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00:00Live right here on the early line on this Tuesday morning, I am Ben Stevens.
00:05He is Donnie right side. It is NFL draft week.
00:08We are just two days away from the start of night.
00:11Number one round number one in Green Bay, Wisconsin in the shadows of Lambeau
00:17field. So here on this Tuesday on TEL with more draft markets opening up more
00:23odds we can use to drive the conversation and paint the picture of what we can
00:27expect to see in the opening round of the 2025 NFL draft.
00:32DRS, we play one of our favorite games.
00:34It is time now for NFL draft.
00:36Buy or sell. How excited are you?
00:38I love it. I love buy or sell.
00:40By the way, you should be buying on DRS right now because if anybody didn't know
00:43what happened here, that was Ben leaving the camera here and the studio because
00:47upper management wanted to see if I still had it in me to be a solo host on this
00:52network, even though I've done it thousands of hours so far.
00:54So I passed it with flying colors. I'm back for the rest.
00:56Ben's here.
00:57It's so we're all involved in getting ready for buy or sell, which I do love
01:00here. NFL draft edition, but it looks like we're going to be together, Ben,
01:04for a while because I did pass the test.
01:05Yes.
01:07You still got it, my friend.
01:09Anybody that questioned that, I think they just got the answer that they need.
01:14Solo missions have plenty on radio, but to do it with the bright light
01:18shining in front of you, you've got that pretty down pat.
01:22DRS, what are the stories for the 2025 NFL draft as we have shared for the first
01:27time ever in the modern era of the draft, dating back to 1994, for the first time
01:32since the NFL expanded and added its 32nd franchise back in 2002, this time of the
01:39league year and now just two days away from the NFL draft.
01:43It is the first time ever we have seen all 32 NFL teams still hold on to and maintain
01:50their original first round pick.
01:53We have not seen any movement up the draft order, either trades that have happened years
01:58prior or this off season or in the last few weeks.
02:03So will we see it?
02:05Per NFL research, we have had 24 consecutive NFL drafts with a trade in to the top 15.
02:12We have averaged about a trade and a half into the top 10 since 2011 in the last 15 years
02:19or so.
02:21So DRS, buy or sell two or more first round trades will be traded before, or two or more
02:29first round picks, I should say, will be traded before the start of the NFL draft in just
02:35over 48 hours.
02:37No, I'm selling that right now because the key indicator is how that question is worded.
02:41Now, do I think there's going to be multiple trades in the first round during the draft?
02:44I absolutely believe that's going to be the case.
02:46But the reason why I haven't seen that is so many times, like the number one team is
02:50like, well, I'm not sold on a quarterback or somebody's offering me so much and we don't
02:53necessarily need a quarterback that I'm going to be able to trade back.
02:56Like case in point, you take a look at, you know, the Bryce Young deal that was done.
03:00It's like, okay, well, here's where we're going to trade out and trade in and make some
03:03things happen.
03:03That was interesting.
03:04But also at the same time, even if you go back, let's just say a decade ago, Carson Wentz
03:08and Jared Goff in that draft went one and two, I believe both of those first and second
03:12picks were traded.
03:14Once you knew Jared Goff was going to go to the Rams, the Eagles were like, we really
03:16like Carson Wentz.
03:17Now we're going to move up to two before the draft even happens.
03:19But the fact this year that Cam Ward seems like he's signed, sealed and delivered to
03:23Tennessee.
03:24And now you're seeing these huge draft odds here for the second and the third picks.
03:27It makes me feel like those teams have already decided they're not going to move those
03:31picks at least before a draft line.
03:33Because the one thing we do not understand is we get angry.
03:36Like Cam Ward, we know it's going to be the first pick.
03:37Why are we wasting 10 minutes on the clock or whatever?
03:40So the one team can have their glory and say, hey, we're the number one pick and let's
03:43wait.
03:44But these teams like second and third, you might give, say, you know what?
03:47I'm going Travis Hunter, your number two with Cleveland.
03:49And you get a phone call from team X that calls up.
03:52We really want Travis Hunter.
03:54What's it going to take?
03:54And they go three first rounders.
03:56They go done deal.
