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Home , Art Schlichter, Brad Childress, Chase Daniel, Christian Hackenberg, Connor Cook, Darrell Bevell

April 21, 2016

ESPN Conference Call Transcript: Monday Night Football’s Discusses QB Camp Series and NFL Draft Prospects

ESPN conducted a media conference call on Thursday with Monday Night Football’s Jon Gruden to discuss the SportsCenter Special: Gruden’s QB Camp series and ESPN’s 2016 NFL Draft coverage. ESPN will provide live gavel-to-gavel coverage of the NFL Draft from the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, April 28-30, and Gruden will provide analysis on the main set the opening night in prime time. Full audio replay; Gruden’s QB Camp TV schedule and photos). Transcript:

Q. I wanted to ask you about the concept of pocket presence and pro readiness and what those mean to you? Pocket presence and pro readiness, particularly in relation to Jared Goff? GRUDEN: Well, pro readiness, I think you've got to use some different tiers. Number one, you've got to rally with the mental quickness, the arm quickness, the body quickness of each candidate, how well they communicate, their interaction with others, what is their interest level, their football intelligence. Can they teach the game themselves? They have to be able to do that at this stage of the game.

Then you've got to go to the film and really take a good look. Can they make tight window throws? Are they tough in the pocket? Can they solve problems? How are they in the tight red zone situation? Could they take care of the ball? Can they bring their team from behind? There are so many different things that you have to evaluate.

And then, obviously, you look at the system, the training ground that they come from. Not a lot of pro-style systems at the college level. Jared Goff comes from a no-huddle, shotgun, spread offense where most of the information comes from the sideline, so that will cause him to have some serious adjustments, I think. But after spending a day with him, he is a quick study. He's got a real strong group of intangibles for him. He's got a great family background that has pushed him and pushed him to this level.

To answer your question, I think Jared Goff has everything I'm looking for in the pocket. He has great feet. He keeps his feet alive at all times. He takes punishment. He'll create new launching spots, he's a very talented pocket passer. I would want him if I were still coaching.

Q. , Fargo is a long way from Philadelphia. Why do you think he will or won't be able to play with the kind of pressures that he'll face in Philadelphia, especially after the team gave up so much conceivably to get him? GRUDEN: Oh, that's the million dollar question. That's something you're going to have to prove, no matter who you are, whether you're a player or a coach in the NFL, and especially in Philadelphia, given what the Eagles just gave up to get a player. Let's just say it is Carson Wentz, there is a tremendous amount of pressure. But the one thing that stands out about Wentz is his off-the-field intangibles. He's a two-time captain, he's a 4.0 GPA, he's a fifth-year finishing senior, valedictorian in high school, very faith oriented. If anybody can stand the mental pressure that comes with playing in Philadelphia and withstand the physical pressure that it takes to play at a high level, it's Carson Wentz.

Q. What kind of job do you think Reggie McKenzie has done the last couple years and what it’s meant for the Raiders? Teams are trading up to get in this draft, what it meant for the Raiders to get in the second round in terms of the franchise development a couple years ago? GRUDEN: Well, I think Reggie's done a really good job. Obviously, the Derek Carr selection at the top of the second round is his signature, I think, acquisition. When you have a , as you know, you're a football program or city becomes a desirable destination for free agents. People want to go where they have a quality quarterback because they know they have a chance to win. So I think Derek Carr and his performance over the last couple years has made the Raiders once again a destination for free agents. I can't tell you how happy I am to see that as an ex Oakland Raider.

Q. You haven't aired the Connor Cook special yet, but after sitting with him, what did you see both on tape and breaking down things with him about offenses? And also what did you see about him personality-wise that made you say he's one of the best potential quarterbacks in this draft? GRUDEN: I'm a big believer in body of work, and Connor Cook's body of work at the college level is as good as anyone in this draft and in many drafts that I've seen in recent years. He's 34-5. He beat five Top 10 teams. He's the all-time leading passer at Michigan State. He had a chance to red-shirt and watch for a full season, and I think that's beneficial. I love the system of football that this kid comes from. He's not completing a bunch of pop screens and bubble screens and quick screens like all these other quarterbacks. He's coming out of the huddle and he's ripping it down the field.

