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Now, on with the show. This is the Rich Eisen Show.
Well, Frazier flat out said it. They're tanking. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Show me the incentive and I'll show you the results. The incentive for the teams is to get the highest pick possible.
Today's guests: ESPN NFL draft analyst Field Yates. Royals first baseman Vinny Paspantino. Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Eisen Show here on a Friday, right in the middle of the month, Friday the 13th.
Everybody, this show is one big stepping underneath the ladder. Yeah. That's what we're doing every single day, living on the edge. 844-204-Rich is the number to dial. President's Day weekend.
It's the All-Star Game weekend, Valentine's weekend.
So much to talk about on today's program. Field Yates is going to join us first up. He's got mock draft. Is he already three mock drafts in? I wanted Phil Jates to come on this program right here on Disney Plus and the ESPN out where we're every day and ESPN cable.
And just tell us, just How poorly well-rounded his life really is. And he's joining us, thankfully, despite. That invitation in about 20 minutes' time. By the way, to welcome the guests. You know what?
All right. Vinny Pasquentino is going to be zooming in from batting practice of Team Italy for World Baseball Classic preparation. Let's go. Die Hard Jet fan Vinny Pasquentino, one of our favorites. Hour number two.
Hour number three, Tim Hardaway Sr., walking through that door. The T of Rum TMC. We'll be right back. He's here, I imagine, for All-Star Weekend. And that's how he's going to send us to our weekend.
844-204-Rich is the number to do. All phone lines are lit. My goodness gracious. I love our fans and viewers and listeners. ESPN Radio, SiriusXM Channel Lady.
How are you over there, Chris Brockman? What's your name? I'm fantastic. How are you, Mike? TJ Mikey D is in D's nuts coming.
Good morning, Rich. A five-day appearance.
Well, good to see you. Thank you. A five-day week here on the Rich Hodgson Show. Good to see you. TJ Jefferson.
The candle is lit. What's going on, sir? I was thinking Friday the 13th. I was trying to think what. Are the most horrible things that could happen to sports that would affect me?
I can't think this way because one of our favorite people is Kurt Warner. Yeah, but where's number 13, Dan Marino? 13. You're talking players. I'm talking I wore 13.
Oh, is that right? Yeah. Oh, well, then returning to the worst ever. What are we doing? I think I'm on something then.
Okay, good. At any rate. Let's start this way.
Okay, I know LeBron had a big night last night. Oldest in the history of the association with a triple-double. Get it? Yeah, I'd say he's still a place. You know, and you know, we'll take your calls.
We are here on an ESPN in Los Angeles on ESPN Radio. And I know a lot of you Laker fans out there are very excited. LeBron goes into all-star weekend in his 23rd year on a 41-year-old. heater since being born. Um But Okay.
With Phil Yates joining us and the Combine right around the corner, two weeks from today, we'll be in our fourth and final day of our. Of our week in Indianapolis, our week's worth of shows in Indianapolis. I'll be getting ready for day two. Of the combine. The quarterbacks will be throwing the next day on NFL network, and the draft will be front and center for a ton of people.
Um Just cool.
Something happened yesterday that is so unique, that is just a sign of our times, a sign of the 21st century, a sign of college football in the 21st century, is that there was a hearing in state court. Held by Um A state court judge. 'Cause Trinidad Chambliss Is asking for a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA based on something that happened in 2022 when he was in his second year at Ferris State. in the state of Michigan. And um And the NCAA said, no, you cannot get a sixth year of eligibility.
And he sues to get that sixth year of eligibility in state court. And you know, back in the day, If somebody was eligible to to Be drafted in the NFL coming off of a heater of a playoffs like Trinidad Chambliss. That kid wanting to say, I want to go back to college for a sixth year. would be um Wild. Like, you got to explain to me, what are you doing?
Go to the NFL, start your clock, start your clock to get a contract so you can get a second contract and get paid like two.
Okay. You know. And that's the idea. Again, You know Or or Get paid like Russell Wilson, who Chambliss reminds me of quite a bit. With his ability to throw and on the run and extend a play.
I mean, what's he doing?
