WEBVTT - Bengals Booth Podcast: Secret 0:00:03.840 --> 0:00:06.720 Hi, get everybody. I'm Dan Hord and thanks for downloading 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:13.360 the Bengals Booth Podcast The until You Share Your Secret 0:00:13.560 --> 0:00:18.160 with Me. Addition, as Dave Lapham joins me for an 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:21.720 in depth look at the upcoming NFL draft, culminating with 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.279 our predictions for who the Bengals are going to pick 0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:28.760 at number seventeen. Overall, The Bengals Booth Podcast is brought 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:31.000 to you by pay Core, proud to be the Bengals 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:35.120 official HR software provider, by All to Fiber future proof 0:00:35.120 --> 0:00:38.600 Fiber Internet designed to elevate your home, business and community 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:42.080 to a new level, and by Kettering Health the best 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.760 care for the best fans. Kettering Health is the official 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:48.680 healthcare provider of the Bengals. Now here's a quick reminder 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:51.680 that you can have the latest edition of this podcast 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.400 delivered right to your phone, tablet, or computer by subscribing 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:59.200 wherever you get your podcasts. It's the greatest thing since 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:05.319 I'm seeing jazz at Cafe Vivace. Cafe Vivace and Walnut 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.640 Hills is one of Cincinnati's hidden gems. It's a coffee 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:12.319 shop by day with pastries and breakfast sandwiches and a 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:16.600 jazz lounge at night with cocktails, wine and beer. But 0:01:16.720 --> 0:01:20.000 the amazing thing about the place is the big name 0:01:20.160 --> 0:01:25.120 talent it attracts for a very intimate venue, jazz greats 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:29.919 like Joshua Redman, Christian McBride and last Saturday Grammy Award 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:36.000 winning pianist Sullivan Fortner, who is absolutely spectacular. I promise 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:39.040 you don't have to be a jazz lover to enjoy it, 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:43.600 So check them out on Instagram or Facebook. It's cafe 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:51.360 with two f's Caffe and Vavace is spelled viv Ace. 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:56.840 Now time for my final pre draft podcast with Dave Lapham, 0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:00.080 which is typically one of the most downloaded episodes of 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.520 the year, since everybody wants to know who lap thinks 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:08.520 the Bengals are going to pick. Lap Let's start with 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:12.760 the all important need question. What is the number one 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.000 thing the Bengals must get in this draft? 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:18.160 Yeah, I think when you look at it, Dan, in 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:22.880 my mind, it's an interior, offensive and defensive lineman, and 0:02:22.919 --> 0:02:26.880 I probably have to say offensive lineman more so. You know, 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:29.520 you do have a couple of young prospects that you 0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:32.720 drafted last year in the second and third round at 0:02:32.720 --> 0:02:34.320 the defensive tactical position. 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:35.880 You know, that. 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:39.520 That you're you're you're working with and you're trying to 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:44.920 improved from year one to year two. And I thought 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:48.800 they were both worthy of being selected, you know where 0:02:48.800 --> 0:02:53.040 they were Jenkins McKinley in the second and third round, respectively. 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:57.760 But rookies are are exactly that. Rookies are young players 0:02:57.760 --> 0:02:59.240 that need to learn a little bit. And I think 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:02.560 they went through that learning process. Uh, Jenkins obviously had 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.200 the injury that slowed him down. A hand injury to 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:09.480 a defensive lineman or an offensive lineman is brutal. When 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:11.400 you can't you're allowed to use your hands in the 0:03:11.480 --> 0:03:15.000 National Football League and when the other guy can't you 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:15.919 can you can't. 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:17.320 It's very tough. 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:20.760 So, you know, I do think that they will address 0:03:20.800 --> 0:03:24.040 the interior of the defensive line at some point. I 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:27.080 do think though, that the interior of the Bengals offensive 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:30.320 line that that definitely needs to be addressed. Uh, you know, 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:34.040 you you, uh, you have a situation where it's a 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:37.400 it's anybody's anybody's job right now at that at that 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:41.320 guard position. And I think that it's going to be 0:03:41.520 --> 0:03:45.560 a very very big competition. You know, you sign one 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:49.000 in free agency and and I think Patrick's a good player, 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:51.320 There's no question about that. I think you know he's 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:54.160 a He's a guy that that is worthy of being signed. 