THE HERD - Hour 1 - Dodgers continue to dominate, new NBA player's poll

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 1

Date: April 14, 2026
Episode Theme:
A sharp dive into baseball's evolving economics and on-field results with the Dodgers’ dominance, dissection of an NBA player poll and its implications for team legitimacy, plus lively NFL draft and trade speculation. The episode weaves together themes of management, star power, team building, and shifting expectations in today’s sports landscape.

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Dodgers & Yankees: Payrolls, Performance, and the Myth of Money

[02:05–07:36]

• Dodgers’ Continued Dominance:

  • Despite starting spot-starter Justin Robleski (for an injured Blake Snell), the Dodgers blanked the Mets, showing off the team’s depth.
  • Quote:
    • “They throw out old Justin...the number six starter, and he marches through and shuts out the Mets. I mean, the Yankees and the Mets have a combined 700 million in payroll. Neither can hit.”
      — Colin Cowherd [02:44]
  • Mets and Yankees, with towering payrolls, are floundering and offensively stagnant.
  • Dodgers’ success stems from a strong culture, not just money.

• On Payroll Disparities:

  • Money raises expectations but doesn’t guarantee success; team management matters more.
  • “Football has a salary cap. It doesn’t make the dumb team smarter.”
    — Colin Cowherd [04:48]

• Dodgers’ Key Players:

  • Andy Pagés, a defensive outfielder, is now hitting .405 with 20 RBIs—"shockingly effective" on offense.
  • Kyle Tucker (acquired from the Cubs) is a rare concern: “He’s struggling. You know, he’s got one home run.”
    — Colin Cowherd [05:34]

• Overly Negative NY Fan Culture:

  • “There’s so much negativity...the third game they’re booing [Bo] Bichette. That kind of negativity you just don’t get with the Dodgers or LA media.”
    — Colin Cowherd [06:33]

Notable Stat:

• Mets and Yankees have lost 11 out of 12, despite $700M payroll between them.

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NBA Player Poll: What Do Stars See That Fans Don’t?

[07:36–13:40]

• Players’ Title Favorites & Knicks Critique:

  • An anonymous Athletic survey of 146 NBA players listed Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Cleveland, Lakers, Minnesota, and Atlanta as legit title contenders—but not the New York Knicks.
  • Cowherd argues: “You can’t fool the players...Jalen Brunson can’t be your best player.”
    — Colin Cowherd [08:54]
  • Knicks have solid pieces, but lack a true top-tier superstar; Jalen Brunson is “not that list” (not an SGA, Wemby, Jokic, etc.).
  • Pursuit of Giannis would be logical for NY:
    • “Jalen Brunson can’t be your best player...when you don’t have stars, you start reaching.”
    • Reference to Becky Hammon’s opinion: small guards (outside Nash and Curry) rarely win titles.

• Chris Broussard’s Counterpoint:

  • “We’ve looked at this as a disappointing season for the Knicks...I have them as the third team in the east, behind Boston and Detroit.”
    — Chris Broussard [11:16]

Notable Discussion:

• Jalen Brunson as an elite but undersized second option, not a franchise-carrying star.
• Overreliance on player polls: “The players are way off on this. On my podcast last night, I said the Knicks are coming out of the east and going to the NBA Finals.”
  — Rob Parker [13:17]

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Quarterback Draft Talk: Mendoza’s NFL Outlook & Comparisons

[18:53–23:00]

• ESP’s ‘Cubase’ Model & Joe Burrow Comparison:

  • Fernando Mendoza’s rise and profile closely mirrors Joe Burrow’s last college season.
  • Both are late bloomers, highly accurate, humble, and benefited from a red-hot final season.
    • “They’re pocket-based...both had 16 touchdown passes the year before they were drafted. They were just okay. They weren’t really on anybody’s radar.” — Colin Cowherd [19:46]
  • Cowherd’s personal comparison is closer to “Matt Ryan with size and power” than Burrow.

• Greg Cosell on Mendoza:

  • “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...”
    — Greg Cosell [21:48]

• The Reemergence of ‘Big’ QBs:

  • Cowherd emphasizes preference for large quarterbacks due to durability:
    • “Mendoza is big. Look at the pictures ...6'5" thick. I love Trunky. Big head, big shoulders, big butt.” — Colin Cowherd [22:30]

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NFL Trade Rumors & Offseason Moves

[23:00–29:19]

• A.J. Brown Trade Speculation:

  • Both Patriots and Eagles have left the door open. Discussion of value (at least two firsts), and Philly’s possible preparation for a deal (acquiring WR Wicks).

• Aaron Rodgers & the Steelers:

  • Steelers possibly drafting Ty Simpson as leverage/contingency if Rodgers doesn’t commit.
  • Cowherd: Rodgers is “not the athlete he once was, but can still sling it” and “makes your offense smarter.”
  • Parker: Pittsburgh’s results haven’t changed much pre- or post-Rodgers — always above .500, not true contenders.

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NBA: Jokic’s Greatness vs. MVP Fatigue

[29:21–33:36]

• Jokic’s Historic Season:

  • Leads the NBA in assists and rebounds—a first in league history.
  • “How is he not the MVP of the league? That’s never been done before.”
    — Rob Parker [29:39]
  • Competition is fierce: candidates include Wemby and SGA; voter fatigue and missed games affect Jokic’s case.

