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Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates Northbrook, Illinois. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. We got a technical foul.
Yeah. Austin Reach. They got thrown out of the game. Was there an explanation as to why Austin picked up that second technical? The Rich Eisen Show.
Didn't get a good explanation on that one. Earlier on the show, actor Taran Killam coming up. Pro football focused lead NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema. Actor Eric Winter. And now, it's Rich Eisen. Our number two of the Rich Eisen Show is on the air. Taran Killam just left our studio and what a delight. Just him sharing all of his stories from being part of the SNL 50th celebration on stage, behind, backstage, at the post party.
Just sharing so many great fun stories. If you missed it, the show re-airs on the Roku Sports Channel, also on the Rich Eisen Show channel. It re-airs every single day, so check that out. Also, there's our YouTube channel, youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show. Our podcast all three hours as well. It was great stuff. He did, in fact, text me the photograph of when he said the lights went on at the post party of the Sunday night 50th celebration at 5.03 in the morning, is what he said.
And we'll share that photograph with you. And also on our social channels, that Rich Eisen Show for all of that. The first hour ended with the news that Victor Wenbunyama, at age 21, has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. And for somebody who's seven foot, you know, one million, and you're dealing with blood clots and veins, that's, that's like almost a super highway of, of real estate in which a clot can cause a problem, which is probably why they're shutting him down for the rest of the year. You know, he's expected to miss the remainder of the year.
The team will provide updates as appropriate. As the Spurs lost their coach due to a stroke earlier this year, the great Hall of Famer, Greg Popovich. And now Wenbunyama at age 21, getting set to start the second half of a season for a team three and a half games out of the playoffs is the 12 seed. In the West, having just acquired Darren Fox with so much on the horizon, Wenbunyama will be done for the year, it appears. Last time we see him would be in that, in that skills challenge that he and Chris Paul were disqualified from over the weekend. Just a crazy 90 hour stretch for Wenbunyama and the association. Obviously secondary to his health, but now this takes him out of the running now because for league awards and all MBAs and all that stuff, you have to play a minimum of 65 games.
He was the far and away front runner for defensive player of the year. And now that's out the window. Jimmy in San Antonio, Texas, you're on the Rich Eisen show. What's up Jimmy?
Que pasó Hermanos? You tell us brother. How's this news landing with you? Okay.
It's not bad at all. He's 21. They're aware of it. They're ahead of it. He's going to be fine.
I'm not worried about Wimby. What I'm worried about is the Atlanta Hawks and how bad they suck because we have their unconditional pick next year. So we could have two lottery picks, get Cooper flag, and then all of a sudden we've got D Fox, Castle, Harrison Barnes flag, Wimby starting five. Chris Paul can come off the bench.
It's not as bad as it could be Spurs fans. Hang in there. TJ, you're ready to jump ship. Come on over when Wimby comes back next year. Do we have a certificate for that too?
Jay? I'll get on that. Can you do that? I know you've got the stickers.
I'll notarize it. Let's go. No, it's bad news for Wimby. You're right, Chris.
All the record or the accolades, they're not there, but he looked fine at the all-star game. So obviously the med team's ahead of it and just it's a bummer, but we were headed for the play in at best tournament. So we'll just take it. What else do we do? We lost our coach.
Let's just go ahead and tank it all medically. I don't know. Jimmy, thanks for the time, brother. Thanks for the call. That's Jimmy in San Antonio, diehard Spurs fan on the, upon the news of Wimba Nyama being done for the year, it appears.
What a bummer. I'm not going to change my top five. I didn't have them in my top five anyway. So let's hit a top five NBA second half storylines presented by Hyundai hit it. One, two, three, four, and five.
All right. Here are my top five. Second half of the NBA season storylines. And you guys can chime in as you see fit. Number five is a simple and the Western conference are the Oklahoma city thunder ready for prime time. They are no longer the team that can sneak up on you. They are no longer the team that I know they're plucky. They're going to have a big future.
They've got a lot of pigs, the futures now. And they may have the MVP of the league getting ready to sign a super max and SGA. And it is you know, a conference where Memphis is currently second. Denver is third. You've got the Los Angeles teams that are lurking the Timberwolves, but everybody's was thinking this is Oklahoma city's time. Are they ready for prime time as the team that's top seated target on back?
That's number five on my top five second half storylines list. Number four, who can crash the Eastern conference party right now? It's the Celtics at two, the calves well in front at one. Which team is going to be able to crash the Eastern conference party? It always appears to be one last year was the Pacers. Can it be the Pacers again?
A heat the year before? Could it be the Pistons? Your Detroit, your Detroit Pistons currently sitting at six or is it the Knicks? Can it be a box team that we all left on the side of the road back in October for dead because of the way that the bucks started, but they're now five over at five in the conference. Can the bucks go ahead and say, we've been, we've been Yanis and we've been, you know, Yanis led number one team all along.
We just haven't had the record for it. I don't know what the bucks are going to do. Certainly without Chris Middleton. Now we'll see what their team looks like as a playoff team.
Cause they will be in the playoffs barring a massive collapse. Which team is going to crash the Eastern conference party is number four on my top five second half storylines list for the NBA. Number three is how will the warriors, Jimmy Butler, gambit play out, you know, they made the move. Jimmy's like, pay me otherwise I'm not coming.