03:57Oh, okay.
03:58Well, we'll make that move at this point.
03:59I don't think we're getting any first round trades before the clock hits.
04:04Because why, Ben?
04:05I think we've already would have seen it.
04:07I don't believe we are going to get any trades before the start of the opening round either.
04:12I'm going to sell this notion.
04:14Now, if we asked a question, would you buy that we see multiple first round trades on
04:20the night of the draft?
04:21I would probably buy that.
04:23I am not sure, DRS.
04:25If we are not seeing movement early because of where this draft class stands, if there
04:30is not a ton of emphasis on some of these prospects, and oftentimes it really is generated
04:37by an offensive player, and namely a quarterback.
04:40Last year, it could make some sense.
04:42Six QBs in the top 12, a modern draft era for the most quarterbacks ever taken in a single
04:48first round.
04:49Now, this year, there's really one, as Donnie highlighted in Cam Ward, but as those dominoes
04:55start to fall, actually, as the teams are on the clock on Thursday, that's when I think
05:00we finally see movement.
05:02But the lack there of DRS in the draft order is historic and rather sensational.
05:08And because of it, one of the main storylines entering the 2025 NFL draft.
05:14And it doesn't just have to happen right here, right now.
05:17Of course, the story is no trade happened three years ago that exchanged a 2025 first
05:23rounder for any of our 32 NFL teams.
05:27That's the first time ever in the common era.
05:29But, Donnie, also the first time since 2014, unless we do see a trade in the next 48 hours,
05:35we have not seen a trade from the start of the league year that happens in the middle
05:40of March, this year on Wednesday, March 12th, in the start of the first round.
05:45The first time in more than a decade, there has not even been a trade in about the six
05:50week span that we see in the buildup to the NFL draft.
05:55Significantly, there is no movement right now.
05:58What does that mean?
05:59We'll find out on Thursday.
06:01Yes.
06:01And also, with the Titans not moving out of the one spot, they're going to draft a quarterback,
06:05which they should do.
06:06It's going to be Cam Ward, and I really like that pick for them.
06:08You figured then that once Tennessee is out of the way, which they've really much been,
06:11you know, in my mind, out of the way for weeks and weeks and weeks now, that's the surprising
06:16part where that Cleveland spot, they probably haven't been getting enough phone calls where
06:20they think it's worth it to get out of that two spot because nobody's drafting Shadour
06:24Sanders number two overall and trading up into that Cleveland spot.
06:27So Cleveland's probably not getting all those picks where it's like, wait, if it was really
06:30a two quarterback draft, like generational, right?
06:32I think Cam Ward's generational.
06:33I think Shadour Sanders is generational.
06:35You would have had some movement between the ones and the twos.
06:37Same way as I talked about Jared Goff and Carson Wentz where, okay, Tennessee's going
06:41to stick with Cam Ward.
06:42We know that.
06:43I better get the number two because Shadour's not going to make it past number two.
06:46And also, I know other teams are calling Cleveland, which means a bidding war would get there.
06:50Now, once we hit the draft, like, who's going to trade up today and be like, hey, we got
06:53the Patriots number four overall pick.
06:55We don't know who's going to be there.
06:57Oh, no, that's not the guy we wanted.
06:58Now we got to trade out and we actually lost in the transaction.
07:01That's what you're seeing now.
07:02But once you see, Ben, one go and two go, that Giants pick and that Patriots pick might
07:08be a hot commodity, depending on where these boards fall for these teams.
07:12Maybe the pick after two of the Jags at five we'll discuss next.
07:17One of the main storylines for the 2025 NFL draft, the lack of movement in the draft order,
07:23not necessarily the odds board, but the draft order.
07:27Why is that happening?
07:28Because we really only have one surefire quarterback we know is going in the top five or the top
07:3510.
07:35How many quarterbacks we will see, we'll discuss a little bit later on.
07:39But both DRS and I are selling the notion that we see a trade happen before the start
07:44of the first round.
07:45On the night of the first round, I think we could see multiple moves.
07:50In DRS, we had a report yesterday from ESPN's Adam Schefter that Jacksonville, who selects
07:55fifth overall at this moment, is seen around the league right now in this draft cycle as
08:00a wild card.
