Trevor Sikkema: I Think Bears Draft Caleb Williams

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Rich Eisen Show with guest host Andrew Siciliano. He is a brilliant, brilliant creator. He's in charge of every detail. He knows what he wants.

It works. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Today's guests from Pro Football Focus, Trevor Sikkema, 49ers Radio play-by-play announcer Greg Papa, plus your phone calls, latest news and more. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Andrew Siciliano. What's up everybody? Rich is back on Monday. You get me today and tomorrow. Happy to be here. Grateful always to sit in this chair on the Rich Eisen Show where the phone number is 844-204-RICH. Whether you're watching us on the Roku channel, on Sirius XM, on 161, on 206, or online on 998, or however you're consuming this program today, we appreciate you. Coming up in mere moments, Trevor Sikkema from PFF. They have a new mock draft here today up on pff.com.

It's guaranteed to be right. Chris Brockman, Michael Del Tufo, TJ Jefferson. Gentlemen, it's all good and great to see you. Before we get to the update from Kansas City real quick, Tiger Brockman, you're following. He is up the road from us at Riviera.

What do we got? Even through two, just teed off, because it's going right off the tee at three. Birdied one, hit the fairway on two, and then suffered a bogey.

He's okay. So Tiger birdie bogey to open up at Riv tomorrow. This is the Genesis Invitational here in California, in Brentwood tomorrow.

Tiger's tee time later in the afternoon, 5 45 Eastern Time, 2 45 specific here in California. The update from Kansas City is as follows. 23 victims, one dead. Three people have been detained. Two of those that have been detained are juveniles. Multiple firearms recovered at the scene.

According to the Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves, quote, this appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire. Brilliant. So, can't go to parades anymore. I don't have kids. Brockman, you do.

It's terrifying. Would you take Cage to a parade tomorrow? Tomorrow? Yes.

No. We can watch on TV. It'll be great.

Just as good. I am talked out on this, to be quite frank. I mean, beyond talked out, was on air when it happened yesterday. I'm not the victim here. I'm just doing my job.

But beyond talked out, because there's just a lot of yelling on all sides. But the bottom line is it's not really safe to go a lot of places. Yeah, look, I know it's safe. It's not safe whenever you leave your house, right?

You can die in a car crash. I get it. Yep. Generally, I control that, though. You know, my poor driving.

Or, you know, you get what I'm saying. Yes, you're always taking a risk when you leave your house. You shouldn't be taking a risk when you go to a parade. It's not a rant about that. It's not a rant. It's not a rant about gun laws, by the way. That's just like a reality.

Like, you should be safer. We'll get back to that a little bit. We got all day. We got all off season. And when we get an update on any of those kids that were shot, we will bring you that update.

We will now, as tactfully and professionally as possible, turn our attention to the football. As we are, by my count, Trevor Sikkema, I believe, as Trevor joins us from PFF, 70 days away from night number one of the draft. Am I math right?

Are you counting at home? I should know that. As lead draft analyst for PFF, that should actually be something that I should know. Let me do this.

I'm gonna have to trust you on it. It's a lot of days between now and then working, as so many other people are working hard on PFF's draft guy that we're putting out first edition of it in a couple of weeks. So, time is a strange concept to us right now as we are in the full swing of drafts.

It's 71 days if you include the 25th for those scoring at home. You were close. That was close. That was good on you.

We had to do this at the Senior Bowl in the open a couple of weeks ago. I'm just trying to count backwards from Mobile where we learn a lot about Michael Penix. We'll get to him in a second. Anyway, Trevor, the PFF mock draft is up on pff.com.

As I said before, it is guaranteed to be accurate for your money back. You do have Caleb Williams going number one, and you also have him going to the Bears. I think we all agree, whomever has number one, and if I'm the Bears, I don't trade out. It is going to be Caleb Williams, right?

That's what I think. I really do feel as though the Bears are going to be that team in the end. When we get to this point in the off-season, you mentioned the Senior Bowl, the Shrine Bowl as well, the combine coming up. It's a really good time of the year to learn a lot about what NFL circles might be thinking and what they're projecting for a lot of these teams. I can't find anybody, despite all the debates on social media between fans and media members and all of that, I can't really find anybody who tangibly is giving me a reason that the Bears would stick with Justin Fields. It just does not feel as though that would be the smart play or the play that is actually going to happen.

In fact, I hear most of the opposite. Ultimately, I look at Chicago, and they are the team that traded out of the number one pick last year. I think they are certainly happy with that. The haul they were able to get back giving Justin Fields another year was, at the time, understandable. I think they look at what happened with CJ Stroud this past year, what he has done for the Houston Texans, not alone, but a big part of it.

I don't think they can dare pass on that again for their current situation. That's why I think they're going to take a swing at the bat, and it is going to be Caleb Williams. And then your mock draft, Trevor, really gets fun. You got Drake May going too. Big deal.

A lot of people do. But you have Drake May going too to the Denver Broncos. In return, the commanders move down to 12.

