Kurt Warner: This Is A Solid Quarterback Class In The NFL Draft

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Sunday, April 27 today. See you at First On Food Network. Stream next day on Max. The season begins tonight. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Live from the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Pittsburgh Steelers select. Good to see you, Adam Schefter.

In my mind, Mike Tomlin likes Chidor Sanders. Earlier on the show, NFL Network insider Ian Rappaport, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Coming up, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner, ESPN NFL Draft hosts Reese Davis and Mike Greenberg.

And now it's Rich Eisen. Hour number three of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Day two of our three day residency here in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's draft day, draft night tonight here in the home of the Green Bay Packers. We just had a fun two hours.

Ian Rappaport, Daniel Jeremiah, Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. If you missed any of it, we re-air on the Roku Sports Channel. There's also our podcast all three hours. You can get us to listen to us whenever you want on demand. There's our YouTube channel as well. YouTube.com slash Rich Eisen Show.

There's many ways for you to take in this show. And we greatly appreciate you doing that. Hour number three kicks off with my buddy, my Hall of Fame friend here in the town where it all began, where Steve Mariucci cut him.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kurt Warner. That's right. I'm going to clap. Yeah, it was a quick beginning, but it all began. That's one of my favorite Hall of Fame moments is when Holmgren was on the set with Mooch and you and they were all like, no, it was him.

Right, pointing fingers, you know, like, you know, it's always it's always going to be Mooch, but I don't really know, but it's always going to be Mooch. It was just great. You're sitting there in your jacket in Canton, Ohio. Behind us is the museum where your bust is residing forever.

And there are the two coaches who are blaming each other for cutting you. Oh, it was awesome. And I was happy for you.

And I'll see Ron Wolf and he'll walk by me, you know, at those different things. It was Mooch, you know, like it was Mooch. Like that's that's what everybody says. It was Mooch.

It was like that Spider-Man thing where all three Spider-Men are just. Yeah, right, Jeff, you, it's your fault. Right. You know, and I thought of you, too.

I passed a Hy-Vee on the way in here. Oh, there you go. It's all the makings of your journey are all over this town right here, man.

Sprinkled along the way. But just again, another reminder of how crazy difficult it is to evaluate quarterbacks in this league, you know. And so how do you evaluate this quarterback class? I'm sure you've grinded all the tape in advance of tonight, Kurt. I have. And you know how I am, Rich, is that I'm not the huge draft guy.

I know that. Because I believe all of these guys have to get better if they're going to be great at the next level. So what we're evaluating is how good they were in college, which I get it.

That's that's all we can do. And I think this is a good, solid group of college quarterbacks. Like, you know, you can go seven, eight deep of guys that had really good college careers. And so, you know, where a lot of people are saying, oh, this is not very good class, I disagree with that.

I think it's a good class, a good, solid class. But the question becomes, who's transcendent? You know, who can be a guy at the next level? And especially when you look at where our league is right now. I mean, if you go down team to team throughout the NFL, we have got a handful of teams that need quarterbacks. All the other teams, maybe outside of the Rams, have younger starting quarterbacks that have a long way to go in their career. So it's not, you know, we're not in a QB needy league right now in terms of a bunch of teams looking to get their guy.

There's only a handful of teams out there. And so that, to me, is the question with this class is, can one of these guys become that Tom Brady that, you know, elevates his game when he gets to the next level? Because when you watch him, nobody maybe outside of Cam gives you that, OK, this guy's got that chance, you know, to do something special. Everybody else is kind of in that same mix. So you do separate Cam Ward from the rest?

I do, yes. You know, and simply because for me, it's, you know, that unique ability he has to create with his right arm that I don't think the other guys really have. And so with that, it gives you that caveat to go, OK, maybe all those other things are the same, but he gives us something that could be special, that could be different. And, you know, I don't know what you've seen on tape from him says, oh, yeah, surefire going to be a star at this level. But I do separate him because he's got some uniqueness to the playmaking ability that he has and what he can do with his right arm that he intrigues you from that perspective. Well, and speaking of unique, first time we've ever evaluated a quarterback who we first met as a child when he was hanging out on the set of Game Day, you know, years ago, it's kind of wild talking about Chidor as a draft prospect and what's going on with him. What is your evaluation of Chidor Sanders? Well, I mean, the first thing is I think he's the most accurate quarterback in this draft. You think so?

I do. Yeah, I mean, when he sets his feet and throws the football, he throws a very catchable ball, he throws a very accurate ball. And you know me, I'm I'm a firm believer that if you can be accurate with the football, that gives you a chance, you know, every time you drop back. But again, with all of these guys, there's things that he has to get better at, you know, that he's got to be more solid in the pocket, you know, and we can sit back and go, well, was it because the offensive line struggled so much that he got uncomfortable? But that's something that he's going to have to be better at. He's going to have to process information faster than he did in college where he held onto the ball for me too long. You can't do that at this level, especially because he's not the great athlete that is going to be able to live in that athletic, creative world.

