Speak now. Get your thoughts in now on draft day, because after today
and after this weekend a little bit different, it's going to hit a little
bit different. As So, we are here, it is NFL Draft twenty
twenty four. Detroit is on the clock. I'm Dennis fifth in in for
Matt Shepherd. BZ is here, ben Zos producing. It's EXAs and Bros.
The Michigan Sports Network. Look, we've got an open line available for
you, and we're talking about the draft. That's what's on tap. If
you have a lion's prediction, or if you have a thought on who they
will draft, what you don't want to happen. Those are the questions that
I have for you to jump on in. If there's something else regarding the
draft that you want to go to anywhere, I'm open for what you have
out there. And if it's even something not draft, go ahead, grab
a line eight six six eight three eight four eight four three. That's the
buyer hotline eight sixty six eight three eight forty eight forty three. We have
some text we're gonna get to in a moment. You can get involved there
by texting sports Radio to twenty one thousand, Sports Radio to twenty one thousand.
That's easy enough. Who will the Lions draft? Your prediction? What
don't you want to happen? What don't you want to see happen? Now?
I think the Lions are going to end up. My prediction with Iowa
was Cooper Dejen You're gonna have to fall little bit or the Lions are going
to have to move up a little bit. Either could happen. Brad Holmes
moved back last year. He moved up the year before I could see it.
He's in my sights. He's versatile, He's a chess piece, draft
lingo, and that's why I want to see now. Yesterday we were asking
for predictions and who the people wanted to see, and a lot of defensive
ends. The two Robinson's chop from Penn State had a few different votes,
a lot to the defensive end from UCLA. Mike Saine was still who wore
number zero at Michigan the c converted nickel. He would also fall under the
category as a chess piece. Those were some of the predictions. And as
far as what you don't want to see happen, like, I don't want
to see JJ McCarthy go to the Minnesota Vikings. This draft has the most
intrigue of any draft ever because of the quarterbacks. And it does go back
to nineteen eighty three where you had the Hall of famers Elway, Kelly and
Marino, and then you had the buss of Blackledge, Esen was Ken O'Brien
the Jets selection in there, and you think about the memorable drafts over the
years. Just taking a step back just a few years ago, Trevor Lawrence
was supposed to be the most sure thing since Andrew Luck and he's been.
He's been all right, but it's not like he's a sure thing right now.
Zach Wilson an absolute bust, you know, Broncos now, so's the
number three pick of the twenty twenty one draft, Trey Lance. So the
first three quarterbacks that came off the board, we're all like, whooh,
Wilson and Trey Lance. You could put those guys down. If we were
a run on the biggest bus of all time, you could just lead off
with those guys. And oh yeah, Justin Fields was selected in the top
ten and Mac Jones, who's no longer, No, these guys are with
their teams anymore. Mac Jones isn't around Fields is in Pittsburgh, Lance is
in Dallas, and Wilson is with the Broncos. Show you how sure of
the thing when you talk about these qbs, these teams are gonna reach for
them. They're gonna do it tonight. I was always fascinated by the twenty
eighteen draft where you had, let's see five quarterbacks go. But I did
not think Baker Mayfield. That would not have been my pick, but he
was to pick. But I have to admit it. My pick would have
been Sam Darnald. And even worse, I thought that Josh Rosen. If
Darnald was selected, I would have picked Josh Rosen. Those guys were bus
Now. Josh Allen, who played at Wyoming, I didn't have a feel
for him, strong armed quarterback out of Wyoming. Who watched him? I
watched Dan Orlovski, who wasn't with ESPN yet, and dan Orlovski was adamant
that Josh Allen just couldn't read a defense, that Josh Allen couldn't walk and
chew gum at the same time that this guy and he had all of the
videos that he was putting out there, And I thought if Daniel Orlovsky knows
anything, he played in the league. Whatever, I'm going to ride with
Dan Orlovsky on this one. Josh Allen will be a bust. And then
everyone bypassed Lamar Jackson who fell to thirty two, And look at that is
a two time MVP. Though. Those are how things they're working. And
as I look at this draft from Williams to Daniels and May, I think
Drake May has the highest bus potentials. We take a look at it and
these first two qbs. I feel more comfortable with Jaden Daniels being with the
Commanders. It's just a nice fit. If I'm the Washington Commanders, that's
an easy pick for me. Boom. The Bears, I think have already
screwed this up, and the Bears historically screw things up. The Bears don't
know what they're doing with quarterbacks. You had I had Jim McMahon for a
year or two. Who else have the Bears ever had under center? I
oh, Sid Luckman. I knew the Chicago Bears screwed it up when and
I think every NFL draft analyst has screwed this up when they were like,
oh, yeah, you just got to get rid of fields. If you're
gonna take Caleb Williams. Now, I don't know if the Bears went to
Caleb Williams and said, hey, Caleb, we're gonna give you the moon
and stars. You're our guy, we love you. Here's our plan.
