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A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human and now superhuman shack.
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B
I keep telling them not to say that. I'm no superhuman. Believe it or not, I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea or OSA in adults with obesity. Moderate to severe OSA is a condition where breathing is interrupted during sleep with loud snoring, choking, gasping for air and even daytime fatigue. Let's just say it could sound a lot like this. Sound familiar? Learn more@don'tsleeponosa.com this information is provided by
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Lilly, a medicine company. Are you really buying a car online on autotrader right now?
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C
Really? I can get super specific with dealer listings and see cars based on my budget.
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You can really have it delivered or pick it up.
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D
Mommy lil kid is walking up the slide.
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C
Really? Autotrader?
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A
Buy your car online?
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C
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A
Hate cleaning, Hate scrubbing, hate dishwashing. Bro, we got you millions of videos
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D
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Will make your chores feel free, feel like a breeze.
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A
Download TikTok and check it out. Welcome to Sharper Square presented by Hard Rock Bat. We are part of the Volume Podcast Network. This is the show that makes the square sharper and makes the wise guys pay attention. I am Chad Millman. I am joined as always by my bff, my companion, my compadre, my co host, professional better Simon Hunter. Hello Simon.
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D
Is there a weekend like that with sports? You just feel so blessed in life that you chose the sports world. Could have chose anything. We could have been into rocks, we could have been into plants, birds. But we chose sports. And man, are those weekends just the absolute best.
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A
Is this the one of the weekends like was this Past weekend. One of those weekends for you?
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D
Yeah, just the, the draft. I know we don't talk obviously a lot of NBA, but like LeBron James, I could talk about it non stop. Like the fact that this Guy's in his 40s and it's just when he turns it on, it's, it's just. I can't believe it. I really can't. So yeah, I don't know about you, but even like rarely will I even watch Saturday draft because it's so terrible. There was so much hockey going on and everything else. I honestly didn't see anything from four, four to seven.
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A
Well, Simon, you bring up the hockey and you've gotten me so into the battle of Pennsylvania that I watched the Flyers Penguins game last night. And those last three minutes after the Flyers pulled the goalie were so freaking intense. There were three near misses for empty netters from the Penguins and then the Flyers kept trying to get it down the ice and kept trying to score that game time goal. That is a crazy intense series. They can't close it out. The Flyers cannot close it out. And you know what I think it is? I sent you and Mitch that picture of the billboard that a buddy of mine sent me who's from Philly, that was on I95 where they, they had taken out billboard space and there was a picture of Crosby just lying on the ice and I forgot. Oh, oh. And they were defining embellishment because Crosby had gotten his first embellishment penalty ever. Ever since then, they can't close the series out. Might be a little comeuppance right there.
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D
Yeah. And as a show that loves, love, Chad, we love love here. I love hate. And there's nothing that can unite Philadelphia like hate. And that's, that's honestly what's happened with Crosby and Malkin. And I love their Leon Indo.
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A
Right.
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D
Like they're. Philly was like the media did a whole thing, I think it was Biznet did a whole thing about the Philadelphia scumbag and the players and Pittsburgh last two games, they have gone above and beyond to muck it up and scumbag it. And it's working, right? They've won two games that way. And that's why I love all the mental stuff of hockey, right? The rubbing of the faces, of the gloves and pulling on guys hair. Like Malcolm backhanded a puck into the bench and the guys were going absolutely berserk at the game. So yeah, like we always say hockey playoffs, again, all the sports playoffs are great, but there's just Something about hockey, playoffs where you just get so invested. You said those three minutes, Crosby hit the post twice. Yeah, it was gut wrenching and. Yeah, it was. It's. It's going to game six coming back to Philly.
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A
All right. Speaking of gut wrenching and Philly scumbags, because you are a massive Phillies fan, I don't want to discount the fact that the Phillies. As we came on the air, the news came out that they fired Rob Thompson. Donnie Baseball taking over. Donnie Baseball getting one more shot. I will tell you, I feel optimistic about this. I feel like this is the shot in the arm that you get from these teams that are, like, so bad in the beginning of the season and they hit rock bottom. They fire the manager. They need a new voice. Donnie Baseball comes in and he can rally this team exactly as the weather starts to turn warm, when things feel like they're at their worst for the Phillies, this is the time when Citizens bank is going to turn into a cathedral of happiness.
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D
I'm totally out in the Phillies. We don't have a bullpen. We don't have starting pitching. Our best sitters are all 33 years old. The party might be over, but like you said, they could turn around. It is. It's literally April. But, yeah, this. This is like us in Boston right now. I think Boston fired their whole.
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A
Yeah, yeah.
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D
It's like. It's like teams trying to put a band aid on a giant gash. It's like, okay, maybe it will work. Maybe that's the fix. But I think there's a bunch of major issues for both teams. So literally right before he came on, that news broken. Yeah, that's. Again, it's. It's April and you already find your manager. I don't know if that's going to work out for us.
