From Thirty for Thirty Podcasts. Brian Patter, senior defensive lineman from Miami. Gun down. The key to this case, it's Brian. An hour before he died, he was on the phone arguing with Tabaki.
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Now, on with the show. Yeah. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Welcome. I don't see Caleb Downs as that dynamic difference maker.
Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.
So I don't see him as the top 10 pick. The Rich Eisen Show. Today's guest, Pro Football Focus lead NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikama. Eight-time Pro Po linebacker Von Miller. Actor Dorian Misick.
And now, it's Rich Eisen. Welcome to this edition of the Rich Heisen Show, everybody. Hey, we're live on Disney Plus, the ESPN app. And ESPN Radio. What's up, everybody?
I just pulled a full-on Chris Berman. Yeah, you did. Which is sitting down the second that we're starting on the shot. A fresh cup of coffee. Hoskins is like, there's nobody in their seats.
I know. We really lost track of time. I know. What's up, everybody? We're live here on this franchise tag edition of the program, World Baseball Classics, starting the NBA season.
Getting red hot. Three guests. We've got Trevor Sikkima with The first post-combine mock draft of pro football focus is Trevor Smallam is going to join us on the program. And then in hour three, We've got a new friend of the program on this show, 844-204-Rich is the number to dial. Also, we've got Von Miller is going to be on this program.
I believe he is zooming in from a vacation after he hung out at the Combine.
So he's trying to, I think, become a general manager. I did see that headline. That's kind of cool. Did you see all that stuff? I did.
I did see that. He was shadowing some GMs, trying to learn about the front office workings of the league. And maybe that's a career path in the future for him. I like that. Why not?
So 844-204-H being the number to dial. Good to see you over there, Jay Felly. Hey, what's up? TJ Jefferson, good to see you over there. What's up, man?
Again, we've got it's a three-guest Wednesday, everybody here on the program. If it wasn't a Wednesday, it's a Tuesday. Dorian Misick is going to be on this program, the actor. We've never had him here in studio. He's going to be here in hour number three.
So we've got all of that going on. He's here in support of his new show, 56 Days, which was released just on February 18th.
So it's a new program that you could see on Prime Video. We're going to talk about it with him. He's from, I believe, East Orange, New Jersey, which is only fitting that Del Tufo's not here.
So we start this show.
Okay. In uh 2022. This is when Jet fans were all very excited. If you remember, I spent many a moon on this set. saying prior to that draft.
There is a cornerback at the University of Cincinnati that I want. I was pounding this table. I spoke Sauce Gardner. Before you ever did. Into existence, okay?
I spoke Sauce Gardner into existence.
Okay. So and then he gets drafted. And the Jets have two first-round picks, and they go ahead and get Garrett Wilson as well. And then they trade back into the first round and get a third first round pick. Remember that I had Joe Douglas on the program like, brother.
What you just did, you should dine out for free in New York City the rest of your life. Because then in the second round, Yeah. He goes ahead and drafts Brees Hall. Look at all four of those guys, huh? At the time, it's like we got our corner, we got our number one wide receiver, we got ourselves a big-time pass rusher.
And then we got ourselves a running back to go for it. As well. And Brees Hall had like first round written all over him. He somehow dropped to the second round, and the Jets grabbed him too. And everybody's like, this is the core four.
That right there. Yada yada yada. Cut to right now. Are any of them still? You know, Sauce Gardner gets traded to Indianapolis.
Yeah. last year for two firsts. And Quentin Williams wasn't on the screen, but he was drafted just right around then as well. And While we're in Indianapolis, the Jets trade Jermaine Johnson away. For Devondre Sweat, you don't usually trade.
you know, pass rushers for defensive tackles, but the Cowboys showed you can do that and get away with it. It worked out. Ish. Ish. And then uh you know Word is, what are they going to do with Brees Hall?
Can't let him walk. Would they potentially trade him? They were kept saying, We're going to sign them, we're going to sign them, we're going to try and at least franchise tag them. And, you know. Being a fan of the Jets, you gotta sit around going Do you really?
Are you gonna? You know, we don't still have a quarterback, because that's what you said back then when you had all four of those guys. Like, who is a quarterback?
Okay, Zach Wilson, let's go. A year later they try Aaron Rodgers. That doesn't work out for after two years. They're still wondering who the quarterback is there in New York. And to the credit of the front office they decided to go ahead and franchise tag him today.
