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SI's Justin Melo joins the show to discuss his favorite performances from rookies so far this preseason.
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00:00Trader, Justin, what's up, dude? How are you?
00:03I'm doing well. You know, first preseason game in the books.
00:05I don't think people realize we're more than halfway through training camp.
00:09Only about 12 full days left of camp.
00:12So we're full steam ahead towards week one here in September.
00:15I can't wait.
00:16As dudes that have to do a radio show and a tent at training camp every day.
00:20I like hearing that, Justin.
00:23Dude, so I want to start with a piece you wrote for SI
00:25about the rookies who look good all across the league.
00:29I think you had 10 rookies that really stood out to you.
00:31Let's start with the number one overall pick.
00:34What did you see from Mendoza for the Raiders?
00:37I thought he was really good.
00:39I thought he was in control, you know, for the most part.
00:41He was 10 of 16, 97 passing yards and a touchdown.
00:45I think most importantly was he ran a variety of concepts
00:49and he executed them at a high level.
00:51You know, they ran some play action.
00:52He went through his progressions.
00:54You know, he was moving defenders with his eyes.
00:56I thought it was a really, really strong showing for a guy
00:59who's probably not going to start in week one, right?
01:02They've been pretty adamant that they want to protect him as long as they can.
01:06That's why they brought in Kirk Cousins, a starting caliber veteran quarterback
01:10who knows the head coach, you know, having played for Clint Kubiak in the past.
01:14He's like, it's going to be Cousins in week one.
01:16But I thought Mendoza looked ready.
01:18And whatever his number is called, you imagine it'll be at some point this year.
01:23Or don't think they're going to be in, you know, serious playoff contention with Cousins.
01:27Whenever they feel, you know, the pressure starts mounting
01:29and they've got to make a change.
01:31I think Mendoza looked like a quarterback who's ready to play this season.
01:36Let's keep it going then.
01:37A couple of receivers that stood out to you.
01:40Stribbling, the kid for the Niners, and Concepcion for the Browns.
01:45Yeah, you know, Stribbling was one, funny enough, first pick of the second round, right?
01:49Number 33 overall to San Francisco.
01:52They took some heat, you know, for that pick.
01:54A lot of folks thought they reached on him.
01:57Doesn't look that way so far.
01:59You know, it's obviously early, but, you know, the note coming out of camp
02:02and my good buddy Grant Cohn, who covers them down there for on SI.
02:06Stribbling's been very impressive.
02:08And you get to the preseason game where they played the Titans.
02:11Titans have their starting secondary out there.
02:13You know, two corners.
02:14They committed more than $100 million to in free agency in Elante Taylor and Cordell Flott.
02:20And Stribbling kind of dominated them.
02:22You know, seven catches on eight targets.
02:24He had 63 yards.
02:25A couple of those catches were big boy catches.
02:28You know, he had that one on the sideline where he got full extension.
02:31He was really impressive.
02:32And look at what's happening in San Fran down there.
02:35You know, losing Ricky Purcell for the season.
02:37Mike Evans, you know, probably getting the veteran treatment right now,
02:41sitting out these days.
02:43I know they brought in Devo, but they're going to need some guys to step up
02:46with the way the room is shaping up right now.
02:49And Stribbling looks totally capable.
02:51And Concexion, I mean, he just kind of looked the part, right, as advertised.
02:56He was really dynamic.
02:58He had 72 all-purpose yards for Cleveland.
03:00He scored a touchdown.
03:02As a runner, you know, they kind of gave him an end around carry.
03:05He got to the end of a really good contact bounce to finish that run.
03:08But he also thrives as a receiver, as a punt returner.
03:12That's what I saw from him at Texas A&M, right?
03:15Like, there's nothing he can't do.
03:16He's a breathtaking athlete.
03:18He's elusive.
03:19He's explosive.
03:20This is going to be a bad Cleveland team this year.
03:23I think we all know that.
03:24They're going to need some guys to generate explosives
03:27and create opportunities for themselves.
03:30And I think Concexion certainly looks like a guy who's capable of doing that
03:34for Todd Munkin this season.