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A
The difference is in Boston, Alex Cora and the rest of the guys who were let go from his staff were posing for pictures with thumbs up and the biggest smiles and then sub tweeting about how happy they were to be out of Boston. We haven't seen that from Rob Thompson yet, so we will get a chance to see how Rob Thompson reacts. Quick programming now. We're going to get to the draft. There is some gambling news I do want us to discuss. We're going to bring Derek Brown back because he's been awesome and you guys crushed it and I know you both cleaned up. So I want to review the draft. This Thursday, our Kentucky Derby betting preview with Mike Conti, who is the freaking best in previewing the Kentucky derby. We love having Mike on. Next week we are going to do a little bit deeper dive on the NFL draft with some team by team recap. We'll do NFC AFC with James Weaver from Sports Info Solutions. That'll be exciting. But sometimes I feel like, you know, we're obviously in the gambling space. We are sponsored by a sports betting company. I have been covering this forever. You are a professional better. And sometimes I feel like lately there's so much bad news about what's happening with legal betting and we can have a very long debate about is there more bad news being uncovered, more illicit behavior being uncovered because sports betting is legal, because it's easier to track, because there are more people paying attention or is it happening because there's more opportunity and more people are trying to capitalize? There's more bad actors is a combination of both. But we've got Senator Ted Cruz from Texas saying that he wants to have a hearing about sports integrity in the wake of the Brendan Sorsby, who was the quarterback who had just transferred in the portal to Texas Tech and was getting a bag, he has entered a gambling rehab facility for bets that he was making when he was a red shirt At Indiana Today, news from David Purdon that ESPN that Tara Rozier new files being chartered by federal prosecutor being new files being new charges being filed by federal prosecutors saying the terrorist accepted solicited and accepted bribes as part of his gambling scheme. Simon, do you feel like let me go to the original question because these are all related to the same thing. Is it opportunity leading to more bad actors? Is it more bad actors being caught because of the tracking? From your point of view, which direction do you think it leans in in terms of a weight?
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D
100% is accessibility. It's all about the accessibility. Right? It just it changed everything. We all knew it was going to is the ultimate game changer because it used to be either you had to be cool or knew the cool guy who knew the guy that knew the book, right? And that's the way it used to always be and books were constantly disappearing and it was that was part of the game. Now it's like you said, it's everywhere in your face 24 7. And you know, like you said, we're sponsored by different companies. So I know people are all gonna take this with a grain of salt. But we know the deal. Like when you're seeing supermodels on TikTok or whatever promoting sports betting, giving out their favorite bets, we've entered a whole different stratosphere here. People. So it's, it's, it's strange times right now. We knew there's gonna be tons of. I don't want to say they're bumps on the road, but that's what it is, right? It's like all these bad things need to happen and will always happen, right? There's always going to be people trying to find an edge, scheming people, scamming people. I mean, there's millions of things that have happened. The gambling space, like you said, that we could dive into and spend hours on. Maybe we will, right? This off season we have some opening time because there's just feels like every day, Chad, there's a new story or a new scandal that is insane. And people always are asking me and messaging me about it and I'm happy to give opinion if I catch it about it. But yeah, for me and Chad to come on here and each individual story and break it down, it's time consuming, right? There's a lot to say on this subject right now. So for me, I think we're both in agreeance. The accessibility really has changed everything, and I'm happy for it. But it's also, we've seen the bad side of it show up in many ways. And statistically there's a lot of stuff people can look up about gambling, how affects people in America and how it affects different families and all that. It's obviously in the wrong hands. It's a disease. And you know, I don't even know if we want to talk about the college quarterback, but it's like, yeah, it's, it's crazy right now. And like I was waiting for that to happen, Chad, honestly, but it's just, it's like you said, it's, it's, it's tough for the accessibility right now. People are abusing it.
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A
Well, it's interesting to me. The Soursby story and the Rosier story feel like two sides of the same coin. Source B is about accessibility, meaning he was able to admittedly make many, many, many, many, many bets to the point where it became a problem for him because of all of a sudden the access to being able to bet on your phone. Right. The rosier thing is different because that was about him manipulating allegedly and working with other parties who wanted to profit off of that manipulation. That's kind of an old school scam, right? Like that's going back to the days of baseball being invented in 1876 and guys getting paid to throw games in 1877. And that's been around forever. The Argument about the ability to track that stuff and identify that stuff that's directly related to Rosier. We know why that was discovered. We know who discovered it. We know it was integrity monitors who were paying attention to it and were the first ones to alert people to what was going on and the people who were in the middle of that scam. That feels like the thing that is probably better served by legalization because there are so many more people paying attention. The Sorsby story feels like it is only because of legalization because otherwise this guy would have like to your point, he would have needed a guy, you know, he would, he would have needed the equivalent at Indiana University of that dude in my fraternity who was taking bets and that wouldn't have been easy to get to and it wouldn't have been easy to keep doing it again and again and again. It's two different things.
