Will These Playoffs Determine Who Is The New Face Of The NBA? 

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Visit Chevy.com to learn more. It's another hour of the program, and it's great to have you with us on this jam-packed Tuesday. Rich off getting ready for, dare I say, a tradition unlike any other. Hello, friends. Rich Eisen running the show at the NFL Draft live from Green Bay. So, I am doing my best not to implode in the studio and destroy the brand he has worked so hard to establish. Phone calls taken selectively.

844-204-7424. Your best way to have your opinion heard and expressed is to hit me up on the X platform. That's B.W. Weber, Weber with two B's.

A lot of me in the first hour, and depending on your perspective, that could be a good thing or not such a positive development. We'll rectify that coming up in 20 minutes. Draft analysis provided by one of the best in our industry.

It's Nick Baumgartner from The Athletic. I'm going to give you a quick nugget on a mock draft that I respect coming up. And then we'll jump right in talking much more NBA after the focal point of the monologue to start the program was. I refuse to allow myself, and maybe this is therapeutic as someone who grew up living and dying with the Knickerbockers in the suburbs of New York City. This team is precisely, and I know I'm going to be Denny Green knocking the mic off the moorings. Denny Green, who I covered at my alma mater, who once I said it's a four-back attack, he said, I like that.

We should trademark that. What a good man the late Denny Green was when I was 20 years old. Made me feel important. We are well aware of who the Knicks are, and we don't have to let them off the hook. Now, the good news is the Pistons didn't let them off the hook after they did in Game 1 when the Knicks finally awoke from their slumber at MSG. And peeled off that 21-0 run. They couldn't duplicate the effort last night, and we should be giving a lot more credit to Gay Cunningham. And that young team bolstered by the veteran leadership of one of my favorite players in NBA history. Mostly because, as a fill-in host, you appreciate somebody who is versatile and available. And if the phone rings, he says yes, and in fact, if you traded, you don't even get input. I think I am the Dennis Schroeder of guest host, because Dennis Schroeder has played for every team in the NBA.

Now, look it up during the break. Only nine precisely, but man, wherever he goes, that guy finds a way to make an impact. Huge three knockdown yesterday, holding the Knicks rally at bay. He plays tough defense. He was ready to fight, because everybody on the Pistons is ready to go. But more to the point, this is the Knicks story over and over again. It's all Brunson all the time, and he just does not have the help he needs. And I had doubts last summer when the deal got done between the Knicks and the T-Wolves that Karl-Anthony Towns was the right fit for that team.

And I'm not taking shots at Kat. I realize he's a remarkable talent, but it comes down to fit and situation. And you had to wonder why Minnesota was willing to part with him. Now, a lot of that came down to Doe. He makes a ton of money.

Some of it availability. He had injury issues in the past in Minnesota. Not a tremendous defensive player, which seems antithetical. That's a big word on a Tuesday.

Seems to be in contrast to what Tom Thibodeau wants to do. I understand that the Knicks felt like they had maxed out with that core with Julius Randle in the paint. Still, if the whole point was to, quote-unquote, go all in to get Kat and Mikael Bridges, both of them have to show up when the game's in a critical spot.

Neither of them did yesterday, and I'm going to continue just to hammer away at the MIA. Missing an action performance by Karl-Anthony Towns. Just ten points last night. Only took three shots in the second half. Played the entire fourth quarter.

Did not take a single shot. And the pesky gritty Pistons have ripped home court from the Knicks. Which gets us to the team that was willing to trade Karl-Anthony Towns. I'll skip my thoughts on the Clippers because I don't want to destroy the program.

It's a national platform after all. But you don't have to be right hour back to figure out if, and this is a massive if, this is like saying if Anthony Davis can stay healthy. If somehow, some way Kawhi Leonard can stay upright, stay on the floor, it's playoff claw all over again. He willed the Clippers to that win last night. Should have taken game one. He put them in position to win that game. I'm not saying he's not complicit in the gag job when they blew the 15 point lead in part because of all the turnovers. But they weren't rattled because he's been there done that. Finals MVP twice for two different franchises. 39 last night. Only missed four shots from the floor. And I don't have a rooting interest.