Well, what's he doing is he wants to stay at Old Miss, where I'm sure he's going to get paid a mint, and then he'll start the clock again. Um but he's doing what he's able to do, which is get a sixth year of eligibility and The judge, Robert Whitwell, agreed with him. And according to Pete Fammell's story on ESPN.com. Um The judge concluded that Chambliss submitted adequate medical reference and that the NCAA didn't act in good faith in denying the waiver. I've never seen those words before.
NCAA didn't act in good faith. They're weird. Those are weird words to see. The NCAA for its It's um Part. Uh Yeah.
basically said Psh. You did it in the state court because you knew you'd get in front of a favorable judge. Unless, I guess, the judge went to Mississippi State.
Well At any rate, The NCAA is not happy about it. Chambliss is happy about it. He gets to stay for a sixth year rather than go into the draft. And I'm I'm wondering Because you know I'm wondering what the NCAA's case was. I mean, you could read about it.
But Chambliss essentially said He would be irreparably harmed. If he wasn't allowed this sixth. year of eligibility. That's what you have to prove. Again, I'm no lawyer.
I don't play one on TV. I watch a lot of Law and Order. I did get from. My good buddy Gabe Feldman, an honorary degree from the Tulane Sports. School of Law.
Yep. Yeah. The School of Sports Law at Tulane University, based on my knowledge of how everything worked during the lockout. And then, you know, Gabe conferred me that. Um The greyin' Forgot to sign it.
Oh man. You know, but listen. These are We're just nitpicking. But irreparable harm, you got to show that I'm irreparably harmed. And so there was one witness that Chambliss, I guess, put on the stand.
To prove that he was going to be irreparably harmed, And that was another judge. Not you know, a judge by profession. Joe Judge. Mm-hmm. got up there and basically said that You know In essence, one of the things he said is that Chambliss needs that sixth year of eligibility because.
Other players who stay. One extra year. That they It could help his NFL draft prospects to return to Ole Miss in 2026 rather than go into the draft. Essentially, attempting to show irreparable harm, according to Famil judge pointed out that just three or four college quarterbacks with one year as a starter in major college football got lucrative second contracts, illustrating the importance of experience and development in thriving at the next level. I'm wondering, would the NCAA then put a draft expert on the stand and say, Chamblers could be the second quarterback taken if he's going right now.
You know, not a bad attitude. Judge in the state right next door. Ty Simpson got his ass beat, and he could be a top 15 pick. Could they possibly have put you, TJ? NCAA could have put you on the stand with your Archmanning cards and say Okay.
This guy You want to go in the draft with this guy by staking one more year? These cards are going to be very valuable. I plan to retire on my Archmanning cards, Your Honor. Sailing away. You know what I mean?
I'm going to buy a boat. Would you have been a character witness for the NCAA, TJ, with your archmanning cards? Whatever. I don't snitch. Listen, but this just was just nuts to see an assistant coach of Ole Miss on the stand talking about why this kid needs a sixth year of eligibility because it's going to help him get another contract.
In the NFL, a second one. Because he's got to get more experience here. And Your Honor I Place before you. The career of one Mitchell Trubisky. He hardly started a licket.
North Carolina got drafted second overall.
Now that second contract, you're on, I mean, it's just nuts, the whole thing from soup to nuts. It's nuts. And then Joe Judge started wading into the waters. Of sleep science. Sleep science.
Yeah. Because again. Not to get too deep into the weeds, the medical waiver. The Chambless Sought Was based again on 2022. when he was at Ferris State, And he was sick.
He weighed just 176 pounds. He clearly was. Not healthy. And Part of all of this was in fact based on the sleep Stuff coming up. about how Chambliss's lawyers Tried to show that the respiratory issues he was suffering from back then.
impacted his sleep Which then in Turn impacted his performance. And that's when Joe Judge, the sleep doctor. Said this. But we would have to educate. This is always a tough conversation to have.
It's not even a popular thing. This is the truth. We would have to educate. Significant others who may have been pregnant during the season were going to have a baby during the season. And you have to educate them on You have this baby in the middle of season.
That father has to play good football. It's a day-by-day production business. He has to be ready to perform and go out there and play. And what I say that is, you need to let him sleep. He needs to be in another room, detached.
You have to explain to the mother: like, hey, listen, he ain't waking up for midnight feedings. every season. He's full metal jacket. You can do whatever you want with him. You can change every diaper.