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D
And it wouldn't most likely would have gone away then he would never be taking the steps he's taken. Right. Never would have went to people that he had a problem because back in the day like we talked about it just there was always a handler that took care of it especially if you're a high level talent. Never would see the light of day. But it's a new era where people are. That's why I think it's good people are more comfortable saying they do have a problem and they do need help and they can get ahead of it because I mean we had the P. Rose author on here like Pete Rose was a horrible addict and the league knew what was happening and they basically just turned a blind eye to until it became a problem for them. And like that's, that's no way to handle these things. Right. You have to be aggressive to it and you could change someone's whole life for the better. So yeah the rosier thing like you said that's been happened since the Cowboys, right? That's, that's a. Tales that is irrelevant to sports gambling. I know they're going to lump it in right because it's yeah it's easy clicks for sports media on that stuff or even the general news. But yeah to me that I've been waiting for a big time athlete to have a big scandal. I know we almost had it with Ohtani and there's people who believe Ohtani is guilty and all this other stuff that's a whole nother story allegedly. But I, I've been waiting for it Chad, because I hear things constantly. That's part of my job and I know athletes that bet. But as long as they don't bet on their own sport, there's no issue. But I know those sports leagues obviously wish these people were betting in general while they take millions and millions of dollars from these different sports books and different companies. So it's, there's things that are eventually going to break or like we've seen before, Chad, you have the right pr, the right people in you. Don't make mistakes. The lights will never, the story will never see the light of day. So I'm always just waiting for these stories to break, honestly, because I just know there's so much going on and we only know 1% of it. It's really such a small amount that ever gets out or these guys ever get caught doing it. So it's, people think it's going to slow down. I'm telling you, I think it's only going to keep getting crazier. The next four to five years, it's
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A
only going to get crazier. The rosier story is sexy headlines and it's, it to me, it's harder to tie rosier to legal gambling and sort of the expansion of legal gambling. It's much easier to tie Sourcebee to legal gambling. And that to me is a, has a little more teeth, it's a little more consequential, is a little more insidious and more dangerous. That's the one that to me, everybody in the business bears responsibility for and needs to pay attention to, including us, by the way. And you're not wrong about the leagues, like, they want it both ways. You know, just, just this week, David, Adam Silver is talking about the, the agreements they are considering with prediction markets. MLB is already in agreement with prediction markets. NHL with prediction markets. You got members of special forces getting arrested for profiting $400,000 because they were betting on when Maduro was going to be captured. Because they were part of the team that was planning and executing the capture. They were doing this on Polymarket, which was not legal in the U.S. but the point is these things are getting a lot of attention right now. It's why there are hearings. It's why there's going to be even more noise about what is and isn't appropriate and who should be betting and how to stop people from betting and how to help people if they have issues with betting. Slippery slope, my friend. Very slippery slope. Pandora's box has been open and we benefit from it
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D
and we love it. I told you, I'm so interested in all these stories. I can't get Enough of it. And that story you just talked about, the Polymark. Every week, the. There's a new insane story that a couple years ago we'd be talking about for weeks. They're happening every week. It just keeps moving. It's.
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A
It's just every single week. I do want to bring in our friend Derek Brown, who has been joining us non stop Fantasy pros football podcast because, look, getting back to the basics of what people really want from us on this show. They want to know who's. What's going to happen and how they can profit because we're all fucking opportunistic, right? So Derek, Simon, you guys both crushed it during the draft. Take your bow, get your flowers. You know, let me just read some of the bets. Okay, what do we have? We had the biggest bet for Simon first given out March 31st at minus 150. Nice job. Matt Mitchell tracking all this down. Matt Mitchell, he's producing. Simon actually specifically said the Rams were going to take Ty Simpson in the first round. The biggest bet he had was over one and a half quarterbacks. And let's see, over one and a half running backs in the first round. That was on giving out on March 31st. That was a plus 500. Matt, you want to play a clip right now.
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D
Over one and a half quarterbacks. I think it's minus 250, minus 225 in most books. Feels like the drama's gonna keep kicking up and one of these guys is gonna leak into the end of that first round. So even if he. You don't trust the Alabama quarterback, Ty Simpson, he still might be able to make his back end work because his agents. He's doing God's work right now in Dan Orlowski. So, like there's people out there. This guy's name. That's how it works. Like you just. One guy needs to fall in love with it. One team needs to be even. The Rams. You know, the Rams. Everyone's saying, well, Rams most likely going to take a wide receiver. Who knows, McVeigh might love this kid trade back in the first round. Take this. Give them the first round. So, you know, that's a fun bet in a weak running back class. You know, love is the guaranteed probably most likely a top 10 pick as a running back. It's plus 550 right now. Over one and a half running backs in the first round. Do I really think that's going to happen? Probably not. Like, it's a really weird like class where Price, another running back from Notre Dame, probably is the second best running back. Could he leak into the end of the first round? If five to one, why not throw a tenor on that?
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A
Derek? Akeem Mezador, Casey Concepcion, Spencer Fano. I saw that. I was out that night. I'm like, man, this guy's on fire today. Carnell Tate, under seven and a half, Vikings first position, a defensive liner edge. Let's talk about it. Brother Simon, I want to talk to you about Ty, but let's let Derek take a bow since he's our guest.
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E
Five and one, baby. I gave out six bets on this show and five and one. And I got Spencer Fano. When I gave it out on this show, I also took it personally on the 8th of April at plus 475. But anybody listening to the show got it at plus 200. So, yeah, five and one on the bets given out on the show, and I walk out of the NFL draft nine units up. Boys, it was a good weekend, man. Good week.
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A
Listen, it beats nursing.
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E
Yeah. Yep. Sure does, baby.
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A
Can I just point out the absurdity of this show? We are opening it up, talking about the dangers of sports betting, how we're all freaking complicit, and I think within. And a poor kid who's got a gambling addiction. And within two minutes, we have pivoted to nine units up. And it's a lot better than taking care of kids in the icu. I think we're bad people.
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D
I mean, you know, we're the opposite. I wish these people would listen to the show chat. It's all free and it's all good information, buddy.
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A
Right? We give out. Like, we explain the decisions we're making. We want people to bet responsibly. And we are genuine. We're not touts. We're not selling it to people. We're not telling them take one side and then take the other side. But sometimes the absurdity of it all just really is striking. Anyways, Derek, I don't want to bring you down. Let's talk about your.
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F
I'll help you out here.
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D
I had someone break this down for me. Chad, there are millions of YouTube shows about cars, right?
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A
Yeah.
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D
What killed more people in the world than cars? Yeah, I get it again, car enthusiasts. So, right.
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E
You can say shoulder angels and demons, and that is what it is.
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A
And look, you can say the same thing about alcohol. You can say the same thing about marijuana. Like, you know, there. It feels like they're all a little bit false equivalencies, Right?
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E
I don't know anybody that's ever died from marijuana. But, you know, well, you would know.
