In the Trenches 584 - Chris Bracy Transcript
4/29/2026 8:48:00 AM | MGoBlue Podcasts
April 29, 2026
Jon Jansen • 00:00
We've got a lot to cover because we are in post spring ball, post draft mode. What does Schembechler hall look like now that spring ball is over? We're going to analyze the six landing spots for those drafted players from last year's team, as well as a number of undrafted free agents that have found homes. But our guest today, safety Chris Bracy. New to the program, new to you. We'll get you a chance to to get to know him just a little bit today on in the Trenches.
[music builds]
Jeff Laurence • 00:29
Welcome to the official podcast of Michigan Football, in the Trenches with Jon Jansen. Presented by Meijer, presenting sponsor of the twenty twenty six Michigan football season and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Nobody covers Michigan football better than the two time captain, national champion, and Michigan Athletics hall of Honor inductee.
Chris Bracy • 00:51
We can be the best defensive backroom in the country, honestly, especially in the Big Ten. I feel like we got veteran guys at each position, you know, guys that are proven in this college football. And I feel like the sky's the limit.
Jeff Laurence • 01:04
This is in the Trenches presented by Meyer. Once again, here's John Jansen.
Jon Jansen • 01:10
Welcome back, friends. We've got a lot going on today, as I already mentioned, but to let you know what's going on on M GO Blue podcast, already out. Defend the block. Hey, the. The work never stops. In fact, it just gets ramped up because that bullseye just got a lot bigger with that national championship men's basketball coach joins our very own Brian Boesch. Assistant coach Drew Williamson. So that one's already out. You can go and check that one out. Still to come on Thursday's conquering heroes, a very interesting interview that I had with men's head golf coach Zach Barlow. And they are on their way out to Oregon for Big Tens. So excited about everything that's going on in and around Michigan Athletics. At this time, I want to bring in my partner, mister Brian Boesch. Brian, how you doing?
Brian Boesch • 02:00
I'm doing great. I don't know if it's out yet, but I think there'll be some official announcements here sooner rather than later on the Michigan men's basketball side, which is exciting. Couldn't quite dig into that with Drew Williamson on our conversation, but yeah, there's what, only eleven months and change until the Final Four in Detroit.
Jon Jansen • 02:19
Yeah. Gotta lock in everybody. Everyone's talking about the Final Four in Detroit and obviously we need Michigan to be there and take that home court advantage that we felt like we had in Chicago. Now bring it back to our own hometown right here. In Detroit.
Brian Boesch • 02:39
Love it. But we are talking football here on in the Trenches presented by Meijer and we will delve into most of our seven from seventy seven will be about the NFL draft. But I, I do want to talk about something we teased last week and that's looking ahead a bit. Spring ball in the rearview mirror. May almost upon us. So what does the next couple of months look like around the building really between now and the time we get to. I always find it funny. It's called fall camp, which will start in late July.
Jon Jansen • 03:10
Yeah, well, hopefully the fast forward button is hit. We're already, as you mentioned, almost to May. So it's, it's the fifth month. We just got to get four more under our belts so we can get to football season and there's a lot going on and some of it's just, hey, it's not necessary with the players but the weight room is going to be completely revamped. So right now the guys finals are over. Everyone has, most of the guys have, have gone home. It's a chance to relax, but it's also a chance to work out at home, do things maybe at your own pace, your own time of day. And you know, yes, there will be spring classes. A lot of those are going to be online. Guys will be around campus, but they won't be working out of Schembechler hall because of the construction that's going on in the weight room and in Glick. So what that's going to look like, I have no idea. I am as intrigued as everyone else.
Jon Jansen • 04:08
And as soon as it's done, you better believe yours truly is going to be one of the first in the weight room not to be throwing around rate. But wait. But I just want to see what it looks like, see all the new toys that Coach Elisaia, the new strength and conditioning coach is going to be able to play with. So that's, that's what's going on in the building. And as I mentioned, all these guys are going to be spread around the country. Some of them will still be in Ann Arbor finding places to work out. This is where I'm really interested to see because we had talked during the pandemic about Coach Herbert and how he was keeping tabs on guys. It doesn't change just simply because there's not a pandemic. If you're not working out, you're still expected to work out. And so what's the program look like? What type of homework did coach Elisaia give these guys? How's he keeping tabs on them.
Jon Jansen • 04:55
How is he? You know, you still got to collect all that data. So sometime mid June, early July, we'll have coach Elisaia on and we'll be able to answer all those questions. But I'm really excited about where, where this program is in terms of the athletes, the coaching staff, but more importantly right now, the direction of the building and everything that's going on in the building in terms of construction.
Brian Boesch • 05:21
And the reality is, I mean this is kind of that, that last and maybe the only true reset that a program can have in the month of May. There's not a whole lot going on. There's still obviously plenty to do, but with how quickly you have to flip the script and get into the portal when it comes to the end of the, you know, regular season and postseason in a given year. May is one of the lone respites that you find in the college football calendar as it lays out right now, it is.
Jon Jansen • 05:49
And coaches in the month of May are going to be out recruiting. There's always going to be a couple of coaches that are going to be in the building in case there's anything that players have questions about. And they're still going to be able to send messages to their athletes to let them know, hey, these are the things that we want to work on. Not just in the weight room, but hey, these are the skills that, that we saw in spring ball that we saw last year on film. These are the things that you got to keep working on. So there's still a ton of work being done around.
