WEBVTT - Drive Time: Malik Washington Interview and AFC West Preview 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.400 To our remove Goling, Deep Speedlas, Peace to. 0:00:03.720 --> 0:00:09.399 Hell from the Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:16.960 Training Complex. This is Drivetime with Travis Wingfield. He's got 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:19.440 my ad hands in the playoffs. 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:29.320 What is up Dolphins and welcome to the Draft Time Podcast. 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:32.240 I am your host, Travis Wingfield and on today's show, 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:35.680 it is officially NFL Preview Time. We'll kick it off 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:37.879 out west in the AFC, taking a look at the 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:41.839 off season of the Chargers, Chiefs, Broncos and Raiders. Plus 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:44.760 we'll take a halftime break to hear from Dolphins rookie 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:47.920 wide receiver Molak Washington who joined me on the podcast. 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:49.720 We'll go ahead and finish out the rest of the 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:53.080 AFC West and some division predictions and superlatives from the 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.480 Baptist Health Studios inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. This 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:05.000 is the Draft Time Podcast. We'll go around the NFL 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:07.880 over the course of the next eight episodes, which takes 0:01:07.959 --> 0:01:10.600 us to the week before training camp, where we will 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.720 then preview the Dolphins roster ahead of this year's camp. 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:18.520 And we start our divisional previews out west in the AFC. 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:20.880 And we kick it off here with the defending champion 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:23.479 Kansas City Chiefs, who went eleven to six last year, 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.240 won the West once again, ran through a four to 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:29.000 zero playoff record that included three wins on the road, 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:31.120 one of those being a neutral site game in the 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:34.360 championship obviously, but the World champs for the third time 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:39.120 in five years. I think it's instructive how dynasties find 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:43.560 ways to win in reinvented ways, because the Patriots went 0:01:43.560 --> 0:01:47.440 from this ball control, a quarterback who barely ever put 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.200 the ball in harm's way and would help them win 0:01:50.360 --> 0:01:54.960 games with late drive success, a defensive team who then 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:57.840 went on to be a record breaking offense, and eventually 0:01:57.880 --> 0:01:59.680 then at the end of all that came back once 0:01:59.720 --> 0:02:02.720 again in Brady's final season to be the best defense 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:06.240 in the entire National Football League. The Chiefs ran everybody 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:09.040 out of the building for five years offensively, then last 0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:12.680 year they have large stretches where the offense was just 0:02:14.280 --> 0:02:17.000 it was bad. Did you guys watch that Raider game 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:19.680 on Christmas? Just flat out awful, And it made me 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:21.880 think the Dolphins had a chance going into that playoff game, 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:23.839 But a little did I know we had our own 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:27.519 offensive woes and zero pass rushers at our own disposal 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:30.480 as well. And yet the Chiefs hoist yet another Lombardi 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:35.079 Trophy because they drafted beautifully on defense, hired and maintained 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:39.520 the greatest current defensive architect in Steve Spagnolo, and then 0:02:39.560 --> 0:02:41.760 you have a quarterback that rises to the occasion in 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:43.880 the biggest moments on top of already being the best 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.680 quarterback in the world. Right, what reason do we have 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:48.840 to think the Chiefs are not going to be this 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:52.480 team again in twenty twenty four and beyond, because I 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:55.600 think they are a lot better than they were last year. 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:59.359 They're big moves this offseason. Hollywood Brown, the receiver coming 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:02.000 over from the Cardinals, is the big addition. They also 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:03.639 go out and get Irv Smith, a tight end from 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:07.040 the Bengals. Carson Wentz is the new backup behind Mahomes. 0:03:07.280 --> 0:03:09.680 I also loved a couple of draft picks. Xavier Worthy, 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:12.040 My god, what a fit he's going to be in 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:14.360 that offense. And then Jaden Hicks, the safety out of 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.880 WSU I think is a good replacement for Mike Edwards, 0:03:17.080 --> 0:03:19.760 who they lost to the Buffalo Bills. They also lost 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:23.240 Willie Gabe to the Saints and Marcus Valdez Scantling also 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.800 to the Bills, but the biggest loss was trading Lugerius Snead, 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:31.320 they're all pro shut down perimeter cornerback to the Titans 0:03:31.320 --> 0:03:33.760 this offseason, who was going to be on the franchise tag. 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:36.560 They wind up getting basically a third round pick with 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:38.680 some additional compensation on the back end. I think of 0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:40.440 the seventh round pick they went back to the Chiefs 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:44.080 in that deal, So they lose probably their second best 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:47.080 defender behind Chris Jones for a mid round draft pick. 