And sure enough, Brees Hall isn't going anywhere, at least for one year. And it's a $14.293 million tag. It's the non-exclusive. the exclusive tag is a little bit even higher to the point where the league doesn't even really disseminate that publicly, or at least in the media, you don't even see what the exclusive franchise tag is. Bottom line is the non exclusive means The Jets only lose him if somebody offers him a contract and you let him walk, and they give you two first-rounders.
That's not happening for a running back.
So Brees Hall's not going anywhere. And now the Jets Uh we'll have to try and come to a long-term agreement with Brees Hall? And if they do that, I would counsel to say. They do it fast. Because Jameer Gibbs and B.
John Robinson are up for contracts. Yeah. And so is Kenneth Walker III. He's the Super Bowl MVP, and it seems like the Seahawks. Are ready to let him walk, that they're not going to.
Slap him with the franchise tag? As you know, franchise tags are either placed or slapped on somebody. They're placed on somebody if they don't mind, slapped if they do. Brees Hall, you just saw from that tweet, you have no idea what he's really thinking. Deep down, does he want to be there?
Apparently, he does. Frank Reich is the new offensive coordinator there. I saw him in Indianapolis. We're assuming he's going to use Brees Hall to his fullest. Who's the quarterback?
The bottom line is at least the Jets. have held on to him And have A top notch Running back. Who last year, despite Having Nothing going for them last year on offense. The New York Jets still got A season out of Brees Hall. That is worthy.
Of His contract. Or at least the money that he's going to be paid, $14 million, 1,065 yards career high on a 3-14 team. How does that work?
So Half of the young Corps is still with the team. And the Jets are still asking their fans to trust the process. Of turning all the draft choices. and all the choices that they made. about trading away Sauce and trading away Quinn-Williams.
and trading away Jermaine Johnson. In that process you must trust. We'll see what happens. Second overall pick. What does this mean?
It certainly means As I love Jeremiah Love, he's not going to be second overall. That's for sure. Because you don't go ahead and franchise tag Brees Hall. And choose a running back second overall, nor do you really want to choose a running back second overall sometimes, because it may not work out more often than not. Speaking of, One year later, In New York City.
The New York Giants, the Jets, Uh co-tenants. They have a decision to make. Do they pay their quarterback long term. Can they get a long-term deal with him? Can they do that?
If not, do they franchise tag him? And if they do that, that means That there's a free agent for a crucial piece of an offense. As well. Do you Pay this guy. A long term deal.
Or do you franchise tag him? And get your quarterback under contract. How do you keep both? You don't want one walking. You want the quarterback and a crucial piece of the offense to somehow stay put.
And the giants could not come to an agreement with Saquon Barkley and franchise tagged him. and paid Daniel Jones long term. This coming off of the 2022 playoff season in which Their new head coach, Brian Dayball, was coach of the year. Daniel Jones looked like Colin Kaepernick in Green Bay when he visited Minnesota on a playoff Sunday and destroyed them with Saquon Barkley, only to go to Philadelphia and get Curb stomped and have this decision placed in front of him. Do you believe in Daniel Jones enough to give him a long-term contract?
Do you franchise tag him? Or do you turn to a crucial piece of the offense and say, Let's Long-term you And franchise tag the quarterback because we don't know what we have in him. We've only seen one year from him. What do we do? We all know the Giants chose door number.
Pay Daniel Jones long-term franchise tag Saquon Barkley. And we all know that was a brutal decision. That costs them years. and eventually led to Saquon walking. and winning a Lombardy trophy with a two thousand yard rushing season for their hated rivals down the turnpike.
Chris Ballard, at this very moment, wherever he is in Indianapolis. has got a decision decision to make about Guess who? Daniel Jones. And the other crucial piece of the offense that he's got To deal with is Alec Pierce, the wide receiver from Cincinnati, one of our glue guys, I think, from back in the day. And Alec Pierce.
just had a thousand yard receiving season and a career high forty seven catches. And is If your call. Was a waiver-wire darling for some people in fantasy because he would have some weeks where he didn't catch it. And he would have some weeks where all he would do is get one chunk play after another. And Daniel Jones would go up top to this guy.
So what do you do? What does one do? Because the franchise tag. For a quarterback is forty-three wait for it Million dollars. Whew.
And the franchise tag for wide receiver is wait for it. Twenty-seven million dollars.
