker 1: just look at you just like, man, this is gonna
Speaker 1: be a problem. We have to block twenty four otherwise
Speaker 1: we won't get nothing done offensively. So he would be
Speaker 1: one that obviously that you you look at and if
Speaker 1: you know obviously you look at guys like you know
Speaker 1: Asaiah simmons Um, he's a He's a great one. Kenneth Murray,
Speaker 1: the nside backer Jordan I really like out of Texas Tech.
Speaker 1: He's one of those guys that UM another one. He
Speaker 1: reminds me a lot of Keem Davis Gaithering and the
Speaker 1: fact that you know the man is dude is always
Speaker 1: where I know I'm gonna go. He's already there and
Speaker 1: I have to see him at some point in time
Speaker 1: in the hole, and he wins those battles nine times
Speaker 1: out of ten. So I like those guys um as
Speaker 1: far as you know what they bring from an athletic standpoint.
Speaker 1: They're your classic running chase guys, but they don't have
Speaker 1: to leave the field. They can play both man and
Speaker 1: also zone coverage really well. It seems like there's I
Speaker 1: don't know if this is more new in recent times
Speaker 1: or if it's something I'm noticing this year, but it
Speaker 1: seems like a lot of these linebackers they're getting more instinctive. Man,
Speaker 1: Like you mentioned Kenneth Murray and how fast he is
Speaker 1: to the ball. Keem Davis Gaither, same same story there,
Speaker 1: and Patrick Queen from l s U it's the same
Speaker 1: story for him. This place speed matches their instincts and man,
Speaker 1: it gets into the football, so quick before we go
Speaker 1: to the edge position and talk about Caleb and Chase
Speaker 1: on those guys, I do want to come back to
Speaker 1: a Keem Davis caith here because I've read some stuff
Speaker 1: on him. Maybe he moves back to safety, maybe he
Speaker 1: plays linebacker. Where do you think his ideal spot is
Speaker 1: in the NFL defense? I think you have to play
Speaker 1: like that on defense, and a lot of it depends
Speaker 1: on the matchup. You know, you may face a team
Speaker 1: that that is a week running the football. So okay,
Speaker 1: we're gonna need you be a little bit more close
Speaker 1: to the line of scrimmage because of the day. We
Speaker 1: know you could beat this tackle or this tight end.
Speaker 1: We need you to be a blitzer because he's that
Speaker 1: running back in the backfield struggles to pick up you know, blitzzes.
Speaker 1: So we want you close to the line of scrimpin
Speaker 1: so we can blitz. Hey, we're playing a team that
Speaker 1: spreads you out. We need you as a as a
Speaker 1: slot safety, a guy that can get out there and
Speaker 1: cover one on one. I really play zone, um, you know,
Speaker 1: in the short area of the field, you know, in
Speaker 1: the passing game. So I think it depends on the opponent.
Speaker 1: How you utilize him. I just like the fact that
Speaker 1: he makes plays. He's the one that always ends up
Speaker 1: either involved with the play or with the ball in
Speaker 1: his hands. So I'll give you a chance to go
Speaker 1: ahead and just run down your list here because I
Speaker 1: mentioned it off the top Caleb and Chaison. Is he
Speaker 1: your top guy? And if not, who is? I just
Speaker 1: kind of run through the list of edge rushers and
Speaker 1: maybe more and more of guys that can do both.
Speaker 1: You know, the Josh j is the caleban Chason's guys
Speaker 1: that can cover, defend the run, and rush the passer. Well,
Speaker 1: caleban Chashan is a guy that that you know you want.
Speaker 1: You like the athleticism, you like the traits, but you
Speaker 1: want to see the production match up to that. I
Speaker 1: have him as my third teen outside linebacker, so I
Speaker 1: see him as someone has a lot of room to
Speaker 1: grow and get better, which is great because in the NFL,
Speaker 1: you want guys as much as they say they want
Speaker 1: finished products, you want guys that continue to get better
Speaker 1: and grow. So he has the upside that people look for.