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:49.040 But we'll get to more to that here in just second. 0:03:49.200 --> 0:03:51.720 What do they do well well? I think that even 0:03:51.720 --> 0:03:54.960 when the defense has the right call, they can still 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:58.600 win and create offscript because of their heroic quarterback. They 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:02.400 have this telepathic connection between Mahomes and Kelsey. Their pass 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.360 protection and ability to generate push inside in the running 0:04:05.400 --> 0:04:08.440 game because of the offensive line. Investment in Creed Humphrey, 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.400 Joe Toney, and Trey Smith is a hallmark of this 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:15.440 team and basically where they allocated their resources last year 0:04:15.480 --> 0:04:18.200 opposed to going after the skill positions, and they found 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:20.200 a way to win that way as well. They get 0:04:20.240 --> 0:04:23.360 simulated pressures and create protection issues for the offensive line 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:26.400 with Steve Spagnolo. They have waves of rushers that can 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.440 win one on ones both inside and outside, whether it's 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:32.560 Chris Jones and Derek Nandi inside or George car Loftis, 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.520 Leo Chanel, Mike Dana and Charles Amena who outside, and 0:04:35.560 --> 0:04:38.400 they all kind of feature different skill sets. Their rush 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.600 pairs with exceptional range at the second level and Drew 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:46.080 Trankwell and Nick Bolton. And also they have tremendous corner 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:48.000 play with the best slot in the entire league in 0:04:48.240 --> 0:04:51.480 Trent McDuffie, who opens up Spag's playbook to blitz and 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:54.000 to pull guys off in coverage and just do so 0:04:54.040 --> 0:04:56.640 many different things that they do so well in Kansas City. 0:04:56.839 --> 0:04:59.600 What's the concern or fatal flaw with this team? And 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:03.520 ross Well, the last point requires replacing their best corner 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:06.159 on the perimeter in Snead. His ability to press and 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:09.560 disrupt the game's top wide receivers sort of drove that 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:13.560 style of defense. The choices for replacing Sneed are internal, 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.520 and the first crack looks to be former seventh round 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.440 Washington State Cougar or Jalen Watson, who's been a nice 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:22.520 depth piece, but as far as a starter. That's a 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:26.040 pretty big drop offense overall skill. The other concern would 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:28.880 be your skill group improvement, right, but I think it's 0:05:29.000 --> 0:05:32.000 almost impossible to believe they won the whole thing with 0:05:32.160 --> 0:05:34.760 the production they did get on the perimeter last season. 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:37.360 But I feel like they've completely erased that with the 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:41.400 additions of Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy. Now Rashi Rice 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:44.800 having a massive suspension coming up is gonna throw a 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:46.720 little bit of a fly into that ointment because I 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:49.520 think that with all three of those guys, they'd be 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.760 with Kelsey, they'd be as good as anybody, But without Rice, 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:54.080 I think it makes the rest of the group a 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:57.919 lot worse. So the truth is, neither of those concerns 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:00.680 are close to fatal. I think the only fatal flaw 0:06:00.760 --> 0:06:04.440 this roster has is the same one every single contender has. 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:07.000 If their quarterback gets hurt, then they probably aren't gonna 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.520 raise the Lombardi again. Short of that, you have to 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:11.920 believe the road goes through Kansas City once again. Some 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:14.680 interesting things about this team or biggest storylines is the 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:18.360 dynasty pursuit. Yeah they're already there, but four in six 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:21.080 years would be the first time that's happened since the 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:24.880 Steelers won Super Bowls nine, ten, thirteen, and fourteen, and 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:27.600 the Niners also won four over the course of nine 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:31.320 seasons back in the eighties and nineties. How does losing 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:35.200 Lugerious Sneed impact their defense stylistically? I'm concerned to see 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:38.120 how that works because so much of their filling and 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:41.039 replacing of all the McDuffie blitzer of the linebacker blitzz 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:44.000 that Spagnolo draws up, even the safety blitzes depended on 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:46.800 lu Jerious Sneed's ability to basically lock down guys like 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:50.919 Tyreek Hill. If the weaponry returns to pre twenty twenty 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:54.359 three form for the next storyline here, we could be 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:56.880 talking about a contender not just to win the whole thing, 0:06:56.960 --> 0:07:00.200 but do they lose a game? Like if it's if 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:02.000 the defense is what it was last year and the 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:04.279 offense is what it was in twenty twenty two, does 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:07.000 this team lose a game? I think that's a legit question. 