Target These Second Year WRs ✅ 2026 Fantasy Football
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 11 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jun 11, 2026
Published
Thu, June 11, 2026
22
Player insights
11
Players mentioned
Topics
Luther BurdenJayden HigginsEmeka EgbukaMatthew GoldenTravis HunterTre HarrisIsaac TeSlaaJack BechPat BryantQuentin JohnstonRashee Rice
Player analysis
Player insights
Emeka Egbuka
PositiveBreakout0:09
Emeka Egbuka is being selected as wide receiver 20 and has shown potential for a breakout season, especially with Mike Evans no longer on the team.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:10
Egbuka had a strong start to his rookie season, ranking as wide receiver 9 on a per game basis through week 11, and with a healthier season, he could return to that form.
Insight pageIsaac TeSlaa
PositiveProjection0:53
Isaac Tesla had a limited target share last season but showcased his athleticism with some impressive catches.
Insight pageJack Bech
PositiveRole0:01
Jack Besh's role may be limited due to positional overlap with other players, but he has the potential to contribute in deeper leagues.
Insight pageJayden Higgins
PositiveRole0:39
Jaden Higgins has developed into a solid wide receiver two for the Texans, showing promise with his size and catching ability, especially in contested situations.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:41
If the Texans' passing offense improves, Jaden Higgins could see a significant increase in production, potentially finishing as a flex starter in PPR leagues.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper0:54
Jaden Higgins is a sleeper candidate with a solid rookie season, showing potential to develop into a reliable option in the Texans' offense.
Insight pagePositiveProjection1:04
Jaden Higgins has the potential to be a budget version of established receivers like Michael Pittman and Cortland Sutton, given his solid tape and role in the Texans' offense.
Insight pageLuther Burden
PositiveBreakout0:19
Luther Burden is recognized as one of the best yards after the catch threats in the game, with a strong potential for a breakout season in his second year.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout0:19
Luther Burden is poised for a breakout season as he is expected to be a schemed-up player in the offense, showcasing his exceptional yards after the catch ability and toughness.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:30
With no competition for two wide receiver sets, Luther Burden is set to see increased playing time, which should lead to more production in the upcoming season.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:41
Luther Burden has the potential to be a fantasy wide receiver two, with the possibility of having game-changing moments and wide receiver one overall weeks.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:46
Currently ranked as wide receiver 28, Luther Burden's ADP is higher than expected, making him a risky pick for those drafting in the mid-rounds.
Insight pageMatthew Golden
PositiveSleeper0:31
Matthew Golden is viewed as a sleeper pick, with the potential to play more snaps than Jaden Reed and contribute significantly in the Packers' offense.
Insight pagePositiveRole1:44
Matthew Golden is expected to be the Z wide receiver in the Packers' offense, which could lead to increased opportunities for fantasy production.
Insight pagePat Bryant
PositiveDepth Chart0:01
Pat Bryant's role on the Broncos is likely to be limited due to the addition of Jalen Waddle, but he could be a valuable asset if injuries occur.
Insight pageQuentin Johnston
PositiveBreakout0:59
Quentin Johnston is poised for a breakout year, with expectations that he will significantly outperform his previous season.
Insight pageRashee Rice
PositiveInjury0:01
Rashee Rice is reportedly close to being released from jail, which could positively impact his ADP as he returns to the field.
Insight pageTravis Hunter
PositiveDepth Chart0:44
Travis Hunter is currently being drafted as a wide receiver but is likely to play part-time due to the depth chart needs at cornerback.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout0:47
Travis Hunter has shown flashes of potential as a receiver, and if he can secure more snaps, he could become a significant contributor.
Insight pageTre Harris
PositiveDepth Chart0:56
Trey Harris has a pathway to being the third wide receiver for the Chargers, but competition for targets is stiff.
Insight pagePositiveDepth Chart0:59
Trey Harris's role may be limited this season as the Chargers transition to more two-wide receiver sets, impacting his development opportunities.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This episode is brought to you by Fox One.
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0:34From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it. For years the fantasy football cheat code was to draft second year wide receivers.
0:40Then 2025 hit. The second year wide receivers drafted in the top 21 overall at the position.
0:45And then there's a massive drop down to the wide receiver 49 in drafts where the rest of the eight or so
0:51names we're going to discuss here today land. I did feel like there was a pretty big tiered break between the top guys and everybody else.
0:59I think that there's two guys at the very top that I can see being like top 24 picks as we go into the next offseason.
1:06I think they have excellent tape, great situations to dominate targets.
1:10And then the next group of guys are all fun in different ways.
1:13Well, this closes our second year breakouts week. We already have episodes on the running backs, the quarterbacks, and especially the tight ends.
1:20Hopefully you've tuned into every single one. Appreciate all of you who have, and especially those of you who have hit that
1:26subscribe button and left a thumbs up. I mean, just leaving a like on the video helps it spread to more and more people out there.
1:34So we appreciate it on our road to 175,000 subscribers.
1:37So how we're going to do this once again, ADP order of how these guys are being drafted on the dog app underdog at this very moment.
1:45So that leads us off to Ted Rowe Millan, the beginning of the fourth round, the second pick of the fourth round,
1:51which is quite a bit different than, you know, a lot of the year two wide receivers.
1:56Typically we see the end of round one, the start of round two, but he right now is being selected as the wide receiver 18.
2:03So he caught 70 of 122 targets last year for over a thousand yards, seven touchdowns, offensive rookie of the year.
2:09When he went back and rewatched his tape, what did you see?
2:13I think he's underrated even with those expectations. I think that he has a chance to be one of the best picks in fantasy.
2:20He's my wide receiver 12 on rankings. I moved him up after doing the deep dive here.
2:25I knew he was good. I did not remember him being so good as a route runner.
2:29He really had like a veteran feel. His work against off coverage is outstanding.
2:34He understands the leverage. If the corner is playing outside leverage, he'll run directly at them, then come back to the ball.
2:40He can really dance and off coverage as well.
2:42He can sink his hips. He's got this huge catch radius.
2:46He doesn't have hands issues. And then I do think that he has just enough speed on these kinds of crossing routes
2:52where he can catch the ball and run. And he's got a lot of heart on top of that.
2:58I think that he looks very similar to some of the best receivers in the game.
3:02Like Drake London is the one pre-draft that we both talked about.
3:06I, once again, will double down on that. There's a little bit of Mike Evans to his game.
3:11He's not quite as fast, long speed as Mike Evans.
3:14We're talking about a hall of famer and then even like Jackson Smith and Jig, like some of the off coverage stuff and the manipulation.
3:21There's a little bit of that here as well.
3:24And I just think that the Carolina Panthers offense, if you read between the lines in the off season, they might be
3:30doing a little bit more spread passy stuff rather than being so balanced on offense.
3:34And I think probably the reason why they're doing that is it fits Bryce Young's game.
3:39And I think it really is going to fit Ted Rowe and McMillan's game.
3:43I think he's one of the best receivers in the league.
3:46Yeah. For a guy that is six, four, like you said, the route manipulation and the defensive back manipulation, it shines out there.
3:53I mean, he can twist and turn some of these defensive backs on comebacks on out routes and especially on these dig patterns and inside breakers.
4:00He's just such an easy mover at his size.
4:03And I understand that this wide receiver one label has gotten a bit gray.
4:07I kind of still love to use it because, you know, it really is a separator of a guys that you build your passing game around.
4:14And then some others that kind of shine because of who their play color is or who their quarterback is.
4:20Ted Rowe Millen as a rookie owned 43.3% of the Panthers air yards last year.
4:25That was second across the NFL of all veterans and all rookies.
4:28I mean, that's just simply insane stuff. Now, what can the year two leap be here for T-Mac?
4:33And for me, it goes not just into his individual skills, but how actually the usage could impact what he does in year two.
4:40I would love for him to be utilized more across the formation.
4:44Like last year, it was almost over 80% of his snaps were outside and on the line of scrimmage.
4:49That's kind of the most difficult stuff to ask of any wide receiver across the league.
4:54And so what you see with the CD Lambs or the Amon Ross St.
4:58Browns, you can go further and further down the list with Justin Jefferson.
5:02This outside to inside versatility to create mismatches, to create leverage advantages and stacks and motions and all that type of stuff,
5:08then allows this unlock ceiling in terms of production and like real impact in a game to game basis.
5:13And I think the Panthers are more set up to do that this year than they were last year.
5:19See the same way they experimented by putting him in the slot a little bit and they did some really fun things with him.
5:26They would throw some like back shoulder kind of slot fades on occasion.
5:30They would do like these rub routes where then he would almost run a big wheel route on the backside of it.
5:36And he had some big plays on that. Like you said, so much of which is like on the line of scrimmage
5:42X receiver stuff on a lot of their fourth downs in third and short situations, like third and two fourth and fours.
5:49It was explosives to Ted or McMillan down the field because the defense would get really close to the box.
5:54And then they would send him down the football field and he would come down with that.
5:59He had made some great catches on the sideline as well.
6:03So there's always going to be a tier difference between, you know, Ted or row and the Jamar chases and Justin Jefferson
6:09CD lambs, just because he's not quite as gifted as an athlete as those guys, but he can rack up a ton
6:15of targets, tons of receptions in this one. I think 927 yards in the pick and lobby is really selling him short.
