Doug, Gator, and Producer Khang answer six draft-related questions regarding the Lions ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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00:00Gator heads or tails?
00:03Tails.
00:04Gator calls tails, and tails it is.
00:06Would you like to kick or receive?
00:07I would like to kick.
00:08I'll kick.
00:09All right, so I am going first.
00:12Six-pack of questions, NFL draft-related, on your mark, get set, go.
00:16Yeah, it's been a while.
00:17Let's do a draft version, all right?
00:19First question, guys.
00:20If Tork and Mize have actually figured it out for the Tigers, who's the Lions draft
00:24pick from the Holmes era who hasn't hit yet, but you think they can figure it out as well?
00:29I'm going to go with Project Martin because of his size and his arm length, and he's at
00:34a position of need.
00:36He played 25 snaps last year in two games.
00:39He had a knee injury.
00:41Ali McNeil won't be ready to go at the beginning of the season.
00:44He's got the raw skills, the physical talents, it looks like.
00:50So I'm going to say Project Martin because of the opportunity that he has there.
00:55I was thinking Giovanni Manu because there's some versatility there.
01:00We'd heard that he was working out at guard, and now we're hearing, well, they still envision
01:03him as more of a tackle, and he's got all that size, and just nobody's ever seen him
01:08play.
01:09But I can't escape that it's Hendon Hooker.
01:14The problem with Hendon Hooker is that he's not likely to get any chance to play, so you're
01:18never going to know, and they got to make a decision after this season, pretty much
01:22what they want to do here.
01:24So I think it's a real important offseason.
01:27I think personally, he's surely going to prove that he's better than Kyle Allen, that he's
01:33got more to offer, and we'll see that.
01:36So that'll be at least enough, I think, hopefully, to convince Lions fans that, all right, this
01:40guy's definitely a backup to Jared Goff, but I think it's Hendon Hooker.
01:45Kang?
01:46All right, I'm not sure if this counts.
01:47You can tell me if it does or doesn't.
01:48I do have a backup answer, but I want to go with Jamo.
01:50I just think he has so much more meat left on the bone.
01:53Wow.
01:54There's talk, obviously, this past week that they're likely going to pick up his fifth
01:57year option, but I think it's because he's going to cost too much after the end of this
02:01year that we get only two more years with Jamo because I think he is so explosive.
02:07He's just learning still, I think, how to play in the NFL.
02:10He's obviously got to play some more games.
02:13He's gotten in the way of himself at times, of course, but I think there's much more meat
02:17on the bone, and I think that first round pick could be huge still for the Lions.
02:21Interesting answer.
02:24All right, give me a Wolverine or a Spartan worth a late round flyer.
02:28Okay.
02:29Hi.
02:30You're on the clock.
02:33Listen, it's tough to find a Spartan because there just aren't many that are really available,
02:41but I think there is one that does interest me.
02:44I thought he was a really good player throughout his career, even though the numbers aren't
02:50fantastic with Michigan State because the offensive line wasn't good.
02:53It's Nathaniel Carter, the running back.
02:55He has built rock solid at Michigan State Pro Day.
02:59I believe he ran a 4-4-40.
03:01He did 23 reps on the bench.
03:03He had a vertical leap of 40 inches.
03:07When you watch him play, the first year he was at Michigan State, you could see it there,
03:11man.
03:12This guy, he could be a difference maker.
03:13It's just Michigan State's offensive line was so bad, but he's strong enough to not
03:17go down when the first guy hits him, and he's fast enough to just take off and wave goodbye
03:22to you, too.
03:23I'm going to go with Makari Page, the safety who made some plays last year for Michigan.
03:29His 40 time was 4-5-2.
03:32It's two one-hundredths of a second slower than Malachi Starks, who could go in the first
03:36round, and it's the size, 6-4-2-0-8, so I'm going to go Makari Page.
03:41By the way, he ran a 4-3-7, Nathaniel Carter did, so there you go.
03:45I like the Carter call, Gator, I do.
03:47But I agree with you, Doug.
03:48I'm going to go Makari Page as well.
03:49Bigger safety, you mentioned his size.
03:52Four-year contributor.
03:53I think he's the type of player that Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell would really look
03:57at and take a late-round flyer on.
03:58Makari Page is the guy I would think maybe had a shot to be a Lion.
04:03All right, which draftable prospect do you think is the most Lion-y, speaking of Lions?
04:09You know this guy sounds like a Brad Holmes guy, a Dan Campbell guy that they might fall
04:12in love with.
