The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - There is a tanking epidemic in the NBA, new NFL Mock Draft

Episode Date: April 9, 2026

Colin Cowherd looks at the tanking epidemic in the NBA and explains why this is an issue the league created for itself that could have been avoided. He shares his NFL Mock Draft 2.0 using intel from around the NFL to tell you the first 15 picks of the first round.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We're live, it's the herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. So in 40 minutes, I'm going to do it at the end of this hour. I will give you my mock draft based on text, sourcing, what I'm hearing needs. I'll give you the top 15 in the first round. And I'm going to tell you what I hear, what I think is going to happen.

Not necessarily what I would do. This is not necessarily what I would do. And the most interesting part of the draft is picks two, three, four, and five. There could be a domino effect. There will be based on what the jets do. So I'm going to have that in about 40 minutes. But I want to start. There's a great writer that covers the NBA name Anthony Slater.

It works for the athletic. He used to cover the Warriors. And he wrote yesterday about the tank. thinking issue in the NBA is not a problem. It is now an epidemic. It's really bad. The league is unwatchable half the games at this time of the year. And so what I find interesting is for years the NBA sort of demonized college basketball. They created a G-League Ignite. And all that was built to do is to hurt college basketball because the guys weren't getting rich playing that, but they were getting a little money to circumvent college basketball to steal college basketball's top talent.

But college basketball in the last two years is getting back at the NBA. Because I think college basketball is tied to the NBA tanking and hear me out. So once the NIL was created, well, what happens? Well, you're getting deeper, older, and better college rosters. Well, that's calm. That would be good for the NBA. No, the problem is last year's draft and this year's draft are stacked. And billionaire owners will pay your stupid little fines. They don't care because the new CBA restricts trades and acquisitions. So owners now are not worth with that new TV deal, it just made the richers, it just made the owners richer. college basketball deeper and older.

So the draft now means so much. It wasn't many years ago that Rudy Gobert, there were nine picks given away for Rudy Gobert. Remember that? Those days are over. The new CBA, the new big three is cost control. The draft's so important now. And so what you have is that little bit of money a player would make

at G League Ignite to keep him out of college basketball, now guys are staying in college longer because the NIL is paying guys more money than you'd make out of the second round or late first. And then Europeans now, the best euros, aren't going to the NBA. They're going to college basketball. I mean, that Michigan roster is old dudes.

Now, many of you would say, well, Colin, what about Cooper Flagg or Conniple? But what's happening to the one? one and done places like Arizona and Duke is that the one and done guys like Cooper Flag, for instance, or Con Cineppel, their last game at Duke as freshman, they played Houston. Houston didn't play a single freshman, two seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore, and a veteran coach. So what's happening to the one and done guys, because they're still one and done guys out of college, they are playing against older college players, very, very,

European model. One of the reasons the euros are dominating this league at the top is because when they're 17 and 18, they're playing against 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 year olds. So they come out tougher and more refined and more ready to play in the NBA. Well, the European model is sort of what's happening to the college model, right? Like, Yaxel Leningborg, he's playing. You watched all those five-star Duke kids play against the older Yukon kids and Duke gagged. They choked. They were intimidated. So even the one and done college guys come out now,

and they are cleaner prospects, they're better prospects, and so what's it doing? People are tanking for them. Remember the Suck for Luck campaign? That's how the Spurs got Wemby and Tim Duncan. You want to know a draft where nobody was tanking, the Anthony Bennett draft, right? When you have transformative talent,

and eight, nine, and ten players coming out, remember, there is no more Big Three. CBA doesn't allow it. The new Big Three is win the draft, get your stars there, you need players to be very good on their rookie contracts or early second contracts and cost control. So in a weird way, college basketball with a little extra money is now creating the tanking issue, and it was just a little extra money, G League Ignite, that wasn't helping college basketball. So college basketball is getting a laugh here because I don't think tanking is solvable. The new TV deal makes owners even richer, guaranteed 11-year massive income.

