Anthony Davis (3:59)

I had no idea that this was happening, right? And I couldn't make sense of it because I'm like,

Colin Cowherd (4:07)

why?

Anthony Davis (4:08)

From the business standpoint, like, I can't be mad, but, like, why? I think I deserve much more respect than that. You know what? I've, you know, all the time I've been here, I was there six years, you know, all the time I've been there, and. And all the time, like, we won a championship, like, all this stuff, and I can't get a phone call or a text to tell me, like, look, this is what we're thinking.

Colin Cowherd (4:36)

I don't think it's that complicated. After they won the COVID title, Anthony Davis came to camp out of shape. LeBron wasn't overjoyed with that. He was looking to pass the baton to some degree, reduce minutes slightly to extend his career. By the way, Luka and Anthony Davis, throughout their career, they've been dogged by this reputation. Are they in great shape? Is it a coincidence Luka and AD are hurt a lot? Yes. You know who wasn't isn't Mikhail Bridges, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Jaylen Brown. It matters. AD had about a season to maybe a season and a third where he was in unbelievable shape for the Lakers best. Maybe of his career. He played 76 games. First team, all defense, all NBA. And how do I know that? Because with Anthony Davis you can point to that year. Oh, that was the year he was in great shape.

Greg Cosell (5:38)

Right.

Colin Cowherd (5:39)

So that's why. It's that the injuries are piling up. And by the way, when he got traded to Dallas, what happened? Hurt again. Shows up the following camp 15 pounds overweight. The why was always right out in front. He just didn't understand the why. The why is why aren't you always in great elite shape? That's the why. The why isn't why you got traded, pelicans moved off you, Lakers moved off you. And by the way, Dallas now has moved off you. The why isn't why they get trait, it's why aren't you in consistently good shape. It's been the knock on ad. I don't think it's a coincidence that players who are in marginal shape or play themselves in shape get hurt more. And I love Anthony Davis as a player, but he's aged quickly. He went to Dallas. It's like, well, he put on six years. I don't think it's a coincidence. All right, Greg Cosell, 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 Arvell 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 Arville 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 on Reese going second, which I'm projecting.

Greg Cosell (7:26)

Yeah. 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, 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 (8:47)

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 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 Casey Concepcion, the kid out of Arizona State. Are these guys being overdrafted simply because the league has changed?

Public Ad Narrator (9:23)

Maybe.

Greg Cosell (9:25)

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, in 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 (11:00)

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 recent standards. Do you worry about people talk Ruben Baines measurements. Do you worry about Sadiq's lack of size?

Greg Cosell (11:28)

Well, then I think it comes down to deployment again. And I think that's become for me the biggest catch word 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. 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. He can run the 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 Bijan 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 (12:52)

Okay. The other guy that has measurement issues is Reuben Bane out of Miami. So, yes, I go down to this. Did you play in big games against elite players and how good were you? He was dominant in 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 (13:17)

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 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 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 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 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 (14:37)

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 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 (15:10)

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 who's 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 stack 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 stack backer position in this league is becoming a little more important than people would 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 (16:08)

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, I. But Greg, I always have a rule with quarterbacks. You gotta. You gotta 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 (16:42)

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 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 (18:30)

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 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've not argued, but I've said this before. I think he's Matt Ryan. Bigger, true weight, thicker 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 said 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 (19:26)

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, 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, 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 (20:38)

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 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, what delay in the corner from lsu, is there a comp? What do you see?

Greg Cosell (21:29)

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. He tackles. 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 (22:19)

So the difference between Jeremiah Love and the second best back maybe 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. I. When I look at Jeremiah Love, I see a little Jameer Gibbs, a little, you know, running backs, one of those positions, high school to college, college to pro. You can plug and play a lot. You know, see hole, hit hole.

Greg Cosell (22:54)

Oh, yeah.

Colin Cowherd (22:56)

Who's the go? What do you see when you look at him?

Greg Cosell (22:59)

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 (23:57)

All right. That's good stuff. 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 injury. But holy mackerel, he could be, like, he could be a star, right?

Greg Cosell (24:17)

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 (24:34)

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 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 (25:04)

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

Colin Cowherd (25:12)

Ted Hurts.

Greg Cosell (25:12)

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

Colin Cowherd (25:21)

Georgia State. 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 (25:28)

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

Colin Cowherd (25:30)

You bet. Here's my mock draft. One more time. What I'm hearing, what I'm thinking, you know, usually Middelkopf 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.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (26:25)

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, I and I think that franchise needs, you know, solid. Bring some juice, right? Just some.

