April 19, 2025 • 16 mins
Did Saquon change the NFL landscape in a copycat league?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Fox Sports Weekends at noon with your host
Zach Harris. Thank you for tuning in. However you may
be tuning in whether it's on nine to eighty AM
or ninety five point nine FM or the free iHeart
Radio app. And if you are listening via the feet
free iHeartRadio app, hit that red talkback button. Feel free
to tune into the show and be a part of
(00:22):
the conversation by hitting that talkback button. If anything that
we discuss here on today's show or any other shows
and you want to get into the conversation but don't
want to call in, use that talkback button. But Happy Easter,
Happy four to twenty for those who celebrate. And you
know what b burnin the NFL GMS love in need
(00:47):
for a premiere running back. It seems like NFL teams
are finally realizing, yes, you can get a good running back,
but the difference between having a good running back on
your team and an elite running back on your team
could make all the difference. Now, I know. If you
take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs, they had
(01:09):
Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt there, But look at some
of the top free agents last year that moved from
one team to the next. Obviously, we got to start
off with the Super Bowl champion, Mister two K himself,
Saquon Barkley, who his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles
(01:32):
after moving on from the Giants, an elite running back,
played sixteen games, sat out the last game to get
rest that ultimately led to their Super Bowl win, their
Super Bowl run, their Super Bowl victory. Saquon played sixteen
games rushed for two thousand yards on a Super Bowl
(01:56):
winning team. Next, you gotta go with the King. Derrick
Henry was second in rushing. If there wasn't a Saquon
Barkley year, we would be talking about the same way
that we're talking about Derrick Henry. Seventeen games played one,
nine hundred and twenty one yards rushing, making the Baltimore
(02:20):
Ravens a Super Bowl contender, a Super Bowl contender. And
then one net doesn't get talked about enough that finished
top six in rushing, Josh Jacobs moving on from the
Raiders going to the Green Bay Packers, making them not
(02:42):
only a Playoff contender, but also a Super Bowl contender.
Seventeen games played one three and twenty nine rushing yards.
Now if I show you the list, you see names
like Saquon bar Barkley, Derrick Henry, b Jon Robinson, Jonathan Taylor,
(03:05):
jamiir Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Kyron Williams, Cuba Hubbard, Aaron Jones
is up there in the top ten, and then closing
out the top ten with Bucky Irving. So of those
ten guys, Saquon Barkley got paid, Derrick Henry got paid,
Bjeon Robinson you know, is gonna get paid, Jonathan Taylor
(03:25):
got paid, Jamier Gibbs gonna get paid, Josh Jacobs paid,
Kien Williams gonna get paid, Hubbard paid, Aaron Jones paid.
These guys mean as much to their team as anybody. Now.
(03:46):
You know, you could find some guys later in a draft,
such as a James Connor or a Tony Pollard or
ric o'dowell, But in most cases, even Joe Mixon, who
was a top fifteen rusher in the league that had
over a thousand yards, these guys, the premier guys, have
(04:10):
high impact on their team. And I think that's gonna
carry over to this year's NFL draft because the way
that mel Kiper and Field Yates have it is they
have two running backs going in the first round. Now,
I know you're saying two running backs. We're used to that.
(04:32):
That used to happen all the time back in the day.
This is a running back heavy class. If you go
down the list, obviously you have Ashton genty in omari
On Hampton. Those seem to be the top two guys,
(04:54):
which both are expected to go into first round. But
then you got the kick. It's the duo from Ohio State.
You have Caleb Johnson from Iowa and who could forget
a guy that blasted on the scenes during the college
football playoffs in cam Scatabo And I don't care what
(05:18):
you want to say about that kid. I don't care
that he's five ft ten, two hundred and nineteen pounds.
If we could find places for guys that like to
win and do whatever it takes to win, this is
the guy that you want. This is where we're going
to find a spot for him. I don't care where
(05:40):
he's drafted. That kid is going to play. That kid
will absolutely play. He will have a Darren Sproles type
of impact on a team. Maybe small in stature, but
he's got that will and perseverance to perform at a
higher level. And one guy that fell off that I
(06:01):
feel like not enough people are talking about, Dylan Samson.