6:22He cleared that last year. And I do think as we see the Panthers, maybe getting some more shootouts this year against
6:28a more difficult schedule, as you see the offense kind of change, no more Rico Dowdles type of stuff.
6:33I can see him really exploding. So I think the tape is top 15.
6:38I do think he will have a top 15 fantasy wide receiver season after being the wide receiver 24 last year.
6:44Part of why I think it's possible for them to move him around is because of the players that are around him.
6:50Now, Jalen Coker, after, you know, being named the starter and then trading away Adam Thielen, immediately gets injured and misses time.
6:56And Jalen Coker is easily this team's second best wide receiver and kind of unlocks them to utilize both of those players as inside to outside versatility types.
7:04And then you go and draft Chris Brazel. Terry McMillan and Jalen Coker, to some degree, were like the vertical threats on this team.
7:11Like Jimmy Horn's not doing that. When Hunter Renfro was starting games at the end of the season, he's not doing that at all.
7:18And so now you add Brazel, who at the very least, we know we can be a role player and spread some things out.
7:25And you can see like these dagger concepts with Brazel going deep and Ted Rowe Millan cutting off of that.
7:31And Jalen Coker is awesome at those in-breaker routes as well.
7:34Yeah, I mean, the Panthers haven't had 17 straight games of like being on the same page of the play callers and the passer and the pass catchers.
7:42And I feel like that's what everything is geared towards right now, is getting on the same page from week one and
7:49just understanding, hey, this is our group. This is what they do best.
7:52And these are the concepts that are going to be successful.
7:56And I think they're going to air it out just downfield 15 plus a lot more than they have been in previous seasons.
8:02One thing I want to bring up to you, actually two things, okay?
8:06Apparently Ted Rowe Millan, he said this himself, only played last season at 205 pounds, has said that he has gained anywhere from 15 to 17 pounds.
8:14He says of muscle. I'll leave that to if that's possible in just a few months.
8:18And that might worry some people, but T-Mac says that this is the weight he played at at Arizona.
8:24And he just could not keep it on during his rookie year.
8:27I mean, obviously the length of the rookie season and how much more work you do and all that type of stuff.
8:34He just couldn't keep it on. This year, that's his goal.
8:37This is what he checked in around the combine at 220 pounds.
8:40So do you think that 15 pounds can impact him on the field at all?
8:45I mean, there's so few reps where he's losing physically that I wouldn't think that's going to matter too much here.
8:51He wasn't like teetering on being too slow. So I do think him adding some weight, I don't find it that concerning.
8:57I do remember at Arizona, he was just dunking on everybody.
9:00And we saw that in glimpses as a pro, but it was not like he's just dunking on everybody like a T Higgins type of player.
9:08He was doing, I think, a little bit more than that overall.
9:11I think, yeah, 210, 220, I think that's a proper range for him.
9:15The other part is he's missed most of OTAs so far.
9:18He says it's a foot injury that he kind of picked up at the start of this offseason activities.
9:24He claims he's not going to have surgery, but just, you know, this time in foot injuries is on people's radars.
9:30But if he's out there on the first day of training camp, that solves it for me.
9:35Yeah, I mean, if you rank him at wide receiver 12 and he's going as wide receiver 18, that's a sizable difference than you are with the market.
9:43Yep. Yeah, I really, I trust him right now.
9:45Wow. Maybe some belief in Bryce Young too. Who knew?
9:48Next, just a couple of picks later is Emeka Egbuka, the fifth pick of the fourth round.
9:53He's being selected as wide receiver 20. We know the incredible hot start and we can dive into that in a little
10:00bit, but just overall, he led the team with 127 targets, 63 catches on those targets for 938 yards and six touchdowns.
10:06That's pretty incredible looking at that stat line, because if you carried over like the first eight games, he was easily going
10:12to clear a thousand yards was easily going to clear 10 touchdowns.
10:16And then it kind of all fell off a cliff.
10:19So was it on him? Was it on the offense?
10:22Was it the quarterback? Kind of what happened during his rookie season?
10:25And what do you expect to happen here in year two?
10:28I mean, this could be an hour podcast just here.
10:31I'll go over some of the splits. So through week 11, he was the wide receiver nine on a per game basis from week 12 to 18.
10:39He was a wide receiver 64. So that was really, really tough.
10:42What the hell happened? I think there's a couple explanations.
10:45First, Baker Mayfield picked up some injuries in week 12.
10:48He suffered an AC joint sprain. That point forward, Emeka Agbuka's catchable ball rate dropped to 50%.
10:53That was the lowest in the NFL from week 12 on.
10:56That was above 60% in weeks one through 11.
10:59So I think in general, there were some missed targets later in the season.
11:03Also, Emeka Agbuka picked up his own hamstring injury in week six.
11:06Benjamin Solak from ESPN. He had a really awesome tweet citing next-gen stats that Agbuka had 11 routes of at least 18
11:13miles per hour through the first five weeks of the season.
11:16Then hamstring injury. Only 11 routes the remaining 12 weeks from that hamstring injury.
11:20So Baker playing injured, Emeka playing injured. And then another split I want to throw out there once again is without Mike
11:26Evans, he had a 29% target share. With Mike Evans, that was at 19%.
11:30That's the difference between being the wide receiver 12 in expected points and the wide receiver 41.
11:35Obviously, Mike Evans is no longer there. So I think if Emeka is going to be healthier this year, if Baker Mayfield
11:42is going to be healthier this year, and we know for sure Mike Evans is out of the way, I want to
11:48believe in what I saw earlier in the season rather than what I saw later in the season.
11:53Not to mention the Bucs offensive line was in and out of the lineup the entire season.
11:58We also have a new coaching staff. Lots to go on here before we even get to the tape, which I think
12:04is a big part of this as well. And the new coaching staff has already said how they plan to utilize Emeka Egbuka.
12:11And it's kind of music to our ears where Zach Robinson, who was coming from the Atlanta Falcons and spent time with
12:18the LA Rams, has said that Emeka Egbuka is going to be a Z.
12:22And by that, it's in two wide receiver sets.
12:24Obviously, we'll play on the outside. We'll be more of the movement piece.
12:28And I would expect him to play some slot off of that movement on top of it.
12:33That's awesome. That is music to our ears. I mean, when you think about the Rams offense, some heavy production has come from that spot.
12:40And then when you think about the Atlanta Falcons, when they asked Drake London to kind of be that movement piece, and
12:46especially when they got that slot work, that was great.
12:49I say all that because to me, that was a lot of his best stuff was, you know, when he's an on
12:56the ground player and can kind of work in that trash and maximize the free space that is afforded to him because
13:02he does, you know, manipulate some defenders out there with his route running.
13:06But I wouldn't say that there's a lot of flashness to his game in terms of high end athleticism or like these
13:12crazy storytelling routes that are maybe over animated at times.
13:15He's very sturdy. He's very secure. And if you just get him in a situation that, hey, it's timing and I need
13:21to be here at this point and like look back at the quarterback and the ball is going to be in the correct spot.
13:28Then Emeka Buka is one of the more like trustworthy young wide receivers across the league.
13:33Unfortunately, some other elements around him aren't as trustworthy in this.
13:36Right. I think the first thing is the Zach Robinson point.
13:39We have to just double down on that. He said he's very similar to Cooper Cup just in terms of the way
13:46his brain works with the game of football and natural instincts.
13:49Remember, in 2022, that's when we're looking at like Cooper Cup as like the triple crown winner.
13:54It's the Z role that you mentioned. That's where Emeka is going to be playing.
13:58Only 1% of Emeka's receptions were screens. In 2022, Cooper Cup had 19% of them.
14:02So we're going to see an increase in screen usage.
14:05Also motion. When I went back to watch the tape, remember at Ohio State, kind of inside outside versatility off the line of scrimmage.
14:12And then like immediately he's just playing X receiver for the Bucks, like no motion at all.
14:17It was actually just like X receiver post routes for a lot of the season, which is not what I was expecting.
14:24And I think it was pretty damn good at them.
14:26I thought he had a little bit more pop athletically on some of these go balls than I was necessarily expecting.
14:33But based off of his college tape, I knew he was going to be good at the more Cooper Cup stuff here.
14:39And if you're going to get on more motions and stuff, I think you're going to see more of this kind of
14:45like make you miss toughness that we didn't necessarily see all that much out of Emeka Egbuka.
14:50So I think all this tied together, I think there's a ceiling here of being a top 10, top five fantasy wide receiver.
14:57And to me, like I got really, really high on Emeka Egbuka after learning more about the Zach Robinson quotes, watching what
15:03Emeka Egbuka was doing in a much, much more difficult situation last year than the one I think he'll be in this next season.
15:10We already saw, you know, top 10 spurts from him, like stretches of the season that he finished in that area.
15:16I don't know if I can get there for the entire season as a potential top five outcome player because he's tied to Baker Mayfield.
15:23And again, Baker goes on these stretches of looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the league and making some crazy plays.
15:30And you even saw it with some of those deep corners and posts that you're talking about where, you know, two defenders
15:36would be totally outstretched and it looked like the pass would be knocked down, but just goes right through their fingertips and lands.
15:43And no one's around him and he just runs away.
15:46That happened on like two crazy long catches, you know?