Again, this is all the world of make believe. You get a first round pick in 25, a second round pick in 25, and a first round pick in 26. So you move down to 12, pick up two ones, and a two. That's pricey. It is pricey, but that is the cost of doing business for going up to get a guy that you think is potentially going to change your franchise. And this draft season is going to be very, very interesting because there are so many teams that need quarterbacks desperately, more desperately than it feels like has been the case in years past. There's not a lot of quarterbacks in free agency to supplement that. When you look at the free agent market, it's basically Baker Mayfield, who I don't think is getting out of Tampa, and Kirk Cousins. And I'm not sure where Kirk Cousins is going to go, but he's just one man, right? You've got teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, like the Denver Broncos, like the Minnesota Vikings that are all sitting outside of the top 10, who would want to go up into the top three to go get one of these quarterbacks.

And that's not even including teams like the Giants at six and the Atlanta Falcons at number eight. You could throw them into the mix as well. So I feel as though Washington with the new ownership group, a lot of flexibility there, a lot of time, new regime. I think that they are going to entertain this offer. I, they certainly need a quarterback as well. And I have them kind of trading up and still getting JJ McCarthy in this mock draft, but I think they are going to entertain this trade down effect where I don't, I'm not so sure that new England's going to be as willing to move out of number three. They're going to want one of those quarterbacks. Again, they cannot go into the season with Mac Jones or Bailey Zappi as their guy. And so for Washington, I look at a team like Denver, who, they made a bold statement this year with how they handled Russell Wilson and that situation in the middle of the season, it felt like it was free agency in October or November where they went, yep, we're basically cutting you. And we got games left to play.

They weren't even eliminated from playoff contention. They were, they were right in the mix and they end up basically saying, but not saying, yeah, we're moving on from Russell Wilson. And so I'm not sure that's a situation where you can afford to stay status quo either. And if you're not a quarterback, that's a situation where you can afford to stay status quo either.

And in fact, whenever that's the case, it's just going to cost you more, especially when it comes to a quarterback to change that landscape for a guy who is worth it. And so Denver, one of many teams that I think will be calling Washington at number two and new England at number three, to try to get in that conversation with the top three signal callers. Talking to Trevor Sikma here from PFF leave draft analysts.

They have their mock up right now on pff.com. And again, they have the Broncos moving up to two trading with the commanders and going up to get Drake May. Now, Trevor, before he came on, I threw out, I don't know, an idea that I have here for the bears, because, and I've tried to tell people in Chicago, this, the Caleb versus Fields thing doesn't have to be a binary decision. You could trade Justin Fields, get whatever you can get a two, you know, maybe it's more like a three that could go to a two and a five, something like that.

Right. And you can also trade number one. If you are comfortable with Drake May or Jayden Daniels, you could potentially get a bounty, although not the same as 12 to two, maybe, but you could get something if, if you traded from one down to two where Cliff Kingsbury sits now with the commanders or from one down to three, where Elliot Wolfe seemingly is now in charge in, in new England. What do you think of that idea? If, if, if again, you're okay with one of the other two. Yeah, no, I think that that is a scenario that could certainly play out. Now I, I'm not so sure it's going to be that close on teams boards. And I think for this conversation to make sense, they all have to be right there. And if Chicago does, like you said, if they feel like they can win a super bowl, right.

Cause that's what we're going for here. If you think you can win a super bowl with any of these three quarterbacks, if you believe it is truly a coin flip of who you would rather have, then of course, I think that you would entertain this a little bit. The NFL draft is first and foremost about getting good football players, but it's also a little bit of a game, right? It's trading, it's wheeling and dealing, it's moving up and down. It's getting value exactly where you can to maximize future picks and moving up and having flexibility.

So I think this is a conversation that is worth having. I don't think it's likely that it manifests itself when Ryan poles and his scouting department are finished with their rankings, that they would truly be that close with all three of these guys. But if they are, it makes sense. I mean, you can expand this theory that you have here to the Arizona Cardinals, right? You look at the Cardinals at number four, Marvin Harrison Jr.

I think a lot of people talk about him as the consensus wide receiver one, but I think it will be pretty close between him and Malik neighbors from LSU, Romo dunes, a from Washington does Arizona get in a spot where even if all three are on the board, even if Marvin Harrison's on the board, they say to themselves, we can move back. We can get more picks. We can be comfortable with that. Monty Austin for very clearly in his first year as general manager last year was comfortable moving from three to 12 and then 12 back up to six to get the player. They were probably going to pick at number three and they get an extra first round pick out of it.

So that's a fun part of this game. You know, the jets could maybe be a similar team. Jets are sitting there at number 10. Maybe when they get to the board, Joel might be off the board, but let's say to Lise Fuega, Olufushanu, J.C. Latham, maybe they're still all on the board and the jets go, wow, maybe we can move back a little bit. We'd be comfortable with any of these guys.

And so your theory is definitely something to in play. Maybe not as much for Chicago at number one, but could be for a lot of these other teams because this draft class is so good at a lot of the premium positions. And for those who don't know those last three names that Trevor just mentioned, they're all offensive tackles. If you have not yet started to wrap your brain around the big board yet, which is available on pff.com right now, I think it gets interesting just from where I sit. Trevor, the JJ McCarthy question, because he is going to be the quarterback that you guys have him at 10 to the commanders after after a move, he is going to be the quarterback that climbs up. All right.

