THE HERD - Hour 3 – Too many draft mistakes made by the Lakers? Is Caleb Downs a fit for the Giants?

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Hour 3 – Too Many Draft Mistakes by the Lakers? Is Caleb Downs a Fit for the Giants?

Date: February 16, 2026
Guests: Jason Timpf, John Middelkoff, Albert Breer

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Episode Overview

In this engaging third hour, Colin Cowherd is joined by basketball analyst and podcaster Jason Timpf to break down the state of NBA draft development, the persistent issue of tanking, and especially the current and future challenges facing the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Later, NFL analyst John Middelkoff joins to discuss the upcoming NFL Draft, the value of safety Caleb Downs as a prospect, trade rumors involving Max Crosby, and Michael Jordan’s Daytona 500 victory as a NASCAR team owner. The episode is rich with honest analysis, sharp criticism of NBA front offices, and forward-looking insights about team-building in professional sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. American NBA Draft Misses and Player Development (03:53–07:23)

• Jason Timpf highlights a decade of underachieving top American draft picks:
  Players such as Ben Simmons, Zion Williamson, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Markelle Fultz, Deandre Ayton, and Ja Morant are specifically cited as failing to reach their perceived potential.
  • “Every single one of those guys were huge pedigree, huge potential guys who all to varying degrees underachieved. And I'd argue six of those seven have been straight up busts.” (Jason Timpf, 04:39)
• Reasons behind underachievement:
  • A “race to get that first payday” and lack of intrinsic competitive drive
  • Work ethic and development issues (e.g., “Ja Morant has straight up become a worse jump shooter every single season over the last four or five seasons. He's just not putting in the work.” – 04:11)
  • Lack of college development - G-League route not fostering the same competitiveness or skills
• Contrast with recent promising talents:
  Players like Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, and Cooper Flagg are held up as encouraging signs for U.S. basketball talent.

2. The Problem of NBA Tanking & League Structure (05:55–08:59)

• Colin and Jason debate the intractability of tanking:
  • Colin notes that the NBA has become a “draft and development league,” limiting the options to rebuild via means other than tanking.
  • Jason suggests that as long as elite prospects exist, teams will find incentive to tank, but also stresses that consistently successful franchises (like San Antonio or OKC) do much more than lose games, citing organizational structure and culture.
  • “There isn't a good solution... If you abolish the draft, you’re going to have every agency and sponsor try to pressure and drive these guys toward big markets. I don't think that would be good for competitive balance.” (Jason Timpf, 08:21)
  • Jason offers a potential fix: flattening draft lottery odds for all non-playoff teams to prevent rewarding bottom-feeding, though he admits there’s no perfect solution.

3. Evaluating NBA Title Contenders & The Knicks' Ceiling (08:59–10:52)

• Jason’s Top 5 Contenders:
  Oklahoma City, Denver, Cleveland, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs—not the Knicks.
• Why Not the Knicks?
  Jason acknowledges the Knicks’ internal improvement and better offensive system, but singles out defensive issues, specifically referencing Karl-Anthony Towns:
  • “There is a huge difference between being a physically limited defender and a mistake-making defender. A mistake-making defender cannot be planned for… he’s just a very sloppy, mistake-prone defender and you can’t make mistakes when the margins are that small in the NBA playoffs.” (Jason Timpf, 10:16)
• The rest of the league’s improvement also factors into their outside status among contenders.

4. The Lakers’ Roster Failures: Drafts, Depth, and Defensive Woes (15:29–18:38)

• Colin and Jason on the Lakers' persistent issues:
  • Colin criticizes the Lakers for being “an uneven franchise” with a poorly constructed roster lacking enough three-point shooters or strong defenders.
  • Jason is blunt in his assessment of Lakers GM Rob Pelinka:
    • “There have just been too many misses. Draft misses. Like wasting first round picks on Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dalton Knecht and getting nothing out of those guys. Can't even play them or they're out of the league.”
    • “They need three new starters. LeBron's going to be leaving. You need three new starters and they need to build out a bench. They have nobody on the roster who is both a good defender and a good catch and shoot player. Literally not a single one.” (Jason Timpf, 17:49)
  • Jason contends the only hope for the Lakers is an unlikely playoff run fueled by LeBron, Luka, and Austin all hitting peak form and staying healthy.

5. Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga and Missed Opportunities Between Eras (18:38–21:22)

• Colin probes the failed Kuminga experiment and its roots:
  Is the blame on Warriors’ system, Curry’s gravitational pull, or Kuminga’s development?
• Jason says the front office overvalued future potential at the expense of maximizing Steph Curry's current window:
  • “Joe Lacob looked at Kuminga and he saw a star. And this is one of the most frequent issues that you see — the tantalizing potential over the realistic outcomes.” (Jason Timpf, 20:31)
  • Jason suggests that refusing to trade young assets like Kuminga for win-now pieces (Siakam, Anunoby) in Curry’s prime was a fatal error.
  • “They always toed that line and tried to play both eras and the future era ended up being nothing. And now the current era looks like it’s running out of time.” (Jason Timpf, 21:09)

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6. NFL Draft Preview: Caleb Downs, Positional Value & Giants Needs (28:36–34:00)

• John Middelkoff and Colin discuss the Giants’ 5th overall pick and new coach John Harbaugh’s openness to drafting Caleb Downs, a star safety:
  • “We favor Hall of Fame safeties... That guy would be just fine with me. I'd take him in a second.” (John Harbaugh via Colin, 28:56)
• Debate on positional value:
  • Even if Downs is arguably the best prospect, being a safety (a traditionally non-premium position) may hurt his draft slot.
  • John: “If Caleb Downs was a defensive lineman, he'd probably be the number two overall pick... but you draft safeties later.” (30:10)
• Colin sees a shift in the value of the safety position:
  • Points out that defensive trends have elevated the importance of elite safeties, citing examples like Kyle Hamilton.
• Where would Max Crosby be traded? (31:27–34:00)
  • John and Colin mention potential trade destinations for the Raiders’ star, listing Eagles, Bills, Ravens, Bears, Lions, and Rams as possible suitors.
  • Colin speaks highly of Crosby’s work ethic and universal respect among NFL executives:
    • “His ability to play hard in a bad culture for multiple coaches at the highest level—every executive I’ve ever talked to is like, ‘I’m a Max Crosby guy.’” (Colin, 33:25)

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7. Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Daytona 500 Victory (34:14–36:25)

• Jordan’s NASCAR team wins Daytona 500, putting MJ “back on top”:
  • Colin: “It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won't even know.” (quoting MJ, 35:03)
  • John observes that, unlike his NBA ownership stints, MJ’s joy in NASCAR is palpable: “That enjoyment, that smile—he knew his ring size when he was being interviewed after, size 13.” (35:14)
• Fun note:
  • Michael Jordan is the second North Carolina basketball player to win the Daytona 500 as an owner (after Brad Daugherty).

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Notable Quotes

• Jason Timpf on the United States’ lost generation of NBA stars:
  “Every single one of those guys were huge pedigree, huge potential guys who all to varying degrees underachieved. And I'd argue six of those seven have been straight up busts.” (04:39)
• On Tanking Solutions:
  “If you abolish the draft, you’re going to have every agency and sponsor try to pressure and drive these guys toward big markets. I don’t think that would be good for competitive balance.” (Jason Timpf, 08:21)
• On Lakers’ plight:
  “They have nobody on the roster who is both a good defender and a good catch and shoot player. Literally not a single one…They need three new starters and they need to build out a bench.” (Jason Timpf, 17:49)
• On the Warriors' and Steph Curry’s window:
  “They always toed that line and tried to play both eras and the future era ended up being nothing. And now the current era looks like it’s running out of time.” (Jason Timpf, 21:09)
• On positional value in the NFL Draft:
  “If Caleb Downs was a defensive lineman, he'd probably be the number two overall pick because he is arguably the best player in this draft not playing defensive line or quarterback.” (John Middelkoff, 30:10)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 03:53 — NBA’s last decade of draft disappointments (Jason Timpf)
• 05:22–08:59 — The tanking conundrum in the NBA; potential solutions
• 09:34–10:52 — Knicks, contenders, and playoff limitations
• 15:29–18:38 — The Lakers' draft and roster construction failures
• 18:38–21:22 — Warriors, Kuminga, and the dangers of hedging on “eras”
• 28:36–34:00 — NFL: Giants’ draft, Caleb Downs as high-pick safety, Max Crosby trade rumors
• 34:14–36:25 — Michael Jordan’s Daytona 500 win

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Tone & Style

Colin is his usual sharp, sometimes unsparing self—skeptical about executive decisions, bullish on smart organizational structure, and appreciative of greatness where he finds it. Jason Timpf brings analytical rigor and a frankness about franchise success and failure—he doesn’t hold back on the Lakers or Warriors. The football segment is more measured and speculative, balancing the tension between positional value and pure talent.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This hour offers a deep dive into the mechanics of roster construction, the ripple effects of poor drafting and risk-averse front office decisions, and the intersection of individual will, organizational culture, and systemic constraints in pro sports. If you want to understand why some teams can’t dig out of mediocrity or why certain players “bust,” the candid, detailed analysis from Colin and Jason lays it out. The football segment adds draft strategy color and the fun closer on Michael Jordan provides a cross-sport pop culture hit to round it out.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Jason Timp]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[Colin Cowherd]

