WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 66: The Raging Rhinos 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:11.760 It's time with a Happy half Hour with your friends 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:22.639 Chris Student Balboni, Will Brian, and Darren Gay. Welcome to 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:25.880 a special edition of the Happy Half Hour. We're calling 0:00:25.920 --> 0:00:29.320 it the Senior Edition for the Senior Bowl, but really, 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:31.320 I mean, if you really think about it, pretty much 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:35.400 every episode of this podcast is is senior, right, Darren, 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.199 I just got called old and I don't appreciate it, 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.640 but I'm gonna move on because I'm a professional journalist. Okay, Well, 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:45.200 I won't ever tell anyone to read your mailbags again 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:47.680 since you just kind of lean into it there, so 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:52.000 no more plugs for you. Yeah, all right, Well it's 0:00:52.120 --> 0:00:55.320 it's old because I'm in Central time in Alabama and 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:57.920 I'm not quite sure what day or time it is, so, 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:02.120 you know, abstract concepts like time have lost all meaning 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:04.839 for me right now by the beauty of the Internet. 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:08.120 Darren is in mobile? Am I saying that? Right? Did 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:14.560 I say right? Mobile? Mobile rather than the move? Got it? That? 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:18.640 That's somewhat similar to when I was calling in from 0:01:18.760 --> 0:01:23.440 where was it in the outskirts of North Carolina? And yeah, 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:27.120 that's it one the cone to town. Um So, anyway, 0:01:27.280 --> 0:01:30.679 Darren has been doing some journalism doing the real, the 0:01:30.680 --> 0:01:34.640 big j journalism down in Alabama, covering all of the prospects. 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:36.160 We'll get to some of that here in a second, 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:39.319 but Darren, first, I want to get your rapid reaction, 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:44.560 which you're so good at doing, to the new Washington commanders. 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:49.680 Immediate thoughts. It could be worse. I don't love it. 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.360 It doesn't move me. I mean, it's a it's a 0:01:53.440 --> 0:01:56.960 little you know, they're leaning heavy into the military thing, 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.440 and you know, I guess if that's going to be 0:01:59.480 --> 0:02:01.640 a brand, that's one I suppose a lot of people 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:04.560 are gonna like. But I mean my big thing on 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.760 them is it beats the alternative. So I I was 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:10.440 kind of digging on the Washington football team. It had 0:02:10.520 --> 0:02:13.760 kind of a it was like sting as an artist. 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:19.320 You know, it's qua without being over the top. But uh, yeah, 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:21.000 it could be a lot worse. I mean, it's not 0:02:21.560 --> 0:02:26.360 a particularly in terms of design. I don't know that 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.520 it's brilliant or cutting edge or anything like that. But 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:32.280 I think it's good and it's solid, and it certainly 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:34.640 fits the vibe they've got going on with Ron Rivera, 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:38.040 I know that. Yeah. I mean I'm okay with I'm 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:40.440 okay with safe on things like this. You know, I 0:02:40.520 --> 0:02:43.000 don't like going all the way overboard into some sort 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:47.440 of you know, cartoonish fantasyland when it comes to logos 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:50.280 and mascots and all that. And I think it's I 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:53.840 think it's interesting both between them and in Cleveland of 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:59.960 maybe mascots or or of nicknames that aren't necessarily used 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.680 everywhere all the time. And I think that the logo 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.400 marks and kind of the representation is more based around 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:09.919 you know, the city or the letters, which I think 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:13.000 is more of a kind of a soccer vibe, which 0:03:13.040 --> 0:03:18.119 I kind of like, moving away from just cartoony representations 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:21.800 of weird parts of society. I don't know, you know. 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:23.960 And we went through a stretch in the nineties where 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:28.760 every base every minor league baseball team was the Something Dogs, 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:33.040 you know, the Diamonds or whatever it happened, the River 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:36.560 Dogs exactly. But it's, uh, you know, it's good to 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:38.760 branch out a little bit. I mean, you're right in 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.640 that it would have also been a mistake to get 0:03:41.680 --> 0:03:45.560 too cartoonish with this thing. I do remember that once 0:03:45.680 --> 0:03:48.680 upon a time, back in the nineties, there were there 0:03:48.760 --> 0:03:51.560 was at least one consultant who thought it would be 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:54.400 a good idea to name this professional football team the 0:03:54.440 --> 0:04:00.560 Carolina Rhinos because there was some you know, alliteration. I suppose, 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:02.960 uh there in the two sounds of the words, and 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.680 that would have been awful. That would have been you know, ungodly. 