They don't care about your fines. They don't care about your fines. It allows them to buy more businesses, create great net worth, $8 billion, $9 billion. You think they care about a $3 million fine? They don't care at all. So, I mean, if you look at who is tanking in the league right now, allegedly, I'm showing you 10 teams on a graphic. I think eight are tanking. I don't think the bulls and the bucks necessarily were.

They had issues beyond that. But they say this draft has three generational players and eight to 10 guys that will come in and play and produce immediately. Shocking. Eight to 10 teams are tanking. So between the new CBA, older college rosters, more European base rosters with a new NIL, I don't think tanking's going anywhere. And I think it's created just a way for college basketball. They're not trying to do this, but it's what's happened. It's kind of the irony of the situation.

Michael Redd, who played in the NBA for 11, 12 years, almost all of it with Milwaukee. Now he's got his own AAU team. smart guy came on yesterday and said, you know, playing against, playing against older players, be it American basketball, college basketball, or international basketball, changes the kind of draft pick you become and changes your ability to star early in the NBA. He talked about international players. The developmental system over in Europe works well. It's proven itself.

Kids tend to burn out or be more injury prone. We've seen that with Zion. We've seen that with Jha over the last couple of years. the next wave of American stars. That stands back to playing so many games in high school through AAU. Europe has a tendency to work on development. I think in America, we need to make sure that we hone in more on development. There's another wave shifting towards America again with Cooper Flagg, obviously, and then this rookie class that's coming in. I think you've got some real potential stars coming in. Yeah, absolutely great draft. Okay, so I saw this yesterday here in Chicago.

George McCasky is one of the 11 McCasky kids who are owners of the Chicago Bears. And you remember last year at the end of it when Ben Johnson was, you know, F the Packers was kind of profane in locker room stuff. And the story yesterday is how much George McCasky loves it, even though he's 70 years old, he likes the new school guys. And it is interesting. There's kind of a formula in the NFL when you hire young coaches. Ben Johnson, Sean McVeigh, D'Meco Ryans, Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDonald. It's not a coincidence. They're all kind of good-looking guys, super confident, kind of look athletic.

There's a formula now. It's not just about schemes and play calling. The NFL rosters, you've got four to five guys making over $20 million. You got 10 to 12 guys making over $10 to $12 million. You've got to have an alpha. That's what I always said about Mike McDonald in Miami now with the Chargers. I just said, I don't know if he has the presence. I don't know if that guy can stand in front of a room of 55 alphas and do it with the new NFL and the money around.

And sure enough, we had players on our show who played for the dolphins who liked Mike and said, he didn't have much of a presence. Guys, guys didn't fear him. And it's very similar in the business world. The smartest guy at a company could be the CFO. The CEO, you got to be more than smart. You're the walking billboard for the company. You're spreading the message.

And so when I see Ben Johnson, you know, be profane in the locker room, whatever it takes. But I knew very early and you knew very early. Remember that first couple days at camp? Everybody was like, Caleb Williams, he's unbelievable. And Ben Johnson's like, man, he needs a lot of work. He's not even close. Remember that first couple days. Here's Ben Johnson after he told the guys he'd seen enough at a practice.

I know some people enjoyed me throwing the first team out of practice. You know, there were some things from the springtime expected to carry over that that was probably one. We just don't have any tolerance for anymore. We got too far to go. Yeah, I mean, it was setting a standard day one at camp. Pre-Ben Johnson. Look at Caleb. Ben Johnson forward.

Yeah, look at him. He's got a lot of work. he needs a lot of improvement and he got better and better every week. But I do believe I saw a list this week of the best coaches in the NFL, and it was a lot of young guys and Liam Cohen and McVeigh and Demicoe Rions and Shanahan and Ben Johnson and Mike McDonald. And there's a formula. It is not just about X's and O's anymore. The league is empowered.

The players are richer. you've got to have a presence. And that's why I think Ben Johnson, first two days at camp, I remember going on the air saying, yep, that's it. That's the opposite of what is happening down in Miami. That NFL head coaching ranking that came out with NBC Sports, man, look at how many of those guys. When I look at that list, you want to what the common threat is, presence.