Brian Boesch • 06:17
Shen Beckler hall number two on our seven from seventy seven. I don't want to fast forward too quickly, whether that is to September or to twenty twenty seven. However, some big news coming out since our last podcast that the one hundredth anniversary season of Michigan Stadium coming up in twenty twenty seven. The program announced on the one hundredth anniversary. Well done here. Of the approval of Michigan Stadium's construction which was april twenty second of nineteen twenty six. There will be a year long celebration of the iconic venue. I know I'm fired up about what's to come. We'll hopefully have some stuff to announce here sooner rather than later on the podcast feed of telling some unique stories. But you know, such a special place with so many unique memories. It's going to have a year long celebration which is awesome.
Jon Jansen • 07:06
Yeah. And what I'm really excited about is I know, I feel like I know a lot about the stadium but the more we dig into it over the, you know, ninety nine but you know, the Hundred year celebration of the Big House is, you know, all the different things of, of or all the different additions that have happened to the stadium. Most recently we've talked about, you know, the suites and that, you know, the, the east side of, of the stadium there. But it's also, hey, when did the lights come on? That was, that was a monumental moment. We know the Notre Dame game, a lot of those moments. But then even going back to nineteen twenty six and seeing pictures of what the stadium originally looked like and why they built the foundation the way they did, how big could the, could Michigan, the Big House actually get? There's a lot of interesting facts and a lot of different stories about how each edition and when I was there, right, it was the halo that was put on and that was not well received, immediately removed.
Jon Jansen • 08:07
So there have been some things that obviously the fans love about the additions that have happened at the Big House, some that they haven't liked so much and the university has pivoted. So a lot of stories and a lot of great moments that have happened on the field.
Brian Boesch • 08:20
Yeah, that'll be something to look forward to again. We'll, we'll have some sort of involvement on the podcast feed as well. Excited about that. But let's talk about the NFL draft, John. And we'll start with number three on our seven from seventy seven, the Friday draftees. Derrick Moore, number forty four. So middle ish of the second round to Detroit tight end Marlin Klein. Maybe the, the biggest surprise in terms of where he went versus what the expectation was. Klein, a late second round pick of Houston, fifty ninth overall. And then Ed Drescher, linebacker. We'll see what his role will be with the Dallas Cowboys. Jaishawn Barham, late third round, ninety second overall to Dallas. Your perspective on more Klein and Barham's draft selections and their locations?
Jon Jansen • 09:07
Yeah, it's, I love the fact that for Derrick Moore, one, he gets to stay close. We get a chance to keep an eye on him, we get a chance to watch him every single time he takes the field. But it's a great fit. Right now it's Aidan Hutchinson and if you follow anything around Detroit sports, the conversation over the last couple of years is when are they going to draft another edge or in free agency, when are they going to go out and get another edge. They brought in DJ Wonnum, he's on a one year deal. Everybody that they have put in place is basically on one year deals. So they're going to give him the time to develop. They expect production. He's a Second round pick they traded up to get him from fifty to forty four. So this is a great opportunity for him to play opposite a guy in Aidan Hutchinson who we know is going to get double and triple teamed. So he's going to have the opportunity to play a lot of one on ones.
Jon Jansen • 10:01
The what I'd like to see him do between now and the regular season is put on a little bit of weight, be that three down player. I know he can stop the run. He did it at Michigan, but doing it in the NFL, it's a different animal putting, you know, adding a little bit of, of weight. One of the things we liked about him is his bull rush. You're gonna, you're gonna have to have a little bit more weight in the can to be able to push some of those offensive tackles back while not losing speed. So I think it's a great fit for him, not just this year, but moving forward. And Marlin Klein, I think we were all a little bit surprised to see him go in the second round, but the fit I think is really good. When you think about the quarterback, CJ Stroud, not a great playoff performance last year, but what did he need? More options, especially those, those check down options, you know, they've addressed the offensive line a little bit, but with the receivers that they have and the one and, and the tight end room, Dalton Schultz, he's obviously going to be their number one guy.
Jon Jansen • 11:02
Cade Stover, former Buckeye, he's also in the room, but Marlin Klein is going to be in the mix there at two or three in terms of the tight end position. He can set the edge, he's going to get opportunity in the past game. Nico Collins and Tank Dell are going to stretch the field. So I think it's a really good fit for a quarterback that needs more options to be able to dump the ball off to. And you brought up Jaishawn Barham. I think the way that the Dallas defense sets up, he's going, yeah, there, there may be times where he's going to be dropping into coverage, which is a huge asset for him. But they play that three, four, that, that's their base defense. He'll be one of those wide edge guys that, hey, when they say get after the quarterback, he'll pin his ears back along with Rashan Gary, who's now a, a Dallas Cowboy. He could be on the other side and be able to go get the quarterback.
Jon Jansen • 11:54
A lot of times those guys will drop into coverage as well. Flats, you know, he's not going to have to go Too far. But I think it's a really good fit for all three of those guys. But I think actually the best fit is probably Jaishawn Barham in Dallas.
Brian Boesch • 12:09
I just was taken aback by the fact that Marlin Klein in a draft where I think one of the storylines was how the NFL is really leaning in and trying to get more diverse from a tight end standpoint. He was the fourth tight end off the board and the second and third weren't too far away from where Klein went. I'm fascinated by that potential fit in Houston. So impressive stuff for Marlin. Cool to have. We weren't totally sure there were going there was going to be a Michigan second round pick. The fact we got two was pretty awesome. Number four on our seven from seventy seven. Yes indeed, John. If we go back to last week, Patrick reminding us, Patrick, maybe you are John's burner account on the YouTube. But yes, Jon did indeed project Jimmy Rolder to the Lions one hundred eighteenth overall, I think. Fair to say John, he went earlier than you were anticipating though.