15:49But then in the second half of the season, when obviously Ibuka was dealing with injuries, as you said, Baker was as well.
15:55Uh, you saw just miscommunications, mistiming, just totally inaccurate passes too.
15:59And it led to a horrible catch rate at 49.6%.
16:02And to me, that's kind of just what Baker is now.
16:05Like he'll go on these stretches of being fantastic.
16:07As we say, sack avoidance, downfield targets, all that stuff.
16:10And then something just catches up to him where then it almost falls off a cliff.
16:15And we get again, other stretches where he kind of throws games away and throw situations away.
16:20But that is not on him. He is dependable.
16:22He is an efficient mover. He is consolidated with his movements and everything.
16:26And so hopefully he can be kind of just a safety blanket in all of this stuff.
16:31Yeah. I think Baker Mayfield just gives his receivers chances to be ballers in fantasy though, just because of how aggressive he is.
16:38Like you're going to miss some throws. He's going to have some interceptions.
16:41Like I don't care if I'm an Emeka Ibuka owner.
16:44So yeah, I just think that we're going to see more underneath work and he's going to be more consistent throughout the season.
16:51Even if the Buccaneers are just kind of throwing the ball down the field and just being all willy-nilly like they typically are.
16:58I just think that there's going to be more screens, more underneath stuff.
17:01And then I think there's some other routes where it'd be Emeka and Chris Godwin running the same route.
17:07There's one play where they're both running dig routes.
17:10And it was just pretty obvious. Emeka's route was looking a whole lot better than Chris Godwin, who's going to be 30 years old.
17:16Um, so I just think there's a huge ceiling that maybe we haven't really given Emeka Ibuka enough credit for.
17:22Um, and the Cooper, you hear Cooper cup, like, I mean, that was a super smash.
17:27And we're talking about a fourth round pick. So he's my wider receiver 14 him and Tedrone McMillan, I think have very similar cases just in general.
17:35I think T max game was maybe a little bit more well-rounded than Emeka Ibuka, but I do think Emeka Ibuka is
17:41like knocking on the door for being a really great pick, especially if you start with a couple of running backs early.
17:47The Seahawks game was awesome. I mean, head nods to create that leverage sitting in zones, confused defensive backs, eyes back to
17:54the quarterback in zone windows on top of it.
17:56And that's tough to do against the Seahawks defense.
17:59Some of their stats and one that caught my attention.
18:02He only caught eight of 28 contested targets this past year.
18:05Again, some of that might be the placement accuracy of it, but I also just wouldn't peg that as Emeka Ibuka's game necessarily.
18:12Uh, but there's so much to really like here.
18:14Uh, and then it's other young wide receivers other than Chris Godwin, like his Janet McMillan.
18:19And then Ted Hearst is getting some love from Zach Robinson right now is like your downfield fast X receiver.
18:25But I don't want to put like too many eggs in that basket because that's a stratospheric jump that Ted Hearst is
18:31having to make from, you know, Georgia state to the NFL.
18:34It'll be Jalen, Chris Godwin, and then Emeka. Uh, and then the rest of the guys will mix in.
18:40I just think that the debate right now is like, is it sneaky?
18:43Chris Godwin's the slot and Chris Godwin's Cooper cup.
18:46And I think after watching the Emeka tape, I think it's pretty obvious.
18:50Zach Robinson's like, no, Emeka is the Cooper cup.
18:52And then we'll figure out what the hell Chris Godwin is.
18:56And hopefully he's not Alan Robinson. I mean, this fourth round for wide receivers is so stacked.
19:01It's so amazing. You start with lad, then you go to T Mac, then Garrett Wilson, then Emeka Buka.
19:06It ends with the likes of Terry McLaurin and Jalen Waddle.
19:09Uh, I mean this, this round of wide receivers is, is one of the favorites I've had in, in recent years and
19:16smack dab in the middle of it is our next name three in a row here, basically for second year wide receivers
19:22in Luther Burton at wide receiver 21, the sixth pick of the fourth round.
19:26Um, talk to me because you and I have been on opposite sides of the Luther Burden conversation for a year at this point.
19:33Uh, so what do you expect in his second year after watching his entire first year?
19:38I think Luther burden is one of the best yards after the catch threats in the game.
19:42I mean, it's, it's actually ridiculous what he can do.
19:45It's not just that he's bigger than your typical like yards after the catch guy.
19:50He, uh, plays pretty tough with the ball in his hands and he does that start stop stuff that is like what
19:56Cadareous Tony was doing, but Cadareous had no, uh, nowhere near the same size that a Luther burden does.
20:02And Ben Johnson understood the assignment. Like there was a bunch of screens thrown, thrown to him, uh, 25% of his, uh, reception or his targets were screens.
20:10And then he would also get Luther burden in motion to get him screaming down the football field.
20:15Sometimes he would cut off of it for first down.
20:18Sometimes he would just get a full head of steam and carry this thing over down the field.
20:23So Ben Johnson understood the strengths that Luther burden has.
20:26They're very obvious. He's going to be their schemed up guy in this offense.
20:30I think in terms of the rest of the game, maybe a little bit more up and down, but better than I
20:36thought it was going to be coming out of, uh, Missouri where I thought he was very up and down, down the football field.
20:43We at least had some moments settling into zone coverage, catching the ball.
20:47And then after he caught the ball, 20 yards downfield remains a big pain in the ass to tackle.
20:52So I think Rome and Luther burden are almost on the exact opposite planes of receivers.
20:57And I'm guessing that Ben Johnson is just going to lean into each one of their strengths and not ask the other one to do the other.
21:05I can't wait for this second season because while it was a trio at wide receivers and really a quartet in ways,
21:11because a lot of days, like he has actually had the most slot targets, uh, on this team last year, Luther burden
21:18and Colson Loveland, who we just talked about a couple of days ago on this episode, weren't really fully featured on this
21:24team until about week seven or week eight. And again, I understand it, but at the same time, just he brings something special.
21:31And as we talked about Colson, love them, bring something special to the scene.
21:35Like there is the stardust sprinkled on Luther burden after the catch where he's just different than almost everyone that you see
21:41with the ball in their hands, uh, how he can stop and start his acceleration.
21:45And then what I love the most is that he refuses to go down on first contact.
21:50And there are multiple plays where it's further down the field, not just on screens, but like when he catches a pass
21:57seven yards or 10 yards down the field where he breaks multiple tackles and then is finally pulled out of bounds by
22:03someone and is still up on two feet somehow, rather than going to the ground.
22:07He's just so dynamic to me that when you attach that dynamism with Ben Johnson, then you get someone that sure, isn't
22:14a perfect or complete player right now, but it's going to be set up for success on every single series and every
22:20single game to give you production, because this is one of the masters at manufacturing space for his players.
22:25And Luther burden is one of the most lethal and threatening players in space in the league.
22:30It is a perfect pairing out there. And I am so glad that now he has this runway to easily step into two wide receiver sets.
22:38There is no competition for it. And, uh, we're going to see some low points because that's just his game and he's
22:44not a perfect player out there, but the high points are like game changing moments and potential like wide receiver one overall
22:51weeks because he already did that as a rookie last year too.
22:54Yeah. He's going to break so many tackles. Ben Johnson's going to know what to do with him.
22:59And then he's going to run a way more routes because even like in the, the playoff games and down the stretch,
23:06he was not a full-time player, uh, in the playoffs 63 and 53% of snaps, uh, when he was out there and
23:12there was, uh, seven contests with Roma dunes, the active and Colston Loveland, like actually in a full-time role, he, uh, was only averaging 32 yards per game.
23:20And those, like those on off splits that there's a million more of them.
23:24They're all just going to go up because he's just going to be on the football field a lot more.
23:30I think the danger scheme is doing the per route stuff and just saying that this thing's just going to carry on forever.
23:37And there's some, someone, a couple of things on the per route stuff.
23:40It was 2.5 yards, uh, in the regular season, which put that next to like Odell Beckham and the best receivers, uh, in NFL history.
23:48Uh, but then once you include the post season, then it drops to 2.2.
23:52If you, uh, want to exclude the flea flicker busted coverage, that was a 65 yard play.
23:57Now we're down to two. If you want to remove the screens, now we're done to 1.7.
24:01So like the more context, he doesn't have any catches, right?
24:05But I'm saying that the context is he doesn't, he's probably not going to be Odell Beckham just because he plays more snaps here.
24:12And then there's also, uh, on off splits, which all I posted onto Twitter with Colston Loveland with Roma dunes, a yada, yada, yada.
24:19This is gonna be a difficult one to get right.
24:21I feel pretty good about his floor because of what he does after the catch.
24:26And then if he could round out his game out in the real routes against press man coverage, a little bit more
24:32craftiness, not leading to some interceptions in zone coverage.
24:35If you can do just be average in that we're talking about somebody that's going to be a fantasy wide receiver too.
24:41He just priced like that right now, which makes me like a tad nervous, but like, I have him as a wide
24:47receiver 28 and which is way different than ADP.
24:50So like it, if you're drafting by yourself right now, you probably won't wind up with a lot of Luther.
24:56But I understand that you're giving the positives and the negatives of this.
25:00He is being drafted aggressively at this point because players of this type get drafted aggressively because they stand out amongst their peers.
25:06Yes, definitely. So yeah. So why receiver 21? I wrote, I'm going to bed early.