But in the season, he's got to have a different priority. What did I just hear?
Okay, so something about full metal jacket. Giants. First things first. You gotta give it up to Joe Judge. for being honest on the stand, which to be honest with you.
we don't see enough of in this world any more. Being straight up Honest. Like when he is on the stand after putting his hand on a Bible, saying he will tell the whole truth and nothing but.
Now then. Yeah. Number two. What? Really?
Oh my gosh. I will just say this. Which I know is a crutch before I stray into a lane outside of sports. Stay in your lane. There is nothing.
like changing a diaper in the middle of the night. And then maybe putting your baby back to sleep and having that moment. Nothing. Beats it. It sucks.
You're up. My right eye is just twitchin' about remembering. These moments of lack of sleep. And maybe sometimes With your job. being so difficult.
That You Yeah.
Sometimes get to rest. and not change a diaper in the middle of the night. But sometimes you suck it up. And you let your spouse The one who, you know. Gave birth.
and carried the kid for 10 months, by the way. That's something kids. I didn't know until um Zan was born the first It's ten months. You let her sleep. I can't believe I got to say this sort of stuff on this program.
It was so. Ridiculously. Off. Of an opinion. That even the most shameless individual.
From the Old Miss Football Program. Tweet it out. A head slap emoji. And that is Lane Kiffin. Lane with the Head slap emoji And He just put in a word that just said, Joe.
Joe. He, um, He um deleted it. Oh, he did? Apparently. By the way, Joe Judge has four kids.
It's never really there.
Well, I guess, you know, during the season, he just, you know. But after that.
Okay. During the season, he wasn't doing that sort of stuff. But afterwards, he was full metal jacket, which is what a three-word. construct to use about Function of nonsense. That scene alone ends poorly.
For everyone. Yeah. And The line that Yeah. The drill sergeant Uses the last word, spoil alert, before Private Pile takes him out. Is didn't mommy and daddy give you enough attention when you were a child?
And he's saying Football players, don't worry about giving the attention. Yeah. It's more important you sleep.
So, you can go get ready to beat the crap out of whatever. School, old missus. Paying to come and get the crap beaten out of? Because they got to get ready to Play the whole thing. I mean, it's the SEC, it just means more.
So But if dad gets sleep and he plays better, that means his draft position and therefore he's able to provide for his family in the league. Got it. But how many again, not to get too serious about it, but How many stories do you hear for the draft that mom worked three jobs, dad worked four jobs, dad got up? I mean, Dad got, isn't that Darnold's story too? Sacrifice.
Right, the dad worked, you know, got home late. and then woke up at four after four hours to work Sam out in the morning. You know, like you hear these stories of Russell Wilson's dad took rounders. You hear these stories, and it's amazing about mom and dad. We're operating on less than the proper amount of sleep and still worked, made both ends meet.
What a terrible message. Think how many haters Dick Hammer had to pull to get to Sam Darnold. That's another way to put it. That's his grandfather.
Well, you know. Trickle down. Exactly. Apropos of nothing, but you did at least get to say the words dick hammer into a microphone on ESPN, which I think was your end goal, rather than the point you were trying to make inartfully. Let me just say this, please.
Just to wrap it up. What the hell's going on in college sports sometimes? It's just... Yesterday, I'm reading this, I'm reading it, I'm reading it. And At the end of the day, I don't know.
Okay. Trinidad could have been the second quarterback taken in this year's draft. But maybe he's going to make enough cash, and maybe he's happy where he is. And I don't blame him for doing what he can do. And he beat the NCAA, which is awesome.
That is great. Speaking on behalf of all Michigan fans everywhere, two thumbs up. Two thumbs up. You should basically now order a cheeseburger and send the bill to the NCAA. Yeah, baby.
I roll.
Okay. 844-204-RICH, number to dial here on this full metal jacket edition of the Rich Eisen Show because we're offseason now. We're a full metal jacket during the football season. I get to sleep through the night, so I am as. possibly up and for the Rich Eisen Show.
Phil Yates coming up. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, everybody. Our ESPN radio audience is welcome back to our Disney Plus and ESPN. O'Reilly Auto Parts can help take the guesswork out of your check engine ABS or maintenance light with O'Reilly Veriscan.