I'm just looking for good stories to talk about. This one it feels like it's going seven. And I did say, because I don't think I stutter, I enunciate too much. I did say if Kawhi can stay healthy, I would give him a shot against OKC and I'm not taking anything away from the Thunder. I keep saying and I move on to other teams because I'm trying to stay employed on a national platform. We should all be talking more about the Thunder. I filled in for Rich on Christmas Day and couldn't believe because I talked NBA that day. Because I'm always going to talk NBA, even though the NFL hijacked that holiday with a triple header coming up this year. To me, the NBA still has a role to play on Christmas Day. The Thunder didn't even get a Christmas Day game this year when they had five matchups. Wall-to-wall basketball. They wrap up the year with the best point differential in NBA history.

Not only can they fill it up with SGA who's going to win the MVP and depth up front with real legitimate old school big guys like Holmgren and Hartenstein who the Knicks certainly miss. They play unbelievably tough defense as well, leading the league in defensive efficiency. And if you don't care about any of those numbers, they did the unthinkable and won by 51 over Memphis the other day. So I am aware of OKC. I'm not saying the Clippers win that series. They got to get past the Nuggets first.

I'm saying they could make it very interesting and I'm trying to focus on teams that have a legitimate chance of winning it all. The cynic in me says it's OKC and then maybe the Clippers. And I understand Warrior fans are shouting at the radio. Laker fans are saying, who is this guy and why is he barking at me?

I will give you my explanation coming up. Weber in Verizon 8442047424 and the East, not to be too much of a reductionist, is all Cleveland and all Boston and that's it. And the Cleveland story and we'll talk about this in the final hour of the program.

Coming up with Eric Pinkus, a bleacher report is a remarkable one. They've had winning streaks of better than 15 games twice this year. And it's not just Donovan Mitchell.

I like saying spider, so I feel like I'm in Goodfellas or Darius Garland. They're getting it done with a team concept. Still, I want them to demonstrate they can achieve the same level of play in the postseason as they've done in the regular season, because that is how it works in the NBA.

Couple things are truisms. You do not win an NBA championship without one Hall of Famer on your roster. And for years, the exception was the Pistons that shocked the Lakers 20 years ago. And now you see what Rip Hamilton was able to do when Chauncey Billups has always, in my mind, been someone who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. If we're looking at Cleveland, I don't know that Donovan Mitchell is a Hall of Famer. So back to those rules I come up with in my head, who has a legitimate chance of winning it all?

Secondarily, you've got to earn your bones in the postseason. We rarely see a bolt out of nowhere for a team that didn't earn the scar tissue of going through the battles of playoff wars in the past. That's my only question about OKC. And I understand they were in the postseason last year. Remember, because no one talks about this franchise, and I shouldn't because I think it's a sports crime that Seattle got that team stolen from them. But again, I'm trying to stay upbeat. OKC was the number one seed in the West last year.

So they do have some playoff experience, but conventional wisdom says you have to have a unit that's made a deep run together before you embrace them as a team that can win it all. OKC is checking every box. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich Eisen.

Hit me up on the X platform. It's B.W. Weber. Weber with two B's. I will keep this more concise than my comprehensive, supersized open an hour ago because coming up in 12 minutes, more NFL draft thoughts with Nick Baumgartner of the athletic. I mentioned at the top of the hour I was looking for a mock draft from a football journalist I respect. It's Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated. And I said in passing and now, of course, I'm picking things that are going to support my argument.

I'm a bigger fan of Jalen Milro than other people are. And again, I am not an NFL draft analyst because I don't live in a basement and I moved out of my deceased mother's home when I was 21 years old. There are people who do this for a living, but I do get paid to have opinions. And if I have any credentials hanging around for 35 years now, it's my NFL work and NFL network tune in and other places.

So at least I can tell you the right direction to go as you form your own opinion. So I went to Connor's mock draft beyond Cam Ward at one. Travis Hunter going to Cleveland at two, as we speculated, which is the overall consensus right now. And he has the Giants doing what they should do and taking Abdul Carter number three. He has his second quarterback coming off the board all the way down to number twenty one. And it's Jalen Milro. Now, here's where Milro gets polarizing. He didn't win consistently in the pocket at Alabama.

OK, I think that's a skill that can be learned. And if somebody is capable of learning, it's the guy who won the academic Heisman. Jalen Milro is a bright, engaging dude. It's the same award that Justin Herbert won at Oregon.

Tim Tebow won it years ago. So he's got all of the intellectual firepower that you need in addition to the leadership skills. Oh, by the way, the guy runs a sub for 440. He is not comparing him to Lamar Jackson.

