The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Why Will Levis wasn't drafted in the first round

Episode Date: April 28, 2023

Colin explains why Kentucky QB Will Levis went undrafted in the first round He discusses Lamar Jackson's record-breaking contract to stay with the Ravens Which team has had the best draft and offseason in the NFL?    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule. of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeartRadio app by searching Heard. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. It is Friday lots and lots to talk about.

What a night of the NFL draft. Live in L.A. It's the Heard. Thanks for making us part of your day. Fun, fun, fun. Like tonight now, the Warriors and the Lakers can finish off their series. I expect both to happen. Celtics did it last night. Not a surprise.

Jason Tatum bounced back. All right, Jay Mack. You know, it's funny when you watch. I followed you last night on Twitter. And smart teams do smart things. Dumb teams do dumb things. It sums up the first round, right? And that's why the same team's draft near the top of the draft every year.

Fascinating stuff. And the Lamar Jackson situation in Baltimore? Resolved? I mean, what a night in sports. Unbelievable. So let's start with this. I think the biggest story, and we said going into the draft, is that the Indianapolis Colts need a quarterback.

Where are they going to go? they probably weren't going to get Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud. And so, you know, the two rawest quarterbacks out there, in fact, the most raw quarterback out there is Anthony Richardson of Florida. And when the Colts chose him over Will Levis, that was a very, very bad sign for Will Levis. Because they both played in the SEC. Levis had better stats. Levis started more games.

He was more productive. wasn't as raw, same, you know, same SEC, a lot of the same opponents. And Indy said to Will Levis, hard pass, and went with a kid who completed 54% of his college throws. I'm told Richardson came across more humble and grateful in interviews and that lots of coaches thought Will Levis and Anthony Richardson both needed fixing and one would be easier to fix with a much higher upside. And Will Levis comes across as a little cocky. He loves his arm. He loves the gun show, which I hated. The sleeveless shirts, not a good look. I was told by two

executives and a head coach. That was an absolute turnoff showing the biceps. Quarterbacks, go look at the history of them. They don't look like. that. Will Levis loves Will Levis. And so he's got to be fixed. He throws too many picks. And Anthony Richardson's got to be fixed. He throws picks and also is just too darn raw. But the coaches feel they can fix him. He's more coachable. He's more grateful. He's more humble. The other thing here is, and again, hated the gun show, hated the bathroom selfies. Whenever you see a normal person doing that, a goober doing that on the internet. It's like L, like loser.

You can't have franchise quarterbacks doing that. And I hear this a lot. I hear this a lot and I've pushed back on this every time. Whenever I hear I want my quarterback to have a little arrogance, like Jay Cutler, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield, Johnny Mansell, Kyler Murray. If you start looking at the string of quarterbacks who had the label a little cocky and a little arrogant, it now worked out well. Listen, Patrick Mahomes is humble. Brady for his reign, overwhelmingly

humble, Peyton Manning humble. You can't be cocky coming out of the SEC when you throw that many picks. Sorry, can't have it. I didn't like it with Baker. I didn't like it with Johnny Mansell. I've recently not liked it with Tyler. I didn't like it with Jay Cutler. I don't like it with Will Levis. Will Levis likes Will Levis. Not into it. I figured he'd go. I figured he'd go four because he was just less raw. You know, he could step in and within some recent time play, I don't think Anthony Richardson plays at all or much in year one. But Indianapolis was willing to forego that.

Their GM said, you know, he's not, don't put a lot of expectations on him. He's not ready to go. But being humble, being gracious, being coachable, even as a star athlete matters a lot. here was Anthony Richardson about being ready to play. You know, for one, I'm a hard worker. You know, I truly believe that. And I'm willing to work hard and I don't work harder than anybody. And then I'm also willing to learn.

You know, I'm willing to be, you know, just as good or if not better than all these quarterbacks in the job and all the quarterbacks in the league. So try to be ready before preseason, you know, try to be ready before the first game. You know, they pick me this high for a reason. So I'm going to put the work in and make sure I'm ready for the franchise. If you need fixing, nobody wants to see cocky. Nobody wants to see a selfie. Nobody wants to see a gun show.