So he's going to have to get the ball out. So I like a lot of things that he did in college, but he's going to have to get better at this next level. And that, again, is where it says, you know, all the intrigue is does he go in the first round?

Does he not go in the first round? I think it stems from that stuff is that there's some things he does that are really, really well. There's some things that he has to be better at at this level.

So what does that mean? Does that mean he is a number, you know, a first round draft pick, or does that mean he's a guy that needs a little bit more development? Is he second on your chart? He is second on my list. Just because of the number of plays that he made, the accuracy that comes with it.

You also know firsthand, I mean, for anybody who watched you, you know, or your movie, you got to be able to take a hit and stand in there. And if I mean, there's there's no question about that with him. And offensively, he was asked to carry the team like it wasn't as if they had, you know, all these great guys up front. He could hand the football off. They had a great, like, it was on his shoulders to make play after play after play. And that's another thing that I don't think people really understand is how difficult that is. When you know every game you're going into, you're gonna have to throw the ball 40 times.

And if you're going to win, you're going to have to play well. And so I think there are definitely some things that you like about him and that were different about him than the other guys. But there's also, you can look at other guys and go, well, maybe he does this a little bit better than Chidoor. And maybe he does this a little bit better than Chidoor. And so that's where, to me, the evaluation comes down. He was second on my board, but I could see a team going, oh, I like what Jackson Dart does in this area a little bit better than what Chidoor does. And I could see that, you know, close. So does one team choose him over Chidoor? I could definitely see that happening. And it really comes down to what's your flavor?

What are you looking to do and how do you feel they fit your system? What's your flavor? If teams knocking on your door and saying, Kurt, you know, we're not taking a first round quarterback. We just can't, we got too many other holes or whatever, whatever it is. But Friday night, we're really in the quarterback game. And we were saying like, hey, all things being equal, you choose who?

Well, again, I mean, I have Chidoor number two, so I think just in an overall general perspective, I would probably say him. But the other thing that's always a caveat for me is, you know, I don't get to get in a room with these guys. Right, sure.

Because that to me is the most important thing is tell me, well, just tell me why. Take me into the tape. Tell me what you were thinking, what you saw. If I draw this play on the board, what's your mindset right off the bat? I want these guys to think fast and process fast. And that's what I don't get a chance to do. And so that's always a disappointing part because I only go off of what's on tape. And then off of tape, now you have to look at college football and how it's built. The number of screens that you throw, the number of RPOs.

So which team is drafting these guys? Because that would be another question for me is fit is understood. But, you know, this is not nuanced. No, I need an answer. Well, I mean, again, you know, because Chidoor is number two on my board, that's probably where I'm going. So let's take him out of the mix. He's gone.

OK, so who's next? You got Dart or you got, you know, everyone, people talk about Milro with a huge ceiling. The analogy I heard was lottery ticket when you when you draft him.

Yeah, I mean, so I don't know. Again, with him is that the first thing I'll say is his throwing ability in certain games that you watched is better than I think people give him credit for. And so I think that's a huge upside to go along with the playmaking. But his technique too often, you know, created missed throws for me.

So I just that would be a hard one for me if if I was expecting this guy to play within the next year or two would be hard for me to go that route. You know, I think it's either Jackson Dart or Tyler Shuck would be those two guys. And Shuck intrigues me because I love his feet. I think he's got a live arm.

He's got, you know, a lot of traits that I really, really like. And I noticed at the combine when he was done, our cameras caught you in shock, chopping it. What was he picking your brain about? If you know, I was talking to him just a little bit about technique because there were some throws that got away from him with technique, footwork, footwork, footwork stuff, finishing throws. You know, there were times that he lets his feet get away from the throw because he can because he's talented, but it also costs him a lot. So we were just talking about some of those things of instead of worrying about impressing somebody because I can throw off balance or I can throw with my feet going this direction, make every throw by working to get your feet in the right direction, in the right position to throw.

And so, yeah, we've had a little bit of conversation since the combine on some different things that I saw when I was watching tape. So I like both of those guys, and I think it would really come down to when I sit in a room with them, I want to pick their brain, see what kind of football people they were to separate them. But those would be my next two that are in the mix. What about McCord and Howard, the two Ohio State guys in succession here? I mean, Kyle McCord, I really like, you know, again, I think the caveat with him is he threw more than anybody in college football.

So there's going to be more mistakes. There's going to be, you know, more turnovers for a guy like that. But I thought in what I call intermediate throws, so like 10 to 20 to 25 yards. I thought he was the best thrower in this class at continually making those intermediate type throws. And so he was asked to carry a team, he was asked to throw every time out, really like him. I wonder the physical upside, you know, the throws down the field when he's, you know, off platform, can he create those kind of throws at the next level? And then Will, you know, I watched Will play at K-State with my son, Cade, for a couple years, where I thought a project as a thrower. Then he goes to Ohio State, was forced to be more of a thrower there. I thought he made great strides.

So I still think there's room for him to grow. My biggest thing with Will is I'm just not sure he's a natural thrower. There's some guys where it's just easy and natural. Other guys are trying to, you know, create those throws. And that's my question with Will is, is he that natural thrower, which is what I'm going to always want at the quarterback position, where it's just fluid and it's just normal. And they make the throws that they're supposed to make every time.