08:02What exactly are they going to do with that pick as they try to reinvigorate the roster
08:06as Liam Cohen, rookie head coach, tries to reinvigorate the career of his quarterback in Trevor Lawrence?
08:12Are they even going to be the team that makes that fifth overall selection by the time we
08:17get to draft night on this upcoming Thursday?
08:21Some market movement because of it yesterday, DRS, as we focus on the Heisman runner-up in
08:27Ashton Gentry.
08:29For most of this draft cycle, the team that was most likely to draft Ashton Gentry with
08:34a minus money price, the Las Vegas Waiters, who selects sixth overall.
08:39That started to change as we spoke yesterday on the show.
08:43We showed you the odds.
08:45Mason Graham was minus 165 to go fifth.
08:48Ashton Gentry started to make his way up that odds board yesterday as well.
08:54Here is the draft odds profile for Gentry at this moment.
08:58To be a top five selection, plus 150.
09:01But to go in the top 10 is minus 2400.
09:04Over under position prop is now out for Gentry.
09:08Six and a half is the number.
09:10The under has the hefty juice at minus 320.
09:14So we think that Ashton Gentry is a surefire top 10 pick.
09:18Is he worth it?
09:19Buy or sell, DRS, that exact question to you.
09:22Ashton Gentry is worth a top 10 draft pick in 2025.
09:28I'm going to buy this with a caveat here.
09:31Ashton Gentry is a sensational running back.
09:33In the year of the running back that we just saw here, so many teams are not going to get
09:37the idea like, oh, okay, Saquon went to the Eagles, won him a Super Bowl.
09:40Let me just get a dominant running back.
09:41We'll go to the Super Bowl.
09:43Understand where you're coming from here.
09:44The Philadelphia Eagles were elite just about at every single position, which included maybe
09:47the best offensive line in football.
09:49So hear me out on this.
09:51Gentry, love the kid.
09:52Goes to the right situation.
09:54Fantastic.
09:55Let's talk about the right situation here in the top 10 for Ashton Gentry.
09:58Number one overall pick, which you know he's not going, but play it out because the question
10:01is the top 10 here.
10:02The Titans, they're not serious about winning this year.
10:04If they're going to get a rookie quarterback, that roster stinks out loud.
10:07Number two is Cleveland.
10:08They're not serious about winning this year.
10:09They don't have a quarterback.
10:10Why would another running back go there?
10:12Oh, Don and Nick Chubb.
10:12Nick Chubb might have been the best running back in football before injury.
10:15What did that do for Cleveland?
10:16Didn't that amount to a ton of wins and making deep playoff appearances and winning Super Bowls.
10:20Number three is the Giants.
10:22They're unserious about winning.
10:23They just took Saquon Barkley five to six years ago and see how that turned out.
10:26They can't do that again.
10:27The Patriots at four.
10:28They're unserious about winning.
10:30They have a young quarterback.
10:30They're just trying to get the roster as one of the least talented rosters in the NFL be a
10:34wasted draft pick.
10:35You're telling me the Jacksonville Jaguars just a few years ago had Travis Etienne in
10:39the first round, and now we take a look and say, oh, well, we're going to draft another
10:43running back, particularly the top five?
10:45Absolutely not.
10:45The Raiders, that's an absolute joke if he goes there.
10:48The Jets, they're not serious about winning.
10:50The Saints, they're not serious about winning, which then brings me to the Bears, which is
10:53a caveat.
10:55You feel you have your franchise quarterback, your wide receivers.
10:58You rebuilt that team and spent money.
10:59I can actually see the Bears taking a leap this year.
11:01I'm saying the leap winning the Super Bowl, but maybe that team in the next two to three
11:05years is really serious about winning and could do some damage with that rookie contract.
11:09So for the top 10 teams, one team, which is number 10, might make some sense if one of
11:14those teams before them in the top nine, Ben, actually draft Ashton Jinty, fire the entire
11:20organization from top to bottom.
11:23Plus 370 price right now for Chicago to be the team to draft Ashton Jinty.
11:29The Raiders still have the shortest number at plus 105.