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:09.479 If you get both of those answers that are yes. 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:12.840 Final roster thoughts. I love the quarterback obviously, love the 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:16.200 remade skill spots again, even with the rice suspension coming 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.800 down the pipe. Here the lead back matches the makeup 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:22.120 of the offensive line with brute physicality in Isaiah Pacheco. 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:25.120 The tackle spot is probably the question mark. Janya Morris 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.000 is pretty unproven a second year player from Oklahoma, and 0:07:28.120 --> 0:07:30.200 Juwan Taylor led the NFL on penalties last year and 0:07:30.200 --> 0:07:32.040 I don't think he was that good either, So those 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:34.760 are some concerns. The front on defense is deep, it's 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:38.720 spearheaded by superstars Jones and kar loftis is gonna get 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:40.680 you know. I think Carls is gonna get there this year. 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:43.640 Jones already is there. I love the rangy linebackers, even 0:07:43.680 --> 0:07:46.920 with the loss of Willie Gay. I think the perimeter 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:49.680 cornerback spot is the one area you can raise questions with, 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:52.640 especially when we see so many units absorbing attrition at 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:56.400 that spot. Right now, their top perimeter cornerbacks are It's 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:59.520 Jalen Watson like It's like a third or fourth cornerback. 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:03.920 In my opinion, What can they inform us about the 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:06.559 Miami Dolphins. I think this is instructive for every team, 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:09.000 But I think the Chiefs have really mastered the idea 0:08:09.040 --> 0:08:11.880 of sustained success. And yes, that's an obvious statement, and no, 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:14.880 I don't think it pertains strictly to having the best 0:08:14.960 --> 0:08:17.960 quarterback in the NFL. They've shown fantastic foresight on when 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.200 they can maximize the value of a star and utilize 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:23.679 the assets they get for said star to rebuild certain 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.600 areas of the football team and what makes their program tick. 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:30.280 For US, perimeter's skill and speed, right positionless versatile pieces 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.600 on defense. For them, it was fortifying the interior offensive 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:37.240 lineman and letting their creator quarterback mask some of the 0:08:37.240 --> 0:08:40.240 weapon issues. Although I believe those issues are now behind them. 0:08:40.440 --> 0:08:42.280 I just admire their ability to get on in front 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:45.320 of potential issues and maintain a pipeline that affords them 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:47.800 that opportunity. And I think the Dolphins do a great 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.800 job of this as well. For what it's worth, I 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:52.760 know nobody wanted to see Christian Wilkins or Rob Hunt go, 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:55.040 but then you think about the things that make this 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:58.120 team go right. Perimeter skills, a precision quarterback, pieces like 0:08:58.240 --> 0:09:01.760 Ramsey Fuller, Jordan Brooks on deft Waddle got the extension. 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:03.920 We know that Phillips is probably gonna get his soon. 0:09:03.960 --> 0:09:06.640 Tuoa's gonna get his soon. Tyreek has mentioned in press 0:09:06.640 --> 0:09:08.760 conferences his desire to be here for a long long time. 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:11.160 You have to keep him paid and happy. So I 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:13.920 think that's kind of the foresight to say, we can 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:16.400 say goodbye to Christian Wilkins and it's gonna hurt, But 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:19.200 because we know we're gonna pay Waddle and Tua and 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:21.760 Phillips and all these great players, then I think that 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:25.440 you can have this idea of refilling the pipeline and 0:09:25.480 --> 0:09:27.160 allows you to do something only a handful of teams 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:30.240 have done with four consecutive winning seasons. Let's go ahead 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:33.880 and move on here to the Las Vegas Raiders, who 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.320 finished twenty twenty three to eight to nine and second 0:09:36.360 --> 0:09:38.920 in the AFC West. And what a weird year it 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:43.440 was for those Raiders, who were among my most surprising teams, 0:09:43.520 --> 0:09:46.280 especially when you consider the wreckage they pulled themselves out 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:49.800 of with an interim coach at the head coaching position. 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:53.640 In fact, it was such an impressionable job by Antonio 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:55.880 Pierce that he had the interim label removed and he 0:09:55.960 --> 0:09:59.440 is now the man. And and they do this while 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:02.960 starting a quarterback who wasn't that good. He's not some 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.240 highly tattered first round pick. It was a fourth rounder, 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:07.680 Little old Aidan O'Connell, who took over for the big 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:11.040 money starter who was injured six games in in Jimmy Garoppolo. 