Anthony Richardson Draft Expectations (Hour 2)

Our number two of our radio program, that's right, Zach Gelb's show, Gelb's show coast to coast on CBS Sports Radio. So Anthony Richardson had his pro day today, and we'll discuss where we think he's going to land in this upcoming NFL draft, which is less than a month away in just a bit. But Hickey, I have to get your opinion on one thing from this pro day. So the big moment of this pro day is he's throwing the ball all over the place, showing off the big arm that he has. And at one point inside the practice facility that they're in, he lets one just rip and he throws the ball up into the air and it hits the ceiling.

I actually think that was intentional. Now, he played it off as if he was smiling and laughing like he was shocked that it couldn't happen. But I got to think he was intentionally trying to do that to show off just the craziness of his arm, because that is unreal. I know it's happened before in these pro days and even made a joke of the broadcast up to do this like other quarterbacks have done.

And I'm not someone that dissects everyone's pro day here because I just think it's absolutely ridiculous. But did you think even though he tried to hide and act all surprised that that was intentional when he hit the roof with the football? I don't just because I guess I don't really see the points like we know he has a rocket arm like hitting the roof. Like, what does that everyone's going to talk about that from the pro day instead of maybe some of the throws that he missed.

Now, if you're an evaluator of talent, I don't think that that should matter either way because you should watch what he did on the field this year. But that's going to be the viral moment. That's going to be the moment that everyone talks about from the pro day. Oh, look how high he threw this football like it was unbelievable. It was crazy that he hit the roof. So that's what I just thought when I was watching it. And I thought he tried to kind of like like smirk and laugh and basically make it out to be as if he didn't do that intentionally.

But when I watched it, I just thought that it was something that he did intentionally. If you're in Florida, you need a new indoor facility. If you can't even throw a deep ball without hitting the roof, what are we doing here? It's kind of like that Cowboys new stadium from all those years ago when the punter would kick the ball and hit the Megatron or whatever it is, the jumbotron in that stadium. Extra jumbo there for Jerry. Yeah.

Oh, that's. Cowboys got to win one way, build a nice new stadium, get a big scoreboard. Other than that, when it comes to the playoff time, they're quickly in and then quickly out. And it usually ends in embarrassing fashion. But at least they have a nice comfy stadium and nice.

They have a nice big screen to look at whenever their teams do go down. So anyway, I get into Anthony Richardson. I think we're in agreement here that in some order, you're going to see CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, whichever way you want, go one and two in the draft. Would you concur with that statement, even though in your crazy twisted mind, you're still going to make the case for Bryce Young to wind up with the Indianapolis Colts, but you feel it's pretty safe to assume that CJ Stroud and Bryce Young in whatever order, one, two are going to be the first two picks of this draft. Yes.

Okay. So based off of that, and I saw that Scott Fitterer even said today, and I don't really put much stock into this, but he was talking about Anthony Richardson because it was his pro day. And he said that he's more than just a project. He's a really good player because right now everyone's telling you about Anthony Richardson, project, project, project going to take two years, three years, things like that. And Scott Fitterer comes out today who there's no way he's going to take Anthony Richardson with the number one overall pick. He goes, he's more than than a project.

He's a really good player. If they if they moved up to one to take Anthony Richardson, that doesn't that doesn't make sense to me. I would be shocked if the Panthers did select him at one.

And you know, I kind of go back to here. I would I would say you should learn a lesson from the Chicago Bears. And the reason why I say that is you look back at the Bears a few years ago when they were at three. They made the trade up to two with the forty niners.

Solomon Thomas ended up going three. And then with the second pick in the draft, Mitch Trubisky did go. Now, I remember being at that draft in Philadelphia, Hickey, and I said this at the time, how the heck does Trubisky go to? When you had and forget about Mahomes, because to be fair, no one knew what Mahomes was going to be. So like that's on the scouts to know who he was going to be.

But the fan take, which is me, the talk shows take, which is me. It wasn't which now hindsight's twenty twenty, like now all the sudden people go, oh, they should have taken Mahomes, the Bears, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. How they didn't take Deshaun Watson.