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A free service exclusively at O'Reilly Auto Parts. An ESPN feed. Ugh. I'm in a mood. I need to get in a better mood.
Phil Yates is joining us here on The Rich Eisen Show, co-host of NFL Draft Daily. which has been added to the schedule just in time to get our fix working. for the next few months. Good to see you, Phil Jates. How are you?
I'm doing great, Rich. Thanks for having me on. Thank you. Round of applause. All right, Field, how many kids do you have?
How many people? Two. I've got one more coming this summer.
Okay. Two and a half.
Okay. And how old are they? How old are they? Four and two.
Okay. So we're in the trenches right now.
So the two is the two is still in diapers? Still in diapers? Two is out of diapers. Out of diapers.
Well done. You know, the younger sibling takes after the older sibling.
So our older one was patient with her diapers. The younger one was ready to go, which mom and dad were very happy about.
Okay, so you've been doing this for a while. Does your wife know to let you sleep through the night? Before you're putting out a mock draft field, does she know that? Yeah, that you got to be locked in for your. Yeah, that was actually part of my vows.
That was part of our vows. We got married.
So we wrote that one a long time ago. We were ready for this.
Sorry, I went full Joe Judge to start. You never go full Joe Judge. Has anybody uncovered how we landed there in this entire course? Yes, he was put on the stand to talk about how Chambliss and how Chambliss apparently had respiratory problems a few years ago, and he was giving voice to a football expert, coach expert opinion. On how a player does not perform well when he doesn't get a proper amount of sleep.
and added that context on his own.
So, there you have it. Probably best to leave that one alone.
Well, they should have had a mock court first before putting him out there. Maybe they did.
So, let's talk about your mock draft, Field Yates. How do you go about coming up with a mock draft so far out from an NFL draft. Yeah, I think, Rich, the further away from the draft we are, you're a little less focused on. Teams and needs, and a little more focused in on: are we getting Approximately the best 32 players into the first round. I'm not saying if you're a team that's got a quarterback, I'm going to give you a quarterback just because there's one deserving of going high.
But if I'm sitting here saying to myself right now on February 13th that the commanders really can't take a wide receiver because they desperately need a pass rusher, well, we still have free agency ahead of us, and a lot of activity will take place between now and when the draft begins. And you kind of acknowledge along the way, too, that at some points in the first round, I would say maybe you're 20 or so picks in, you realize that the guys who are taking 21 to 32 in your mock draft could easily be top of the second round players. And guys that you had on the outside looking in could find their way into the first draft, first round of the draft.
So it's, people have to remind themselves, which they don't, as I have sometimes seen on the feedback from social media, it's like they're not exclusively for entertainment purposes. But if anybody were excellent at forecasting exactly how The draft would go, the draft would be a lot less compelling.
So don't try to confuse this with an opportunity to bat 1,000 on who's going to go and to which teams are going to go. Yes, so that's a very erudite way of saying it's a mock draft, everybody. It's like the yellow line on a broadcast. It's not official.
So you do believe at the end of the day, the Raiders will take Fernando Mendoza. It's not going to be one of those referendums on if they're ready for him or not. And we'll discuss down the road as to whether he will start week one of the 2026 regular season for Clint Kubiak. But you think this is the pick field? Yeah, I think we're, I mean, Fernando could probably go house hunting right now in Las Vegas if he were so inclined.
The team can't speak to him about things like installing the playbook at this juncture of the pre-draft process. But I think between now and April, we'll hear Clint Kubiak continue to say things like there's lots of work to do and we're still going through the process and all that. But I can't recall a draft probably since 2021 when Trevor Lawrence went first overall when it was this obvious, this far out. Who the number one pick in the draft would be? I'm not saying that teams weren't privately set on their certain guys.
At number one. And even in 2024, when Caleb Williams was coming out, there were people that had grown to think that Jaden Daniels was the best prospect in that class after his Heisman trophy and dominant season at LSU.
So, obviously, Caleb did end up going first. And I think if we redid that draft right now, all three teams at the top would probably say they hope it goes exactly as it did in reality a couple of years ago. But this feels like, yeah, the draft begins with the New York Jets making their first of two first-round picks at number two overall.