And they tried for Durant. It seems and Durant's like, I'm, I'm not interested in running a back and the golden state warriors like, all right, we'll pay Jimmy. Jimmy's there and Jimmy's no longer upset. Jimmy likes playing with, Jimmy likes playing with Steph and Draymond thinks that, you know, they're, they're, they're back. Yeah.
Okay. We will see the warriors are currently in a play in situation. Well, the, could it, could they even play out of the play in situation because of Jimmy Butler, we shall see Jimmy with Steph and Draymond and in April, we will see number two, this one's for you, Chris.
Oh, thank you. I mean, are the Celtics inevitable to repeat that's number two. Is it just inevitable?
They are the favorites right now, according to the case they're better than last year. The crazy thing is I didn't, I, I thought Derek White had already hit his ceiling. He keeps raising it. Yeah. Peyton Pritchard really took a huge step forward this year. You know, drew, drew hasn't played as much. He's been a little bit banged out, banged up.
He's a little older. It doesn't matter. Yeah. It doesn't matter.
Are they inevitable to repeat? I know CAS fans are like, wait a minute. Who's who's leading the conference by a five plus.
Yeah. Well, the Celtics are minus money to win the conference despite what Cleveland's doing. I don't think anyone, you know, anyway, we'll see. That's number two, but number one is without a doubt, Luca LeBron, Luca LeBron. I just threw up and there it is. There's Luca LeBron Lakers guy. Who is that guy? I don't know, but, uh, he's got a lot of bling and he loves his Lakers and he loves to photobomb.
That's it, man. And last night, the perfect example, right? Even when you, even when you lose your part of the conversation and LeBron had two shots down three at the end, miss both. And, um, you know, led people to ask who's going to get the ball at the end of the games now. And, uh, is Luca ready for it? Hit it. Obviously, you know, he's going to take a little time today.
A lot of rustiness from my part. So start the game with like four or five turnovers. That can't happen. So it's gotta, you know, uh, play the basketball the right way.
And just fast forward. It's a late game situation. You're down three, your guys' ball, you and LeBron are both incredible offensive talents. What's it like to be the guy in downing the ball versus the guy taking the shot?
Yeah. I mean, it's both ways, you know, he had it going. So obviously we're going to go to him, uh, you know, I think he go both ways.
So one time is going to be here and one time me. So I think it depends how the game is going. And then the question is, is, you know, Shams is already out there saying that he, that, that, that Luca's still not over getting traded, that he's still shell shocked. He's still stunned that the Mavs decided to end and part ways. And, and that's part of the storyline. Well, I mean, LeBron had the hot hand, but is Luca ready to have a hand in stuff like this?
If he's not all there yet, and he is still coming back from the injury that caused him to miss the month prior to the trade. I understand there's, this will take time, but that's part of the storyline every single night. It's going to be something every single night. It's going to be, is Luca there? Is he all there? Is he all in what's going on? How's it going to mesh what's going on? They didn't get Mark Williams.
Who's down low what's happening the Lakers are 100% Luca LeBron and the Lakers, the top storyline coming into the second half of the season. Do you think we need one more? I'll give you one more. All right. We'll get one more. Wow.
One more. I'm serious when I say this. Okay. I'm worried. No, no, no. Don't be worried.
I'm serious. In may keep an eye on this. Could the start of the WNBA season possibly eclipse an NBA playoff series? Could that happen? I understand what I'm saying here, but let's just say there's a playoff series.
That's three, one, two, or, or, or, or you're not interested in some of these teams that are playing nationally and Kaitlin Clark and the WNBA and not in that order. Okay. I don't want to step in anything here. Come back and they are front and center in a way that we're not used to seeing. And the level of interest is what's driving it. Is that possible? I don't think it's improbable.
Let's put it that way. And it's something to keep an eye on as we're getting set for the second half of the NBA season. Now you can buy a new Hyundai from the comfort of your home at Amazon.
Visit Hyundai, usa.com for more details. The second half storylines of the association presented by Hyundai complete. And I'm not just saying that because we're getting ready for a women's sports. Now, every single week here on the Roku platform, you know, it is, it is front and center. I know you're already shaking your head. Like you don't think that's going to be possible. I mean, Pacers, Pistons would, would have me watching WNBA. I'm, I'm saying guys that there are going to be some WNBA games, um, front and center. I mean, I'm already hearing people, you know, when I, I'm stopped talking about USC, UCLA, women's basketball, and UConn just blew out South Carolina. And that's going to come and go the March madness just to get you ready for the WNBA season. I mean, get ready. I mean, it's here. Not saying it's going to happen.
I'm just saying that there's a possibility keeping an eye on all of that. 8 4 4 2 0 4. Rich is the number to die right here on the program. Uh, let's take a break.
Come back. Trevor Sikkema of pro football focus will join us. He's got some interesting comps of some of these players that are available in this year's draft. He also has a mock draft that has an interesting first quarterback off the board.
Ooh, that's coming up next. This is the rich eyes and show on a Thursday. Are you looking for a voice that truly represents your values? AMAC, the association of mature American citizens was created to champion the needs of Americans who believe in faith, family, and freedom. Members gain access to incredible member benefits and discounts, including the award-winning AMAC magazine from exclusive discounts on travel insurance, everyday services to a strong voice in Washington. The association of mature American citizens is here to make a difference in your life and in our nation. Anybody at any age can join and you'll belong to a community that stands for timeless American values.
