REShow: Joel Klatt - Hour 1

It's Rich Eisen. Oh yeah, we got a guest list that's all over the map, but we've got three hours to map it all for you right here on The Rich Eisen Show in Los Angeles, California. Once again, we say hello to our live Roku channel audience, or hey, guess what, three hours from now you might be watching this game, watching this game, watching this show on repeat on the Roku channel because we repeat every single day after our live show is over from 12 to 3 Eastern Time. We say hello to those listening on our terrestrial radio network Coast to Coast, Sirius XM Odyssey, and of course our podcast.

Give us a subscribe right to our RSS feed where all podcasts can be acquired thanks to the Cumulus Podcast Network, and we say hello to you over there, Christopher Brockman. How are you on this big day? Hey Rich, great. Still got my check mark as of right now. Oh yeah, my check mark's still holding strong too. I don't know, might have been some 420 joke.

I have no idea. We'll see what happens. How are you? How are you, Mr. Feller? Good to see you, Jason Feller. Good. How are you? Good to see you. Wearing his Dodger hat, which means we might have to, you know, check you for some sticky substance.

Oh yeah. Or you might be just, you know, shutting this out like Clayton Kershaw. How are you over there, TJ Jefferson? What's going on, brother?

Well, I know nothing about blue check marks because I'm still booted off of Twitter. One thing to say, and that's Free Max Scherzer. He ain't do nothing. There you go. Come on.

He ain't do nothing. Free Max Scherzer. Free Max Scherzer. Let's go. Free two jiggy and Free Max Scherzer. Make that trend on the tweet machine.

Hashtag it all. We've got some great guests. Joel Klatt's about to join us right here on the Rich Eisen Show. We are one week away from the draft in Kansas City. One week away, one week from tonight.

I will be looking to my left. There's Joel Klatt. Beyond him will be Charles Davis. Beyond him will be Daniel Jeremiah. We'll be looking at a camera that's hopefully beaming us into your household for the NFL draft coverage in Kansas City, Missouri 2023 style.

So much to talk about with Joel and we will do that. And we've got not one, but two prospects. Maybe the first defensive bat taken in this draft. Brian Branch of Alabama Crimson Tide football. Jackson Smith and Jigba will be joining us on this program. He went to The Ohio State University. Will he be the first wide receiver taken? I believe that will happen. A lot of mock drafts are pegging him to be a Tennessee Titan at 11.

If they don't take a quarterback. Jackson Smith and Jigba will be joining us in hour number three of this program. Hall of Famer Joe Carter. We'll talk to him about Max Scherzer getting the gate here in Los Angeles for sticky substances.

I don't even know what that is. Joe will be joining us on this program. I wonder where the baseball is that he had out of the park to wrap up the World Series. Does he have it?

What do you think? Great question. I believe that was, it wasn't like a towering shot. It was more of a line drive that probably went in the bullpen. I don't know.

I wonder where it went. Never had a bigger home run in your life. Touch them all, Joe Carter. And so I imagine he must have a good Ricky Henderson story, right? Rich Joe not in the Hall of Fame. Just a two-time champ. How the hell is that possible?

I don't get it. Did I call him Hall of Famer Joe Carter? He did.

That's okay. Well he should be. Honestly he's not in the hall. He is not.

Go figure that. So headline out of last night's NBA playoffs. Headline is LeBron James is old. LeBron James?

That's one of them. He's old. How old is he exactly? Well look, in athlete terms, he is technically old. I mean he's 38 years old. That's old. For a guy to be... Old Chen starts.

Just chime in whenever you want, Jay. I mean he's in year 20. That's a long time for a guy to be playing and he's 38.

You know like I said in athlete years that's like 68. He's old. And that's what Dylan Brooks had to say. Now just when you thought Draymond Green was the only so-called villain in the playoffs, here comes Dylan Brooks. And this kid out of Oregon, was he the sweat Oregon? I don't remember. I have no recollection of him.

You remember when he played college hoops? Dylan Brooks? Nah. Yeah. If I'm... Would you mind looking it up again? I shouldn't say these things.

I should come prepared. Was he on the Oregon team that bounced my Wolverines out of the tournament one year? I mean... Oh yeah, you watched it right here at Staples. Oregon. Oregon was... No. Or was that down in Anaheim? No, that was Texas Tech who took care of Michigan that year.