11:32The Jags have the second best price at plus 195.
11:36Is Ashton Jinty worthy of a top 10 selection?
11:39Absolutely buying that notion.
11:42To DRS's point, how much does he move the needle?
11:45There was not all that long ago, Donnie.
11:47The running back position would have never dreamed of going in the top 10.
11:52And then Bijan Robinson won eight overall in 2023.
11:55Jameer Gibbs not far outside of the top 10.
11:5812 overall to Detroit.
11:59Those guys have proved that they can play at a very high level and do move the needle.
12:05Saquon Barkley did a ton to reinvigorate the running back spot this past season as well.
12:11Ashton Jinty is going to be a top 10 pick, but we have not seen many running backs go
12:17in the top 10.
12:18I just mentioned Bijan Robinson in 2023.
12:21The two years around that, 2022 and a season ago, not a single first round running back.
12:27In DRS, prior to Bijan Robinson, that guy in Saquon was the last to go in the top 10.
12:33Second overall back in 2018.
12:35More around the NFL draft up next.
12:38Live right here during NFL Draft Week on this Tuesday on the early line.
12:4348 hours out from draft day in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
12:48In DRS, we expect early on.
12:50More than likely at third overall, the Penn State edge rusher and game wrecker, Abdul Carter.
12:56We'll hear his name called.
12:58Here's what Carter did during his time in State College.
13:01Wearing the number 11, the historic number at linebacker U, taking over for Micah Parsons
13:07on the edge and really not skipping a beat.
13:11DRS, you consider him to be the best overall prospect in this NFL draft.
13:17Now, you don't think he's going number one overall, but you think he is the best draft
13:21prospect in this draft class in 2025.
13:24I'm not sure I argue with you.
13:26Buy or sell on Abdul Carter.
13:29Abdul Carter will be a minus money favorite to win defensive rookie of the year for the
13:342025 NFL season.
13:36Oh, without a doubt.
13:38100%.
13:38Buy, buy, buy.
13:39I can't buy enough of this stock right now.
13:41I love this kid.
13:41I do.
13:42Because the one thing you have to understand, they're going to be very good defensive players
13:46in this draft along with Abdul Carter.
13:48But when you have just a plug and play guy like, what is your job?
13:51Hut, hut, hike.
13:52Go kill that quarterback.
13:53He is the best of it here.
13:54He is an elite at an elite position, but also an elite athlete that can do many things that
13:59other people can't.
14:00A generational pass rusher we might be looking at here, which is fantastic to let it play
14:04out.
14:05And you might say, well, Donnie, Travis Hunter could be a lockdown corner.
14:07Understand how things work out.
14:09You can still be a very good defensive end to get triple teamed every play and end up with
14:12three sacks.
14:13You're not going to get defensive rookie of the year.
14:14You know, you get that 11 or 12 sacks as a rookie.
14:17It's the same thing with a shutdown cornerback.
14:19Everybody else has to have a slightly down season.
14:21He only had one interception, but nobody threw him the football.
14:24The statistics are what usually gets you trophies here, as opposed to nobody throws you the football
14:28like being on Revis Island back in the day with the New York Jets.
14:31So for me, it's a simple answer.
14:33It's an absolute buy.
14:34I would be shocked if Abdul Carter comes into the NFL and has a healthy year, which means
14:39he plays 17 weeks and doesn't wind up with eight or nine plus sacks here, which will
14:44get him that defensive rookie player of the year.
14:46No doubt in my mind.
14:47He's a great, great football player.
14:49I expect big things and he'll be minus money.
14:51There will be natural comps, of course, to Micah Parsons because they both hail from Penn
14:56State.
14:56They might both end up in the NFC East.
14:59Parsons during his historic rookie year back in 2021, 13 sacks, cruised to defensive rookie
15:06of the year and getting his name on that hardware, finished runner up for defensive player of the
15:12year, even back as a rookie.
15:14Abdul Carter will be expected to do the same.
15:17And if he does end up in New York and the Giants retain Kayvon Thibodeau and they have
15:22Dexter Lawrence plugged into the middle, he's going to have some opportunities to cause some
15:27havoc on the outside.