He's Lamar Jackson fast. I'll just put it that way. So I have no emotional investment in this. And I'm not an SEC guy. Look, I'm still bitter. The Pac-12 is dead.

It cost me a lot of money, but I know talent when I see it. I'm higher on Jalen Milro than other people are. And it's interesting to me that he is willing to adore the psychological scars that might be acquired by sitting in that green room and having the Aaron Rodgers experience back in the day. He is going to the draft.

He's going to be there Thursday night in Green Bay. Doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I like the confidence. And I like the notion that if he doesn't get picked in the first round, he will sit there.

He will conduct the interviews, and it's a reflection of his character. All that was a forward promotional device to let you know we're talking more draft in ten minutes. I'm also stalling to a degree because I know my tendencies, and I'm trying to check myself. I'm trying to make sure I do not make this Nick Laker talk for three hours.

Now, I should, and I hope the phone doesn't ring during the break, because when you fill in, you get that fill-in handbook that says, play the hits, my man. So, for example, I'm just going to acknowledge that Damian Lillard's coming back for the Bucs tonight against a Pacers team that has controlled things head-to-head against Milwaukee going back to last year. But remember, in the postseason when the Pacers made that unlikely run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Milwaukee had injury concerns surrounding both Giannis and Dame. And that's been the huge problem for this team since they made the big swing to get lowered. Although, if you think about the ripple effect, how much do they miss Drew Holliday, who's been a huge element in Boston's success beyond the 1-2 combo of Tatum and Brown, and Boston being the best three-point shooting team in NBA history, which is saying something because the NBA now is all threes.

It's all from beyond the arc or nothing at all. Boston has done very well in terms of understanding the fit that the defensive skills of Drew Holliday would bring them. So, I'm hitting on the Bucs and Pacers quickly. I gave you my thoughts on the Thunder. I think the Milwaukee situation is relevant in terms of the future of Giannis and De La Cumpa. Let's say the Pacers are able to replicate what they did last year and knock out Milwaukee again early.

So, one and done again. Is Giannis going to stick around in Milwaukee? And I understand he's already signed a long-term deal and he said all the right things in the past about loving that community.

But you know how it works in that league. If you're a superstar and you want out, you get out. And maybe you don't wind up in your preferred destination, Lillard. I was on Damian Lillard watch all time, all time level during the summer filling in for Rich.

We thought it was a foregone conclusion. He'd land in Miami. Not the case because the Blazers held their ground and got a better package from the Bucs. Jimmy Butler wanted to go to Phoenix.

Well, that worked out very well for him. The Pat Riley was the OG and held his ground. And here's Jimmy and Steph looking like a new version of the Splash Brothers. We'll talk about Golden State coming up in the final hour of the program. But there's more to the NBA than the Knicks and the Lakers. Still, the most interesting game coming up surrounds what's going to happen about 15 miles from where I am as I come to you from our Regal Studios in Southern California.

It is the Lakers and T-Wolves game 2 tonight in downtown LA. I am not only old, a double nickel. I am old school. So when I watch a game, especially when I know I'm filling in for Rich, I write out notes on a pad. Handwritten thought, kids, because, hey, the Wi-Fi may not work.

What do you know? And it just helps me organize my thoughts. So I was watching that game and I'm writing question marks like Nas Reed.

And I looked up. He went for 23 in part because Minnesota's bench annihilated the Lakers reserves. And that's the issue for the Lakers all season long.

Yes, Niko Harrison losing his mind at the directive of ownership. Remember, for all the fat shaming surrounding Luka Doncic or saying he does not play defense, in my estimation, this was primarily a move motivated by saving money. The Mavericks did not want to pay him the supermax. So they cost him about 100 million bucks in terms of the next deal.

Luka's young enough, he's got time to make it up. But they were handed a transformational player, gave up virtually nothing in return. Yes, that changes everything for the Lakers. But as we see on a game in, game out basis in the playoffs, you need more than your big two.

There's got to be somebody else as a third option. That's my issue with the Warriors. They didn't need a third component in their win over Houston because I think the Rockets were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment over the weekend and staff was doing stuff like things. Remember, Houston was held to 85 points, their lowest output of the entire season, and could not buy a bucket. That wasn't all about the Warriors defense. I think Houston got tight.