Colin Cowherd (27:14)

They need a star.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (27:15)

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.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (27:26)

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Colin Cowherd (28:01)

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Greg Cosell (30:04)

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Colin Cowherd (31:07)

welcome back. Greg Cosell stopped by PJ Carlissimo stops by last hour. Haven't I covered him years ago in Portland? Haven't talked to him in a while. Here is John Middletoff with the news. No no no. Turn on the news.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (31:18)

This is the Herd line news.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (31:21)

Let's start with the the NBA and the controversial stance of the 65 game rule for league awards. And Cade Cunningham. He just returned to action. But here's the problem Colin is. He's going to fall one game short of the 65 game threshold. They also have a minutes threshold. This rule was clearly established for Kawhi Leonard types like is he. He's just not playing for because he's not really hurt. And the load management, Luca Kate had a collapsed lung. Luca's hamstring, I might have ripped off the bone. You know, those guys are all NBA players. Ant Edwards might, you know, fall short. Devin Booker won't meet the minutes restriction. These guys are all NBA players. I think Adam Silver on the fly is going to have to tweak this a little bit because you can't have an all NBA team without Cade and Luca just because of a hamstring and a collapsed lung. Those guys weren't load managing well.

Colin Cowherd (32:19)

As a parent, I made rules, no exceptions. So, you know, Luka Dontage, you could say, well, I mean he should be eligible. The, well, he missed a game because of too many technicals and injuries happen. Like they created this. The players forced their hand. And because of it, unfortunately, some players who do like to play nightly are paying the price. But there's a reason this was created and it wasn't because of owners or the commissioners. It was guys, 65 games isn't even asking a lot. We play 82. It'd be like the NFL saying, can you play 12? And so like injuries happen. I feel bad for the player, but it's. I don't think it's asking my. And listen, injuries happen as well. It's a bad break. But you start making exceptions and then the next guy goes, well, I miss games. And it's like, well, it's not as serious as case. I think you just open up, you know, the Pandora's box. If you start making exceptions. I think when you made the rule you're like, listen, a player who gets hurt is going to get jobbed here. But sorry, guys, when you negotiate a cba, all the players negotiated, not one. And so the downside to this new minimum is it's for all the players. Even though we know there's about 10 star players in the league that forced us to do this.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (33:37)

I don't disagree with you that Adam Silver was put in a tough spot on this one because the load managing thing had completely jumped the shark and become an embarrassment for the league. The problem is, and this is Adam Silver's issue, every time he tries to do a tweak, it backfires in his face. This is a year. I mean, Cade had a collapsed lung, right? I mean it's something that's a freak. Victor Wembanyama is a good example. I didn't quite realize this in this week, you know, you got the staff just pumping out numbers and giving me all the. The amount of minutes he's been he plays in games, but he plays like 21 minutes just to hit the threshold in every game. Wouldn't you agree? It's kind of cooking the books a little bit because Jokic, who missed a bunch of time, has way more minutes and they basically have played the same amount of games. Because when Jokic plays, he plays like a normal game. 37 minutes, 38. When Benyama does, he's like 22 minute games.

Colin Cowherd (34:29)

But when Benyama argument is he only has to play in 29 minutes and he puts up 37, 37 minute stats. And because of his unique size seven four and a half there, you know, when Chet Holmgren came into the league, they were like, we got to monitor minutes early. You know, the human body is probably not built to be 7 4. It can't take the beating or the duration of other bodies. So I think, I think Wemby's entire career he'll be mid 30 minutes or less. I just think that's how they're going to play. And I think he is so effective, effective in, in. In the time he plays. I don't want to get down to, well, he plays more minutes, he plays less minutes. Does your team win? Are you dominant? Hopefully on both ends of the floor.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (35:15)

Back to your point. Really quick, before we move on is there are a lot of guys, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard in the low 60s, they play 82 games. That, that's a business problem for the NBA. They got to fix that somehow, some way.

Colin Cowherd (35:30)

Yep.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (35:31)

To the NFL where the Raiders added Fernando Mendoza's older brother Kirk Cousins this offseason with the idea that they can have him as a mentor for Fernando. I mean, they are Colin, the exact same human. Obviously I think Fernando's a better prospect coming out of college, but in terms of their wiring a lot of similarities, Cousins had all the right things to say about the potential quarterback battle.

Kirk Cousins (35:56)

I don't want to start unless I'm the best option, so. And I told, you know, Clint that the best player should play. Certainly as long as that's the case, you know, I have no qualms with however it plays out. I do think Fernando's gonna be a great addition to our team. I think he's gonna have a great future in the league. I have no problem. You Know, being a voice in the room to kind of help him to the degree that I can. He's gonna have great support all around him from the coaching staff. But to the degree that, you know, being able to watch a veteran quarterback, you know, go through his habits and routines and process, I know that can be a great asset for him. And he was here yesterday on his draft day visit. We were able to watch film together. I think he'll be a great addition to the room.