There's always that late riser. I mean, call whatever you want, right? Like the media catching up with the scouting community, however you want to, however you want to, to phrase it. I think it gets interesting if let's say the giants get to six and go, yeah, you know what? Maybe we take JJ McCarthy. I know we just paid, we just paid our guy, but you guys know that. I think they're probably regretting that as much as I like Daniel Jones is JJ McCarthy, the quarterback that after the initial three, everyone's kind of try to move up for. I think the 2024 NFL draft revolves around JJ McCarthy. I think that he is the biggest wild card in this class because of what we talked about earlier.

There are so many teams that need a quarterback that are not going to be able to supplement those needs the way you maybe want to in free agency. And you have him ahead of panics, right? Yes. Yeah. I have him ahead of panics. I feel like the NFL is going to be a lot lower on panics than the media is.

I feel as though panics is most likely going to be a day to pick probably somewhere in the second round is where I would see him go ahead of bone next McCarthy. You're saying? Yes. Yes.

Yeah. I, so Nix is somebody who we've got to figure out more information on and have the league sees him because he is fascinating of a player. You watch him at Auburn and this is not an NFL draft caliber quarterback. And I get it that he was younger, but you see him against the sec level competition and you go, he just was not able to play. I was not able to read the field correctly. Did not have a good feel for pressure.

Did not make the right decisions. He goes over to Oregon and he could use the excuse about Oregon's offense and you know, how the competition level is not as strong as it was in the sec, but this is a different dude. I mean, he takes care of the football extremely well. He plays under pressure much better than he did at Auburn. And you want to say, all right, he doesn't have a volume of passes when it comes to the deep passing game, but he's got the arm to do it. It's not like it's not within his wheelhouse.

It's all right there. He just wasn't asked to do it a ton. And for some instances when he was some really pretty passes there. So he's got the added mobility. He can give you that RPO threat. The play action threat is always there as well. He's a guy who could play in a spread system.

And so Knicks to me is a little bit more of a wild card. And I think, I think the league is going to be higher on McCarthy because McCarthy coming out, just a true junior, one of the youngest prospects in the class coming from that heralded Michigan program, very successful quarterback over the last couple of years, a reigning national champion, obviously Knicks much older of a prospect. And look, I think age for quarterbacks has blown out of proportion. Anyways, they go like, Oh, he's 25. Who cares? Look at how many quarterbacks are starting in the NFL playing at a top 10 level there, mid thirties, late thirties, you know, you don't even have to bring Tom Brady and what he was able to do. Anyway, you've got plenty of quarterbacks who are playing well into their thirties and McCarthy's only 20 and McCarthy's only 20. So I think the NFL likes that part of it.

They liked the moldable part of like, Oh man, there's just so much better that he can be. There's so much further up. He can go. So I ultimately do think that he is going to be drafted ahead of Knicks. But like I said, I think he's the ultimate wild card because does he go six, you know, does it do the chargers trade out of five and get a team to trade up there for, for McCarthy?

Does he go all the way back at number 11? Because where that next quarterback goes off the board, then all of a sudden the teams that didn't get the quarterbacks, they become less desperate, right? They're not trying, they're not making calls every single pick trying to get up all that. It's not as chaotic, but as long as JJ McCarthy is on the board and not picked by a team, I think it's going to be chaotic. I think the phones are going to be ringing off the hook for whatever team is picking in that top five, top 10 area. And for the record, you guys have Bo Nix going 30 to the Vikings here in your PFF mock draft up online right now. And that's a trade potentially with the Ravens Vikings getting into 30 to take Bo Nix, who last year said an NCAA single season record for completion percentage at 77.4.

77.4, which I'm told is good because it's a single season record. I want to go back to the age thing here real quick, without going through every single pick here in your mock, which is interesting here, certainly with the corners and, and all the offensive lineman Quinion Mitchell, 20 to the Steelers, you're going to love him as, as potentially they get Joey Porter Jr. and Quinion Mitchell there because he was great in Mobile. But to my point, Mobile, the senior bowl really lived up to the name this year, not through Jim Nagy's fall because everybody was old. And this is a really different draft class, Trevor, because, and some would say it's not a good draft class after the first three rounds, because of the fact that everyone had a sixth year, not everyone, but with COVID there are a lot of six year guys in this draft. There are a lot of players who would have gone in last year's draft, but came back for the money, the NIL money.

Take a kid like Sione Vaki, the safety from Utah, who also doubles as a third down back, like that's wild. He went on a two year Mormon mission, but is a true sophomore and is one of the younger players at the senior bowl. I mean, it used to be, you go on your two year mission.

You're one of the old men. He was one of the younger guys at the senior bowl because Trevor, we have so many six year guys in this draft. The COVID year of eligibility. It just it's, it's throwing everybody for a loop and December. You can't keep track of all this guy's coming back for sure. He doesn't have any eligibility left. And then all of a sudden, you know, the draft declaration get day comes and goes and go, wait a second. He came back and I felt like that's what we were doing in the middle of January.