Remember when people were nice? When we could occasionally stop fighting and come together? Well, here's some good news. The Ripple Effect is here. Hosted by comedian Jenna Kim Jones. It's a show about how powerful it is when we reach out to one another. It's the perfect weekly proof that goodness isn't gone. The Ripple Effect is more than a podcast. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. In the latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Janie Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of Entrepreneurs and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You don't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason Timp]

Yeah, it's fascinating because there's been this obvious difference in the top end talent in the NBA between the very best players internationally versus from America. And you see KD and Stephen LeBron kind of pulling a lot of weight. And thankfully in the last couple years we've had some good ones. Anthony Edwards, Kate Cunningham was another one of those guys who was really competing last night. Cooper Flag looks like a hit. Con Canal looks like a hit. But we had like a 10 year stretch there. This is crazy. Ben Simmons, number one overall pick, Zion Williamson, number one overall pick, Andrew Wiggins, number one overall pick, Carl Anthony Towns, Markel Fultz, Deandre Ayton, even John Morant, who's the one guy I listed who was a number two pick. Every single one of those guys were huge pedigree, huge potential guys who all to varying degrees underachieved. And I'd argue six of those seven have been straight up busts. And at a certain point you can't just consider that to be coincidence. There has to be something developmentally taking place and I think it's a combination of several factors. There are some basic developmental things where some of these guys just aren't putting in the work. Like I'm sorry, John Morant. John Morant has straight up become a worst jump shooter every single season over the last four or five seasons. He's just not putting in the work. There are guys that haven't developed their skill sets. There are guys that haven't taken care of their bodies, like Zion Williamson, for example. There are so many different things getting lost there. A big part of it too. I think there's been a race to get that first payday.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason Timp]

But a lack of the competitive nature that drives you. Like, you know, what made the all Star game good last night. When you're in a situation like that where there's nothing you're playing for, you're not trying to achieve some team goal, you're not playing for money, you're not trying to earn your coaches trust in the rotation. The only thing that drives you is that competitive force of will. And thankfully we have some of these younger guys like ant, like K, like Wemby that are driving that because we had a decade there where the American players just lacked that force of will to become the best versions of themselves.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I mean, and I also think the better the college sport is feeding the pro sport, the better it is for the sport. Because I think college coaching, baseball, it could be anything. Northeast hockey, I think college coaching is really good. The, you know, let's talk you. The tanking thing is hard because I said this earlier. There used to be in the David Stern NBA you could draft and develop, you could acquire, you could trade for. There were a lot of ways to go from unwatchable and bad to good. It may take a couple years, but there were a lot of avenues. Well, Adam Silver's NBA is, it's a draft and development league. It's harder to acquire and trade for. Well, so a lot of these smart GMs in San Antonio, in Detroit and now Utah are like, well, this is the pathway to get better. And we're bad. And so we're going to, we're going to tank. And even Adam Silver's like, I don't really have an answer for it. And I guess my whole point on this has been I'm not necessarily pro tanking Jason, but the cap is hard. For a long time it was like, okay, Joe lacope will pay a tax, whatever, we'll overspend. You can't really do that now. So is there a solution to the tanking Because Adam Silver, it seems like the pathway, San Antonio, Detroit, Utah, to go from bad to great.

[Jason Timp]

Not when there's prospects like this, frankly. You know, like in the same reason that will drive the top five or six teams in the league to do everything to get the Larry o' Brien trophy. When you have a Darren Peterson, when you have AJ DeBonsa, when you have players that look that tantalizing, you're just going to have guys do everything they can to try to drop. And, you know, I hate, you know, I hate when the conversation solely focuses on tanking, because even when you look at San Antonio, even when you look at Oklahoma City, it goes deeper than the tanking. They also just organizationally do an amazing job on the margins. They seem to find discounted players later in the draft that are more talented. They have, you know, coaching consistency and a basketball culture. Like, there are a lot of teams in the league that have done a lot of tanking that haven't been able to accomplish anything. So I think that's, I think that's an important kind of difference to point out. But the reality is there isn't a good solution. Like, if you abolish the draft, you're going to have every agency and, you know, every single sponsor try to pressure and drive these guys towards big markets. I don't think that necessarily would be good for the competitive balance. Balance in the league. They've tried flattening the odds. You could flatten them all the way. That's probably what I would do. I would just have every single team that misses the playoffs have the exact same odds. You'd end up with some shenanigans surrounding the play in, like, in that 7 to 10 range, you'd have some teams do some tanking, but at least the teams in the bottom of the league would be incentivized to build strong basketball culture and play well. But the reality is, like, Adam Silver catches a lot of, a lot of crap for what's happened in the last few years, but at least he's trying to. And frankly, I am yet to hear a solution for the tanking situation that really would work.

