Colin Cowherd (8:45)

it start to creep up.

Jason McIntyre (8:46)

All right, Darnold's 10 million. Daniel Jones is 15 million. Justin Fields is now 20 million. And so the idea that you could have gotten baker for 4 million bucks

Colin Cowherd (8:56)

three years ago, and now Malik Willis

Jason McIntyre (8:58)

is going to make $30 million a

Colin Cowherd (9:00)

year in free agency, it just shows

Jason McIntyre (9:02)

you how fast things change when a certain idea starts working for people. And with that, let's pivot back to the NFL combine. Matt Hasselbeck spent a lot of time there, and that fascinates. You know, I love it when somebody gives back to an industry. So let's start with Fernando Mendoza, who there's. Every time I say his name, I smile. There's so much I like about him. And you're pretty good at reading. Yes, you're pretty good at reading people. What was your takeaway, spending time with him?

Colin Cowherd (9:32)

Well, first of all, I mean, the combine was Indian in Indianapolis, so Fernando Mendoza in Indy is right now. I mean, it's crazy. I was leaving St. Elmo's Steakhouse, and as I'm leaving and the entire wait staff gets called up and said, hey, everybody up. We're gonna give him a standing ovation. When he walks in the restaurant, everybody standing ovation. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. Like, who's walking in? I had no idea. Is it like, Roger Goodell? Like, who could this be? And it was Fernando Mendoza. I mean, he was the biggest thing there, and he wasn't even working out, you know, and so I do think he's got a presence. You know, I think the first. One of the first things he said to me, he said, I know I'm a goober. And I was like, dude, embrace it. Like, it's really endearing. Just be authentic. And I think that's what in the locker room plays really well. You know, I played for three years with a guy named Andrew Luck. That was an incredible player, an incredible leader, great quarterback, and kind of embraced the nerd nation personality that he had. And I think it worked. It worked for him, and I think it'll work for Fernando Mendoza. And he's gearing up for April 1st is when he'll throw at Indiana for his pro day. And I think the hardest thing for him was watching and not competing at the combine.

Jason McIntyre (10:46)

Hey, let me ask you, just when you size him up, you know, wearing a dress shirt and I saw his size, I, I contend he's a bigger kind of thicker Matt Ryan. You've been around pro athletes the last 25 years. Size him up physically when you see him.

Colin Cowherd (11:03)

Yeah, I would be bigger than Matt Ryan, I would say. I mean, I'm six, I'm six four on the dot. He measured in at six four. I think it was like six, four, six, which is, I think is like six eighths or something like that. He looks much bigger than that. Like when you're. I feel, I feel like I was looking up at him at all times. We took a selfie or someone took a selfie of us or something like that. He looks like he's five inches taller than me. He has a presence about him. Guys definitely gravit, gravitated towards him. Wide receivers, running backs, defenders, really, everybody handled it really well. Ultimately, what matters is how he, how he plays real football. 11 on 11 tackle football. And he played great this year. Obviously, who had the has, you know, he's got the clutch gene, he's got all the tools, you know, I asked him who his favorite team growing up was and he said, like, without hesitation. I grew up in Miami loving the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was my favorite quarterback and the Patriots were my favorite team. And he kind of plays with traits that don't surprise you when you hear that, that kind of stuff. Just the style of play that he plays with, how he carries himself and just really how he interacted with everybody there. I was very, very impressed.

Jason McIntyre (12:12)

Also Ty Simpson, who, you know, I said when Jackson Dart came out, I said, you know, I see him more as a high second round pick, but he had Lane Kiffin for three years and I think that's a big advantage having a coach in college that understands the pro system. Well, Ty Simpson comes from Saban, who was very good at hiring offensive coordinators, and Kalyn DeBoer. And I'm like, well, that's pretty high end college coaching. What did you make of working with Ty Simpson?

Colin Cowherd (12:38)

Yeah, and Ty Simpson, he doesn't necessarily wow you with the physical traits, like in a T shirt and shorts. But, you know, as you know, I don't care about that. You know, one of my favorite quarterbacks is Brock Purdy. But Ty Simpson, for a guy that didn't necessarily have to throw, came in and competed, threw really well. You could tell he had the respect of the receiver group. He had the respect of the quarterback group. Fernando Mendoza, who we were talking about earlier, he'd been training with him a little bit. He's very impressed. It would not surprise me if Ty Simpson's a first round pick. His film, again, is excellent. You know, I mentioned earlier, you know, do guys just kind of gravitate toward, you know, towards him as a leader? They do. You know, he's a quieter guy. He's got a confidence that's, that's understated. But no, he's, you know, in a quarter for quarterback needy teams, I think that this would be a worthy, worthy investment.