That was the part that I didn't get, because not only did you see a ton of Deshaun Watson at Clemson, you got to see him excel at in the biggest moments up against Alabama, where he lost the national title game and then he also won a national title game at Clemson going up against Alabama. So like that to me, Hickey, when I look back at that draft was the part that I couldn't understand how you go with more of the unknown in Mitch Trubisky rather than the guy that not only proved it, but proved it at an elite level against the best of the best. And you look at if you want to have a debate, Bryce Young, C.J.

Stroud, that's fine. I personally would go with Bryce Young and we've seen Bryce Young dominate the sport the last two years, a year ago where he got to the championship game and they lose. Then the next year, I know they didn't get back to the playoff, but he didn't have a regular Alabama type of roster. And look at what Bryce Young was able to do with at that quarterback position and the way that you watched him play. He was never a reason why Alabama lost last year. So you look at what you've got to witness from Bryce Young and if you go, OK, I can't draft him because of his size.

That's one thing I don't believe in that, but some people may. So if you want to take Bryce Young off the board, I don't get how you get to Anthony Richardson with the first overall pick. I don't get how you go with Will Levis, even though Will Levis has played a ton of football at Kentucky. But when you look at CJ Stroud, if if it's not going to be Young, it has to be Stroud. And just based off of what he did statistically, and I'm not even the biggest CJ Stroud fan in the world, but what he did statistically the last two years. And not only that, what he did up against Georgia. What he did up against Georgia this year in the semifinal was so impressive with how much we've seen both of those two guys the last two years. One of those two guys have to be the number one overall pick.

So say what you want. You had dinner with Will Levis. You got to do your due diligence. You met with with with Anthony Richardson. I saw last night they met with Anthony Richardson, the Panthers, and then Anthony Richardson also had dinner with the Las Vegas Raiders.

So you got to do your homework. But I don't get how, if you're a Panthers fan, how anyone could actually, I don't think people do, but how anyone actually thinks they're going to take Richardson with the number one pick. And if you are Scott Fitter and you do that, I don't even get how you justify it because everything hickey they're going to say is based off hope because you haven't seen a lot of Anthony Richardson. And last year he was very inconsistent. And the statement he made up against Utah, which was a phenomenal game that he played, was Labor Day weekend.

And after that, I didn't see much of that quarterback from Labor Day weekend throughout the season. And if you're going to tell your fans it's based off potential, potential means you haven't done it yet. And that's to me is a concern when you've seen guys who are better, just flat out better in Young and Shroud.

And they've already shown you why they are better. So that's why, Ryan, I don't think there's any way with the number one overall pick, even though he was the star of the combine and people are going to rave about him hitting the ceiling today, which like, what does that actually mean? Like you said, I don't think there's a way that Fitterer could justify taking Richardson number one. The only justification you said is I do think there's a chance, a very small chance that Richardson physically, he has all the tools where he could be, if he puts it together, the best quarterback in this draft. The thing, though, is the only reason why any time we talk about his comparison is to Josh Allen is because that's really the only time in modern draft history where we've had such a big question mark coming out of the draft taken so high. And it's panned out almost to perfection. This is as gone as well as you could have planned when you took Josh Allen number seven a few years ago.

So that is obviously the mold and the model you're trying to follow. But the thing is, the reason why there's no other comparison other than Josh Allen is because every other team that's tried it has failed. Mitch Trubisky, one year at UNC, failed. Trey Lance, so far we're seeing reportedly can't even or is not expected to be able to beat out Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold. And for the 49ers credit, okay, their team is great, so maybe a quarterback is irrelevant. But the Panthers are nowhere near where the 49ers are roster-wise, so you have to hit on this pick.

You have to do it in a situation that's, or a timeline I should say, sooner rather than later. You're just potentially sure. Could it be the best quarterback in ten years from now?

Possibly. Just like Patrick Mahomes, we didn't see him being the best quarterback out of the 2017 draft class. That draft, I remember that draft and the build of the draft, we knew Mahomes was going to go in the first round. But he wasn't being talked about a ton like you would expect for a first-round quarterback. It was a tremendous oversight.

It ended up being a tremendous oversight by us all. But I just remember, I talked to Deshaun Watson, it was that Tuesday or Wednesday before the draft that some pre-media availability. And I remember the Jets, I forget where they had a pick, and I was like, it's kind of nuts how people weren't expecting the Jets to draft or whatever it was. I forget the exact scenario. And the conversation was, it seemed like Deshaun Watson was going to fall, and that never made any sense to me why anyone thought Watson was going to fall in that draft with what he showed in college.