04:13Who is he?
04:14And maybe they want him because of all the intangibles and his interview?
04:17I'm going to go with Tyler Booker, the Captain Alabama, the guard who's got a first-round
04:21grade.
04:22Sometimes he shows up in the first round of mocks, sometimes the second round.
04:26He had the greatest pre-draft quote ever.
04:28I love football because the brand of football that I play, I make guys not love football
04:33anymore.
04:34He gave a legendary speech after an Auburn game in the locker room.
04:39He just sounds like that football-y Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell kind of guy.
04:43So I'll go Tyler Booker from Bama.
04:45Yeah, I was torn between two guys.
04:49There's one guy who I think they would absolutely draft, and then there's another guy who I
04:52don't think they draft because of the position, but he does scream that he's Lion-y.
04:57So I'll go with that because he screams he's Lion-y with who it is, and it's Malachi Starks,
05:01a safety from Georgia.
05:02Listen to what Daniel Jeremiah has to say about him.
05:08He says, he said, sources at Georgia speak very highly of his character, his intelligence,
05:17and leadership ability have blown NFL teams away in meetings.
05:21Overall Starks didn't make as many plays this past season as he did in 2023, but he has
05:26the versatility to move around the field and provide a lot of value, and that's the kind
05:31of thing that Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes dream about.
05:36Alright, so which guy, what type of player do the Lions seem to like?
05:41And I was actually going to give this player as the Wolverine or Spartan worth a late round
05:44flyer.
05:45That's Khalil Mullings.
05:46I just feel like him being able to be so versatile, which the Lions really like, right?
05:50From linebacker to running back, and he's a workhorse back, so he doesn't have the athleticism
05:54that you probably look for in the NFL, but he could contribute a lot on special teams
05:58because of his linebacker background.
06:01I just think the fact that he's a utility knife, a Swiss Army knife, he's a knife!
06:05And I think the Lions like knives.
06:07Alright, a little different take here, but who is your favorite NFL draft analyst when
06:15they talk?
06:16You know, when they speak, it just means a little more to you.
06:20I gotta go with the GOAT.
06:21It's Mel Kuyper.
06:22I know it might be going chalk and it's too easy to do it, but I'm not trying to get obscure
06:27with this.
06:28I'm just going to go with the guy who calls it like he sees it.
06:30There's no nonsense with him.
06:32He is not afraid to offend.
06:34I think there are too many of these NFL draft analysts that come out there on television
06:39or with their columns and are too afraid to say anything negative.
06:42Mel doesn't care.
06:43Mel's just going to tell you what he thinks, and he's strong with his opinion.
06:46I love Mel Kuyper.
06:48I want to say Dane Brugler because his pre-draft manual is like 490 pages, but I think Daniel
06:55Jeremiah of NFL Network does a really good job.
06:58He worked in scouting with, I believe it was Philly and Baltimore.
07:03When Daniel Jeremiah speaks, he often seems to be drawing from experience of being able
07:08to compare players that have either been successful or not successful and compare traits from
07:13his time in the NFL.
07:14He's my favorite.
07:15Here's a drop for you.
07:17I've always had a thing for Louis Riddick.
07:19Oh boy.
07:20No, it's true.
07:21Anytime he speaks, to me it means more.
07:24He's not going to hit 100.
07:25No one is.
07:26No one bats 1,000 with these things.
07:27I do agree with you, Gator.
07:29I do want actually more analysts to be able to criticize and just praise everybody, but
07:33I think some guys are just telling you, hey, this is what this guy does well.
07:37Then maybe just because they don't say what they don't do well doesn't mean, hey, there's
07:40negatives with that player.
07:42I've always thought that he was going to get a president or an NFL GM job, and it's never
07:46worked out.
07:47He's interviewed a ton.
07:48At this point, I'm not sure he's ever going to get one because I think when you go through
07:51that process so many times, it's just not going to happen.
07:54Fetch isn't going to happen, but I still like him as a draft analyst.
07:57When Louis Riddick likes a player, he'll let you know about it.
08:03Would you prefer to see the lines trade up for that guy or move back for more guys?
08:12Because of this draft board, I think moving back and getting more picks makes sense.
08:19I'm almost always in the move back camp, and yet so tempted to move up just to go get that
08:25one difference maker.
08:27But I mean, early second round is a great place to get a starting caliber guard if you
08:32move into the early second round and add a pick, or there's depth at edge and depth at
08:38defensive tackle.
08:40There are 102 picks in the first three rounds.
