Drive10.20.26Hr1: Scouting the Saints

0:03 You're tuned to the drive on your 24 seven home of the black and gold Steelers nation radio.

0:21 Good afternoon, Steeler nation.

0:23 It's the drive on the Steelers audio network here on a Tuesday, Wes Shuler and Matt Williamson with you before, uh, The whole Steeler operation goes international here, Matt. It's our last day in studio for a little while. And with that, we are going to do what Craig Wolfley would say, and we're going to do our best to fit 10 pounds of potatoes and an 8-pound sack here on this Tuesday as we've got a lot of kind of some of our standard benchmarks that I want to get to before I get out of the country.

0:51 Yeah, weird week for you. Obviously, you just traveled to Tampa, and now you've got to get on a plane to the other side of the planet. But mine's kind of the same, you know, so to me, my mindset is still Tuesday, game review, start this, you know, really dig into Tuesday. Tuesday is all about Matt's stats. I mean, that's when all the official stats are in because the Monday nighters in the book. So I haven't really even gotten to how would I attack the Saints and things like that, you know, but yeah. So be it. Let's go.

1:20 Well, that I think actually transitions well here, Matt, because where I figured we would start today, it's something that we normally do on Wednesdays, but again, kind of combined in a couple shows here.

1:30 You want to start?

1:31 We'll take a look at the Saints depth chart, and we'll talk about which player we would steal from New Orleans. Is that a good way to kind of set the scene, turn the page?

1:40 Yeah.

1:41 This is an exercise Matt and I do every week, again, usually on a Wednesday, and it's kind of the first time that we look at the opponent. We go through their roster. We talk about one guy or not, if you had to add a guy to the Steelers from the opponent. Which one would you pick? And then sometimes, like, if that's a defenseman, we'll say, but if we were going offense, we'd go this way.

1:58 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:59 Something along those lines.

2:00 Yeah, let's get this in.

2:01 Can't be a quarterback, which is an important note, because we might choose the quarterback.

2:04 For this game. I'm a Shuck fan. Yeah, we'll talk about him, I'm sure, a little bit through the course of the show. But everyone might remember, I loved him coming out of school. I was really high on him. I kind of feel justified that he's a legit starter at a minimum. You know what I mean? He might be better than that in time. Who knows? A note about this game. Missy, Rob, and I do a show.

2:24 Usually we record it every Thursday. We're going to record it tomorrow morning, Wednesday, where we do match-ups. And we all kind of came to the conclusion, it's like, this is kind of a tough game to come up with good match-ups. It's somewhat of a nondescript roster. I felt a little bit that way with Indy. And we had a hard time picking, stealing guys off Indy a little bit too. And now maybe someone could trade from Indy.

2:47 Their GM's gone. But there's some of that feel with New Orleans. They're also kind of just banged up and not running the ball particularly well. Like the Steelers, I love that they went back-to-back years with first-round offensive tackles. I think that's just such a great way to start building a team. And they've invested in their O-line, but it's not playing great. And their best offensive lineman, Banks, has been out. Yeah, he's on IR. Yeah, so....

3:15 Travis, a Chan is on IR as well.

3:17 Yeah. The running game is not so much shock. The protection hasn't been great in the running game. Hasn't insulated him at all either. All that being said, in terms of stealing someone from the offense, a love is really, really good. And he's the type of route runner. I'd love to see on this team. He's got a man beater.

3:35 He's got some money stuff attached to it, but he might be worth it.

3:39 I think he probably is. And he's probably just the answer to the team overall. But I think, I mean, it'd be different. We might actually see him in Paris, but could Jordan Tyson persuade you to be the pick over Olave just because of money? Yes. I mean, and again- It'd be nice if we saw at least one NFL game out of him, though.

4:02 For everyone who listened to the hours and hours of draft coverage that you and I did from the combine until the end of April, I mean- There's a lot to like. There's a lot to like about Jordan Tyson. But going back, this is not a just, oh, he's injured now.

4:16 He has had.

4:16 So many.

4:18 And it hasn't just been, oh, it's been this shoulder that's bothered him throughout his career. It's been upper body. It's been lower body. It's been bone issues. It's been knee issues. It's been muscle tears. That's the big kicker with him, because if there was any type of assurance for health, I'd say, oh, heck yeah. Give me the guy who was just a top pick in the draft and is still on his rookie deal.

4:36 21, 22 years old.

4:37 Wouldn't cost you much.

4:39 For the next, you know, you could even have the fifth year option for him.

4:42 He's also a little bigger and better put together than Olave. Alave's an all-pro, though. I mean, he's a top-ten receiver.

4:49 And he's had some injury stuff, too.

4:50 But not to the extent of Jordan Tyson. They wouldn't have just given Alave a huge buck if they were worried about concussions still. But he does have a concussion history. Part of me, the fan, hopes that we see both those guys on the field. I think they could be a really fun duo. And Vele and Johnson, the tight end, have been useful players, especially while he's been out. But I also think that Hurts the Steelers' chances of getting a victory, too.

5:18 Totally.

5:18 They could be a really good pair for a lot of years.

5:21 I did a hit this morning on the DVE morning show with Bauman and Pursuta and the gang. And that was one of the things that I talked about with them was like, hey. We haven't seen Jordan Tyson yet. He's kind of flying under the radar because he hasn't played in an NFL game.

5:37 I don't think he even played in a preseason game, did he?

5:38 I'm pretty sure he did not.

5:40 But I was like, if they get him back, they can do some. I'm not saying it's Burrow and Chase and Higgins.

5:46 No, but that's what they're trying to build.

5:47 But they're kind of maybe a step or two behind that. They can do some great value Cincinnati Bengals things on offense.

5:55 And so that's a real.

5:56 If Chuck's not bashful, they'll throw a bunch, and the running game's not there.

5:59 He will figure that thing out.

6:00 Yeah, I think they'd throw like crazy.

6:02 So I think you're right, Matt. I think it's spot on.

6:04 It's really hard, especially with this roster and the need that the Steelers currently have at wide receiver, to not pick Chris Olave or even Jordan Tyson.

6:12 Yeah, Tyson to me is the only other one you'd consider just because of money, age, etc. But I'm taking the bird in the hand. I'm taking Olave.

6:19 I'm with you on that.

6:20 He's the perfect type of receiver. Yes, I'd like everyone to be huge. He'd fit nice for DK and Jeremy.