Jason McIntyre (13:27)

Yeah. Is there a quarterback? I mean, we started the year, Matt. It was crazy. Cade Klubnick, Drew Aller, Nussmeyer, and none of these. I think Nussmeier's got some real talent. LSU was a bit of a mess. That's why they have a new coach. Is there, is there a quarterback under the radar? That's, that's, is there's any buzz about.

Colin Cowherd (13:48)

Yeah, well, I would, I would say that, you know, this quarterback group came into the combine kind of unheralded. You know, people were picking them apart and, yeah, as a group, they did awesome. Like, they did really, really well at the combine. I think they helped themselves. I heard a lot of scouts and even some coaches say, hey, this was maybe one of the best performances as a group as we've ever seen at the combine in terms of the day that they had throwing. Now, that doesn't necessarily equal football, you know, real football, but it was impressive. They did, they, they checked the boxes there. You know, I think Luke Altmire from Illinois might be a guy. That is a name I don't hear a lot of people talking about, but he was very impressive, very smooth. Again, not a guy that walks by you and you say, oh, wow, you must be a franchise quarterback for somebody. Like, that's not the first thing that comes to your mind. But I heard I, you know, I had at least one coach tell me, hey, we were supposed to study 100 plays on each guy and write a report. I looked up and I was on, like, play 340, because I just love watching this guy play. He's just accurate, on time, great decisions. And for that reason, they're winning games that the team otherwise wouldn't win if he wasn't the quarterback. So every year there's guys that come out of nowhere and fit really, really nice in the NFL. I think he could be one of them.

Jason McIntyre (15:02)

Yeah. You know, it's interesting. I went, I watched him play live against usc, and it was a, you know, everybody talked about, you know, Illinois and their run game. But my takeaway is what you said on time. He made really good decisions. Now, USC's defense looked gassed in the second half, but to your point, he looked like he had a little Brock Purdy, where when he let it go, he felt great about it. And they upset the Trojans. Okay. Diego Pavia, I said, don't love that his mentor is Johnny Manziel. Because, you know, you say that around NFL circles and I've said Johnny Manziel may be the best guy to play golf with in the country, for all I know. I. I don't know. But you say Johnny Manziel, and there's a lot of people in this league in personnel that would go, yikes, that's not a great mentor. And Diego Pavia is, you know, he's got big personality. What did you make of him?

Colin Cowherd (15:56)

I enjoyed Diego. I mean, he's a guy that I don't think anyone was really given a chance. His height, kind of, his measurables, the style of play in college, you know, all the stuff. And I thought he helped himself. He did outstanding. Like his, his, you know, people were knocking him as a thrower. I thought he did. He did a great job, both with accuracy, on the short stuff, deep balls, on the, on the deep, you know, on the deep stuff. I think the quarterbacks as a group were cheering him on. I thought he was really impressive that way. When you mentioned the whole thing about the role model and Johnny Manziel, I chuckle, but I also understand. I mean, there was a point in my career where I was kind of struggling. I was either bench kicked to the curb out of the league, or I was going to turn the corner, be the starter and never look back. And my backup at the time was a guy named Jeff George, formerly the number one pick overall and everyone, like, publicly, nationally. He's a coach killer. He's not a mentor. He's not the guy you want to learn from. That wasn't true for me. I learned so much from Jeff George, mostly from some of the mistakes that he had been through, but he was incredibly helpful to me. And I could point to other guys in my career that nationally, their reputation might be like, he was kind of a bad guy or whatever because of that it was helpful to me. So I don't actually think it's a terrible thing at all that Diego is maybe learning from Johnny Manziel. As long as it's that same kind of thing, like, hey, man, you don't have to do what I did. And here's. Here's why. I mean, Ryan Leaf right now, another great example is going around sharing his story, mentoring so many, having a positive impact on people after, you know, sharing, like, his failures. And I think it's been a great thing for. For a lot of people.

Jason McIntyre (17:40)

Yeah. I'm not saying I have said before, Johnny Manziel is a good time. I'm not knocking the guy. It's just he. He got a little squirrely.

Colin Cowherd (17:49)

It sounds. It sound.

J. Mack (17:50)

Listen.

Colin Cowherd (17:50)

It sounds funny. I mean, like, you know, people. People would ask me, like, hey, who's a backup quarterback that really mentored you? You know, they're probably expecting to hear, like, Doug Peterson, not Jeff George.

Jason McIntyre (18:01)

Right.