03:36Of those guys that you saw that impressed you,
03:39which one do you think stood out the most?
03:42Ooh, out of those three receivers, if I was choosing one of those two,
03:47I had Jacoby Lane on the list as well out of Baltimore.
03:50That's why I say three.
03:52I'd probably go with Lane in all honesty because one of my good buddies,
03:59Jacoby Lane played at USC, and he's with the Ravens right now.
04:03This guy, Jameson Hensley, who covers the Ravens for ESPN,
04:09he noted the other day, 27 years he's been covering the Ravens.
04:14You don't think he's seen a rookie receiver have as good of a camp
04:17as Jacoby Lane is currently having.
04:19Like he is lighting it up out there, showing chemistry with Lamar Jackson,
04:24getting reps with the first-team offense, big receiver, big-bodied guy,
04:29you know, body control on the sideline, huge catch radius.
04:33He had three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.
04:37He's running away with the Ravens' wide receiver three job right now.
04:41Obviously, they've got, you know, some guys they trust,
04:43they've got flowers, Rashad Bateman, having just signed flowers to the extension.
04:47A couple of these guys have been here for years, but I think Lane is the wide receiver three,
04:52and he's got, you know, more of a red zone skill set than any other receiver on the roster.
04:57Watch out for Jacoby Lane, although it should be, you know, a pretty good Ravens offense this season.
05:02Dude, let's talk about the other first-round rookie quarterback.
05:06Ty Simpson kind of lit it up for the Rams.
05:08How real do you think that was?
05:11Yeah, he made my list, and, you know, how real was it?
05:14You've got to watch the tape because I think the numbers are maybe a bit better.
05:19He was 21 of 25 with 190 yards and two touchdowns.
05:23When you watch the tape, the beginning of that game, they had the training wheels on.
05:28You know, a lot of it was one-read completion.
05:31They were moving the pocket, bootlegs.
05:33It was very protective stuff.
05:35And then, interestingly enough, as the fourth quarter started, all of a sudden,
05:40it feels like they took the training wheels off.
05:42You know, it was full-field reads, going through progressions, navigating pressure.
05:48He was 8 of 10 in that fourth quarter with 99 yards and both of his touchdowns.
05:53I think that portion of it was the more encouraging part instead of the full, you know, 21 of 25
05:59picture.
06:00You definitely like what he did.
06:02And this guy's probably two years away from playing, right?
06:05Like Stafford, we know he's going to play this year.
06:08He signed the extension.
06:09That indicates, as of now, that he has designs on playing 2028.
06:13I think at his age, you know, everything's a day-to-day basis.
06:17But it certainly, you know, indicates Simpson's a couple of years away.
06:21Taking that into account, you love what you saw from him in this Sean McVay-coached offense.
06:27You know, it certainly is on the right track.
06:30And, again, watch that fourth quarter if you haven't.
06:33That's when he did the big boy quarterback stuff, and he passed that test with flying colors.
06:38Justin, Fernando Cormone is an offensive lineman, and most times I don't think most fans can see how those guys
06:44are actually playing.
06:45What stood out so much about him that made you put him on this list?
06:49Well, he made my list because, again, maybe I'm a bit more attentive.
06:53I cover the Titans.
06:54But what's interesting about his situation is when they drafted him, though, no one thought he had a chance to
07:00start as a rookie.
07:01You know, they were essentially telling you, we've got a competition going on at right guard.
07:06It wasn't the most exciting competition, right?
07:08It was between a veteran, you know, a guy who's been a bit lackluster throughout his career, Cordell Volson, and
07:15then a sophomore they drafted last year, Jackson Slater.
07:18Well, if camp has gone on, all of a sudden, you know, those guys haven't quite been living up.
07:23You know, I don't even want to say, I don't know that there's any billing.
07:26They haven't been receiving expectations.
07:28Kind of created this opening for Carmona, who comes in, all of a sudden seizes the opportunity, starts bringing some
07:35good practice together.
07:36Well, he ends up earning the start in the preseason game.