25:11I'm going to miss the party, but like, I understand why there's a party brewing right now.
25:15Yeah. Um, let me make a case of how this can get even better.
25:20Okay. Okay. Yeah. I don't think he's going to have his career at 2.55 yards per route run or 2.3 or any of that stuff.
25:27Right. Uh, at the same time. Yeah. He had some drops.
25:30There were also plenty of passes that kind of tipped off his totally outstretched hands.
25:34So like if Caleb gets better in those intermediate patterns and is more accurate than that, where we know you can line
25:41up his statistical just off target rate. It's very high across the league.
25:44Um, I thought Luther burden answered a whole bunch of questions that were fair coming out of Missouri, just in terms of
25:51his legit route running as an outside wide receiver.
25:53And a lot of that came on intermediate routes and inside breakers and these dig patterns.
25:58Um, I thought he was very good at that stuff.
26:01So if you have someone who is already good as an intermediate route runner, and then is incredible after the catch, those
26:07are two buzzwords in Ben Johnson's offense. Oh yeah.
26:10That makes like a potential special talent here. So if he already has those two things and that gives you almost a
26:16floor and what he can be here. And maybe that floor is Jameson Williams, right?
26:21Which is a roller coaster every single week. And you have some real splash weeks and then some other ones that he
26:27only has two or three catches per contest. But if he also can improve and the other areas, which he missed all
26:33of training camp last year, you know, he came from an offense at Missouri that didn't ask him to really do any of this stuff.
26:40Unlike Ohio state or, you know, a bunch of these other wide receiver prospects that we talk about.
26:46And he takes his year to leap and is like really bought in apparently Ben Johnson's almost favorite player.
26:51Then if he improves the other stuff just from like bad to average or from average to good, then we are cooking
26:58with like what the potential here could be. And like pairing that with Colson Loveland.
27:02And I also don't want to give up on Romo Dunze.
27:05That is an incredible trio to keep moving forward with.
27:08Yeah. I feel very good about the bears, man.
27:11I mean, just everything's coming together. They compliment each other really well.
27:14I will. I will be ranking Colson Loveland ahead of Luther Burden straight up after watching back both of them.
27:20But the fact that Luther Burden and Roma Dunze are also in the mix next to Colson Loveland is like a very good sign for, for everything.
27:28So I always, I always have this, like he's a boom bus prospect.
27:31And then sometimes I'm like, and he's looking like a bus after year one.
27:35Like this is like, he was a boom bus prospect and he's looking like a boom to me right now.
27:41So like he's every bit of an upside wide receiver three in fantasy to me.
27:46And then some people want to pay the mid rounds or mid wide receiver two price tag.
27:50Like I understand it. And I hope it works out because he's a hell of a hell of a guy to watch.
27:57We have a show next week where we basically say wide receivers and running backs that we kind of aren't drafting at this point.
28:04I'll just leave this little tease. I think it's an interesting conversation that Luther Burden gets picked six spots ahead of someone
28:10like Jalen Waddle where in the offense, they kind of do maybe somewhat similar things.
28:14And Jalen Waddle's unanimously at the top of that picking order with the Denver Broncos versus maybe where Luther Burden is and
28:21some less refined questions and parts of his game compared to Jalen.
28:24Yeah. Yeah. I'm surprised that you're saying that. I think it's very true.
28:28I have Luther Burden is one round too expensive for me.
28:31So like, I don't want to get over our skis here.
28:34Maybe when we get to redraft, he's not going to get cheaper.
28:38He's not getting cheaper. No, he's not. He's not going to get cheaper.
28:42No. And Ben Johnson's like rallying around them and just says like, he's the most fun player around.
28:47So we're going to see. He's going to be around three, four pick.
28:51Right. This is like saying, oh, I love the killer's first album or something.
28:55You know, like you were in very early on them.
28:58And then, you know, now they're selling out Madison Square Garden and you're like, well, okay, shit, I can't afford it anymore.
29:04Yeah. Yeah. Very true. Very true. All right. There is a massive, and I mean, massive drop off to the next second year wide receiver.
29:11And on underdog, that is Matthew Golden, who also found himself in round one in his NFL draft.
29:16But he's wide receiver 49. So 28 spots different just at the position and then six rounds different with a third pick of the 10th round.
29:24Just call it 29 of 44 targets for 361 yards, zero touchdowns in the regular season did have one in the postseason.
29:30This is a big conversation to have because you and I relentlessly drafted Matthew Golden last offseason.
29:35Was that wrong? Or was this just a weird season he had in year one?
29:39Uh, it was wrong, but I think it's a different conversation of, is he for sure bad?
29:44I think the answer to that is he's definitely not bad.
29:48Like I know the, the per game numbers were dreadful.
29:50Uh, he was in a rotation. He played about 50% of the snaps.
29:54Uh, we hopefully won't see that snap rate continue.
29:57I actually think that he's very live to be a near full-time player just because Jaden Reed has been pretty pigeonholed into the slot.
30:04If it continues, we're never drafting a Packers wide receiver ever again.
30:07Like they have three guys and that's it. Those should be the three.
30:11So it comes down to is Matthew Golden good?
30:14Because if he's good, he's going to be in fantasy lineups.
30:17I think it's kind of uncertain, but I'm leaning more towards he's good than he's bad.
30:21He was operating as a downfield threat for the Packers.
30:24He was nearly, uh, on the receiving end of a couple of really long touchdowns where Jordan love either barely overthrew him, barely underthrew him.
30:31There was one where Matthew Golden caught the ball about four or five yards away from the sideline and then just like ran out of bounds.
30:39I think he still would have been running, uh, if he kind of knew where he was.
30:44Um, I thought that he was able to kind of stop on a diamond in cut on occasion, but for the most
30:50part was kind of like kept in this vertical, uh, role, which is not that fantasy friendly.
30:55Cause we're looking for targets here and just how balanced the offense is.
30:59You're not going to rack up a bunch of targets.
31:02I thought he was just moving with definitely a lot of pace on vertical routes.
31:06I thought he had some really quality after the catch moments.
31:09We just didn't see a whole lot of them.
31:12Uh, cause I can see someone start and stop, uh, at a pretty high level.
31:16So, uh, I think he has all the ingredients to be labeled as a fantasy football sleeper.
31:21Um, I want to be drafting him and I think that he should be going really close to, to Jaden Reed because
31:28I would guess that Matthew Golden is going to play more snaps than Jaden Reed does this year.
31:33Let me just say, I'm drafting a lot of where Matthew Golden is being selected right now.
31:38Again, this is the front of the 10th round.
31:40The other wide receivers selected after him are Romeo Dobbs, Casey Concepcion and Wanda Robinson.
31:45Um, the, you know, running backs in this territory are Rashad White and Chris Rodriguez and Jonathan Brooks.
31:50So this really isn't pricing in a second year leap almost at all.
31:54Yeah. It is saying, Hey, this might work and it might not.
31:57We were drafting him a lot again last year because we thought, Hey, the Packers finally spent a first round pick on a wide receiver.
32:04That means that first round pick will break through the noise and finally play, you know, 80% of snaps.
32:10Like you said, we got a taste of that early on.
32:13Like in week three, he played 71% of snaps in week 70 played 73%.
32:17But then like the week nine injury, like really derailed him.
32:20It was, I believe a wrist injury and a shoulder injury.
32:23Yep. Yep. And then just wasn't the same player ever since.
32:27And that also coincided with Christian Watson returning to the team and Christian Watson now developing into like an every blade of grass player.
32:33He was so good. Yeah. Now, as much as I am drafting Matthew Golden, I do think there's an outcome here where
32:40he's just a really good role player as a downfield player, as a stretch field stretcher and tied to a quarterback that
32:46takes advantage of that more than others in terms of a really ambitious arm wants to throw at 15, 20, 25 yards down the field.
32:53I really didn't like his stuff after the catch.
32:56Like there's that one catch against Cincinnati. There's that one play against the bears.
33:00I would say the other 27 catches that he had, he almost every single time got tackled by the first man.
33:06That concerns me because I also thought he was an on the ground player frequently all the time.
33:11And they were under thrown balls, as you said.
33:14And he did very little. I felt to make his quarterback right in those situations.
33:18Like he didn't stop or elevate or go up and get it and like, try to turn it into a 30, 70 contest in those spots.
33:26So I think that stuff is a bit concerning where I don't know.
33:30Now he can be the focal point of his passing game.
33:33Like I thought maybe a first round wide receiver could be because he's just not Christian Watson.
33:38Now it took Christian Watson multiple years to get there.
33:41And maybe it happens from Matthew Golden, but I just, he gave me problems as a prospect too, despite other people ranking
33:47him as like, you know, a, the number one wide receiver in the class.
33:51And I think some of the same concerns I had about him then showed up during his rookie season too.
33:57So I'm drafting him a lot because I think it's cheap where he is, but I'm not expecting him to just pull
34:03away from the rest of this wide receiver. Right.
34:06I think last year when he was being drafted way earlier, we didn't know if Christian Watson was even going to play
34:12because he tore his fricking ACL in January. And then he, Christian Watson, not only played earlier than we thought, he was
34:18also way better than he ever was before. And now Christian Watson's healthy.
34:22So I think like the really high end outcomes, I think we we've taken a big step back with Matthew Golden.