Is he perfect? No. But I really like his body of work. I like the degree of difficulty that he thrives under. He's brought his team back to win six times. He's the MVP of the Rose Bowl. I saw what he did in the Cotton Bowl, and he played through some injuries this year, helping Michigan State once again to another Big Ten championship. He's 6'4", over 220 pounds. I really like him at the top of this draft, given all the other prospects that I've studied.

Q. You've seen these quarterbacks and you've got a pretty good understanding, obviously, of what likes. Who are the quarterbacks that you can see fitting in Andy's system and why? Give me some thoughts on guys that you think would be a good fit and maybe where in the draft too. GRUDEN: Andy Reid, he's been able to coach all kinds of different quarterbacks. He took Donovan McNabb out of Syracuse. I coached Donovan in the Senior Bowl. Donovan was a freeze-option quarterback that did most of his damage running. I could see Andy Reid coaching a lot of these guys, starting with (Dak) Prescott in the second round, third round. Bring a guy in here that has similar traits, a dual-threat. It looks like Andy Reid likes that kind of quarterback.

They have there that monitors what's going on in the college game. You see a lot of college principles added to Andy Reid's diverse background. I think Paxton Lynch could fit in here. I think a lot of quarterbacks in this draft could fit Andy Reid's style because he's stayed on the cutting edge of what's going on at every level of football. But I have five quarterbacks in this draft going in the top 35 picks. I think the strength of this draft is at the quarterback position. I just don't see a lot of dropback quarterbacks at the college level on the horizon, and there are so many teams that need them desperately.

Q. After spending a little time with Paxton Lynch, what are your general impressions? What do you think his future will be and what is going to be the biggest challenge for him at the next level and the biggest thing he's going to have to pick up, whether it's in the classroom, foot work, etc.? GRUDEN: Lynch is to me the most intriguing man in this draft because of his size and his athletic ability. You don't find guys that are 6'7", 245 that can run this fast. He's got a 37-inch vertical jump, and he put Memphis on the map of . This man is winning a lot of games at Memphis where football really was an afterthought. He's a dual-threat, over 280 career rushes. Has a poor man's Cam Newton style about him. You don't realize how much they rely on him as a runner in this offense. I like the way he's been coached.

(Justin) Fuente, the , coached at TCU. I'm not saying he's Cam Newton, but I'm saying he's big like Cam Newton, he's athletic, and this kid is a dual-threat that has a lot of people curious about what he could actually bring to an NFL offense and how long it might take. I think he could have used another year, but when you win 22 games in Memphis for three years and beat Mississippi, the way he played against Cincinnati, you know with the right coach and given a little continuity and supporting cast, this man can play at the next level.

Q. What are your thoughts about Vernon Adams? How do you project him to the NFL? What issues besides his height do you think he might face at the NFL level? GRUDEN: Obviously the people that have studied him play know the comparison is to . That's what people hope they're getting, a guy that has the same qualities that Wilson had. This man can run and pass. Size is an issue. Wilson has proven that you don't have to be six feet, you don't have to be 6'5" to play at the next level or any level anymore. But this kid in the college All-Star Game did a nice job. I thought he threw the ball functionally well enough. Once again it's going to depend on who gets him, what type of system that they run. When you look at Tyrod Taylor in the , Russell Wilson, world champion, obviously running and passing in that dual-threat component is a key criteria in today's game.

Q. Who outside your top 35 would you be eager to invest in if you were interested in picking up a quarterback, say, in the third or fourth round? Are there a few people that you'd be eager to develop long-term? GRUDEN: Yeah, sure. I think the big problem that word you just said, develop. Who has time to develop a quarterback? We don't even have a rookie symposium anymore. We're limiting the offseason, we're limiting training camp practices. People want to do away with preseason games. That's the problem. I think it's a crisis for the NFL. How do you develop a quarterback? But I like Jacoby (Brissett) at N.C. State. I think there is a lot of great stuff from that young man. I really like Nate Sudfeld from Indiana. I think those two guys jump off the screen when you ask that question as two candidates. And I think at Ohio State, that size, that athletic ability, he's an 11-0 starter, that arm talent. Those are three guys I'd like to work with later in the draft.

