Welcome to our NBC Sports Edge,
top NFL, draft list, top five
NFL, draft list today. We are focusing on our top five
dynasty rankings for quarterbacks running backs and
wide receivers.
My name is Pat Kramer. I'm I'm here on the set of Chris Simms
unbuttoned with NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms. What's up,
man? How you doing? You playing an away game on my home turf.
Here's my Stadium. I am and we're comparing our rankings.
Yes.
Awesome. Alright you have your right? Don't don't don't mess
with me here. Okay, I think I will be messing with you
a little bit, a zombie. Sure, you will ya.
So let's pull up our quarterback rankings. Here. We
can start there.
Each of our top five quarterback rankings here.
I have Malik Willis. Number one. These are Fantasy Football.
Focus ranking sure
kind of hard in fantasy football not to be
really excited about the rushing profile formerly class.
It matters a ton in fantasy football,
but there's a lot of differing opinions on Malik Willis.
Everyone agrees that he's kind of a boom bust type of guy, but
how high is the For Michael Vick comps. We've heard that's
not correct. That's know. We've heard
jail and hurts. It may be a little bit more, realistic more
than that. Okay. So how high is it ceiling? Because we're going
to be probably chasing the ceiling and fantasy. But is
that are we going to get like potentially carried away?
Because
the floor could be kind of well, like when I hear Michael
Vick and things like that, I go you guys are insane. Like Malik
Willis is not faster than Kenny picket, or Corral. He's not
faster than their and now he's a better Runner. He can break
tackles.
He can make people miss.
If you know, he's certainly in to your point. There is some
values in the running game, like you'll be able to do some
like, hey, it's third and two,
we're not going to throw it. We're going to be like
the bills with Josh hollan and pulling guard and let him get
behind there and do that. I think there's tremendous value
there and tremendous value I think in his ability to
scramble
and then set up and make a big throw with his big arm to me.
That's what the great quarterbacks do in football.
Right. Now. You're talking about the best ones in
the sport. Whether that's Alan Mahomes Rogers a few years ago,
when he was a little more
mobile. You know, Watson when he's rolling Russell Wilson,
their greatness is they can extend the play
and then use their arm to manipulate their eyes to
manipulate coverage and then throw a laser Willis has
tremendous ability. I think to do that, but
it's the quarterback play in the pocket that needs the work
and there's a lot of work to be done there. It's not one of
these words where you just go. Oh, well it he'll figure it
out. Once he gets NFL coach. It's
you see very few plays of ever going through the field and
reads. You see, you know,
I'm missed reads at times to go along with it, not to say he
can't do it. It wasn't the greatest offense in the world
either to help them out. There's a lot of things at play
here,
you know, but that's what's going to scare the evaluators
because really still at the end of the day like we saw in
the Super Bowl, you got to be able to do you stand on the pocket
and make throws and make the right decisions. That's what
the best quarterbacks do. And I think there's some trepidation
with her like how
quickly our when Malik Willis will be able to do that and
he's thrown to the sidelines a lot. Not really Throne of
the middle of no question intermediate throw, right? How
how easy it is? Is it to add that? I mean, that's a pretty
big element of game today. It is. But I think the hard part
is throwing the ball the way he does outside. He's got the hard
part down and the fact that he can stand on his back foot with
pressure on them and throw a 20 yard out route and you'd be
like, whoa, that was a laser and he didn't get his body into
it. That's the special thing. You know? Yes, the offense
didn't lend itself to that way. He's got to get a little bit
more comfortable and precise with some
of those throws and work in the middle of the field.
So there's a lot of things that were at at play there,
but that like that doesn't bother Bother me a whole lot.
It doesn't the fact that oh, we didn't throw it over the middle
and be more, I'd be more gone. Wait, your first read was to
the left outside. Your second read was over the middle and
you didn't get there. Why? Why did we leave the pocket or hold
onto the ball
for too long or whatever.