It's not great scheme guys. Dan Campbell's not a great scheme guy. Siriani's not a great scheme guy. It's not just schemes. All those guys have a presence. Fifteen of fifteen that we're on that screen. All right. Before the end of the hour, what I am hearing in the NFL, educated guests on needs, what I'm hearing.

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Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. You're now entering the No Bull Zone, sponsored by credible great rates, none of the Bull. We were talking about, in the last segment, about a lot of the young coaches, the new playoff teams last season. If you looked at the new playoff teams,

the coaches were Vrable, Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen, Mike McDonald, Dave Canales, Kyle Shanahan, it was all young guys. And I do think the coaching right now in the NFL is insane. I was saying the other day and when I looked at the top 15 coaches, they have Ben Johnson 13 and Liam Cohen 14. If those are the

13th and 14th best coaches in the NFL, there's never been a time in my life that it's been that good. The top of this league, especially with these young offensive guys, is so strong that it makes two. two good coaches, Pete Carroll and Mike Tomlin, feel totally outdated. Tomlin could not get the offense right, his last six, seven years in Pittsburgh. Thank God, Aaron Rogers last year helped out their red zone offense.

And it's interesting because there's kind of a conflict. I am a big believer in continuity with my football teams. I don't like having to replace people in my company, the volume, or my football teams. I like continuity on my staff. But I also think what has happened in the NFL is that the young coach, and the offensive coaching is so elite, you don't have a choice. You just don't have a choice. And, I mean, you see that what Sean Payton can do overnight in Denver with the worst

cap situation in league history, after Nat Hackett, cap hell, and you're like, are they going to beat the Chiefs and win the division with Bo Nix, who outside of Denver, not a lot of people had is a top near first round quarterback. And so the way I look at the NFL now is I need, when you take over a tire fire, I saw it with Ben Johnson, I saw it with McVeigh, I saw it with Liam Cohen, 4 and 13, 13, 4. I want to see you be good in September. This is not baseball where even if you get draft Bryce Harper, he's going to go to the minors. right or the NBA where even if you get Wemby he's like 19 years old and the spurs didn't necessarily improve one game because he's you know the NBA your best players are almost

always 25 and up like in in the NFL you're getting I mean the the Seahawks roster was stacked and they got four really good starters in the draft Patriots got four starters in the draft they didn't have Seattle's roster year before or two years ago the Eagles stacked roster went and go at cornerback, cornerback, and they got two elite pro bowl level corners. So you can't, when you get hired as a coach between the draft, free agency, OTAs, camp, preseason staff building, I need you to be good in September. And I just don't, I do not believe it takes that long to see great. I think it's an excuse.

Now, I do think Robert Sala in Tennessee, they are talentless. I think he needs two drafts to get to the playoffs. but they should be in September with this draft much better football team. I mean, George McCasky was talking about Ben Johnson when they hired him. And this sounds a lot like what the Rams owner Stan Cronkey and people said when McVe walked into the building in L.A., they wouldn't let him out of it. Here is McCasky talking about the Zoom call with Ben Johnson. He's intense.

And he brought that intensity in. his Zoom interview, which is difficult to do. You know, he's basically jumping through the camera. And he was just very impressive from the get-go, and he's been impressive ever since. Yeah, I think when you watch McVeigh, when you watch Liam Cohen, when you watch Ben Johnson, they've changed it. They've kind of, they've shifted expectations. in the league. The Rams were a disaster. The bears were a disaster. The Jags were 4 and 13.

You need to be better the first game you coach. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Mike McDonald's in Seattle. They had holes. Nope, not anymore. See in the Super Bowl, year two. John Middlokoff with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, calling the Browns, they just can't avoid the headlines. The new coach, Todd Munkin, he made some news last week. Obviously, every single year at the owner's meetings, the coaching picture goes very viral. Now, historically, guys like Belichick that they skip it, you know, Sean McVeigh, who

has been in it before, in fairness, wasn't in it either this year. But Munkin missed the picture, and here was his explanation on what happened. Oh, I didn't, I really don't get it. I mean, it had nothing to do with me. I mean, they moved the meeting. I didn't miss it. I was just trying to get a sweet haircut. I mean, that's what I was trying to do.