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Hey, Rich Eisen here. I hear from a lot of business owners like you about the work it takes to pursue your passions. So I know how important it is to have the tools that can help keep you moving forward. And with access to world class business and travel benefits, the American Express Business Platinum Card helps you take your business to the next level. It offers a flexible spending limit that adapts with your business. Plus, you'll have complimentary access to more than 1400 airport lounges worldwide, including the Centurion Lounge, so you can keep running your business while you're on the go. See how the Amex Business Platinum Card gives business owners like you the tools and rewards to do more of what you love. Not all purchases will be approved. Terms apply.
Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash Amex Business. Back here on the program. All right, so here's the photograph that Taron Killam said. Yes.
Wow. And there it is at 503. Lights come on at the post party of SNL 50. There's Mike Myers on the left. Tim Meadows in the middle next to Eddie Vedder. That's Tim Meadows's wife to Taron's left. Why does it look like Harvey Keitel in the middle?
By the way, Ty still tied. Like he still looks put together for 5 a.m. Really. Normally when I've been out at 5 in the morning, you know, look, this put together.
Wow. Just so much fun, right? That must have been incredible.
Easily the tough. Would you say it was the toughest ticket in New York history to get into the studio? Yeah, because there's only like 200 people probably fit in there, maybe less than.
We're talking about that. Like who got to decide who's in there? Lorne Michaels. Well, right.
I don't think he had to be the one to make these decisions. But do you think, like, Costner doesn't get a plus one. It's like, Kevin, you're coming and here's your seat. Like Jerry got one. He got a plus one.
Droned it? Yeah, Jerry's wife was to his right. Okay. Maybe an exclusive plus one. I'm sure Sir Paul gets a plus one. And that's why I asked if Letterman was Paul Shaffer's plus one. Because, you know, Paul Shaffer was the original band leader of SNL, which is something I try to explain to my kids. And they're like, who's Paul Shaffer?
And I'm like, damn it, man. He and G.E. Smith came out and did a little thing. That's right. I saw that.
G.E. Smith still looked great. We ought to explain to the kids that those were two of the longest running band leaders ever in the history of SNL. And the Saturday Live band.
Right. I mean, it was amazing as someone like we've all kind of grown up, watched SNL. And if you've ever had a chance to be there live, I've been fortunate enough to be three times. It is truly exhilarating.
It's amazing. Have you been, Chris? Have you been to a live?
Yes, I've been to one. Yeah. Who was the host? You remember? Yeah, it was Jon Stewart. And I went because we we shared a mutual friend who was his agent. Oh, that's awesome.
Yeah. Back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network. Jimmy Baby Doll Dixon, the famous Baby Doll agent, took me as a guest when Jon Stewart hosted. And I went to the post party and everything. What year was that? Four thirty.
I don't know how to be in the early aughts before I came out here and moved out here. Wow. The post party is awesome. Yeah. Yeah.
And it just went it went till four four thirty in the morning, five in the morning. Yeah. I remember twice. Unreal. Rolling up to the Gramercy Park Hotel at like five thirty, like stumbling in them trying to find my room key. That was the greatest night of my life. Yeah. Those those SNL moments, man.
Unbelievable. Back on the Rich Eisen Show radio network, sitting at the Rich Eisen Show desk furnished by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger has the right product for you.
Call click Grainger dot com or just stop by. This is this man's time of year. It is the talent evaluation portion of the year in full bloom.
So who better to check in with at the top of this talent evaluation portion than a man who's got major, major big time premier soccer league hair. Trevor Sykema, pro football focus here on the Rich Eisen Show. How are you doing, Trevor? How have you been, man? Rich, it's good to be with you. I think this is the second time in a row that you've complimented my hair when I come on the show. And that's honestly why I come on the show for a little bit of added narcissism to my day. So I appreciate that. Trevor, just a heads up.
It's going to happen every time. It's that it's great. It's literally it's the way I say hello. It's the way I'm going to say there's three bald guys here, too. So we're just well, certainly since again, if that's the background that you frequently have, it's like your hair matches the grooves of the wall behind you, Trevor.
Like it's kind of perfect. I'm glad that you caught this. I do. I'm glad that you caught this. It's all part of the, you know, my interior designer, she did a fantastic job, aka my fiance who does absolutely everything for me.
So yeah, she did a great job lining up with the hair. So appreciate it. Glad you noticed.
You got it. Hey, listen, as you know, in your business, everything's in evaluation. So we're starting off that way. Why do you have Abdul Carter first overall in your first mock draft, Trevor Sikkema? So I want to be clear. I have Travis Hunter as my number one overall player in the class.
It's really splitting hairs between these two guys. However, when you talk about a guy that you're drafting number one overall, a lot of times you do just lean the trenches. And when I look at the Tennessee Titans, they are a team that needs more juice on the defensive line. And I think if you put a defensive line together, that's Jeffrey Simmons, the Tara Landry, and now you're throwing in Abdul Carter as well. That at least is a little bit of a slingshot for a team that was bad enough last year to get the number one overall pick. Now, obviously quarterback goes into the equation.
We'll see how desperate they are after free agency. But I just look at Abdul Carter as somebody who he's going to prove it at the combine, you know, however much he wants to participate, whatever jumps or runs or agility drills or whatever it is. I mean, like he's a total freak show and it's so hard to not see Micah Parsons in him. And I know that's annoying because he played for the same school and he wore the same number and he basically did the same stuff. But if you got the chance to draft a guy who's anything like Micah Parsons, it's hard to not pick that guy at number one. So that's why I had him go number one in my most recent mock.