That's, that's what we got to see growth in
in terms of because what I heard there with the rushing
was touchdowns. Yeah, is it like could we get to kind of
a Cam Newton level, you know, is that that the rain to me?
That's where he can be very valuable. So if he has for your
fantasy angle,
he is going. Your weapon when and you know, when he does play
inside the 56 yard line
and I'll because, yeah, I think there's true.
He's a gifted feeler of the Run game. Like I told you, I don't
think he's incredibly fast. Yep. That's probably why you
didn't run the 40 because it's it was a number that he didn't
like him and that's gonna hurt my lure of how good of
an athlete I
am.
But man, his ability to break tackles and make people. Miss
is pretty damn special are. Let's get to your number one
quarterback, Matt Correll. I have Kenny picket ranked above
Matt crowd.
I don't I don't like it any more than you do because
I've got a factor in expect a draft position here for
the fantasy rankings, right?
It looks like the could be a pretty big gap where you could
maybe see a penny pick it in the top 10 or around there and
Corral
isn't a guarantee to go in the first round. So my question to
you is how high is the ceiling? The gap between their ceilings?
Is it worth? You know, potentially for Fantasy having
to
have a lower floor with ground, not being able to ride out
Growing Pains, you know coaching staff, not is
committed and potentially not The starting job as soon. Yeah.
First I don't think any pickets and ago in the top 10.
I think that'll continue to go downhill.
The the the ceiling conversation to me is not even
close, like, corral ceiling is way higher like way higher,
pick it. That's one of the reasons I even re-evaluated and
made of my three is just because I just it's there's
a lot of good. There's no. Wow, factor at all
and there's none
and that's what would concern me a little bit and that's why
I wouldn't draft them, you know, you know in the first 10,
20 picks of the draft. No, I think he's clearly number three
for me now. He's ready to go
and he's played in Pro Off.
Ensign been there for six years. So he's polish and he's
hit the ground running, but my rankings are going to be
more predicated on. Like,
you know, again, it's not about next year.
It's about two to three years from now. Right? Right, and
that's really where it is. And that's where I think, you know,
Corral to me. It's the quickest release in the draft. It's
the strongest arm in the draft. It's the most accurate thrower
in the draft. It's,
you know, I think when I look at that, I just go man. He's
Elite and some are, and like three or four different areas
and leads the draft in that area. Now. He hasn't brought it
all together. Either
and I know what you're saying, Eddie. I'd like to see more of
him going through reads, you know, definitely some of
the offense was like that to begin with.
But this quarterback things, very interesting, as far as how
it's going to play out, you know, where they land. And
yeah, I could see to going, you know, I could also see me know
maybe in the scenario talking maybe a Corral's there at
the end of the first round.
And I'm from Detroit with pick 32 and 34. I'm getting Matt
Correll for sure.
So yeah, I see more upside and I know I'm higher than most on
Corral.
I hope you're right. I hope you go somewhere because I think
the ceiling is a bit higher, but I'm kind of just worried
about his path a little bit. Yeah, I got you.
Let's move to wide receiver. Yeah, if you pull up our
rankings here
a big snub on each of our list. Yeah, Chris olave, not not on
both of our ride. Five lists
like your lifts up. I'm happy to hear that.
Let's talk Chris olave and Garrett Wilson because one of
the things that I'm curious about, I heard you talking
about Jeremy Rucker.
Are you know, if you were to have played a different school?
Yes, to having to deal with these guys, right?
Jameson Williams there. For a couple years
Jackson Smith and big was there.
If he's at a school where he could have been the focal point
probably would have seen more from him, not just terms of
production. But you know, they're asking to do more
potential as a receiver.
I'm actually curious about Wilson and olave. Like what if
one of them had been the guy to transfer to Alabama, instead of
Jameson Williams.
I think we may have seen more in terms of production. But
what we've also seen, maybe more in terms of, you know,
Garrett will
A chance to do more as a deep threat. We know as the speed
is pretty efficient there.