Jon Jansen • 13:00
He did. I thought maybe they would get him with a fifth but they decided to go with the fourth round pick. And here's the thing I love about the fit for Jimmy Roller and I mentioned it a little bit last week. Jack Campbell, middle linebacker and right now Malcolm Rodriguez is the, you know, what quote unquote what Sam linebacker will linebacker, however you want to label them. But neither of those guys had backups and it's great opportunity for one to be involved in special teams. So linebackers, especially rookie linebackers are going to have to do. We've seen him do that at Michigan. But now to have that opportunity to be if Jack needs a a breather all of a sudden, hey, Jimmy Roller, you're in there and maybe you're the backup green dot. Malcolm Rodriguez, I don't know that anybody around NFL circles sees him as a starter at this level. He definitely brings something to the Lions.
Jon Jansen • 13:52
Special teams guys coming off an ACL returned late last year, but another great opportunity. Even if Malcolm Rodriguez does start this year at the beginning of the season, that depth chart is really thin and Jimmy Rolder is going to be in position to get some some great opportunity as a rookie. So I love the fit of Jimmy Rolder to Detroit.
Brian Boesch • 14:13
Yeah, I thought Roller would go earlier than you. Good to see it. I did not expect Max Bredesen to go as early as he did. Great news for Bredy. One hundred and fifty nine overall to Minnesota. They just had a fullback retire I think, right. CJ Ham just, just retired. So we knew it was going to take a team that wanted to invest and the fact that JJ was with Max, that was pretty cool to see. Awesome for Max Bredeson up there. And hey, in the NFC north, you need a guy like that.
Jon Jansen • 14:44
Well, you do. And when you have one guy retire, you got to fill that role. They filled it with Max Bredesen. He's the only fullback that they have on the roster, the only one as of now that they're going to be. It's going to be in rookie minicamp, otas probably fall camp. So I love his, the opportunity presented him and one of the things Minnesota needs is better protection for their quarterback. We know Max is really good at that, whether it's lining up in the backfield or it's as a tight end. They bring him in motion, use him as a blocker and I wouldn't even be surprised to see them throw the ball to him every once in a while. Not something we saw a lot at Michigan, but when given the opportunity that he had one drop this year in what, three opportunities. So I think the opportunity is there to use him a little bit more. But we all know, you know that's, you know, he's got the forehead of steel and he where, where the ball goes.
Jon Jansen • 15:37
Usually Max Bredeson precedes that.
Brian Boesch • 15:41
Yeah, it's going to be fun to watch. Lastly, definitely a surprise how far Rayshaun Benny, one of the last selections, two hundred fiftieth to the Baltimore Ravens. So he's going to be with a former coordinator of his in Jesse Minter, the new head coach of the Ravens. But yeah, surprising that Benny, especially considering Derrick Moore went earlier than anticipated. Jayshawn Barham about what we had thought rolled her earlier. But hey, in, in you know, the NFL draft, you never quite know. Benny's kind of like these undrafted free agents where he's gonna have to fight for a roster spot.
Jon Jansen • 16:13
Well, he is and I mean if you're going to fight for a roster spot, I'd like to be able to go to a place where the head coach knows exactly what he's getting in Rayshawn Benny. Now for Rayshawn, I talked a little bit about what I want to see from Derrick Moore, from Rayshaun. It's kind of the same thing. They, they, they like playing a little bit of that variation of three, four. It's more varied than Dallas is. But if he's going to be one of those head up ends that are playing on top of tackles or move down to a three technique and the NFL level, he's going to have to, he could put the feedback on, add a little couple of biscuits to that, that weight and as soon as he does, you know, I think they're going to be patient with them, they're going to bring him along, opportunity will be there and it may be one of those situations where, hey, if an injury happens, hey, you get bumped up the depth chart if you're not on the fifty three.
Jon Jansen • 17:02
I still like the fact that he would be on the Ravens practice squad with a coach that knows exactly what he's giving and going to give him some time, whether it's to put on weight, work on techniques, work at things that, that will be productive at the NFL level. I think it's, it's, it's a great opportunity for him.
Brian Boesch • 17:20
Number five on our seven from seventy seven the undrafted free agents we get a question from cut from a different cloth along these lines, who are you surprised that did not get drafted? So let's talk about the four guys who are undrafted free agent signings, wide receiver Donovan McCulley to a pretty barren Miami Dolphins off offense. So that's interesting. Edge TJ Guy following Rayshaun Benny to Baltimore. So again, familiarity with coach Minter Damon Payne we mentioned the desire that Andy Reid and the Chiefs have had over the years to bring in a Wolverine. Damon Payne going to Kansas City and then Dom Zvada getting an opportunity in Giants camp as a kicker. Thoughts on that? And to cut from a different class question, who are you most surprised did not get selected?