Okay. And so you chose the Jets to choose the Ohio State. R. Vel Rees. That's who I'm seeing that pretty much.
This is in Sharpie right now. That it's one here, right? Like, that's what we're looking at. It's a good debate. I think it's a good debate here for the Jets between R.
Val Reese and David Bailey because, you know, if you're picking number two, obviously, you want to get a great player, no breaking news there. But I also think it's important that if you can find that cross-section of great player at premium position, that really matters to me. Like, I think there's a compelling case that. Jeremiah Love, running back from Notre Dame, will have the highest grade amongst non-quarterbacks on a lot of teams' boards. The problem is, if you're picking second, you got a lot of work to do, and getting a running back is not the way to get this franchise back on track sooner rather than later.
So, we're talking about guys that either pass protect or players that impact the quarterback on the defensive side of the ball.
So, Arbell Reese from Ohio State, sort of like what we have seen in recent years with Abdul Carter and Micah Parsons, not to the same degree, but both of those guys were stand-up inside linebackers early in their college career who became pass rushers later in their college career. Reese was on that same track at Ohio State. He moved more to a Predominantly pass rush role this past season with some linebacker snaps as opposed to the inverse in prior years. And he was actually a backup at Ohio State because they have so many good players, obviously, on that defense. And the breakout was worth it for him.
He became one of the best players in college football. I don't think this is quite the same level of pass rush prospect right now as we saw from Abdul Carter a year ago, but. Has great athleticism, has all the measurables, has some production, high upside here.
So if you're in the Jets, you have the next two years with five first-round picks. As many high-upside players you can get into the mix will help this thing turn around. They obviously have a lot of work to do, Rich. You know that. But at this point for the Jets, Like, yeah, I'm not saying this is.
This is not Aiming for a ground rule double, but I don't think there is a lot of. bust potential here with Arbell Rees. Like I think this is going to be at the very minimum of a very solid pro with potentially an excellent pro career ahead of him.
Well, and here's the annual question involving a draft field is where do you take somebody In the draft, at a position that's not usually drafted top two. Yeah. The 100% lock of the draft where there's no bust. This guy is just going to boom. And that's the question of Caleb Downs being a safety.
And he is superb. You could make the case, you know, on that defense. No matter how great R. Vel Reese looks or Sonny Styles look. He's the guy.
He's the straw that stirred that entire drink. and you have him fifth to the giants, which is an interesting spot as well. I mean, that that's pretty high for a safety, but that's that's about as high as you'll take one, maybe. Yeah. Yeah.
What but he's so he right 100% him in love, you would say, top of the top ten. You you know they're not gonna Crap out. Yeah, I'd be stunned. I'd be stunned if Caleb Downs isn't an awesome player in the NFL for a long time. There hasn't been a safety taken in the first 10 picks since 2017 when the Jets took Jamal Adams sixth overall.
And there hasn't been a top five safety since the Chiefs took Eric Berry. I was actually back in my days working with the Chiefs. We took him fifth overall. And Barry went on to become the highest paid safety in the NFL for a period of time. Jamal Adams was eventually traded for two first-round picks.
So while the long term of Jamal Adams' career hasn't been what the Seahawks and maybe the NFL thought it would be when he was, of course, traded from the Jets, you know, he did at one point return a ton of value to the Jets after making him the sixth overall pick. I think Downs is a bit different because from a guy like Jamal Adams, Jamal probably was best, and this is reflected in the fact that he's become a linebacker now, playing in the box, like not the kind of guy you want patrolling the middle of the field like a center fielder. Caleb Downs, his past season in Ohio State, probably had more high-leverage snaps as a Box defender, kind of a strong safety than is a free safety. But we've seen that at prior points of his college career, both at Alabama and at Ohio State during that 2024 season, more so than 2025. That, you know, I guess no player is perfect here, but it's hard to find a real weakness in Caleb Downs' game.
And when I put him fifth overall to the Giants, some of the feedback was, but we already have Javon Holland and we already have Tyler Newman, that being from Giants fans. And I hear you, and that's all well and good, but not except for this guy. I would tell Giants fans, don't you? Let's be honest here. And someone like John Harbaugh.