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A
You're a nurse. But the point is, like, this is a. This is a little bit of the vice business, and it's what we're in. So let's lean in. Derek, great fucking job, brother. Great job.
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E
It's been a blast to come on.
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A
Which one made you the most nervous during the first round?
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E
The more we got into it, honestly, I was worried because it felt like all the other positions were getting. Were getting pushed up the board. The Casey Concepcion one came down to the wire, but we hit it. We hit it. So, I mean, taking it early, getting at 26 and a half, then he got popped up then, you know. So that one kind of made me a little bit nervous because I did see as the draft was going on, it was like tackles, there was a run, there was edges, there was other players sneaking in, like the Keelan Rutledge trade. Houston, what are you doing? So, you know, those things kind of scared me. But know, again, another hit,
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A
the fan one was great because that was one of the last ones that we talked about, I think, in the show on Thursday. Just remind people a little bit of how you ended up getting to that spot, because that. That was. That was a nice one. That was plus money given out on the day of the draft.
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E
Yeah, that one with Fano, it was. I mean, really, what kind of pushed me on that one was because there are so many different ways you could split hairs with all the offensive linemen, like deficiencies, how, you know, talent scheme fits, things like that, where it was like you had a number of outs with Spencer Fano, whether it was based off of talent, plus the Maui Noah news about his back. And how much was that pushing? You know, things I was hearing around the league, how much it was going to push him down the board or was it going to push him down the board? Either way, it invites uncertainty, and it wasn't reflected enough in the markets. The other one that we. That I gave out beforehand, which, I mean, all of consensus, which it sounded crazy at the time, but all of consensus was on Minnesota taking a safety with their first pick. And I was like, no. If you looked at their defensive line, I've talked to people, they're like, no, they're looking at edges, they're looking at D tackles. Like, this is a problem. And then you see the Vikings go out and double down other defensive line needs. So it was. It was a good time.
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A
I mean, they did also get rid of an edge in Granard. Howie, who knows How Howie may have fleeced him. Simon, we got it. Simon, I want to get to. To two bets for you, but we got to talk about Howie for a second, because the Makai Lemon move, that was just dastardly. And the signing of Garnard, which you could argue is exactly what they needed, especially since they ended up losing someone. I forgot the guy who they had traded from the for the Dolphins, and now he signed with the Panthers, who they wanted to keep. That's right. Jalen Phillips. So they. They needed to address two areas and how he kind of did it brilliantly.
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D
I know people get sick of it because it's such a boring age, right? Oh, he said, what can I do? I have to just trust Howie. Like, even when he does things I don't agree with, it's like, it's going to probably work out. Like, obviously, he knows what he's doing. He just keeps making the right moves. And, you know, in a draft that I'm sure if someone went to him, said, hey, you can get the. The award winner for the best receiver in college football. The award winner for the best tight end in college football. You want either of those guys, how he's going to probably want to take them every time, right? Even if their ceiling's not the highest, their floor is what I think how he always is looking for. He's looking for guys with very low floors. So, you know, both these guys, though, have to me very high ceilings. And yeah, I. Every time head into the draft, it's like, what. What is. How are we gonna do something crazy? And I. There, There were selling T shirts last week already, Chad. Like, literally happened that night. They were selling T shirts. Philadelphia 40 against Pittsburgh this week because they were 3. 0 in hockey. And then they basically traded above, which was a huge drama. So, yeah, I, I every time how he does something like this, it's just like, man, I just feel so lucky because again, we're going to talk about my bets. I lost the Jeremiah Love pick, Arizona Cardinals. You have millions of millions of holes in that team. And they took a running back at number three. I just, I couldn't imagine if that was my team, and that's who I'm rooting for. And it's like when. How he does these moves, it just feels like the smart move. And all the pundits on TV are just talking about how genius how he is.
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E
It's.
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D
I'm not going to lie, Chad.
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A
It's a big deal. Look, the love thing, I want to dig into. I want to do that after the break. Let's do a quick break from Hard Rock and then we can dig into Love and Simon. I want to talk about Ty Simpson, and I want to talk about the running backs because that was the biggest bet at plus 500 that we discussed. But first, let's hear from Hard Rock. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet, the official sportsbook partner of the Orlando Magic. And speaking of the Magic, they're back in the NBA playoffs where the lights are brighter, the pressure is higher, and every possession can change a series. And on Hard Rock Bet, every night is your shot to score a major bucket with win or go home energy on the hardwood. Same game parlays are a great way to get in on the excitement, and Hard Rock Bet gives you tons of ways to stack your picks into SGPs built for the playoffs. And if you're ever late to tip off, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet lets you live bet all game long. Try your first bet on Hard Rock Bet today and you can score $150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet and if it hits, you get not only your winnings, but also an extra $150 in bonus bets. And while Hard Rock Bet is Florida's only legal sportsbook, you don't have to be in Florida to join the party. Hard Rock Bet is also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan, with more states on the way. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today and let's get the party started. Offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. In Florida, offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC and all other states must be 21 or over and physically present in Arizona, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. To play, terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida, call 1833 playwise in Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1809 with it. In Ohio, call 1-800-my- reset gambling problem, call 1-800- gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia. Everybody knows Shaq, but off camera, he's just a regular guy.
- [29:26]
B
People never believe me when I say I'm just like them. I take out the trash, do dishes, and I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea, or osa. And a lot of adults with obesity also struggle with moderate to severe osa. You know, those scary breathing interruptions during sleep, the loud snoring, choking and daytime fatigue. I knew I had to talk to my doctor. Don't sleep on the symptoms. Learn more@don'tsleeponosa.com this information is provided by
- [29:51]
A
Lilly, a medicine company. Are you really buying a car online on Autotrader right now?