Yeah. And, and I know that's your comp for him, you know, that's your professional comp for Abdul Carter is Micah Parsons. I mean, number school, but the game does match. You really think that Abdul Carter's game matches Micah Parsons?
I do. And more importantly, I think the build does as well. You know, it's not just that the guy plays the same position or he's coming from the same school or whatever. They're built very similarly. They have similar height, they have similar weight profiles, they have similar length profiles when it comes to their arm length and they win in a lot of the same ways. And again, you know, it sounds like you summed it out. Of course, it's like an easy comp, but it's actually not an easy comp because of how damn good Micah Parsons is at what he does.
It's actually a very difficult comp to be able to, to get for these guys. I think sometimes we get a little bit carried away with pro comparisons. You know, you're, you're, you're comparing guys who haven't played it down in the NFL to like future hall of famers. So I don't give away even all pro comps very often because I'm aware of how difficult it is to really make that transition from college to the NFL, but it's hard to not see what Abdul Carter did this past year.
And the backgrounds are similar too. Now that I'm just thinking about it at the top of my head, like Parsons started as an off ball linebacker, and then they moved them to edge. It's exactly what happened with Abdul Carter. This was the first year this year that he was a full-time edge rusher. And if you're telling me that what we got in 2024 is the baseline for what he's going to be moving forward. Yeah.
Sign me up. I mean, the dude was basically dominating a college football playoff game with one arm. So imagine when he's fully healthy, he's got two and he's got more experience playing on the edge. Well, and we'll get to more of your comps in a moment. I do want to just go back to how you began your answer. Two things. One, you used splitting hairs.
Well done. I don't know if you were realizing you said that. That's number one. Number two, you mentioned free agency, how desperate the Titans might be after free agency. So I guess that leads me to ask you what your evaluation of Will Levis is or what you think the Titans evaluation of Will Levis is in Brian Callahan's first foray with him.
Trevor. So I wouldn't be somebody who's giving up on Will Levis as a player, but unfortunately it doesn't really feel feasible for this team to, let's say they strike out on Sam Darnold, right? Let's say Aaron Rogers retire. So they don't get Aaron Rogers either.
It feels very difficult to sell to this fan base. Yeah. Will Levis coming back, he's going to be the starter.
Oh, no, no, no. It's going to be different this time around. And I really do believe that you don't give up on quarterbacks who have the arm talent that Will Levis does. So that's why I'm not giving up on him as an NFL player, but it's hard to think that his time as a starter with the Titans isn't over given the fact that he had every bit of opportunity to become that starter moving forward for them. And so I feel as though Levis is going to get a chance at some point somewhere else in the NFL. It's just hard for me to think that the Titans would want to sell that to their fan base after getting the number one overall pick and go, yeah, we're going to roll into next year with the same quarterback.
That just doesn't seem like how NFL teams operate. And so before I continue on with your mock draft, Trevor Sikkema, pro football focus here on the Rich Eisen show, any trades thrown in here or you don't do that with your mocks or you're not ready to start doing that with your mocks? No, I think if this is the mock that I'm thinking of, I think I had quite a bit of trades in this one because I was feeling a little feisty.
Yes, you do. Okay. So I just noticed you've got the Niners trading up for Mason Graham, fifth overall.
We'll get to that in a second then. So then why do you have the Browns going Travis Hunter second overall then, Trevor? When I think of the Cleveland Browns, I think it's a total situation here with them. And certainly given everything that's going on with Deshaun Watson, the contract, the Achilles injury, the re-injury of the Achilles injury, Miles Garrett now demanding for a trade and almost making it seem like he has played his last down as a Cleveland Brown. If you're trading Miles Garrett, you're bringing this thing down to the studs.
I mean, you are basically saying, okay, we're going to go into a multi-year rebuild here. We're going to trade Miles Garrett. We're going to get multiple first round picks for him because he is worthy of that price tag.
We're going to let Deshaun's contract kind of run out and move on from him whenever it is most advantageous for us to do so. And because of that, when I look at this quarterback class, I would say don't force one at number two. Now, if they love Cam Ward, you know who I have as my QB one, okay, you can take him there.
And I think that makes sense. You're getting a quarterback that you could believe in on a rookie contract. But if you don't, if you're hesitant at all about that whatsoever, I mean, Travis Hunter is a rare football player. I mean, this dude is to me, the best football player in this draft class because of everything that he brings to the position. I mean, I watched him at wide receiver and I evaluated him as a wide receiver and I gave him a first round grade just as a wide receiver. And I, and I'm somebody who believes that he should play cornerback primarily at the NFL level. So I said to myself, man, if I gave him a first round grade off of what I saw of wide receiver, am I really going to have a higher grade at corner?
Well, I don't have a higher grade, but I have a similar first round grade. And if you're telling me that this dude's got first round caliber tape, athleticism, potential, everything at two positions at the NFL level, I think to me, he's just the most natural instinctive best football player that we have in this class. So with that being the case with Browns, if you think this is a multi-year rebuild and you don't love any of the quarterbacks that you'd have to pick at number two, take the better player, take the rare player, build your team the way that you should and give Kevin Stavanski a really damn good football player to play on both sides of the ball.