Just another year it was, you know, Oregon as you know made some nice runs. I just don't remember him being so brash or... But I mentioned it at the All-Star break. How you know so many players are just... There's no competitive spirit. We had Matt Barnes on yesterday talking to how he loved how Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard bumped shoulders, didn't even look at each other because it's the playoffs after the Suns game two win even their best of seven series that won a piece.

That 4-5 series that I profit to say is going to go the distance while the Nuggets will be just sitting back, just kicking back, sitting in their whirlpool. They did bounce Michigan in 2017. With Dylan Brooks, right? I mean, he was a terrific college basketball player. He was the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

I know, right. I mean, so I just don't remember him being so brash. And so in this day and age where, as Matt Barnes pointed out, everybody's just all buddy-buddy that I was rooting for the Memphis Grizzlies because they're they're brash and they talk the talk and can they walk the walk and that's something that they're you know gonna have to deal with. Writing checks where their mouths, will their results cash them? Well, last night they cashed the Lakers without Morant and in the third quarter of this game, LeBron and Dylan Brooks start jawing. Timeouts called. LeBron James in the middle of, by the way, a 28-12 night on the road and Brooks apparently was told by James, this is what Brooks said, that he was dumb for having picked up his fourth foul. I guess he's giving the young buck some advice.

Two cents, highly unsolicited. This was after the game, Brooks being asked, do you really want to go with the goat like that? He is kind of, you know, the, I'm paraphrasing here, you'll hear the actual question, all-time leading scorer and stuff like that, you know. There are some people, Lakers are making that run, they get it to 14. You and LeBron have that exchange.

There are people out there that say maybe you shouldn't do that with one of the better players in the game. I guess, what were you thinking? I don't care, he's old.

You know what I mean? I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that game four, game five. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He shouldn't say that earlier on, but you know, I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40.

So, I pride myself on, you know, what I do is defense and taking on any challenge that's on the board. Well, that's quite the check that just got written, because I would think now the game three goal, as the series moves back to Los Angeles, 40 points. Unless he's talking about give me 40 is age 40. I don't imagine. 40 points.

Thanks. You think LeBron's going to want to score 40 points on game three? What do you think? What do you think? He's now set the, he's likely, he set the goal, set the bar right there when the Lakers take on Memphis Saturday night on the worldwide leader in sports. You think ESPN's going to play out this sound bite over the next couple days? What do you think?

What do you think? The fact is, LeBron hasn't scored 40 on him yet, so that is, by the way, 28 and 12 on the road. Nothing to sneeze.

And speaking of sneezing, Rich, when he says he pokes bears, he better hope that bear isn't on cocaine. There you go. Understood. Last time, LeBron had 40 in the playoffs. Game five of the NBA Finals in the bubble. There you go.

2020. Okay. Goal set. Also that bear that Leo had to deal with in the Revenant, and you don't want to poke that bear. Lakers lost that game, I guess, to be noted. Here we go.

I don't know. I love it. Speaking of Draymond Green. Draymond Brooks. He's out for tonight. He's out for tonight. And the Warriors have kind of set the table, in a way. They've set the table.

They have to win tonight. Well, but they've set the table, and what they've talked about, the calls they're not getting, the play that's a bonus. They're saying that apparently Zach Lowe on his podcast said that the Warriors are complaining that Sabonis has been using the ball as a weapon.

That is insane. I've never heard that before. I've heard ball don't lie before. Let's see. No Scott Foster signing tonight, Rich. I know you were asking about that pre-show. No Foster tonight.

No Foster tonight. Okay. You know what? Here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to put a pin in this because I want to set the table for, and we'll talk about this later on the program. We've got a ton of real estate on the back end, and I just wanted to just comment about Dylan Brooks's comments and let him know, okay, you've written a nice check. That's the number for LeBron on game three.

I can't wait. 45 for LeBron tonight. But Joel Klatt's about to walk in the door. My colleague Ian Rappaport at the the old shop, the NFL network, NFL media group, he tweeted out last licks of visits for teams. Who went to go visit New England? Will Levis.

Huh. What? Will Levis, a top 30 visit, an interesting top 30 visit as the final day, on the final day teams were allowed, as Ian started his tweet. Patriots hosted Kentucky quarterback Will Levis yesterday, sourced says, part of their due diligence to prepare for any scenario a week from now.

New England picks 14th. What's the due diligence about? What's the due diligence?

Not in all your eyes, you're crossing your teeth. Well, I mean, what are they? They're kicking the tires on Will Levis just to see if he's better than Mac Jones. Really? We're going to take the kid from Tennessee after two years of Mac Jones in the NFL. We'll start from scratch. They're willing, they're, wow.