08:43Tom McShay predicted that 35 defensive linemen will be taken, which would set the record
08:48by eight.
08:50It would be a third of the first three rounds would be edge rushers or defensive linemen
08:56move back, maybe get another pick in there and take advantage of that depth of positions
09:01of need.
09:02I'll tell you what, to me, the answer is it's trade up, but it's for a couple of ways you
09:07can do it.
09:08I'm either going to trade.
09:09I want the lines to trade up and get the guy that they covet most.
09:12And let's just for the sake of argument and say it's Mike Green.
09:15Go get Mike Green.
09:16Go do it.
09:17If it means you got to move up to 15 to do it, then don't do it.
09:20Otherwise, I'm still wanting to trade up and get their guy, but it's trading up in the
09:25second round.
09:26Stay at 28, pick who you like.
09:28And then because there is so much depth at what you want, give whatever it takes to move
09:32back up into that second round and take somebody in the top 10 picks in that second round.
09:37And then you've got an excellent draft going.
09:40I would prefer the lines move up, which is ironic because what really hurt them last
09:44year, you could say was depth that, you know, the attrition.
09:46They didn't have enough players.
09:48But for me, if you have that one player that can make up for a few players, that could
09:53be the main difference.
09:54Like if you had someone who's not going to be Hutch, Hutch is in a class of his own,
09:58but someone a lot closer to Hutch, maybe that guy makes a play or two in a game that makes
10:02the difference.
10:03And that I think would make a bigger difference for the lines.
10:05Because I think honestly, last year, that was the exception to the rule.
10:08Knock on wood.
10:09To have that much attrition happen again, I don't think is likely.
10:13So I'm looking for that quality player over quantity because I think they got enough quantity
10:16as long as those guys don't keep getting hurt.
10:23All right, last one here, guys.
10:24Jalen Milrow, more likely to go in the first round or the fourth round?
10:29I think it's more likely to go in the fourth round.
10:32And it's because I just don't think there's enough teams out there that really need quarterbacks.
10:35I think the teams that do, they get them in the first round or maybe they move up and
10:40get one early in the second round.
10:41But once those quarterbacks are gone, I think there's going to be a little lull in the action.
10:46Once Jackson Dart comes off the board, are people going to go, Milrow next?
10:51Is it Quinn Ewers next?
10:52And can you afford to wait a few rounds?
10:54Because nobody else is going to be looking for quarterbacks.
10:55I think Milrow's got a lot going for him.
10:58I was tempted to name him as the character guy because everybody says great things about
11:03Jalen Milrow.
11:04And because the success that Jalen Hurts has had, and I think that's kind of his trajectory
11:09is following the career of Jalen Hurts.
11:12I wish that Jalen Milrow stayed one more year in college to show to everybody that
11:16he can throw the ball well.
11:18I think this might be a wasted year because he's going to sit out the whole year.
11:22But I think he's more fourth than he is first.
11:23Yeah, I can see him falling because the tape doesn't lie.
11:26Very few quarterbacks go in the second round.
11:28If you are a second round quarterback, teams want to take you in the first round for the
11:32extra year.
11:33And so a lot of second round quarterbacks go late first round.
11:36I went back and looked.
11:38Last year, six quarterbacks went in the first round.
11:41The next quarterback selected was in round five when Spencer Rattler went to New Orleans.
11:48The last seven drafts, there have been four second round quarterbacks in the last seven
11:53drafts.
11:54There have been eight third round quarterbacks and 10 fourth round quarterbacks.
11:58Every draft is different, but it kind of speaks.
12:00That trend speaks to contracts and perceived value at the quarterback position.
12:05Yeah, with my quarterback evaluation process, I admittedly tend to fall in love with physical
12:10attributes.
12:11You know, arm strength, you know, 40 times reps, you know, explosiveness from the quarterback
12:16position, which you don't necessarily need to play quarterback.
12:18Jalen Milrow ran an absolute burner of a 40 time, right?
12:23I will not be fooled again.
12:24Fourth round.
12:27There's just I don't think if the first two picks, first two, three picks aren't going
12:30to draft a quarterback.
12:31Why would Jalen Milrow go in the first round?
12:33I think this is not the best quarterback year is what they're telling me.
12:36So Jalen Milrow will be more likely a fourth round pick than a first round pick.
12:40There it is.
12:41And that concludes a NFL draft edition of the Y9 Omaha four down around the league blitz
12:47thingy.
12:48Hey, it's Doug Karsh for Michigan.