You don't get it with Mahomes, and he's the best player in the world. Okay, so Lamar Jackson has signed a deal. You know, a lot of it guaranteed, but not all of it. That's reasonable. Both sides win. But I was thinking about this this morning. Did they really have a choice? I mean, think about this in the AFC.

Do New York Jets add Aaron Rogers? Maybe you've heard of him. Trevor Lawrence, only getting better, ascending. Justin Herbert now has another receiver in the draft and clever offensive coordinator, Kellynne Moore. Deshawn Watson was rusty last year. He'll be better. Sean Payton has a Hall of Fame level coach.

Russell Wilson does. He'll be better. The floor, like the 10th, 11 best quarterback in the AFC, is Ryan Tannehill, who got to an AFC championship and Jimmy Garoppolo who got to a Super Bowl. The AFC feels like the SEC in college football and the NFC feels like the rest of the power five, just not quite the SEC. And you start looking around in the NFC. Gino Smith made the playoffs.

Brock Purdy, a rookie in the seventh round, made the playoffs. Daniel Jones made the playoffs. Kurt Cousins was arguably the second best NFC quarterback in the playoffs. Next year in the AFC, you got guys like Russell Wilson, Aaron Rogers, could miss the playoffs. So there's certain things in certain areas you have to have. In Phoenix, you have to have a pool. In Alaska, you have to have a winter jacket. And in the AFC, you've got to have special at quarterback.

You can't have a BB gun. There's a lot of defense in running. The Giants get to the playoffs. Seventh round quarterback on the cheap. Stack your roster. Niners. Seahawks. Take a former bus quarterback.

Hit a bunch of home runs in the draft lead to the playoffs. Seahawks. There's a lot of ways to make the playoffs in the NFC. In the AFC, do you have special at quarterback? And you could have your criticisms of Lamar. I think his agent situation is unorthodox. I thought he was way too noisy. Some of that's generational.

Some of it's Instagram stuff. I just don't do. So I don't have a feel for it. But in the end, I don't think the Ravens had a choice. If you start in the NFL and you win 75% of your starts, that's what Patrick Mahomes does. He just finishes seasons better than Lamar Jackson. But they both win three out of the first. four starts. And I know I know. What about the playoffs? Go look at Peyton Manning's early

playoff record. Aaron Rogers' playoff record. I think it's a game under 500. John Elway got routed, humiliated, embarrassed in Super Bowls before he got a stable running game. You can't draft a quarterback just because you think he can win Super Bowls. Dan Marino got to one, never got back. you draft a quarterback because you think he can win games on Sunday and carry a team in crisis and win the division consistently and get you to the postseason. And then once the postseason happens, healthy team wins, coaching matters, home field matters, where you play matters, how's your offensive line. You can't just judge every quarterback on will he win a Super Bowl.

otherwise would the Texans take C.J. Stroud? Would Carolina take Bryce Young? Lamar Jackson makes you stable and special at the most important position. And in the AFC, you got to have special. There's like one way to win. Have the dude. All right. What a day. So much fun. I will say this. I thought Philadelphia won the first day. There are those that would speculate, you know, Will Levis got lucky because now they'll be lower expectations. you could certainly argue that, but I'd rather have the first round money at number four than I would the second round money. Also, when you are a first round pick as a quarterback, generally you'll get extra games because a GM and a coach, they selected you, so they're going to give you a second, a third, and a fourth chance.

If you're a second or a third round pick as a quarterback, people can bail on you very, very quickly. They're not paying anything. They didn't take a big risk. So going in the first round can often protect you as a young quarterback, give you a few extra starts. I mean, look at New York. Daniel Jones, they don't want to look like they missed in another quarterback or missed it another coach or missed in another GM. There's chaos.

Daniel Jones got the bag with 15 touchdown passes in the NFC. All right. Good stuff today. Absolutely jammed. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and 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 Jett. 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. To be clear, 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. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. So Baltimore had the noisiest offseason. I think Philadelphia has had the best off season. First of all, they re-signed Jason Kelsey for one more year, the best center in football. Then they got Lane Johnson, one of the top five right tackles in league history to get an

extension. Then they paid Jalen Hertz. He's there for now at least half a decade. And then last night in the draft, they got two excellent defensive. lineman including somebody with a little baggage, more than a little baggage. Jalen Carter, who I've said is the best college football player I saw. I struggled watching teams pass on him. I thought Seattle should have gone with him, and Philadelphia moved up one spot to get him.