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:57.600 The Bengals do sign him to that contract and unrestricted 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:04.119 free agency. Cordell Wolson that put on the bench toward 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:07.240 the end of the season last year, so he's going 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.000 to have to come back hard and compete for a 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:16.560 position inside. And Cody Ford has shown that position versatility 0:04:16.600 --> 0:04:19.960 that's all so important. You know, he played both tackles 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:22.720 and both guards last year for of the five positions, 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:26.120 and I think you know he'll get a shot at 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:29.159 that guard position, one of the guard positions, and rightfully so. 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:33.960 But I do think that all things being equal, I'm 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:37.359 not saying you necessarily do it at seventeen if there 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:41.880 are other things available that might not be as big 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:45.040 a priority but would make your football team better, because 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:48.320 I do think that staying along the lines of the 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:52.200 best available player is the best way to go. 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:53.760 That's the way you improve your roster. 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.919 I'm with you to me, the number one need is 0:04:58.000 --> 0:05:01.159 getting a starting guard, but you don't necessarily have to 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:04.720 do it in round one. You ticked off the list 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.600 of guys that they have and Hopefully new offensive line 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:11.320 coach Scott Peters works with that group and a solid 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:15.080 starter emerges, but they need to. Alex Kapp is gone, 0:05:15.200 --> 0:05:18.400 Cordel Bowlson his bench. So yeah, I think out of 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:21.359 that group that you described, you can reasonably assume that 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:24.120 a good starter is going to emerge. I just think 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:26.239 hoping for two out of that group would be rolling 0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:31.000 the dice. So they could still sign Brandon Sheriff, Dalton Reisner, 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:33.920 Will Hernandez somebody after the draft if they don't get 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:36.880 the type of player they like. But this looks to 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:40.880 be a really good draft for guards. You've got Calvin 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:45.200 Banks would be converting from tackle to guard in the NFL, 0:05:45.640 --> 0:05:50.120 Tyler Booker, Gray Zabel, there are Day two guys Donovan Jackson, 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:54.200 Jonah Savoy and Nya Marcus bo Tate Ratlich and others. 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:59.839 Let's invest the necessary draft capital to get a quality guard. 0:06:00.400 --> 0:06:04.000 It's going to help protect Joe Burrow for several years 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:05.479 to come. This is the year to do it for me. 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:06.440 Yeah. 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.480 And and I think another guy, Tristan Cologne guy out 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.760 of Arizona, an interior you know, offensive Lineman has been 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.919 another Like you said, Dan, you rattled off you guys 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:18.719 on my list, and uh and and UH, you know, 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:23.360 there there are probably others that the Bengals feel confident about. 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:24.960 So I do. 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:28.159 I do think that that that position will be addressed, 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:31.520 and in my opinion, UH, i'd like to seeing address. 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:31.800 More than once. 0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:33.440 And the way that they're going to do that is, 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:36.200 I think they move back in the draft, uh with 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:39.040 that seventeenth pick. If you know, they're right in the 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:41.279 middle of the first round, and they've they've always got 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.480 groupings of players you know, at each at each spot 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:48.160 uh in the draft, and the Bengals with that, with 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.279 that seventeenth selection, as it's as it's coming up, you know, 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.080 it's like, okay, well we've got a few of our 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:58.080 uh guys that we've got in a grouping. But man, 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:03.159 if we can back a few and still have you know, 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:06.760 two or three of our grouping of five available to us, 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:09.680 let's do that. Because they've got pick seventeen, they've got 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.400 forty nine. They don't pick till forty nine in the 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.960 second round, and then in the third round they don't 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:18.160 pick until eighty one. So if they can get you know, 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:21.320 another second round pick or another third round pick and 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:25.280 address the offensive black Zech Ruth. I don't necessarily think 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.600 it's going to be a pick seventeen, but if they could, 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.320 if they do get an extra pick in the second 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:34.200 or third round, I don't necessarily think you have to 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.880 go offensive lineman back to back, you know, selections. You know, 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:39.680 if you have two second round picks, you've got to 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:42.840 do two interior alignement with those two second round picks, 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:46.679 or two thirds the same going with an interior alignment twice. 