And he didn't always do that. And then there's another guy. I mean, we just mentioned the two guys who followed C.J. Stroud in Columbus and the guy who was with C.J. Stroud in Columbus and Quinn Ewers coming out of Texas. He's there too. What's your evaluation?

Well, and there's the flip side. Talk about a natural thrower, a gifted thrower of the football. Throws with great touch. You know, sometimes people go, it's too much touch. I don't think that's a thing as long as the ball gets there. So there was a lot of really, really good things that I liked about Quinn Ewers, which I wasn't sure when I went into the tape what I would see.

Really liked a lot of the stuff. Because he's a gifted thrower, his technique would get away and that would cost him at times. But I think he is one of those guys that somebody's going to take a chance on because of the physical ability. And if he can clean up, you know, some of the things, you know, technique-wise, I mean, I think he's got a chance.

Now, before I let you go, man, because this all leads to something that I think we've talked about multiple times when you've been on the show, Kurt, which is most of these players will not... Cam Ward's starting week one. We can make that... We can pretty much say something as declarative as that. The rest of the class don't know. These guys usually do get, you know, pushed up a little faster. It's the development. Like, these guys could be great quarterbacks down the road. But how do you develop these guys, man? And so, you know, there is no Arena League.

There is no Amsterdam Admirals. Those are, again, talking about the DNA of your journey. So I'm an owner in the NFL. I am now... I'll send my jet for you. Oh, thank you. You're welcome.

Appreciate that. I'm sending my jet for you to come speak to the membership at the National Football League and say, you tell us how to change the rules or what to do to develop quarterbacks in this league. Kurt Warner, you tell me the... Because I want to do... Like, if I'm drafting these kids tonight or tomorrow night or Saturday and I know they're going to have to play, how the hell am I getting them ready?

So I want to know. It's a great point. And I would say the first thing is you've got to give me more time with my guys in the offseason. You know, even if it is just that position or, I mean, it's just there's more that goes into playing quarterback and that you have to work on that you just can't do it during the regular season. You just don't have time to really do it.

Or, as you're alluding to, we need another league. Like, I often, you know, in my journey, you know, started here in Green Bay and I was cut by Green Bay. And I tell people all the time, from the day I was cut in 1994 from the Green Bay Packers until the day I retired from the NFL in 2009, Brett Favre did not miss a start in the National Football League. He did not miss a start in the National Football League. And the reason I say that is because had Mooch not cut me and had I made it with the Packers, I'd have never played football. You know, I would have played a few snaps in a preseason game here or there.

And we know Aaron Brooks and Matt Hasselback and some guys that went on from Green Bay to play in other places. But I went and played arena football and I went and played in Europe and I played more snaps than any backup quarterback in the history of time over that period of time. So when I got my chance in 99, I was so ready to play football. I had played so much. I was seasoned, I was confident in who I was and I could hit the ground running. And it's why in my first season I was able to win an MVP because I was ready as a player and it only came from those snaps and those opportunities to be on a field and experience those different situations, which guys have no chance to do right now. And you also know there's no patience in this league either. And so when you get your chance, you better be ready.

If you're not, you're gone. And so, I mean, I have been a proponent for years of the NFL figuring out a way. I mean, NFL Europe. I mean, how many, you know, Super Bowl quarterbacks? You know, I played with Jake Delome over there, played in the Super Bowl. And Rich Gannon, who played this, like, so many guys that, you know, cut their teeth in that league and they came back and they had great careers in the National Football League, that there needs to be a training ground for certain positions. And the NFL, to me, has to figure it out. And, you know, I know it's hard to say because I just talked earlier about, look where the quarterback position is in the NFL. But you also know from starting a backup in this league is a huge, huge crevice between, you know, what that talent is and these backup guys that never get a chance to play. I believe another league would only help to strengthen that position.

Yeah, man, I'm plus one on all that. And plus, you and I are personally seeing the, you planted the shoots back in the day with NFL Europe. We're going all over Europe right now calling games. And there are diehard fans because the sport's been around there for a long time.

And plus, if you weren't in NFL Europe, how in the world would you wind up on the Iron Throne so willingly, Kurt Warner? There it is. There it is. There it is.

And the Queen of the North right there. That's right. Okay. Right there.

Kurt of House Warner. That's it. Right there.

There it is. Is that the real Iron Throne? Okay, so what I understand is there were three Iron Thrones that were used in the show. Sort of like Lombardi's. Yes. And one of them was gifted to Croatia, and that is the one that was gifted from the show to Croatia.

So I guess, yes, it's a legit Iron Throne. Fantastic. So when you tell me shame every single Sunday morning. I did. I ran. I ran the shame steps. I did. Did you really? I did.

Yes. I ran a couple of mornings. I know I didn't have clothes on behind you. I did have clothes on. I wasn't ringing a bell.