6:26 Yeah, yeah.

6:27 Man-beater. I think he's a really good player.

6:29 Is there anybody on the defensive side of the football that would intrigue you?

6:32 Chase Young's playing phenomenal. I was just going to say, Chase Young has played so well. He might be a little redundant on this roster.

6:38 Yeah, you'd have to trade water.

6:40 Champagne problem.

6:41 Right, right.

6:42 What about anyone in the secondary there? What about Justin Reed? I know he's longer in the tooth.

6:47 He's okay. Who do they consider their starters?

6:50 In the secondary?

6:51 Yeah.

6:51 Justin Reed and Julian Blackman at safety.

6:54 Yeah.

6:55 And then at corner, it's Kool-Aid McKinstry. Man, that's a name that I haven't said in a while.

6:59 He's been real up and down.

7:01 Quincy Riley and Jonas Sanker.

7:03 I would say Sanker has been really good. He's in his second year.

7:07 He's kind of one of those slot nickels.

7:08 He's a Ramsey. He'd be the Ramsey younger version. I think he's a fourth round pick. So he's dirt cheap. Probably maybe a third round pick. You'd love to add somebody like that and just mix and match and utilize them in a variety of ways. Maybe Ramsey, Ramsey can play some safety. Sanker has a safety background. Like even when we looked at him coming out of Virginia, I think he was like in Dane safety group, you know? So, He would be very useful as a cheap core guy, which you love having.

7:38 Absolutely.

7:38 That goes a long way on the roster. I probably wouldn't bite on any of their defensive tackles or linebackers. Just refresh the audience. Who's listed as the ones for them?

7:49 So you got Cam Jordan, of course, and he's obviously had a phenomenal career, but he's, he's on, he's on the 18th fairway of his career right now.

7:57 His name will be in their ring of honor or whatever.

7:59 Absolutely. You know, without question, uh, Nathan Shepard, Vernon Broughton, Carl Granderson.

8:05 Granderson's been a, he's an edge, but he's a big edge. They've always had big edges there. Um, him and young have basically all their sacks. They don't have a ton of sacks between the two of them. They have more than half of them. Um, Brian Brise was a guy Dale and I liked a lot for the Steelers.

8:22 He's on IR as well.

8:23 I'd say he got hurt.

8:24 They've got some injuries, man.

8:26 Camp or whatever, really early in the process. But he's a nice piece and fits what the Steelers like there. And then who do they consider their starting off-the-ball linebackers?

8:34 Starting off-ball linebackers, Pete Warner and Caden Ellis, who was also listed as questionable heading into this week.

8:45 Of those starters, how many guys would start for the Steelers? a very good point maybe one or none you know what i.

8:52 Mean i think justin reed would at this point yeah i.

8:54 Mean safeties could i mean sanker would not leave.

8:57 The field because.

8:59 He'd be part of the rotation with those guys.

9:01 And i think cam jordan too like i don't know if you call him a starter but he would mix him in you'd mix him in and he'd get a good amount of snaps but your your overarching point stands yeah i mean it's not like they have a bonafide cb1 you know there's not christian gonzalez.

9:14 Yeah or uh you know, Pat Sertain or anybody like that.

9:18 There's not a 26-year-old top five, top ten safety.

9:23 Right, right. You know, cheap guy or, boy, this guy in his rookie contract was awesome as a rookie, blah, blah, blah.

9:28 Yeah.

9:29 And you can see why Missy and Rob and I kind of had... I can see it. We've come up with three... We've each have come up with a matchup.

9:33 All right, you mean Jamel Dean versus Chris Olave, but then after that.

9:36 After that, it's like, you know, disrupt shock and, you know, get Chase Young blocked.

9:40 Sure.

9:41 Especially, like, when the Steelers had the ball. It's like, I'm not sure... what really is to look at or be desperately afraid of too. I mean, their run defense isn't particularly good. I mean, this doesn't sound like a ton, but it's a ton Yards per rush. They allow a full yard more than they produce. I mean, that's brutal.

10:05 It's like 3-5 to 4-5. I mean, that's a bad run game to a great run game. That's the difference there. And they're a two-win team that's trying to figure things out, and I don't want to say they lucked into a win with the Giants, but They kind of battled until the end, but there's not a lot of great things going on with them now. But I do think their passing game could be scary, and I think Shuck's a good player.

10:31 Let me ask you this.

10:32 I think we've had two games this year where the answer was clearly yes, and that would be Cincinnati and New England of if you could take the quarterback, you would take the quarterback for this exercise.

10:43 Yes.

10:43 For this exercise, I would.

10:45 If I gave you the option, would Shuck be the answer?

10:48 Yes. However, this is kind of similar to the question, and we've had these questions before. If the question is, would you take the Steelers' first-round pick this year and next year to trade up in this draft, and that player turns into Bo Nix, would you take it?

11:07 No.

11:08 No.

11:09 What if he turns into Pat Mahomes? Would you take it?

11:11 I'll give you an extra first-round pick. Right.

11:14 Not knowing what you're getting when you buy the rookie... If that person turned into Shuck, that might be like my Mendoza line. You know, like, is he good enough to beat Allen and Mahomes? He'll never be as good as those guys.

11:28 Sure.

11:28 But he's going to be a legit good quarterback, in my opinion, as long as he's healthy and rolling along. Like, I'd take him over Jalen Hurts and, you know, some of those type of dudes in terms of, like, to build the Steelers around. But I'd also kind of be like, I'd rather take a huge swing. You know what I mean?

11:48 I don't know if Shuck's ever going to be that $ 500 million quarterback.

11:51 Right, right, right, right.

11:52 Although I saw this last night. I almost sent it to you guys.

11:54 It was the four American sports leagues, NFL, major sports, because obviously there's a lot, but NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and it was each franchise's largest contract they've ever given out.

12:07 Oh, okay.

12:07 It was kind of interesting.

12:08 Yankees.

12:09 It was kind of interesting to look at. Obviously, the Pirates were down towards the bottom.

12:13 I'm sure.

12:13 Yeah.

12:15 But what was wild to me was Patrick Mahomes got that $ 500 million contract a few years ago from the Chiefs. No one else in the NFL has even gotten a.

12:24 $ 400 million contract.

12:25 Josh Allen's the only one who's gotten a $ 300 million contract. So you've got Mahomes in the $ 500 million range. Josh Allen was like $ 330 million, I think.