Q. What does Brissett bring to the table that makes him a prospect there in the middle of the draft? And also, with , I know you said he needs to send the right signal to go to the next level to maximize his success. In your mind, what does that entail for him? GRUDEN: Dak Prescott, you have to take a good look at the production, running and passing, the last two years he had at Mississippi State. I don't know anybody that's really won (there). He's won at Mississippi State. This team was No. 1 in the nation at one point last year or two years ago, I should say, in the regular season. Big, strong, powerful kid. You can be really creative with your game planning with a man like this. I just think he's got to continue to tighten up his passing release. He's got to work under the center. I think he struggled at his pro date. He's been working on that, refining his passing skills from underneath the center. And he took too many sacks for a man with this kind of athleticism this year. I know their lines struggle, but he's going to take care of the ball better and eliminate some of the negative plays. But Mississippi State, you can't deny what happened there with him underneath the center.

In terms of , I just know a lot of people that have worked with him. I know he has NFL size. He's got some really good athleticism. He's, I think, proven that he can make all the throws at the college level, and he's just got to tighten up his consistency. He's got to do it down after down, game after game, week after week, I think, to really improve. But he's another guy that's going to have to get underneath the center more and adapt to a different style of football.

Q. When evaluating quarterbacks for the draft, is your decision ultimately based on the measurables or the intangibles, and how would you relate that to Goff and Wentz? GRUDEN: Well, they're both important. I don't think you can sustain greatness without the intangibles. I mean, if you don't have the work ethic, the passion for the game, if you don't have leadership, if you don't have toughness, if you don't have intangibles, you can't sustain anything. So I think you have to have those things. I think at every position to be a great player you have to have the proper intangibles, and sometimes those intangibles are lacking and that's the reason why some guys fizzle out. But in terms of the measurables, you're looking at Goff who's 6'4", Wentz is a little bigger. All these guys run under five-flat. But I really think you have to look at the film and how these guys throw the football into tight windows, under duress, on the move. How they can rally their team, how they perform in critical moments, and that's why you've got to spend a lot of time studying the tape and meeting these guys and comparing them.

Q. We're hearing NDSU's offense is comparable to an NFL scheme. Do you see that? What are some of the concepts that Carson showed you on the board through your session that made you agree with that statement? GRUDEN: Well, first of all, they get in a huddle. Can you imagine that? They get into a huddle with 11 men and they have to call a play. They get underneath the center. They use numerous personnel groupings. They're not in the same one back, one tight end, three receiver set the entire day. They use every formation, every shift in motion that you can use. They involve the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. He gets up there, and audibles, changes plays, changes protections. He doesn't have to look to the sideline to get all the answers, and that is huge. Those elements alone distinguish their offensive system from most of the other colleges that I've seen in the last three or four years. You see three steps, five step, seven step drops, play action, movement throws, screens and a passing game that has progressions to it. If the primary's not open, you go to the secondary receiver. If he's not open, you go to the outlet receiver. So I see a lot of elements and concepts at North Dakota State that I see in the NFL. When you win five national championships, there is a lot of good stuff going on, and it starts with coaching and system football.

Q. You spend a day with Cardale Jones, what were your impressions of him when you studied the tape? What were the things you liked, the deficiencies and what kind of prospect do you think he is? GRUDEN: Well, obviously the size, the arm strength, the nickname, 12-gauge, and ability impressed me. I saw him jump over a guy a few years ago against Maryland, and I said, ‘who the hell is that guy?’ And then I saw the arm strength in the playoffs and I said, ‘I've got to meet this young man.’ He has a 36-inch vertical jump, 250-plus pounds, he can run under 4.8, and he has a rocket for an arm. I just don't think that the offensive system was set up for drop-back passing type quarterback. Ohio State under does an unbelievable job with the quarterback using him as a runner. You can look at and and go on and on, and J.P. Barrett, and you'll see that that is a fact.

I just think that he's got to get better in the pocket, get under center, be more in rhythm as a passer. His footwork needs a lot of work. I think sometimes he locks into receivers. He doesn't handle the ball very well in some situations, and I think he struggled in the red zone. Obviously they made a substitution there to go to another quarterback. So he needs time. He needs reps, and I think he needs to be in an offense that accentuates him as a dropback passer, something they don't do a lot of at Ohio State, in fairness to him.

Q. I know you spent a lot of time with last year. What impressed you most about his rookie season and where do you think his career is headed? GRUDEN: What impressed me the most was his first game he played here in Tampa. I think he came to town here and lit up the Buccaneers and proved to me and everybody, I think, that this guy's the real deal. He performed in an offense that was completely different than the one he ran at Oregon, and I thought he did an excellent job underneath the center, changing plays at the line of scrimmage, moving his football team. And he did it in a lot of adverse situations. I think he's got a tremendous upside. Obviously, the Titans are going to do everything they can in this draft to add some offensive linemen and people around him to take care of him.