15:29Donnie, I think it's pretty simple and maybe not simple.
15:31I think it's pretty understood to say now in the NFL quarterback is by far the most important
15:36position.
15:37But what is the other position that moves the needle?
15:39A dynamic pass rusher, either on the edge or in the interior.
15:44That's why I believe that Abdul Carter is the best draft prospect in this NFL draft class.
15:50Cam Ward's going to go before him.
15:51Travis Hunter probably hears his name called before Abdul Carter as well.
15:54The Giants should be salivating at the idea they get Abdul Carter third overall.
16:00And also understand this, like it's a plug and play spot for an unbelievable athlete.
16:04Like if you're a quarterback, you got to learn the ropes.
16:06You might not even be starting your first couple of weeks here.
16:07If you're a great quarterback like Travis Hunter, you're still getting into the physicality
16:11of the NFL.
16:11And I'm not saying like defensive pass rushers just come out of college and dominate in
16:15the NFL.
16:15But if you are just saying, hey, look, I'm going to put you in on third down and drop you
16:18right in this equation.
16:19He's going to wreck teams game plans here.
16:21And you're right about it.
16:22It's interesting.
16:23You got Burns on one side, Thibodeau.
16:25You shouldn't use that Steve Spagnuolo race car package if you get Abdul Carter with those
16:29three guys rushing the pass rusher on one separate play on a third down.
16:32That's crazy work here.
16:34And also, we don't know where the Giants are specifically going.
16:36But to get back to the original point, the best football player in this draft, it's Abdul
16:40Carter.
16:41Whoever gets him outside of the number one pick, that's a steal.
16:44So even if he lands two, which it doesn't look like he's going to be that, or three or four,
16:48you're getting an unbelievable football player right out of the gate that should dominate
16:51from day number one, a true speed pass rusher at an elite level, everybody needs that.
16:58Minus 470 for Abdul Carter to go third overall.
17:02It's the pick the Giants have right now.
17:05I do believe that is going to be the case.
17:06I wonder what exactly his price is going to be to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
17:11And I think a lot of that will have to do with Travis Hunter.
17:15Is Travis Hunter primarily a wide receiver?
17:17Is Travis Hunter primarily a lockdown quarterback?
17:21Now, we heard from GM Andrew Barry in Cleveland last week at his pre-NFL draft press conference.
17:27Donnie, the thought among the Browns, which I still find fascinating, is that Travis Hunter
17:31is more of a generational wide receiver than a generational DB.
17:36Of course, will we see Hunter play on both sides of the football?
17:39That remains to be seen enough that he could play and be in consideration for both offensive
17:45and defensive rookie of the year.
17:47I doubt it.
17:48Again, I believe that Travis Hunter is more elite as a cornerback than he is as a wide receiver.
17:55Don't believe me?
17:56Take the college football voters right for it as well.
18:02Their vote for it as well.
18:03DRS, he was an AP first-team All-American at corner, was Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy
18:09winner a season ago.
18:10He was second-team All-American at wide receiver.
18:14Again, I think he is elite as a cornerback.
18:17I think he is very, very good as a wide receiver.
18:20That will remain to be seen what Cleveland decides to do.
18:23So, Browns have often decided the worst of two options.
18:28Yes, and the Browns, if they just stay put and take either Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter,
18:32you can't lose at that spot.
18:33They are two unbelievably talented kids, but you're right about this.
18:37The thought process of, could Travis Hunter be an elite wide receiver in the NFL?
18:41There's a possibility of that, right?
18:43But if you're just coming into the NFL as an elite lockdown corner, again, that is such
18:47a premium position.
18:48Now, I'm not knocking it to Wadani.
18:50Wide receiver in the NFL is equally important.
18:52No, it's really important, but if you have a rare commodity in the NFL, a one-on-one
18:57lockdown cornerback, which I think Travis Hunter can be over the next 10 years, that's
19:01where you have to use him.
19:02And nobody is saying that you can't play both sides of the football.
19:05Every play, you can't do that.
19:06But you're telling me in like a two-minute drill, you throw Travis Hunter in there with
19:09a couple packages as a slot-wide receiver.