And then they moved the meeting. Now, you can blame that I should have met the meeting when they moved it up and known that's when it was. Yeah, okay, I got you. And was it disappointing? That was disappointing. It was disappointing. I had my whole life to be a head coach.

I'm not in the head coach's picture. You'd think with AI, they could have done that quickly and got me in there. But no, it's the way it is. It'll be under the bridge. And what'll matter most is whether we, how we move from here and do we win or not. That ultimately, none of that will matter. Can I just say this? did they take the picture? Like, couldn't you? Now, the Browns are fairly anonymous by league standards,

but why would you take the picture if every coach wasn't there? That's weird to me. Well, but they do that every year because, you know, sometimes the GM, sometimes the coach, they don't all make it. Some of them are doing different things, some meetings. It's not like, this isn't sixth grade. It's not mandatory. You know, so I, you know, I've always said, like, is Andy Reid there? Because to me right now, if he's there, then you should be there. Now, I get the time changed. To me, the biggest red flag about this situation is how defensive he's getting. I mean, I'm not trying to kick a dead horse and everyone so mean to the Browns.

He's got one and done written all over them. They got no quarterbacks. Well, the one thing that helps Munkin is they let go of a guy. who was respected in the league and interviewed for seven jobs. So if Monkin is a one and done guy, and I don't know if he is, I mean, he's obviously got some talent as a coach,

but if he is a one and done guy, my take is, then that would be, once again, Jimmy Haslam admitting, yeah, I screwed it up. Haslam's already acknowledged. He did the Deshawn Watson deal. He did it. He admits it. He admits he talked to a homeless person

for advice on the draft with Johnny Mantell. He admits that. So Haslam did. his credit has admitted he'll preach that we're not dysfunctional but the manzel pick screams dysfunction disfunction Deshawn contract was egregious so if he asked to fire munkin and and by the way and let's say stefansky and i think this is the case they're going to win in atlanta they've got too many good offensive players they're going to win some games in atlanta if you if you got rid of him my take is you that would be the third time in short in in a short span you as an owner

override common sense and better decisions. So my guess is, and I don't know how it's going to work, you know, the Shadur thing, I think it's, Munkin has one thing helping him, losing helps because it gets you in the arched manning sweepstakes. True, but when you lose, you know, in a place like that, it's already really negative on the team because they've been so bad. You know, that team is in a weird way covered like a Midwest Eagles.

I mean, it's a pretty intense football market. Oh, God, yeah. The quarterback situation, you've got to. Got Watson who's coming off a major injury, who hasn't been good in forever. To me, Dylan Gabriel, I think most people around football would agree. He's probably like a UFL player. And that feels like a criticism. Most people didn't view them as a draftable player.

They took him in the third round. And Chador really struggled last year, and their team's not going to be very good. I just think it's going to be very challenging on the field for the man with a new haircut. Okay, the Chiefs, they're coming off one of the rare seasons in Andy Reese's tenure, you're really the only one where they were a disaster. And although we don't know exactly when Patrick will be back and healthy and starting for the Chiefs, their owner, Clark Hunt, says that Andy Reid is reinvigorated and he benefited from having time to step back and think about what changes need to be made.

Obviously, they got two picks, you know, in the first round with the ninth overall pick. It's pretty rare for a team that went to a bunch of Super Bowls, has this off year. All of a sudden, you're drafting ninth. And then because of the McDuffie trade, they got picked 29. Colin, you draft Bain here at Pick 9. You draft Sadiq the tight end for more. You could get an impact guy. It's pretty rare for a team that could win double-digit games

to have a rookie who could be the best rookie in the class. Well, it's interesting because there's a lot of people, the chiefs are a fascinating team. It seems obvious to me they're going to take the right tackle for No from Utah. That seems obvious. And a lot of people have said before the Walker, acquisition. They said, oh, what about Jeremiah Love? To me, the only times that Mahomes has struggled in this league, he's been blown out in two Super Bowls. Why? Protection.

