GENERAL MANAGER MIKE BORGONZI
We came into tonight with pick 35. We felt like we had a good volume of players in round two. We wanted to get back up in three. So, we did that. We ended up trading with Seattle there at 52 and then getting the pick 82 in the third round back. So, we felt good about that. It was a 17-spot move. And with the first pick there at 52, we took (Oluwa)femi Oladejo, the outside backer from UCLA. Femi is a tough, physical kid that really just started playing outside backer the fourth game of the season this year. He was playing MIKE before. So he's developing as a pass rusher. I think he has a lot of upside there as well. But I'll tell you what, he can set the edge. He's physical. He's violent. The kid loves football, too. So that was a big part of it. And then at pick 82 we ended up taking Kevin Winston, the safety out of Penn State. The same thing with Kevin, he's a tough, physical player that probably would have went a little higher in the draft. He had the ACL in September, and we felt comfortable with the doctors that he'd be ready here for training camp. So, two guys that we felt bring a lot of competitive juice to the defense and physical tone setters as well.
(on how difficult it was to evaluate Kevin Winston with limited tape this season)
His tape last year in '23 was good too. He was probably up there with the two top safeties that went, in our opinion, when we watched him. And we felt comfortable. We met with him at the combine. Obviously had the medical there with the doctors. We got with them, and they felt he was on track to be available in training camp. But we love everything that Kevin brings. He's tough, physical, loves football, all that stuff. Plus, he's from DeMatha where Dennard Wilson went to high school. So that was part of it.
(on the plan of attack at wide receiver)
Listen, we have six picks tomorrow, so we still have a good volume of players there. The fourth round and down that we feel good about. So, it was just a matter of we stayed true to the board where we were at. We felt like we had a lot of players there in the second round that we felt good about and I thought it was important for us to get a pick in the third round, too.
(on if there were any concerns about Kevin Winston's injury)
No, we have full trust in the doctors. Kevin's 21 years old right now. He's a young kid. And the imaging looked good with the doctors. And we felt like he was on track to—he's going to be ready for training camp.
(on the challenge of projecting Oluwafemi Oladejo's potential as an edge rusher)
Well, he showed a lot of flashes of it too. We got to see him at the Senior Bowl, too, especially in the one-on-ones. You can see he's a kid, he's 260 pounds, he's got power, he's got long arms, 34-inch arms. So you saw the flashes. He's going to develop as a pass rusher. But you certainly saw some of the flashes where you said to yourself this guy is going to—once he gets coaching there, he hasn't been doing it that long, that he's got a lot of upside to be a really good pass rusher in the league.
(on if Dennard Wilson stood up for Kevin Winston Jr.)
That's part of it, yeah. He obviously liked him. We liked him, too. There was a vision for him. I joke around with the DeMatha thing. That's a joke. But there is a connection there. But obviously like I said, it was—the process we went through, we involved the coaches a lot. We took their opinions, and we had to make sure we had a vision for the player.
(on how much you can expect a fourth- or fifth-round rookie receiver to help a rookie quarterback)
It depends. Some of these guys have traits. That's why you take them in those later rounds, whether they have speed or size. So, all these guys, no matter where you take these guys, they're going to have to develop. Take them the second round, third round, there's a developmental process to it. So, we feel good about some receivers there, though, in the mid-rounds.
(on if they got a lot of interest in the 35th overall pick and what went into the resulting trade)
What happens is at the end of last night, people are looking to come up to 35. So, we had conversations with people last night and really all day today. We felt like the deal with Seattle was the best deal that we wanted.
(on where safety ranked in the list of needs)
I said we had a lot of needs. At this point we were taking the best available player on the board, and Kevin (Winston Jr.) was.
(on what positions are still deep in the draft)
Running backs, receivers, those are probably the two deepest right now.
(on how tonight's two picks fit into the culture they want to create)
Yeah, I think both these guys, because they love football and everything — their work ethic, those are the type of guys that elevate the culture. So really with all three, obviously Cam (Ward) as well. You want to change the culture of a program, you take guys like that, that love football, love the process. And all three of these guys that we've taken so far fit that.
(on how important culture fits have been in his evaluation process of draft prospects)
It's a big part of it. Obviously, they've got to be good football players, but that part of it where once you start stacking guys in the locker room that all love football, they work, they hold each other accountable, then they really police themselves in the locker room. That's how you change the culture.
(on if they would have felt any more urgency to go wide receiver tonight had they recently agreed to terms with Tyler Lockett)
No, I don't think it really changed much with that, no.
(on if he expects to get a lot of interest in the 103rd pick and if that's already started)
Not yet, but we could, though. So, we'll get on the phones again tomorrow and we'll listen to all offers. So, we'll see what's out there.
(on if he is shocked to see Shedeur Sanders fall this far in the draft)
Yeah, it has, because he's a good football player. It has. It certainly has.