We're going to use the Patrick Mahomes plan. Patrick Mahomes went to the Chiefs
when they had Alex Smith and they sat him for a year, and then
Patrick Mahomes took over and Mahomes was good with that. It was a first
round pick, Alex Smith, a former number one pick, and it worked
out fabulously. Smith helped Mahomes. The rest is history. Let's go with
a proof in blueprint. We'll let you compete with justin Fields, but we
are we want you to be open to the idea that you might not start
the season, that you could if you win the job out right, but
also you could sit for an entire year. That's not the worst thing in
the world. Now, I don't know if Williams camp who I take a
shot at saying they didn't like that. You know that the dad who knows
wanted a piece of the franchise that he was going to already, So maybe
they were like, we want everybody to paint your their fingernails pink, and
we want to start from the get go. So I already don't like what's
going on with Chicago and Fields to give him away for nothing, essentially they
did by getting just a sixth round conditional pick for him. That's like one
of the stupidest moves I've ever seen, and I have I have, I'd
heard one of these analysts. They were all like, oh, yeah,
you gotta get rid of him. You can't have two alphas, Yes you
can. Sorry, you just had it play out in Kansas City like that.
The Fields was going to be a sour puss. Then you know what,
benches ass and fine, but I tell Fields, go out there.
You can make it with Chicago. Take us to the playoffs in year one.
We're we're getting a first or second round pick for you. So they've
already botched it. That's just the Chicago Bears. Hey, look, they're
in the Lion's division. So good as we talk about the NFL draft with
you, eight six six eight three, eight forty eight forty three, that's
the number to join us and enjoy hearing from you. We're getting some of
those texts will read those coming up straight ahead. You can join us by
texting Sports Radio to twenty one thousand. I'm Dennis Fithian on Access and bros.
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ind for Matt Shepherd checking your call this NFL Draft Day twenty twenty four in
Detroit. Yes, we have made it. We are here, we are
talking about it with you at eight six six eight three eight forty eight forty
three. That's the Meyer hotline eight sixty six eight three eight forty eight forty
three. We're looking for your allons prediction on what they will do, what
you don't want to see happen in this draft tonight, anything else that you
want to look at. You can also use the text text sports Radio to
twenty one thousand, Sports Radio to twenty one thousand. That is the way
you get it done. Ben Zos is the producer. He is looking at
the text. What's going to feel for where the people are at? Via
text? Ben Yeah, this one says Dennis, speaking of sitting QBS.
What are your thoughts on Hooker in his future with the Lions. Well,
we don't know about Hooker, do we. Ben We know that he can
really fire it down the field, but we haven't seen him. He had
the knee injury and we don't know. I don't know if the Lions have
a feel for him, with him just rehabbing, coming back from injury and
so thinking about that he could be the heir of parent to Jared Goff.
I don't know if they know what they have with Hooker right now. So
I gotta see him. We gotta see something nice prospect. Is there a
chance that he could take over for Jared Goff? And there is, but
I would say it's a small chance, but that will we'll know a little
bit. Can we see him in the exhibition season to see, you know,
if he looks like that player that he was at Tennessee. Got a
great arm, can move around a lot of ice. Think fell in the
draft a little bit because of the injury concerns, but you know, so
you're not ruling him out. I just look at him as you know,
kind of a wild card that you know, how many times are you're gonna
be able to get a guy like that where you think about he could be
a starting quarterback in the NFL. Not too often, but hey, because
Brad Holmes picked him, you feel like, oh, maybe they're in with
a chance there. But yeah, this thing, you know, going back
bench. Just for a second, I asked for the first hour, just
where the Lions playoff window is at? It is at? It is open
with Jared Goff as their quarterback golf at twenty nine years old, I would
say for five years. I think Jared Goff is going to be the Lions
quarterback at least for the next two or three years. He'll get his deal
for five years and hopefully it is five years that means he's playing well.