Colin Cowherd (18:01)

And I'm just. I'm just here to tell you. I mean, I remember one time I was getting booed out of a stadium, and I was like, you know, just crushed. And Jeff George, like, breaks the ice. He's like, man, that's nothing. Let me tell you about a story. There's a fight in the stands, and all my teammates are like, yo, it's a fight. It's a fight. And I turn around, and it's like, my dad and my brother, like, fighting somebody. You know, he's like, so however bad you think it is for you, but, bro, like, there's no. You're good. Trust me. It could be way worse. You know, It's. It's those little nuggets that. That pull you out of a hole sometimes. It's. I don't know. I. I'd certainly appreciate it.

Jason McIntyre (18:35)

So when you go. I mean, I'm looking at the people you dealt with. Makai Lemon, who I think is really good. Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Clubnik, Carnell Tate. See Jordan Tyson, the receiver from Arizona State. Interesting player. The. When you. This whole weekend, when you go to the combine, and, you know, some have said it's the underwear Olympics, it's a bit of a meat market. But you are seeing guys in the league live. And for you, just as somebody who played in this league, did it bring back memories? Did it. Did. I mean, what was it like for you to watch all these young quarterbacks? Because you were there?

Colin Cowherd (19:17)

Yeah, well, I mean, I love it. I mean, I love it. It's. It's a. It's a dream come true for these guys. It's a job interview. It's something they'll do once in their life. And, you know, it's. It's incredible, incredible being around them. But at the same time, I get to watch other sort of like, legends, former NFL players, mentor guys like John Randall and Thomas Davis and T.J. hush Manzada, and, you know, a lot of different guys that are, like, pouring into these guys, work done. And, you know, it's just fascinating to me. Some of it I'm watching for, like, do they have eye contact with these guys? When John Randall's teaching you a swim move, are you like, yeah, yeah, I got it, I got it. Or are you like, no, tell me. Like, I want to learn. And it's the same thing. When I'm watching coaches or scouts give instructions. Do they have to say it twice? Do they say it once? Are they cheering on their teammates? You know, to Kate Klubnick and Garrett Nussmeier, two guys there they turned into cheerleaders when their receivers were running, guys they either played with in college or guys they had trained with. I mean, just that, the camaraderie, like, the great teammate vibe that you get from those guys. You know, there is a vibe factor with players. You know, it's like walking into a bar. You get a vibe. You're like, this isn't it? Let's hit the next bar. You get the same thing being around players for five days straight, from 5am in the morning when drug testing starts, till 11pm when recovery ends. I mean, you. You get to know guys. It's. It's hard to fake it. So I appreciate how the NFL puts on the combine, and I appreciated the way that these kids competed while. While they were there.

Jason McIntyre (20:47)

All right, I want to end it with this. I always like Kyler Murray more than the marketplace. I thought he was kind of like a more athletic Russell Wilson. Yes, he was small. Whatever. We had a small quarterback era. The commitment stuff. I don't expect everybody to be Tom Brady. That's unfair. But I think there's foundational minimums. Would you roll the dice on Kyler Murray? Some are into him, some are out. I always liked him. I met him in person. I think he throws a beautiful ball. Maybe he's been humbled. What would you do if he was on the market and you, like, Minnesota's interested? What do you make of that?

Colin Cowherd (21:25)

Well, yeah, I don't know about Minnesota specifically, but I like him. He's got elite traits. Elite. I mean, he's a ridiculous athlete with his legs. I would fear that if I was a D coordinator. He throws a beautiful, beautiful ball. It's some of the leadership stuff, though. It's the body language. You know, you mentioned the work ethic. You know, I can't speak to that. I'm not there on that. But now that is something that people at least wonder about. So, like, you're gonna have to prove that that is not a thing. But to me, the body language, how does he fit in our locker room? And I don't know if being humbled is the right word. Maybe just matured, you know, I know way more immature player early in my career than I was late. And I know I was a better teammate at, you know, near the end of my career. And maybe there are these, you know, these, these reclamation projects. Guys like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, who really turned the corner, struggled early, turned the corner. Great success story. I mean, for Kyler. He has elite characteristics athletically. So if you can get the right fit with the right play caller, head coach, teammates, and maybe just, you know, grow up a little bit, I do think this is a guy that I would go after.

Jason McIntyre (22:37)

You were immature. I don't see you as an immature guy. Were you a party guy or something?

Colin Cowherd (22:42)

Colin, I. This is this. I used to wear my hat like this, Colin. Can you believe that? Can you believe that, huh?

Jason McIntyre (22:49)

Can you imagine, man, I'd have been on the air hammering you if I'd have gotten that image. Matt Hasselbeck. And so I love that you get back to the game, my friend. Great seeing you.

Colin Cowherd (22:59)

Great to see you too.

Jason McIntyre (23:00)

All right. He loved Mendoza. He loved Mendoza. Isn't that great? Mendoza's like, listen, I'm a goober. Everybody knows it. I am. It's like, own it. Lean into it. Who cares? It's the herd. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio. We are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show. That's right. You can now watch the Odd couple live on YouTube every day. All you got to do, search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again.

