Who's Actually Earning It This Preseason? | NFL Risers & Rookie Standouts (Ep. 2147)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 22, 2026
Published
Sat, August 22, 2026
27
Player insights
25
Players mentioned
Topics
Demario DouglasJeremiyah LoveA.J. BrownAlec PierceAlvin KamaraAudric EstimeC.J. StroudCarnell TateDalton SchultzDrake MayeFernando MendozaJ.K. DobbinsJadarian PriceJayden Higgins
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
PositiveUsage50:10
AJ Brown is performing well in camp, showing versatility by moving across the formation and making contested catches. Despite a minor early rep against Quinyon Mitchell, he has been a standout, with the team planning to utilize him in high-value roles to generate yards after the catch.
Insight pageAlec Pierce
NegativeInjury19:03
Alec Pierce has been dealing with a lingering ankle injury that required surgery, leading to concerns about his health and role in the Colts' offense.
Insight pageAlvin Kamara
NegativeInjury13:25
Alvin Kamara is out for at least a month with an MCL injury, which Derek Brown views as a potential long-term concern given his age and history of decline.
Insight pageAudric Estime
PositiveRole15:41
Derek Brown suggests Audric Estimé could see goal-line work for the Saints if Travis Etienne continues to struggle in that area of the field.
Insight pageC.J. Stroud
NegativeProjection0:46
Derek Brown notes that the loss of Jaden Higgins leaves C.J. Stroud with fewer weapons behind a questionable offensive line, potentially impacting his fantasy outlook.
Insight pageCarnell Tate
PositiveRole43:40
Carnell Tate is projected to be the true WR1 for the Tennessee Titans, with the offense expected to flow through him; he is considered a high-upside rookie in a Brian Daboll-led system.
Insight pageDalton Schultz
PositiveUsage1:41
Derek Brown expects the Texans to lean more on Dalton Schultz following the season-ending injury to Jaden Higgins.
Insight pageDemario Douglas
PositiveDepth Chart4:00
Andrew Erickson notes that the Patriots are more likely to re-sign Demario Douglas than Kayshawn Boutte, as Boutte is in a contract season.
Insight pagePositiveUsage53:38
Demario Douglas is highlighted as a high-volume potential slot receiver for the Patriots. His efficiency metrics, specifically yards per route run, were noted as superior to Stefon Diggs' on a per-route basis last season.
Insight pageDrake Maye
PositiveProjection5:05
Andrew Erickson highlights that the Patriots' receiver room is deeper for Drake Maye this year, and Maye has looked impressive in training camp against the Eagles' starting defense.
Insight pageFernando Mendoza
NegativeProjection53:13
Fernando Mendoza is a potential impact rookie for the Raiders, but his playing time is contingent on the team's performance and potential dissatisfaction with Kirk Cousins.
Insight pageJ.K. Dobbins
NegativeRole38:36
J.K. Dobbins' role as the Denver Broncos' early-down starter is described as 'fragile' due to his injury history and the presence of talented depth behind him. He is projected to be an early-down grinder without a significant pass-catching or red-zone role in a high-powered offense facing a difficult schedule.
Insight pageJadarian Price
NegativeUsage48:08
Jadarian Price is expected to be a significant part of the Seahawks' backfield, though his role may be impacted by the return of Zach Charbonnet.
Insight pageJayden Higgins
NegativeInjury0:26
Jaden Higgins is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL, a significant blow to the Texans' receiving depth.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
NegativeUsage35:23
The source criticizes the Arizona Cardinals for overworking Jeremiah Love in meaningless preseason games, contrasting this with the Denver Broncos' more disciplined approach to managing their rookie running back, Jonah Coleman.
Insight pagePositiveValue48:08
Jeremiah Love is described as an otherworldly talent for the Cardinals, though his immediate impact is clouded by the team's poor organizational usage and his recent injury.
Insight pageJonah Coleman
PositiveBreakout35:01
Jonah Coleman is a standout rookie running back who has impressed with his 'bowling ball' running style and pass-protection skills. He is viewed as a high-upside target for fantasy drafts, particularly because he offers pass-catching ability that J.K. Dobbins lacks, potentially carving out a significant role in the Denver offense.
Insight pageJosh Downs
NegativeInjury19:01
Josh Downs has been dealing with an injury, and Andrew Erickson suggests he could be relegated to a part-time slot role if the Colts' offense shifts following the signing of Keenan Allen.
Insight pageKeenan Allen
NegativeUsage19:07
Andrew Erickson notes that the Colts signed Keenan Allen for his veteran presence and ability to command targets, which could mute the upside of other Colts pass-catchers.
Insight pageKendre Miller
NegativeInjury13:39
Derek Brown notes that Kendre Miller has struggled to stay healthy, casting doubt on his ability to contribute to the Saints' backfield.
Insight pageMalachi Fields
PositiveBreakout45:22
Malachi Fields is emerging as a potential starter opposite Malik Nabers in the Giants' offense. Despite pre-draft criticism regarding his 40-yard dash time, he has demonstrated an ability to win 50/50 balls and track the deep ball effectively in preseason action.
Insight pageNico Collins
NegativeInjury1:53
Derek Brown notes that Nico Collins has a history of missing time, which raises concerns about who would lead the Texans' passing attack if he were sidelined.
Insight pageRJ Harvey
NegativeUsage38:57
R.J. Harvey is noted for his 12-touchdown rookie season, which suggests he will maintain a significant role in the red zone for the Denver Broncos as both a rusher and pass catcher, potentially competing with J.K. Dobbins.
Insight pageTank Dell
NegativeInjury2:07
Derek Brown expresses cautious optimism regarding Tank Dell, noting that he needs to see him back on the field at full capacity before making projections.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
PositiveUsage13:32
Derek Brown has bumped up Travis Etienne in his fantasy ranks, expecting him to take on a heavier workload in the Saints' backfield while Kamara is sidelined.
Insight pageTyler Warren
NegativeInjury18:57
Tyler Warren left practice with a groin injury but is expected back within a week as the injury is not considered serious.
Insight pageXavier Hutchinson
NegativeDepth Chart2:00
Derek Brown mentions Xavier Hutchinson as a potential depth option for the Texans' passing attack given the current injury situation.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting Work Mode.
0:04Available on Plus and Pro Plans. Welcome into the Sailgate everybody, I'm Alfredo Brown, joined by Derek Brown, aka D-Bro, and Andrew Erickson.
0:11And guys, we are going to be talking about this preseason's biggest risers and fallers and some of the players that we're most excited about.
0:19But before we do that, let's talk about some of the latest trending news and notes coming out of camp over the last few days.
0:26Guys, just a moment of silence. I mean, not really a moment of silence because that's bad for podcasts, but Jaden Higgins, torn ACL, out for the season.
0:34This was a heartbreaking moment when this news came out for the Texans, for fantasy owners, for NFL fans.
0:40Just wanted to see a player take that next step.
0:43D-Bro, what does this mean for the Texans offense now?
0:46Oh, dude. I mean, it's rough in the sense of C.J.
0:49Stroud with less weapons behind a questionable offensive line.
0:52Yeah, I'm sure this will go really well. But I think they're in the short and long term, like for this season,
0:58they're going to have to get Jalen Ola to step up.
1:01They're going to lean more on Dalton Schultz. I don't know if like I'm projecting them to run the ball even more
1:08because I was already projecting them to probably be like a top five, seven rushing rate team.
1:13So it just sucks, man. Like if Nico Collins misses any time, which is kind of like a yearly thing, who's leading that passing attack?
1:20Jalen Ola, Dalton Schultz. Get ready to learn Xavier Hutchinson again, boys.
1:24We could definitely. Do you guys have any hope for Tank Dell?
1:27When he gets back on the field, I mean, we got to see him full go first.
1:32Like, so I mean, I can be cautiously optimistic, but even in the best circumstances for Tank Dell, what are we expecting here, man?
1:39OK, so then does this team become Eric said I want to ask you this because you're a Patriots guy.
