On this episode of Take Command, Charles Davis joins Craig and Logan to help get you prepared for the 2024 NFL draft! The guys kick things off by discussing the importance of team visits and player personality before getting into some of the top prospects at each position.
(1:51) Why Team Visits Matter with Charles Davis
(22:09) Charles Davis’ Cornerback NFL Draft Preview
(36:07) Charles Davis’ Safety & Linebacker NFL Draft Preview
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it’s time to take command with former NFL tight end Logan Paulson and former Commander beat reporter Craig Hoffman what’s up what’s happening welcome in it’s the take command podcast that is Logan Paulson I am Craig Hoffman and with us for the full show today how lucky are we to have Charles Davis from the NFL Network aart of their draft coverage all the way through the NFL draft which of course you can watch on the NFL Network got pass of the draft nightly at 6 you got total access at 7 Charles now your bosses are happy I have plugged the programming welcome to the show sir thank you very much yes you now we are okay for liftoff all right before Runway until all the announcements were in you guys fly a lot I fly a lot my biggest question with my Airline people I have to admit it is the incessant announcements yeah and have you noticed when the when the pilot comes on and announces they’ve started the initial descent everyone buckle up start returning things Etc go 321 and then a flight attendant comes on and says and I’ve not figured that part out yet I think Charles when we fly to Detroit next week we should just ask our flight attendants be like hey ma’am I or sir I have I have a question for have a question you know you know what we ought to do we ought to pull 10 of them and I bet you we get seven eight an guarantee I I think we should both ask we got at least I because Logan Logan staying put nurn for this but I’m headed to Detroit on Thursday you’re headed to Detroit that’s at least four flights I don’t know if you have any connections to get there I’m I’m luck straight through so we’ll talk afterwards and see what we get compare compare notes I love it um all right so we we’re gonna start comparing notes we will eventually compare notes on Corner uh linebacker some positions that we haven’t talked about a ton leading up to this process but certainly ones that Washington is going to be looking at of course Charles uh played Safety back in the day so the DBS right up his alley uh but certainly capable of breaking down every position in this draft but I want to start with kind of a bigger picture uh conversation uh about the draft and uh Alec Lewis wrote a really good piece in the athletic about draft strategy and how teams have spent a lot of time researching like what they should do and they know that they are supposed to trade back and that more picks is better and yet they still on draft day can’t help themselves they’ll trade up and sometimes it Works cuz sometimes you trade up for Patrick Mahomes but uh more often than not there are certain things that teams know they should do they can’t help themselves and one of the things that we had Alec on the radio show and and he said he thinks one of the biggest advantages that a team can have this time of year is an owner with long-term thinking and Charles you’ve been covering the draft for a long time uh Logan you’ve been thinking about it from your playing days and obviously we talk about it at nauseum here from January uh through April so I’m just curious for both both of you guys and Charles we’ll start with you kind of the the Josh Harris era and and how a guy that comes from the finance world the the this kind of long-term thinking how it can be an advantage for the commanders as they uh they prepare for this draft Yeah I think the biggest Advantage is simply him being brand new I mean people have been looking for a breath of fresh air for a long time and then you have an owner come in and you know I don’t know how many things were startling groundbreaking Earth Shak in moves that he’s made already probably not much of anything but almost everything was positive because it wasn’t Dan Snyder that’s your starting point the next thing is if he’s got long-term thinking he’s going into this with the idea that he has to have a quarterback out of this but that’s not just because this owner has to have a quarterback that he can Squire around town and say this is my quarterback i l Sunny Werblin and Joe namoth back in the day Allah Dan Snider doing that with Robert Griffin II this is much more this franchise has to have that leader has to have that person who is in charge is the face of the franchise and gives us good play that’s why you’re hearing the reports of Josh Harris sitting in on quarterback meetings right meeting all these quarterback candidates that are coming to town it’s as big a decision as Washington has made in a long time football-wise and having the long term is a big deal knowing that it’s not just for the amusement of the owner it’s for the franchise and can we get that person that allows us to get back into winning division championships playoffs and getting back to Super Bowls yeah 100% I also think that like when you have that longitudinal Vision you see teams like the Baltimore Ravens the Pittsburgh Steelers teams that have been kind of very proactive in keeping the continuity of the organization and like they have a very strong cultural identity which helps it which helps them draft more effectively right they can right Charles they can identify people that say Hey this is what it means to be a raven this is what it means to be a stealer because that doesn’t change every 3 years you’re not having to turn over teams you’re not having to turn over personnel and then kind of like keeping like if you if you’re willing to be patient with your head coach and your GM they can kind of establish this cultural identity so I do think that that long-term benefit is really helpful and also I think you know like Charles was talking about with the quarterback it’s extremely important to have to kind of have that again a long-term vision for that player because they’re not going to be a final version of themselves in year one it’s like what are they going to be in year three year four and I’m not going to punt on this player just cuz I don’t get exactly what I want in year one so I do think having kind of again a long-term vision for the process is extremely important because I think ultimately like the best teams like the teams I just described Philadelphia when they were rolling a couple years ago they’re really good at developing Talent internally and that’s a long-term process it’s not a short-term flash in the pan type of moment helps build that culture because again even if I’m really active in free agency bringing in strong players and strong personalities are they perfect cultural fits I don’t know till they’re in the building here I can kind of build that up from from the foundation to the rafters and I think that again is it all starts with the new ownership and I think that’s pretty exciting so and Craig let me just Pigg you back on that because Logan’s made so many great points I’m gonna zero in on patience the word patience the Baltimore Ravens went through a stretch with John Harbaugh as a head coach where they went what four straight years they didn’t make the playoffs or something like that or they went eight and eight or somewhere in that neighborhood right it just wasn’t quite