• Jokic in Historical Context:

  • “Jokic does more things well than any center I’ve seen.”
    — Colin Cowherd [32:11]
  • Compared to Kareem, Hakeem: modern centers are more skilled.
  • Parker raises whether Jokic could already be the best center ever, leading to a lively exchange.

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Draft Speculation: Edge Rushers, Safeties, & RB Value

[41:20–50:43]

• Pass Rusher Prospects:

  • Debate over David Bailey (safe, instantly impactful) vs. Arvell Reese (versatile, less predictable) for Jets at No. 2.
  • Quote:
    • “Bailey makes a ton of sense. A lot of teams across the NFL now operating under the assumption Bailey’s going to be the pick at two."
      — Greg Cosell [43:44]

• The Safety Dilemma – Caleb Downs:

  • Safety is undervalued (only 3 top-10 picks at the position since 2010).
  • Cowherd predicts a Dolphins trade-up:
    • “Go get foundational high IQ, high EQ players. Caleb Downs to me is that.” — Colin Cowherd [50:27]

• RB Jeremiah Love’s Outlook:

  • Debate on Arizona taking a swing at RB at No. 3.
  • Cosell sees running back or defensive front as likely pick.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Management over Money:
  • “Money matters in baseball if the people upstairs know what they’re doing.”
    — Colin Cowherd [05:14]
• On Star Power & Knicks:
  • “When you don’t have stars, you start reaching.”
    — Colin Cowherd [10:44]
• On Jokic’s Evolution:
  • “Jokic does more things well than any center I’ve seen.”
    — Colin Cowherd [32:11]
• On KD and Rodgers’ Legacy:
  • “Both are generationally elite talents... don’t necessarily think they’re foxhole guys.”
    — Colin Cowherd [36:17]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:05] Dodgers’ dominance, payroll analysis
• [07:36] NBA player poll, Knicks, and star hierarchy
• [11:16] Chris Broussard on Knicks’ playoff prospects
• [18:53] Cowherd & Cosell: Mendoza’s NFL draft profile
• [23:00] A.J. Brown potential trade breakdown/Steelers & Rodgers
• [29:21] Jokic MVP debate and historical context
• [32:11] Jokic vs. all-time great centers
• [41:20] NFL draft: Jets, edge rushers, and positional value
• [50:27] Dolphins’ possible trade up for safety Caleb Downs

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Summary Takeaways

• The Dodgers stand out as a model of organizational competence; payroll alone doesn’t guarantee wins—management does.
• The NBA players’ poll highlights the divide between public perception and pro consensus: true stars make the difference.
• The upcoming NFL draft is rife with possibilities, especially regarding edge rushers, underappreciated safety prospects, and the changing value of running backs.
• Jokic’s season is historic, but MVP races are fickle and influenced by recent narratives, missed games, and new talent.
• Generationally gifted athletes like KD and Rodgers challenge the notion of leadership and legacy in team sports—talent isn’t always destiny.

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For listeners who missed the show:
Colin Cowherd’s first hour is a panoramic tour of current sports debates, rooted in both long-term trends (the real value of payroll, the nature of stars, the evolution of team-building) and this week’s headlines (Dodgers’ depth, Knicks’ ceiling, NFL draft picks on the move). The banter between Cowherd, Cosell, Parker, and Broussard brings opinionated, evidence-backed insight in classic Herd fashion.

Transcript

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[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. It's Tuesday. We're live in Chicago, it's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, NBA playoffs around the corner. Thanks for making us part of your day. Well, we talked about it yesterday on the show. Mets, Dodgers massive payrolls would meet star studded series. So what did the Dodgers do? They sent out spot starter Justin Roblenski and he started two games last year and Robleski last year, he's starting this year for Blake Snell who's got some, you know, shoulder fatigue. And so they throw out old Justin, the number six starter and he marches through and shuts out the Mets. I mean the Yankees and the mets have a combined 700 million in payroll. Neither can hit Yankees bullpen's atrocious. The, the Mets just got swept by the A's. They can't get a hit off the Dodgers number six starter Justin Robleski, a spot starter meaning couple times a year they throw him out there for somebody with arm fatigue. Everybody's so concerned about, you know, disparity of payroll. Dodgers, Mets, massive payrolls. Outside of the Dodgers, five of the six top payrolls can't hit. Enter 36 and 44. Now the Dodgers, listen, they're good at everything. I mean their biggest concern right now is Justin Tucker who they got from the Cubs and they, they paid a pretty penny for him. He's struggling. You know, he's got one home run. Dodgers are still hitting 290 as a team. In fact the Dodgers best hitter, this shows you how well run they are in their depth is Andy Pa has who's known as a defensive outfield. Remember in game seven that remarkable catch collides at the wall against the Blue Jays. He's a defensive outfielder. He's hitting 405 jacks, 20 RBI. I think that leads Major League baseball. So he's, he has been offensively, shockingly effective. And Justin Tucker, Kyle Tucker, excuse me, can't hit. Which is about the Dodgers only concern right now. But it's interesting because there's all this talk as we have this Mets Dodgers series about payroll. Oh, payroll. Well football has a salary cap. It doesn't make the dumb team smarter. And the Yankees make and the Mets aren't very well run. Mets manager may get canned before the end of the month. I mean you get swept by the A's. Steve Cohen's not going to sit around the owner of the Mets and keep watching this nonsense. They can't hit, they can't do anything. But it's interesting if you look at the top of the NFL draft, they have a strict salary Cap. Oh, Giants, Jets, Raiders, Cleveland Browns. It's the same old teams. It's the same old teams. So Major League Baseball, the thing about money, it raises expectations. So even if you lose, it's interesting, it's a storyline. But you know, I've said this, it's like Hollywood. There's thousands of beautiful unemployed people in Hollywood. Looks matter, but only if you have talent. And money matters in baseball if the people upstairs know what they're doing. I mean, look at the Yankees right now. Totally home run dependent, can't play station to station baseball don't move runners along. The bullpen so far in the season is atrocious. They needed Aaron Judge last night in, in the night to save them to beat the Angels. And they're, they're okay defensively but don't feel like they have a ton of team speed. Starting pitching at its best will be very, very good by June or July. Cole comes back, but I mean there are they, well run as people in New York, they would say no. The Mets and the Yankees combined, despite almost 700 million bucks in payroll, have lost 11 of 12. Nobody can hit. And the other thing about New York baseball, there's so much negativity. And maybe this is because sports talk radio is big in New York and there's a lot of newspapers, but I mean the Mets go out and they buy Boba Shet and they spend a lot of money on Boba Shet, very good player. But the third game they're booing him. I mean that's that kind of negativity you just don't get with the Dodgers or LA media. It's just, it's not as cynical, it's not as critical, it's not as loud, it's not as angry. So I mean, last night, Mets, Dodgers, two huge payrolls. One great manager, one great culture, one great front office. The Mets are reeling. Andy Pahes is now suddenly the Dodgers best hitter. Their only issue is Kyle Tucker, who the Cubs moved off of. People said he's not passionate enough, he doesn't care enough. Here's what Dave Roberts said about his struggles. I think we've seen it enough as far as, you know, the last week or whatever, there's been a lot more kind of chase down below is what I see. I see him as a high ball hitter and so I guess a little bit just kind of getting him back into his hitting zone. That's kind of what I see.