Colin Cowherd (36:31)

Dude's already watching film. Fernando Mendoz. I mean, he's already locked in. It's just incredible to me. And maybe this is commonplace. I have not heard a lot of number one picks already watching film for a team a month, two weeks before they're drafted. That feels so rare to me.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (36:49)

The Raiders have been the butt of a lot of jokes over the last 20 years. I don't think it was random that Brady was in the building, Kirk Cousins was in the building on Fernando Mendoza's visit. So from a quarterback standpoint, they feel a little bit more buttoned up than in years past. The other thing, Colin, is when you get a guy like Cousins, who's made hundreds of millions of dollars, who's been a Pro bowl level guy, who's been a starter for a decade plus, sometimes at the end of that guy's career, he still views himself as a starter, and that can be a little weird. Cousin's comments right there was like, I'll do whatever I have to do. They need me to mentor, I'll mentor. If he's ready, he should start. If they need me to start, they got him in the right mentality. Look at Flacco. Do you see his comments a couple weeks ago? I believe I'm still a starter. That's where it gets a little weird.

Colin Cowherd (37:31)

Yeah.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (37:32)

So I. I'm high on the Raiders quarterback situation. Okay, really quick, speaking of the draft, we all love a good comp. Anonymous scout recently said that Ty Simpson is a mix between Jared Goff and Mac Jones. Colin, Greg Cosell just said being big is a trait. I don't know if you've ever met Jared Goff. I have. He's really big. He's tall. I mean, the size is a trait and an attribute. Mac Jones, a little bit of a smaller quarterback like Ty Simpson. Yeah, I would not compare Ty Simpson

Colin Cowherd (38:03)

to Jared Goff at all. First of all, Goff is a number one pick. Goff played with no talent in college, got beat up, had to carry a fairly talentless roster at Cal. Three year starter, three year starter. I mean, God never gets hurt in the NFL. I actually think Ty Simpson's a better athlete than Jared in terms of movement. Oh, he is much better mover. I don't think there's any similarity Max Jones and Mac Jones isn't a mover. I think the comp Dane Brugler said this yesterday and this is what I believe is that that Mendoza is like a bigger, thicker, stronger Matt Ryan. And I think Ty Simpson is a less, a smaller, less athletic Daniel Jones. That feels like the real comps.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (38:52)

That feels fair. And look at Daniel or Mac Jones or Daniel Jones. Both those two guys, especially Mac Jones, who was drafted 15th overall, probably should have gone like the third round.

Colin Cowherd (39:03)

Yeah.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (39:03)

You know, and he's going to play in the league for 12, 15 years and be a backup. And that's probably what Ty Simpson is.

Colin Cowherd (39:08)

Hey, Daniel Jones, when he wasn't banged up last year early, I watched that Colts team go to LA and outplay the Rams. I was just like, you know, but

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (39:17)

then he got hurt, Colin. And Daniel Jones has been a guy got hurt in New York hurt again. I mean, that's a little bit of a concern.

Colin Cowherd (39:22)

Yeah. John Middelkoff with the news.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (39:25)

Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the Heard Lie news. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio app service opens doors.

Colin Cowherd (39:40)

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Colin Cowherd (41:09)

Huh.

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Colin Cowherd (42:16)

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Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (42:42)

Check it out coming up Sunday NASCAR hits the last great Coliseum the best of the best look to slow down Tyler Reddick's red hot season as the Cup Series hits the short track at Bristol Sunday at 3 Eastern with pre race coverage starting at 2 only on FS1.

Colin Cowherd (43:00)

Mel Kuiper said something and I think Mel lives in the D.C. baltimore area. He said something that he could see if things don't go well for Lamar Jackson. This seemed implausible, impossible two years ago, year and a half ago that he could see see the Ravens drafting a quarterback even next year. It's a great quarterback draft. It's interesting. His cap hit is going to go from 34 million to 84 million next year, which basically is a Super bowl eliminator. And two things can be true. I think he's really talented. I think he's a good guy, works hard, super competitive, really really talented and I Can also believe that seven of the tape, seven of the top eight quarterback cap hits did not make the playoffs. All I care about in the NFL making the playoffs, everybody retains their job. Unless you're Sean McDermott and you make it all the time and can't advance John Harbaugh. Generally, you make the playoffs, you're safe, everybody's safe. So seven of the top eight quarterback cap hits missed the playoffs last season. I couldn't pay Lamar Jackson 84 million. I don't know. And here's the thing. Lamar has been okay in the playoffs, but he's so good in the regular season. And then you look at his playoff numbers and it kind of gets into a case Keenum category where it's like 83, 84. I mean, regular season superstar, playoffs backup. Now people will say, well, well, I mean, what about Josh Allen? No, Josh Allen has lost playoff games, but Josh Allen has a winning record in the playoffs. And the narrative on Josh Allen has been Sean McDermott did not do enough considering how well Josh Allen played. So Josh Allen and I don't expect any quarterback to be better in the playoffs, but Lamar is half the quarterback regular season of postseason. Josh Allen's great to very, very good in the postseason. And that's with, let's be fair, not a lot of great wide receivers in Buffalo. So, Jesse, mentor, this is why to me, you know, when, when John Harbaugh's job was in jeopardy, they draft Lamar Jackson and everybody in the building, including John, knew Lamar kind of saved his job, theoretically. Saved his job. Well, Lamar knows that all his allies do. Now Jesse Minter's in the building and Jesse Minter is talking about these camps that Lamar doesn't like to show up to. He's talking about their next camp.