But it amplifies the point that I'm hoping to make. You need someone beyond your two stars, and I don't know who that's going to be for the Lakers. Now, if you're a believer in Austin Reeves, you can tell me he's capable of getting hot.

I understand. But he was a second round pick for a reason and just did not show up when the Lakers need him in game one. In fact, the bench tally, the tale of the tape, was Minnesota on top by 30 points as they destroyed the Lakers in that area. They were as physical as they should have been when you think about the defensive mindset of Rudy Gobert. And I thought it was an indictment of J.J. Redick who said after the game he was a little bit surprised his team didn't match the physicality, the rough and tumble style of Minnesota, and said essentially Lakers weren't ready for the physical brand of ball that Minnesota's going to play.

And my question is, why were they not ready? Isn't that the very reflection of coaching? J.J.'s done a better job than I thought he would because I posed real questions about a guy who had no experience on any level, and got the job primarily because he was LeBron's buddy and podcast co-host. I'm not bearing him for what he did in the regular season.

He's exceeded my expectations. And yes, you get Luka, everything changes, but I thought that was a reflection of not only a lack of preparation from J.J. and his staff, it was a lethargic, uninspired effort by the Lakers who made me believe that, okay, seeding matters. Or were the Lakers?

We got all those banners, including the very prestigious in-season tournament at Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA. To a degree, they just weren't ready to play. That's on J.J., that's on the players, so I expect a very different outlook tonight. But, oh by the way, because Minnesota was so sluggish to start the year after the Carl Anthony's town trade to the Knicks in the off-season, if you've not been paying attention, it's my job after all to fill in the blanks here, best record in the NBA since March 1st. Your LA Clippers, the second best record, the Timberwolves. They've gotten hot at the right time, and I didn't even mention Anthony Edwards.

Because I don't have to. That's how interesting this roster is. And remember, Minnesota made it all the way to the conference finals last year. They are not intimidated by the Lakers at all, so I hate to be that guy turning up the hyperbole machine, but yes, this is must-win for the Lakers. If they go down two games to none, it is over.

It is over here in Southern California. I'm Brian Weber with the series and shifting back to Minnesota. In for Rich Eisen, quick parenthetical there, 844-204-7424 is the number to call, or hit me up on the X platform, B.W. Weber, Weber with two B's. Today, Bears GM Ryan Paul says he expects the draft to be, quote unquote, a little wild with more trades than we've seen in the past. Is that how things are going to play out starting on Thursday in Green Bay? We'll find out when we say hello to Nick Baumgartner of the Athletic. I'm Brian. In for Rich.

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Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. Season premiere 24 and 24. Last Chef Standing. Sunday, April 27th at 8. See you first on Food Network. Stream next day on max. Welcome back to the Rich Eisen Show Radio Network.

Brian Webber with you. I'm sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger has the right product for you. Call clickrainger.com or just stop by. 844-204-7424 is the phone number.

Or you can shop it up on the X platform. My handle is BWWeber. Webber with two B's. Let's keep the NFL Draft conversation going. Pleased to be joined by someone whose work I enjoy as a subscriber to TheAthletic.com. And looking forward to saying hello for the first time.

It's Nick Baumgartner. Nick, thanks for taking the time. How are you? Good. How are you? I'm doing well because I think we're all on the clock.

Especially with the gift of sitting in for Rich who will be leading the festivities in Green Bay once more this year for NFL Network. Nick, the audience had to endure a long-winded anecdote about my career 20 years ago. I'm based in Southern California. I got exiled to Washington State covering Cougar football and basketball. And I bring that up because that's how I first became aware of Cam Ward and his incredible story coming out of incarnate Ward. The only school that offered him a scholarship because he played wing-T football in high school. So that's the back story. We know what he's done since.

What are the Titans getting if in fact they take Cam Ward with the number one overall pick? A really unique player I think. And you mentioned the back story.

And I think that's a huge part of the evaluation with him. Because this guy who grew up playing basketball. He was a point guard. His mom was a coach.

A girls basketball coach. A successful one too I believe. So he was a basketball player for a long time. Transitioned to football like you mentioned.

Was a wing-T guy. But has all this kind of sneaky athleticism and a ton of arm talent that I believe one of the old Texas Tech coaches who recruited Mahomes was the one who found him. And you know away he goes from there.