And this drives me nuts. We've been down this road before. The potential argument, or let me rephrase this, the highest ceiling argument drives me nuts, because you go back to the Trey Lance draft from two years ago, when all people, the highest ceiling in this draft. And I'm like, OK, who is the guy that's the best quarterback in this draft? And it was Trevor Lawrence.

And even at Trey Lance's highest ceiling, I don't think the ceiling would have been higher than Trevor Lawrence with the way that we talked about Trevor Lawrence for two, three years about being this transcendent generational type of player. Now, I don't know if that transcendent generational type of player is in this draft at the quarterback spot, but you also have to remember the circumstance here. You're going to Carolina, a place that brought in Teddy Bridgewater, was in there for a year, then they got rid of him. Then after that, you brought in Sam Darnold. I know he was there for two years, but he's really only the guy for one year. And after that, you brought in Baker Mayfield.

Those fans are not going to have patience. The guy that you bring in, not that you have to be a success right away, but you're going to have to start day one. And if you bring in Anthony Richardson, I don't think he's starting day one. But you bring in Bryce Young, you bring in C.J. Shroud, unless they want to be like the Steelers last year and just wait three, four games, you know either Young or Shroud are going to be starting the majority of the games for the Carolina Panthers next year. If it's Anthony Richardson, I do think with the way that that fan base is hungry to win, that they're going to expect him on the field at some point in year one. And from everything you read, Hickey, people don't think he should be starting year one in the NFL. Also, too, look, and this is not exactly maybe the best way to go about this, but this is reality. Frank Reich and Scott Fitter are working for a guy named David Tepper who is so far in his early tenure in ownership has been very patient.

So I'm with you. Richardson will probably sit out this entire year, maybe let's say the last month he plays. So you get a little small sample size, three, four, five games he plays. And what if his development is very slow?

And it probably will be with how inconsistent he is. He's probably going to need two or three years if he's going to pan out, kind of hit that stride. Well, if you're Scott Fitter and you're working for a guy who's, again, not very patient, do you think you have three years for this to work out?

Like you traded all that capital. Even if you're Frank Reich, I mean, I know he just was hired, but do you really have all that time to see if Anthony Richardson can develop or do you go with a more proven guy who has been a winner at either Ohio State or Alabama who is pro ready and possesses all the tools you need to win? The way that I answer your question, I do think there will be patience for Frank Reich because he's greatly respected. Even though I think he's an overrated coach, he is greatly respected in the NFL. For Scott Fitterer, I do think this is the last quarterback that you're going to be picking.

It may actually be the first because who knows what the actual structure was with Ruel and Fitterer. But this will be, let's say, the first and last quarterback that you'll be selecting, because if it doesn't work, then you will eventually get fired within two years, let's just say. And not only that, then if you're Frank Reich, you get a new GM that comes in, who knows how much of a chance that he'll actually want to give you.

So, like, regardless of that conversation, I just don't see how you argue with me. That you think Richardson is going to be the better player. He hasn't shown you enough, and it's all based off hope and potential. Where I've seen so much of Stroud and Bryce Young. Like, I think it should be Young. If they don't think it should be Young, then you have to go to Stroud next. I don't see how you go through saying it's not Young, it's not Stroud, and then we're going to go take Anthony Richardson. I'm not even going to talk about Will Levis because no one's talking about him for the number one overall pick. But I don't see how you cross off both Young and Stroud and then get to Richardson. Anyway, this is Zach Gelb's show on CBS Sports Radio. Let's break this up into two segments, actually. Where is Anthony Richardson going to go?

Hickey and I are both in agreement, or I think you're in agreement, right? That it's not going to be Anthony Richardson on the Carolina Panthers. So after that, not that he falls because he probably goes where he's expected to go. Where will Anthony Richardson go to? We'll talk about that on the other side when the Zach Gelb show does continue in five minutes.

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Alrighty, Zach Gelb show, CBS Sports Radio. So right now, we're trying to figure out where Anthony Richardson is going to land in the NFL Draft. Hickey, first pick of the NFL Draft the Carolina Panthers are going to select. C.J. Stroud. As much as I think it should be Bryce Young, and I probably will flip flop on this 500 times until the draft next month. I do believe that they're going to go C.J.