But two or three years and then if Holmes could continue to do what he's
doing, I'd say, work magic. But magic is one year, two
years, you say, okay, well, you know there's three years.
Is a trend, He's a trend. It's a trend at Holmes being good
at drafting and trading and working the draft. So as long as Holmes continues
to draft well and golf over the next two or three years, and we'll
see on hooker. You got you got a shot with him, but I
got to see him out there to get a feel for what he looks like
in the Honolulu Blue and Silver. Any other texx Yeah, this one says
I want Mike Sainer still with pick twenty nine, infuse some more Michigan into
the lineup. He's a hard worker and will do whatever for the team.
Well. He is an outstanding player and he was a great player for Michigan
in that he moves over from wide receiver and immediately was an impact on Michigan's
defense as a nickel, and that doesn't happen very often. You'd think,
hey, technique wise, you know it's gonna take him now. It wasn't.
He hit the ground running on the defensive side, and then in his
senior year he took off and was even better. And Saint Risto is one
of those guys any team is going to like having him in their lineup because
of how he plays the game and how you quantify being a playmaker. You
make big plays at big He did it all throughout his Michigan career, especially
in the championship season a year ago. Saint Rosto always coming up with a
pick a big pick and a return for a touchdown, a fumble return.
He's a good tackler. Lions could do worse than taking Saint Rastill at twenty
nine. He's gonna be there. He's one of those guys you think about,
Oh, if he's in the second a team's gonna get a real nice
player if they take him in the second round, first round, it seems
to be he's good. Is there a good enough player to be in the
first round at the end of the first round, And that might be where
Brad Holmes thinks about, let me get a couple other picks and drop back
five. If he's got six players that he's looking at and saying, I
like any of those, and I could see sand Restoll being in like one
of those. You're sitting there at twenty nine, You've got a list of
ten guys that you're like, we like any of these guys at twenty nine.
That's where Holmes might pick up the phone. If it's not ringing.
Of course, if it's ringing, he's gonna say, come on up.
If it's not ringing, he might call and say, hey, you want
to come up here. Let's say bo Nicks is still in the mix.
Brad Holmes might tell a team, hey, you get an extra year out
of him because the first round pick. Maybe you want to come up here
to twenty nine. However, it coach, I only got that ten minutes
to move and shake. I'm always good with some texts. A Hooker text
and a sinra Still text. I'm looking at Twitter and here is a tweet
from FTP that's Freddy the Pizza Man. He texts six things he wants to
see left in this decade. So he's not talking about the draft in particular,
but he's got six things that he wants to see left in this decade.
So we're twenty twenty four before twenty thirty. Oh seems wild? All
right. Here's what he says. He wants to see happen. Lions win
two Super Bowls. Yeah, I'm focusing in on one. I haven't thought
about multiple, but okay, things to happen. He's just declaring it.
That would be great. He wants to see the Tigers win a World Series.
It's been forty years. Okay, I'm with you on that. Who
wants to see the Red Wings when a Stanley Cup? I'm ready for just
the Red Wings to get into the playoffs, playoffs, Cabrera to get into
the Hall of Fame. Well, he retired last year, first battlet Hall
of Famer. I think that gets done. He wants to see sweet Lou
Whitaker get into the Hall of Fame. That could happen. Get the Veterans
Committee, looking at the analytics, looking at the war and he sticks out
like a sore thumb. It a good way that he's not in. Piston's
win forty two games. So a little comedy in there from the pizza man.
You know, I was thinking about it was earlier. It was Kagan
who called in from Kzu and Kagan said, I was thinking, who's got
it better than Kagan? Kagan is like, started off his call, I'm
heading down to the draft, so already I'm thinking that nobody's got it better
than this guy. And then he's talking about he was going with a bachelor
party to the draft. What a plan that is? My mind started racing
party bus draft Thursday, Friday, Saturday in Detroit. Now it just reminded
me because I looked at this tweet about the Red Wings winning a Stanley Cup.
