The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - Quarterbacks and the NFL Draft

Episode Date: April 24, 2024

Colin officially names the top NFL prospect everybody seems to love that he has serious doubts about He believes NFL teams are still undervaluing quarterbacks  Thoughts on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks game 2 win over the ClippersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. Draft E. Tomorrow at this time is draft day, we've got a lot to talk about. Live in L.A., it's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. J-MAC, it's a very exciting time on the phone, working sources last night. Several mock drafts, I won't present to America.

I present it to myself. I am dizzy with draft fever. I have to go home and hydrate. Draft fever. Wow. Very sad. And your Mavs won last night. It's a good night for us.

Five and one with the picks? Yeah, who's bragging? We're bragging. We get hammered when we're wrong. Brag when you're right. Thank you. So I saw a story this morning. Peyton Manning says the Broncos are very interested in J.J. McCarthy,

the Michigan quarterback, draft again tomorrow. So I would say about every, maybe every third draft, not every draft, but about every third draft, second draft, there is a star quarterback, going to be a first round quarterback, and I just don't get it. I mean, I have my favorites. Ones I like, don't necessarily like as much, but there'll be guys, I don't get it. Tebow, Johnny Mansell, Mitch Trubisky, Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson. I just didn't get it. That's right in all of them. Don't confuse that with Baker Mayfield.

I said that's a starting quarterback in the NFL. I still think he's one of the 20th best quarterbacks on the planet. I thought he was a bit immature. I didn't think he was ready to be a number one pick. I didn't think he was that talented. I thought it was a reach. Daniel Jones, I didn't buy it all. Baker's got talent.

He wouldn't have been a guy. I would have drafted number one, but he got talent. Don't confuse it with that. So my quarterback this year, there's a star, and I don't get it. is J.J. McCarthy in Michigan. I think he's Mitch Trubisky with a better college coach. He's mobile. He's a nice kid. But his ball dies.

His ball dies. He misses easy stuff. Misses too many laps. And unless his feet are pointed in the right direction and he is set and he's got time and he can look down his receiver. He's not that accurate consistently. I just don't see it. And again, what I just described, protection, your feet. Feeder set. You've got everything ready to deliver.

You've got space. That's Michigan. That's not the NFL. In Michigan, you had perfect protection. The kid got sacked like almost never. I think he got sacked like in 13, 14 games. He got sacked like 17 times once a game. He played with a lead.

He had a run game. That is not the NFL. What are you when stuff implodes? When you have to throw moving left, when you have to constantly avoid. Even Drew Breeze, who didn't have the big arm and wasn't hyper-athletic or Brady, constantly moving within the pocket, constantly having to throw when you're uncomfortable in a muddy pocket.

That's not Michigan. McCarthy's not that big. His arm is pretty average. The ringers Ben Solac on J.J. McCarthy, ringer Bill Simmons thing. He said, there are some real red flags on his profile. He said, I found his accuracy to the, outside really wanting, especially to the left, his velocity starts the tail off. It's very travisky.

That's what I see. It's very trabisky, which is worrisome, and his mechanics start to crumble as well. The red flags don't preclude JJ from NFL success. They make him seem a little scheme specific. And I've said this. I think he works in Minnesota with Kevin O'Connell, Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hawkinson, and a great left tackle. I think he can work in Michigan.

but I don't think he's the top five guy ever, and I see a lot of Trubisky. He is my I don't see it quarterback. I'll say it right now. I like Caleb and Jalen Daniels. I get the traits of Drake May. I think Bo Nix works if he gets Sean Payton. I think Pennix can work if he gets Mike McDaniel or maybe that Seattle situation where this college OC is now the Seahawks OC.

But the JJ one, boy, it's got to land perfect to work in my opinion. Jordan Palmer, who does this for a living, He's worked with Mahomes and Allen and Burrow. His thoughts on J.J. McCarthy as a prospect. Before each game at Michigan, when Harbaugh's hitting his pads and all that stuff in pregame, there was an understanding that they were going to rush for 250 yards that day. Had we seen games where they asked him to throw it 40 times and he just completed half of them and threw two picks, then that'd be different.

That never happened. And so, unfortunately, when you're drafting anybody at the top, you have to make assumptions because we can't see how they were in the NFL, different than a free agency. We can literally look at how you stack up against NFL defenses. We can't do that in the draft. That's why it's an imperfect science. Yeah.