Look, there's a player at Miami who I think it's on his ninth year of college football because of injuries and the COVID year and all that. And so it's absolutely wild. It is, yeah, it is. It is. It's, it's, it's the Tommy boy line of, yeah, a lot of people go to school for seven years.

They're called doctors. And then you're adding another two, you know, so then you're getting even further into it. So you thought the Tommy boy line was crazy and we're adding two more years to it.

My friends went to Arizona state. I'm kidding. I'm trying to milk it a little bit. You know, so look, it's a, it obviously the age thing is going into this draft class. It makes it interesting. Some positions age matters more than others. And look, breakout age metrics and breakout age production is something that I think does hold value. If you are able to dominate your competition level, whatever it is as a underclassman, that's valuable because you're going up against a lot of starters who are normally upperclassmen. So if you as an 18, 19 year old are able to hang with, or even best competition that is 21, 22, 23 years old, that means a lot. It means you have a lot more production there, a lot more, a lot less mileage when it comes to a physical position, but really sometimes it matters for the trenches, linebackers and running backs.

That's the tough one, right? When you get into, you know, 23, 24 years old, it's a position that has so much demand physically, so much mileage. And we talk about, okay, yeah, you know, getting into your next contract, you're going to be late twenties, almost early thirties at that point with a position that is just that the lifespan is so much lower than it is for other guys that kind of comes into play. But, you know, quarterback, you can wide receivers, you know, like I'm not really that worried about age when it comes to some of these guys, especially since this year specifically, we have seen players take advantage of that COVID year and make the most of it.

Go Nix is obviously somebody who is one who comes to mind as brilliantly getting better this past year, but there are a lot of different examples of that. And so sometimes, yes, you want the age to be a little bit lower, but if it means they're a better prospect going into the NFL, sometimes that's advantageous too. All right. Last thing. We agree. I think, right, that offensive line tackle specifically is probably the deepest position here.

Yeah, there is. There's a lot of, uh, this year, more than other years, it feels like you can get a, you can get a good offensive tackle a lot later. He's tight end, the worst position in this draft.

It's, it's got the most scarcity for sure. I mean, you got Brock Bowers at the very top. Who's been an elite play. Anybody who's paid any attention to college football knows who Brock Bowers name is. He's got the potential to go in the top 15, maybe the top 10, you know, I think Jutavian Sanders doesn't get talked about enough. The former five star recruit, uh, for who used to be a defensive end and also played tight end.

He got to Texas. Now he plays tight end full time, crazy athlete, really fluid athlete for his size. I think he is also a top 50 caliber player. I think he could be a backend of the first early part of the second guy, but after that really big drop-off, I mean, we're talking about third, you know, Kate Stover, Benson, not Jean Bell, maybe as that next guy is a third rounder, but potentially fourth rounder. And so it's a huge drop-off if you don't get Brock Bowers or Jutavian Sanders.

Yeah. And Jean Bell, Florida State, formerly South Carolina, kind of an H back guy that, that has winners at South Carolina carried the football as well. He had, I believe 70 plus career carries at South Carolina. He's not Deebo Samuel.

I know they played the wide back there. A lot of people want to, he's not Deebo. He's a tight end who can carry the football. He's a versatile player, but again, not a day one, maybe a day two guy, regardless, either way, PFFs, big board is up, lot of offensive lineman and the mock draft here is fascinating with JJ McCarthy at 10 with the trade, with the Broncos going up to two, got corners, got tackles, got Bowden Nix getting into the first round at 30. It's fun.

It is officially draft season. Go to PFF to get all Trevor Sikkema and his great team's work. Trevor, appreciate you, man. Hope to see you in Indianapolis.

Yeah. Appreciate it, Andrew. I'll see you there.

You got it. Trevor Sikkema, everybody. It's draft season. Mock draft time.

I love draft season. People asking, what about Michael Penix? Hey, I love Michael Penix.

I'm probably a lot higher on Michael Penix than a lot of the draft guys. He could stand back there and man, he can sling it. There isn't a throw he cannot make. And he has that arm arrogance. Look, it's not a Justin Herbert, Josh Allen arm arrogance. I love that phrase. And he's got massive hands.

Okay. He could stand on that far hash and hit that deep out to the other sideline and he can whistle that football. He's a smart kid, but can't move much in a long injury history. And that's going to be a concern. But you take Bo Nix in the second round, you take, I'm sorry, Bo Nix, more Bo Nix for that matter. You take Michael Penix in the second round, third round, your quarterback gets injured week five and you got to throw him in there. You're you're okay.

You're going to be just fine. Do you love him enough to take him in the first round? I don't know. The guy's had two shoulders and two knees. I have those also. Injuries that is. I also have two shoulders and two knees.

Yes. God built us the same. God built him with a better arm though.

And massive hands. He can play. He's the one. Hey, I don't know if he's the quarterback of my future, but I'd roll with him right now.