Knows what a safety like him can do from the back end of a defense. I mean, just Take a look at the history of the Ravens' defenses and what they could do. I mean, he He is all that. And then, interestingly enough, you got Tate is the, if I'm not mistaken, first wide receiver taken at seven. This is as high as I've seen him so far in mock drafts.
And you got him. Going to Washington to pair up with their, I guess, the goat of the current Ohio State run of wide receivers, right? Like to stick him there with McLaurin. And get Jaden Daniels another weapon, it's got to be really enticing. Yeah, the commanders have already talked publicly about the idea of adding young pass rushers to their defense.
Certainly could be in play at pick number seven overall. Right. Have a slightly better grade, though, on Carnell Tate than some of the players that are going to be considered amongst the past the top pass rushers, like a Ruben Bain Jr. from Miami.
So, back to the point where we kind of started, which is that you're trying to get as many players as close to their overall grade as you can in a mock draft, you know, still two plus months out from the draft. April 13th mock would look a lot different than a February 13th mock, and you might have teams that are. Reaching a little bit more for needs as opposed to value here. But Tate is a guy who, you know, it's become this would be five straight years now with an Ohio State wide receiver in the first round. And he had to kind of wait his turn.
This past year, it was a mecha Abuka who was drafted in the first round. He was playing less snaps last year than he did this year in the case of Carnell Tate. Jeremiah Smith was still the main attraction for Ohio State, but Tate averaged over 17 yards a catch. Didn't have a drop at all last year. He's just a pro ready guy, has some big slot snap exposure as well.
He's a player that I think right now you can count on him as your second wide receiver in Washington. And right now, also, Debo Samuel is scheduled to become a free agent, an aging player, dealt with some injuries last year. Yes, pass rush is a priority for Washington, but I shouldn't, we should not ignore some of the offensive needs they have because while Jaden Daniels and his play and his health will ultimately dictate the ceiling for this team, a lot went wrong beyond just not having Jaden Daniels last year, including the fact that. They were consistently playing like practice squad players called up on Saturday afternoon on meaningful Sunday snaps.
So, Washington definitely needs to be mindful of some offensive playmakers. Field Yates here on the Rich Eisen Show. And then, wrapping up your top 10, what jumped out at me is going to be another inflection point that we're going to be talking about over the next few weeks: the Saints sitting there right in front of the. The Chiefs and the whole sharpieing in of Jeremiah Love to Kansas City could be completely short-circuited. by Kellen Moore saying, you know what, uh Chimera's getting longer in the tooth.
Let's go and take him, but you have Jordan Tyson of Arizona State going at eight. Why do you have that? Because that's going to be something I know on draft night as I'm sitting in Pittsburgh. Waiting to see if Jeremiah Love is going to go off the board just before the Chiefs or if the Chiefs are going to jump up because they might get a little twitchy. About what Kellen Moore might do at eight.
Yeah, they better not get too comfortable at number nine because you're right. I mean, you could make the case, I think, responsibly right now. You could make the case for both the Commanders and also the Saints at seven and eight to be real Jeremiah Love suitors just based off of where they're at. Commanders team that played in the NFC Championship game last year, right? They're probably saying to themselves we're a couple of things going in our favor correctly from being a contender again this year.
And the Saints play in the NFC South. All bets are off when you play in that division right now. And they won four of their last five games. Tyler Shuck emerged as a player they think they can build a long-term future with going forward.
So New Orleans, by the way, also GM'd by Mickey Loomis, unafraid to do things audaciously during the draft process.
So if some people say taking a running back eighth overall is an interesting idea for a team that won six games last year, Mickey Loomis probably relishes the opportunity to entertain those people. He is a special, special talent, is Jeremiah Love. I think if you were, again, I said I said earlier. Earlier, like, if you're stacking just the grades, depending on what the scale is that these teams use, one to 100, 1 to 10, 1 to whatever it might be, Jeremiah Love's grade might be the highest of any player along with Fernando Mendoza in the class. He's an incredibly explosive player.
He had back-to-back seasons with a 90-plus-yard run. And the most intriguing part, and the reason why he has a chance to be a value at the first 10 picks of the draft, is that I think he comes in and he's immediately on the shortlist for best receiving running backs in the entire NFL. Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, amongst the guys that lead the way right now. I think that Jeremiah Love has the skill set to kind of get into that category sooner rather than later. Or Notre Dame didn't just use him as a running back on screens.