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C
Really?
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A
At a playground?
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C
Yeah, really. Look at these listings from dealers.
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A
Wow, your search can really get that specific.
- [30:03]
C
Really?
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D
And you just put in your info
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A
and boom, car's in your budget.
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C
Mom needs a second.
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A
Honey, you can really have it delivered.
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C
Really? Or I can pick it up at the dealership. One sec, sweetie. Mommy's buying a car.
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A
Mommy, look.
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D
I think your kid is walking up the slide. Hi again.
- [30:19]
C
Really? Autotrader, Buy your car online. Really?
- [30:23]
E
Imagine an Olympics where doping is not
- [30:25]
D
only legal, but encouraged.
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A
It's the enhanced games.
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D
Some call it grotesque.
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E
Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all. Embedded in the games and with the
- [30:38]
D
athletes for a full year.
- [30:40]
A
Within probably 10 days, I'd put on £10. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.
- [30:46]
E
Listen to Superhuman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [30:53]
F
A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y' all say. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor iv. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, you. This is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow CLIFFORD and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.
- [31:55]
A
All right. I was gonna save Jeremiah Love for. For later in the show. You both, I mean, Simon especially, you were like, these are smoke screens. The Cardinals would be crazy to take Jeremiah Love at number three. And yet that's what they did. And, you know, we can talk about the history of running backs taken in the top 10, which Mitch, you know, gave us and we talked about in the show on Thursday. Not a single running back drafted in the top 10, I think, over the past 20 years went to the super bowl with the team he was drafted with. Only three have gone to the Super Bowl. Leonard Fournette, drafted by the Jags, went with the bucks, and Christian McCaffrey, drafted by the Panthers, went with the Niners. And Saquon, drafted by the Giants, went with the Eagles. So chances are this guy's not going to the super bowl with the Cardinals. But here's the other thing. A lot of people have talked about this and, and Dan Graziano laid it out in his column on ESPN.com Jeremiah Love is all of a sudden the highest paid with guaranteed money in NFL history for a running back. At number three, he's getting $50 million guaranteed. Saquon was only getting 36. So all of a sudden you put yourself in a position where you're binding the cap tied to a guy who you are overpaying by $18 million. That, I think, is something that didn't come up enough before the draft and is coming up a lot now. Derek, your thoughts?
- [33:30]
E
I, I think it's absolutely insanity, like, to take him that high in the draft. And it's not that running back shouldn't go in round one. It's not that they shouldn't be top 10, top 15 picks, like, fine, invest in talent. But at number three, I just, people wonder why bad organizations stay bad. I, I give you exhibit A.
- [33:52]
A
But what's so interesting is they've got new guys in there. Yeah.
- [33:58]
E
This is the question is how loud is the owner's voice in that room, though?
- [34:02]
D
Exactly. Chad, there it is, brother. It's the owner.
- [34:04]
E
It's the owner.
- [34:05]
D
That's what, like, that's why, like, I talked to really smart people and they laugh. They're like, there's no way they're taking my three. Because not only because of what you just said about the money, Chad, now that they're giving them all this, they have so many holes. And it's like when you're at that high of a draft, you can pick any flavor you want, any guy. It doesn't matter if someone says it's a reach. If you nail it, it's totally irrelevant.
- [34:29]
E
Right?
- [34:29]
D
And Love is a, is a sure thing. He is going to hit.
- [34:32]
E
Right.
- [34:33]
D
He's a great running back, but who knows, right? Like, if you're, if he has no offensive line. If he takes the wrong hit on a bad knee, running back is turned out in like five to six years. The shelf life is so small. Unless you're a freak like Derrick Henry or Saquon. You see a lot of 30 year old running backs running around the league. Chad. No, like Todd Gurley washed out by the time he was like 26, 27. And he was one of the best running backs I've ever seen because his body broke down.
- [34:58]
A
So that's a cautionary tale.
- [35:00]
D
Yeah, just organizationally I just, I literally, the guys I talk to all the time, we laugh at you. Arizona, we do. Like, and I feel bad for the people in the organization because it is the owner making these moves. But I talk to these people from these different teams and yeah, they're laughing at them. They're, they're literally laughing at them as an organization. So I, I get it, loves an extremely great talent, but you still don't have a quarterback and it's just, no major questions. The offensive line, it's just all bad right now for me with this Carolina
- [35:28]
A
team, it's just astonishing to me because they've got a new coach in Michael Floor. There is never anyone who's ever had a new job. You know, Simon, it's been a hundred years since you actually had a legit job, right? But for the rest of us who have worked in corporate America or ever had a new job, you've got a honeymoon period where like, okay, you're the new person. Your bosses want to lean into you, give you every opportunity to succeed. They're going to cede to what you want. You're going to say, here's what I think I need, here's how I can be successful. Your boss is going to give that to you. Like if it goes down the way you said it does, then Michael Floor has to be wondering, why the fuck did I take this job? Unless the answer is always the same. It's one of 32 head coaching jobs. But Ben Johnson waited for the right gig, you know, like he, he, he did, he did, you know, I guess have some balls, wait for the right job.
- [36:30]
E
To your point though too, Chad, it's funny if like some of these owners, do they stay the same or do they change their colors in terms of eventually shut up and let the guys run the room. I mean, look at what Carolina did and look at what the way Dave Tepper has done over the last two years. Like Morgan being that room, Canelo's being in that room. And you can Definitely tell based off of what they've done over the last two years with their draft classes that, you know, in a, in a matter of speaking, they've told Dave Deborah to sit down and shut up. And he's listened because their draft classes have been awesome.