1:45Does this team become a Kayshawn Booty trade destination?
1:48Yes, I think that is very firmly in play.
1:50You look at their GM, Nick Casario. He has obvious ties back to the New England Patriots.
1:55They need a wide receiver and Kayshawn Booty has a lot of great plays on film against Derek Carrillo.
2:01That guy knows that he can play every single year.
2:04Whenever the Patriots play the Houston Texans, Kayshawn Booty makes a sick one-hitted catch, usually a touchdown over Derek Stingley, who is
2:10regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
2:13So I know that Stingley would probably vouch for the Houston Texans making a move to add another wide receiver.
2:19Well, they were teammates at LSU, no? Yeah. They're pretty familiar with each other.
2:23So yeah, they're familiar with each other. And I get that the Patriots don't want to help the Houston Texans.
2:29But if the Texans are going to say, hey, you want a third round pick for Kayshawn Booty?
2:35The Patriots can be like, yeah, like we will take it because they're not going to resign him next year.
2:40He's in a contract season. They're more likely to resign Demario Douglas than resign Kayshawn Booty.
2:45They have perimeter receivers between A.J. Brown and Romeo Dobbs.
2:48Like Kayshawn Booty knows he's not going to be in the Patriots next year.
2:52So if they don't trade him now, they're going to trade him before the trade deadline.
2:57And I understand from the Patriots perspective, you don't want to just give up good players, right?
3:02You don't want to just get rid of Booty.
3:05What I learned from being at Patriots training camp is this receiver room is so deep for Drake May.
3:10And that's not being captured enough. And what Drake May did last year with those receivers versus who he has now, which is significantly complicated.
3:17Like upgrades basically everybody except exchanging Stefan Diggs for Romeo Dobbs and A.J.
3:21Brown. Like this is a massive upgrade for a player entering his third season.
3:25So Drake May was dealing against the Eagles starting defense in training camp on Wednesday when I was in attendance.
3:31Just absolutely dicing up secondary with filled with elite guys.
3:34So I think that Kayshawn Booty can become expendable for the Patriots if they get blown away by an offer.
3:40And fortunately, the market for receivers is going up because every time we refresh our feeds, there's another injury to a wide receiver.
3:47Whether it be Jordan Tyson, whether it be Jaden Higgins.
3:50And probably while we're recording this, someone else is probably going to go down with a hamstring injury.
3:55Don't do that. What's your problem, dude? I'm just being realistic here, folks.
3:59Don't put that out into the ether, Erickson. I mean, guys are getting hamstring injuries with buckets of water.
4:05Dude, I cannot believe Rashad White. It's on the show sheet.
4:08It's on the show sheet. We better lead Rashad White.
4:11Yeah, let's talk about it. Hamstring injury after doing the ALS ice bucket challenge as a heavy investor, Rashad White.
4:17Oh my, dude. Watching that clip and watching him slip.
4:20Because that's something that I've definitely done before. Like you're walking and there's ice or something like that.
4:25You still be like, oh no. Like, I think I pulled something.
4:28And then from not to practice and the day pops up with a hamstring injury.
4:33It's like, this all lines up. I don't like it.
4:36Is there a little worse way for him to have gotten hurt doing something charitable and sitting down?
4:41Yeah. Like you had no reason to get hurt.
4:44And instead the ice water surprises you so much that you jump up, get yourself hurt after being in a seated position.
4:50Like this, where would this rank on the funniest NFL injuries we've had?
4:54Because we've had other ones like, what was it?
4:57David Garrard hurt himself in the shower or by the pool.
5:00I can't remember what it was like, slipped by the pool.
5:03There's another guy that I think hurt himself in the shower too.
5:07This is the equivalent of me pulling a muscle in my back sneezing.
5:10That's what this feels like. Yeah. Like you turn on the toilet to go.
5:15Yeah. Or you laugh too hard. You're like, ah yeah.
5:18Like this is not something you think like a professional athlete does.
5:21You know, this is something like I would do like bending down to get something out of the cabinet in the kitchen or something like that.
5:29Oh, there goes the hammy. Luckily, the injury is not viewed as severe.
5:33So Richard White should be healthy and ready to go for the start of the season as everyone is magically ready to
5:39go for week one, even though everyone's week one is different.
5:42Guys are playing on Wednesday night, Thursday night. Some people will be playing in Australia in week one.
5:48So the time odds are all over the place, but they all magically align with week one.
5:53It's interesting though with Richard White, because this means that he's not an ice bath guy.
5:57Because if he knew like how cold it was going to be, he'd probably be able to expect it.
6:03But now this is suggesting to me he is more heat recovery sauna.
6:07I wasn't expecting this. This took a turn. That is where your head went.
6:11I know. This took a turn. I mean, if you know, you know what ice, like a cold shower, jumping into an ice bath.
6:18There's still a shock about you to it. I know, but Erickson went like seven layers deep with this.
6:23Like, okay, his reaction to this, he jumps up.
6:26He's obviously not used to ice. I question whether he even uses ice in his cup.
6:31Erickson, have you done an ice bath before? An ice bath?
6:34Yes. I've done ice baths. You've done a plunge?
6:37Yes, I've done a plunge. I've done a little showers.
6:40How do you do it? Because do you hop right into the ice or are you already in the water and the ice gets dumped?
6:47You jump right in. You go from no ice, no exposure to all the way in.
6:52Yeah, so you have to do it. Disagree. Shock the system.
6:55Which Rashad White was not ready for. I hate him.
6:58I absolutely hate ice baths. I disagree. If I do it that way, I'm out in 30 seconds.
7:03Like I'm not, I can't, I can't hang like that.
7:06You have to, you get in the water, then you dump the ice, gradually let yourself get colder, and then you can
7:13do the immersion therapy for like, I don't know, was it supposed to be like 15 minutes in there?
7:18Yeah, I'm not making it longer than five. Or is that like, that's kind of how cold it is too.
7:24If it's really, really cold, I think that you only have to, like to get the actual impact or takeaways that you're trying to get.
7:31Because again, you're not just like subjecting yourself to pain because it's fun.
7:35Like you're doing it to get the benefits of the, you know, post bath, like mental clarity type of thing or whatever.
7:42The dopamine rush that you get, you level your systems the rest of the day.
7:46I think you can accomplish that type of feat, even if you're only in the ice bath for like 30 seconds or a minute.
7:53Or as long as you can basically like last in terms of, I just, I guess I never achieve mental clarity.
7:59So it's okay. Sorry, man. All right. Some more serious injuries and news that we have on here.
8:05Alvin Kamara out for at least a month. This, I think, I mean, obviously good news that the Saints have Travis Etienne in the backfield there.
8:12Could this kind of expand the roles for some of these other guys?
8:16Kendrick Miller, Devin Neal, Debro, you're our Saints guy.
8:19What could this mean for the backfield? Those guys are also hurt too.
8:23Estimates hurt. They kind of remain hurt. Neal's hurt.
8:25Like Kendrick Miller has never not been hurt. Yeah.
8:28Kendrick Miller can't stay healthy. I think this just means a heavier workload for Travis Etienne.
8:33I bumped him up in fantasy ranks and stuff like that.
8:36I think he's going to be the, where I thought Kamara and others still think Kamara will have a passing down role when he comes back.
8:44But I mean, dude, it, it, so the one question I haven't seen confirmation, is this the same MCL that he had
8:50the problem with same knee from last year? That I haven't seen like the confirmation on that.
8:55If it's the same knee versus the other one.
8:58And this could last even longer than a month.
9:00I think maybe them throwing out a month is cut.
9:03But honestly, like that could be them kind of swinging low for this.
9:07Like he could be out even longer. I mean, he's a, he's a declining asset.
9:12He's a 31 year old player, man. Once you hit the third floor, those injuries hit differently.
9:17Yeah. He, he already has an MCL injury where, I mean, I think that he's not really going to have a big role in his offense.
9:24I mean, I've been trying to stay pat with my HN ranking in fantasy because it was so clear to me that Kamara is on his last leg.