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:49.760 But I do think that there's it gives you an 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:54.320 opportunity to double down, you know, and maybe increase the 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:57.120 odds of one of them being the kind of football 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:59.880 player that you were hoping. And can you really give 0:07:59.920 --> 0:08:02.440 you some quality staffs in that in that rookie season, 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.160 you know, I know, I know Zach and as Prusser 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:09.000 you know, said that they're not not looking for rookies 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:12.240 to start. They've got starters everywhere. They feel comfortable with that. 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:15.040 But in that and that should be you know, that 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:17.360 should be his message. I mean, everybody has to compete 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:22.000 for a position. But I know there's there's good players 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:24.440 out there, and and the guys, the guys that I 0:08:24.480 --> 0:08:27.720 really like, I like the way he plays, I like 0:08:28.960 --> 0:08:32.199 his career path. I like the kind of person he 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:35.000 seems to be as well as football player Will Campbell 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:38.120 out of l s u Uh. You know this guy. 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:41.880 We talked about it a lot. Okay, boy, this position versatility. 0:08:42.280 --> 0:08:45.440 This guy can play guard and tackle. I haven't played 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:48.760 you know, all five, all five of the positions I can. 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:53.640 In my mind, it was easier to transition physically from 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:56.640 tackle to guard to move inside from tackle to guard, 0:08:57.160 --> 0:09:01.679 but mentally much different situation. The speed of the game 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:02.760 is a lot quicker. 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:03.360 Uh. 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:07.400 You have to make calls, You have to be quick minded, 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.200 You have to recognize what the what the defense is 0:09:10.200 --> 0:09:12.800 trying to do from a structure standpoint. You have to 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.960 make an appropriate call with blocking patterns take care of that. 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:21.200 So there's a lot bigger challenge mentally kicking inside from 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:23.240 from tackle to guard. The tackle doesn't really have to 0:09:23.240 --> 0:09:25.360 worry about a lot of that. Tackle just has to 0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:28.120 take care of his lane, you know, on that outside 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:31.360 the traffic on the interstate. It's a lot busier inside 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:35.080 with the between the the guards in the center, with 0:09:35.160 --> 0:09:38.280 the defensive tackles and the linebackers that can play with 0:09:38.320 --> 0:09:40.440 you and mess around and bringing safeties up into the 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:45.120 box and all that sort of thing. So sometimes guys 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:48.880 struggle a little bit with that. Physically not an issue 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:52.000 from to slide from tackle to guard, but mentally, you know, 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:52.800 can they handle it? 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:53.559 And it seems like. 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:55.760 There's a lot of a lot of guys that have 0:09:55.960 --> 0:10:00.280 already played both, so they've proven that, and I think, uh, 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:03.120 there's a lot of guys that are capable of playing 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:05.920 both but haven't been asked to yet. From a mental standpoint, 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:08.240 it seems like there's a pretty good group. And that's 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:10.400 the thing I think in general about this draft in 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:13.480 is the depth. You know, I mean every position group 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.640 has got some depth to it. I mean, the running 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:19.280 back position is ridiculous. You know, there's all there's all 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:23.320 kinds of depth there. The wide receiver position has a 0:10:23.360 --> 0:10:25.000 ton of depth to it as well, And the Bengals 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.960 aren't necessarily in the market for, you know, for either 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:31.040 of those positions, but I mean there's there's so many 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:34.120 of them and their quality. You know, when when your 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:36.960 pick comes up, whatever it is, what round it is, 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.160 I mean that may be one of those one of 0:10:39.240 --> 0:10:42.600 those position groups, maybe the best available athlete on the board, 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:46.000 and you pull the trigger on it because you're always 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:47.960 looking to improve your football team. 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:50.480 But I think that bodes well. 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.319 You know, It's like there's there's maybe a little bit 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:57.200 of a dip after the first I don't know, somewhere 0:10:57.240 --> 0:10:59.200 between five and ten picks, a little bit of a depth. 