No, but I did run the steps. And Rich, and by the way, I ran the shame 40. You'll see the content of that on Saturday. Rick's funny thing, Kurt's blood in there was, you know, I won MVP my first season as a starter. That was a flex. I love that. That was just kind of facts.

Emphasizing a point. This team will rally behind Kurt Warner. That's what we're going to do tonight on NFL Network. Good to see you, sir.

All right, buddy. Can't wait. While you and I are on NFL Network, the gentleman behind your right shoulder are going to be on ESPN and ABC doing the same thing. My longtime buddies Mike Greenberg and Reece Davis are here together. Next, we're making this a tradition on a draft day. This is awesome. Don't go anywhere.

Reece and Greeny when we come back on The Rich Isaac Show. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today.

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A Minecraft movie only in theaters. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show on the Roku Sports Channel, our radio audience will rejoin us for a simulcast. My buddies Mike Greenberg and Reese Davis are here, the hosts of the NFL Draft on ESPN and ABC, respectively. It's so funny when you're like, which seat do we sit in? And then you mentioned how if this was the old Sports Center days, the man with the most tenure or lady in the case of Linda would choose where he or she sat. You'd have to take the other one.

That's the way it's correct. So Reese would have gotten to choose before me. And where would you have been in that? Which have you started at ESPN? He started before. Yeah, a little bit before Rich. Oh, yeah.

Reese and I used to do the two a.m. quite a bit. And he was the veteran. I say this every time I embarrass you, I'm sure. But you invited me over to your house for Thanksgiving.

You know, my first year there, I was by myself up there in Connecticut. You opened the door. You were so gracious, man. You were so awesome to me at the very beginning.

And I just, you know, always will never forget that. Well, I appreciate we will have to have you guys come back and do it again some year. But we're both pretty busy that time of year.

It would be awesome. I mean, I appreciate the fact that our friendship has carried on, even when there have been occasional gaps in communication. I mean, it's like we pick up where we left off every time. And I appreciate that. That's the way it feels with old time. Well, this has become a nice tradition. It has. And I appreciate you guys.

Because if there's anybody who knows what preparation goes into it, it would be me and you guys for me as well. There's just a lot going on. But I just so I always remembered, you know, Stuart loved the seat to the right, looking at the camera. So his camera left. That's where that was his seat, because he had tenure.

He was on ESPN2 for many a year before I showed up. And then I think you liked the other seat, right? I did usually, but it wasn't a big deal. What is a big deal to me is in my 30 years at ESPN, I'm a left ear IFB guy now on game day, you double ear. I've done one show right ear and I was totally discombobulated. I could sit in the other's thing.

I forgot my IFB. They only had a right ear and I was turning the wrong way all night, man. It was I remember all of that, man, especially, you know, back in that day, back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network here with Mike Greenberg and Rhys Davis here, that, you know, Dan Patrick was the with a seat that I sat in when I was with Stuart. And if ever did with Dan, I had to sit in the other seat. I would be ping pong and left and right for the first few years of my career, because that's that was who was decided, you know, back. I was sitting in the ESPN news studio with Dave Feldman, just wishing that I could come over and be in the SportsCenter studio with you guys.

I would have I would have been delighted to sit in any of the seats. I think I was hired just two months before you. I got there in September of ninety six. I got there in February of ninety six, six. So I think I was the last hire that got thrown directly on SportsCenter because there was the advent of ESPN News.

Yeah. Back in the day, we were like a pledge class like that. We we started ESPN News. There were, I think, eight or nine of us who started at the same time. And it was really sort of like joining a fraternity together with people who did not know each other at all.

And now here we are thrown together and we all have remained friends to this day. It's a nice little trivia question. The only two left from that original group at ESPN are myself and John Butchigross.

Butchigross. And I love watching him with hockey. I mean, you know, I love watching it so much. He's tremendous. I mean, he lives it.

He breathes it. He's all about it. You know, I just love it. Now, look what you guys are doing for the company.

I mean, it's not just, you know, what you do in the mornings, what you do on the weekends as well for the company. It's kind of, I mean, I watch that. My kid wakes up, my coop wakes up and he's watching you every single Saturday, you know, watching on game day. And, you know, it's really cool what you guys have done for the Walt Disney Company at this time. Thank you.

It's nice to say I sent Reece and the guys a note last summer. I was having sort of just this little sad time that my dog died and I had never had a dog. I'm sorry. Yes, it was horrendous. However bad I thought it was going to be, it was ten thousand times worse.

Yes. And so I was feeling very sad. And we were on a little vacation right before the football season started and we were in Colorado. So I walked into a restaurant for a very early breakfast. And, you know, the hours are so off, it didn't even occur to me. And I looked up at the TV screen and you guys were on.

You were in the earliest the first game. I think it was in Dublin. Yeah.

Dublin. Yeah. Yeah. Pat McAfee was still hungover, but I sent you guys a text and I said, you know, something about seeing you guys on there made me feel like all is OK with the world. Like it really did. Like there was just some things in life that make you feel like, all right, there's still something left I can count on.

You guys are sitting up there on Saturday morning talking about football. And so I think that show has become that. And so that was that was a nice moment. That's just what I thought of when you were saying that.