0:10:11.320 --> 0:10:13.960 The defense made massive strides. They had nowhere to go 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:16.080 but up. But they were way better than they weren't 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.120 twenty twenty two. In fact, they were one of the 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:20.800 teams that gave us our biggest issue here at home, 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:23.760 scoring just twenty points were usually scored forty points at 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:25.480 hard Rock Stadium. I think it was one of the 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:28.720 more commendable coaching jobs in the NFL last season. But 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:31.760 now is where the real challenge kicks in. In year 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:34.640 two for Antonio Pierce, they're big moves man. They were active. 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:36.880 They didn't lose a whole lot because they just when 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:39.520 you lop off Jimmy Garoppolo's contract, you don't have a 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:43.240 lot of bills to come do. But they lost Jimmy Garoppolo, 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:47.160 Josh Jacobs, Germaine Iluminor, and Balald Nichols. And while Nichols 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:49.360 goes out and gets a big contract elsewhere, they bring 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:51.680 in Christian Wilkins to the biggest defensive tackle contract in 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.160 the history of the National Football Like. They also got 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:56.680 Gardner Minshew, who for my money as the starting quarterback. 0:10:56.679 --> 0:11:00.760 We'll find out come camp. Alexander Madison, Michael Gallup, Jalen Geiton, 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:04.600 Cody Whitehair Andres Pete brock Bauers and Jackson Powers Johnson, 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:07.280 like you know, tip of the cap. That's a pretty 0:11:07.280 --> 0:11:10.160 impressive haul of players, especially some of those you know, 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:13.000 skilled depth guys to go along with DeVante Adams and 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:16.720 Jacoby Myers and obviously Christian Wilkins changes the entire dynamic 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:18.400 of your defensive line. So it's I thought that was 0:11:18.400 --> 0:11:21.640 a pretty impressive offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders outside 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:24.160 of you know, completely skipping out in the quarterback What 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:27.360 do they do well? Well, you can really you can 0:11:27.400 --> 0:11:29.240 see they really just added to what they had. But 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.040 therein lies one of the potential concerns. They were one 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:33.920 of the few teams that were kind of left, you know, 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.920 without a chair in the musical chair quarterback game in 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:38.880 terms of the big ticket guys. But as what they 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:42.720 do do well do do or maybe their preferred identity 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.640 will be with a defensive minded, old school mentality coach, 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.760 they'll want to run the football right though you suspect 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.679 it'll be more by committee. With Zamir White, Amir Abdullah 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:54.240 and Alexander Madison compared to the last year with Josh Jacobs, 0:11:54.240 --> 0:11:56.640 who was a first down, second down run the football, 0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:58.880 Let's find out what happens on third down. But they 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:02.600 do have a larger offensive line in terms of size 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:05.320 that runs manning gap scheme, and they did it for 0:12:05.360 --> 0:12:07.120 just three point seven yards per carry last year. I 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:10.960 think it's sound to call this their identity, but I'm 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:13.319 curious what it looks like because of all the skill 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:16.560 guys they have on the outside, because that identity would 0:12:16.600 --> 0:12:19.679 run counter to what their personnel offers. And that was 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:21.760 kind of a thing A theme I know as here 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.360 with some of these teams that I'm covering on this episode, 0:12:24.440 --> 0:12:28.240 is like there's conflicting ideals with personnel and scheme. I 0:12:28.280 --> 0:12:30.520 love their weapons last year, and it was the same issue, 0:12:30.520 --> 0:12:32.400 Who's going to throw the football to those guys? Davante 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.360 Adams one of the game's best obviously. Jacoby Myers is 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:37.760 maybe my favorite number two receiver in the National Football League. 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:40.280 I don't call him a waddle is, but Wattle to 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:43.080 me is the number one receiver. I think Jalen Geiitten 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:45.840 is the ideal like third or fourth target slash vertical 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.520 stretch guy. They also brought in Michael Gallup, who had 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:50.640 a rough couple of years off injury for the Cowboys, 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:52.480 but I think he's got all the ability in the world. 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:54.640 And they also go with Michael Mayer and Brock Bauers 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:56.560 at tight end, Like that's about as good as it 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:58.360 gets as far as like your top five or six 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:01.719 pass catchers right only like Miami and San Francisco. Maybe 0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:03.880 a couple others can be right up there with that group. 0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:07.839 But their identity on defense is what I'm really curious about, 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.480 because they want to play coverage and get home with 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:13.400 four and that's built around Max Crosby, probably the best 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:15.559 edge in the game right now. And that's why I 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.360 think Patrick Graham is only here for one year because 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:19.079 Flora has wanted to blitz blitz, blitz, blitz blitz, and 0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:21.480 Graham's like, now, let's just chill and play more coverage. 