[Rob Parker]

And typically when guys chase, they're trying

[Colin Cowherd]

to do a little bit too much. Yeah. The Mets Third second highest payroll, third worst slugging percentage. Juan Soto is hurt. That doesn't help. Okay, so they pulled the Athletic did an anonymous NBA player survey. So they asked like 160 players to vote. 146 players voted and they listed which teams can win the title this season and it was Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Boston, Denver, first four totally agree. Then scrappy Detroit, inconsistent Cleveland, banged up Lakers, talented Minnesota and the Atlanta Hawks. So it's interesting. Where are the New York Knicks? This is by players. You can't fool players. So it's almost bizarre, right? You got Cat, OG Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, Mikhail Bridges, solid veteran coach. They're good at home. That's weird. Why is that? Because if you look at the top teams in the league, look at their star SGA scoring champ, star OKC Wemby, San Antonio, Denver, Jokic, best player in the world, Minnesota and Boston, Tatum and Jalen Brown, Detroit, the great Kate Cunningham. I love Jalen Brunson. He's not that list. That's not who he is. He's small, six two. He's a defensive liability and he's not super athletic. And that's why and I think they're very legitimate and I, and I think it's a good idea. That's why the pursuit of Giannis from New York makes a lot of sense, is that Jalen Brunson can't be your best player. Remember when Becky Hammond said that she said small guys outside of Steve Nash don't win titles. She said, you know Steve Nash, she, she listed a bunch of different players and she said, yeah, they don't win titles. She said, but there's Steph Curry's the exception, but he's the greatest shooter in the history of the planet. And that's the truth with Jalen Brunson. But when you're, when you're at a sports starved city that outside of Aaron Judge doesn't really have a lot of stars, you kind of start talking yourself into good players to really good players being stars. And the NBA players are voting and they don't think Jalen Brunson stacks up with a Wemby or a Jokic or an Ant or an sga. Luka would obviously, you know, be on that list if he was back. May get back at the end of the first series. Probably not. So in what happens is when you don't have stars, you start reaching Mikhail Bridges. They gave up five first rounders, gave him like 140, 150 million four or five year deal that's like a, that's like a superstar deal at the time. That's a star contract. Mikhail Bridges are really good player. It's not a great player. Had a so, so year. So I think, I think a lot of this is you sort of convince yourself if you cover or you watch or you consume teams in New York, outside of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, when he's healthy and not a lot of stars in the city. And what the players are telling you in the athletic poll is Jalen Brunson is not a first tier star. He should be the second best player on your team. I agree. Small, not hyper, athletic, defensive liability. I love Villanova, guys. I love his, I love his kind of smarts, you know, for his size. One of the great small finishers we've had along with Kyrie Irving in a long time. But here's Chris Broussard yesterday on the Knicks, a good team with a very, very good best player. His thoughts on their postseason.

[Rob Parker]

We've looked at this as a disappointing season for the Knicks because I guess with the injuries, you know, Detroit kind of came out of nowhere. Boston, we knew Tatum was out. We expected the Knicks to kind of run away and lead the east, which they haven't done. And I have to say this, I have them as the third team in the east behind Boston and Detroit.