And the real rub with him. I mean every stop he got better at. I mean he is one of the rare examples I feel like of a quarterback who's played a ton of football. And got better at something or more than a few things significantly every single year. There was no you know while he was about the same this year or maybe a little bit worse here or there.

Like it was better every stop. He transferred twice. Came into two different programs at Washington State and Miami.

And immediately had impacts there and left there with everybody saying nothing but great things about him. So I think he's a really unique player. There's a lot of things that he needs to iron out still. And you know I think his experience as a quarterback is a little bit less than what you'd see normally from a guy. You know we're talking about the number one pick in the draft. So I think that that in some ways maybe even encourages coaches that we still haven't seen his best football yet. He has improved so much over the last five years. And it's fair I think to suggest that that improvement could continue in the NFL. And he does have all the traits to handle it.

It's just a matter of if he can clean up some of the things he needs to clean up in time. We're focusing on the NFL Draft with Nick Baumgartner of The Athletic. Check out his outstanding work at theathletic.com. Be sure to subscribe.

It is a fabulous resource for all sports fans. So if we have a sense of all of those positive for Cam Ward and all of the potential that he could bring the Titans. After that it gets extraordinarily subjective. And Nick we know that's the case every year in the draft.

But it just feels like it's even more crystallized this year. So for example what's your assessment of Shadore Sanders? And where do you have him landing?

Yeah I like Shadore. I think it's a misnomer from a lot of people that are either super high or super low on him. I think he's a good player. I think he's you know in this draft especially I think he's certainly a first round pick.

But I don't think that he's a guy that I would give you know a top ten grade on necessarily. I think that there's more you know for him that he's gonna have to overcome than if we compare it to Cam. I think he's obviously smaller. I don't think he has quite the arm talent that Cam has. I don't think the ball sort of pops out of his hand the same type of way.

But it's solid. He reminds me a lot of Bo Nix. You know he's got functional athleticism. Can get out of the pocket when he needs to. Can make throws off platform without losing any arm strength all that good stuff. But there's still you know question I think with him about you know number one he didn't play a ton of great competition there at Colorado or Jackson State more or less. He played in a really collegey offense up until more or less the last half of his last year there.

You know had Travis Hunter the entire time all that good stuff. So I think that there's a lot of a lot of stuff with him in the pocket from a footwork standpoint, mechanic standpoint. And then just sort of understanding that you know you've got to be able to not run yourself into sacks. Not run yourself into trouble.

Not get frustrated if something doesn't go the way you want it to go. Immediately I worry about him if he were to go to a team without a lot of talent around him. I like him for a fit like Pittsburgh.

You know somebody like that. I don't know if he'll make it that far. Pittsburgh might have to move up. But I like the idea of hey bring a veteran in and if he wins the job he wins the job. But there's going to be some players around him. You're not going to have to completely you know overload him and put everything on his back. It's going to be a lot obviously but I think the more talent you can put around him the better it's going to be. I worry you know about a team like the Giants because I'm not sure they can protect him. And I think at this level you know he wasn't protected well obviously at Colorado and it did not go well.

He took too many sacks and a lot of them were his own fault. He got a little you know not I wouldn't say scared but a little jumpy there in the pocket at times. And then you add all that together with the lack of size I think that that causes some concerns. But there's still a lot to like there. There's more to like than there's not. And I think that that's the thing that I take away. And he's also a pretty calm guy on the field and you know a guy who's used to being around winners right his whole life.

So there's a lot to like with Chidor. I just think I just don't know if I'd be willing to do it there in the top 10. Nick Baumgartner of The Athletic is our guest. I'm Brian Weber in for Rich Eisen. So Nick with the variable of trades being the unknown and something we can't account for. Do you have Chidor as the second quarterback coming off the board?

And how many QBs you project to go in the first round? I do. I think he's QB too here. I think he's the second best guy. I think that you know you've seen some people say that you know that maybe they think they like Jackson Dart a little bit a little bit better. There's something to be said about Dart's size. You know he's a bigger player and still a very good athlete. Dart has a nice arm as well.

Tyler Schuck same kind of conversation. But I think Chidor has more talent in terms of an ability to get out of the pocket and make things happen and create a play when there's nothing there. Also a guy who I think his mindset you know really should translate well to the NFL once he finally gets into a pro locker room. So I think he's QB too and really that's the big question about how many are going to go off the board. I think we've spent so much time just focusing on the top two there. And a lot of folks have just said oh that's going to be it and there's going to be a lot of guys at the top of the second round.