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.439 But they add to that with Crosby, with Christian Wilkins, 0:13:24.760 --> 0:13:27.400 they're going to try to convert Tyree Wilson to a 0:13:27.440 --> 0:13:30.640 defensive tackle after taking him at defensive end number four 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:33.600 overall last year. I really don't get that because I 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.280 don't think he can do it. I think he was 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:38.440 one of the most explosive edge rushers in that class. 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:40.800 Like what are we doing? Malcolm Koons might be the 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:42.480 reason for that because he came on as a legit 0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:45.040 number two pass rusher, and they've got some good depth there. 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:46.680 They got some length up in that group as well, 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:49.040 and some really good coverage backers and Robert Spalane and 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:52.240 Devine Diablo who give the back end some freedom. But 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:55.640 that's some issues on that defensive backfield as well, some concerns. 0:13:55.960 --> 0:13:58.520 That's one of them. The defensive backfield. You know, Brandon 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:01.199 face On, Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones to Cory and Bennett 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:04.120 are the cornerbacks there. With Trayvon Merrick and Marcus Epps 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:11.040 at safety, that's pretty that's pretty underwhelming offensively. Hey, what 0:14:11.720 --> 0:14:15.679 Luke Getze, I mean, did you watch the Bears offense 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.800 last year? There was no rhyme or reason half the 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:20.920 time to that Bears offense. I just I don't get it, 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:22.720 and no need to harp on this too much. But 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:25.320 like Gardner Minshew is my guy, right, but he's like 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:27.080 the twenty fifth best quarterback in the NFL, and that 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:30.280 that was the I just I can't really imagine going 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:33.200 into a season with that because you're so limited in 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.040 terms of your ceiling, and you have like no real 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:38.960 excitement about what the future development of a quarterback could be. 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:40.720 Like a no common probably develops into a good backup 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:43.240 quarterback in this league. But that's what Gardner Minshew is too, 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:45.920 so I don't really get it. Some interesting things about 0:14:45.960 --> 0:14:50.960 them slash biggest storylines. This getsy and peerce dynamic fascinates me. 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:53.640 I think there's a lot of conflicting aspects of this team, 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.280 but if you're collaborative, you can make that work. But 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.120 do they know each other enough to be collaborative? I 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.520 don't know. I do love the staff that Pierce has 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:04.440 built on defense with Pat Graham and Joel Alexander in 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:06.560 some familiar names here from the Dolphins of the past. 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:08.160 I think Pierce is a good job of being the 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:11.400 leader and empowering his assistance. He's kind of a hands 0:15:11.400 --> 0:15:15.000 off like leader, not necessarily a scheme coach. Now, sometimes 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:18.000 interim coaches ride this wave, right, So how does Pierce 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:20.120 attack a season from the start? Which is to me 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:22.800 worth watching? And you can say that without last year's 0:15:22.800 --> 0:15:25.080 awful start, they were a playoff team. But it's a 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:27.240 fun juxtaposition because I think it's gonna be way more 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.240 difficult for Pierce to kind of get the raw ross 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:31.440 stuff going in his second year, kind of like Dan 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:33.880 Campbell who in Miami. You know, it didn't work out 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:35.680 after the first couple of games and the Jews kind 0:15:35.720 --> 0:15:37.320 of dropped little bit. You can you can ride that 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:39.680 way for so long, but will it continued this year? 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:42.000 Dan Campbell figured it out Detroit, can Pierce do it 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.400 in Las Vegas? I have my questions about that, And 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.280 they obviously built this roster for a quarterback drop in 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:49.280 next year. Just kind of puts you in some limbo 0:15:49.320 --> 0:15:51.040 for this season, though. And can they keep all those 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.400 mouthse on offense fed? I don't know. It's a lot 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:55.640 my final roster thoughts here. I love the skills spots. 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:57.640 I think they're running back and offensive line position on 0:15:57.640 --> 0:15:59.800 paper regressed. I think they added to the strength of 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:01.680 the defensive front, and I think they'll need to scour 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:04.160 the way we wire for defensive back depth at the 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.680 conclusion of camp, and again the quarterback right, what can 0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:09.120 we learn from the Dolphins or about the Dolphins from 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:10.760 the Raiders team I'm not sure there's a lot here. 