Is there any hidden upside with these guys? Because, you know,
they didn't have to be asked to do everything in the Ohio State
offense with. Hello to they are you get to see everything? So
I don't have any questions about what they can and can't do you
know, they're they're
they're in a class of their own and that conference, you know,
they get to play against, you know, we're not really talking
about any dbe's in the Big Ten, right? We're not really talking
about any deal. I'm and other than the ones in Michigan,
you know, so they you get to
See it all there. There's no questions about like, oh
I didn't get to see this or get to see that. I don't think any
of them are good as Jameson Williams, I mean, obviously for
my rankings Jameson's Williams to me is a top ten pick,
especially
if he has no ACL, I mean, he can catch a slant and, and
break tackles and make people miss, and he's the fastest and
most explosive 12, but man, the Ohio State kids are good.
I know they didn't make my top 5. I said at the
time though their first-round picks, in my opinion, they are
now would I would pose to you is you know, they To benefit in
a lot of ways. To me some of their big plays on that were
different than Jameson. Williams.
Jameson Williams were what I would call against more
realistic NFL defenses and Talent on the field, Ohio
State, some of the looks and things, they get our just go
like this looks gonna happen like three times the whole
season next year.
So that's where I had like, my little trepidation is there.
I'll actually liked olave more than Wilson.
I know I'm in the minority with that
and all of this all together.
I love old. Javi. I thought his play strength was a little bit
better, is a great route Runner. He does have enough
speed to scare you Wilson the same way.
I wasn't in love with Wilson's route running as much but man,
I think both all those guys are that's a pretty damn special
group and they can put up huge stats,
especially like if Allah be sitting there
Green Bay end of the first round
he's made for that. You know, they're they're not necessarily
into the Debo Samuel, explore their morning. We want to
precise route runners. That to me, is where he could Thrive
and maybe have a ton of caches as a rookie.
So, probably the biggest push back. I've gotten all my
rankings is having Sky more. Ranked ahead of Chris. Oh, la.
Vidas that jump out. I am. No, it does not. It was kind of
more. I love. That's
why I was with. That was the name I looked at, so I like
your list Sky more. I wanted so badly to put him in the top
five. He's probably the best pure slot receiver in the draft
and you're not like there's a lot of people in the NFL that
got Sky more right there in that range. You're not crazy at
all there. I
had a crazy. 12. I got Alex Pierce 23. I probably. If I had
to readjust, I'd probably knock him down just a little bit.
I don't vary every adjust very much.
But, but, no, I like Sky more. He was definitely one of those
guys that was just on the outside. Looking in. Let me ask
you about Pierce. Yeah, it was
one of the red flags
for him. With me,
is the production didn't really have a product right?
But really strong athlete
and I think it's not be lost on the NFL about how to use this
guy. Clear, downfield, skill set,
but
Is he like a Marcus vault is scantling type of guy or can he
be a little bit more? I think it's more than that. I do.
I said he was Jordy Nelson. That was kind of the
one I use. But with more speed,
you know, and don't always get so obsessed with production,
you know, it's not his fault when he's open in
the quarterback, doesn't throw him the ball or that he's got
a mismatch all game and the offensive coordinator never
calls a play.
So that's where,
you know, DK. Metcalf production was low, AJ Brown
production was low, Debo Samuel production was up. It was not
their fault, they were When a lot and they had idiots around
them. That's all I could say. Well, so
OK, if he's Rivers, not a first-round pick,
just some would get there. There's no way. And if Critter
goes, in the first round, I'm going to get down and kiss your
feet. All right. Next time you're here on the show
bumper to behind. All right, let's uh, I think
I would be shocked if that happened. But
yeah, I might have been a little high of them got carried
away a little. I definitely had, you know, people push back
on that, I get it, you know, there's some things I think
with his releases off the line of
scrimmage that probably needed a little work, but he's
good route Runner.