Colin Cowherd (23:50)

YouTube.

Jason McIntyre (23:51)

Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe. Security usually means extra steps and complications, but with Apple pay secure payments are simple. Your transactions are authenticated with face id, touch ID or passcode, so security is built in when you check out. Plus, your name isn't shared with merchants and they don't see your actual card number. Whether you're shopping in store online or an app, protecting your money should be simple. Pay the Apple Way Terms Apply all right, two Truths and a Lie Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwaine, I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your ATT or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store, they'll give you a better deal. That's right, a better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T Mobile Build to your local Verizon store today, get a better deal and start saving Based on route metrics Best Overall Mobile Network Performance U.S. 2nd Half 2025 All Rights Reserve must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Running a commercial plumbing or H Vac company isn't easy. You're driving revenue, managing payroll, coordinating marketing, juggling projects, and keeping customers satisfied all at once. You need software that keeps up. It's time to upgrade to Service Titan, the all in one solution built to help companies like yours run smarter, grow faster, and scale with confidence. See how the most successful contractors are doing it today with Service Titan. Visit servicetitan.com to learn more. That's servicetitan.com support for the show comes from Public, so it kind of feels like there's two types of investing platforms. You got the old school brokerages that look like they were designed in like 1995. Then you have those other platforms, the ones that feel less like investing and more like a casino. Public is neither. It's the investing platform for people who actually take this stuff seriously. You know, people who are serious about building their wealth. Because on public, you can build a portfolio of stocks and options and bonds and crypto without all the bugs or the confetti. Retirement accounts? Yep. High yield cash. Of course. They even have direct indexing. Honestly, this is what investing platform should look like. Modern design, simple to use, and customer support that actually cares. Go to public.comcowherd and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.comcohert ad paid for by Public

J. Mack (26:38)

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Jason McIntyre (26:57)

Oh, good to have you in on a Monday. Raheem Ostert, Pro bowl running back. It's going to join us last hour. Dusty May, the coach of Michigan. I watched a little bit of Michigan on Friday against Illinois. J. Mac, I think had some money on the Fighting Illini and let's just say Michigan is big. Michigan's a big. Got a little bit of that UConn feel a few years ago. The Hurley team where you had all that size and length, it's hard for college teams to combat that. So J. Mack with the news. No, no, turn on the news.

J. Mack (27:27)

This is the third line news. All right, let's get started with Ben Johnson, your guy in Chicago. I'm surprised you guys didn't go out for drinks over the weekend. Hanging out. He's taking shots at the division rivals. Ben Johnson, we know he does not love the Packers, Colin. And here's what he said pertaining his arch rivals.

Jason McIntyre (27:48)

What is the deal with the Packers?

Colin Cowherd (27:52)

Who likes the Packers?

Jason McIntyre (27:54)

The Bears and the packers, they should

Colin Cowherd (27:56)

not like each other. I think it's as simple as that.

Jason McIntyre (27:59)

And I think that's, that's gonna make this rivalry, this game, something that, that people are going to watch here going forward. Man, how do you not like that guy? People? He was at the Bulls game yesterday against The Milwaukee Bucks, 2:30 start time Central. And Gus standing O when he got introduced at the Bulls game yesterday. I would hope so. Pretty nice. Yeah.

J. Mack (28:27)

I mean, you might get a standing ovation if you showed your face of that wretched team.

Jason McIntyre (28:30)

Right?

J. Mack (28:31)

I mean, bulls are what, 25 wins?

Jason McIntyre (28:32)

30. He People love Ben Johnson.

J. Mack (28:35)

They do. Hey, first year, I mean, he was so good. How could you not like him? Come on, guys on fire. All right, let's go to the combine for story number two. Colin. There's a tight end out of Oregon who has been a lock for the first round.

Colin Cowherd (28:46)

Yeah.

J. Mack (28:47)

You're familiar with his work. Kenyon Siddiq?

Colin Cowherd (28:48)

Yeah.

J. Mack (28:49)

Oh, my gosh. I know we get excited about guys running the 40 yard dash, but he set a record. Fastest 40 by a tight end ever, 4.39. He's kind of rocked up 6, 3, 2, 40. Guy's got an insane vertical jump. I mean, basically that's like the kind of guy I train with. That's, you know, that's exactly what you want most.

Jason McIntyre (29:07)

Most coaches want a left tackle to be six six and a tight end to be at least six, five. But his. His traits, his explosiveness. Yeah. I mean, even when you watched him for Oregon, he looked more like a. Like a. Like a big receiver than he did a tight end. But Oregon used him very effectively, and he's a nightmare matchup at the college level. Nobody could match up with him.