Q. What have you seen from Christian Hackenberg? He has been seen as a wildcard in this draft. Where do you see him going? GRUDEN: Hackenberg, I just have to keep going back to his true freshman season. I know two years have gone by, two disappointing seasons in terms of his production and expectations. But as a true freshman, he's the Big Ten Freshman of the Year under Bill O'Brien, thrown for 3,000 yards and 20 . He's a Penn State, two-time captain. I love that. He's just been beat up too many times, a ridiculous number of sacks in the last couple of years. Too many plays had no chance from the get-go. But I think he's put together, he's smart, he's tough. He's a lot better athlete than you think. He just has this presence about him. He has the loudest, most commanding snap count that I've heard in . He has a lot of playing experience in two different systems. I think he competes his butt off. I think he wants this real bad. He and Connor Cook had six or seven fourth-quarter comebacks. I like this kid a lot. I think he's got the NFL size, the strength in his arm, and the desire to be great that you need to have at this level. He's just got to regain his confidence not just in himself, but that he can actually have the time to drop back to pass, and the defense, and make the throws he made as an 18-year-old freshman. But he was surrounded by way too many negatives at Penn State. All the sanctions, the coaching changes. I think they had a lack of personnel. I don't think the offense suited him, and expectations have been soaring since he stepped on campus.

Q. Another Vernon Adams question. In your mind, is he a draftable quarterback? If so, what would be an appropriate spot? Where would you have him on your board? GRUDEN: I don't think he will get drafted just because of the 5'10 1/2" status. I know you could make the argument that Russell Wilson was a third-round pick, but I think he's got a lot to prove. I think he's going to go as an undrafted, priority-free agent which might be an advantage to him to pick the team that will give him the best opportunity to stick. That's just my opinion. Normally you don't draft quarterbacks of that stature. I'm going to keep Russell Wilson where he is, he's the exception, he's the gold standard that maybe is the exception to that rule. Q. Looks like the Jets are not going to have the chance to get Carson Wentz or Jared Goff. Paxton Lynch may or may not fall to them at 20. If you were in their situation, would you consider trading up to get Paxton Lynch or do you think they may be better off trying to get one of the other quarterbacks later in the draft? GRUDEN: They're really confusing to me from the standpoint that they have out there in free agency, a man that threw over 30 passes on a team that won 10 games. They've also got time invested in and , two men that they drafted fairly high. It might be good for them to answer the question themselves. They've got to evaluate Geno and Bryce right now. I'm sure they're doing that prior to the draft. If they like the progress that they've seen from Petty or Geno Smith, I wouldn't consider drafting a quarterback. But if they see these two young men as clearly not able to take the reigns, I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets do move up, because if Geno and Bryce can't get it done, and become the long-term solution, the Jets better address that mighty quick.

Q. We always talk about quarterbacks being drafted, but how important is it for the right situation, the right coach, the right teammates, that kind of thing, the right offense? What are the key factors there? The second part is, knowing Doug Peterson as you do, and the Eagles offense, how good a fit would that be for a young quarterback like Carson Wentz? GRUDEN: Well, I think that's very underrated what you just said. I think that used to be one of the most important things in developing a quarterback. That was, A, the system, and B, the guy coaching the system. I grew up under Mike Holmgren, Bill Walsh, Paul Hackett. I always thought the quarterback was the most important man in the organization. Now, the way teams change offensive coordinators and change head coaches, they change those guys like they change their shirts. I don't think many organizations put an emphasis on system of football like they used to. And I think it's challenging for these guys to develop.

In terms of Doug Peterson, what you're getting obviously is a man that falls off Andy Reid's tree. You're going to see a guy that's very quarterback friendly. The problem I see in Philadelphia, they have too many quarterbacks to be friendly with. How are they going to distribute any reps and get anybody ready when you've got making $18 million, you've got Chase Daniel who is a back-up making $7 million, and now you're going to have the number two pick in the draft. I don't know how you're going to get these guys all reps and get them ready, but Doug Peterson will have to answer that. That will be a challenge.