Then they got an edge rusher, an excellent one at the end of round one. The NFL is not that complicated. The smart teams get it. Get the quarterback right, then protect the quarterback, then get the quarterback weapons. and then draft defensive guys up front that can make the other quarterback hurried, comfortable, sacked, hurt, worried. The Eagles did that in the first round. They checked all four boxes.

They let a couple of linebackers go and bad organizations Chicago and Arizona overpaid for them. They did lose a really, really great offensive coordinator, both coordinators, in fact, but this is a lot of brainpower in the building. Baltimore had a noisier, flashier, OBJ Lamar offseason, but both Lamar and OBJ struggle to stay healthy. That has to be noted. But when you watch the draft, doesn't it feel like the smart people do the smartest things? Doesn't it kind of? I mean, I get what Houston did.

Not a strong draft. They got two of the top 10 to 12 players. I'll get to that in a bit. But Philadelphia, you know, Chicago goes and gets a right tackle with that. defense, a right tackle. You already got a left tackle. You need a right tackle. Detroit went and got a really good running back, but a running back, and you've already got a good running back, and a linebacker, which is not a crucial position. Now, Detroit's had the last couple of years. Very good drafts, so I kind of want to trust their judgment. But you don't have to make every

decision right in the NFL, but you got to make about 80, 75, 80 percent of the decision. right. Like Kansas City drafted a running back in the first round a couple years ago, they've already kind of moved off him. You don't have to get everything right. You can make mistakes all the time. Good coaches, hire bad coordinators. Great GMs, brilliant people like Belichick, Pete Carroll, have whiffed on first round picks. It's okay. It happens. But the Eagles won a Super Bowl with a quarterback and a coach moved off both and then went to another Super Bowl with another quarterback and another coach. There's a lot of brainpower in that building.

The GM, Howie Roseman, on drafting a player with some baggage. A great player, though, Jalen Carter. I think when we got to know Jalen, we just felt like here's a kid that, you know, he does a lot of football. Obviously, he's a winner. He won in high school. He won in college. And, you know, we felt like we have really good people in this building.

You know, we have really good support staff. We have really good players who are good people. We have really good coaches. And we felt like it was a good fit for us. You can always tell the truth about acquisitions or firings or trades. What does your primary rival think of what you did? Right. So here's Micah Parsons on the Dallas Cowboys who has to face Philadelphia twice a year.

here he's, here's what he thought about the Eagles getting Jalen Carter. I'm just so sick to my stomach right now. But I'm just sick. I'm just sick to my stomach right now. I'm just sick to my stomach. I can't believe that many teams passed up on. I'm just so shocked. Nine teams, eight teams, let Jalen Carter fall to nine for this.

I think Micah Parsons knows the truth. Jalen Carter was the best player in the draft at any position. Not saying it's perfect. red flags were obvious, character issues were discussed, but smart teams do smart things, and I think Philadelphia did really well. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

A lot of stuff to get to today. A lot. And you, shockingly, did not mention the Jets scooping up edge rusher, Will McDonald with the 15th overall pick. Listen, a little disappointed that they couldn't get their left tackle. we like, Broderick Jones. We knew the Patriots were going to screw them. Patriots trade back. Steelers come up. Get Broderick. You know Belichick. He gave the Steelers the pick before the Jets so they could screw the Jets and take the last great left tackle. Indeed. A guy who didn't give up a sack in like 445 pass blocking attempts in the SEC. At any rate, I'm excited about

Will McDonald. He fits what Joe Douglas and Robert Sala want. Colin, I know people are saying he was overdrafted, okay? there is something to this. The analytics community, they like drafting younger players. I want a 21-year-old as opposed to a 23-year-old. Why? Maybe the 23-year-old was good because he was beaten up on 19-year-olds. That's absolutely possible. Well, this is two years in a row.