This is a heck of a due diligence. Well, Bailey Zappi went to Western Kentucky. Got it. Will went to Kentucky. So we're just trying to corner the market on Kentucky quarterback.

Understood. Or they're just trying to call together all their the yelp restaurant reviews from the state of Kentucky. What is happening? Is that what they're trying to do? What a gigantic waste of time.

Well, unless. They're going to take him at 14? Yep. To do what? Play quarterback for the New England Patriots. To do what? To play quarterback for the New England Patriots and maybe flip Mac Jones to the Houston, Texas.

Oh, this is so exciting. Or to play quarterback for the New England Patriots and flip Mac Jones to, who wants him? Who wants him?

The Houston gamblers? Would the Indianapolis Colts take him? Would the Colts take him? What would Mac Jones get in the open market right now? Not a first rounder. So?

So you spend a 15 on a guy two years ago to get a three back? What do you think the 49ers are going to get back from Lance? Doesn't matter because the coach and the general manager aren't getting bounced by the owner. So.

But Bill's on the hot seat. So you keep saying that. You keep saying that. You keep saying that as if we have installed a thermometer on the seat that Belichick actually will be sitting in on draft night.

Nike the dog. Here's the thing that's just, I don't understand here. Was last year so significantly disastrous or fracturing for the relationship? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

Or fracturing for the relationship there. That the first year we're just throwing that out. All the success he had. The winning streak. It's not just the success. It's not just the Pro Bowl selection. It's not just the success.

It's the success in light of the situation he strolled into. Mac Jones was the guy drafted in the first round. Their first first round choice at the position. Spent on that position since Drew Bledsoe.

Mac Jones being drafted in the position where he was drafted 15th overall. A year removed from Tom Brady's removal. Right after Brady won the Super Bowl after leaving New England. In his first year elsewhere.

Returning to New England. They put it in week four. And Mac Jones walked into that game one and two and damn near beat Brady. And then went on a run that put New England in the tournament.

Put him in the playoffs for the Super Bowl. And I watched him again here in Los Angeles take on the Chargers. And he was the better quarterback on that day.

Herbert looked lost. New England did its usual voodoo on a young quarterback. And Mac Jones just was making throws. Operating the offense. Wisely sliding down with six minutes to go because they were up by two scores. Situationally smart. Made the Pro Bowl because enough quarterbacks I guess were too injured. But he was one of the first ones up as the replacement.

Did the gritty in Vegas. I mean like it was all working. It was working. And 10 jerseys are flying off the shelves.

Mac 10. And then last year happened. Quick game started effing sucking. Yep. He was very vocal. Very angry. Rich do you think that has anything to do with it? I don't know.

Everyone. I think a hundred percent it does. You hear all the reports from Tom Curran and everybody up in New England that Mac reached outside the building for counsel. Because the people that Bill had put in charge of his maturation he didn't trust. And that has really pissed Bill off.

And I think he's still holding on that. You've seen it all offseason. Bill has given many chances to say that Mac's the guy. He's our starter. And he won't do it. He won't do it. He refuses.

He says he can play in this league. And now Will Levis is brought in for a visit for Looksy. Little diligence being due. It was due. You know what was due?

You know what was due yesterday in New England? Diligence. I'm gonna change my DJ name to that. DJ due diligence. DJ due diligence. What are we doing? DJ due diligence. You know what you're doing there at 14. Do you know what you're doing?

Diligence. Guess what? You know what I'd like to do?

Nope. Let's take some skill guys who could put the ball in the end zone. That's what I want to do. And Mac Jones is going to get coached. What if Bill what if Bob what if Bill O'Brien came in and just tells Bill closed-door meeting. You know what? You're right. This Will Levis guy. We saw him last year. I saw him. Bill saw him. Bob saw him.

You're right. You know Bill O'Brien saw him. It was all about him. Hey man when we took you know when we when we played Kentucky last couple years this kid was tough. I think we just let's just take a look at him.

You know what we need to do? Diligence. And then Mac Jones wherever he's sitting he's like what who is there?

By the way off-season workout program. Could Mac and Will Levis have been in the building at the same time? They having a bicep off? I don't know. That's awkward. Eating bananas without peeling it. Mayo and coffee. Weirdo. Doing weird stuff. Red flag. Okay. Why is Will Levis visiting the Pats? Because they're just.