Jon Jansen • 18:09
I don't know that there's honestly nobody I'm surprised that didn't get picked. In terms of the guys that didn't, didn't get or haven't yet been picked up as undrafted free agents, I think Greg Crippen will eventually find a home and he'll be in camp somewhere. Ernie Hausmann I think is, is maybe the biggest surprise that has not been picked up yet. I know he's, he's had some things he's working through, through the off season off the field. We know that he didn't finish the season at Michigan, but if there, if a team is able to sit down with him and what's the plan? How are you handling all of these things that are going on off the field and is your focus going to be, you know, remaining on football And I think there's, there's going to be a team that picks him up that's going to be very pleased. But in regards to the fit for the, the, the guys that Were
Jon Jansen • 19:03
I think there's a great fit for TJ Guy and he was around the building last week or the week before and I talked to him a little bit. He was working on some of his drops from that edge position as I mentioned, going to Baltimore much like J. Sean going to Dallas if he could find a home because he's a little bit undersized in terms of length, in terms of just sheer run defense ability. But in a, in a defense that can use, you know, a, A Sam or Will that lines up on the ball. But as a wide guy, he was working on his drops. Asked him about that and he just said, yeah, I just want to make sure that I, I add this to my repertoire. We did it a little bit at Michigan. I'm going to be asked to do it more at the next level. So really excited to see him working on those things even before the draft, even before he knew where he was going. And Brian, I did a deep dive on Dom Zvada and I think it's a great fit for him.
Jon Jansen • 19:57
Obviously going to A. Harbaugh there with the New York Giants. But their depth chart at Kicker Jason Saunders did not was not on a roster last year. He spent most of his career down Miami. Wasn't picked up, had no kicks in the NFL last year and I don't know I didn't do that deep of a dive. Was that due to injury? Was it just the fact that he wasn't picked up? Doesn't matter. He didn't have any reps. The the one guy that they have, maybe he's the incumbent, I don't know. But the competition is there. Ben Saul's played three games for the Giants last year and he was eight for eight on field goals, seven for seven on extra points. So I really kind of see that as Jason Saunders has more time in the league and but obviously Ben Solz was on the field, but it's a new coaching staff and I think Dom Zvada is in a really good spot and that's one of the things I talked about last week.
Jon Jansen • 20:51
If you are looking for a good landing spot as an undrafted free agent, when four or five teams call, you do a quick scan of the roster and then you do a deeper dive into who is in front of me at my certain position. I think this is a really good spot for him to compete to make the roster this year.
Brian Boesch • 21:13
Well, congratulations. That is the longest kicker discussion in the history of Jon Jansen's career. I believe certainly it is.
Jon Jansen • 21:21
But if you're looking at A guy that we could, we would love to talk more about. It's Dom Savada. And you know, he mentioned it last, didn't have the season that he wanted last year with the results in terms of made versus missed. But he talked about why. I asked him the question, why didn't you go out after that, you know, what twenty four season, they said he wanted to win a Big Ten championship, he wanted to be at Michigan, wanted to do more things in the classroom as well. So when a guy makes those type of decisions, you got to be a big fan, you got to root for him. And I just, I hope all the best for him and that he finds a spot and hopefully it's there with the Giants.
Brian Boesch • 22:00
If he kicks like he did in twenty four, he will become a fan favorite in New York. If he does not, if he kicks like he did this past year, he won't be in there very long. I think it's pretty obvious, the discrepancy. And, and obviously we, we, we all know there, there could be some unique ebbs and flows. So our fingers crossed for Dom, one of our favorites. All right, number six on our seven from seventy seven. Just broad takeaways from the draft. We'll start with the first round. Biggest surprises thoughts? Reaction from Thursday night.
Jon Jansen • 22:27
When you're talking about the first round of the NFL draft, I mean, there were, there were a ton of surprises in the first round. Obviously no surprise with Fernando Mendoza. And I thought David Bailey was the guy the jets were going to take. He did, but it really started with Jeremiyah Love going to Arizona. I think we talked about that possibility, but thought they were going to go edge. They didn't. And Arvell Reese ended up going to the Giants at five. I think the Giants had a tremendous draft being able to get another defender. They are stacking edge defenders, so don't be surprised if they end up trading a guy like Kayvon Thibodeaux, you know, at some point before the season to try and recoup some, some future draft picks. But they're loaded at that edge position. And then with the number ten pick getting Francis Mauigoa, the first tackle off the board, I'm sorry, the second tackle off the board.
Jon Jansen • 23:20
And, you know, the Brownies go with Spencer Fano, who was the actually first tackle off the board. I think they get a tremendous athlete. So not a lot of surprise. Little surprise that Rueben Bain fell all the way to fifteen, ended up going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but I think it's a good fit for him and I know there were Some Lions fans that were disappointed they didn't trade up to get him since he was there at fifteen, they probably would have had to go up to fourteen because it sounds like he was a target for, for Tampa. And then also obviously they, the Lions take Blake Miller, who was, is, I think, a more plug and play, which is what they need, versus Monroe Freeling, who ended up going to the Carolina Panthers. Two picks later he was on the board. Everybody knows it, listens to Detroit radio. That was the guy that I think had the highest upside of all these offensive linemen.
Jon Jansen • 24:11
And Kaden Proctor, such a Miami pick. I, it's just kind of one of those things. It just seems like it fits in Miami where they're taking a big gamble on a guy that, that we heard from Nick Saban last week. Yeah, he's got, if, if he's not around the building could have some weight issues and certainly did going into his last year at Alabama, a tremendous upside if you're able to keep that weight in check. He's a, he's a big time athlete at that weight and that size, so we'll see how it pays off for him. I think the biggest surprise is the Rams. Yeah, taking a quarterback and I think Ty Simpson is one of those players and obviously being taken in, you know, thirteen overall. He doesn't regret coming out, going to an organization like the Rams and Sean McVay being your, your, your head coach, your offensive coordinator, we know what he can do with quarterbacks.
