Best of The Herd

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd – "Best Of The Herd"

Date: April 9, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode features Colin Cowherd’s in-depth analysis of the upcoming NFL Draft, a breakdown of the evolving tanking issue in the NBA, and a conversation with NFL analyst Greg Cosell delving into prospects and scouting philosophies. Breaking down top sports stories, Colin provides his mock draft based on intel, not just personal preferences, and discusses broad shifts in both collegiate and professional sports landscapes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The NBA's Tanking Issue and College Basketball's Changing Landscape

[03:10–10:51]

• Main Point: Colin argues that tanking in the NBA has become "an epidemic," not just a minor issue, and credits recent changes in college basketball (NIL, older rosters, European influence) for ramping up the problem.
• Colin on College Basketball’s Revenge: “College basketball in the last two years is getting back at the NBA because I think college basketball is tied to the NBA tanking … the draft now means so much.”
• Impact of NIL: Greater financial incentives keep stars in college longer, leading to older, deeper rosters and more NBA-ready prospects, which in turn increases the incentive for NBA teams to tank for better draft picks.
• Comparison to European Model: American stars now face older competition in college—a system similar to Europe’s developmental leagues, giving them an edge in NBA readiness.
• Michael Red Quote [10:18]:
  “The developmental system over in Europe works well. It’s proven itself. Kids tend to burn out–we’ve seen that with Zion, JA… Europe has a tendency to work on development.”
• Colin on Unsolvable Tanking [09:40]:
  “I don’t think tanking is solvable. The new TV deal makes owners even richer. They don’t care about your fines.”

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2. Youth Movement and Presence Among NFL Coaches

[10:51–14:58]

• Modern NFL Coaching Trends: Colin describes a new "formula" for NFL head coaches—youth, confidence, athletic look, and especially “presence,” which is now as important as X’s and O’s.
• On Ben Johnson’s Approach [12:52]:
  Ben Johnson set a high standard from day one, throwing the first team out of practice and being honest about rookie QB Caleb Williams’ progress, establishing authority and expectations early.
• “Presence” Over “Scheme”:
  “When I look at [the top coaches]…the common thread is: presence. It’s not great scheme guys…It’s not just schemes. All those guys have a presence.” — Colin Cowherd [13:04]

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3. Colin Cowherd’s 2026 NFL Mock Draft (Top 15 Picks)

[18:12–31:53]

• Overview: Colin presents a mock draft based on insider conversations (“what I’m hearing,” not just his own rankings), focusing especially on how the Jets’ pick at No. 2 could domino through the top 10.
• Approach:
  “This is not necessarily what I would do. This is…what I hear, what I think is going to happen.” — Colin [03:10]

Top 15 Picks with Rationale & Quotes

| # | Team | Player (Position, School) | Colin's Insight/Notable Quotes | |---|-----------------|-------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 | Raiders | Fernando Mendoza (QB) | “49 TDs, no INTs last two years in the red zone…Hyper smart, ball placement, toughness.” [19:27] | | 2 | Jets | Arvell Reese (Edge/LB) | “Only 20…doesn’t have a clear position. Jets are taking a big swing.” [20:15] | | 3 | Cardinals | David Bailey (Edge, Texas Tech) | “Favorite pass rusher in college football…led in sacks and pressure rate.” [21:07] | | 4 | Titans | Jeremiah Love (RB) | “Drop-off between Love and the next RB is bigger than Mendoza and No. 2 QB…an absolute home run hitter.” [22:53] | | 5 | Giants | Sonny Styles (LB) | “Maybe the cleanest player in the draft…freak athlete. Toughness and attitude.” [22:55] | | 6 | Browns | Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State) | “Best receiver in this draft. Walks in and stars.” [24:32] | | 7 | Commanders | Francis Mauigoa (OL, Miami) | “Road grader…Jaden Daniels needs protection.” [24:34] | | 8 | Saints | Rueben Bain (Edge, Miami) | “Lives in the backfield…perfect replacement for Cam Jordan.” [25:20] | | 9 | Chiefs | Spencer Fano (OL, Utah) | “Chiefs have struggled to protect Mahomes…this is an easy one.” [26:00] | |10 | Bengals | Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State) | “Could be the steal of the draft…starts day one. Toughness, urgency, playmaking.” [26:00] | |11 | Dolphins | Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU) | “Tough kid…did not allow a single TD or penalty last year.” [27:34] | |12 | Cowboys | Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee) | “Can play zone or man…walks in, starts first day—what Dallas needs.” [27:34] | |13 | Rams | Makai Lemon (WR, USC) | “Doesn’t let the ball hit the ground…productive Day 1, will figure the playbook fast.” [29:49] | |14 | Ravens | Monroe Freeling (OT, Georgia) | “Protect Lamar Jackson…had 18 starts, just one holding penalty.” [29:51] | |15 | Buccaneers | Emmanuel McNeil (S, Toledo) | “Hometown kid…rangy, runs well. Fills a big need in the secondary.” [30:25] |

• On Sonny Styles:
  Guest Analyst: “He might be one of the best linebacking prospects…in 20, 25 years. He’s 6’5”, he ran a 4.4, he’s brilliant. Played in NFL defense.” [31:25]

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4. Deep Dive: Prospect Discussion with Greg Cosell

[34:45–54:04]

Colin brings on NFL Films and draft analyst Greg Cosell for a granular look at key prospects, fit, and scouting philosophy.

Notable Segments and Quotes:

• Arvell Reese Evaluation [36:02]:

  • Cosell: “Played equal snaps edge and off-ball in a pro-style defense…only 20. As he develops, he can become a somewhat dominant edge pass rusher…a more premium player than stacked linebacker.”