Now, you can do what everybody's expecting Chris Ballard to do. which is transition tag. Daniel Jones. which is thirty seven million bucks, six million less, you can get some quality players or one quality player for that extra six million bucks. But You would also allow Daniel Jones to become a free agent at the same time seeking a long-term deal somewhere else that you do have a right to match, and if you don't, you lose him for nothing.
Okay. Mm-hmm. You do that, you could lose Alec Pierce for nothing, too. This is what faces Chris Ballard in the next few hours. What does one do?
what one would probably want to do I would think is to get Alec Pierce signed long term. And see what Daniel Jones has got. For that one more year coming off an Achilles injury. Don't forget, the Giants saw their decision was made off of watching him win a playoff game. And like I said, Colin Kaepernick in Green Bay, that's all they were doing, either running it or throwing it with Daniel Jones.
He was stellar. In that playoff game. This one, he was stellar for a half a year. only to pop his Achilles. After The team began to stumble a little bit, run a little bit out of gas.
And then now the decision needs to be made. You're going to sign him long term. And then Franchise tag? Alec Pearson paying him 27 million bucks? You're already making that face about that's not what you're going to do.
But the interesting thing is, here is unlike the last time. Unlike the last time this decision was made. Involving the Giants and Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, who are the franchise tag. By the way, The difference between the franchise tag for Brees Hall this year in 2026 of one year 14 million point two. Saquon's franchise tag was 10 million bucks.
Can you imagine? You imagine that And so The reason why I'm bringing all this up is because if Daniel Jones walks. He is the big stone. In a ripple. of the quarterback pond this year.
I understand what I'm about to say. Similar to Matthew Stafford last year. Remember Matthew Stafford? Is he sticking with the Rams or not? Because if he doesn't, he goes somewhere else.
Boy, does that create this massive ripple effect that does involve Aaron Rodgers, that involves, obviously, the Rams. What do they do? What do you do if you're, you know, who else was he knocking on the door of the Steelers? The Giants? Remember, the Giants were knocking on Stafford's door there.
But this year. Daniel Jones is coming off of half a season. of a non-playoff team that fell apart after he got hurt. And I'm telling you. If he's free and everybody thinks he's healthy, They're going to go after him, and that's going to create a ripple effect.
of Daniel Jones being cut free. Coming off of an Achilles injury. Along with Kyler Murray, along with Tuatungo Bailoa, along with Kirk Cousins, along with Derek Carr, whatever's going on with him and his shoulder. And I bet you Daniel Jones and Malik Willis, Daniel Jones would be the first stop for a lot of teams that are looking for a quarterback. including potentially who knows Minnesota that wanted him last year at this time to stay.
And he did the Sam Darnold plan. Was like, I'm not sticking around here just to watch J.J. McCarthy over my shoulder.
Now, everybody thinks it's a different situation with J.J. McCarthy up in Minnesota. This is a big decision. that Chris Ballard has over the next few hours. And it's kind of crazy.
How the Jets franchise tag one of their four Core four from years ago, half of which they've gotten rid of and traded away. That was the draft that was supposed to launch a thousand playoff seasons for the Jets. Instead of a thousand memes of kids saying he hates the team. I hate this team. I hate this team.
And then the Giants that year make the playoffs, creating a conundrum involving Daniel Jones in the top. Offensive player on the team, and what do you do? Sign one long term, franchise the other, let them both go. What do you do? It's amazing how four years later, This happens on the same day.
Let's take a break here on the program. We talk about the latest and all of the franchise tag decisions. There's one that's just apparently been made. One that I just made reference to. We'll hit on that.
Also Trevor Sikama of the Um Pro football focused team. He's come up with his first. I haven't seen too many mock drafts post-combined. This one is interesting.
Now that we've seen all the workouts, he's next. That's next. Von Miller also still to come here on this Rich Eisen show. I'm not going anywhere. Hopefully, you won't as well.
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And the only thing better than his football acumen is his hairline that would prevent him from being part of the Tennessee Titans franchise. Trevor Sigma from Pro Football Focus here on the program. What's up, Trevor? How are you, sir? I'm glad I didn't grow up a Tennessee Titans fan with aspirations to be a member of the coaching staff because you're right.
This would be tough times for me right now. I'd be down on my luck, but I appreciate you guys having me on. I always enjoy joining. I always enjoy being joined by you. And Chris Brockman and I can talk to Sala.
You know, if you need any, if that's part of your. Plan. Obviously, I think you're in a good place. I appreciate it. By the way, Chris, is it a family feud?