up too snuff and there’s a lot of pressure from us media types right look you know and you guys know if you’re in the media and you work in the media you’re want you’re part of the media we try our best but yet here we are right but you know you those people that we work with that go well you know I’m really not part of the media I’m just kind of oh you’re part of the media okay just deal with right but there’s a lot of pressure hey he’s not getting it done he’s not getting us to where we used to be and I know it wasn’t easy but let’s face it that ownership had the hard decisions had the hard conversations do we still think we’re headed in the right direction do we have to tweak some things to get to where we want to go do we have to make some changes in certain things am I gonna ask my head coach to do some things differently but I still believe in my head coach they did all of that what’s been the reward they’re back to being that perennial playoff team again last year was a major disappointment because they didn’t advance to the Super Bowl they got to the AFC Championship game they were good enough to get there that’s what you want to be year in and year out I love how the Pittsburgh people are all upset with Mike Tomlin I’m tired of us just be every year Mike Tomlin finishes over 500 like that’s a big deal that team last year had no business winning 10 games none and they did okay so they do this all the time and people act like it’s no big deal so Logan I think you make such a great point about having the patience having the understanding now what I tell people all the time is do you really think Mike Tomlin is happy just being 500 500 every year you really think that’s what fuels him at night no they’re trying to find a way to get better and get there too but you know something you want to have that or do you want to have one of those organizations where as Logan has pointed out every two or three years you’re hitting a reset button and you’re fighting to get to 500 in the first place thank you I think I think you’ve made excellent points on that and that’s where Washington wants to get to no doubt and I think that also leads to kind of the next thing I wanted to talk about on it’s like a another Branch off this tree if you will which is the ability to try stuff and and kind of be different than other organizations with this new fresh perspective that Josh Harris has and he’s been an owner in other sports he’s been very successful I I think that the Sixers for him are kind of a a different version of of what you talked about with the Steelers Charles where it’s like they win 50 games every year and everyone hates Josh Harrison thinks he’s a terrible owner in Philly and I’m sitting here as someone who covers the Wizards as well being like they haven’t won 50 games since 1978 so what are we talking about um and so I think think that the ability to to have tried things in other sports such as uh bringing in multiple prospects together that’s kind of the Hot Topic as we sit here recording this on on Thursday April 18th uh yesterday they brought in all the different quarterbacks together and people are freaking out and you know trying to read uh what does this emoji that Jaden Daniels agent tweeted out mean and it’s like wow we really have reached the peak of Silly Season here a week before the draft haven’t we um but but I think that uh as we figure out the people and Logan and I were talking about this a little bit before started recording like getting a chance to see these quarterbacks interact with each other and see how they are in a lunchroom see how they are uh in a meeting room where there’s multiple people there and there’s kind of this camaraderie that you want to understand who they are and you’re not just rant on coaches who have an incentive to get their guy drafted to tell you the truth and sure sure you might have good relationships but you get to see it for yourself I love that I love thinking differently because the the draft is even for the best teams such a crapshoot ozie new famously will tell you that if you know you want to get seven good players have 14 picks it’s not about trying to Target your right ones it like he is someone who lived that multiple pick strategy so I’m also just kind of curious what you guys think on on that front the idea of trying different things and by the way belich used to bring in a dozen guys he talked about that on the McAfee show yesterday so it’s not completely new but doing things differently being willing to try things and and you know that that longitudinal approach where you know if you’re a GM or a coach and you try something it doesn’t doesn’t work you’re not you don’t have the fear that you’re immediately then going to get fired uh because it didn’t work in year one yeah let me hop in real quick because I want to get Logan into this one and Logan I don’t want to take you away from where you wanted to go but I want you to add to this all right because it’s a question I would have from a person who was in there in locker rooms and saw all of this right from the time you came out of college to combines to workouts to you know your team building everything that goes along with it what you were bringing up Craig and bringing in these four quarterbacks my immediate thought was first I was a little bit snarky I was like oh boy this is kind of fun right steel cage match whoever emerges out of here is gonna be our draft pick Ha haaaa but I thought back to combined situations I thought back to recruiting trips okay I thought back to any group dynamics where you’re putting a number of the same type of players or same position players in and seeing how sips out how do people respond to them how do they respond to each other who ultimately shows that he is that person or has that thing that you’re looking for depending on what team you’re on so Logan whatever you want to go I don’t want to take you away from that I’d love to have you talk about when quarterbacks are coming together positions are coming together because I’ll end it with this there’s a great story that George Plimpton I don’t know if you guys know that name he was a great writer and he wrote a book about trying out for the Detroit Lions yes yeah it was called Paper Lion back I think it was 1963 or somewhere and he they tried to sneak him into camp and have some cover story and he was a he was a a writer who was going through the NFL stuff and he did a lot of these projects he pitched he played goalie he boxed with Archie Moore he did all those nutty things right but it was great writing it was great journalism the book I’ve read more than 10 times I’ve loved it but in that book and then in a subsequent book called Mad Ducks and bears he detailed going to the Pro Bowl and he was on East he was with the Eastern Conference Pro Bowl team allly Sherman was a coach of the Giants he coached the team they didn’t have a meeting they didn’t have a depth chart you’ll love this one Logan they went out on the field for the first time oh yeah I’ve heard this yep you heard the story right yeah just said okay Craig you’re gonna love this give me the first team offense over the ball now these are the all stars this the best of the best they all looked at now this would have been 1960 something right 62 63 64 with Al Sherman was at his Heyday they all looked at each other took the measure of each other and 11 guys walked out in the right that’s incredible yeah now think about nowadays now you have a steel cage match going okay I get all