To me, they're the most obvious pick in the first round. And if, by the way, a Fanoe gets picked, I bet you Brett Veach wants to go backwards, or they get the tackle from Georgia, who's a little more raw. But I think the safest, cleanest, most obvious pick outside of Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders is the chief. getting right tackle figured out because Mahomes has a way of generating yards and first downs and red zone touchdowns even without great skill people. They haven't had a good receiving core in three years, but he can't overcome bad tackle play. And we know Crete Humphrey's great at center.

Trey Smith good at guard. So the chiefs are the most obvious draft to me picking the first round. See, I push back a little bit because it's pretty rare that you get the opportunity. let's say Bain or one of the top defensive linemen happens to be there at nine because some other stuff happens, you know, ahead of them. How do they pass on a great defensive lineman? Their best player on defense for the last decade has been a defensive lineman. Andy historically, back in the day, Javon Kirst, when I was with him in Philly, Fletcher Cox, you get the opportunity, because it's pretty rare that you get to draft that high. I'm with you on the right tackle, but sometimes you can find a right tackle in the second round, a guy that you can just play.

Last year they got lucky with Simmons falling to them late in the first round. Very lucky. I think they're definitely going alignment. I just think the question is an offensive or defensive line. The other thing is they could go from 29, Colin. They're going to try to win this year. What if they trade next year's first round pick and go from 29 to 15? All of a sudden they've got the ninth pick and the 15th pick.

Two impact players. I'd keep an eye for that. I would expect them to be very, very aggressive this draft. Okay, to the NBA. Where the Thunder, they clinced the ball. best record in the top seed with a road win over the clippers. It's the third straight season. They've earned the top seed becoming just the six team with a three-season streak in the NBA since the 16th playoff format started in 84. I mean, this is this team like the Jordan Bulls,

the Kobe Powell Lakers and obviously the KD, Steph, Clay, Drayman, Warrior. So they're in a pretty special company, especially for a small market team. Do you think, I mean, is anyone beating the Thunder come playoff time, Colin? Well, San Antonio's probably too young. I think Denver matches up pretty well, and they've got the stopper in Gordon, the tandem in Yokic and Murray, good enough coaching.

I think Denver's to play. Again, you've got to be careful about regular season, postseason. Like, I think the Knicks could beat the Pistons in the playoffs. They've struggled in the regular season. It's a whole different ball game when you're playing the same team over and over and over, and I think the Pistons have offensive limitations.

And I think the Thunder showed you about six times this year, the Thunder got into a big game that was meaningful for them. Because once you win the title, the regular seasons never meant as much, right? So the Thunder win the title, they kind of pick and choose certain TV games that matter. And on a lot of those games, they blew out people. So they should be favored. The Wembe Factor will be fun to watch. but I mean, I know it was just a Laker game, but that Laker game, you watch it and you think,

oh, they were flexing for the league. They were flexing to shut down Luka, shut down LeBron, and make a statement. And it's like, I'm not sure anybody in the NBA outside of OKC could have beaten all red hot Lakers like that. It felt like the high end of the KD Warriors. When they flipped it on, it was whoa. I would say the Luka trade, you know, it's only been, I don't even, not even two years is known as the worst trade of all time in sports. You could put the SGA, Paul George.

I mean, he's gone on. MVP's probably going to win another one. It's one of the greatest trades in the history of sports. And the Clippers have very competent people in the building. Lawrence, Frank, Ty Loo, it's not like the Clippers don't know what they're doing. Clippers have a large and capable staff. That's just

SGA developing. I mean, when he came out of Kentucky, wouldn't he the second best player in his college team? Yeah, I don't don't put that on the clippers i put that on uncle dennis and kawai they mandated that they didn't have a choice uh john with the news well that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news yeah i got to support todd munkin you couldn't wait you couldn't wait you to wait 10 minutes for andy reed now middle cough he doesn't worry about hair he doesn't have to worry about haircuts lucky for you i don't have that problem

but for us guys that are holding on by threads those haircuts are viable valuable valuable I don't know about you, Colin, but before you go to a big event, you know, if you're going to a convention, if you're going on a vacation, wherever you're going, professionally or not. Wouldn't you get the haircut before? Yes. Then try to get it when you're there. It makes it a little easier on life. It gives you a little more flexibility. Well, doesn't everybody have somebody they like to cut their hair?