I think Jordan has the same concerns. I do. I talked to an NFL scout last night. He's my, I don't quite see it. Not saying it can't work, but it would all have to line up perfectly to work to any degree. That's my opinion on J.J. McCarthy. So this story is kind of shocking.

to me. The Patriots have the third pick. They are willing to move it. And the story this morning, they have not received a serious offer for the third pick. So remember the quarterback position. It's never been, let's start our entire discussion with this. It's never been a more quarterback important quarterback-centric league, quarterback crucial league. Now more than ever. Can't build around a run game. quarterback has never been more important. And if you get the right one, Mahomes Brady, they change a franchise. If you get a really, really great one, Lamar Jackson, he's worth up to 11 points a game. J.J. Watt, at his height as the best defensive player in the league, was worth less than a point.

Brady, 19 years as a starter in New England. This is when, initially, it was a run league more than a past league, 17 playoffs. Mahomes, six years as a starter, six AFC championships. There's no comparable position. I grew up with Walter Payton and Barry Sanders, to my eyes, the two best running backs I've ever seen in the entire league. In 23 total years, they made the playoffs in a run league less than half the time. And yet I still think at least half the coaches in this league, overwhelmingly the defensive coaches, don't get the value of quarterback. They don't get it.

They show no urgency. They just don't get it. It's like water. It's free medicine. if you have a headache, they tell you, drink water. After a race, or during a race, what do they tell you? Hydrate, water. I've had doctors say, first thing they ask, are you drinking enough water?

Yet as a society, all we do is pound caffeine, which dehydrates us. We drink alcohol, which dehydrates us. Literally professional athletes, during games, after games, what do coaches say as they get on the plane? hydrate, water, hydrate, gatorade, water, hydrate, free medicine. Most Americans don't drink enough. And I look at the NFL, and I think this is why a third of the coaches get fired every league. Maybe they deserve to be fired. The Patriots haven't received a serious offer.

A third of this league is awful at quarterback. Half of this league is just not good enough at quarterback, and there's six great ones on the planet. And I believe the two best quarterbacks are Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams. Many like Jaden over Caleb. I saw another story today. Another scout said he's deeply concerned about the personality of Caleb. I'm not. He is.

He's not the only scout. So if Jaden isn't selected second, you could get the best quarterback in this class according to about a third of the scouts. the best quarterback if Washington decided to take Drake May. Now, there's others that think Drake May has the best traits of all of them. He's taller, he's bigger, he's heavier than Caleb or Jaden Daniels. So getting to the number three, and we know this to be true, that, I mean, let's look at where the best quarterbacks in the NFL fell to. Who was the best quarterback in last year's class?

It wasn't the number one quarterback. It was the second quarterback taken. C.J. Stroud. Lamar Jackson was the fifth quarterback taken. Josh Allen was the third quarterback taken. Tom Brady was like eighth. Patrick Mahomes was second. So that third pick by New England, in a league where quarterbacks never been more important,

where the best defensive player will be worth less than half a point. In a quarterback-centric league, nobody has called him about the third pick. And again, I will double down and triple down on this. because there is great disagreement on Drake May and Jaden Daniels, you could be getting the second best quarterback in this draft, and there are a handful of scouts. If Jaden Daniels dropped to three, you'd be getting the best. And recent history shows you the best quarterback in the draft is not the first one taken.

Lamar was the fifth. Mahomes the second. Alan the third. C.J. Stroud the second. I mean, I feel bad when people lose their jobs, but there's a reason a third or a quarter of the NFL coaches every year lose their job. New England hasn't received a serious call on this? Are you kidding me?

It's the only position. I mean, I have friends who have coached in the NFL, and they acknowledge, yeah, we couldn't get the quarterback right. So I went to college. I just couldn't get the quarterback right. Those are the smart guys. Those are the guys I feel bad for. But, I mean, never forget.

A third of this league right now has a bad. bad quarterback and half has a quarterback that's not good enough. It's nuts to me. It's the only position worth over a point. And again, Lamar Jackson, if you go to games he's played with the Ravens and games he's missed, it's 11 points. Vegas thought Aaron Rogers in his prime was worth 10, 10 and a half points. The average NFL games decided by four.

What are we doing here? Somebody called New England. They want to take the call. They want to make a move. All right, J. Mack. I'll get to Luca here in a second. Hold on, I got to ask. So the Patriots depth chart at quarterback is Jacoby Brissette, Bailey, Zappy, Nathan Rourke.