The Jets drafted Jermaine Johnson out of FSU. He was 23. Will McDonald now 23. I'm going to trust that Sala likes, remember in Sanfran, they were rotating defensive ends and pass rushers when they played Mahomes in the Super Bowl, and they ran out of energy late. Jets now have six pass rushers on this roster. This defensive line's going to stay fresh.

I like the pick. I don't know about you. Well, I know another team in the NFL that thought they were going to get him at the top of the second round. So there are people that think he was a tad overdrafted. It's an area of need. There's no guarantee you're going to get him in the second round. Are you more of a need or best player of ill? I think, you know, I go back and forth.

I think what you do is the Jets, Joe Douglas has a card of five guys. And when the Steelers go ahead, I think the number one guy is taken off the board. So they look at four or five guys that their scouts liked and three or four positions they need. Remember, if this kid plays 40 snaps and he can get to Tua, and he can get to Josh Allen or he can get to Mack Jones, you're going to stop forgetting about the reach part. If guys can play by the Thanksgiving of their first year, nobody really cares where they're drafted. So the bottom line is,

do you believe this kid can give you at least 35 snaps a game in a division now, Mac, two, a Josh Allen, in the AFC? And if the answer is yes, I'm not going to, you know, last year, people banged on the Patriots. They reached on an interior lineman. But when he starts and you're like he's actually really good, then I don't care much about reaching. Yeah, totally agree. And by the way, Jermaine Johnson, who they drafted at FSU last year, had a key block punt and then was relentless against Josh Allen in that great Jets win.

I like the pick. Now listen, Nolan Smith was on the board. Kid who I liked a lot, Philadelphia Eagles end up grabbing him. Eagles, they kind of crushed the draft. All right. Next up, Colin, let's go to the Packers. they could have added an offensive weapon for your guy Jordan Love, but instead they take linebacker Lucas Van Ness out of Iowa with the 13th pick.

Staggering stat here, 21st straight year the Packers have not drafted a running back, receiver, or tight end in the first round. 21 straight years. Now, longest streak of not selecting an offensive skill position player since the draft began in 1960. Yeah, I would have gone tight end or receiver. I would have. But again, what do their scout say?

Now, I talked to a general manager last week that said about this player, he's good, but he doesn't fit every system. So Green Bay obviously feels he fits their system. He's not a do-it-all edge rusher, but what he does, he does very well. And again, if you look at the top of the second round, Green Bay's got a couple of picks here now in the second round. There are a lot of good tight ends left. Michael Mayer from Notre Dame, I thought he was the first round lock.

Washington, the kid out of Georgia, I thought he was going to go first round. Those guys are available now. So the Packers kind of played this well. I will point out, Lucas Van Ness looked like a perfect Patriots player. I think that played into the part of their trading back. If Van Ness is there, do they take him as opposed to trading out? But ultimately, listen, Packers have loaded up on edge rushers now for the last few years. Roshan Gary, Preston Smith, Kenny Clark.

They've got some guys. And let's be honest about the Packers is they have a history. They've done, they've had offensive coaches, good offensive. lines, they draft and develop offense very well. If you kind of look at what they do, they have kind of a system. And their system is, we go defense, and this was a huge need for them. And so, you know, I kind of look at it and I'm like, this is what they do. They don't ever draft offensive linemen in the first round.

Yet name a franchise in the NFL the last 20 years that is consistent. had a top five offensive line. It's always Green Bay. So their system is, we'll develop. We do offensive coaches. Well, Holmgren, say what you want about McCarthy, Matt LaFleur. They do offensive coaches. They do quarterbacks. They do all lines well. And they feel like they can develop those. They feel like they developed Aaron. They can develop Jordan Love. But maybe they just, they don't feel on the free agent market, they can get great defensive players. So let's just draft them early. All right. So we just cover two teams that we like their draft. There are negatives in the first round and the Detroit Lions, Colin, who we thought had a ton of

momentum. I don't know what the hell they were doing the first round. I got to say, I mean, like, I banged on them last night on my podcast, Colin, Jemir Gibbs at 12, a running back. Okay, remember, they just signed David Montgomery from the Bears to a three-year, $18 million deal. I know. They have DeAndre Swift. So they're going to, my guess is, what are you doing? They're going to move DeAndre Swift. My guess is today or tomorrow. So my guess is they don't want to pay swift. Oh, you mean another running back they drafted early, right? Yeah.