34:28And like you said, yeah, there was not very many yards after catch plays out there.
34:33Like there was just, there's not how they were using him.
34:36And then I also agreed that there was some times where his lack of size did hurt him a little bit.
34:42He did say he's going to put on a little bit more weight.
34:46He thought that the wrist and shoulder injuries were partly just because of landing and not having enough like mass on them to, to kind of protect him.
34:54So we'll see how that goes. I really did think that he had the athletic traits to be a player that should
35:00be utilized a little bit more in different ways than he currently was.
35:04I think he's going to be the Z wide receiver.
35:07I think Jaden Reed's going to be the slot wide receiver and three wide receiver sets.
35:12And like you said, Jordan Love wants to throw the ball down the football field in ways that Matthew Golden wins.
35:18So I think he's going to be a better and best ball pick.
35:21I like his price tag right now. I think that redraft stuff's always going to be frustrating, especially if they're as balanced as they typically are.
35:29I just think that this type of profile, if he had better spreadsheets in college, we're drafting him in like at 75th overall.
35:36And right now he's 110th overall. But he didn't have better spreadsheets in college.
35:40Yeah. I had the college football playoff and that was like his entire college profile.
35:44I agree. Like there's definitely some merit to that.
35:47I just everyone on underdog thinks the same, you know, and like sometimes that that thinking leads leads us astray.
35:52Again, this is drafting him with, you know, leaning more towards bad outcomes.
35:56At least that's like his price right now. And I am not ignorant in believing that, you know, he is going to
36:03be just a role player and that that is the only outcome that's possible here.
36:07Like there is potentially something more. Uh, so yeah, I'm drafting him a lot, a lot at this price.
36:12Sweet. Um, anything else you want to say here?
36:15Cause I mean, he did finish that playoff game with, you know, four catches for 84 yards and a touchdown.
36:21So you did have like that nice feather in the cap of the ending of the season.
36:26Yeah. Yeah. It was awesome. Touchdown screen kind of ran around a couple of guys leaped over some, uh, shed a tackle or two.
36:33So that was a good play. Um, still wasn't like playing like a ton of snaps out there.
36:38Um, I, I will mention in OTAs, LaFleur has talked him up.
36:41We've had beat reporters talk him up. Uh, and then also, um, he's apparently been like the favorite target for Jordan love.
36:48Like this is really early in camp, but like you at least needed some signs of life and them choosing to not,
36:54uh, resign, uh, Romeo Dobbs, them trading away. Don Tavian wicks.
36:57The floor is calm and saying like, Hey, maybe having six wide receivers rotates, not helping us out.
37:02Like those types of context clues. Maybe they're saying like, Hey, Matthew golden's probably a little bit better internally than how the external world views them.
37:10And then also mentioned, like you said, those injuries like happened in the middle of the season and he wasn't practicing.
37:16And like that really hurts as well. So hopefully all these little context clues help us point into the direction that, Hey,
37:22they actually think that Matthew golden has a chance here.
37:25Even if most people don't, it kind of sounds like we disagree about him, but I think we're coming to the same conclusion.
37:32Yeah. We're probably going to rank into the exact same spot.
37:35Yeah. And look, the Packers have other yards after catch threats on the team.
37:39Like they have Jane Reed. They definitely have Tucker craft when he comes back.
37:43So it's not necessary for him to be, be in, in that area.
37:47Yeah. Okay. Let's keep it moving. Next round. We have Jaden Higgins of the Houston Texans wide receiver 53, the fourth pick of the 11th round.
37:54Uh, dare I say some of the quietest 68 targets for 525 yards and six touchdowns among this entire rookie class.
38:00Typically, you know, when these big, tall wide receivers claim a starting outside job attached to someone like CJ Stroud, there's way
38:07more buzz heading into their second year than what Jane Higgins is getting at this moment.
38:11But for some reason we can still draft him in the 11th round.
38:15He's a sleeper. I agree on the quiet part.
38:18I thought his tape was pretty good. Now he's not going to be super flashy.
38:22He's not going to win any track meets, but I thought he didn't like more like real wide receiver stuff than almost anybody in the class.
38:30Obviously like Tedaroa and Emeka were awesome. Like just in terms of pacing, settling down toe drags near the sideline, toughness on
38:36zone catches over the middle and just getting absolutely annihilated, having a nice frame to work through as well.
38:42I thought all that stuff was pretty clean. I would be very surprised if there was like a real breakout here, but
38:48is there ways that he can be like a budget version of Michael Pittman, Michael Wilson, Romeo Dobbs, Cortland Sutton, like those
38:54are some names that I, that I'm seeing with Jaden Higgins tape out there.
38:58Obviously the Texans offense has been brutal to watch and just super slow paced and everything.
39:03We just don't love about it. But I would be really surprised if tankdale given his injury or Jalen Knoll are real threats to his playing time.
39:11Like he's just going to be a, the Texans long-term wide receiver too.
39:14He's not Nika Collins. He doesn't need to be.
39:17He looks like the 34th overall pick in the draft.
39:20And I think that if we were redrafting today and a team drafted him late round one, that wouldn't be that surprising to me.
39:27His floor seems like really locked in. Yeah. I mean, last year in the what opening seven weeks of the season, he
39:33played behind Xavier Hutchinson just from a snap count standpoint.
39:36But then we talk about it, you know, post by rookie bumps.
39:40And as the season goes along, you get more and more opportunities.
39:43You earn more and more of it. And that's exactly what happened.
39:47I felt with him, um, for his size. I think he does have, you know, methodical movements.
39:51Like there's not much fat to his game. And I felt the intermediate and downfield portions were even better than the quick
39:58hitting short slants and all that type of stuff.
40:00Even if those improved a little bit as a season went along, like against San Francisco, you saw that improve.
40:06There was a plan off the line, no wasted movement and has already developed, I think, into a, you know, solid wide receiver too.
40:13And maybe even some quarterback inaccuracy from both quarterbacks, uh, led to a lack of production in some of these spots too.
40:20But man, I, I love the press that he has to outside step, uh, on this defensive back and then cuts inside and elevates.
40:26Like there are plays where if the timing from CJ Stroud and the route gets into a position in front of a
40:33defensive back and you throw it just kind of up and away, those plays are uncoverable.
40:37They are indefensible just because of his size and his trusted hands off of his frame and how he positions himself in front of defensive backs.
40:45And that is kind of tough to find across the league.
40:48And, you know, it's not like CJ's throwing to two different body types.
40:52Like he and Nico Collins are very similar. So you can put them in the exact same pinpoint and similar placements.
40:58So, uh, while Jane Higgins, you know, might never, you know, graduate into a true wide receiver one, he can definitely be a sturdy, dependable player here.
41:06And I just hope we get a Houston Texans passing offense that is like top half of the league in terms of
41:12scoring because then that goes to, you know, the difference between him being the wide receiver 53 and like the wide receiver 39.
41:19Yeah. I think if Stroud goes back to the rookie season, I think that Jane Higgins would be like a flex starter in PPR leagues.
41:26Like, I think we've already seen proof of concept from week eight on which is when he's caught on the field.
41:32He was the wide receiver 42 on wide receiver 36 usage.
41:35Nico Collins was in and out of the lineup a little bit there.
41:39Um, so like there's like a chance and like with at least some proof of concept here, we see the same exact
41:45film, uh, his short area burst is lackluster. I think the long speed, there's a couple of plays like down the football
41:52field where it's like, he's faster than I remember him at Iowa state.
41:55And then I think that he can contort his body.
41:58So it's not like a super stiff player as well.
42:01It's just like not going to be slant and then absolutely burst immediately after the catch.
42:06That's why you have Nico Collins out there. And it was kind of fun to play pre-snap when you go to the next play.
42:13Where's Nico? Where's Jaden Higgins? You kind of get confused.
42:16And then, then you realize, oh, there goes Nico Collins.
42:19Uh, that's what a wide receiver one looks like, but I like taking state.
42:23Like, yeah, I'm surprised more people aren't being like, Hey, well done.
42:26I agree. And look, maybe some of his lack of exposiveness off the line will allow some of the best corners in
42:33the league just to stick in his hip pocket throughout the entire route.
42:36But if he faces off coverage, I think he chews that up, you know, average corners, he will create separation down the field.
42:43And again, I just want to go to when he has positioning and the ball is off his frame.
42:48He has the size to make catches that, you know, defensive backs just have no chance of doing.
42:54And so we just need CJ to be up there.
42:57We need Nick Cayley to be up there and, you know, just score more touchdowns.
43:01Don't be one of the worst teams in terms of redstone touchdown success rate.
43:05And, uh, you know, there's a massive difference, even if his game is exactly the same of Jane Higgins catching, you know,
43:11six touchdowns in a season versus 10 touchdowns in a season or three touchdowns in a season versus nine touchdowns in a season.
43:18And that kind of isn't just dependent on him.
43:20If that makes sense. Yeah. Completely agree. Uh, last note, Demika Ryan's, uh, was giving him a lot of credit in the
43:27off season podium sessions saying that he's, uh, more chiseled.
43:30Just looks like he's in better shape. Uh, we loved it.
43:33We love to see it. I mean, I can't say the same, uh, uh, I wish us with little ones that is
43:39impossible for us to do right now. Right. And his starting point may be a little bit different than what you and I are working with too.