[Colin Cowherd]

And what's interesting for the Knicks and a little concerning is the Pistons are younger and they're only going to be better next year. The Pacers get Halliburton back. The Celtics will have Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown for the entire year. And I still think Orlando and Cleveland had a ton, have a ton of talent. So I think it's interesting when you get a players poll, we say it often on this show, you can't fool the players. You can talk all you want and what the players are telling you, go look at the top teams. The top teams, sga, then Wemby, then Brown and Tatum, then Jokic, then Kate Cunningham. Okay, that, that's who the players see. I can never quite figure out Minnesota. They're going to play Denver again in the playoffs. That's like an annual tradition. I like Denver in that spot. J. Mac, I know that hurts a little as a Knicks fan, but I think there we've said this before is the reason you we called the warriors one of the best teams ever wasn't just because of Steph and kd. Katie was your best player, most talented. Steph was second best. Draymond is arguably third or fourth best. And KLAY Thompson, who was closer to his prime, was third or fourth best. I always felt about Derek White of the Celtics. When Derek White's your fourth best player, that's a championship team. If he's your third best player, you can win a playoff series. If Brunson's your best player, you're not a finals team. In my op. Even if the even in the beat up east this year.

[Rob Parker]

Interesting. So first of all, I totally disagree. Knicks are second in the league in offensive efficiency. Colin eighth in defensive efficiency. Usually if your offensive defense is top 10, you're a contender. And oh, by the way, The Knicks were plus 900 to win the finals at the start of the season. Nobody's injured. Why is everybody so down on them? I revert to your old take on the players. Don't let them be GMs. They don't really understand. They want to get their friends, their buddies. I think they're way off on this. I think the players are way off on. I think I on my podcast last night, I said the Knicks are coming out of the east and going to the NBA Finals. I firmly believe that. I think they take down the Celtics.

[Colin Cowherd]

They can't defend the three. And the Celtics live on the three. And also they're a finesse team and the Pistons are a physical team. So actually you if you watch like the Knicks against OKC or Detroit, it's a bad matchup. They get pushed around Boston now, now Boston is inconsistent. Boston has bad shooting nights and bad halves. That's why the Knicks last year actually had some success against them. So we're getting close to the playoffs. Nick Wright joining us. I'll give you my five playoff predictions in the NBA. And Nick Wright, top of the hour. Be sure to catch live editions of

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[Colin Cowherd]

Drafts starting in a little more than a week. So ESPN uses an analytical model, a quarterback grading model called Cubase and they consider everything they punish one year wonders so Ty Simpson doesn't do very well. They reward improvement over time and what they found is Mendoza's career trajectory in the last decade is closest to Joe Burrow. Now Burrow was a higher graded prospect, Burrows more athletic. Mendoza's bigger and stronger. They have a ton in common though when you think about it, both were unbelievable their last year in college both won the Heisman, both won Natties. They're pocket based although Burrow moves better. Both were transfers, both late bloomers, not dominant the year before they popped in College both had 16 touchdown patches passes the year before they were drafted they were just okay. They weren't really on anybody's radar. Both are pocket based, both highly accurate. Burrows number one skill is accuracy. Very rarely makes a mistake in the red zone. That's exactly Mendoza strength ball placement. In fact Burrow at LSU at the time the best conference completed 76% of his throws. Mendoza in the Big Ten winati in the best conference now in College football completed 72%. Both come from humble parents, their family, kids. Again the conference they did it in at the time they did it was the best in college football. Humble kids, hardworking, excellent accuracy, tremendous in the red zone. And the other thing they have in common is Burrow before He was drafted by the Bengals, was already deep diving into Zach Taylor's playbook. And we've seen two different stories or more on Fernando Mendoza before he's drafted by the Raiders, is already a mile deep in the Clint Kubiax playbook. And so they're, they're, they're, you know, humble, gracious, great. Last year, late bloomers. Accuracy is the key. Burrow moves better. Mendoza's bigger. Burrows the better athlete. I believe Mendoza, I think has as good or better arm strength. Plus Mendoza gained like 12 pounds the last time we seem at the pro day. So he's gotten bigger and thicker. I, you know, I don't really see that. I see more Matt Ryan with size and power. That's my comp. It's not Joe Burrow. I always thought Joe Burrow was a better Tony Romo. And Tony Romo was always, always underrated. Tony had terrible O lines and was a really good quarterback. Here's Greg Cosell on Mendoza. I think being highly efficient playing the position, being an outstanding ball distributor and

[Greg Cosell]

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

[Rob Parker]

great athletes than ever before. But Mendoza just to me plays the

[Colin Cowherd]

position the right way.

[Greg Cosell]

He plays the position the way you have to play it to be consistent.

[Colin Cowherd]

Not, not to be flashy, not to

[Greg Cosell]

be on highlight shows, but you know,

[Colin Cowherd]

to play it the right way. Snap after snap after snap. And by the way, that's a trait too. Yeah. And the other thing with Mendoza and we went through this weird space where size suddenly didn't matter. But you've seen guys get dinged up that are smaller. Tua didn't age well. Jalen Hurts is now getting pushback. Tyler Murray didn't age particularly well. Mendoza is big. Look at the pictures I show you on tv. That's in a T shirt and shorts, six five thick. You know, I love Trunky. Big head, big shoulders, big butt, big quarterback size. Marino, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Big Ben. I like my quarterbacks. Big J Mack with the news.

[Rob Parker]

No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I wanted to have some sir mix a lot jokes there, but I'll hold off. I like big butts and I cannot lie. Let's go to the NFL column. Let's start with the A.J. brown saga because it just won't go away. Kind of because the Patriots and Eagles have yet to totally squash it. Talking ahead of the Draft Patriots VP of Player personnel Elliott Wolf didn't rule out a move for Brown or anyone else for that matter. Here we go.