9:32Yes, he can do stuff in the passing game and HN sucked at the goal line last year.
9:38So that's another opportunity where maybe they could use someone like Kamara.
9:41I honestly think if Kamara is missing time, I think it'd be more like we actually see estimate used at the goal line instead of a champ.
9:49Potentially if a Chan continues to struggle in that area of the field, like he did last year when they were taking
9:56them off the field to play Bay shell too.
9:58And so that wouldn't surprise me, but in terms of they want a chance to be their bell cow.
10:04They paid him in free agency. I understand that his rushing efficiency metrics weren't fantastic last year.
10:09I mean, a chat has never been like the most fantastic advanced metric rusher, but what does he do?
10:14He scores fancy points. He's three seasons with 1400 yards from scrimmage.
10:18Clearly he's doing something right where another team viewed him and it's a different scheme.
10:22So I think he could be more efficient. Whereas with Alvin Kamara, I don't think he is rushing has been sad for like the last three years.
10:30It's been a constant decline. Now he's dealing with an MCO injury.
10:34I think that he's more likely to just see like the taste in Hill role where, oh, yeah, we'll get you a
10:40couple get you a couple reps here and there around the red zone.
10:44Oh, Kamara's on the field. Yay. Celebrate for the Saints.
10:47But then when getting when they're trying to win these games, a chant is going to be in there as the guy
10:54that they paid to be their lead running back because Kamara.
10:57I don't know how much left he has in the tank.
11:00The conversation is just dripping sex appeal. And we're talking Audrick estimate as the running back four or five for the New Orleans Saints.
11:07That's that's when we're getting into it, guys. Yeah.
11:10Preseason hope Travis H. Jane can stay healthy, too.
11:12So put him in bubble wrap. Yeah, don't get this man in the field.
11:17Yeah. As a player that got hurt in the preseason and missed his entire rookie year because he got hurt in the preseason.
11:23I would be like in my contract. I am not playing these exhibition games.
11:27Sorry. Not sorry. All right. Another team dealing with some injuries here.
11:31The last one on here for the news and headlines.
11:34The Colts. They've had a whole mess of stuff going on.
11:37Tyler Warren left practice with a groin injury. The week before that, Josh Downs was dealing with an injury.
11:43Alec Pierce has been dealing with an injury forever, but apparently showing improvement.
11:47The team signed Keenan Allen. Now it seems that Tyler Warren is expected back within a week because the groin injury is not that bad.
11:54This is a receiver room and a pass catcher room.
11:57That's just having such a big shake up here.
12:00How worried are you about the Colts Erickson? Like as we just get closer, we already had worries about Daniel Jones.
12:06We had worries about the offensive line. We had now we have so many worries about all these players in the past
12:12catching roles that are dealing with injuries going into week one.
12:15I don't think I'm as worried as the public perception is of being worried about the Colts.
12:20Like I didn't like the Colts in general entering this year anyway.
12:24Like I like all these other teams way more.
12:27I like the Texans or at least I did before they lost Jaden Higgins.
12:31I like the Jaguars and I like the Titans as a sleeper team to potentially win this division following the path of
12:37every year we see teams go from worst to first in the division.
12:41Tennessee Titans led by a second year quarterback. That's exactly what we saw the trend do last year between Caleb Williams and
12:48the Bears, Drake May and the Patriots teams that were led by second year quarterbacks under new offensive play callers ended up
12:54winning their divisions after coming in last place. So Alec Pierce to me, I don't know if the coaching staff is as
13:00worried because I was late into an interview with Chris Ballard and he's like, yeah, like he's on track to do.
13:07This is what we expected. Like we knew about the ankle surgery before we signed to the contract.
13:12Like we knew that this was the potential timeline for him.
13:15So I don't think his stock is really impacted by the addition of Keenan Allen.
13:20I think that they want to add a depth piece.
13:23They've been very vocal about that. Like this wasn't like totally, oh my God, it's not Keenan Allen.
13:28This is crazy. The GM said, yeah, we're going to bring in a veteran.
13:32And it made sense that they brought in Keenan Allen because he knows Shane Steichen and he's played with him for multiple seasons with the Chargers.
13:40So Allen, he gets targets, man. Like wherever he goes, he just gets targets.
13:44And I think that does mute a little bit of some of the upside with some of these other players, because if
13:50you're seeing less volume, then you just don't produce as much.
13:53So I think that is real. But I think it also goes to show what they have in guys like Westbrook, Keenan, Ashton Doolin.
14:00I think this is more about those types of players.
14:03And yeah, those guys are just really ancillary pieces that aren't difference makers.
14:07Whereas Keenan Allen understands the offense can help some of these new players gel.
14:11And I think Alec Pierce, I mean, he continues to fall in fantasy drafts.
14:16I'm like, look, man, he's kind of worth it at this point.
14:19I mean, it can. The same thing with the Malik neighbors thing, right?
14:23Where, okay, it was like doom and gloom. And then he practices one time.
14:27He's like, oh, yeah, we're back in, baby. Let's go.
14:30And Alec Pierce, you get a wide receiver 40.
14:33There's some differences there, though. Malik neighbors doesn't have one calf that's like half the size of the other.
14:38And he's actually practicing. Are we on calf watch?
14:41But that's what I mean. Like once out, Pierce practices, it's going to be like, okay, he's going to go.
14:47Like changed over like a week or something like they've got to build.
14:51You've got to build up functional strength again. And have we seen also the imbalance of body parts and stuff like they can lead to other compensatory injuries?
14:59I'm more worried about Alec Pierce than you guys are.
15:02New segment calf watch D bro. You're going to be reporting on calves across the league.
15:06Who's are looking bigger? Who's are looking smaller? Who's are looking uneven?
15:10Who is skipping leg day is really the name of the show.
15:13Who's skipping? I mean, well, Alec Pierce has been skipping with for one of his legs and Chris Ballard can say whatever the hell he wants to.
15:21But if you look at the timeline, it's like they tried a PRP injection in January that didn't take.
15:27And then they did the surgery. So I call BS on Ballard.
15:31Like I think like it's like, okay, we knew he had an ankle injury.
15:35We didn't know it was going to be like needing surgery.
15:38Of course, he's going to spin in the media and stuff like that.
15:42Like, but it is what it is at this point.
15:45I you know, we can talk about it for days about like their decision to like basically give away Michael Pittman Jr.
15:51I kind of like reading the tea leaves. I wonder if that kind of says more about his true state of health
15:58of his back and stuff like that about how cheaply they gave him away that it says anything.
16:03So I don't necessarily disagree with that. But like the Alec Pierce stuff, like I am more concerned about him because if
16:09the imbalance is real, if the slow ramp up is real, like he's still not even practicing right now as we are recording this.
16:16That all matters and he's going to be playing a new role in this offense.
16:21So he knows the offense, but again, acclimating to a new role.
16:24I think with the signing of Keenan Allen, we could see this offense run very similarly to what it was last year
16:31where Josh Downs is put back into a part time role as a slot only player.
16:36And when Pierce is back, Pierce is not asked to truly step into maybe the back end of the season, but only
16:42if he's up to snuff, like step into a higher volume role.
16:46He could just be the field stretcher. You guys remember quad watch with Mike Davis?
16:50Yes, that was good times. That was nice. That was good times.
16:54We got to do a whole episode. AJ Dillon.
16:56AJ Dillon was out there too. Shout out to AJ Dillon.
16:59We got to do a whole episode just on the varying legs throughout preseason and training camp.
17:04And the short sizes, dude. Like the other thing about it is like those dudes with massive quads are like wearing like small shorts.
17:11I'm like, dude, like you don't have to do what they're doing.
17:15Skies out. They know what's out. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:18Skies out. The quads are big regardless. Like you don't need that, man.
17:21If you got it, flaunt it, dude. Like that's, come on.
17:25That's just strategy. I mean, hey, but if you got massive quads, it don't really matter.
17:29You can wear extra large shorts, bro. All right.