Okay. I'm not going to try to defend it. But I'm going to throw my spin on it. Detroit's had really good back-to-back drafts. They didn't suddenly get stupid. I think they have a plan. If you go to Jared Goff's career when he has a strong running game and a good old line, he went to about 80% of his games.

When Gurley got hurt, Goff was never the same in Los Angeles. So their takeaway is we have the best O-line in Detroit in division. And it's much better than the Vikings, Packers, or Bears, D-lines. So can we go 5-1 or 6-0 in division? Goff with a good old line, Lions have, and a strong running game, Jared Goff wins 75, 80% of his games. When Gurley got hurt, he was never the same. So, I mean, you'd have to go look at the exact numbers.

But I think their take, what Dan Campbell's takeaway is, this league's getting finesse. We're going to double down at running back to support Jared Goff, because I do believe Goff's one of the top 10, 12 quarterbacks in the league. Everybody wants to draft quarterbacks. So I'm not trying to say it's a great pick. But I know if you look at Goff's career, they obviously like Goff. And they're stuck with him.

They got money on him. Wow. When is Goff the best? O-line's good. Check. Strong run game. This makes it double check. I'm not saying I love it, but I get the plan.

A lot of people think give him. would have been there later in the first round and you could have got a better value. It's just not your best use of resources. But they compounded it, Colin. Well, first of all, let's get to what Gibbs said. He was even surprised the Lions took him that early. I mean, I thought like in the 20s, that's where usually are, that's where we usually are. So, like, running back.

So, you know, I was still just talking to my friends. Then the call hit me. Yeah, I feel great. then no I was going to get as picked as high as I did you know because you know running backs aren't really get picked as high in this year I mean in this like new age like new era of the NFL draft but yeah it was pretty shocking to me but I'm grateful for the city of Detroit now if Detroit moves off Swift by the way the Rams are looking for a running back there's a couple teams looking for a running back if they can move off Swift which is good

I like him. But he comes off an injury. He's had some injuries. So they're looking at it and say, let's, let's restart the clock. Let's get a cheat running back. Who's healthy? Let's move Swift, get a fifth round pick. I mean, the Rams would give up a fifth round pick for Swift today.

I mean, they got another year with him. All right. But they compounded matters, Colin, by drafting an offball linebacker. Now, that wasn't great. Colin, this is absolutely staggering a 6-4-245-pound throwback linebacker. Like, what on earth are you doing? Now, yes, Jack, what's his name? Campbell?

Yeah. This guy, all-American, I think he would like led the country and tack. Like, he's a really good college football player. And they're bad. At Iowa. They are a little bad up the middle defensively. Yes. Well, bad is an understatement.

They were 28th in defensive efficiency and dead last in yards per play allowed. Okay. So if the, I'm trying to defend him here. If the Lions go get two interior defensive tackles, because they obviously didn't want Jalen Carter, red flags. And they say, okay. Okay. So let's get the bad.

enforcer linebacker in the draft in the middle. Let's get him in house. Now later in the draft, because they don't have a ton of needs now. Later in the draft, it's a team that didn't make the playoffs. Let's not act like their roster set. But they don't, a lot of their best players are young. This is a young ascending franchise. I don't think, I, I think they drafted running back too high. But I think their takeaway is they're going to move off Swift, who had injuries. They're going to give, they want to give Jared Goff an excellent run game because he's at his best and then they're going to get interior D-Lineman later, but there was only one linebacker they thought fit the bill because the middle of their defense is bad.

Yeah. They're also in a division where Dalvin Cook has been running wild. The two guys on the Packers. So yeah, I get it. You've got to get some kind of defense. But again, linebackers can be found anywhere, Colin. They drafted a guy in the fifth round out of like Oklahoma State who played really well last year. it's just a poor use of resources.

I'm sorry. All right. The value is not there. Disappointed in the lines, but I still, I don't know, did Seattle pass them yesterday? I think Detroit's going to make the playoffs. I do too, but, all right. I mean, you and I both. I think.