J. Mack (29:32)

I mean, the only concern here is the two tight ends who have really taken over the league. Bowers and McBride didn't come in with, like, absolute can't miss.

Jason McIntyre (29:41)

Right.

J. Mack (29:42)

It was Kyle Pitts who came in and was, like, overdrafted and didn't live up to the hype. So I don't know how high Sadiq goes. I mean, there's some top 10 chatter. I think the PFF mock you had earlier had him, like, late first. I think coming out of the combine, though, he's probably in that. You know, he could. Could Rams love three tight ends? Could the Rams grab him at 16 or are they set at tight end? I do think in a league that's shifting more toward heavier sets, that he makes a lot of sense. All right, final story Con. Let's go to Kyler Murray. We almost need to revisit that time you guys were hanging out because it's gone all downhill for him since Colin. I mean, listen, this guy has one playoff appearance, like, I mean, he just has not lived up to the hype. Career record 38 and 48 and 1. I mean, what are we doing here? Vikings and Falcons are the teams that are apparently leading the charge. After the Cardinals cut him and absorbed a cap hit. They tried like hell to trade him, but, I mean, short of attaching a pick and a good one, nobody was taken on that contract. Interestingly, both these teams are in the dome. Colin, do you have a preference of where he should go?

Jason McIntyre (30:50)

Well, you still want to give Pennik some time. And Kevin Stefanski, remember Penix last year, had a defense of a young defensive coach, so, I mean, I'd like to see Panicks be given a year with Kevin Stefanski. Yeah, a year indoors. I. I think Arizona is just a mess, so. But I. I never. Atlanta's got good ownership. Matt Ryan now. Smart guys in the building. I like Kevin Stefanski. Always a winnable division. I don't think Kyler Murray, that would feel like. To me, that feels a bit desperate. I would give Panics another year. And by the way, if it doesn't work out okay, it's a great draft year next year at quarterback. I don't feel. It doesn't feel like a fit to me.

J. Mack (31:35)

So does Minnesota. Feels better.

Jason McIntyre (31:39)

Yeah, because I was much more of a Pennix fan. I also think Bijan Robinson, Kevin Stefanski better than average offensive line, Drake London. I think Pennix can work. I don't know how great he is. I don't think the JJ McCarthy thing works.

J. Mack (31:58)

My only problem with Kyler in Minnesota, his established work habits are very poor. Okay, we see the body language when he gets knocked down. If the schedule lines up with cold weather games for the Vikings outdoors, Kyler is a non starter. I, I don't want to say I called this. I just don't see it. And I love this guy. Early in his career, him and Kingsbury second, Kingsbury leaves, Kyler's been a disaster and I, if I'm Minnesota, remember, we agree Kevin o' Connell's probably on the hot seat. Would you say that it's like lukewarm now?

Jason McIntyre (32:31)

Well, they got rid of the gm, so that tells me ownership believes in the coach over the gm. So I don't think he's in hot water. I mean, listen, they made a decision and ask yourself, this is what I, this is what we talked about with Kevin Stefanski. I said, Cleveland's gonna let Stefanski go. He is going to interview for every other job. He'll be first on the list. And he was until Harbaugh came out. He was the number one candidate. If you fire Kevin o', Connell, he will get a job like Stefanski overnight.

J. Mack (33:02)

He'll have the jets in a heartbeat. Yeah, once Aaron Glenn's Dustin. The only problem, Colin, is you know how these dreams work. Owner fires the GM. Okay, coach, it's on you. If they go 6 and 11 this year. I mean, is he, is he cooked? I don't.

Jason McIntyre (33:17)

Problem for the Minnesota Vikings is Detroit has their OC problem fixed and the Bears are legitimate. And it looks like to me, I mean, Green Bay is going to be at least in the running for a playoff team when Micah returns. The problem with Minnesota is they are this morning looking up with a quarterback that can't consistently play. So, you know, there's a lot, I mean, Minnesota in my lifetime's always been well run, thoughtful organization, rarely terrible, rarely great, but they've always been solid. I don't think o' Connell's in trouble, but I think they have to make a big boy decision on J.J. mcCarthy. And I think we all know the answer.

J. Mack (33:55)

Well, Colin, what about the fact that in the division Ben Johnson shows up and in a year they look like one of the best teams in the nfc? I know they have Caleb, but it's like, wait, are we sure we got the genius? Because Chicago's got a freaking great coach.

Jason McIntyre (34:08)

Previous year with Sam Darnold, Kevin Oconnell won 14 games. So Kevin Oconnell is not the problem. The problem is we don't know who's starting on Sunday at quarterback. That's the problem.