07:39They want to give him a chance.
07:41He was really good in the preseason game.
07:43In fact, I think it was a couple of those, you know, national guys tweeted clips from how well he
07:48played in that game.
07:49And now head coach Robert Sala comes out and said, admit he's the frontrunner for the right guard job.
07:55And he's going to start again in week two of the preseason.
07:59I tend to think this battle is over.
08:01And two months ago, it was a month ago, it was unfathomable to me.
08:05And now you ask me now, I say, I think it's over.
08:08I think Fernando Carmona is going to be their starting right guard.
08:11He was really good in that first preseason game.
08:14I always say grain of salt a little bit, but pro football focus grades.
08:18They had him graded out in the 80s and 82.4 overall and 83.9 in pass protection.
08:23Kajay Spears, one of their running backs, had a 25-yard run.
08:26You pull up the tape on that one.
08:28He came over to the left side, you know, as a pulling guard and pancaked the defender to the ground.
08:33It was a really strong showing for Fernando Carmona.
08:36He makes the flip because anytime you're a fifth-round player and you're going to be a week one starter,
08:41I think that's a pretty big deal and is a great debut for him in San Francisco.
08:45Talking with Justin Mello here on the Rude Guest Hotline.
08:49You can give him a follow at JustinM underscore NFL.
08:53Justin covers the Titans, covers the NFL Draft for Sports Illustrated.
08:56I want to talk about some of these rookie running backs you wrote about because, you know, especially for fantasy
09:01players, running back can obviously make a big impact.
09:04You've got a new backup in Vegas backing up Gente.
09:08You've got the young man that's going to probably back up Kenneth Walker with the Chiefs.
09:12How are some of these runners looking?
09:15Yeah, this is a stat that I keep coming back to when I talk about Mike Washington Jr. in Vegas.
09:20Last year, and this could be a tribute question 25 years from now, how do I know the Raiders were
09:26bad?
09:27What if I tell you their second leading rusher was 35-year-old quarterback Geno Smith who had 109 rushing
09:35yards?
09:35I mean, this team desperately needed a number two back behind Jinty.
09:40I think they've got one in Mike Washington who ran a 4-3-3 at the Combine, fastest time of
09:45any running back.
09:46Had 1,000 yards at Arkansas last season in the SEC.
09:49When he was really good in this preseason game, 63 yards on six carries.
09:54He had the longest run of any running back in week one of the preseason.
09:58He had a 53-yard explosive gain.
10:00And when you watch that play specifically, vision, burst, contact bounce, breakaway speed in the open field.
10:08Really impressive Mike Washington.
10:10I think he's the clear number two in Vegas.
10:12And I think something similar of Emmitt Johnson in Kansas City.
10:16He's got a bit more competition there.
10:19They've got a bit of a better running back room than the Raiders do.
10:22But here's an interesting thing about Kenneth Walker.
10:24I think a lot of casual fans maybe watched what he did in the Super Bowl and the playoff in
10:31general for Seattle.
10:32He was Super Bowl MVP.
10:34If you pay attention to the regular season, number one, he's been somewhat injury-prone throughout his career.
10:40And number two, these points kind of go hand in hand.
10:44And that's why, last year in Seattle, it was very much a timeshare during the regular season.
10:50They were trying to keep him healthy based on his past history.
10:54And they gave Zach Charbonnet a lot of runs during the regular season.
10:58When he finds a big deal in Kansas City, they would be smart to take a lesson from that.
11:03I don't know that he's a 25-touch-a-guy game, you know, based on his history and the injuries
11:08and stuff.
11:09There's some room there for a number two to get some run.
11:12And Emmitt Johnson, who I absolutely love throughout the pre-draft process,
11:16looked good in his preseason debut.
11:1859 rushing yards on 12 carries, averaged nearly 5 yards a carry.
11:22He also had 10 receiving yards.
11:24Really good, tough, physical, hard-nosed runner.
11:27Don't be surprised if Emmitt Johnson has a bit of a role for the Chiefs there behind Kenneth Walker this
11:31season.
