The Ryen Russillo Podcast - The NCAA vs. James Wiseman, Plus 2020 NFL Draft With Todd McShay | The Ryen Russillo Podcast

Episode Date: December 20, 2019

Russillo rants about the Milwaukee Bucks and the people vs. the NCAA vs. James Wiseman (3:30), before he is joined by ESPN's Todd McShay to discuss the 2020 NFL draft. They discuss Joe Burrow vs. Tua Tagovailoa, a potentially loaded wide receiver class, Chase Young, upcoming bowl games, and more (21:50). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is good fam? Live from negative five degrees, Vermont, on the border of Canada at one point yesterday. Good stuff. Took the grandmother out to lunch. She's 92, 93. If your grandmother's still alive, say hello to her. Make her day. The bartender brought over a goblet of red wine. I'm talking like, who's the terrible king? The phrase? That guy sucked, right? Yeah.

Yeah, terrible. The glass of wine that the bartender brought over with my grandmother was was the size of rhode island and so i was like oh okay this will be fun and uh you know shout out to anybody who's 92 who's going to throw back a red in the middle of the day and it's minus five so you know what are you what are you going to do we get todd mcshay we're going to talk about joe burrows ascension um my outback bowl game where 2015 i was like if this game doesn't happen this way then i know nothing about football um which is always a cool thing when somebody tells you you know nothing i'm like if you hate me do i know nothing though nothing seems harsh uh but i have

two things that i want to hit on before we talk to mcshay and before we do that we're gonna let you know about state farm because they are the presenting sponsor. Today's episode of the Ryan Rosillo Show is brought to you by State Farm. If you're fumbling with insurance, State Farm agents are here to help because with over 19,000 agents that are local to you and available to help, whether you connect in person, by phone, or through the State Farm mobile app, agents are here to help. So go with the one that has coverage and agents that you can count on. State Farm, talk to an agent today. And let's talk about Drinkworks. Who's up for a Harvey Wallbanger? I'm not sure that they make those happen, but you ever had a Harvey Wallbanger, Kyle?

No, it's a great name. I'm about to Google that shit right now, unless you want to tell me. Yeah. I'm going to go ahead and say that you're not going to order one, but it's a terrific name, but it kind of makes you feel like an extra and American psycho. Uh, if you order one of those brought to you by drink works, our podcast, the home bar from drink works by Keurig, much like a premium espresso machine, but it makes cocktails. Instead drink works, home bar pods are made with premium spirits, real ingredients and natural flavors. There are over two dozen different drinks to choose from,

so there's literally something for everyone. And, you know, there you go. Harvey Wallbang. I don't think they... I'm going to go ahead and tell Drinkworks, if you have the Harvey Wallbang or pod, you're wasting your money. But I hope you guys send us a picture,

at Ryan A. Bursillo. Let us know how it's going. Just a couple premium cocktails at the Casa. The Drinkmaker creates bar-quality cocktails, freshly made at the push of a button. The only way to get this amazing Drinkmaker at a discount and plus free shipping is by going to drinkworks.com. Use my code Ryan, R-Y-E-N, at checkout.

Over $100 off standard website pricing and get free shipping. Don't wait. This amazing offer won't last, and it's only for my listeners. That's drinkworks.com and use my code Ryan, R-Y-E-N, at checkout. And remember, please enjoy responsibly. Drinkworks Home Bar is currently available in California, New York, Florida. Guess where else it's available, Kyle? Missouri?

It is available in Missouri. Oh, shit. That's right. Pennsylvania, Illinois, and more states available with their pre-sale today okay a couple things to uh to get cooking Milwaukee Bucks fans are the worst sorry um when I was talking about doing my top five worst fan bases in the NBA. Utah's had moments and you know, that's true. Toronto does this weird, insecure. What about us? Like if you're listening to Canada right now, shout out to Canada. Like I said, basically passport distance from the line yesterday, but no one cares, man. No one cares. No one in America is going, oh, those freaking Canadians.

We never say that ever, ever. We never go, oh, Toronto has our trophy. We never say that. We don't care. So all of your weird things about like, oh, classic Rosillo, classic Simmons, couldn't pay attention to a Canadian team I've never thought that once ever ever not once and I'm not going to speak for Bill but I'm gonna go ahead and just say I've never heard him say to me you know what I hate freaking people from Ontario I've never heard him say it okay so having said all those things Toronto Utah uh trying to think what up Miami Heat fans get pissed off a lot I guess when it's cold um but you know what Miami Heat fans like you kind of deserve it I mean give me a break like people are sort of jealous of the weather and all that stuff

but uh Celtics fans really got in my case last year when I was like hey your team stinks stop protect you know stop pretending that they're going to be good in the playoffs that was a win for me my six predictions not necessarily as good but Milwaukee Bucks fans are really mad they're mad all the time and it's always funny too when it's like hey your team beat the Clippers again. Smash the Clippers. Rosillo. I've never seen anything like it in years. Rosillo. Lakers fans aren't sweet either. Talked up the Raptors on Tuesday.

