Robert Griffin III, Former NFL Quarterback

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Financing subject to credit approval. And away we go, our number three of our radio program. It is the Zach Gelb show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. We'll chat a little bit about the NFL draft that comes your way at the end of April. We also get set for free agency that's right around the corner next week. And we bring in from ESPN, one of my favorites.

And that is the Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin, the third RG3. How you been, my friend? What's going on? Hey, appreciate you having me back on. I'm doing great. How about yourself? I've been fantastic.

Can't complain. I want to start you off with Caleb Williams, right? He's been the generational talent.

It was similar to what we went through a few years ago with Trevor Lawrence. Is there anything you're concerned about with the likelihood of Caleb Williams being the number one pick to the Bears in the draft at the end of April? Zach, my concern isn't about Caleb Williams.

He's been preparing for this moment for his entire life. I mean, if you know anything about his story and how his dad made sure that he had all the proper training, you should definitely go look into it because this kid is the real deal. My concern is more about why the Chicago Bears are maybe potentially thinking about picking him. When you look at Chicago's roster right now, they've got they've got five draft picks in this upcoming draft, but they've got like 13 holes. And, you know, they need receiver help. They need pass rush help. They need interior defensive lineman. They need their safety now because they got rid of Kareem Jackson.

I mean, there's safety back there, should I say? And I'm just concerned that they're not going to have enough pieces to put around him, which is why I think that they should keep Justin Fields and trade the first pick so they can get more picks to build out that roster. But I think they're afraid that if they if they pass up on Caleb Williams, they'll be in a similar situation to what they were with Patrick Mahomes. And I don't think that's a reason to pick him. I think you pick him if you think that you can win this year with him, because if you don't, your GM and your head coach are probably getting fired. What do you think Justin Fields can be in this league?

Because that's part of this conversation as well. Yeah, I mean, I think Justin Fields can be a quarterback that can lead a franchise to a Super Bowl. I think he's a franchise guy. I think at the end of the year, the last seven games, they went four and three. He helped them lead them to that strong finish.

What, you know, when many considered them to be out of it, they still had a chance there at the end of the at the end of the season. So for me, Justin Fields has all the traits that you need in today's league to be successful. You have to be able to be teams with your arm. You have to be able to beat them with your legs and you have to be able to beat them with your mind. You have to be a true triple threat. Do I think that he's maximized that ability or is anywhere close to that?

No, not yet. He still has to improve as a pocket passer, which every quarterback goes through that maturation process. But I do believe that if you put the weapons around him, that the other quarterbacks of the elite quarterbacks in the league have, I think that he can be an elite quarterback in this league. And yeah, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the world, the best one in the galaxy, and probably will be the greatest of all time when it's all said and done. And he did win with an offense that wasn't up to standard of what they were used to seeing from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Zach, but if you don't have that, you got to have something. And the Chiefs had the number two defense in the NFL. So the Bears have to figure out if they're going to put weapons around Justin Fields and win that way, or are they going to load up on defense and try to win that way? It's possible, but not everybody in the world is Patrick Mahomes.

It's a fascinating conversation. RG3 is here with us. I think we all believe that they're going to take Williams and they're going to trade Justin Fields. So when we tackle that part of the conversation, I've been bouncing around a few spots with Justin Fields. I know that it was a little hairy in the start of the season with Luke Getze, and now Getze's the OC of the Raiders. But I just kind of feel like we're going to see Justin Fields wind up with the silver and black.

Really? Yeah, I mean, it depends if what their relationship was. You know, if they had a great relationship and Justin Fields felt like this guy can get the best out of me and is going to allow me to continue to grow and develop into the player that I know I can be. Sure.

Why not? But if I'm if I'm Justin Fields, I'll talk about this two ways. If I'm Justin Fields, I want to go to Atlanta, not just because it's, you know, where I'm from. He's right, you know, from right outside of Atlanta, suburb of Atlanta and Kennesaw. But also because the makeup of that division, Atlanta seems to be the spot that everyone wants to go to because there's no dominant team in that division right now.

And they were honestly, if Justin Fields played for the Falcons last year, their playoff team, if really many of the free agent quarterbacks that are at the top played for the Falcons last year, they'd be a playoff team. So if I'm Justin Fields, I want to go there. I want to throw to 6-6 Kyle Pitts and 6-4 Drake London, hand ball off and throw it to Bijan Robinson.

I think that would be exciting. And people would say, hey, it's the next coming of Michael Vick. But if I'm the Raiders, there's only one guy I want. And it's Jayden Daniels.