11:33Let's zoom in to the team you cover every—
11:35Actually, dude, how did Robert Henry not make your Rookies Who Impress list?
11:41I don't know if you—
11:42Got a limit to 10.
11:43Okay.
11:44Yeah, got a limit to 10 at some point.
11:46So, unfortunately, he was someone who I considered.
11:50But I get it.
11:50You know, you have stuff coming from the commander's side.
11:52I totally get it.
11:53But I just thought, you know, based on roles, you know, Mike Washington having a 53-yard run,
11:59what Emmitt Johnson did in that game.
12:01And then you look at that commander's backfield.
12:03It was very impressive.
12:04You can, you know, say it was a different topic altogether.
12:06But look how crowded that backfield is in Washington.
12:10I don't know how notable that's actually going to end up being once we get to the regular season.
12:16Yeah, I think that's fair.
12:17All right, let's zoom out to the Titans.
12:18Obviously, you're covering them every day.
12:21Biggest question down there is, is Cam Ward taking a big step?
12:24How has he looked going into his second season, number one overall pick?
12:30Well, it's interesting because they've been pretty satisfied with what he's done at training camp.
12:34Learning a new offense, first-year coordinator in Brian Dable, they have felt that he's taken to it nicely.
12:41The relationship between play caller and quarterback is strong.
12:44They've implemented a lot of the things he likes executing into the offense.
12:48He's playing efficiently.
12:50He's going through his progressions.
12:52He's been more decisive at camp.
12:54None of that really translated to the first preseason game where he struggled, where he was 5 of 12,
13:00under 50% completion percentage, had a couple of misfires.
13:03He was inaccurate a little bit.
13:05Took a disastrous, intentional grounding penalty where he kind of backpedaled all the way into his own end zone
13:11and then couldn't get it back to the line of scrimmage.
13:13Looked like it could have been a fumble almost.
13:16When we watch the tape, here's the positive that might come from it.
13:20I've spoken to a couple of quarterback gurus.
13:23I've watched, you know, before my own opinions.
13:25He just looked kind of sped up to me.
13:27Almost everything that went wrong is because he was not even half a second less than that.
13:34Two-tenths of a second a little bit too quick in his process.
13:37Is that I'm trying to play fast.
13:39They want me to play fast.
13:41Is it excitement?
13:42You know, getting on the field for the first time against the opponent.
13:45Is it jitters?
13:46He hurt his shoulder in Week 18 last year.
13:48Didn't finish the season.
13:49I think a lot of things you could probably say could have accounted for why he was a bit sped
13:54up.
13:55The other positive is it's the kind of issue, if you're going to have an issue, that you want this
14:01time of year.
14:02A lot of offenses in August are dealing with timing issues, right?
14:06Yeah.
14:07You can work on that and get it to where it needs to be.
14:10Just take a bit of a deep breath, half a second, not even.
14:14Let the process play out.
14:15You're going to be just fine.
14:17What are they happy about?
14:18The following practice after that preseason game, he was 21-25 with five touchdowns.
14:24He was hard on himself, bounced back nicely, but certainly something that you're going to keep monitoring moving forward.
14:30Justin, were there any high draft pick rookies that you expected something out of and you didn't get it?
14:38Well, there are a couple right now.
14:40You know, I think I don't want to use injury as a cop-out, but you see Jeremiah Love now.
14:45I don't know why they played him as much as they did in that first preseason game.
14:49He was already reportedly to be banged up, and now he's dealing with a high ankle sprain.
14:54Carries a multi-week timetable.
14:56You look at Jordan Tyson, you know, number eight overall pick, New Orleans.
14:59That's the guy I was very cautious with throughout the pre-draft process due to the lengthy and concerning injury
15:06history.
15:07Well, now he's got a hamstring injury.
15:09They're saying it's probably going to be a multi-month thing.
15:12You know, I thought David Bailey, to answer the question, I thought was a bit up and down the number
15:17two overall pick for the New York Jets.
15:19I thought Sonny Stiles as well.
15:22You know, I think there was some, you know, you guys will know better than me out in Washington.
