Daniel Jeremiah 2020 NFL Scouting Combine Conference Call

Transcript. Very long...


On WR depth

I've got 27 wide receivers with top 3-round grades in this draft. And consider average 31 are taken. We had a max of 35 taken in, I believe that was in 2017.

To emphasize he later says Chase Claypool currently has a top 3 round grade and he would not be surprised if he goes in the 4th or later. He's not Mel Kiper'n (30 receivers taken in the first 3 rounds) but he is highlighting the depth in this class..that a lot of day 2 guys in most years will be day 3 guys this year and day 3 guys will become UDFAs.

On the Eagles at 21, receiver

But that to me, if you were to say home run pick for the Eagles, who is it, it's Henry Ruggs, just because of how much speed and juice he would give to that offense.

Justin Jefferson

But I think Justin Jefferson has got a chance to be a high, high volume slot receiver a lot like Keenan Allen, can fill that role, can work in traffic. He's really good down in the red zone. He led the -- he led this entire draft class with touchdowns down in the red zone this year at 12. So, he's a point producer and he would be a great fit for them.

Brandon Aiyuk

I love Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State. I think he's a stud. He's tough, competitive, run-after-catch guy. Needs a little polish, but can return as well. So has some value there.

Tee Higgins

And you get into Tee Higgins, who I think will probably be there, who is really tall, long and rangy. You hope you're drafting A.J. Green. I don't think he's on that level but that's the style with which he plays. There's a little bit of concern with him just getting off press. Some of the better competition they played later in the year he struggled a little bit with that.

Donovan Peoples-Jones

Donovan Peoples-Jones can play inside/outside. Really creative route runner. He gets off the line easy. Real efficient in his movement. You see an ability to make plays on the back shoulder balls. He's just not real dynamic, in my opinion, when I studied him. That's kind of the knock on him.

In a normal draft, he's probably a second-round pick. In this draft, he's probably a third or fourth-round pick, just because there's so much depth.

So we'll see what he runs. He runs well, that could help him and maybe he gets back into the day two conversation and locks himself in there. But he's a really good player.

Big 12 receivers with Day 1/2 grades

CeeDee Lamb up there. I have Jalen Reagor from TCU, big time-time speed. And Mims similar to Tee Higgins at Baylor.

And I've got both Texas kids in there -- Duvernay and Collin Johnson -- they're kind of at the bottom of that group, but that's the guys I have there from the Big 12. So kind of just going through them.

Jalen Reagor

With Reagor, he's somebody, I think one of the things people are trying to find in this draft is your version of Tyreek Hill. He's not as fast as Tyreek Hill, but he's going to run in the 4.3s, and he can take the top off coverage. You can use him on the jet sweeps, get the ball to him in the flat and just let him go. He can play over the top. The knock on him, he's got a good number of drops. So he's got to clean that up.

Denzel Mims

Denzel Mims from Baylor, I think he's got a chance to really end up being one of the best receivers in the draft. And we'll see where he ends up. But he's almost 6'3", 206 pounds. He's another one -- he wins at the line of scrimmage. He is just so smooth and athletic, he's got some acrobatic catches, a lot of contested catches, just real athletic. And after the catch, he's just kind of a slippery, smooth, make-you-miss player.

Duvernay

He's not the most physical player. But I think he's a second-round pick all day long with how he plays. We'll see where he ends up going and what he ends up doing, and the two Texas kids, Duvernay, one of the most productive slot receivers in the draft. That was a great move for him. I love the story when you do your homework on him and find out that the players went to the coaching staff and thought he should have been a captain in the middle of the season, so they ended up making him a captain. That says a lot about him and his work ethic and character.

He's got big-time track speed, another one. And he's going to be a bubble screen, fly sweep, just get him the ball and also help you as a kick returner.

Collin Johnson

And Collin Johnson, he's like Goliath out there, almost 6'6", 221 pounds. He's a strider. He's real fluid, but he's going to have a little bit of a tough time just getting off press consistently, and I think when you watch the TCU game and see Gladney, who is a really good corner, he got into him a little bit there, he just has so much surface area that he gives up to DBs. He's going to have to continue to work on that. I thought he had a good Senior Bowl week.

And I think, in a normal year he's a third-round pick, but who knows where that could happen this year just because there's so many of these guys.