• WR Evaluation and Value [38:01]:

  • Cosell: “It’s not a quarterback draft, so a lot of players … will be drafted higher than rated. Because of how modern offenses work, you can have non-boundary X receivers as high-volume targets. Makai Lemon … could easily catch 75, 80 balls.”

• Tight End Kenyon Sadiq [40:04]:

  • Cosell: “If you draft him, you don’t put him as an attached player—he’s a playmaker, an offensive weapon. Same with Jeremiah Love—these are playmakers, not just their listed positions.”

• Rueben Bain’s Arm Length [41:53]:

  • Cosell: “[Historically] short-armed guys don’t make it at that position, but the tape is really, really good…sawed-off, hyper-competitive, tempo setter for a defense.”

• Sonny Styles' Fit [43:46]:

  • Cosell: "Freakish athlete at his size—better this year, saw the field better…stack backer is getting more important."

• Quarterback Evaluation Philosophy [45:18 & 48:02]:

  • Cosell: “Do we no longer celebrate QBs who play the right way, snap after snap? That is a wow trait.”
  • On Mendoza: "Just plays the position the right way...plays it the way you have to play it to be consistent." [48:02]

• Mansoor Delane (LSU, CB) [49:14]:

  • Colin: "Didn't have a penalty all year in the SEC. He just knows how to play the position—angles, shoulders, smart play."
  • Cosell: “Almost looks effortless at corner. So fluid. And he tackles—coaches love tackling on the perimeter.”

• Jeremiah Love (RB) [51:35]:

  • Cosell: “A mix of Bijan Robinson and Jameer Gibbs…can play anywhere in the formation. A playmaker, a weapon, not just a ‘running back’.”

• Sleepers [52:53]:

  • Colin: “Chris Bell at Louisville…could be a star.”
  • Cosell: "Ted Hurst, Georgia State. Six-three, ran a 4.42. Day two pick."

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Tanking: "Shocking. Eight to ten teams are tanking … between the new CBA, older college rosters, more European-based rosters with a new NIL, I don’t think tanking is going anywhere." — Colin Cowherd [09:40]
• On Modern NFL Head Coaches: “There’s a formula now. It’s not just about schemes and play calling…You gotta have a presence.” — Colin [13:04]
• On Doubts About “Wow Traits” for QBs:
  "Being able to play the right way, play the position the right way from the pocket, that’s a high-level trait." — Greg Cosell [45:18]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• NBA Tanking & College Basketball: 03:10 – 10:51
• NFL Coaching Trends & Ben Johnson: 10:51 – 14:58
• Colin’s NFL Mock Draft Commentary: 18:12 – 31:53
• Mock Draft Top 15 Picks Breakdown: 19:27 – 31:25
• Colin x Cosell Prospect Deep Dive: 34:45 – 54:04
• Notable quotes/rebuttals on Sonny Styles, Bain, Reese, etc.: 41:53 – 55:01

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Recap: Tone & Takeaways

Colin’s tone remains opinionated, analytical, and direct. The episode mixes his big-picture views with inside-sourced specifics and second opinions from expert Greg Cosell, engaging listeners who want both “what’s happening” and “why it matters” in sports right now. The underlying theme: the landscape of sports, from college to pros, is shifting in ways that deeply impact drafts, team-building, and coaching demands.

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Transcript

[Greg Cosell]

This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

This is the Best of the Herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

It is a Thursday NFL draft officially as of this moment two weeks away, we're live. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. So in 40 minutes, I'm going to do it. At the end of this hour, I will give you my mock draft based on text sourcing what I'm hearing needs. I'll give you the top 15 in the first round and I'm going to tell you what I hear, what I think is going to happen. Not necessarily what I would do. This is not necessarily what I would do. And the most interesting part of the Draft is picks 2, 3, 4 and 5. There could be a domino effect. There will be based on what the jets do. So I'm going to have that in about 40 minutes. But I want to start There's a great writer that covers the NBA named Anthony Slater, works for the Athletic, used to cover the warriors, and he wrote yesterday about the tanking issue in the NBA is not a problem. It is now an epidemic. It's really bad. The league is unwatchable half the games at this time of the year. And so what I find interesting is for years the NBA sort of demonized college basketball. They created a G league ignite and all that was built to do is to hurt college basketball because the guys weren't getting rich playing that, but they were getting a little money to circumvent college basketball to steal college basketball's top talent. But college basketball in the last two years is getting back at the NBA because I think college basketball is tied to the NBA tanking. And hear me out. So once the nil was created, well, what happens? Well, you're getting deeper, older and better college rosters. Well, that's Colin, that would be good for the NBA. No, the problem is last year's draft and this year's draft are stacked and billionaire owners will pay your stupid little fines. They don't care because the new CBA Restricts trades and acquisitions. So owners now are not worth with that new TV deal. It just made the richers. It just made the owners richer college basketball deeper and older. So the draft now means so much. It wasn't many years ago that Rudy Gobert. There were nine picks given away for Rudy Gobert. Remember that those days are over. The new cba, the new Big three is cost control. The draft's so important now. And so what you have is that little bit of money a player would make at G League ignite to keep mount of college basketball. Now guys are staying in college longer because the Nil is paying guys more money than you'd make out of the second round or late first and then Europeans. Now the best Euros aren't going to the NBA. They're going to college basketball. I mean that Michigan roster, it was old dudes. Now many of you would say, well Colin, what about Cooper Flagg or Con Knippel? But what's happening to the one and done places like Arizona and Duke? Is that the one and done guys like Cooper Flagg for instance, or Con Canopy, their last game at Duke as freshman, they played Houston. Houston didn't play a single freshman. Two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore and a veteran coach. So what's happening to the one and done guys? Because they're still one and done guys out of college. They are playing against older college players, very European model. One of the reasons the Euros are dominating this league at the top is because when they're 17 and 18, they're playing against 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 year olds. So they come out tougher and more refined and more ready to play in the NBA. Well, the European model is sort of what's happening to the college model, right? Like Yaxel Lenneborg, he's playing. You watched all those five star Duke kids play against the older UConn kids. And Duke gagged. They choked. They were intimidated. So even the one and done college guys come out now and they are cleaner prospects, they're better prospects. And so what's it doing? People are tanking for him. Remember the Suck for Luck campaign? That's how the spurs got Wemby and Tim Duncan. You want to know a draft where nobody was tanking? The Anthony Bennett draft, right? When you have transformative talent and 8, 9 and 10 players coming out, remember there is no more big three. CBA doesn't allow it. The new big three is win the draft, get your stars there. You need players to be very good on their rookie contracts. Or early second contracts and cost control. So in a weird way, college basketball with a little extra money is now creating the tanking issue. And it was just a little extra money. G league ignite, that wasn't helping college basketball. So college basketball is getting a laugh here because I don't think tanking is solvable. The new TV deal makes owners even richer. Guaranteed 11 year massive income. They don't care about your fines. They don't care about your fines. Allows them to buy more businesses, create great net worth 8 billion, 9 billion. You think they care about a $3 million fine? They don't care at all. So I mean if you look at who is tanking in the league right now, allegedly I'm showing you 10 teams on a graphic. I think eight are tanking. I don't think the Bulls and the Bucks necessarily were. They had issues beyond that. But they say this draft has three generational players and eight to 10 guys that will come in and play and produce immediately. Shocking. Eight to ten teams are tanking. So between the new cba, older college rosters, more European based rosters with a new nil, I don't think tanking is going anywhere. And I think it's created just a way for college basketball. They're not trying to do this, but it's what's happened. It's kind of the irony of the situation. Michael Red, who played in the NBA for 1112 years, almost all of it with Milwaukee, now he's got his own AAU team. Smart guy, came on yesterday and said, you know, playing against, playing against older players, be it American basketball, college basketball or international basketball, changes the kind of draft pick you become and changes your ability to, to star. Early in the NBA he talked about international players.