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:11.160 So the Raging Rhinos of Carolina would have been something. Yeah, 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:14.120 it would have Yeah, that would have really been something, 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:16.400 is what it would have been. That's a whole other podcast. 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:20.200 We'll do that one as a special edition, um Darren. 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.520 Since we last spoke to our our great listeners, the 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:27.960 Panthers added a new special teams coordinator and a new 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:32.160 offensive line coach, James Campen coming from Houston and previously 0:04:32.200 --> 0:04:34.880 with the Green Bay Packers, and then Chris Tabor from 0:04:34.880 --> 0:04:38.039 the Chicago Bears doing special teams. Tell us what you 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:41.480 know a little bit about those guys. Yeah, these two guys. 0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:44.400 I mean, I think there's been some criticism of the coaching, 0:04:44.560 --> 0:04:46.599 some of the coaching hires here in the past because 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:49.080 it was a lot of guys coming straight out of college. 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:53.520 These two guys are both you know, legit NFL assistant 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:55.960 coaches with a lot of experience, kind of the same 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:59.120 way been back into you know, as your offensive coordinator. 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:00.800 As long as he's just all in your plays. I 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:02.919 think a lot of people around the league think that 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.400 was a good, solid higher. And James Camping and Chris 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:08.640 Taber are are those guys. I mean, they've been around 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:11.680 the league, they've worked in other places, got a lot 0:05:11.680 --> 0:05:13.920 of respect, and they've performed. I mean, if you look 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:18.800 at Chris Tabor, it's kind of um. The standard for 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:23.560 special teams play is a calculation come up with Rick Goslin, 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:28.119 a longtime Dallas football writer and Goose has put together 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.760 his special teams rankings every year for about the last 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:34.479 thirty years or so. And the last two years Chris 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:39.840 Taber's teams were UM. Chris Taber's teams were in the 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:44.839 top ten. So it's UM yeah, I mean it's a 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:47.400 good higher. Tabor is good at what he does. He 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:53.039 is um. He has had big time um, big time 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:56.039 return talent in the past, and we'll see how that 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:59.920 develops here. But James Camping is a guy and it's 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:03.239 interesting with him. He's got a reputation in Green Bay 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:08.520 for turning mid round picks into productive players and then 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:10.479 some I mean they've got a Pro Bowl left tackle 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:14.120 and David Bactieri, whose fourth round pick. And Campings a 0:06:14.160 --> 0:06:17.520 guy who helped develop those guys. And it was interesting 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:20.760 when I was down here Senior Bowl uh this week 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.799 talking to Scott Fitterer, I mean, we talked about how 0:06:23.839 --> 0:06:26.960 important that was to add that to the staff because, 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:29.560 as you may have heard, the Carolina Panthers may need 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.960 some help on the offensive line. And while they've got 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:35.240 the sixth pick in the draft and could use it 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:39.279 on a tackle or something, uh, they've also got more 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.720 than one job to fill up there. So we'll kind of, uh, 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:46.839 we'll sort of see what um, We'll see how that develops. 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:49.799 The Campings a guy with a great reputation for both 0:06:49.839 --> 0:06:53.680 evaluating guys and finding guys deeper in drafts and then 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:56.479 developing them once they get there. And that's exactly what 0:06:56.520 --> 0:07:00.159 the Carolina Panthers need, because not just the guys that 0:07:00.320 --> 0:07:05.920 they might draft or add this year, but but guys 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:09.000 that are already on this roster, like a Michael Jordan's, 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:11.760 like a Brady Christians and like a Deante Brown. I mean, 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:15.200 these are still young players who could use a little polish. 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.960 And Camping's a guy who's well regarded, and yeah, for sure, 0:07:19.160 --> 0:07:21.920 you think about everyone just wants to go get the 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:24.320 big ticket left tackle and just call it a day, 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:27.840 and they're they're more than one ways to kind of 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:29.800 to do this. I mean there's a combination as you 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.880 just talked about being able to develop and bring guys 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:36.640 along and the relationships that he has with players across 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:38.920 this league. You know, we put out a video um 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.679 that NFL Films did with him and you know, Aaron 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:44.000 Rodgers and so much of what they did in Green 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:47.720 Bay UM and the respect that he has uh with 0:07:47.800 --> 0:07:51.280 guys is really well documented. So I really excited to 0:07:51.280 --> 0:07:53.200 see what he can bring to this group as well 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:55.800 as the people that they have coming in the spring. 