[Colin Cowherd]

So your top five NBA title contenders is Oklahoma City, Denver, Cleveland, the Timberwolves and the Spurs. I may have the Spurs a little higher, but they're still young in spots. What's interesting about this group is you don't have the Knicks, who last year, when Cat and Brunson are on the floor, there is some defensive deficiencies. But let's talk, let's talk a team you don't have in the Knicks because I do. I mean, I like their roster. I didn't think they should have changed coaches. Mike Brown's fine. He's been around the block. What is it with the Knicks you don't like?

[Jason Timp]

So you know what's weird, Colin? I actually do like the Knicks more than I liked them last year. Like their core players are better. I think Josh Hart, Mikhail Bridges and OG Anunoby are both having better versions of previous seasons. I think Jalen Brunson's the best version. He's been They're a little deeper. Mike Brown has them playing with more of an emphasis towards dribble penetration early in possession, so they're generating more catch and shoot shoot threes than they ever had, which has been good for their offense. There's a lot of strengths there. They've had a higher defensive ceiling this year. But it comes down to two things. One, the rest of the league has also gotten better, which makes it really difficult to kind of get super enthusiastic. And then basically what you saw with Carl Anthony Towns last night is the biggest thing that stands in the way of me believing in this team. There is a huge difference between between being a physically limited defender and a mistake making defender. A mistake making defender cannot be planned for. It can't be coached around him twice yesterday, leaving a shooter when he should have emphasized the fact that the defense needed to take away the three cost his team a game. There were so many examples in the Pacer series last year of him like crashing off the top of the key and letting Pascal Siakam leak out for dunks because he doesn't understand transition defense principles. He's just a very sloppy, mistake prone defender and you can't make mistakes when the margins are that small. In the NBA playoffs, be sure to.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Is there I want to talk Lakers because you've always had I mean that's how I found you at the volume and a lot of your audiences you were a Laker podcaster. I've said before is that it's an uneven franchise and Rob Pelinka and there's it's a three and D league and they don't have enough threes or Ds and it's every it's like every player on the roster is more of an offensive leaning guy and I also believe like Steph Curry if your best defender D. Wade in his prime, Tim Duncan Kobe is a committed defensive player that it's easier to build a defensive if they're not Steph Curry had limitations physically then you have to build around them. So to me and I think Rob Palinka it's just an offensive everybody's offense first Austin lebron at this point Luka deandre Ayton I guess Jared Vanderbilt has some dexterity. He can you know switchable stuff. But my take is there an is there a quick solve with the Lakers and quick. I mean, with a new ownership group, two years, is there a quick solve?

[Jason Timp]

I think they could do it in two years, but they would have to hit on just about every decision they've made. Because, Colin, you know, for all the focus on the top of the roster, and I don't want to sit there and pretend it's perfect, there's some overlap between LeBron and Luka. Obviously all three of those dudes have their defensive concerns at this point, but the truth of the matter is their star power is why they're 33 and 21. The reason why they've won as many clutch games as they had, the reason why they've been afloat in the standings is because even though one of those dudes has been hurt all season, the other two have been great. The biggest problem is, is this roster is utterly devoid of jump shooting talent and athleticism. Down the roster, they are 25th in catch and shoot three point percentage. On a team that's going to have a lot of guys being thrown at Luca, thrown at LeBron, thrown at Austin. You got to have guys that can hit, catch and shoot threes and they don't. And they're 23rd in defensive rating. And I think where this has really started to mount up on Rob Pelinka is the misses. There have just been too many misses. Draft misses. Like wasting first round picks on Jalen Hood, Schiffino and Dalton connect and getting nothing out of those guys. Can't even play them or they're out of the league. Free agent misses. Jordan Goodwin was like a really important player for them last year. They let him walk because they didn't want to spend a second round pick to clear a roster spot, so they let him walk. Now he's killing it for the Phoenix Suns this year. Letting Alex Crusoe walk, botching their mid level exception choices every year on Kendrick Nunn and on Gabe Vincent. Like nobody's perfect on this stuff. Colin, it's hard, but no one's been as dreadfully bad on the margins and on every single decision the way that Rob Polinka has. And that just creates a massive talent disadvantage down the roster. Call it. They need three new starters. LeBron's going to be leaving. You need three new starters and they need to build out a bench. They have nobody on the roster who is both a good defender and a good catch and shoot player. Literally not a single one. They are at such a huge disadvantage in this department. Their only shot at upsetting anybody this year is just all three of their stars are healthy and hit some crazy top gear for two weeks. But that's really hard to win. Four playoff rounds and then LeBron will be gone and then you will have the same top end talent. They got a long way to go.