Like there are times where he's lining up. In the slot and running actual routes to the point that you're saying to yourself, if he wore number 84 as opposed to four and you made him do wide receiver Joseph LeCombine, he'd probably look just like the rest of those guys. He is definitely the X factor of the first 10 picks of this upcoming draft. And people might trade up to go get him, not only because he's that talented, but maybe to do everyone in the AFC West, if not maybe the rest of the NFL a favor and prevent him from going to Andy Reid and Mahomes coming back from an ACL or the Chiefs. You know, like that, that would be a wild.
Uh, pairing based on what you just said about how talented he could be to put him in that offense with Mahomes as his quarterback. And one last one for you, Phil, before I let you go on your weekend. Um The second quarterback taken. And this is another thing we'll be talking about for the next several weeks. Who's it going to be and where is he going to go?
It appears you've got Ty Simpson being that guy, and he goes to the Steelers. Who are, again, yet another year of us wondering: are they gonna draft somebody again? The Kenny Pickett drafting, as we know, didn't work out. Why do you connect these two dots? Yeah, Aaron Rodgers returning would obviously kind of just put this plan or these plans to the back burner for Pittsburgh.
And they may say, let's just develop Will Howard for one more year. But, you know, I'm mindful of some of the things that I've heard about Will Howard and how the Steelers like his developments. I also recognize they took him in the sixth round last year, right? If they loved him that much as a prospect, were they really going to risk it for five rounds? and missing out on Will Howard?
So I'm not totally sold that they could go into the season with him as their starting quarterback.
So if Rodgers isn't back, quarterback very much becomes front and center for Pittsburgh. Everybody around the NFL has opinions on the draft, Rich. Those opinions don't always matter because it just takes one team to take a player at a certain spot to make other opinions that you gathered on a player. Rendered moot. But I do think that more people that I talk to think that Ty Simpson's probably going to settle in at some point in the first round.
And that's in part because of the market he's in. It's a buyer's market, excuse me, it's not a buyer's market for quarterbacks, right? There's very few available in the free agent market. And then in this draft class, if you're the Jets, Arizona at three, the Dolphins at 11, the Steelers at 21, with some other teams in between, like, are you sure you're going to have an answer if you just continue to wait and wait and wait? The answer is probably not.
So I think that Ty, who's beginning part of last season, he had 21 touchdowns and one interception through the first eight games of last season. He looked like a guy that was going to go in the first 10 picks. Is going to, in some people's eyes, outweigh the final month plus, where he was not nearly as dominant. His decision-making dropped off, wasn't quite as accurate. He was dealing with some injuries and wasn't quite as sudden.
He's not a great athlete, but he wasn't quite as mobile in the pocket and outside of the pocket. But there's enough good stuff in the first half of last season that I do think he goes in the first round. And even if Aaron Rodgers does return, if I am the Steelers, I do think it's responsible to be looking at life after Aaron because he's 42. Even if he does return, are you certain that you're going to have this guy for the long term? And are you certain he's going to make it through an entire season?
That's just the reality of dealing with the quarterback in his early 40s. Field Yates, I appreciate the time. Let's do this frequently over the next few weeks leading up to the draft in Pittsburgh. In the meantime, 3 p.m. Eastern every single day.
It's called NFL Draft Daily. That's the daily portion of it at 3 Eastern later. You and the cast of thousands going full metal jacket. On this year's draft. Thanks for the time, Phil.
Appreciate it. Thanks, Rich. You got it. That's Phil Yates, everybody. Lots of food for thought.
Again, inflection points in the draft. Obviously, first overall. What do the Jets do second overall? Is there somebody that anybody covets to move up? Jeremiah Love appears to be one of those guys.
Could it be Carnell Tate? As well, you know, the Chiefs, he won't get past them, love. Nope.
So, do you want somebody who's Jameer Gibbs-like? Bijan-like. You better jump the line.
So, where is that inflection point? And if Washington's that. That team Do you go all the way to six? Which team is going to be holding cards? And we're Does Ty Simpson go if he is the second best?
