Speaker 1: Welcome back. I'm Dale Alli. He is Matt Williamson, and
Speaker 1: we're going over Bill Barmwell's list of best skill position
Speaker 1: guys for each NFL team, and we've gotten down to
Speaker 1: number fourteen. Here just to run you through the list
Speaker 1: here real quick to get to catch up to speed
Speaker 1: if you didn't listen to the previous segment. At number
Speaker 1: thirty or I'm sorry thirty two. The Houston Texans at
Speaker 1: number thirty one, the Carolina Panthers at number thirty, the
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals twenty nine, the Tennessee Titans twenty eight, the
Speaker 1: Green Bay Packers, by the way, Steelers play a bunch
Speaker 1: of these teams at the bottom of this list at
Speaker 1: twenty seven, the New York Giants at twenty six, the
Speaker 1: New England Patriots at twenty five, the Indianapolis Colts at
Speaker 1: twenty four, of the Denver Broncos twenty three, the Los
Speaker 1: Angeles Rams twenty two, of the New York Jets twenty one,
Speaker 1: the Washington Commanders at twenty, the Buffalo Bills nineteen, the
Speaker 1: Kansas City Chiefs eighteen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seventeen, the
Speaker 1: Chicago Bears sixteen, the Detroit Lions fifteen the Baltimore Ravens,
Speaker 1: and that takes us the team number fourteen. They were
Speaker 1: nineteenth going into twenty twenty one. They were twenty first
Speaker 1: going into twenty twenty two. That would be your New
Speaker 1: Orleans Saints at fourteen.
Speaker 2: Okay, So I was thinking about this one for a
Speaker 2: while because if the Jets were like twenty two or
Speaker 2: something like that, and let's just say a Lave and
Speaker 2: Wilson cancel each other out, maybe one of you out
Speaker 2: there likes one more than the other. I think they're
Speaker 2: both really, really good. I don't think the Jets supporting
Speaker 2: cast over the rest of the Saints supporting cast, especially
Speaker 2: with the Kamara potential.
Speaker 1: There's no but the potential suspension is not a suspension
Speaker 1: as of yet. I know, I know, and given the
Speaker 1: ways the league does things, I don't know if he's
Speaker 1: going to get suspended or not. I have no idea.
Speaker 2: I thought that would happen by now and it hit.
Speaker 2: I'm Michael Thomas for a lot of snaps.
Speaker 1: But Rashid Rahika, Rashid Shaheed is good. Yeah. When he
Speaker 1: when he went into the starting lineup in week thirteen,
Speaker 1: he had twenty After that point, on from that point on.
Speaker 1: So you're talking five weeks, twenty catches for three and
Speaker 1: twenty four yards in a touchdown.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm glad you brought him up because I don't
Speaker 2: think most people look at the Saints receivers this way,
Speaker 2: but I think a Lave and Shaheed are the starters.
Speaker 2: I mean one because they're they're they're the most viable guys.
Speaker 1: Uh. Juwan Johnson had forty two catches and seven touchdowns
Speaker 1: last year.
Speaker 2: He's a sneaky dude too.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So I mean they've got some. They got some,
Speaker 1: and you're you know, Kamara's good. Jamal Williams had seventeen
Speaker 1: touchdowns for the Lions last year. Is he going to
Speaker 1: do that again? Probably not, but he's a solid number
Speaker 1: two back.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Well they drafted a third round back too, and
Speaker 2: Kendrick So yeah, they're very similar to the Jets.
Speaker 1: Well, I would add the Jets higher than the Ravens.
Speaker 2: But how were the Jets higher than they were? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, at thirteen, they were fifteenth. Going into twenty
Speaker 1: twenty one, they were twelfth. In twenty twenty two, they
Speaker 1: are thirteenth this year.
Speaker 2: The Pittsburgh Steelers consistent, right, there outside the top ten,
Speaker 2: but not far. I think that's probably about right. You know,
Speaker 2: we'll talk about the teams around them. Of course. I
Speaker 2: don't think there's a superstar in the group, but I
Speaker 2: don't think there's a weakness in the group. I mean,
Speaker 2: we talk about this to no end. The five skill
Speaker 2: guys that they can trot out there now in any combination,
Speaker 2: you like, it's gonna be hard to play against.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, Deontay Johnson in his first three seasons
Speaker 1: had two hundred and fifty four catches and scored twenty touchdowns.
