The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - NFL Draft Day 2 Reaction

Episode Date: April 27, 2024

John reacts to day 2 of the NFL Draft and dives into which teams he thinks did a really good job and who may have reached and could regret their picks. He also talks about Dave Teppers response to the local restaurant that had a sign that said "Let the GM and coach pick the players." 5:11 - Second Round reactions 22:55 - David Tepper makes headlines again 21:36 - First Round thoughts Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody, John Middokoff 3 and Out podcast? Here's what I wanted to do. I just recorded a little something after the second round of the NFL draft.

Add some takes from some picks, some big picture thoughts, had to react to the David Tepper video as well. I also made a YouTube video earlier on Friday, and I will add the audio as well, basically talking about some of the stuff that happened after me and Colin got done, I think after pick 24,

so the bills trade with the Chiefs, some of the later. picks in the first round as well as just some overall thoughts in terms of the top 10. Obviously the Falcons and cousins. I had 24 hours to think about it as well as I think Jim Harbaugh. So that'll be on the back half of this podcast. But we'll open up with some second round thoughts and the David Tepper thing, man,

which is just classic rich guy who's just not used to people talking smack about him. Yeah, other than that, you guys know the drill. A lot of content up on the YouTube page. Me and Colin went for two hours. You can check out that podcast. And yeah, so I don't know when the next podcast would be. Probably won't do one for Sunday, but definitely something on Monday.

I think I might even do another one with Colin on Sunday. So we'll have something Monday for sure reacting once the draft is completely finished, but hopefully everyone's enjoying it. And let's talk some football. Before we dive into some overall thoughts. on the second round my friends my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast game time go to your smartphone right now go to your iPad wherever you download your apps download the game time app you want to go to a game i had the NBA playoffs on on my second tv in in Milwaukee fantastic

game uh highly recommend highly recommend actually the game was in indianapolis but if you want to buy a pair of tickets NBA game n-h-o game baseball game concerts comedy shows download the game GameTime app, promo code John, J-O-H-N, J-O-H-N, save $20 at purchase. promo code John, save $20 game time. Okay, the second round. Let's just start with how it started. The bills took a lot of shit last night, and I kind of agreed, not that they should have taken Xavier Worthy, though Xavier Worthy works with powerful armed quarterbacks.

The bills have one of those, so if the chiefs like you, they're a cold weather team, You should like that player. Kind of they know what they're doing. But, listen, I wouldn't have traded with them. Understand it. If they weren't going to take the guy, they moved back. The chiefs were going to take them anyway. Get the picks.

Then they trade out of 32 and go to 33. I love their pick. Keon Coleman, I'm very close with Derek Ray, who is the general manager of Florida State. And he was telling me last year well before the season, like, you don't understand how good this guy is. and then immediately he scores three touchdowns in their first game against LSU. The knock on him is speed, but that's kind of the knock on Roma Dunezay as well.

Ball skills elite, physicality, elite size. I just think the guy's a really, really good player. I like that pick a lot, gives you some identity, some toughness. Now, like, there's going to be a lot of pressure on him. There's no way around it. He's not essentially like their number one wide receiver right away, but anytime you draft a guy high, you get rid of your number one wide receiver. I would say anything less than, I don't know, 65 catches immediately is kind of a problem.

Here's the good thing. They got some tight ends, they have a good running back, and they have a superstar quarterback. So if you're a wide receiver, where do you want to go? Not where Malik neighbors went, and he's running wide open and no one can throw him the ball. It's the one position that doesn't matter how good you are. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best wide receivers we've done. ever seen. For half of his career, he played with nobody's. It's hard to function. So he gets to go to a place with a superstar in his prime. It doesn't get any better. It really doesn't. So it worked

out pretty well for him. I think he's an impact player. I think he's going to be, I don't know, like, all pro level, but I think he's going to be really good in the NFL. I think his skills translate. Now, getting open consistently, part of on the offensive coordinator, scheme him open, Josh Allen, throw the 50-50 balls and let this dude go make plays, especially down in the red zone. You know, Jim Harbaugh said it perfectly. That's why I kept beating the drum. They're not taking a wide receiver. They're not taking a wide receiver.

And then what did Jim Harbaugh say on Thursday night? We view the offensive line as weapons. But they do need wide receivers, and he took Ladd-McConkie, who is to me immediately their slot receiver, who's a really good player, and who's going to be good. Jim Harbaugh would much rather have what he views as the best offensive lineman in the draft and a wide receiver in the second round than it flipped around

a top wide receiver at pick five and then the eighth best offensive lineman if you haven't followed Jim Harbaugh's career like this is it he is not dependent on Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson he has won for a decade and a half now without those type guys when you look back at his 49er

teams, like if you just want to look at the NFL. They did not have very good, their best receiver by a mile was Crabtree and one year he tore his Achilles. They had like a 38-year-old Randy Moss. They drafted some wide receivers that couldn't play, and he ran the ball, he threw the ball to the tight end,

and he played defense. That's what Jim Harbaugh wants to do. He just won the national title. Dominated the season. How many of his wide receivers have gone in the top 65 picks? I've seen a bunch of Michigan guys fly off the board. That's not how he builds his team.