This has ruined my day. No but also no no you know what Bill does too. Bill Belichick has guys in. What if Will Levis is suddenly the quarterback on the other side of the field this fall and they put him on the grease board and they ask him what which plays do you think you need to improve on? Which play is your favorite play? And they know that that play could be dialed up and all of a sudden there's a pick six and you're like yeah damn straight.

They did their due diligence on Will Levis. We got one on the board. Maybe that's what Belichick's doing and he hasn't lost it and you need to pipe down the hot seat doesn't exist. In that case genius. That's what a fan is being all about right there.

That's a fan. Brilliant. Can't wait to talk about this with Joel Cladd who's coming out next right here on the Rich Eisen. Nobel is a training brand for people who work hard and don't believe in excuses. Nobel's performance footwear apparel and accessories are worn by some of the fittest athletes on earth and is now the official combine training partner of the NFL and the official on-field supplier of apparel and headwear for the NFL scouting combine. Head to www.nobelproject.com NFL to see how Nobel forever changed the NFL combine and to shop football training essentials and more gear for your day-to-day workouts. Stay tuned to the Rich Eisen Show and keep your eyes on our Twitter feed and YouTube channel as I'm hosting a new segment sponsored by Nobel called From the Combine to the Draft. I'll profile a few players journeys from the physical and mental tests of the NFL combine as we head towards the thrilling moment when the picks are announced in Kansas City during the draft. That's twitter.com slash Rich Eisen Show and youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show from the combine of the draft sponsored by Nobel.

Men do you get distracted during the day thinking about your underarms sweating itching or emitting an odor do those thoughts keep you from showing care when it counts new and improved dove men plus care antiperspirant with 72 hours sweat and odor protection and one quarter moisturizing cream helps you forget about your underarms so you can be present for the moments that matter don't let underarm insecurities keep you at arms distance from the ones you care about buy new and improved dove men plus care antiperspirant wherever personal care products are sold Joe Klatt here from Fox Sports NFL Network. The headline of the first round of the draft will be what in your estimation? I have this suspicion that we're going to get three quarterbacks taken in the first three picks.

Okay. I just I get the sense that you know the talk about Stroud not going to Houston is is smoke and and that it's and it's fake even if you know if it's just barely out there and once those two guys Bryce Young I think going first and then CJ goes I just think that there's going to be a bit of a panic from the teams that need quarterbacks and and they're going to be looking at Indianapolis at four and saying to themselves we've got to jump them so whether it's Indy going up one spot or someone jumping in there at that three spot with Arizona I think someone's going up to get Anthony Richardson and I think that's going to be the headline of of night one. Richardson is the guy that's what you're saying. That's right.

What makes you think that? His upside is just is is so high so I I'm going to give you some of my stuff so you're going to have to hear this twice. You know what I'll act like oh my gosh that's so fascinating or you know me I'll say I've heard that on the Rich Eisen Show before you know me I don't mind self-promoting but have at it. Okay so quarterbacks in the draft in in in some way are like Rubik's Cubes and you've got to figure out two things about the Rubik's Cube. How good is it once it's figured out right so once it's unlocked what is the potential what's the ceiling you you can throw out all the cliches and then the other part though and this is the more difficult part is how many turns of the Rubik's Cube is it going to take for it to become finished or close to finish?

Yes sir. Everybody would like a Rubik's Cube that has a high ceiling. Here's the the interesting part. I also believe everybody wants an unfinished Rubik's Cube so that you can't just say like well this is what he is and he's got no upside so you're just drafting a known commodity and he's never going to get better than that. You want the ability to develop a little bit project a little bit but not too much. There's this perfect sweet spot.

So what is it Rich eight eight turns nine turns 20 turns of the cube to get it finished or polished or ready or reach its potential. Anthony Richardson if figured out becomes the best player on the field in maybe any matchup. That's his upside. Now how far away is he from that?

Quite quite far. So you've got to think to yourself am I smart enough to figure out 25 moves of a Rubik's Cube and get this guy to a point where he can be one of the best players in the NFL. It's this equation it's this it's this dance that the decision makers have to go on and the reason that I like him at three right behind those guys is that his upside is so much higher than someone like let's say Will Levis but he's going to go behind them because he's too many turns behind in terms of the the Rubik's Cube. Richardson is a phenomenal player. The one thing I would say that is is somewhat of a knock is that he's not consistently good. He's occasionally great but he's not consistently good. How much of that had to do with where he was the program in Florida because again that's the conversation about Richardson is the wins and losses in this past year of course and of course he's he's in the same conference as Will Levis that's the same conference as Bryce Young same conference as Hendon Hooker and he was in fourth in that conversation you know win loss wise.