0:07:55.880 --> 0:07:59.440 So speaking of you mentioned Scott Fitterer, you also have 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:02.480 had him to speak to him uh down there at 0:08:02.480 --> 0:08:04.200 the Senior Bowl. We put out a little Q and 0:08:04.240 --> 0:08:06.760 A on Panthers dot Com. Jordan and Jake actually referenced 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:10.040 it in their podcast earlier today. So see the people 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:12.480 are reading thereon their people are reading. What do you 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:15.600 take away from that conversation with Scott that maybe didn't 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:18.080 necessarily go um into the Q and a The people 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:21.920 have already read well, I think, you know, it's easy. 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.120 I think a lot of people saw that Q and A. 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:27.320 And one of the takeaways was, you know, when Scott 0:08:27.360 --> 0:08:30.800 was talking about quarterbacks and and he mentioned or I 0:08:30.840 --> 0:08:34.360 asked him about, you know, given the economic advantage of 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:38.400 a rookie quarterback, do you almost have to make sure 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:42.480 you don't have that guy there? You know? Or if 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:44.280 you've got a shot at one of those guys, don't 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:47.080 you almost have to lean that way? And the answer 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:50.199 was effectively yes. I mean Scott's background and we all 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:52.760 learned from our backgrounds in football, and Scott's is in 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:55.280 Seattle where they turned a third round pick in Russell 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.800 Wilson and a lot of good veteran defensive players into 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:01.120 a Super Bowl ring with a guy own a rookie contract. 0:09:01.200 --> 0:09:04.400 So and Scott was pretty open about, you know the 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:07.000 fact that if you think one of these guys can 0:09:07.040 --> 0:09:10.080 be that guy, you almost have to take a shot. Um. 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:13.559 I think when people hear that, one of the things 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:17.360 they forget is the if he's that guy, And the 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:21.080 evaluation is very much ongoing, and it's and it's not 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:25.840 clear right now if they absolutely are convinced that Kenny 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:28.600 Pick it's the guy or Malik Willis is the guy, 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:31.679 or Sam How's the guy? Or Matt Correll who's not 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:34.960 here this week but had a great UH senior season 0:09:34.960 --> 0:09:37.360 for role miss if he's the guy, and if they 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.640 you know, that's the thing. It is kind of incumbent 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:43.600 on teams. If they think a guy has the opportunity 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.800 to be the quarterback who can take you to the playoffs, 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:50.120 then you might lean that way. But if he's not 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:53.840 the guy, you go another direction. And I mean last 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:56.079 year Fields was sitting on the board and they went 0:09:56.120 --> 0:09:59.360 another direction. So read into that what you will about 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:02.719 their value aation of justin but you know, you're get 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:06.160 in that situation and instead of taking just a quarterback, 0:10:06.280 --> 0:10:08.640 they want to make sure they're getting the quarterback. If 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:12.360 they're taking one right and and obviously the other, there's 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:15.479 so many other options. You know, from a line standpoint, 0:10:15.480 --> 0:10:17.640 you know, from the offensive line. You know they've talked, 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.760 UH Scott Fitter talked in his end of your press 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:24.200 conference of how important it is to to start your 0:10:24.280 --> 0:10:26.280 team on both sides of the line, you know, to 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.760 have that foundation built because that everything else emanates from 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:31.840 that um. And of course, when you have the six 0:10:31.920 --> 0:10:34.440 pick if you can, if you can turn that you know, 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:37.360 he talked about that kind of cliff around sixteen or 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:39.439 eighteen of that first round. If you can still get 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.560 a guy that you like in those top sixteen eighteen 0:10:42.559 --> 0:10:46.160 picks and add picks back in the second and third round. Um, 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:47.839 you know he's gonna look hard at that too. And 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:52.480 obviously what happens in free agency UM can influence how 0:10:52.520 --> 0:10:55.640 all these evaluations go. Uh this week as as you 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.160 pointed out a number of times on the site, but 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:00.960 a lot of moving parts. And it's gonna be a 0:11:00.960 --> 0:11:03.880 fascinating off season as we go through this thing, because 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:09.200 you know, really once everybody gets back from Mobile and 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.880 then the Super Bowl passage we capture super Bowl, guys 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:14.480 are gonna be in for free agent meetings and draft 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:16.920 meetings and setting boards and everything and getting ready to go. 