17:32We talked about some players here dealing with injuries, some fallers here in the preseason.
17:37We're going to talk about some of our preseason risers.
17:39Before we do that, guys, this is your chance to win a LaDainian Tomlinson signed Chargers jersey.
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20:38On a Boost Unlimited plan. All right, gents. We've got our preseason risers.
20:42What I did was I just wrote like a bunch of names on here on the sheet.
20:47A lot of them are rookies. We've got some rookies.
20:50We've got some veterans. When you think, and maybe it's someone that's not here listed.
20:54When you think of guys who have helped themselves so far this preseason, what's the first name that pops into your head, Erickson?
21:01So the name that I was gravitating towards the most that you put on here was actually Jonah Coleman, the rookie running back for the Denver Broncos.
21:09And it was just like the perfect epitome of what good franchises do and what bad franchises do.
21:14Where Jonah Coleman, Sean Payton afterwards is like, yep, we took him out of the game because we saw what we saw and we were happy with that.
21:23Whereas the Arizona Cardinals are like, dude, man, I don't know how good Jeremiah Love is.
21:27Like, let's keep feeding this guy a million touches in a game that doesn't matter, even though we drafted him top five.
21:34Like, like that to me is just like the perfect example of why the Broncos are good and they have Super Bowls
21:40and they win and the Cardinals and why they don't win anything and why they're probably going to go 0-17 this season because their schedule is absolutely brutal.
21:48I mean, I think we got to get an ongoing thing here with the tailgate where it's like Falcons, Cardinals, which Redbird
21:55team is going to go 0-17 this season? Because I think that- Birdwatch now.
21:59Birdwatch. Birdwatch 2020 segment. We've got so many segments.
22:02We're just going to trade out the first word and put watch at the end of it.
22:07And that's all this show is going to become.
22:09Various watches. I can see the path for both those teams where you're just like flying south.
22:14Again, I don't mean to make all these bird puns, but here they are.
22:18It's happening here. Wow. No, you did intend to make that.
22:22It was awful. But back to Jonah Coleman. No, he totally did.
22:25Totally did. He does not play for a bird team.
22:28He plays for the Denver Broncos, although they beat the Atlanta Falcons in the first preseason game.
22:33Just really impressed by him. Came out as advertised, a bowling ball type of running back.
22:38And something that I've been thinking about when it comes to the Denver Broncos and the way that their schedule is this season compared to last year.
22:46Last year, their opening schedule was really easy. And that correlated with J.K.
22:50Dobbins being really, really efficient until he got hurt.
22:52And then you saw R.J. Harvey take over that role against a much tougher schedule and struggle.
22:57And I think a lot of people pointed to that as, oh, well, he's not as good as J.K.
23:03Dobbins and R.J. Harvey's a rookie and he can't run between the tackles.
23:07I think it's no, no, no, no. J.K. Dobbins would have also struggled in the second half of last season, but he got hurt.
23:14So we didn't get to see that play out.
23:16So I think that Dobbins role as the starter in this offense on early downs, it's kind of fragile.
23:22So not just going back to the fact that he is a player that's going to miss time most likely, but the
23:28fact that there are two other talented running backs behind him on the depth chart.
23:33Davis Webb has already talked about. This is shout out to the coach speak index.
23:37When he was highlighting R.J. Harvey, the first thing they pointed out was, yeah, he scored 12 touchdowns as a rookie.
23:43That to me signals, oh, red zone usage, because that's where Harvey scored a lot of his touchdowns last year.
23:49So I think that's going to stay as a both a pass catcher and rusher.
23:54And Jonah Coleman, man, again, if he wasn't playing through injuries last year, his last year in college, he would have gone
24:00way higher than the beginning of round four. So he's a good pass protector.
24:04He can also catch passes out of the backfield where that's not Dobbins game at all.
24:09So Dobbins to me is looking like a early down grinder that doesn't have a pass catching role and maybe not have
24:16a red zone role either for the really high powered Denver Broncos offense that, to my point, faces a much tougher schedule
24:22to open this season, similar to that at the end of last year.
24:26So that's just kind of my read on this Broncos backfield a little bit more and how Jonah Coleman to me is
24:32like, this is one of the guys I really want to get exposure to in fantasy drafts.
24:37Someone that I'm going to be looking at early on to do some prop bets on in the season when it's like,
24:44well, what's his role going to be shaping out to be?
24:47He's someone that I got my eyes on. These guys excite me like Jonah Coleman excites me, RJ Harvey a little bit as well.
24:54I just can't, I can't do it. Like I can't step on the rake again.
24:59Like I just don't trust Sean Payne. We do this every year.
25:02He's not the play caller though. He's not the play caller.
25:05He's the head coach. No, but he's not the play caller.
25:09Davis was the play caller. He's the head coach.
25:11He's not. Erickson, you trust companies, don't you? I trust companies.
25:14You trust companies when they hire a new local manager, but still have the same CEO.
25:19Yeah. Yeah. That's the part where Erickson takes the fifth.
25:22Exactly. Exactly. Yes. I'm not sure how to respond to that.
25:25I was like, there's no response. See? I don't know what to say.
25:29Debro, who's coming to mind for you when you're thinking of a player, rookie, veteran, whoever that has really helped themselves this preseason?
25:36Dude, Casey Concepcion for all the crap he took in the pre-draft process.
25:40And people were like, they were like, dude, apparently he's tragically born without hands.
25:44This guy can't catch. He drops everything. And everybody's like, oh, he shouldn't have been a first round receiver.
25:49He's, he's not very good. I pushed back against this the entire time.
25:53And now he's lighting it up in camp. He gets to preseason.
25:57He looks like a dog on the freaking field.
25:59He will not go down. He basically gets the post game presser.
26:03And he's like, yeah, man, those quarterbacks can't catch me.
26:06They can't tackle me. Dude, just dog mentality through and through.
26:09I freaking love Casey, man. And he's, he's a damn good player.
26:13And I just love the fact that he's balling out and shutting people up.
26:17Who is saying that he wasn't a first round pick?
26:20Social media has their ways of like the echo chamber of CBS.
26:23It's echo chamber. It's every year. But it's every year.
26:26It's every year. It's, it's the mass media echo chamber of some talking head says something.
26:31And then it becomes like just out there in droves.
26:34Like it's a bonfire and it spreads. And everybody's out there like, yeah, Casey Concepcion can't catch the football.
26:39He's actually not that explosive or good route runner.
26:42He's only a slot player. He just be a slot wide receiver.
26:46Like, shut up, man. Like just watch the film.
26:48Look at the analytics. It will tell you very, very different story.
26:52We're going very dude bro podcast here. Bruh. We got D-Bro on the show, so.
26:56Got it. Is that new nickname? New nickname, dude bro.
26:59Dude bro. Dude bro. Oh, gosh. I'm going to have to get a shirt made out of that.
27:04Actually, if I'm going to go full, full bro here, it's, I guess that has to be on a tank top.
27:11Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent tank or a stringer.
27:13That's how it is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I'll get a bucket hat.
27:17I'm going to, I'm going to throw one more name in here for the rookies.
27:22And I was going to say Malachi Fields. Cause I'm really excited to see him like in this, this wide receiver room.
27:28That's really not decided yet. And then what he can do.
27:31Cause he was, he was really underrated going into the draft process.
27:35And he's another guy that got dogged for running a slow 40.
27:38And just a lot of people turned that into, well, he can't play football.
27:42And oddly enough, like one of the things he's really good at is tracking the deep ball.
27:47We saw him winning a lot of those one-on-ones, the senior bowl.
27:51And he has suffered from not having good quarterbacks in college and having offenses that just didn't have him running real routes.
27:57And now we're seeing like what he can actually be good at, which is winning those 50, 50 balls, winning downfield.
28:04And he, a lot of the same concepts he likes to run are the same concepts that Jackson Dart likes to throw
28:10and that this offense really needs to actually be successful.
28:13So we're looking at a rookie that could be starting opposite Malik neighbors in the Giants offense.
