Between The Hashmarks Podcast: An NFL Show

Zaire Franklin has an All-Pro honor and a Pro Bowl appearance on his resumè, having built a career as one of the most consistent locker room leaders and consistently productive linebackers across the NFL. This offseason, the Green Bay Packers acquired Franklin in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, in hopes of elevating the rest of the defense, especially emerging star Edgerrin Cooper, playing alongside him.

Landing in Green Bay on the heels of a 62-tackle and two-sack 2025 campaign, Franklin opens up about his goals for the upcoming season, what he envisions it being like playing in the middle of a defense surrounded by the likes of All-Pros Micah Parsons and Xavier McKinney, while getting real on the linebackers he’s emulated and who have pushed him throughout his career.

Airing select Sundays throughout the NFL offseason, the Between The Hashmarks Podcast Interview is hosted by NFL reporter Matt Lombardo, joined by current or former NFL players and top NFL Draft prospects sharing their best moments and opening up about the journey of their 2025 NFL season, how they’re preparing for the 2026 season, and much more.

Hosted by: Matt Lombardo

Guest: Zaire Franklin, LB, Green Bay Packers

Episode: 84

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to Subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

The ink has long dried on the big-money contracts signed in NFL free agency’s first wave, but there are still several veterans available, several players whose situations remain unresolved, and the moves that have been made impact how contenders are perceived as much as those still to come.

As the NFL shifts into bargain shopping mode in free agency, and ramps up preparations for the 2026 NFL Draft en masse, veteran reporters Matt Lombardo and Mike Tanier of Mike Tanier's Too Deep Zone take stock of some of the NFC’s top contenders, urge fans of a certain NFC North powerhouse to proceed with caution, and much more on a loaded episode of The Between The Hashmarks Podcast!

Hosted by: Matt Lombardo, Mike TanierEpisode: 83Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple PodcastsSubscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

Former Illinois offensive guard Josh Gesky has seen his stock surge, ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, and dropped by the Between The Hashmarks Podcast Interview Show to give a peek behind the curtain of what it’s like to be a top prospect this time of year, what it takes to be successful along the interior of the offensive line—and why it’s so valuable, and much more.

Gesky, 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds, parlayed an NFL Combine snub into the kind of performance in front of NFL coaches and scouts that turbocharged his NFL Draft stock; 90th percentile in the broad jump, 30 reps on the bench press, running the 40-yard dash between 4.9 and five seconds, flashing the kind of athleticism and versatility that gives him the chance to thrive at the next level.

Airing select Sundays throughout the NFL offseason, the Between The Hashmarks Podcast Interview is hosted by NFL reporter Matt Lombardo, joined by current or former NFL players and top NFL Draft prospects sharing their best moments and opening up about the journey of their 2025 NFL season, how they’re preparing for the 2026 season, and much more.

Hosted by: Matt Lombardo

Guest: Josh Gesky, OG, University of Illinois

Episode: 82

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to Subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

NFL Free Agency kicked off with over $1 billion in contracts signed by players and teams across the league, including Jaelan Phillips resetting the pass-rush market, Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker joining Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Carolina Panthers loading up on defense, among other moves.

With the NFL spending spree in full swing, veteran NFL reporters Matt Lombardo and Mike Tanier of Mike Tanier's Too Deep Zone fire off their top takeaways of free agency’s chaotic first wave on the latest edition of the Between The Hashmarks Podcast.

Hosted By: Matt Lombardo and Mike Tanier

Episode: 81

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to Subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

Former Ohio State game-wrecking defensive lineman, and one of the top NFL Draft prospects at the position, Kayden McDonald drops by the Between The Hashmarks Podcast Interview show, to recap his NFL Combine experience and the message he hopes teams take away from their meetings in Indianapolis.

McDonald, 6-foot-3 and 326 pounds, built a reputation in Columbus for providing an explosive interior pass rush in addition to commanding the kind of double-teams that freed up Buckeyes linebackers to wreak havoc. After posting a career-high 65 total tackles and three sacks last season, McDonald is the type of player who could surge up draft boards this spring.

Airing select Sundays throughout the NFL offseason, the Between The Hashmarks Podcast Interview is hosted by NFL reporter Matt Lombardo, joined by current or former NFL players and top NFL Draft prospects sharing their best moments and opening up about the journey of their 2025 NFL season, how they’re preparing for the 2026 season, and much more.

Hosted By: Matt Lombardo

Guest: Ohio State DL Kayden McDonald

Episode: 80

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to Subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

As the NFL Combine kicks into gear in Indianapolis, NFL reporters Matt Lombardo and Mike Tanier dive into the biggest storylines, from the comfort of their home offices after a winter storm disrupted their travel plans.

From free agent quarterback Malik Willis’ value to potential fits for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, and much more, Lombardo and Tanier break down what they’re hearing from the podium and from sources across the league on the latest edition of the Between The Hashmarks Podcast!

Hosted By: Matt Lombardo, Mike Tanier

Episode: 79

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to Subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel

Thank you Tyler Dunne, Nick Kelly, Michael Alan Brewer, George McKelvey, and many others for tuning into my live video with Mike Tanier! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

Introducing the Between The Hashmarks Interview Podcast.

Sundays throughout the NFL offseason, we’ll be joined by current or former NFL players and top NFL Draft prospects sharing their best moments and opening up about the journey of their 2025 NFL season, how they’re preparing for the 2026 season, and much more.

This week’s guest kicks things off with Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed who joins Matt Lombardo to discuss his whirlwind season that began with the New Orleans Saints, a deadline trade that thrust him into the heat of a Super Bowl race, what it was like to hoist the Lombardi, how he got up to speed with Sam Darnold, and so much more.

Hosted By: Matt Lombardo 

Guest: Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed

Episode: 78

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks to have each new podcast episode delivered directly to your mailbox, and be sure to Subscribe to Mike Tanier’s Too Deep Zone to make sure you never miss some of the most in-depth and eccentric NFL coverage around.

Subscribe to Between The Hashmarks Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to Matt Lombardo’s YouTube Channel

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

mattlombardonfl.substack.com