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:21.079 And really, once you get into uh first week and 0:11:21.160 --> 0:11:24.640 may or may see I struggle with time and a 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:28.400 really imperson and I'm we need to get you back 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:32.120 to Charlotte, man, we really do in my own bed 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:38.240 and my own familiar settings and timeszed um. But once 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:41.720 they get into March, yes, March, that's the month after 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.280 February and to get to the combine. That's kind of 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:47.800 the kickoff to the personnel season in terms of free agency, 0:11:47.800 --> 0:11:50.240 because there's a lot of agents up there, and even 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:54.000 though you're not talking about deals, people know parameters of 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:57.480 what's gonna happen once they get up there. So it's, uh, 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:01.040 it's gonna be an interesting couple of weeks, that's for sure. Darren. 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:05.160 You've been around this league. You've seen every prospect there is. 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:08.600 You're an incredible talent evaluator, and you've spent the last 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:12.880 three days evaluating talent yourself from the front row. Tell 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:17.040 me what you took away from Leek Willis, Sam Howell 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:20.959 and Kenny Pickett three really really interesting features profiles that 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:23.400 you've written about those guys. What are a couple of 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:28.080 nuggets that you really took away from those conversations with them? Well, here, 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:31.680 here's the thing about Malik Willis. He is he is short, 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:35.000 but he's not small. Uh. It kind of jumped out 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:38.319 to me that Dan Campbell, Thellions coach who's running the 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:40.920 the team that Willis is on down here, he was like, 0:12:41.080 --> 0:12:43.400 he looks like he's built to last. I mean, Malik 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:46.240 Willis is thick for a six foot guy. He's two 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:50.080 twenty pounds, he's muscular, he's pretty dance and listen. He's 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:52.720 got the best arm of any of the quarterbacks down here. 0:12:52.920 --> 0:12:55.720 It's he can throw a hundred mile an hour fastballs, 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.280 and every now and then one's just a bit outside. 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:02.960 But he's got that thing that the the evaluators call 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:06.960 arm talent. Whatever that is, he's got it. And he 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.600 can throw the football over the mountain, big time strength 0:13:10.679 --> 0:13:14.480 on throws to the sideline. You can tell why he 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:19.439 is intriguing. I think in an ideal world, somebody could 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:22.120 park him for a year, let him learn an NFL offense. 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:24.080 But that's not always the case. I mean, guys who 0:13:24.040 --> 0:13:26.720 were drafted in the first round don't always get that luxury. 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:29.000 And you know, I think if he gets in the 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:32.080 right situation with the right coach who can develop quarterback, 0:13:32.120 --> 0:13:34.920 I think he's gonna be really good. I think Kenny 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:39.880 pick It is Also I don't know that Kenny Pickett. 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:42.600 I mean Joe Burrow's name comes up in regard to 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:45.800 Kenny Pickett because that last year was a huge year 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.960 in college. He went from being kind of a middling prospect. 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:51.000 Oh my god, did you see what so and so did. 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:54.440 He doesn't have that Joe Burrow arm. Uh. He also 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:57.200 has small hands, which you may have heard something about, 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.240 because it's become kind of the thing with Kenny kid 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:02.480 and blessed his hard He left his hands under the 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:04.600 table the whole time we were interviewing, and the other 0:14:04.679 --> 0:14:07.960 day just he wasn't gonna give anybody any cheap ammunition 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.960 to make jokes. It is. But here's the thing I 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:13.959 know about Kenny Pickett's hands. They threw for a lot 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:16.640 of yards and a lot of touchdowns and pit on 0:14:16.760 --> 0:14:20.680 a lot of games. Uh. With Kenny picketted at the helm, 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:23.600 he is a good player. I don't know that he's 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:28.600 necessarily that Joe Burrow caliber of quarterback, but it's kind 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:32.120 of weird he's got. He gives me Andy Dalton vibes. 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:36.560 Unless people think that's a slur. That's a guy who 0:14:36.600 --> 0:14:40.720 came into a good defense with a stable coaching situation 0:14:41.040 --> 0:14:43.680 and took a team to the playoffs a good number 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.760 of times and was a good, solid NFL quarterback for 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:50.520 a long time. So that's not a slide in the least. Um. 