Don't we all have a hair? So he flew him out from Bray, Ohio? Is that what they did? He couldn't go to super cuts when he was at home? Okay. I got to, we're going to break here a little early. So I'm going to have the mock draft. Usually I do a mock draft. I do one mock draft because I know you don't really care. You know, you see a billion of them on what I would do.

Today's is what I'm hearing, what makes sense. The number two pick for the Jets really creates a domino effect. I'll tell you what I'm hearing, what I think, texting and talking over the last two days, send it out to numerous friends in the league. We'll talk about that. My mock draft, what I think will happen, the first 15th, Picks next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was...

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris,

every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen Chinchin win. I mean, she went down in three to, Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface.

Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial

calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelive 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. All right, welcome back. So we do these mock drafts. And the last time I did one, I do a couple before the draft. which is two weeks from today.

Here's what I would do. That's not what this is. This is basically connecting with as many people who would return my text or calls on what I believe to be true based on the new coach, the old coach, the style, the fit, the system. I think all the early top seven or eight picks, there's going to be a little domino effect based on what the Jets do with number two. So let's go. you the top 15 draft picks where I think I have a chance to be at least reasonably accurate.

Can I get five right? We'll cross our fingers and here we go. Number one. Okay, that's the easy one. I'm going to go one for one. Fernando Mendoza. 49 touchdowns, no interceptions the last two years in the red zone. Hyper smart, ball placement, toughness. I wouldn't be surprised if the Raiders top of the second, don't go get Omar Cooper, who may be available top of round two. Maybe he goes late first. There's nothing here. The Raiders had the worst scoring offense in the league,

and they've got a left tackle, Colton Miller. They've got Brock Bowers at Tide End, Ashton Genty. They drafted a wide receiver last year and picked a couple of up in the offseason. So I think they're ready for kind of microwave this thing. I think Mendoza is going to be very good, very quickly. Number two. I think the Jets take a big swing on Arvel Reese, who's one of the youngest prospects in the draft. He's only 20 and doesn't have a clear defined position yet.

That's what the Jets do. I think they need six or seven good players before they take a swing. With the coaching staff they have and the head coach, I just don't trust them. I would rather get a plug-in play guy who has a defined, already made position. Reese is a fascinating player. the Jets had the second few of sacks in the NFL, so it's a position of need. That's why I like Bailey.

You can drop Reese into coverage. So I think he's a great talent, but I worry about the Jets and Aaron Glenn being able to bake this and make it work quickly. Number three. Yeah. Number three. So Arizona, seeing that Bailey is now available,

David Bailey, Texas Tech, they will then draft David Bailey because they have a pass rush issue. Cardinals ranked 28th in defensive sacks last year. So this will be a bit of a break, in my opinion, for the Arizona Cardinals. They'll get my favorite pass rusher in college football. I think Ruben Bain's very good as well. But, I mean, he led the college football in sacks and pressure rate, and he's getting better. He's a much better player now than he was at Stanford. so Arizona takes advantage of the Jets going for a yet defined player. And by the way, Arizona has drafted one player drafted in the last decade who had 10 sacks or more. They found their guy if they get Bailey.

Number four. Then I think the Titans will take Jeremiah Love. First of all, Robert Sala knows the value of a star running back for a young quarterback. He watched McCaffrey with Brock Purdy. and Sala's got a better offensive feel than most defensive coaches. He actually does. I texted Robert on that. He likes offense and he knows the value.