that but I’m saying they understood who the best was that feels a lot like what you’re trying to do when you’re bringing these groups together Logan everything you want now that I’ve gone so long and please please if you could try try and respond to that part for me because I’m trying to learn too no I think that’s a great point and that’s something I think that’s what you’re looking for right is you’re looking when these guys come together like I just remember like I do combine prep right like and when you go to the go to the facility there’s a bunch of tight ends there’s a bunch of old linemen and what I’d like to do is just kind of sit in the room and watch them interact like do they get along does anyone standoffish is anyone kind of combative I also love to see when guys start talking ball like who’s the football junkie like when like just as an example does JJ McCarthy go up to Drake May and be like hey man I love how you ran that zone read like what were your rules on that and just trying to digest more football and like so you get kind of to peel back the layer of the guy in a way that you wouldn’t get if they were in on their individual visit cu the only person they’re talking to they know is important but like for example like you’re you know at these combine preps or when they would bring guys in before you they’d sit down at the table some guys are super buttoned up other guys are laughing and joking and bringing other guys over hey man come on I want that type of guy in my room I want a culture where we’re bringing people along and that’s a different type of leadership but that’s a type of leadership and you don’t get to see that if I’m by myself because the only person I’m talking to is Dan Quinn and Adam Peters and I don’t get to be the person I want to be so I think it just again helps kind of open the book on the athlete a little bit and I’ve heard stories of guys coming for visits with just the coaches and the coach is like I never got a feel for who he was as a person and then they’d bring him in with four or five other guys or they get him in a setting with four or five other guys whether that’s at the combine or at his pro day and it’s like that’s who he is and so I think this setting you know taking him out to dinner with a bunch of guys taking him to top golf or whatever they did that’s super important for seeing the person and seeing what type of guy you’re bringing in and see if it’s compatible with the culture you have in the building so I think it’s extremely important and Logan when when you see some of these things because sometimes when these guys come together there’s often that little bit of yeah I’m gonna I’m I’m gonna be the one right yeah more times than not in my experience that person who’s emerged as the guy didn’t have to work at it he just was yeah yeah no I think I think that’s right I think the other point there that Charles brings up is like what is your demeanor when you’re in the like because this is a competitive situation right can you still be a good teammate while also knowing having the the self assured confidence that you’re the guy so I think that’s exactly right like it’s what it those are only interactions you get in when they’re all together and I don’t care what position where they’re from I don’t get that if I’m just talking to you one-on-one I get that when I’m sitting back I’m Dan at at the event and I’m watching how you talk to each other and how you interact so I think that’s why this is such a cool cool thing and I and you know people are kind of saying that it’s new but I I mean Charles when I was playing Craig when I was playing like I remember them doing that all the time you’d be in a workout they’d be trotting guys through the waight room for their weigh-ins talking to the strength coach you’re like oh I guess it’s the the 30 visit day and there’s 15 guys there so it doesn’t seem like that new to me but whatever no I I don’t think it’s new at all Logan I think you made a great point I can’t remember if was you or correig talked about Bill belich talk about how he would bring in those groups of people everyone does different things of group dynamics but for all future players who are going to go to the combine and Logan I need you to either tell me if I’m way off track or if I’m somewhere in the neighborhood if you’re going to the combine one thing you will be evaluated on is how you are in group Dynamics when you think no one’s watching you whether you’re having whether whether you’re going down the hall to go meet with other teams whether you were on time for all that and then hey excuse me sir I have to go I have to be at such and such place or during the combine workout itself coaches love to have everybody because it’s your group the tight ends are working out the DBS are working out the offensive linemen are working out yes you’re there for you but these coaches want to see you help someone else they want to see you do the right thing for someone else they want to see how that group responds and see if all of a sudden there’s four or five guys clustered around one other person is that that person who is that guy that’s that’s these are all the things that go into it does it always predict it accurately not always but I’d say more times than not yeah no I agree and I think like you look at like radun sorry Craig you look at radun you were on the field for this Charles you know but radun when he’s doing his drill work and I think going he yeah but he’s like he’s like like even even when he’s running routes like he’s dapping people up people are supporting him they’re and like he’s bringing people with them and I want to see that and you talk to people that night going out to dinner or whatever and they’re like oh so and so receiver they were rude to the nurse at the hospital today and I don’t want that guy here and you’re like so they’re always paying attention they’re always watching but because you’re it’s the the stuff on The Field’s important but ultimately how’s that guy going to be in the building and like you said you only see that in these group setting interactions yeah there’s no doubt about I’m G sto with adun but my joke about adun is he’s still going you guys remember he wanted a standard for himself at that combine and remember he ran his three cone and did not like his time yeah and he kept doing it and doing it and doing it until he hit his time this this this is this is this is someone now we just left the Masters right and what do they say about golfers you don’t play against other golfers you play against the the course yeah that wasun playing the course it’s pretty impressive absolutely yeah no doubt about it I’ve certainly in my reporting days had position coaches and Personnel exec say the same thing like I want to know who that leader is in the group like who’s the guy that breaks down the the wide receiver group who’s the guy that breaks down the quarterback group like they pay attention but I will say this real quick because I do feel like sometimes we can get really into the Personnel Dynamics it’s a part of the evaluation and that’s what I think fans need to remember is if the commanders hated a guy’s tape at quarterback let’s say for the number two and they thought he wasn’t very good but he’s awesome in the building they’re not going to draft him so it’s not like this overrides everything else but it’s a piece of the evaluation and I Logan as we’ve talked about quarterback especially over the last month and kind of thrown our hands up going