Bucks win on Thursday. Nothing. Hey, dude, I have some stuff going on. Believe it or not, as much of a loser as I may portray to be, sometimes there's stuff happening. And for me to go like,

what do you need? Your team smashed the Clippers. They beat the Lakers last night. They're up 20 at half. They almost had 70 at the half. And you go, do you need this win? Is your night that much better by some sort of innocuous validation of, man, Bucks, they're cooking.

Because guess what? They're cooking. And Giannis last night against the Lakers looked like the best player in the league. All right? That was kind of the thing that jumped out, where you go, this dude is the best player in the league. Starting five, Giannis, Brook, Wesley Matthews, who was hyped for the entire game, apparently. DiVincenzo and Middleton, who, because he's the two,

I think leads to some of the national doubt, and I would say even local doubt, when you're looking in the mirror and you're being nice to my friend Jim and you say, you know what? I'm not sure either. And that's the problem with the Bucs. They're a little Denver-ish that way. Lakers, AD, LeBron, JaVale, KCP, who had a lot of points last night, but I swear to God, he's just, I don't know. I just don't see it with him. And then Danny Green. They had AD against Giannis, and they were going to really space. I mean, that's what Milwaukee does.

They space you out, and then they let Giannis drive. You know, it's the anti-Denver thing where Denver does not space you out, and I still to this day can't figure out. Like when I watched Dallas and Kristaps Porzingis against the Lakers they made Davis guard more of the floor Denver did the opposite thing uh last night immediately and you could see AD sagging off Giannis you're like okay this is how they're going to play them and LeBron was on Wesley Matthews by the way uh Giannis 32 percent from three on five attempts per game career high 32 is 32 is not great. But if you look at the monthlies, granted, it's only four games in October, 14%, 31%, and he's now at 42, 41%

in the month of December. The shot looks smooth. He's very comfortable. And there's something to be said for anybody that's played at any level, just taking the shot makes you more comfortable going ahead and just doing that. So, you know, I go the shot makes you more comfortable going ahead and just doing that. So, you know, I go to the third quarter, I'm sitting here like taking notes at this Christmas party and I'm like, okay, all right, keep sending this to myself. Um, LeBron had moments where if you wanted to edit, edit the whole thing, like one way you could be like, oh, he fell down, whatever. Um, no, LeBron was actually awesome. LeBron had this thing going where they had really specific

things where he had a drive it was a it was a fourth quarter drive he drove baseline left to right so if you're watching on tv lakers are shooting on the right side he comes at the top of the baseline down everybody jumps on him and you're it's one of those things we're watching a game you go oh my gosh like why is everybody contesting him right now what's's going on? You're like, oh, they're bringing the corners in. And like, it's why all these other people like love Budenholzer. And you go, look at that. They're bringing all the corners in. They're off a Rondo. He gets it around over the corner. Rondo's wide open for three. Rondo doesn't take it. Shot clock violation. Next, I think it was two possessions later. LeBron drives the other way. And it's like three people at his face.

And he's so good that LeBron's like, all right, corner, wide open Rondo, and doesn't take the shot. And they sag off of him. And it's just those simple, stupid things. Like, I know it sounds simple to go, hey, you know what? When Rondo's in the corner, help off of him all the time. That's the rule. Like, what are our rules tonight?

Hey, Rondo's over there. But honestly, some of the teams don't do it. Like, some teams are like, oh, contest everything. Oh, go ahead and go do this. And honestly, Celtics fans that were trying to argue like Rondo is a top five point guard because, I don't know, whatever. You're from Medford. You know, Rondo actually can sort of sneaky shoot.

No. He had moments where he had some shots, he had some elbow numbers that were okay, but like little things like that, where the bucks seem to be tuned in to the opponent as Nick nurses that way. There's just certain guys, certain teams, certain nights where you're like, they're more tuned in specific game plan to their opponent than other coaches are. And it would sound really simple to do it all the time. And it's always one of those things too. Like I was thinking about it last night, hanging out with hockey buddies, NBD, but like, why are NHL guys praised for cranking up the intensity in the playoffs? But NBA guys, it's like, oh, they don't even try in the regular season. They don't even

care until it's the playoffs. I'm not trying to be on first take right now. It was just something that dawned on me. They're like, wait a minute. So we praise the intensity in one sport when they crank it up, but we don't praise it in the NBA. And I think that's always sort of the little secret thing with the Bucs where you go, this is nuts, right? Don is the best player in the league.