So then let's move to three here in Shadore Sanders. You think the Giants would have their choice of quarterbacks, basically the first overall pick for a quarterback needy team at three with two incredible talents off the board, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. You think they go Shadore Sanders over Cam Ward?
Why? Well, to be honest with you, I've had Cam go off the board most often when I have sort of had, okay, who's the first quarterback coming off? This selection for me was a little bit more of, I feel as though the Giants are sort of gravitating more towards Shadore Sanders. Now I won't pretend to know everything about their whole process and how they're going about it. Maybe they've talked to Cam Ward plenty, maybe they've done all their research on Cam Ward plenty, but certainly at the Shrine Bowl with them bringing basically everybody that would be a decision maker for the Giants in to interview Shadore Sanders, really doing their due diligence on him. You see him on the sideline with Brian Dabble, dapping them up and everything. It's very clearly they're in on this dude.
If they interviewed him, if they watched his tape and if they thought that he wasn't somebody that was worth it, you wouldn't even be seeing interactions like that. So there's rumors out there that the Giants might have their eyes on bigger fish, potentially a Matthew Stafford. I think that that's been the rumor of the week there. If they aren't able to get a quarterback like that, I could see them signing one of these other quarterbacks in free agency to maybe a one-year deal, giving themselves a little bit of flexibility, perhaps trading down or perhaps just staying at number three to take Shadore. Now, to be honest with you, he's much lower on my big board, but it does feel as though in the NFL draft, two types of teams, ones that have quarterbacks, ones that don't. And when you look at a team that is as desperate as the New York Giants and their current regime are to have a quarterback to invest in, it feels like the stars are kind of connecting here with them and Shadore Sanders, wherever that may be that they pick him.
Well, I mean, I know you've got a bunch of comps that we're going to get to here. I didn't notice one for Shadore. Do you have one, a comp for Shadore Sanders? Who is that, Trevor?
This is actually one of my favorite ones, one of the first ones that I thought of, and I've kind of stuck with it throughout summer scouting all the way to now. Teddy Bridgewater is my comp for him. And the reason why is because when you think about Teddy Bridgewater, when he was coming out of Louisville, very similar to the prospect that Shadore Sanders was, ice in his veins type of a dude, knew how to go through progressions, read defenses, played such a clean brand of football. Not the most mobile guy in the world, guy who's going to operate from the pocket and really be a pocket passer.
But I think the thing that really stands out the most with this comp is both of these guys. I think they have adequate arms for the NFL. I don't think they have rare arms for the NFL.
I don't think they have tier one or tier two arm strength. And I think Teddy is a starter in this league for a long time if he doesn't get hurt. Now, would he have ever been a top 10, top 12 QB in the NFL?
Maybe not. And that's kind of the way that I view Shadore Sanders right now. I think that if he's a starter in the NFL and goes to the right system, I think he's more of a mid tier starting quarterback at the NFL level. But he plays the game at a way that you can start him and feel good about him with a high floor. The big question is, does he have the physical gifts to really be that kind of a quarterback to take you into the playoffs and beyond?
Because we're seeing it now. You got to outdo all some alien quarterbacks when you get to the, when you get to the playoffs. I mean, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, I mean, all of these Jayden Daniels.
Now, I mean, these are alien type of talents. And when you aren't stacking up talent wise at that position, it's hard, it's hard to compete at that level. So for Shadore, for me, him being a top three overall pick in a mock draft is much more of how I feel the league is going to operate and prioritize the quarterback position than necessarily where I have these guys ranked on a big one. And let's go on the comps down the list then. Your comp for Cam Ward, we mentioned on yesterday's program.
I gave you the floor on this one. Big Ben, huh? You see big Ben and him? Yeah, I saw, I saw the clip.
Somebody shared the clip with me yesterday. So I appreciate the shout out on yesterday's show, but Cam Ward's a tough, Cam Ward's a tough one, right? I mean like he just plays the game in such a unique way. And when I think about who he is and his mentality as a passer, how he approaches every single play that sort of ice in his veins will, will keep a play alive.
You know, you, you, you throw in, okay, well, he's, he's sort of, he's got that escape ability, but you wouldn't really call him mobile. I think Ben Roethlisberger is a great play style cop. Now Ben was bigger, right? He had more size to him. He was taller, a little bit bigger of an arm, but I think both of these guys are somewhat similar in the overall arm talent they have, despite Cam Ward being a little bit smaller, they can sling it all over the field. And Ben just made a hall of fame type of career. In my opinion, at being this quarterback, who was willing to do the unorthodox and who was comfortable in those chaotic situations in some of the biggest moments, that's also Cam Ward.
So are they built quite the same? No, I think Ben's a little bit bigger. And I think Cam does have a little bit of extra mobility to him just because he's a little bit smaller of a quarterback prospect, but both primarily want to beat you from the pocket.
And when things are breaking down that improvisation, big Ben was one of the best of a decade plus 15 years at doing that at the NFL level in a way where when you look at Cam Ward's ceiling, that's the type of quarterback and the mentality that I see with him. The comp for Travis Hunter, how do you even come up with one, right? Since he's a unicorn, but I'll ask you who your comp is for that, Trevor. So my comp for Travis Hunter is Champ Bailey because Champ Bailey was somebody who at Georgia played wide receiver, played cornerback. He had that dual position background to him and Champ goes into the NFL and he's primarily a corner, obviously, and a damn good one, one of the best that we have seen in this league.