[Colin Cowherd]

So do the warriors who have fallen in love with keeping Steph comfortable. We'll wrap it here. The Kaminga story again. Kind of a. Kind of a G league ignite. Raw, athletic, never developed a great shot, not a good rebounder. A little hot and cold down low.

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[Colin Cowherd]

There were moments his length and athletic ability was good, but I didn't feel he was consistent down low. You would know more about that than me. But my take on the warriors is for years I thought what a great organization. Then there's the Kaminga mess. Who do we blame for that? Is it Kerr's system? Is too Curry favorable? Is it Kaminga didn't develop like it was an ugly mess. They really wanted it to work. The longer he was there, the uglier it got. Who's to blame on that?

[Jason Timp]

I blame the front office and Joe lacoup and it's kind of easy for me. The thing with Steph Curry, say what you want about the age and it does get complicated now. You waiting as long as you have Steph next year. Like let's say you make a move for Giannis this summer. Steph turns 39 next March. Like the time frame is now, is now just about over. But the point is, is he was worth investing in during these years. The hallmark of elite NBA Offense is a 120 offensive rating, meaning you score 120 points per 100 possessions. Last year when Steph was on the floor despite the inadequate offensive talent around him. 120 offensive rating this year. 119 and a half. Why? Because Steph still to this day just running around in circles, being the shooting threat that he is, is guaranteed to generate you a bunch of good shots. And that is why he was worth investing in. Do you remember in that 2022 finals when they were playing Boston? Yeah. Boston went up 2:1 and you and I were covering that series and we were talking about how Boston looked a little more talented, like there was a real talent advantage. Steph goes nuclear in game four, pulls it out. Lake of gets to look like a genius for not trading his young players. But in the following seasons it became pretty clear that they needed a talent upgrade. In the main year I look at is that 23, 24 season when both Pascal Siakam and OG Anano became available and the warriors could have made a move on one of those guys with Kaminga and some draft compensation, they could have won those bidding wars. They could have made that upgrade and competed for a championship. But Joe like it looked at Kaminga and he saw a star. And this is one of the most frequent issues that you see the tantalizing potential over the realist, the realistic outcomes that you have in front of you. And they always toed that line and tried to play both eras and the future era ended up being nothing. And now the current era looks like it's running out of time. And it I just blame the front office for not basically investing in Steph and believing too much in this young talent.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, you got a sample of how hard he works. His name is Jason Timf. Follow him at the volume. It's great, buddy, seeing you as always. We will talk now much more frequently over the next three months. And nice job.

[Jason Timp]

Looking forward to it, man.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hoops tonight is the podcast. That guy's a hustler. Listen, he is a Laker savant. He just kind of took apart limb by limb. Rob Pelinka. They just made too many mistakes. Now, in fairness, the Dodgers ownership group has got deep pockets and a lot of the money the Lakers should spend is in the front office. You go look at the and I mean, much like basketball, baseball is international. It's very complex, very sophisticated. The Dodgers just don't miss a lot. Now, Andrew Friedman is as sharp as any GM in the sport, but they just don't miss a lot. I the Lakers got very friends and family oriented. They need more eyes, they need more people. Outsiders. Albert Brear, Jason Temp, Colin. Right? Wrong. Good show today. Take a break. Live in Chicago, Herdline News with John Middelkoff. Around the corner, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. 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 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 bill 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.

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[Colin Cowherd]

See complete [e-mail] Disclosures breaking news not everything's terrible. We repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect is proof that the Internet hasn't ruined humanity entirely. Hosted by Jenna Kim Jones, it's funny and uplifting. Podcast spotlights the quiet, powerful ways people still choose good. Each episode features real stories of kindness, of barbers changing more than just their clients. Haircut of the secret life, of leftover hotel soap, of vending machines that dispense just the help somebody needs, like magic. If you're tired of outrage, if your thumbs are sore from doom scrolling, or if you just need a reason to smile again, this podcast is your new favorite Scroll Break. It's heartfelt, hopeful, a gentle reminder. Goodness is still out there. Surprisingly contagious too. So put down your phone, pick up your faith in humanity and join Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Colin Cowherd]