Name tag right there? That is a family feud. Name tag, correct. I noticed that as you guys were chit-chatting before I popped on it. Like, that's, I got a lot of respect for that.
Having that and then showing that off in the show, that's a rare piece of memorability. It is great. TJ's got a prices right. We've hitting all the game shows. Yeah.
Wow. And family feuds. Yeah, sadly, though, a lot of parting gifts for us rather than anything else. I played great. You know, see.
I played great. Trevor Sicama here from Pro Football Focus on the Rich Eisen Show. Your mock draft coming out of the combine. Um has Fernando Mendoza one Marvell Reese, too, and look at the fourth spot: Sonny Styles to the Tennessee Titans. Uh where was Styles before the Combine for you?
And the package is a little bit more. I felt as though Styles was one of the best prospects in this class before the combine. But entering Combine week, it kind of felt like, all right, the earliest range that we would talk about him was five to the Giants. And even then, it's like, yeah, you know, did you take a linebacker that early kind of a thing?
So I think the earliest that you would have seen is number five. Guys, I'm going to be honest, I think five's the floor now. I think if he is on the board, he doesn't get past the New York Giants. Given everything that he could be for that defense, how he transforms what the rest of the guys are doing. I mean, when I watch Sonny Styles tape, not only am I impressed individually with what he's able to do, but you just got to think about that defense.
Think about how. Caleb Downs is running all over the place, making different plays as a free safety, strong safety, slot defender, sometimes like that pseudo-linebacker type of role. Think of R. Vill Reese as well. Dude's all over the field.
Looks like an apex predator the way that he's playing on and off the ball. You only get to do that. You only get to have that kind of freedom. If Sony Styles is sitting right there in the middle, and you know exactly where he's going to be, and that he's going to be not only efficient. But somebody who athletically is so gifted to see things before it's going to happen, but also have the athleticism to get to the ball when it gets to the line of scrimmage.
That to me is a defense changing player. And I think I understand the positional value argument of linebackers in a vacuum overall. But you talk about players who are as good as Sonny Styles is. This isn't on the same plane. We're not having the same conversation.
We're talking about a Fred Warner type of ceiling of what you could be for an NFL team. That, to me, is how good Sony Styles is. He's not as good when it comes to the drop-back coverage thing as Fred Warner was when he was coming out. But man, you look at everything that he brings to the table and how athletic he is and how you could teach him a lot of that stuff. I just think the sky's the limit.
I have a hard time thinking he gets out of the top five now. Why do you think the Jets choose Arvell Reese over everybody else not named Fernando Mendoza? I think the scheme change kind of goes into this a little bit, right? Leaning a little bit more towards an odd front defense, which makes a lot of sense, right? Because even the first year of Aaron Glenn, they're running a lot more even-front defensive stuff.
You know, Robert Salah, he did that a lot when he was the head coach there because that's a lot of what his defense is predicated around, getting home with four, having four down linemen. And to be honest with you, Quinnen Williams was their guy. They had Quinn Williams, and Quinn Williams is a phenomenal three-technique defensive tackle. When you have a great three-tech, a lot of times you're running an even front defense.
Well, now they trade him away in the middle of the year last year, and now you're changing things around. I think the last couple of months has given them the opportunity to say, all right, blank canvas, what do we want this front to be? I think it sounds like they're leaning a lot more towards those odd front defenses. And you get to do that when you have a nose tackle that you really like. They trade Jermaine Johnson for Tavandre Sweat.
That leans into that a lot.
So, with Sweat now as sort of that interior defensive line centerpiece, to me, it's like, all right, what exactly? Exactly, is Will McDonnell going to be? Because remember, Will McDonald played a lot of 4I defensive end in an odd front defense when he was at Iowa State.
So he's played a lot of that in his college days. He plays a little bit more as a traditional outside linebacker pass rusher for you with the Jets. But do you want another player like that? Are you trying to get faster? And for me, Race Sort of is what they want to do.
It just feels as though that is where they are going. I want to be clear: I'd be taking Ruben Bain here. I like Ruben Bain more than I like R. Vill Reese, especially with Reese sort of declaring himself as an edge rusher.
However, the scheme that the Jets play feels like it lends itself a little bit more to who R. Vel Rees is as an athlete and a football player. All right, so you are not concerned about Ruben Bain's arm length? Trevor. I'm not at all.