I have no idea who they should take because we like certain elements of all of the three main guys in competition here um there is like this personel Dynamic might wind up being the deciding factor but it’s only because everything else is even if this is this is a tiebreaker this is an important part of the the evaluation but it’s not the entire evaluation it’s an element look we all played ball we all did things growing up right you remember that senior who could barely get his pads on but some but he was named captain because you know he’s a senior and he’s a good guy and he was named captain so sometimes to your point Craig we get caught up in things sometimes like how many times we go through this well the starting quarterback in the NFL doesn’t have the SE on his jersey oh my God sometimes it can be too much right but yeah yeah done because he’s a rookie okay slap it on him because he’s a rookie now some of them earn it CJ strout earned it in about two days in Houston some of them have to grow into it I remember a player in this league a big-time player and I’m not going to use his name because it’s not fair to him but he was named a captain and then when they knew new coach came in he took the captain C from him because he said you’re just not there yet you know that couldn’t be easy for him but it’s just all matter of the process of what people are looking for and sometimes earning it not earning it so Craig I think you make a great point it’s a part of it and by the way that player got the captain C taken from him his play didn’t decline he was still a terrific football player and probably was even a little more ticked off because they took the C from him but all that being said it’s a it’s a part of the evaluation it isn’t the total evaluation we have to make sure we understand the context of all this it goes into it you’re exactly right the greatest guy ever who can’t throw at 10 yards is not your starting quarterback no certainly not the number two pick no not not even undrafted free agent because if Logan Paulson’s going out and running for run running routes for passes and Charles Davis can’t reach him throwing the football and Charles Davis needs to go home okay okay I think Charles Davis can go the broadcast Booth though I heard he’s pretty good at that he’s pretty good he needs to take it and take it to the house because we’re wasting Logan Bon’s time all right [Music] anyway all right let’s get into some player evaluations now this will probably be more tape because I don’t know unless Charles have you been doing uh you conducting the Charles Davis interview sessions here do we get do we get the Charles Davis Group interview sessions listen I’m I’m here for whatever way you want to go about doing this bad boy I will do my best to try and keep up with the two of you all right all right that’s that’s enough of that uh let’s get into Corner um but because this is a position that Logan I think when we’ve done our mocks we we kind of get to 36 with the commanders we get through the first round we get to their first pick of the second and it seems like the best player available often is a corner and then it’s like okay do you want one of these second tier tackles do you want a corner do you want a receiver there’s always receivers because that’s the nature of this draft but we haven’t really dove into the cornerback position yet so Charles I’m curious for you like do you have uh just a your top five ready at the Go Corner rankings who are some of the guys you like maybe some guys that a lot of people like that are high on kind of the consensus boards that you’re not as high on for whatever reason okay let’s just go go with it and it’s not exactly a firm number but listen terion Arnold from Alabama quinan Mitchell from from Toledo um Cooper deene from from Iowa and he’s a very interesting case study because you mix across the board about where people want to play him but everyone knows they want to play him so that’s thing keep in mind everybody wants him just a matter where they want to put him right Kool-Aid mckinstry from Alabama um Nate Wiggins from Clemson you’ll hear those names a lot as about about your consensus five but then you get beyond that now you’re getting into some other things a lot of people like this sis rraw from from Missour problem is he’s a little bit on the slight side but boy does he go at it and I mean he plays with a fury and is always around the football but is he a nickel Mike Sr still from Michigan another kid who’s just a playmaker extraordinaire and again probably you want to move him more inside the nickel than be an outside corner this kid TJ Tampa from Iowa state is intriguing very intriguing because I think he’s got some length I know he’s got some coverage ability he’s got some toughness we’ll come up and Tackle I don’t worry about him at all then you’re into guys like Kamari Lasser from Georgia Andrew Phillips from from uh from Kentucky Renardo Green from Florida State these are some of the names that continually pop up and bounce around it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch but all I know is Cooper de Jee I want him I’ll figure out where I’m gonna play him my only consideration with him is I don’t want him to go into Isaiah Simmons syndrome remember Isaiah Simmons come remember he could do everything right I call I call it whiteboard fever Logan because I can take that X and O and I can put it anywhere and it sure looks good yeah if he hasn’t those and Isaiah Simmons has never mastered anything and has hurt him in his NFL career I want Cooper deene to be able to master some things before I start moving him to each and every spot on the field yeah Cooper Jin’s a pretty special talent you know kind of reminds me of like that honey badger type Vibe where you could put him everywhere but you kind of hope that he again like settles in and they work on his development but in that second tier of guys you mentioned the guys that I think are awesome Enis rraw maybe he’s a nickel you know Mike sander still maybe he’s a nickel is there a true outside player in there you mentioned TJ dampa Tampa I like Kamari ler didn’t test as well as people thought right but is there an outside guy that you say hey this guy’s a Difference Maker for a defense because the commander right now at least on paper have a lot of nickel type body types they don’t have that true outside guy to kind of support Benjamin St juice and Emanuel Forbes is there somebody you’re in there like man if I’m going to take a shot on somebody at 36 or 40 this could be your outside dude here Max Milton ruter you know what’s I’m gonna you know you know you know who Fred smoo is do you know him at all have you bumped in him everybody knows who smoo is and they can hear him yeah he has been touting Max Milton he has been touting Max Milton for the last month so you just made his day by the way but anyway talk about Max Milton a little bit if if Fred if Fred’s touting him then I feel like I’m on the right track all right um Melton you know we always talk about Bloodlines right and sometimes Bloodlines sometimes they don’t right but for you know we we love it when a bloodline comes through his brother was an undrafted free agent now he’s with Green Bay and they starting to make his Mark and one thing about both meltons they can fly all right and there’s something look speed isn’t everything because the top 10 ever combined times all right running the 40 probably about seven or eight of them never really made a mark okay