So he likes guys like Ladd McConkey. He's not Andy Reid. That's not how he views football. So the least shocking thing of all is that he didn't take a wide receiver high. Now, it doesn't mean you still don't need them on your team. They value them. They get a guy from Georgia who's just really good. So I like the pick.

The Patriots. I was on with the fantasy pros guys when they drafted Polk from Washington. And my guy, Thor, who's come on this podcast before and who's like, their draft analyst, had a really good point. This guy wasn't even the second best wide receiver on his own team. Obviously, Roma Dunezay was their number one, and when McMillan was healthy,

he was their number two guy. This is their third best wide receiver. So you come out of the draft with Drake May, who I like a lot, though I don't like him on the Patriots because their team's awful, he's a developmental guy, and their coaching staff to me is more than a question mark. and then you get a guy that a lot of people

didn't even have as a top 10 wide receiver. And again, wasn't a top three wide receiver on his own team? So, I don't know, man. You know, Elliot Wolf came up in the Packer organization. His father's obviously wrong. Height weight speed. This guy's not really a burner. He's not that big.

I don't know. I just, I don't like anything about the Patriots. I like Drake May in theory, but I'm betting against that operation. that there is not a team I'm betting against the Jets, but there is a scenario where the Jets are good.

I see no scenario where the Pats have any shot, any, and it's already ugly. The Titans, this one was a head scratcher. Like their first round pick, they take Latham. I think they would have taken neighbors,

but obviously he goes off the board at 6. You get a physical offensive lineman, which they were in desperate need of. They have Callahan as the head coach and his dad as their offensive line coach and he's one of the best offensive line coaches in the league. Here's the thing that doesn't make that much sense, though. You take Devante Sweat, who is a beast.

He's like 6-5, 700 pounds. I mean, he is an enormous human. You are not going to be able to run the ball on him. No problem with the player. He got a DUI less than a month ago. Sunday in the middle of the day. His character right up talking to teams is a little bit of a question mark.

So to draft a guy who just got a Dewey, who's off the field is a little bit of a question mark, just where he was supposed to go in a place that I've been in Nashville twice. For a total of probably close to two weeks, maybe 11, 12 days, I was drunk every day. It is one of the major party cities in America. So you get a guy that likes the party who it's not like he fell in the drafts. You're like, well, it's value we couldn't pass them up. You took him right where he was going to go. I don't get that one.

To me, that's pretty fucking risky. It really is. It's one thing, and I'm all for taking guys that have some off-the-field issues when they fall. That's called value. But to overpay, because that's what you're doing for a guy that has question marks at his, where he was supposed to go or maybe even a little higher, to me, is pretty crazy. Especially for a first-time head coach. The other thing is if you are going to take some characterists,

the Mike Tomlins, the Pete Carrolls, the Andes, I'm like, okay, those guys have seen a thing or two. They've been around the block. The Harbaugh brothers, been coaching a long time. Got a lot of gray hairs on their head. First time head coach? That to me is borderline nuts. That to me is inviting a problem into your building.

When you're trying to set the tone, kind of start from scratch, I don't get that one. Not opposed to the player, but I don't like the wrist there. Everything in life is risk-first reward. And I just, I don't see it here. I really don't.

Because he's not a pass rusher. He's a run-stuffer. So I don't know, man. I don't get it. Howie, who just is having a really good draft, obviously takes the top corner on the board yesterday. He benefited from all the offensive players going. And then he gets Cooper dejean.

The white corner, I mean, I don't think there's been a white corner since Jason Seahorn, who is an elite athlete, and who has return value. He can play outside. He can play the slot. The Eagles are desperate for a good nickel corner. It was their downfall last year. Obviously, and he can play outside as well, but Bradbury's done. I know he's technically still on the team.