Jon Jansen • 25:07
But just surprising that with that pick for a team that has super bowl aspirations this year, that they would use one of those picks, that first pick on a quarterback. Now, I don't hate it. I was surprised, but I don't hate it. I don't know how long Matthew Stafford has to play in this league. Probably, you know, obviously this year, maybe one more year. And the Rams are not going to be picking at thirteen. They're a team that's going to be in the playoffs, most likely, unless there's, you know, just ravaged by injuries. But you don't want to be picking a quarterback or trying to trade up to get a rookie quarterback if you're picking twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, something like that, because obviously they're going to lose to the lines. The lines will be picking thirty two, but it's, you know, either way, you don't want to be trying to find that next quarterback.
Jon Jansen • 26:03
The best time to draft quarterbacks when you don't need one. We'll see how this all plays itself out.
Brian Boesch • 26:09
It was just such A difference to how the Rams have handled. We know the phrase F them picks, right like that. And, and they don't use just a letter like they have said, we don't care about picks at times. They didn't have a first rounder for, for what, seven years after Jared Goff. So for them to do this is interesting. I will say this in terms of the long term. I think Ty Simpson's development could be a pivot point for the history of the NFL. And I say that because Sean McVay, there has been reports that he has flirted with the potential of, of leaving and going and doing some media for a little while and then he will be the most coveted coach on the market maybe in, in this, in this generation him.
Jon Jansen • 26:56
And yeah, I mean if you, Mike Tomlin is a guy that's going to be coveted, but probably not quite as much as McVay would just because of his age and the recent Super Bowl.
Brian Boesch • 27:07
So if, if Ty Simpson is that guy, if he's worth a first round pick and if he can take the baton from Matt Stafford, then Sean McVay has a chance to, to have the lengthy Bill Belichick esque era with the Rams. If he doesn't, I could see him taking a little break, circling around, doing some media and then being the hottest free agent on the market from a coaching standpoint. So I don't mean to throw out some big, you know, claim there, but I do think Ty Simpson could be a very critical piece to what the NFL looks like because there aren't many coaches who are as high regarded as Sean McVay. So I, I think it's absolutely fascinating.
Jon Jansen • 27:48
There's going to be, I mean, the, the comparison between Ty Simpson and Fernando Mendoza as they go out throughout their career. Obviously Fernando Mendoza much more celebrated as a first round pick, number one overall, but they have Kirk Cousins. How much are they going to use or when will they use Fernando Mendoza? I've talked about that a little bit and I think there is depending on how he looks and how he handles everything. And we know he's going to be very professional about it. But if his development's not there, is. Is there a benefit with obviously with Tom having a say in how things are going in, in, in Vegas, Is there a world where he doesn't see the field until, you know, later in the season, if at all, everybody's gonna look at the number one overall pick and say, yeah, he's got to play. I don't necessarily think that's the case. We know Kirk Cousins isn't going to be there past this year.
Jon Jansen • 28:42
So Fernando Mendoza in twenty seven, he will be the starting quarterback for the Vegas Raiders. Ty Simpson is also going to be, you know, analyzed and talked about because there's no chance he's playing this year unless there's a catastrophic injury to Matt Stafford. And then having that time to sit and season and develop behind a, you know, a future, I think a future hall of Fame quarterback in Matthew Stafford. What does that do for the development of Ty Simpson? I think it's going to be really interesting to watch both of those guys, the first round quarterbacks from the twenty six draft.
Brian Boesch • 29:22
Yeah. A couple comments on the stream Crescendo Coach wasn't feeling that the McVay press conference after certainly was a bit awkward. Again, I don't know if it's Reen Van I apologize if I'm saying it wrong, but I know that this individual's been around. We appreciate him watching. That's just mcveigh's personality. There was definitely a nice little cleanup interview on the NFL cover on the ESPN coverage on Saturday. Schrager and and Brandt had McVay on there and it was very much, hey coach, you want a chance to redo what happened on Thursday night? Because it definitely looked a bit awkward.
Jon Jansen • 29:59
I tend to believe a little bit more about what he said in that that redo because as it's being reported now, obviously I'm not a part of the conversations and I haven't heard from anybody that that was there. They talked to Matthew Stafford earlier in the day to give him the heads up that this was a possibility that they would take Ty Simpson at thirteen. You, you don't have those conversations outside of your head coach. You don't have those conversations with the incumbent, you know, with, you know, less need. Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, all of those things happen in conjunction. So I don't think it was a surprise that they took Ty Simpson from within. It certainly was on the outside.
Brian Boesch • 30:41
David, thank you for sharing in the comments. David, thank you for that. Indeed. It was an interesting dynamic. All right, before we get out of here, on the seven from seventy seven audio side, we've got a great conversation with transfer safety Chris Bracy. We'll take a few more questions and thoughts from the chat here on the YouTube side after we talk about John's best and worst drafts from a team standpoint. Curious your thoughts. I know you've been sharing it locally on on Detroit radio about the Lions, but thoughts on them and any other drafts that stood out to you either end of the spectrum.