Right there, I just listed seven guys, seven guys deep,
that are all premiere running backs in this year's draft,
and you're telling me in the first round there's going
to be two running backs taken, and I haven't even
(06:23):
gotten a guy like guys like DJ Giddens from Kansas State,
or Jordan James from Oregon, or a guy that I
feel like isn't talked about enough. Also a small stature
guy Etn's other half, Trevor Etn from Georgia, Jayden Blue
(06:44):
from Texas. The list goes on and on and on.
When it comes to the running backs. In my eyes,
you could sit back and wait for a guy to
fall to you. It's to the point where guys like
Donovan Edwards from Michigan, who had a very good career,
(07:12):
not a great career, but a very good career at
Michigan averaged rush roughly about five yards of carry. You
could get a guy like that probably in free agency
after the draft. Now, I'm not saying all these guys
are going to be elite running backs, but what I
(07:35):
am saying is that if you don't get an elite
running back like an Ashton Gentee or an Omari and
Hampton in the first round, don't feel pressed to draft
a running back in the first round because if it's
not those two guys, you have options. You have Trevion Henderson,
(07:58):
you have Judakins from Ohio. Say you have Caleb Johnson,
you have Camp Scataboo, you have Dylan Samson in the
list goes on. So don't feel the pressure to have
to draft or running back in the first round. But
if you do need a running back, like, let's take
a look, we're gonna go with the Denver Broncos. Let's
(08:22):
say Ashton genty for whatever reason, falls to twentieth in
the NFL Draft. I don't think that's gonna happen, but
never say never. If he falls to twentieth in the draft,
absolutely absolutely Denver Broncos will take him, and if not,
maybe they take Omari and Hampton. Because this team has
(08:44):
a quarterback in bo Nicks who looks and seems to
be that part really set the world on fire, especially
towards the end of the season. Do they need a
wide receiver, Yeah, maybe some offensive line help. Yeah, but
to help your young quarterback get a true number one
(09:05):
running back, I think that would be a high on
their list in the first round. And you've seen what
some of these teams did with the elite running backs.
You see what the Detroit Lions did with an elite
running back. You see what the Eagles in the Ravens
did with elite running backs. You take a look at
(09:29):
this top ten list. Eagles playoffs, Ravens playoffs, Falcons. We
won't get into Colts, we won't get into Jamier Gibbs playoffs,
super Bowl contenders, Josh Jacobs playoffs or the Green Bay
(09:50):
Packers rams Kyron Williams playoffs. We won't really touch Tuba Hubbart,
Aaron Jones right there playoffs, Buccaneers playoffs six. Seven of
these guys help were prime guys to help your team
make the playoffs. In a year in which running backs
(10:14):
run wild and deep in the NFL draft, I expect,
with the way the landscape happened last year with Saquon
Barkley going to Philadelphia, with Derrick Henry going too, the
Ravens to put more of a premium on running backs,
which coincides with how deep this draft is, and I
(10:36):
expect a lot of running backs to hear their names
called this year in the NFL draft now, also going
through this three round mock draft that's available on ESPN,
Field Yates and mel Kiper have three quarterbacks going in
the first round. So the way that they have it slated,
(10:59):
and you can go check with the mock draft on
ESPN yourself, but the way that they have is slated
is that number one overall. You guessed it, cam Warts
cam Ward. Sorry, not much has changed there to QB
from Miami. They have Shador Sanders falling number nine to
(11:20):
the New Orleans Saints. There's your two quarterbacks right there
now in a situation that I can very well see
because Jackson Dart seems to be shooting up people's draft boards.
If you can slide back in into the round or
the first round and get that fifth year option for
your first round quarterback, you absolutely will do it. So
(11:43):
in this aspect, Yeats and Kuiper have the Browns trading
to get the number twenty ninth pick from the Commanders,
in giving up some premium picks, but not nothing to
write home about. Giving up number thirty three, number sixty
seven overall for the twenty ninth pick in the first round,
(12:06):
in one hundred and twenty eighth pick. It makes a
lot of sense to have that ability to take another
swing at a quarterback because on this show, as you know,
the more swings at quarterbacks that you can take, the
more likely you're gonna hit on one. But with the
trade with the Washington Commanders, the twenty ninth overall pick,
(12:29):
the Cleveland Brown select Jackson dart to QB from Ole
Miss And honestly, look at the back end of this draft,
you especially the first round, you have the Bills, the Chiefs,
the Eagles, all very good rosters, very good rosters. Those
(12:51):
were the three Super Bowl contenders outside of the Detroit Lions.
Those were the three most talked about super Bowl contents.