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As far as players on other teams, again, going to keep the door open to anything that we think may improve

[Greg Cosell]

our roster, whether that's with the player

[Advertiser Voice]

you mentioned or other players.

[Rob Parker]

What's interesting, Colin, is, you know, when there's a big story about you or anyone else, you squash it instantly if there's no truth to it. Hey, hey, I got the evidence here. This is a lie. We're not doing this trade. Neither team has said that's not happening. We're not moving A.J. brown or we're not interested. And so as a result, everybody's saying, oh, well, the June 1st date, when the salary cap matters shift with Brown. I. I'm, I'm starting to believe that he. It's already a done deal, that maybe he be. He's going to be traded on June 1 and things are agreed to already. I don't. I don't know. Where are you on this?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, there. I mean, Howie Roseman, as a gm, I don't think he's the best drafter. I think there are other agents that draft a little better. John Snyder in Seattle, but he's a deal maker. And again, if somebody offered him two ones, I mean, we just saw Jalen waddle get a first and a third, and I think a fifth, well, then A.J. brown is worth two ones. So I think. I think. I think A.J. brown. It depends on the phone call. And for the record, who did they pick up this weekend? Wicks from Green Bay. So what does that tell you? That's a receiver. Six one, six two. A receiver with size. A big strong because Devontae Smith is more. He's thinner, doesn't have that kind of intimidating body. So Wick's a little bigger, a little thicker. So is that. Is. Is that a little bit of a tell on the A.J. brown situation? Yeah.

[Rob Parker]

And let me add another layer, Colin. I know you have a tinfoil hat nearby. You liked some conspiracy theories. We forgot a lot of Jalen Hurts bashing lately in the media. I wonder if maybe somebody who's getting traded or knows the deal's about to be done is starting to leak stuff to make their former quarterback look bad. I don't know. It's. Anything's possible at this stage with the Eagles, but it's clear, Colin, where there's smoke, there's fire, right? You know that something's going on. Like, has any team been talked about more this offseason than the Eagles.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, why do you go to Green Bay and make that move now? Now, Green Bay's deep at wide receiver. Why do you make that move? Because you know, Wicks is not as good as A.J. brown. But it also tells you if you brought him in and he's 60% or 50% of AJ Brown with Vontae Smith, and then you draft another wide receiver in your first two to three picks, that's what it feels like to me. Philadelphia is saying, listen, we brought in somebody who's in the league. We have Devontae Smith will be our one. You know, Wicks will be our two or our three, and we may use an early pick to go get another wide receiver. It feels like to me that acquisition very Howie Roseman is telling me the right phone call and A.J. brown gets moved.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. All right, let's move on to Aaron Rodgers. Colin, I know we don't love talking about him. However, it sounds like contingency plans are being put into effect should Rogers not sign by the draft. Now, are they giving him a deadline? That's unclear. But a report says that if Rogers is unsigned entering the draft, the Steelers may consider ty Simpson at 21. Now, obviously, people are speculating. Oh, this is the Steelers way of telling Rogers without calling him and telling him, hey, bro, you got 10 days. Decide, you know, poop or get off the pot or we're moving in another direction. We got Will Howard, maybe we go after draft Ty Simpson. But we need a decision from you. I assume you'll probably agree with that, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I, you know, I think when you get into the Aaron Rodgers business, he's going to disappear in the off season. And I. If you can't figure that out, then that's. That's really a Steeler issue. I mean, Aaron's not doing something that he hasn't done multiple times. So I have always said is, you know, Aaron, Aaron, you know, what you get with Aaron, he's going to make your offense smarter. He made the Steelers offense smarter. Fewer turnovers, much better in the red zone. He's not the athlete he once was, but can still sling it. But you're not going to get this devoted off season. He's newly married. And then. And that's again, when you acquire people. What's the odometer say? You know, I don't blame Aaron for taking time off. It's multiple years in a row doing this. That's more on the team that acquires him. So he made them better. He deserves credit for that. I Thought he had a better year than most of your analytics said. But I don't think the answer is Ty Simpson. I mean, again, Pittsburgh could certainly draft Ty Simpson. I don't think he's ready to play in the NFL. But I didn't think Jackson Dart would be as good as he is.

[Rob Parker]

Let's say the Ravens make that kick in Week 18 and the Ravens make the playoffs and the Steelers miss. Is there this much of a hullabaloo about Aaron Rodgers coming back? Oh, we need it back whether you miss the playoffs, you know, and by the way, they got to the playoffs and they got buried at home. I mean, embarrassed by the Texans. So I don't. I, I think the Rodgers hype from last year, he was fine. Okay. They got that luck box game against. I think it was Detroit late.

[Colin Cowherd]

Come on, let's be honest. Without Aaron and Aaron. So without Aaron and with Aaron, it was the same result. Pittsburgh was above.500. They made the playoffs and couldn't win a playoff game. So pre Aaron and poster, they were a better offensive version and he deserves credit. But it was a, it was a typical Steelers season. Right. Right. Like they don't feel legitimate. Big time team, but they're above.500. They play their butt off. They spent a lot of money on defense. He just made the offense in the red zone much smarter and much more efficient. But the results were the same.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. And now we got a new coach in McCarthy.

[Greg Cosell]

We'll.