You know the the the talent can can supersede some of those questions. I will say though there were moments when you could tell the team was on his back and he was raising the level of all the boats. He was the tide. Bryce Young is constantly the tide. Everybody around him has to get better.

He's going to pull you down the field, score in big moments. We've seen those moments with Richardson. We've seen those moments with CJ Stroud and and for me it's it's the mundane. Can you be really good with the mundane?

I make this comment as well quite a bit. I think most throws for a quarterback even at the NFL level are on a scale of one to ten in terms of difficulties fours and fives. There's a like you live in fours and fives maybe some sixes right they're just not ultra difficult throws.

Now you got to process information you got to be on time and you got to do those sort of things. You've got to be exceptional at fours fives and sixes. You cannot miss them. You can't miss them. He misses those throws sometimes. The difference is he can go to nine and ten where other guys can't. Also with his legs and things of that nature and I do like your Rubik's Cube analogy very much.

I love it. See I was this was like a tester guys. No no no you can workshop your stuff on The Rich Eyes and show them with me anytime you know text me call me or show up here but let me just you know add on to that is that part of solving a Rubik's Cube is whose hands is the cube in. That's right. Because you've seen the videos right like if you hand me a Rubik's Cube it will take me 15 years to figure out.

Yeah I'm the same. Okay but you've seen the videos you can hand the Rubik's Cube to somebody from one of the four corners of the earth they flip it three times and it's done. Yeah. So give me the hands in whose you know who who's a Rubik's Cube named Anthony Richardson would be placed who can figure it out. You're saying somebody's going to trade up to three give me the team who you think they trade up to three with the new coach that they have or the coach they already have or the program they already have the weapons they already have you know whose hands do you think Richardson's Cube would be best placed. I think the that's two different answers.

Okay. I think that the the team that I do think the team that trades up is Indianapolis. I think they move up one spot it's too easy it's too clean and Arizona would rather do that with Indianapolis and the reason is because they can still sit there and get Will Anderson. It would be the first overall pick in the draft. That's right. For anybody that doesn't you know want a quarterback. And they'll pick something up and it won't be too much it won't be too much to give up for Indianapolis and it won't be too much to slide down for Arizona. So I think that makes too much sense.

Now do I think that that's the best place for him? I'm not totally sure. I will say this though in the last four and five years I've been pretty opinionated about quarterbacks.

Yes you have. And and I will tell you in the in the last four or five years I've had to totally rethink and and self-assess some of that because I'm like hold on projects are working more now than they ever have in the NFL. It used to be in in what I would let's call it old school football without the modern style of RPOs and college style offenses kind of infiltrating the National Football League. Projects didn't work. They just they just didn't.

Now they do. We forget Patrick Mahomes was a project. I remember the eyebrows raising when Andy Reid. We thought it was Deshaun Watson on our set in Philadelphia. That was a draft haul on the Rocky steps and Andy Reid's trading up and in Philadelphia it's clearly for Deshaun Watson. That's what we all thought on the set from Mayock to DJ to CD you referred to Charles Davis earlier and it was Mahomes. It's Mahomes. Okay.

And and it was a project. Remember he he retreated in the pocket. No one had had success out of that offense.

Could it work? We don't know. He seems like too much of a gunslinger. Yeah. What I found out about Andy Reid and anybody that had ever touched Brett Favre is that that's what they saw in Patrick Mahomes early in his career. So he was a project. Jalen Hurts was a project coming out of Oklahoma. Now he's the highest paid player. Now he's the highest paid player. Lamar Jackson same. Josh Allen same. I mean all of these guys had question marks big question marks about what they were going to be at the next level and they have worked out.

And so I think there are teams and decision makers that are going to be much more aggressive in terms of the quote project than they have been in the past. Joel Klatt here from Fox Sports NFL Network. First night and second night of draft coverage featuring Joel Klatt along with me and Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis currently right here on the Rich Eisen Show. So which player that you saw the most is the best in this draft do you think? I think that the best gosh well I saw a lot of them.

I know. I think the best overall player I saw in person was Will Anderson. Now the best offensive player non-quarterback that I saw was Bijan Robinson and the best quarterback I saw was Bryce Young. I saw them all.

I saw all these guys. I saw Tyree Wilson in person. I saw Jackson Smith and Jigba in his really good year. Here's what I'll say about Jackson Smith and Jigba.