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:13.080 They do, however, have a similar blueprint in terms of 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:15.480 loading up the skill possessions, which has been something of 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.400 an NFL pivot the last five or so years across 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:20.720 the league. Teams want as many weapons as they can get. 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:23.240 Even a team without approven quarterback and a coach that 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.120 played linebacker in the league for a decade want to 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:28.480 go after those skill guys on the perimeter. So there 0:16:28.480 --> 0:16:30.840 you go, two teams down, two more to go. But next, 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:33.120 let's go ahead and hear from Dolphins rookie wide receiver 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:35.560 Meleak Washington. That's next on the Draft Time Podcast, your 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:41.240 host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation Well 0:16:41.320 --> 0:16:44.120 of Dolphins Draft Time Podcast. Here, your host Travis Wingfield. 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:47.480 My guest today is Dolphins rookie wide receiver Malik Washington. Maleik, 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:48.080 how you doing man? 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:50.080 Man? I'm doing great. I'm very happy to be here, 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:51.640 very excited to get talking to you guys. 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:53.120 I'm excited to talk to you as well. I've been 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:55.360 a big fan of your game for a while. I 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.360 can't believe you were there in the fifth round. Could 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.320 be perfectly honced with you, and I'm glad that he works. 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.800 We can pick you up and make you Miami Dolphin. 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:05.040 So part of that, you know, pre draft process and 0:17:05.040 --> 0:17:06.919 finding out about your game and watching tape and stuff, 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:08.960 was seeing you on Steve Smith's podcast. I want to 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:11.080 go ahead and start there. First of all. First of all, 0:17:11.240 --> 0:17:12.800 I know that's your guy, but I'm just curious, was 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.199 that your guy from childhood? Watching him play ball? Like, 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:16.760 how did you get that relationship with Steve Smith? 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:18.440 Yeah? I think from the first time I ever typed 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:20.480 in YouTube and was able to watch in football highlight, 0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:22.159 Steve Smith was the guy that was coming up and 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.159 just seeing the way he attacked the game, seeing the 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:27.840 way he played every down, the tenacity of which he played, 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:30.840 the tenacity of which he acted off the field. So 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:33.359 seeing that as a young kid growing up and I 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.399 wanted to emulate. I wanted to be kind of like that, 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:37.520 And now that I've made it to the NFL, I 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:40.040 want to continue that path, to continue trying to earn 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:40.880 my stripes that way. 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.359 Yeah, it's a good mindset to have. He is just 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:45.440 wired differently in terms of the way he approaches games, 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:47.000 So I can kind of get the same sense from 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:49.080 you there a little bit you mentioned on that podcast 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:51.080 that your why is your brother, and I'm just kind 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:52.800 of curious to kind of open that up a little 0:17:52.800 --> 0:17:54.080 bit more and hear you talk more about that. 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:56.879 Yeah, of course. So my little brother, he actually just 0:17:56.880 --> 0:17:59.399 graduated from high school and everything, so he's doing some 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:01.160 good things, and I think that's kind of the main 0:18:01.200 --> 0:18:02.840 reason I want to be that good, that light in 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:05.159 his life, so that when he looks around and he 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:07.280 looks for that role model, he looks for somebody to follow, 0:18:07.320 --> 0:18:10.359 he has somebody and there's no confusion, there's no doubt 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:13.200 that I'm right there with him. And so I think 0:18:13.520 --> 0:18:15.800 going to school, getting two degrees, trying to graduate the 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:19.399 highest GA GBA I could, trying to bring football to 0:18:19.480 --> 0:18:21.760 life for myself, and it's just accomplishing my goals. So 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:23.800 whether or not he wants to play football or do 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:25.359 sports or something like that, he just knows what it 0:18:25.359 --> 0:18:28.159 looks like to have a goal and really work relentlessly 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:30.320 at it and make all his dreams come true. 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:31.680 Man, I think you're doing a good job about you 0:18:31.800 --> 0:18:33.879 and that already so far. Two degrees, what were they in? 0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:36.560 Yeah, so I got my bachelor's in psychology that I 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:40.159 got a certificate and organizational leadership from Northwestern. Then I 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:42.080 went and did grad school at Virginia and got a 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:43.040 degree in higher education. 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:44.919