He's not going to be. He cannot play anymore. Slay is pretty risky because he's getting up there in age and he's having knee problems. Though when he's been healthy, he's been solid. they're going to be the kid from Toledo Mitchell immediate starter and i think this guy has a chance to immediately start at nickel here's the other thing this guy was a dynamic return man as well this new kickoff return uh set up brings into play guys like this because you're not going to put saquan back there there two wide receivers aren't really players like that right like if you think

about some wide receivers they could do it like debo samuel could 100% and he will, I'm sure, be a kickoff return guy, I think Dijin immediately becomes like this modern day kickoff return. You put him in that spot or at least can try it out. So he brings value at multiple spots, versatile player. That's a big thing the Eagles are big on. Versatility. Now, their success on defense, obviously their corner play needs to improve,

but it's going to come down to the D-Lignment. You know, they drafted Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter really, really high. And Jalen had flashes last year of just elite play. They're going to need the guy to be a pro bowler. And ideally become like an all pro. It hinges on him. And then Jordan Davis just has to be solid. If those guys are good, we know they got enough edge rushers,

the corners will look a lot better, especially these young corners. Because every team you play now in the NFL, who's the team they play first week one in Brazil? The Packers. What do they have? About 8 million young and white receivers. A couple of them can fly. So they're going to need that defensive line to step up.

A lot's going to be talked about the corners and that's why how he's drafting these guys. But to me, their success of turning around this thing, obviously you add Vic Fangio, the D-Lyman. You invest in two top 15 picks. Jordan Davis has battled with weight issues. I got news for you. Big kind of chubby fat guys in the NFL, deal with weight issues.

It's hard. It is difficult. It's going to be an issue for sweat with the Titans. When you weigh 340, 350 pounds, conditioning is an issue. It's hard. Big people struggle with their weight. Welcome to society. You know, it's happened forever with centers in the NBA.

It's no different than certain defensive tackles or offensive linemen. It's hard because you're naturally eating a lot to just maintain your weight. So that's something they've got to stay on that guy and they just got to stay on Jalen to stay on the straight and narrow focus and kick ass and take names. One thing I always respect about offensive. coaches is when they value defense. It's one thing I've said about Kyle Shanahan for a long time. He values physicality and defense. He will invest his resources on that side of the ball.

Well, Sean McVeigh loses Aaron Donald, who, I don't know, besides like Marshall Falk is one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise. There is no replacing that. There's nothing you can do when like Tom Brady retires or Aaron Donald retires. Right? Or if Travis Kelsey retires, you just. I'm not saying he's not, he's retiring. Jason Kelsey is a better example.

You can't replace him. There's going to be a drop-off, right? But you do need to attempt with multiple bodies. What did they do last night? Verse, power rusher, edge guy. What do they do today? Defensive tackle, Florida State. So they've doubled down on the defensive line position

after losing Aaron Donald. One thing we don't talk enough about with Aaron Donald is the versatility he had, especially in his younger years. You could kind of move him around. you glide them up over the center. I've seen them countless times against the 49ers. Line them up over the tackle.

He had some JJ Watt characteristics there. So you keep doubling down on this position. And if they hit on these guys, the Rams are going to be good. I mean, we saw how good they were playing at the end of the year. If Stafford is healthy, I mean, this is a team, I think they compete in the NFC to win the entire thing. I'm not saying the Super Bowl beat the Chiefs. I'm just saying to compete with the 49ers, the Lions, the Packers,

you know, to win the NFC. Hell, they went toe to toe with the lions on the road this year. So, really like just the way the Rams think about football. Because it'd be easy, like offense, offense, sexy offense. It's what a lot of coaches do. They like calling plays. It's Lincoln Riley's downfall. He's just obsessed with offense.

It's kind of just the way he coaches. Say this for Sean McVeigh. His teams are tough, and he just added two tough physical guys at the point of attack. Because it's the one place in football that is still somewhat play. like 1970s and 80s. It is a violent game there. And he's added to violent players. The Colts.

You know, there's a lot of talk last night if they would take a wide receiver. They ended up going with LATU. I watched some of Chris Ballard's press conference. He said LATU was their number one defensive player on the board. And he's excellent. I mean, he's the best pure pass rusher

in this draft for sure. The only question is the neck. And then they got a guy that, you know, fell in the draft in Mitchell from Texas, who is a freak athlete and he's big. He's 6-2.

He ran a 4-3-5. He vertical jumped almost 40 inches. He had 11 touchdowns this year. I mean, this guy is a very, very talented player. Rapsheet said after they drafted him, the reason he was there, I think, pick 44 or 45. His visits have been an abomination.

Rapshete said some of his visits he wasn't even paying attention or listening and seemed disinterested, which is weird. And I get it, young, immature, we've all been there. But you would think, on like a job interview, especially with head coaches and coordinators, even if you're not the most focused guy, you'd fake it.

You'd kind of, you know, when I worked with the Eagles, we'd call them a con. But you'd at least try. And there's a reason a guy with this talent playing at that program. I mean, hell, his teammate got a fucking DUI 15, 20 days ago, and got drafted ahead of him, he weighs 370 pounds. You get a guy that 6-2 runs a 4-3-5, was that productive? At that position, gets drafted after him, it tells you, like, these visits, the NFL is a lot like high school. Rumors just fly.