Do the Patriots need a quarterback? Or the Patriots are deciding what we need more than anything is like eight starters. And the only way to get him is moving down. And you can subscribe to that theory that we're better off just getting a roster. There's two things they have to do. Get a quarterback and get a roster. If you get a quarterback with a bad roster, it increases failure. If you get a great roster and then get a quarterback, it increases the potential, albeit a year later, of success.

So I think you can make an argument both ways, roster first, quarterback second. And if New England scouts are like, we love Caleb and we love Jaden, and by three, they're like, now they may not make that move until after the second pick. It could be circumstantial. But we know now. This is not the 70s, 80s, 90s, or even 15 years ago. There was one position you've got to get right. And then nobody gets fired.

Andy Reid could be looking for another job if Mahomes doesn't land there. And he's arguably the best coach of my lifetime. And Belichick was fired when he lost a quarterback. We considered the best coach of our lifetime. So you can get the coach right. Andy was let go in Philly. Belichick crumbled in New England. You have to get one position in the whole franchise right.

Do you see this week who got extensions? Brett Veet, the Chiefs GM, Brett Veach. Andy Reid, the president. Do you know why they all got extensions? Not because of the owner, because of the quarterback. So the Vikings call the Patriots and the Patriots, you know, wait, we're good at quarterback. Would you like to come up and get one? Vikings like, wait, we need a quarterback.

So do you. Why don't you want Drake May or JJ McGer? What do you know that we don't know? Why would the Vikings trade up? Well, the Vikings trade up if they, believe and there are indicators that they may believe that Drake May is going to fall to three and they believe Drake May has the best traits in the draft, although he's not the most refined yet.

There are those that I have talked to that believe just Jaden Daniels, personality and talent is the best quarterback, not many but some. There are more than a few, I talked to one last night, who think Drake May has got the best traits, size, movement, arm, he got the best of them. but he's just unrefined. To that, I argued, so was Josh, Mahomes, Jordan Love. There's an argument to be made, unrefined, but unrefined, but great traits,

is the guy you want to get? So is it possible that the Vikings don't want to show their hand who they like, and they're waiting to see what happens to, because I know you think Washington is taking Daniels, the gambling odds say that, we've seen a lot of mock drafts say that. I don't know. I wonder if the Vikings are like,

we don't know who's going to, so we're not going to trade up if the guy we, want goes second. No, I think that's, I think Minnesota, I think that's very possible. My gut is, this is what I think, Chicago's in on Caleb, Washington has taken Jaden Daniels, and the Patriots don't think Drake May with their current roster has a shot. Minnesota thinks he needs a year of development. So I think Minnesota likes Drake May, and they're just going to wait and see who Washington

takes. So I think if Minnesota makes a move, that could be the team that move. But the truth is, nobody's gotten, they haven't taken a serious call yet. A third of this league is a garbage quarterback. I think it's because Washington's such a mystery at two. We've just, and the league is doing a great job this year of not telling people who's going second. Colin, let's be real. Nobody knows what Washington is doing it too.

They have not had any leaks at all. No, there's no leaks, but people inside the league know what Washington's doing. I like that I'm on Drake and you're on Jaden. Well, I just, if I know what Washington's doing, and I believe I've been told, I'm not alone. I do not believe me, 3,500 miles from Washington, has sources that nobody else has. Did they tell you that for a reason? Your sources? Let's get cowherd on the gym.

My sources, their names might as well be iron and clad. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. 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 what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifert 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at It podcast. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of guys can score the basketball, high school, college, AAU, G, league, and pros. To be a truly great player, generally in the history of the league, truly great, an all-timer, you have to be elite offensively and at least commit defensively. Tim Duncan did, Kobe did,

Kareem did, MJ did, Tim Duncan did. They committed both sides of the floor. Steph Curry is a willing defender, but he's not a dynamic athlete. He's thin, can get pushed around, but he makes the effort. Luca, so far in the league before this year, was just an offensive player. It's why I've often compared him to Carmelo Anthony, who never really committed to defense his entire career.

Carmelo chose not to be a great defender, because all the skills he had that made him a great offensive player, length, size, quickness could have been used defensively. D. Wade didn't have the size, the length of Carmelo Anthony. D. Wade chose to be a great defensive player and a productive, offensive player. It's a choice. And for the first time in his career, Luca has made a choice to play defense. And he's been very good this year.