I'm really not. And the reason why is because He doesn't win with length. You know, I think when you have the length conversation when it comes to pass rushers' defensive linemen specifically, it's worth having, right? Because as a prerequisite, On a general playing field, bigger athletes are going to win more often. And so with that being the case, you always want guys who are a little bit bigger, a little bit stronger, have that length to them, especially when it comes to the trenches.
But it's not like Ruben Bain's out here winning a ton with a long arm move or executing length as the main way that he wins as a pass rusher. That's not the case. That's not how he's winning.
So I don't have to sit here and say, well, the shorter arms aren't really going to translate for how he won in college to how he won at the NFL level. He won in college football. With leverage, leg strength, excellent hand usage, violent and fast hands at that, a great pass rush arsenal, really great counters. I mean, he was coached by the Hall of Famer Jason Taylor for three years down there at Miami. He knows what he's doing.
You watch Ruben Bain, there's no fat to trim on his pass rush reps. I mean, it is as efficient as it gets. And in fact, I would tell you that the way that Ruben Bain often gets off of offensive tackles who maybe do wrangle him up a little bit, get an arm, you know, maybe on the shoulder pad or on the inside, maybe have some control over him, the way that he discards those blocks is he uses leverage and leg strength to do that. You know, that little hump move that Reggie White used to do all the time that he was very famous for, that's a lot of what Ruben Bain does when he's trying to get off the blocks. And I would tell you guys that it's even better to have shorter arms when that is how you disengage.
blocks.
So I'm not worried about Ruben Bain at all whatsoever. I think he's a hell of a football player, and that's going to continue in the NFL. Trevor Sikhim, a pro football-focused NFL analyst. You have Carnell Tate. Fifth to the Giants.
Why do you have John Harbaugh's first pick as the Giants HC being this? Stellar wide receiver. By the way, that's three Ohio State players in the top five. Yeah, I know you don't like seeing that.
So I'm sorry about that there. But look, when it comes to Carnell Tate, I still think that he would be a worthy selection as a top 10 overall pick and potentially the number one wide receiver in this class. And I think, especially when you talk about the New York Giants as a landing spot, Malik Neighbors, everything that he could do, not just underneath, but also vertically, and pairing that with what Jackson Dart loves to do well, what he did so well when he was at Ole Miss in Lane Kipp and system, what we saw him do really well last year as well. Be somebody who can complement the run game, but then as the defense starts to creep up, right? Because the more you run those option and RPO sets, the more that you're really moving the ball on the ground, okay, well, defense has got to creep up a little bit, okay?
You got to get more guys in the box. And when you do that, When you hit him over the top. And when you have two guys like Carnell Tate and Malik Neighbors to be able to throw the ball to vertically, you feel pretty good about it.
Now, Sonny Styles wasn't on the board in this situation. Francis Mauino off the board in this situation. I think free agency is really going to give us a much clearer picture of what the Giants might do at number five because they've potentially got corner needs, potentially have offensive line needs. We'll see how they view this team in this overall roster. But Carnell Tate in this offense specifically.
And what he did as a vertical wide receiver this past year showcased the type of ability that you would love to pair with Malik Neighbors and put in that offense with Jackson Dart as their quarterback. Let's talk um Trevor Sickerme here on the program. Let's talk Jeremiah Love. You have him landing eight to the Saints, which means he's so close to that Chiefs pick that a lot of people were sharpieing him into prior to the combine. Uh I I don't know.
I I I kind of feel like Um the Browns sitting there at six. Even the Giants at five, some of them might get itchy for love and trade up to go grab him. And the Giants could still potentially get the players that you have in your mock draft and Tate and Monroe Freeling for the Giants and Browns, respectively. What do you think about this? I know you don't usually do trades for a mock draft.
I'll give you the floor on love. Sure. Yeah, I think that love's range now. I wouldn't be doing this, but this is sort of what I've heard at the combine and after the combine.
Sounds like Love's range starts even at three overall to the Arizona Cardinals. I heard some people talking about him going as high as number three.
Now, I wouldn't be doing that because Arizona's got to fix their offensive line before they invest a lot in a top-flight running back. I know we all love to talk about the skill position players, but in my opinion, I think the Arizona Cardinals have multiple holes on their offensive line that they got to fill and they got to upgrade before they feel like they have the freedom to draft a running back very high. But that is what I've heard, so I feel like it's my responsibility to at least talk about that scenario there. But getting into a little bit more of a realistic scenario, what you talked about there: Giants at five, Browns at six. I think these are two teams that would be pretty happy with a variety of different options of the guys that are sort of in that next clump of players right outside of the top five.