12:33 And it's fewer years.

12:34 It is.

12:35 That will certainly change.

12:38 These Drake Mays and these Caleb Williams and people like that could certainly get up there.

12:41 Of course.

12:42 But it is pretty eye-opening just how much those guys are valued more than everyone else and how much– you look at the years of all those teams and almost all of them are within the last five or six years because of how the cap has just ballooned, especially in the NBA, especially in the NHL. Those leagues have not paced like the NFL.

13:04 But by their standards, they're spiking like crazy. They've spiked like crazy, too. So that was just an interest.

13:08 That is interesting.

13:09 That caught my eye.

13:09 Not only was Mahomes the only $ 400 million player in NFL history, only $ 500 million player.

13:14 And obviously that shows how much they trust him and all that. And probably some people are like, yeah, but that's not all guaranteed. No, but every year they go to the bank in my home and say, well, how about we just guarantee this year? And he's like, sure.

13:27 Can we just pay a fat chunk in March?

13:29 Give me $ 60 million now and save a bunch of cap space and go sign Kenneth Walker for me. It's a pretty good deal.

13:35 Not too shabby.

13:36 Right.

13:36 Not too shabby. Yeah, this one a little more difficult, Matt, but I certainly think.

13:40 You could do worse. You'd be pretty happy with Olave.

13:42 You could do worse than Chris Olave.

13:43 This would be a really good team with Olave.

13:45 Yes, it would. Oh, my goodness. Could you imagine this offense with Olave?

13:48 Yeah.

13:49 So, yeah, that's the kind of, I guess, first look at the New Orleans Saints, their roster, what we like, where they leave a little bit to be desired as we just get started here on this Tuesday and just get started taking a look at the Steelers' upcoming opponent, of course, the New Orleans Saints. Plenty more to get to as we roll along here. I've got some numbers that I want to throw at Matt Williamson.

14:11 When we return.

14:11 All right, all right. All right, all right, all right.

14:14 On the other side, Euler Williamson. It is The Drive, Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

14:21 And now a word from our sponsor, Bud Light. There's nothing better than the clean crisp. There's nothing better than the clean crisp. What if we just got out of here and grabbed some Bud Lights? But man, we're on air for four more hours.

14:37 I'll figure it out.

14:38 Sounds good to me.

14:40 Anything for the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light.

14:43 Stock up now.

14:44 Bud Light.

14:45 Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch Bud Light Beer, St.

14:49 Louis, Missouri.

14:51 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable. So I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag. And after what went down in the first round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

15:08 I told you they were building their own line. I win the bet.

15:11 Get 100% fiber internet with Verizon Fios, because when it comes to your team, it's 100% or nothing. Call 1-833-VERIZON to switch today.

15:18 Get that hot dog costume ready.

15:20 Bruh.

15:24 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold. Steelers Nation Radio.

15:46 Matt, last week on the show, in fact, it might have been Tuesday. I think it was just about a week ago. You and I had a conversation on this Steelers rookie class.

15:55 Yeah.

15:56 A lot of guys settling in. A lot of guys being contributors. Arrow pointed up. And with that, I think we can start to say some of that, too, with some of these second-year guys for the Steelers.

16:07 Okay.

16:07 Because, you know, it's always that sophomore step. Yeah, yeah.

16:10 It can be cliched, and it's not 100% always the case. But more often than not, it's why you hear it. That biggest step you're going to take in your career is from year one to year two. There's exceptions for that, certainly.

16:23 You have a real offseason.

16:25 Josh Allen took his big step after his second year, before his third year. But for the most part, you're right. It's the first time you have a real offseason.

16:33 And you understand what the rigors of the NFL are, the speed of it, what's demanded of you.

16:38 And you have your exit meeting with your coaching staff, and they tell you over the summer, we want you to work on this, this, and this.

16:42 Yeah.

16:43 And you don't have to find a new place to live and things like that, too. There's real stuff involved, too. So it totally adds up. You want to go through it? I mean, Harmon's a tough one, obviously.

16:54 Harmon's a tough one, but where I really wanted to start with, and then maybe we can piggyback off of this, is has YA Black started to level up in front of us and.

17:02 We haven't talked about it enough? Sort of. Let me give you the numbers that I think back that up.

17:09 Okay.

17:10 Weeks one to three, and this kind of directly correlates with Derek Harmon's absence as well. Weeks one to three, YA Black was averaging 18 snaps a game for the Steelers' defense. Their EPA per rush was 22nd in the league. Their rushing success rate allowed was 23rd in the league. Since week four, YA has pretty almost doubled his snaps. He's playing close to 32 snaps now per game as.

17:35 Opposed to 18. His snaps seem to keep going up and up, and the trust seems to keep going up and up.

17:39 EPA per rush allowed from 22nd to 11th. rushing success rate allowed from 23rd to 5th.

17:48 Wow. And that doesn't imply Harmon's addition by subtraction. No, absolutely not. That doesn't pass the sniff test at all.

17:56 Absolutely not. This is what you drafted Y.A. Black to do and that he developed into.

18:00 So here are my thoughts on him. I think, yes, he is leveling up. He still has some bad reps. I mean, like, Some of those gigantic people, and this is a terrible comparison because he's way better than this guy, but Dale and I kind of used to make fun of McCullers.

18:18 You used to say, how long is Dan McCullers going to be in a scholarship?

18:22 Because one out of 10 reps, he would just come out of the stance low and an unblockable force, take a really good center and throw him away. And then he'd come out of his stance high and get pushed around and be this like top heavy fall over and then he's tired after that and it's over and black has some of that because there are times when he's never quick off the ball as you would imagine but he's usually like the last guy off the ball yes um and he will wear down and he will have snaps where his pads get high off the snap and as you can imagine in the run game he gets doubled a fair amount and he ends up pretty far downfield sometimes or on his back you know but Less than last year, and he definitely has, I mean, again, McCullers,

19:11 he's not even close to the percentage.

19:13 I get what you're saying.

19:14 They're just huge guys that aren't special.

19:17 That didn't have to win on technique most of their lives because they could just bully everybody that they line up across.

19:22 That position, that's true so much. I mean, they're so rare that people like that walk in the planet that a lot of them, Albert Hainsworth never had to learn technique, and he was flat out lazy and didn't want to.