Last night against the Clippers, Mavs 1 tied the series up. Luca was exceptional. He held people he guarded to 25% shooting, and he didn't guard stiffs. He was out there guarding Paul George and Kauai, and he held them to 25% shooting. He should be a good defender. He's big, he's thick, he's powerful, he's long, he moves well for his size. There's no reason he's not a very good defender. I'm not asking him to be Ben Wallace, Tim Duncan.

I'm not asking him to be MJ. He's not that twitchy. but he should be a good defensive player. And offense is about skill. Defense is about commitment and trying. And it's why I won't give a break to James Harden or Camelo Anthony. They chose, despite their athletic prowess, to not commit to the other side of the floor. And it's why I don't consider them truly great.

And they've never been great in April, May, and June. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line. And to further that, if you look at what's happening in the NBA playoffs, the big term used is marginal contact. So the league is now rewarding physicality.

Scoring in these playoffs, J. Mack, as you know, is down 10 points a game. And teams like the Knicks and Cleveland and Orlando and the T-Wolves are really better defensively than offensively. And so this playoff is rewarding defense. They are swallowing the whistle. and Dallas, and we both noted this, they've made a commitment. Kyrie will never be a great defender. Again, he doesn't have a ton of lancers.

He's been locked in these first two games. But last night, Luca was really good. And by the way, barking at his coach. Like, I don't need help defense. Let me defend, and it's paid off. He played 46 minutes, and the stats are when he was the primary defender, the Clipper shot two for 17 with Luca. No, and he told his team, let me defend.

Yeah. So we have a lot. No, I mean, you want to be mellow? Or do you want to be closer to LeBron? Yeah. You got to commit on the other side. Since you brought up the marginal contact and the reviews, I don't totally get what's going on.

Like, LeBron was right. I don't know what's going on when they see these reviews. Like, that Kauai should have been an N-1. That looked like a foul. Colin, I don't love all these reviews and the flips. The Clippers missed all 11 shots, the staff just told me, that Luca contested. The second-most field goal attempts

contested without allowing a make in a playoff game over the past five years. Lucas, his entire career, had made a choice to not do that. He has made a choice to play defense. Carmelo didn't his entire career, just wouldn't do it. Hardin won't do it. Hardin just waves his hands at you. That's not defense. Ole Madador action.

All right, let's get to the NFL. Some breaking news here in the last 45 minutes. According to Ian Rappaport, Amara St. Brown and the Lions have agreed to a new deal. Listen, we do a lot of top five wide receiver lists. I don't know if you've ever mentioned him in the top five. He just got four years, 120 mil, 77 million and guaranteed. The new deal makes St. Brown the highest paid receiver in the NFL. So here's what's interesting.

I'm shocked by this. Stunned. So I watched him in high school. His high school tape was great. I watched him as freshman year at USC. He was great. I've watched him in the NFL. He was great.

But the coaching at USC was so poor for his final couple years at USC, he plateaued. And I remember talking to people before the draft, a good friend of mine who's a GM, and I'm like, I think he's a two to a three. Great high school, great USC as a freshman, great NFL, shows you the value of coaching. I felt at USC, I'm like, okay, he's just sort of, this is what he is. He has become, you talk about a grinder, routes, physicality. His dad was like a Mr. Olympias. That's right, yeah, yeah. He was a world-class weightlifter.

So he grew up with nutrition, work ethic, cut, ripped, athletic. family. But a lot of this, because he's not a burner. He's really twitchy, but he's not a burner. He's not going to run past everybody. He's fast, but he's very good. But I'm going to ask you, you saw the numbers on the screen. Is he a top five receiver in the NFL? And this is not a slight. He's excellent. But you know what he is? Head down, works hard, no ego. Like Tyreek Hill, I get noise. I love Devonte. I get noise. A.J. Brown, I get noise. D.K. Metcalf, Debao San, I look at this list. Stevie Lamb, right on IU.

You know what I don't get? Amar on St. Brown? Yeah. Workerby. Head down. Productive. Teamwork. Work ethic.

I'm not anti-receiver, but you got to have the right. Larry Fitzgerald. Head down, great teammate. That position, there's a reason there's a term diva wide receiver and not diva center, or diva guard, or diva safety. He is the right kind of personality for that position. He's got a tight ends mindset. and a wide receiver's talent.