15:25There was some split opinions on how he played in week one in the preseason.
15:30So certainly, you've already got some injuries impacting the top ten, you know, to answer your question.
15:35And you also have a couple of guys who I think, you know, again, forgive them.
15:39They look like rookies in their first ever XFL game.
15:42I think Sonny Stiles, David Bailey, a couple of guys that might fit that description a little bit.
15:46What about Cornell Tate in Nashville?
15:50Zero catches in the game, certainly.
15:52But when you watch the tape, I thought he was getting open a little bit.
15:58And Cam Ward missed him on a really easy out route that should have been a completion.
16:02No doubt about it should have been completed.
16:05But again, that was one of the ones, that ref was a telltale one of, if he just takes a
16:10two-tenths of a second before he releases it,
16:13it's an easy completion out to the sideline.
16:15But he's been dominating Cam at practice, and he had three touchdowns the next day for Cam Ward in that
16:22bounce-back practice.
16:23But certainly, I don't think the, I mean, it's funny.
16:26The Titans' starting offense, first drive, 11-play, 95-yard scoring drive, ended in touchdown.
16:34But the kind of takeaway point has been the first-string offense did not look good enough.
16:39Was there room for improvement for Cornell Tate?
16:41Absolutely.
16:42A couple of those routes I thought he could have snapped off a bit quicker and gotten open.
16:45And I tend to think they had more of an offensive operation issue than they had a, heck, they even
16:53had more of a Cam Ward issue than they had a Carnell Tate issue.
16:57Very interesting.
16:58Last one from me.
16:59With the Titans, obviously, you've got Sala there running the show.
17:03But Brian Daybol is an excitable fella.
17:07How is the Daybol-Cam Ward vibe?
17:12It's good.
17:13It's good as of now.
17:14And listen, expectations were low when they're moving on from Brian Callahan and the disaster that they were last season.
17:21But so far, so good.
17:22You know, you hear Brian Daybol speak at the podium.
17:24It's funny.
17:25He still talks like a head coach.
17:26I think it's hard to get out of that mindset when you've been a head coach, you know, for sort
17:31of as long as he was with the Giants.
17:34People forget, or maybe not everyone, but the Giants, when Brian Daybol was the head coach,
17:39they tried like heck to trade up to number one overall for Cam Ward.
17:43Brian Daybol was infatuated with Cam Ward throughout the pre-draft process.
17:48You remember the Hard Knocks clip?
17:49It kind of went viral where before the Titans turned in the card to GM Joe Shane,
17:54he called the Titans GM Mike Borganti and made Hard Knocks as a bit of a joke where he said,
17:59just checking one last time with you.
18:01They really wanted to move up to number one.
18:04And it was because they believed in how much Brian Daybol believed in Cam Ward.
18:08Really interesting.
18:09And I think that played a role.
18:11Daybol had options this offseason.
18:13I think that played a role in why he came to Tennessee.
18:16Another thing might be that Robert Sala, by the way, has essentially said,
18:20he's got full autonomy on offense.
18:22You know, I'm checking in.
18:23I'm offering my feedback and pointers.
18:26What we're seeing on our side being the defensive side of the ball
18:29and how you can make things more difficult, more challenging for us.
18:32But at the end of the day, that offense belongs to Brian Daybol.
18:36And Cam Ward's development, it's firmly in Brian Daybol's hands.
18:40I think it's where both parties want to be.
18:42Cam Ward really liked him so far.
18:44And Brian Daybol wanted to coach Cam Ward for this last year and a half.
18:47So, so far, so good.
18:49But again, you know, regular season comes at you fast.
18:51We'll see how they look week one against the New York Chats.
18:54Absolutely.
18:55Hey, Justin, thank you very much for the time, dude.
18:57Appreciate it.
18:59Pleasure is mine.
19:00You gentlemen know where to find me.
19:01All right, bro.
19:02Thank you, man.
19:02Good stuff there from Justin Mello.
19:04Give him a follow at JustinM underscore NFL.
19:07Coming up at 145, we're giving away Dave Matthews band tickets.
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