And this kid's a home run hitter. I'm telling you, man, the drop off between Jeremiah Love and the second best running back in this draft, it may be greater than Fernando Mendoza and the second best quarterback. He is an absolute Jemir Gibbs, day one in play. And they were 30th last year the Titans were in rushing off. defense, they got to get Cam Ward some help. There's plenty of receivers in the second, third, and fourth round. There's good tight ends in the second and third round. This is the star running back. Cam Ward needs help. He goes four to the Tennessee Titans.

Number five. I think the Giants get that maybe the cleanest player in the draft, Sunny Stiles. He's going to come in and play. Linebacker, freak athlete, 182 combined tackles over the last two years. John Harbaugh's been talking about toughness and attitude, toughness and attitude. That's Sonny Stiles. And people can say, well, a linebacker, I don't know. Listen, the Giants have spent a lot of money at Corner. They could go in the last couple years. They could go corner maybe.

This kid's going to come in, play, and get a lot of tackles. He is what Harbaugh, like, got a little Ravens feel to him. You know, people are questioning a lot of those Ravens picks through the years. Remember when the Ravens took a center and a safety in the first round? Everybody's like, whoa, they're both great. This is a classic Ravens pick. This is a classic Harbaugh pick. You guys worry about the position.

I'm going to take the cleanest player in the draft. Giants take Sunny Stiles. Number six. The best receiver in this draft is Carnell Tate and Cleveland's gotten egregiously bad, wide receiving core. So the Browns had the fewest receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Again, this guy just walks in in stars. I think he's great.

Strong, speed. You know, I don't know if he has the route tree of JSN, But I'll tell you this, catching radius, toughness, speed. He's really good. You know, he's an Ohio Statewide receiver. I don't know if there's ever been a program that has a position that they just suddenly own in the college game like Ohio State and Wide Receiver. But he is 6-3-195, and his body fat's got to be in the 4%.

Because he is just a stud. Number 7. Well, Jaden Daniels needs protection. Laramie Tonsel meet Francis Maui Noah, Miami. Many people think he could go interior and play guard. He's not a left tackle. He's more of a right tackle. I don't think he has elite foot quickness,

so maybe move him inside. But I got Jaden Daniels. Jaden Daniels is getting banged up in this league. I always said the downfall to Andrew Locke, they couldn't protect him. He took a beating and Andrew Luck was big and trunky and thick. Jane Daniels isn't. So this one, he's a road grader.

He's tough. He was helping pave the way for the hurricane's great late season run game. He goes seven to the commanders. Number eight. Another Miami hurricane goes eight, Ruben Bain. Listen, you could say the Saints have a lot of needs, but this kid lives in the backfield. I care a little bit about, you know, arm length, but he's a perfect replacement for Cam Jordan, who is a free agent getting up there, been playing forever.

And so you just replaced him with a dog, a guy that's going to come in and pressure the quarterback. And everybody I talk to in the league, everybody loves Bain. Now, he, because of the measurements, he's not going to be a one or two pick. But I haven't talked to anybody I respect in the NFL that doesn't love him as a player. Number nine. See, this seems obvious. Spencer Fanoe, the tackle from Utah to Kansas City.

The Chiefs have struggled to protect Mahomes the last two years. Eight Molfs Sack quarterback two seasons. And now Mahomes is coming off an ACL injury. And they solved their running back in free agency, getting Walker, Kenneth Walker from Seattle. And do they need an edge rusher? They do. But Bailey will be gone, Reese will be gone, and Ruben Bain will be gone. So this is an easy one.

I think it's a smart one. 6-6-3-15. Isn't it amazing how many good tight ends and offensive linemen Utah produces? But this to me is they got Josh Simmons left tackle. When he played, he was excellent. Infrequency and scarcity of playing concerns you. But by the way, you get Fanoe in, Josh Simmons gets banged up or doesn't play. This is what they did with the Chargers in Joe Alt.

Move him to the other side. I think he goes nine to Kansas City, Spencer Fano. Number 10. Caleb Downs, Ohio State. I think he could be the steal of the draft. I think he walks in, starts day one. He's just a great football player. Really smart, very instinctive.