Or at the combine in a couple weeks, will somebody start? Skyrocketing. We just know it's not going to be Trinidad Chambliss in the draft. We know that for sure. 844-204-RICH is the number two dial.
Don't go anywhere until what's more likely Friday here on the Family of Networks. The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. Rich Eisen Show 844-204, Rich is the number to tell. I'll take phone calls in a second. I'm really enjoying watching the Olympics, as always, watching sports that I will never.
Ever take the time to sit down and just watch otherwise. I won't seek it out, won't find it. Won't look for it. And if I find it, I'll be like, I got too many other things to do. Just because it's the Olympics, though.
But Parked on couch. And I'm watching these sports, and some of them I'm thinking to myself: there is no way on planet Earth would I even attempt to do this or even have it creep into my head. How can I try it? Right? Are you guys going through the same experience?
For sure, for sure. You know, we've been watching, you know, Mike on this side, been watching The Skeleton the last couple of years.
Okay, now, dude. Me the the luge. The two-man luge. Yeah. is the sport that I would not try at all.
Ever. I mean, look at this. First of all, you're you're sitting on another person or you're or you're you're having another person l sit on you, lay on you. And and again, I I know I'm probably um without um Knowledge here, okay? And by the by the way, one of my favorite Um My favorite.
Posts I've seen about two-man luges. It's called Seated Rivalry. And, but you're going, you know, junk first, down a billion miles an hour. Does the top person have the ability to steer? Is that what it is?
No, no, hold on a second. Like, you could see. It does look like number 10 has his legs uh near what looks like you could steer. Is that a brake? Does the bottom guy steer and the top guy break?
Because there's got to be a process here, man. It's not like the top guy just lays down and trusts the process, right? Who would you rather be in the two-man? Yeah, well, whoever's got the most control of the craft. Because this is, I see it's, they go so fast.
It's nuts. You know what I mean? Like, again, it's a control issue, too. Like, the single luge, like, you know, you're in charge of the whole damn thing. There's.
Teamwork? Bottom guy doesn't see, really. Like, you're not seeing what's going on. Jeez. I think for me, the one that scares me the most is the ski jumping.
Oh, boy.
So you're starting at the tippy-tippy top of this hill, right? Already, heights are kind of an issue. You're looking straight down and you're going however fast, and then you just launch yourself into the air and you're just supposed to land gracefully. But this part must be exhilarating, though, right? I mean, I guess the like four seconds when you feel like you're flying is probably cool, and then you're like, oh, God, I have to get down safely.
No, thanks. TJ?
Well, you hit it with the two-man lose, right? Like you said, you're on the bottom. You're just there for the ride. Are you? Or are you steering?
Again, I'm not sure. You're steering in the white. You can't see nothing. There's a human being. That's true.
You're there. You're like, Jesus, take the wheel at that point. You're just laying there. Here's the thing, though. I mean, I'm going to be real with you.
A lot of my people don't take part in these Winter Olympic sports. It's a little cold, right? But if they did, imagine some of these brothers from the NFL doing speed skating. If we could get like, bro, Saquon Barkley? Come on, Saquon as a speed skater.
Like, Kenneth Walker. Do you know, have him as a speed skater? Like, cross-country? But, like, it's chilly out there. The speed skating is something I would try.
Yeah. It's very skilled, okay? I know what I'm about to say sounds ridiculous. I've seen you skate. Yeah, right.
I know. You know what I mean? But I get better at it. No, but Rich, that's so disrespectful. No, no, hold on a second.
That was disrespectful. It's the truth. That's not good. Susie once took video of it and then sent it to you guys. It's terrible.
We'ren't sure in jeans shorts. It was not good. The whole thing was awful because we were doing it in the summer with the kids up there in Idaho. But these skaters, like, they put their hands behind their back and it looks like they're like nice skating. Short track speed skating is fun.
That's the smaller trap. Sprinting. Sprinting. This one. It looks like doing a nice stroke.
Sprinting at 10,000 meters. And curling? You know what I mean? Give me a rock. I'll sweep it.
Oh, give me a broom and a rock. I I got that. Curling. That's kind of my speed. I don't think I could get all the way down to, you know, to release the stone, but you know?
I'm kind of down with some old-school biathlon. The Rich Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