28:18Now I don't know how good the Giants offense is actually going to be, but all of a sudden we could have
28:25a lot of big bodies out there between Isaiah likely Theo Johnson, Malik high fields, and then Malik neighbors being the guy
28:31who's catching a bunch of targets out there as well.
28:34It could be a very different Giants offense this year.
28:37And so Malik, I feels as one of these guys that it seemed like an easy player for everyone to make fun of during the draft process.
28:45And now that he's actually catching touchdowns and looking good on the preseason field, I think people's tones are changing a little bit.
28:52Yeah, I can get down with that. Like I liked, I liked, I didn't love fields, um, as a prospect, but a
28:58lot of the the same like strengths that you highlighted, uh, Alfredo where the, I felt like the plus parts of his game.
29:05I felt like him and the eternal hype piece that Baltimore cannot just print enough ink on Jacoby lane.
29:10I feel like they were very similar type of prospects for me were downfield guys, more clashers.
29:15Could they be high volume targets? Fields is much more physical with the body type and things like that better run blocker and stuff, but similar prospects.
29:23Although you see like Jacoby lane, the hype is just through the freaking roof and fields is kind of going a little
29:30bit more under the radar, but still having his moments in camp.
29:33I think the difference for me is that like fields is right now he's in line to be the other, like the other wide receiver opposite of neighbors.
29:42Whereas lane, we're talking about him potentially breaking into the wide receiver three role for the Ravens that have just traditionally never been all that pass heavy.
29:50So it's that's that, I think that's like the tiebreaker for me too.
29:53Um, guys, any veterans on here, we can run really fast through those, but any veterans that you're, you're noticing, man, like
30:00the preseason has just been kind to them. Can we, can we just Erickson?
30:04Let's just have a really good conversation. Let's have a really good conversation.
30:08Let him do the AJ Brown thing here. Yeah.
30:10He's not washed. Can we talk about like Erickson, you were at camp.
30:14He is not washed. Like, can we just dispel that?
30:17Erickson took AJ Brown's lunch. They went to a movie.
30:20They were holding hands. Well, he's not a former Eagle.
30:23So, you know. Dalvio's Steakhouse at Gillette Stadium. Yeah.
30:26That's where the, that's where the Patriots brought Drake May before they drafted him.
30:30Dalvio's Steakhouse. It's where I went with my mother after a week 18 Colts Patriots game where Anthony Richardson played.
30:36Actually, it wasn't Anthony Richardson. Maybe it was the Bills Patriots.
30:39Again, meaningless game. Gerard Mayo got fired and we were sipping wine, eating steaks.
30:43And we got the notification that Gerard Mayo got fired and we knew that Mike Rabel era was going to be starting very, very soon.
30:51And then the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl.
30:53So a lot of good times at Gillette Stadium, including yesterday when I was at camp.
30:58First play on one-on-ones, of course. It's AJ Brown versus Quinone Mitchell.
31:02They're like, it's like it was scripted. It's like, oh yeah, this is exactly what we're doing here.
31:07Like, just go ball into the end zone. The crowd is like, with anticipation, be like, okay, here we go.
31:13Now, of course, AJ Brown kind of, I would say it was a little lackadaisical.
31:17He almost came down with it, Erickson. Going for like a one-handed catch.
31:21Quinone Mitchell knocked it out. So it ended up being incomplete.
31:24But that was basically the low point for AJ Brown.
31:27After that, it was, he was making a ton of catches through contact.
31:31They were moving him all around the formation. There was this one play where he basically started up on one side.
31:37It was in like trips. They moved him as the isolated receiver to the right side of the formation.
31:43And then he did like this long kind of drag across.
31:46Wide open with space to run. Really great play call by Josh McDaniels.
31:50And hopefully the Patriots aren't listening to this and are going to find me for giving away some of their plays.
31:56But that's going to be a play we're probably going to see either in the next, the preseason game or to start the year against the Seattle Seahawks.
32:04And that's going to get AJ Brown some yards out to the catch.
32:08He looked really good against some of the tougher cornerbacks.
32:11Again, he had some of his wins against Quinone Mitchell, Tariq Woolen.
32:15Yeah, I didn't see him that much against Cooper Dejean.
32:18I know that Damara Douglas had a pretty good rep against Cooper Dejean, where he got shadow round, essentially, because that's what pop does.
32:25But and then AJ Brown also made a really sick sideline catch that some people were not sure if he had his feet in bounds.
32:32But the referee on site said the cat was good.
32:35And that's all that matters. Levitating right now. You are levitating talking about the Patriots in practice.
32:40But like just watching you talk about Pop Douglas catching like a six yard curl is like watching a proud parent talk about their kid graduating kindergarten.
32:48It's just you're beaming, dude. Don't don't don't let him get started on that.
32:52Heism is very underrated. Everyone points to how good Stefan Diggs was in terms of yards per route run last year.
32:58You know who was better? Damara Douglas. He was better on a per route run basis than Stefan Diggs was last year.
33:05I'm sure he was. On his 15 routes. What are we doing?
33:08What are we doing? No one was covering him.
33:11What are we doing? We started with an AJ Brown conversation and we've gone down the mass hole route of all the Patriots.
33:18He's a veteran that has helped his stock. They're going to trade Kayshawn Booty to the Houston Texans.
33:23Damara Douglas is going to be a high volume potential.
33:26And we're going to get the Seahawks. All right, D-Bro and I are going to go take a break.
33:31We'll be back in about 15 minutes. Erickson, you go off on Pop Douglas.
33:36Oh, jeez. I watched the whole entire practice. There's a lot of great things from Pop Douglas.
33:41Number one slot receiver. He's going to have a big year.
33:44This is my fault. No, Alfredo was saying that to get you to stop.
33:48I put a quarter in the jukebox. This is my fault for having a microphone.
33:52This is your fault. This is your fault. You guys don't know I'm taking over the tailgate as a Patriots side hustle type of show.
34:00I already had a beat reporter on. I'm going to have another.
34:03I know you already had a beat reporter. This is going to become a patch show.
34:08I'm going to have my own tailgate segment where it's like Andrew and his Patriots.
34:12If there's anything America doesn't want, it's more Patriots coverage.
34:15We're okay. I don't know, man. It's pretty popular market.
34:18Some might even say the real America's team. Easy.
34:21Easy. I think only a Patriots fan would say that.
34:24I don't know. No, no, no. Not America's coach.
34:27You did this. No. You did this to yourself.
34:29No. No. Not America's coach. Not anymore. Speaking of cuts, let's go to our next segment here.
34:34We got a new segment we're going to run called roster cuts.
34:38This is a bracket style elimination where we're going to talk about different topics each week where we're going to take different
34:44players, pin them against each other, and see who comes out on top here.
34:48And so this week we are talking about the rookies that are going to be most important to their teams in their rookie season.
34:55And the way we set this up, think of like a March Madness bracket where you got eight teams.
35:01This is eight players. All right. We got four offensive players, four defensive players.
35:05We're going to start on the defensive side of this where the first matchup we've got is Mansoor Delane corner for the
35:12Kansas City Chiefs versus Caleb Downs safety for the Dallas Cowboys.
35:15So this is our defensive back bracket here. Debra, let's start with you.
35:19Mansoor Delane, Caleb Downs, who's going to be more important to their team this year as a rookie?
35:24Mansoor Delane. He has to, he needs to take over that CV1 chair for the Kansas City Chiefs.
35:29And if he can be the true man cover corner like him and shadow guys and take them away just like previous
35:36years in Spag's defense like would have Lejarius Sneed.
35:38They need him to be that guy because the rest are secondary.
35:42Like I'm not saying it's bad. Like I think Noah Williams can play and they have some other good talented pieces there,
35:48but they do need Delane in his rookie season to step up and be that dude versus.
35:53I'm not saying that Caleb Downs is not going to be impactful for the Dallas Cowboys, but he's probably going to be playing the nickel role.
36:01Yes, that's important. Yes, they're going to move around.