Their point differential is on pace to be the best point differential in NBA history. Bledsoe didn't even play last night and he's been pretty good for them. They bring in four other guys, five other guys at one point. They went bench early, same thing with the Lakers, and it didn't really matter. They smashed the Clippers in the second game where both George and Kawhi played in the first game, no one played. It was a close win for them, but I don't know what to tell you. Like, it's this weird thing where you go, the evidence is screaming in my face. Milwaukee bucks, the best team in the NBA, pick them to win the whole thing now. And I kind of wonder if they're a little Denver-ish where I wonder if this system and everything they do is great as is bud is as great as janice is is that drop off from one

to two so much that i go that's that's kind of my rule like how many guys do you have how many special players do you have and they have one special player and middleton can completely disappear at times and then there's other times you're like somebody get a hand in his face and that's what bucks fans have to deal with and i think you guys all kind of know it as well i have something on james weissman that i want to talk about here um the memphis center who bounced yesterday which was kind of an odd story it feels like it's really predictable but it actually wasn't that predictable because of some of the stuff that he was suspended he was going to come back hey how about i do this how about i read the ad first and then i tell you the rest of the story?

DraftKings, our guys. If you missed out on the playoffs, the good news is you don't have to feel left out. Get fantasy fix with DraftKings, the leader in one-day fantasy. And if you've never played before, there's even more good news. New users get a free shot at over $1 million in prizes with your first deposit. Draft your lineup and feel the sweat like never before. Every run, every throw, every catch, they just mean more with the DraftKings lineup on the line.

It's simple. Just draft your lineup, stay under the salary cap, and see how your team stacks up against the competition. Nothing adds to the sweat of watching the game, quite like having a shot at over $1 million in prizes. And be sure to check out the newest game mode. That's Flash Draft now. You can draft a new team for a single quarter of a live football game.

Download the DraftKings app now. Use the code RASILLO, R-U-S-S-I-L-L-O. New users, enter the code RASILLO. Sign up. That's right, it's sign up. Just put that code in, and you get a free shot at over $1 million in prizes with your first deposit. That's code RASILLO you get a free shot at over $1 million in prizes with your first deposit. That's code Rucillo. Get a free shot at over $1 million in prizes with your first deposit only at DraftKings.

Minimum $5 deposit required. Eligibility restrictions apply. See DraftKings.com for details. So James Weissman was somebody that, you know, if you're a draft guy, if you're a Memphis fan, you're super into it. If you're watching the high school showcase stuff, you're like, okay, this guy's special. And he's in the mix, potentially being a number one pick. I kind of can't wait to see what happens with Golden State. Because if they ended up with a number one pick, like what would they do? Would they trade it to keep guys, you know, on the same age line as somebody else, or maybe their in-house evaluation is, oh, we think wise. I think LaMelo would be out of the mix. I have a hard time believing, like, hey, can we have a guy who's going to pull up from 35 feet who's younger than Trey Young

to go with Steph and Clay? You know what? I don't think we're going to do that. So anyway, you understand the point here. So he bounces from Memphis and the NCAA anarchists bounces from Memphis and the NCAA anarchists who are on TV, who are, I think, more worried about their agenda than they are about any kids. And I could just, I could rifle off 10 different people. I'm like, you doom, doom, doom, doom, doom. Okay. Here's, here's my position. I am not an NCAA anarchist. I do think players should be able to make money, make money in their likeness. And I think there'd be an awesome thing if the world decided to start teaching all of us,

hey, do you want to learn what money's really about at like 18? Or do you want to fuck it up a ton of times and then sort of like at 35 you go, oh, this is what I'm supposed to do. That would be awesome. Just, that's just a heads up to the world where you go, I would, I would have loved to have known some of the things like, Oh, this is a really terrible decision to make. Okay. You know, like I'm psyched about the new deal, shout out to FDR, but I, there was some

other life stuff that would have been sweet for that $100,000 bill I got handed with the diploma. So I do think that there's a way to do some sort of 401k. I remember 10 years ago with Van Pelt, and everybody shot it down because new ideas get shot down. I was like, just let the agents pay everybody. The agents could sit there and we could do some stupid bonus thing because nothing's funnier than people caring about the education of people they'll never meet in their entire lives. And we do this weird thing. And the NCAA has a weird thing where it's like, you guys know you're screwing it up, right? The one and done was a quick fix that wasn't even a fix, much like the college football playoff.

The college football playoff happened because schools, the conference commissioners, they get sick of guys like me ripping them all the time. They're like, all right, let's do a playoff happened because schools, the conference commissioners, they get sick of guys like me ripping them all the time. They're like, all right, let's do a playoff. It's like, hey, should we do something where everybody benefits? No, let's make it stupid. And let's do something where somebody is always mad every year. And maybe even two people are really mad. Done. Great idea. They're just not good at this. Okay. So I, even though I'm, I'm this person that thinks the NCAA could do more and the way they did that whole thing of like, you can make money off your likeness, the California bill. And then you dig through the fine print and you're like, what?