I'm not so sure that that's going to happen. I wonder about Jackson Dart and even Tyler Schuck and then maybe even Jalen Milro if a team gets sproggy a little bit there right with a guy like that. I wonder if all of those guys maybe have a chance to sneak into the back half of the first round. And with Dart I mean you know shoot if Chidor goes to like the Saints they're in the top 10 it would not shock me if Dart's off the board by you know 20 somewhere in there.

Pittsburgh wants to do that or one of those teams wants to move up into the teens and get him. So it's not a bad quarterback class. I think that that's the thing to remember here. It's not a great one. It's not what last year's was. But you know I saw a lot of people sort of comparing it to the Kenny Pickett Desmond Ritter year and it's much better than that. There's some guys in this group including the guys we just touched down also. Paul McCord, Quinn Ewers I like those guys. Guys that have a chance if you can get them in the right situation get some good coaching around them.

They'll have a chance to do some things in the NFL. We're getting you ready for the NFL Draft with Nick Baumgartner of the Athletic. Nick prior to you joining the conversation I passed along some thoughts about Jalen Milro. And just to be transparent I like him a lot on a personal level. I've seen him interviewed an engaging charismatic young guy. I mentioned that he won the academic Heisman.

So here's somebody who's a leader who's getting it done in the classroom as well. I understand that's all part of the overall analysis and it really comes down to what you do on Sundays. How much apprehension do you have about Jalen being somebody who can consistently get it done in the pocket because we know mobility has been a huge part of his foundation? Yeah that's the big question is can he become a functioning quarterback in structure inside of a pocket in an NFL offense? And obviously you can do some things with your offense to tweak it to make it a little easier for him.

Jayden Daniels is a great example of that. Washington did a great job with that last year giving him some things that he was used to in college to sort of ease the burden. I think you can do some of those things with a player like Milro but he does need quite a bit of time here. I'm not sure that all the issues he has from a read standpoint, how his feet work in the pocket, how he sees the field.

He can get a little bit too antsy to get out of there and run first, throw second type of thing. So I think that there's a process that needs to happen still with Milro and if you're a team that has the time. I love his fit possibly with a team like the Jets. The Jets just signed Justin Fields, we'll see if that works out well for him. But if you can put Milro in an offense that Fields is running where you know there's going to be some called runs and some design things like that. Put him in there, let him learn, don't rush him. But I think in like two years time you could possibly, without squinting, have a guy that's like a souped up Jaylen Hurts. You know Milro is a legit 4-3, 40 guy. I mean you could also put Milro in your offense right away and use him as a runner I think next year. If he's not ready to play quarterback he's certainly ready to get out there and run. I mean he is one of the most electric ball carriers in this class regardless of position. So all the traits there I think really really intrigue everybody. It's just do you have the time in a league that really doesn't give a lot of time for development? Do you have the time, do you have the right roster to handle it? I think is the biggest question.

But you nailed it too. I mean he's a military kid. You don't hear a whole lot of stuff about him that's not a great kid with a great attitude. That's all you ever hear and I think he's a guy that has enough stuff that teams will be willing to bet on him and roll the dice however much of a gamble that may be.

Character certainly matters especially when we talk about the quarterback position. Let's make the move to running back where Ashton Gente leads the way coming off the huge numbers he put up at Boise State. Are you concerned at all about his size and how long do you think he's going to have to wait to hear his name called on Thursday? Yeah I'm not concerned really about much with Ashton Gente. He's a fantastic talent.

You know you can go over every which way. I mean he is a little small in some cases but I think in a lot of ways that lack of height there sort of works well for him as he's so low to the ground. I don't think he's going to make it on the top 10. I'd be shocked if he makes it beyond like 12 to Dallas might be the absolute floor there. This guy I mean he reminds me so much of Ladanian Tomlinson with everything he can do from across the board.

It's everything. You can leave him on the field all for all three downs in any scheme and any anything you want to do if you want to run the gap stuff and get heavy and go downhill you can do that. If you want to get outside he can do that. He's a good pass blocker, a great route runner out of the backfield. He could also get out and run routes if you want to move out the slot. I mean he was a receiver for a stint in high school and a quarterback actually in high school. He was just a very, very smart, capable and explosive football player who just finds a way to get it done. He's one of these guys who's fast but never looks rushed. He's always in his own time, controls the pace somewhat of the game and is just insanely difficult to tackle.