I agree with you. I think that they could absolutely be teams that they could trade down with, that they feel good about. I mean, The Chiefs popping up. Maybe the Chiefs feel like, oh boy, we've got to jump the Saints. I'm not going to lie, maybe the Saints feel like, oh, we've got to jump the Commanders for Jeremiah Love.
I feel like I've heard that connection as well with him potentially being somebody to infuse a ton of talent into that backfield. Jeremiah Love, while he was at the combine, was even talking about the idea of him and Jaden Daniels being a backfield pairing in Washington. And that's a lot of athletic ability, and that's really tough to cover for any defense.
So there's no doubt about it. I think Jeremiah Love is locked himself into a top 10 overall selection. It feels like it might be destiny, though, for him to go number eight. I mean, Christian McCaffrey went number eight. Bijan Robinson goes number eight.
So maybe that's just the spot that good running backs go. You know, that could be stellar running backs to say the least. All right, then looking at the middle round. Um Interestingly enough, the Jets choose R. Ville Rees, not David Bailey, and then you have the Dolphins winding up with David Bailey for.
For the first pick there for the Jeff Hafley era. And then you have the Cowboys in their double dip at 12 and 20 going. Secondary, Dylan Thieneman, he looked terrific at the combine, and A.J. Terrell's brother. His combine was terrific.
TJ, I know you're making a face right there. You don't like that idea?
Well, no, I got new glasses, so it wasn't the face. I was squirting to see the monitor. I just kind of feel like switching to the 3-4, I was hoping we get some linemen up in there. Anything we do on defense, Trevor, is going to be better than what we had last year.
So, yeah, and I think the reason why I ended up gravitating towards that is I felt like I liked those outside linebacker pass rushers. Maybe the idea of them, I guess it's sort of like day three because the Cowboys they have the two fixed picks in the first round. They don't pick in the second round, they don't pick in the third round. But I wonder if they would feel like they have the opportunity to move up a little bit later in the draft, maybe pop back into the day two range. I also typically go with a defensive lineman at some point for the Dallas Cowboys, either at 12 or 20, because.
It's kind of hard to expect them to get a difference-making player if they don't take them in the first round with one of those two picks. I wonder if they're a trade-down candidate at 12 or 20 because of those two things. But the secondary has got to get a lot better for Dallas. And I think this scenario really was, to me, just one that. It was the best player available at that point.
I mean, we've got David Bailey's off the board, Akeem Messdor's off the board, Cassius Howells off the board, right? If those guys are available, I consider them at number 20. But Avion Terrell, he's too good of a football player. I think he's an absolute dog. He could play inside and out for you.
You get that flexibility with Deron Bland. And then going up to number 12 with Dylan Thieneman, guys, I feel like Dylan Thieneman deserves to be talked about as a top 12 overall pick, not just some guy who, oh, yeah, no, he had a really good combine. Let's think about him at the back end of the first round. This dude's a legit football player. In the first two years that he played at Purdue, especially that true freshman season.
Elite coverage grade as a single high, cover one, you've got to do it all on the back end type of a safety. Second year, they were playing him at a little bit different of a role, so he wasn't as impactful. But you go back to Oregon this past season and you see the athleticism in a little bit of a different way, more of a downhill way. When people test really well in the secondary, specifically at safety, a lot of times you focus on coverage, right? The range in coverage, what they could be in coverage.
You got to emphasize the range that Dylan Thieneman has in run defense. The way that this guy can get from a deep safety spot to filling the run at the line of scrimmage is so fast, so explosive, so precise, so efficient that there are just not many guys that can run full speed and yet be a sound tackler, still line you up in between the shoulders and bring you down. When we talk about Dylan Thieneman, it is not just a coverage thing with his athleticism, it is an overall play style. It's why he had a ton of tackles over the last couple of years, specifically this past year at Oregon. I think that he is well worth that 12th overall pick for Dallas.
Could be your Cooper Dejean Quignon Mitchell draft just in a reverse order. Yeah, how about Look? You sold me, Trev. You sold me. The last third, some interesting names.
Trevor Sicama, you have the Steelers going for Ty Simpson, 21st overall. Why is that? Yeah, so I want to be very clear. I like Ty a lot. Halfway through the college football season, I had him as my QB1 in this class, even above Fernando Mendoza.
