The Ryen Russillo Podcast
A CFB View of This NFL Draft With Bruce Feldman. Plus, How Dangerous Are the TWolves, With Jon Krawczynski.
Thu, 03 Apr 2025
Russillo is joined by Bruce Feldman to dig more into his latest mock draft including Cam Ward going first overall, where Shedeur Sanders will land, and which front office seems to be the most dialed in (1:23). Then, it’s another edition of Tales From the Couch to break down OKC’s win over Detroit (44:33), before Jon Krawczynski comes on to share his perspective on how Minnesota can build on its double overtime win on Wednesday night (1:02:14). Plus, Life Advice with Ceruti and Kyle (1:24:32)! Help me fix a work hygiene nightmare! Check us out on YouTube for exclusive clips, livestreams, and more at https://www.youtube.com/@RyenRussilloPodcast. The Ringer is committed to responsible gaming. Please visit www.rg-help.com to learn more about the resources and helplines available. Host: Ryen Russillo Guests: Bruce Feldman and Jon Krawczynski Producers: Steve Ceruti, Kyle Crichton, Mike Wargon, and Jonathan Frias Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are Bruce Feldman's insights on the top NFL draft prospects?
Maybe, you know, the ceiling floor and some of the other stuff that we've seen. But let's just start at the top. The perspective that you have on Cam Ward, knowing he's had a few stops in college and the coaches that have gone up against him and a guy that, you know, maybe in other years isn't the number one pick, but he's a quarterback. He's the best of this group.
And everybody seems to have them penciled into the Titans.
Yeah, he is, from the people I've talked to, a notch ahead of Shador or anybody else in this draft. The coaches I've talked to don't think it's actually close. And some of the guys have played both. And also, you've got to remember, both guys were in the Pac-12 a year ago when you had a cluster of first-round quarterbacks, Caleb Williams.
Some of those guys played Jaden Daniels before because he was at Arizona State. Obviously, Penix, Bo Nix, not Drake May, but everybody else. And the guys I talked to thought... Cam Ward probably wouldn't be, would be maybe a slight step below some of those guys from last year, but they think he's clearly the best one out there right now.
And what they love about him is his competitiveness, his playmaking ability. His arm talent is better than Shador's. It comes out fast. He can do it from, you know, basically in the RPO game. The challenge with him is he makes a lot of backyard football plays. And a lot of it comes with being really reckless with the football. And he got better at that.
And then he was earlier in his career, but there's still a lot of concerns. You know, one of the coaches I talked to in the ACC was like, there was a bunch of interceptions that were dropped last year that, you know, bad decisions that he keeps making the Miami's coaches kind of leaned into, Hey, we're not going to try to change you. We want you to play a little smarter, but they weren't,
you know, really trying to coach everything out of them. The other thing you would hear a little bit is there's kind of a nonchalant style about him. You know, there are some times you watch him in the Florida game at the start of the year where they blew the Gators off the field in the swamp. And there's a play where he's kind of running out of bounds.
And if you're watching it, you're thinking, Oh, Was a whistle blown dead? Why is he just like casually jogging towards the sideline? And you talk to some of the Miami coaches are like, I think he was trying to draw like a late hit penalty. If he could get it on the Gators, he's just, I think his wiring is a little different. Everybody at Miami raves about his, uh,
uh competitiveness and his leadership skills and that was a big addition for them last year they were sorely lacking in that spot till he got there from the moment they that he got there people at miami you know were just so impressed by him so i think he's a legit nfl starting quarterback and i think he is the one guy the one quarterback in this draft where i was like okay you could see him being a star in the nfl it's not a guarantee but it never is with quarterbacks
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Chapter 2: How does Bruce Feldman compare Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders as quarterback prospects?
we'll end up being 10 year pros and be really, really good. I don't know where Simon's projected to, you know, how far projected to go. I mean, when you see him in warmups, he looks like he spent a shit ton of time in the weight room. He's like, you know, almost like one of those guys that, Oh, that guy probably be a good bobsledder.
Cause he's like super explosive and you wonder, you know, it'd be good on special teams. And then last year he really blew up and made plays all over the field. I could see him being like, I know that's not always a position where people are drafting it. I like Edgerton Cooper was a, it was an elite athlete at Texas A&M.
And I think he's going to be a, you know, he's already been really good, but you know, 10 years ago, I think Edgerton Cooper probably is a top 10 pick because of his traits and everything else. And that position sometimes slides down. But I think those two Ohio state guys, again, I would be surprised if,
If Abuka doesn't go in the first round, but if he doesn't, um, we see all the track record of the Ohio state receivers thriving in the NFL. He's super smart. He's very physical. Um, and also, you know, another one I would throw in Jalen Noel, um, from Iowa state is a beast. You know, people like I, one of the coaches compared him to Heinz ward. And super tough.
There's two really good receivers from Iowa state, six, four, one, a five 11, one, the slot people like a little more who played him just because they think he's just incredibly tough. And I think that guy will end up making a team really happy too. I mean, those are the ones that come to mind.
Certainly, you know, like I said, the two Ohio state guys, I haven't seen Simon, you know, anyone talking about him, you know, in the top 40. So I, you know, I feel good saying he's going to be,
he will overproduce wherever he goes so wait so you're saying people like higgins more
No, I think there's, because Higgins is, you know, he ran really well at the, you know, in Indy and Higgins is bigger. You know, he's obviously a big receiver. He's got really good size and he is a really good football player. The slot is the guy, the coaches I talked to were like, they thought he was the one who impressed them even more. Again, not to knock Higgins.
Higgins probably will turn out to be I don't think it's exactly the Alan Lazard because you have another similar size receiver for the same program, but he's good. He's fast, but Noel is like one where, um, he was one people really, really talked up.
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Chapter 3: What are the evaluations of top defensive and offensive players in the NFL draft?
One day, goals. Right. Were you dying when we were talking about it just 48 hours ago being like, guys, I'm right here?
I thought about just ripping it off and just unmuting the camera. Turning the camera on for a second? Yeah.
That would have been the best thing you could have possibly done. Maybe there's a bet where the loser has to do the show with their shirt off.
That would be the worst. That would be the worst. That would be tough. There's talks of you running a 40, Ryan, at this McShay thing that's going on in your house.
I keep hearing about this McShay thing, and I'm like, how much is Ryan Clute in? How much does he have a vote on?
I said yes to something like a month ago, and now I keep hearing versions of it. Where now I don't want to do it. I'll be totally honest. I think everyone knows that.
Have you heard the 40 thing yet? I saw people debating whether or not you could run a sub-6. A sub-5? A sub-6? Give me a break.
Although I do have to have an MRI on my knee because something keeps snapping. Here we go. Yeah. Here we go.
Because I was thinking like would Wargon actually run the fastest 40?
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