36:04Yes, he's going to be a chess piece. But when we stack those two things up together, chess piece and nickel corner
36:10versus shut down number one man corner. The impact of these two guys is, is not the same.
36:15Like Delane has to be him. Eric, something about you.
36:18I don't disagree with what Debra was saying about Delane being him.
36:22I'm just skeptical that it's going to happen in year one.
36:25I mean, he's a rookie now being, okay, yeah, go cover all the number one wide receivers in the NFL.
36:31Quinone Mitchell says hi. Okay. Christian Gonzalez says hi.
36:34Is Mansoor Delane those guys? I mean, I'm taking Caleb Downs.
36:37Please tell me why he's not. The Chiefs, people are going to, offenses are going to attack Mansoor Delane out of the gates.
36:44The Denver Broncos are going to dial up a ton of plays in week one against the Chiefs and their rookie cornerback.
36:50We'll see if he can handle it. I'm a little skeptical.
36:53We'll see. I think that we see cornerbacks, even in Spag's system, go through grog pains.
36:58Like, yes, a lot of these players have been laid around picks, but it sometimes takes them some time to gel.
37:04I don't think the Chiefs are a better team in week one on defense because they exchanged Mansoor Delane or Trent McDuffie exchanged for Mansoor Delane.
37:12Because that's essentially what they did with the trades that they made and the draft pick that they made with Delane.
37:18So I think it's easily Caleb Downs. Like, when you look at the way that Dallas' defense was so horrible last year,
37:25and I think that this defense is going to be top 10 in 2026.
37:29I think the Dallas defense, someone was asking me a fancy question.
37:32They listed off a bunch of, like, whatever, Jabroni DSTs, and then said Cowboys?
37:36Question mark. And I was like, play Giants week one?
37:39I kind of like that matchup for them. So Dallas, to me, is a defense.
37:44And I think that Caleb Downs is getting a lot of credit for what he's going to be able to do as a chess piece.
37:51Again, you're talking about Mansoor Delane, Christian Gonzalez, and those compare, uh, Cooper DeGene.
37:55How impactful was he as a, the Eagles secondary?
37:58So I think that when you look at Christian Parker, where he came from, Caleb Downs in a Cooper DeGene-esque role, I
38:04think that's going to be more impactful. So, uh, I'm going to go with the Dallas Cowboys safety.
38:10Mmm. This is a tough one, because now I have to be the tiebreaker.
38:14And I'm not going to lie, I was leaning Mansoor Delane, because I think there's a different question between who has a
38:20better season and who ends up being more important and impactful for their team.
38:24And I think if Mansoor Delane is even above average, he allows the Chiefs to do what they want to do on
38:31offense, which is run the ball and slow down the pace.
38:34Where I get worried is like, he's spending all of his camp covering Rishi Rice, who doesn't actually run routes.
38:40So that has me really worried that it might actually stunt his development.
38:44I just, for, for Caleb Downs to be really impactful, he's going to have to be getting into the backfield and creating sacks, creating turnovers.
38:51Punching fumbles loose. Like, there's a lot of things he's going to have to do as that chess piece, which I think
38:58becomes really hard and very scheme dependent. So I think you have to focus on, like, too many coaches are going to
39:04have to make too many right decisions for Caleb Downs to be as impactful.
39:08Whereas if Mansoor Delane is good enough to even shut down, let's say, half of the receivers he faces, that's a massive impact for the Chiefs defense.
39:16So I'm going to go Mansoor Delane on this one as the tiebreaker.
39:20Sorry, Erickson. You had a very compelling argument, though.
39:23So we're fading all the Broncos receivers week one, then.
39:26Ben's Jalen Waddell. Don't play him. He's going to get the lane.
39:29No, now you're straw-bating. No one said that. Now you're just going crazy now.
39:33Welcome to the tailgate, a.k.a. The strongman argument. That's what we do.
39:37Okay, can we also have a really good conversation about the composition of the Dallas secondary two outside of Caleb Downs?
39:43Like, you need Kobe Durant and Deron Bland to look like decent NFL corners or Siobhan Rebel, or Caleb Downs could get
39:49lost in the sauce of what could be quickly a very struggling secondary.
39:53Like, they also have a lot of other pieces.
39:56Yeah, he'll be the best part of it. He can, but how much impact is he going to be able to do that as a nickel?
40:03I mean, if you're the best part of your secondary, that seems pretty impactful to me.
40:08Yeah, well, the same thing for Mancer Delane. But one guy is going to be possibly tasked with shadowing and taking away
40:15number one wide receivers, and one guy is going to be a chess piece and covering slot receivers.
40:20Which one's more impactful? I don't know, brother. I saw some really bad Miami Dolphins secondaries, and there was always one guy
40:26who was the best part of it. And that secondary still sucked.
40:30Yeah, if the rest of the secondary sucks, it's usually just a terrible secondary.
40:34I was always like, yeah, this guy, he's going to be something.
40:38No. No, they weren't. All right, let's go to the next matchup here.
40:41We got linebackers going up against each other. We've already seen some headlines about Arvel Reese, that he just moves different, looks different.
40:48And then Sonny Stiles, another guy similar, who's just a physical freak of nature, has looked good in practices, looked good in preseason action.
40:55Let's go linebacker versus linebacker here. And Eric, I'm going to let you start this one.
41:00Arvel Reese for the New York Giants or Sonny Stiles?
41:03Who's going to be more impactful for their defense in year one?
41:06Sonny Stiles for me. With the Fred Warner comparisons to him coming out, I think that he's probably my favorite bet for defensive rookie of the year.
41:14The last time I checked, it was plus 800, plus 850.
41:18The commander's defense, similar to the Cowboys last year, was absolutely dreadful.
41:21If they have any sort of turnaround, Sonny Stiles is going to be the one that's the reason that things are changing.
41:28Whereas on the Giants side, Arvel Reese, we know that what he can offer as a pass rusher.
41:33We know what he can do as an off-ball linebacker.
41:36There's just other guys also in that offense, too.
41:39Like Abdul Carter's coming out and saying, hey, I want to be the greatest of all time.
41:44OK, like we'll see what happens. But they do have more depth, I think, there.
41:48Whereas Sonny Stiles, like he's got to be the guy.
41:51For the commanders or else, their defense is going to be literally horrible again.
41:55So I'm going to go with the Washington commanders linebacker.
41:58D-Broad, it sounds like you agree. I think we're all Sonny Stiles across the board.
42:02Yeah, this is this is easy. Easy one. I just I think when when you're in the conversation above Arvel Reese in
42:09the draft class as possibly the best player in the entire draft class.
42:13And then you add him to this defense and Dan Quinn's calling, you know, pressing all the buttons and stuff like that.
42:19I think, you know, dude, Bobby Wagner had like a career renaissance in this defense a few years ago.
42:25Like Sonny Stiles with the juice he brings, like be able to cover as well as play downhill.
42:30Arvel Reese is going to be a project this year.
42:33Like he played that split role in college and stuff.
42:36I think they're going to transition him at least like preseason week one action.
42:40All of his snaps came as as a linebacker, only one pass rush snap out of 12 snaps.
42:45So he could be a very good player for the Giants.
42:49But I don't know if he's going to be as impactful.
42:52We saw the Giants struggle last year with Abdul Carter of how to utilize him and get him going.
42:57Like by all intents and purposes, he was a better during meetings.
43:01Got to wake up, bud. Yeah, Erickson, I love that you just got your ear to the ground, man.
43:07Like you're in every training camp altogether. Every single one of them.
43:10No one even knows. I'm actually not in my studio.
43:13I'm actually at Patriots training camp again. I just grabbed a room.
43:17Just a green screen behind him. Just grabbed a room.
43:19Well, I mean, this is what they probably have in those rooms.
43:23They're just like Patriots merchandise, memorabilia, Bill Belichick, Super Bowls.
43:26They probably don't have any Bill Belichick stuff. There's like a wax figurine of Bill Belichick standing there.
43:31Camp watch. All right. Next one on here. We're going to go to the offensive side of the football.