- [37:05]
A
Yeah, I don't know that many owners.
- [37:08]
E
Those owners aren't going to do that, though, to the point. So,
- [37:13]
A
Simon, are you going to say something?
- [37:15]
D
Yeah, I was going to. I always love the glaze where Ben Johnson was the highest paid head coach. That also is. That also helped him sail his boat to Chicago. You're right there. He did pick his spots, but he, but he.
- [37:26]
A
Look, he picked his spot. He was on a plane to go interview, I think in Washington. You know, he had opportunities to go elsewhere for two years and kept saying no because he was looking for the best opportunity. That's why when, as a Chicago fan, I was so excited because to me, if he was leaning into Caleb, then he must have seen something that he felt he could make much, much better. Because otherwise you don't take that opportunity. Because the truth is the Bears have been that ownership group too. And what they did with Ben Johnson, to Derek's point, was completely change their spots because they have never been the team to go out and give full authority to their GM to go get the guy and give him the money that they end up giving Ben Johnson. The Cardinals clearly haven't changed their spots. If we are to believe that Bidwell was the reason they, they drafted Jeremiah
- [38:18]
D
Love, he went for them. He went for the money. Like, the money and the opportunity, obviously, like your family is now set up forever. If you take the head coaches, I mean, even if you flame out, they fire him in a year, great. You pay me the rest of my contract and I'll go back and be either an OC or go coach wherever, and I'll get paid at another job. So that's, that's why most guys I talked to, because I always wonder that too, Chad. I'm like, why don't you just wait like you're on a team. Obviously that's great because that's where you're getting these job offers. But from what I hear from all these head coaching guys that take the jobs, like you might be your only opportunity ever to take the job and you want to get all that money for your family, it's like, okay, that's. I'm with you, though. It's like, if you take in a Jets head coaching job, what is your real grand plan? You really think you're going to be the one that's going to work out for you when your owner is the one stepping in and making all these decisions. So I'm with you. It's. It's tough pill to swallow.
- [39:06]
A
Simon, you and I, we don't do it for the money. We do it for the love of the game. That's how we roll. Speaking of money, you did hit plus 500 over one and a half running backs, and the second running back snuck in there under the wire. Why were you leaving breadcrumbs about Ty Simpson to the Rams on March 31?
- [39:38]
D
It's basically what we talked about, like, using these contacts. I'll never give up sources, and that's why I'll never, ever say the first thing. Whenever someone calls me, they're like, hey, did you hear this? I. I will never say if I did or not because I always think it's a trap of them trying to figure out who else I'm talking to on their team. And so I know someone in the front office of the Rams. I know someone that's in the scouting department, and they both gave me five to six names, but they only both said the same name twice. And Ty Simpson was one of the names they both said. And this was four weeks ago. So right away I'm like, okay, if both. If a front office guy is saying Ty Simpson and the scout is saying it, that means both. Both pieces of this organization, like this guy. I did not see it going to 13, though. And to me, it's something that had the over one and a half it. That was like the best one ever. Because it's like, okay, now I have no worries.
- [40:29]
A
Yeah, you're done.
- [40:30]
E
Yeah.
- [40:31]
D
I thought it was going to be 29, 30. I thought it was going to be a sweat. But, yeah, they really fell in love with them. And I told you that's all it takes, right, is one organization. So that's the hardest part with this is like, I'm. I'm trying to. Trying to weed through the other breadcrumbs other people are leaving me because no one can definitely say what's going to happen. Right. You need all these things to fall their way for a team to take a player. And the fact that they took Guy Simpson there clearly shows that they were worried about someone else jumping up to take them. Like, they didn't want to risk taking Lemon or some other player that they also had a high grade on. They wanted to just get their guy. Because we talk about it, Chad, if you hit the quarterback, you Said your French up franchise up for 10 to 15 years. So, you know, I love McVeigh standing up for his guy in Stafford that night, being like, you know, humbling the kid. The kid's like, we're going to make history. And he's just like, you're going to have to earn it. Like, I love this. This kid couldn't have gotten any lucker. If McVeigh, if McVeigh stays there and coaches this kid up, he's, he fixed, arguably, you can say he fixed Baker and he fixed partially Sam Darnold. Like, all of it. Like, I think McVay's touch, it's so important. So I, I, I'm so happy for Ty Simpson, who I was like, this kid's got bust written all over him and now he's got the potential to, you know, sit behind Stafford for two years. Couldn't, couldn't have dreamt up a better scenario for him. And you know, I know people are questioning the pick right now because it's like, why did you not take a guy to help Stafford? But it's one of the best GMS in football. This man has done crazy things like get ready for their first round pick for seven straight years and it still worked. So I would trust the Rams, an organization before I trust many others.
- [42:07]
A
I feel like the Rams are how we ask in their credibility. So even. And that's why I don't get when, you know, I think draft grades are idiotic. And Derek, I know you just had to spend 24 hours staying up overnight to do draft grades. It's really just content filler because nobody knows anything we needed as fans.
- [42:32]
D
Chad, I need to see what someone thinks of my teams.
- [42:35]
E
Listen, yeah, my mentions are on fire by my fan bases.