I would feel as confident. I would pick them to win. Two picks in the top 20. And I don't know, either of those guys are starting week one. Let's see, maybe they move swift, but why would you move Swift? You got another year of him before you got to pay him. Or you can just dump it. What do you want?

Like a third-round pick for DeAndre Swift? Puzzling. All right, Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lie News. I can believe two things. They weren't great picks, but they have a plan.

And that's why Houston's interesting. So generally, my theory on the draft is, unless you can get Andrew Luck, John Elway, or Trevor Lawrence, or Caleb Williams, trade down. If you have a top five pick, just get out of there. Top eight pick. Get out of there. Don't trade up.

And this is a weaker draft. defend Houston. So they got C.J. Stroud, number two, and then they got Will Anderson. So you're talking about Ohio State Alabama guys, highly productive on the biggest stages in the two best conferences in college football. That is okay with me. They also took a big swing. I'm a fan of big swings. It makes sports more interesting. They also got premium positions, quarterback and edge rusher. Those are premium position. They didn't draft an offball linebacker or a fullback or they got premium positions. So if you start talking about the Houston Texans today, left tackle, got a good one check. Quarterback, they got one check.

Edge, they got one check. Weapons, that's what you do the rest of the draft. They had a very smart free agency. They got a reliable tight end, a guard, a safety, a veteran receiver, and the hottest coach on the market. Quarterback and Edge are foundational pieces, and this organization is building a foundation, and they're not quite there yet. so I can defend this. Also, it's hard for me to criticize somebody with a plan.

For most of the last decade, it's felt like the Houston Texans are just making crap up. Jack Easterbee, fire a coach every year, making crap up. You know what this felt like last night? They had a vision. They implemented a plan that connected with a vision, and then they started executing the plan. vision plan execution. That's what it looked like. Let's go get the second best quarterback in the draft.

In free agency, let's get the hottest coach in the market. And smart free agent pickups didn't break the bank on anybody in the draft. A draft in which I was told there were 13 legit first round players, they got two of 13. It's not terrible. I don't love moving up in a draft. but I said this during the free agency period. I thought they did a really good job. Dalton Schultz, really solid tied in.

They go get a top guard and a top safety. They didn't break the bank for anybody. They spent judiciously. And then they went out and got two of the top 12, 13 players. Big stage guys, big production guys, Bam Ohio State guys, and their premium positions. That feels like vision plan execution. I'm good with that.

I kind of think Houston has had a really, really sneaky, good last three to four months. And how often do we say that? If you got a plan, even if the plan's wrong, I'll take it. This team for the last five or six, seven, eight years, they're just making crap up. Coaching, front office, it sounded like a circus. It doesn't. It sounds like a plan. Premium picks, premium positions.

I was okay with it. All right. 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 LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada 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 experience. loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up On Game with me, LeVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, 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 what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart 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-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 a little kill. 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 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 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you 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. 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. Oh, Nelly, it is time for a little USFL football on FS1. And we are ready. Here's McGoo towards the end zone. caught for the touchdown. It's a happy day to be a stallion. Swings it out, Braden Bowman and Bowman goes. Sage Sorrottes secured it.

Tell him, give me the ball, let me kill him. Commanded to Corbin again. Able to turn the corner and Corbyn down the sideline. Touchdown, Leggie Corbyn. Catch week three of the USFL season on Fox starting tomorrow as the Memphis showboats take on the Houston gamblers at 7 Eastern. Then on Sunday, the New Jersey Generals take on the Michigan Panthers at Thor Eastern, all on Fox and the Fox Sports app. All right, J. Mack and I disagree. So I'm going to give him 90 seconds.

He hated what the Texans did, which was move up for Will Anderson and draft a quarterback essentially taking your... So they gave up a first round pick next year. And the Texans gave up next year a first round pick, and that drove you crazy. Right. So the Texans do have two first round picks,

one from Cleveland for Watson, which will be like in the 12 to 15, 17 range. But they gave up their own pick to move up for an edge rusher. That is unheard of in draft history. Some of these analytics guys, they have draft calculators and they calculate the trade. This Houston-Arizona deal could go down as one of the worst all-time because Will Anderson now has to perform like a Hall of Famer to justify giving up a first-round pick next year. Here's the big concern. If the Texans stink and both you and I think five, six, seven-win team.