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:01.560 Then it goes for and then there's not a fall 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:04.000 off the cliff gip. I mean, there's maybe another little dip. 0:11:04.240 --> 0:11:05.880 But well, I'll tell you, you know, you get into 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:10.960 the into the uh you know, second, third, and fourth rounds, 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:13.840 even the fifth round. There's good football players there. There's 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.920 there's no question about it. That's why I think trading 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:21.880 back and accumulating another one, you know, makes some sense. 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:25.560 The Bengals only have six draft picks. They've traditionally had 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:28.320 had more than that in the last few years. I'd 0:11:28.360 --> 0:11:29.400 like to see it happen again. 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:33.080 I do think they're going to trade back. I think 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.599 it's most likely in round two. I was taking a 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:39.680 look at Round one, specifically at the team's picking, you know, 0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:42.200 within a few spots behind them, and trying to take 0:11:42.280 --> 0:11:45.839 note of who had extra picks, and the one team 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.840 that could conceivably make sense is Houston. They've got the 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:53.560 twenty fifth pick, they've got an extra third rounder, and 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:57.240 their GM, Nick Casserly is a wheeler, wheeler and dealer. 0:11:57.280 --> 0:12:01.360 I think he's averaged five draft trade a year since 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:04.080 he's been their GM, so he loves to, you know, 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:07.280 move up, move back, move up, move back. So it 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:10.040 would have to make sense for somebody that Houston wants. 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:13.360 If you look at one of those trade value charts, 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:18.160 the value comes close to matching up with the twenty 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.840 fifth pick for the seventeenth pick plus a third rounder. 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:25.280 So you know, from a trade value stand up maybe 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:29.080 or standpoint rather maybe. But I really think the more 0:12:29.160 --> 0:12:32.080 likely scenario is the second round because in recent years 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:34.600 that's when the Bengals have done it. They have made 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:37.880 a second round draft trade. In five out of the 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:41.920 last eight years. They've moved down four times. They've moved 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:44.920 up once when they moved up three spots to to 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:48.920 get Cam Taylor Britt. So what can they get if 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:52.120 they moved down in the second round? And again, look 0:12:52.160 --> 0:12:55.560 at one of those trade value charts, every spot you 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:59.800 go back is worth ten points. So if you go 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:03.960 back five spots, it's worth fifty points on the draft chart. 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.240 If you go back ten it's worth one hundred points 0:13:06.520 --> 0:13:10.640 on the draft chart, fifty points is a fourth round pick. 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:14.440 One hundred points is a low third round pick. So 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.959 that's the kind of pick they could get by moving 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:20.600 back in the second round. And I really think that 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:21.599 that makes sense to me. 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:25.320 Yeah, and I, like we talked about a little bit earlier, 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:28.160 the draft is still deep at that point. You know, 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:33.240 it's not like, oh man, you move back, you're sacrificing 0:13:33.280 --> 0:13:36.200 an opportunity to get the better football players. 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:38.880 There's still a lot of them there. You know. 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:44.040 If you can move back and stay in the second, third, 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:47.640 and fourth round, get an extra third round pick by 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:49.439 moving back a little bit in the second round. I 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:51.720 do that all day, every day in this particular draft, 0:13:52.040 --> 0:13:54.720 because the draft is. 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:56.640 Okay. 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.760 Hall of famer nah, I mean, you can't make any 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:02.120 he call on a Hall of famer even before they 0:14:02.440 --> 0:14:05.679 take a snap in the National Football League, even before 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:07.800 you know what what team they're going to does the 0:14:07.840 --> 0:14:11.520 team's uh way you're doing things fit what that player's 0:14:12.000 --> 0:14:16.280 talents are, uh physically you know some That's the thing. 