Depending on how needy a team is, maybe the Giants
try to slide in with the Eagles, the Chiefs are
the Bills. Knowing that the Chiefs the Bills, and the Eagles, yeah,
(13:15):
they need a little bit of work done on their roster.
But to be able to trade out of that first
round and not have to pay a first round talent
and slide back a couple of picks maybe into the
second and third round and draft a couple more guys
that is going to help your Super Bowl caliber team. Meanwhile,
(13:36):
a team like the Giants, or maybe the Steelers come
back into the first round to pick a guy like
Tyler Shuk from Louisville, or maybe they fall in love
with Jalen Milro's athletic ability and think that if they
get them in their hands, they can turn them into
a quarterback. I'll be honest with you, if somebody set
(13:59):
the line for quarterbacks to be drafted in a first
round at three and a half, I sit here today
on Easter Sunday taking the under, taking the under but
expecting three quarterbacks to go in the first round in potentially,
(14:21):
depending on how the draft falls, one of these QB
needy teams potentially going back into the first round, because
it's a big thing to be able to have a young,
potential franchise quarterback, not saying these guys can be, but
potential franchise quarterback to have a five year option on,
(14:41):
fifth year option on. Ultimately, there's probably going to be
three quarterbacks taken in the first round, two running backs
taken in the first round. In a slate, a slate
of big boy I'm talking offensive defensive line trench guys
(15:06):
because the NFL is a copycat league. They see elite
running backs winning in this league. They see guys in
the trenches winning this league. I wouldn't be too surprised
if you see a lot of these teams in a
run on offensive guards and tackles early in this draft.
(15:30):
You already got guys like Will Campbell in Armen Membaboo
from Missouri. There are big time big players, Calvin Banks junior.
There's big guys in here. So on the offensive and
defensive side of the line, I expect a high rate
of those guys to go because, like I said, it's
a copycat league. You know games are won and lost
(15:52):
in the trenches. So outside of your two running backs
and three quarterbacks going in the first round, I expect
a high amount of trench guys to go in this
first round. We are just less than a week away
from the NFL Draft. Next weekend, we will talk all
(16:13):
about it. The first round, second round, third round, What happened,
who did right, who did wrong? We'll discuss that next weekend.
This is Fox Sports Weekends at noon with your host
Zach Harris. Thank you for tuning in. However you may
be tuning in whether it's on nine to eighty AM
or ninety five point nine FM or the free iHeart
Radio app. And if you are listening via the feet
free iHeartRadio app, hit that red talkback button. Feel free
to tune into the show and be a part of
(00:22):
the conversation by hitting that talkback button. If anything that
we discuss here on today's show or any other shows
and you want to get into the conversation but don't
want to call in, use that talkback button. But Happy Easter,
Happy four to twenty for those who celebrate. And you
know what b burnin the NFL GMS love in need
(00:47):
for a premiere running back. It seems like NFL teams
are finally realizing, yes, you can get a good running back,
but the difference between having a good running back on
your team and an elite running back on your team
could make all the difference. Now, I know. If you
take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs, they had
(01:09):
Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt there, But look at some
of the top free agents last year that moved from
one team to the next. Obviously, we got to start
off with the Super Bowl champion, Mister two K himself,
Saquon Barkley, who his first year with the Philadelphia Eagles
(01:32):
after moving on from the Giants, an elite running back,
played sixteen games, sat out the last game to get
rest that ultimately led to their Super Bowl win, their
Super Bowl run, their Super Bowl victory. Saquon played sixteen
games rushed for two thousand yards on a Super Bowl
(01:56):
winning team. Next, you gotta go with the King. Derrick
Henry was second in rushing. If there wasn't a Saquon
Barkley year, we would be talking about the same way
that we're talking about Derrick Henry. Seventeen games played one,
nine hundred and twenty one yards rushing, making the Baltimore
(02:20):
Ravens a Super Bowl contender, a Super Bowl contender. And
then one net doesn't get talked about enough that finished
top six in rushing, Josh Jacobs moving on from the
Raiders going to the Green Bay Packers, making them not
(02:42):
only a Playoff contender, but also a Super Bowl contender.
Seventeen games played one three and twenty nine rushing yards.