Everyone knows each other. Everyone talks. The negativity can snowball down a hill like an avalanche. And what's weird about the Colts, they value character a lot. I mean, they don't mess around with weird dudes, right? Think about the core of their team. Who have they traded for a couple years? Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, DeForest Buckner's like a man of the year type.

Michael Pittman. I think he was married like either in college or right when he got out of college. Very serious cat. Even Anthony Richardson's like people love the character. Quinn Nelson. Chris Ballard has not been fishing at the pier of these character guys. And this is a little bit off the beaten path. But here's the thing.

I had a radio show a long time ago now, and we interviewed Moose Johnson, and he said something that I'll never forget. He said, and he played on those great Cowboys teams that won three Super Bowls in four years. He said to build a great team, and most of the great teams in the history of the league have had this, you need a team, how do you say it?

I'm going to screw it up now. You need a team full of character. I'm blanking out now. I've got so many names running through me. But basically, of like you need the majority of your guys to be high that that was that was a complete butcher job on my fault my bad my bad i i set that up very very poorly but basically like you're inevitably going to get some character guys and your character guys are going to have to play well and when you hit on the character

guys that play well you're in good shape when your character guys aren't playing as well you got a major problem and think about some of those cowboys teams they had some wild childs they were Hall of Famers. So this is the first time he's kind of gone out. God, I butcher that. I should have wrote it down before I hopped on. We got a lot going on. But this is a little shocked.

Not going to lie. Other than that, Chiefs took a project at offensive tackle, really talented guy from BYU. Ravens took the other tackle from Washington, like that guy. Niners took a corner from Florida State. Little undersized, but good athlete, played well against El LSU, it's hard. You know, the hard part about, especially once we get in the third and fourth round,

and I've gone to camps for so many years, is that you get so excited for all the draft picks, and then all of a sudden, like, undrafted free agents will be making more place than them. So it's the hard part about the drafts. It's hard not to get excited when guys are picked, but we know with every round that happens, the percentage chance goes lower and lower in terms of, you know, the chances of these guys becoming impact players. Hell, starters. How making the team. I want to end on this really quick. The Tepper video is going viral.

The local restaurant putting a sign out in front that said basically let the GM and coach pick the players, which essentially shot at David Tepper. Like, stay out of the way. Stop getting so involved. He walked in, which looked like his right hand man, and talked to the people at the front desk. that I assumed one of the guys owns the restaurant and he took the guy's hat off and they had him on the camera

essentially saying like did you guys put that out there and everyone's making fun of them and talking shit about him like bro you're a clown here's the thing about David Temper for however many decades now he has been insanely rich

people didn't talk shit about him at least publicly because if you did and you were in his industry he would crush you and that's what you know tycoons do in business there's no physical violence in business, right, at his level. There's just like, I'm going to take you out.

I'm going to ruin you. I'm going to put you on the street. I'm going to make your kids beg me to give your father a job. It's the cut-throat nature of capitalism. I love elements of it. And at the highest level in which Tepper's at, he destroys people in his way. People aren't outspokenly at his level

before he owned this team, he's not used to this. Here's the problem. Fans don't give a shit how much money you have or how successful you've been. They don't care. His ability to trade stocks

and run hedge funds and do everything he can do to make all this money means nothing to them. All they want to do is turn on their television on Sunday and see a good team and see functional players.

They've seen them before. They went to a Super Bowl seven, eight years ago. They've had an MVP. They've had the high-end pro-ball players at all sorts of positions. If you're like 35 years old as a panther fan or 40 years old, you've seen a lot of good players. You know what good teams look like and you know what bad teams look like.

And here's what you know. Since David Temper has taken over, they've been a fucking disaster. The trade for Bryce Young, even if Caleb is a bust, is one of the worst trades of all time. It's one of the worst trades of all time. If Caleb is good, it is easily, you could argue, the worst trade of all time. He's gotten rid of Christian McCaffrey,

who the 49ers, just went to overtime in the Super Bowl. He's arguably their best player. I mean, he just gets rid of, he doesn't feel like he knows what he's doing. And it'd be one thing. It's like, well, he hired the wrong guys. There are all these articles coming out

and everyone's confirming it that he's the one doing it. So it's like, hey, Dave, we know you're super successful and you're used to destroying people in your way, which is what big time business people do. But no one cares about that anymore. Just stay out of the fucking way and let people you hire attempt to build a football team. You need to stop telling your offensive coordinator,

or what plays he should run. So I think he's all thrown up. He's never had this happen to him, at least for a long, long time. But this is justified. Because the fans, like, don't care how many billions you have in your pocket. They just want a team that can compete

to win the goddamn division. Like, I don't, and I think he's really thrown off. He's really rattled, and he's not handling it well. And I think the NFL, like, you know, there was the visual last year of him throwing the cocktail,

or the water or whatever he was drinking all over the guy's face. And then you have this in the restaurant. Like, you know, the media might tell you Roger is an idiot. Roger's running the biggest league in America by a country mile, running circles around everyone. Last night, the NBA had two of the marquee franchises, the Knicks and the Lakers on it, not a soul-washed him. Roger is dominating right now.