19:32 Speaking of that, that was the one outlier. The biggest contract the commanders have still ever given out was Albert Hainsworth.

19:38 That was a long time ago.

19:39 That was like 16 years ago.

19:40 Wow.

19:41 Now that speaks to the fact that.

19:42 They haven't been very good in.

19:44 That time period and haven't drafted very well. But I digress.

19:47 No.

19:48 They were the lowest on the list of drafts. uh nfl biggest nfl contracts.

19:52 Okay wow i would never come up with that but i do think black definitely has a role and is a keeper and i don't think you're going to try to draft over him i think he's Never going to offer much in the run game, but he has very powerful hands. And when he locks a guy out, it's really hard to deal with. And so, you know, he's got crazy wig span. I consider him, you know, you usually think of D tackles as tacklers, but I think he's a good tackler. When he hits a dude, they fall down, you know, or he wraps them from farther away than most. So, yeah, I think so. I don't think his ceiling's super high.

20:31 I just found those numbers very telling. And that doesn't mean that it's just why a black.

20:36 No, of course.

20:36 I think the defense as a whole has, has done better.

20:39 Since those two games. Did you say it has been.

20:41 Uh, since week four. So three, okay. First three verse verse latest.

20:47 Irving and Taylor, Irving and Taylor, they did really well again.

20:49 They did. They did. And that's a big part of it. Um, And yeah, B.

20:54 John Robinson didn't take the game over week one, but he had 80-some rushing yards, which is a fine adding. You obviously held Taylor to 45 and Bucky Irving to 46. And it's still at the point in the season, Matt, where all it takes is one performance for these numbers to.

21:09 Change pretty rapidly. Yeah, a couple long runs or something like that.

21:12 But I thought that that was worth noting. He's not the only one who deserves credit in that regard.

21:16 No.

21:16 As we've talked about, I think all three of the Steelers edge rush. I say all three. I should put Jack Sawyer in that conversation, too. the Steelers, the Steelers edge rushers have been varsity when it comes to defending the run.

21:27 Yeah. Um, and so I, I think again.

21:30 Wilson's made a lot of plays. Ramsey's great.

21:34 He needs to be mentioned as he ever been.

21:36 Um, but it's encouraging too, that Harmon will be back soon. And if, if it's rundowns or you're playing the Ravens and I can put black Harmon and cam, that's gonna be hard to move.

21:49 Yeah.

21:49 Uh, you know what I mean? I mean, just as run players, that's a, a, Harmon's a very good run defender.

21:56 Here's a quick tweet that caught my eye, Matt.

21:59 Marco tweets us and says, along the lines of the kind of pick-a-player mode, looking back, if the Colts are going to end up in fire sale mode, are there any players, and at what cost would you be interested in for the Steelers?

22:13 Yeah, I retweeted probably about 24 hours ago of their free agents-to-be. Ooh, that's always interesting. For that exact reason. Because those are the.

22:23 Guys that it's like, what are we going to keep them for?

22:24 Yeah, I mean, if we're not going to bring them back, our season's shot. One of them, the guy at the top of the list is Quentin Nelson. He is a free agent to be. But they might look at him like he's Cam Hayward and like, we're never letting him leave the building. He's going to have a ring of honor spot. He's an all-time great Colt. Or you look at him and say, he's had a tremendous career Why don't we ship him to the Niners and let the guy win a Super Bowl? You know what I mean?

22:50 And get something for him while we still can. One name that popped up to me, I think you could get Sauce Gardner for pennies on what they pay. I mean, no one's given up two firsts for him.

23:04 No chance.

23:05 Plus, they've already given him the signing bonus. Now you have to pay him year to year. But, I mean, I'm talking like, would you give a second-round pick for Sauce Gardner? I mean, I'm not even considering moving a first. But the one name I was kind of interested in is Josh Downs. He's very small. I mean, he's 170 pounds and he looks like a slot only player, but he's not. I think he was miscast early in his career when it was Pearson Pittman on the outside. He would always be the third guy in. But he's been in two receiver sets outside the numbers. Really good route runner.

23:43 I mean, it's kind of like the Alave conversation in terms of finding man beaters, snap off out of their breaks, that type of thing. So he's intriguing. I would think he's somebody they don't want to lose. I don't know what their mindset is at the moment. Is it a fire sale? The Steelers wouldn't be in the Jonathan Taylor market, but could the Seahawks pry away Jonathan Taylor?

24:07 Maybe.

24:10 I was thinking about that. Could Seattle or Houston... Houston.

24:14 Would be a really interesting one. Now, they did just give up a second-round pick for Marvin Harrison Jr.

24:19 Yeah, that's true. But could they go get Taylor or Saquon? That wouldn't be bad.

24:27 Could the Rams get one of those guys?

24:29 Yeah, I mean, some of those type of teams, you know?

24:31 Interesting. Very, very interesting. Obviously, I don't think the Bills would be in that market.

24:36 Cooks are really good running back. I don't think the Patriots would be in that market. They've got a nice tandem, too.

24:40 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

24:41 But those running backs, especially.

24:43 Houston and Seattle in particular, that could put them over.

24:46 And if you're Saquon, I don't know.

24:49 It could be a little different because you kind of went through the organizational chaos of the Giants and landed in Philadelphia where you're beloved and you've got a Super Bowl and all that. Maybe you'll say, I'll ride it out here. If you're Jonathan Taylor, though, it's almost now or never for me.

25:05 I'll go.

25:07 And Quentin Nelson, while I think he's still got a handful of really, I think he's 29. Don't quote me on that, but he still sounds about right. He's got a handful of really good years in front of him. Maybe he looks at it and he goes, this organization drafted me.

25:18 I'm loyal here. I love it here. You know, we've seen guys like that.

25:21 I got kids in school here. I'm happy, whatever.

25:23 Exactly.

25:23 Right.

25:24 Um, you know, they're going to pay me a ransom when I'm a free agent next year.

25:28 Money won't be a problem.

25:29 Yeah.

25:29 Yeah.

25:30 Um, or you look at it and you go, Hey man, you know, some of these big name offensive linemen, these Trent Williams of the world that have.

25:35 Moved, it's worked out really well for them.

25:37 Right, right, right.

25:38 Um, so that, that would be very interesting, but I think if they lose another game or two, it's, it's gotta be fire sale time.

25:43 They don't have a first round pick.