Speaker 1: Everybody wants to focus on Deontay Johnson not scoring a
Speaker 1: touchdown last year, Day Johnson. Let me say it again,
Speaker 1: in his first three seasons, Deontay Johnson had twenty touchdown catches.
Speaker 1: That wasn't a Deontay Johnson thing last year. That was
Speaker 1: a that was a Steelers offense thing. Last year. They
Speaker 1: only had eleven touchdown passes as a team. You know
Speaker 1: that could he have caught one? Sure?
Speaker 2: Like, numbers are all really good except.
Speaker 1: Except for touchdowns, right, I mean that that's it. That's
Speaker 1: the Steelers across the board. Last year, all the receivers numbers.
Speaker 1: You know when you looked at the numbers, we're okay.
Speaker 1: And you know, if you put your finger over the
Speaker 1: touchdown numbers, you say, oh, that was they had pretty
Speaker 1: good season. And then you pick your finger up because, oh,
Speaker 1: he didn't score a touchdown or he only had one
Speaker 1: where that guy had two. Like that that they're gonna
Speaker 1: score more touchdowns.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, particularly through the air than they did.
Speaker 1: Yeah, how about this. How about this stat for George
Speaker 1: Pickens George Pickens expected catch rate last year? Do you
Speaker 1: what it was? No, fifty one point four percent. He
Speaker 1: caught sixty one point nine percent of his passes.
Speaker 2: That's a really good sign.
Speaker 1: He was ten He was ten percentage points above what
Speaker 1: his catch rate should have been.
Speaker 2: Okay, So to explain that to people, sometimes that means
Speaker 2: your quarterback, you know, like Kyle Pitts is probably the
Speaker 2: top of that list too, because quarterback missed him over
Speaker 2: and over and over.
Speaker 1: Well, here's the list of guys, okay, who have run
Speaker 1: five hundred roots in a season and had a catch
Speaker 1: rate of ten percentage points better than expected. This is
Speaker 1: in the next gen era, So this goes back a
Speaker 1: little bit. It's Doug Baldwin, Stephan Diggs, Pierre Garson, which
Speaker 1: tells you it does go back quite a ways and he.
Speaker 2: Had some good years.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, DeAndre Hopkins, Tyler Lockett, and Michael Thomas. Michael
Speaker 1: Michael Thomas did it three times.
Speaker 2: Wow, so not. I hope people don't misunderstrue what I'm saying.
Speaker 2: Like Kyle Pitts and Drake London had awful quarterback accuracy,
Speaker 2: so they should have caught more passes in and I
Speaker 2: know how they do it is like if they've simulated
Speaker 2: a million times, you should catch would you say fifty
Speaker 2: one percent of his passes and he caught sixty one.
Speaker 2: So some of those guys, like Michael Thomas was get
Speaker 2: catching the ball from Drew Brees, but the way next
Speaker 2: gen does it or Deangre Hawkins is a perfect example.
Speaker 2: Those guys apply more pickens than his quarterbacks stunk in
Speaker 2: that most receivers won't catch a ball when X defender
Speaker 2: is six inches off your left shoulder, right right right,
Speaker 2: that type of stuff, you know, like where Hopkins is
Speaker 2: awesome at that. You know Thomas's slants shielding guys and
Speaker 2: contested situation. So that's a pickens like number that totally
Speaker 2: adds up. Yeah.
Speaker 1: So thirteen. Not bad there, you know, we'll see. I
Speaker 1: think they have some strong possibilities here this year for
Speaker 1: this offense.
Speaker 2: They are on offense, you think that this group is
Speaker 2: still ascending, although they were but twelfth and fifteenth the
Speaker 2: last two years too. You know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I mean if they play, so if they
Speaker 1: play like the thirteenth best skill position unit in the
Speaker 1: league this year, and Kenny Pickett takes a step forward
Speaker 1: right again, you start you start scoring better, and yeah,
Speaker 1: start scoring more in the red zone. He throws again,
Speaker 1: say he throws, he doubled it. Well, he should double
Speaker 1: his touchdown production. Only hit seven last year. Let's say
Speaker 1: he he gets to twenty plus this year. Now, all
Speaker 1: of a sudden, you're looking at that skill position group
Speaker 1: a little bit differently.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know that there's a star in the group.
Speaker 2: I don't think there's a star right now. I mean
Speaker 2: the Kelsey tops Stiggs Pickens could be this time next year,
Speaker 2: could be in the Andrews conversation this time next year.