Q. After watching film and spending time with Carson Wentz, what are the main impressions you've come away with? Also, you talked about Jared Goff and the special pressure that goes with playing in Philadelphia. If Carson Wentz is taken by the Rams as the top guy, what kind of pressures will he face in L.A. and how do you think he's suited to handle that? GRUDEN: Carson Wentz, when you watch him on tape, No. 1, I just like a big guy that has athleticism. This is a kid that carried the ball a lot on designed quarterback runs. He's got a consistent, compact throwing motion. He had a good Senior Bowl week. I thought he stood out there as well. He's got the prototype size, and I talked earlier about the system of football that he's come from. You see him at the line of scrimmage take ownership of the game. I like the way he brought his team back to beat Northern Iowa, and playing well in two championship games. I think his overall performance is consistent. I love what he did when he got hurt this year. He stayed loyal. He stayed with his team. He helped develop a young quarterback. He didn't leave town to start doing exercises with some mysterious strength coach to get ready for the draft. This guy finished. I love that about him.

In terms of Jared Goff, I don't know how you deal with pressure until you go out and prove it. Some people feel pressure, some people don't. But I just thought Goff came across as an iceman. A guy that didn't feel any pressure, he applied pressure. Nothing bothered him. I tried to get under his skin, and I'm good at that, I can really irritate people. Not even I could bother Goff. So I don't think that's going to be a problem. I think it will be a benefit staying close to home in a state that he loves, obviously.

Q. How would you handle the 49ers quarterback situation? They've got (Blaine) Gabbert and (Colin) Kaepernick who may not be there much longer. Gabbert will move on this year. And in a related question, which one of these guys in the draft would fit Chip Kelly's offense? GRUDEN: Depends on what offense they're running. It will be interesting to see what Chip Kelly does. He's been a head coach now. He's had a chance to learn a lot, I'm sure, along the way. Is he going to continue with the no-huddle up-tempo every down style of football or is he going to adapt and go another direction and perhaps maybe do both things? That's a great question, and something I'm anxious to see what exactly this 49er offense looks like. I just don't think he's going to come out and show the same things that he did in Philadelphia. I think he's going to change to his personnel and to who his quarterback is. Right now I don't think the 49ers know who that is. They've not been able to trade Colin Kaepernick. Who knows what the reality is, whether they wanted to trade him or were looking into trading him. is still an unknown, if you ask me. So there are a lot of unknowns coming out of San Francisco. I do know they need players. This is not nearly the same San Francisco 49er team that was in the a couple years ago.

Q. When you look at Goff and Wentz as prospects and sort of compared to the top quarterbacks in other drafts, do you think it's justified not only that it looks like they'll be going one and two, but the move that's been made and what's been given up for teams to move up? Do you think that's justified by the level of prospects they are or does that speak to the need of the teams making these moves? GRUDEN: I think it's a combination of both things. It's hard to compare this draft to last year's draft or the 10 years ago draft. I know there are a lot of analytical people out there trying to do that and perhaps make their decisions on recent analysis or all-time analysis, analytics. I don't know. But all I know is if you don't have one of these guys, if you don't have a quarterback, here's the pool of quarterbacks in this year's draft. And if you have a real good scouting department, you can see who the candidates are going to be in next year's draft. I think when people are looking at this year's group of quarterbacks, there are several that have the ability to play in this league. And if you don't get one this year, I hope you have a magic wand to get one next year or the following year's draft. Because nothing that happened five years ago is going to help you right now.

Q. You mentioned Connor and Christian and those fourth-quarter comebacks. It's been over 20 years since the Big Ten had a first-round quarterback. Are either one of these guys worthy of that, and why has it taken so long? GRUDEN: That was an alarming stat to me. I read was the last guy to go in the first round out of the Big Ten. Maybe Art Schlichter, I think Art Schlichter went in the first round. I don't know of any other Big Ten quarterbacks that have had the great honor of going in the first round. I could care less where the guys come from in terms of round. These draft shows are great and all these prognostications where a guy should go and will go are two stories that are fun to talk about. But Connor Cook in this draft, based on all the other prospects and the need at the position should go in the top -- should go in the first round. I feel the same way about Christian Hackenberg. Like I said earlier, I've got five quarterbacks in the top 35 players of this year's draft.