[Guest Analyst]

The developmental system over in Europe works well. It's proven itself. Kids tend to burn out or be injured, more injury prone. We've seen that with Zion, we've seen that with JA over the last couple of years. They were the next wave of American stars. That stands back to playing so many games in high school through aau. Europe has a tendency to work on development. I think in America we need to make sure that we hone in more on development. There's another wave shifting towards America. Again with Cooper Flag obviously and then this rookie class that's coming in. I think you got some real potential stars coming in.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, absolutely. Great draft. Okay, so I saw this yesterday here in Chicago. George McCaskey is one of the 11 McCaskey kids who are owners of the Chicago Bears. And you remember Last year, at the end of it, when Ben Johnson was, you know, after packers was kind of profane and locker room stuff. And the story yesterday is how much George McCaskey loves it. Even though he's 70 years old, he likes the new school guys. And it is interesting. There's kind of a formula in the NFL when you hire young coaches. Ben Johnson, Sean McVay, Demico Ryan's, Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDonald, it's not a coincidence. They're all kind of good looking guys, super confident, kind of look athletic. There's a formula now. It's not just about schemes and play calling. The NFL rosters, you got four to five guys making over 20 million. You got 10 to 12 guys making over 10 to 12 million dollars. You got to have an alpha. And that's what I always said about Mike McDonald in Miami now with the Chargers, I just said, I don't know if he has the presence. I don't know if that guy can stand in front of a room of 55 alphas and do it with the new NFL and the money around. And sure enough, we had players on our show who played for the Dolphins who liked Mike and said he didn't have much of a presence. Guys, guys didn't fear him. And it's very similar in the business world. The smartest guy at a company could be the cfo, the CEO. You gotta be more than smart. You're the walking billboard for the company. You're spreading the message. And so when I see Ben Johnson, you know, be profane in the locker room, whatever it takes. But I knew very early and you knew very early. Remember that first couple days at camp, everybody was like, caleb Williams, he's unbelievable. And Ben Johnson's like, man, he needs a lot of work. He's not even close. Remember that first couple days. Here's Ben Johnson after he told the guys he'd seen enough at a practice.

[Greg Cosell]

I know some people enjoyed me throwing the first team out of practice. You know, there were some things from

[Guest Analyst 2]

the springtime expected to carry over that that was probably one we just don't

[Greg Cosell]

have any tolerance for anymore.

[Colin Cowherd]