This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Big news. Aldi is now on Uber Eats and you get 20% off your first grocery order with the code NEWALDI26. So whether your fridge is empty and you're too tired to shop or you just ran out of essential ingredients in the middle of meal prep, don't worry. Fill your fridge in a couple of taps and get 20% off your first Aldi order on Uber Eats. For orders over $60. You can save up to $20. Ends February 28th. Terms apply. See app for details. All right, welcome back. Been a fun show today. When Adam Silver's coming out and he's like, I don't know what to do with tanking. I mean, baseball felt like it had seven things it had to correct a few years ago and Theo Epstein and Rob Manfred had like corrected them and they've all hit. You know what I've said about the NBA? I don't. Tanking's the only way to go from awful to good. So I guess I'm pro tanking because you've made it so hard to, you know, it used to be a, you know, it's like college football has become administrative. You know, you buy players now the NBA has become draft and developed. That's the only way to go from bad to good. In college football, Indiana went from irrelevant to a national title in two years because they wrote checks. It's transactional. It's administrative. So based on a CBA and pro sports, that will dictate how you go from bad to great or how many players you can keep. I think as the world's become more distracted, dynasties in hockey, basketball and baseball make sense. That's the one thing that you watch now is a villain in baseball. Jeff Passon wrote about this last week. He was right. Is that football's different. College football, pro football, it's different. It's one game a week, World Cup, Olympics every four years. You know, auto racing, you got your Indy 500, you got your big standalone events. But in baseball, basketball and hockey, you have these extended regular seasons. The way to make it work in a distracted country with more platforms and streaming and TikTok is dynasties somebody to hate. Nobody hates anybody in the NBA. The Lakers aren't any good. The Celtics without Tatum. Even when the Celtics won, they didn't really move the beaner. They weren't hateable. You know, The Larry Bird McHale fighting Dr. J and Lakers and the Pistons and tackling guys. You know, you had a love hate relationship with half the league. Here's John Middelkoff with the news.

[Jason Timp]

No, no, no, no.

[Public Ad Narrator]

Turn on the news.

[Jason Timp]

This is the herd line news.

[John Middelkoff]

I don't know if you're aware, Colin, but the NFL draft's only a little over two months away.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[John Middelkoff]

And the New York Giants, they have the fifth overall pick. And their new coach, John Harbaugh, gave some thoughts on potentially selecting star safety Caleb Downs.

[Colin Cowherd]

We favor hall of Fame safety. So if we have a chance to draft a potential future hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me. We'll take the best player. You know, when you draft that high, you take the best player. It's not a neat pick. It's the best player pick because you're going for the guy that's going to be that kind of a player. You're talking about a guy that you would like to see someday wearing a gold jacket if possible. That's what the goal is with that pick. That guy would be just fine with me. I'd take him in a second. Yeah, it's, I think the top. John. I don't know about rounds 2, 3, 4, 5. I think. I think there's a lot of good players up. I mean, there's 15, 16, 17 guys. I'm seeing Lemon, the receiver for USC at 12, 13, 14, and that guy feels like an automatic starter, 75 catch guy. There's a couple of edge rushers. I mean, I. That Miami guy, Ruben Bane, people don't have him top seven or eight. And I'm like, I watched a lot of Miami games. He was unblockable. The kid for Texas Tech, the edge rusher, Bailey, David Bailey, he was unblockable. I think there's a lot of elite players in the top 15.

[John Middelkoff]

I think one issue is you could argue two of the best players, Jeremiah Love and Caleb Downs, don't play premium positions.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[John Middelkoff]

You know, so if, if Caleb Downs was a defensive lineman, he'd probably be the number two overall pick because he is arguably the best player in this draft, not playing defensive line or quarterback. But, you know, I think the rule of thumb is you draft safeties later. The problem, if you're John Harbaugh you go, well, when I got to the Ravens, they had a guy named Ed Reed. He's in the hall of Fame. And then we drafted a guy named Kyle Hamilton who probably one day will be in the hall of Fame. And he goes, I view that position as a premium because I've seen it firsthand.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And I also think, John, there is an acceleration of the value of safety. Emman Warri in Seattle has been big. I think there's a handful. Kyle Hamilton's another. The way defense has changed in the NFL, it does feel like safety 10 years ago wasn't necessarily premium unless you had an Ed Reed. There's a lot of elite safeties right now in this sport that matter.