I think there are six to a seven-wing team. They're probably going to have one of the three. we are four lowest win totals in the league. We would agree on that. I'm not sure their division's awful. Fine. Bottom five win total. We'll get what, give me that. Not really.

Fine. Bottom six win total. Bottom line, Vegas is not going to respect this team. They got a rookie quarterback, a ton of holes everywhere. There's a scenario where the Arizona Cardinals are the worst team have the number one pick and Houston's like third worst. And the Cardinals are able to then get Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison, Jr. from Ohio State with the Houston Texans.

Okay. Okay, remember, Houston has Cleveland's pick. Cleveland plays in a significantly better division than Houston. I think Cleveland, I see them as a seven or an eight-win team. I see Houston as a five, six-win team. So you're getting Cleveland. So instead of getting your pick, which I think would be eight, you get 12. You're not getting Caleb Williams with either one.

This is not going to be the worst team in the league. And you're making a bet on C.J. Stroud. You're getting out of the Caleb sweepstakes. I mean, you're going to play him. You're not going to draft C.J. Stroud, never play him and then draft Drake, May, or Caleb Williams. You made a bet to go with C.J. Stroud, who, by the way, is the second best quarterback in this draft. We know of these four, five, six top quarterbacks, at least two are going to make it. Do you think Stroud starts week one?

Yes. Over Davis Mills, who's been? Yes. And so you're out of the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. So even if you're bad and you have the seventh or eighth pick, you're not getting, nobody is trading out of Caleb Williams. No. The bad teams all have bad quarterback.

If you have a chance to get Caleb, even if you had like a good quarterback, you would draft Caleb and move your quarterback. I mean, that's how much people think of it. I would agree. Arizona will move off Kylo Mara to take Caleb. So I've got Cleveland's first round pick and this idea in the AFC, Deshawn Watson's what? The ninth, eighth, ninth, tenth, tenth best quarterback? That's not a playoff team to me.

So that pick is going to be a top 12 to a top 13 pick. I'm protected. You don't think Houston's going to be that bad, which is why you're okay giving this up. No, I don't. I think D'Amico Ryan's isn't. I mean, the people I know in the league love him. I would agree. I think they had a tremendous free agency period.

I think they did very well last time. I think they got two of the top ten players in the draft, and they got a bunch of picks next left. So they're basically saying, we're going to get out of the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. That's okay. That what they're saying is we don't think we're a bottom four team in the league. And I don't either. That division, the Colts, a bit of a mess. Titans, I mean, right now, they got all sorts issues.

So I think Houston's going to be a chippy six-ish win team. I know the Titans have some issues. Two years ago, they were the number one seed in the AFC. I know they fell back a little bit last year. There's no way they're the worst team in the division. It's either Houston or Indy, right? I mean, Gardner-Minshoe, we can scoff at him all you want. He's considered top five backup in the league,

and he comes over with his offensive coordinator. So there is some continuity. I watched Houston take the Chiefs, I think, to overtime last year. Oh, come on. We got some players. One game. Got some players. Okay.

So I got a theory on this. So this is one of the few ones I got right. I pick Bijan Robinson and the running back going eight to Atlanta. And so now I just want you to think. Now people didn't like it because Atlanta founded running back last year later in the rounds. And they're like, they already got a running back. So I have this theory. What Atlanta did is what Miami did with two.

So Miami had Tua and Mike McDaniels said, hey, we got to find out if Tua can play. So let's get Jalen Waddle. Let's get Tyreek Hill. Let's get a left tackle. Let's get a running back. And we'll find out if Tua can play instead of going into like year three or four with Tua and not having any idea. So what Atlanta has now is an offensive head coach that's clever, an excellent young

tight end, an excellent young receiver, a top six offensive line according to PFF. And now they have a star running back, not a surprising. good late round running back. Bejohn Robinson is a star day one. So what they're basically saying is we want to see if Desmond Ritter can play. What you don't want to be is the Bears. We're going into year three. We have no damn idea if Justin Fields can play because they're still trying to figure their offensive line out.