43:47Another big conversation. Let's talk about Travis Hunter, who is still being drafted as a wide receiver.
43:52In fact, wide receiver 57, the middle of the 12th round right now.
43:56I don't even know where to start on this.
43:58Uh, I could go short or I could go long winded, but I'll go short, short and brief, go short and just
44:05say, uh, what did Travis Hunter flash in his short time out there on the field as a run?
44:10His best moments were down the football field. He got about five of them throughout the season, but he made two of
44:17the most ridiculous high point catches out there, which is exactly what he was doing at the university of Colorado.
44:22So I wanted to first point out that if he did turn into a full-time wide receiver, he is not a choice route slot guy.
44:30He should be more than that. At the same time, there were so many frustrations on the Travis Hunter tape, just pre-snap, just like getting onto the field.
44:38They were calling timeouts. Brian Thomas had a huge long touchdown where he was lined up, uh, in the, uh, off sides.
44:44Uh, there's just a bunch of stuff, uh, coming out of breaks that he didn't know the ball was coming to him.
44:50So there was a lot of things like, I think mentally going on with Travis Hunter.
44:55Uh, also he was too small at times. Fred Warner had to punch out that said he's put on a lot of weight.
45:02Unfortunately, he's still not a full-time participant because of that, uh, knee injury, but he looks more, uh, filled out.
45:07I think that's going to help him out on both sides of the ball.
45:12Uh, unfortunately, just looking at the depth chart, that matters more than anything.
45:15They want him at wide receiver. They need him at corner.
45:18And there was a moment where Liam Cohn was talking and talking about all the mental reps because they have this brand
45:25new facility where he can reenact a game. And in that, he said, whether it's man coverage, zone coverage, cloud, all, all
45:31defensive terms, not very many offensive terms. Uh, so I ultimately think he's a better receiver than getting credit for.
45:37And I think he's going to at best play 50% of the snaps unless there's a big injury.
45:42I think it's easy to forget the positive trajectory.
45:45He was on at the start of last year as a receiver, like early in the season, as you said, basically only a manufactured touch guy.
45:52It was a lot of slot and screen stuff.
45:55He was very confused on where to line up.
45:57Uh, but you know, when you look at the early season wins that then propelled the Jaguars to the playoffs, like the
46:04Jaguars don't beat the San Francisco 49ers without his huge contested catch on a throw over the middle of the field from
46:10their own end zone that he elevates over to 49ers to go up and get the same with the Kansas city chiefs with another big time downfield catch.
46:18And then obviously he had crazy production and a garbage time loss, uh, against the LA Rams.
46:23And then they hit their bi-week and during that bi-week, you know, we read Duraco.
46:28We read John Shipley. Every single beat writer said something to the effect of quote, don't be surprised if he gets wide
46:34receiver one treatment the rest of the way. And then that crossroads moment happened where he, in the second week of their bi tore his LCL in practice.
46:42And then the Jaguars traded for Jacoby Myers. And then Parker Washington also broke out after that bi-week.
46:47And then now based on their off season moves, the Jaguars have a bigger need at cornerback than they do at wide receiver.
46:54And, you know, a lot of media reports from Ian Rappaport and Cameron Wolf and these guys back in May staying, saying
47:00that the focus of Travis Hunter is going to be at cornerback.
47:04And I actually agree with that. I won't say it too loudly because he and, you know, other Jaguars fans are going to take offense of that.
47:11But overall, how I view it, at least for this season is what you just said.
47:16Travis Hunter is likely to be a part-time player on offense versus if he stayed healthy last year, he might now be
47:22a full-time player on offense and like have the passing game built around him.
47:27But that's not what happened. We're not playing in what ifs.
47:30And at this point you think at best, if everyone stays healthy, he is fourth in wide receiver snaps.
47:35And that is tough to draft. Yes. I will say this, though.
47:39His upside is still so clear to me. If something happens, if the Brian Thomas goes down and then all of a
47:45sudden is like, OK, we also need you at wide receiver.
47:48I think that he can be a total baller.
47:51So I think if you're in a deeper league, he's going to be one of your last picks.
47:56I would hold on to him. Like, you just never know how quick this thing could turn around.
48:01Uh, and I would like to see him because he's put on more weight, not be pigeonholed into the role that he
48:08had an offense where 65% of his snaps on offense were in the slot.
48:12And he only played in three or four wide receivers.
48:15I think we were getting there during the bye week.
48:17We were, then we were, and it just wasn't going to happen.
48:21Like you can almost take Jacoby Myers production and some of Parker Washington's and give it over to Travis Hunter.
48:27I felt so. Yeah. Look, we told you all, at least I did to draft Travis Hunter last year.
48:32And was it a bit of a slow start?
48:35It was guess what? That happens all the time with these rookies.
48:38And do we always talk about post by rookie bumps?
48:41We do. And what were we getting during the bye week was everything geared towards him being a focal point or the focal point of this passing game.
48:49And then the floor fell out from underneath us.
48:52And then now the off season is kind of doing that exact same thing because they have guys that stepped up in his absence.
48:59Yeah. And I think that the knee injury is a serious one.
49:02It's like one of the more rare knee injuries to have.
49:05Some players have really struggled coming off of it.
49:08He's not at full-time practice yet. So hopefully we get some positive training camp buzz there.
49:13I think it'd be a near full-time corner. And then he's gonna be a part-time receiver until the depth chart changes.
49:19And then the second he's playing more snaps at wide receiver, I want to go all in because I do think the ceiling is just like really spectacular.
49:27And hopefully going into year two, they've kind of streamlined how much of the playbook he needs to know and those type of things.
49:34And I do think some of his blocking reps on offense stuff, he would get thrown around.
49:39I didn't see it nearly as much at corner.
49:41I thought his corner stuff was really damn good.
49:44But there was some times on offense where he was a little bit too small out there.
49:49So I think him being really like, he's like legit jacks now all of a sudden.
49:53Hopefully that helps kind of on the fringes. And maybe that encourages the coaching staff to say, you know what, let's get
50:00this like 90% snaps on defense and 60% snaps on offense.
50:03And maybe if he's at an old weight, we wouldn't even get that.
50:07Look, last year, Travis Hunter said that he can play both ways.
50:10And James Gladstone and all those guys said it.
50:13Hopefully that's the case. And hopefully he does in the future.
50:16I just wonder if that's maybe a 2027 thing versus a 2026 thing on top of it.
50:21So let me ask you this right now. He's going in the middle of the 12th round, other wide receivers in this round.
50:28It's Stefan Diggs. Who's not in the team right now.
50:30Jalen Coker, Rashid Shahid, Omar Cooper. You know, their next round is like Juwan Jennings and Jalen McMillan and Jalen Naylor and Trey Tucker.
50:37Lots of quarterbacks. The running backs are pretty gross unless you like Keaton Mitchell here.
50:42Is this a fair price? Are you drafting Travis Hunter in this spot?
50:45Or is it like, hey, I really want him to not play in the preseason on offense.
50:50Basically, we maybe get even more of a discount.
50:53I will draft him at this price. And if he drops even further, then I would keep drafting.
50:58I mean, he's getting priced next to Rashid Shahid and Omar Cooper.
51:02Juwan Jennings, Jalen McMillan. All these guys are going to be in three wide receiver sets.
51:06Only Khalil Shakir goes ahead of him. I just watched Khalil Shakir as the number one.
51:11And like, I'm not scared of that. Now they have DJ Moore.
51:14Like his upside. Like, I mean, in the top 20 percentile outcomes for all these wide receivers, his is like by far the only one that really matters.
51:22Like all these guys right next to him, like they beat him on median projections.
51:27But I do think even as a part time player, there will be some like garbage time receptions and he will have
51:33a couple big plays as they kind of mix them in there.
51:37So I'm totally fine with this price tag. It's sad that he goes in the 12th round.
51:42I think that's somewhat realistic. But I want to be buying.
51:45Certainly he's he's a fantasy football sleeper to me.
51:47He's got tons of risk. But I mean, he absolutely has a pathway to being a top 25 guy at some points.
51:54But I mean, I'll throw out that. Should the risk word even be used for a player that's drafted in the 12th round?
52:00Yeah, they all have. They all suck. Right. I mean, Aranda Gadsden goes in the 12th round and he's the tight end three on his team.
52:08Exactly. Yeah, literally. Yeah, we can play this game all the way down.
52:12Like, yeah, it's crazy. So everywhere that you just said, I agree with.
52:15I just really hate we didn't get that moment of one game after the bye week just to see of what like the proof of outcome could be.
52:23Because it happened at the point when he was going to get more and more and more work.
52:29And to me, it's not surprising that he was also brought along slowly.
52:32If you go back and listen to everything out of that Colorado program where he wasn't in offensive meetings because he didn't
52:39have the time to basically from at the college level.
52:42And they would tell him what routes to run from the sideline.
52:45And then he would just go and run them.
52:48And he was still freaking good. And so, you know, now with a year under his belt and a lot of time
52:54in the books, then he probably does have a much better understanding of each of the three alignments on offense, too.
53:00So I really want it to happen. I think it might beyond 2026.
53:04But I'm a little bit nervous that, like, if this is the season that we have the lowest percentage of his snaps in his career at wide receiver.