Draft season, Indy coming up in a couple of weeks. Again, if I'm the Bears, if I'm the Bears, say that again, Hoskins. Oh, okay. So I have this thing where people talk in my ear and I can't always hear it. If I'm talking at the same time or there's other things, I know.

Make an ear joke. If I'm the Bears, I'm taking Caleb and there's nothing talking me out of it. Unless you want to give me like three number ones and I'll go down to two and I'll take Drake May.

And then, you know what? I will live with it. Yep.

I will live with it. I got an interesting spot for Michael Pennix after the break. After the break. Yeah, gotcha.

844-204-RICH. Brockman after the break. Let's talk about DoorDash people. We are a huge DoorDash family in my household. As a matter of fact, my wife loves DoorDash so much, she almost named one of our kids Door and the other one Dash.

I'm serious. We got everything DoorDash to the house. Kind of like what we saw during the big game, right? DoorDash went all out for game day and DoorDash stuff from all the ads to one lucky winner. Cars, snacks, even tax software. What a football game that was for sure.

It was one heck of a delivery for the winning team. And whatever watch party or anything party you've got coming up, get it delivered to DoorDash. You're going to love it. We sure do in my house.

Football season may be over, but we are still in the thick of basketball games, the school year, and let's face it, winter. I can think of a million reasons daily to order DoorDash. So hop on the app and make your day a little easier.

Get dinner for tonight, groceries for the week, or a consolation prize for your sad friends in San Francisco. All on DoorDash. DoorDash, your door to more.

Head to the DoorDash app to get everything you need delivered. On the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast, cohost David Green and Rob Abasolo interview real estate investors and entrepreneurs about successes, failures, and hard earned lessons. Joined by author Dave Meyer, who wrote a book. I did write a book. It seems like you're coming out with a book every four minutes. You're one to talk. You've released two books this year. I've done half as many as you.

It is more about strategy than it is about just finding whatever the new buzzword happens to be. BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast on YouTube or wherever you listen. When you see the video of you throwing to Tyree, okay, what do you think of when you see that? I just smile. I'm just thankful, thankful for David Tyree, man. There's not a better person and a guy who just, you know, who has the worst week of practice in the history of all practices on that Friday and dropped every pass and, you know, thought he was gonna be the starting receiver and then go, you know, comes back and plays that game. And then sure enough in the game, David Tyree has a touchdown catch and then they beat catch, you know, Rodney Harrison hanging all over them. You know, Bob Poppa give him the call saying, you know, he's got a wide open receiver, you know, and I guess that's wide open in the NFL. And, you know, David Tyree just the will, the desire was there and just catching it off the helmet. Just what a, what an unbelievable story.

And, and, you know, never get tired of watching that play. All right, well, Chris Brockman, my on-air compadre here. What'd you tell him? Go ahead. Tell him what you say every time. Now that he's here, you can say it to his face.

Go ahead, Chris. Well, usually it's Sean O'Hara because Sean is here, but I mean, there were 14 different holdings on that. What do you say to that? When, when holding, they didn't block anybody, you know, let them run in, you know, all four players, you know, they kind of just blocked them off. I think holding if the guy's holding me, you know, like a defense player is holding me. I think you're allowed to do whatever you want to the, to the, you know, to the pass rusher at that point. If I'm in the grass, they can just grab them also and pull them off. It's kind of a, it's kind of free range at that point.

I agree. Chris, you see holding Eli sees grasping. That's what he sees.

I see the greatest play ever. That's right. I was sitting right there.

I was there in the building. That's it. So back here at the Rich Eisen Show, coming back here with a Rich Eisen and Eli Manning conversation from how long ago was that? Oh, I don't know.

A few years. All right. Well, we're the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Granger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Granger has the right product for you.

Call click ranger.com or just stop by. You ask the question, how long does Eli have to wait to get into Canton? And look me in the eye. He is going to get into Canton. He's eligible next year. Is he in next year?

I don't think so, but nothing would stun me. I was pretty surprised not to talk about Eli Manning for a second. I mean, Kurt Warner had to wait, what, four?

I think he waited four tries. Antonio Gates didn't get in this past year. Antonio Gates needs to be.

Which was stunning to me. I couldn't believe he didn't get in on the first ballot. I don't know if they're holding a PED suspension for many years ago against him, which all of us have forgotten about. I hope that is not the case because he deserves to be in.

He has more touchdowns than anyone at that position. Just put him in the Hall of Fame for Pete's sake. You know, there are the thing with Kurt and we got sidetracked here. The thing that always got me with Kurt and the thing that always got me with Kurt and the same with Warren Moon as well, okay, because they both had to wait, is, and this is a common mistake.

It's usually done by local newscasters, right? Or from, honestly, to be quite frank, sportscasters who don't know their material well enough, it's not the NFL Hall of Fame. He is not an NFL Hall of Famer. Joining us now, NFL Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner. It's Pro Football Hall of Famer, Kurt Warner.

Pro Football Hall of Famer, Marshall Faulk. The NFL has partnered, okay, is a partner with the Hall of Fame, but they are separate entities. You don't go into Canton for your work exclusively in the NFL.