We got too far to go. Yeah, I mean, it was setting a standard. Day one at camp. Pre Ben Johnson. Look at Caleb, Ben Johnson forward. Yeah, look at him. He's got a lot of work, he needs a lot of improvement. And he got better and better every week. But I do believe I saw, I saw a list this week of the best coaches in the NFL. And it was a lot of young guys. And Liam Cohen and McVeigh and Demiko, Ryan's and Shanahan and Ben Johnson and Mike McDonald. And there's a formula. It is not just about X's and O's anymore. The league is empowered, the players are richer. You got to have a presence. And that's why I think Ben Johnson first two days at camp, I remember going on the air saying, yep, that's it. That's the opposite of what is happening down in Miami. That NFL head coaching ranking that came out with NBC Sports, man, look at how many of those guys. When I look at that list, you want to know what the common thread is? Presence. It's not great scheme, guys. Dan Campbell's not a great scheme guy. Sirianni is not a great scheme guy. It's not just schemes. All those guys have a presence. 15 of 15 that were on that screen. All right before the end of the hour, what I am hearing in the NFL, educated guests on needs. What I'm hearing. You know how much I love this. And we'll keep you kind of Updated on Rory McElroy and the goings on. Somebody already got kicked out, had a cell phone, Green jackets, cheese sandwiches, azaleas. No cell phones. I can't believe a pro golfer, a PGA golfer, couldn't figure that out.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number one.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, that's the easy one. I'm going to go one for one. Fernando Mendoza, 49 touchdowns, no interceptions the last two years in the red zone. Hyper smart, ball placement, toughness. I wouldn't be surprised if the Raiders top of the second don't go get Omar Cooper who may be available top of round two. Maybe he goes late first. There's nothing here. The Raiders had the worst scoring offense in the league and they've got a left tackle Colton Miller. They've got Brock Bowers at tight end Ashton Genty. They drafted a wide receiver last year and picked a couple of up in the off season. So I think they're ready for kind of microwave this thing. I think Mendoza is going to be very good very quickly.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number two.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think the jets take a big swing on Arvell Reese who's one of the youngest prospects in the draft. He's only 20 and doesn't have a clear defined position yet. That's what the jets do. I think they need six or seven good players before they take a swing with the coaching staff they have in the head coach, I just don't trust them. I would rather get a plug and play guy who has a defined already made position. Reese is a fascinating player. The jets had the second fewest sacks in the NFL so it's a position of need. That's why I like Bailey. You can drop Reese into coverage so I, I, I, I think he's a great talent but I, I worry about the jets and Aaron Glenn being able to bake this and make it work quickly.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number yeah, number three.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Arizona seeing that Bailey is now available. David Bailey, Texas Tech. They will then draft David Bailey because they have a pass rush issue. Cardinals ranked 28th in defensive sacks last year. So this will be a bit of a break in my opinion for the Arizona Cardinals. They'll get my favorite pass rusher in college football. I think Ruben Banes very good as well. But I mean he led the college football in sacks and pressure rate and he's getting better. He's a much better player now than he was at Stanford. So Arizona takes advantage of the jets going for a yet defined player. And by the way Arizona has drafted one player drafted in the last decade who had 10 sacks or more. They found their guy. If they get Bailey number four, then I think the Titans will take Jeremiah Love. First of all, Robert Sala knows the value of a star running back for a young quarterback. He watched McCaffrey with Brock Purdy and Salah's got a better offensive feel than most defensive coaches. He actually does. I texted Robert on that. He likes offense and he knows the value. And this kid's a home run hitter. He's. I'm telling you, man. The drop off between Jeremiah Love and the second best running back in this draft, it may be greater than Fernando Mendoza and the second best quarterback. He is an absolute jameer. Gibbs Day one in play and they were 30th last year. The Titans were in rushing offense. They got to get Cam Ward some help. There's plenty of receivers in the second, third and fourth round. There's good tight ends in the second and third round. This is the star running back. Cam Ward needs help. He goes four to the Tennessee Titans.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number five.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think the Giants get maybe the cleanest player in the draft, Sonny Styles. It just. He's going to come in and play linebacker freak athlete. 182 combined tackles over the last two years. John Harbaugh has been talking about toughness and attitude. Toughness and attitude that Sonny Styles. And people can say, well, a linebacker, I don't know. Listen, the Giants have spent a lot of money at corner. They could go in the last couple years. They could go corner. Maybe this kid's going to come in play and get a lot of tackles. He is what Harbaugh like, got a little Ravens feel to him. You know, people are questioning a lot of those Ravens picks through the years. Remember when the Ravens took a center and a safety in the first round, Everybody's like, whoa, they're both great. This is a classic Ravens pick. This is a classic Harbaugh pick. You guys worry about the position I'm going to take. The cleanest player in the draft. Giants take Sonny Styles, number six. The best receiver in this draft is Carnell Tate. And Cleveland's got an egregiously bad wide receiving core. So they had. The Browns had the fewest receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Again, this guy just walks in and stars. I think he's great. Strong speed, you know, I don't know if he has the route tree of jsn, but I'll tell you, this catching radius, toughness, speed, he's really good. You know, he's an Ohio State wide receiver. They I don't know if there's ever been a program that has a position that they just suddenly own in the college game like Ohio State and wide receiver. But he is 63195 and I his body fat's got to be in the 4% because he is just a stud.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number seven.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, Jaden Daniels needs protection. Laramie Tunzel, meet Francis, Maui, Noah, Miami. Many people think he could go interior and play guard. He's not a left tackle, he's more of a right tackle. I don't think he has elite foot quickness, so maybe move him inside. But I got Jaden Daniels. Jaden Daniels is getting banged up in this league. I always said the downfall to Andrew Locke, they couldn't protect him. He took a beating. And Andrew Luck was big and trunky and thick. Jaden Daniels isn't so this one, he's a road grader. He's tough. He was helping pave the way for the Hurricane's great late season run game. He goes seven to the commanders.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number eight.

[Colin Cowherd]

Another Miami Hurricane goes eight. Ruben Bane. Listen, you could say the Saints have a lot of needs, but this kid lives in the backfield. I care a little bit about, you know, arm length, but he's a perfect replacement for Cam Jordan who is a free agent getting up there, been playing forever. And so you just replaced him with a dog. A guy that's going to come in and pressure the quarterback. And everybody I talk to in the league, everybody loves Bane now he, he because of the measurements, he's not going to be a one or two pick. But I haven't talked to anybody I respect in the NFL that doesn't, doesn't love him as a player.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number nine.