53:12Yeah, I can see it. I wish we can trade Jacoby Myers back to the Raiders.
53:17That'd be a lot easier. But then who's going over the middle?
53:20Over than Parker Washington? A Brian Thomas in camp.
53:23No, he's not from last year. He didn't go over the middle.
53:26In camp, he's the MVP. I've seen more Brian Thomas tweets this week than I did all last year.
53:32No, but they're talking about clear outs. They're not talking about in breakers.
53:35I'm watching touchdowns, man. I'm getting excited again. Yeah, there's no hitting.
53:39So there's no alligator arms there from from Brian Thomas.
53:42All right. Many more to talk about here. Isaac Tesla is next.
53:45Early 15th round wide receiver 69. 69. I'll say it Hayden on just 16 catches during his rookie season.
53:51He's already laid the foundation for one hell of a career highlight reel.
53:55Yeah. I mean, like three of the silliest catches by any player last year.
53:59Yeah. He's a freak athlete playing in a position that he did not play in college.
54:03So you have to give him some credit. And at the same time, he's going to have like a 5% target share.
54:10So there's only so much we can even talk about here.
54:13Like this offense is stacked. You have to throw it to him.
54:16It's cool that like on those two targets per game, he's going to come out with an explosive.
54:21But yeah, he's in development. I think they traded up a lot for him for how many times he's going to get the ball.
54:28But he's not going to get the ball enough to matter.
54:32If Jameson Williams goes down and Sam LaPorte goes to the mood and vice versa.
54:36So I think we're a ways away from him mattering.
54:39Man, he against an unathletic corner in the red zone.
54:42Like if they want to throw the first pass up to him and see what see what they got cooking.
54:47Like by all means, I'm here for it. It was a very good comment that you made that he's playing a different
54:54receiver spot than he did in college. At Arkansas, he was basically a big slot, like kind of a finesse player.
55:00And he would still go up and make these spiraling catches.
55:03But, you know, it was from a different alignment.
55:06And then you go in his first catch, what against the Packers or someone is lined up out wide and just climbing
55:12the ladder and toe tapping the sideline. Like there were so many vertical climb the ladder offering catches or working through contact.
55:18And then very few crossers over the middle of the field.
55:22And then practically no short catches. So I do wonder kind of what we talked about with Jaden Higgins, like against good corners.
55:28Can he separate one-on-one on his breaks? I have more questions with Isaac Tesla about that for sure.
55:33But man, the big catches are pretty freaking sweet.
55:36But then you look at it and like the wider receiver room for this team is even worse than it was last year.
55:43Like Khalif Raymond is gone. But, you know, the most snaps that he played last year when everyone was basically healthy didn't happen until week 14.
55:50But that was up to, you know, 77% and 63% and stuff.
55:54But that's also when, you know, Sam Laporta missed every game from week 11 and on.
55:58So, you know, it's not just Jameson Williams that he's competing with.
56:02It's also Sam Laporta. And they might run 11 personnel 60% of the time, 55% of the time, that type of stuff.
56:08So I like Tesla. He has obvious areas where he wins.
56:11It wouldn't surprise me if he does, you know, make a leap or if Jameson Williams gets hurt or whoever else.
56:17Then he makes good on it. But this is just not someone with how the depth chart is stacking right now that you can project a major leap.
56:25Yeah, I was looking at it. He had six touchdowns last year.
56:29In his last two seasons at Arkansas, he had five.
56:32It's crazy. Yeah, it's a wild season. Let's talk Trey Harris, L.A.
56:35Chargers. A few picks later, the seventh pick of the 15th round and one wide receiver spot later at wide receiver 70.
56:42First catch of the season was a little in breaker versus the Chiefs for a first down as like an ISO X player.
56:48That's important because during his time at Ole Miss, everything was along the sideline.
56:52Very few in breakers. But when he did, you and I got really excited.
56:56So I know you went back and watched every single target of Trey Harris.
57:00What did you see? I think more toughness than like downfield speed.
57:04That's how the Chargers utilized him from week six on, which is when he kind of started getting out there.
57:10He led the target of the Chargers and targets with zero to two wide receivers on the field.
57:15He had a 24% target share in that personnel grouping, but he was fifth in targets in three or four wide receiver sets.
57:22He's a tough player. I didn't see like a lot of sizzle to his game.
57:26He had more like kind of in breaking, like break a tackle or like fight for that first down on the Chargers tape.
57:32And then the old miss tape was like totally different, like you said.
57:36So he's got a pathway to be the third wide receiver on the team because Keenan Allen's not there.
57:42And then at the same time, here comes more tight ends, more running backs.
57:46And then they drafted Brendan Thompson, who's the exact opposite of Trey Harris as a clear out guy.
57:51So I don't see a pathway to him really mattering in fantasy unless Johnson or Lad McConkie get injured.
57:56And then at that point, was there enough on tape to get really excited about other than that he's attached to the
58:03Chargers offense and he's like a serviceable player? But maybe you have a stronger tape.
58:07Yeah, I think I saw it slightly different than you, just more optimistic.
58:11Like he was almost a sampler platter this year where there was a little bit of everything, which again was nice to
58:17see after his time at Ole Miss, which was the same thing every single game.
58:22There was, I thought, tight third down wins, like third and three slant passes.
58:26He'd be a primary or, hey, catch, get down, those types of things.
58:29Like he would win in those tight situations. I thought some zone feel.
58:33You saw some routes like curls over the middle of the field, short movements to still maintain space from zone.
58:39But, you know, on these elongated plays where Justin Herbert was running for his life, he'd still, you know, stay open in those spots.
58:46And then I saw some yak flashes as the season went along.
58:49Nothing like that's incredible, but just a broken tackle here.
58:52And then, you know, some long strides for some gains after that.
58:56Like you're saying, though, I think there's only going to be one and a half wide receivers that really matter with the Chargers right now.
59:03And I'm putting my eggs in the Ladd McConkie basket.
59:06QJ has gotten some love for Mike McDaniel and obviously outproduced.
59:09But he's going to go off this year. I'm saving it for a different show.
59:13This is a teaser. Quindon Johnson is going to go crazy this year.
59:17Okay. Then we also have, you know, all the personnel groupings everywhere else on top of this, too.
59:22So Trey Harris was interesting last year with Greg Roman, where, as you just talked about, single wide receiver sets.
59:28He was the guy out there. I don't think that's going to continue.
59:32Is there going to be a downgrade to then like two wide receiver sets?
59:36He probably is not going to be out there either.
59:39So it's tough because I want to see even more development.
59:42I just don't know if he's going to have a whole lot of reps to get this development.
59:47Yeah. I think his floor is like intact. Like he's going to be in the Chargers rotation.
59:52Like he's, you know, is he that dissimilar to like Josh Palmer, who had some moments when like the other guys went
59:58down, kind of could play different spots. I think that's the style play that we're getting with with Trey Harris.
60:04Yeah. Like you said, like there's some yards after the catch moments like via toughness and like settling into zone coverage rather
60:11than like there goes Jamar Chase after the catch, which we were expecting, obviously.
60:15But he's a fine player. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, again, zone feel versus the Titans.
60:19Another verse, the Cowboys on the extended play. Nice ad lib touchdown.
60:22I felt first the Minnesota Vikings to work back to the opposite direction in the red zone to find space.
60:28So if his name's called upon, I think he does enough good things that like, it's not just going to be a
60:35drop off to the wide receiver two spot on the team.
60:38Okay. That's basically it for everyone that's being drafted right now, but there are still, I think four or five names that
60:44we do want to quickly touch on. Pat Bryant's next.
60:47Pat Bryant was a channel favorite coming out of Illinois just because no one was talking about him.
60:52I actually thought Pat Bryant did a serviceable job filling in for his role on the Broncos last year.
60:58But, you know, when the team goes out and trades a first round pick for Jalen Waddle, then you kind of drop down here in the pecking order.
61:06And probably what role he fills in this offense now is the tight window contested catch because he ranked the highest of
61:12all these rookies in terms of converted contested catch opportunities this past season.
61:16We see it the same way. He's more of a glue guy to me.
61:20I think that his upside case is like he's Cortland Sutton's long-term replacement because I don't think Troy Franklin, obviously Marvin Mims,
61:26like those types aren't going to do anything. They still don't have tight end sorted out yet.
61:31So I do think there's a chance that Pat Bryant will have some moments.
61:35His playing time is going to be pretty capped though because Cortland Sutton and Jalen Waddle are going to handle everything.
61:41So I did think that he was good enough on tape where if one of those guys goes down that in a
61:48deeper league, he's immediately worth a waiver wire. And I do think I like him more than Troy Franklin.
61:53Well-roundedness, for sure, if I was a GM, he's just not going to get the manufactured touches that those other guys are going to get.
62:00So big body, work over in the middle, glue guy.
62:03Everyone seems to love him. He's going to be a part of this Sean Payton offense for a very long time.
62:09How many fantasy points that means? Probably not too many.
62:12Yep. Same thing basically happened with Torrey Horton, who flashed in his moments in his role, then got injured.
62:18The team trades for Rashid Shahid and then gives Rashid Shahid another contract.
62:22So Torrey Horton, again, flash in the red zone, some downfield difficult catches.
62:25And if you're talking about downfield, now he probably isn't going to have that opportunity with Rashid Shahid just growing in his opportunity for the team.