He's got good size
and he runs for four flat and there's a lot of proof of him
running by
top-tier Corners. Whether it's Alabama or well, I got Alabama
game is the game that jumps out to me and probably why I ranked
him too high. Because I there was a,
at least six seven plays in that game, where I just went.
Oh my God, she's gone down the sideline, somebody throw him,
the ball do something and then he did that a few times
and then Alabama went way, we're not. This guy is beating
our guys. Let's double him. Let's do things and probably
part of the reason why I kind of overrated him to a degree.
It's about Watson because I did the other kind of. Yeah, right.
Non-consensus guy in your top five,
but he has a lot of fans as well. Yeah, very strong.
Athlete was awesome. In 2021 concerns me a little bit
because he was fifth year. Senior 2021.
He's really athletic which is great. But the Gap and
athleticism was so big at an FCS school. That's obviously
going to close some. And when you look back to 2019,
he's playing with Trey, Lance.
He wasn't hyper-efficient that year. Yeah.
He didn't stand out from teammates like Phoenix Sproles, Jimmy.
Cooper else not, you know, High pedigree NFL guys, so
my concern isn't the ceiling. Like I totally see the ceiling,
but I do worry a bit about the floor. Could this be kind of
a Denzel meme situation? Yeah. Does that work concern? You at
all II? Don't see that. I see a different player than Denzel
Mims.
I understand the, you know, your competition concern and
all that and oh I get it.
It's a real thing. I certainly do try to look into that as I'm
watching it. I also just go ahead, I've seen fast people my
whole life and he covers ground.
Then the rest of those guys, so
that's where I can.
At least maybe my trained eye can come into play there,
you know, there's some wrongness with that times like
trying to rip the ball out of the air too quickly to run
after the catch and he drops the ball, definitely would like
to see some of those. Like there's
there's some things he's got to work on
no doubt they'll but I don't put too much stock into the all
the other stuff that you're talking about. You know, I just
I guess I've been around too much. I saw this with Chase.
Claypool the Notre Dame when I was covering Notre Dame for
MVC.
He wasn't playing because he liked missed a class.
Ass and he was in the doghouse for like three years and then
they finally let him play his senior year
and nobody could cover him in college football. So
I just I don't read too far into the past. These kids are
growing. They're maturing things are changing certainly
but I to me, this is like a DK Metcalf or a Chase Claypool.
That's kind of what I kind of saw him as so we'll see. We'll
see where this goes.
He will go in the first round. It's just about where
and that'll be interesting.
Let me ask you. Out to guys that we
have on both of our lists. Yeah. Trailing Burke's Drake
London right in that order. Yeah.
You hear concerns about both guys. Yeah, similar concerns
like the nikhil Harry anxiety. Does is the contested catch
stuff, going to translate? We don't have the best athleticism
on Burks. You disappointed a little bit with the 455
but we also don't have a 40 at all on Drake London
and very yeah, and then you also have design touches
screens,
you know, short targets are basically handoff no doubt
about it. So it's Call orchestrated, right? Right.
Can you know those guys actually play traditional X
wide receiver.
In the NFL, Burke's played out of the slot. London played out
of the slot almost exclusively until his junior year,
you know, he did it as a senior but again or is a junior. But
is that actually going to translate terms of? Yeah,
that's a good questions. I think that those are
the questions for me. I'm with you there.
That's 100%. You know with
first off. I would say this they're both really good
players,
you know. You don't have to be married to anyone spot anymore
in the NFL like great, you know, and again, it's you can
get they can these offensive coordinator for the most part.
Most part can get guys
the ball, you know, somehow someway, but
Burke's definitely the number one concern
would be. Yeah, every almost every catchy had was drawn up
in the lab and then going hey, we're going to put perks right
here to where he can get the ball and
all that. Now, he's dangerous to the ball in his hands and it
looks like he hits another speed, breaks tackles with
the ball.