Stroud. I'm in agreement with you. Now, the second pick in the draft, I do believe that the Texans are going to take Bryce Young. I'm assuming you believe they're going to take Bryce Young as well.

Yes. Man, that's got to be tough for you. Hurts to say. It hurts to say, but I've been wrong a lot. I am hoping, big time, I am wrong. But you've already been wrong. That's what I'm saying.

No, no, no. You've already been wrong in terms of you thinking it was a lock that the Colts were going to get Bryce Young. So now you're saying that you hope that he ends up being a bust?

Is that what you're saying? No, I'm hoping I'm wrong and that he doesn't go to the Texans. I'm saying I've been wrong a ton. And here I am predicting he's going to go to the Texans at pick two. And I'm saying I hope I'm wrong. It's not a reverse mush where I'm saying it, hoping it's going to be the opposite.

Reverse mush does not work. So you'd rather have him go to the Panthers? Yes, if I had a choice of the two, absolutely. Gotcha. But you're hoping... I think he will be drafted by Houston.

But what are you hoping to be wrong about here? That the Texans pass on him. Oh, OK. They go for Anthony Richardson. Maybe they love Will Levis. Maybe they like Will Anderson Jr.

I don't know. So that's where I was getting at. You still think there's a chance that he winds up with the Colts, which... Well, I just said he's going to go to Houston, but I said I'm hoping I'm wrong. There's a big, fat zero chance that he winds up with your team. Now, with the third pick, the Cardinals aren't going to take a quarterback. So that's not a spot for Anthony Richardson. But if there continues to be a ton of buzz for Anthony Richardson in this draft and going in the top five, well, the only two other destinations in the top five are the Colts and the Seahawks. But what gets tricky here is how do the other teams, like if you're, I don't know, the Raiders or maybe a team like Tennessee, where is their desperation level to get another quarterback on your roster? And you look at Tennessee, maybe that could be a spot for Anthony Richardson, but you have to move up.

You're at 11. Right now you have Ryan Tannehill, so you won't have to play him right away. And you look at the Raiders, Jimmy G knows a thing or two about being around a young quarterback, right?

He's done it both ways. Brady's there, never got on the field other than the Brady suspension, and then he got hurt. Or when the team has you in there and then they try to hand the keys over to Trey Lance, but he wasn't able to drive the Ferrari. So I do think a team like the Raiders are fascinating, where if they stay at seven, I don't know how likely it is that Anthony Richardson will still be available. And if you think the Colts or the Seahawks are going to take Richardson or would take Richardson, then that could create a very advantageous scenario for Monti Asenfurth, the new general manager of the Arizona Cardinals. You can move back a few spots and then also get some future picks as really the Cardinals, Hickey, even though in contract they have their quarterback of the future, they are going through what is a rebuild for a team that was in the playoffs two years ago, two post-seasons ago. They were in the postseason and now they're starting basically not totally over from scratch, but pretty close to it. And they could benefit from this Anthony Richardson hype.

Maybe they're the ones, you know, putting out all this great pub about him hitting the ceiling to get the Raiders maybe encouraged, the Colts encouraged, the Titans working behind the scenes there. Yeah. So I would think, you know, I think it's most likely where he's going to land. And it's going to be weird that I'm going to say this because they're picking not in the top five right now. I just have a feeling. And this is just a gut feeling. No, no sourcing or anything behind that, because let's be real. Any of this stuff that gets leaked out from now until the draft, 95 percent of it in terms of where a player is going to go is a bunch of baloney.

You don't know what's true and what is false. The team I keep on circling for Anthony Richardson and maybe it's a mixture of him falling a little bit, or maybe it's them just being desperate to go trade up. I keep on going back to the Raiders. I keep thinking Anthony Richardson is going to be on the Raiders. And here's why. For some reason, I don't think your team is going to take him.

I don't know why. I just can't envision, even though it makes sense, but I can envision the Colts taking Anthony Richardson. And also, like right now, OK, Gardner Minshew is there. Can Gardner Minshew start an entire season?

I guess he can. Is he going to play great throughout an entire season? No, but that's not the benefit of the Colts next year. I just think it's risky when you take a quarterback in the top five and you expect him to wait that long. You need an established quarterback in there. And the Colts really don't have that right now. So maybe that plays a role in it. But I don't know where you are on this.