Speaker 1: Um As far as out backers, Simmons is number one,
Speaker 1: Brown is number three, Patrick Queen is number four, and
Speaker 1: Cam Brown is number five. You know you share his
Speaker 1: number six. I like what you shape does. I think
Speaker 1: he's versible to play outside and inside Brown, I think
Speaker 1: is I hate saying Brown is just like Simmons in
Speaker 1: the regard that he is a long, athletic guy that
Speaker 1: can match up. I was at the Maryland game, like
Speaker 1: I mentioned earlier, first player of the game. He's lined
Speaker 1: up over number two, and you you're seeing a guy
Speaker 1: that's not like six eighteen six five to thirty lined
Speaker 1: up versus the team's number two receiver, you know, inside,
Speaker 1: with a lot of space to run and not looking
Speaker 1: awkward in space. So I'm a big fan of Cam
Speaker 1: Brown at what he brings to the table. Those guys
Speaker 1: usually pounds out there right exactly, or you look at
Speaker 1: him and you spect him. Okay, he's gonna line up
Speaker 1: out there, but as the caden start to wind down,
Speaker 1: he'll come quickly and put his hand in ground and
Speaker 1: rush the pass. And no stayed out there and played,
Speaker 1: you know, out in space. A lot net ball game
Speaker 1: against the team in Maryland that is legit fast across
Speaker 1: the board. So you have to be able to match
Speaker 1: up athletically, and you have to take proper angles to
Speaker 1: the ball carry because you're dealing with a guy like
Speaker 1: Anthony McFarland that is one bad angle away from bringing
Speaker 1: it to the house. So I'm a big fan of
Speaker 1: Cambron and when he brings the table. Murray and Brooks
Speaker 1: are my two top inside backers. Third, I have Evan
Speaker 1: Weaver out of Cal. We Were was a guy I
Speaker 1: was on my way to UH calling a game on
Speaker 1: a Saturday, so I'm at the hotel and they played
Speaker 1: on a Friday, so I got a chance to check
Speaker 1: him out. I was like, you know, everyone's talking about
Speaker 1: this linebacker from Cal. Let me go check him out.
Speaker 1: And that Friday night they played Arizona State, and I'm thinking,
Speaker 1: you know, when people hype up these players that you
Speaker 1: see on Twitter all the time, you think the guy
Speaker 1: may not be able to play. So you watch him
Speaker 1: and within the first drive, like, man, this dude made
Speaker 1: all these plays, Like the first three plays he made
Speaker 1: um and then you watch him just be playing extinctive
Speaker 1: and for me, hawking back memories of a guy like
Speaker 1: Brian Urlacher. Maybe you know a guy that that can.
Speaker 1: He just seems like he gets it. He tastes good
Speaker 1: angles to the ball, he plays well on both ends,
Speaker 1: and he's an impactful tackler. Number four is Logan Wilson
Speaker 1: out of Wyoming. I think he's another one that can
Speaker 1: play in any defense all three positions. Um, he can
Speaker 1: rush the passer, he can chase the run going away
Speaker 1: from him. He could you know, fit up the run
Speaker 1: real well, drops back in his zone. He can match
Speaker 1: up and and man. So I like him and and
Speaker 1: also Jordan mac Brown is out my top five for Virginia.
Speaker 1: He talked about football instincts. He has that uh in spades,
Speaker 1: and he's another one that plays instinctive, plays aggressive the
Speaker 1: right way, and also has the ability to match up
Speaker 1: in man. Now see, I quite fancy myself a West
Speaker 1: Coast football guy when it comes to college because I
Speaker 1: live in the Pacific Northwest before I moved to Miami,
Speaker 1: of course, and I love those two guys you mentioned,
Speaker 1: Evan Weaver and Logan Wilson. Two guys that play the
Speaker 1: game right. They play the game hard, smart, tough, discipline,
Speaker 1: and Wilson certainly is that kind of guy. But Evan Weaver,
Speaker 1: he is so fascinating to me because when you turn
Speaker 1: the tape on, he's not the classic looking linebacker just
Speaker 1: in terms of his build. But you turn the tape
Speaker 1: on and that guy is dominant and there was probably
Speaker 1: no more productive linebacker in college football last year. And
Speaker 1: to top it off, he looks like the linebacker from
Speaker 1: Remember the Titans too, So I love that exactly, exactly,
Speaker 1: good to go. He's a doppel ganger. Man, It's great.