Jon Jansen • 31:10
Well, I think one of the drafts that I'm looking at is. And I'll talk about the Lions, I think they had a tremendous draft. And I tell you what, let me just scroll down to get to my Lions notes. But when you think about a team that had so many needs on defense, they took five defensive players and they took two offensive players. Whether they went edge, tackle, tackle, edge, we knew that that was probably the plan in place. And so to be able to get Blake Miller and I talked about that a little bit earlier where he's more plug and play. He's got fifty four starts coming from Clemson. He's got a nasty streak. I think he fits the temperament of what the Lions want. And there was more maybe work to do with Monroe Freeling. They were going to probably switch him from left to right, moving Penei Sewell over. And with Blake Miller they don't have to do that. He is a right tackle at Clemson.
Jon Jansen • 32:07
He was there for fifty four games. He only missed one practice his entire time. So I think that that's where the Lions maybe put themselves in a corner of taking him versus the upside of a Monroe Freeling because they didn't address the offensive line. They did with Tate Ratledge last year. But hey, with, with Taylor Decker retiring, Frank Ragnow unexpectedly retiring last year, they knew that they needed more plug and play type players. Talked about Derrick Moore and the fact that they traded up from fifty to forty four to get them. There was something that they saw in his game that they loved and I'm not going to disagree with them. And so I think that's, that's a nice job of being able to address two areas of great need. And then you think about Jimmy Rolder, talked about him, great fit, not a lot of depth at that linebacker position. He's going to be in a great position.
Jon Jansen • 33:01
I'm not going to rehash that one. But then you go all the way down to Kendrick Law who was taken out of Kentucky. He is a guy a little undersized, but the Lions are a team that with Kalif Raymond moving on to Chicago, they need a return guy. The guy that they signed and his name escapes me right now. Again, one year deal. This is a long term play by Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell to say that Kendrick Law is, yeah, we could use him as a number four or a last ditch effort, you know, maybe a better option than Tom Kennedy, but they need him as a receiver and then to be able to solidify some depth Late in the, in the draft with a couple of defensive tackles, so. And Keith Abney, I think is a great fit. They lost to Amik Robertson in free agency. They bring him in and they're not getting anything from Ennis Rakestraw, who was the second round pick a couple of years ago.
Jon Jansen • 33:55
He just hasn't stayed healthy. I think he could be the guy that might even start as their nickel corner.
Jon Jansen • 34:01
I thought they had a really good draft. The other team that I thought had a really good draft and they actually took my guy, Monroe Freeling, was the Carolina Panthers. And when, when you look at what the Carolina Panthers did to be able to get Monroe Freeling at nineteen, no one thought that he would make it past the Lions. He did. They solidify him for a quarterback that needs protection. I don't know if he's going to be able to see over Monroe Freeling. But they made the playoffs last year. They solidified that front defensive line. Lee Hunter is a guy that, that coming in from Texas Tech that made a lot of plays for that defense and needed to upgrade there. They give the quarterback another weapon and why in a wide receiver in the, in the third round. So I really liked what they did as well, Brian. I mean, before I start talking about guys, you know, teams that I thought had a bad draft.
Jon Jansen • 34:53
What, what was your thoughts?
Brian Boesch • 34:55
Yeah, I mean, I, I think obviously what the Giants did was impressive. I, I loved what they did in that regard. You know, the Cowboys, I thought they handled things well. Remember when we used to think that it was just, oh, what, what crazy pick will Jerry Jones make? And that's kind of gone away. I think they've at least handled the draft. I think some other aspects of their organization, there are some question marks like negotiating contracts. I think that's very odd. And I will say, I think the team that had the worst draft from a PR standpoint was what happened with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the phone call with Makai Lemon. But I, I did like what the Eagles did to trade up, I think in that spot, especially in a draft where there were a lot of, a lot of moves, a lot of small moves to go up and get a guy that I thought had a real chance to go in the top twelve to fifteen picks to get him at twenty one.
Brian Boesch • 35:47
I don't worry too much. I'm not going to pretend to be some expert about somebody getting drafted in the fifth round when they were projected as a third or a fourth round pick. But if you have a guy like Makai Lemon, when Carnell Tate went at four. If you'd have told me that the Eagles would draft Makai Lemon, I'd have thought maybe they had to give up a twenty seven first to move up, and they got him just a few spots ahead of theirs. So I thought that was a really, really shrewd pick, especially with. From all accounts, even though there are some, you know, recent reporters that aren't reporting as much on the Patriots as had been over the last four or five years, it does seem like it is not much of a secret that AJ Brown is going to New England here in. In about a month or so.
Jon Jansen • 36:24
Yeah, a lot of inside information.
Brian Boesch • 36:29
I was wondering if I was gonna let that go.
Jon Jansen • 36:31
No, no, no, no. Trust me. We've been covering that well on the morning show. And so, yeah, that one. And boy, what a, What a drama that's been in New England. And, and it's, you know, I think the, the one that I would say didn't have a great draft. Obviously, we love the facts that, that, that Max Bredeson went to Minnesota, but I don't think overall they had, you know, a great draft. The D lineman, Caleb Banks, that they took out of Florida, if you just look at him as an athlete, there's no chance he's available at eighteen. He would have been a top five pick. Why did he fall so far, or why do I think he should have fallen even further is the fact that he shows up about once out of every four plays, and sometimes it's even once out of every two or three games. He has the size, the quickness, the athletic ability. I mean, like, if he turns it on, if this hits for them in another year, I'll.