So I put him up there in the category with Gibbs and Bijan from a couple years ago. There's some people that you'll talk to that say they think he's the best running back we've seen since Saquon. So I don't think he's going to have to wait very long at all and I think whoever gets him is going to get a really, really good football player. They should not worry about what his position is one way or the other because he's one of the rare ones who I think can give you more than just 20 carries and that's it.

I think he can do quite a bit for a team. And we saw that throughout his body of work at Boise, especially that non-conference game against Oregon in addition to what happened in the college football playoffs. Spotlighting the NFL Draft gets underway on Thursday. Rich Eisen will host, of course, on NFL Network. And we're chatting with Nick Baumgartner of The Athletic. Nick, final thought on the Playmakers spot. Go back to last year, Marvin Harrison Jr., first non-quarterback taken, selected by the Cardinals with the fourth overall pick. Let's take Travis Hunter out of this equation given that he is one of one. How deep is the wideout position this year? How many do you think could go in the first round? Wideouts or not, this is not the best wideout class we've seen. It's a little lower.

It's not bad, but it's not nearly as deep as what we've seen in recent years. I think Ted McMillan is clearly number one here, and I think he's a guy that should go in the top half of the first round somewhere. Could be a top ten, might slip out based on lack of overwhelming speed, one or the other. And I think that there's probably, you could see four to five, I think, that could go in the first round. But all these guys, Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbuka, Luther Burden, and Jalen Noel, I really like a lot from Iowa State. All those guys could also slip, too, into the second round.

That wouldn't shock me at all. So you've got guys like, you know, Golden is a little small, but he's a sub 4.3 guy with electric speed, was awesome at Texas last year, and just about everything they asked him to do. I love Emeka Egbuka, not the most explosive athlete you're ever going to find, but also a guy who reminds me a lot of Amunras St. Brown, the great receiver for Detroit. Luther Burden has got a lot of Debo into his game, and I think that people need to overlook, you know, it wasn't his best year last year, but it was also not all his fault. So I think you've got guys that are nice complementary pieces for an offense that can really help quarterbacks, but not a lot of guys in this class that I think are going to blow anybody's doors off, or change the way a team plays like we've seen in recent years.

We'll see that again in a couple. Most of the best receivers in college football right now, they were true freshmen or sophomores last year, so I think that those guys are all on their way up, and this group is more of a workman's class, more or less. And just think about what Jeremiah Love is going to generate in terms of interest when he's available coming out of Ohio State. Nick, as I mentioned at the start of the conversation, I enjoy reading your work on the athletic. Greatly appreciate you taking the time today, and those were terrific insights. Thanks so much, Nick.

Absolutely. Thank you. Anytime. Our pleasure.

Nick Baumgartner from the athletic, and this was not conditional, this was not part of having him on representing the athletic, but I'll just throw it out there unsolicited. In a world of so much noise and so much stuff floating around, quality information is worth paying for. I don't get a cut, I don't get the vig on this, but I subscribe to the athletic because every time I log on, I'm learning something. Now, as an aside, it is a tax deduction.

Don't tell the IRS that I have other sites that I put on that docket as well. But every time I go on the athletic, I'm picking up something useful, and Nick handles everything in the written form so well. I thought he'd be terrific in an audio setting as well, and he delivered. I'm Brian Weber, in for Rich Eisen, 844-204-7424 is the phone number, or you can pass along thoughts on the X platform, that is B.W. Weber, Weber with 2B. It's just one more guest along the way, and our hour and 20 minutes remaining together coming up at 2.20 Eastern Time in the final hour of the program.

More NBA conversation with Eric Pecas, a Bleacher Report, coming up. Restrictions apply, see V of A dot com slash golf with us for complete details, copyright 2025, Bank of America Corporation. Hey there travelers, Kaley Cuoco here. Sorry to interrupt your music, great artists, BT dubs, but wouldn't you rather be there to hear it live? With Priceline, you can get out of your dreams and into your dream concert. They've got millions of travel deals to get you to that festival, gig, rave, sound bath or sonic experience you've been dreaming of. Download the Priceline app today and you can save up to 60 percent off hotels and up to 50 percent off flights. So don't just dream about that trip.