I was going through Barry Switzer's resignation and Barry Switzer was saying stuff in like, was it 89 where he goes, you know, these kids are broke. They're hungry. They can't afford anything. A family member can't get a plane ticket. And in 89, the climate was such that it was like, oh, what's Switzer? What's he talking about? And you read it now, you know what? 30 years later, and you're like,

that guy's making a ton of sense. And in the time, it was like, why is Barry Switzer talking about paying these athletes? All right. So now that I've said all that, with Weissman leaving Memphis, as he was due to come back after the suspension, and there's part of me that's like, hey, what are the rules? Oh, you're a booster. Well, don't give him $11,000 to move.

Some people are like, oh, this is ridiculous. He just gave him a loan. Like when people were talking about Chase Young, I'm like, do you really feel comfortable talking about that situation? Like, you know, everything that's going on. Cause I don't. Cause if he really did get a loan from a family member to bring his girlfriend to the Rose bowl. Yeah, that sucks.

But I wouldn't feel comfortable being like, that's exactly what it was. Cause I know that every person that was on TV, except for maybe herb street had no clue what the hell they were talking about. So when I saw the Weissman decision, a lot of people jumped in and like, Oh, this is the end of the NCAA. Okay. Let's look at it this way. Things are changing. Okay. When guys go to New Zealand to play hoops, things are different. When Weissman plays three games and says, I'm good, things are different. I'd actually always thought that there was going to be a situation where we'd see players go, you know what? I'm good. I don't want to play anymore. I've already made a name for myself.

It's December. I'm out. There was a kid who played at like Portland State five or six years ago. I remember Chad Ford's like, he's in the lottery. And I'm like, I wonder if that guy would just bounce. Like, hey, Chad Ford has me in the lottery. Thanks for the 12 non-conference games, but I'm just going to hang out and do wind sprints. So things are changing. But are they changing to the point where it's the death of the NCAA? Because I think a lot

of people are rooting for the death of the NCAA. Is there a system where it may suck for five and let's say 30 guys and more than 30 guys get money. Okay. That's the other thing too. When I watch somebody scream about college athletics and there'll be specific about one kid and they'll say how exploited he is. And I know for a fact that kid got a bag of cash. I look at that person on TV and go, you don't know what you're talking about. You should stop talking. And I think I'll do that next time I'm on TV. If I know for sure, for certain, like when I hear about second rounders that are getting six figures, I go, well, maybe the system doesn't suck as much as somebody on GetUp would tell you. All right. So when I think about Weissman leaving, I go, is this system so bad?

As people predict the death of the NCAA, he goes, it's so bad because five to 30 guys get screwed when 5,000 have a really good deal. Like, is that what we're talking about? Because I was at the Vermont UNC Greensboro game this week and I'm looking around and the only kid that has a chance of being in the pros is Anthony Lamb,

Vermont kid to be unprecedented for the Catamounts to have a Vermont kid get drafted. And there's one team I talked to that had him in the top 60. So I'm like, wow, this is unbelievable. So I go and I watch him and he's a really unique, special player. He's like a small sort of big three, four hybrid guy. And he put up 30 against Virginia, which is saying something. And I watch all those kids play and I go, these guys have an unbelievable experience in college,

an experience that most of us, either me talking or everyone listening, would love to have. Like, is it because James Weissman got a loan that he should have followed the rules a little bit closer and you don't like the NCAA? Is the NCAA so messed up in that particular case that the other 5,000 kids playing in basketball teams, like 300 plus teams? Is it so bad that the whole thing needs to end? Because that doesn't make any sense to me. And it kind of gets back to like the Weissman thing where you think, you know, Zion, I've heard people argue, oh, well, Zion had a million followers on Instagram. He didn't need Duke. If you think that Duke didn't help Zion, you're an idiot. Okay. Duke helped Zion. Now Zion was still going to be the number one pick, except for the fact, you know, look, RJ was kind of ranked ahead of him coming out of high school.

But Zion was a guy we all fell in love with. I mean, Zion's the only person ever. Duke guys are weird. OK, and there's a thing around the NBA. Like, what's that guy's deal? And you're like, Duke. Like, oh, that's right. Duke.