Mack Jones. He's going into what year number three. We're still not sure because they put a defensive coordinator at offensive coordinator. What Miami figured out very quickly with Mike McDaniels is we're going to surround Tua with an all-star team. And can he win games and be good? And they found out he can. If Tua did not have an injury issue, you'd stay with Tua. You'd sign him to a contract.

It's a concussion issue, not a he can't complete the football issue. Now, I don't think Desmond Ritter is the guy. That's my takeaway. But let's find out. Let's find out if he's the guy. You'll have no excuses. You have a star running back, an excellent offensive coach, a top six-o line, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, no excuses.

Yeah, the defense is bad. This is not a Super Bowl team. This team is trying to discover if they have the right quarterback. So when these New Englands mess around for a year and put a DC at OC, we're going into year three on Mac Jones. Nobody knows if he can play. I think he can. Many don't.

We're going into year three with Justin Fields. Can he play? I'm 60, 40. Yeah, nobody knows. You will know by Thanksgiving because running back is one of those positions. From high school to college, from college to the NFL. If you can play, you'll be in the first game. Here's the ball, find the hole.

He probably won't be a great blocker on the edge. He can catch. He can run. He's got a burst. It's a difference between getting a star at running back and getting a really good running back later in the draft that you feel you got great value on. Don't worry about value. This kid's a star.

This is your Zeke. This is your Sequin. This is your Adrian Peterson. Your Ladanian Tomlinson. 16 yards next year. Half a dozen touchdowns if he stays healthy. So I think Atlanta is trying to discover, hey, by the way, if we know by Thanksgiving, this young kid, Desmond Ritter is not the guy, we're bad.

We're in the Caleb Williams, Drake May sweepstakes. and we've got an answer. We've got an answer. Chicago and New England still don't. And that's the one thing Miami did with Tua. They just surrounded it with All-Stars and said, all right, let's see. If you fail, then it's on you.

It's not on the coach. It's not on the receivers. It's not on the run game. It's not on Mike Gassicki. So sometimes I think some of this stuff is discover at quarterback. No excuses for Atlanta. They've got young, talented people.

And their O-line, and I don't follow O-Lines. but PFF rates it as one of the best young sneaky good tackles, one of the best young offensive lines in football. So Ritter is going to have protection, two legitimate running backs, a star-tied end. Now, go solve your defense later rounds. I don't think it's as bad a pick as everybody else thinks. Can I ask you, Atlanta ranked top five in rushing efficiency offense last year

with Cordarell Patterson and Tony Algier, a guy who had an awesome year as a rookie was a fifth round pick. You've got a top five running offense. Your eighth overall pick and you're adding a running back. I can move Cordarell Patterson, a lot of value in the market. I can move people too, you know. If I think this kid, let me ask you this. Do you think he, I was told that he is the cleanest player in the draft.

Okay. Literally, there is nothing not to like about it. He is a guaranteed 12 to 1,500-yard player year 1. Do you know how many yards that is? That's 80 yards. let's say you get 85 yards a game with him. What a teams average every Sunday in the NFL? 385 yards?

But wait, Al Jir was already giving you 80, 85 yards a game on the ground last year, when he had 1100. Like, he was very good. Did you really need this? Now, this goes back to Need versus Best Player on the Board. Is there anything wrong with having two running backs? Well, they now have three with Cordor L Patterson. By the way, the Cowboys had two last year.

Now they've got one, and there's real concerns. They have to go get another running back. Like, I think dual running. Backs are not a terrible thing. I don't, now, I'm not saying this is the best pick in the draft, but I'm saying is, I do understand it feels like the Miami Dolphins with Tua. We're giving you an All-Star cast, kid. Yeah, but they gave him receivers, not a running back.

We did this yesterday. Wide receiver is above running back. Running back's not a top five position of importance, is it? And you go an eighth overall. Let me say, it's not maybe with Mahomes or Burrow. It may be with Jared Goff and Desmond Ritter. Our two 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 business. banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart 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 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 grace. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of

Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.