Jon Jansen • 37:31
I'll ace this draft. I just don't want to take a player that is that high of a risk. And then when you think about, you know, hey, trading away a linebacker and then they go get goal day out of Cincinnati, I just didn't like the fact that they didn't address some of the needs that they had. Caleb Tiernan, okay, he's a quality pick, but how much is he really going to help an offensive line that struggle to protect their quarterback?
Brian Boesch • 37:59
Other one I'll throw in that didn't have a great draft. I just don't agree with the philosophy. I don't believe there's any. There is a such thing as a luxury pick. I understand they lost Kenneth Walker to free agency, but Jadarian Price at thirty two, when only one of the running back went on day two, I thought was a mistake. Just, just for the standpoint of find a way to trade down, do something or move up in the second round. I know they never a lot of capital but to me when you have a chance to get a guy for a five year, you know, five years of control, it really has to be at a position that is a, at least a premium or a no brainer. Right. I, I think a lot of people are rightly criticizing Jeremiah Love at three. I agree. I think that's a little rich when you already are paying the a running back the most guaranteed money right now in the NFL and he's a rookie. But I would say that the Jadarian Price at thirty two pick for a team that unquestionably is contending for super bowl next year, I would say that's an even more critique worthy pick than Jeremiah Love because I can at least buy the argument of he was atop our board unquestionably versus hey the Seahawks can they can draft for more ever drafting for need at a running back spot.
Brian Boesch • 39:12
I just, I have a hard time believing Jadarian Price was without question the top guy on their board at thirty two. But maybe he was.
Jon Jansen • 39:19
Unless they believe that for their offense to be successful they've got to have a two headed monster in the backfield and they've got to be able to, you know, to hand the ball off and take as much pressure off their quarterback. Yeah, they're super bowl champs and he's a Super bowl winning quarterback. But there was a specific formula that allowed him to be successful one hundred percent.
Brian Boesch • 39:44
All right, let's get into our transitions. Audio side. Great conversation John had with Chris Bracy.
[music rejoin]
Jon Jansen • 39:56
Joined now by a guy that's been in college football going on four years now, comes here to help out the defense, safety Chris Bracy. Chris, first of all, thanks for joining me. Welcome to Ann Arbor. And what's been your impression of Michigan
Jon Jansen • 40:11
football since you've been on campus?
Chris Bracy • 40:14
I love it. I mean it's definitely everything you could dream of. You know, being a kid, wanting to play at a high level, wanting to play, you know, Big Ten football. You know, it's been great so far. It's been a smooth transition and everything you could dream of.
Jon Jansen • 40:30
So I guess that leads to the question because your first two years were at UAB, grew up in Alabama, you played at UAB a year up. Memphis, why Michigan?
Chris Bracy • 40:38
Michigan, honestly, like why not Michigan? You know, coming from UAB, getting hurt, wanting a new opportunity, changing the coaching staff, Memphis as well, you know, coaches went another direction. You know, being in the portal A second time, you know, looking at all my options, wearing my options. I mean, Michigan's just the kind of offer, the kind of opportunity you could dream of, you know, coming with a new coaching staff, trying to bring a national championship back to this program. You know, it's just, it's honestly like, why not? Miss you.
Jon Jansen • 41:12
Was it different the second time being in the portal than it was the first? What type of. Were the emotions different? Were you nervous? What was. What was it like?
Chris Bracy • 41:21
Honestly, the second time it was a little bit easier because, you know what to expect. I would say, you know, how to navigate it better, you know, the different rules in the NCAA and things like that, the visits and all of that stuff. So the second time it was a little bit easier, you know, I'm saying, knowing, knowing the new territory, you know, and things like that.
Jon Jansen • 41:43
Everybody always thinks about, okay, what is it that, you know, you bring to this program? What's it going to look like on defense? What's it, you know, what's he look like at practice? We get a lot of, when we do our broadcast, questions like, what's what? Who is Chris Bracy? All these things. Nobody ever talks about the academic side. And, you know, you've been in the portal twice. What's it like for those players that either in the future will be in the portal or they're high school players and maybe they're in the portal. Academically, what is it like to go through a transition like that?
Chris Bracy • 42:16
Well, I would say my first transfer was. It was smooth, you know, credits transferring over from different schools because, you know, different core classes and elective classes that you take, not knowing whether those credits are going to transfer to another school, you know, a prestige school as Michigan. Not all of my credits transferred over, but most of mine will still be able to come over because of some of the classes that I took. And it kind of kept me on the right track for graduation and stuff because that's really important to me and my family. And so I would just say there's knowing what credits academically that are going to transfer over.
Jon Jansen • 42:54
What's the pursuit academically?
Chris Bracy • 42:57
My pursuit is general studies. It was more of a sports management kind of switched to general study. Just comes because some of the classes and some of the future opportunities that can open up.
Jon Jansen • 43:09
When you look at this defense, it's a lot of new for you, it's all new players, it's a new scheme and. But for the team, it's a new scheme as well. What's it been like to immerse Yourself in the playbook and pick everything up from Jay Hill.
Chris Bracy • 43:28
I would say I'm kind of good at things like that, Picking up new things and kind of trying to drill it into my brain. Just learning new positions, pretty much trying to learn every position so you can get a feel for the defense faster. It's been pretty smooth so far, you know, just, just knowing how to break down the playbook, you know, and, and teach it to yourself the best way you know how to learn it. So it's been pretty smooth so far.