That's right. Zion's the only guy that made just casual non-Duke fans go, you know what? I kind of want to see Duke win because we fell in love with him. We fell in love with his personality, his game, his approach, his whole thing. Duke helped him. Now, again, I'm not the guy that wants it all torn down because I'm at this Vermont-UNC-Greensboro game going, this is fun. A few thousand people in here, these kids busting their ass, playing as hard as they can. John Becker, the

UVM coach is incredible coach. And I'm like, this is fun. This is what it's, you know, like, this is why I fell in love with it. And even though I know you probably don't watch as much college basketball as you used to, and you could sit there and say, oh, it should start January 1st. That's stupid. I mean, unless college basketball is like some TV show where you miss the first season and you go, well, I can't watch it now. I can't watch Boston Common now. I don't even know what the lead up is, right? But college basketball has its moment. It has its tournament. And that tournament does mean something. So to predict the death of the NCAA, I go, well, I'm not telling you college basketball is as good as it was because it isn't,

and things are changing. But are they changing to the point where you think this is over? Because that seems drastic. And should it be over for the other thousands of kids that actually enjoy it and have a good time doing it because James Weissman took a loan that he should have taken? That seems stupid. Todd McShay next.

This isn't meant as a criticism. It's just one of those things where you go, all right, so how does Joe Burrow go from not drafted to now he's the number one pick? You know, Ryan, I really fought it all year long. Because you look at the history of it, and there's really nothing like what we've seen with Joe Burrow because with Carson Wentz, he had a second round grade when I evaluated him over the summer coming from a small school and everyone thought he came out of nowhere and it wasn't the case.

Baker Mayfield was, I had a third round grade on him going into his final year at Oklahoma. He also was a transfer and then had his monster final season and wound up being the number one pick. Kyler Murray, he was a one-year player. We never thought he was going to play football. We always thought he was going to wind up being a major league baseball player and had a lot of money on the line and decided to kind of transition late.

But still, only one year there. So there's nothing really to go off of in terms of evaluating him. So with Joe Burrow, it's a totally different story. I had a day three grade after watching a bunch of tape off of him last year. And he played at a major program last year. You know, he transferred in, but, but it was a full season at LSU. And I just thought he was a guy. I thought he was going to be, you know, the ceiling was a good backup and to see the progression this year has been remarkable.

And, you know, I, I haven't seen anything like it in, in 20 years of doing this. And I asked Kuyper recently, just out of, just for some perspective, if he's ever seen anything like it in 20 years of doing this. And I asked Kuyper recently, just for some perspective, if he's ever seen anything like it with this kind of situation. And he says he can never remember a case where you've seen a full year at a big-time program, and then the next year there's so much difference. So what's the difference? Joe Brady comes in and opens up the offense, and it's something that's more comfortable for Joe

Burrow it's something it's a system that is a lot more like what he played in high school and even what like the principles of what he was learning at Ohio State before transferring I think you see Clyde Edwards-Alaire emerge as one of the great backs in college football the offensive lines protecting a little bit better the young wide receivers from a year ago have grown up, and you saw Joe get more confidence in those guys and given them some chances to go up and make some plays. And so

I think you combine all of those things, but at the end of the day, you have to make a football evaluation on this guy. And from what I've seen from the beginning of this year to the end, and I'm talking about elite pocket presence, the ability to, when the outside rushes come and climb the ladder, keep your eyes on the same plane inside rushes coming slide, but stay in

the pocket, keep your eyes on the same plane and be ready to pull the trigger. If you watch Aaron Rogers, I think he's as good as there is in business at this. And that's always moving around, but never really looking at the pass rush, always reading your progressions. And when the receiver finally breaks open, his feet, his lower body, and his upper body are tied together, and they're ready to rip. And I've seen a lot of that out of Joe Burrow this season, and the accuracy, and then the toughness too.

It's such a huge part of the game, and I know quarterbacks don't get hit as much, but this dude has gotten hit a lot this year. And it's not like he's peeling himself up off the mat. He's popping up and ready to go. And I've been really impressed with how much bigger and stronger he's gotten without losing mobility. And then how tough he's been from beginning to end. And you can just see the confidence every single week growing in this young

man. Yeah. That that's the thing now, like we've talked about it at the beginning of the year where I go, okay, so what's that? Am I supposed to pay attention to, like I don't know what to pay attention to anymore and now like it's all footwork in the pocket like that's what I look for because everybody that sits there and goes oh look how great his follow-through is look how great his hips are his thrust his feet and I just go who cares because most of the throws you're not allowed to do that it's not going to happen

and his downfield vision his mobility in the the pocket. Like whenever I say, hey, Brady's a mobile quarterback, I don't mean as a dual threat guy. His footwork in the pocket, Brady's the best, Rogers, whatever. You can put the two of them right there. But that's what Burrow is. Yeah, pocket mobility. And then my pocket mobility. There's a huge difference between Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson,

which is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the NFL, and I get it, but pocket mobility is a huge factor in evaluating these guys. Okay, so let's do a couple other things I have here for you. So I like Lamb better than Judy, and I like Lamb's hands better. I know that Judy's drop numbers aren't necessarily great. I guess your counter would be Judy you know, Judy runs better routes. How do you separate those two guys? Judy's, you know, I hate to say, but I've already said the best and their biggest jump in 20 years.