And you're Mr. Colt. I'm sure it's been a big topic of conversation in the pod, but I just have a tough time seeing Richardson in a Colts uniform. I could see it if they stay.

I could see it at four. I don't see them trading up whatsoever. Chris Bowers talked about it tons of times.

I think he's being truthful here. Not only one spot. He likes the depth in this draft, so I don't think they'd move up one spot.

I think a heads-and-hooker, someone that they're zoning in on, maybe even someone past that, past him. And we're talking about second, third, fourth round here. I don't think they will draft him because I'm with you. I think the Raiders are going to be desperate enough to go to three. I think when it's all said and done, they're going to see the two quarterbacks go off the board. I don't think Josh McDaniels is sitting here with Jimmy G, even though they're quote, unquote, we'll say all in this year. Considering the contracts and some of the moves they made in previous all seasons. You traded for Devante Adams.

You got Jimmy. They're going for it this year. That was two years ago. I'm saying, but they're going for it.

They went for it last year with Derek Carr. Are they really? They're not. What are they doing now? What else are they going for?

Wait, but let me ask you this. Are you really going for it when you say, okay, we brought in Devante Adams two years ago, and then whatever happened with Darren Waller and I don't believe it was just because he was getting hurt. But Darren Waller and something with that wedding and then it seemed like it was a spite McDaniel's move when he wasn't supposed to say that he was having this wedding.

And the next thing you know, Waller was annoyed at him because he didn't want that to be public. And then you trade him like I don't get trading Darren Waller. If you're trying to go all in to get back into the playoffs, I don't get the logic of it by getting rid of Derek Carr and then going to Jimmy G, which has best slightly a better person at quarterback.

They were all in. They would go trade for Aaron Rodgers and they would have kept Darren Waller. But instead, they got rid of Darren Waller.

They signed Jacoby Myers and then they signed Jimmy Garoppolo. That doesn't signal to me of a team that's all in. It's a team that has no direction, really.

Franchise Josh Jacobs. What's the other direction? I guess what I'm going for. What direction is it?

Well, that's right. I don't know. They don't have a direction. I don't know what other way you could say that they're going about it. They're trying to make the playoffs this year.

They're clueless. We could see Josh McDaniels especially trying to double dip and get a little bit of a going for it again in air quotes now while also having the future as a possibility as well. And the guy Anthony Richardson where he could sit for two years with the quarterback and Jimmy G. As we know, you mentioned, who is once or twice known to help develop quarterbacks that are projects as well. And here's the one problem with this. And now I'm going to argue against myself here just for a second.

Sure. Because I just said it's the Raiders. You think it's going to be the Raiders too. The only thing is if Jimmy G gets hurt, which he has the propensity to do, he missed a lot of games. Are you going to be able to hold off the public outcry to get Anthony Richardson on the field?

I don't think it's something you worry about when it happens, right? But I think if you're a draft fan, I don't think the last thing you're worried about right now is Jimmy G getting hurt because even if you don't draft Richardson, what are you going to do? But what I'm saying is the only thing I'm saying is that's when that backfires on him, when you have to put Richardson on the field sooner than you would have liked. Because do you know who their backup quarterback is right now?

I just had to look this up. Oh, they lost, what's his name? Stidham. I don't know. Chase Garbers. Oh, from Cal.

Okay. Like, that's their backup right now. You're telling me if Jimmy G gets hurt, they're really going to have Chase start over Anthony Richardson? Well, here's the only thing we don't know is how teams view Richardson's development. Do they view him as a guy who needs to sit the entire year?

I don't, like, we think so. I have no idea what Joshua Daniels thinks when you get him. Like, do you think he could play sooner rather than later?

Like, sure, some coaches do. I think it's a mistake if he plays year one. And I'm usually someone that advocates to throw the player right to the fire right away and let him play. And also, you're not going to draft Anthony Richardson or not draft Anthony Richardson with the fear of Jimmy G getting hurt and then watch he plays all 17 games.

Like, oh, that would have been fun. But that's when it could backfire on them. That's the only thing that I look at is if Jimmy G does not stay healthy, then he gets hurt in week two. And then you've got to put Richardson on the field earlier than you would like because you go to Garbers for three, four games, he can't do anything. And the next thing you know, you have Anthony Richardson in the lineup by like week six or seven.