Jesse Minter (45:35)

We're excited about the off season program. I know Lamar is excited. I think he is excited about some of the changes we've had. We've had a lot of good connection points. But, you know, the off season program is voluntary and, and we're excited to get a chance to work with all the guys, whoever wants to show up. We feel confident that a lot of guys will be there.

Colin Cowherd (45:57)

Okay, so this, this is right in John's wheelhouse. John has a golf podcast. John lives, breathes, eat, sleep, golf. So Mark Kalkovecchia, a very, very good golfer, won the Open championship like in the 90s, 80s, 90s. Very, very good golfer, got kicked out of Augusta because he had a cell phone. He got kicked out. Now, first of all, when you say Augusta, there's certain things that you connect to it. Amen. Corner the azaleas. Green jackets, no cell phones. They kick people out for cell phones. So I'm not. I know a lot of people, especially club members, don't like phones on a golf course. I have made a call at a private club. I try to do it and say I'm gonna go find a lost ball or go to the bathroom, but I've had to make a few texts. On the weekends, a Saturday, Sunday golf, I don't take my phone if I'm. It's Monday through Thursday golf, and it's afternoon. I usually take my phone if something breaks. Now, in this instance, you gotta know better. You absolutely gotta know better. And I'll also say all these crypto bros at the gym that are staring at their phones, I'm trying to get on a machine, and they're sitting there staring at their IG account. Drives me nuts. But I will say, if you take out Augusta, I have made calls on private courses, and I know that's a no no. And I don't like to do it, and I don't do it on the weekends. John, are you a non starter? Never make a call on a cell phone in a private club.

Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (47:38)

Well, somehow yesterday afternoon, Colin, I finagled my way into what many would consider the nicest club here in Los Angeles. And they have a rule, no phone calls. And do you know what I did? I didn't make a phone call because that's not my club. Not my. When you walk into my house, my wife has a rule. No shoes. It's her rules, you know, so when you go other places. Now, I understand if you're a member at a place, obviously. I would imagine Roger Goodell is probably stuck in a phone call at Augusta over the years, hiding behind a tree. But like, not every place just has no rules. You can do whatever you want. If you want to be there inside their grounds, you got to follow their rules.

Colin Cowherd (48:15)

I defend Augusta to the ends of the earth. We know. Pimento sandwiches. Amen. Corner azaleas. I was looking at. I was Google Earthing, you know that this morning. Augusta, that's a. That's a given. Calculus. Got to know better. But I gotta be honest. Sometimes I got. Sometimes things are happening in my life and I need my. I need my. I need my phone. I know it's obnoxious. Hi, it's Colin Coward. If you want your outdoor space to really stand out, Deckorator. Surestone technology is where you should start Decking with Surestone Technology. Is made through a patented process that uses crushed rock, not wood fiber like other composites, which gives every board incredible strength and durability. And it's engineered with a unique surface design for better traction when things get wet. It's comfortable, it's safe, it's durable, and that just looks great too. Build season is coming fast, so order a sample today. Visit decorators.com herd to get your free sample. That's decorators with A K Again, decorators.com herd service opens doors Doors and at the American Military University, it can open doors for the whole family. If you have a loved one who served in the military, you may qualify for reduced tuition. AMU offers flexible online programs designed to fit your schedule so you can keep moving forward wherever life takes you. Learn more at AMU Apus Edu Military Open doors to the future for you and your family with the help of American Military University Everybody hits that mid morning moment where a little boost would really help. That's where the new Starbucks Energy Refreshers come in. They're great. If you already love Starbucks refreshers, these have the same taste now with an added boost of caffeine. Your favorite flavors like strawberry, acai or pink drink now have an extra kick for the perfect midday reset. So when a little lift sounds good today, try the new energy refreshers at Starbucks. Or order one right now on the Starbucks app.

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Football Analyst (possibly a co-host or guest analyst) (50:56)

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Greg Cosell (51:00)

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