I would put Judy up with any receiver that I've evaluated during my career in terms of route running. And I mean, getting off of press, getting in and out of breaks at the top of the stem, you know, the top of the route is it's almost weird watching some of them. I've put some things on, on my Twitter account just to show like the way he can take his defensive backs and man to man coverage. A lot of times are reading, reading your hips, the way he can take his defensive backs and man to man coverage. A lot of times are reading, reading your hips,

the way he can turn, turn his hips and then explode and accelerate out of the break. The other way it's, it's rare. It really is rare stuff. And he's just so savvy in terms of knowing when to sit in between zone coverages. Um,

I think he's a special player. Now the funny part is like waddles better after the catch Jalen model on his He wanted to sit in between zone coverages. I think he's a special player. Now, the funny part is Waddle's better after the catch. Jalen Waddle on his own team. Henry Ruggs is going to run the four twos. He's faster. There are bigger guys, faster guys, better after the catch. But if you can't separate, you're useless to me.

I mean, that's really the whole thing. You got to, whether it's late separation, however you separate, you got to be able to separate first and then catch the ball. And Judy's had some drops. Yeah, I get it. But, you know, big picture, his numbers aren't horrible at all.

Now, C.D. Lamb, I think, is a special player, too. I've got both of them in the top ten. And this is going to be a, to be, depending on the underclassmen, could be one of the better wide receiver groups we've seen in a long time. I mean, we haven't had three receivers taken in the first round since 2017, so going back three years. Alabama could have three off of their team alone. going back three years, Alabama could have three off of their team alone.

And then you throw in C.D. and T. Higgins and LaVisca Schnolt from Colorado and some other guys too. So it's a loaded group. But C.D. specifically, he has great hands, and I think what he does best, his unique trait, is after the catch. He is so fluid and strong after the catch. I think in a West Coast system with a lot of shorter throws, when you've got to beat that one guy, break a tackle or make one cut, and a seven-yard gain turns into 23, I think he's going to really excel.

Give me a guy that you had an opinion on. You've watched all the tape now because I know you haven't caught up on everybody, despite how much everybody gets mad at you. But give me a guy you've broken all the tape. Right. Somebody you've done all the tape on now, completely changed your mind after the season. Jake Fromm. Jake Fromm

Jake Fromm is probably the guy I go up and down on the most but I think he gets the worst rap of any of the quarterbacks because he's one of the smarter quarterbacks I've ever been around he has great anticipation, he's lost some big games he's played big in big games, but they always, they seem to come up short more often than not. And if you go back and study, even start,

even last year in the, in the big games last year, his completion percentage should be so much higher than what it was because of just drops and guys not being in the right place at the right time. This year, he's got a transfer in from Miami wide receiver gets injured. And then a bunch of freshmen at wide receiver, he's had three different injuries along the offensive front and has had to really carry the offense. And everyone that I talked to, he's like, Oh,

from, he needs to go back to school. You know, he's, he really regressed this year. You know what? Do me a favor and study it before you bother me with your opinion on this. Honestly, I know I sound like a jerk, and I really don't mean to, but there are certain players where you're like, I get it. If you don't like his arm strength, I totally agree. He has average arm strength. He's never going to be great in that regard. He's never going to be great in that

regard. He's never going to be a great athlete. But he hasn't been... I would argue he's played just as well this year as he did the past couple of years. It's just that when you don't have anything around you and you've got a defense that's playing lights out, the whole equation

changes. So he's the guy that has been frustrating to watch on tape because I know he's playing well, but I also know what the national narrative is, and I know that he's probably going to wind up falling a little bit. Zach Bond is another one. I know he's way off the radar, but an outside linebacker who, after watching his tape coming out of Wisconsin,

I think this dude's going to be a really good player. And I think a lot of people, just because he's a Wisconsin linebacker and, I don't know, whatever the image is that he's going to want, people think he's going to be a day three pick. It wouldn't shock me if Vaughn was a late first round pick. And it would shock me if we get done with the second round and he's still on the board. I think he's one of the more versatile, instinctive, consistent defensive players in the country that not a lot of people have gotten to know because Wisconsin just didn't have a big time schedule this year. Why is Chase Young better than both Boses?