It'd be easy for me to give you him as an answer. We forget he was on the same team as Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave and both of those guys as well as their coach who's a great coach Brian Hartline the wide receiver coach at Ohio State to a man told me in person several times best players Jackson Smith and Jigba on this team. That's with Garrett Wilson on the team.

You saw what he just did. You saw what Chris Olave just did in their rookie seasons. Jackson Smith and Jigba is going to lead the league in receptions one of these next few years and we're all like well he missed a year.

I don't care. So did Micah Parsons. So did Penne Sewell. There you go.

I gave you like five guys. And that totally makes sense and it's kind of funny because now with you know Smith and Jigba who's coming up in the third hour with him being there and the rest of the very talented receiving group at the Ohio State for CJ Stroud I'm hearing you say Marvin Harrison's the junior is going to be the best player in the NFL in a couple of years anyway. I know that's absolutely true. And by the way that's who everyone was talking about after Stroud's pro day was that kid.

I agree. Because he was there catching passes at that pro day. He is the best college wide receiver I've ever covered. Really? Yes.

Now I never saw Randy Moss in person at Marshall right you know or any of those things. Marvin is so special. You know what's also interesting about this draft? It's a decent draft right?

Yeah. I think we would all it's a decent draft. We've got quarterbacks, good edge rushers. Mystery which is what I love as well.

Good mystery. Big time. Corners. A lot of good corners which I like and yet we've got several positions that if there were college players who are not eligible for this draft if they were eligible for this draft they would be the best players at their position. I've got four guys that I could tell you right now that I think would get picked in this year's top seven. Well Caleb Williams is obviously one. Caleb Williams.

Drake May from North Carolina. The quarterback. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Brock Bowers at Georgia. That guy is insane. Brock Bowers at Georgia.

Think about that. We got four players going back to college football that would be NFL starters next year at their respective position. And then another thing I love about this draft as well Joel you mentioned his name already is Bijan Robinson's out there too and supposedly running backs are not supposed to be taken high and we will be talking about no doubt in our draft coverage is that the defending world champs whose town we will be in and they won the Super Bowl with a seventh round pick leading their rushing attack and he scored in the Super Bowl out of Rutgers Isaiah Pacheco and yet this kid Bijan Robinson is really really talented and can change the fortune of an NFL team just by him being picked. I keep looking at Philly in this draft and I'm like why wouldn't you go get a guy on a first contract? Because they're all about blocking and tackling on that line not running through it you know like that's what they're about because they can run through it with Miles Sanders and all you got to do is put Boston Scott against the Giants and he'll score five touchdowns you know so. I think Bijan is the best non-quarterback offensive player in the draft.

I think that if. Sorry does that include Lineman too? You would throw Lineman?

Okay yeah okay. He's so versatile. He's a lot like Christian McCaffrey.

Now he's not going to get that comparison a lot but he is. Really good inside the tackles. Good vision, jump cut, lateral movement. Really good outside of the tackles. He has home run ability. We've seen him make guys miss, have top end speed but he also catches it really well both out of the backfield and lined up in the slot. He can move around. He's a smart player. Texas really struggled on the offensive line and yet he still produced.

Never complained about it. Great teammate, hard worker. At some point when we see let's let's take the Cowboys for example.

Oh boy let's let's. I'm not saying that they're going to take Bijan but you when was Dak Prescott his best? When Zeke was the best running back in football. Okay. Zeke was the best running back in football in part because he was on his first contract. Which means you can spread resources around to things like the offensive line.

Okay. When are we going to start talking about the advantageous nature of the fifth year of control for running backs as well as quarterbacks? Like we always do inevitably at the end of the first round. What are we going to talk about if Will Levis is still on the board?

Well you're going to want that fifth year of control. You know and first round versus first round versus second round. Hendon Hooker will be having that conversation a week from tonight too. Exactly. That's so when when does that start with running backs?

Because it's pretty clear to me. You look around the league and these top-end running backs. Everyone's hesitant to get them to their second contract. When are we going to start talking about getting dynamic offensive threats with a fifth year of control? And and the running back position I just it's tough to think that that's going to be the position that would lead that charge. Maybe I don't know because the receiving group usually is deep in a draft.

One would think although you're hearing that this year's not as much as previous years. Although somebody like Jalen Hyatt jumps out at me. Zay Flowers. These are the names of guys who can you know went viral over the past 24 hours that Mahomes was throwing past Tuesday Flowers and here come the Chiefs getting another one. Also Quinton Johnston was with him at one point. Exactly. That's another one although I don't need to hear his name very much. He ruined a certain particular ball game for me.