D'Andre Swift

When you look at some of these other players from Georgia, I have Swift as their top player at running back. He reminds me a lot of DeAngelo Williams when he was coming out. He's compact but he's got great patience, vision and quickness. He can really drop his shoulder and power through tackles. He's the first-round back, to me, in this draft.

When talking about the Ravens WR room

I put down this list of guys in this draft, and I just wrote "Finding Deebo." That's going to be a theme for a lot of these teams when you talk to them around the league. Laviska Shenault, Brandon Aiyuk and Lynn Bowden from Kentucky, who played some wildcat for them, is going to be that fly sweep guy. And Duvernay from Texas we've talked about.

RB tiers

DANIEL JEREMIAH: He's talented. I've got him -- I broke down the running backs coming into this Combine. I had them in different tiers. He's in my second tier.

I had Swift, Edwards-Helaire and Dobbins in my top tier. And I have Taylor and Akers, Taylor from Wisconsin and Akers just right below that. He runs really hard. Obviously his five-star kid. All the accolades coming into school.

WR1

DANIEL JEREMIAH: Everybody's talked about who will be the first receiver taken, is it going to be Jeudy or is it going to be CeeDee Lamb. I actually -- I firmly believe Henry Ruggs is in that discussion. I think it's a three-man race to be the first receiver

(On Justin Herbert): "And then with Herbert, that one's tricky. Teams are split. There's some teams that really like Justin Herbert and some teams are not high on Justin Herbert. I have him in my personal list down a little bit. I have him beneath Love and I have him outside the top 10 range."

(On Jacob Eason): "When you start with Eason, teams are literally all over the map. And I talked to a team yesterday that has him as the second quarterback in the draft. So there's teams that really, really like Eason. And then you've got teams that have concerns. Now, when I watch him, I see the big arm. You watch the Oregon game, you get really, really excited. There's a lot of good things to take away from that game. He's got some really good tape. But then he's got some bad habits where you get him off of his spot. He's got a bad habit of trying to wheel out, turning his back on the defense. That's something he's going to have to clean up, which is something you can fix. But that's one of the things to keep an eye on with him. And then you just want to see him be a little bit of a playmaker, instead of just being a pure thrower. I want to see him create some plays and extend some plays there. That's the kind of thing with him. I think he'll go in the first two rounds. Wouldn't shock me if he went in the first round because I know there's teams that really like him. I'm hoping to get a chance to visit him with as we go through the process of getting to know him better and see where that all goes. But there's a lot of ability with him."

(On D'Andre Swift): "When you look at some of these other players from Georgia, I have Swift as their top player at running back. He reminds me a lot of DeAngelo Williams when he was coming out. He's compact but he's got great patience, vision and quickness. He can really drop his shoulder and power through tackles. He's the first-round back, to me, in this draft."

(On CeeDee Lamb): "When you look at -- when you look at who I think is the best receiver in the draft, CeeDee Lamb, he's just so tough. You can play him inside/outside. He wins 50/50 balls. He breaks a zillion tackles. The PFF numbers on that, I've got them floating around here, I'll have it at the Combine. PFF does a great job on that stuff, those types of stats, like forced tackles, broken tackles, he is way, way up there in those numbers. What he gives you after the catch is just outstanding. He's a really good football player."

(On Henry Ruggs): "Everybody's talked about who will be the first receiver taken, is it going to be Jeudy or is it going to be CeeDee Lamb. I actually -- I firmly believe Henry Ruggs is in that discussion. I think it's a three-man race to be the first receiver. I think he's going to absolutely fly. Everybody knows it's coming. He's still going to do it. I think the second number will be a 2. I don't know what the third number will be. But he's the closest thing to Tyreek Hill that I've seen, since Tyreek Hill entered the league. And just looked like he's been on a different speed than everybody else. This kid does the same thing. He's so sudden off the line of scrimmage. It's instant death for corners. He's just by them and it's over. You can use him on the jet sweep stuff. You can use him on kickoff return. I love watching him as a gunner on punt. Shows just how tough he is. And the thing that nobody talks about, the production for these Alabama kids, it's all somewhat limited because it's the best wide receiver corps I've ever seen in college football, because as good as these kids are with Ruggs and Jeudy, when you watch 17, Waddle, who wasn't draft eligible, that dude is a freak. He can fly. DeVonta Smith, a lot of us were surprised he didn't come out. He's a burner. Four legit first-round players at the receiver position. Some of the production doesn't blow you away, but Ruggs only dropped one ball. A lot of times, when you get these speed guys, you get inconsistent hands. This kid's got great hands and he can fly. Now, he's not nearly as polished when you're talking about his teammate Jerry Jeudy as a route runner. I am willing to bet if you went and polled the 32 defensive coordinators in the NFL, gave them the video of the top three receivers, said which of these guys do you not want in your division, I would be willing to bet a lot of money that Henry Ruggs would get the most votes. That's the guy you do not want to face. That's why I believe it's not over who will be the first receiver. It's not a two-man race; it's a three-man race."