19:11He can dominate as well.
19:12Use that to your advantage, because I don't think you can sort of flip the switch is what
19:16I'm talking about.
19:17Let's just say you play the entire game as like a wide out, but then you come in as a nickel
19:21cornerback.
19:21Like, no, I need your focus being on defense and learning the tendencies.
19:25It's very easy to come into an offensive play and be like, okay, I know I have a seven-yard
19:29out route right here.
19:30On defense, you need to know the intricacies of every single player out there as a cornerback
19:34to understand what your position is on the field.
19:37The blown coverage that you see, they're detrimental.
19:39A blown wide receiver, you know, cut in or out, you technically don't even hear about those
19:44until after they got, yeah, he ran the wrong route at that point.
19:46Stay a cornerback here, fill in on offense.
19:48I think it'll work much better for both him and also the team he plays for.
19:52Completely agree, DRS.
19:54But again, the thought the Browns have at least let everybody know is that he's better as
19:59a wide receiver.
20:00Again, I'm not so sure they're the greatest talent of evaluators there.
20:05It's more fun.
20:05What?
20:07Wide receiver's way more fun, though.
20:08That's why I agree.
20:09Like, me and Travis Hunter, we got a lot in common.
20:11I was a DB in high school.
20:12I went to wide out.
20:13I went to college.
20:14I was a wide out, so you know what I mean?
20:15Go with the love.
20:16Go with the love.
20:17The wide receivers.
20:18Of course, Travis Hunter's value and the idea he is going so early is because he is
20:23a dynamic unicorn, but if he really is thought of more as a wide receiver by Cleveland, this
20:29would be the earliest a wide out has been drafted.
20:32Second overall since 2007 when Calvin Johnson went second.
20:38Now, that's a lot to live up to.
20:40I'm not so sure Travis Hunter is Calvin Johnson good as a wide receiver.
20:46How about his Colorado teammate?
20:47DRS, one of the stories of this Tuesday, 48 hours out from the NFL draft is some substantial
20:54market movement with Chador Sanders in the team most likely to draft Chador.
20:59Earlier in the week, close to an even money price, it was the New Orleans Saints as the
21:04most likely team to land Chador.
21:06Four, ninth overall, some conversation about the Giants, maybe even the Browns.
21:11The team that is currently booked with the shortest number to draft Chador Sanders is the Pittsburgh
21:17Steelers at plus 310.
21:20Yeah, no, and it makes some sense.
21:21Like, I would love that move.
21:23You have to start your future now.
21:24Now, this is a team that's ready to win.
21:25We're not saying that they're going to be Super Bowl champions if they get Chador Sanders
21:28and he plays well.
21:29But sooner than later, you have to start.
21:31And it appears that Aaron Rodgers certainly isn't going to be that guy.
21:34But by the way, just talking again real quick on Travis Hunter, you can't talk on Travis
21:38Hunter.
21:38Understand this, Ben.
21:391994 at Haddon Heights.
21:41Had a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown and scored on an 11-yard slant pass.
21:45Offense and defense, that's my specialty.
21:48I could speak all day on Travis Hunter.
21:50Show me some respect on the network.
21:53Could use you on the NFL Draft Show if you're free on Thursday.
21:56Just over 48 hours out from the 2025 NFL Draft.
22:03We have spent so much time discussing the draft from every single angle.
22:08The lack of draft order movement at this moment.
22:11Our quarterback questions.
22:13How many in the opening round?
22:14Where does Chador Sanders slot in?
22:17And another main question will be, as we discussed earlier in the show, how about the Heisman runner
22:22up from the 2024 college football season after completing a historic campaign at Boise State?
22:29Where does Ashton Gentry go?
22:31Is he a top 10 pick?
22:32The oddsmakers assume so.
22:34And I am telling you, he will be.
22:37But how early does Ashton Gentry go?
22:40And where exactly does he fall?
22:43Which NFL franchise is going to go after Gentry?
22:46Well, it's a new era in Las Vegas.
22:49And for most of this NFL Draft cycle, the Raiders have been the team that has been most likely
22:54to draft Ashton Gentry from the odds perspective.