25:44 I think that's partially why he got fired now is okay. I don't want any resistance in terms of who's going to, I don't need anybody in the building saying no if there's a good deal for one of our players at the point. I assume that's how ownership's looking at it.

25:59 I would think so.

26:00 As for the Steelers, I mean, Nelson would make this line unbelievable. Ian would be the Ciamalu leader and all those things. But I don't know that I'm buying a guard for what he would cost. I assume he'd be a first-round pick.

26:13 I would think so.

26:14 I mean, I guess maybe the one kicker there is that it's not like he still has a bunch of term left on his contract.

26:19 So maybe you could get him for a second.

26:21 Maybe for a second, yeah. And I understand that line of thinking. Downs, I'm thinking, is a third or fourth, especially because their contract's expiring. Sauce probably isn't for me. I mean, Sauce and Nelson would be pretty big investments. Yes.

26:37 And if you were going to do that, I would have probably just rather kept the corner that we traded a few weeks ago.

26:44 Right, right.

26:44 As opposed to going out and trading for another one.

26:46 On the fly. Unless that bridge was just burned.

26:48 Probably going to make more money. you know, sauce is, then, then the potential extension would be. And you're right.

26:54 Maybe.

26:54 I think I'd make a call for sauce.

26:56 Yeah.

26:57 At least. Hey, what's the asking?

26:58 What are you thinking? I mean, is that somebody you'd move and get them off the books?

27:01 What's the sticker price?

27:02 And they'd be like, I'll give us your first. I'm like, no, I'll give you a third. And they'll be like, no. And then, then you both think about, would you take a second? Like, I don't know.

27:10 Give you a second in 2028.

27:12 Maybe.

27:12 Yeah.

27:13 I got an extra one of those.

27:15 That's always, always an interesting conversation.

27:16 I tell you what, I don't think the Colts are the only one. We could be having that same conversation about a couple other teams here. Washington, Dallas.

27:23 I think it's getting pretty apparent.

27:25 The Chargers.

27:25 There's going to be some sellers at the market at the deadline.

27:28 And as you and I have talked about in the history of this program before, it seems like every year it gets a little more active on trade deadline day.

27:35 Yeah. I also think there's 10 teams. I don't know if we'll do power ranks or not today. Oh, we will, baby. If we take the top 10 teams, I could see every one of them saying, I need one more thing. You know what I mean? They could all be buyers saying, this could be our year. I don't see this unbelievable Chiefs team out there that we can't beat. We can hang with any of these 10 teams if I just get a wide out. Yeah. Or, you know, one more thing.

28:02 I see one more thing. Yeah. You know. It'll be kind of fun.

28:06 It is always fun to discuss that kind of stuff, and obviously something we'll be keeping an eye on rolling forward here.

28:10 But when we come back to close down the first– Steelers.

28:13 Are in a couple wins together. They could be– we're a corner away from being– In the mix. I don't know.

28:18 Wide receiver away from having one of the better options.

28:21 Those are two positions I'd be thinking.

28:22 And those are also positions that you can realistically get somebody at the deadline.

28:26 Receivers always move at the deadline. Always.

28:28 You're not getting a starting left tackle at the deadline.

28:30 No, no.

28:31 It's not that the Steelers need.

28:33 One, but you get what I'm saying.

28:34 You're out of luck.

28:35 Getting your quarterback of the future at the deadline.

28:37 Receivers, those are always, I think, a very fluid asset across the National Football League. Matt, when we come back to close down the first hour of the show, chuck on your collegiate apparel and cue up the band.

28:49 Cool.

28:49 Because it is time to go around campus. Wes Shuler, Matt Williamson, it's The Drive, Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

29:01 And now a word from our sponsor, Bud Light. There's nothing better than the clean, crisp... There's nothing better than the clean, crisp. What if we just got out of here and grabbed some Bud Lights? But man, we're on air for four more hours.

29:17 I'll figure it out.

29:18 Sounds good to me.

29:20 Anything for the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light. Stock up now.

29:24 Bud Light.

29:25 Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026. Anheuser-Busch Bud Light Beer, St.

29:29 Louis, Missouri.

29:31 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable, so I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag. And after what went down in the first round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

29:48 I told you they were building their own line.

29:49 I win the bet.

29:50 Get 100% fiber internet with Verizon Fios, because when it comes to your team, it's 100% or nothing. Call 1-833-VERIZON to switch today.

29:58 Get that hot dog costume ready.

30:00 Bruh.

30:04 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold. Steelers Nation Radio.

30:20 Matt, we were just kind of talking about how, you know, we're getting to the point with some of these statistics and numbers and analytics in the NFL where you can start to put more weight into it.

30:28 Yeah, they kind of mean something.

30:30 And week by week it starts to mean a little bit more. Matt, we're starting to get to the point in the college football season where I'm starting to get some more concrete opinions on some of these quarterbacks.

30:39 Okay. I totally understand that.

30:41 This past Saturday was a huge one because a lot of these big-name quarterbacks had some big spots, some big moments. Julian Sayen and Josh Hoover played each other, obviously, Ohio State and Indiana.

30:54 I watched a lot of that, and I know there's an injury now, but Sayen doesn't do much for me.

30:59 I think he is one of those guys that I would take him as my college quarterback in a heartbeat.

31:04 Oh, yeah. Even if he's not thrown to those.

31:06 Exactly right.

31:07 I think he would win a lot of games, but I just don't know how it translates to the NFL.

31:11 Yeah.

31:12 And there's these guys that come out every year, you know, and not that sayings to this level, but you and I had those conversations with Diego Pavia last year.

31:19 We were like, sure. why is this guy even at the combine?

31:22 I mean, Ohio state history has a lot of them. I mean, a guy like fields was a lot more talented than most of the Ohio state guys that have come out in the last 20, 30 years. I mean, yeah, sure. Um, so we're starting to see a lot of traits.

31:35 Don't see a lot of traits.

31:36 Yeah.

31:37 Um, um, I don't think him or Hoover don't really do it for me.

31:41 I was never, I was never big on Hoover, but I was willing to give him a chance here with Cignetti and Shanahan and that offense.

31:47 Um, Um, but they're probably NFL backup.

31:50 I think that that's, that would be their kind of best case scenario.

31:53 Matt, one guy, I told you last week, we're kind of, we're doing this week by week of who right now would I give up the.

31:59 Steelers first round pick for?