(On Jalen Reagor): "With Reagor, he's somebody, I think one of the things people are trying to find in this draft is your version of Tyreek Hill. He's not as fast as Tyreek Hill, but he's going to run in the 4.3s, and he can take the top off coverage. You can use him on the jet sweeps, get the ball to him in the flat and just let him go. He can play over the top. The knock on him, he's got a good number of drops. So he's got to clean that up."

(On Andrew Thomas): "Andrew Thomas, you mentioned the big left tackle, he's powerful, he's dominant in the run game. He can anchor in pass protection. He's very aware. He's just on the ground a little bit for me. That was concern, some of the balance issues. I know some teams would like him to kick over to the right side, but I definitely think he's a first-round tackle."

(On Isaiah Wilson): "Georgia has so many guys, all these linemen, Isaiah Wilson is intriguing because he's so big, 6'7", 340 pounds. He's a little bit stiff. But he's got a lot of ability and you kind of go all the way down through the list."

(On Cesar Ruiz): "With Ruiz, I think he reminds me a lot of Travis Frederick when he was coming out. He's just firm and strong. He's consistent each and every game. He plays with great awareness. He doesn't have -- he's not the quickest afoot, but he does a nice job of latching on and running his feet on contact. And he's good on combo blocks. To me he's a steady Eddie, high floor, know-exactly-what-you're-getting player who can get a chance to be a Pro Bowl caliber center. I'm a big fan of his."

(On Nick Harris): "When you look at some of the other guys from UW, Nick Harris, he's going to be a zone center. He's not -- he's 293, and it's almost an artificial 293. He's puffed up to get there. He's going to play lighter. But having been around Kelce with the Eagles and seeing him at a lighter weight just play at a very, very high level, that's what you're hoping you're getting with Nick. I think he's probably going to be a third or fourth round pick when it's all said and done. But just really quick first step, quick hands, great on combo blocks. You can pull him outside. He's really, really smart. Just when you get real heavy size over his nose, and we saw it at the Senior Bowl, he can get exposed a little bit. That's kind of the concern with him."
(On Chase Young): "I think when you watch the last few games of the season, you can see the benefit that he has for everybody else up front in just creating one-on-ones. He draws so much attention. And I feel like it's interesting because I've used the phrase "generational talent". When I say that, it's almost like people feel like it's a slap in the face to what Ohio State's done because when you look at the Bosa brothers and how good they are, he's in the group with those guys. I do want to clarify that. He's the best player in this draft class. I actually had a little bit higher grade on Nick coming out than Chase. I had a higher grade on Chase than Joey. Obviously Joey has been a perennial Pro Bowl player; he's outstanding. But he's one of those type guys. And the impact he has, not only is he -- he's going to win his one-on-ones when he gets them, but he's going to create so many double and triple teams his way it's going to be able to let the other guys eat a little bit."

(On AJ Epenesa): "Well, I think it's going to be big to just see him and see him move around and see him test. He's a skilled, skilled rusher. And you noted how well he played at the end of the season. I really didn't see bad tape on him. He just doesn't have -- he's not real real explosive when you watch him coming off the edge. He's big and powerful. He has great hands. He can flip his hips and finish. He's got a variety of hand moves. I just -- so the guy has a high floor. You're not going to miss on A.J. Epenesa. Now whether or not you're going to get a 14 sack guy or eight or nine sack guy, I think that's the debate. But he's going to be almost 6'6". He's going to be around 280 pounds. And talking to some folks that have been keeping an eye on him in the training process, I have a feeling with a 10 at least, he might show he has more burst and more explosiveness than you might think. If he does well there, I know he'll interview well. Everything I've heard from him from that standpoint is off the charts. So I think he's absolutely in the mix to be in the top half of the first round because he plays a premier position and he's a really good football player. I think he's a 1 -- I feel like he's a lock as a 1. And I think he's got a chance going through the process to find his way up into the top half of the first round."