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:18.280 The draft is such a crapshoot because you're going to 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:21.760 match the skill set of the player with the schematic 0:14:21.800 --> 0:14:23.800 that you're running and is there a fit there? And 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:26.520 if there's not, does the player have the physical capabilities 0:14:26.520 --> 0:14:29.440 of adjusting to your schematic? And there's a lot that 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.080 goes goes into that, and you're starting to roll the 0:14:32.160 --> 0:14:34.480 roll the dice a little bit. So I mean you 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:37.000 never have slam dunk. Oh yeah, I mean if we 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:38.720 can get an extra third round pick, we know this 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:41.000 guy is going to be, you know, a potential pro bowler. Dah, 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:43.320 you don't. You don't even know if your first round 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:46.240 is going to be a potential pro bowler. But the 0:14:46.320 --> 0:14:49.680 key is increasing your odds of finding you know, that 0:14:49.760 --> 0:14:52.560 type of player, you know. And and the great Paul Brown, 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:56.760 his his whole mindset, uh was, was draft, develop, and 0:14:56.800 --> 0:15:00.240 retain that That's what that's what he built is his uh, 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:04.840 his legend on and it certainly was a very unbelievable 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.960 legend that he built. And and he was the master 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.800 and you know, identifying, you know, the first thing you 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.640 have to do is identify, uh, the player does it 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:15.840 does is it a fit like we just talked about, 0:15:16.160 --> 0:15:20.000 and then you know, draft him accordingly appropriately and then 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:22.920 developed that player and then when that first contracts up, 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:26.000 retain them you know, don't uh, don't go through the 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:30.360 whole process of of uh, the the cost and and 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.520 the the commitment, the work commitment that that your franchise 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:37.960 is doing to develop the player all from the management 0:15:38.040 --> 0:15:40.840 to the coaches, to teammates to whatever, and let somebody 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:44.120 else benefit, you know. On the second contract, the retention 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:45.720 part of it was big for Paul. 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:49.480 Lap on your In the Trenches podcast. You've done some 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.920 great recent episodes with Mike Potts and Stephen Radissovich from 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:56.520 the Bengals personnel department. Based on those conversations and your 0:15:56.560 --> 0:16:01.200 own research, does the strength of this draft bit the 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:02.880 Bengals needs. 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:06.600 I really believe so, you know, I think that, uh, 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.760 that it does. I mean, you know, I think the 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:14.280 biggest need obviously is the interior of the offensive and 0:16:14.320 --> 0:16:17.480 defensive line, like we talked about. But uh, if you 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:20.720 draft a guy at the tackle position and he proves 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:23.680 to be uh, you know, that's that's his best spot. 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:27.000 Can never have enough tackles, you know, I mean, uh, 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:31.200 if God forbid injury or or or whatever. An offensive 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:34.320 tackle is a is a key commodity in the National 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:37.840 Football League. Somebody that can can play that spot and uh, 0:16:37.920 --> 0:16:40.200 if it's going to take a while for him to 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:44.120 maybe you know, be a big contributor at the tackle position, 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:44.920 or if. 0:16:44.800 --> 0:16:48.080 He can while he's in the weight as such. 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:50.600 Uh, you know, then then of course if he can 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:53.160 kick in the guard and solve that problem, you know, 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:58.080 that's huge. So I mean, drafting a guard is a 0:16:58.120 --> 0:17:01.640 big key. But again, I think if you can find 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:05.359 a tackle that has that position flexibility and versatility, I 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:07.400 think that's a that's a that's a big deal. 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:08.080 Uh. 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:11.840 Interior defensive tackle position I think is pretty deep. You know, 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:14.040 you have the g men out of Michigan and they're 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:17.320 they're slated to go Graham and Grant, they're slated to 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:19.480 go maybe a little bit a little bit higher. But 0:17:20.440 --> 0:17:23.800 you know, I think I think the defensive tackle position 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:27.480 is is very very deep. And then the edge rush position, 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:30.000 I mean, there's a bunch of good edge rush guys. 0:17:30.440 --> 0:17:33.080 And in the National Football League, a big thing that 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:36.040 you need is somebody to heat up the passer, get 0:17:36.080 --> 0:17:39.720 after the quarterback and not necessarily you know, running up 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:43.480 a huge tab sacks all that, although that would be great, 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:48.680 but just pressuring him even uh is viotally important. And uh, 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:52.040 you shrinking the pocket on the quarterback, not letting the 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:55.000 quarterback just stand there comfortably in the pocket and and 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:57.440 pick you apart, or maybe climb the pocket and buy 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:00.879 time to pick you apart. And when you push the pocket, 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:03.199 you obstruct his vision. So the middle of the football 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.199 field becomes cloudy for the quarterback. And that's always a 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:06.720 big deal. 