as far as football players but this kid toughness out on the corner went up against some big time competition because remember Rucker’s in the Big 10 now so he had to deal with he had to deal with Ohio State and and Harrison and and all the great receivers there bua and all the rest of them there he had to deal with Michigan right he had to deal with all the big time guys that come out there and stretch the field and willowy and or willing the block and the whole deal there’s a toughness to him and he’s one of those guys that both of you know in this draft process The Scouting side’s one thing but when the coaches get involved now things really get interesting yeah and love this kid absolutely love there’s a toughness element to him that I really like and I think he’s gonna go obviously he’s gonna get drafted unlike his brother but I really like him as an outside CL yeah and how would you compare him to a guy like TJ Tampa a guy I’m really high on TJ Tampa I like him a lot like how do you how do you bucket them and like where do you say oh stylistically Max Milton does this really well while TJ Tampa is more of this type of player Melton is gon to be your speed guy and everything’s gonna be like hey here’s the here’s the fast guy go get him TJ Tampa technique coverage understanding what’s going to happen before the ball’s ever sna reminds me a little bit and you know we get into these comps and after a while people take the comp and and want to just beat people over the head with it the reason Richard Sherman was so great in my humble opinion all right was that he understood what you couldn’t do before the ball was snapped and narrow down what you could do and made educated understandings before every single snap and the second part he took no false steps Richard wasn’t a Blazer Logan you know I mean if you put Richard in a 40 that’s not that’s not his thing but come game day good luck running your R right so that’s where I see more of a TJ Tampa understanding those things being in the right spot and is gonna make sure he’s he’s there for each and every play because he knows what you can’t do based on your split formation what’s going on before the ball yeah is there one of those guys that when you look at what Dan Quinn and Joe Jr have done uh Dallas is obviously the most recent example but I guess you could go back to uh Richard and and everyone that uh DQ had in Seattle uh but but also Joe witz uh lengthy career as a DBS coach um is there anybody in that group that stands out and we can put throw the nickel guys back in there R sh Ander still Etc that really fits uh you go that’s that’s a Dan Quinn that’s a Joe wit type of player can I make a com real quick here yeah so the thing that is tough about cuz everyone asked me that same question the things that’s tough about this question is that he has transitioned and evolved with the type of corner that he’s looking for so he went from you know these tall angular corners and so you say oh Kyrie Jackson or Cam Hart would fit that mold perfectly but then you get to Atlanta and he’s got smaller shiftier kind of faster more ball skill type players then you get to Dallas and I don’t really think there’s like a Common Thread with that group outside of maybe college ball production you know which again is super important but also so they have they anticipate the football well they do all these different things you know like even um like Andrew Phillips from Kentucky is a is a guy that is a dog and has this dog mentality but doesn’t have the ball ball production so I know Dan likes that Competitive Edge to a player but is the ball production there so it’s it’s a tough question to answer because there’s been an evolution to his defensive system and I think that’s why like I just wanted to give you an out there Charles if you needed one so just give you a softball yeah now answer the question Charles forget everything Logan said appreciate right about the evolution which tells you that he’s a good coach yeah because good coaches always suppos a deal with what you have in front of you what is my what is my talent what do they do best and then you shape your your schemes around them I do think that what he’s evolved into Maybe I’m Wrong he wants ball Hawks ballhawks ballhawks he doesn’t care what size shape form they come in he wants those guys G make plays on the football go after the football and get it whether you know a s was still fits that bill perfectly at a nickel at a nickel slot if you go to the outside quinan Mitchell had that big year ATO and a lot of people dinged him because he had five or six picks that one year and he had a bunch of them in one game and then next year he only had one did you see the number of throws that came his way and how muched so his his opportunity to do it he’s a kid he’s very confident when you watch him and you guys have seen him how many times have you seen him where you said oh my God he’s lined up at 10 yards deep all the time yeah he L up at 10 and wants you to come to him yeah he’ll run with you anywhere you want and if you’re gonna stop short he’s like a Darton coming up to make a play they may change some of that with their coverages and all but quinon Mitchell to me feels like the kind of kid that that fits that bill of Trayvon Diggs yeah of what he had in Dallas who was his most recent Ball Hawk and played really well and then who was it last year who had the incredible year with pi six yeah Bland there we go so that’s what I think that Dan is kind of evolved into I don’t care the shape size or whatever if you’re gonna make plays on the ball I’m gonna find a way to get you on the field yeah it’s interesting when you were describing Max Milton and his kind of instincts I was like oh that’s kind of sounds like a guy that Dan would like but is there any because you know obviously quinan Mitchell is he’s my number one rated quarter so I think he’s going to be gone probably in the top 15 picks is there somebody else that maybe people don’t know about if you can check your notes that has a lot of ball production that’s a guy that you know maybe people aren’t super familiar with just to kind put you on the spot here well I think it’s going to be interesting to see because we’re way down into the weeds oh we’re in the weeds we’re in the weeds I don’t think it’s 36 okay all right talking much more day three y this kid from West Virginia beanie Bishop go check his ball production Logan yep check his testing he didn’t get invited to the combine so he went to the Big 12 combine and I got it he in front of me a second he ran 439 h okay measurement measurables 59180 439 which is a big reason why he’s going to go on day3 and late but ball production’s really good okay you go back watch this kid 20 something passes broken up all those things that go into it I’ve always said production is such a big deal remember Jimmy Morland coming out of James Madison remember that oh yeah was picked and stuck was production in college I think he had like 16 Picks and 40 something passes broken up amek Robertson from Louisiana Tech another small school guy went to the Raiders his his ball production the same way and Kevin byard come out of Middle Tennessee State another kid who did not get not a kid now he’s a full grown man but at that time he didn’t get an invite to the combine he’s just down the road from the Titans they they went and saw him have him in the third round you know what the big attraction was 19 interceptions in col ball production yeah no without a doubt and I