He's not huge. I don't get too caught up on that. People said Troy Palamula wasn't huge. He's just a great player. He's in state. Buckeye fans will love it. Just toughness, urgency, playmaking. And the defense for, now that Trey Hendrickson's gone,

you thought the defense was bad for Cincinnati last year. Could get worse. Caleb Down stays in state. He goes to the Bengals at 10. Number 11. Well, defensive head coach. They need a lot. But Mansour, Delane, the LSU corner, a tough kid, did not allow a single touchdown or commit a single penalty last year at SLSU.

Number one cornerback in the draft. And again, here comes Jeff Halfley, the defensive guy from Green Bay. So with his two first round picks, he's taking a defensive player either with one of the picks or two of the picks. Yes, they need a wide receiver. Yes, they need some offensive line. You can get that in the second, third, fourth round. You can't get the best corner in those rounds. I think Miami goes for a lockdown guy.

Listen, I don't know if it's a great corner draft. He's a great player, and the Dolphins just secure him there. Number 12. I think the Cowboys, I've been on this for a year, you've got to cheapen up that defense because you're You're spending a lot of money on offense, and now you're spending a lot of money on your defensive front. They get Jermad McCoy from Tennessee. He can play zone. He can play man to man.

Opposing quarterbacks last year on the Dallas Cowboys. 69% completion percentage and a passer rating at 109. So they have upgraded their defensive front, Dallas has. Now they got to go get some dexterity and versatility on the back end. He's a great player. He is a, you know, SEC. If Ohio State is wide receiver you, I feel like the SEC is defensive back you. He'll walk in, start first day, and that's what Dallas needs.

Number 13. Mackay Lemon, wide receiver USC. Devonte Adams is 34, got banged up. Pooka Nakua has just entered rehab. He's got some off-field stuff, maturity issues. This kid does not let the ball hit the ground. 2.8% of balls thrown to him hit the ground. Tremendous kid.

He's got a lot of Amaran St. Brown. will be productive day one and McVeigh's sophisticated system. And listen, Pooka issue, this kid also can walk in and play. Matt Stafford doesn't want to teach somebody how to play football. McCuy Leman walks in day one. He'll figure the playbook out in three practices. Number 14. Ravens, Lamar Jackson last year, pressured on 26% of his throw, career high.

They go get Monroe Freeling, Georgia tackle. He's not, he's a little raw, but he had an 18 starts, one holding penalty. Listen, if you're going to pay Lamar Jackson, what you keep reading they're going to pay him, you better protect him. And so, I mean, this is another player that everybody thinks is going to be really good. Nobody's quite sure if he's going to be good as a rookie. Get him in house. Won't have to play him much for the first four years, but I think they go tackle. Number 15.

Buccaneers Drafwell, safety from Toledo. Manuel McNeil Warren, local kid played in Tampa. Bucks were 27th against the pass. They had the worst red zone defense. Now, Mike Evans is gone. They need a receiver. There are some great receivers in the second, third, and fourth round. He's a hometown kid.

He is rangy. He runs good enough. Again, another one of these small school DBs that we don't watch a lot of. Remember when Sauce Gardner came out? Could have been the number one player, defensive player in that draft. So there you have it, John. I do think it's not what I would do. Jets go Avril Reese.

And then I think, you know, in Arizona, they haven't gotten to the quarterback. You know, Chandler Jones was there. They got to get to the quarterback, especially in a division with Darnold playing well, Brock Purdy and Matt Stafford. You have to generate some discomfort for the opposing quarterbacks who you play six times in your division. You know some people, Colin, because I was hoping to rip this. list of shreds, but you're all over it, especially high. I think Sonny Stiles, he might be one of the best linebacking prospects. I'm not talking what he

becomes, but as a prospect in 20, 25 years. I mean, he's 6'5, he ran to 4-4. He's brilliant. He's played in NFL defense. I mean, what more can you ask for? So Sonny Stiles, I think, is one of the more highly valued prospects in this draft. And Harbaugh's been preaching toughness, new culture. This kid brings it, runs downhill. Hey guys, it's us The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it.

But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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, S&L'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 podcast.

podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come until he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your

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