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:54.520 You know, Picket doesn't have that dominating talent but he 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:57.200 is able to do things and you saw that this 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:58.640 year a pit. I mean, the guy made a lot 0:14:58.680 --> 0:15:00.560 of plays. One of the things I love about him, 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:03.640 even though it was dirty play and would get quarterbacks killed, 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:08.440 that slide at the a c C Championship game. It 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:12.520 just speaks to an awareness of what's around him and 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:16.120 when things are getting weird, he makes stuff happen. And 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:18.600 that's a positive rather than a negative, even though it's 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:22.680 great for every quarterback forever that that's outlawed now. So 0:15:23.160 --> 0:15:27.880 um yeah, I just the guy's got that it of 0:15:28.320 --> 0:15:30.360 knowing how to make a play at a certain time. 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:32.640 Sam How is an interesting case to me. I had 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.120 a chance to talk to Kevin Donnelly, who knows him 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:37.480 from U N SEE and seen him up close down 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:40.280 there about him and and How's also an interesting kid. 0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:42.000 I I think if he could have come out a 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.200 year ago, he would have probably been a higher pick. 0:15:44.800 --> 0:15:47.120 But you know, he went through a rough season at 0:15:47.160 --> 0:15:49.760 U n S. You know, four of his best offensive 0:15:49.800 --> 0:15:53.040 weapons get drafted into the NFL. He's breaking in a 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:55.640 lot of new guys on the flight Carolina last year 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.160 and you know, the results weren't the same, and it 0:15:58.240 --> 0:16:00.880 was a little bit of a shine taken off Sam himself. 0:16:01.120 --> 0:16:04.840 But he's also a smaller guy. And listen, quarterbacks, just 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.680 I keep waiting for Dan Fouts to walk out of 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.520 the locker room, and they just don't come, all right, 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.320 we don't. We don't see those guys walking into the 0:16:15.320 --> 0:16:18.040 Senior Bowl or anywhere else anymore. So even when you 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:20.840 see like Desmond Ritter from Cincinnati down here, he's kind 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:24.760 of a tall, skinny kid. Um, they just don't look 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.440 like they used to look. And I think we just 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.360 kind of need to accept that football volumes over the years, 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:32.880 believe it or not. And you know, Sam how is 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:36.200 not a great big kid, but he's interesting because he 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:39.280 can play and he can throw. He's got a good arm, 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.920 not a great arm, but he's extremely mobile. I mean, 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.000 Sam How is a kid that can run around and 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.520 make play, you know, somebody down here compared in the 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:51.040 Baker Mayfield. And I think that's just because he's short 0:16:51.080 --> 0:16:55.120 and he's got a beard. But I think that, you know, 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:58.680 there is some Russell Wilson to his game. He can 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:02.720 move around and and move pockets and and do different 0:17:02.760 --> 0:17:05.879 things with his feet other than just running, you know. 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.480 I mean he he's got that knack to make plays 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.840 on the move. So a lot of interesting guys down here, 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.560 and it's gonna be one of those, you know what 0:17:14.680 --> 0:17:17.679 you prefer. Some people like blonde, some people like Brunette's 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:21.359 and I just think depending on your offensive system what 0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:23.960 you're looking for. There are several guys in this year's 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:25.760 draft who I think are going to end up being 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:28.760 starting quarterbacks in the league. One of the interesting connections 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:32.919 with willis Um obviously came out of Liberty but started 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:36.240 at Auburn and originally from the Atlanta area, has a 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.399 connection to Cam Newton, and you spoke to him about 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:41.040 that and that was part of your article. But we're 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:43.520 gonna hear a little bit of that conversation you had 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.240 with him, uh, kind of his answer on what it 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:48.480 was like to kind of grow up around Atlanta and 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:51.399 what he's learned from Cam. Was definitely cool because he 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.399 went to the Super Bowl like second year in the league, 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:55.640 and he came from like fifteen minutes from where else, 0:17:55.680 --> 0:17:58.760 and so that was really cool. You know, but we're 0:17:58.800 --> 0:18:01.040 in anything. We were all trying to make our own way, 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:03.760 our own names. So it's like if he could do it, 0:18:03.800 --> 0:18:07.359 we could do it too, the type of things. So, Darren, 0:18:07.520 --> 0:18:09.640 what what sort of lessons do you think a guy 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:12.120 like that can take when when you're growing up. I mean, 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:14.600 he talked about trying to take things from all sorts 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:20.120 of quarterbacks, from Russell Wilson, from um uh, different guys, 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:24.640 Aaron Rodgers, different. Yeah, Matt Ryan. Don't don't tell anybody, 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.239 but he he likes the way Matt Ryan plays too. 