Over the next six years. If the Red Wings we all wanted to
see them get into the playoffs this year. Just think about this weekend.
The Tigers are off tonight, but they are in action hosting the Royals about
tomorrow and Saturday. So if you had the party bus for the bachelor party,
you had a room downtown, you had the Red Wings in a playoff
game, you had the Tigers playing. I mean, like this really could
have been. Now I go get the Red Wings, aren't it so?
I mean that's just a dream scenario that did not happen. The Tigers are
there, they're about five hundred, The draft is going on. You might
have that party bus, you might have that hotel room. Can you have
it at the casino? You know? One time I had a friend who
got bumped up to the top floor at one of the casinos, and this
was something straight out of the hangover. I went up to see them on
the elevator. You have to have the VIP and the guy where but it
was right out of the hangover. I can't whoever's in that suite for these
next three days. They did some planning or just have unlimited funds. Maybe
both. That's the way to do it. Nobody's got it better than that
guy top floor, hangover suite at one of the casinos for three days.
Maybe some Tiger tickets in the back pocket for Saturday. Let's go to the
phones at eight sixty six, eight three, eight forty eight forty three.
Here is a Freddy in Melvindale here on Axes and Bros. Is that right,
Freddy? Yes? Full disclosure, I miss typed. It should have
been twenty four wins, not forty two wins. Hey, that's actually And
when they trade for Joel Embiid or Devin Hooker after these playoffs, after the
Suns or Sixers get swept and the Pistons land that number one pick in the
lottery, you might change your mind. Well, I'll tell you, Denis,
that wasn't a point in my call. But I like your Joe mb
Idea. I actually was thinking about that the other a couple of weeks ago,
kind of just watching the basketball game. I said, you know what,
I'm not sure they're tired of him in Philly. They're gonna start throwing
snowballs at him pretty soon. So I said, why not bring him to
Detroit and see what could happen? Who knows? I mean, hey,
listen, I'm the guy I'm the guy that was calling the old host.
Here go get John Moran's. You know you think members don't want to keep
him. I will take a chance with John Moran's. I mean the guys,
the guys to start, they need a star. You never know.
I don't know, but Freddy, I'll take a chance if those guys have
committed. If they've committed, Like, if you talk to John Moran,
he's like, yeah, I want to put all this behind me. I'm
not waving any guns. I'm walking the straight and narrow. If im Bead's
like, yeah, I know the health situation, I've got to lose weight.
I mean, those are the starters for even thinking about, you know,
putting together some treasure trove to then take the gamble with those guys.
Yeah, what else? What else are you looking at? So I want
to talk about Jered Goff the NFL draft, but you know you, I
want to bring up a couple of draft stories. You you brought up the
eighty three drafts. I don't know if you're read my touch, but I
mean we're old enough to remember. Only the Lions. You have to fall
back in the first round, and it happened in nineteen eighty three for guys
that are now old enough and gals. They drafted James Jones, a fallback
over Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, only to Detroit Life. I couldn't do
something like that, right, James Jones out of Florida. I think,
right, that's the that's Ben's that's Ben's team. Absolutely, and then him
and Billie Simmons was supposed to be a combo for many years. And then
Billy Simms got hurt the next year, and that was my other draft story.
Monday, I was with Lomas Brown and I sat with him. I
looked at him. I said, Lomas, you know you've become an icon
in this town. You've been here since eighty five. I said, have
you ever sat down and realized that the only reason your here is because Billy
Simms got hurts? And again, Dennis, you and I are enough to
remember Billy Simms in Minnesota when he got hurt, they won like three games
the rest of the year. If it wasn't for Billy Simms getting hurt,
Lomas Brown wouldn't have been a Lion. He would them be picked that six.
The Lions might would have been picking fifteenth. And look and look at
Lomas bro He's an icon in this towndouts. It's just it's just crazy how
things worked out, you know, with the draft and you just never know.