32:00 Yeah. Yeah.

32:02 And it's still hard.

32:03 It's tough to say no, even to arch and Dante more, but we haven't, my answer is yes on those. Haven't seen Dante more much this season. Arch has, has not lived up to expectations at all, but it's still hard to say no, especially when we.

32:17 Prospects are a little different. We've had this exact conversation. Prospects are different than what they are now as a college player.

32:23 Barring something unforeseen, it's not like you're saying yes to giving that up and it's going to be the seventh overall pick in the draft.

32:28 They already have four wins.

32:29 I think we would all be shocked if the Steelers pick any higher than 17th or 18th.

32:34 Exactly.

32:34 Something would have to go drastically wrong.

32:36 Like if I'm the Chargers, I'm not giving up the pick.

32:39 Exactly, right.

32:40 Titans or Miami, right.

32:43 So I had mentioned how Arch and Dante Moore are still kind of in their own separate categories.

32:47 And of course we would answer that question.

32:49 Yes.

32:50 Before the season.

32:50 Totally.

32:51 Totally. But how drew Mesta maker had become a yes for me. Yes.

32:55 How I thought CJ car from Notre Dame had become a yes for me. Wasn't cars great at showing.

33:01 In BYU.

33:02 He wasn't terrible.

33:03 You weren't kidding about the environment, though. Hard place to play. It's incredible. I was glued to the Kentucky game for obvious reasons, but I flipped over quite a bit.

33:11 It's 70,000 people, Matt, who don't tailgate or drink or do anything. What do you think they're there for? They're not there for the party and the tailgate. They're there to create a rowdy environment.

33:22 Yes, yes.

33:22 And then they all walked.

33:23 And it truly was like the biggest game ever in that stadium.

33:25 And that place has always been such an underrated atmosphere. But yeah, you get a top 10 matchup at night, game day, altitude, all the lights and the fireworks and the specials.

33:36 It was absolutely out of control.

33:38 CJ Carr threw the ball 49 times in that game. He did have a chance at the end, drove them down the field, but was unable to punch it in. I'm not saying that all of a sudden stuck down on him or anything.

33:49 But he just didn't quite.

33:50 I wouldn't say he didn't improve it.

33:51 He didn't quite also go win that game for Notre Dame like I wanted to see him do.

33:56 Agreed, agreed.

33:58 So it's not that I'm down on him or anything, but I was hoping to come in here this week and be like, CJ Clarke, that guy's a top 10 pick.

34:06 In a month from now, we may not even hold that against him the slightest bit.

34:10 They host Miami in two weeks. He could carve up a number one Miami team and be right back in the conversation.

34:16 He looked quite good, yeah.

34:16 But I think there's some Joe Burrow-type stuff to his game. I think there's a lot to like there. But he did not have his— not a terrible outing, but just didn't get the team over the hump like you wanted him to in that environment. Matt, a guy that I feel like we haven't talked about enough, and to be fair— To be fair, yeah. I said this with Julian saying last week, part of it is the schedule. They just haven't played really many big games.

34:39 Mensa had that issue.

34:40 Yeah.

34:41 Mensa's the guy that I was going to mention.

34:43 Oh, okay.

34:43 I think I've undersold him a little bit. Matt, I thought he was really good against Florida State.

34:48 They win that game.

34:49 I saw none of that one.

34:50 They win that game in double overtime.

34:53 He did throw an interception, but had, you know, 350 yards offense and three touchdowns as well.

35:00 He just... In big moments, he's played really well for them.

35:04 And I think, yes, he's got Malachi Toney, who's an outstanding wide receiver.

35:10 But he's just got a lot.

35:11 Of the stuff. Notre Dame has good receivers. Texas has good receivers.

35:14 He's got a lot of the stuff that you want in a kind of modern era quarterback. He's got the mobility when he needs it. He's got the arm strength when he needs it. I think he's very decisive. I like what I've seen from him from the neck up. It's going to get more difficult for Miami here soon. They've got Notre Dame, and then they've got a couple tougher ACC challenges down the stretch. They actually have Pitt at home this weekend.

35:40 But I'm starting to arrow up on Mensah as he's starting to play some more important games here, and I've really watched him a few more times.

35:48 So all these guys I've kind of watched from afar, but more than I usually do by the middle of October for obvious reasons, plus... you and I talk more college than Dale and I did, you know what I mean? Just so I'm, I'm a little more dialed in. My kids are off to school. And so I've had more free time on weekends. I watch college football too. So these are all far from final answers, but when I watch Mensa, I wish he was a little bigger, a little stronger, a little faster, you know, but I don't think he's bad in any of those areas. I just wish he was a little, 5% more of all.

36:23 Then he'd be a nailed on top two or three pick.

36:26 But he always seems so in control. He seems to have a real level head and calmness about him. He can do all the physical things that you need. I don't think he can be an A-plus in those. And he's very accurate. And I've told you this before.

36:41 It's one of the things, there's not many, but one of the things that I really like about this Portal era now is is we talked about this with Jaden Daniels when he came out. Caleb Williams, these guys, had a lot of success at their first stop. Then they go somewhere else, they have a lot of success there.

36:57 You can see them in two different offenses, two different programs.

36:59 Like Bo Nix was the total opposite. He had struggled at Auburn.

37:02 And then really took off. But Mensah, man, looked really good, had a lot of success at Tulane.

37:10 I didn't watch him at all at Tulane.

37:12 And then looked really good and had... historic season for duke which obviously duke football is we know what they are in the in the kind of pecking order yeah but had a had a great season by their standards one that obviously got him to go to miami a program that's been producing quarterbacks like crazy.

37:30 When you elevate the dukes of the world i think that goes a long way.

37:32 I just i i really like that from mensa too this is now his third program where it's been like they're winning games he's.

37:39 Yeah good yeah it shows he Also shows that he adjusts to a new environment well, which he's going to have to do.

37:44 Which he's going to have to do day one in the NFL.

37:47 Matt, one guy that I'm arrowed down on big time is Gunnar Stockton, the Georgia quarterback.

37:52 I can see that.

37:53 He looked bad at home against Auburn through two bad interceptions.

37:57 How many did they lose?

37:58 Got strip sacked at the end of the game when they had a chance to win it. That's not a very good Auburn team, and you're at home.

38:06 That's an arrow down.

38:06 That was a bad loss.