And I'll promise you this, Roger can't be happy. Here's the other thing. Roger's technically not the boss. The owners are. It's kind of embarrassing for the other owners. What do they talk about a lot in football? The shield, the shield, the brand, the brand, the brand. The league, the league.

And this guy is in a league full of other rich guys. Like, everyone talks shit about owners. Welcome to the business. Like, this is part of the deal. You got to take it. You can talk shit, you know, behind closed doors, but you can't be doing this. You are currently an embarrassment to our operation. It was thriving before you got here.

And if you disappeared tomorrow, no one would notice. Someone, like, has to be like, if I was Roger, I'd find him. And finding him money doesn't do anything. I'd take away like next year's second round pick. Like this is not okay. You can't act like this to the consumer. The reason the NFL has lapped everybody

is because of us. You and me, because we watch at a large, large quantity. Last night shattered records for the NFL draft in terms of ratings and the amount of people that watched. Hundreds of thousands of people showed up to cold Detroit. That is the base of the league. That is where the money comes from. And he's

treating these people on camera awful. It just can't fly. And to me, there's no fine, find them $5 million. That's like me handing over a 20. You got to hit him where it's hurt. Hit him where it hurts. And that's the team. I don't know what you do, but finding him money is not doing anything to this guy because he's embarrassing the league. I understand why he's acting like this. He's not used to it, but it's an awful look and someone has to get control. But here's the problem.

Who in his life can be like, you know, Dave? I don't know if you should do that. That's not a good idea. It's not a soul. The only people, the other owners and Raj. But, man, if I was a Panther fan, keep talking that, you know what?

Because this guy, I had a lot of respect for him as just, you know, a little stock trader. We made a little money, lost a little money. money, this guy, that was before he owned the team, this has been a clown show. And we've seen a lot of owners get made fun of at really, really high levels. Hell, when I was around the Bay Area a lot, we destroyed Jed York when he fired hardball. Mark Davis got crushed for years. It's part of the business you're in, man.

That's what happens when you lose and do dumb things. When you win, everyone loves you. It's very fickle. And right now, your team was unwatchable last year. I mean, your team was so bad. It was unwatchable. I can watch any football game. When the Panthers were on, I would change the channel or flip it to another game.

They were that bad. And anyone listening, if you're a fan of the NFC South or a Panther fan, you know I'm right. And it starts with this guy. I've known coaches that have been part of his operation. It's insanity what's going on there. So these fans aren't just making this up. Like, this isn't just pulled out of their, you know what. Like, this is justified.

And he's handling it like a tenured. year old. You know, when he's 60 years old, because he's not used to being told this. This is why owning a team, while it's very glamorous and very profitable, if you have thin skin, man, it's going to be a long, long career if your team sucks. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games, and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too Steve Nash will get that thing that man, hell get the flying, he running up the court, licking his fingers

why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's dive into

some of my quick thoughts that I did earlier on Friday of the latter part of the first round and a couple just overarching takes from the top 10 as well. Okay, last night, me and Colin ended, I think it picked 24, and it was like 8.15 where I was, so I went out, had dinner with my beautiful lady, and we have the draft on, and all of a sudden it gets crazy. Now the draft, unlike the season, is, you would never trade. Like, in the middle of the season, the Ravens and the Chiefs would never trade players to each other, right?

You would never trade teams players in your division. That just doesn't really happen. The draft's a little unique. Andy Reid, when he was a coach of the Chiefs, and Belichick, when he was a coach of the Patriots, traded every single year. The Eagles, several years ago, when they got Devante Smith, remember, jumped. If I remember correctly, the Giants traded with the Cowboys. I mean, the Eagles and the Cowboys are, I mean,

it's one of the biggest rivalries in the league. So the draft's a little unique. I do think the bills, when you have not got over the hump, not because your quarterback hasn't been a star, he has played the Chiefs as well as anybody in the playoffs. I don't know if you can do business with them. And they make the trade, you don't need to be Mel Kuiper Jr. Mike Mayock to know they're getting Xavier worse.