Now we're into the draft here and you know, full disclosure. I
like Jared Goff. I think he's a good dude. I think he needs
and personally, I think he needs thicker skin. If you're really look into
his interviews, he seems to dwell on the negative a lot what people are
saying, what they're not saying. I've noticed that about him. But I
think he's a good dude. I think he's a pretty good quarterback. But
you know, I think it's time to shoot for the stars for a quarterback
in this town and with Jared Goff. You know, do you think do
you think that the Lions have I mean non brit Holmes, Dan Campbell Hall.
Do you think they've approached him or ready and they know what he wants
or they have asked him Dalton, let's not sign the contract yet, because
Pig twenty nine to be a team wanting a quarterback that slips and we can
get the trade value for that. You think that could be happening behind the
scenes. Well, I know that they have at least approached it, and
like you and I could sit around and just look at the numbers of what
Mahomes has and look at other the top five quarterbacks, and we could come
up with whether he wants forty five or fifty and a five year deal with
the guaranteed money, and we could get pretty close to being in the ballpark,
Freddy. But whether he has rabbit ears or whether the you know,
Homes and Campbell or are talking a little bit too much about you know,
the past and you know, getting at the media or the fans or anything
else. Uh, the biggest thing is that these guys go out and continue
to do what they've been doing, and that is picking quality players in the
draft. And then you know golf, you know you're gonna get interviewed and
you're going to like everything is under the microscope. So every single thing that
you say, I don't want them to be bland. I don't want them
to just be like we're just taking this one game at a time. We'd
love the fact I want a little bit of the personality. So I don't
agree with where you're at there that he's got a little bit too much rabbit
ears and everything else, like say some things his play is what is going
to be important to me, not not all the other stuff. You can
say things that could be crazy. It's the same thing with Holmes. I
mean if he would have asked me when he was going up to the podium,
like you know, pulling out the receipts and talking about the media,
I would say, look a rule of thumb, Brad. You know you're
doing a great job in the draft, but let all those media members do
whatever they want. You don't even know what they're trying to do with whether
it's getting calls or whether you know, their approach is just gonna be negative
because they've been that way and that's their job. Leave those guys alone.
Roll a thumb, don't, you know, stay away from the media that
way. But you know, hey, these guys are human and and you
know Holmes has probably listened too much talk shows and reading too many uh you
know, Detroit papers if he's over there, fire and you know, back
and stuff like that. So I don't think they need to do that,
just like I dont think Dan Campbell freddie when he was like, hey,
if you're not riding with us, we don't want you. It's like,
yeah, hey, I get you, but you know, don't don't you
know, don't talk to the fans like that. I don't know, but
hey, I don't. I don't think that should. I don't think that
stuff should come out after you finally win the division and you went a playoff
game or two. I didn't guess stuff should come out before. But anyways,
I listened. I root for the team. And if Jared Goff is
a winning quarterback for the Super Bowl, that's great. I'm pulling for him.
Is a good dude. I just think they can do better at quarterback.
I just think, uh I look, I go back to the Green
Bay Packers. They always draft the quarterbacks. They always getting better. I'm
only the Kansas City Chiefs, you know, the New England Patriots. They're
always drafted quarterbacks. And and when you lose the best one, now you
can't win. And uh, I you know, listen, I whatever happens
today, I think it's gonna be I think it's gonna be a good thing.
It's a good thing for Detroit. I think the Lions are gonna put
those outs in a really good position. The draft the best available, the
guy's gonna help them for the next six, seven, eight, nine years
and uh whoever they may be, I'm looking forward to it. Then it's
gonna be a fun your point, I think we agree on that part.
Like they've been close to sixty Super Bowls and we look all the winners.
There's only so many, uh Trent Dilfers that that you have. You know,
quarterbacks where you surround you have the team and you surround the quarterback.
It's mostly the hull all the fame qbs, the premium qbs. That's a
lot easier. Now that's also easier said than done. Oh, the Lions
don't have one of those guys. So they're going the route of the of
the Dilfer where they're not going to have the Joe Flacco route, the Ravens
route, put everything around them and do it. That's more difficult than having
the Patrick Mahomes Joe Montana type situations where you get the quarterback and you can
get it done that way. Good call. I want to hear more from
you. Coming up next, we will talk with Matt Derry. I'm locked
on Lions. Get his thoughts on what the Lions are going to do today
and about golf and about those extensions and the window. We'll do all of
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