think the other thing that’s interesting too about Corner in the modern NFL is that we talk about the body types the body types of receivers have changed no longer are the outside guys just the 63 64 big prototypical X body types like you got those guys now that are playing inside like power slot positions so all of a sudden you need size inside versus outside and so that that just makes the mixing and the matching of the skill sets uh and the body types and all that stuff all the more interesting and I guess harder if you’re a if you’re a team that’s trying to trying to make a fit here um but I do think that that needs to be discussed when you’re talking about corner is who they’re covering where on the field is just different than it was 10 years ago it certainly is and look you you guys have both been around it for so long the adage is true you build your team to win your division first okay if you win your division first you’re in the playoffs and off you go now if you get multiple years of success in doing that now you can kind of cast your eyes upward a little bit who are we gonna have to deal within the playoffs that gives us trouble and can we add that person to it all right so if you were in the AFC during Tom Brady’s Heyday when you when you got good enough to say okay we think we’re gonna make the playoffs but if we run into the Patriots you have someone who’s gonna deal with grank right that was someone you would add to your to your Arsenal during that time now truth of the matter is could anybody truly deal with bro but you were trying your best to figure it out and you guys saw everyone tried everything and one of the pivotal plays in the Super Bowl against Seattle they put him they flipped him on the backs side of the formation and split him out to the Nubs side and Seattle trotted out KJ Wright who’s a terrific football player but all of a sudden KJ Wright went from being a terrific outside linebacker so now KJ writes a corner and guess who won that battle remember they hit gron right in the corner of the end zone right before the half on a one-on-one that’s the type of thing that you’re looking for to have those people can be versatile Seattle didn’t have it for that that that formation or that position and ended up hurting them cost helping cost them the [Music] game well I’m really glad you brought that up because I think you know one of the things about Dan when you look at Dallas specifically is it’s compiled of all these guys like kind kind of converted safeties that now play linebacker play safety that are these more flexible more fungible body types and I think that’s one of the things about evaluating the safety specifically in class you say to yourself like wow there’s a lot of guys that could be this kind of tweener star hybrid linebacker type player that’s kind of sweeping the NFL and I and I say to myself like th those are skill sets that you’ve seen Dan recently really really covet are there any safeties maybe you know they’re not not the top guys I think we’re pretty familiar with the top guys at this point but you say bigger body type that kind of fits that that curse role from Dallas as year that 64 safety that’s 215 that can match match a tight end but also play a little bit did a little bit of deep coverage yeah uh there’s this kid in Oregon State K yeah big big old H big old H yeah he may very well end up being more of the Maris Bell Logan yeah right that’s that’s a great yes great Point great Point more linebacker than that but if you’re talking about those guys who a little more willowy and we can and we can get them get them involved in that I’m eager to see this he’s more of a center fielder right now but cayb Bullock from from USC oh yeah I want to see if they can get a little bit more heft on it in order to play those things but right now he’s a little bit more of the center fielder for you I pulled out my notes here to pull them up because I love your question um but the bullet right while you’re looking I’ll I’ll talk while you’re while you’re looking because from have you watched him yeah he’s great like kind of that box player not a tall guy but you know like kind of has that ability to kind of compact and can cover a little bit looked at look good at the Senior Bowl I think there’s a lot of player and that’s why the safety position is fun to me cuz like Bo BR was an okay college player but you watch him at the senior B say hey that’s that’s he’s matching up pretty good in the slot you watch him fit a run you say oh that’s kind of a good block destruction technique and so there’s much more kind of dynamic athletes at the safety position than there ever has been because they’re asked to do so much different stuff in college football so it’s kind of one of those positions where it’s like man this is really interesting who who this new organization values and what they value for sure so that is so true but there’s so many of the guys who are rated high at the top of the safety position Logan and Craig that are one or the other like we’ve been talking guys the safety position this year is much more defined by this guy’s a boxing center fielder I was struck by that going through things because Cole Bishop from Utah is one of my favorite players I love Bishop absolutely love him do I believe he can be a center field safety I do I absolutely do but the best plays you see him do do on tape he’s a box guy right he’s up there he’s near the line of scrimmage he makes plays he helped himself greatly in the combine when he ran 445 because I don’t think saw him as a 445 guy because most of his stuff’s been near the line of scrimmage the two from Georgia for both of you ta Smith Javon Bullard all right both went to the Senior Bowl and both had kind of defined roles that they wanted to do the other tyi Smith been more of the nickel safety underneath covering things Javon buller’s been more of the back on back that both of them came to the senior balll and wanted to do the opposite they wanted to show the scouts and show people they could play the other positions in tandem they were quite the duo at the University of Georgia I thought they were terrific one of my favorite players on tape there’s two guys that I really love on tape Jaden Hicks from Washington great pull by you great pull that’s one of Logan’s guys right and Malik Mustafa from Wake Forest you like hitters man I like the hit listen it’s not just that you turn on the tape it’s like the old school baseball when Babe Ruth hit the Home Run and goes around the bases in a furious right you know that’s how both of them play yeah like they are played like they are sped up and everyone else is going and you’re exactly right about the hitting I’m glad I’m glad that you and I have kind of connected on someone there but Hicks is just one of those players that if you turn on the tape you may watch someone else but all your eyes coming him yeah watching him versus udub is like special you’re like this guy’s playing man on a receiver on Jaylen pul in the slot and he gets an interception oh they ran a reverse and he’s and he’s the he’s the post safety and he’s delivering an absolute blow like blowing up guard like his film versus udub was incredible like I and I just was like this guy why aren’t people talking about this guy more and then Mustafa is a guy that they have him playing at 12 yards and he’s the the SE like the eighth man in the box and absolutely Missle like missling to the football and like like I just I think there’s value there I know people