38:07 That's an arrow down performance for me. That's a bad loss for them and a bad performance by him.

38:12 In every season, every sport, there's some losses. You're like, eh, we were the better team. We should have won. That was a bad loss. That was a bad loss. That's one you can't let slip away.

38:23 Matt, I continue to be intrigued by Trinidad James.

38:27 I was about to make sure we brought him up.

38:29 He might be one of those— Would you trade the Steelers' first-round pick for him right now? Yes, because the relative area where you would be drafting, and I don't think Trinidad's going to be a top-ten pick, but I certainly think he's going to be a first-round pick.

38:46 You might get him with your first-round pick.

38:49 He was great against Missouri.

38:51 Some of his moments are like, whoa he.

38:53 Was great against missouri and i know again he you wish he was a little bit bigger and a little bit stronger right right but my goodness.

39:01 Would be nice i mean bigger and he seems pretty well put together yes he's not like a russell wilson you know right.

39:07 He's another one though if he was two inches and 20 pounds heavier he's the first overall pick yeah i mean he's But he is so accurate. He layers his throws so well, which you don't see at the collegiate level like this guy is doing it.

39:20 He throws over the middle a lot, especially for a short guy.

39:23 And Matt, another one. Yes, he's at the same program, but with a brand new coaching. Lane Kiffin left last year at the beginning of the play. he put his team on the back and took him all the way to the semi.

39:32 Yeah yeah and then this year he's he's he loses that coaching system this.

39:37 Year he's got even better in a in a yeah a guy that was on staff but a different system a different coach uh They struggled in Florida, and I thought that was to be expected because they had such that emotional win. One of the most emotional wins you'll see in sports when they hosted LSU and Lane Kiffin the week before.

39:54 And then they have to go to the swamp on the road. That was just such a tough spot.

39:58 Yeah. To me, that's a forgivable loss.

40:00 And to me, that's a little bit of a forgivable spot. Other than that, man, he has been outstanding. And there was so much hype built up again between him and Austin Simmons, a guy that you and I have talked about.

40:10 Yeah, he's gaining a lot of steam.

40:12 Austin Simmons, remember, he was at Ole Miss, and the only reason he transferred was because he was like, I'm not going to sit behind Trinidad for a year.

40:18 I want to play, which is understandable. Trinidad, I mean, he clearly was the better player. Clearly was the better quarterback, Matt. He was just a smooth operator. Four total touchdowns, three in the air, one with his feet. And like I said, the accuracy in big moments, the tight window throws, the layered throws. I was sitting there in Tampa on Saturday watching that game like, You were on it before me, honestly. Like, I might be good with Trinidad.

40:45 Yeah.

40:45 He is, man, there's just so much to like about his game.

40:48 And they rave about him as a leader and all the mental stuff and character stuff. I'm pretty intrigued. I don't know that he'll go in the top five, but who's to say? I mean, it only takes one team to fall in love with him. I think it's possible.

41:04 I do too.

41:06 I certainly do. I continue to keep my eyes on Gio Lopez, the Wake Forest quarterback.

41:12 He's smaller. He's a lefty.

41:14 But man, he is just one of those guys who can hurt you in so many ways and is doing it without all the proverbial five stars around him. Wake Forest is a sneaky good football team. They took one on the chin against Miami like a lot of people are going to do, but they're ranked now and playing really good football. Lincoln Kleinholz, the Louisville quarterback who is like built like josh allen he continues to kind of be just okay he has everything that you want in terms of the arm strength and the legs he plays that kind of you give him seven yards.

41:45 He's gonna get eight rugged yeah you.

41:47 Know he had he had 10 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns this past week i just some of the some of the decision making he also threw two interceptions and they're playing syracuse.

41:57 Not miami yeah yeah some of the decision making is a little iffy but he's got.

42:02 A big arm And he's elevated that program, too.

42:05 He is elevated that program.

42:06 I've said this about Mestemaker, and I know that this is unfair, but it's also an easy comparison to make. Like, Mestemaker has some of those Josh Allen elements to his game.

42:15 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

42:15 Big arm, big guy, not afraid to pull it down.

42:18 Style of play, yeah.

42:19 Keinholz is that similar, but I think not the prospect that Mestemaker is. But he's still got a really intriguing skill set, and I want to keep an eye on him the rest of the year.

42:28 I mean, if they're all the same type of quarterback... Allen's the Mercedes-Benz, Mestimaker's the Cadillac, and this dude's the Honda. Yeah.

42:44 And then speaking of Mestimaker, Matt, they actually lost in Houston in that top 20 matchup, but he was outstanding.

42:50 Houston's good this year, though, right?

42:51 Houston's good. They were ranked 20th last week.

42:53 I think they're up to like 17 or 18 this week.

42:57 Houston's quarterback is pretty good as well, too.

43:00 I don't know about pro potential, but he's another one of those Julian Saiyan types that went a lot of games with that guy in college. Mestemaker, though, Matt, ran for 34 yards, threw for 365, three touchdowns.

43:13 He continues to be the guy that.

43:15 That loss was not a stocked-down situation for him. No, absolutely not.

43:18 He's the reason— they lost a shootout 35-32, and he kept them in the game. He's the one that continues. I continue to make.

43:25 The— He may be the first pick in the draft.

43:26 The googly eyes of him. He might be the first pick in the draft.

43:28 Yeah, yeah. I mean— I think people are like, oh, he's a cute story. Maybe he'll go in the first round. No, he might be the first pick in the draft.

43:34 In fact, I wonder too, Matt, like, I wonder what the odds are for, if you could even find, who's the odds on favorite, but he's got to be towards the top of the list.

43:44 I mean, skyrocketing.

43:45 Especially with the year that Arch and Dante Moore have had.

43:48 Yeah, none of the incumbents have grabbed it.

43:50 Have had to this point. Yeah.

43:52 Um, so Matt, I think that's it. I do want you to get familiar with the name, Braden Atkinson. That's the Oregon state quarterback. He's not draft eligible, but he's another one of these Camario Taylor's key on Russell's that I, the next wave, if we're doing this contest again, or this, this exercise again, next year, we'll be talking a lot about him. Uh, he, I think is going to be one of those candidates who you'll see him at Alabama, Georgia, Ohio state, or one of those places next year, Oregon state quarterback, uh, Brayden Atkinson, he has just been tearing it up and did so again in their big win against Washington State on Saturday.