Like, that's just the only concern just when I was thinking over the scenario. But anyway, you continue to go through this order when if let's just say the Colts don't take him at four, would Seattle or Detroit pull the trigger? Because it's a similar situation as what we talked about with Las Vegas, where you have a guy that could, as long as he could stay healthy, can weather the storm and be the guy for a year or two. You look at the Seahawks, they just gave a three-year deal to Geno Smith. You look at the Lions, they have Jared Goff still under contract. And I don't think even though with their contractual situation for both that anyone actually thinks long-term Jared Goff's the guy in Detroit. And I don't think Geno Smith, even though he had a great year last year and he was a wonderful success story, I don't believe that Seahawks fans are thinking he's your long-term answer at the quarterback spot. But you look at Richardson, if it's all based off potential and it's all based off of the talent and what he could eventually be two, three years from now, well, is Jared Goff getting another contract from the Lions? I don't know. Is Geno Smith after this one getting another contract from the Seahawks?

I would probably say no. So I just wonder if let's say the Colts take Will Levis or the Colts take the best player available and Hickey Ack is laughing because Hickey when I said the Colts take Will Levis. It's like one of those things like the psychiatric test, like the buzzer goes off. Hickey's face, he was looking right at me and he just looked right to the ground when I said the Colts take Will Levis. Oh, how great would that be?

It's just a hypothetical. And you know Will Levis would then be a Hall of Famer because Hickey would hit the pick, he would release some video of him freaking out and the next thing you know, a few years later, oh, I love Will Levis. I love him. I was really tweaking him yesterday. I said, when are you getting that Colts number seven jersey from Will Levis? Yeah, Will's been on the show a bunch and we're trying to get him on before the draft. Look at him in there.

He's as red as a tomato right now. It's building. And by the way, here's a big concern. I believe they're sending us out to the draft and I have a big concern because they're probably going to send Hickey as the producer.

I don't think Hickey's going to be able to work the show the first four picks of the draft and then if he doesn't go the way that he wants it to go or he doesn't like the pick, I think he ruins the show. He's going to check out. Yeah. But you got to check out. I'm a professional. I'm just saying that would be the fear. Are you a professional?

I think Hickey's got to put it on the shelf. You can do it for a night. That's what I said.

Zach doesn't believe me. I said I could easily control myself. Because outside of Frank the Tank, I think you're the most emotional sports fan that I've ever met. You lose it while watching these regular season games. I will admit sometimes my emotion gets the best of me for good and for bad.

Every day. Overreaction positively and negatively. You celebrated the Rose Bowl victory this year as if you won the national title. That was a big win in my opinion. I was fired up.

That was a bucket list item that I saw a nice game in terrible weathering. So yes, I was fired up. So anyway, back to my question. If let's say the Cardinals take the best player available and the Colts go okay, we're going to take Will Levis or we're going to pass on Richardson and go with just the best player that's not a quarterback. Do you see Seattle or Detroit then with Richardson still on the board taking him? Seattle more likely than Detroit. I could see Seattle doing it.

I would agree with you on that. And then you get to the Raiders. But if somehow maybe this is all smokescreen, maybe other teams like Will Levis more and Richardson falls past seven because I remember right and totally two different players. But when Mac Jones in the draft, there was a big thought that he was going to go three and that he wasn't going to fall to the top ten.

Then he fell to the top ten and he did go to 15. So I just wonder how far could Richardson fall and if he somehow falls past the Raiders at seven, then you look at a team like Atlanta in Chicago that they could trade back because I don't think Atlanta would take Anthony Richardson. I think they either they're lying to us about Lamar Jackson or they are for some reason all in on Desmond Ritter. So I could then see after that if let's just say at the latest the Raiders don't take him, which I think the Raiders would, or maybe the Raiders will even trade up to take him. Then saying at eight or nine, those teams could trade back because then maybe a team like Tennessee comes up. I don't think the Jets would do it because the Jets are about to get Aaron Rodgers and we also would happen. What did transpire with Rodgers once Jordan Love went there, even though I do think it would make sense because in two, three years, Rodgers does walk away and then you get to put Anthony Richardson on the field.

But then I'll throw one more out there to you. What about the commanders who are at 16? If he falls outside of the top five, I would say, OK, the commanders should move up, but they're not even going to pursue Lamar Jackson right now because they're telling you basically Sam Howell is going to be the next great thing.