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:09.639 You know. He sometimes they're throwing the football. 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:11.880 And they're hoping and guessing a little bit that it's 0:18:11.920 --> 0:18:15.760 going to be, you know, where they hope to successfully 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:16.640 make a completion. 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:19.560 So it that I think, I think that's a that's 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:20.120 a big deal. 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:23.280 But I do think there's there's depth that just about 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:27.400 every position group in this in this draft, it may 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:31.320 not be a draft that has you know, more Hall 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:33.879 of famers potential Hall of famers than any other draft 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:36.160 in the history of the National Football League. 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:37.960 Or more Pro Bowl. 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:40.360 Players in the early stages of their career than any 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:42.639 other draft in the history of the National Football League. 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:45.800 There's a lot of damn good football players in this 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:48.840 draft that can help help you build out a roster 0:18:49.400 --> 0:18:52.320 and improve your franchise in the National Football League. And 0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:55.960 I think the Bengals, you know, hopefully take full advantage 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:58.080 of it, and again like to see him get another 0:18:58.160 --> 0:18:59.359 pick in so doing. 0:19:00.760 --> 0:19:04.239 I do think that the strength of the draft is 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:07.439 the trenches, and that obviously would fit the Bengals needs. 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:10.359 And I think it's worth pointing out that while it 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:12.760 is good in the trenches this year, it's not necessarily 0:19:12.760 --> 0:19:18.679 a great offensive tackle draft, unlike last year. If Amarus 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:22.520 Mims was in this draft, I think he's one of 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:26.080 the top tackles on the board. He might go top 0:19:26.160 --> 0:19:29.040 ten or top five if he were in this draft. 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:31.360 And last year, because there were so many great tackles, 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:34.719 he was the fifth tackle taken and the number eighteen 0:19:34.760 --> 0:19:38.200 player overall. So strength and need lined up really nicely 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:42.119 for the Bengals last year. And then looking at it 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:47.120 in a different way, it sounds like the relative weakness 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:50.760 of this draft is quarterback and wide receiver. Not that 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:54.280 there aren't good ones, but there may be aren't great ones. 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:57.479 It sounds like the wide receivers in particular, you know 0:19:57.520 --> 0:19:59.400 a bunch of good ones, a bunch that will play 0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:02.200 for you, but not necessarily number ones. And who knows 0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:04.720 about the quarterbacks, they seem like it's kind of a 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:09.000 crapshoot year where the quarterbacks are concerned. In this division, 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:14.080 the Browns and Steelers need quarterbacks. They'll probably use a 0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:17.240 high pick on a guy that will be forced to 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:19.879 play at some point, and if he turns out to 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:23.000 be a bus that could sent two of their rivals 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:25.320 back a little bit. So I think it's a year 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:28.000 where not only do the strengths fit the Bengals needs, 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:32.280 but the weaknesses don't help some of their key rivals. 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:38.400 I agree, I agree, and I think you know this draft. 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:44.959 Quarterbacks are always the value of the quarterback is paramount 0:20:45.000 --> 0:20:48.199 in the National Football League. Obviously, quarterback if it's not 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:51.200 the most important position, and it is the most important 0:20:51.200 --> 0:20:54.359 position in football, if it's not the most important position 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:56.400 in all of sports, I don't know what. I don't 0:20:56.440 --> 0:21:00.560 know what other position is. So everybody's looking for their quarterback. 0:21:00.920 --> 0:21:05.480 And and for that reason, you know, cam Ward, Shadura, 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:09.320 Sanders Jackson, darn those guys. And I hope every one 0:21:09.320 --> 0:21:11.200 of them. I hope they all go in the top five. 0:21:11.560 --> 0:21:12.480 I hope, I hope. 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:16.000 They they go up and they're shaking the Commissioner's hand 0:21:16.080 --> 0:21:17.760 right away, you know, I mean, I hope, I hope 0:21:17.760 --> 0:21:20.640 that's the h I hope that's the case as many 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:23.320 of those guys and as many wide receivers as possible. 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:26.600 So when it does get down to seventeen, the Bengals 0:21:26.600 --> 0:21:29.800 have a plethora. It's like, man, are you kidding me? 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:35.000 We're definitely trading back. We've got we've got options at 0:21:35.000 --> 0:21:39.000 the interior offensive line position, in the interior defensive line position. 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:44.440 We have options in multiple, multiple spots. But if for 0:21:44.480 --> 0:21:49.240 some reason, you know, a player is sliding, it's like 0:21:49.320 --> 0:21:52.280