Q. When you evaluate a quarterback that came from the FCS level, do you evaluate the film differently from someone who played in a power conference, just based on the competition he's going against? GRUDEN: You know, it's hard. It is hard, no question. The speed of the game is different. The guys he's throwing to and the guys he's throwing against are different. Hard to study it, hard to say ‘can this kid do it at the next level?’ But I did see Carson Wentz in The Senior Bowl on the practice field and the few reps that he had in the game function and looked like he belonged there. But it is difficult. It was hard with Tony Romo who went undrafted. It was hard for us with (Joe) Flacco coming out of Delaware. Hard with Steve McNair coming out of Alcorn. , we had in Green Bay; Andy Reid, , Mike Holmgren and myself, we cut Kurt Warner. That just goes to show you this is not a perfect science.

Q. After spending time with Christian Hackenberg, how would you evaluate his outlook or mental state going from such a great freshman year to the ups and downs he's had these past two seasons? How is he at handling all the talk around him? GRUDEN: That's the one thing I walked away with most impressed about Hackenberg is his loyalty. He didn't throw anybody under the bus. I know there have been some reports that he did. He didn't with me. He stuck up for his teammates. He stuck up for his coaches and that guy has blue in his blood. He loves Penn State. Wanted to be there as a kid, and took a lot of pride in going there in some really difficult, sick situations. Could have left after Bill O'Brien left, but he chose to stay. I think he's a loyal kid. I think he really improved his mental toughness there and gained some experience. I think he's very eager to prove he's a better player than he put out on tape the last season or so. Q. (Indiscernible) Leading into this draft, the Saints have had visits with as many as six quarterbacks. Would it make sense for them to take a quarterback here since they took Garrett Grayson in the third round a year ago? And if so, who would fit into 's system and why? GRUDEN: Sean and I have worked together in the past, and I know that he never has enough of those guys. They have so much of the quarterback in that system of football that they're always going to be on the lookout. And only he can answer that. He's the only one that knows how well Garrett Grayson has performed over the last year, and how he's performing now. I think that's the big thing, how Garrett Grayson is looking at this early stage of off-season activity. If he's not taking the bull by the horns and looking sharp and looking like he can be the heir apparent to , Sean Payton's looking for a quarterback. But if he's impressed with what he sees, he might give Garrett Grayson the opportunity that he deserves. Test to me is going to be what decides how New Orleans goes in this draft at the quarterback position.

Q. If you're a team like the Seahawks and you've got Russell Wilson, kind of an established, young, durable quarterback, how much resources do you feel like you have to put into the back-up quarterback spot right now when they don't have anybody that looks like a back-up and there is some thought that they would maybe try to draft one in this draft? GRUDEN: I think you always have to have somebody that's competent and can get the job done if there's an injury or if there's an illness or if something happens. I know Tavares Jackson has done that in the past. Fortunately, Seattle has not had to go to a back-up quarterback. That's a big reason why they win games. But if I'm Seattle, I'm going to look hard at that offensive line. I don't think it was the strength of their team last year. And when you lose (J.R.) Sweezy, when you lose , you need to get some new offensive linemen that can help keep your franchise quarterback up right. I think that's a priority. I'm sure will keep on the lookout for a young, up and coming quarterback that suits their scheme.

Q. With the Redskins, what are your thoughts on Kirk Cousins, what he did and where you think he's going? Also, with the franchise tag, how would you handle that situation knowing it's just a one-year situation with him now in terms of the draft? Would you definitely want to bring someone else in to groom them or have another guy there just in case? GRUDEN: I think Cousins did a great job. Remember, he had to win the job. He had to compete for the job. He didn't get the bulk of the work going into the season last year, and broke Washington Redskin passing records that helped them win a division championship. Look, I don't know what the Redskins are doing, even though I do have a friend of mine that's coaching out there, my brother. I would try to get a long-term deal done. I'm sure that's what they're trying to do. It's not going to be easy. You see the money Brock Osweiler got. You see the money Sam Bradford got. You see the money Kaepernick and Andy Dalton, and Chase Daniel have received, I'm sure the agent for Kirk Cousins would like a huge contract given what just transpired on the field. I like Colt McCoy. So if I'm Washington and I've got these two quarterbacks, I feel pretty good about myself. I do, however, think they need to add some players. They haven't been real active in free agency, and I'm sure this is a huge draft.