Who, I'm texting the Chiefs War Room. They're like, oh, speed kills, got a little Deshawn Jackson. I mean, they're really, really excited, something they specifically needed. Now, when you look at the draft picks, I don't know if Xavier Worthy was going to be picked. The Ravens weren't going to pick them. They just picked Zayflowers last year. The 49ers, he doesn't really fit their style. They would have taken Ricky Pearsall over Xavier Worthy, even if Worthy is a better prospect, just because of the team fit.

I guess the Cowboys, in theory, but the Cowboys like taking linemen, and they did, and I like that pick. Cowboys build the trenches, Parsons, last year, Tyler Smith, this year, Guyton. Like, that's, I never have any issues with anyone taking offensive or defensive alignment. I just think if you're the bills, like the Chiefs might have got him anyway. If they had just sat at 32, he might have just fallen into their lap. I just have a hard time. Now, maybe you can go if you're Sean McDermott and Brandon Bean. We think when we were looking at how the draft was going to fall,

that they would have got them no matter what, so we might as well accumulate more picks. I just, that one's hard to stomach. Now, the reactions of craziness, like the reaction on draft night does not indicate what's going to happen in the season. I've said over and over, I'm picking the bills to win that division. They keep winning it. I don't give a shit.

Who's on their roster as long as they have that quarterback? I'm surely not betting on Tua to win the division. And Aaron Rogers is 40 years old coming off on Achilles. on a team full of guys with bad hamstrings and bad ankles. But that one's tough. I understand if I'm a Bill's fan or even just people reacting like, I don't think you can do that. I don't think you can do deal with that team

who constantly beat you in the playoffs. They took care of you forever at Arrowhead, then you finally get them at home and they fucking break your hearts. That one's tough. And like I said, the Chiefs might have got him anyway if they had just sat there. But now we know they got him. And I just think I was texting with a wide receiver coach, a good buddy,

who knows that team well. And he's like, if Marquise Brown can just give him something with this guy, watch out. We don't have got their defenses. This thing, the Chiefs are a defensive team now. They are a defensive team that has the best coach and has the best quarterback. Who's fucking beating these guys? They feel a little bit like just rolling like the Patriots in the middle of the dynasty.

But good luck, guys. Godspeed. Now, it's football. You're playing a lot of tight games. They're not always going to win all these playoff games and win the Super Bowl. They're going to get knocked out like they did a couple years ago against Spurrow. But if you're them and the night ended that you landed Xavier Worthy and the reason you did is because the Buffalo Bills traded you the pick, holy.

That one was shocking. It really was. What was not shocking is this, and by the time, you're watching this, maybe we'll have a trade. You know, Debo Samuel, Brandon Ayyuk, both of them are on the trade block. If you could choose for the next five years, which guy would you keep? Even factoring in the money, and I don't love paying Brandon and Iuk 30 million, but part of it is because I'm paying Debo over 20.

Now, if you trade Debo, which I think if they had a do-over on that one, they were in a tough spot. They had to pay them. but Debo got throttled, and I mean throttled. And I love him. I have a ton of respect for the way he plays. Debo Samuel plays football that would have translated in the 60s, the 70s, and the 80s. He is a throwback.

He's not a great route runner. And if you have good DBs, he struggles to get open. He really thrives behind the line of scrimmage. So these rumors that they might trade him the night actually makes us. some sense. And when they took the wide receiver, Ricky Pearsall, who I immediately text around, I'm like, he's a first round pick. A couple people text me back, like, he's a top 50 pick, little rich, but totally get it, and he's a great scheme fit. They have specific type players. Andy Reed, Xavier Worthy, makes sense. Kyle Shanahan likes tough guys. He's not as obsessed with speed

demons. He wants you to block. He wants you to break tackles. He wants you to go over the middle and run crossing routes and that's what this guy does but the moment you draft that guy you're like someone's in trouble we know this iu contract negotiation is up in the air and to me debo you know if you could trade him right now for a pick somewhere between 35 and 40 like he's probably gone he's probably gone and that's what you got to do in the nfl you got to make tough decisions the chiefs did it a couple years ago with tyriek hill who's one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. Belichick did it with like 10 guys. This is not fantasy football. You can't just keep everybody. You got to make tough decisions. And as you start factoring in, they got a lot of high price

players. So you got to figure out big picture how to build this thing. I would imagine they would have liked to trade them before tonight. But that was, it wasn't a shocking pick. But once you make this election, it's pretty clear what they're going to do. Someone's in trouble. there is an odd man out. They can say whatever they want and their whole press conferences it wasn't even really about the player. It was like, well, what are you doing?