It is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. So I pounded the table for my friend, Warren Moon. Not that I had any influence back then, but I was working with Warren at the time when he did get in. We're working together at Fox on the very first fantasy football show ever on national television that Warren's gray cups, Warren's yardage, right? Warren's accomplishments in the CFL, when the NFL didn't want him as a quarterback, and that's their fault, need and should be considered in his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And I would say the same for Kurt Warner. His accomplishments in the Arena Football League, CFL is better than the Arena League. We all agree, okay?

I worked in the Arena League. But his accomplishments, when the NFL didn't want him, are part of his Pro Football resume, and they need to be considered. And so those guys, nothing to do with Eli here, those guys should not have needed to wait. My opinion, my opinion only.

Canton's gonna be really interesting because Eli is certainly a part of the conversation next year. Who else's first ballot next year? Let's hold on. 20.

And look, the log jam as well. 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame. Players eligible next year. Luke Kuechly is up next year.

That's an interesting one. In his first year, Marshawn is up next year. In his first year, Adam Venateri. Earl Thomas. Earl Thomas. Earl's not getting in next year. Is Terry making the first ballot? Oh, he should. He has to.

I don't know. There's like, what, two kickers in the hall? Morton and Yon, right? Yeah. And they had to wait. T. Sizzle next year? Literally one, what, two?

I understand. T. Sizzle. Joe Staley's up. Clay Matthews. Marshall Yanda is going to get consideration, not first ballot. I can't imagine, but he's going to get consideration.

Deservedly so. Same with Joe Staley. I can't see Eli getting in year one.

I can't either. But Eli's got the rings. Eli has the career, you know? Yeah, he's going to make it.

I honestly don't know why people would have an issue with Eli. As a first ballot guy? Not as a first ballot. I'm just saying making it. Oh, there are going to be. Mark my word.

Write it down. Eli is as likable a guy as you'll ever meet. But then he doesn't deserve to make it at all? Yes, there will be people. They're going to be wrong. Yeah, I think that's kind of laughable. They're going to be wrong. But if you don't think the hot take machine is going to have a field day with Eli Manning's candidacy, are you kidding me?

Two of the biggest throws in Super Bowl history. Oh, I know. But listen, we I'm part of the business here. I don't necessarily deal on the hot take side of this industry, but we live in a world in which that drives the narrative. Doesn't it?

Oh, 100 percent. We live in a world in which a former head coach and defensive coordinator took how many shots at Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott and still was up for the Cowboys DC job? So, yeah, the hot take machine is going to go after, in my humble opinion, Eli Manning. All right, let's go back to the draft here.

We had Trevor Sycamore on earlier. The PFF mock draft is up. It has a trade. It has Denver going up to two trading with Washington to get Drake May and Washington dropping down and eventually taking Michigan's JJ McCarthy.

Your idea was what? Brockman for going to break, you said Michael Pennick's landing spot for him. Maybe second round sounds like a good spot.

The Miami Dolphins. Just because he throws with his left arm. Isn't he just to it with a better arm?

Don't you think he would know too is far more mobile, far more mobile. And the two is not Mike Vick, not not the two I saw play last year. Seemed like they were actively keeping him in there so he doesn't get wrecked.

Sure. But part of that, I think, has to do with his concussion history as well. What's the big knock on to a doesn't have a good enough arm. Can't throw the deep ball to the guy who's the best deep ball receiver maybe ever.

I think I would put this guy in there and boom, they're just as good as they were this past year. It's a hedge, certainly against deciding you don't want to do it to a deal. I think the Dolphins will do it to a deal here in the off season.

The question is, how big is that deal? So what Miami did is what the Bears could do, and that is at the end of your number three. So little little contract 101 here at the end of your third year, if you're a first round pick, that is when you can do a new deal potentially with your quarterback or any player.

For that matter, you pick up the fifth year option, you do a new deal, you get ahead of the money right now. It's what the Bills did with Josh Allen, right? It's what the Chargers did with Justin Herbert. It's what the the Bengals did with Joe Burrow all after your number three. It is also what the Cardinals did with Kyler Murray. Now the difference in the Kyler thing was that his agent Eric Burkhart and Kyler and maybe his old man decided that on the Monday of the combine to write a tweet in all capital letters demanding a new contract or else. You didn't have that with Burrow or Allen or Herbert, they did it differently. That's where the Bears are right now with Justin Fields. That's where the Dolphins were last year with Tua. They chose to not give him a deal. They picked up the fifth year option, but they didn't do a new deal. So what do you do now if you're the Dolphins? After year four heading into your fifth year option, you still hold the franchise tag, you can still do that, but that's expensive. It is cheaper and more cap economical to pay the money now, right? Cut down your future years against the cap, do all of that.

What do you do? Are you comfortable with a team that can score 70 in September, but if it's cold, can't hang in January? Now they had all kinds of defensive injuries. I know everybody defensively was hurt. Your corners, your edge rushers, everybody, linebacker, they were decimated the defense that they took into Kansas City. But I spoke to Tyree Kill last Wednesday, I'm sorry, Friday on NFL network.