J. Mack (34:18)

To be fair, I like OConnell a lot. I wouldn't move off. I do think the chatter in Minnesota could put him on the hot seat.

Jason McIntyre (34:24)

We'll see J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news. J. Mac loves college basketball. Watching Michigan, Illinois, it is my belief that the NIL has done two things for college basketball. First of all, it's elevated it like the sport felt kind of, you know, I mean you'd watch a team. It was a one and done era. The NIL has been able to get €20 over here to play and keep another 20 guys for a year longer in college. So NIL has fortified the people that have money in college basketball. The second thing though, watching Michigan, Illinois, I don't remember a time it feels like college basketball is crazy top heavy. Like honestly, Michigan, Duke, Arizona, Florida. Florida is pretty good. Yeah, I mean, I mean usually we go into it thinking there's about eight teams that could win it. Let me ask you because I thought Illinois was a dark horse, but they are.

J. Mack (35:31)

They just, they didn't play well and Michigan overwhelmed them. The one thing that is the true for all those four teams, they're all massive with NBA size on the front line. All of them. College basketball, like you were saying earlier, yes, every team's going huge. Offensive rebounds equals second chance opportunities. I think Michigan had like 15 more shots than Illinois. You get 15 more shots than your opponent, you're going to score probably 10 to 15 more points easily. So that looks like the new strategy. I'd be curious what the Michigan coach has to say.

Jason McIntyre (36:01)

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app pay around the corner and around the globe. Apple Pay is accepted at millions of places worldwide. Wherever you see the contactless symbol in stores or the Apple Pay button online and in apps, whether you're checking out on iPhone or Apple Watch, just double click pay and be on your way. Add your debit or credit card to wallet and you're good to go. Pay the Apple Way Terms Apply. All right, two Truths and a Lie. Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwain, I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store, they'll give you a better deal. That's right, a better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T Mobile. Build to your local Verizon store today, get a better deal and start saving based on root metrics. Best Overall Mobile Network Performance U.S. 2nd Half 2025 All Rights Reserve must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Running a commercial plumbing or H Vac company isn't easy. You're driving revenue, managing payroll, cor, coordinating marketing, juggling projects, and keeping customers satisfied all at once. You need software that keeps up. It's time to upgrade to Service Titan, the All in one solution built to help companies like yours run smarter, grow faster, and scale with confidence. See how the most successful contractors are doing it today with Service Titan. Visit servicetitan.com to learn more. That servicetitan.com support for the show comes from public Huh?

Colin Cowherd (38:02)

I wonder if this can beat the market.

Jason McIntyre (38:05)

Everyone's talking about the NASDAQ 100, but let's get more specific. Software. Actually, too broad. How about software that's already profitable? Companies that beat the last five quarters? Oh, and I want founders who are marathon runners. That's discipline. Yeah, let's see what that looks like. With generated assets on public, you can turn any idea into an investable index. Just enter a prompt and watch the AI screen thousands of stocks in seconds. You can then back test your index against the S&P 500, make adjustments, refine your criteria, and when you're ready, invest in what you've built. Go to public.com and build your own index with generated assets, plus earn a 1% uncapped match when you transfer your portfolio. Public Investors Investing for those who take it seriously Ad paid for by Public Holdings Brokerage Services by Public Investing member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors SEC Registered Advisor Sample prompts are for illustrative purposes only, not investment advice. All investing involves risk of loss. See complete disclosures@public.com disclosures.

J. Mack (39:09)

You don't want to miss this one. The World Baseball Classic. Aaron Judge, Paul Skeens, and Bryce Harper suit up for the Stars and stripes as Team USA takes on Brazil Friday, 8 Eastern, only on Fox.

Jason McIntyre (39:22)

I love that Matt Hasselbeck spent the weekend in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine talking and dealing with a lot of these quarterbacks. And it was interesting because I did ask him about Mendoza's size. Like, they, they were at the same restaurant. And in Indy, there's a very popular steakhouse, St. Elmo's. There's shrimp cocktail sauce, clears the nasal passages. It's kind of a legendary place. It's the place to go. And I asked him, you know, about, like, his size just in a dress shirt. And he's like, oh, no, I'm. But he goes, I'm 6 4. And I was looking up at him. So that, that's the first thing is what does he look like in person? Not, not all this. You know, you see a guy in shoulder pads. You see, you see a guy at the weight room, like, what's he look like if he walks in with a, with a golf shirt on and a pair of slacks? And Hasselbeck's like, no, he looks, he looks big. And that's my interpretation of what Andrew Luck looked like. The one time I stood next to him in college. I'm like, oh, that guy looks like a, like a, honestly, like a defensive end. And, and I also asked him about sort of his personality when he worked with Mendoza this week. I love this answer from Matt Hasselbeck on the personality of Fernando Mendoza.