[Colin Cowherd]

See this seems obvious. Spencer Fino, the tackle from Utah to Kansas City. The Chiefs have struggled to protect Mahomes the last two years. Eight most sacked quarterback two seasons. And now Mahomes is coming off an ACL injury and they solved their running back in free agency getting Walker, Kenneth Walker from Seattle. And do they need an edge rusher? They do, but Bailey will be gone, Reese will be gone and Reuben Bane will be gone. So this is an easy one. I think It's a smart one. 663 15. Isn't it amazing how many good tight ends and offensive lineman Utah produces? But this to me is that they got Josh Simmons left tackle. When he played he was excellent. Infrequency and scarcity of playing concerns you. But by the way, you get Fanel in. Josh Simmons gets banged up or doesn't play. This is what they did with the Chargers and Joe Alt move him to the other side. I think he goes nine to Kansas City. Spencer Fano, number 10, Caleb Downs, Ohio State. I think he could be the steel of the draft. I think he walks in, starts day one. He's just a great football player, really smart, very instinctive. He's not huge. I don't get too caught up on that. People said Troy Palomula wasn't huge. He's just a great player. He's in state. Buckeye fans will love it. Just toughness, urgency, playmaking and the defense for now that Trey Hendrickson's gone. You thought the defense was bad for Cincinnati last year. Could get worse. Caleb Downs stays in state. He goes to the Bengals at 10.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number 11.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, defensive head coach, they need a lot. But Mansoor Delane, the LSU corner, a tough kid, did not allow a single touchdown or commit a single penalty last year at lsu. Number one cornerback in the draft. And again, here comes Jeff Halfley, the defensive guy from Green Bay. So with his two first round picks, he's taken a defensive player either with one of the picks or two of the picks. Yes, they need a wide receiver. Yes, they need some offensive linemen. You can get that in the second, third, fourth round. You can't get the best corner in those rounds. I think Miami goes for a lockdown guy. Listen, I don't know if it's a great corner draft. He's a great player and the Dolphins just secure him there. Number 12, I think the Cowboys. I've been on this for a year. You got to cheapen up that defense because you're spending a lot of money on offense and now you're spending a lot of money on your defensive front. They get Jermad McCoy from Tennessee. He can play zone, he can play man to man. Opposing quarterbacks. Last year on the Dallas Cowboys, 69% completion percentage and a passer rating at 109. So they have upgraded their defensive front. Dallas has. Now they got to go get some dexterity and versatility on the back end. He's a great player. He is a, you know, sec. If Ohio State is wide receiver, you. I feel like the SEC is defensive back. You, he'll walk in, start first day and that's what Dallas needs. Number 13, Makai Lemon. Wide receiver, USC. Devonte Adams is 34, got banged up. Puka Nakua has just entered rehab. Got some off field stuff. Maturity issues. This kid does not let the ball hit the ground. 2.8% of balls thrown to him, hit the ground. Tremendous kid. He's got a lot of armor on st. Brown will be productive day one and McVeigh's sophisticated system. And listen, Puka issue. This kid also can walk in and play. Matt Stafford doesn't want to teach somebody how to play football. Makai Lemon walks in day one. He'll figure the playbook out in three practices.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number 14, Ravens.

[Colin Cowherd]

Lamar Jackson last year pressured on 26% of his throw, career high. They go get Monroe Freeling, Georgia tackle. He's not, he's a little raw, but he had an 18 starts, one holding penalty. Listen, if you're going to pay Lamar Jackson what you keep reading, they're going to pay him. You better protect him. And so I mean, this is another player that everybody thinks is going to be really good. Nobody's quite sure if he's going to be good as a rookie. Get him in house. Won't have to play him much for the first four years. But I think they go tackle.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Number 15.

[Colin Cowherd]

Buccaneers draft well, safety from Toledo, Emmanuel McNeil. Warren, local kid, played in Tampa. Bucks were 27th against the pass. They had the worst red zone defense. Now Mike Evans is gone. They need a receiver. There are some great receivers in the second, third and fourth round. He's a hometown kid. He is rangy. He runs good enough. Again, another one of these small school DBs that we don't watch a lot of. Remember when Sauce Gardner came out, could have been the number one player defensive player in that draft. So there you have it. John. I do think it's not what I would do. Jets go Avril Reese and then I think, you know, in Arizona they haven't gotten to the quarterback. You know, Chandler Jones was there. They got to get to the quarterback. Especially in a division with Darnold playing well, Brock Purdy and Matt Stafford, you have to generate some discomfort for the opposing quarterbacks who you play six times in your division.

[Guest Analyst 2]

You know some people, Colin, because I, I, I was hoping to rip this list to shreds, but you're all over it, especially high. I, I think Sonny Styles, he might be one of the best linebacking prospects. I'm not talking what he becomes, but as a prospect in 20, 25 years, I mean, he's 65. He ran a 4 4. He's brilliant. He played in NFL defense. I mean, what more can you ask for? So, so Sunny Styles, I think is one of the more highly valued prospects in this draft.

[Colin Cowherd]

And Harbaugh's been preaching toughness, new culture this kid brings it runs downhill.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific service

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

I wonder if this can beat the market. Everyone's talking about the NASDAQ 100, but let's get more specific. Software? Actually, too broad. How about software that's already profitable? Companies that beat the last five quarters? Oh, and I want founders who are marathon runners. That's discipline. Yeah, let's see what that looks like.

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[Colin Cowherd]

close make it visible with VIZ. B I Z Z VIZ is a once daily prescription eye drop to treat blurry near vision for up to 10 hours. It works. The most common side effects that may be experienced while using VIZ include eye irritation, temporary dim or dark vision, headaches, eye redness. Talk to an eye doctor to learn if VIZ V I Z Z is right for you. Learn more at viz. Check it out. We bring him on throughout the football season and we also bring him on a couple times before the draft and he is now joining us live. So I'm going to put up my mock draft and this is based on not what I would do, what I think will happen. And the reason I put it up is I think the draft starts with the second pick in Arvell Reese. I think Reese is a remarkable athlete. I probably watched eight Ohio State games. I do not trust the jets with Arvel Reese. I think they should take a safer, easier plug and play guy, David Bailey, who's also excellent but doesn't have the ceiling. So let's start talking about Arvel Reese. He played a variety of roles at Ohio State. There is no questioning he's talented. That's, that's. I mean he'll come off the edge and just beat good tackles. Your thoughts Ron Reese going second, which I'm projecting. Yeah.