Now if I show you the list, you see names
like Saquon bar Barkley, Derrick Henry, b Jon Robinson, Jonathan Taylor,
(03:05):
jamiir Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Kyron Williams, Cuba Hubbard, Aaron Jones
is up there in the top ten, and then closing
out the top ten with Bucky Irving. So of those
ten guys, Saquon Barkley got paid, Derrick Henry got paid,
Bjeon Robinson you know, is gonna get paid, Jonathan Taylor
(03:25):
got paid, Jamier Gibbs gonna get paid, Josh Jacobs paid,
Kien Williams gonna get paid, Hubbard paid, Aaron Jones paid.
These guys mean as much to their team as anybody. Now.
(03:46):
You know, you could find some guys later in a draft,
such as a James Connor or a Tony Pollard or
ric o'dowell, But in most cases, even Joe Mixon, who
was a top fifteen rusher in the league that had
over a thousand yards, these guys, the premier guys, have
(04:10):
high impact on their team. And I think that's gonna
carry over to this year's NFL draft because the way
that mel Kiper and Field Yates have it is they
have two running backs going in the first round. Now,
I know you're saying two running backs. We're used to that.
(04:32):
That used to happen all the time back in the day.
This is a running back heavy class. If you go
down the list, obviously you have Ashton genty in omari
On Hampton. Those seem to be the top two guys,
(04:54):
which both are expected to go into first round. But
then you got the kick. It's the duo from Ohio State.
You have Caleb Johnson from Iowa and who could forget
a guy that blasted on the scenes during the college
football playoffs in cam Scatabo And I don't care what
(05:18):
you want to say about that kid. I don't care
that he's five ft ten, two hundred and nineteen pounds.
If we could find places for guys that like to
win and do whatever it takes to win, this is
the guy that you want. This is where we're going
to find a spot for him. I don't care where
(05:40):
he's drafted. That kid is going to play. That kid
will absolutely play. He will have a Darren Sproles type
of impact on a team. Maybe small in stature, but
he's got that will and perseverance to perform at a
higher level. And one guy that fell off that I
(06:01):
feel like not enough people are talking about, Dylan Samson.
Right there, I just listed seven guys, seven guys deep,
that are all premiere running backs in this year's draft,
and you're telling me in the first round there's going
to be two running backs taken, and I haven't even
(06:23):
gotten a guy like guys like DJ Giddens from Kansas State,
or Jordan James from Oregon, or a guy that I
feel like isn't talked about enough. Also a small stature
guy Etn's other half, Trevor Etn from Georgia, Jayden Blue
(06:44):
from Texas. The list goes on and on and on.
When it comes to the running backs. In my eyes,
you could sit back and wait for a guy to
fall to you. It's to the point where guys like
Donovan Edwards from Michigan, who had a very good career,
(07:12):
not a great career, but a very good career at
Michigan averaged rush roughly about five yards of carry. You
could get a guy like that probably in free agency
after the draft. Now, I'm not saying all these guys
are going to be elite running backs, but what I
(07:35):
am saying is that if you don't get an elite
running back like an Ashton Gentee or an Omari and
Hampton in the first round, don't feel pressed to draft
a running back in the first round because if it's
not those two guys, you have options. You have Trevion Henderson,
(07:58):
you have Judakins from Ohio. Say you have Caleb Johnson,
you have Camp Scataboo, you have Dylan Samson in the
list goes on. So don't feel the pressure to have
to draft or running back in the first round. But
if you do need a running back, like, let's take
a look, we're gonna go with the Denver Broncos. Let's
(08:22):
say Ashton genty for whatever reason, falls to twentieth in
the NFL Draft. I don't think that's gonna happen, but
never say never. If he falls to twentieth in the draft,
absolutely absolutely Denver Broncos will take him, and if not,
maybe they take Omari and Hampton. Because this team has
(08:44):
a quarterback in bo Nicks who looks and seems to
be that part really set the world on fire, especially
towards the end of the season. Do they need a
wide receiver, Yeah, maybe some offensive line help. Yeah, but
to help your young quarterback get a true number one
(09:05):
running back, I think that would be a high on
their list in the first round. And you've seen what
some of these teams did with the elite running backs.