Book it with Priceline. We're going to tip off the final hour heading in that direction coming up in 12 minutes. And we'll bring in Eric Pecas, a Bleacher Report, national hoops rider for that outstanding outlet coming up at 2.20 Eastern Time.

If you're not a fan, this is a one day only appearance. So thanks for hanging in there, understanding that it is a monumental challenge to live up to the expectations that have made Rich one of the leading broadcasters in our industry, plus the camaraderie of the crew. I'm doing my best not to burn things down. Speaking of safety transition, don't let that urge to sing along to that catchy tune distract you from that truck drifting towards your lane or that lane splitting biker creeping up beside you. Fortunately, every Hyundai offers available class exclusive advanced safety features that can alert you to potential dangers around you and Hyundai has over 130 IIHS Top Safety Awards since 2006 because Hyundai is always working to ensure the road doesn't get you.

IIHS Top Safety Awards include Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick plus awards to Hyundai vehicles from 2006 to 2025. With more MBA coming up and more NFL analysis, we will get into the predicament that whoever drafts Travis Hunter, and I do think it'll be Cleveland at number two, there is a little bit of a negotiation that's going to have to happen because Hunter is steadfast in his belief that he can do what we have not seen the NFL since the 1950s. I keep throwing out Chuck Bednarek, the last full-time two-way player for the Philadelphia Eagles a million years ago.

There's a reason nobody has even tried it other than you have packages of plays for, say, Deion Sanders at wide receiver. And we'll talk about this with Travis Hunter coming up to start the final hour of the program. But it's going to be fascinating to see the internal conversations with a guy who has, like Joe Hayatani in baseball, developed an identity that says, I want to be a unicorn.

I want to be one of one. And I think it's part of what makes him so special that he has that not only physical gift to log all of those downs on the field, that high snap count, but the mental fortitude in terms of preparation and execution. That's why he's an amazing athlete and seems like a high character young man as well. Certainly deserved to have his number retired at Colorado. I'm not going down the Chador Road right now. Remember, last time we saw him on the field, it was Colorado getting annihilated in the Alamo Bowl.

But if you have the right father, you too can have your number retired at your alma mater. But since we're talking about young guys on the rise like Travis Hunter, who is going to bring so much excitement to the NFL, and Cleveland could use a buzz because, after all, they're the Browns, just have some outlook of positivity and hope and optimism. Although, remember, they're not that far removed from making the playoffs with Joe Flacco. As long as they have nothing to do with Deshaun Watson, unfortunately, they're on the hook for a lot more guaranteed money. But once you get past the yada, yada, yada of the worst transaction in NFL history, there's a lot to like about the Browns. That's a solid roster. If you want to make the case that Abdul Carter could be drafted at two instead of Hunter, what would the one-two punch up front of Myles Garrett and Travis Hunter look like? Complete beast mode up front. But since we're talking about young guys on the rise, it does feel like an intriguing potential inflection point in the NBA, based on the opportunity presenting itself in this postseason.

What am I talking about? Well, Steph Curry's 37. LeBron, I don't even look at his age anymore because he's a cyborg. The guy will play as long as he wants to. They have done a remarkable job, especially Steph, given his slender physique and all the question marks surrounding him coming out of Davidson about could he survive the NBA understanding.

It's not the wars of the 1980s, even 20 years ago with the Knicks and the Heat fighting. It's a different league. But you wondered, could he survive playing 82 games and having to defend a little bit in the NBA?

And of course, he has done it because he's a transformational talent. But let's say the Thunder do what I think they will do, at least in the minimum, make the final. Let's say the Thunder win it all because statistically they should. Based on some of the remarkable metrics that we've seen them put together, among them, the best point differential in NBA history, does SGA become the face of the league?

Or let's say Minnesota maintains their momentum, knocks out the Lakers, makes a surprising run all the way to the NBA Finals after they reached the Western Conference Finals last year. Does Anthony Edwards move into that coveted spot? How about Luca? We forget how young he is. I'm not burying the Lakers yet.

I have a lot more question marks than most people do here in Southern California. But what if Luca gets this team another banner hanging in the Raptors? Does he become the face of the league? So I think that's one thing to file away in terms of what's going to happen in the NBA, what's on the line in terms of legacy. Our number three coming up, back to the NFL Draft on the Rich Eisen Show. We'll be right back.