And notice there was no like, ooh, Amara St. Brown Lion struggling to reach it. There was nothing. There was no chatter about this at all. None. You like it. No talk.

And then it's a deal. Colin, I think, you know, I think the people watch these shows because they want our takes. This is going to be a hot one. But again, you're going to have to pay your March A soon. You have to pay more than $30 million a year.

Justin Jefferson, he's going to want more than St. Brown. CD Lamb, at what point are we overpaying wide receivers when you can find them? If I, if I, get the production and the right personality. Part of being paid like that is not Brandon Ayyuk leaking stuff on the internet. I will commit to any employee, I own a company. I will commit to any employee who's highly productive.

But if you start using Twitter as therapy or you start being difficult, that's a different story. But you don't know that when you draft these guys. No, no, no, that's a second argument. You're talking about paying them in the NFL. I do know their personality now. All right. You're bringing up a second argument. I do know after four years their personality.

Detroit knows Amarong St. Brown's personality. So they're not just signing a productive player. They're signing a grown-up. So that's the downside to be in noisy at any position. If I hear about your contract before it signed, I have questions about, okay, I'm going to make you a cornerstone. I'm going to pay two guys on this roster of this. quarterback and a star receiver and maybe an edge rusher.

Like Max Crosby's a great example. The guy literally lives for sacks. He's all about team, all about winning. Here's your money. You start using Twitterist therapy. You start scrubbing your social account. You're telling me you're not an adult. I'm not paying you the big money.

Remember we had a quarterback in here recently during a commercial break talking about his time in the NFL. I won't say the receiver. But two receivers were on the team. Both were up for a deal. And they gave it to one of them. And what happened? Stop being productive. You remember last week we talked to this guy.

Stop showing up and was just like checked out. He got paid and he checked out. That's a big concern with a lot of these guys. I'm not saying I think or St. Brown or any of them are doing that. It's a big concern in all sports. You're not just paying for productivity. If I am a general manager or owner and I am going to make you a cornerstone top three player on the roster, Chris Jones, Kelsey, Mahomes.

Then you have to be productive in the biggest games. All three of those guys are, and you have to have the right mindset. Kelsey will play hurt. Chris Jones, better in the biggest games. Mahomes is better in week 15 or playoffs. So what the Chiefs have decided, they've let a lot of guys go. Tyreek Hill, noisy. They let a lot of guys go.

Sneed, Super Bowl. Well, Chatter didn't play well. So Kansas City is making choices on who they signed. And it's not just production. And this is a message to all young athletes. Productions, half of it. Your personality, temperament. Are you an adult?

Work ethic. I mean, New England never, New England would keep guys a little longer. They moved off Randy Moss quickly. They didn't move off Edelman quickly. All right. So let's, Brandon Ayyuk is in the throes of a cop. So what happens? He sees this.

He sees 30 million a year. And he'll make noise. And that leads me to believe I would move him. And I read a story yesterday that John Lynch is taking calls. Iyuk is a plus plus in the production stuff. But I, again, I'm going to make you a cornerstone guy. Trent Williams, A plus production and temperament. McCaffrey, A plus A plus A plus.

Okay. Kittle, A plus A plus. Dibos can get a little... He tripped a little back in the day. I get it. The last one, because we have a Bengals fan on staff. So Burrow got his money. Jamar Chase is going to get paid soon.

Jamar Chase is now, based on these numbers, he's going to be like $34 million in here. Nobody's probably the second best receiver in the league. Okay, so now you have all of your money into your quarterback and Jamar Chase. We saw what happened on the Bengals. I have to drop some guys in the secondary. Like, I'm just telling you, these rosters start to get thin. I believe we're at an oversaturation point for receivers. This feels like the ceiling.

You start paying guys 30 mil, and you're going to have to cut from other places, Colin. Well, but the league that get, you know, I used to on this show, anybody that listens, I used to call receivers icing, never the cake. I do believe because I believe the cake for years and years was the coach, the quarterback, the left tackle, the great defensive linemen. That was the cake. I do believe because of rule changes, the receiver is now part of the cake and not just the icing. So I don't have a problem paying Justin Jefferson, Devontea.

I don't have any problem paying Amar on St. Brown. True number ones, top seven guys. No problem at all. But somebody agents are to bless you. for this. Agents don't sit down and go, you do get now. You are the second or third highest player on the team. It's not just production. And I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but I'm not paying. I said this about Baker Mayfield. I like Baker. But the squirliness scared me on the quarterback thing. Johnny Mansell. It's not the talent. It's the squirliness.