You see what the Detroit Lions did with an elite
running back. You see what the Eagles in the Ravens
did with elite running backs. You take a look at
(09:29):
this top ten list. Eagles playoffs, Ravens playoffs, Falcons. We
won't get into Colts, we won't get into Jamier Gibbs playoffs,
super Bowl contenders, Josh Jacobs playoffs or the Green Bay
(09:50):
Packers rams Kyron Williams playoffs. We won't really touch Tuba Hubbart,
Aaron Jones right there playoffs, Buccaneers playoffs six. Seven of
these guys help were prime guys to help your team
make the playoffs. In a year in which running backs
(10:14):
run wild and deep in the NFL draft, I expect,
with the way the landscape happened last year with Saquon
Barkley going to Philadelphia, with Derrick Henry going too, the
Ravens to put more of a premium on running backs,
which coincides with how deep this draft is, and I
(10:36):
expect a lot of running backs to hear their names
called this year in the NFL draft now, also going
through this three round mock draft that's available on ESPN,
Field Yates and mel Kiper have three quarterbacks going in
the first round. So the way that they have it slated,
(10:59):
and you can go check with the mock draft on
ESPN yourself, but the way that they have is slated
is that number one overall. You guessed it, cam Warts
cam Ward. Sorry, not much has changed there to QB
from Miami. They have Shador Sanders falling number nine to
(11:20):
the New Orleans Saints. There's your two quarterbacks right there
now in a situation that I can very well see
because Jackson Dart seems to be shooting up people's draft boards.
If you can slide back in into the round or
the first round and get that fifth year option for
your first round quarterback, you absolutely will do it. So
(11:43):
in this aspect, Yeats and Kuiper have the Browns trading
to get the number twenty ninth pick from the Commanders,
in giving up some premium picks, but not nothing to
write home about. Giving up number thirty three, number sixty
seven overall for the twenty ninth pick in the first round,
(12:06):
in one hundred and twenty eighth pick. It makes a
lot of sense to have that ability to take another
swing at a quarterback because on this show, as you know,
the more swings at quarterbacks that you can take, the
more likely you're gonna hit on one. But with the
trade with the Washington Commanders, the twenty ninth overall pick,
(12:29):
the Cleveland Brown select Jackson dart to QB from Ole
Miss And honestly, look at the back end of this draft,
you especially the first round, you have the Bills, the Chiefs,
the Eagles, all very good rosters, very good rosters. Those
(12:51):
were the three Super Bowl contenders outside of the Detroit Lions.
Those were the three most talked about super Bowl contents.
Depending on how needy a team is, maybe the Giants
try to slide in with the Eagles, the Chiefs are
the Bills. Knowing that the Chiefs the Bills, and the Eagles, yeah,
(13:15):
they need a little bit of work done on their roster.
But to be able to trade out of that first
round and not have to pay a first round talent
and slide back a couple of picks maybe into the
second and third round and draft a couple more guys
that is going to help your Super Bowl caliber team. Meanwhile,
(13:36):
a team like the Giants, or maybe the Steelers come
back into the first round to pick a guy like
Tyler Shuk from Louisville, or maybe they fall in love
with Jalen Milro's athletic ability and think that if they
get them in their hands, they can turn them into
a quarterback. I'll be honest with you, if somebody set
(13:59):
the line for quarterbacks to be drafted in a first
round at three and a half, I sit here today
on Easter Sunday taking the under, taking the under but
expecting three quarterbacks to go in the first round in potentially,
(14:21):
depending on how the draft falls, one of these QB
needy teams potentially going back into the first round, because
it's a big thing to be able to have a young,
potential franchise quarterback, not saying these guys can be, but
potential franchise quarterback to have a five year option on,
(14:41):
fifth year option on. Ultimately, there's probably going to be
three quarterbacks taken in the first round, two running backs
taken in the first round. In a slate, a slate
of big boy I'm talking offensive defensive line trench guys
(15:06):
because the NFL is a copycat league. They see elite
running backs winning in this league. They see guys in
the trenches winning this league. I wouldn't be too surprised
if you see a lot of these teams in a
run on offensive guards and tackles early in this draft.
(15:30):
You already got guys like Will Campbell in Armen Membaboo
from Missouri. There are big time big players, Calvin Banks junior.
There's big guys in here. So on the offensive and
defensive side of the line, I expect a high rate
of those guys to go because, like I said, it's
a copycat league. You know games are won and lost
(15:52):
in the trenches. So outside of your two running backs
and three quarterbacks going in the first round, I expect
a high amount of trench guys to go in this
first round. We are just less than a week away
from the NFL Draft. Next weekend, we will talk all
(16:13):
about it. The first round, second round, third round, What happened,
who did right, who did wrong? We'll discuss that next weekend.
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