We are one week out from the 2022 NFL draft alongside Andrew Dribble. I'm Jason Gibbs. This is the best podcast available presented by a cross country mortgage. This week kicking off the podcast one week out with the best in the business when it comes to breaking down the NFL draft his latest addition.

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We are one week out. And yeah, there's some buzz. It's finally starting to pick up a little bit. You know, I think everybody was talking, but it was more background noise than anything else. I think with this draft. And now we're finally starting to get a little speed here and finally getting a little traction one week out from the NFL draft.

It feels like that's how it usually works. Like we spend so much time talking about the draft, talking about the draft, and it just feels like it's oh, it's a month away. It'll, you know, it'll be here eventually. We'll just talk about it. Then one day you wake up and it's so it's draft week, you know, it's just kind of sneaks up one you a little bit. But no, it's still still some prep we have to do to figure out how these pictures are going to play out.

You know, obviously that you have the Browns not having a first round pick, but then being well represented on day two.

Excuse me, playing a story of lines there. So, you know, it's going to be interesting.

And how much did it change your outlook for the Browns with when that pick got traded and not just this year's, but the next two years. How did it change your forecast for the team?

Certainly, when you don't have a first round pick, you know, we were penciling in wide receiver there at 13 for for the Browns as, you know, maybe the most likely scenario and then they add a Mario Cooper.

And then you think, okay, well, maybe they would go past russure there. Maybe you introduced a defensive line, but then when the trade is made, no first round pick, then, you know, you start your mind shifts towards, okay, Texans now two first round picks.

The Browns are not picking until that mid second round, you know, what, what's their philosophy going to be as you just kind of sit there and wait to see who falls to you, would they get aggressive with, you know, those two third rounders, maybe move up a little bit in the second round to ensure that they get their guy that they want.

The Browns are in an interesting spot this year as they attack the draft still have, you know, picks to be made where you expect to get starters, but not having that first rounder, but you know what, if you're not going to have a first round pick, this is maybe the year not to have one, this is a very thin upper class of prospects this year, but a robust middle class and I think you feel good about the players that are still going to be on the board for you in the mid second round.

So, you know, if you're not going to have a first round pick, maybe this is a year to do it now, we'll have to see future years how that affects this team, you know, each draft has its own identity, so at this time next year when we're talking about the draft and how things are going to play out, it might be a different story, we'll just have to see how, how all that comes together, but this year, especially having the multiple day to picks, I think the Browns still have options here with how they want to attack things.

I know that you've had some interactions with NFL front offices and done been a part of them and whatnot, have you been in a situation like this before where the team doesn't have a first round pick and does it really change the team's philosophy as they're looking at drafts and how the draft may fall to them on day two, not necessarily day one.

I think at different levels it's it'll be different you know like the scouts nothing's different you're still doing your work you're still you know you're not it's not like you're you stop doing work on first round players you're still doing your due diligence of all of these guys so from a scouting perspective from you know the area scouts national scouts that you know that that's still the same now you know from the upper.

You know some of the key decision makers general manager some of the directors, maybe there's a little bit of a difference in just in how you your approach to the draft, but you know teams are still doing walk drafts in terms of just trying to best understand how that first round is going to play out so they have a better understanding of okay maybe these are the five to 10 players in the Browns case, especially.

Five to 10 players that we really need to focus on you know if this guy reaches this point maybe we make a phone call you know if this this player that we have graded as you know a high second round pick if he's available here that that's something that will change our thinking a little bit so it does change your approach not having that first round pick obviously.

But in terms of the key decision makers they just there's a lot more options if you're sitting there at 13 you're you know you you have your draft board you're going to get one of your 13 best players on your draft board you're also you know doing groundwork for potential trades but when you're picking mid-second round and that's your first pick that you there's a lot more options that could happen a lot more different scenarios that you can see play out and so I think you have to just do it maybe a little bit more.

You know preparation with that being your first pick and making sure that you know you're you're getting a good player especially with it being your first pick and you're only picking the first two rounds.

There's two positions that Browns fans have kind of latched onto with the second round pick and it's between basically wide receiver and somewhere on the defensive line is this a good year to need those positions when when you're starting picking in the second round.

Ed rusher is special this by far Ed rusher is is by far the best position this year and you know it's it's kind of a broad thing to say it's the best position because you can be talking about you know blue chippers the top guys you can talk about you know future starters or just overall depth throughout the draft.

But I think Ed rusher is the answer for all three of those you were going to see three of the three Ed rusher's go off the board very quickly with eight and a hundred said cave on tibito and trvon walker probably through germane johnson there as well chance to be a top 10 pick the starters at the position that come out of this group is going to be a long list and it's a position where even into day three fourth fifth round I think you're going to feel good about some of the past rushers that are going to be available for you so with the browns picking we have three picks on day two

we I think it's a fair assumption that one of those is going to be a past rusher and I think they're going to feel pretty good about the options that they're going to have at that point the draft wide receiver I think is a little more top heavy where we're going to see a lot of these guys go early they're going to fly off the board in the first round.

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