And I said, it was cold for both teams. How are you going to get over this? He goes, we got no more excuses. I'll say it right now. He goes, we are done with excuses.

Done. He goes, two years ago, our quarterback was hurt. This year, our defense was banged up, but our defense played pretty well.

It was cold for them too. We got no more excuses left. Do you, if you're Miami, believe in Tua? Enough. And I'm a Tua fan. I am.

But believe, and it's more than just Tua. It's Mike McDaniel. Don't quote me. Don't make some bad Twitter headline. I'm saying Mike McDaniel's on the hot seat.

I'm not. But if you pay Tua, it's kind of a, I'm good with Mike McDaniel and this marriage moving forward long-term as well. Isn't it? That's how I feel. Totally.

That's how I feel. Are you ready to give Tua with his injury history? 50 million dollars a year? 45. And by the way, the cost is the cost, but that's what it costs. Yeah.

The Giants screw this up by giving Daniel Jones 40 because now every average quarterback is like- He was the sixth overall pick. Okay. Could you argue they went a little too high? Maybe. Maybe. Wait, maybe.

I'll tell you right now though. If one of the big names is there at six for the Giants. They got to do it. They're handed in that card. Yeah, absolutely. They're going to hand in that card. Got to do it.

I'll tell you right now. Now, if the top three quarterbacks are gone and it's Joe Alt as the number one tackle, yeah, you hand in that card. For my money, you don't take JJ McCarthy there. But we got three months of the back pages in New York to deal with that.

And it is going to be a thing. Take it a step further. What happens if JJ McCarthy is there when the Jets are picking? Oh, that's fun. Hmm.

That's fun. Can you pass on him? Let him sit for a year?

At 12? Based upon their team structure, I would say yes. They probably have other needs, right? They have lots of other needs.

Of course they do. You take one of the best tackles and all that. You take one of the best wide receivers. Like if Malik Nabors is there. I don't think he Nabors is there. I don't think he is.

Right. Don't you take him? Don't you take him? Or do you go Fuaga or Olofushanu or one of the tackles? They have to take a tackle. They have to take a tackle. They can't run a repeat of the last two seasons the way their offensive line play.

Tankathon has Olu right there for them at 10 as well. So not that I expected Justin to do the right thing. Aaron Rodgers playing. Well, he says two more years.

All right. Can you look Aaron Rodgers in the face and say we're taking the developmental quarterback here? No. That's why he's no longer a Packer.

The Packers did it and then he won MVPs. Bingo. Maybe it makes him win at MVP.

Yeah. Or maybe it makes him want to cut it. I'd want to keep that guy upright. I would not want to be Joe Douglas right now when your owner is on the red carpet at NFL honors at the Super Bowl talking to a friend of the program, Jeff Darlington from ESPN. And he says, Woody Johnson quote, We didn't have a backup quarterback last year. Woody, your current GM took your backup quarterback at number two overall. You want to talk about kicking a man, Joe Douglas and and Zach Wilson when they're down. We didn't have a backup quarterback last year. Yeah, that's tough. Do you think he meant because obviously after four plays, Zach was the quarterback that they didn't have a backup for him.

Or do you? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. He meant we'd have a backup for Aaron Rodgers.

He meant he meant second overall pick on the draft. That is some serious shots fired. Yeah, I mean, yeah. Okay, coming up, coming at you, coming up.

Uh, what I would do if I were the commanders. That's on the Rich Eisen show. Eight oh four, two oh four, Rich. Eight four. America starts the day with America in the Morning. Hi, I'm John Trout, your host for the latest news, politics, entertainment, business and weather.

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Wherever you listen. These are my three favorite coaching cliches. I'd love to see a press conference where you nail all three of them within one press conference. We double down and what if I can pull it off in my next press conference in Indianapolis? This is exactly what we're talking about. Yes, sir.

Ready for them? Here you go. This one.

This is number one. I don't have a crystal ball, guys. Okay. Like that's what you say. I don't have a crystal ball.

It's easy. It's whenever somebody asks you to predict the future. Like, for instance, how aggressive are you going to be in free agency? Then you say what?

Well, I mean, if I had, I don't have a crystal ball, but as aggressive as what's best for the organization. Very good. That's a good one. Very good. Okay. Here's another one. It's as simple.

You're going to nail this. It is what it is. It is what it is, guys. It is what it is, ladies. It is what it is, folks.

You know, like wherever you want to just throw it out there. It is what it is. That's another one. And then the third one is I'm only talking about the guys that are here. That's it.

I'm only talking about the guys here. Well, I'm just going to, I'm going to triple down and say, what if I can do that all in the same statement in my indie press conference? Yes.

Mike McDaniel. Instant legend. Yes. My only request is when I do it. Yes.

Mid press conference. Yes. Can we, I want to, I want to sprint up to the stage. High five. Let's not forget.

Like it is what it is. You know, I honestly, me personally, I don't have a crystal ball, you know, but we're really the only guys I can talk about are the players that are here today. Excuse me.