[Rob Parker]

We'll see what he wants. We still don't know what he wants. We remember how it ended ugly with him and Rogers and Green Bay. All right, final story. Colin is to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. This is fascinating. I. I was, you know, know again, I'm on spring break last week with the kids. I did not notice this. Nicola Jokic became the first player in NBA history.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Rob Parker]

To lead the NBA in assists and rebounds in a season. How is, how is he not the MVP of the league? That's never been done before when Russell Westbrook averaged a triple double. First time since Oscar Robertson. Oh, well, he got a vote. Oh, I got to vote Russell Westbrook.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think.

[Rob Parker]

Where's the Yokos, love?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think because it's a great MVP year. I think Wemby is historically the numbers tell you the spurs were red hot. He had massive influence on offense and is the best defensive player maybe ever. And SGA is leading the best team and is an unstoppable score. So it's a great MVP discussion. Jaylen Brown, although I wouldn't put him in the top two or three. Jaylen Brown. A lot of love in east coast voters. So, you know, in Boston, I mean, you could there. Jaylen Brown's got an argument. We didn't have Jayson Tatum. We moved off four of our top nine guys in the rotation, and we're the first or second best team in the East. So Jaylen Brown. Jalen Brown's been good forever. I mean, so. But I think the reason he's not mvp, he missed more games than he's ever missed. And Denver, because Aaron Gordon missed half the season. I mean, Denver was. We kind of kept looking all year at Denver thinking, what are they. Are they getting a little old in the tooth? And I think so much of MVP is. You know, Luka got a lot of discussions. Why? Because he had a great march. And I. And I think by the time Denver got hot late in the year, people had made up their minds on mvp.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. The weird thing about Jokic is we remember the draft, right? It was like during a Taco Bell commercial. They drafted this doughy Serbian in, like the 40s or 50s. Whatever it was, nobody thought much of him. Okay, Colin. He has made some of the largest leaps of any player in NBA history. Remember a couple years ago, we were like, wow, is he the best player in the league? Well, clearly. And then you're like, well, how good of a center is he historically? And I would say, and he was better than Patrick Ewing, who was one of my favorites.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, God, killing me now.

[Rob Parker]

It's like, legitimately a question, Colin. I mean, is Nicola Jokic the greatest center in NBA history?

[Colin Cowherd]

The best center I've ever seen in this prime was Kareem. I didn't watch. I didn't watch. Russell Wilk was great. Score. A bit of a flake. I didn't see a ton of will. I saw a little bit of Laker Wilt in the early 70s when I was just starting to watch basketball and watch sports. 1972, 1973, headband wilt with the Lakers. Jokic is the. You know, when LeBron came into the league, I said, I don't know if he's as good as Michael, but he does more things well than any player I've ever seen. Jokic does more things well than any center I've seen.

[Advertiser Voice]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Better than mj. You guys can argue. Is Jokic better than Kareem? Kareem didn't pass, didn't ball handle, didn't shoot like that. Yeah. I mean, so he does more and. And for the record, all these players now have are so much more skilled than the legends of the 70s, 80s, 90s. It's not even close.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah, like Hakeem the Dream Olajuwon, an amazing center, an all time great.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[Rob Parker]

He was not initiating offense for the Rockets. Okay? That's not what was happening. He was not at the three point line, splashing threes he's not making behind all these amazing passes. He basically went down to the block, called for the ball, did a dream shake and scored. And he was an amazing defender.

[Colin Cowherd]

Of all the NBA issues, lack of global talent is not one of them. The talent in the league, last year's draft, unbelievable. This year's draft, noticeably better. The prediction markets are this is one of the best drafts in a decade. So NBA's got its issues. Talent globally is not an issue. It's stacked.

[Rob Parker]

It's interesting, the Jokic versus Jabar comparison, which is probably where we're headed next with this, right? He's going to get shafted on the MVP here despite an amazing season. And, and when people say, well, Jabbar won this many MVPs and this many titles and Jokic only has one title, how could he be the best? You know, we just don't, we don't have a smart online discourse when it comes to the NBA. A lot of morons saying a lot of dumb things.

[Colin Cowherd]