(On Kenny Willekes): "And Willekes I had beneath those guys, more effort than twitch and explosiveness. He kills tight ends. Man, he loves to play over tight ends, does a great job against them, has a long arm. He can bull rush. But I just didn't see a ton of twitch or a ton of burst with him. Although, I'll give him credit. He did some good things down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. I have him there. "

(On Josh Uche): "When you watch Uche, first of all he just plays really hard. That's the first thing that jumps out to you when you study him. He's eight and a half sacks, stands up, plays on and off the ball. Just really the motor is what jumps out to you. You can use him as a looper. He's a finisher At 6-0-1-3 [phonetic], 241, you're, like, what do I do with this guy? Where do you play him? Can he play on the edge? I thought at the Senior Bowl, especially in the game, he was dominant in rushing. I know when you get in sub packages he can rush off the edge. And I think he's athletic enough that you could play off the ball on those early downs. So, I gave him a grade which kind of puts him in the third-round range. I think he's just a really good football player and I like kind of the edge that he plays with."

(On Derrick Brown): "Derrick Brown is -- to me, I have the same grade on Derrick Brown at his position as I do with Chase Young at his position. I think he's a phenomenal player. He's the closest thing, ironically, to Ndamukong Suh, who everybody in Detroit know so well. That's who he reminds me of when you watch him on college tape, so strong and powerful. He can really punch off blocks, separate, find the ball, make plays. He plays really hard. So he's outstanding. And when you plug him in there, you talk about immediate impact, he'll make an immediate impact on every single down as an interior player."

(Neville Gallimore): "Gallimore, he has a chance to get into the first round. I have him outside the first round. I have him at the second. But as I mention, he's going to test incredibly well and that will generate some buzz and potentially get him in that discussion. I did not think he played to the consistency of a first-round pick. But the upside and athleticism, again it's off the charts. So it's all there, the potential there for him to be a first-round pick."

(On Jeffrey Okudah): "And Okudah, look, he's somebody that can -- you're going to let him just press and just mug people at the line of scrimmage. He's so long and twitchy and fluid. He can find the ball. Everything I've heard about him from a character standpoint is off the charts. Some of the stuff you hear about him in the workouts, like jumping 40 inches and going to be less than 4 percent body fat, just like crazy stuff."

(On Jeff Gladney): "Jeff Gladney from TCU, kind of he's got some similarities to a Denzel Ward. Just undersized, real feisty. He plays off. He's real fluid, very aware. I've watched the Iowa State game, one of the games I flipped on with him, it was a war watching him go up against that wide receiver. He's another one in that range."

(On Trevon Diggs): "And another name I would just throw in the mix would be Diggs. We'll see what happens with Diggs from Alabama who has got some Aqib Talib-type skills. But the question is just pure deep speed. But real fluid. Obviously Stefon's brother there, the wide receiver with the Vikings. Former wide receiver, kickoff returner. Really skilled athlete. The question is just how is his deep speed and he's just okay as a tackler."

(On Noah Igbinoghene): "The one that I think is going to go in the second round that's fascinating to me is the corner from Auburn, Igbinoghene. I'm going to get that name right when we get to the Combine. I'm sure I just butchered it. But he's one that's really explosive. A former wide receiver. He was a track guy. They moved him to corner. Really, really ultra twitched up. But he struggles to play the football. And that to me is my concern. He doesn't have any interceptions. He's always in phase, in the right position. And especially in the LSU and Alabama games, he just struggled to find and play the ball. So I think he'll get drafted in the second round based off traits, but there's still some development to take place there."

(On Isaiah Simmons): "So with a guy like Isaiah Simmons, whether you want to list him as a linebacker or safety, I know you plug him into that defensive scheme and week by week you can deploy him in different ways depending on what the strength of your opponent is. That's why he has so much value. And putting these guys in little position boxes I think that's going to go away eventually. You're just going to see getting your athletes on the field and deploying them in different ways on a week-by-week basis."