It says, but to your point,
I do worry about separating route running. He not going to
scare many people would like real go routes off the off
the ball explosion that way
as you get down field and he gets going, he's a little
clunky with those routes all together. So I mean those are
things that worry me too. There's no doubt about it and
the same thing with Drake London, you know, Drake London.
Yeah.
It's the I would have loved to have seen that 40 the other day
at the pro day that it is scary. You don't see a lot of
Separation that way. It's got the vertical, I think
the verticals and say, And as the best 50/50 jump ball player
I've ever seen in college football.
And the other thing I'll say to is the route running is really
special. So,
you know, as like to your question, can you line them up
at X and just go beat that guy all day long? I don't think so.
I think you like your spot on with that. That's not what he's
gonna be. He's gonna be that guy like, okay, it's third and
six
we're gonna throw back shoulder
or they were going to fake the back shoulder. You run
the slant and he'll work that game off people really well, but
I think some of the stuff would to your what you said what
the slot is going to be a real thing. NG to because of his
route running,
he can be that big slide. He changes directions really well
and all that but might not be the home run hitter that
you know, we like at a top receivers off the board.
Okay. Let's move to
running backs. This is an interesting class because like
normally there's debate about who the number-one guy is and
who the number two guy, everyone has in some order
briefs hauler. Kind of definitely, it's definitely
those two. Yeah, they stand alone. There's really no way to
make an argument
against that
for Fantasy. What you hear a lot is Kenneth Walker. Pure
rusher in the class. Yeah, which? Yes,
I'm drafting Bruce Hall because he can catch the yeah, right.
Right, right. Ken Kenneth Walker. Close that Gap. Yeah.
How big is the skill? Differential as a receiver?
Because that's just so huge fan. I know. I
know it's a really, this is one where
there's not a lot of evidence and that's his, we're like for a,
for a team. You'd go.
We need to go walk out workout Walker and like see how well he
can really catch it. Yeah, you know, I don't know. That's
the one when I see his limited catches on film.
I see a guy. Guy, that looks pretty natural doing it.
I don't look at it and go. Oh man. He looks kind of weird and
stupid doing. You know, it looks okay, but it's so limited
and certainly not a, what we see from Bruce Hall, where I'd
go
clear Advantage for sure.
And I I prefer Walker. I'm a little more of the traditional.
I want a real between the tackles Runner that way.
I think Walker is better that way for sure,
that he was even better and past protecting and things like
that. But, yeah, the pass game thing. I think you're spot on.
I mean, Bruce Hall, certainly got an advantage. There
and is going to be more trusted early on
because coaches have seen it and go away. We can
ask him to run this route and know he knows what to do and
how to read offenses and all that. So he's certainly got
a leg off my Walker. They're just the size concern you at all
with Walker to 11. You know,
you look at guys like like a Derrick Henry, obviously much
bigger. Ron Jones kind of comes in as like a pure rusher type.
He had to gain weight to really, you know, get any
playing time. Yes. It's been a struggle
for Ronald. Jones know that's, you know,
211 is, you know, not Your favorite number you want to see
there but we've we've seen a lot of running backs be that or
below that or around that range and still be successful again
with running back
in a don't look too far down the line. That's what I tell
people. It's so many people look at it like, well in five
or six years. It's like he'll be off your team. Then
you got to look at it for the next 2 to 3 years.
And then you go. Wait, do we have to draft another one as
this guy been in too many car crashes and you re-evaluate
from there. So don't look at it too much. In the long term, big
picture thing, but
Physical Runner,
very physical Runner.
Not real big would traditionally lead to not
the longest career ever. Either. That makes sense. Yeah.
All right. Yeah. Thanks so much Chris. That was it. That's it.
Yeah, how do you feel you? Okay? Yeah. Anyway, game with
here good. Yeah, we didn't have any crowd to boo, you, or
anything. So you're good. You play well through
the crowd, really
appreciate the no booze. Okay,
make sure to check out NBC Sports edge.com and our NFL
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Good, man.