[Greg Cosell]

Again, I'm not a big mock draft guy, Colin. I don't do that. But I'll tell you what I think about Reese. Number one, he played about an equal number of snaps on the edge and off the ball as a linebacker in a pro style defense with Matt Patricia at Ohio State. So I'm sure he learned a lot about the mechanics of how to play. I personally think, and I know there's disagreement on this, I personally think that as he develops, you have to remember he's only 20 years old. I think as he develops, he can become a somewhat dominant edge pass rusher. And in today's NFL, for the most part, there are some exceptions, depending on scheme, but for the most part, an edge pass rusher with potentially dominant traits is a more important and a more premium player than a stacked linebacker. Now, the only reason I made that a little bit of a caveat, and again, this is scheme specific, is that the Vic Fangio school of defense, not that they don't want great edge pass rushers, but in his school of defense, stacked linebackers are extremely important and there's more of the Vic Fangio school coordinators than there have ever been. But for the most part, an edge pass rusher is a more premium position. And I think Reece has a Chance to be really, really good. And I reiterate, he's only 20 years old.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so it's a draft where the understanding is Carnell Tate is A one. And then there's a lot of guys like Makai Lemon, Concepcion at Texas A and M, Jordan, the Tyson kid at Arizona State. A lot of people that, that I've had people push back and go, well, in this draft, he'll go 12 to 15 in a lot of drafts. They. They won't. So let's take Carnell Tate out. We know he's good. Talk about like a Makai Lemon, a KC Concepcion, the kid out of Arizona State. Are these guys being overdrafted simply because the league has changed? Maybe.

[Greg Cosell]

Well, there's a couple of factors here. Number one, it's not a quarterback draft. So a lot of players are going to be drafted probably higher than they're rated by teams simply because it's not a quarterback draft. But I think in the receiver position has changed in the league for this reason. There's more pre snap movement, there's more formation variation, there's more reduced splits. The idea of having a true number one is not the same as it was years ago. If you do have the special guy like Ja' Marr Chase, and there's no Ja' Marr Chase in this draft, then yes, you say, hey, this guy's in number one. The idea of that dominant boundary X, that single receiver to the short side of the field, would every team love that guy? Absolutely. But there's not many of those guys. So now you get into a situation where a lot of these receivers will get drafted. And you know what? Because of the way offense has changed, as I just discussed, they can still be high volume targets in the NFL. And I think Makai Lemon is probably a great example of that. He did most of his work in the slot at usc. He's a good player. He's not. I don't think anybody would say he's a top 10 pick in a draft and a normal draft, but depending on where he goes, he could easily catch 75, 80 balls. And we'll be talking about him as a very good receiver. I mean, they're totally different players. But think about Drake London. DRAKE London catches 90, 95 balls for Atlanta. And no one would say Drake London is a top five receiver in the league. But it's the way in which these receivers are now deployed in the league and that allows them to be high volume targets.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's interesting because Kenyon Siddiq is a tight end that is. I don't remember the last time anybody discussing a first round tight end. That's six, three. I watch a lot of Oregon games. He's explosive, he's dynamic, he's unique. It's a bad, bad tight end draft by the recent standards. Do you worry about people talk Ruben Baines measurements? Do you worry about Sadiq's lack of size?

[Greg Cosell]

Well, then I think it comes down to deployment again. And I think that's become, for me, the biggest catchword in the way the NFL is evolving, really, on both sides of the ball. But on offense, look, you're not drafting Sadiq. If you draft him, you're not drafting him to put him as an attached player. Now, will he do that once in a while? Of course. But you're drafting him because he's an offensive weapon, he's a playmaker, and you use him accordingly in terms of how you align him in your formation. He's explosive vertically, which not many tight ends are. And we're seeing it right here run this seam extremely well. He's a playmaker. You know, I think what's happened is we. And again, different people have different points of view, and I'm one who understands all the points of view. I'm not, hey, I'm right, you're wrong. But I think the same Siddiq and to me, Jeremiah Love fall into the same category. They're playmakers. And a lot of people would say, oh, never draft a running back in the first round. Oh, you don't draft a tight end this high. But what you're doing is you're drafting playmakers. And I think that that's what's going to happen in this draft. The same thing's going to happen with Jeremiah Love. He's going to get drafted high and you're going to hear everybody say, or a lot of people say, never draft a running back in the first round. He's more than a running back. He's sort of like a combination of a Bijon Robinson and a Jameer Gibbs and the way he can be deployed within an offense. So to me, he's not just, oh, I'm drafting a running back, I'm drafting a playmaker.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay. The other guy that has measurement issues is Ruben Bane out of Miami. So I go down to this. Did you play in big games against elite players and how good were you? He was dominant against tackles that are going to play on Sunday. I watched him against Indiana and I'm like, is he the best player on the field? But there's that Measurement thing. It's historic. He has, I guess, short arms. What does the tape tell you?

[Greg Cosell]

Yeah, well, first I'll say, can I be honest, Colin? No one knows the answer to the arm length other than the track record. And the track record says guys with those, those kinds of short arms don't make it at that position. That's the track record. So that's why there's a discussion. But when you watch his tape, here's what you see. You see a sawed off, hyper competitive, hyper tenacious, really good football player whose game is based on power and physicality. And there's a competitive toughness that stands out. He plays hard all the time. He's a tempo setter for a defense. That's what you see on tape. So now when you balance that with, oh, history says guys with short arms don't make it at that position, then you have to decide. But the tape is really, really good and it's against good competition as well. So, you know, believe me, I wish I had a brilliant, I wish it was a mathematical equation and I had a brilliant answer. I don't. And you're going to get, you know, you've to talk to people, you're going to get a different answer from different people. You know, it reminds me of Will Campbell. Joe Thomas, who knows more about offensive tackle play than I do, said that his problems down the stretch had nothing to do with arm length. I spoke to an O line coach who's been in the league for 35 years. He said it had everything to do with arm length. So you can, you can have as many conversations as you want and you just have to decide how you feel about it and then go with it.

