"Hi Darren. Combine is here as I write this and once again we find ourselves in that age-old debacle: tape vs measurables. Linebackers went today and we discovered 2 things: David Bailey is impossibly athletic for a pass rusher. Reuben Bain Jr. has A.Q. Shipley T-Rex arms. Either could go No. 2 overall and make it moot, but what's your opinion Bailey vs Bain? Bain is the 'proven' guy. Yes his measurables are concerning, but the guy dominated in college. Bailey is the projection guy, the tools guy. There have been many guys who had OK college career, blew up the combine, and went top 10. I guess the prudent thing to do would be to look back at history and see how those guys panned out in the NFL. Some great, some not, so I don't envy Monti."
Every draft pick has an element of risk, right? Marvin Harrison Jr. was a no-brainer in 2024, and while that still can turn into a great pick, the Cardinals need to see more. This draft, especially at the top, is tricky in my opinion. For me in Bailey v Bain, the reality is a) short arms don't always matter, there have been guys that make it work but b) the large sample size says that most of the time, they will matter. If Bain turns into, say, an elevated Markus Golden, that's a solid career. But is that what you want at No. 3? Bailey is a smart kid (graduated in three years from Stanford before transferring to Texas Tech) who I believe knows he'll need to max out that athletic ability he has shown. Bain said he's a "monster," and he has been. But you don't want him getting swallowed by big tackles either no matter how violent he can be. For me, I'd need to take a much closer look but off the top of my head, I'd lean Bailey.
I think it might be out of Monti's hands because I think the Jets take one of them. If the Jets go Arvell Reese, however, it'll be a heck of a 7-minute wait. (And that's not even including the consideration of Mauigoa.)