44:27 Two questions for you. Did you say Moore is supposed to come back this week?

44:30 I believe so. Riola played, but I want to see him. He could be the No. 1 overall pick.

44:37 Moore?

44:38 Yes.

44:38 He's got such a skill set. He's so good with those layered throws, too, that I think is just when you can do that already in college, that says a lot. He is, of all these quarterbacks, at least based off of last year, the best when the, when everything breaks down, when, when, you know, someone blitzes through the a gap and you don't pick it up.

44:55 And you got to improvise. Now what do I do when you got nothing open downfield? And now what do I do?

45:00 Um, I really want to see Dante more, get back out there and see what he's got. Um, but he obviously has been dealing with that major concussion and major injury that he picked up against USC, but his, um, his say in this conversation is far from over.

45:14 Yeah. Makes sense. Um, last question, this isn't really draft or Steeler related, Who's the best team in the country?

45:21 Who?

45:23 Ohio State? Like on a neutral field, who is not a dog against anybody?

45:29 I mean, Miami has to be in the conversation.

45:31 They were fortunate to survive that double overtime win against Florida State. But we also know weird things happen in rivalry games.

45:37 Yeah, right, right. That doesn't seem like a bad loss or a bad situation.

45:41 No, no.

45:42 And Florida State's not very good. And they were at home. But again, it's a rivalry game. You've got to kind of throw all that. They took Florida State's best punch.

45:49 Notre Dame and BYU.

45:50 Ohio State's in the conversation. I mean, right now Miami's one, BYU's two. I think Ohio State's two, which I think is a little rich. I think BYU's really good.

45:58 They're not favored against Ohio State.

45:59 I don't think so. No, I don't think so. Matt, that's what has made this year very intriguing, though. I don't know if there's a clear-cut No. 1 team.

46:06 If you would have asked.

46:09 Me this this time last week, I would have said Georgia. And they lost at home to Auburn.

46:13 And two weeks ago, you might have said Bama, and they lost to Georgia.

46:16 It was the.

46:16 First time in over 20 years that Auburn has beat Georgia at Georgia. I know.

46:22 And I would have thought they were probably the best team in college football if you had asked me last week. It's why I think a lot of SEC people are losing their minds right now, because they don't have the true juggernaut that they typically have.

46:34 But the SEC slate is a difficult one to navigate.

46:37 It's insane.

46:38 Kentucky's better.

46:40 Kentucky's a lot better, without a doubt.

46:42 I think there's this is going to be a really fun college football playoff year because.

46:48 I say anybody, maybe a four seed wins it.

46:50 Like last year, Indiana was the proverbial favorite.

46:53 Right.

46:53 And they went wall to wall and did the thing.

46:55 But even you had Miami and Ohio State. Now it's like I don't think you would see a lot of typically in the 12 team playoff. There's been a few of those first round wins. double-digit, you know, 12-and-a-half, 17-and-a-half point favorites.

47:09 Boy, I don't want that team in my bracket.

47:12 I don't think you're going to see that this year. I think this could be shaping up to be a great college football playoff with a lot of close games.

47:22 But Miami right now, Ohio State right now, those would probably be my answers. But I tell you what, man, there's a lot of really good teams. I think UCLA is really good, quietly. No one's talking about them.

47:35 They lost... the quarterback though, right? Isn't he bad? Yeah.

47:38 He, he, he got hurt.

47:39 Yeah.

47:40 Um, but they're still winning, man. They're still looking good without him.

47:43 Um, I think Tennessee is really good and, and, and, and could, could go on a run and could beat anybody. Um, so it's, it's, uh, it's, it's a very fun.

47:53 Conversation to go like 10 to 12 deep of who might be the best team out.

47:57 I think this is, and again, it's always easy to say this stuff. I'd have to really sit back and look, but I think this might be the most wide open year of college football.

48:05 In a while. Good.

48:06 In a long, long time.

48:09 Matt, this weekend's slate, I've got to be honest with you, is not the greatest. The last two or three weeks of college football have been outstanding. This one's okay. I think LSU and Auburn will be an interesting game. Auburn has got some juice now. I want to see Sam Levitt on the road in a tough environment, see if he can start to live up to some of that preseason hype.

48:29 That one's at noon.

48:30 I'm not sure if he's a first-rounder for me.

48:32 I don't think he is. I don't think he is. Uh, Tennessee goes to South Carolina.

48:36 That's interesting.

48:37 Sellers has a little momentum here, right?

48:39 All of a sudden they're off their bi-week. He played really well in their last game. Now he's at home against a really good Tennessee team.

48:46 Can he keep for draft reasons? If he could get some momentum, really rolling. Absolutely.

48:50 He absolutely could.

48:52 Uh, Matt, the one game that I definitely want to watch on Saturday, it's going to be difficult for me because it's going to be like midnight in France.

49:00 Oh, wow.

49:01 Old Miss goes to Texas.

49:03 Oh, wow.

49:03 That's dynamite. Trinidad versus Arch. If Ole Miss wins, they could be top five in the following week.

49:10 If Texas can bounce back, this would be a huge spot and obviously two first-round quarterbacks.

49:15 I mentioned this to you yesterday, and I can't justify it or whatever, but it sounded... saw a headline that Arch's backup is some five-star young guy, whatever.

49:25 He's been getting a little more spin in practice.

49:27 It sounds like he's starting to, I don't know, push him or what, but they say he's going to get more action in practice.

49:33 I felt like the last couple weeks I've told you, oh, there's like three or four must-watch games here.

49:37 I think there's only one this.

49:39 Weekend, and it's Ole Miss and Texas. What time is that? That's 7.30 Saturday night. Can Texas bounce back? Can Ole Miss continue doing what they're doing?

49:46 Texas needs to get a win.

49:47 Yes, they do. Yes, they do. Keep an eye on both quarterbacks. If they lose this, they'll be four and three. They'll be unranked.

49:51 I would say they may not be in the playoffs.

49:53 Right.

49:53 I remember asking you when their first loss. I'm like, oh, they're going to go to the playoffs.

49:57 Oh, they'll be fine.

49:57 Right, right, right.

49:58 Now, you lose two games, you're all right. You lose three, and all of a sudden, it gets a little dicey. There's an hour in the books, another hour to go. We'll start hour number two with some NFL power rankings, all that and more as we roll along. Euler and Williamson, it's The Drive, Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.