And I got to find a way to go up and get him. The head coach, Antonio Pierce, recruited him at Arizona State. And I think that Jayden Daniels makes them a playoff team. They can play grimy on the defensive side and they can go out there and have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, potentially with a quarterback like Jayden Daniels.

Talking to RG3, Robert Griffin III, just getting back to that Atlanta Falcons part of the conversation. I know what you just said about Fields. A lot of people feel like it's going to be Kirk Cousins, but a week ago it felt like it was going to be Justin Fields.

So it changes by the week. Would you prefer Fields over Kirk or would you rather go Kirk in Atlanta over Fields? Yeah, I just think it depends on what you're trying to accomplish, right? Kirk Cousins was playing at an MVP level before he got injured, right? Helped his team claw back and get to even without Justin Jefferson. So I actually believe that Kirk Cousins is playing, was playing the best ball of his career up until that point. So when you look at it from that standpoint, coming off of an Achilles, I think there's just a bigger picture here.

Like what what is the goal? If you think as the Falcons that you are a quarterback away from winning a Super Bowl, then I think that you go and you implement Kirk in there and you go for it in a two to three year span, depending on how he comes back from the Achilles. If you're looking at this as, hey, I'm going to be here and we're trying to win this year, but we also want to build for the long term future. Justin Fields is going to play and have a longer career at this point from this point in 2024 moving forward than Kirk Cousins is.

So I think for the Falcons, it's just a matter of that. I know Rahim Morris, great coach, very energetic and has a history with with Kirk Cousins, so I can definitely see that happening. But if you're thinking for the now, yeah, go get Kirk. If you're thinking for the now and the future, get Justin Fields.

Alrighty, RG3, I'm going to make you the GM of the commanders. Caleb Williams goes one. What did the commanders do with the second overall pick? Man, if if Williams goes one, this is why I was saying the Raiders need to move up, because I don't think if you're Washington that you can pass on Jayden Daniels, most explosive passer and runner. And my explosive passer, I mean, just throwing the football deep down the field and creating those explosive plays. He is the best. He was the best in college football. That's why he's got a Heisman Trophy, because he was the most electrifying player in college football.

And I don't think that you can pass up on that. Now, I still think that a guy like Sam Howe has a future in this league, but I know that there's going to be pressure on that front office to to figure out the quarterback position. But not just that, also bring excitement back to the city. And when you talk about new ownership, a new head coach who wants to play lights out defense, what's a way that you can not just win football games, but also sell tickets to put people in the seats and excite them when they're there? You go get the most electrifying player in all the college football in Jayden Daniels and you put a support system around him, not just playmakers, but take the stuff that he did at LSU and you put implemented there in Washington. I'm talking about the practice times when he went to use the restroom, any augmented reality systems that they had.

I'd bring all that with him because that's how you're going to get the best out of them. So what's happening with Drake May? Like, I agree. I think Jayden Daniels is the second best quarterback in this draft. But if there's going to be a guy to fall, it seems like Drake May is going to be that quarterback. But for the last two years, all we've been told is it's Williams one and then it's Drake May two. Do you think May is in danger of falling in this draft?

I mean, what do you consider falling? I just have to say the Patriots at three. Oh, that's a tough one. Because personally, I'm a Patriot fan. I would rather have Marvin Harrison Junior at three than Drake May. That's a that's an interesting conversation, Zach. And I think if you're the Patriots, you have to know if you take Marvin Harrison Junior, there's got to be some action in free agency or you're just letting everyone know you're rolling with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappi.

So I think that's the conversation you have to have. But with Drake May, I don't consider getting picked in the top 10 falling. Now, if you're saying he was going to be the first pick or the second pick and he falls to the eighth pick.

Yeah, that's a different conversation. But I don't see him, you know, not being a first round pick, not being a great player in this league. I think the experience of the other guys is maybe what's working against Drake May.

I believe and I put it out today that Drake May needs to sit a year, not because he's not ready, not because he's not a talented player. He's got all the measurables. He's got the makeup. Mac Brown coached him there in college and I know Mac well. And he just took me to school on just how much effort and time Drake May puts into his craft and to get to the where he's at. I just think he needs to have that Patrick Mahomes type of environment where he can sit for a year, learn and then come take over in year two and hit the ground running just like Patrick Mahomes did.

Now, you can't mimic Pat. And I'm not saying that he would, but I think that would be ideal for Drake May. And it's kind of like it's funny COVID is coming back around, man. It's coming back around and it's biting everybody in the butt again, because these guys all got extra years.

They got opportunities to continue to grow and develop. And it's hurting Drake May because you got a guy about Knicks, maybe who's got who has the most starts in college football history. And then you got J.J. McCarthy, who was twenty seven and one as a starter.