And it's the truth, though. But, you know, that's the key to succeeding in our in our business is to be surrounded. My guys here to my left here on this show.

And obviously the guys I'm surrounded by and the ladies I'm surrounded by on game day morning, on Sunday mornings on NFL Network, what you do on get up, what you do on, you know, a college game day. What you did with with Golick back in the day is people want to connect like they want to be. It's a hang. You know, you see that with McAfee's guys, too. Right.

I mean, like that is that's the key. And Corso, he's got one more year left. Is that basically he has one more show, one more show. He's going to have a farewell show wherever we wind up.

Week one that's yet to be determined. And he's going to be 90 years old by the time that show comes around. And we'll celebrate him the way he should be celebrated. He's he's the cornerstone and all the things you mentioned about that show connecting with people and them making it a part of their Saturday morning and feeling that love and connection with them. It's because of him.

I mean, he loves the show and the sport and the people involved and the people who cover it and play it and coach it. And, you know, I mentioned this when we announced that he was stepping down, that I think it would have been very easy for him because Fowler did such an unbelievable job with that show for 25 years. And when I came in, it would have been really easy for Elsie, even though I knew him, to go, OK, let's see how it goes. Not that way.

OK, here we go, sweetheart. We're going to kill him. You know, I mean, he just that's the way he is. He's like that with everybody that comes in open arms and the show will be different without him. But at the same time, I think the things that he has sort of made part of the fabric of that entire show are going to be there permanently. I mean, he's he's the reason that it has succeeded the way it has.

Yeah, I mean, they're putting on the headgear and the and the college kids going crazy behind him. My favorite Corso story and then we'll get to the draft for tonight. My favorite Corso story comes from Rod Woodson, who I worked with for a million years on NFL game of NFL Total Access on the on the net. And he tells a story about how he got recruited. And, you know, he's from Indiana. And I asked him, why didn't you go to Indiana? He went to Purdue, as we all know. And he said he was recruited by Indiana and he opened the door one day to his house. And standing on the other side of the doorstep was Lee Corso and Corso like rings his doorbell. Rod Woodson opens it up and it's Lee Corso saying, son, I've just been fired as the head coach of Indiana University.

On my way over, I heard it in the car on the radio. That's how he learned it was done. And he goes, but it's still an amazing school and I think you should go there. Wow. That was what his pitch was.

Yada, yada, yada. He went to Purdue. But it was still just amazing that he's like fired on the way over to see one of the generationally brilliant players to ever emerge from that state. And he's still trying to you should still go there. I mean, that's what he said.

It's really it shows the kind of man that he is. And it flies in the face of something that Dick Vitale told me one time, somewhat in jest, a little bit. But Vitale said, you show me a coach who has been fired and says he still roots for that school.

And I will show you, insert adjective, liar. So if there is if there is if there is an exception to that, it's LC and I believe I believe that story and I believe he meant it. Now I got to tell my favorite Dick Vitale story. Well, let's hear that because, you know, Dick Dickie V would be doing tons of games before Sports Center. Right. And he loved giving Stewart a shout out with me, like who's come up next? It's Richard Stewart. You got to stay tuned.

So, you know, cut to being handed a cardboard box by ESPN in 2003. And so I'm on my honeymoon with Susie, who you guys know, and where I'm driving on the A1 in Italy, white knuckling. OK, there are many, many, many small cars riding my rear bumper because I'm not going fast enough. My cell phone goes off. Susie answers it. She's like, hello, like, oh, my gosh, yeah, hold on a second. She hands me the phone, which you would never like if I had answered the phone, she would like read me the right. She had I'm like, who is this, the president? It's Dick Vitale calling to say how upset he was that I was no longer with ESPN and wishing me the best of luck. Wow. And I'm thought to myself a million things, which is I'm driving in Italy and Dick Vitale is calling me right now.

This is the coolest thing of all time. He couldn't have been nicer also. Dick Evey, you know, he remains that way. I mean, there are so many things about ESPN. Look, we make a thousand decisions a day.

Obviously, some of them are probably not right. But the way we have the respect with which we have treated these legends have been there forever, like Lee Corso and Dick Vitale and some others, Cliff Drysdale and many others who built the place, Hubie Brown, Hubie. Say Hubie, my favorite analyst of all time, foul shots, three to make two. And then I love when he would laugh at things that only he thought were funny.

And I say this with I mean, nothing but respect. He was my favorite analyst in any sport ever. I don't think anyone ever taught the game better than he did. I think that's among the things we've gotten as right as anything else. Let's talk about the draft. I've got Mike Greenberg and Reece Davis here.

Greenie, let's go first. Do you think the story of tonight is going to be what? Well, I was listening to your conversation with Kurt Warner. It would sort of be cliche to say the story is where Ishid or Sanders is going to go. I don't think it's cliche. The conversation began with the Giants taking him at three and it has morphed all the way to will he still be available tomorrow night when the Browns are picking at 33?