Brandon Iuk is he going to get traded. Can you guys guarantee? Debo's not going to get traded. You got John Lynch reading off text messages from Brandon Ayuk on a group text with him and Kyle who basically said, not going to lie, fire a pick. So, you know, the Cowboys took an offensive line.

Yeah, it makes sense, right? The Ravens take a hard hitting corner. Makes sense. Fits them. 49ers take a wide receiver who fits, but you're like, you already got Debo and Iyuk, who if you sign Iyuk, $28 million, which I don't think they want to do, but it's kind of the going rate, and they like Iyuk moving forward more than Debo Samuel. The problem with Debo Samuel, he's under contract.

So it's like, can they get rid of them, the cap implications? This stuff, there's a lot of moving parts. So I just, that one was like, damn, these guys, They've done it before. They traded to Forrest Buckner, who was the team captain and one of the best players on the team. Now, they got the 13th overall pick, but it was a pretty cutthroat move, even though it was the right move. But that's the hard part about this game. This is not the NBA.

It's like, well, we just got to max everybody. Keep them all. This is like, fuck, you've got to make tough decisions with guys that you've won big with, guys that you know you can go to war with. Not in some random game in September. A lot of guys play well in that. I'm talking in mid-January, on the road in Green Bay when it's freezing fucking cold. I've seen it. You hand the ball to Debo Samuel.

And he slams it down their throat. And that's what makes him kind of a unique player. But the problem is he's not a great route runner. And they've been able to get around it, but now that they got McCaffrey, they don't need him as much. So he's really more the odd man out than Iyuk. The problem with Iyuk is paying $28, $29 million, and he's a fantastic player for a guy that's probably going to catch 80 balls. That's a tough return on investment, right?

I got no problem paying St. Brown $30 million a year. He catches me 110 balls, 115 balls, 120 passes. I have a hard time giving someone $28, $29 million when they only catch. I mean, Brandi Yucs never broke 80 catches. It's not his fault, but that's the way the 49ers play. You're not going to change. All of a sudden, you're not going to look down and Kyle's going to play like Mike Leach. It's not really his style.

I would say the least shocking thing of the first round, I said it forever, and I missed on a lot of my mock draft picks. But the one thing I knew from the jump was Jim Harbaugh. He was never, ever, ever taking a wide receiver at Pick 5. I don't give a shit if his wide receiver room was me, you, and three other random guys off the street. He's one with that type room before. he wants to play physical football. Defense, running game, offensive line. I saw it his press conference last night.

He's like, everyone kept saying we need offensive weapons. I view O'Lyman as weapons. I view them as the tip of the spear. That's the way fundamentally he views football. He is a throwback. Jim Harbaugh was born to actually coach in the 80s against Buddy Ryan, against Mike Ditka, against Bill Walsh, against Buddy Ryan.

he would have Joe Gibbs, he would have thrived in that era. But he plays in this era. So a lot of people think, wide receivers, just draft wide receivers. And I like wide receivers as much of the next guy. But I've seen it forever. So we all have. The Cowboys.

Dak Prescott's average. But he, for the most part, had a really good offensive line. Jim Harbaugh has won a ton of games with guys not named Andrew Luck. Why? Because of the front five guys. He just had the best offensive line in the country for two years running. And dominated Ryan Day. Honestly, the best thing that ever happened to Ryan Day is Jim Harbaugh went to the Chargers. Because he would have ended his Ohio State career.

Ryan Day was never, ever, ever beating Jim Harbaugh again. It was never going to happen. Because on his best day, he's not as good as Jim Harbaugh on an average day. It's why Jim said that you're born on third base. You're not as good as me, and I know it. Because fundamentally, the way I play football, you can't hang with me. And Jim Harbaugh is different than a lot of these NFL teams that are like, spread it out, throw it around.

It's not the way he plays. It's just not. Now, it's a little complicated. He takes a guy that's only played left tackle. He already has a left tackle. Now, do you move Slater to right tackle? Do you try to move all? There are some moving parts.

there, but philosophically, he was always going to do this. Even if Marvin Harrison had been there. He would not have taken Marvin Harrison over his top graded offensive linemen. He didn't do that at Stanford. He didn't do that when he played with the 49ers.

He never did that at Michigan. It doesn't mean he doesn't value wide receivers, but he does not value them more than offensive linemen. And that shit translates over the long haul. The big story of the night and me and Colin reacted to it and I've had a little while to let it sink in

I listened to Collins take this morning which I knew he would go against the grain and his ultimate thought was like why would you not want to have insurance on a 36 year old guy with a bad Achilles you're crushing them for having too much talent at the quarterback position and I understand that

I will I will never have an issue with a team being aggressive at the quarterback position. My issue is with this setup. If you had told me Drake May had been there and they had taken him, I'd be like, I get it.