And I think that that just lends itself to what Travis Hunter can be. I think that he has that sort of top tier talent to him. Now, he needs to continue to improve in his anticipation and how committed he is to playing cornerback specifically, if that is what he wants to do.
But that's where I'd play him. I think he has got a rare build. I think he's got rare movement skills and truly rich. If he plays corner, he's got the best ball skills of maybe any cornerback who's ever played the game. Just the way that he attacks the football in the air with that receiver background and that play making ability.
It's unbelievable. So it's hard to come up with a comp with Travis Hunter because of exactly everything that he brings to the table. But Champ Bailey is the one that stands out, knowing that Champ also had that wide receiver corner background to him. You're Ashton Gente, Mr. Blue Turf, Boise State running back. The comp for him is fascinating.
Why Alvin Kamara, Trevor? Contact balance, to be honest with you. And you know what? I'm going to say this. I like doing comps.
I like reading comps from other people. We throw out the Alvin Kamara comp way too often. And it's disrespectful. It's disrespectful to how good Alvin Kamara is when he has the ball in his hands. And also when he is a receiver, I feel like if anybody watches a running back prospect and he happens to bounce off of a tackle, or maybe he catches a few passes out of the backfield, we go, Oh, see right there, Alvin Kamara.
No, he is much better of a prospect than that. And I don't think we're giving him the credit that is due with how often I hear the comp of Kamara, but this one fits the way that he blends explosiveness and power and smoothness and savviness when he has the ball in his hands. But Gente didn't get a lot of work as a receiver this past year, but he had an elite receiving grade the previous season at PFF. So he's got that receiving ability to him. He can handle things in pass protection as well. So he gives you that third down ability. I feel like he has built the same way where when you run into him, they're just bouncing off you like a pinball. And that's what made Alvin Kamara so great throughout his Saints career.
So that to me is the comp that I really like for Ash and Gente. That's fascinating because he does kind of look like him from time to time. His burst, his escape ability, his, as you say, balance, his ability to run people over and then just dominate, just dominate, just come up with, you know, four or five touchdown games and just crush you, which is a few times we've seen a running back do that like Alvin Kamara can in the NFL. Tyler Warren for me is a fascinating figure at the tight end spot and Penn State, he was clearly their best offensive player. And this is no doubt who their best offensive player was. Your comp for Tyler Warren is who Trevor? So I was thinking of a couple of different players with Tyler Warren because you're right.
I mean, he's, he is a phenomenal football player. I mean, TJ Hopkinson kind of comes to mind. He was the first guy that I thought of, but I also like a little bit of a throwback one shout out to Jim Nagy for this.
When the executive director of the senior bowl, he tweeted this out and I do love it. And it's not just because they both wear number 44. And it's not just because Tyler Warren might end up in Indianapolis cold, but Dallas Clark, I love the Dallas car comparison. Both of these dudes just played the position tough as nails, very similar builds to them. You know, I think that Tyler Warren's even got a little bit more versatility to him. The way that Penn State leaned into him as their everything in the passing game was unbelievable. I mean, he caught a touchdown pass lined up as a center, as we saw in that USC game earlier this year, they were not afraid to get him the ball in every possible way that they could. And I think it's the blocking ability from them, the yards after catch the catching strength over the middle, which I think is becoming a little bit of a dying art as we are seeing the tight end position, get a little bit lighter in weight, a little bit more flexible to play in the slot. We're seeing this, you know, more often, you know, Brock Bowers, obviously an example from last year, Colson Loveland from Michigan, sort of an example from this year, it feels as though the tight end position is just getting a little bit smaller from what the college is sending to the pro level. And so being able to have that true strength to catch over the middle on those third and five situations, third and eight situations, you're attacking the line back cause you're attacking the safety as you know, you're going to get popped, but you're coming down with it. Anyway, that seems to be a little bit of a dying art and Tyler Warren is able to do that consistently. And so he gives you exactly what you would want from a tight end.
And then he gives you a little bit more as well. Yeah. And you have the jets drafting him seventh overall and TJ Trevor Sikkema has you being very happy that the Cowboys do not let Ashton Gente pass by 12th overall. I know that's what you're, you're hoping to hear on draft night, build the line or get me a running back.
Gotcha. Before I let you go, Trevor, let's combine your mock draft with a couple of comps here. You have the Niners trading up to go take Mason Graham out of Michigan. Why do you have the Niners doing that in the Mason Graham comp? Fold that into your answer if you don't mind.
Yeah. So the 49ers, they're a team that sneaky trench needs on both sides of the ball. And I think that when we think of the 49ers, we think of how powerful they have been, how good they have been in the run game, the offensive line in previous seasons, and then the defensive line as well. We've thought about a lot of monsters on that defensive line to forest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, Nick Bosa. Well, as actually not nearly as many names that you remember on the 49ers offensive defensive lines as there used to be. And so when I look at them picking at number 11, if they've got the opportunity to jump up for one of the few blue chip guys in the trenches in this draft, I like that strategy for them to be able to move up to number 11 and number five.
It probably won't cost him too much. And if they can get a guy like Mason Graham, to me, that's exactly what they need. He's just an absolute animal in the interior, an elite run defender in back-to-back years. And even with his small arms, I think that he's got the opportunity to be a pass rusher at the NFL level because of how explosive he is. My conference, a little bit of a throwback is Tommy Harris from Oklahoma and Chicago.