J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news a very in of all the first round series, an interesting one, which would be a great series if Luca comes back for game six and seven. Austin Reeves is not going to play for the Lakers. Luca, you know, depending on the report you hear, if the Lakers could steal one of those first couple games and get it to five or six, Luca could come back. And I. So I think Kevin Durant, who's had a very good year in Houston, is, is going to win the series. I did not like Houston in the series if Austin, Luca and LeBron played. Houston doesn't have a pure point guard. Fred Van Vliet injured, so Amen. Thompson's not an offensive guy. Shen Goon and kd, both good players. Katie's had a great year. But it is interesting. We just talked about Aaron Rodgers and yesterday Chris Broussard came on and talked about. Kevin Durant's been a bit of a disappointment and there was a lot of pushback on it. You know, when people ask me about AD kd, he's a better version of Dirk Nowitzki and what he really reminds me of is Aaron Rodgers the quarterback. Both. Both are generationally gifted, Aaron Rodgers and Kevin Durant, but they feel like individual athletes in team sports, that they're kind of riddles, they're kind of independent. The leadership qualities could be debated from both. They're both generationally elite talents. I mean, KD is going to end up, you know, wherever he is now. Top five, six score. I mean, he's an unbelievable, I've said before, the best catch and shoot guy ever. I talked to Mark Few, the Gonzaga coach who coached Team USA and coached Durant. He said, even with LeBron and all the great players, I've never seen a basketball player. You can get the ball to two seconds on a shot clock and he gets a great shot. He is the mo. And Aaron Rodgers, by the way, is the only quarterback I've ever seen that generates massive velocity and his feet are on the ground. So they're very similar generational talents. But I would say this. I don't necessarily think they're foxhole guys. I don't necessarily think they have great leadership qualities. I mean, a prime example. One of the things about Kevin Durant that's just so fascinating about his personality is that when he left Oklahoma City, he wanted to go join this winning culture. That was his thing. I love the culture of the warriors. And he was there for a couple years, and he liked that culture. That culture was kind of combative. Kerr and Draymond. So he's sort of like a kid who goes to, like, Yale Law School and then. And then goes to a law firm for a couple years and is like, I don't really like law. I don't want to be a litigator. And it's like, so he, he, by the way, he never took some of the dynamics with Golden State with him anywhere. He's always been just a baller. And Aaron Rodgers, after he won his super bowl, is this it? Like, so they're very, very similar guys. They're all time guys. I don't necessarily see him as foxhole guys. They're kind of doing their own thing, and that's fine. It takes a lot of different personalities. First ballot, hall of Famers. They're liked, but kind of distant, respected at arm's length, very much living with a little bit of mystery, and they both lean into it. They kind of like that. You don't know what you're going to get from them, and that's who they are. And I'm not going to punish KD for that. But Aaron and KD are in team sports and Aaron Rodgers disappearing in the off season is not great. And Kevin kind of bouncing around the league. I'll get you a bucket. Don't want to lead. Is not ideal. Here's Broussard yesterday on on KD and his legacy.

[Rob Parker]

We've looked at this as a disappointing season for the Knicks because I guess with the injuries, you know, Detroit kind of came out of nowhere. Boston, we knew Tatum was out.

[Colin Cowherd]

We here's another similarity. It was such a big deal when Katie went to Brooklyn, one playoff series win. It was such a big deal when Katie went to Phoenix, one playoff series win. It is such a big deal that he went to Houston, have the same record. It was such a big deal that Aaron Rodgers went to the steelers. They were above.500, went to the playoffs and couldn't win a playoff game. So the hype and the expectations it feels, and I think this is fair, it feels is never quite met. Is that fair? Feels fair. Albert Brew around the Corner the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific Liberty

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

It's a great edge Rusher draft, offensive tackle draft. But I felt this for years and years. The NBA used to have a seven round draft. Now it's down to two. At some point they're like, there's just not enough, not enough talent. The NFL's got seven rounds and you still find your Brock Purdy's in the seventh. But it has felt on a couple of occasions over the last several years, maybe football participations down in high school that you get to the fourth or fifth round and you're like, I don't know if there's, there's, I mean it's a bad running back draft, it's a bad tight end draft, it's a bad quarterback draft. That's, that's, that's a lot of bad in a Singular draft. One of the more intriguing stories is Albert Brier joins us Monday morning. Quarterback is the jets at number two, a dysfunctional franchise. Therefore, I think you and I agree there is a player at number two that is highly predictable and functional, perhaps with a lower ceiling. But I think David Bailey is the pick. Now, again, if it was Robert Sala and the Titans, I would trust him to make it work. I don't trust anything with the Jets. Your take is, I guess, kind of similar, is just go get the sure thing with Bailey.

[Greg Cosell]

Yeah, I just think they can't miss on this one, you know, and look, I look at those two guys and they're both, you know, top shelf pass rushers, just from a talent perspective. But Bailey has so much more proven production and we know what he's going to be. And I think if you pulled 32 teams and asked him what role he's going to play, all 32 teams would have some version of the same role for him. Whereas with that Arvell Reese, you're talking about a guy who didn't play a lot as a freshman, played some, but not full time as a sophomore, then became full time as a junior, but is playing two different positions. So you have like that hybrid, that hybrid idea for him, but how do you make that work? So if you ask the 32 teams how you'd use Arvell Reese, you might get 32 different answers. And I just think at the point that Aaron Glenn and his staff are at now, they had a really tough first year. There were a lot of questions about job security. They fired 12 assistant coaches. You know, now you're going into 20, 26. And I think both for ownership, for your locker room, you got to find a way to provide light at the end of the tunnel. And it's harder to do that with a guy, the second overall pick who might take a year or two to figure it out. You know, with David Bailey, I feel like you plug him in and he's going to be able to help you juice your pass rush right away. They were one of the worst teams in the league in that area last year, especially after the trade of Quinn and Williams. They've since traded Jermaine Johnson. Bailey makes a ton of sense. And, you know, I know there are a lot of teams across the NFL right now operating under the assumption that Bailey's going to be the picket too.

[Colin Cowherd]

The players, interesting. Sometimes a player drops. I remember Patrick Willis dropping to the Niners because of maybe the position he plays, not because anybody questions how good Patrick Willis was going to be. I think Caleb Downs feels like that. It's, listen, people in this league want quarterbacks, offensive tackles, pass rushers or a star weapon. I think Caleb Downs could end up going down to like nine or ten and somebody's going to get to me like the third or fourth best college football player. Your guess on where Downs goes? A safety. He's not, he's not, he's not a classic big thumper, but he's just great. Every, every big game he's in, he's fantastic.