Pardon me. Oh, Hey, didn't see it. Triple play.

It is the rich Eisen show. Everybody want to tell you about game time here. I know we have all had those frustrating ticket experiences. Maybe you might've had one Sunday in Vegas, or maybe you were in Vegas ahead of the game. And you had a frustrating experience because you wanted to see you too.

Or you wanted to see a Dell again. I cannot recommend game time enough. Last minute tickets, good deals, go to game time, friends, download the app.

It's in the app store, whichever phone you have the game time app, get in there, see what's there. Concerts game tickets, anything. You'll see how easy it is. It takes all the guesswork at a ticket buying and it's pretty easy to work in. Plus you know what rich has something at offer for you.

Download the game time app, create an account, and then use the promo code rich R I C H for 20 bucks off your first purchase terms, obviously apply, create an account, download the game time app, use the promo code rich R I C H for $20 off last minute tickets, lowest prices, guaranteed game time before the break is said to have an idea for the commanders. It's not a novel idea, but it's an idea that they need to do. It's, it's an idea that they need to pursue. Just get to number one. I don't care what it costs.

I don't. It's a good idea. Easier said than done. So I'm going to run down the list of quarterbacks that teams have traded up for. Take Mitch Trubisky out of it because that's the one that didn't work. And so yes, everyone in Chicago remembers what the bears gave up to go from three to two.

It didn't work. Okay. But does anyone remember what the chiefs paid to trade up to get Patrick Mahomes? Does anyone remember? Nope. No one remembers.

Do you have it? What was it? I don't remember. No one cares. That's my point. It doesn't matter. It was worth it. Never matters. All right, here we go. The, uh, the cheats made a deal with Buffalo, uh, sorry, Mike, for the number 10 pick trading number 27 and 91, as well as their 2018 first round pick.

Does anyone remember what the bills gave up to get to seven in 2018 to get Josh Allen? Anybody? Doesn't matter.

It quite literally does not matter. So whatever it takes, just do it. Now you have to have a willing trade partner. The bears have to be willing to do it, but I bet you there is an offer they can't refuse.

All right. Pick swap and a two seconds for Josh Allen. Nobody remembers the price. Now you remember the ones that don't work out. If you're the bears, you remember what it costs to go get Trubisky. If you're the commanders, you remember what you gave up to go up to two to get RG three as the Rams traded down.

Now, conversely, you're the Rams. You also remember what you got in return and how not all those draft picks turned into solid gold, but they were decent enough. You don't remember what it costs. You just don't. If you get the guy, and if you think Caleb is the guy, most of us think he's the guy, then go make the trade. Just go do it again.

You have to have a willing partner, but no one ever looks back. If you nail the pick and says, eh, I don't know if getting the franchise quarterback was worth the bottom line because you could find pieces to put around him. It makes your job that much harder, that much harder. Like look at the Browns and look, the Deshaun thing is, is who knows if that's going to work out, but Andrew Berry, anybody watching the Browns moves will tell you it's that much harder to put pieces around the quarterback when you're not picking in the first round, when you're not picking in the second round, when maybe you're picking in the second round, but you're not picking in the fourth round nor the first round. Yeah.

It makes your job more difficult, but, but it's worth it when you have the guy. And I think Caleb is the guy. People said, ah, what about his dad? Yeah. I think his dad wants to break the draft.

I do. I think his dad, if he had his way, wants Caleb to be a free agent and go to the highest bidder. But it ain't going to happen. It's going to happen.

It simply won't happen. He is going number one. He's going number one.

And that's it. TJ, I want your gut feeling on, on Caleb, because a few years ago when we were all anointing Trevor Lawrence after his first year at Clemson, Oh, this guy's amazing. He's gonna be the first round pick. I mean, Trevor Lawrence was number one overall, basically for three straight years while he was in college and while we waited and his pro career has been kind of up and down, took a step back this year. Initial gut on Caleb Williams. Well, I think you're asking me that because as you know, I was kind of always a little like, are you guys sure this guy's the guy, right? Everybody was like, he's the next big thing.

I'm like, are you really sure? I think just like I said yesterday and previous, if you're the bears, you simply can't take the chance on another Mahomes coming in this league and you letting him slip through your fingers. You just, you can't, you can't do it to your fan base. You just can't do that to your franchise. They'll never recover from not drafting Patrick Mahomes. So you can't really take the chance in my opinion, Andrew and Chris, that you potentially have a guy who may be, I don't think anyone's Patrick Mahomes.

If a guy might be close, according to a lot of people, you got to take, you got to take the chance. You feel better about Caleb though, than you did about Trevor Lawrence five years ago? Yes. Yes. Slightly. I do. Slightly better.

There's also the, you know, newest kid on the block, flavor of the month thing. Of course. Yeah.

Right? Of course. Yeah. Speaking of which, saw Joey Fatone on Friday. I saw him on Thursday. Yeah. We saw him at the Kelsey's party. New Heights party. Yeah.

Looked great. Is that sarcasm? No. Oh, okay. Yeah. Who's next at DC for the Niners. Greg Papa's coming up.