I'm making you foundational. I need grown-ups. Yeah. Justin Jefferson, I'm fine paying him. You're going to have a quarterback on the rookie deal. Next up, the draft kicks off tomorrow night. Speculation still about Jaden Daniels. A lot people think he's going to end up with the commanders. He recently told reporters, Colin, that he hopes to surpass Mike Vic and Lamar Jackson is the greatest running quarterback of all time.

I'll let you take this away. Well, I'm fine with that as long as you're great in the pocket. I don't have a problem. If you, I mean, Lamar Jackson running is a huge part of his game. I don't have a problem with that. Wait a minute. I just want you to be great in the pocket, too. You were worried about paying Lamar last year because he had the injuries,

because getting it hurt in the pocket and scrambling. I would have paid Lamar. Running quarterbacks get injured more than pocket quarterbacks. That's a fact. Undenheimal fact. I'm not denying it. If he says, I want to be the greatest running quarterback. That's fine.

He's also a better passer coming out of college than Lamar was or Michael Vick. That's why I like him. I think he's a very good passer. Yeah, he's a way-hangers in those guys. Yeah, so he's a better throw. I like Jaden. I have no fear. He's a little thin.

for me. That's why I think Caleb's a better prospect, but he's very good. Very good plan. People I respect have him a close to, to Caleb Williams. Okay. Final story. Ooh, man, Phoenix Suns, listen, the one game

I missed last night, the Suns could not deliver. Colin, his Christ, Grayson Allen goes down third quarter, and all of a sudden, suns fall apart. I'm not even kidding. And, you know, Phoenix not playing defense or chirping, some comments from Devin Booker about about unhappy with like the team.

The vibes are very bad in Phoenix right now. Kevin Durant, two assists. He now has three in the series. Kevin just wants to ball. He doesn't want to lead. He's your buddy. That's all he wants to be. That's fine.

But we're going to demand a little bit more of that from superstars. At Joel Ambide, we're demanding you have to win a second round playoff series. Kevin Durant, you can be a baller and leave the penthouse for Brooklyn and the reboot in Phoenix. But this series is on you. You're the best player in the series. Yeah, Sons were 30th in bench scoring this season, and now they lose Grayson Allen, who was great, and they just paid. And it's not looking good.

Listen, I picked the Sons to win this series. I thought they would give the Nuggets a problem. I'm not saying it's over, because they did lose the first two to Denver last year on the road, came back and tied it. They'll win a game at home. They'll win game three. Lock that up. They will win game three.

The question is, can they win four and then come back in five? The role players, Jane McDaniels, man, he is locking up Devin' book. At home. And Chris Finch, your guy, he comes on the show. Instead of putting McDaniels on Durant, they said, Durant's going to get his 35, 40, whatever. We're going to lock up Booker, and Booker has done like nothing in this series.

Fowed out, frustrated, nothing. And it's like, who's creating? Well, Booker's not a great athlete. He's a great score. And the NBA has that. Sometimes, like Aunt Edwards is a great score and a great athlete. Kobe, MJ. Sometimes you get a guy that, I grew up with Alex English.

He led the NBA in the 80s in scoring. The entire 80s. Not Larry Berg, Alex English, but he wasn't a great athlete. And sometimes those guys get into difficult matchups where they need that burst and juice and they don't really have it. And so I think Booker's always been known as a score. He's not a world-class athlete. And so I think you can clog him up. You couldn't clog him up or MJ up.

They just get there. Aunt Edwards is going to get his. He's just getting clogged up and he doesn't have kind of the elusiveness and the kind of dynamic juice to get away from him. Yeah, Finch is putting on some good stuff. Vogel is getting kind of bodybacked. No, Vince is a great coach. Offense, they can't do anything. Well, every time you watch Minnesota,

whether they're the most talented team or not, when you watch Minnesota, they're doing what they should for their roster. They're making the right moves. There are some rosters, like Boston and Denver don't have a lot of limitations. Most rosters have limitations. Like right now, the New York Knicks are getting everything out of their roster. They're doing exactly what they should. I still can't believe the Knicks lead two-O.