[Greg Cosell]

I mean, I, I actually just did something on this column, so I'm looking down at the list now. There have been three safeties to go in the top 10 since 2010. That's a really low number. You know, so it was, it was, it was Eric Barry who's the fifth pick in 2010, the only one that won the top five. And then you have Mark Baron out of Alabama who went to the Bucks, and you have Jamal Adams out of LSU who went to the Jets. That's it. And so to take a safety in the top 10, I think a lot of people feel like he's got to be an outlier physically. And that's not what Caleb Downs is.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[Greg Cosell]

So like, I think that there are those questions for the teams in the top 10. Now the thing is, from an intangible standpoint, from a football IQ standpoint, he is unbelievable off the charts. Like, I think he's going to be a team captain for somebody within a year or two. And I think you fill the position for 10 years, it's based, it's basically going to come down to how do you value that position. And so I think his range is probably somewhere between 5 and 12. Right. Like, so I think the Giants would like him. I don't know if they take him at five, but he's a perfect fit for John Harbaugh's defense to play like the air traffic controller role that Eric Weddle played for him when they revamped the defense in 18. And Kyle Hamilton inherited from Weddell all the way down to 12. Like, I don't know that he would fall, be, be fall beyond 12 where the Cowboys are picking. But I do think there's a wide range of outcomes because positional value is a question and it's a question with two other guys too that I think are, are right at the top of the class from a potential and performance standpoint. That's Sunny Styles, the off ball linebacker from Ohio State, and of course Jeremiah Love, the Running back from Notre Dame.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, I'm going to make a prediction. The Dolphins with Jeff Halfley give up a. They have four third round picks and they call this, they call the Saints and they said, you know, you're as bad as us. We'll give you a third round pick. Swap from 8 to 11. And they take Caleb Downs because Halfley wants a defensive captain. He's got to start running back. He's got a good quarterback. Chop Robinson. I think it's interesting player. Yeah, but they don't really have a defensive stalwart, a defensive captain. And the Bengals move up, they go to the Saints pick and they draft him, crazy or not.

[Greg Cosell]

So you're saying, okay, so the Dolphins go up from 11 to 8. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

And they go get Caleb down.

[Greg Cosell]

And I guess the idea would be to get in front of the Bengals. Right. Because the Bengals, you would think might want them. Okay. On them. I could see that. Look, I think the Dolphins have a ton of flexibility. Seven picks, you know, in the, in, in the, in the first three rounds is a, a pretty substantial war chest to walk into, you know, the weekend of the draft with and, and look like. I think one of the big things that, that, that that's been emphasized to the guys there, John Eric Sullivan and Jeff Halfley, both coming from Green Bay, drafted, develop, draft and develop, draft and develop. The Dolphins have been terrible in that area the last four years. Fewer draft picks than any team in the league outside of Devin Devon. Hn the 2022 and 2023 drafts. They're only, they're all. There's almost nothing there. There's one other player, he's a special team left. And so they just need to get really good football players in the roster. And so to me, if it were a move up to get downs, it's like you said, it's having the guy to be the leader, the defensive captain for Jeff Halfley there. It's also a middle of the fairway pick. If you're taking Caleb downs, you're parking that one right. One right in the middle of fairway. You know what he's going to be. You're probably not going to strike out on him and you have a piece that you can build around. So I can see downs making some sense for the Dolphins.

[Colin Cowherd]

Only one minute left, one and a half minutes. Jeremiah Love. Could Arizona get him at three? Because I think the Titans are going to go for him because I think they, they have a young quarterback. How high would Arizona potentially get? Love?

[Greg Cosell]

I think it's on their Radar. I think if they had their druthers, they would trade down. And I think they're hoping that, you know, either Bailey or Reese more slightly. Reese falling to three is going to provoke someone to trade up. I do think that they like Love enough to take them third overall over one of those pass rushers if they are stuck at three. I'm not as sure about that. I would say the pass rusher would probably be the pick there. That would be my guess at all, at least based on where Mike LaFleur is coming from. What they value in Los Angeles is players for the defensive front, offensive skill players, which Love is one of those. I just see the value there as, as, as. As probably, probably being the pass rusher. And then I think for the Titans at four, I think Love probably winds up being the pick. And I think the way you look at this is it's an investment in your young quarterback. You know what Todd Gurley did for Jared Goff in Los Angeles when Goff was a young player. You know what Zeke Elliott did for Dak Prescott when. When Dak was a young player in Dallas? He can be that guy for Cam Ward in Tennessee.

[Colin Cowherd]

Albert Breer. Great stuff. Can't wait about a week and a couple of days away from the draft. Thanks, bud.

[Greg Cosell]

Awesome. Thanks, Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I mean, I think Jeff Halfley, I think Miami's got a fascinating draft and you've got two ones a second, four threes a four or five, a six. And my take is you need a defensive captain. Head defensive coach wants a defensive captain playing center field. Caleb Downs, everybody loves him. Just the person, the guy you got to get ahead of the Bengals because they'll take him just to save on airfare because he's from Ohio. And the. And the Chiefs probably are not moving down because they need a tackle. So you call the Saints and go, listen, we'll give you. We'll give you three and move down a couple of spots and I could see that. I would consider doing it. What you need is not just football players. What you need is like leaders and football players because every position except running back and quarterback is a need for the Dolphins. Go get foundational high IQ high EQ players. Caleb Downs to me is that.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Greg Cosell]

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[Rob Parker]

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