Good question. And I love the Boses. I've sat there with multiple-time general men or executives of the year in the NFL. I've sat there with guys who have played the position, and I've fought with them tooth and nail. And I've been wrong about a lot of guys, but the bosses, I just wouldn't budge,

and I knew that they would be good players. The durability was always going to be a concern, especially with both of them. But when healthy, they both excelled in the NFL, and it's because they're so good with their leverage, and they're so good with their hand usage. Now, Chase has got a quicker first step. He's going to run faster, and that was the bitch from everybody about the bosses. I think, what was it, Joey was like a 4.83 or 4.86, and Nick ran a 4-7-9. And if you look at some of the analytics, and I always check them and I calculate them

and I make them part of the process, but I will not fully make an evaluation off of them. Some of the analytics say that you can't have a great edge rusher unless they run them in the 4-6s or have a 1-6-0 10-yard split. And those guys didn't. And so I think what's going to happen with Chase is you've got a player who's been coached as well, who's developed great hand usage,

but also has that elite speed, that first step, first two-step, that explosiveness, the ability to change directions a little bit better than both of the Boses could. Loved the game. I know the Boses absolutely loved the game and lived for the game, but from everything I understand, Chase Young kind of has a similar approach

to it and just more athleticism to finish. So if he gets stronger, continues to get a little bit stronger, I think he has a chance to be a better pro, and that's saying a whole heck of a lot based off of the early results from Nick and Joey. Yeah, I mean, Nick is insane. And I think it's like normal, right? Yeah, I mean, you know, wings, perimeters, the NBA is like, hey, I don't want guys with a really short wingspan.

But every now and then there's a guy where it works. And whatever those guys are doing in the first 10, it just doesn't matter. Like he can't be blocked. Yeah, so here's the thing. You have to put it all in perspective. And this is always my gripe about the bosses with like the 10-yard split and the 40. First of all, look at some of the other numbers, the power numbers, the flexibility numbers that don't get,

you know, people don't see nationally. And then also the, like the short shuttle and the, the three cone drill, the, the, some of the change of direction skills, those numbers that aren't as, as publicized as the 40 yard dash. Right. So, all right. Then you've got to factor in that their game's not built on speed. Their game is built on, they're going to get to you. They're either going to stand you up with their power, or

once they've made you really frightened about that, they're going to pretend to stand you up with their power, and then they're going to ghost you with that, you know, that two-hand move. And then they're going to ghost you with that, you know, that two hand move. They both, they, I thought, um, I thought Joey was better coming out of college, but Nick's become just as good. And he's, he spent four months when he was rehabbing, working with the same hand guy and the trainer guy that, uh, that Joey works with. And he, he picked up the rest of the little details on that.

And I mean, those guys are as good as it gets in terms of technique. So if you're looking at a guy who's six, three, 240 pounds, who's built fully on speed and that's his only his game. And yeah, he better run a four, five, eight, or a one, five, eight in the, in the 10 yard shuttle and a four and a 455 in the 40. But if you get guys who can be to a speed, power, quickness, all these different things, the 40-yard dash is just not that important. No, it makes a lot of sense.

All right, I'm going to ask you for five more minutes because of some technical difficulties on our end. Gotcha. Let's go rapid fire. Tua's evaluation is blank, but if he ends up with the Dolphins, what's the projection? He's impossible to evaluate

right now. If my medical staff comes to me and says he's 100%, we have no concern about the future, it's Burrow-Tua battling 101. If he never had the hip injury, I would have had 201 and then Burrow.

I agree, by the way. When I watch him lose the Bama-LSU game, like being there, watching him in person, I'm like, I'm in. I'm in. I mean, I liked him before. I actually like him better than Burrow healthy. I do too. But now, you know, the liked him before. I actually like him better than Burrow healthy. I do too. But now, you know, the whole thing changes.

And for the next two and a half months, we don't even get to see him walk. So there's going to be a lot to figure out from the combine medical and then the re-medical check in April, and then the team sending out all their doctors. There's just going to be a lot to sort through in terms of what teams think and there's going to be a lot of lying too so it's going to be hard to you got to really trust the people you trust let's put it that way but with miami let's say he's 100 healthy and he was going to be the first pick and miami had the first pick I mean, they're a mess. Their personnel situation is a mess.

And they have a lot of picks this year. And Greer, their decision-maker in terms of drafting, I think is very talented. But he's going to have to make up for a roster that is so far depleted. It's going to take at least three years. So Tua, if in that situation, is going to have to battle not only an offensive line that's not equipped to protect him right now, but then going from having the best wide receiver core, arguably,

in the history of college football to a wide receiver core that is in the bottom half of the league at best in the NFL. And it's going to be a big struggle. And it's hard to watch great players get stuck in terrible situations. And Josh Rosen is a perfect example. If he gets put in a different situation, he could be thriving right now. But Arizona had a change in the way they wanted to go. They were horrible his rookie year.

They obviously wanted Kyler with Kingsbury coming in. It's traded to Miami. Miami is tanking for Tua, quote-unquote, and now where's he left to be? So much of it matters who's developing you and what your supporting cast is.