43:37That's by the way, Sonny Stiles goes to the next round here.
43:40Next one. Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans wide receiver versus Makai Lemon, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver.
43:45This probably would have been Jordan Tyson, but you know, no Tyson with the injury.
43:49Again, another hamstring talk. But Makai Lemon is back at practice.
43:52We'll see how impactful he's going to be. The Eagles offense should look very different this year.
43:57No AJ Brown, of course, as we've mentioned. So Makai Lemon could find himself in a high volume role.
44:03Carnell Tate is expected to be the wide receiver one in Tennessee.
44:07Debro, let's start with you. Tate or Lemon? Who are you going with?
44:10Carnell Tate. They need the Tennessee needs Carnell Tate to be the true wide receiver one in that offense.
44:16What are you getting out of Calvin Ridley? Wando Robinson is a very talented player, but he's not a true wide receiver
44:22one for an NFL offense versus Makai Lemon, like with a rookie missing this much time of rookie camp, training camp installs
44:29that that is detrimental as well as Dontavian Wicks is lighting it up in camp.
44:33So Makai Lemon might have a very like rookie season that looks very similar to Luther Burden where Dontavian Wicks is out
44:40there way more and keeping Makai Lemon off the field where Carnell Tate, that's just not going to happen in Tennessee and
44:46they need him to step up and be a wide receiver one for that offense.
44:51Love it. Erickson, where you at? I'm also on Carnell Tate, but I do want to say something about Dontavian Wicks.
44:57Alfredo, do you remember at Flex Draft a couple years ago when it was the way the Dontavian Wicks...
45:02We're like, hey, we're going to talk about this player.
45:05But Erickson's like, I do also want to bring up the third wide receiver on this team.
45:10I do want to talk about Dontavian Wicks. So at Flex Draft, this was when Dontavian Wicks was coming off, I think
45:17his rookie year, and it was the whole, do you like Dontavian Wicks?
45:21Hashtag you know ball. Like it was during that era.
45:24Uh-huh. Yeah, the best ball bros went nuts with that.
45:27I remember drafting him in whatever, I mean, I don't know, like some double digit round.
45:31And Alfredo, you were at the... I don't know if we were sitting next to me, but you were at the Flex
45:38Draft at that bar that Jake always goes to.
45:40The sauna? Whatever. Speaking of saunas. The sauna. But then Jamie Eisenberg from CBS turns to me, he's like, and he gave me like a fist bump.
45:48He's like, great pick. I was going to take him if you didn't take him.
45:53And then obviously clearly... It aged well. The Wicks flame did not last.
45:57Sick. But it seems like we have a chance for it to bounce back here if Mekhi Lemon can't get accustomed, get back healthy.
46:04I didn't see him yesterday at practice for Let the Record Show.
46:07I think he actually might be coming back here as we're recording here on Thursday.
46:12But I'm definitely there with Carnell Tate over Mekhi Lemon.
46:15One thing that was also very apparent yesterday at the training camps were the speed in which the offense is operated.
46:21You could tell one team was in the second year of a system that was already in place versus an offense that
46:27was installing a brand new offense under a new play caller.
46:30That means less plays per game. That means less volume for a player like Mekhi Lemon, who to Debro's point, he's missing
46:37not just as a rookie making his transition to the NFL.
46:40He's also missing, okay, we're installing a brand new offense for everyone on the team.
46:45And he's missing all of that. So that makes it really, really tough for him out of the gates to be an
46:51impactful player where Carnell Tate projected to be the starting Z in that Malik neighbors role in a Brian Dayball led offense.
46:58Like Dayball has been not afraid to feature rookie receivers in the past.
47:01We also saw with Robert Sala. Everyone points to the first pick that he made with as the New York Jets head coach was Sauce Gardner.
47:09He also drafted Garrett Wilson inside the top 10, I believe.
47:12And Garrett Wilson had a monster rookie season, was a target machine for the New York Jets.
47:17So I think that Carnell Tate, I don't care that he didn't catch any passes in the preseason game.
47:23Doesn't matter to me at all. I think that he is so underrated because of the Jeremiah Smith factor where he wasn't the alpha on his own team.
47:31While Brian Thomas Jr. Was the alpha on his own team, he had a pretty good rookie year.
47:36Now, hasn't been great since. And hopefully Cardinal take this.
47:39You were doing so good. You were doing so good with the Malik neighbors and the Garrett Wilson comps.
47:45And then you're like, hey, remember the guy that stinks now?
47:48Hey, but we have done that before. The guy being the wider super one.
47:52We've done this before. We've done it too much where people try to dismiss a player by using just, again, strawman arguments
47:59of like, he was the wide receiver one on his own team.
48:02Let's go to the running backs here. We got Jeremiah Love from the Arizona Cardinals versus Jadarian Price of the Seattle Seahawks.
48:09This one kind of took a weird turn because Jeremiah Love is now injured.
48:13Boy, the difference here too is that Jadarian Price will likely have Zach Charbonnet joining him midway through the season.
48:19So gentlemen, where do we land on this one?
48:21Who's going to be the more impactful player for their offense, Jeremiah Love or Jadarian Price?
48:26This one's tough. It shouldn't be tough, but it is.
48:29That's what the Cardinals have done to us. It should be tough because Nathaniel Hackett is an idiot.
48:34That's what makes this tough, okay? And the floor obviously isn't much better.
48:38You know what the right answer is, Debra. And it doesn't rhyme above.
48:42I'll go Jeremiah Love, although I hate everything about the Arizona Cardinals right now.
48:46And Jeremiah Love is just, he's another worldly talent, man.
48:49He's freaking amazing. I don't think the Cardinals know that.
48:52They got to give him more touches. No, yeah, yeah.
48:55He's a rookie. Haven't you heard, Erickson? He's a rookie.
48:58They got to figure out what they got in him before they unleash him.
49:02Erickson, who are you going with? Price or Love?
49:05I'm going with Jadarian Price because I don't really know if anyone on the Arizona Cardinals is going to make a significant
49:11impact when it comes to their win-loss total, them fending off going potentially 0-17.
49:15Look, Jadarian Price, I think, even if he puts up weaker counting stats in terms of his actual game-to-game impact, I think
49:22that if Jadarian Price has a Travion Henderson type of rookie year, I think that we're all thrilled about Jadarian Price.
49:28So that's how I would potentially look at him and what his role could be, especially as we see guys come back from this backfield.
49:35But Jadarian Price, you know what's going to make him look even more explosive?
49:39Is when Zach Charbonne comes back, because Zach Charbonne didn't have any juice before his injury.
49:44And when he comes back, especially with the timetables that they're throwing out here where he's ahead of schedule, I think it's
49:51going to be Price all the way for a lot of this season.
49:54And I think that he fits exactly what they want to do offensively.
49:58So I'm going to go with Jadarian Price. So I was actually about to say Jadarian Price, and then you, I was
50:05actually, I was leaning Love, then you were doing so well with your Jadarian Price thing.
50:09And then you had a statement. You had a statement where you're like, if Jadarian Price has a Trevion Henderson-like season, we're going to say that that's great.
50:18And I'm going to get a good rookie year.
50:20Hold on, hold on, hold on. But he did he?
50:23Let me say words. Not to the expectations that people were putting on him, which is unfair.
50:28Let me say words. If Jeremiah Love has a Trevion Henderson-like season, we're going to call that a disappointment.
50:34Yes. And that's my point here, is that if they have the same season, and we're talking about like, that is the
50:40floor for Jeremiah Love as a disappointing season, then if he's doing better than that, we're talking about a guy that's highly
50:47impactful for his team, and the only thing that could be positive about the Cardinals going forward.
50:52So I have to say, Jeremiah Love, the fact that the Seahawks are already talking about like, we need to keep some touches off of Jadarian Price.
51:00I get worried that organizationally, they are going to fumble the bag with Jadarian Price.
51:04This goes back to, dude, you trust organizations too much, Erickson.
51:07You got to be less trusting of organizations. He wasn't hurt enough by the Charbonnet and Walker usage last year, apparently.