22:57Even opening up in that market around a minus money, minus 150 favorite.
23:03Here's new Raiders GM, John Spitek, last week at his pre-draft press conference on how
23:09he thinks about Gentry or maybe just this running back draft class as a whole.
23:13I'm going to be careful about talking about any specific player.
23:16But, you know, more broadly to the running back question, I mean, we just saw Saquon Barkley
23:21just change the Eagles in one year.
23:23Now they had a great team around them.
23:24And, you know, it was adding an elite player.
23:27And I think when you sit where we sit, I mean, the idea is to add elite players at any position.
23:32And I don't try to devalue any certain position.
23:36I mean, there's times in games where there's nobody you'd rather have than the best kicker
23:40in the league, too, right?
23:41I mean, in that moment.
23:42So, there's certain ways to build a team.
23:48And I just, I don't know where we got to a place where we don't feel like running backs
23:51are valued.
23:52I mean, I come from the University of Michigan to my core.
23:55And those guys were certainly really valued there.
23:57So, it's hard for me to get away from that.
23:58Everything John Spitek just said, huge fan of, emphasizing the value of a place kicker,
24:06reinvigorating the value of a running back, and run the damn ball.
24:11The credo of the Big Ten that runs through the veins of John Spitek.
24:15Still, the team most likely to draft Ashton Gentry on the FanDuel Sportsbook remains the
24:21Raiders at plus 110.
24:22We did see some fluctuation in these odds, in these numbers yesterday, with the wild card
24:27mantra that the Jacksonville Jaguars, who draft a spot before the Raiders, Las Vegas at six,
24:33Jacksonville at five, could do anything.
24:36They could trade out of that pick.
24:37They could look at Ashton Gentry as well.
24:40Plus 200 now on Jacksonville to be the team to draft Ashton Gentry, as we shared earlier.
24:48Gentry's over-under draft position prompt.
24:50Six and a half.
24:52The under has the hefty juice at minus 350.
24:55For Ashton Gentry to go top five, still a plus money price, so six would seem to make
25:00a lot of odds and logistical sense.
25:03Now, should the Raiders be the team to draft Gentry?
25:07That's a different conversation.
25:09There is no doubt they are trying to provide a stable four with the moves made this offseason.
25:14Pete Carroll, who loves being in war rooms, drafting running backs, look back at his time
25:18in Seattle, John Spitek in their college buddy, college teammate of Tom Brady.
25:24They work together in Tampa Bay.
25:26Of course, Brady, part of that minority ownership group in Las Vegas, certainly has some hands
25:32in how that franchise is going to be run.
25:35We have not seen, we've only seen one running back go in the top 10 since 2018 when Saquon
25:41Barkley won second overall to the New York Giants.
25:45It was B. John Robinson back in 2023.
25:48Eighth overall selection made by the Atlanta Falcons.
25:51In the two drafts around 2023, last year and 2022, no first round running backs.
25:58I think we're going to see at least two, if not three.
26:02How about this deep running back class outside of Ashton Gentry?
26:06Omarion Hampton, minus 1,500 to be a first round pick.
26:11Great running back this past season at North Carolina and throughout his collegiate career.
26:16Hampton is a minus 400 favorite to be the first running back to go after Ashton Gentry.
26:22Travion Henderson, sensational run for Ohio State.
26:26His Buckeyes teammate this past year, Quinshon Jenkins, 21 to one to be a first round pick.
26:32And I'm telling you this, Ashton Gentry is the best back in this class.
26:36The one who I think also has an outstanding NFL career right there with Gentry, that's
26:41Iowa's Caleb Johnson.
26:43He is young.
26:44He's got a lot of tread on those tires.
26:46I think he is going to be a great running back during his NFL career.
26:50Now, we might only see two running backs in the first round.
26:53At potentially most, I think three.
26:55But we are going to see a ton go in day number two.
26:59Judkins, Johnson, your favorite running back's favorite running back, in Cam Scadaboo, and
27:05so many more that will dot the draft day two and day three, rounds four through seven.
27:12The early line returns tomorrow, 8 a.m.
27:14Eastern time on a Wednesday here on Sports Grid.