Speaker 1: But I let you if you've got if you're five
Speaker 1: solid guys to me, and this is this list shows
Speaker 1: that because we talked about it with Kelsey, talked about
Speaker 1: it with some of these other teams. They have one
Speaker 1: star and a bunch of guys. I'd think I'd rather
Speaker 1: have the five good play. I'd rather have the five
Speaker 1: B pluses than one A plus and five C or
Speaker 1: four C minuses.
Speaker 2: I tend to agree less so than an O line
Speaker 2: secondary those two positions. I really want no holes because
Speaker 2: you know, an uncoverable guy has a ton of value.
Speaker 2: Where you know a corner have a d on, you
Speaker 2: just don't throw at them. You know where the offense
Speaker 2: can dictate things. But I'm with you. I mean, I
Speaker 2: would much rather have these groups than the Chiefs or
Speaker 2: Rams or the Bills. I mean, a guy that's a
Speaker 2: true stud in a lot of question marks.
Speaker 1: Right now, I mean, right now, if I'm looking at
Speaker 1: the Steelers offensively, you're if you're just looking at the
Speaker 1: five guys you're gonna put on the field on a
Speaker 1: regular basis. Your worst guy's Alan Robinson.
Speaker 2: And there's backup plans.
Speaker 1: And there's backup plans there. Your second worst guy's Nasie Harris.
Speaker 1: It's pretty you know, a solid NFL running back to
Speaker 1: those top three guys are all okay, yeah, to win
Speaker 1: with that.
Speaker 2: I mean, of course, We're going to talk Steelers to
Speaker 2: no end, and people have heard us talk this conversation.
Speaker 2: But I've been in Barnwell shoes where I'm ranking national stuff.
Speaker 2: I mean, you're not going to put a ton of
Speaker 2: faith in Warren and Austin and Hayward.
Speaker 1: Right, they're not even in the conversation, right, They're not.
Speaker 2: Even the conversation, and nor should they be. That know
Speaker 2: where he doesn't have to write an extra ten thousand
Speaker 2: words just so we can talk about Connor Hayward for
Speaker 2: every team. But I really like their death guys.
Speaker 1: Yeah, at twelve they were fourth in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1: I have no idea how they were fourth on this
Speaker 1: list in twenty twenty one. Well, I again, I know
Speaker 1: how and why. But they shouldn't have been there. In
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two they were twenty third. Wow, this year
Speaker 1: there twelveth the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 2: They must have been super high when they thought Beckham
Speaker 2: was gonna be well.
Speaker 1: When people still thought Odell Beckham was good, when people
Speaker 1: thought when people thought Jarvis Landry was still good.
Speaker 2: Right, Hunt and Chubb, Yeah, I love Chubb. I mean
Speaker 2: I think he's maybe the best running back of the line.
Speaker 1: I think he's I think he's a great running back.
Speaker 1: But as Bill said, the running backs don't matter as
Speaker 1: much in this equation. They don't factor in quite as heavily.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't trade the Steelers group for the Browns group.
Speaker 1: No, I think it's you know, it's Amari Cooper and
Speaker 1: some unproven stuff. Much as much as I like Elijah Moore,
Speaker 1: he hadn't really done anything in the NFL.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm inn Djoku guy, but I prefer Friar Mooth. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean I love Elijah Moore, but he hasn't done much.
Speaker 2: People's Jones some possibilities. Tillman's a nice draft pick for them.
Speaker 2: I think Cooper is one of the more overrated players
Speaker 2: in the league though.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's not getting any younger and his cold weather
Speaker 1: splits are a real thing.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, I mean, they wouldn't be far off of
Speaker 2: twelve for me, but I would have the Steelers ahead
Speaker 2: of them at number eleven.
Speaker 1: They were twenty second and twenty twenty one. They were
Speaker 1: number two going into last year. They're now number eleven.
Speaker 2: The Raiders, Oh that rubs me wrong a little.
Speaker 1: That's rough.
Speaker 2: Jacobs is coming off an awesome year, but he's a
Speaker 2: running back. Yeah, and he's a running back.
Speaker 1: DeVante Adams is still DeVante Adams.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's awesome, no doubt. But Renfro has definitely stock
Speaker 2: has gone down considerably that Yeah, this time last year,
Speaker 2: Waller's not there. They drafted Mayor, but he tight end.