Speaker 1: The Wilson kid. He does everything for a while, like
Speaker 1: you mentioned there. And then one last question for you, her, Emry.
Speaker 1: I gotta ask you because you know, we got our
Speaker 1: virtual draft here on the Miami Dolphins social page. How
Speaker 1: are you covering this thing? Oh that's a great point.
Speaker 1: I'll be sitting there with my you know, football game
Speaker 1: playing draft guy. That's seven two pages full scotta reports
Speaker 1: on on prospects, just going through that and just earmarking
Speaker 1: guys that are getting drafted in, you know, seeing where
Speaker 1: they're fitting and him making that move. Okay, if this
Speaker 1: guy is here, let's see how he fits in and
Speaker 1: start working that process like that. So people can also
Speaker 1: pick up that drag raft. He wants to a Football
Speaker 1: game plan dot Com. Last draft guy, how you heard
Speaker 1: it there? Pick up his draft guide. He is Emery Hunt.
Speaker 1: You can find him on Twitter at f Ball game
Speaker 1: Plan for Football game Plan, Emory, thanks a lot for
Speaker 1: doing this man. Hopefully things we'll get back to normal
Speaker 1: again here soon. I can see you next year in
Speaker 1: mobile and an Indie. Appreciate you, Travis anytime. Man, thanks
Speaker 1: a lot for having me on, and away he goes.
Speaker 1: He is Emery Hunt. Don't forget to check out his
Speaker 1: draft guide on Football game plan dot com slash draft Guide.
Speaker 1: It's gonna be so unique compared to what you see
Speaker 1: from other draft experts. And me and Emery were on
Speaker 1: the podcast afterwards are off air from the podcast, I
Speaker 1: should say, talking about some of his rankings in the past,
Speaker 1: the guy had Lamar Jackson number one. He was very
Speaker 1: strong in that belief in that quarterback class. So he's
Speaker 1: not afraid to go off the reservation a little bit,
Speaker 1: but he does it with such innate detail and it
Speaker 1: really really provides the draft viewer the consume we're with
Speaker 1: a better perspective on the game. So check that out,
Speaker 1: Emery Hunt Football game Plan Draft Guide. That's gonna wrap
Speaker 1: up our position by a position preview here on the
Speaker 1: Drivetime podcast. We will have the Chris Career presser on
Speaker 1: tomorrow's podcast as well as your mail bag questions. Go
Speaker 1: to my timeline find that thread, post a question in
Speaker 1: the mail bag. We're gonna talk about it on the podcast,
Speaker 1: probably have an article on it as well, and again,
Speaker 1: of course we'll cover the Chris career media availability. Friday
Speaker 1: will be flashback. I'm talking to Chad Pennington and maybe
Speaker 1: Anthony Fasano about the Wildcat game from two thousand eight.
Speaker 1: And the next week more draft coverage up until Thursday,
Speaker 1: when the draft does kick off. I'll be hosting with
Speaker 1: John con Jemmy and kim Bo Camper on the Miami
Speaker 1: Dolphins Virtual Draft. We're gonna have plenty of content for
Speaker 1: you guys, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Miami Dolphins dot com, YouTube,
Speaker 1: wherever you can find social media, you can find us
Speaker 1: on there, so check that out. In the meantime, that's
Speaker 1: gonna be my time for today's podcast. You all please
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Speaker 1: Until next time, fins up.