Q. As a follow-up to what you said before, from a coach's perspective, how would you handle the situation where the Eagles had where they say Sam Bradford is the starter, but the No. 2 pick is clearly the future of the franchise? GRUDEN: I think that's the biggest challenge that they're going to have. When you look at the amount of reps that you can have with your team, that number is substantially less than it was five years ago with this new Collective Bargaining Agreement. So you've got to get a new head coach who is running a new offensive system. You better get it in gear quickly because the games are about to start. So who is going to get the reps and who is going to get the leftovers? You don't have time to give three guys reps; you just don't. If you do, you're not running a real sophisticated offense. It's hard to get one guy ready to go today, let alone two. So there could be a trade. I don't want to start any rumors in Philadelphia, but if they do draft a quarterback with all they have invested in him, I'm sure they want to give him as many reps as possible, and that's going to make somebody, I think, unhappy and perhaps expendable.

Q. The 49ers have spent a lot of time with Connor Cook in the run-up to the draft. You mentioned that he watched Kirk Cousins at Michigan State. Who would you compare him to who is a quarterback in the NFL now? Is Cousins the comp there or are there other guys that are better analogies? GRUDEN: I don't like to compare rookies to veterans. I don't think that I've ever been very good at that. I'll say this, my old boss Al Davis would have loved Connor Cook because this kid pushes the ball down the field. He's one of the guys in this draft that made me make funny sounds when I was watching him. I would be groaning like, Oh, what a throw, Ahh. He made some jaw-dropping throws against Stanford in the Rose Bowl. He pushes the ball down the field. I love that about him. He's got a great amount of experience, and he's got size and athleticism, and he's gotten results. I don't know anybody else that's won 34 games at Michigan State. So I think he would be a great pick for the 49ers personally.

Q. After all these years no one has cracked the draft. Sometimes you take a great running back in the first round and he tears up his knee. Going back to your time with the Bucs, after the Super Bowl, do you have any regrets that stand out in your mind about how the team drafted? Is there any particular decision that you wish you had done differently? GRUDEN: Yeah, how long do you have to talk? I could talk to you for several minutes here. First of all, I regret not having any high draft picks the first couple years I was there. We didn't have a one or a two. So it's no fun going to the draft meetings when you can't pick in the first two rounds, the first two years you're on the job as a new head coach. I hated that. I'm still ticked off about that. We gave up way too much to get a coach in Tampa Bay. So, yeah, it starts right there. I remember I wanted DeSean Jackson in the second round. We had his name plate on our board, and we had Dexter Jackson from Appalachian State. So let's just finish right there.

Q. Just a quick question about the running back position, which is often debated these days in terms of value and application. There have to be a few guys in this year's draft who are intriguing prospects. Hypothetically, say you're a GM or coach in 2016, what attributes do you most value in a running back today? GRUDEN: Well, they've got to be three-down players, meaning they can play on any down. They can run the ball in between the tackles, on the perimeter. They can catch the ball. And they can run an array of different routes. You can line them up in the slot, you can run them out of the back field. Finally, you've got to be able to pick up blitzes. And you've got to like to pick up blitzes. You've got to know who to block, how to block. And to be great at it, you've got to want to block. Those are the criteria, to be a three-down player and do all three of those things at a high level. And I think there is a guy in this draft that can do that, make people miss, hit the home run, catch it, break tackles, take care of the ball. I think there is a guy in this year's draft that can do that in at Ohio State.

Q. I know you work with incoming QBs, but if you could go back and get (Johnny) Manziel, RG3 and (Tim) Tebow and sit them down the way you do these rookie guys, could you work with them, talk to them? Is there a way you could work with them and say ‘what have you been doing? Here's what you need to do?’ Could you hit them over the head and do the things you've been doing? GRUDEN: I think so. Selfishly, egotistically, some think they can do more than others. Look, I'm very confident that -- I don't want to sound like I have all the answers, because I certainly don't. But I would love to have had a chance to work with any of those guys you just brought up. I do know this: A lot of the people in the league feel the same way that I do, and it's up to these young men, whoever you're talking about, to take advantage of their opportunity. They've got to make the plays when they're there to be made. They've got to stay healthy. They've got to be reliable. They've got to be accountable, and they've got to be able to perform. In answer to your question, yeah, I wish I could have had a shot at some of these guys, but QB Camp is as close as I get to the fire.

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Contacts: Bill Hofheimer at 860-766-9589 (bill.hofheimer@.com) or Allison Stoneberg at 860-766-2925 ([email protected])