April 18, 2007 An Interview with who are entering the NFL with this great event at Radio City. Mike and his production team, along with MIKE MAYOCK Charles Davis, Marshall Faulk and Steve Mariucci, have been so up close and personal with these ERIC WEINBERGER kids, especially working the Senior Bowl for a week and working at the Combine for a week. Their analysis has been so thorough. Their feel for what PATRICK PANTANO: I want to welcome is going to happen on Saturday goes so deep and all of you to NFL Network's 2007 NFL Draft is so knowledgeable that it's such an amazing -- it's Conference Call with Mike Mayock and Eric such an amazing endeavor to take on and to do on Weinberger. this network. We are real excited. A quick overview of NFL Network’s draft Many of you we know have spoken with coverage will be on the air live from Radio City Mike. Again, the work that he's done with Rich, Music Hall from the first overall pick to the last pick with Charles, with Coach Mariucci, and Marshall on Sunday night of draft weekend. and Deion on Saturday along with Adam Schefter Our talent includes host Rich Eisen, along will definitely be, we will focus on thoroughness with analyst Mike Mayock, Marshall Faulk, Steve with the kids that are coming into the NFL, focusing Mariucci and Charles Davis. We also have Deion on the event that is happening in New York City Sanders interviewing the top picks at Radio City and at Radio City. Music Hall. NFL Network will have a pre-draft Also spending a lot of time, a lot of focus show on Saturday and post shows on Saturday on all 32 teams, team needs. And we are also for and Sunday. this year going to try to really open this up for fan Quickly for the introductions. Mike Mayock interaction as well as we know that is a huge part is NFL Network's lead college football and draft of what happens within fantasy football and within analyst. He was dubbed the “No. 1 pick for draft the draft. We will have a fan confessional room set coverage” by the New York Times last year. And up at Radio City where various fans are going to two years back he was one of the only analysts to be able to give their point of view as to what's been predict that Aaron Rogers would go No. 24 overall going on either with the draft in total or with their to the Green Bay Packers. team. I give you Mike Mayock and we look forward We also have Eric Weinberger, NFL to hearing from all of you today and the next two Network's executive producer who oversees all of weeks. Mike. NFL Network's 2007 draft coverage live from Radio MIKE MAYOCK: Eric, thank you. But I'd Music City Hall. Eric has a few comments about like you to stay out of the confessional, please. our coverage before we begin. I'm here to talk football. I'm not going to ERIC WEINBERGER: Thanks, Pat. make a speech or anything. We'll open it up for We're so excited for this time of year here at the questions. I feel like I've been on these guys for network as we get to celebrate one of the great 11 months. I can't wait for next weekend. So let's sporting events during the year. And following open up it for questions. Mike Mayock into this event has been such a great experience, especially this year as we continue to Q. How far of a drop is there in ability grow in our coverage for all of our producers and from Adrian Peterson to Marshawn Lynch, and all of our talent. And we look at this as a real then just by way of example how far does it go culmination of a year-long analysis of all these kids from Lynch to Antonio Pitman? 1 M. Mayock and E. Weinberger visit our archives at asapsports.com 4.18.07 MIKE MAYOCK: Talking about as far as Somebody who is probably considered an early pure ability or where you think they're going to go second round guy. He's clean off the field. You in the draft? know what you're getting on the field. No surprises. Q. How they're going to play when they And I think that kind of guy -- and I'll give get to the NFL, what their careers will be like. you an example. Logan Mankins a couple of years MIKE MAYOCK: I think, number one, ago to the New England Patriots at 32. Basically Peterson is one of those types of tailbacks, the defensive side of the board was decimated and because of size, explosion and what I've liked is they wanted defense that year. But it was gone. his ability to catch the football that you couldn't see So instead of reaching for a guy, they picked a real at the University of Oklahoma because they don't solid interior offensive lineman that was clean off have that in their pass offense. I think he's done a the field and they knew could play. great job of showing an ability to catch. That was And I think if you take that philosophy, really the only question mark outside of durability. you're probably less likely to get hurt and more To me he's a top five pick and a type of guy that likely to get a good football player. comes around every three to five years plus or minus. Q. Reaching back to the 2004 draft, I Marshawn Lynch played in the two tailback know it's only been three years, but based on system at Cal. Catches the ball extremely well. those three years and the players they got, cut-back runner. I think he's the kind of kid that is Shaun Phillips, Rivers, Hardwick, Merriman out going to be a really good, solid, all-around back. of the trade, Nate Kaeding and Michael Turner Maybe doesn't have the same game-breaking even. Can you put the 2004 draft to the ability that Adrian Peterson has. Chargers in perspective; does it stand out to Now, the third tailback, I believe you asked you? about, was Pitman. I've got him as my No. 5 MIKE MAYOCK: Yes, I thought it was kind tailback, Booker and Leonard ahead of him. I think of the perfect marriage between two basic mantras he's the kind of guy that's going to have to fight in the NFL, which is, number one, if there's a given his size to show people he can be a franchise quarterback available you've got to take three-down back. He's a good back. him. And number two, you've got to control He does a nice job with his footwork and perceived value. cut back. Catches the ball well, can work on his And that year the perceived value blocking a little bit. I think he's probably a second happened to be the franchise quarterback, Eli round pick, but ideally you'd like to see him a little Manning. He didn't want to go to San Diego. They bit bigger or stronger to be a three-down back. drafted him anyway. They controlled value. And they were able to take that and turn it Q. Mike, I know there have been a lot of into Merriman, Kaeding, et cetera. So I think that really good picks at 30 or 31 or 32. But draft along with the Michael Vick/Tomlinson historically, have you seen you know, those situation has allowed them to become probably the late round picks sometimes it's a read. most talent-rich team in the National Football Sometimes it's a guy you had projected in the League. second round or maybe should have been a You've got to give them credit, because second or third rounder? not only did they make the trades but the second MIKE MAYOCK: The way I look at these piece of that is converting the trades into actual late first round picks is sometimes I think where talent, and they were able to do both. you get in trouble is where you're sitting there in the 25 to 32 range and you think you have to make Q. Mike, you look at cornerback, the a splash. You're looking for that really talented kid trend a few years ago around the league was to that maybe slipped a little bit because of character, find a lot of times big college safeties and off-the-field issues, et cetera. convert them into the corners. I know the I think that's where you make a mistake. I Chiefs did that with great frequency but without think what you're seeing more and more teams do great luck over the years. Is that trend pretty at the end of the first round is they have a really much over, do you think, when we're talking good solid football player in their back pocket. 2 M. Mayock and E. Weinberger visit our archives at asapsports.com 4.18.07 about teams looking for corners? MIKE MAYOCK: I didn't even watch him MIKE MAYOCK: I really believe it goes the when he came out. I was not doing the player other way and I think the NFL was a speed first personnel full-time at that point.