Speaker 2: I can't put a lot of credent in. I mean,
Speaker 2: they wouldn't be twenty, but I think they're more like fifteen.
Speaker 1: I mean, Jakobe Myers is a nice you could play. Yeah,
Speaker 1: but yeah, interesting they would fall that far. I guess,
Speaker 1: you know, not having Waller there. Money Renfro was money.
Speaker 1: Renfro two years ago. Was not last year.
Speaker 2: Last year, I'm not sure he'll be last a season there.
Speaker 1: Okay, this one's a little m At number ten. They
Speaker 1: were twenty third and twenty twenty one, they were twenty
Speaker 1: seventh in twenty twenty two. They're at number ten this year.
Speaker 1: The Atlanta Falcons. Oh, I can't put I can't put
Speaker 1: the I can't put the Falcons ahead of the Steelers. No.
Speaker 2: I sort of did it, but that's putting the card
Speaker 2: above the before the horse. You know, like if next time,
Speaker 2: if next year you're like, oh, at this time next year,
Speaker 2: that could very well be the case.
Speaker 1: They have two, they have three top ten draft picks
Speaker 1: at skill position players.
Speaker 2: Yes, but then anything yet, then the numbers aren't great.
Speaker 2: Then you know one of them is a running back transcendent.
Speaker 2: When I get that, blah blah blah and spot four
Speaker 2: and five of their skill guys aren't great. I mean
Speaker 2: it's a three, three man show. I love London, I
Speaker 2: love Pitts, I love bijonn.
Speaker 1: Mac Collins is your number three. Yeah, you know, Johnny
Speaker 1: Smith's your backup tight like yuck.
Speaker 2: So I about trying to get a rise out of people.
Speaker 2: But if the Falcons called me and said, I'll give
Speaker 2: you Pits or London for anyone on your offensive five,
Speaker 2: I would say yes, not by leaps and bounds. I'd
Speaker 2: like those guys that much, and I know they're unproven.
Speaker 2: But now we're getting into mac Collins's you know what
Speaker 2: I mean? Right? Yeah, as I mentioned, aren't Kelsey and
Speaker 2: cup Well.
Speaker 1: Here's how he justifies this. He said, if you gave
Speaker 1: London the five hundred and seventy three routes that Garrett
Speaker 1: Wilson ran for the Jets last year, as opposed to
Speaker 1: the three hundred and seventy nine he ran with the Falcons,
Speaker 1: his numbers pro rate to one hundred and nine catches
Speaker 1: for one thousand, three hundred and nine receiving yards.
Speaker 2: Okay, I mean they were heavy running first team, and
Speaker 2: I think London's really, really good. Yeah, he's one of
Speaker 2: the only rookie receivers I would trade pickings for today.
Speaker 1: Pitt's catch rate, however, last year, dropped below fifty percent.
Speaker 1: Below fifty percent. Yeah, that's awful.
Speaker 2: I mean, and again that's because I mean the uncatchable
Speaker 2: balls from the quarterback.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but we're talking. We're talking about a tight end
Speaker 1: here who was six six? How do you overthrow that
Speaker 1: with long arms? And I don't get it. I don't
Speaker 1: think would be this high for me.
Speaker 2: But I can see where they could get to be there.
Speaker 1: Again, I think they could be there at the end
Speaker 1: of the year if they get any kind of quarterback play.
Speaker 1: But I can't put them there yet.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I'm not even even caring what the quarterback
Speaker 2: play is if we're just judging skill guys in a vacuum.
Speaker 2: I really like three of them, but I don't have
Speaker 2: a lot of great tape on those three at the
Speaker 2: NFL level yet, Yeah, it's only.
Speaker 1: Three at number nine. They were twenty fifth in twenty
Speaker 1: twenty one. They were twenty eighth going into last year.
Speaker 1: They're now not in the Jacksonville Jaguars clearly improving.
Speaker 2: I mean, there's no question they're doing things around their quarterback. Frankly,
Speaker 2: they're a coin flipped to me versus Steelers.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know how or what you get out
Speaker 1: of Calvin Ridley this year. I don't know. He hasn't
Speaker 1: played in two seasons.
Speaker 2: And also it's awesome, but that's mini camp.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's running against their guys and we saw this.
Speaker 1: The reports last year were great on Deshaun Watson in
Speaker 1: the offseason, but he hadn't played football in two in
Speaker 1: almost three years.