And the honest answer is I have absolutely no idea. I feel like if Aaron Rodgers were, well, at all committed to the Pittsburgh Steelers, then I would feel like there was a better chance that Chidor slides all the way through the evening. I say this just based on, as an observer, I'm obviously not, I'm not an expert on that. I'm not an insider, but I can't imagine the Steelers coming out of this without a quarterback. If you watch the interview that Aaron did with Pat McAfee, and we just lived, you and I, through the Aaron Rodgers experience as a jet fan for the last two years, say whatever you will about him. He does not sound like a person who was excited to go play there. He didn't sound like a person who was ready to play, commit. I think he would definitely get excited to play there once he's now through whatever else he's thinking about in his life.

Playing in Pittsburgh, one last shot, you're playing the NFC North and the AFC East, you get to take one last stroll through the NFL against the teams you'd love to beat and you used to beat quite a bit. I think he would get into it, but I understand what you're saying. He didn't sound like a guy who was ready to commit.

That's what I mean. Unless they know something that we don't, if I'm them, I'm getting a quarterback. To me, it feels like if Sanders is there at 21, I feel like the Steelers would take him. I base that exclusively on my own opinion and not on any insight or knowledge that I have.

I agree with you and I also think it's the story of the night. I don't think he'll make it all the way out of tonight because if the Steelers were to pass on him, I think then it might set off a chain of events of something we haven't seen yet. A lot of trades and people trying to get into the first round at the end of the first round to get him, which I'm optimistic about his success, but I actually also think that's about the right place to know later in the first round, later in the first round, and I'm not so sure I don't feel that way about all of the quarterbacks. I don't blame Tennessee for taking Cam Ward, a lot of ability, upside is there for sure, but overall, big picture, great quarterback prospects, probably the second half of the first round for all of these guys at best and most of them the next two days after that.

Well, he had a front row seat for the last two years with the Colorado Buffaloes, that's for sure. I don't know, man. I look at Travis Hunter and I think to myself, we can't comp him. There's no comp. That's why Andrew Berry mentioned Shoei Ohtani as a comp, what are we talking about here except the most unique, which I know is redundant, talent that we have seen.

There's no comparison, which is why I don't know. Did we go through the season? Did you go through the college game day season looking at Cam Ward, not to put you on the spot, saying that's the first overall pick in the draft?

No. I like him, big fan, thought he was the best quarterback in the country this year. Number one overall pick, I'm a big Drake May guy, maybe I'll be proven wrong about this. I liked May better than the other two that went at the top last year, but I don't see them that way. That doesn't mean, to Kurt Warner's point earlier, that they can't develop and become that. I don't see the traits on both those guys with Cam Ward, Shidoor, that show that they could have success in the NFL for sure. I'm not doubting that for a second, but to say that you're going to...

I know it's not as expensive as it used to be, but to stake your franchise at this point, it's tough. I'd take Travis Hunter. I would take Travis Hunter first overall if I were in there, or I would lobby for it.

I did an essay, by the way, this week that I thought was interesting, but Hambo, Paul Hamby-Ketis, who does our research, is just phenomenal. What will happen tonight is Cam Ward will get drafted, and then maybe we'll wait a long time for Shidoor to get drafted, and the narrative for tonight will be, woe is him, how sorry everyone will feel for him. The reality is, being the second quarterback taken in your draft class, in recent memory, is by far the best thing that can happen to you. If you look at last year with Jayden Daniels, you look at the year before that with CJ Stroud, the last nine MVPs in the NFL have all been quarterbacks.

It's five different people. None of them were the first quarterback taken in their class. This past year, nine quarterbacks started a playoff game for the team that drafted them. A combined total of zero of them were the first quarterback taken in their class. While tonight is a very special night, it's just one night, and then what really matters is what comes next, and at least in recent memory, being the first quarterback in the class has not always worked out so well. And then you could also say the second overall pick has been the star of the draft, and Travis Hunter could be that again after Jayden Daniels last year, and then before that, CJ Stroud on top of it, and ask Lamar Jackson how his long night paid off for him.

You know what I mean? Right. He's sitting there on top of his stacks right now with two MVP trophies and an annual shot at the Super Bowl. You guys are locked in on the NFL more. He's going to win one, if not more than one before it's over. He was so phenomenal in college, and every little thing that you might look at and say he needed to improve, he did. But he already was well-coached in college by Bobby Petrino for whatever.

People might have the visceral reaction when you say that name. But Lamar is a guy that you look at with all these skills and then still did all of the work to elevate right there. He's become a guy that's easy to root for. I think you're like, okay, this guy's so good. He's got to win a Super Bowl. And Allen was in that same class, and of course is outstanding, and Baker was the first quarterback taken that year, and Sam Darnold was the second. So I think the point remains the same.

One of these guys, it'll be determined by where they wind up, by the coaching they get, the circumstances they wind up, and not by what number is attached to their name when they get drafted. Well, I know you've got a show at four, but let's finish the show together. Top of the hour. Are you guys cool? Sure. I've got lots of good time. Especially since, Reese, if you don't mind, a moment for the Jet fans in a quick second.