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:30.080 But Cam, you know what, what did he take away 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:34.359 from Cam? You know? He It's interesting because Cam is 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.359 Cam was such a force of nature as a quarterback, 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:41.200 especially early Cam, that you lost sight of the fact 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:45.679 that he was also good at learning football and you know, 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.120 the work ethic, all those intangible things that you've got 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:51.920 to do to be good. Because he was so talented, 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:54.800 a lot of that stuff got overlooked with Cam. And 0:18:55.160 --> 0:18:57.359 you know, I thought it was interesting that Malik, you know, 0:18:57.440 --> 0:18:58.919 told me he was like, listen, a lot of the 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:01.760 stuff Cam talked to me about to us about was 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:06.200 not football stuff, it was how you had to work. 0:19:06.240 --> 0:19:08.080 And I thought it was interesting the way he said, 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:11.760 you know, the time you're against somebody, that's ten percent 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:14.560 of the job. It's the other six days a week. 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:16.960 You're not playing them when they're trying to get better, 0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:20.160 and you've got to advance yourself too, So it's uh, 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:22.720 it was kind of a neat connection hearing him talk 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:25.600 about Cam. But Willis is a guy he's kind of 0:19:25.800 --> 0:19:29.600 he's also sort of possessed of that. He's kind of 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.520 got that vibe. I mean where he comes across as 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:35.520 the guy it's not too big for him. He knows 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:37.640 when to crack a joke, he knows how to talk 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:39.440 to people, look him in the aisle, all those kind 0:19:39.440 --> 0:19:42.960 of things. He's got that leadership vibe about. Uh, we've 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:45.600 spent a lot of time talking about the quarterbacks. For 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:49.120 the most part, the top offensive line prospects aren't really 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:51.920 down there with you. Is that correct? Yeah? I mean 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:54.679 at least those top three tackles and the guys we're 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:57.040 going to talk about so much, Evan Neil and Charles 0:19:57.040 --> 0:19:59.760 Cross and you know, like Kwanda from NC State, Uh, 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:03.440 Charlotte kid, Ikey Um, let's get used to calling and 0:20:03.560 --> 0:20:07.880 Mickey and Ikey is a big man, and those three 0:20:07.960 --> 0:20:10.880 are all those guys are all top ten prospects, which 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:14.160 it left tackles for a long time. And again it's 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:17.280 gonna depend on who's picking where those three guys aren't here, 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:20.520 but there's a pretty interesting crop of guys. Uh Trip 0:20:20.600 --> 0:20:24.240 Fanning from northern Iowa is down here. The tackle who 0:20:24.320 --> 0:20:28.119 fascinates me here and it's because I'm a weirdo is 0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:33.560 Uh file Lay from Minnesota. He's mountainous. He's like six 0:20:33.720 --> 0:20:37.560 eight four pounds. He looks like Jordan my Lot a 0:20:37.560 --> 0:20:40.720 little bit tackle. We didn't have a lot of traditional 0:20:40.760 --> 0:20:44.600 football background, but he is, you know, obviously playing at 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.800 a high level in the NFL. Uh And because of him, 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:51.440 other mountainous guys are gonna get chances. And and I'm 0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:55.800 interested see file because he moves well for somebody who's 0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:58.720 almost four hundred pounds. You don't think of an athletic 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:03.080 or pounds, but that's what he looks like. Now. You know, again, 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:06.600 he's not necessarily I think somebody you've taken the top 0:21:06.640 --> 0:21:08.760 ten or you know, I don't want to get into 0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:11.480 where you saw him now, but he's probably gonna go 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:14.000 in the first couple of rounds. But he's definitely a 0:21:14.000 --> 0:21:16.760 guy you look at because again, even though the Panthers 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:18.879 are in a spot where right now they've got a 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:22.520 Big Golf from six to probably somewhere in the one 0:21:22.640 --> 0:21:25.560 thirties when they pick again with that Rams fourth round 0:21:25.600 --> 0:21:29.040 pick um. I think it's going to be interesting because 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:32.040 they're gonna evaluate all of these tackles and guards anyway, 0:21:32.680 --> 0:21:35.800 and if things change over the course of the spring, 0:21:36.000 --> 0:21:38.760 if they do trade back, you know, they know they've 0:21:38.760 --> 0:21:41.760 got an opportunity with some of these guys to uh 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:46.000 find pretty immediate contributors of guard or tackle. So that's 0:21:46.000 --> 0:21:48.119 what that's what makes it a fascinating week. There's a 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:51.640 number of interesting prospects along that line, and we're gonna 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:54.840