Speaker 2: Right, all reports would be good on it everybody in June, absolutely,
Speaker 2: unless they're not out there, you know.
Speaker 1: You know again, Calvin Ridley's what twenty nine?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so. He did not come into the
Speaker 2: league particularly young, and he hasn't played hardly at all
Speaker 2: the last couple of years. I mean, I like Ingram,
Speaker 2: I like ATN I like Tank that they drafted Bigsby. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I think it's the same grade as the Steelers.
Speaker 1: Kirk's a good wide receiver. I like Zay Jones, you know,
Speaker 1: to a degree. But yeah, I mean I think it's
Speaker 1: it's good. I think the quarterback makes it better.
Speaker 2: Mm hmm, it's good. Yes, I mean again, it does
Speaker 2: have something. And Ryans through the Steelers a little bit
Speaker 2: in that they have six or seven that I liked
Speaker 2: a lot. You know, I'm not sure there's a stud.
Speaker 1: Well, this next team does have a stud. And they're
Speaker 1: still eighth. They were twenty first and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1: They were ninth last year, they're eighth this year. The
Speaker 1: Miami Dolphins, oh sad.
Speaker 2: I think they have two dudes period. Yeah. Yeah, their
Speaker 2: third receivers as bad as ending in the league. I
Speaker 2: mean we're talking like Cedric Wilson. Their tight ends, or
Speaker 2: Gyseki and Long are both gone and neither one was
Speaker 2: particularly good. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Eric Saubert is the fifteen catches last year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean the running back is totally by committee.
Speaker 2: Those two dudes are awesome, but in a way they're
Speaker 2: not much different than the ram I mean, they're like
Speaker 2: one guy better than the Rams.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Now, those two guys are both awesome. They'd be
Speaker 1: number ones on a lot of teams in the league.
Speaker 2: Every defense coordinator is going, yeah, those two are awesome
Speaker 2: and I hate them to death. They terrified me. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and you can't take both away. And I understand that.
Speaker 2: But if this is a five man plus depth ranking
Speaker 2: two through eight stinks or three through eight stinks.
Speaker 1: That's still a team that scored. What would they have
Speaker 1: what was the score of the state. They had two
Speaker 1: touchdowns last year against the Steelers in that game in Miami. No,
Speaker 1: it was not the better and the Steelers are throwing
Speaker 1: into the end zone at the end of the game
Speaker 1: twice on two different drives to win that game. Like,
Speaker 1: as good as those two skill guys are, you can
Speaker 1: take you can affect them and take them out of
Speaker 1: the game because they're both. They're not the biggest guys,
Speaker 1: they're both. They're both they both can fly. They're absolute,
Speaker 1: you know, got wings on their feet. But yeah, I
Speaker 1: hear you.
Speaker 2: Real quick, because I know this team, of course is
Speaker 2: going to come up. Would you rather play against Hill
Speaker 2: and Waddle or Chasing Higgins? I don't know which one
Speaker 2: I'd pick. I mean, I think they're very.
Speaker 1: Well who's the quarterback?
Speaker 2: Good point? Good point?
Speaker 1: That makes a difference, Like if are people talking about,
Speaker 1: you know, chasing Higgins the same way I twists throwing
Speaker 1: them the ball right right?
Speaker 2: Or what if it's Josh Allen or Mahomes or right
Speaker 2: Marioto or you know right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that matters too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, what a twothesome as there is in my opinion.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're good. They're good at numbers. In twenty twenty one,
Speaker 1: they were ranked number two. In twenty twenty two, they
Speaker 1: were ranked number eleven. They're now seventh. The Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 2: I can see why they were so high. I mean
Speaker 2: when Zeke was in his prime and Pollard's the two,
Speaker 2: and Gallup's not injured, and I mean when he.
Speaker 1: Had you had Cooper there as well. I mean that
Speaker 1: in twenty.
Speaker 2: Point, Lamb's stud. I don't think he's cup Tyreek stud,
Speaker 2: but close. It's a good group. I mean they were
Speaker 2: missing the guy last year though, like they had the
Speaker 2: Brandon Cooks like move and.
Speaker 1: He's he's good.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's good.
Speaker 1: I mean he's probably a high end number two, but
Speaker 1: he's a high end number two.