Reese Hall's name is out there as being trade bait, and he has tweeted in response. This episode is brought to you by Chevy Silverado. When it's time for you to ditch the blacktop and head off road, do it in a truck that says no to nothing. The Chevy Silverado Trail Boss. Get the rugged capability of its Z71 suspension and two-inch factory lift, plus impressive torque and towing capacity thanks to an available Duramax 3.0L turbo diesel engine, where other trucks call it quits, you'll just be getting started.

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Get started at linkedin.com slash jobs, finding where you fit. LinkedIn knows how with COVID and also with red shirt and with three transfers, three different schools, seven years, uh, basically between now and when you left high school in Arizona, and then the, the bone breaks at your 25, how do you respond to those who ask you about your age and your injury history when you're being interviewed by these teams? Yeah. I mean, I think it's an advantage. Um, like I said, I've kind of had a crash course of the NFL. Um, you got guys who are going to get cut, you know, injured in the NFL, they're going to get benched, you know, booed when you come in and, you know, I would have loved to have a three year illustrious career in college and everything go right, but then I would have maybe had a different sense of entitlement or things were always going to go my way. And, um, I feel much more mentally and physically equipped to go out there and handle the task because I've gone through it. Um, if anything, I'm more athletic than I ever have been and has been better shaped. Um, I've just had the bone breaks and, you know, as a 25 year old, um, like, as like you see with Bo Nix and Pennix and Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield guys are kind of really getting into their stride, um, after they've kind of gone through some stuff and then you got MVP, MVP level play by Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers well into their late thirties and Stafford playing his butt off. And, um, I think a lot of teams just kind of recognize that. And I feel like I'm the most pro ready guy in this draft class, um, just with everything I've been through and my physical tools, um, and hopefully teams, um, are on the same page with that. Bravo, Tyler Shuck. That's a heck of an answer.

And I'm not just saying that, that you're giving me an answer. That was a, that was clearly, um, something born out of experience and born out of what you've brought to the table here. Do you, um, have any plans for draft night yet? Yeah, we'll be in a, we'll be back home in Arizona, um, with some, some close family and friends just hanging out there. What's that moment going to be like for you?

It'll be a, it'll be a great culmination of a lot of things. I think this whole, this whole process has benefited me because, um, and you know, there was a certain point where I didn't think it was necessarily in the cards. So that's why I'm, you know, getting the crowd going, I'm not nervous through all these meetings and throwing.

Cause like, man, this, this wasn't supposed to happen. So if it doesn't work out, then great. It wasn't supposed to work out, but if it works out, then man, I'm going to play my butt off and I'm gonna compete. And if I get drafted and wherever it is, I'm going to make the most of it and, and work my tail off. So it'll be a, um, just a great moment with everybody who's kind of been along for the journey. Did you ever think of giving up at any point in the seven years?

No, no. I mean, I mean, I'm a human, you know, I'm laying there and I'm getting carted off with my leg hanging on by a thread. And I'm like, like I said, I should have played golf or I'm, I don't know if this is the right thing, but deep down, I'm like, man, I know if I, if I get an opportunity, I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to make the most of it. And I know I can, I can play with anybody and like, it's just mentally hard in me. Um, I knew if I get an opportunity and that's all I wanted, um, that I was going to do it. And I feel like my best ball is ahead of me and that's why my passion is just so high. What does a team get if they draft Tyler Shuck? I think you're getting a high level person and competitor that's going to bring your team to the next level. Like I said, whether you're coming in and you're, you're seeing me as adding value to the quarterback room, um, and, and supporting the starter, but I also feel like I'm the most priority guy. Um, that's going to win you that going to get you to the playoffs and get you where you want to be because I've been through it. You know, I'm not phased by what's going to happen on the field or off the field. And, um, I have all the tools necessary to go make it happen. So, um, I never flinch and, um, I'm going to come out there and do whatever you do, everything I can to, uh, to get better Tyler Shuck, who turns 53 years old today. I'm just kidding.

Come on now. Back on the rich eyes and show radio network. I'm sitting at the rich eyes and show desk furnished by Grange with supplies and solutions for every industry Granger has the right product for you call click ranger.com or just stop by and a friendly reminder from our friends at Hyundai, Hyundai offers 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 oh six in those top safety awards from IHS include top safety pick and top safety pick out awards to Hyundai vehicles from oh six to 25 because Hyundai is always working to ensure the road doesn't get you. You know, I know I'm speaking to an NBA at the NAB hall of Famer, you know, you know all about having a, I think it is a reasonable assumption that there is no person alive who has read more commercials in their lives than I have. So I, I very much appreciate, I very much appreciate the task at hand.

The Mike and rich show right here on the rich eyes and show Reese Davis joining as well with Mike Greenberg here, uh, on the show. All right, Reese. I'm sorry for a moment if it's just going to need to take a second.

If you don't, if you'll indulge, I will, I will have a trouble. I mean, uh, Bruce Hall earlier today just tweeted out fingers crossed. There it is. Fingers crossed. Uh, what in the world would this mean?