This guy needs a little time, sit behind cousins. But Michael Pennix is not a developmental player. He is a plug-in-play player. He's 24 years old. He's been starting for half a decade. He is ready to roll.

And the only way you improve at anything, I come from Cal Poly, we learn by doing. And I think that's the way most people improve at their craft. Whether you sell cars, whether you're a doctor, whether you're a podcaster, or whether you're a quarterback. There is something to be said about mental reps. I agree with that.

There is nothing like experience. There's a big jump between college and the NFL. And now Michael Pennix is not going to play, in theory, for a couple years. Here's the problem and here's the risk. Because I don't think they really had a plan. They just, over the course of the last month, once Cousins was on the team, they fell in love with this guy.

I understand it. That's part of the draft. Part of football, and this is what Belichick was so good at for 20 years, locker room dynamics. You pay Cousins all this money because you're desperate for a quarterback. Totally understand.

Then you parade him around the city. He's going to Braves games. I've seen him nonstop on my social media feed at different events. Kirk Cousins is. turned into kind of a money mercenary. He'll just go whoever pays him the most. That's what he did with Minnesota. That's why he's in Atlanta.

Whoever's offering him, he's kind of got Kevin Durant. Well, your equity as you start bouncing around diminishes overtime. Not with the amount of money I'm paying you, but what I think about you. You're just here to do a job, and if you struggle with that job, adios. See ya. Sion R.

So now you got Kurt Cousins, who the Atlanta Falcons fan base has zero equity. with. If he's good, great. But if he's not, put in Michael Pennings. You'd be like, well, the fans aren't in control. Well, I think you underestimate the power of the consumer slash the fan base. Because you know the guy who listens to the fans, i.e. listens to the radio, listens to the podcast, reads all the articles. Coaches can easily say, not reading it, not consuming it. Half of them, 90% of them are lying. But still, GMs love to say it. You know, no,

never really says that and definitely is doing it, the owner. So if you're the owner and you're watching this guy struggle, I'm just laying out the scenario in which starts slow. I don't want to fucking watch Michael Pennix. Or excuse me, Kurt Cousins. I said the same thing about Russell Wilson. Now, the difference is they're paying Russell Wilson a million dollars in Pittsburgh. So if he sucks, let's see what Justin Fields has.

Well, what if you start two and four? You lose a couple tight games, and he looks a little rusty. the fan base who kind of represents the owner like let's see what this 24 year old ready made prospect can do then you got problems because financially you're so indebted two cousins on your salary cap

given how much guaranteed money you got it could just get weird and it could just get weird fast I understand you would rather have more talent in your quarterback room than not and he's coming off a torn Achilles and he's 36 years old he's never moved great and I get it.

But things can get weird and things can get weird fast when you're in these scenarios. Jordan Love was a developmental quarterback. There wasn't a soul who said, yeah, maybe Jordan Love's better than Aaron Rogers three years ago. We all knew that was impossible.

It was not possible. Jordan Love may be better than him now five years later. There's a chance within six months like Michael Pennix and Kirk Cousins are very similar. So the rope on this for cousins to me is very small, very small. And things can get weird fast.

If it was Mike Tomlin or John Harbott, you know, they can handle this situation. Reney Morris is essentially a first-time head coach. Terry Fontenow, who knows that that fucking guy knows what he's doing. And the organization's kind of out of whack. It just is. So I just think I understand why they did it. I get wanting to have a good quarterback room, but the dynamics of your team start with that position.

Why did the 49ers get rid of Trey Lance immediately? Once Purdy kind of established himself. I can't have you around messing with my locker room dynamics. Peace, see ya. Once Belichick, they drafted Mack Jones, they cut Cam Newton. Like Michael Pennix is a really, really famous, established college player. Not like Drake Bay needs, you need to work on it. Ready to go.

Michael Pennix was a guy you draft to start immediately. He was not some project. And I hear a lot of people, well, if you had drafted him at Pick 28, I would understand it. Yeah, same scenario is going to happen. This guy was not some work in progress. He was ready to roll. Now, the Kirk Cousins we saw before he got hurt was a top 7-8 quarterback in the NFL. The problem is he had a major injury.

So I just, I think this guy, this thing could get weird and it could get weird fast. Same thing could happen in Pittsburgh, but financially you're not obligated to anybody. This one you kind of are. He's got a no trade clause, his agent who I know clearly put out a statement, he wasn't super happy. Like, what are we doing? Why aren't we improving the team? Which, listen, when you go full mercenary, you don't get to dictate the terms. You ain't Tom Brady.

No one gives a fuck about what you think. Seriously. I mean, they just prove. They do not care. So buckle up for this one. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

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Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices, that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok.

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