Jon Jansen • 43:52
When you look at this, at the room that you're in, obviously Rod Moore, you know, he's going to be, he's a very experienced guy. He's coming off an injury. There's some other players that have, have been in this program. What is it that you bring to that room?
Jon Jansen • 44:06
If people, people ask what's the best
Jon Jansen • 44:08
thing you do on the field, what is it?
Chris Bracy • 44:10
I would just say my instincts, just being around the ball a lot, trying to be a playmaker on this defense. I would say just creating negative plays, taking the ball out the air, just getting runs down when they needed to be. Just being that guy that the defense looks to, to make plays.
Jon Jansen • 44:29
What have you learned from some of those guys in that room?
Chris Bracy • 44:32
I've, I've been trying to pick guys brain, you know, Rod especially, you know, just sitting next to him in meeting rooms, just trying to see what he sees, you know, get different keys and things from him. You know, reading the offensive tackle, read my triangle, different splits, alignments and things of that nature.
Jon Jansen • 44:50
How talented can that room be? And it's. And I would explore, expand it to not just the safeties, but the entire group of defensive backs for sure.
Chris Bracy • 44:59
I've been, I've been talking to Smith Snowden a lot, Zeke, Sug, Jyaire Hill. I feel like we can be the best defensive back room in the country, honestly, especially in the Big Ten. I feel like we got veteran guys at each position, you know, guys that are proven in this, in this college football. And I feel like the sky's the limit.
Jon Jansen • 45:18
How would you describe some of the challenges? The way I've described it sometimes is like defensive back, because what one does affects the other four or the other three. Four sometimes is a lot like the offensive line. Everybody's gotta be on the same page. You guys have an extra challenge of distance, right? You're not standing next to each other two feet away. How do you guys work through the communication and work through. What are some of the challenges of making sure you guys are all working as one unit, right?
Chris Bracy • 45:48
That comes with reps. You know, getting to know each other little bit too. You know, just watching film, seeing. Seeing how each other move and disguise certain plays and stuff like that, and then just, you know, plays on the football field. You know, guys that have played a lot kind of know how to move throughout the snap count and things like that. You know, just getting a feel for each other. Having a lot of veteran guys helps that as well. You know, just getting to know each other and seeing each other move on the football field.
Jon Jansen • 46:14
What are some of the things that you're working on or that you've worked on throughout the course of spring ball?
Chris Bracy • 46:20
I've been working on a little bit of everything. I'm just trying to get better at every aspect, just coverage wise, you know, being in box, communication more, more. So I would say it would be more of off the field just being a leader, just trying to speak up, you know, be a. Be a voice to these guys, you know, coming in. You know, they. They came in and treated me like family, so I just want to be that guy they can come into on or off the field to look to, to make plays or come to off the field.
Jon Jansen • 46:43
You guys are entering another phase of the off season, right? Spring ball has wrapped up and you're. It's. It's off to the summer. What, what are you guys doing as a unit? What are the plans? What does it look like between now and the start of fall camp?
Chris Bracy • 47:00
Just, you know, just after the spring, you know, wrapping everything up, you know, meeting with our coaches, you know, seeing different things that we can do, you know, get together, you know, work out in the off season in the summer, you know, getting better, getting stronger, getting faster, more physical, you know, just trying to get better at every aspect so we can have the best, best season.
Jon Jansen • 47:18
I know you guys have had some practices in the big house. It's different because it's not full, but what's it been like for you? What's that experience been like going out of the tunnel?
Chris Bracy • 47:27
It's definitely, definitely. I've been there a few times, you know, on visits and just going there. It's definitely a different experience. I just can't wait to game day to see how to get the feeling, get that little butterfly juice, you know, coming in, you know, everybody rocking the stadium. It's a different feeling, you know, being in the stadium, looking at all those seeds, you know, and just surrounded like a caved in, honestly. But it's been, it's been, it's been a good experience.
Jon Jansen • 47:53
What type of emotions or thoughts come to mind when you start thinking about the schedule next year? And nothing against UAB or Memphis, but it, it's different, right? It's Oklahoma, it's Oregon and Oregon, it's Indiana, you know, reigning national champs. What are your thoughts and what has anybody told you about the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State?
Chris Bracy • 48:12
I mean, the rivalry is everything, of course. I mean, it's the biggest rivalry in college football. I mean, it's called the game for a reason. But, you know, those big opponents, I just honestly just can't wait. Honestly, just being available in big moments is something I look forward to, you know, just making those plays, you know, making a name for yourself in those games and, you know, just, just being those teams just gives, gives the college, give the university just something to look forward to in the season.
Jon Jansen • 48:41
Well, Chris, I appreciate your time and best of luck throughout the off season.
Chris Bracy • 48:45
I appreciate it.
[music rejoin]
Jon Jansen • 48:52
Well, thanks to Chris for his time. Really excited about what he brings the Michigan football program. Excited to talk about all those guys that were drafted, picked up as undrafted free agents. There's a lot going on around Michigan football, a lot still happening this summer, so make sure you keep it locked in here on in the Trenches.
Jeff Laurence • 49:13
Thanks for listening to this edition of in the Trenches with Jon Jansen, presented by Meijer, presenting sponsor of the twenty twenty six Michigan football season and proud supporter of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. In the Trenches is part of our Michigan Athletics Podcast network, M GO Blue Podcasts. The preceding is a Learfield presentation of the Michigan Sports Network.