Now, Mendoza, obviously, the consistency, the highs, and winning the national championship, that vaults him up to that number one overall selection and how he played. But Simpson, through the first nine games, you got to remember, these are the first nine games that he started. He's a first-year starter. The way that he was able to command the pocket, how he would make protection calls at the line of scrimmage, how I'd watch him go through the progressions of a three-layered read, a sale concept to his right.
Okay, all three of those guys are covered. The defense sold out for that concept. That means the backside dig over the middle of the field is open. Let me get to that. The amount of times he was able to do that was so impressive for a year one starter.
Second half of the season, yeah, struggled under pressure a little bit, and he played hurt.
So I think that that goes into it as well. But when I watch the best of Ty Simpson, and I don't even mean that just to cherry pick, I mean showing what a guy can do, which is what scouting is all about. I see a starting caliber NFL quarterback. I really do. And so.
I don't know if the Steelers are going to consider him there at number 21, but I kind of had him go at that point because. I think he's going to be a mid to first round pick. I think that at the very least, a team at the top of the second round is going to look to jump up like the Giants did with Jackson Dart to get that fifth year option for him because he just feels as like he feels like a player. And Rich, I know you know this because you were in the booth watching all the throws from Simpson. Simpson was impressive to me at the combine.
It's a little piece of the pie, sure, but for a guy to get dropped in an unfamiliar environment, throwing to wide receivers he's never thrown to before, and to be as accurate and as clean as he was, specifically with a handful of those deep throws, that's really impressive to me. And that showcases a guy who can not only learn on the fly, but has a lot of natural athletic ability when it comes to the accuracy portion of playing the position. And then at 22 overall, brother, if Vango Ioanne is available for Jim Harbaugh. to put next to Rashawn Slater. On the line of a returning Joe Alt for Mike McDaniel to bring his run scheme there.
He might run the card in from across the street all the way to Pittsburgh. You think that's possible? I certainly think it's possible.
Now, Vega could go a little bit higher than this. Yeah, but I think that they'll have options. I mean, to be honest with you, with the Chargers at 22. I look at four players in particular. One of them is Vega Owane.
The other one's Spencer Fano, who I think could be a fantastic guard at the NFL level. I know there's questions for tackle, but man, I think he'd be a fantastic guard, especially you talking about a Mike McDaniel offense where he's liking to get to the sideline and likes to get his offensive lineman on the hoof. I mean, he's fantastic in that regard. Emmanuel Pregnan from USC still, I think, is one of the top zone blocking offensive guards in this class. And then Caleb Banks is kind of the wild card.
I think they'd take Caleb Banks if he gets to 22, but I don't think he gets to 22. All that to say, getting back to Vega Wane, not just a people mover, not just somebody who can really help out Mike McDaniel's run game there in Los Angeles. I think he's one of the best pass protectors of any offensive lineman in this draft. Love his handwork, love his balance. I mean, there are so many times where I watched him this past year where, okay, the hands go up.
He tries to get the first punch on somebody, and the defensive lineman will, you know, he'll break the wrist, he'll break the forearms, whatever it is. And then just the way that Vega stays patient. Stays balanced, resets those hands inside. I mean, it just gave so many pass rushers fits. I could tell he was getting on defensive lineman's last damn nerve with how quick his hands were to reset and how he was able to be so consistent as a pass blocker as much as a good run blocker as well.
So I think that we saw what happened to Justin Herbert this past season. The interior offensive line was not good enough with the Chargers, and this guy would immediately give them some good use in that area. Doubt. I mean, Daniel Jeremiah Trevor was showing footage of him getting to the second level, searching for someone to hit. And I was.
Frightened, sitting in the pool. He was, he was, he's pretty amazing. And if the Chargers wind up with him, and Brockman, look how close Trevor thinks you're going to get to Sadiq or Stowers, man, at the Patriots spot. I saw that yesterday. That's close.
I mean, that's close enough for you to pop up. But Sadiq to the Niners, why is that? Because you think. Obviously there y y you got um Kittle with an Achilles pop, and you add him, and obviously Kittle and Sadiq, when they're both healthy, look out. Like, is that what you think?
Yeah, I mean, that's the first phase, right? I mean, like, to think of both of these guys on the field. I mean, George Kittle is hard enough to stop, right? And then if you put Kenyon Sadiq as the tight end, too, who's next to him, have him as a wing back, an H-back, whatever you want to call it, off the line of scrimmage, as a true move player, he can be the split zone blocker for you coming behind the line of scrimmage. If you want to run a lot more of those concepts, you feel good about those mid- and outside zone concepts again because you've got these tight ends that can really block for you out in space.