Colin Cowherd (40:34)

One of the first things he said to me, he said, I, I know I'm a goober. And I was like, dude, embrace it. Like, it's really endearing. Just be authentic. And I think that's what in the locker room plays really well. You know, I played for three years with named Andrew Luck. That was an incredible player, an incredible leader, great quarterback, and kind of embraced the, the nerd nation personality that he had. And I think it worked. It worked for him, and I think it'll work for Fernando Mendoza now.

Jason McIntyre (41:01)

Now a guy that's not a nerd, that's got a lot of chutzpah. In fact, there was a line on the Internet once that if Axe Body Wash was a person, it would be Diego Pavia. He's a, he's a, you know, young, outspoken, kind of a wild game, acknowledges his mentor is Johnny Manziel, who had a very colored, interesting football life. He talked, Pavia did at the combine, sort of about his chest out confidence. A lot of team loves the, the tenacity, the fight, the life of an underdog, you know, that's for sure. And so they're, they're, yeah, they, they ask questions. But you go back, you look at my record, ain't nothing on my record. Turn on the tape. You know, it's not like we're, we're not playing these guys that are going first, first round, second round on Saturdays, you know, in the sec. So, you know, the SEC and the Big Ten probably have the most guys, you know, getting drafted in the first, second round. So, you know, we're, we're playing those guys and, and ain't nothing gonna change. Yeah. Now, I will admit I have a bias at the quarterback position with backwards hat guy, ax body wash guy, because I think it's really a coaching position with a helmet. So I have a sort of cocky bias, you know, against quarterbacks that use their chip on the shoulder, you know, taunt the crowd. You know, Baker Mayfield pretty well chronicled. I thought Baker threw a great ball. I still do, and I think Baker's a nice guy. I just, I'm not a huge fan of that. But it should be noted that, you know, in life, you select a mentor for guidance. I select a mentor. I'm trying to think, if I had a Johnny Manziel in my life, I don't think my personality that would have worked. But I mean, Brady loved Gronk. Brady just, just totally connected with Gronk. It happens. And that's what Matt Hasselbeck talked about. You know, that I think when you're a young athlete and you come into football, I remember years ago, Vince Young came into the sport and he befriended Pac Man Jones. And you know, Vince Young, I was never a huge fan. I didn't think, like he could sit in the pocket. I just didn't like this throwing motion. I just, I thought he was an unbelievable, best high school football player. I've unbelievable player at Texas. I didn't think he was a great prospect in the NFL, but I remember he befriended Pac Man Jones. And I remember working at the other place saying, bro, you got 50 guys in the locker room. Pac man had had some skirmishes. I'm like, that's that, that go find a receiver on your team or an old veteran offensive lineman you can hang with. But now Matt Hasselbeck defended Diego Pavia, choosing Johnny Manziel as His mentor, my

Colin Cowherd (44:05)

backup at the time was a guy named Jeff George, formerly the number one pick overall and everyone, like publicly, you know, nationally. He's a coach killer. Like, he's not a mentor. He's not the guy you want to learn from. That wasn't true for me. I learned so much from Jeff George, mostly from some of the mistakes that he had been through. But it was, he was incredibly helpful to me. And I don't, I don't actually think it's a terrible thing at all that Diego is maybe learning from Johnny Manziel. As long as it's that same kind of thing, like, hey man, and you don't have to do what I did and here's, here's why.

Jason McIntyre (44:40)

Yeah, so I, maybe I'll stand corrected. And again, I've had these weird near brushes with Johnny Manziel and people say he's like, you want to go golfing with Johnny Manziel? Johnny Manziel is an all time friend. Maybe I'm wrong. Here's the PFF mock draft that came out today. Not a ton of surprises. You know what's interesting? We're showing you the top 14 picks. Picks, you know, and I know there's going to be three busts in just the first 14 picks. I'm not going to predict what kids a bust. I will say based on the PFF mock draft. And I know for the radio audience you can't look at the order. That feels a little high for Sonny Stiles going forward to Tennessee in my opinion. Watched every Ohio State game of note. I think he's a very good player. That seems a little high. I think Jeremiah Love. This is weird. He's at eight to the Saints. I think he's the most underrated player in the draft. I think he's Jameer Gibbs. I think he's a total home run hitter. Notre Dame had two good backs. I think he walks into the NFL, is in and is a 800 plus yard running back as a rookie. I, if he gets a decent team, I think Caleb Downs at 10 to the Bengals would be the steel of the first round. I think he's a great player. I think David Bailey's really good. That feels low. Listen, if Miami can get David Bailey At 11, they got to walk out of this draft and feel really good about it. Fano like that. It's funny they have Fano going to the Ravens and Ravens through the years have done really well in the offensive line. They've drafted. I mean they just don't miss a lot Everybody said Fano has short arms. I don't know. Matt Campbell. New England did as well. I didn't. Will Campbell. I'm sorry. Will Campbell, left tackle. That was a weaker draft than this, and I didn't love Will Campbell as a top pick. Fano, I don't think he's going to go at 14. I think he's. I think he's closer to 20. I think this is a better draft. I think it's a good tackle draft, a good edge rush draft. There are three corners in the first round that are pretty good. Spencer Fino. Now, this mock has Kenyan Sadiq, the tight end for Oregon follow, falling to 27. And if Kyle Shanahan gets his hands on that kid, he'd be like a combination of Kittle and Debo Samuel. Like he is. He is built, totally built for McVeigh or Kyle Shanahan or a Kevin O'. Connell. Do you have any big swings? All I know is when I look at that top 14, if Caleb Downs goes to the Bengals at 10, it's a good get. That is a great. I could argue he's my second favorite player in the draft. Is Caleb Downs second?