So I think the commanders are out. I would be shocked. This is a dumb statement to say I'll be shocked if Washington makes a move. I would agree. I tend to think the first three. I think the Raiders, the Raiders come up. I think they go to three. Richardson will either land in Indy, Seattle, Detroit or the Raiders and they're picking four, five, six, seven. So one of those teams are either going to have to usurp the other or just going to have them fall. And then they will. One of those four teams will select.

All right. It is Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. We will chat a little Western Conference in the NBA next. KD is back. We'll see a little look in with the Grizzlies, the Kings last night. They break their long playoff drought, the longest in sports.

So now they're going to the postseason and the Nuggets are still the Nuggets. So we'll chat about all the happenings of the Western Conference. We come back. You're listening to the Zach Gelb show.

Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio. Let's spend a few moments talking a little hoops. So KD comes back last night. First game back since the ankle injury when he was supposed to a few weeks ago make his home debut for the Phoenix Suns. And then we said a lot of bizarre injuries. That one's got to be up there when there's sometimes you you go away from the field to the court. And then it's like bizarre world what happens with injuries. But he was on the court in warm ups, just slips.

And the next thing you know, rolls the ankle and then has the ankle injury and then is out for for a few weeks. That one was was crazy because it just seemed like such a freak accident in a world where sometimes we feel like we've seen it all. That is something where I have truly never seen before.

Like minutes before tip off, you slip on a wet spot. And not only that, I obviously remember when we were on the airport, it wasn't like ancient history was a few weeks ago. I remember I saw the tweet and I go, oh, like, was this some gift for some meme that I just must have missed from like a while ago? I'm like, oh, no, he's in Suns warm up gear.

I thought I was getting trolled at first. I thought it was fake because it was so unbelievable in that you're making your home debut on a new team. And the next thing you know, he slips and it's like, OK, so he slipped, but then he continued the warm up. And then you're thinking, OK, he'll play because he continued the warm up. And then you get the notification that he's out for the game. And then it's actually more serious than what people thought.

Crazy, truly can't make it up. So we look at the Western Conference. We know on paper the Suns are the team to beat in the Western Conference, but. You don't have that much time to build chemistry now, this is a team that two years ago was in the NBA Finals without Kevin Durant. And two years ago, they almost won the entire thing. Now, a year or two years later, last year was embarrassing in the playoffs.

But now you do add KD, but we just saw KD in Brooklyn. And it's different because I do trust Devin Booker and I and even though Chris Paul has never won a championship, I trust them more than I do Kyrie Irving and James Harden. But you wonder how it's all going to mesh and basically you got, what, six games left in the season?

And then it's go time? And who knows who you're going to end up playing in the first round of the postseason? And this Western Conference is so open this year, it's not as if as in years past, and I know they're going to be the four seed, but let me say like if they were the two or the one, where it's like, oh, you're going to get an easier opponent that's going to end up getting there at a seven and eight. This Western Conference is wide open where you can't really even use the first round.

I don't want to say it's preseason, but kind of a tune up to then get ready for this run that you're going to go on. So I don't know what to expect out of the Suns. But if you're asking me three teams that you've gunned to my head that would get to the Western Conference, that would get to the NBA Finals out of the West, Suns got to be on that list just because of the talent that they have. So part of me is like skeptical on Phoenix just because I saw KD and the team not be able to get on the court and build chemistry. But on this case, for the most part, like at least, you know, Booker and if CP3 is able to stay healthy, they're going to be on the court and then it's like, OK, I don't think any of those personalities are going to just deviate off the script and derail what you're trying to do when you're building this team throughout the rest of this season. It's an unfair comparison, but when you see how Kevin Durant is someone who I think does immerse himself into the team culture very well. He hit the Warriors ground running. That's a tough spot to be in with Steph and Klay and the success they have had. And he stepped in there no problem and they, from day one, took off.

Even though it's a very, very small sample size where it'll be 10 games, I think total he'll play before the playoffs, I think he'll be fine. Honestly, he's someone who does ingratiate himself, I think, very well. And when you have players, even though, like I said, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Dandrea never really had a ton of success, never won a championship, they're still way more trustworthy than the combination that KD was working with in Brooklyn.