- [42:40]
A
I mean, they're so dumb. They're so dumb. And let me just finish the Ty Simpson point and then I can get into the draft grades. But like, if the Rams are moving up to 13 to get Ty Simpson, anyone who's railing against it is an idiot because none of us know as much about the team, the organization or the player and what the potential fit is than the Rams themselves. And they've proven that because they've basically rebuilt their team while, you know, the truck was moving, they changed the tires. So kudos to them if they think they can figure it out. I'm like, you, dude. Like, I'm having a debate with my friends on Saturday about the Bears draft picks. And, and as I'm doing it and like, with my kid, we're talking about the safety from Oregon. And all I'm doing is looking to see what the reaction is from the draft experts, right? And like I texted my buddy, I'm like, this is what Kuiper just said about the center we drafted from Iowa. Nobody knows shit. None of these things can be graded for three years. Like pmt then and. And PFT on PMT talks about how every year he reads the review for the 2012 draft of the Seahawks because someone gave them an F and eviscerated it and said it's the worst draft ever. And Russell Wilson isn't even the type of quarterback that works for their system. And it was, I think Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin and Russell Wilson, three guys who were pivotal to them winning a Super bowl within two years. So like nobody can grade this.
- [44:23]
D
They can though.
- [44:24]
A
That makes no sense.
- [44:25]
D
You're missing it, buddy. They do. Like there's people that say every year the 49ers reach. And you literally had a reporter calling out to their face and it's like, listen, we've had people for years saying you guys keep reaching on these draft picks and they're terrible draft picks. And it's true. Like Don lynch has had some major misses and you look at a bunch of different organizations, draft night people say that's a reach, that was a bad pick. I want to say 9 out of 10 times, Chad, they're right and we're in that boat, right. We've had when we beat people over the head about Cincinnati, how they reach for different players and we've hated it over the years. And yeah, it's just I like to give respect to these teams because you went through the grade, Chad. Look at all the great quarterbacks taken in the first round and look how sparse it is in every other round. So that there shows you it's. It's a flawed model, but it's still pretty accurate. Like the fact that they can just judge these kids in college where again, I'm not here to shit on college. But Johnny Football, who had a substance abuse problem partying every night was winning Heismans, couldn't even read a playbook, couldn't even know cover two was like, that's not saying college level is a joke. You can get away with God given ability. The fact they can project a guy like that and see, you know, what they're going to be like in 10 years. All the measurables I find an extremely fascinating. That's why I like the Wonderlic test. All these things we think are stupid. It's not when you look at the numbers, a lot of this stuff, these measurables, all these different things actually add up. So I am. I'll forever be fascinated by the draft and draft grades.
- [45:49]
A
Derek, I want you to defend yourself in a second. Good tease. First, let's hear from our friends at Zbiotics. Matt. Spring is here, and that means warmer weather, longer days, and cocktails on the patio. But after a few stiff drinks, we don't bounce back like we used to. Sometimes we've had to choose between a great night or a great next day. That was before we had pre alcohol Zebiotics. Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered Probiotic, invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for rough days after drinking. Pre alcohol produces an enzyme to break down this byproduct. Just remember to make pre alcohol your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly, and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Matt, did you see Zebiotics out in the wild last week? I did. I have enjoyed Zoobiotics myself for several months now. And I was out with a friend, and he. We were in like a.
- [47:14]
D
Like a booth, and he, he turned
- [47:17]
A
and drank something, which is like an unusual thing to see somebody do in a bar setting. I said, well, what was that? He goes, I'm just drinking this thing that helps when we're out drinking. And I said, Is it ZBionics?
- [47:30]
D
He said, yeah, yeah. Have you heard of it? I said, yeah, I had one before we came out. So I was already very familiar with
- [47:36]
A
the, with the work of this tremendous product because it's what I need to feel my best the next day, which,
- [47:43]
D
you know, we don't bounce back like we used to.
- [47:45]
A
Like you said, we do not. From draft day to basketball playoff games, don't let a rough next day keep you on the sidelines. Drink pre alcohol to stay ahead of the game and make the most of every sunny Saturday. Go to ZBiotics.com sharpersquare to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use sharp or square at checkout, Zebiotics is backed with a 100% money back guarantee, so if you're unsatisfied for any reason, they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to ZBiotics.com sharpersquare and use the code sharp or square at checkout for 15% off. All right, brother. You spent all this time grading the prospects. We can go through the grades and talk about, like, what you thought was the most incoherent draft or the best draft. And I want to do that. But first defend giving the grades 24 hours after the draft.
- [48:53]
E
So I think, I don't disagree with when we fast forward two or three years into the future and seeing how all these players pan out and who pans out and who doesn't. The way that I approach grading and the way that I look at this is how are you playing the market and how are you drafting guys versus said market? And I know that our the consensus boards for the media and all that kind of stuff are going to be very different from team boards, and they have more information on injuries and interviews and players and personalities and all that kind of stuff, you know. But the other side of this is there's also, like, when you look at this over years and years and years of stacking up consensus boards, and when teams reach versus the consensus board, it doesn't work out well because they are stepping out of their lane and taking players and it's like, look, did you have to take a player in the second round that you could have possibly gone in the fourth round? Now, again, what were they hearing during that? How much did they love the kid? All that kind of stuff. We could debate that for days. My whole thing is, where are you drafting players versus where you could have gotten them later? And it's just like any other type of thing, like how we're shopping books for bets and stuff, and you're trying to get the best price. All these teams should be trying to get the best price on every single player that they're drafting. And so while, you know, GMs, like, Gladstone comes out there and he's like, baby, we got 10 picks out of 10 picks. We put names into slots and it's like, well, yeah, if you're going to draft guys two or three rounds before any other team is even sniffing them, like, yeah, you'll get all your players.
- [50:24]
A
Sure.
- [50:25]
E
I hope it works out.