Brunson's played poorly. There's no Julius Randall. and Bid and Maxie are putting up big numbers, and the next lead, that's not lasting long, okay? We know Sixers tomorrow's like the better the playoffs so far. All right. Jay Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie News. Rachel Nichols, top of next hour. You see Caitlin Clark signed that big contract with Nike? Are people okay with that? Why would they not be?

Well, people are... I know some of the WNBA players are chirping and unhappy that they don't have to... Have you ever said to yourself in the offseason of the WNBA? Oh, I want to watch the WNBA next year. This is the first time in my life I've thought, oh, I'm going to watch. I want to watch the WNBA. I want to see what she plays like. Well, I think every single game she's in is going to be televised, which is smart.

I'll definitely check it out. We will be going to the Caitlin Clark game out here in L.A. Absolutely. I've never in my life before thought about the WNBA out of season. That's the Caitlin Clark factor. As much as people want to say, there's other girls. Yeah, there are. They're nice.

But it's all about Caitlin Clark. Yeah, I mean, Nike does this for a living. Nike literally for a living tries to find people. The deal's actually very favorable to Nike. She made almost as much at Iowa on her NIL. She signed a 8-year $28 million, $3.5 million per year. She was making $3 million at Iowa. Is that official?

That's what the story is. I mean, I don't follow Iowa-NIL women's basketball. But that's just with Nike. She's also going to have. I'm saying Nike. And that was just NIL for Iowa. So Caitlin Clark, Nike, Caitlin Clark, I bet you, is renegotiating this deal after a year.

Nothing against the agent, but she's making basically NIL money at Iowa. She literally outsold the entire Dallas Cowboys roster. Well, a jersey is different from a sneaker, right? Are people going to buy Caitlin Clark's sneakers? That's a very good point. I'll wear a Caitlin Clark jersey. I don't care. My daughter's going to get one.

Like, it's fine. I mean, they're all sold out everywhere. But the sneakers, that's a little different. No, no, you're right. Those are like 150 bucks or something. Well, it depends. You know. What's just, what's it?

I mean, Shaq was not moving sneakers. We know that, you know? Like, it's, sneaker sales are totally different. The jersey sales. Have you ever bought a sneaker due to an athlete? I'm so embarrassed to admit this. I tried the Carmelo Anthony's after he got traded to the next terrible shoes. That was it, one and done.

I wear Damien Lillards now. I feel like they're the most comfortable. Did you buy them because of Dame or you just bought them? I cycle through and I'm a high top guy, not a low top. I can't wear low tops because of my ankles. Yeah, same. So you went and bought a Carmelo Anthony Shish? Back in the day when I was in New York and I was like, you know, geeked for Carmelo,

but they just weren't comfortable, couldn't play in them. By the way, you can't play in Michael Jordan sneakers. You cannot. They're just style, cool sneakers. Can't play basketball. They're terrible. Terrible basketball sneakers. Everyone will back me up on that, you know, once West puts this online.

So Michael's shoes aren't built to be worn as athletic shoes. They're like a Chanel bag for women. You know, you're signaling to people, hey, I can afford Jordans. What up? I didn't ever heard that before. Is that true? Pretty much. I mean, maybe someone will check me on that after this, but yeah.

It's like a Chanel bag. It's a status symbol. Exactly. A Jordan shoe is a, I had no idea. You like that, huh? Well, I mean, to be the best seller for 25 years. and shoes and it's a status symbol. It's cool.

All right. I've never had a Jordan shoe. My whole life. I got a Yao Ming shoe. Those are the people who will not send you free sneakers. I've never had a Yao. I've had it. Somebody sent me a Derek Roe shoe once.

How were they? No soul. A joke. I can't because I care. No, I just, I don't, that's not my thing. I'm not moved to buy things based necessarily on superstar athletes. There are, there are people that will,

I will buy products based on an endorsement by somebody I trust, but I'm not like a tennis shoe guy first. And secondly, pro athletes don't move me to buy stuff. Because I think pro athletes will just take the money and never care. What about Agassi when he was a tennis player? I was a young guy. I was like, I need the Agassiz. Again, that status.

Right. But I think athletes will always, I mean, Shaq's on 50 commercials. Shack would do insurer, whoever pays them the most. And I don't begrudge Shack for doing that. but athletes don't move me to products because they're just going to take the most money. But there's been an actor or there's been somebody that said, hey, this is really good. And I've thought, oh, I'm going to try that because they have good taste.