say oh it’s not a physical game anymore like those dudes will play for you and they have a role you know and I think Jaden Hicks has a chance to be a Difference Maker so I think those are great great picks by you are guys that have really Dynamic skill sets well you know these are guys that listen Jaden Hicks would be one of the early safeties I think that would go wouldn’t you think Logan I think so those guys in whatever number whatever bushel we put them in Jaden hick is gonna be especially by teams that want to have that that that box safety and beat people up that way Malik Mustafa I’m eager to see where exactly he’s going to go and when because you drafted I say you DC drafted cam curl a number of years and I loved him coming out of school didn’t go as high as many as as I you know as a of course he would want to go but was a Difference Maker pretty early in his career I feel a lot of the same things with Mustafa I felt with curl just an instinct about playing understanding the game being in the right spot and those guys they may not get the Acclaim they deserve but guess what they flat out can play and now curl of course is in with the Rams yeah for sure I think something else that’s a good reminder uh for for everyone is the new kickoff rules probably impact some of these late round safeties as well and these DBS if you can run a 445 and you can blow up blocks and you can you’re a sure tackler because there’s going to be kickoff returns now and the style of the new rules look and we talked about this when the new rules pass like that is a skill set that is going to be coveted on special teams way more now than it ever was in the past decade when every ball went through the end zone um and so that that special teams ability was always something that you look for in your late round picks but is going to become uh more important and if you can get down the field quickly um an actual 40 yard Sprint in aot footb game it doesn’t happen very often but uh that that 20 30 40 yard Sprint down to to tackle someone on kickoff all of a sudden uh is going to be a part of the game uh for for these DBS and for at least a year if we’re starting that kickoff line way up there yeah hand toand combat yeah who the guys who can shed and go get someone right away because if they can engage you he’s just got to break one wall and then it’s nothing grass so I think we’re gonna see a couple of things just what you talked about Craig we’re gonna see those types of players get a little more value we’re gonna see these Logan you’ve talked about these bigger kids who can play hybrid linebacker safety and then the linebackers who can run all of them are going to get a little extra value in terms of special because you’ve got to shed and make the play there if you don’t make the play there with this one at least we know for one year it’s a long run and by the way I’m predicting that all the kickoff return guys gonna be much bigger people the scat guys are going to be on punt returns the big people are gonna be on kickoff return because essentially it’s like running an ice out yeah you’re gonna just to Ram your way through that first wall and then off you go I’m old enough to watch the roller derby so you if you win the jam if you win the jam there you go off and back there to get you you know so that’s what’s going to be the fun part of watching all this I mean I was at the owner’s meting meeting when they announced the new rule was in for this year and how the new kickoff was going to be align I was sitting with Pat Kerwin you guys know Pat from from serm y former former GM former agent Pat’s done it all coach I’m sitting there the announc the rule and Pat goes well I bet you Cordo Patterson’s phone’s blowing up sure was and it wasn’t an hour Cordo Patterson announced that he was signing with the Steelers yep got nice little chunk of change a but the thing about him was remember he was fearless and he had the green light from nine yards deep I think he has 109 yard kickoff he does but he’s a big man yes that’s what that’s why I think we’re we’re headed to bigger people on kick off returns M people off return that’s really interesting I also wonder a guy like you know Antonio Gibson who just left here for New England like A’s a big guy and he was on kickoff return here but never got to do anything because the ball just sailed over his head uh so Wonder get body types like that uh which also there’s some guys in this draft too that that that could certainly fit that build he fits he totally fits that’s why I think you’re pointing Craig about the type of player to make it that extra consideration when you’re trying to keep someone yeah and Logan has pointed it out if you can be the hybrid yeah play the safety the the jvon curse I mean this this is what we’re all looking for now and Dan Quinn values the versatility and and all that because now when you’re calling defenses it used to be you could tell what personnel was coming in where they were going just like the offenses were 100% that that that group can stay on the field and this guy goes from this spot to that spot that guy that spot to this spot and off you go we all thought we’d see more of that in Atlanta last year and we didn’t and that was the major surprise remember position football yeah’s be here here here here Pitts is gonna be here here here here Drake L’s gonna be here here here here and it did not translate the way they needed to translate so they’ve hit the reset button I see if R Morris can unlock all that with c and I think they’ve got a good chance of doing it without a doubt all right we got about five minutes left I do want to hit uh linebacker real quick if we can next five minutes here mean there’s linebackers in this draft because the way the draft go no one’s talked about them at all yeah it took it took until a week before the draft Charles but you found the podcast is gonna do it you might have squeeze it into five minutes at the end but the commanders they’ve got I think they’re set for 2024 but 2025 and Beyond is is a pretty Blank Slate for them because Bobby Wagner’s on a one-year deal Jamon Davis is on the last year of his rookie deal and so while they’ve obviously signed Frankie louu and Jeremy Chin’s going to play some in the box and Quan Martin’s going to be in the Box you know some of that positions that we just talked about those hybrid players in the long term like we know that how how impactful a really good linebacker can be in the middle of a defense and if you’re a rookie and want to come be an understudy under someone who better than Bobby Wagner so once you get past let’s say pton Wilson who’s who’s pretty much everyone’s top linebacker who are some of the names that stick out whether it’s as high as 36 or 40 for Washington or maybe you know a little bit later fourth third fourth fifth sixth round type of guys that could develop into future starters the guys that you’ll hear sprinkled through Logan help me out about the guys you have Junior Coulson Michigan okay he’s gonna be Edan Cooper Texas A&M trayven Wallace from Kentucky these are kind of the names that are kind of top top of the food chain here you mentioned pton Wilson already that guy’s just a tackle a machine his only issue is GNA be depending on what team like his medical I mean I’ve heard double digit surgeries okay and he’s not even out of college yet so that’s gonna be one of the things that comes up but you turn on the tape watching play oh I mean right you looking for man yeah RI my guy truthfully my