Well the replay officials ruined it. I like that answer. Good answer.

I appreciate that. But yes I just because the running back position and again I'm happy to have this conversation if there's time a week from tonight or the Friday night of the draft as well. I mean how in the world is Austin Eckler who who the only person who scored more touchdowns over the last couple of seasons than him is nobody. And Jalen Hurts is the only one who scored more touchdowns than him last year. And so he he's trying to get a new contract out of the out of the Chargers and they're saying no you can go look for somebody else to to go you know play for if you can if you can find that team.

I just don't know. And again Isaiah Pacheco scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl so did Sky Moore and they weren't even remotely close to the first round of the draft. And it it'll be interesting.

I but you're right and we're also having that conversation about Saquon Barkley right now as he's not showing up for off-season workout activities. I want to take a break and then just have one more brief segment with you. I want to hit the Giants with you a little bit too because you said you always you always love bringing your opinion about quarterbacks. There's one in particular that you said on this show as well and then and then you know I just want to dive a little bit more into the quarterback group before sending you up the 405.

I've got Joel Klatt right here on the Rich Eisen Show from Fox Sports and also my colleague a week from tonight and next week on NFL Network's draft coverage. April is National Financial Literacy Month. What is financial literacy? It's applying different skills effectively including managing your finances budgeting and saving. It just so happens the Cumulus Podcast Network has three great podcasts to help raise your financial IQ.

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Afford anything and Brown Ambition wherever you listen. Joe Claddis here on the Rich Eyes and Show. We were just explaining on on the Roku channel stream about Gus's Gus Johnson his partner on Fox Sports.

Certainly the big game on Saturday. His brilliance. What do you mean he calls you off of stuff?

What do you mean? Well I want I get so enthralled and deep into the football and the matchup and this and so I can think to myself like I can't wait to talk about this like guard nose guard matchup and that's where the run game is and he'd be like he'd be like hey youngster and he kind of like rubs his head you know like this and he's like hey young buck we got to make stars. He's like guards aren't stars. We're talking about Will Johnson the corner. We're talking about you know the quarterbacks. Yes and and he's right you know like he's right in that sense.

Young buck. Yeah he he does but he's he's phenomenal. He's taught me so much about this industry. We talk a lot about rhythm.

I think one of the reasons why we've worked so well is that he taught me that doing a game is is equal parts two things. One listening and two double dutch. He's like don't trip the rope.

There's two going. There's two going and he's and he's always just says he's like don't trip the rope. He's like slide slide in you know get going and then get out and and I think that's what makes the rhythm of our game good like I I really do is there's there's that sense he's he's he's unbelievable for as much as all of you love Gus Johnson.

I love him even more. Well I mean because you get to we got to have him here in studio one was that right before right before Michigan Ohio State. Yeah we sent him to the airport. I think he was going to Columbus right after that and I we he hung with us for for like an hour and he was awesome.

He walked on the set and then I love that phrase. That works for us here too. Don't don't trip the rope honestly because that's what we do. We're here every day every day.

We're chopping it up every day. Yeah you gotta like get in there you know get going you gotta do it and then jump out. He's there there are times though yes when I look over and he's just looking at me and I'm like I just tripped the rope. I got it. I got it. You want to let him down? Yeah. Oh I love that. My bad. Joel Cladd here on the Rich Eisen Show.

He's phenomenal. Let's let's again the the puzzle pieces for the draft also includes what's going on in the NFL. Yep. So we'll have the Lamar Jackson saga saga kind of hanging over it because you can't sign someone like let's just say a team just dared to sign them to an offer sheet or decided to finally do that.

The Ravens have five days to match so unless somebody signs them to an offer sheet Sunday those first round picks are are finished. Yeah. For this year so that's not going to really like happen in the middle of the first round. The Rogers Jets Packer stuff absolutely can happen on Thursday night or even Friday night.

Yeah. I mean when we were in we we we've we had the Josh Rosen trade happen in the middle of the second round one year after the Kyler Murray choice that happened one year but these all things can happen. So another aspect as well because if I'm not mistaken the Giants ended up having I believe it was Will Levison and Hendon Hooker in they had they've had quarterbacks in. They have which means after the contract they gave out. To Daniel Jones.

Well I'll never forget the day after he was drafted it was in Nashville you were kind enough to come on this show. Yeah. And you said that it was a huge reach and it would set the Giants franchise back significantly and you were right till Brian Deval showed up. I mean you'd have to say that. Yeah.