It's almost like when I watch a movie, I watch a movie based on usually the director and the top actor. I mean, Ed Norton, Don Cheedle are not in bad movies. Tom Hanks has not in a lot of bad movies. Meryl Streep's Under Bad Movies. The guy who did Oppenheim. He's not in a lot of bad, Mike Nichols historically.

There were directors that I'm like, oh, he doesn't do, he knows scripts. So I will follow, I don't care about the producer. I will follow the director and the lead, the protagonist, the star of the movie,

I'll follow them. Sometimes I'll look at the writers, but it's the same with athletes will just take the money. But there are people out there that endorse things, and I'm like, okay, I'll buy that. I saw the Napoleon movie

with Joaquin Phoenix. Yeah. Joaquin Phoenix? Yeah. He's amazing. And I heard, People say, oh, the movie's not that great. The movie's awesome.

Napoleon, the new one, it just came out. So he got you into a theater. I mean, all of his movies are good. Joaquin Phoenix is really at the top of his top five actor in Hollywood right now. Has to be. No? It doesn't move me. Really?

Yeah, I like Christopher Bale. Yeah. I think is Christian Bale, I think. I haven't seen him in a movie in over a year. Christian Bale, I think, to me, is the best actor in the world currently right now. But that doesn't mean I can't move. But I've always had guys like Cheatel and Ed Norton and Michael Keaton is a guy that doesn't make bad movies. Michael Keaton's always in good movies.

So if Michael's in it, that I know that he wouldn't, you know, he's rich, he doesn't need the money. Anyway, just rambling here. This started with Caitlin Clark, who probably does need some of the money and got it from Nike. But I think Nike got a good deal. Live in LA, it's The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVarrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up On Game.

What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushmanzada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arrington, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Plexico Burris

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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 what 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday on Fox, the United Football League continues in prime time as Birmingham battles Houston or San Antonio takes on Arlington. It all kicks off Saturday at 7 Eastern on Fox. Check local listings for the game in your game. area. Okay, so this is entry. A little trivia for the audience. I'm not a big trivia guy, but here it goes. So there's a content producer

at the other place named Paul Hembo. And he calculated the percentage of first round picks that hit or miss. This is 20 drafts. Now, don't look this up, J-Mack. Look at me. The audience got to play along. Don't be cheating. Don't be out there scouring

social media. So don't look at, no, you guys put it on. That's okay. That's fine. the positions that miss the least center offensive tackle, guard, linebacker, and quarterback. The position that misses the most, the most whiffs and busts, is wide receiver. Now, why would that be in a wide receiver league over the last 10 years? Quarterback wide receiver. Only 27%, three out of four fail in the first round.

So you and I, you talked about this the other day, off the air with me. And I've had this theory and I have discussed it with people. So here's my reason why. I would avoid, in most cases, drafting receivers in the first round, here is why. Of all the touchdown scored in the NFL, what are the most spectacular in the flashiest, on average? Wide receiver. They are often the biggest and best athletes. Their corners aren't six, four and a half, six, five.

They're the best athlete. They're the NBA player of the NFL. They break the huddle first. They're not really reliant on a lot of other people. Outside of a quarterback, just get open, beat your man. Even sometimes they tell quarterbacks, throw me open. So it is a person out. There's a reason we have a term diva wide receiver and not diva guard or diva linebacker or diva safety.

Is that wide receiver is the flashiest position. It is now one of the highest paid positions. your quarterback, your touchdowns and big plays are the most spectacular. You're often celebrated for your touchdowns. Running back score touchdowns from three yards out. Receiver touchdowns are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, over the top speed. And so they are rarely humbled in high school or college. So when you draft them, the receivers that come in humble and hungry,

are often later round receivers with something to prove. It is the ego position of the league. And as much as you can avoid adding ego to ego with a first round selection and giving gas to that flame because it really is the position, they break the huddle first, they score the most spectacular touchdowns,

they are big names. No great quarterback in the history of the league doesn't have a great complimentary receiver. And so, that's my take on receivers. Be careful about first-round receivers. Now, like Harrison, there's obviously two or three a year. But why?

Look at the positions that don't fail. It's those grinder, tough, linebacker, guard. Those guys are humbled the minute they walk into this league, and those jobs are not flashy and not spectacular. I'm not saying all receivers are like this. I mean, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald. They're like pros. But it is weird.

Three out of four first round receivers are busts. That's insane. Hour to next. 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. help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 game. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what you're. he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.