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah. So is he better than any of the
Speaker 2: Steelers receivers, I honestly don't know, But he's in the neighborhood,
Speaker 2: you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Tony Pollard was a really good football player last year.
Speaker 2: He's hard to play against, big play guy, catch the ball.
Speaker 1: You know where they're short at this year is at
Speaker 1: tight end. Mm hmm.
Speaker 2: Yeah. They got three unknowns.
Speaker 1: There at number six. In twenty twenty one, they were five,
Speaker 1: and twenty twenty two they were four. They're six this year.
Speaker 1: The Vikings, if.
Speaker 2: We were drafting Justin Jefferson would be my first pick
Speaker 2: for this exercise. Probably for fantasy too, but I wasn't
Speaker 2: talking fantasy, but like, I think he has the most
Speaker 2: weight of anyone in the league.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and Hawkinson's a nice second.
Speaker 2: Option first round pick. There is your third pass catchers
Speaker 2: not bad. kJ Osborne's good.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I don't love the backs.
Speaker 1: I don't love the backs, you know. I who's the
Speaker 1: receiver the other receiver I'm thinking of their uh, kJ.
Speaker 2: Osborne, Osborne, Maddison.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean Osborne's not bad.
Speaker 2: If he's a three now after drafting Addison, Yeah, that's fine. Replacement.
Speaker 2: I don't love it, you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, right right at number five they were twentieth and
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, they were sixth. Last year, their fifth
Speaker 1: this year.
Speaker 2: The Chargers pretty good. I mean kind of like the
Speaker 2: Viking argument that you're mid to late first round rookie
Speaker 2: is your third wide out? Might your second? Like it
Speaker 2: is a many. Yeah, they don't have the Jefferson. I
Speaker 2: still think Evert's a decent player and Eckler's a nightmare.
Speaker 1: Eckler's yeah, he's I mean two years in a row,
Speaker 1: he's had almost twenty touchdowns. Yeah. Now, Keenan Allen, Keenan
Speaker 1: Allen and Mike Williams have been banged up certainly last year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, especially Allen maybe, but they're still good, you know. Yeah,
Speaker 2: right now, that's a top five group to me. Yeah,
Speaker 2: Eckler is really good.
Speaker 1: At number four, they were eighth and twenty twenty one,
Speaker 1: they were thirteenth twenty twenty two. They're fourth this year.
Speaker 1: The Seattle Seahawks, Hm, how were they thirteenth last year?
Speaker 1: That's what I want to know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good question too. I mean, I love
Speaker 2: for this conversation. You bring in Charbonnet and Smith Najigbo.
Speaker 2: That's nice, you know what I mean? Like that, that's nice,
Speaker 2: and you already had two really good receivers and I
Speaker 2: think Walkers are really good back as well. Tight end's bad.
Speaker 2: I mean they have a big committee at tight end, which.
Speaker 1: Is right, right, Yeah, I mean it's it's pretty good.
Speaker 1: At number three, they were twenty ninth in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1: They were eighth last year. They're now third the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaker 2: Hmm, pretty good. I mean I might take the last
Speaker 2: two teams ahead of them, just because I think they're
Speaker 2: a little top heavy. That they're five isn't awesome. Their
Speaker 2: running backs are questionable, They're not echoler. You know, I
Speaker 2: think Brown and Smith aren't far off the conversation of
Speaker 2: Hill Waddle Chase Higgins.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dallas Goddard carry some weight.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no doubt Hawkinson like weight.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. I would probably take them over Seattle. I
Speaker 1: think you have one more guy than Seattle does.
Speaker 2: Yeah, probably. And I like Smith and Jigma and Charbonne
Speaker 2: and they are great, but their rookies yeah, okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: it's good group. Yeah.
Speaker 1: At number two, people are going to be shocked by this.
Speaker 1: They were thirteenth in twenty twenty one, they were number
Speaker 1: one last year. They're now two. Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaker 2: See, I'm not shocked by it, like I'm sure we
Speaker 2: figured out that the last two teams are the Bengals
Speaker 2: and the Niners. And I think Chase could be an
Speaker 2: all time great. I mean, I think he's amazing, Like,
Speaker 2: I mean, he could be as good as any receiver.
Speaker 2: He could be Antonio Brown, I mean maybe. I mean,
Speaker 2: and Higgins is really good. I think the rest of
Speaker 2: the group's overrated, though, Like I thought Mixton was bad
Speaker 2: last year, and I think Boyd is fine. But he's
Speaker 2: a three on any team he's on. You know, Yeah,
Speaker 2: I think people wait that much. The non two studs,
Speaker 2: I think get a little too much credit in since.