J. Mack (47:34)

Wow. Okay, let's drill down on Sonny Styles for a second. Okay, so this guy was. He was good on the Ohio State defense.

Jason McIntyre (47:39)

Right.

J. Mack (47:39)

But he's a. He's a linebacker. He's not an edge rusher. Four is insane. However, Robert Salah is the new head coach in Tennessee.

Colin Cowherd (47:47)

Right?

J. Mack (47:47)

Right. He knows middle linebacker Fred Warner there. That's what the comp is for Styles. The problem is Warner went, I think, second, third round, maybe fourth. So if you get the linebacker in the middle rounds, awesome. You take him at fourth overall. I just. That's a little rich. I was hoping the jets could grab him at 16. The other guy with short arms is, I, I believe, Bane from Miami.

Jason McIntyre (48:09)

Yes.

J. Mack (48:10)

Now, some of the. Some of the. Some of the numbers guys have looked it up, and I don't want to sound mean, but, like, the guys with short arms as edge rusher historically have not delivered. Now, that's in the first round. If you want to take them in second or third, awesome. But first round, there's a lot of pressure on these guys.

Jason McIntyre (48:27)

Colin, you know, one of the things that jumps out to me, and we talked about this, when the CTE stories came out, there were the NFL very purposefully, very intentionally targeted mothers as fans. That's why the NFL has a huge percentage of women and moms who are football fans. They've targeted them with marketing and promotion and that we were having less kids are turning out for high school football over the last seven to eight years than they were the previous 20 years because of the CTE. And it's, you know, it's a big, strong, it can be kind of a violent sport. What I have noticed this draft, and I've noticed it more in the last three or four years. It used to be your first 15 to 16 guys, their traits were off the chart. Well, last year Will Campbell's the first tackle off the board and he's a guard who's kind of masquerading as a tackle. This year you've got Reuben Baines, one of the best edge rushers historically, short arms, and Spencer Fano came in very short. So, you know, that doesn't mean there's not good football players out there. But it does feel like to me that at the top of the drafts over the last several years, you don't. There's probably some guys that, you know at 9, 10, 11 years old, they go to basketball, they don't go to football. I feel like there's some underwhelming traits in the top 10 this year. Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill, walk in running pogo stickin' teleport if you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or flyin on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way, you can bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based

J. Mack (50:19)

on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance

Jason McIntyre (50:21)

US 2nd half 2025. All rights reserved. Must provide very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply whether you want to maximize your performance or form healthier habits. This year, knowing what your body needs can help put you on the right path. With Quest, you can buy your own lab tests online@questhealth.com no doctor visit required for purchase. Quest has a huge selection of tests, including the new Elite Health Profile, a panel made for men and women and tracks 85 plus health markers affecting the heart, liver, kidneys, hormones, metabolism and immune system, delivering a ton of insights in one snapshot. For a limited time, save on select lab tests@questhealth.com with code herd10. That's herd10 at checkout terms apply. This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely

Colin Cowherd (51:19)

with Robert Kraft for a long time,

Jason McIntyre (51:21)

and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate.

J. Mack (51:27)

As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of, but I

Jason McIntyre (51:31)

also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big game really hit home.

Colin Cowherd (51:41)

It's about showing up for someone when

Jason McIntyre (51:43)

they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the Blue Square get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do you mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A Little escape? No. Delicious bowl of grapes? Yeah. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. How about the clear skies? Can't deliver that, but French fries? Yeah. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. C app for details this is an iHeart podcast.

Colin Cowherd (52:27)

Guaranteed Human.