[Colin Cowherd]

A GM friend of mine said Sonny Styles is the cleanest player in the league. Comes in, plays defined role. You know, people say, well, he's a linebacker. I remember a couple of years ago the Ravens took a center and a safety in the first round. Everybody's like, whoa, they're both great. They were both Linda Bond, Kyle Hamilton, they're really good players. Sonny Styles at lie have the Giants taking him because Harbaugh's preached toughness. He's, you know, he's an Ohio State kid playing in big games and he was great in big games. What does the tape say on him?

[Greg Cosell]

Yeah, he's a fascinating guy because I remember watching him last summer, his first year playing stack backer in 2024, and I called up a friend of mine who is a scout who covers the Midwest and I said, this Sonny Styles guy's ridiculous. And he said, oh, yeah. And then of course, I watched him this year. I mean, the guy's a freakish athlete at his size. He's 6 5, he's 245. We all saw when he did the combine. He's a really good player. He was better this year. I thought he had a better sense of understanding what he was seeing. So much about playing stacked backer has to do with what you see not just being a great athlete, but he's seeing it much better. And as I mentioned earlier, I think that the stacked backer position in this league is becoming a little more important than people have said five, six, ten years ago. So another player that's likely to go in the top 10 simply because there's no quarterbacks that are going to do that. Really. So. But he's a really good prospect, a really good player. Yeah, he'll go in the top 10. He's a fun watch.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, let's talk Ty Simpson, Fernando Mendoza, you know, sure, I'll get to him in a second. But Ty Simpson, not my, my take is I feel better about him than a Kenny Pickett late in the first round. I don't think he's nearly, you know, but Greg, I always have a rule with quarterbacks. You got to have. You got to give me one wow trait. Just one. That's why I always love Kyler Murray. I said his elusiveness is a one. What's the wow trait with him that I have to be blown away by?

[Greg Cosell]

Well, let me ask you this, and this is a great conversation which I've had with many. Have we lost? Do we no longer celebrate quarterbacks who play the game the right way as opposed to just looking at physical traits? In other words, you know, we look at guys. Remember last summer everybody was on Lenora Sellers. Okay, big, he can run, big arm. Do we no longer celebrate the guys that for the most part, snap after snap, play the game the right way? They throw the ball to the right receiver at the right time with the right kind of throw. Has that been lost? A little bit. Because those kinds of quarterbacks, that, by the way, is a wow trait, if you can do that. I'm certainly not comparing Simpson to, you know, Tom Brady or Drew Brees. And I don't want people to think I am, but, you know, at some point, being able to play the right way, play the position the right way from the pocket, that's a high level trait. And what you saw on tape with Simpson at Alabama is because their offense had a Lot of NFL route concepts in it. You saw him being able to do that at a pretty high level. Now he hasn't played a lot of games so therefore the ups were really, really good. He had some downs that concerned you and he didn't have enough games to work through all the downs where you felt like, oh, those were more aberrations and than part of his game. And I think that's the concern right now. And the other concern is he just doesn't look that big on tape. He's not a big guy. So he's not. So, so, so that's a little bit of a concern. But, but I think just to make a final point, I think we do have to get away at times from thinking that every quarterback we evaluate has to be Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes because it's not going to be like that.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so Fernando Mendoza came to his pro day and I don't even care about pro days. It's one of the few pro days I went, wow, he, he put on like 12 to 15 pounds. He looked bigger in a T shirt. He is big and he looked bigger in a T shirt than he did in the uniform at college with shoulder pads and thigh pads. And I, and I keep, I, I've not argued, but I've said this before. I think he's Matt Ryan. Bigger, true weight, thicker and, and ball accuracy similarly to Matt Ryan. Very, very good. I know everybody thinks, you know, he doesn't, you know, I remember hearing Justin Herbert was stiff and people saying C.J. stroud couldn't move. I watched him this year. They could have lost four games. Iowa, Oregon, Ohio State, Miami. He was so good in the red zone, he was so good on fourth down. I think he's an A prospect. What do you think?

[Greg Cosell]

Yeah, I mean I think being highly efficient playing the position, being an outstanding ball distributor and an executor of a well schemed offense is a good thing, Colin. And we've lost the ability to celebrate that because more and more quarterbacks are great athletes than ever before. In every sport, guys are better athletes. So we've lost the ability to celebrate guys who play the position like a Mendoza, theoretically like a Simpson. And I'm not here advocating and saying, wow, these guys are going to be hall of Famers. That's not the point. They haven't played at all in the league. So we don't know. And so much is situation based. There's very few transcendent players. So much is dependent upon team scheme, coaching. And you talk about coaching all the time. So I know you agree with me, But Mendoza, and by the way, that size is a trait. People have to understand that being that big is a trait that matters. But Mendoza just, to me, plays the position the right way. He plays the position the way you have to play it to be consistent. Not. Not to be flashy, not to be on highlight shows, but, you know, to play it the right way, snap after snap after snap. And by the way, that's a trait, too.

[Colin Cowherd]

So it's. He doesn't jump off the tape like a Darrell Rivas or maybe a Sauce Gardner. But. But Mansoor Delaine, the LSU corner, My take is the guy didn't have a penalty this year. And when you watch him play, you're like, I mean, that's a. That is saying something. With all the great talent in the sec, on the perimeter. And I again, Sauce Gardner was so good. Like, I remember Brian Kelly's like, we're not even going to throw to his side of the football field. Maybe he's not that. But a lot of the best corners in the league. I mean, Richard Sherman is Hall of Fame level corner. He wasn't a burner. It was a. He just knew how to play the position, the angles, the shoulders. He knew how to. He knew how to disrupt your route without getting called for it. When you see Delaney delay in the corner from lsu, is there a comp? What do you see?