Speaker 1: He Yeah, Hayden Hurst to Irv Smith at tight end.
Speaker 2: Right right, that's low on the list.
Speaker 1: Uh. Irv Smith hasn't played a lot of football the
Speaker 1: last three years.
Speaker 2: Really hard to count on.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's averaged seven games a year the last
Speaker 1: three years.
Speaker 2: Hasn't been that low. Yeah, he's played.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's missed twenty nine out of fIF fifty possible
Speaker 1: games the past three seasons.
Speaker 2: Like, I know this isn't what we're talking about big picture,
Speaker 2: but if they can't keep Higgins, Chase isn't going anywhere,
Speaker 2: and he's gonna be awesome, But all of a sudden
Speaker 2: they could be fifteenth on this list.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because they don't have any wide receiver depth. No
Speaker 1: behind those guys, some dudes out of the.
Speaker 2: Blue, but they're just taking shots in the mid rounds.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and that of course leaves you at number one.
Speaker 1: They were twelfth and twenty twenty one. They were third
Speaker 1: last year, they're number one this year. The forty nine ers,
Speaker 1: I wholeheartedly agree, Like that's the whole that's my whole
Speaker 1: argument with the whole rock party thing. Oh yeah, like
Speaker 1: put Kenny Pickett on it, with that group of skill
Speaker 1: position guys, with that play caller, that scheme, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: he's going crazy last year.
Speaker 2: Going crazy.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: So it's funny because I mentioned I've been doing some
Speaker 2: DVOA stuff and we were talking about offensive final DVOA
Speaker 2: and then Niners and the Dolphins ended up six and
Speaker 2: seventh in offensive DBA or seven and eight. They were,
Speaker 2: you know, what's the difference, And we figured out between
Speaker 2: the two of them, they played seven different quarterbacks in Miami.
Speaker 2: In San Franz. Still, guys in system sure helps you
Speaker 2: know what I mean, right, skill guys in particular, I
Speaker 2: mean that San Francisco's offense.
Speaker 1: If if, for example, they would have had to play
Speaker 1: Bruck Purdy and they didn't have Christian McCaffrey, completely different
Speaker 1: experience in my opinion, I agree.
Speaker 2: I mean the beauty of this team is who's your
Speaker 2: fourth best option? Hittle, Right, they're fourth best options, way
Speaker 2: better than anyone else is in the league.
Speaker 1: Yeah, somebody is getting a good matchup, is the point?
Speaker 2: Always, always, always, always, all do different stuff too. You know,
Speaker 2: it's a great ensemble. I mean, I give them all
Speaker 2: the credit in the world. I mean, they team built
Speaker 2: that beautifully to fit whatever quarterback and their play caller.
Speaker 2: But they all can hurt you in a lot of ways.
Speaker 2: And even like you, check has value.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Now it's going to get real expensive for them
Speaker 1: here soon, right, And.
Speaker 2: How much does McCaffrey have left? And you know, I
Speaker 2: bet Ayuk isn't back in the big picture.
Speaker 1: Yeah, from the time let's see, from the time McCaffrey joined.
Speaker 2: I mean McCaffrey's addition. People forget that.
Speaker 1: I'm just looking at I thought I thought he had
Speaker 1: the numbers there, but he doesn't have the numbers, okay,
Speaker 1: of what he finished with, just with the forty nine Ers,
Speaker 1: But I have to look at that, but he was,
Speaker 1: I mean as a past catcher alone, he makes them
Speaker 1: ridiculously dangerous.
Speaker 2: Ridiculously dangerous, right, I mean he's I don't know, is
Speaker 2: he the twentieth best pass catcher on the planet right now?
Speaker 2: Including Kelsey and Chase and Diggs and Hill and all
Speaker 2: those you know.
Speaker 1: Well, that's the thing about about this group is that
Speaker 1: they're there four or five guys are all when healthy,
Speaker 1: and that's been an issue for Kittle in particular. But
Speaker 1: when they're when they're healthy and rolling, I mean, they're
Speaker 1: all like top twenty five to thirty guys, right.