62:33Yeah, he's Rashid's backup. And then if JSN goes down, that would be where it would actually get more interesting.
62:39Because I do think that Torrey Horton and Shahid, that would be interesting just to see who would come up with more targets.
62:45Torrey Horton was more utilized underneath at Colorado State.
62:48And I always thought he was a downfield threat.
62:51And I think the Seahawks with Sam Darnold viewed it the same way.
62:54So better in best ball. I don't think you have to draft him, though.
62:58Jack Besh? Do you need to draft Jack Besh?
63:01Should the Raiders have drafted Jack Besh? I actually like Jack Besh in best ball more than some of the other names we just talked about.
63:08Okay. Makes me nervous because he's going to probably play out of position like he did this last year.
63:14He only played in the slot. It was 28% of his snaps.
63:17I think both of us liked Jack Besh as a, you know, big slot type.
63:22And the problem is that's what Brock Bowers is.
63:24Trey Tucker goes in the slot some. Jalen Naylor's a slot guy.
63:28So it's like, okay, we can't have 14 slots on the football field.
63:32Jack Besh does not have the vertical speed to matter.
63:34I did think that he was tough. I did think he actually settled into zone coverage pretty well.
63:40And I do think that he can catch the ball and then, you know, rumble forward for a first down.
63:45And I think that in those terms, he's actually trustworthy.
63:48Is there a big ceiling here? Not really unless Fernando Mendoza breaks out.
63:52But, I mean, Trey Tucker, Jalen Naylor, like, are those guys for sure better than Jack Besh?
63:57Like, I'm not sold. And I know that Besh is better than Thornton.
64:01Is Jack Besh one of your favorite 18th round picks right now?
64:04I got him ranked in the 180s. So he goes undrafted.
64:07Yeah, I think he's somebody that you can mix in on occasion.
64:11I just don't understand it from a spy tech, correct, GM, perspective of drafting Jack Besh when you have Brock Bowers on your team.
64:18Like, Jack Besh started his career at LSU as basically a move tight end, a receiving tight end.
64:23And then goes to TCU and kind of fulfills the same role while playing a bit more outside as his career went along.
64:30But, I mean, in a perfect world, he would be a power slot.
64:33And that's exactly how what Brock Bowers is going to, like, be featured and heavily featured on this team.
64:39So, yeah. The overlap to me, the Venn diagram is almost an eclipse here.
64:43Yeah. I wish he was on a different team because I think that he has enough skills to, like, be catch a
64:49couple passes per game and, like, keep the chains moving.
64:52And I just wouldn't rule that out even though his season was so bad.
64:56I mean, he had negative .17 EPA per target.
64:59Per target. That is, like, that's like a bad running back.
65:02And then his average depth of target was at 7.7, which is amongst the lowest wide receivers.
65:07And he was doing that not as a slot screen guy, as an outside wide receiver.
65:12So, like, everything that he was doing was, like, and I'm cutting inside real quick.
65:16And then I'm sitting pitch. So, I think he was pretty good at that.
65:20But, I mean, we have to, you know, obviously our expectations are pretty low here.
65:24Let's talk Jalen Knoll, who also has, like, a defined role for his game.
65:28He was the other Iowa State wide receiver that the Texans took after Jaden Higgins.
65:33Let's remember that, you know, they had Christian Kirk in this role for the first part of the season.
65:38And then Jalen Knoll kind of took over afterwards.
65:41He is also not being drafted in every single league right now on underdog.
65:45What did you see when you went back and watched him?
65:48I haven't watched him in, like, full detail. But he was going to be a vertical slot wide receiver.
65:54And that's what Christian Kirk was. Like, his pathway to playing time is obviously way up right now.
65:59So, aside from, like, your film analysis, I'd be curious if Tink Dell does come back and matters at some point during the season.
66:06Like, where is Tink Dell going to play? Is that slot stuff?
66:09Like, how do we sort out that part of it once we get there?
66:13I'll even add that. I think Jalen Knoll should have been in the NFL 10 years ago.
66:18And we would have been a lot more excited about that, you know, when he had this profile of a slot wide receiver.
66:25And they were, you know, heavy 11 personnel getting a lot more opportunities.
66:28Because the Texans also just spent a second round pick on Marlon Klein, a bigger tight end.
66:33And then also brought in Foster Moreau. So, I think they're going to try to be more multiple of these heavier personnel and bigger bodies, too.
66:41And that's just to me, they're going to take Jalen Knoll out of it.
66:45Like, at Iowa State, he was fun. He was running in two wide receiver sets a lot.
66:50I think his size catches up to him way more often in the NFL.
66:54And he doesn't separate as well as he did before.
66:57But, you know, he's at his best getting vertical.
66:59These deep corners. These deep crossers. It kind of brings me back to that rookie season CJ Stroud stuff.
67:05But he also got tackled extremely easily after the catch.
67:08So, he is almost like the one outlier profile that you look like in this whole wide receiver room.
67:13Where we talk about Nico Collins and Jane Higgins, Xavier Hutchinson even.
67:17You have Justin Watson who has some size to him as well.
67:20And then Tank Dell's rookie season. He played more on the outside as well as like these awesome outside breakers over and over.
67:27So, I think Jalen Knoll is like the replaceable talent here when they want to change things from a personnel grouping.
67:33Yeah, I see it the same way. He's pigeonholed in his slot work.
67:37And they're just not going to have enough of it.
67:40And then even when he's out there, you have to go earn a target over Nico Collins.
67:45And then we both like Jaden Higgins. So, it's just hard to squeeze this out short term and long term.
67:50It's odd. Like, I think you and I both compared him to Christian Kirk coming into the league.
67:56And I think that actually has a lot of correctness to it.
67:59It's just that mold and that model in the best offenses is kind of getting phased out.
68:04It's a defensive structure. It's like it's hard to throw the ball deep and over the middle when there's two safeties back there or previously a lot easier.
68:12I quickly want to mention Jalen Royals. Now, not for his tape because he had three targets all season long.
68:18But it's because he's drawing a lot of praise and OTAs.
68:21A lot of draft Twitter loved him. Not this channel.
68:24Just a lot of other people. And because he's Rushy Rice's probably direct backup.
68:28We know Rushy Rice is in jail and also dealing with, you know, knee surgery while in jail.
68:33Still, the thing with Jalen Royals coming out of school, those screens and crossers and then go balls.
68:38And that's about it. I need to see more to really buy into this.
68:42I think Rushy Rice is just so good in those skills that the major weaknesses that he has in the other areas
68:49of this game, like don't matter because he's so good at those specific routes.
68:53Whereas I don't think Jalen Royals is nearly as good on those routes.
68:57So I think he's going to get hype as the offseason goes along.
69:00I'll just be a bit more tentative probably than other people.
69:03Yeah, we saw the tape the same exact way.
69:06And then at a certain extent, it's like, OK, you're on the football field with Patrick Mahomes.
69:11Like you're immediately at least interesting. So I think it just comes down to, you know, how good was the rehab in jail for Rushy Rice?
69:18But apparently he's almost out of jail, which is promising.
69:21But Rasheed Rice's ADP is going to go up because of the reports that he's out of jail, which is just going to be funny to see.
69:29But yeah, Rice right now has barely dropped. I mean, he's the middle of the third round right now as wide receiver 13 overall.
69:36Yeah. I mean, those fourth round wide receivers are so good at football that the risk of these third round wide receivers is like difficult.
69:43The Rice neighbors combo mainly. Yeah, for sure. But I mean, Chris Olave is not playing because of blood, blood clots as well.
69:50So Zay Flowers is just like in that different offense.
69:53So there's a couple of guys where like to me, I'm getting a ton of fancy points out of Travis Etchain and Kyron Williams and then Javante Williams.
70:01Like I'm kind of like, give me another one of these running backs in that round or Josh Allen.
70:06And then I'll have my wide receiver fund in the fourth round.
70:10Yeah. Some combo of two running backs and then two wide receivers.
70:13But namely that being like round one or two wide receiver and then round four wide receiver is kind of where I'm going.
70:20But you can mix in like that. You know, Colson Loveland there in round four.
70:24You can mix in Brock Bowers in round two.
70:27Josh Allen. Some Josh Allen at that three, four turn.
70:30Yeah. And if you you can go through three running backs early if you want.
70:34It works sometimes. I mean, super late. Okay. Beyond like warm, even like super late.
70:39All right. I've been doing some three running backs throwing a column.
70:42A nun guy for running backs. I'm done. And I love those.
70:46Yeah. All right. That's it for us. This was breakouts week.
70:49Hopefully. And I mean, hopefully if you made it this far, you already subscribe to the channel.
70:54Hopefully you're also drafting over an underdog. Again, click the link in the description down below.
70:58Play five bucks. You get 50 bucks on top of it.
71:01But if you're in the app, it's under the games section as well.
71:05Hope and new me are posting new contest all the freaking time, including on Fridays as well.
71:10So be on the lookout for that. It's like this little window of time.
71:14That's unique games every single Friday. It feels like.
71:17So yeah, spend your summer grill out draft an underdog.
71:20It's that simple. All right, everyone shot to weave some most show.
71:23We'll be back next week with three more episodes.
71:26At least talk to y'all then. See ya.
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