[John Middelkoff]

But I think, you know, personnel people would say, Eamon Worre, second round pick, you watch the Broncos Hufanga later pick, you can find those guys who are stars at that position later, where you cannot if you're the Giants. That offensive line column has been an issue for a while. I, that's where I would leave. Speaking of linemen, a lot of rumblings this offseason about Max Crosby.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[John Middelkoff]

And it feels like his time with the Raiders might be coming to an end. According to Mike Garofolo, he expects a trade not only to happen, but when he does, he puts the Eagles among one of the top three teams with the opportunity to pull this off.

[Colin Cowherd]

What.

[John Middelkoff]

And where do you think Max Crosby will be playing this upcoming season?

[Colin Cowherd]

It feels like if Buffalo could make it work, they don't have a Pro Bowler on their defense. Buffalo, I don't know if Kansas City could make it work. I feel like there's two or three really elite teams where he can be kind of a. I think Baltimore is another team that could use a consistent edge guy. I mean, I know the teams that are good that don't need him.

[John Middelkoff]

But how about your, how about your Bears?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, again, Caleb Williams rookie contract? John, I think that's as good an argument as any. I mean, the Bears have Montez sweat. And I did think the Bears, I think they need to draft. They need to get more athletic at linebacker. I think they need an edge rusher. Why not go in on Max Crosby? You got a couple years left on Caleb's rookie contract. I think he makes the Bears in that. In a top four super bowl discussion.

[John Middelkoff]

I would imagine that the, if the Raiders do, you know, pull the trigger and trade them, they're going to send them to the nfc. You know, the Chiefs, they, they would never probably trade. Even though the Chiefs would be very Interested, you know, the Bills. Now, granted, they're not on the same timeline, but you look at the Bears, you know, Howie Roseman, I mean, the 49ers used to be, you know, rivals because of, you know, geographical circumstances, but now they're gone. In Vegas, not as much. Tom Brady's in charge. I. I do. The Lions would be a team, I think, a lot of benefits. What about your Rams? They have the 13th overall pick, so they have a lot of draft capital because they also have their own pick, so they listen. I would say, well, they don't necessarily need a defensive lineman, but he is, John.

[Colin Cowherd]

He is on a short list of the most respected players by GMs in the league. If you took that quarterback and you asked GMs, give me 10 guys you'd love to have in your roster, regardless of cost. His ability to play hard in a bad culture for multiple coaches at the highest level. Every. Every executive I've ever talked to is like, I'm a Max Crosby guy. It's almost like Christian McCaffrey. 400 touches. Catch it, run it, block it. There are a handful of players in this league. It's universal. Not every talented guy is beloved. Crosby is going to have some suitors.

[John Middelkoff]

Well, it's pretty rare, too, that you get a defensive lineman that is viewed with elite character. Aaron Donald, you know, so when you check that box, I think the amount of people coming after him this offseason will be a long list of teams. Okay, let's. Let's end with a man named Michael Jordan. To nascar.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[John Middelkoff]

Where it feels all that's right in the world that Michael Jordan is a champion again. And obviously the team he owns. They won the Daytona 500. Here is the call and the checkered flag and Michael afterwards.

[Colin Cowherd]

Chase Elliott, NASCAR champion, most popular driver, trying for the win. And Redick to the top side. He's got help. Riley Herbst, his teammate. Redick drops to the bottom alongside Elliott. In the wall goes Herbst, and Tyler Renick comes to the line.

[Jason Timp]

Wow.

[Colin Cowherd]

A shower of sparks behind him. Unreal. I mean, we just hung in there all day. I mean, we.

[Jason Timp]

Great strategy by the team, and we gave ourselves a chance at the end. And look, I'm ecstatic.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, I don't even know what to say. It feels like I won a championship, but until I get my ring, I won't even know.

[Public Ad Narrator]

All right.

[Colin Cowherd]

What size ring do you wear?

[John Middelkoff]

Did you tell 13.

[Colin Cowherd]

That is good for NASCAR. Is that not great for NASCAR?

[John Middelkoff]

That was cool. You know, the thing with Michael, for a Long time after he got out of playing and he owned the Bobcats. He always looked miserable on the sidelines. He never looked like he was having a good time. So unless you play golf with them, you might. You didn't see him smile that much. That enjoyment, that smile. He knew his ring size when he was being interviewed after size 13. How is LeBron gonna have to buy a. A NASCAR team to try to catch him now? I think, Michael, he's got the six. Six rings. He's won the Daytona 500.

[Colin Cowherd]

Pretty. Not even.

[John Middelkoff]

Only Brad Doherty a couple years ago, another North Carolina basketball player who has won the Daytona 500 as well.