Sadiq hasn't looked like the most natural receiver over the last couple of seasons with Oregon, but you see that athleticism. And man, who better to learn from than one of the best to play the position over the last two decades in George Kittle? And so with Kittle getting up there in age, I think that you set up a really, really great position. Pairing where not only does he get to work with Kittle for a little bit, but of course take over for Kittle whenever he decides to retire, which who knows? I mean, Kittle is a maniac in the best way.
So maybe that's 10 years from now. But you also, as a plus, Have to look at the receiving situation for the Niners. I know some people are gravitating towards them taking a receiver at the back end of the first round because Jawan Jennings is a free agent, Kendrick Bourne's a free agent, Brandon Ayuk's out of there. Obviously, they've already traded. Debo Samuel, so he's not in, he's been long not part of their long-term plans.
And you kind of look at it and you go, All right. Slick Rick, it's Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson. That's about it.
So you could lean so much more into the tight end passing game when you have those two tight end concepts and that 12 and 13 personnel that you really love to go to. I just, an offensive mind like Kyle Shanahan. Having George Kittle and Kenyon Sadiq to work with, I mean, he's already one of the best coaches in the NFL and so hard to cover. But you put that pairing out there, it gets even more difficult. Great chat, brother.
Look for more of my calls. Let's do this more often. Appreciate it. I appreciate it, Rich. Anytime, my friend.
Everybody, check out all of Trevor Sikkim's work, Pro Football Focus, right here on the Rich Isen Show. We're back in a second. We've got to beat it. That's how long we were chatting. Good stuff.
The Rich Heisen Show, the podcast. Back here as one big happy simulcast family on ESPN Radio Disney Plus, the ESPN app. All reports coming out that there will be no tag forthcoming for the Super Bowl. MVP runnin' back of the Seattle Seahawks Kenneth Walker the third, who is the clear MVP. of that Super Bowl, unless he wanted to give it to the kicker, Jason Myers.
Or the punter. Or the punter. Right? Like a Dixon. But as we all know, those things will never happen in our lifetimes, even though they are Super Bowl MVP-worthy people.
Um So Zach Charbonnet coming off of a knee injury, and Kenneth Walker III being told. Fourteen million bucks for one year is too rich for our blood. Looks like John Schneider is going to go shopping at the running back store. Mm. Either in this year's draft or In free agency?
And or Getting Kenneth Walker to come back in a more friendly contract if he's so willing, wants to do. Interesting choices to be made right here. But if there's one guy In this league. Out of the handful, That you're like, he knows what he's doing. I don't think there's any Seattle Seahawk fans going, what is John Schneider thinking?
Does he have a plan? Does he not know what he's doing? Does he have anybody? in mind. Maybe they see somebody on their roster.
But it is just a rough and tumble world for running backs, man. I'm looking at the franchise tags for for players. The highest ranked On the board. Is quarterbacks at 43 million per 43.
Next up, you want to guess who it is? Again, it's the top five positional salaries or 120% of a previous salary. Of somebody individually. But these are the top five, average of the top five paid at the position. Left tackle.
The incorrect. It is wide receiver. at 27.2 million. Defensive tackle is $27.1 million. Linebacker is 26.8.
Defensive end is 24.4, but Offensive lineman is twenty five point seven. After that It's cornerback. At 21.1 million. After that, it's safety at 20.1 million. After that it's tight end.
At 15 million. And then you get to running backs at 14.2. Again, when it all comes down to it. The Super Bowl MVP was the running back. Not the quarterback who was properly lionized and not the offensive player of the year.
Not even a previous Super Bowl MVP in Cooper Cup. Come on now. James Cook, Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor. Josh Jacobs. These are all people you need and depend on to run out a clock.
or give you a crucial score. You could say the biggest Play of the Seahawks season, period, was when Zach Charbonnet picked up a two-point conversion, not thinking. Oh, but that's anyone could have done anyone could have done that. After the running back spot, the only other position lower is kicker and punter of $6.6 million. That sounds kinda crazy.
It does sound kind of crazy, doesn't it?
So That's a good thing. Good luck to these running backs, and good luck to Kenneth Walker III in finding the deal that he. deserves and feel he deserves. The Ridge Eisen Show Podcast. Mm-hmm.