- [50:27]
A
You're talking about James Glasson or the Jaguars, who in the second round drafted a blocking tight end who probably could have been available two to three rounds later. So, you know, because this is the show, I guess, today where we talk about how stupid a lot of stuff is, and then we talk about that stuff. Derek, give us like a, a sense of your highest grades and the Draft that I wouldn't say is the worst, but that confused you the most.
- [51:01]
E
I mean, I think if we're going to give out a bunch of A's and we're talking about, you know, who aced the test, I mean, I'm starting the conversation. I could easily start this with the Eagles. Going to pander to Simon, at least off the rip. I'll bury it a little bit, by the way.
- [51:13]
A
Pander. Most literary podcast right there, dude.
- [51:19]
E
The Browns, I feel like, have crushed the draft of the last two years. That what they've done and the way they've kind of changed their draft style. And I feel like with what? Drat. So trading back in the first round, acquiring more equity, still getting Spencer Fano. Thank you for that. Cleveland Browns as our first offensive lineman, maybe the best offensive lineman out of this class. We shall see. And then remaking their wide receiver room, getting Emmanuel McNeil Warren in the second round, plus just crushing their depth like as they went down the board throughout the entire draft. I mean, flipping it over. Like easy conversations about the Chiefs and Eagles here. Just good organizations doing good things. And I think, like, the thing that really stood out to me about what the Chiefs did, where they traded up and they got Mansur Delaine and everybody's like, could you have gotten him a nine? But the big thing that I want to highlight there is obviously after we got the news for Jamal McCoy and we saw him tumble down the board all the way to the fourth round, the chasm between CB1 and CB2 was much larger than any of us knew because we didn't know. Like, all this stuff is coming out in real time during the draft about how concerning McCoy's knee was so the minuscule price. And I'll say it's minuscule because I don't think that it was a lot in draft equity to trade up from 9 to 6 to get your guy a Mansur Delaine, who is the runaway CB1 of this class right now, as we kind of stand and look at this, I thought was just, you know, chess versus checkers. And then I guess we'll, you know, I'll. I'll give Simon some love here. Like the Eagles, how are we doing? What he did. And something Simon brought up earlier about shooting for Ceiling and saying, screw the floor. I mean, they took my dude, Cole Payton and round five, which I thought was masterclass based off of talent. And it seemed like all these other NFL teams just hated the fcs. Like none of these guys in the fcs, which in previous Classes have gone as high as like the second round, third round and stuff. They weren't getting drafted. And Cole Payton, I didn't think he was going to last until round five, but depending on what happens with Jalen Hurts. And I'm not saying he's out of town in 27. They really can't get out of his contract until 2020, after 2028. But you have two years to kind of develop this quarter or three years to develop maybe this quarterback behind him. Considering Dalton is a free agent. Tanner Key is a free agent after this year. Plus, like what I thought were really good selections or Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers, even Markel Bell at the top, who's a mountain of a human. And then a guy that we, you know, everybody was abuzz about. And again, going back to the conversation about shooting for ceiling if you are Bernard coming out of the IPP program and the defensive tackle, which if, if anybody has not heard about this guy, Google him. Yeah, yeah, just an athletic freak taking him in round seven. If he doesn't become anything in the NFL, fine, okay, whatever. But taking a shot on that dude in round seven, if he becomes something, it should be spectacular. And again, shooting for the ceiling, I mean this is how you, you know, do quote unquote win the draft.
- [54:20]
A
That's the guy the Bengals take in the first round.
- [54:24]
E
Stewart says hi.
- [54:26]
A
Yeah,
- [54:28]
D
the, the Cleveland thing is a real thing, Chad. Like yeah, they're getting better quarterback away, it feels like in many aspects. And all the B Raiders, everything I've been seeing is how great Deshaun Watson looks. And we've said it a hundred times, me and Chad, we think he's a bad person. We are not a fan of him as a human being. Same you. There are still some books out there at 130 to 1 Super bowl odds on the Browns. I know it's not going to happen, but we got to throw a little bit on. Like their last year's draft class was incredible.
- [54:58]
A
Incredible.
- [54:59]
D
Draft class is looking pretty, pretty good. Like they didn't reach. They let guys follow them and they didn't force picks. Right. They just took the best player available to them on their board, which is all they ask for. To me that is how, you know, a well run organization that's not drafting for need simply taking the best player available. So I can't believe it. Like Cleveland, that was a great pull by Derek. That was the first thing that jumped off the board. To me. I thought they had the best draft. In my opinion, the moves they made the players they took really a plus. Incredible move by Cleveland Simon.
- [55:29]
A
I think this show today has proven, if nothing else, we can be as hypocritical as anybody. And even if we don't like something or someone like Deshaun Watson, doesn't mean we're not afraid to try to profit from it. I think that's the lesson of the show from today. Derek Brown, Dude, I It's like you're. It's like you're the third host on the show right now. You've joined us for all of April. So many smart takes on the draft. You made everybody a little bit Sharper Fantasy Pros Football podcast. You're going to come back on again as we get closer to the season so we can preview a lot of what's going to be happening when we get to 2026 regular season. Thank you brother for coming on. So many times this has been Sharper Square part of the Volume Podcast Network. Watch or listen on YouTube at Sharper Square like this video. Subscribe to the channel. Also download some Spotify, Apple pods wherever you get your pods rate. Review. Subscribe. Leave us 5 stars. Say whatever you want. Feedback is a gift. Till next time. Love you.
- [56:41]
D
And down and 1. Play action.
- [56:42]
E
Fake the lob pass and the ball
- [56:45]
A
is caught by Brable. We told you he just came in.
- [56:48]
D
He caught the last touchdown in the Super Bowl. Oh man, is he excited. I know why he's so excited and pumped up.
- [56:58]
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.