You got Michael Pinnix Jr., who, you know, was at Indiana and then was at Washington and he's coming in at twenty three years old. So I think some of that teams and coaches maybe need to win immediately and aren't going to give Drake May some of the grace that I think that he deserves, because I look at him as like the gunslinger of this group. He can do it all. He's going to have some turnovers here and there. But if you give him time, he'll be great. Wrapping up with RG three, kind enough to join us on CBS Sports Radio. It is the Zach Gelb show. Will J.J. McCarthy be a top ten pick? Oh, that's the now that's the Zach, you asked all the great questions, man.

That is. J.J. McCarthy is worthy of a top ten pick. Will he be a top ten pick? I don't know, because Michael Pinnix Jr. is worthy of a top ten pick. Is he going to be one?

I don't know. But to answer the question in more detail about J.J., I think what he was asked to do in college didn't showcase all of the skills that he has and all the traits that he has that NFL executives love. They don't just love the fact that he was twenty seven and one as a starter. They don't just love the fact that he makes the simple plays. They don't love they're not they don't just love the fact that when you need him to be a baller like he had to be two years ago against Ohio State, he was that baller. So for me, he's worthy of that. It's not just because he won a national title. I've been around the kid. I've seen his ability to throw the football.

I've seen his ability to be an athlete out in space. And for that reason and those reasons, I think NFL executives will agree and and strongly consider moving up into the top ten to pick him. And, you know, the environment is so important where you go to actually don't think it's the worst thing in the world for J.J. and Pinnix to go out of the top ten, because I look at spots like Minnesota or Seattle or maybe even the Raiders now with Antonio Pierce in that building, all three teams that need long term quarterbacks.

I would not be upset if I was J.J. or Michael Pinnix Jr. if I landed with one of those three teams. Yeah, exactly. From a from an analytical standpoint, which is what we do, right?

We analyze. I agree. From a player standpoint, listen, all these guys are super competitive. They all want to be possible. Yeah, they all want to go as early as possible. And listen, their agents want them to go as early as possible, too, so they can get that money. But from a player's mindset, they just look at it like, oh, if I'm not going to be one, I need to be two.

So as every pick goes by, they're getting more and more pissed off. And that's where a guy like Michael Pinnix Jr., to your point, going later in the draft gives you an opportunity to go to a good, really good team. And I believe that if there is one guy that a receiver wanted to play for out of this group of quarterbacks that are coming out this year, it'd be Pinnix because, you know, that he's going to distribute the ball and he had to deal with being like four or five deep at Washington and spreading the football around. So he's not just picking one guy in Roma Dunze. Right. He also had Jalen McMillan and Jeremy Bernard and Jalen Polk. Right.

He had all those guys. So I think that if they fall in the draft, they'll be it's going to build a chip on their shoulder. But also at the same time, it could be a blessing in disguise because they're going to end up going to better teams and maybe have a longer term success. I also can't wait to see what the Steelers are going to do, because they could go trade for Justin Fields. They could go sign Russell Wilson.

I know they're at 20. If Michael Pinnix Jr. or J.J. McCarthy get past the top 10, maybe a trade up. I just can't go into this season with Kenny Pickett as the starting quarterback. But that's what I think they're going to do.

RG three. Listen, I've heard a bunch of people getting on the the Kenny Pickett shouldn't be the quarterback train. And I'm trying to stop you guys. OK, here's what I'll say. You'll know what the Steelers are going to do based off free agency. Right. I don't think going to Pittsburgh is a situation that a quarterback is like, I don't want to go there.

Right. Who wouldn't want to go play for those fans and play with that defense and have the weapons that they already have there around them? I don't think that's necessarily going to be the case. It's going to be about what does Pittsburgh want if they go get a vet? I don't expect them to get a vet, have Kenny Pickett and pick a guy at quarterback in the first round. That just wouldn't make any sense to me. So if they get a Russell Wilson, I think it's Russell Wilson versus Kenny Pickett. If they get Kirk Cousins, Kirk Cousins is going to be the starter. Right.

That's just the bottom line. But I actually am still a believer in Kenny Pickett, and I don't think that he's been able to showcase everything that he can do as a player because of the offensive system that he was in there with Matt Canada. So bringing Arthur Smith in, who's going to make it a run based play action bootleg type of system fits what Kenny Pickett did in college. Right.

That's the system that he ran play action pass West Coast moving with the boots in the nakeds. So I'm actually a believer that this is a prove it year for Kenny Pickett, but that he can prove it if he wins the job. I don't think that he's a guy that you just toss aside.