You can't sit here and say that the Jones pick was working out until they they just decided to finally hire the right guy who can figure out his Rubik's Cube if you don't mind. There you go. I love it. Bring it all to full circle. I love it.

Bring it full circle. So what do you what do you think of the Jones contract? Joel. I didn't love it. I didn't love it. Why is it like I really I want the Giants. I want to be like hey the Giants did a great job.

It's not personal. I don't love the contract. I don't think that the players in that locker room look at Daniel Jones and be like yep yep that's the guy who needs to get that type of money. I just I think it was too high. Did they have to pay him that?

Maybe. Why is Saquon taking the position that he's taking? Because he's more important to them in some regard. I know quarterbacks are generally more important but you know I I think that there are a lot of Daniel Joneses in in the NFL and there's not a lot of Saquon Barclays and I think in an in a locker room you can't you can't fake it. Everybody knows acutely who's who's the most important who's the one carrying the team you know who who are the alphas and if the contracts don't align like that you know you you can there can be issues in the locker room. I hope that that's not the case with the Giants. I just I don't sense that that's gonna all of a sudden turn into I mean he got look I know Joe Burrow's gonna get more than that but he got a lot. That contract was not small.

No it's 40 million a year and obviously so it hurts just got 51 million a year. It it is it's slotted one would think but it's still way up there and the fact that maybe we won't think that this is as high as it is right now when everyone we get the Burrow deal you know and like we start getting these other deals out there. Right so last one for you the news that Ian Rappaport put out there that Will Levis stopped by New England had Will Levis in. I mean again that's another piece of the puzzle. Yes.

Going into the draft I mean what what what's that all about? First of all I the the best part about the Patriots is that you never you never know if they're doing things just so that tweet will go out. You know like it's it's almost.

What do you think of that? Where you're sending a message? Yeah you're just kind of like we're just going to throw it out there so everyone's like wait are we did we miss something? There's also the Belichick aspect of and I've heard he's done this over and over and over again as you get the kid in because you never know if he if he could wind up playing you in a key week and you already know on the grease board what bothers him you know because you've asked him. Play him or if you're gonna get him later you know like this is the time to to be in a position of you don't get to bring in a free agent and be like get on the board.

Yeah right. You know so like this is the time when you have kind of the authority over the meeting where you can test them from here on out now you're just trying to sell them on coming if you're in a free agent or if you're playing them now you kind of understand those those things that maybe give him trouble. So this is not new for Belichick. Well, Levis is an interesting piece. He's a talented guy. He turns the ball over too much but man he makes a lot of big throws. I would say the one knock on Levis that I have other than the turnovers is those other three quarterbacks at the top. Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson. There are moments when you can tell that he is elevating the entire team to a place where maybe they shouldn't go and competing for and maybe winning a game.

Levis doesn't have many of those. He played pretty well in in 2021 against Tennessee but there there aren't those moments where I'm just like man Levis is dragging Kentucky across the finish line and and you see that with the other three guys. Man if we're sitting in Kansas City a week from tonight Joel Klatt, which we will, but if we're sitting there and Levis is still on the clock at 14 and the time's ticking down we'll be talking about this tweet. This visit.

This visit. I think he'll be available at 14. What about Bijan Robinson at 14? Will he be available then? It's entirely possible. Maybe.

That's the sweet spot. I think Bijan is like the 10 to 16 range. So the Patriots are on the clock and they have a choice between the two of them and Chris whichever small school you've never heard of that's got an offensive guard that's who they'll choose instead of the two of them and send you up a wall. Yeah, Cole Strange 2.0. We can drop you up a wall right there and match him with Ramond. Or Will Levis if you don't think Matt Jones.

What is he like? Cody Mock, North Dakota State. There you go. Offensive line.

Write it down. He's guaranteed to be the Patriots pick. He could take his teeth out.

It'll be great. Does he not have teeth? I mean he grew up on a farm, 5,000 acres. He's like through and through. He had the teeth knocked out.

He hasn't even had them replaced, right? He can have a ton of clam chowder through a straw. It's perfect. Just for you. Fantastic. Joel, thank you for coming on. You bet. I appreciate you having me. Absolutely. Jackson Smith and Jigba by the way coming up in our best receiver in the draft.

I will tell him that. Conspiracy theories, paranormal, UFOs. In the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union started developing directed energy microwave devices. And even to this day, the United States government is still continuing its research into high power microwaves.

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