When he was drafted into the first round of consensus, all American, when he was coming out of Oklahoma and a guy who was seen as a little bit smaller than your traditional three technique defensive tackle, even for when he was drafted, but man, he gives you, he gave you that extra juice that was difference making when he was attacking one gap situations, he could hold the line of scrimmage with really great strength and leverage as well. And I feel like I could see a similar path to production for him with Mason Graham. Well, and then the trade partner you would have the Niners dancing with to trade up would be Jacksonville. And you have Jacksonville trading down 11 to get another Michigan Wolverine and Will Johnson. I think that would be a major hit for Jacksonville, right?
You get more draft capital and then you get a guy who you, you have comped in a significant way to say the least. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, he has been, I mean, he, Will Johnson's a really good football player. You know, I think that he's, he's moving down some, some mock drafts and some, some overall big boards.
And I can understand it a little bit. You know, I think that he's more of a zone cover corner than he has a press man corner. Sometimes those guys get deprioritized a little bit, but you know, I actually just did his full scouting report this week and I came up with a new comp for him. I actually like Darrius sleigh the most for him. And you had, you had the defensive player of the year. You comped him with Patrick Sertan.
I mean, you're downgrading him to big play sleigh with all due respect to sleigh, but I mean, what happened Trevor? Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Superbowl champion, Darrius. I got it. I got it. I got it.
I got it. I just got, I just got to make sure that Darrius isn't listening to the show and doesn't think that I'm not fighting for him out here. Look, the re the reason why I kind of backed off the Patrick Sertan comp a little bit is because the more I watched Will Johnson, even from this year and going back to last year, Sertan somebody that really has that man coverage mentality about him. And even when he was at Alabama, he was primarily that sort of press man type of a corner will does his best work. The more I watched will does his best work when he gets to be off the line of scrimmage a little bit in those quarter coverage cover three situations, keep his eyes on the quarterback. And rich, you saw this handful of pick sixes that he has had over the last couple of years, because when you put him in that, at that situation where he can time the technique and bait the throw and has that quick first step to close in on it, he's got the ball skills to sometimes make all the difference in the world. That to me is much more like Darrius sleigh is not to say you can't play him in man coverage, but sleigh is sort of that same way. Even when sleigh was with Detroit, as well as Philadelphia, he's that guy who can bait you into those throws, but he's got those great ball skills too. When you throw it in a situation where he is more advantageous, he can come down with it.
So that's sort of why I changed the comp there, because I actually think that Darrius sleigh is a little bit more close to the way that will Johnson wants to play and when he's at his best national champion, will Johnson. There it is. There it is.
If you're gonna, if you're gonna, if you're gonna tell me, you know, Superbowl champion, Darrius sleigh. Fun stuff, Trevor. Thanks for the time. Greatly appreciated. Look for more of our calls.
Okay, bud. Thanks again. Appreciate it guys.
Anytime you guys. It's Trevor sick. Tampa Bay, Trey, everybody referred to on the social media. There he goes. Putting in more pomade as he downgrades my Wolverines. No, I'm just kidding. I like football.
I like Mason grand a lot. You should, you have a chance to grab him, put him right there in the mouth. Vrabel would know what to do with him. Yeah, exactly. And Vrabel would also know, you probably also know very well. You know, if you've got, if they're going against great wide outs. Oh, geez.
This is just hope that they run right into them. Right? Well, Vrabel would know.
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That's it. I am. You got, you do this. You got TV shows. You're the face of a network. I'm not giving away cash and prizes. I'm not saying good morning to an entire nation every, well, I guess on this show, I'm doing that, but I guess maybe it should be the Good Morning Rich Eisen Show America or something we could move. Let's not push it now. We need to workshop that idea.
We got to workshop that idea a little bit better than that. It's good man. I mean, and I'm one of these guys. I'm very grateful. And I understand I owe everything to the game of football. And I know there's a lot of flack about football and a lot of the things that have come back, you know, with the haunt, you know, some of the players in the game. And I know a lot of players out there with a lot of issues and there's a lot of responsibility that needs to be had on their behalf and, and, and, and on all the players we have.
But at the same time, I think, you know, I'm very grateful as well. And you're got a second season of pyramid coming up soon, right? Yeah.
Yeah. A hundred thousand dollar pyramid, man. Come on, win some money, baby. Help somebody win some money. By the way, you know, I am a game show aficionado.
Are you good? You know, everybody says that. I'm not, I'm not doubting you, but everyone says, Oh man, my mom, the same way, mom, we did chunky soup commercials years ago. Oh boy, I can act. My mom. So we get there and her line was, you need a hot bowl of chunky soup to fill you up.
Right. You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, what happened? Denzel Washington. Where are you now?
So it's it, the game sounds easy and the game looks easy when you see someone who's really good at it, but it is tough when that clock is ticking and you got 30 seconds in that person across from you. Who are you talking to right now? Come on. Rich, I can give clues. I can receive the clues. I know all of the best.
I know you got to put your hands in the straps. You know, you set yourself up, right? Oh, I'm, I'm ready to make somebody's $100,000 dream come true on your show.
It's going to happen. Like Joe Namath. I am calling my shot.
You're like Joe Namath now. Oh yeah. I'm guaranteeing you're calling a hundred thousand dollars for whatever lucky individual your producers care to pair up with you. Oh yes. I love that show. It's the truth.