Less than an hour ago. Okay. Fingers crossed.

Uh, Joanie's, Josina Anderson then sends out maybe what he's crossing his fingers for or I don't know, but she says that a league source tells me they've heard about the potential availability of breeze hall quote unquote within the last week and a half put two and two together. And I don't know what the heck's happening right here. What do you think? That's it. Okay. That's his comment.

I like a lot. Here's, here's, here's the reality of the situation depending on what you can get for him. Um, he did not, he was not a first round pick, so they don't get the fifth year option under his hall.

So this is it. You're going to, if you're either going to commit to him longterm and I think that as magnificent as Saquon Barkley was last year and as magnificent as Derrick Henry and, and um, uh, uh, all the other running backs that had big years were last year were, that's a luxury. I do not think the Jets are in a position right now to pay big money to a running back.

They have so many other needs. So honestly, as much as it would break my heart, cause I think he has the ability to be a terrific player. I don't know that trading him right now, if you get something really good in return is not in the big picture, the best thing for them to do. No, I mean they better get Gente if they trade him.

It's that, it's kind of that simple, right? I mean, I, I shouldn't say something like that, I guess, cause you can get maybe a lot of running backs. Obviously. Listen, I mean they got him in the second round. I'm assuming if this is the way they're thinking, they got to pay sauce and they got to pay Garrett Wilson.

Those guys aren't walking out of the building. Certainly Wilson. I, I, I, I, I can't let the sauce go. You cannot let sauce worried me a little bit last year.

I'm hoping that working with Aaron Glenn will be great. Sauce got hurt a lot last year. His frame I think is problematic.

Every time he made a tackle, it felt like he had to come off the field and I felt like teams were scheming to run the ball in his direction to force him to tackle. I love him. I think he is a great player. I certainly want him to be on the team going forward.

The one non-negotiable for me is Garrett Wilson, who I think under the right circumstances could be a top five receiver in the NFL for a decade and they hook him up with his college quarterback. I mean, that's the idea, right? Yeah. I mean like play, play like it's 2019 again, you know, I ran into, uh, to Justin at an event in New York a couple of weeks ago and I still, I think he's got all of the talent in the world, but all quarterbacks need stability and jets haven't been able to provide that to anybody yet, but hopefully they can with him and maybe they capture something there with the two of them because he seems very confident and he seems eager to embrace sort of a prove it situation for him. I think, I don't know, man, going into the jets and asking for stability is like going to some like gluten free place and asking for, you know, sourdough, you know what I mean?

Like there's an enormous wrong store, you know, I mean, there is an irony in leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers and going to the New York jets and search of stability, the Steelers have had as many coaches since 1969 as the jets have had since last September. Let me clarify, I wasn't implying that he was going to get it. I'm saying that if someone could give it to him, maybe he could, maybe he could reach his talent level. That's right. Maybe this is the time. Maybe this is actually going to happen.

The starters in MetLife next year is last year's quarterback room in Pittsburgh. I mean, you can't make a lot of stuff up. Maybe. I don't know.

What do you think? Jamis is going to beat out? No, I think the Giants are going to draft a quarterback.

And start them. Week one? Maybe not week one, but I think, look, I think what they're doing actually makes sense. The much maligned Giants, they went out and they got exactly the right person to be the starter for a month or however long it takes for one of these guys. And I'll tell you the one I'm intrigued by is the one that I just watched you interviewing from last month is Tyler Shuck. I think Tyler Shuck and Reece, what do you think? Trade in to the back end of round one or maybe he's, maybe he is still sitting there.

I think he'll be there round two. So the Giants second pick in the second round, you take someone like Tyler Shuck or someone who, whichever one of these guys you like, if they are still there. I actually think that's a plan that makes sense. You are with the college game day crew mostly tonight?

Yes. Who's with you? Kirk Herbstreet, Nick Saban, Field Yates, Pete Thamm will be working with us and sitting to my right will be the MVP of Superbowl 31 from your Green Bay Packers, Desmond Howard. Truly one of my favorite human beings on the planet.

Like I smile every single set. In terms of top five people who've made me happy, he's had the top five in my entire life. Desmond Howard. Punt return against the Ohio state, all of it, catch against Notre Dame.

The Heisman pose, the whole thing and the fact that he's from the state of Ohio makes it that much. And you are with this evening. Mel Kiper, Lewis Riddick, Booger, McFarland and Adam Schefter. We'll also have Laura Rutledge in the green room.

And Molly McGrath will be down doing interviews. Well, I wish you nothing but the best of luck. You too. This is a great tradition. I love it. Let's keep doing it as long as you guys are willing.

I'm happy to do it. It's like the state of the union, right? Right. It's a little like that.

The state of the union is longer than tonight. That's for sure. That's Reese Davis. That's Mike Greenberg.

We'll be back to wrap it up on the Roku channel in a moment. If you work in quality control at a candy factory, you know, strict safety regulations come with the job. It's why you partner with Grainger Grainger helps you find the high quality and compliant products your business needs to inspect, detect, and help correct issues.

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