[Greg Cosell]

Well, two things really stand out to me when I watch him. Number one, and this is incredibly rare, I don't say this very often because, I mean, I've done this for a long time, but he almost looks effortless playing corner. Every movement is so smooth and fluid. It doesn't look like he's working hard to play the position. And the other thing that really stands out, and this is what will get defensive coaches and secondary coaches in particular excited, is he's a physical player.

[Colin Cowherd]

He tackles.

[Greg Cosell]

And that means something in this league when you can tackle on the perimeter. And coaches love that. But he is just so fluid and so smooth. And I know at his pro day he ran better than I think a lot of people thought. So now speed, the recovery speed, the vertical speed is not going to be seen as an issue. I really liked his tape. I don't make lists, as you well know, but if I had to make a list, he would have been my number one corner prospect in this year's draft.

[Colin Cowherd]

So the difference between Jeremiah Love and the second best back may be greater than Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson. He can catch it. He's explosive. I think Tennessee is going to grab him. They, they. I mean, Robert Sala saw what, what a star running back does to a young quarterback with Christian McCaffrey and Purdy. When I look at Jeremiah Love, I see a little Jameer Gibbs, a little, you know, running back's one of those positions, high school to college, college to pro. You can plug and play a lot, you know, see hole hit. What do you see when you look at him?

[Greg Cosell]

Well, as I mentioned earlier, I think he's kind of a mix of Bijon Robinson and Jameer Gibbs. And the reason I mention Robinson is because 20% of Robinson snaps. Last year in Atlanta, he lined up detached from the formation. Love is an outstanding receiver. You can move him around the formation. He's not just someone you have to line up in the backfield. And obviously he's got the same kind of explosiveness as a Jameer Gibbs. So he's a playmaker. He's a weapon for your offense. And again, that's going to be a major discussion for people. And there are a lot of people who automatically just reflexively say, never draft a running back in the first round. Much less than the top five or whatever it is. But he's a playmaker, and that's what offenses are looking for. You know, you talk to a lot of coaches, and you know what I hear? You probably hear the same thing. On defense, you want to stop explosive plays, and on offense, you want to create explosive plays with playmakers. And Love is a playmaker who can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right. That's good stuff. I. I tell everybody, my, my, this isn't really a sleeper. I think Chris Bell at Louisville at wide receiver probably goes third round because of his college injury. But if you go. But holy mackerel, he could be like, he could be a star, right?

[Greg Cosell]

Very explosive when he catches the ball. He had a touchdown this year against the University of Miami when he caught a glance route, and he just ran away from the Miami defense as if they were standing still. So he's got that kind of ability. We'll see. You know, maybe he'll go higher. I mean, he'll be ready to play, I'm sure, by the start of the season.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, yeah, that's, that's, that's, that's the highlights that really jump out to me. I remember there being a guy named Ty Hilton. He played at, like, Florida International and they played Alabama, and I saw a highlight, had a friend on the Alabama staff, and I watched them And I'm like, he was taking Alabama corners to the woodshed. I mean, he was just doing whatever he wanted from, like, Florida International. And when you watch Louisville, when you watch this kid against Miami, you're like, I mean, look at that. He's just pulling away.

[Greg Cosell]

That's the play I was referring to, I think. Yeah, yeah. Keep this name in mind, Colin. Ted Hurst, Georgia State.

[Colin Cowherd]

Ted Hurst.

[Greg Cosell]

Wide receiver Ted Hurst from Georgia State. Six, three plus ran a four, four, two. He'll get drafted on day two, Georgia State.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't watch a lot of Georgia State football, so I appreciate that. Heads up, Greg, as always. It's great to see you.

[Greg Cosell]

All right, Colin, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

[Colin Cowherd]

You bet. Here's my. My mock draft one more time. What I'm hearing, what I'm thinking, you know, usually Middlekopf is just going to jump up and carve this thing up. But I think a lot of it is if the jets go Arvell Reese, then I think. I think Arizona looks at it and, you know, Arizona, well, you live down there. I think Arizona goes, all right, we finally can draft a pass rusher, not have to acquire it. And I. And I also think a lot of this stuff is, you know, for instance, John Harbaugh's preaching toughness, Sonny Styles, you know, Cam Ward at Tennessee, they've got no weapons. Well, salah Just watched McCaffrey. So I think a lot of this is based on not just best player, but, you know, a lot of times you come from somewhere when you're a young coach and you saw it work with Kyle Shanahan or you saw it work somewhere else. Yeah, I watched so much of Makai Lemon at usc. He's Amaran St. Brown. That's what he looks like to me.

[Guest Analyst 2]

I think if Bain was longer, you know, the old adage is, you know, if you. If you draft an exception, eventually you'll have a team full of exceptions. So teams get very, you know, hesitant to do that, but there's no disputing he's a great player. I think he would be in the mix at four. You know, Robert Sala was quoted last week at the owner's meeting saying the defensive linemen are playmakers, too. It was kind of like the hardball quote with offensive linemen. The problem is it'd be a pretty risky pick when Jeremiah Love sitting right there, right. Who can kind of be, let's face it, you know, when they were humming 20 plus years, Eddie George, Derrick Henry, they've kind of been built historically on some great big, powerful all around running backs who are great guys. So I and I think that franchise needs, you know, solid. Bring some juice, right? Just some.

[Colin Cowherd]

They need a star.

[Guest Analyst 2]

Yeah, I think that and it takes a lot of pressure off the young quarterback. Day ball right. Long time in New England, Alabama. Nick Saban knows how to use a running back, so that's a good pick.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Greg Cosell]

This is an iheart podcast. Guaranteed human.