And I do not think the Steelers will just pick a quarterback in the first round again two years later. Before we let you run RG three, we were talking about yesterday because ESPN came out with this list top. It was ranking the 80 quarterbacks of the two thousands in college. Did you read this list yet?

Did you see this? I did not. You were ranked. Where do you think you ranked all the quarterbacks in the from the two thousand top college quarterbacks? Where do you think you're ranked if you had to just throw out and throw out a number? Top college quarterbacks from the two thousands or the two thousand tens? Two thousands from from the year two thousand. Man.

Good God. I mean, I got to be top top five. You weren't you were you were number 10.

They had Marcus Mariota, Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow, Tim Tebow, Vince Young, Cam. And the number one was Baker Mayfield. You know what, Zach, this is bait and I'm not falling for the bait.

I'm not falling for the bait, Zach. Listen, every guy should have won, by the way. Cam said every guy you just mentioned that was ahead of me on the list is a worthy and amazing college football player.

So I'm not going there. I didn't think I'd be number one, but I do know that at Baylor University, there's only one Heisman Trophy winner. So that's that's all I got to say about that, which all of the guys made a really big impact. I just you know, I'm not going to hate on my brothers. You got to have a Heisman Trophy, in my opinion, to be to be on the list in the top 10. I know that that kind of sucks for some guys, but at the end of the day, it's a very exclusive fraternity. So I'm happy that I did not know that ESPN put the list out.

I'll send it to you afterwards. Yeah. How many how many of those guys work at ESPN? You think I get a little grace? You know, man, I think it's their way of punishing you for dropping an S-bomb on the air the other day. They said, well, I heard you're about to shoot me. I heard that you were in the top five. And then once you did drop the S-bomb, they set up, they got to put RG three in a number 10. The S was supposed to look like a five.

You know what I'm saying? So it's like a five. So I'm like, top five.

Alrighty. I have to ask you about Reggie Bush. He's got to get his Heisman Trophy back. I like what Johnny Manziel's doing. I know you're part of the coverage of the Heisman, so I don't expect you to not go to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. But I like what Manziel's doing, saying I'm not going until he gets the Heisman Trophy back.

Yeah, man. Listen, I don't think anyone disagrees that Reggie Bush is one of the greatest college football players of all time. And there have been conversations about trying to find a way to help Reggie get that Heisman back. But I don't think it's any secret that the NCAA is responsible for even allowing Reggie to be eligible to get it back. So I respect my guy, Johnny, I respect everything that he's trying to do.

And I do think that the conversation should be had. And man, listen, I still consider Reggie to be a Heisman brother. You know, Reggie, I watched Reggie. It's not like Reggie was watching me. You know what I mean? So I don't think there's a college football fan out there that has watched one play of Reggie Bush and not had their jaw just be on the ground.

So I'm here. I'll hit up my guy, Johnny, and talk to him about it to try to figure out any ways that we can collaborate to make that happen for Reggie. But a lot of it is really outside of our hands and even out of the Heisman's hands. Would you give up hosting the Heisman being part of that coverage and everyone maybe not showing up one year to kind of bring more awareness to this? That is a great question, Zach, and that is that is a great question. It's I would say for me and for the rest of my Heisman brothers, I think that's a conversation that we need to have. I think more people need to be illuminated on what what actually happened with Reggie and what what was alleged and what was true and what the verdict ended up being so they can make a better assertion of what happened.

If some people are about the belief that if it happened and it was illegal, then it was illegal then. So it shouldn't matter now. And I think that's just it's always worthy of a conversation and who better to have that conversation than the most exclusive club in the world, which is our husband brothers. He is the great RG three joining us here on CBS Sports Radio. I'm sure Lepselter, both of our agents, has already texted me up. You're trying to take money out of RG three's pocket, not having him work the Heisman Trophy.

So I think I annoyed our agent RG three. No, no, listen, it's it's one of those things. You got to be able you asked a tough question. It's a tough question, and it's a tough situation. But I'm always going to be in favor of what the brotherhood wants and what what we think needs to be accomplished. And I look forward to hearing and hearing more from my brothers on that in the coming weeks and months. Love what you've been doing on ESPN, also with the podcast as well.

We'll be in touch. Thanks so much. Appreciate you doing this. Appreciate you, brother. Hey, there you go. RG three joining us. Seriously, he's one of the best people to talk to in football right now. Always gives you a very entertaining perspective and is never afraid to shy away from things. And I do think that if you had a large group of Heisman Trophy winners say they're not going to show the ceremony, then Reggie Bush would get his Heisman Trophy back.

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