Speaker 2: And McCaffrey's like one at his position, Kittle's two or
Speaker 2: three at his position. Ayuk and Debo are still twenty
Speaker 2: five to thirtyth you know, on the planet. But they're
Speaker 2: I don't know, fifteenth best receiver something like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's it's a good, solid group. This
Speaker 1: is what yeah, I mean, this is.
Speaker 2: What they're Number four is ridiculous.
Speaker 1: This is what the Steelers could be.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is.
Speaker 1: What you this is what you should be hoping they
Speaker 1: turn into. Now, maybe they don't have the talent. The
Speaker 1: overall talent to be that. But I think you know
Speaker 1: friar Mouth versus Kittles, As friar Mooth continues to I mean,
Speaker 1: that's that's the guy that that Friar moof talks about wanting.
Speaker 1: He wants to get you know, kittles, run after the
Speaker 1: catch ability, that kind of stuff, you know, I don't,
Speaker 1: I don't think you know. Naujie Harris is never gonna
Speaker 1: be McCaffrey as a pass catcher, No, but he catches
Speaker 1: the ball well.
Speaker 2: But I think your point isn't necessarily can any of
Speaker 2: their running backs turn into McCaffrey, Can anyone turn into
Speaker 2: the third best tight end in the planet and a
Speaker 2: possible Hall of Fame? Or more so, can your fourth
Speaker 2: and fifth guy on the field raise the level and
Speaker 2: kill single coverage or kill you know that type of thing?
Speaker 1: You know, that's what needs to happen in those situations
Speaker 1: because teams, you know, are a team's gonna roll coverages
Speaker 1: one way or the other. Absolutely, of course, so the
Speaker 1: other guys are gonna get singled up. They got to win.
Speaker 2: If Pickens is killing the number two corner, can you
Speaker 2: take advantage of their next chest move whenever they take
Speaker 2: their safety and roll them heavily to his side with
Speaker 2: fire moveth running down the scenam or whatever, you know
Speaker 2: what I mean. Yeah, and I think this offense should
Speaker 2: should and it should Yeah, it should.
Speaker 1: It absolutely should happen this year for them. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: that's a Barnwall list that's actually on the funnel list much.
Speaker 2: I mean, we're usually a pretty rough on list builders.
Speaker 2: So one's pretty good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, not bad, not bad. Barnwall did a good job
Speaker 1: with that. I think he looked at that kind of
Speaker 1: the way that we would look at it. Yeah, and
Speaker 1: you know, I you know, I like the caveats that
Speaker 1: he put in at the beginning of that. You know,
Speaker 1: look at, hey, guy's been hurt. There's a good chance
Speaker 1: he's gonna get hurt again. Michael Thomas, for example. I mean,
Speaker 1: you can't count on Michael Thomas to say it's our
Speaker 1: argument against Odell Beckham.
Speaker 2: Now, I say, you and I fought a little bit
Speaker 2: about the Ravens, but the counting on factor there is brutal.
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, I don't I don't know if you can
Speaker 1: count on any of those guys for seventeen games, all right.
Speaker 2: I mean, Bateman is your maybe your most trustworthy. How
Speaker 2: much has he played the last two years?
Speaker 1: Right? So interesting, interesting list and interesting way to look
Speaker 1: at it. That's going to do it for our show today.
Speaker 2: Matt, fun stuff.
Speaker 1: Here we go, Yeah, here we go. We're a month
Speaker 1: away here. We'll be continuing to crank out shows here
Speaker 1: as we lead up the camp. Matt's back from vacation.
Speaker 1: I'm going to go on vacation in a couple of weeks,
Speaker 1: but we're gonna still do some shows here in that.
Speaker 1: I might even take my I might do shows while
Speaker 1: I'm on vacation. That's how much I love talking to you, Matt.
Speaker 2: I've done it before too. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Hey, you know, I'm hanging around the family's out, running
Speaker 1: around and splashing in the water. I don't tan, so
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 2: It is always Steelers for an hour or so.
Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely absolutely, But that's going to do it for
Speaker 1: our show today. So for my partner, Matt Williamson, I
Speaker 1: am Dale Lolly. We appreciate you listening to this edition
Speaker 1: of the Drive on Steelers Nation Radio. And you can
Speaker 1: listen to all of our great shows here on Steelers
Speaker 1: Nation Radio. Wherever you find your podcasts, you can listen
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Speaker 1: all the good stuff that we have here, wes and
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Speaker 1: we'll talk to you later during a week. Thanks for listening.