We're going to make that happen. I watched the Dick Clark daytime version. I watched Dick Clark nighttime version. It is fun. I love it because, um, look, if Pran can do what I can do. Yeah. Yeah. Prime. I got to say, wasn't Prime's finest moment to do the show? Is somebody that he was given body signals that didn't match up with the words.
I'm like, what, how does that mean money? I don't get it, but the Prime it made sense. All right. So update two things.
One, I am currently wearing the same quarter zip as I was in that video. Oh goodness. Really? What's the matter? I mean, that was eight, nine years ago, but it's a still fits.
B is still just as stylish. Yeah. Chris, when you spend that much on something, you're not going to give it up.
That's true. But what's the smell like? What? Why is he asking such a question? Like I haven't had this laundered in eight years. What is your malfunction? He's got mold or what? Yeah. He might have mold.
What is his problem? Come on. The other, the other is going to cedar closet. Susie.
Ain't having that Chris. I made it to the winner's circle for my, um, you know, uh, contestant for $50,000. Yeah.
Got to the top of the pyramid. What if she would have won $50,000 if she didn't blow it? Throws her under the bus.
It's not, it's just, it's called facts. Back on the rich eyes and show, buy your Hyundai that you're interested in getting, cause you know, you want it. Yeah. Buy it on Amazon. So buy your toothbrush, buy your yoga mat, buy everything else. Buy everything on Amazon.
Guess what? Buy a Hyundai now. Cause you can, and you don't get it, you know, sent to your house in a, in a car sized Amazon box. Uh, no, you pick up your Hyundai at the dealer.
Hyundai is now available on Amazon and you pick it up through a participating hundred Hyundai dealer in select markets, limited availability visit, visit Hyundai usa.com, Hyundai usa.com or call five, six, two three one four four six Oh three for more details. Uh, let's go to Nick and Melbourne, Florida. What's up, Nick? What's going on, sir?
How are you doing today? What's on your mind, sir? What's on my mind is I'm a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. And for some reason, I don't hear nobody in the media talking about Tampa Bay being a perfect landing spot for miles Garrett. So let me make my case here.
If you don't mind, I'm a little biased here, obviously. Fire the cannons, Nick, fire the cannons, fire the cannons, fire your cannons. After they signed your boy Baker.
That was when I jumped on the, uh, the ship, if you will, not so much a bandwagon, but here's my thing. If you're miles Garrett, you get the chance to go play for, I think a contender. You got a team that had they beaten the commanders last year.
I think they got a strong chance to go up there and make some noise in Detroit and maybe make an appearance in the NFC title game. If you're miles Gary gets to a play with your boy, go play with Baker Mayfield again. You know, he loves playing with Baker because he knows he's got that dog in him.
You know what I mean? And you go play in a warm state with no state income tax in a division with a bunch of young quarterbacks that you can get after. Truthfully, I don't even know who the quarterback is going to be in new Orleans at this point in time. And with Bryce young and Michael panics, Jr. Coming up, they're young.
You throw a miles Garrett onto that defense with via via yah, yah, yah, yah, be avante David. I hear you. And I also, Nick, you're not wrong. Thanks for the call.
Greatly appreciate it. He just fired his cannons. Case is strong. And you also heard that, uh, that they're trying to resign Chris Godwin coming off of that injury as well.
No, you know, Nick and Melbourne's not wrong right there. Let me just say this though. In terms of great landing spots for miles, Garrett everywhere, every place. Although it might not be for miles Garrett. Well, how many times great for every time, right?
Great for every time, right? So he wants to go to super bowl. Let's say this the right way. Miles Garrett is great for every team, including the one he's currently on.
And now reverse it. This place would be great for miles. Garrett Tampa's not a bad spot.
It is not okay. And wouldn't that be the ultimate up yours if he's interested in such a thing, he did not seem like he was interested in such a thing, but if they make things difficult on him, then he would want to have an up yours. What better way to have an up yours to Cleveland than to win a championship with Baker Mayfield elsewhere. So, but I don't think as I didn't get that vibe. Did you get that vibe from him when you, when you, the only vibe you got from his, when he winked at you right after you said, how about Dallas, you're from Texas, right?
You'd grew up right next door to the Cowboys, right? He didn't say, what do you say? He smiled. He smiled at you. And the guy was like, well, you know, it's not really just that easy. He didn't give me a no. So just saying, come on home. So which places are great for miles Garrett, a spot where they've won a four straight division titles, Craig, that's not a bad one.
No in-state income tax. Not a bad one. You know, a general manager that keeps on re-signing his people. That's not a bad one.
No. It's tougher to re-sign your people. If you've got to sign him to a $30 million something contract, but he wants the title Tampa's not a bad spot. As of yesterday, odds for miles Garrett landing spot, the bills are the favorites. Chris, give me the only spot that I care about.
Plus 380 commanders, plus 400 lions, plus 700 Eagles plus five. No, no, Chris, give me the only one I care about. Like give me that percentage.
Just so I know. Oh, and we do have a not available. We do have a top five exclusive of the teams that you can get miles Garrett. We did the your team thing for Devante Adams. Remember that when Devante Adams is available, here's your top five best spots for miles Garrett. That was 18 to one TJ. Is that good or not good?
Seems good. Who's number one Washington? Washington, Buffalo, Philly, Buffalo, Detroit, Philly. That's just not fair. That would not be fair. David Stern would have to step in.
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