I agree. Kyrie and then for a little bit, James Harden. And also you're working in a conference that's wide open. It's not as if you have these teams that you're really afraid of standing in your way, where maybe like a more experienced team like in the East, like a Boston, you give the edge to. Or Milwaukee, you give an edge to. As much as Denver's having a really good season and they're going to probably be the number one overall seed with a three-and-a-half game lead right now, there's still questions about the Nuggets. Like when they're healthy, yeah, they're a team that can get to the finals. Jamal Murray, we know what he did a few years ago in the playoffs.

But until you get there, there's always that doubt if you're going to be able to get there. Like Memphis, I don't know where that locker room's at. I know Ja Morant is back, but that was an ugly situation a few weeks ago. The Kings, tremendous story, you got to the playoffs. I don't know how far they could take this. Now, I'll say this, Mike Brown should be coach of the year. He's been phenomenal in his first year with the Sacramento Kings. The Clippers, let's see what happens when Paul George comes back.

But I don't think that's going to work. The Warriors, a Golden State hickey, I know right now no one's saying they're dangerous. But if they could be healthy come playoff time, and I know that's right around the corner, and they just win one playoff series, there'll be a big talking point.

Like this has not been a pretty year. They have not looked like a championship team this year. They could only win at home. They're 31-8 at home. They are 9-29 on the road. Think about that.

9-29. But hickey, you know this, in a playoff series, when you look at the Warriors, even with how you think about them now, you're not going to want to play the Warriors because they're always going to be a tough out. The Warriors I think are by far the hardest team to read.

Impossible. Because they are two different teams. And when you're down near the bottom where they're flirting with the playing tournament, you're not going to get home court advantage in any series you're in. You can't win home game, you can't win road games, you're not winning a series. So it's like, yes, they have the championship experience. I could easily see them going to the postseason, flipping a switch, and now all of a sudden they're one of the toughest teams out. And how many times have we seen these great teams of the past all get in the regular season and then come playoff time, they find the way. Now it hasn't been to this level, but if you tell me that the Warriors get to the Western Conference Finals, it's like, would you really be shocked by that?

Like, you probably should be, but who do you love out of this field? And the one team, I know this always gets asked just because it's LeBron, and LeBron came back quicker than expected. Even with LeBron being on the Lakers and what he has obviously meant to the sport, I don't see how the Lakers have really that much success in the postseason. Like, those are the teams I don't even know what the Mavericks are going to be in.

Right now they wouldn't be. So you look at this, it's wide open. It really is, it's even a weaker version of the NFC this year. Like, I said that before, the NFC is the Western Conference.

Is there a Philadelphia and San Francisco here this year? Like, how you feel about them going into the playoffs? I would still say the Suns. I would be very surprised if the Suns are not in the Finals. Do you think that's the Western Conference Final? Well, you've got to see which way the bracket does pan out. But right now, would you say the two best teams are the Nuggets and the Suns?

Uh, yes. And that's probably what, depending on how it breaks out, I would imagine that's probably what should be the Western Conference Final. But like right now, and just forget about the 9 and the 10 for right now, let's just go 1-8. I know that you have the playing spots, but if it holds true, what is 1-8 now, your first round matchups would be Nuggets-Lakers, it'd be Grizzlies-Timberwolves, Kings-Warriors, and Suns-Clippers. Suns-Clippers would actually be a fun first round matchup, just with all the star power that you have.

You know what actually would be even better? And the Warriors are only a game back of the Clippers, you could be Warrior-Sons, because the Suns right now are five games back of the Kings, so the Suns aren't going to be moving up to three. If we find the way to get the Suns or the Warriors in the 4-5 spot, sign me up for that first round matchup. That would be a great first round matchup, Picky, Suns and Warriors, or even Suns and Clippers, just with all the star power that you have, if everyone's healthy. Oh, absolutely. And that's the biggest thing, if, if, if, if, if everyone is healthy.

Alrighty, Zach Gelb shows CBS Sports Radio Hall of Famer Tom Glavin on opening day, he's going to join us on the other side. Planning a wedding is intimidating, but finding the perfect suit shouldn't be. Design your dream suit at Indochino.com, and use Code Podcast for 10% off any purchase of $3.99 or more. That's I-N-D-O-C-H-I-N-O dot com Code Podcast.