51:14But again, if Jadarian Price puts up a Kenneth Walker type season, I don't think that's that bad for a rookie.
51:20Yeah, but the flip side of that coin is also true.
51:23It's not that good. Yeah, you can't be like, oh, it's not that bad.
51:27Super impactful. But it's not that good. But it is.
51:30They won the Super Bowl with him in this role.
51:33It was pretty good. Okay, hold on, hold on.
51:36No. They won the Super Bowl with Kenneth Walker in a workhorse role, getting 22 touches a game.
51:41It was very different. And they were saving until the end of the season.
51:45No, because X-Jarpenet got injured and they had no choice.
51:48What are you talking about, Erickson? What? It was all part of the plan.
51:52No. It was all part of their master plan.
51:55You were out of the heat too much of Patriots camp, my man.
51:59Stop trusting organizations. What are we doing? No. I mean, I'm not trusting Cardinals.
52:03So. Wrong. That's why I'm not picking them. All right.
52:06We got to go faster through these next ones.
52:08Let's go. We're at round two. We're going to go defense versus defense here.
52:12Mansour Delane versus Sonny Stiles. Who's moving on to the finale here?
52:16I'm not. Shutdown corner Mansour Delane. So I'm going Stiles.
52:19I'm going Delane. Oh, sick. I get to choose now.
52:22Who would you bet? He's been so excited about this.
52:25Defensive Rookie of the Year. Who would you bet on?
52:28That's what it comes down to. Defensive Rookie of the Year.
52:31I would have to go with Sonny Stiles. I think he's going to have more impactful plays.
52:36He's going to have sacks, interceptions, tackles. And like you said before, if the commander's defense is even above average, a lot
52:42of that is going to be pointed at Sonny Stiles direction.
52:46So I'm going to put Sonny Stiles into the final round here.
52:49Guys, on the offensive side, Jeremiah Love versus Carnell Tate.
52:52Who is going to be the more impactful rookie on offense?
52:55Tate. Tate. Cam Ward needs Tate to be the true wide receiver one.
52:59I'm with you. I'm with you. It's Carnell Tate.
53:02I mean, if we can get anything that's close to a semblance of the Malik Neighbors rookie season with Brian Dayball, then
53:08yeah, like the dude, he's not just impactful. He's going to be a superstar.
53:12So, all right, we're now down to the final round.
53:15We got Carnell Tate versus Sonny Stiles. The Ohio State boys going up against each other.
53:20But, oh no, wait, a new challenger enters the arena.
53:23There's a ringer? That's right. What are we doing?
53:26What? What? That's right. For the finale, this is a three-man battle.
53:29Carnell Tate versus Sonny Stiles versus Fernando Mendoza, quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.
53:33Who ends up being the most impactful rookie out of these three guys?
53:37Debra, let's start with you. Carnell Tate. If they truly want to get a barometer, like know what they have in Cam Ward.
53:44Carnell Tate has to be the wide receiver one of this offense.
53:47If not, this offense could struggle if they have to.
53:50They're flowing the passing game through Wando Robinson and good Lord Calvin Ridley.
53:54So, Carnell Tate needs to step up. He needs to step up and be the real wide receiver one of them.
54:00So mean, Calvin. Calvin Ridley's been mean to us.
54:03Cut it out. That is also true. All right, Erickson.
54:06Tate, Stiles, or Mendoza? Who's going to be the most impactful rookie in the NFL in 2026?
54:11Fernando Mendoza. Quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders. If he starts a game.
54:15The number one overall pick. We'll see what the conversation is after the Raiders lose week one against the Miami Dolphins.
54:21Go talk to your boy Tom Brady about that.
54:24That's not my fault. I think it's a long-termometer of how they're feeling about Kirk Cousins as their starter when they lose against Miami in week one.
54:32Okay. Well, go talk to Tom Brady about that.
54:34I'm sure he's not going to care at all how many games the Raiders win this year.
54:39I mean, when you're losing games because of Kirk Cousins, yeah.
54:43I think they're going to pull the plug earlier.
54:45When you're insulating your rookie quarterback? Because that's what Tom Brady has legit pounded his table for the entire.
54:51He's not the coach. Dude, come on. You're telling me realistically you think he has no voice in that front office in those rooms?
54:58I'm sure that he can talk about certain things because he is a partial owner, minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.
55:04But when push comes to shove, Clint Kubiak is the one calling the shots.
55:08Just like he did last year with the Seahawks, as you guys pointed out, with the Ken Walker soft benching in front of Zach Charbonnet.
55:16But you still chose Jadarian Price. D-Bro, you spoke ill of Erickson's golden boy.
55:20You can't do that. He got so heated. I love how Patriots fans are like, Tom Brady, Tom Brady, Tom Brady.
55:26And then when it goes to the Fernando Mendoza conversation, they're like, not Tom Brady.
55:30Tom Brady has no influence. It's like, wow, okay, sure.
55:33Yeah. Potential WWE superstar Tom Brady, by the way.
55:36We'll see how that goes. Just slapping people on stage.
55:39I wasn't prepared for that. I wasn't prepared for that.
55:42Yeah. Just an all-out cage match. Tom Brady. Jake Paul.
55:45Tom Brady for the top rope. Is that who he's fighting?
55:48Is it Jake Paul? Is that what's happening? Would you guys watch that?
55:52Pat McAfee versus Tom Brady versus Jake Paul? Oh, no, I would not watch that.
55:56No. I kind of would, but I'd hate myself.
55:59I'd hate to watch it. Somebody would have to strap me in a chair and force me.
56:04Like the whole gif of the guy with the eyes open and stuff.
56:08No way. No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm not watching that.
56:11All right. So right now we got one vote for Carnell Tate, one vote for Fernando Mendoza.
56:16I think I'm going to go with Carnell Tate here.
56:19Because if he is good, it means that the Titans are probably good.
56:23Because it means Cam Ward has had a good season.
56:26It means the offense has been good. And it means the Titans might actually be winning games.
56:31Fernando Mendoza, I think, is not going to get a full season to show what he's doing.
56:36And if Fernando Mendoza is good, we're going to hear about how Clint Kubiak has done it again.
56:41Not about how Fernando Mendoza is the savior that was promised.
56:45So Carnell Tate, for me, ends up being the most impactful rookie, I think, for the NFL this season.
56:50Especially with the role he's got with the Tennessee Titans, man.
56:53Carnell Tate, our winner. How do we feel about it?
56:56Erickson, you seem down. No, I mean, it was more me accepting the...
57:00Even though I lost... I like the Titans a lot this year.
57:04So I'm okay with Carnell Tate winning this. Because, look, if Mendoza doesn't play as much as I'd like him to play, then, yeah.
57:11He's going to have less of an impact. Whereas Carnell Tate dropped into week one.
57:15I'm so looking forward to that Titans-Jets game week one.
57:18Robert Sala revenge. Carnell Tate against the Jets secondary.
57:21Oh. I'm pumped. Titans money line. Lock it in.
57:23Week one. The tone of Erickson's voice has changed so much.
57:27He's that meme of the guy that's like, say whatever you want about me.
57:31I'm a sad man. Have you ever heard a guy say, I'm pumped with less enthusiasm?
57:36I'm a loser, but I cast this. Admit. It was an emotional rollercoaster.
57:39It was like, Patriots camp, we're up here. And then it's like...
57:43Oh, yeah. I really leveled out as the show's gone on.
57:46I'm pumped. Guys, let us know in the comments if you agree with this.
57:50Tell us how pumped you are, you know, for the season.
57:54And some of these very impactful rookies. Let us know if we got the winner right.
57:58And YouTube audience, man, drop a like. Subscribe to the channel here at Tailgate NFL so you don't miss an episode on the channel.
58:05Also, click that bell to get the notifications every time a new episode comes out.
58:10As always, I want to thank you guys for watching or listening all the way through.
58:14For myself, for Erickson, for D-Bro. We'll see you next time.
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