And I think we focus way too little on that. Okay, two more. Give me the guy you know, you've done all the tape, you know you're going to be wrong about this guy. Justin Herbert. I can't be right either way. That's the problem. Because I see all the physical tools. I think he can be developed. I've met with him, talked to him.

He's an introverted dude, but he's very intelligent and his players, his teammates love him and he's a competitor. So there's this strange, you know, back and forth kind of tug of war, like who he is and what he can be. Plus he's in an offense now where Mario Cristobal, it's worked for them, but Mario Cristobal wants to run the football. They're not opening things up.

Herbert's kind of in the reverse effect of what Joe Burrow entered into, you know, going from run the football, let's be conservative to open it up and let's, let's rip. And Herbert's kind of flip-flopped in that regard. And I've dropped Herbert to 17 because I do have concerns. I don't think he's ever carried that team as much as he should. And I, I worry about being introverted and if things aren't going well, so, but everyone thinks I love them. Then I drop him to 17. He's the third-best quarterback, and everyone thinks I hate him. So I just feel like I can never win.

Every time I talk to anyone in Bristol, they're like, you love Herbert. I'm like, well, you hate Herbert. So I won't win on that one. Honestly, that's the right answer. I mean, I've watched two years of those games, okay? I mean, I know my LSU thing, but everybody knows I like the ducks like watching them. And this year I was like, you know what? I was like, I think I'm over it. Like I, I seriously, I kept being like,

stop watching him as if he's awesome. Watch him like you would watch anybody else. And every now and then he'll rip it. He'll have a run and you're like, Oh, this guy's so good. But they were a defensive team this year. I mean, the Utah thing didn't really surprise me all that much because they held up against Auburn's D line. And I was like, why is Utah? They're the opposite of what Chip built. They are a defensive team. That's physical as hell with an awesome offensive line. So I don't know.

I don't know what to do with them either. All right. Last one. This is my Outback Bowl question. I remember doing Mike and Mike in 2015 slash 16 bowl season because I was like, I'm going to do all the extra shifts and I'm going to work on the holidays because then management's going to love me and reward me later on. Not. I sit on the holidays because then management's going to love me and reward me later on not

um i said on the air i go right right i go if tennessee loses to northwestern in the outback bowl i know nothing about college football i was like i just said it and i'm i'm rarely because the older you get you just go i don't know what the hell is going to happen that game i'm like there's no way after watching both these teams every like, there's no way, after watching both of these teams every Saturday, there's no way, and I was so happy because people were making fun of me, being like, you really put yourself out there. Tennessee beats Northwestern

45-6, and Northwestern was actually ranked higher. Give me your bowl where you're like, I'm Todd, and I know nothing about football if I get this wrong. I'll give you two. I'm going, and I know nothing about football if I get this wrong. I'll give you two. I'm going to go Peach, LSU over Oklahoma. Wow.

I love Lincoln Riley. I think he's probably the best offensive mind in college football. I don't even think he can overcome this. He's got some extra time to do it, but I think LSU is just so much better defensively in this matchup. And then I don't even know the name of the bull, but I'm going to give you Utah State over Kent State. Jordan Love is going to finish his career strong after 16 interceptions this

year, quarterback position for Utah State. If you want some early action, I would pound Utah State. Wow, I love it. All right, man. Merry Christmas. Thank you so much. Help me out big time. I'll talk to you soon.

Merry Christmas, brother. I'll talk to you soon. Okay, so here's the plan for next week. Chris Long and I on Monday, and then I have just a date with basketball on Christmas Day. So I may tape, Kyle, if this works for you. Are you going to edit this on Thursday, the day after Christmas? Does that suck for you? Fuck it, man.

I'll be around. I'll put it up. I love the way you swear. All right, so what I'm going to do is I'm just going to sit at home. I'm going to take notes. I was taking notes last night at a christmas party like little notes and guys are like are you ignoring me i heard you say that sounds kind of crazy no people were kind of like what's wrong i used a pencil last night i haven't used a pencil in years shout out to the pencils yeah yes wow that's what they made it that's what they're made of man wow although you know what

i tell you when you yeah when you were in grade school and some guy had like you're like oh my god look how much lead that guy has this is incredible same deal same deal too distracted you get the lead backdrop all right so here's the plan um chris long and i and then five basketball games i'm probably going to skip the Houston game because I hate watching the Rockets. I'm going to play basketball while the Rockets are playing. And then, no, I'm serious.

Because I'm just, Manhattan Beach is crazy on Christmas Day. You would think it was like Black Friday. People are out. Places are open. It's actually disrespectful to Christmas and Jesus. But yeah, that's what I'm going to do. And then we'll drop that Thursday morning. So that'll be kind of a basketball recap.

I'm just going to tell you right now, it's going to be me rambling for like an hour. So if you hate that, skip that one. Everybody have a great holiday. Merry Christmas. you