[Colin Cowherd]

So isn't that crazy? MJ's hot. The first Carolina basketball player to win the Daytona 500. Yeah, that's good for MJ. I saw that yesterday and I'm like, this is. He's really into it. You know, it's like a southern thing, man. It's. The reality is, I know a lot of those Southern athletes, man, they grow up with this. They are sitting there with their families watching that puppy every year. It is a big deal. Look how happy he is.

[John Middelkoff]

I mean, he's just so fired up.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's just so excited. That's great, John, with the news.

[Jason Timp]

Well, that's the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. They asked Michael about car racing and he's like, you know, and I. When I think of the Indy 500, he's like, that's my family. Sit and watch that forever. And was it there? And there's another NBA player. Was it Larry Nance? There was another NBA player with a connection to auto racing. Is that Larry Nance? I think it was Larry Nance. I had Albert Breer on earlier today. We were talking about. There's. There's an NFL analyst that came out and I thought it was the first red flag on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. That was very viable, basically, in terms of taking sacks and holding onto the ball. Fernando Mendoza's comp out of college is Justin Field. So. And Justin has struggled. And the primary issue is too many negative plays and too many sacks. And so if you look at the guys and the quarterbacks in the NFL last year that took too many sacks, held onto the ball too long, too many negative plays. You know, it was like Geno Smith, it was Shador Sanders, it was J.J. mcCarthy. So now I think he is a higher rated prospect, it feels like to me, than Justin Fields. But a lot of people like Justin Fields coming out of college, so I. It's Albert Brer. Earlier on Mendoza.

[Jason Timp]

The comp I like best is Jared Goff in that, you know, he's got a nice natural stroke. He's really accurate, he could take hits, which, you know, Goff has shown that he can do that. And he comes from one of these offenses that's spread out, relying on RPOs. So he does have a learning curve with golf. What did that mean? It meant his rookie year was a disaster under Jeff Fisher. Right. But then once Sean McVay got a hold of him in 2017, now all of a sudden you saw the stuff that you saw at Cal with Mendoza, who isn't a perfect prospect and I don't think is quite the prospect that Caleb Jaden or Drake were a couple of years ago.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. For the record. Thanks staff. Larry Nance senior and drag racing. That was it. So, yeah, we'll see on Mendoza. We got two months to go through this thing. I also, you know, the reality with drafting is everybody gets nitpicked. One of the guys I've depended on for years is Lance Zerlein is a radio host in Houston and his dad works in the NFL. He does a great job for NFL.com his draft previews are just totally buttoned up. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. You know, it's. It's often the same teams at the top of the draft. I think one of the teams that of all the teams in the draft that I really think are in a good spot, I think it's the New York Giants. They definitely need a right tackle, but they could move down to middle first and get that right tackle at the. There's three to four to five offensive tackles. Most start at about Fano at Utah is about 8 or 9 or 10. There's a couple early one from Miami, one from Utah, but there's three other offensive tackles in the first round. And I think the New York Giants who need a right tackle, I think they need another perimeter weapon. I'd like to see them upgraded corner. I think the Giants are in a great spot where they have one absolute need, right tackle. But that's available mid late first round and early mid second round. So I think, I mean the Giants are in a good spot. They've got their one weapon on the outside, their left tackle, their quarterback, a star back and edge rushers. So the Giants to me are a team, it feels like they could move down more than what they could go 5 to 9 and then 9 to 12 and accumulate 4th round picks, 3rd round, 5th round picks so I think it's going to be a really fruitful next 12 months for the New York Giants draft preseason. Keep Jackson Dart healthy, get him better upfront protection, another perimeter weapon, another tight end. Interesting year for the Giants. That that's the team I'm going to keep my eyes on the New York Giants. Other teams like the Raiders, they need a quarterback. Jets need everything. Yeah, you could give the Jets 15 draft picks. I'm not sure they're going to solve their current dilemma. All right, J Max back tomorrow. John Middelkopf, thank you so much as always, capably filling in Jason Timp, Albert Breer, we'll see you tomorrow. It's the Herd. Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT and T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal.

[Jason Timp]

So bring us your bill, walk in.

[Colin Cowherd]

Run in, Hogo sticking, teleport. If you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or flying 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 Note Network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd/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. Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more@electric for all.org Wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees from the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage. Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. Wasabi Driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than the other guys try for free at wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network when segregation was a law.

[Jason Timp]

One mysterious black club owner, Charlie Fitzgerald, had his own rules.

[Colin Cowherd]

Segregation in the day, integration at night. It was like stepping in another world.

[Jason Timp]

Was he a businessman?

[Colin Cowherd]

A criminal? A hero? Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him. Charlie's Place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jason Timp]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.