guy is Cedric Gray from University of North Carolina I like that you said that man I really like him a lot and what so what is it that that makes him your guy cuz when I watch him I see a guy with good inks I see good ball production and I see there like a good football player I don’t know if there’s anything more than that that you see but no no no more than that no less than that down in down out here’s my comparison for him and it’s a he’s not as fast because this guy could could Dart Zack Brown I gotta yeah and they’re both out of North Carolina so sometimes it’s a lazy comparison Zack remember Zach held the ACC indoor 60 meter dash for a while oh wow I covered Z when he was here when I was on the beat back in the day Z was a freak athlete um his athleticism was his dominant trait um a guy that dominant trait remember people said hey Not So Physical not this not that but every year he’d have hundred something tackles now where they blow him up you know knock people on their butt tack no not necessarily but he made the tackles this kid has everything that you said Logan I’m totally with you on the comparison and and and the and the evaluation and he showed it at the Senior Bowl during the game because he had the ball protection with a pick you know he made all the plays he’s supposed to make but he’s a guy that I just you know I really really like and under the radar is this kid from Temple named Jordan McGee ey out keep an eye out for Jordan McGee because I think he’s another guy that has everything that you’re looking for and somehow is kind of getting overlooked in this mainly because one we haven’t talked about linebackers no one has two he just you know when you do talk about going to talk about a certain few because it’s just not a topic that’s interested anyone this year yeah 100% Logan anyone else you want to shout out real quick on your linebacker list I mean I’m kind of with I’m kind of with Charles here like there it’s the top and then there gets really s a guy thin a guy that I like is Maurice lafu from Notre Dame I think he’s just a big downhill kind of dude I think he’s a better athlete than people think tce knon from UTP is a guy that flashes a little bit yes right and so like those are thep of guys you’re talking about and I like those guys quite a bit but again it’s I think with linebackers especially this year I I don’t think it’s a bad class but I think stylistically you’re going to you’re looking if I’m looking for a linebacker I got to look for something very specific I got to kind of hunt and Peck for it so like for example Maurice luofu is like a big Thumper guy right that’s not everybody’s cup of tea right so you got to kind of say what do we want to be defensively what what value does he add and does it fit our our identity much like you would with with you know running back this year which there are some good pieces there but kind of what is our offensive offensive or defensive identity with these positions I’m so glad you brought Tyrese knight from UT because I think he just made another tackle while we were talking okay that’s what he does and again he’s not gonna be picked very very high right and James since you brought up Mar Maris leafu yeah don’t forget his running mate JD ber yeah right absolutely the issue we have nowadays is most of the time we’re playing with two linebackers Max yeah yeah all right it used to be and then we go down and so on and you wanted that guy in the middle coordinate everything and the whole deal berran was your perfect guy he almost was born in the wrong era okay because he was the perfect guy to have the dot on his helmet coordinate everything and be that guy now I think they might be wanting to take him off the field a lot more so it’s a different feel for him because he’s right there in the middle Leo they were a nice little Duo working together and I really like Bertrand but as you pointed out Logan what is it you’re looking for each team sure because nowaday we’re playing with two and one more than we’re doing anything else I mean how often are you running running out there roquan Smith and Patrick Queen yeah no it’s I mean it’s because they’re special guys though and not everybody has special players at the position and in some ways and like this is more this is a more like a larger philosophical conversation but that position because of the demand that’s placed on them in the passing game and the running game now you need to find special players for it and if they are special they help your defense I think ran Smith is a great example of that but it’s hard to find guys like that in the draft every year because that it to me it’s like quarterback it’s an above the neck position a lot of development involved so can be pretty challenging for sure and Craig I’ll stop here but you know what’s going to help bring these linebackers back into the fold where they’re the full-time guys when we get offensive coordinators who and in franchises that literally will line up and run the football and stay with it yeah and the cyclical nature of the NFL says that’s coming back that the numers starting to suggest that that that is you know big back to the ones that are like if you look at the top 10 rushers over the last three years each year I’ll bet you you’ll find six seven of the top 10 or 220 225 230 right bigger back if you’re gonna hurt if you’re G Hey listen you want to play light box right I’ve got that big back I’m gonna throw him at you and let’s see if you stay let’s see see what you do with dealing with him it’s uh it’s exploiting Market inefficiency that’s the nerdy way say it uh just hey the the the the more straightforward is y’all aren’t very big we’re going to be big bang done thank thank you for breaking that down for me I feel like Denzel don’t talk to me like I’m a five-year-old please because that first thing you said I was like okay I didn’t I went to I didn’t go to Bandy all right yeah so thank you Craig I appreciate that you you and your your uh your humility Charles uh one day you’re going to realize how smart you are are Charles Davis with us uh here on take command again path to the draft week night 6 PM you only got another week of it uh because then then then the path has ended it ends in Detroit uh the NFL draft is on NFL Network don’t forget Total Access has full coverage as well on NFL Network week nights at 7even Charles this was phenomenal um if you get bored during the summer and want to come back uh you’re you’re welcome anytime my friend any any anytime you guys are that board and want me this has been an absolute blast and yes you’re right Craig one week left to see where these youngsters go I hope they all I hope they all are getting able to chase their Logan Paulson dream and be able to have that opportunity and go out and do it because Logan you did it so well for so long and with such class and doing it and it’s just been a blast for me to be able to sit here and talk with you and I can’t wait to stay in touch with you and Craig and you need me over the summer I’m around okay we got you that’s right kids dream of being undrafted like Logan falson hey but Logan made it and that’s I did 10 years baby he made it he did it he did it thanks for watching this clip of take command which has a brand new home that’s right you can watch on YouTube at the team980 you can also listen to full episodes in the free Odyssey app which is now enabled with Apple carplay so we’ll just you know follow you around
1 Comment
Logan has coach written all over him!!!💪🏾